Sins of the Fallen

by Daniele Lanzarotta

  He seemed more nervous about this first training than I was.

  We sat in uncomfortable silence until Clarissa showed up. She was alone, and that seemed to brighten his mood.

  Clarissa noticed the change in Hunter’s expression.

  “Samael is just late. He’ll be here soon.”

  “Oh,” he said.

  “You may stay for the first part of Kayla’s training, then Xavier wants to see you.”

  “But—”

  “Hunter,” I said. “Sooner or later I’ll be training alone. We might as well get this over with.”

  He nodded.

  “Well, well. It seems I have a welcome committee this time!”

  I looked over and I wasn’t sure what I expected, but this guy was definitely not it. He was tall, broad shoulders, low cut black hair and piercing green eyes. He wore ripped jeans and a black shirt, and just by looking at him, I could tell we were not going to get along.

  “Samael,” said Clarissa as she smiled. “Welcome indeed. We are happy to have you here.”

  “Yeah, I’m sure you are,” he said in a rude tone.

  He looked at me curiously. “Is she the Nephilim?”

  Clarissa nodded.

  He looked me up and down. “There is no amount of training that will keep her safe. Look at her! She is — she looks like a Barbie doll who got snatched from her dream house.”

  As soon as I opened my mouth, Hunter was already shaking his head.

  “Who the hell do you think you are? You know nothing about me!” I yelled.

  “Sweetheart, I’ve been in the real world. I can spot a rich spoiled girl like you from miles away.”

  “At least I don’t hide from where I came from!” I snapped.

  “All right,” Clarissa interrupted. “Let’s just focus on training and get things done as soon as possible so you don’t have to deal with each other for longer than necessary.”

  “This is not going to go anywhere,” said Hunter. “Kayla will never trust him to train her.”

  Clarissa was the one to speak again. “We’ll make this work. Won’t we, Samael?” she gave him a look that demanded his respect.

  He gave me a smirk. “I guess we don’t have much of a choice.”

  Clarissa faced Hunter. “Hunter, it’s best if you go ahead and meet Xavier.”

  “But—” Hunter protested.

  “Hunter, we need to get this done and you’ll be a distraction. Trust me, I’ll stay to make sure Samael doesn’t get out of line,” she said as she looked at Samael, who smiled in return.

  Hunter looked at me and I nodded once to let him know I was okay.

  “I’ll find you when I’m done,” he said.

  “Okay.”

  As soon as Hunter was gone, I looked at Samael to see him shaking his head as if something amused him.

  Clarissa stood in front of him and stared into his eyes.

  “Samael, as we discussed before, there is no time for childish games. You need to teach her the basics on how to tap into every one of her powers that could be used against an incubus who is part human.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Him being part human should make it easier on Barbie, here.”

  I started to open my mouth, but Clarissa put her hand up.

  “You’ll call her by her name, Samael… Kayla. As far as the incubus being part human, you should know never to underestimate your opponent. If you don’t know that, maybe you are not the right one to train Kayla.”

  “Oh, it’s obvious I’m not the right one for this job. I happen to be the ONLY one for the job. Unless you are hiding another Nephilim around.”

  By Clarissa’s expression, she didn’t like what he said, yet, it was true.

  “You’ll prepare her for this the best you can, in the time frame I gave you, understood?”

  “Or what?” he asked in a rude tone.

  “Or our deal is off.”

  His expression was serious after she said that.

  He nodded.

  “You also need to focus on her abilities in relation to the fallen, including everything that Nephilim should never be allowed to learn about them under normal circumstances.”

  He grinned, but Clarissa was clearly not happy with his reaction.

  “Her knowledge in relation to our weaknesses is necessary.”

  For the first time, I spoke. “How did you get to learn about these things that we shouldn’t know about?”

  He grinned again. “I had a good trainer; one who didn’t care much about the rules.”

