by J F Cain
“I don’t know what I wanted as an Angel,” Abaddon replied, bothered deep down by her words. But I do know that in the state of existence I find myself now, all I want is you and I don’t doubt I will pay dearly for every moment I experience with you, he continued inwardly. The Source knew very well what It was doing when It chose me to fulfil the prophecy. There is no better executor of a daring mission than an Angel in love with his leader. He glanced at Aranes out of the corner of his eye. He wanted to ask her what was worrying her, who had absolute confidence in the Source, but the answer would most likely be him. On the other hand, why would she worry about him, since she had faith in It? These and other questions that popped up in his mind one after the other he kept to himself. He didn’t want to trouble her with his own concerns, especially on that day.
“Have you decided who’s going to be on the board of trustees?” Aranes asked, breaking the silence.
“Yes, it’s all arranged,” he answered with a mysterious smile.
Aranes sensed the change in his mood. She leaned forward to get a better look at his face in the dim car.
“You’re up to something …” she said, suspicious.
“You’ll meet the board at the reception,” Abaddon replied, not giving any details.
“Great!” said Aranes, relieved. “I must admit I was a bit stressed about that. Do you think they’re the right people for the job?”
“They couldn’t be more right,” he assured her.
Aranes regarded his profile. She was sure he wanted to surprise her, so she stopped asking questions so as not to ruin it for him.”
The silver Aston Martin stopped at the entrance of a large five-story neoclassical building. One of the valets standing on the brightly lit sidewalk rushed to the car, opened the door, and helped Aranes out. As the young man headed toward the other side of the car, she stepped onto the red carpet running from the entrance steps to the sidewalk and tilted her head back.
All the windows in the building, which was run with electricity generated using the ecological power system its owner had invented, were lit up. Outside, big spotlights illuminated the entrance with its marble casing, the simple embellishments on the windows and the pillars rising up to the last story. Above the double wooden door, which stood open in welcome, a large sign proclaimed in capital letters: THEODORA MEYERS FOUNDATION FOR THE PROTECTION OF CHILDREN.
Abaddon handed the car keys to the valet and came to stand beside her.
“What do you think?” he asked, observing the reactions on her face.
Aranes lowered her head and looked at him. Her otherworldly eyes shone with satisfaction and gratitude.
“It’s exactly as I imagined. Thank you,” she said with a catch in her voice. She didn’t think her name on the sign, which her partner had included without telling her, was necessary, but that was of minor significance.
Abaddon was regarding her somewhat bewilderedly. He had never seen that expression on her face before. If this was what it took to make her happy, then he would set up charities for her as often as he could—of course, as long as they remained on Earth.
“It’s my wedding gift to you,” he said, happy with her reaction. “Usually women ask their rich husbands for expensive homes, jewelry, and cars. When I asked you what you wanted, you asked for a shelter for underprivileged children, which I naturally didn’t think at all odd.” He took out a long black velvet box from his jacket’s inside pocket and gave it to her. “So here’s your gift, although I would have preferred to make it myself and surprise you.”
Aranes slipped her clutch bag under her arm and opened the box. Inside lay a platinum key chain with two linked As just like on their wedding bands. Hanging from the key chain was the key to the building’s front door and a skeleton key for all the interior doors. She caressed the linked letters with her fingertips, wondering if she would ever use these keys.
“Thank you so much for my gift,” she said, her eyes lowered so that he wouldn’t see her sadness. “I don’t need them right now.” She closed the box, put it in her bag, and looked up. The sorrowful clouds had lifted from her eyes. “Shall we go inside?” she asked cheerfully, taking his hand. “We must make sure that everything is in place. Our guests will be arriving soon.”
“Don’t worry. Everything will be perfect,” Abaddon said as they climbed the stairs.
His certainty sparked Aranes’ interest.
“Who have you assigned the preparations to?”
“To someone who even I would be afraid to disobey,” Abaddon replied with a smile.
Aranes glanced at him dubiously.
