by Sadie Hobbes
Marcus let out a breath, his gaze darting around before settling back on me. “You cannot go out there. The archangel cannot see you. We’re lucky that he hasn’t been able to sense you.”
“What are you talking about? He might be my father or at least know who my father is.”
Marcus shook his head even more frantically. “No, no. You don’t understand. I finally figured out the full translation.”
“The one about the fight between the child of flame and the child of darkness?”
Marcus nodded. “Yes.” He pulled the cloak he was wearing off and threw it around my shoulders. He pulled the hood over my hair.
I stared back at him in shock. “What are you doing?”
“You need to run, Addie. You need to get as far away from here as you can.”
Now I was really worried about him. “Marcus, are you okay? Maybe I should call the doctor.”
His eyes grew even more wild. “No, no. I’m fine, but you won’t be if you stay here. You need to go, and quickly. Don’t let anyone know where you’re going. And don’t let anyone see you go.”
“Marcus, I’m not going anywhere.”
I tried to step around him, but he gripped my forearms with surprising strength. “Addie, you are not the child of flame.”
I paused for only a moment before shaking my head. “Of course I am. I can fly. I have wings. They literally flame up.”
Marcus ran a hand over his mouth, glancing toward the back of the house. He pulled me another step away. “No, no, that was my fault. The lines were mistranslated. It was the accepted translation, so I didn’t look at the original too closely. When I did, I realized the original translators had made a mistake. They said it was the child of flame versus the child of darkness. But that’s not what it said. That’s not it at all.”
I backed away from him, not sure why his words were scaring me. “This is crazy. You need to get some sleep. Let’s get you inside. Graham will—”
Marcus’s voice shook, filled with dread. “Graham won’t be able to help you. And he won’t be Graham for much longer.” He took a deep breath and then took my hand, gently this time, pulling me toward the edge of the balcony. “Watch, but don’t let them see you.”
Graham now stood face-to-face with the archangel.
A ball of fear took root in my chest. Something was off. Something about the posture of the archangel made me hold my tongue. His face was incredibly serious as he stared down at Graham. Graham stood perfectly still as well. And I mean perfectly still. He didn’t shift his weight. He didn’t twitch or even move a finger. It was as if he was paralyzed standing upright.
“What’s going on?”
Marcus squeezed my hand. “Just watch. You need to see to understand.”
The angel placed his hand on top of Graham’s head. Once again, it began to glow. Waves of light shot down and around Graham’s body, completely encapsulating him. The glow surrounded him for what felt like forever, but it was probably only about a minute. The glow took the shape of an oval, reminding me of a cocoon.
With Graham being the caterpillar about to be transformed.
As the glow began to dissipate, Michael stepped back. He nodded, his lips moving, but we were too far away to hear. Once the glow was gone, Michael’s lips stopped moving. A smile, one that was not kind, crossed his face.
Graham turned, scanning the area, his entire body stiff. His eyes were somehow Graham’s and not Graham’s. His head turned in our direction. Marcus pulled me back.
I was shaking. Graham’s face had been cold, devoid of the expressions that made him who he was. “What just happened?”
“Humans are given free will, but angels are not. Graham’s free will was just removed. He will now act on the archangel’s orders.”
My jaw gaped at Marcus’s words. But I couldn’t deny that the Graham I just saw was missing the spark that made him Graham.
“Why would the angel do that?”
“Because it is time for the prophecy to be fulfilled. Graham is the child of light.”
“The child of light? You mean the angel the child of flame? That’s me.”
“No,” Marcus said softly, “that’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. The text was mistranslated. It doesn’t say the child of flame versus the child of darkness. It’s the child of light versus the child of fire.” Marcus swallowed noticeably, as if the next words were horrible to taste. “The text goes on to explain that the child of fire will be identified by their burning wings.”
My whole world seemed to stop and crash in on me in one blink.
“That means …”
Marcus nodded slowly, his voice filled with pain. “Graham is the child of light. You are the child of fire. You two are destined to fight to the death for the fate of humanity.”
I stared at him, hearing his words but feeling as if he must be talking about someone else.
“So I’m not the child of Michael.”
Marcus shook his head, not meeting my gaze. “No.”
I stared at him, but he refused to look at me. “You know whose child I am.”
Tears swam in Marcus’s eyes as he finally looked up. “Yes.”
And in that moment, I knew the truth. But I needed to hear Marcus say it. When I spoke, my voice was barely louder than a breath. “Who Marcus? Whose child am I?”
“You are the daughter of Lucifer.”
Chapter 60
Lucifer? I was the child of Lucifer? The devil himself? “That can’t be right.”
