He looked at me, his eyes wide in surprise. “You bitch!” he whispered as he turned into a plume of black ash.
A strong swirling wind whipped around us. My hair smacked me in the face, stinging it. The wind howled. The force of it knocked me off balance, and I teetered on the edge of the pit. I held my arms out to my sides to steady myself, but I could feel myself leaning too far toward the pit. I was going to fall in. I watched the demons climbing up the sides, waiting for me to tumble in so they could drag me to the very bowels of hell itself.
The ground shook beneath my feet. The wind whipped around me. The demon angels screeched as they flew overhead.
And I slipped and fell into the glowing pit.
29
Aftermath
Spreading my legs and arms out as far as I could, I tried to reach the sides of the pit and slow my fall. I reached a narrow part in the tunnel. With my legs and arms spread, I stopped myself, but I couldn’t stay that way forever. My muscles burned, and the demons were advancing.
Something grabbed the back of my shirt, and I screamed. It yanked me upward, and I lost my grip on the sides of the pit.
“Milayna! Give me your hands,” Xavier yelled.
I reached up with one hand, and he grabbed it. I pushed off with my feet. I was dangling over Hell. One slip and I was a goner. All Xavier had to do was let go, and I was dead. He hesitated, looking into my eyes. The words of the hobgoblins played in my head like a recording:
He’s coming. It won’t be long, Milayna. The one that will kill you is here.
The other one couldn’t do it
Was Xavier the one sent to kill me who couldn’t? If so, he had a perfect opportunity. He just had to let go. But he didn’t. He pulled me up.
“Drop the knife and grab my other hand. I can’t hold on to you!”
Drop my dagger? The only defense I have against the demons—no friggin’ way!
I stuck the dagger between my teeth and reached for Xavier’s hand. He pulled as I walked up the side of the pit. I fell on my hands and knees at the entrance of the hole, crawling away from it.
“Are you okay?” Xavier bent down and looked into my face.
“I’m fine. That was just a little too close, you know?” My voice was wobbly, and my whole body shook.
He grinned. “Yeah.”
The wind swirled around us faster. Like a mini tornado, it picked up all the demons and caught the flying angels in its funnel. Abaddon’s ashes swirled in the air before disappearing with the demons into the pit.
The wind stopped as quickly as it started. Slowly, the yellow light dimmed and the earth began to move, shifting back into place. The hole collapsed, filling with dirt and the ashes of dead demons. The demi-demons and Evils took off, disappearing in the darkness.
I ran to Ben and pulled him into my arms. “Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?” I turned him around to look at him.
“Is he dead?” Ben stared at the ground where the hole had been.
“Yes.”
He turned, buried his head in my shoulder, and cried. “Good,” he said, sniffling.
“Milayna! Ben!” My parents rushed to us. My dad reached us first and pulled us into his arms. My mom grabbed us. Crying, she looked us over.
“Look at your hand. Get in the house,” my mom said and swiped at her teary eyes.
My dad looked at me. “Abaddon?”
“Dead,” I said quietly.
Xavier followed us into the house. “Are you okay?” he asked me again.
“Yeah. I don’t really want a repeat, though. What did Abaddon mean when he said it was good to see you again?” I asked.
Xavier shrugged a shoulder. “Just the crazy ramblings of a demon damned to Hell for all eternity thanks to you.”
I nodded and forced a smile.
I don’t think so buddy. What are you hiding?
***
After Abaddon’s death, it felt as if life was finally normal again. I was able to graduate high school without worrying about demons—although I swore I saw two little red bodies under the bleachers at my graduation ceremony.
My visions returned to normal. Well, normal for me. I still had them, but they were about other people and how I could help them rather than my own death. A refreshing change.
All in all, it seemed like my life was back on track. I enrolled in college. I was slowly recovering from the loss of Chay. And Abaddon was becoming a distant memory.
Except, it was all an illusion. One shattered by a vision I had sitting at the table on a Saturday morning while having breakfast with my family.
A dark-haired man stands in front of Azazel, who is flanked by four men. The dark-haired man’s back is to me. Azazel looks at him.
“I have a job for you,” he tells the man.
“I don’t work for you.”
