by Lola StVil
Pryor takes a step closer to Belle. Her movement is deliberate and calculated. Belle swallows hard but doesn’t move. Pryor takes another step, and then another. The two are now face-to-face. Pryor is the first to speak. Her tone is controlled yet holds an undeniable current of ire.
“Say that again,” she dares Belle.
Shit…
“I know it seems outlandish, but the information I have is very good, I assure you,” Belle replies.
“Pryor—” I begin.
“You made a request. I want to hear you say it again,” Pryor says, never taking her eyes off Belle.
“In exchange for very valuable information, I require some time with your husband,” Belle repeats.
“He’s right here; come get him,” Pryor challenges as she moves out of the way so that Belle now has a clear path to me. I pray to Omnis that Belle is smart enough to stay where she is and not come closer to me. No one in his or her right mind would take a step in the direction of certain danger; but then again, Belle has never been in her right mind. She loves doing things other angels would never do.
Belle, don’t do it. Don’t come closer to me. For once in your life, be reasonable.
Belle walks up to me with blind confidence.
Damn it!
Pryor moves with speed that could rival Jay. She whips around and dropkicks Belle in the face. Belle falls hard on the pavement. Pryor plants one foot on top of her neck, ensuring that Belle’s face stays buried in the concrete. The First Noru then gets a firm grip on Belle’s wings and begins to pull them from her body.
“Pryor, no!” I shout. She doesn’t listen to me. Instead she focuses all her attention on Belle.
“I have never killed an angel before, but I think right now would be the perfect time to start,” she says between clenched teeth.
“Pry, if you pull on them any harder, you will tear her wings out and she kind of needs them,” East reminds her.
“Belle doesn’t want her wings. She doesn’t want her life. What she wants is to die as painfully as possible. And I can give that to her,” Pry replies as she wraps each hand around Belle’s wings and begins to yank even harder. Belle’s cries fill the air as Diana stands by and smiles. Belle’s wings start to detach from her shoulder blades.
“Pry, stop,” I shout as I try to pull her away.
“Let go of me!” my wife demands.
“You can’t hurt her,” I yell.
“Yes, she can! Go, Pry! Go!” Diana cheers.
“Will you stop that!” Swoop tells the former Kaster.
“Okay, Pryor, I have to admit when you kicked her in the face and threw her to the ground, that was hot. I mean like ‘female-inmates-helping-each-other-take-a-soapy-shower’ hot. But now that you’re standing over her, pulling her wings out…it’s more scary than sexy,” East warns as Pryor manages to break away from me.
“Pryor, no!” I roar as I go to restrain her again.
“SILVER CASE, DO NOT MOVE! NO ONE MOVE. THAT IS AN ORDER,” Pryor says in a cold and firm voice that reminds me of her father. I reluctantly stand still, as does the rest of the team. Melody, on the other hand, confronts Pryor.
“What did I just say?” Pryor asks.
“You gave your team an order. I’m not on your team,” Mel reminds her.
“This has nothing to do with you. Get out of my way,” Pryor replies.
“You saved me from making a big mistake a few minutes ago. Allow me to help you do the same,” Mel pleads.
“This is not the same thing. Move!” Pryor orders.
“Belle has crossed the line, and I’d bitch slap the hell out of her too, but don’t take her wings. Not because she doesn’t deserve it, but because of how you would feel after it’s done. Pryor, I don’t know you very well, but I’m guessing your team follows you because they respect you. Don’t throw that away for some oversexed chick with time on her hands,” Mel says.
“Mel’s wrong. I’d respect the hell out of you if you killed her. In fact, I’d erect a monument to you,” Diana says.
I glare at her, and she shrugs her shoulders.
“Pry, don’t…” Mel implores.
Pryor looks down at Belle, takes her foot off Belle’s neck, and releases her wings. Belle groans and slowly starts to sit up.
