I swallow the lump in my throat, “Is there someone waiting for us?”
Please don’t be Lucifer. Please don’t be Lucifer.
“Yes. If you are finished, they are ready to meet you.”
“They?”
Beleth is at my side before I can blink and offers me his hand, “Come.” I look at his hand and stand without letting him touch me. I don’t want to feel his emotions run through me again. We exit the Dining Hall and walk further down the corridor, away from my room. I follow my captor to a set of massive mahogany doors. He pauses and glances over his shoulder at me with a smirk. I jump at the sound of a deep horn vibrating the stone walls. It reminds me of the sound of impending war—deep and foreboding—making my eyes go wide with fear. The doors swing open without Beleth’s assistance. He walks forward with his hands behind his back, and his head held high. I hesitate but follow him between two angels guarding the doors as Sentries. I recognize them as Cassius and Beckett.
I refrain from wrapping my arms around myself from the chill of the room, refusing to show any weakness before my enemies. Dozens of eyes follow me as we enter an extravagant throne room. Pillars line the walls behind the army of fierce, shirtless Fallen angels. Their wings are all resting behind them, and I hear the rustling of their feathers twitching every few steps we take. Beleth stops in the middle of the room and whispers without meeting my eyes, “Stay here.” He paces forward and sits on an ornate black throne made of obsidian crystal. I feel vulnerable standing in the middle of the room, expecting my execution.
That's the same throne from my dream. This is the same room. This is the same legion who bowed to me. Oh, shit! What's happening?
“Brothers!” The Duke bellows to the angels around us. “As you can see, our guest has arrived. It is now your duty to protect her from our enemies. She will remain with us as she prepares for the last phase of her transition.” The angels around me are as still as statues as they observe me. “You will now take your ranks and give respect to Ivy, daughter of Lilith.” Feathers bustle and flutter around the room with either excitement or aggravation.
Beleth stands and descends the steps to stop before me. My hands are fisted tightly at my sides, my nails digging into my palms at the tension of not knowing what to expect next. All eyes are upon us as their leader raises his hand towards my cheek with intent. His smoldering red eyes bore into mine as electricity reaches out from his fingertips hovering over my skin. I feel his intentions without coming into contact with him. A gentle, erotic sensation builds by degrees in anticipation. His fingertips trace a path of air over the planes of my cheek as I hold my breath.
No, Ivy. He's evil. This is just a show. He’s trying to lure you in. Don’t fall for his shit.
Beleth leans forward, and I think he's about to kiss me. I close my eyes, and his breath brushes my ear, “Do not fret, darling. This is your destiny.”
I open my eyes as I feel his warmth leave me. He returns to his throne and nods to me once as he takes his seat. One by one, each dark angel takes a turn to bow before me on one knee and repeats, “Ivy, daughter of Lilith, I give my loyalty unto thee until my essence is eliminated from existence.”
What the fuck's going on here? Loyalty until death! Is this what my dream was about? I look to Beleth for answers to my unspoken questions. He remains impassive.
The very last warrior in Beleth’s legion to pledge to me is Solas. Our eyes lock again, and I get a sense of sadness from him as he drops to one knee with his wings spread out behind him. He repeats, “Ivy...” his voice falters before continuing, “daughter of Lilith, I give my loyalty unto thee until my essence is eliminated from existence.”
All of a sudden, I feel guilty for the lives they may lose because of me. It dawns on me they're giving their lives for a creature they've never met.
Why?
Solas stands, keeping his eyes on the floor between us. “Thank you,” I whisper.
Solas’ head pops up, eyes wide, “Your appreciation isn't necessary, Princess. It's my honor.” His words harbor a stoic loyalty, providing a feeling of safety. He bows his head once and turns to march back into the formation watching us.
Beleth erects in an explosion with eyes blazing brighter, and the legion bows to him. He glides to my side and pauses without a glance in my direction, “Follow me.”
So fucking demanding! Would it kill you to say ‘please’?
