His expression shifting from tense to irritated, Caspian replied with a cold tone. “Yeah, I ’m Caspian. Let ’s get one thing straight. I am no blood sucker. My family and I feed on animal and donated blood , as well as a synthetic blood my uncle created. So , no , I wouldn ’t call myself a blood—sucking demon. I ’d rather you use the term vampire instead.”
Michael didn’t care what Caspian had to say. He was half listening. He was there by order of Katherine and not by choice. “Yeah, whatever you say, ” he mutter ed under his breath.
“Look , I was told you could help my friend, but I ’m beginning to think that this Katherine was mistaken. Perhaps you are not the right one for this mission .”
“Don ’t worry. I have my orders , and I will fulfill them no matter how unhappy I am about it.”
“Then what is your problem?”
“My problem is….” Michael ’s eye s locked on Caspian ’s, but he couldn ’t give him an answer. His answer was too sacred to him . It was about his beloved Claudia—o ne topic he didn ’t want to discuss with a stranger, especially a demon he didn ’t know if he could trust. “Let ’s get to work.”
“Look, whatever it is that’s pissing you off, I suggest you leave it here. My family and friends don ’t need your attitude. We have an eighteen-year—old boy , a nephilim, who is scared for his life. He has a good heart and has every right to live. My family and friends are willing to fight against any evil to help this poor soul. We have a group of supernatural s that are in training and learning about all the evils in the world. Normally we fight other vampires and demons, but right now our biggest fight is with a group of angels called Ang elus Pugnators.”
“Just as I had suspected, ” Michael commented , wondering if Katherine knew. “Life isn ’t wonderful no matter where you are. All we can do is our best. I can help you. Now stop talking so we can get to work. The faster we take care of this matter the faster I can….” Michael d idn ’t want to tell Caspian what he had done . Ashamed, he didn ’t want to think about it anymore. He just wanted Claudia back.
“How do we help Benjami n?” Cas pian asked. The harsh wind slapped both of them, making them turn for a second. It gave Michael a chance to think about his question. Intuitively, Michael knew Benjamin was the angel that was under the protection of the Pierce family. Katherine had sent Michael to find Caspian , and now Michael understood the reasons why.
“The angel fighters know where to find him , so we have to throw them off his trail. Do you have someone that can do a cloaking spell? That way they won ’t find him. He will look different and his abilities can be hidden from them.”
“Yeah. We have witches that we work with ,” Caspian said.
“They will have to be some pretty powerful witches to pull off a cloaking spell, ” Michael said, thinking Caspian didn ’t have a clue. “I guess I ’m gonna have to help there too.” Michael rolled his eyes.
“Are the Magnificent Ones powerful enough for you?” Ca sp ian snapped .
“Magnificent One s ?” Michael was impressed that they worked with th at group of particular ly powerful witches he ’d heard about from Aden. “You work with the most powerful witches of this day and age ? Then it should all work out. You get that taken care of , and I will find you again.”
Before Caspian parted his lips to ask him when, the rush of wind from Michael’s departure knocked him off his feet , and he landed flat on his bottom in the snow. “What the hell ? It ’s nice to meet you too.” Cas pian regained his footing and dust ed the remain ing snow from his clothes. The only trace left of Michael was a single , white feather twirling to the ground.
Almost instinctively, Caspian grabbed the feather before it landed , only to shove it in his pocket before heading back down the trail. “Maybe I could use it to make a voodoo doll of Michael, ” he joked out loud to himself.
Chapter 3
The stained—glass windows that were once magnificent paintings of angels were shattered beyond recogni tion . Wooden pews were damaged and pulled out in th e back and the debris scattered on the floor. In front, a huge cr oss dangled from the ceiling above the center of a g ray , marble altar. To the left of the altar was a statue of the Virgin Mary, her palms clasped together . Countless candles were lit on the donation table , flickering and swaying with the light breeze. What was once a beautiful church was now abandon ed , only to become a shelter for stray animals and evil beings.
