His gaze follows and I can tell his heart sinks. “He’s my age. But he’s with four archdemons. I don’t have five archangels here to match them.”
He stabs the demon in front of him and turns to me, giving me a quick, sweet kiss. “Zak!” He screams over the horde.
“What?” Zak answers immediately, ducking and weaving, lashing out with his longswords.
Brion pushes me at him and starts fighting his way toward the closest window. “Forget about us. Take her and leave. The demons are here. They want her alive.”
Zak’s eyes widen. A look passes between them and he nods. All three angels cut their way through the demons with renewed frenzy.
“Wait, no, Brion! I want to stay with you!”
Brion swipes at a demon who tries to cut me with a dagger. “Dammit, get her out of here!”
Zakiel grabs me, and with two long strides he bursts through the window.
“I love you, Gillian,” I hear Brion call out.
I look up to see Brion fighting the demons off, making sure no demons jump on us as we make our escape.
We soar into the clouds and, just before Brion disappears from sight, I see him overwhelmed by demons. He disappears beneath them.
“No!” I scream, choking on the air rushing past.
When we break free from the clouds, for a moment I see golden sunlight. Then, suddenly, Zakiel cries out in agony and we start to spiral at a dizzying speed toward the ground.
He wraps his wing around me and I look down to see three Galadrian daggers sticking out of it. I try to reach for them, but before I can, I see a plane just below us. The cargo bay door is open.
“Zakiel, move! Avoid the plane!”
But when I look up at him, his head is lolling to the side. His eyes are closed.
His wings open and I try to hang onto him, but we separate.
As if in a bad dream, I fall straight into the waiting arms of the demon inside the plane while he falls past it, heading toward the ground.
“I’ve got you, my little angel.” The words send shivers up my spine. I follow the deep voice up and see the demon who just caught me. His eyes caress me and I catch my breath. It’s the one I’d seen in the safe house. The one who calls to me.
His arms wrap around me securely, and cradles me to him as though I’m the most precious thing he’s ever held.
The doors behind us begin to close.
“Takion!” he shouts over the cacophony of the engines and wind. “I’ve got her. Take us home.”
PART FOUR: ANGEL CAPTURED
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
1
Gillian
The cargo bay doors have closed, and the plane engines rev up as we shoot off into the night. I catch a glimpse of the demon who clutches me, then force my eyes closed, even though my heart pounds with terror. You can’t fight them, but you can sure as hell play possum.
I briefly wonder if I should open Pandora’s box. Is all hope really lost?
Then I recall what Peter said to me. If these demons want to win this thousand year old battle, this demon needs to convince me to willingly have sex with him. Not that it’ll ever happen. But their belief that I might is the only thing that could keep them from killing or torturing me.
And surviving is the only way I’ll see Brion again.
If he’s still alive to rescue me. My heart squeezes at just the thought of my angel. I love him more than I love myself, and right now all logic says he’s being torn limb-from-limb by a horde of demons.
No, I tell myself, willing the terror that springs up from the center of my being to go away. He has to survive. He’s the mate of The One. He’s mine. And I just found him.
I feel the demon walk a few steps and sit down, placing me across his lap.
I want to pretend I’m unconscious until I can find a way out of this nightmare, but I know I can’t. I’ve never been very good at pretending.
After a few minutes, I open one eye just a millimeter, hoping he’s distracted.
He’s looking down at me, and his dark brown eyes are filled with laughter. His entire body shakes with mirth. He knows he’s won.
I open my eyes all the way. No point in playing possum now. I struggle against him, and to my surprise, he lets me go. I slide onto the hard metal bench beside him and draw my knees to my chest.
What now? I watch him warily. Will this demon truly try to seduce me? Or does he have other plans in mind?
He runs a hand through the curls on his head between his two horns. “I’m sorry,” he apologizes, stroking his goatee. “It was just funny. I wondered how long you were going to pretend.”
And that’s when I know for sure. This demon isn’t going to hurt me. He went through a lot of trouble to take me alive. And he also has a chance to mate The One. He’s going to try to convince me to choose him over Brion.
Does that mean I’m safe? Probably not. But I can’t find it in me to be afraid of him any longer, even if he does have horns.
Crossing my arms, I glare at him. “I demand that you take me back to Brion right away.”
His gaze grows serious. “I’m sorry. I can’t do that. This is too important to us.”
I take in a deep breath, praying for strength. “No matter how much you torture me, I’m not choosing evil over good.”
This time he throws his entire head back and laughs. “What have those guys upstairs been filling your head with, my little angel?”
His amusement at my bravery angers me. “I know everything I need to.”
I look around the cargo bay, hoping a means of escape will spring out at me. It’s pretty bare.
He leans forward, all pretense gone. “Do you now? You’re The One. If you make the right choice, you can free us all.”
He says it with such earnestness that I wonder what he believes. It occurs to me that I don’t even really know what choosing Good or Evil would do to the other side. But is there any way I could trust him to tell me? There’s a reason why he lives in Hell, Gillian.
I guess I could just play dumb. Knowledge is power, and if nothing else, maybe I can collect some useful information for Brion by the time he comes.
