Wings of Darkness: Book 1 of The Immortal Sorrows Series

by Sherri A. Wingler

  It all happened so fast, I do not think Mairya had time to stop it, even if she could have. Isabel’s eyes narrowed and her mouth flattened into a hard, dangerous line. She swept Mairya’s hand away from her and grabbed the Reaper by the throat. Her other hand shot out and covered her heart. Mairya shrieked in pain and clawed at Isabel in an effort to get away. Her cries choked off as she dropped out of the smaller girl’s hands. I reached them just as Isabel collapsed onto the polished hardwood floor next to the Reaper she had just destroyed.

  Numbly, I stepped over Mairya’s lifeless body. I was at a complete loss for words. Isabel had done the impossible. She had faced a Reaper, and killed her. There was horror in the girl’s eyes. I did not care; she lived and nothing else mattered. The joy I felt was all-consuming. The girl lived.

  Gwen, in spite of her obvious shock, tried to crawl over to her friend’s side, but Isabel scooted away from her as far and as fast as she could get, till her back hit the gymnasium wall.

  Isabel put both hands out away from her. “Don’t. Don’t touch me. For God’s sake, stay back, and don’t touch me!” Her eyes were wild, her voice panicked. I crouched down beside her, slowly, so I would not frighten her more. Her small body trembled uncontrollably as I gathered her to my chest. She struggled in my arms, and fought to get deep breaths. She was reacting badly.

  “Hush… be still.” I stroked the hair back from her face, tried to use the force of my Will to calm her, but I fear it had little effect. “It is alright. She cannot hurt you, now.”

  Her eyes rolled wildly towards the body of the Reaper. She calmed down somewhat, but still she trembled. Feebly, she tried to push me away. “What have I done?” Her voice was small, frightened. Her face was pinched, as if she would break out in tears at any moment.

  It was bad enough that Isabel was an unknown element, but she had done the impossible; she had destroyed an immortal being. She was a threat to be dealt with, now. If I did not think of something soon, every Reaper within miles would be hunting her.

  “That’s an excellent question, Asher. What has she done?” Grim sauntered into the gymnasium, still bloodied, but healing. His smile was wide; he had enjoyed himself immensely. His wings were already tucked safely away, but there were scorch marks running the length of his torso, a few claw marks on his face, and what looked to be a bite mark on his neck.

  “She survived.” That was the only thing that mattered to me.

  Grim walked over to Mairya’s body and whistled softly. “Well, I didn’t see that coming.” He flashed his most winning smile to both girls. “Allow me to introduce myself, ladies. I am Samael. You may call me, Grim.” He offered his hand to Isabel’s friend, Gwen, to help her to her feet, but she just looked at him as if he had grown horns. To be fair, he did look rather frightening.

  Given their first meeting, it was a wonder she did not run screaming from his presence. But then, he no longer looked the same. Still demented, but no longer like a clown. She surely did not recognize him from the haunted house. If she did remember him, she was playing it off remarkably well. He was a frightful sight, on any account. Bare-chested and covered in blood and soot, he could have been a demon sent straight from Hell. His dark hair had been windblown every which way, and he looked at the girl with greedy, dark eyes. There was trouble in that look. I had a bad feeling about it.

  “Save it for later, Grim.” Isabel moved restlessly under my arm. She stiffened when she first saw him, but at least she stopped trying to get away from me. “We need to leave. Now.”

  Grim snorted. “Take your time. The party’s over.” He kicked his toe against Mairya’s foot. “For her, at least.” He turned back to Isabel, “Someday, little human, you really need to tell me how you managed to pull this off.”

  “Leave it, Grim. Can I assume that Mairya’s friends have dispersed?”

  “Of course. They didn’t expect any resistance. Your little friend, here, certainly knows how to throw a curveball. I wouldn’t hang around for a victory party, though, if I were you. Once they realize your human can kill Reapers there will be no place on earth safe for her.”

