Angel’s Fury

by Tamara Whitlow

  She smiled and shook her head.

  “I saw my dad.” Her voice was low, but he heard her.

  “What did he say?”

  Marcus walked up at this time and stood next to her. He placed an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into a side hug.

  “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have yelled.”

  “It’s okay.”

  “No, it’s not. That was unfair to take anything out your way and I apologize.”

  “Thank you.”

  Logan smiled at his father. He of all people knows how his dad gets when he’s stressed, and this was a huge moment for him.

  “Father, she’s talked with Assan.”

  Marcus’s eyebrows rose as he looked down at her. She cleared her throat and looked at Logan.

  “He says that Lucifer is helping Jeriah.” They both sucked in a breath. “He also said that Lucifer is trying to start a war.”

  Marcus and Logan shared a look and Marcus shook his head. He started to pace as he talked.

  “Before Logan was born, Lucifer tried to start something here on earth, but it was stopped. My wife, Logan’s mother was a powerful wizard and she and two other known wizards helped stop his plan from coming to head. They sealed up what they thought was a gateway to hell and cursed any who opened it. If he is here walking the earth, someone invited him.”

  Denise looked at Marcus with wide eyes.

  “Where are all the wizards now? Can they help us?”

  Marcus stopped and looked at Logan with a sad expression.

  “Unfortunately, Logan is the only wizard that I know to exist now. There have not been any heard from in ages.”

  Denise looked at Logan and he smiled softly.

  “I don’t even know what my powers are. There hasn’t been a reason to use them since I have been born.”

  “But what happened to your mom?”

  Logan looked to his father who smiled.

  “Come, let me show you.”

  81

  Marcus took Logan and Denise to the gardens. They sat around the circle while Marcus stood in the middle. He started waving his hands and a picture started to form with his words. Denise watched in fascination as she saw his words come to life.

  Victoria was tall with long brown hair. She carried herself with a regal gait and spoke with an old English accent. When she entered a room, you knew it. She commanded attention with her voice. Most men were intimidated by her, but others saw her as a challenge. She had men lined up to court her. Marcus was visiting overseas the first time that he saw her. He too was enamored by her beauty. Seeing the other men fall over themselves for her attention, he didn’t think he would have a chance. He watched her entertain the room as he placed his name on many of the dance cards to dance with the maidens. He was having a great time. His father and mother had long since died, so he had no supervision. He wasn’t looking to find a wife, just someone to play with. He danced and danced until he felt like he would throw up. He excused himself and walked in the direction of the restroom. As he passed the threshold, a hand grabbed his forearm and he looked down at the delicate hand. His eyes followed the hand up to the most beautiful face that he had seen. Her purple eyes bore into his and she smirked.

  “You seemed to have forgotten to sign my card. You don’t care to dance with me?”

  Marcus bowed. “Forgive me, my lady. The line was long, and I didn’t feel that I had a chance.”

  She raised one eyebrow. “Your hair is beautiful.”

  “So are your eyes.”

  She huffed a small laugh. “I like you…”

  “Marcus, my name is Marcus.”

  “Marcus. I like that. Would you care to join me for some food?”

  “Dinner is in an hour, right?”

  She barked a laugh. “I will not be eating here. I am eating at home where I know that my food is safe.”

  “The food isn’t safe here?”

  “I trust no one.”

  “That has to be lonely.”

  She smirked. “Yes. I do like you. You speak your mind and that is what I am looking for.”

  “You’re offering me a job?”

  “No, silly. I’m asking you to dinner.”

  After that dinner, she and Marcus grew closer and closer. They spent just about every weekend together. He didn’t find out that she was a wizard until one day they were in her château and a man came up to her door. It was late at night and too late for any callers to be at her door. The man had on a hood and she whisked him in quickly.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I need my sword blessed. I go into battle tomorrow and my wife is with child.”

  Victoria looked over at Marcus nervously and then back at the gentleman. She put her arms out and he placed the sword in her hands. She grabbed her staff from the wall that it was leaning on and closed her eyes. Light shone through her hand as she stroked the sword up and down its blade. Her voice was too low to hear what words were said but after she was done, she handed him back the sword and kissed his cheek.

  “You are blessed. Be safe.”

  “Thank you.”

  As quickly as he came, he was gone. Marcus stood and walked over to her. She looked at the ground ashamed. He stood in front of her and took her hand. She had a cut on her palm from the sharp blade of the sword. He placed hand on top of hers and when he let her hand go, her cut was healed. Her eyes snapped up to his in disbelief and she looked at her hand.

  “How?”

  “I am a warlock, and I have never seen anything like what you just did.”

  “I am a wizard.”

  His eyebrows shot up. “I thought wizards were only men.”

  “They are not, I can attest to that.”

  From that day, they trained together, she showed him some simple spells that he could do as a warlock. She helped him reach another level of meditation to help him focus and he loved her with everything that he had. He also found out that she was the most powerful wizard out of the ones that were introduced to him. She carried a staff that wielded her power and she hardly ever left the house without it. He could always feel the envy and hatred coming from the others. She didn’t act like she cared, but he could tell that it affected her.

