I glanced through my tears at my friends standing at my side. Ready. Outnumbering the Dukes.
“The Maker turned his back on us!” Sonellion shouted. “I will not run back to Him with my tail between my legs!”
“He’s right,” said Shax. “Besides, we can take earth and heaven on our own.”
Pharzuph looked on the verge of panic. “We can’t let the prophecy be fulfilled.”
“Then she has to die,” said Kobal, Duke of Gluttony. “Now.”
“No!” said Alocer, coming to stand in front of me. “You’ll have to pass through me first.”
“Be reasonable, Alocer,” Astaroth argued. “Do you want to spend eternity with angels looking down their noses at you?”
Jezebet stepped to Alocer’s side. “We’ll be treated fairly if we return; we all know it.”
“That’s your damned female hormones talking, Jez.” Sonellion grabbed his crotch. “Grow some balls again.”
She gave him a venomous look. “I have more clarity about the world in this body than I ever had with a set of balls.”
He snarled at her, and Dad piped up.
“Enough. We were a bunch of idiots to think we could overthrow Him back then,” he said. “And y’all are worse fools to think there’s a chance of doing it in the future.”
“Do not listen to these traitors!” Rahab shouted.
Pandemonium ensued. Lines were drawn and sides were taken. My eyes darted around, waiting for someone to pull the first weapon. Suit jackets and ties were flung to the ground. Only three of the ten remaining Dukes, including my father, stood to protect me.
“Work to disarm them,” Dad yelled over his shoulder at the Neph.
Sonellion let out a snarling war cry and ran at Alocer. Behind him I saw Pharzuph and others reaching for their guns and heard shots fired as our Neph allies surged forward. I couldn’t keep track of who went which direction.
Kaidan and my father didn’t leave my side. Another shot was fired and Jezebet, who’d been right in front of me, screamed and grabbed her arm, shooting a murderous glare at Kobal just before he was tackled to the ground by Kopano.
I slashed and stabbed at every spirit that came near us. Everything was happening so fast, and the room was loud with shouts and cries. In my head, I ran through the description of the armor of God. What was left? There had to be a catalyst to send the fallen angels to their permanent places, but what? Of all my weapons, I only saw two of them as actions: faith and prayer. My faith had been put to the test. So that left prayer. Was that all I had to do? Just ask? It felt too simple, and as I’d learned many times over, I didn’t always get what I wanted. But it was the only thing in my arsenal I had left.
One by one the Neph were taking the Dukes down, getting slashed and shot at as they fought, disarming them and holding them captive. Another round of gunfire rang out, and I heard Zania scream.
Kopano lay on his back, Zania pressing her hands against the hole in his chest, which was bright red.
“No!” I screamed. I started to run to him, but Kaidan pulled me back.
“You can’t enter the fighting,” he said.
Kope was lying right in the midst of the chaos.
Like a raging bull, Sonellion charged through the crowd, heading straight for me. I took a lunging stance and prepared myself. Dad and Blake came at him from both sides when he was three feet away. They knocked his legs out from under him, and I stabbed the sword down through his chest. A dark fizzle rose from the wound, and his chest puffed as his soul was extinguished.
I stood again and looked toward Kopano. With a sinking feeling I acknowledged that he wasn’t breathing. Alocer pushed his way past people and dropped to the floor next to his son, across from Zania.
Alocer was shaking his head. “It’s not his time.” And then he surprised us all. Half of the room stopped fighting to watch as Alocer’s spirit left his body. Immediately his former body heaved in on itself, as if having a heart attack, and fell over, lifeless. Alocer’s dark spirit hovered above Kopano’s body, and then slowly settled himself downward, entering his son’s skin.
Kopano was being possessed.
I held my breath. Zania was holding Kope’s head, murmuring in Arabic. The possession caused his frame to jolt, but his soul didn’t fight it—a sign of how far gone he was. And then Kope’s chest rose with a sharp intake of breath.
Zania gasped and said, “He’s healing!”
