But the light also sought Delilah; she didn't dare let it enchant her. For her, it was too bright and suffocating, probing for her secrets. Delilah's eyes darted away as she turned her back on the majestic stage. She hastily scanned the sea of angels, certain the penetrating light had magnified her intent, captured their interest. But no one paid her any mind... yet. Reunions of families with their guardian angels were the center of attention on the floor before the Heavenly body.
Delilah scoffed at these reunions as an ignorant farce. How could they want to stay here and just exist for Him, when they could have so much more: Their freedom?
She moved past the angels, her eyes seeking the faraway edge, where a murky darkness percolated. The dark mist sullied the purity of the scene, forever churning yet remote enough to deny its dangerous pull. It swirled as a black whirlpool at the end of a peaceful lake, waiting for its prey to drift too close, sucking one into its unbreakable current, lost for eternity. Angels never approached its wispy edges, for its malevolent undercurrent tugged at the purest of beings. But Delilah headed straight for it. There her freedom lay.
The Mar of Sin.
Her obsession pulled at her. She thrust out her wings and flew, focusing on her target. Her eager eyes widened as it grew more prominent, more sinister, calling her like a siren from the jagged cliffs.
His radiant light shone on her back, warning her she wasn't alone. Angels whizzed by her, their vibrant colors leaving streaks, distorting her vision. They barreled closer, growing in number, nudging her as their majestic wings became a frantic, psychedelic roadblock around her. She dodged and weaved a path between them. She shook her head in denial, crying out as another wing batted against her. The closer she got to the chasm, the more congested her path became. Delilah fought against their cries of love, their pleas to turn away, bombarding her with their bodies. She dove for the ground, running as soon as her feet hit the floor.
So close... just a little farther.
The angels landed in front of her, blocking her way. The whirling sound from the chasm thundered behind the angels, its dark tendrils reaching out to her. Delilah battled back, shoving her battered body against the living wall of angels collapsing around her.
"Get out of my way!" Delilah cried. Her path was blocked, but the chasm's churning grew louder, syncing with the roaring in her ears. She beat her fists against her adversaries. "This is my choice!"
Delilah.
Her feverish eyes darted behind her. Panic bubbled in her chest.
God called her name.
Delilah strained against the angels with all her might, ignoring how his deep, gentle voice had awakened her essence, striving to ignite her last vestiges of good. Screams of frustrations tore from her lips. She couldn't stop now, when its depths were within reach....
Delilah.
"NOOOOOO!" Delilah yelled with built-up fury and frustration. She turned back to the iridescent stage she had once adored, fists raised high, her crushed body pulsing with indignation.
"You can't stop me! You said we had free will and could go through the Mar of Sin if we chose." Her chest heaved as she threw her sharp, accusing words back at God and those around her. "I so choose! I'm going through it!"
You'll not find what you're seeking. There's no freedom with Lucifer. His binding chains are heavy. His clever words are hollow promises.
"I won't listen." Delilah covered her ears. Strands of her red hair stuck to her damp face. She shook her head at the radiant figure gliding out of the light toward her. "Stay away! It's my will! It's what I want!"
Delilah turned back toward the chasm. The angels weren't blocking her path anymore, clearing her way as they stepped back. Moonlight-kissed tears streamed down their anguished faces. She wouldn't be distracted by their sadness or become trapped by her guilt. She locked in on the Mar of Sin, hypnotic in its surging call, its roar drowning out everything, and flung herself toward it. Her wings lifted, sucked up by the dark swirling core.
Almost there.
Everything around her stopped. Including her heart.
I love you, Delilah.
His voice thundered in her head, and for a second, she looked back, betraying herself as the words she yearned to hear from another found a chink in her armor.
But the Mar of Sin swallowed Delilah into its mists of cold darkness, those fateful words lost. The heavenly floor no longer touched her feet. She heard herself cry out, vaguely wondering if the angels did too.
She felt weightless. The whirlpool hissed around her, slapping her battered wings. Hot, stifling air whistled, disorienting her swirling descent into the pitch-black, cavernous abyss.
