Fallen Angel Reclaimed: The Complete Series by Lacey Carter Andersen
12
Surcy stoodbeside the God of Sin, staring at the remains of the Immortal’s house. It was burnt to the ground, leaving even the earth blackened. But mixed into it all was a shimmering blue substance she’d never seen before.
Walking forward, crunching on the burnt wood and ash, she reached down and touched it, pulling her fingers back to stare at the shimmering substance. Something wasn’t adding up in her mind. What had happened here?
Are my demons okay?Her heart raced. She’d thought saving this Immortal would be easier than the God of Sin. Mark’s description had made it sound so anyway. So why is this home destroyed?
“Fuck, I didn’t know Caine had made any archangels. I thought he’d simply destroyed the ones loyal to us.”
Surcy whirled on him. “What’s an archangel?”
“Something you don’t want to meet.”
Zagan walked around the charred remains of the house and stopped near the back. Lifting his hand, palm down, he closed his eyes. Something inside of her warmed, like she was standing too close to a crackling fire. But for some reason, she just drew closer to the Immortal, like a moth to a flame.
His eyes opened, and for one moment his irises were red.
She stiffened, and the color faded away.
He blinked several times, and his jaw tensed. “Surcy, I need you to stay calm.”
“Calm?”
“Yes, calm. An archangel was here. The most powerful creature an Immortal can make. They have far more freewill than normal angels. White-winged angels are like trusted soldiers. Dark-winged angels are like warriors who haven’t quite proved themselves. But archangels? They have powers beyond your imagination.” He took a deep breath and moved closer to her. “You know the blue flames on your sword are angel-fire, something specifically created to defeat demons. It’s hotter and more destructive than normal fire, even though angels are immune to it.”
Her heart was racing. “What are you trying to tell me?”
“Archangels have the power to control this fire at will. And this place—it was burnt down by angel magic.”
“We need to hurry,” she rushed out. “Daniel and Tristan must have faced this being. We need to find them and help them, before it can hurt them.”
He grimaced. “I’m afraid we’re too late.”
“No.”
He looked down at the charred remains of the house. “Two souls were lost in this house. A gargoyle, and a fire-mage, two beings that I feel were strongly connected to you.”
Her head spun, and she crumpled to her knees.
His hands were gripping her arms in an instant. “I’m sorry, Surcy. I am. But the Immortals didn’t die here. I can sense where they’ve gone. We need to find them, before the archangel can.”
“They’re dead,” she whispered.
A second later, she was swept up into his strong arms. “I’m going to start walking. We’re going to find the others of my kind. You have a short time to process this, and then you need to pull it together. Your lover’s souls will be before Caine soon. If you have any chance of saving them, you have to push away the pain and keep going.”
She looked up at the evening sky. In this part of the world, night would be falling soon. The clouds here were heavy, dashed with the slightest bit of grey. It was just another place in the world that meant nothing to her, not without her demons.
Squeezing her eyes shut, she imagined Mark, Tristan, and Daniel. They’d all died. They died for this cause. She had to fight past the gnawing feeling in her belly that told her everything she cared about was gone. She had to push back the thoughts that were screaming that this was her fault. It’d been a risk to go after an Immortal alone and leave them to handle this one, but she’d thought she was the only one taking a risk.
Now she knew she’d been wrong.
“If you’d have been there, you’d have died too,” the incubus said, as if reading her thoughts.
“I—“ the word came, choked out. “Maybe. Maybe not.”
“Everything happens for a reason, Surcy. We’re all just pawns in Fate’s games.”
Her hand clenched in the front of his silk shirt. “So, you’re saying we have no choice?”
He shook his head, hurrying quickly down the sidewalk. “The Fates see the future. Even they try to stop it sometimes. There are things we can do, but I can tell you with absolute certainty that your demons would have died today… in any future that might lead to the Immortals reuniting.”
A tear ran down her cheek, clinging to her chin. “I never wanted this for them.”
His dark eyes locked onto hers. “And we never wanted this for you, but you and your demons were always meant to suffer in this war, to pay a hefty price.”
“How do you—?”
“Quiet,” he hissed, sliding into an alley.
She felt his heart racing under her hand. “What is it?”
“Angels… everywhere.”
He leaned slightly forward, and they both stared. Sure enough, angels walked among the humans, an angel for every two humans. There were so many that Surcy could only stare. She had no idea there were even this many in the army.
