by L. J. Amodeo
His breathing turned rapid. Slowly, pulling on my camisole strap, he let it freely fall from my shoulder. Each beautiful line of his face and deep eyes pulled my attention to every part of him. In a trance, Michael’s lips crushed down on mine, pulling me onto the mattress as we lost ourselves, with no restraints or regrets. The touch of his hands and lips, exploring the contours of my body, caressing my skin, sent me into a near-frenzy. My heart had never been capable of feeling so much love. I knew now that I loved Michael more than anything in the world and more than anyone I had ever cared for. When Michael touched me, he touched my soul, overcome by explosive spheres of bliss. Our bodies enmeshed harmoniously, creating a perfect unity of balance. Within a breath’s reach, Michael spoke the words that would change the course of history, “I want you, . . . and know that I love you, Elizabeth,” he whispered, as unhinged cries erupted from our lips and brilliant explosions of light rays, like auroras or blue nebulas, burst from our bodies, finally consummating our love—binding us together for eternity.
It was at that moment that something had changed, going deeper than our physical embodiment, but in our spiritual one. The rays of bright blue flashes caused a phenomenon that made our bodies quake. Unbeknownst to us, while we remained immersed in passion, a stream of light rose through our bodies, sending a tremulous surge of blinding light and erupting with such intensity and speed, rippling across the earth like a ball of fire, transcending its energy to the Shadow and Light Realms.
The rays shot across the globe at the speed of light, leaving those who were somehow connected to us stunned, breathless but terrified.
THE SHADOW REALM . . .
In the darkest abyss, small fissures began to appear in the stone walls of the Shadow Realm. Luca looked up, lifting his head from his feeding, leaving him immobile and speechless for the first time in over six thousand years. The mighty tremors brought dust and debris crumbling down onto Luca’s table, giving the demon a reason to suddenly shake in his skin.
THE HOUSE OF TRINITY . . .
As Philip laid the pen to paper, the oracle on his desk vibrated from the tremor erupting from the ground. Catching his heart in his throat, Phil knew these tremors were a sign of something catastrophic. An event that was bigger than life. Carefully lifting himself from his seat, Phil turned his attention toward the window. The blue in the heavens deepened as the clouds moved in epic speeds across the sky. His ultimate reaction was nothing short of catatonic, “Elizabeth and Mikael, what have you done?” he whispered, as a chilling hopelessness overcame him.
Within moments, the council emerged and collocated in Phil’s quarters, each wearing a face of death—mute and irate. Bricius, the younger member stepped through the others, standing on the frontline, his face flushed and crossed. “Your daughter has no virtue! She is a sinner and a monster! Mutari factum est . . . veniet consummatio.” His abysmal voice exploded in the chilling stillness of the congregation. Bricius, or Brice as the members called him, was a giant of a man with a hard face. He towered over six feet tall and weighed close to three hundred pounds, earning him the reputation as being explosive and tough. A bald and bearded man with razor sharp eyes, Brice was the most brazen of the men, enough to intimidate the others.
Erez, the high priest of the Order, stepped forward facing the impulsive and fired-up Brice. “Bricius, you are out of order!” The elder motioned, pointing an angry finger at the tempered man.
“I am not out of line here, Erez! If you can no longer enforce our mission, then it is time you stepped down. Perhaps you must give responsibilities to the other council members!” he snapped back, towering over the aging man.
“Enough, Brice!” Tobias, an intellect and second in command, shouted at Brice, whose nostrils continued flaring in rage.
“How dare you speak to Erez in such a tone? You were elected by our conclave as seneschal, a guardian for sacred scriptures, not to throw about your irrational tempers and offensive words. Regardless of your feelings toward Elizabeth, she is under our shield. It is not your place or duty to make arguments against her! Are we clear?” Tobias snarled at a now tolerant Brice.
