MIDNIGHT DIVINE (The Helio Trilogy Book 1) (27 page)

Michael starts speaking in
Enochian. It sounds different than I've heard before. It's gentle and placid
like a feather drifting to the ground while the world holds its breath. Yet, I
can hardly hear him through my distant thoughts.
Did Beleth tell him why he
was killing him? It was because of me. He’s gone because of me. His blood's on
my hands.
Tears drip from my face, my head throbs, and my stomach churns.
My grief is more
agonizing
than being set on fire. I
feel broken. A darkness grows inside of me. I know Beleth is dead, but the need
for revenge swells.
Lucifer's responsible. He sent Beleth to collect me.
This is
his
doing. I want to
watch him suffer viciously. No mercy for the Devil.

When Michael finishes,
Evelyn speaks hoarsely, “Jack, you're the most caring son anyone can ask for.
You're an even greater warrior. I have faith you will return to us someday.
It's all any of us can pray for.” She chokes on her words, “I’m sorry.” She
sniffles. “I love you, Jack. May you forever live in peace if you are not able
to return to us.”

Michael addresses me after
a moment. “Ivy? Would you like to send a message to Jack?”

“What do you mean?”

“That is why I am here. To
take your messages to Paradise and share them with Jack.”

I hesitate, remembering him
racing, smiling, laying on my bed to listen to me play guitar, the feel of his
lips and embrace, carrying me on his back and running up that dreadful hill to
my Music History class, and confessing his feelings for me in the field after
horseback riding.

I wipe my face again and
muster up the courage to speak. “I’m so sorry, Jack. When you left us, it
created a deep wound that will continue to bleed.” Solas holds me against him
tighter. “You can never be replaced, Jack. There's no one else like you. You're
special to each of us, and I pray this isn't the end for you. I love you with
my entire being.
You are mine,
and I am yours,” my words
turn to whispers with my last statement.
I take a
shuddering
breath and continue, “I can't tell you how my captivity has changed my
perspective on who I’ve become, who I am, and what I know I
have to
do now. I was forced to watch you die, and for that I
want justice. I want revenge, and I'll have it. So will you. I'll make them
suffer for taking you away from us. I swear to you, Jack. We'll have
vengeance.” I know this isn't what they want to hear, but I need those words to
be my last to Jack. Evelyn’s eyes are wide with concern, and Michael clears his
throat. I straighten my spine, not regretting a word. “Excuse me,” I say
inscrutably before leaving the house to walk the lush gardens.

Andromeda, ever so stoic,
marches to my side from the barn. I search her eyes for a reason she would do
something so human
—
stand beside me for support. Maximus joins us
and nudges my shoulder with his snout from my other side. I turn and rub his
nose, “Hey, Max.” I sigh. “I missed you too.” He neighs and paws the ground beneath
him. It instigates Andromeda, and she begins to do the same. I
’m in
between them
as they
stomp the ground. “What are you doing?” As if in answer, both rear up
and kick the air. “Easy. Easy,” I try to sooth them. They come down, and
Andromeda stomps her hooves again. Maximus turns in a tight circle and pushes
me with his nose again. Understanding dawns on me, “Where do you want to take
me?”

Maximus takes off running
with Andromeda fast on his heels. The corner of my mouth turns up. My wings
shoot out of my back as I run with angelic speed. I flap my wings and soar low,
flying figure eights around them. Andromeda whinnies and sprints faster. I push
my wings harder, and Maximus charges beneath me. I tuck my wings in and land on
his bare back.

He runs full speed through
the fields. As I see the edge of the property approach, I clutch the hair at
the base of his mane and lean forward
,
sweeping my legs
onto his back and laying on my stomach. I push up to my knees and gradually
rise to stand. My knees bend with the beat of his cantor, and I release his
mane. Keeping my balance, I squat low and leap into the air like a bullet.
Reaching the apex of my jump, I release my wings wide and pulse them to fly
over the forest surrounding the property.

