“Whatever it is,” Raphael paused as he glanced up from an old journal, “it must suit his purpose. I imagine it’ll draw on Kass’s emotions, make her feel for him. That is what he wants.”
“I don’t like it.”
“Neither do I, but we do not have a choice in the matter. Because of what we are, we must follow his commands.” Raphael sighed, returning to his journal, flipping the page and rubbing his brow.
I gritted my teeth. “I thought he told you not to research the spell?”
He shook his head. “His specific words were: do not tell Kass anything.” He grinned somewhat, adding, “He said nothing about not researching.”
“What good is research when you can’t tell her your findings?” I ran a hand through my hair, wondering when the last time I showered was. It’s been a while, that I could tell. “What’s the point?”
Raphael stood, moving beside me, looking around us to make sure they were still gone. Couldn’t be too careful when the Prince of Darkness was involved. “There is a…loophole in his command. I cannot tell her, but you can.”
That was definitely something I could do.
It might cost me an eternity of Hell, but if it meant bringing Kass back to a world, a good world, a world which didn’t end, I didn’t care. Plus, I’d do anything to keep her out of his clutches. His intentions weren’t good. The Devil’s never were.
“And I think I might have found exactly how to reverse the spell,” Raphael continued, drawing my attention. “Each Sorcerer has a staff that is unique to it.” He pointed in the journal in his hands. “The only way to reverse any spell that a Sorcerer casts is to have the Sorcerer reverse it.”
“Great” I whispered, holding a hand to my face. That didn’t sound good.
“Before you get totally down in the dumps—”
I groaned, for hearing him say something like that nearly made my ears bleed.
“—this journal details a certain Sorcerer’s movements in the thirteenth century. It cast spells that forced entire villages to fall into an eternal slumber.” Raphael held up a finger as he said, “But, the owner of this journal was able to break every spell the Sorcerer cast by destroying its staff. All the villagers woke up simultaneously, and missing children returned to their parents, not having aged a day.”
“How are we supposed to find the Sorcerer?”
Raphael already had an answer planned for me, it seemed, for he carried on without delay, “We’ll need to focus on the staff. Since it’s an object, we can find it through a locator spell, use Kass, something its magic touched, to find it.” He closed the journal and tapped its binding, eyeing me wearily. “But to do that, we’ll need a Witch.”
I groaned, knowing where this was going. “Don’t tell me.”
“We’ll need to go to Haven.”
I was off the pew instantly, repeated more vehemently, “I said don’t tell me.”
“The only Witch who’s powerful enough to search the entire globe with a spell,” Raphael said, ignoring my antics, “the only Witch who we know is still alive.”
“What makes you think she’ll help us? You and her didn’t part on good terms, last I checked,” I reminded him, crossing my arms.
Raphael’s stare fell to the floor, undoubtedly reliving his moments with the girl the King nicknamed the Prophet. Of course, I knew her by her other, human name, and she wasn’t a girl anymore. Time had caught up to her.
“I am hoping that she can forgive me enough to help us,” he spoke softly, eventually lifting his light eyes to me. “If she sees Kassandra, she’ll know that we have to return her to her world.”
“You really think she’ll let us in Haven? No, scratch that. Do you really think Gabriel will allow this journey? Do you think he’ll help us willingly? He won’t let Kass step a foot in Haven. He won’t let her go.”
“Perhaps he will have a change of heart.”
I chuckled, walking away from him, the urge to hunt not for food, but for sport, in my veins. “The Devil doesn’t change.”
“John, there is something other than the Devil inside of him.”
At that, I held in a laugh. The Devil didn’t change his feathers. The Prince of Darkness was always that: the Prince of Darkness. Evil, deceiving, prideful. He would not let Kass go, not this time.
That I was sure of.