Immense pain racked her body inside and out, as if a molten fireball had struck her. Her agonizing screams echoed in the vortex. Translucent black flames erupted on her body. Where once-flawless skin glowed, cracked black obsidian remained as fire licked up her body. The searing flames fanned out over her wings as another cry of excruciating pain filled the dark void. The white feathers inside her wings burned like wildfire. She inhaled the smoke and the horrifying smell of her burned flesh. The fire spread to her outer feathers. Ravenous sparks sizzled, sliding over her wings, leaving her vane a black mast with pointed black feathers.
Her back arched as the pain twisted inside her. It felt as if lava paved its way through her lifeblood, scalding it into a thick oil. Long black nails erupted from her fingertips, ending in wicked points. Agony tore through her head as sharp horns exploded above her temples and blinding fire shot from her eyes. Her body was devoured by the greedy, malicious flames. A victim of her choice. The raging fire scourged everything pure, transforming her angelic being. She feared she'd be reduced to nothing but ash, inhaled by the relentless whirlpool. Lost and forgotten.
The burning subsided as she continued her aimless descent. Slowly, her tortured body tingled back to life. Delilah's vision returned with charcoal hues, highlighted with emerald green light filling in the lighter shades. Her charred exterior peeled away, revealing hard, marble-white skin. A green swirl appear over the area where her heart thudded, striking a vine-like path across her chest and traveling down her arms, ending at each sharp fingernail. Her once-soft red hair amassed around her like a bed of flames. The lifeblood of fire coursed through her, feeding her transformed body.
Delilah was more alive than ever.
She didn't know how long she'd been trapped in the vortex when she landed on the barren, harsh wasteland. The odor of sulfur surrounded her, but it was no longer offensive. She lay stunned in a fetal position, ash drifting down around on her like dirty snow. She wondered if the ash was from her incinerated body or if it was a permanent part of her new world. She glanced up at the hostile sky from which she fell; no opening lay inside the dismal clouds, no trail for her to follow. No matter. She knew the key to its secret.
Conner's daughter.
She feasted upon each new body part, fascinated by her exquisite, dark transformation. Delilah stood, gloriously naked, on the black expanse of molten rock shrouded in ominous gray clouds. She detected no sound, only the thick beating of her black heart. But she wasn't scared, shamed, or vulnerable. A triumphant, devious smiled stretched across her hard, tight face.
She was free.
A Fallen.
"Zar," Delilah called.
She visualized him, tempted him with her fiery lifeblood.
"Zar, come−"
A green web materialized against the bleak wasteland. Zar stepped through the portal, and she appreciated him for the first time in his element. He didn't look human here.
No.
Zar's platinum hair glowed around him, and his features were honed, more menacing under the marble skin. His arms, free of tattooed sleeves, were a road map of green veins disappearing inside his snake-like armor. Fiery green eyes pierced her as he jolted to a stop.
"Delilah?" he whispered.
She nodded. Her sly smile stretc
hed, exposing her sharp, cat-like teeth. She lifted her chin and raised her arms wide, not ashamed as his eyes slowly devoured every inch of her naked body. Her body hummed under his lust, his desire a validation of her transformation. She ended his hungry gaze by closing her wings of armor around her, leaving only her eyes to appreciate.
My terms, not yours.
"I can't believe it worked.... The chasm is still open." His long stride closed the gap between them. "You took the Fall." He lifted a strand of her flame-colored hair and brought it to his face. Rubbing her hair between his long fingers, he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. "You're one of us now." Zar's hot breath brushed across her face, fanning her depraved vanity. "I've never seen anything as magnificent as you." His husky voice was thick with need. His tongue flicked across his bottom lip as his face hovered over her. "Tell me everything."
Delilah stepped back, breaking the intensity of his need. Zar reached out and grazed her wing. A green electrical current leaped on his hand and raced up his arm, leaving a singed odor in the air.
Had she done that? What else could she do?
