by Mia Hawkins
“I gave her enough to keep her subdued. With the amount of power the council said she has, she should have burned through it an hour ago.” Theo sounds uncertain, like he would feel bad if he fucked up and killed me. I almost laugh at the thought.
“Maybe she is just a lightweight.” The guy carrying me is treating me like a sack of potatoes instead of a human being, and I know now will be the best time to try to escape. I have kept my eyes closed and my body limber, so when I throw my fists into this guy’s kidneys, he is pretty shocked. He tries to throw me to the ground, but I wrap my cuffed wrists around his neck and pull his face down to my knee. I hear the crunch of bone and try to kick him in the family jewels. Just as my foot is about to make contact, I am thrown back. I glance over to see Theo with his hand outstretched towards me. Blue mist surrounds his hand, and I am almost caught up in the beauty of it. I shake my head to clear it and turn my attention to the man that was carrying me.
He stands up and starts making his way over to me. “Lance, let her be. We need to get her to the council now. You heard them, they are in a hurry.” Lance looks over at Theo, and you can see his hatred for him in his eyes.
“The council can wait; this bitch broke my nose, and now she’s going to find out what I do to women who disrespect me.” The way he looks at me makes my skin crawl. I wish I could move, but with my powers muted and Theo obviously having full access to his, I am stuck against the wall. Theo looks over to me, and for a split second, I see indecision in his eyes. Is he really going to let this guy do what he wants with me?
“Lance, we need to go now. Don’t make me tell you again. You are under my orders when I am here, not the other way around.” Lance shoots one last glare at me and Theo, then starts to walk down the hall ahead of us. “Are you going to attack me?” Theo looks genuinely nervous.
I smile my sweetest smile. “Little old me attack a big man like you?” I feign shock. “How could such an absurd thing ever happen?” He chuckles and lowers his hand. As soon as he does, I want to charge him, but I know I can’t try again this soon. He’ll be ready for me to do something, so my best option is to see how this plays out a little bit. He motions his arm out for me to start walking, and I hesitate for a second.
“Rayven, I won’t hurt you. I am the least of your worries here.” The way the dim light reflects off his eyes makes them almost look silver. I have to quickly look away before I get caught staring at him. I turn around and start walking down the hall. Holding my head high, I am not scared of what is going to happen. I learned a long time ago, you cannot change things with worry. You can only change them by being prepared.
We finally get to a set of large double doors, and Lance is standing there waiting for us. He has a sneer on his face when he looks in my direction. “I hope you make it through this, because we’ll have some fun later.” I glare at him, and as quick and hard as I can, I kick the side of his knee. “Fuck you!” I spit at him as I try to get another kick in. Theo has me immobilized before I can connect again, but apparently, he didn’t bother to cover Lance. I see his fist as it comes at my face and finally connects with my right eye. He must be some sort of shifter, because that hurt like a son of a bitch. It had a lot of power behind it, and I can already feel my eye starting to swell. Now I really know, if I make it out of here, I am going to kill him.
“Enough! What is the matter with you?” Theo looks taken aback by Lance’s behavior. I hate to be the one to break it to him, but I have been dealing with guys like Lance all my life.
“Dude, I know this is your first time being down here, but you need to calm down. On the scale of things, I am helping the council by showing this piece of trash her place.” Lance puffs his chest like he is out there finding cures for diseases or something. I laugh, I’m talking a deep belly laugh, and smile his way.
“Did they make you put down how stupid you were on your application? I mean, let’s be honest here, me being locked up down here is not because I am a piece of trash. If we’re being real, that would mean we would be reversed right now, you in cuffs and me being free. Nope, the reason I am down here is because I have more power in my pinky toe than either of you have in your entire bodies.” I smirk as I let that sink in. I’m not sure how much more power I have than these guys, but as they say, fake it till you make it. I will fake the shit out of it. Maybe it might help me. I usually say let them underestimate you, but that only gets you so far, and with this asshat, I don’t even have the energy to put up with his delusions. Someone obviously already knows that I am an abnormality in all of the races, so no sense in hiding now.
