Ascension of Evil (Battle for Souls Book 3)

by Ciara Knight

  ****

  Alexander gripped the back of Gabby’s desk chair. Outside her window, orange, supernatural clouds swirled in the night sky, warning of the coming demonic war. He needed to figure out how to win the war, and Heaven’s favor, so he could return with Gabby.

  Gabby opened the door, padded across the rug to him, and pressed her chest against his back. She wrapped her arms around him. The scent of apple filled the air as her hair brushed against the back of his arms. He could stand there all night. Her touch made the world full of hope, instead of despair.

  Alexander stroked her arms. “How are you?”

  “Fine,” Gabby whispered.

  Alexander pivoted to face her and pulled her close to him. “It’s me. You don’t need to be brave. I’m here for you. Talk to me.” He gazed at her a moment, letting her absorb the truthfulness of his words. “I’m sorry about your dad.”

  Tears welled in her eyes, but she blinked them back and pulled free of his arms. She sat on the bed, her legs curled under her, twisting a loose thread on her comforter.

  He ran his fingers down her back and felt her wings push against her skin. She was an angel, so why had Heaven denied them?

  “I’m fine,” she whispered again. “The war is coming, and we’ll be ready this time.”

  He rubbed her shoulders. “I’ll be with you, always.”

  Gabby shook her head. “You can’t promise that.”

  His heart ached to argue the point, but it was true. There was no guarantee if they died in battle tomorrow that they wouldn’t be ripped from each other’s arms for all eternity. His hands shook at the thought. Eternity without Gabby. No, he couldn’t face it. He sat at the head of the bed and pulled her into his arms. “I can’t lose you. I won’t.”

  “We don’t get to choose. Fate will decide.” Gabby raked her nails down his forearm.

  Shivers shot up his arm, around his shoulder, and down his back. One touch sent him to Heaven, something had happened between them, a sort of bond that couldn’t be broken. He clung to that thought as he held her tight.

  She turned to face him. “We have now.” She brushed the hair from his eyes and kissed his temple, his cheek, his chin then swept her lips across his. His body hummed, and he strung his fingers through her hair, tugging her head back. Her mouth teased his lower lip, nibbling and sweeping along the edge. The taste of mint and the smell of apples drew him closer.

  Her tongue broke through his lips, connecting with his in a gentle caress, until he nearly came undone and met her passion with his own. Heated pleasure blanketed his skin and he rolled on top of her, wanting to be closer, to join, to live for eternity as one.

  He reached out with his soul, and it lingered around her, his aura pulsing against her skin.

  His hand massaged her thigh, and she wrapped her leg around him. Lost, swimming in her beauty and love, he never wanted to let her go.

  They kissed and held each other as if these were their last moments together.

  Gabby nibbled down his neck. “I love you.”

  Her words gave him courage to live for eternity trapped beneath the skin and bones of his human frame, even if he was only able to kiss and hold her all night. “I love you, too,” he whispered and cupped her head to his shoulder, wrapping her body in his. He held her and prayed they wouldn’t be torn apart.

  Alexander pressed his lips to her head. “Someday we will be one, but for now, every kiss is precious to me.” He reached out with his soul, connecting with Gabby.

  She gasped. Her head arched back, and the connection between them sizzled through his body. She clung to him and moaned. “I didn’t know it was possible to feel this way,” Gabby whimpered. “You soothe the pain of this life, and give me hope. Without you…” Her words faded and he knew she couldn’t finish.

  His heart throbbed with a plethora of emotions. He squeezed Gabby to his chest and surged calming peace into her. It was all he could give her, but at least for a few moments she would rest. Her body relaxed against him, but he couldn’t sleep. Every second they had was precious. He nudged her head from his shoulder and onto the pillow then sat on his elbow, watching the rise and fall of her chest. She slept peacefully and, if for just a few moments, without the weight of the world upon her shoulders. If only he could take the burden on himself. But Heaven had chosen her. All he could do was support and love her. And fight, fight with everything he had to ensure they stayed together. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to drift off into dreams of a peaceful life with Gabby.

