Whatever we once shared could be no more if she were to live. And my heart told me to do the right thing. But my selfish need held her longer, tighter, and I didn’t want to let her go. I kissed her with all of me—my mind, my heart, and my soul—to let her know she would always be my girl with wings. She would always be the one who would remind me what I once had was good and that I was good. But soon, Cyrus—the man I loathed, the master of my calling, the master of my body—would take hold of my mind completely, and I would be lost to the darkness forever.
“Well, well, well. Isn’t this a nice reunion?” Cyrus dropped his hands and folded his wings. Clarissa glared at Lucia and followed Cyrus toward us. “Too bad Lucia thinks it’s real. You did well bringing her here, Eli, just as we planned.”
Lies! All lies! There was no plan. I’d brought her to this part of the cave thinking it would be safer, so I could have time alone with her to figure out my jumbled mind. Lucia wrenched her arms away from me and ran, but she only got to the wall, which wasn’t very far. Demons surrounded us. I wanted to run to her and protect her, but my body stood still. I wanted to shout out to Cyrus to leave her the hell alone, but my lips remained sealed.
“You can’t run, little dove, and no one can help you. Your friends are completely surrounded. You’ve made a mistake by coming to my domain. How silly of you. This is where we hide, where we live, where we know every crack and secret passage. You are the mice in the mousetrap tunnel. Now, Eli, bring her to me.”
I turned to Lucia, holding her sword in front. She swung at the demons to keep them at bay while her eyes remained locked on me. “Eli, Eli, stop this. Fight him. Milani needs you. Brody needs you. I need you. Remember your mother. Cyrus killed your mother.”
At her words, another light flickered inside me, but I became disoriented. A wave of energy hit me, holding me, no doubt from Cyrus. Maybe she told me lies too. Perhaps I fought for the right side, and she would be my destruction? But I couldn’t ignore the slap of panic and the lightness of ecstasy bursting inside me when I neared her.
“Get her,” Cyrus demanded again.
Something hard and strong triggered inside me, causing me to yelp in pain. My eyes burned, my body caught fire, and I wanted relief. The only way I knew to get that relief was to drink blood—not any blood, but an angel’s blood, the blood of the girl with wings standing in front of me. My canines, already extended, felt longer than before, aching, begging to be released. A battle raged inside me, kill her, don’t kill her, drink her blood, don’t drink her blood.
My head snapped to the sound of wings flapping. The angel with massive white wings, glorious and divine, his eyes homed in on Lucia and me. His look of death made me quake in my knees. And for the others, recognition took hold as Cyrus let go of my mind. Milani. Brody. How I’d missed them. They stood on the opposite side of the pit in the middle. I’m here; can you see me? I wanted to scream, to break his hold, but I had been kept close to Cyrus, under his control.
“Now, Eli!” Cyrus sneered.
Lucia didn’t try to fight me when I grabbed her. She surrendered willingly, allowing me to take her to Cyrus. Why?
Cyrus stroked my back when I stood beside him. “Good boy, Eli. You’ve set a good example for your friends. Those who listen to me get rewarded. I’ll let you have Lucia, but first you must drink her blood to complete your transformation.”
“No, Eli!” Milani shouted. “Please, for the love of your mother, don’t do it. Cyrus doesn’t care about you. We do.”
“If you drink her blood, you’ll be just like him,” Brody added, his eyes begging.
“Fight it. You’re stronger than this.” Abel stood beside Jack, who looked scared out of his mind. I was most surprised Abel had come.
“Don’t waste your effort.” Cyrus gloated. “By the time you cross over the pits of Hell, if you can cross over, you’ll be too late. Want to see what will happen if you try?” Cyrus directed his attention to one of his demons and pointed at Lucia’s father.
The demon hissed and soared across. As soon as he began to cross over the pit, the boiling lava growled as if it were some kind of ravenous monster. A large section of liquid shot up in the form of a beast’s mouth and swallowed the demon. It happened so fast; the demon had no idea it had been sent to its death. The other demons around shrank away.
“So, as you can clearly see, there is no saving your friends. You either die trying or leave now.” Cyrus’s lips spread to his ears victoriously.
