As I looked up, I saw two of the men, who were on the stools, spin around and stare directly at me. Their dark demonic eyes were scouring over every inch of my body, taking in the scene. I quickly began running through everything we had all most recently spoke about.
The server wiped away the last of the droplets that remained on the table, as the two unwelcome patrons slid off their stools, throwing a wad of cash on the counter. Athen’s body looked completely rigid, his piercing green eyes following their every move. Cyril’s breathing began to quicken, and I prepared myself for what might take place.
“Come on, Pete. Let’s get out of here. If that’s the worst we’ve got to worry about, I think we can safely say we’ve got this whole thing handled,” the nameless demon spoke to his buddy with cruel laughter escaping with every syllable.
My body tightened, and I wanted to rip them to shreds. The server had left our table, and I attempted to crawl over Athen to get at the two arrogant creatures. It was one thing for my family to lovingly joke about my clumsiness but quite another for demons of the otherside to judge an entire battle by it. I was fuming.
“Whoa!” Athen chuckled. “No need to worry about those two fools, sweetie.”
Athen completely blocked my exit from the booth.
“I want at them.” I tried to push through his arm that he leaned against the table. “That would be horrible if they reported that they’re gonna win, all because I spilled a glass of water.” I couldn’t contain my anger, and it only seemed to grow.
“Would it really? Let them misjudge the fight. If they want to estimate things off a spilled glass of water, who cares?” Cyril said, grinning and leaning back in the booth. “That’s their problem.”
The adrenaline slowly stopped pulsing through my veins as I realized they were no longer in the restaurant. Having them around was enough for me to go ballistic at this point.
“That would’ve been completely irrational. Thanks for stopping me. I don’t know what came over me,” I sheepishly uttered to Athen.
“Honey, it wasn’t those two you were fired up about. It was what you witnessed earlier. We understand. It’s hard on us all.” Athen’s voice created the tranquility I had so come to rely on.
His brilliant green eyes looking down on me, trying to evaluate his loose cannon, calmed me instantly.
“You know what?” Arie’s wonderfully exuberant voice rattled through the air. “Ana’s inability to keep her act together totally saved us,” she giggled.
“How so?” I asked, rolling my eyes.
“We didn’t discuss any of the details from earlier… That’s how! See, things happen for a reason. Are your thighs still icicles from the ice-water?” her laughter bounced off the leather walls of our booth, as Athen squeezed me, pecking me quickly on my head.
“You do have a way,” he whispered, making me melt instantly and almost forget about the horrible incidents we witnessed earlier. This time, however, I knew there was no beginning to heal, until we made some decisions that none of us wanted to make.
Chapter 14
“These human sacrifices are nothing like what mortals dream up or think happens. Nobody is being killed; blood isn’t being shed, but in a way, it is far worse. It’s their souls that are being sacrificed,” Cyril’s words shot through my heart, ripping at its lifeline. My mind kept flashing back to the scene in the basement club.
“There’s no coming back from it, and any human who witnesses it is given the entrance key to the underworld. It takes that first human’s soul and then the others can just follow,” Arie finished for Cyril.
The disappointment began to spread to the rest of my body. My head began to feel too heavy to hold up.
“If that process can happen that quickly, and there are so many willing participants, it really changes the complexion of the war… doesn’t it?” I could barely whisper the words.
“Yeah, it really does,” Athen confirmed.
“Is there any method to combat this? I mean you guys are thinking of creating our own army right? Becoming soul suckers of our own humans? Two wrongs don’t make a right. Just because we are doing it for the good of mankind, doesn’t mean it is for the good of mankind. There’s gotta be a way to cancel out what they’re doing,” my voice thick with spit, as I promised myself that I wouldn’t begin heaving on the floor.
“We can’t even begin the war if we don’t have the numbers, and it’s looking like we don’t have the numbers. We all saw it. Imagine in every town, city, and country across the globe, volunteers are multiplying by the hundreds and thousands. All hoping for an eternal life, while being lied to and not realizing it until their soul has been ripped out of them,” Cyril explained, while twirling the fringe on the chenille blanket that was spread on Arie’s legs.
“We can’t do this, unless we all agree. There’s no way any of the other families would participate unless we were all on board. This has never been done before,” Arie’s voice was beyond exhausted. None of us wanted to make this decision, but it had to be made.
“Tell me this. Is there any saving those others? Any hope we could get them back to something other than what they’ve become?” I choked at the thought of saying what they had been turned into.
“A small one,” Athen spoke quietly, his hand resting on my shoulder. “A very little one, but nonetheless, it exists. There’s a chance we can lure them to our side by performing a ritual that will, in certain cases, turn them to a white demon instead. They will never be human again, but they, at least, wouldn’t be wicked, lonely creatures roaming the earth. Then again, it probably will not work more times than it will work.” His voice trailed off.
“That’s the only way I can do it,” I announced. “And everyone in our entire network must stick to our rules.” A sigh finally escaped, allowing me to take a deep breath I so desperately needed.
