Zeriel caught it then placed it gently into the blue topaz amulet. "There. Now we have even more of a reason to keep this thing safe."
Jaylen looked into Kato's eyes and smiled.
Once he had put the amulet away, Zeriel took both of their hands. "Today marks a new chapter in your lives together. May Divine Sola forever protect you both on your journey. As the Prince of Heaven, I now declare you husband and wife. Jaylen, if you mess this up, I will never make you cinnamon buns again."
* * *
Once the door to the cozy beach hut was closed and locked, Jaylen and Kato stared at each other in the quietness. For a long few minutes, the only sound was the waves crashing on the shore as the tide began to come back in. Neither one of them made a move, seemingly both afraid to make the first mistake. He had no way of knowing exactly what thoughts were going through his wife's head, but Jaylen knew his own thoughts. Pure unrestrained terror. This was it. This was the night he had dreamed of his entire life, the one final vow he was going to break. Many times, he had played out the scenario in his mind. Much of the time, it was arousing and tantalizing. But this stark reality was daunting and absolutely nothing like those daydreams.
Kato was the one to break through the awkward silence when she went to the small dusty window and peeked out around the pale pink lace curtains. "So, want to go build a sandcastle?"
Jaylen didn't know how to respond to her attempts at humor. He instead removed his jacket with a shaking hand and draped it over the back of a chair by the table. As if being controlled by some other force, he kicked off his boots, removed his tunic, and slid his belt from around his waist. He took a deep breath as he let his pants fall to the floor, followed quickly by his underwear. Jaylen lied down on the bed, closing his eyes, and grasped the side of the mattress with all his strength to brace himself for whatever was going to happen next.
"Well, okay then." Kato giggled as she joined him on the bed. "You know, we don't have to rush into things. You look very uncomfortable."
"Rum. Give me some rum, please."
"Sure, if you think it will help." As Kato searched through the cabinets then poured a glass full of the spiced rum, she spoke softly to Jaylen. "I'm not going to make you do anything you don't want to do. You're no longer my slave, dearest. We are equals in every way now. Which is why I am promoting you to captain."
Jaylen sat up and looked at her. "What? Really?"
"Yes, really. We will be co-captains."
"Thank you, Kato. I don't know what to say. I don't deserve this kindness, Master."
Kato glared at him.
"Oh. I mean Kato. Forgive me. I'm so frightened."
"Of what?"
His eyes automatically drifted to the pile of their belongings in the far corner by the empty bookcases that the crew had brought from the ship for them. Resting on the very top of Kato's clothes was her cat o' nine tails, its braided tails curled threateningly. Jaylen drew the blanket around his body to shield himself instinctively.
Kato noticed immediately and responded by tossing Jaylen's coat over everything to hide the whip from view. "I'm sorry, Jay. I don't know why they brought that in here. Probably some kind of joke."
"What were you planning to do to me?"
"No!" Kato rushed to him, taking his face in her hands. "Jaylen, no. I don't know what you've heard about sex, but it's not that. I'm not going to hurt you."
"But Gavin and Stephan-"
"Don't compare us to that abomination of a relationship. Gavin loved Stephan, but Stephan abused that trust and twisted their covenant into something awful." Kato gently stroked his hair. "I know you have a difficult time trusting people after the abuse you suffered during your childhood, but you have to know that I will never do those things to you. You can trust me, Jaylen. You're my husband now and I'm your wife. Doesn't that sound wonderful? I will not betray you. All I have for you is love."
"I don't know how this works."
"Then let me lead. Relax and tell me this is what you want."
While he watched Kato's eyes, a peaceful calm spread over him. "So . . . this doesn't involve whips?"
She winked at him. "Not unless you want it to, dearest."
"No, please. Please no whips. Don't use your whip."
Kato slowly began unbuttoning the back of her dress. "Not everything in life is about pain."
As the lace dress fell off of Kato's curves, Jaylen's eyes locked onto her body. "So . . . uh, it won't . . . hurt?"
