Broken: (Ignite, Book 2)

by Fleur Camacho

  The Fallen backed up, but maintained their stance. One of them grabbed his radio and spoke into it. “Jose, tell Jezzie someone needs to speak to her in the main cavern.”

  “Man, are you kidding me? Nobody tells Jezzie where to go, especially in the mood she’s in right now. Tell them to go to hell.”

  The one with the radio growled. “Tell Jezzie that Jace is here to see her.”

  The radio was silent for a moment and then it sparked to life. “Yes, sir.”

  Jezzie stormed into the cavern. Her colossal wings were fully spread and she looked glorious in her anger. “You’ve got balls, I’ll give you that. To come back here after you sabotaged my operation.”

  “I could never let you get away with it. You should’ve known that. I would never hurt others willingly and that’s where your plan failed.” He clasped Laura closer and the pain in his chest dug deeper, ripping a hole in his heart. “Why did you come here, Jezzie? Why did you manipulate me into working with you? You had to know that I wouldn’t work with you. Did you really believe that you could use Laura to make me kill others? That I wouldn’t find a way to sabotage your plans? Or did you just want me to know that you were here?” Jace paused. “You knew I wasn’t in regular contact with Michael. I may not have even known anything about all this until things went to hell. Your plans would’ve gone off a lot better without showing your hand. So, tell me. Why bring me in?”

  Jezzie was speechless.

  “Did you think that I would want you, Jezzie? After all this time? After all the hate and evil you’ve spread across the world? The wars and disease and sickness of mind and soul. Or did you think that you could persuade me over to your side? Do you really know me at all? Did you think I could just ignore all that? That’s why I could never love you from the beginning, Jez.”

  She took a step back, her face a mixture of shock and anger.

  His bitterness spat out in short spurts. “I could never love someone so hateful. You don’t have a speck of good in you.”

  The cavern was silent, in awe at the sight before them.

  Jace lovingly placed Laura on the floor and knelt beside her. Even in death, innocence radiated from her face. His face was open, vulnerable. “She captured my heart because she was the opposite of you. She didn’t have an ounce of malevolence in her heart.” A sob escaped his lips and he looked up at Jezzie from his knelt position on the floor. “Is this what you wanted? To entrance her brother to punish me?”

  A strangling noise came from Reece and Alexander held him still, allowing him to cry onto his shoulder.

  Jace put his hands out, palms up in a begging gesture, tears streaming down his face. His palms were black, from trying to heal Laura with such intense power. He felt like his heart was ripped out of his chest and he howled. “Here I am, Jezebel. With my sacrificial lamb. Is this what you wanted?”

  “I… I…” Jezzie didn’t know how to respond.

  “IS THIS WHAT YOU WANTED?” Jace’s roar reverberated against the cavern walls and echoed down the tunnels. Everyone watched in horror as the most powerful soldier known, lay broken before their very eyes. His sobs tore into the very coldest of hearts and they all felt at least a twinge of pity.

  Jezzie took a step forward and put her hand on his shoulder and he grasped it. He looked up at her, his eyes blazing. “If you want me, take me.”

  She stuttered, confused. “Take you?”

  He picked up his sword, and held it to her, hilt first. “You want the ultimate prize after such a humiliating loss? Kill me. Kill me and you will escape punishment. You’ll be hailed a hero.”

  She pulled her hand out of his and hesitated. “I can’t.”

  “Why not?”

  She didn’t answer him.

  “Why not, Jezzie?”

  “I just can’t.”

  “Do it, and your name will reign legend throughout the halls of eternity.”

  “I can’t, Jace. You know that.”

  “Why not?”

  She turned away from him, unwilling to look him in the eyes. “Because I still love you, Jace, that’s why.”

  He sneered. “Your love for me was vanity. You thought a man of my stature could love a woman like you.”

  She grasped the hilt of his sword, pulling it out of his hands. It sliced the palm of his hands and his blood dropped to the cave floor. “You cocky idiot. You should be so lucky to have my love.”

  He sneered. “And yet, yours is love unrequited.”

  She stared at him, deep into his eyes. Tears sprang from her eyes and she touched his cheek. “Does she really mean this much to you, Jace? That you would rather die than live without her?”

  He nodded.

  “But you can’t kill yourself. You would never see her again. Not with your knowledge. You want me to do it.”

  He laughed. “You were always smart, I’ll give you that.”

  She threw his sword to the ground. “I won’t do your dirty deed, Jace.”

  He grabbed the sword and, pulling her hand forward, he held the blade over her wrist. “Then release me from the circulo.”

  She hesitated, her eyes bore into his, vulnerable, open. Then she nodded. He slashed down over her wrist and blood poured out. She gasped and tried to pull her hand back but he held it tight. He mixed their blood over the circulo and, after processing the blood, it turned green and opened, dropping to the floor.

  She tried to pull her hand away again but he held it firmly. “Not so fast, Commander. You’ll see this through to the end.”

  ❦

  “Michael!” Jace’s words rose up the cavern walls and into the open sky. The other Fallen in the cave retreated towards the tunnels, but stayed to watch from the shadows.

  After a few minutes, the roar of powerful wings sounded in the cave as Michael descended. Jezzie’s face was a mixture of awe and horror.

