Angel of Darkness Books 1-5

by Mackenzie Morris

  "So? If they want to get to you, they have to go through me. I'd like to see one of those Ilyan guards even try to stand up against my claws or my breath."

  "Do ya breathe fire?"

  "Not all dragons breathe fire. Mine is water."

  Liam gasped and shook his head. "No. I can't do this. I can't."

  "Liam? What is wrong?"

  "Not water. Not water! The red paladins tortured me and tried to drown me over and over again."

  "I see. But my water won't hurt you. It will never hurt you, all right? I swear that to you. You can use my water breath to turn that back on them. Make them feel the way you did when they tortured you."

  Liam tugged at the end of his tunic. "I guess . . ."

  "We need to finish this ritual, Liam. I need you to be one hundred percent certain that this is what you want."

  "It is. Go ahead and do what you need to do."

  "First, you must touch your soul and take the vow."

  Liam reached out and placed his hand against the cool orb. "I'm ready to take the vow."

  "Repeat what I say after I'm done. For eternity, I give myself to you as your mate. We are one soul, one mind, one being."

  "For eternity, I give myself to you as your mate. We are one soul, one mind, one being."

  Karix wrapped his left claws around Liam and held him tightly. "Don't move, or I could mess up and kill you. Understood?"

  "Yeah."

  "Here I go."

  The very tip of one of Karix's right claws punctured the side of Liam's neck, directly on the artery. As the blood flowed out of the wound, Liam started to feel lightheaded then his legs buckled under him and he fell.

  * * *

  "Jaylen!" Zeriel sat up in bed as he clutched his stomach and hips where one set of bandages wrapped completely around him multiple times. Another set covered his chest, shoulders, and back. He barely had the strength to move his ebony wings.

  Xair stepped into the room. "Calm down. You had a nightmare. The herbs I gave you for the pain can cause those. It's good to see you awake, though. I was beginning to get worried."

  "How long have I been out of it?"

  "About three days. You suffered some grievous wounds. Two stab wounds. One entered your stomach and exited cleanly against your spine. Luckily, that one didn't hit your spine. The other shattered your sternum, punctured your left lung, then exited between some of your ribs."

  "Is that why it hurts to breathe?" Zeriel asked.

  "Indeed. Don't try to move too much."

  "Where is Jaylen?"

  Xair sat on the foot of the bed and smoothed his purple silk robe with the gold lining. "How much do you remember about what happened to you?"

  "I remember Carvael and fires. Did my father do this to me? Oh, no. Don't tell me he got Jaylen."

  "I'm sure as the medication wears off, you will start to remember more. I will tell you this, though. Jaylen isn't here. Those wounds of yours? They are from a longsword . . . Jaylen's longsword. Yes, he is the one who stabbed you twice then joined Carvael's side. It's true. There were witnesses."

  Zeriel absentmindedly played with the ragged ends of the blanket. "I remember. He told me he loved me."

  "I know this must be hard for you. Betrayal always stings."

  "It wasn't betrayal."

  "How can you be so sure?" Xair asked.

  "I know Jaylen. He tried to warn me that something was going to happen. He even apologized ahead of time for this. I just didn't know what it was yet." Zeriel saw the doubt in Xair's purple eyes. "Am I crazy for thinking that?"

  "It's the pain medicine. Once it wears off, you'll rethink the way you're viewing those events."

  "Jaylen wouldn't kill me for no reason. It's not like him."

  The Ka'taylin slowly traced the flower-shaped rune on the back of his left wrist. "Let me tell you a little bit about paladins. They are never as innocent as they seem to be. Underneath that welcoming smile and those deep blue eyes, Jaylen is no better than a demon."

  "Don't talk about him that way."

  "So what are you expecting to do, Zeriel? When you see Jaylen again, are you going to pretend like nothing happened, like you two are just going to be best buddies again? Face the facts, angel. Your beloved paladin is a homicidal psychopath with a bloodlust for angels."

  Zeriel coughed a few times as his anger grew. "Jaylen is no murderer."

  "Are you sure about that?"

  He leaned back against the pile of pillows. "What are you implying, Xair?"

  "I'm not implying anything other than what I already know to be fact. Ask Jaylen about his mother."

