The Demon of Angels (Bk. 2)

VOICES FILTERED THROUGH the darkness that sleep graced me with, awakening my mind from the blurred haze of my blissful nap. Groaning, I stretched out my limbs and yelped, falling off the piece of furniture I was lying on in the process. My face was met with a soft grey carpet as I landed with a thud on the floor.

“Ow,” I grumbled, then let my forehead meet the carpet and groaned softly.

My ears picked up the distinct sound of chuckling resounding around me. I squeezed my eyes shut, knowing full well it wasn’t just the boys and I in the cabin anymore.

That’s embarrassing.

Heavy footsteps rounded what I assumed was the couch, planting themselves a full foot from my head. Blinking, I raised my head and winced from the bright light. I squeezed one eye shut, blinking rapidly as I was met with an amused pair of silver eyes as he looked down at me.

“Whatcha doin’?” My mate asked teasingly.

Pulling my hand from my side, I flipped Zeke off with the straightest face I could manage. Zeke rolled his eyes and chuckled, bending down to help me to my feet. I went to thank him, but instead of letting me stand, he flipped me over his shoulder.

“Zeke!” I shrieked. “Put me down!” I yelped, banging my fists against his back.

“No,” he chirped. “We have guests you need to meet.”

I rolled my eyes. “How am I supposed to meet them when my ass is to them? Do you really want them staring at my-”

Zeke suddenly dropped me to my feet, spinning me around and pinning me against his chest. He cleared his throat. “Good point.”

Biting back my smile, my eyes found Noah, and I winked at him. He smiled, and I turned from him to the guy next to him. He was tall and had a similar lean build to him, with black hair and hazel green eyes. His chiseled jaw had a five o’clock shadow that gave off a more rugged and dangerous vibe. He had some matching features to Noah, but they were minimal.

I pointed to him. “Axel, I’m assuming?”

The pretty boy winked, crossing his arms. The muscles along his arms and chest bulged as he smirked. “That’s the name, Sweetheart.” My mate’s chest puffed out as his arms around my middle tightened.

The edges of my lips curved upward as my eyes flickered to the girl next to Evan, standing on the opposite side of the island. She could have been Evan’s twin, with striking blue eyes and bright blonde hair that could have shimmered in the sunlight. She gave me a soft smile, and her dimples winked at me. I studied her soft features, not surprised to find freckles spotting her nose.

I nodded at her. “Maddie,” I said with a smile.

She returned the smile, and I could have sworn the room brightened. “That’s me,” came her quick reply.

The curve of my mouth didn’t fade as I switched over to the bulky guy next to her. This guy reminded me of Dwayne The Rock Johnson. Packed with muscle, he looked intimidating as hell. His milk chocolate skin matched his hair but was in contrast to his stunningly bright green eyes. His biceps had to be bigger than my head.

“Bragden..?” I questioned. The big man nodded with a smirk.

The girl next to him matched nearly every feature of his, but she seemed to have Heterochromia. One eye was green, while the other was brown. Regardless, she was strikingly beautiful. She also had a strong build, and I was beginning to think they were bodybuilders or something.

“Charlie,” I said, pointing to her.

“Correct,” she replied. Her voice was deeper than mine, and it was slightly intimidating.

Next to Charlie was Hardin, and I gave him a small smile. “Hi, Hardin.” Hardin gave me his million-dollar wink; I chuckled.

Standing next to him, looking better than I thought possible considering her latest condition, was Morgan. I gave the barbie a respectful head nod. “Morgan.” She returned the nod, clearly avoiding looking anywhere other than my face.

“Hey!” A voice called. I whipped around in Zeke’s arms as footsteps padded downstairs. A smile broke out on my face as one of my favorite redheads descended. “Don’t forget about me,” she pouted playfully. From the corner of my eyes, I saw Noah roll his, but it didn’t stop me from pulling free from Zeke’s embrace and engaging in hers.

“Hannah,” I breathed.

“Hey, girly,” her voice was full of smiles.

Despite the circumstance we were in, I suddenly felt lighter. People here were willing to help us, and they didn’t even know me. It warmed my heart.

Turning to back my mate, I stuck out my bottom lip and pouted playfully. “Can we train now?”

Zeke’s gaze followed my lip and his eyes haloed in gold. “Stop that,” he growled. There were a few chuckles that resonated behind me, and I grinned.

