by Zoey Ellis
Thea nodded. "I didn't know what I was until I started seeing demons and Cam came to train me."
Her mother sat down on the couch, her elbows on her knees, and closed her eyes as she thought. “That makes sense, now.” She opened her eyes. “I learned that some Spectra demons had reported seeing a human girl flickering with Nephilim energy, and I sent a message to the Dominion League to watch over you. I thought they already knew about you, but my messenger returned saying he had been questioned harshly and almost captured.”
So that’s how the Dominion League knew about her. Then they gave the assignment to protect her to Cam.
Oriah shook her head slowly. "I didn't mean for you to grow up that way," she said. "I didn't mean for you to grow up not knowing what you were, not knowing who I was… I was trying to protect you." Oriah smiled at her, a real honest smile. "Regardless, I'm proud of you, Thea. I’m proud of who you are and what you’ve become."
Thea watched her, unsure of what to say. It made sense what she was saying, and Thea was inclined to believe it. She wanted to believe that Oriah had become a demon in order to keep Thea safe, that she hadn't chosen that life for any other reason, and yet… something still didn't feel right.
Chapter Eighteen
CAM
Cam alighted at the meeting point.
Approximately fifty angels, mostly Powers, were gathered by the portal in Thea's old neighborhood, including Zak.
“How’s Amber?” Cam asked him as he approached.
“Hanging on,” Zak replied.
Cam pressed his lips together. “Thea has…”
"I heard," Zak said, his face grim. "I cannot believe it’s gone this far. Where is she?"
"She escaped into the human world before I had a chance to draw her out." Cam said, frustration overwhelming him. "I can't feel her." He shot Zak a sideways glance. "You know what that means?"
Zak's hazel eyes widened. "She's already gone to the Demon Realm?" He rubbed his fingers across his mouth. "We've lost our chance. She is going to become a weapon for the Demon Realm."
"No," Cam said, firmly. "I'm going to the Demon Realm to get her back."
"Don't be a fool, Camael," Zak said. "You won't last even half an hour in that place. And if it is as big as the Angel Realm, you will need time to look for her. Plus, demons will not allow you to simply walk around in there looking for her without trying to stop you."
"I'm sure I'll be able to feel her as soon as I enter their Realm," Cam said. "I can endure however much pain I need to until I get to her. I’m not going to leave her in there, Zak. I would rather die than allow that to happen."
Zak held his eye for a long moment, his eyes searching Cam’s. "Okay." He turned towards the group of warriors. "As you all know," Zak said, raising his voice to address them all, "our resident Nephilim, Thea, has been taken over by a demon. This was caused by an assignment she was sent on by the Dominion League, and therefore the Dominion League has taken responsibility for her actions and her current state of being. What you may not know is, Thea is Camael's natural mate."
The angels glanced at Cam, some of them nodding in understanding, others blinking in surprise, and a couple smiling.
"He is going into the Demon Realm to bring her back," Zak said. "I am going with him."
Cam looked at Zak in shock.
"Although you have been directed here by the Dominion League," Zak continued, "it is your choice whether you follow us into the Demon Realm or not. There will be no repercussions if you choose not to take this assignment. To some of you, I’m not even your commander. You have no allegiance to me and I guarantee it will be painful and difficult. Demons will most certainly attack us, and we will be on their territory. No one will blame you if you wish to return to your normal duties. However, if you wish to join us, follow me."
Zak stretched his wings and shot up into the air. Cam did the same, following him to the other side of the neighborhood.
"Zak," Cam called, as they flew. "You don't have to come with me. No one does. This isn't anyone else's problem."
"This is everyone's problem. Thea attacked a lot of angels and killed some of them," Zak said, grimly. "Everyone is responsible for that. She became possessed while she was in the Angel Realm. We all need to pull together to help her. We failed her before, we cannot fail her again without at least trying." He glanced at Cam. “This will be good for Thea and the Angel Realm if we succeed.”
Cam nodded in understanding. If the Angel Realm got on board with Thea's rescue, they would recognize she had unique needs and look out for her more in the future. He didn't know what was going to happen once this was all over, but it would be good if the Angel Realm still supported Thea. Of course, only Zak could think strategically at a time like this.
They landed in front of a dilapidated building and Cam was shocked to see all of the Angels who were at the meeting point land next to them. Among them was Dani who nodded at him with bright, determined eyes, and Elyon who dipped his head in respect.
"I can't believe they all came," he said, in a low voice to Zak.
"They came because of you," Zak said, observing the angels still landing around them. "They all look up to you and support you, Cam. You have never asked anything serious of them before—they want to impress you."
Before Cam could respond, Barakiel landed in front of them.
"That was very presumptuous of you to announce that the Dominion League have taken responsibility before you even knew if that was the case," Barakiel said to Zak, in a cutting tone.
"We don't have time to fuck around pampering your pride," Zak barked at him. "We're busy, what do you want?"
Barakiel's expression puckered slightly, as it did the last time Zak put him in his place. It was clear he wasn't used to being spoken to in that way, especially by Zak who was always highly respectful to Dominion League members.
