Destined for Eternity

by Susan Illene

  The demon smiled and flapped his arms. “I be ghost in wind.”

  Bartol watched the young elf-demon hurry away. Once he was well and gone, he returned to his father. Raguel was kneeling on the ground with his head bowed, and his shoulders slumped.

  “It is done.”

  “I’ll take us back to our hotel room,” Bartol said, putting a hand on his father’s back. The archangel had never been given a chance to fully restore his powers, and he had to keep draining himself ever since he’d returned to Earth. Whenever they weren’t working, he slept so he could regenerate faster.

  “Thank you, son.”

  “It is an honor.” And he meant it. If there was one good thing that came from this demon threat, it was Bartol’s chance to spend time with the man who sired him.

  Chapter 15

  Bartol

  Bartol and Raguel spent the better part of the next day searching all the major tourist attractions around Los Angeles for The Trio. They sensed many demons along the way, but unless they were causing trouble, they didn’t bother with them. All their energy needed to be concentrated on hunting the ones who had opened the portal. They could hardly believe how many had fled hell and made it onto their plane already—at least hundreds if not thousands. It was going to take more time and energy than they currently had to clean up the mess.

  For their latest stop, they’d come to Griffith Park. There was a lot of ground to cover in the place since it held a museum, caves, activities for kids, an observatory, and even a golf course. They’d been walking to conserve their powers, but it took longer to search that way. Both were wearing casual clothes so as to not draw any unwanted attention.

  “Son, this is probably not the best time, but there is something I have been wishing to speak to you about,” Raguel said, gesturing at a bench.

  “What is it?”

  “Sit and then we’ll talk.” His father settled down first and patted the empty spot next to him. “I have hoped for a better time, but there is no way of knowing when that might come.”

  This did not sound good. Bartol took a seat and waited for a family with two boys to pass. “What is it you wish to speak about?”

  “Your mate.”

  He cleared his throat. “My relationship with her is complicated.”

  Raguel chuckled. “A blind man could ascertain that. My time with the two of you together has been limited, but I’ve noticed there are problems.”

  The archangel had been sleeping in Bartol’s room at his cabin, but he’d eaten at Cori’s place for dinner a few times. He didn’t require much sustenance, but he enjoyed socializing with the two of them when they weren’t training. Most of the time, he didn’t say much, but he watched intently. Bartol had noticed it and wondered if his sire might be speculating about the odd relationship between his son and the mother of his future grandchild.

  “She needs you, you know. You’ve found yourself a strong and independent woman, but like you, she has been scarred by life. She needs a partner who will stand by her side through the good and the bad,” Raguel said. There was no condemnation in his voice. He simply stated what he believed to be true in a clear and even tone.

  Bartol ran a hand through his hair. “I know.”

  “You must work harder to breach the distance between you two.”

  “It’s not that easy.” He was nearly two millennia old, but his father suddenly made him feel twenty again. “I have problems getting close to anyone.”

  “Try harder.” His father’s expression turned stern. “If you continue to neglect her, you will lose her.”

  Bartol nodded. “I know, but you cannot understand the fear that overcomes me when I’m close to her or anyone else.”

  “You are letting Kerbasi win.”

  He gripped the bench, barely able to keep from breaking it. “You have no idea what he did or how it has affected me.”

  “Perhaps not.” Raguel’s eyes glinted with a purer gold than Bartol’s. “But at some point, you have to find a way to push past your fears for the sake of your mate and child.”

  “I am doing the best I can,” Bartol argued.

  “Do you truly believe that?”

  Cori’s hurt face entered his mind. Almost every time she reached out, he pushed her away. He took it for granted that she’d always be there. “No.”

  “Fix it, son. I don’t care how you do it, but your time is running out.”

  He didn’t want to talk about it anymore. “We have a job to do. We can talk about this later when we’ve stopped The Trio.”

  Raguel sighed. “Very well, but I hope you heed my advice.”

  There was a new tension between them that hadn’t been there before as they continued down the path. Bartol tried to ignore it, but he had no doubt his father disapproved of his ending the conversation before its conclusion. He didn’t care. All he wanted was to finish the task and then he’d worry about Cori. For now, at least she was safe and well protected. His priority had to be eliminating The Trio so that he could return to her and then he’d try to repair the relationship. How he would do that, he didn’t know. Every time he got close to her, things never went the way he hoped. His fears of intimacy got the best of him, and he hated that he allowed it.

  The hairs on the back of his arms rose, and it became difficult to draw in a full breath of air. Bartol had a feeling they were on the right track. While there weren’t many demons in the area, a dark foreboding filled him as they continued down the path. Something was off.

  “Do you feel it?” he asked his father.

  Raguel nodded. “The air is tainted.”

  It was as if a dark miasma thickened the atmosphere. No one smiled, and more humans were rushing toward the exits of the park than entering. People complained of stomach cramps and headaches as they walked past them. Whatever was happening, it couldn’t be good.

  The two of them headed toward the zoo, finding the path empty of pedestrians. It was quiet—far too quiet. Not even the birds sang, and Bartol was hard pressed to find even an ant along the way. Only one thing would scare away the wildlife and insects in a place used to human travelers—powerful demons.

  “There,” Raguel said in a whisper.

  Just before the zoo entrance, two women and a man stood in a small circle with their hands held together. The wind whipped around them, and the sky started turning dark. Their eyes were closed, and they chanted words in grating voices.

  “Ma ka fino jardum,” they said in unison.

  Bartol had no idea what the chant meant, but Raguel stiffened. “They’re opening another portal here.”

  “We have to stop them.”

  The amount of power coming from the three was nearly overwhelming. They certainly weren’t lowly demons, but strong enough to nearly be princes of Hell. Bartol wasn’t certain he and his father could take them on by themselves after their hunt had weakened them so much.

  “We should request help.”

  Raguel shook his head. “There’s no time, but there is one way we can gain the advantage.”

  “How?”

  The archangel glanced over at him. “If we let them finish the spell, they’ll be severely weakened afterward. It would make it easier for us to fight them.”

  “But then you would have another portal to close,” Bartol said.

  “Yes.” Raguel sighed. “But I do not see another way.”

  They relocated to a spot just out of sight of the demons and waited. It took nearly twenty minutes for The Trio to finish their spell. A loud boom sounded as the portal opened, and for a brief moment, Bartol could observe it. The outer rim was ringed in fire while the inside appeared like moving bloody water. It was about ten feet in diameter, much larger than the last one. Also, the previous portal had lain flat on the ground while this one stood upright. People coming to and from the zoo would walk straight through it and become possessed immediately. The amount of innocents the demons could reach…it would be untold.

  “We need help,” Barto
l said again, determined to get his father to agree to it.

  “There is no time,” Raguel said, racing forward.

  Why wouldn’t he allow them to get assistance?

  Bartol rushed after his father, amazed at how fast the archangel flew into danger with no hesitation or even a plan. He had a feeling he was about to see how his sire had become famed for his battle skills against demons all those millennia ago. Raguel went after a demon in a middle-aged woman’s body first. Its eyes glowed red, and it sprouted claws from its hands. Not only could it open portals, but it could also shape-shift its human host? The power coming from these three was still strong even after casting a major spell.

  As his father tore into his target, Bartol went after the male of the group. This demon inhabited the body of a muscular thirty-year-old. His teeth elongated into sharp daggers that stuck out of his mouth and nearly reached his jawline. He opened wide—much farther than possible for a human—and growled as he leaped forward.

