by Brenda Trim
Izzy was the perfect combination of Elsie and Zander. She had her father’s black hair, but Elsie’s Loch-blue eyes. She was headstrong, yet caring and loving and very intuitive. She could kill demons with a touch and could teleport. Izzy represented the amulet and was their link to the Goddess. She could call weapons of light at will.
She had the makings of a born leader and he couldn’t wait to see her grow into her power, but he wished she didn’t carry such a heavy burden on her tiny shoulders.
Dipple turned to Orlando. “Get that contraption off him and hand him here” the gnome ordered in a raspy voice that contradicted his small stature.
Orlando looked down at the two-foot tall gnome and wondered what Brantley would think of them when he grew older. They looked like dolls with bulging blue eyes and fire-red hair, at least until they smiled. Their razor-sharp teeth were anything but friendly.
Orlando kept hold of Brantley’s ankles like he’d seen Elsie do with Izzy and lifted his legs as he removed the dirty diaper. He couldn’t manage the one-handed swipe like Elsie who seemed to get Izzy practically clean before she ever took a wipe to her bottom.
“You’re a lifesaver,” Orlando told Dipple as he handed a messy Brantley over. Before the gnome walked away with the baby, Orlando couldn’t stop from running his hand through his soft hair before kissing his forehead.
It was bittersweet to be given the privilege of raising Jaidis’s son. The baby had his mother’s eyes and soft temperament, making him miss Jaidis that much more. She would have been so proud of this easy-going stripling. Brantley preferred sleeping in the bed with Orlando to the crib in the nursery where the gnomes stayed and Orlando was okay with that for now.
He enjoyed every moment with the baby and was happy to share his bed even if it made him long more for Jaidis to be at his side. He had imagined them all living at Zeum while he helped her raise her child, but never had he thought he’d be doing it alone.
A sudden flash of bright light grabbed Orlando’s attention. It wasn’t the same light he emitted when shifting to his leopard, but it wasn’t entirely unfamiliar.
Turning around, Orlando half-expected to see Rhys’s Fated Mate, Illianna. Orlando enjoyed the angel’s presence. She was a bearer of joy and happiness and he couldn’t help but feel at peace when she was in the room. Occasionally she was called upon for assignments in her home realm and Orlando thought the white light was her returning from Heaven and was surprised to see Isobel’s guardian angel, Ramiel, instead.
Immediately tension filled the room, while Izzy burst into her round of clapping and jumping up and down.
“Rami, Rami. You came to play ball, Yay!” Izzy exclaimed as she grabbed up the green ball and tossed it at the surly angel.
Unlike Illianna, Rami represented the Angel’s of Retribution and his presence was intimidating and suffocating. His large black wings filled the room, taking up all the space. The male didn’t bother retracting them and he didn’t smile when Izzy called out to him. He caught the ball and knelt to address the Princess as she ran for him, her fluffy purple dress flying about her legs. Her sparkly shoes caught the light with each step and Orlando was certain the outfit was courtesy her Aunt Breslin.
Orlando knew Breslin influenced her niece more than Elsie cared for. He had witnessed more than one argument between Elsie and Breslin as they battled over a pair of sparkly shoes or a designer dress Breslin had bought for the little princess, but ultimately Izzy chose girly garments over practicality.
Elsie, bringing his attention back to the matter at hand, suddenly bombarded Orlando’s empathic senses. He watched Elsie wring her hands in front of her pink sweater as she eyed the angel who had once been her husband. Orlando recalled the hell Elsie had gone through after Dalton had been killed, and now it wasn’t much better after he had returned to her life as her daughter’s guardian angel, Ramiel. Things had been tense, to say the least.
When Rami first came to Zeum, everyone in the house could see he still carried a torch for Elsie. Of course, Orlando could relate to that. But now, he saw a male filled with nothing but hatred and bitterness. Dressed in his black leathers and black boots, the male was unapproachable and it was clear he had no desire to be around Elsie. But Izzy adored him and he would always come for her. It was his duty and obligation and he would never fail her.
