The music shifted; it became softer, and far more emotional. Zel, still standing straight and tall at the front of the platform, took a huge, quivering breath. Dale was making his way down the aisle.
He towered over his parents, dwarfing them by several feet. He was so much taller than them. He couldn’t really link arms properly, so he held hands with them instead. Their faces shone with happiness.
Dale's smile was something to behold. He grinned from ear to ear, his gaze fixed on to Zel, who trembled on the platform.
I would never get sick of watching this powerful demon trembling at the sight of my adorable, very human, best friend. I bit my lip to stop myself from grinning as I watched Zel sniff loudly, trying to blink back the tears while his fiance walked towards him. At the bottom of the platform, Dale turned to kiss his mother first, then his father. They melted away into the seats at the front of the crowd and settled in happily, wiping the tears from their cheeks.
Reunited at the top of the platform, Dale and Zel held hands, gazing at each other in wonder. The entrance song drew to a close.
Metatron, resplendent in a glittering gold robe and a stunning gold spiky headdress, appeared behind the happy couple and raised his hands to the crowd.
“Dearly beloved,” Met began, his voice booming over the crowd.
I smirked. Of course Met would be officiating the wedding. Who better than the Voice of God?
“We are gathered here today to witness the union of two spectacular men.” Met waved his hands graciously over Dale and Zel. “One, a powerful, charming, and handsome creature. The other, a blue-haired, drama-queen from Rome.”
I bit my lip, stifling my snigger. Zel wasn’t listening though; he was still staring intensely into Dale’s eyes.
“Marriage is a beautiful gift, or a terrible curse, depending on who you’re talking to,” Metatron went on in a low, droning tone. “It has the potential to unite families, or destroy lives. It can protect, or it can oppress. It is, like everything, a choice. A way of serving others, or a way of serving yourself. Only you get to decide what is. It is a church of everlasting bliss, or it is eternal love jail,” he intoned, placing his hands in the prayer position and bowing his bejeweled head.
I cast a bewildered glance out into the audience, and quickly realized that no one else was listening. They were all too busy staring, admiring the people on stage. Sniggering, I realized that Met was doing his droning voice on purpose - no one was paying any attention to his words, so he was getting away with saying whatever he wanted. The crowd was fixated on the glamorous clothes and beautiful creatures on the stage.
Dale and Zel only had eyes for each other. They ignored Met, who carried on officiating the ceremony, saying incomprehensible nonsense just for the hell of it. The crowd clearly assumed he was spouting the loveliest prose and didn't bother to listen to him. At one point in the ceremony, my eyes drifted to Nimue, who, although looking radiant in her razor-sharp white suit, seemed downcast; I could see it in the downturn of her red lips, and the furrow in between her dark brows. Could she be thinking of Malach? Did she have a formal wedding to her eternal lover, once upon a time?
Dale and Zel said their vows. Neither needed a microphone - both their voices rang clear and true. I had to wipe away a tear as they exchanged rings; their hands trembled with nerves and the strength of their emotions. There was a heavy, emotional silence for a full minute, stretching my nerves to breaking point, then Met declared them both husbands for life.
The crowd broke out in cheers. Glowing with happiness and barely taking their eyes off each other, Dale and Zel practically levitated down the aisle, pelted with white flower petals the whole way. For a moment it looked like it was snowing.
Then it was our turn to head back down the aisle. Clover, going first, reached out and held hands with Nimue, and they snuggled up together in a way that made a few guests swallow heavily. Walking down the aisle, they headed straight into the marquee set up on the opposite end of the clearing, where the outdoor reception area had been set up.
Smiling, I reached out and took Alex’s hand. “This worked out well,” I told him, as he wrapped a strong arm around mine, helping me down the stairs. “Although, since Zel had an extra groomsman, who does that leave Nate with…?”
I swiveled my head to look behind me. Met, in his glittery gold smock and spiky headdress, had linked arms with Nate, and they were following us.
I shook my head, grinning. “Poor Nate.”
