The Bliss Drip

by Liddie Cain

  I didn’t know what to feel suddenly. In this time, in this body, Felix had my heart. But my mind was beginning to reconcile my life as Alidia just as much as Roz, and my heart knew that pain again. There had been no closure. It had been barely an hour between his betrayal to my immortal life coming to an end. Then he had blamed his arrogance for his actions while he arrogantly gave me no choice as he made his deal with Devina. But he was also here to save me if I could be saved.

  The Hecate Sphere still glowed across every limb. Remembering being an angel brought new knowledge, so looking at these glowing branches, I realized they were beech tree limbs and meant to bind me in. It would probably require Gloria’s death to release me if she was not willing to let me go.

  I felt a whisper of Brinna’s aura against mine and jerked upright with a sudden realization. Brinna was Ariel, the angelic mother of Felix and Darby. She was here to protect her children even though they did not remember her. Ariel, who had been like a second mother to me. She must have been watching over me and Darby our entire mortal lives.

  Then I felt Mac. My breath broke into a sob as I searched the room for him. He had to be close for me to feel him through these powerful wards.

  I found Brinna first. She looked the same as she had in my childhood as Alidia and I realized that I would no longer think of her as Brinna, but Ariel. She had come prepared to battle. Her sword was extended in front of her as she marched to Gloria.

  “Kneel,” was her simple command, which Gloria obeyed. The human wouldn’t know that Ariel would not be able to strike her down unless certain circumstances allowed it. Mac crossed the room then, and I reached through the holes in the bottom of the sphere. He leaped and grabbed onto the side, making it sway. I stood and found his face through another hole and gave him a swift but hard kiss. He threaded his arms through and cupped my cheeks, wiping away the tears that were streaming there.

  “I’m gonna get you home, okay?”

  “Either Gloria will have to let me out or you will have to kill her,” I whispered.

  He grinned at me. “Leaning toward killing her after the last twenty-four hours I’ve been through. How about you?”

  I laughed through my tears and nodded, rubbing my cheeks against his palms. “No objections from me.”

  “Don’t watch.”

  Ariel, overhearing us, had to give her a choice, though. “Release Roz or die by the vampire.”

  Mac landed on the floor in front of her. She stayed kneeling and simply responded, “Either way, I am dead.”

  Ariel lowered her sword. “No, my child, I will protect you if Rozalyn is set free.”

  “You are an angel?”

  Ariel nodded once.

  Gloria thought for another moment. Then she looked at Mac and pointed at the chair. “Lower it down.”

  Mac did so quickly. Gloria steadied the sphere as it made it to the floor. Then in much the same way she bound me in, she ran her hand over the branches while quickly whispering a chant. Once the spell was broken, the wood stopped shining and Mac was able to pull it apart. He didn’t even give me time to move; he immediately had me in his arms. I held onto his neck as tightly as I could, my heart overflowing with joy. When I opened my eyes and looked across his shoulder, I whispered, “Ariel.”

  Her eyes widened. “You remember now.”

  Mac reluctantly let me go, and I rushed into her arms. My childhood had been full of these hugs. Many angelic families chose to raise their offspring on Earth since it was normally the lower-ranking angels and they spend most of their time there. Ariel and Eziel had left their heavenly posts so that Cyrus and Naomi could be around other angel children. I had been in and out of their house as much as I had been in my own in the seaside village where we lived. They lost them both in that one day.

  “I’m so sorry.”

  “Shhh. No time right now. Monroe returns, and Felix will follow.” Then with a look to Gloria, she added, “Go now. Leave this place.” Gloria wisely did as she was told.

  Ariel pulled me up against her and folded her wings around the both of us, protecting me and covering my nudity.

  Mac was looking at us in confusion, but Monroe did walk back into the room then. Diana had begun to stir, and Tate came in from the opposite side behind us.

  “Your guardian angel appears,” Monroe drawled out then looked more directly at Ariel. “Does he know?”

  “No.”