“Izzy,” The angel greeted as he hugged her close then stood, enclosing her in his strong arms. “Haven’t I told you that you are only to call me when you are in danger?”
Izzy wasn’t afraid of the angel’s gruff tone as she smiled back. “Pepper and I play ball. Rami, play with us,” the princess insisted.
A harsh smile graced Rami’s face as he tickled under Izzy’s arm. “And I told you that I don’t have time to play. My job is to protect you,” he replied sternly.
Izzy put her chubby little hand on his chest and held his gaze. “You need to hab fun, Rami. You too sad.”
Before Rami could respond, Elsie greeted him, “Rami. It’s been awhile. How are you?”
The cold, narrowed eyes Rami threw Elsie’s way made Orlando’s hackles rise and he stepped up beside the Queen. A knowing smirk graced Rami’s lips, telling Orlando the angel knew how he’d felt about Elsie. Orlando didn’t care. Elsie was his to protect when Zander wasn’t around and he would do that without hesitation.
“Word is there’s a new archdemon on earth,” Rami said by way of answering.
None of them bothered hiding the conversation from Izzy who listened to the conversation raptly. Orlando wished he could shield the princess from the harsh realities of life, but it was pointless. She was given an incredible position the day she was born and she would have to accept it.
“What do you know about her?” Elsie asked as she looked to Orlando then back to the angel. Orlando hoped the male had come with helpful news about the latest terror to the realm.
Rami tossed the ball back to Pepper and shifted Izzy to his other arm. “Not much. The warrior angels are being tight-lipped, but Abraxos and Ayil said it was because they didn’t know much other than she is a very dangerous fallen angel,” Rami shared.
“Makes sense given her blue wings,” Orlando replied, thinking about the demon that had injured Ember in the club. “She was brazen in her attack and seems intent on exposing supernaturals.”
“But why?” Rami asked as he began to pace with Izzy. “Exposing you would create another barrier to getting hands on Isobel. They have to know I would take her to Heaven with me to keep her from human authorities and then they would never get to her.”
“I can’t even think about that. My daughter is going nowhere,” Elsie declared.
Before anyone could respond, Orlando’s cell rang. Digging it from his pocket his heart kicked into gear when he saw Zander’s number. Why was he calling him and not his mate?
Elsie watched Orlando closely. He half expected her to start screaming with another premonition, but she stood silently.
“Yes, Liege,” he answered as he turned his back to Elsie.
“I doona have much time. Get Santiago from the dungeons and the two of you get to Gasworks Park. There’s a shitstorm going on and I need you two ASAP,” Zander barked into the phone before the line went dead.
Orlando turned around to see Elsie’s pale face. She had grabbed Isobel and was holding her tightly. Orlando was bombarded by Izzy’s worry through his empathic ability which was most disconcerting. Supernaturals grew at a rapid pace, but their emotions and awareness didn’t and Isobel was extremely alert to the dire situation.
Shaking off the disturbing thought, Orlando turned to Rami. “Can you teleport Santi and I to Gasworks?”
Rami nodded once and headed out the door. Orlando hurried after him, calling back to Elsie, “Take care of Brantley.”
“I will. And you bring my mate home to me,” Elsie ordered before they turned a corner in the hall.
Diverting Rami to grab weapons first, Orlando wondered if Hayden had received a call also. Cou
ld Ember be heading, as well? He remembered their last encounter and the attack she suffered. A chill rushed through his body and he quickened his pace. If ember was in trouble he had to get to her.
He couldn’t fail another female.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Stumbling, Orlando’s previous meal was lodged in his throat and his head was spinning. Nothing was in focus, but he heard chaos surrounding him.
“Fuck me, running. Teleporting sucks,” Santi griped.
After several blinks, blurry shapes were highlighted by a subtle glow. “I really enjoyed Elsie’s stroganoff going down. Coming back up, not so much,” Orlando added.
Beside him, he felt Rami stiffen at the mention of Elsie and his emotions nearly laid Orlando on his back. He’d rarely come across so much rage, sadness and pain in one being. The angel had some serious unresolved issues. A check yourself moment slammed home, forcing Orlando to realize if he didn’t watch it he could end up just as angry and bitter. The thought was sobering.