“I find it hard to believe there is such a person. I would really like to meet them.”
“You know them already,” Abaddon said enigmatically.
“Really? Who is it?” she asked, filled with curiosity.
They had passed through the door and into the foyer. On a platform erected along the wall on the right, musicians were tuning their instruments, scattering intermittent notes throughout the high-ceilinged hall. Across the space, under the wide stairway leading up to the second level, waiters were putting the finishing touches on the sumptuous buffet. Guardians in black suits and wearing tiny ear pieces were spread out around the hall. In the middle of the foyer, dressed in evening wear, their leader and her second-in-command stood speaking softly together while keeping an eye on their surroundings.
Aranes realized who her partner was referring to.
“Eiael …” she answered her own question.
“Your goddaughter may have qualities strikingly similar to Iceman’s, but she’s quite a capable girl,” Abaddon joked, turning his head toward the platform so that Eiael couldn’t see his face. Unlike most women, the long-lived Guardian hadn’t succumbed to his charms. And if she could read lips—which was quite probably yet another of her many skills—it would make his life even more difficult.
Aranes swallowed her laughter. Her witty partner’s humor was sometimes quite caustic, but it couldn’t be said that it wasn’t apt.
“Are you calling a centuries-old being a ‘girl’?” she asked, smiling brightly.
“Compared to us, I could even call her an infant,” he whispered in her ear so that Eiael and Fares, who had seen them enter the hall and were hurrying towards them, wouldn’t hear them.
The Guardian leader and her second-in-command stood at attention in front of the two Celestials and bowed discreetly.
“Superior, I am glad to see you,” Eiael greeter her, her gaze warm and awed.
“I am also glad to see you, Eiael,” Aranes replied warmly and turned to the other Guardian. “Hello, Fares.”
The man lowered his gaze humbly.
“Eternal soul, it is a great honor to be near you once again.”
“I present the president and vice-president of your charity’s board of trustees,” Abaddon announced, taking care not to show the pride he was feeling. His success was two-fold: he had managed to find the best board a charitable organization could ever have and to finally surprise his beloved, whose perceptive skills were exasperating.
Aranes gave him an approving smile.
“It’s the best choice you could ever have made.”
The Dark Angel kept the deep satisfaction her approval had sparked to himself.
“You said that you don’t know how much longer we’ll be here. Eiael, on the other hand, will be here for a long time,” he said seriously.
“That’s true,” Aranes replied, regarding the Creole woman with tenderness. “Alright, before the people start arriving, I want to see if some facilities were completed as planned,” she added and headed towards the stairs.
Fares followed her, while Eiael and Abaddon remained behind.
“Is everything ready?” he asked in a low voice.
“Yes, although I don’t think anyone will attempt anything with so many people about,” Eiael answered.
“Perhaps someone will make the mistake of thinking that precisely because of
this reason I won’t be able to act,” the Dark Angel said, his menacing expression sending the message wide, and then hurried to catch up to Aranes.
An hour later the entrance hall was packed. Women in evening gowns and men in formal suits chatted in small clusters with drinks in their hands, to the sound of soft lounge jazz. The mayor, politicians, socially prominent figures, and leading businessmen had all responded to the founders’ invitation not only in order to see and be seen, but also out of curiosity to meet Alexander Meyer’s much talked about yet seldom seen wife. Reporters and cameras wove between the guests, interviewing New York’s elite after having first interviewed the founding couple.
Aranes and Abaddon were talking with a middle-aged couple, one of the few attending who had a social conscience and were truly interested in the charity’s aims. Close by, dressed as guests, stood some Guardians. Next to them, Eiael was explaining to two city councillors how the City and the charity could cooperate, keeping the Superior within her field of vision at all times.
“I won’t be long,” Abaddon told Aranes and turned to their company. “Please excuse me for a moment,” he said politely and, before stepping away, gestured to Eiael to keep watch over his partner.
