Sins of the Fallen

by Daniele Lanzarotta

  For the longest time, there was nothing. It was as if the entire place was deserted. Suddenly, I saw the worst thing I could have seen.

  Samael was running toward the infirmary, carrying Kayla in his arms. She was holding something to her stomach, and there was so much blood!

  Ethan and I looked each other. I felt helpless.

  When I ran toward the door, I was almost afraid to confirm that the wards were down. Maybe that was the reason Ethan didn't say anything once he noticed. All I knew was that as much as I wanted to get to Kayla, the wards being down was a sign that she wasn't doing well at all.

  We ran out of the room and toward the entrance of the infirmary. When we got there, all we could hear was Samael yelling at Jennifer. He had put Kayla down on one of the beds and Jennifer was trying to stop the bleeding.

  I froze where I was.

  “You need to heal her before it’s too late!” Samael shouted. “Just stopping the bleeding is not enough. She’s going to die!”

  I was surprised to hear how calm Jennifer was, especially considering how Samael was yelling at her. When Samael took a step toward her, Ethan rushed toward her, putting himself between Jennifer and Samael. “Enough!” said Ethan. “You know she can’t intervene. Kayla is mortal.”

  I was the one who lost my temper then. “Wait. You are telling me you are not healing her because she’s mortal? After all she’s doing for this place? For all of you?”

  Jennifer looked away trying not to cry and Ethan put his arms around her. Ethan spoke for her. “It’s complicated, Hunter.”

  I walked past them and approached Kayla. Her breathing was so weak. I put my hand on hers and she felt so cold. Then I heard Jennifer’s voice from behind me. “The bleeding stopped and I can heal the skin where she was cut. Anything beyond that will have to be done with human medicine. This is as far as anyone can intervene without breaking the rules. I can’t do any healing that will shift the decision on whether she lives or dies.”

  “What does she need?” I asked without looking away from Kayla.

  “She lost a lot of blood. She’ll need a transfusion.”

  “I’ll donate,” said Samael who was now standing by the door.

  I had a strong feeling that he had something to do with all of this, but I couldn’t even take my eyes away from Kayla… not even for a second.

  “We can’t do that,” said Jennifer. “You have angel blood in you. I don’t think that is allowed.”

  Samael punched the wall. “For God’s sake. Where is Clarissa?”

  “She and everyone else are handling the demons who someone let out,” she said in a cold tone that confirmed my suspicions about Samael.

  “You need to leave! NOW!” I told Samael. I looked away from Kayla just long enough to look at Ethan to make sure he got the message to drag Samael out of there, and he did.

  I faced Jennifer. “Give her my blood.”

  “But I—”

  “I’m not an angel nor a Nephilim!” Her eyes were wide open and she looked lost. I lowered my tone. “Please,” I begged her. “There’s no rule against taking blood from me to give to her.” I paused and looked down at Kayla. “I can’t lose her, Jennifer.” I glanced outside where Ethan was and then back at her. “You understand how I feel. Please don’t let her die. I’m not an angel. I’m not a nephilim. Please,” I begged.

  She nodded.

  “Everyone is still outside handling this. I’m going to need help.”

  Ethan walked back inside. I could see Samael still standing outside of the infirmary, but I didn’t care. “I can help,” said Ethan.

  “Do you know what type of blood you and Kayla have?”

  I shook my head.

  “It doesn’t matter,” said Samael from outside of the door. “Because of what Kayla and I are… type doesn’t matter. His blood will work.”

  None of us trusted him, but at least at that moment he seemed like he was trying to help. We took his word for it. Ethan got supplies that they had from when this Academy kept humans like the other one. We moved Kayla to another room and we started the transfusion.

  It was late when Clarissa came in the room. Kayla was not awake yet, but she already looked better. I sat on the recliner next to her, just waiting for her to wake up.

  Clarissa sighed. “Jennifer told me what happened. I know it’s not against the rules to give her your blood, but I’m not sure what that will do to Kayla.”

  “All that matters is that it keeps her alive,” I said.

  “No Nephilim in our history has ever had a protector like you. You are brave, and the two of you just seem to save each other in ways that I’ve never seen before, but it concerns me the extent that you’ll go to in order to protect each other.”

  I didn’t even know what to say to that.

  “Did Samael let the demons out?”

  Clarissa nodded. “Xavier is handling him now. He did it to train Kayla on his own terms. He thought she needed it. Of course he crossed lines that should’ve never been crossed, but what happened truly scared him. Nothing like this will ever happen again.”

  “It shouldn’t have happened in the first place. This is exactly why I don’t want her to fight your battles for you. She is mortal. And now I know that if she gets hurt again, you can’t—won’t save her.”

  “I understand, but we need her. For as long as this is still her choice, we can’t turn her away. You have no idea how many lives she can help us save.”

  I shook my head. I hated this place more and more.

  “Just how much do you value her if you are risking her life like this?”

  “Hunter, it’s complicated.”

  “It always is.”

  “I understand you being upset. She can change her mind at any time. You do know that, right? No one is forcing her to do this.”

