An Angel's Purpose

by Kristie Cook

  “Finally, as your gift of writing became apparent, along with your interest in creatures you thought were mythical, we knew you could serve a great purpose. You would not have done so well if you knew it was not fiction, no?”

  “No, I might not have written them at all,” I admitted. I thought I’d been creating—and losing myself—in my own world.

  “So we still could not tell you everything, even when you already knew so much.” Rina placed one of the books she’d been holding on the table between us and slid it toward me. “Read your history, Alexis. You will learn everything you have been waiting to know.”

  I picked up the heavy book. The title was embossed in gold on the cover:

  The History and Life of

  Alexis Katerina Ames Knight

  “It will give you the insight you seek,” she promised.

  I ran my finger over the title and then opened the cover. The inside cover depicted a family tree—well, more like a vine—starting with someone named Andrew at the bottom and ending with Dorian at the top. Holy crap!

  “Mom . . . you’re a twin?” I’d never known that before. She’d never mentioned it once, not that she had a brother and definitely not that she was a twin. But depicted on the family vine next to her leaf was another—Noah.

  She and Rina both looked a thousand years old, full of a thousand years of heartache, as they both nodded. I opened my mouth to ask what happened to him, but Mom gave a nearly imperceptible shake of her head. Rina stared at the flames in the fireplace, though she didn’t seem to actually watch them. Her mind was far off, lost in distant memories. I’d brought up a difficult subject. Noah must have met a terrible end, and I had inadvertently brought it to the forefront of Rina’s mind.

  I wanted to tell her I was sorry, to hug this woman who always displayed control and power, but seemed so despondent and broken now. But my intuition told me the best thing to do was to simply give her a moment of silence. So I returned my attention to the book and became engrossed in the first couple of pages, which were about Andrew, a fallen Angel, his twin children, Jordan and Cassandra, and a potion that forever altered our DNA. Tristan tapped his finger on the page.

  “They used a similar potion to create me,” he murmured.

  I flipped the pages and saw text only partially filled the heavy book. The majority of the pages were blank. I looked questioningly at Rina, who seemed to have recovered from the pain inflicted by the reminder of her son, her attention returned to me.

  “The rest will fill in as you go through your life here on Earth,” she explained.

  “And when the pages run out?” I asked.

  “That is when you either die or ascend,” she replied.

  “Ascend?”

  “When your purpose is fulfilled here and your daughter is ready to take over as matriarch, you will ascend to a different place, joining our ancestors and the Angels in the Otherworld.”

  “Assuming I have a daughter,” I muttered.

  “I know you will,” Rina answered confidently. “We do not yet know the purpose of Dorian’s lone arrival. But the messages I have received from the Angels indicate there will be another Amadis daughter. This is something we will need to discuss with the council. As you know, our very existence relies on a girl in the next generation.”

  “And if there’s not? Dorian can’t rule the Amadis?” I asked.

  “We are a matriarchal society, Alexis.” Her tone was firm, as if that were answer enough. As if it could never be changed.

  “What if he has a daughter? Can we skip a generation?”

  Now they all—including Tristan—sighed heavily, it seemed with despair. I looked at him in surprise, thinking he would support this thought. He pursed his lips and just barely shook his head.

  “Read your book, Alexis,” Rina said, “and you will understand.”

  I flipped through the pages of the book again. My story, starting with my conception and ending with my travels to the Amadis Island today, used only a few pages, compared to the number of blank ones.

  “Well, I will either have a very long or a very eventful life.”

  “I believe you will have both,” Rina said, smiling now. “But the pages cannot be counted—the number is protected by the Angels, and they can add more or take some away, so we have no idea how long you will actually live.”

  She placed the other book on the table. “Tristan, we have yours, too. We did not include any history. You probably do not mind, no?”

  “Absolutely not,” he said, picking up the book with his Amadis name on it.

  “Good. It starts when you saved Sophia, your first step in becoming Amadis.”

  I looked at him in surprise again. “You saved Mom? I thought she saved you.”

  “He saved me first,” Mom answered for him. “Once I had him convinced there was enough good in him, he fought Lucas, who tried to kill me. Actually, I was unknowingly already pregnant, so he saved both of us.”

  I inhaled sharply. Even then we needed each other. I pushed the thought into Tristan’s head. He smiled at me.

  “We always have,” he thought. “Maybe I somehow knew you were in there, and we already had that connection.”

  I like that thought. I smiled back at him. You and me together forever.

  He thumbed through the hundreds, perhaps thousands, of blank pages in his book—about as many as there were in my own. “Forever.”

  Mom and Rina left the room so Tristan and I could read the Amadis history. I curled my legs under me and snuggled into him, opening my book between us to the family vine. I traced my fingers up the branch as I scanned the names and then searched for the meaning of the brown leaves and asterisks. Small print in the corner provided the explanation.

  “Oh, no.” I gasped, tears springing to my eyes. “All the males!”

  Tristan squeezed me closer, and his voice filled with sorrow. “I know, my love. That is why Dorian cannot rule or even produce an Amadis daughter.”

