Behind The Alpha Series Book 3 NALA

JESSE

“AHHHH…GOD!!”

I whine out my screams as my flesh burns. My fists ball, but that makes the iron nail in my wrists sizzle my skin like bacon.

The blue light of the moon casts shadows of the cross window across my face and chest. I don’t remember the moon ever being this blue before.

I barely hear my friends screaming.

In the dark church, I’m spread eagle on my back. Artemis sits on my leg and places the last iron nail. He drives the hammer into it and I feel every single inch through my leg and go into the wood.

“FUCCCKKK!!” I slam my head back into the wood floor as the blinding pain fills me.

He stands and throws the hammer across the room. “There. You remember this, don’t ya boy?”

I’m breathing heavy. I feel my blood pool around the gaping holes in my limbs and my vision is cloudy. I whine with every breath.

My heart is thumping against my ribs. My skins on fire. My blood is raging. I’m weak and scared. I’m completely shutdown as shifter.

He squats to my head as I try to fight the memories. Tears roll down my temples.

“I have two options for you, son.” He says as he looks down on me.

“FUCKING LET HIM GO!” I hear Dakota yell.

I hear a solid punch and him groaning.

Artemis looks into my slit eyes. “One. You submit. You lead me to the nymphs and I might let you live after I kill them all. Two. You tell me how to use your blood, I kill you and all your friends and hunt your sisters myself. Pick…one.” He holds up one finger to me.

“Go…to…hell.” I struggle.

I’m soaking in sweat from the iron coursing through my veins.

He laughs and shakes his head. He looks at me and flares his eyes. “You are my hell, Yishai. You always were. The night you killed your mother.”

“I never killed her…”

He bends down into my face. “YES, YOU DID! YOU MURDERED HER IN COLD BLOOD!”

“I DIDN’T KILL HER!”

“YOU! YOU STOLE HER LIFE SO YOU COULD LIVE! YOU CAUSED HER DEATH BY YOUR VERY EXISTENCE!”

“FUCK YOU!!” I scream as I try to stop what Penelope took away from flooding back.

“YOU ARE HELL! YOU ARE GARBAGE! YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED THAT NIGHT! NOT HER! YOU AND THE MONSTERS THAT CAME AFTER YOU! ALL OF YOU ARE NOTHING COMPARED TO THE BEAUTY YOU STOLE FROM ME!!”

I shake my head as I fight tears. “Stop…please…” I beg. The emotional pain is too much.

“NO! YOU SUFFER! I TOLD YOU THE DAY YOU DARKENED MY LIFE. I told you…you will feel my pain. You will suffer my torture.” He growls.

He stands as I try to hold off the demons in my head.

“Join me, Yishai. Join me and I’ll let your friends go.” He says as he walks around me.

I raise my head. “Never.” I snarl.

He stops and turns. “Tell me how your blood works.”

I flop my head down. “I don’t know.” I mumble.

“You don’t know? Because I have it on good word that says you do.” He stands at my spread legs. My bare ass body on full display like a crucifixion on the floor.

“Yeah…Who’s word is that?” I close my eyes and try to absorb more pain.

He walks up beside me to my outstretched arm and lowers himself. “Puck.”

I press my lips together and slowly shake my head. “That son of bitch.”

“Don’t blame him.” He holds up an iron spike in his gloved hands. “I can be persuasive, Jesse. You know that. You’d be surprised what people will confess with the right motivation.” He stands. “Pucks a coward. He would have sold you out for a few pieces of gold, but…I didn’t have any.” He smirks as he looks around the room.

“I know your blood can sense your sisters and you can contain it outside your body to act as a compass dial. How?” He asks.

“I don’t know.” I scowl. I look around the room at what I could see. Justice and Mutt are tied. Mutt is wrapped in silver rope. Dakota and Bill are tied on the other side. Haley is passed out. I don’t see Penelope anywhere. My chest labors fast as I panic.

He straddles me and lowers to my head. “How does it work?”

I look at him. “I told you…I don’t know.”

He studies me for a second then turns his head. “Dagin!”

I hear whimpering and crying and whip my head. “No…No please!” I shout as Penelope is dragged into the room her dress ripped and dirty. Her hair is all over. Her face is red and wet from crying and filled with fear and pain. I look to her shoulder. Dagin has his black demon claws dug into her shoulder.

