by Rue Volley
“Lay waste to all of his people. I’ll handle him personally,” Lucien said. He pointed his sword at Judas. “You wanted a battle, Judas? You’ve got one.”
His wings extended and he rose from the ground rushing forth. Judas raised his staff. Metal clinked on metal. War cries, sounds of anguish, and flesh being ripped open filled his ears. Still, his attention remained on the man in front of him. He parried and thrust, forcing Judas back
“Did you think this was going to be easy, boy?” Lucien whispered
“No, I counted on the exact opposite. Now!” Judas’ barked command
A group of demons dropped down on him from above in numbers so great they looked like black fog. He stumbled back, lifting his swords. A burst of brilliant light damn near blinded him. Night swung her sword, cutting through their numbers like butter. They fought back to back, moving in sync as they slay their attackers. Claws sliced through his armor, tearing at his flesh. He made fire from nothing, burning them alive. Night brought down a handful of demons with her sword. Reassured of her safety, he broke their ranks and went after Judas again. Lucien circled Judas with flames. “With your boys occupied, who’ll fight your battles for you?” Lucien asked.
“I don’t need them.” Judas shot up and hoped over the flames
“Impressive, let’s see how long you can keep it up.”
Judas continued to run. Lucien encircled him with fire, making the flame grow with every hop he made. Watching the flames lick at his body wasn’t enough. Judas deserved more. His movements grew sluggish, and Lucien made his move. With a wave of his hand, Judas was splayed out like a marionette, arms outstretched at his side, and his legs bone straight
“Look upon your new leader,” Lucien roared above the sound of battle. Heads turned toward him. “This is the man you mistakenly put your faith in.” He gestured outward with two fingers on each hand. Judas began to scream as his limbs were pulled. “Back in the day they used to draw and quarter turncoats, but I think that’s too good for you. I’ll make sure you still feel it when the hellhounds eat your carcass, and then I’ll bring you back and do it again, and again.” Ligaments snapped. Muscles gave with a wet pop. Bones crackled. Blood began to leak from the tears in his flesh forming a red puddle on the ground. When his limbs broke away, and his voice grew too raw to make a sound, Lucifer turned to the stunned audience. “Smite them.” Flashes of white light went up, lighting the dimly lit city. The stench of burned souls filled his nostrils and in a few minutes, it was over
Chapter Five
Battle over, Yophiel looked at the layers of ash that littered to the floor. Judas has been whisked away to places unknown, leaving behind a scarlet puddle broken by bits of white bone and pink muscle. He couldn’t find it in him to feel compassion for one so evil. His thoughts turned to Heavenleigh. With Judas subdued, she’d be safe, for now. He looked to Michael for guidance.
“Now we take our leave and seal this place once more,” Michael said. He glared at Lucien. “When next we meet, brother, it won’t be as allies.”
“I look forward to it,” Lucien said.
Michael took to the air, flapping his massive wings. Wind rose and one by one each Angel joined them. Yophiel flew beside Gabriel, happy to be a part of his brethren once again. They began an Enochian chant. Swirls of white light came up from the floor creating an energy vortex. It followed them on their ascent, seeking out the cracks, holes, and crumbling spots of the numerous seals that keep the damned below. Pressure built and the walls around them seemed to shrink. They exploded from the dark prison, and Yophiel breathed deeply for the first time in hours. Below, the air burned his lungs, and his eyes. The stench of rot and despair clung to those who entered like molasses. Slowly it would weigh you down, and eat away at your soul. It amazed him, Lucifer had not gone completely insane. But there had been many moments he could see he was halfway there. Perhaps Layla and Heavenleigh keep him from being completely consumed
They returned to Purgatory, and he waited for his dismissal
“Job well done, brother,” Michael said, clapping him on his shoulder. “Are you ready to return to the fold? I know living among the humans has been a challenge.”
“Yes, things are very different down there, confusing, ugly, and beautiful all at the same time.” Yophiel shook his head
“They are not built to resist temptations like us. Their hearts long to live for Father, but their flesh is so weak. It’s a constant battle.”
