by Caleb Zane
The demons were cowards and still hadn’t truly joined. That was how pathetic they were. They would let their human bond die. It really didn’t matter to them. They would be back with another human. That was all they cared about.
It angered Ai just thinking about it.
She moved to the closest foe and sliced his neck. He didn’t see her coming. The next one didn’t either. It was a slaughter. Ai felt as if she was using a cheat code in a video game. They just couldn’t keep up with her. For all their own magic, they couldn’t see her, couldn’t run as fast, couldn’t fight her strength.
Fire, water, and earth were being used against them. Both sides had people with elemental magic, and then there were other powers. Ai worried about some sort of mind control, but so far none had roared its ugly heads.
They were winning.
Chapter Seven
Kaiden and the leader were fighting hard. Those nearest had stopped to watch. This reminded him of the battle with Pauline. This man was talented and a better fighter than Kaiden, but he didn’t have Kaiden’s heart or drive.
They danced across the field, their blades connecting over and over. The two sweating from the battle. The heat of the fire and the people filled the passageway along with smoke and other magic. The sounds of battle around them were starting to dwindle.
Kaiden’s people were winning, and the others were dying. The demons had barely helped them. That enraged Kaiden. He had to show the demons that they too can be part of this. He hoped they were realizing that. His side already had some demons fighting with them along with the angels. That was why they were making quick work of the force. The noises told him that soon it was going to be over.
All Kaiden had to do was win his fight. Once he did, the others would submit and give up. Kaiden knew it.
Doing the dancing crane, Kaiden feigned to one side and then went to the right. It worked, and he had the man on his knees. The sword pressed against his neck, its flames burning him.
“Yield,” Kaiden said.
“Never,” the man said through gritted teeth.
“Yield or die.”
“I’d rather die than bow to an angel lover.”
Kaiden sighed, and Zaphkiel approached. “Boom magic.” Once it appeared, Kaiden said, “Once last chance. “Yield or die.”
Those still fighting from farther away stopped. Everyone turned to watch him and the leader. The silence was deafening. Kaiden didn’t like the eyes on him. He didn’t like the pressure of it all, but he needed them to see his mercy.
“I will not submit to you.”
“Very well.” Kaiden hesitated. “I grant your soul mercy, grant you peace in the next life, and those who stop now. I allow you to stay and join or to leave freely.”
Kaiden killed the man. It hurt, but he slayed him.
The people dropped their weapons. The battle was over. They had won.
Chapter Eight
The next day, after a lot of clean up, Kaiden stood at the command center. The core group of his inner circle was here.
Vincent leaned over a map of the Necoloatan. He was rubbing his chin and appeared deep in thought. “What we know is this.” He stopped and looked at the map even more. “We have control of much of the region. None will oppose us outside of Lilith.”
That was wonderful, and Kaiden smiled. “Good, but I’m sensing a but.”
Vincent snorted. “There’s always a but. Lilith will attack.”
That was a foregone conclusion. Kaiden had always known he would have to fight her. There would have to be another full-scale battle, one that would be bloody and result in lots of death, one he wanted to avoid but knew that it wasn’t possible.
“I know,” Kaiden muttered.
“One step at a time,” Zaphkiel said. “First, we need to send out scouts to see how far we can go into Necoloatan and into Ashya.”
That was simple and made a lot of sense.
“Send out the best we have,” Kaiden said.
“I will,” Layla said. She was a tall and domination angel who demanded to be respected. Kaiden was glad she was on his side.
“I need to find Lilith,” Kaiden said determinedly, “and find a way to get into Hell.”
That was going to be a problem. One didn’t just walk into Hell. It was home to the dead who had sinned and rejected Jesus.
Kaiden didn’t want to travel there. He didn’t want to condemn his soul to all of eternity there. What Kaiden wanted was to spend his life with Ai, Ziva, and Desiree in Heaven at God’s side. All he longed to do was to give them praise and happiness.
Yet, Kaiden wasn’t sure how he could do this. Was it possible to get into Hell without dying? Without forgoing what he wanted? It hurt him to just think of that.
“I’ll worry about the Hell issue once I kill Lilith,” Kaiden muttered.
That problem was multi-layered, and Kaiden didn’t want to think about it. Right now he just wanted to relax, to not be the one who was in charge of it all. While he reveled in the power he had, there were moments when he wanted to be just a normal guy with his lovers. Maybe that wasn’t normal, but he didn’t care. He was in a harem, and it felt right. They belonged together.
His loves were in the command center with him on the other side of the table that was in the center of the room. Kaiden had trouble taking his eyes off them. He could stare at all three of them all day and night. They made everything worthwhile.
That night, Kaiden was sitting outside of the apartment building that was home to Desiree and him, to them all.
Ai approached and sat on the ground next to him. “Are you okay?” she asked.
All three of them had the ability to know when he was lost.
“Not really,” he said honestly.
“You can talk to me or any of us.” Ai leaned on him, her head on his shoulder. It was perfect. Her flowery scent filled him and made him happy, even relaxed him some.
“We know that Lilith is always the first one back after her human is killed,” Kaiden said.
Ai nodded. “So we have been told.”
