by Brianna Jean
All the blood drained from my face.
“What?” Lanier questioned, his hand coming to squeeze my thigh.
My head was spinning. No way.
“Prove it,” I demanded.
“Gladly.”
Before I even knew what was happening, a dagger was flying toward me. In the blink of an eye, I saw Cabe stand up, his chair flying back, a scream ripping from his throat. Lanier’s fangs came through his gums, his eyes changing as the beast took over, and Quint, who for the first time, looked like he was a Demon, wrapped his hands around his father’s throat and squeezed, his eyes wide and panicked.
And then the blade flew straight into my heart.
I roared.
Loud enough to shatter the stained-glass windows, my power sweeping the room, the candles blown out under the strength of my pain.
Annalise crashed to the floor before I could catch her.
“She won’t die,” Lucifer sing-songed, throwing his son off of him easily, as if he were an unwanted bug on his shoulder. “Not if you all Accept the bond.”
I paused, looking down at Annalise, motionless and dying on the floor of the Devil’s lair. Cabe grabbed Anna’s face, shouting, hands shaking. “Annalise, no. Annalise, please!”
“WAKE HER UP!” Quint screamed at his father, his hands in his hair, a manic look on his face. I was losing him quickly. I closed my eyes, thinking over everything Lucifer said, everything that we learned.
He said that Annalise was the Queen of a realm that none of us knew existed, and somehow, our Accepting the bond would prove it. I had two choices. Let her die, let Humanity die, or Accept this bond. I’d be letting go of my father—who would forever remain my father, no matter what the Devil said—to save Annalise.
To keep her with me, with us.
My heart pounded against my rib cage, sweat poured down my face, down my back. My hands were shaking, my mind a mess of emotions. The power within me was darkening quickly, making what the Devil said even more real. I was losing control.
Earlier, at the penthouse, I assumed that Lucifer wanted Annalise dead…only to find out that she was Death. That we all were. We were created to bring death to those who wronged The Kingdom, but none of us wanted that role. We were going to deny this bond…
“DO SOMETHING!” Quint shouted. “I ACCEPT!”
He was openly sobbing, tearing at his hair, his chest. There was no priest, no true ceremony, but Lucifer was powerful enough to confirm the bond as Accepted.
Accept or Annalise dies.
It wasn’t a choice.
“I Accept.”
The whole room paused, my brothers going still at the sound of my voice. I looked Cabe in the eye as he sat on the floor with Anna’s head in his lap, unshed tears floating in his eyes. His pain was everywhere. I could fucking taste it, burnt and bitter on my tongue. It hurt to see him hurting, to see Anna’s lifeless body on the ground, blood spilling from her back. The scent didn’t make me hungry but instead, I felt a new wild possessiveness kick my body into motion. I looked to Cabe. “Accept, damn it!”
“I ACCEPT!” Quint shouted again, his voice tearing as he hit a new octave before he dropped to his knees next to Cabe. “Fuck, please.”
“I Accept,” Cabe whispered, defeated and broken, “I Accept, just bring her back.”
Anna’s raven hair was floating in blood, her skin pale, her chest not moving.
She was dead.
I turned to Lucifer, who sat smiling in his chair.
I took a step closer. “Bring. Her. Back.”
“Look behind you,” he laughed.
Then I felt it, the mating bond. Annalise gasped as the bond turned solid between us. No longer floating useless, fragile and unwanted, it became like a tight rope—sturdy, unbreakable. Power raced from all three of us and flew into Anna, her body shaking under the force.
I saw the subtle signs of the shift flit over her features, the slight tremble of her limbs. “Fuck, her wings, get her up!”
Cabe flew into action, standing up and holding Annalise in his arms, her body limp and lifeless though her chest had started rising and falling again. Blood dripped down to the floor, her hair matted to her face.
My beast came forward, shaking and growling. His maw wet and foaming with pure rage and panic. He shoved me, fighting for control. “MINE!”
The shift was going to be forced on us, all of us.
One by one, our wings flew from our backs.
