Stellar (The Halo Series Book 3)

by Melody Robinette

  “Essentially getting rid of them both,” Lilith added.

  Samuel nodded. “Indeed.”

  David spoke up. “Don’t you think that’s risky, though? To allow the Stellars to be together like that? What if he snaps out of his trance?”

  With a snarl, Lilith fixed her hand over David’s windpipe, squeezing hard and lifting him off the ground. “You question my ability to maintain my hold on a simple possession? An act I’ve committed a million times over?”

  David’s face was turning a dark purple, veins popping out on his forehead. His hands clawed at Lilith’s, but she didn’t lower him.

  Lilith turned to look at Samuel. “May I please kill this worthless trash?”

  “Caducus favors him over the other Horns. And we need to keep our numbers as high as possible,” Samuel said equably. “If he doesn’t perish in battle, perhaps then.”

  Lilith sighed, looking disappointed as she lowered David and released him.

  “When is this supposed battle beginning?” Lilith asked in a bored tone.

  “As the sun meets the earth, the Halos will come.”

  “Good. Then there’s time. Take me to meet this master of yours.”

  “He’s currently retired to his room—” Samuel began.

  “Then take me to his room,” Lilith said more firmly.

  Samuel let out a languid breath. “Very well. This way.”

  With this, Lilith, Samuel, David, and Gray left the doorway.

  They’d forgotten about Soren, which didn’t bother him in the slightest. He wanted to hide. The shadows behind the door were not enough; he needed to find somewhere darker, more hidden.

  Fighting the burning in his eyes and the tightening in his chest, he swept from behind the open door, staying next to the stone wall until he turned a corner and came to a dead end. A shadowy section of the castle, cold and dark.

  All the figurative demons battling to break Soren from the inside out, took hold as hot tears fell from his eyes and he sank to the ground, giving in to the pain.

  Flashes of Aurora’s face when he’d said he didn’t have a mother were all he could see.

  The hurt.

  The betrayal.

  Her own son had turned on her. But he hadn’t. He wished she knew.

  What if she never did?

  What if she died thinking her son hated her?

  A sob tore from his throat and he pressed the palms of his hands to his streaming eyes.

  “Why are you crying?” a small voice said from above him.

  Taken aback, Soren tore his hands from his face and looked up. Leaning against the wall, wearing a dress of bright red was a girl who looked to be about his age with long raven hair and huge green eyes the color of a forest of pines. Her skin was fair like his, and she had dark circles under her eyes.

  Soren didn’t answer her but merely regarded the girl with a cagey expression.

  “I’m not a demon, if that’s what you’re wondering,” she said.

  “I wasn’t wondering that.”

  The girl moved further into the shadows. “Can I sit here?” She pointed to the spot across from him.

  Soren shrugged, and she sat, pulling her long dress down over her folded legs.

  “So what are you?” he asked her when he realized she wasn’t going to offer the information on her own.

  “I’m Scarlet.”

  “I’m Soren… But I meant what are you.”

  “I’m a girl,” she stated with the shadow of a smile dancing on her lips.

  He sighed. “Yes, I figured that.”

  She giggled softly. “You mean what blood am I made of?”

  He nodded.

  “Lots,” she said. “Some demon, some angel, and the rest human.”

  Soren felt his eyes widen. “So am I,” he breathed.

  Scarlet’s mouth turned up in a real smile. “You’re a Trinity too?”

  “A what?”

  “A Trinity. That’s what they call it. Three bloods.”

  “Oh…I guess I am.”

  She giggled again, leaning forward, tilting her head. “I’ve never met another one.”

  “Are there others?”

  Scarlet shrugged. “Don’t know. I just know my mom was a Horn and my dad was a Halo.”

  “Where are they?” he asked quietly, thinking of Aurora and David.

  “They killed each other before any of this happened… Took a long time for Samuel to find me. I’d been living in different foster homes in New York. The state, not the city.”

  “Oh.”