“How dare you attack—” Before she can finish, Pryor decks her in the face, knocking her out completely this time. Belle is not dead, but she will be out for a while.
After we take Mel home, we fly to the warehouse, where we place Belle in a Holder. While we wait for her to regain consciousness, East decides to find a way to make things a little more awkward than they already are.
“Seriously, Silver, what is it you do in bed that makes you so damn wanted by the ladies? C’mon, man, share,” East pushes.
“East does have a point; what is it you do to these girls?” Swoop asks.
“We’re not discussing this,” I inform them.
“Silver, it’s me—Bird. You can tell me,” she says, flashing her most beguiling smile.
“Do you see what you’ve started?” I ask East.
“Swoop has a right to ask questions,” East replies.
“Yeah, just tell me. What makes you so hot in bed? Is it rhythm, extended foreplay, acrobatics? Wait, are there props?” Swoop says.
“Bird, we are not doing this,” I reply.
“Is it candles? Oils? Costumes? Chains?” she replies.
“You are being ridiculous,” I reply.
“You tell me stuff all the time. Why can’t you tell me this?” she pleads.
“You seriously don’t know why?” I ask.
“I’m not three years old anymore. I’m a grown woman, Silver. Look, grown woman boobs,” she teases as she cups her breasts and aims them at me playfully.
“Argh! Stop it,” I reply as I turn away. She laughs, knowing how much I hate to think of her as anything other than my kid sister.
“And I have curves, hips, and as far as whips go—”
“Bird!” I snap.
“Okay, okay, you better stop, Swoop. Silver’s head is gonna explode,” East says.
“Diana, go inside the Holder and tend to Belle. I don’t want her to bleed out before she tells us what she knows,” Pry orders.
Diana reluctantly obeys.
“Swoop, call the Face and see if we can get her over here,” the leader says.
“What if she doesn’t want to come?” Swoop asks.
“What is it that makes you think I’m asking her to come?” Pryor counters.
“Okay, boss, I’m on it,” Swoop replies as she takes out her cell phone and walks over to the far end of the warehouse.
“What do you need me to do?” East asks.
“Control your powers,” Pry reminds him.
“Oh. Yeah, sorry. Again,” he says.
“Go into one of the training rooms in the back and practice. We really can’t have you losing control at this point.”
“Didn’t you almost kill our only lead?” East says.
“Yes. But that wasn’t because I couldn’t control myself. That’s because I didn’t want to. Now move,” Pryor instructs. Once the others are no longer in hearing distance, she leans on the wall and rakes her hands through her hair, exhausted.
“You okay?” I ask.
“Yeah, I’m having a blast.”
“Sorry about Belle. I don’t know what’s going on with her. You know that she and I were a long time ago and—”
“Aaden, after everything we’ve been through, I’m not threatened by another girl. I know you belong to me, just like I belong to you.”
“Then why did you nearly strip her of her wings?” I ask.
“That wasn’t about you; that was about me. I’ve endured too much, seen too much, and hurt way too much to be disrespected. And I sure as hell won’t allow anyone to disrespect our marriage. Period.”
“Oh, really?” I reply with a smirk.
“What’s that smile about?” she asks.
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“It’s funny that you reacted so violently because when I see Bex stepping out of line and I fight him, you go all crazy about it.”
“That’s different.”
“How so?”
“I don’t know, but it is. Belle was out of line. But Bex…he’s hurting. You two can’t be at odds for the rest of your lives. You do know that, right?” she says.
“You know how things are with me and that guy—he’s just like his uncle.”
“That’s not fair. Bex has his good qualities,” she insists.
“I’d have to take your word for it,” I reply.
“You guys need to see this,” Diana calls out. We all run over to the center of the warehouse, where Belle’s Holder has been placed.
“What is it?” I ask.
“Belle has on several layers of Kofi,” Diana says from inside the Holder. I remove the bubble-like prison and allow it to turn back into its original form—which in this case is a chain. We walk towards Diana as she points out spots on Belle’s body.
