Mystic Realms: A Limited Edition Collection

by Nicole Morgan

  The doctor’s mouth opened and shut several times like a fish. Finally, he said, “How did you know that?”

  I smiled at him as kindly as I could. “I know, because I’m the guardian Angel sent here to save you. Believe me, you don’t want to take your own life.”

  “Why not?” The poor man sounded defeated, which was not a good sign that we’d gotten to him early enough.

  Most people asked me this question. About half the time, the answer was enough to make my targets fight for their lives. “Because when you take your own life, the Demons that have been torturing you, win. They get to drag you straight down to Hell. That’s not where you’re meant to go, Doctor Winters.”

  Tears gathered in his grey eyes, making them appear glossy, like marble. “I’ve done some terrible things.”

  His guilt for whatever trivial things he’d done in his fifty years or so, was nothing compared to the weight of the world. Or the average person.

  “You may have, but you’re still on the list for Heaven. And you’ve been deemed important enough for the Demons to want to seduce to the darkness, so take it as a compliment. You have plenty of good work still to do in your lifetime.”

  The doctor swallowed awkwardly. “What do I need to do then?”

  “You need to fight. The Demons cannot kill you. They will only torture your mind so that you give up on life. Never. Ever. Give up. It is not your time yet.”

  He nodded with me and dashed away the tears on his cheeks. I stood up and walked over to where he still sat. I extended my hand out to him and pulled him to a stand.

  “Now, get up, and let’s get you back to work.”

  I adjusted my height to only be an inch or so taller than him.

  “I’m not dreaming?” he asked, his eyes wide and bright. His frame shook the smallest amount.

  I chuckled again. “No, and I’m not leaving you. I will be by your side for the days coming. I will kill off any Demons that have been assigned to you, and hopefully by this time next week, you will be free of them, forever.”

  A single tear dropped down his cheek and I saw the first smile from my target. “That sounds…like Heaven.”

  I slapped him on the back and nodded. “Just hold onto your sanity, Doc, and you’ll see it one day.”

  “Is it beautiful?” he asked me. A normal question from a human.

  We walked over to the stairwell and I answered as I always did, though my memories of late had begun to fade. “More beautiful than you can ever imagine.”

  Another week went by and I killed over a dozen Demons chasing down the doctor. I didn’t know what he was working on, or why he was so important. I didn’t ask. It didn’t matter. The Demons themselves were the only dictators of who they wanted and they, unfortunately, controlled my schedule.

  I missed Kadie much more than I’d expected. It was an odd, and uncomfortable feeling. I hadn’t expected to experience this much pain because I’d been sure that a part of my heart would always love the woman I left behind in Heaven. Therefore, not leaving any room for anyone else in my heart.

  But I did miss her. With every breath I wanted to feel that sensation of being home again.

  Tabitha’s voice suddenly came through my head, loud and clear.

  We have a problem.

  What’s wrong? The doctor is safe.

  No. It’s Kadie.

  My heart stopped. What do you mean? Have they killed her?

  No. Not yet. But they’ve got her.

  What do you mean they’ve got her? Why would they take her? Are they going to torture her?

  I think I know why she was a target to begin with.

  I waited for more, but my Angel agent was holding her breath. Tell me.

  There’s a legend among us, about a woman destined to breed a new generation of Witches. Half breed warriors who will make life for the Demons almost impossible on Earth. We’ve been waiting over a thousand years for such a woman. I’d begun to think it was just a myth.

  I froze where I stood, my heart pounding like a war drum against my ribs. I don’t understand. I mean…please tell me you’re wrong.

  She’s already pregnant Gabriel.

  I stumbled backwards and my spine crashed into a building. Is it mine?

  It couldn’t be. Surely. She was human. I wasn’t. We’d only made love three times. A few weeks ago. Surely Tabitha couldn’t know that already?

  Yes.

  Oh…fuck!

  You need to find her and save her before they kill her.

