by Janelle Peel
Vampires scaled the crumbling walls in quick blurs of speed.
Just a minute more…
As the sun kissed the horizon, I lifted my hands to the sky. My voice rolled out in a bellow of thunder. “Come!”
The first Angel hit the concrete with a crack. Rising in one smooth motion, her yellow wings trembled with righteous fury.
Hell might have higher numbers, but the Angels had trained for this day for millennia.
Raising her blade, the Angel’s bell like voice carried to the Heavens. “By His will!”
As multiple Choirs thudded down around her, their eyes swung in my direction.
For this to work, the timing had to be perfect. Shaking my head, I answered, “Hold!”
Closing my eyes, I followed the battle inside.
The image of Skye’s anguished face came into view. Battling against Nat with all four Elements, he fought the ancient power buried within his chest.
Vampire and Shifter alike clashed with the army of Hell.
Hissing, Viv and Jackson flashed through them like a mini hurricane.
Rowe followed in their wake, snapping and snarling before sinking her teeth into any who’d survived their deadly clutches.
A spiked tail whipped toward Rowe from the mass of undulating bodies.
Alec dove into its path before it could strike. The sharp points pierced his side. Whimpering in agony, he sunk to the floor.
Fully shifted, Kane’s inky fur shook as his roar of rage rent the air. Standing over the downed red Fox, he growled at any who’d dare cross him to finish the job.
Completely naked, Lillin rode in on Mel’s broad chocolate back. The red highlights in her hair twisted around her beautiful face as she touched multiple lessers. Draining their energy, their insect like carcasses shriveled before being crushed beneath her ride’s massive paws.
Daisy, Cooper, and Mila hung on the outskirts of the raging battle while calling lightning from the sky. Brilliant white light lit the scene in dizzying flashes.
Reaching into her pack, Justine lobbed potion after potion at the abominations. The first glass bottle shattered on impact against a green scaled lessers’ chest. Shrieking in agony, his hide melted from his skeletal frame.
Flaring her diamond coated wings, Bex frantically tried to shield Gazardiel and keep the Demon host at bay.
Kai’s hatred was palpable as he lashed out with the sickled tip of his wing. The bony edge shredded Lucian’s blazer.
Lucian cackled. “You’ll have to do better than that.” Rocking back on the heels of his dress shoes, the seams of his suit split. Between one heartbeat and the next, he towered over Kai with his nails sharpened to deadly points.
They slammed into one another.
Kai bit down Lucian’s shoulder. Showcasing his dagger like teeth, he spat out a mouthful of flesh. “You’ll never have this world!”
Lucian grinned as the wound instantly closed. “I’ve fed from an Angel! Your paltry army cannot stop me!”
Lowering his head, Kai charged with his horns tipped to impale.
Lucian backhanded him. “Join me, Son!”
Wiping his bloodied chin, Kai rallied. “Just fucking die!” Calling for his power, sleet dripped from his knuckles in answer. The battered stage quivered violently as a prison of ice sprung up around Lucian’s beastly form.
Beating against the frosty bars, the ruler of Hell raged.
My breath caught as a cloaked figure moved nearly unseen in the shadows. Ducking beneath their battle, the creature used the sleeves of its robe to work Gazardiel’s blade through the underside of the floor.
Who was this? Frowning, I bid the vision to clear.
The sword clattered to the concrete. A pale hand reached for the handle as his hood shifted.
I recognized him instantly despite his haggard appearance. His statues decorated every hall in Heaven. Michael, Archangel and protector of man.
His rasped prayer carried to my ears. “I serve my Lord still.”
Pain wracked his thin frame as his fingers closed around the pommel.
Light flashed, shutting down my sight before I could see what he would do.
Coming back to myself, I screamed, “Now!”
Bex
Gazardiel’s wail pierced the haze of my bloodlust.
“Where is it!”
Dread slithered down my spine as I focused on the cause of her distress. My stomach bottomed out.
Her sword was gone.
A glint of metal drew my attention to a robed figure wading through the fray. At his approach, the attacking Demons instantly parted.
