“Um… no.”
“Ever heard of Gehenna?” She watched me, completely unafraid. She didn’t even hold a weapon.
I took a step back. “Maybe.”
She smiled slowly, stepping forward. “You’d fit right in there.”
“Actually, I wouldn’t. Been there. Done that.”
She stopped midstride, and a frown graced her porcelain brow. “You were locked up in Gehenna?”
“For a while.”
“Why didn’t I know this?”
“My guess would be a lack of communication in the ranks.” Smiling, I took another step back, and even though people surrounded us, they didn’t seem to take any notice of us. At least, nobody came to my rescue, which was what I was hoping for.
“How did you escape?” she asked.
“Very carefully.” I couldn’t help the smile that came to my face, even though I was terrified of this woman. She’d nearly killed Brecken and caused all sorts of horror for the people of my hometown, including my own brother. I let those memories wash over me, so I could hold onto my righteous anger. I couldn’t let her see my terror or the way she made me quake inside. I raised my fists in a defensive position for some kind of physical manifestation of courage. It didn’t help.
“What are you going to do? Karate chop me?” Lamia threw her head back and laughed with incredulity.
“Maybe.” Hoping to make her back off, I gave her my best glare.
“Go ahead and try that,” she said with soft eyes, regarding me with new appreciation. “You still don’t even know who I am, do you?” she asked, obviously not afraid.
Why would she ask such a question? Of course I knew who she was. “You’re Lamia, a ditzy, blonde demon, who hates me, if I’m not mistaken.”
Laughing again, she shook her head and sighed. “That’s not what I mean.” She stepped closer. Suddenly, my nerves began tingling, and I became mesmerized, unable to move as her gaze locked with mine. Her hand caressed my cheek, her fingers grazing over my lips. A heavy ache developed in my belly and I found myself leaning into her touch. The feelings she elicited were not unfamiliar, but I knew they didn’t belong here, in a battleground. I still couldn’t make myself move or pull away from her.
“You are lovely,” she said. “It would be a shame to completely destroy you. You have so much potential after all.”
In my mind, I heard a voice screaming for me to get away from her, but her touch felt so good, so seductive on so many levels.
“Do you know what I am known for?” she asked me so lovingly that I merely shook my head.
“They accused me of devouring children, but that’s not true. I don’t devour them. I never have. I love them. They become mine. I love children even though I’ve never had any of my own.” Her other hand cupped my cheek and she brought her face close to mine. She smelled like rain and something else… slightly unpleasant, but not terrible. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from hers. They pierced deep into my mind, caressing all the insecurities I’d ever had. She communicated without words, embracing me without arms. “I could be your mother, too.”
I didn’t want her to let go. More than anything, I wanted to stay with her, and I was filled with the fear that she would leave me and walk away.
“Do you feel that?” she asked with a loving smile, her thumb caressing my cheek.
“Yes,” I answered in a hushed tone, my eyes closed.
“Do you want to keep this feeling forever?”
“Yes.”
“Then we shall seal it with a kiss.” She leaned forward… oh, so slowly, never blinking. She was so beautiful, so warm, and so perfect. Nothing else mattered. People cried out around me, but the cacophony was only a whisper. I heard my name called, but I couldn’t look away from Lamia. My whole world was her. Her eyes, her smile, her touch.
Her face was only a breath away when I saw someone running toward us from the corner of my eye, but it was all erased when her lips pressed savagely against mine. Energy exploded inside of me, shooting through my veins like super-powered adrenaline, zinging to my fingers and toes, making my chest pound. I may not have had a physical body, but every cell of my spirit surged with power.
I grasped Lamia’s arms, unable to break our embrace. My heart told me to sever the bond, but my mind yearned to drink from her like a starving child, because she was my mother now. I couldn’t reconcile the two conflicting emotions, so instead of doing something, I froze.
Suddenly, I was thrust away. An icy chill resided inside me, and I cried out in dismay. Lamia wiped her mouth with a cackle, glaring at a man with long, dark, flowing hair, his armor so bright it burned my eyes.