  Howls woke him from a restless sleep. He pushed from the bed to peek outside. Dark shadows galloped across the front drive to the line of trees. A cold sting shot through his wings and down his legs.

  Dogs or coyotes, that was all. There couldn’t be that many demons running free through Kemp. He would have sensed them.

  The amber clouds spun faster, in sync with the churning of his stomach. His cell phone buzzed in his pocket, and he grabbed it before it could wake Gabby, still keeping an eye out the window on the shadowy creatures.

  He glanced down at the screen. A text from Sammy that simply read, They’re here.

  His pulse thudded against his neck, and he gripped the chair. Black dots covered the front lawn. There had to be dozens of them.

  Need help. Dozens here, he quickly texted back.

  Gabby stirred on the bed. “What is it?”

  Before he could answer the phone buzzed in his hand. Dozens here 2.

  Shit! They needed to get out of there. Could Gabby fly? They hadn’t practiced yet. He could fly her out, but would he make it back in time for Bruce?

  An eerie screech echoed up the stairs. Gabby bolted to the bedroom door, but he caught her, wrapping his arms around her. “Shh,” he whispered, his finger to his lips.

  They stood there for a second before he released her and cracked the bedroom door open. Shadows moved at the bottom of the stairwell, and he knew they had a fight on their hands.

  Gabby tiptoed to her closet, pulled an old, splintered, wooden box from her shelf, and placed it on the bed. She slid the wooden top off and retrieved a dark handgun. He’d known she slept with a gun in her room, but he’d never seen her hold it before. The dark metal looked wrong in Gabby’s gentle hand, but she handled it like a pro, checking the magazine and sliding back the safety.

  A distant crash drew their attention, and they raced to the top of the stairs. Each step creaked, announcing their descent as they slowly made their way to the lower floor. His fingers raked against the dark wood paneling. Hopefully Sammy, Boon, and Grace were able to get past the demons to help them fight.

  Halfway down, a familiar, haunting stench assaulted his nose, stopping him in his tracks. He grasped the railing and it cracked under the pressure of his grip.

  Forras.

  Alexander glanced over his shoulder. Gabby held the gun against her thigh, her jaw clenched in determination. He prayed her powers would do more damage than that gun. Considering how many minions roamed the front lawn, he was certain Forras hadn’t shown up for a chat. He’d come to kill them all.

  “You!” Bruce shouted from the living room, terror lacing his words.

  Gabby shoved past him. Alexander leapt to the bottom of the stairs and his wings shot out, punching a hole through a kitchen cabinet behind him. Dishes crashed to the floor. Gunfire echoed through the house.

  Alexander bolted to Gabby’s side in the entryway. Claws scratched down the front door. Glass shattered in Bruce’s room. Orange eyes glowed in the darkness at the end of the hallway, red lines fissured in a web of evil around the glowing orbs.

  “Get away from my Dad,” Gabby demanded, her voice filled with authority.

  “Not so fast, boy toy. I’ll rip his throat from his neck before you can reach me.” The unmistakable rasp confirmed it was Forras.

  Gabby held up her right hand to stop Alexander. “What do you want, Forras?”

  “Only to return to your side. After all, we are connected on an…intim
ate level.”

  A growl rolled up Alexander’s windpipe.

  “Down, boy,” Forras mocked. “You can try to deny it, but your little bonding failed. Instead, you only succeeded in summoning all the souls that escaped from darkness. We are all here for you, dear, sweet Gabriella.”

  The tone of Forras’s voice mocked him to act, but Alexander knew he couldn’t reach him before he murdered Bruce.

  Gabby inched closer. “You lie.”

  “Do I?”

  Gabby cried out and doubled over, holding her side. “It burns.”

  Alexander kept his attention focused on Forras, but clutched Gabby’s arm. “What is it?”

  “The mark. Forras…he’s…”

  Seeing her in pain, hatred shot through Alexander, an emotion he thought he had learned to control. He moved toward Forras, but hesitated. Every time he attacked Forras, something tragic happened.

  “Forras, stop,” Bruce ordered. A struggle ensued as Bruce tried to free himself from Forras’s grasp. Gabby raced for her dad. Alexander shot in front of her and grabbed Bruce.

