by BJ Sheldon
Eventually, Michael lifted his head and opened his eyes. He stood, his attention fully on me. His gaze made me uncomfortable.
“It is done,” he said.
“What’s done?” I asked.
Michael motioned for Grace to step forward. She complied and lifted something out of her jean pocket and laid it in the angel’s outstretched hand.
It was the ring.
My neck snapped toward Grace, then Michael, and then back to Grace.
“What the hell is going on?” I asked.
“When the fighting began, I gave the ring to Grace for…safekeeping.”
“Safekeeping? Are you kidding me with this? You handed over the most powerful talisman in the universe to a mortal for safekeeping? Are you insane?”
“That is why I did it. Naberius would have thought it too risky to hand over something this powerful to a mortal which is exactly the reason I did it. If he had overpowered us, which I doubt, he would have checked you and me, first. Grace wouldn’t have even been a thought.”
“Shit!” I shouted, throwing my hands in the air. “You are nuts. You’re a crazy Archangel with serious mental issues!”
“My Father has spoken to me, Skyy.” Michael strode toward me and gently gripped my wrist. He lifted my hand and placed the ring into my palm, closing my fingers around it. “When God directed me years ago to give you the vision of that tree—”
“That was you?” My mind raced. “Have they all been you?”
Michael didn’t reply. His expression was stoic and untelling.
“I didn’t know why he’d asked me to provide you with the vision of that tree, but I also didn’t question it. When He told me to wait for you here…that you’d come, I had faith that He had a reason. And now it’s been made clear to me. You are now its guardian. Great evil is coming and sacrifices will need to be made. And only you can beat Naberius and save mankind.”
I huffed loudly.
“Fabulous. Again? Seriously, can’t the big guy upstairs find a different freak with wings to save the world this time? Why me?”
Without uttering a word, Michael leapt into the air and flew away leaving us all more confused than ever.
“You didn’t answer me!” I shouted into the air, frantically waving my arms around like a crazy person. “What freakin’ sacrifices? Why am I the only one that can beat the goddamn redhead? Why do you Watchers always insist on speaking in riddles?”
I lowered my head, took in a deep breath, and tried to pull myself together. Once again, I was left with more questions than answers by those who were supposed to be the good guys. And once again, I was left to wonder…why me?
Looking around, the rest of my group all gave me odd looks. I turned away from their judgmental glares and stared at the ring in my hand. It was heavy and seemed to hum with energy, its power literally making its presence known. My palm grew warm, startling me. Temperature fluctuations weren’t something I usually felt. Ever. I didn’t know what it felt like to feel cold or hot. So, as the ring began to burn hot in my hand, its warmth nearly caused me to drop it. I quickly shoved it in my front jeans pocket and turned to face the rest of my group.
They continued to stare at me, most likely wondering what we should do next. I was certain they were all thinking the exact same thing I was.
Now what?
Suddenly, we heard shouting. From up the path, we watched as a tall figure jogged toward us. We drew our weapons, ready for anything but quickly lowered our swords upon realizing it was only Gavyn. He stopped when he reached us and looked around our group as if searching for someone particular.
“Have you guys seen Dorian?” he asked.
“Wasn’t he with you?” I took a step closer, closing the gap between us. “You didn’t kill him, did you?” The words were said with a sense of sarcasm, but I also knew it wasn’t above the realm of possibility.
“No. I didn’t kill him,” Gavyn replied. “Not that the thought hasn’t crossed my mind. Anyway, we got separated when we split up to look around.”
“So, you lost him?”
Gavyn’s eyes narrowed at me. “No. I know exactly where he is. I just thought I’d come back here and ask you if you’d seen him just to screw with you,” he said sarcastically.
“Don’t have to be an ass about it,” I replied, rolling my eyes. “Did you try to call him telepathically?”
“Oh. Uh, no. I didn’t think about that. Got caught up in the panic when I couldn’t find him.” Gavyn turned around and stared down the trail, seemingly lost in thought.