The Sentry guards, Cassius and Beckett, accompany us back to my quarters. Beleth opens the door and lets me enter as he waits outside of the threshold with my guards again. “I am afraid I must leave you. I have some business to take care of. Cassius and Beckett will stay guarding you wherever you go. Let them know if there is anything you need.”
“Wherever I go?”
“Within the confines of The Keep,” he adds with a faint chagrin twitch in the corner of his mouth.
“How long will you be gone?”
Maybe this is my chance to find a way out of this hell hole and plan an escape.
Beleth steps so near to me I have to tilt my head up to see his face. His hands hover and sweep over my arms as I feel the electricity spark between my skin and his palms, “Are you afraid, Princess?”
“No. I just don’t know what to do with myself. I’m a prisoner here.”
His hands drop, and his smirk falls, “This is for your own protection. It may be best to use this time to hone your new abilities.” With that, he disappears before my eyes in a black cloud of smoke.
Great.
I take in my confines and rummage through everything within my chamber, trying to find a weapon or anything to help me get through this. My guitar's missing. I could have used one of its strings to strangle someone if I had to. I find my iPod on top of the dresser where my clothes are kept. I need an outlet and need to run until my lungs and legs can’t take anymore.
Changing my boots out for a pair of sneakers, I notice faint scarring on my right forearm. It has a twinge of black within its crevasses, and I shrug it off as an infection I'll be able to heal from. What the hell is that? Must have been from the shackles.
I open my door to find Cassius and Beckett leaning against the opposite wall, chuckling at their quiet conversation. I decide to be cordial since they did just pledge their lives to me. I clear my throat. They jerk to attention, erasing the amusement from their faces. “Uh… Hey, guys. Um… You can relax. There’s no need to be stiff.”
“Is there something we can do for you, Princess?” The question comes from my previous punisher standing resolutely to my left.
“Please, relax. It seems I'm going to be here a while, and if you’re going to be guarding me, I don’t want it to be awkward.” I hold my hand out, “Call me Ivy.” The guards look to each other with worry and question.
They nod to each other in silent agreement, and the Sentry on the left hold his hand out to me, “Cassius.”
“Nice to meet you, Cassius.” His handshake's brief and light, afraid to be firm with a woman so much smaller than him. Pain, regret, sorrow. Cassius releases my hand, and I turn to the other guard, “And you must be, Beckett.”
“Yes,” he croaks, grasping my hand with firmness, then clears his throat to repeat himself with clarity. Attraction, pride, guilt.
I look between the two Sentries, “Are you guy’s twins?”
They laugh raucous and hardy before Beckett answers, “Triplets. We have a sister.” I raise my eyebrows in question. “She’s a mean brute, though. Acts more animal than woman.”
I chuckle at his openness. “So, I was just wondering...” I rock back and forth with nervousness and bite my lower lip. “Is there somewhere I can run?”
Their faces become stern, and Cassius speaks up, “You cannot run. We are instructed to contain you to The Keep.”
I put both hands up in surrender, “No, no, no. I mean for exercise.”
“Oh! Um… There is a place…but it is outside the caves. We would have to get permission.”
Crap.
“From Beleth?”
“No. From me,” a deep voice announces. I turn left to see Solas strolling towards us with black wings tucked behind him, tips inches from dragging the floor. He moves with the determination of a soldier and oozes power.
“You?” I echo. His presence is affecting me with an attraction to his gorgeous features.
He stops before me, “Yes. I'm Beleth’s Chief Commander. All requests go through me for approval in his absence.”
“Oh.” Heat rushes my cheeks.
“As for your request, I think we can manage enough guards for you to be safe on The Common,” he grins with the twist of his tight lips.
“Thank you,” I release a long breath.
“There’s that phrase again,” he smirks, and I return his sentiment. “Follow me.”
There’s that again too. Does no one say ‘please’ around here?
Chapter 15
Ambling down the corridors from the direction Solas came, I'm squeezed between him leading the way and my guards trailing behind me. The halls twist and turn a few times before we march up a long set of stone steps onto another level and take another corridor to our left. At the end of the passageway, Solas stops in front of a round iron vault. The vault door is two stories high with smooth rivets around its circumference. In the center of the door is an iron helm which turns similar to a bank vault. As Solas twists the helm back and forth, the gears click in succession. I try to see the combination he uses, but his black wings block me from snooping. With a loud clunk, the vault-like door hisses open. Warm sunlight shines on my face.
