He said, “I’ve missed you.”
That meant he knew we were … what? He’d seen us together.
“How do you know Lucia?” I demanded. My words came out slower than before. The ground shifted and turned, and my butt touched the scorching ground.
He chuckled, like I had told him a good joke. “Are you concerned for her? She is a thing of beauty. Maybe I’ll have her as a pet. Or maybe I’ll have my way with her and sell her to the Fallen. They will pluck her pretty white feathers one by one and give her pleasure and pain she has never felt before.”
“You’re a sick bastard. Don’t you dare touch her,” I roared, not sure if he’d heard me. Blood pumped in my ears, muffling every sound. I pushed back up on my knees, lifted my head, and swung my arms. The cuffs prevented me from moving any further. I had no idea what I was doing. The thought of Lucia in his hands left me utterly senseless. “You stay away from her. I swear I’ll kill you if it’s the last thing I do.”
He laughed again. “Silly boy. I believe your mother threatened me once, before she died.” He paused as if to recollect. “She said, ‘You stay away from my son. I swear I’ll kill you if it’s the last thing I do.’ And here we are right back to you. So you see, your threats are worthless, just like your mother’s.”
My vision blurred and unfocused into a black blob. “Cyrus?”
“No. I’m not Cyrus.” He sounded offended. “If you think Cyrus is much to fear, you should think again.”
“Cyrus killed my mother. I’m going to kill him first, and then I’ll rip out your heart.”
“Did he now? Are you certain?”
I hesitated. He could be lying. They all did. Mother had told me Fallen liked to talk a lot and plant false thoughts in your mind. I didn’t answer.
“You will learn the truth very soon. And when you do, you will learn your life was a lie.”
I coughed up blood and spat at him, but he stopped the motion in midair and my spit flung right back at me, pelting my cheek. Though my body started to heal from the injuries, the room started to spin faster. I needed to rest. “Whatever you say, I won’t believe you. So you might as well shut the hell up.”
Nope. I should have kept my mouth shut. One side of his wings came at me horizontally, trying to cut through my chest. I raised the cuffs in front of me, stopping him. At least the cuffs proved useful. The other wing darted through and cut my cheek. That freakin’ hurt. I dropped to the ground and crawled away from him. Crimson streaked the ground beneath me. When I was safe from the reach of his wings, I flipped over to my back.
My chest rose and fell as my panting breath escaped my mouth. I couldn’t move another inch, and my eyes refused to stay open. “That’s all you’ve got? Your pathetic wings are no match for me. I should show you what I can do,” I rambled weakly.
“You talk too much. While you take a nap, I’m going to visit your girlfriend.” Then he disappeared.
“No,” I breathed. “Lucia.”
I had no idea how long it would take me to heal. Calling upon my mother’s roots of air, water, earth, and fire, I said, “Adiuva me. Aer, aqua, terra, ignis… Mater.” Groaning, I placed my hand over the sunburst and whimpered. “Mater…help me.”
Chapter 2
Lucia
It had been a week since Eli had been taken from us, and a week since he had contacted me. He’d astral traveled to me in his demon form. He had coiled around me, showing me how much he cared and how he missed me. Cyrus had imprisoned Eli, and I couldn’t help but think about what that monster had done to him. Did Cyrus whip him? Torture his mind? Or worse, erase his memory? Oh God! Where are you Eli? Reach out to me. Help me to find you.
I couldn’t think of the pain losing him would bring. Finding Eli mattered most to me, so I had to push aside the ache, what Venators did best, and carry on. We had been trained to lock up our emotions, and that was what I had to do. There was another pressing matter as well. Cyrus had the clue to finding the second missing page of Jacques de Molay’s book, if he could figure it out.
“Lucia?”
I squinted from the sun when I turned to Brody. His hair lifted in the sudden breeze. Ruffling his hair back, he gazed at me, his bloodshot eyes concerned. I knew he hadn’t been sleeping well because my eyes looked like his.
“Hey, Lucia. Any word from your uncle?”
