by Amity Hope
The sizzle and whisper of the flames blocked out any other sound that he might hear. He’d continued to move forward, feeling very much as though he was walking into a trap. Yet, he needed to find Molly. If she was here, it was because of him. He would do whatever he needed to do to get her out safely.
He had rounded the wall now and inched his way to the archway that led into the sanctuary. He took in the familiar sight of the rotting wood, the worn floor, the boarded up windows. What was unfamiliar was the circle of fire that danced in a chaotic rhythm in the center of the room. From here, the dancing flames cast dazzling shadows across the wall. He used this to search for his brother but he didn’t appear to be inside. With a feeling of heavy trepidation, he stepped through the doorway.
His heart seemed to slam to a halt as he took in the sight of Molly. Her skin was nearly translucent, her eyes blank and hollow. She blinked at him and then closed her eyes. They stayed closed as his eyes scanned over her. Her usually brilliant orange coloring had faded, bled to nearly nothing. What little of it that was left was streaked by the blackness that was threaded through it.
She was dying, her soul nearly depleted. He knew he shouldn’t, but he abandoned any sense of caution at the sight of her. He realized he was in plain sight as he wrenched a piece of wood off of the window frame. He slid it into the flames and it instantly disintegrated into a charred ash and drifted to the floor.
For the first time since he’d gotten out of the car, his confidence faltered. If the flames disintegrated a piece of wood faster than he could blink, what would it do to him? What would it do to Molly? How was he going to be able to get her out of there without disintegrating both of them?
From the faded looks of her, he knew he didn’t have much time to come up with an answer to those questions.
He glanced at the front of the church, up by the altar. During his earlier explorations, he’d discovered a side door that led to a small, empty room. Off the back of the room was a door that led outside. He knew he needed to keep an eye on both entrances, at opposite ends of the church.
He positioned himself so that he could see both as he crouched down, hoping the flames would conceal him at least partially, even momentarily, as he forced himself to think.
***
Sickly orange light from the setting sun leaked in through the trees. It lent her just enough light to see by as she found her way, finally, to the clearing where the church stood. She’d stopped several times, just briefly, listening, scanning, straining to be aware of any type of movement that would alert her to Cam’s presence.
She was still a distance from the edge, barely covered by the base of a tree when the church came into view. She caught just a glimpse of what she was sure was caramel colored hair disappearing through the doors at the front of the church. She realized that Cam had chosen to follow the length of the road, taking the longer but easier path.
Once he disappeared into the church she bolted ahead, covering the rest of the forest ground and the overgrown lawn quickly. As Gabe had, she found herself against the outer wall of the church. An eerie silence cascaded around her as she moved forward.
The weathered entrance doors were open, hanging askew but open all the same. As she peered around them, Cam was in plain sight. He had his back to her but a glint of…something snapped up her attention.
A sickeningly familiar, silver-blue light flickered across the room in front of him. The flames caused the gun in his hand to shimmer. He had it drawn, pointed at someone as he remained mostly hidden in the entry, behind the doorframe.
She knew that if it was drawn, it was pointed at either Gabe or Molly. Regardless of which, she knew she needed to stop him. Both of them would, and had, put their lives on the line for her and she was not going to hesitate to do the same for them.
She sent up a soundless prayer, willing her footsteps to remain silent, drowned out by the crackling of the fire, as she closed the distance between herself and Cam. She did not bother trying to shield her thoughts, not that she had any idea how to do such a thing. She simply trusted that the church itself would shield her in the same way the sigils had.
Her hand had already dived into her pocket, pulled out and released the angelic blade.
The unearthly gemstones began to twinkle and she recalled how they had done the same in Gabe’s hand while in this very church that horrible night. At the time, she’d thought they were reflecting the flames but the weapon felt warm in her hand, as if it had come to life. And the flames were on the other side, shielded by the wall in between.
Confidence spilled through her as the hand holding the weapon raised itself seemingly of its own volition. It was as if the weapon was guiding her hand, instead of her hand guiding the weapon.
Killing a Nephilim was not easy, she knew, because Gabe had told her so. She would need to impale Cam’s heart, causing an immediate cessation of his heartbeat. Anything less than that, he could recover from. Perhaps not quickly, but quickly enough that he may have enough strength to wrench her weapon away.
She knew that she would only have one chance to do this right. Gabe and Molly’s lives depended upon it.
Using her free hand, she tapped Cam’s shoulder. He spun and his chest came into sight. His eyes widened in surprise and the blade flew forward with more force—she knew—than she would ever have been able to muster on her own. She took in the shock on his face as it disappeared into his chest, stopping only when the hilt met his flesh.
With a strangled, surprised grunt, he fell to his knees as his blood gushed forth.
She had only time to step away, glance up to find Gabe’s horrified face staring at her from across a room full of flames as her name bolted from his lips.
“Ava!” he screamed out in warning as he leapt to his feet.
