The Damned and The Pure Series: Books 1-4 (The Damned and The Pure Series Box Set)

by J. D. Stonebridge

  Ariel stopped her thoughts. She remembered the day she was released, and Raphael told her God was returning. But what other proof did she have to believe that the time was nearing? During her freedom, she had not exchanged words with any other angels aside from Raphael and his right-hand man, Daniel.

  “No,” she told herself. “I should not doubt.”

  Ariel wrapped her arms around herself and backed away, bumping against the white hot bell, and she immediately recoiled from it. The heat on her back made her stumble. She fell to her knees and reached for the spot where her wings connected to her back.

  Long ago, she’d witnessed the fall of Ramiel. After hearing a prophet’s message from God, he had begun to rebel against the rest of them. He’d fired accusations of the archangel’s corruption and was banished. She had watched Uriel set eternal fire upon Ramiel’s wings, burning him until he’d ripped them out with his bare hands. The image of the fallen’s excruciating pain had haunted Ariel ever since.

  “I should not doubt. I am faithful…” she whimpered, tears threatening to escape once again. “I am an angel of Heaven.” The words were weak on her lips. Ariel hung her head low, her dark hair curtained around her face.

  In that light, I saw a figure, basking in it. Caelum’s voice interrupted her despairing thoughts, reminding her about the dream he had. With long flowing black hair much like yours.

  Black hair like mine… Ariel wondered. Then, she remembered Ramiel’s story.

  When long ago it was you who were so fond of them. Rather, you were fond of one of them.

  Ariel, the angel who had sinned against Heaven during her time in the mortal land, fond of the mortals? She found it hard to believe, yet a memory itched the back of her mind. Ariel hugged herself tighter, feeling the world crushing her from all sides. Her chest tightened, her eyes watery. The words of the fallen she’d meant to capture and the demon she’d meant to be at odds with threatened to choke her, to banish away what truth she held on to.

  Stop refusing to see the truth! Your blind faith is what will destroy you and the world you love!

  No! Ariel begged. She lifted her eyes to the clouds above, hoping for answers granted from Heaven. She closed her eyes and began to pray, seeking help. Her eyes flew open and she gasped, stumbling backward and crashing against the bell once more. The bell clanged, the reverberation startling the birds from a nearby dead tree. Ariel turned to the grand bell, feeling the thunderous sound inside her chest and the stinging burn on her back. Her hand went to her chest, clutching the fabric. What was that? The bewildered angel wondered at the sudden impact that had pushed her when she’d tried to pray. Her shoulder stung weakly after grazing the heated bell.

  Has Heaven forsaken me? She watched the grand bell swing slowly, back and forth, sending its roars that agitated the spirits all around. She could hear them wail and murmur, the negative energy rising up from the soil that held on to their physical bodies.

  Then, in her mind, she saw another bell. A clean one atop a quaint white church. She stared up at it with such wonder and longing. People were gathering inside. Her gaze caught sight of a man in a dark blue suit and a matching top hat. He was tall and lean, standing in the middle of the crowd. The bright sunlight blurred her vision so that the features were not clear, but she knew he was looking at her and smiling.

  And in the silence of this world, a familiar voice spoke in her mind, calling her name. Ariel…

  Ariel gasped aloud and pulled herself out of the memory, clutching her head. She balled her fists against her temples. What is happening?

  Ariel! Caelum’s voice shouted in her skull. She was back in the abandoned building in Chicago, staring up at the moonlight. Caelum leaned forward, his lips on hers. It felt comforting. Familiar.

  Tears spilled down the angel’s cheeks, staining the floor with dark splotches. It’s impossible. She denied the thoughts in her mind. Impossible!

  Taboo… A strange voice whispered to her, consoling her. Taboo…

  Her head snapped up, searching for the owner of the voice. But the tower was empty; only she occupied the small space. Her mind processed the word ‘taboo’. Forbidden. Something that was not meant to happen.

  ...crime against Heaven! Another voice scolded her. This one was familiar. The archangel Gabriel’s voice continued to plague her mind. The face of the archangel flashed before her eyes as her mind screamed, an angel of Heaven and a mortal!