  He couldn’t see his life without her and proposed one evening and she actually said yes. He couldn’t wait to make her his. They moved to America, and he purchased the land where their house stood now and started to build. When she became pregnant with Logan, she was overjoyed. They were happy. Because people started to know what they were, they were shunned from most of society. The warlocks didn’t want wizards in their midst and the same with the wizards about him. They didn’t care as long as they had each other. When Logan was six years old, Victoria got called away to help close a possible portal to hell and she never returned. Marcus remembered the last interaction between Victoria and his son.

  Victoria smiled at her son before she walked out of the door. She kissed his forehead and took a beautiful turquoise amulet that was surrounded by diamonds and encased in silver from her pocket and closed her eyes. Her hands glowed as she whispered into it. After her eyes opened, she placed it around Logan’s neck.

  “This will never leave your neck. Promise me?”

  His voice was small as he looked up into his mother’s face.

  “I promise.”

  With that, she looked at Marcus one last time before she walked out of the door.

  The other wizards that were there say that a demon pierced her from the other side of the wall, but Marcus couldn’t see that happening. She would never get that close. To this day, the blame falls on the demons, but Marcus never ruled out the other wizards doing this to her. After claiming her body, he had to go home and tell Logan that his mother was not coming back. If it were not for his son, he would be lost. Not long after Victoria’s death did wizard after wizard start to die. He often wondered if Victoria somehow knew that she was being setup and had a failsafe just in case. It was all too w
eird how they all died after she did. Marcus didn’t give it much thought as he just placed her staff in the attic and mourned her loss. All that he knew was that he had a son with unknown powers, and he had to keep him safe at all costs.

  82

  Denise still hadn’t closed her mouth. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing and seeing. She looked at Logan up and down and stood up.

  “This was… wow.”

  Logan stood with her and smiled down at her.

  “I wish I had known her like my father.”

  “She loved you. You could tell by the story. What a life she must have led. I want to hear more!”

  Marcus laughed. “Let’s get this war stopped and I will tell you whatever you want to know.”

  “Deal!”

  Rebecca called out by the doors.

  “Hello? Anyone in here?”

  Marcus yelled back.

  “We are back here.”

  She came around the corner and Marcus smiled at her.

  “There you all are. I’ve been looking just about everywhere. This house is way too big. Is everything okay?”

  Denise nodded and filled her in on what Assan told her.

  “We’ve got to draw Jeriah out. If he keeps helping Lucifer, things will get worse.”

  Mary came running into the gardens.

  “A building just blew up downtown!”

  They all ran to the television and looked at the smoke billowing in the air. Mary and Denise shared a look and everyone else looked at them confused. There in the background were two Guardians fighting three demons. Every time their swords clanked, the humans looking on backed away thinking that it was an explosion. Mary told them what they had seen, and Marcus huffed a breath.

  “We’ve got to get down there.”

  They agreed and ran to get dressed.

  Before they left, Denise went to the Guardians and asked them what they should expect. The one called Brahm stepped forward and bowed his head.

  “My brothers have faced demons before, and it is not going to be an easy fight. They are slick and have a quick tongue. The moment that you drop your defense is when they attack. I have only heard stories of our fallen brother, Lucifer, and from what I’ve heard, I’m not ready to meet him now.”

  “I don’t really know what I’m capable of, but I’m ready.”

  Brahm smirked. “I have seen you upset and know that we are in great hands.”

  Denise smiled softly before going to get dressed. They all piled into Marcus’s truck to go downtown. It was kind of weird when they got to the scene. There was no one around. You’d think that with a building exploding, there’d be people everywhere, but there wasn’t. It was so quiet and all you could hear was the cracking of the fire in the rubble. They all looked around and then at each other. Logan looked to his father.

  “Where is everyone?”

  “I don’t know.”

  They heard footsteps and turned toward the sound. Jeriah came around the corner with a smirk on his face.

  “Well, hello again.”

  Denise cocked her head to the side and watched him approach.

  “Jeriah, you know that this is wrong.”

  “If only you’d agree to be mine, this wouldn’t have happened so this is partly your fault.”

  “This is not my fault. This is your greed talking. My father told me what you plan to do, and it won’t work. Do you know who you’re working with? He isn’t helping you.”

  “He got YOU here, didn’t he?”

  “No. I came on my own.”

  Jeriah paused and noticed Marcus and Logan for the first time. His eyes widened, and he took a step back.

  “No! You’re dead. I killed you in that house! How? When…”

  Logan stepped up next to Denise.

  “Your plans aren’t going to work. There is no way that you’ll be allowed back into heaven.”

  “You know nothing, warlock. I will not need permission when I take what’s mine.”

  Marcus spoke from behind Logan.

  “Jeriah, please don’t do this. Lucifer is dangerous.”

  “Did I hear my name mentioned?”

