Fallen: An Angel Romance

by D. G. Whiskey

  His quavering voice belied his confidence, but his jaw was resolute. Zara was impressed.

  “I’m afraid not, little one,” Draconel said. “You are not old enough to come along on this expedition.”

  Catalina raised her hand. “I’ll stay behind with Asher and look after him. If the worst happens…” She looked around the room and the light died a little in her eyes. “If the worst happens, he’ll need a guardian.”

  Her skill was Farsight. A useful one, but less so when the fighting got to close quarters. She might be more of a liability than a help.

  “I am too old enough!” Asher said, his voice low.

  Another look from the archangel was all it took to quell the boy.

  “Let’s discuss our strategy,” Draconel said. “The Angel Killers’ headquarters are in Hell’s Kitchen, above a trendy nightclub called Temptation.”

  “You can’t be serious,” Grace said. “They are in Hell’s Kitchen? And that’s where they’re making up this ritual with Dark magic and demons? Isn’t that a little too… appropriate?”

  Nobody laughed at Grace’s comment. The stakes were too high and the loss of their friends and families too recent. Several wry smiles and rolled eyes greeted her words instead, but the mood cheered the slightest amount.

  Draconel neglected to respond to Grace. He continued, “There are enough Angel Killers at the headquarters to give even me pause, and that’s before accounting for the demons. If an angel is killed with the Darkness, they are gone forever. It’s not something I want to face. Even Alex, in his mortal form, will not come back as an angel if Darkness strikes the killing blow.”

  Zara gasped at those words. She hadn’t known Alex had been in such danger or she would have watched over him more carefully during the attack on Lighthaven. Why had he not told her?

  His arms, which had been held loosely around her, convulsed. She looked up at him to find shock on his face.

  “You didn’t know?” she hissed at him.

  He shook his head, wordless, staring at Draconel, who hadn’t noticed their reactions.

  “I can’t just swoop in and take out their ritual, otherwise I’ll be risking getting taken down by the demons in the heart of the headquarters. I’ve gathered all of this information by scouting around the exterior and looking through the walls, and that was dangerous enough.”

  “How do you expect us to do anything if the place is so well guarded?” Sophie asked. “If you can’t take on all of these mages and demons, we won’t be enough to tip the scales.”

  He shook his head. “I don’t want to get into a full-out fight, but rather get in, smash up their ritual, and get out. It uses an intricate setup of gemstones they cannot replace easily. We’ll need a distraction, something to get them looking the other way while others sneak in and do as much damage as possible.”

  Zara’s ears twitched at that.

  “They’ve been after me for weeks now. What would be a better distraction than if I showed up at their club and caused a ruckus?”

  “No, Zara,” Alex said. “It’s too dangerous.”

  Draconel gave him a look. “I like it. There are three entrances to the second floor, where the ritual is built. The building spans a city block, so it fronts two streets. On one side is the club, and there is a staircase in the back. The other street has an elevator lobby like a normal office building. Both of those are heavily guarded at all times.”

  “Where’s the third entrance?” Henry asked.

  “It’s a side access with a door onto the alley beside the building. There are many cameras, but I only saw one guard. The door is heavy duty like the vault doors here at the safe house. If Zara causes a fuss in the club, drawing attention and manpower away, then I can take out the guard and cameras and unlock the door from the inside, opening it for the rest of you.”

  “Hold on,” Alex said. His voice was a smooth rumble behind her. “Zara shouldn’t be in the club alone. I’ll go with her.”

  He always wanted to protect her. It was one reason she was falling for him. But she couldn’t let him put himself in harm’s way, not when a stray blast of Darkness could end his Light forever.

  “That won't happen,” she said, twisting in his arms to look up at him. “The plan will only work right if I go in alone as bait. The Darkness can’t hurt me, so I can fend off any attacks that come my way, but if I have to protect anyone else, I’ll be overextended.”

