Angels & Demons: The Series

by Megan Linski

  “There’s nothing to think about,” Cairo says viciously. “I’m not letting Cassia die.”

  He looks to the gorgon. “How do we get there?”

  The gorgon twists her body, like a swaying serpent. “There are portals. I may open a portal to Purgatory, but I cannot help you get back. I will do this in exchange for my freedom.”

  The gorgon spits, and the snakes hiss again. “I want immunity against the Immortal Legion, and a promise they will never hunt me again.”

  “No deal,” Lavonne says instantly. “We’re not giving you a free pass to maim and murder.”

  “Lavonne, please,” I plead. “It’s Cass.”

  Lavonne’s face is tight, but she glances at Cassia, then nods.

  “How can we trust you?” Thames snarls. “You could open a portal to hell, or God knows where else. You could trick us.”

  Cairo steps in front of his brother. “It doesn’t matter. I don’t care what it takes.”

  He stares at the gorgon. “Do it.”

  The gorgon nods. She bends, whispering some arcane chant. Beside her blossoms a large silver portal, glowing and swirling. You can’t see anything that lies beyond, only white feathers floating in the ether between. A harmonious sound emits from the other side, but it’s not comforting. It’s chilling, beckoning.

  Cairo steps toward the portal.

  “Cairo, wait.” Thames grabs his brother’s arm. “If you go in there, there’s no guarantee you’ll come back.”

  Cairo yanks his arm away. His expression is colder than stone. “If I don’t go, it’s a guarantee that my girlfriend will die, and I’m not letting that happen, Thames. I’ll find a cure, and I’ll find a way back. I promise.”

  Cairo turns around. He stoops to the ground and brushes back Cassia’s hair. He kisses the top of her head tenderly in what seems like a final goodbye, or perhaps a final vow, before he rights himself. His wings are firmly tucked into his sides as he faces the portal.

  “Keep Cassia safe,” he says, and he steps through. The portal swallows him up instantly in a halo of light, and his body vanishes within the swirling, silver mass.

  Where Cairo once was, he is not. He’s in Purgatory now.

  Thames looks like he’s about to throw up. There’s a cackling sound… the gorgon is laughing, and laughing.

  “What’s so funny?” I snap.

  She keeps chuckling. “He went for nothing,” she says. “Only Purgatory can cleanse a soul of the Jikininki’s poison. The ill person must venture there as treatment. His sacrifice was useless— he is trapped for good.”

  “What?!” Thames grabs the gorgon and lifts her up. His hands begin burning with a furious fire. “You lied to us!”

  “I did not lie. You assumed,” the gorgon says, though her laughs are turning to whimpers of pain. Her snakes hiss and cry out as sparks dance upon their skin.

  The gorgon begins screaming as Thames’ flames lick up her body. The smell of singed flesh permeates the woodland as Thames begins burning her alive.

  “Thames, stop!” I rip him off of the gorgon, heart pounding— we still need her.

  “You promised to set me free if I answered your questions,” she hisses.

  “You double crossed us!” Thames growls. “You’ll be lucky if I don’t kill you by the end of this!”

  “Cairo…” a weakened voice emits behind us. My sister is standing. She’s woken up— still deathly ill.

  Lavonne starts forward to help her, but Cassia shoves her away. “I have to save Cairo.”

  The portal is still swirling at the gorgon’s side. I catch her looking at it, and say, “No. Cass, no.”

  “You heard the gorgon. I’ll get better once I enter Purgatory,” Cassia murmurs. “I’ll cure myself, save Cairo, and once we figure out a way back to Earth we’ll meet you guys at the Immortal Legion.”

  “But neither of you will be able to leave Purgatory! You’ll be trapped!” Thames shouts.

  “I don’t have a choice.” Cassia staggers forward and I reach out to catch her. She collapses into my arms, then rights herself again.

  “You two need to go to the Temple of Infinite Wonders,” Cassia says. “Find the page of the Angelic Codex. Figure out how to defeat Roman.”

  “We can’t leave until we know you guys are all right,” Thames insists. His voice wavers. He’s losing control.

