by J F Cain
“If we were truly one, then nothing would be able to separate us,” the Dark Angel replied and stepped away.
He dematerialized, but didn’t leave the room. He stood there and watched Aranes, whose troubled gaze was fixed on the fire burning in the fireplace.
If only he could hear her thoughts! She had probably realized that Lucifer had approached him again and was worrying about the Demon’s influence over him. And not without reason, since he had purposely shown that he was considering the slanderer’s claims. His partner had repeatedly cautioned him about the Fallen’s intention to manipulate his weaknesses in order to alienate him from her and the Celestials. But worrying so obviously was unlike her, given her usual restraint. Besides, she had told him that she trusted in his true nature and in the Highest Intellect’s guidance. He thought that, as she had told him once, her feelings for him had affected her nature, a change in which the Source was partially responsible for. However, even though this was a logical explanation, it didn’t satisfy him. It was more likely that Aranes was behaving like It, which had created unbelievable upheaval among all the Ethereals.
He studied her bright energy field more carefully, but couldn’t draw any conclusions about what she was thinking from that either. The Source had kept the exclusive privilege of having access to the Superior’s mind all for Itself.
He had avoided asking her why she had tried to hide Its involvement in Lyla’s attack from him so that he wouldn’t show her up in front of Lucifer. Nor had he asked her if she loved It more than him, because he was afraid of the answer. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, the Lord of Darkness was right about some things. First, the Source did whatever was necessary to achieve Its goals, and second, Aranes did whatever the Source wanted. However, he had made both of them a promise. He had promised the Sovereign Power that he would serve Its will, and his partner that he wouldn’t succumb to Lucifer’s influence. And he intended to keep his word, no matter what it cost him.
His gaze embraced her cherished presence. He never tired of watching her; he hadn’t had his fill of anything about her in the few months they had had together. And if Lucifer was right about that too—and he probably was—he might lose her forever, and their child too. The thought kindled the pain that had been tormenting him for hours. Suddenly, his need for her became so pressing that he materialized immediately and hurried to her. He wrapped his arms around her yearningly and began to kiss her passionately, like a castaway trying to quench his thirst with her mouth.
Aranes had sensed his presence in the room and wasn’t surprised by his sudden materialization. She offered her lips willingly and pressed herself against him, setting him on fire. While still kissing her, he lifted her in his arms and walked to the bed. He put her down gently, lay down beside her and dematerialized both their clothes. Aranes rested her hands on his chest and looked at him. In the depths of his eyes she saw his love and despair, and her heart filled with sorrow for her soul mate who couldn’t see their indestructible unity.
“Never think you’re alone. I live inside you, just as you live inside me. We are totally connected and no one can separate us,” she said, her eyes lighting up with a warm glow that inspired trust.
For various reasons, Abaddon didn’t want to express his doubts and objections at that moment. He tugged her head forward and took her mouth with his own. Everything he didn’t say with words about his love and need for her, he said with sensual kisses and arousing caresses all over her body that made her quiver.
As soon as he entered her, his breath caught. His powerful desire always stunned him in those first moments of their joining and he would pause there to enjoy her sweetness and warmth. But soon after he would succumb to her seductive eroticism that aroused his most demanding senses and would begin his gentle thrusts in the primeval dance of love.
The two otherworldly lovers worshiped each other, enveloped in a divine fire that consumed the joined bodies, transforming them into an ethereal element. Lost in a rapturous frenzy, they basked in the wonderful sensation that flooded their beings when the divine and the human merged. Gradually, their passion grew, their movements becoming more hurried and their breaths coming out shorter. And when they were ready to explode, they surrendered to the redemptive liberation that lay at the peak of pleasure.
Still in the grip of his orgasm, Abaddon opened his eyes and, still holding Aranes in his arms, stared into the vacant space above her head, with a gaze that seemed to pierce the veil of physical reality.