  Would they really do that? It would send her straight to Heaven. And perhaps one day I would meet her again. And our unborn child.

  Yes. Which is why I believe they were trying to kill her initially, but now that she’s pregnant, they will torture her instead. They want them both for the Hell dimension now. She is far more important than we first believed, Gabriel. Your child cannot die. They are both part of the cause now.

  Holy mother of… Fuck! Where do I start?

  Here is her last location.

  She sent the address to me. Out of state. Did they fly her?

  We don’t know. The details are very unclear. This is all unprecedented. But you need to find her quickly. I can only imagine what they’ll do to her Gabriel.

  I took to the sky with fear in my heart and my sword burning into my feathers. I would kill many tonight, and if the fates were kind, and Heaven had my back, I would get out of there alive as well.

  I landed on barren earth, my soul shivering with the cold of the address I’d been sent to. A castle reached up to the sky before me, situated on a hill in the middle of nowhere. Why had the Demons brought her here? What did they want from her? If they wanted her dead, there were quicker ways. If they wanted her tortured, surely they could have done it better in New York?

  Fear shiver along my spine at the other reasons they had taken her. Perhaps this was a trap for me also? Those from the Hell dimension had wanted my hide before, but they’d never quite gotten me.

  Did they know that I knew about my child, and would come for Kadie? Perhaps. But there was no other choice. I wouldn’t leave them to the Demons. And I was on my own.

  I snuck up the hill and tucked myself beneath my invisibility. It was daylight still, so I was hoping the Demons would have human watchers. And those watchers would be susceptible to my invisibility. And my sword.

  I ran through the overgrowth of large trees and reached the gates which were armed with barbed wire and an alarm. I chose to avoid those and extended my wings, flying over the top with ease.

  So far, so good.

  My boots squelched in the mud as I raced up to the side of the stone castle, my heart pounding and my fingers itching to grab my sword. I could sense Kadie nearby. Her warm soul shining with that familiar warmth that I cherished. She was definitely here.

  What were they doing to her? Panic crept into my heart and I steeled myself against it. I’d be no use to her if I froze from fear at a critical moment.

  I twisted and bolted up the stone steps, extended my wings, and then flew up onto the top floor. There were two human guards at the roof level with machine guns.

  As if they’re going to stop me.

  I pulled the sword from my back and took them out with ruthless efficiency. My shoulders tightened and bunched as I swung.

  One fell, then the other.

  They barely made a sound as they sunk to the stone floor like a crumpled balloon. Thick red blood washed over my blade, spilling onto the ground in a waterfall.

  The men hadn’t been able to see me, which was a good sign that the rest of this rescue mission may be easier than I’d hoped. I just had to find Kadie and get her out before darkness and the Demons returned.

  The door to the inside of the castle was locked. Which, for my paranormal strength, would be easy to overcome. I heaved my shoulder against the heavy steel and burst through the door. It clattered open with a massive bang.

  Silence. I glanced left and right. There were too many hallwa
ys to choose from, and I had an unbelievably strong feeling pass over me.

  I was about to die today. The cold hand of death wrapped around my heart, warning me of what was to come. There would be no Heaven for me. Fallen Angels had nowhere to go after limbo. There would nothing.

  No matter. All that matters is Kadie.

  I cleared my mind of everything except my mission, and crept along one of the halls. I drew my sword and held it at the ready. For one of the first times in my existence, I didn’t know what to expect. It both scared and excited me.

  I moved further inside the darkened hallways and my muscles quivered. My legs grew heavy beneath me. Something was wrong in this part of the castle. My superior hearing heard a groan through the door ahead of me. I raced there, tried the steel handle, and found it locked.

  Something inside me shifted and I could feel Kadie as though she was pressed against me.

  She was barely breathing, but alive. Inside this room. This cell. I threw my whole weight against the door and it split from is hinges, banging to the floor in a warped mess.

