It had taken awhile, but Nicky had finally managed to fall into an exhausted fitful, sleep in the wee hours of the morning when the lights came on. He covered his face with a pillow and chuckled when he heard Karim, who'd fallen asleep on the sofa, began cursing the parents of the person who'd dare to wake him.
"Quiet,” Remy growled and pulled the pillow from Nicky's face letting the light shine directly into his eyes.
"What the hell, Remy?" He groaned and sat up. He watched as Karim rose like a corpse in an old vampire movie, his eyes still closed as he called Remy something in his native tongue. Nicky knew it was something off color, because Remy laughed.
"You wish," he said, pulling the covers back and tossing clean clothes at Nicky. "Both of you, up now. We've been called to bear witness before the Council." Karim rolled his eyes and lay back on the sofa.
"Fuck the Council," Karim grumbled as a pair of clean jeans flew toward him. Without sitting up or even opening his eyes, his hand shot up and snatched them out of the air.
"I feel the same way, but you my friend, are part of the Collective now. You have to.” Karim looked at Remy with one pale green eye and sat up, grumbling as he made his way into the bathroom. Nicky watched Remy who, now nearly completely healed, wore his uniform, his hair trimmed and the beard gone. He looked almost like himself again, yet there was sadness, a rawness and anger that hadn't been there before.
"Okay, then I can go back to sleep," Nicky said and pulled the covers over his head. They were ripped away, leaving him exposed in nothing but a pair of boxers. "If you wanted to see me naked, Remy there are easier ways," Nicky teased.
"Get up. They want you too." Remy chuckled and slapped his foot. Confused, Nicky sat up on his elbows, his brow raised.
"Why? I thought only preternaturals were called to see the Council. Wait, am I dead and no one told me? Did I die when I was teleported?" He touched his chest, testing to see if his hands went through. "Did it give me some sort of superhuman abilities? Am I like Spider man?"
Remy sighed and shook his head.
“You're family." He wandered over to a desk, rifling through a drawer as he spoke.
"All members of the Royal Family of the Collective, the family of the High Regent, have been asked to bear witness." He found what he was looking for, a letter opener that looked more like knife than an office tool, and tested the weight in his hand. "That includes all who share blood with a member of that family. Celeste has shared blood from Arbor and Jonas, when she was brought into the family centuries ago. And I assume she's shared blood with Karim."
"You assume correctly!" Karim called from the bathroom. Nicky had fixed his mouth to ask a question when Remy grabbed his hand and slashed the palm.
"Shit, Remy! God damnit- " he yelped as blood pooled in his hand. Remy did the same to his own palm and grasped Nicky's hand, pulling him to his feet.
"My blood for your blood, we are bound by family. You are my brother, brother to my brother and sisters, son to my father and have all the privileges to the House of de Noé and the Kent Family legacy." He kissed Nicky on each cheek before releasing his hand. Nicky knew that before the Kents became the Kents, they were the de Noé family originally from Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, a small Providence near Monaco in France. That was centuries before they relocated to Perche, then the Americas. He didn't have time to truly react because Remy licked his palm, then his own to begin the healing process.
"Get dressed, petit frère," Remy said.
Nicky stared at him, his expression clearly disgusted by what had just happened. He wasn't sure if he was in shock or honored because he could only focus on his wet palm.
“You licked me.”
***
Lilith felt tiny and conspicuous, surrounded by what had to be four of the largest soldiers enlisted in the Grey. Their armor, she had learned from Remy, was state of the art Kevlar tactical body armor. The suits had been reinforced with some sort of material that protected them from man-made and magical weaponry. Their faces were hidden beneath dark grey helmets that made them seem alien. She stared at the profiles of the two in the lead, trying to make eye contact through their dark visors. They didn't even acknowledge her presence as they moved silently from the darkest recesses of the Collective to the second level mezzanine.
From here she could see the lobby above them and out of the windows that made up the lobby roof to see the midnight sky lit with millions of shining stars. It was beautiful. She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen that many stars in the sky. She slowed and one of the solders behind her gave her a nudge forward. She continued, turning to look at Gaston and Lisette who walked behind her, sneering. Lisette was always sneering at her.
