by Dianna Hardy
Booted feet hit the tarmac of the main road outside.
Abaddon suddenly spun away from her, and his minions let go of Gwain. The two angels stared each other down.
Abaddon was the first to speak. “As soon as you tore your way into my home to save her, I knew what God had done – how he had created you. The connection between you both was palpable to me.” He glanced at Mary. “I thought you’d betrayed me; now I know that nothing in Heaven, Hell, or anything in between, could have kept you two apart.
“Your time is up. After you’re dead, Michael’s planning to send his entire army after the Pen to ensure this never happens again.”
Karl.
Gwain cursed in defeat, and then moaned in exhaustion. She heard his thought loud and clear: Has it all been for nothing?
Angels marched up the driveway.
Abaddon reached into his pocket – thank God he wasn’t wearing John-pants anymore – and pulled out the Witching Pen. He smiled, clearly pleased with himself. “Your boy’s a bit careless with his wardrobe, Gwain – doesn’t check for holes often enough.”
Mary and Gwain stood motionless, watching Abaddon twirl the Pen in his hand. Satan had the Pen in his hand.
“What are you going to do?” asked Gwain, his voice tight.
The first angel looked at the last angel. “There’s nothing I can do to save either of you, and I don’t like you very much – my neck still feels kinda loose,” he said, rolling his head from side to side. “But I’m going to throw you a boon. You freed me from the burden of Hell, when I’d thought myself trapped there forever – I can free your boy from this.”
Abaddon crushed the Pen in his hand.
A light flashed from it, so bright it was blinding, the front door crashed open, angels poured in, and somehow, in the confusion, Gwain managed to find Mary’s hand and they both went tumbling out the kitchen door and into the garden.
Tumbling was the right word. Still half-blinded, one of them, or both of them, tripped and took the other down. They rolled a bit before they landed in the middle of the grass, Gwain on top of Mary.
Mary had already unclasped the dagger from her belt. She thrust it into his hand. “Savhail iame, m’angeal. Hell’s gone. Mankind is saved. Now save us.”
He took it in his right, ripped her shirt open with his left, and angled the blade above her heart. His eyes met hers for what she knew would be the last time, and her love for him swelled. There was that peace she’d always felt, right there in the grey depths of them. There was no one she trusted her life to – or her death to – more.
The back door crashed open against the brick wall; feet stampeded towards them.
She placed both her hands over his, and suddenly, the world went silent. “I won’t let you go, I swear it.”
There are moments in your life, even if you are immortal, when you experience a millisecond of clarity – when everything you have ever known, everything that you are, and the part that you play in the fabric of existence, becomes so obvious, you'll have no understanding of how you could not see it before.
This was one of those moments.
Everything faded into the background. There were no words – words could not encompass the absoluteness that was ‘now’. There was no past; there was no future. All ‘whys’, ‘what ifs’, and ‘buts’, were gone. There was only the purity of the present, the surety of faith, and the abundance of love.
Michael’s sword glinted in the sunlight as it descended on them.
“And all dimensions will bleed into one,” whispered Mary.
She tightened her hold on Gwain’s hand, his lips fell on hers, and together, they drove the blade home.
Epilogue
Lucifer and Morgana stood in the garden, and watched the last of Mary and Gwain’s blood seep into the earth. Their bodies had become immaterial upon their death, and had shimmered into nothingness – what was death anyway, if not a transformation. All that remained were their bloodstained clothes, but even the blood disappeared from their clothing as it sank into the soil.
The dagger would ensure that their souls remained merged.
“Lighten up,” said Lucifer, giving her a nudge. “We won.”
“This has to work.”
“It will. God knows, I injected her with enough dragon venom.”
“God is no more.”
“It’s an expression. What, I have to change the way I speak?” he brought out an apple from some invisible stash behind his back, and bit into it.
Morgana threw him a disapproving glance. “Most angels carry swords on their backs, not apples.”
“I like apples,” he mumbled as he chewed. “Swords have no flavour.”
Michael and his army had fled in panic as soon as they realised they were now fallen – all angels were. The veils that separated dimensions were gone. Demons could walk freely among humans, and angels were falling from the sky – literally. Heaven and Hell no longer existed, and the ground was drinking the blood of Tír na nÓg, quenching its long-standing thirst.
“Can you see the necklace?” she asked.
“No. It’s gone – gone with the blood.”
“Good. How are the others?”
“In mourning. Give them a bit of time; I’ll head over there soon.”
“The Dragon will need their help.”
“I’ll tell them all about it – you worry too much.”
“You don’t worry enough.”
“Morgana, you’re beautiful, but anal to a fault.”
She glowered at him. “Is the baby—”
“Safe?” He sighed, then turned the brown-haired Goddess to face him. He tilted her chin up. “The baby is safe – it’s as stubborn as all three of its parents put together. The Shanka Witch is still coming into her powers, but she’ll be strong enough to face her tribe soon; the half-angel has no idea what he’s capable of, and he’s hurting a lot right now – I feel sorry for the lad. I want to wait until he’s feeling less vulnerable before bombarding him with a whole bunch of new stuff to deal with. Oh, and the Dessec has forged a union with Teigas in his bid to conquer his kingdom.”
