Midnight Fire - Rise of the Dark Angel - Book One

Midnight Fire

Rise of the Dark Angel

Copyright © 2012 by Melody Anne

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the author.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

Books by Melody Anne

*The Billionaire Wins the Game

*The Billionaire’s Dance

*The Billionaire Falls

*The Billionaire’s Marriage Proposal

*Blackmailing the Billionaire

*Runaway Heiress

+The Tycoon’s Revenge

+The Tycoon’s Vacation

+The Tycoon’s Proposal

-Midnight Fire – Rise of the Dark Angel
– Book One

-Midnight Moon – Rise of the Dark Angel – Book Two

See Melody on Facebook at facebook.com/authormelodyanne

Melody’s Web Site:
www.melodyanne.com

Twitter: @authmelodyanne

             
There are worlds within worlds. There are galaxies beyond what we could ever imagine. How did it all come to be? How is there order within the chaos? Is there one master for all the universes, or are there many? We may never know the answers to these questions. All we will know is the story of our own lives.

             
The gods of our universe are kind and giving, but where there is light, darkness isn’t far behind. Where there is good, evil
lurks
around the corner. How long until the darkness extinguishes the light?

             
Can one choice ultimately be the end of all mankind? Could we survive the apocalypse? I know we can because I lived through it. Or at least I’ve lived so far. I’ve learned more in the last few years than any one person should know. I’ve seen real terror, but I’ve also seen pure light. I’m scared. I’m so afraid for the people I love. I’m even more afraid for the world I’ve always known.

             
The
darkness is so overwhelming. It pulses with
an
unbearable evil I wish I didn’t know existed. How could something so horrible happen? How could mankind turn against each other? Are we that susceptible to the whispering in our ears? Please, don’t forget me. Please, don’t forget we can survive
, but only
if we ban together. 

             
“You say you have faith in them. Y
ou say they’
re
righteous
, y
et you don’
t believe your own words,” Vy
co snarled. Josiah simply smiled at his enemy
,
even though
the demon was
affecting
him
with his words
. He wouldn’t give
Vyco
the satisfaction of knowing
it
,
though.

             
“You
won’t get me to fight you
,
Vyco
.
Y
ou wouldn’t win
,
anyway,” Josiah told hi
m
.

             
“
I may have
believed that ages ago
,
but you’
re growing weaker
the longer we
exist
. You aren’t so strong in your convic
tions. If you were
,
you’
d have more faith in your children,”
Vyco
said,
taunting
Josiah.

             
“I have compl
ete faith in my children,
which is
why I give them free will,” Josiah stated in the same calm manner.

             
“You call it free will
,
but is it really that
,
indeed? You still protect them from me. You still
won’t
let them mak
e up their minds. Each time I’
ve stepped in
,
you’
re right there to block me
.
H
ow is that free will?”
Vyco
taunted.

             
Josiah thought about his
enemy's
words. The
demon
was the epitome of evil but he hadn’t always been that w
ay. They
were brothers and
had once been
closer th
an any other two beings. They’
d battled
-
neither of them backing
down from their beliefs
.
T
hat’s when
they’
d fallen
on
opposite sides
.
Josiah had chosen the light, while Vyco chose the darkness. Vyco liked having the freedom to do whatever pleased him. Josiah chose to still be held accountable to a higher power than even him.

             
“I give my children free will
,
though it hurts me at times to do so,” Josiah said,
feeling pain for those he’
d lost.

             
“
To
truly give them free will
,
you can’t
interfere. You
must
let them choose their own path
,
even if that path take
s
them from you,”
Vyco
drilled home his point. Josiah knew w
here the conversation
was
l
eading
.
H
e could’ve stopped it
,
but
he realized
Vyco
had a valid point. How much free will was he really giving his
children?

             
He’
d
created the planet Earth,
giving
it what
it
needed in order to
thrive.
Then
,
he’
d plucked
different creatures from many worlds
,
placing
t
hem together on one planet
. He’
d needed to prove the universe was inherently good and all the worlds could come together as one.

             
His children, as he considered them to be, had disappointed
him many times over
but
he’
d never once given up on them. O
r
,
had he? Was he giving up by not having faith t
hey’
d
resist
Vyco
’s evil whispers
?