"I cannot stop you from going into the Demon Realm, especially as we previously agreed it, but you have most of our highly accomplished Powers and warriors here," Barakiel said to them both, his manner deadly serious. "If the majority of you die, or are unable to return, the Angel Realm will be destroyed. The demons will know that we will be vulnerable and they will launch an attack that will kill all of us and descend the human world into utter chaos and disaster."
Cam and Zak shared a look. This was much more serious than Cam had imagined.
"You will need to kill as many demons as you possibly can," Barakiel continued. "And obviously, Elithea's mother must die, or all of this was for nothing. Thea, herself, will need to be killed as well if she cannot be saved."
Cam growled, almost launching at him, but Zak gripped his arm and held him back.
"We will do our best to resolve the situation positively," Zak said. "We will not let the Angel Realm or the human world suffer."
Barakiel nodded, though his gaze was on Cam. Then he took to the air and flew away.
"No one is touching Thea," Cam said through gritted teeth, a vicious anger burning in him. "Anyone that tries will die. I will get her back."
"And if you die? What happens then?" Zak said evenly. "This is no longer just about Thea, Cam. What do we do if you are taken out of action and she is still being controlled? She is able to enter both Realms without pain and detection."
Cam held his eye for a moment. "I will not fail her again, Zak. I won't. I guarantee that she will not remain under any demon’s control."
Zak released his grip on Cam's arm and nodded. He turned to the group of warriors before him and briefed them on what to expect, explaining that they must remain in their angel-form and that only Cam would engage Thea. He went on to explain that on the side of the dilapidated building they stood in front of, there was a portal to the Demon Realm that could only be accessed by the portal guards or by fresh angel blood.
"Do we need to cut ourselves and splash it on the portal in order for it to open?" Dani asked.
"Yes," Zak answered. "And we need to do it quickly because the
portal guards will try to stop us." He regarded Dani, frowning. "Daniah, I don't think that you will be able to enter the Demon Realm and survive, even for a short time. Virtues are not warriors—you have a… delicate constitution."
Dani pressed her mouth into a hard line and narrowed her eyes. "If I can affect the environment in the Angel Realm and in the human world, I'm guessing I can also do so in the Demon Realm. Which means I might be able to stop you all from burning to death just from being in there." She glared at him, her mouth tight with annoyance. "You wanna send me home, or shall we try it?"
Zak took in her stance and was quiet for a short moment. "You need to be one of the first that goes in. We will try to pull you out at the first sign of trouble, but I cannot guarantee anything. Looking out for you is not the purpose of this assignment."
Dani nodded, determined.
They made their way to the side of the building, and Zak pinpointed the location of where the portal was even though they couldn't see it.
"How do you know a portal is actually there?" Elyon asked.
"I've seen it before," Zak said.
When he didn't elaborate, Elyon turned back to where the portal was supposed to be. He used one of his holy blades to cut his arm and then flashed the dripping blood onto the wall. A rectangle doorway glowed in a brilliant golden light and Elyon quickly stepped through. Dani went through after him and as the fourth angel went through, flashes of orange lights began to hit them from beside the portal.
"Keep going," Zak called. "It's an attack from the portal guards. As long as your shields are up they shouldn't be able to hurt you that much."
When Cam stepped through, he immediately checked his surroundings. They were in the middle of a city that looked similar to many human cities, except in this one there was no greenery whatsoever. A searing flame seemed to spread all over his body, starting on his face and spreading all the way down. He gritted his teeth, affirming himself against the pain, and then immediately it muted. He looked around and saw Dani holding her hands out like claws, red electricity sparking between her fingers. He nodded at her, and she grinned back.
"No matter what happens," he said to her, "stay with the majority of the group. We cannot lose anyone without consequences to the Angel Realm."
Dani nodded, her grin faltering as she realized what he was implying.
Shouts came from behind them, and suddenly they were surrounded by huge people. Cam frowned; they looked human.
"Do not be fooled!" Zak shouted. "These are demons. They look human in their own Realm, but they still have the same evil intentions, abilities, and powers. Do not hold back!"
The fighting began.
Every single angel launched themselves at the approaching demons without hesitation. Cam was pleased and proud that they had listened to Zak. Angels were hardwired not to hurt humans, so they were going against their instincts by fighting beings that looked human. He dodged a punch from a lithe woman with brown hair and a snarl on her face. Cam grabbed her and tossed her to one side before kicking the knee out of a demon about to attack Dani. All around him, fellow angels were fighting. Dani shot sparks of electricity at any demon who came too close, but Zak was also watching her back.
Cam focused his attention to Thea, trying to sense her presence, to figure out where she was.
The city was grand and imposing but also somewhat majestic. Everywhere Cam looked on the skyline were violent jagged edges of buildings or spires atop certain skyscrapers. It made for a turbulent skyline—one that was also interesting and unique. He could feel a sliver of Thea's energy coming from somewhere among the buildings further into the city. He looked around at his fellow angels, making sure that Zak, Dani and the rest of them were able to handle the demons. They were almost finished with the first wave, but more were coming.
"Go!" Zak shouted at him. "Go to Thea. We will come and help you, but you’ll find her quicker on your own."