Morgana raised her eyebrows in surprise. “That should be interesting.”
Lucifer laughed. “The imp didn’t see it coming. I’m growing to like that Dessec – he has the heart of a true king.”
“And The Witching Pen—”
“Is gone. I definitely didn’t predict that one. Abaddon—”
“Was always going to be the one to destroy it,” finished Morgana, her tone hushed with admiration.
Lucifer let out a little snort. “Yes, I’m well aware of your ‘feelings’ for the first angel. You do know he’s a complete basket case nowadays, don’t you?”
She ignored him. “So all we’re waiting for now—”
“Is the last Dragon to rise. Wonderfully ironic, isn’t it? The last angels feed the last Dragon.”
“They’ll do more than that,” stated Morgana, a steel edge to her voice.
They looked at the ground again. All the blood was gone.
“Yes, they will, my Goddess … yes, they will.”
~*~
Deep in the belly of the planet, just below where Hell once reigned, cold became warmer, dark became lighter, and unconsciousness became dawning awareness.
Where are you? whispered a voice.
I’m here.
As awareness grew, so did sensation.
I can feel you.
I told you I wouldn’t let go.
Something shifted; there was a breath, and then a sigh … movement … muscles cramped from aeons of non-use, finally feeling blood-flow … and wings. Wings?
We have wings.
I know. Are you scared?
No. When at rock bottom, there’s only one way left to go.
The creature twitched in its sleep, and instinctively stretched its wings.
Oh, that feels good.
A laugh.
Laugh louder – it’s beautiful.
Book Four: The Last Dragon
For Becky Johnson, Nikki McCarver and Anne Nelson.
Thank you for your friendship, fanship and invaluable support.
Origin of the word, apocalypse:
Middle English: revelation, Revelation;
from Anglo-French apocalypse, from Late Latin apocalypses,
from Greek apokalypsis, from apokalyptein: to uncover;
from apo- + kalyptein: to cover
(ref: Merriam-Webster)
Circumstances do not make the man,
they reveal him.
James Allen (author)
Prologue
(The first night after all dimensions bled into one.)
Lying in the crook of his arm, she trailed her fingers along the contours of his smooth, firm chest. Without hesitation, she leaned in a little and followed that trail with her mouth, her kisses making his skin pebble.
He stroked her arm in response and sighed with pleasure, and then turned his head to take her in with those blue eyes she’d fallen in love with ten years ago – maybe even before that.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” she nodded. “Just wanted to make sure you were.”
He smiled. “And this is your way of checking?”
“Is there another way you’d prefer?” she teased.
“No, this is good.”
Manoeuvring under the duvet, Elena threw one leg across his thighs and hauled herself up and astride him.
“Mmmm … better.”
She leaned down and captured his lips with hers. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
Another kiss … deeper…
“Are you sure you want to sleep here tonight?”
He briefly looked around the room that was Gwain’s – had been Gwain’s – although none of them were ready to admit what had taken place just over twelve hours ago. “I’m not ready to go home after this morning. Even if it’s safe, I just … can’t.”
“I know. We don’t have to.”
She nibbled his earlobe and he groaned, his hand finding its way to the curve of her bottom.
“Karl…”
“Mmmm?”
“Have you looked in the safe behind the bathroom mirror yet?”
“No. I will soon.”
Her nibbling continued down his neck.
“Karl…”
“Mmmm?”
“I want to make love.”
She felt him smile against the top of her head. “I kind of figured. Are you hungry?”
She paused for a second, letting the brief hurt of his words slide her by, and then glanced up at him. “No. Well … yes, but that’s not why—”
“Hey,” he cupped her face, “I know, but if it was the reason, it’s all right.”
Annoyed, she started to climb off him, but he pulled her back down and held her in place. “Elena, I love you,” he repeated, “and that means your demon too. If she needs to feed, it’s fine – it’s more than fine.”
“I want to make love to you because I want to feel close to you and because of everything that’s happened today – to feel safe and happy, if that’s even possible.” But she couldn’t deny that she was hungry, and her words rang hollow with the truth she kept hidden. It irritated her that she was so ruled by her demon’s needs. The succubus in her had been very prominent today, demanding her attention, and although the day’s events had been busy, she’d still found herself fighting with the fact that she craved sex – or rather, the energy that sex created. It wasn’t right that whilst in mourning – while everything was collapsing around them – she wanted to fuck for her own gratification.
She looked away from Karl, aware that he could read her like a book.
Pinning her on top of him, he reached forward and slipped two fingers under where she sat, finding her centre.
She moaned with delight, despite herself.
“I want you to make love to me,” he said, his voice coarse with desire. “Please.”