Outdoors. I breathe a sigh of relief.
Solas smiles and guides his hand out for me to proceed through the vault in front of him. I notice a tattoo on his forearm that's in the exact spot Alice and Eric have theirs. The shapes of the tattoo are very similar as well. “The Common, Princess,” he announces.
“Wow,” I whisper at the sight of an open field stretching at least a mile ahead of us and at least five miles across. The land drops off on three sides with an ocean of water surrounding us. I walk forward, spinning around to take in the view. Behind me, I see the mountain which houses Beleth’s underground Keep. I catch sight of numerous brown and golden lion-like creatures with wings perched on different levels of the mountain as if they're guarding it against intruders from the sea. One of them turns its head to look down at me. It now appears to be an eagle. I step back, “What's that?”
Cassius steps up beside me and crosses his arms over his chest. “You do not have to worry about them. They are Sentries, like us. Griffins.”
“What? What do you mean, like us?”
Beckett answers, “Cassius and I. We're Griffins. We have the ability to shift into Griffins or only release our wings.” His soft brown wings spring out of his back with pride. “You'll find no better guard than a Griffin,” he wiggles his eyebrows playfully before retracting his wings.
“That’s insane. I’ve never heard of anything like that.”
“Well, now you have,” he says.
“Yeah,” I respond in contemplation as I pull my iPod from my pocket and unwind my headphones. I put one earbud in so I can stay alerted to my new surroundings and scroll through my playlist. I start shaking my limbs out and bouncing on my toes, readying my body to run. I settle on listening to something light to clear my head and select Raury. Ironically, his song “Devil’s Whisper” starts to play.
I start off with a light jog to my right. My strides are wide and carefree, giving me the sensation of almost skipping. Minutes into warming up, I feel a surge of energy within me. I start pumping my arms and legs faster. I sense a presence behind me and look over my shoulder. Cassius and Beckett are jogging behind me, so I spin around and run backward to face them. “What are you doing?” I taunt in a sing-song voice with a grin on my face.
“We are not to leave your side, Princess,” Cassius reveals. Beckett backhands his brother’s arm. Cassius corrects himself, “I mean, Ivy.” He smiles.
“Well, ok. If you have to.” I turn back around and speed up. “Can you keep up?” I take off as fast as I can. The edge of the cliff comes up quickly, and I round the corner, making my own track. Glancing over my shoulder, my guards are a few feet behind. A giggle erupts from my chest, and I change direction again.
They aren’t even trying! Five-mile stretch. Here we go.
I call behind me, “Is that all you got?” I've never run so fast in my life, it takes less than a minute to reach the end of the five-mile stretch. I turn to run the mile width back towards the mountain and see Solas standing with his arms crossed over his chest, his body quaking with laughter. I veer back to the five mile stretch alongside the mountain where I had started. Movement to my right causes me to look over just in time to witness Cassius and Beckett fighting to cut across the lawn. “Cheaters!” I laugh as I tease them. I slow to a stop in front of Solas, hands on my knees as I bend over to catch my breath. His beatific laughter at my guards causes me to laugh even harder. I collapse to the ground and roll onto my back, clinching to the stitch in my side, but can’t stop laughing.
Cassius and Beckett come to a stop beside me and hunch over me, heaving. “Are you ok?” they question in unison.
“Yeah! What was that? I thought you were letting me win, but when I saw you guys cheating to cross the lawn… Woo!” I settle my breathing and Beckett offers me a hand up, which I take.
“Griffins are very competitive. We’ve never been outrun by another creature, and you're not even fully evolved yet,” Beckett admits.
“Maybe you should stop relying on your wings to carry you wherever you go.” They chuckle at my advice. “You know what, I’m gonna start calling you Cassie and Becky!” Their faces turn serious, and for a moment, I think I may have crossed a line joking with them. But Solas is cracking up, and it makes me smile.