I snatched my mate’s hand, not giving him a choice. I had asked to be polite, knowing his answer wouldn’t have changed my mind. “C’mon, Hybrid. Let’s go.” My chest vibrated with my silent laughter, and a few others hid their laughs with their hands or a cough.

“Rude,” he grumbled, allowing me to drag him outside. The others followed to watch the show more than training themselves. I stopped ten feet to the right of the fireplace, turned around, and a flush of wind met my face as wings flung out on either side of my spinal cord. The voices around me hushed as their mouth’s popped open and stared at my wings.

I frowned, eyeing Zeke. “What are they staring at? They’re just wings.”

Evan took a step forward without hesitation; brilliant, blinding white wings sprouted from his back. Sometimes I often forgot he was purebred, hiding in a Nephilim-like shield for years. “No, these are just wings.”

“They’re beautiful,” I breathed, tilting my head to the side as I openly stared.

Noah chuckled behind me, then pointed to my own. “Yeah, but I think yours are better.”

“What? How? They’re just–” I spun around, glancing over my left shoulder to see an all-raven black wing. “...wings…” Flicking my head over my right shoulder, I lost all words as I gazed upon the all-white wing.

Holy shit– I was a certified freak.

“Hybrid,” someone whispered. My head whipped around to find Axel staring in amazement at my wings and at me.

I turned to Noah with a raised brow. ’You didn’t tell him?”

Noah shrugged. “I don’t tell him a long of things.”

Zeke stepped forward, raising his voice to the group. “Let’s start training– pair up with your own kind first. We’ll break after an hour. We’ll continue with someone of a different race afterward.”

Without a mere thought or word, everyone did as the Alpha said. Charlie paired with Hannah; Zeke was paired with me; Axel paired with his half brother; Evan with his sister, Maggie, and that left Morgan paired with the hulking Bragden. I snickered to myself as Morgan went wide eye as she stared at the large beast of a man, grinning down at her like she was his next meal. Morgan heard my snicker, shooting me a glare before following her training partner.

That only left Hardin. I motioned for him to join us, not minding the extra help as everyone began their training.

Noah and Axel took turns shifting at going at each other, some of their moves seeming more personal rather than just for training. Bragden had Morgan shift, giving her orders on how to improve after each strike. He was ruthless, and I was happy he was on our side.

Hannah and Charlie were focused on hand-to-hand combat, eyes haloed in red. Every other move, there was power behind it, even so much as to light their fist on fire before throwing a punch.

Maddie and Evan had their wings out but weren’t on the ground. At least fifty feet in the air, they hovered above us. Using both hand-to-hand combat and power-infused blows to the other.

Finally, I turned to Zeke and Hardin. “So, what do you want to do first?”

Zeke stared up at the sky with a frown, eyes illuminating gold. “I wish I could–” Zeke cried out, his words cut off as he dropped to one knee. My eyes widened as I bolted to his side. Excruciating pain throbbing down the bond.

“Zeke, what’s going on?”

My mate heaved, on his hands on knees as he fisted the ground beneath him. “I don’t know,” he grunted.

I rested my hands on his shoulders to offer him comfort, but as soon as I did, pure energy pulled from my hands and shot through Zeke. Worried I might hurt him. I pulled my hands away immediately. “What was that?” I mumbled to myself.

Zeke’s head shot up, gold dancing with red within his irises. “Do it again,” he growled.

“What– why? Zeke, I don’t want–”

“For fucks sake, woman,” Hardin grumbled, forcing my hands to find their place on Zeke’s shoulders. I glared up at the demon, but he wasn’t looking at me. His focus was solely on Zeke’s back as uncontrollable, and the purest power I’ve ever felt was pulled from me and pushed itself through my arms and into Zeke.

Zeke’s heavy breathing slowed moments later as if what I was doing was helping him. The crease in my brow deepened, but I didn’t let go. The power leaking from my fingertips began to slow, and once it finally stopped, I pulled my hands away. Nothing happened at first, and I stared at Zeke, wondering if I had eased something that was causing him pain.

My thoughts were cut off as Zeke roared, his back arching, and the distinct sounds of bones breaking and mending back together deafened my ears. I sat, watching Zeke with horror lodged in my throat at what was happening to him. His eyes were illuminating the darkening night sky; they were burning so bright in a mix of gold and crimson.