             
Vyco
looked at Josiah as he struggled within himself to find answers
.
He fought an
internal battle. Josiah knew he was giving
Vyco
exactly what he wanted
,
but
he
also knew his children
c
ould pull through.

             
“Why do you feel you need to be here
,
Vyco
? There are so many other
worlds and universes
where
you could
go
. You could create your own galaxy
where you’d have
free
reign
,” Josiah
said
.
He was surprised he’d never asked the question before.

             
“Because
,
my dear b
rother, I can
’
t leave
until I’
ve proven
you’
re wrong,”
Vyco
stated with
another
snarl.
Josi
ah looked at the demon he’
d once trusted beyond any other being.

             
“You sadden me
,
Vyco
.
You’
ve turned into something unimaginable. Why not leave and let us both get on with our
existences
?” Josiah
asked
.

             
“I will m
ake a deal with you
,
Josiah. I’
ve grown quite fond of earth. Many of your children
are
quite
susceptible
to my wishes, even though others have been saved by you
,
one t
o
o many times. If you agree to
this deal,
the winner will get this precious planet,”
Vyco
stated.

             
“There’
s no deal I’
d ever wish to make with you,” Josiah said
,
sounding more like the true g
od he was.
Vyco
cringed
from
Josiah’s wrath
,
but
still
,
he didn’t give up.

             
“If you
fully
let your children have free will
and
don’t interfere with
their decisions and they still choose goodness
,
then I will leave
,
forever,”
Vyco
said temptingly. “But
,
if they fall
because they don’t have
you whispering in their ear
, they become mine and you will start over somewhere else,”
Vyco
stated, salivating at the mouth
from
just the thought of such a thing.

             
“How would it be fair for you to have free reign
,
causing
chaos
without my Angels step
ping
in
to
help?” Josiah questioned.

             
“I didn’t say your Angels cou
ldn’t step in.
I said you couldn’
t,”
Vyco
said. Josiah sat back and pondered what
Vyco
was asking of him.

             
“
I
f I weren’t
able
to step in
,
then you c
ouldn’t either,” Josiah stated.
Vyco
cringed once again. Josiah could see the wheels turning in the demon’s head.
He was thinking of a way around the stipulation.

             
“I could agree to that
but
to make this
more
fair
,
only
one
f
rom each side will know what’
s
truly
going on. You may pick
one
of your most trusted Angels
and I’
ll pick
one
of my D
ark Angels
to consult with. They
won’t
get to run interference
with the others
but
they’
ll keep an eye on things
,
making
sure you don’t cheat
. My demons will whisper in one ear, while your Angels whisper in the other. I guarantee if you aren’t there to
guide
your
people
,
they’
ll choose my way every time,”
Vyco
said with evil glee
.

             
“
Vyco
,
you have such little faith. You think all humans will take the e
asy way out. You believe they’
ll
steal
instead
of pay, or hate instead of love. You’
re wrong.
I
f they have the choice
to choose love or hate, they’
ll
choose
love,” Josiah said with confidence.

             
“I disagree
,
Josiah
,
but
if you’
re so confident
bind this agreement
and we’
ll see what happen
s
to your
planet
,”
Vyco
said eagerly
,
while pulling out the golden rope. If they bou
nd the agreement, it was done
and neither of them coul
d break the bind or true death could follow and they’
d
cease
to
eternally
exist.
They would be pulled before
the high
council and whatever decision they made would be final. There was no such thing as an appeal in that realm.

             
“I see you’
re hesitating
,
my brother,”
Vyco
said once again with glee.
Josiah did have faith in his people
but
to not help when they called
w
ould kill him
.
T
o have
Vyco
out of their lives for good would
mean
a whole new world
,
though
.

             
“There need
s
to be a time frame
,
Vyco
.
I
f there’s still a draw
in
the end
,
then you depart,” Josiah said. He wouldn’t bend from that condition.
Vyco
hesitated. He knew the stipulation could end up costing him everything
but
then again he had nothing to lose.
He
’d
seen
what was in the human heart
.
T
here was far more evil than good.

             
“Ten years
,
Josiah and you’
ll watch the fall of
your humans, though I’
m sure it will take far less time,”
Vyco
stated viciously. Josiah once again hesitated. He closed his eyes
,
praying
for wisdom. Would it be the right thing to do? Would he be damning his children
,
or setting them free? He felt
warmth spread through him and knew he had his answer.