by S.B. Rodgers
Chapter 45
Lucifer sat, overseeing the festivities from his platform. The vast hall had been cleared of all other furniture except for his and Sataniel’s thrones, allowing the huge number of guests to fill the space. And there were thousands of dark beings present, creatures of the night from every corner of the globe.
Demons of different types that had worked their way into ancient mythologies rubbed elbows with truly monstrous creatures that could barely speak properly. Lucifer watched as Draven, a sullen Aria by his side, greeted a pair of estries, gaunt, bat-like women whose leathery wings trailed behind them like stiff capes. They bared their blood-stained teeth in greeting, one of them running a dry tongue over her lips as she eyed Draven’s neck.
Lucifer’s gaze shifted to one of the many ifrit servers as she passed by with a tray of drinks balanced on one hand, offering one to a nearby harpy. The girl, like the other servers, wore a black sheath dress, her deep tan skin and long, flaming hair set off by the simple clothing. He raised an eyebrow as he noticed the fire demon’s blazing orange-red eyes on him, causing her hair to flare up and spark a bit in surprise and embarrassment.
She scurried on to serve the band of sirens that was providing the night’s musical entertainment. Lucifer smirked. These parties were boring, most of the time, but it was sometimes interesting to watch his subjects go about their business. Still, he wished Sataniel were there already—it was much less fun when she wasn’t by his side.
He reached up to run his fingers through his hair, but was impeded by the cold touch of metal. The thick band of his white-gold crown was inlaid with blood-red rubies and black diamonds, the jewels shining deeply in the cold torch light. He heaved a sigh. Yes, he missed Sataniel, even if she was a psychotic bitch. Then he heard the drums start. “Speak of the Devil,” he murmured.
Her four ladies in waiting entered the hall first, walking in pairs and carving a path for her. Sataniel strode into the hall to the time of the beating drums, the crowd silent and all eyes on her.
The dress the tailor had so painstakingly designed was flawless, making the Queen of Hell a vision in a flowing, low-cut black and crimson ball-gown. Her jewellery was just as dramatic, the necklace a white-gold, emerald-scaled serpent squeezing her neck, its head curving over her breast and its ruby eyes glinting from the top of her cleavage. Her glossy red curls were pulled up into an intentionally messy coif with a fine white-gold circlet around her temples. She looked every inch a dark queen, fiery and beautiful.
Lucifer chuckled softly. “That’s why I married her,” he murmured to himself as she walked towards him, head held high. She was so tiny, but so confident, so powerful—the danger that she posed attracted him to her like a magnetic force. When she reached the platform she sank into a deep curtsy, looking up at him with smouldering eyes.
Lucifer snapped his fingers once. The music swelled again and the dance-floor cleared in an instant, making way for the rulers of Hades and their first dance of the night. He stood, walked purposefully down the few steps, and took her hand in his, pulling her close to him. The pair spun together to the center of the room, waltzing slowly as Lucifer lead his queen. He bent down to her ear, pulling her even closer with the hand resting on the curve of her lower back.
His lips curved into a secretive smile as he whispered, low so that only she could hear “I require an heir, Sataniel.” He could feel her tense up in shock—this was what he had said he would never do, what he had denied her for so long. It was the one thing that would cement her place as his queen, tie her to him forever.
Before, he hadn’t cared. Now, he wanted it, wanted her to be his. Without her, he had decided, life wouldn’t be a fraction as interesting. And that would be a crime. He wasn’t so proud as to deny that he also wanted a son. Her son. Not waiting for her response, Lucifer continued the dance, twirling with her in his arms. Her reaction had been answer enough; Sataniel would not deny him this.
* * *
Satan stiffened in Lucifer’s arms—he had just handed her everything she had ever wanted, with no tricks—no, there had to be a trick, she thought, head spinning as her feet continued to move to the music. Lucifer would never give in so easily, especially not if he knew about her plans…her plans. She cursed inwardly. This was not going to end well, and she had no way to stop what she had set in motion. Feeling almost sick with fear, she forced a smile to her face and kept dancing. There wasn’t anything more she could do.