  “She’s right,” Grace said. “The way she took out the Angel Killer at Lighthaven was bonkers. I’ve seen nothing like it.”

  Zara should have been terrified at what she was volunteering to do, but she wasn’t. If anything, the bloodlust within her was stirring, eager to get back into battle and take down more challengers.

  She shouldn’t want to kill. Was there something terrible inside her? Was this the Darkness molding her into a true Angel Killer?

  “I think this is the only chance we have,” Draconel said. He looked at Alex, addressing the other angel. “I’ll lend my help wherever necessary. She won’t be overwhelmed on my watch.” He turned to her. “I’ve taught you everything you need to know for this task. You’ll be able to solve every problem you come up against. Remember that if it ever seems hopeless.”

  Zara frowned, wondering at the intensity behind his sapphire eyes, but she nodded.

  She would have to be ready. She had no other choice.

  Alex squeezed the fingers laced through his own and smiled when Zara squeezed back.

  He pretended for as long as he could that they were just out for a stroll, enjoying the summer night and nothing more. The fiction fragmented within moments as more worries popped into his mind.

  They walked in two groups down the west side of Manhattan, working their way close to the headquarters. Alex and Zara were paired with Sophie and Grace, and Draconel, Ethan, Henry, and Joseph took up the rear. Draconel had insisted that they couldn’t wait any longer than a single day, so there were many blurry eyes from restless sleep.

  It didn’t help that they moved through the darkness. Attacking in the daytime would have lent the Light mages more power from the shift in the balance, but they would not have the cover of the club and the hordes of partiers to camouflage them.

  Not for the first time, Alex stole a sidelong look at Zara. They were all dressed in club wear to fit in with the throngs of people walking the streets at this time of night, but she blew him away with her outfit. A tight black dress with a plunging neckline and a hem up to her mid-thigh didn’t reveal her assets but instead hid just enough to tantalize with hints of the complete picture.

  He’d asked her how she intended to fight in that, and she’d shown him just how flexible the skimpy clothing let her be. All she had to do was kick off her heels and she would be ready to attack. If her clothes distracted her enemies, all the better.

  Alex had multiple worries on his mind. He’d stressed over Zara’s role as the diversion to allow the rest of them access to the headquarters, but more selfishly, he was afraid for himself. Dying by Darkness hadn’t stressed him out before, sure that his inner Light, although bound by the High Court’s judgment, would withstand such an attack.

  After the meeting, he’d pulled Draconel aside and the archangel had made it clear in no uncertain terms that if Alex died from the Darkness, that was it.

  The others were attempting to be loud and boisterous, just another group of friends who’d had a few drinks and were making their way to the hottest new club in the city. Dark mage agents could be anywhere, and they didn’t want to give their position away before they’d even started.

  Alex couldn’t bring himself to join in with the faked banter, trading wordless looks with Zara instead. He could feel the electric heat of the Light in her hand. Ever since the attack on Lighthaven and her confident and masterful performance against the Dark mages, her power had settled in her skin more fully. It radiated from her, making her more enchanting and ravishing than ever. Every other woman paled in comparison to
her.

  They drew close to their target. The mages grew more tense, feeling the shift in the balance to the Dark, forcing their words out past gritted teeth.

  The club had an enormous line. They’d researched it more to prepare for the strike. Opened only a few months ago, Temptation had become the place to be in Manhattan. It was seemingly common knowledge that the club operated a brothel in the back, but it hadn’t been shut down by the police—Dark mages had ways of influencing the authorities.

  Taking their place at the end of the line, the group formed a semicircle around Draconel as he leaned against the wall. With a quick look in either direction, he turned translucent and faded back into the building.

  Zara put her hand on his elbow. Thousands of words flashed through his mind, but before he could think of anything to say, she bounced up on her toes and planted a quick kiss on his lips. It was just a peck, the kind lovers exchanged when they intended to see each other again soon.

  “I'll see if I can convince the bouncer to let us skip the line,” she said with a wink.

