by J. E. Taylor
“Aren’t we a pair,” he said with a smile. “Here goes nothing.”
We tightened our grip on each other, and aimed our palms toward the crackling light. Flames licked my hand, but that was it. A small ray of white light sputtered from his. We both stared at our hands as if they were impotent tools.
I pulled my hand out of his grip. I nearly torched my face before I closed my hand. He fisted his hand before the angel fire shot into the stratosphere.
His eyes looked like wide anime eyes. I imagined I carried the same expression. We both turned and faced the breach.
“Let’s try that again,” he said, and the moment our hands opened, white and blue flame shot from our hands.
The moment it hit the breach, it was as if a thousand souls screamed. But it wasn’t screams of pain; it was screams of joy. The breach opened wider.
“Jesus Christ!” Tom closed his palm and took a shaky step back. “We weakened it! Fuck!”
I screamed, pushing more power into my fire. The gap widened, and bodies started pushing through. Panic bloomed as the first charred figure fell through the breach. Its red eyes turned towards us and it smiled.
“God damn demons,” Tom muttered.
I aimed my palm at the thing. Once they were on this side, they had no defense against the force of a human blowtorch, but that didn’t help us. The minute I torched him, two more tumbled out.
“I’m coming for you,” a voice carried through the breach. A voice I recognized but my singular focus wouldn’t allow me to draw a name.
Tom’s face went deathly pale. “Give it everything you have.”
I concentrated, grinding my teeth as more demons fell onto this side of the breach. When blue eyes peered out through my wall of fire, I gasped and renewed my effort, letting the overwhelming panic fuel the fire.
Lucifer was coming.
I threw not only flame, but force behind it. Force strong enough to rival category five hurricane gales, so those that broke through had to be strong.
A storm brewed overhead.
“You know what you have to do,” Tom said, stepping close.
“No!” I screamed, using the grief that had snuck up on me as more fuel.
“You have to,” Tom whispered. “It’s either him or you, and I’m betting on you.”
The roar of the wind surged around us and I stared into Tom’s eyes.
He tore his shirt open, revealing Raphael’s sigil on his chest, and pointed at the breach. “If Lucifer gets through, I’m dead anyway.”
“I can’t.” My throat tightened at the thought of eating a human heart. “You should have killed me that first day.”
His gaze hardened. “Don’t ever think that. Ever. You understand?”
I nodded, feeling the full force of Tom’s impending death even more than the loss of my mother. This was my fault.
His gaze flicked to the disturbance between worlds, and then he closed his eyes. Clenching his jaw, his skin broke open like a scalpel running down the length of his chest.
I gasped in horror. I couldn’t imagine the pain, but the shake in his tight fists gripping his shirt conveyed it anyway.
He cried out as bones snapped, and his rib cage ripped through his skin, giving me a clear view of his innards.
“Take the grace,” he said, and his lungs inflated and deflated with his labored breath.
The fact he’d cracked open his own sternum terrified me, and the hold I had on the portal waned. Fire spit like crackling embers from my ungloved hand.
If I failed, Lucifer along with the entirety of hell would be let loose on earth. The chaos and destruction would be unimaginable. Tom knew what kind of massacre would happen if my father got loose. He was willing to sacrifice his life to give me the only source of power that could stop it.
I reached into his chest with my gloved hand and grasped his heart. The beat of the muscle continued, and tears clouded my vision.
He met my gaze. “Do it,” he commanded.
I screamed as I yanked his heart from his chest, and the fire flared brighter. I had no choice. If I didn’t ingest his heart and absorb Lucifer’s grace, my power wouldn’t be strong enough to repair the rift. My father was already halfway through. If he made it to this side, mankind would perish.
My fire was the only thing keeping him from reaching this world.
I closed my eyes and shoved the still beating muscle into my mouth, then bit off half of it. The chewy consistency and warm blood made me gag, but I forced the bite down, and kept eating until it was gone. I wouldn’t let Tom die in vain.
He had once described what it was like to absorb grace, and he was right. With blood still dripping down my chin, my entire form went rigid as the grace of two angels and every last ounce of Tom’s gifts fused in my cells.
Memory upon memory clenched my muscles. Pain radiated outward, causing a chain reaction. I screamed but still held fast, blasting the portal with all I had.
I had no idea if Tom lived long enough to see my transformation. But I got a good view of it in the reflection of the cottage windows. Wings of fire formed on my back, burning into my skin before they turned as black as the void. The fire flowing from my hand tripled in strength, turning into white-hot angel fire, annihilating the rift between worlds and anything in its path.