“You know that everyone is waiting for your direction, Ana. All the angels have been communicating with Arie to find out what their next move needs to be. This movement won’t get the go ahead unless you say so. I don’t think you understand how much influence you have over this battle. To them, you are their leader, and I have to agree there isn’t a better person out there to lead us to victory.” Athen’s words began rattling along my brain, creating a confusion I wasn’t ready for.
“Well…” Cyril grinned. “Let’s not let this go to her head. This is a girl who can’t even avoid getting damaged at a meal.”
“Hey, it was all a plan. I flushed out those demons. I knew they were there the whole time,” I said laughing, trying to enjoy the fleeting moment of levity that Cyril brought to this otherwise very ugly conversation.
“Uh-huh. Whatever you need to tell yourself.” He thoroughly enjoyed the ammunition I had so thoughtfully placed for him earlier.
“Listen, guys. This isn’t about me being able to lead anyone. We are a unit. I wouldn’t be able to get out the front door if I didn’t have you all with me. To Cyril’s point, I’ve still got a lot to learn.” Shaking my head in disbelief, I continued.
“I know back on the beach when we were battling Azazel’s minions, that everyone was looking at me for the signal, and I gave it. In that moment, I felt like anything could be done – anyone and anything could be conquered. As a team, I still believe it. However, there isn’t a reason in the world I should be the leader going into what we are facing now. We need each other,” I told them all.
“Ana, you, my dear, are so wrong. You have the ability to touch everyone’s lives without even knowing it. As we march into battle against the dark demons, it’s your compassion and emotional strength to fight for the good of the humans that will carry us forward. For instance, I know what you’re commanding to everyone. This decision alone, changes the entire complexion of the war. You are still ensuring that we don’t stoop to their level. Your decisions are what we want to hear, and by we, I mean the white demons.”
My cheeks felt like they were on fire. I wasn’t sure I wanted that k
ind of weight on my shoulders. I didn’t know if I could handle that kind of burden. Staring at the flames dancing in the fireplace, I thought back to the pain I felt when I thought I had lost Athen to the dark side, to Lilith.
“So how do you know that my request will be accepted?” I asked Athen, staring directly into his deep green eyes that were so full of pride and love. I knew the answer. We were soul mates – that’s how he knows.
“Because you love life too much. You have ever since I’ve known and loved you. You’ve never taken for granted what good mortals can do for each other.” Athen came over to the couch and sat next to me, moving aside the oversized chenille pillows.
“It’s true, Ana,” Arie piped up. “You’ve always seen the good in humans, even when none of the rest of us could.”
I looked around the room gauging their reactions to what I was about to command. It seemed they were expecting it, but whether or not my request could even be completed was yet to be seen.
“If we are going to turn souls of humans to fight on our side, I only want to turn the ones who have already been taken.” Saying it out in the open felt so much better than harboring these thoughts inside. “I know it’s going to complicate things greatly as we expand our army, but I can’t do it any other way. I just can’t. What’s the point of the dark side turning the humans, and then we come in and do the same? At that point, we are no longer fighting for the mortals, but for our ego. We will never win, if that’s how we go about it,” I spoke, more sure of myself with every word.
“Well, no doubt, hunting down the newly-turned and turning them to our side is going to not only be a challenge, it’s going to shorten the amount of time we will have to get our troops ready.” Cyril was wringing his hands together, nervous about my strategy, and I’d be lying to myself if I didn’t admit I was a little unsettled about this idea as well.
“Has this ever been done before?” I asked Athen.
“Not at this level. There’ve been one offs throughout the ages, but nothing like this, where we are creating an army based off of the dark side’s new recruits,” he said, almost laughing. “It certainly won’t be what Azazel is expecting.”
“So true, man!” Cyril’s voice was so filled with excitement, and I could tell the tension in the room began to lift immediately.
“Good to keep him on his toes, I suppose,” I said laughing, all of my nervous tension beginning to evaporate. “He shouldn’t underestimate what love can do.”
Athen wrapped his arm around me, and I felt like clay melting into his soul as I thought what might lay ahead for us as a family, if we could just end Azazel.
“I’m going to start getting the message out. The sooner the better on this one.” Arie jumped up, her eyes twinkling with hope again. “Guess the trip down Hell Alley created the sense of urgency, huh?” she asked, winking.
“Yeah, good plotting on that one Arie,” I agreed. “But that also confirmed that I didn’t want to take any more mortals than were already being handed their marching orders. We’ve got to get some of those souls back.”
“God I love you,” Athen whispered, kissing my neck. “You are so pure.”
“Not always,” I whispered back.
“You know, your whispers aren’t that quiet,” Cyril’s joke came through the air interrupting our own personal universe.
“What goes around comes around, Cy,” I said, laughing.
Matilda stretched out in front of the fire and a large exasperated snort escaped.
“If Matilda notices it, it’s gotta be bad.” Cyril smiled.
“All right, so back to business,” I said, turning away from Athen. “What kind of numbers do you think we are going to need across the globe?”
“Tens of thousands,” Athen and Cyril spoke in unison.
“And how many do you think Azazel and his followers, have already turned?” I asked Cyril, my body began to feel the stress make its way back in.
