Fear prickled up her spine. The rumbling built, like a distant roar coming closer. Galaden had been called home and it had been a month since she had heard from him. It did not augur well.
“Rachael!” called her mother, her voice shrill.
“I’m coming mother,” she called, leaving the healing room and running toward the front of the villa.
When Rachael reached her mother at the front door, she saw terror had drained all color from her mother's face. Her father stood still, his face transfixed in a mask of horror as her mother gripped his arm. Both were staring at the horde that was drawing to a halt in the villa courtyard. Dust skirted the air and the rancid smell of death reached her nostrils as the king's soldiers drew up.
"Take the baby and run," her mother said, turning to her, gripping her arms. "I will try and delay them entering the house."
"I have already ordered my servant to do so. The soldiers have come for me. Pray Galaden has not told them of the child. Go, Mother. Hide. If anything happens to me, I need you to raise Cassiel." She grabbed her mother by the shoulders and pushed her into the house.
Her father walked forward to greet the King's emissaries as was fitting for the male head of the house and she followed up behind him though her feet dragged at every step.
Several men wearing full battle gear dismounted from their horses. One dismounted from a large black stallion and flicked the reins to another soldier.
"Prince Agrat?" Rachael said. She recognized his body armor with its lapis lazuli breastplate, though this time he wore a helmet. It had been some time since she had seen him, but she had learned not to be afraid of the demon prince, though he had never brought any of his army to her door before.
Her father knelt at the Prince's feet and bowed his head. "My lord," he said. "Welcome to my humble home."
The prince did not acknowledge him. Instead, he strode straight over to Rachael. Every nerve jangled in her body as he came close. A brooding, malignant energy emanated from him, which she hadn't sensed before. She clutched her throat as a sense of panic overwhelmed her. She wanted to run, to hide, anything to get away, but she knew she couldn't. She had to buy her baby time.
When the prince came close, Rachael gasped and shrank back in horror. Burning eyes stared at her through the slit of his helmet. If there was any humanity left in the prince, it was not apparent. Not anymore. She glanced over at the other soldiers and her heart began to hammer as a sickening feeling consumed her. All the soldiers' heads resembled strange animals and their bodies had long multiple limbs. Djin!
Hell had come to their home.
Her father cried out too and put his hands to his face.
"You are ordered to come to the palace," the prince said, his voice grating and low. Gone was the warmth she'd heard before when the prince had brought the injured Galaden to her to heal.
She didn't know him anymore.
"Where is Galaden? Has he sent for me?" Rachael asked. Her questions were bold, but every second she delayed gave her mother time to run and escape should the soldiers burn the house. She prayed her servant girl had hidden Cassiel.
The prince withdrew an evil looking sword with a twisted blade. "The king commands it."
"What do you want with my daughter?" her father cried, climbing to his feet.
The prince turned and slashed his blade across her father's face. Her father screamed in pain and clutched his cheek as bright red blood sprang through his fingers. He looked at her with utter disbelief and crumpled to his knees.
A wail of misery left Rachael's lips. She tried to get to him. With her healing powers, she could save him, but the prince grabbed her, pinioned her arms behind her back and shoved her forward toward his horse. He picked her up, his fingers biting into her body and threw her over the withers of the huge black stallion. He climbed up behind her and kicked his horse into action.
This was not the behavior of the prince she had known in the past. He was a stranger. From the cruelty of the prince's treatment, Rachael knew that she'd never see her baby, Cassiel, again.
Dust kicked up into her face and she squeezed her eyes shut, forced to endure the wild movement of the stallion. There was no point in struggling, not when the prince's hand was pressed down hard on her back so that she could barely breathe. She understood now why he generated the fear that he did. It was almost as if this demon son of the king had two distinct sides to his nature; one kind and loving — at least to his half-brother — and the other so cold and cruel, it was inhuman. At least the soldiers had not burned her house, nor had they searched for Cassiel. Galaden had kept his vow.
Her baby was safe.
For now.