  Chapter 16…Izzy

  Gwen shoved to her feet and pushed away from the wall. She started to touch my shoulder, but I jerked away. I didn’t want her touching me. I didn’t want anyone touching me; I was poisoned, and bad. Asher held me close, tried to comfort me, but there was no comfort to be found, not even from him. I’d killed that girl. Some dark and vicious thing had risen up in me and struck her down.

  I tried to shove Asher away, but it was like moving stone. He intended to comfort me, and by God he was going to do it. Whether I wanted him to, or not. I really did want him to hold me close, and make the horror go away, but I knew he couldn’t; not when the horror came from inside of me. And worse, what if I did to him the same thing I’d done to that girl? What if I destroyed him?

  The red headed girl had come to kill us. That much was obvious. She’d looked only a little older than me and Gwen, but her eyes were ancient, and glowing bloody red. She was there to kill me. She wanted to kill me.

  I barely remembered shoving Gwen behind me. Like that would do any good when faced with such a monster, but I was only reacting at that point, not thinking rationally. The Reaper touched my cheek with her cold, cold fingers, and whispered, “Come to me, little monkey.” That touch of Death chilled me all the way to my bones, but something inside me rejected it. I wanted to live.

  The raw fear that had gnawed at me the whole time we’d been running and hiding, had just exploded into white-hot rage. That moment, when I touched the Reaper, I felt her heart speed up under my hand, begin to race, and I knew that I owned her. I forced my Will further than I ever had before. I let it explode from my fingertips and into her body. Her immortal body. And I broke her.

  Disdain had given way to disbelief in the Reaper’s expression, then quickly turned to horror. Finally, terror had widened her eyes as she screamed and clawed at my arm. She tried to push me away, but she couldn’t do it. Her heart burst under my hand; I felt it when it did, and life poured out of her and into me. It rushed in, an unstoppable river of energy, and I wanted it all.

  The red of her eyes faded, even as I took her life. I was horrified by what I’d done, but I was helpless to stop myself. Her energy kept pouring into me, just wave after wave of it, and it was delicious. That was the worst part. I had enjoyed killing her. Hell, I’d loved it. I was disgusted with myself.

  Asher shook me lightly, “We have to leave. Do you understand?” I nodded, but I was only half-way listening. I watched the body of the Reaper who’d come to kill me. I expected it to melt or something, but it just lay there, tiny and lifeless. So much for bad Saturday matinees. In the movies, the monsters always disintegrate when you kill them. I was only beginning to suspect who the real monster might be: me.

  “What about her?” I nodded towards the body.

  “Someone will come. She is no longer our problem. Now, hang onto me.”

  “Wait.” There was a scuffle taking place behind us. I heard a pained groan, then a growl.

  Grim was bent over, holding his ribs, and his eyes smoldered a dull red. Gwen had dropped into a fighting stance, clearly ready to do further damage if he came anywhere near her again. Asher heaved a disgusted sigh. “You two, stop playing around. We are leaving. Now.”

  Grim straightened up to glare at Asher. “I was merely trying to help the little harpy, but she won’t listen to reason.” This really was the same guy from the haunted house; tall, dark, and scary as hell. Yet, here he was, taking orders from Asher, and clearly trying to help save our asses. When all of this was over, and we were finally safe, Asher owed me one hell of an explanation.

  I knew I had to do something quick, before they left Gwen there on her own. There was no way of knowing if more Reapers were coming to finish the job. “Gwen, stop fighting him.” There was a sharp edge to my voice, and they both turned towards me as if I’d said something shocking. I ignored it. I’d
had one shitty day and I was in no mood to argue with anybody. “Just close your eyes and do as he says.”

  Grim smiles broadly. “Finally, someone who makes sense. I think I’m beginning to like you very much, little human.” I glared at him. He just winked at me.

  Gwen started to argue. I knew she wanted to. Hell, under normal circumstances, Gwen would be arguing with someone, anyway. This just wasn’t the time, or the place. I raised a hand, and tried to ignore the way it trembled. I had to hold it together, just a little while longer. “I promise I will tell you everything, just as soon as we get out of here.”

  She blew out a disgusted sigh. “Fine, but I want every damned detail, do you hear me?” I nodded. I promised myself that I could fall apart later, when I was safe, and more importantly, alone. Having a complete meltdown was high on my priority list. I just didn’t want, or need, an audience when I did it.