“Oh, for crying out loud,” I barked. I closed my eyes and prepared to open my mind to reach out to Dorian when we all heard heavy footsteps coming from down the path.
Dorian appeared from the darkness and walked toward us slowly but deliberately. As he approached us, I knew in an instant that something was wrong, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. His shoulders slumped a bit forward as he trudged along, his gaze fixated straight ahead but not focused on anything. Reaching us, he finally acknowledged each of us with a cursory glance before setting his gaze on me. It wasn’t his normal, caring look. In fact, it made me incredibly uncomfortable.
As I studied his expression, I quickly saw what was bothering me. His eyes were dark and sunken in, and they narrowed making him look angry and ready to pounce at a moment’s notice. I wondered if he’d had a confrontation with some of Naberius’s demons and lost. But the more I studied him, the more I realized it was something else.
Something darker.
“Dorian?” I met his gaze, refusing to back down from his intimidating presence.
He didn’t reply.
“Where’d you run off to, man?” Gavyn asked. “One second you were there, the next you were gone.”
Dorian shot Gavyn a sideways glance, but quickly placed his attention directly back on me. He remained silent and still, refusing to even blink.
I exchanged a nervous look with Rami. He slid backward and found himself a spot next to Arna. I didn’t blame him after what Dorian had tried to do back at my house before.
I took a step forward, getting a bit closer to Dorian.
“Are you okay? Did you run into the demons?” I asked.
Dorian cocked his head to the side.
“Demons? Why would you think I ran into demons?” His voice was monotone and lower than usual.
“Naberius was here earlier thinking we had the ring. He brought some of his assholes with him, but we held our own. I just figured you might have run into some of them up the path.”
“No,” he replied bluntly.
“Okay. Short and simple,” I replied. “All righty then.”
“Did you find Michael?” he asked abruptly, his mouth sneering to one side as he started to pace like a caged animal back and forth.
I was shocked into silence. Granted we had gone to Devils Tower to find Michael, but it was the way he asked the question and the expression that followed that made me uneasy.
“Be careful how you answer,” I heard Arna say inside my head. “Do not give him too much information. Not until we know we know for sure what’s happened.”
“Do I look stupid?” I answered telepathically.
“Do you want me to answer that?” he replied.
I cleared my throat and tried to think quickly.
“No. Michael never showed himself. Without him, we’ll never find the ring. So, we’re back at square one,” I lied.
I turned around and surreptitiously made eye contact with Rami, Grace, and Gavyn to let them know not to give anything away.
Not yet.
“Let’s head home,” I said, nodding at Rami.
Rami waved his arms in the air, opening a portal. He took Grace’s hand and together they stepped through to the other side.
“I will take my leave now,” said Arna. “We will talk soon.”
I nodded. “Soon,” I replied.
He flew off, his white wings shining brightly in the dark sky.
&n
bsp; Dorian stood quietly staring at the portal as if he’d never seen one before.
I gestured toward the void.
“After you,” I said, making eye contact with Dorian. He inched forward, staring at the swirling void. His demeanor was concerning, and I knew it would need to be addressed. But for the time being, I had far too many things on my mind. Concentrating on a single thing, even something like Dorian’s behavior, felt impossible. I needed a minute to myself to breathe and collect my thoughts.
I watched Dorian take in a deep breath. He lifted one leg slowly and carefully placed it inside the vortex. As he disappeared through the portal, Gavyn looked at me and said, “Don’t worry. I got this,” and jumped through, following his predecessor close behind.
I scanned my surroundings. With everything going on, I hadn’t had the opportunity to take in the sights. The tower rose above me at over five thousand feet, its unique shape and structure creating a beautiful backdrop to the rocky terrain in every direction. The stars shone brightly against the night sky and flickered as if each one were saying hello in their own way. The air was still, and I could hear the crickets chirping in the distance. I closed my eyes briefly and took in their song. As I opened them again, I saw a doe peek its head out from behind a tree about thirty yards away, bravely staring down the stranger with wings.
