by J. K Harper
Somewhere down the street, a dog barked. The hairs on the back of his neck bristled. The barking stopped with a pitiful whine, then silence. His skin prickled like thousands of needles poked at it, stabbing deeper with each breath he took. Whatever was out there was powerful and stalking closer. Nate took one last look at Megan before going out to the street below. Of all the things his beautiful Megan needed, protection was the one thing he could freely give.
Chapter 2
Megan woke with a start. Seldom did she drift back to sleep after a nightmare. The pale light of dawn fought its way through her curtains. It wasn’t quite light out yet, but it wouldn’t be dark for much longer. A sick, oily feeling crawled over her, making her heart race. Something was wrong. Every time her intuition was triggered like this, something horrible happened.
She’d been ten when she’d first experienced it. The day had started out as normal as any other, but she’d been sick. The oily sensation had left her nauseous and jittery, so when her parents had wanted to go shopping, they’d let her stay with a neighbor. The nasty feeling had intensified and grown until a police officer had come to her, telling her that her parents had been in a horrible accident. The day of their funeral, she’d had the same omen, only stronger. She’d seen the goblins for the first time at the cemetery. With their greedy eyes and evil smiles, they had tried to lure her from the people around her, but she’d been too scared to move.
Then, her senior year, she’d been taken out of class and told that her grandmother had had a heart attack. The same sickly sensation plagued her the entire way to the hospital. She’d barely made it to Perpetual Grace Hospital and told her that she loved her before her grandmother had slipped away.
And she’d been alone since. Well, not alone. Nate had been there with her.
Nate.
Megan scrambled out of bed. There wasn’t anyone else on this earth that mattered enough to her to provoke the dark intuition. She never let anyone close enough to shatter her heart when they died.
“Nate, please, I need to see you. I need to know you’re all right.” She spoke the words aloud as she threw her clothes on and grabbed her sneakers, hoping he would listen and come to her. Of course, he didn’t. Shit. She took a deep breath, listening for sounds outside her room before unlocking the door and swinging it open.
The beat of her own heart pounded in her ears as she took a shaky step into the hallway. Her breath came out in a rush when she found it empty. The view from the top of the stairs was limited, but she couldn’t see or hear anything downstairs, either. Everything in her screamed for her to go back to her room–to lock the door and not emerge until morning–but she’d never forgive herself if she chose to hide when Nate needed her. She was careful to place her feet on each step so that the squeaks and groans from the old staircase wouldn’t alert anything that might be inside her small house.
Only once she’d gone through each room and ascertained that no goblins had gotten in did she venture to the back door. The closer she got to it, the more her stomach clenched. The thick, foreboding energy made her skin itch, and warning bells clanged in her head. Shit. Shit. Shit. Ignoring both, she twisted the knob and opened the door.
A tall figure stood at the end of her yard with its back to her. She couldn’t see its face, but she didn’t need to. Its hunched shoulders, rounded head, and long, pointed ears protruding from each side told her all she needed to know.
He was huge. The only goblins Megan had ever encountered were less than four feet tall, but this one had to be close to six.
If it weren’t for his shaggy blond hair, Megan wouldn’t have recognized Nate. Partially obscured from her sight with the goblin standing between them, he dangled, limp, about a foot off the ground. On either side of him, great wings spanning five feet shuddered and shook. A choking sound escaped from her throat. He was dying.
“Hey! Leave him alone,” Megan screamed as she stepped off the deck with the cleaver in her shaking hand and she rushed toward the goblin. For once, it didn’t matter if it saw her, or even if it attacked. She had to get it away from Nate. Fury roiled in her chest, making it hard to breathe, but she pressed on.
A soft hiss, quickly followed by a moan, drew her gaze to Nate.
“No.” She barely heard his anguished whisper. He lifted his head, only to have it fall to the side as his strength faltered. “Run, Megan.”
It was too late for that, and she wasn’t about to hide, not when Nate had spent more than a decade by her side, comforting her and supporting her through the most difficult days of her life. The fact that he’d deserted her in the last while didn’t erase all that.
“I said let him go.”
Before she could get within two feet of the goblin, heat engulfed the hand holding the cleaver, searing her skin. The goblin kept one hand up, the blue light streaming from its palm holding Nate hostage.
“I knew she wouldn’t tolerate your pain, Nathaniel. She’s so human.” Two rows of razor sharp teeth filled its wicked mouth. Its green, leathery skin wrinkled as it smirked at her. “The only reason she has survived this long is because of you. But that ends now. The Master wants her.”
The goblin moved closer, then as if realizing he still had Nate within his clutches, he flung his arm to the side, sending Nate through the air and crashing in a heap at the base of the old oak twenty feet away.
Rage, hot and sharp, filled her until all she could see was the creature stepping toward her. The goblin grinned wider when it pulled a short, glowing dagger from its pocket and pointed it at her. “You’re coming with me, one way or the other, so decide now. Do you live, or do you die?”
Megan didn’t bother responding. The air all around her pulsed with life and power. Instinct drove her as she pulled the invisible force to her.