In a haste, I looked at Quint who was shaking, his face bunched up as the shift began to take over. But this time it was different. There was…pain? He was…Transitioning?
“Ah, yes, there it is.” Lucifer chuckled. “Your mother was Nephilim, Quint. I wondered when the wings would show up.”
My best friend cried out, bending over as wings started tearing through his back. The sounds coming from his mouth made me want to cover my ears. The raw agony of the first Nephilim shift permeated the air as he doubled over in pain and screamed.
“Guys, fuck! What is happening?” Cabe shouted, looking down at Annalise.
Power leaked from me and into her. I felt it flow down the bond continually, like she was a car and I was filling her with gas.
My eyed widened as Anna’s wings began to change colors. Right at the base of her spine, black shadows started to bleed into the brilliant white of her wings. They spread like wildfire, moving faster the closer they got to the tips, until finally she had wings the color of the night sky, her skin still a light gray, her fangs out as blood continued to drip onto the floor beneath her.
“Ah,” Lucifer sighed as Cabe’s began the same process, the shadows chasing away all the white purity in his wings. Mine came next before finally, Quint’s changed color too. I looked at my brothers, truly afraid for the first time. What did all of this mean?
How had our wings…
No.
This was the proof Lucifer was talking about. This was all that we needed to know.
Never in existence had there been an Angel with black wings on earth, but now…
Lucifer nodded. “Now, you are Death.”
She was lifeless in my arms, her wings heavy and draping against the floor. A low sound ripped from my throat as I looked to Lucifer, barely holding it together. “How the fuck do we bring her back?”
“Oh, she’s not dead.” Lucifer chuckled. “She’s immortal. As you all are. Nearly impossible to kill. She just needs your blood, Lanier. Cabe, you could probably create some water for her to drink. It’ll help heal the wound once you pull the dagger out. Quint, your gift is currently manifesting, though when she wakes up tomorrow…prepare for her to be a little hard to control. She’ll need to shift, or you’ll have a very cranky werewolf on your hands.”
“Werewolf?” Quint questioned, still shaking with tears cascading down his face. His eyes were wide with fear, desperation clinging to his body.
“Did you think she wouldn’t get something from you too? I mean, she already feels all of your emotions, a side effect of you being a Demon. She feels the boys’ because you and she share echos of same power. You feed from negative emotions and she can feel the emotions of her bonded. Different, but still similar. The Maker created you all in His image but added a few new strains of power, creating the first supernatural creatures. You are made of dark magic, friends. A vampire, two elementals, a shifter, with Annalise in the center, feeding from all of you, taking on your power as her own, giving her the strength she’ll need to lead Angelus to war. As a Warlock, you are a shifter. And now, so is she. There’s a wolf hidden under there somewhere, and she is fucking mean, so prepare yourselves for that.”
“Are you saying that my water and Lanier’s blood will heal her if we pull this dagger out?” I asked, not giving a shit about anything but Annalise.
“Oh no, that’s not all.” Lucifer sighed. “It won’t be quite that easy until Alias can find your sister, Cabe. I’ve given him hints, so hopefully he won’t be too long. Annalise will n
eed her, seeing as how she is the only one capable of healing Annalise. The wolf is hurt, your sister is an elemental, like you, but she is able to speak to and control animals. Only she can heal Anna’s wolf. Her presence alone will do just fine. I’ve heard she’s very powerful. A bit strange, but very powerful. Lilith liked her a lot.”
“Lilith?” I growled. The mention of my sister knocked the wind out of me, and here was the Devil, talking about her as if he knew her, as if he’d been involved in keeping her from me.
“Oh yes,” he chuckled. “Just wait until you find out what my daughter has had her nasty little hands on. I’m sure you’ll need no further proof. Now get out, I’m no longer hungry, and you’ve overstayed your welcome. Find the girl, and then I’m sure Alias can handle the rest of your questions. You may pull the dagger out when the blood and water are available, but she will not be truly healed until your sister is in the room. Good luck and happy wartimes!”