I paid no mind to Cyrus’s rambling. My friends’ pleas bounced in my head like a ping-pong match, but they had no idea how difficult it was to fight mind control. My body shook, angered from all I had endured, frustrated by my inability to control my own twisting mind. I screamed inside, punching the invisible wall surrounding me to break free. Then, a peaceful energy entered my mind. His voice soothed me, cradled me to a state of peace, to my own peace.
“Eli, do as Cyrus says, and only then can you truly be partially free of him. Once you drink from an angel’s blood, he can no longer control your mind fully. You will become one with Lucia. She can then help you break away. Cyrus is unaware of this, or he would not have you drink her blood.”
“Bite her,” Clarissa snapped.
The voice left me, leaving me to wonder if I had made it up or if Clarissa had spoken into my mind or even worse, Cyrus himself. I wouldn’t put it past him to do so. Pain ripped through me again, cutting my flesh, deeper and deeper, tearing through the layers of my muscle and then bones. No blood and no evidence of wounds showed, but the torture felt real…so very real. Dropping down to my knees, I cried out as I held my face. My screams echoed, as I fought the unrelenting urge, so strong. I could no longer fight it when my canines shot out, and I stood up to tear apart anything in my sight.
“Drink her, now.” The voice clawed into my mind, axing through the core of my existence.
Lucia’s blood called me, driving me to madness and hunger I never knew existed, to the brink of insanity. My sole purpose controlled me as I got onto my feet, sank my teeth into Lucia’s neck, and drank her blood. So sweet, so divine, the sweetest elixir filling my body. My spirit soared to the heavenly home. In my memory, I knew the girl whose blood I drank. We danced through and among the clouds and kissed under the stars. The warmth of the sunlight penetrated through me, enveloping me as if it were a physical entity, holding me close, keeping me safe. My vision filled me up with hope and I wanted to bond myself to this feeling and never let it go.
Then bam! I smacked against something hard, tearing me away from my drug.
Chapter 13
Lucia
I let Eli capture me. Being with him was the only way I could reach through to him. I didn’t know what to do, but I needed to be close to him. Though his mind was not fully his, his actions showed me he had not lost to Cyrus, at least not completely. Not with the way he kissed me. When Eli brought me to Cyrus, my muscles faltered. Frightened beyond my control, I held myself together and tried not to shiver.
Having Father, Uncle Davin, Zach, and my friends with me, and knowing they were well and unharmed, gave me the strength I needed. But standing beside Cyrus, recalling the pain when he pierced my heart with the true-cross dagger, my heart pounded mercilessly. I had to be brave … for Eli and for everyone.
Lucia, are you hurt? Why aren’t you fighting back? Zach said telepathically.
I know what I’m doing, Zach. Don’t worry.
“Lucia, if you care for him, let Eli drink your blood.” Father spoke to my mind. “Your blood will bond with Eli, and in turn, you will be able to help him. I’m only allowing this because I know you care for him and he saved you, so now you can be debt free. You will owe him nothing.”
My father’s words sank in. I twitched and glared at Clarissa when she barked at Eli to bite me and whispered in his ears, probably telling him how much she loved him. Angels are not supposed to hate, but being half human, I couldn’t suppress my human emotions. Jealousy took hold of me.
Who knows how many times she kissed him. How many times she stroked him without his consent. I wanted to pluck out each feather one by one from her puny wings and throw them into the pit of Hell that stood in the way of Father coming for me. No, I wanted to toss her into the pit of Hell.
“Drink her now,” Cyrus barked, but his command was the least of my worries. The low predatory growl and Eli’s hot breath on the side of my neck held me pinned, and blood drained to my toes. Had it been anyone else I would have not stood still, but something about Eli weakened me, made me to surrender to him.
My chest caved in. I sucked in air, ready for Eli’s teeth to sink into my neck for his sake. Though I fought the urge to run, I had no choice, for Eli held me firm. If Father did truly speak in my mind and it wasn’t Cyrus’s trick, then it would be worth the pain.
My back arched when Eli’s teeth penetrated my flesh. Pain sliced through from the bite and down my neck and shoulders as blood gushed from the puncture wounds. When Eli began to suck, he let out a soft pleasurable moan, the same sound he made when he kissed me. As Eli continued to drink from me, my body felt as if it levitated off the ground.
