Celeste swallowed past the pain that choked her. “He would never do something like that now. The Reapers now have a strain of light.”
Calliope threw his head back and laughed. “Ah yes, the light of love and kindness,” he spat. “Lying with Angels, the very thought is sickening. It’s a weakness, and you’re a stupid child to think otherwise.”
She hurt too much, and she just wanted it to be over for a few minutes. “You know what I think, Calliope?”
His eyes narrowed at her question, and he grabbed her by the chin squeezing until she was sure he was going to break her jaw.
“I think you are the one that is jealous. You are the one that covets what Dante has and what he is.” She held her head up proudly. “I think you know deep down in your heart that you will never be as powerful as Dante, and that is killing you inside.”
As she spoke she felt him tense, felt him start to shake in rage, and by the time she was done he was focused with his black eyes on her. Calliope swung a wing around slicing her throat open. For just a moment she thought for sure it was over. She was beheaded, there was nothing left to say or do. But then the pain radiated in her brain, and the spray of blood covered the walls she realized he hadn’t severed her head from her own shoulders but she was surely going to die. Not in a totally dead kind of way, she would eventually heal but for the moment Calliope had won.
Celeste felt her head fall to the side; she tried to turn and look at him. To laugh but when she opened her mouth only blood poured from it, when she tried to move nothing happened.
“Maybe when you heal from your wounds you’ll have a better attitude,” Calliope said walking through a door she actually hadn’t noticed before.
She was suddenly swamped with exhaustion, and she closed her eyes. Blackness coming and going, she wasn’t sure for how long, she knew nothing but pain. She thought of her brothers, of Dante, of her mother and wished that she had said goodbye to them. She wished that she had told the jackass Fallen that she had fallen in love with him two hundred years ago, if anything just to see the look of horror in his eyes. If she had been capable of it she would have laughed. She released everything and sagged down, the chains digging into her wrists, and her shoulder popped out of its socket.
Celeste knew she would wake up healed but it would be days. And then it would start all over again, but she also promised herself as blackness swamped her that one day she would get away, and when she did, she would hunt Calliope down, sever his head, and feed him to the lava pits of hell with a smile on her face.
She closed her eyes and smiled, keeping the image of Marcus in her mind’s eye she let go of everything.
****
“She’s dying,” Lexi screamed as they drove through the city. The closer they got the more pain the woman sensed. “Can’t this contraption go any faster?”
Marcus had the pedal all the way to the floor had barely avoided several accidents and was completely surprised the police hadn’t stopped him yet.
“STOP,” Lexi screamed.
Marcus slammed on the breaks, everyone in the car braced themselves. They were in an old part of the city, monolithic buildings raised to the sky. They had been driving through the streets the majority of the night, and now the sun was about to rise, and Marcus would be damned if Celeste was going to miss it.
Everyone exited from the vehicles, Lexi ran toward a building the bricks were crumbling she scrambled over the falling rocks and disappeared into the darkness.
“I wouldn’t follow that woman through a fully lit park of children and I’m about to follow her into a dark abandoned building. This world has totally gone to hell,” Cameron said pulling out his guns he checked them and was the first to climb in through the rubble.
Victor and then Marcus, Christian and Garrett followed behind.
****
She heard the gun fire, but for a moment thought maybe it was her imagination. Either that or Calliope had decided to shoot her. But she didn’t feel any more pain. So it had to be her imagination. Or a memory, just a memory. Celeste tried to hold onto it, even that was too much and blackness swamped up to take her before she was able to make sense of what was happening.
When the door flew open and her mother flew into the room, letting out hysterical screams as gun fire followed her. Lexi was bleeding but it didn’t seem to slow her down it still didn’t seem real. If she could have she would have smiled, her mother, and not even gun fire would stop her from what she wanted. Except for the gates of Lust, she couldn’t get past those, but that was because of Dante.
Celeste tried to say something but her voice still didn’t work.