  He didn’t seem like he was going to volunteer any more information, but either way, we were interrupted. Xavier and Hunter rushed back to the gym.

  Xavier stared Clarissa into her eyes.

  “Stephaine?” Clarissa guessed.

  Xavier nodded. “We need to talk… in private.”

  Clarissa looked sad. “Of course.” She looked at us. “You may go. Meet me here in an hour. Samael, one hour should give you enough time to settle in, yes?”

  “Nothing to settle. I’m not staying long,” he said.

  This time, Clarissa didn’t even bother to say anything to him. She turned around and followed Xavier out of the gym. Samael picked up his bag and went toward the back of the gym, as Hunter and I walked outside and away from Samael as fast as we could.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Stephaine

  It had been days since Benjamin and Hannah broke into the academy, and things weren’t getting any better now. In fact, it was only a matter of time before everything got worse. From the moment I got trapped into this placed, I communicated as much as I could with Xavier. I knew they would come for us, but I also knew it would take time for them to come up with a plan to do it as safely as possible. I did my job to keep Kayla safe and now my job as a guardian was to protect the haunted humans until we were rescued.

  The haunted were scared and vulnerable. They weren’t stupid. Some were there when the wards were taken down, and as soon as chaos broke, they told the others what had happened. They could feel the threat to them just like we could. It was an instinct that came with being able to see the beings that they are able to.

  The fallen were able to secure the haunted in their dorms, all except for one of the haunted, which happened to be the strongest one, Kim. As far as we knew, Daniels had her by his side. Unfortunately, that was too close to the demons and we feared for her safety.

  Even though parts of the Academy were secured by wards, the fallen still took turns making sure the incubus and succubus did not get into the building where the haunted were. They worked on getting them food and everything else they needed. While they did that, Ethan and I took turns keeping a close eye on the demons, Daniels, and trying to find a way to get Kim away from them. There was also Ember, the fallen angel who was now hanging around Benjamin, but she was the least of our problems.

  There wasn’t much we were able to tell about what was happening, other than the fact that they had been in that building ever since that night. A good part of that building was warded and we assumed that Kim did it. We just hoped that she could keep those wards up until the others came for us, because if the demons got out, they would have to feed in order to sustain their strength.

  ***

  Kim

  I knew all of this was my fault. I had been the one responsible for the wards coming down, so now, I had to fix this.

  Mr. Daniels sent me a message through Angela, to put wards up in each of the rooms in this building, including the one I was in, and to stay put until I heard back from him. Angela left after that. I don’t know where she went, but it had been days now. The mini fridge inside this room was now empty and I couldn’t go to sleep because I didn’t know what would happen to the wards if I did. As far as I could tell, I was pretty much shielding the place on my own.

  I walked around from side to side in an attempt to stay awake, but I was so hungry, tired, and weak. I knew I wouldn’t be able to hold off for much longer.

 
I walked over to the window but I couldn’t see anything. I leaned my head against the glass and I dozed. I felt the wards come down for a split second and I opened my eyes. When I turned around, there was a boy in the room with me, and I knew he wasn’t human.

  I ran to the other side of the room, trying to trap him away from me.

  “Don’t be frightened,” he said. “My name is Chase. I’m here to help you.”

  I could feel a little more relaxed. “You’re Hunter’s friend,” I said.

  He nodded and smiled.

  “How can you help me?” I asked.

  He took a step forward and out of habit I cringed.

  “Sorry,” he said, taking a step back to where he was before.

  “How did you get in here?” I asked.

  “I’ve been waiting for a while. I was trapped outside of this room. I saw the succubus run outside. You have to put the wards back down so I can get out of this building and warn the others.”

  I hesitated. Chase was exactly the thing that the haunted feared, but I also knew that the succubus was far worse and could do a lot more damage.

  “Look,” he said. “Daniels, Ember and Benjamin are still locked in his office. Keep those wards up and we can get out.”