Chapter 46
Walkley Academy’s gym was packed with teenagers dancing to the music that thumped from the huge speakers surrounding the DJ’s table. The room had been decorated in blue and white, with hundreds of elaborate paper snowflakes hanging from the ceiling.
Abby, Fern, Elijah and Gabe were all dancing together, the small group happily keeping to themselves. Gabe kept an eye out for any potential threats as he danced, though he knew that they were in good hands.
The other Guardians had stationed themselves throughout the room, chaperoning and managing to have a little fun at the same time. Farrah was leading Aiden in a waltz, despite the hard-thumping hip-hop that blasted from the speakers, and Gabriel Sr. was fetching drinks for himself and Serena.
Gabe looked at Abby—she was practically glowing. She was smiling and laughing as she danced freely with Fern. Gabe beamed; she deserved this, to be this happy forever. And he only knew of one way for them both to be happy.
The song changed to a ballad perfect for slow-dancing, and Fern latched onto Elijah, pressing her face into his chest blissfully. Gabe grimaced; he didn’t want to see his niece like that with her fiancé.
He grabbed Abby’s hand, pulling her closer “Come with me,” he whispered in her ear. “I have something I want to tell you.” Abby nodded, allowing him to tow her through the crowd and over to the doors that lead outside. Gabe pushed them open, leading her into the school’s garden.
He let the doors close behind them, muffling the music from the gym. They walked down the patio-stone path through the tall, frosted-over rosebushes that were strung with tiny white lights. He came to a stop in front of a lion-head fountain, water still trickling from the beast’s mouth despite the season. “Here, you must be freezing.” Gabe said, shrugging out of his tuxedo jacket and placing it around her shoulders carefully.
“Thanks.” Abby said, pulling the still-warm garment closer around herself. Gabe felt his nerves getting the better of him. No, if he was ever going to do it, he had to do it now. He opened his mouth to speak.
“Oh! Look, it’s snowing!” Abby laughed, looking up at the night sky in delight as the first real snow of the year began to fall. Tiny, fluffy flakes drifted lazily earthwards.
Gabe glanced up at the snow, but his gaze was quickly drawn back to Abby. He couldn’t help but watch her, the steam rising from her breath, her eyes sparkling vivid green from the tiny lights all around them. It was too much. It was just enough. It was perfect. “I love you.” He breathed, bending down to kiss her.
For a short, beautiful moment, the only things in existence were their soft lips. That moment died abruptly when Gabe felt the blood rushing to his head and his knees buckling beneath him. His entire body went limp, and the last thing he saw was Abby’s terrified eyes as the ground rushed up to meet him.
* * *
Abby watched in horror as Gabe slumped suddenly, time seeming to slow to a crawl as he collapsed to the ground. She couldn’t stop the scream that tore from her throat, didn’t realize she had screamed until she heard the frantic, high-pitched noise echo around the school grounds. Sinking to her knees, she knelt over his prone form, saw that he was still breathing. “Gabe, wake up. Gabe!!” She grabbed his shoulders, shaking him gently, then harder.
He didn’t respond to her touch. His breathing stayed calm and even, as if he had fallen into a deep sleep. She heard a rustling in the bushes behind her and turned towards the source of the sound. It shifted, coming from her right, her left, in front of her. She
looked around nervously, following the noise.
A voice spoke behind her. “Well, well, well. What have we here?” Abby whipped around, her skirt twisting around her knees. A huge man with long black hair and a set of scratches running across his square-jawed face gave her a small, unpleasant grin. “Hello, little girl.”
Chapter 47
Aiden raced through the dancing throng of teenagers, dodging and weaving and occasionally just pushing his way through, the other Guardians close behind. They had all heard the scream over the thumping music, though the humans hadn’t. Gabe’s presence had also faded away, as if he had suddenly been severed from them. And then there had been an overwhelming presence where Gabe should have been, something far more sinister and infinitely more dangerous.