  They all turned quickly at the sultry voice that sounded behind them. The Guardians were at the ready, and for the first time, they made themselves seen to the group. Marcus sucked in a breath as he saw the huge figure move around him with ease to stand in front of him. Brahm stood in front of Lucifer with his hand on his sword. Denise couldn’t believe that this beautiful specimen before her was the devil. He looked so… normal. She was broken out of her thoughts when they started talking.

  “Brahm… Brother.”

  “I am not your brother.”

  Lucifer’s lip curled and with the swipe of his hand, Brahm went flying sideways into a building. The group gasped as his body smacked the wall. Lucifer tilted his head to the side and looked at them smugly.

  “Now, where were we?”

  83

  The group heard Jeriah laughing behind them, but didn’t want to turn their backs on Lucifer. Brahm slowly stood up and pulled his sword from his sheath and charged forward. Lucifer smirked and cocked his head to the side in amusement. Brahm’s sword came down and a force so strong, it repelled him backwards as Lucifer growled with his lip curled as he pushed him away. Brahm landed with a thud on the ground and his sword went flying. Lucifer stalked over and stood above him. He reached down to grab Brahm by his shirt, but his hand never made it. A bright light shone, and Lucifer turned as a scream rose behind him. Denise was running full force toward him. He put his hands up to stop her advancement, but she kept coming. Wings sprung from her back and a force so strong pushed him to the ground. She stood over him, and her eyes glowed yellow. The light that surrounded her caused him to close his eyes. He hadn’t seen a light that pure since his time in heaven. The shock and fear on his face shone as he quickly disappeared. Denise turned to look at Jeriah, who stood open mouthed at the exchange. He shook his head and quickly turned and fled. The group looked on in amazement at Denise’s transformation. Her eyes went to Brahm, who had stood with the help of the other Guardian. They both went down on one knee and placed a hand on their chest as they bowed.

  Denise watched in horror as Brahm was pushed down again. She was hoping he would get back up, but Lucifer stood over him. She couldn’t let him die. She thought about her mom and then Logan and Marcus as they both died and she couldn’t take it. She felt her body heat up, and it felt like a volcano erupting inside of her. She started to run toward Lucifer and could feel Logan try to grab her, but she sidestepped him and kept going. The power that rose from her chest felt right. She could feel her wings as they broke free as she ran. She couldn’t let anyone else that she cared for die. Her head flew back, and she puffed her chest out which caused her power to burst forward. She saw the fear on Lucifer’s face and she was ready to destroy him, but he vanished. Still on a high, she turned toward Jeriah, and he also fled. She was angry and she wanted someone to pay. Her head tuned toward Brahm, and he and the other Guardian were on a knee in a bow. She sucked in a breath and just like that, her wings folded, and she could feel her anger dissipate. She quickly walked over to Brahm and knelt down in front of him. His large frame still dwarfed her even on his knee. She placed a hand on his folded forearm.

  “Are you okay?”

  His eyes opened and he looked at her with wonder.

  “I am, thanks to you. What you did was spectacular.”

  “I didn’t even think, I just knew that I couldn’t let him hurt you.”

  “I am in your debt and swear my sword to you.”

  The other Guardian nodded in agreement.

  “And I too swear my sword to you.”

  Denise looked over her shoulder at the astonished faces looking at her. Marcus barked a laugh.

  “I think we may be okay after all.”

  They all chuckled but it didn’t last long. Brahm stood and looked at the group.

  “Now that he knows how powe
rful you are, he will be back. He will not let this go.”

  Denise nodded. “I had a feeling you would say that.”

  Logan looked at his dad.

  “We’ve got to find Jeriah. He started this mess, and he needs to pay for it.”

  84

  Lucifer had only been scared once in his lifetime, and that was when he felt his father’s wrath. This girl was special indeed. The force of power exuding from her was immense. He couldn’t even stand up. What was God thinking creating something this strong? He was pissed off that this angel got him mixed up in this. He only wanted a war, not annihilation. Now he can see why this angel wanted this girl—she was power in a human body and he could use her. He just had to get rid of this power-hungry angel first. He smiled as he thought about all of the things that he could accomplish with her by his side. Things are about to get interesting.

  85

  The ride home was quiet. Denise was still in shock that her powers came through like they did. Everyone was still in shock also. When they walked through the door, Melinda, Sabastian’s mom came into the foyer.

  “What happened? Did you find anything out?”

  Sabastian’s lip curled as he passed by her without acknowledging her. She looked at him sadly as he walked by. Marcus sighed and watched his son walk away also. He looked at Melinda as everyone else filed past.

  “Looks like Lucifer is involved.”

  She gasped and placed a hand on her mouth.

  “Did anyone get hurt?”

  He shook his head. “No. Luckily, we had Denise. She is powerful and it was certainly something to see. We need to find that fallen angel. He has to pay for what he’s caused.”

  “Let me help. I can do something.”

  Footsteps sounded and an angry Sabastian walked in.

  “We don’t need your help. You should just leave. That’s what you’re good at anyway.”

  Melinda looked to the floor and Marcus let out a breath.