Chapter Eighteen – The Prince
For the first time, I realized that what she said was true. Not about the nonsense of Heaven being here or in our pasts, that was wishful thinking on her part. But that she wasn’t a copy of the Kass I once knew. I didn’t believe the Kass I lost would’ve said anything close to what she did. I couldn’t recall the same saunter in her walk that this one had.
They were not the same.
That did not stop me from wanting to make her mine, though. In fact, for reasons unknown to me, it made me want her more.
She was changing on the other side of the room. My back was to her, but my unmatched vision could see her reflection perfectly in the windowpane. Her strong, defined shoulders, the small curve of her back. I exhaled soundlessly as I watched her take off her jeans. I couldn’t help but focus on her backside as she slipped out of her underwear.
I always did love that butt.
And those legs…those powerful, lean legs. I never got a chance to wrap those legs around me. I was too scared to tell her the truth, and by the time I was ready, she was stolen from my side by a creature I should’ve stopped. By a Daywalker I should’ve purified.
Once she had a new pair of jeans on, I moved to the door noiselessly, leaving her to put on her combat boots alone, though I was only going to the room across the hall. When I stepped foot in my bedroom for the first time, it felt strange. Like I lived another life here. In reality, that much was true.
I wasn’t fully self-aware of what I was, then.
I went to the dresser and opened the top drawer, full of boxers covered in colorful characters and the names of television shows the old me adored. What stupid things to obsess over.
Digging through the pile of boxers, I found the object I was searching for, carefully pulling it out and rubbing the oblong box. I sat on the bed, sighing to myself in the dark room. The window curtains were open, letting a small amount of moonlight in the room. I could see perfectly in the darkness, since it was my home, but I knew Kass couldn’t.
I heard her say “Where’d you go?” in the other room.
“In here,” I stated, waiting.
Soon she was standing in the doorway, looking as good as ever. “What are you doing?” she asked, smiling slightly.
I wished I could smile back at her, tell her that everything was all right, but it wasn’t. I wasn’t all right. I was the Devil, after all.
I merely patted the bed beside me, wordlessly beckoning her to come closer.
Kass was next to me, showing no signs of hesitation. She had no idea just who she sat next to. “What is it?” she questioned, finally seeing the box in my hands, on my lap. The small smile that graced her face faded, as if she knew what I held, what it meant.
“I never had the chance to…” My voice trailed off, and I traced the edges of the box. “…to give this to you.”
“Gabriel,” her voice was soft, quiet, like velvet on my ears.
“Please,” I whisper, “humor me.” I handed her the box.
Kass, after a minute of staring down at the grey box, eventually opened it. “Oh” was all she managed to say.
That was not what I hoped she would say.
She carefully picked the necklace up, gently touching the diamond-studded wing. Something crossed her face that I couldn’t describe, and she whispered, “It’s beautiful.”
Setting the box aside, I spoke calmly, “I know you have one in your world, but I
thought—”
Kass shook her head once, bringing her soulful gaze to me as she quickly said, “Actually…I don’t. I have something different.” Her genuine smile resurfaced. “I guess no
t everything is the same between our two worlds.”
“That much,” I said, “is clear.”
“Put it on me.” Her serious expression disappeared instantly, and she gave me the necklace, turning her top half and lifting her hair. “Well?” Kass inquired when I made no moves to do so. “What are you waiting for, the end of the world?” She smirked at herself.
I said nothing as I unhooked the clasp and brought it around her neck. For such a strong girl, with all her strength and prowess, her neck was awfully tiny. When the clasp was re-hooked, my one hand went to touch the angel’s wing as my other traced her spine. Her posture stiffened with my touch, and she was slow to let down her hair.
Kass turned her head toward me, trying to make a joke, to say anything to lighten the current mood of the room. But when she opened her mouth, nothing came out.
The fingers rubbing along the wing moved to her bare skin, drawing down, between her breasts and lightly touching her abdomen. I wanted to never stop touching her. I thought my Kass was perfect, but she was even more so, if it was possible.