A helpless girl lay unconscious on top of t he altar. Her hands were bound above her head , and her legs were spread apart and tied to the altar’s base . Sandy—blonde , disheveled hair spread above a porcelain complexion that only belonged to the faces of God’s first angels and their descend a nts.
Little did the girl on the table kno w that a being had been following her for weeks. He ’d seized the opportunity to capture her at the right time , the day of Good Friday —also known as Black Friday. Black Friday was the day of the crucifix ion—the day of darkness. It was the one day out of the whole year that God turned his back on his beloved humans. No prayers could be heard or answered. It was the only time of the year when the dark shadows could be summoned , by sacrificing s omeone with a Holy Spirit ’s soul —so meone who was a virgin .
This poor, innocent girl had no idea why she had been captured. She didn ’t know angels and demons walked upon her world, let alone that she had a special soul. When she had got ten out of her car upon arriving at home , she was startled by the sight of a stranger. He stood in front of her, eyes narrowed like those of a lion observing its prey . Using his angelic power, he compelled her to fall asleep, and took her the abandoned church.
As she blinked her eyes open , her vision cleared to flick er ing candle lights. At fi rst she thought she was dreaming , but when she couldn ’t move her arms and legs, smelled the burning flames , and gazed up to see a man she didn ’t recognize, she knew she wasn ’t.
Icy coldness suddenly raced across her spine with bone chilling fingers . Frozen from fear, her h eart pounded so fast she thought it would burst. A black cape slightly covered the being ’s head , but she could see his eyes, the eyes that were marked with death. They were uncaring, filled with anger and revenge. His lips were scarlet red , as if they were stain ed with blood. Th e strange r was tall with broad shoulders , and his long fingers were thin and boney.
When he turned his back, she tried to wiggle out of her bonds , desperately trying to find a way to escape. Unable to break free , her p an ic increased a thousand fold. Knowing she might only have a few minutes to make a difference in whether she lived or died , she screamed, “Help!” But her voice was hoar se and hardly audible .
“Don ’t be frighte ned , my child, ” he said, breathing in the scent of flowers from her perfume and stroking her hair back as if he could calm her. “I promise i t will only hurt a second , and then you won ’t feel a thing , ” he whispered in her ear .
“Please…please let me go. I didn ’t do anything.” Her tone was desperate.
“Oh, my dear, of course you didn ’t, ” he replied . “Unfortunately, your father did , and now you have to face the consequences of his action s ; however, it worked toward my advantage.”
“What do you mean? My father is a doctor. Look…we have money. Just call him and he ’ll give you lots of it.”
He laughed out loud. “Silly girl. Money is not my desire.” He straightened her turquoise dress, running his hand down her long , smooth -shaven legs. “Too bad you have to be a virgin.” His smile was wicked with lustful thoughts , and the way he looked at her body made her skin crawl . She grimaced and jolted sideways from his touch.
“Then what do you want ? Name your price. I promise you ’ll get anything you want. Please...let me go, ” she sobbed.
He didn’t reply , focusing instead on his task. He paced to the other side of the alt a r , making her feel nervous as she tried to watch his every move. Guiding her head to turn, he brushed the nape of her small neck.
“What a
re you doing?” she cried, but he did not answer her. Instead he continued, o utlining her birthmark, the Omega sign that looked like an upside down horse shoe . When he turned away from her , s he sca nned the gloomy, ruin ed church, looking for a way out—anything. But when she saw the stranger holding a dagger he didn ’t have a second before , she knew her life would end today , and there was no hope .
Trembling and scared out of her mind , she begged for mercy. It was the only thing she could do. “Please ...please...I ’ll do anything you say. Let me go, ” she pleaded, pulling and tugging the rope that held her captive . It scraped and p roduced a burning sensation on her skin.
When every ounce of hope disappeared , all she could do was weep , knowing that she would never see her family and friends again . The life she ’d dream t of —to meet the man of her dreams and have a family she could call her own —had vanished too quickly. Kidnapping was something one hear d about in the news. Never had it cross ed her mind that it could happen to her. Why me ? she thought. What did I ever do to deserve this ? Knowing that today was her last da y on Earth , she closed her eyes and prayed for forgiveness and redemption .