“Speak for yourself, bro. I’d do that twenty times in a row cause my ass is out of that dungeon, even if it’s temporary. You don’t know how good it feels to be outside breathing fresh air,” Santiago countered.
Orlando knew his best friend and partner was relieved to be out of his cell. He didn’t know how he was staying sane but if Santi was feral it didn’t show. Orlando thought for sure his wolf was climbing the walls in the dungeons of Zeum.
“Are you two pansies done complaining?” Rami interjected with a snarl. “I believe your comrades may need some help.”
The levity of the moment fled with the reminder as their vision slowly cleared. Without pausing to contemplate the dozens of skirm surrounding Zander and his brothers, Orlando removed one of his titanium sgian dubhs and raced into the fray.
Thrusting his blade into the back of the first skirm he encountered, the demon-created minion instantly turned to ash. It was unfair of the archdemons to turn young human males into mindless slaves. Even if they had agreed to the transformation, there was no way they understood the full scope of what would be done to them.
Suddenly, Orlando was knocked so hard his body flew forward. He quickly shifted, landing on four paws. As soon as he had his bearings, he searched for what had knocked him hard enough to sail through the air. There was so much terror and chaos he could hardly make sense of the situation.
Glancing to his paws, a mangled corpse had been trampled, but there was no mistaking the injury to its throat. Skirm had attacked this human. Scanning the field, Orlando saw countless more human victims. He had never seen more humans at the sight of a supernatural battle in his four hundred twelve years. Dozens of cups and candles littered the area.
These people were holding a candlelight vigil, Orlando thought with horror as his leopard howled in outrage.
Pain radiated through Orlando’s ribs as his animal was tossed in the air. This was getting old, Orlando thought. Twisting his head, he saw the skirm that had kicked him. The idiot thought he could take on a snow leopard? Time to show this asshat who was boss.
Landing easily on his feet, Orlando ran forward and locked his jaws around the male’s throat and ripped it out. Black blood spurted, burning Orlando’s mouth and esophagus. He felt the liquid coating his white fur. Thankfully, his hide was thick enough that it protected him from being burned by the toxic substance.
The skirm fell to the ground and Orlando moved on, leaving it for a warrior to ash with their titanium weapon. He was confident the skirm couldn’t heal from a wound that severe and he had bigger fish to fry.
Bhric was twenty feet away surrounded by three skirm. Claws finding purchase, Orlando tore into one of the skirm attacking the Vampire Prince. Bhric and Orlando fell into familiar teamwork.
“Feel the freeze, motherfucker,” Bhric shouted as ice shot out of his hands and pierced one of the skirm.
Bhric used his weapon to turn another to ash while Orlando incapacitated the third. Thank the Goddess for titanium weapons, Orlando mused. They made cleanup easy. Until the lesser demons began crossing into this realm from the Underworld, there had rarely been evidence left behind after one of their battles.
Orlando didn’t want to think about what was going to happen this time. There were too many human bodies for he and Santiago to cover this up. He feared the media would be all over this.
Bhric patted Orlando between the ears and pointed to his brother Kyran who was sifting around the largest group of skirm. “Och, let’s go help my brathair,” Bhric murmured as he pulled a flask from his back pocket and took a hefty swig. Tossing it to the ground, he yelled, “Time to finish this shit,” before taking off in Kyran’s direction.
Concern about Bhric’s drinking vied for attention with Orlando’s need to focus on the battle at hand. The warrior drank all the time at home, but he’d never seen Bhric drinking during a battle. The problem was clearly worsening, Orlando thought as he followed the vampire prince.
Black mist shrouded the park for several seconds, blinding everyone and causing further chaos. Using his other senses, Orlando targeted as many skirm as he could before the mist began to clear.
Moments later, the blue-winged demon stood facing Zander with a black sword in hand. “How nice of you to join my party,” the demon cooed.
Orlando had hoped to never see this bitch again. The cloths wrapped around her torso and limbs seemed more torn than before, but her blue wings looked just as vile.
