by JP Epperson
Sloan still looked confident. No fear wavered through her eyes. She thought she had a card up her sleeve. Perhaps she thought we wouldn’t break the rules—we were still angels, after all. She could only know those rules through a demon though. Angels are forbidden to share our rules and the knowledge of our world with anyone. I looked to Colton, still suspended from the wall. He lifted his head to look at me as though he felt my eyes on him. He probably did.
“Make it hurt,” he said. “Make it hurt.”
Finally, Sloan’s confidence faltered. Finally, we saw that little “o” of her mouth when she realized she was dead as soon as we walked in, and all the magic in the world could not save her. We were just too fast.
“You can’t!” Sloan shouted. “I know the rules. You cannot kill me, I’m not a demon.” Nicholai and I closed in on her. We were not going to make this quick—were not going to make it easy. She was going to be in pain until the last breath left her body. I looked at Nich. This was for him. I would let him lead. He looked at Lori once more and he screamed. He screamed a hollow, echoing scream as he brought his hand up and froze Sloan’s feet to the ground. Sloan started to scream.
“I did not do it. I was the distraction.” She begged and pleaded to empty ears. “I was just the distraction.” Nich blasted his ice at Sloan’s face; the control over his ability was better than that of anyone I ever known. Sloan’s lips turned blue, but the screaming stopped, and I knew he had frozen her mouth shut.
He froze her hands next, and I knew we were going to crush her one piece at a time—and I was completely okay with it as I glanced up at my beloved friend. We each grabbed one of Sloan’s frozen hands and began to squeeze.
Suddenly, a blast rocked the room. A few of the daggers that were piercing Colton to the wall came out and he fell to the ground. We were joined by several angels—among them were Evangelina and Talon. She must have sent for backup when she felt my despair. There was also an Angel of Decision and two archangels. One of the archangels was the one that had visited us in Nich’s apartment.
“Belleeza, you cannot do this.” It was Evangelina who spoke. She must have felt my emotions shift to darkness and feared I would begin to fall. That explained the archangel and Angel of Decision. “I know how you feel right now. Trust me, I feel it too, but this solves nothing. This only allows them to win, and Lorileigh died for nothing.
“She deserves this, Evangelina. This is justice,” I said.
Nicholai said nothing. He did not break his eye contact with Sloan. He was not going to release her, and I would follow his lead—for Lori. They must have seen it in our eyes. Because suddenly Nicholai and I were flying to the other side of the room. The archangel that visited us started to speak, as a witch I hadn’t noticed went to Sloan. Sloan was in some kind of paralysis. Her wide eyes were darting back and forth frantically as she stood powerless against the witch in front of her. I could not hear what the old witch said over the archangel, but I knew her and what she was doing. Her name was Jemma, and she was the most powerful witch I knew of. She was neutralizing Sloan’s magic. The very essence that made her a witch.
“I’m sorry I had to do that,” the archangel said softly as he helped me to my feet. I rubbed my head where it slammed against the wall. “I am truly, truly sorry. Lorileigh was irreplaceable and her death will impact all of us.” A stab of pain hit me like a knife to the heart, but it was nothing compared to what Nicholai must have been feeling. “You three are far too important for us to lose you to the dark side.”
He turned to Nicholai, who refused the help as he got back to his feet. “Lorileigh will live on forever in you and even in Belleeza and Colton. We will honor her when she is brought home. Would you like to me take her?”
Nicholai’s rage dissipated, leaving him defeated. He fell to his knees and I watched as silent tears fell down his cheeks. “No, I will take her myself.”
“Very well,” the archangel answered. He rested his hand on Nich’s shoulder and then turned to Colton as I tried to help him up without causing him more pain. The archangel helped pull him to his feet before speaking again. “I’ve brought a healer for you. She can heal you now or wait until you are home. The choice is yours.”
“Thank you,” Colton replied. “I would like to wait, until after we carry her home.” His voice broke and I clutched him tighter. He brought his hand to my face, and I squeezed. I was crying on the inside, but I refused to let the new arrivals see it. I was so confused. So grateful that Colton was alive; so guilty for being anything other than heartbroken.
