Good Side of Sin
Page 37
She nodded and gave me a genuine smile. “You requested that Malcolm and Isaiah be reinstated back into Heaven if you completed the mission successfully. I see Malcolm is here, but Isaiah is not.”
My expression fell. “Yes, well, Isaiah sacrificed his—”
“I know very well what Isaiah did. The fact remains that the exorcist still has his soul. I’m sure he would not want it to go to waste.”
I blinked at her in confusion and watched as she looked to Thoros by my side. “Aren’t you in need of a complete soul, young prince? I must say that you’ve earned it. Besides,” she looked back to my stunned expression, “we can’t have someone with Josselyn’s amazing skill refusing to come back to Heaven if you can’t accompany her, now, can we?”
All I could do was blink at her. I had no words. Was she seriously going to let Thoros into Heaven?
“I will take your stunned silence as a yes?”
“Yes!” Thoros and I both shouted together.
She smiled again. “Good,” she said. “Because I believe there is a seat on the Council just waiting for you to accept it, Josselyn.”
I gasped then, and Thoros had to steady me to keep my knees from buckling. “You want me to be an archangel?”
She nodded. “We would be honored to have you. We could do with a few changes around Heaven. I think starting with you is a good decision on our part.” She bowed, and then walked away.
“Did she just—”
In the next moment I was whisked off my feet and spun around. Laughter bubbled out of our throats and, for the first time in a really long time, I felt that everything was going to be all right.
Epilogue
I hope you enjoyed my story as much as I enjoyed sharing it with you.
Thoros accepted Isaiah’s soul, of course, and we both moved into our mansion in Heaven. For a while I’d thought my own personal world was coming to an end, but I realize now that it was just the storm I had to struggle through before I deserved the reward.
Ariana accompanied Ethan to Heaven to help him permanently close off the portal, as well as repair and reverse the damage Lucifer had caused. As it turns out, Ethan hadn’t damned the souls of his dad, Marcus and Geoffrey. However, he did absorb them into himself, and the exorcist extracted them from him. Geoffrey and Marcus were dealt with accordingly, and I pray Lucifer has no mercy on them.
There was nothing we could do to bring Ethan’s dad back to life, but he did get to talk to him in Heaven before he returned to Earth with Ariana. He apologized for being a lousy dad and Ethan forgave him, promising they would see each other again soon to catch up on the time they lost.
The Council gave Ethan the option, but he decided to keep the gift Geoffrey bestowed on him, vowing only to use it if he happened across a demon or an impure soul. I think he is responsible enough to carry such a burden. If not, it can be taken away if we—or he—decide it’s just too much responsibility.
Ariana and Abe invited him to live on Eternal Island, at least until he gets the hang of his powers. He was pretty excited about meeting someone that was like him, and the mention of a whole island of vampires and witches had him agreeing to the offer quite quickly. I have to say, even I plan to visit sometime in the near future. I could use a vacation. For some reason, Ariana, Abe and Jonah laughed when I told them that. I can’t imagine why.
Emma asked for her mind to be scrubbed. She didn’t think she was strong-minded enough to live out a normal life knowing there was nothing normal about it. I healed Boggs, scrubbed both their minds and Malcolm gave them some sort of ‘normal’ memory that didn’t have anything to do with vampires, alflights, witches, magic, angels or Lucifer almost succeeding in taking over the world. Malcolm was smiling when he returned from dropping them off in the city, but I don’t think I want to know what he put in their heads, so I didn’t ask.
And last, but certainly not least, I accepted one of the chairs on the Council. I am now an archangel! And even better news, so is Troy! It seems we have gone above and beyond what Heaven ever expected of us.
The other archangels were surprised, but didn’t make much fuss about the first rule Troy and I enforced. We knew a lot of changes had to be made to prepare Heaven for any attacks from Lucifer in the future. It only seemed logical to start at the top and ensure that every archangel complete the three month course of the Line of Defense Academy. Most saw it as fair but necessary punishment for how they had let things get out of hand.
We still keep a watchful eye on the remaining six half-souled immortals, Tooka and Omega, who reside at the mansion, though I think a few of them are thinking of traveling in the near future. Maybe they will invite you along on their journeys.
Look for Isaiah’s story, ‘My Sweet Purgatory’ Late 2014
Sneak Peek of ‘My Sweet Purgatory’
My Sweet Purgatory
(Save My Soul #4)
Chapter 1
Isaiah
“A beheading would be much more amusing—quicker, too. Don’t you agree, brother?”
