Saint's Salvation: The Seven Deadly Sins (The Saint Series Book 7)

by Tiana Laveen

  “Just as you told your daughter, Saint, we’re all dying. No, son, I will not allow a healing, I’m not in need of it. I am aware of what is going on with me, and you cannot intervene. Herbs will heal me, that’s sufficient. Do you understand me?” His smile faded. Saint refused to respond; he simply glared at the man as the anger rose within him. “Saint, your silence will not be ignored. This is not up for debate,” Krishna stated, his voice stern.

  “Why are you doing this?” Saint asked, furious. “You are too important to too many people across the world. I am allowed to give you the same healing that you gave me. You will take my gift!” He pounded his fist on the table, causing the glasses to rattle.

  “I will not. Saint, I cannot fight you and win.” The old man sighed. “You are physically stronger than me and most other men, due to your power and abilities. You are able to will such power, compound it. Even when I was a young man, I would have been no match for you. I cannot stop you from doing anything that you wish to do to me, but I can make things very unpleasant for you in the process should you try to go against my wishes. Do not lay hands on me, do not try and cure me telepathically, do not interrupt my dreams or any other tricks I know you have up your sleeve. Do you hear me?!” The man screamed out so loud, the walls vibrated.

  “Yes.” Saint swallowed hard, hating how the man made him relinquish his stance and submit, promise no interference. But going against his request after such a verbal altercation would be viewed as the ultimate disrespect, so he placed the matter on the back burner.

  “Good. Now, we shall begin…” Krishna began to speak to him telepathically once again. “Saint, the world is in peril. The other King Angel Children around the world are being apprised of this matter, just as you are right this moment. Asia, North America, South America, Europe, Africa, the entire globe is being swallowed by corruption, tyranny, greed; spiritual, emotional, and mental affixation. We are in the matrix.”

  “It’s worse than the matrix … at least that has a duality of reality. We’re in the sunken place, like from the movie, ‘Get Out.’”

  “Yes, that analogy is a bit more accurate, I suppose. Nevertheless, the predictions are coming to pass. The world is split between those whose third eye is opened, those who have it closed, and those who never had one to begin with. There is a seven-tier demonic force which is bringing the prophecies to a head. It is one demon majora, split into seven entities. Those seven entities spread themselves thin to target numerous domiciles at once. The evil energy will often split into thousands, then millions around the world. Sometimes the sin focuses all of its energy on one area, other times, it will affect multiple locations and individuals at once. That is why you can have multiple corruptions, for instance, of the same nature with different people around the globe. But it’s from one deadly sin, working its dreadful magic. There is so much to lose, so very much to lose…”

  “Seven-tier? Where have I heard that from?”

  Krishna reached for a stick of incense that was placed before his now empty plate and rolled it about between his fingers. Plucking the lighter from where it had sat next to the stick, he lit the nag champa scent and inhaled deeply before breaking the silence.

  “They are called many different things across the world. For you, they are the seven deadly sins. They are demonic possessions. They enter our world via our parliaments, governments, households, schools, law enforcement institutions, medical facilities, workplaces, and even the water and the air that we breathe. They will attack all that one loves and cares for; torture is a treat for them. They are most attracted to the weak, the trusting, those in pain, the innocent, and those with special gifts that can be easily exploited. They are not intimidated, and cannot be easily overpowered. They do not take ‘no’ for an answer and can only be stopped by continuous resistance and divine intervention. When they merge their power with willing and unwilling human hosts, their level of evil is like nothing you’ve ever seen. They brainwash and dumb down the intellectually astute, whore out the most modest and reserved, and decay the healthiest and strongest amongst us.”

  “When are they are coming?”

  “They’re already here…”

  Saint took another sip of his wine and set it down. The burn in his eyes made the entire room glow in shades of red.

  “I knew that … I guess I just needed to hear you say it.” He smiled mirthlessly and shook his head as he looked down at the table. Forcing his tongue against his inner jaw, he rolled it around, trying to calm himself and stop the outburst that was begging for release.

