THE FALL (Rapha Chronicles #1) (The Rapha Chronicles) (13 page)

The voluptuous woman settled back into her silken cushions with a satisfied smile.

As Rapha followed Glory’s trail through trees and onto a stone pathway overrun with cascading vines, he carried on a muttered, one-sided conversation with his Maker. “No, Adonai! It is too soon. She is not ready!”

But could one ever be ready to face creation’s great deceiver? Lucifer was so adept at spinning beauty around his vile ambitions that many of the wisest of all creation had been seduced into serving him. What chance did the girl truly have?

The wave of darkness that enveloped him with that thought brought his swift-moving feet to an abrupt standstill so that Adam, breathlessly keeping pace with the angel’s long stride, bounced off Rapha’s broad back and landed in a surprised heap.

“What is it?” Adam hopped up to look where Rapha stared.

Despair, guilt and hopelessness were an impenetrable wall. Every defeat, every horror of his dealings with the fallen angel replayed in his mind with a new, hideous insistence.
“As it was before, it shall be again. And
this time
your heart will never recover.”

An image flashed into his mind. Adam and Glory cowered in fear, their eyes feral, their bodies bloodied and mud-spattered. A cry of pain escaped his lips.

Adam’s hand shook his shoulder. “Rapha! Move! She is in danger.”

But Rapha mumbled. “He will wrap himself in her deepest desires.” His hands trembled and he gripped his head as if he could crush the horrors from his mind. “He will make her most noble ambitions her greatest weakness. He will take your love for each other and use it to torture….”

“There is no time for this! Go!” Adam gave Rapha a hard shove.

The boy’s action shook away despair’s hold. As Rapha stumbled forward he scanned their surroundings. Yes. There, high in the rocks, three malevolent pairs of eyes regarded them. He had been so intent upon pursuit he had stumbled into their sinister ambush.

Suddenly a coconut smacked the largest enemy directly on his nose and Adam, another coconut already in his hand, shouted in a commanding voice,
“Be gone! All creation spews you from this place!”

And it happened just as he said. A fierce wind rose around them, the towering trees bent and grasped the fallen celestial beings, and leaves were stuffed in their mouths preventing a counter command as regal birds descended to grasp them in huge talons and remove them from the garden.

Rapha had to stare at the kingly young man beside him. The boy had grown in stature. Power hummed around him as he stood, eyes ablaze, hair flying about his body like a majestic robe. The holiness of Adonai shone, encased in the earthly body but burning fiercely through every pore and rising from the earth beneath their feet, eager to obey the master’s voice. Joy and hope coursed through the angel’s frame. Ah yes! Lucifer was not going to like this one bit.

The two continued on the ancient path as if their feet had sprouted wings.

Chapter Eleven

The Fallen Angel

Glory’s voice trembled as she asked, “Who are you?”

“Who do you want me to be?”
The woman’s purr was soft, hypnotizing.
“There is too much of me to be known by only one name. Do you wish to call me Melkor or Athena? Perhaps you would prefer Lilith? Or”—
the woman leaned forward conspiratorially—
“how fun it would be for you to give me a new name, a secret shared only between us.”

“Lilith is beautiful,” the girl said, meaning both the name and the person before her.

“So, I will be Lilith and… what shall we call you, dear one?”

“Adam has named me ‘Glory’ but now that I have seen you, I no longer think I deserve that name.”

“My dear, it is a most fitting title, for that is exactly what you are.”

The compliment brought a flush of pink to the young woman’s cheek.

“And that is what I will call you, my Glory, my queen. Long have I looked for your coming.”
The one called Lilith knelt.

The girl gaped in wonder. Queen? This glorious creature would serve
her
? “Please. Get up. There is no need for that.”

“Oh, my Glory, do you not know? You and the young man are Adonai’s chosen to rule the earth.”

“Well, yes. We know. But surely it is not necessary for you to bow.”

The woman’s charming laugh showered down around her with another kiss of a heavenly scent.
“How sweet!”
The woman stood and the girl’s eyes widened. Through the shimmering, multi-hued mist that shrouded her form, the woman’s voluptuous body was evident in tantalizing glimpses of rounded breasts and curves that defied imagination.

The young woman could not help but stare. Yes! She needed this captivating power. Hardly realizing it, she took a step closer.

“Please reveal Glory’s path,” Adam stated calmly. The dense, ivy-strewn branches drew back and he and Rapha stepped through unhindered. Rapha marveled at the boy’s newfound confidence, amazed at how easily he had stepped into his authority without a shred of selfishness or pride. Once again, Adonai’s wisdom prevailed. The boy was becoming a man due to his love for another.