“You do now.”
“Like hell,” the man yells.
“When that little twit killed Abaddon, I got a promotion. Now you answer to me,” Azazel, says, inspecting his fingernails, looking bored as always. “And I’m not done with you. Need I remind you that you didn’t fulfill your obligation?”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Finish her.”
Milayna’s Angel
Playlist
Almost Lover—A Fine Frenzy
Ashes and Wine—A Fine Frenzy
My Happy Ending—Avril Lavigne
Talking to the moon—Bruno Mars
Sorry—Buckcherry
The Truth—David Cook
Don’t—Ed Sheeran
Together Again—Evanescence
Goodbye—Hootie and the Blowfish
Voodoo—Adam Lambert
Sleepwalker—Adam Lambert
What I’ve Done—Linkin Park
Dreaming with a broken heart—John Mayer
I’ll Do Anything—Simple Plan
Cold as you—Taylor Swift
Could’ve Been—Tiffany
Get to me—Train
Say Something (I’m giving up on you)—Zoo Dragon’s
Acknowledgements
Every time I write an acknowledgements page it becomes harder to find something new and different to include. That’s because when a person finds a team of talented people, they tend to continue working with them as long as possible. That’s where I find myself. I’m surrounded by talented individuals who are all working toward the same goal: putting out the best books we can. There are so many great people involved with the Milayna Series. I’d have to write a novel to include everyone who worked to bring “Milayna’s Angel” to fruition. With that in mind, I’m going to keep this brief.
Always first, I have to thank my family. I am married to the best man. He cooks dinner and does laundry so I have more time to write. He’s awesome, and I’m so blessed to be his wife. And my four kids, well, they’re my miracles. No mother could love her kids more than I do mine.
The people at Clean Teen, the depths of your encouragement and support amazes me. Thank you for your love of the “Milayna Series.” I’m so happy I’m part of the CT family.
Thank you to the readers of the Milayna series. You are the true life and breath of a book, bringing it alive each time it’s read. It’s amazing to me how many emails, Facebook messages, and tweets you send, telling me things you loved about my work, and giving suggestions for the series. I love that!
About the Author
If asked, Michelle will tell you she is a wife, mother, author, reader, and M&M connoisseur, especially peanut butter, which she eats way too many of while she writes. Red Bull or Monster Khaos are her coffee of choice, she has an abnormal obsession with hoodies and can’t write without one, and hates to cook, but loves to watch cooking shows. Michelle is a hopeful romantic who loves a swoon-worthy ending that gives her butterflies for days, and books that keep her thinking of them long after she’s turned the last page.
Born and raised in Flint, Michigan, she now lives in a sleepy suburb of Houston, Texas with
her extremely supportive husband, four amazing children, a 125-pound rescued “lap dog,” and two crazy rescued cats.
Michelle writes across genres in the young adult and new adult age groups and loves to hear from readers, bloggers and other authors!
Website: http://www.Michelle-Pickett.com
Email: [email protected]
Blog: http://www.Michelle-Pickett.com/blog
Facebook: http://www.Facebook.com/michellepickettauthor
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/michelle_kp
If you enjoyed Milayna, check out Michelle Pickett's young adult romance— Unspeakable.
On the outside, Willow appears to have it all. She’s beautiful, smart, from an influential family, and she dates the most popular guy in school—Jaden. But she would walk away from it all in a second.
She is tormented by lies and suffocating guilt because of a dark secret that dominates her life. But when someone uncovers her family’s past, they use it against her. She tells herself she just has to make it to graduation. Then she can leave Middleton, and her secret, far behind. But when Brody transfers to Cassidy High, he turns Willow’s life upside down. He shows her what it feels like to live again and suddenly, she isn’t satisfied with just surviving until graduation. She wants a normal life—with Brody—and he wants her. But the closer they become, the more it threatens to unravel the secret she’s worked so hard to hide.
Not only is Unspeakable beautifully written and capable of making you feel a vast array of emotions, but it gives you an inside look at the dark and painful life of a physical and emotional abuse victim.
For Newsletter page: Stay tuned to hear about the upcoming release of book #3 in The Milayna Series!
Milayna's Angel Page 28