She cries out as he forces her to her knees.

“Penelope!” I call to her.

She looks up and one eye is dark silver.

“Caliel.” I breathe.

I can see him in her. They’re both weak.

“You’re guardian angel.” He laughs. “He ruins his soul. Do you know why guardian angels are lesser beings?” He tilts his head to me.

I glare at him.

“They only have the capacity to hear one soul at a time. Isn’t that right, Caliel.” Artemis rolls his head to Penelope who snarls her lip.

“The charge they guard and protect wraps a bubble around them so they can only hear that soul. Caliel broke his bubble. The voice of heaven and earth has weakened him so much, he’s barely hanging on. He’ll eventually turn into a tumor of sorts and your pour Penelope will lose her mind to madness.

“That’s not true.” Caliel grinds.

“Caliel. Angels shouldn’t lie. It’s a sin. I realize you’re about redemption, but I don’t think that applies to angels. You face death." Artemis smirks.

Caliels eyes narrow. “I do not lie.”

“Caliel, I know you do. You have many secrets. Your weakened state suggests you’re hanging by a feather. So, we should make this time profitable. Agreed?”

He nods and Dagin digs his claws in. Penelope screams so loud I can’t take it.

“STOP!” I pull on the nails, not caring about the pain because my heart is shattering with the agony of her pain.

Dagin backs his claws off and she cries hard.

“Pea…Don’t be afraid, baby. Don’t…be…”

“You will lead me to the nymphs, Jesse or she will know a pain like no other.”

He nods to Dagin and he dig his claws into her body. She throws her head back and cries until I could barely hear her.

She sucks in a broken breath. “Jesse!” She sobs.

“God…Stop…Please, stop…DAD!” I can’t take anymore. Tears roll down my head from my eyes.

“FUCKING BASTARD!”

“WE'LL KILL YOU, DICK HEAD!”

“LEAVE HER ALONE!”

The room bursts with angry shouts and cries.

“How does it work?” He holds my hair.

I flip my head between him and Penelope. He picks up my head and directs my face to his.

“TELL ME!”

“I DON’T KNOW!”

I do know of a way, but I’ve never tested to know if it works. I never needed to. Do I trust Penelope’s life to a guess?

Penelope cries louder as Dagin inflicts more pain. My body trembles with anger and devastation.

“PLEASE!!” I beg.

He bores holes in my head with his stare. “I will kill her.”

I let out a shaky breath. “Fine.”

“Don’t, Jesse.” I turn my head to Penelope.

“It’s…fine…Sweet Pea…really.” I lie. None of this is fucking fine.

“Yishai.” Artemis growls and I glare.

“You let them go and I’ll tell you.” I’m trembling, but I look him dead in the eye.

“Tell me.” He arches a brow.

I eye him up. My eyes flick to my friends.

“Drop on a needle point will point the way, the soul must remain in tact.” I grind.

He seemingly looks at nothing. He looks at me. “A blood compass.”

My mouth shrinks. “Yes, sir.”

“The soul intact?” He eyes me.

“I have to stay alive for it to work.” I clench.

“I can’t kill you.”

I slowly shake my head no. I feel sick.

He stands and turns to Dagin. “Get me a compass.”

“My cross.” He growls.

He steps away from me. “One thing at a time. The compass!” He gets up close to the demon.

Dagin retracts his claws and Penelope falls to her hands. She slowly raises her head and I see her eyes glow then fade. Her head falls.

This worries me. “Pea?” I whisper.

Dagin disappears and is back within seconds. He hands Artemis a compass.

Artemis opens it. “The iron.” He orders. He walks to the podium of the church and grabs a bowl.

Dagin grabs my hand and I scream out my pain as he grabs the iron spike and pulls it out of my wrist.

Artemis lifts my wrist and fills the bowl with my blood.

Once full, Artemis tosses my hand and Dagin slams it on the floor. He drives the spike back in. I have nothing left to scream at this point.

He sets the compass down on a table and dips his finger in my blood. The drop falls from his pad to the tip of the compass needle.