Everything was still, and for the first time that day, I felt at peace. The darkness around me felt light—hardly the place where the gateway to Hell would be located. My mind suddenly raced, trying to make sense of what I was feeling. And then it hit me.
“It’s not here,” I whispered to myself.
The tree from my painting had never been meant to guide me to the gateway of Hell. It had been a marker to find the Archangel Michael who would lead me to the ring. The ring I now possessed.
Chapter 22
I sent Grace and Rami to my trailer to catch some sleep and put Gavyn on watch outside just in case Naberius or his minions decided to show themselves again. Dorian and I sat in awkward silence inside my studio. Neither of us spoke for what felt like an hour. He sat at my desk and stared straight ahead, looking at nothing in particular. I lay on the bench and gazed up at the ceiling, periodically tossing a glance in his direction, trying to figure out how to approach his odd demeanor.
The expression on his face hadn’t changed since Devils Tower. He looked pissed, but I wasn’t sure what had happened to set him off.
“You okay over there?” I finally asked.
Dorian blinked. He turned his head in my direction. A smile spread across his lips, but his eyes remained the same—dark and almost skeletal.
“I’m good. You?”
“Um…I’m fine. So, what did you find out there. At the tower. Gavyn says you guys got separated.”
“Not so much separated as I opted to leave his ass. I didn’t want to be teamed up with him in the first place, if you’ll remember.”
“I remember,” I said, running my fingers through the hair over my ear. “So, you didn’t answer my question. Did you find anything out there?”
A slight smirk emerged on Dorian’s lips. He drew in a deep breath and pursed his lips, shaking his head.
“Nothing. Just rock, trees, and some squirrels.”
“So, nothing nefarious like demons or Naberius?”
“I think I’d remember if I had,” he replied. He slid off his chair and strolled over to where I lay. He gazed down at me, cocking his head. “Why do you keep asking?”
I tried to act nonchalant, hiding the fact that I was suddenly worried about what he was capable of doing.
“Just curious. Figured you might have seen something.”
Dorian leaned over, his face mere inches from my own. It was then I realized his usual light blue eyes seemed to be glowing. I blinked quickly and the glow seemed to disappear. I wondered if I was seeing things, the stress beginning to get to me. But there was definitely something wrong with him I just couldn’t put my finger on.
“You don’t believe me. You think something happened to me while I was out there tonight. Isn’t that right?” Dorian sneered. He didn’t move as he continued to lean over me, staring into my eyes.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” I waved him off. “Go sit back down, you jackass. You’re being ridiculous.” His stare was making me uncomfortable, so I closed my eyes and laid my forearm over my face.
A pair of hands were around my throat. My eyes shot open to see Dorian looking down at me, his dancing eyes glowing a bright gold with an evil grin spread wide across his face. Laughter escaped his lips, but it wasn’t his. It was something guttural and came from a place that didn’t sound natural.
I tried to scream, but his fingers were too tight around my throat. He slammed his knee onto my chest pinning me down on the bench. In a normal situation, I would have been able to roll over, toss him off me, and kick his ass. But he was stronger—considerably so. I had been completely stupid and blind. It didn’t even occur to me that Dorian would ever consider hurting me.
I was wrong.
He shifted one hand over and I felt my windpipe slowly crushing from the pressure. His other hand slid down my side slowly, making sure to caress anything he came across on the way down. I kicked my legs wildly in a pointless effort to get away. We both knew he couldn’t kill me, but if my air supply was cut off long enough, I’d likely pass out. At that point, who knew what he’d be capable of in that state.
Dorian’s hand stopped when it reached my scabbard. I felt him grasp the hilt and slowly pull it free. I watched in horror as he held it in the air above my face, laughter continuing to come from his chest. He and I both knew that even the slightest scratch from my own sword would poison me, providing a slow painful death.