Lucifer took the gleam of ecstatic triumph he saw in the Celestial’s eyes as a challenge aimed at him. A message from Abaddon that he was and would always be the Superior’s only partner.
“Idiot, I’ve enjoyed her without your knowledge, and I even used you to do it,” he said with icy disdain, yet his voice held a faint trace of jealousy.
The Dark Lord wanted to believe that he was bothered by the couple’s sexual activity because the constant influx of Abaddon’s energy into Aranes’ body, which would inevitably affect the fetus, might alter his own dark imprint. But that was just an excuse. In reality, it was the reaction of the part of him that remained in love with her.
After his reunification with his alter ego, it had taken the reins of his personality and had guided his actions, with his consent. But sometimes his feelings for Aranes rose up involuntarily from the corner of his soul where he had shoved them and affected how he acted, as if wanting to remind him of his old self. However, he had risked his existence twice for her and was determined never to make the same mistake again. Therefore, as soon as he sensed his weakness, he would bring the cruelty of his alter ego to the fore, since it had the strength to remain unaffected by the emotions that could destroy him.
Lucifer considered the darkest part of his being a part of the Source. It was the Source that was expressing Itself through it. It couldn’t be otherwise, since It was his Creator and any expression of his stemmed from It. In fact, he believed that this particular expression was the most representative of Its essence. Therefore, the rare times he remembered himself as he had been when separated from his alter ego, he felt deep revulsion toward it. Even so, he would be stupid not to recognize its effectiveness and not take advantage of its strength. He had convinced himself that the darkest part of him was capable of meeting his goals, because only it could penetrate the thoughts of the Highest Intellect.
However, his alter ego wasn’t as satisfied by the outcome of their reunification. Lucifer’s spirit was much stronger than it had expected, and was unruly and independent. It had thought that if it took over its other half, it would hold the reins of his personality. But he used its unique qualities as he liked. And even though his reasoning and consequently also the way he took action had improved, he continued to make mistakes. This enraged the alter ego because the Lord of Darkness didn’t realize that he was serving the Source’s purposes, that he was Its pawn, which It was using to evolve Its humans and Angels. What a disappointment!
CHAPTER 21
The last light of day had faded from the surrounding hills, and the darkness was awakening the nocturnal creatures in a deep silence charged with the vibrations of the dark ancient beings that lived in the area and affected the surroundings. The frozen stillness of the forest growing at the foot of the hills was broken by two approaching vehicles whose headlights cast their beams of light among the tree trunks. The old Ford Ranger and a newer Jeep Cherokee went as far as the rough terrain permitted and then came to a stop. The engines and headlights were turned off, leaving the forest with the faint light of the moon traveling across the clear sky.
Galen and Lyon got down from the farm truck and another four werewolf elders exited the jeep. They were all in casual clothes and, if you disregarded their strange faces with their rugged features and uptilted outer corners of their eyes, they seemed like ordinary people. The dual natured beings shut the doors and Galen sniffed the air in search of any unwanted presences in the area. He gestured to his comrades that e
verything was alright and they all began to transform. As their body mass increased amid the deep, hollow sounds of expanding bones, their clothing disappeared and coarse hairs sprang out of the pores of their skin. Their arms and nails elongated, their ears stood pointy on heads that assumed a bestial form, and the lower part of their faces extended into a long muzzle.
The massive wolves fell onto their front legs and began to dash through the forest, leaping and winding among the tree trunks with unnatural agility given their bulk. Soon, they reached the foot of a rocky hill. They climbed up the steep slope—flinging down stones and the dried up roots of weeds behind them as they became dislodged under the wolves’ weight—and reached the narrow ridge at the top of the hill where the bridge to the vampires’ stronghold began.
The old stone structure with the tall arches extended over a steep canyon and ended within a few feet of the fortress, leaving a gap, like a natural moat that protected them from unwanted visitors and intruders. With Galen—who was covered in his second nature’s white coat—in the lead, the werewolves crossed the bridge. Reaching its end, they stopped, and with the abyss gaping below them, they reared back on their hind legs and resumed their human form. They clothed their massive bodies in cloaks and soft boots and waited for the drawbridge providing access to the fort to lower.
