MIDNIGHT DIVINE (The Helio Trilogy Book 1)

by Valerie Roeseler

  Jack wrenches me to him with ferocious passion, and his mouth crushes mine. Love, regret, sadness. His lips are soft warm honey, taking my legs out from beneath me. He doesn't let me fall. He claims my mouth, my heart, my mind, and my body all over again with a single kiss. I'm overcome with his emotions as they mix with my own confusion and doubt. Jack's mouth leaves my lips pulsing and tender as he withdraws. His beautiful and irritating shit-eating grin plasters across his face. I'm stunned silent and feel faint. I can't seem to form a single word on my lips.

  If I had any doubt whether he was real, his deep, soothing, velvety voice assures me, “Fancy meeting you here, Sunshine.”

  I croak, “Jack?” He nods, and I jump into his arms, wrapping my arms and legs around him tight. I'm engulfed in his embrace. Choking on the tears running down my cheeks, I chuckle at the situation. “How are you here?” I ask without loosening my grip on him.

  “Michael,” he whispers.

  “I’ve missed you so much, Jack,” I cry.

  “I’ve missed you too, Sunshine.”

  Reluctantly, I peel myself back to see his face. It’s really you. I kiss him again. His soft lips press tight against my own, our tongues caress each other, and the familiar tingle of his touch calms my rapid beating heart. Realization hits me hard, and I retract my mouth from his. After setting me down on my feet, Jack takes my face in his hands. “Jack, I—”

  “—I know, Sunshine,” he says as he stokes a tear from my cheek with his leather-gloved thumb.

  “You do?”

  He nods, and a grim expression passes over his countenance. “Michael told me about Solas.”

  I avert my eyes to the ground while he continues to hold my face in his hands. “I’m so sorry, Jack.”

  “Shh,” he hushes and kisses my forehead before embracing me again. “Let’s not talk about it right now. I know my return's a shock—and I should have waited. I just couldn't help myself when I saw you—but you’ve got a show to do, and we have a Prince of Darkness to defeat.”

  With a shuddering breath, I agree with him, “Ok.” I don’t know how much more I'll be able to handle at this point.

  gh

  Entering stage right, I lift the strap of my black electric Ibanez over my head. The DJ fills the dead space between sets with the scratch of his records. I busy myself on stage with the girls, plugging in and getting ready for his remix to end. Alice leans into my ear, “You ok?” I nod in silence and kick the pedals at my feet on. “I didn’t know he was here until right before you guys came in the dressing room. That’s why Eric and I were arguing. I would have told you if I'd known.”

  “I know, A,” I glance at her with a forgiving smile. “Let’s forget about it for now. We’ve got shit to do tonight.”

  She nods and takes center stage. The DJ’s music begins to die down and Alice puts the mic to her lips. Lifting her free arm in the air, she wails into the mic, “What’s up, Red Meadow!” The crowd cheers. “We're The Red, and we’re gonna rock your asses off tonight!” Even louder cheers resound around the massive domed colosseum.

  I watch Alice kick off a beat with the bob of her head. Becky, Regan, and I start in after the fourth nod. I’m taken away from everything haunting my thoughts with the first hammer of my guitar, the rock of my body, and the music booming all around me, vibrating my entire being into a soothing high. In this moment, I'm a rock goddess. I'm not the spawn of the Angel of Death and the Queen of the Damned. I'm not responsible for killing a Duke of Sheol. I don’t have wings as black as a starless night sky. I don't have abilities unfathomable to the human population. I'm not in love with two angels, one of the Light and one of the Dark. I didn't watch the Angel of Light I love die in my arms. I didn't move on uncharacteristically with another. I didn't feel the betrayal of being lied to and finding out the Dark Angel I fell in love with actually used to be my best friend. I don't have the Prince of Sheol after me. I didn't just witness the Angel of Light that died in my arms come back to me. There's me, my guitar, the music, the sting of the steel strings beneath my fingertips, and the sweat dripping down my face and the back of my neck.

  As our last song kicks in, Alice bends over with the mic to her lips, letting out a guttural scream before standing back up to sing the first verse. A heavy weight lifts from my body. We jump and dance around the stage, letting all of our aggression out. The song ends in a wail, and the audience screams, chanting our names as Alice gives them thanks. We wave to the crowd as The Red exits the stage.

