Etheria (The Halo Series Book 1)

by Melody Robinette

  “Uh—” was all Gray could get out before a massive tremor ran through the ship, knocking him off balance. “What the—?”

  Then he heard Aurora curse, followed by her screaming. Loudly. And it didn’t take him long to figure out the portals within the mulciber stones had been opened.

  Because, demons were now pumping out of the black holes into the enclosed rooms like toxic sludge into a wasteland.

  Thirty-Nine

  CHORD

  Chord chased after Sev, out of the library, at a speed he wasn’t happy with, after having just eaten a rather large dinner. Sev hadn’t eaten anything—digestion, surely, would’ve slowed him down.

  “Where do you think Michael is?” Chord called ahead.

  Sev didn’t bother looking back to shout, “I haven’t the slightest idea.”

  “Then where the hell are we going?”

  “To change into our Halo armor,” Sev explained as if this should be an obvious fact.

  “Oh. Wait—what? Why’re we doing that?”

  “Because clearly, Samuel knows we’re onto him, so he will have to act fast,” he returned in a voice far too calm for someone who was both running and plotting to stop an angel traitor. “I’d be surprised if he hasn’t already begun opening the portals at this point.”

  “Well, then we need to tell Michael!”

  “It’s too late for that,” said Sev darkly. “Trust me.”

  “So, should we split up and change in—”

  “No,” Sev interrupted. “We shouldn’t split up. That’s never a wise idea. I’ll change first, and then we can go to your room.”

  “Or we could both go hide in the black and white maze and pretend we never agreed to any of this,” Chord said only half-jokingly. Sev raised his eyebrows at Chord as they continued to charge down the passageways and stairwells. “Kidding!” Chord said in a high-pitched voice. “I totally can’t wait to fight a bunch of demons.”

  They made it to Sev’s room, and Chord sat on Gray’s bed, his legs still tingling from all the running. Though, instead of making him tired, it had energized him. Sitting was just making him feel antsy. Sev moved around the room, gathering his armor and weapons. Chord leaned back on Gray’s pillows and pretended not to watch as Sev stripped off his t-shirt and pants. He looked even better in underwear than Chord had expected. Clearing his throat, Chord picked up the closest thing to him so he could get his mind off of the growing tightness in his pants. The closest object happened to be an analog watch that moved continuously rather than clicked.

  “Wonder where Gray is,” Chord said, more to cut through the awkwardness than anything. He knew Gray was probably chasing after a confused Aurora who didn’t know whether she loved or hated the poor bastard.

  “I wouldn’t know. I’ve been in the library,” Sev answered. “Probably with Aurora or Brielle.”

  “Oh, yeah, Brielle.” Chord had blissfully forgotten about the lovely girl for a moment. “Maybe the three of them are hanging out.” He laughed. “I’d love to watch that interaction.”

  “That’s why I don’t become romantically involved.” Sev pulled on his pants in one swift motion. “There are so many more important things to be doing.”

  Chord snorted. “That sounds like something someone who has never had sex before would say.”

  And for the first time, Sev seemed minutely annoyed at Chord’s “Sev’s a virgin” remark, his sharp jaw clenching. “Yes, well, I believe you and I have covered that particular topic already.”

  “Not thoroughly,” Chord said in a quiet voice, making Sev fumble with the zipper on his jacket. Or, at least, that’s what Chord liked to think.

  Sev turned around as he slid his rapier into his holster and clutched his crux in his left hand. With his shoulder-length hair and his dark red armor, he looked like a slightly less beefy version of man on the cover of a romance novel. And now he was fixing Chord with a strange look.

  “What?”

  “Is sex the only thing you care about?” Sev asked bluntly.

  Chord’s mouth fell slightly open at this, but he was able to recover quickly. “No. It’s not actually. It just happens to be one of my favorite topics. And, if you’d ever had sex, you would know it’s about far more than just physical pleasure. It’s about an emotional and mental and sometimes even spiritual connection as well. A person is never more vulnerable than when they are completely naked in the presence of someone else. That’s the closest two people can physically be. So, don’t judge sex solely on what you’ve read in your little books, Sevastion. There aren’t words that can properly describe how physically connecting with a person you truly love feels.”