“Raphael,” she spat. “You’re too late!” Still chuckling, she stepped back from him. “She’s mine now.”
He turned to me, his lovely green eyes filled with horror and despair. “Alisa?”
Even as I looked at him and took in his beauty, I felt only a detached interest. I knew this man, but I couldn’t seem to dredge up any feelings for him. With a howl of rage, he sprang for Lamia, who wore the most enchanting robes of magic and power I’d ever seen.
“Stop!” I screamed. The man was huge, but I was nimble. I latched onto him, trying to scratch his eyes. I shrieked, my voice sounding foreign to my ears. He pushed me away, and I jumped back up, kicking his legs and biting his arms.
He smacked me hard and I fell down, my head spinning. Lamia was easy to spot in the crowd as she effortlessly escaped his grasp and ran away. Her laughter charged the air with static, but I couldn’t let her get too far away. I had to stay close, to protect her, to help her, to be with her. Getting to my feet, I took one last look at the handsome warrior.
A soft breeze blew through his hair, lifting the tendrils around his chin. His eyes hardened as he watched Lamia escape. He didn’t go after her, which surprised me. I thought he wanted to kill her. Instead, he turned his gaze on me. I should run away and follow my new mother, but something in his eyes stopped me.
“Alisa,” he said in a commanding tone. “You are not to follow Lamia. She has no power over you.” He stepped forward and reached for me, but I jumped back, afraid, smacking his arm away. Trembling, I held my hand up as though it would keep him at bay.
He gave me a sad smile and said, “I’m sorry,” as he roughly grabbed my arm and yanked me toward him. His grip burned as if his fingers were coated in acid. I cried out in pain, trying to pry his thick fingers from my wrist, but it was no use. He would not let go, and the hardness in his eyes as he stared down at my quivering form made me yearn to shrivel up and die right there. The burning of his touch raced through me like wildfire, scorching every bit of matter in my soul, and I completely expected to burst at any moment.
I was dying, and I shrieked for Lamia to come back for me, to rescue me, but she had disappeared from sight without a second thought, abandoning me to this green-eyed devil. The burning traveled through my entire soul and finally coalesced in my chest like a nuclear bomb. I fell to my knees, sobbing, as pain and anguish collected like dew on the ground beneath me. The warrior still held my arm, but when it was all over and I glanced up, I recognized my captor for who he really was.
“Raphael.” His name formed in my mouth like a prayer, and my weeping turned from despair to relief. I fell into his arms, holding him around the neck as though he were a life preserver, which, technically, he was.
He had expelled Lamia’s poison.
71
~Escape~
Brecken
Brecken rested in the hospital room, his father long gone. The hospital lay quiet, the lights low. Never had he felt so alone or so terrible. His whole body ached, and the fatigue was almost overwhelming. He could hardly lift his arms and had spent the evening arguing with Heidi about whether or not to press charges against their dad.
She was confused at what she’d seen, and Brecken couldn’t explain it to her. Now, in the middle of the night, he stared at the ceiling, knowing he had to escape the hospital. If what
Calliel said was true, then this entire mess was his fault. Had the fighting really begun with the demand to give Brecken back to the demons? How could he just lay there and do nothing while people were dying?
He struggled to a sitting position, a throbbing pain building at the back of his head. When he tried to stand, the world spun and he thrust his hands out for something to balance against. There was nothing but a chair that sat too low. He stumbled and let himself fall into it, the ties on his hospital gown straining and finally ripping free. The gown hung loose, but he was too out of breath and dizzy to care. The painkillers and other drugs he had been given still coursed through his veins, making him feel fuzzy and off balance.
He made his way slowly across the room and yanked open the closet door. His jeans and T-shirt were hanging limp inside. He dressed in a hurry, not wanting to be stopped by a nurse or his sisters, but just as he reached the door, it opened.
