Angel of Distrust

by Tabitha Barret

  He shrugged indifferently and gave her a small smile.

  “I guess you didn’t expect me to be captured though,” she said abashedly.

  He frowned and shook his head. “Your Predznak are no longer under my command so I am not privy to their actions. You alone are responsible for them, as their Master. One day, you will know their whereabouts and their future once your power grows,” He explained.

  She was surprised to hear that God didn’t know anything about her angels since leaving His fold. It startled her to know that she alone would govern them and know their whereabouts. It gave more weight and responsibility to the word “Master.”

  “I don’t want to disappoint you,” she said.

  He smiled brightly at her. “You can only disappoint me if you fail to do what is right, even when I believe it is wrong.”

  She was confused by His statement, but understood it to mean that when it was time for her to end the world, He would never agree with her decision. He would fight her until the end, which is what her destiny really meant. One day, she would stand up to Him and carry out His will whether He liked it or not. She would end the world because He wasn’t capable of doing it Himself.

  Anjali nodded and bowed her head to Him. “Thank you for your advice, My Lord,” she said.

  He smiled at her and disappeared from the lane.

  Chapter 17

  Viktor ran down the stairs into a musty stairwell. He pushed open the exit door and found himself at the back of the building. He could feel the change in the air pressure and knew that Anjali was close to releasing her power, just as she had during her fight with the Harpies centuries ago. He had no idea how to help her, but he had to do something.

  Heading for the side of the building, he suddenly hit something hard and landed on his ass.

  “Hello again,” said the last person he wanted to hear.

  Viktor looked up into the black eyes of his nemesis. His love was just a few feet away and he was about to lose her forever. He got to his feet and wiped the dirt off his hands, trying to appear more annoyed than afraid, though it was harder to do now that he knew the demon’s true identity.

  “Why are you here?” he asked to buy himself some time.

  “You never called for me, so I decided to check on you. It has never taken you this long to find her,” Lucifer said bluntly.

  “I ran into trouble. Sadly, her adversary was more than I could handle. I was forced to abandon my mission,” Viktor lied.

  Lucifer stepped forward and grabbed his shirt. Viktor was lifted off the ground and held in the air. “You have failed me. I warned you that there would be consequences if you did not bring her to me,” he growled.

  Viktor tried to remain calm but staring into the maniac’s furious eyes made him shake. Never had he feared for his life as he did at this moment. He wanted to call for help, but he didn’t want to distract Anjali from the Harpy.

  Lucifer lowered his arm and tensed up as if he were about to throw Viktor when he stopped. He suddenly turned his head and sniffed the air like an animal. “I think you did find her,” he smiled, which was more like a dog bearing his teeth.

  Viktor was dropped to the ground without warning. Lucifer raised his hands into the air and breathed deeply.

  “I swear to you that I found her, but was not able to rescue her,” Viktor said. It wasn’t actually a lie. He had been unable to free her from her bonds or help her escape from the island.

  Lowering his arms, Lucifer’s cold gaze was upon him. “I will grant you your wish because I am happy to know that whatever she is battling will soon die. You wanted to forget her, so I will free your mind of her,” he said rubbing his hands together. He appeared almost giddy at the idea of taking away Viktor’s memories.

  “No!” Viktor shouted, getting to his feet. “Not now, not ever. I was wrong. I don’t want to forget her. Please, I will do anything to see her again,” he pleaded, knowing that he had stupidly made the wrong deal.

  His pleas were ignored as Lucifer reached out to place his hand on Viktor’s chest. “I guarantee that you will never see her again, my servant,” he chuckled sinisterly.

  Viktor felt a sharp pain in his chest, which quickly spread through his body. Every part of him felt like it was on fire. He screamed, but his voice was stuck inside his throat. He lost control of his limbs and landed on his back in the middle of the alley. The pain was so intense that he prayed for death.

  “You’re lucky that she is safe; otherwise, you would cease to exist. Unfortunately for you, I did not get what I wanted, so I will make sure that you suffer for all eternity,” Lucifer whispered as he knelt down next to him.

