A broad smile breaks through that stone-cold exterior my grandfather attempts to maintain. “That’s the easy part, Thana; you're my granddaughter. This realm obeys me. Therefore, it will obey you once you come into your power.” He smirks as we slowly approach the monolith.
“Release your familiars, and let's go to war.” Drawing his sword, it blazes to life, and hellfire ripples over the length of the blade.
Without touching my familiars, I look to each in turn. One by one, they rise of their own volition to stand beside me. My raven returns to me, and I stroke his feathers again, my eyes blackening as I stare into the abyss of his black orbs. He shows me the entire path he took around the monolith. At the very top, Cyrus is chained between two pillars with multiple cuts. It looks like they’ve tried bleeding him out. Resting my hand on my raven's back, I bow my head and concentrate on Azrael, calling him to me.
Seconds pass before a mass of inky blackness manifests beside me. Azrael rises from the darkness and looks to be as fearsome as I remember him being when we first met. “Have you found my son, Thana,” Azrael questions sternly. I raise my obsidian orbs to look at him and pass on the intel my raven had revealed to me.
He backs up slightly as he looks over me slowly, making sure I’m okay. “Tell me what you need, Thana.”
I look at my grandfather then up the side of the monolith. “Let's go!” Leaping up, I spread my wings wide and fly up the side of the monolith, going straight to Cyrus. By some divine miracle, my familiars are clawing up the side of the monolith. My large wings thrust powerfully, rocketing me towards my goal.
The edge is in sight, and I suddenly get a bad feeling about the whole thing. Changing my wings' angle, I put the brakes on and move out and away from the monolith. It’s a good thing I did; there's an eight-foot-tall demon with a scythe circling the edge of the monolith. Around Cyrus are a bunch of ifrit ready to torch anything that comes within range of them.
“Embrace your heritage, Thana. You are death and destruction in one beautiful package. Give them the eternal death!” Samael screams as he dives for the scythe-wielding demon.
I feel the darkness swirling within me begging to be released. My grandfather attacks with an angelic sword and wields the darkness with equal precision. The countless demons pose a threat to my mate, who seems to be fading by the minute. My hesitation could cost Cyrus his life. I dive in. I must not fail him—both of our lives hang in the balance.
My name literally translates to death; all this time, I have been trying to be someone I’m not. Constantly trying to be perfect and good really grates on a girl's nerves. My grandfather is calling for me to unleash my darkness made my blood start to boil. My mate hangs there like a harpooned side of beef in the cooler. His blood coats the top of the monolith, fueling the ifrit for their volleys of fire. Swords clash on the rooftop as Samael battles the huge demon with the scythe.
Azrael tries approaching from the other side to get to Cyrus to no avail. Out of nowhere a large horned demon rises up from the smoke and attacks Azrael. That must be Asmodai: I’m torn between helping my grandfather or going to assist Azrael. The decision is easy; I fly straight towards the demon and grab his horn to spin him off balance. Once the demon is far enough away, I land next to Azrael and quickly disarm him. “You need to get Cy out of here, I can hold Asmodai.”
I jab the sword tip in the direction of Asmodai. “Save my mate, Samael, and I can handle this.” Azrael, for once, doesn’t argue with me. He takes off running towards Cy, and the ifrit were waiting for him. Voices whisper to me, feeding me thousands of years of history and knowledge.
With knowledge comes power, apparently being what I am comes with superhero-level abilities. As the ifrit charge, I raise my hand sending them to sleep; they fall swiftly under my power. Azrael glances to me briefly then takes that as his cue to grab ahold of his son and take flight towards the gateway to escape. I turn my gaze towards Asmodai and my grandfather.
I look down at Azrael’s sword in my hand then back at the battle my grandfather is in. Swooping down, I dive headfirst with my sword aimed right at the demon's black heart. Spreading my wings wide, I slow my descent and drive the sword through the demon's back. The blade ignites in hellfire, burning the demon from the inside out. I ride the ashen corpse to the ground, still screaming my battle cry.
Withdrawing the sword, I look up at Samael, and he’s smiling at me. “You did very well Thana, you chose the best course of action based off the information you had. Let's go save your dark nephilim, mate.”