The goblin’s eyes widened, and doubt crossed its bulging brown eyes. Megan stared at the dagger, imagining it shaking loose from the goblin’s grip. Her heart pounded, and pressure built behind her eyes as she focused her attention. With another few steps, the creature would be upon her. She couldn’t let it get any closer. She brought her hands up, the right with the palm facing out, the left closing into a fist as though gripping a rope. Jerking her left hand toward her, she ripped the dagger from the creature’s hand with the invisible pull. It came flying through the air at her, and she sidestepped to avoid it slicing into her arm before it clanged to the patio floor behind her.
Her elation died quickly. In an instant, the goblin was upon her. The goblin’s momentum sent them both crashing to the ground, knocking the air out of her. Its sharp teeth snapped only inches from her throat, and its putrid breath wafted over her like a thick fog. Her head hit the deck boards with a loud, resounding crack, sending black dots swimming in front of her.
The creature growled and straddled her middle. Long, knotted fingers wrapped around her neck, compressing her throat. Kicking and thrashing, she tried to dislodge the goblin, but its weight kept her pinned. Shadows skirted around the edges of her vision, darkening more and more until everything went black.
Chapter 3
Megan blinked hard. Opening her eyes intensified the pounding in her head, but she had to move. Where was Nate? Sitting up, she gasped, the sound weak and wheezy as air rushed through her aching throat. She reached up, wincing as her fingers came across the sticky mess where she’d banged the back of her head. The gash wasn’t bleeding anymore, but it hurt like hell.
White walls, white marble floor, white linens and blankets on the bed—nothing was familiar, and the comfortable mattress certainly wasn’t hers. Megan walked around the room in search of the door but found nothing. Blank walls with no openings. It was like a bright, airy coffin with no means of escape. She raced around the room again, certain she had to have missed it, but still, nothing.
“Ah, she awakens. Good,” a deep, masculine voice said from close behind her.
She whipped around, drawing her hands before her.
“It’s okay, Megan. I’m a
friend of Nathaniel’s.” The dark haired man didn’t come closer, but he smiled and held his hand out to her. “I’m Jordan.”
“Where is he? Is he all right?” she asked, hesitating before wrapping her fingers around his. Rather than shake it as she’d expected, he pulled her closer and lifted her knuckles to his lips, keeping his gaze trained on hers. When he stared into her eyes, her heart raced, and she struggled not to yank her hand away. It was like he was seeing deep into her soul.
“He will be, with your help,” Jordan said as he released her and stepped back. “He’s resting nearby. I can take you to him if you’d like.”
Megan nodded but didn’t move. She had so many questions. She’d hit her head—hard, but she clearly remembered Nate having wings. “Are you like him? An angel?” She didn’t want to sound crazy, but she had to know.
“You saw his wings?” His smile widened when she nodded yes. “You are a Descendant of the Seven. That explains a lot.”
What was he carrying on about? “What does that even mean?”
“Only other angels can see an angel’s wings—when the other isn’t hiding them. The fact that you saw them proves you’re from the Heavenly Realm. If I had to guess, I’d say you’re a direct descendant of Sariel. So much death has surrounded you, yet you’ve remained pure—unjaded. That’s why the Dark One wants you so desperately.”
She swallowed hard. “Who is the Dark One?” She wasn’t sure she wanted the answer, but she asked anyway.
“Lucifer, of course. Or Satan, as he is most commonly known as.” Jordan held his hand out to her. “Come, let’s go see Nathaniel, shall we?”
* * *
One second, Megan was standing in the white room alone with Jordan, and the next, all the air was sucked out, and she was freefalling. Or, at least, that’s what it felt like. The only thing grounding her was Jordan’s warm hand in hers.
When the room stopped spinning, she found herself standing at the end of a huge bed. Nate lay in the center. His chest rose and fell, but he was otherwise still. He stared vacantly, unblinking at the ceiling.
She rushed over. “Nate,” she cried out, but he didn’t move—not a muscle. “What’s wrong with him? You said he was okay. He’s not.” Her broken sob tore from her throat.
“I said he would be all right, and with your help, he will be.” Jordan came to stand next to her. “What do you know of the goblins?”
Megan snapped her gaze to him. “I know that they want me dead, and Nate has told me that they take souls, then sell them to the highest bidder.” She looked at Nate again. “Is that what’s happened? The goblin took his soul?”
Jordan sighed and shook his head. “It tried, but Nate is stronger than most. He held onto at least part of his soul. Had he been weaker, he would have ascended to the Heavenly Realms.”
“What can I do?” It didn’t matter what it was.
“He won’t be happy when he finds out I asked you to do this, but there is no other way.” Jordan didn’t blink as he stared at her.
“Just tell me. I’ll do it. I won’t let the goblins have him.” The thought of having to face the goblins sent terror into every cell in her body, but she would do it for Nate.
Jordan hesitated, then shook his head. “You have to go after his soul in the Shadow World and bring him back.”
“How? I don’t even know how to find the doors in your house, much less the Shadow World.” She sat on the bed next to Nate and caressed his cool cheek.
“I can send you there. And once you’ve found Nathaniel and bound him to you, I can bring you both out, but you’ll face many dangers. You have to know that you may not make it back at all.”