I narrow my eyes. “What are you talking about?”
“Angels. Demons. The war. You can stop all of this.” He contemplates me for a moment, then takes a deep breath. “I’m sure the only version you know of all of this is their version.”
I speak without thinking. “The bad guys always have their reasons, but that doesn’t make them right.”
“Are you so sure we’re the bad guys?” He inquires.
“I’m pretty sure that’s why they have wings and you have horns.”
He frowns, and for some reason I regret the flippantness of my answer. Be smarter than this, Gillian. I meet his gaze. “I’m pretty sure every human knows who the good guys and bad guys are.”
“You’re pretty damn confident for someone who probably wasn’t sure we existed at all until a few days ago.” He looks smug.
I grind my teeth. “And you’re pretty damn crazy if you think I’m going to change my mind just from talking to you. The demons who have been trying to kill me are all the proof I need.”
He clenches his jaw. “They weren’t supposed to do that. Besides, are you saying no angels have tried to kill you?”
I open my mouth and then it snaps shut. Damn Michael.
“So, let’s be logical. If there are bad angels, there are bound to be at least a few good demons, right?” He shoots me another smug look.
His half-grin is irritatingly sexy.
I stiffen. Where the hell did that thought come from? You can’t think this guy is sexy, Gillian. He might act good, but his minions most likely just killed Brion. My heart gives another squeeze.
“Your point?” I bark, hating the way my in
sides quiver.
“My prince?” A demon enters the cargo bay and bows.
Prince? Good grief.
“Yes?” the demon—prince—looks over at him.
This demon has shorter horns, and a thin tail with what looks like a spear on the end. “We’re almost going to port.”
The prince glances at his watch. “How long do we have?”
“About fifteen minutes, your highness.”
The prince nods, and the demon bows as he backs out of the cargo bay.
The prince turns to me.
“The point being, my little angel, maybe I have something to teach you.”
It would be both ignorant and illogical to assume he didn’t. But that doesn’t mean you have to believe a single word coming out of his sexy, evil lips. “Fine. I’m listening.”
He leans back a little bit, looking satisfied. “What do you think happens to your soul after you die?”
I want to punch him in the nose and run for the emergency lever that opens the cargo bay doors. My gaze goes to it. What then, Gillian? Even if you could get the hangar door open, you can’t exactly fly. Your wings are missing.
Please be all right, Brion.
Being stuck here, wondering if Brion survived the attack feels like its own kind of hell. He’s a warrior. He’ll be fine. But still, I hate the man who’s taken me. And I hate the fact that he’s trying to talk to me as if we’re friends.
I see through you, demon-boy. Prince. Whatever you are. Even though I’ll play your stupid game.
I swallow down my anger, trying to keep my voice light. I’m the scientist right now, not the suffering girlfriend. “I used to think nothing happened. That our energy simply dissipated back out into the universe. But now I’m not so sure. Does everyone become an angel or demon?”
To my surprise, he answers, his expression calm. “Yes, but not exactly like the ones you’ve met so far.” He pauses. “Well, I don’t know exactly how many you’ve met, but since you’ve only been on my radar for three days and the boys upstairs are usually slower, I assume it isn’t many.”
He looks at me for affirmation, but I remain silent so he continues. “When someone dies, what they become depends on their vibration at the moment of death. If it’s higher than the third dimension, even by a smidgeon, they go up to the angelic dimension. If it is lower than the third dimension, no matter how infinitesimal the difference is, they go down to the demonic dimension.”
That can’t be right! Anger begins to churn in my stomach.
“But most people lie somewhere in the middle on any spectrum. Not truly good, or truly bad. So what happens to those people? There must be a wide range of angels and demons.”
“Right. And let me further complicate the matter. Let’s say you’ve been a good person your whole life. But just before you die, you get terrible news. Your best friend backstabbed you. Your company is going under. Your spouse cheated on you. These things fill your soul with rage, but it’s temporary. However, if you die at the moment, you will end up in the hell dimension.”
Shock radiates through me. There’s no way what he’s saying is true. That would be both an unfair and illogical way of determining a person’s afterlife. And the lines between good and evil would blur.
My stomach churns even more. Which is exactly what he wants me to believe.
I keep my thoughts hidden as best as I can, playing along. “You’re joking?”
“I never joke about the afterlife.” For a minute the strong lines of his face falter, and another man peeks behind the mask of this confident one, a man who’s suffering. “There is a dimension for those who become angels, and one for those who become demons. Those dimensions are as rich and varied, with as many planets, as the third dimension you are from. We have souls who truly should be in each place, and those who have been misplaced.”
My heart squeezes in a way I find both confusing and disturbing. Don’t believe a word he says. His whole goal is to confuse you.
My brain repeats the phrase over and over again, but my damn heart keeps bleeding. Just because a sexy demon looks sad doesn’t mean you need to believe every word that comes out of his mouth, I chide my heart.
I strengthen my resolve, meeting his unflinching gaze. “So, are you trying to tell me you’ve been misplaced?”