He jumped back, anger flaring across his face. "Why did you do that?"
"I didn't know I could.... Did I hurt you?"
"No," he snarled, scrubbing his hand over his arm. "You'll discover your transformed powers. Just use someone else as your guinea pig."
Delilah bit her bottom lip, thrilled by all the possibilities.
"I still want answers." Zar said as his irritation flashed.
Such an impatient child.
Delilah tried not to roll her eyes. "I think it's better if I tell Lucifer first." She let the comment hang in the air. "My safety depends on what I know and what I tell him. If he suspects you know too, he might kill me before we can put our plan into place. You understand, don't you?"
Rioting emotions ricocheted across his face. "Do you realize who you're dealing with? Lucifer will kill us both if he thinks you're deceiving him." His eyes narrowed; a sneer lifted his upper lip. "I have no interest in getting caught up in your treacherous web."
"Leave it to me. I promise it'll work out as we planned."
"You mean as you've planned. You've tossed nothing but grand ideas and trivial details my way. Don't play me for a fool either, or I'll kill you before Lucifer has a chance." His words hung between them; his vicious threat challenged her brazen bravado.
But Zar didn't intimidate her.
"I'd never play you for a fool. We're a team. I need you." She sauntered to him and unfolded her wings, laying her hand upon his chest. "And you need me to further your own purposes."
Zar inhaled, his breath hissing through his teeth.
"You and me. We'll bring down Heaven and rule over everything and everyone." She inched closer. "Have a little faith, Zar," she whispered into his cold face.
He scoffed. "Fine. But I stay there with you, too."
"I wouldn't have it any other way," Delilah said.
Zar punched out his hand, and a black web crackled open. The intense, smoldering smell of a fiery inferno, pushed by an enigmatic, pulsing heat, teased her with the power and evil waiting on the other side.
Her destiny.
Lucifer.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Olivia
Tremors racked Olivia's body. The blanket draped around her shoulders provided a warm cocoon, but the cool night air wasn't the cause of her body's erratic quivers. These involuntary ripples were her muscles, bones and blood assimilating to the intrusion of the mystical orb Melchior slammed into her Orion mark.
The vortex dissipated as quickly as it had appeared, leaving the desert night to reclaim its calm. The fire's flames no longer roared, now providing heat and a tranquil light illuminating the groups of three sitting around the fire pit. Zach, Rachel, and Caspar sat on her right. Rachel whispered in Zach's ear, but his face was expressionless as he gazed into the fire. Sergio, Javier, and Balthazar completed the circle. Sergio's head rested on his arms, which were crossed over his knees. His dad's hand rubbed Sergio's back in a circle.
Dad's arm lay around Olivia's shoulders, and Melchior sat next to her. He hadn't spoken since he'd shoved the orb into her body. Olivia appreciated his silence, as her mind still reeled from the images and the ceremony. Melchior must have sensed her scrutiny. He turned and looked at her with a smile etched across his handsome face. He leaned over and whispered, "How are you feeling?"
Seriously?
"Like a celestial orb electrocuted me." She smiled back at him. "Um... My mark still tingles and my mind is blown."
"That's normal." Melchior chuckled. He took her hand and squeezed it, sending a rush of warmth zipping up her arm. "You were fantastic tonight. You may not think so right now, but you've got the attributes of a strong guardian."
"Thanks." Her smile was hesitant, intimidated by who he was: a Magi. She still couldn't wrap her mind around that revelation.
"Do you know what today is?" Melchior asked.
Olivia shook her head, wondering what more they could add to tonight.
"It's the Epiphany of our Lord. A star rose in the night sky, more brilliant than the others. This is the star we'd been waiting for since we left Heaven. We followed the star across the desert, leading us to Jesus. We entered and kneeled before him as he was cradled in Mary's arms, humbled to be in his presence, and laid our treasured gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh at his feet. His light shone bright as an infant." Melchior sighed. "One day this memory will be released in you when you're ready."