  “No. If Cairo and I don’t come back, you two need to move on. You guys have to promise me that no matter what, you won’t let Roman win.”

  She grabs my hand. Her fingers are shaking. “Please, Lena. Please go.”

  Her lower lip wobbles, and my reserve fails. “Okay. We’ll go, Cass. Just, please, get better. And come back home.”

  Cass searches for Lavonne. “If Cairo and I come back and Thames and Lena find the Angelic Codex, we’re going to have a major fight on our hands,” she says. “I need you guys to be ready.”

  “You can count on me, Cass,” Lavonne says. “The Immortal Legion will be ready for battle.”

  Cass nods. Dead-set determination flashes in her eyes. “Help me to the portal, guys.”

  Thames and I both take an arm. Cassia takes slow, shuffling steps. As she stands before the portal, she takes a deep breath, and doesn’t look back.

  “See ya.” Cassia falls forward into the portal. The silvery light sucks her up, leaving behind a glowing halo in the impression of a person before fading away entirely.

  Once Cass is gone, the gorgon asks, delighted, “Anyone else want to follow her in?”

  “We’re not going in there,” Thames growls. “Close it up.”

  Dissapointed, the gorgon whispers the arcane chant again. The portal shuts, then vanishes, zipped up in the ether of time and space.

  “There. I did my part,” Persis hisses. “Now, release me.”

  “Not a chance. You’re pretty useful,” Thames spits back.

  “Thames. Let her go,” I say quietly. “If we keep her around she’ll try to trick us again. At this point we’re better off on our own.”

  Thames simmers. “Fine. Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

  I stoop downward and loosen the chains. Lavonne helps me, keeping an eye on the gorgon for good measure.

  “If anything happens to my sister or my brother, I’m coming for you,” Thames threatens Persis.

  The gorgon smirks. “Good luck finding me.”

  When the chains are off the gorgon spreads its wings. We all look down and away. As the creature rises into the sky, her back turned to us, she rips off her blindfold and lets it trail to the ground, giving a horrifying scream of pleasure.

  Familiars. I should’ve known she’d purposely mislead us. The entire reason she was made was to trap and torture souls.

  Ever since I lost my wings, I went from being the best demon huntress ever to the most incompetent and useless.

  I just hope Cassia and Cairo won’t have to pay the ultimate price.

  Lavonne watches the gorgon fly off, then turns to us. “You guys better get going. I’ll prepare our armies for when you return.”

  “When we all return,” Thames corrects her. “I’m not going up against Roman without my family.”

  Lavonne gives him a warm smile. “I’m not, either.”

  Lavonne leaves. As her crunching footsteps fade into night, I head back to the house, to get the map.

  “Come on, Thames,” I whisper. “Let’s go to Jerusalem.”

  Purgatory is different from what I thought it’d be.

  I’m wearing nothing but a thin white dress that’s wrapped around my form. It’s more of a toga, really, like the gorgon had. My wings are out, and on display. I can’t put them away here.

  My feathers are slowly growing back. I’m relieved. They looked hideous while molting.

  I can hear people… mortals… whispering voices, and a bit of laughter, but I can’t see them. I don’t think they can see me, either. All I can see is a flatland, a sparse space made up of clouds and wisps of wind. It looks, and fee
ls, like I’m walking upon the very sky.

  There are buildings here, white temples, and columns that hone back to Ancient Greece. When I walk, plumes of vapor rise off the ground.

  I find myself growing stronger with each step. I’m fully recovered. The Jikininki venom left my system once I crossed through the portal. Nothing evil or bad is allowed here in Purgatory. It’s all cleansed out to prepare souls for their final destination.

  Now I just need to find Cairo.

  I flap my wings and find that they still work. I take to the sky and survey the ground below me. I don’t see anyone…. until…

  “Golden hair,” I whisper. I dive downward. As I draw closer, my heart clenches at the sight of him.

  Cairo’s half naked— the only piece of clothing he wears is a sheer white piece of fabric tied around his waist, one that appears to match my toga. His wrists and ankles are bound with shackles, heavy ones, with chains attached to the ruins of broken columns.

