Sachiel of his power. When that happened, when he had no power left, he would be vulnerable to a human weapon. Mr. Kent Ocean had volunteered for that part, stepping out from a closet, pale face and trembling like the other night.
He raised his hand in the air and tugged at his shirt’s collar. “I’ll do it.”
Aumae made a sound and hurried to his side. She flashed Damien and Kellan a warning, touching a protective hand to his shoulder. “Now, dear, are you sure?”
The owner pumped his head up and down. “If this guy is as bad as you say, he won’t be focused on a little human being around. He’ll be distracted by all of you guys.”
“If you kill us instead, I will come back from hell. I will kill you and every single member of your family.”
Sweat formed on Kent’s forehead. He wiped it off using the back of his arm, his eyes held by Kellan’s during his threat, and he squeaked out, “I won’t. I, just… I want to help now. I don’t think a lot of us folk ever get called to fight a battle like this. I mean, I’m a church-going man. I don’t think I could sit back and not help, you know.”
“You’re a church-going man?” Kellan drew closer, moving around the table and me.
Aumae snapped at him, “Stay back!”
I caught Kellan’s arm. “Stop.”
“I—uh—I mean, it’s not right. No matter how much of a celestial being your father is. He shouldn’t be forcing his son to turn on his daughter. I’m a father too and that isn’t right. It’s the children that are supposed to be protected. That’s my job. That should be his job too.”
And so, here we were. Mr. Kent Ocean was tucked away behind some nearby trees, protected by the same spell Kellan used to hide us when we were at Kent’s home. Sachiel had no clue the person who would kill him was the least powerful there was and in a way, it was ironic. He wanted power, but he was going to get stripped of his instead.
We felt the earth shaking first.
The winds picked up after that.
The sky darkened.
Then, there was complete silence. It was like a tornado was at our door, and we were waiting for it to ring our doorbell. All breaths were held. Everyone paused, their hearts suspended, and then, with a sudden whoosh, he landed in front of us. As he ascended, the ground thundered once again. It was enough to be a small earthquake.
My father arrived, glancing around—he was alone. That was lucky for us, but I didn’t want to question our fortune. He looked like me. He looked like Damien too. Now that I knew Damien was my half-brother, we had the same nose, same cheekbones, and even the same heart-shaped chin. Our father stood tall, closer to Kellan’s height, and he was like a Greek god. Long blond hair that curled around his shoulder. Broad shoulders. Thin waist. I looked for wings, but saw none until I glanced down. A shadow of them lay out behind him on the ground. As I watched, they folded up, tucking close to his body. His eyes were blue, like Damien’s, and he was watching me, studying me back.
“You look much like your mother.”
I frowned. “I thought you would’ve seen me before now.”
He shook his head, then grew still and tilting his head forward. His eyebrows pinched together and his forehead wrinkled. “I’ve been looking, but I’ve not seen you until today.” He glanced to Damien. “Thank you for calling me, and though I asked for them to be unconscious, thank you for having her awake. Your foresight is commendable.”
“Foresight?”
I glanced sideways to Damien, who shrugged back to me. He said, “Uh—yeah.”
Our father strode forward, his hands stretched out. A low and deep growl erupted from Kellan, and he moved forward, blocking me from my father. Sachiel drew back, his eyes finding Kellan’s for the first time, and his hands went back to his side. “I see. You think to fight on her behalf, demon?”
“You’re a condescending bitch. Do you know that?”
I caught movement behind me, from Aumae, but I didn’t dare look to see what she was doing. I hoped it would help in our fight, because now that my father was in front of us, I knew it would be a big one. The power emanated from him in waves. It was almost overwhelming, threatening to choke me.
“We can’t win.”
I wasn’t sure if I had the realization or if it came from Kellan, but I shared a look with him. It was true, though. My father was too powerful. The plan wasn’t going to work. We’d never be able to overwhelm him, not with all of us.
Despair lodged in my throat. I didn’t know what to do now. We were here. He was here. There was no going back.
My father laughed, pointing a finger at Kellan. “You have backbone. Most demons don’t. You all are sniveling idiots.” he spat, indicating the ground. “Every time I come across one, it’s always the same. They start spewing promises. They’ll turn in their mother/father/sister/brother/best friend/best mate. Whoever it is that might hold my interest and they fall to the ground. They kiss my feet and start begging. They’ll serve me even in hell. They’ll search out whoever I wish to be on my side. They’ll kill anyone I want. Crying. Begging.” He paused, his eyes narrowed on Kellan. “Pathetic.” He drew closer, and Kellan’s eyes closed to slits. “Are you going to be the same?” He flicked his wrist to me. “You are in love with my daughter, and she with you. I can smell the bond between you, unlike the last time. You both are dripping with it. You’ve recently coupled. Perhaps four hours ago.”
Oh. God. That was embarrassing.