Galen lifted his gaze and regarded the dark fortress in front of him with abhorrence. It was built on a cliff hidden among hills that rose above it. The thick crenellated walls and drum towers on the corners looked like a natural continuation of the rocky cliff, which only supernatural creatures and experienced climbers could scale. Behind the walls, beyond the bailey, the stone keep towered grimly above its surroundings. On the tallest towers’ pointed roofs, the red eyes of gargoyles gleamed in the night like distant red moons. The stone creatures monitoring the front of the fortress had got up on all fours and with their large wings spread and fluttering agitatedly, they aimed their menacing gazes on the visitors.
Not a single flicker of light could be seen behind the iron-barred windows, but Galen could smell the vampires, who had begun to stir now that darkness had heralded the start of their activities. Some, whose scent was more ancient than the others’, seemed uneasy and agitated.
The drawbridge began to lower and the clang of its thick chains echoed in the night on the bare slopes of the surrounding hills. As soon as the chasm was bridged, the heavy iron portcullis was raised. In the covered passage beyond it, two guards were lighting the torches on the walls. At the end of the passage, Vincent, three more vampires, and two gargoyles waited in the cobbled bailey.
Lucard’s underling stood among the stone creatures with his legs slightly apart, his hands behind his back, and his customary arrogant expression. Every time the werewolves entered the castle, the vampire leader would give them an escort. He was always wary of his creations, who had escaped his control and were capable of wiping his race off the face of the Earth.
The werewolves silently crossed the wooden bridge, their cloaks’ hems stirred by the sudden gusts of wind sweeping into the passage from the canyon. As soon as they approached the escort, without a greeting from either race, the vampires surrounded them. With Vincent walking behind one of the gargoyles and the other three vampires and the second stone creature following the werewolves, the physical plane’s supernatural beings crossed the bailey and entered the keep through its main entrance. They followed a maze of corridors with closed wooden doors from which emanated the stench of mold and decay, until they reached the council chamber. There, the vampire escort departed. Only the gargoyles followed the werewolves inside and sat on their haunches next to the open door.
Inside the chamber, all the undead elders were gathered and were talking softly among themselves, wondering at the sudden reason for the meeting. Garnage wasn’t uneasy and agitated like the others. The big vampire stood somewhat aside, his arms under his cloak crossed over his naked chest. His frightening eyes were monitoring every movement in the room and, beneath his long hair, his ears were picking up the faintest whispers.
Galen, Aldard, and Drust nodded a greeting which the vampires returned in the spirit of their forced tolerance of each other as allies. Lyon, Othmar, and Valens avoided all civilities, but also refrained from showing their true feelings. They stood across from their old masters, together with their other comrades, and waited for everyone to arrive. Behind them, the black-clad young vampire lighting the candles on the metal stand hurriedly finished his task and rushed out of the room.
Lucard arrived last with displeasure written on his face. He crossed the chamber grandly, climbed the low dais, and glanced around at those present, as if in greeting, although he was really searching their faces to see if anyone knew something he didn’t. However, from what he could see, none of them knew why Lyla had called a meeting of the allied council so hurriedly.
From Eregkal, the Succubus saw that the Cursed elders had gathered and she appeared between the rows the two races had formed across from each other.
“What is it now?” Lucard asked sternly. He unbuttoned his dark velvet jacket to reveal the gold-embroidered vest beneath it, sat down in his armchair at a slant and leaned back wearily. He then crossed one leg over the other and aimed his gaze on the Demon, as if giving her permission to speak.
Lyla swallowed the urge to conjure her sword and chop off the vampire’s head for his insolent and disparaging behavior. She would put him in his place another way.
“You’ll change your tone when you hear what I have to say,” she said coldly, one corner of her lips tilted in a malevolent smile.
