Belinda looked intrigued. “An angel pregnancy. That hasn’t happened in…I don’t know how many years.” She looked at Abby, blatant curiosity on her face. “Who’s the father, and did you actively try to get pregnant?”
“I had nothing to do with it,” said Abby before flushing. “I mean, I guess I did, but I didn’t plan anything.” She’d sidestepped the subject of the father entirely.
Belinda seemed not to notice. “Of course, it’s physically possible, but there aren’t many angels running around having sex, you know? For some reason, y’all decided it was a waste of time and energy.” She shook her head, clearly baffled at the thought.
Abby could see why, after having experienced it for herself. It was certainly something the angels had hastily abandoned without much thought in her opinion.
“Of course, there had to be another angel involved.”
“Did there?” asked Dante with surprise.
The curator’s brow scrunched. “I suppose it would be possible to create a nephilim, but angels have even less use for humans than they do demons. I just can’t picture that.”
“But it’s not impossible that an angel could reproduce with someone who’s not an angel? How?” asked Abby.
Belinda looked stumped. “I really don’t know. Give me a little while.” With those words, she unwarded the door and went through, leaving them to stew in silence. Her few minutes turned into more like an hour, and by the time she returned, Abby’s stomach was grumbling, this time from hunger.
Dante passed her an energy bar under the table as Belinda set down a stack of books, opening the largest and what appeared to be the oldest carefully after donning a pair of white gloves. “This record explores the subject in greater detail. It is possible for angels and humans to reproduce. If you’re carrying a nephilim, the white-feathered bastards won’t appreciate it though. Just a little FYI.”
“Why is that?” asked Abby. Instinctively, she curved her hand around her stomach, though she didn’t even know for sure if she was pregnant.
“They’re unpredictable and hard to control. Some can be more powerful than angels, though most are less powerful. It’s all kind of undetermined. Humans are so unique and wild and their differences naturally spills over to their offspring. Your nephilim might pose no threat to anyone, but that doesn’t mean your fellow angels will be on board with letting you have it.”
“They’d have to go through us first,” said Brax with a growl of anger in his tone.
Belinda stared at him for a moment, and she suddenly seemed to realize the possible father wasn’t human, because she made a clicking sound followed by turning her attention to the book again. She thumbed through as rapidly as the fragile pages would allow until she reached an entirely new section and read for several minutes silently.
It was written in Enochian, so Abby could read parts of it, but it was upside down and what she caught wasn’t terribly illuminating, particularly at the speed Belinda read before looking up at them again. Abby found herself holding her breath.
“Technically, it’s never been done before, or no one wrote it down if it did, but it’s not impossible. Angels and demons all have the same origins, so we have mostly the same anatomy, after all. Since the cultural and social differences are too vast for most angels and demons to ever overcome, let alone get in a position where they might create offspring, it’s never been documented. Even if there was such a relationship, pregnancy would require careful planning.”
“How do you mean?” asked Abby, feeling oddly defensive at the suspicious look Belinda gave her, as though she’d lied about not doing anything to get in her current possible state.
She looked at the book again for a long moment. “Such a thing requires powerful magic and fertility potions, since angels don’t ovulate like humans do. Female demons don’t ovulate either, as I’m sure you boys are aware. If a demon wants to become pregnant, she has to undergo certain preparations. I’m sure it’s the same for angels.” She looked at Abby. “Have you undergone a fertility ritual?”
Abby shook her head. “No.”
“Have you asked for any spells from a witch? Have you imbibed anything?”
Abby started to say she hadn’t, but she suddenly remembered Zephael’s eagerness to ensure she took whatever was in the vial. Her stomach churned, trying to reject the energy bar she’d just eaten as she stared down at her hands for a moment and whispered, “There was something.”
“Did it leave you feeling euphoric and horny as hell?” Belinda asked that as though she couldn’t imagine an angel ever feeling such things.
Abby didn’t look up, but she nodded.
“It’s entirely possible then, at least in theory. Just because it’s never been done before doesn’t mean a sanctimalus can never happen.”
She looked up at Belinda. “What’s a sanctimalus?”