Pleasurable tingles quivered through me in ripples, the same sensation that burned in ecstasy when Eli touched me. Oh heavenly bliss. My mind floated in a state of euphoria, taking me, controlling me. And Eli … oh God, I wanted him in ways I shouldn’t. My body pulsated like a beating heart, craving for him, drowning for him.
Then the walls began to spin, and my body slackened. Reality came to focus. Something went wrong. Oh God. Eli stop! I wanted to push him away. I wanted to tell him if he continued I would die. But he kept on drinking and drinking and drinking. My eyes fluttered to darkness. Just before I lost my grip on reality, white wings covered me. Death had come for me.
“Lucia.” Father’s voice echoed in my mind, but he seemed so far away. I tried to open my eyes, but my heavy eyelids refused to cooperate. Even Zach’s words seemed a world away. And though I could not be sure, I heard Jack, Milani, Brody, and Abel cry out for me.
“We’re faster than a stupid demon, you idiots.” Uncle Davin’s voice cut through the blankness of my mind, as the clang of metal upon metal faded in and out.
Then warm energy flowed through me, my mind sprang back to focus, and my eyes opened to Father holding me in one arm while his other hand held his sword. As soon as I registered where we stood, I jolted out of his hold with my sword at hand.
“Lucia, stay close to me.” I had no choice. Father’s massive wings blocked my way, shielding me.
I peeked through Father’s wings. Milani spun her hands in a circular motion, directing the fireballs. The countless balls whirled around Mortem, imprisoning him. He shouted, cursing under his breath, while cutting through the fireballs with his sword, but they multiplied the more he sliced. Clever Milani. Everyone kept the demons at bay, but where was Eli?
In the center, where only darkness showed, Cyrus held Eli with a dagger across his neck about ten stories high. Eli’s blank face showed no emotion and he floated in front of Cyrus, trapped in his hold. And of course Clarissa, by Eli’s side.
“Don’t think you have won. I’m not letting Eli go. To finish the transformation, he must die.”
“No!” Milani hollered, her hold on Mortem weakening.
Father left my side and thrust his sword through Mortem’s chest just as his sword lowered to Milani’s waist. Brody and Abel shoved Milani out of reach.
“Cyrus, help me.” Mortem extended his arm as if Cyrus could save him.
“You fool,” Cyrus barked. “That’s what you get for being a thorn in my side. I have Eli now. Always wanted only Eli. You are a weakling, fueled by revenge. I have far greater plans than to ensure yours.”
“Michael,” Mortem said weakly, falling to his knees, holding his chest as if to hold his heart in place from the blood leaking out. “There is one greater than Cyrus, more powerful than you can imagine. I might not have avenged my father’s death, but I will through …” He coughed and collapsed. “There is one greater,” he repeated softly until his death.
The demons surrounding us hissed and growled. Some braved coming closer while some withered away. Father was about to decapitate Mortem when his body sizzled, turned into black ashes, and melted through the earth as if he never existed. But then, Mortem appeared again, as if nothing had happened to him. A trick?
What the hell?” Abel’s face paled.
“No,” I gasped. The fraction of victory I felt fled. But Mortem had warned us of another one greater than Cyrus, boggling my mind. Who could be worse than Cyrus? I didn’t want to know.
Mortem plunged his sword at my father. Father blocked in time and swung. Mortem leapt with a backward flip. He began to laugh hysterically. “The beauty of being a demon, Fallen, and a vampire. I was nothing but an illusion. Such marvelous power I hold.” He melted into the rocky wall and stood in a protective bubble of demons.
Cyrus’s eyes widened. He too was shocked, but hid it as he continued. He had confessed he cared about Eli more than Mortem and didn’t bother to lift a hand to help him. I knew demons were heartless and only looked out for themselves, but I couldn’t help but wonder if that situation would cause a rift between them.
“Eli is mine.” Cyrus brought us back to him. “Say goodbye to your darling.” Cyrus sliced his dagger across Eli’s neck, holding him still to show us the blood seeping out from his neck. Such horror. So much blood. And with a snicker and spreading his lips to a wicked grin, he let go of Eli.