“This is bad,” she whispered.
He shook his head and grinned. “No, this is good. It means they haven’t found the Immortals yet.”
That’s true.“Any idea where they would have gone?”
He glanced down at her. “I think you can answer that question better than I can.”
“No—“ she froze. “Maybe.”
In an instant, she teleported them.
“Fuck,” Zagan muttered, collapsing onto his knees.
She slid from his grip on the roof of the building she’d first teleported the farmer and her demons onto. If the Immortals were alone, she’d think this is where they’d go.
In the skies, she spotted the dark shapes that meant angels flew overhead. “We need to be careful,” she whispered.
Zagan rubbed his head and stood. “Fucking warn me next time you’re going to do that.”
Then, she started walking around the roof. They weren’t anywhere easily spotted, but if they saw the angels, they wouldn’t be. She moved to where the massive air conditioning units and vents cluttered one end of the roof. Zagan followed closely behind. Everywhere she looked was empty. And then, she spotted the little metal closet. The spot beside the lock had been kicked in.
Taking a deep breath, she inched toward it, grabbed the edge of the door, and pulled it open. The farmer was clutching a woman in his arms, stuffed in front of a space filled with wires and buttons. He held a metal pole out in front of him, ready to swing.
His eyes widened when he spotted her and he dropped the pole. “Thank God, it’s you.”
She could sense the angels flying closer, to the point that it was hard to breathe. There were now three Immortals and only one of her, and enemies everywhere. She had no chance of protecting these people in her care.
Zagan leaned in. “Hey guys, how’s this life treating you? I know that last one sucked, and the one before that, and, ” he laughed, “well, you get the picture.”
We don’t have time for this. Not if we want to live.
Surcy didn’t wait for their answers. She grabbed onto them and teleported away.
They hit the ground outside of the sanctuary.
“Fucking hell!” Zagan shouted. “Didn’t I just say not to do that? Angels always love that shit, and it’s annoying. It gives me a damn headache.”
She laughed, even though the sound was painful. “We just escaped an army of angels. Let’s be glad. And let’s hurry and reach the others. We have a war to fight.”
Zagan shot her a dirty glance, but reached a hand down to help the woman up.
Her cheeks turned red. “I’m Nichole.”
He raised a brow. “No, you’re the Goddess of Life, and you and I have always had a lot of fun together.”
She visibly swallowed. “Have we?”
He flashed her his dimples. “And we’ll have fun in this life too.”
The farmer climbed to his feet, and Surcy led them through the barrier to the lands surrounding the sanctuary. A shiver ran down her spine as the power made goose bumps rise on her arms. The shield around this place had been reinforced by the druids since she left.
Good.
“Are my wife and kids here?” Clarence asked at her side.
Oh no.She took a deep breath. “Your kids are. And they’re safe.”
“And my wife?” There was a little more intensity to the question.
“She—she was stabbed by one of the angels. I dropped her off at a hospital.”
His voice shook. “Is she okay?”
Heart in her throat, she raised her eyes to meet his. “I don’t know. I had to leave before I could find out.”
“You need to go see,” he said.
She shook her head. “We can’t. There’s a war to fight.”
“I don’t care!”
Zagan and the woman froze beside them.
“Something wrong?” Zagan asked.
“My wife’s hurt, and she’s saying we can’t go and check on her.”
Zagan shrugged. “A marriage between an Immortal and a human is always short. It’s better to focus on protecting the afterlife of all of humanity rather than one woman.”
Clarence glared at the man. “Would you say that if she were your wife?”
Tension sung between them.
Zagan’s gaze slid between them. “Let’s get to the sanctuary and then we’ll decide what to do.”
They started walking again. After a moment, Clarence followed, looking angry. The woman dropped back to keep pace with him, and Surcy tried to tune out her whispers.
“We’ll get them in the water,” Zagan said. “They’ll get back their memories, and their powers, and he’ll remember what’s important.”
“I hope so,” Surcy said, but deep in her heart she wasn’t sure.
Love was a powerful thing. And this war? She might just give it all up to be back with her demons.
Unfortunately for her, she didn’t have that choice.
They continued trekking through the woods, but in her mind, she was far away, in the arms of three demons who made her smile. Who made her feel safe.
And who she might have lost forever.
