He strokes my cheek lovingly as he speaks. “I guided you through your life. I’m the one who helped you survive your forced shifts and who gave you the strength to withstand all the hardships that you went through.”
I scrunch my eyebrows together in anger and push his hand away.
“So, you watched me suffer my whole life and only helped when I was nearly dead? You could’ve helped me more! You could’ve brought me here and cared for me and protected me!” I yell and I stand up in anger.
“No, Celeste, I couldn’t have!” he shouts back. “Don’t you dare say that!” he screams and stands up to his full height. “It hurt me to watch the child, my child that I so desperately wanted in my arms and to treat like a queen, suffer through all that she did.”
He walks around the table to stand in front of me. “All I could do is sit by and do just enough to keep you alive and keep your strength up. It hurt not to be able to come to you and drag you to safety, but you had to learn! You had to learn what it was like to be a tortured soul so you would be strong enough to lead our army!”
He takes a calming breath as I scoot away.
“If I had just been selfish and brought you here when things got hard, then you wouldn’t have become the strong woman you are now. You wouldn’t have helped all those people or meet your family. Their lives would’ve been far worse if you hadn’t been there. So, please, don’t think I didn’t care or that I just sat back and happily watched you suffer.” He scowls as he stares at me, but it’s not directed at me. He seems to be in a trance as memories play through his mind.
“Okay, I’m sorry. I get why you did it,” I whisper and place my hand on his shoulder, gesturing with my other one for him to sit back down. “Can we finish my questions?”
He straightens his suit and gives a stiff nod before sitting down. I follow his lead. He waves his hand in a circling motion, asking me to say my next question.
“Am I really dead?”
“Sort of; you were only shot with a silver bullet which doesn’t kill a demon, so technically you’re still alive.”
“Then why am I here and not up there?”
He releases a heavy sigh and leans forward on the table. “When you were shot, it hit your heart directly and, unfortunately, killed your wolf. I’m sorry, Cat is gone, and you will be dead in the human world until I send you back up. You’ll be a full demon once you’re back.”
My breath hitches at the news.
“Cats dead?” My voice cracks and a tear slips down my cheek as I mourn the loss of my wolf.
“Don’t worry, child. She is with the moon goddess and her ancestors’ wolves, living happily. I’ve even asked the moon goddess for you to be able to speak with her one last time after all of this is finished.” He gives me a small smile and grips my hand on the table for comfort.
“Thank you,” I mumble before wiping the tears from my eyes.
“What happens now?” I ask, my voice a little scratchy from my mini sob fest.
“Now, there is something I must show you.” He stands, my hand still in his as he guides me out of the throne room and down a long corridor.
Soon, we’re standing in a room full of mirrors. He lets my hand go and I begin to walk ahead of him and past all of the oversized mirrors, my eyes wide in disbelief. Each mirror I passed played a memory, my memories. The very last was empty though so I stopped.
Why isn’t it showing anything?
I slowly lift my hand to touch the cold surface. A gasp leaves my lips as the mirror looked like water rippling when I touched it. As the little ripples travel across the flat surface, an image slowly begins to appear.
It’s Austin.
He sits on the dirty forest floor clutching something.
“Is that…” I lean in closer as the picture zooms in on my mate. “…me?”
In his hands is my lifeless body. Tears fall down his eyes.
“What is this?” I whisper, scared.
I take slow steps backwards, only to run into a wall.
“It’s the present, my child,” Lucifer says from behind me.
I jump, totally forgetting he was there.
He chuckles and walks closer. He stands next to me and gestures his head towards the mirror, silently asking me to look.
It then turns into an image of my mate howling in sadness as our pack mates come running out of the forest. He gently lays my limp body down before taking off, mercilessly killing off the wolves from the other pack. His gaze is set on my mother and father. My father fights off the wolves from Austin’s pack as he protects my mother.
I turn away from all the bloodshed. Austin looks so cold and empty. The image is haunting me.
“Celeste, you need to watch.” He turns me back around to look into the giant mirror once again, and the image reappears. It’s of Austin still as he kills without hesitation. “Your mate has gone mad with rage and thinks he can kill your mother. He doesn’t realize just how strong she is, especially with a full-grown werewolf on her side.”
“What are you saying?” My voice breaks as I watch him get closer and closer. My father is positioned in front of Lilith, waiting to kill anyone who tries to hurt her.
“I’m saying if your mate keeps acting like an idiot, him and your pack will die. I’ve already sent your grandfather to the location to help, but he isn’t strong enough to defeat Lilith.”
“But he’s older than her. Shouldn’t he be more powerful?”
He sighs and shakes his head no. “Normally, he would be stronger, but she’s been messing with witches, casting dark magic on herself to become more powerful.”
“Who can kill her then?”
He turns me towards him and grips my hands tight as his intense gaze focuses on mine. “You.”
I stumble away from him, his hands dropping to his side as he keeps an eye on me.
“Celeste, please listen. I can send you back. I can let you live again. Then you can kill your mother and live happily with your mate.”
