by Anna Santos
Chapter TWENTY-EIGHT
PHILIPPE
I blinked several times as my mouth tasted the sand against my lips. There was something crushing me, preventing me from moving. I was covered in sweat, and a sharp pain on my back warned me that I was wounded. The heat was suffocating.
I panicked as I forced my eyes open and noticed that I was under the blistering sun. After looking around, my heartbeat slowed down, and I pondered about my situation. I should be dead, burned to ashes. Yet I was not.
The last thing I remembered was…dying. The horror in Aria’s eyes haunted my memory. The specter killed me. No. I killed myself, so she wouldn’t open the portal and free Kayden’s master.
Wherever I was, this was the afterlife.
It took all my strength to sit up as I pushed away from the sand and moved my sore body. Gulping, I looked at the never-ending desert where I was alone. Apparently, Hell was a suffocating wasteland and my new home.
The pressure on my back was uncomfortable as was the heat. At least, I wasn’t blistering under the UV rays. Attempting to scratch my back, I felt them—the soft sensation of feathers. I snapped my neck only to scrunch my eyelids together because of the intense pain in my muscles. Peeling my eyes open, I looked back and saw the white and reddish feathers that were part of two wings.
Where did they come from and why are they on my back?
I tensed my back and tried to understand if they were a part of me or an illusion. Only angels had wings, not vampires like me, especially not in Hell.
I died, and my energy was transferred to another dimension. That was my original form. Kayden had said that I was an angel in a previous life. Apparently, I had been a Red Angel like Aria. I guess it was not as far-fetched as I had thought.
Gasping, I secured my hands on the sand as an excruciating pain exploded in my head. Images flashed behind my eyelids and hammered me with the cold sensation of horror and guilt. So many had died by our hands. So many of us had fallen in a pointless war.
Aria.
She was the only thing that mattered. My heart hurt from being apart.
Again. I lost her again.
A soft breeze circled around me, playing with the sand.
I gazed up. The heat danced like an invisible layer. I was stuck there for all eternity. Aria was alone with a mad specter.
What have I done?
What could I have done? I couldn’t let her open the portal to Hell. Yet, looking around, it seemed rather deserted. Where were the scary monsters and demons?
The wings felt heavy on my back. I couldn’t stay still. I was an angel. I had wings. I must have powers. Discovering how to master my abilities was essential.
Red Angels are powerful Archangels, are they not?
Another sharp pain in my head hit me, and flashes of what seemed to be memories punched me in my guts. The angels were fighting among themselves. The carnage was gruesome. Yet all I could think about was the safety of the tall female angel with red hair fighting a few meters away from me. Fire flew from her hand against their shields as her sword pierced and defended against the blows of the other angels and their weapons.
Gasping for air, the images stopped. I kneeled and tried to control my wings, so I could get up.
CEDRIC
Aria had gone mad with the loss of Philippe. She had burst into flames, and we would all be gone if Camille hadn’t used her powers to contain the deadly fire.
“I won’t be able to hold her for much longer. I need your help, Cedric,” Camille shouted.
Granted, I could use my powers to freeze Camille’s bubble and give us more time to run. Yet Aria’s demonstration of power had scared both the specter and Lilly. I wasn’t going to lose this chance of saving Josephine now that my sister had lowered her guard.
Teleporting behind Lilly, I held the blade she had in her hand and froze it until it shattered. I heard her gasp before I twisted her arm and shoved her against the wall. Aiming my hands at her, I froze her body and only left her head and neck unarmed. It wasn’t my intention to kill her, only to imprison her.
Breathless, I muttered to my sister, “I have no idea what lies you’ve been told, but I didn’t kill our parents our Maurice.”
“Liar,” she spat out.
“I mourned your death…”
“I’ll kill you once I break free…”
I recoiled with sadness. My attention sharpened with Jo’s voice.
“Aria, stand down,” Jo yelled with her hands on the floor. Snapping her head back, she added, “Cedric, you need to do something before she kills us.”
Clenching my teeth, I fought the urge to hold Josephine and make sure she was safe.
The specter yelled as he moved his hands in a soothing movement. “Aria, listen to me! You can still save Philippe. All you have to do is open the gate to Hell and get him. I’ll guide you. We can both look for him and bring him back.”
The sound of her powers and the increase of gravity made it seem as if we were underwater. It was hard to move my limbs.
Camille kneeled, close to exhaustion.
“Aria, stop this! We’ll find a solution,” I yelled at her.
Closing my eyes, I teleported closer. I put myself in front of her, hoping that she could see me. “Control your fire.”
The force field burst, and I barely had time to aim my hands forward and fight her fire with my ice.
Her voice sounded like thunder. “You dare protect him after what he’s done?”
I shouted back. “You will destroy everyone if you don’t contain your powers.”
“Aria, please. Listen to Cedric,” Jo yelled.
Suddenly, the fire I was fighting against stopped. Blinking, I noticed that Aria was no longer in front of me. I turned around and saw that she was in front of the specter with her hand on his neck. With Philippe on the other side, Aria needed to be stopped before she opened the gate. She had the sacred orb in her hand, and it was glowing as if she was controlling its powers.