“Very well,” the archangel said again. He turned to the Angel of Decision and said, “Your services are not required today. Thank you.” The Angel of Decision vanished instantly. He turned to the other warriors and said, “You are all free to go as you wish.”
“I am staying,” Talon said, speaking for the first time.
“As are we,” another warrior answered, gesturing to himself and the other two warriors.
The archangel looked again from me, to Nich, and to Colton, before he bowed his head and vanished.
Evangelina came and squeezed me to her. She touched Colton’s shoulder softly and then turned to Nich. I watched her motherly touch as her tiny hand gracefully touched Nicholai’s cheek. A tear fell from his eye down the very cheek Evangelina touched, and she kissed it before she vanished. Evangelina may have looked the same age as us, but the wisdom and protective instinct in her eyes gave her away.
Silently and very carefully, Colton, Nich, Talon, and I, along with the other three warriors, began to remove the relics that held Lorileigh to the wall. We held her tenderly until every weapon was removed, and then we softly placed her in Nicholai’s arms. Tears streamed from Nicholai’s eyes as he looked upon the empty eyes of his soulmate. I held one of her hands and Colton held the other. He kissed one cheek, I kissed the other. Then the six of us followed Nicholai out.
Chapter Twenty
I was coming apart at the seams. I seemed to hit a wall at every turn or make a wrong call that resulted in someone getting hurt. The word failure kept popping in my head, but I shoved it out of my mind as best as I could. There was work to do. I had to find Evangelina, Theodore, Anselma, and now Sloan. Knowing she was free and her magic was restored put her near the top of my list. I would find her for Nicholai—of that I was certain.
The others were silently gathering weapons but waiting for my orders. We didn’t know where we were headed, but we were in this together. Much like many of the human soldiers. That was something I always admired and respected. The camaraderie between the men and women. Strangers and neighbors become brothers and sisters in arms. My soldiers were ready for whatever ending this case would lead to. We were just ready for it to be over.
Nicholai was suiting up. Seeing the darkness inside him surface gave us a determination unlike any other. There was nothing more motivating than seeing a loved one lose their purity right in front of your eyes. We were on a mission to right a wrong. We would not stop until we avenged the loss of our friend’s innocence. Nicholai was our charming surfer boy meets hippie. Lorileigh and he were perfect for each other that way. She was a flower child at heart, whimsical and light-hearted. Of course they were every bit as warrior as Colton and I. They killed, hunted, and tortured as was necessary, but that was not who they were. That was just what they did. Colton and I—we are warriors. That is who we are. Strip away the warrior in us, and I think we would both vanish eternally. Strip away the warrior from Nich and Lori, and they would still thrive.
“Are you ready for this, Liam?” I said, breaking the silence. Everyone was concentrating on their weapons. We were bringing a lot more relics this time. The display of weapons would have impressed any arms dealer. We had it all: ancient weapons, military grade, relics, magical, and human weapons sold at local stores. We looked dangerous . . . and we were. We didn’t bother with trench coats to cover up; we were not going to travel the human way.
“I’m ready, Belleeza,”
Liam answered darkly as he glanced toward Nicholai. The kid didn’t even know the story of Nich’s past yet, but even he sought vengeance for Nicholai now. There was something about Nich. You were immediately drawn to him. His laughter was contagious. He was just a happy and sincere guy that hugged everyone. Even Talon, who was never a friendly guy, could not help but to grin when Nich smiled or said something funny.
“Okay, this is it, guys, bring it in,” I said. They surrounded me, forming a half circle so everyone could see me and I could see each of them. “It’s time for this to end. We are going after them, and I’m not losing anyone tonight. You will all be coming back here tonight. That’s an order. And we won’t be leaving empty-handed. Tonight, we don’t leave until we have Evangelina, Theodore, and Anselma.