  Sev was quiet for a moment, processing. “I apologize. I didn’t realize you thought of it like that. When you explain it that way, it sounds like something I’d like to experience.”

  “Well, maybe you will soon…” Chord said. Then, hearing the suggestion in his voice, cleared his throat and hastily added, “Ready? I’ve got to change into my Halo armor before these mulciber stones barf out a bunch of demons and I’m stuck fighting in my dinner jacket.”

  The journey to Chord’s room was weighted down by awkward silence, and for once, Chord regretted talking so much about sex. But he didn’t have much time to dwell on this. Just as he was turning the lock and opening his door, Etheria shuddered violently, and a cacophony of screams sounded throughout the ship.

  “Shit. You were right.” Chord barreled into the room, ripping off his clothes and scrambling about to find all of the pieces of his Halo armor.

  He’d imagined undressing in front of Sev numerous times, and it was always much more glamorous, set to a bow-chica-wow-wow soundtrack. This was neither glamorous nor sexy. It was terrifying. Chord’s heart beat faster as the screams outside grew louder. Of course, he did notice with some satisfaction that Sev had given him a brief once-over when he’d stripped completely down to his underwear. Lucky he’d lost a few inches after having trained like mad for the past week—despite the mounds of food he’d eaten.

  He holstered his favorite falchion sword and clutched his crux tightly in his right hand.

  Sev placed a hand on the doorknob and turned expectantly to Chord. “Ready?”

  “Wait,” Chord said, surprising even himself as he approached Sev until they stood inches from one another. “If you’ve never had sex, I’m assuming you’ve never had a truly good, passionate kiss either. And you should really experience that before you die. So, just in case—”

  Allowing Sev the chance to push him away, Chord moved forward slowly. But Sev didn’t push him away. Quite the opposite. He moved forward, pushing Chord backward until he was pressed up against the stateroom wall and kissed him with such enthusiasm that Chord thought he just might climax right then and there.

  Sev ran his long-fingered hands over Chord’s back, clutching at his armor, pulling him tightly to him until he let go and took several heaving breaths. Chord’s hands trembled from the adrenaline now pumping through his veins, and he imagined his eyes looked somewhat like Sev’s—wild and bright with dilated pupils.

  “So?” Sev said through breaths. “Shall we?”

  A slow smile formed on Chord’s face. “Yeah. Let’s go kick some demon ass. And, if we both live…we need to do that again.”

  A glimmer of a smile flickered on Sev’s face. “Agreed.”

  AURORA

  Demons streamed out of the portal like a geyser. The only weapon Aurora had on her was her crux, which Samuel had either humanely left on her person, or foolishly overlooked. Either way, she was grateful she’d been wearing a dress and had slipped it into the side of her bra for safekeeping.

  “Do you have your crux?” she shouted to Gray as she slashed at a winged demon.

  “No! But I do have a rather large shard of glass!” he called back.

  Evidently Samuel hadn’t searched her quite as thoroughly as Gray. He was a better fighter than her, but she knew he wouldn’t last long with only a sliver of glas
s to protect him. A momentary distraction in the shape of a demon that looked like a bizarre mix between a crab and a rhinoceros came charging at her, claws clicking. At the last second, Aurora found a space to dodge into, and the rhino-crab impaled itself on another demon’s unicorn-like horn, black dripping blood pouring onto the immaculate marble floor. The horned demon shook its head back and forth, attempting to remove the other half-live demon, spraying tar-like blood in a sickening imitation of splatter art. Aurora backed away, sidling against the wall, gashing through any demon that came near.

  The room steadily filled with the snarling, foul-smelling creatures, and Aurora frantically scanned the area for a glimmer of hope or way out. Then her eye landed on a demon resembling a miniature brontosaurus, or perhaps a colossal black giraffe, its long neck stretching to the top of the ceiling.

