by Riley London
“I’m not so sure it was because I was in Hell. I mean, I was able to get my hands to glow when I first got there,” I explained. “I think it was because...I was away from you guys for too long.”
“Away from us?” Benjamin’s interest seemed to be piqued.
“Yeah, I think because I was away from all of you, the power just got less and less, until it ran completely out,” I continued. “I think you were right, Benjamin. I think you guys are like my fuel or something.”
“Cool,” Zachary replied. “So, what now? Are we going after Trinity or what?”
“Going after her?” I asked.
“You said she was evil, right?” Zachary went on. “So, doesn’t that mean we need to figure out what she’s up to? Gather some intel?”
“You can leave that part to me.” I rose up from Charlie’s bed. “I think it’d be better if I was the one who started the conversation with her, you know, sister-to-sister?”
“Sister-to-sister.” Charlie nodded. “Yeah, that sounds like it could work.”
Chapter 18
I spent a full week waiting for the right time to confront Trinity about her report to the council. Even though I knew that Zachary wouldn’t get on my case about it, I still didn’t want to be seen raising my voice at her or approaching her in any anger. For all the council knew, we were just two students at the academy that had no prior history together.
Ha.
God. I wished it were true.
The perfect moment came when I saw her going into the training room all alone. It was during lunch, so it kind of made sense that no one would be interested in training since everyone was already congregating inside of the cafeteria. I stayed a few feet away from her, as I followed behind her every footstep.
By the time she’d walked through the training room door, I’d already pushed her up against the nearest wall, with my hand clenched tight around her throat.
Trinity’s eyes went wide, before she looked me up and down. “Is this how you handle all your problems? Violence?”
“I think it’s the only language that people like you understand.” I stared back at her. “Why the fuck would you ever go to the council about me?”
“Because I needed you to see.”
“See what?”
“I needed you to see that the angels don’t care about you. They don’t even care about their own,” Trinity continued. “They’d eat you alive at the mere suggestion that you were consorting with a demon. I didn’t even bring any evidence to their door, just an accusation on my lips. And look, it’s already driven you to madness—”
“Oh, I’m not choking you because I’m crazy. I’m choking you because you’re really starting to get on my fucking nerves.”
“All you have to do is work with me. Rule with me.” Trinity’s lips turned into a wild grin. “Can’t you feel it? The power that courses through your veins? It needs a home.”
“The surface is my home.”
“The surface? You sound like our father—” Trinity paused, before she looked back at me. “Wait. Is that where you ran off to? Were you holed up somewhere with our parents?”
She let out a low laugh. “I’d heard something about them finally stepping down from their throne, but I never found out why. Did you convince them that a war would be futile? That they’d be dead before morning?”
“No. They didn’t need to be convinced,” I continued. “They gave up their throne in exchange for having me back.”
“Of course,” Trinity hissed. “Of course, they’d give up their entire world for the sake of you. They were never happy with the daughter they still had at home. They mourned you. I could see it in their eyes, every time they looked at me.”
“Why would they love me more than you, Trinity? You actually spent time with them,” I explained. “I think they love us both, they just didn’t get as much of a chance with me—”
“You don’t understand.” Trinity tried to shake her head, even though my grip around her throat was tight. “You and I are not the same. Call it a play of genetics. Call it just shitty luck. But you are more angelic than I could ever hope to be. Most of my power lies in the dark, lies in the demonic side of my nature. And our parents were afraid of it, how it would cause me to turn out.”
“You don’t have to lean into your demonic side, Trinity. You can choose to be good.”
“Being good is not a choice. People who are good are good all the time.” Trinity smiled, but there was something wicked behind it. “And being bad isn’t a choice, either. It’s inside of me, pulsing through my heart, turning it an even darker shade of black.”
“Trinity, you just have to fight it—”
“I don’t want to fight it!” Trinity yelled. “I want to be who I am! Who I was born to be! And I want my sister at my side!”
Trinity pushed me away from her, before using her leg to kick me right in the abdomen. I stumbled backward but didn’t fall. By the time I looked back up, Trinity was running toward me.
“If you are not with me, then you are against me!” Trinity cried out, bringing her leg down straight toward my head. I expertly dodged her move, as I rolled back toward the other side of the training room.
“Don’t make me do this.” My hand reached down towards the hilt of my weapon.
“Make you do what, Celeste? Make you lose?” Trinity pulled out her throwing knives, holding them up towards her face. “You’re weak, just as all angels ultimately are. Your goodness isn’t a blessing. It’s a curse.”
When Trinity finished speaking, she threw one of her knives right at my shoulder. And unfortunately, it quickly sank into my skin.
“Shit!” I pulled out the throwing knife, letting it clang against the ground. “Abscondam.”
“Are you with me or against me, sister?” Trinity held another throwing knife between her fingers. “Now is your last chance to decide.”
“I’m sorry,” I apologized, before I sprang up to my feet, and ran toward Trinity.
“Sorry for what—” Trinity’s mouth fell open, as my hidden blade pushed through her waist.
“You...your blade...I...didn’t see it...” Trinity’s words fell out of her mouth, nearly one by one. “That’s...an interesting trick.”