  “We?” I asked. “Mr. Daniels ordered me to stay here.”

  “You can’t, Kim. You’re not protected in here and you’re exhausted. You need to be where everyone else is.”

  I finally agreed with him.

  ***

  Daniels

  I knew I was in control. Always had been. Asking Kim to lock me in here with Benjamin was what I needed to make him listen to me. I wasn’t sure whether Ember being here with us would work to my advantage, but I knew that she didn’t pose as a threat.

  I sat on my chair and Benjamin lay down on the couch in my office, with his head on Ember’s legs. When I looked at him, I still saw that little boy. The one I allowed to be taken away by his father, the incubus.

  “Nice trick to lock me in here,” said Ben. He sat up and cocked his head to the side. “What exactly are you doing, stepfather?”

  “Helping you,” I said.

  Benjamin laughed, shaking his head. “At the cost of everyone else?”

  “No, Benjamin,” I said in a firm tone. “I know you aren’t going to hurt anyone.”

  He smiled. “Hannah and I both have needs,” said Benjamin. We need to feed on life in order to survive. But I’ll gladly stay while I watch you destroy everything you love by keeping me here. This should be quite entertaining.”

  “You’re not going to scare me away with your threats, and I’m in no rush to leave Benjamin. Not until you accept my help.”

  “Help with what exactly?”

  “Ben, you don’t have to live the way you have been. Getting the girl, Ashley, pregnant—” I paused and looked into his eyes searching for something that was not there. He was cold and lifeless. “That isn’t your destiny, Ben.”

  “As far as I know, I’m the son of an incubus. That is exactly what I’m destined to do.”

  “Benjamin, you’re half-human.”

  “You seem to forget the most important part of this whole thing. I’m a half human raised by an incubus. What does that tell you?”

  “I don’t believe that, Ben. I’m sorry that I had to let him take you away, but I had no choice.”

  Benjamin smirked and shook his head. “Honestly, that wouldn’t have mattered. I am who I am.”

  “Why are you really here, Ben?”

  He shrugged. “You don’t expect me to give away all of my secrets now, do you?” He laughed. “I like this academy. I want this to be my home.”

  “That’s fine,” I said. “You can stay. You’ll just have to live by our rules and I can help you. The others will accept you if you are willing to change.”

  He smiled again, in a way that made me feel cold. “This place will be mine.”

  I sighed. “Why this Academy?”

  He shrugged. “You can call it revenge if you’d like.”

  “Ben…” I shook my head. “I’m sorry for allowing him to take you.”

  He didn’t say anything after that for quite a while, and neither did I. I sat there wondering what I would do if he didn’t agree to accepting my help.

  Many hours passed. Both Benjamin and Ember shut me out. It was as if I wasn’t there at all. I spent that time trying to come up with a plan; anything that I could use to get to Benjamin. Finally, he spoke again.

  “That daughter of yours really got in my way. The children were supposed to make me stronger.”

  “Children?” I asked.

  He nodded. I had almost forgotten about Kayla’s sister, the one her adoptive mom carried.

  “I suppose she did. Why did that bother you so much?” I asked.

  “This is not a therapy session, stepfather. You should have sent Kayla back to her human family. A Nephilim has no business interfering with my personal affairs.”

  “Is that what this is about? A battle for power?”

  “You can call it what you want, but I think that it is only fair that after taking mother away, I take away what is most important to you.”

  I nodded. I was going to apologize again, but he stopped me.

  “Apologies will never be enough. She belonged to my father. You had no business interfering in that either. Did you know that father wished he broke that deal with you? He wanted the Nephilim girl, Kayla, more than he wanted me around. Over and over, I had to grow up listening to his regrets about the deal he made with you and how much a Nephilim would be of good use to him.”

  Little by little, I started to put pieces together. Right now, I didn’t even know whom his revenge was directed at, but I did know that Ben carried a lot of anger in him. More than I could have imagined.

