by Ciara Graves
“Lela?”
She tilted her head like she’d heard me but didn’t turn around.
“I thought you’d be asleep.”
“Sleep?” she said then giggled, a sound I never expected to hear from her. “Why would I be asleep? Tell me, what story did Remiel give you for abandoning us, huh? Bet it was a tear-jerker.” She laughed louder, and I realized she was drunk. She snatched up the bottle and took a long gulp. “He’s just as bad as Hadariel.”
“Alright, I think you’ve had enough for tonight.” I grabbed the bottle from her and easily held it out of reach. “I think it’s time you go lie down.”
“Why? I’m not tired,” she said with a pout.
I chuckled quietly as I set the bottle on the table then picked her up and carried her to bed. “We have a lot to talk about, but I guess that’ll have to wait until morning when you’re in a better state of mind.”
“I’m fine just like this,” she argued. “I’m not drunk.”
“Sure you’re not.”
She grabbed one of the pillows and clutched it to her chest. “I mean, I’m a little drunk. A smidge,” she said as she held up two fingers an inch apart. When she laughed, she immediately clapped that hand over her mouth, her cheeks turning bright red.
I removed my boots and laid across the foot of the bed, watching her with a bemused grin on my face. “I think you’re going to make a great human after all.”
She shrugged. “Gotta be good at something now, right? Can’t fight worth shit.”
“I think the angel you beat to death would argue with you.” I was concerned it was too soon to bring that up, until she nodded.
“Good point. Rat. They’re all rats, including Remiel.”
“Lela, there’s something you need to know about him.” There was a good chance she wouldn’t remember any of this in the morning, but I didn’t want her going to sleep tonight thinking Remiel had abandoned her on purpose. Quietly, I told her what I found out about the general. She gripped the pillow harder as her face scrunched in confusion, then sadness, then went into full-blown anger. “He’s risking his life in a few hours to kill Hadariel. We all are. I think before we go, you should talk to him—”
She held up her hand.
“What?”
I hadn’t meant to tell her that bit tonight, but it was too late to take it back now. “Tomorrow we’re taking the fight to Hadariel. We’re going to draw him out and kill him.”
“Where?”
“Lela, I think you should just go to sleep. We can talk about it in the morning.”
The glare she shot me was like a punch to the gut. “Where are you attacking him, Mech?”
“Blood Falls.” Damn it, hadn’t intended to reveal that either. “We have it all planned out. We’re going to be fine. You’ll see.”
We held each other’s gaze for a solid ten seconds when she hauled off and smashed the pillow into my face. “Are you insane?” she shouted as she hit me with each word. “You’ve all lost your minds. All of you. You’re going to get yourselves killed.”
I caught the pillow and held it behind me. She lunged for it, but I held her back with my other hand. “I told you we have a plan. We’re taking a small army with us.”
“It won’t matter if you take the entire army with you.” She gave up on trying to get the pillow and slammed her hands into my chest. “He’s going to be ready for you. I know it. He’s going to take whatever plan you have and flip it on you.”
She clambered off the bed and stalked toward the door.
“Where are you going? It’s the middle of the night.”
“I’m going to talk to the demon lords and tell them they can’t do this.” She was at the door by the time I reached it, and slamming it shut just as she opened it. “Move.”
“The decision’s been made, Lela. We’re doing this.”
She yanked on the door, but when I wouldn’t budge, she yelled in aggravation and stormed away. “Now who’s the one with a death wish?”
“I’m not going to die.”
She barked a laugh, the effects of the alcohol seemed to be quickly wearing off. “And I never thought I’d lose my holy light.”
“Every detail has been worked out. We’ll have Remiel with us. And my father, too. We’re taking over a hundred demons to that tiny ravine. The scouts there have reported no movement whatsoever,” I explained as I went to her. “This will work. Hadariel will be dead by the end of tomorrow. You should be happy.”
“Happy? I’ll be happy to have you alive, Mech.”
“I’m not going to die.”