“Half-angel, half-demon offspring.” She closed the book and sorted through her stack, removing the thinnest. “I really shouldn’t do this, but I’ll let you have this book for as long as you need. It might have information you can use. I’ve read it a long time ago, but I didn’t pay much attention to it, since it’s all based on theoretical magic and circumstances that seemed unlikely to ever occur. If anyone can benefit from it, it’s likely you.”
“Thank you,” said Abby softly as she took the book. “Constructing The Sanctimalus: A Theoretical Dissertation.” She was dying to crack it open, but Belinda seemed to want to be rid of them. “How can we thank you?”
Belinda looked mildly worried as she ignored Abby’s question. “I have a gift for auras.”
Abby frowned, wondering where this was leading. “Okay.”
“I could see it the second you entered, but I didn’t realize the significance. I mean, I figured what it was, but I wasn’t entirely certain. I might as well warn you now though.”
Her alarm was growing as she stared at the demon. “What?”
“I can feel a second aura around you. I can’t see anything yet, but I can feel it. I’d feel confident betting everything I own that you are pregnant.”
Abby trembled at the news, though she wasn’t entirely surprised. Ever since Brax had mentioned his theory, the idea had been settling on her. The more she thought about it, the righter it felt. It was almost like she could sense something else occupying space in her body, and though she’d remained unaware of it until she tried to find it, now she couldn’t seem to block out that awareness, faint as it was. She nodded once.
“I would like to do something to repay you,” said Brax to Belinda.
She looked serious when she turned to him. “You can. Don’t come back.”
Brax reared back. “Belinda, we’ve been friends for years.”
She smiled. “It’s not an act of hostility on my part, Brax. I still have great affection for the three of you, but it isn’t safe. If either side gets wind of what is happening inside her, they’ll probably both be hunting you. I don’t want to be drawn into all that again. You know the angels killed my daughter in battle, which is why I left Infernum. I have peace and want to keep it. I’d tell you to get out while you can, but there’s no getting out. I can tell that by her aura, which bears generous amounts of all yours.”
“Who’s the father?” blurted out Dante. “I mean, she’s our mate. It could be any one of us.”
Belinda seemed past capable of showing shock at anything revealed by them. She just shrugged a shoulder. “With a pregnancy like this involving magic and careful planning on someone’s part, you’re probably all the father. You would have each contributed something. You understand this happened more on a sol level than a genetic level, right?”
She didn’t bother to wait around to see if they understood that or not. She looked at Abby once more, and her voice was kind even when she said, “I hope I never see you again for my sake. I can’t tell you what to do, but if it were me, there’s no way I’d have that thing. It’s a trouble magnet.”
Abby scowled at her, pressing her han
d to her stomach. “It’s not your decision to make.”
“No, and I’m eternally grateful for that.” Belinda nodded to all of them. “You know the way out.”
Without another word, leaving behind the stack of books she’d brought in, she turned and exited the room. Abby could feel that unwanted, despair-inspiring feeling starting to creep over her again seconds later. “I have to get out of here. She’s bringing back the wards.”
The three men hurried to their feet, now practically carrying her out of the library, though she wasn’t that incapacitated from despair. As soon as they cleared the perimeter of the building, she felt fine again, save for the shock and fear consuming her.
“It’ll be okay,” said Dante as he put his arm around her shoulders. “We aren’t going anywhere, and we’ll protect you.”
“And our baby,” said Mal firmly. “It doesn’t matter who comes. There are no loyalties anymore except to you and him or her.”
Abby felt reassured by their words, and as Brax nodded his agreement, she smiled at him, but nothing completely chased away the fear she felt.
“There’s no sense worrying about what we can’t change,” said Mal. “Let’s just focus on the moment and be happy with what we have. I don’t know about anyone else, but I never expected to be a father. I’m pretty excited about the idea.”
She couldn’t hide her apprehension when she asked, “Even if you don’t know what it’ll be?”
“I know exactly what it’ll be,” said Brax firmly. “He or she will be ours. That’s all that matters, and if anyone tries to come between us or take him or her, they’re signing their own death warrant as far as I’m concerned.”
