by L. L Hunter
“No. You just want my trait.” Adam reached out to touch his son again. Adam screamed as his skin came into contact with Gabe’s. Gabe screamed as he tried to resist, but then he realised what his trait could really do. Did his father know what he could do? He decided to give it a try.
As Adam stood touching Gabe’s arm and Gabe’s electricity flowed into Adam, Gabe closed his eyes and willed his trait to do its job and sedate his father. Gabe opened his eyes and watched as his father’s eyes seemed to droop. He was growing sleepy. It was working!
Adam staggered but gripped Gabe’s arm tighter, sinking his fingernails into his arm. Gabe yelled out just as the door burst open, and two people dressed in black hooded cloaks dragged two struggling people into the room. His eyes widened when he saw who those people were.
“Eden! Asher! No! Let them go!”
The distraction caused Adam to let go of Gabe and then storm over to the figures in black.
“What are you doing, you idiots? They weren’t part of this plan.” Adam growled. While Adam had his back turned, Gabe escaped from his rope bindings and looked for a way out. There was no way other than the door, and the hooded people were blocking it. He needed to help Eden and Asher so they could all escape. He also needed to properly sedate his father and turn him in not to harm anyone else.
As his father’s back was still turned to him, Gabe got an idea.
“Hey!” he shouted, causing his father to turn. When Adam turned to look, Gabe threw a huge lightning bolt at Adam. The bolt of lightning wrapped around Adam’s torso and lifted him into the air. With his other hand, Gabe threw another bolt at the two people in black.
“Eden, Asher, duck!” Asher and Eden did as he said and dropped to the ground as a green lightning bolt arched its way over them, striking their two attackers in the head. They fell to the ground in a pile of smouldering ash.
Eden got to her feet but froze when she saw that Gabe held his father high above them.
“Gabe! Let’s go!”
“No, Eden. You go! Run. Get out of here, both of you.”
“Let him go, Gabe,” said Asher.
“Are you kidding? I know what he did to you, Eden. He tried to kill you. He just wants our power. He’s too dangerous. I have to make sure he doesn’t hurt anyone ever again.”
“Do you think killing him is the way to go?” Eden asked.
Just then, the roof broke open above, and the door burst open. A flash of light shot across the room, and the guardian angels were surrounding them. Melody ran to Gabe’s side.
“Gabe! Don’t do this,” she pleaded.
“Why is everyone telling me to stop? Don’t you know what he’s done? You’ve all lied to me my entire life. First, you told me my parents were dead, and then you told me they weren’t dead but dangerous fugitives who tried to kill my cousin. And now you’re telling me not to kill him?”
“I know what he did was wrong, Gabe—but killing anyone is not the answer,” Melody explained. Then, footsteps approached, and soon, they were joined by two more people. Gabe looked up into the faces of his Aunt Rachael and Uncle Lakyn.
“We’ll take care of him, Gabriel,” said Lakyn. “Come on, buddy. You’ve already sedated him enough. Let him go.” Gabe scrunched up his nose in confusion, wondering what his uncle meant, but when he looked back at his father’s lifeless body floating above them, he realised he was right. Gabe slowly lowered Adam’s body to the ground and let him go. He sank to the floor, now drained of energy. Melody ran to Gabe’s side and held him.
Lakyn and Rachael picked Adam up off the ground and dragged him out of the room. Eden and Asher ran to Gabe’s side while Chordelia accompanied Lakyn and Rachael out of the room. Aria remained behind. She walked over to the huge hole they had created in the roof of the building and stared out at the darkening sky.
“He is not the real enemy,” she said. Then, everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to Aria.
“Ari, what are you talking about?” asked Melody, standing. Eden helped her cousin from the floor.
“The son of Lucifer has Max.”
Eden gasped. “What?” She had to lean on Asher for support. She suddenly felt sick with worry for her little cousin.
“What do you mean, Ari? How do you know?” Melody was at her friend’s side in an instant. Gabe walked over to join them at the gaping hole, followed by Eden and Asher. Aria turned to face Melody.