“Aria, you will not open the gate,” I said to her.
“It’s your only chance to get him back,” the specter spoke as his hands were held up in surrender. “Open it, and I can guide you.”
“Aria!”
I couldn’t see her face, but I was sure that she was beyond mad and her eyes were glowing.
Her next words left me speechless. “I don’t need to open the gate to Hell to go there.”
With that said, they both disappeared, and a sudden darkness took over the room.
I looked at the balcony doors. The moonlight that had been shining upon my kingdom had dimmed until it faded completely. Rushing to the doors, I opened them wide and stepped onto the balcony. The night was pitch-black. It wasn’t surprising since the opening to Paris was closed, and we were left trapped inside our world with an endless night. The only light came from the castle and the artificial lamps.
I could still teleport, but my other subjects, the gargoyles, couldn’t.
“Cedric, what will happen now?”
I turned around and saw Jo behind me as her face gazed at the dark sky. Her eyes were wide, and her hands were trembling.
“Now, we pray she will come back and free us from this prison. Without the sun from the other side, the plants won’t survive, and this world will freeze until nothing can grow and live here.”
“Angels can still teleport, can’t they?”
I nodded. “But we will lose our home.”
Gazing into the room, I saw Jacob holding Camille as she recovered. My sister was trapped, and I had to do something important before taking care of her betrayal.
My throat was dry when I spoke. If this didn’t work, I was back to be alone and mateless despite having my wings and angel powers intact.
“Jo, with your permission, I want to kiss you. Waiting longer is pointless…”
Her eyes narrowed in what seemed to be a sad expression.
“Don’t you believe we are meant to be?” I questioned her.
Her voice came out in a whisper, and I didn’t know if she was feeling gratitude or disappointment.
“I would. I would go to Hell and get you if I had to.”
Shortening the distance between us, she laced her arms around my neck, and her lips crashed into mine. I deepened the kiss until she gasped against my mouth and tilted her head back.
Opening her eyes, she said, “That would be an irresponsible thing to do. I don’t deserve your—”
“Devotion?”
She nodded.
“I love you.”
“Yet, nothing happened after the kiss,” her voice came out shattered. “We—I can’t move my legs.”
“What?”
Stepping back and letting her go, I noticed that her body was turning into stone despite it being dark around us.
I reached for her hands, and her eyes showed how scared she was.
“No, no.”
“Cedric… Ce…”
“No!” I yelled as she turned to stone and her face stopped moving. Her beautiful lips stayed immortalized, and she became a statue before my eyes.
I lost my mind. “Take me instead. Not her! Why do you have to be so cruel?”
I heard laughter coming from inside the room. Lilly shouted, “It suits you well. No one will ever love a monster like you.”
I ignored her insane accusations and tried to understand why that had happened.
Cupping her face, I vowed, “I’ll save you, Josephine. I’ll change places with you, so you can be happy. I’m so sorry, baby. I didn’t know you would be cursed. I thought you could find someone else if we didn’t match.”
I kissed her cold and lifeless lips as pain numbed my limbs and made tears sting my eyes. “I’m so sorry.”
An explosion sent me back, and my wings flapped and prevented me from falling from the balcony.
Coughing, I dusted off the small particles of rock that hit me. My brain only had a few seconds to process what had happened. Once the cloud of dust dissipated, I saw Josephine.
She was shining as white as the wings behind her back. Her black hair fell about her shoulders and her eyes aimed at me. “Cedric?”
“Jo…”
She was a vision of perfection and the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.
“You are mine.” It started as an affirmation, and it turned into me bursting into laughter and rushing to her. I hugged her against my chest and inhaled her scent. “You are mine. You are my queen, my mate.” My chest constricted. “I don’t deserve you.”
Jo managed to cup my face in her hands. “I’ll be the judge of that,” she said before planting a kiss on my lips.
Chapter TWENTY-NINE
ARIA
I materialized with the specter in an endless desert with two burning suns in the sky and far away mountains. The air was dense and dry. The heat was suffocating.
Letting go of Kayden, his hands flew to his throat as if he couldn’t breathe. With a confused gaze, he stumbled and removed his tunic. Wearing pants and a shirt, his once fleshless body gained meat, muscles, and skin as if he was becoming human again.
Whatever magic was doing that, it wasn’t mine.
Once the transformation stopped, Kayden looked at his hands and asked hoarsely, “Where are we?”
“Hell,” I replied, shadowing my eyes with my hand as I looked at the horizon. “How can I find Philippe?”
“We need to find my master first. Then, I’ll teach you how to find your mate. But we need to move soon. I’m sure that whoever lives here has noticed our arrival and will be looking for us.”
“And?” I asked, turning to face Kayden. He looked young with brown eyes and hair. Harmless, if I didn’t know better.
Kayden picked up his tunic and dusted it off. “There are powerful beings in this place that prey on the energy of new arrivals. You don’t want to be here when they come. They are too many, and we can’t fight them all. We need to find my master. He’ll know where your lover is.”
Folding my arms, I counteroffered, “What if I leave you here by yourself and look for Philippe on my own?”