She crawled close to him and ripped the blanket away before blowing out the candles on the bedside table. "I promise you will enjoy this."
* * *
"No!" Jaylen threw the glass rum bottle across the room where it shattered against the wall, barely missing Kato's face. "Stay away from me, demon. Stay back or I'll kill you."
"Jaylen, calm down." She dove to the floor to avoid the wooden chair that flew over her head. "Please stop, Jaylen. What has gotten into you?"
"You defiled me! You changed me!" Jaylen screamed as he tore at his hair. Tears streamed down his face as he fell to the floor and continued screaming over and over. He then turned pale as his breathing grew rapid and labored.
"Jaylen? Jaylen, breathe. What is wrong with you? What's going on?" Her hand was violently slapped away when she tried to reach out to help him. "You were asleep. You were fine. What happened?"
"Go away!" Jaylen clutched his bare chest and fell backwards. "I can't breathe."
There was a knock on the door and Kato went to it and opened it to see the black-haired angel on the other side. "Oh, thank Sola. It's you."
Zeriel looked over Kato's shoulder at Jaylen who was groaning and rolling around on the floor. "Is everything okay in here?"
"No, it's not okay! Look at him. He's having some sort of panic attack or something."
Zeriel went to Jaylen and scooped him up in his arms. "Shh. Jaybird, everything's all right . You're fine. I'm right here. You know who I am, don't you?"
Jaylen was still trembling and sobbing loudly, but he was breathing more regularly. "Z-Zeriel."
Zeriel cradled him in his arms as he began humming the slow and mournful paladin dirge. The minutes ticked by as Jaylen's tears stopped flowing until he had fallen into a deep and peaceful sleep in his angel's arms.
Kato pulled back the blankets on the bed so Zeriel could place Jaylen down. "Is he going to recover?"
Zeriel tucked the boy in and kissed his forehead. "He'll be fine. He's had panic attacks since he was a young child. If this happens again, just bundle him up and hold him as you hum or sing to him. I apologize for this, but I need to know exactly what happened between you two that led up to this."
"Right after the wedding, he was a little scared. He thought making love was going to be painful and involve beatings because the only person he has heard actually give an account of it was Gavin. We all know that poor guy was severely abused by Stephan, so that was not a good example. Why didn't you talk to Jaylen and explain what was going to happen?"
"I tried, but Jaylen gets embarrassed easily. Please continue."
Kato nervously found a broom and began to sweep up the broken glass. "Right. Well, he calmed down then we . . . we, uh, we made love."
"Was it normal?"
"As normal as it could have been, I suppose. He seemed to be enjoying it."
"So it's true?" Zeriel asked.
"Yes. Jaylen is no longer a virgin. All his vows have been broken. After that, he immediately fell asleep. I had a glass of wine then joined him. I thought everything was great."
"What happened then?"
She put the straw broom away in the tiny closet. "I was awakened by crashing and Jaylen cowering in the corner of the room, looking like a wounded animal. He yelled at me, saying I had defiled him. Then he started throwing things at me. That's when you came in."
"Did he say anything . . . during?"
"My name." Kato grinned as she brushed her hair. "Other than that? He kept telling me not to stop."
Chapter 13
"Good morning."
Kato rolled over and opened her eyes to see Jaylen's bright blue eyes and smiling face as he was leaning over her and kissing her forehead delicately. The golden mage-glow spilled inside through the open window, accented by the sea breeze and the crashing of waves on the shore. It was a comforting sight to see. He seemed to be doing much better after his panic attack the night before. "Good morning, dearest. How are you today?"
Jaylen tangled his fingers in her hair and straddled her hips. "Much better now that you're awake. We don't have to do anything today, you know?"
"Oh? Do I? And what did you have in mind?"
Jaylen pulled the blanket back and allowed his hand to travel down her neck to her chest where he played with the laces of her nightgown. "I think you know."
Kato sat up and pushed him off of her as the unmistakable booming of cannons thundered in the air. "Do you hear that?"
