Ascension of Evil (Battle for Souls Book 3) (3 page)

Sammy knocked on the door. “Don’t take all day. We need to get you downstairs.”

Gabby finished showering, dried off, and tucked a towel around her. The curtains framing the open window danced in the breeze, and she hesitated for a moment, sniffing the air. Only fresh ocean scents and lavender filled the room. No demon stench. Smiling, she flung open the bathroom door. “I’m ready.”

Sammy giggled. “I think you should at least put the dress on.”

This was it, the day she would be bound to Alexander forever. Her heart thudded as she slid the delicate straps over her shoulders then Sammy zipped up the back, cinching her waist tight.

“The bonding will connect you two like you can’t imagine. You will be one person, forever.” Sammy picked up a brush and smoothed Gabby’s hair back, twirling it into a French twist. She held a silver comb with blue flowers out for Gabby to admire. “Something borrowed.” She winked.

Metal scraped Gabby’s scalp as Sammy inserted the comb to secure the twist.

After more than a year of being tortured by demons, psychotic principals, and overzealous parental supervision, they would finally be together forever. It didn’t seem possible. “What if something goes wrong?” Gabby muttered.

“Nothing will.” Grace’s voice soothed the edge of anticipation. “Alexander won’t let it.

That boy’s pacing the carpet we laid out on the beach to the point of fraying it.”

Sammy smiled as she brushed some rose blush onto Gabby’s cheeks. “My brother will make demon-pops out of any creature that interferes with your bonding today.”

Grace nudged Gabby toward the door. “It’s time. You look lovely, dear.”

A chill filled her lungs and she steadied herself. This wasn’t the time to lose control of her powers. She shuffled toward the door, smoothing the long white skirt and concentrating on each breath.

“It’ll be great, Gabby,” Sammy reassured her.

She wasn’t nervous about being with Alexander. It was more the anticipation of everyone focusing on her. Being the center of attention just wasn’t her thing, but she’d endure anything if it meant being with Alexander forever.

They made their way down the stairs and onto the front porch. The sun rested at the edge of the ocean, its muted orange glow inviting her down to the beach. Her gaze roamed ahead and she saw Alexander waiting for her near the shoreline. Her heart skidded at the sight of her soon-to-be eternal partner.

Grace made her way down the sand dune ahead of them as her dad came around the end of the front porch. “You look beautiful, G-Bear.” His breath was full of mint and a hint of… No, it was her imagination. He hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol in almost a year. It was just her usual paranoia, but she wouldn’t let it take hold, not today.

“Thanks, Dad.”

He stepped away and offered his arm. Strange, they’d become so close. Big bear hugs were almost a common occurrence each time she saw him since he returned from rehab. Maybe he was nervous. He
was
giving away his only daughter. Was he worried about being left alone? She’d already planned to have Alexander move into the small beach cottage she shared with her father after the ceremony. Convincing her dad to move into Grace’s house might be more difficult. He’d beat alcoholism, but she feared loneliness might drive him back to the bottle.

Sammy moved forward and fluffed the back of Gabby’s skirt. The light material floated in the wind, and the golden glow of the sun reflected off the pearl beading. Grace had hand stitched each adornment onto the fabric, a time consuming task even for an angel.

Gabby tugged the front of her dress up slightly with her right hand and hooked her left through her father’s offered arm. Her white slipper-style shoes swished against the sand as she stepped forward.

Sammy snorted as a smile played at the corner of Gabby’s lips. She’d won this round. Sammy had finally given up on trying to get her to wear heels.

As she neared him, Alexander straightened to his full height and pushed back his shoulders. He took her breath away, with his sandy blond hair glistening in the fading light of the setting sun, his broad shoulders accentuated by his dark jacket.

“Wow,” he murmured.

“Is that a good
wow
?” It wasn’t until right then that she realized she hadn’t looked at herself in the mirror. She knew Sammy wouldn’t have let her leave the house if she wasn’t presentable, but frankly she couldn’t care less. She wasn’t about to wait another day to bond. Sunset was when the bonding had to take place, the end of one day’s light, and the beginning of the shining moon.

Her dad let go of her hand and kissed her cheek. For a second, he looked misty-eyed, but surely, it was only a play of the fading light. Her dad didn’t cry.

Alexander pulled her to his side. “You look amazing.”

“Thanks.” An awkward sensation stirred her to say more, but she couldn’t find any words and was thankful when Grace clasped her hands together to signal they would begin.

“You look amazing, too,” Gabby whispered.

Grace nodded and smiled at them both. “The two of you have been through many trials in a short time here on Earth, yet you’ve remained dedicated and connected through it all. You both stand here today asking Heaven to grant the eternal gift of soulbonding, a commitment that can never be broken. Are you certain this path is the one you both wish to take?”

Behind her, her dad shifted and coughed. She knew he wanted to reassure her that she could walk away and all would be okay. But she didn’t want to walk away. Not now, not ever.

Alexander squeezed her hand, and they both nodded.

Grace smiled. “Do you, Alexander Lohr, agree to connect your soul with Gabriella Moore for all eternity?”

“Yes,” he rasped.

“Do you, Gabriella Moore, wish to join Alexander Lohr, never to be separated for all of eternity?”

Gabby knew these were just words to make it more of a human ceremony, but they still filled her heart with hope. Emotions threatened to silence her. Then she glanced at Alexander’s loving eyes and breathed, “Yes.”

His shoulders relaxed and the corners of his mouth curled up into a smile, revealing his sexy dimples that always weakened her knees.

“Let all of you bear witness to this union. For all eternity, Gabriella Moore and Alexander Lohr will be bound, blessed by Heaven.”

