Angels & Demons: The Series

by Megan Linski

  Both of our chains are gone. We’re finally able to love each other completely, no boundaries.

  “Are you okay?” Cairo asks when he opens his eyes and notices my tears. He grabs onto my face with both hands.

  “Don’t stop,” I whisper to him. “You’re beautiful.”

  He increases his pace, and I hold on. Cairo reaches his peak, and Purgatory dissolves around us… the clouds fade, and the whispers float away. Colors return. I rest my head against him, enjoying his heartbeat as he and I fly through the ethers of the universe.

  Coming home.

  “There it is. Kinda intimidating, isn’t it?”

  I don’t answer Thames. I’m too busy drooling over the beautiful temple before us.

  We transported to Jerusalem, then followed the map. It led us here, to a seven-thousand-year-old ziggurat in the middle of an open desert. The pyramid-like structure, built from crude brick, is hundreds of feet tall, with seven tiers and a flat top.

  “I can’t believe humanity hasn’t located this yet,” I say with awe. “It’s incredible.”

  “The Book of Nephilim said that this temple was constructed by the Mesopotamians for the angels,” Thames replies. “Immortals have done a pretty good job of keeping it a secret ever since.”

  I pocket the map and walk toward the temple. There’s a section of vines covering the opening. Thames burns them away, and we continue forward.

  It’s dark in here, so I look for a torch, but Thames does the job for me and fires up. The flames rippling off his skin give off more than enough light for us to see.

  “Wow,” I whisper, and I look around. Lined along the walls are statues. Columns decorated with Sumerian writings and beautiful designs fill the hall we walk through. Strange creatures have been carved onto bas-relief’s on the wall. Paintings of Iamassu beings, protective deities with oxen bodies, human heads, and eagle’s wings, are chipping away into dust on the walls.

  I’m in heaven.

  “You totally geek out over this type of thing, don’t you?” Thames asks, catching my blissful appearance.

  “Yes. Ancient civilizations are my thing.” I step over a crushed ruin. “It’s amazing to learn how people survived without technology.”

  Thames doesn’t say anything. He’s thinking.

  We explore the crypts and chambers slowly, not really sure what we’re looking for. I hate to say it, but I’m not really paying attention to the mission. I’m way too distracted by my surroundings.

  “Lena, we’re not here on a field trip,” Thames reminds me as I do a little dance when I find a nearly perfectly preserved rug in one of the chambers.

  “I know, but— oh!” My eye catches something slithering along the wall. Yes, definitely slithering; we’re not the only ones alive in here.

  Thames notices, too. “Come on,” he whispers. He brings his sword out, and I grasp for mine, too. We follow the sound of movement, of talons clipping on stone and desert sand, until we enter a vast and massive chamber.

  There’s nothing in this room, save for a giant stone chest in the middle. On top of it sits a statue of an Iamassu, and it’s holding something in its mouth.

  A scroll. The page.

  Thames and I both start forward, but something throws us back. We look up from our place on the ground and Thames’ light flickers. Fear swallows my breath.

  It’s an Iamassu. A live one. This monster has the body of an ox, but the face of a man, with giant, golden wings spread out far behind him. He snarls, showing his teeth to us, and his hooves dig into the sand.

  “Stop here,” the monster warns. “Run, and I kill you. Approach me, and I kill you. Tell me what it is you seek. Then I may choose to set you free.”

  I get the nerve to rise to my feet. “Who are you?” I ask.

  “Sabium. I am the protector of this temple,” he growls. “My kind walked the earth before yours was created.”

  I gather my courage. “Sabium, I hate to break this to you, because I know you’ve probably been down here bored for thousands of years or whatever and you don’t even have cable, but we need that scroll.” I point at it.

  “Yes.” Sabium lashes his tail. “An angel left it here a very long time ago. He asked me to protect it. Tell me. Why should I give a page of the Angelic Codex to a demon of hell?”

  His attention is on Thames, who is still on the ground. A bout of anger rises up within me. Thames is always being judged for what he is, even though it has nothing to do with the person he’s become. He’s the man I love. I’ll make the whole world see he’s worthy.