  “You don’t understand. She doesn’t have a choice. For as long as she knows what is out there and the consequences of her not helping, that is no choice at all.”

  “I wish things were different, Hunter… for Kayla and for you. I really do.” She paused and I didn’t say anything for a while. “I’ll leave the two of you alone. I’ll be back to check on Kayla later, but if anything changes, please let me know.”

  I nodded and put my head down on Kayla’s bed and closed my eyes.

  At the moment I felt her fingers brushing through my hair, I felt relieved.

  I lifted my head and looked at her.

  “Are you okay?” she asked.

  I couldn’t help but to laugh. “I should be the one asking you that. How do you feel?”

  “Not bad. I just feel sore… tired… How long have I been here?”

  “A few hours, but feels like forever.”

  “You look tired,” she said.

  “I’m fine, Kayla.”

  “Did they catch the demons?”

  I nodded. “Ethan stopped by earlier and said everything was under control.”

  She tried to move and was clearly in pain. “I’ll get Jennifer. She can help you finish healing.”

  I got up and kissed her before turning around to go look for Jennifer.

  Kayla stopped me. “Hunter?”

  “Can you bring me my dagger?”

  I gave her a puzzled look.

  “I’ll feel safer if I have it.”

  I nodded and left the room.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Kayla

  Not long after Hunter left, Samael knocked on the door, even though it was already open.

  “Can I come in?” he asked.

  “Sure, why not?” I didn’t want to see or talk to him, but what was the point of telling him no? He would probably come in anyway.

  He walked in but stayed by the door, keeping his distance.

  “What do you want?” I asked.

  “I want to apologize.”

  “Who is making you apologize?”

  “No one actually. I’m sorry for what happened and I mean it. I didn’t think things
would go this far. If it makes you feel any better, I’m in a world of trouble. I can’t so much as leave my room without someone following me around.”

  I couldn’t help but grin. “Good. It does make me feel better.”

  I heard Xavier’s voice coming from outside of the room. “Time to go, Samael. You said what you had to say.”

  “I’m glad you are telling the truth for once.”

  “Oh, I tell many truths. The problem is that most are unwilling to actually listen to me.”

  “Samael!” Called Xavier.

  He shook his head and grinned. “I guess it’s time to go.”

  As soon as they left, Jennifer came in.

  “How do you feel?” she asked.

  “My stomach hurts, but other than that, I’m just tired.”

  “Good. I can heal you some more, but you do need rest as well.”

  “Thank you,” I said. “For healing me before… and now.”

  She smiled down at me. “It’s Hunter who you should thank.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “You lost a lot of blood. We couldn’t have healed you without his help.”

  “You couldn’t?”

  I’m not sure what Jennifer read in my reaction, but she continued.

  “I know that you are doing a lot for us, but we still couldn’t intervene. We had to make sure that you were meant to survive before we finished healing you. So all we could do to help was use human medicine. Hunter donated the blood.”

  It did bother me that they didn’t go out of their way to save me… well, they did go out of their way, but it bothered me that they wouldn’t use all resources possible, their angel abilities included. Yet, Jennifer seemed so apologetic about it that I just let it go.

  She asked me to close my eyes. She then put her hands over where I had been stabbed with my dagger, and I started to feel better right away. The pain just vanished. Still, I was tired and went to sleep as soon as she left.

  I slept all day.

  When I woke up, I was screaming and I instantly felt Hunter’s arms wrapped around me. He had been trying to wake me up from a nightmare. It had been so long since I had had one. I hated waking up with that feeling.

  It was dark and the only lighting was the one coming from outside the window.

  “Where is my dagger?” I whispered.

  He didn’t say anything. He just reached behind him and gave me the case where I kept it.

  Out of instinct I started to open the case right away. I got that feeling that something was really wrong.

  “What are you doing?” he asked.

  “Don’t you feel it?”

  “Feel what?”

  I asked him not to make another sound. I could hear something. I could feel her… it!

  I reached for the IV hooked to my arm and took it off.

  “Kayla!”

  I gave him a warning look.

  The next thing I knew I was getting in front of him, pushing him back, and then launching forward toward the door that was now open. The ‘it’ that I could feel was one of the succubi. She didn’t have time to do anything before I pierced her heart with my dagger.

  This time was different then before. She screamed and cried as if she was in pain, and then she closed her eyes and she actually looked like a dead person. By that time, several of the fallen were gathering around. Some looked as if they were in shock. I couldn’t understand why she didn’t respond like the other succubi who had been hurt before.

  Finally, Xavier came in. He took my dagger from her body and ordered some of the fallen to dispose of the demon. He asked Clarissa to clean the dagger and bring it back to me right away. He then faced me and asked that Hunter and I stay in the room. He made sure that everyone else was gone before he came back in and closed the door behind him.

  He asked what happened and I told him in detail.

  “You could hear AND feel her?” he asked for the third time.

  “Yes! I could feel ‘something’… I knew that something was wrong and then I just acted without thinking.”