“I heard you. You cried out, and when you did, your voice was amplified tenfold. I saw a vision of Max. Abraham was holding him down while Samson inserted visions in his head. He was screaming. I felt his pain.”
“Oh, my goodness!” Melody gasped. “You said I did this? That I showed you this? How? I don’t understand.”
“No. You didn’t show me. When you cried out, the soundwaves of your voice hit Max, causing me to see him. I felt tired earlier, and I didn’t understand why because guardians don’t grow tired. I didn’t understand until now. Mel, I believe you have the ability to find soulmates.”
Gabe met his cousin’s gaze. They shared a knowing smile.
“If this is true, Melody,” said Gabe, “then Max is in trouble. We need to save him.”
Melody smiled at Aria and then at Gabe. “We will.”
Chapter 12
So, how are we going to do this?” asked Gabe. He looked around at the five of them and wondered how they would get to the cemetery quickly.
“The easiest way is to fly, but there are three of us and only two angels with wings,” said Asher.
“I can try to carry Asher and Eden. I might lag behind. Mel, you can be with Gabe.”
They stood before the massive hole in the wall, contemplating how they would carry this out, when the door burst open once more, and Chordelia appeared.
“Chor!” Melody screamed.
“Need some help with that?” she asked, gesturing at Eden and Asher as she sauntered into the room.
“Yes. You came at the right time. We need to get to the Realm of Death quickly, and I don’t think I can carry Eden and Asher on my own,” explained Aria.
Chordelia smirked. “I figured. Okay, Daughter of Death, you’re with me.”
Gabe and Asher watched on in amusement as Chordelia walked up to Eden and stood before her. Eden crossed her arms and made her stance taller to match the Amazonian guardian angel. It seemed like the princess of snark had met her match.
“Fine,” Eden said defiantly, “but if you drop me, you’re toast.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.”
They all gathered at the hole in the wall, Melody with Gabe, Aria with Asher, and finally, Chordelia with Eden. Melody wrapped her arms around Gabe’s middle and took off into the sunset. Aria leapt out after gripping Asher tight, and Chordelia followed close behind with Eden.
They arrived in the cemetery in the centre of London a few minutes later. As soon as Eden’s feet were on the ground, she dramatically went to her knees and began kissing the soil.
“I never thought I’d be so glad to touch the ground again!”
Chordelia rolled her eyes as Asher and Gabe laughed. Then, when all of their feet were back on solid ground, they made their way toward the entrance to the Realm of Death.
“Be ready,” Eden warned. “We don’t know what to expect. There could be demons around.”
Eden pulled out the dagger that had killed Lucifer, and the three guardian angels followed suit and pulled out their angelic blades, as well.
As Asher didn’t have a trait yet, he stuck close to Eden and Gabe. Gabe gathered a ball of green electricity in his hand, ready to sedate any demons who crossed their path. They stepped into the realm, their shoes crunching on the wings and bones of those who had been there before them.
That was when the whispers began.
Laughter, as wicked and as dark as the dark itself echoed around them. They each held out their weapons, surrounding Asher in a protective circle.
“What was that?” Gabe whispered.
; “Demons,” answered Eden.
A murderous black soul whizzed in front of them, flying about their heads. Chordelia slashed at it, but Gabe shouted.
“No! Let me handle it.” He threw out his trait and wrapped the black soul in green electricity. The green colour covered it, and then a moment later, a white, pure soul broke free and floated away.
“Cool!” exclaimed Asher.
“That was the coolest thing I have ever seen,” Melody said, turning to Gabe. She slipped her hand into his, and he smirked, smug with himself.
“Well, you know. I’m still getting the hang of it.”
“Don’t be so humble.” Melody reached up, wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulled his lips down to meet hers.
A scream and a growl broke them apart.
“Guys, I hate to break up your romantic moment, but we have company,” said Eden. She stood out in front of their group, clutching her dagger tightly. Aria and Chordelia stood slightly behind her on either side. Asher, Gabe, and Melody stood at the back. They now stood halfway between the cottage and the entrance to the realm and were surrounded by demons.