Snapping my teeth at her hip, I jerked my muzzle toward him.
She gasped. “Michael!”
Turning at the sound of her voice, smoke rose from his hand. Slowly, as if it weighted more than he could bear, he lifted the blade over his head. His chapped lips thinned under the strain as his anguished shout carried over the battle. “Finish it.” Cocking back his arm, he threw the sword.
Blackened flesh fell from the hilt as it spun through the air.
I stared in shock as Skye’s hand closed around it. No!
Faster than I could track, Skye braced the pommel against the floor and threw himself onto its tip.
As the sharp point punctured through his back, an anguished howl tumbled from my maw.
The Packs picked up my devastated chorus.
Kai’s scarlet gaze met mine at the desolate sound.
Lucian picked up on his momentary distraction. Bathed in an inferno, he broke through the icy prison and slashed at Kai’s abdomen.
Gripping his split skin, my Mate collapsed.
Hot anger pierced my soul. The bits of floor remaining on the ground lifted as my Elements finally synced. A gust of air propelled me over the chaos faster than a speeding bullet.
I slammed into Lucian with a loud crack. We tumbled through the back of the theater in a tangled heap.
Shoving me aside, Lucian stood. His sharp claws screeched across the pavement as he inspected the small cuts lacerating his ebony hide.
Mental note, going through cinder block walls was not a smart move. Shaking out my ruff, I ignored the twang of my broken wing. Heat ripped through the delicate appendage as my Shifter healing kicked in.
Within a blink, his fist met my jaw. Spinning across the asphalt, I’d barely registered his movement to catch me before his fetid breath whispered across my snout. “You’ll never be able to reach him in time. Join me, Bex. Only I can save him now.”
My answering growl caused him to drop me. No way would I believe him. My fur rippled as I tracked his movement. This mother fucker was mine.
Tipping one horn, he seemed dismayed by my reaction. “You would give him up to satisfy your bloodlust?”
A dull ache settled deep within my heart. My Love, my family, none of them would survive if Lucian lived. If this was my path, so be it. Baring my teeth, I sprang from the ground.
Unprepared, Lucian froze as my fangs closed around his enlarged neck.
Acid splattered against my tongue as I dug my nails into the tender flesh of his chest. Lila had shown me the way. If I had to die to save what was mine, I was willing to make the sacrifice.
Struggling, he scored lines of agony along my back.
Pushing aside the liquid fire trickling down my throat, I tightened my jaws.
Flames exploded from my well is a sonic boom.
Air responded to fan the inferno higher.
Water rained down from the sky as the Earth opened up and sucked us inside her warm embrace.
Lila
Time stopped as the Angels descended on the remaining horde.
Frantically, I roved the room for the Elementals I’d practically sent to their deaths.
Skye lay in a pool of blood with Gazardiel’s sword pierced through his heart. Moving to his side, I pulled the blade out with a sucking sound. Reaching for my magic, I slammed my silvered palms to his chest. “Breathe!”
His s
trangled gasp was music to my ears but I couldn’t spare a moment.
Nat hunched over Kai on the stage. A healing light lit her hands as he gripped her wrists. “Bex? Where’s my Mate!”
Sora flashed to my side. “The back wall, Lila. Hurry!”
Gathering my resolve, I strode toward the back of the theater. Rain glistened on my skin as I stepped outside. A large crater penetrated the asphalt and confirmed my worst fear. Bex had forcefully taken Lucian back to Hell. With trembling hands, I prayed to the God who had hijacked my life. “This is my responsibility! Give her back!”
The ground rippled in answer as His voice rolled through the clouds. “Her has sacrifice saved the world. Would you undo her Fate?”
Gazardiel joined my side with a scream. “I will take her place, Father!”
A golden ray of sunshine lit the concrete in a bright glow in tandem with His response, “Humanity has chosen well.”
Soil spilled from the ground in one massive wave. Clutching Gazardiel’s hand, I desperately sought the Fae who’d loved me since birth.
With a loud belch, the earth released her filthy form. Scrambling through the mud, I pulled her close. “Bex?”
