The Helio Trilogy: Volumes 1-3

by Valerie Roeseler

  I nod, “Which is why we think it’s on the surface. I want to find it before we return to The Keep, and I’ve got a feeling it’s right here in Red Meadow.”

  Solas wonders, “Why would it be here?”

  I admit, “I don’t think this is about the end of the world for the Horsemen. It’s about their revenge against me. Mephistopheles chose Red Meadow to torture me. I’m willing to bet Cora’s here too.”

  “How do you want to go about finding her?” Eric asks.

  I give him a crooked grin. “We have some of the most powerful angelic beings at our disposal in The Gray Legion. I’m sure we’ll flush her out easily.”

  The kitchen becomes deserted quickly. Jack turns for the basement training room, “Let’s get to work, then. I’ll call Telly. If Cora’s here, they’ll either know or have a way to find out.”

  Solas rises from his chair, pulling his phone from his back pocket, “We could use the triplets’ help, and I’ll see if Becky can get any more information.”

  Eric stands from the table, “I’m going to go check on Alice.”

  I consider the cold toast left on my plate but push it away for my coffee. The bitterness is cold as well. I scoff, rolling my eyes, then abandon my breakfast for a hot shower.

  Chapter 15

  It has been three days since the survivors of Red Meadow walked away from the university’s coliseum. They’ve been reaching out to loved ones outside of town, letting them know they are alive. None of them have mentioned the mysterious group who helped them. I’m not sure they even realize we were there. It’s a good thing. I was worried the man I saved would tell the world about me, causing a mass of Fallen to converge on Red Meadow.

  Volunteers have been trickling in to help clean up and rebuild what was destroyed in the madness and chaos. Public servants from neighboring cities have also joined the efforts. New law enforcement has been reinstated and has encouraged the Peace Keepers to step aside. Though it appears the Peace Keepers are a thing of the past, we know the truth. Their numbers have dwindled, but those who refused to bend to ‘the man’ have chosen to align with Tallulah. They have no clue what she and her closely kept security truly are.

  Jack offered for Tallulah and the Peace Keepers to stay at the manor. Tallulah refused, needing room for the amount of equipment her team required. I’m perfectly fine with the warehouse they chose on the east side of Red Meadow. The manor was beginning to feel crowded.

  The Griffins arrived with Becky the night Solas called them. Becky hasn’t had much luck with her resources. The Grigori believe she’s wrong about Cora being alive. They’ve laughed in her face, giving multiple stories about Cora’s disappearance that each end a different way. Now, Alice has made it her mission to decipher the truth with Becky. I’m grateful it’s keeping her mind off the epidemic media has deemed “The Red Fever.”

  News stations are reporting over eleven-thousand survivors—a thousand of which fled Red Meadow when the sickness began. Government officials are giving themselves a pat on the back for their ability to contain the disease, claiming, “Those who survived were given an antidote before being moved into the coliseum.” I never gave much thought to how deep political deception went until now. It further supports my theory of Michael’s own deception. Original Angels of Light have fallen before. Just because Michael was the first angel ever created, doesn’t mean he is incapable of falling. I plan to find out the truth.

  Jack and I haven’t talked much since I witnessed the kiss between him and Tallulah. Conversations are nothing but short answers and awkward glances. The others have noticed. Their eyes ping-pong between us when we’re in the same room—Just as they are now from Jack asking me if I would ride with him to the warehouse instead of us riding with Eric and Alice as we have before.

  I try not to make a big deal about it. “Sure,” I shrug lightly before leading everyone through the front door.

  Ever the gentleman, Jack opens the passenger door for me. I slide into the seat, trying to get a grip on my anxiety before he gets in. We lead the caravan towards the east side of Red Meadow. It’s the longest we’ve ever gone without saying anything to each other. We reach the first turn past the college, and Jack finally asks, “Are we going to talk about this?”

  I keep my focus through the front windshield, “What’s there to talk about?”

  “Don’t do that. I gave you time. I waited patiently. But this emptiness between us is becoming more and more. I want to talk about what happened.”