“He’s happy,” Alex replied. “It’s taken a long time for me to accept it, but he is.”
I watched my footsteps carefully. “It’s hard for me to accept, too.” My cheeks grew faintly red again. “I was worried that everything we had was going to be ripped away from us.”
“We’re well balanced now. We all love each other the right way.”
“It is well balanced.” I frowned. “Until I manage to set him up with a hot maid or something.”
Alex laughed. “You’re assuming he hasn’t made his mark on the staff here.”
My mouth dropped open. “He has? What? Who?”
“Eve,” Alex chuckled, shaking his head. “You are stunningly unobservant sometimes. Although, I hardly blame Nate for not flaunting his sex life in your face. He probably doesn’t want you to think he’s a man-whore.”
“Man-whore? Nate? And no,” I sniffed haughtily. “I don’t use those kinds of pejoratives.”
Alex pulled me closer, warming my body with his heat. He leaned his head down closer to mine so he could whisper to me. “You knew of his reputation before our friendship got… complicated. Nate is as much of a sexual connoisseur as your friend Clover.”
“Nope,” I shook my head emphatically. “Clover is the Queen. No one will unseat her.”
“I have it on good authority that Nate has ‘seated’ Clover several times already.”
"Noooooo..."
Alex winked at me. “They have a good time together, from what I understand. Clover didn’t want to advertise it, because of Dale’s crush on Nate, and also because it’s no strings, so no drama.”
My mouth dropped open again. “You mean to tell me that Nate and Clover have been shagging this whole time, and I didn’t know about it?”
“Shagging each other, and lots of other people, too. If it weren’t contrary to their natures, I’d say they were perfectly suited to one another.”
“I don’t know how I feel about this.”
“You have this idea of Nate, that he’s a good little Nephilim, your teacher, your big brother,” Alex grinned at me again. “Of course you think it’s gross.”
“No,” I shook my head emphatically. “I don’t think it’s gross. I’m happy he’s happy. I guess I’m just…” I trailed off and bit my lip. “Okay, yes, you’re right,” I grimaced. “I’m slightly annoyed I’m not the only girl in the world that he loves, even though I already knew that he doesn’t love me like that anyway. And I’m also slightly grossed out because he’s meant to be my lovely pure sweet brother.”
Alex chuckled again. “Looks can always be deceiving. It’s always the sweet, innocent-looking types that you have to watch out for.”
The marquee at the other end of the clearing had it’s sides up, and was absolutely covered with white flowers and sparkly fairy lights. In the dimming sunlight it looked glorious, like some sort of godly realm set amongst the jungle. Clover and Nimue, having beaten us to the outdoor bar, had champagne glasses in their hands and they were chatting enthusiastically to a group of Revelations staff.
The crowd followed us directly over to the marquee, and soon the lawn was packed with guests, all surrounding Zel and Dale, giving them their best wishes.
Margot found me and gave me a kiss on the cheek. “You look so beautiful, peanut.”
“Thanks, Margot. You look pretty great yourself.” I admired her cherry-red pantsuit. “You’re really branching out with your fashion.”
She shrugged. “Gail said it looked good. I never bother
ed much with dressing up in the past, but I knew that this crowd would be glam. I didn’t want to stick out by being dowdy.”
I hugged her again. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“Wedding of the century? I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Besides, I wanted to make sure all the plans were still in place.”
I nodded. “Everything is still good to go.”
Of course, Margot was in on the plans, in fact, she was integral in helping initiate some of them. She was the one who had figured out the best way to get the resort evacuated in a hurry. It couldn’t be a disease outbreak - that would just mean that everyone would be quarantined. We had to get rid of every single guest and staff member, for at least a couple of days. So, instead, she’d stolen some EPA letterhead from a friend of hers, and sent a warning to Revelations management that there was a suspected dangerous natural gas leak in the area. Two days from now, Margot and Met, who insisted on playing the part of a wacky environmental scientist, were going to visit the resort in disguise and arrange for the immediate evacuation of all the guests.