“This bluish glow is from a mixture called Kofi. It hides scars. But when it’s starting to fade and needs to be reapplied, it glows.”
“I’ve used Kofi before, but I’ve never seen it used throughout the body. She’s glowing everywhere. How many scars could Belle possibly have that would require using so much?” I wonder.
“The Kofi is fading quickly. Soon we’ll see what she’s been hiding,” Diana replies.
In a matter of seconds, the bluish glow engulfs Belle’s body. When it fades, it reveals Belle’s scars. We look on in horror as wounds appear all over Belle’s body. Parts of her face are fractured like a weathered-down, battered stone statue. There are large gashes all over her body, gaping flesh wounds and burn spots. There’s no doubt about it; someone has been torturing her.
“Oh my Omnis!” Swoop gasps.
“Who did that to her?” Pry asks.
“Let’s find out. That way I know who to send flowers to,” Diana says as she takes out a small vial and spills three drops on top of Belle’s chest. Belle bolts upright as if she’s been electrocuted. I run over to her.
“Belle, who did this to you?”
“You can’t take off the Kofi without asking me, you spiteful bitch! I look hideous,” Belle accuses Diana.
“Yes, you do,” Diana says with glee.
“I can’t believe I didn’t kill you when I had the chance,” Belle swears.
“Well, I’m free now. You can go anytime you want,” Diana offers.
“You’ve always been jealous of me, you bitter piece of—”
“ENOUGH!” I shout. The two of them fall silent.
“Airabelle, who did this to you and why?” I demand.
“You want to know why? I’ll tell you. I was tortured and tormented because of you, Silver,” she declares.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Pryor asks before I can.
“I was held captive by a Quo who ambushed me in Rome. She wanted to know all there was to know about you, Silver. Not just you but your whole team. She knew that the two of us had hooked up for years, and she wouldn’t stop cutting into me until I told her everything.
“She placed me on a table, held me down with Samson string, and carved into me until I passed out. She’d revive me only to hurt me again. After a while she grew impatient and started to electrocute me. I tried to hold out, but I couldn’t. I told her everything I knew about you and your team,” she says, crying frantically.
“What do you mean everything?” I ask.
“I’ve kept up with you and the team, you know; it’s what I do. I know where you guys go to be alone, what weapons you use, who is in love with whom—everything,” Belle says.
“And you told her all you know about us?” Swoop says.
“Yes,” Belle replies.
“You said you know everything—does that mean you know about RJ? My mom was going to take him back to the humans this morning. Did you tell the Quo where my son lives?” Swoop says as her eyes widen in terror.
“Yes—I’m sorry. I tried to hold out, but I was in so much pain—”
“Bitch, you have no idea what pain is! If this Quo chick comes near my son because of information you gave her, I will feast on your flesh with my teeth. And slurp down your soul like soup,” Swoop says as she grabs Belle’s face in between her hands.
“Swoop, go check on RJ—call us at the first sign of trouble. We’ll take care of this,” Pryor orders. Swoop takes off into the air frantically.
“Why did she want to know so much about us?” East asks.
“All she said was that she had plans for your team,” Belle adds.
“How did you escape?” Pryor asks.
“I didn’t. She let me go. She held me for two days. Then she walked into the tunnel where she held me and said I could go. She said she found what she wanted and that she didn’t need to chase the team; the team would come to her. Right before she released me, she placed her hand on my chest; I thought she was going to kill me.
“But she let me go. It was only a few hours later that the mark started to appear on my chest,” Belle says as she slides down her shirt to reveal a black orchid symbol seared into her flesh.
Diana looks at the mark and exchanges a look with Belle. I have no idea what the black flower means, but judging by the look on Belle’s face, it’s not good.
“What does that mark mean?” Pryor asks.