  Diana got back to her feet and went to stand beside Monroe. As he watched her, Ariel whispered in my ear, “I am going to block Felix from your mind. Your thoughts will distract him.”

  A moment later, Felix stepped across the wards of the house, and I could feel his aura but not his mind. Monroe was already gathering his power, and Ariel backed us as far away as we could go. Tate made a leap toward us after a signal from his master. Mac was in the midst of turning to intercept him when Ariel tucked my head under her wing and opened her mouth and let out a piercing war cry. That warm spring breeze power soothed its way across me as a holy light shone from her eyes and her mouth. It pierced through Tate. He didn’t even know what was happening before he turned instantly to dust. It rained to the floor in silence when Ariel stopped.

  Mac had an astonished expression on his face when I peeked up over her wing to look at him. Ariel just regarded him with that normal angelic neutral expression and pointed his attention back to Monroe. He got a hold of himself and turned back to face the archdemon.

  Felix stepped through the doorway beside us just as Tate died. He was already glowing in his demon form, but he made sure to find my face. Monroe used the distraction to attack. Diana and Daniel were behind him, but immobile with their eyes rolled back in their heads as Monroe channeled their demonic energy into himself. It had brightened his own glow, showing that his power matched Felix’s.

  The power knocked Felix backward, but he regained the ground and launched his own attack. Monroe took the hit but was able to deflect some of it back onto Diana and the incubus. I grabbed Ariel’s hand. I knew she would be unable to join this fight without putting herself in danger of falling.

  Every direct hit on Felix visibly made him stumble. Even though he could deal the same amount of damage back to Monroe, the other archdemon was not suffering because he was sacrificing the other two to survive. Something was going to have to change to swing things in Felix’s favor. I looked at Ariel desperately, and she shook her head.

  Mac had moved to stand in front of me, aching to join the fight but having no way to help, and it made me have an idea. I reached out and grabbed his arm.

  When he looked at me, I pulled him closer and whispered, “Feed from me.”

  He immediately shook his head. “I don’t have enough control. I’ll kill you.”

  Felix was knocked down and held down this time. Although he didn’t make a sound, I could tell that whatever happening was painful. He struggled to break the hold that Monroe’s power had on him. Mac couldn’t stand it anymore and ran over to grab Felix’s arm. Some of the attack flowed over onto him, and he started to violently shake. It gave Felix the moment he needed to regain his feet and launch a visible lightning bolt across the room. It struck the three of them, and Monroe was momentarily dazed.

  Felix shoved Mac back over to me. “You’ll get killed!” he barked then dashed halfway across the room to make his next attack closer to Monroe.

  I grabbed Mac and jerked him around to face me. “You know he cannot win alone. Feed from me. You’ll be able to help.”

  He started to shake his head but Ariel reassured him. “I’ll protect her from you if I need to.”

  He looked at me and her intently. When he realized it was the only choice, he muttered, “Shit.”

  Felix went tumbling to the ground again. Mac grabbed my head and jerked my neck up to his mouth. His fangs pierced my skin, and there was no time to make it pleasant. It hurt and I whimpered. My blood flowed up into his mouth, and he gripped me harder, insistent on draining me. I talked to him, my voi
ce right against his ear. “It hurts, Mac.”

  That feral instinct drained out of him in a blink. He pulled his mouth away from me and inhaled deeply as his power swirled up inside of him. He had taken more than he ever had, and I felt light headed. My naked body was still pressed against him. He laid his hand over the demon mark that Felix had left me. Then I felt pain there. It surprised me, and I tried to pull away, but he held me firmly until he made his own mark to intertwine with Felix’s.

  He growled, “Mine, Dove. You’re mine.” Then he gently handed me back into Ariel’s protective cocoon in her wings.

  Felix was fighting to gain his feet, his hands in front of him as he cast power back against Monroe’s. Mac joined him faster than I could see. Mac looked back at me, and I felt both of the demon marks at my side start to resonate, suddenly understanding why he did it. He had joined himself to Felix through me.