Smirking, I withdraw the sword from the demon's remains. “Yes, my Cyrus needs me.” I leap up into the air flapping my powerful wings as hard as I can. Catching up to Azrael, I and take hold of Cyrus, stealing him from his father.
I’m stronger than I realized, and the size of my wings grants me the strength to get my mate to safety. Moving faster than I ever have before, we break through the mist that separates the Dark Realm from the Angelic Realm. Each flap of my wings drives me higher up into the night sky. I sense Raphael on my heels, closely followed up by Azrael and Samael. I’m going to the only place that I feel safe; I’m heading back to my nest.
My grandfather and Raphael catch up, flying side by side with me. My heart aches, carrying my mortally injured mate back to my nest. The faster I fly, the farther the distance seems to be getting. Eventually, I see our house on the skyline, and hope blooms in my chest; salvation is within my grasp. I reach out through the bond to my other two mates, getting them to open the double doors so I can fly directly into the house. Gage and Christian throw the doors open just before I swoop into the main part of the house. Christian has gathered blankets and pillows in his arms as he rushes to my side. Gage has bandages as well as every medical supply you can think of.
Gently, I lay Cyrus down on the blanket and pillow, letting Gage and Christian attend to him the best they can. “You’re the only one that can save him, Thana,” Samael says to me. The minute he opens his mouth, my other two mates stop moving and stare with fear in their eyes.
The shift in the room bothers me, so I move to my grandfather and embrace him briefly. “My loves, this is Samael. He’s my grandfather; without him, I wouldn’t have known how to battle in the Dark Realm.” Smiling, I gently kiss my grandfather's cheek before moving to kneel beside Cyrus.
I unfurl my wings, slowly taking in how much they have changed. The feathers along my wing bones have become black as pitch like Cyrus’s. My mid-feathers are a dark gray fading down to my usual smoke gray. I look deep within myself, feeling the darkness and light simultaneously as I channel healing into my hands. Quickly, I lay my hands on Cyrus’s worst wounds, and tears stream down my face, hoping against all hope that I can save him. Lowering my wings, I rest my forehead against his as I come to straddle his body. Waves of power wash over him as I pump everything I am into, trying to save him.
A large hand caresses my cheek, and I suddenly sit up. Cyrus has a tentative smile on his lips, and his eyes are half open. I press a finger to his lips and shake my head no. “Please rest; we can talk later.” My eyes scan over his body; most of his wounds have sealed from what I was able to do.
I look over my shoulder at Raphael. “Please try to heal him; I’m so tired.”
Raphael gives me a nod, and Gage comes to my side to help me stand up. The minute I stand up, I pass out.
~The next day~
When I wake, I’m snuggled in the warmest cocoon in the history of cocoons. This is probably the safest I’ve ever felt in my existence. The morning gives way to early afternoon before I finally drag myself from the warmth of my nest. It’s odd to wake up alone with all four of my mates under one roof. Searching my nest, I’m absolutely certain that I am completely alone.
Reluctantly, I slide out of bed and pull on shorts and a tank top before heading towards the kitchen. My grandfather is sitting at the table with Raph and Azrael and using the bond, I sense Christian is working, and Gage is in the shower. I hesitate at the door, w
atching three of the most powerful men I know having coffee like it’s a normal Thursday thing for them.
“Hey, sleeping beauty!” Raphael says as he spins to face me. Quickly Azrael closes the distance between us and scoops me up in a bone-crushing hug. The fierce warrior from the day before is long gone. A grateful father stands in his place, thanking me over and over again for saving his son.
Breaking away from Azrael, I smile graciously. “Saving Cyrus was all Raphael; I only carried him here.” I’m sure of the truth of my statement beyond a shadow of a doubt.
“Thana, my granddaughter, you are most incorrect. Your dual nature is what saved your mate.” Samael smiles and spreads his wings. “You used the darkness within you to heal your mate. Standard angelic healing would have killed him instantly,” Samael says as he walks towards the balcony. Without a backward glance, he leaps off the balcony taking flight back to the rift.