“It’s not a wise decision since you have no idea how to travel around this land. Plus, you still have the sacred orb to get us out of here, so I won’t trick you. I get that you are powerful, but you don’t use your wings to fly, do you? Teleporting won’t work here. You need my help.”
I clenched my teeth.
Kayden added, “By my calculations, Philippe has been here for a day now. He may be hurt and beaten.”
“He just died!”
“Time works differently here. A few minutes can be hours in this place.”
“I will kill you if something happens to Philippe.”
Kayden’s lips curled into a smile. “I’m already dead. I’ve been that way since the moment we arrived here. Now, put this over your shoulders to conceal your red wings. I was hoping we would bring more angels to do this, but since you snapped and decided to come alone, we can’t draw attention to your wings. Use your pocket to conceal the orb.”
It had been a rash decision, and I had no idea what to do to find Philippe. Holding the orb calmed me down and made me feel secure.
Kayden said, “I should warn you. Memories from past lives will rush to your mind, and it can be painful.”
“I’ll be fine,” I muttered. “Lead the way.”
The desert seemed endless. I was tired, but thirst wasn’t an issue. Kayden was talkative and kept explaining how this world worked. How we didn’t need food and water, only energy.
We were walking to the far-away mountains. I stumbled for the third time since the journey began. A new memory of a past life rushed to my mind. Holding my head, I stopped until the memory was over, and the pain was gone. They were good memories of Philippe and me in an idyllic place, talking and chasing each other while laughing, holding hands, and being in love. We had wings, white ones not red. We were blissful. It only made me miss him more.
“My master knows we are here. He’s coming for you. He’ll keep us safe. All you have to do is open a portal, so we can leave for Earth.”
“Only us and your master, no one else?”
“It doesn’t matter anymore. I have no time to look for Maurice or any other soul that I’ve condemned. They are probably with my master, filling his ranks of soldiers…”
“What do you mean? What soldiers?”
“Some might even be your old friends. Fallen angels that you and Philippe sent here when you slaughtered them.”
Frowning, I straightened up as my pain was gone. “I have no idea of what you are talking about?”
“You have red wings. How do you think you got them?”
“I have red hair and special powers, that’s why.”
“You have red wings because you absorbed too many of your friends’ powers. You have their blood on your hands, and it tainted your wings. That’s why they are red. You killed angels.”
I sucked in a breath. “You are insane.”
“I’m not. That’s why the fallen angels can’t see your wings. If they do, they will know that you fought to banish them to this forsaken place and punished them for their insurgency against God. That, and you have juicy and strong energy that they crave.”
I put my hand in my pocket and squeezed the orb.
Kayden noticed my gesture. “Yes, that can help you fight them. At least, it would if you knew how to use it.”
“I know a lot more than you think,” I told him. “Now, let’s continue walking. The more time we waste, the more danger Philippe is in.”
“I’m sure my master must have found him by now. I can’t assure that he’s safe and unarmed, but if we hurry, we may find him in one piece.”
“If your master does anything to my mate, I’ll burn your soul until nothing is left of you.” I narrowed my eyes and invoked a fire orb to make my point. “Make no mistake.
If you say that I was as ruthless as I was, you have no idea of what I may do to you if I can’t find and save Philippe. Being stuck in Hell will be least of your problems.”
Kayden’s lips curled into a smile. “Oh, Aria. I love it when you are so ruthless. I knew that Philippe would be useful. Angelic mate bond, what a treat!”
Chapter THIRTY
PHILIPPE
I finally managed to control my wings and fly. The memories that were flooding to my mind helped with that. From a higher point, I could see the layout of the foreigner land I had ended up in—Hell.
I had been here before. My memories weren’t complete, but those mountains looked familiar. Armies of angels had battled against each other on those sand dunes. The sounds of war and death echoed in my mind as images of swords clashing against each other blurred my vision.
Aria.
We were happy before the war. Before dying and being set apart.
How will I find her again?
Then, I saw them. Three figures in the distance, walking. One of them pulled what seemed to be another man with a rope around his neck.
Demons.
Fisting my hand, I noticed that a flaming sword had shown up and an inner voice compelled me to fly to the enemy and tear it apart. My former self clearly had issues with demons. Yet I had to be wise. I needed to figure out how I could survive here. Better yet, how I could leave.
Reincarnation.
Apparently, my former self knew a lot, but he didn’t know where I should go next; other than urging me to fly to the demons and dispose of them. Can I kill in Hell?
The answer appeared as a whisper in my head. Feed. Energy. You need to be stronger to defend yourself.
Wise idea since I clearly recalled that Kayden mentioned a powerful Archangel living in this place and wanting to suck energy from everybody else.
Enemies.
I didn’t need my former self to tell me that. By how he had reacted to the demons, I was pretty sure that I wasn’t on the friend list of their master.
It was time to test my new powers. I had been levitating for far too long. I would draw attention. Moving my wings, I sped to the demons. Effortlessly, my wings obeyed as if my vampire speed hadn’t disappeared. In a flash, I landed before the demons. They had black eyes, extended fangs, and pointy ears. I thought they would look uglier.