Chapter 32 — Craziest night…ever

Kell:

Thinking that this is the craziest night of my life doesn’t even remotely cover how I feel. As Amara and I follow Azazel and Fallon, I can’t help but think about how much my life has changed. I’m doing great in school; I have a mate and a great family. Life is great.

As we glide through the air, I take joy in having Amara in my arms. However, I can’t help but worry for her and where her visions are leading her.

Thankfully, we finally land on a rooftop high up in the hills. The house is hidden deep in the California forest. There are no other houses around it, and I imagine that the nearest house is miles away. It’s a pretty modern-looking white mansion lined by trees. The top of the house is flat, spherical concrete. It kind of reminds me of a spaceship. When I look down, I can see a giant waterfall pool set by the side of a hill, glowing like a luminescent beacon in the darkness. The walls are mostly made up of glass. It looks like a typical California mansion. Fallon steps down some steps and signals for us to follow.

Amara and I follow Fallon, who is carrying the unconscious Bree, and Azazel inside a large and open living area.

Fallon gently lays the girl on a nearby sectional and caresses her face before he steps back and regards us with a suspicious glare. “She will sleep a while longer. She hit her head pretty hard, so I put her under a healing spell.”

Azazel nods. “What is she to you, mate?”

Fallon’s nostrils flare at Azazel’s tone, but he doesn’t react. However, by the way he tightens his fists and straightens his shoulders, I can tell that the guy is on edge. “You need to watch what tone you take with me, Azazel. I’m not one of your flunkies, and I don’t have to explain myself to you.”

I stiffen when Fallon moves closer to Amara and asks. “Now, you said that you’re a Breija and that this girl is in danger. What is it that you saw?”

Amara takes a step back and wraps her arm around mine protectively. “I…” She gulps nervously. “…I’ve had visions of several supernatural girls being killed in rituals.” She points to Azazel and me. “We’ve been doing research and found that these girls have been taken for their powers. And the person who has taken them is using the Potestatem Vitae Mortem to gain enough power to bring forth the end of the world. Bree was one of the girls in the dream…”

Fallon’s eyes smolder, and his jaw clenches. If it is possible, his face hardens further. He looks like a deadly marble statue.

“The Potestatem Vitae Mortem is a very powerful spell. Whoever is looking to cast this spell would have lost their soul and committed a grievous act. Do you have an idea who it might be?”

Azazel releases a relieved sigh. “We believe that it’s an ancient witch who killed her coven several years ago. But we’re not sure. Those two creatures were the ones from Amara’s vision. I believe that the creature that let out the unearthly scream is the one that is taking the powers. One of the girls they killed was a banshee.”

Amara bites her lip and makes her way carefully to Bree. We all stiffen and wait for Fallon’s response, but he doesn’t even flinch. I guess he doesn’t think Amara is a threat. He simply keeps his eyes on her. It’s a bit eerie how he doesn’t blink. He looks at my girl like a person looks at a bug under a microscope. “You believe that those creatures are trying to kill her?”

Amara nods. “Yes, I do. The question is— How did you know about her?”

He doesn’t answer at first. Instead, he looks at the unconscious girl and sighs. “I can’t tell you much. But what I can say is that she’s my mission, and I have to protect her no matter what the cost.”

Azazel frowns in question. “What do you mean? Are you saying that this girl is a target to other Supernaturals?”

Fallon nods with a cynical sneer. “Not just any supernatural—my father.”

Azazel’s breath hitches. “Your father is trying to kill her!?

Fallon nods his head. “Yes, he is. But I’m not going to let him. And that’s all I have to say about that. Do you understand?”

Taking the reins on this one, I continue to hold onto Amara and turn his attention to me. “Look, man, we’re not looking to get in your way. But the fact is that this girl was in the vision, and we need to protect her. So, what do we need to do to get your cooperation in helping us?”

Fallon gives me a measuring look, then turns his gaze to everyone else. “I will not work with you. However, I will take the girl somewhere where she can be safe until this blows over. The Potestatem Vitae Mortem requires a certain amount of sacrifices in order to give this…thing power. How many sacrifices have there been?”