"I'm on it." Jaylen jumped out of bed and quickly dressed in his leather pants and black tunic. "Listen. I hear Karix."
The dragon's roar reverberated against the mountain cliffs miles away from the shoreline. Nearby, panicked screams and shouting pierced the warm early morning air. Kato couldn't sit there and not figure out what was going on. She grabbed her cutlass from under the stack of supplies before pulling her wedding dress on, not caring enough to button the back. "Jaylen, can you fight?"
He buckled his belt and stuffed the sky blue amulet into his pocket. "Why wouldn't I be able to fight? You go do what you need to do and I'll tend to things on shore."
"Can you help the citizens?"
"I already told you I'm on it." Jaylen slid his boots on then stopped when he spotted Kato securing her cutlass around her waist. "You know how to use a sword?"
"There's a lot about me you've yet to learn, husband. Now, go. I will meet up with you tonight. Get the people to higher ground and away from this conflict. There is an ancient temple a few miles up the road that they keep stocked with emergency provisions. Can I trust you to do this?"
"I was a paladin, Kato. I was trained for things like this."
"I didn't know, considering last night . . ."
"What happened last night?" Jaylen dropped down to his knees as a nearby palm tree splintered in half and fell against the window, knocking wood and parts of the wall into the room. Dark grey smoke billowed inside, making both of them choke and cough. "Go. I will see you later, Kato. I love you."
"I love you too. Be safe." Kato wasted no more time in pulling the door open and running out into the chaos. The shacks and shops around the pier were already up in flames, the smoke quickly filling the air and obscuring the view of the multiple ships nearby.
"Captain!" Thomas, the plump cook, ran up to her and thrust her silver spyglass into her hand. "Enemy frigates nearby, Captain. Most of the crew is defending the island onboard the Reef Runner, but she's taking damage. Karix and his rider are already in the sky, raining down havoc on any ships deemed to be threats. Nimiel has vanished. Zeriel is fighting through the invading demon forces that stormed the city earlier. He's making progress, but I don't know how much longer he can hold out. I would have come and awakened you sooner, but we just now cleared out the roads leading here. Everything is on fire and there are so many dead."
"Calm down, Thomas. You said demons?"
"Yes. Zeriel has his heavenly shotgun and is tearing through them like they're made of straw, but they are still demons."
"And the enemy ships? What colors are they flying?"
"Purple with various white runes. Ka'tayl."
Kato's breath momentarily escaped her. "Excuse me?"
"It's a Ka'taylin ship, Captain. I've seen their flag in the history books."
"What the hell is a Ka'taylin ship doing here? They're supposed to be dead."
"I don't know what else to tell you. This way. We have to get you back to the ship. There's a rowboat we can take. Do you want me to bring First Mate Jaylen with us?"
"No. Just take me. Jaylen will be helping on shore where he's most comfortable." Kato ran behind Thomas to a rowboat hidden in the thick reeds along the beach near the rocks. "Get me to my crew."
He helped her into the boat then pushed off from the shore. "Right away, Captain. Are you sure about Jaylen?"
"Yes. Jaylen can fend for himself."
As he rowed, Thomas eyed her curiously. "Are you sure? We all heard what happened last night. The first mate doesn't seem to be in the best mental condition for battle. We should-"
"Are you trying to give me orders, cook?"
He hung his head. "N-no, Captain. I was only-"
"I don't want to hear it. Your job right now is to get me to my ship. Everything else will be dealt with later."
* * *
Jaylen raced through the cluttered streets with a rag tied around his face to keep the smoke from reaching his lungs. He leapt around overturned crates where pineapples and bananas had been strewn to the ground and slippery clusters of broken glass. Streaks of blood from unidentifiable sources were smeared along the sides of the shacks, more than likely from the citizens who were attempting to flee from earlier in the attack. He waved to Liam who flew overhead on Karix's back towards the sea. Jaylen knew he couldn't stop to figure out what was going on. He had a mission that he had to stick to. The citizens. He had to evacuate the city before more fighting made it onto land.