“I’m sorry,” I apologized again. “But you weren’t giving me any other choice.”
“Oh, do you think you’ve killed me, sister?” Trinity coughed, close to my ear. “No. I have a few interesting tricks of my own.”
Trinity grabbed onto my shoulders and my world swirled into deep red and darkness.
I was underwater.
I was burning underwater.
I opened my eyes and the sky above me was pitch black.
I decided to swim, kicking my feet toward anything, everything, until something around me made sense.
Eventually, my fingers gripped onto something sharp and tangible. I pulled on it until I was able to lift myself up and over the source of water.
I gasped for air as soon as my knees hit land.
I turned back toward the water, confused. I didn’t know where I was or how I’d gotten here, or why I’d woken up drowning.
In that same lake, there was Trinity. She wasn’t swimming. She wasn’t moving at all.
I could tell that her heart was still beating, by the way it fell and rose in her chest.
Hell.
I must’ve been back in Hell.
I must’ve been drowning in holy water.
Why would Trinity have sent us both back here?
I glanced at the water again.
Holy water.
I wondered if its properties were able to heal angels, even though those same properties might have burned a demon alive. Since Trinity was still part angel, even if she was doing her best to kill that part of herself, the healing properties must’ve worked on her.
Not wanting to be here when she woke up, not wanting to be here at all, I thought back to the academy, visualizing the training room, visualizing the
empty hallway and the crowded cafeteria...
And then, I was back.
Epilogue
Trinity had disappeared for the rest of the school year. I hadn’t minded her absence since it gave me one less thing to worry about. Of course, the council was still on my ass about possibly consorting with demons, and I think that Trinity’s mysterious state of no-longer-being-here wasn’t making me any less of a suspect. But it was whatever. I had other shit to concern myself with, like bringing up my grades on average, and learning more about myself.
And by learning more about myself, I meant learning more about how to hone God’s gift.
In that dream or vision of the future or whatever it was that I’d seen when Trinity and I both touched the amulet, I was much stronger than I was now. If I was able to kill Abaddon after he killed my parents, then I must’ve learned how to harness that shit, right? The problem was that I had no idea where to start. All I knew was that my body turned into a glowstick after I’d had sex with both Benjamin and Zachary at the same time.
But how the hell was I going to pitch another threesome to the guys? Since I’d gotten back to campus, I’d been having one-on-one time with each of them, physically and romantically. It’d actually become a pattern, spending my mornings with Charlie, my afternoons with Benjamin and my nights with Zachary. And each time, the electricity would almost reach a fever pitch, but never quite got back to where it was when it’d been two-on-one.
I put the thought out of my mind as Charlie nuzzled up beside me in his bed. “Hey. What are you thinking about?”
“Nothing.” I shrugged. “Just school stuff.”
“What kind of school stuff?”
“...Stuff.” I kept my answer short. “What are you thinking about?”
“You don’t have to do that. You don’t have to lie to me.” Charlie shook his head. “And don’t say it’s for my own protection, I was the one brave enough to come down to get you in literal Hell. I think I’ve earned some respect.”
“You were very brave.” I smiled back at him. “And fine. If you really want to know what I’m thinking, then I’ll tell you.”
I took a moment, trying to find my words. “Uh, did you know that, uh, Benjie and I—”
“Had a threesome?” Charlie grinned back at me. “Yeah, I know. Zachary’s awful at keeping secrets, by the way. But I guess it wasn’t really supposed to be a secret, even though I wasn’t invited.”
“You weren’t not invited,” I explained. “It was just a spur of the moment type of thing. I promise. If we’d planned it, you definitely would’ve been there.”
“Un-huh.” Charlie smiled. “And what does that have to do with what you were thinking about? Were you just daydreaming about that threesome or what?”
“No. Something else happened, when we all...got together,” I winced at my own euphemism, as I continued. “You know how I can sometimes make my hands glow gold? Like the weapons usually do?”
“Yeah?”
“Well, after that, my whole body did it. Every part of me was lit up, and I’ve never felt anything like it since,” I responded. “It was like every part of me was...”
“Electric?”
“No. Blessed.” I smiled at the memory. “That same feeling I get when I’m touching each of you was like, multiplied by a million, and I just felt so...strong. Like I could take on the world. Benjie said that it’s the same thing that Michael experienced, when he was given enough strength to bound the Princes of Hell.”
“Shit.” Charlie whistled. “Celeste, do you know what this means?”
“No. What?”
“Well, if the Princes of Hell have already escaped to the surface or whatever...” Charlie paused. “Celeste, I think that means it’s your job to send them back. You have to bind them again.”
“I’m not sure that tracks.” I gave Charlie a skeptical look. “I mean, yeah, I have a power similar to Michael’s, but it’s not like God left me a guidebook or something—”
“Yeah, he did.” Charlie nodded. “The academy is your guidebook, Celeste. I’m dead serious. I think you’re supposed to take on the demons this time.”
“But...don’t you know how that story ends?”
