Angel of Distrust

by Tabitha Barret

  Tristan’s arms fell to his sides as he gaped at him. “What are you talking about?”

  “I was supposed to protect the Throne Room from usurpers and instead I handed them the throne. I’m surprised that Lucifer and Hades didn’t try to take my head, though I have a feeling that Anjali stopped them. Hell almost fell because of me. There was a time when I would have gladly let Hell fall into ruins, but that time has passed. If I can’t keep Hell safe, how can I keep her safe? How can I keep any of you safe? I believed Azazel and didn’t question him for one second. What if I make the same mistake again, but next time it’s Anjali who suffers? I don’t know if I can do it,” he admitted.

  He saw Tristan’s face fall from the corner of his eye. He had never once admitted his fears to Tristan, though honestly, he had never feared anything this strongly before.

  Balthazar stepped forward and looked him in the eye. “Azazel fooled everyone, including Lucifer and Hades. Everyone makes mistakes, Alazar, which is why you still have your head. You have to learn from your mistakes and tame your doubts. We chose you to be our leader for a reason. Granted, I can’t remember what that reason was because it was a really long time ago, but I’m certain that it was a good reason.” Balthazar shrugged and pulled his dark, curly hair away from his face.

  Alazar wanted to laugh because he couldn’t remember the reason either. “I think the longer and curlier your hair gets, the dumber you get,” he chuckled.

  Balthazar’s face contorted into something resembling a smile, which was a rare occurrence. “You’re just jealous because you have straight, boring hair.”

  Shaking his head at their conversation, Tristan put his hand on Alazar’s shoulder. “We chose you to be our leader because death isn’t burdened by emotions. It’s cold and unyielding. Emotions lead to killing, but death doesn’t care about anger, agony, vengeance, fear, distrust, hunger or deception. It doesn’t bargain, batter or abate. It’s simple in its nature and unavoidable. Everyone dies sometime and that is all the Angel of Death offers the mortals. You are the bringer of the end. That is the person who Anjali needs by her side when it is time to end the world. We will tempt the mortals to choose the path of good or evil, but it’s up to you to end their lives,” Tristan stated.

  Alazar choked up at Tristan’s words. His brother believed he was capable of being the final temptation, even though he had lost faith in himself.

  Balthazar nodded his head in agreement with Tristan. “We thought you would be the last one to doubt yourself. You were the one who would stand by the Destroyer with no doubt in your heart, no excuses in your mind, and no fear to hold you back from carrying out her will.”

  Blowing out a long breath, Alazar wanted to fall into the deepest, darkest pit he could find. This was why he didn’t want to let the Predznak down. They had once believed in him and they still had faith in him after everything they had been through.

  “I thank you for your praise, but you forget that I have been banished. I need to sort things out with Anjali before I show my face in Hell again, lest Lucifer label me a traitor and kill me,” Alazar said firmly.

  Tristan’s shoulders slumped, but he nodded. “Fine. Balthazar will secure the Throne Room alongside Malcolm. You and I will search for Anjali in Brazil. Once we find her, you will inform her of your decision. I just hope that it’s the right decision,” Tristan conceded.

  Balthazar frowned and kicked the sand. “Why do I get the short straw?” he snickered.

  Seeing Balthazar’s reluctance to take up his post, something inside of Alazar stirred. They needed someone strong and competent to protect Hell and even though he personally wasn’t up to the task, he couldn’t allow Hell to fall.

  Alazar invaded Balthazar’s personal space and glared at him. “I trained you to be more lethal than me, more terrifying than Fear and stronger and faster than Aeries for moments like this. I knew there would come a time when I had to handle a crisis and I needed someone I could trust to eliminate a different threat. You’re right. I can’t throw a punch nearly as well as you or Aeries. I have always relied on my power to vanquish my enemies and that has caused my downfall. Azazel used my arrogance against me. I wasn’t able to access my power and I suffered because of it. Had it been you who Azazel had tricked, you would have killed Azazel, Pax and Brend before they were able to enact their plan because you are a fighter. Even locked in Celestial Bonds, I have faith that you would have found a way to escape. Haydn and Sacha could never be trustworthy enough to help me fight on multiple fronts. Zacharael was never powerful enough, while Rayan was too powerful. Aeries wasn’t levelheaded when mired in anger. Elrick, as charismatic as he was, never had a fighting spirit. I chose you because I needed someone to fight until his last breath to save Anjali if all else failed. Now I need you to defend Hell because I am not able to do it,” Alazar said forcefully.

