Determined to relocate Rafe, Reagan focused her sights ahead and saw a gathering of enemy forces not far away. Assuming he wouldn’t be far, she yelled for the women to join her in moving toward him.
As they closed in on the area, Reagan saw Lucent and Rafe—who was surrounded by no less than twenty guards made up of both vampires and wolves—in a death battle. Lucent flung one after the other of the guards off, but he soon became outnumbered.
Reagan’s heart seized as Rafe slipped out of view and Lucent disappeared in the sea of attackers. They pressed down on him, forcing him to the ground.
Before she could react, a bright light flashed, and the creatures stepped back. Lucent lay on the ground, unmoving. Then, one arm began to twitch, followed by the other. He pushed his upper body up and brought his knees forward, lifting his arms toward the sky. Reagan ran toward him, knowing the ladies would join her. She saw him take in a deep breath.
Oh, God. A breath. Vampires didn’t need to breathe. Unsure how to process the sight of his chest heaving up and down, she focused instead on the creatures remobilizing around him and creating another diversion. Several options circled through her mind, including one of the worst of nature’s weapons.
Lightning.
At the top of her voice, she screamed the idea of electric bolts to the women around her. “Focus them on everything surrounding Lucent. I must get to him.”
Reagan focused as well, feeling the air charge around them. When the first bolt struck, the beasts seemed only slightly deterred, but then several more hit and forced them backward. A charge of at least a million volts hit the creatures who hadn’t yet retreated, frying them to a crisp.
As the rest scurried away, she went to him, helping him back to standing.
“My soul,” he gasped, his body trembling. “It has been restored.” A tear slipped down his cheek.
Although she knew losing his skills as a vampire was a major loss to their cause, seeing his obvious elation at having his soul returned was worth it. Her eyes cloudy with wetness, she barely noticed Madeleine run by.
“Go.” Lucent put a hand on Reagan’s shoulder. “She needs you.”
Just ahead Madeleine had come to a dead stop, several feet in front of Rafe, who seemed to be without a guard for the first time that evening.
Reagan adjusted her head to the right to widen her peripheral vision and make sure the women still followed. Then, she threw her hand into the air, extended it back forty-five degrees, and threw it forward and down in one swift motion. She hoped the signal would be a clear indication of charging forward, since she didn’t want to announce it.
Lucent fell in step beside her.
“Go, please. You have your soul,” Reagan said. “You’ve done so much.”
“I won’t leave you.”
Ahead, she could hear Madeleine yelling, “I won’t let you take another life. You’ve done enough, you son of a—”
“Now, now, Madeleine. You don’t want to be using that kind of language in front of the children.” He motioned to Reagan, but then diverted his attention to Lucent. “So, you did it. Just in time for Hell to take over, you cashed in your ticket for admittance in exchange for a pathetic soul.”
“It’s more than you have. You’ve destroyed so much, and what do you have to show for it? Your children have been defeated, your great warlock has fallen, and you stand before us alone.”
“Actually, I’m not alone.” Rafe pounced on Madeleine, wrapping his hands around her throat. She clawed at his arms, trying to loosen his hold. “The angel sword in exchange for your friend.” Letting one hand fall from her neck, he reached behind him and pulled out a knife and pressed it to her throat, making a slight puncture wound. Blood trickled down her neck and onto her upper chest.
Struggling with what to do, Reagan stalled. She couldn’t bear to watch Madeleine die like that. “You can’t even touch it, so what good is it to you?”
“Oh, do not forget who my father is. He may not be God’s preferred angel, but he’s an angel nonetheless. No matter. I don’t plan to play with it. Just destroy it.”
Reagan gasped, having failed to put those pieces together. He could touch the angel sword. Still, he was as much demon as angel, so it could destroy him, too.
His eyes turned crimson, as if a flame had ignited, and a dark hole formed in the ground, widening as fire bursts shot out. “Actually, you can do me the honors and just kick it in. My father will take care of it.”