The being showed no compassion for her sobbing ; instead , he restlessly looked at his watch. It was a minute before midnight. His eyes focused on her chest in the area above her heart , seeming to measure the distance. Without any time to waste, he raised his hands up to Heaven, looked up to the cross in front and said, “Beyond Heaven and Earth, where the souls of Earth angels lie. Take thy lamb and release the dark shado ws unto the night.”
As his wristwatch beeped to the stroke of midnight, he plunged the dagger right through her hear t . She gasped deeply . Her eyes burst open to see his proud , evil grin , and they continue d to stare eve n after her last breath. Crimson r ed liquid spread swift ly , soaking he r dress .
Maneuvering his right hand into the cu t, he yanked her heart out and held it gloriously in the palm of his hand. Blood seeped between his fingers and slithered down his arm. With both hands, he squeezed the liquid out of the heart into a cup that was half filled with holy water. “This is thy blood of the covenant. Whoever drinks thy blood has eternal life , and the lives of the dark shadows.” After he blessed it, he pressed it to his lips, closed his eye s, and drank , letting t he thick fluid flow down his throat .
Without warning, his body seized, jerking him around like a limp doll . Numerous candles were knocked to the ground. The building started to burn on contact, the flames rising high er and high er , spreading uncontrollably .
Thunder roared and lightning str uck right through the alt a r , breaki ng it in half. The being ’s head tilted back as his lips parted. A dark funnel of black smoke spiraled into his mouth from above , as if he was swallowing a mini tornado .
The dark shadow demons were now inside him . All he had to do was find some poor human souls and have th ese spirits enter through the ir weaken ed heart s ; but for now , he would let them be. He had a plan.
Opening his mouth again, he said, “Come to me , my children.” Smoke spiraled upward as it exited out of his mouth. The demons settled on the ground.
“Follow me, ” he ordered , proud of his creations . “You can call me...Master. No ...call me God.” Gliding down the aisle, t he shadows followed obediently, unmindful of the fire blazing around them as if hell had broken loose. As the blistering flames screamed behind him, sco rching and burning everything in sight, he strolled out with the creatures known as the dark shadows.
Earth angels were created to look after God ’s beloved humans , and a special council of Earth angels known as the Curators was formed. The Curators were different from the other Ea rth angels. Though they too had no wings, their powers were stronger than the Earth angels ’ were , but less so than the Twelve.
By protocol, the Curators ’ coun ci l m e t four times a year. There were one hu ndred members , each representing a state or a country. The meeting was held near Nubilus City, a meeting place created fo r Earth angels.
Callum stood tall behind the podium and straighten ed his white robe—a standard wardrobe , mandated for wear when the m e eting was held to show equality. He waited for the Curators to take their seats in a circular auditorium. Looking out into the vast sea of white, he exhaled sharply as their eyes waited for his explanation for this meeting.
Not wanting to be the bearer of bad news, he took a deep breath and spoke . “I ’ve called this emergency mee ting. A group of rebel Earth angels are taking matters into their own hands. They have already kill ed a special soul , a nd who knows how many more?”
A loud commotion erupted; Callum banged his gavel several times . Silence filled the room .
“Do yo u have any proof? And how many are there?” Mark from Australia shook his head in disapproval.
“I don ’t know how many there are , and I have no proof…only a word from someone I trust. He wish es to be anonymous . He has seen it with his own eyes.”
“What would you like for us to do ?” Venna from the Unit ed Kingdom asked .
“We need to go back to our own countries and inf orm the other Earth angels about them. Since it ’s nearly impossible to find the angels with the h oly s oul s , w e need to locate these rebels. They call themselves Angelus Pugnator s , otherwise known as angel fighters. I also believe they are working with someone powerful , and perhaps a few of us are aiding them .”