Marcus looked as if he wanted to be anywhere but standing in front of me telling me this. “I’m sorry Addie. I know you don’t want to her this. I didn’t want it to be true either. It was when I saw you flying, and the flames on your wings, it clicked something on in my mind. I scoured the books and re-translated the original, myself this time. You are the daughter of Lucifer. There is no doubt about it. And I’m afraid there’s more.”
“More? As in worse?”
“Yes. You are destined to fight the child of light. And the whole world will be changed because of it.”
My gaze flew to the backyard, my mouth dropping open. I couldn’t see Graham from here, but I could picture him. I could feel his touch. I could see those incredible eyes that seemed to look right into my very soul. “Graham. You think I’m destined to fight Graham.”
“I don’t think. I know it. The prophesy will come true. You are proof of that.”
I stared at Marcus wanting to see some glimmer of doubt in his face. Some hint that he didn’t believe the words he was saying. But there was nothing but deep resignation. “I won’t fight him.”
“You won’t fight him because you can choose. Graham cannot. He will have no choice but to fight you. And he will kill you.”
“No, Graham wouldn’t.”
“You’re right. If he could choose, he would never make that choice. I’ve seen how he comes alive around you. But that choice is gone from him now. He is the agent of the angels. And he will come for you. And when he does, he will kill you.”
“I can’t … I just …” My mind spiraled out, along with all of my hopes for my future. It was all too much. I couldn’t seem to form a thought.
Marcus grabbed me by the shoulders, staring into my eyes. “You need to run, Addie. Run far. And don’t look back.”
“But Noel, Micah …”
“I will look after them. If they go with you, they will be killed. Anyone who gets in the angel’s way will be killed. Anyone who tries to defend you will die.”
“But, but he's Michael."
"Angels are not what we've imagined them to be. They are ruthless warriors. We overlook that because in our history they have been on our side. For them, there is nothing but the mission. Now that is true for Graham as well. And his mission is to kill you. And he will go through anyone to accomplish that task.”
It felt like the oxygen had been sucked from my lungs. This couldn’t be happening. It wasn’t possible.
“Addie, l
ook at me.”
I focused on Marcus’s dark eyes.
“I will take care of Noel and Micah. I will make sure they are safe. But you need to run. If you are going to live, if they are going to live, you need to run, Addie, run.” He pushed me forward.
I stumbled, nearly losing my balance. I pictured Graham’s face, or the face of the man who used to be Graham. I moved back to the edge of the patio. I needed to see him again. I needed to know. Staying flat against the side, I peeked carefully around.
Graham and the archangel strode for the house. Franklin moved toward Graham but Graham brushed past him, barking something at him, I couldn’t make out what from this distance. But I could see the look of shock on Franklin’s face, his hand which had been held out, falling limply to his side.
I leaned back. My breath catching. Graham would never treat Franklin like that. Something had happened to Graham. The archangel had done something, had changed him. I moved away from the edge of the patio back toward Marcus.
“I can’t fight him. I won’t.”
“What will you do then? Will you let your friends and those that care about you die trying to protect you from Graham? He has the power of heaven on his side. He will destroy everything in his path trying to get to you. You may not be able to bring yourself to kill him but I assure you, he will have no such reservations when it comes to killing you. He will kill you.”
There was a finality in Marcus’s tone. He truly believed Graham would kill me and anyone who stood in his way.
And now I had people who would stand in his way. Tess and Laura wouldn’t let that happen, neither would Sheila. Marcus would throw himself in the way, trying to stop Graham. And Donovan, Noel, Torr, and Micah: they would all try to reason with him, try to stop him.
But I’d seen that look on Graham’s face. He was no longer in control. In my gut, I knew Marcus was right. I’d heard the tales of the power of the archangels, of their ruthlessness. And if Graham was like them now, then he would kill those I cared about to get to me.
Which meant I had no choice. I leaned up and kissed Marcus on the cheek. “Take care of them for me.”
He nodded back at me, tears in his eyes. “I will. Now go Addie, quickly before he sees you.”
My heart breaking, I did.
I ran.
About the Author
Sadie Hobbes is a dog lover, martial artist, avid runner, mother, wife, and Amazon best selling thriller writer under a different name. She can often be found before dawn wandering her yard with her dogs, dictating her latest novel. If anyone were to see her, they would seriously question her sanity as well as her fashion choices. (Think rain boots over pajamas plus a bulky cardigan). But it works for her!
If you’d like to hear about her upcoming releases, sign up for her newsletter through her facebook page.
She can be reached at [email protected] or on her Facebook page.
Copyright © 2020 by Sadie Hobbes
Demon Cursed
Published by Scottish Seoul Publishing, LLC, Dewitt, NY
All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except where permitted by law.
Printed in the United States of America.
Also By Sadie Hobbes
The Demon Cursed Series
Demon Cursed
Demon Revealed
Demon Heir
Contents
Also by Sadie Hobbes
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
About the Author
Also By Sadie Hobbes
