by SJ West
“How did you know Cade was dead?” Malcolm asks.
“Lucifer came and told me what happened before he returned to Heaven. He wanted me to be wary and watch my back in case Helena came looking for me. She and I don’t see eye to eye, as you can imagine. I don’t think she got along well with anyone besides Cade.”
“Anna,” Ethan says to draw my attention to him. I turn around to face him. “We can’t let Helena keep Cade’s child. We owe him more than that.”
“I’m not arguing against that point, but you need to remember that it’s her child too,” I say. “She’s not going to just let you take her baby away.”
“Maybe if we can find her,” Roan says, “she’ll listen to us and understand the baby deserves to grow up in a normal home. Nothing she can provide would be normal. You know that, Anna. Even if she has the best of intentions toward the child, she’ll corrupt the baby with all of her hate just like Lucifer corrupted her. Cade would never want that for his child. I know that for a fact without even having to ask him.”
“Helena could be on any planet in the universe,” Malcolm points out. “The odds of us finding her are astronomical at best. At worst they’re nonexistent.”
“We have to try!” Ethan practically roars. “I refuse to just stand here and not make an attempt to save Cade’s child!”
“Okay,” I say, holding up my hands to try to calm Ethan down. “First we need to come up with a viable plan for finding Helena. If we can do that, we’ll at least have a starting place.”
Ethan still looks upset, but he nods his agreement.
“I have a suggestion,” Evelyn says. “If I were you, I would post people in places Helena might visit. I assume she came back to the cabin to feel closer to Cade. Maybe that’s what she’s doing right now. If you station people in places that Cade or Helena liked to go, you might just be able to catch her.”
“We should probably have someone watching your cabin,” Ethan says. “She might go back there again.”
“I’ll have one of my people keep an eye on the video surveillance twenty-four seven. If we see her, we’ll contact you immediately.”
“Roan,” I say, “go with Evelyn back to her world so at least one of us can phase there in case we need her help.”
Roan stands next to Evelyn. She places her hand on his arm and phases back to her planet.
“I should go tell the others what we’ve learned,” Ethan says to us. “We’ll start stationing people in any place we can think of that she might go.”
“Okay, Ethan,” I say, knowing he feels as though he has to do whatever he can to find Helena.
Ethan phases, leaving Malcolm and me alone.
“Do you think I should phase to Heaven and tell Cade what’s happening?” I ask Malcolm.
“I don’t think that would be wise until we know we can find Helena. If we can’t, it will only cause him more worry.”
“You’re right,” I say despondently. “I just wish there was something we could do now.”
Malcolm pulls me into his arms, instantly bringing me comfort.
“The War Angels will find her,” Malcolm says confidently. “I’ve never known them to fail in something they set their minds to.”
“I’m not sure what I’m more worried about,” I confess. “Them finding her or not finding her. She won’t give that baby up easily, Malcolm. I can tell you that much.”
“Let’s not worry about that until we have to,” my husband suggests. “Let’s just try to find joy in the day again and worry about tomorrow when it comes.”
I hug Malcolm even tighter, knowing that he’s right. There’s no point in worrying about something that may or may not happen. All that would do is drive me crazy.
I do worry about the baby, though. I know how fierce my own love is for my children. What if Helena’s feelings are just as strong with her own when it’s born? If she touches the child, will she kill her own baby like she did Cade? His death was unintentional, but it doesn’t mean the same thing won’t happen again.
Ethan’s right. We have to protect Cade’s descendant. We can’t let Helena harm the child with either her hate or her love.
And I refuse to fail Cade a second time …
THE END
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Thank you so much for reading Enduring, the third book in The Dominion Series. If you have enjoyed this book please take a moment to leave a review. To leave a review please visit: Enduring
* * *
Thank you in advance for leaving a review for the book.
Sincerely,
S.J. West.
As a thank you for purchasing Enduring, the last book in The Dominion Series, I have included in this book the first chapter of War Angel Contingent, book1 of The Everlasting Fire Series.
THE EVERLASTING FIRE SERIES
WAR ANGEL CONTINGENT,
EVERLASTING FIRE SERIES BOOK 1
When Jules Grace comes face to face with the physical embodiment of Hell itself, she sees a reflection of her own tortured soul.
* * *
As a bounty hunter on the planet Sierra, Jules knows tracking down the most elusive and powerful creature in the universe will set her up for life and possibly quell her own inner demons for a while with the distraction of the hunt. What she doesn’t count on is meeting Ethan Knight, Commander of Empress Anna Devereaux’s War Angel contingent from Earth who have vowed to track Helena down before it’s too late.
* * *
Ethan is determined not to fail his fellow War Angel, Cade, a second time and is on a personal mission to save his friend’s last gift to the world by any means necessary. Unfortunately for Ethan and the other War Angels, Helena refuses to listen to reason and is determined to keep the one and only physical reminder she has left of Cade.