I know it's mid-day and I
shouldn’t be seen by humans. There would be YouTube videos going viral within
minutes. Without thinking about my destination, I end up on the cliff where
Jack and I had our first big argument. I land on the edge, sit with my legs
dangling over the precipice, and retract my wings. I take a deep breath of the
crisp air around me. The wind on my face at this height is chilly and sooths
the heat of my skin. Looking over the horizon of the small town, I try to think
of what the future will hold for me.
I just want to feel normal again. I
want to stay here and finish school, but how do I do that and avenge Jack at
the same time?
I know the truth.
I can’t. I have to choose, and I've
already made my choice. I'll make the entire underworld suffer.

I fish my pack of
cigarettes from my back pocket and place one between my lips. Digging out my
lighter from my front pocket and bringing it to the tip of my cigarette, I
pause as I hear a smooth, deep voice behind me.

“You know, smoking is truly
pointless for a being such as yourself,” Azrael says.

“Yeah? I really don’t give
a shit,” I say nonchalantly as I light my cigarette and stuff my lighter back
into my pocket.

Azrael comes to stand next
to me and takes in the view, “I should have come to you sooner. I regret not
being there for you to explain who you are and what it means for you.”

“What?
Now
, you want
to come into my life? And, what? Be my father?” I ask incredulously, peering up
to him.

“I would like to guide you
with your mission.”

“No.”

“I understand your anger
with me. You must realize I did not have a choice in leaving you as an orphan.
Your mother would not have been able to protect you from Lucifer, and raising a
child alongside death was not appropriate for the warrior you needed to become.”

“I don’t need your
excuses.”

Azrael turns to me, “What
is it that you think you
do
need, daughter?”

I spring to my feet and
glare at him, “What I need, you can’t give me. What I want is revenge. And what
I
don’t
need or want is your help.” My hands ball into fists at my
sides. Azrael stands resolute as he takes in my words. “You
knew
what
was going to happen to Jack! Why else would you have been there? You could have
saved him! I watched you heal Eric! You should have been there to save Jack as
well!”

“You misunderstand. I was
pulled into that dungeon when I sensed my Guides needed help. I had not known
the situation. Despite what you may think, I am not omnipotent.”

His words make sense, and
it infuriates me that I'm wrong for accusing him. The tension in my body
relaxes as my shoulders slump, and I rub my face, “I’m sorry.”

Awkward silence stirs
between us. “If you are serious about your pledge to Jack, will you accept my
assistance?”

“I never break a promise.
Why do you want to help me anyways? Aren’t you supposed to be neutral?”

“I am neutral. The balance
between good and evil has been unbalanced for a long time now. I am allowed to
help keep that balance, and I am offering my help to you because you are my
daughter. I would like to make up for my betrayal in leaving you. Think of it
as a belated birthday gift,” he says as the corners of his mouth turn up.

“Wow,” I breathe. “You
don’t even know that my birthday isn’t until
next
Saturday.” I cross
my arms and cock my hip out.

“Actually, I thought it
best to hide your true identity so you would be safe from powers that wanted to
destroy you.” I quirk an eyebrow. “Your birthday was three days ago.”

“That explains why everyone
thought that my transformation was happening faster than normal.”

“Yes.”

Absolutely everything about
myself I thought I knew, was a lie. And, if he’s going to help me, he'll have
to stay away from Solas.
“I have one request
if you want to help me.”

“What is your request?”

“I want you to stay away
from Solas.”

“I can do that. I imagine
he will forever carry a hatred for me. He is not the best of companions for you
to keep so closely.”

“Look, I don’t know why he
hates you, but as far as who I choose to keep as my friends isn't up to you.
Despite what you may think of him, I know his heart. He may have done things in
the past, but he's changed. I can see it in him. I care a lot about him. He
stays.”

“Ok, daughter.”

I roll my eyes. Even though
it makes my heart
warm
when he calls me his daughter, I'm still sore
about being abandoned. “How do you plan on helping?”

A full smile graces his
face for the first time
,
and I see our
resemblance, “I have my ways.” He pauses. “When I have information, you will
feel a burn in your marking. That is how I can call to you. I will wait for you
inside the Veil.” I nod my head. “I will leave you to your companions. I
imagine you do not need an escort?”

“I’ll be alright.”

“Until we meet again,
daughter. Safe travels.” An emptiness falls over my heart as I watch him fly
off into the fading sunlight. The loneliness I feel with him leaving me again
is familiar and confusing. I'm old enough not to need my father by my side, yet
I can’t help the sorrow at his distance.

I snag another cigarette
and sit back down on the edge of the cliff in silence as I watch the sun set
over Red Meadow. The chill in the air gets colder after the sun disappears.
Lights across the town come to life like fireflies in the dark, and for the
first time in what feels like months, I sing out into the starry night sky.

“You have a beautiful
voice,” Solas says from behind me.

“Holy shit!” My wings shoot
out of my back in surprise as I jump to my feet and find him smiling. His
hair's
cut
short
, covered in a gray knit cap, and he's shaved
his
goatee,
making him appear younger and even more attractive.
The illumination of the moon makes his ethereal blue eyes shine like diamonds.
“You’ve really got a knack for sneaking up on me. You’ve got to quit that,” I
laugh as I scold him.

He chuckles under his
breath, “I guess I do.”

“Sorry for running out on
everybody like that. I just needed to think.”

Solas saunters towards me,
his movements relaxed and calculating. “Yeah. We thought so. I started to worry
after a few hours. Alice told me where I could find you after she forced me to change
my appearance. She didn’
t think I would fit in very well at your college
,” he rolls his eyes.

“She can be a little
demanding when it comes to appearances. I like it. It suits you. It’ll help you
blend in on campus,” I tell him with a grin as I blush. I’m grateful for the
darkness hiding my embarrassment of complementing him. He joins my side, and we
face the majestic view. “Jack and I use to come here,” I add. “I just… I had to
get out of there. I guess I just wanted to say goodbye in my own way.”

“You definitely have a way
of saying goodbye,” he says referring to my message to Jack.

“I meant it, you know?” I
declare as
I
face him.

“I do.” Solas observes me,
“But
what you promised… well…”

“Surprised everyone?”

“Well, yes. No one saw your
anger coming. It was highly unexpected, but it's an impossible feat.”

“I don’t accept that.”
I'll
make them all pay.

“I knew you wouldn’t,” he
grins. “Do you have a plan?”

“Not really,” I shrug,
dejected.

“What about your vision?”

“The one of Lucian?”

“Yes. If you can discern
where you are, what you're wearing, or any thoughts, we may be able to take the
upper hand. Take first blood instead of waiting for him to strike out.”

“That sounds a lot better
than what I had in mind.”

“And what did you have in
mind?”

I shrug again, embarrassed
to admit the absurdity of my strategy. “Find a way into Sheol. Go in with guns
blazin’,” I mumble.

Worry creases his brow, “I
know that sounds like a great idea when rage burns fresh inside you,
but
I know from experience how reckless that plan is.”

“What do you mean?” Solas
sighs heavily towards the horizon, folds his large arms over his massive chest,
and loses himself in thought. “Solas?”

“Despite what you may
assume about me, I have not always been a being of Darkness. There was a time
when I was a Warrior of Light, a Cherubim who fought for His glory. I was sent
from Paradise to guard over a special person
—a
young girl. I was
never to reveal myself to her as an angel. As you know, I have the ability to
shapeshift as well as telepathy. Some angels are blessed with only one ability,
some with more, and some without any. I used it to conceal who I really was so
I could stay close to her. I couldn’t approach her as you see me now or I would
have scared her away,” Solas says with a smile before continuing his story.

“I even changed my name. I
befriended her and protected her for years, whether she knew she was in danger
or not. I fell in love with her… and she fell in love with me. But it was
considered sacrilege, and I was ordered to cease all romantic ties. I broke her
heart, but we remained friends.

