Veiron stumbled backwards, head aching and spinning as he tried to process that. It had to be a lie. He had died months ago. He turned his glare on the sand and focused, trying to remember something about his past life so he could prove her wrong. The ache in his head sharpened into a deep stabbing pain and darkness loomed, threatening to render him unconscious.
“I do not know you,” he said and looked up at her.
She had turned away from him and was now facing Marcus and Nevar.
“Don’t you remember the rooftop in London around two weeks ago? You were there, talking to me, and Veiron fought you,” she said to Nevar.
“Stop your trickery! It won’t work on us.” Veiron snarled and stalked towards her, intent on capturing her and putting an end to this farce.
She held her hand up and dark crimson flames curled from her fingers, chasing over her skin. He stopped. It seemed she had command of her power after all and had merely chosen not to use it during the fight.
“It is a lie, as I told you,” Nevar said. “I have never met Veiron, the traitor, nor you before this day.”
“You have met me twice. Once in London and once on an island where you fought Apollyon.”
Nevar had fought Apollyon? Apollyon was the most powerful angel in existence. Had he killed Nevar and that was why the guardian angel didn’t know the target? Veiron growled at himself this time. She was sucking him in with her web of lies and he was beginning to fall for it. They had to escape before she poisoned them as she had poisoned these traitors. He would not fall.
“It is no use,” Marcus said in a solemn tone. “They have had their memories altered. Heaven has brainwashed them.”
Veiron looked between her and Marcus and Nevar, unsure what to do. He didn’t know her. He didn’t know any of them. His head ached and throbbed, pain burning behind his eyes.
“Although I do not understand why they have changed Veiron’s memories… unless he remembered something.” Marcus’s words swam in Veiron’s pounding head, breaking past the pain and confusing him further.
“You are wrong,” Veiron said.
“I can prove that Erin is not lying to you,” Marcus countered and Veiron looked at her. She was so close to him, easily within reach. He could grab her and fly away with her, take her to Heaven and complete his mission. He could block out the lies and deliver her to his superiors as ordered.
So why did he feel a deep desire to remain here looking at her, listening to their poison, allowing them to lure him into their trap?
Her eyes shifted and met his, and a spark of warmth lit them. They entranced him and he found he couldn’t look away. He didn’t want to look away.
“There is a pool in Hell that records the happenings on Earth and in Hell. It will show you and Nevar.” Marcus struggled to hold Nevar as he wrestled him.
“Lies,” Nevar growled and beat his wings, trying to escape Marcus’s grip. The sword cut deeper into his throat and he stilled again. Veiron shared his anger but something about Nevar said anger wasn’t the only emotion his fellow angel was feeling. He was shocked too.
Veiron could understand that emotion. He wasn’t sure what was truth and what was lie, and with each minute that passed, the line between them blurred and became less distinguished.
They had to get away.
“It is a trap.” Veiron readied his swords. “You intend to lure us into Hell for your master.”
His gaze flicked to Nevar’s and met it. The angel gave a slight nod. He was ready too.
Veiron’s eyes shifted back to the target. It would be too risky to grab her and try to free Nevar. He would rescue his comrade and then return to capture her. Her gaze rose to lock with his and the wind caught her black hair, blowing it to one side, away from her throat.
His eyes fell to the marks on the left side of it, visible above the neckline of her black t-shirt, and a jolt rocked him, heating his chest.
He shook his head to clear it, beat his wings, and shot past her and the original angel. Before Marcus could react, he had slammed into both him and Nevar. Nevar reacted immediately, shoving Marcus’s blade away from his throat and tearing free of his grasp. They both beat their wings and took off, speeding high into the air.
Neither Marcus nor Amelia came after them.
Veiron looked down at them, watching them growing smaller and smaller as he sped towards Heaven.
He had failed.
Veiron hated that and the fact that he couldn’t shake how the target had looked at him and how he had felt because of her gaze on him. The things she had said raced around his mind, leaving him with more questions than ever.
“We must report,” Nevar said and wiped the blood from his throat.
Veiron nodded.
They would file a report on what had happened but Veiron knew it wouldn’t give them what they both wanted.
It wouldn’t give them answers.
Veiron needed those most of all.
And he wouldn’t rest until he had them.
CHAPTER 29
The moment Veiron was lost from view, Erin collapsed to her knees on the beach, a wave of fatigue crashing over her. She hadn’t grabbed much sleep in the past week, had been constantly thinking about Veiron and hoping that when he returned, everything would turn out all right.
Nightmares had haunted what little rest she had snatched, terrifying visions of Hell and of claws, fangs and horns that had left her shaken and cold to her marrow, filled with a sense of dread that she couldn’t dispel. The visions were worse now than ever and they were scrambled too, flipping from one horrific scene to another and then back again, so fragmented that they didn’t make any sense and offered her no clue as to what the future held unless it only held oblivion, fire and destruction.
Now that she had seen Veiron again and had seen with her own eyes that Amelia and the others had been right about him, she had nothing left to hold onto and the final shreds of her strength left her. She no longer cared if oblivion was all that lay ahead of her.
Veiron was gone.
