Echoes in Eternity (The Pella Series Book 1) (66 page)

“Good is
a distortion by God who kept the truth from coming out. Kept everything secret and when I, his right hand wanted to inform the men of the secrets of our universe, what did he do? He tossed me out of Eden as if eons of my service meant nothing to him! Am I the one who created humankind and let them suffer on earth by simply keeping them out of touch with their environment?” he asks tilting his head to the side, as his darkened eyes focus on me in a pleading gesture.

“You look at me with incrimination in your eyes as if I’m the one who made countless humans suffer and die,” he pleads more as if he is carrying the torch for
mankind. “Don’t you remember the giant earthquakes in your own life time, the tsunami, tornadoes, even the volcanoes of the recent past? What have those people done? The little babies! The God whose cause you are serving is playing you like a spinning top. Where is
your
freedom sweet angel?” he asks. His usage of Alex’s endearment makes me cringe and awakens my senses like they have been doused with a bucket of cold water.

“You have none with him! Oh, he will tell you that you are free to choose, but then when you make the choice that he dislikes, he punishes you! Where is the free will in that?
I
,” he drawls on the word and continues, “would never do that to you, or to anyone else. You would be free to choose without any punishment. Look what he made us out to be? Why would he require
your
blood to allow the Eden born angels to re-enter into their rightful domain?” His voice is tempting, confounding, mystifying. His lips curve into a sexy, irresistible smile. His words are full of promises.

“I do not require obsequious prostration from you in
my
worship. I only request… plea if you will, your company next to me. You don’t even have to love me. I would free everyone who has been dear to your from their eternal servitude. Isn’t that what you want?”

“My company for their freedom?” I ask.

“Yes…” he says relieved. “That’s all I want. So, all this torture of your father, and your lovers end right here, right now…” He is giving me the biggest temptation of my existence. I chew my lower lip contemplating this offer. Worrying, weighing the consequences.

“Baby,” he croons, “Do you have any idea how long eternity is my young future lover?” He asks with a concerned expression on his face.

“Look what two-hundred years has done to your poor daddy,” he turns to me to look at my father’s lashed back with his skin ripped open.

“You did that to him!” I shout. My throat suddenly feels arid though I don’t need to swallow, eat or drink here. My hand reaches to my mouth to stifle a sob.

“No, baby, no… I didn’t! Just like you, my hand was forced to do deeds I had never wished to do to a brother of mine. But one word from you would silence the agony of all these Nephilim, your father and our
Fallen
brethren forever. Just one word... Try it, baby…” Why can’t I resist his pleas?

CHAPTER XXI
II

SPOKEN WHISPERS

Alexander Aurelius Pella

Elissa’s lifeless body is
present both here and in Hades. We are helpless, as we can only agonizingly watch and keep her tied to us until she’s ready to be retracted. What happens to her in Hades happens to her here in our arms. Whoever planned this made sure that her soul and her body remained intact in both places. Our connected minds and psyche continue to revolve around us, keeping us in the same flow, with the ability to see and feel her experiences. Through our established bond, we helplessly watch Marcus get immobilized and silenced by none other than fucking Apollyon. I don’t do helpless when my girl is in the vicinity of a male fly, let alone the master deceiver. Brutal rage and frustration takes over me. Having surrendered to Eden with forged chains voluntarily as a Watcher; his powers are no match for Apollyon who is in his natural element and his own domain in Hades.

Seeing Apollyon effe
ctively work on enticing Elissa sparks the unrestrained anger, jealousy and violence like a crackling live wire in both of us. We are two alpha males in love with the same woman connected to her psyche as her lifeless, bloodied nude body is tightly ensconced between us, trying to preserve her existence is an immensely formidable task. All three of us are bathed in Elissa’s blood. How could one person lose so much blood and survive? She’s not immortal yet. The only thing that’s keeping us here is the knowledge that she is still very fragile. Having two male lions fighting for the same territory would have been a much easier endeavor. But seeing Apollyon get close to the woman we both love, touch her with carnal intent, his desire to conquer her body and soul only to use her as leverage to reach his end goal forges an alliance neither one of us thought would ever happen.

Reading my thoughts correctly, “
Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows,” Courcillion says quoting Shakespeare.

“
You know what I have to do…” I say determined. His gaze is cold and unblinking. “I have to get in to Hades to get her back. Can I trust you?” I ask Courcillion solemnly.

“I don’t want
to see the girl I love used as a weapon in Apollyon’s arsenal, or meeting his…” he doesn’t bring the end of the sentence. Neither one of us want to see him near her let alone inside her.

“Truce?”
he asks.

“Truce!” I reply.

“Besides, I am looking forward to kicking your royal ass to win her. I wouldn’t miss that for anything. So, get her back!” Courcillion says holding onto Elissa’s body tighter, avariciously and protectively. I grit my teeth as a flash of jealousy sears my entire body. I try very hard to suppress my resentment because we have bigger fish to fry right now. Simply stating that I am possessive when it comes to Elissa would be the understatement of the century. But I can’t let Courcillion take his claim. She’s my woman!