With that, he got up out of the chair, turned, and vanished into thin air.
It was dark in my head.
Shadows swirled, demons screamed, hunger took over.
I hid in the depths of my mind, refusing to acknowledge that Annalise had a dagger…
Fuck.
Her chest was rising and falling, but her blood was leaking through her dress and all over the floor. So much blood. My Pup had a dagger in her heart, and I couldn’t find my way back to her.
The new wings felt heavy against my back, and my Bull was confused and angry about the intrusion of another spirit. Another fucking thing to deal with. I just wanted to hide until all of it was over. Until she was back and smiling and sassy and avoiding all of her emotions.
“Bring her back,” I whispered.
“Quint, breathe, I need you here with me, bro.” Cabe’s voice was muffled, as if I were underwater. Maybe I was.
Maybe I was drowning.
“Quint!” Lanier shouted, his eyes alight with panic and dominance. “Get it the fuck together, Q, we have to get her home, and I need all hands on deck.”
I didn’t say anything but instead shook off the fog as best I could and ripped Annalise from Cabe’s arms, causing him to yell out, “Hey man! What the fuck?”
Without responding, I blew through the ballroom doors and out into the lobby of the ridiculous church, without looking up or down. I couldn’t look at her, I couldn’t see the lack of light in her eyes, the agony that would shine bright instead.
My back ached from the new wings, my brain muddled and fuzzy with hate and abandonment. She couldn’t leave me. She couldn’t.
If she did, I’d be alone again.
I Accepted the bond, whatever the fuck that meant for us, so that she would come back. She had to come back.
“Come on,” Lanier barked as he walked past me, leading the group to the waiting limo outside. I followed, my feet dragging under me, my body aching and wrong, my head twisted and fucked.
“Come back, Pup,” I whispered, finally looking down at her.
A sob got caught in my throat, and I stumbled, crashing into Cabe’s back. He whipped around and caught her before she fell from my arms.
I couldn’t watch anymore. I couldn’t handle anymore.
I needed….
I needed to…
“Shift, Quint, go,” Lanier said quietly. “Meet us at home.”
Once I made sure Annalise was safe in Cabe’s arms, I bolted.
I shifted midair, cloaked myself, and ran faster than the speed of light, all the way home.
I could hear them, all of them, talking around me. Lanier’s commanding voice made me want to smile. Cabe’s dark worry and determination made me proud. Quint’s mental state made me sick with worry. He needed me.
And at some point, through it all, I wanted to be there for him. To be the one who could love him, show him that he wasn’t alone, but I didn’t know how. I had locked myself up and thrown away the key so many years ago that it seemed impossible to turn it all back on now.
“Annalise,” a deep, foreign, voice said from the corner of my mind. I had yet to open my eyes, fearing that I was in Hell, about to be tortured. I was content to listen to their voices, my mates.
Since the bond had been Accepted, I felt it between us stronger than it was before. These boys were created—destined—to be mine, and I was dying.
“You are not dying, child,” the voice said again. “Open your eyes.”
I did, having nothing else to do, and was shocked to find myself standing on the edge of a cliff, in the middle of the night. There was a giant fucking snowcapped mountain in front of me, bright stars in the sky, a sickening drop below. “What the—”
“Daughter,” the voice said, closer this time. I turned my head at the sound and stumbled backwards, catching myself just before my ass hit the ground.
A man was standing in front of me, tall as hell, with the darkest violet eyes I’d ever seen. Black hair matching my own, high cheekbones, massive black wings spread out behind him.
“Who are you?” I whispered, matching the utter silence that surrounded us.
“I’m Michael, your father.” His smile was gentle but not at all welcoming. He was scary, even to me, with his packed muscle and brands tattooed all over his body. He was inked all over with unreadable symbols and thick black lines. “Lucifer stabbed you so that you could come here, to gain the proof you seek.”
I laughed, all of the craziness catching up to me. “Lucifer stabbed me so that I could…” I kept laughing, unable to stop the insanity once it started.
