Gilded Wings

by Cameo Renae

  Malachi growled at him with narrowed eyes.

  “Dude,” Alex interjected, his eyes darting to Kade. “I’m so sorry. That really freaking sucks.”

  Thomas smacked Alex on the shoulder and shook his head.

  “What? I am sorry. Kade and Emma should have been together,” Alex reasoned.

  “Yes, we should have. I know it’s my fault,” Kade said sadly. “It’s something I have to deal with for the rest of my life.”

  “Well at least you’re mortal now, so it won’t be too long.” Alex spoke without thinking.

  Thomas and Malachi, on either side of Alex, turned and glared at him. Thomas whacked his arm, and Malachi smacked him in the head.

  “Ouch! What was that for? I was just saying it would have been much worse if he were an immortal and had to live with the guilt for all eternity.”

  “You should have kept it to yourself instead of blurting it out,” Thomas scolded. “You’re just making everything worse.”

  Alex turned to Kade. “I’m really sorry. I never meant to hurt you more.”

  “I know,” Kade replied. “And you are right. An eternity of hurt and regret is much too long.”

  “Have you found out anything yet, Alaine?” James asked.

  Alaine’s eyes landed on mine. Her expression made my stomach turn. “I haven’t yet, but we are still searching.” The tone in her voice told me that even her hope was diminishing. If there was no way out of the oath, I would have to seal the bond with Ethon.

  Kade’s hand found mine. “Hey, we still have a couple days. Don’t give up just yet,” he whispered.

  I nodded and when I looked into his eyes, I saw hope renewed. He had enough of it for all of us, knowing full well, time was fighting against us.

  “Do you think if they continue like they have, they’ll be able to break through tonight?” I asked him.

  “I don’t know,” he answered. “It’s hard to tell.”

  “We just need to make sure everyone is rested up. We need you all on top of your game, alert and prepared,” Alaine added.

  “I’m going to bed right after breakfast,” Alex said, stretching.

  “I am too,” Thomas agreed.

  “So, Emma. Tomorrow night is your transformation,” James said. “We haven’t heard of or seen Ethon in a few days. Maybe there is hope,” he stated.

  “I hope so,” I exhaled.

  “Have you found anything, Alaine?” Thomas asked.

  Her eyes saddened. “I haven’t, but I won’t give up.”

  “We’re all here for you, Emma,” James said.

  “I know. Thank you.” I looked at Alaine. “Any word from Samuel?”

  “No. But I’m sure he’s fine and we will see him very soon,” she answered.

  I nodded. “That’s good. I can’t wait to see him again.”

  She looked up at me with love and sadness in her eyes. “Me too.”

  Everyone helped clean and clear the breakfast table.

  “So are you guys headed back to the safe room?” Dom asked.

  “I don’t know. There’s still a lot of daylight left,” I noted.

  “Why don’t we all go to Kade’s room and play some cards.”

  “Sounds good to me.” I shrugged, glancing at Kade with pleading eyes.

  “She’ll be surrounded by all of us. It’ll be the safest room for her.” Dom said. “James, Alaine, wanna join us?”

  “No thanks, but thank you for the offer.” Alaine said, with a smile. “I need to check on a few more things in my office.”

  “No, thank you. I am going to get some shut eye,” James said.

  “That sounds so boring. You can sleep when you’re dead,” Dom chuckled.

  “You all have fun,” James smiled, then exited the room.

  We headed toward Kade’s room, and after an hour of cards, we all ended up falling asleep. Kade and I were on the bed, and the rest of them were sprawled out on the ground. The transformation was really draining me because I slept through their horrible symphony of snoring.

  THE HOUSE SUDDENLY SHOOK VIOLENTLY, like we were in the middle of a major earthquake, jolting everyone from sleep.

  “Shit,” Kade cursed glancing outside. My heart sunk watching the sky darken as the sun set.

  “Get up boys,” Dom yelled.

  A loud boom shook the house again. From Kade’s window there wasn’t much happening, but as soon as we opened his door and looked out the front windows… All Hell had broken loose.