“You feel sympathy for them?” Yophiel asked, seeing Michael in a different light
“They cannot help their nature. There was a time when they tried and maintained a high level of success, but those times grow fewer and fewer. It’s sad to watch them tear down what our father built on the blood of Jesus.”
“They’re resilient. I believe they can regain ground,” Yophiel said
“You have not been there long enough to understand the horror’s first hand, brother.”
“Then maybe we should give me time to.”
In his human form, Michael’s blue eyes blinked with what Yophiel thought might be shock. “You wish to stay?” Michael said
“Yes. I go where Heavenleigh goes.” Yophiel stood tall
“Can’t you see he is in love with her, brother?” Gabriel said. “He’s shared his grace.”
Stunned whispers rose among the other Angels.
“Why have you done this?” Michel boomed
“Because she needed the balance, to keep her safe, and I was lead to.”
“You want me to believe for a second this is what our father wanted?” Michael sneered
“You presume to know his mind? Careful you’re dangerously close to blasphemy,” Yophiel said
“I know when something is wrong. This union is an abomination.” Michael scowled
“You sound a lot like someone we know. You might want to get a handle on those emotions,” Yophiel said
“God, you even sound like them,” Michael said
“And that’s suddenly a crime? Are the hairless monkeys so far beneath us, we should kill them all and take over Paradise? You hate Lucifer, but right now you sound just like him.” Yophiel lifted his chin. This day he would not cower before the brother who had taught him everything
Michael rushed forward. “Don’t you dare compare me to that unclean one.”
“Isn’t this how he started out?” Yophiel asked. Being around Heavenleigh had taught him defiance in the face of what he believed to be true.
Michael froze. His angular face lost some of his color. He stumbled back. “I must meditate on this.” He disappeared with the flap of wings
“I’ve been waiting for that to happen for eons,” Gabriel said making Yophiel laugh. Truly, he was the funniest in the Garrison
“I know it is hard to understand, but this is what I feel is right in my heart. Godspeed my brethren. I will take my leave. Shall you ever need me, only call and I will come.” He placed his fist over his heart, bowed, and took his leave
“Angel man.”
He had just enough time to open his arms and catch the warm bundle of curls and brown skin. “You were gone so long, I was worried,” Heavenleigh whispered, pressing her face against his
Uncomfortable with the display in front of his father, he held her a safe distance from her body. “I have returned unharmed.” He placed her onto her feet gently. She frowned and wrapped an arm around his waist. He turned to his father. “The job has been accomplished. The up risers were silenced, and the seal has been reset.”
God nodded. “And your brother?”
Yophiel blinked. “Lucifer?”
“Yes.”
“He is better than when we last saw him. I believe his heart is being touched.” Yophiel glanced down at Heavenleigh
“That is very good,” God said. “You wish to stay on Earth with this one?” He nodded toward Heavenleigh.
“If it pleases you, Father.”
God smiled. “It will be hard to lose such a great
warrior, but your destiny lies on a different path now. Be happy, my son, protect her with your life, and if anything ever begins you must contact your brothers immediately. Locked inside her is the potential for great destruction or great healing. I sent you to help her manage that power.”
“Thank you. He’s the best present I ever received,” Heavenleigh said
Yophiel’s jaw dropped. “You can’t speak to Father this way,” he chided gently
“She speaks from her heart. That’s more important than niceties and decorum. I understand the meaning. I only ask you come to me with an open heart, Heavenleigh, remember that,” God said
Heavenleigh nodded and grinned. “We’ve become good friends, Yophiel.” She beamed, and Yophiel shook his head
Did she just charm, God? Stunned, he glanced at his father who chuckled
“Yes, I believe she will be very good for you, my young warrior. I have reinforced the warding on your home. Go and be at peace.”
Yophiel nodded, and returned them to the home that had become his safe haven. They appeared in the living room, and Heavenleigh stepped away from him
“Tell me everything.”
