by Brenda Trim
Ramiel
Dark Warrior Alliance Book 16
Brenda Trim
Tami Julka
Copyright © March 2018 by Brenda Trim and Tami Julka
eISBN: 978-1-63587-821-9
Editor: Amanda Fitzpatrick
Cover Art by Patricia Schmitt (Pickyme)
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writers’ imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction of this work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.
All rights reserved. With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the authors.
Created with Vellum
Love comes to those who still hope after disappointment, who still believe after betrayal, and who still love after they’ve been hurt.
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Afterword
OTHER WORKS BY TRIM AND JULKA
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Chapter One
“I’m going after her!” Rami barked to Camael.
The smug archangel sat at the table, seemingly unaffected by the horrific turn of events and it was pissing off Rami. He was sure the archangel was incapable of feelings. Well, except anger. The chief oozed with that emotion. Admittedly, Camael was usually pissed because of something Rami did, but he wasn’t going to change for him or anyone else.
How Camael could sit there and say there was nothing they could do when Elsie was on the verge of a nervous breakdown was unimaginable. It was all Rami could do not to destroy everything in sight. Unlike Camael, he wore his emotions on his sleeve. Unfortunately, most days it landed Ramiel in a heaping pile of trouble.
He wasn’t going out of his mind with worry just because it was regarding Elsie. Rami was over her. That bone-deep, all-consuming love he harbored was a thing of the past.
Yeah, right a voice snickered in his head. Rami told his conscience to fuck off. He was responsible for Elsie’s daughter, Isobel, and that’s why he was about to go ballistic. The archdemon, Crocell, abducted Izzy right from under his nose. Now, he could no longer feel a connection to his charge, and he was so distraught he couldn’t see straight.
From the second he accepted the role as Isobel’s Guardian Angel, Rami shared a bond with her. She was always at the back of his mind. A happy little buzz that warmed his heart. Her presence was a bright spot in his otherwise bleak world. And he was on the brink of losing his mind now that the connection was gone.
“No, you’re not, Ramiel. You can’t enter the Underworld without falling from grace and giving up your wings,” Camael countered in clipped words.
“So, we are supposed to allow an innocent child to suffer, even die at the hands of the devil? How can you say that? You’re supposed to be an archangel,” Rami spat and his massive black wings rustled with agitation.
Elsie’s sobs increased with his words and Zander wrapped his arms around his mate and held her close. The Vampire King looked as bad as Elsie. His eyes were red and puffy with dark circles under them. He’d aged a decade in the hours since his daughter went missing which was incomprehensible because his kind didn’t age. The guy was older than dirt but looked to be around thirty.
Rami’s hands fisted at his sides, and he forced his eyes away from the sight that added to his torment. It was a knife through his heart every time he watched the love between Elsie and Zander. It killed Rami to see her happier than she’d ever been with him but he needed to let it go. He wasn’t her husband. She belonged to Zander now.
He shook off the gut-wrenching thought. Izzy was his priority, and nothing else mattered. It was his duty to find the little girl and save her from a horrible fate.
He turned and started walking away from the gathering in the war room at Zeum. Suddenly, an image bombarded his mind. He stumbled and nearly fell to his knees. For a brief second, he saw Izzy’s tear-stained face. Her Sapphire-blue eyes told him volumes about her suffering. He lifted his hand, wanting to smooth her tangled black hair and wipe the dirt from her heart-shaped face. The image disappeared before he grasped more details.
He turned to see Elsie watching him closely. “What did you see?” she demanded. “Was it Izzy?”
The room went quiet as all eyes shifted to him. Rami tugged on his ear and turned his head to the side, relaxing his clenched jaw. He wasn’t comfortable being the center of attention.
He cleared his throat then said, “I saw her but only for a second. She’s still alive. I didn’t see any blood, but I sensed pain. I can’t say if it was physical or emotional though. I got the impression they aren’t going to kill her…yet,” he told Elsie.
Zander immediately released his hold on Elsie and paced the room. “Shite! Rhys, get a group together. We leave as soon as Pema, and her sisters have a location. We have to get to her before anything else happens.”
The desperation in Zander’s voice was something Rami had never heard from him. He was the Vampire King, always under control. Calm and collect, that was Zander. But not today. He was frantic and terrified for his daughter.
“Liege,” Rhys interjected then paused. He swallowed hard, cleared his throat and continued, “you can’t go. You know that. Only that which is bonded to Hell can travel through the portals,” he explained, apparently overcome with emotion. Everyone seemed genuinely affected by Izzy’s disappearance.
“That’s not true. An angel can be summoned there by deed, or kidnapped and forced there,” Illianna replied to her mate.
Rami had never seen the Joybringer angel so despondent. She was pale and sickly in a room of despair. Hell, there wasn’t a single shred of hope emitting from her body.
“How do we convince a demon to commit a selfless act in hell?” Gerrick asked as he held tight to his pregnant mate’s hand.
