by Liza James
We both turn to the left and enter the sanctuary where the council meeting is being held, meeting the eyes of several older men and women who are seated around a long, marble table. It’s rectangular and narrow, allowing each of them to face each other and maintain the intense discussion they are clearly having. Elijah sits casually at the head of the table, leaning far back in a large leather chair. He has one heavy leg loosely thrown over the other, his black biker boot resting on his jean-clad knee. His black hoodie is layered over a deep burgundy tee and the long sleeves are pulled up to his forearms, exposing the thick expanse of tattoos covering his flesh and trailing down his fingers.
Luna walks towards him, heading to the seat next to his when his arm darts out and wraps tightly around her waist, tugging her down and onto his lap in a possessive and protective hold. I can see her eyes widen for a split second, clearly questioning whether that was okay or not, but I know Elijah. He doesn’t give a fuck what other people think of him, and he’ll always choose to put Luna above the rest of them.
Leon and I stand in the back, leaning against the white wall of the cathedral. To our left is a set of intricately carved angels, with scripture delicately showcased below in gold ink. It’s beautiful. However, I can’t help but notice the incredible ironies in this entire situation as I’m surrounded by a mix of Fallen Angels and Demons.
“A Fated pairing? How is that even possible? We haven’t seen a confirmed case in decades,” a man at the far end counters, disbelief written across his wide eyes and pinched brows.
“I don’t know how it’s fucking possible. But it is, clearly. Luna is my Fated and I’m not putting this out there lightly. I don’t give a fuck if any of you believe it, but—”
“What he means is—” Nathanial’s deep voice rumbles from my right as he steps into the room and comes to stand behind Elijah. “—is that it was a surprise to us as well. But Luna is indeed his Fated. I attempted initiating a bond with her before Elijah did so and she refused me.”
The elders all respond in a mix of gasps and shocked expressions. Luna had explained to me earlier that blood bonds usually weren’t refused unless a Fated was near and their blood was drawn to the other, which is why she couldn’t accept Nathanial while Elijah was present. I hate it, but a ping of jealousy erupts in my chest at the thought her being with Nathanial rather than his brother.
Amelia catches my attention as she stalks all the way to the other side of the sanctuary, taking a place in front of one of the giant stained-glass windows. I don’t miss the nervous and surprised glances that drift her way from the others sitting around the table.
“I do agree that having a Fated union lead the race would be beneficial in countless ways, but this is quite the transition from the role you’ve played in the past Elijah. Are you ready for this?” asks a woman this time, older as well, and from the expressions on the faces around her, it’s obvious that she is well respected within the race. Elijah nods at her question, acknowledging her concern when Luna stands from his lap and places a hand on his shoulder.
“I know I haven’t been involved long, hell, this is all incredibly new to me. However, I do know that Elijah dismissed the idea of leading for a long time now. I want to mention that in the few months I’ve known him, he’s exceeded all of my ideas and expectations when it comes to taking over his brother’s place. He’s invested himself in everything Nathanial’s been teaching him, he’s been working on countless projects and ideas to ensure safety among the race, different ways we can help discover more Fated’s in an approach that promises protection and growth rather than fear and terror.” Luna’s strong voice breaks the barrier between everyone, and I physically watch as several sets of shoulders relax and hope springs in their eyes while they listen to her.
Elijah sits forward and places his elbows on the table, clasping his hands in the center before he addresses everyone. “It’s true, I was against leading for years before now. Truthfully, I wasn’t ready to accept that responsibility. I was angry and detached. I’m beyond thankful to my brother for taking that weight on his shoulders and leading you all in a way I wouldn’t have been able to come close to prior to now.” He tugs Luna back into his embrace before he continues, “But Luna has changed me. She’s become everything I realized I was missing and fulfilled me in ways I didn’t know were even possible. She’s shown me the importance and necessity of this role to our people and I’m finally ready to accept it as my own. But I’m not alone, Luna has her own plans in place to help house our newly Fated pairings. We’ve got intentions to further train and advance those who are willing to fight alongside us. Especially Fated’s who need to know how to protect themselves against Cambions.”