“Abby! Gabe!!” the cry ripped from Aiden’s throat as he pushed open the door, dashing out into the garden. Hearing something coming from the rose-lined path, he accessed his powers, his vision growing sharper in the dim light of the tiny bulbs. He raced down the path, ignoring his own safety; he knew that the others were right behind him. Whatever was happening, it meant that Abby was alone. And if the evil presence he could feel up ahead was what he suspected it was, she was in very real danger.
* * *
“I’ve been looking for you for some time, child.” The dark man said, that horrific smile still on his face. His black-eyed gaze never left hers and with every word he spoke Abby could feel the terror growing in the pit of her stomach, clawing its way up her spine. This man, whoever he was, wasn’t normal. Run, her mind screamed, urging her frozen legs up, begging her body to flee. “No need to be afraid—we’ve only come to collect.”
Abby swallowed, finding her voice for the first time since her scream, though it was shaky and weak. “W-we?” The man’s eyes left her face as he gestured over his shoulder. Abby felt the hair on the back of her neck prickling as she watched helplessly.
The rustling in the bushes behind him grew louder as a unit of men carefully extricated themselves from the frost-tipped plants, standing on either side of the sinister man. She felt her breathing quicken as the panic began to take over. “What is this…what do you want?!” she shouted, pulling herself closer to Gabe’s body.
The man’s smile grew much bigger and much more unpleasant. “Why, you, of course.” He took a step towards her. “Come along now—“ His words stopped suddenly, his eyes darting to the path behind her.
Abby followed his gaze, staring as she saw it too. Something up ahead blazed bright white, the light pouring through the frozen leaves on the rosebushes. She stopped breathing for a moment, straining to see what the fast-moving streak could possibly be. A man jumped into the courtyard, his skin glowing in odd, undulating patches. He looked around, his eyes blazing bright white.
Those eyes clapped onto her as he ran towards her. “Abby! Are you alright?” he asked worriedly, stopping in front of her and leaning down.
She looked up at him, squinting to make sense of the glow. “A-Aiden?” She asked, amazement, shock and relief overwhelming her.
“Get up. Come on, hurry.” He said, pulling her to her feet. He stood in front of her, arms outstretched and the glowing marks moving fluidly over his skin as he eyed the strange men in front of them. “You will not have her,” he growled in a tone she hadn’t thought Aiden capable of.
“Aiden, what’s going on?” Abby hissed.
“GABE!!” Serena’s usually calm and composed voice was high and frantic as she rushed onto the scene, closely followed by the other members of the Ward family as well as Rivkah and Malakh, and oddly, the two chauffeurs.
Serena and Fern ran over, crouching down over Gabe while Elijah, Farrah and the chauffeurs faced the strange men. Abby stared in horror as Fern’s hands and eyes lit up like Aiden’s. She watched silently as Fern brushed her fingers against Gabe’s forehead. “He’s still breathing, but he’s not...It’s like he isn’t here at all, like his soul is missing or something.”
Serena raised her head to stare at Malakh. “Did you do this? Did you have something to do with this?!” She demanded as she stood, slowly advancing on the tall, silver-eyed man, her voice low and threatening.
“Serena!” Gabriel Sr. interjected sharply, silencing her. “Malakh. Death, my old comrade, is he…is my son…” he couldn’t complete his sentence, his voice trailing off with a strangled sound.
Malakh’s ageless eyes stared at Gabe and he shook his head. “No, this was not my doing. I do not know what has happened, Archangel. Though your son’s soul has left his body, he is not in my realm. I believe that this all leads back to that creature there.” He said, pointing accusingly at Abby.
She stared at the old man disbelievingly. What did they mean, death and archangel and the glowing and…what was going on? Her vision swam as tears flooded her eyes—this was not supposed to happen. “I…It’s not my…He just collapsed. He said he loved me and we kissed and then he just…collapsed!” she sobbed, her entire body shaking uncontrollably.
Gabriel Sr. and the others looked at her “He said…he loved you?” Serena bit her lip, her hands trembling. “He can’t…he…not for love, he can’t go there just for loving her.”
“Serena…” her husband said softly reaching out to touch her shoulder.
