The Beloved Fire

  “NO!” She shouted out, scrambling off the bed rushing Anock trying to pull back his arm, as Blake transformed into his demon form but even that didn’t cause Anock to drop Blake from his hold.

  “ANOCK STOP!” She screamed fear driving her.

  She felt someone dragging her back and she looked at Elijah. She tried to struggle away but stopped when Elijah whispered in her ear. “He can handle himself.” After he got her far enough away from Anock and Blake she was finally about to shrug out of his hold.

  “You performed the ritual of the hearts for your memories!” Anock tossed Blake to the other side of the room with a great roar and Mikayla watched in fear as Blake fell into the armchairs, which tipped over and skidded in front of the fireplace. Blake laid in front of them before grunting in pain and standing up.

  Still with the crazed look in his eyes, Anock turned to Mikayla “You see that ritual allows them to switch sides. Not physically but spiritually. They still keep their forms.” He pointed back over to James, then Blake who looked like he was getting ready to charge Anock. “But angels or anyone with angel blood isn’t allowed in hell under normal circumstances. The same for certain demons, such as Blake, not being able to exit Hell. James allowed me to see this memory to prove his allegiance to me. He explained how he wanted to be here, that he didn’t want his angel side. I didn’t believe it; Blake was faithful to me when this memory occurred, but James explained that he tricked him. He had the warlock offer him a deal. A blood oath for his memories, if he swore to never pursue a girl named Mikayla.” Anock scoffed. “With Blake’s memories gone, he didn’t know who you were, so he didn’t care. Just blindly made the oath he thought he was making, but in all reality, it was the ritual of Hearts, since that would be the only way to override his angel side. The person who initiates the ritual is in charge of the change. Furthermore to prove his allegiance he went and brought me a gift, Ander. Another sacrifice for the Breaking Ritual and then I knew that he was truly evil, which meant Blake was on the side of good. Only being allowed in by his mother’s blood, he is now nothing but an imposter. The only thing left to do.”

  He stopped his pacing and turned looking at her with expectant eyes like she was supposed to know what the only thing left to do was. She just continued to give him a blank look.

  “Use him!” He threw out his arm pointing out to Blake. “As a sacrifice. Bind James as the new guard and kill two birds with one stone, except this time I’ll be smart. Once you’re bound to me, you will never be able to touch another living soul. Ever.” He said with a threat on the end. “So James is now the new guard of Hell. We have the two sacrifices for the ritual, and my cheating, whoring betrothed’s powers are locked up.” During Anock’s ranting, she watched as Blake transformed into his human form and the twins slowly made their way to James and Ander. James giving them a hard stare.

  A coughing fit from where Ander laid on the floor shifted everyone’s attention to him. James rolled his eyes. “Okay fine I’ll take off the hood.” He said in annoyance. Her temper flared; how could she have been so stupid to trust him? James reached down removing the hood quickly and she got her first look at Ander since she’d been in Hell. The sight made her sick, and her vision clouded with tears for her best friend. He looked close to death, and if it wasn’t for the broken wings jutting from his back, she would be worried. Ander stared up at her the best he could from his position, one eye swollen and bloody.

  “Kayla.” Ander said weekly, making her cry out, before covering it with her hands. She slowly stepped towards Ander wanting so bad to hold him, comfort him.

  She stopped and looked at James. “Why?”

  He gave an evil laugh, rubbing his hands together. It made him look insane. “Ah, good I was hoping you would ask that. I’ve been practicing this speech in the mirror for some time. It all started when I decided that Blake was undeserving of such a better job than me. I mean having sex to survive, wow, what a great opportunity. Then there’s a great boss, great place to live, and I’d get to guard you. Well I’ve been doing that all my life and I’m not ready to give that up. Where you go, I go. If you go dark, so do I. I didn’t think I could just come in here without proving myself first, so I decided to bring an offering in hopes for a job. That’s where Ander came in handy, he was sad and moping because the angels refused to come in here and save poor Mikayla and after I got that information confirmed I revealed myself and captured him.” Ander looked confused for a flash of a second when James was talking but he wiped it away before anyone noticed. Except she had. Was James bullshitting Anock?