Gazardiel knelt beside me with a gasp. “Lila, open her mouth.”
Palming Bex’s cheek, I gently opened her jaw. Concealed inside her diamond armored skin was the work of a butcher. My mind rebelled as I put together the pieces. She’d sent him back to Hell not only with her powers, but with her teeth. My pulse pounded a frenzied staccato inside my skull.
Gazardiel screeched, “Sora!”
Flashing to Bex’s side, Sora sucked in a sharp breath. “Goddess, I can’t heal her alone!”
As if called by her Chosen’s plea, the All Mother appeared. Moonlight kissed Her skin despite the sun’s ascent. Glittering with starlight, Her gown flitted against Her lithe frame as She lowered to the damp soil. “Sora, quickly. The cords. If she is to be saved you will need to call upon the combined strength of the Clutch.”
Sora’s mouth opened in confusion. “The draw will be too much!”
Like a painting come to life, Michael strode through the debris. Honeyed locks fell from crown as his golden wings fanned out behind him. Taking a knee, he brandished Gazardiel’s sword inside his tanned hands. “Pull her soul back from the brink.”
Determination lined Gazardiel’s face as she gripped the pommel. Touching the blades’ tip to Bex’s ravaged throat, she paused.
The All Mother took mine and Sora’s hands. “Now.”
A gentle nudge on my psyche slipped my lids closed. I gasped as a multitude of bright strands appeared in my mind’s eye.
Sora’s whisper carried through my thoughts with the sound of a thousand voices. ‘The blue and silver, Lila.’
Locating the thread, my heart pinched. Frayed and thinning on the edges, the center quickly began to lose its glow. She wasn’t going to make it!
‘Shh,’ Sora soothed.
Sightlessly, I saw her. Bathed in liquid mercury, every strand ran through her. It was equally terrifying and beautiful just how much magic my mother held.
Gazardiel’s strained grunt rebounded from a million miles away. “Hurry! I can’t hold her!”
Silver and gold spilled from my well in a brilliant ball of energy. The cord pulsed, but again began to dim. What was I missing?
The realization slammed into me like a bolt of lightning. It wasn’t enough because she’d been in Hell. I needed a leaf from the tree of life to bring her back.
Urgently, I sifted through the surrounding lines. Skye’s shone like a cerulean beacon of hope. Formlessly, I grasped his cord. Raw power coursed through my veins with the force of a hurricane.
Riding the river of blue light, I followed Skye’s thread toward the roots deeply embedded in Heaven. Hot picks of pain pierced my thoughts as my body rebelled at the sheer magnitude of power. Pitch black encroached on the edges of my mind but I refused to give up. Bex had come for me and I would do everything I could to save her.
Red drops littered the blue stream as I pressed on. I was losing. Desperately, I screamed, “Help me!”
Suddenly, a cocoon of warmth surrounded my soul. “We’re almost there, baby girl. Hold on.”
“Mom?”
“I’ve got you.”
Darkness swallowed me whole.
A deep voice penetrated the fog of unconsciousness.
“It seems your Chosen has done well, Selene. She bears all the hallmarks of you when the world was new.”
Was I dreaming?
Bell’s chimed merrily in amusement. “Do not jest, Yahweh. My children have banded together to help humanity.” She paused. “What will you do?”
Slowly, I opened my eyes and instantly closed them. Damn, that was bright. Squinting, I struggled to make sense of the image.
With the tree of life as a backdrop, His presence shone with the radiance of the sun. Hers was lit by the light of the Moon.
The sensation of being held filtered through the haze. “Mom?”
“Do not look at them, Lila. Just keep quiet.”
Reassured by her presence, I whispered, “Where are we and what are they doing?”
“Heaven. The God and Goddess are deciding our Fate.”
His chuckle interrupted the fear skittering down my spine.
“Only if you stop dabbling, Selene. Balance must be maintained.”
Thunder rumbled with Her reply. “You took the child, Yahweh. Not I. Your fallen Angel was bound to break through his chains at some point. I simply ensured the survival of my children.”
