Chapter 15 Showdown #2
“Don’t even think about touching my friend,” Zach snapped, approaching the demon from behind and grabbing it around the throat.
With one brutal twist, he removed the demon’s head from its shoulders and tossed it aside.
“You good?” he asked Dom, wiping a spray of blood from his cheek with the back of his hand.
Dom nodded, panting in pain. “Yeah, thanks.”
Gwen appeared at Dom’s side, her eyes full of worry as she clamped a hand over the wound. Wisps of her hair were standing on end, charged by the storm. “What the hell is going on with the weather?” she asked, needing to raise her voice to almost a shout as the wind began to howl around them.
“It’s a side effect of so much magic,” Zach explained.
“Is it dangerous?” Dom said, his face still taut with pain.
Before Zach could even reply, a bolt of lightning struck the ground only metres from them. They all cried out and Drew found himself on the ground, Zach shielding his body with his own.
Edward shrieked and rolled himself into a ball, covering his head with his hands.
“Well, fuck me,” Dom said from his position crouched on the ground, Gwen tucked under him. “I suppose that answers that question.”
“We’re getting on top of the demons,” Drew told them. “If you see a gap and you think you’ve got a chance to make it, run. Okay?”
“But what about you?” Gwen demanded.
“I’ll be fine,” Drew assured her, even as he threw another wave of concussive magic at a group of approaching demons. “Zach’s got my back. Promise me you’ll make a run for it if you can.”
Dom nodded. “We will. I’ll make sure of it.”
“Good man,” Zach said and smiled at them. He turned back towards Drew, his mouth open to say something but it was cut off by a scream. He clutched at his chest and fell to his knees on the broken concrete.
“Zach!” Drew cried, sending another blast of magic at the closest demons before darting over to the angel. “Zach, what’s wrong? What is it?”
Zach couldn’t reply, the pain too great, but then Drew saw it, the purple gem in his chest pulsating with energy through the material of his shirt. “Drew,” Zach finally managed to utter, his eyes locked on a point over Drew’s shoulder. “Go, it’s too late. He’s h . . . here.”
Drew looked behind him and saw a tall bald man with flashing silver eyes striding through the demons as if he were taking an afternoon stroll in the park.
An old-fashioned cane with a gold tip swung from his right hand.
His sharp gaze fell on Zach and he grinned, then he lifted his finger and made a hooking gesture, and Zach cried out again even as he was yanked to his feet by an invisible force.
Lightning crashed above them, immediately followed by the deafening roar of the thunder.
“My, my, Zachariel, what an interesting adventure you’ve been having,” the man, who Drew assumed was Oberon, said.
“Jealous?” Zach asked, managing a sneer, before he screamed once more as whatever Oberon was doing to the gem intensified.
“Oh, no, not at all. In fact, I’ve enjoyed watching your antics.
It’s been a little like reality TV.” His eyes flicked over to Drew.
“You even have a love interest.” He shook his head and tsked.
“Zachariel, Zachariel, Zachariel. Whatever convinced you that I would allow you to be happy? Your fate is in my hands, and that will only ever involve suffering.”
“I beg to differ,” Zach ground out through the pain.
Oberon snorted. “Always so stubborn.” He hooked his finger again, and Zach screamed, clawing at the gem, trying to remove it from his chest. His nails tore through his shirt and then at his flesh. Blood ran in dark rivulets down his skin, soaking into the material and turning it crimson.
“Stop it!” Drew screamed, hurling a ball of magic at Oberon.
The demon laughed and flicked the magic away as if it were nothing more irritating than a mosquito. “Oh, you are precious. I’m going to have fun making you suffer.” His grin faded as a force hit him from behind and Drew looked over to see Kensington there, throwing ropes of golden magic at him.
“You’ll have to go through me first,” Kensington challenged, and Simon must have disabled the magic users who’d been summoning the demons because Drew noticed that less than twenty demons were remaining. Simon, Daniel, Hashmal, and Adriel were easily taking care of them.
Oberon roared and lunged into a fight with Kensington, and Drew turned his attention to Zach.
The clouds above them opened and a torrent of rain began to fall, soaking them instantly.
He lowered Zach to the ground and ripped away the torn remnants of his shirt, revealing the brightly glowing gem in his chest. The pulsating purple light had a sickly sheen to it that made Drew’s stomach clench just from looking at it.
