Prologue
Thoros
"Give me a hand and grab his legs,
will ya? We can't just leave a dead body lying on the center line. A vehicle
could come along and run him over, for Christ's sake," Thoros said as he
lifted the limp top half of the thirty-something-year-old male body from the
asphalt.
Baddon cocked his head to the side, his
lips turning up at one corner in a mischievous smirk. The chuckle escaped
before he could stop it, but he placed a closed hand over his mouth and coolly
played it off as a cough when Thoros glared at him questioningly.
"What?" Thoros demanded, and
blinked as tiny specs of light filled his vision, the all too familiar dizzy
feeling taking over again. Out of breath and feeling like he was about to vomit
and pass out, he let the man go lax in his arms until his help finished with
the puns and decided to actually help him.
Baddon's fire-red eyebrows shot up and
his cerulean blue eyes danced with laughter. "I was only trying to figure
out if it's the dead body or the vehicle you are more concerned about."
Thoros frowned. "Very funny; are
you going to help me or not? This one's heavier than the last one and I feel
completely drained."
Grin still in place, Baddon walked the
five steps to Thoros and effortlessly slung the dead weight of the man over his
left shoulder. "If you'd stop killing them, you wouldn't need any help
disposing of the bodies." Baddon winked as Thoros growled in frustration.
"You know I don't remember what
happened. They all could have died from natural causes and it just happens to
be me that stumbles across the corpses," he suggested, and then nodded as
if agreeing with the impossible theory, but averted his guilty eyes from his
friend.
Baddon's expression turned concerned as
his big palm came up to rest on Thoros' shoulder, squeezing the muscle just
enough to make the guy look him in the eye. "Look, I don't know what's
going on with you, but we'll fix the problem together, like always. I'll see
you at home. I'll put this one in the basement with the other two until we
figure out what to do with them. Are you going to have trouble fleeting? You
look a little peaked," he said, and then forced the concern from his
features, replacing it with a phony smile. "You can ride on my other
shoulder if you need to."
Thoros wiped at the freshly beaded cold sweat
that broke across his brow and almost took Baddon up on the offer, but shook
his head in refusal instead. "Thanks, but I think I need the night air to
clear my head. I'll be fine." I
hope. "Get that body home before a human cop sees you and throws you
in a cell. An eternity spent in an eight by eight cement box seems worse somehow
than the Hell we were just released from."
Baddon chuckled. "You actually
think I would let a human handcuff me?"
"Didn't look like you had a problem
with being shackled the other night. What was her name…Candy?"
The giant blushed a bright crimson and smiled
shyly. "I thought the rest of you were going to be out later. Her name is
Chelsea and she's a Pisces." He smiled then, showing off a perfect set of
pearly-whites.
"Yeah, well, can you play cops and
robbers somewhere other than the grand staircase next time? I'll never get that
image out of my head now. And I've seen some nasty shit in my day."
Baddon cleared his throat and sniffed. "What
about you, Prince of Lust? Why have you not tasted any of what Sin City has to
offer? You know, you could always--"
"Don't go there." Thoros
looked away, suddenly uncomfortable with his company and the direction the
conversation had taken.
Baddon just stood there looking at him,
expecting something more to come out of his mouth, maybe.
"I know that look, Baddon, and I've
already told you, I'm not asking--"
"You need help! We have no idea
what we're doing." He motioned with his hand to Thoros, and then the dead
guy on his shoulder. "And now this? Who knows what will happen next? She--"
Cutting Baddon's thought short, Thoros'
eyes shot up to glare at his best friend and one of the nine forgiven demons
that had been saved from Lucifer's clutches by one very ballsy angel only three
months prior. Only one of the nine had been granted a complete soul and allowed
through Heaven's gate. He was happy for Abigail, and wouldn't have wished a
different fate for his longtime friend, but where did that leave them? Walking
the Earth for an eternity as immortals was hardly a punishment compared to Hell,
but he'd never envisioned killing innocent people, especially with no memory of
doing it, to be a good thing. He'd been put in Hell for his lustful ways, not
for violence, like the friend standing in front of him, holding evidence that
he himself was capable of more than he had ever imagined: murder. His green
eyes held Baddon's gaze with contempt and warning.
"Leave her out of this," he growled. "She cannot fix me. No matter the lengths the male angel went
through to save us, I—we--are still
damned and cursed, Baddon. Don't you dare believe otherwise!"
"Why do you keep punishing
yourself? You've done your time and you've saved her. You can't turn your back
on fate. The two of you are meant to be--"
"I am meant to be miserable and
alone, as are you!" Thoros thundered, and then immediately calmed down and
began to pace away from Baddon, before he said or did something he would regret
later. "I'm sorry. Just drop it--please. Your suggestion is not an option.
I'd just as soon face the seven sydes
of Hell than…" Thoros chewed on his cheek for a moment, and then sighed.
"…than ask her for help after what I've put her through."
Taking in a deep breath, Baddon sighed
in defeat. "I'll see you at home then. Maybe the others can help us figure
out why humans are dropping like flies in your path."
Thoros nodded and watched with a
sickened stomach as Baddon turned toward the lights of Las Vegas, and then
vanished into the night with his third victim.