His nurse stood there in surprise, her eyes wide. “What on Earth are you doing?” she stammered. “Get back into bed this minute.”
“Can’t,” he mumbled, pushing his way past.
“You can’t leave. You’re too weak.” She grabbed his arm and tried to turn him around, but he shrugged away.
“I can’t stay here! Let go!” Half delirious, he staggered down the hall. Everywhere he looked, he thought he saw angels in battle regalia, brandishing Nephilim swords. He couldn’t tell if they were there to help him or kill him before he escaped. Fear consumed him, and he could hardly breathe as he broke through the doors to the main foyer of the hospital.
Coming face to face with an angel who seemed to stare him down, Brecken rushed forward, screeching and throwing out his arms. Surely, he’d collide with the heavenly vision, but the illusion shattered and he passed through. He stumbled through the front doors, moonlight glowing on the asphalt parking lot and wind whipping his hair into his eyes. A storm was growing out over the ocean and would soon hit land. He had to hurry, so he kept going, determined to make it to Claire’s house to start another ritual. He had to get to Idir Shaol!
The parking lot had row upon row of unfamiliar cars. Luckily, he didn’t need a key to start one, just a car that wasn’t locked. He searched, grabbing door handles recklessly and randomly, setting off one car alarm after another until he was jerked from behind.
Dizzy, he spun, letting his weight fall back against a car with a screaming alarm.
“What are you doing?” Calliel bellowed.
“What are you doing?” Brecken asked, wobbling on unsteady feet.
“It doesn’t matter now.” He grabbed Brecken and dragged him through the parking lot, throwing him into his plumbing truck. Calliel got in on the other side and they raced from the hospital, a cacophony of angry horns blaring behind them.
Brecken debated opening his door and letting himself fall out onto the road. The last person he wanted to be with was his father, who had only just tried to kill him and was wanted by the police. “Take me to Claire’s house.”
“What? In the middle of the night? No!”
“Please. I have to get there, and then I promise I’ll be out of your hair forever. I’ll let the demons take me. I just want to fix this and make sure Alisa is safe.”
Calliel regarded him with a grim expression, his lips pressed together. “You’d really go back to the demons and make this all end? You’d leave Alisa forever to be tortured and damned for eternity?”
“If that’s what will fix this. I didn’t realize this whole mess was because of me. I can’t live knowing thousands of angels are dying because of me.” Brecken glanced at Calliel, his heart aching. His dad stared straight ahead, driving way over the speed limit.
“And you’re sure this Claire girl can get you there? All the way to Idir Shaol?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’m coming with you.”
Brecken had expected Claire’s house to be dark, since it was still night, but her house was lit up like a Christmas tree—the only house on the street that not only had the porch light on, but every light in the house. Nothing could have made him happier or could have given him more hope. They must know about the battle! They must be trying to help… unless he was seeing things.
He opened the truck’s door and fell from the high bench seat, barely hanging onto the handle, his world still spinning. His father grasped him by the arm and hauled him up to the porch, leaning him against the doorjamb. With a sigh of exhaustion, Brecken knocked loudly on the door.
72
~The Eclipse~
Claire
Claire, her three friends, and her mother sat in a circle in the living room, their hands clasped, listening to the storm grow outside. Katelyn’s phone rested before her as they watched the hours, the minutes, and then seconds, tick by until the full eclipse.
Candles burned and soft Indian flute music played in the background. Angela wore her sacred shroud and the air around them crackled with anticipation. Her mom breathed deeply, calm and relaxed, and Claire tried to follow suit, hoping to get into the right mood. She was nervous and full of anticipation, maybe even a touch of dread. She could hardly concentrate. The night had passed, and she wasn’t even tired.
“Alright, everyone,” Angela said. “Close your eyes and concentrate on my words. Try to will your energy toward me.”
Just as they closed their eyes, there was a loud rapping on the front door.
“Who could that be at this time of night?” Angela asked with her eyebrows pulling down in a frown.
