“It’s not?”
“No. Although I have no doubt in my mind that I’ll give you one of those one day and I sure hope your reaction won’t be as shocked.”
“Hunter, I’m sorry—I didn’t mean it like that.”
I grabbed her hand and slid the ring in her finger. “This is a promise ring. A while back I read about how protectors used to give a ring like this as a promise of loyalty to the person whom they chose to protect.”
She bit her lip and smiled as she looked at the ring.
“This one is different than the others though.”
“Is it?” she asked.
I nodded.
“This one is different because of what it represents. I’m promising you more than my loyalty as a protector. I promise you that I’ll find a way for us to be together without my immortality getting in the way. I promise to protect you not just from the things in this world, but human things, too. And I promise you everything that—” I shook my head and smiled because I couldn’t believe I was doing this, and again, I had never been so scared. “… and whether you want me to or not, I promise you everything that the other ring that shall remain unspoken of represents.”
I was so afraid of her answer that I kissed her again before she could say anything else. When her hands moved up and rested against my chest, I felt as if my heart was going to explode. I was literally expecting her to push me back and ask me what the hell I was thinking, but she moved her hands up and to my back… to my neck… and when she ran her fingers through my hair pulling it back a little, she leaned forward and our kiss deepened.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
The Academy’s alarm rang.
Both of us quickly got up and got dressed. The last thing I remembered before that awful sound was running my fingers through her hair while she lay her head against my chest.
“What time is it?” she asked.
“It’s past the time when we were supposed to leave, but there’s something wrong. Someone should’ve come for us by now.”
We didn’t bother to look out of the window to see if there was anything going on. I saw Kayla grab something from inside her bag and try to hide it behind her, and we rushed out of the room.
We were definitely not ready for what we found.
At the heart of the Academy, there were angels bleeding on their backs, as if they had just fallen. We could see they were in pain just by looking at them. I positioned myself in front of Kayla, and looked around. Demons from the basement were loose. Some were feeding off the angels who were hurt. I knew right away they were probably the cause of the fall. At the center of the Academy, there stood a dark angel. I didn’t recognize her right away, but she did look familiar. The one beside her was the one who got my attention. There was Benjamin, holding Kim hostage in front of him, and Hannah stood on his other side. Ember stood a few steps back, but she looked lost and confused.
Kayla must have been taking everything in at the same time as I was. I felt her tense only for a moment before grabbing her dagger.
I cussed to myself. Everyone who was on our side seemed to either be hurt or already fighting other demons. I could see Clarissa, Xavier and even the nephilim Samael fighting them off. Kayla and I couldn’t take all four of them by ourselves. There was only one thing I could do and that was to protect Kayla. I instantly ran after her.
I saw Ethan and Jennifer appear from the side building and move forward along with us.
“Hello Hunter,” said Hannah as we approached.
It was as if Kayla froze when she heard Hannah’s voice, or maybe it was the fact that Hannah had her attention on me. In a way, we all froze.
Benjamin laughed. “Don’t you love family reunions, little sis? Kim here didn’t even know we were all related until today. But you already knew she’s our sister, didn’t you?”
I was surprised by the firm tone in Kayla’s voice. “What do you want, Benjamin?”
He didn’t get to answer. I could see Kim slowing her breathing, then she closed her eyes, and I could feel a shield around her body, as if she was drawing strength from the wards that protected the Academy. She stepped on Benjamin’s foot, hit his stomach with her elbow and although that didn’t hurt him at all, it was enough to surprise him. He let go and she ran toward me.
She looked okay. I had no time to ask her how she felt. Kayla looked at Kim and whispered, “Can you build wards around them?”
Kim shook her head. “Too weak.”
Kayla would have done it herself, but she needed her strength to fight them, especially now that she knew what she could do with her dagger.
“Go with Benjamin or Jennifer. As soon as you can, IF you can, trap them.”
Kim nodded and ran toward Ethan. Jennifer quickly stepped up and took her away.
Hannah had heard my conversation with Kim too.
She grinned. “I’m feeling a little weak myself. Do you want to help me with that?”
Kayla charged forward and it was too late for me to stop her. Benjamin watched, laughing.
Kayla had the dagger out and as soon as I saw Benjamin move, I went after him.
Benjamin stopped me, but I was able to free myself. I made myself invisible and did what I could to block him, keeping him away from Kayla. I knew that for as long as he was busy with me, Kayla would be left alone. The dark angel, who I now realized was Stephaine, stood there, looking dazed. I could see Kim close to one of the buildings and I could feel that she was trying to help me retain Benjamin and that was helping a lot but I wasn’t sure if it was enough. I kept blocking him, all while watching to see when Kayla would need my help. Kayla tried to hit Hannah with the dagger, but Hannah just laughed and ducked down. Kayla was getting mad and losing focus. She finally made a cut across Hannah’s arm.
“You little bitch. The more you hurt me, the more I’ll take from Hunter. I hope you know that.” She paused and grinned. “Not that I’m complaining.”
At that, something about Kayla’s entire postured changed. She looked focused. She moved the dagger down and to the side as if she was going to drop it.
