by J. Ashburn
“Oh my God…” Micah gasped… “Caleb… Rick…” He coughed and gagged, spitting up blood. “Is-Is-everyone okay…”
“I can’t get out!” Nicki cried.
“Me either!” Rick said.
“Caleb! Caleb!”
“I am well,” the fallen angel said. “Stay still,” he said to them.
Caleb slipped out of the broken window on his side. The car folded like an accordion. One side was crushed, the doors useless. Caleb took hold of the roof and tore it clean off. He helped Micah and the others out and onto the street. Cuts and bruises covered everyone, Rick limped, and Micah’s back ached.
Micah looked around and from his peripheral vision spotted the most familiar of locations, his favorite restaurant, the Midtown Diner. It was the dead of night and he knew no one would be there.
“The diner,” Micah pointed to it a few streets away. “The confined space, it’s empty, weapons.”
“Let’s go,” Nick said.
“How do we get in?” Nicki said.
“I will get us in,” replied Caleb.
Flapping wings resounded above them.
“Run!” Caleb thundered and the group bolted for the diner.
They reached the diner doors and Caleb ripped them off their hinges, allowing everyone to rush inside.
“Find something as a weapon,” Micah shouted. “The kitchen—-knives, cleavers, whatever.”
They made their way around the counters and through the swinging doors to the kitchen. In a frenzy Micah and his friends scoured the room for weapons. Carving knives, meat tenderizes, Nicki found a cast iron skillet. The kitchen drawers suddenly shot open and silverware flew into the air. Plates flung like Frisbees and glass shattered.
“Everyone down!” Caleb said. The oven beside him flared up, the burners ignited. “He’s here.”
Sebastian crashed through the swinging doors and collided with Caleb. They sprawled across the industrial stove and a fireball exploded around them.
Micah charged, screaming at the top of his lungs, a knife and Sebastian’s sigil tight in his grip. Sebastian turned and spotted him. He lifted into the air and dodged Micah, sending him into the stove with Caleb.
“Come on now boys, did you really think it would be that easy?” Sebastian landed on his feet and everything in the room whipped into the air. Knives, forks, glasses sailed at Micah, and his friends.
Caleb, scorched with fire, leapt in front of them, shielding them with his wings. The wreckage bounced off of his angel wings and crashed to the floor but Sebastian would not be undone. He soared across the room and nabbed Caleb’s wings with his talons.
The two fallen angels struggled in midair. Sebastian held the squirming Caleb tight, then bent his knees and thrust. Caleb sailed across the room and crashed into a wall, a host of shelving collapsed on him, mixing bowls, platters, pots and pans clattered to the floor.
Sebastian came down onto the floor where Micah and his friends were waiting. He stared them down, grinning like mad, his eyes glinting in the neon light. “This is the best you humans can do? Pieces of paper and some butter knives? Caleb really knows how to pick them.”
“Don’t lose hold of your sigils,” Micah said to his friends. “He can’t touch us but we can touch him.”
“I just love all this touching… sounds dirty.” He stomped once toward them and they flinched.
Sebastian cackled. “You still don’t get it. I don’t have to physically touch you.” He willed the refrigerator away from the wall, plugs ripping from sockets and rolled it into Nick and Rick. The brothers went down, Rick was knocked unconscious but Nick held onto his sigil. The fridge cornered both of them.
“No!” Micah raced at Sebastian and he lifted into the air again. “Come and face me coward!”
Sebastian stared down at Nicki. “Not much hope is there, Nicki? You were right to doubt your best friend. Love has blinded him… perverse love for an abomination. Did you really think they could stop me? Nicki, help me end this.”
She looked into his eyes and saw flames burning within. Nicki looked over at Micah.
“Don’t listen to him.”
“Nicki, I will let all of you go. You don’t have to be afraid anymore after I’m gone. This resistance will get all of you killed. Just give me some help and it’s over.”
She turned to Micah and swung her skillet, smashing his hand. He screamed and the sigil sailed from Micah’s grip.
“Thatta girl!” Sebastian slammed to the floor, picked up the sigil and burned it in his hand. He smashed Micah across the face and sent him down. He then caressed Nicki’s face. “Now drop your sigil.”