I glance across the room, looking to find Amelia when I notice her eyes are shut and her head is leaning back against the glass window. Her breaths are coming in heavy waves, her shoulders rising and falling in an inconsistent pattern. I look over to Leon, who watches her intently and whose breathing pattern mimics hers. But his eyes are filled with something so toxic and complex that I can’t help but wonder if she’s intentionally avoiding his dark gaze.
While the discussion continues ahead of us, a slow and irritatingly subtle vibration begins in my fingertips. I instantly begin rubbing them together, trying to shake the insatiable itch that begins working its way up my forearms and into my shoulders. I look over to Leon, hoping to see some kind of recognition that he’s feeling the same thing. But his eyes have narrowed into something that looks slightly more confused than angry. I follow his gaze and find Amelia, with her hands raised in front of her face as she incessantly rubs them together.
“Something’s wrong,” I whisper, and Leon’s gaze meets mine right as Nathanial turns to face my direction. I look over to him as a wave of uncomfortable pricks unravel through my body and my knees immediately weaken. Leon’s hand grasps my arm and Nathanial lunges forward, but we all quickly crouch as the sound of shattering glass explodes around us.
My knees crash to the ground as I look up and find the entire room has blown into chaos. Elijah has Luna already up and over his shoulder, yelling at the council members to flee the area immediately. Everything happens in the blink of an eye. Nathanial shouts for Elijah and Luna to leave, urging them to protect the one Fated bond our race currently has. But Elijah refuses to stand down and races to drop Luna with myself and Leon before he and Nathanial run towards the other side of the room.
My eyes search for the source of destruction and I fall back against the wall when my ears are suddenly screaming in pain at the sound blasting around us. Luna reaches up and lays her hands over my ears, layering them on top of mine as the pain rips through me.
I try to pry my eyes open and frantically search around us to understand what could possibly be happening when I’m met with a scene that terrifies me. Through the broken window comes a massive creature, easily twelve feet tall and wider than anything I’ve ever seen. Its flesh is reddened and sunken into its body, shaping around each bone and muscle that protrudes in strange and deformed angles. It has arms that are thin and look frail, but no doubt house more power than I could even imagine. They fall down past its bony knees and each limb sprouting from the ends contorts in a way that resembles fingers, but are closer in identification to sharply pointed claws.
But it’s head is what has me pressed tightly against the wall and clinging to Luna while Leon inches in front of both of us. Its head is nothing but a black hole of split portions, harboring hundreds of rows of razor sharp teeth. When each portion comes back together, it forms a distorted head of rotten flesh that bears no eyes. But then opens again to release that piercing sound of high screeches that rip through my flesh and burrow into my mind. I can vaguely hear Amelia screaming in the distance, her own sound adding to the direct pain that scorches through me.
I try to find Nathanial and Elijah but can’t see either of them when I finally spot Amelia’s weakened form on the ground below the creature. Her back arches off the floor a
s her hands cling to the sides of her head, tearing and pulling at her hair that’s now covered in blood.
I try to lean forward, hoping to find the strength to somehow step in and pull Amelia to our side. As much as I hate her, I can't watch her get slaughtered by the monster that's wreaking havoc on our sanctuary.
Somehow, I realize Leon has slowly moved forward, he must be having the same thoughts as myself. "Leon," I whisper loudly, struggling to shift forward and follow him. I turn back just as Luna comes beside me and I immediately nod for her to stay back. She's far more important than the rest of us right now.
"Sorry, Red. If anyone's killing Amelia, it's going to be me. You stay the fuck back," Leon's harsh voice quickly rips through me and I halt my movements. I'm caught off guard by his declaration at killing Amelia, and by the fact that he thinks he can tell me to hold off.