He throws back his head and laughs again. “No, no. I’ve done the crime—I’m just doing my time.”
“What crime did you do?” The question slips out before I can stop it.
His expressive eyes gaze down at me again, stealing my breath. Even though I know every word coming out of his mouth must be a lie. Part of his elaborate plan to get me on the side of evil. I find myself hoping he has indeed been placed wrong. It’s the only justification I can give for the strange and unwanted reaction he awakens within me.
Just like Brion did, a tiny voice whispers.
My entire body stiffens. No. No. This isn’t like the way I feel about Brion. I won’t let it be.
“So you want to hear my secrets?”
I want to say no, but all I can do is stare. And hope.
2
Brion
I’m pretty sure that Zak’s safehouse is going to go the way of my cabin. As in, it won’t exist tomorrow.
The sheer number of demons is overwhelming, and more are coming through a portal that is somehow staying open. It’s a fury of nightmarish creatures. Their horrible little faces with pointed teeth. Their sulfurous stench. All with a desire for our deaths. They start to topple me with their sheer numbers, but I use the power of my wings to push them back.
I hear a scream of agony and look to the left. Several demons have pinned Cas and are trying to sever his wings with Galadrian daggers. No!
I slash wildly at the demons separating us with my Galadrian dagger. It’s killed so many that it’s starting to smoke. Their shrill screams of horror seem to fill the air. The smell of sulfur pours from their flesh as body after body crumbles into ash.
But no matter how many I kill, there’s more. The next time I look over, half of one of Cas’s wings has been severed. The look of pure horror and pain on his face cuts through me. I need to get to him.
I’m pretty sure Zakiel has Gillian far enough away that we don’t need to block them anymore. I leap into the air and fly toward Cas, the demons slashing at my feet.
I hack away at them, but they don’t want to let him go. “Aaaargh!” I yell with the effort of lifting him and the several demons that come with him.
I can’t carry them far, so I dive over the edge of the balcony, following Zak’s actions of a minute ago.
We fall downward, spiraling as I try to kick the remaining demons off of Cas. They scream and cry as they tumble to the ground far below, their pointed teeth gnashing.
After I’ve removed them all, I spread my wings, looking down at the swirling clouds. My little scientist is down there. Safe with Zakiel. That knowledge is the only thing that keeps me going, even though my body begs me to rest. To acknowledge the many, many wounds to my tired body.
As my wings catch the freezing blasts of wind, I swirl through the sky, maneuvering through the clouds. I use energy I don’t have, because as the chill awakens me, a horrible feeling fills my body.
I need to see Gillian. I need to know she’s okay. I break through beneath the clouds just in time to see the most horrible thing I could have imagined. Zak is unconscious, and he and Gillian are falling right toward the cargo bay of a waiting demon plane. But it isn’t just any demon plane. It’s Xion’s, the prince of Hell. And he’s the evil match for Gillian. The one with the pull.
“Nooooo!” I scream, furling my wings and making a beeline for them.
But it’s too late. At the last second they separate, and Gillian falls straight into the plane. But Zakiel continues hurtling downward at a frightening speed.
The plane shoots off to the west. There’s no way I can catch it. But I can save Zak. Maybe. I know he’s immortal, but I have no idea what will ha
ppen if he hits the ground at that speed.
I wrap my wings as tightly as I can around Cas, throwing myself downward after Zak. He’s in a dizzying spiral, going faster and faster.
I catch him just before he hits the ground and using a burst of adrenaline-fueled magic, open a portal in midair. Within seconds, we’re in heaven, smack in the center of the Hall of Akashic Records.
The usual relief I feel is overshadowed by the horror of what I’ve just seen. Gillian! The demons have my scientist! I want to howl with rage, even though I know it will do no good.
My rage gives me strength and I half-lift, half-drag both Zakiel and Cas into the healing center. The crosses in the center of their chest start to glow, and several angels run over to help me get them onto healing beds.
Once they’re settled I drop to my knees, trying to catch my breath. My chest aches. The other half of me is missing. I was alone for so long, and then suddenly, there she was. The first woman since my death I found attractive. But it was more than that.
She was beautiful and smart. She understood me like no one else had, even in life. The small woman, with her blazing deep blue eyes and gorgeous mane of blonde hair, had captured my heart entirely.
I have to get her back.
But she’s in hell, a tiny voice whispers in the back of my mind.
I clenched my shaking fists. There is no time to be tired. No time to hurt. My little scientist needs me. If it’s possible to go to hell as an angel, I will find a way. No matter what the sacrifice.
Rising on legs that feel heavy as stones, I hurry through the rows upon rows of books all around me. Hesitating for only a second, I push open the large, oak door.
Uriel, head librarian of the Hall of Akashic Records, looks up from his desk. “Brion. What took you so long?”
3
Gillian
I feel a tingling sensation, and realize that the demon has just put a cuff around my wrist.
Panic flashes through me. How could I have been so stupid as to let him get so close to me?
“What the hell!”
My fingers dig at solid metal, trying to remove it. But it doesn’t budge.
Angel Warrior: The Complete Series Page 10