Tears flooded Abby’s eyes, but she managed to restrain the urge to let them pour forth. She was emotionally overwrought more than sad. Mostly, she felt a sense of wonder and the stirrings of excitement, and she decided Mal was right. Dwelling on the future and dreading what might come would only rob her of the joy of the moment and what happiness she could find with her men and the prospect of the child growing inside her.
They could prepare for the worst while savoring the best. With the three of them, she was sure she and her baby had the highest chance of survival, and while she was certain any of them would die to protect her or the baby, she was just as determined that wouldn’t come to pass. They would all fight hard to keep their family together, and she almost felt sorry for anyone who tried to stop them.
Epilogue
Zephael had just dropped the crystal back into his shirt when Orias entered the chamber, and he grinned at him. “It’s a marvelous day, Orias.”
His second-in-command looked dubious about that. “I don’t see how.”
He walked by and clapped him on the shoulder. “Cheer up. Everything’s going to plan.”
“What plan?” Orias revealed a hint of resentment that there was a plan of which he remained unaware.
Zephael didn’t let that touch of insolence bother him. Not today. He was too happy. “I heard from Vander.”
Orias frowned, clearly trying to place the name. “Isn’t that the little suck-up sycophant who serves Belinda at The Pit?”
Zephael grimaced at the description, though it was apt. He was rather fond of Vander, but mostly for his skills in bed, not out of it. “I had him on alert in case Brax and his buddies showed up with the angel in tow. When they did, he immediately reviewed the security footage as soon as they left. Belinda had warded the room where they were, so he was unable to listen in, but the cameras let him identify the books she retrieved. They were all about angels and demons reproducing, mostly with humans.”
“Like a cambion?” asked Orias in a dismissive way. “I never cared about half-human, half-demons before despite the supposed potential for increased power. Mingling dilutes their power most of the time.”
“Sometimes, but sometimes, it gives you an amazing weapon. However, I’m not talking about a cambion or a nephilim. This is something new and wholly different. Something you’ve never seen before and probably haven’t even heard of.”
Orias looked doubtful. “I’ve been around for millennia. I’ve probably seen and heard it all.”
“Do you know what a sanctimalus is?” asked Zephael, enjoying stumping Orias, who clearly had no clue. After the other man shook his head, he said, “Half-angel and half-demon. It’s like an Enochian weapon of mass destruction. If you control the sanctimalus, you control everything.”
Orias paled. “You’re saying the angel is carrying one of those things? That sounds dangerous to me. We should eliminate her before she can have it.”
Zephael lost his good cheer. In a second, he had crossed the room and grasped Orias by the throat, lifting the heavier demon a few inches before slamming him against the stone wall. “When I want your opinion, I’ll give it to you. In the meantime, you have the same assignment as her demon lovers. You’re to keep her and her offspring safe.”
Orias was clearly having trouble breathing, so Zephael relented by loosening his hold on his throat and dropping him back to his feet. He still kept him pressed against the wall though. “Do you understand?”
“I’ll follow orders, but I don’t understand why you want to protect an angel or that thing in her womb. It could be the destruction of everything.” Orias was gasping quietly as he spoke.
Zephael shrugged a shoulder. “All you have to do is control the heart and mind of the sanctimalus, and you’ll be protected. Just do as I say, and there won’t be any problems.”
Orias looked wary, but he nodded. “I always follow your commands.”
“I have very little reason to be displeased by your service,” said Zephael in acknowledgment before adding a warning, “Let’s keep it that way.”
“Of course, but do you think Brax and Mal and that kid will so easily follow your commands?”
Zephael smiled at him. “Of course they will, for right now, they dovetail with their desires. They want to keep her safe, and that’s all I want too.”
For now, he thought with a chuckle as he turned and walked away from Orias, deciding it was a day that required celebration. Nothing dreary like he’d find on Infernum, so it warranted a trip to Earth. He’d indulge in champagne and lobster before finding a kinky boy-toy and celebrating just right. He could spare the time, because he couldn’t start the next stage of his plan for several months yet.
* * *
“Hunted By Angels” is coming soon.
About Aurelia
Aurelia Skye is the pen name USA Today bestselling author Kit Tunstall uses when writing science fiction romance. It’s simply a way to separate the myriad types of stories she writes so readers know what to expect with each “author.”
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Sanctimalus Serial: Parts One-Three Page 14