I was staying here. There was absolutely no point going anywhere else; I’d just be unprotected, vulnerable and in even more danger.
“I can’t wait to see what Met does for my disguise,” Margot rubbed her hands together. “He promised to make me unrecognizable. He must have incredible power, as an archangel.”
“Er, yes. Probably. Although knowing Met, he’ll probably put you in a false-nose-and-glasses combo, and completely ignore his celestial gifts.” I shifted on my feet and winced.
“Are you okay, Eve?” Margot asked, concern in her eyes.
“I just need to pee,” I admitted. “It’s every fifteen minutes now. Here,” I handed her my orange juice. “Hold this.”
The nearest bathrooms were back at reception, a short walk away. Zel and the wedding planner had arranged for posh port-a-loos to be placed just beyond the lawn, down a tiny path in the jungle, but a quick glance told me that there were far too many guests headed that way. I knew that they’d all cheerfully make way for the hugely pregnant girl, but I was tired, and didn’t really feel like talking to too many people. I glanced over towards the marquee and saw Alex in a huddle with Zel, and Nate chatting happily with a couple of Revelations management girls.
They wouldn’t notice if I ducked off quickly. I chuckled to myself as I realized Nate was flirting with them. I guess I’d been more worried about him and his feelings than was strictly necessary. I’d fallen for my own propaganda - that I was the most important girl in the world.
I waddled off quickly down the path that led back to reception, picking up the pace when my bladder realized a bathroom was near and gave a squeeze. Rushing in, I waved at Daisy, the day staff girl who manned the reception desk. She was picking at her nails, clearly very bored. There would be absolutely nothing for her to do - every single guest and staff member was at the wedding. Daisy gave me a sad smile and went back to inspecting her nails.
Since I was about to pee my pants, I didn’t stop to chat. Rushing into the reception bathroom, I swung into one of the stalls, barely noticing that the other one was occupied. Probably another guest, trying to avoid the queues at the marquee. I sat down just in time, giving a loud sigh of relief, partly because I’d finally sat down and my feet were swollen, but mostly because my poor bladder had been about to explode. While I peed, I examined the silky black material of my dress, rubbing it in between my fingers. It really was gorgeous, and it draped so perfectly over my round body.
Once I was done, I got to my feet with a groan, and rearranged the beautiful dress back over my bumps and lumps, relishing the silk’s cool caress. I reached out to open the stall door, and felt a cold trickle of fear run down my back.
It was subtle, so intangible that I almost didn’t notice it. My brain nearly dismissed it as an echo of the cold silk tickling at my skin. But no, there it was, and now that I noticed the scent of danger in the air, suddenly it was all around me.
Immediately, I was very, very scared. Something was wrong. My breath came out in shallow gasps, as I slowly opened the stall door and peeked outside into the bathroom.
There was no one there. I could see my own reflection gazing back at me from the mirrors - my big brown eyes, wavy dark chocolate hair and bulging curves clad in dazzling black silk. The zinging electric feeling of danger in the air didn’t dissipate, in fact, it got worse. My eyes darted around the bathroom, bouncing from the gleaming chrome sinks to the black-and-white tiled walls. There was nothing.
The danger must be outside. The fear and adrenaline rushed through me as I rushed towards the bathroom door, desperate to get back to Alex.
I tugged at the handle. The door was locked.
My heart stopped beating.
You needed a key to lock the bathroom doors, and only the cleaning staff had those. Why was I locked in here? Panic filled me, and I tugged on the handle fruitlessly. It wasn’t budging.
“Daisy!” I called out desperately. “I’m locked in here!”
Why the fuck was I locked in here? There was little chance she’d be able to hear me; the reception desk was at the other end of the building. I thudded on the door with my fist anyway. “Daisy!”
In the silence, all I could hear was my breath, and the dull thud of my own pulse in my ears. The tension in the air spiked; I could feel the danger build as if it were a tangible thing; I could almost see it in the air.
“Alex!” I shouted. “Nate!”
A cold, musical voice piped up, speaking slowly, echoing like a ghost’s voice all around the small bathroom. “They won’t hear you.”