  "His mother died from an overdose of pain pills. Don't you dare try to twist that into something it wasn't."

  "Fine. Believe what you will."

  "Believe what I will?" Zeriel asked. "I believe in the truth."

  "The true truth or the scriptural truth?"

  "I may be an angel, but I don't buy into the lies of the clergy."

  Xair raised a white eyebrow. "Are you saying you aren't a believer?"

  "Sola and the church are two different things. Remember that. Just because the church claims to be doing the will of Sola, only Sola herself knows what her will truly is."

  "You claim to be her son, right?"

  "I don't claim to be. I am her son. What's with you, anyway?" Zeriel asked. "You're edging really close to blasphemy."

  "In case you haven't noticed, I'm Ka'taylin. We have our own religion. We aren't followers of Sola."

  "At all?"

  "Is it that surprising?" Xair asked. "I have the souls of demons embedded in the runes on my skin. Do you think I care about what Sola thinks of me? I'm playing with darker things than your beloved sun goddess."

  "You made the sun vanish over Cilona. How?"

  "Did I do that?"

  "That's what I was told."

  Xair shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know." He turned to the door and stepped out into the hallway. "There's someone here who needs to talk to you."

  "Gavin?"

  "Nope. I'll let you two work things out on your own."

  Once Xair left, a tall man with dirty blond hair and glowing reddish orange eyes and fangs in a long tan coat stepped into the room. He sighed as he leaned against the doorframe and half-grinned at Zeriel. "Hey."

  Zeriel glared at him. "Did I not kill you well enough the first time?"

  "No, you did the job. Hey, I-"

  "Don't. Just don't. I'm not in the mood to hear your excuses, Doran."

  Doran ran his hand through his hair. "I wasn't going to give you an excuse. I was going to apologize."

  "No need. Impaling you to that tree and watching you bleed to death was closure enough. Though, you showing up here as a demon kind of cheapens the whole experience."

  "Zeriel, I came to warn you about my son."

  "What about him?" Zeriel asked.

  "Jaylen is a bomb just waiting to go off. Everyone who comes in contact with him is in direct and immediate danger. That's why he needs to be king. He will be locked away in his castle, behind walls of thick stone and metal where he can't kill anyone but himself."

  "You want him to be king? So you were the one behind the Ilyan attack. You're a vampire, huh? Did you change your nephew into one as well?"

  "Averin?" Doran asked, tracing his fangs with his fingertips. "Yes, that was me."

  "What else have you been sticking your fangs into?"

  "Enough. Listen to me. I'm not actually working for your father. I want to help you, Oviel, Jaylen, and the Ka'taylin. I want to end this before more people are hurt."

  Zeriel scoffed. "You're one to care about people being hurt."

  "I know. I stopped drinking. You know about demons, right? Unlike angels who are reborn as baby angels in Heaven, demons are merely renewed as adult demons. Since that day nine years ago, I haven't had a single drop of alcohol."

  "Is that supposed to impress me? Leave."

  "But Zeriel, I'm trying to-"

&nb
sp; Zeriel pointed to the door. "Leave, or I call the guards. I'm sure they'll love to find a vampire to tie to a stake and slowly rip its fangs out. Too bad about the sun not being here, or that would be even more fun."

  "Fine. I'll be in the main room if you change your mind."

  * * *

  "Liam . . . Liam, wake up. Wake up."

  Liam moaned as he opened his eyes in the dim light. He was being held gently in Karix's right claws. A strip of what used to be his old cotton tunic was wrapped tightly around his neck. "Karix . . . what happened?"

  "I forgot how little you are. Taking so much blood from you made you pass out again. Sorry about that. But I was able to complete the ritual while you recovered. You are my mate now." Karix slipped a leather cord around Liam's neck. "And this is yours. Keep it extremely safe, all right? It is the most important thing to me, aside from you now."

  Liam slid out of the dragon's claws then held up the smooth porcelain-like curved red shard that was hanging from the cord. "What is it?"

  "That is a fragment of my egg. I took it with me, as all dragons do, when I hatched. We give our egg shards to our mates once we find them. Protect that just as I will protect you."

  "I will, Karix. I will."

  "Now, I grow weary down here in this cave. Do you have any friends up top you want to take with us?" Karix asked.