  Slicing through the heart of another demon, she charged for the long-necked giant and climbed onto its back. It reared onto its hind legs, striving to knock Aurora off, and would have been successful if she hadn’t grabbed onto one of the spikes protruding from its back, pulling herself upright. The skin of the demon was barbed like a cat’s tongue, making it easier for her feet to remain on the twisting creature attempting to buck her off. Struggling forward to the demon’s neck, Aurora could hear Gray’s grunts through the shattered window.

  At least he was still fighting.

  “Gray!” she called once she’d managed to pull herself halfway up the demon’s neck, only feet from the window. “Climb onto one of the demons!”

  No answer.

  “Gray? GRAY!”

  Aurora knew he was still alive, but that didn’t mean he would be for long. She pulled herself up the remaining two feet and grabbed onto the ledge jutting out from beneath the broken window. Pressing her hand into the ridge in the wall to pull herself closer, she felt thousands of tiny pricks from the broken glass but ignored the pain. The long-necked demon yanked its head violently to the right and this time knocked Aurora loose.

  Dangling from the ledge, kicking wildly, she tried to give herself enough momentum to pull herself up. But the glass dug into her fingers, and she wasn’t sure she had enough upper body strength. The demons teemed below her like souls in the River Styx. In a final moment of power, Aurora let out a shout and pulled herself upwards onto the ledge.

  A hand shot out to grab hers, and Aurora’s eyes connected with Gray’s as he jumped off of the flying demon he had somehow climbed upon. At his touch, a warm pulsing sensation moved through her cut hands, healing the shallow wounds almost immediately, and filling the rest of her with warmth.

  Remembering how easily they’d killed the demons on the top deck together, Aurora fixed steady eyes on Gray as she said, “Don’t let go of my hand,” before leaping backward, pulling Gray with her into her room full of Samuel’s malevolent gifts to the Stellars.

  CHORD

  With flushed cheeks, a racing heart, and tight pants, Chord followed after Sev and encountered their first demon. It was small and ugly and was not unlike a black flamingo without a beak.

  “A Thraxen,” Chord heard Sev mutter as he charged at it.

  “What the hell is a Thraxen?” Chord asked as they continued onwards after Sev easily sliced off the creature’s head.

  “I’ve been naming the demons I could remember from last week’s attack. I have a whole journal of their names and descriptions, along with poorly drawn sketches I hope you will improve upon.”

  Chord flashed Sev a sly smile. “I assume I’ll be receiving some form of payment for said illustrations?”

  To Chord’s satisfaction, a blush warmed Sev’s cheeks, and a lopsided smile appeared on his lips. “In some form, or another.”

  They encountered a group of demons clogging up the stairwell. Samuel must not have thought through where he would place the mulciber stones.

  Chord tried not to laugh as he listened to Sev articulating each demon’s name, slicing through their skulls and piercing through their chests.

  And with a jolt far more threatening than any demon, Chord realized he hadn’t felt this way about anyone since Jonathan. He’d only known Sev for a little over a week, and already he was feeling that telltale, head-over-heels, butterfly-inducing sickness which came with falling in love. Plus, Sev looked really hot when he killed demons, even if he was naming them off so his photographic memory would be able to place a name with a face.

  They battled their way up to the top deck where Halos and winged Powers alike fought side by side against a backdrop of black night and illuminated stars, the moon shining brightly on the water. If demons weren’t attacking them, Chord would have liked to stop and take in the beauty of it all. But, alas, demons were attacking them, so he moved onward, slicing through the creatures’ flesh with his falchion.

  They made it to the carnival part of the top deck, which now looked like its theme had been changed to evil, dark, and nasty. The sugarcloud stand had been knocked over, and a winged demon Sev called a Westle was gobbling them down like nobody’s business.

  “Chord!” Sev called from several strides ahead of him.

  Chord’s gaze shot to Sev, who was fighting a giant slug demon. He was also pointing to a brunette trapped on the carousel several yards away, ten demons of varying shapes and sizes closing in on her.