“Gabriel,” she finally whispered, “what are you…” Her voice disappeared when I cupped the side of her face.
I had to have her. Being with her, remembering the days before the awakening—how could I not?
Our lips just started to brush against each other when she quickly turned her head, saying, “Gabriel, I can’t.” Pulling away from me, Kass stood and started toward the open door. “I just…can’t.”
I couldn’t let her get away.
I was at her side in the blink of an eye, closing the door in front of her before she could get out. Kass tried the knob, but my arm was locked above her. She was strong, yes, but my strength was infinite.
“Gabriel, let go of the door,” Kass whispered.
“No.”
“No?” she echoed, turning to face me. “What do you mean, no?” Kass slapped my chest, doing more damage to her wrist than to me. “Stop being a jerk and let me storm out.”
The hand holding the door closed clenched, and I hung my head low. “You have no idea.” My tone came out as dejected as ever. I sunk to my knees, still holding the door, but now a few inches below her eye-level. “You have no idea what it was like, losing you.” My free hand gently touched her hip as I muttered bitterly, “To have everything you’ve ever known taken. Watching you…” I closed my eyes, burying my face in the crook of her neck, stunning her with the action. “It was like watching a part of me die. I lost everything when I lost you.”
Kass sluggishly hugged me back, despite my antics. “I’m sorry you had to go through all that.” She swallowed. “But you can’t just go around trying to, uh, kiss me. That’s going to make going back to my world a little complicated for me, you know? My Gabriel never…wait, no, that’s a lie. He did kiss me, once. But I was unconscious.”
I knew if I let her continue, she’d babble until tomorrow, so I did what I so desperately wanted to do.
I kissed her.
And it was marvelous.
Chapter Nineteen – Kass
Whatever else I was about to say was silenced. Why? The blonde man was kissing me. He was on his knees, kissing me. I was taken by surprise, so all I did was back myself into the door. Gabriel didn’t let my shock interrupt the kiss. His hands remained on my waist, holding me against him with a grip I knew from experience was not one I could escape easily.
Although…a part of me didn’t want to escape him, to run away from this particular kiss.
His lips were softer than I expected.
It was beyond weird kissing Gabriel…but this wasn’t my Gabriel. He was older, sadder, and more mature…how could I deny that? How could I not want to kiss him at least a little bit?
Okay, a lot.
Regardless of my attraction to him, of how good it felt to kiss him, I knew it was going to make going back home to my Gabriel unbelievably awkward. The moment I saw him, I’d think of this kiss, and Gabriel would read my mind and see it. I’d never live it down.
Fearing the long-term results of this kiss, I turned my head, breaking our lip lock. It was obvious he was as worked up as I was. His breathing was hard, hot on my cheek. He made no moves to let me go, either.
“Okay,” I found my voice. Meeting his close gaze, I shook off the lingering feeling that I wanted to kiss him more. “You got that one.” I lightly slapped his cheek. “That’s all you get.” Coughing awkwardly, I added, “Let’s get back to the church.”
Gabriel, after what felt like hours of staring into my eyes, or at my lips, finally decided to let me go and stand on his own two feet, once more towering over me at his near giant-like height.
As I turned to open the door and leave the room, I pretended not to notice the tiny hints of a smile that appeared on his lips.
The idiot.
There was a bit of my Gabriel in him, apparently.
We had no conversations as we headed back to the church. He hid his smugness behind a dour, serious expression, and I hid my guilt over enjoying the kiss with a slight frown. Was I a terrible person for liking it? That question rang through my head over and over. It was something I’d have to sleep on, I thought.
It’d take a while to even get used to the fact that I kissed Gabriel while conscious.
Soon I saw the familiar church doors. I stormed through the doors, immediately laying eyes on John, who busily approached me. I opened my mouth to say something, but the Daywalker beat me to it.
“We found a way,” John quickly said, Raphael appearing behind him, glancing nervously at Gabriel.
Why were they both watching for Gabriel’s reaction and not mine?