Pur pelted up his arms as his canines lengthened, dripping with venom. Another roar ripped from his vocal cords, louder this time and ringing my eardrums raw. I winced, pulling my head back but refusing to tear my eyes away. Hardin had backed up several steps but watched Zeke with fascination instead of the horror embedded in my features.

After what felt like hours, Zeke finally collapsed in on himself. Eyes flickering back to grey, canines their normal length, and gone was the fur. But that didn’t stop my mouth from popping open at what lay on his back.

Wings. Zeke got his wings back, and they looked exactly like mine. Half white, half black.

“Zeke,” I murmured, crawling over to his heaving body. His arms were limp, and his head was bowed from pure exhaustion. I felt eyes on us. The sounds of everyone’s training had halted some time ago as they witnessed what we all had. “Zeke,” I tried again, laying my hand tentatively on his bicep.

Zeke jolted, sitting up straight and resting his eyes on me with a dazed look in his eyes. “What? What happened?” Zeke went to scratch the back of his neck, but his fingers brushed against the wing before he reached his skin. Zeke froze, eyes widening as they locked with mine. The emotions roaring through the bond were utter disbelief and hope.

I gave him a smile and nod of encouragement. “You have your wings back,” I whispered, cupping his jaw with my hands as my own excitement for him poured through me.

Zeke, however, chose denial, hand still frozen in midair. “No,” he mumbled. “That’s not possible. My mother tore them from my back as a child. They can’t grow back…”

I shook my head, remembering what Asmodeus had told me earlier in the day. “Zeke,” I laughed incredulously. “We’re soul bonded– we share our abilities…” I shook my head again as I trailed off, hardly believing it myself. “I don’t know how, but they healed from our bond. I just know it.”

Zeke’s eyes misted over before he quickly blinked the tears away. His wings had clearly meant a lot to him as a child, and not having them most of his life had obviously eaten at him. Zeke, I knew, needed his freedom. In a way, his Hellhound half probably helped, but not compared to the feeling his wings could bring him.

Slowly, Zeke stood to his feet and then glanced over either shoulder. Zeke mirrored my laugh, moving them back and forth like he would any other muscle in his body. My mate’s overjoyed expression lifted an unforeseen weight on my shoulders.

Soon, his eyes shot to mine, and a devious expression took hold of his features. He shot forward, wrapping his arms around my waist, and shot to the sky. I squealed, laughing as he twirled us in the air.

Suddenly Zeke’s lips crashed down on mine, hard, sealing off my laughter and replacing it with a breathy moan. My wings flapped on instinct, holding my own weight as if with their own muscle memory. Zeke pulled back with a huge smile on his face. “God, I love you,” he breathed.

My heart fluttered. “I love you,” I murmured. Zeke pulled me closer once more, our wings keeping us afloat as the others watched from below with small smiles. I don’t know how long we stayed like that, but it was long enough for the stars to come out and the moonlight kissing our features in a soft glow that we finally pulled apart.

We began our descent a beat later. The others already had made their way inside for their break from training.

Once our feet graced the ground, Zeke laced our fingers together as he tugged me toward the doorway. I was a little disappointed I didn’t get to train yet, but I knew I’d get my chance soon, so I happily followed him inside.

A large thundering boom caught Zeke and me off guard, our eyes widening as several howls hollered into the moonlight. We both reached out for the door, but once my fingers grazed the handle, the pain started.

I fell to the ground and cried out as a roaring headache pounded through my brain. Images started swarming behind my eyes as I squeezed them shut. Flashes of my friends dying burned into the back of my eyelids. The pain was severe, and I felt like I was dying, so I screamed. I clenched my hands into fists and let my forehead drop to the grass beneath me.

I could hear yelling from what sounded like Zeke and Noah in the background. An urge to get to them nicked at the back of my mind, but I was at the will of whoever had me in their grasp. Though I was almost positive, I knew who it was.

Several fists pounded against the cabin walls from the inside, loud enough where I could hear them through the ringing in my ears. I whimpered against the grass and clenched my teeth, waiting for it to subside.

As the pain receded, I gasped for breath, enjoying the feel of oxygen rushing back into my lungs.

When I slowly started to rise to my feet, I was knocked back down from a boot to my ribs. I cried out as I flew through the door and across the cabin, my back cracking against the wood paneling in the wall. I fell to the hard floor with a thud in a crumpled heap. I blinked back the tears that threatened to spill, knowing I had a few cracked ribs and probably a punctured lung.