Azazel answers. “So far, there have been four girls. According to the prophecy and what we were able to glean from old scriptures, there have to be six girls. Each one with a specific supernatural ability. That means that she…” He points to an unconscious Bree. “…and the other girl is the targets If you’re going to protect this girl, we need assurances.”

Both men stare each other down as if gauging each other’s mettle. The way they stand there bristling reminds me of two alpha dogs struggling for dominance. It’s extremely hot to see such strong males face off without fear. Kell must notice my fascination because he pinches the inside of my arm and scowls. I simply give him an impish smile and shrug my shoulders. “What?”

Fallon finally responds. “Very well. I can take her to the Council Annex if you allow it. However, I will not leave her there alone. I will go there and protect her. That is the only way that I will let this happen.”

Azazel pulls his cell phone out. “I agree to your terms. Let me call Mathias and inform him that you’re coming.”

Fallon’s jaw ticks in rage. “Mathias! That bloody bastard is still head of the council.” He spits out angrily.

Azazel takes his anger in stride and snorts sarcastically. “Yeah, he loves you too.”

Fallon doesn’t say another word, but the disgust on his face is evident by the curling of his lip. Azazel simply rolls his eyes and mumbles. “Bloody angels and lords of hell.”

Amara covers her mouth to stifle a giggle, but you can see the mirth behind her eyes. I guess it is funny to see centuries-old men act so childish. What she doesn’t understand is that Fallon is the son of the world’s most notorious angel. And as a fallen angel’s child, he is hated by all angels. I imagine by his reaction that he and Mathias have had some kind of negative encounter in the past. I mean, they are both legends in their own right. Everyone in the supernatural world knows about Fallon’s parentage. He’s the son of Lucifer and the vampire queen, Lilith. There are also stories of Fallon’s victories against the King of Hell and the Archangels. Considering how very old Mathias is, maybe they have both met on different sides of the battlefields. It wouldn’t be too far-fetched.

We all come to an agreement after that. After an hour, Azazel, Fallon, and Bree are out the door and heading to the Council Annex. The Council Annex is where Council guards live and train. It’s fortified like Fort Knox, especially after Lukan Garron and his hellhound’s attacked months back. The council was hit hard and was very angry over their failure to protect their people. They realized that their complacency caused many lives to be lost. After that day, they vamped up security, updated their technology, and changed security protocols. Bree should be safe there.

After saying our goodbyes and promising Mikhail and Nevaeh that we’d come back, Amara and I make our way back home. Amara remains quiet as I drive through the night. Tightening my fingers around the steering wheel, I give her a worried look. “Are you okay, beauty queen?”

She gives me a slight grimace. She looks exhausted, with worry lines bracketing her mouth and a slight hollowness to her eyes. “I’m…I don’t know. On the one hand, I’m glad we saved Bree, and on the other, I feel that this might be a respite from a huge catastrophe. I mean, are we preventing the inevitable?” She drifts off uncomfortably.

I look forward and try to gather my thoughts. “I don’t know. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”

Taking a deep breath, I relax my hand from around the steering wheel and slide it down to grasp hers. “I know you want this to be over, but I want you to think of this as a win. We might not have won the war, but we’ve won a battle. Now that we have a little more information, we should be more prepared.”

She squeezes my fingers lightly and smiles. I can tell that my words don’t really make a difference in how she feels, but she doesn’t say another word.

“So what did you think of Fallon? The guy is freaking scary, right?”

She arches a brow and gives me a shocked look. “Oh, yeah. Is he really the son of…?” She drifts off and points down with her finger comically. I chuckle at her gesture and nod my head. “Oh yeah, Fallon is most definitely the son of Lucifer. But don’t bring it up if you see him again.”

She frowns in consternation and asks, “Why?”

I shrug my shoulders. “From what I know, Lucifer and Fallon have never been on speaking terms. Fallon, like me, is part fallen angel and the son of a demon queen. His mother is Lilith, the queen of the underworld. Also known as the first wife of Adam.”