Erin’s ability to breathe had been lost to her when she had felt the quake and turned to see the cause. Veiron had stood before her, a changed man. His wings had no longer been a beautiful shade of crimson and his armour had lost its darkness. His long scarlet hair had been chopped short, but wild on top, and no trace of red had touched his eyes.
Even his personality had been startlingly different to the man she had fallen in love with.
She pressed her palms into the damp sand on either side of her thighs and scrunched it into her fingers, needing an anchor in the maelstrom of her emotions.
Her power had withered and died in his presence. She had told herself countless times that he had come to hurt her, to capture her for his new side, but it hadn’t stopped her wanting to protect him, and it had been impossible to raise a hand to harm him.
She would never do such a thing.
She loved him too much.
A shadow washed over her and then Marcus crouched beside her, still wearing his silver armour. His wings were gone now though. She hated the pitying look in his pale blue eyes.
“Do not lose faith, Erin.”
It was easy for him to say. The love of his life was still with him, could still remember him, and hadn’t just come to kill him.
Marcus gently laid a hand on her shoulder. “I am convinced they have had their memories altered. The only reason they could have for changing Veiron’s memories is that he remembered something. It is possible that he remembered you.”
That wasn’t a comfort at all. It only made her want to cry and give up all hope. What chance was there of saving Veiron from Heaven and this twisted game if Heaven could just change his memories and make him believe their lies? She had told him the truth and he had fought against it, voicing lies that his master had put into his head. He believed that he had died months ago. Even Nevar had forgotten about her and the two times their paths had crossed, and it wasn’t because he had died. Apollyon h
ad reported that Nevar had escaped their fight with only minor injuries.
Erin was beginning to believe the Devil. Both he and God were cruel and malevolent. They used their men to their advantage, uncaring of their feelings, shaping them into pawns that would do exactly as they ordered.
She wished she could free Veiron.
“Erin, we may be able to unlock his memories.” That caught her attention and she raised her head and looked at Marcus.
It was a small comfort, a slender thread of hope that she clung to as though it was a lifeline. Even if they could restore whatever he had remembered, what future was there for an angel of Heaven and the Devil’s daughter?
Veiron’s words rang in her mind. Evil. She wanted nothing to do with Hell or her father, but Veiron still thought her evil. She clutched her chest and breathed deeply against the pain in her heart. Was this how Veiron had felt whenever she had said such terrible things about his kind and Hell? Had he hurt so deeply that it felt as though his life would end? He had wanted nothing to do with the Devil, had been against him just as she was, but she had reacted to him as though he was still aligned with that realm and that vicious man, and she had wounded him with her careless words. Evil. She wasn’t evil, she believed that in her heart, but it still hurt to hear him call her such things.
Amelia came to sit on the sand beside her and Erin could hear Einar whispering to Taylor, comforting her as he healed her.
“Is it really true what he said?” Amelia’s voice was low and cautious, and Erin nodded, knowing exactly what she was asking. “When did you find out?”
Erin sifted the sand through her fingers, focusing on the feel of it to distract her from the pain of her memories.
“When the Devil attacked us in Hell, I made a deal with him. He wanted me to awaken and promised I wouldn’t have to die to do it. In exchange, he offered to call off his men.” She closed her eyes and then opened them again and stared into the distance at the turquoise water that stretched into infinity. The sunlight twinkled on it and she felt the whole scene should have soothed her, but she felt nothing as she looked at it. “The angels attacked and I begged him to send you all away. He refused to save Veiron… he made me watch him die… and then I felt as though I was dying too.”
Amelia touched her other shoulder but she shirked her grip.
“The Devil told me then that I was his daughter,” Erin said and turned to face Amelia, locking eyes with her. “Which means I can’t be your sister.”
“Erin—”
“Am I your sister?”
“Yes.” Amelia cast her gaze down at the sand. “But not by blood. You were adopted… but that doesn’t mean you’re not my sister.”
“When were you going to tell me? Were you ever going to tell me, Amelia?” Erin’s hands heated and she breathed slowly, trying to calm her rising anger. She had avoided talking about what had happened to her since Veiron had died and the Devil had returned her to the resort island. She hadn’t wanted to face it because it meant admitting that she was the Devil’s daughter, and therefore couldn’t really be Amelia’s sister. Now, the hurt that she had bottled up inside her heart broke free and flooded her, jumbling her feelings and leaving her afraid that everything she feared was about to happen.
She didn’t want everyone to turn their backs on her.
She didn’t want to be alone.
“I only found out when mum died and dad was so upset because they had both wanted to tell you, but they had never found the way to break it to you.” Amelia reached out to her and then paused and lowered her hand into her lap instead. “We wanted to tell you... but then my life got turned upside down... and I was afraid of losing you.”
Erin didn’t know how to react to that. Amelia feared losing her? Erin realised what she meant. Amelia had never told Erin what had happened to her. She had been afraid that Erin would freak out on discovering that she was some kind of angel, just as Erin had feared Amelia would leave her on discovering that she was something straight out of Hell.
They weren’t so different after all.