Were they… squabbling? The notion was so idiotic I snorted.
Heat blasted across my face. Holy shit. He had to be looking at me.
His response confirmed it. “Kalila?”
No one ever called me by my given name. Biting the inside of my cheek, I chose my answer carefully. “Yes, Father?”
“Why have you come?”
Inwardly, I cringed. It was a tad disconcerting to have a conversation when I couldn’t see who I was talking to. “I need to save my friend.”
“Your friend is Fae.”
The Goddess hissed, “Bex is also half Shifter. She is mine.”
I growled in irritation. “Bex took Lucian back to Hell. She has done your dirty work and deserves to live.”
Sora’s grip tightened. “Lila!”
A soft breeze touched my cheek followed by the All Mother’s tinkling laughter. “You have given her your voice, Yahweh. She cannot be punished for wanting to do what is right. I warned you in the beginning that your Angels were becoming restless, but you continued on with your obsession. If you’d stopped when I asked, none of this would have happened.”
The silence was deafening as He seemed to weigh Her words.
After an eternity, He uttered, “Is that why you left?”
“Yes. Your quest for the perfect creation blinded you.”
I gasped. Whoa. They were like… a couple?
She continued, “Give them a leaf. We can discuss this further when the Moon meets the horizon.”
Near instantly something settled inside my palm. Closing my fingers, I marveled at the silky texture.
Pleasure coated His tone. “It is done.”
Chapter 20
Bex
A tap on my nose snapped my lids open.
Kai grinned. “Hey, you.”
Meeting his gaze, I sighed. “I’m not ready.”
He pouted. “I know, but we need to get to work.”
Pulling the comforter over my head, I grumped, “You go then. I’m exhausted.”
The bed dipped as he chuckled. “Fine. The world isn’t going to rebuild itself, but if you think sleep is more important…”
Ugh. Jerk. Rolling over, I buried my face into a pillow. “Damnit, Kai. If I knew what we would have to do post apocalypse, I wouldn’t have helped save it. Cut me some slack. It’s only been a week since I went to Hell.”
His reply echoed from the bathroom as
the sound of the shower turning on met my ears. “I may not be able to smell a lie like a Shifter, but we both know that is complete bullshit.”
He was right. The Demons scorched every continent. We’d steadily made headway to repair the land, but I was not eager to travel to Africa. It was hot as fuck there this time of year.
“Tell you what. If you get up I’ll do that thing you like.”
Heat pooled between my thighs. That thing was amazing. Manipulative bastard.
Tossing back the covers, I eagerly padded across the carpet.
Nat
Raising my knuckles, I hesitated. It’d been days since I discovered I still had a father, but Anna’s death was incredibly difficult for him to overcome.
The loss of her life stung but having never met her I couldn’t exactly relate. I was still here. Why couldn’t he see that?
Hoping today would be different, I knocked.
A deep male tenor answered, “Come in.”
Clenching the cup of coffee in my hand, I turned the handle. At least he wasn’t still in bed. All he seemed to do was sleep.
As he tugged a white curtain aside to let some light into the room, I took in his broad shoulders. He was where I’d gotten my height. Standing tall at a rough six foot one, his raven hair hung in a snarled mess. The grey bathrobe he wore had definitely seen better days.
Without turning, he murmured, “Leave it on the side table, please.”
My heart pinched at his dismissal. Moving into the room, a low growl rumbled from my chest. It wasn’t fair. I’d waited all this time and he wouldn’t even look at me!
His breath caught. “You look like her, Nat. Every time I see your face I’m reminded of your Mother. She started all of this… and Anna paid the ultimate price.”
A humorless laugh tumbled past my lips. “And that’s my fault? I didn’t ask you to sleep with her! She’d dead for fuck’s sake!”
Curling his fingers into a fist, his voice dropped an octave. “Leave.”
Irritated, I slammed the mug onto the table. Piping hot, the coffee splashed over the edge and splattered across my wrist. Clutching it to my chest, I refused to make a sound. He could clean it up.
His whisper carried to my ears as I closed the door. “I’m sorry.”