  “Saint, what you are seeing on the news and in your dreams is just the tip of the iceberg. I know you’ve been worried. Your children are getting stronger, and so are you. It’s all in preparation for the future. Nothing has happened by accident in your life; it was a big training ground. People are amped up, angry. The most peaceful of people wish to fight and those with an already combative nature have taken to the streets in droves. The monster within us all has been awakened and unleashed. You cannot use reason when dealing with plain evil. You can only use banishment and death.”

  “No, you can’t use rational explanations or peace talks, can you?” He offered a nasty smirk as reality slapped him in the face. “They aren’t spirits … they were never human. They have been possessing people since the beginning of time. I know that first hand.”

  “Evil already knows the truth. It is better at knowing the truth than goodness and love. That’s how it’s able to manipulate and distort reality. How can one destroy a legacy if you don’t have a clear grasp of what that legacy truly is?” The man shrugged, sporting a grin. “Saint, you’re a walking legacy yourself. That makes you a target, on the chopping block. All King Angel Children are slated to be taken down. You’re in the way and must be eradicated. You’re here because you are one of the few, the strongest and highest tiered of your kind. With men like you out of the way, highly favored King Angel Children, their job will be easy. These demonic forces however know that they cannot dethrone a king of your stature without a fight, so they will use the population around you to remove your crown. You’re far too advanced now, just like your counterparts. What will destroy you is not your death, but your inability to protect that which you have been designed to shepherd.”

  “My family? They’re coming after my family and friends?”

  “They’re coming after the people you protect … the people in this city, Saint. It could be family, it could be a stranger on the street, but it will be on your watch, coming full circle because they want to erase you and everyone like you. They want to destroy—”

  “My legacy … which will destroy the empire, and allow them to further infiltrate. A nation divided is easily conquered,” Saint stated dismally as he hung his head.

  “Correct.”

  “My reputation, the health of New York as far as crime levels … things of that nature, right?”

  “Yes, things of that nature. It is the job of each King Angel Child to protect and serve your dominion, to give direction to the other Angel Children in your jurisdiction and comply with the laws and by-laws, as well as teach and mentor as needed. What you experienced with Koki was actually in preparation of all this. That was just to see how you’d respond to such a presence on a small scale. You defeated Koki, but that was just a bit of training. You killed your demonically possessed cousin, a man who should have been of your caliber, on your level and doing what you are doing, only in Egypt, not in New York. He failed and was removed by his own bloodline—you. King Angel Children around the land were going through similar circumstances as you. Two did not survive, and their predecessors are now in office as you know. You, though, are one of the surviving spiritual combatants, Saint, so they know you are a worthy advisory. One thing about these forces is that they learn quickly, and unlike man, they do not make the same mistakes twice. They learn from their errors, and improve upon them.”

  “And they refuse to be made into a fool … so losing to them
is not an option.”

  “Of course not. Now, it’s personal.” Krishna snuffed out the incense stick with his thumb and forefinger.

  “It was always personal, Krishna. Since the day I was born, they’ve tried to destroy me. They took my mother when I was young. They gave my protector, Bomb, a drug addiction so bad, he could no longer protect me. They literally stole me away from him one night when he was too incapacitated to see the forest for the trees after consuming the garbage they’d given him. It was Koki … he’d been tailing me my entire life. They followed me daily, made my life as a kid in poverty a living hell. Ironic, huh?” Saint’s laughter lacked any cheer whatsoever. “As if being poor, hungry, and scared wasn’t hellish enough. They pitted my father and me against one another. My father despised me when I was a child, Krishna. He never wanted me to be born.

