Fallen Angel Reclaimed: The Complete Series by Lacey Carter Andersen
21
Mark slipped outof the bed they shared and looked back at Daniel, Tristan, and Surcy. His heart raced. This is it. The God Finder hung heavy around his neck, pulsing with power. It had a vision for him. And the power it swelled with this time was overwhelming. He’d have to funnel a lot of his life-force into it to unlock the image and hold onto it.
Perhaps more than I have left.
Like a parasite it took from him. It didn’t take just his druid magic or just his demon strength. It took everything within him, everything that made his body work.
I’m not going to survive much longer.
The thought made his throat close. His fate was sealed. He knew that from the moment he began his search for the Immortals, but it was always his destiny.
Surcy, Daniel, and Tristan were my reward. My great loves.
The Fate’s words echoed through his mind, even after all this time. There had been times when he was a boy, alone and afraid in the world that he’d felt the Fate had made a mistake. That she’d chosen the wrong person.
And when he died, he’d thought that was the end, that he had failed the realms.
But now, he knew. Everything had happened just the way it was supposed to.
Soon he would die again, but he’d have fulfilled his destiny this time.
Looking at Surcy, Daniel, and Tristan again, he memorized their faces and then, slipped from the room and walked on bare feet into the living room. An instinct that crawled along his spine made him grab a pad of paper and pen off the countertop. Gathering a blanket around his naked body, he tucked it around his waist and lay down on the soft rug before the quiet fireplace, the paper and pen beside him.
His entire body trembled, but he refused to acknowledge how frightened he was. How much he worried that tonight would be his last night on earth. Because no matter what the vision takes from me, I shouldn’t die right away. I still have too much left to do.
The thought comforted him enough to calm his racing heart. To make him reach up. Closing his eyes, he placed one hand around The God Finder.
What do you have to show me now?
Immediately, he felt the power of the newest vision in a way he never had before. It drained the life-force from him like a dying vampire, drinking and drinking until his eyes rolled back in his head.
The images came faster than ever before, and for once, began to pull into a vision more quickly than he ever imagined. Angels surrounded three people. No, not people, the Immortals. The angels flashed their swords, and the people fell to their knees.
“Caine has given up trying to take your powers,” Frink said, his voice harsh.
“Powers?” a woman said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Frink’s gaze narrowed. With a flick of his wrist, her head fell from her body. “Now, we’re done with games. Your souls will be eternally destroyed, and no one will stop Caine.”
The people began to wail as the angels closed in, and the sounds of their screaming rang in his ears.
Eyes flashing open, his heart hammered in his chest. The Immortals weren’t dead yet. It was a vision of what would soon pass.
They had to rescue them. Now.
Or else I don’t think we’ll be able to save them. We’ll fail.
He knew where they would be kept once they were caught. The vision was clear. Zedussa. The angel realm. The place Caine ruled from. A formidable structure meant to protect the Immortal Ten. And one he doubted they could reach.
So we need to find them before my vision can come to pass.
He had no idea how they would save them in time. But they didn’t have a choice.
The Fate had been clear. Without all ten of the Immortals, they’d fail.
And if the last of the unfound Immortals are taken to Zedussa before we can save them, our time is up. We’ll have to wage the war here and now if we have any hope of saving them before Caine can destroy their souls.
Which means we’ll also have to take the Immortals out of hiding, and have them fight at our sides, whether they’re ready or not. Because without them, we can’t take on the entire angel army and Caine himself.
If they lost, there would never be another chance again.
Rolling to his side, too weak to rise, he grasped the pen and began to scribble on the paper. Once he was done, he flopped back on his back. Everything inside him felt wrong. Tired. As if even his heart was beating more slowly.
As blood ran down Mark’s nose, and his vision wavered, he wrapped his hand more tightly around The God Finder.
Show me where they are now.
The power that flowed through him was excruciating, and, he swore, he heard the Fate whisper, I’m sorry, as he choked on a scream.