  Her throat ran dry. An angel and a mortal? She thought of the idea as ludicrous. She found herself looking up to the sky again. Warmth touched her skin and comforted her. A sweet voice spoke from behind but the words were inaudible. She knew his words were kind, ones that put a smile on her face. Her tears spilled, but something told her they were not for her sadness any longer.

  “I— have sinned, but was it—?” she began, but a burning pain made her choke on her words. Her hands flew to her chest again, gripping the fabric as she tried to contain the flame inside. No…Hot fire sparked inside her and grew, reaching out of her body. Hands shaking, she lifted one palm over her eyes and saw the faint golden glow on her skin.

  Ariel collapsed on the ground and curled up, clutching her knees to her chest. The golden glow waned and grew, and she heaved. What is happening? she thought, tears pouring from her eyes. She looked down and saw her chest glowing brighter and brighter, the pain scalding her from the inside. A scream left her lungs, piercing the silence as her soul burned hot in her body. Her screams echoed all across the cemetery, reaching to the underground where Caelum’s ears recognized her voice.

  He looked up in alarm with wide eyes. “Ariel…"

  "Send someone," he heard Ramiel give the order. The werewolf behind him growled and left.

  "That was Ariel," Caelum said, panic evident in his voice. "What are you doing to her?!"

  "Relax," Ramiel said. "I told them not to harm her."

  "Then what was that I just heard?" Caelum demanded, reaching out and grabbing the fallen angel's shirt. Ramiel quickly swatted his arm away and pushed the demon back.

  The fallen angel adjusted his shirt and looked him in the eye. "Let's continue this later. I have a sister to check up on." And with that, he turned and left from the door.

  "Wait! You bastard!" Caelum yelled, running for the door only to be halted by the edge of the seal that glowed red and hot. He stared down at the seal beneath his feet and cursed. "Ariel!" he bellowed her name, knowing well it would not reach the angel.

  Instead, the beast that Ramiel sent reached close to where Ariel was. It stopped when it saw a bright golden light coming from the door that led to the bell. The light was far too bright to be from the sun, and the werewolf slowly neared to investigate. But when its skin came into contact with the light, it yelped as its skin sizzled. A scorching pain crawled over its skin; it reeled back from the light, nearly tumbling down the steps. The beast howled in pain and saw the light growing even brighter, spilling out into the staircase. The werewolf ran down in fear of being burnt, but the light followed and soon caught it. An agonizing roar escaped its mouth as the light swallowed it, incinerating it into ashes in mere seconds.

  Ariel opened her eyes, hearing the howl of the werewolf that had approached her. She felt its presence, and she felt its pain as her soul burned the monster's. Stop this, she told herself, constricting her body as if it would hide the light coming out of her. Her entire body glowed brighter than the sun, spilling out as far as the tombs below where she heard the spirits that neared her in odd curiosity wail under heat of the light.

  Please, stop this, she commanded herself. I don't want to hurt them... Biting down her lip, she squeezed her eyes shut. Ariel forced her thoughts to clear, but her fear was quick to throw her off. Her nails dug into her skin, her teeth inviting blood out of her lips. Someone help me...

  Ariel.

  Her eyes flew open at the sound of her name, the same voice as before calling out to her. The voice of the man in front of the white church. She knew it now, that it
was his. The seal on her memory had cracked beyond repair, and the events of her past sin came spilling out. The wooden house, the mountains, the white church, the man, and the lips she had longed for.

  Love was her sin, Ariel knew it now.

  Below from where she was, Caelum screamed as he pulled himself away from the seal. The fires of the trap burned and pulled him back. The door flew open and in came the shadow and skull that made up the ghoul. Caelum watched it float towards him, feeling the fear it exuded. The ghoul neared and he could almost hear its delight at his expense.

  When the ghoul was near enough, a smirk stretched his lips. "I was hoping you'd come." He pulled his fist back and drove it against the skull face of the ghoul. But before the creature was thrown off, his other hand grabbed the back of its skull and he forced it down on the ground. The skull met with the edge of the seal and fire erupted from the paint.