  “Yeah.” Scarlet fixed him with those big green eyes, seeming to scan him for more information. “So, why were you crying?”

  Soren looked towards the light of the open middle of the castle, wondering if David and Samuel realized he was missing and guessing they probably didn’t care. “My mom has been sentenced to death. Here.”

  “Is your mom a Horn too?”

  “A Halo.”

  “You love her?”

  Soren hadn’t asked himself this before. He hadn’t thought much about it. But he knew the answer.

  His head dipped in a slow nod, fresh tears building a blinding wall in his eyes. “She’s my mom.”

  A sad smile lifted Scarlet’s features. “Then let’s find a way to save her.”

  Thirty-Nine

  BRIELLE

  The remaining seven Halos thundered onto the first angel boat they came into contact with. Brielle heard Chord call it Lady Lionheart with the fondness of someone greeting a long lost friend. He practically hugged the deck floor as the vessel pulled away from the dock, Horns crashing into the dark water after them.

  Brielle was panting, grasping ahold of the railing as the ship departed from Seattle, though she felt as though they’d just arrived.

  They basically had.

  “What was the point of all that?” Logan said through a labored breath. “Why would the angels want us to come here for less than a day?”

  “To kill that bastard demon, Carreau, I’d wager.” Chord rolled onto his back, looking skyward. “Anna?”

  “Yes?” the shy girl from Oregon peeped.

  “Do you have it in you to tend to a few of our wounds? I have a feeling we aren’t going to get much chance to rest. And Sev looks pretty terrible.”

  “Thank you, darling,” Sev muttered, leaning back against the wall of the dark ship. “You look rather dashing yourself.”

  Chord laughed. “Don’t I always, though?”

  The Halos moved from the outer deck, down the stairs, and into the cavity of the boat. Danni Jo and Sev were the most beaten up of the group and were tended to first. Danni Jo had a long cut running from the middle of her forehead, down to her chin, her blonde hair stained pink from blood.

  Brielle checked on her new friend briefly before seeking out Logan in the living room.

  The raven-haired beauty sat on the edge of the coffee table, staring blankly at the flames she’d recently lit in the grate. The couch was still taken up by the unconscious beast—or maybe ex-beast—whose IV saline had long since emptied into her veins.

  Moving around the table until she was directly in front of Logan, Brielle sank to her knees before her, placing her hands on either side of Logan’s chilled face. She ran the pad of her thumb across the dark C stamped forever on her forehead.

  “Good thing bangs look good on me, huh?” Logan murmured, gray-blue eyes meeting Brielle’s.

  “You’re beautiful no matter what you do. Cover it or don’t.”

  The corner of Logan’s mouth kinked up as she took Brielle’s hands off her face, squeezing them. “You’re different now, you know that?” Brielle frowned. “In a good way,” Logan added quickly. “You’ve found your strength.”

  “You mean… I found you?” Brielle said, looking demurely at the ground.

  Logan shook her head. “No. That’s not what I mean. You’ve found your own strength.”

  “You helped me get there, though.”

 
; “And you helped open my mind,” Logan said.

  Brielle felt her eyebrows rise to her hairline. “Open your mind? Is that even possible? You’re one of the most open-minded people I know.”

  “You can have a mind that's open in one way, but closed in another. Your unwavering faith and ability to change without losing it… That’s what opened my mind.”

  Brielle’s throat felt thick, and her eyes began to burn as tears welled up in them. “Dammit,” she croaked, wiping them away.

  Logan laughed, pulling Brielle to her. “You’re so fucking adorable.”

  “Ugh,” Chord grunted from the doorway. “You two are disgustingly cute. Stop it. Okay, don’t. But you should know we’re already coming up on a body of land.”

  “Already?” Brielle stood as she wiped the remainder of her tears from her cheeks.

  “Yeah. Lady Lionheart doesn’t play. She gets shit done.”

  Brielle and Logan moved to a porthole window, looking out to see a vast expanse of emerald land in the distance.