But when the monstrous stone monument to Lucifer’s pride came into view, Adam’s faith quailed. Lifting his eyes to graceful arches and enormous columns he stopped. “What is this place?”

“Lucifer’s first order of business on earth was to build a home worthy of his… magnificence. This is all that remains… above ground. In former days, his dwelling spread the length and breadth of this land.”

“Why would Adonai build our home so close?”

A bitter laugh escaped Rapha’s lips, “Your coming was prophesied long before. It is always Lucifer’s way to build obstacles to block Adonai’s plan. This land was chosen by the Most High; therefore Lucifer rushed to establish
his
kingdom first.”

Rapha watched as the terrible truth flooded Adam’s mind.

Adam and Glory were Adonai’s chosen.

Their offspring were to bring all creation back into harmony.

Their joining was planned for this very day; therefore Lucifer would try to….

Adam’s gaze locked with Rapha’s.

Without another word, Adam sprang from the trees and started sprinting.

The magnetic pull grew stronger with every inch she advanced toward this one called Lilith. Surely her beauty was so devastating Glory would be consumed by its power. Power. It throbbed over, under, around, and through her. Unlike Adonai’s and even Rapha’s power, this was displayed in mind-numbing proportions. With the thought of Adonai her mind returned to those amazing hours spent with Him during the night. He was the creator of all things yet He was humble enough to hold the humans while they wept. It was almost comical to imagine this amazing creature wiping another’s tears.

Glory was unaware she was standing still until the woman said with another melodic laugh,
“Come, my dear. There is so much to learn.”

When the girl looked back into those eyes she saw—or did she imagine—a hint of impatience. Lilith’s arm was stretched toward her, the long, graceful fingertips mere inches from her own, while the incredible eyes were fixed on her hand. Glory snatched her hand away and tucked it behind her back, at that moment, unsure why. A bolt of pain shot through her arm as if the attraction were a living thing that hated being denied. Her eyes opened wide in surprise and, for an instant, Lilith’s image flickered like a reflection on waters stirred by a passing breeze. Emboldened by pain, Glory searched the woman’s visage. Again, the feminine loveliness seemed to fluctuate.

“Do you know Lucifer?”

A slow smile spread across Lilith’s beautiful face.
“So bright! What a jewel you would be to any crown!”
Once more the one called Lilith laughed and a shower of brilliant petals floated from above, settling on the girl’s hair and shoulders and forming a bright carpet around her. Through the falling blooms, the girl watched the woman turn away, still laughing. As the floral shower continued, the petals washed away the femininity from Lilith’s form. In the place of curves, glimmering jewels winking from various body parts and flowing hair, a new landscape emerged—raw, virile, decidedly masculine.

It was the ultimate torture. Rapha could once again sense the girl’s emotions and physical sensations, but his way was blocked. On either side of the wide path, fierce stone creatures marked the entrance to Lucifer’s domain. To add insult, a golden parchment appeared before his eyes and hovered, an ancient script aflame, reiterating the agreement between Lucifer and Adonai. “Adam!” Rapha shouted to the boy who turned with a
What now?
expression. “It is forbidden for me to enter!”

Adam retraced his steps and studied the flame-inscribed scroll but was unable to decipher the language. “What does it say?”

“In its simplest terms, Lucifer cannot have access to the humans elsewhere and Adonai’s forces may not enter.”

With a confident shrug, Adam pointed at the hovering document and declared in a commanding voice. “I decree this agreement null. Adonai’s forces may enter!”

A shudder ran through the ground as a sulphur-laced wind rushed from all directions to converge in a whirling gale around man and angel. Cackling laughter spun around them and the fiery scroll vanished with a flash.

“There!” Adam declared and stretched a decisive hand toward Rapha.

“I cannot. If I break the decree, the protection of the garden’s walls will no longer repel Lucifer’s forces.” Rapha did not add that those forces would have free reign soon enough if the young woman disobeyed the law given to her and Adam—that they must not partake of Lucifer’s poison, his fruit of corruption.

“Rapha! Please! I will see to the rest of the garden when she is safe.”

“No. If we love Adonai, we obey Him.”

“But Adonai is gracious. If we break His decree, He will forgive.”

“Yes, but the consequences cannot be avoided. His laws are for our good even when we do not yet understand His….”

“I
understand
there is no time for argument. Come!” Adam exerted his newly discovered authority and, with a shock, the angel felt compelled to obey. With an angry mental shove Rapha lashed back, knocking Adam to the ground.