“No.” I slammed my locker shut. “But he should be back any day now. He said give or take three days, and it’s been three days. Walk with me?”
“Sure.” He sighed.
Uncle Davin told us not to follow him, and that he would be back after he checked on a lead on Eli’s whereabouts and visited Crossroads to explain the situation. I worried how the Divine Elders would take the news. I guessed it would depend on how Uncle Davin presented his worries and how much he would share.
Brody’s shoulders slumped. His backpack fell off his shoulder. I didn’t know how he kept it on his broad shoulders. It seemed so small for his big frame. He swung it back up with an agitated groan. He had lost his spunky, upbeat attitude when Eli had been captured. He wasn’t the only one. Half the student population, the supernatural side at least, seemed troubled and dazed. I didn’t blame them. For many of them, encountering Cyrus at the football field had taken away their bravery and courage, especially when they had seen what Cyrus would do to their kind.
“I haven’t seen Milani all week. Is she all right? Have you seen her?” I swallowed a lump down my throat, forcing myself to stop tearing up. Recalling the way she dropped to her knees and cried out in agonizing pain twisted the dagger already stabbing my heart.
Brody shrugged. “She’s handling it the best she can. Eli is all she has. I mean, she has me, but we get on each other’s nerves. She’s closer to Eli, but then again, so is everyone else. He’s got that charm. You know what I mean?”
“Yeah, I do.” I waved and smiled to a few human friends, pretending nothing had happened. The human students and staff were oblivious to the war brewing around them. They were the lucky ones.
We rounded the corner of the building and passed the football field. The football field had been a mess after the showdown with Cyrus. The grass had been lifted from the roots and the ground churned up as if hundreds of groundhogs had burrowed up to see their shadows. Uncle Davin made sure to have the football field back in order the very next day with help from the Elementum, including Milani.
“Lucia.”
I turned to the sound of my brother calling me. Wearing jeans and a T-shirt, he blended in with the humans well. Vanessa, on the other hand, wore a short skirt and a tight top to frame her upper body. Her outfits were always eye catching. Though he had no intention of being in a relationship with Vanessa, a Lamia like Brody, he allowed her to tag along wherever he went. To others, they could look like a couple.
“Hello, Vanessa.” I didn’t give her time to respond. “Zach. Everything all right?”
“Hey, Brody.” Zach tilted his head, the kind of nod guys did to greet each other, and then turned to me. “Did you get a text from Uncle Davin?”
“No, I haven’t had the chance to check the phone. It’s inside my backpack.”
Zach took out his phone from his back pocket and looked at the screen. “Uncle Davin is back. I’m sure you got the same message. He said not to go anywhere after school and to meet at home as soon as possible.”
“Do you think he found Mortem?” Brody’s eyes flashed amber for a split second before they turned back to green. I’d thought his sharp teeth would spring out.
“Who’s Mortem?” Vanessa spat, grimacing. “Mortem means death in Latin. Who would want to be named after—”
“Mortem is a dangerous fallen angel. He’s killed a friend of ours, and he has killed many good angels and humans.” Zach cut her off.
“Oh.” Vanessa’s eyes widened.
“Do you think Father will come?” I asked. As much as I wanted to see him, Father coming to Earth meant the situation had turned for the worse. And I
had no idea what Uncle Davin had found.
Zach placed his phone back. “I don’t know. If he were to come, I assume he’d tell us, at least telepathically.”
Vanessa wrung a strand of her blonde locks behind an ear, popping a bubble she’d just blown. “You can telepathically communicate with your father? That’s so cool. Can he read your thoughts too?”
I gripped my backpack strap. I didn’t want her to know. It wasn’t her business.
Me: We shouldn’t tell her.
Zachary: Why?
Me: I don’t trust her.
Zachary: You saw her. She fought with us.
Me: Doesn’t matter. She could be a spy.
Zachary: She’s my friend.
Me: I’m your sister. I don’t want her to know. Nobody knows.
