The latter is the most heartbreaking.
I’m trying to convince myself that life without seeing him isn’t as bleak as a lifetime in Hell. I’m only fooling myself. Michael was right. I love him.
Victoria.
My name on his lips curls around me like a cocoon. Goose bumps and butterflies race through me as he calls out to me. Every ounce of my being begs to go to him. To be with him. Yet a small voice, not my own, whispers of all the things I’d be giving up. There’s a chance he doesn’t feel as strongly for me as I do him. Am I willing to fall for a hope and a prayer?
I no more than think the thought before the clouds begin to quake and thunder crashes. God knows my thoughts, and he’s sending a clear message. Think carefully, because there is no way back.
Victoria.
He calls my name again with a sense of urgency.
I need you. I . . . love you.
My breath hitches and eyes close as I savor the words. How could he have known that’s all I needed to hear? Without another thought, I fall.
I jerk awake, panting at the memory turned dream. I haven’t thought about that night in years, and for damn good reason. It was the beginning of the end.
I turn on my side to find the bed’s empty. Zeke’s already left, without saying goodbye. Panic crawls up my chest. Was I talking in my sleep? Does he know my secret?
My hand runs through my hair, pulling at the roots in frustration. Worry and anger war to pull me under—worry over why Zeke isn’t here and anger for the intrusion by my past into my dreams. How dare he haunt me. Is it not enough that he ruined my life? Why, the very night I decide to give in to my need for Zeke, would my mind conjure this memory? It’s because of him I hardly sleep as it is. It makes me sick that after everything he did, my mind still craves his touch. He left an ache so acute it threatens to tear me apart, no matter how hard I try to reject it. And I hate myself because of it.
Staring at the ceiling, I will my breathing to slow. Getting worked up about something from the past isn’t the way to start the day. I refuse to allow him to have this much control over me.
The wooden beams overhead help to refocus my thoughts. They remind me of Zeke. It was he who transformed this hayloft into a livable home. From the polished exposed beams to the treated wood floors, this place has Zeke’s touch in every corner. So much thought and hard work went into transforming this space—for me.
The very bed I sleep on was handcrafted by the power angel, soon after I took ownership of the barn and surrounding property. It was Zeke who helped me arrange it all. Without him, I would’ve been lost in so many ways. He saved me.
That’s the difference between the two men. One used me at every turn for his own benefit. He took everything I offered. Zeke has only ever given of himself.
Throwing off the covers, I jump from bed, quickly dressing in my workout gear. First I need to work off some steam, and then I need to find Zeke. Today I’ll be training extra hard, just to attempt to wipe all thoughts of that dream away.
Thoughts of him away.
He who shall not be named was my downfall. He’s the entire reason I fell, and I’ll regret it for eternity. The worst part of it all? It was my decision; he never asked me to. I did that all on my own, and no matter how much time has passed, that truth never gets easier. Placing the blame solely on him does.
Lust is an evil bitch that’ll turn on you in an instant, leaving scars that may not be visible but last a lifetime, the pain never dulling.
I chug a bottled water and rip open a protein bar. Angel or no, hunger is still a thing, and this morning, I’m starving. I shove half the bar into my mouth and chew, trying to think of everything I want to accomplish today.
Trying to keep my mind from wandering to people and times I’d best not think about. Things that only stress me out and make me angry. I throw the remaining food in the trash can, no longer hungry, and go through my morning routine. It’s accomplished in record time, as the need to get out this loft is suffocating.
Clad in my black sports bra, black shorts, and black Nikes—basically my signature pissed-off look—I head toward the trail behind my loft. Popping in my earbuds, I turn the volume on high, desperate to drown out the residual noise caused by my dream.
I’m not moving as fast as I’d hoped. My powers are weakened from last night, which just manages to piss me off more. I’ll need to recharge before tonight if I want to rid the world of more demons. And I do. It’s my only mission in this new life.