“No matter how much you fight for her, how deep you think you love her,
everything you ever felt since the day you laid eyes on Elissa until the rest of your existence will not match the intensity of my love in just a day of my existence. You had a wife! Elissa’s always going to be the second love for you. As for me, she’s always
The One
! After we get her back, all bets are off and the truce is over.”

“
You and I both have had countless women sating our needs until we found her. I loved my wife, but she’s dead! I’m not letting Elissa slip through my fingers or worse, die! She’s my second chance! And besides,” he says with a mocking tone, “if you were to give up so soon, I wouldn’t think of you as a worthy rival.” His tone finally turns serious. “How do we do this? Her reach took ten days and she’s on her eleventh day. You can’t possibly do what she did to get to her,” he says skeptically. I barely notice the crackling of our energies and the aura surrounding us.

“I don’t have to
take the same route! I have a direct link to Elissa’s psyche, her life essence and her physical signature. All I have to do is to utilize our bond!”

“Doesn’t that jeopardize your life? I mean I don’t mind eliminating my biggest rival, but it would take all the f
un out of defeating you,” he tries to joke making light of the danger.

“I’m an immortal. I don’t have the same
existence signature of the dead souls…”

“But you
do have a life signature!”

“I’m the son of a Fallen Angel. That should be enough to trip them off just long enough.
I won’t descend all the way in until we are ready to retrieve her. I just need to get that fucker off of my wife!”

“My fiancée!” he retorts.

“Wife supersedes fiancée,” I hiss. “Our bond will hold. I just won’t be here physically. I can’t do what Elissa is doing; physically being in two places at once. She can do that because she’s at the
crease
of time, where two times bridge. I have to take my physical body there, but only to a certain distance. You will have to be an anchor for both of us. Can you manage that?” I ask.

“Yes, I can.
Stay there just long enough. Let’s both stick to the schedule.”

“I’m aware of that!
Ground rules first: I descend, get Apollyon away from Elissa. Under no circumstances should he be able to see me. We don’t want him to look for a way to sever her tie; then her retrieval would be impossible. Keeping us anchored.”

“Agreed!”
he growls, his eyes dark with rage.

I hate to be cooperating
with Courcillion on anything. The only thing that’s keeping me from pouring my rage through my fists is the singular goal of saving Elissa from Apollyon. Otherwise I could never leave the nude body of my woman in Courcillion’s embrace. She’s worth fighting for and worth the consensus, I remind myself.

My descent into Elissa’s psyche and to Hades isn’t instantaneous. Our bond is strong, electr
ic and fluid. I can helplessly feel Apollyon weakening Elissa’s resistance. When I see his finger slide over my girl’s naked back, gazing at her as if she is a feast he could indulge in to his fill boils my blood further. The words he whispers into Elissa’s ear entwines into Elissa’s mind, clouding her thought process and weaving their intended dark magic. Fueled by rage and tenacity, I make my move and descend to Elissa as close as I can get, yet still far away from my reach. Apollyon must love theatrics. He’s now dressed up like the master of the universe in a very expensive suit in the middle of a dungeon in Hades of all places, sliding his fingers at the nape of her neck, soaking in the pleasure and savoring her. I expel my fury from my flaring nostrils and inhale deeply.

“Get the fuck away from my girl!”
I shout. My voice resonates around the dungeon and echoes back to his ears like a blast. Apollyon looks around to locate my voice. His eyes drift up to the taut, stretched body of Marcus. One eye brow rises mischievously.

“Good trick… I like to play games,” he says leaning in
to Elissa’s neck. He first inhales her scent. A skillful tongue darts out leisurely and touches Elissa’s bare shoulder, gliding upward. I am unable to contain myself in my confinement. I’m ready to jump out and fight. With a colossal effort, I control my urge to break free. Courcillion lends me his strength to block my immense desire to fight.

“Ahhh… I smell another man
all over you. How regrettable it is that I’m not the first one to get my hands on you,” he says noting my scent on Elissa. It’s only a small consolation. Elissa’s eyes open partly and she blinks as if remembering something, someone. She turns her head up and looks at him gaining a fraction of her senses.

“Yeah, I believe your minions tried. I’m not into getting my blood spilled for other’s fanatical causes. I’m sorry,”
she says feebly attempting to push him away. Why is she apologizing to him? “But, I really am not the one for you,” she says answering my unspoken question. If she got her smart mouth back, that means she has gained some control of her mind.

Apollyon
turns Elissa slightly to face him directly; his hands continue to caress her up and down on her naked back. I can feel his touch resonating all over Elissa’s body.

“We all have a cause
, Elissa,” he whispers in a velvety soft voice. He couldn’t have looked more angelic and innocent. Fucking Shakespeare was right when he said, ‘
when devils are about to commit their biggest sins, they put on their most heavenly faces
.’ It’s exactly what he’s doing. “What is the purpose of existence after all?” he asks searching her face.