While Jaylen felt more secure in the chainmail armor of The Order, it was times like this when he was grateful to have left it all behind. The extra fifteen pounds of his chainmail made it difficult to be very agile in situations like this. He was beyond glad that he wasn't one of the few who were trained to wear a full set of plate mail. Some of the sets made from less expensive materials weighed nearly as much as he did. Now that he was facing potential combat and miles of running, the thin leather pants and breathable tunic were more appropriate for the way he had learned to fight in the past year. Quickness, agility, and secure footings could easily surpass and overcome even the most seemingly impenetrable armors.
Across the canal that ran through town, Jaylen spotted a family dressed in ragged clothes trying to run from the flames of their burning home. He had a running start then leapt over the canal, dropping to his knees as he landed on the other side. Jaylen went up to the two young boys. "Give me your sons and I will take them to safety."
The exhausted-looking mother shoved her children behind her filthy skirt. "No! You're that apostate. You're Finalis. Kevin, do something."
"You will not lay a hand on my children, apostate." Kevin's burly shoulders wedged in between the crying children and Jaylen. "One more move, and I will be forced to kill you."
Jaylen drew his longsword from his side and pointed it threateningly at the man as the booming of cannons grew louder. "You can come with your children or let them come with me on their own. One way or another, the children will be coming with me. I will kill both of you in order to get them to safety. Make your choice, but make it quickly. This entire area is up in flames."
"They're better off in the fire than with you!"
"No!" Jaylen slashed at the man, clipping his shoulder. "Give me the boys!"
"Just run, Jodi."
As the man tried to drag her down the street, Jodi pushed her two young boys to the ground. "Forget the kids."
Jaylen watched for a minute in complete disgust and astonishment as the couple ran away. How could they leave their two children behind? Still trying to come to terms with what had just happened, he helped the young boys to their feet. "Monsters. And they call me evil. Come on, you two. I'll get you to safety."
The two scraggly-haired boys stared up at him with wide terrified eyes.
"I'm not going to hurt you.
Don't listen to the lies these people tell you. Follow me and stay close."
A hoard of grey and black demons, clad in mismatched pieces of chainmail and plate armor clambered down the street with torches burning in their hands. Their shrill shrieking pierced the smoky air. One pointed his rusty pitchfork at Jaylen. "Finalis. It's Finalis. Get him!"
He pushed the kids over to a side street where boxes were piled up along the buildings. "Get down behind the crates. Stay here. No matter what you see, you stay here. Is that clear?"
The older boy nodded his head as he clutched his brother to his chest. "Yes, sir."
"Good."
The younger one reached out and tugged on the hem of Jaylen's tunic. "Mister, when is Mommy coming back?"
Jaylen's heart ached for them both, but right then, there wasn't anything he could do for them. He was never one to tell small lies, but he couldn't leave them with that. "She'll be back. I'm sure your mother will be waiting for you when we get to the temple up the road."
"You promise?"
He placed his fist over his heart. "On my honor as a paladin."
A full crate of bananas was hurled through the air and smashed against the side of the nearby building, barely missing Jaylen's shoulder. Bananas scattered through the alley. Jaylen spun around, sending his razor-sharp blade straight through the demon on the left. Before he could turn his sword to swing at the next one, gunshots rang out in the sky. The demon froze in its tracks as glowing white holes appeared in his chest and purple blood spilled out onto the cobblestones below his feet. He looked up to see the black-winged angel with white eyes and a tangible air of determination that emanated from him like a cloud of magical energy. "Zeriel!"
The angel landed next to Jaylen and fired his glowing shotgun into the crowd of demons as two more ran forward. "You didn't think I would let you kill all these demons without me, did you?"
"I've got this under control." Jaylen said as he slung his sword into the arm of another demon. "Go make sure Kato is safe."
Angel of Darkness Books 6-10 Page 23