  “ENOUGH! Cain and Elijah get her contained. James take care of Blake.” He turned his back to them all heading for the door. “AND UNBIND THE DOOR.” He roared and with a flick of Cain’s wrist the shimmery film disappeared from the door and Anock was walking out.

  “Sorry sunshine.” Cain said taking her hand as Elijah grabbed the other. Right as she started to fight, seeing James break out his wings and tackle Blake in his demon form, the air around her grew thick before a pop sounded and she closed her eyes. When she opened them she was on her back laying in the medical room strapped to the bed. She tried to move her head to the side, but her forehead was strapped down. She shifted her eyes down as far as she could, seeing straps on her upper arms, her lower abdomen, thighs and ankles. They were tight enough to hurt. She wiggled as she grunted in anger. If her powers would just work she’d be free.

  “YOU ASSHOLES! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO HELP US! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO HELP ME ESCAPE!” She roared, her demonic form coming through her hard pants of fear.

  “Do you think she’ll be able to break them?” She heard one of the twins ask, only able to see part of Cain’s arm.

  A hand came into view before her jaw was grabbed open and Cain’s face came into view. “No. Plus this will knock her out.” Cain said, before pouring a purple liquid down her throat. She got a small taste of it from gagging and coughing. The taste was metallic like, and the liquid cold.

  Cain’s face disappeared as a wavy looking Elijah peered over her. “How long will that take to knock her out?” He asked.

  “Yo-“ She tried to talk but her tongue felt funny.

  Elijah left her view and she heard a door open. “She’s falling asleep now.”

  Unable to fight the pull on her mind, and her slowing heartbeat, her eyes rolled back, and she started to fall asleep, wondering when she wasn’t going to pass out in this place.

  19

  Defiance

  No one was in there with her with when she woke up. Her head strap was gone, allowing her to move her head but there was still the problem with the rest of her body being strapped to the bed, oh and her best friend being an angel who was now trapped in this hell hole with her. If there was ever a chance none of this was real, seeing Ander made it all too real. This wasn’t a dream, this wasn’t her weird imagination; this was real. She tried to wiggle out of the straps but they were too tight. She had to escape. She would not be trapped in hell or purgatory for the rest of her life, but then there was the problem about her father being an angel and getting her best friend out with her. Thoughts poured over her guilt and confusion.

  If someone would have told Mikayla before all this happened that angels and demons prowled the earth seducing women, that there was actually a real thing as a magic, or something called a dream walker, Mikayla would have doubled over laughing from the ridiculous statement that had just passed the gossipers lips. Only now did she realize how unaware of the world, how little she actually knew, but now she would give anything for it to go back that way. Little girls that turned into cats, a demon and a demon of minds no less, and magic twins that gated the realm of purgatory into hell. There was more she was sure, but of all the things, a man she had feelings for, well one of them, held the balance of heaven and hell while the world, her world, crashed down around her.

  The deal was, she did have feelings for Blake, and it was more than him just being her first. The real him was c
aring, passionate and loving. James, she felt a weird pull towards him. Was it attraction? It felt like familiarity, like home, like a craving for something she hadn’t had in a while.

  The faint voices of Cain and Elijah’s voices crept through the other side of the door slowly getting louder at their approach and she quickly shut her eyes, it was time to get some more information on her current situation. The sound of the door opening and then shutting followed by Cain’s voice or maybe Elijah’s, confirmed that they thought she was still asleep as she tried to clear her mind as best she could. They continued their conversation only now in a whisper. “Yeah, but this has never been done before. Who’s to say this will even work?” She then heard the sound of a metal chair plopping open followed by someone sitting down.