Uninterested, I sighed and toyed with the gold cufflink at my left wrist as we followed the guard through the door of the presence chamber. Melina had been completely ruthless since Josselyn had left Limbo. Because—through leaving—she had taken the only pass for Melina to join Lucifer in his quest to take over Heaven and Earth.
She blamed me for this. I could tell by her edgy demeanor, but I didn’t care. I was putting myself through more anguish than she ever could—and she knew that. Though, it didn’t stop her from stoking the fire.
I smiled to myself and decided to let her entertain me. It irritated her more when her attempts of angering me failed. “What crime has the accused committed to deserve losing their head, sister?”
Melina began rattling off a string of reasons why the suspect should be punished so harshly—all of them completely absurd and farfetched—so I immediately tuned her out as we took our seats at the head of the room.
Confusion fell over me as I glanced down for the first time at the frightened girl that knelt before us, royal guards either side of her, their spears ready to run her through if she even dared to breathe wrong. Was this the prisoner Melina was charging as a thief?
The young woman’s clothing was worn to rags and barely covered her body enough to keep her decent. Her weathered skin and dark hair were filthy from too much outside exposure, with obviously no way to properly clean herself. Numerous scrapes and lacerations marked her flesh, most of them appearing red and infected. I could feel her fear and knew right away that she was no hardened criminal; at least not to the extent Melina was blaming her for, anyway.
That is my gift. I can see into the heart of any person and instantly know if their intentions are good or bad, if they are lying or telling the truth.
The girl had indeed taken something that didn’t belong to her, but she hadn’t done it out of spite or anger or trickery. She had merely been hungry. Not a crime I would consider deserved something as severe as beheading. It would do me no good to tell Melina this, though. She forces me to attend these hearings, encourages me to tell her if the accused is guilty or innocent, but, no matter my verdict, she sentences them all to horrible fates.
I fear my sibling has gone mad in her time away from Heaven.
Curious, I leaned forward on my throne to better connect with the girl. She flinched back, lowering her head and avoiding my eyes as if I was about to smite her for simply being dirty.
“Do not be frightened,” I said in a soothing tone, interrupting Melina’s rant. I hadn’t heard a word of what she had been saying, but she was now silent and glaring at the side of my head with her mouth agape. Just the thought of her stunned speechless would have been enough to make me laugh, had I been in the mood. Unfortunately, for her, I was not.
Hushed whispers spread throughout the large room as I studied the accused. It obviously wasn’t normal behavior for royalty to show such attention to someone of a lower status. Ignoring them all, I stood and s
lowly walked to the girl.
“Isaiah, what are you doing?” Melina hissed.
Without looking at her, I held up my hand to silence her protest. She huffed loudly, but knew better than to try and stop me. I’ve always considered myself a mild-mannered man, and Melina knows exactly what my limits are. She has tap-danced on the boundaries a few times, but never crossed them.
I came to a stop in front of the captive. Unsurprisingly, the guards didn’t retreat. If anything, they inched closer, the blades of their weapons actually touching the girl now. She whimpered, but didn’t make a move to wipe away the moisture from her tear-streaked cheeks. Melina had insisted I become part of her royal court, but it was obvious the queen’s personal escorts were not as accepting.
I cleared my throat and reluctantly glanced over my right shoulder at my sister.
Dramatically rolling her eyes, she flipped her wrist through the air. “Oh, leave her be for now. I’m intrigued to hear what my brother has to say to the larcenist before she is sentenced.” She focused on me then and raised a perfectly-shaped, brunette eyebrow. “This had better be good,” she finished curtly.
Simultaneously, the guards removed the threat from the girl and snapped to attention.
After a moment, shimmering, green eyes—pale and clear as glass—turned up to me, and I offered the girl my hand to help her stand.
I was taken aback when her eyes filled with horror. Instead of accepting my offer, she quickly shook her head and shrank back.
Melina’s laugh was abrupt, causing my body to stiffen, my jaw to lock and my hands to clench, involuntarily, into tight fists. My patience was wearing thin with my sister.
“Dear brother, the girl knows the price she will pay if she attempts to follow anyone except me. Let you not forget whose world you’re in.”
I whirled on her, unable to hide the rage coloring my skin crimson. “Give her to me! Let me have her and I swear on our blood that I will take full responsibility for her actions from here on out.”
Excitement filled Melina’s expression, but I was too livid to realize what she was planning in that morbid mind of hers. I only knew that I couldn’t let this girl suffer any punishment Melina had in store for her.
