Divinity: Immolation: Book Three (The Divinity Saga) (36 page)

I should be terrified, and I was to an extent but not because I couldn’t fight him if I had to, I just wasn’t fully prepared…at least not on my own. I had to turn away so that my eyes wouldn’t be influenced over who this was…Morning Star.

“Don’t look so surprised
, sweetheart,” he laughed. “I mean really? Do I really offend? I don’t think I’m all that bad looking. Now come on, put those things away before I have to hurt or knock you out. I promise that you won’t be able to hurt or defeat me no matter what you do but I’ll certainly let you try. I’ll even allow you to think that you’re winning for a while, too.” He smiled casually as he sat down comfortably in the armchair, swiveling it around so that he was facing me.

He knew he had me and he seemed very lax about anything that I might do.

“Let me let you in on a little something before I claim what’s mine, Starling—love the name by the way,” he winked as he shifted in the chair and crossed a leg over the other, ankle resting over his opposite knee.

His tone was scathing. “You see, your boyfriend Cam`ael, promised me something a little while back, sort of a deal if you will.” He steepled his index fingers together and then pointed to my abdomen with them.

“Both you and that child… are mine.” He then said with a serious and sinister glimmer that flashed in both of his eyes.

Almost instantly, an extremely powerful
force pinned me firmly against the random brick wall behind me, and then closed in like secure vices around my shoulders, each wrist, my ankles, and my waist.

My legs nearly gave out. Not necessarily from fear but from what he was telling me. He didn’t know that we were having twins, which definitely prov
es that he was lying. If Cam had done this, which I did not believe, then he would have told him that we were having twins.

“Bullshit. You can’t claim anything from a dead body and I’ll die before letting you touch me or my child!” I spat out angrily. Even though I couldn’t move my hands or arms, my flames began to lick down each blade, burning brightly—ready to be thrown.

He beamed, entranced. “Hallowed fire. Very nice and very fitting for you. I love my women both beautiful and deadly that way. Be careful what you wish for though…and before you even consider using your fire…” He snapped his fingers with a sarcastic smirk plastered to his gorgeous face. A body instantly fell through a portal that had opened and expanded right above him.

I flinched and gasped when it landed on the ground with a heavy thud in a crumpled heap.

It wasn’t hard for me to figure out who it was from the long, sleek black hair and the firm, amazon-like, slender body.

Edanai!

But was it really her? What was wrong with her? Was she…dead?

“Don’t worry, she wouldn’t be of much value to me dead.” He said as if he’d read my mind.

Her body began to slowly rise, being levitated by magic until she hovered limply just slightly above his lap, and then her body came to rest gently in it as if she were an invalid that he was lovingly rocking to sleep.

He began to stroke her hair, gently brushing it from her pretty face, which remained still in a peaceful repose.

Launching a ball of fire at him it would burn her too and he knew that. Damn him!

“You see, you humans place way too much value, attachment, and feelings on things, other people, and beings. For the side of light, that is and will be your biggest downfall. It certainly will be for Cam`ael. Now I don’t doubt that Cam`ael would ever leave you alone for this long, especially when he has no idea that I have Edanai too—yet…so, we’ll just wait a little longer.
He’s probably occupied with something else right now anyway. He can’t resist beautiful women and virgins, you know. It’s probably one of the reasons why he wanted you so badly, and you gave yourself to him foolishly.” He tormented, using his words to stab doubt and hurt into my heart about Cam. Shut up! My mind screamed. I can’t allow myself to listen to his false words. He knew exactly what he was doing, awaiting my reaction or reply with a confident half smile.

He shrugged nonchalantly, stroking Edanai’s hair as if she were a pet in his lap, “Don’t look so surprised or hurt. He’s a fallen, it’s what we do best. You should never trust one, dear. We’re all of the same mindset. We’re all liars no matter what you were told or what you want to believe, and that will never change…not even with love. In the meantime, let’s get a little more acquainted, seeing as you’re not going to doing anything stupid that involves using fire, and we’re all going to be one big happy family very soon.” He smiled satisfactorily.

I felt like throwing up. Though I know he was full of shit, a tiny part of me…began to believe it.
How had he known that I was a virgin? I hated that part and I wished he would just stop talking! I couldn’t let him see that his words were affecting me at all. I quickly sucked up the tears that almost fell and tried to focus on something else.

This was a set up. He was setting Cam up for something and both Edanai and I were bait—bait that he was certainly going to keep.

“Just take me. Leave her here and leave everyone else alone. I’ll go with you willingly.” I pleaded.

He raised a brow as i
f considering my offer. “You’re willingly giving yourself to me?” He asked carefully.

“I said I’d go with you willingly, not that I was giving myself to you willingly.” I clarified through clenched teeth.

“Oh. Well that’s too bad. Say, isn’t your friend…what’s her name, China? Isn’t she on her way to see you right now? Snow can sometimes prove treacherous to maneuver a vehicle in safely. Did you know that most accidents happen within three to five miles of the home?” he pointed at me as if he were actually asking me the question, and about to embark on some sort of speech about public safety.

I paled and felt myself grow cold and numb inside, only because he had the power to do something easily at any given moment. He was merciless and cruel.

“Please, this has nothing to do with her! Leave her alone! She has a family and a future!” I was both scared and angry at the same time.

He laughed softly at my desperation and useless pleading.

“That all depends on you. How much do both of their lives mean to you? You know, accidents happen all of the time and I promise you that I have nothing to do with any of them…well, most of them at least.”

He smiled dangerously.

“What do you want me to do?” I said helplessly. I had no options at this point. He could easily kill China in a split second and I’d never see or talk to her again.

“I want you to willingly give yourself to me. Your soul and physical vessel.”