With the top half of her body hanging upside down over the withers of the prince's horse, Rachael fought to stay conscious as the ground swirled under her. She clenched her eyes shut again. Several hours later the clacking noise of hooves meeting paving sounded in her ears. Forcing her eyes to open, she saw the ground was paved with cobblestones as they entered the walled city of Jerusalem. Her head throbbed from the constant bouncing against the horse's foreleg as the prince rode with his men into a stadium. The prince dismounted and she felt his rough hands pull her off the horse. Her legs buckled, unable to support her after such a harsh journey when she hit the ground. She couldn't reconcile this hideous treatment from the prince with the man who had come to her villa several years ago desperate to save his angelic half-brother.
The prince yanked her to her feet by the arm and forced her to walk forward. In front of her was a dais built of gold and swathed in rich fabrics to protect the inhabitant from the harsh sun. When she saw who sat upon the gilt throne in front of her, the whole word seemed to tilt.
"Your Highness. This is the woman." The prince bowed, released his pinching grip on her arm and shoved her forward.
"Bring her closer. I wish to see the whore with the flame hair." The king motioned her to come closer with a wave of his hand.
Tears blurred Rachael's vision. Her breasts were hard and full and part of her shift was wet from milk. She prayed that no one would notice how damp her shift was and refrained from plucking it from her body. Wiping her eyes with the backs of her hands, she cleared her vision.
The king stared at her, his eyes narrowed and his mouth became pinched as his gaze moved slowly over her. He was a large man, though not given to flesh, with a face lined with age. His eyes were almost black, their expression piercing over a hooked nose and thin mouth. His white moustache and beard covered the lower half of his face. He leaned forward and his hands, adorned with gold and gem encrusted rings, were clenched.
Rachael shuddered, her senses on full alert. There would be no mercy for her from a man who gazed at her with intense hatred. No chance for explanation. On either side of the king stood his guards, dressed in the ceremonial colors of the king, long swords sheathed at their sides. With desperation she looked further afield, hoping to see Galaden, but her angel husband was not there. Did he know that she had been taken?
She thought not. Galaden would never have allowed her to be treated so roughly. Instead, he would be here trying to free her. Galaden loved her and she believed in him, but that didn't stop the fear rising up in her throat so intensely that she could hardly swallow.
The soldiers, with battle-hardened faces and alert eyes, waited with interest to see her punishment and execution. Behind her stood the king's demonic forces, their energy like a dark cloud. When she glanced behind her, she heard the prince laugh, the rumble frightening like an earth tremor. No escape. No mercy.
She remembered the prince when he had visited her healing room in the past, how he had been told his mother was a demon. How he did not know what he was. Perhaps he had become what he most feared. Was that why he was now so cruel?
She turned and gave him one last look, her gaze meeting the burning eyes within his helmet, moving down his torso to his unsheathed sword and focusing on the claw-like talons gripping it. Rachael started. Why had she not not
iced his creature-like hands before? Had her fear been so great that all her senses had shut down when he had taken her? She should have known. Should have sensed. This was not the prince who stood beside her, but some creature, barely human, disguised in Agrat's clothing.
This was not Agrat but some imposter.
Death faced her.
Injustice faced the true prince.
And Galaden, her one great love, would mourn his whole life.
In front of her, the king stood and everything went silent. Even the birds ceased to sing and the wind no longer whipped her hair around her face, her headdress having long flown away. "Woman. Is it true you seduced my son?"
The king thought her a whore and his belief would become lore through all ages. She knew it in his words, could see it in his face. Rachael raised her chin. Her child would not be told his mother was a prostitute after her bones had been bleached white by the desert sands. Cassiel would not grow up like Agrat thinking he was unworthy. Her son would know the truth. "Galaden is my husband."
The king's face blanched and he raised his hand and shook his fist at her. "My sons are forbidden to marry. Galaden has been promised to another."
"Galaden loves me. I am his wife and he has my heart," she said, her voice loud and firm.