“That’s…great.” I paused to look at Gabriel. He didn’t seem too happy with the news. Too bad for him. This wasn’t my world. I had to get back to my own, sometimes annoying and always inappropriate Gabriel. This one I couldn’t handle. “Isn’t it?” I asked Gabriel, waiting for him to answer.
“Yes,” he muttered, although he didn’t seem too thrilled about it.
I went to Raphael, slapping him on the back. “I knew you’d come through. What’d you find?”
John was the one who replied, which was odd, but I didn’t care about who told me. I only cared about what they told me. “If we find the staff and destroy it, it’ll reverse the spell.”
My hope for getting home dwindled somewhat when I realized something. “How are we supposed to find the staff? Are we going on a scouting expedition, through the whole world?”
“We need a Witch’s help,” John added.
“A Witch,” I repeated, placing my hands on my hips. Where were we going to find a Witch? Preferably close by, and one that would help us? I wasn’t too sure, but I was reasonably certain that most people in this town were dead, along with most people in the rest of the world. Where did that leave Witches?
I glanced to Raphael. “Do you have a Witch in mind?”
He could barely nod.
“Great. Who?”
Raphael was silent, very unlike him.
“She goes by the Prophet now,” John was the one who found his voice first. “But I think you know her by her other name.” His dark eyes were full of emotion as he finished, “Alyssa.”
The name didn’t surprise me. Not really. “Let’s go find your sister, then.” I spun and headed toward the door, but Gabriel made no moves to get out of my way. In fact, he remained in my way on purpose, sidestepping each time I did.
“It’s not as simple as it sounds,” Gabriel spoke, sounding grave. “The Witch has some bad history with Raphael. I doubt she’d let us through the barrier to Haven.”
“Hold on. Haven? Is there some city where survivors are? And bad history with Raphael?” I looked to the man I was so accustomed to seeing in his priest’s uniform. “How did that happen?”
Raphael rubbed his arm. “We may have…gotten together a few years after you…died. It was destined to go nowhere. We did not part on what you would call good terms.”
I honestly could not believe what he was telling me. Raphael and Alyssa, in a relationship? That was…mind-blowing, and not in a good way. I couldn’t picture them together, I couldn’t picture them holding hands and going on dates, though, after the end of the world, I supposed dates wouldn’t be exactly what they were before.
“Well, I’m sure if we explain the situation to her, she’ll help us.” As I said it, even I wasn’t sure if it was true. We’d find out eventually. “How far is it? I don’t suppose there’s a car, fueled and ready to go, that we can take?”
“No. We’ll have to go by foot. It’ll take some time.” John gripped his bow, meeting brooding gazes with Gabriel. “We run the risk of the King sending some of his minions, though.”
I saw how Gabriel’s veins popped in his forehead and neck. He wasn’t happy. He uttered, “We won’t have to worry about the King.”
Brows creasing, I took a step back. “Wait. The King? Who’s the King?”
Everyone gave me look that said I was insane.
Was I supposed to know who that was?
Chapter Twenty – The King
My legs were crossed as I sat on a cushioned chair, a long table before me. One of the Human blood bags laid on the table, his wrist cut and his blood oozing into a coffee mug. He wore nothing but rags and drained himself with a smile. Such was the miracle of compulsion. It was something I was remarkably good at.
The past few days had gone by in a blur. I knew I felt something different, something magnetic, something I hadn’t felt since that day. Since…
As I took a long sip from the mug, my lover walked in the room, wearing a thin, golden mask across her cheekbones and nose. There was pep in her step, and she smiled, before me in an instant, kissing me and licking the remnants of the bloody sip from my lips.
She frowned. “Him again?” Her mood fell as she glanced to the man on the table. “I’m so bored with him.” In a Vampiric flash, she knelt above the human, baring her sharp teeth. Front teeth nearly an inch long, dripping venom. “May I?” she asked, quite innocently.
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