“I will after I wash the stench of battle from my skin.” He shed his armor with a thought, and they walked into the bathroom, fingers entwined
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’ve been to many battles.” He glanced down at her and caressed her face with his gaze. “Yet none have seemed this important.”
“Don’t scare me like that again, Angel man. It’s not my style to sit back while others fight my battle.”
“I will always do what it takes to keep you safe, it that means bearing the brunt of your anger, so be it.” He paused in the hallway and kneeled in front of her. “You are everything to me Heavenleigh. With you, I feel truly alive for the first time in a very long life. I live to see you smile, and hear your life. You fixed something broken inside me.”
She shook her head. “No, you are the perfect one.” She ran her fingers through his hair. “I’m the one who’s lucky. Please don’t put me on a pedestal. I’ll fall and shatter, Angel man.”
“Never, no one is perfect, but you are perfect for me, to me.” He pressed his head against her belly and inhaled her sweet fragrance. “I want our union recognized by Father. I wish to live with you as a man would.”
“Baby?” Her voice shook. “Are you asking me to marry you?”
“Yes. Will you join me for eternity, Heavenleigh Spirit, because one lifetime would never be enough?”
“Oh my God.” Her body shook
His stomach dropped
“Yes. Of course, I will.”
He rose slowly, and connected their lips. Her sweet flavor exploded on his taste buds, and her scent filled his nose. Closing his eyes, he savored the emotions whirling around inside him. Love, lust, and adoration were so much more than mere words now. Filled with warmth and happiness, he felt as if he could take on the world. Drunk off her, he lifted her into his arms. She sucked his bottom lip into his mouth. A rumbling began in his chest
“You know I love it when you purr for me, Angel man.” She wound her arms around his neck, and her legs around his waist, and he carried her to the bathroom
Turning on the shower with a thought, he set her on the counter and spread her legs. “I need to taste you. I want to drown myself in your scent and your flavor.” He unbuttoned the top of her jean and slid down her pants, taking her scrap of lace with them. Her feminine musk filled his nostrils, and his mouth watered. “You intoxicate me.”
His fingers dug into the flesh of her thighs, and he licked a path up her slit. Her juices clung to his tongue, coating his taste buds with her unique taste. A shiver ran up his spine
“I need more. Put your legs over my shoulders.”
She looked down at him with hooded eyes that held a reddish gold glow. Seeing her powers manifest in harmony made his dick hard. He thrust his tongue inside her tight sheath. Her walls gripped him, and he moaned, burying his face between her thighs, nudging her swollen clit with his nose. She gripped his hair tight and lifted her ass off the counter to meet his every stroke
“Oh shit, Yes, Angel man, right there.” Her heels dug into his back
He moved his tongue faster. Her body shook. He moved his under her ass and gripped her full globes tilting her hips. Her breathy sighs and cries filled his ears as he pushed her over the edge
“Yophiel!” his name bounced off the walls of the bathroom as she tightened her legs around his head and released her sweet nectar into his mouth
He swallowed down every drop, gently unwrapped her legs from his body, and pressed a string of kisses to her inner thighs. Removing his clothing with a thought, he stood. “I think it’s time for that shower now.”
“Sure as soon as I can stand again.”
He laughed and lifted her into his arms. “I will always support you when you can’t do it for yourself.”
“And this is why I’m marrying you. Holy shit I’m getting married.” She beamed
Her green eyes sparkled, and he knew he’d never been happier. Before he hadn’t come close to understanding what true joy or love was. What he shared with Heavenleigh was unlike anything he had ever known. “Thank you.”
“For what, Angel man?” she whispered, cupping his check
“For showing me what it is to love.”
“Shower now,” she growled. “I need to have you buried inside me before I melt into a useless puddle of woman goo.”