"I do not recognize this marriage," the king roared. Veins bulged on his broad forehead.
"Rachael!" A melodic cry reached her ears.
She heard a fluttering sound and looked upwards. Galaden flew toward her, the silver at the tips of his wings glinting in the sky. He landed on her right hand side, the wondrous fragrance of morning dew surrounding her, his scent safe and warm. She flung herself into his arms. "You're here."
She saw the look of horror Galaden gave the imposter prince who stood close by, his sword at the ready to end her life, the moment the king gave the order to do so. There was no time to explain that this was not Agrat, but a demon disguised as the prince doing the cruel will of the king.
"Release her!" The king pointed in Galaden's direction.
Rachael felt the tremor go through Galaden's whole body and his arms dropped to his sides. "Galaden, what's happening to you?"
"I am forced to obey my maker," he said through gritted teeth. Shame masked his face as he turned from her to the king, his movements stiff and awkward as if his limbs were lodged in hardening plaster.
The imposter prince cackled beside her.
"Don't listen to the king," she cried. "Block out his words." Even to her own ears, she knew her words were desperate. Galaden had once explained how he had no choice, how he had to obey due to his nature. He had to do his father's bidding just as a caterpillar would change to a moth and grow wings.
"Free her, Father. She is my wife, my one true love," Galaden cried.
"Foolish angel son. This marriage is illegal," the king said, banging his hand down on the rail of the dais.
"I will marry no other," Galaden replied, though his voice sounded strange and hollow. His whole body shuddered under the king's glare and the glow that all angels had naturally, faded.
Rachael stared at Galaden as dread consumed her. He seemed to be changing color in front of her eyes, his creamy skin turning alabaster, his bright, blue eyes dimming. Yet like his father, Galaden's mouth had become pinched, his chin thrust forward and she saw the stubbornness there. She also saw bravery. He was fighting for her life.
"You will marry my choice for you," the king said, his dark eyes flashing with danger.
"No!" Galaden said.
"You dare defy your maker?" the king roared. "Fool of an angel son. You cannot defy me."
Galaden's whole body shuddered as he fought his father's control.
Rachael moved in front of him and gripped his face, her hands on his cheeks. His head was stiff and unresisting to her touch as his gaze locked with his father's. "Galaden. Listen to me. Fly us out of here. I don't care that you're a prince. All I care about is you." She didn't dare mention their baby in case the imposter prince, who was standing nearby, heard her.
Galaden looked at her, his head movements robotic. "I cannot. My wings are frozen." His voice sounded strangled to her ears.
"Kill her," the king ordered.
"No!" A cry left the angel's lips, the tone unnatural and hideous like an axe grinding across metal.
She felt claw-like talons grip her by the shoulders and drag her off the angel, though she managed to grab Galaden's hand and grip it hard.
Raw hatred filled Galaden's eyes as he looked at the pretender prince. "Traitor brother. I will kill you for this."
Rachael opened her lips to warn Galaden that the creature standing next to her wasn't Agrat, the brother the angel prince had loved all his life. That whoever had framed the demon prince was determined to break that love, crush it into the ground like dirt beneath a shoe and turn brother against brother. There was no time to defend Agrat, no way to save herself or utter last words of love to Galaden. She saw the flash of steel and then a searing heat flared across the front of her throat as the blade sliced into her neck. Instinct made her try to withdraw her hand and grip her throat but Galaden held it tight. She stared into his crystal-blue eyes, the same color as her baby's. They were filled with horror. She wanted to tell him to look after Cassiel, but she had no words as she tried to gulp in her last breath.
She died holding Galaden's hand.
Rachael gulped in a large breath and tried to raise her hand to the raw pain in her throat, but Galaden held it tight. The searing agony from the nightmare faded as she looked about her. "Where am I?" White ceiling. White walls. A drip in the back of her hand. A machine near her bed, beeping loudly. Electrodes on her chest. Stricken by her dream, she stared up into Galaden's eyes, trying to make sense of where she was.