She looked at Jordan, seeing true worry in his eyes for the first time. “What choice do I have? If I leave him, he’ll stay in Hell for eternity?”
Jordan didn’t have to answer. She knew the truth.
“That’s not all,” he warned.
What else could there be? Nate was in Hell, and she was most likely going to die trying to save him, sentencing herself to Hell in the process.
“Nathaniel won’t be the same man you knew. The part of him that the goblin was able to steal was the part that resides in all of us that is less pure. The part of him filled with love and light still resides within him. But he needs the darker part of him to balance him and make him whole enough to return.”
Her heart thudded. “Will he be evil, like the devil?”
“No, but he won’t be the same. Try to remember that the good part of him is still here.”
She squared her shoulders and tilted her chin up. “Fine. When do I go?”
“You can go now.” He took hold of her hand again and forced her to meet his gaze. “May the eternal light of the Heavens and all that is holy keep you.”
Chapter 4
Megan’s hair whipped around her face, and the air rushed from her lungs. Where everything had been white before, darkness fell. The smell of sulfur assailed her nose, making her want to gag. She landed on something hard and slimy. Bolting to her feet, she whipped around, needing some answers before venturing too far into the wicked place.
But Jordan wasn’t there. Her strangled cry filled the dead silence. What the hell? He hadn’t told her where to find Nate or how to bind him to her. Was she supposed to use crazy glue? And how was she going to let him know to come and get them?
Wiping the filth from her jeans only made things worse, because now, instead of it being on her pants, it was smeared all over her left palm, too.
As far as she could tell, nothing moved as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. She wished she had her knife with her, but then, what good would a cleaver do against creatures that were already dead?
The stench filled her nostrils and permeated her clothing. She lifted her hand to her face, intending on using her sleeve to filter the air, but her hand stunk just as bad, making her gag.
The darkness eventually gave way to shadows, but she almost wished it hadn’t. All around her were steaming piles of trash. It was like she’d walked into a landfill and gotten lost in the mountains of rubbish. To her right, a broken church pew sat on an angle. Obscenities painted in bright red paint reminded her of dripping blood.
“Shit. Is it too late to go home?” Megan muttered under her breath. Knowing it was, she pulled her hoodie over her head and walked. She’d expected Hell to be a lot hotter. Not that it wasn’t warm and muggy, making the foul air cling to her, but it wasn’t fire-and-brimstone hot.
There was no point in trying to figure out which direction to go in. She had no clue where she was, much less where Nate was, but eventually, she’d find something—or it would find her. Her heart pounded at the thought, but she shoved it aside. There was no turning back. Not that she would. She’d do anything to save Nate, even if it meant facing Lucifer himself.
Her back ached, and her feet throbbed from all the walking, but thankfully, her nose had gone blind to the putrid smells in the hours since she’d arrived. She stopped and stretched her neck from one side to the other.
“You have got to be kidding me,” she screamed when she saw the pew with the bloody lettering a short distance ahead. She hadn’t gotten anywhere at all.
She hung her head. Help me out here, Nate. She sent out her silent words, praying that he’d somehow hear her and guide her in the right direction. She’d rest for a few minutes, then get walking again. Careful not to lean against the graffiti, she sat on the wobbly pew, taking the pressure off her sore feet.
After a minute, the hairs on her arms stood on end. She looked around, certain someone—or something—was watching, but nothing moved. “Who’s out there?” she asked. Only the sound of her quick breaths broke the silence, but off in the distance, a shapeless form hovered about a foot off the ground.
She got to her feet and started toward it, careful not to make a sound. She didn’t want to attract its attention, but maybe she could follow it out of there.
Megan was about twenty feet behind when the woma
n whipped around, sending long, red hair swirling like a cloak to land on her shoulders. The woman’s eyes widened. She took a step toward Megan and smiled. “You must be Megan,” she said with a voice that was soft and sweet and totally not what she’d expect to hear from a creature from the Underworld.
Megan stopped in her tracks. She fought the urge to run. The woman hadn’t attacked yet. “I am,” she said, her voice much shakier than she would have liked.
The woman glided closer, still hovering over the ground. “I’m Libbie. Jordan sent me,” she said.
“You know Jordan? Where is he? He dropped me off in this place hours ago, and I haven’t seen him since.” She couldn’t keep her irritation from poking through her sharp words.
“Yeah, that’s Jordan. He means well, but he’s not the best communicator. He can’t hang out down here for more than a second or two since he’s a High Angel.”
Libbie hovered a foot higher than her, making Megan’s neck hurt from looking up at the woman. “So, what are you then?”
Better to know up front if the woman was going to sprout giant teeth and eat her for lunch. Or maybe it was supper time by now.
“You owe me a new pair of boots, Jordan,” she said as she lowered herself and grimaced at the squishy sound her feet made when she landed. “There, that’s better. So, to answer your question, I’m part witch and part daemon, which is why I can be here. If Jordan were here, it would be like having a big neon sign pointed at him saying ‘Come devour my soul,’ in flashing lights.”
For the first time in what felt like weeks, Megan smiled. “We wouldn’t want that.”