  Just like that, she was gone, walking toward the front door.

  Alex wasn’t ready for her to go. If things went wrong tonight—and that was a higher chance than them going well—he may never see her again.

  Zara walked up the long line, ignoring the stares of the men and the pointed looks of the women. She let the calmness pool in her mind, but also allowed the natural sensation of sensuality from dressing so provocatively and having so many eyes on her body. She’d never felt like this before, and she liked it.

  Her Light didn’t suffer as much as her friends had from the proximity to the Dark mages’ headquarters. She was more powerful and drew from a wider area than they, and the Darkness wasn’t as hostile to her as it was to them. It welcomed her, celebrated her presence, rushing in to fill her Dark reservoir until her fingers crackled with Dark power.

  She should have been anxious. Four weeks ago, she would have run away and never looked back. Instead, she couldn’t wait to cause mischief and more. She was born for this.

  Reaching the red carpet at the front doors to the club, she struck a sexual pose and sent a dual push of calm and lust at the bouncer. The Light and Dark swirled together, working as a team to enact her will.

  “I’m too hot to wait in this line,” she said with a pout, widening her eyes as she caught his attention.

  He didn’t respond, his mouth open but tongue sticking to the roof of his mouth. With a beefy hand, he lifted the rope and pulled it aside to let her pass.

  Zara didn’t bother to hide her grin as she passed him and pushed through the doors.

  Temptation was huge. With a wide, spacious floor and opulent furnishings, it looked like a decadent palace. Half a dozen women wearing barely anything spun on poles spaced throughout the room, and the large dance floor was filled with the undulating and gyrating bodies of people giving themselves over to their baser instincts.

  A low, persistent tide of lust and greed pulsed through the club, touching each of the patrons and pushing them toward reckless abandon. As she edged through the crowd, she saw couples engaged in numerous acts that wouldn’t be allowed at a regular club.

  Draconel had said the Angel Killers operated a brothel out of the back of the club, and the stairs to the second floor were there. It wasn’t difficult to find. She just traced the movements of women wearing g-strings and tiny bras dragging willing men—and women—to the darkened rear of the massive space.

  A voice inside her told her to let go a little, dance a bit and enjoy herself. It was persistent, and she fought it off.

  Stop worrying about tomorrow, it said. You deserve to have some fun.

  It was a seductive siren call, and even though she remained resolute in her course of action, her hips rolled more than they needed to with each step and the music throbbed through her body. If Alex had been with her, she wouldn’t have been able to resist jumping him.

  She reached the back of the club without incident. They hadn’t been sure how closely the guards would watch the club goers, but there were no signs she’d been discovered yet.

  A hazy hallway lit by dim red LEDs stretched away from her, and she followed it for a few steps until a man stepped out of a hidden alcove. He was a huge bear of a man, his suit jacket and shirt sleeves rolled up to reveal bulging, hairy forearms.

  “Guests are only allowed to come back with a lady,” he said. He looked her up and down, eyes lingering at her bust.

  Zara let the sense of lust that had lingered in the back of her mind take control of her emotions long enough to send him a healthy dose of it with a touch of Darkness.

  “I’m only looking for a good time,” she said and bit her lip.

  The man swallowed and his eyes dropped to her cleavage, which she helpfully pushed together with her upper arms.

  “I might make an exception for you. I’ll need to get someone to cover my station.”

  She gestured him closer with a crook of her finger. He leaned down.

  Zara put her hand around his neck and used her other to untuck his shirt. She slipped her hand underneath the fabric and slid it up his stomach until she got to his musclebound chest—and his heart.

  She whispered in his ear, “I’m special, and I deserve to take what I want.”

  With a blinding quickness, she wrapped her Dark power around him and drew his life force into her.

  It came with startling speed, rushing out of his heart and neck and into her body. His eyes drooped immediately, and within seconds, he slumped and would have fallen if she hadn’t lifted him off his feet by her grip on his neck. The strength coursing through her body was invigorating and expansive. The hefty guard felt no heavier than a sack of potatoes despite his immense mass.