Shae repeatedly voiced it was her fault, and Gerrick was trying to comfort her. She felt responsible for the abduction because the women were shopping for baby stuff when it happened. Rami knew the dhampir wasn’t to blame. In fact, it was another archdemon that stole Shae’s life as a vampire, turning her into a demon-vampire hybrid. No, this was entirely Crocell’s fault, but Shae blamed herself.
Nate, a dragon-shifter, and Zeum’s majordomo, entered the room with a large platter of finger foods. The male’s head hung low, his flirtatious personality absent. Rami knew he carried guilt, as well. Nate was sent to protect the women from harm on their shopping spree and failed.
Rami glanced around the room. There wasn’t a being present that didn’t blame themselves for Izzy’s abduction. Each one of them would give their lives to save the child. Thoughts of what Izzy could be suffering had Rami’s anxiety and rage skyrocketing.
“There is no way to get those selfish bastards to do something for someone else, let alone put thei
r pathetic lives in danger. Our only option is to force our way through the portal,” Rami said.
“You would give up your wings for the child?” Camael asked with a tilt of his head.
“Of course I would. I would do anything to save Izzy. I’m her Guardian Angel. I’ll give up my wings, and anything else needed. I will stop at nothing to get her back to her family,” Rami vowed.
“What about the portal in Tennessee? You know, that one in Tennessee that Rhys used the last time he went to the Underworld. Have you checked with Kellen or the other Dark Warriors that live there?” Mack voiced.
Kyran’s spunky mate was one of Ramiel’s favorites at Zeum. She was a total smart-ass but fearless to the core. The type you wanted at your back when things went down. She’d slaughtered more demons than any other Dark Warrior, except for Gerrick. When it came to the number of kills, that ruthless sonovabitch was unbeatable.
Typically, Mack wore one of her snarky t-shirts but even that was amiss. Mack was dressed in black leather from head to toe and wreaked of vengeance.
“Nay. The Cave of Cruachan closed after Crocell and Cresil came to Earth and it hasna reopened,” Zander replied with a curse as he stopped his pacing and placed a hand on Elsie’s shoulders.
Her sobs lessened, and it seemed to ease Zander’s agitation. Rami didn’t need to see this shit. He was more than aware of the love they shared, and it only made his current pain worsen.
A loud crash echoed through the room. The sound came from the next door, and the group hopped up and ran towards the noise. Could Izzy have found her way back to them? The little girl was mighty, and Rami wouldn’t be surprised if she escaped the demon’s clutches.
Zeum was more extensive than most hotels and Rami thought it was going to take forever to get to the source of the sound. Why did these fuckers need such a big place?
At first, Rami thought the home stuffy and pretentious with its marble floors and fancy antiques, but after living there for a short time, he quickly realized that beneath the façade was a real family. They worked together, supporting one another and protecting innocent humans and supernaturals from the evil that preyed on them.
As their group rushed inside the large ballroom, they saw Pema, Isis, Suvi, and their mates sprawled on the ground beside a small black object that appeared charred. Surrounding them was a circle of salt, telling Rami they were performing a spell.
“Shit, that smells worse than a pus demon,” Mack announced as she waved her hand in front of her face.
“What the hell happened?” Zander barked a second.
“Is everyone okay?” Elsie said as she laid her hand on Zander’s arm.
Pema rolled over and looked their way. “We’re okay. I think. And that lovely smell is courtesy of Lucifer. We tried everything we could think of to scry for the Cave of Cruachan but came up empty. Just as we were about to give up, Pepper walked in with Izzy’s favorite stuffed toy, and we switched tactics,” Pema explained as her mate, Ronan, sat up with a groan.
“We knew such a direct approach was dangerous,” Isis interjected, “but we all agreed the risk was worth it.”
“Did you find her?” Elsie blurted as she rushed over and knelt beside the triplets.
Pema met Elsie’s gaze and tears formed in her eyes. Rami watched as Elsie’s shoulders slumped and the light disappeared from her eyes. This ordeal was taking a toll on his ex-wife, and he feared she wouldn’t survive if they didn’t find Izzy and bring her home.
Her ordinarily vibrant skin was gaunt and gray. The shine from her hair was gone, and tiny lines creased the corners of her mouth. Even Elsie’s clothes hung loosely from her shoulders as if she’d lost twenty pounds overnight.
“I’m sorry. All we saw was Lucifer’s snarl before his power slammed into our scrying bowl and exploded in our faces,” Pema admitted.
“He’s sealed off every entrance into Hell,” Suvi admitted. “Even the small cracks we’d been tracking the lesser demons through are gone. There is no way in or out of the Underworld right now.”
“He’s reserving all of his resources to break free of his prison. He needs every ounce of power to pull this off,” Camael informed them. “The curse that holds him frozen in Lake Cocytus was cast by numerous Gods. Having Isobel is only one piece of the solution. That vile demon will feel my wrath the moment he steps foot out of the Underworld,” he vowed.