  We watched in horror as three Grimlock stood side by side, bashing the same area of the barrier. Every blow felt like a bomb was going off. The barrier’s cracks extended longer than they had before, webbing out across the whole front of it.

  There was a lot of movement outside, and as my eyes started to focus, I saw Darkling inside the barrier, crawling around the house, but they weren’t trying to get in.

  Not yet.

  “It’s not gonna hold much longer!” Malachi yelled.

  “Well boys, this is our time to shine,” Dom called his brothers to arms.

  Everything that followed happened so fast.

  I watched in complete horror as one of the Grimlock offered his blow, shattering what was left of the barrier. Brilliant white and blue sparks rained down around the perimeter as our protection finally gave, and disintegrated around us.

  It was the beginning of the end.

  The front door exploded like a bomb. Like a rocket, Lucian came crashing through the side wall like it was made of straw, tumbling into the foyer directly below us.

  He stood, tall and muscular, slowly dusting himself off. His eyes were pitch black, just like his heart. His white hair wasn’t drawn back like how I remembered. It was long, stringy, and hung down to his shoulders making him look even more brutal.

  Lucian held his arms out to his sides, calling his majestic, raven-black wings, and they immediately appeared behind his back.

  His head snapped up toward us, and a wicked grin swept across his face, sending a menacing, hair-raising chill down my spine.

  Chaos and terror erupted all around us as Darkling and Fallen forced their way in, shattering all the windows as they crashed through.

  But something happened. Something no one, including Lucian, could have expected. A half a dozen Hellhounds charge through the opening, and began attacking the Darkling. Screams of agony erupted as the ravage red eyes and razor sharp teeth pounced on their stinky prey and began ripping them to shreds.

  “No!” Lucian roared, as the Hellhounds took out half his army in a short amount of time.

  He cursed at the top of his lungs, then began to speak in a loud angelic voice which reverberated of the walls all around us.

  The Hellhounds started to yelp in pain and then dropped to the ground. In seconds they were lifeless; their bodies torched and turned to ash.

  Lucian killed half the power he came with and we didn’t have to lift a finger.

  Rage burned bright in his eyes.

  Ethon was nowhere to be seen, and neither was Lucifer. I had a crushing feeling they would abandon us and leave us to die. How easy it would be to have one enemy take out the other.

  With a wave of his hand, Lucian sent his Fallen forward.

  Our Guardians didn’t hesitate. Every one of them readied their weapons and charged forward without fear or trepidation, knowing full well they were brutally outnumbered.

  I watched Alaine rush out from the hallway. She had been ready, dressed in her black combat outfit with her sword in hand. Her hair was pulled back, her eyes narrowed, and her face hard-set as she immediately engaged with one of the Fallen. His tall muscular frame towered over hers by at least two feet.

  I gasped in horror as he lifted his gargantuan sword over his head, quickly thrusting it down at her. Alaine twirled to the side, barely missing it.

  I exhaled. That was too close.

  The Fallen raised his weapon again and attempted a second strike, but Alaine disappeared. I watched her reappear di
rectly behind him, quickly pushing her blade into his back. He immediately swung around, knocking her backwards.

  I knew whenever she disappeared, it drained her. I prayed to God that she would have enough strength to survive.

  Kade grabbed me by the arms and yanked me backward down the hallway.

  “No!” I yelled, trying to break free, but he held me tight. In an instant, he threw me over his shoulder and I was being carried quickly toward my bedroom. “We can’t leave them,” I cried.

  “We have to. They are fighting for you, Emma. For your safety,” he implored, carrying me away.

  “No!” I screamed.

  I watched in horror as Malachi and Dominic jumped from the second balcony, directly into the middle of danger below. Swords clashed and echoed through the house as they fought bravely, but they were surrounded and would be quickly outnumbered.

  I screamed as the Fallen closed in on them. Kade ran down the hall, kicked open my door, dropped me to my feet and locked the door behind us. He ran and pulled the chair from the desk and secured the door with it.

  “Get your garment on. Now!” he urged.

