The Demon of Angels (Bk. 2)

A PAINED ROAR pulled my neck toward the source like a chain had been yanked on my neck.

Ezekiel.

Hearing him, my mate, was like setting off another bomb inside of me, exploding my fear and confusion into small smithereens, leaving only a blistering cloud of rage.

My Hybrid was in control, and this time I didn’t care.

It started at the base of my soul, building its way up to my core and filtered out of every pore in my body. Seeing the blood pool around my mate’s stilled body invoked a fury that snapped my spine straight.

I would fight for Zeke. For my boys. For them all.

A sudden wash of calmness descended over me as I stepped forward. I knew what was pooling through my center, bubbling in my veins, and cooling it all in the same breath. Dark energy burned every inch of my body with unrelenting power; Celestial energy followed suit, taking control of my body.

And I welcomed it.

My feet slowly took one step at a time, placing a foot in front of the other until I was six inches from my father as he slowly rose to his feet. The blast of power I had let go off incinerated his hounds and burst his men free from their bodies. No one I cared about was harmed, but gore splattered crimson painted the walls like a second layer, and now it was merely him.

Their screams had penetrated my ears like a blissful siren. But my eyes, gleaming vibrantly with black and gold, focused on the man in front of me. A look of slight surprise and wonder were laced in my father’s eyes, watching me with interest and intrigue. I snarled and pushed my energy forward, wind slashing my skin as if I were a tornado.

Unfortunately for my father, his men were able to strike first before I could deal their death blow. It pissed me off, and I made sure my father could feel the wrath of my rage.

Cracks of lightning sparkled and sizzled from each of my fingertips, lashing out at the room around me, but not one so much as grazed my friends. Each spike of power that filtered through my core and out of my body automatically regenerated itself at full strength.

I was a never-ending spitfire of energy.

Save my family.

My boys.

My heart.

The power I didn’t know existed twirled from my fingertips and lengthened up my arm. My hair whipped around as energy billowed up and poured from me. I was overtaken by a sensation of slipping into another thicker plane, yet lighter than this one, like diving into a pool of clear oil.

The sky churned from midnight blue to midnight black. A bolt of lightning zigzagged across the sky, a growl of thunder following as the sky rumbled angrily.

My lips parted, and I spoke in a voice that was no longer my own. “It’s time to end this.”

Opening my arms, I lifted my chin so my face was tilted at the ceiling. The powerful energy within me continuously built and sparked through the cabin and then rippled through the sky. I had always held my Hybrid on a leash, scared to let her out completely. But now, I needed her unhinged, wild, and free.

It was time for her to come out and play.

Closing my eyes, I released my hybrid from her bindings. Electricity zapped and sizzled around me, fueling me with adrenaline and power to an extent that I had never felt before. Angel fire replaced the bolts of lightning along my arms while a pit of black smoke climbed the length of my legs and pooled at my feet. I summoned what felt like every molecule of fire, electricity, and darkness down on one target, not giving a damn about anything else around me.

Heat thrashed in the sky as the roof cracked, splintering and crashing down around us as I pushed my hybrid forward, switching off all emotions. Even as I gave up the reign over my other half, she still recognized the others as family. Pack– and I knew she would never harm them, even when we were spinning out of control.

BOOM!

A hungry current zapped to the Earth’s ground, scorching it and peeling away all that stood in its place like a grater. Everything around me and my friends turned to embers. Death let out a pained wail, screaming in agony as my power struck him in the heart. But we growled as his black heart continued to beat in his chest.

As if breaking out of a trance, the others that were bitten by the Hellhounds began to move, healed from their injuries. We kept an eye out for them as we struck our father, blow after powerful blow. But before I could deliver death to his own doorstep, Bragden ran straight for him and tackled him to the ground. With one hard punch to the temple, Death was out cold.

My fingers twitched, itching to use more of the power that stirred within me, begging to be released. My gaze was locked on my father’s limp body as it lay across the charred floor, and my hand instinctively lifted.

Maddie and Charlie went for Noah, while Evan ran toward me. Hardin and Axel skidded to Zeke’s body that laid, far too still, across the floor. The men that had held them captive now laid in splatters at my feet, or only the blackened bone of their skulls were recognizable from the carnage.

