The dagger expertly met its mark. Aiden squealed and scrambled to pull it out, but even as he tried, his hands turned to ashes, followed very quickly by the rest of his body.
Lucien twisted back over, diving headfirst. He passed by the area where Eve’s body must have hit. Vast amounts of her blood had splattered on rocks that jutted out several feet. He barely missed them himself.
Lucien hit the frigid water hard, rendering him temporarily unconscious. He woke seconds later as a wave tossed his body against the rocks. After the painful impact, he quickly dove under the water, frantically searching for Eve.
In and out, he dived, fighting against strong currents. They tugged and pulled at his body, trying to expel him from a world that was not his, until finally, a strong undercurrent—the master of all currents—took hold of him. It dragged him far beneath the angry surface to a darker place, one he might’ve liked once.
The gloomy underworld was black and periodically broken up by fragments of moonlight that had found its way through the murky water. The creatures of the sea paid no attention to Lucien who was thrashing wildly past them. They moved in steady rhythms, separate from each other, yet part of a great machine, each dependent upon the other for survival. He was not a part of their machine.
Lucien’s superhuman strength proved useless against the power of the strong undercurrent. His lungs filled with water, further weakening him, but he didn’t stop to think a way out of his predicament. His only concern was for Eve who was somewhere, trapped like him, in this underwater prison.
The current swept him down, pulling him to the bottom of a deep cavern, hundreds of feet beneath the surface. The pressure of the water pressed down upon his chest, but it was nothing compared to the feeling of loss he felt for Eve.
Just then, the current tossed his body into a boulder; he ricocheted from it as if a bullet from a gun. The force was enough to expel him from the raging, underwater river to peaceful, calmer waters that gently rocked his body while he lay exhausted on the sandy bottom. Light would not reach him here.
He welcomed the darkness eagerly, which spread throughout his mind. He did not want to be conscious. He wanted to be anything but aware of what he once experienced with Eve. His wish was granted.
46
Death is a horrible tragedy, especially for the loved ones left behind. They do not wish for death themselves, but they long for the pain to go away even if that means they sleep forever. Anything, so long as they do not have to endure living each day feeling as if their heart has been ripped from their chest. This is how Lucien found himself—asleep in a beautiful, magical world.
Lucien ignored the sun as it fell upon him, warming his skin. He ignored the warm breeze that ruffled his hair. He ignored the crab that scurried over his leg as it headed toward the ocean. He ignored it all. His attention was fully on Eve who sat across from him on a pristine, crystal-like sandy beach. She wore a black one-piece swimsuit with a zipper in front. She laughed beautifully as she tried to explain to him how to pot a plant. The sunlight wrapped itself around her long, wind-swept hair, and he could not tell where the sun ended and Eve began. Her eyes twinkled with happiness, and when they looked into his, he felt whole.
Even though she was mid-sentence, Lucien leaned over and kissed her. The pot of dirt tipped over into the sand.
“Lucien!” she cried with a big smile. “Now we’ll have to start all over.”
She scooped up the dirt and put it back in the pot. Lucien helped. His hand brushed hers. She stopped to hold it.
“I love you,” she said with a fierceness that frightened him.
He looked down at his hands that were suddenly empty. Eve’s hands had crumbled, leaving nothing behind but black dust.
“What’s wrong Lucien?” she asked.
Lucien frantically looked up just in time to see her face begin to crumble. Parts of her fell to the ground, while other parts collapsed inside the rest of her body. By the time he reached for her, all that was left was a puff of a dust. He wanted to scream and throw up at the same time.
“Lucien?”
He turned around. Coming out from a small grass hut was Eve wearing a red bikini.
“Let’s go for a swim.” She giggled as she raced by him toward the ocean.
He quickly jumped up and followed after her, stepping over her ashen remains on the sand.
Lucien caught up to her just before she reached the waves and wrapped his arms around her. They tumbled to the ground together. He landed slightly on top of her.
“That’s not fair! You’re faster than me,” she complained, but she was smiling big.
He swept a sun-kissed strand of hair away from her face and leaned in to kiss her. She stopped him with her finger against his lips.
“Do you know how proud I am of you?” she asked.
He could only look at her, his heart full.
“Lucien?” a man’s voice said.
Lucien looked up.
Eve reached her hand around his neck and pulled him to her. The kiss lasted only a second before something burst.
He leaned away. Eve’s nose was missing.
“Why did you stop kiss—” but Eve didn’t finish her sentence. Her mouth had followed her nose, combusting into a cloud of dust. The rest of her body followed suit and before Lucien knew it, he was lying on the beach alone.
“Lucien!” the same male voice said with more force.
Lucien rolled over and looked up, squinting into the sun.
“Lucien?” Eve asked.
He sat up. She was half way into the water wearing a green swimsuit with a low back.
“Aren’t you going to swim with me?” she asked.
He pushed himself to a standing position and made his way to the water. His legs seemed heavier than usual. His bare feet reached the cool water.
“Lucien, it’s time!” a male voice growled.
He looked behind him at nothing but a grass hut and a beautiful island that was no bigger then a football field.
