Wicked Revelations and Brimstone (Legacy of Sins Book 2)
Page 21
“Neither do we,” Jayson growled. He marched forward, stowing the sword away so he could hold onto me.
Where the heck did it go? Some magical dimension until he needed it?
Jayson suddenly tensed. I looked over my shoulder at the heavy iron door standing in front of us.
Acid curled my stomach. The pits were on the other side. I could already hear the howls in the distance.
“Are you ready?” he whispered.
Nope. “Sure.”
He yanked open the massive door, a loud creak resonating.
Agonizing cries bellowed inside the vast cave. Pain lanced through my skull, and tears instantly sprung into my eyes.
But that wasn’t the worst part.
A dozen or more fallen angels floated near the flaming stalactites dripping brimstone.
Oh frack. I’d forgotten about the raining stones of fire. “Jayson, we’re going to get burned.”
“We won’t.” Warmth pulsated from his body and not the overpowering kind that came from Astaroth. The fuzzy outline I occasionally saw around him and the others appeared, growing larger. His wings of light materialized, surrounding us in a cocoon.
My breath hitched. I’d only seen them once, and I’d been pretty out of it. Now, I could hardly take my eyes off them. It was like looking at the sun without the burning pain.
Jayson was magnificent. Maybe Astaroth had lied to me. How could any amount of darkness in him ever overshadow this heavenly light?
Hisses echoed, snapping me out of my awe. Some of the Fallen peeled away into the shadows to escape Jayson’s light. A few remained. One of them was Leliel.
Jayson took off, sprinting down the thin bridge. The falling brimstone bounced off his halo and wings of light. I couldn’t stop my gaze from traveling to the burning pits below. Souls writhed in agony, a roiling mass of torment.
I clung tighter to Jayson. His iridescent shield tampered the effect of their torture. Tears still blurred my vision, but I didn’t feel like collapsing into a ball.
“We’re almost there,” Jayson whispered, his pulse steady despite the chaos around us. And then he skidded to a stop.
I glanced over my shoulder. Leliel had descended onto the bridge, blocking our path.
“Move, Leliel. Or I will move you,” Jayson warned.
He seemed to know a lot of the Fallen by name.
“You can leave, but I can’t let the little avis go.” She was practically drooling. “Raziel stopped me from playing with her earlier. I won’t let her go again.”
The bridge shook as Allocen landed behind Jayson. “And when my sister is finished, I want her. Lena will make a beautiful Shadow Nephil with me.”
My skin crawled. “I think I just threw up in my mouth.”
Tremors spilled through Jayson’s body, and he swiveled around, facing Allocen. “Touch her, and I’ll send you to the bottom of the pits to be tortured by Lucifer himself.” He whipped out his father’s sword again, and flames seared across the edges.
Crimson spilled into Allocen’s emerald eyes, tainting his angelic features. “You think that frightens me, boy? Your father’s sword lit with hellfire?”
A dark, humorless smile curled Jayson’s lips. “Nithael’s sword was made from the same fire that created Hell. Not even Lucifer can withstand those flames.”
Leilel’s eerie laugh spilled ice down my back. “You can’t fight us both and protect your little human.”
My heart jumped into my throat, danger dangling just over the horizon. Wind whipped as the two Fallen charged us.
Holy snickerdoodles. We were totally screwed.
Another Fallen dove from the ceiling and yanked Allocen back while Jayson sliced at Leliel with his sword. She screamed as the flames singed her flesh.
“Get off of me!” Allocen struggled with Raziel in the air.
“Our brother Astaroth told us to leave her alone.” His thick arms tightened, veins popping in his neck. “Do you have no loyalty?”
The golden-haired fallen angel bared his teeth. “Astaroth has been cut down by Nithael. Don’t you want vengeance?”
Raziel’s laughter rang out. “This isn’t vengeance. You’re bored and want to play. You riled our brothers and sisters up for no reason.”
“Help me,” Allocen yelled to his siblings hanging in the air.
Three zoomed down, straight for Raziel.
His chin jerked toward the door. “Go now!”
Jayson ran forward, slicing the sword at Leliel again. She flew back, snarling.