  “Because there’s someone out there who is far worse than he is, and we need to stop him,” I tell Sabium. “If we don’t, he’ll destroy everything.”

  The monster looks between us. “Although the angel asked me to guard it, the Angelic Codex is none of my business. It concerns not my kind, but the Nephilim.” He sits, and the floor shakes.

  Sabium chuckles, and his tail flicks in Thames’ direction. “There are things he is keeping from you, young Nephilim,” Sabium tells me.

  “What?” I ask. “How… how do you know?”

  “I can see into the hearts and minds of mortals and half-mortals,” Sabium replies. “And his is dark with fear.”

  Thames seems scared… guilty. I panic. “What do you mean?”

  Sabium’s claws click against the sand, causing dust to rise. “I will not give the scroll to a demon unless I know his intentions are pure. If he is honest, I will let you have the page. If he is not, you may leave, but you may not take the Codex.”

  Sabium prowls away. He curls around a few columns, into darkness. The weight of the room becomes lighter, the air thinner.

  I doubt he’s really gone, though. He’s still watching, I’ll bet my ass.

  I look to Thames. He’s still on the ground. I sit in front of him, cross-legged. “What the hell is he talking about?”

  “I have no idea,” Thames mumbles. The flames around him are little more than a glow now.

  I lose my shit and jump on him. I start punching. “Thames Deacon! You’re going to tell me what’s on your mind, right now!”

  “Okay, okay! Back off! You’re going to set yourself on fire!”

  Thames shoves me away. I cross my arms and raise an eyebrow. “I’m waiting.”

  Thames sighs. He rubs the back of his neck and says, “He’s right. I haven’t been honest with you, Lena. I don’t deserve you.”

  “Bullshit!” I say, frustrated.

  “It’s the truth,” he says miserably. “Who are we trying to kid? I can’t protect you forever, Lena. Any mistakes I make are going to drag you right down with me.”

  “We’ve been through this a million times. God isn’t going to send your soul to hell, Thames. He can’t,” I argue.

  “How do you know that?” he accuses. “You don’t, do you? I’ll tell you what happens. Judgement Day happens, and because of my blood we’ll be separated, forever. Heaven and hell will be between us.”

  He swallows. “Unless I curse you bad enough that God doesn’t see fit to bring you into heaven for loving a cambion. I can’t do that to you, Lena. It’d be totally selfish.”

  “If you really think sticking it in me is gonna damn me to hell—”

  “Do you really have to be that way about it?”

  “Yes! Thames, shut up for a moment!” I yell.

  He shuts his mouth, and I say, “There’s a reason there’s forgiveness. There’s a reason there’s love. No amount of sin, or hatred, or bad things can keep us from that, Thames!”

  “You might think that, but what if the rules are really true? What if there’s no way around it?” Thames asks bitterly.

  I make a mental note to punch Cairo later for doing this to his brother, if he makes it out of Purgatory.

  “Then I’ll figure out a way to convince God to let you in anyway,” I say.

  “Oh yeah? What are you gonna do about it?” Thames bites back.

  “I’ll fight him,” I say stub
bornly. “Maybe then he’ll change his mind.”

  Thames snorts. “You’re going to fight God.”

  “If that’s what it takes.”

  He laughs, though it’s a hollow one. Confused and lost. “You tell me how that goes.”

  Something’s not right. He’s being weird about this— I can feel it. This isn’t just old insecurities. It’s like the Sabium’s eyes are watching from afar, prodding me to ask more questions.

  “That’s not it, is it?” I ask, feeling nauseous.

  “Lena, just drop it,” Thames warns, voice becoming a growl.

  “You wouldn’t be able to live with yourself if you did something to hurt me, eternally or otherwise,” I say. “The only way you could prevent that for sure though was if… was if you left.”

  I stare at him. “You were going to leave me.”

  Thames trembles. Then—

  “I was thinking about it,” he confesses, and my stomach lurches. “Once Roman was taken care of, I was going to take off and never come back.”

  His words are like a kick to the gut. “You were going to abandon me?” I hiss.