  The ghoul screeched in pain, but the demon laughed and lifted it again only to slam it once more against the ground. The skull cracked and then exploded. The deed was done. The fire burned, slowly dissipating, revealing multiple scratches on the paint where the ghoul’s face had met it. Without a moment's hesitation, Caelum ran for the door.

  The tunnel was damp and dark as he ran through it. No obstacle met him as he scoured the tunnel in search of a way out. Three bounding goblins ran into view, but he was quick to eliminate them with two kicks to the first two and a step on the head of the last. He ran forward, seeing a set of stairs heading up, but a kitsune blocked his way.

  The feminine monster hissed at him through its pointed teeth and ran at him. He leapt forward to meet it. Caelum turned his body and swung his arm across, slapping the kitsune with the back of his hand. The monster staggered to the side and quickly recovered. It extended its yellowing claws and wheeled back to drive them into his side. Caelum saw this and took a step back. He grabbed the clawed hand and diverted its direction, burying it in the stomach of its owner. The kitsune coughed up dark blood and tumbled forward. The demon moved behind it and reached out for its free arm. Checking the nails, he curled his fingers on the longest one from the pointer finger and ripped it from the skin of its finger. The kitsune gave a loud howl and Caelum drove his foot against her back to make her stop.

  Caelum ran up the stairs. When he reached the church, it was a pandemonium. The monsters withered, screeched, and howled in pain as bright golden light spilled from the opposite door. The entire church was engulfed in the glow. The light was enough to inflict pain on the monsters. Caelum reached out his hand to test the light, and it stung his skin upon contact.

  Bearable, Caelum concluded, and before he could hesitate, he ran forward across the altar. The light stung his skin, a dull pain similar to placing a palm over the flame of a candle, barely grazing the tip. He reached the opposite door and made to head down a set of stairs on the floor. But the darkness below told him it wasn't the right place to go. He frantically searched for an alternative and found another set of stairs at the end of the hall. He sprinted towards it and climbed up.

  The light grew stronger and stronger with each step he took. The stinging on his skin grew more painful, but he gritted his teeth and fought through it. Just a little further, he told himself, pushing forward until he reached the top of the stairs. There, the light was enough to blind him.

  A hand covering his face, Caelum strained his eyes to study the area inside. The first thing he caught sight of was the large bell that reflected the golden light. Heat was all around, concentrated on the bell that emitted steam. His eyes darted around, finally finding the figure on the floor in a fetal position.

  "Ariel!" Caelum called her. The angel looked up with tears in her eyes. A flash of relief washed over her face, but it was immediately replaced with alarm.

  "Caelum... Run! Run from here or it will burn you!" she warned him. But the demon wasn't having any of it. He took a step closer, cringing at the pain.

  "What's going on?" he asked.

  "My soul... It's burning up," Ariel explained, hugging herself tight. "Please go. Save yourself."

  "Don't be an idiot!" Caelum told her as he took another step towards her, and then another. "Control that damned soul of yours instead!"

  "I- I can't..."

  "Of course you can!" Caelum argued. "It's your stupid soul, Ariel! It's yours and you have full control of it!"

  "You don't understand..." Ariel said weakly. "It hurts..."

  "Order it to stop!" Caelum said, so near to her now that his skin reddened as if sunburned. "Tell it that it's fucking stupid for harming its owner."

  Ariel looked up to him in desperation. "Caelum..."

  "Don't look at me, focus!" he ordered her.

  Ariel gulped her tears and nodded. She curled up and concentrated on her soul. She forced it down, containing it. Her insides burned and she felt as though she was breathing fire. But she held on. Caelum began speaking again, and she focused on the sound of his voice without understanding the words. Her soul calmed down, the voice beside her soothing it. Caelum was beside her, and she looked up to him. He gave her an encouraging smile and saw that her soul's glow was weakening. She squeezed her eyes tight and kept pushing it down. Her breath caught and she gulped hard.

  Then, a hand rubbed her shoulder. She opened her eyes again, and Caelum's smile was so proud. The sunlight cast shadows on his face and she remembered the man in front of the white church.