I let the anger propel me forward on the dirt trail I’ve run for years. My arms pump and sweat beads on my forehead. It’s been unseasonably warm, but I won’t let it stop me from pushing myself. I need the burn. Anything to get my mind as far away from him as possible.
I make it a mile before my foot catches on an exposed root, nearly sending me to my knees. I stop in the middle of the path, arms coming up atop my head, bent over, breathing heavily, as treacherous tears stream down my face. All the pain and frustration comes to a head. I don’t want to think about the past, yet I can’t escape it. I throw my head back and scream, a guttural cry toward Heaven.
The sky opens up and rains down heavy droplets of water, soaking me through. Thunder shakes the earth, and I can’t help but feel it’s God’s way of punishing me for a dream I had no control over.
“What do you want from me?” I yell to whoever is listening, but there is nobody. There hasn’t been for some time. They all turned their backs the day I decided to trade in my wings for a chance at love.
My heaving breath is so loud that I almost miss the cracking of branches behind me. I still, wiping away the lingering tears, focusing my ethereal hearing on whatever or whoever is approaching.
The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Something’s off. It’s the middle of the day, and even with the overcast it’s far too light for what I’m sensing. Whatever is approaching isn’t human and it isn’t exactly animal. It’s pure evil.
Another branch cracks right behind me.
I swing around, fists at the ready, but they’re caught midair by a wide-eyed Zeke.
“Calm down, killer.” He chuckles but stops short when he sees something on my face.
Fear.
“What’s wrong?” he asks, swiveling his head to take in the area.
My shoulders relax slightly, breathing coming under control as I process it was just Zeke.
“You scared me. I thought—”
“That someone was sneaking up on you?” he says, cutting me off.
“Yeah, I guess,” I kick at the dirt, sending pebbles racing across the ground, feeling foolish.
“You looked like you were having a moment,” he admits, brows creased in the center, worry evident in the way his lips pinch at the corners. “This isn’t about last night, right?”
My cheeks heat at the knowledge that he witnessed such a personal meltdown and at the memory of what we did. I blow out a breath. “No. Of course not. I—” I pause, searching his face for hints as to what he might know. There’s nothing there. He looks worried, but not angry. “Why did you leave this morning without waking me?”
“I wanted to get in a quick workout,” he says, motioning toward his running gear. “Did you miss me?” He grins, pulling me toward him.
“I’m all sweaty,” I protest, but it doesn’t stop him from bathing my neck in kisses. “Maybe we should go back inside?” I moan.
He steps back, smirking. “Nope. Let’s finish this run. You need your strength.” He winks before taking off past me, kicking up dirt in his wake.
I sprint after him, and when I finally catch up, we run side by side in silence, each pushing the other to run harder. It’s great motivation having a warrior angel train with you. It’s also a personal penance. Watching his muscles flex is torture, which only spurs me to pump my arms faster. The lure to join Zeke back in my bed is overwhelming.
Despite having Zeke here, I still can’t quite shake my unease. Something niggles at the bac
k of my conscience. The hairs on my neck are still upright, and that makes no sense. I have acute demon radar and it’s never off, but it’s daylight and impossible. They’ve never wandered this far out of the city either. Too many signs point to a misfire on my sensor.
Still, I have an intense feeling I’m being watched. Someone other than Zeke is here.
“Did someone follow you?” I ask, turning my head toward Zeke.
He frowns. “No. I’m alone.” He slows to a stop, turning toward me. “What’s this about, Tori?”
“Someone’s here. I can feel them.”
Wolves
He turns in circles, crouching into a fighting stance. He doesn’t question my instincts, and I file that away, remembering to buy him dinner sometime. The fact he has my back so readily warms me, endearing him to me even further.
More cracking sounds reach us. With each snap, whatever’s out there moves closer. I join Zeke in a crouched stance. From out of the thick brush, two demons step onto the path, heads tilted, sniffing the air with bloodlust. The taller of the two is missing his nose, nothing but two holes in its place. His eyes have no pupils; white nothingness stares directly at me. The skin around his eyes hangs loose, the muscle below exposed. Long, greasy black hair falls to his shoulders. He looks like he just came from a fight and he lost.