When the searing agony abated, I was left with only sparks in the air, the closed portal, and Tom’s dead body at my feet. My chest constricted, and I dropped to my knees. I pressed his hand to my lips as my tears drenched his cold fingers.
“Just remember to keep your promise,” Tom’s voice rang in the clearing.
I looked up and blinked at Tom’s ghostly figure. I nodded, trying to get a hold of the power snaking through my form. Lucifer’s grace was darkness personified, and it wanted to rule in my blood. Tom had carried this massive responsibility around for the last fifteen years, and I felt the weight of it smothering me. I had promised Tom that I would always reject the darkness, no matter how seductive it seemed.
“I will remember,” I whispered.
Tom smiled and faded into the smoky mist surrounding me.
I didn’t know how long I knelt next to Tom and cried. But when my mind finally kick-started back into order, I glanced at what he had done to his chest. I couldn’t bring him home looking like this, so I closed my eyes and tapped into what he had given me. Tom’s repairing of the living room window came to mind, and I wished his chest closed.
Sweat broke out on my forehead as I envisioned his ribs back in place, and his skin fused together, unbroken. When I opened my eyes, his chest still lay open.
“Damn it,” I whispered. I let go of his hand, placed my palms on the skin on the outside of the shattered ribs, and pushed. They collapsed in with a sickening crack. At least his chest was no longer open, but I had no clue how I was going to get him into the truck.
I climbed to my feet and took hold of his ankles. Dragging him to the truck took more energy than I thought I had, but somehow, I found enough reserves to get him to the side of the truck.
I struggled to get him over my shoulder to get him in the back. Tears heated my face with frustration and grief. I didn’t realize I was sobbing until I got him into the truck and closed the back door.
I buried my face in my hands and fell to my knees. What the hell was I going to tell them? That my bright idea nearly cost us the world? That it did cost Bridget and April their world?
“I knew this was a one-way ticket,” Tom’s voice echoed in my brain. “They knew it, too.”
His words didn’t help the devastation riding hot waves through my veins, but it gave me the strength to get to my feet. I wiped my face, and my gaze landed on the smoldering pile of bodies under where the rift had been.
Nothing moved at first, and then the pile fell away. One charred body rolled towards me. Blue eyes peered from a blackened face.
I gasped.
I knew those eyes.
Those were the eyes of my father.
&nb
sp; The End
Newsletter
About J.E. Taylor
J.E. Taylor is a USA Today bestselling author, a publisher, an editor, a manuscript formatter, a mother, a wife, a business analyst, and a Supernatural fangirl, not necessarily in that order. She first sat down to seriously write in February of 2007 after her daughter asked:
“Mom, if you could do anything, what would you do?”
From that moment on, she hasn’t looked back.
In addition to being co-owner of Novel Concept Publishing, Ms. Taylor also moonlights as a Senior Editor of Allegory E-zine, an online venue for Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror. She is also co-host of the popular podcast Spilling Ink.
She lives in Connecticut with her husband and two children and during the summer months enjoys her weekends on the shore in southern Maine.
Visit her at www.jetaylor75.com and sign up for her newsletter for early previews of her upcoming books, release announcements, and special opportunities for free swag!
Sign up for Ms. Taylor’s newsletter at: https://app.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/y2z2x6
You might also enjoy other books from J.E. Taylor’s backlist:
THE STEVE WILLIAMS SERIES:
From the mountains of New Hampshire to the streets of New York City, these novels take you on a journey through some of the darkest days in Steve Williams' FBI career.
The series includes these single titles:
DARK RECKONING (Book 1)
“J.E. Taylor has penned a tale of terror worthy of Lovecraft. The strong characters, edgy atmosphere, and unflinching narrative hooked me from the first and kept me riveted all the way through to its horrifying conclusion - a solid piece of storytelling!” Ty Drago, Editor of Allegory and author of PHOBOS
VENGEANCE (Book 2)
HUNTING SEASON (Book 3):
“Unstoppable, breath stealing, and terrifying all at once.” - Cat Connor, author of killerbyte, terrorbyte, and exacerbyte.
“Hunting Season goes where few venture, mixing a compelling crime thriller with supernatural forces. The action and drama is thick and fast and I guarantee you will not be able to put this book down.” - Poppet, author of Seithe and Darkroom.