Chapter
1
Josselyn
"Congratulations, Josselyn!"
"Thanks," I said with another
bright smile, but kept moving so I wouldn't be expected to stop and talk. I
didn't have time to chat. There was a very important and long overdue mission
waiting for my undivided attention.
I looked up and locked eyes with Troy
across the crowded Line of Defense room, and immediately felt a rush of
excitement race through every bone in my body. The smile pulling at my lips
this time was genuine, but still felt extremely foreign to me. I was having a
difficult time remembering what happiness felt like; so much had been risked, gained
and then taken from me in the last few months, that I felt raw and mentally
bruised.
But today--today I was happy. Finally, I
felt like everything was falling into place again. I elbowed and pushed my way
through the crowd and didn't stop when I reached my friend. Troy's massive arms
caught me in a hug, and then twirled me around before setting me gently back on
the floor.
"Yer wan o' us noo." he
said with a glowing smile, and wiped at the treacherous beads that slipped from
my tear ducts. "Aw, Jossel,
dinnae you cry, noo. The Line o' Defense is proud tae ha'e ye, and we all ken
Heaven is a safer place wi' you on oor side."
Swallowing the huge lump in my throat, I
shook my head and wiped at more salty drops of emotion. "They're happy
tears, Troy. You know I've been so eager to help you look for Malcolm, but the
Council wouldn't allow it until I graduated the academy. The LOD Academy is no
joke, but I made it, and I'm ready to go out with the next crew!" I beamed
at him.
Troy glanced nervously over my right
shoulder, his smile vanishing instantly. I was confused until I turned my head
to find Isaiah a step away from interrupting our conversation.
"Congratulations, Miss Josselyn.
Your instructors have informed me that you ranked top of your class, expert
even. The highest mark one can achieve. I'm impressed."
I eyed him warily for a moment. He'd
been a major influence in the decision to not
let me help look for Malcolm until after I'd completed three months of intense
training and graduated from Heaven's Line of Defense Academy. I hadn't
forgotten, and by the smug look on his face he knew I still held a grudge.
"Thank you, Head Guardian. I'm
prepared to join Troy and his crew in the search for Malcolm now. I can only
imagine how confused and scared he must feel out there alone. It's been far too
long--"
"You will not be with the next crew
that goes out to search for Malcolm," he said, and then held his hand up
to silence my protest. I was livid, and it took every bit of patience I had
left in me not to scream at the Archangel. He continued, and I had no choice
but to let him. "You will accompany Troop C on a different mission first.
It is of higher importance and has been marked our number one priority above
anything else. Do you understand, Josselyn?"
No. I didn't understand. What could be more
important than looking for a lost and soulless angel? Why must his importance be set lower than some other crisis? He was my number one
priority and I had to find him!
Isaiah shook his head at my thoughts. "You
have a duty, Josselyn. You've sworn to stand with others of your kind in battle
and conflict, protecting those that are less fortunate and in need. I witnessed
you repeat those words myself only a half hour ago. Your expert skills are needed elsewhere. Malcolm will be fine. He is
immortal after all," he said, his hard stare challenging me to disagree
with him.
I fought back the immature huff that so
desperately wanted to escape my tightly pressed lips and nodded to the
Archangel. "Where am I needed?"
Isaiah smiled cunningly. "There's a
problem with one of our... special cases,
for lack of a better phrase to call them. I think we certainly need to come up
with a more proper term, as it appears we will be keeping a close eye on the
forgiven demons for quite some time to come—perhaps indefinitely."
Special
cases?
Forgiven demons? I took a step back
and stumbled into the rock-hard chest of Troy. He caught and steadied me as I
tried to wrap my mind around what Isaiah expected of me.
"Easy there, lass. Are ye a'right?"
I blinked up at him, but words failed
me. With the absence of Malcolm weighing heavily on my thoughts, I had forced
everything else to the deep, far corners of my mind. I couldn't allow myself to
worry about anything except finding my friend then. Now, every hidden thought
came flooding back to the surface and all I could see when I closed my eyes was
Thoros.
I gasped, my eyes filling with tears
again; this time they weren't happy ones. "No," I whispered on a sob
as I clutched at the heavenly material of Troy's LOD uniform, and then I buried
my face in his shirt and cried.
I heard Isaiah clear his throat behind
me, but I wasn't ready to face him or the ridiculous mission he had prepared
for me to complete.
I couldn't do it. I wasn't strong enough
to face the demon that had betrayed me. Not only had he not held up his end of
the bargain and helped me, but he'd practically handed me and my soul over to
Lucifer to gain a higher status in Hell.
I'd heard him through the door of
Lucifer's chamber the day Rhyan saved us all. Thoros wanted nothing more from
me than my pure soul to hand over to Lucifer, and then my body to use for
pleasure, before tossing me from his bed to pass around to his friends as a
minion whore.
I couldn't bring myself to look at him
that day. I didn't want to see the self-satisfied smile of the cat that had
caught the mouse. I had been fooled. I had been captured. And my heart had
suffered greatly. I should have known better than to trust the Prince of Lust.