  Balthazar stared into his eyes in disbelief. He finally nodded and accepted his duties.

  Alazar took a deep breath and stepped away. It seemed that he hadn’t lost his leadership abilities after all.

  Turning to Tristan, Balthazar motioned to Alazar. “I remember why we chose him as our leader. He gives the best motivational speeches ever.” With that, Balthazar disappeared from the chilly beach.

  Tristan laughed. “That certainly was one hell of a speech. I think you need to give yourself one of those pep talks. You’re going to need all the inspiration and motivation you can get when you face our master and make your choice,” he smirked. “Shall we head to Brazil?”

  Alazar’s stomach sank. He certainly needed some kind of inspiration to fix things. He tipped his face up to the sky. “Liam, I summon you,” he shouted.

  Tristan’s eyebrows flew up. “Why aren’t you summoning Calin? According to Balthazar, he’s a trained tracker and skilled hunter. I heard that he tracked Fenris through Central Park.”

  Chuckling to himself, Alazar looked around in every direction to search for the Nachtghul. “Calin will shoot me if I summon him while I’m banished. He’ll assume the worst of me. Liam doesn’t understand the rules yet and he doesn’t know that much about me, so he’s less likely to try to kill me. Above all, we need his wolf senses. Calin is good, but he can’t pick up Anjali’s scent. We’ve already lost too much time and the trail is growing cold. Hopefully, Liam can figure out where she is.”

  Tristan squinted and stared at him. “Are you willing to risk being beheaded for breaking her banishment order to find her?”

  He thought about the question and sighed. Beheading would end his dilemma. He wouldn’t have to choose between Anjali and Heaven. Was he willing to risk his life to save a master he wasn’t sure he wanted to serve?

  “I’m sure I can talk my way out of a beheading, if needed,” he shrugged. “If not, I know that I will have deserved it.”

  Chapter 7

  Thrashing her head around, Anjali cried for help, but no one could hear her. Gabriel and the others were already at the village and could not reach her in time even if they knew she was in trouble. She was frightened by what was happening to her. Never in her life had she experienced such a feeling of helplessness. She wracked her panicked brain for a solution to the problem, but she was too upset to think clearly. How had she allowed herself to be put into such a vulnerable position? Why had she trusted someone who had proven his hatred of her by attempting to strike her with a Celestial Sword? Why had her father left her alone with someone so dishonest?

  Her eyes scanned the debris around her for a weapon, though her hands were stuck. She tried to think of any possible way to free herself, but was at a loss. In a moment of complete terror, she looked into the eyes of her attacker and hated him. She hated everything about him from his brown eyes to his perfect teeth. He was enjoying every second of her discomfort, which fanned the flames of her revulsion. He was no better than the mortals who took advantage of innocent women, yet he was supposed to be better than the mortals and their wicked ways.

  Anger overrode her panicked
state and dissipated her fear. Anger was a preferable emotion to terror because it helped her get control of her mind. A spark of hope ignited when she felt the familiar tingle associated with the part of her power she called upon when it was time to punish the wicked. She embraced the sensation and pointed it toward her target.

  A scorching pain similar to Hell Fire exploded across her arms and torso, rousing Anjali from her nightmare, or rather her memory from centuries ago. She screamed in horror as she tried to put out the flames. How the hell had she ended up in the Realm of Fire again? Seeing the dark tropical paradise all around her, she realized that she wasn’t in Hell or in a Realm of Torture. She looked down to stamp out the flames, but found that she wasn’t on fire, nor was she burned. She had no explanation for the pain until she saw the man who had grabbed her by the pool. He was standing in front of her with a large rock raised above his head, staring down at the Celestial Bonds with a scowl of determination.