I let out a relieved laugh of joy, still holding the sword at the ready.
As Kope healed, his body began to jolt and thrash. His soul was fighting Alocer’s soul. Before it could get too bad, Alocer pulled himself from his son’s body and watched the scene from above. He’d saved him.
Several screams sounded from the other end of the room, and I looked to see Caterina clawing at Ginger while Marna tried to restrain the girl. She was like a wild animal, but the twins were able to get her down with the help of an older Neph woman who grabbed Caterina by the feet and held tight. When Caterina let out a screech and bit Marna’s hand, Ginger punched her in the face, and the girl went limp.
The fighting grew and I couldn’t believe the violence surrounding me. The blood. The screams. Weapons were being taken and tossed. Dukes, who weren’t accustomed to losing, were going berserk as more and more of them and the opposing Nephilim were being detained.
“It’s time,” I whispered.
“Yes,” Kaidan said. “Do what you have to do.”
He pressed me back against the wall and blocked me as fighting continued in front of us.
I concentrated on the sword, unwilling to close my eyes with all the surrounding chaos. I began my prayer out loud for all to hear.
“Father”—my voice trembled with emotion—“let your will be done—”
Pharzuph charged for me, a complete madman with glowing red eyes and gelled hair flying out of place. Kaidan’s knife arm went up, but before he could release, my father took Pharzuph down to the ground, crushing his windpipe and holding him there. Kaidan went to one knee next to them.
“It’s too late, Father. This is your opportunity to make amends. Please consider it.”
“I will not grovel at His feet!” Pharzuph choked out.
My heart hurt to see Kaidan’s hope for his father, which was sure to be shattered.
Kaidan looked up at me, pained but resolute, and nodded for me to continue.
“I pray forgiveness for the souls who once betrayed you and have reconciled. Return them to their rightful home, and let those spirits who still harbor hatred be returned to hell—”
The room filled with terrifying shrieks that made me flinch down into a crouch and hold the blade higher. An overpowering warmth and lightness spread over me. The room, which had been so dark, was brightening.
“It’s working!” Kaidan said. “Keep going!”
Kobal broke from the mob and rushed toward me with his teeth bared in fury. Blake and Kopano grabbed him, and Marek stood over him with a gun pointed to his face.
I prayed louder now, and as the words left my mouth I felt a sense of . . . magic. I didn’t know how else to explain it—as if I’d called upon something ancient and mystifying. There was going to be a reckoning here tonight, both sweet and terrible.
My voice shook with emotion as I spoke loudly. “Please, banish all the demons from earth!”
And then something else began shaking. The ground.
At the very last second, I knew there was one more element essential to my task—one more prayerful request that had nothing to do with the prophecy. I spoke faster as the earth rumbled ominously.
“I ask with all my heart that the demon stains be washed from the souls of all Nephilim, both here on earth, and those who came before us. Please allow us a chance at redemption.”
A furious gurgle came from the earth, and the room tilted, throwing us all off our feet. The sword flew from my hand, immediately extinguishing its glowing blade. It rolled and bounced into a giant crack in the f
loor, where the earth was opening. Leather chairs and tables were thrown around the room. The dark-winged angels were torn unwillingly from their places in the air, and from their human bodies, shrieking and flailing, being spiraled downward into the gaping hole. We watched as Pharzuph’s soul was pulled by invisible arms out of his handsome young body and sucked down with the others. Kaidan stared at the hole where his father disappeared.
An army of heaven’s angels flew in from all sides now, beautiful and magnificent, and the remaining dark angels moved, making space. A huge white cloud of vapor descended on the bright room, causing us to shield our eyes. Peace, whole and beautiful, settled over me, and the purest kind of love filled my heart.
It is well, I heard whispered in my ear as I crouched on the tilted floor.
I turned to my father next to me. He motioned toward the other dark souls as they transformed from black to gray to gleaming snow, ascending lightly above us. My dad and I looked one last time at each other.