“Don’t give it to him!” Madeleine yelled, her last word cut off by Rafe’s hand tightening around her throat again.
“I have an idea,” Lucent whispered, using Madeleine’s diversion to gain a moment to speak.
He raced toward Rafe, who noticed the onslaught and thrust the knife forward, catching Lucent in the mid-section.
It was enough for Madeleine to break free, and she bolted away from Rafe, clutching her neck and coughing.
In front of them, the hole widened while Rafe and Lucent struggled.
A claw appeared, and then another, followed by a scaly arm. Whatever was attached to it scraped at the ground, trying to break free from its home below the earth. Pulling itself forward, a deformed head with small horns broke the surface. Then, another set of claws began to creep up on the other side.
“Demons!” Zarya yelled.
Reagan saw Rafe slit Lucent’s throat from ear to ear and kick him into the hole, and she screamed. Someone yanked her backward.
“I have an idea,” Madeleine said. “You’ll have to trust me.”
Trying to concentrate on her and not the devastating vision of Lucent’s death, Reagan nodded.
Madeleine called to the ladies standing close by. “Everyone touch me. I’m going to pull from all of you and harness it. Then, I’m going to jump—”
“No!” Reagan wouldn’t let her friend sacrifice herself. Not after what Lucent had just done. Reagan couldn’t bear to suffer any more losses. Shaking her head, she reiterated the word. “No.”
“It’s the only way to keep more demons from coming forth. As soon as I’m fully charged and make the leap, get Rafe. You must kill Rafe.” Madeleine’s eyes pleaded.
Reagan’s heart and brain catapulted into an internal war. Logic sided with Madeleine’s plan, but Reagan’s heart ached with the thought of losing her best friend.
Madeleine stepped closer and put a hand on Reagan’s cheek, clearly sensing her inner turmoil. “You must. This is my destiny.”
“Are you ladies discussing me?” Rafe’s voice boomed.
“There’s no time. You have to do this, Reagan. This is my choice. I can’t let him hurt anyone else. I can’t let the world suffer as I have.” Madeleine let her hand drop from Reagan’s cheek as she mouthed the word please.
Reagan closed her eyes and, full of love for her friend—her sister—reached out. The others followed suit.
A slight tugging started, and it grew until Reagan felt dizzy and breathless, as if her life force was being ripped away. She fell to her knees, struggling to stay conscious, as did all the ladies except Madeleine, who straightened. Her presence grew as an intense light engulfed her body. Reagan strained against the brightness and shut her eyes. Then, she felt a release. She regained her vision just in time to see Madeleine float over and dive into the hole.
A white flame shot up, and the ground shook.
Weak and unable to stand, Reagan let her head fall back. In the sky, getting closer, she saw another brilliant glow, as if the sun had come out. Lavender filled her nose, and she knew the angel of love had arrived.
As the form descended, her vision sharpened, and she took in the sight of the creature as he drew closer. He was magnificent. Bronze skin, dark hair, a face with perfect bone structure, a chiseled chest. He towered over them, and his wings spanned ten feet. Floating toward the earth, he spoke, hovering a few feet from the ground.
“For the sacrifices of the fallen, for the love they have shown, I have come. I will shelter you. Do what must b
e done.”
With the last word, he descended the rest of the way, landing on his feet. Falling to one knee, he punched his left fist into the ground as he lowered his head onto his other arm. Underneath him, the ground cracked and separated.
Still barely able to move, Reagan put one foot on the shaking earth and tried to bear her own weight. She fell forward. A pulsing light encompassed her vision. Then, another.
Two faces came into view: Nana and Cheveyo.
Nana stepped into Reagan’s body; she knew it as soon as the rush filled her, and she jumped to standing, and then the same happened to Winona as Cheveyo joined with her.
“Shift.” Nana instructed.