  "We're leavin'? You can get outta here?"

  "Of course I can. I'm an Elder Dragon. No cave can hold me. I've just been staying down here so I can listen to Carvael and Stephan's crazy plans and ideas." Karix knelt down lower and picked Liam up in his claws to put him on his back. "Ready to leave?"

  "Sure!" Liam slid down into one of the soft spots between the ridges on the dragon's back. While it was hard, it was surprisingly comfortable. He then wrapped his arms around one of the glistening spines. "Okay. I'm settled. Go, go, go!"

  "There you go. Grab on tightly and hold on." Karix leapt up into the air then spread his wings as he busted through the ceiling of the cave, sending cracked stones and busted marble falling back down into the darkness.

  Liam cheered as he held a hand into the air. "Yay! Woohoo! I'm a Dragon Knight!"

  Karix let out a ground-shaking roar while he landed on the ground then crashed down through the upper levels of Carvael's palace until he came to a stop in the throne room where everyone gasped and backed away from him. Find your friends, Liam. Can you hear this? It's in your mind. Just think and I will hear you.

  Liam grinned from ear to ear. I hear you, Karix. I hear you! Where is Doran? Oh no. Oviel.

  Oviel was on face-down on the floor with his turquoise wings bent unnaturally behind him. Feathers had fallen to the blood-soaked marble.

  Axaniel stepped back from the mangled angel and dropped the rusty crowbar. "Carvael, the dragon got out! Carvael!"

  "I see it." Carvael stood up from his throne and pushed Jaylen out of the way. "Stand down, Karixlesminatim."

  "I don't take orders from you or anyone else anymore. I have found my mate."

  Liam stood up on the dragon's back and raised his hand in the air. "That's me! Now let Oviel go."

  "A Dragon Knight?" Carvael drew the golden sword of Heaven from his hip and pointed it up at Karix. "You would dare to take on that thief as your mate? What do you possibly think you could accomplish by choosing that brat over everyone else?"

  "I will accomplish everything I need to accomplish, including saving our friends."

  "Your friends?"

  "Liam and I are one now. Whoever he says are friends, are friends. That's it."

  Save Oviel and Jaylen. Brinx and Trevor are down in the cells. Oviel looks really hurt.

  Karix growled as he took a step forward then scooped up Oviel and dropped him into one of the dips between the scales on his back. You hold onto Oviel. I will get the others then we will go to Ilyan. Hold on, Liam. Things are about to get bumpy. We're going down to the cells.

  Chapter 6

  "That . . . was . . . awesome!" Liam cheered as he jumped from the back of his dragon and landed in the freshly fallen snow outside of Jaylen's Ilyan house. "Jaylen, wasn't that awesome?"

  Jaylen laughed as he slid down into Trevor's waiting arms. "Yes, it was awesome. Thanks, Trevor."

  "No problem."

  Brinx took off into the sky and stretched her pink wings as she flew in a circle. "Ah, it is so nice to fly free again. Oh, and how I love that sweet Ilyan air. This is my favorite city. Does it feel good to be home again, Jaylen?"

  Jaylen straightened his pale yellow tunic as he walked towards his house. He would have said yes, except for the fact that it would have been a complete lie. "I think I'm going to need some time alone. I have a grave to find."

  "Zeriel's?" Trevor asked.

  "Yeah . . . that one. Trevor, you and Brinx take Oviel inside so we can get him into bed and try to patch up those wounds. Has he gained consciousness again yet?"

  "Not yet, but I did stop the bleeding on the way."

  "Good. Get him inside. He can have my bed."

  Brinx lifted Oviel into her arms. "Oviel is immortal because he's still a Holy Angel. He won't die from this. If we had left him there to suffer more injuries, he would have died. But we got there in time. Now we just make him comfortable and wait for him to wake up."

  "Well, don't waste time talking to me. Go."

  Just as they carried Oviel inside, a pale man with red hair, tight leather pants, and an orange navel ring ran out. "Jaylen! You're back. What happened to Oviel?"

  "Hello there, Gavin. Do we have a healer?" Jaylen asked.

  "We have Xair. Not sure if he's a healer, but he's something." Gavin then spotted the dragon. "Holy Hell! A dragon? You summoned a dragon?"