Her huff said she wasn’t convinced. I took hold of her elbows, pulled her close, and wrapped my arms around her. She pressed her forehead into my chest, and her arms fell to her sides. “You better not,” she muttered. “I can’t keep doing this without you, you know.”
I kissed the top of her head. “I do, but you just need to have a little faith.”
“I’m trying.” She sniffed hard then wiped at her eyes. “I’m coming with you.”
“The hell you are.” I set her back and lowered my face to hers. “You are going to stay here in Dakota with Bobby. You are not to set a foot outside of Dakota while I’m gone.”
“If you’re going to face down Hadariel, I’m coming with you.”
“No, you’re not. If I have to tie you to a chair somewhere, I will. We’re not in a cave anymore,” I reminded her.
She smacked my arm. “You can’t ask me to stay behind.”
“Too bad. You’re recovering from an injury that nearly killed you. Let me take care of Hadariel.” A growl started deep in my chest as I traced my fingers gently down her cheek to her chin. “Let me make him pay for what he did to you.”
I knew she wanted to be the one to relieve Hadariel of his head. Maybe she still could. We’d subdue him then bring him back here, and she could be his executioner.
She sighed, not looking pleased with my request, but I was winning the argument.
“I hate being mortal,” she mumbled.
The words sounded so pathetic and whiny, I started to laugh. She smacked my arm but grinned as she did it. Eventually, she began to laugh again.
I swept her into my arms, kissing her.
She held my face in her hands as the laughter died away. “Mech, promise you’ll come back to me alive.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“No, you swear to me right now you’ll come back alive,” she repeated. “Otherwise, I’ll find a way to tag along with you.”
“What am I going to do with you?” I buried my hands in her hair and pressed my lips to hers.
“Be with me,” she replied. Fear filled her eyes, and I wanted to chase it away. “Mech.” She clung to my shoulders.
“I swear I’ll come back to you,” I finally answered and brushed the few tears that had fallen from her eyes. “You and I are far from over, Lela.”
This time when we kissed, there was a sense of urgency behind it and a desire to be as close as possible for as long as we could.
I held her to my chest as the kiss grew heated. She tugged at my shirt, and I tore it over my head. She dragged her fingers down my shoulders to my ribs, tracing the muscles and old scars. The more recent cuts and gashes had healed over but stood out against my tanned skin.
When her eyes found mine, she didn’t have to say a word.
Chapter 13
Mech
It was the morning of.
That’s how I thought of it. The morning of. The morning of the day a lot of shit would go down. The morning of the day that would risk my life. Risk my happily-ever-after. Did demons even get happily-ever-afters? I didn’t care what traditional lore thought of demons. I knew what we were about. And I deserved my happily-ever-after. With Lela. My angel-turned-mortal who was my soul mate.
I hadn’t slept much the night be, but it wasn’t because of nerves. Lela and I had sat up most of the night and well into morning. Talking. There was some laughter, a few more tears on her p
art, and a heavy silence that was filled with regret from both of us. If only we’d met sooner, if only we had more time together.
Koreth, Kexan, Remiel, and the rest of our fighting force were prepared to move out to Blood Falls. The scout reports continued to be positive. There was no sign of any abominations anywhere near the ravine. We’d get our people in place, then Remiel would use the portal to alert Hadariel to his presence. As soon as the high general showed, we’d make our move.
Lela and I had another argument this morning. More of the same. She wanted to come with me, and since shouting at each other resolved nothing, I pulled her close and kissed her fiercely. Leaving her behind was not an easy decision to make, but it would keep her alive. That’s what mattered to me.
Lela had to live.
“I should talk to Remiel before you leave,” she said and pulled her hand from mine.
Remiel noticed her approaching and tensed. Lela said this morning she had forgiven Remiel for his actions but was still angry at him. He could’ve come back sooner or found a way to keep helping the angels who knew the truth. Instead, he’d run. Now he was making up for it and as I waited for her to speak, I hoped she didn’t smack him again.
Instead, she held out her hand. “I’m sorry for what he did to you.”