In the same moment that she realized Molly’s frighteningly still body was at the center of the blaze, iron arms wrapped around her and she was slammed into someone’s chest with such force it knocked the breath right out of her body. She wasn’t able to scream. She was barely able to breathe as he crushed Ava into his back, similar to the way Gabe had held Julia not too long ago.
Only Rafe’s arms were like a painful steel trap while Gabe had tried to be gentle, careful not to crush her fragile friend.
“I wouldn’t move if I were you,” Rafe spat out to Gabe, who was across the room.
Gabe stopped instantly and Ava whimpered with what little breath she had been able to suck in.
“I could kill her before you made it half way to us,” he warned as he took a step around Cam’s body, dragging Ava with him.
She could clearly see the color drain from Gabe’s face. The blue of the flame reflected across his skin, casting a hue that made him take on the coloring of a corpse.
“What do you want me to do?” Gabe asked.
“You know what I want,” Rafe spat around a bitter laugh. “But this evening isn’t going quite as I had planned. I had hoped to make introductions first, with death coming later. But it appears she,” he said as he wrenched Ava tighter against him, she heard him hiss in pain and knew her cross was causing him a fair amount of torment but he managed to ignore it, “she interfered. Gabe,” he said as his toe nudged the body on the floor, “meet Camael, our little brother.”
Gabe was not the least bit startled or upset at this revelation. “The little brother who had every intention of killing me,” he flatly stated.
“Yes, well,” Rafe said sadly, “he’s been quite a disappointment to me, too. I’m not particularly surprised he got himself killed when he couldn’t even follow through with the simplest of instructions. Not that it matters now. You are here and you are the one I want.” He motioned to the flames. “Do you know what is needed to complete this? To open the door?”
Gabe shook his head, his eyes never leaving Ava. She tried to convey to him that she was okay. She was inexplicably calm and she didn’t want him to be afraid for her but it was clear that he was beyond afraid.
She had realized that Gabe still held his weapon, though now it was aimed at the floor. He couldn’t aim it at Rafe without aiming at her. Of course Rafe was aware of this and it was part of the reason he was holding her so closely.
“This night has become far too drawn out already,” Rafe finally replied. “So I will make this simple. Your blood is needed to open the gate.” He motioned discreetly at the gun. “Go ahead and use it. Let your blood flow. If you do as I ask, I’ll let her go. If you don’t, she’s a dead girl.”
“He’s lying!” Ava cried. If Gabe took his life, Rafe would kill her too. Though at that point, she knew she would welcome death. She would welcome it compared to living through the torment of having to watch Gabe die twice. To face life without him.
Again.
“I know he’s lying,” Gabe said with more calm than he felt. Ava willed him to see how Rafe’s arms had begun to tremble. He wouldn’t be able to hold her much longer. She was sure of it.
Ava felt Rafe shrug. “If you do as I say, I may let her live. If you do not, she is dead for sure. Your life?” he needled. “Or hers?”
For the first time, Gabe seemed to falter.
“Don’t do it!” Ava immediately screamed at Gabe. She had realized that he would be willing to sacrifice himself for her yet again and tears began to rain down her face. “Don’t you dare!” she shouted as she pushed her body against Rafe’s. She felt his grip loosen. Immediate understanding flickered in Gabe’s eyes. He knew what she was trying to do and what she wanted him to do. She tried to throw herself forward, away from Rafe the moment Gabe raised his gun.
In one last burst of strength, fighting through the searing pain and ignoring the quivering in his arms, Rafe wrenched her back.
The last thing Ava was aware of was the terrifying, surprising sound of her bones grating together as Rafe easily snapped her neck. Her limp body fell to the floor, dead, before she hit the ground.
Chapter 26
The gunshot echoed through the church even as Gabe rushed forward. Rafael’s body collapsed next to Ava’s, next to Camael’s. The blood of the two mingled together as it flowed outward, toward Ava’s fallen form.
“No, no, no!” he screamed as he reached her. He pulled her to him, away from the bodies of his brothers. Already, he knew he was too late. The golden glow that emanated from her was gone. Not just faded but gone.
He pulled her warm body into his arms and a trickle of blood flowed from the corner of her mouth as he cradled her into his chest. “Ava? Ava? Ava, please, please, please…” he frantically chanted though he knew, beyond doubt, that she was no longer with him.
It had been a gamble, a split second impulse as he read the silent plea in Ava’s eyes. She was going to move. He was going to shoot. It had all simply played-out a split-second too late. He knew with certainty that Rafe would’ve killed her anyway, whether Gabe took his own life or not. So he had gambled with the one chance that they had and he had lost.
Rafe was gone but so was Ava.
The fragility of human life was almost too much to bear.
He had known Camael was there, he’d been an instant away from swinging his own gun upward but then Ava had appeared, with Rafe only a few moments behind her. He shouldn’t have waited so long. He should have immediately dealt with Cam. He spent precious seconds trying to decide whether he should shoot to kill or shoot to injure so that he could question Cam on how to get Molly out. Those seconds he had wasted had cost him the only thing in the world that had ever mattered to him.