  “He was madly in love with my mother, practically worshiped her. He just wanted her, not me, and when she was gone, he felt he had nothing. I was a reminder of what he used to have. When he looked at me, he saw her and himself combined. It tore him apart. He became evil, callous and violent. I needed him so badly during my formative years. If he’d taught me what I was and how to use my powers, so much strife and pain could have been avoided. But a few years back, I forgave him, and that angered the evil spirit. We’ve healed from the negativity and heartbreak of the past. My father loves me. He is my friend; he has apologized profusely and it’s genuine. We’ve been able to do what some have not: forgive and move forward. I cannot say that I am completely over what happened between the two of us, but I’m so much better, and I love my father dearly.”

  “You’re so wise Saint.” The old man smiled. “You see how the father-child relationship plays into this, don’t you? The closer you are to your God, the more protected you are. Your father never hated you, Saint. He was hurting and confused, lashing out. You got wise to that. Had you continued to hate him, they would have won and you would have been impaired. When you hate your God and Goddess, no matter what they’ve done, you give the evil one dominion over you: power.

  “It is one thing to not encourage communication due to a lack of remorse and understanding; it is quite another to despise our paternal and maternal lineage. The vessels that brought you into the world may have been broken, but you flowed out from them nevertheless. Your child coming to you during dinner symbolized this bond. Your words to her were protective and the love was real. The worry and anger were palpable. You sent her away to her mother, not so much for food, but to set up a barrier against the ugliness now sitting at the throne.”

  Saint’s eyes watered as he replayed Isis’ words. He ran the back of his hand over his face and nodded in agreement.

  “You know, somewhere in between there, when I was dying inside after my mother’s death, I found a coping mechanism that turned into an addiction—sex.”

  “Yes,” Krishna said in understanding.

  “It was designed to destroy me, this abuse of my body and soul. I have been inside of so many women, Krishna, it astounds me when I think back on it. I had no remorse until over time I saw the error of my ways. I was a hypocrite. I preached about being with one woman and finding a mate, but I was doing nothing of the sort, even when I knew better. The addiction had completely taken over. I had three or four different women a day, not including the orgies. But then, something changed.

  “I was receiving threatening phone calls and emails from a white supremacist group because of my lectures, books, and conferences. Something awakened in me, and I finally realized what was at stake. Either I was going to die alone, or I was going to find my way home. Rather than continue along that path, I followed my heart, took heed of my own words, and sought to change my life so I could attract my queen. I knew she was somewhere out there in the world. I used my sickness to try and help couples and empower others out here, to put people together not just from lust, but true love.”

  “You are one of the best in your field, Saint. Everything they’ve tossed at you, you’ve handled and used to your advantage.”

  “I wasn’t supposed to be where I am today, definitely not married to that beautiful woman.” He pointed towards the kitchen. “My soulmate, Xenia, is an amazing woman, Krishna…”

  “I know.” He smiled.

  “When I wake up and look at her, I sometimes can’t believe she’s mine. She has stuck by me when many women would not have had the stomach to endure this life with me. I’m hard to deal with at times … my pride, my temper. There are just some things I can’t tolerate, and it infuriates me. It’s hard for her but she tells me every damn morning that she loves me and isn’t going anywhere. She wraps her arms around me and hugs and kisses me. I feel her heartbeat against my chest and I just live in her arms. She’s my daily medicine, the elixir I need to get through each day.” His eyes stung with moisture. “They tried to take her away from me, to destroy my marriage with lies and internal conflict that neither of us created on our own. It almost worked! Yes, I know of the demons … they are the true evil ones.”

  “Saint, they knew that when you remove the Queen, you destroy the whole kingdom.”

  “Exactly. I understand that the Creator and the men I consider mentors, fathers even, including yourself, have paved the way. Osaze, my dear father, has not just aided in the healing of the past, he has now taught me so much … things I would have never known about my Egyptian history, the connection in regard to my daughter, Isis. My father was the key. My father is not a Nubian Egyptian. His history is different. I got the education and information I needed and the demons didn’t like that, Krishna. They needed that relationship to never be mended so that I’d never know the truth. Fathers are so important and now I have mine back.”