Her sneer spread into a smile that wasn't for Lilith, but for the three striking men descending the wide staircase from the lobby. Remy, Karim and a blond she recognized from his countless magazine covers and music videos approached.
He looked at Lilith, staring at her with something that bordered on revulsion. He didn't sneer the way Lisette had, nor did he ignore her like Remy and Karim. Instead, Nicky Sky stared at her with a frosty glare that made her, for the first time ever, feel ashamed of herself. He shook his head dismissively before turning back to Lisette who held his palm in her hand, inspecting it.
"Welcome, petit frère," she said and kissed him on both cheeks when the entire building began to quake. It was gentle at first, a slight tremor that rattled fixtures and jostled the small group.
"What the - " Remy started and the place shook again, this time more violently, mortar and stone falling from the ceiling. The shaking continued, tossing things to the floor. The glass of the colonnade ceiling began to crack and rain down on them, and people screamed running for cover.
"Is this an earthquake?" Nicky asked, another bone rattling quake rumbling the place.
***
The windows above them gave way, raining chunks of thick tempered glass down on them. Lisette pulled Nicky with her as the others ran for cover. Remy pulled a radio from some unknown pocket and began rattling off orders in rapid military speak that sounded like a foreign language to Nicky's civilian ears. Grey body armored soldiers poured into the lobby from elevators and stairwells, some brandishing large black weapons that looked like laser cannons, others with swords. Nicky had never in his life been so terrified and exhilarated.
A sea of red armored soldiers descended from the sky, filling the lobby and the mezzanine with what had to been an army of hundreds. A man stepped forward, his smile jovial but his eyes darkened with unbridled fury. It was a startling contrast that made Nicky step further into the shadows, his heart thumbing against his ribs.
"Lucifer, you're not supposed to be here. You've broken the peace accord; the Council will crucify you for this," Lisette said. Nicky's head snapped around at the mention of the name he'd heard about in bible study from the time he could walk. He stared at the handsome, almost angelic features and remembered words he'd heard in Sunday school that Lucifer had once been an angel and was beautiful to behold. He swallowed hard and crossed himself. Never had he believed that he would come face to face with the devil.
"That psychopath crossed the line first. Now, where is she, Lisette? Give her to me now or I will tear this place apart brick by brick until I find her." He was practically frothing at the mouth, his skin a ruddy red, his fingers turning into claws as he clutched the hilt of his broadsword.
"Lilith? She's right here,” Lisette said, a bit surprised he would demonstrate such a show of force and on a neutral plane no less. This was tantamount to treason, breaking the tenuous treaty that had been established between the Dark Fae and the Collective.
"Not her, you can have her. I'm looking for the rabid lunatic that murdered my wife. I want her here now or I will tear this place apart until she is brought to me!" he bellowed.
"You should have let me sleep," Nicky whispered, tapping Remy on the shoulder.
***
She stood on the roof, looking down at the scene unfold b
eneath her. She'd manifested here when the Nephilim had taken her from Nemesis' realm. From her vantage point, she had a clear view of the red army and wished she were in more than a damp dirty t-shirt and panties. She paused for a second, but only a second, before she was in her dark grey Kevlar armor, her sword in hand. If he wanted war, he’d get war.
"Where is she? She killed my wife!" Alexander howled. Celeste shook her head and sighed. Lilith, who was hidden in the shadows, made a noise, a low howl that sounded like a wounded animal.
"Mother's dead?" she wailed. "No, no - " she choked before the sobs began in earnest. Alexander continued his tirade, ignoring the heart wrenching moans.
Celeste stepped through the broken window, landing on one knee, one hand down to brace herself, her sword drawn and at her side. Slowly, she stood, a smirk on her lips, her brow raised in surprise.
"All you had to do was ask nicely," Celeste said. He growled, reaching for her, but she easily dodged him, slapping at his hands with the flat side of her sword, while wagging a finger in his face. "Be nice, Alex,” she said.