“Thousands.”
“Will every attempt we make be a successful one or will some resist?” I asked, not necessarily wanting to hear the answer.
“Most will resist, Ana. That’s the problem,” Cyril spoke quietly, looking at Athen.
“So I’m basically setting up a utopian type battle that might not even be achievable. Good to know,” I said, nodding my head in disbelief.
“I didn’t say that exactly. I only mean it will be more difficult than if we went straight for the mortals and changed them ourselves, not attempting to recycle them from the dark side,” Cyril’s voice was exasperated.
“I take it you were one of the ones hoping I didn’t come up with this idea?” Knowing if I had this opposition within my family, I was bound to face it among the other angel families as the word spread of my intent.
“Can’t lie. I think it’s going to make it a whole lot more difficult. It’s risky on so many levels. The ones we can turn, at least, aren’t walking around like ghouls, but the ones we can’t? Who knows what will happen.”
“I know I’m asking a lot, but I think it’s worth the risk. We’ve only got one shot at this entire war, and regardless of how it ends, I think we owe it to ourselves to stand by the principles we believe in.” The more I voiced it, the better I felt.
Arie’s laughter came down the hall, which was surprising considering the phone calls she was making.
“I wonder what’s got her in such a good mood? Not that it’s that unusual,” I said, as I scooted myself off the couch with Athen pushing me up.
“My gosh, I’m stiff.”
“Another great sign for how things might turn out,” Cyril uttered under his breath.
“Not funny! Let’s not forget how long we’ve all been around the block! Cut me some slack. I’ve only recently gotten back to my old self,” I said, grinning at him.
I made my way down the hall to the office where Arie just ended her call on her iPhone. She swung around the office chair she was sitting in and bounded towards me, hugging me tightly.
“Whoa! What’s up?” I asked, completely perplexed.
“Everyone I’ve called so far is ecstatic about your choice. You’ve given them an option surrounded by goodness. With everything going on, I think we all needed that.” Her smile oozing over everything she looked at. “You’ve done it again, Ana. Giving hope is what they need, and you’ve provided that.”
“Huh. We might just be able to pull this off then,” I chuckled. “I’ll start calling too. Who do you want me to start with?”
“How about Noah?” she suggested.
Chapter 15
We were on our way to a farmhouse in La Conner, a place known for beautiful tulip fields in the spring and antique shopping the rest of the year. The home was owned by a fellow white demon, Amanda, who had been instrumental in spreading the word about our next steps. Rounding up as many newly-turned demons as possible and attempting to turn them again was going to be a huge process. Not always successful by a long shot, but it would take the determination and faith Amanda had to keep everyone motivated. Tonight was the first of several roundups, and I wanted to be there. We all wanted to be there.
Her farmhouse was out in the middle of nowhere and had several outbuildings that would work perfectly for our upcoming events. I was nervous about the unknown but so excited at the thought of turning this war around by sticking to what we believed in. I doubt Azazel would ever expect us to waste time by trying to undo all his handiwork while creating our own armies. I couldn’t wait to destroy him and Lilith. The thrill was spreading through my body.
The Jeep hopped along the dirt road leading us to Amanda’s home, and a swirl of dust was in a constant uprising behind our Jeep. Being out this far highlighted the beautiful star-filled skies. This was what we were fighting for. The mortal’s right to enjoy the beauty that earth had to offer.
“Are you nervous about tonight?” Arie interrupted my thoughts.
“I am.” My lips were suddenly pursed, as I realized how nervous I really was. Shaki
ng my head, I grabbed her hand. “You?”
“Most definitely. I mean what are we gonna do with the ones that can’t be turned?” Arie challenged. “It’s not like they are a great bunch of people to begin with. I doubt they’ll go silently into the night.”
Athen’s eyes caught mine in the rearview mirror. The intensity behind them shocked me, and I knew he had been thinking about the very same thing for quite some time.
“There are about five of our type to every one of the other. We will be able to handle everything. Even if we can’t turn any of them, there’s no chance for something to go wrong. They wouldn’t know what hit them, if they tried anything.” Athen’s voice was so soothing and full of confidence, exactly what I needed.
The ride became bumpier with every minute down the long driveway. Up ahead, I saw the beautiful old farmhouse glowing with a warm amber light from every window. The wraparound porch had people already standing outside and sitting on the steps waiting for the inevitable.
“Well, I guess we’ll see pretty quickly what we’ve got in front of us, huh,” I said.
Athen parked our Jeep, and out we hopped on to the gravel driveway.
Amanda stepped off the porch and came over to greet us. She had an ease about her, in her jeans and a blue sweater, which she had pushed up at the sleeves. Her beautiful fair hair looked like the exact color I’d pick if I ever wanted to go blonde.
“Hey, guys. Glad you got here when you did. The next group is expected to arrive any minute.” Her finger pointed off in the direction we had just come from.
“Did our plan to get them work?” Athen reached around and squeezed me towards him.
“So far. It looks like telling them that you all would be here for capture, was music to their ears.” Amanda nodded.
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