“Speak, Demon!” Lucard commanded, undeterred by her threatening air.
Lyla smiled more broadly at the thought of the announcement she was about to make. The unhoped-for outcome of her failure to abduct Aranes would help her gain control of the situation.
“I have forced her to hole up in the Exorcists’ fortress,” she replied, presenting her defeat as an advantage.
Vampires and werewolves exchanged searching and meaningful looks among themselves. They realized that the Demon had tried to abduct Aranes and, because she had obviously achieved nothing, she was turning to them for help once again. However, no one knew where the fortress was.
The location of the Exorcists’ fortress had been kept from the dark forces. Over the centuries, many had tried to locate it, but the energy trace of the semi-human entities could only be found wherever they appeared. Besides the high-ranking Angels and Guardians, only Lucifer knew where the secret site was, as well as two Archdemons who had been watching him when he had tried to break through the dome of energy protecting the fortress. And since Eregkal wasn’t driven by a spirit of cooperation, each entity kept this valuable piece of information to themselves, as something they could use to their advantage at some point.
Lucard regarded Lyla with an icy, blank gaze. He detested ignorance, especially his own, since it put him at a disadvantage.
“And where is this fortress?” he was forced to ask, assuming a look of bored indifference.
Lyla lifted her chin with the arrogance of someone in the know who was standing among the ignorant.
“Somewhere very well hidden. No Angel or Demon can step foot inside. This is the opportunity we have been waiting for. Without Abaddon’s help, you will be able to capture her.”
Her conceited air irritated Kochee, who may have greatly envied the Demon’s exotic beauty, but not a bit of her intellect.
“If that is the case, then why do we need you?” he asked, voicing the question on everyone’s mind.
“I possess the knowledge of a ritual that can extract a Celestial’s soul, which some of you are interested in,” Lyla replied, looking around her meaningfully. “Also, the fortress’s location is secret. Only I can tell you where it is.” She turned her gaze on Lucard. “If you attempt to follow the Angel, or think of something else more stupid, my forces and I will make sure to stop you. And because you all do magic and some of you might
have the bright idea to watch her from the invisible world, I warn you you’ll be wasting your time. Abriel won’t permit it. Whoever wants to mess with him, be my guest,” she ended with a shrug.
The Cursed were taken unawares once again. Because of the protector of high magic’s unknown powers, their hands were tied. It crossed some of their minds that Lyla might be using the Sorcerer’s name without his knowledge. But the confidence with which she spoke made them rule that out. After Lucard’s revelation that the Sorcerer was in love with the Succubus, they had believed that was the reason why he was offering her his protection. The vampires knew that Abriel didn’t play power games, and the fact that he didn’t come with Lyla to all their meetings—something no clever entity with a personal stake would fail to do—made all of them believe that he wasn’t after the Superior. However, Lyla’s last words had implied that the Sorcerer did have an interest in the case and that whoever went against him would find themselves face-to-face with him. The problem was that Abriel wasn’t like the silly Succubus. Besides his unknown magical abilities, he was also the commander of thousands of fallen Powers. And these warriors just happened to be Eregkal’s elite. They were nothing like the idiotic Fiends or Incubi and Succubae that Lyla commanded.
Lucard knew that the Sorcerer had become involved in the matter to protect Lyla. The fact that he and the other elders planned to send her back to the Source wasn’t a problem for the vampire. While Abriel was busy eliminating the other council members, he planned to abduct Aranes and get everything he wanted from her. Then he would be in a position to fight even the Dark Lord or to hide from his persecutors, as he had done when he had escaped from Eregkal. He was certain that his allies had their own plans, if not the same one. However, he had some safeguards in place that would ensure his success.
Lyla’s gaze traveled over the Cursed’s faces. Some were glowering at her and some were frowning. It was obvious that the change in the alliance’s balance of power had displeased them, and that made her feel really good.