With his head tucked between his shoulders, Philip whispered helplessly to himself, “What have you done, my child?” as he watched the council members argue, removing a satchel from his desk drawer. Without uttering a word, Philip quietly withdrew from the chamber, leaving the echoes of disputing men behind. Turning into a corridor of soaring arches and blazing torches, he knew that his beloved Elizabeth had upset the balance, which would inevitably lead to the end of days. Phil’s robe brushed gently against the stone floors as he walked out of the House of Trinity with the satchel that held the sacred blade in his hand.
Never has there been a love so strong to overpower the forces of the Universe; planting a seed by the hands of eternal love, opening the portals and changing the course of the future and the world as we know it.
~ Nina De Santo
A radiant dawn skated across the horizon. The silky touch of Michael’s bare chest against my cheek comforted me. Reassuring me that our connection went beyond incidental. I knew I’d changed, yet it was the loss of something else that began to bother me. Someone who was just as important to me as Michael was before last night. I stayed up most of the night, listening to Michael’s breathing, wondering what we’d sacrificed. How could I mend the rift that I created in our relationship, realizing now, that this was exactly what Freddie tried to stop me from doing?Despite our relationship, neither of us had ever spoken of a future together. I was lost for a very long time. Confused about my feelings for Freddie. I am no longer roaming. I believe I am exactly where I’m supposed to be.
Michael cleared his throat, alerting me that he was awake, as I already knew he would be, since angels never sleep. I shoved thoughts of my missing friend out of my brain, doing my best to focus on other matters.
“Hi,” he whispered, stroking my back with his hand. I closed my eyes, inhaling all of his scent; picturing how perfectly our bodies had connected hours earlier.
“Hello,” I flirted back, feeling a sudden rush of heat in my cheeks. I pulled myself over his chest, staring adoringly into his deep blue eyes. He filled my entire being, walloping hormones throughout my body. “Love you,” I professed.
“And I you,” he replied sealing it with a kiss. Michael gently lifted me off his chest and onto the mattress. Lying lazily on my belly, Michael kissed the curves of my shoulders and neck working his way down to my lower back. With his index finger, he lifted the hem of my camisole as he gently massaged my back. But something made him stop. I felt his grip tighten around my cami as he pulled up the hem of my top, exposing more of my lower back as he repositioned himself next to me. His hands abruptly withdrew, as he sucked in his breath and sat back on his heels.
“Elizabeth, is this a birthmark?” he asked, staring intently at my lower back.
“I don’t have a birthmark. What is it you’re looking at, though.” I jumped off the bed and shuffled over to the mirror fixing my hair as I stared at my reflection. I adjusted the strap of my camisole that loosely slipped off my shoulder, twisting my body awkwardly to get a better look at my lower back. Curiously, I touched the three tiny, raised circles that formed a spiraling pattern on my sacrum. I looked at Michael, confused about them.
“I’ve never seen it before. What could it be?” I gulped back nervously.
“It is an ancient symbol,” he whispered fazed. I blinked anxiously.
“Like a mark? Oh my God, have I been marked? Is it Luca’s mark?” My voice began to panic.
Michael didn’t respond, his eyes remaining transfixed on my back.
“Michael, say something!” I whispered, turning to face him, holding his face between my palms.
His eyes stared at me with profound devotion, but with a hint of confusion. “It’s a Triskele.”
“A what?”
“It represents the circle of life in many translations. When it appears in the sacrum area of t
he body, each spiral represents a duration of three months . . . totaling nine months in all,” his voice became expressionless.
“Nine months of what exactly?” At that moment I heard a voice whisper in my ear. Nativitate. Michael looked up at me. He heard it too.
For several moments we remained silent, as Michael allowed me time to process the symbol that mysteriously marked my skin. As I stared at my angel, something mystical emerged, taking the form of an exalted presence, radiating in a faint blue glow; filling me with a feeling of Michael’s strength surrounding me; placing a protective shield over my body. My skin glowed while my belly softly pulsated, instantly flooding my heart with an incandescent warmth.
“How can this be? I never thought . . . I . . . I didn’t think it was possible—” His breathing became shallow, fighting to take deep, even breaths.