  Lucifer left Viktor writhing in pain with no way to call for aid. He was going to die alone in the street without ever seeing Anjali again.

  ∞

  Anjali was conflicted after her meeting with God, which she vaguely remembered was a common occurrence. Though she felt oddly calm and collected, part of her was angry that God had confirmed that her life would be difficult. It was bad enough hearing her Father and Lucifer warn her that she had a thankless job, but hearing it from her creator threatened to crush her soul.

  She kicked a rock and felt like punching something as she turned the corner. Sighing, she rubbed her forehead and tried to focus on finding Viktor, but her mind was too scattered.

  It wasn’t until she heard gasping that she turned to look down the opposite alleyway. Seeing Viktor clutching his chest and rolling around on the ground, she ran toward him and summoned Alazar. She skidded to a halt and fell to her knees beside Viktor. She searched for some kind of injury but couldn’t find any. His breathing was shallow and he was deathly pale. Even without all the facts, she knew he was dying.

  Alazar appeared next to her and stopped in the middle of his greeting to run to her side.

  “What’s wrong with him?” she screamed. Her hands trembled as she tried to figure out how to help him.

  Alazar looked at his face and examined his chest. He shook his head and leaned back on his heels. “I don’t know.” He quickly looked over his shoulder and frowned. “I don’t sense any reapers coming, so you have some time.”

  She was grateful to have a few more seconds with him. “Viktor, can you tell me what happened?”

  Viktor’s eyes were tightly shut and he was muttering incoherently.

  “Viktor,” Alazar said in a soothing voice. “Look at me. Tell me what’s wrong.”

  He opened his eyes to look at Alazar. Tears streamed down the sides of his cheeks and his lower lip trembled. He reached out to take Alazar’s hand. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

  “What are you sorry for?” Alazar asked calmly.

  “I shouldn’t have taken our love for granted,” he gritted through his locked jaw.

  “He’s confessing,” Alazar said to Anjali. He held Viktor’s hand and tried to comfort him in his final moments.

  “Viktor, please tell me what happened,” Anjali said. She leaned over his face so that she could look into his bluish-purple eyes.

  When his eyes found hers, he stared straight through her as if he didn’t know her.

  Startled by the lack of recognition in his eyes, she started to cry. “Viktor, please. Tell me what happened,” she said through her tears.

  He closed his eyes again and groaned in pain.

  She leaned down and kissed his wet cheeks and dry lips. “I can stop the pain, if you let me,” she whispered.

  “No!” Alazar shouted. “You are forbidden. I know that I helped you save Derick, but I won’t stand by and watch you do this. The Council felt guilty about Calin dying by Edric’s sword and they gave you permission to free Liam from Fenris, but this is not sanctioned. I will not allow you to do something that might take you away from us. The Council will show no leniency if you make Viktor your Nachtghul without permission,” he warned.

  She stared down at Viktor contemplating what she should do. She understood the consequences, but all she could think about w
as seeing Pontius falling toward the ground and hear Viktor’s labored breathing.

  “You vowed to follow me even if you disagreed with me. Remember that,” she said to Alazar as she pushed up the sleeves of her dress.

  Alazar sighed and bowed his head. “I remember, My Lady. I will stand guard so that no one tries to stop you,” he replied, though she could hear the disapproval in his voice. He held out his hand to take her ring before getting up and heading toward the opening of the alleyway.

  “Viktor, do you remember when you asked about my Nachtghuls? Do you remember how I said you had to die to become my servant? I can make it so we never have to leave one another, but this is the only way to prevent that from happening. Do you want to stay with me forever?” she asked, holding his hand.

  His body trembled and he screamed through the pain.

  “Viktor, all you have to do is say yes and I can save you. Viktor Every, are you willing to take me as your Master?” she asked.

  “YES!” he shouted.

  She closed her eyes and focused her power so that she could begin the process of making Viktor her Nachtghul. She thought about how cold and cruel he had been when they first met. She smiled when he finally embraced their love and said that he didn’t want to live his life without her. She remembered the sensation of his hands on her body and how he made her feel cherished when she looked into his beautiful eyes.