“Yes.” My father leaned closer and sniffed the air. “I can smell your love, too, but it’s going to be the same. I will strip you of your honor, your pride. You will fall at my feet, and you will be like all the others. You will beg for your life, and it won’t matter. I will take my daughter’s life first. Make you watch that. I want you to hold that memory in your mind, and then I’ll send you back to your father’s kingdom. You will fall back to hell, and he’ll never let you return to the ground. That will be your ending.”
Kellan’s growl was deepening, becoming more primal. He was going to act soon, and I didn’t know what he would do. I worried, for the first time scared for Kellan’s life. Sweat dripped down my back, mixing with the cold shivers wracking down my spine, too. My palms grew warm, and I began trembling. The fear was creeping in. I couldn’t hold it at bay any longer.
This was the end. I felt it coming.
“Father.” Damien jerked forward. His eyes were wild, skirting between Kellan and Sachiel. “You said I could return to my family after this.”
“Yes, yes.” Sachiel’s eyes were gleaming as he continued to stare at Kellan, hard. “I will uphold that promise once I’ve taken both of their power.” He swung to Aumae, who froze with her hands in the air. “And I see you brought me an extra treat. Aumae, it’s been so long.”
She had dressed in a black sweater with a hood pulled over. It was knocked off and her hair was blowing in the wind. Her arms froze, blood dripping from her fingertips, and her eyes were wild and dilated like Damien’s. I traced the blood. I couldn’t see where it came from since her sweatshirt was black, but she was wearing a white dress underneath and the ends were red. She stepped forward, and I saw her feet were barefoot. They were bloodied as well, mixing with dirt.
What was she doing?
As I thought that, she spoke in my mind, “You and Kellan hold on to each other. Hold on to Damien as well.”
“What are you doing?”
“Pay me no mind, child. I have loved you like a daughter. I’ll not let this asshole take you away, not until your time is done.” She raised her arms. “And it’s not done, not by a long shot.”
“Aumae?” Sachiel drew closer to her, his head tilting the other way. “What are you doing?”
“You.” She sneered. Her eyes turned black. “You used my sister for another child. You picked her on purpose, knowing she was half-messenger, and then you assaulted her body when you tried to rip your daughter from her womb.”
“He did what?”
Damien moved closer to m
e, his hip bumping into mine. “Get ready, you guys.”
No. I shook my head. Damien didn’t know something else was going on. The plan wouldn’t work. I reached back and found Kellan’s hand. I felt his tension. He knew my aunt was going her own way. He tucked me behind him.
I murmured to him, “We all have to be touching.”
Kellan nodded, still tucking me behind him.
Damien frowned, hearing me. “What? What are you talking about?”
Sachiel was drawing closer to Aumae. He was curious, but that would shift. Whatever Aumae had planned, it wasn’t good. He would kill her, if he were smart. He’d strike first before she could finish whatever she was doing.
“Kellan.” I thought, “We have to do something. We have to stall him.”
“I know.” Then he spoke up, “You can’t beat us all.”
It worked.
Sachiel turned to us, his back now to my aunt. “Is the begging already starting, demon?”
Kellan growled, actually showing his teeth. His anger was boiling up, but he was keeping it contained. “Without Shay, I’m a full demon.”
“My daughter is three-fourths messenger. My son is half-messenger. Aumae is half herself, and you, yes, I suppose you are almost a full demon. There’s a small sliver of humanity in you. I can see it. It’s like a pumping heart. It’s doomed to turn black within the hour, but even then, you are no match for me.”
“Guys,” Damien said under his breath. “What is going on?”
“I thought you were supposed to drain us of our powers. That was your plan, wasn’t it?” Kellan wasn’t backing down. He moved even closer to my father. I went with him, but clamped onto Damien and jerked him with us.
“What are you doing?” he barked at me.
Kellan ignored us, saying, “But you couldn’t take on my father.”
Sachiel was silent, not moving for a full ten seconds as he stared down Kellan. “You wouldn’t.”
“I would.”
“What are they talking about?” Damien whispered to me.
Kellan answered for me, “Calling my father.”
“What?” he whispered again to me. “That wasn’t the plan. Why are you guys changing the plan?”
“The plan?” My father didn’t sound surprised. “So you were going to betray me, my son. You were going to see your mother, your siblings, even that human father of yours. They’re still looking for you, you know.”
Damien froze behind me, growing more still with each word my father said. All the blood drained from his face.
“And now you’ll never see them. Now, you won’t even go to the above with me. I’ll cast you out.” Sachiel shared with Kellan the same ominous look. “You’ll both be in hell for the rest of your eternity.”
“Not unless I call my father forward.”
Kellan sounded so sure. Even I paused at that, frowning at him. Was he—no… Would he?