“Just because they aren’t your biological parents... it doesn’t mean that they’re not your parents, Erin, or that I’m not your sister. Mum loved you as her own... and dad loves you. I love you.”
There wasn’t any comfort in those words. Her parents had never told her. All this time she had thought they were her real parents and Amelia was her real sister. It hurt to discover that it was all a lie, not just because she felt betrayed and that she had lost her family, but because it confirmed that the Devil wasn’t leading her astray. He really was her father and her power had nothing to do with the power that Amelia commanded.
Erin couldn’t breathe.
On the back of losing Veiron, it was too much for her to handle. She wasn’t strong enough. She needed to get away and get some air, find some space, do something to make it all sink in so she didn’t feel as though she was drowning.
“This hasn’t changed anything, Erin. You’re still my sister. I still love you. You have to believe that.” Amelia touched her shoulder and Erin couldn’t stand it.
She shot to her feet, pain erupting in her heart and scorching it. She wished it would incinerate it completely. She didn’t want to feel anything anymore. Her whole life had been a lie. She had tried so hard to convince herself otherwise this past week—that it was the Devil who had lied so she would use her power to help him—but now she knew that he hadn’t deceived her. She had deceived herself.
“I can’t do this right now,” she said and Amelia stood and blocked her path.
The love Amelia had claimed to feel for her shone in her grey eyes and Erin wanted to fall into her arms and hold onto her. She needed to feel Amelia’s arms around her, comforting her just as she had done so many times in the past.
Another need overruled it though.
She needed to be alone. It was the only way she was going to find the quiet she needed in order to process everything that had happened today and in the past few weeks. She knew it was running away, but she didn’t care. Her hands heated further, scorching her bones. She needed space or she was going to go nuclear.
“Erin, listen to me. You’re my sister, by blood or not.” Amelia caught her arm but Erin tore her hand off her, cast it aside, and shoved past her.
“Let her go. She needs some space, Amelia. It’s been hard on her.” Marcus again and she silently thanked him for his support. He had always been there for her since she had first met him, judging her needs better than Amelia had ever been able, and it seemed her new status as the Devil’s daughter hadn’t changed that about him. The relief that swept over her because of that almost overwhelmed her. He wasn’t going to cast her out because of her father, and she knew Amelia wouldn’t either. They wouldn’t leave her alone to fend for herself.
Erin walked the beach, trying to get her head straight. Heaven had assigned Nevar to watch over her. Did that mean that they had known all along that she was the Devil’s daughter? Had they placed her with Amelia’s parents or had that been dumb luck? They had assigned Marcus to Amelia, so they must have known what she was. They must have placed her with that family on purpose.
With Heaven already guarding Amelia so closely, the Devil may not have noticed that they also guarded his daughter.
Or had her entry into that family been his doing? Had he hidden her there and the fact that Heaven had assigned a guardian to her been a coincidence?
Her head hurt.
Either way, she hated both realms and refused to work for them.
Erin sighed and wrapped her arms around herself. It felt as though these past few weeks had stripped her identity from her. Everything she had known had changed, leaving her unsure of herself and who she was. Was she still the same woman she had been before being captured and taken to Hell? She no longer felt the same. Heaven and Hell had beaten her carefree spirit out of her. They had destroyed her life, just as they had destroyed Amelia’s, and Marcus’s, and Veiron’s, and e
veryone else they sucked into this vicious game.
She wanted them to pay for that.
She wanted to tear down Heaven and destroy Hell. She wanted them all to feel her wrath and end this game. They had no right to play with people’s lives like this.
Veiron had never wanted the role they had given him, always forcing him to fall, to remember all the terrible things they had made him do in their names. They didn’t care about who they hurt with their game. She and everyone else were just pawns to them, a means to an end, a player they discarded without regret.
The Devil had sacrificed one pawn to gain another.
His best man in exchange for his best woman.
Well, she wasn’t going to play this sick game of his for him. She was going to stand against him and shake Heaven and Hell until they acknowledged her power and bowed at her feet. She would show them no mercy, just as they showed none to her and those she loved.
She would convince Veiron to listen to her and would reclaim her lost love and bring him back to her. Nothing would stand in her way. Not God or the Devil himself.
Veiron would come back for her. He would want to fulfil his mission and capture her, and when he returned, she would be ready for him. She would do all in her power to convince him that everything Heaven had told him was a lie and he loved her, and that they were meant to be together. He would listen to her. He would remember her.
A wave of sickness crashed through her and Erin clutched her stomach.
She could feel the Devil’s blood coursing through her veins, a powerful darkness that had threatened to seize control of her more than once since he had awoken it within her. She had tried to master it, had spent the week hiding away from the others, practising with her power and learning to control it. It was too strong at times, ruled by her feelings. Whenever she remembered what had happened to Veiron, it spiralled out of control, burning at a thousand degrees, until she felt as though it would destroy her and the demon within would take over.
Erin slowly sat down on the sand and rubbed her stomach, trying to ease the churning ache there. She had thrown up several times when an attack like this happened and had quickly learned to rest and wait it out rather than trying to do anything.
Her Angel: Eternal Warriors Romance Series Complete Series Box Set (Books 1-5) Page 62