“Giving up already? This was getting fun to watch, little sis,” said Benjamin.
No matter what Benjamin said, she wouldn’t take her eyes off Hannah.
“Don’t take it from him. Take it from me. I’m Nephilim. I can give you powers that you can’t even imagine,” said Kayla.
Hannah grinned.
I appeared again. “Kayla, don’t!”
I moved to stop her, but Benjamin grabbed me by my shirt.
Hannah moved forward, still smiling. Kayla stayed where she was.
“KAYLA! MOVE DAMN IT!”
She did move. She took a step closer to Hannah, swinging her arm up, and driving the dagger inside Hannah’s chest. Hannah looked shocked and in pain, and then she dropped to the floor, but not before Kayla pulled the dagger out of her chest and turned to face Benjamin.
I looked for Ethan to see if he was in a position to help, and I now saw him get in between Stephaine and Benjamin as if he was trying to limit how much she was able to protect the incubus.
“Let him go!” Kayla ordered Benjamin.
Benjamin took a look around. Most of the demons were trapped once again. Jennifer and Kim stood side-by-side. I knew Jennifer must have healed Kim. Clarissa and Xavier were taking the demons back to where they belonged. Most of the fallen were in too much pain to be able to help. I wasn’t sure why Kim hadn’t trapped Benjamin yet. Maybe she wasn’t strong enough or the wards around the demons being taken to the basement were just taking too much from her.
Benjamin laughed and ended up answering my question. “Stephaine will make sure she doesn’t trap me. She shouldn’t waste her time.”
Kayla took a step forward, still holding the dagger. “I said, LET HIM GO!”
Benjamin smiled. “How about Stephaine and I leave here without anyone coming after us and I won’t hurt your little boyfriend.”
Kayla stopped as if she was c
onsidering it.
“By the way,” said Benjamin. “I don’t approve of your boyfriend. You should find one that protects you, instead of the other way around.”
What he said got to me. He was right. There is a reason why so many of the haunted still think I’m one of them. I could do a lot of the same things they could. I assumed that Stephaine was trying to protect him from Kim, but not from me. I closed my eyes and tried to push him away. It wouldn’t work. She was protecting him all around. But that little push was enough for him to let me go. I moved toward Kayla, standing in front of her.
“Give me the dagger,” I told her.
I was surprised that she didn’t argue. She started to hand it to me when we heard thunder and a voice yelling, “STOP!”
We turned around to see someone who we had never seen before, at least, not in this form. I had seen a picture of her once, but she was much younger, and she was human back then.
Benjamin froze.
“Enough is enough, Benjamin.”
He just stared. I stared, Kayla stared, and Kim, she ran toward us and stood next to Kayla, reaching for her hand. Kayla took Kim’s hand, but other than that, no one moved.
The woman looked briefly at Kayla and Kim, a flash of sadness in her eyes, then she focused on Benjamin again.
Benjamin smiled this time. “Mother, welcome to the family reunion.”
Kayla used her free hand to grab mine. She felt cold, and she was shaking.
“I won’t allow you to destroy this Academy like you did the other one, Benjamin. And your father is no longer in the position to help you.”
“What did you do to him?”
“Not me, Benjamin. The other Academy is Daniels’ home and he was protecting his home.”
There was actual hurt in his eyes.
He turned to Stephaine, nodded once, and they disappeared before our eyes. As soon as they were gone, Xavier approached Ember and took her to one of the buildings. She didn’t even try to fight him.
Their mother, Irene, looked at Kayla and Kim and gave them a sad smile. She tried to move forward, but both Kayla and Kim took a step back at the same time.
She stopped where she was.
“Everything I did, I did to protect the both of you. I hope one day you can forgive me.”
She looked at Ethan.
“You should take Stephaine’s place as my daughters’ guardian.”
Ethan said, “It’ll be an honor.”
She turned to Clarissa.
“I want the demons removed from here and sent to the other Academy. They will all be kept there, under Daniels’ guard. We must rebuild and we cannot do it with their constant threat.”
“What about the haunted?” Clarissa asked.
“They are being sent back to their families. Any angels who you deem fit can be sent to watch over them. The others must heal before they can help us.”
I sighed. Knowing that Kayla would go home was a relief.
Irene smiled at both of Kayla and Kim. She then focused on Kayla. “Your human parents were told the truth. They’ll be happy to care for Kim as well. They are good-hearted. This will make it easier for Ethan to protect the both of you. And Hunter,” she said looking at me. “I assume you’ll help Ethan in caring for my daughters.”
I nodded.
She gave Kayla and Kim an apologetic look. “I must go after Benjamin. He took things too far this time. He must be stopped.”
She turned around as if she was getting ready to leave.
I could feel Kayla tense right before she broke the silence.
“How dare you?”
Her mother turned back around, “Excuse me?”
Kayla let go of both my and Kim’s hands.
“You have no right to send me back. You should have stopped him before he came to haunt me, before he haunted Kim.”
“I was human when he haunted Kim. I couldn’t have stopped him.”
“What about when he haunted me?”