He didn’t stop. He sprinted across the narrow bridge, brimstone raining, souls howling, and Fallen battling.
Leliel yelled at the others in another language. Whatever she’d said lit a fire under their asses. Black leathery wings extended from her back, and she rocketed toward us, followed by an angry group of Fallen.
My fingers dug into Jayson's shoulders, my breaths coming in fast, erratic pants. We made it to the other end of the bridge. He barely paused as he yanked the door open. Before it could close, Leliel burst through, flying after us. Two more Fallen remained behind her.
Sweat coated my body. My grip on Jayson slipped.
“Don’t let go,” he barked. “We’re almost there.”
I clenched my legs around him. We had one thing on our side. These were Fallen and not demons. They couldn’t cross into our world. All we had to do was make it through the gate.
Watching the angels race after us—their eyes crimson as blood and leathery onyx wings frantically beating—was something out of a nightmare. The heat radiating from them choked me. Their fury bounced against the jagged stone walls.
The air lightened as we headed up, nearing the gate. How could Jayson outrun them, especially carrying me?
“Hold on!” Foreign words burst from his mouth. A fiery, metallic scent spilled around us, filling my lungs.
Leliel reached for me, her long, pale fingers brushing my cheeks.
A blast of cold air hit my skin as we stumbled out and fell into a patch of thick grass. The hole in the iron door of the mausoleum began to knit back together. Leliel’s burning stare skewered me as the gate closed.
Her parting look of hatred would forever haunt my dreams.
Jayson’s chest heaved, his breaths uneven and loud. Sweat clung to his face, dampening his hair.
We laid on the cold cemetery ground for several moments, the stars bright in the pitch-black sky.
Holy crapola. We made it.
Jayson rolled over, his hand gently gliding over my cheek. His wings of light and halo had disappeared. So had Nithael’s sword. “Are you okay?”
“I think so.” I’d been through hell and back, literally, and I was still in one piece.
Jayson pressed a rough kiss to my lips, tasting better than chocolate cake. “Don’t ever scare me like that again, Angel Eyes.”
I breathed in his salty ocean scent, reveling in his presence. “I’ll try.”
As much as I wanted to stay in this cocoon of warmth and safety, the events of the past few hours came raining down like brimstone. I pulled away. “I know why Astaroth wants the totems and me.”
Jayson’s jaw flexed, and a flash of darkness swam through his eyes. This particular Fallen was a touchy subject for him. At least I knew why. Unfortunately, what I had to say wasn’t going to give him any warm and fuzzies.
How could I tell my boyfriend—my soul mate—I’d been created for someone else?
With a rumbling sigh, Jayson sat up, pulling me with him. “Go ahead.”
I ran my hand through my hair, attempting to tame the tangled mess. “He wants to free the Fallen.” Images of them chasing us sped through my mind, making my stomach tighten. A shiver wracked my body. Hell on Earth had a new—and very realistic—meaning. “They’ll be able to cross into this world in their angelic form.”
Jayson’s brows dipped, and he looked away, his gaze pensive. He silently stared out into the cemetery.
Was he imagining all the horrific even
ts that could occur if those leathery-winged creatures descended on our world?
Chaos. And destruction. That could be our future.
Jayson finally turned back to me, shaking his head. “It doesn’t matter what Astaroth wants. He’s trapped in Hell now, stripped of his angelic power. The demons won’t follow him without that power.”
I shot him an incredulous expression. “You think it’s that simple? Astaroth has been de-angelfied, and he’s just going to give up on his diabolical plan?” The blue-eyed Fallen didn’t strike me as the type to give up easily—or ever. He’d been working toward freeing his fallen family for who knew how long.
Jayson shrugged his broad shoulders. “It doesn’t matter how bad he wants it. It’s out of his reach now. End of story.”
I leaned back on my hands, watching my soul mate. Deep down, he knew his words were only wishful thinking.
But Astaroth wasn’t our only problem. I had to face who I was, Eve from the Garden of Eden. Also, I’d eaten the forbidden fruit. What effect would it have on me in this lifetime?
“What else is there, Lena?” Jayson’s rough voice snapped me out of my ominous thoughts.