  Alice and I run back to our dressing room to change while Regan and Becky head for the bar. We told them we weren’t staying for the party and would see them later. We speed around in a blur, changing into our armor and head back out to the party. Alice keeps stride with me as we mentally prepare ourselves for what's to come. “Have you seen Lucian?” I inquire.

  “I haven’t, but Eric text me and said Thea saw him watching you on stage. He said to be ready.”

  “Where's Solas?”

  Alice stops in her tracks. I stop ahead of her and spin around. “He’s not coming, Ivy.”

  I take a step closer and quirk my eyebrows, “What do you mean ‘He’s not coming’?”

  She releases a heavy sigh. “Apparently, when Michael sent Jack back, he confronted Solas about… about being Gideon. Eric said Jack and Solas had a long drawn out conversation. When it was over, Solas demanded Jack take his place as your date to the Ball. There isn’t enough armor for them to both come.”

  I turn on my heels and march out into the crowd. Michael knew he would bring Jack back and decided not to say anything to me. He knew he would bring him back and only brought us seven sets of armor. I WILL be having a little chat with him. This is bullshit!

  Alice calls after me, “Ivy! Wait!”

  I spin on her swiftly, keeping my voice low, “No. This is bullshit. First of all, don’t call me by my name tonight. Second of all, we need him! I need him! He’s supposed to be here!” There's a pause of silence between us as Alice regards me with her violet doe eyes. “I’m done with this conversation right now. If Michael wants to leave me high and dry to fight Lucian on my own, so be it. Stay close. I’m going to find him before he figures out what we’re doing.”

  Turning my back to her again, I march away with rage boiling beneath my armor. I scan the crowd searching for Lucian’s tall, lithe figure. I expect him to be wearing a black fitted suit with a black dress shirt and a skinny black tie with a red jewel. The pulsing music reverberates around the stench of sweat from the crowd. Rainbows of lights flicker and dance over the mass of bodies in the colosseum, making it harder for me to find him.

  A familiar clinking of metal armor approaches behind me, accompanied by a magnetic tingle I know is Jack. I pause in my steps, and Jack stops next to me, warning, “He’s here. What's your plan?”

  Continuing my search of the crowd, I mumble, “Where is he?”

  “Don’t react. I think he's lost track of you. Now, he's searching from above.”

  “We need to draw him outside, away from everyone. What do you suggest?”

  Beckett flanks my other side. I recognize his gait and his tone of voice, “We have an idea.”

  “What?” I ask.

  “Theodora's standing by. You give the word, and we'll set off the fire alarms and sprinklers,” Beck says.

  I think about his suggestion. While it'll clear the building, it'll be mass chaos that could possibly work to our advantage. “Set everyone up at the exits. When everyone's in place, have Thea pull the alarm system. He doesn’t leave here. Understand?”

  “Understood,” Beck replies and hustles to carry out my orders.

  Jack looks down at me, and I note question in his eyes. “What?” I prompt.

  He shakes his head, “You’ve changed, Sunshine.” I peer up to him speechless.

  There's nothing I can say. He's right. I used to be guarded and refused to feel any emotion. Since the first stages of my transformation, the wall I’d built around myself
began to crumble. With every turn, I was letting people into my heart, and I became an emotional wreck. Then something happened along the way. I became ferocious, unyielding, and protective. My wall was restructured. Only this time, my ‘family’ is behind it with me.

  “Don’t get me wrong. I’m proud of you,” he adds.

  “Let’s just hope I don’t fuck shit up tonight.” I want to hold his hand and kiss his lips before the fight begins, but there's no way to do so without revealing who we are. “You got my back?”

  I hear the smile in his voice, “Always, Sunshine. Let’s fuck some shit up.” With that, Jack leaves me in the center of the colosseum to face the battle ahead.

  An irritating, ear-piercing screech repeatedly echoes as a torrential downpour fries the electronics on stage, causing it to spark and crackle. The crowd screams and begins running for the exits to get out of the water ruining their Masquerade Ball. I chance a glance to the stratum auditorium seating surrounding the open floor as I'm pushed and shoved while I remain in place. Then I see him. Lucian stands rigid in the downpour with his feet wide and fists taut at his sides. His deceivingly handsome features are marred by his fierce, menacing scowl. Before I can look away, his eyes land on me. I refuse to cower and continue to stare him down. Partygoers continue to push their way around me, obstructing my gaze. One moment he's there, the next he's gone.