“I want you all to weapon up. I want you to be so armed that I can’t see any skin. If you can fit it on your person, you take it. We are going in guns blazing this time. Use your weapons, use your abilities, and anything else you can think of. We are going to take down everyone involved in this.” Everyone was nodding their agreement. There was a fierceness building in all of their expressions. We were ready. Ready for battle. “We head out in fifteen minutes. I have a stash of weapons in my bedroom if anyone wants or needs something. Liam, get ready to track Theodore.”
I headed back to my bedroom. I could feel curious eyes at my back and turned to find everyone following me. Colton and Nicholai were grinning at each other. They knew my “stash” would not be what the others expected.
Wherever I lived, I always had hidden compartments and things of that nature. I walked to my bed and reached for the bottom of the headboard—for a button no one could find unless they knew it was there. We have angels dedicated to staying ahead of all the latest technology. We called them tech wizards. It was just a funny nickname someone called them, and it caught on. The great thing about the tech wizards is that they keep all of their assignments confidential. Even the Angels of Decision and elders do not have the authority to make them spill their secrets, because it was mostly undercover angels that benefited from the tech wizards and they could not jeopardize a case without just cause. Mix technology with our infusers and you get some pretty cool gadgets. I mostly stayed old school, except for when it came to securing my home.
The button on the bottom of the headboard was completely flush with the rest of the headboard. There were was nothing that stuck out or sunk in. It even matched perfectly. Someone could take apart my bed and examine the headboard and they would have no idea there was a secret button that could only be activated by my fingerprint. If Colton and I were still together, his would have been the only other fingerprint that could have activated it.
To the others, it probably looked like I was reaching for something that fell behind the mattress. I placed my fingertip against the camouflaged switch and watched the warriors’ mouths drop. I suppressed the chuckle that was fighting to break through at the looks on their faces. The bed shook slightly for a moment, but other than that, there was no sound as the wall behind the headboard moved back and slid to the left out of sight, revealing my secret sanctuary. I think maybe they expected a wall with a small selection of weaponry, but that is not what they got. It was like a straight-up toy store for assassins.
“I secretly bought the condo next door.” I grinned. “Evangelina put it under a different name so no one would know. Aside from her and the tech wizard that helped me make the necessary adjustments, you guys are the only other people that know about this.”
Liam and Olivia were still sporting wow faces. Talon looked thoroughly enthralled. Colton and Nicholai were smiling as they talked among themselves, obviously impressed. I’d always had an admirable secret weapon stash, but this definitely put all of them to shame.
“I’m sorry all this was necessary,” Colton said, joining my side. “I left you out here with no one to watch your back.”
I looked at him but couldn’t find the words to say.
“Help yourselves to anything except for the things in the glass case. Those are only to be touched by my hands,” I said to everyone. Many of the things in the case were special weapons that were actually made for me and would hurt anyone else that tried to use them. The other weapons in it held sentimental value, passed on to me from fallen warriors or elder warriors. In the center of the case was a long, lean sword.
They made their way in, looking around in awe. “It’s like a weapon museum in here,” Liam admired.
I grinned as he looked around like a kid in a candy shop. “I renovated the entire thing. It’s my weapon room slash safe house. It is completely soundproof. No one can emerge here, except for me. The kitchen is always fully stocked. The back of the condo, the bedrooms and bathrooms, are just like my condo. Although there are more hidden weapon compartments in my actual apartment, I thought it would be a good idea to have a safe house in case I ever got into trouble working alone or if someone needed a place to hide.”
I felt the guilt seeping off Colton, but I avoided his eyes. I hadn’t intended it to be directed at him, but he was partly the reason. His fall had shaken me and made me feel like nothing and no one was safe. I was surprised to feel guilt coming from Nicholai as well. We still had a strong connection, though it was not solid as it was before Lori’s death. I felt his guilt over abandoning me. We all lost Lorileigh. Then Nich and I lost Colton and then Nich disappeared. He felt like a failure.