Chapter 13
There stood before them seven demons, each having eyes the colour of a different deadly sin. Gabe narrowed his gaze and prepared his trait. He was ready to throw a bolt of lightning at each of the demons, but the door to the cottage opened, and Samson walked out, followed closely by Max, Willow, Abraham, and Jazmine.
“I see you got my message, Gabriel. It’s nice to see you again,” said Samson. Gabe glanced over at Max, but Max dropped his gaze and turned his head. What the hell? Had Max gone to the dark side, or had his mind been poisoned? He felt a nudge at his side. He turned to see Melody shaking her head. He knew what she meant. She was telling him to lie, to keep the truth from Samson.
“Yes, I did. I’m here now. Let Max go.”
“Not yet. Not until you boys do a little something for me. We need to finish what we started.”
The seven demons advanced one step, and Gabe immediately knew what he meant. He meant they had to finish turning millions of innocent good souls into sinners, into tainted, evil souls.
“Yeah, right. Like I’m going to help you possess the rest of the world’s population.” He crossed his arms over his chest.
“Suit yourself.” Samson walked over to Max and nodded at Abraham. Abraham gripped Max by the arms, pinning them at his side so he couldn’t touch Samson.
And then he put his hands on Max’s head.
Max cried out in pain.
At the exact moment that Max cried out, so did Aria. She could feel Max’s pain. She could feel his emotions. Every single thing he felt, she felt too. Their souls were synced. His pain felt like a million red-hot fire pokers were being stuck into them at the same time. She felt like she was being burned alive.
“Stop it!” Eden screamed. “Leave them alone.”
“Then help me finish possessing the world with tainted souls—or Blackbell Junior dies.”
Then Jazmine began laughing like a cackling witch.
“Well, well, well. Will you look at this? I couldn’t have foretold this.” She sauntered over to Aria and considered the guardian angel like a bug she wanted to squash under the heel of her Louboutins.“It seems the guardian has found her soul mate.” Jazmine then turned her gaze to Melody and Gabe. Melody moved in front of Gabe and held out her heavenly dagger. “And it seems she’s not the only one.” She cackled again and flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder with a manicured hand. “Oh, this is perfect.” Jazmine moved to stand nose to nose with Melody. Melody matched the Angel of Fate’s stance. “You’d better be careful, guardians. Love won’t give you happiness. No, love only gives you pain and eternal damnation. Love will get you kicked out of the Realm of Fire.”
“That may be true, Jazmael, Angel of Fate,” stated Melody with confidence, “but I don’t care if I fall.” She stepped back and slipped her hand inside Gabe’s. Gabe swallowed nervously and smiled down at her.
“Neither do I,” said Aria, flying to stand in front of Max. Max looked up and met Aria’s gaze and lost his breath. Was it true? Could she really be his soulmate? Max went to take a step toward Aria, but Abraham still had a hold on him. He wrapped his arms around Max’s middle, and they disappeared in a cloud of smoke and ash. Aria screamed.
“Max?” Gabe glanced around, but the former Angel of Death and the new one were nowhere to be seen.
Eden turned to Asher. “What are we going to do?” she asked frantically. They were running out of options.
Asher opened his mouth to answer, but a cloud of thick black ashy smoke appeared on the other side of Samson.
“Look!” Gabe shouted.
Aria sprouted her wings and was about to fly to Max when Chordelia grabbed her arm. “Aria, no. Wait. I have a plan.”
Chordelia turned to face the group. “Listen, guys. If we fight, Max is going to die. So we need to finish this.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a couple of syringes filled with a brownish liquid. Everyone watched in surprise as little bolts of green and red lightning shot up and down inside the syringes.
“The vaccines!” Eden exclaimed, careful to keep her voice low so Samson and the others didn’t hear. She peeked over her shoulder to make sure. Samson was studying them with suspicion.
Chordelia looked at Gabe. “Are you ready, Gabriel?”