Remiel took her hand, then pulled her into a tight hug. “I loved your parents,” he replied. “And Morael. He was mine, as Mech is yours. It killed me to hear what Hadariel did to him. But I swear to you, Lela, we will have our revenge.”
Lela nodded firmly as they broke apart. “Make him bleed, Remiel. Make him wish he never existed.”
He bowed, placing a hand to his heart. “I swear it on my life. On all that is holy.”
Koreth approached.
“It’s time to go,” I said solemnly. I was going to settle for a gentle kiss, but Lela threw herself into my arms and latched onto my neck. I kissed her back, picking her up off her feet. A few people catcalled and whistled around us, but I couldn’t have cared less. If I could’ve stayed there all day, I would’ve, but the time had come to depart.
Slowly, I set her on her feet and backed away. She squared her shoulders, that cold look back in her eyes. Koreth waved his arm and a large, fiery portal opened in the center of Dakota, wide enough for ten people across.
“Let’s move out,” Koreth ordered and led the way through.
I lingered, unable to get moving. I’d felt better about our plan when I awoke this morning. Now my gut twisted in knots and I sensed we were walking to our deaths. I backed up a step then another and finally walked into the portal with the rest of the demons. Once in the ravine, Koreth gave out orders for the demons to prepare for the ambush.
“We’ll get him,” Koreth told me as he squeezed my shoulder. “This is it, son.”
I was too anxious to do anything but nod. I took my place alongside Kexan and hunkered down to wait. Once the demons were in place and the portal to Dakota closed, Koreth used his hellfire to shield our presence. Then he gave the signal to Remiel, who stepped into the shallow pool. The water took on a bluish glow. When he reached the center, the platform raised up out of the stone. Remiel climbed atop it, drew his sword, and drove it into the stones.
Just like how Lela described to me last night, the designs in the pool came to life glowing blue instead of red. They inched up the platform then onto Remiel’s blade as he absorbed the holy light. When it was too blinding to look at, he yanked it out of the stone and held it over his head.
“Hadariel, traitor. Show yourself,” Remiel bellowed. “It’s time the angels knew the truth.”
My fingers twitched on the hilts of the daggers I held. There was no burst of holy light from the sky. No answering to Remiel’s words. There was nothing at all. I glanced to Koreth and Kexan, but they shrugged.
Remiel lowered his blade and walked around the edge of the platform. “Too scared to confront me, is that it? Too scared I’ll be the one to kill you, after all? Show yourself!”
The ground rumbled suddenly. Rocks fell from the ravine walls. I crouched lower behind the large boulder. Remiel spread his feet apart, bracing himself as the platform beneath him glowed dark blue. The water of the falls stopped. When they started again, a figure appeared in front of Remiel.
The high general had come after all.
“Remiel, what a surprise.” Hadariel smirked. “Finally ready to accept your death?”
“I won’t be the one to die this day.”
“Oh, no? Pity because it’s not going to be me. You are nothing, not anymore.” Hadariel exhaled deeply, as if he was bored. Slowly, he stepped into the pool and circled Remiel. “You came alone, too. Very interesting, indeed. I had thought you would have another with you, but I suppose I’m wrong.”
Did he mean Lela? Itching to charge him, I knew I had to wait. We agreed the night before that attacking as soon as he appeared would show our hand. We wanted him to make the first move. Remiel had said he was ready to take that risk.
Remiel raised his sword point toward Hadariel. “Shall we finish this, angel to angel?”
“You know,” Hadariel said and tapped his chin. “I think we won’t.” He raised his hands over his head and clapped.
I realized we made a mistake in coming here.
That was not Hadariel. It was Zeraxin.
A sharp crack ricocheted around the cavern. Koreth’s shielding hellfire fell away. Our small army was revealed.
Zeraxin morphed into his true nightmarish form, cackling. “My, my, you did bring quite the party with you. This is going to be fun. Oh, boys!”
I gritted my teeth and raised my head to look around the ravine.