  A sulfuric odor invades my senses, rage prickles up my spine, and I know he's behind me. Feigning boredom, I turn to face him. He takes tentative steps towards me with his hands clasped behind his back, and his posture reminds me of Beleth. Before I can speak, Lucian says, “I’ve been looking for you, Lilim. But I guess you already knew that or you wouldn’t have worked so hard to hide from me.” With silent movements, I unsheathe a dagger hidden up the sleeve of my armor and grasp its hilt. He stops two feet away and cocks his head to the side to examine me. His black hair is crisply styled with a boyish part above his left eye. Students continue to charge out of the building around us. “Too bad you were unsuccessful.”

  Lucian lunges for me, and I spin my blade. The point of my blade presses against the smooth skin beneath his chin, and his hands grasp my arms to keep me in place. “Maybe. Maybe not,” I seethe. Jack approaches with the other guards from the edges of my peripheral. Lucian's unfazed by them or the threat of my blade. Tilting his chin down on its sharp tip, a menacing sneer splits his face as the flames in his eyes intensify. It sends chills down my spine. “It seems you don’t know how this works. Your little friends won't be able to save you. Let me enlighten you.” A jolt of electricity shoots through my body and causes my wings to shoot out of my shoulder blades. Burning, blinding white light takes over my vision and explodes into darkness. Jack’s muffled cries fade in the distance as my body goes numb and rigid. The clink of my dagger hitting the floor rings out before I lose all consciousness.

  gh

  The rustling of thick feathers kindle my awareness. Without opening my eyes, I assess my surroundings. The side of my face lies against the cold hard ground. I feel coarse ropes binding my wrists and ankles together, restraining my wings behind me. Shit. How did that happen so fast? We should have had him. How did he escape with me if we had him surrounded? The harsh scent of sulfur clings to the air full of static electricity, making my skin crawl. I know I'm not alone. Let’s get this over with. I let my eyes flutter open. The warehouse from my vision appears to be empty, but I know better. Rolling onto my knees, the cold concrete digs through the leather of my pants. The aluminum ceiling is lined with large spotlights. Only the one above me is lit, leaving the cavernous building pitch-black.

  “Tsk, tsk, tsk,” Lucian clucks his tongue as he approaches from the darkness. His slender figure moves with ease and confidence. The light above causes the red jewel pinned to his tie to wink with every step he takes.

  I don’t expect the grin on his face, mocking my stupidity of being captured. I contemplate, maybe I did fuck up. Solas wasn’t at the Ball to follow us. No one knows where I am. Everything's changed, but I won't let him keep me here. My fingers work into my feathers to find the razorblade Alice placed there for me.

  “I have to admit, I thought you would be much harder to capture. I’m a little disappointed,” he sighs. His voice drops to a menacing growl, “But you destroyed my uncle, and for that… I'll make you suffer.” I don't respond to his threats as he begins to circle me, assessing my position. I let my hands freeze in their pursuit of the razorblade. “Would you like to hear my plans for you, Lilim?” I refuse to answer, and he continues with an amused grin, “First, I'll hunt down everyone you care about. I'll torture them while you watch, for as long as it entertains me. When I’m finished with them, I'll hand them over to Sasha—she’s my hellhound—and she loves Divine blood.”

  I've heard this speech in my vision, and it doesn’t surprise me. He stops before me and crouches with a nefarious smirk. Lucian’s triangular face is clean shaven, revealing his smooth skin. His blazing eyes are lined with long, thick, black eyelashes. They're set wide and deeply hooded, framed by straight black eyebrows. Above his thin lips, his broad nose angles up slightly. The razor in my fingertips drops to my palms, and I begin to work slow, cutting strands of rope. Lucian continues in his repartee, “Then, I'll make you my slave. I'll own you. You'll do exactly what I tell you to. You’ll kill my father, and I'll rise in his place.”