Without hinderance, I wrapped my arms around his waist, and helped him to the chaise. His face pale in comparison to seconds earlier. A panic washed over me as the boy I loved struggled to breathe. “Michael, don’t scare me. Tell me what’s going on?”
He wouldn’t answer, yet the devastation in his eyes told me our irreverent intimacy had violated all the universal laws and caused something catastrophic. For Michael, it was much too painful to speak about.
“Michael, I know something has happened. I can feel it.”
Michael stood up, suddenly exploding with confusion and questions. “I never believed this was possible. I never thought—I . . . I need air. I’m so sorry, Elizabeth. Forgive me for what I’ve done. I never should have done this to you! Not to someone I respect. This may not end well for either of us. I—I love you, remember that.” He pulled me firmly into his chest. Tormented by something beyond my understanding. Michael inhaled the scent of my hair, then quickly pecked my cheek before letting go.
Michael turned to leave, but I reached out, touching his hand, stopping him with only the grip of my pinky on his. “Michael,” I whispered, fighting tears that mounted in the corners of my eyes. There were many questions I longed to ask about the new marking on my back and the glow of light that shielded me minutes earlier, but his thoughts had already diffused with mine, channeling an aura that imprinted the greatest feeling of all time. Michael’s visions moved quickly, allowing me a glance of nature’s most beautiful act; the delicate seedling of a rose forming, budding, growing and blossoming as one of the earth’s most divine gifts. Although my actions felt diluted, this was what I wanted; an unexpected change in the course of an ancient prophecy. My destiny had taken a new direction. I glanced down at my belly, intuition suggested that I was in the first spiral of time in the Triskele.
“I must find Freddie before it’s too late,” he whispered lowering his eyes to the floor.
“Yes, but come back.” I choked back tears, looking down at my stomach in wonder. Overcome with emotion, Michael kissed my forehead, lovingly stroked my belly, and closed the door behind him. Voices, all sorts harmonized, rejoiced, renounced and warned me about the conception.
When angels' tears do flood the earth, the gates of hell shall see rebirth. When the demise of angels doth impend, the human boy shall meet his end.
~ Alexandra Adornetto
THE BARN
Freddie began to come to. The impostor, Kali, dressed in a fitted black leather panther suit, squatted in a corner, watching Freddie groan in agony from the large welt on his head where Kali had struck him with a wrench. As his vision focused in on Kali’s smirking face, he coughed out some blood.
“Good morning, sunshine,” she chuckled. Her voice was different, breathy, like that of Marilyn Monroe’s. Freddie blinked away the trickles of blood that stained his lashes.
“What . . . are . . . you doing, Kali?” His voice struggled, barely inciting a whisper as he tried to move his hands. Freddie was still tied to the stake as Kali stood tall in her four-inch heeled boots before him.
“I don’t think I’ve formally introduced myself—Charlee Bates. Pleasure to make your acquaintance. I believe you’ve met my dad, Dr. Seth Bates.” She licked her lips grinning widely at him.
Still stunned and disoriented, Freddie shook her words out of his head. “Kali, what are you talking about?” he moaned in pain.
“Kali is dead, honey. I killed her—poor, sweet girl,” she stated proudly, flicking lint off her sheen suit.
“What’s your business with us?” He slipped in and out of consciousness, brought on by the pain. Charlee waited for him to come to again. “My business, lover boy, is with Elizabeth—your golden girl.” She gritted her teeth as she threw a sideward kick into Freddie’s bare chest. He coughed in pain, spewing more blood from his mouth, fighting for air caused by Charlee’s blow to his ribcage.
“You will bring me the girl!” she blared angrily into Freddie’s face before his eyes slipped shut.
There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root.
~ Henry David Thoreau
LAKE LOUISE (THE FLAME)
I watched as Michael shut the driver’s-side door to the Mercedes. He glanced up at my window, and then drove away.
Heartbroken, I turned to face my empty room, sliding my back down the wall, falling helplessly onto the floor. My head pounded while my heart ached at the thought of the danger I put Freddie in, and now Michael too. I couldn’t imagine my life without either of them.