My eyes jump back and forth between Raphael and the direction my grandfather had gone. I’m most puzzled by what Samael just said to me. There is no way that I was able to heal something that Raphael couldn’t. I ponder this new information for several moments before turning and taking off down the hallway to see Cyrus for myself.
I get to the staircase, taking two stairs at a time, running up all three house levels. I make it to the floor that the bedrooms are on and rush around the circle to get to the room that is Cyrus’s. Softly I place my hands upon the door, then grip the doorknob, turning it slowly. The telltale click of the door opening sounds extremely loud in the silence of the third floor. His room's interior is black as pitch, and I can’t see a damn thing in front of my face. After several moments my eyes start to adjust, and I enter the room now able to see the outlines of everything before me.
Weaving my way between furniture, I make it to the side of his bed and kick off my shoes. Ever so carefully, I crawl on my hands and knees up the bed to lie down gently beside his sleeping form.
Reaching down to the foot of the bed, I pull a light blanket up and over myself. I snuggle back in and make myself comfortable along the length of Cyrus's body. Placing my head on the pillow closest to him, I then move to rest my cheek on his shoulder blade. I feel like one of the people on the bomb squad as I slowly inch my arm over his waistline, trying not to disturb his slumber. With everything that we have gone through to this point, I am absolutely terrified to leave him alone right now. I stifle the yawn that tries to escape my lips as I nuzzle his shoulder. Sleep would do us both some good, at least lying here with him; I’m not afraid of something happening to him.
My dream is plagued with pain; the memories of my skin being flayed and ripped from my body haunt me. Watching the ribbons of my skin hit the floor at the top of that monolith plays over and over in my head. A beautiful angel swoops in out of nowhere and goes to war against the demons on the top of the monolith. Sword’s clash and ring out, reverberating in my head. The fire demons surround me, trying to keep me from my rescuers.
Even in my dream, I black out several times during the attempted rescue. I remember seeing my dad—for once looking concerned—perhaps he actually cares whether I live or die. It's only taken him almost the last six hundred years to figure out that I matter to him. Asmodai, the demon that had me abducted, does battle with the one and only Samael. Whoever summoned The Almighty’s destroyer is truly my hero. He is beating back Asmodai as if this greater demon is nothing but a fly in his ointment.
The sweetest, most angelic voice rings out, telling my father to get me out of there. Dad’s arms wrap around me, and then us taking flight is the last clear memory that I have besides waking up in our house to Thana crying.
Raising my hand, I gently wipe the sleep from my eyes, trying to get my bearings as to where I ended up. The sheets are black satin and a very high quality and thread count. It reminds me of something that I would have in my room, but the detergent scent says I’m not home. A thin arm rests over my upper stomach, and my skin wants to crawl. If this isn’t my mate, I’m going to have a ton of explaining to do.
I start to inch myself sideways in full stealth mode to get the young woman’s arm off me. Once I completely slide free of the young maiden, I lift her ash-blonde hair to get a good look at her face. I start thanking God that it’s my Thana, and she decided to watch over me.
Gently, I run my fingers through her long hair, taking in every facet of her that I can. Instinctually, light and dark nephilim are enemies. I’ve always had fun making Thana and the other girls at the hospital miserable by taking their coffees and desserts and hiding them. Who would have known that this beautiful, powerful female would be mine? Instincts being what they are, it's difficult to shake hundreds of years of conditioning.
It’s now that I notice that she slept with her wings on display. Her feathers have changed colors since I last saw them. I wonder if it’s from her time in the Dark Realm coming after me. About a third of her feathers have blackened and rival the darkness of my own. My fingers gently ghost over her new black feathers, admiring them. She loved the color of mine, and now she has her own. I just hope that whatever happened to blacken her feathers that she's happy with the way she looks.
The pattern of the color on her wings is absolutely stunning. They fade from my pitch-black down to her smoke-gray that she started with when I first met her. I can’t help myself as my fingers roam over her soft feathers and her even softer long ash-blonde hair.