  Placing her hand on his chest, she forced her power into him and prepared to say the words that would bind them forever. She had done this three times before, so she knew what to expect and how to move Viktor quickly through the process, except this time something was different. Her power slammed up against a wall or a force field. She had never encountered resistance before. She tried again with all of her concentration and determination behind it, but still she couldn’t enter his body to find his life force.

  “Alazar, something’s wrong,” she shouted.

  He ran to Viktor’s side and knelt down to watch her try once more to push her power into him.

  “I don’t know what’s wrong. He loves you, right? He technically agreed to be your servant, even though he has no idea what’s going on. I’ve seen this work with less of an affirmation. I have no idea why you can’t claim him,” Alazar said, stumped by the strange occurrence.

  Anjali broke down into sobs. “He has suffered the loss of me lifetime after lifetime. We finally have a chance to be together forever. I refuse to give up!” she shouted.

  Alazar opened Viktor’s eyelid and did the unthinkable. “Viktor Every, do you fear death?” he asked, using his power to tempt him.

  Anjali stared at Alazar, shocked that he would attempt such a thing. She was about to send him away, when Alazar held up his hand to her.

  Viktor didn’t reply even though he was compelled to answer by Alazar’s temptation.

  Alazar closed his eyes and swore. “His soul has already been claimed by someone. There’s nothing you can do,” he sighed. He held out her ring in his open palm.

  She put her ring on without thinking. “What do you mean he’s been claimed by someone else?” she asked. Her tears dried up as rage burned through her skin.

  “I can’t tempt him and you can’t claim his soul because he belongs to someone else,” Alazar explained.

  “That son of a bitch,” she growled when she realized who had claimed Viktor’s soul. “How stupid can he be?”

  Viktor coughed and took his final breath. Anjali gathered him up in her arms and rocked him. “I swear, Lucifer will suffer,” she decreed. She held Viktor close and swore revenge upon the devil. She screamed in rage, unable to accept that Viktor was now Lucifer’s servant.

  From the corner of her eye, she saw Alazar stand up and raise his arms in surrender. Whipping her head around, she saw half of the Celestial Warriors standing in the alleyway, led by Michael.

  “We heard you screaming. Is everything all right, My Lady?” Michael asked.

  “No, I’m not all right. He’s dead,” Anjali said pointing to Viktor.

  Michael came closer to look at Viktor. “I assume this man was dear to you, just like the others?”

  “Yes,” she said trying to control her rage before she yelled at Michael. She didn’t want to start a feud with him.

  "My condolences," he said softly. His eyes filled with tears as he stared down at Viktor’s body in her arms.

  Confused by his sorrow, she tilted her head. "How can you have such sympathy for a mortal that you don't even know?”

  “All life is precious, Lady Black. I have taken many lives, but rarely have I enjoyed it. A person would have to be truly evil for me not to mourn their life. May I ask what happened? I don't see any wounds.” He seemed truly curious about the incident.

  Anjali wiped her nose on the shoulder of her dress and gulped back her tears of anger. She was about to answer when Alazar stepped forward.

  “Lucifer claimed his soul,” Alazar said. “I noticed that he was dying in an unnatural fashion, so I tempted him to see if I could figure out what was wrong. That’s when I realized that his soul belonged to another.”

  Anjali was surprised to hear Alazar lying for her. She felt guilty for attempting to commit a crime, prompting Alazar to protect her.

  Michael was surprised by the news. “Why would Lucifer claim the soul of one of your lovers?”

  Anjali shrugged. “Viktor was cursed centuries ago by Lucifer, though he didn’t know it. Lucifer gave him the ability to find me no matter where I was, as long as we were both in the Mortal Realm. Lifetime after lifetime Viktor was drawn to me, even when he felt that our relationship was doomed. He could remember all of his past lives and our years together,” she explained. “Lucifer tricked him into making a deal, but neither of us knew of Lucifer’s plans to make him a servant until now. I can only think that Lucifer intends on sending Viktor away so that I can never be with him and thinks that I will never be the wiser.”