“Crocell, I presume,” Zander growled after ashing a skirm.
The king’s black leathers were torn and his faced cut and bleeding, but he appeared as regal and confident as if he were sitting on a throne greeting his loyal subjects. How the male did it Orlando didn’t understand because the archdemon had his four legs shaking uncontrollably.
The demon’s eyes widened before she cocked her head and a slow smile spread across her face. Orlando continued attacking skirm while trying to keep his eyes on the pair as they stood in the middle of the mêlée speaking. It was noisy but his keen ears picked up the conversation.
“I wanted to introduce myself so you know who is coming after your daughter. I don’t play the same game as my male counterparts, as you can see. You can’t beat me. I don’t know how you managed to kill Kadir, but mark my word, Vampire King, I will not fail. Your daughter will be mine and she will free Lucifer from his frozen prison,” Crocell purred seductively to Zander.
That had Orlando pausing, which was a mistake. He knew better than to become distracted. Next thing he knew a skirm stabbed him in the shoulder. Claws ripped into skin and blood flowed as Orlando sank his sharp fangs into the neck of the skirm. Orlando thrashed his head back and forth until he felt the enemy go lax in his mouth.
An ear-piercing screech rent the air and Orlando caught sight of ice leaving Bhric’s palms before encompassing her wings. Kyran sifted, appearing behind the demon and lifted his hand to thrust one of his blades into the demon’s back. She turned at the last minute and his blade sank into a frozen wing, missing its target.
Wrenching herself free, she spread her wings and shook off the ice, black droplets falling with it. “Your ploys will not work with me. I will have the Princess. Humans will continue to die until she is mine. It’s on your head how many innocent lives are lost,” she snarled as her eyes turned black.
“I have stopped every demon Lucifer has sent and I will stop you, too,” Zander replied calmly as if the demon hadn’t just threatened every human on the planet.
Crocell threw her head back and laughed. “I am going to enjoy this battle, Vampire King. This is just the beginning,” she vowed before disappearing.
Car doors slammed shut and Breslin, Rhys, Gerrick and Jace rushed onto the field with Cade and Caell following on their heels. The Dark Warriors wasted no time in eliminated the remaining skirm.
Orlando felt the brush of Breslin’s flames followed closely by Bhric’s ice. The twins were more in sync than the others and to watch them together was a thing of beaut
y. It was hard to tell where one stopped and the other began as their fire and ice swirled around them.
Orlando searched the field for survivors, but found none. When the dust settled and no more demons or skirm came out of the woodwork, Orlando took the time to shift back and made his way to Zander’s side.
“This is a huge fucking mess,” Orlando stated, surveying the carnage.
“Bluidy hell. That bitch is going to pay for this,” Zander promised as he clenched his fists at his sides.
“This is a massacre we won’t be able to cover,” Santiago added, voicing what Orlando had been thinking.
“The media will definitely get wind of this. We need to come up with a plan and fast,” Orlando suggested.
“Och, you’re right. I need to bring the council in on this. This affects us all. The possibility for exposure is high. Crocell is going to continue attacking,” Zander said.
“I could set fire to this field and cover evidence of supernatural involvement,” Breslin offered.
Orlando winced at the princess’s suggestion. He hated desecrating the victims anymore. He knew how human families needed and deserved closure. Unfortunately, something had to be done or every being in the Tehrex Realm was at risk.
“I doona like it, but there is no other option. Even now the human authorities are racing this way,” Zander pointed out.
Orlando directed his keen hearing outward and realized the king was right, sirens were blaring in the distance. They needed to leave pronto or be caught in the middle of a giant massacre.
‘Take care of this, Bre, and fast. We need to get oot of here,” Zander finished as he headed to the car.
“You guys go ahead. I’ll teleport Breslin home when she’s done,” Rami offered.
Zander glanced at the angel and they shared a long silent look. The two males had come to an awkward truce based on the love and concern for Isobel, but they would never completely trust one another. Finally, Zander nodded and their group headed to the vehicles.