“Zach, can you hear me?” he asked, stroking his cheek.
“Hey, sweetness,” Zach whispered, his eyes fluttering open as he looked up at him. His lashes were thick with droplets of rain and he blinked them away. “We had a good run, didn’t we? I’m sorry it couldn’t last.”
“Oh, don’t you dare take that defeatist attitude with me,” Drew growled. “You’re not going anywhere.”
“So long as he controls the gem, I cannot be free,” Zach whispered.
“Then we’ll just have to do something about that, won’t we?” Drew dropped his hand down from Zach’s face, trailing over his collarbones until it was hovering over the gem. “Do you trust me?”
“With everything I have,” Zach said.
Drew smiled and leaned down to kiss him gently. “I love you, Zach.”
“And I love you.”“And love will set you free,” Drew whispered, then closed his eyes and concentrated.
The magic of the gem was stronger than anything Drew had ever felt before, nothing at all like the objects he had studied with Kensington.
No matter how strong it was, Drew knew he was stronger.
He’d been told that by Zach and Kensington, and deep down inside himself, he could feel his strength and he believed it too.
Ignoring the storm and the rain, the ongoing battle and screams of pain, he found his centre.
He felt the magic jump to do his bidding and it poured from him.
He directed it towards the gem and it twisted around it, tendrils of magic searching and seeking, looking for cracks in its power.
The power of the gem seemed to be almost sentient, and it fought back, each surge of power blocking Drew’s magic and making Zach convulse and cry out.
“You will never hurt my love again,” Drew gritted out and forced all of his power, all the love he felt for his angel into the gem, overwhelming it, filling it up until it was brimming with magic.
His own power worked to smother, to block the magic of the gem from entering Zach’s body, stopping the pain, soothing the sting, a magical kiss to make it better.
Zach slumped in relief as the pain ceased, and his eyes fell closed.
Drew turned his attention deeper into the centre of the gem, finding the source of its power—the spell Oberon had used to create the gem in the first place.
It was strong, but Drew was stronger, and he concentrated with all of his might, sending everything he had to the core, willing it to break.
The gem absorbed the magic Drew channelled into it and so he reached even deeper within himself and fed it even more.
He could tell it was reaching its limit, he just had to keep going.
He was beginning to flag, his reserves used up, but he pushed himself just a little more.
This was for Zach. He would do this for Zach.
Feeling completely drained but digging even deeper, he found one last reserve of power and pushed it into the gem.
A sound like a bell rang out, and the glow of the gem began to fade.
Once the light had dimmed completely, it cracked in half and fell from Zach’s chest, leaving the indent of a scar in its place.
Zach heaved in a deep breath and his eyes snapped open. He sat up and threw himself into Drew’s arms, and Drew cradled him close, providing him with a measure of privacy as he processed the fact his shackles had finally been broken.
From across the quad came a scream of anger, and Drew looked over to see Oberon glaring at him with hate in his eyes. “You took him from me!” he raged, and then he threw Kensington to one side and lunged towards Drew.
Drew had absolutely nothing left. He reached for his magic but his well of power had run dry. He hunched over Zach, knowing his feeble human body would provide little protection, but it was the only thing he had left.
Then the three angels were there, landing in front of him, their wings flaring. Oberon came to a halt as his path was blocked.
“It’s over,” Daniel told him. “Your hold on Zachariel is broken. You will return to the depths of Hell from whence you came.”
“You have no power over me, angel,” Oberon spat, and he raised his arms to blast them with a spell.
A tiny flicker of light left his hands and fizzled out in the pouring rain.
“What the fuck?” Oberon growled, staring at his hands like he’d never seen them before. It appeared his words were simply that—words. Whatever power he’d had seemed to have diminished with the destruction of the gem.
“Move in,” Daniel barked and the three angels rushed in, easily overpowering Oberon.
He screamed and cursed, fighting for all his worth, but he was no match for the angels.
Daniel tackled him to the ground, and Hashmal pulled out a simple-looking rope and used it to bind his wrists.
It must have been magically enhanced because no matter how fiercely Oberon fought its bonds as Adriel pulled him to his feet, the rope did not loosen.