  There was a charge in his eyes, and the seriousness of his voice had me grabbing the duffle and bolting for the closet. I threw open the door and immediately threw off my jeans and T-shirt as I entered. I pulled the garment from my duffle, trying to unzip it, but my body was trembling much too fiercely.

  A loud boom on the door shook the entire room.

  “Shit. Hurry, Emma!” Kade yelled.

  I finally unzipped the suit and quickly slipped it on, then grabbed the dagger and fastened it to my waist.

  Another thundering boom against the door sent a jolt of fear through me. If Kade wasn’t pushing the door shut, it already would have flown off the hinges. There was no way he could hold it shut for much longer, if whoever or whatever kept trying to bash it in. I rushed to his side and threw my weight against the door.

  “Do you have your dagger?” he asked.

  “Yes,” I said, unsheathing it.

  “Whatever happens, fight. You need to stay alive. We are all here to protect you. If you die, then all of this was all for nothing. Do you hear me? It doesn’t matter who is in trouble around you, take care of yourself first,” he said, his eyes were narrowed on me, filled with overwhelming concern.

  “I understand.” I twisted myself, moving to the front of him, placing both hands on either side of him, still pushing against the door. I pressed my body tightly against his, and then, I kissed him.

  “I love you,” I breathed.

  “And I love you,” he whispered. “So much so that it aches. I would willingly give my life for you.”

  “I know you would. But I need you. So, you have to stay alive.”

  A grin graced his beautiful lips. “I’ll try.”

  “You’ll need to do better than that,” I said, and he smiled.

  The next blast felt like an explosion, and sent the top hinge of the door flying off.

  “Emma, each of us needs to take a side. You go right, so when the door opens you’ll be protected. Once whatever is out there comes through, you stay put and let me deal with it.”

  “Okay,” I answered without thought, my heart and pulse racing.

  “You should go invisible now.”

  “Wait,” I answered. “We can both be invisible. I just need to touch you.”

  He pondered the offer, then he grabbed my waist. “Alright, let’s do this. But when I attack, you let go and stay hidden.”

  “Alright,” I said, knowing full well if I could help him, I would.

  He pivoted with me in his arms, and pushed us to the right side of the door. I called upon my invisibility, and we immediately disappeared.

  “Whoa,” he whispered.

  “What?”

  “This is my first time,” he said, still holding me tight.

  “It is?” I questioned. “I thought—” Then I realized it had been Ethon I was with.

  “Nope, invisible virgin here.”

  “Well, not a virgin anymore,” I noted.

  “That’s true,” he said. “Are you ready?”

  “Ready,” I answered.

  He moved me to the side, and I kept my hands on him, running them up his back and placing them on his shoulders.

  “Are you ready?” I asked.

  “As ready as I’ll ever be,” he said.

  The door burst open, flying off the last hinge, tumbling and slamming into the opposite wall. A rumbling growl filled the room, rattling my knees with fear. A huge leg attached to a large torso stomped inside.

  My breath seized.

  I was expecting one of the Fallen, but this was no Fallen.

  It was a Grimlock.

  Fear encompassed me, knowing they used their smell as their sight. Being invisible didn’t matter anymore. The Grimlock would be able to pinpoint us no matter where we were.

  Kade stayed still, waiting for the creature to enter. I wanted to tell him he shouldn’t wait, but didn’t want to risk making noise.

  I wondered if he knew, but I couldn’t take a chance. I had to move before the Grimlock entered the room.

  Jumping in front of Kade, I lifted my dagger and thrust it deep into the Grimlock’s chest. The Grimlock roared, and swung its large arm at me, sending me flying backward, crashing against my desk. As soon as I let go of Kade, he became visible.

  The blade was still embedded in the creature’s chest, but it wasn’t going down. The Grimlock lifted his huge spiked weapon and swung it directly at Kade.

  Kade dove, just under the blade, and used his sword to slash its leg.

  “The neck. Aim for its neck!” I yelled.

  Kade quickly raised his blade, but before he could complete his swing, the Grimlock raised his leg, kicking him backward. He flew back, crashing and hitting the side of my bed.