I pressed my lips together as tears began to well into my eyes again. My heart was breaking slowly with despair, defiance, anger, and absolute torture all chipping away at it. I couldn’t allow him to see me hurting and weak. He was evidently enjoying this, sucking it all up. He wanted to torture me emotionally and it was working, only because I knew he’d follow through and make good on his threats.

If this
was what I had to do to save China and Edanai— then I’d do it. It may be easier to kill him when he least expects it, and to do that, I’d have to be close to him when he’s the most vulnerable.

He awaited my answer, apparently already knowing that I wasn’t going to agree and say yes that easily or readily if at all.

He huffed with a diabolical grin, “Doesn’t matter anyway, I’ll have all three of you soon. She’s more of a consolation prize in the mix.” He shook his head and nodded at Edanai.               He then began to slowly trace a line across Edanai’s cheek that began to ooze dark blood. She didn’t move or react but it looked painful. I jerked in automatic reflex, pinned like a butterfly to a board while in attack mode and left to stare in horror, helpless.

“Stop that!” I screamed at him uselessly.

My God, how much more lame could I be? I was actually sitting here telling Satan to stop being cruel and evil? I tried to force my weight and strength against the invisible restraints against my wrists, ankles, and waist once again but I still couldn’t move. The pressure was way too strong and unyielding.

He laughed, low and taunting at my pointless efforts.

Cam wouldn’t know or think to come unless Ry or Rahab showed up at any moment now and summoned him. I couldn’t call out to him. I wasn’t going to lure him to this trap. For some reason, Morning Star wanted him to come, but why? Cam would go ballistic and destroy him on sight, especially seeing that he had Edanai too.

Was that what he wanted him to do?

—Wait...the fallen could communicate telepathically among one another. Did one of those fallen include Morning Star?

“Cam, whatever you do…don’t listen to Morning Star. It’s a trap!”
I attempted to relay to Cam, just in case.

Morning Star suddenly pierced me with a confident glint in his eyes, and a grin that made him look both deadly and gorgeous at the same time.

A burst of strange light broke through from somewhere, and then a large, dark blur forcefully rushed out of thin air right above my head. I didn’t even see what it was until the explosion of glass, wood, and steel burst outward, and the apartment fell away like jagged shards of glass from a window pane. The armchair that Morning Star had been sitting in, had been totally obliterated.

The magical restraints holding me in place were suddenly released, and I was propelled forward inside the wake that created a suction of powerful wind from whatever it was that darted out a
nd attacked Morning Star. I was pulled into the tunnel of wind, through the destroyed wall that was part of my apartment, into the spirit realm plane, and then deposited on a long, stone bridge. I dove and rolled agilely, coming to a low crouch with one knee up and the other down, as if I were about to spring forward.

I frantically searched for both Edanai and whatever it was that shot out like a raging bullet from the portal that had been above me, which was now
closed. Edanai’s body lie on the stony ground several feet behind me now, instead of on my living room floor.

Morning Star, and whoeve
r it was that had attacked him faster than the speed of light itself, were nowhere to be seen. My jaw dropped when I looked at the spirit realm landscape that replaced my apartment.

It was bleak and lightning flashed treacherously across a red and purple painted sky. We were both on a strip of
dark stone, a bridge with a long drop on each side. Down below were two huge, deep, cavernous pits in the ground that resembled giant maws. Hundreds of sharp rocks jutted inward from the sides, which formed what looked like sharp pointed teeth, and there were literally hundreds of thousands of human skeletons and skulls lying at the very bottom.

I ran over to Edanai, placing a hand on her chest to see if she was breathing. She was and
then she suddenly began to rouse. I supposed that when Morning Star was attacked, whatever magic or spell he had over her was instantly released too, but she was still groggy and out of it.

“Edanai, you have to get out of here. Now!” I shook her.

Her eyes snapped up to mine, trying to focus on my face as she rubbed the top of her head. Then she shook her head no and tried to stand, only to falter and sit back down.

What was wrong with her?

“I’m not going anywhere. Do you see all of this?” She pointed. Her eyes were round with uncertainty.

“Yeah and they’re all after me, so get out of here! You’re hurt and I can’t protect you without
possibly or accidentally killing you!” I pleaded with her, tears welling up in my eyes.

“No. No way
! Whatever you have to do… you’d better do it and do it big! It’s you they all want, and I promised myself and Cam that I would keep them away from you even if it costs my own existence, so don’t you dare worry about me! You have a baby to protect, and besides, Morning Star injured both of my wings badly, I can’t fly or cloak for a while until they heal.” She shouted harsh and fervently while pointing at me.

The normal Edanai was coming back. She appeared
to be gaining more lucidity and she was quickly on her feet, broken wings splayed. I gasped in horror. They had been nearly torn to shreds, and blood ran in between each feather. I wished I could help her but I had no idea of what to do.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. They’re healing already, though slowly.” She mentioned seeing the expression on my face.

I shook my head no, firmly pursing my lips to keep myself from bawling. We didn’t have time to stand here debating and I wasn’t budging.

Large shad
ows and dark flying things continued to rise all around us. The air turned foul, beginning to steam, and the haunting cries of torture and anguish could be heard from way down below. It tore at both my heart and my ears painfully. I knew where this place was.

In the far distance somewhere, I could distinctly hear Morning Star’s chiding, booming v
oice. Then, he was laughing mockingly and victoriously beneath the loud battle that could distinctly be heard.

Whoever his opponent was, sounded both furious and vengeful; unleashing a stormy wrath of rage and power that you could literally feel and see in the air.

Suddenly, we were surrounded by several more fallen. I wasn’t sure who or what they were amid the melee and chaos, but when I saw them begin to attack the rising dark things that had begun surrounding both Edanai and myself, I instantly knew who they were then.