* * *
Jules understands Ethan’s deep set desire to honor his friend, but she also comes to realize how much Helena has already lost and is sympathetic of her plight. Caught in the middle of a fight that will undoubtedly have a violent resolution, Jules follows her heart and tries to make each side remember how delicate and precious life is, especially one that the universe has never seen before or ever will again.
Exclusively on Amazon, Free on KU!
War Angel Contingent
Sneak Peek
Now, please enjoy this sample of War Angel Contingent,
Book1 of The Everlasting Fire Series.
CHAPTER ONE
“I thought you said she was here, Enis.”
“That’s what I was told, Evelyn,” Enis replies with a heavy sigh of disappointment. “The guard watching the cabin’s security camera footage said he saw Jules in here raiding the liquor cabinet.”
“Grab all the bottles out of the cabinet and take them back to Grace House,” Evelyn instructs him, sounding irritated. “We don’t need to indulge her need for self-destruction. You would think after five years she would have gotten over what happened to Timothy.”
“How does anyone get over someone they love dying like that?” he questions her. “Especially someone like Jules.”
Evelyn sighs. “I don’t know, but drowning herself in alcohol isn’t going to magically make all of her pain go away. I’m just not sure when she’ll realize that fact.”
“Jules is strong,” Enis says confidently. “She’ll come around in time.”
“Well, until that miracle occurs, I refuse to encourage her drinking habit. Grab what you can and meet me back home.”
Evelyn phases out of the room while Enis walks over to the liquor cabinet against the far wall of the living room. He bends down and opens the doors to peer inside. After seeing more than twenty bottles of alcohol, he whistles in amazement and shakes his head. He closes the doors, stands to his full height, and places his hands on top of the cabinet before phasing, presumably deciding it’s the easiest way to take the large number of bottles back with him.
I lean away from the edge of the picture window and prop my back up against the w
ood planks on the outside of the cabin, exhaling a sigh of relief. I didn’t want to face my mom or Uncle Enis. Especially not tonight of all nights. I lift up the bottle of vodka in my right hand and take a long swig, both loving and despising the burning sensation the liquid makes as it clears a path from my mouth straight to my stomach. After drinking my fill, I walk over to the edge of the back porch and sit down heavily on the top step of the stairs that lead down to the backyard. I faintly take note of the axe jutting out from the stump of a felled tree. I don’t remember putting it there and can only assume it was something the previous occupants of my abandoned home left behind. I wanted to sell this cabin, but my mom talked me out of it. She reminded me that not all of my memories associated with this house were bad ones. Once upon a time, it was a happy home, filled with love and possibilities for a bright future.
I take another swig of vodka to blur a frequent unwanted visitor of mine: guilt.
“Does that help?” a strange woman’s voice asks unexpectedly.
I look up and see the woman standing beside the axe and tree trunk I just noticed. Her long blonde hair hangs straight past her shoulders. She’s wearing a black empire waist dress with short, beaded sleeves and a long flowing skirt. Her right hand is resting on the knob of the axe handle, and I vaguely wonder if she intends to pull it out and kill me with it. I know exactly who she is because I was counting on her to eventually come back here one day.
“Hello, Helena,” I say with a slight slur. “Fancy meeting you here.”
Helena tilts her head to the left as she scrutinizes my disheveled appearance. It occurs to me that I haven’t bathed in three days and probably look and smell as horrible as I feel. Whatever. My puny existence may be snuffed out in the next few seconds anyway, so it doesn’t really matter. As a reflex, I use my free hand to brush some wayward strands of hair hanging over my face to the side. As I watch Helena continuing to observe me, I find myself wishing my hair was the same color blonde as hers. Even in just the light given off by the moon, it glistens with an otherworldly luster. That combined with the glow of her flawless pale skin and sparkling blue eyes gives the misguided impression she’s an angel sent straight from Heaven, instead of being Hell itself personified in human form.
“I’ve seen you before,” she says, narrowing her eyes on me. “In Evelyn Grace’s nightclub. You’re her daughter, right? This cabin used to belong to you and your late husband.”
“Score two points for the little lady,” I reply sarcastically. “She’s right on both counts.”
Helena straightens her head and tilts it down slightly as her stare becomes more sinister. “I wouldn’t be impertinent with me if I were you. Since you know my name, I assume you realize what I can do to you.”
“Kill me?” I scoff. “Bring it on, sister. At least it would save me the trouble of figuring out how to do it myself. This stuff,” I say, holding up the vodka bottle, “is the coward’s way out. It’s probably the slowest suicide of all time, but it has to work its magic eventually, right?”
Helena narrows her eyes at me but not angrily. What I’ve said seems to have piqued her curiosity. Honestly, I’m not sure if that’s even more dangerous than her wrath.
“And what tiny human problem has caused you to feel so apathetic about your mortality?” she asks.
“One that you can probably sympathize with,” I reply cautiously, watching for her reaction to my next words. “I killed the man I loved.”
Helena remains deathly still, not giving away any emotional response to my confession. She continues to stare at me as she asks, “Well, since it’s obvious you know my story, I think it’s only fair that you tell me yours. How exactly did you kill your mate?”