“Wait a fucking minute,” Rami snarled. “You can’t mean that you are going to sit around while he kills an innocent child. We have to get in there and do something!”
“You aren’t listening, Ramiel. There is no way in,” the archangel retorted.
“No! There has to be a way,” Elsie objected as she grabbed the lapels of Camael’s robe. Sorrow flickered in the archangel’s eyes but was gone so fast Rami questioned if he even saw it.
Camael cupped Elsie’s face, and Rami watched her dissension. His Elsie was as defiant as they came. Tell her she couldn’t, and she did just to prove you wrong. It was one of the things he loved most about her.
“If Lucifer has sealed every opening into Hell there is no way in. I’m not trying to be difficult or deny you your daughter. It kills me to tell you this, but once the Dark Lord seals his domain, there is no way to get through. We must wait until he leaves the Underworld and crosses to this plane. Once Lucifer’s anchoring power is gone, Rami can cross over and rescue Isobel,” Camael informed Elsie.
“And you think she will be alive at that point?” Rami growled at his boss. “There’s no way I’m going to sit back and accept that there’s nothing I can do while that beautiful soul decimates slowly in Hell. Mark my word, I will find a way to the Underworld, and I will find Izzy and bring her home to you, Elsie.”
“Please,” Elsie said, throwing her arms around his neck. “I can’t breathe without my little girl.” He hated that the feel of her in his arms was all the incentive he needed.
Ramiel would move Heaven and Earth to find a crack in Lucifer’s shields. He wouldn’t stop until he rescued Izzy.
Isobel was terrified and confused. She didn’t know where she was and wanted her mommy and daddy. It was so cold her body shook uncontrollably. It was worse than when she ate ice cream faster than Donovan.
Looking down, she saw why. She was standing on top of a frozen lake and shivers shook her tiny body. Wrapping her arms around her middle, she tried to make herself smaller to avoid the wind beating against her body. It blew so hard it almost knocked her over.
There was so much screaming and loud noises that she cupped her ears with her hands. She couldn’t move. The monsters surrounding her were scary. They were all giants, taller than her daddy, and had gray skin and black horns. When they opened their mouths, she saw razor-sharp teeth like a shark, and she knew they could chew her up and eat her.
Their teeth weren’t the scariest part. They had black claws as big as her daddy’s sword. When she saw their long, flame-red hair and matching eyes, she realized they were the same kind of demon she killed at Uncle Gerrick and Aunt Shae’s mating ceremony. She would never forget Kadir.
She didn’t mean to kill him. She just wanted to get away from him. When she touched him, she had no idea he would turn to stone then explode. But she didn’t feel bad about what she did. He was big and evil and very mean. Kadir wanted to hurt her and her family, and she couldn’t allow that.
Evil surrounded Izzy, and it terrified her. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see anymore. Maybe if she wished hard enough, she could disappear and go to her bedroom.
She wanted to be brave like Mack. She remembered her aunt telling her to do what she did to Kadir when the ugly blue demon took her. Izzy could kill them if they got close enough, but the big scary monster behind her cautioned the others to stay away. Now, they hovered nearby, staring at her like she was a big fat cookie they wanted to eat.
Slowly, she turned and looked at the biggest demon. He was almost as tall as the cliffs behind them. This must be Lucifer. The Goddess Morrigan warned h
er about him, calling him the devil.
The goddess created Izzy and all the beings in the Tehrex Realm. Izzy had a direct connection to the Goddess. She bore the mark of the Triskele Amulet on her body and could call upon the deity at will.
Thinking about the goddess sparked an idea. She might have a way home! Izzy would call the goddess to come and save her. She quickly closed her eyes and went to that special place in her head where she held her magic. Izzy pictured the beautiful goddess with her long black hair and light-blue eyes. She prayed harder than ever before that her maker would come for her, but when she opened her eyes, the Goddess wasn’t there. She was still in the dark, scary place where nightmares were born.
A deep laugh rumbled, and Izzy startled. “Don’t even try, little one. You can’t reach Morrigan from my house. I cut that phone line. Just do as I ask then you are free to go home to mommy and daddy,” he cooed softly.
This devil was trying to trick her. The Goddess told her he was the master of trickery. In fact, she said many things about this demon. Izzy focused, trying to recall if Morrigan showed her a way out of the devil’s world.
Isobel had many conversations with the powerful goddess and most days Izzy paid attention to what Morrigan said, but her mind sometimes wandered to better topics like Pepper and Dipple, the gnomes that lived at Zeum with her. Or to Donovan, her bestest friend in the whole wide world. Sometimes, Izzy just stared at the silver circlet wrapped around the Goddess’s head. It was so shiny and pretty and had a big beautiful red stone in the center. Izzy wanted one of her own. She loved sparkly things. They were her favorite.