  “It’s not like that,” he says. “Don’t you think it hurts me to think about it, too? But, Lena, if your soul’s at stake and mine’s already damned I’m not going to be selfish and take you to hell with me. I’ll leave so you can be happy. Find someone else.”

  “There isn’t going to be anyone else, Thames!” I shout. “You realize what that’d do to me? I’d be freaking crushed! There’s no one else after you, do you understand?”

  “You act like I have a line of girls waiting for me once I go,” Thames argues. “And even if I did, I wouldn’t want any of them, Lena. I only want you.”

  “Then what was the plan, huh?” I snap. “Become a recluse and go on until Judgement Day, alone and hating yourself, because you’re flighty and can’t seem to make a commitment?”

  “I’d stay away from you forever, because that’s the only way to make sure you go to where you need to,” he says firmly.

  I hit him again, emphasizing every word. “Stop. Trying. To. Be. A. Martyr!” By the time I’m done punching his shoulder, my hand is numb. “I’m no angel, Thames!”

  “You are to me,” he whispers. “I’d send myself to hell right now if it meant saving you.”

  “Thames. Listen to me.”

  He pauses. The fire goes out on him, leaving us in complete darkness.

  We don’t need to see right now. Not when I can see him clearly with just my heart. I crawl forward and sit on his lap. My legs straddle his sides, and I take my face in his hands.

  “How long is it going to take me to convince you that you’re not a bad person?” I ask. “If God loves you a tenth of how much I do, he won’t damn you to hell. Your father’s sins aren’t yours. Let it go.”

  Thames sits up. He wraps his arms around me so his hands are joined at my tailbone. “I guess I can’t hate myself forever, huh?” he asks.

  “Not when you’re with me.” I touch our noses together. “You love people even when there’s a promise you’ll get hurt anyway. That’s amazing, Thames. I don’t want you beating yourself up over the past anymore. You are who you are. Be someone better.”

  A spark lights in Thames’ eyes, like a fire taking to wood. He yanks me closer and presses my lips to his.

  “You have no idea how long I’ve waited for someone to say that to me,” he sighs, nearly in relief. “And I never even knew.”

  “Does this mean you’ll stay?” I ask. I suppress a few tears, because really, the thought of Thames breaking up with me is enough to make me want to cry buckets. “You won’t run off once my dad is defeated?”

  “I won’t leave, doll. You’re stuck with me forever.” He kisses my nose. “You’ll be my babe for the rest of my life.”

  Behind us, there’s a popping sound, and the noise of paper hitting sand. The page left its holder. Yes!

  Thames presses his mouth against my ear. “By the way, doll, if you keep sitting on my lap like this in the dark, we’re gonna have problems.”

  “Noted!” I say, and I leap off of him like a Pop-Tart in a toaster.

  Thames fires up again, giving us light. I run to the other side of the room and snatch up the page. Sabium doesn’t react. Now that we’ve given him his much desired soap opera, I think he’s gone.

  “Let’s go,” Thames says, hopping up. “Before Mister Ugly returns.”

  “Don’t say that so loud!” I hiss at him, though I can’t help but giggle, too— Sabium really wasn’t nice to look at.

  I lift the rolled-up page of the Codex. “Let’s get this back to the Legion.”

  “Right.” Thames and I begin heading out of the temple.

  “Do you… do you think Cairo and Cass are okay?” I ask him as we move out.

  Thames’ face darkens. “I don’t know. But we’re about to find out.”

  “Yeah. We are.” I swallow. “By the way, Thames?”

  “Yeah, doll?”

  I wrinkle my nose, “If you ever think about breaking up with me for a stupid, noble reason again, I will kick your ass.”

  Thames gives a loud laugh, though I can tell it’s a little nervous. “Whatever you say, doll.”

  Cairo and I appear back in our bed in the cottage, me wrapped within his strong arms. We’re under the covers. His head is nestled on my chest. I play with the strands of his golden hair with the tips of my fingers.

  The only sound that can be heard is our soft breathing, and the chirping of the birds outside.

  “Wow,” he says. “That was… incredible.”

  “Yeah,” I say. “I guess it was, wasn’t it?”