"I will rip you apart for what you did!" he snarled, looming over her. She looked up at him and sighed heavily as if she were bored with the entire situation.
"For killing my poor excuse of a mother, slaughtering the guards or burning your house down?" she asked.
"Did she just say mother?" Remy asked Lisette who stood with her jaw clenched. "I could have sworn she just said that the Dark Queen is...was her mother."
"It's the least I could do for the woman who did so much for me. You know, in her last moments before I sank my blade into her throat, she didn't speak of you. She didn't declare her love for you or that red headed abomination you call a daughter. Not once. And here you are - knocking down my front door offering a war. If you would have pulled out, or if mommy had been a good girl and just swallowed…. you could have saved yourself a world of trouble. Instead, your albino weasel wolverine of a daughter murdered the only mother I have ever known. I will enjoy sinking my sword into you, just like I did your psychotic cunt of a wife." She lifted the sword to her mouth, seductively licking the cool metal. "Mmmmm, I can't wait."
With lightening quick speed, she drew her sword across his face, spraying blood and nearly blinding him. He howled, stumbled back grabbing his eye, then charged her, but she was ready, fighting back with a swiftness and fury that was unexpected and a little frightening.
***
Nicky sank deeper into the shadows, Lilith uncomfortably shoved into his personal space. He shoved her aside so he could watch the battle unfold as if he were watching a movie. The red army surged forward weapons firing pulses of energy, while swordsman moved across the marble lobby.
Lisette roared and charged forward, blaster in hand, The Grey moving with her in waves. From the shadows, what looked like hundreds of giant stone men with bright white eyes emerged, standing at least ten feet tall, they began cutting through the red army with swords that seared flesh and left the wounded decimated.
Karim and Gaston fought side by side, carving the red army with a zeal and vigor that only matched Remy who fought with his hands and teeth as his only weapons. Half man, half tiger, he moved with an ease and agility that came from years of moving between animal and human form. In battle, he was glorious, enjoying the fight with joyous zeal. He was at his brother's back, his fangs and claws ripping through demon after demon with the excitement of a child; an unstoppable machine smiling with devilish glee.
But it was Celeste that captured Nicky's attention. She moved with a lethal grace that was almost balletic. There was calm in her fighting, a beauty in the way she moved around the large clumsy demons. She silently led the stone giants that cut down more than half of Alexander's army in a matter of seconds, leaving it depleted with many abandoning him.
At the height of the battle Alexander let out a guttural roar and charged forward, his sword swinging in a wild arch as he raced across the floor like a freight train. He stood at least three feet taller than the six foot Celeste, his speed unnerving for such a lumbering beast. Celeste had her back to him, engaged in battle with three of the demon army when Karim stepped in to take the blow that was coming at her back. The blade sliced across his chest and blood poured dripping onto the cracked marble floor. He fell to his knees, clutching his chest in agony, his sword clattering to the ground.
Celeste turned in time to see him fall and rage consumed her. She howled and charged forward, burying her sword into Alexander's side where it burned like a heated coal. He screeched and tried to dislodge it, clawing at the handle, which had become blazing hot. She stared for a moment, watching his skin sizzle, smelling the pungent stench of cooked flesh before she removed the blade letting it clatter to the floor.
"This is far from over, Caelestis," he snarled clutching at the nasty open gash, his acidic blood burning the marble floor. His army fell back; two of his less damaged soldiers assisting him to his feet as they retreated. "I will have your head before this is done."
"I look forward to it." She sheathed her sword and wiped blood from her cheek with the back of her hand. She wasn't entirely sure if it was splatter from someone else or if it were her own, but it didn't matter. If it was her blood, she would have healed already anyway, another newly developed power, she healed instantly.
Nicky watched as Celeste turned her attention to the statuesque men, who all turned to face her in unison. As if listening to some silent orders, they all took positions around the lobby and mezzanine. Nicky watched the stone sentinels as their eyes slowly closed and they remained still, effigies until their mistress summoned them again.
