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

by J. D. Stonebridge

  Mikaela felt weightless when Ariel grabbed her. There was the familiar warmth of pure light, and soon, she had been relocated away from the archangel with one of Daniel’s swords vibrating beside them. She spotted Uriel with his back to them, and Mikaela began to speak a spell. When the witch extended her hand to the archangel, light that formed into runes appeared and sped towards Uriel.

  Before the runes touched the angel’s skin, Uriel wheeled around and, as if sensing where she was, sent a bolt of lightning speeding towards Mikaela. Ariel tugged her out of the way quickly.

  “Whoa,” Mikaela exclaimed, impressed at how quickly Ariel transferred her to a safe location.

  Daniel appeared behind Uriel and lunged with his sword against the archangel. Daniel vanished upon making the strike, surprisingly causing visible damage to Uriel. Small cracks appeared on Uriel’s skin, and the archangel wasn’t pleased about it.

  Mikaela’s runes shot towards Uriel again, some breaking upon contact with the angel while others stuck to his skin. Suddenly, Uriel disappeared before her eyes and the whistling sound of wind came above her head. The witch looked up just as Uriel dropped his leg on her like an axe, only to be blocked by Ariel who swung her leg to meet the archangel’s leg. Ariel wheeled around to Mikaela and grabbed on to her, forcing them away from Uriel.

  Mikaela opened her eyes to find herself and Ariel twenty feet away from Uriel. Being dematerialized into wind and rematerializing into a person feels strangely...cleansing. Mikaela looked at Ariel whose arm was still slung around her shoulders. The witch summoned more runes to cover Uriel until the archangel’s skin glowed with strange lights. The furious archangel found Mikaela and dashed towards them.

  A smile spread on Mikaela’s lips and she lifted her hand. With one snap of her fingers, Uriel suddenly halted in place. It was as though time had stopped with Uriel’s body suspended in the air, his angry visage frozen. The runes glowed in altering patterns around the archangel.

  Daniel appeared beside the frozen archangel, inspecting the witch’s handiwork. “Impressive,” Daniel said. He turned to Mikaela and asked, “How were you able to bind him?”

  Mikaela smiled. “He’s not exactly bound. Instead, he’s just really, really slow. It’s a charm that slows down the host’s perception of time. Sometimes it’s actually useful to prevent food from spoiling.”

  Mikaela walked around the still archangel, inspecting Uriel like a specimen. “This thing doesn’t have a soul in it, yet it’s so powerful. It’s more of an inanimate object than a person if you look closely. You could almost say that this is only a weapon.”

  Ariel frowned despite their success. “Your power has grown so much, Mikaela. I fear the influence of the demonic powers inside you.”

  The witch’s green eyes glanced at Ariel’s. She understood why the angel was concerned about her, though her worries were the least of their problems. At least that’s how Mikaela saw it. “Please give me some credit, Ariel,” she said with a confident smile. “Souls have been my business nearly all my li—” Her words were cut off by a strange chill down her spine. Mikaela looked up to the sky and an eerie feeling washed away the small victory.

  “Did you feel that?” Caelum said, removing his eyes from his companions. Cold sweat broke out along his spine and the hairs stood at the back of Caelum’s neck. It was a feeling that he couldn’t shake. His gaze went to the skies above, and he watched darkness converge.

  All followed Caelum’s gaze and the horror struck them all. Enoch stood, his face filled with concern while the siblings were frozen in shock. They were miles away from the battlefield, yet the black, smoky clouds that loomed were hard to miss. Soon, it covered the sky completely, and the land was plunged into darkness.

  “This…” Caelum had his brows pulled together, his eyes wide. He turned to Enoch suddenly, startling the angel and demanded, “Take me to where they are, now!”

  From where they stood, they watched a large blanket of black smoke overshadow the sunlight. The darkness that enveloped them was cold and haunting like a great storm that threatened their voyage. The dark clouds began to spin, acting like a tornado that slowly descended until it exploded in black smoke and revealed a female form inside.

  Garbed in flowing white cloth, Lilith hovered above them. A sweet smile spread across her face as she looked down on them, her feet nestled on a mass of black mist. Ariel looked closely and her heart fell at the realization that the black mist was composed of demonic souls that wept in fear of their queen.

  “My, my, here we are again. You know what they say, revenge is best served cold,” Lilith said.