  I counter, “I don’t.”

  I feel his expectant gaze singe my skin, begging me to look him in the eyes. He demands my attention, “Ivy.”

  When I meet his eyes, my throat constricts with hurt. “I just want you to be happy.”

  His temper flares, “How am I supposed to be happy? I feel like whatever I do only pushes you further away. I want you to be happy too, though. How can I make that happen? What’s it going to take?”

  Our eyes meet, a dense request hanging between us. I don’t know how to answer him, so all I say is, “I don’t know.”

  He sighs. “Why is this so hard for us?”

  “Love isn’t supposed to be easy.”

  Jack shakes his head, “You’re wrong. Love should be easy. Either you love someone, or you don’t.” We come to a stop light. Jack takes my hand, the red light illuminating his chiseled features. He looks to me with anticipation, “Do you still love me?”

  My hand instantly squeezes his back, “Of course, I do!”

  The light turns green, yet Jack continues, “Then, what choice is there to make? You say you love me, but you don’t know what you want. Love shouldn’t be this hard, Ivy. Do you want to be with me or not? Because I don’t know how much longer I can wait for you to make up your mind.” His hand slips from mine quickly, then we’re accelerating faster than before.

  Panic washes over me, my voice rising as I make my reservations known, “Soon. I swear I’ll make a decision soon, Jack. I’m not trying to drag you along. I want you to be happy. I just don’t want to make the wrong decision under the pretenses of the world ending when I’m the one with the burden and sole responsibility to save it. How can I be expected to make a decision between us when the fate of the world is depending on my ability to kill four Horsemen—one being myself?”

  Jack falls silent. The weight of what he’s asking me to do is finally clear to him; I see it in his eyes and the release of tension through his body. His reserve stretches for a long period, a lingering expectation waiting for a response. He sounds defeated when he finally speaks again, “I’ll keep waiting…but not for long. I hate the distance that’s grown between us.”

  I speak with uncertainty, “I know I shouldn’t have been eavesdropping on you. It really hurt to see you with her.”

  Jack snorts, the corner of his mouth twitching with amusement. “That’s how I feel when I know you’re with him. Like when you spent the night in his room after you saw Telly kiss me. It wasn’t what you think. I’ve never looked at her that way.”

  I dispute, “Staying with Solas wasn’t what you think it was either. And you may not have ever looked at Tallulah that way, but she certainly looks at you that way.”

  “Why do you do that?”

  “Do what?”

  “Call her Tallulah now instead of Telly. Is it because you know she hates to be called Tallulah?”

  I roll my eyes. “No. They’re two different people to me. Telly betrayed me, killed Cass and Beck in front of my eyes where I was paralyzed to do anything about it. She kidnapped me and turned out to be the Devil in disguise. Tallulah is different. I still have personal qualms about her, but if I don’t separate the two, I can’t give her the respect she deserves.”

  Jack quirks a brow at the road, “You want to give her respect?”

  I bite my bottom lip. “She’s done a lot for us—especially for the people of Red Meadow. I don’t know why she worked for Roman in the first place. She doesn’t seem to have a callous bone i
n her body. She’s arrogant, yes, but not dishonorable.”

  Jack turns into the warehouse’s compound. It has a barbed wire fence line surrounding its two-story, brick façade, and enough spotlights to light up an airport runway. He mutters low, “She worked for Roman because Trey did.”

  Guilt plunges to the pit of my stomach. She really loved Trey? That wasn’t some lie Lucifer made up? I have a newfound admiration for Tallulah’s modesty. She must know that I sent Trey to Paradise, yet she has never shown any abhorrence towards me for taking him away from her.

  Approaching Tallulah’s warehouse, Jack, Eric, and Solas’ cars surround the side entrance. The engines are shut off, simultaneously killing their headlights. Solas and the Griffins get out of the silver Camaro, followed by Alice and Eric in the vintage red Charger. Jack and I sit unmoving, staring straight ahead. “Ready?” he prompts.

  “Yeah.”