Amara’s eyes widen into saucers, and her mouth gapes open. “Are you kidding me right now? Adam? As in Adam and Eve?”

I nod my head. “Yeah…well, you know that when God made Adam, he made him a first wife, Lilith. But Lilith was not happy about the arrangement. So. God kicked her out of paradise and replaced her with Eve. According to legend, Lilith was cast out without the means to survive. This made her very bitter and angry. As the years passed, her rage strengthened, and so did her power. Eventually, she ran into Lucifer and became the queen of hell. When it was discovered that they bore a child, the supernatural world went into an uproar. Two of the most powerful ancient evils of the world had a child, and they wanted to destroy him. Unfortunately for Fallon, the supernatural world was not the only group that wanted to destroy him. Lucifer and Lilith were also horrified at the thought of having a child.”

I dramatically pause as I watch Amara take in Fallon’s story. Amara looks at me attentively and gestures for me to continue with a twirl of her hand. “…And?”

I gaze out the windshield with a sigh. “…and according to lore, they tried to kill him. At first, they tried to drown him, and when that didn’t work, they tried to burn him. And so on and so on, but he couldn’t be killed.”

Amara releases a pitying sniffle and gazes out the window with a sad frown. “That’s so sad. I wonder how he survived.” I shrug my shoulders and continue to drive. “Some say that he was locked away in the furthest reaches of hell until they could find a way to kill him. I really don’t know. But he’s always been shunned by the people of our world. Even demons give the guy a wide berth.”

Amara’s eyes tear up with pity. “That’s so sad. How could they do that to their own child?”

I can tell that the topic is getting her down, so I change the subject.

“The pageant is coming soon. Are you ready to see me strutting my stuff?” I waggle my eyebrows and wink suggestively, trying to lighten the mood.

Amara rolls her eyes and rests her head on the seat’s headrest. “Oh, yeah, baby. I can’t wait to see you in all your swag. I’m sure you’re going to be breathtaking.” She rolls her eyes with a sarcastic snigger.

I don’t let it get me down, though, because I know she's crazy about me. Instead, I wink and puff out my chest. “I’m always breathtaking.”

She snorts and smacks my chest playfully. “Maybe you should be the beauty queen. With your ego, you fit right in with the pageant world.”

Shrugging my shoulders, I catch her hand and lay a kiss on top of it. “Then it wouldn’t be fair to the rest of the girls. I mean, look at me. They’d lose for sure. Especially in the swimsuit challenge.” We both laugh at my comment as the mood becomes more relaxed.

Once we reach the driveway, I stop my car and help her out of her seat. Her hair gleams in the moonlight, looking like a black curtain, and her eyes shine like two beacons. She looks beautiful, regardless of her stressful exhaustion.

Pulling a strand of hair behind her ear, I lean my head close to hers and lay a small kiss on her bow lips. “I have to go report to Alex. Get some rest, okay. Don’t think about anything but me and how hot we will look at the dance. We’ll deal with visions after you’ve had a good night’s sleep. I’ll try to make it tonight, but no promises. With the way things ended tonight, I get the feeling that I’ll be receiving a call from Mathias. But if you need me, call me, and I’ll be there.”

I wrap her in my arms tightly and whisper. “Promise me you’ll call.”

Amara tightens her arms around me and nods her head. “I promise.”

“I love you,” I mutter as I gaze lovingly into her eyes. Because everything I said is true. I love this girl more than anyone or anything. She has dug herself so deep inside my heart that sometimes I feel like my heart only beats for her. She’s all I can think about when we’re together. And when we’re apart, all I feel a hollow in my chest. Like there is something missing and is only filled when she’s around.

Smiling, Amara leans her forehead against my chin and caresses my face. “I love you too. More than anything.”

Elation fills my soul at her words. I can tell that she’s just as sincere. And I know that as long as I have my girl, everything will be okay.

Without another word, Amara steps back and walks to the door. I don’t step back into my car until the door closes behind her. Even though I didn’t tell her, I am worried about the repercussions of tonight’s win. Regardless of that, I know that I will do anything to keep my love safe no matter what it takes.