  Brielle.

  “Dammit. I didn’t want to have to save her life today,” Chord protested.

  Brielle was good with a knife, this was true, but there was only so much she could do with that many demons lashing out at her.

  Suddenly, a mucus green demon with long, lobster-like pincers knocked her to the ground. Her knife flew across the carousel floor, lodging itself in the foot of one of the animals, now eerily stationary. She let out a soul-rattling scream, rolling under the stone-still lion.

  Chord charged forward to save the girl who thought his soul was beyond saving.

  He moved swiftly, dodging demons and bodies of Halos until he was beneath the belly of the green lobster-demon. Finding a small break in its thick, impenetrable armor, he drove his crux into the unprotected flesh. The demon let out a loud squeal and dissolved into a puddle of black muck.

  Brielle watched with wide eyes as, one by one, Chord took out the other demons with his falchion and wiped the black slime off the blade on a nearby cushion that had been dislodged from its chair.

  “Thank you, Chord,” Brielle said in a small voice, her eyes shining with tears.

  And, for some reason, he had a feeling she wasn’t crying from fear or relief. It was something else.

  For a moment he thought of answering her with a snide or sarcastic remark, but he stopped himself, only nodding and handing over her knife.

  “No problem.”

  And, before he ruined his apparent progress, he leapt back into battle, leaving Brielle standing alone on the carousel.

  GRAY

  Gray and Aurora dove like two sea birds into the waves of snarling, growling, drooling demons ready to devour them. Aurora had instructed him not to let go of his hand—like he would have anyway.

  Gray kept hold of his slice of glass, which had done quite a bit more damage to the demons than he’d expected.

  “Hold on!” Aurora repeated as they neared the seething mass of evil creatures.

  They landed on the back of a winged demon, reminding Gray of what a pterodactyl would have looked like if it were completely demented. Aurora brought her crux down into the creature’s back, and Gray kept a tight hold on her hand.

  Like the incident in the training tent the day they'd discovered they were Stellars, the demon exploded into oblivion, causing a ripple effect. The room shook more violently than an earthquake as one by one, and then all at once, the demons exploded, blowing a hole in the wall between the two rooms imprisoning Aurora and Gray, annihilating every last creature of darkness.

  The Stellars stared at one another with heaving chests and wide eyes, now completely alone in the two rooms that had now become one. Aurora's sap
phire eyes locked with his, her pupils swallowing her sapphire irises.

  Now that the immediate danger had passed, Gray decided he was tired of restraining himself. He was tired of not knowing what kissing Aurora Coel felt like. Letting go of her hand, he closed the foot of distance between their faces, pressing his lips fervently to hers.

  She stiffened in surprise at first, and Gray was fully prepared for her to push him away or slap him or kick him or worse. But she didn’t. She pulled him toward her, then moved forward until her legs straddled his lap, her hands pressing into either side of his face. Her white dress, torn and covered in black demon blood, covered him like a blanket as her lips and tongue slid over his.

  Aurora tasted like sugarclouds and sea salt.

  Gray had kissed his fair share of girls, but it had never been like this—or even close to it. His skin was on fire, but in the best way possible. Currents of electricity pulsed through him, a building sensation overtaking him. It was something he could only compare to that of the pleasure of an intense orgasm—only it was much deeper than that. It was as if his very soul was trembling with pleasure.

  Aurora gasped, having apparently felt the same thing, and then they were both shaking.

  No…actually the ship was shaking. Trembling. Shuddering. As if it were about to fall apart.

  Aurora, still on top of him, pointed to a hole in the wall leading out into the rest of the ship. “Gray, look.”

  There was a giant porthole window displaying the clear seawater and other oceanic life. Before, where the water had been a brilliant cerulean blue, it was now filling with thousands of dark shapes consumed by fire.

  Underwater.

  Aurora climbed quickly off of Gray, and he wanted to tell her anything they saw couldn’t possibly be as entertaining as kissing her. But, reluctantly, he followed after her into the dark passageway.