by Lexi C. Foss
“Then it’s your job to keep it from her until she’s ready.”
Amusement flirted with my thoughts. “Ah, Raphaela, if you only knew how impossible of a task that truly is.”
“Oh, come now, Son of Fate and Chaos. We both know that’s not true. What is it my daughter calls you? A ‘cryptic ass’?”
I chuckled. “That is one of her favorite pet names for me, yes.”
“Then channel that.” She winked and patted me on the arm again. “I’ll be back in the morning to check on you both. Until then, try to get some sleep. And maybe consider cutting your hair.” She eyed my head with a mother’s distaste before lifting in a flutter of white feathers. “That look is very last century, Xai.”
I shook my head, smiling, as she disappeared from view. How a female could make me feel so young, I had no idea.
“Your mother still finds ways to chastise me after all these years, Evangeline. And here I thought it was your father you inherited your strong will from.” I ran my fingers through my long hair and shrugged. “I kind of like it. We’ll see what you think when you wake up.”
I kept hoping that each time I spoke, she would reply, but a glance at her peaceful form showed no signs of stirring.
I lay beside her and pulled her into my arms.
“This life is boring without you, Evangeline,” I whispered, my lips at her ear. “Come back to me.”
Stars filled the night sky, so different from those on Earth—more vibrant and lively. I admired them with a longing deep within my soul. Being away from home was always hard, yet being reminded of everything I’d given up was harder.
I relaxed on my back, feathers splayed around me in the plush grass.
Another day had come and gone without a word from Evangeline. I’d taken her out here, hoping it would somehow stir her from this incessant coma, but she remained just as still beside me, her blonde head using my wing as a pillow.
“I’m starting to think I’ve been too easy on you,” I said softly. “What happened to my sarcastic assassin?” A part of me feared that Kalida had truly broken her. The other part knew Evangeline was indestructible. She could be hurt, yes, but never destroyed.
I sighed. “Oh, darling, the things I’m going to do to you when you finally wake up.” When Tax had showed me the footage of her capture, I couldn’t believe my eyes. She really did hesitate. “You clearly need more training,” I growled, thinking back on it. “He walked right up to you, Evangeline.” I shook my head. “What were you thinking?”
The night bathed us in silence. That’s why we loved this field. Others rarely ventured this far away from the main cities, preferring the company of others. This was our private sanctuary, a place we often escaped to in our younger years to avoid detection. A relationship between us hadn’t been forbidden so much as frowned upon.
My lips twitched with the memories of how we—
Energy hummed through the air, putting my senses on high alert.
Trudy’s discovery about the shifting of power had put me on edge. Wars in Hell had a tendency to spill into the other realms, especially Earth, which disrupted the balance. Raphaela told me to trust the Divinity, but I knew better. There’d been unrest within that circle since Ezra ventured into Hell with that Halfling—the Heiress of Bael.
The hairs on my arms stood on end, forcing me to sit up and tuck Evangeline beneath my wing.
Something was coming.
Electricity sizzled through my veins, feeding on the pending doom.
Fire glinted across the sky, a warning from the Sentries—the angelic guard. Some things never changed, such as their late responses to intruders.
“Xai?” Barely a whisper.
I lifted my feathers to find Evangeline gazing up at me groggily.
“Of course you chose now of all times to wake up.” I was almost amused, but the sense of dread had my lips refusing to curl.
Her rising now couldn’t be a coincidence. It was her soul forcing her to move.
“What…?” She coughed, her throat working as her voice failed her.
Boom!
The crash had me rising to my feet, my eyes going to the flash of light cascading over the city. “Questions later, love.” I held out a hand. “I don’t suppose you can stand?” I meant it as a rhetorical question, knowing full well she was hardly awake, let alone physically ready to move.
“Xai.” My name from her lips sounded painful, and when I caught the frustrated tears in her gaze, my heart gave an unsteady beat.
Weakness was her kryptonite. She hated relying on anyone other than herself, would prefer to live through the pain than to ever ask for help, and despised that she needed me now.
Another explosion rocked the foundation around us, but my focus was solely on her. I knelt, wings brushing the grass, and captured her face between my palms. “You are the strongest woman I’ve ever known and the most stubborn being of my existence.” I brushed my lips against her forehead, my arms sliding beneath her shoulder blades and her knees. “You’re my reason, Evangeline. You know that, right?”
She nodded against my shoulder as I lifted her from the ground, her breaths shudders of pain.
“I have you, darling.” I kissed her hair, pausing to hold her tight. “You can hide with me. No one will know. I vow it.”
Another nod followed by a sniffle that sent an arrow through my chest.
With a powerful thrust of my wings, I pulled us into the night, my dark feathers blending our bodies into the sky. Gunfire and shouts rent the air, fire glistening in the distance.
A day in Heaven was over three centuries in Hell.
What the fuck had happened down there?
Was Earth caught in the middle?