  The lights flickered on.

  “You always fall for the obvious, don’t you?” Forras stood in human form next to Gabby, stroking her back.

  “Gabriella, tell him. We’re connected. Send your lapdog on his way, so we can bond in our own way.” Forras ran his hand suggestively down her arm.

  Alexander shoved Bruce to the side.

  “No, wait.” Bruce grabbed his wing. “Look.” Gabby lifted her shirt. Forras’s demon mark burned red on her delicate skin.

  A demon busted through the front door. Two more came through the kitchen, and another through the hall.

  Surrounded.

  Forras laughed and held up a hand to stop his minions. “Make a choice, my dear, sweet Gabriella. Should I have them pluck Alexander’s wings and stuff a pillow with them for you? Or have mercy on your father and end his drunken existence now? Your choice.”

  Chapter Five

  Gabby’s wings shivered beneath her skin and a sting slid down her shoulder blades. Vibrations shook her middle and she doubled over. Pressure released from her ribs as her wings swooshed out to the sides.

  Her wings catapulted a lamp to the floor and Forras into the wall. A chair flung across the dining room. One demon was sent back through the front door, tumbling down the front porch steps.

  She straightened and fluffed her wings. The lathery feathers rippled. Raw, hypersensitive nerves responded to the faintest breath of air sweeping across the tips. She rotated her body, careful not to take a wall down, and locked gazes with Forras. “No, you choose where I send you next.”

  Forras peeled his body from crumbling plaster, sending bits of white debris to the floor.

  Her dad raised a shaking hand to his temple and stared with pleading eyes. She knew that look, the sorrow-filled gaze that begged to be forgiven for falling off the wagon again. But now wasn’t the time. Emotions crippled her powers and right now, she needed to focus.

  Silence filled the small, crowded room, their panting breaths the only sound.

  “No, Satan promised. You’re mine,” Forras snarled.

  “There’s your first error, trusting Satan.” Alexander sauntered over to her, with her dad close to his side. “You still think she belongs to you?”

  Two other demons closed the circle tight around them. Forras held his hand up. The bloodthirsty creatures growled, but remained where they were, poised to attack at the slightest signal.

  A surge of heat seared her abdomen from his mark, but she refused to react.

  Alexander touched her fingers with his. “She belongs to us. A warrior of Heaven.”

  Belongs? No, she didn’t. Heaven denied her. Hell tried to kill her. “I belong to no one. I’m a product of all of you.”

  Alexander clutched her hand. “Gabby, you can’t be serious.”

  She unlaced her fingers and furrowed her wings behind her body. “Call off your dogs, Forras. We need to talk.”

  Forras swung, his arm transforming to a stump in an instant. He stopped inches from her face, but she refused to flinch.

  “You did this to me.” Saliva flew from between Forras’ snarled lips.

  Their fight from a year ago flashed in her memory. She’d never thought to see him again after that night.

  “We did many things to each other.” Her mom had warned her that they needed Forras to fight for them, but how could she convince him? How could she trust him?

  A thud sounded behind her and she glanced back to see Grace standing at the front door. The demon that had been tossed across the front lawn lunged, but Sammy landed in between them. Another thud out back indicated Boon had also arrived.

  Grace folded her wings and stepped through the doorway. “Is there a problem, Forras?”

  Forras didn’t answer. His eyes flickered with something besides hatred and evil, a barely perceptible hint of compassion, or love perhaps. The orange glow ebbed as a greenish hue pulsed twice before the glow returned and his expression twisted back to demonic rage. “This doesn’t concern you.”

  Grace straightened her pale pink button up shirt and removed a leaf from her hair. “But it does. You sent minions to my home.”

  His eyebrows furrowed, before returning his hateful gaze to Gabby. “No, she did. She and her lapdog summoned all of the freed souls to Kemp. Now, they’re hunting down the Chosen One.”

  There had to be something she could use to convince him to fight on the right side. “But you didn’t come to kill me. Did you?” Gabby chose her words carefully.