Nicki complied.
“Very good.” He threw her up against the wall and knocked her out then turned to Caleb, who crawled out from his debris and caught his breath. Sebastian pushed him down and laid his clawed talon down on his chest.
“Fool. Did you really think you could have this life? Did you really think there would be repentance for you? For any of us? You were about to start a rebellion, but it will be crushed right here and now.”
“I will never give up,” Caleb spat. “The others know now… they know it’s possible. I will return.”
“No.” Sebastian shook his head. “No, you won’t. You will be forever mine to torture.”
As they were distracted, Micah reached for a knife on the kitchen floor. Across the room he could see Nicki’s sigil on the floor. He brought the knife to his hand.
“I still can’t believe that you would prefer to be here with these humans than back home with your brothers. To think that you could love one of these creatures makes my flesh crawl. Of course that goes both ways for any human that would love someone as pathetic as you. You’re nothing but a low-level demon…sniveling in the dark, feeding on the carrion of the souls. Taking our leftovers.”
Caleb looked up at him with defiance. “…and… you wonder…why…I’d want to leave. You’re the fool. Still serving instead leading. Poor Sebastian.”
“Do not pity me, brother! When I get you back you will wish you never existed.”
“I have wished that for over a thousand years.”
“Say goodbye to your friends…” Sebastian heard them moan, Nick and Rick stirred in the corner. “Hmm, I have been doing this all wrong. I should start by destroying your friends first. Make you watch their demise. That would be your ultimate downfall. I will topple everything you’ve been building. You should watch this, Caleb. It’s going to be awesome.”
Micah crawled into view. Sebastian laughed and strolled over to him. “I’ll start with your lover.” He pulled Micah up by his hair.
“No! Micah! No!” Caleb reached out for him.
“Say goodbye, lover.” Sebastian held up his clawed, webbed hand.
Micah opened his eyes. “How about you say goodbye first.” He lifted his left arm and opened his hand wide. On his palm, he had carved Sebastian’s sigil right into his skin. The star, triangle and circle bled in crimson all around his hand. “Give my regards to Lucifer!”
Micah slammed the palm of his hand on Sebastian’s face. The arch-demon dropped him to the floor and howled. Dull orange and red light swirled around him. He stood rigid, his head tilted back and his eyes morphed into black orbs. His mouth opened in an anguished scream.
Baleful moans filled the room and a gust of wind pealed through it. Sebastian’s human body and demon body blinked in and out of existence until finally they exploded. A mix of shadowy ashes funneled into the air and vanished into the heating vents.
Silence took over the room. Micah crawled his way to Caleb and they embraced.
“He’s gone,” Caleb whispered to Micah. “You sent him back… Micah… that was incredible.”
“I told you I wasn’t going to let anything happen to you.”
The two of them kissed as Caleb got to his feet, carrying Micah with him. Nick and Rick stirred again, moaning. Caleb willed the refrigerator out of their way and healed their wounds, placing
his human hand on each of them.
“Nicki…” Micah turned and found her still on the floor. “She’s still unconscious.”
“Let’s take her to your hospital across the street,” Nick said.
“Okay…yeah”
They turned to leave when Jake walked through the kitchen doors, a shocked look on his face. He surveyed the carnage and looked at Micah and the others.
“What the hell happened?”
Despite everything, Micah broke out laughing, as did the twins. Caleb still didn’t fully understand their humor…but that was okay.
“You wouldn’t believe us if we told you,” Micah said. “Could you help us, Nicki is really hurt? We need to get her next door.”
“Sure, of course.” He went to her and checked her pulse. “Heart is strong.” He stood up and went to Nick, hugging him. They kissed. “What is—”
“I’ll tell you everything back home.”
“Okay, you better.” Jake gave him another kiss and bent down to Nicki. He saw a piece of paper with a strange symbol on it. He slipped it into his pocket when no one was looking then helped them carry Nicki outside.
16
Caleb kissed Micah long and took his time with it. He moved his tongue to his neck then his ear. He eased his tongue inside of Micah’s ear, having recently discovered that it drove him crazy.