Eve tugged at his arm.
“Come on! The dolphins are waiting,” she pleaded.
He turned his attention back to Eve and followed her into the water. He could not help but smile as she dived gracefully beneath the water.
He was about to follow when the male voice said, “Eve’s alive, do you hear me?”
He froze as a sudden pain exploded in his heart. Something cracked, and there was a loud gush as if water was being drained from the sea. Lucien glanced at Eve who had just surfaced and was beckoning him forward, but this time he didn’t follow. He turned around and walked with heavy legs back up the beach and into the darkness of the hut.
Lucien didn’t open his eyes right away. He could feel something soft beneath him like a bed or a couch. Wherever he was, the air smelled like Clorox. The strong chemical smell tried to cover the musty odor that only an old building could produce.
He sensed someone near him, yet he could hear no one, not even a heartbeat.
“Eve’s alive,” the voice repeated.
Lucien opened his eyes. Other than a dim lamp in the corner, the room was dark. He was lying on what looked like a hospital bed with an IV taped to his left arm. A dark red liquid flowed steadily into his body. Standing over him was Henry.
“Eve’s alive?” Lucien croaked, surprised by the pain he felt.
Henry handed him a glass of water. “This will help your throat.”
Lucien pulled himself to a sitting position and eagerly swallowed the cool liquid.
“Is Eve alive?” he asked again.
“Maybe,” Henry said as he removed the IV from his arm.
Lucien frowned. “Maybe?”
“She could be. No one saw her actually die.”
“You told me she was alive!”
“I may have stretched the truth, but I did what was necessary. You have been asleep too long.”
“So Eve is dead.” It wasn’t a question, but a statement.
“I can’t say for
sure, but after living as long as I have, you learn to trust your eyes. And if you didn’t see her die, then she may still be alive.”
Lucien moaned and shook his head. “She couldn’t have survived the fall. There was too much blood, and she was already considerably weak.”
“All I know is Eve’s a powerful witch. I wouldn’t count her out quite yet.”
“Why are you doing this?” Lucien asked.
“Doing what?”
“Giving me false hope!”
“We need you, Lucien.” Henry walked over to the window and opened the curtains to the night beyond.
Lucien swung his legs to the side of the bed. “How did you find me?”
Henry turned around. “It was Charlie. He saw Eve step off the cliff and you follow behind. After Boaz left, he searched the water for weeks but found only you.”
“How unfortunate.”
“That’s what he said,” Henry replied, smiling.
Lucien rubbed his head. “How long have I been out?”
“Almost five weeks.”
Lucien wished it had been longer.
“Where is Charlie?”
“He took some time off. This has been rough on him.”
Lucien understood. “What about Bodian Dynamics? Did the Deific destroy the plague?”
“Yes. They are no longer a threat,” Henry said, and then cleared his throat. “I apologize for saying Eve was alive, but I needed to do something drastic. Nothing else was working.”
Lucien stood and pulled on his jacket, which was lying on a nearby couch.
“The fight isn’t over, Lucien. Just because we stopped the plague from being released, doesn’t mean Boaz is finished. He will find another way to come to power and take over the human race. That’s what all of this has been about. And with Eve gone, he will need another plan, and something tells me it’s going to be even more ruthless."
“I am the one who will be ruthless."
“You can’t fight him like this.”
“Like what?”
“Not knowing who you are.”
“I know who I am,” Lucien answered as he walked to the window. A quick glance of the landscape told him he was back in Seattle.
“No, you don’t. If you want to kill Boaz, then you need to know your history—where you came from, who your mother was. You need to properly train.”
“Train? This isn’t the Olympics. I know all I need to know, and the more time I waste, the harder it’s going to be to find him.” He moved toward the door.
Henry stuck out his hand, creating an invisible barrier.
Lucien whirled around. “What is with everyone using magic? What happened to the good old days when we could just use our fists?”
“These are different times, Lucien. If you go after Boaz now, he will kill you. You have to prepare.”
“I care nothing for my life.”
“But Eve did. Don’t disgrace her memory by deliberately going to your death.”
Lucien’s shoulders slumped, and the weakness returned.
“Please don’t say her name,” he whispered. He was afraid if he heard it again, he would collapse and go back to the imaginary Eden where he could exist with Eve, which was a hell in and of its own.
“I know this must be difficult for you, but you must understand who you are. There is a reason why you and your brother were chosen to become vampires. We are all connected—you, Boaz, Eve, and myself. None of this has been random. And if we don’t stop Boaz once and for all, then he will become unstoppable!”
Lucien dropped to the couch. “Then teach me. Teach me how to kill Boaz so I can end the devil’s reign once and for all. Let it begin.”
Dear Reader,
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About the Author
Rachel was born and raised in Idaho, a place secretly known for its supernatural creatures. When she’s not in her writing lair, she’s partying with her husband and four children. Her love for storytelling began as a child when the moon first possessed the night. For when the lights went out, her imagination painted a whole new world. And what a scary world it was …
The Devil's Angel (Devil Series Book 2) Page 27