  Mikaela sensed that Lilith’s statement was directed at her. Without warning, spikes of shadows burst from the ground between Ariel and Mikaela. Ariel pushed Mikaela away as the spikes expanded. Several more erupted from the mist where Lilith stood, growing like thorns beneath her feet. Lilith swerved across the sky and sped towards the witch. Mikaela felt a weight pulling her aside and found herself transported a few feet away from Lilith. Daniel’s glowing blade quietly hummed near her while he kneeled behind her.

  “Forgive me,” Daniel exhaled. “I cannot maintain this state for long…” The humming of the blade weakened and soon fell silent.

  Mikaela swung her head towards Lilith and shouted, “Ariel!”

  The wingless angel struggled to dodge the spikes that erupted from the ground beneath her feet. She hopped and leapt across the field, narrowly evading the sharpened shadows. When she stumbled, her back hit a boulder. Spikes burst from the boulder, piercing her body.

  Ariel screamed as the spikes penetrated her arms, legs, shoulders, and stomach. Smaller thorns grew from the spikes. Ariel threw her head back, howling in pain.

  “Does it hurt, my dear?” Lilith boisterously laughed. She enjoyed the sight of the angel trapped by the shadow spikes, though Lilith was disappointed that the wretched witch had escaped her clutches. I’ll get to her eventually. She will be the perfect substitute. At the corner of Lilith’s eye, she saw a massive figure suspended in mid-air. My, if it isn’t Uriel? How pathetic to be shackled in that manner. Her smile grew wider.

  Lilith fired needle-like spines from her cloud through Ariel’s skin. Ariel was in a hellish state of burning and stabbing. “That’s right my dear! Scream! Scream!” Lilith cheered, nearing the suffering figure. “Scream so that your lover can hear you!”

  Ariel’s screams continued, yet the person Lilith waited for did not show. “Ugh.” she sighed. “Lover boy’s not around, is he?” Lilith sneered at the angel. “I can always destroy you and tell him that I kidnapped you. None the wiser!”

  From the black mass below her, a large drill-like spike started forming. It cried like wails of pain as it spun and launched itself towards Ariel. The drill stopped in mid-air with its sharp black tip grazing the skin of the one who suddenly appeared between them. The tip of the drill scratched at the base of his throat.

  “Darling!” Lilith greeted him like a lost lover.

  Caelum returned the gesture. “Oh, hello, my dear. It’s been a long time. How have you been?”

  “Ugh, awful!” Lilith jokingly answered. “First, you’re not dead. Then, Daddy left me all by my lonesome, and all I could do was play with the poor little kids downstairs.”

  Caelum used his finger to lightly push the spike away. Enoch sure has excellent aim, he thought to himself, recalling how Enoch decided to send only him while he watched over the siblings. “Fight well, Caelum!”

  “I’m sorry to hear that, Lilith,” Caelum replied, sarcasm dripping from his mouth. “Do you think I can make you feel like Daddy loves you still?”

  “Oh, I like that,” Lilith said, licking her lips. “First, let’s play house!”

  Black spikes erupted around Caelum, then arched inward to meet at the ends, forming a cage around him. The cage shifted, moving Caelum away from Ariel and Lilith. He tumbled violently as it moved. His back, shoulders, and head crashed against the ground, bruising him. The cage abruptl
y stopped, throwing Caelum to the side. His hand grabbed one of the shadowy bars that made up his prison to pull himself to stand. But he reeled back upon contact with it, his palm stained with blood. Thorns sprouted from the bars, scratching at his clothing and skin.

  Nausea suddenly washed over him, and Caelum struggled to position himself as far from the surrounding bars. He scolded himself as his strength was slowly sapped. The reaper’s warning echoed in his mind.

  I can only mend his soul temporarily. He must not spend too much of the energy, otherwise, he will destroy himself.

  I guess standing up to the Queen of Hell is spending too much of my energy, Caelum concluded grimly.

  Lilith’s dark smile loomed. Ariel had gone quiet while her body hung on the spikes. “Oh? What happened?” she mocked. “Did the poor angel fall asleep?” Lilith snickered maliciously and glanced at the makeshift prison she’d created for Caelum. The man kneeled inside. “Okay, why don’t we make things a little livelier? Let’s play doctor!”