  “No! Wait!” she yelled as she jerked her outstretch hands away from the flat boulder she was draped across.

  “I’m trying to free you. Now, stay still,” her rescuer commanded.

  “Didn’t you hear me screaming in pain?” she shouted, surmising that the pain was a result of the idiot trying to destroy the bonds. She’d heard that the wearer of the bonds had a nasty surprise in store for them if they tried to dismantle them, but had never experienced the consequences firsthand.

  His mouth curled into a half sneer half smile and his eyes lit up expressing his delight.

  “What if I did?” he asked coldly, the question rolling smoothly off his tongue.

  She ground her teeth at his cruel sense of humor, or perhaps his lack of scruples. She hadn’t seen anyone take such delight in hurting her since Hades had retrieved her from the Realm of Drowning Seas holding a bag of marshmallows.

  “Why you are trying to remove them? I assume that being held in the bonds would aid you in my capture,” she sneered.

  He tilted his head and stared at her manacles. He seemed at a loss for words. She was surprised that he didn’t have an answer for such a simple question.

  He finally shook his head and pointed to the bonds. “How do I take them off?”

  “You can’t pry them off and you can’t smash them. There is only one way to remove them, but no one here is capable of removing them,” she shrugged unable to explain any further. She flipped her long hair over her shoulder, annoyed that her hair tie had fallen out during the fight.

  He frowned at her statement. “How did you manage to get locked inside of bonds that have no key hole and no way of opening while on this island?” he asked incredulously.

  Biting her tongue, she debated how much she should tell him. “These bonds are special and unbreakable. They require a specific fingerprint to open them,” she huffed.

  He crossed his arms and leaned to one side as he pondered her explanation. “I’ve seen every kind of lock there is and while I accept that some require fingerprints, the glowing blue manacles around your wrists aren’t like anything I have ever seen before. That means you’re lying or you’re in more trouble than I thought. May I inquire as to why you are wearing unbreakable bonds in the middle of a deserted island?” he asked. He sounded polite, but his question was accusatory in tone.

  “May I inquire as to how the hell you found me on a deserted island?” she quipped.

  “I have been asking myself that question for longer than you can imagine,” he muttered to himself.

  Shaking off the tingling pain prickling her skin, she assessed the man standing in front of her. In the brilliant morning sunlight, he appeared less sinister and more ruggedly handsome with a day’s worth of growth on his cheeks. He was tanned, but fair skinned as if he was of European descent. His short black hair, dark scruff, and thick eyebrows made his bright blue and purple eyes even brighter. He was narrow across the shoulders and waist. He didn’t look like much of a fighter, yet he had a certain way about him. He had confidence, perhaps too much of it and a distinct swagger that made him seem worldly and intelligent. Whoever he was, she should either thank him or push him off the nearest cliff, depending on his intentions.

  She watched him sling a dark green canvas backpack over his left shoulder. She eyed the pack and thought about what kind of food it might contain as her stomach rumbled.

  “Who the hell are you?” she asked as her eyes took in his tan cargo shorts and olive-green cotton short-sleeved shirt. His clothes mirrored a military look, but he didn’t seem disciplined enough to have military training.

  “If I had a gold sovereign for every time you’ve asked me that question, I would have enough riches to buy this island,” the man snickered in an English accent that sounded older than he was. His unusual eyes examined everything before him, including her ridiculous outfit.

  She had no idea how he knew what a gold sovereign was since the currency was obsolete, so she ignored the comment.

  “I want to know who you are,” she demanded. She hoped that his name would spark some kind of recognition. If nothing else, it would be easier for her to add his name to her kill list once this horrible ordeal was behind her.

  “Viktor. Viktor Every. What should I call you, darling?” he asked sarcastically. She had no idea why it sounded like he was referencing some kind of private joke every time he spoke to her.