“You did good, baby girl.” It was time for him to go. I squeezed him around the neck. He gave me a grateful smile as he let me go, and then his spirit rose from the body of Big Rotty. His shining soul flew above me, wings flapping.
“Good-bye,” I whispered to him. But I couldn’t be too sad, because I knew I’d see him again, and he was going to be with Mariantha. All the things that were so crazy on earth would shed away and cease to matter.
The angel army led the way up, and the newly brightened souls followed, rising through the ceiling to their long-lost home. Kaidan grabbed me in a tight hug. As we looked at each other, I felt a strange tug within me.
From our chests, where our badges appeared, dark smoke was expelled, dissipating into the air. We gasped to see each other’s badges change to bursts of white.
And then a rushing of air made us turn to the opening in the earth. Souls of redeemed fallen angels and Nephilim from the underworld were flying upward by the thousands. We watched their ascent with pure amazement.
The building gave an ominous creak all around us, followed by a vicious quaking. Dust and dirt billowed up throughout the room.
“We have to get out of here!” Kaidan yelled.
Surrounding Neph grabbed hands and pulled one another up. We all ran as fast as we could, hurdling bodies on the ground, jumping over furniture and mounds of uprooted earth. Zania fell as the tremors under us increased, but Kaidan and Kopano pulled her up, and we ran to the back alley stairway, where we pushed through the heavy metal doors and sprinted upward, out into the Nevada summer night.
UNCORRECTED E-PROOF—NOT FOR SALE
HarperCollins Publishers
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CHAPTER THIRTY
NEW LIFE
In the aftermath of Las Vegas’s worst earthquake in recent history, humanity showed its best. The streets were crowded with people. In the midst of the mayhem, complete strangers were helping and comforting one another. Miraculously, only thirteen people were killed in the quake—an eclectic group from around the world, eleven men and two women, all in the Lunar Room of the Galaxy Nightclub, which sat directly above the fault line. Rumors flew about the scandal of Big Rotty and his “faked death” followed by his real one.
No part of the club was salvageable. Hundreds were injured, and there’d been minor structural damage to surrounding buildings, but otherwise the news called it a modern miracle.
When Galaxy’s owner was interviewed, he said, “We cleared out the club as soon as the earthquake began, but the Lunar Room was locked. We banged and banged, but nobody would answer, and we had to get out of there.”
Reportedly, shots had been fired in the Lunar Room just before the quake began, but that was all speculation.
Kaidan never let go of my hand as we fled the nightclub as quickly as possible, pressing through the crowded streets of dusty chaos and back to the enormous lobby of The Venetian, where people talked animatedly about where they had been during the quake. Lights from rescue squads flashed across the room through the glass doors.
He pulled me into a corner against the wall, where we were partially hidden by an ATM machine. Kaidan grasped my face and I held his waist. All we could do was stare at each other.
“We made it,” he whispered, sounding disbelieving.
The truth of those words exploded inside me. It was over.
“We made it,” I said back. “We really did.”
He held my face, placing kisses across my skin—my nose, forehead, chin, and cheeks, then finally my lips. We were alive. I couldn’t believe it. When he wrapped his arms around me, a terrible, gaping loss gripped my heart, and it felt like I was cracking into pieces. “Patti . . .”
Kaidan held me tight as I broke down.
“I’m so sorry, luv,” he whispered. I felt him kiss my head as I clung to him, the memory of her death slicing through me.
Knowing she was at peace couldn’t stop me from hurting for the fear she must’ve felt when she was captured, and the pain she experienced at the hands of an evil soul. And the fact that I would no longer feel her hugs or listen to her supportive words here on earth. I’d miss her every day of my life.
And then I thought of something. . . .
I pulled back from Kaidan with a frantic feeling inside me.
“Where’s Jay?” I asked. How could I not have thought of him sooner?
I turned, searching the lobby until I saw our group of friends huddled close to the glass and looking out at the craziness in silence. Marna was on her phone. When we made eye contact, her arm shot into the air, waving me over, and she was smiling.