He watched Celeste move to Karim, checking his wound and exhaled. She then spotted Lilith crouched in a corner. With a determined stride, Celeste marched across the room to her sister and punched her in the face. The movement was swift and done with such force that Lilith crumbled immediately, blood sprouting from her mouth and nose as her head bounced on the cracked marble floor.
He'd known that she was a certified bad ass, but seeing her and her entire family in action had given him a new level of respect for her. Celeste was truly a warrior, he'd known that of course, but seeing it made it real. Celeste was an immortal goddess, violence and death were her life.
He never stood a chance.
***
CHAPTER TWENTY
The Council chamber was still and silent as they waited for the gods to return from the small sound proof room in which they had sequestered themselves. They had been in the small room for what felt like hours, a god from each pantheon sharing in the decision of how to handle Lilith after her father's intrusion on the Collective.
Celeste and her family had taken up residence in the gallery of chairs that faced the Council podium as they waited. Only Lilith sat apart from them in a heavy metal chair in the center of the room. Though she wasn't bound the way Celeste had been, she was held in place by several levels of magic. Celeste, stared at her and smirked, before turning to look at the people sitting with her.
They were a filthy, blood covered, exhausted mess. Remy sat plucking chunks of flesh from beneath his claws and flinging them at Nicky who punched him in his arm. Lisette stared at the toe of her boots and fretted over the singed leather, mumbling about demon blood under her breath. Gaston and Karim sat in companionable silence, the latter holding a piece of his torn t-shirt to the rapidly healing wound across his chest. Jonas had joined them shortly after they'd entered this stark white room, embracing Celeste as if he hadn't seen her in years.
"Jonas, father - I am so sorry - Arbor." She couldn't stop the tears that flowed freely, leaving clean streaks on dirty cheeks. Jonas shushed her, held her face in his hands and shook his head.
"She knew. She knew." He kissed her forehead before pulling her back into his arms. Now he sat silently, his arm around Lisette's shoulders as they waited for Lilith's punishment to be handed down.
Celeste stiffened beside Karim, feeling a strange prickling heat on her
neck, her mark searing.
From the corner of her eyes, she saw the tell-tale signs that her grandmother was manifesting beside her. Celeste stood, moving closer to the swirling cloud of silver mist waiting as Nyx materialized.
Karim rose with her, tossing the bloodied rag to the side, and he tapped Gaston's shoulder drawing everyone else's attention in the process. They all turned just as Nyx fully materialized, her grey eyes large with surprise.
Nyx took a step back, surprised to discover Celeste so close. She stumbled, clutched at her heart and laughed nervously, before opening her arms to embrace her granddaughter. Celeste allowed the embrace but remained still, her arms at her sides. Undaunted, she held Celeste at arm’s length to look her over.
"I knew we would find you. Karim, didn't I tell you she would be fine."
Celeste shook her head, tears stinging her already red raw eyes. Gently, much too gentle for the anger she felt, she took Nyx's hand in hers, holding them so tightly that the bones began to crack. Everyone, except Lilith, sprang to their feet intent on stopping Celeste until they heard her speak.
"Except I'm not fine, Nyx," Celeste was saying. Nyx yelped, dropping to her knees as Celeste increased the pressure on her crushed hands. "But that's what you wanted, right? You wanted me to be damaged. She told me, my twisted fuck of a mother, the mysterious Dark Queen she told me. She told me everything you did. I thought of you just before I shoved my dagger into her throat."
Nyx wept, trying in vain to free herself from Celeste's superhuman grip. The more she struggled, the tighter Celeste held on, crushing the bones in her delicate fingers to dust.
"What I did was for -” Nyx was sobbing.
"The greater good, I know." Celeste laughed. "You did it so that I could reach my full potential. I know. That little fact was beaten into my head, it’s tattooed on my brain. Just like this brand is burned into my neck." She released Nyx, shoving her so hard that the smaller woman fell to the floor, holding her deformed hands to her chest as she wailed in agony. She flinched as Celeste squatted beside her, her tone even as she spoke, sending a chill through the room.
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