  Squinting, Brielle thought she could see a row of mammoth, pearlescent ships anchored a few miles from the shore. Etheria, the largest of them all, seemed to have changed.

  The delicate, curving rails on top were decorated with sharp lancets of sorts, pointing outwards, and massive silver canons had been erected every twenty feet or so.

  Brielle wondered what sort of ammunition angels used. She thought it was safe to assume it wouldn’t be cannon balls.

  “Jesus,” Chord said under his breath. “It looks…”

  “Like a battleship,” Brielle finished.

  Forty

  LILITH

  “You can stay here,” Lilith said coldly to David as they neared the outside of the turret containing Caducus.

  David looked to Samuel for further instructions, clearly not wanting to listen to Lilith.

  “Why don’t you go keep an eye on Aurora,” Samuel said dismissively. “She has a history of finding her way out of holding cells. Though, she doesn’t have her Stellar nearby to blow a hole through the wall this time.”

  “I’m sure she’s fine,” David said.

  “Go,” Samuel stated firmly. “Now.”

  Shooting a resentful glare Lilith’s way, David turned on his heel and stalked off.

  “Child.” Lilith shook her head in disgust. “You should sew the lips of the Horns shut as well, like you do the beasts. Why even allow the halflings to speak?”

  The corner of Samuel’s mouth merely twisted upwards as he, Lilith, and a silent Gray traveled through Crown Square into the Palace.

  “Caducus resides here,” he said, slowing his walk.

  Lilith had visited this place once upon a time. Castles and royalty had been breeding grounds for manipulatable souls. That was, until the last couple of centuries where many of the fortresses had been set up like ridiculous theme park attractions.

  She traced the tips of her fingers along the edge of a wooden square on the wall, inlaid with gold. “And what of the displays erected by the humans? The unsightly glass cases and stuffed mannequins?”

  “Destroyed,” Samuel said. “The Palace was gutted and filled with furniture that pleased the Master.”

  “Purple,” Lilith murmured more to herself than to Samuel as she ran her hand along the back of an armchair covered in a deep plum material. It reminded her of a particular kind of flower she’d only ever seen in the Garden of Eden.

  Lilith and Gray followed Samuel through the Palace until they reached Caducus’ chambers. “He’s expecting you.” Samuel waved a hand towards the threshold.

  “Of course he is.”

  With this, Samuel flashed an amused glance as he turned back down the passageway, leaving her alone, with her pet Stellar waiting obediently and silently by her side. Like a shadow.

  Raising a hand to knock, Lilith thought better of it. She didn’t knock for anyone.

  Before she could reach for the golden doorknob, though, the door opened inwards.

  “Lilith,” a soft voice said from within the chambers. “Do come in.”

  A familiar voice.

  Lilith held a hand up to Gray, indicating he stay behind as she entered the room. The man everyone called Caducus stood before the window looking out over the city. A winged demon flew by, darkening the glass for a moment.

  He stood tall, his hair golden. Just like the Stellar girl.

  “It’s been quite a long while, dear Lilith.”

  Closing the door behind her, Lilith remained several paces away. “Pardon?” she said more politely than she’d usually speak to a man. “Have we met?”

  Still not turning away from the window, the dark ruler cocked his head to the side. “Once upon a time…” he began. “You were my wife.” With these words, he stepped aside, allowing the daylight to filter into the room, illuminating his face.

  Lilith took a step back, sharp shoulder blades pressing against the closed door. “Adam.”

  His blue eyes glinted with pleasure. “I go by Caducus now.”

  AURORA

  The cell in which she was being kept had been recently constructed. Caducus’s obedient Horns brought her to a room in a tall turret with nothing but stone and ceiling-to-floor iron bars arranged in a half circle coming out from the wall. They’d been smart enough this time to keep her in a room without a window.

  Not that it would’ve helped. Without Gray there, her Stellar powers were useless.

  Gallows were being set up for her at that very moment, in front of the chapel, on the terrace that once held a famous cannon, which had since been removed. Who needed history when you were creating a new future, right? Or, at least, Aurora assumed those were her father’s intentions.