  She stashed him in his little alcove, sucking more of his energy until his breath rasped in his chest and his pulse became a weak, erratic beat beneath her hands.

  The stolen energy energized her, the potential it filled within her both seductive and pleasurable. It could become addicting, living off others’ life forces like this. With a deep breath, she drew in the scents of the club with heightened senses. The sweat and lust of the club, and smoke generated by machines around the DJ’s table, and the sickeningly sweet stench of the alcoholic beverages strewn and spilled everywhere—it all mingled in a hedonistic stew in her head.

  The music had become a loud, pervasive beat, and her strengthened hearing could pick out the reverberations at every frequency from the speakers placed in the walls. Looking back across the room, she could read the labels of every bottle at the bar.

  This is incredible.

  She hadn’t had the chance to truly savor the effects of draining the Angel Killer the other night, but she grew to love them in the few seconds she took to reorient herself.

  With a mental shake, she kicked off her heels and strode down the hallway. She had a diversion to create.

  It wasn’t long before the hallway expanded into a circular room with doors around the outside and stairs at the far side. A wide desk in front of the stairs held four men in suits.

  Women in skimpy clothing reclined on comfortable couches spaced throughout the room, accompanied by men in button-down shirts and ties. As Zara took in the scene, a pair rose and opened a door, revealing a small room with a bed and cozy decor.

  Her chest burst with contained energy, and Zara leapt into the middle of the room. She wasn’t afraid of the men in suits—they were surely Dark mages, but she had never felt more powerful, more capable, than she did in that moment.

  The leap caught the attention of most of the people in the room.

  “Get out of here,” she growled, looking at the innocent men and women around her. “Now.”

  To underscore her point, she raised a hand and shot a beam of Light at one of the Dark mages. It caught him in the chest and he fell to the floor in a lifeless heap.

  She caught herself in the next moment. The bloodthirsty half of her wanted to take
out the rest of the mages before they could summon a response, and the rest of her kind of agreed—it was safer to remove the threats before they could organize resistance. Her reasoning mind overrode both halves. She was here to create a diversion, not kill as many mages as possible.

  That would just be a side-effect.

  “Gun!” A high-pitched voice shrieked. “Run!”

  There was a mad scramble as the patrons and working ladies fled toward the club.

  “Was that a laser? Holy crap!” One last man fell over himself looking at Zara on his way out, but he yelped and stumbled out as the Dark mages stood and sent spears of Darkness at Zara.

  As usual, the Darkness did nothing more to her than block her vision. She laughed at the mages, emphasizing her disdain.

  The Darkness faltered as the mages stared at her with wide eyes.

  She sent back laser-focused Light, striking each in the chest and lancing into their hearts.

  Her sense of triumph and invulnerability flared, but it faced a sobering reality check. During the attack on Lighthaven, she’d felt like she could blast Light at the intruders all night if she had to. The inherent tilt of the balance toward the Light had enabled her to supercharge her Light energy almost as fast as she used it. Here, in Hell’s stronghold, even her expanded Beacon range wasn’t enough to make up for the intense drain of using her Light in such a wasteful way.

  Draconel’s teachings reminded her to be judicious in using her abilities. She’d have to dole out the Light so she wouldn’t run out when she needed it most.

  On the other hand, the Darkness was coiled like a snake ready to strike, eager to serve her will.

  The remaining mage fled up the stairs, and Zara let him go so he could warn his friends. She wanted the focus of all beings in the building on her.

  After waiting for a couple of minutes, she charged up the stairs, taking them three steps at a time, her petite form bounding up the flight with next to no effort thanks to the electric supercharge her vampiric ability had given her.

  The stairs opened onto a wide landing with multiple doors, but she didn’t have to choose which way to go. Draconel popped his head through a door, his capabilities allowing him to move at will through a building like it wasn’t there.