by Ciara Graves
Two days passed after the attack on Dakota. With the help of the demons Kexan had brought, the compound was being rebuilt at a very efficient pace.
The defenses were updated to ensure another attack from evil or angels would not be successful. The walls were constructed higher. More towers were added. The barricade I had seen going up the night Koreth came to Dakota was in place and would remain so, thanks to all nine demon lords.
Lela remained in bed. She hadn’t woken up yet. Each hour that passed gnawed at me. Bailey threw me out of the clinic for scaring the other patients with my constant disgruntled growling. Not sure what else she expected me to do when it was all my fault Lela was lying on that bed in the first place.
I was hanging around the clinic, pacing the road, making a path of my own with my footsteps.
“Mech.”
I glanced behind me to find Bryan and Bobby. Both had survived the battle, though they were as banged up as I was. Bryan sported a black eye that was swollen shut. He sported several slashes along his right cheek. His left arm was in a sling, the entire hand was bandaged. From what I’d been told, he got caught in an explosion while trying to take out three abominations. He almost died, just like Lela had. Bobby had fresh stitches along his neck, and though they weren’t visible, I knew both his legs had to be reattached.
“I see Bailey released you from the clinic,” Bobby commented.
“More like I was thrown out of the clinic,” I muttered. “Lela hasn’t woken up yet.”
“It’s only been a couple of days,” Bryan said, but he glanced toward the clinic with a worried frown. “She lost a lot of blood.”
“She shouldn’t have lost anything. She shouldn’t have done it.”
I picked up a stone, sent it flying into a pile of rocks, sending them scattering. It wrenched my side, and I grunted, holding my bruised ribs. Bobby tried to take hold of my arm, but I waved him off.
“I’m fine.”
“You look like shit,” he replied.
I glowered at him as Bryan stifled a laugh. “Thanks, really.”
“Just saying. You could’ve lost a few limbs.” He rubbed the fresh stitches at his neck. “Koreth told us about the creature that attacked you.”
“Did he tell you what I told him?” I asked quietly, not wanting to scare anyone else. Bryan and Bobby could handle it. From the confusion on their faces, Koreth had not told them everything. I briefed them where that monstrous creature had come from.
Bryan’s face gave nothing away. Bobby nearly lost his bottom jaw.
I clamped his mouth shut for him. “Don’t tell anyone else. No need to freak them all out.”
“But it came back,” Bobby uttered. “It came back bigger and worse. Mech, it nearly tore you apart.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“How are we supposed to kill it then?”
“What is it would be the better question,” Bryan said, shrugging his uninjured shoulder. “If we try to kill it again, who knows what it might come back as.”
“Its eyes,” I whispered, “those eyes were all Hadariel.”
“I say we set it on fire if it comes back,” Bobby suggested. “Or rip it to pieces.”
“We’re going to have to do something. It’s out there. Probably regathering their forces to make ready for another attack.” I sat down on a large chunk of stone from one of the fallen buildings. “With that devil leading them and Hadariel in the Heavens, we’re finished.”
“Well, aren’t you just mister positivity,” Bobby mumbled. “What happened to finding a way to end the war, huh?”
I spread my arms wide. “Do you think we have a chance of ending it if we’re facing down a beast that can bind our hellfire? If they don’t finish us off, the angels will, and the world will be plunged into darkness forever.”
Bryan and Bobby exchanged a look.
Bryan whistled. “Damn, he is overdramatic.”
“Overdramatic?”
“Yeah, a little bit,” Bobby said, holding up fingers to help emphasize his point. “The demon lords are here. They’ll come up with a plan. Think it’s time you take your own advice and have a little faith. You’ve got us, and you’ve got Lela. She’s going to need you when she wakes up.”
“If she wakes up.”
Bobby grabbed hold of my shoulders, his bony fingers digging in, sure to leave bruises. “When. Not if,” he said loudly. “If you give in now, Hadariel will be the death of her. Is that what you want?”