  Grim reached for Gwen again, a delighted smile lighting up his handsome face. “Ready, Pretty?”

  Gwen eyed him warily. “There’s something about you that’s familiar, and whatever it is, I don’t like it. So watch where you put your damned hands!” That was all the invitation he needed, apparently. He grabbed her waist and yanked her up against him. She let out half a startled squeal that was cut off completely as they shifted out of sight.

  “Can he be trusted, Asher?” It worried me, the way the Reaper looked at my friend. It looked like he either wanted to kill her or eat her. Maybe both. Probably both.

  “Grim is never trustworthy when he wants something. His loyalty, however, I have never questioned. He will let no harm come to your friend.” He pulled me close to him and I closed my eyes, knowing how disorienting being shifted out of existence can be. It wasn’t something I looked forward to.

  Asher held me a fraction tighter than necessary, and still we hadn’t gone anywhere. I cracked an eye open to look up at him. He had the strangest look on his face. It was both tender and bemused. “Is something the matter?”

  His head dropped quickly and he placed a kiss on my forehead. My mouth fell open. “I am very glad that you lived, girl.” I found myself flustered, and more than a little dizzy. Then, almost as an afterthought, I realized that we were leaving, and the dizziness and disorientation just might be an effect of the shift.

  ***

  We popped back into existence at the base of a mountain. A really large mountain, the top of which was completely obscured by fluffy, marshmallow clouds. It was a gorgeous sight, and all around us, as far as the eye could see, it was all green grass and sunlight. It was immediately apparent that we had travelled farther than we ever had before. For one thing, it was springtime here, and we had just left late October weather. The trees at home were losing their leaves in red and golden showers. Here, all the trees were a bright, fresh green.

  A light mountain breeze carried the perfume of new flowers and green grass to us. Birds chirped in the trees, and bees buzzed lazily along, from flower to flower. Silently, Asher pointed above our heads. I looked up, and my breath caught and held.

  The sky far above was full of angels. Wings of every color shimmered in the sunlight. “What on Earth?” It was the most awesome sight I’d ever seen, and it was terrifying. Angels had just made a good effort to kill me; they were the last things I wanted to see.

  “Not exactly Earth.” Grim dropped in with Gwen, who still looked extremely aggravated with him. She was about to let loose and give him large pieces of her mind when he pointed upwards. Gwen’s mouth fell open and her eyes grew huge. “Finally, she’s speechless.” Pink color spread into Gwen’s cheeks and her mouth closed with an audible ‘click’. Twin frown lines appeared between her brows. I kind of thought she might be in light shock. She would have to be, at this point, though. Any sane person would be.

  “Be nice to our guest, Samael. You should not tease her so.” Asher had eased his grip on me, but he still hadn’t let me go. I thought he might still be worried that I was about to have a nervous breakdown. It was high on my priorities list, but now wasn’t the time to have it.

  “Um, Asher, where are we?” I was almost afraid to ask. For all I knew, we were dead, and this was paradise. It was too pretty to be Hell.

  His eyes lit up as he watched dozens of angels lazily circling above. “This is Sanctuary. Home.”

  “And what are we doing here,” I asked, carefully. Getting full answers out of him was about as easy as yanking teeth out.

  “He’s buying you time, little human. Time is something you’re almost out of, so if you want to keep your pretty head attached, you might want to cooperate.” Grim just had to add his two cents worth. He didn’t look nearly as frightening as he had when we’d first met, but then again he wasn’t flashing sharp teeth at me, now. He was actually kind of nice looking. Although, I thought he’d be a much better looking with a little duct tape over his mouth.

  It was obvious that he and Asher had been in cahoots the whole time. I’d thought Asher had “saved” me. It had been a set-up from the start. Men could be real jack asses, immortal and all-powerful, or not. And I was an idiot; I’d bought it. I’d swallowed the lie whole.