Just as Lance is about to reply, the doors open in front of us. The room on the other side of the doors is a massive open space. It is still damp and dimly lit, but it at least looks more maintained than the cell I came from. I’m shoved forward by Lance, and I shoot him another glare over my shoulder. “AAHHHH and she has finally arrived,” someone says. I search for the source, but with the echo in here, I can’t pinpoint where the voice is coming from. My heart starts to beat faster, and I can feel warmth creeping into my veins. As the adrenaline floods me, I know when I attack, my body will be ready.
I am pushed further into the room, and the moment I pass over a set of black markings on the ground, I know I am in trouble. I look back to see that Lance nor Theo followed me over the lines. I look down to find the symbols make a huge circle around me. This must be like the one that Xavier used on me in the field when he attacked me. I wish I could get these cuffs off. This would be a whole lot easier if I could use my magic. Still taking in my surroundings, I notice the floor has reddish-brown stains all over it, and I am crossing my fingers it is not dried blood.
Chapter 35
Rayven
I keep my body relaxed so I am prepared for whatever these people decide to throw at me. “You’re more beautiful in person. I have heard stories about you for years. I am so pleased to finally meet you, Rayven.” The man I assume is speaking is dressed in a robe, so I can’t make out his face. His voice sounds deep and rich; I bet he is pretty old. Three more robed figures join him around the circle I am trapped in. “Well, now it’s time to see if all the hype over you was worth it.” This sadistic robed man sounds excited. Now I see why Xavier would fit in around here. I can’t deal with the amount of craziness in this room right now, but I have to figure out what they want so I can hopefully survive this. Something tells me not very many people leave here alive.
I hear movement across the room and turn to see a man and a woman walking towards me. When they finally get close enough to make out, my breath catches. The male is someone who makes my heart beat faster and freeze at the same time: Xavier. And the woman is the one I saw in his mind when I healed him. “Fucking fairy,” I bellow at him. He flinches slightly, then schools his features into a blank mask. The woman attached to his arm could be beautiful if she didn’t have that stupid look on her face. She is tall, with platinum blonde hair. This girl looks like she just stepped off of a freaking runway show. She is the exact opposite of me; where I am all curves and muscles, her body looks like a green bean. I would totally pick me over her any day. Why am I even comparing myself to her? Xavier deserves trash like her. I am sure they will make beautiful little gremlin babies. She is smiling ear to ear, and I can tell she is going to enjoy whatever happens to me. The moment I saw her, my internal warning bells were ringing hardcore. There is something about that girl that is pure evil. I don’t know how I know it, but I do.
The woman leans up and kisses Xavier on the cheek. Before I can stop myself, I feel a deep rumble in my chest, and I growl at her. What the fuck? Why do I feel possessive over this jackass? He has said multiple times he wants nothing to do with me. Head in the game, Rayven. I refocus on Xavier, and the smirk he has makes me want to put my fist through his face. He must think he is so fucking smart. He has been nothing but nasty to me since I met him, and now I think I know why. He always made his plan to bring me to the council obvious, but I guess I never t
hought it was because of a woman. He always just said it was his job. Maybe he loves her—the thought makes me nauseous.
“Let us begin by seeing what you can do. Have you tapped into your angelic powers yet? You look very small and fragile. I really would have thought they would have chosen better. Oh well, this works better for us.” I am guessing it’s the robed figure all the way on the right who spoke, but it’s so hard to tell without being able to see their mouths. He seems like he has a one-way ticket to crazy town, and I don’t feel like anything he just said was directed at me. It seems like he was talking to himself more than anyone, and the only people I know who do that are crazy.
I turn my head around to face them. “What do you mean angelic powers?” I speak to all of them, hoping one of them will answer me.