“Celeste! Stop!” a familiar voice bellowed, catching my attention. “You’re killing yourself! You have to stop!” Noah’s body moved toward me hesitantly, as if he wanted to spook the beast that reigned control. He was wrong; we would never hurt our protector– our pack. “Stop. Please,” he begged, his brown eyes pleading with me, flickering to my hands and then back to my face.

Curious, I lifted my arms and gazed upon what had caught his attention. Several cracks of power trickled out of my skin as if my body were a burning star of pure energy and I were about to explode. The cracks layered my body, slowly peeling away the skin from my bones– but I was almost sure those had already melted.

Flashes of Death’s men stabbing Zeke flashed behind my eyes. The hesitancy was gone, and my only anger grew. I couldn’t even look in my mate’s direction. Too terrified as to what I would see.

“No.”

“This is not a debate I’m going to lose, Cupcake.” Noah continued forward, Evan stepping out of his way as the Hellhound reached for my hand once he got close. My eyes tracked the movement, and that hesitancy cultivated within me once more. Noah could get himself killed if he so much as laid a finger on me. I knew that; my hybrid knew that, and fear coursed up my spine at the thought.

“I’m not going to lose you, Celeste,” he continued. “Not now. Not ever.” His chocolate brown eyes kept pleading with me, urging me to back to the surface. But when my eyes found Zeke’s body, I realized that was everything I didn’t want to do. This was all my father’s doing, and he would pay for what he did.

He stole my soul, and I wanted his in return.

Growling, my hands raised, ignoring the shouts around me, and aimed my power at my father. He was starting to stir, and when his eyes fluttered open, they landed on me with a look of satisfaction.

Noah growled, shoving his body in front of me, so Death was blocked from my view. “If you die,” he shouted, then pointed at the limp body of my mate behind him, a few feet from Death. “He dies!” Glancing over my protector’s shoulder, I refused to look at Ezekiel but caught the smug look on Death’s face. It was a punch to the gut, showering me in sparks of realization.

What I was and what I was doing was exactly what my father wanted. His plan was to turn me into his little apprentice and make me go dark so I would willingly do his bidding. I was his key to redemption, and there I was about to open the flood gates of Hell myself.

The switch in my soul finally flipped then, my knees growing weak as the power that threatened to undo me retreated, clearing the pathways so I could take back control. The inky smoke retreated, and the haze across my vision withdrew. I fought my Hybrid back into her cage, hoping she would see reason, and chained her there.

My legs gave out, and I crashed down to my knees, oxygen reaching my ragged lungs in fresh waves. I greedily breathed it in, taking it in gulps as all of my power crashed back into my core. My bones felt like Jell-O, and I whimpered, bowing my head as it throbbed against my skull. Pain stabbed at every nerve in my body, exploding like a bomb in my brain as blood seeped from my nose.

Blinking, a drop of fresh blood splattered against the hardwood floor, and I knew I was bleeding from my eyes. I inhaled deeply, nose flaring as the scene caved in around me.

Death was screaming, thrashing on the ground in fury under Bragden’s weight until he disappeared into a black cloud right under the Hellhound’s nose. My eyes wandered to the limp body that lay behind him, and every emotion I held back came crashing to the forefront.

Zeke.

My eyes widened, and Noah backed away as I scurried past him, crawling toward my mate. He never opened his eyes, not once during the fight, nor did he move. The large pool of blood that had formed on the ground beneath him had only grown since I last saw it. Maddie ran over to me and checked Zeke for a pulse.

Noah and the others crowded around us, watching in silence. I rolled Zeke onto his back and leaned my ear against his chest, listening intently for a heartbeat. But there was nothing. Silence echoed through my ears, tearing the beating heart from my chest.

It should have been me.

I screamed as I fell forward and cried crystal clear tears against his still chest. Maddie tried to do something, heal him if possible, but nothing seemed to work no matter how much of her power she poured into him. Evan joined her a moment later, but when she looked up at me and slowly shook her head, I knew he was gone for good.

Zeke was gone.