“So, the great Skyy is about to fall,” he growled, his teeth baring down on me. He continued to squeeze my throat, the world around me growing dark. Tunnel vision set in. I only had seconds left before I’d be left unconscious and vulnerable. “How does it feel, bitch? To know that the man who loves you…the man who would die for you…will ultimately be the one who finally ends you.” He leaned in and placed his cheek against mine and moved his head up and down, caressing my skin against his own. Then, he turned his head slightly, and I felt him lick my face. I tried to scream, but it was over. All I could see was a dot in the distance, darkness setting in.
I heard the door slam open and heavy footsteps followed. Dorian was jerked from me violently, and I found myself gasping for air. I coughed hard, fighting to get air back into my lungs. My windpipe was crushed. It would heal within minutes, but in the meantime, it would be difficult to function. I sat up and grasped for my throat, continuing to struggle for air. My sword had fallen to the floor and was lying at my feet. I slid to the floor and grabbed it, quickly taking hold of it just in case. But in my current state, I could only sit by and watch the scene unfold.
Gavyn had Dorian by the front of his shirt and had slammed him to the floor. Dorian scrambled to his feet. His face contorted, his eyes glowed. He growled and lunged at Gavyn, and the pair tumbled to the floor throwing punches. Gavyn won the initial struggle and straddled his opponent, pinning him down, throwing punch after punch. Dorian managed to block about half and even connected a few blows himself. But in an instant, the roles were reversed and Gavyn found himself on the losing side lying flat on his back, blocking Dorian’s flying fists.
They managed to get tangled up and rolled around, each struggling for control. Elbows and knees were thrust back and forth to dislodge the other from their respective grasps. They finally broke away from one another and scrambled to their feet. Gavyn spun around and round-housed his rival in the chest. Dorian stood his ground and returned the favor with a side kick to Gavyn’s ribs.
I watched both fists and feet fly between the two. Gavyn was strong and a brilliant fighter, but Dorian’s strength was double what it usually was. There seemed to be something driving him, giving him a strength he didn’t know how to control. He had tr
ied to kill me and had nearly succeeded. I needed to know why, but that would need to wait. First, he’d have to be subdued.
Gavyn flew back and fell, sliding on his ass after a well-placed kick to his gut. We exchanged a worried glance that Dorian would be too much for us to handle on our own. Gavyn leapt up and rushed ahead. Another minute more and my throat would be fully healed, allowing me to breathe easily. But even at full strength, I wasn’t sure Gavyn and I could do it alone. So, I sent a mental message to Rami hoping he’d hear me and make it to us in time.
I struggled to my feet and held my sword tightly in my grasp ready to jump in when the moment presented itself. Gavyn was continuously getting his ass handed to him, but he was a resilient fighter and continually met the challenge, connecting one or two blows for every three or four Dorian threw his way.
Suddenly, Dorian flew at me. I instinctively held out my sword, and he skidded to a stop a mere inch from the tip. Everything seemed to cease. The idea that I could have killed him just then passed through my mind, and my hand began to tremble. He saw the fear in me and laughed.
I wasn’t sure who he was, but he wasn’t my Dorian. That much I knew.
Rami busted through the studio door with Grace not far behind. She stayed in the doorway as Rami flew and flipped sideways through the air, kicking Dorian in the side of the head, knocking him back a few feet. But the blow didn’t seem to faze Dorian. Rami and Gavyn together tried to back him against the wall in an effort to trap him and possibly subdue him, but I was fearful that Dorian was getting too close to the door and would either escape or use Grace as a shield.
Together, they rushed him, but Dorian ran at them and opened his wings, knocking them both to the ground. He landed hard, one foot on each of their throats, trapping them both. He was incredibly strong…stronger than he should be. It would be a matter of seconds before he twisted his feet just right and killed both Hybrids. As I rushed forward in hopes of saving my friends, Dorian’s neck snapped sideways as one of my old angel sculptures struck him on the back of the head. He fell away, unconscious, and landed hard on the floor. I watched in disbelief as Grace chucked the sculpture to the side and smacked her hands together in victory.
