Hell's Angel: Guardian Angel Book 2

EIGHTEEN

Loki went with me to find my sister and the other half of the Gemini twins. In his wolf skin, he was able to sniff out Thor in the wasteland. He ran quickly and I flew just above him. Even so, it felt like forever passed before he slowed down and shifted back. The landscape surroundings us had changed from rocky with a few trees to a completely barren desert. The fine black sand sifted beneath my gore-covered shoes when I landed.

“Are you sure about this?” I asked. “This doesn’t exactly look like a secure hideaway.”

“Trust me,” he replied. Loki took my elbow to lead me through the loose sand. We walked in tense silence for a couple more minutes before he froze. His head twitched and his nostrils flared. Those predatory black eyes flashed dangerously and his grip tightened on my arm. He let out a long, low whistle that sounded more like a howl and fixed his gaze on a large sand dune across the way.

An answering sound pierced the air and the dune seemed to shimmer. For one fleeting instant, a shining gold palace stood in the middle of the desert. Gigantic tree limbs spread from the dazzling structure and seemed to fade at the ends. Before I could fully appreciate what I was seeing, or decide if my eyes were just playing tricks on me to begin with, the building vanished and Thor and Max stood at the base of the towering dune. “What in the hell?”

“That is our home,” Loki answered. “Humans called it Asgard, but it is where Vega sired my brother and me. She’s not sentimental enough to consider we would still care about his place.”

I gulped back the hurt I felt for him. Vega had created the Gemini as assassins, but here he was, back at his home for the simple purpose of helping me protect my sister. Thor and Loki were good, plain and simple, and it was almost hard to believe that they’d come from a place like this.

“Lyra!” Maxine shouted breathlessly, pulling me back to the present. Her eyes were bright and relief swept over her features for a minute. I breathed a quick sigh, thankful that she seemed okay, but the sound had barely left my lips when Loki’s head snapped toward the left. From there, everything seemed to run in slow motion.

A creature that looked like a demonic flying monkey from Wizard of Oz came barreling towards us. I drew the sword from the scabbard at my hip, something I’d gotten from fallen soldier after mine had been lost. It was too long for my petite frame and I held it awkwardly as I warily watched the screeching monster approach. The thing’s four black wings seemed to beat leisurely through the air, but he gained several yards with each powerful thrust. I called up my magic and was ready to face him head on, but his eyes weren’t glued on me.

My stomach sank to my toes. Maxine was still too far for me to protect her. Adrenaline pushed my legs to work, but a strong bar wrapped around my stomach, knocking the wind out of me and holding me hostage.

I clawed at the steel band only to realize my fingers were fighting with warm, smooth flesh that was anything but pliable. Loki’s unbreakable hold tightened and we both stood helpless as the Wicked Witch’s castoff dove at our respective siblings.

Thor swung his hammer up, catching the thing’s furry jaw and looking more heroic than gorgeous Chris Hemsworth ever could, but that could just be because he was keeping the most important person to me safe.

The primate reared back and opened its mouth full of long, sharp teeth in a snarl. Thor took up his spot in front of my sister and raised his hammer. Loki, still holding me at a safe distance, hissed out a curse. I ripped myself free from the dark titan’s grip and waved one hand down the length of my body dramatically. Light pulsed from every cell. A millisecond later, I was a football field away from Loki and standing next to Thor in front of Max. I raised my radiant blue shield without hesitation, letting the flying baboon strike it furiously. I let out a breath I hadn’t noticed I was holding and then reached back to grab Max’s hand. The demon continued to beat the shield with its clawed fists, which was good considering Loki was still vulnerable.

“We need to get back to the arena. Thesis is dead. Michael is leading the angels, but I want to avoid a slaughter as much as possible so a contingency is taking people to Eden.”

“Just tell us what to do,” my sister replied easily.

“Try to get back to Asgard. I’ll draw that thing off and then get to whatever’s left of Arcadia.”

Max frowned at me. Thor’s tawny eyes narrowed slightly. “You are my queen.”

I sucked in a shaky breath and nodded at the Norseman. His long fingers settled on Max’s shoulder and he got ready for the shield to drop. Blowing out that breath, I let my light fall and summoned any power I had left to buy them time.

A golden blur ran by me, making me flinch. Before I could react, Thor threw himself at the monster, Mjölnir landed on its eye with the crunch of bones, and Max grabbed my arm to start dragging me towards Loki. Shock coursed through me that he would disobey an order when he was almost as good a soldier as my very proper guardian, but I guess I wasn’t surprised he’d want to protect us. Max and I ran while the “god of thunder” used his impressive power against his fellow titan. Thor seriously lived up to the title as the earth and sky rumbled his war cry.

Loki grabbed me in a tight hug when we reached him. “What were you thinking, Lyra? That thing could’ve killed you.”

I narrowed my eyes. “I was thinking it was about to kill you brother and my sister, and I’ve already lost her once.” I huffed and my temper cooled slightly to be replaced by a nagging worry. “I’ve never tried to transport anyone but myself, but I think I can get Max back for an angel to take her. Get Thor and meet us back there.”

A growl and a guttural sound of pain pulled my attention back to the fighting titans in time to see the larger monkey bite into Thor’s throat. Its long, curved teeth ripped into smooth flesh and blood sputtered out. The monkey pulled away, taking half of Thor’s neck with him until the limp body impeccably dressed in ripped slacks and dirty white button up fell to the ground with a thud. Loki’s grip on my shoulders tightened and his face was stricken, so pale his dark eyes looked like tiny islands in a vast sea of nothingness.

The monster turned slowly, menacingly, its eyes locked on mine. I gulped, fear and anguish flooding through me. Loki still looked lost, and I knew that feeling better than almost anyone, having just lost Max. But his twin wasn’t coming back. He wouldn’t be much help in his current state so I couldn’t leave him to get my sister to safety.

I was still weak and tired from everything I’d already gone through. But I was the only one that could stand up to the titan. I narrowed my eyes and took a step toward the flying monkey. Max’s warm hand lashed out to grip my wrist.

“Lyra.”

My eyes darted to her for just a second. I spoke without looking at her, keeping my focus on Vega’s Dark minion. “For once just don’t argue. Please. Get to the arena and I’ll meet you there. You two just need to go.”

I pulled away and raised my sword in front of me. It hummed, vibrating in my hands and giving me a tiny sense of comfort. Teeth that curved into a sharp point gnashed at me. Its feathery wings rustled like he had a twitch and mine opened easily. I smirked despite the danger of it all. “Catch me if you can,” I taunted as I launched into the air.

He let out a roar that sounded like a gorilla’s war cry I’d seen on Animal Planet once. My stomach tightened as fear gripped me, but I needed to do this. I needed him away from Max and Loki. I flew, up, up, and up until I was higher than any New York skyscraper. I looked down and was mildly surprised to realize I could still see the two on the black sand perfectly with my godly senses. Max was running with Loki right behind her.

But they were going the wrong way.

My blue eyes dated back up the monster’s dark red ones. His monkey mouth opened to let out a snarl before the molted feathers curled up and he went into a straight dive. Crap. He’d seen them.