Fuck that.
I pull my heavy body from the ground and force myself to settle low on my feet. My entire form is ringing and throbbing with the nearness of this monster, it's sound somehow works its way through my skin and stings my blood with a chalky poison that grates against my insides.
I swallow back the bile that rises in my throat and quietly step forward, moving past Leon without a second glance. I vaguely hear the sound of him cursing behind me as he hurries to follow, but our steps are quickly cut off by the returning sickening screech of the creature.
I collapse to the ground in agonizing torture and cling my fingers to the side of my head again. I can't stop the scream that rips from my throat as I force my eyes shut and try to block out whatever chaos is thrashing through my body.
In a quick second, my mind settles just slightly as another pair of larger, heavier hands come to rest over mine. I struggle to open my eyes again and when I do, I'm met with Nathanial's strong, piercing blue gaze as he watches me intently.
"You need to run, Stella," his voice is low and reprimanding as he shouts the words above the anarchy that's exploding around us.
"Not happening. You know I don't fucking run… not when I can help it," I spit back as I strain against the pain that washes through me. I sit up and climb back to my feet, only to find Leon already holding Amelia in his arms as he rushes back towards us.
"I told you, not even that vile monster gets to hurt her before I do," Leon grinds out through tight lips as he moves past us and to the back of the sanctuary.
"How the hell do we fix this?" I ask as doubt and worry begin plaguing my mind. I have no idea how to make it out of this scenario and the creature has suddenly turned its body towards Nathanial and I.
"Fire," he states simply. I turn to look at his incredibly confident face. A small smirk tugs at his lips before his eyes turn to meet mine and everything around us shifts into darkness.
Complete and total obscurity engulfs the entire room when the sound of the monster crashes through the empty space. But it sounds slightly different this time, a little higher, a little stronger and maybe slightly confused?
I feel the heat of even more blood slipping down my neck as it coats my ears and I instinctually cover them again when Nathanial's hands come back to mine. He acts as a barrier, something thicker and more powerful that at least somewhat dampens the pain of what the monster inflicts.
Once the sound has ended and Nathanial removes his hold on me, I watch as tiny sparks of fire light around the area we're trapped in. My heart thunders against my chest and I reach behind myself in search of Nathanial, in search of anything familiar while I'm caught in this warped reality.
"Is this—" I quietly whisper, hoping not to bring awareness to myself. My hand continues searching when I find the area where Nathanial should be—empty. I turn quickly and look behind myself but am only met with more eerie darkness.
Fucking dick, how the hell am I supposed to know what to do?
"Elijah and Luna, yes." His voice suddenly comes back to me, surrounding me in a husky and dangerous vibration that erupts in my chest. But I still don't see him, I don't feel his presence or the heat of his body near mine.
More flames. Larger this time, jumping and sparking in waves that send a fiery blaze washing through the room. I don't understand it though. If it's my sister and her Fated's ability, how can they physically warp the reality we're experiencing in a way that we can all substantially feel? Elijah and Luna have been training every single day that they spend together. I knew they’d been getting better, altering their realities in even more detail than what they used to before. But this is new even to me, they can physically manifest so much more together now. Their ability has been growing and strengthening.
The piercing screech tears through once again and I'm met with an abundance of exploding flames. Suddenly, the monster is illuminated in front of me and I’m terrified to realize that it's closer than I thought. I’m immediately thrown back as the blast of fire emits in a mess of radiating heat.
I cry out as my skin is licked and burnt from the surprising warmth. I'm so caught off guard and my heart is hammering so strongly in my chest, I'm unsure of the full extent of pain I'm in. The adrenaline is coursing so vibrantly through my blood that I find the strength to turn and crawl away from the screaming monster behind me. My hands and knees feel sore and torn apart in ways I don't understand. My entire body feels heavy and weak. I know I've lost blood, simply from the torturous sounds the creature's been making, but I'm worried to find out how much farther the damage extends.