  Bartol spun around and kicked the demon as hard as he could in the head. A spray of blood splashed the air as the creature sailed away, landing ten feet from its starting point. It pushed up to its hands and knees and shook itself like a wet dog. Red eyes glared at Bartol. As it started to rise farther, he jumped on top of the demon and began slugging it with punishing force as hard and fast as he could. The male host’s head swung to the left and right with each swing. Blood and teeth sprayed the air as Bartol drilled his opponent into the ground, breaking through the cement and digging into the earth.

  The demon screamed a harsh cry and started squirming and kicking with all his might. One foot got under Bartol and jammed into his ribs like a battering ram. He lost his breath, barely able to hold onto the demon’s arm to keep from sailing backward. Another kick slammed into his shoulder, shoving it out of the socket. This demon was stronger than anything he’d faced since coming to Los Angeles. He breathed against the pain, determined to not let go of his opponent.

  Behind Bartol, the sounds of battle between his father and the two other demons raged on with nearby trees cracking as one or the other slammed into them. No one was holding back. From the corner of his eyes, he noted Raguel had blood covering him. He didn’t know if it was his own or that of his opponents, but they needed to wrap this fight up fast.

  Ignoring his hurt shoulder, he took hold of the demon with both hands and slammed him into the already damaged sidewalk over and over like a rag doll. The creature clawed at his face and chest, leaving ribbons of fierce pain. Bartol didn’t let it stop him. He waited until the demon’s eyes were getting glossy with the agony of his injuries, then he turned it over and climbed on its back. It struggled to rise, so he forced the creature’s arms together under its chest and held them in place over its heart while straddling it tightly. With his target immobilized, he put a hand on the demon’s back and began pulling on the putrid essence from the opposite side he usually used. It didn’t come as easily as the others he’d executed in recent days, leaving at a steady trickle instead. At this rate, it could take at least five minutes.

  Bartol closed his eyes and concentrated. He focused on the stream and trying to make it flow faster even as his opponent squirmed and bucked underneath him. It finally sped up, to his relief, and once he got it going it came out with a gush. The malevolence of it entered his body, filling him with terror and darkness. He shuddered and his throat closed. Not since he’d fought Haagenti had he felt such a terrible weight from demon essence. But unlike last time, he was better prepared for it now. He knew what to expect, and how to combat it without losing his mind.

  In a harsh battle cry, he lifted his head and let the dark essence he’d gathered so far flow into the atmosphere. At the same time, he gathered more. Usually, he tried to hold it all inside himself until he’d gotten every last bit, but with powerful demons, that was too much to handle. That’s how he’d nearly lost the battle—and his mind—in London.

  Not this time.

  He pulled and released at the same time, draining the human host of its intruder. Of course, the man inside was long dead, but at least his body would finally be at peace. The demon’s flailing legs weakened until they hardly moved at all. It cursed in a language not of this Earth, but it sounded vile and bitter.

  Bartol breathed a sigh of relief as the line of essence reached the end. He pulled the last of it out and sent it out into the air. Dropping his head, he watched as his opponent’s form slumped lifeless and still.

  It was only then that he noted there were no other battle sounds around him. Bartol stood up and spun around. It took a moment with all the damage and destruction around him. The large zoo sign had been destroyed, sidewalks were cracked and buckled, and trees were either ravaged of their limbs or had fallen to the ground. Eventually, he found his father lying on the sidewalk twenty feet away just beyond a dented trash can. He rushed over, heart in his throat. Please don’t let him be dead after the way they’d ended their last conversation.

  Bartol fell to his knees next to the archangel. Raguel’s chest rose and fell weakly, but at least he was breathing. It had been difficult to tell with the numerous injuries on his chest, face, and arms, all oozing blood.

  “Father, how are you?” Bartol asked, squeezing his sire’s hand.

  Raguel groaned and clutched at a nasty open wound on his stomach. It appeared as if someone had taken a machete and sliced him from one side to the other. His guts showed and there was a lot of blood, but his organs stayed in place. Archangels were much like steel. While they could be wounded, there was no way to actually tear out their body parts or limbs. At least, not that Bartol had ever seen or heard about.