  "Not quite. Liam is its mate."

  "Yep. I sure am." Liam ran up to Gavin then threw his arms around him. "I missed you, Gavin."

  Gavin patted the boy's head. "I . . . I, uh, I missed you too, Liam. Want to introduce me to your mate?"

  "Karix, this is Gavin the incubus. He's really a good guy."

  Karix let out an annoyed hissing sound. "We seem to have many friends, Liam. For a thief without a guild to back him, you are accepted in this group. Why?"

  Gavin crossed his arms on his half shirt as his orange eyes narrowed behind the white mask. "If you have something to say about me, dragon, then you better say it now to my face."

  "Step closer, incubus." Karix sniffed the air a couple of times. "You smell like a dragon. Why do you smell like a dragon? And not just any dragon. You smell like my brother."

  "Your brother?" Gavin asked. "His name wouldn't happen to be Talixmentilis, would it? Talix for short? He's a baby?"

  "That is my brother. What have you done to Talix?"

  "I haven't hurt him, if that's what you're asking. Go look out back in the stable. He's my mount. He's been disguised as a gryphon so no one would try to take him and lock him away in the facility underneath the temple. I've been taking real good care of him and feeding him all the coconuts he wants. You're welcome."

  Karix gently pushed Liam towards the backyard. "Come with me, Liam. We are going to go check on my little brother."

  Jaylen watched them go into the backyard before he turned to Gavin. "How've you been, Gavin?"

  "I've been better. I can feel something brewing in the air. It's not good."

  "That all you have to say?" Jaylen asked. "You're usually filled with information and witty comments."

  "Not today. The truth is, seeing you back here is one of the last things I wanted to experience. These people, angels, demons . . . they may claim to be your friends in close quarters, but when they're away from you . . . they've been hurt by what you've done. There's a rift forming here, and not the glowing kind in the sky that lets demons in. No. I fear that you may have more to fear than demons, Jaylen. Don't let past friendships blind you to their true intentions." Gavin glanced back over his shoulder. "Speaking of past friendships, I'll let you two talk."

  Jaylen listened as G
avin's footsteps trailed off, but were soon replaced by heavier ones approaching. He leaned against the side of the house, not wanting to know who had come to talk to him now. In all honesty, he didn't care who it was. He just wanted to be left alone and figure out where Zeriel had been buried.

  The heavy footsteps stopped a few feet away then a man's voice spoke to him. "You are pretty accurate with that sword of yours, boy."

  Jaylen felt the blood drain from his face and his body went cold. That voice. "What are you doing here?"

  "I came to get my paladin back. What else would I be doing here? Did you really think that a couple of stab wounds could take me down? Though, if I hadn't known you better, I probably would have died from a broken heart. That was a cruel trick you played on me. And a risky one at that. So risky, Jaylen. What if you had missed and pierced my heart? What if Xair hadn't come back there in time? Too many variables. But . . . it was a smart move on your part. Oh, and you should know something. I love you too."

  Jaylen turned around to see the black-winged angel leaning on a cane with bandages peeking through his unbuttoned black wool coat. The white gauze covered his entire chest. "I'm sorry."

  "I know. But you don't need to be. Like you said, you do what you do because it is right, not because it is good. I respect that."

  "Zeriel . . ." He wiped the tears from his eyes then ran to the angel and embraced him.

  Zeriel groaned in pain. "Careful. I'm hurting."

  "Oh, Zeriel. I'm so sorry. I only did that so Carvael would believe that I was switching sides. I thought you were dead! I will never hurt you again. Never ever ever. I love you, Zeriel. Please don't hate me for what I had to do. You should hate me. You should hurt me, punish me. I'm wearing the collar. You can beat me like the worthless dog I am. I'll beg and whimper and bark for you. Please. Please punish me."

  "No."

  "What? Why not? I've been bad. I need to be punished."

  Zeriel slapped him hard across the face, sending Jaylen to his knees in the snow and clutching his jaw. "That's all the punishment you're going to get from me. Now snap out of it, Jaylen!"

  Xair walked out of the house and grinned as he stopped and looked down at him. "Ah. Jaylen. Welcome home."