“You really know nothing? How interesting,” one of them says. “How do you think you came to be, child? An angel named Michael came down and blessed his essence on one person. At first, we believed it was on your mother. We watched her after she returned to her clan. She didn’t seem any different though. We talked to all of her clanmates, at first they didn’t want to say much but with the right leverage they were willing to tell us what we needed to know. It was during one of those talks that we found out she had been pregnant. We then knew it had to have been you who was blessed with the essence, but by the time we went to retrieve her, she was gone. It wasn’t until a couple years later we were finally able to find her, but you were nowhere to be seen. Unfortunately, your mother was bound by Michael and was not able to tell us where you were. It really was unfortunate; your mother was so full of power. She would have easily given us a good five years,” he says wistfully. Are they really admitting to killing my mother? I have so many questions, but the biggest one is how have people not noticed that these men are as crooked as they are?
“Are you talking about the Archangel Michael? And what exactly is his essence?” I ask, confused as to what they think is so special about me. I can always find out about my mother later, but this might be the only chance I have to find out about myself. Also, keeping them talking is delaying whatever they are planning, and it gives me more time to prepare.
“So many stupid questions. Yes, of course we mean the Archangel; no other angel would be powerful enough. His essence is an extension of everything he is.” I am listening as they speak, but I am also taking in my surroundings. I need to see where all of the exits are and how many people are actually in here. I need to know, if I get out of this circle, could I fight my way out? “He essentially gave you a piece of himself, so you are supposed to have the same powers as Michael himself. No one really knows what he can do, but I know if you are who we think you are, your energy alone could sustain us for as long as we wanted.” I can hear the giddiness in their voice as they talk. They are excited to try to take my powers, and it makes me sick to think people look up to them.
“Aren’t you worried someone in here will out you to the races? I can’t accept that everyone is ok with what you are doing.” One of them has the audacity to laugh.
“No one can hear our conversation, my dear. That circle you are in allows us, and only us, to talk directly to you. In any case, that doesn’t matter. Everyone in here is magically bound to not say anything. Did you know an angel can only ever give one person their essence? So Michael will never again be able to recreate you, and now you are here at our mercy, isn’t that interesting? Anyway, we have run out of time for questions. Let’s see what the only essence is made of.” Well, doesn’t this sound fun. I roll my shoulders and look around the room.
No one makes a move at first, and I must say, I am definitely confused at what is going on. I am preparing for people to be climbing out of the woodwork trying to beat the shit out of me. I look back up to the council, and that is when I feel it. My head feels like it’s exploding. I close my eyes to try to get through the pain, but the pressure just keeps increasing. I try to grip both sides of my head to relieve the pressure, but I can’t because of the cuffs. Just when I think it can’t get any worse, I can feel an invisible weight being pushed into my chest. It feels like something deep inside of me is ripping, and I scream out in agony. With the cuffs blocking my power, there is no way for me to push them out of my body. I crumple to my knees as I feel something wet dripping from my nose. I reach up and wipe it, my hand coming away with blood smeared on it. I look to Xavier; he must be laughing it up on his side of the circle. He finally gets what he wanted. He got me here in one piece so they can use me as their own personal battery, but his face doesn’t reflect the victory I thought I would see. Instead, I can see an internal battle raging just below the surface.
It takes everything in me to not pass out from the pain, and my head is spinning. A white mist is slowly drifting towards the council, and I follow its path to see that it’s coming from my chest. My body is starting to feel cold and tingly. I wonder if this is what everyone else felt when they were in my spot. As my vision starts to blur, I plant both hands on the ground. One second, I am on all fours in the concrete circle, and the next, I am standing on a cliff overlooking a river far below me. I feel light as air. I bring my hands up in front of my face, and just like the time in the field, my hands are glowing. Out of all the times to have an out of body experience, I don’t feel like now is a good time.