  Michael grimaced. “Lucifer used this man to find you in the Thera Islands, didn’t he? That incident caused you to sink the island. After the island was destroyed, Lucifer begged Gabriel to make the deal to send you to Hell,” Michael said, pleased that he finally understood how Lucifer was able to find her.

  “Yes,” she sighed.

  "Lucifer was forbidden to track you," Michael said, crossing his arms.

  "Yes, well, Lucifer never does what he's told, does he?" she asked bitterly.

  "No, he does not,” he snickered. He looked to the sky and tapped his foot. "You have all the luck, Lady Black.”

  Stunned, she glared at Michael. "Luck? This man suffered for centuries because of Lucifer, cursed to remember every tragic life and every death I suffered. Now, he’s Lucifer’s servant because he was double-crossed. How is that lucky?" She was so angry she was about to light him on fire.

  Michael looked away and frowned. "I should not be telling you this, but consider it a gift or rather, a way to stick it to Lucifer after all these years. I would like to cause him displeasure for once. You are aware that you can make a deal with a mortal and make them your servant…,” he said, before she cut him off.

  "I won't make him my servant. He deserves better than that. He will be bound to Hell just like Seth, Vincent and Dorian. My Nachtghuls have a better existence than they do, even if you disagree. Yet, I can't make him a Nachtghul, even if you allow it," she hissed.

  Michael drummed his long fingers against his arm. "That is what I am trying to explain to you. Viktor is bound to Lucifer, not to Heaven. Lucifer can transfer the soul to you and you can make Viktor a Nachtghul. His body is still warm and you can repair any physical damage as his master. You do not need our permission to command a soul who made a deal with Lucifer. Once a deal has been fulfilled, the soul is taken out of the natural order of things. Heaven has no power over the soul, which means that I cannot forbid you to do what you wish with a servant. I do wish you luck in convincing Lucifer to transfer Viktor’s soul to you. Clearly, it will not be easy since he
made the deal with the full knowledge that you would be angered by it," he warned. There was a mischievous look in his eye that Anjali had never seen before. It seemed that Lucifer had been an ass to Michael one too many times and Michael was ready for a little payback.

  She smiled at Michael, but stopped short of hugging him. She scooped up Viktor's limp body before he changed his mind. "Thank you, Lord Michael. I owe you."

  "Yes, you do," Michael grinned.

  Anjali left Michael in Brazil as she entered the Hall of Mirrors and marched directly into the Throne Room.

  Lucifer was sitting on his throne with a smug look on his face. She could see the exact moment when his eyes settled on Viktor’s body in her arms and he realized that his victory would be short lived.

  “Bury your dead, Anjali. You need time to mourn his loss,” Lucifer said softly. His kind words did nothing to relax his tense body.

  Hades sat forward in his throne and smiled. “Ahh, I see that Lucifer is indeed as stupid as I predicted.”

  Ignoring Hades’ snide comment, she stared Lucifer directly in the eyes as she laid Viktor’s body on the floor. “Where is he?” she shouted. “Where is Viktor Every?”

  Lucifer’s face turned bright red, which was unusual. She wasn’t sure if he was embarrassed or murderous.

  “I don’t know what you think you are doing, but this mortal is dead and there is nothing you can do about it!” Lucifer roared. He was off his throne and running toward Viktor’s body.

  She stepped over Viktor and met Lucifer head on, forcing him to slide to a halt. “Touch him, and you will regret it,” she snarled.

  Hades was standing next to them before she even saw him move. “A deal has been made, Anjali. There is nothing you can do about it,” he said rationally.

  “Tell Hades how you tricked Viktor into making a deal with you. Tell him what you offered Viktor and how you failed to mention the part about becoming your servant in the afterlife,” she retorted.

  Hades raised his eyebrow. “The boy did seem clueless about his fate when I last saw him. Deals cannot be made without the understanding that a soul will be a servant for eternity. The person usually ignores this point since they are so eager to receive what they want, but in Viktor’s case, I have a feeling he didn’t agree to be your servant,” Hades said matter-of-factly.