“Don’t let him out of the building,” Victor screamed amid more gun fire.
Then everything was silent except for her mother, who screeched like a banshee clawing at the restraints that held Celeste to the wall. Celeste wanted to beg her to stop she was doing more damage than good at the moment. Scratching at Celeste’s arms as she tried to free her daughter.
Marcus came into the room next and stopped dead. “For the love of all the gods.” He rushed forward lifting her head he looked into her eyes.
“Please don’t be dead.” He kissed her forehead. “Don’t die, we still have more fights to have.” She would have laughed would have explained she wanted to fight with him as well but between him moving her, and her mother scratching at her she just couldn’t take anymore and let the blackness swallow her. Her last thought was hope that this wasn’t some kind of dream but they really had come for her she really was being rescued. Calliope wouldn’t torture her anymore.
****
When he had entered he thought for sure she was dead her neck was sliced open, and blood poured from the wound. She was broken and bleeding in so many places he didn’t even bother to try to count them. He held her head in place, as he reached up and pulled the chains directly from the wall.
Lexi cried screaming for Victor. “Give her to her brother.”
Victor took one look at Celeste and started to swear. He offered his arms out.
Marcus didn’t want to let her go. “I’ll carry her to the car.”
“No,” Lexi screeched. “He has the power to heal her.”
Reluctantly Marcus placed her into Victor’s arms who hugged Celeste close whispering into her ear. They shown like a black light making the blood she was covered in shine eerily. And then she gasped for air, only to let out a scream of pain.
Victor stumbled back as she twisted and screamed in pain. Marcus watched in amazement as her broken bones moved back into place, and her neck wound started to stitch itself back together. Christian wrapped his arms around his brother, Garrett and Marcus doing the same. The three men held Victor on his feet while Celeste screamed in horror and pain begging them to make it stop.
“Just a few more minutes.” Victor crooned softly. Lexi flapped her arms screaming and pacing around the men.
And then Celeste was silent, Victor handed her back to Marcus as he fell to the ground exhausted.
“Can you Flash us back to the house?” he asked Christian.
“Yes, with Garrett’s help.” Everyone grabbed onto either Christian or Garrett, and then they were standing in the dining room.
Marcus stumbled almost falling to his feet but he would be damned straight to hell if he was going to allow Celeste to receive any more injuries due to him. He forced himself to walk up the stairs and into her room. Her mother hovering over his shoulder the entire time.
“We need to bath her. Victor wasn’t able to heal all her wounds but he corrected the most grievous of them.” She ran into the bathroom and started the tub.
Marcus started to pull the remains of her tattered clothing from her body. Victor might have healed her wounds so they didn’t kill her but she still had several open wounds one that stretched across her chest, another he suspected had severed the muscles and tendons under one arm. There wasn’t a part of her that wasn’t bruised. That bastard had her less than twenty four hours
, and by the looks of it had used every single minute of that time to torture Celeste.
Lexi came back into the room and clucked over her daughter as she helped Marcus remove the rest of her clothing. “If you will please place her in the tub I will wash her, and then we can move her to the bed.”
Marcus steeled himself against the naked woman pressed against his body and did as Lexi instructed.
“Wait.” Lexi stopped before he placed her in the water. She took the time to unbraid Celeste’s hair.
“Did you know her name means heaven sent?” Lexi asked as she unwound Celeste’s long hair. “She was a gift from heaven, Dante didn’t believe it. But she could be nothing else but sent from heaven.” Tears flowed down the woman’s face, the insanity he had seen in her in the last hours completely gone as she worked over her daughter. “She is my Angel.”
Lexi cupped Celeste’s face. “Okay put her in the tub.”
The tub was so large it looked like three people could sit in it comfortable. And the minute she was laid into the bath the water turned pink and then brown with blood. It made him sick.