  Our boots crunch over the loose gravel as we move to the door. Jack raps the side of his fist against the steel three times, then takes a step back with his hands in his pockets. A black surveillance camera whirs above the corner of the threshold, slowly scanning over us. It freezes on Jack. Heavy bolts and locks slide against the steel, clicking as it unlocks. The door opens to Brody, the same redhead who greeted us at the Gilbert dorms.

  Brody notifies, “The boss isn’t here, but she said you can wait in her office for her. She’ll be here soon.”

  The door slams behind us, locking as we travel up the stairs to Tallulah’s office in a single file. It overlooks the open floorplan where her team has different stations sanctioned off from each other. While everyone makes themselves comfortable, I stand at the glass window-wall with Cass, stiffly observing those below. On the far end of the building, I watch a group of men tweaking with walkie-talkies. Scanning to the entrance, I observe multiple groups gathering supplies into bags, stocking food, cleaning weapons, and an odd station with beakers and such, like a chemical laboratory.

  There’s a hint of a substance in the air. It’s familiar, yet I can’t remember where I’ve encountered it before. Solas catches it as well, hinting to me through his telepathy, “Do you smell that?”

  What is it?

  “Raw Kapet.”

  I spin on Solas, glowering with irritation. Cass gives me a concerned once-over. His mouth opens to speak, but snaps shut as Tallulah enters the warehouse with her team. Morrice, her second-in-command, follows Tallulah up the steps while the other three check on the mortal Peace Keepers below.

  Tallulah smiles wide, holding out a clenched fist to me, “We found it.”

  The Enochian opal pendant slips from her glove, dangling by its chain. I snatch it from her possessively, studying it closely for authenticity. I search her violet eyes, “Where was it?”

  She pushes up the middle of her square, black glasses. “On a Kappa Beta Sig in The Tunnel.”

  “What tunnel? We searched the sewage lines below the city, finding no trace of Cora.” Beckett pries.

  Morrice corrects, “Not a tunnel, The Tunnel. It’s an underground club below Capitan Boomer’s.”

  Jack notes, “I’ve never heard of it.”

  Tallulah informs, “It’s new. Some of the survivors are going there to celebrate their newfound vigor for life through alternative means. It’s become an underground party scene for them. Most are college students with loose morals and carefree arrogances.”

  “What led you there?” Solas challenges.

  Morrice fields the inquiry for his boss, “The Tunnel is a mecca for Fallen. We thought Red Meadow had a high population of Fallen before?” He shakes his head, his tongue licking his impish grin. “We’re infested with them now. Cora’s not going to be as easy to find as we originally perceived.”

  Tallulah adds, “Our position doesn’t make my team very accepted there either. We make them nervous.”

  Jack crosses his arms over his chest, then leans against the wall of glass. He implies, “We can change their minds.”

  Tallulah shakes her head, “You can’t be seen there.” She addresses me, “You either.”

  Theodora surprises us all as she speaks up, “My brothers and I will go. This Kappa Beta Sig, what is it?”

  Beckett chuckles once, and his sister’s attention snaps to him with fire in her eyes. He turns his hands palm up, “The sorority?” Theodora continues to stare. “The Greek Masquerade Ball?”

  Cass helps her understand, “The group of girls on campus that you threatened to stay clear of us or you would carve your name into their faces to help them remember their betrayal.”

  I suck in a harsh breath. “Thea!”

  She shrugs a shoulder, “What? I wasn’t going to really do it.”

  I shake my head, then change the subject back, “Anyway… Why do you want to go to The Tunnel?”

  Theodora suggests, “We need to know how the girl came to possess the necklace. No one there will trust you or Tallulah’s team.”

  Tallulah interjects, waving her hand at Theodora’s idea, “We already investigated, and she found the necklace on the ground. It wasn’t given to her, and she knew nothing of it or Cora.”

  I solicit, “How would a mortal girl know anything of Cora?”

  “Beats me,” Tallulah states. “We just asked around if anyone knew a Cora with the description we have.”

  Fury boils through my tone, “You asked for her by name?”

  She looks away in confusion as Solas stands from her leather chaise. She fumbles, “Uh, yeah? How else would we ask?”