“Let’s assume that is correct.”
This had been eating Kaiden up, and he needed to find a solution, a way to make sure Lilith stayed in Hell. So far, he had no way to do that, no way to ensure that they could find her there after they arrived. From everything Kaiden knew, she would be right back here.
“Okay,” Ai said. Her long black hair draped against her. She was so stunning, and she felt perfect next to him. Right at this moment, he was happy, even if it was brief and fleeting.
“So we kill the human,” Kaiden said, “but then she bonds with another.”
“We kill that one,” Ai said.
“And then she bonds with someone else.”
Ai groaned. “You’re hurting my head.”
Kaiden laughed. She was now seeing the problem. It was difficult. “I know, but I need an answer.”
The two sat there in silence. Ai continued to rest against Kaiden with her hand on his chest. Kaiden closed his eyes and let it all sink in—Ai, Lilith, the problem. He kept going over it. He had to solve it all and figure out a way to make sure they could kill Lilith here and in Hell before she could come back.
Kaiden wasn’t sure how long he sat there, silent and still, but it felt like a lifetime. Ai was perfectly still next to him, like a dazzling Greek statue. It was as if she had been ripped right out of a video game.
Ai was the one who finally broke the silence. “The answer is simple,” she said.
Kaiden’s heart skipped a beat. She had scared him. “Okay. What is the answer?”
“We go to Kathill, and we talk to Charlie and Lindsey. We make sure that no one levels up to twenty until we kill Lilith.”
Kaiden smiled. That was both simple and hard. The idea sounded easy and would work, but would Charlie be on board? Kaiden had to expect Lindsey to be for it, but the man bonded to a demon might be a harder sell.
“We can try,” Kaiden said slowly. “We ca
n try.”
Ai giggled. “That we can, my sweetheart.’
Whenever she called him that, it melted his heart and made Kaiden feel loved and appreciated. Any of them calling him anything but his name had the same effect. Any nickname was good in his mind, and he loved to hear them.
“Thank you, my sweet Ai.”
They stood.
“You tell Desiree and Ziva,” Kaiden said. “I’ll go inform Zaphkiel and Vincent.”
“As you wish.”
Chapter Nine
Ziva sat in Desiree’s apartment. Desiree was with her, and they were waiting for Ai and Kaiden. Ziva had figured they would be back by now. There was little to do but wait for the scouts and see if they could learn who Lilith was bonded to. Then, they would have to find that person and kill them.
It was mean and cruel. No one picked who they were bonded to. That person, whoever he or she was, had lost the lottery of bonds. Lilith was the worst one for a person to bond to. She was mean and treated her human poorly.
Desiree was in the kitchen of the tiny apartment and cleaning. She was stressed, and that was her way of coping. It was a strange way to handle the pressure of life. Ziva, when overstressed, liked to find a punching bag and beat it to shreds.
“Where are they?” Desiree asked.
Ziva shrugged. “I’m sure they will be here soon.”
Considering Desiree’s lack of patience, even Ziva was starting to worry more than her normal self. That wasn’t really true. Ever since Kaiden had arrived in her life, Ziva worried about him. He was her love. Instantly, she had fallen for him. Never in her life had she expected that, but it had happened.
For the longest time, Ziva had thought she was never going to find her soulmate, her lover, but she had found him and so much more. She was willing to share him. She loved him and the others that much. It was a strange thing indeed.
Now, Ziva had made love to Kaiden alone and with Desiree and with Ai. All the times were fantastic but different. She was learning to open herself up, to let Kaiden consume her. Take her. Make her one. Make her a part of him.
Ziva loved the way he could make love to her and hit just the right spot to make her instantly orgasm. It was like nothing she’d dreamed possible.
Desiree was staring at her. “What are you thinking about?”
“I was thinking about Kaiden, and making love to him,” Ziva said honestly. She couldn’t not tell Desiree.
The woman giggled. “Understandable. He’s pretty good.”
“More than pretty good.” Ziva was surprised Desiree wasn’t bright red, but then the demon-bonded woman loved talking about Kaiden.
“Yeah. None compare to him, and trust me, I know.”
Ziva didn’t want to think about the number of men and women Desiree had bedded. It was sure to make Ziva’s jaw drop. Ziva loved her old friend but didn’t want to or care to know that particular detail.
“I’ll trust you on that,” Ziva said.
The door swung open to the apartment, and Ai walked in alone.
Ziva jumped to her feet. “Where is Kaiden?”
“He’s going to talk to Zaphkiel and Vincent. We have a plan.”
Ai told them about Kaiden and his stress, his worry.
Ziva knew she should have gone in search of him. Desiree had the same thought from the expression on her face.
“So we’re going back to Kathill?” Desiree asked.
Ai nodded. “We are.”
Ziva wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. Her time there had been good, but Lindsey wasn’t a fan of hers. She wasn’t a fan of any of them. Nor was Charlie for that matter. This was going to be tricky.
“Are we bringing our angels and demon?” Ziva asked.
“I would assume so,” Ai said.
Desiree giggled. “Road trip.”
Ziva was looking forward to that part of it, not going to the city, but the trip there. She would love that.