  He stands and looks down at me like I’m the most disgusting thing he’s ever laid eyes on. Rage ignites through my veins. I growl up at him in defiance. I'll kill you before I let you hurt anyone.

  Gripping a fistful of my hair, Lucian wrenches my head back to look him in the face. He bares his teeth, growling in my face with flames in his eyes. “You will suffer,” he snarls with a vibration in his chest, reminding me of a rattlesnake. I clench the razor in my hands in expectation. Raising his free hand, he backhands me across the face, and my head snaps to the side as the taste of salted copper fills my mouth. The rustling of feathers echoes off of the aluminum roof above us. I glance around in hopes to finding Solas, only to see it's not him. I'm surrounded by Fallen lining the walls, keeping to the shadows. “No one's coming to save you,” his voice rumbles and hums in my ears.

  A raven flies into an open window at the end of the warehouse and lands on its sill. I almost sigh with relief at the sight of him. I give Lucian a devious smile full of amusement and watch his jaw tense and twitch at my defiance. I mouth off, “Let me guess. You want me to give you my essence so you can use me as a controlled weapon against your enemies. And when I say no—which I will—you'll try to use the dagger hidden behind your back to threaten me. I'll still refuse your offer, and you'll attempt to kill me. Therefore, rendering me useless not only to you, but to anyone who could contain me.”

  He produces a blade from behind him and depresses its sharp point into my chest between the armor’s plates, but it never penetrates the armor’s reinforcements. “I see you've acquired your mother’s gifts.”

  “And I see you haven't acquired our mother's gifts,” I mock as my bindings fall away. I slash his face with the razor blade. Deliberately falling to my back, I plant my feet in his chest with as much force as I can. Lucian flies back into the wall and slides to the ground. Standing up, the shadowed Fallen converge on me. I have no time to react or fight back. A dark warrior slams me to the ground as others flock to keep me in place. I watch as the Prince of Sheol rises from the ground and smooths out his suit. With a blink of an eye, his form dematerializes in a crawling cloud of black smoke and manifests before me. My eyes widen with shock as I observe the residual smoke dissipate. I quickly hide my surprise behind a scowl.

  “Pick her up!” he bellows. The dark warriors erect my body to face him. “You will relinquish your essence to me,” he demands.

  I chuckle under my breath at his annoyance and speak with unwavering audacity, “Never.”

  My defiant crooked grin remains as his countenance morphs into hatred. “Then I'll watch you die!
” He arcs the blade in the air, intent on plunging it into my chest, but a large hand seizes his wrist from behind. I can’t detect who it is, but I know his true face. Solas.

  “Lucian,” a voice I don't recognize booms from behind him. It's dulcet tone resonates oddly, grating my ears and itching my brain. If I didn't know any better, there were three men speaking with a unified voice. “She is not to be harmed.”

  A regular Jekyll and Hyde, Lucian’s expression changes from malice, to astonishment, to enjoyment, and finally settles on shame before facing the King of Sheol. Solas' transformed appearance into Lucifer stays cloaked in darkness, but I know it's him. Lucian doesn’t seem to notice it's not truly his father as Solas releases his wrist. “My apologies, Father. You're correct,” Lucian admits as he regards me again. He places a hand on the shoulder of my armor, and a smile creeps up his face. “After all, she is my sister in Darkness, and I should be more than willing to welcome her home.” Instantly, I'm enveloped within Lucian’s thick tendrils of black smoke. Its foul aura seeps into my bones and obscures my vision. When the smoke dissipates, I'm standing alone in a hot, dark cavern, shackled to the face of a rock wall by my hands and feet with only the light of mounted torches to illuminate my surroundings.

  Chapter 29

  You tend to learn a lot about yourself being captured and tortured for an unknown expanse of time by a sadistic creature. I for one, have learned my bones will mend themselves within an hour if they're broken or fractured. His little stretching device, he calls “The Rack”, was an exceptional tool he used to enlighten me on that fact. I've discovered my skin will regenerate itself within forty minutes, whether it's been melted off with various boiling liquids, peeled off slowly with paring knives, or split open with a whip. I've also been educated on the point that I can't drown. Instead, I continually suffer a cycle of choking and regurgitating liquid. But the most important things I've learned are that pain is subjective as well as temporary, and with more agony afflicted upon me, the more resilient I become.