Chapter 40
Chapter Forty
I ran. I ran hard.
I ran from the nightclub.
I ran toward the beacon calling out to me.
The only sounds were my heavy breaths, my feet thudding against the sidewalk and the echoing voices of three concerned men behind me.
All the buildings I passed were nothing but a blurry watercolor as my tears filled my eyes. I didn’t need eyesight to know where I was being led.
I ran until I was brought tumbling down to my knees. My body fell forward onto the steps of my destination. The cold stone beneath me was such a stark contrast to the fire that had been in my veins back at the nightclub. My cheek lay on the edge of the step as a single tear rolled over the swell and met the unforgiving surface beneath it.
With my chest heaving from the emotions that swiftly carried me there, I closed my eyes and knew it was where I was meant to be. I lay there listening to my heart until a deep voice seemed to vibrate all around me.
“Sweet Kinley,” Lucifer’s sultry voice roused me from my thoughts.
A heated hand wrapped over the back of my shoulder. His touch encouraged me to sit up.
My weary eyes scanned the front of the building in front of me. The cathedral’s architecture loomed over me, the large stained-glass window with its puzzle-like pieces of colored glass the focal point above the large wooden doors that welcomed all the faithful.
He circled ‘round until he crouched down in front of me and both hands settled on my shoulders as his flaming sienna eyes peered into mine. His appearance fully coalesced before me, with his golden honey hair neatly combed with an off-center part. The strikingly handsome features of his face filled with the dark allure of his charm.
“I can feel your desperation,” he noted. “I could feel it in your prayer summoning the use of Hell’s Flames.”
I nodded, unable to lie to him. In turn, he coaxed me to get up onto my feet.
The sound of several sets of footsteps approaching caught my attention. Looking over my shoulder, I saw Atlas, Rook, and Sy arrive at the bottom of the church’s stone steps. Rook looked particularly out of breath. Zorah must have stayed behind at the club to clean up my mess.
All of their faces remained full of concern, all of them twisted with uncertainty as they saw who was there with me. Sylas, in particular, had a streak of anger simmering beneath his gaze.
“Lucifer,” Sy spat out the universe’s original fallen angel’s name with contempt.
There was no hesitation from Lucifer in responding with a seemingly pleasant smile. “Sylas, it has been too long, brother.”
Lucifer stepped away from me, descending a few steps towards the guys.
“I see you have my former minion with you. How’s the other side of the fence treating you, Atlassian?” His eyes scanned over Atlas with intense scrutiny before they shifted over to Rook.
“And my dearest trickster, you are keeping rather posh company these days, aren’t you?” A sinister smile presented itself on his face before he continued to address the men before him.
“I’m afraid that this is a private discussion between Kinley and me. I urge you all to be on your way so I can discuss her recent behaviors without undue influence from the swath of you,” he said, glancing back at me.
Atlas stepped forward, shaking his head defiantly. “We’re not leaving her.”
There was a dramatically heavy sigh from Lucifer as he waved his hand dismissively at the guys. “Very well, then.”
Sniffling, I adjusted myself to sit on the edge of the step where I had fallen, using the back of my hand to clear the remaining tears from my face.
I watched as Lucifer made his way back to me, and when he reached behind his back, he withdrew an object.
“I come bearing a gift.”
He revealed my Divinity Sword, laying it across his open palms as he offered it to me. The moonlight glanced off the shine of the metal, highlighting the familiarity of the sharp edges and engraved symbols on full display. Seeing my sword in one piece right before me filled my heart with profound happiness.
My eyes widened, and I was certain I even gasped at the sight.
“Where did you find it?” I asked in disbelief.
Slowly standing, I reached out and wrapped my hand around the grip and lifted it from his possession as my eyes stared at it in wonder.
Tucking his hands into the pockets of his black pants, he gave a casual shrug. “There are many things for us to discuss. This is just one facet of our future conversations.”
An angry growl came from Sylas as he shouted out his thoughts on the matter. “You son of a bitch! You had it the entire time, didn’t you?”
Lucifer’s sharp laughter cut through the air. One of his hands came to rest on the front of his chest as he tossed his head back in amusement while slightly arching backward.