“Celeste!” Zeke shrieked, an agonizing tremor in his voice. Grinding my jaws together, my mate’s voice gave me the motivation I needed to push myself off the floor and face the man before me.

“You just have to push your luck all the time, don’t you?” Death barked from in front of the doorway. He was in his usual attire, a black suit with red accents, but that wasn’t what drew my attention.

To his right stood Zeke and Noah but held back by men I had never seen before. Each was just as large as Bragden; the two that held Zeke were even more so. There I thought I would never live to see the day someone was larger than that Big Guy. The others were either held back by men or a hoard of Hellhounds that shoved them into a corner of the cabin. And all of them were exhausted from pushing themselves from training.

I was the only one free of entrapment.

“I don’t believe in luck,” I hissed, turning back to my father with a glare. I had been right about the others. I took a daring step toward the High Demon. “Do you know what I do believe in? I believe in good. I believe in free will. I believe you are a fucking crazy, psychotic lunatic obsessed with power. I believe that you need to be stopped, and I believe in fighting.”

Death clapped his hands together dramatically, rolling his eyes.

Dick.

“The time has come, dear daughter,” he snarled, stepping forward.

I stood my ground, hiding the panic that started to rise in my chest. That wasn’t possible; we had more time. I know we did; I could feel it.

“Go back to Hell,” I snapped. Looking down at him from my nose, I delivered the blow. “Make sure you tell my grandfather I said hello.” The last word left my lips in a menacing snarl, and the wings at my back flapped once.

“Ahh, so you know about your lineage.” He didn’t seem impressed or care, for that matter. I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I got him to halt his feet from moving any closer to where I stood.

“I know that you’re a coward,” I hissed, balling my hands into tight fists at my sides. “Came with backup this time so you wouldn’t embarrass yourself like last time?” I was taunting him, pushing buttons at his ego.

His nose flared; I masked my victory with a glare. “Daughter,” he began, his voice growing deeper until it was nearly a grovel and growl mixed together. “I think you underestimate my power.” His black pits for eyes shimmered with crimson in their depths until they appeared as his pupils. Thunder cracked in the distance, but I knew it wasn’t from me– not this time. “You forget,” he continued. “That I am the Demon of Death, Lucifer’s firstborn son– The Death Scythe.”

Lightning flashed through the windows, followed by another loud crack of thunder as the last of his words poured from his mouth. Part of me was utterly terrified of my father, but the other knew the reason. Yes, my father was powerful, but I was his daughter. Not only did I wield that some power burning under his fingertips, but my mother’s too.

It was time to find out just what all she could do.

Zeke struggled harder against the men holding him while Noah attempted to stay calm and keep up a façade, but I knew better. Evan stood off with his sister, knives to their throats and anger written over their features. My boys and their rage were burning through our bonds. But through them, I could also feel their rising panic, fear, and need to protect me.

But those emotions only fueled my Hybrid, itching to rip his head from his shoulders. Blood for blood; a life for a life.

“Let this go peacefully, daughter, and come willingly.” My father prodded, taking another step toward me. My limbs began to shake as the power within me continued to build.

“Fuck you,” I spat, then dug my nails deeper into his precious ego and swung my arms out wide in a show of confidence. “What’s the matter, father, don’t think you can beat me into submission?”

“No,” Zeke growled, but any other words were choked off as one of the men wrapped a firm hand around his throat and squeezed. Noah jerked in his captive’s hold, canines dripping venom on the men’s arms as he snarled. A hand clamped around his jugular hard until Noah was struggling for air to reach his lungs. I growled, peeling my eyes away. I couldn’t get distracted.

Death eyed my boys with malice. “No, daughter,” he finally said. “I know I can beat you into submission.” Before I could so much as blink, Death snapped his fingers, and as if on command, each of his men pulled a double-edged dagger from their backs.

Everything that happened next was all in the span of three seconds.

One.

My father’s jockeys plunged their daggers into each of my friend’s hearts. The Hellhounds holding back the others lunged for their throats.

Two.

Blue, gold, black, and red poured from the outskirts of my vision, zeroing in on my father. My Hybrid burst free from her chains, and pure demonic and celestial energy filled every single pore of my body.

Three.

I snapped, aiming directly for the Death Scythe as I exploded in a surge of power like a damn supernova. Then the darkness swallowed me whole.