“Seriously, Isaiah, you don’t know what you’re saying—”
“For the last six months, I’ve watched you sentence these people to horrid fates that not one of them deserved. They are not evil and this is not Hell, Melina. Stop torturing them as if it is. If they act out, there is a reason for it. If they steal, it is because they do not have what they need to survive. Give it to them, instead of torturing them,” I pleaded. “Why must they suffer?”
She smiled sweetly, but I wasn’t fooled. “Because they are mine.”
“You are a sadist and I am ashamed to call you my sister.”
She sighed as she crossed her ankles and laid her folded hands atop her lap. “Fine. If you want this one, you may have her. But—no crime must go unpunished. You must take her punishment today for the crime she has committed. Any law she breaks from now on, will be paid by you in whichever punishment is deemed necessary for that particular crime. I will show no mercy because you are of my blood, Isaiah. Maybe you won’t be so quick to object to my rulings in the future.”
I could tell she was completely serious, and the blood drained quickly from my face. It was either me or the girl that would suffer chastisement; Melina would not yield to me in front of the crowd of onlookers. That would only show weakness.
She gestured with a little jerk of her chin to something behind me, and I turned swiftly to see two guards rolling a large platform to the center of the room.
I lost my balance and nearly stumbled over the girl, but managed to right myself without taking my eyes away from the torture devices that awaited their next victim. A variety of items used for corporal punishment hung on racks and lay organized on the three metal tables. Cat o’ nine tails, knives and daggers of different shapes and sizes, leather whips, leg and wrist irons, rattan canes—ranging from switch size to almost as thick as my wrist—were spread out for the choosing. Filling one of the four corners, a thick wooden pole stood out like a sore thumb. Somehow I knew I would be getting a closer look at it soon.
Melina’s words were like ice shards through my heart as she spoke. “First offenders receive caning—twelve strokes across the back and shoulders.”
My heart hammered against my ribcage. Wide-eyed, I glanced down at the girl’s shining eyes. She was scared, and ready to hear me refuse her whippings. From the look on her face, I was the only person that had ever taken up for her. And I felt a strong urge to not let her down now.
I reached out to touch the smeared muck on her face, but this time she didn’t shy away from me. Courage filled her pretty eyes, and my heart broke a little as a tear escaped and rolled to my finger. I nodded once.
My head shot up in alarm when the guards swiftly approached and grabbed her arms, jerking her, none too gently, to her dirty, bare feet.
“No. Wait—” They didn’t stop. They only continued to drag the crying girl toward the steps of the platform. I couldn’t let this happen. This inhumane cruelty had happened too many times over the last several months. I had to discover a way to change the way Melina ran her world. “No!” I shouted, and swung at the guard closest to me. He easily avoided my blow and sent me flying to the stone floor with the back of his hand. Hand to hand combat had never been one of my strongest abilities, and I cursed myself for taking it for granted that I would never need the skill. Despite my inexperience, I jumped back to my feet and a warrior’s cry tore from my lungs as I charged them. “Let her go—”
Oomph! Suddenly, I was jerked back against a massive chest with an arm locked tightly around my neck, cutting off my words, my screams and my breath. I struggled against the man holding me but, honestly, there was no point; my feet weren’t even touching the floor.
He jerked us to the left, putting me in direct sight of Melina. The smirk on her face let me know that this little scene had played out exactly the way she had intended.
“Want me to snap his neck?” the burly man asked his queen.
Melina shook her head. “Set him down.”
The arm loosened around my throat and I fell to my hands and knees with the urge to get as much oxygen into my lungs as I possibly could.
After a moment, I lifted my head and glared up at my sister. “Release her to me. Give up all ownership you have over that young woman… and I will take her punishment—today, and forevermore.”
Melina smiled as her hands came together in a loud clap that sealed our deal. “Done.”
About the Author:
Kristie Haigwood (a.k.a. K.S. Haigwood) is currently writing her 9th novel. She lives in Arkansas, US. She is the mother of 2 awesome kids and 2 great dogs. She is happily married to her soulmate who thinks reading is a solid waste of time. Opposites attract. Kristie’s works include ‘Save My Soul’, ‘Hell’s Gift’, “Good Side of Sin’, ‘Forbidden Touch’, ‘Eternal Island’ and ‘Eternal Immortality’ are available at major eBook retailers and also in print. ‘Eternal Illusion’, ‘The Last Assignment’ and ‘My Sweet Purgatory’ are all releasing soon.
Where to find the author:
www.facebook.com/kshaigwood
www.facebook.com/kristie.haigwood
http://kshaigwood.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/Kshaigwood
Table of Contents
Dedicated to:
Acknowledgements:
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
&nbs
p; Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Epilogue
My Sweet Purgatory
About the Author:
Where to find the author: