Descent (A Hidden Wings Novella: Prequel) (14 page)

I woke to loud snoring and stench of the two huge mutts curled up next to me. Bill and Ted had saved my life, and kept me warm throughout the night. For that, I would be forever grateful.

The sun was blaring, and it seemed to be a
beautiful Saturday morning. The world outside was seemingly peaceful. I was hoping that last night was a just dream, but if it really were, I’d be in my own bed and not in a smelly doghouse.

Samu
el told me that the Fallen didn’t like to be out during the day, that they preferred doing their evil deeds under cover of darkness, away from mortal eyes. Regardless, I decided to wait another hour before crawling out from my cover. The air was clear of any dangerous smells, and the neighborhood started stirring.

I quickly
and cautiously made my way back home, threw a few necessities in a suitcase, and left in the car Samuel specifically bought in case of an emergency, just like this. I knew I would have to leave this place and never return. Someone had found out about me, so now, I needed to be extra careful.

Samuel told me that if anything
ever happened, and we were somehow separated, that he would find me. I could never believe he could be killed, and knew that if he could find me once, he could find me again, especially now that we were connected.

I wondered where I
could run. I needed a place to hide, and a place to reside that would be difficult for the Fallen to find me. The only place I could think of would be a city, bustling with lots of people and lots of smells. A place one could easily get lost.

M
aybe a place a little closer to Emma. Not too close of course. I would never interfere with her new life, or risk it, but I wanted to be near, in case she should ever need me.

So it was decided
. I was moving to Los Angeles.

Samuel:

Minutes felt like hours,
hours felt like days, and days like an eternity. I was a prisoner, bound to the cave until I was fully healed. With each passing day my wounds healed, bones mended, and wings grew until they were almost strong enough to fly. On the cave wall, I had marked seventy-seven days. Seventy-seven days of pain, loneliness, and despair. Seventy-seven days of trying to survive the darkness of this tiny hole in the Underworld, a literal Hellhole.

I planned
to make my escape when the sun was at its peak. That was when the surface was sweltering and at its hottest, and when the Fallen usually took underground into the depths of Hell. The sun never really went down in the Underworld, but because it was desolate and barren, it was the most dismal place to be.

I would need to get to the
porthole as quickly as possible. I just hoped that my new wings would be able to carry me swiftly. I summoned them a few times each day to stretch and strengthen them. They were even more impressive, shiny black and stronger than ever, and seemed to be very strong. Outstretched, they were glorious, and barely fit within the confines of the cave.

I felt the need to take
to the air and had to fight the urges. Wings were meant to fly, but I had to suppress mine for the time being. Soon, they would carry me to safety. Soon they would fly me to the porthole, and back to the world of Alaine and Emma.

Chapter Twelve

Guardians

Alaine:

It had been ten months and I still hadn’t heard a word from Samuel. My worst fear was that he was dead, but I kept pushing that thought out of my mind. I just hoped that he would be able to find me.

There was no way I could have left
a note for him, because the Fallen would have intercepted it.

He’d been away
before, for lengths at a time, and I was aware of the time differences between the mortal world and the Otherworlds. All I could do was to wait it out, and hope for the best.

I
stayed in a small apartment, and spent most of my time working the night shift at a nearby hospital. It kept me busy and helped keep my mind off of Samuel. By the time I came home, I was exhausted. As soon as I showered, had something to eat, and my head hit the pillow… I fell fast asleep. But I never minded sleep, because I dreamt of him.

Days dragged on and
on, and before I knew it two years had flown by. Two years and no word from Samuel. I started to doubt. I started to think that he wasn’t ever going to come back for me.

One morning, as I sat in a small café
, I was approached by a girl. She was staring at me like she knew me. I quickly took a glance behind me, but there was no one else there. Her eyes were bright green and she wore a huge smile on her lips. She had silky red hair, which was pulled back into a long braid, and she was wearing a short white sundress.

“Alaine,” she spoke softly, “do you remember me?”

I shook my head. “I’m sorry. Who are you?” There was something familiar about her, but I just couldn’t put my finger on it.

“I was the one who saved you from the wolves in the cemetery, on your eighteenth birthday.
I’m Aurora. Remember?”

I gasped. That moment in time seemed so long ago, so much like a dream, and I often wondered if it was. “How did you find me?

“You have Watchers. Not all the time. Just when you need it, and from afar. They keep you safe while you sleep.”

“Am I in danger?” I glanced around, but there
didn’t seem to be anyone else, and the air was only sweet with her scent.

“Not right now. But I’ve been sent with news.” Aurora’s eyes became saddened, and she took a seat across of me.

“Is Emma okay?” That was the first thing I could think of.

“Yes. No one has found out, or knows of the child except for a few who have been sworn to silenc
e. I am here to give you news of Samuel.”

My breath seized as soon as she spoke his name. I swallowed hard, my pulse racing, hoping that she wouldn’t give me any bad news.

“Is he hurt?”

“No,” she breathed.

I sighed in relief. “Oh my! Thank goodness!”

“No, Alaine,” she took my ha
nd in hers, “Samuel is dead.”

My world froze, and
at that moment, a part of me died. I felt my eyes heat with tears. I looked into her eyes again, and they were deeply burdened and concerned for me.

“What happened?” I needed to hear
the truth for myself. I needed to make sure that this wasn’t a hoax or just a horrible dream.

“
We heard from a source that they found out about his relationship with you, which is forbidden in the Otherworlds. A few of the Fallen members captured him, and took him into the Underworld. He was taken to one of their leaders and immediately executed. We weren’t given the details. I’m so sorry, Alaine. I’m never prepared to deliver bad news.” 

I couldn
’t be true. I’d waited all this time, praying and hoping to feel that wonderful buzz of electricity, and turn to see his face, smiling, having found me once again. It was that hope which drove me to get up each morning, which kept me moving, and believing that we would be together again.

Death
.

Finality.

With a few words, Samuel had been stripped from my life…forever.

Auro
ra came to deliver the tragic message, but also said that the Midway would be sending me Guardians. I didn’t know what that really meant, but I didn’t really care either. I was in complete and total shock, and grief-stricken over losing my one true love. 

That night, after
it all sunk in… I cried. I cried so hard that my entire body ached. I cried until I couldn’t cry anymore. I wanted to sleep and let it all pass away. I took a strong sleeping pill and after hours of sobbing, fell fast asleep.

It was a few days before I pulled myself out of despondency. Emma was still out there,
and part of Samuel still lived in her. There would come a time when she would need me. A time when she would transform and would have questions. I needed to be prepared for whatever the future would bring.

I buried myself in
work and took every overtime shift I could, but after years had passed, something I never thought would happen, happened.

I met a mortal man who seemed to be
compatible with me, and his name was David. He was compassionate, funny, and I enjoyed his company. He worked for a while at the hospital, but I later found out that he didn’t need to work, because he had an abundance of wealth handed down to him. David just enjoyed helping others, and wanted to feel like he could earn his own way if he needed to.

**********

Alaine and David became close friends, but never more than that, because her heart was still so guarded. She knew David wanted more out of their relationship, but deep inside there was still a deep love for Samuel. After all this time, she still loved him, and knew she always would. But she and Samuel were doomed from the very beginning, and it was their love for each other which killed him.

Alaine
knew Samuel would want her to be happy. So finally, after years of being alone, she decided to give love another shot.

David
and Alaine were married, and he moved them to his beautiful home in Alaska. It was far from the city, but Alaine loved it. It gave her a place to breathe.

There was a
beautiful hedged labyrinth at the back of the house, along with a small cottage. During the summers, beautiful wild flowers bloomed everywhere, and during the winter, everything was covered in a glittery white. It was a magical place.

Alaine
never had need of anything, because David took the best care of her, and made sure she was happy. After all those years of pain and sorrow, she had finally found some joy.

But
that happiness only lasted a few years. Soon, fate stepped in and David became ill with a disease that quickly consumed his body, and there was no known cure. Over the next few months, Alaine cared for David, and was there with him when he breathed his last breath. His passing left her alone again, grieving another tragic loss.

But there were cautious eyes watching Al
aine. Her mysterious father, the one whom she’d never met, had set up an invisible barrier around her home without her knowledge. It was a barrier of protection which the Fallen could not pass.

He’d heard that
Lucian was on the loose and had separated himself from Lucifer, taking a small part of his army with him. Because one of the Nephilim killed Lucian’s ally, he put a mark of death on every single head. Now, Alaine and Emma were in grave danger.