  Felix sprang to his feet. With the two of them together, they shoved a huge wave of power at Monroe. It knocked him back. Diana fell to the ground lifeless. Daniel followed a moment later. Now Monroe stood alone against Felix and Mac, fueled by my blood, which kept a drip of immortality Monroe had forced me to remember in it.

  They charged him. It was a blur of movement that I couldn’t follow; lightning surrounded them, and inhuman sounds of explosions echoed around us. Then Mac stood with his hand on Monroe’s throat, lifting him off of his feet. I felt those demon marks grow hot. Mac shoved Monroe against the wall, and Felix sunk his fist into the other man’s side. It pierced into his body, sinking through the skin with a nauseating sucking sound, and Monroe let out a yell of frustration before looking at Felix’s face.

  “You are the reason Devina got her throne. But she didn’t make you, Felix.”

  Felix hesitated, his hand already holding Monroe’s heart. Monroe looked across the room at us. “The one who gave you life stands over there protecting your love.”

  I watched the suspicion cross Felix’s face, but he would not break his concentration from Monroe.

  “Save it Monroe. Even if you swayed my allegiance you still would have to die. Devina would start asking questions if I didn’t deliver your soul back to her.”

  “Then deliver my soul to her, but know that what I say to you is the truth. You existed before your early days as Devina’s Thrasher. The angel can tell you most of it, but listen to me before you bring my death. Devina made mistakes and destroyed two families, covering it up so she could keep you. She kept your love away from you for centuries; I only kept her for a couple of days.”

  Felix did spare a glance at me and Ariel in that moment. Ariel, who he still knew as Brinna, nodded to confirm Monroe’s words. His shock and confusion was obvious. Mac reached over with his free hand to touch Felix’s shoulder. “You still have to deliver Monroe now.”

  Felix recovered somewhat and looked at Monroe. “If what you say is true, then I will consider recovering your soul if you pledge to not bring harm to me or mine anymore.”

  Monroe immediately nodded. “Pledged.”

  With that promise, Felix ended his earthly existence. Mac let Monroe’s body fall to the floor, where it burst into flame, turning to dust and seeping back down into the ground. I started walking to them at the same moment they both turned and walked toward me. The three of us embraced tightly, one of my arms around both of their necks.

  Ariel dropped the mental wall she had used to keep them out of my mind, and I felt that connection with Felix snap back into place. He inhaled with relief at first. But as I stepped away and Ariel handed me a pair of my shorts and a shirt to put on that she had brought with her, he picked up on me not thinking of her as Brinna.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, reaching up and stroking my cheek.

  I was trying to be careful about where my thoughts led, but it was impossible not to see his face as Cyrus. He frowned because he didn’t understand. I took a step backward. It was so much information, and it was all so new. I didn’t know what I felt about him. The hurt expression on his face cut right through me.

  “I’m not hurt,” I finally whispered.

  “Why are you thinking of Brinna by the name Ariel?”

  Ariel laid her hand on my shoulder, nodding at me. I held my hand out to Mac, and he stepped forward to take it. Now that he had also laid his own mark on my skin, I could feel his connection, too. I went through the memories of my life as Alidia. They played like a short film in my head. And when Felix realized I was seeing him as Cyrus betray me, he took a step farther back from me and shook his head. I showed them Devina and the deals she tried to strike with us. I showed Felix that the angel beside me was his mother. My lip was trembling by the time my memories ended, realizing now I was showing Felix how he had fallen into being Devina’s favorite soldier.

  But his first question was about us, “You don’t know what to feel about me now.”

  I shook my head because I didn’t trust my voice.

  “Rozalyn, I have no memories of any of this. I only know that who I am right now, I would never betray you like that.”

  Ariel still had her hand on my shoulder, and I grew a little embarrassed to talk about it in front of her. He caught that thought and sighed, dropping the conversation for now, and turned his attention to Ariel.

  “I wish I could remember.”

  He stepped over to her and wrapped his arms around her. Angels were masters at concealing their thoughts and expressions, but her face showed her relief and her love in that moment. She held her son in her arms again after centuries of denial. “I can give your memory back to you.”