Zachary: Fine
My stomach knotted. I didn’t want to tell him what to say or do, but I didn’t trust anyone, at least the ones outside of the Chosen Knights circle, as Jack liked to call us.
Brody cleared his throat, giving us a good excuse not to answer. “The bell is going to ring, Lucia.”
As if on cue, it rang.
“I’ll see you in class.” Zach marched past me with Vanessa by his side.
Zach and I adapted to high school well. The first week of school we stuck to each other like glue, uncertain and nervous, and slowly we began to make friends. And now, we felt a sense of belonging, especially since half the student population was supernatural.
A funny sound escaped Brody’s mouth, breaking me out of my thoughts.
“What’s so funny?” I snickered. Brody’s laugh was contagious.
Brody’s big strong frame threw me off at times. He was jovial, funny, and sweet like Uncle Davin—soft as a teddy bear.
“Your brother and Vanessa remind me of Ken and Barbie. They’re both beautiful and perfect. It’s kind of funny and sick at the same time.”
I tilted my head. “Sick?”
Brody’s lips twisted, trying not to laugh. “Sick also means cool.”
“Oh.” I took out my cell from my backpack, recalling Zach got a text from my uncle. Scrolling down, I came upon Uncle Davin’s text. He’d texted the same to me. “Hey, Brody. Check your messages. Did my uncle message you?”
Brody’s eyes widened. “Yes, he did. You think he messaged our team?”
“I have a feeling he did. When we see Jack during lunch, I’ll ask him.” I shoved my cell back and strode to class. Brody walked with me, and then he went down the other hallway.
Lunch couldn’t come soon enough. I half paid attention to the teachers and wasn’t sure if we had homework. It didn’t matter anyway. Once we found Eli’s whereabouts, we planned to rescue him first and then find the second page. School would be missed for many days thereafter.
“Lucia.”
Jack stood by the side of the cafeteria door, allowing others to enter first.
“Hi, Jack.”
He stuck his hands inside his jean pockets and smiled, his hazel eyes beaming. “Hey. How are you?” His dipped his head low. “Sorry. That was a silly question. Did Uncle Da…I mean Da…I mean, Mr. President contact you yet?”
I snorted and placed my hand on Jack’s arm. His arm felt different, a bulge under my palm. He had been working out, and his sword fighting training with me the past week helped. “You can call him Uncle Davin, and I’m fine. And I don’t think that was a silly question. You’re my friend and you care about me. You can ask me anything.”
Jack shuffled his feet and met my gaze, adjusting his glasses. “Thanks. But Mr. President will kill me if I call him Uncle Davin.”
“You think he’s scary? You haven’t met my father yet.” I pushed through the cafeteria door.
Jack gasped. “What? Your father? He’s coming?”
I picked up a tray and a plastic plate and began to pick out my lunch. After grabbing a turkey sandwich, an orange, and a water bottle, I turned to Jack in line next to me. “I’m not sure. It will depend on what Uncle Davin tells him and the Divine Elders.”
“Divine Elders?” Jack dumped a burrito and an apple on his plate. “They sound so ancient.”
I shrugged. “They are. They’ve been around since before man.”
“Wow. I can’t wait to meet your father, I think?”
Jack sat next to me while I sat next to Zach. Ever since the battle on the football field, fighting a common enemy had bonded the supernatural beings together. The boundary between the two separate groups, Eli’s and Abel’s, had been broken … almost. The Elementum liked to keep to themselves.
“Kohl, has Abel contacted you yet?” I asked.
Kohl lifted his head and a strand of red hair fell to his eyebrow. He pulled back his lips away from the straw. “Yes.”
Everyone at the table froze. I waited for him to say more, but when he didn’t, I got impatient.
“What did he say?”
“He ran into Mr. President.” He swallowed and rubbed his temple. “Mr. President was really pissed at him.”
“He wasn’t supposed to follow,” Zach added, taking a bite of his apple. “We were all instructed to stay put.”