  I’d kind of zoned out for a moment, but Asher nudged me to get me to pay attention. I stepped away from him to turn in a slow circle. This place was awesome, and huge, and nowhere near civilization. “This is a safe place; neutral ground. No violence is allowed. You cannot be attacked while you are here. I can keep you safe.” I hoped he’d let the other Reapers in on that little fact.

  We had been attacked at the school so suddenly, my mind had been running on auto-pilot. I really hadn’t been thinking about anything but surviving from one minute to the next. Now, I had a sudden thought that made my blood run cold.

  “Asher, we have to go back.” I grabbed his arm, my fingers digging in inadvertently. “My dad, Gwen’s family…they have no protection. Hell, my cat isn’t even safe. We have to go back. Now!” I tugged on his arm, prepared to beg if I had to.

  “Calm yourself, girl. I have a plan. If it works, they will be safe, and so will you.” He tried to soothe me, but it was no use. I’d left everyone to fend for themselves. I had to go back. With help, or without it.

  Grim patted me lightly on the back. “If it makes you feel any better, your families are about as significant as that bug over there.” He pointed out a particularly fat caterpillar crawling up the side of a large boulder to the right of us. “And your cat is even less so.”

  “Screw you,” I flipped him the bird. Fancy that, I gave the Grim Reaper the finger. Almost made me want to laugh. Well, really, what did I have to lose? I was living on borrowed time, anyway.

  Gwen cuffed Grim on the shoulder. “Anyone ever tell you that you’re a real dick?”

  Grim shook his head. “You know, I do believe that you might be the first.” He turned to me. “I was, however, trying to reassure you. No one is interested in harming your family, little human. You’re the target, here.” Not reassuring, at all, but it was sort of nice of him to try.

  Gwen crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him for a moment before turning back to me. “Would any of you like to tell me just what in the hell is going on here? Who are these guys?” She pointed at Asher and Grim, impatiently, then spread her arms wide and motioned above her head. “What in the hell are those things? Where are we, and why would Izzy be a target?” She dropped her arms and slapped her hands against her hips, “And finally, who was that bitch at the school, and why was she trying to kill us?” I was amazed she got all that out without taking another breath.

  I really didn’t want to have this conversation with her out in the open, with an audience. Chances were good that Gwen would think I was crazy anyway. There were times when I was pretty sure I was going crazy. I started to speak a couple of times, cleared my throat, and just decided to plow ahead.

  “Ok, so long story short, cause we really do need to get out of here…you remember my wreck?” She nodded. “Well, Asher was there that night, a
nd he, well, he saved my life.” Gwen’s eyes darted to Asher and one eyebrow shot up. “He did something that changed me. It’s why I healed up so fast.”

  “He’s your stalker?” She gave him a long look and I nodded. “What did he do?” She looked like she wanted to kick his ass just on principle.

  “I gave her blood.” Asher’s hands landed softly on my shoulders and I leaned into them for moral support. I was still pissed at him for tricking me by making me think he’d saved me from Grim, but I liked him touching me. It was probably the stupid blood bond, but I felt happier when he was close, and more secure. So much for women’s lib, I thought.

  “I would have died, if he hadn’t interfered.” Grim rolled his eyes. I could practically hear him saying that it wouldn’t have been much of a loss. “So, anyway, it pissed off several people because he wasn’t supposed to do it.”

  Gwen crossed her arms over her chest and glared down the length of her nose at me. I had been keeping secrets, and I was in very deep doo-doo with my best friend. “Ok, that answers the first part of my question, now tell me who these two assholes really are.”

  “Well, that’s where things get a little unbelievable, but stay with me, ok?” I rubbed my sweaty palms against my jeans. “They’re, well, angels, I guess.” Ok, got that spit right out. I took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. Doing good so far, Izzy.

  Gwen burst out in giggles, which quickly deteriorated to laughter, then finally, to very unladylike snorts. She laughed so hard that tears leaked at the corners of her eyes, and I was pretty sure she wasn’t breathing properly. Surely she appreciated that she’d gotten here, to this place, by some supernatural means? Didn’t she understand that we weren’t dealing with everyday crazy, now? Or was she about to have a nervous breakdown?