Cam took to the air and headed away from them, towards the delicate energy he could feel from Thea. As he moved further away from Dani, the agonizing burning pain returned but he ignored it. Thea was the most important thing now, and he had to focus on getting to her. He shot spikes of angelic energy at approaching demons and was able to take most of them out before they came too close. The ones that did get close, Cam fought with his daggers, but fighting them felt different. As he continued on, getting closer to Thea, he realized it was different because he no longer felt his rage—it didn't fuel him. He dispatched of the demons simply, cleanly and without any unnecessary bloodshed. Hurting them didn't matter now, he needed to get to Thea and nothing was more important than that.
As he drew closer to her, in the inner part of the city, he sensed her location in one of the tall golden cone buildings that seem to be dotted around the city. As he swooped around the building, heading down, he realized that her energy was coming from below the surface—she was underground. He landed directly in front of the entrance sending sharp gusts of angelic energy into the two demons guarding the door. It was harder to pull on the energy from the Stream in the Demon Realm, but he fought them hard and efficiently, dispatching both of them quickly before entering the building.
Ignoring the raging burn all over his body he closed his eyes to focus in on Thea’s location. He headed downstairs and through a number of corridors until she felt close. Even though there was still only a tiny amount of her signature energy he could feel, it felt less tainted than before, as though the demon had reduced some of its power over her. He stopped at the door he knew she was behind, unsure what he was going to find. Regardless of what was behind the door, nothing was going to stop him from saving her and taking her back home.
Bracing himself, he burst through the door.
Chapter Nineteen
THEA
The door banged open and Cam came striding through in all his glory. For a moment, Thea's world stopped. Everything stopped.
Tall and muscular, his body was wired and tense, his muscles tight and his wings ruffled. He was ready to fight.
A tiny seed of emotion blossomed in Thea's stomach, and it expanded throughout her body, branches and tendrils twisted and clawed from inside to her outer extremities. She gasped as a wave of emotion crashed through her, and suddenly she could feel. She was awake.
"Cam?" She stared at him, once again amazed by his beauty. When she first met him, he had looked exactly the same, except he hadn’t looked at her the way he was looking at her now, with that intense gaze that told her she was the only thing that mattered to him. "Cam, are you really here?"
"I'm here, Elithea," he said. His smoky-gray eyes pierced her. "And I'm not going anywhere without you."
Relief washed through her, quickly followed by appreciation and love for the angel who had shown up to support her time and time again. Her need for him rose wildly, fighting for acknowledgment and she had to accept it—she loved him.
Thea stared at him as his eyes swept the room and returned to hers. In his stormy gaze, she saw only love, fierce love for her, and hope and protectiveness. He was here to protect her and she had been pushing him away. Guilt and shame rose quickly. All the things he had seen her do… And he was still here, trying to save her. He must be in pain, isn't that what the Dominion League said? Angels experience pain in the Demon Realm, and he had chosen to come here after her. He had awakened her.
"Focus," her mother said.
Thea frowned. Her mother was trying to reinsert her hold on her emotions, but she couldn't, not with Cam in the room. And suddenly all the memories came flooding back. She realized all that her mother made her do, and she almost choked in horror.
"Why did you make me do all this?" Thea hissed at her mother, glaring at her as her fists curled. "You made me… drain people. Murder angels." Her mouth dropped and she turned to Cam. "Asteroth!"
Cam took a step towards her, but Oriah held up a hand. "Don't move, Camael," Oriah warned. "I can hurt her before you have the chance to get to me."
> Cam tensed and then glanced around the room, shock and horror filtered into his face.
“This is a shielded room,” Oriah said, tilting he head as she watched him. “It’s protected from angelic energy. You cannot draw from the Stream in here.”
Cam’s mouth tightened and his nostrils flared.
"Why are you doing this!" Thea yelled, realizing her mother still had some control over her body. "You made out like you had such good reasons for leaving me, but you made me do things that no mother should make her child do."
Oriah looked desperate. "I had to. You're trained now, you're safe. There’s no reason for me to exist here in the Demon Realm. I had to make you strong enough so you could come down here without feeling the pain."
"Why?"
"I don't want this existence, Thea," Oriah said, tiredness in her voice. "I don't want to be alive without your father. I want to die and I need you for that."
"You want me to kill you?" Thea asked, in disbelief. "That's what all of this for was for? You want to die, and you made me kill other beings to get that?"
Oriah stepped towards her, pain her eyes. "You're the only one who can do it—you're the only person I truly love who could come here. I had to make you strong enough to do it."
Thea suddenly remembered what Cam told her during training; demons suffer in hell, forever in a painful state, unless they are killed by someone they truly love, in which case they simply perish into oblivion. Her mother wanted oblivion.
"Why didn't you come to the human world if you wanted her to kill you?" Cam asked. "Why put her through all of this?"
"I cannot leave here," Oriah said, looking down at her hands. "I am a slave to my mate, and he will never allow me to enter the human world, not after I tricked demons into taking me. And anyway, I wouldn’t look like this in the human world." She glanced at Cam. “When was the last time you stopped to have a chat with a Legion demon?”