His heart raced, and he stepped inside the shower, letting the warm water beat down on his back
“I don’t want to come to you with filth from the battle.” He helped her stand in the back of the shower
“Let me clean you,” she whispered. “You fought for me, let me honor you.” She grabbed the sandalwood and soap and built up a lather. “I may have taught you, but you freed me. I was living in a prison I helped make with no hope of every escaping. Then you showed up.” Her voice cracked
He remained silent, allowing her to gather herself as she ran her soapy hands over his chest. The heat coming off her hands soothed his sore muscle
“I used to think God hated me, and my punishment was a lifetime of loneliness. People and beings alike fear what they don’t understand. I never had a chance in that instance. Being hidden here, helped, but it also acted like an invisible fence. I could only venture so far, and only if I used the proper protocol. Other than my mother, you’ve been the only one to truly know me, all of me. And you, miraculously, you still love me.”
“How could I not?” he whispered
“Oh, there’s a long list there, Angel man.”
“I wish you could see yourself through my eyes. You are wondrous.”
She massaged his shoulders, and he moaned. “Turn around and keep those dreamy blues to yourself until we’re finished,” she said
He rotated and smiled
“Don’t get smug,” she huffed
“I am only happy I please you. All of this is new to me.”
“Trust me, you’re a natural.” She gave his back the same treatment with soap, sending her power into him to heal the cuts. “Much better.”
Together, they rinsed away the ash and dirt, allowing their negative energy and fears to follow with the dirty water down the drain
He gripped her slim waist and propped her up against the wall of the shower. “Are you ready for me?”
“I’ve been wet from the moment you put that talented tongue to work.”
Desperate to cement their new bond he rubbed against her cleft, gathering her cream. “Guide me inside of you, Heavenleigh.”
She reached down, gripped his base and led him home. She gasped, “You feel so good, Angel man.”
“So do you,” he growled, holding her steady as he moved inside her
Together they crested the wave. He offered her everything he was as he filled her with a spray of heated liquid. Shaky and spent from the outpour, he rested his
head against her shoulder as she lowered her shaky legs to the ground
“You own my heart now, Heavenleigh.”
“I love you so so so much,” she whispered
Tears slid down her face, he gathered them and turned them to crystal. “The only tears you’ll ever cry with me are those of joy, I promise you that, HeavenLeigh.” He fit the crystals into a platinum band, and held it up. “This ring is my pledge. Will you accept it?”
She wiped away the moisture. “Yes.”
He slid the band on her ring finger, and they sealed the engagement with a kiss
* * *
They entered his room, and Layla remained silent unsure of what to say or do. He’d just lost his second in command, and all the progress he’d made since he’d risen from the ashes and turned the pit into a business, taking the lost souls down to where some thought they deserved to be. He shed his armor with the snap of his fingers and turned to her dressed only in a pair of black boxer briefs. Long gashes and gouges littered his flesh
“You’re hurt.” She rushed forward, and he held out his hand
“No.”
She froze, lowering her head. This is the moment he takes back all the ground we’ve gained
“I want to care for you today. Allow me that.”
She lifted her head quickly. Her jaw lowered, and she blinked. “I’m sorry?” I couldn’t have heard him right.
“Let me take care of you,” he repeated. Walking over, he began to remove her armor manually. “I forgot how fierce and capable you were. How much you gave up joining me. Seeing you there, among our brethren, and realizing how much you still belong pissed me off.” Sparks flew from his mouth. “It also opened my eyes.” He peered into her gaze. “If you’re waiting for me to apologize, I’d tell you not to hold your breath, cause we both know that won’t happen. But I know what I want. I’m not going to let the past sixty years ruin what we had for far longer.” He shook his head. “So we’re agreeing to put that shit in the past and move on.”
“We are?” she whispered, afraid to believe. Was this another game?
“I said we were, didn’t I?” His eyes flashed red. Her breast plate fell to the floor with a loud crash. “You are mine. You will always be mine. If I have to rebuild my kingdom, it’s going to be with you at my side.” The rest of her armor followed and she stood before him nude. “I’m not the asking type, we both know that. I’m a man who takes what he wants.”