I turn just enough to be able to press my lips to her temple. Several gentle nudges later, I get her to roll on to her opposite side and I carefully straighten her wings back out, making them look perfect again. Once she settles into place and I’m happy with how her feathers look, I curl my body tightly around her, wrap my arm around her waist and pull her flush to my body. I’m still very tired from what I endured the day before. For now, I’ll sleep with my dark angel in my arms, finally feeling safe lying next to her.
~Thana~
There’s a heavy weighted arm laying over my abdomen, holding me tightly. As I open my eyes and look around, I realize that I am still on Cyrus’s bed. My free hand comes up to caress the thick forearm that’s by my stomach. Gently, I turn his hand to face me and stare at his palm, at the thick calluses all over. You can tell a lot about a man by how callused his hands are. Raphael and Christian’s hands barely have any calluses on them; Gage works as a carpenter, so he is covered in them.
“Something interests you, beautiful?” Cyrus’s voice is rough and deep from lack of use.
I raise my hand to cover my mouth when I yawn. “Just learning what I can about you before you run away again.” My voice cracks when I mention him leaving again, and I turn my head to hide my face in the pillow. The weight in the bed shifts several times before I feel his hand caressing my cheek.
“Open your eyes baby, please look at me,” Cyrus says low as he kisses my temple.
Reluctantly, I turn my head and open my eyes. He looks concerned, and he also looks like he's still in pain from the torture he survived.
“I did my best to rescue you.” I scoot to sit up in bed before looking down at my hands in my lap. “I thought you gave up on us and left for good.” Rogue tears roll down my cheeks. Cyrus lifts his hand to use the pad of his thumb to wipe them away.
“If it wasn’t for your dad saying he hadn’t heard from you and that you were supposed to be with me, I’d never have known you were missing or hurt.” I word vomit the short version of what ended up being one hell of a rescue mission.
Cyrus climbs up the bed to me and pulls me onto his lap. “With what happened between my parents, I didn’t want to chance being broken like my mom,” he says softly as he hugs me tightly, being careful of my wings. “You have become as important as the air I breathe, and that scared me.” His muted tone tells me he’s having a hard time hearing the truth leave his lips. I kiss his cheek, remaining silent to listen to him.
“I went to sit by my mother's grave to think for a while. Dad managed to talk some sense into me w
hile we were there.” Cyrus caresses my cheek, moving so he can look into my eyes. “I was flying back to you when I was abducted.” He gently rests his forehead against mine, and I can’t help caressing his cheek as well.
“Raph went with me to the rift; he was afraid to send me in alone.” I kiss the palm of Cyrus’s hand. “I dove into the abyss without fear; I knew my grandfather existed just outside of the rift.” Shrugging my shoulders, I Iet a small laugh escape.
“Besides, I knew if I called for your dad, he would be right there with me.” My laughter returns as I shake my head. “So, picture me knocking on Samael’s door and telling him, ‘Hi, I’m your granddaughter want to go attack a greater demon with me?’” I smirk and roll my eyes for a moment. “Surprisingly, getting him to help was the easy part. Me harnessing my darkness and sword fighting—that was a little harder.”
Cyrus’s eyes widen as he looks at me and then my wings, then back again. “So, I didn’t imagine you fighting the ifrit as well as Asmodai?” I slowly shake my head no, slide off his lap, and open my wings wide, so he can get a good look. Cyrus stands up and walks around me, looking my wings over. About halfway through him looking at all the changes, my other three mates, and his dad enter the bedroom.
“Samael has named me his successor; he said something about me coming into my full power.” Shrugging my shoulders, I fold my wings back up to turn and face my mates. “I feel a change within me; I’m not at war with myself anymore. I’m not straining to hide my dark side.” Grinning, I allow my nails to change to claws, then back again. “I also feel like I need more fluffy blankets and warm things for my room.” My eyes search my mates for answers, only Azrael starts smiling and laughing.
“This is very exciting indeed. Gentlemen, if my calculations are correct, you have till the next full moon to get her nest in order.” Azrael slaps his son on the shoulder. “Better get that bond in place if you want a chance to have a child of your own.”
Discovered: The Dark Angel Chronicles Page 11