  A thin small blade slithered from Lilith’s hand. “You know what I’ve always wondered?” Lilith asked. “What does precious little Ariel look like on the inside?”

  “What do yours look like?” a voice asked. Lilith turned and arched her back. A black object resembling a buzzsaw zoomed above Lilith, barely grazing her face. Mikaela had arrived on the scene, her hands forming balls of darkness.

  “Oh good!” Lilith exclaimed. “Now I can settle the score with you!”

  The black cloud under Lilith dispersed and she landed on the ground. Mikaela quickly fashioned two curved blades from the darkness and threw them at her. Lilith stomped on the ground, and a torrent of formless demons burst near her. The cloud spun around her, forming a barrier as it blocked the two blades spinning towards her. The demon watched in disbelief as the blades crashed into the barrier, slicing several of the demonic souls before zipping back to Mikaela’s hands. Lilith took a closer look and discovered that a few of the souls around her had been taken by the blades and were now being absorbed by the witch.

  H-how?! Lilith asked herself. She groaned and pointed a finger at the witch. Several of the demonic souls spinning around her screamed and were slowly set ablaze. They quickly scattered and bombarded the witch. Instead of hitting Mikaela, the souls exploded, hitting the ground around her. The flames burned so hot that the sand and ground it came in contact with started to melt. Mikaela, however, stood her ground with a grin on her face.

  “What is with that insipid smile?” Lilith asked her.

  The blazing barrage seemed to ignore Mikaela completely; each burning demon suddenly directing themselves away from her. “Funny...” Mikaela muttered, “I wonder who these demons fear more.” Her green eyes lifted to Lilith’s. “You or me?”

  With a wave of her hand, the hellfire moved under Mikaela’s command. The fire roared fiercely as it lifted up from the ground and into Mikaela’s palm. Caelum squinted to watch his daughter fight the demon, uncertain if he should be delighted or worried at the power Mikaela was consuming. His eyes shifted to the unmoving angel who was impaled to the boulder by the spikes. She’s still an angel, Caelum assured himself. She cannot be killed that easily.

  His thoughts were interrupted by the raging fire and red light that erupted from Mikaela’s hand. The witch directed the hellfire towards Lilith, bathing her in the purifying flames of Hell. The ordeal generated so much heat that Caelum had to move away, his face tingling in pain from the flames.

  The roar of the blaze subsided. Mikaela flicked her hand and threw the remaining embers off. Sparks spiraled in the area where she’d burned the demon, swirling in the pyre of hellish heat. Mikaela’s face showed satisfaction, but it soon twisted into horror.

  “HAHAHAHAHA!”

  The boom of that laugh rattled Mikaela and Caelum. The blaze suddenly blew out, snuffed by a shockwave. Uriel, in his divine and mighty form, appeared with open arms, standing in front of Lilith. The massive figured turned towards Lilith, his imposing body looming over her.

  Mikaela stood in horror, staring at the archangel. My spell wore off?

  Lilith traced her finger on his stomach, slowly gliding down until she noticed that he didn’t have a bellybutton like she did. “Thanks, hunkmuffin.” Her eyes gleamed at the figure before her.

  The vivid sneer on Uriel’s face fully described his disgust for the creature he’d helped. He turned back to the witch, and suddenly, there was a thunderous boom and a flash of light blasted from where Uriel was, racing towards the witch.

  “Mikaela!” Caelum shouted.

  Mikaela blew out blood from her mouth as Uriel materialized in front of her, his huge fist bludgeoning her stomach. With nothing to match Uriel’s speed, his brawn was not to be underestimated. Uriel’s other hand grabbed the witch by the neck and slowly lifted her off the ground. Caelum watched helplessly as Mikaela’s arms went limp, her eyes rolling back.

  “Mikaela! Ariel!” Caelum kept shouting, hoping for either of them to wake up. Caelum kicked the bars out of desperation but quickly recoiled as the spines hurt his foot. “Damn it! Damn it!”

  “Uriel! I am your enemy!” Daniel shouted as he rushed towards the archangel’s back, his blade brandished to stab. Uriel’s hand reached for him. Without even turning his head, he caught Daniel by the neck.