Chapter Ten
Kaiden had the full group with him again.
“You can’t go back to Kathill,” Vincent said.
They had been arguing over this for over an hour. It was to the point that Kaiden wanted to pull out his hair. He was supposed to be the leader and the person everyone followed, but this was the opposite. Vincent, Jeremiah, and all the angels and demons wanted him to stay from the city.
“You’ll upset the balance,” Jeremiah said. While the tall, muscular man was welcomed here, and his people had proven themselves, it bugged Kaiden that they were going against him.
“Balance,” Kaiden said. “We don’t have balance, and there is no other way. We must go.”
“There has to be,” Layla said.
“There must,” Sargal said. The demon was frightening and ever more so when he was angry, like he was now.
Kaiden wasn’t going to back down. It was time to be the Chosen One. He was going to lead them and stand tall and firm.
“I am going,” Kaiden said firmly, his voice commanding. “So is Ai, Desiree, and Ziva. We would like Zaphkiel, Muriel, Dazielle, and Orlas as well, but I won’t make you.”
The room was silent. They all stared at him, stunned and in awe. He hadn’t done talked that firmly with them before.
“As you wish,” Vincent said. “What do want of me?”
Kaiden had thought about this before he called this meeting. Vincent and Layla were the two who would be the best fit to lead the force, to search for Lilith, and to corner her.
“Scout. Find Lilith. When you do, strike first,” Kaiden said.
Vincent nodded and licked his lips. “I’ve been waiting for a long time to make a move deep into Necoloatan.”
“I’m sure you have,” Kaiden said, “but we offer help to both angels and demons. Any who wish to join, you will let them. Any who wish to go, you will. Kill only those who attack and threaten the life of our people.”
Kaiden was trying to keep the peace, to keep the world safe. He wanted to have as many people alive at the end of this war as possible. There was no point to ending it all if there were no one left to enjoy it.
“We will grow the force,” Layla said. “I have a few thoughts as to the location of Lilith.”
Kaiden nodded. “Very well. Do it.”
“As you command,” Layla said.
It was strange hearing her say that. She was an old and powerful angel, yet she respected him and listened to him for the most part, today excluded.
With that all settled, it was time for Kaiden and the other to prepare for and then leave the trip to Kathill.
Back at the apartment, Kaiden packed up his few supplies. It wasn’t much, but he was thankful to have even that. The others were doing the same. This was going to be a long trip. Kaiden wasn’t sure what was going to happen.
It had sounded so easy when Ai had suggested it. When the others had fought against it and from what Kaiden remembered of the city, he realized that maybe this was going to end badly.
Only two bonded people were supposed to enter the city. No demons were, and only one angel. The newly bonded was the only exception, and now, Kaiden was about to walk over that tradition and ask them to not allow another to level up to twenty. He needed them to ensure no one leveled up higher than nineteen.
Not many did what Kaiden had by fighting against leveling up. Most welcomed leaving the city and its safety. They wanted to see the war and the angels or demons. They longed to be part of something more and go on an epic quest unlike the mundane ones that were given in the city.
Kaiden had leveled up a lot since then. The last battle alone had given him two levels. Now, he was level forty, and the others were close behind. That was hard to comprehend. He had double the amount of levels he had had when he’d left Kathill and since he had bonded to Zaphkiel.
He had to be the fastest to reach the level throughout history, not that people had always had levels. That had started because of the angels and demons and the bonding.
The world had changed, and Kaide
n both loved and hated it. It was as if they lived in a video game. They were magical beings and playable characters. The angels and demons were the nonplayable characters.
Ziva walked to him. She had her backpack on, and it was bulging at the seams. She was ready to go. Light reflected off her amazing, long, blond hair. Kaiden gulped. He was staring at her, unable to take his gaze off her. She was that hot. That attractive.
“Ziva,” he finally managed.
“Kaiden.” She peered deep into his eyes. “This is dangerous. Risky.”
Kaiden nodded. “I know. We have no clue what is going to happen.”
“We don’t,” she said. “Are you sure?”
She was just trying to make certain that this was what he wanted. Kaiden could respect that. “I’m sure. This must be done.”
Ziva smiled. “Very well. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Each time Kaiden said that phrase, he meant it. Each time he felt even happier saying it. Somehow, it meant more. Way more.
A knock on the door sounded. Ziva answered, and it was their mates. They too were ready to go. This was going to be a quest of a lifetime, one to alter the course of the world.
That was the way it was for Kaiden. Everything he did was to alter the world. He was really starting to hate that, yet part of him liked it too. He was made for this. He was the one who had bonded to the fallen angel. He would be the one to set everything back to rights.
Chapter Eleven
The trip to the city was going to take several days since Orlas wasn’t able to fly Desiree. They would take a vehicle while the angels flew. Orlas was traveling the way she always did, some sort of magical traveling through the earth thing that was not teleporting.
Outside of the apartment, the vehicle was there. Kaiden was still getting used to them. Back in Kathill, they didn’t have cars. He had thought cars didn’t work anymore. Kaiden had been naïve then. Clearly, the people had to have a way to get around. It wasn't like they had an abundance of horses, and walking was just too slow.