I can't see ahead of me, everything is still incredibly dark. I can't find Nathanial, his voice no longer reassures my mind and his presence isn't tangibly near. I search ahead for Luna, Leon, or even Amelia but don't see any of them, so I continue crawling until my body is so tired and worn that I collapse from exhaustion on the floor.
I'm far enough away from the creature now that it's screams only illicit a painful sting inside of my mind, but it doesn't go farther than that. My eyelids become heavy, so incredibly weighted that they fall shut several times as I try to keep them open. I can't fall asleep, I can't lose consciousness. Not right now. Not while I don't know exactly what kind of danger I'm really in.
But pain and fatigue gain the upper hand, and I’m swallowed in darkness with the echoes of the monster’s deathly screeches impaling my mind.
Elijah and Luna shift our reality back to the sanctuary just as the Cambion in front of us dissolves into a whirl of black, filthy ashes. I immediately turn and scan the room for Stella, finding her curled into a fetal position in the farthest corner available.
Good. She managed to crawl away when I lost sight of her during the fabricated vision Luna and Elijah created. My heart thunders in my chest as my breaths fall out, rapidly and heavily while I climb to my feet and stalk towards her.
When everything went black, I knew my brother was uniting with his Fated to create the fire that would destroy the Cambion. We knew something was amiss the second both Stella and Amelia began responding in uncomfortable twitches while the meeting was still taking place. There’s only one reason a Cambion would affect someone before it even arrived, it had to have been sent here for the two of them personally, seeking out their very souls. And there’s only one person who would be idiotic enough to dispatch one—Danner.
“Stella,” I shout loudly as I continue stepping toward her until I’m crouched directly in front of her small figure. God, she looks helpless in this moment and I can’t help but reach out and lift her into my arms. Her pale neck and wild hair are coated in a thick layer of blood. It’s dried in places from the first screech and still wet and slick in others from the most recent screams while it died. An angry rage boils in the pit of my stomach and branches outwards, cascading through my arms and settling in my chest as I hold her frail body against mine.
“Stella,” I say again, gritting the words out while my hand shakily drags against her hair. I attempt pulling strands away from her tightly shut eyes. I lean down, fear suddenly taking root at her lack of response while I lay my lips against her cold skin. I sp
eak quietly this time, knowing her body is sore and injured from the attack. “Wake up, Stells. Come on.”
For a moment, I worry that I’m going to have to heal her. As an Angel turned Incubus, as her fucking Fated, I know I can. I made that deal with the Devil a long time ago, ensuring I Fell with Elijah and Amelia in exchange for something potentially valuable to me. But no one knows the secret I keep closely guarded. They believe I Fell after interfering in Luna and Stella’s lives along with my brother and our best friend at the time.
But it wasn’t true.
I held a little more value than Elijah and Amelia all those years ago. I was the race’s Healer in Arcadia, I tended to the wounded and I’m damn good at my fucking job. So good in fact, they were willing to keep me above despite my indiscretions. So good, they refused my Fall and forced me to stay behind while my brother was exiled after I convinced him to interfere in the lives of assumed humans. He wouldn’t have Fallen if it weren’t for me. Elijah was too disinterested, he stayed in line and kept to himself.
If it weren’t for me, he wouldn’t have gotten involved in the first place.
So, I had to. I would never have stayed in Arcadia without him. I traded my Fated for something that would ensure I was never allowed entry into Arcadia again. I was transformed, injected and tainted with the essence of an Incubus. Esme is the only one who knows of my true nature because she was the witch black mailed into performing the spell.
She has her own Demons, which placed her right into the hands of Lucifer himself. He demanded payment, and her punishment was to dip her toes into the black magic that would make this possible.
It’s the reason I can feed Stella in the ways that she needs, and also sustain her as her Fated mate. But I can never bond with her, that was what I gave up in trade. And if we do, it dooms us to a life neither of us wants to partake in.