“I will take care of her from here. If you wouldn’t mind waiting outside I’ll call you when she is ready.” Marcus nodded and headed for the door turning he looked back. Her eyes hadn’t opened once since they had found her, and Marcus had never felt as helpless as he did right at that moment.
So he went for a drink, Victor was sitting in the library with only the fire burning. When Marcus reached for the light switch, Victor stopped him.
“Please my head is banging so hard, the light hurts.” Marcus acquiesced and came into the room pouring himself a large glass of whiskey. He wasn’t a big drinker, had seen and done things he wasn’t proud of but what he had seen tonight was something he would never be able to erase from his mind or heart.
“How is she?” Victor asked quietly.
“Lexi is taking care of her, she hasn’t woken up yet. Where is everyone?”
“Garrett and Christian have returned to the Infernos to report to Dante. I have no idea where anyone else is.” Victor’s words were quiet and subdued.
“Why have I never known of your ability to heal?” Marcus asked trying to feel in the silence.
“Why would you have, like I explained in the hole in the ground the monster had my sister. It is a gift I can use only with my siblings.” Victor had leaned his head back against the chair his eyes closed.
“And what does it cost you to use this gift?”
Victor opened his eyes, the iris of both were filled with blood. “I feel every wound, Marcus. She may be immortal, but you and I know that is relative. She was closer to death than I would have ever wanted her to be.”
“Calliope needs to die,” Marcus said throwing back the rest of the whiskey he stood and filled his glass again.
“Yes well many things in the infernos should not be and are, but I would have to agree with you on that matter. I will speak with Dante when I return.” Again he leaned his head back and closed his eyes.
“Would you like a room, there are plenty?” Marcus asked, Victor must be exhausted.
He didn’t open his eyes as he spoke. “Will a bed erase what I felt my sister go through? Will it make that memory disappear?”
“No,” Marcus said quietly wishing he could take some of that pain.
Victor chuckled. “As I thought, then I shall remain here with the fire. I am cold, and it helps.”
Marcus nodded and left Victor tossing the glass of whiskey back he headed back to Celeste’s room. Kyra was standing outside the door her ear pressed to it.
She jumped when Marcus tapped her on the shoulder. She swung around and hit him in the shoulder. “Are you trying to scare me to death?” she whispered urgently.
“Why don’t you just knock?” Marcus asked.
“I want to help. But I’m not sure if she’ll allow me to help,” she insisted.
“She is being nosey instead of warming my bed,” Ryder grumbled as he walked down the hall toward them.
“How is she?”
Marcus looked at his friends, his family and let them see the pain in his eyes. “She almost died, but I think we were in time.”
“I put up Druid wards the moment I heard you all return. Calliope won’t be able to get past them,” Kyra said as she leaned into the listen at the door again.
“OH for the love of the gods,” Ryder snapped, he reached forward and opened the door and pushed his wife inside and then shut the door.
“For a warrior class sometimes she is so timid.” Ryder shook his head in irritation. “By the way you look like hell. Want to talk about it?”
“You know something brother, I feel like hell,” Marcus agreed.
“That bad?”
“I can’t even put into words what I saw tonight. Nor would I put that on anyone’s conscious.”
Ryder nodded. “I understand.”
They stood outside the door in silence until Kyra cracked the door open, tears streaking down her face. “Marcus can you please come in and carry her to her bed?”
Marcus immediately pushed past Kyra, and went into the bathroom. Celeste was still naked, and he could see the wounds clearly now she was clean. There wasn’t a single spot on her body that hadn’t been cut beaten or bruised. Fury irrupted inside of him so strong he shook with the inadequacy he felt toward exacting revenge on Calliope.
“Hold it together,” Lexi said quietly.
Marcus wrapped Celeste in a towel her hair had been pulled up on the top of her head in an ornate bun. He knew Celeste would hate and carried her to the bed. The room had filled with Victor, Cameron, Kyra, Ryder and Christian had returned.