  Cairo kisses me. When he pulls away, he seems content… happy. “Let’s do it again.”

  “And again and again.” I laugh, and kiss him again. “Later. We have things to take care of.”

  Cairo groans. He rubs his eyes. “You’re right.” He lifts his hand and looks at me. God, I love it when he looks at me. Everything important is wrapped up in his eyes. “But if we didn’t have to, I’d stay in bed with you all day.”

  “Same.”

  Cairo and I get dressed, but not in the usual way— we dress each other. There’s a lot of giggling and snickers that take place… and a lot of touching.

  “We’ll never get tired of each other, will we?” I ask as I struggle to pull Cairo’s jeans up. I’m laughing, happier than I’ve ever been.

  “Nope.” Cairo chuckles. “I could have a thousand years and I still wouldn’t get enough of you.”

  I grab Cairo by the back of the neck, smile, and kiss his cheek. This is perfect. He’s perfect. And our life, the one we’ve created together and are going to have, is bliss.

  We head downstairs holding hands. To our great surprise, Thames and Lena teleport into our living room… and Lena’s got a piece of paper in her hands.

  “You guys are back!” Lena screeches. She hurtles toward us and flings her arms around my shoulders, squeezing me tightly. “How did you escape?”

  “It’s quite a story,” Cairo says coyly, and he eyes me.

  “Good to have you back, bro.” Thames gives Cairo a thick and manly one-armed hug. “But tell us later. We got the page.”

  “Yeah, we did.” Lena lets me go. She shows the scroll to me. “We’ve been waiting to read it.”

  “Well, what are you waiting for?” I ask. “Hurry up and tell us!”

  We gather around the kitchen bar. Lena leans against it and carefully unrolls the parchment. It cracks and makes loud noises as it unfurls onto the countertop.

  Lena takes a big breath and looks up at us. “You guys ready?”

  “We’re not waiting for Christmas,” Thames cracks. Cairo snorts. Lena glares at him.

  Her eyes jet downward, and she starts to read. “Killing Angels. Angels have been thought to be invincible, and impossible to kill unless they are destroyed by the Almighty, but there is a way. Only an immortal may take an angel’s life, either a Nep
hilim, a cambion, a demon, or another angel— familiars are not powerful enough to take an angel’s life.”

  Lena’s words quicken. “Angels can only be killed if their immortality is taken away from them. A knife must be stabbed through the heart by the attacker, with the chant recited being, I give of myself to return you from where you came. Go, and be judged.”

  Lena tilts her head. “However, for an immortal to kill an angel, a sacrifice must be given. The killer must give up their own immortal life in order for the angel to be killed, and their soul sent back to Heaven for the Almighty to judge—”

  Lena’s voice catches. She pauses.

  “What?” Thames asks. “What does it say?”

  Lena shakes herself. “The act of taking an angel’s life is so powerful that it usually ends up taking the life of the killer as well.”

  The cottage is silent.

  “So… so that means…” Lena straightens up. “The person that kills Roman has to die, too. One of us has to do it.”

  “Is there any more?” Cairo asks her.

  She turns the paper over and shakes her head. “No. The instructions are pretty simple. Stab Roman through the heart, recite the chant, and then die.”

  “Why are demons so much easier to kill than angels? They’re just fallen angels,” I argue.

  “Fallen angels lose their divinity, which is most of their power,” Cairo explains. “It leaves them more vulnerable. Angels are naturally protected by their holy sanctification. It prevents them from being taken out while doing God’s work.”

  “That makes sense,” Lena murmurs. “The only way an angel is allowed to be killed is if they’re so bad that someone else willingly sacrifices themselves to stop them.”

  “It’s obvious, isn’t it?” Thames announces. “It’s gotta be me.”

  Everyone in the room groans. Cairo smacks his hand on the counter. “No, Thames. That’s not happening.”

  “Why not?” Flickers of fire ripple between Thames’ fingers.

  “You know why!” Cairo shouts. “If you kill Roman and we’re wrong, your soul is going to hell!”

  “Thames doesn’t belong in hell, Cairo,” Lena sneers. “He’s not going there.”