  “Yeah the dark lord himself is coming to bless the ceremony and you think he wouldn’t come if there was a chance it wouldn’t work.”

  At the words about the dark lord coming, she could only assume they meant the king of hell, the devil himself, and she tried hard to keep her breathing slow.

  “Listen all I know is that this girl is the first there’s ever been. She has more power ever given to either a demon or angel. What if she decides not to let the ritual take place and blast everyone dead with her holy power?”

  “SHHH! Don’t even talk like that, you’ll curse us all. It’s clear the girl doesn’t know how to use her powers, if she did she would have blasted the queen dead before she’d ripped open her throat.”

  “I heard the relic is still out there. I heard that Anock doesn’t have it, that he is just telling people that he does, while he has others out there searching for it.”

  One of them scoffed, and at this point they both sounded so similar she could only guess at who was saying what. “So, he doesn’t need the relic for the ceremony? Plus only Samuel can find that, he was the one that made it. No wait, the Magical is the one that made it, I think.”

  “Well if it’s still out there I propose we find it ourselves; we will have complete control over the girl, and we can use it to our advantage.”

  Ugh oh, she had to sneeze, but she didn’t want to wriggle her nose to hold it in. I guess it’s time to wake up. She stirred and let out a yawn stretching as much as she could for being strapped down, and slowly opened her eyes looking the opposite way of the voices and then to Cain in Elijah in confusion. Hopefully they would believe her acting.

  Elijah perked up putting a hand over Cain’s mouth to stop him from what he was about to say. “Mikayla you’ve been out forever! What took you so long? The ceremony starts in six hours and there’s lots to prepare for!” He said in an overly happy voice.

  Six hours was the equivalent to a slap in the face, she needed to start thinking of a plan to get her and Ander out. “Why am I strapped down still?”

  “Well Anock didn’t want to take any chances of you running off with Blake, but since Blake is in the dungeon with your angel friend, I doubt that is something to worry about. We just summoned Anock so you two will have time to catch up on that stuff.” Cain said as both he and Elijah stood up moving to the side of the door like they were expecting it to open at that exact moment and it did as Anock breezed through the door.

  “Let me out of these straps or I’m not doing the ceremony!” Mikayla hissed.

  Anock walked over to her bed breaking the straps that held her down, and even though she felt a million times better, she still felt trapped under his gaze.

  “There’s one thing about you I can’t fully understand.” He leaned back, letting her sit up as she hung her feet over the edge of the bed. It was clear he was waiting for her to egg him on.

  “What’s that?”

  “You love me.” Anock said it a quiet voice.

  She didn’t.

  “You will love me. I love you! Don’t you see that?” His intense stare, seeing he wasn’t going to get the answer he wanted from her, looked away towards the floor as he shook his head. “You will. You’ll love me, because I love you and I’m not giving up on us.” It was clear he was obsessed with her. Was it because he needed her to make an army, because she was his way to victory? Or was it just because he was crazy?

  Mikayla looked down at the silver floor unsure of how to respond and after a couple minutes of uncomfortable silence Anock cleared his throat moving towards her. It was hard for her not to flinch away from him, but instead she held still. “I can hear your thoughts you know.” Anock said now standing directly in front of her.

  “So?” Mikayla asked.

  Anock reached up cupping the side of her face gently. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for hurting you, I know it will be hard now for you to warm back up to me but I’m still the same person. I just lost my temper; it was understandable in my eyes. See, here I thought you were falling in love with me, and lucky for you, you actually were, and yet you were sleeping with Blake on the side like it was no big deal. I mean don’t get me wrong, I’m no saint but there has only ever been you for me. Call it crazy, controlling, or possessive. I don’t care, but I am madly in love with you. I don’t want you to break my heart because then, I will have to eat yours.” Anock lifted his hand from her face as she swallowed hard. What a way to end a love speech.