“I know.” Charlie let out a somber sigh. “But I always knew that you were special, Celeste Venoix. And if someone has to save the world, it has to be you.”
“What if I don’t want to save the world? What if I just want to stay here with you?”
“Sorry. That’s not on the menu.” Charlie grinned, before he rolled out of bed. “Come on.”
“Where are we going?”
“We need to tell the others.” Charlie was already heading toward the door. “And we need to make sure that you can still glow.”
“You want me to do what?” Zachary asked, as he glanced around our bedroom. “With you?”
“Not with me.” Charlie looked irritated. “With Celeste.”
“And you wanna watch?”
“No. I’ll be uh, doing something too.” Charlie turned to look at me. “Whatever Celeste is comfortable with.”
“And this is supposed to be what? Like research or something?”
“I think we need to see what we’re working with. See how far Celeste’s powers can go,” Charlie explained. “I’m starting to think that she might be the new Michael.”
“Yeah, and what’s your evidence for that?” Zachary shrugged. “So, she can glow gold. So what?”
“Oh, come on. Don’t act like you don’t realize how big of a deal it is.”
“No, I know how big of a deal it is, and I know what happens if we’re able to prove your little thesis.” Zachary narrowed his eyes over at Charlie. “You realize what this would mean for Celeste, right? What it would mean for all of us?”
“Yeah. I do.”
“Celeste? You’re okay with this?” Zachary directed his question toward me.
“I am.” I nodded. “I think it’s important to know, Zach, whether or not I can even do that little trick again. For all we know, it could’ve been a fluke.”
“It wasn’t a fluke,” Zachary continued. “But I’m willing to help you out with your science experiment. See what happens.”
“Nice. And what about Benjie?”
“I mean, I’m sure Benjie would be fine with it, once you explained to him what’s going on,” Zachary replied. “Although, he might make you hide in the corner or something, Charlie. No idea if he’s comfortable or not with you just yet.”
“I’ll take my chances.”
“Good. So, it’s settled.” I tried to sound as calm as possible. “We’re going to have a...foursome.”
“Yep. Let’s get to it.”
God.
This was awkward as hell.
Charlie, Benjamin, Zachary and I all stood naked in the center of my dorm room. We’d been exchanging glances at each other for what felt like the past half hour, without anyone saying a word.
Eventually, Zachary broke the silence with a loud sigh. “So, is this going to be one of those parties where everyone just stands around? Or is someone going to start dancing?”
“I’ve...I’ve never...” Benjamin blushed, as he crossed his arms over his waist. “I wouldn’t know where to start with something like this.”
“I think we just start by listening to Celeste?” Zachary nodded towards me. “How do you want this to go, babe?”
“Uh, I don’t know?” I admitted. “I mean, last time it worked when you were in front Zach, and Benjie was behind me? Maybe we could try that again?”
“Yeah, and what about Charlie?” Zachary asked. “Is he just going to stand in the corner or what?”
“I could try using my hand...” My words trailed off, as I tried to think through the logistics of the situation. “Okay. Wait. Um, which one of you really wants to be inside of me?”
Each of the men quickly shot up their hands.
“Shit. No. That’s a bad way to do it.” I grimaced. “Hmm. What’s another way we c
an decide something?”
“We can draw straws?” Benjamin suggested.
“We can draw straws,” Zachary agreed, before he bent down behind a nearby bookcase. He soon produced three plastic straws in his hand, each cut into different lengths. “Haven’t done this for a while. The last time was to see who had to help Charlie out with his tutoring.”
“Hey,” Charlie scoffed.
“Here you go.” Zachary held out the straws towards Charlie and Benjamin. “Go for it.”
Charlie and Benjamin went for it, pulling the straws out of Zachary’s grasp. I looked and saw that Benjamin ended up with the shortest straw and my heart skipped a beat inside my chest.
Perfect.
Although honestly, any of the guys would’ve been perfect. I couldn’t imagine any of them being bad at this, even though it was everyone’s first time.
“Second to last straw gets a blowjob.” Zachary smirked. “And the longest straw gets a handjob.”
“Works for me,” Charlie replied. He turned his attention towards me. “Celeste, are you ready?”
“Yeah. Benjie, do you mind getting down on the floor? Lie down on your back,” I instructed, and soon, Benjamin followed my instructions.
After he lied down on the floor, I followed his lead. I shifted down towards his abdomen, before I gently took his cock into my mouth.
“Hey, no fair. The floor guy gets a blowjob and the pleasure of fucking you?” Zachary complained.
“Ehh. How else is she going to get Benjie ready?” Charlie shrugged. “Seems only fair to me.”
“...Fine,” Zachary relented.
I didn’t pay their conversation too much attention, as I began to lick the sides of Benjamin’s shaft. He groaned underneath me and that same electricity made its way right through my clit. I started to moan right along with him, continuing to play with his cock in my mouth. I continued with the same motions, until Benjamin’s shaft went hard between my cheeks.
When I thought that he was good and ready, my mouth moved away from his cock with a loud popping noise. There was a trail of precum that strung between my lips and the head of Benjamin’s shaft, and I quickly wiped it away with the back of my hand.