  “One got away,” Raguel said.

  Bartol frowned and glanced at the two host bodies he’d passed along the way to his father. “They appear dead to me.”

  “While I exorcised one of them, the other left its host.”

  “What? How?” Bartol hadn’t thought that was possible.

  “The stronger ones…” Raguel began as he struggled to sit up, “can jump bodies.”

  “But there is no one around for them to go to,” he argued. All the humans had fled the area when the demons began their spell.

  “Apparently, it found someone nearby.”

  Bartol helped his father to his feet. “Can you sense it?”

  “No.” He shook his head. “It fled too fast, and I was busy with the other one.”

  A flash of light burst next to them. A moment later, Jeriel appeared. He was wearing his jeans, button-up shirt, and cowboy hat again. He assessed the area around them and the torn up host bodies.

  “I’ll have my men clean this up, and I’ll close the portal,” the archangel said. “You two are to return home and recuperate.”

  Bartol gave him a grim look. “One got away.”

  “It’ll probably lie low for a while, and it’s not as dangerous without its partners anyway. For now, it’s best you both get your strength back up and return to look for it later. I’ll send you home since neither of you are in any condition to travel on your own.”

  Raguel nodded. “I would appreciate it.”

  “But what about all the other active demons on the loose?” Bartol asked.

  “Unfortunately,” his father replied. “We can’t handle this all on our own. It is best we complete the nerou’s training so they can aid us in this.”

  Bartol gestured in the direction of the portal and looked at Raguel. “You can close that?”

  “Yes.” The cowboy angel nodded. “Anyone at my strength level can do it. We just can’t execute demons like your father can, only banish.”

  That was good to know. “Then make sure you close it quickly before any more get through.”

  “I will. Now, brace yourselves,” Jeriel said, coming closer.

  Bartol and Raguel stood still for the archangel. He put a hand on each of their chests and met their gazes. “You’ve done well today. Your hard work is noted and appreciated.”

&nb
sp; The next thing they knew, they were in Bartol’s cabin back in Alaska.

  Chapter 16

  Cori

  Cori sat at the kitchen table, attempting to eat her chicken noodle soup. It was starting to get cold. Every spoonful went down like a piece of lead.

  For almost an hour, the mating bond between her and Bartol had been sending her pulsing warning signals. He was in some sort of danger. She wished she could go to him, but she was stuck and unable to help. Her stomach kept churning, and she battled nausea as she worried about what trouble he might be facing. It didn’t help that her child was squishing all of her organs so she could hardly get much food down even at the best of times. Apparently, being half immortal didn’t help with acid reflux or other pregnancy-related problems. She was getting more miserable by the day even as she grew excited to meet her baby.

  Cori almost dropped her spoon when the tie between her and Bartol changed dramatically. The danger was past, and the warm sensation coursing through her let her know he’d finally returned to Alaska. She couldn’t put her finger on how exactly, but when he was closer, the bond was stronger and she felt more…content. The difference wasn’t as noticeable when they moved closer or farther apart within the same area. But this time, he’d been all the way in California where she could hardly feel the tie between them except when he was in danger. In the past few days, he’d been in a lot of it, but the last hour had been the absolute worst.

  Something niggled at her, though. He was home, but he was injured. She could almost feel the wounds on his body and the pain he suffered. Normally, she didn’t sense his injuries except while asleep. Then she could sometimes even watch what happened to him through his eyes like a foggy, terrifying dream. For her to detect his injuries while awake, they had to be bad.

  Pushing away the nearly full bowl of soup, she slipped on a pair of shoes and hurried out of her house. It was a short walk up the road to Bartol’s cabin. Normally, she would have run, but it was all she could do to keep from waddling like a penguin these days. Cori also had to watch her steps closely since there were ruts in the road from last winter’s snow. She needed to hire someone to come level it out again—or better yet, pave it.