I flew us toward the mountains, away from the turbulence behind us, and landed near a cave with views of the horizon. Evangeline remained still, but her alert gaze confirmed she was very much awake.
“Trudy and Ashmedai stopped by just yesterday with a warning that this might happen. There’s been some shifting of power in Hell, something that’s been coming for a while.” That was why Ashmedai had stopped looking for Kalida; her disappearance paled in comparison to the disturbance on his plane. “The underworld realms have more or less moved.”
“How?” she asked, her voice a hoarse whisper.
“We don’t know, but we believe it’s a result of Archdemons acquiring certain influential entities.” Such as Ashmedai capturing Trudy. “They’ve disturbed the balance by bringing beings of Heaven into Hell.” I set her on the ground and propped her up against the cavern wall.
The battle in the distance hardly reached our ears, but the sensations of it rolled over me, calling to my soul to intervene.
“Go.” A slight command underlined that word, despite its raspy quality.
I smiled. “I can’t leave you, darling.”
She narrowed her gorgeous blue eyes. “Now.”
A chuckle escaped me despite our circumstances. “Even half-alive, you’re still trying to order me about. That’s adorable considering it rarely works when you’re at your best.”
Evangeline was full-blown glowering now. “Xai.”
The chastisement only amused me more. “Your mother told me to let them handle it, and I promised not to intervene until you were healed. I also told her you would never allow it. Seems I was right.”
“Go,” she repeated, and it sounded mysteriously like a growl.
I crouched down to meet her gaze straight on. “Promise me you won’t try to leave this cave until I come back.”
She snorted—or attempted to, anyway. “No wings.”
Yes, I’d noticed that. Odd that she woke without her feathers. An indication that her body still required healing. “Promise me you’ll stay here.” Because I knew the lack of wings wouldn’t stop her from trying. “I can’t go out there while worrying about you, Evangeline.” I caught her chin, forcing her to hold my gaze. “You are my weakness.” She always had been, always would be.
> She swallowed, her gaze misting. And finally nodded. “Promise.”
“Good.” I kissed her far too briefly and stood. “I’m only doing this for you, love.”
Another partial snort. “Liar.”
The edges of my lips twitched as I glanced back at her. “I never lie.” I was only doing this for her, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t enjoy it too. “You better be here when I return, Evangeline.” I let the or else threat linger between us before stepping backward off the ledge and taking flight.
Time to play.
10
Bloody Good Times Hosted by Xai
A Cyclops in Heaven.
That sounded like the brunt of a bad joke, but no one laughed as the giant, single-eyed beast stumbled through one of the three open portals. Direct links to Hell. That never happened and explained the odd explosions. Whoever had created these possessed a fucking death wish, one I intended to deliver when I found the culprit.
“Up!” my father shouted, pointing to a horde of winged demons taking to the sky.
Vultures.
I didn’t even know they could exist outside of the underworld. They were much larger than their Earth equivalents, with wings as long as my own, humanoid bodies, and evil beaks that shot paralyzing venom at their prey.
Evangeline hated Slithers.
I hated Vultures.
Of course my father would task me with these assholes.
I grabbed a silver-tipped spear and a sword from the armory and took to the sky. Seven total, all cawing in their creepy language at one another.
The only positive? They flew in a flock, giving me a single target.
I eyed their flight pattern and lined up my spear. At least they were predictable demons.
My spear shot through the sky with a precision that would have made Evangeline proud. Angry squawks littered the air as three of the Vultures met their fate, turning to ash midflight.
Their brethren turned on me, black ooze spitting from their beaks.
A shield would have been a good idea.
Next time.
My wings collapsed, sending me into a downward spiral as I avoided their venomous muck. A blade was far more elegant of a weapon. Mine glistened in the moonlight, the silver dying for some demon action.
Tucking and rolling to the side, I sprinted up behind the slowest of the Vultures and lopped off his head with a single swipe. His buddy—who turned at the wrong moment—was next.
Two left.
And they were furious.
More of that inky substance flew from their mouths, forcing me into another nosedive, this one coming far too close to one of the higher city buildings. I really hoped no one was on their balcony watching, because they’d get hit with a glob of Vulture poison.
The two demons stupidly followed me, just as before, allowing me to sail up behind them as I did their brothers. “Seriously, this wasn’t even fun.” I took them both out with two clean swipes of my sword and sighed. “So much for that party.”
You’re not missing much, I told Evangeline, uncertain if she could even hear me. From what Ashmedai said, our ability to communicate telepathically was rare and not a connection he’d ever seen. He hypothesized that it was our souls’ way of reaching out to one another in moments of dire need. By that theory, Evangeline must have been close to death more than once at the hands of Kalida, thus creating our telepathic bond. A thought that had pissed me off on several occasions and only spurred me on more to find her.
Kalida would die.
Horribly.
But first, I had a few portals to see to.
I landed beside my father, his ancient chants music to my ears. An Archdemon—Bael—stood just inside the portal, his words rivaling those on our side, his silver-blue irises shining with foreign energy. A familiar woman with dark skin was beside him, her eyes closed as she helped him seal the portal from inside Hell’s realm.