He walks closer to me and my confusion just grows deeper.
“Why would you want to send me back? Shouldn’t you want to keep me here to train me to guide your army?”
“Of course I want you here, but you died too early. You were supposed to get married and give me grandkids. You weren’t supposed to jump in front of Austin. It was all a part of his plan to get shot while wearing a bullet proof vest under his shirt. It was to trick your mother into thinking he was dead. They wanted you to be angry enough to free yourself and get a hold of the flaming sword to kill her. You messed it up,” he scolds me with a playful glare.
I look away from him, my mouth agape and the tears still falling.
“Now, I will send you back, but only if you promise me something.”
I look up with hope at Lucifer, my real father. “What? I’ll do anything.”
“I need you to promise that you’ll keep practicing using your powers with Zeke and to keep your mind open to me. That way, I’ll be able to visit you to get to know you. I’ll help train you to be the leader you were meant to be. And when the time comes for war, you have to promise you’ll be by my side, helping me fight.”
“Of course,” I say breathlessly and pull him in for a hug. “I promise not to let you down. I’ll make you proud.” I smile up at him and he smiles right on back.
“Good. Now before I can send you back, we must come up with a plan. Look over here.”
He goes back to the mirror and points at Alpha Foster who’s protecting a large glass case behind him. “That’s your sword there. You’ll have to use your powers to get to it, so don’t fight anything you feel while fighting. It’s caused by your demon instincts kicking in after being repressed for so many years.”
“Okay, what do I do after I get to the sword?”
A wicked and crazed smile takes over his face as his black eyes stare mischievously down at me. “I’ll have to lend you some of my strength, but once you get the sword, you kill Lilith and save your pack.”
CHAPTER 42
|austin|
I growl and rip another wolf to shreds before stepping closer to the male wolf protecting the filth that killed my Celeste. I snarl as a warning to him, but he doesn’t back down.
I pop the muscles in my back and give an evil wolfish grin as I slowly step forward. If it is a fight he wishes, then I’ll happily oblige. I’ve nothing left to live for anyways. Without my mate, I’ll surely go insane and have to be put down while my beta is forced to take over.
I growl once more before pouncing on the wolf. He shifts back into his beastly form as he attacks too. I claw and rip away at his exposed skin as he does the same to me. We are both of equally matched.
He shouldn’t be this strong.
My eyes shift to the demon behind him, a smirk evident on her face as she mumbles incoherent nothings. She must be giving him some of her power to make him this strong.
As we fight, more and more wounds get inflicted, but neither of us backs down.
Then something happens. My soul starts to mend itself back into one piece; the dreadful despair I felt moments earlier suddenly leaves my system.
What is this? Am I getting a second mate? If so, then the goddess can just undo this now because I don’t want anyone besides my Celeste. I’d rather die a lonely death then be given another mate for Celeste is the only one who owns my heart.
A new anger surges through me as I think of having a second mate forced upon me.
I only want Celeste. I pray bitterly to the moon goddess as I hop up from where I was pushed down and attack the male wolf with a newfound power. He whimpers and whines as I dig into his fur and I toss him against a tree trunk, effectively knocking him out cold.
With an evil glint in my eye, I turn towards the demon before me. She looks scared but not by me. It’s something behind me. I turn my head slowly, keeping my senses alert in case the demon tries something. The scene I see shocks me.
There, standing just a few feet away from me, is my mate. She is alive and well as she takes down every wolf in her path with ease, her gaze set on Alpha Foster and the sword he has hidden behind his back. Her black and red eyes were ablaze and distant as wolves are forcefully pulled without Celeste touching them. With just a flick of her hand, wolves get thrown away with screams leaving their lips as black menacing shadows attach themselves around the wolves’ throats and drag them off to into the woods. But even in this menacing state, I could only think of one thing.
I had one hell of a badass mate.
|leena|
I take in a deep breath as I shoot up into a sitting position, gulping down air as I tried to regulate my heart rate. I look around quickly to scope out my surroundings.
Where am I?
My gaze travels to a large and mighty wolf fighting a slightly smaller one. I instantly recognize both of them, but I can’t remember where I know them from.
I stand hesitantly as I take another look around. Wolves have stopped fighting and just stares at me in shock. After a few seconds, they all seem to snap out of it. One wolf pounces at me. Something ran through me as I pulled my lip back in a snarl and flick my wrist in his direction.
His look of anger instantly turns into one of fear as a demon soul flies up from the ground and tackled him, dragging him and his screams off into the woods to be devoured. I stare at my hand in amazement before more of them starts to attack, causing my anger to flare up once again.
“Fight.”
A voice whispers in my head, and I didn’t hesitate to do the fun little trick that I just learned to more of the wicked souls are going against me.
“Get to the sword.”
The voice whispers again, and my feet listens to the silent command as they drag me toward a small cowardly man who is standing in front of my sword. Seeing this man triggers a memory. It’s a memory full of pain, blood, and anger. This man had harmed Celeste.
He tilts his chin up high as he tries to look intimidating. I just smirk and backhand him once I’m close enough.