“No,” I whimpered ready to bolt, but Father stopped me and held me as my body curled inward. My stomach heaved as I watched Eli fall to his death, but nothing came out. I gagged again as if blood choked my throat. Grief shattered my heart into pieces. My muscles slackened. Had Father not held me, I would have fallen to my knees.
Tears burned my eyes, and I cried out for Eli, but Milani wailed louder as Brody and Abel held her back. Zach and Jack dropped their heads in silence, and I knew they were hurting just as much. We came to save him, but we watched him die. Silence surrounded us, and only the gurgling lava filled the void. Too shocked to move, too shocked to speak, our hearts torn and will spent. What would we do? Why wasn’t Father doing anything? But I knew the answer. There was nothing we could do.
Run, Lucia, a voice rang inside my head. I snapped my head up to the sound of Eli’s voice. Impossible! Soar high to the ceiling and let Milani take you out. Find Jacques de Molay and my mother, where she once helped him. He will go back again. Go!
I didn’t know if he could hear me, especially since Cyrus held him hostage through his mind, but I had to try. I will find you again, Eli. I promise.
Run, Lucia. Spread your wings and fly, my girl with wings. Fly!
With his last words, he became lost into the darkness of the hell pit, and Clarissa disappeared into it as well.
“Seize them.” Cyrus jumped after Clarissa, and he too was gone, leaving us with demons.
Demons swarmed around us, like bees to a hive.
“We need to fly high to the ceiling,” I directed. “Milani, get ready to take us out of here.”
Father grabbed Brody, Uncle Davin picked up Abel, Zach yanked Milani, and I held Jack, and we ascended, demons hot on our trail, getting closer and closer. Instinct nudged me.
“Give me your sword, Jack.” When Jack handed me his sword, I pointed in the center of the tunnel of the demons surrounding us. Black wings swirling around engulfed us, as if we fell into the center of a black hole. Shivers skidded down my spine, especially when Mortem charged at us from the center, leading his group of demons.
“Milani, get us out,” I shouted.
“Circle around me and hold on.” She reached out her hand.
After we positioned ourselves, connecting our hands, blinding light flashed around us. Willing my newfound energy, I sent my energy through the sword. The sword blasted a divine light, breaking the darkness, causing the demons to spread out and fall. My purpose was to en
sure none of them would travel back with us.
My body gravitated to Milani’s pull, but my heart…my crushed heart…stayed behind with Eli. But something went wrong. Darkness slammed into me.
Chapter 14
Lucia
“Lucia.” Father’s voice pounded inside my head.
“Lucia. Get up.” Zach’s voice, an alarm, jolted me awake.
My vision blurred but soon cleared to my father’s face, and then I realized he cradled me in his arms. Home. His arms felt like home, safe, and warm.
“What happened?” I squinted into the light to see faces staring at me. From what I could gather from my surroundings, Milani took us out of the volcano and back to the same spot where we entered through the wall. Then the events before I blacked out came to the forefront of my mind. Eli. The pleasant feeling vanished, replaced by an empty hole. Eli would not be going home with us.
When Eli drank my blood, the connection bonded us together, and that bond would bring him back to me. Somehow, he would find me. I was his anchor from the darkness. But until then, I would have to pray and hope for the best, that he had the strength to fight the battles in his mind and soul against Cyrus.
“You don’t remember?” Jack arched his eyebrows in concern.
Father placed me down and lowered his wings. “It will come to her,” he answered for me, and then his eyes narrowed in concern. “When, Lucia?”
I understood his question, but my words faltered. “I…the first time…the dragon. I think. I can’t remember.”
Father caressed my cheek like many times before when he worried about me. “You mustn’t will it when you have not been trained. You have your mother’s gift. It’s rare and precious, but if you don’t know how to control the power, it can hurt you. Do you understand? You must not will it unless it’s absolutely necessary, only if your life depends on it. Your mother will have to train you when this is over—or sooner. I’ll have to ask her.”
“But that was pretty awesome,” Brody exclaimed softly. He tried to sound cheerful, but his shoulders slumped, and his tone lacked the usual Brody enthusiasm. “Your energy glowed like the sun and scattered the demons away. The ones closer incinerated, and you didn’t even touch them. I hope you got Mortem.”