My stomach clenched. Not one drop of moisture remained in my mouth. “I know why I’m seeing the dwellers’ sins.” A shiver tattooed my spine as the visions tried to surface. “I know why I’m the one Astaroth needs.”
Jayson scooted closer, his body warming mine. But it couldn’t take away this chill that had settled in my bones.
My fingers absentmindedly plucked at a blade of grass. “I’m connected to their sins—to all sin really.” I licked my dry, cold lips. “I created original sin.”
He blinked, his head tilting to the side. “I don’t understand. Eve ate the nefa from the tree of knowledge, creating sin.”
Fracken A. I wanted to hurl. “I am Eve.”
Jayson stared at me for a long time as all the pieces fell together. Not a sound permeated the cemetery. Thick silence prevailed, spinning a wall of doubt between us.
Did he regret connecting our souls?
“That—I wasn’t expecting anything like that.” His voice was quiet, a faint whisper on the wind.
If I could take back this knowledge, I would.
A mocking laugh resonated through my mind. I probably thought the exact same thing as Eve after eating the fruit in the Garden of Eden.
Was I doomed to keep making the same mistakes?
“What about Adam?” Jayson’s gaze wouldn’t meet mine. He stared out into the darkness, his mind no doubt drumming up the worst scenarios possible.
“We’re cursed,” I said, rubbing the tightness from my chest with the heel of my palm. “We’ll never be born in the same life or if we are, our ages are too far apart.” I swallowed the sour taste trying to ooze up my throat. “Adam doesn’t matter. I’m not Eve now. I’m me. And my soul is tied to yours.”
Jayson dragged his fingers through his hair, pulling at the roots. He nodded before finally looking at me. His eyes were soft, but shadows had melted over them. “You’re right. You’re not Eve anymore. And none of this matters. Astaroth can’t use you, and we’ll deal with these visions. We’ll figure out a way to stop them.”
If only it were that simple.
I choked back the tears trying to break free. Astaroth’s words as I ate the nefa replayed through my ears.
The knowledge of good and evil is now inside you. You will know sin as well as you know your own mind. It’s your burden and your gift.
I’d eaten the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil once again. I altered something inside of me. And this was far from over.
To be continued…
New temptations arise for Lena and Jayson. Can either one of them escape Hell’s clutches unscathed?
My Nephilim soul mate is hanging with the dark side. My abilities are out of control. And Hell’s temptations lurk around every corner. Why can’t someone else be the key to unleashing evil?
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An evil spirit is stalking me. A mysterious guy with a wicked Irish accent wants my heart. And there’s a cage in Hell waiting to trap my soul.
Welcome to my summer vacation in Mystic Hollow…
I’m Cass—not Cassie or Cassandra—and I knew spending two months in some crap town with no friends was going to be torture. And I was right. Literally. Being haunted by a vengeful ghost is serious torment.
Only, this chick is no ghost. She’s much worse.
And Seth McKenna is more trouble than I can handle.
I want nothing to do with the ridiculously hot half-angel. But when I’m nearly killed, Seth decides to become my bodyguard. And I’m finding it difficult to keep my hands to myself.
Now my soul isn’t the only thing on the line. Seth could very well shatter my heart while saving me from an eternity of torment in Hell.
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Read more from J.N. Colon
THE IRON SERIES
Blood In Iron
Badly In Blood
Blood Lies
Torn By Blood
Blood Shattered
HIDDEN CONDUIT SERIES
Voodoo Unleashed
Magic Untamed
Wicked Unveiled
THE VAMPIRE PROPHECY
Dark Fates
Dark Divide
Dark Oblivion
DIVINE DARKNESS
Dark Souls
Dark Sins
Dark Prophecy
Dark Goddess
SECRET SALEM
Stalked
Hunted
Haunted
Tormented
About the Author
USA Today Bestselling author J.N. Colon writes young adult and new adult paranormal romance and urban fantasy. She’s a bonified paranormal junkie, getting her fixes from books, television, and movies. Her favorite day of the year is Halloween, and she’s dying to go ghost hunting one day. Stop by her website and learn more about her and her books.
www.jncolon.com