  It was deathly dark inside the huge room that would have once been a banquet hall. Evil lurked inside, but so did my Witch. And I wasn’t leaving her in there.

  I crept inside, holding my sword out in front of me and using what little light spilled in from the door way to see, while praying to God I didn’t accidentally hurt Kadie.

  I should be able to see through the gloom, but this wasn’t a normal darkness. There was dark magic at play here.

  “Kadie?”

  Deathly silence.

  Come on beautiful. I know you’re in here.

  “Gabriel?”

  Her voice was weak, but she was here. Thank the Lord. I raced towards her voice and the door banged shut behind me, throwing us both into an unhealthy darkness. She whimpered and I drew closer to her. My eyes worked hard against the darkness and I could make out her shape.

  A table. The lump of a body, in the middle of the room.

  I stepped up next to her and ran my hands over her soft body.

  “You need to get out of here, Gabriel. Quickly. This is a trap,” she croaked up at me as though she hadn’t had a sip of water in a week.

  “Not without you.” Never. Ever.

  She was tied down. Clamped by metal cuffs of sorts.

  “Are you alright?” I asked, though I knew it to be a ridiculous question.

  “Sort of,” she replied with her characteristically dry sense of humor.

  Suddenly the whole room lit up with orange flame light.

  Holy shit.

  “Run, Gabriel. Run!” Kadie screamed, and that’s when I properly saw her. The Demons lit up the room like a summers day and I could see every detail on my magical Witch.

  Her stomach was impossibly swollen and large. Her arms were bleeding from puncture wounds. Her face bruised and burnt.

  Stabbing pain hit my gut as I swallowed the bile that rose. This was all my fault.

  “What have they done to you?” I gasped as I grabbed hold of the clamps and used all my strength to open the metal bonds that held her down. I pulled and cried out as I wrenched the metal. They clanged open as they broke apart and I threw them to the ground in disgust.

  She sat up, grabbing at her huge belly. “Go. Quickly,” she urged me, still trying to save me. Beautiful woman that she was. Inside and out.

  Leave you here to die? Never.

  I took my sword from its sheath and turned to my opponents. A dozen Demons surrounded us, glowingly red and fiery bright. They were waiting for me to attack, and I could feel my body lifting and changing. My heart thumped harder and faster. A fate I hadn’t known existed for me, opened up like the beginning of a waterfall.

  “I am Gabriel, Defender of Heaven and Earth, and you cannot have her!”

  Don’t give up on me, beautiful.

  I faced off against them and as they rushed me I could feel Kadie at my back, her white light streaming from her goodness. I swung my sword as they ran at us. Taking the head off one, slicing the arm off another. My shoulder burned as on touched me and I spun to take him out.

  Kadie fell to the ground with a cry and I encircled her. My wings extended and folded backwards, attempting to surround her. A dangerous situation for us both as I would only be able to move in a circle around her. My body was repairable. My wings were not.

  I swung and danced around her, taking out every Demon that came at us, unable to move far as I stayed to protect my woman.

  My hoodie was on fire, the heat burning at my neck and making tears sting my eyes. I brushed it with my hands to put out the flames. A Demon slammed into my ribs and knocked me sideways, exposing Kadie from beneath and causing pain to ricochet up my body.

  Oh fuck.

  Kadie blasted them with her powers, the white glory giving me enough time to put out my flames, wrench off the hoodie that was on fire and stand back up.

  My ribs were broken, my skin was burnt, and there was still about eight of them. We needed to get out of here. And fast. But the only way out seemed to be the way we came in.

  I grabbed Kadie and pulled her to her feet, her legs wobbling uncertainly beneath her cumbersome body.

  We need to get out. Run for the door to your left. I’ll be right behind you.

  She nodded and turned, holding out her arms and staggering towards the exit. She blew white light at the Demons in our way and I sliced at them with all my might. She made a hole in their defenses and kept going, staggering and moaning as she moved. She didn’t give up. And she didn’t stop.

  Keep going.