  “Jace.” Michael’s voice was soft. He knew, of course, what had happened.

  “Michael.” Jace, still holding Jezzie’s hand, bent over Laura, begging. “You have to bless her, you have to bring her back to life.”

  Michael got down on one knee and, putting his hand on her forehead, he looked into Jace’s eyes. “I wish I could.”

  Jace gasped. “Michael, no.”

  Michael shook his head. “I can’t bend the rules, Jace. And if I would do it for anyone, it would be for you. You know that I would do anything for you. But I can’t break the rules. She was killed by the hands of a human. Only Jehovah governs over life and death. I cannot break the rules.” He closed his eyes, his face filled with pain and sorrow. “I wish I could do this for you.”

  “Don’t do this for me. Do this for Laura.” Jace pulled Jezzie’s wrist forward and she bowed her head before Michael. “Jezzie broke the rules. She ordered the entrancement of someone against their principals. They must suffer for this, not Laura. Laura’s the innocent in this.”

  Michael pleaded with Jace, his hands open, trying to make him understand. “They will pay for this. But I cannot bring Laura back to life.”

  Tears streamed down Jace’s face, and he grit his teeth. “Take Reece then, he must be protected. He was entranced when he shot those people. The other humans weren’t, but Reece doesn’t have the capacity in his heart to kill those people. He must be protected.”

  Michael nodded. “Of course.”

  He stood up and motioned to Reece. “Come with me, son. We will do what’s necessary to protect you.”

  Reece took a step forward but stopped, falling next to Laura. “What about her? Why can’t you help her? I didn’t mean to shoot her. They told me that I had to do it, if I wanted to see her again, I had to listen to them. I had to do it to protect her.”

  Michael leaned over and grasped Reece’s chin, pulling it up. Understanding shone through his eyes. “I know. You’ll not be judged for this.” His hand glowed and the light shot from his hand into Reece’s face. It spread through his body, spilling out of Reece’s hands and feet, hot like fire, burni
ng through his guilt and anguish. Then, Michael gathered Reece into his bosom.

  Jace pulled Jezzie up, and ran his blade through her wrist again, which had begun to heal. He sliced it deep through to the bone and her oily blood spewed out, spraying Jace’s face and feet. It was a wound meant for death. She gasped and tried to pull her hand back, but Jace held it tight. Anger radiated from Jace and he looked her in the eyes while her blood drained from her body. “Pay for your sins, Jezzie.”

  Alexander pulled on Jace’s shoulder. “Jace, what are you doing?”

  Jace shrugged him off, staring at Jezzie. “Do something good for once in your life, and pay for your sins.” Jezzie tried to pry his hand off hers, she shoved his shoulder, and tried to pull her hand out from his to no avail. He was stronger than her.

  His hand grasped her chin and forced her to look him in the eyes. “Jezzie, if you ever had an ounce of love in your body for me, then do this for me. Pay for your sins, and make way for mine.”

  Tears streamed down her face and she stared motionless at Jace. Then she nodded and touched his face. “I never lied to you Jace. I do love you.” She was still as her blood drained from her body, her hand in his.

  Jace steeled himself and began to chant. “In the name of the God I hold most High—”

  Michael raised his hand towards Jace. “Jace, what are you doing? Stop this, this instant!”

  “—And myself—”

  “Jace,” Michael said. “Please don’t do this. This is not my command, I can’t save you if you do this.”

  Jezzie grew pale and she leaned on Jace.

  Alexander knelt beside him. “Jace, don’t do this. Believe it, coming from someone who knows, this isn’t what you want. You will regret this. Don’t do it.”

  Jace looked into Alexander’s eyes. “—I reject the God I love and break my bond with Him, damning myself to hell and taking full responsibility for my action.”

  The black blood at Jezzie’s wrist dripped its last drop into the pool that surrounded them and she slumped over.

  A cry flew from Michael’s throat and he grabbed a shocked Reece and, holding him close, shot into the air.

  A flame burst out onto Jace’s back. Alexander grabbed Laura and held her close, to keep her from catching on fire, staring in horror at Jace.

  Ash drifted into the air as Jace’s wings burned through all the goodness and light, turning them a soft grey. Jace fell to the ground, slopping through Jezzie’s blood as he burned in agony. He’d done this before, except without killing anyone, and it was as painful as the first time. It wasn’t the flames at his back but the separation of the Spirit from him. He could no longer call on God, or feel His presence. Or His love. That feeling hollowed him out to the core. He was Fallen.

  Eventually the fire sizzled into smoke and Jace shook with pain and groaned, face first in Jezzie’s blood.

  Alexander pushed him over and Jace gulped in a breath of air. Jace stared at the sky, breathing heavily, his face and body black and tearstained. He looked at Alexander and held no regret in his eyes.

  Alexander placed Laura’s body into Jace’s outstretched hands. “Why?”

  “Michael wouldn’t break the rules. So I have to go to the one person whom I know will break the rules, for a price.”

  Alexander gasped. “Jace, no. You can’t go there. You can’t trust him, and there are too many things that could happen to you there. If you're killed there, you can't ever be redeemed, even after the Day of Judgement. Or you could be entranced. You probably won’t even make it past the gatekeeper.”

  Jace faced him. “That’s why I need you, brother. Will you come with me?”

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