“It’s the symbol left behind by one of the most powerful Quos on Earth—Ever Knight. She’s literally a walking virus. Her touch is lethal. When she wants to kill instantly, she breathes out and blows toxin into her victim’s face. But when she wants to torture and taunt her victims, she brands them with the image of a black bleeding-heart orchid. At first, only a small piece of the flower appears on the skin. But in a matter of days, the flower is fully formed. Once that happens, the victim dies an agonizing death,” Diana explains.
“The flower is complete,” East says as he studies the image closer.
“Yeah, I know. That’s why I came to see you, Silver. You know, one last ride for old times’ sake,” Belle says as she looks at me.
“Keep pushing it, blondie. Terminal or not, I’ll rip your damn head off,” Pryor vows.
“You should have come to us earlier,” I reply as I take her hand.
“It wouldn’t have mattered. There’s no cure for an Ever virus. All you can do is prolong the inevitable,” Diana replies, sounding somewhat saddened by the news.
“Sorry, I lied about knowing how to stop your brother,” Belle tells Pryor.
“Why did you?” Pryor asks.
“I guess…I didn’t want to die alone,” she says as tears fill her eyes.
“Belle, you didn’t have to do that. I would have helped you. You know that,” I reply as I kneel before her.
“The old Silver would have, but now…you’re different now. Happy,” Belle says.
“We’ll fix this, okay?” I assure her, her hand in mine.
“You can’t. Silver, you asked me once if I ever wanted to settle down with one being. You remember what I said?” Belle wonders.
“Hell no, party forever,” I reply.
“I lied. You could have been my forever—or at least the top five in the rotation,” she teases.
“It’s an honor just being on your list,” I reply, not sure what else to say.
“I know I screwed you guys over, but I can tell you something that might help.”
“What is it, Belle?” East asks.
“I know it doesn’t make up for misleading you, but here’s a heads-up: Malakaro knows about Phoenix. He knows that he’s his son. He knows you’ve been giving him a mixture to sever the connection,” she says to Diana.
“How? How does he know?” Diana asks, terrified.
“He has demons everywhere, tracking the team’s every move.”
“Oh no! Oh no!” Diana begins to panic and pace up and down the warehouse. We try to calm her down, but
the thought that Malakaro could have access to her kid is too much. Pryor takes Diana’s hand and vows that we will not let anything happen to her son.
“What mixture have you been giving Nix?” Pryor asks.
“It’s a light supplement that stops him from connecting with his father. It was the only thing I could think of to keep that kind of evil out,” Diana replies.
“So far it’s worked. There’s no indication that Malakaro and Nix are communicating,” East reminds her.
“Not yet, but I’m sure he’s working on getting to that kid,” Belle says.
“Are you trying to make Diana crazy or what?” Pryor snaps.
“Hey, I’m just trying to help,” Belle counters.
“You wanna help? Fine, tell us what else you know,” East says.
“I was with a friend, and he confided in me that on his travels, he happened upon a creature that many thought no longer existed,” Belle confides to us.
“So you were hooking up with some loser and he told you a secret so you wouldn’t lose interest in him. You know that’s pathetic, right?” Diana counters.
“Really? Is it as pathetic as you trying to trap Silver into being with you by getting pregnant?” she asks.
“Game. Set. Match,” East whispers as Diana glares at him.
“Belle, go on,” Pryor says.
“Anyway, this angel confided in me that he had come across a Craven,” Belle insists.
“Bullshit. All the Cravens were killed off years ago,” Diana counters.
“We read about Cravens in school. They are beings with two powers. They can extract your deepest desire and they are neutralizers. Anytime they were around, demons were rendered powerless. That’s what made them so important,” East tells us.
“Yeah, that’s also why they were all slaughtered. I remember my dad talking about it. They were killed off by a group of demons who wanted to take over their territory,” Pry replies.
“I thought they were all dead too. There is one left. The oldest and most powerful of them all—Bya,” Belle says.
“You think this angel was telling you the truth? You think he really did spot a Craven?” I ask.