"Can I ask"
Balthazar unfolded his large frame, resting his hand on the hilt of his sword. His assessing golden eyes roamed across each face glowing around the fire pit. "This has been a long day for each of you. We understand you have many questions concerning your destinies. You may ask a few, and then we'll leave you to rest."
"The visions from the orb," Zach called out.
"The visions you received are our collective memories, from us and from past guardians. Those memories are a part of you now, and they connect us as one. Most will remain dormant until you become stronger and more equipped to handle them. Your memories from here on will become ingrained in them as well," Caspar answered as he stood.
"The orb−" Sergio asked, his voice hoarse.
Melchior's imposing body rose. "The orb contains a portion of our life force, enhancing you with our angelic gifts. We've passed it on for millenniums, and it's now infused within you. Your brain, senses and body's abilities will be unmatched by any here on Earth. We'll teach you how to harness and wield these abilities."
"Unmatched on Earth?" Olivia asked.
Melchior turned to Olivia. "Man doesn't have these gifts, nor are they in tune to the war waging around them for their souls. The Fallen share in our abilities but use them for evil. We'll teach you how to link and track them. This will help you find and kill them to protect mankind and the Mar of Sin. Your training will start soon. For now, your body needs to assimilate these gifts and recover from tonight.”
"But−" Olivia's word dangled in the air.
"We'll be in contact soon. Your parents will also share their knowledge." The white webbing appeared behind the Magi. "Don't worry. Your new guardian angels will watch over you too." Caspar chuckled as he led the way through the portal.
"Until then." Balthazar nodded, walking through the webbing. It closed behind them.
"Great. Just great," Sergio mumbled as his eyes locked with Olivia's. "Don't think I can handle another supernatural meeting." Olivia's frayed nerves agreed.
Javier slapped his son's back. "No need to worry. You've already met them," he said. "The archangels are your guardian angels now. Yours is Gabriel. Zach's is Raphael, and Olivia's is Michael. They'll help you on this mission." He shook his head. "There were many times Gabriel saved my butt, and he'll save yours too."
Michael is my guardian angel....
Just when Olivia thought the crazy was done for the evening, this nugget got lobbed their wa
y. Olivia glanced around the fire pit. "Where did they go?"
"Their presence was complete once they revealed who they were and started the ceremony. They left moments after you received the orb," Rachel said.
"Let's get back to camp. I'm sure your Mom's a hot mess," Javier said, elbowing Sergio.
She's not the only one.
Olivia noticed two things on the walk back to camp. Where it had been dark outside the flashlight's beam on the hike up, her night vision now captured the landscape outside the beam, and her bum knee felt like a million bucks. It amazed her that these changes happened so quickly.
How else will my body alter? I'll take Wonder Woman, thank you very much.
Zach walked next to her. He hadn't spoken, but she'd caught an errant glance from him. She imagined her eyes reflected the same awe, with an underlying current of excitement.
A trailer's screen door slammed, snapping her back to reality. Two figures stood at the foot of the path, backlit by the campfire glowing behind them. Mom stood under the light of their trailer's screen door with her arms wrapped around herself. Olivia ran the rest of the way to her. She pulled her mom into a hug, holding her tight. Mom released a sob into Olivia's hair.
"Are you okay? I was so worried.... It took so long," Mom said.
"I'm fine, Mom, really." Olivia drew back, offering her a reassuring smile. "The ceremony was intense, to say the least."
Stella's concerned eyes roamed over Olivia's face. "I love you, sweetheart, and am always here−"
"I know. You've always been my rock. But I need you to concentrate on getting better before I can start training. That's what's most important to me. Promise?"
"I promise." She kissed Olivia's cheek.
"Thank you." Olivia's body sagged as the last vestiges of her emotional strength were sapped. "Honestly, I'm so exhausted. I just want to crash."
"And eat. I'm starving," Zach piped up behind her.
"I'll bring out the snacks Olivia's mom put together." Dad approached the trailer's metal steps. "Get used to being hungry. Your new bodies use up a lot of energy, and training is a butt-kicker too."
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