“
Years later, there
was an attack, and I was outnumbered by Fallen. I wasn’t fast enough, and they
tried to kill her.
When I tried to reach her, the enemy transported me to a desert
.
I fought to get back,
but he pulled
me
into the Veil. She
almost died, but she was strong and unrelenting. She survived. I was full of
rage for the beasts that tried to kill the only person I had ever loved. I took
out the Fallen who pulled me into the Veil and used him to breech Sheol. I was
going to hunt down every last one of them.” Solas shakes his head with
disappointment.

“What happened?”

“I came across the
Prince
and attacked him.
Then,
I was captured
and
tortured.”

“You’re here now,” I say
more in question than fact.

“Azrael came to me. He said
I had defied angelic law by crossing over into Sheol. So, my essence fell. My
golden wings turned dark with shame, and I was placed into Beleth’s legion to
serve. I was brought back to the surface when he took over the mission to
capture you.” He gazes at me sadly.

“What happened to the
girl?” I prod and immediately regret it as sorrow enters his eyes.

He fakes a smile as he
says, “That's a story for another time.”

“So, your ability to
shapeshift… Is this what you really look like? What I see?” I wonder.

“Yes. This is my original
form.”

“Can you shapeshift into
anything?”

“Anything animate.”

I remember seeing him as
the raven he materialized from when I first laid eyes on him and how much he
resembled the raven that followed me and Trey as we hiked up the mountain
trails before Beleth abducted me the first time. “Were you with Beleth when he
tried to capture me on the mountain?”

Solas hangs his head,
“Yes.”

“I noticed you following
us. I didn’t know it was you at the time.”

Regret passes over his
expression. “Yes. I was commanded to scout the area and make sure he could get
to you without problems.”

“I know you didn’t have a
choice, Solas.” He nods his head in agreement. I'm not ready to go back to
Evelyn’s just yet. I want to figure out what I need to do now. “So, what do we
do now?”

Solas holds the sides of my
arms, “We stay in Red Meadow. You finish out your semester while you work on
controlling your visions. When we know we can have the upper hand, we'll plan
an attack without having to cross over into Sheol.”
Regret, longing,
appreciation, love.

“That's a much better
plan,” I agree with a twitch of a smile.

Solas embraces me and
kisses the top of my head. “We should return and make arrangements for our
stay.”

“Yeah,” I sigh. I dread the
pity that will come from everyone when we return.

“Together?” Solas reassures
me.

“Together.”

When we advance on the
property from the dark sky, I discover Alice, Eric, and Evelyn on my balcony.
The soft glow of spotlights around the manor illuminate its edifice. We land on
the stone terrace between the wall and the table they're sitting at. Retracting
our wings, Evelyn rises to approach us. She moves with the grace and elegance
of royalty and gleams with radiance as she speaks, “I've spoken to Alice and
Eric and invited them to stay at the manor. It's the safest place for you to be
now, and they only agree to stay if you will as well. Will you stay at the
manor and let us continue to protect you?”

I search the faces of my
friends. They're more than that to me now. We've been through a lot together
and have supported one another wholly along the way. They're no longer just my
friends. They're my family
—
Alice, Eric, Evelyn,
Solas, Cassius, and Beckett. In this moment, I come to the realization that I
would do anything to protect each of them myself. “I thought your mission to
protect me was over when I fully evolved?”

Eric’s eyes meet mine, and
I notice he's no longer wearing the contacts that concealed their color.
They're violet. Just as vibrant as Alice’s that reflect in the moonlight over
the balcony. Eric sternly informs me, “Your father's requested we remain to
assist you on your mission. You're still very new to this world and have a lot
to learn. We'll stay with you to guide you on your journey and protect you
along the way.”

“As will I,” Evelyn adds.

“What about Solas and the
Griffins?” I propose.

Evelyn rubs her forehead as
she grumbles, “If they stay, I'll have to keep up with their appetites. They're
currently devouring the remaining fare of the kitchen.” She grins at me
playfully. “But they may reside here. There's plenty of room, and the more protection
you have, the better I'll feel.”