  “Tonight you will learn how it feels to have ultimate power. You’ll be strong. In charge. A queen. You and I will take over as the new queen and king of hell in the second quarter. Tonight you and I will finally consummate our marriage as the first couple to rule over a sector in hell. We will be known as the most feared couple in all existence.” With each word Anock spoke he seemed to get more and more excited, making Mikayla feel more and more helpless.

  When she still didn’t say anything, he leaned over kissing her forehead before turning and walking out of the room. The touch of his lips seemed to burn a permanent place on her forehead making her anger rise up along with disgust. She wanted to scream and punch, she didn’t want to do this, she didn’t want to be here, but before she could do any of those things, the twins were pushing her through the recovery room door, each on either side of her taking her to her final hours as a human.

  Elijah and Cain escorted her through the halls to where she assumed, they were heading to her room. Before she could even think a second longer about the sudden thought that popped into her head, she acted, coming to a complete stop making the twins who walked ahead a little way, turn in confusion to see why she stopped.

  “I’m sorry about this.” Mikayla said, breathing fast and deep, the shaking and heat came in an instant and before she knew it the twins were thrown against the wall together landing hard on the floor, unconscious. Being strapped down and silent gave her time to practice calling her powers, and now it was time to put it in good use. She didn’t know how to use her powers fully, the twins were right on that, but all she needed to do was repeat the actions and emotions she felt the first two times and she got it.

  Upon gaining the twins’ powers it was like an instant map of purgatory was imprinted in her mind, along with information she wasn’t aware of. She pushed the information aside though as she shook her head trying to concentrate on where to go. At the thought of Earth, two huge black gates standing alone in a barren desert showed and then it was like a red line in front of her pulling her where to go.

  Then, she ran.

  Mikayla ran until she couldn’t run any more, feeling more than a little defeated as she doubled over holding her sides that screamed out in pain and her lungs burned a desire for air. Images of her parents and Ander swarmed in her head, for some reason she couldn’t believe there was a possibility she could escape, but she had to try for them. The knowledge that she thought she had of how to escape was dimming minute by minute and she wasn’t sure how to hold onto it. It was clear that the way out was by the puzzle way, the twins once mentioned, but just then the pull of her weight and the red line dissolved in front of her she saw an image of three white doors.

  Apparently, the only thing left to do was to start opening doors
. None of these were white but she needed to try. Pausing she took a second to place her hand on a door and think of the black gates, but the door sat unmoving. She grunted out in frustration looking around as she pulled her hand back and ran to another door trying again. Her heartbeat slammed. She put her hand on another door, this time closing her eyes and thinking of the white doors. She opened her eyes seeing a different type of hall. This one a sterile, blinding color white. In the hall, there were all different doors, except that they were all different colors. She swallowed her nerves and stepped through to the white hall quickly, looking back making sure no one followed her.

  She turned to the bright blue door to her right pushing it open, fast since there was no time to be nervous about what could be on the other side. It was dark in the room, but as soon as she stepped inside to find a light switch, almost as if knowing she was there lights overhead switched on followed by a sound of a thousand hissing demons. It halted her breath and made her heart drop into her stomach.

  In front of her were baby cribs lined in rows, with crouched down demons holding the rocking cribs, hissing protectively over them. There were all different kinds of demons some red, black, gray and brown. Some demons held scales, or some were decorated with green slime, but the one thing they had in common were naked female bodies with sharp long teeth and a long snake like tongue. It wasn’t long until baby cries broke through the hisses and Mikayla immediately backed out. What the hell was that room? She shut the door fast and turned running away from it in case they decided to come after her.

  This time it was a red door, she slowly opened it and was blinded for a second until her eyes could adjust to the light on the other side. As she stepped out onto the dessert landscape, different from Hell’s ground, the door behind her disappeared trapping her inside with what looked like thousands of people dressed in white walking slowly around. Confusion was clear on some of their faces, while others just wondered around with a blank look.