Sachiel shared my thoughts. “You’re lying.” But there was doubt in his statement. “You wouldn’t. You’d need—”
And as he said that, Kellan reached around me and jerked Damien forward. He wrapped an arm around his neck, the other holding a knife to his throat. Damien went completely still, his chest barely moving, and Kellan pressed the knife harder to his skin. He lowered his head, holding my father’s gaze steadily. “I would. I need a sacrifice mixed with my demon blood. That’s all I need, and he’d be here. I have no problem taking the life of the guy who betrayed Shay.” His arm tightened over Damien.
Thunder erupted, and lightning smashed down behind us. It wasn’t close, but close enough where I felt the electricity go through my body, jolting me.
“Kellan.” Damien’s Adam’s apple bounced up and down. “What are you doing?”
“Shut up.”
I moved to their side, grabbing on to Damien. Aumae said we needed to maintain contact, all three of us.
“You’re a part of this, Shay?” Damien asked me.
I ignored him, staring at my father. “Kellan will do it, and you know it.”
“I don’t believe you. His father is as much a fan of his as I am of you. I have no problem killing my own child, not if it betters me. His father is more ruthless than I am.”
“You can’t take all of us on, and I’m sure once his father arrives, he’ll go straight for you. We’ll get away. You won’t. The odds are not in your favor.” Something new had risen up in the air. I felt it now. It was low, but building in power. It was like an invisible river. It was first a small trickle, wetting our feet, but it grew and grew. I felt it growing and its current was a strong pull. It was sweeping around us, threatening to pull us away with it, whatever it was. I glanced over my father’s shoulder and saw Aumae there. Her arms were in the air. Her eyes were black. The wind was picking up just around her. It was circling her, whipping and snarling. I was shocked my father hadn’t heard it yet. Whatever she was doing, it was new power, power that wasn’t there because of him. He should’ve noticed, but he was still locked on Kellan. He believed his threat and he was focused on what would happen if Kellan’s father did arrive.
He was saying something to Kellan.
Kellan replied, a savage retort.
I tuned them out. I could only focus on Aumae now. The wind stopped. The current was all around us, zapping against my face, my hair, my back. It was completely enveloping us.
“My child,” Aumae thought to me, walking toward us. Her hands lowered, and she dripped blood onto the dirt.
“What are you doing, Aumae?”
“I am saving you.”
“How?”
“This is why I sought you out. Kellan thinks he sent for me, but it was the other way. I sent a suggestion in the wind for him to seek an ally. I knew he would come to me. This is why I remained on Earth after your mother left. You are that reason. This moment is that reason.”
“What—” I started shaking my head. No. No. Sadness, grief, pain. All three rolled into one, and I felt them low in my gut. I was going to live. I felt that joy, too, but the mourning was already there. I felt her intentions before I fully knew. “Aumae, please don’t. We’ll find another way.”
“There is no other way. This is the way. This was the reason for me being here. There was never another way.” She lowered her head a fraction, so her eyes could look right into my core. “The other plan was never going to work. Your father is too powerful. Now, my child, I will tell them above about you. You will be protected, and your father will be persecuted. Do not worry. I will watch over you from the other veil. I will be there, along with your mother.” Then, she called out, her voice strong and clear, “Sachiel!”
He whipped around. “Wha—”
She held her hands in the air with a knife poised at her throat.
The throat—it was always the throat. I winced, feeling the blade against my own throat, even though it wasn’t. It was only against my aunt’s.
My father put two and two together. “No!” He looked around, feeling the new power finally. “No, no, no.” He kept whipping around. “You couldn’t have done this.”
“It is done.” And with those words, my aunt sliced her own throat.
Blood gushed from her, and my father began clawing at his own throat. As her blood rained out, so did his. His was darker, almost black, and his entire body was soon drenched. He fell to his knees as her body went to the ground. Her eyes had rolled inside, but I felt her touch on my shoulder. It was a gentle touch, a goodbye and a reassurance. She whispered into my ear, “Goodbye, my sister’s child. Until you may join us in another life.”
Then, she was gone, but the rest of the spell was only starting.
My father’s blood was draining out of him at a racing speed, but he was fighting it. Whatever she’d done, he began to chant, summoning his power to break it. Wind began whipping around us again. The thunder and lightning started crashing, filling up the darkness. This was why she warned for us three to remain connected.
An arm slid around m
y waist. It was Kellan’s, and he pulled me into his chest. He yelled into my ears, sounding like he was far in the distance, “We have to become anchored.”
I yelled back, lifting my mouth to graze over his ear, “How do we do that?”
“You guys!” Damien was yelling to us, too.
I clamped my hand tighter on his arm. Kellan grabbed his other arm. He pulled us even closer and yelled at Damien, “Use your power. Secure a hold in the ground.”
“What?”
“Just do it!” Kellan yelled back and crashed his forehead to mine. As he did, we were linked in mind, body, and soul. Together, we sent our magic down into the earth, going further and further. We were roots, growing out like a tree, claiming our stand where we were. It was working. We weren’t going anywhere. And the farther our roots spread, along with Damien whose root was right beside us,