“Give it up,” Adriel snapped at him, shoving him forward until Oberon walked towards the others. Her pale hair was plastered to her face from the rain but she still managed to look regal and powerful as she guarded her prisoner.
Daniel turned to Zach and held out a hand. Zach clasped it warmly, pulling the other angel into a hug. “Thank you,” he said, his voice hoarse from his screams of pain.
“It’s the least we could do,” Daniel told him. He then paused as the hug finished and he grasped Zach by both shoulders. “You can come home, Zachariel, now you’re free.” He smiled. “Come with us?”
Zach smiled but shook his head. “The years down below have changed me, Daniel. I’m not an angel anymore.”
“We disagree. You may have scars, but you’re still worthy of your wings.”
Drew could see that Zach was tempted but let out a sigh of relief when he stepped away from Daniel and twined his fingers with Drew’s. “Thank you, but my place is here.”
“You’re sure?” Daniel asked.
“Let it be, Daniel,” Hashmal said. “It’s clear to anyone that he’s in love with the human. Let him have his happy ending—he deserves it.”
Zach beamed at Hashmal and then winked. “And a happy one it will be.”
Hashmal laughed and then tilted his head at Daniel. “Come on, let’s get going. We have this piece of trash to drop off down below before we go home, and it’s a long journey to the borderlands.”
Daniel clapped Zach on the back one last time. “Be good, man.”
“I make no promises,” Zach teased. “I’m living with humans now and they’re all about the grey.”
Daniel laughed and then Drew blinked and the three angels and their prisoner were gone.
Silence fell over the quad—except for the rain that was starting to ease—as everyone caught their breaths. The clouds above were still dark, but slightly less black than they’d been earlier, the magic in them slowly dissipating.
Drew wrapped his arm around Zach’s waist and supported them both as they stood together, processing the events that had just unfolded.
It was over. They’d won and Zach was free.
“What the fuck just happened?” Edward demanded, shoving his way towards them.
Drew shook his head and chuckled. “Something much bigger than were-animals,” he said.
“Edward, give me your shirt,” Gwen demanded before Edward could press for more answers. “I need something to bandage Dom’s arms with.”
Edward glared at her. “Why does it have to be mine? This is a Hermès shirt. Do you know how much this cost? It’s too good to be used as a rag. Why can’t you use Drew’s instead?”
Zach leaned towards him and growled. “You’re not getting to see Drew half naked in any lifetime, so give her your damn shirt.”
Edward jumped back in fright, ripping off his dripping shirt and flinging it at Gwen. As she tore it into long strips and began to wrap Dom’s arms, Kensington and Simon approached. “That was a nice piece of magic,” Kensington complimented Drew.
“Thanks,” he said with a blush.
“Why don’t you and Zach head home,” he offered. “Simon and I will take care of the cleanup here. Go and have a well-earned break. You deserve it.”
“Are you sure? Isn’t explaining all this going to be an absolute clusterfuck?” He gestured around at the destruction and the groups of terrified students who were beginning to emerge from their hiding spots.
Kensington smiled. “I’m positive. This sort of thing actually falls under my job description. Take the rest of the day, but if you’re free tomorrow, come to the Collective. I’ve found something that might interest you.”
Drew nodded. “Okay. I’m not going to argue with you since I’m dead on my feet. We’ll come see you tomorrow.” He looked over at Dom and Gwen. “You’ll take care of my friends?”
“I will,” Kensington promised.
Drew managed a smile. “Thanks. Edward, though . . . do what you want with him. I don’t particularly care.”
Kensington chuckled. “Oh, we’ll be having a little debrief, and let’s just say we might stray into other areas during that conversation.”
“What?” Edward squawked. “What are you going to do to me? I’m a victim here! You can’t treat me like this. I have rights!”
Ignoring Edward, they waved at Dom and Gwen, then Zach took his hand and they began to walk away, steps heavy with exhaustion. “Bed sounds good right now,” Drew said with a yawn.
“Yes it does,” Zach said. “Let’s get back to your place as quickly as we can.”
“I think you mean our place,” Drew corrected him.
Zach paused, then leaned over to kiss Drew on the cheek. “Let’s go home.”
And as they walked, Drew felt the heavy weight of a wing fall across his shoulders.