Luckily, Rhyan had been clever enough to
beat the Devil at his own game. I still wasn't sure of his reasoning behind
helping the demons go free. They'd all gone to Hell for a reason, and most of
them were royalty; they were at Lucifer's right hand, his ultimate followers, for Pete's sake! Why would they betray him
to live out eternity on Earth? That's right, they wouldn't. Thoros and his
friends may have tricked Rhyan and the Archangels, but they hadn't fooled me.
I looked back to Isaiah without wiping
the moisture from my eyes. "It's a trick. Can't you see? Whatever
destruction they are doing on Earth, it's for Lucifer. You have given him more
freedom by allowing his royalty the best of both worlds. The demons haven't
changed; they still work for him, you idiot!"
Isaiah pressed his lips together and his
brow lifted as if he were actually considering my theory, or maybe he was
considering the best way to pull my Heaven pass. My eyes darted quickly around
the crowded room, and then nervously fell back on the expressionless face of
the archangel. I had caught the attention of every angel in the room with my
outburst and now they were all silent and staring at me. Great. I hadn't really
meant to call an archangel an idiot, but it was done now and there was no way
to take it back.
"I apologize for my insubordination,"
I bowed my head in shame and continued in a much lower and obedient tone of
voice. "I just feel that you all have been fooled, that you are blind to
what Lucifer is doing right under your noses."
"We knew this could possibly turn
out bad--setting the demons free from Hell--but I believe there is still hope.
However, I do not think we have been tricked by the... special cases. I expect Lucifer is behind it all, as he is always
found lurking behind any mischief and mayhem, but I've strongly considered the special cases are just as blind to what
is happening to Thoros as we are."
The mention of his name aloud was like a
straight punch to the gut. I inhaled sharply and my hands quickly found my
knees at the impact of it. Why did it have to be him? There were eight others
down there that could have screwed this up. Of course it would be him, and of
course they would need me to fix it. I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder. At
first I thought Troy was offering comfort, but as my fingers grazed his in
acceptance I realized it wasn't the massive hand of my friend.
I shot upright and backed away from
Isaiah, panic-ridden.
"Please, child," Isaiah began,
but I shook my head. He continued anyway. Stubborn angel! "I know you're
frightened. I've been where you are--"
Crossing my arms over my chest, I lifted
an eyebrow in question. "You've been seduced and humiliated, and then
expected to just forgive and help the individual that desecrated you?"
I watched his Adam's apple move up and
down as he swallowed hard. After a second he raised his chin and opened his
mouth. "Yes."
My arms fell to my sides as I stared at
him in disbelief. I didn't see Isaiah as a normal person. He was an archangel,
not a man with feelings and emotions, to me. But, standing there and really
seeing him for the first time since I'd known him, I realized he wasn't really
all that different from me.
Holding out a trembling hand, he took a
nervous step toward me. I looked down at his reaching fingers with widening
eyes. What was he doing? I didn't want to see any of his memories. I couldn't
see Isaiah vulnerable and broken. He was a head guardian. Their lives had
always been flawless. He did not have
problems. I refused to believe it and, taking another guarded step backward,
refused to touch him.
I squared my shoulders and looked him in
the eyes. "No."
A soft gasp escaped my throat as Isaiah
rushed to me and, placing his palms at my temples, forced me into his mind.
***
My bare feet rushed through soft green
blades of grass, but I wasn't running from anything; I was chasing after
someone. Black curls bounced halfway down the back of the laughing girl twenty
feet in front of me and, feeling a sly smile tug at the corners of my lips, I
picked up my pace so I could catch up to her.
The bright, warm rays of the sun cast a
long shadow to the right of me as the wind blew through my hair. I focused on
the girl's shadow as we raced over a hill, and then down into a valley with a
clear lake at the bottom. I took only a moment to admire the beautiful scene
laid out before me. It was a magnificent painting, and the brush had to have been
in God's hand; it was perfect.
I knew I'd never personally been here,
but I felt as though I had several times before. It couldn't have been Heaven;
Heaven didn't require a sun for light and temperature, like Earth did. Was I on
Earth? I pondered, and then my thoughts came to a screeching halt as I noticed
the young woman I'd been chasing had stopped before the water and was now
stripped of everything except her beautiful black mane of hair.
I wanted to turn and run back the way I'd
come, at least hide my eyes from her immodesty, but I couldn't figure out how
to stop or look away; I wasn't in control of my body. Just before I reached her
and the glistening water, she turned to look back at me. Lameria smiled, and my
inner voice gasped in horror as she dove into the sparkling water.
No!
Stop! I have to get out of here! She kidnapped me and took me to Lucifer! I can't
go swimming with her! I shrieked to the host, but he only stopped and
began to undress by the water's edge.
The host looked down at two large male
feet when he bent to remove his trousers. I was just about to panic again until
our gaze moved from his toes to the reflection in the water: Isaiah.
Oh crap! This is his memory. I could only guess what would happen after he
jumped into the lake with the very naked Princess of Greed, so I fought with
everything I had and shoved my way out of his mind.©Kristie Haigwood 2013
Oh I cannot WAIT!!! Keep on writing!!!
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