“Oh, God, Sylas!” he mused. “You give me too much credit,” he admitted as he straightened up, still chuckling to himself quietly.
Sy’s fists clenched at his sides, and I could already see that it was taking everything in him not to lash out physically.
Reaching out toward me, Lucifer stroked a finger under my chin with a tender smile. “Truth is, I convinced Nicodemus to surrender it to me in exchange for my assistance.”
Just hearing Nico’s name made me feel queasy.
“You see, I would like to consider myself a neutral party in this entire situation. When there are disagreements amongst my ranks, it is my duty to find an acceptable resolution that leaves everyone satisfied,” he said with a loftiness in his voice that sounded like he was doing some great service to others.
“Disagreement? You’re kidding, right?” Atlas spoke up with an air of bitter disbelief.
Lucifer raised a brow at him and nodded, unfazed by the skepticism. “I seem to recall that you had your own disagreement with Nicodemus. Perhaps, if you had me on your side, you wouldn’t have become a skewered half-breed.”
The ruler of Hell before us scoffed with a dark smirk as he continued. “Now, look at you. Lifted up amongst the do-gooders as a guardian angel and not a very good one at that.”
As Atlas opened his mouth to spit out what was likely going to be an angry retort, Lucifer raised his hand to stop him.
“I digress. I am not here to judge you,” he explained before turning to face me once more.
“Kinley, sweetheart,” his voice held an endearing tone to it. “Come back home. We can settle the differences you have with Nicodemus there. I assure you, he wants a resolution to this as much as I do.”
Shaking my head at him, I feel a sense of betrayal that Lucifer could even make such an insane suggestion.
“I have done nothing but listen to you day in and day out, and this is your solution?” I asked incredulously.
Oh, is that what you think? My dark little angel, you thought I was your Dark Lord, Lucifer?
The Devil spoke in my head once more while my eyes remained focused on Lucifer’s silent form.
Something shifted behind Lucifer’s eyes, a realization as his face softened before me.
“Nicodemus, that’s enough,” he stated firmly, seemingly speaking out into the air to no one in particular.
All I could hear was sinister laughter contained inside my head.
Lucifer reached out and cupped my face. “These saliranimum demons, they let their imaginations run wild. When I gave them the ability to jump from human to human, I never expected them to evolve to a point where they could jump into the minds of more…sophisticated beings like yourself.”
My jaw hung open as the world around me felt like it was spinning down a vicious spiral of torment. The voice in my mind. Every thought I had ever had came into question.
Tears sprang to my eyes as a whirlwind of emotions overcame me. What thoughts had ever been mine, and for how long? The air felt like it had been sucked out of my lungs, and my chest tightened painfully.
“Now, if you’ll just come with me back to Hell, we can?—”
Rook interjected, his voice growling with anger. “She’s not bloody going anywhere!”
Despite his weakened state, Rook stepped toward the steps where Lucifer and I stood.
Before he got too close, Lucifer gave a wave of his hand, and an invisible force knocked Rook back into the metal pole of a streetlamp with enough force to bend it.
“Silence, abomination!” Lucifer’s voice boomed. His eyes lit up with his wrath as he stared down Rook’s limp form on the pavement. “You are the biggest embarrassment amongst my legion of demons! I should have destroyed you when you were just a pile of black goo under my fingernail!”
His words were sharp, and the wounds they inflicted were damn near visible even from where I stood. My heart clenched in response.
Atlas ran over to check on Rook while Sy drew his sword defensively, his wings immediately sprouting from his back.
“Rook’s right, Kinley is not going back to your land of brimstone and despair.” His eyes fiercely stared down Lucifer.
Despite the vicious look from the archangel, Lucifer seemed unbothered, with his body still set in a relaxed posture.
“Sylas, you have no power here. Not over me. Not over her,” he gestured at me. “It is not your decision to make. Kinley has already chosen me over you once before, do you think she won’t do it again?” A sly and dangerous grin spread across his lips.
Things were escalating quickly. If it came down to Lucifer against the three men set on defending me, it would be nothing but senseless bloodshed.
If all the angels in Heaven hadn’t been able to stop Lucifer from his departure from paradise, what chance did an archangel, a guardian angel, and a trickster demon have against him?