Cayden released a deep sigh, his shoulders slumped. “Well, we’re not really part of your team, so we don’t have to listen. Abel and Eli were like brothers, and Abel feels horrible that Eli got captured. So he’s doing what’s necessary to find him.”
Zach scooted his chair closer and crossed his arms, his thick muscles flexing. “Listen. I understand his pain, but if he does anything to jeopardize this mission because he’s acting on guilt, he will hear from us.”
Cayden stood up, leaning over to meet my brother’s gaze. “So what, the angels are better than us? You come to our homeland and tell us what to do?”
Zach’s eyes widened, and he rounded his fists. “No. We don’t think we’re better, but we have more experience.” His tone came out calm followed by urgency. “These demons and Fallen are not some supernatural beings you can just kill and be done with. There are many like Cyrus, and I bet they’re all working together. You haven’t seen anything yet. So if I were you, I would sit back down before I kick your ass, because I can and you know it.”
Everyone sitting at our table dropped their jaws as Cayden, the biggest one in their group, shrank back down. Vanessa on the other hand snaked her arm around Zach’s arm muscles and curled her lips up to her ears.
“So, let me ask you again. Where’s Abel?” Zach asked.
“He told me he’s going to be at your house after school,” Cayden replied.
“Will you be there?”
“No. Abel told me not to come.” He frowned.
Around the table, lunches were left half eaten. I took one bite of mine, but finished the apple.
“Hey, Jack.”
“Lucia.” His green eyes beamed, always happy to talk to me.
“Did you get a text from my uncle?”
Jack pulled out his phone from his back pocket. “Yup. I’ll be there after school. Do you think he found Mortem’s hideout?”
I inhaled a deep breath. “I believe so.”
Chapter 3
Davin
“Michael.”
Michael whipped around from the window. Shirtless, barefoot, with only white pants on, he came toward me. The ring of light around Halo City glowed from behind him. The light never faded but remained constant, protecting us from the demons and Fallen seeking to enter.
“Davin?”
Michael met me halfway in his room and gave me a hug, his version of a hug, stiff and awkward. His hugs felt different from Claudia’s. Perhaps all his muscles got in the way. Maybe I expected more from a hug. I had adapted to human ways easily and probably could live among them without any problem.
After he released me, he blinked in concern. “Is everything all right? Lucia? Zachary?”
“They’re fine.”
His shoulders eased and a breath escaped his mouth with relief.
“Why are you here?” His wo
rds came out straight and to the point. “I mean, it’s good to see you, but you wouldn’t be here unless it’s important.”
Much better. Sometimes Michael could be harsh with his words. “It’s good to see you too, Michael. And you’re right. I’ve come with bad news. Let’s have a seat.”
Michael waited for me to sit first.
“Nobody knows I’m here, Michael.”
He nodded, furrowing his brow. “That bad?”
“I wanted to talk to you first, and then we can decide from there. Where’s Claudia?”
“She’s with Caleb and Vivian in Nubilus City.”
“Okay, so she won’t be walking in on us in the middle of our conversation?”
He nodded again, resting his elbows on his knees. Then I explained everything about Cyrus and how we almost lost Lucia. He stretched his jaw and cracked his fingers one by one. His restraint surprised me. I’d thought he would break something at the mere thought of almost losing his daughter. And then I told him about the Fallen named Mortem we had encountered during our last mission. About the Knights Templar, the missing pages, how we astral traveled to find the clues. And how we had found page one, but were working to find page two. Last, how we needed to rescue Eli first.
Michael got up and planted his hands on the window with his head low. The light shone radiantly upon him, making his hair lighter brown, and then when he fanned his wings slowly to open, a truly magnificent being took over. His massive wings stretched from wall to wall, taking up most of the space. His back muscles flexed, rippled, and moved like I had never seen before. And then, feather by feather, he closed them. Facing me again, he leaned against the window.
“Sorry, I just needed a minute.”
I raised my hand to surrender and leaned back into the sofa. “Take your time. We only have the world to save, but what else is new?”
Michael let out a soft chuckle. “You always make me laugh, Davin, no matter the situation at hand.”