  No, no, no! Not my son!

  For the first time since the Ang’dora, tears flowed freely. I clutched at my chest, forgetting again that the pendant—my lifesaver—was gone. Not my Dorian. Not my son!

  “Is there anything we can do for him?” I cried aloud.

  Tristan leaned his head against mine. “We will do everything we can, my love. Everything in our power.”

  We’d already won so much. We’d fought our personal demons to be together—the ones we created in ourselves, such as the inabilities to trust or to love and be loved; and those implanted into our DNA and by our enemies. Our love was strong enough to overcome those obstacles. Good had won over evil, light over darkness.

  But is Owen right? Does good always win? And is our love strong enough to overcome all the obstacles still ahead of us? There are so many battles still to fight . . . for us, for our son, for the Amadis . . . for all humankind. How do we face it all?

  I hadn’t realized my mind was still connected to Tristan’s and I shared these desperate thoughts with him until he responded. I could hear the confidence—almost cockiness—even in his thoughts.

  “We fight together, ma lykita, side by side, hand in hand, souls bound as one. The ultimate warrior and the fierce protector.” I looked up at him, and he grinned. “Bring it on!”

  Then he winked, and I smiled through the daze.

  Yeah. Who can beat us, right?

  It was a question with an answer only the Angels knew . . . and only time would reveal as our purposes unfolded before us.

  Want to know the history Alexis reads in her book? Get your free download of Genesis that tells the story of how the Amadis began by subscribing to my reader group. As a subscribed member, you’ll also receive other bonus and exclusive content, as well as news about new releases, sales, and in-person events.

  Continue reading for an excerpt of Genesis.

  Glossary & Cast

  A.K. Emerson – Alexis’s famous pen name.

  Alexis Ames Knight – Youngest A
madis daughter who is second in line for matriarch of the Amadis. Married to Tristan Knight and mother of Dorian. Youngest daughter to ever go through the Ang’dora. Her bio father is the leader of the Daemoni. Known abilities include telepathy, electricity, telekinesis, super strength, speed and senses, Amadis power.

  Amadis (uh-MAH-dees) – Secret matriarchal society that serves as the Angels’ army on Earth, currently led by Katerina Ames. Their purpose is to defend human souls from the Daemoni and to convert Daemoni souls to Amadis. Consist of a variety of supernatural beings.

  Amadis daughters – Women of the bloodline of the original creator of the Amadis. Each daughter eventually serves as the matriarch. Currently use the surname Ames. They always have daughters, which are sometimes accompanied by a male twin. Until Alexis anyway.

  Amadis power – A special power of love and light gifted to the Amadis by the Angels. The Amadis daughters receive it during the Ang’dora. Other society members are granted a lower level of power upon conversion and official acceptance into the Amadis.

  Ang’dora – Literally means “gift of the Angels” (Ang=angels, dora=Greek word for gifts). An enigmatic change all Amadis daughters go through to receive their powers and supernatural abilities. Usually happens in middle age, after the daughter has experienced major milestones of life as a human, but Alexis went through it quite early. Until Sophia, no Amadis daughter has given birth after the Ang’dora.

  Carlie – Alexis’s human classmate during her first year at college.

  Cloak – A magic spell performed by mages that hides or makes invisible its subject. Often used in conjunction with a shield.

  Conversion – The process of eliminating dark or light energy and replacing it with the opposite, then indoctrinating the supernatural being into the new society. The Amadis purpose is to convert Daemoni souls before they become damned, destroyed, or forever lost. However, on occasion, Amadis members will convert to the Daemoni (e.g., Ian).

  Daemoni (day-MAH-nee) – Satan’s servants as the Demons’ army on Earth, currently led by Lucas. The Amadis enemies harvest souls to build their army. The Amadis try to stop them.

  Dorian Knight – Son of Alexis and Tristan, unknown creature but currently human. Known abilities include fighting with brats while at the same time being the cutest and sweetest little boy ever.

  Edmund – Member of the Daemoni. Known abilities include flashing, super strength and speed, idiocy, and being an overall douche-canoe.

  Flashing – The supernatural ability to transport to another location up to a hundred miles away (give or take) in the blink of an eye. While objects can be held or attached to the body during a flash, Tristan is the only known creature who can flash while carrying another person. While both Daemoni and Amadis can flash, it’s not necessarily a natural ability for all—some creatures have to be assisted by mages.

  Ian – Member of the Daemoni, converted from the Amadis. Known abilities include compensating for his miniscule junk by spilling secrets, causing problems with the Amadis, and ruining Alexis’s life.

  Julia – Vampire, Amadis council member, and one of Rina’s closest advisors.

  Katerina “Rina” Ames – Current matriarch of the Amadis. Known abilities include telepathy, super strength and speed, flashing, bonding souls, converting souls to Amadis, making ballgowns everyday attire.

  Lucas – Alexis’s sperm donor and leader of the Daemoni.

  Mages – The wide classification of supernatural beings that can wield magic, including Witches/Wizards, Warlocks, and Sorcerers/Sorceresses. These general sub-classifications are based on strength of power. Some may call themselves by other names, depending on the type of magic they use, preference, or other reasons (e.g., Shamans, Druids, etc.).