  "I knew you could do it," Caelum told her, smiling brilliantly at her.

  Chapter Eighteen: The Same Coin

  Heaving and her heart racing, Ariel stared at the demon who held her shoulders gently. For the first time in a long while, the angel felt an odd sense of comfort, of security. Caelum’s gentle eyes looked back at her, studying her face, worried. When he spoke, nostalgia filled the angel’s heart once more.

  “Are you alright, sweet angel?” Caelum asked her. Words wouldn’t pass through Ariel’s lips so she nodded in reply, eyes fixed on his. The demon cocked his head to the side and pointed out, “How odd is it that you are not even making an attempt to argue about me calling you that and holding you so close. Are you sure you’re alright?”

  “I’m—” Ariel lowered her eyes. Her heartbeat’s pace returned to normal, and her chest rose and fell slowly. But she felt the fatigue in her bones and in her muscles. Keeping in her burning soul had drained the angel, and she moved her hands to clutch her arms. “I’m just tired…”

  “Understandable,” Caelum said, brushing the hair from her face. “But I’m sorry to say that we have to go. Now that you’ve turned off your oven switch, the monsters downstairs are probably recovering and will soon barge in through those doors.” He nodded to the door to the stairway that led back to the church.

  “The Seal…” Ariel said, looking down at the faint blue markings on the floor.

  “Ah, almost forgot you angels also have these,” Caelum said, removing himself from Ariel. “Good thing I looted this, then.” He procured from his pocket a yellowing pointed object that he’d used to scratch the edge of the seal. Ariel realized the thing was a fingernail, causing her to gag a little. She struggled to get back on her feet and neared him. Caelum stood up when the deed was done, and he smiled at her triumphantly while the light of the seal weakened until it was no more than a drawing on the floor.

  He looked up at her and held out a hand. “Shall we?”

  Ariel nodded weakly, her mind still running through the memories that had returned to her. Caelum walked to the ledge of the tower, looking down at the cemetery below them. The angel watched his back and another flash of memory came to her of a man who had his back to her as he walked through a crowd of villagers.

  “Caelum.”

  He turned to her with wondering in his eyes, widening when he saw what was behind her. He screamed, “Ariel, let’s go!” Ariel looked behind her, seeing the same wendigo as before entering the bell tower. Caelum grabbed her by the arm and pulled her forward to him. He whispered to her, “Can
you fly?”

  Caelum smiled at her nod and said, “Try not to let me fall, then.”

  He flung his body over the ledge, pulling Ariel with him. The angel had her eyes on the ground, and she spread her wings, halting their fall. Caelum hung on to her arm and looked up to her with a smile. Ariel attempted to fly forward, but with the added weight of the demon, her pace was slow.

  “Get me lower,” Caelum suggested, “then drop me and fly away. I can get away on my own.”

  “I will not leave you!” Ariel told him. Not again… Not when I have so much to tell you.

  Caelum looked around the cemetery and pointed east. “That tree! Drop me there. It’s a gateway to Hell. I can replenish my energy there, enough to fight.”

  Ariel looked at the dead tree that stood near the church and moved towards it but a screeching howl caught her ears. She looked back to find the wendigo leaping in their direction. Having no time to swerve, Ariel lowered herself by only half a foot before releasing Caelum. She turned her body to meet the wendigo whose long arm extended in her direction. She shielded her torso with her arms and the force swatted her to the side.

  Wind sliced through her skin as she sped across the cemetery and crashed into a marble statue of a praying angel which exploded into pieces. Ariel rolled in the dirt, showered with marble shrapnel. Her clothes were full of dirt, and her arms were scratched and bruised. She stood up, scanning the area in search for an enemy or Caelum.

  The demon hit his back against the wall of the church, just below the windowsill where the stained glass of the archangel Gabriel had once been. He drove his fist into the ground to balance himself as he stood up, catching sight of Ariel speeding across the cemetery. Caelum stopped himself from screaming her name, lest he give his location away. A loud thump and growl came from his right, and he saw the wendigo that had jumped on them earlier land between him and the tree that had been converted to a gateway of Hell.