I went to him. I grabbed his hands and laid my head against his heart. I didn’t speak. This was a personal moment. I opened up my emotions to him and let him feel everything I felt for him. I let him feel the love I held for him and that it had not ever changed or lessened. I let him feel the guilt I felt for being relieved when he went his own way. I was relieved, and if he had not left, I am sure it would have been me instead. It was too painful a reminder of all that we had lost. When only the two of us were left in our group, the pain stayed raw. It was a constant reminder of the good days and it left us both feeling hollow. Though we went our separate ways, my love for Nicholai never faltered; it just hurt too much to be near him. The constant reminder of what we lost was too much to bear.
Nicholai wrapped his arms around me tightly and rested his check against the top of my head. He sighed but did not speak. We let our emotions do the speaking for us. I felt his gratitude, and he showed me he felt the same way. The loss was too much, and he needed to escape the daily reminders.
Lost in the tender moment with Nicholai, I forgot that were not alone. I also forgot that Colton was linked to us and could feel every emotion we shared. He came to Nicholai and me and put an arm around each of us. I felt his own emotions flood through me: he missed us so much, missed our group, but the death of Lorileigh was the beginning of his descent from goodness. It left him hollow. He never forgave himself for being the one that survived. He carried that with him always—even still. He was filled with guilt. Guilt for Lori, for abandoning Nich and me, and for the pain he caused me. There was so much guilt and it consumed him. It weighed him down like an uncontrollable ocean beating him down for eternity. On the inside, Colton was in just as much pain as Nich and I were. Perhaps even more.
There was something else I felt too: a sense that he had chosen to embrace the pain instead of fighting it. It felt like he was determined to do whatever it took to show us that he would never let us down again. He knew he could never right his wrongs, but he would rebuild the broken bonds between us no matter what the cost or how long it took. The bond between us might be slightly cracked, but it was not severed. We might have gone our separate ways, and Colton might have fallen, but as we held onto each other so tightly, I felt so strongly that he was back for good. When Colton was determined, not even death could dissuade him. In the arms of both Colton and Nicholai, I felt whole for the first time since Lorileigh’s death.
It was like we had come full circle. Only this time, Sloan would die by one of our hands. If I had to fall from grace to make it happen, so be it.
Chapter Twenty-One
The others attempted to give Colton, Nicholai, and me privacy while we embraced. When we released each other, they were some distance away handling the weapons. The six of us each went about our business, arming ourselves to the max. Preparing for the unknown required uninterrupted focus and consideration. It is bizarre, but somehow whatever it is that makes us warriors also helps to tell our bodies what weapons we will need—we just have to learn how to listen. In a way, choosing a weapon is a very personal thing. You are choosing the item that could be the only thing between you and certain death. Picking out a weapon that could potentially be the only thing you carry with you to your death is almost ceremonial. It is a private ritual that requires much concentration and respect. So aside from the occasional question or historical fact about a weapon, the room was hushed.
We each have a usual set of weapons that we never leave home without. For me, it was my bow, sword, blood-infused daggers, two short blade relics, expanding spear, and a few other pieces. Today, I added a few extra items. I grabbed some holy-water grenades, inspired by the humans many years ago. I also grabbed a few more blades and I loaded up on specially blessed arrows. The arrows would act similarly to how the demon relics affected us.
I walked over to the glass case that I’d said was off limits to anyone but myself. The last two items I wanted to have on me were there. The first was the whip that Olivia gave me. I put in there right after I took a shower when we rescued Theodore. I was unsure why I wanted to have it, but I trusted my gut. Slightly reluctant I reached into the case to pull it out with my right hand. As soon as my flesh met with the handle, it began to warm rapidly in my palm. It continued to heat until it was nearly hot but it did not burn. Instead, it felt comfortable. It then began to glow from the inside out. There was some serious power in it. I looked at Olivia, and when she saw that I chose the gift she had given to me, she looked happily stunned. I lifted it up, knowing that my face was expressing honest bewilderment. She smiled widely, probably the biggest and most real smile I had ever seen on her, as she shrugged her shoulders.