“This is outrageous. You are accusing one of the Curators?” Matthew from Italy blurted.
“They are angels themselves. How could they kill their own kind?” May from Ch ina questioned , he r eyes filled with rage.
“Perha ps…we should let them be ,” Luke from France said.
The room rang with their loud opinions .
Callum banged on the gavel. “Order! Order! Order!” The room finally quieted down. “We need to calm down. Luke , you ’d better have a good explanation for your comment.”
“These children with h oly s ouls are the cause of all these problems . You can ’t deny that there have been a lot more activities from the demons because of them. The Earth angels already have enough to deal w ith from these selfish, needy humans. Do we need to add on e more thing to their agenda ?”
“The Earth angels do not need to be concern ed with d emons. Katherine and her venators are deali ng with them, ” Callum interjected .
“Speaking of which, Claudia is one of them now , i s she not?” Christian from Spain asked.
“Yes. She has bravely killed Aliah. They are hoping she will be a gr eat asset to their venator team, ” Callum replied.
“I guess it was a good thing Lucy kept her a secret from the Royal Council. Perhaps she was a gift from them. Only angels with Holy Spirit souls can defeat God ’s first angels, ” Hae Jin from South Korea commented .
“I think not. Had they no t be en born, we wouldn ’t be in this mess. Aliah wouldn ’t have gone through all that trouble to escape from Between, ” Franklin from New York suggested.
“There is no point arguing about ‘what ifs.’ Let ’s ju st fix the problem, ” Callum spat .
“And what exactly is our problem? I say we do nothing and let the venato rs handle the Angelus Pungator…or whatever you call them, ” sneered Mejeani from South Africa.
“If we sit back and do nothing, you are washing your hands o f what you could ’ve avoided. You neve r know what they are capable of . There is great power in numbers. This may get out of hand , and this group of Earth angels may come back to haunt us, ” Callum retorted. “I ’m looking ahead . Again, I don ’t know who is ai ding them.”
“How do you know and what proof do you have that one of us may be aiding them?”
“We, the Curators, are the only ones who hold the knowledge on how to summon the dark shadows. What I ’m about to say is the truth. The dark shadows have been released, ” Callum informed them .
Loud gasps fil led the room , followed by dead silence .
“Why are we meeting here ?” Victor asked .
The abandon ed bro ken down building reeked with rottin g wood. The dust that had settled on top for many years covered the tables in a thin layer like snow, visible by the light that seeped through the cracks. Besides the several broken tables and piles of junk, it was empty.
“This is perfect. Nobody would be crazy enough to follow us in here, ” a young vis i tor said , her eyes sweeping t he perimeter . “You weren ’t followed , were you?”
“No. I made sure, ” he sn ee red , darting his eyes at his vis i tor , looking annoyed that she would question his ability to perform such a tedious task.
Approaching closer , she examined him. His hands were safely folded inside the pockets of his jeans whil e his cream T-shirt was untuck ed . His ash brown hair was comb ed back neatly and his coal black ey es were filled with questions . “I ’ve come in my father ’s place . I ’ve come to let you know, I ’ll be working with the venators. It will be easier to keep an eye on Claudia , especially now since she can ’t remember much. Poor soul .” She shook her head in mock sympathy . “Now that you ’ve seen my face, you ’ll know who I am.”
“Why would you want to mess with the venators? It will only get complicated.” Victor shifted his body weight to the right, pulling his hands out from the pockets, looking apprehensive as his muscles tighten ed .
“You have something against the venators?” She peered above him, gaz ing at the chipped painting and the cracked c eili ng , and wondered if it would collapse .
“Yeah…besides Katherine , there’s Austin. I ’ve never meet him, but I ’ve heard about him, ” he said, his eye s admiring th e curves of her feminine features and the way her hair natural ly flow ed with her gestures.
“Don ’t worry. You ’r e not dealing with him. I will be. And from what I ’ve heard, he is quite attractive.” Her brows lift ed with anticipation. “It ’s about time they find out who I am. I ’ve been waiting for my time of glory.”