“So you’re the man who has stolen my sword. Interesting. I thought you’d be, I don’t know, more intimidating.” I giggle as he scowls and charges at me.
My smile slips from my face as I punch him in the jaw, sending him tumbling to the floor.
“You dare challenge me after all that you’ve done!” I scream, more power lacing my voice as I take a step forward and he tries to scurry back. “I don’t know who you are, but I know you’ve hurt my person, and that is reason enough in my mind to warrant your death.”
I lean down and grip his throat in my hand before hoisting him up into the air. “Remember me because I’ll be the thing haunting you in hell.” I grumble through clenched teeth as my grip on his throat tightens, and the intricate designs begin to run up and down my arms. He claws at my hands, gasping for air as the markings finally reach their destination on my hands and his body goes into shock. His body flails around before going limp.
I drop his body to the ground and step over his twitching legs, his muscles reacting to the electric poison that was just pushed into his system. I smile warmly at the sight of my gorgeous sword.
Father did well in crafting this for me.
Opening the glass case, I take hold of the hilt and lift it off the hooks it resides on. The flames of the sword take over as the Enochian words glow.
“We’re united once again old friend,” I mumble as I stroke the flames, memories of father showing me this sword before he sent me to be paired with Celeste flashes my mind.
A yelp of pain snaps me out of my memories as my gaze shoots towards the mighty wolf that is fighting so elegantly. Lilith has him by the throat, her sights set on me with an evil smile on her face.
“My dear daughter, you’ve come back, and I see you’ve allowed your demon to have control.” She smirks as she beckons me closer with her finger. “Tell me, young one. What’s your name?”
I take cautious steps towards her.
Why is she being kind? Isn’t she supposed to be trying to kill me right now?
My thoughts are answered by the mysterious whispers in my head.
“She is trying to gain your trust so you’ll betray Celeste and help her gain the power she thrives for. Do not listen, my child.”
My eyes turn into slits as I glare at the woman before me. “I am Leena, Celeste’s demon, which means you cannot trick me into joining your side, evil wench.” My grip on my sword tightens as I raise it into a defensive stance. “Unhand that man. He means something to Celeste, so harming him will only bring an even worse fate for you.” I motion towards the man who stares at me with curiosity, his hands gripping Lilith’s as he tries to free himself.
“No,” is her simple reply.
“I will not ask again.” I begin to take angry steps towards the infuriating woman until I’m nothing more than a few feet in front of her. “This fight is between you and me. He and his pack have the right to leave.”
She smiles wickedly as she gives me a once-over before tossing the man over to his pack who watches the scene from a good distance. They know better than to try and interfere.
“Leave,” I order.
Noticing their hesitation, I soften my voice and make eye contact with the strange man Celeste loves. “I will return Celeste to you safely once this is done, I promise.”
I give him a look of sincerity as I silently beg him to listen. With one last look towards me, he lets out a huff of defeat before retreating into the woods with his pack in tow.
“Now, it’s just you and me, my dear girl.” Lilith stands taller as iron daggers appear in her hand. She takes a fighting stance as her expression turns deadly.
“Prepare to die, Lilith.”
CHAPTER 43
|leena|
I gasp in pain as Lilith throws me against a tree. My back pops as I sit up slowly.
“That’s what you get for stabbing me in the thigh!” She hisses from across the clearing. I chuckle, my gaze shifting to the tiny dag
ger as she pulls it out and tosses it away.
“I underestimated you, Lilith. You’re very strong, but I’m still stronger.”
I groan as the pain in my back begins to grow and I stand on shaky legs.
“Looks like you won’t last much longer.” She chuckles while I clutch to the tree for support, my skin stretching and trying to rip open.
“Don’t fight the pain,” came the voice of my father. I listen and release all the tension from my body. The pain subsides a bit while my skin rips and black feathered wings sprout out from my back. I gasp in shock as they spread out behind me.
Lilith also stares in shock.
“I’ll last long enough to kill you.”
I see the look of fear on her face before I flap my wings and fly straight to her, pinning her against a tree a few feet behind her.
“Can’t kill me without your sword, my dear.” She smiles evilly and pushes me away, her claws digging into my chest as she does.
I look around the clearing for my sword. It must’ve gotten knocked away when she threw me against the tree.
My eyes flicker between the trees and bushes before finally landing on my sword as it rests atop a boulder on the other side of the clearing. Lilith makes a dash for the sword, and I’m quick to follow, my wings flapping heavily behind me as I fly past her and reach for the hilt.
Just as my fingertips graze it, she yanks me back, throwing me to the floor. She tries to stab me with one of her daggers, but I roll away in time, causing her to pierce the ground instead. I grab hold of my sword just as she pulls her dagger from the dirt.
Turning towards her, I slash at her hand, knocking the dagger, before I cut across her chest. She stumbles back, a hiss of pain escaping her lips.
“You’re defenceless, Lilith. Just surrender and give yourself up to Lucifer.”
The Devil's Daughter: A Paranormal Romance Page 18