  “Anjali,” she replied as she looked away from his amused face. “Who sent you to rescue me? I would like to know so that I can tell them how much you suck at it.” She assumed he wasn’t actually there to rescue her based on their fight last night, but he hadn’t intentionally hurt or killed her while she was unconscious, so it was possible that last night was a big misunderstanding.

  A devious smile spread across his face, which enhanced his “I’ve got a secret” vibe that he’d been giving off since she had woken up in pain.

  “This is a rescue, but you aren’t the one being rescued,” he chuckled darkly.

  A knot formed in the pit of her stomach at his odd joke. She grimaced at her terrible luck and was tempted to give him the finger. Instead, she added “Viktor Every – the mortal jackass stupid enough to kidnap the Destroyer from her kidnapping angel” to her retribution list. His name was just below Haydn, Santiago, who had kicked her in the face—if he were still alive, Manuel, the young man who had betrayed her in the city, Hades, for possibly colluding with a Harpy and of course Lucifer for sending her on this doomed mission.

  “I’m not going anywhere with you. I assume that you came here on some kind of boat, unless you are a champion swimmer, so it’s time for you to leave. If you don’t, I’ll take your boat and leave you here. The choice is yours,” she said imperiously. Her patience was gone and she wasn’t in the mood to deal with this strange man. Once she sent Viktor on his way, she would rinse off the sweat and sand from her crusty hair and clothes, eat the peaches back at the hotel, and decide if she should kill Haydn or not.

  He folded his arms and sighed. “As much as I would love to get back to civilization, I can’t leave the island yet,” he stated.

  “What’s the matter, did you lose your way because the birds ate your breadcrumb trail?” she asked sarcastically.

  He tapped his foot and looked down his nose at her. “I would be able to find my ship while blindfolded,” he said smugly.

  She leaned against a thick tree trunk and rolled her eyes at him. “Fascinating, but I don’t really care. All I want to do is leave this island, but I don’t trust you enough to get on your boat with you since you abducted me. You need to leave before I’m forced to tie you to a tree and let you rot here,” she smiled.

  He chuckled at her threat and stood his ground. “I’m not leaving here without you,” he declared. The cruel smile from earlier reappeared and made his striking face ugly and twisted with a mix of emotions. She identified his anger and sadness, but she was anxious when she saw the dead look in his once bright eyes. It was the cold, hard look of vengeance.

  “Fine.
I guess I’ll have to tie you to the nearest tree, but first, I want to know what the hell I did to make you sail all the way here and drag me to your boat, especially since you were trying to remove my restraints. I have never seen you in my life and now you’re trying to rescue someone, but it’s not me. I would assume that this is some kind of ransom plot, but you have no idea who I am and I would hold no value to anyone. So, I ask you, why the hell are you here?” she sneered.

  He squared his shoulders and motioned toward the jungle to her left. “Walk.”

  She was dumbfounded by his command. “Walk? What am I, your dog? You don’t get to order me around. I’m not going anywhere with you,” she growled.

  His lip curled and he shoved his finger in her face. “You are in no position to tell me what to do or to question me. You are the one bound in unbreakable bonds, stuck on an island with an unseen enemy. I am the only one offering to remove you from this island, so I suggest you move your borrowed Nikes in that direction before I get testy and leave you here to die,” he said in a strained voice.

  She smiled and shook her head slowly. “You really have no idea who I am, but you’re going to find out, especially since you aren’t carrying any weapons.” The hairs on her neck stood up at his accurate assessment of her situation. She doubted that he had seen Haydn last night; otherwise, he would have asked about him. From an outsider’s perspective, Haydn would have looked like he was being held captive with her. At the very least, Viktor would have shown some interest in a man tied to a lounge chair.

  “You’ll figure out who sent me soon enough, so don’t worry about that. I’m unarmed because I don’t need any weapons to handle you,” he said arrogantly.

  She chuckled. “I like your confidence, but I don’t like your odds,” she said as she propelled herself off the tree and kicked Viktor in the balls with enough force to knock him to the ground. She ran in the opposite direction and disappeared into a denser section of forest leading to a rocky slope. She grabbed the largest frond and did her best to hide the incessant light from the bonds.