I snarled.
He smirked. “That’s what I thought. Now get your sorry ass off the ground and get back to work. Lela will wake up. When she does, I suggest you two have a very long conversation about your future.”
“One where she’s going to hate me because she is not going to be returning to fight any time soon. Not after the stunt she pulled.”
“Mech,” Kexan yelled. “We found something.” He came toward us, running.
I stood as he reached us and held out a silver sphere. It was heavy and bore weird intricate designs.
“I’ve seen these before,” I told him. “They were at Blood Falls.”
“We found this in the center of the compound. Looked like someone buried it and it was stirred up during the fight. Lord Koreth thinks it’s what drew the evil army here. Planted by the angels.”
“No,” I disagreed. “Probably planted by Hadariel. He’s afraid of what Lela remembers, so he’s trying to kill her.”
“Then we need to know what’s so important about that place.”
I handed the silver sphere back to Kexan. “She needs to wake up first.” I knew they were trying to help, but all it did right then was tick me off even more that we’d let the situation get this bad. I wandered around Dakota by myself for a while, helping where I could, mostly to keep myself away from the clinic. If I went back there now, Bailey would just send me out again. When the sun was setting on another day, I circled around to the clinic doors and sat down in a chair someone had left outside. The ground was stained with blood beneath my boots. I shut my eyes and saw Lela with that damned spike protruding from her chest all over again.
A hand touched my shoulder.
I jerked to my feet, ready to attack. Koreth stood before me. After I calmed down, he offered me a small smile.
“She’s waking up. I think she’d like you to be there.”
“And the other demon lords? Have you come up with a plan yet?”
“Tonamech, for one night, I don’t want you thinking about this war. Get your ass inside and see the woman who you’re destined to be with before she comes to look for you herself.” He grabbed me and shoved me toward the clinic doors. “The war will still be there in the morning.” His smile turned bitter, but it was the truth.
No chance Hadariel was going to drop dead on his own. That’d be a miracle, and something told me we weren’t going to get one of those any time soon.
I hurried inside, passing beds with those recovering from the fight to save Dakota. They were being tended to by the humans we brought back from the cave safe house. They hadn’t wanted to stay away once they learned their home had been saved by an army of demons led by the demon lords themselves. We never needed a stronghold on the surface before, but I was damned glad we had one now.
Lela’s bed was in the back corner of the clinic. There were fabric partitions blocking her off from the rest of the room. Bailey came around them just as I approached.
“She’s waking up slowly,” she told me. “Her wound is healing.”
“She’s going to be fine?”
“Yes, Mech, she’s going to be fine.” She squeezed my arm then left.
I stayed on the other side of the partition for longer than I wanted to admit. What was I even going to say to Lela once she was awake? How glad I was she wasn’t dead? No. What I really wanted to do was call her out for pulling a stunt like that. The more I replayed the fight over and over in my head, the more my aggravation turned to anger. I stomped around the partition to find her
trying to sit up in bed. She held one hand to the wound at her collar bone, the other pushing herself upright.
“What are you doing?” I growled as I hurried toward the bed and helped her. “You should be lying back.”
“Something tells me I’ve been doing that long enough.”
I bit the inside of my cheek and didn’t return her smile. “You could say that.”
She sighed, wincing as she moved toward me. “You could get that look off your face. Not sure what you have to be angry about.”
“What I have to be angry about?” I repeated in disbelief. “Seriously?”
“I’m alive, aren’t I? And clearly, so are you. I would like to know what happened to that asshole though. Please tell me you killed him.”
“Do you have any idea what you just put me through?” I hadn’t meant to shout, but it was too late to quiet down now. I turned away from her as I shook my head. “You nearly got yourself killed. I watched you get stabbed, Lela. You’re not an angel anymore.”
“Yeah, thanks,” she snapped, and I spun around to see her glowering at me, arms crossed. “Think I remember that much.”