As Reagan drew from her grandmother’s power, the shift happened, Winona doing the same. In front of them, the ground split farther apart, and the angel created a wall of light. Reagan and her sister burst through, one on either side of the divine creature, and leaped over the widening chasm in front of them, barely making it over the gap. When they landed, they rolled a couple of feet before jumping in the air and shifting again.
To defeat Rafe, Reagan knew she had to be able to access the sword. With the angel power flowing through them, their bodies emitted a soft light. Reagan threw back her head and let the rush flow through her. Faith pulsed through her. With every part of her, she knew the greatest love. Letting her head return to a normal position, she opened her eyes and took in Rafe.
“It can’t be!” he yelled. He stepped back, his face contorted with horror as his eyes widened and his mouth formed an O shape.
Reagan pulled the sword from its scabbard, bringing it to rest in front of her. Rafe backed up a few steps, and Reagan noticed the angel’s wall had reached around them, enclosing them in a circle of light. Rafe had nowhere to go.
Suddenly, his fingertips split open and claws emerged as flames shot into his eyes. “Did you really think it would be so easy?” His voice became a CGI effect, deep and sinister in a way Reagan had only ever heard in the movies. Even Darth Vader would have cowered in fear.
“We must do this now!” Winona yelled above the swirling winds. “With faith, we fight!”
As the ground had opened up earlier, above them, the dark sky parted, and a ray of light burst forth, consuming the area where they stood.
“You are not welcome here,” Rafe yelled, shaking his fist skyward. He then refocused his gaze on Reagan and Winona as his body continued its transformation. As if he were being torn apart, his body lengthened and doubled in girth. Horns emerged from his head. His skin pulled away, revealing red muscle underneath. Bones cracked when the rounded parts of his face elongated into sharp angles.
Even with all the training, and everything she’d faced to that point, Reagan had to swallow down the growing fear threatening to take over her mind. Could he be transforming into the Devil himself? With time running out, and not wanting her question answered, Reagan closed her eyes, relying solely on faith. She took her sister’s hand and ran in Rafe’s direction. She thrust the sword forward, almost falling down when it hit nothing.
“You missed, you stupid child!” the beast who’d taken over Rafe’s body roared.
As soon as she heard his voice, she knew where he was, and she and Winona spun to the right and threw their weight behind the sword.
It sank into the demon, and his piercing cry tore through the night, ten times the volume of a loud clap of thunder.
When he stumbled backward, Reagan felt the sword being ripped from her hands, and she opened her eyes.
Rafe struggled to stay upright, making desperate clawing motions at the sword sticking out of him, but each time he came in contact with it, he yanked his claws back, howling in pain.
He landed with a thud on the ground, and Winona and Reagan rushed to finish the job. She placed her hands on the hilt of the sword and leaned her body weight into it, pushing it clean through into the dirt.
“Now go back to Hell where you belong!” She twisted the steel a half turn and yanked it back out.
Winona had come to Rafe’s other side and put her hand in the air.
Without a word exchanged, Reagan understood, and she tossed the sword to her sister. She caught it with her right hand and spun it to the left side of her body and around her head before holding it aloft over Rafe’s neck.
Reagan launched her body in the air, landing on top of Rafe, and joined her hand with her sister’s.
They brought the blade down on Rafe’s neck, one slash cutting through sinew and bone, separating his convulsing head from his body.
Reagan jumped to the ground and pulled her sister back as they watched his blood pour over the ground.
“Put his body back where it belongs.” Never had Nana’s voice been so clear.
Reagan picked up the sword and glanced behind her, watching the white light around them recede.
Papa burst through first, coming into the area so fast he almost ended up falling in what was left of Hell’s opening.
Reagan caught him by the arm, barely getting the sword out of the way.
Papa steadied himself and then stared at the body on the ground before them.
Bending over, putting his hand on his knees, and taking in a huge gulp of air, he announced, “It’s over.”
When he stood, Reagan threw herself into his arms and squeezed before pulling back. “Perfect timing. I need some help getting his body into that hole.”
Twisting around, he asked, “Where’s Madeleine?”