The other stall door opened slowly, letting out a grating whine as it swung inwards. Out of the stall, walking tall and proud, green eyes flashing dangerously, came Magdalena.
Chapter Thirteen
“Mags?” I stammered. I backed away from her slowly, until the small of my back hit the cold bathroom sink. “Wh… what are you doing here?”
She tilted her head to the side, watching me carefully with narrowed eyes. “What do you think? Do you think I’ve come to crash the wedding?” Her voice took on a cold, sardonic tone. “Do you think I’ve gone to all this trouble to sneak into Revelations without being spotted by your daft minions, so I could make the reception? Do you think I’ve spent the last two weeks dodging my father, so I could get through his defenses and find you, so I could give the happy couple my congratulations?”
There was a mad light in her eyes. Dressed in tight black leather pants and a black shirt, her hair scraped back into a ponytail, she moved like a snake, weaving slowly closer to me.
I held up my hands, palms out. “We can talk, if you want,” I whispered, my voice shaking. “We can talk this through, Mags.”
“My name is Magdalena,” she hissed, stalking closer to me.
My whole body started shaking. “Why… why are you here?”
She lifted her chin. “I have to finish this, of course. You can’t live.”
“How did you get in here? How did you get passed the Katadonis?”
She waved dismissively. “Most of them are in the marquee, drinking mimosas. It was harder to dodge my father. He’s been tracking me since Rome. I had to mask my essence and disguise myself with the blood of an old woman to travel here undetected.”
“Blood magic,” I whispered, horrified. “You murdered an old woman, just to help you sneak here?”
“She was about to die anyway,” Mags snapped. “And she was a lifelong sinner. It was far more important to get here, to complete my divine duty.”
She continued to edge closer to me, like a predator sizing up their prey, knowing I was helpless, and that there was no escape. As if to confirm my fears, she smiled very slightly, her eyes shining.
“The music in the marquee is almost deafening,” she said softly. “The boys won’t hear you scream. Your idiot colleague out there has been compelled, and won’t do anything even if she sees your blood seeping out beneath the door.
” Her eyes locked into mine and hardened. “Don’t get me wrong. I don’t enjoy what I must do. But I have gone to great lengths to get you here, alone. The Antichrist within you,” she shivered with loathing, pointing a shaking finger at my belly - “I knew he would demand you use the bathroom frequently. I just had to bide my time.”
“You waited here to murder me?” A tiny flare of anger penetrated my fear. “You waited in this bathroom. You murdered an old woman to sneak past your father. You lied, and you killed.” I raised my head and looked her dead in the eye. “Even after I freed your mother.”
That stopped her in her tracks. Her chin trembled, and her laser focus on me wavered slightly. She was silent for a full minute. “It’s not enough,” she whispered finally, shaking her head. “My mother is at peace, but billions more scream in agony, and thousands more join them every day. It’s still not enough. God’s plan must go on, and the only way this world will not be destroyed is if you die.”
I shook my head desperately. “That’s not true, Mags. You don’t know what God’s plan is.”
“God’s plan has always been to hope that humans would evolve to become divine creatures,” Mags said quietly. “However, it’s not happening fast enough. The only way we can buy more time is to destroy the Omega energy within you. The energy that tips the souls out of Hell.”
“This might be a test,” I cried, pointing to myself. “I might be a test. To see if you would kill an innocent soul.”
A crinkle appeared between her eyebrows as she thought about it, so I warmed to my theme. “It could be God’s way of finding out whether or not humans deserve to live on, or not. If they were willing to murder an innocent girl, just for their own benefit, then maybe they’re not worth it. Maybe then, God will hit the reset button anyway. Met thinks-”
“That addled old fool,” Mags hissed. “He’s gone mad. God has not spoken through him for thousands of years. He doesn’t know anything.”
“And neither do you!” I cried, as the cold porcelain sink dug into my spine. “You don’t know, Mags,” I wailed. “You’re making a mistake.”
Revelations: The Last War Page 14