It was music to her ears and a hot river to the rest of her body. But still she fought it. “How can you stand it? The way I look when I… What I do to you when I…” She couldn’t finish either sentence, partly because she hated thinking about it, and partly because he’d increased his pace, making her wetter and using her reaction to add fuel to her fire.
His erection had grown fully under her, expressing his own need. “Unless you’ve had a succubus make love to you, you don’t get to ask me that.” His fingers entered her, and she gasped, but had no time to enjoy the sensation because he moved her up and repositioned himself beneath her before bringing her back down.
His cock replaced his hand, both of them fighting for breath as she fell on him; drew him in; sucked him into her…
“Christ,” he groaned. “…So good.”
And still she denied herself – denied her demon. “That moment when I come … it feels like I use you.” Repulsion sat heavy in her belly at those words, but it was her mother’s earlier confession that played out in her mind, feeding the self-loathing she tried so hard to master: They have a way of making things … pleasurable.
She full well knew what her mother had endured while enslaved in the Shanka world, because she knew exactly what her succubus was capable of. “All I feel is what’s inside – you inside me; the demon inside me. At that moment when we’re both on the brink, I lose control and she takes over – she’s the one that has you at that point. I’m scared she’ll kill you – I’ll kill you – all over again.”
“Fuck, Elena…” His head was stretched back, eyes closed in bliss. Had he heard a word she’d said? Probably not, because she’d been riding him harder and harder as she’d spoken, bringing to the surface what she so needed.
His soft, angel-glow began to emanate from his body, and that glow had her reeling in satisfaction, grinding faster … deeper…
But he surprised her once more, as he so often did with his love for her. He had heard her. He looked up, bemused, a twinkling in his eye, “You know, some men like it that way.”
She landed a soft slap on his chest and couldn’t help but laugh, her own love for him swelling like a tidal wave, softening the heat of the river that traversed her for just a second – only a second, because the succubus’ love for him also swelled – yes, the demon loved him as much as she did – and it pulled her under.
Oh, no … losing … control….
This was it. This was the moment, she simultaneously dreaded and craved.
Karl reached up, one hand in her hair, the other cupping a breast, both hands pulling her down so she couldn’t escape what she was. “Let her out, Elena. It’s okay … let her out.”
His glow intensified, and she whimpered as she felt her hold on the demon slipping.
“Let go, baby.”
Somewhere outside and beneath them, the ground rumbled with the quakes that had begun yesterday, and not eased off. Angels had fallen and demons walked the Earth among humans, all waiting in limbo for a dragon to rise.
“Oh, God! Let go, Elena!” His golden glow exploded from him and filled the room.
The succubus mirrored his reaction with her own need and Elena released her, unable to hold her back any longer.
Her skin cracked from head to toe, turned grey like cement – an arid, stony existence that only sexual ecstasy could completely nourish. Her eyes beamed green.
The demon hissed in victory, slammed herself onto her prize and held his writhing body down as she took every last drop she could from it, finally collapsing on top of him.
Heavy breaths filled the silence.
Through the haze of post-orgasm, Elena resurfaced. “Karl?” she said, shakily.
“Here.” His arms, with muscles trembling, came up around her. “I’m here. Shit … that was out of this world.”
Tears welled in her eyes. They were relief, joy and sorrow all rolled i
nto one. Relief that Karl was alive; joy that she’d brought him pleasure, and sorrow because, even though the apocalypse was happening outside, it took place inside her every time they made love.
“You and I,” she whispered. “The love we have – I don’t want to ruin it with … I don’t want my need to overshadow everything, but it always does. Do you ever wonder what it would be like if it was just us? No demons, no angels – just us … would we be … nothing?”
Still embedded within her, his embrace tightened. “It’s not our supernatural halves that define us, Elena. Just us? That’s not nothing.” He nudged her forehead with his nose, and she met his gaze – loving, calm, steady… He placed a lingering kiss on her lips. “That’s everything.”
Chapter One
(Three weeks after ‘The Bleeding’.)
Blades of grass softly rustled against her bare feet with every step she took.
She hesitated. Was his hearing still as acute as ever? She didn’t want him to hear her – it was bad enough that she was here. There were other, more important things, she needed to be focused on – not this … not him.
Coming to a complete standstill, she crouched and watched in fascination as his black hair gleamed blue under the Rwandan sun, the usual clouds that caused the low mist, currently nowhere in sight.
And didn’t the sun lend itself to that magnificent specimen of a being.
The tall angel stood as still as herself, his highly defined, muscled back facing her as he attempted to ‘engage’ with the fierce looking Silverback that didn’t quite know what to make of the whole thing.
She strained to hear what he was saying to the creature, but at little over a hundred metres away, it was next to impossible … especially in this frustrating ‘new world’. A world that had taken them all by surprise. It wasn’t quite … as anyone had expected.
She crouched down lower to ensure her invisibility. She could have just made herself invisible, she supposed, but her energy levels were all over the place at the moment, adjusting to the new environment the way the environment itself seemed to be adjusting to all of its new inhabitants.