To buy myself some time to contemplate whether or not I want to answer her question, I bring the lip of my vodka bottle up to my mouth and drink what’s left until it’s completely dry. By that time, my mind is so fuzzy I actually forget what it was we were talking about.
Since the bottle in my hand is useless to me now, I let it slip from my fingers and roll down the wooden steps to the ground.
“Well?” Helena asks rather aggressively. “How did you kill him?”
When I look up at her again, I find three Helenas staring at me now. I have to squint to squeeze them all together into one figure.
“What’s it to you?” I ask her belligerently, throwing caution to the wind with my tone. “Why do you want to know so badly?”
Helena shrugs a delicate shoulder. “I’m curious to know whether or not your soul will be mine one day,” she states simply.
I lean to my left and rest my head and shoulder against the wooden post of the porch railing before closing my eyes so I don’t have to look at Helena’s expectant face.
“Maybe it will,” I answer. “Maybe it won’t. I’m not sure what side of the fence my soul is on to tell you the truth.”
“Why don’t you tell me what you did and let me judge your fate,” she suggests.
“And ruin the surprise?” I try to joke as I force myself to open my eyes again and look at her. “Now why would I want to do that? There are so few surprises in life. I don’t think I want to ruin the last one I’ll ever have.”
“You do realize who I am, don’t you?” she asks threateningly. “I can make you tell me the story by force, but trust me when I say that you’ll wish you were dead afterwards.”
“That type of threat doesn’t really work on me,” I tell her wearily, closing my eyes again. “Whatever you do to me, I deserve it for what I did to Timothy. In fact, do your worst. I’ve earned it.”
Seconds pass. Then minutes. Helena remains silent, and I assume she’s probably phased away. When I open my eyes again, I’m surprised to find her standing at the foot of the stairs, studying me as though I’m an insect she’s considering stepping on.
“Do it,” I dare her, half hoping she’ll take me up on my offer.
Unexpectedly, Helena smiles. “Although I would love nothing better than to torture you, I get the feeling not torturing you will hurt even more. You’re too eager to die, and I’m afraid that takes all the fun out of it for me.”
In what seems like an unconscious move, I watch as she rests her hands on the prominent baby bulge jutting out from her otherwise slim figure.
“They’re looking for you, you know,” I tell her. “Those War Angels from Earth. They seem pretty desperate to take your baby away from you.”
“I’m aware of their idiotic quest,” Helena says as if the subject bores her. “They’ve been using my Nexus to search for me, as if I can’t sense what they’re doing there.”
“I assume you phased outside the cabin because you know they have cameras set up on the inside.”
“Exactly.”
“What I don’t understand is why you came back here at all. He isn’t here, you know. He’s dead, and he’s never coming back.”
Helena’s smile slips as her expression returns to a reserved one.
“I’m fully aware of that fact,” she informs me tersely. “And why, pray tell, are you here? I was told you abandoned this cabin after your husband died.”
I shrug. “I guess I keep hoping I’ll find something that will trigger a memory about our lives together that I’ve forgotten about. It would be like being given one last gift of time from him.”
“It doesn’t sound like you’re deserving of a gift considering you’re somehow responsible for his death.”
“If he’s forgiven me for what I did, I will.”
Helena begins to laugh, and I inwardly cringe at the sound it makes. Her laughter resonates like the cries of thousands of tortured souls. I don’t know if that’s actually how it sounds or if my own guilt is causing me to filter it that way.
“Would you like to share what you find so funny?” I ask her angrily. I don’t know why I told Helena, of all people, why I keep coming back to the cabin. Not even my mom or Uncle Enis know the real reason.
“I just deem it amusing that you think th
e dead can tell you anything beyond the grave, much less leave you a loving keepsake that will absolve your soul of its guilt. Thank you for sharing your delusion with me. I was in desperate need of a good laugh.”
“I guess it takes a rare talent to make the queen bitch of Hell laugh. Should I take it as a compliment?”
“I wouldn’t.”
“Oh well, I guess a girl can’t have everything.”
“No one person can have everything.”
“Not even someone as powerful as you?”
Helena is silent for a few seconds before replying, “Least of all me.”
I watch as her gaze drifts up to the second floor of the cabin.
“I see you had the window I broke repaired,” she comments dryly.
“My mother had it fixed.”
“Did she also replace the piano I shoved through it?”
“No. I told her not to bother.”
Helena looks at me quizzically before asking, “Was there a reason why you didn’t want a new one?”
“It was my husband’s piano. I don’t play. So there was no reason to replace it.”
“One less thing of his for you to dispose of, I suppose.”
“Yeah. I guess.”
I notice Helena grimace slightly, as if she just experienced an unexpected pain. She rubs the front of her belly up and down as if to soothe an ache.
“Baby kicking?” I ask out of politeness.
“Yes. He kicks quite often now. I believe he’s ready to be born.”
“Yeah. That’s what I figured. The War Angels have tripled the bounty for you in the last few days. Whenever someone does that, it means they’re running out of time to find the person they’re looking for.”