Alexander removed his coat and handed it to Boon. He pressed his lips to her forehead, and her heart thrashed against her ribs in anticipation. This was it. They would connect in the most intimate manner ever created.

He tossed his tie and shirt to Boon and tugged her flush against him. “I love you, Gabriella Lohr.”

She giggled at the sound of a name that wasn’t technically legal, but was blessed by God himself. They lifted into the air. Their eyes locked in a loving gaze. She could get lost in those eyes and never return to reality.

Held in Alexander’s strong arms, she immersed herself in his navy aura. Aided by an occasional beat of his strong wings, they floated above the beach. His gorgeous denim-blue eyes pierced her soul. They sat on a cloud of inviting mist surrounded by sweet smells of a fresh rain and eternal love.

“We will finally be one,” he said, speaking the words she’d longed to hear.

Six months they’d waited to bond. Training and rebuilding their home came first.

Alexander insisted everything be perfect.

He stroked her cheek. His look of desire and acceptance melted her heart. Happiness filled her with the thought of the others waiting below. For the first time in months, they had something to celebrate. Her father, Grace, Sammy, and Boon were here with them to share in their soulbonding in spite of their concerns. Okay, he their family and friends below couldn’t see them through the clouds. She knew that from watching Sammy and Boon’s soulbonding.

Silky feathers wrapped around her, caressing her shoulders and back. Tiny electrical currents surged through her body. She waited for the bond to take hold, to be pulled into the inexplicable bliss Sammy had told her about.
Not so much a physical experience
,
although Sammy told her it would be better than sex.
Her words lingered in Gabby’s mind. Of course, she had no idea what sex felt like either. Alexander had insisted they wait. Once they bonded, their union would be blessed, and they could be together.

A deep want to experience intimacy with him hummed through her body. She relaxed into Alexander’s embrace and sighed, rubbing her face against his strong chest—at peace and truly happy for the first time since her mother’s death.

His navy aura turned into night, and a small current jolted through her for a second then settled. Her rapid pulse pounded in her head. The salty air spun around them with ever-growing intensity. Alexander’s face blurred then disappeared into the swirling blackness. She closed her eyes, opened her heart, and waited for the connection.

The air morphed from a pleasant dance into a ferocious cyclone lashing at her skin. The world turned upside down, leaving her without any concept of direction. Sweat coated her, making it hard to hold onto Alexander. She clawed to keep him close. The more she fought the further he slipped. “Alex!” she cried.

No response, only air.

Her stomach clenched around an abyss of emptiness. Sammy hadn’t warned her about this. Was it part of the ceremony?

Her body convulsed. A slit of fire ran from her skull, behind her eyes, down her back, stopping at her waist. She tried to slap out the sting, but couldn’t reach far enough behind her. Razors slid down her back and her skin ripped open. Her insides shuddered and pulsed. Her arms spread outward, and she turned like a tilt-a-whirl gone wild.

Something’s wrong. Can’t be part of the ceremony
.

Faint, cryptic words rang in her ears. Alexander called out to her, his voice muffled by the fierce wind. Yes. Something had gone wrong. All her organs boiled. She flashed back to the night Forras had attacked her and the demon poison.

Grace was right after all. Only two angels could bond. Alexander would die.

“Oh, God! No!”

Despite the excruciating heat, she fought to free herself from the cocoon of hell. “No!

Take me!”

Two large balls formed below her shoulder blades and pressed at her flesh. The hot line spread, as if forceps stretched her muscles open and pulled her ribs from her spine. The two spheres extended down, scraping against bone and tissue.

Burning.

Dizzy.

Pain.

The wind stopped, yet the world continued to rotate. Air swooshed by her. She blinked and saw the earth crashing toward her. Her back peeled open and massive black clouds plumed above her shoulders. She screamed and retched. Muscles tightened and the wound sealed.

Through the pain, the smell of salty air and fresh cut grass teased her senses into believing the ground greeted her with soft sand. She knew better. Trees jetted up from below like spears, waiting to impale her.

She caught a glimpse of the white sand beach in the distance. She’d veered toward the forest with no sign of Alexander anywhere. The dark pools moved up and down and the muscles along her spine tightened.

They weren’t clouds, but massive, evil extensions of her body. Blood-red wings.

****

Alexander struggled against the Heavenly bond restraining him. Thick clouds circled and entrapped his body. His gut clenched at Gabby’s distant cries. They were being punished for breaking angelic law—only two angels could bond.

The clouds parted in the darkening sky. A lightning bolt shot from above and pierced his shoulder. The jolt shook him to his core then nothing. No pain, no suffering.

His stomach released and his anguish ebbed from his soul. The smells of ocean and crisp fresh air soothed him. Moisture trickled down his feathers with a gentle touch.

Perhaps they weren’t being punished.

A gift. Both welcomed to Heaven. No more trials or tribulations.

His body floated, weightless. No wings flapped, muscles tensed, or sorrow plagued him.

Another flash of light blinded him. Visions, feelings of pure peace, joy, and love comforted him. He could see the passion for all living things in the eyes of the angels.

He didn’t feel a muscle move, yet he knew a smile graced his face. No, not a smile. He wasn’t a person, no flesh or bones. His wings were free from the cage of the human skeleton. He looped and swirled in free abandonment.

Memories flooded into him. Everything pure. Angelic. Heaven. He remembered and embraced the light.

The clouds changed. Dark silver smeared with black and green. Visions of past angelic experiences collided with his consciousness like crashing waves. But the sweet thoughts quickly morphed into fear and anger.

Trial.

Loss.

Wings clipped and encased into a tight prison.

Fall.

“No!”

Clouds blurred in silver waves on the dark ocean of sky. All joy was sucked from his soul. He flapped his wings with vigor only to ram his freed soul into an invisible shield. Heaven closed him off, denied him entrance.