Chapter 24 — Between love and friendship

Zoe:

“Zoe!” I cry out as I use the full force of my power to reach her. But it’s to no avail as her body is sucked into the black void of the building’s doorway. My wings extend from my back, and my eyes glow with the fire of my fury as I claw through the invisible force. Fallon attempts to rush through the force only to slam back into the roof top’s hard floor. Desperation fills me as I listen to any sound or call. Suddenly, everything goes quiet, and the door slams closed

Fallon and I fall to the floor with a grunt when the airflow disappears. Rising from the floor, I rush to the door and pull with all of my strength. The door won’t budge. “Help me!” I yell out to Fallon. We both pull together, but it’s of no use. It’s as if the door is cemented shut. Not even our supernatural strength can budge it. Helplessness overwhelms me as I kick and strike the door in frustration. “Bloody fucking hell! Fuck!” I yell out. Fallon grips my shoulders and reluctantly pulls me away from the door. “It’s no use, Azazel. It won’t open. Perhaps we should check the windows and door.” I nod my head and, without another word, jump over the roof and push at the windows, but they’re also impenetrable. Fallon lands on the street and does the same to the doors without any success. Flying to float beside me, he gestures to the building with a perturbed frown. “I can’t get the bloody doors open. It’s as if everything is sealed shut. I hate to say this, but we have to contact Mathias.”

Running my fingers through my hair, I gaze at the building in hopes that something might change or that I might see Zoe, but the building is completely dark and still. I can’t even see through the windows. It looks like the inside of the building has been swallowed by darkness. Fallon makes the phone call while I continue trying to penetrate the building’s infrastructure without avail. After a moment, we both fly back up to the roof. “Mathias and the others are on the way,” Fallon says, landing right by my side. My chest heaves as my anger and fear surmount. I feel like my emotions are warring with each other. My demon struggles inside me, feeling my turmoil.

What has only been a few minutes but feels like forever, Mathias, Mikhail, Kell, and his mate Amara show up. They all fly in; Kell, who is carrying Amara, lands next to us on the rooftop. Mathias steps forward, running his gaze over the building with a speculative scowl. “This is not good. Where are the ley lines? It’s as if only the building’s infrastructure is the only thing here. Do you feel that?” He asks the others.

Kell and Mikhail both nod. Amara simply stands there looking around the rooftop with a wary frown. “No, it’s not gone. It’s more like it’s there but somewhere else.” She walks over to the door and extends her hand. My hand halts hers before she can touch it. “Don’t do that! It sucked Zoe inside the moment she touched it.” Amara’s hand trembles as she releases it from my grip and lowers it to her side. Kell stands protectively next to her and pulls her into his arms. “Be careful, beauty queen. This place is brimming with evil.”

Amara and Kell are the ones that discovered Marael’s plan to end the world last year. It turns out that Amara is a Breija. Which in our world is someone who is a mirror seer? Breijas are very rare and powerful women who look into reflections and see visions of deaths. Breijas can also use their powers to travel into worlds and will sometimes even have other powers. Amara found out about the ritual when she began to have debilitating nightmares that affected her body temperature to near death. She didn’t even know what she was when Kell met her. He thought that she was just a normal human girl. Kell is a Nephilim. He and Amara fell in love and are now mated. They make a striking couple. Kell is tall with golden hair and blue eyes, and Amara is slim with dark hair and emerald-colored eyes.

Amara steps from beneath Kell’s arms but doesn’t release him. Wrapping a hand in his, she moves close to the door and hovers a hand over it. “It’s weird because I can feel it vibrating through me. It’s repellent and inviting at the same time.” She looks at Kell and gestures to the door. “It feels like the magic from the basement in the church that Taylor took me through. The one where we ended up in another dimension. Do you remember?” Kell narrows his eyes at the door and nods. “Yeah, that’s exactly what it feels like. Do you think that it’s another dimension? It would make sense since we can’t feel the inside of the building.” Amara sighs wearily. “I don’t know, but it’s possible.”

Feeling of niggle of relief, I rub my fingers over my lips and point to the door. “If it’s a dimension, then it’s possible that we can save Zoe and her friends. I mean, you two were able to get out. Do you think you can help me get them out too?” Amara shrugs her shoulders and exhales deeply. “I don’t know. We were only able to get in and out because of the power surges of Taylor’s waning power. I guess we can try.”