  Normans – Normal humans (sometimes called norms).

  Otherworld – Currently unknown but seems to refer to Heaven and Hell.

  Owen Allbright – Warlock and Alexis’s protector. Also like a brother to her and Tristan’s best friend. Known abilities include shielding, cloaking, magical bindings, flashing, and pushing everyone’s limits.

  Phillip Jones – Human wife beater, child abuser, and overall scum of the earth who drove an older orange Camaro.

  Safe House – Homes, lodges, and other accommodations scattered around the world where Amadis can retreat to when under attack or when going through the conversion or transformation process.

  Seth – Tristan’s former name when he was Daemoni. The Daemoni still call him that.

  Sheree – A newly turned Were-tiger who’d been bitten and turned against her will by the Daemoni. She became Alexis’s first ever conversion from Daemoni to Amadis, saving her soul from damnation.

  Shield – A magic spell performed by mages that puts a protective barrier around its subject. If the subject is not also cloaked, the subject can still be seen, so it’s often used in conjunction with a cloaking spell.

  Solomon – Vampire, Katerina’s partner, and Amadis council member. Known abilities include being scary AF.

  Sonya – Human and A.K. Emerson’s “biggest fan” (a/k/a stalker).

  Sophia Ames – Amadis daughter who is next in line for matriarch. Known abilities include telekinesis, summoning and manipulating water, persuading others to do as she likes, sensing the truth of a situation, super strength and speed, flashing, converting souls to Amadis.

  Sorcerers/Sorceresses – The most powerful of the mages that can boost their energy by siphoning more from the earth and everything around them. Their greed for power, narcissism, and general disdain for pretty much everyone make them loners and also not part of the Amadis.

  Stefan – Warlock, council member, and Sophia’s former protector. Known abilities included creating a protective shield, flashing, serving as Alexis’s only father figure. Died in book 1.

  Tristan Knight – Former Daemoni converted to Amadis by Sophia. Sexy AF warrior. Known abilities include shooting fire from his palm, quickly determining the best solution if he knows enough of the facts, telekinesis, paralysis, instant killing power, super-duper strength and speed, brooding with guilt, giving a girl multiple Os.

  Vampires – Supernatural beings that are sustained by blood. They can also feed on fear and other emotional energy. There are vampires on both the Amadis and the Daemoni sides.

  Vanessa – Daemoni vampire who’s jealous of Alexis and lusts after Tristan. Known abilities include stirring up trouble and pissing everyone off. Has Alexis’s pendant.

  Warlocks – Part of the mage classification, supernatural beings who are born with the ability to wield magic and physically endowed with strength and speed, making them excellent warriors. They are not gender specific and are on both the Amadis and Daemoni sides.

  Witches/Wizards – Part of the mage classification, supernatural beings who are born with the ability to wield magic, usually using a wand as well as spells, incantations, potions, elemental energy, etc. While they can be quite powerful, their powers and physical strengths aren’t as strong as Warlocks or Sorcerers. Using the term Witch or Wizard was traditionally by gender, but really is up to each individual’s preference. There are Witches and Wizards on both the Amadis and Daemoni sides.

  Were-creatures/animals – Supernatural beings with two simultaneous spirits—human and animal—and they can physically shift between the two forms. Therefore, they’re also called shifters. There is a Were creature for nearly every predatory species on Earth, and they’re on both the Amadis and the Daemoni sides.

  An Angel’s Purpose Playlist

  (The songs I listened to on repeat while writing this book.)

  My Immortal by Evanescence

  Bring Me to Life* by Evanescence

  Letters From the Sky by Civil Twilight

  Give Me a Sign by Breaking Benjamin

  Daydream by Smashing Pumpkins

  Love Remains the Same by Gavin Rossdale

  Disarray by Lifehouse

  Evil Angel by Breaking Benjamin

  Crawling by Linkin P
ark

  World So Cold by Three Days Grace

  She Sells Sanctuary by The Cult

  Nightmare by Avenged Sevenfold

  The Kill by 30 Seconds to Mars

  Pride (In the Name of Love) by U2

  Higher by Creed

  *Author’s Note: “Bring Me to Life” played a major role in the inspiration of the whole Soul Savers series. In fact, the story itself came to life because of this song. Back when I decided to give another stab at fiction writing after being out of it for several years, I started by just playing around with characters and pulling together some ideas for an actual story. This song perfectly embodied the emotions and tone I wanted to capture, and the more I listened to it, the more Alexis’s character solidified, as did the story I wanted to tell. The story that eventually became these first two books. I had no idea then what it would grow into. I’ve received so many emails and private messages from readers saying that I need to listen to this song because it’s so perfect. I love those because they tell me that I did a pretty good job at capturing the emotions and tone I set out to do. I don’t remember the first time I heard this song, but if I had never listened to it, Soul Savers may have never happened. So yeah, this song has a special place in my heart. If you don’t know it, give it a listen and I think you’ll understand.

  About the Author