  Her father. The word made her sick.

  The darkest of thoughts passed through her mind. Maybe death wasn’t the worst fate.

  She’d failed.

  Gray was under Lilith’s malicious spell and unable to break free. Her son didn’t claim her as his mother. Their plan had failed. Though, it had been Lilith’s plan all along. Her plan had clearly worked out beautifully.

  The iron door across the room from Aurora creaked open, revealing one of the many evil bastards she didn’t care to ever see again in her life.

  David.

  He stepped inside the room and stayed several feet away from her, folding his hands before him and peering down at her through those cold blue eyes of his. Just the sight of his face made Aurora physically ill.

  She couldn’t believe she’d ever let him touch her. But then, part of her realized, if she hadn’t, Soren wouldn’t exist. And she didn’t really know how to feel about that.

  “So,” she said, not bothering to stand and meet David eye to eye. She remained sitting on the ground, folded up like an accordion, her arms hanging over her knees. “You’ve somehow successfully indoctrinated our son again. And now he doesn’t even claim me as his mother. You must feel really great about yourself now, don’t you?”

  David’s previously blank face pulled up in amusement. “Poor little lamb. Just losing everything you care about now, aren’t you?” He strolled slowly forward and knelt down just outside of her bars, grasping ahold of them to pull as close to her as he could get without entering the cage. “Now you know how I felt.”

  Aurora couldn’t help herself. She rolled her eyes to the aged stone ceiling at these words. “Stop acting as if you have feelings or a heart to break, David. It’s pathetic.”

  Face turning red, David’s hands tightened on the bars as he shook them. “My heart did break, you bitch. And you broke it. We had a perfect life together. If you hadn’t gone running off, hiding from me, giving away our son, we could’ve made a family together. You, me, and Soren. I may be half Horn, but I’m half human too. And you destroyed that part of me, you callous whore.”

  The hands dangling over Aurora’s knees closed into fists as she leaned forward and spat in his face. “Good.”

  David’s red countenance turned positively scar
let. His cold, bloodshot eyes, scanning the bars, landed on the lock. Clearly, he was considering getting it all over with now and strangling her to death.

  Aurora moved forward, on hands and knees, until she was sitting before him. Swallowing down all the voices in her head screaming for her not to, she grasped the bars, her hands just above his.

  Their faces were inches apart. She could smell the hint of sulfur on his breath, whispering what he truly was inside. Aurora took his hand, and he let her.

  She pulled it through the bars and placed it on her throat.

  “Do it,” she whispered. “I dare you.”

  LILITH

  “How—” Lilith began and stopped. It was a rare moment indeed to find herself lost for words. Yet here she stood before the man with whom she’d been created. The man she left behind because she couldn’t—wouldn’t—be what he wanted.

  Utterly speechless.

  “You should know I’ve done all this for you,” he murmured. “I’ve waited a long time, Lil. And I knew you’d come to me. I could feel it.”

  Though she had no need to breathe—she hadn’t for quite a while—Lilith’s bosom rose and fell in rapid succession. She pressed a hand to her chest, urging it to stop.

  “You,” she breathed. “Of all the angels in heaven. You are the one to fall. You are the one to stand up to the Light.”

  “I was the first to be created in this world. The first to step foot on the earth. The only human who has ever known perfection. Momentarily sinless.”

  Lilith laughed humorlessly. “Until your new obedient wife took the apple from that damned tree.”

  “And who might have convinced her to do so?”

  Sauntering past him, Lilith moved to the window, peering out but seeing nothing. “Don’t blame me for her weakness, Adam.”

  “I blame you for nothing.” Lilith felt Adam’s breath on the back of her neck as he moved behind her. “I have had a considerable amount of time to dwell on what transpired between us. And I think the Light was wrong to create me with the desire to control you. To ask you to answer to me. You were right to leave. I know why you did. But I can’t say it did not destroy me in every way a man could be destroyed.”