My eyes glow and I huff out breathes as my mind takes flight. The earth flies under my feet in my minds eye. Vast oceans. Icy glaciers. Swirling clouds over seas of long grass. Tall trees of never ending forests and bubbling, stifling volcanoes. I’m finally blinded by bright, clear sunlight.

My blood fills with a static feel and my skin tingles as my mind circles areas of the planet. The air becomes thick. I struggle even more to breathe.

I turn to Artemis who’s waiting patiently for the compass to work.

“Yes.” He growls evilly. “Show me.”

He walks around watching the spinning compass. My mind stops over a field of flowers.

Artemis looks up at a wall of the church. He looks back down at the compass then me. He smirks. “It works.”

I drop my head to the floor. This is where I fuck up everything.

Artemis cackles and looks to Dagin. “Kill them. Leave the boy!”

“My pleasure." Dagin eyes turn black.

“NO!...ART…YOU SAID…THAT’S NOT THE DEAL!” I yell as I try to pull away from the spikes.

Dagin grabs Penelope by the hair and pulls her to her feet. “Let’s start with your Sweet Pea.” He extends his claws and raises his hand. Penelope screams.

“NOOOO!!!” I holler.

As if the church exploded. Something smashes through roof.

Wood splinters everywhere and Dagin dives out of the way. Penelope is thrown back. I whip my head to the side as splinters fly like daggers my way.

The whole building shakes. The glass windows shatter on all four walls.

Artemis covers his face with his arm.

I turn back and the sight I see is nothing short of a miracle.

With black shadows flicking in and out of existence behind his back, a shirtless man stands. His long, straight black hair hangs in his face. His black pants and huge boots are covered in dust and dirt.

His muscular tattooed chest heaves and his thick arms hang at his sides with fists balled.

He slowly raises his head and I see dark silver eyes.

“Caliel.” I pant.

He looks at me briefly before turning to Dagin. “Be gone, demon. This doesn’t concern you.” His deep voice resonates in my chest. He sounds dark and threatening.

“You don’t have the power, Caliel.” Artemis snarls.

Caliels eyes meet his. He breathes deep. His chest puffs and his shoulders go back. His wings flicker and spread out wide.

He leans and screams an ear piercing scream. The entire church shakes. Everyone screams in pain as Caliel unleashes his pain on all of us.

Penelope covers her ears while she begs for mercy. My men fight the assault on their ears as do I. My eyes slam shut. “CALIEL!!”

The roof falls more. The building rips apart. Walls fall and furniture blows away from him toward the back of the church.

Artemis doubles over, receiving the direct attack of Caliels voice.

Dagin disappears.

Caliel slowly closes his mouth and quiets down. Artemis falls to the floor.

Caliel steps to me and straddles my body. Lowering himself, he rips both iron spikes out and grabs my wrists. His hands glow and I bellow out the pain of it. He does the same to my legs. He roughly rolls me over and heals the bullets in my back.

Slowly, the pain fades out of my body and I feel my shifter.

He grabs my shoulder, pulls me to my feet and I hear feathers spread. With a force I’ve never known, he flies out of the hole with me in his grip. It lasted but a second, but it felt like I was thrown through time.

I catch my balance and I see the church a distance away. I look down and I’m dressed in my vest, trouser, boots and oil skin. I feel my hat and my peacemakers.

I look behind me and I’m at the edge of an extremely tall cliff. I have to catch my balance again from the shock of it. The heels of my boots kick stones and send them clinking down the rock wall. At the bottom is a shallow creek.

“Do it now.” Caliel growls.

I look at him and swallow.

“Noooo!”

I look past Caliel. Artemis is running from the church to us.

“Do it Jesse!” He growls. He turns around and runs to Artemis who shifts to a rhino. The two clash in a power struggle.

I look over my shoulder down the cliff. I look back to the fight between angel and shifter. Artemis is now a gorilla and landing punches on Caliel. Clearly he’s still too weak, but he’s putting up a good fight.

Artemis wraps his arms around Caliel and squeezes his chest. Caliel cries out in pain.

It’s all happening so fast. My gut wrenches. My throat closes up and my mind races.

My brows stitch up as my boys and Penelope run out.

“Jesse!”

My chin quivers. “Pea…”