Dead.

How could I have let this happen?

I leaned forward and sobbed into his chest. It was completely still and motionless. Lifeless.

I glanced around me and saw a room full of charred bones, open carcasses and the entirety of the interior decorated with crimson and death.

I did this; I’m just like him.

My broken heart cracked, shattering at my feet as my mouth parted and I screamed. A body smelling of ash and cinnamon cradled me in their arms. I let him, soaking in the warmth that was Noah. The pain equally radiating through our bonds was excruciating. Evan stepped forward and placed a hand on each of our shoulders, head bowed.

The man they saw as a brother was gone.

“This wasn’t supposed to happen,” I croaked.

I leaned forward out of Noah’s arms and rested my head on Zeke’s chest. He was supposed to be alive, breathing. He was supposed to stand next to me as we took on my father. He was supposed to live with me, love me for the rest of our lives as I would for his. He was supposed to be yelling at me for doing something stupid or laughing for being a smartass. He was my soulmate; it wasn’t supposed to end like this.

How could you leave me like this?

I pounded against his chest with my fist. “You weren’t supposed to leave me! You promised!” I bunched my fingers in his shirt and cried harder. The fabric beneath me was soaked with my tears. The faint scent of pine trickled through my nose, and I only cried harder. “You’re supposed to be here,” I whimpered.

Silence descended upon what was left of the cabin for several moments.

“Celeste, we should go,” Hardin blurted. “We can’t stay here any longer.”

Without lifting my head, I whispered hoarsely, “I’m not leaving him.”

“Celeste...”

“I’m not leaving him!” I yelled and choked on another sob. I pushed myself up and moved toward his head. Leaning down, I whispered words I never thought I’d have to say soon into this ear, “I love you, Ezekiel. Thank you for everything, you were the light to my darkness. You were my anchor, my soulmate, and my life. You meant everything to me, and I’m sorry I failed you.”

I leaned my forehead against his and pushed my thoughts toward him. I knew my energy was depleted, but I wanted to ensure he knew and heard the words I spoke. “I love you,” I sobbed, choking on my words. I kept repeating those lines in my head. He had to hear me; he had to know how much I cared for him.

I never got the chance to tell him.

Ever so slowly, I removed myself from his body and looked down at him. I needed so desperately to see those silver; I needed to hear him speak to me. I needed to hear his laugh and to see his smile. I needed him.

But he was gone– forever.

My lip started quivering when nothing more happened. I sat up and looked around the room again. Everyone was watching me with Zeke. I didn’t want to leave. I loved my boys and adored everyone that came to help in my fight, but it seemed pointless to fight without Zeke there beside me. I’d never felt so defeated. I wanted to curl up in a ball and watch the world burn for what it took from me.

What my father took from me.

“Celeste,” Hardin tried to get my attention again, but I ignored him. I wasn’t leaving this cabin if Zeke didn’t come with us. I would not have another life on my conscience. I couldn’t handle that.

First my mother, and now my mate.

As my hand traveled to the fabric of Zeke’s shirt, nearing the bleeding stab wound, it started to tingle. I gasped and pulled my hand away. My energy was depleted and empty, so whatever was happening didn’t make sense. It didn’t look any different, and neither did Zeke.

I glanced up at Evan, confusion spreading through me as he started nodding. I stared into his blue eyes for a few seconds, unsure of what he was trying to tell me. Wiping the few tears off of his face, smearing blood across my skin, he motioned for me to continue. I reached out again and placed both hands near the wound this time.

Evan continued to nod, so I must have been doing something right. The tingles started again. The closer I got to the wound, the more violent and sputtering they became. I almost pulled away when they started to hurt, but then I noticed some of the blood disappearing and soaking itself back into Zeke’s body.

I let out another cry and placed my full weight on Zeke’s side, covering the wound completely. My hands were soaked in his blood within a matter of seconds, but I didn’t care. Something was happening. Something good.

Noah and Evan bent down near me, but I didn’t look at them. My eyes moved from the wound on Zeke’s side to his face. My hands were throbbing with a violent pulse, but I didn’t dare remove them from his side.