I embrace her with my
angelic speed, “Thank you.”
My empathic abilities pick up her
worry and love
for me
.

“I'll notify the Griffins
of the new arrangements,” Solas addresses as he squeezes my shoulder and leaves
through my room. Evelyn releases me and follows Solas downstairs to show them
their new accommodations.

“There's one thing that I
don’t understand,” I begin as I lean back against the frame of the French
doors.

“What’s that?” Alice coxes,
joining me in the doorway.

I continue, “I searched
Beleth’s dungeons after the battle broke out. The missing angel wasn’t there. I
don’t think Beleth ever had him."

Alice shares a look with
Eric, “Um…”

I scan them, waiting for a
response. Eric rises from the table and joins Alice, grasping her hand as he
gives me a forced grin. He runs his fingers through his hair nervously before
he speaks, “We asked Azrael if he had any information to help us locate him. He
said he found him
,
and he was never in any danger.”

“So, where is he? Were all
my efforts with Trey for nothing? We wouldn’t be in this position if I hadn’t
felt I had to push Trey!” I'm furious with perplexity, my hands wildly
gesturing my emotions.

Alice clears her throat,
signaling that I need to calm down. “We were unaware at the time, but he was…”
She squeezes Eric’s hand as she fumbles to find the words, “reassigned.” She
appears nervous that I won't like her answer.

“Oh,” I clip. “Well, why
weren't you told?”

Eric explains, “Your
protection had been planned for years before you moved here. It's always been
the plan that we were
all
to meet you and guide you in your
transformation. We just assumed the plan never changed. We never asked until
the Fallen started converging on Red Meadow. I guess they never saw it
pertinent to tell us either.”

I rub my face with both of
my hands and enter the bedroom. “This is ridiculous,” I breathe.

They follow me into the
room, and Alice adds with passion, “We're just as pissed off at the situation
as you are.”

Biting my lip, I gaze
around the room. It feels empty because all of my belongings are still back at
The Keep. My only remaining belongings are a bottle of Jäger on the nightstand,
my backpack full of books sitting in one of the chairs facing the fireplace,
and my guitar within its case propped against the wall
,
next to the entrance of the closet. Yet, it isn’t the
only reason it feel empty. Jack isn’t here. I practice pushing my emotions
aside as Solas advised me. “I don’t have any clothes,” I whine.

“I’ll bring you some of
mine to hold you over for a few days
, and I’m sure you’ve left some at our house as
well
. We’ll worry about the rest later,” Alice
replies.

“Thanks.”

“So, what’s your plan now?”
Eric inquires with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Well, I’ve had another
vision recently. It’s not quite clear yet. I want to return to R.M.U. to finish
out the semester, and in the meantime I need to work on deciphering the vision.
Solas believes if I can get enough information from it that it'll give us the
upper hand. We can use it to plan an attack on the Fallen. We don’t want to
wait around idly for their next move. We want to draw first blood.”

Alice’s eyes widen bit by
bit with my words as Eric’s mouth grows into a grin. Alice cautions, “You’ll be
starting a war!”

I growl back at her, “They
already started it when they took Jack from me! This is my purpose, isn’t it?
I’m supposed to be a weapon against the Darkness poisoning the world? I won’t
let them take anything else from me!”

“Hey, hey, hey!” Eric
chants to calm us down as he places his hands on my upper arms to pull my
attention away from Alice.
Pride, loyalty, adoration, pity.
“This war's
been going on ever since the fall, but you're right. We need to plan a better
strategy and be able to strike first. What was your vision?”

I let out a heavy breath
and Eric releases me. “His name's Lucian.” I pivot away and begin to pace.
“Solas says he's my complete opposite, the Prince of Sheol. In my vision, he
has me restrained and is torturing me into releasing my essence to him. Solas
said he can’t just take it from me
,
and I'd have to
relinquish it willingly for the Fallen to be able to take control of me and use
me as their weapon.”