“NO!!” She yelled tearfully, jerking away from him. “It’s wrong…This whole thing is wrong! Love can’t end like this…I won’t let it!” She turned to Malakh and Rivkah, wiping her eyes with a serious expression on her face. “Can you save him?”
Rivkah laid her hand on Serena’s arm. “We cannot save his soul, but the body is still alive. That in itself is a miracle. Malakh and I will take him to a human hospital, if you wish. His body can be preserved until he can be retrieved.”
Serena looked at Malakh, who gave a nearly imperceptible nod of agreement. Drawing in a shaky breath, Serena nodded back. “Alright. Please take care of him. We have some…business to take care of.” She glared at the huge dark man and the group of minions that surrounded the clearing. “We won’t be long.”
Chapter 48
The group of angels faced the demons who had gathered around Draven at his signal. Serena stood at the head of the group, in front of even her Archangel husband and Warrior daughter, her small, soft frame exuding an otherworldly rage.
Draven stared over her head at Gabriel, addressing him. “We don’t want trouble, Archangel.” He practically spat out the last word in disgust, lips twisting as if it left a bad taste in his mouth. “Give me the girl, and no one has to get hurt.”
Serena glowered up at him, her voice shaking with barely contained rage “Oh, that won’t be happening, demon. You’re going to be in a lot of pain before this night ends, I promise you.” Draven didn’t look at her, didn’t even move as two of his minions ran at the woman in full power.
Aiden stepped up beside his mother-in-law, smoothly deflecting one of the demon’s attacks and grabbing the man firmly by the shoulder. With one quick burst of light he ripped the man cleanly in half down the middle, the deep red blood spraying in glistening droplets over his suit and face. He let the two pieces of the body fall to the ground in front of him, glaring at Draven through blood-spattered glasses as the corpse crumbled into a pile of smoking remains at his feet.
Aiden heard a scraping, gurgling noise beside him, and he turned his head to look at Serena. She had the second demon by the throat, his feet dangling in the air helplessly as he struggled against her grip. He looked far less sure of himself than he had a moment ago, before Aiden had so carelessly dispatched his comrade. Serena’s hand and eyes glowed bright white and the demon exploded into a billion particles of light that faded to nothingness in an instant. Serena lips curled back, a cruel, determined snarl straining across her usually kind face. “That is how it’s done, dear. You’ve improved, though. You’ve mastered at least half of my technique.”
Draven was looking at Serena now. She had finally done something that was worthy of his atte
ntion. “Impressive, though I shouldn’t have expected less from an Archangel’s mate. Nevertheless,” he said, his gaze shifting away and coming to rest firmly on Abby’s bedraggled, shaking form. “We will be taking the girl.” The demons flew forward, black-feathered wings sprouting from their shoulder-blades and eyes burning red.
Aiden turned to Abby, who stood behind him. She looked terrified, her green eyes huge as they stared up at him blankly. “Abby,” He placed a hand on her arm, wincing as she flinched away. His voice became more urgent, trying to reach her. They didn’t have much time; the others could only defend for so long.
“Abby, do you trust me?” she made a sound of disbelief. Aiden grabbed her wrist more forcefully “Do you trust me?!”
Abby’s eyes focused on his. She swallowed, nodding. “…yes.”
“Good. Then run. Run as fast as you can. No matter what you see or hear, don’t stop until you reach the hospital. I’ll be right behind you.” She stared at him for a few seconds, her mind desperately trying to process her newly upended world. Aiden knew that there was no time for that.
“RUN!!!” He shouted, pushing her away from him roughly, her feet landing on the stone path. Her heels clattered against the flat stones, the sound fading away as she ran down the path, her mind clinging to the last sane suggestion it remembered.
Aiden turned just in time to avoid an attack, sending the demon hurtling past. He let the twin short-swords form in his hands and held them up in a defensive stance as he leapt into the fray, white wings bursting through the back of his black suit jacket. I won’t be long, he silently promised Abby as his blades bit into flesh, slicing easily through a demon’s arm. He hoped that he could keep that promise—but little by little, despite their best efforts, the demons were gaining ground.