“Let’s see you try to keep up,” Cassius challenges their Commander. The Chief’s laugh dies down to a chuckle, and I look to him mischievously.
“Ok, Cassie,” he chuckles. “I’ll show you how it’s done.”
“No wings,” Beckett orders with a stern countenance.
“Yeah, yeah,” Solas rolls his eyes.
I ready myself next to Solas as Beckett stands beside us with his hand up in the air. “Ready. Go!” he yells for us, and we take off.
I thought these guys would be scary, evil, torturing monsters. Look at them! They’re like a bunch of jocks! Maybe it won’t be so bad here. With Beleth gone, it’s like we’re just a bunch of kids trying to have fun since the parents are out. But I do miss Jack, and Evelyn, and Alice, and Eric. They're probably worried sick about me. I hope they’re ok. I have to find a way to get back to them. I don’t even know where I am. I never even saw Beleth coming. I won’t make that mistake again.
Jumping out of my head, I realize Solas hasn’t passed me yet, nor is he beside me anymore. Almost to the third turn at the edge of the cliff, I turn my head to find him. He's inches behind me. He kept up! My toe slams into something hard, and I tumble over my feet. I can’t stop my momentum. I cry out as the ground leaves me, and I roll over the edge of the cliff. I squeeze my eyes shut, waiting for the inevitable. A strong hand grips my wrists and suspends me in the air. I open my eyes to see Solas hovering above me with his dark wings beating behind him. He caught me!
Solas lifts me in the air and carries me to the area in front of the vaulted entryway. He descends with languid motion, allowing my feet touch the ground. He lets go, and my knees buckle. Solas’ strong arms catch me again before I collapse to the ground. I look up and regard the worry in his ice blue eyes. He hesitates, then raises me to his chest with an arm around my back and another under my knees. Concern, shame, adoration, hope.
“Cassius, get ice and water, and bring it to Ivy’s chambers.” My guards leave without haste, and Solas carries me back to my room, his emotions a continuous flow into my core.
Gently, he lays me down on the bed of red silk sh
eets. My knees are scraped and swollen, as well as my left arm. My leggings are ruined, the fabric torn and matted with sweat and blood. Blood runs down my forearm like a macabre spider web. My skin burns all over.
“I’m sorry. I guess I should pay better attention to where I’m going if I’m going to be running that fast.”
His eyes meet mine with more surprise, “You have nothing to be sorry about, Ivy. It was an accident. Don’t worry. I'll get you cleaned up.”
“Thank you,” I whisper. I find myself saying that a lot to him.
A corner of his mouth turns up. “Yes, well...we're not all scary, evil, torturing monsters,” he cites in a gentle tone as he examines my arm.
I wince internally. Can he hear what I’ve been thinking?
“Yes,” I hear him answer in my head. I gasp, and he looks up to meet my wide eyes.
Unblinking, I stammer, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean that. I mean… I did… I mean…”
Solas stops me from embarrassing myself, “Ivy. It’s fine. It's expected. But I'm not here to hurt you. You have my word.” Cassius and Beckett return with a bucket of ice, four large jugs of water, a basin, and white cloths. “Set them here,” Solas points beside him.
I look to my guards, “Thank you, guys. I know it doesn’t look like it, but that was fun. I really needed it. I'm grateful.”
The three angels beside my bed stare at me with unflinching silence. Did I say something wrong?
“No,” Solas replies to my unspoken question. I had already forgotten he can hear my thoughts. “It's just we're not used to being acknowledged or appreciated. We're Fallen and creatures of the Dark. ‘Thank you’ is not in our vocabulary very often. Especially, coming from an angel within a higher order than us.”
“Oh. Wait. Higher order?”
“Yes. Lilith is your mother. She's the Queen of Darkness. That makes you a princess. The Princess of Darkness.”
I know what she is. How could I have not put that together? Princess of Darkness? Princess of Sheol? No wonder they're pledging their loyalty to my safety.
The Helio Trilogy: Volumes 1-3 Page 19