He nodded. “Yes. I know what I have to do.”
“Good. Let’s do this.”
They broke apart, each Nephilim and angel having a role to play, and they had to do it without letting the demons or their leader know.
Gabe turned his attention to the seven demons. He glanced at Melody standing beside him.
“Are you ready?” he asked her.
“I think so,” she replied. “Are you?”
“I will be once this is all over. Let’s do this!” He shouted the last part as he raised his arms and shot massive lightning bolts at the demons. Seven bolts followed in quick succession, each one striking their targets and holding them tight. The demons struggled and growled as Gabe’s trait sedated them. Chordelia gave a syringe to Eden, Asher, Aria, and Melody and kept one for herself. They moved toward the demons, ready to inject and purify them to save the people trapped inside, but Samson noticed what they were up to.
He screamed and called forth his trait.
Not much was known about Samson’s trait, so it shocked some to see what he produced.
He turned to the nearby pond and lifted the water into the air with his mind. The water began to solidify and turn to ice. Samson then took the ice and formed them into ice missiles, and turned them toward the group. Time seemed to slow down as a massive ice missile twisted through the air, heading straight for Chordelia. The ice missile impaled her through the middle, and the guardian angel slumped to the ground.
Melody screamed, and her voice broke the sound barrier. She opened her wings and shot forward, landing on top of Samson.
“Eden!” she screamed. “Bring your dagger. Quick!”
Eden was stunned, shocked into silence, and motionless. But Melody’s voice broke her out of her stupor, and she didn’t think. She ran to Melody’s side, and as the guardian angel held the son of Lucifer down, she called his soul from his body. It was no surprise Samson’s soul was black. It was the blackest of black, the colour of the foulest evil. And when she held his black soul in her hand, she pulled out the dagger that could destroy all things and stabbed Samson’s soul through the centre, killing him like she had his father.
Chapter 14
Melody!” her head snapped up. She stood from leaning over Samson’s body and walked over to join her fellow guardian. Aria was sobbing over the lifeless form of their friend.
They had tried to save Chordelia, but the ice missile had pierced her spinal cord. She had lost a lot of blood and was unable to heal. There wasn’t anything they could do but give her the send-off she deserved.
“Take her back to the Acad
emy, Ari,” Melody told her. “We’ll finish up here.”
Everyone was stunned at what had just happened, but it wasn’t over. There were still souls to save and the minor issue of Abraham and Jazmine to contend with.
Eden was standing with Asher and Gabe near Chordelia’s body, but a movement to Eden’s left had her spinning around.
“Hey! Not so fast!” She flung her dagger, and it spun through the air and struck Jazmine in the heart. Jazmine looked down at the sparkling white dagger protruding from her chest and then screamed as she exploded in a golden dust cloud. And so was the ending of the Angel of Fate and the Son of Lucifer.
Asher ran to her side. “I don’t wanna say this, but I don’t think you should have killed her.”
Eden shot him a glare. “Yeah. I should have. Good riddance.”
“She’s the Angel of Fate, Eden. The world needs balance.”
“The world was balanced when she was gone. People don’t need a self-absorbed bitch to write their futures. Anyone can write their own destinies. So let’s finish this.”
Before they left for the Academy, they were finally able to finish what they set out to do. They injected the seven demons with the vaccine, and when they were purified, the angels set them back on their journeys in the world.
“There’s only one thing left to do before we leave here,” said Max. And he was right. In the commotion, they had forgotten about Abraham. He had fallen to his knees in anguish when he watched as his beloved was killed, and now he was a pathetic sobbing mess on the ground outside the cottage.
“Oh, how the mighty have fallen,” said Eden, standing before the former grim reaper.
“What else have I got left? You killed my only reason for existing. So you may as well kill me too,” said Abraham, looking up at Eden.
“No. Death seems too easy. It’s too poetic for someone like you.” She put a finger to her lips, pretending to think.
“Just do it already. Eden, please,” he begged.
She looked down at the Angel of Death and finally decided on his punishment.