I began to pray when my belly stirred and the door opened slightly. My stomach somersaulted with hope as I stared at the door waiting for Michael to come rushing back in and pull me into his arms. Instead, I found myself grinning at the most adorable furry face I’d ever seen.
“Zeus!” I called out. Zeus strode over and plopped down on my lap, wagging its tail. I lifted him and snuggled my nose to his. “Hello little guy! Yes, you are so sweet. I’m going to take very good care of you while Daddy is gone, yes I am!” I patted the dog’s head. Zeus unexpectedly pressed his paws into my stomach, whining and licking my shirt as he did. “What’s wrong, Zeus?” I asked wondering if he sensed something—something I didn’t. Again, my belly fluttered causing me to jolt. My heart suddenly halted. My eyes widened and my flesh crawled. This wasn’t how things were supposed to be. Yet I couldn’t help but feel relieved.
I began to wonder to myself, Could I have changed my destiny? Have I rewritten what had been prophesied thousands of years ago? Was what happened between Michael and I even possible? Could this be possible? I wondered, looking down at my belly. The revelation of what my angel and I had done suddenly came to surface. As the little face watched me with adoration, I sent a silent prayer for my angels to return. Both of them. “Zeus, how did I get myself into this mess? Oh my God, what did we do?” I cried out loud to myself, lowering my head and cupping my face in my trembling hands while my emotions spiraled out of control.
Victoria immediately came shuffling into the room when she heard my whimpers. “Beth, dear child, what happened? Did you fall? Are you hurt?” Her voice pitched as she helped me to my feet. “Out ya go Zeus!” she said, pushing the little dog out the door. I wiped away my tears with the back of my fist.
“Let him stay, Victoria. I want Zeus to keep me company while Michael is gone,” I muttered grievingly. Victoria only nodded. Thoughts of Freddie made my head pound even more. I sank into the chair, sticking my head between my knees and sucking in several deep breaths. My brain catapulted vision after vision of what had transpired between Michael and me, and then my thoughts turned to Freddie. He was in danger because of me, and here I was feeling sorry for myself. I had to do something to save him besides sit here drowning in self-pity!
“I’m fine, really,” I hissed, nudging her hands off me. “I need some air.” I stumbled clumsily toward the door. “I have to get out of here.”
“I’ll come with you,” Victoria said following closely behind.
“No!” I snapped, startling the older woman with my unaccustomed tone of voice. “I’m sorry, but I’d like to be alone,” I adde
d, softening my words with her. She stared back, nodding her head in disapproval, but obedient enough to walk away without an argument.
I walked along the path of the lake for a while, many thoughts passing through my head. I slipped around behind the main house of Eden, to a spacious garage large enough for six cars. Unnoticed, I stepped inside and found two cars in the space. The first was a white convertible Thunderbird, maybe from the fifties, I assumed, with a black ragtop and a red leather interior. The thing looked ancient, and I wasn’t sure if it would serve my purpose. The other one gleamed like diamonds. I slid my fingers along the smooth curves of the convertible sports car that shimmered with the color of blue slate. The keys to the Infiniti were left on its tan, leather seat. The door handle opened easily and I slinked inside, positioning myself behind the wheel while contemplating my next move. Steadying my hand, I pressed the car’s starter button. The car sprung to life, illuminating the dashboard with vibrant LED’s.
A male’s voice broke my concentration, startling me. “Ah, there you are.”
Matthew casually walked over to the Infiniti and pressed the engine button and the car went silent. “Are you going somewhere, Elizabeth?” he stated amusingly.
“No.” I answered ashamed with myself. I couldn’t bear to look him in the eye. Matthew was every inch the polished, Ivy League type. His chiseled face and platinum, blond, shaggy hair accented his hazel eyes. His lips were full and pink against his ivory skin, and his lean body and long legs reminded me of an Abercrombie & Fitch model. His wide, boyish smile could melt hearts, and yet something daring flickered in his eyes.