Sensing the gravity of this lesson, Rapha prayed the young man would heed his words. “If we disobey, we serve evil’s purpose. If Lucifer finds the issue that will bring disobedience, he will use it again and again, forging a chain to enslave.”

“I cannot leave her here!”

“Then you must go on alone.”

To Rapha, this was a momentous circumstance. He sensed a parting of ways, painful but inescapable. Adam was now a man, ready to risk himself for his beloved and take on the responsibilities of a king.

Realizing his angelic friend would not budge, Adam stepped back through the gate marking Lucifer’s domain and grasped Rapha’s broad shoulders.

Rapha bowed until celestial and human forehead touched, and said, “As lies within my power, I speak the eternal wisdom of Adonai upon you. May your body and spirit remain secure in Him until next we meet.”

With a reassuring squeeze to his friend’s arms, Adam then turned to sprint toward the monstrous arched entrance. The sound of his footsteps reverberating from the surrounding walls filled Rapha’s heart with grief.

Not only had her host’s appearance changed, their surroundings too had transformed. In place of flowering bowers and sumptuous furnishings, the ancient tree’s trailing vines were heavy with glowing fruit and its low-hanging boughs now released a musky scent. But all this was practically unnoticed due to the amazing creature who commanded her attention. Nothing could have prepared her for the devastation of that sight. Every element of his appearance promised fulfillment of her wildest dreams and anticipation of desires as yet undiscovered.

Glory’s eyes were wide, her body poised to run, “You…
are
Lucifer.”

He opened his hands toward her.
“Please forgive me. I merely wanted to avoid startling you. I thought a feminine form would be less… frightening.”

“I am not frightened,” Glory declared, though her voice quavered.

“As befits a queen,”
he inclined his head approvingly, turned toward the feast displayed beside him, selected two golden goblets, and filled them with a dark, red liquid.

She could not help staring at his magnificent body, rippling with power and grace. Like the feminine image, his masculinity was evident through provocative, rainbow mists. Her mind once more beheld the visions that had caused her pulse to race and her cheek to flame—the visions of her and Adam melting into one flesh. Only this time, while her image remained, Adam’s had been replaced… by this angel before her.

“Please, refresh yourself.”
He held the goblet toward her but she shook her head, knowing her trembling body would find the hand-to-mouth movement impossible.

“You do not trust what I would give you?”

Again Glory shook her head, her hands clasped behind her back even while they longed to touch him. Not only was he beautiful, he also aroused her curiosity. He was different from the other angels who presented themselves in a form very similar to humans. His skin appeared almost molten, glowing and fluid—yet somehow solid. Would his skin (if she could call it that) burn her? Would it feel like thick water, or smooth and hot like the crowns when they had passed from Rapha’s hands? Or would it be a new, unspeakable sensation?

He was talking again. It was difficult to understand his words because his voice affected her so, both soothing and dangerous. He connected to something much deeper than auditory response—as if his speech probed every nook of her existence and molded into the perfect shape to fulfill her. How she wanted to drown in the pleasure! But no. She had been warned about… something.

“You are wise to be cautious, dear Glory. The warnings of a trusted counselor should not be cast aside lightly. You have a loyal soul. That is good.”

When his iridescent eyes turned to regard her with admiration, intense heat rose from her toes. How she longed to touch him. But another desire was even stronger.

How she longed for
him
to touch
her
.

The feeling shocked her pristine body so she clapped her hands over her ears and shut her eyes tight, seeking respite from his overwhelming presence. Even then Lucifer’s image was burned on her eyelids, cast in dark relief but breathtaking nonetheless, and his scent still muddled her thoughts.

“Run!”
Rapha commanded the girl with all the force of his will though he felt his thoughts bounce back from a mighty barrier.
“RUN!”
he shouted his plea to the wind, hoping sound could break through where the spirit had failed.

An icy blast swirled around Glory’s feet that, seemingly of their own accord, started to move away although every facet of her being rebelled.

If only she had not tripped over something at that very moment. If only she had kept her eyes shut and her hands over her ears, even if it meant crashing to the ground and rolling in a blind, broken heap. But Glory’s hands and eyes betrayed her, reaching out to break her fall and opening to see what blocked her path.

It was long and firm, colorful and glowing, round like an enormous tree root but… then it slithered, sliding through the grass at her feet.

Rapha’s hopes soared when he sensed her desire turn to fright. Yes. Glory was resisting. She was fleeing. She was…
fascinated
. No! What new evil was this?

“Run!”
He commanded again but the cry was caught and shoved down his throat by a hate-filled deluge that roiled from the aperture before him.