I stepped down to stand next to Lucifer, still carrying my sword in my hand like a security blanket.
“He’s right, Sy,” I stated softly as my eyes met his. “Given the choice, Lucifer has made me who I am. He’s given me freedom to thrive outside of the strict parameters of Heaven, I can’t turn my back on that.”
The tension faltered in Sylas’s body, surprise coming over his face as he stared at me.
Swallowing hard past the reality of things, I tried to push a sense of understanding towards what he must be feeling right now.
“This needs to end. I have been stuck in this circle long enough. You and I both know that it’s only a matter of time before something else drives me to the brink of snapping again,” I said with a sense of self-awareness I hadn’t felt in a long time.
I looked up at Lucifer, all his charm and power reminding me of my purpose here on Earth. If I was going to resolve this situation with Nico once and for all, a radical solution needed to be considered.
A look filled Lucifer’s eyes. For a moment, it almost looked like one of love, understanding, and a hint of satisfaction. But underneath it all, it looked like the biggest of the original sins: pride.
Squeezing Lucifer’s hand briefly, I walked to the bottom of the steps to where Sy awaited me with a look of pain behind his beautifully crystalline blue eyes. He sheathed his sword into the ether behind him as I approached.
I looked just beyond him, where Atlas had managed to get Rook seated upright to shake off the impact of Lucifer’s attack. Relief overcame me as I stared at two-thirds of my heart.
Turning my attention back to the final piece of my heart, Sy, my voice remained even with my certainty. “This is what I want. This is my choice.”
Rolling my shoulders back, I grimaced as I felt my dark wings emerge from my back. I spread them out behind me, shaking them out as I felt the stretch from their base to their very tips.
I closed my eyes and silently prayed.
Sylas, I can’t live in this madness anymore. You told me you’d always do right by me. Now, I’m asking you to do the right thing. You’re the only one strong enough. It has to be you.
Opening my eyes, I looked up at my archangel, the man who had always challenged and pushed me; I could feel his conflict.
I handed him my Divinity Sword.
He had always been a pillar of strength, even to a fault, and now I saw the cracks in the shield. His jaw clenched, and pools of icy blue glaciers melted into unshed tears.
The first hint of wavering emotion came through as I spoke with a cracked whisper. “Please. For me.”
Lucifer spoke up from several feet behind me. “Come, Kinley. The sooner we return to Hell, the sooner we can lay this to rest. Don’t keep me waiting.”
Sylas took my sword from me and nodded his head knowingly. His wings bristled behind him, showing just how unsettled he was.
With a curt nod, he leaned forward to press his forehead to mine as his strong hand gripped the back of my neck.
“I love you, Kin. Always have, always will,” he huskily whispered while his lips brushed over mine.
Before I could respond, I felt the hot plunge of my Divinity Sword drive straight through my sternum. I gasped at the onslaught of shock that the sensation brought.
Tears instantly spilled from my eyes as I stared at Sylas, my hands shakily holding onto his shirt now.
I looked down to see my sword buried through my midsection, the runes on it glowing hotter than an iron forge. Liquid warmth spilled out of me, coating the blade in a dull shade of scarlet as it was withdrawn from my body.
Sy dropped my Divinity Sword to the ground, and the clatter was the only noise other than the voices all around me erupting into chaos.
Lucifer cursing.
Rook yelling out his despair.
Atlas angrily joining him.
My knees buckled, and before I could collapse, Sylas grabbed my arms and eased me down to the ground. His hand ran over the side of my face as I stared up at the stars above us.
The hold I had on Sy’s shirt weakened as I lay there, my hands falling to my sides. My fingertips brushed against the softest and final remaining white feather nestled in my wings.
The night seemed to grow darker, or maybe it was my vision. A tingling sensation ate away at my body as all the voices began to quiet. It brought a sense of peace that felt right. It reminded me of the scent of sunshine and fruit ripened to perfection.
Everything faded, carrying me into my fate with ease as the pressure of all my burdens released.
The last of my puppet strings severed, and it hadn’t hurt hardly at all.
To be continued in…
Redemption’s Awakening