The other has the head of a wolf, yellow eyes large and dilated. He stands on two feet, swaying back and forth.
What the hell?
“Are you seeing this?” I call over my shoulder to Zeke, not willing to risk turning my back on the monsters.
“I’ve gotta say, I’m not feeling good about this turn of events,” Zeke admits.
He can say that again. It’s been years since I’ve come against anything other than a vampire, and it’s been a millennium since I’ve encountered a werewolf. Worse yet, they’re out during the day. That is something I’ve never witnessed. Demons are typically eviscerated by the sun, which makes it impossible for them to roam during the day.
It was one of the curses God put on Lucifer when he was banished to Hell. Eternal darkness for him and all the original fallen angels. This new development is bad. Very bad.
My eyes roam the two creatures, looking for anything that would help me understand how they’re out.
“One of you wanna tell me how you’re still standing? Considering the sun is out,” I say, lifting my chin upward.
No-nose steps forward. “Things are changing,” he says. His voice slithers over me, menacing and malicious. “The days of hiding are almost over.”
My eyebrow rises to a point. “How?” I spit the word.
The wolf throws his head back and howls, while the other laughs maniacally.
“Friends.” It’s all he offers.
Witches.
The only thing that makes sense is that the witches have teamed up with Lucifer, but what’s in it for them? The covens around here don’t play nice with any creature. They keep to themselves and don’t get mixed up in the celestial politics that the rest of us are forced to partake in.
The werewolf raises a fur-thick paw to scratch at his ear, and that’s when I see it—the talisman on his finger. Definitely witches.
There are different covens all over Earth, and each sides with either Heaven or Hell. One faction wants peace and to be left to themselves, while the other wants hell on Earth and to reign supreme. Dark witches are at work here.
“You stumbled across the wrong fallen today, boys,” I say, lacing as much conviction as I can muster into my threat.
“We’re going to feast on your heart, angel.” He growls the word like a curse.
As much as I want to unleash my signature brand of cocky, they’ve caught me off guard. I have the benefit of Zeke’s help, but we’re unarmed. Neither of us has our swords on us, and unless Zeke has powered up, we’re at a major disadvantage. This fight isn’t going to be one of the easiest I’ve embarked on. I grit my teeth.
“Smell that, Magrid?” No-nose directs to the wolf. “Fear. She’s going to taste delicious.”
I huff. That’s good. Underestimate me. That’ll work well for you, I think to myself, channeling all the rage I can muster up. It comes much easier than anticipated, the lingering anger from my dream sweeping over me.
No-nose slinks toward me, his left leg dragging behind him at an odd angle. He definitely lost a fight recently. Or he was tortured.
I glance in Zeke’s direction, and he smirks, noticing what I had already worked out.
Homeboy making his way toward me is going to be easy peasy to take out. It’s the wolf I have my eye trained on.
Zeke steps in front of me, seemingly eager to take out No-nose. “Mind if I take this one?”
“Help yourself, but don’t think I don’t notice you’re taking easy street.”
He grins, right before crouching and jumping up into a roundhouse kick, knocking No-nose back a good ten yards. When he lands on his feet, he looks back at me, chest all pumped up as though he has something to brag about. Yeah, so what if he didn’t even break a sweat.
“I’ve seen more impressive takedowns.” I shrug, biting my lip in a playful manner.
The truth was, watching Zeke work is sexy as hell. That I can admit.
He laughs. “You like me, English. It’s written all over your face.”
I chuckle, shaking my head. “Don’t get cocky. You still have another one to take out, and he doesn’t look as easy,” I say, nodding my head in the wolf’s direction.
“Come get it,” Zeke calls out to the wolf, but it doesn’t move.
The demon called Magrid throws his head back once more and howls, long and then in clipped yelps. I frown, taking in the peculiar scene, and then it hits me. He’s summoning something.