He wound through the crowd, exchanging a word here and there, and stepped up onto the platform where the orchestra was. The musicians stopped playing and the guests’ focus turned to him.
“Dear guests and fellow citizens, I am delighted to see you here tonight,” Abaddon began to say with a smile.
But the smile faded from his face as soon as he saw Malech and another Demon appear among the people. Enveloped in their dark auras and invisible to ordinary mortals, the two hideous Ethereals folded their arms on their chests and looked at him with feigned interest, waiting for him to continue his speech.
Eiael saw the dark entities and rushed to Aranes.
“I have to steal her from you for a bit,” she said, smiling politely at the couple.
She gripped the arm of the high Celestial—whose eyes were on her partner and was looking bewildered by his expression and the fact that he had stopped speaking—and pulled her away from the guests.
“This charity aims to protect the rights of children and actively support them,” Abaddon continued, not letting Aranes out of his sight.
The Guardians had formed a circle around her and their leader and Fares was whispering instructions to the rest that were scattered around the hall, telling them to approach discreetly.
“Who’s here?” Aranes asked Eiael with total calm.
“Two of Asmodeus’s Demons,” the Guardian commander replied blankly, looking around her for other ethereal presences.
“The Meyers Group of Companies plans to expand its activities into child welfare,” Abaddon continued after a small pause, all the while scanning the area.
Another two Demons appeared close to the buffet. One after the other, repulsive dark entities wrapped in black auras sprang up among the humans. Last, Lyla appeared next to a door leading to the back of the building. Wearing small pieces of leather that showed off her curves, she directed her expressionless gaze at Abaddon, folder her arms at her chest and leaned back against the doorframe, as if waiting for him.
“And Lyla just turned up,” Eiael informed Aranes.
Aranes nodded thoughtfully.
Asmodeus would never give his Demons to Lyla unless Lucifer commanded it. Given that this was an indisputable conclusion, the Dark Lord thought that she would rule it out, since she would reason that it was too obvious and not his usual approach. He wanted her to believe that Eregkal’s higher-ranking Demons had formed alliances among themselves and would be pursuing her, but that he had nothing to do with it.
“Enjoy your evening,” Abaddon said, ending his speech prematurely, and stepped down from the platform calmly, his movements not betraying his irritation.
For a moment, the guests were taken aback by the abrupt end to the speech, but then applauded him. The orchestra began to play soft music and the atmosphere lightened and became festive once more for the humans who couldn’t see the dark entities.
Abaddon wove through the guests, aiming forced smiles at them, and headed towards Aranes.
“What do they want?” he hissed through his clenched teeth.
She took his hand and smiled at him meaningfully.
“Relax, many guests are looking at you and the cameras have been recording your reactions from the moment you stepped onto the platform.”
Abaddon shot a quick glance around him. Yes, he had definitely attracted attention, and not because he was the epitome of manliness.
“There’s much more to see than my sour puss,” he said and smoothed his expression.
“I don’t think so,” she calmly disagreed. “Don’t forget the Rules forbid us to materialize in front of humans.”
The Dark Angel looked at the Demons and the mockery on their hideous faces enraged him.
“They don’t seem to care about the Rules right now.”
“If they don’t, they will have to face the consequences,” Aranes replied, knowing that Lyla was listening to their discussion. Whether the Celestials were protecting her or not, they wouldn’t allow any Ethereal to violate the Rule, and since the entities in the hall couldn’t materialize, they couldn’t touch her either. The Demons hadn’t entered space-time to harm or abduct her. Lucifer had sent them to put pressure on her and Abaddon, and perhaps also to discover her partner’s powers.
The Dark Angel said nothing. He watched the Demons wander around casually and undisturbed among the humans, waiting to see what they would do.
One of them stopped next to a man and woman who were chatting jovially. He enveloped the man in his dark aura, then bent and whispered in his ear.
Influenced by the powerful negative energy, the man’s spirits plummeted. He was overcome with nervous tension charged with unhappy emotions and the dark entity’s words in his mind morphed into horrible thoughts about the woman he was chatting with.