Pure, sweet relief rushed through me. He was okay.
I ran to Marna and we embraced.
“Where is he?”
“He’s actually here in Vegas. He didn’t know where we’d be, so he checked in at another hotel, but he’s on his way over.” She was beaming.
“How did he know to come here?” I asked. “What happened?”
“I texted him last night, but I don’t know what happened on his end. Anna . . .” Her eyes softened. “I’m so sorry about your mum.”
I swallowed back another bout of tears.
Marna took my hand and we went to the window, watching for Jay. Next to me, Kaidan wound his fingers through mine, and I looked up into his tired blue eyes. I wanted to be happy that we’d made it, and be joyous about our future, but first I needed to mourn.
I looked toward Ginger, also standing by the glass. Blake had his arm around her, holding her close, and she was wiping her eyes.
I went to her and put a hand on her shoulder. Ginger turned, and when she saw it was me, she wrapped her arms around me and we cried together. Every negative thing that had ever been between us slipped away at that moment. She hadn’t known Patti very long, but I knew Ginger saw what I saw—a loving woman who accepted us and believed in us.
“She was the closest thing to a mum I ever had,” Ginger said. “I know that sounds silly. I barely knew her.”
I let her go so I could see her face. “It doesn’t sound silly at all. Patti loved you right away.”
Ginger nodded. Her jaw trembled as she wiped her eyes again.
“Jay!”
We all turned toward Marna’s voice. She ran from the hotel, crashing into Jay on the sidewalk. He lifted her off her feet in a giant hug that went on forever.
“He really does love her,” Ginger whispered.
We all nodded and watched as Jay and Marna pulled apart, talking. His face fell and his demeanor changed, his aura turning dark blue, and I realized he was probably hearing about Patti. Again, my heart ached. I pressed a hand to my chest and wondered if the pain would always be with me.
As Jay and Marna made their way inside, he came straight to me and held me. I wanted to ask what had happened, but I didn’t want to talk about it out in the open. I was just so glad he was okay. We held tight for a long time.
“I’m so sorry, Anna,” he wh
ispered.
I couldn’t answer, and he seemed to understand.
Kopano and Zania joined us. Kope’s shirt had a bloody hole in the middle, a sight that made me shiver as I remembered how we’d almost lost him. Looking around, I saw that everyone was a little worse for wear, bloodied and scraped, with torn clothing but, thankfully, no lasting injuries.
Kaidan and Kope gave each other a man hug, then Blake and Jay, too.
Jay pointed at Kopano’s shirt, his eyes huge. “Dude!”
“Yeah, how you feeling, mate?” Kaidan asked.
Kope rubbed his chest. “It’s tender and feels strange, but I am okay. It looks bad. . . . I need to change this shirt.”
The way Zania watched him was endearing.
“Let’s all go back to the room,” Kaidan suggested, and we all agreed.
As we made our way through the lobby, we stopped to thank other Nephilim who’d fought with us. It was weird to see everyone’s badges turned white. I met Kopano’s brothers and gave them hugs.
I found Marek watching out the window with his hands in his pockets, and I punched him in the arm. He turned, surprised when he saw me standing there with my hands on my hips.
“You scared me!”
Marek laughed. “I was working for your papa!”
Dad had been there all along, playing a hand in the events.
I smiled and put a hand on my hip. “Well, did you have to be such a good actor?”
“My plan was to tell you when we met, but that did not work out.” His eyes lifted to someone behind me and he leaned closer to my ear. “So, you and the son of Pharzuph, eh? Good choice.” He gave his eyebrows a playful lift.
“Um, thanks. . . .” I glanced over my shoulder at Kai, who turned away from us with an amused smile. Yeah, it was too bad Kaidan didn’t have a twin brother to appease the masses, because I wasn’t sharing my man.
“You have my admiration in more ways than one, Daughter of Belial. Enjoy your life with that gorgeous husband. You deserve it.” He winked.
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