  “No, but I came to kill the rest of you.” Forras hunched down then lunged, transforming in mid-air as he rammed Alexander.

  The two remaining monsters surrounded her dad. Gabby lifted the gun, but the hilt and trigger melted in her hand. Fire erupted in her heart. It surged down her right arm. Crimson flames shot from her palm and engulfed one of the coyote-like creature’s heads. It howled and rolled back. Undaunted, the other one clenched his jagged teeth into her dad’s shoulder. He yelped, but pressed his thumb into its eye. It flung him to the floor, and she tried to summon another blast, but only steam rose from her fingers.

  In their struggle, Alexander and Forras smashed into the coffee table, breaking it to splinters. Grace picked up one of the legs and swung it at two creatures trying to shove through the front door. Sammy shot up into the air and out of sight.

  Two steps brought Gabby to her dad. She slammed her heel against the demon’s jaw. It thrashed, but didn’t release its bite. Blood ran down his shoulder, saturating his sleeve. No, he wouldn’t go out this way.

  Growls, cracking glass, ripping material, and angry curses rang through the small house. Another creature dove at her. She arched backward. Pressing her palms to the beast’s back, she flipped over him. The moment her feet thudded against the floor, she grabbed the gun. Forras roared and lunged at her. She bolted over another demon. Two more joined the fight through the front door, Grace struggling to fend them off with her table leg. Gripping the gun’s barrel, she slammed deformed hilt into the monster’s head. Still, it didn’t let go of her dad.

  Claws wrapped around her leg. She punted the offending demon. Focusing back on the one attached to her dad, she beat it on the temple repeatedly with the gun until the creature released its iron grip.

  Howls split the air as more creatures spilled into the room through the smashed window.

  We need to get out of here. “Dad!” She yanked him a few feet from the demon’s grasp, but it clawed across the floor and snagged his pant leg. She clutched the back of his shirt and planted her foot against the wall of the kitchen to pull him free.

  From her peripheral vision, she saw white light shoot past. She squeezed her eyes shut, but it still blinded her.

  Scuffles ensued around her, followed by a crash so loud she was sure a wall had been knocked down.

  We have his mate. He will fight for her, Her mom’s soft voice whispered in her mind.

&nb
sp; The light faded to green dots, popping in erratic patterns. She blinked and discovered the living room wall had been reduced to a pile of rubble and wood paneling. Alexander swung high, but Forras ducked and jumped to the other side of the debris.

  “Forras! I know where you will find your one true love,” Gabby yelled, but Forras didn’t respond. He grabbed Alexander’s wing, scratching it with his one good claw.

  “I said I know where you can find—”

  “Gabby!” Dad yelled.

  She dropped to the ground and swung her leg out in time to swipe the demon’s legs. His mouth still dripped with her dad’s blood. If she didn’t do something soon, the entire house would be demolished, and her dad and the others would be dead.

  “Boon, grab Alex! Stop him from fighting Forras.”

  Boon dodged a blow and shot her a quizzical look.

  “Just do it!” she ordered.

  Boon nodded, wrapped his raven wing around the demon he was fighting then flung him across the room, over Alexander and Forras, and onto the front lawn.

  Smoke wafted from one of the curtains framing the front window. Her hands glowed down by her sides, and she focused on keeping control. All the aggression in the room fed her demonic blood, and she could easily erupt. She couldn’t chance it, not with her dad by her side.

  Boon wrestled Alexander to the ground and Forras let out a menacing chuckle.

  “Back to our side again?”

  Boon’s nostrils flared with disgust. “Never.”

  Gabby jumped over her dad and landed next to Forras. She placed a hand on his smoky-grey shoulder. “I’ll go with you.”

  Forras shot her a sideways glance then returned his attention to Alexander.

  “If you call off your friends here, I’ll go with you. Alone.”

  Alexander struggled to free himself from Boon. “Let me go,” he snarled. “Gabby, don’t! We can win this fight.” His pupils widened with terror, but she ignored them. Now wasn’t the time to worry about how Alexander would feel about her decision. It was time for her to be a leader. “No. He’ll turn you—”