It felt like all my existing energy, from the depths of my soul, was being pulled and then pushed through my fingers. It was similar to the electric shocks and erupting surges of power I got when I started to lose control, but I knew this was different. It had to be.

Black spots creased the edges of my vision, but I didn’t stop. I kept glancing between my hands and Zeke’s face.

Besides the wound decreasing in size, there were still no other noticeable differences. Zeke was still completely still and wasn’t breathing. His heart wouldn’t beat, and no oxygen flowed in or out of his lungs.

I pushed down harder with a feeling of determination. I glanced at Maddie, who was checking Zeke’s vital signs. With a heartbreaking sigh, she moved away from Zeke and shook her head. She looked down at me, an apologetic look in her eyes. My heart shattered like glass all over again at the sadness as clear as day in her blue irises.

The tingles and sparks in my hands started to lessen as the energy left me. I was silently begging him to come back to me. I kept the pressure on until my hands stopped pulsing.

The energy was gone; I was depleted; Zeke was still dead.

He broke his promise. He left me.

“Celeste,” Evan started again, softer this time.

I shook my head. “I’m not leaving him.” I refused to leave him here. There is nothing else I could do. Death killed him. I knew that if I had my energy right then, I’d probably need Bragden to knock me out. My emotions were too strong, and I would lose myself completely.

My head bowed, my body numbing as Evan dragged me to my feet.

Thump.

I froze.

Thump.

I jumped back and crashed to my knees, staring down at Zeke. He still looked the same. I leaned my head against his chest, where his heart and our matching tattoo were.

Thump. Thump.

It was slow and faint, but it was there. “His heart’s beating,” I whispered, wiping the tears from my cheeks, not caring about the blood on my hands.

Axel, who was still standing at the door, spoke up. “Guys, we really should be leaving. They could come back with reinforcements at any moment.”

“Celeste, you have to get off him,” Maddie suggested softly. I growled on instinct, but she cut me off. “We need to carry him out of here. We need to go. Now.” Maddie helped pull me up while Bragden and Noah bent down to support Zeke’s weight between the two of them.

Zeke’s head fell forward limply, and I choked back on another sob. I could feel the silent tears continuously falling down my hot cheeks. Maddie kept an arm around my waist as she pulled me out of the cabin.

My eyes connected with Hardin as we passed him. He didn’t have his usual cocky smile or bright arrogant eyes. In their place was a sad, caring expression. He nodded at me as we passed.

Maddie ushered me out toward the back of the cabin, Bragden, and Noah following after us. Hannah, Morgan, and Charlie followed close behind, while Axel and Evan brought up the rear. Maddie jerked us left once we cleared the cabin, pulling me toward the empty gravel road.

The sun was starting to seep through the dark clouds, cresting over the horizon as rays of sunlight burned my eyes. Maddie reached the road crossing and then stopped.

The arm around my waist disappeared as Maddie rushed forward to check the area, the others and I waiting patiently. When the world around me started to tilt, I closed my eyes and backed up, hoping to lean against a tree or the closest stable thing I could lean against. Exhaustion hit my body full force, and the depths of unconsciousness finally came for me.

I could hear the sound of soft footsteps patting against the ground as my eyes fluttered. I trusted those around me to keep me safe as I stumbled.

“Come on, Celeste,” I heard Noah say while someone latched onto my hand. I let him blindly drag me along. My eyes fluttered, and I glanced behind me at Bragden and Zeke, Evan taking Noah’s place. Zeke was still limp between them. They were carrying the full extent of his weight.

I felt a cool breeze brush against my heated face, a bright light illuminating then flashing from somewhere in front of me. I paused against Noah’s tug, glancing around me. Where was that light coming from?

Blinking back the darkness that threatened to swallow me, I winced from the light that threatened to blind me. Several gasps sounded around me as I turned away. Whatever was going on must have been unexpected.

Everything was beginning to spin around me, several voices calling my name as the events of the day weighed down on me. I clutched at my head, collapsing to the ground in a heap of numb limbs. I could hear several pairs of heavy footsteps around me as a black haze spread over my vision.

I didn’t fight it as I finally succumbed to the darkness.