  “Kade,” I screamed.

  “I’m okay,” he assured.

  The Grimlock became enraged, and barged in, stomping toward Kade. His lethal weapon swung back and forth heading directly at him. He didn’t have protection, and the bed was keeping him from moving backward.

  Without hesitation, I shot up. Using the bed to propel me forward, I timed my move. As soon as the beast was mid-swing, I jumped on the bed and thrust myself forward, feet first, aiming at the dagger. As soon as my feet hit the blade, it pushed it deep into its chest.

  It halted, its hand frantically grasped at its chest, but there was nothing for it to hold on to. It crashed down onto its knees, then after a loud gurgling exhale, its eyes rolled back and it dropped forward.

  Kade shot up. “Emma,” he exhaled.

  “I had to. I’m sorry,” I said.

  “Don’t be sorry,” he said, hugging me tight. “You saved us. I’m just thankful you didn’t get hurt.”

  “Come on, we have to get you to the safe room.”

  He grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the room.

  As we turned into the hallway, it was blocked. Dom was fighting two Fallen, and I was overjoyed to see he was still alive.

  “Second floor should be free,” Dom yelled, right after he did an awesome flying twist, using both of his sharp blades to behead one of the Fallen.

  “Thanks, man,” Kade yelled back.

  “Emma, I can see you,” he called out while dodging another blade swung at his head.

  “Not the face,” he shouted, pushing the Fallen back into one of the rooms. “No one comes near this face. It’s my money maker!”

  I held onto Kade’s hand and giggled, calling upon my invisibility. We instantly disappeared and I was surprised at how fast and easy it was becoming. Maybe invisibility would be my gift too.

  But I wondered why I didn’t get tired like Alaine did after she went invisible. Maybe it was the suit.

  WE BOTH STARTED DOWN THE stairs to the second level. When we reached the balcony I stopped Kade. Below us was devastation and death. There were two Grimlock inside, swinging their weapons, absolu
tely destroying Alaine’s home.

  Two more Grimlock lay lifeless on the ground. One of them was headless, and the other was on its back with its large tongue hanging to the side of its mouth. It had an obvious wound to its chest.

  The battle was raging. Guardians against Fallen, and it seemed as if our guys were holding their own.

  My heart twisted as I saw Samuel, fighting side by side with Alaine. They moved so naturally together, like each of them knew what the other’s next move would be. Samuel used his wings as his weapon, and was slaughtering Fallen after Fallen. Alaine let him lead, but fought just as hard and just as bravely.

  “Lucifer’s Fallen aren’t as skilled as most, probably because they haven’t been in battle for a while. They seem sluggish,” Kade noted.

  “That’s good,” I exhaled. “It works to our advantage.”

  James, Thomas, and Alex were fighting on the lowest level, close to Alaine and Samuel. They all looked drained.

  “Emma,” Kade said, tugging at my hand.

  “Wait. Where’s Malachi?” I asked, concerned. I quickly scouted all of the lifeless bodies on the ground, but didn’t spot his.

  “Maybe he chased one outside. There seems to be a lot of commotion going on out there.”

  “I hope so.”

  Then I watched as Lucian stalked toward the Guardians. The one nearest him was Alex.

  “Kade,” I wailed, almost letting go of him. “Alex is in danger!”

  He held me back, probably thinking I would jump to his aid.

  Alex did not see Lucian coming. He was too engaged with another Fallen to notice.

  “Alex!” I screamed. “Alex, behind you!”

  Alex paused for a split second, and when he turned around, Lucian was already right behind him, his black eyes locked onto his target. Lucian lifted his arm and shoved his sword right into Alex’s midsection.

  “No!” I screamed.

  Thomas rushed to his aid, and drop kicked Lucian backward, just enough to free the blade from Alex’s stomach. He grabbed Alex’s arm and swung him away, while thrusting out his blade, decapitating an oncoming Fallen. Alex dropped to his knees, his sword fell from his hands as he leaned forward examining his wound.