  I turned around and faced them, ignoring the pain and injuries tugging at my soul. Both mine and Kadie’s. The sensation of impending death was overwhelming, like a giant storm cloud rolling in.

  Three Demons rushed me at once and I drew my sword. I swung fast, dealt with the one in front of me, the other two diving for my wings like impossibly huge flames. They clung to the blackened feathers and made me scream out in pain.

  Day light shone into the room as Kadie flung the door open.

  “Gabriel!” she screamed for me.

  She was safe. In the day light. She still needed to get outside, but the Demons wouldn’t be able to leave this room. I was certain.

  All my strength left me as I swung around in a huge circle, turning the two Demons who clung to me into dust. I fell to my knees, the pain so intense I could barely breathe.

  I could hear Kadie’s voice in the distance, screaming at me, and my burning flesh reminded me I was still alive.

  I couldn’t give up now.

  I roared as I staggered to my feet and started swinging once again. Hacking away at any Demons that dared get in my way. I backed up as fast as I could and made it to the door just as the remaining fiery creature let loose an evil howl in anger.

  I thrust forward with my sword, stabbing one last Demon before I raced out into the daylight, the best defense against these evil spirits.

  “We need to go,” I told Kadie, trying not to cringe at the state she was in. They’d really made a mess of her beautiful face, and I hoped to God Tabitha could help her.

  I carefully picked her up into my arms and raced along the corridor, turning sharply through the door that took us into the bright sunlight. I stepped over the bodies of the guards I’d killed and placed her down, groaning with the pain that burned in my arms.

  “Can you fly?” she asked, her gaze running over my injured form.

  I extended my singed wings to intense pain down my arms. More than half the feathers were burnt off, but I could fly. Or we’d die trying.

  “I can try.”

  I gathered her battered body up into my arms once again and concentrated on the weight of her against me. Her warmth giving me strength. I used all my will power to lift us off the ground. Pain shot through my back and along my wings.

  “Arghhh…”

  I kept flapping, and got us higher. She clung to me and I focused on my woman. The child inside of
her.

  Nothing else mattered except getting them both safe.

  Chapter Seven

  We flew over the castle and I kept going. Following an instinct that would take me Tabitha.

  Black spots swam in front of my eyes and I wanted to scream from the pain that pushed through every cell in my being. I collapsed outside a small house in Brooklyn. Not where I expected to be. But nevertheless, we’d found my Agent. Why she changed houses so often, I’d never know.

  Kadie stood up from where she’d dropped with me and banged on the door. “We need help,” she cried and the door flew open.

  “Tabitha,” I croaked out. Thank you God.

  And there she was. All five foot nothing of her.

  “The Angel agent?” Kadie asked, leaning against the door frame as though she couldn’t stand.

  “Yes. Come inside, Kadie. I’ll help Gabriel.”

  Tabitha came over to me and lifted me up. She tucked her shoulder under my arm, and with a strength I didn’t know she possessed, she practically carried me inside and into a room with two hospital beds.

  She lay me down on one and black dancing birds clouded my vision. I shook my head hard. Damn exhaustion.

  “I thought you two were going to need care when you got back,” she explained as my eyes slid shut and I relaxed into the cool sheets.

  “Kadie, lie here. You need some fluids.”

  I could head Tabitha moving about and forced my eyes to open a slit. Tabitha was putting a drip into Kadie, and then washing her face with a cloth. She was an utter mess.

  “It’s okay. You should see the other guy,” Kadie joked, her hands straying to her huge tummy.

  “Is she alright, Tabitha?” I choked out. My whole body felt like it was on fire.

  My arms, my shoulders… I glanced down and one of my ankles was black.

  “I think so…but what’s with these strange marks?” she asked Kadie.

  “They injected me with strange things. I don’t know. Made me feel dizzy.”

  There was deathly silence in the room as Tabitha processed it all.

  “Who did?” Tabitha asked.

  “Some men.”