  Cairo seems to have given up trying to rip them off. His head hangs on his bare chest, and he breathes in and out slowly. His wings sag upon the ground. It’s as if he’s accepted his fate and is willing to suffer in Purgatory, forever.

  “Cairo!” I call from above.

  His head jerks up at the sound of my voice, and his mouth drops open. I touch down to the ground and run full speed to meet him.

  “Cassia, what are you doing here?” His expression is wrecked with despair. “Go back!”

  “I can’t go back!” I say. “Not without you.”

  I collide against his chest. I put my hands onto his smooth pecs and kiss him like I never have before. For a moment I thought I lost him…

  “I didn’t want you to come,” he says quietly, nearly deranged. “I wanted you to stay.”

  “The gorgon tricked us. The cure is Purgatory itself. I had to enter in order to get better,” I say. “She sent you in here to trap you.”

  Cairo’s blue gaze narrows. “I suspected. But I had to take that chance to save your life.”

  “I’ll be all right now,” I tell him, and I brush my lips against his again. “Though I don’t know how we’ll escape.”

  Cairo moves, and the clinking of chains follow him. “Cairo, what’s this? Why are you chained up?” I ask.

  “I don’t know. I entered Purgatory, and found myself shackled with these chains.” He lifts his arms. They struggle under the weight. “I’ve tried to get free, but they won’t break no matter what I do.”

  “Purgatory must be different for everyone.” My hands reach out. “Let me see.”

  My fingers brush against the shackles that hold Cairo’s wrists. At my touch, the chains break and fall off completely. The locks around his ankles click and open wide. The restraints fall off and become a puddle of iron at Cairo’s feet. He is free.

  “How… how did you do that?” he whispers.

  “I… I don’t know.” I step around them. “Maybe you’re the one who put them on yourself, and you couldn’t break them. Maybe you needed someone else to break them for you.”

  Accepting this, he nods, and spreads his wings. “Come on. Let’s find a way out of here.”

  Cairo and I fly as far as we can in every direction, but we don’t see anything except more buildings, more temples. Time doesn’t exist here— we don’t know how long we’ve been here, as we don’t get hungry, or tired.

  As far as we can tell, there’s no way out.

  “This is a strange place,” Cairo murmurs as we land once more. I can’t tell if it’s the same spot, because every cloud looks the same.

  “It sure is,” I agree. “Everything up is down.”

  I reach out for Cairo. He takes my hand and we look around. Neither of us have an answer on what to do next.

  “There are no other immortals here. We can’t ask someone to make a portal,” he mumbles, thinking out loud.

  “Then we need to make our own.” I gnaw at my lip and think. “Could we possibly get kicked out by the forces that run this place?”

  “Maybe. I suppose if you did something wrong, you’d be sent somewhere else.” He shrugs. “Though where you’d end up, I don’t know.”

  “To get back to the mortal realm, we’d have to do something that isn’t permitted in Purgatory.”

  The corner of Cairo’s mouth sinks in thought. “What? Murder? A sin?”

  “No…” I muse. “Bad things are cleaned in Purgatory. What will get us out is… is honesty.”

  “Honesty?” Cairo is completely confused. “Why is that an earthly thing?”

  “Because the truth isn’t a thing in Purgatory, or heaven,” I say to myself. “It’s just something that exists. It isn’t challenged, or opposed. It just is.”

  As if appearing out of thought, a king bed materializes upon the clouds. It’s gorgeous… satin sheets, a downy comforter, feather pillows. The bed sits on a golden, four-poster frame, surrounded by gossamer curtains that float in the slight breeze.

  “Huh,” Cairo says, scratching his head. “That’s weird.”

  Cairo doesn’t get it. But I do. Souls are purified and fixed in Purgatory. Bad things are undone. So people can move on to a better place.

  Cairo has been freed from his chains— the rules, laws, and strict regulations that he imposed on himself and forced himself to follow. It’s time for me to receive forgiveness— to forgive myself for things I had no power over, and for me to accept forgiveness from Cairo for hurting him.

  “Cairo,” I say, reaching out my hand. “Come with me.”