Abominations and hounds lined the ridge while zombies covered the switchback trail. They’d been here the whole time. Zeraxin was powerful enough to hide them from view.
Koreth and I stepped out from the boulder. There was no point in hiding now.
“Well now, that I did not expect. Demons, Remiel? Really? Demons? You believe they will help you?” Zeraxin squinted at Koreth then his eyes widened. “My mistake, you’ve brought a demon lord. How thoughtful of you to make my job easier.” His voice deepened as he stretched to his full ten-foot height. Leathery black wings sprouted from his back as crimson horns grew out of his head. His snake-like tongue flicked in and out of his mouth.
“I’ll take your death today, beast,” Koreth stated loudly.
Zeraxin grated his sharp teeth, making an eerie clacking sound. “You think you’re that strong, demon?” He snapped his fingers and disappeared in a burst of black smoke.
Koreth spun around as I moved in closer, keeping my eyes peeled. The evil watching us did only that. Watched. None of them made a move to attack. There was a shout of alarm behind me. I whirled around in time to see Zeraxin appear behind Koreth. The bastard clapped his hands again and the same iron bands I felt in Dakota closed around my hellfire, cutting it off. I doubled over, grabbing at my chest. Through blurred eyes, I saw Zeraxin draw back his fist. He punched it through Koreth’s chest.
“No!” I snarled and staggered forward as Koreth dropped his sword and looked down in surprise.
Zeraxin’s cackling filled my ears as my father was lifted off his feet.
That bastard launched Koreth toward the pool, where my father disappeared beneath the water.
With my father’s blood drenching his arm, Zeraxin gave the order to attack.
Zombies burst from the ground all around, and as he charged toward me, my last thought was of Lela and how I was never going to see her again.
Chapter 14
Lela
I rolled my shoulder again, wishing the thick bandages were gone. Or that I had my holy light back. That, and my wings. I paced across the rooftop again, taking in the surrounding wastelands.
“You need to sit down,” Bobby complained. “You’re making me dizzy.”
“Something’s wrong.”
“You’ve been saying that for the last hour,” he reminded me. “They�
��re not supposed to be back yet. If all goes according to plan, it could take hours. They’ll send word. That’s what Mech said.”
“Unless he can’t send word.” I picked at my nails as I made another circle around the rooftop.
When they created the plan to use Remiel as bait to draw Hadariel out, I’d wanted to go with them. Mech argued with me until he was hoarse. He said I hadn’t healed and that if Hadariel did show up, I should not be anywhere in sight. The high general wanted me dead, but he wanted everyone else dead, too. I should be there to help them fight.
Instead, I was stuck here, like the freaking human I was.
Before Mech left, he dragged me out of sight, and we shared a kiss. I was no longer holding back what I felt for him. It was too raw and too right. He gave me the strength to keep fighting, and I did the same for him. But this connection of ours was making me anxious. My gut twisted in knots and I shook my head as I stomped back to Bobby.
“Something’s wrong,” I insisted. “I want to go to Blood Falls.”
Bobby threw his head back, stretching the stitches attaching it to his neck. “If I take you there and nothing’s wrong, Mech will kill me.”
“You’re already dead.”
He scowled. “He’ll kill me again. Absolutely not.”
“Bobby,” I said as sweetly as I could, though something in his sudden stiffening posture said my smile was anything but friendly, “if you don’t find a way to get me to Blood Falls to make sure Mech is not dead, I’ll be the one who kills you. Understand me? Mech and I are connected somehow, and that connection is screaming at me that there’s trouble.”
He gnawed on what remained of his lower lip. “I can’t.”
“Let’s put it this way. If you don’t take me, I’ll find a way to get there on my own. Been there before, remember?”
“No one’s going to let you just walk out of here,” he said, trying to brush off my threat.
“You don’t think I have a way out of Dakota? I’ve been protecting this city for years. Bobby, I know what I’m asking you to do. I’ll make sure Mech doesn’t take your head.” I backed for the door leading to the stairs. “So am I going without you or what?”