He licked down his chest and to Micah’s waiting dick and went down on it, tasting him, savoring every moment. Micah leaned his head back and sighed then moaned as his lover pleasured him.
Micah stirred, running his hands through Caleb’s beautiful brown hair, watching Caleb enjoy making love to him. Caleb’s hands explored all of Micah—his belly, his chest, his arms.
Caleb pulled Micah’s dick out of his mouth and licked his balls. Micah squirmed and gasped. Finally, Caleb pushed Micah’s legs up and entered him, thrusting slowly at first then using his hips to enter deeper and harder.
Micah wrapped his legs around his lover’s smooth, hard body. Caleb pumped harder and faster as Micah jerked himself.
A few minutes later, sweat pouring off their bodies, and they were ready to climax. They felt like one spirit when they came, closing their eyes and kissing.
Caleb climbed into Micah’s arms and rested his head on his chest. Micah stroked his hair.
“I can’t believe that I’m dating a fallen angel,” Micah said.
“I can’t believe that you didn’t go running as far from me as you could. I’m still in shock.”
“I told you. This is who you were meant to be. If you hadn’t been cursed to live in Hell you would never have become that.”
“I know…I’m trying…” his voice sounded sad now.
“That doesn’t matter right now.” Micah squeezed him tight. “You are not that person anymore. You have left that all behind. Now you can stay here and do the good you wanted to do. One day, you will be who your spirit truly is. You wait and see…”
“I hope so. I really do…”
“Trust me. You will. You have all of eternity now. Right? Sebastian can’t come back?”
“It would be a rare occurrence. He failed Lucifer and he never let’s you make up for it. Sebastian will most likely be punished for his failure…probably for a thousand years. I don’t think he’ll be back for a long, long time. Besides, I don’t want eternity. I just want you by my side.”
“You have me. Together we’ll earn your forgiveness. HE will listen.”
“Oh Micah, I want more than anything for you to be right. For now, I will settle for your love.” He looked up into Micah’s eyes.
The two kissed before going to bed for the night.
###
Nicki stared at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were bloodshot and she felt extremely tired but just couldn’t sleep. She was glad to be back home but she felt off. Something didn’t feel right.
She wrapped her housecoat around her tight, took her temperature and looked down her throat in the mirror. There didn’t seem to be anything physically wrong. There was a dull headache at the back of her head and a slight stomachache but nothing serious.
It was more of a feeling. Something she couldn’t quite shake. She thought of Micah and Caleb again and wondered if everything was all right, if everything was back to the way it should be. It wasn’t really—not the way she remembered—Micah had changed, Caleb had changed him but was it for the better? The jury was still out.
It would take time for her to fathom that angels and demons existed and that her best friend was in love with one. For now, she would leave well enough alone.
Nicki climbed into bed, puller up her covers and closed her eyes. It wasn’t long before the nightmares came.
###
The river that Caleb had sat at and carved Sebastian’s sigil onto the rocks glowed with ethereal light. The moon joined in with this dazzling display and it was if magic itself had come to life for the first time.
A man rose out of the water, his hair was a glowing white and his eyes were a magnificent, crystal blue. The water rolled off his thin, naked body. Huge white-feathered wings eased from his back and shook the water out of them. He looked around and when he reached the river’s shore, he paused.
“Nehemiah,” a disembodied voice spoke to him. “The balance is disrupted. You must set things right. Find the one who escaped the pit. Find him and destroy him. These changes must never come to pass. Heaven must always hold sway over hell. Always.”
“Yes, Michael. I will not fail you, brother.”
Nehemiah walked off into the trees, a glowing white light followed him.
The Warring Hearts trilogy continues with Book 2: Infernal
Also by J. Ashburn
The Boys of Raven Cove
That Old Black Magic
Under His Spell
Raven Ascending
The Beast Within Trilogy
Book 1: Man and the Beast
Book 2: Lure of the Beast
Book 3: Moon of the Beast
Short Stories
Matt’s Story-A Beast Within Short
The Sons of Loki
Connect with J. Ashburn
Website: http://jashburnfiction.wordpress.com/
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Email: [email protected]