  Cairo does a double take, from me to the bed. “You mean…”

  “We can’t leave Purgatory until we fix what’s been broken,” I repeat. “It’s time for me to repair what was destroyed inside of me a long time ago.”

  “Wouldn’t it be a sin?” Cairo seems very nervous. He looks around, as if some eternal judge is watching him.

  “I don’t think so. Not here.” I look around. “But it’s the only thing we can try.”

  He squeezes my hand gently. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes,” I agree quietly. “I’m sure.”

  “What if it doesn’t work?”

  I smile softly at him. “Then I’ll spend an eternity in Purgatory with you.”

  His adoring smile is the only confirmation I need that I’m doing the right thing.

  I guide him toward the bed. We both sit on it. It’s the softest bed I’ve ever been on, even softer than clouds. I sink into it.

  “I’ll let you take the lead,” he offers. “This is your thing.”

  I stare. “You get go first,” I tell him bluntly. “Then me.”

  He laughs, a little scared. “Whatever you say.”

  Cairo unties the knot at his waist. He stands up and tosses the light fabric aside, then looks at me.

  I’ve seen Cairo naked before. I’ve had glimpses when he got out of the shower, or in the dark, but I’ve never really looked at him. Not in the full light.

  He’s gorgeous. And, of course, perfect. My attraction to him swells ten times to what it was before.

  I stand up. I reach for the brooch on my shoulder that’s holding my up toga. I unclasp the brooch and let the dress fall, then kick it aside.

  Cairo hitches a breath. I can’t meet his eyes. His fingers twitch, like he wants to touch.

  “It’s okay.” I reach out and grab his wrists. I pull him closer to me and place his hands on my hips. “You can put them where you like.”

  I start to kiss him. His hands move over my bare skin slowly, but feverishly at the same time. They drift from place to place as if he doesn’t know where to go. Testing. Exploring.

  As his fingers move over places I’ve previously never allowed him to graze, I wait for a panic attack. For fear. For thoughts of Eric.

  Nothing happens. The answer comes to me— no bad things in Purgatory.

  Getting over the initial leap is the hardest part. Going back, and doing this again… it won’t be as difficult once I know without a doubt Cairo
isn’t going to hurt me.

  Our breath increases. I stagger backwards to the bed and Cairo lifts me up, placing me onto it gently. I expect him to climb over me, but he slides beside me instead. He lifts an arm and pulls me close to his body. He presses himself against me fully, and I sigh. I’ve never experienced such tenderness before.

  We spend moments… long minutes, really… dancing our fingers across unknown places. Cairo shivers when I touch him. It comes to me how long and how desperately he’s has waited for this. On Earth I would feel guilty, but here, I don’t. Now is the right time.

  “How do you want to do this?” I ask.

  “I think you should be on top,” he murmurs. “Gives you more control.”

  “Good idea.”

  I climb onto his hips and place my hands on his sculpted abs. I look down. He looks just as scared as I am, but for different reasons. He’s terrified I’m going to freak out again, or start crying.

  Not a chance.

  “Will it hurt?” I ask. It hurt with Eric.

  “I don’t know,” he confesses. “I’ll try to make it so it doesn’t.”

  “Okay.”

  I let him in slowly, inch by inch. Cairo’s expression goes from anticipatory to blissful. He closes his eyes and opens his mouth, sighing slowly.

  It’s uncomfortable, but it doesn’t hurt. I’ve got the power here. I’m in control.

  Something hits me. Nobody I ever loved has shared my body before. The only people who have been inside me have taken that right by force, and for the first time in my life, I’m giving it away. I’m taking back what was mine.

  Cairo makes me feel safe. This is how it should be. Committed, passionate, and promised. Sex stops being scary and traumatizing and turns into something beautiful and precious when you have someone who cares about you.

  Cairo can’t help it. He begins to move, and sensations explode. I move with him, finding my way. I find myself becoming less of the victim and becoming more Cassia.

  Eventually it stops being about my past at all and becomes completely about me and Cairo. He’s all I can think about— he’s all I want.

  Tears start to run down my face at the release I feel. For the first time in years, years, I finally feel free.