Two words, and it felt like someone sucker-punched her. Unable to speak, she shook her head, tears forming in her eyes. “She didn’t make it.” A sob tore through her chest. “She sacrificed herself. I tried to stop her.”
“She died to make sure you would all live.” Nana’s voice again.
Papa’s hand took Reagan’s. When it did, she felt Nana slip away and saw her face appear in a mist, lingering just outside Reagan’s body. An airy hand reached out, skimming her cheek, before swirling over to Papa, his eyes wide and glistening.
“My love.” Nana’s words came out as a breath. Then she was gone.
Winona reached her hand out and then dropped it, too.
Reagan guessed Cheveyo had left.
As they rolled Rafe’s body toward the hole, Reagan heard Nana’s voice again.
“Wait until the light leaves.”
Reagan put her hand up, and Papa and Winona stilled. “Nana says to wait.”
Something told her to pivot slightly, and when she did, she caught a familiar scent as she inhaled. The angel of love stepped forward. “There is but one thing left to do.” He continued to the hole and held his hands over it, his palms down. As if lifting an invisible object, he pulled upward. Two bright orbs, the size of apples, floated up and into his grasp. He wrapped his fingers around them and turned to Reagan.
“I must go, for I have these souls to deliver.”
Although she already knew, she had to ask, knowing the answer would bring her peace. “Please, tell me their names.”
“There is no need. You know who they are.”
Reagan pinched her lips together as a burning sensation built in her throat and behind her eyes. “Madeleine and Lucent,” she whispered.
“For their love and sacrifice,” the angel said. He bent his knees slightly and then burst into the sky, seeming to flow with the light that receded as he did.
Dark clouds moved back together, and night settled again.
For a moment, Reagan stood, transfixed, unable to move a muscle. Then, she remembered Nana’s instructions.
“For their love,” she said as she, Winona, and Papa kicked Rafe’s body into the hole, which immediately sealed shut. Around them, the ground came back together, the cracks resealing, as if nature had been restored.
“Tala!”
Reagan spun toward the sound of Rowan’s voice just in time to be swept into his arms, their lips coming together like magnets. She lost herself in the moment before she felt the prickle of people watching; she pu
lled back and cleared her throat.
Rowan smiled and placed her gently back on the ground.
As they’d suspected, the area cleared out with Rafe’s demise, and all that remained were their team members.
Mom came running at Reagan next, pulling Winona into the hug. Ever the mom, she gave Reagan and Winona some clothes, which the sisters quickly put on. From the corner of one eye, Reagan saw Jessica and Sam intertwined and Zarya, Ariana, and Nina in a huddle of arms.
Papa stood off to the side, quiet, his face stoic and his eyes distant.
“Excuse me just a minute,” Reagan said to Rowan.
“Only because I know I have a lifetime of minutes with you,” he responded.
Rising on her tiptoes, she kissed his cheek and then made her way to Papa.
“I saw her,” he said.
“I know. She’s always with us.”
“What do we do now?” he asked, taking her hand in his.
“We live. That’s what Nana would want. And Amélie, Cheveyo, Sasha, and Lucent. My dad.” Her voice trembled at saying his name; she still couldn’t quite believe he was gone. Childhood memories assaulted her, and tears formed anew. Then, another face came into her mind. “And Madeleine.”
“We live,” he repeated. “For them.”
One team member after another came up with congratulations, exchanging hugs and high-fives. When Reagan saw Nina, Ariana, and Zarya waiting on the outskirts, Reagan stepped away from her family and walked over.
Just before she reached them, she felt a hand slip into hers and smiled at the owner: Winona.
Ariana spoke first. “Congratulations. Although most won’t know of your bravery, the world has much to thank you for.”
“We couldn’t have done it without you,” Reagan said, extending her arms out to the sides and motioning with her hands. Everyone joined arms.
“You were never meant to,” Zarya said.
Tala Prophecy: The Complete Series Page 66