  “Why did she react differently to the dagger than other demons?” asked Hunter.

  Xavier sighed. “There is an ancient theory that once Nephilim blood touches their weapon, it empowers it, as long as the weapon is used by the Nephilim whose blood touched the weapon. There was no way for us to know whether this was true before.”

  “Why?” I asked.

  “You are the first Nephilim to truly join us instead of deciding to ignore it all and live and normal life.”

  “What about Samael?”

  “Samael is complicated,” he paused and took the attention away from Samael. “Everything else before the two of you are just tales from centuries back.”

  “So what now?”

  “We need you more than ever. We need to move into the other Academy and move fast. We tried to send others to look around and get an idea of what’s happening. They couldn’t too close without taking the risk of Benjamin sensing them, but your friend Chase was able to get messages through to them. He said that Kim had to protect his thoughts from Benjamin and Hannah so they wouldn’t know anything about how the humans are doing or what they are doing to keep the humans safe. By keeping his thoughts safe, that meant he couldn’t contact you and you couldn’t get into his mind. The point is… things are not well at all. The humans are scared and they are running low on food and supplies. He also mentioned that Kim and the Fallen are weak from trying to protect the humans for so long. He believes that Stephaine is doing something to keep Benjamin and Hannah away from the humans, but that her wings are getting darker and darker, and he doesn’t know how much longer her protection will last.” He paused and gave me a pleading look. “We need to get them out of there as soon as possible.”

  He then looked at Hunter.

  “And we need you too, Hunter. There is no question that you are Kayla’s protector. Yes, we’ll all be there to protect her, but she trusts you and she needs you by her side.”

  Hunter nodded. “But she’s not ready. Not to mention that she’s still recovering.”

  “I understand you may feel that way,” said Xavier, “but she has been ready and what happened earlier is even more proof of that.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Hunter

  Everything was set. We would leave in a few hours. As soon as I heard those words, I felt literally sick. We left the infirmary right then. Kayla was feeling and acting as if nothing had even happened. We went back to the dorms after agreeing to meet Xavier in two hours to get the rest of the weapons before we had to leave. He needed the extra time to prepare everyone else and brief the ones who were staying behind.

  In my room, there were black pants, black shirt, and boots. I didn’t question anything. I just got dressed and rushed to Kayla’s room.

  This time, I didn’t care to make myself invisible, or ask if she was ready. I just barged in her room.

  She was getting ready. She had on a black tank top and black pants. Her hair was up, which was odd in a way. She always had her hair down. What really caught my attention was a look in her eyes. At that moment, I saw in her what everyone had seen all along. She didn’t even look scared. She truly looked like a warrior. She looked so confident, so sure of herself, and all of that made me even more afraid for her.

  I approached her, ran my fingers against her cheek, down to her neck, reaching back and undoing her hair.

  “Hunter, what are we doing?”

  Sometimes I couldn’t help but to wonder whether she had a clue of how much I loved her, or how afraid I was of losing her. This was one of those times. Once again, I wanted to beg her to stay, but I couldn’t. This was the girl I fell in love with and I had no right to change her. All I could do was support and protect her.

  I stood there, staring at her as she stared back at me.

  As if she could read my mind she said, “You’re worried about me again, aren’t you?”

  I interrupted by
kissing her. I knew there was no changing her mind, and this could possibly be our last moments together as we were. I did trust Kayla to come out of this alive, because for one thing, I would do everything in my power to protect her. But I also had a feeling that nothing would be the same after this.

  I kissed her until she was out of breath.

  She giggled. “You act like this is the last time I’ll see you.” Her expression instantly changed at the moment when she realized what she said. “I guess you must feel like that all the time, don’t you?”

  I shrugged, as I lowered my hands to the small of her back and pulled her even closer to me. “That’s not something that I want to think about right now.”

  This time, she leaned in and kissed me and I could feel her hands at the hem of my shirt. She started to slide my shirt up and stopped kissing me just long enough to take my shirt off.

  I gave her a puzzled look and she responded by smiling as she bit her lip.

  “Are you sure?” I asked.

  She nodded.

  “Kayla, I just want so much more for you. I don’t want you to do this just because of the risk that we are about to take in going after Benjamin.”

  “If that was the reason, we’d have done this months ago.”

  I smiled and kissed her again.

  Of course there was no changing her mind. This was the Kayla I fell in love with. She made up her mind and there was no turning back, yet, there was something I had meant to do before and I always stopped myself wondering whether Kayla would think this was too much and would freak out. But I wanted this day to be special for her and for me, and it felt so right. I stopped kissing her and stared into her eyes.

  “There’s something I want to give you,” I said.

  She gave me a puzzled look as I reached in my pocket and grabbed a ring that Xavier helped me get a few nights ago.

  Her look went from puzzled to shocked and that made me even more nervous.

  “Hunter, you—you—I’m not even sure what you are doing with a ring in your pocket, but you don’t have to do this just because we are about to—”

  I laughed. “Just stop talking and let me talk, Kayla. This is not what you think.”