Claire glanced up, wondering if Kaden had come back. She jumped up and ran for the door, throwing it open, which was effortless since the wind did most of the work.
“Brecken?” She stared at Alisa’s boyfriend, and then at the man behind him. “Calliel?”
Brecken sagged against the door, moths and other bugs flying around the porch light. She quickly grasped him under the arm, pulling him inside, his dad following. Claire helped Brecken to a chair and let him fall into it, exhausted.
“You look terrible,” she said.
Calliel stepped forward, commanding everyone’s attention, and he had it, looking so huge and powerful, even though he was still in a human body. There was something otherworldly in his bearing and in his eyes. “We have to break away from these bodies, and we need your help to send us to the other side,” he said to Angela.
“Who are you?” she asked, getting to her feet. “What you ask is no small feat and not to be done by the inexperienced.”
“But you’re not inexperienced, are you?” Calliel stated.
“No, I’m not, but these kids are.”
“Then do it alone.”
“No.”
Calliel ground his teeth, and the muscles in his cheeks flexed. He looked ready to explode with frustration, or at the very least, strangle someone. “You do not know who I am, and this is not an idle request. I am Calliel, a throne angel, and I have to get back to Idir Shaol.”
Angela glared right back at him, looking completely unafraid. “If you were meant to go back there, I’d think you would have already been called.”
A low snarl emanated from Calliel’s throat. Wade jumped up from the floor and walked over to Calliel, calm as a summer morning. He took Calliel’s hand and led him to the couch. “Of course we’ll help you.” He glanced at Angela and smiled, sitting down beside him. “We will do what we can, but Angela is right. We have no idea what we’re doing, and we made a serious mistake the last time, which put Brecken in the hospital.”
Instantly, Calliel relaxed. Claire had no idea Wade was so diplomatic. She watched him, amazed.
“Just tell us what to do,” Wade said.
Angela stood to the side, her arms crossed over her chest. She wore a frown that was not difficult to read. She was angry at being interrupted and told what to do. When it came to spiritual things, Claire knew you did not command her mother to perform.
Calliel glanced out of the front window at the storm. “We are almost out of tim
e. Do you have a pool?”
“Um. No.” Claire raised her eyebrows in surprise.
“A child’s pool then,” Calliel said in frustration, running his hand through his hair.
“Are you serious?” Claire answered. “A kiddie pool? I’m seventeen in case you are unaware.”
Angela finally piped in. “Yes. I have one.”
They all turned to her, surprised.
“What?” she said on the defensive. “Sometimes I like to lie in cool water on hot summer nights. The pool’s in the garage.”
Jamie stood and offered to get it. He blew up the medium-sized plastic pool in the backyard and began filling it with water from the hose, his hair whipping around his face. The rest of them stood on the back patio, watching—the storm beginning to rage.
“This is never going to work,” Angela said, her eyes angry and slitted.
Calliel glanced at her. “It will work.”
When the pool was full… only eight inches deep, Calliel helped Brecken out onto the grass and placed him in the water. The air grew colder, and for California, that was saying a lot. Claire pulled her sweater tighter around herself. She didn’t like the idea of having a ceremony out here in the middle of a storm. How would they keep their concentration?
With an audible sigh, Angela stepped forward. “I will not be responsible if this doesn’t work. And by that, I mean, if you die.” She held her face rigid, looking as though she dared Calliel to argue. For some reason, her mom didn’t like Brecken’s dad. Claire had no idea why other than the fact that he was arrogant and demanding, but that’s no reason to dislike someone so much.
“We don’t intend to come back,” Calliel answered, his expression mirroring hers.
“What?” Claire yelled into the wind. “You have to come back!” Her gaze was riveted on Brecken. “You can’t die. You’re too young! You still have your life to live. You’ll forfeit everything!”
Brecken heaved a heavy sigh while he sat shivering in the frigid water. “I know. It’s okay, Claire. I understand the consequences. And thank you… for everything.”
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