  Solas fists his hands at his sides, uttering, “Shit.”

  “What?” She demands.

  Jack enlightens her, “You asked for her by name in a place jam-packed with Fallen. Why do you think they’re here? Who do you think they work for? Now, they’ll run their mouths, and Cora will find out we’re coming for her. She’ll know we’re here.”

  Theodora exclaims, “Exactly! Therefore, my brothers and I should go there. They don’t know us. Not to mention, my brothers have a way of getting what they want from women without even trying.”

  Cassius’ jaw drops. Beckett leans back into Tallulah’s desk, crossing his legs at the ankles. He admonishes, “Are you exploiting us, sister?”

  Theodora rolls her eyes, “Please. You like it.”

  A smile grows across Beckett’s face, yet he bites it back to keep it contained and nods his head. “She’s right. We’re the best choice to find any information there.”

  “What should we expect going in?” Cassius marvels.

  Morrice cocks his head to the side, “Loud music, a lot of alcohol, heavy drugs, and encounters so close that you wonder if it’s considered intercourse.”

  The color drains from Cassius’ face. Jack slaps him on the shoulder, passing to lead everyone back to the cars, “You’ll be fine, Cass. It can’t be that bad.”

  The Griffins and Solas follow Jack, making their way downstairs. Solas stops with his hand on the office door, checking back to me, “You coming?”

  I remain with my arms crossed over my chest. “Actually, do you mind hanging back a sec?” He reads my thoughts and tells the others telepathically that we will meet them back at the manor. I regard Tallulah, “Can we speak to you privately?” The door closes.

  She transfers her judgment to Solas and me, determining, “Whatever you have to say, you can say in front of Morrice.”

  I nod, pursing my lips. “How long have you been making Kapet?”

  Tallulah and Morrice become frozen. Tallulah shakes it off quickly, venturing around her desk to sit in her chair. Morrice watches her closely, unsure of what their next move will be. Tallulah laces her fingers atop her desk, “The creation of Kapet has been in the works for decades. Only within the last two years have we been able to distribute.”

  Solas questions, “Whose idea was it?”

  She admits, “The Kapet was my idea, but Roman is the one who had requested such a weapon in the first place. He thought if we could impress the King, he wo
uld always be in his favor.”

  I interrogate, “Who are you distributing to? Who all knows about it?”

  Her brows jump, then she releases a heavy breath. “Well, Lucifer was the first to know after I proved to Roman of its effectiveness. After that, Roman conducted meetings with other beings who could benefit.”

  “Such as…” I drawl, circling a hand for her to give more information.

  There’s hesitation in her countenance as she glances to Morrice. Morrice shakes his head in negation out of the corner of my eye. Solas growls from the doorway. I jerk my attention to his furrowed expression. I don’t have to ask. Solas demands Tallulah, “Tell her the truth.”

  She rises from her desk, “Roman was selling to everyone. He sold to Fallen, rogues, demons… any immortal being who would have reason to oppose an angel.”

  I observe Solas, “How did the Originals not know about Kapet then?”

  His anger is palpable, “They did.”

  Exiting the warehouse, Solas is more inclined to believe my stance on Michael. We find the others waiting for us, despite Solas telling them we would meet them at the manor. Jack stands half out of his car, an arm resting on the roof, watching me with expectation. I join him in the Skyline to ride back to the manor together.

  Jack throws the car in reverse. Gravel sprays behind us as he punches the gas. He wonders, “Everything alright back there?”

  I shake my head. “Something just isn’t right about all of this.”

  “What do you mean?”

  It takes me a moment to gather my thoughts before I can articulate them properly. I begin with something simple, “Is there really such a thing as free will?”

  Jack’s sudden to retort, “Of course there is. Otherwise, The Fall never would have happened. Eve never would have led Adam to temptation. You never would have been created.”

  I give him a dirty look. “That’s the last thing I want to think about.”

  Jack snickers as I lose focus on the present. “Ivy!” he yells.

  I flinch, raising a palm to quiet him, “Wait.”