  She pulled back to look him in the eyes. “I haven’t because it means that I will give you back that pain.”

  “So you’ve just watched over me and Darby from afar, because remembering you meant that we would remember the day we fell,” Felix said.

  “Oh, Ariel.” I whispered as I watched her face, my heart hurting for her.

  “I couldn’t do that to you. Then I couldn’t find Darby until she was being reborn, and it wasn’t the best family. I knew she would have enough to deal with. All I could do was pick the right family for Roz and make sure they would find each other.”

  That made me smile. “You picked my parents?”

  “Yes.” She smiled back at me. “And they were just what I hoped they would be. They were wonderful to you, and they took Darby in like a second daughter.”

  “What about my other parents?”

  Ariel’s face quickly switched back to neutral.

  “And Felix’s dad?” Mac asked.

  “Monroe did not lie. Devina had to go to great lengths to conceal her mistakes and keep Felix.”

  I was picturing my angelic parents and Felix’s dad as she spoke of them, not realizing that Felix would also see their faces. He suddenly went to his knees. His face showed shock. “She had me imprison my own father.”

  Ariel knelt down in front of him. “He lives, though. Azrael and Hanna are with him.”

  He examined her face, recognition lighting his eyes. “I remember you. I thought Devina killed you.”

  “So did she. Eziel transformed me to fool her and restored me before you captured them. Devina never saw, and you were too wrapped up to notice. I hid among the heavenly hosts with another name. We waited for the day that she would release your sister.”

  Mac pulled me up against his side. “We need to stop talking here before someone shows up to listen.” He placed a kiss against my forehead.

  “Let’s get you home, Dove.”

  “Yes, please.”

  ***

  Felix, Mac and I transported to Mac’s bedroom alone. I wanted Felix close, but I wasn’t ready to have the same level of relationship with him. I knew he wanted to pull me into his arms to kiss me. He wanted physical reassurance after we had been apart. But that hurt was still in my heart even if it was centuries old, and he gave me the space. Mac, now linked to us both, was troubled by it.

  “I’m beginning to regret the mark I m
ade on you.”

  I hadn’t looked at it yet, so I walked into the bathroom to pull my shirt up. Felix’s mark was still there on my ribs, two rhombi sitting one on top of the other with a straight line through the middle of them. Now, along the line on the front where it stretched under my breast, there were three circles that the line right through the middle of. They were only the size of a nickel.

  Mac and Felix were talking, and I had not been given a chance to bathe while I had been captured, so I went ahead and took a quick shower. When I left the bathroom after getting dressed and drying my hair, Mac was gone, and Ariel was there with Felix. He turned to look at me, “I’ve asked Ariel to unlock my memory.”

  I sank down on the bed, not knowing how to respond. There was part of me that very much wanted him to remember our past life together and to know his family. Then there was an equally large part of me that did not want him to feel the pain that I knew or chance that he would become the one who betrayed me again. He needed this to be able to save his father and my angelic parents, so I nodded.

  That sweet summer breeze flowed across my skin as Ariel stirred her powers. She laid her hands on either side of his cheeks and closed her eyes. Felix’s human facade dropped momentarily, his fire ember form contrasting against Ariel’s holy glow. The connection between our minds faded, likely on purpose by Ariel to give Felix a moment to adjust. He inhaled deeply as Ariel finished, dropping her hands away. Before her hands could reach her side he had stood and taken her into his arms for a hug. Tears instantly sprang into my eyes because I could only imagine what Ariel was feeling after centuries of waiting for her boy to hug her as only a son could.

  “I’m sorry, I ruined everything,” he whispered to her.

  “My child, even angels are not perfect. You made a mistake, and Devina is at fault for exploiting it.”

  He hugged her a moment more before turning to look over at me. His expression devastated me. There was such raw pain and regret. I knew in that instant that he was no longer the Felix that had fallen in love with me, just as I was no longer the person I was the day I met him. A sob escaped me, and he did not move from where he stood beside Ariel.