He wanted to demand to know what good it did to come back from the dead if the only thing in the world that was worth coming back for was going to be snatched away. But there was no one to demand an answer from so instead, he gave into the wrenching grief that tore at his body. Sobs ripped at his throat as his tears poured down, washing over her face.
***
The church was pristine, more perfect than she ever remembered it being. The hardwood floors glimmered. The scarlet carpet that flowed down the center aisle was flawless. The paint on the pulpit and that of the altar was a lovely white, detailed with unblemished gold. She ran a hand across the back of a glossy, oak pew as she walked down the aisle, toward the front of the church. The pew shone as it reflected the light. Stained glass windows, sparkling with the vibrancy of the richest jewels, adorned the windows.
She knew that this is what her grandfather’s church had looked like at one time, when it was new. Before even he had come to preach there.
“Ava?”
The voice, it was undeniably familiar. It was a voice that had been sometimes comforting, sometimes terrifying but always familiar.
“Grier,” Ava replied as she turned around to face her.
Grier stood before her in all of her angelic glory. Her ivory robe was framed by the wings on her back. They were tucked in, yet clearly visible.
“So is this it then?” Ava asked with a resigned sigh as she slumped down in a pew. “Is this Heaven?”
“No,” Grier replied. “Not yet. This is…this is somewhere in between.”
For the first time a tendril of panic wrapped itself around her. “What do you mean ‘in between’? Am I stuck here?”
“No, certainly not,” Grier assured her. She moved forward and her blond hair seemed to float in a halo around her. “This is where decisions are made. And you have quite the decision to make.”
Ava sat up straighter in the pew. The hard oak ground uncomfortably against her tailbone but she suddenly felt as though she didn’t have the energy to stand.
“What kind of decision?” she nearly whispered.
“The same kind of decision that Gabriel had to make all of those weeks ago. He was rewarded for his altruistic act. He turned against his family and everything he had ever known—he overcame being enmeshed in unspeakable evil—to save the life of a girl who meant everything to him. He gave up his own life to rid the world of a demon, a fallen angel who never should have walked the earth at all. Because of that, he was rewarded,” Grier explained. “As I’m sure you recall, the first time he was given a choice, he chose The Abyss.”
“The first time?” Ava echoed.
“He was recently given a second chance to cross through the veil or return to earth,” Grier explained.
“You offered him the chance to come back to me?” Ava asked, instantly regretting every negative thought she’d ever had about Grier.
“No. It was not my offer to make. I was simply the messenger, just as I am the messenger now. Due to his tainted lineage he was destined to be damned but you were able to save him, one of the un-savable. Because of this, you, like Gabe, are being given a choice not many others have.” Grier stood quietly before her, looking at her as though it all should be clear.
It wasn’t.
“I don’t understand,” she admitted.
“You helped to rid the world of a demon. You also played an intrinsic role in saving a soul. A soul that would’ve undoubtedly been destined to spend an eternity in Hell if not for you. As a reward for this, you also have a choice. You may cross through the veil, which is the only choice most in your position have, or you may return to your world.”
Ava was on her feet again. “I want to go back.” Really, it was as simple as that.
Grier motioned to the back of the church. The doors that led out were gone. Ava couldn’t remember if they’d been there a moment before or not. Her mind was overtaken by the glorious light that spilled through. Behind the light she could feel the presence of people who were familiar to her.
“My grandparents are on the other side,” she realized. Her heart clenched with the desire to see them. Knowing they were there, almost right there, w
as nearly unbearable. It had been years since she’d seen either Rose or Tom St. Clair. She missed them terribly. But her thoughts flit back to Gabe and the possibility of the life that they might be able to make together.
She took a resolute step back from the brilliance of the light shining through.
Without warning, like a hand shooting out through the darkness, a feeling of such intense warmth and longing gripped her with a desire to move toward the light again. It was a presence that she didn’t know and yet paradoxically knew implicitly.
She began to rush forward, down the aisle and toward the blinding, glowing light.
Grier’s grip around her wrist stopped her. “Ava. You need to think this through. You must be sure of your decision. Once you cross over, there is no coming back.”
Ava’s gaze swung from Grier’s solemn face to the figure she knew was there but she couldn’t see. Not with her eyes at least. She felt her mother, saw her with her soul. She was standing directly on the other side.
“My birth mother is waiting for me? Isn’t she?”
“Yes.”
It was in that precise moment that Ava felt her heart distinctly split in two. She loved Daniel and Leah St. Clair wholly and completely. But she had always ached to know the mother who had been taken from her.
But she desperately loved Gabe, too.
“I…I…” she faltered as her eyes tried to take in the blinding glare. It was too much to look at and she had to look away. “Mom?” she whispered as she closed her eyes. She let her mind and her soul see what her eyes could not. Her breath caught in her throat as she felt her mother’s love wrap around her. She stood silently for a moment, taking it in, absorbing it and trying as best as she could to return it. Then she slowly released the breath she’d been holding and opened her eyes. She once again looked longingly toward the light but she felt different now. As if the presence was giving her permission to go back. No, urging her to go back.