“Things were difficult, Kayla.”
Kayla laughed. “Go. Just go after him. But you have no right ordering me to go back. I’m what I am and I’m staying here for as long as I deem fit. Unlike you, I don’t turn my back on the people who I’m supposed to protect. I don’t give a damn how things were difficult for you back then. It was your job to protect me!”
“Kayla!” said Clarissa.
Kayla’s mom was crying, but she put her hand up to stop Clarissa.
“It’s okay. I deserve it. I know they are not ready to forgive me yet. They should stay here if that is what they wish. They can be anywhere they wish, as long as they are safe.” She turned and faced Samael. “Thank you, Samael. You did much more than what we required of you. You may go back to your life whenever you wish and you’ll be well compensated for your help.”
She faced Kim once again. I could tell she wanted to look at Kayla but was ashamed.
“I’m so sorry, sweetheart. For everything, and this applies to you too Kayla.”
Without looking at Kayla again, she left.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Stephaine
Once we left the Academy, I was able to transport Benjamin and I to the human world. I took us to an abandoned cabin at the mountains, which we had used before. We went inside and I watched Benjamin as he walked from side-to-side. I wanted to be able to take him away from all of this! There had to be a reason why I fell for him like I did. He wasn’t all evil. I knew he couldn’t be. I just wished I could figure out how to help him.
“We need to find out what happened to my father.”
“No!” I said in a tone that surprised even myself.
He gave me an amused look. I knew that his father was to blame for Benjamin’s actions. He was always looking for attention and approval from his father.
“And why not?” he asked.
“If he was trapped by Daniels, they’ll know that you’ll go to him, and I can only protect you so much. If he was able to escape, which I doubt, as you would be able to tell, well… they’d know that they can find you by finding him.”
He put his hands through his hair and shook his head. “Of course. You are right.”
“Benjamin, I think it may be time to just leave everyone alone and hide out for a while.”
“Absolutely not. Especially now that ‘mother’ is back. Father needs to know that she’s around.”
As soon as he said that, Irene walked into the cabin.
“Speaking of the devil… or angel… whatever,” he said.
I stood next to him and I could see how much he trusted me. He didn’t seem surprised to see her, but he also didn’t know that I had left a trail for his mother to follow us. I hoped putting them in front of each other would help him let go of certain things.
He was calm. He knew I would protect him no matter what, and I would. It wasn’t like I was betraying him by leaving that trail. I was only trying to help.
“What happened to father?” he asked.
Irene shook her head. “He’s at the Academy, under Daniels guard. There’s no way in or out of there, Benjamin. You have to let him go and move on with your existence.” She paused and shook her head. “He’s terrible influence on you, Ben. He has always been bad for you.”
Benjamin laughed.
“Mother,” he shook his head. “He’s a demon and you knew he was one. Did you really expect him to be a good influence on me?”
She looked down and shook her head.
By the smile on Benjamin’s face, I could tell that he enjoyed her reaction. “Yet,” he continued, “he was there for me when you weren’t.”
She looked up and met his gaze. “Ben, my son, there’s nothing I could ever do to make up for my mistakes. I’ll be eternally sorry for abandoning you, Kayla, and Kim.”
“Don’t call me your son. And yeah, you should be sorry.”
“Ben, I want you to go away and not look back. I want you to start fresh. Forget your father, and please—I beg you, leave you sist
ers alone.”
“And if I do as you ask?”
“If you agree to leave, I’ll turn around right now and you won’t see me ever again.”
He looked at me and smiled. “What about Stephaine? I’m not leaving her behind.”
For the first time, she actually directed her attention to me… to my wings.
“It saddens me that things have come to this, but it’s Stephaine’s choice what she does and I wouldn’t want to leave you unprotected.” She smiled at me. “She’s good to you. I just hope that the goodness I see in her is enough to outweigh the damage that your father has done to you.”
“Don’t speak of my father!” he yelled. He was now tense. Everything about his posture changed.
She took a step back. “You’re right. That was uncalled for. I’m sorry.”
Benjamin relaxed again and nodded.
“Good. I agree. Now you can leave.”
She looked surprised for a split second. I was surprised myself. She smiled at him and then looked at me. “Take care of him.”
“I will,” I said.
She looked back at him. “Good-bye, Ben.”
“Bye,” he said in a cold tone.
As she turned around to leave, she looked so sad.
Once she was gone, Benjamin faced me. “So are you really staying with me?” he asked surprised.
“Of course.”
He gave me a crooked smile. He then walked closer to me and gave me a quick kiss. His kisses always took something from me, but that was also how I could tell there was something good in him. Ever since I pledged my loyalty to him, he started to take less and less from me. Benjamin was not the type of guy who showed emotions. In fact, I knew that if I confessed my love for him, he wouldn’t say anything in return, because he didn’t know what that feeling was. He was never taught or exposed to love. Not until now anyway. Yet, him taking less and less from me, and wanting me by his side, was how he expressed that at some level, he cared.
“Where should we go now?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Wherever you want to go. Sooner or later, father will find a way out, and if he doesn’t, I’ll find a way to get him out.”
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