Marcus laid her down on the bed and covered her up, He looked at all the occupants of the room they all looked like he felt, helpless and impotent, wanting desperately to fix this. Take away all her pain.
“She lost a great deal of blood, her body will of course heal but she needs to have sex as soon as possible to give her the extra strength she needs to heal completely.” Lexi looked around the room.
“Fuck, don’t look at me I’m her brother,” Victor snapped. Christian nodded his agreement.
“I’m taken,” Ryder said grabbing Kyra and pulling her close.
“I’d do it but frankly she scares me,” Cameron said.
Marcus shook his head. “Everyone get the hell out of here.”
“Marcus,” Kyra said, startled.
“Kyra trust me,” he urged.
She gave him a hard look before nodding and leaving with Ryder. Cameron with them.
Victor and Christian stood there; Marcus knew they were fighting an internal battle at the moment. Marcus pulled off his shirt.
“OH gods.” Victor swore, anger lacing each syllable. “If this wasn’t going to help her I would kill you right now.”
He stormed from the room; Christian held back and looked at Marcus his head tilted to the side for a moment. He had never been one for conversation, and when he spoke you stopped and listened. “If you hurt my sister in any way be prepared to die.” Leaving Marcus in the room with Lexi and Celeste.
“Well?” Lexi snapped.
Marcus took a deep breath. “She is going to be fine Lexi. I will take care of her from here, you must trust me.”
She glared but left the room. Marcus finished undressing and climbed into the bed. He wrapped himself around Celeste her body was cold, and he rubbed her arms and legs.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
Marcus’s eyes snapped up to hers. “For what?”
“Getting everyone out of here, and not letting that boy Cameron have his way with me.” She smiled.
“When did you wake?” he asked still rubbing warmth back into her body.
“When you wrapped me in the towel.” She reached up to her head and groaned. “My hair will never dry. Can you please help me?”
She tried to lift herself up but Marcus pushed her down. “Let me.” He rolled her over and pulled
the many pins from her hair letting it fall like a red water fall all over her back and his chest. Wet it clung to him, he caught his breath and tried to move but couldn’t. Taking a strand he rubbed it between his fingers and brought it to his nose. It smelled like lavender, and he wanted desperately to bury his face into it.
“Um would you like me to braid it?” He knew she preferred that.
She laughed but he could tell it hurt her to do so. “Can you braid hair, Fallen?”
Marcus climbed from the bed and went into the bathroom for a brush. “I have many talents that you are unaware of.”
“Then I am glad you saved me so that I could learn them,” she said quietly.
Marcus started at the ends which he noticed no longer had the quills her mother must have removed them. He brushed the red locks slowly moving up her back. And chastised himself, five hundred years without a woman, and this was so erotic for him he wasn’t sure he was going to get her hair braided without coming and embarrassing them both.
“Why do you have such long hair?” He asked trying to fill the silence so that he didn’t roll her over and have his way with her like her mother wanted.
“Mating,” Celeste said, and the one world jolted through Marcus like a bullet. “My long hair indicates to other females and males that I am single. When I blood rite I will cut my hair.” She said it with no emotion, and Marcus couldn’t figure out why the thought of her cutting her hair upset him so much.
“But it will grow back right?”
“No. Once you cut the hair of a female Sex Demon it stops growing.”
“But then after five hundred years it should be dragging behind you like Rapunzel.” Marcus commented, unbraided it reached below her knees. It also explained why she had flipped out in the alley when he had threatened to cut it. He had no right to cut her hair, and for some reason that stabbed at him. What were these strange feelings he had for this woman? He hadn’t known her for a week, yet he desperately wanted to break centuries old vows if only to just argue with her.
“I cut it once,” Celeste said so quietly that he almost missed it.
“What?”
“I thought I had fallen in love. So I cut it to where it is today. But it didn’t work out, and my hair of course stopped growing. It’s best the way it is though, for fighting,” she explained.
Lost In Time: A Fallen Novel Page 16