  “You are correct. That infuriated them, Saint. The parent-child bond is crucial for Angel Children. This is one reason why you’re assigned guardians. King Angel Children are always assigned a mentor of sorts. That mentor can be a civilian, like in your case with Bomb, or another Angel Child. Your souls choose each other. It’s a deeply spiritual connection. I remember your irritation in regard to your eldest son, Hassani, having Angel in his life, but then you realized it was important, necessary even.”

  “I love Angel as if he were my own son now. He’s a good soul, just wild … but he loves Hassani very much.”

  “Of course you love him. He knows that. He was designed to help watch over the one who will fill your shoes—your first born, along with his brother and sister. But there can only be one head.” Krishna held up his finger. “And that’s Hassani, when the time comes. Even the best Angel Child parents will have faults. You’re human. No one is perfect, except the Creator.”

  “Yes, that’s true.”

  “You must understand something, Saint. We all have a sin that causes us the most trouble. You’ve already identified yours: lust. They used it against you, Saint, but they lost. What they do next will not be as easy for you to manage.”

  Saint reflected back on the incident with the woman at the art gallery and cringed. He’d been at one of his lowest points, and she’d reminded him so much of Xenia. How diabolic.

  “Devotion, loyalty, and love are foreign concepts to the seven deadly demons, Saint. They only operate in manipulation, lies, and illusions. Tricks of the trade, if you will.”

  “My mind was playing tricks on me that night. It was a horrible feeling, but my heart, Krishna,” he said tapping his chest with his hand, “my heart and my soul are devoted to her. They played on my weaknesses, my struggle. My greatest fear is not dying; it’s not having the love and respect of my wife, of her not wanting or desiring me anymore. Xenia’s my foundation, Krishna. They knew that. She keeps me grounded. She balances me out.”

  “It was the perfect plan, to create the perfect, sinfully divine storm.”

  “Nothing can tear us apart except death, and even that can’t because we’ll always be one soul now! So, they’ve been testing me this entire time, Krishna. I’m used to their games, the repeat
ed mind fucks.” He snatched a cigar out of his satchel and lit it. “Their plans didn’t work,” he said, blowing smoke out his mouth. “And they didn’t work against the living King Angel Children that survived the battle, either.”

  “But now, we’re in the war. It’s time to suit up, Saint. The Seven Deadly Demons are here. And they want your soul so they can finish with their plans for complete destruction. They want a place where no one cares about anyone but themselves anymore, where right and wrong is only a suggestion, morals are blurred and empathy is a foreign concept. They want a place that is filled with superficiality, deceit, lack of concern and absence of bravery. An environment full on ego, nepotism, narcissism in leadership, words but no heart. You are about to witness something this world has never seen. It will be so horrible, you may even wish you were blind. But, they won’t allow you that indulgence; they want you to see, feel, hear, smell and taste all the nightmares they are dishing up. They want you to beg for mercy, fall at their feet, and plead for leniency…”

  “I’ll fall on my own sword first.” Saint gulped the last of his wine, got to his feet, and buttoned his suit jacket. “I’ve never been a player; I’ve always been a mack. I’ve never been a soldier; I was born a five-star General. War is what warriors do, and that’s what I am. I’m not going to sit back and cry about my damn birthright. If I have to die to make this right, so be it. I’ll call the guys back up.” Waves of black and white smoke eddied out the sides of his mouth and filled the room. He knew what was happening—one of his eyes had turned midnight black and the other snow white. “Divide and conquer is out of the mothafuckin’ question. My squad runs deep in these New York streets. I can snap my fingers and have a thousand men at my disposal. You’ve explained the problem, Krishna, and now, it’s up to me. We’ve got some planning to take care of. Seven sins?” He cackled as he ran his hand coolly through his hair. “Well I’ve got seven strategies, seven solutions, and seven mothafuckin’ salvations. Let’s rumble, baby…”