It took me a few minutes to get it all out and wipe the tears from my eyes. This was all so fucking crazy. I was absolutely standing in Angelus, and the man in front of me was most definitely my father.
“Lilith has been abducting Humans, gang members, prostitutes, orphans, anyone she can get her hands on,” he began, stepping out toward the edge of the cliff, his back to me. He must have trusted me a whole lot, because I could have easily pushed his ass right off the cliff, and he would’ve deserved it for abandoning me, for keeping me in the dark, for allowing me to be turned into some hybrid fucking monster.
But his words caught my attention as I connected them to the rumors I’d heard about Hellhound, the guys’ bar. People going missing after entering Hellhound without an invite. I knew the guys had nothing to do with it; it wasn’t something they would do, but it wasn’t as if they spent a whole lot of time there. I hadn’t asked enough questions about their jobs, clearly, but I still knew that they had nothing to do with the disappearances.
“Why?” I gritted out, not looking at him as I continued taking in my surroundings. I realizing that despite the snow along the top of the mountains, the air was warm on my skin. Not too hot, not too cold.
“Because she is in the process of creating a new type of monster—five of them to be exact—to face you and your mates in battle,” he replied, his voice calm and honest.
I stepped toward him, wanting to see the full impact of the drop below the cliff. “She’s creating creatures to face us so she can kill the Nephilim and gain control of the Humans?”
“Yes.”
The man was stoic, as if he didn’t know what to do with me beyond responding to my questions. There was no familial reunion, no. “I’m sorry for abandoning you.” Just cold hard facts.
“I’m in Angelus, aren’t I?” I asked, knowing the truth. My power was deep within the lands. The ground beneath me sung, and the wind whispered my name.
“You are.”
“And I’m supposed to rule this place?”
“Yes.” He turned to face me. “This land was created for you and your mates but has not thrived in its three hundred years. Unlike Hellfire, this place hasn’t had a leader, so it’s remained stagnant and waiting for its power source to light it up. It’s perpetual night right now, the land is too sick to bring out the sun. Angelus is starving. The five of you are the only Angels strong enough to feed this place. After all, it only exists because you and y
our mates do.”
“Why us?” I asked, desperate to know why we were chosen for all of this.
“Well…” He shrugged. “You were born.”
I scoffed, “That’s it? That’s all you have for me? I’m to rule this place, some fucking mythical, magical land, because I was fucking born?”
Not at all ruffled by my tone, he said, “The Maker asked me and the other four Death Angels to sire him a child. All five of us did, with the exception of one. The Angels of Sodom and Gomorrah had twins, but The Army Killer was unable to reproduce.”
I blanched, the name slapping me in the face.
No…
“The Army Killer?” I whispered, my hand at my mouth, my eyes closed.
“Your Guardian, Alias,” my father confirmed. “He was the only one of us who was unable to provide an heir, but the twin Angels were gifted two, so The Maker sent Alias to earth to guard the five of you. He lost one of you, but I believe that he’s gotten her back. They’re all waiting for you to wake up now.”
It was strange that I didn’t question how I was in Angelus or how any of this was possible in the first place, but instead, I questioned everything I knew about AK. He was my first love, my entire world, and once upon a time…he was one of the original five Death Angels. My guardian. He’d known who and what I was all along. While he kissed me, fucked me, loved me.
Now he was dead to me.
“You must go now,” my father said, turning to face me. Our eyes met, and he watched me carefully, a warning deep within his gaze. “She’s strong, Annalise. You must save the Humans; you must save Angelus, or this will all be for nothing. I didn’t know what The Maker’s plans were, but I had very little choice. I serve The Kingdom, and now…so do you. Gather your mates and find Lilith. Find out what she’s planning and stop her before it’s too late. Three hundred years is too long for her to be left unchecked. Good luck, child.”
My eyes closed, and he was gone.
Darkness returned, telling me that my eyes were still closed. I could feel the unforgiving floor beneath my back so I knew that I was lying somewhere but I couldn’t open my eyes to check my location. The pain in my chest had me nauseous and weak.