  “It all comes down to me wanting this academy and all humans living in it, and trust me, I will have it.”

  “Benjamin, it doesn’t matter how long we stay in this room. Your plan is not going to happen.”

  He laughed. “Which brings me to my other half-sister, Kim. Who would have thought the three siblings, the Nephilim, the Incubus and the human who is haunted by evil beings. Mother managed to create quite a variety there. Anyway, Kim won’t last. She’s human and she has weaknesses. Sooner or later, she’ll fail, I’ll leave this office and you won’t be able to stop me.”

  Not long after, his prediction came true. Luckily, the wards weren’t down for long. As soon as Ember and Benjamin started to get away, I was able to hold him down until I felt the room was protected. To my surprise, Ember tried to help him, but it was no use. She was consumed by the pain from her wings becoming darker and darker, and ended up trapped in the room with us once again.

  ***

  Ethan

  Stephaine and I knew that certain things were inevitable. It was my turn to watch the building, and Stephaine went to take food from the cafeteria to the dorms where the humans were hiding. I could feel the wards break for a split second and a few minutes later, I saw Chase and Kim run out of the building. Right behind them, coming from the back of the building, I spotted the succubus.

  Hannah sped up and grabbed Kim by her neck. Kim reacted fast. She used wards on herself, repelling the demon. Hannah was surprised, but that didn’t stop her from watching Kim carefully, as if she was coming up with a plan. I could tell Kim was a lot weaker than she should have been and I knew I needed to act fast.

  I turned to Chase and Kim and asked him to lead her to the others. Kim didn’t hesitate in following him, which took me by surprise.

  Hannah tried to go after them, but I put myself in front of her.

  She looked up at me and licked her lips, almost as if she already tasted power.

  “Leave the humans alone,” I said.

  She smiled. “We both know that I can’t.”

  I shook my head, not believing that I would ever say these words, but that was the best plan that Stephaine and I came up with. We had no choice b
ut to protect the humans by offering ourselves.

  “You need power, take it from me.”

  Hannah looked puzzled. Demons could not feed on Fallen Angels unless the fallen were willing, and that was unheard of… for the most part. Demons knew the power of that immortality, but an angel or fallen one would fight with all they had before they gave in. Ironic when you think that by offering ourselves, we would probably be able to protect humanity from them, but there is a reason that doesn’t happen. A demon can take a lot from us, and those bits of power they take are known to have caused irreparable damage to our souls. Those are rumors that no angel was known to put to test. Of course, I saw Ember kissing Benjamin before, but he is half human, and I was sure that Ember had some kind of deal with him so he wouldn’t take too much from her.

  The succubus took a few steps forward, stopping right in front of me. I had to fight the urge to get away. Just her proximity made me uncomfortable. I froze in place, as she leaned forward, putting her arms around my neck and forcing her lips on mine. I could feel her hunger and the energy drain out of me. I made her stop by pushing her away. She gave me a puzzled look, she then leaned forward again, and all I could think about was Jennifer and about how even if I never saw her again, this felt wrong in every way.

  “I want more!” she whispered. As her lips brushed against mine, I couldn’t help but to step back.

  She grinned at me as if she thought this was a game. I could tell she thought I was playing hard to get and that enticed her. That was when I could feel her force herself into my mind and even though I knew what she was doing, I couldn’t stop her.

  She shifted, making herself look like Jennifer. The same body, hair, eyes, and I froze. When she approached me this time, I couldn’t step back or fight her at all, because it was Jennifer I was looking at and I could never turn away from her. Not after losing her like I did. She touched my hand and this time, her skin felt warm.

  “Come with me,” she said. And it was Jennifer’s voice she used; the same sweet voice that I missed so much.

  She led me to one of the empty buildings and closed the door behind her. I couldn’t stop staring at her. She had the same grace that I remembered. At that moment, I felt compelled to kissed her.