  Above them, the sigil materialized from the clouds, shining brightly and slowly descending. Daniel’s eyes glared at the sigil and acted with what effort he could muster. With his hands curled around the sword, he stabbed Uriel in the shoulder. It pierced Uriel’s skin but only a few inches. However, it was enough for the blade to begin to hum again, and a gust of air blasted.

  Mikaela dropped hard to the ground, gasping for air. She squinted her eyes to scan the empty land around her. Both Uriel and Daniel had vanished.

  Lilith’s lips curled into a smile. Ariel had fainted, and what was left of the witch was only a coughing, struggling pile. Lilith beckoned the shadows from the ground, and they erupted into tentacles wiggling like worms from the soil. The shadows burst around Mikaela, and two large spikes stabbed through her arms, lifting her up. Thorns from the spikes prevented Mikaela from sliding. She remained silent, but Caelum could imagine the pain.

  Suspended with her arms outstretched, blood dripping from multiple wounds, Mikaela resembled a religious symbol. A look of satisfaction crossed and remained on Lilith’s face. She unveiled the thin blade she’d meant to use on Ariel before. “I think I’ll start with the witch first.” She giggled, her hand trembling in anticipation like a toddler playing with a new doll. Lilith walked towards the sleeping witch, scrutinizing her.

  “Get as much sleep as you can, my dear,” she whispered. “I’ll wait until you’re awake. Then your almost stepmom will be next.”

  The scene unfolding before him filled Caelum with despair. He fell to his knees, cursing his own worthlessness as his daughter and the woman he loved faced the sadistic Queen of Hell while his own valiant deed that was meant to distract Lilith long enough for Mikaela to strike had ended in disaster as Uriel somehow broke free from the spell.

  Two bloody fists slammed the ground as Caelum cursed himself. What can I do! he screamed in his mind, banging his fist on the ground again. If he could only pray to Heaven for a savior, but the very angels of Heaven were against them. He had nothing more than this mortal body of his. The soul that he’d carelessly forgotten was now fading away.

  In the very pits of the Hell he’d dug for himself, he recalled his last slither of hope.

  “Remove Lilith from my seat in Hell, and you can have her for a little question and answer. Of course, by making this deal, I will be granting you your old powers back. Maybe even more.”

  Maybe even more.

  Caelum swallowed. He took a moment to gather himself and made his decision. Azazel! His mind echoed. Azazel!

  Azazel, you bloody bastard!

  “Hello there,” a rough voice said. A light tap on the ground reached him, and Caelum looked up to
see his visitor. It was then he knew his fate was sealed.

  “So, let me guess…” Azazel said, peering through the bars of Caelum’s cage. “Your psychopathic girlfriend, Lilith, caught you holding hands with the pretty angel and she went medieval on you. So here you are in jail like the sad little man you are.”

  Azazel didn’t feel the need to tease him further; the grief in Caelum’s face was enough entertainment on its own. “So…” Azazel asked, playfully looking at his nails. “Am I here to sell you Girl Scout cookies or what?”

  “The deal’s on,” Caelum muttered quietly.

  “Wonderful!” Azazel said with glee, balling his hands. Caelum noticed that his form was somewhat translucent.

  “You…” Caelum meekly asked. “You’ve been here the entire time, haven’t you?”

  A snide giggle escaped Azazel’s lips. “Your daughter’s about to wake up. So, shall we get to damning you? Hurry, I'm feeling as giddy as a schoolgirl in her first college porn film.”

  Caelum pushed himself up from the ground and faced Azazel. “It’s a deal, remember? You get to damn my soul and I kick Lilith off your throne. But I need something to kick her out.”

  “A down payment?” Azazel chided, “Boy, you drive a hard bargain. What do you want?”

  “Power,” Caelum replied. “I want power.”

  Azazel grinned and cupped his arms. A dim red glow broke from the spaces between his fingers, and soon flames started to wisp from it. Azazel took out his left hand and dug into his chest, his fingers sinking in. He grabbed what seemed to be a piece of gleaming darkness. The piece sent rays of black light into the air. As Azazel held it in one hand, his other hand showed a gem that looked like a candle flame of the bloodiest red. He slammed his hands together, and the two objects disappeared. He then extended his arm into the cage, the symbol of a pentacle burned into the skin of his palm.

  “I give you power, from my very own dark, corrupted, handsome, angelic soul. In exchange, I damn your soul, return you to a demon in my fold, and you help me take the throne of Hell back.”