Johanna.
What was happening in this world? A member of the Divinity working with an Archdemon?
A low hiss had my sword reacting on instinct, slicing unerringly into a Guardian demon’s heart. He collapsed into embers that I kicked away with my foot. Somehow he’d gotten through the ring of angels all protecting my father as he performed one of our oldest rituals—The Sealing of Worlds.
I stood at his back, ready to take on anyone else who dared try to interfere, but it was moot. My brethren had it handled, and from the excitement in their gazes, they were enjoying the fight.
Raphaela’s words about letting the others in on the fun came back to me. Was that how they saw this? Something entertaining after an eternity of peace? Maybe they should visit Earth more often. The humans fell into wars once a century, it seemed.
A sizzling pop sent a shiver down my spine as the portal closed. The sparks in the distance confirmed the other two had shut as well. And around us was a sea of ash as the last of the demons wilted and died without their primary energy source.
Only Archdemons could stand in Heaven.
The others, even Demonic Lords, were too weak.
My father sagged, his knees giving out from the loss of strength. I caught him before he face-planted, my hands on his shoulders, holding him upright while granting him a moment to recover. He nodded his thanks, his eyes solid black from the energy exchange, his lips purple.
I possessed the same ability, knew what it required of my body to engage. It would take my father at least a night to recover, if not longer.
“Eve?” he asked, an unexpected touch of concern in his voice.
“She’s fine,” I replied, sensing her presence through our bonded souls. “Resting.”
His throat worked. “That’s just the beginning.”
“How was that even possible?” I asked, gesturing with my chin toward the destroyed portal. Several angels stood around us, their expressions filled with curiosity as well.
“I don’t know.” He combed his fingers through his hair, expelling a breath. “It defies the balance.”
Yes, speaking of balance… “Why was Johanna with Bael?”
My father merely shook his head. “Everything is changing.” He sounded more exhausted than ever, as if his own power was falling by the wayside.
I helped him to his feet and frowned at his dragging wings. So unlike him.
“I need to rest,” he replied softly. “We’ll reconvene in the morning.”
He didn’t fly as he normally would; rather, he walked—slowly—through the circle and toward my waiting mother, just beyond the crowd. Concern etched her brow as she opened her arms to him, her ancient eyes meeting mine for a long moment.
Unspoken words passed between us.
Understanding.
A future she always knew would befall me.
She approved.
All broken bits of conversation that she somehow telegraphed into my mind before using her wings to lift herself and my father to take them home. She’d been waiting the whole time for him, knowing he would fall.
My mother, the Archangel of Destiny, always so oracular in her ways.
I shook my head, realizing that all the angels in the courtyard were awaiting further instruction—from me, the Son of Chaos.
They think of me as a leader.
The thought struck me hard in the chest, a weight I never wanted or expected falling over my shoulders. All those millennia on Earth protecting humanity had been an exercise in strength and understanding. My parents’—no, my mother’s—way of preparing me for a prophesied future.
How do I know this?
Because I was also the Son of Fate.
I discarded the thought and focused on those around me. Enough insanity for one night. I had a mate to return to.
“We need more Sentries to stand guard overnight while the ancients heal.” Because if my father was that exhausted, so were the other Archangels. “I recommend shifts of three hours each because you all need your rest as well. Something big is coming, and we’re going to need
all our strength.” The words were mine but were spoken without my permission.
What was coming? And how did I know that?
I swallowed my confusion, not wanting the others to sense it, and forced my lips to twitch. “You all did well tonight. Good to see all that training has paid off.”
That earned me a few chuckles and shouts of content, then the shoulder slapping started, which quickly grated at my patience. After the sixth or seventh one, I took a casual step back and took off into the night without another word.
They could manage themselves.
Besides, I wasn’t their leader.
Not yet, anyway.
11
I’m Craving a Plate of Death with a Side of Revenge, Please
Okay, Evangeline, I told myself. You can do this. Baby steps. One foot in front of the other.
I’d spent the last hour trying to relearn how to walk without much success, but I was standing. While a reasonable start, I needed to do better.
Never had I felt so utterly broken. How long had I been unconscious? Days? Weeks? Months? It seemed like an inordinate amount of time had passed. Things felt different. Xai. Heaven. Me.
My back ached without my wings.
Where were they?
Why couldn’t I sense them?
A tear tickled the corner of my eye, causing me to growl low in my throat.
I hated this. Despised feeling inadequate. Incomplete.
Kalida will die.
If Xai had killed her for me—
My knees buckled, sending me to my ass. Again.
“Fuck!” I shouted into the cave’s abyss.
Frustration and horror trembled through my limbs, another treacherous tear leaking from my eye.
I wanted to beat someone and bawl at the same time. Kalida did this to me, had rendered me to this useless state.
“I will kill you,” I vowed, thankful for my mostly healed voice. It showed progress.