“Oh, just shut up. I’ve had it up to here with your rubbish,” he shouted angrily, leaving the woman speechless.
The other Demons followed suit and soon there was tumult in the hall. Agitated people spoke in strident voices, causing bewilderment and embarrassment in those unaffected by the negative energy. The invisible instigators stood among them, gloating and throwing challenging looks at the two Celestials and the Guardians.
Lyla, still leaning against the door, smiled at Abaddon as if to say: sorry sugar, but there was no other way. His gaze on her was far from friendly, and then he turned to look at Eiael.
“Keep the Superior safe,” he said and began to split his two bodies.
Aranes grabbed his arm and stopped the process, forcing the part of his ethereal body that had already detached itself to return to him.
“No,” she said sharply. “Let them make their next move.” She was thinking that this might be what Lucifer wanted and she wanted to avoid the clash between her partner and several Demons who could increase in number in a flash.
“They’ve ruined the reception. What else can they do?” he retorted. “There’ll be fists flying soon. I’ll be making tomorrow’s headlines and that’s not the best start for the charity.”
“The reception and your reputation aren’t more important than you,” Aranes replied as she linked her arm through his. “As for the charity, its unfortunate opening won’t affect its operation.”
Abaddon let out an irritated breath and turned his attention to the humans again.
Near the buffet, a teen girl was watching despondently as her parents quarreled. Malech and another Demon were flanking the girl and leaning into her as they spoke to her. Malech bowed mockingly and gestured to the door next to which Lyla was standing. Unaware of who was driving her need to be alone, the girl headed toward it, accompanied by the two Demons.
“They’ve made their move. They took the girl,” Abaddon said, almost glad that he would be free to act at last.
Aranes withdrew her hand and nodded silently. Having no other choice, she watched him hurry across the hall. She didn’t know if her partner would be facing a coordinated attack by the Demons and if he would be able to cope if he did. But since no other Celestial had appeared, it was up to him to protect the girl and banish the dark entities from the physical dimension.
With his eyes pinned on the girl, Abaddon threaded through the guests, avoiding those who seemed to want to talk to him.
As if hypnotized, the teenager opened the door and stepped out into a wide hallway behind the entrance hall. The two Demons and Lyla followed her. Thirty seconds later, the Dark Angel entered the hallway and saw her standing at the far end with her back to him. The two Demons beside her looked at him and smiled with malicious provocation. Encouraged by Asmodeus’s support and the presence of the higher-ranking Succubus, they believed the Dark Angel would be an easy adversary. Lyla stood in front of the girl, hiding how she truly felt about the impending clash from those who were watching her.
As soon as Abaddon made for them, the three Demons conjured their symbiotic armor and dark swords, preparing for battle. The Dark Angel leaped into the air and his ethereal body left his physical body, armored and holding his two swords of incandescent energy in his hands. As his physical body hugged the girl and fell with her to the ground, passing through the ethereal Lyla, his immaterial form gave the Succubus a powerful kick in the head. Using his swords, he then struck the heads of the other two Demons who had levitated to reach his legs and he then landed far from the girl. His physical form got up, holding the teenager protectively, and pulled her to the side.
Abaddon turned and looked at his adversaries with the same mockery they had treated him to from the moment he had appeared. His confidence irked the Demons, who launched themselves at him. Lyla gave him some time to repel the double attack and then had to follow Asmodeus’s minions. The Dark Angel drove them all back and then counterattacked fiercely. Malech’s hand was almost cut off, the other Demon raised his sword but merely managed to soften the blow to his shoulder, which opened a fissure in his black armor, and Lyla saved her head at the last minute by ducking. Abaddon leaned to the side to avoid Malech’s dark blade hissing past his throat, parried the other Demon’s blade with his sword and wounded him in the thigh, while with his other sword he deflected Lyla’s blade, which was aiming for his ribs.