GEORGIA REIGN (Book 4)
CRYSTAL ILLUSIONS (Book 5)
“Gripping, rich and magnificent - crime whodunnits don't get any better than this!” Author Poppet – Author of QUISLINGS, BLINDSIDED, DJINN and DUSAN
“CRYSTAL ILLUSIONS is a dizzying thriller with a terrifying killer, a unique detective, and some twists you will not see coming! This is Steve Williams’ most addictive adventure so far and J.E. Taylor at her very best!” Ty Drago - Author of THE UNDERTAKERS Series
“This has to be one of the best mysteries I have ever read. Move over Agatha Christie there's a new sheriff in town, and she is great.” - PRG Reviews
SAVING FACE (Book 6)
THE GAMES TRILLER SERIES
Intensely disturbing. Beautifully horrific. Indescribably intense. Gruesome and gory. You can't help but get caught up in this series.
When Ty Aris kidnaps Jessica Connor for his step-brother’s underground film network, he is not prepared for the impact this woman will have on his life. The Games Series brings Ty and Jessica from the dark days in his step-brother’s sadistic prison, to the glitz of a major motion picture premier in New York City in a powerful combination of suspense, romance, and heartache. They battle the worst in human nature, as well as a paranormal twist that nearly destroys them and all they love.
This series includes these single titles:
SURVIVAL GAMES (Book 1)
MIND GAMES (Book 2)
END GAME (Book 3)
FALLEN (Bonus Prequel)
NIGHT HAWK TRILOGY
Damian Andreas is an ancient vampire tasked with keeping the archangel bloodlines safe. Blinded by his hatred for Lucifer, he snatches Naomi Hawk from the devil to claim her as his own. The moment his teeth sink into her neck, he realizes he has just broken his own vows.
When Naomi bites him back, his blood transform her into an immortal shadow, and puts Damian on a collision path with an angry archangel.
Single titles in this series:
NIGHT HAWK (Book 1)
TIGRESS (Book 2)
TRINITY RISING (Book 3)
THE RYAN CHRONICLES
Tom and CJ Ryan harbor the power of the Gods. Refusing to stand with Lucifer puts both of them, and everyone they love, on the devil’s hit list.
There are only so many ways you can break a man before his wrath changes the status quo. Rekindled by family, by love, by home and memories, the ruthless son of Ty Ryan steps into the shoes left under the family tree by his dad, and this time he’s out of mercy.
The series includes these single titles:
CJ’s Story:
ANGEL GRACE (Book 1)
ANGEL HEART (Book 2)
ANGEL WRATH (Book 3)
Tom’s Story:
ANGEL BLOOD (Book 4)
ANGEL FIRE (Book 5)
ANGEL FURY (Book 6)
MAGICK TRILOGY
Paige Turner’s magick skills are rusty, but she needs to refine her spells or her determination to save a very special soul will prove to be disastrous.
Single titles in this series:
MAGICK (Book 1)
BLACK MAGICK (Book 2)
PRACTICAL MAGICK (Book 3)
THE DEATH CHRONICLES TRILOGY
What would you do if you found out Death was your father and you were destined to take over the family business?
Dylan Nicholas Ramsay—Nick to his friends—does not want the job, but he has no choice. The fallout of refusing to accept his fate is bleak, and when rogue reapers step in to try to overthrow the status quo, all hell breaks loose.
Single titles in this Young Adult paranormal suspense series:
DON’T FEAR THE REAPER (Book 1)
HIGHWAY TO HELL (Book 2)
KNOCKING ON HEAVEN’S DOOR (Book 3)
THE PARADOX FILES
A protector. A lost soul. A siren looking for salvation.
Kylee Paradox never expected to be a protector of humankind, but when hell’s portals open and let loose the creatures of the underworld, she can’t see any other way.
Armed with an ultimatum, Kylee has no choice but to embrace her new position as bounty hunter of the damned. Sending these monsters back to purgatory becomes her life’s mission.
The only glitches in an otherwise noble pursuit are those who hold her fate in their hands. They forbid her from using her deadly siren song to lure the beasts back to the pit.
If she harms even a single innocent soul in her quest, Kylee herself will become one of the hunted.
SILENCING THE SIREN(Book 1)
WAKING THE SIREN(Book 2)
HUNTING THE SIREN(Book 3)
FRACTURED FAIRY TALES
RED
CINDER
BRAVE
TANGLED
FROZEN
SNOW
SPINDLE
BELLE
ROBYN
Other titles by J.E. Taylor
MESSIAH
SILENCE
STAR CROSSED
Short Story Compilation:
GLIMPSES
TOUCH OF FIRE
Visit Ms. Taylor’s website for more information on any of these titles!
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