“Then why would you throw yourself in between me and that thing? Have you lost your mind?”
“Mech,” she said, but I sliced my hand through the air, cutting her off.
“I told you what you mean to me and you just what, thought you’d save us both the trouble and go ahead and die now? I can’t lose you,” I said, my voice rough as I focused on her wound. “I can’t. You are not to carelessly throw away your life, angel or mortal, you understand me?”
“Mech,” she said louder, but I wasn’t finished.
“You can tell me we’re going to shove aside emotions until the war is over, but I’m not ignoring what I feel for you. I don’t care how crazy you think it sounds. Got it? You want to hide from the truth, that’s on you.” My chest heaved.
Lela threw her legs over the side of the bed and was on her feet. “You stubborn, stupid, pain in the ass demon,” she said as she took a step around the bed to get to me. She staggered, and I caught her in my arms.
“I’m the stubborn one, huh. Get your ass back in bed.” I tried to guide her there, but she shoved at my chest. “Lela, you shouldn’t be up.”
“And you should try to use your brain more.” She shoved me again then cursed when it hurt her. “Why do you think I did it?”
“You have a death wish.”
She shouted in aggravation, grabbed my shirt, and tugged me to her. Our lips met, and my anger at her nearly dying was swept away. I wrapped my arms around her and lifted her off her feet. Time fell away, and I reassured myself that she was alive. She hadn’t died in her efforts to save me. I hugged her fiercely until she winced.
“Damn, sorry,” I said, glancing quickly at her wound.
“Don’t apologize for that, but you should for yelling at me.”
“I don’t know why you did it,” I argued.
“How about you think about it for a few seconds. I’ll give you some time. Just get me back in bed first.”
I frowned but helped her climb into bed and get comfortable. “I don’t know,” I said lamely.
She squeezed my hand as she said, “Instinct, Mech. I saw that thing coming for you, saw the building fall on top of you, and I moved without even thinking about it. I had to save you. It was just… instinct.”
“Are you saying you believe me? About the soul mate thing which I know sounds ridiculous, but—”
She clapped her hand over my mouth as she laughed quietly.
“I always believed you,” she admitted, and the coldness in her eyes melted. “Can you blame me for wanting it not to be true at a time like this?”
I was going to say yes, but then again, she nearly died because of what we felt for each other. She patted the bed, and I sat down beside her. She scooted over to make room then to my surprise leaned her cheek against my shoulder. Our hands rested on my leg and my cheek on the top of her head.
“What a pair we make,” she mused quietly.
“Could be worse.”
“Oh, yeah? How’s that?”
I shrugged. “I could be Bobby.”
She said nothing for a long few seconds, then burst out laughing. “I don’t know. He’s got some good qualities considering he’s a zombie. Told me he was quite the looker when he was alive.”
“Nah, not even close.”
“You just think you’re that handsome.”
I smirked. “I’d like to think so.” I kissed the top of her head and wrapped my other arm around her shoulders, pulling her in close. “Whatever fight comes next I don’t want you there.”
“You can’t ask me to do that. Mech,” she said as she turned to look at me. “Don’t do that.”
“You’re mortal. Seeing you nearly bleed out once was more than enough. You did your part. You saved Dakota, and the people will never forget it. You don’t need to fight anymore.”
“You expect me to just idly sit by while you’re fighting to end the war? Not going to happen.”
I blew out a heavy breath. “You’re not going to make loving you easy, are you?”
Her eyes warmed as she smiled. “Did you say love?”
Shit, I did. “When you were bleeding out in my lap,” I said quietly, “whatever confines that brute placed on my hellfire shattered. I don’t know much about all this crap, but I know a future without you in it is unacceptable.”
“Guess it’s destiny, after all.” She curled into my side as she added, “Just hope we didn’t find each other too late. You think we have a chance of ending this war?”