"You're in a modern healing center," Galaden said, silver tears streaking his cheeks. "I thought I'd lost you. You stopped breathing."
"I had the most terrible dream. Your father ordered my death. I felt it. The blade across my throat. I hate that dream. I've had it over and over again. You disobeyed your father. Your whole body is shuddering, changing, hardening. You're fighting against your father but you can't win." She took in a large gulp of air and tears formed in her eyes. "I don't want us to be parted again. I can't bear it."
"Please, Rachael, don't distress yourself. Our son, Cassiel, is channeling healing energy into you. Relax, you need to heal. I want to get you out of here." Galaden glanced toward the foot of her bed. "Your elders have gathered at the foot of the bed."
Rachael glanced to where he was looking. "I can't see anyone."
"You will not see them until you are ready to cross over. I have told them to leave, but they will not do so," Galaden said.
"Don't worry about it, Rachael. I'm on it. I'll get you better," Cassiel said. "It's not your time."
She glanced over to her right to see Cassiel who was seated, his hands hovering over her. His face was stark with concentration, his mouth a tight line as he worked. Pulses of white light left his palms and she saw it entering her heart area. She could sense its warmth, feel the unconditional love and healing that the white light brought with it.
"Make her whole, Cass. If anyone can do it, you can," Daniel said, beside her bed.
Cassiel shot a smile at Daniel, then his face turned serious again. "Heavenly energy is strong. I have to do this slowly. Too much will dissolve her human body and her soul will be called back to source."
"I am not ready to let her go. Not yet," Galaden said.
Cassiel shot him a piercing stare, the depth of understanding in his crystal-blue eyes made them darken. "What do you mean, 'not yet'? You love Rachael. You're not leaving her. We love you. You're not leaving us."
"Perhaps it is not a choice," Galaden said, the tone of his voice flat.
"Don't block us out," Rachael said, sensing his withdrawal. She pulled the hand that was holding hers close to her face and examined it. The fingers were the color of cement. "What is happening to you, my l
ove?"
"Do not concern yourself with my problems." Galaden's gaze slid away from hers. Instead he frowned at the persistent beeping noise the monitor was making behind him and blasted it, causing the front of the machine to blacken and melt.
Rachael heard a clattering of footsteps and the nurse dashed into the hospital room.
Galaden, Cassiel and Daniel faded into the background.
"The alarm for the heart monitor sounded," the nurse said, her face worried.
Rachael's gaze flicked over to the monitor. "It started beeping loudly and then the machine flared."
The nurse gave the machine an odd look as she strode toward Rachael and took her blood pressure. "I've never seen one of them do that before. She took off the electrodes from Rachael's chest, pulled out her drip and put a plaster on the point where the needle had entered the skin. "You know, this whole case doesn't make sense to me. Your blood pressure and pulse rate are normal. I checked your blood work. That's normal too, and there was nothing wrong with your MRI. Yet, you were in a coma."
Rachael pulled herself up into a seated position. "I don't really know what went wrong. I feel fine. I'd like to go home."
The nurse frowned. "You've had a most unusual recovery. Most coma patients wake up confused, yet you seem lucid. Your doctor will be in to see you soon. Talk to him about going home."
"I will," Rachael said.
"Oh, I meant to tell you, a friend named Phoebe Larson called and enquired about you. I didn't transfer the call because you hadn't been awake for long."
"Phoebe called?" Rachael said. "Oh, thank God."
When the nurse left the room Galaden, Cassiel and Daniel became corporeal.
Rachael looked at Galaden. He stared straight at her, his eyes unblinking, the skin on his face grey like his hands. Something about this state triggered a memory from her dream. When he'd defied his father in their past life, he'd shuddered and lost his glow. She remembered his father's words. An angel must obey his maker or turn to stone. But Galaden's father was long gone. So why was he turning? Why wouldn't he discuss it with Cassiel?
What was it that he wouldn't tell her?
Her Demon Prince (Forbidden Fantasy) Page 21