“Zeke, get back. He’s calling more.”
Zeke frowns as he digests what I yelled. Before he can make sense of it, four more wolves come out of the woods to stand behind Magrid.
“Fuck. Tori, run!” Zeke bellows, backing up quickly to put as much distance as he can between him and the pack. “Tori, I said go,” he commands, but I don’t move. I won’t desert him. He said he wanted to fight alongside me; now’s his chance.
“Go,” he screams, turning and running toward me.
Seeing his retreat, I decide to heed his words, and I take off as soon as he’s past me. I’m running at inhuman speeds, but it’s not fast enough. My diminished power is making me damn near mortal. A quick peek over my shoulder proves what I feared—the pack is gaining on us. Zeke is fifty yards ahead of me, faster than I am, but not even he will be able to outrun these demons.
The sky darkens overhead, clouds snuffing out the sun. Within seconds, the area is shrouded in darkness. They’re controlling the elements. Not. Good.
I look back again, and the yellow eyes glowing in the dim light have me pumping my arms faster. My mind walks through all my options at warp speed. Without Solis, my chances of taking all five of the wolves is bleak, even with Zeke’s help. We’re in uncharted territory. I have no idea of the strength these creatures possess. My run-ins over the past several years have been exclusively with vampires.
That’s when all hope is lost. Ahead of Zeke, another pack of werewolves step into our path, surrounding us at our front and back. Zeke and I put our backs together, each facing one of the packs.
“What do we do?” I ask, trying to keep my voice steady, not willing to show fear.
“Go for the pack leader’s heart. It’s all I’ve got, Tori. It has to work,” he says, squeezing my hand.
“Can using their name benefit us?”
“I’m not sure. Call it out and see,” he suggests.
“Magrid, freeze,” I yell out, shaking my head at the lameness of my command.
A loud roar shakes the trees and ground beneath us. My eyes widen, not knowing what the hell’s happening. Did his name cause this reaction?
Even the wolves stop in their tracks, sniffing the air and looking around. Whatever’s out
there has even the demons shaken. Magrid’s jowls open into an intimidating smile, and I know that using his name doesn’t have the same effect as calling out an angel’s.
“Shit,” I curse, beginning to lose my cool. “It didn’t work.”
“Tori, listen to me,” Zeke whispers. “When I say go, run to your left into the trees. Our best chance is to lose them while most of them are distracted.”
I nod my head, unable to speak.
The loud roaring continues, and I cover my ears with my hands, trying to drown out the unnerving sound.
“Go,” Zeke says, and I take off, running through the overgrown forest. Branches scratch at my exposed skin, tearing flesh wounds that will heal much slower than usual, considering my powers are drained.
The bushes on both sides of me rustle, signaling I’m not alone. The wolves are closing in, and I’m not sure how many followed me. The only thing for me to do is face the threat head on, no matter the cost. I’ll never outrun them.
I stop, turning to assess the situation.
All of them followed me.
There are two angels in these woods, but they all decided to follow me and leave Zeke.
That doesn’t add up. I might be stronger, but these creatures wouldn’t be able to determine what my powers are. They aren’t strong enough. These are bottom feeders.
The pack moves slowly toward me, tongues hanging out and clawed paws hanging to their sides. One’s missing. The original wolf, Magrid. My head turns left and right looking for the leader. My heart rate accelerates as I realize what a mess I’ve found myself in. I never leave my loft without at least one blade.
I was distracted. Again.
Sweat trickles down my cheek from the exertion of trying to escape. I wipe it away roughly, unwilling to go down without a fight. I crouch low in a fighting stance, hoping to take them out at their feet.
The roaring starts up again, but I don’t pay it any attention, my focus on the pack. The sounds of heavy feet can be heard breaking branches under their weight. I squint, trying to see what’s headed my way. The current head of the pack seems to decide to bring his attention back to me.
Fear The Fall: Fallen Hunters Series Page 6