I said nothing for a while, content to feel the steady beat of her pulse and hear her breathing. “Yeah, I do.”
“Liar,” she whispered.
My heart sank, but there was nothing left to say. I found the one I was meant to be with, and now we faced an uncertain future.
In the morning, I’d find Koreth and the rest of the demon lords. With any luck, they’d have a plan ready to go, and I could sneak away without Lela realizing I’d gone. She might still be willing to fight, but I was not ready to watch her die.
After a while, she fell asleep.
I tugged the blanket up to cover her and settled in for the night.
Chapter 11
Lela
Sleeping beside Mech was comfortable and warm. When he covered me with the blanket, I smiled and let myself drift off to sleep with him holding me close.
Later, when I awoke, the clinic was lit with just a couple of lanterns scattered around on tables. Quiet voices spoke nearby. I recognized one of them as Kexan. Another was Bryan. I knew he made it through the fight. He’d been by to see me at some point before I’d woken up all the way. I’d thought it was a dream, but I was elated to know it wasn’t. Even Bobby survived the assault.
They were talking to Mech, but it was too quiet for me to comprehend.
Carefully, Mech began to shift away from me and laid me on the bed. He tucked the blankets in around me, careful of my left side. He kissed my forehead so sweetly it made my heart clench, then smoothed my hair back and whispered he’d be back soon.
I burrowed even deeper into the bed and listened to the heavy steps of boots retreat from the bed. The warmth he left behind lulled me right back to sleep…
“It’s here.”
I crouched behind a large boulder with my parents on either side of me. There was a waterfall and a pool that broke into four streams. We were at the bottom of a ravine with a switchback trail to our right.
“What is?” I asked my father.
“The proof we’ve been searching for,” he replied quietly. “It’s how they’ve been getting in.”
“They’ve been entering the Heavens?” I asked alarmed. “How have they not set off the alarms?”
He opened his mouth to answer then ducked lower and motioned for me to do the same. My mother was on my left, eyes narrowed, lip lifted in disgust. Rocks tumbled down the ravine wal
ls, and then figures appeared on the trail. Night hadn’t fully set in yet, but it was dark in the ravine. I couldn’t make out what was coming down the path, but they weren’t angels. The horrid, burning stench of evil reached my nostrils. I fought back a gag at how intense it was. Was it an abomination? I thought only they could put off such a strong odor, but as the figures came closer, I noticed something strange about the one in front.
It had wings. It wasn’t an abomination. At least I prayed it wasn’t. The figures, six in all, approached the edge of the pool. All but the winged figure stepped into the water. It glowed dark blue, then shifted to a reddish hue that lit up its face.
“Hadariel,” I breathed in disbelief.
“No,” Dad whispered. “It’s what we thought at first, too, but it’s not. Look closer.”
I squinted, and as the beast turned his head, I spotted several sets of horns jutting from his head. He had the same features as Hadariel, but he was definitely not the high general. I had no idea what I was actually looking at, but this had to be proof that Hadariel was behind the war. All those times my parents talked about treachery in the Heavens, I don’t think any of us expected it to lead all the way to the angel who commanded us. Who we swore loyalty to.
Now he was the one we were plotting to bring down.
“Who else knows?”
“Only those we trust,” my mother replied. “There are too many who won’t be convinced without seeing it for themselves.”
“What’s he doing?”
The Hadariel look-alike had moved toward the center of the pool where a stone platform rose from the water. He remained beside it while a burst of pure, white light came down from the Heavens. When it parted, Hadariel stood there. We ducked lower behind the boulder. Would he sense our presence?
“Is it done?” Hadariel asked the look-alike.
“Yes, master, they are being gathered as we speak just as you ordered.”
Hadariel nodded. “Good. Those demon bastards will rue the day they told me I couldn’t handle ruling Hell and the Heavens. You will lead the army once it’s formed and you will bring me the heads of the nine demon lords.”