I can feel the wind as it whips my hair around my face, and the water below the cliff roars in my ears. There is a soft noise next to me, and I swing my head to the left, where Chaice and Alex are lying on the floor in a puddle of blood, which I assume is theirs.
“You have finally made it, little angel.” I whip around to the direction of the voice and see a man holding Matthew by the throat. His eyes are bulging from lack of oxygen, but other than that, he doesn’t seem too injured. “Do not be too mad at him; I told your puppy here that if he got you up here, I would not kill you.” The man turns to look at Matthew and says, “See, I told you your connection was solid. An angel can never reject a prayer. Is that not right, Rayven?” The man studies me for a moment.
“Where are we?” I ask, as there are no buildings or landmarks anywhere to give me an idea of our location.
“We are standing on a cliff obviously. You, on the other hand, are probably still down in the dungeon. Which, speaking of that, you might want to get back to your body soon. And once you do, you better figure out a way to get to me before I bore of your mate’s company and decide he needs to take a swim.” The man chuckles.
“Put him down!” I yell, but it doesn’t come out as strongly as I meant for it to, because I am sucked back into my body. The air is sucked out of my lungs as the pain comes crashing back to me. I whimper at the onslaught. My insides feel like they are being scorched alive. I try to pull my wrists apart, hoping I could somehow break the cuffs, but they don’t budge. My energy is draining quickly, and I don’t know how much more I can handle.
I hear someone chanting and turn to see Theo’s hands glowing. Within seconds, the cuffs that have been restricting my wrists are gone, and I can finally move my arms freely. My energy bursts to the surface almost painfully, trying to help heal whatever they’ve been doing to me. I watch as men grab Theo and force him to the ground. Now that I have my power back, I do the only thing I know to do. I throw up my mental walls and force their energy right back at them. As soon as my walls are up, the pressure immediately goes away. I can think and move again.
I look over at Theo again and see him fighting the two men who had come up to him. I quickly look back at the council only to notice that they aren’t there. Where did they go? I don’t have time to worry about them; I need to get to my guys. My guys... When did they become mine? I run to the rim of the circle and kneel down. My energy is getting low, but I need it now more than ever, so I push on. I grab as much of it as I can and force it into the sigil on the floor.
I can tell as soon as it breaks, because the resistance I felt is finally gone. Looking around, everyone here seems to have lost their shit.
Maybe the council doesn’t have as many followers as they thought they did. Everyone is fighting, but I can’t tell who is on what side. I run through everyone to the only door and try to open it. Just my luck, it doesn’t budge, and I groan in frustration. I need to get wherever the guys are. I don’t know what he did to them, but I know they are in trouble. I can feel it in my heart.
In my mind, I start running through different ways to get out of here, but all of them will take too long. Searching for another exit, I see Xavier fighting a man about his same size. One second Xavier is in front of him, and the next he is behind him. “That’s it!” I exclaim. I close my eyes and pull up the vision I had while in the ring. I think of every detail I can imagine, and I also try to find my link with Matthew. Maybe I can follow it to him. Within seconds, I can hear the rush of the water, and my eyes pop open.
I am standing on the same cliff, and just like in my vision, Alex and Chaice are lying on the ground. I look for Matthew and the other guy, but I can’t find them. Chaice is closest, so I kneel next to him and shake him. “Wake up,” I whisper, hoping he is just sleeping and not severely hurt. I look at all the blood around him and start to worry. Is he more injured than I thought? I know I don’t have time to, but I need to heal them both. I move to kneel in between both of them and place my left hand on Alex’s shoulder and my right hand on Chaice’s leg. As soon as I think about healing them, my hands start glowing white. The more I’ve done this, the easier it has become. I am able to keep my eyes open and not focus so hard on fixing them. I keep looking around, trying to find Matthew. I know my power will do exactly what it is supposed to. When I know they are all healed, I remove my hands and try to wake them up again, but still nothing is working. I stand up, but I don’t want to leave without Matthew.