Kell runs his fingers through the loose strands of his hair and takes Amara’s hand with a concerned frown. “Are you sure you want to do this beauty queen? You know how you get when you look in the mirrors.” Amara shrugs her shoulders and gestures to the door. “I should be fine. We’ve practiced for months. It’s time for me to do something with my power. Serapova says that I’m ready, and I believe her.” She turns completely to him and takes his hands in hers with a pleading look. “You have to trust me, Kell. I’ll be fine.”

Kell frowns and places a soft kiss on her forehead. “I do trust you. I just worry that something will happen and I will be powerless to help you.” Amara shakes her head and smiles reassuringly. “I’ll be fine.”

They both gaze into each other’s eyes with silent communication. Anyone who observes them can see that they are both very deeply in love. It makes me wonder if that is how Zoe and I look together. My heart aches at the thought that I might not be able to find out. Pushing my doubts to the back of my mind, I step to them and clear my throat to bring them back to my dilemma. “What do we need to then?” I ask, gazing at them with a controlled smile. I know that it’s not their fault that Zoe is stuck in some form of dimension, but I’m raging inside at the thought of losing any more time.

Kell gives me a dubious glare and steps back. “Fine.” Amara smiles and gazes back at the door before she looks back at me. “Okay, I will need a large mirror and something that belongs to Zoe.” I swallow deeply and gesture to my temporary home. “We can go to the house and use one of the mirrors there. Her bag is inside my car. Go to the house, and I will meet you there.” They both nod their heads and, without another word, take off into the air to land in front of the house. Fallon follows behind and lets them in. Rushing to the car, I take Zoe’s bag and follow them into the house.

Kell is taking a mirror from the wall and resting it against a chair that is placed in front of one of the living room seats. Amara takes a deep breath and settles into the seat across from the mirror. She folds her hands over her thighs, holding Zoe's cell phone between her fingers, and takes a deep breath. Kell hovers over her, looking concerned but doesn’t comment further. We all watch, intrigued when Amara puffs out a breath and utters. “Don't talk to me or touch me while I'm in my Breija trance. I will call Kell if anything happens.” All of the men nod their heads in agreement. Kell leans down and kisses her hard before he releases her. “Don't wait too long to call me, babe. You know I'll feel it if you're hurt.” Amara gives him a loving smile. “I won't. I promise. Now step back and let me work.”

She closes her eyes and takes several deep breaths before she opens her eyes and gazes into the mirror. Then it happens. Her eyes dilate into dark, emerald pools and become glazed. It's eerie how she gazes into the mirror and sees things we don’t.

At first, everything is quiet. No one says a word, and there is no sound in the room. I don't even hear the usual chirp of birds playing outside. Then the environment changes. A slight wind blows from the mirror and coils itself around Amara's body. I look at the others to see their reactions, but none of them seem concerned, so I relax.

Then Amara talks. All of the hair on my body stands on end at the sound of her voice. “You shouldn't be here.” She says with a deep, husky male voice. Kell stiffens beside me, his eyes going wide and alert. “What the hell...?” He utters, moving closer.

“What's wrong?” Mathias asks, concerned. Kell raises his hand to warn him away from Amara. “Who... who are you?” He asks Amara. Amara's face contorts into an evil smile. “I am the destroyer. And I am coming, my little Nephilim. I suggest you and this beautiful Breija prepare.” He says with a sing-song voice. It's scary and disconcerting at the same time.

Before we can say another word, Amara's body begins to shudder, and her eyes begin to roll to the back of her head. Kell lets out a panicked cry and pulls her into his arms. “Beauty queen, wake up. It's me.” Amara flails around for another moment, then slumps forward in Kell's arms.

Kell holds her close, his eyes set with concern. “Beauty queen...” He whispers gently as he buries his face in her silken hair. Amara's body stirs after a moment, startling Kell from his terror. Kell pulls back, slipping his hands through her hair and gazes into her now clear eyes. “Are you okay, babe?” Amara nods, her face set in confusion. “I'm fine.” Kell shakes his head, his face set in a scowl. “You scared the crap out of me, babe. You were talking like a man.” Amara shakes her head with a frown. “What? No, I wasn’t. I never said a word.”

She raises her eyes to the rest of us. “I saw her. I saw Zoe. She's in the same worldly dimension that Taylor sent us too. The scary world made of ash. I spoke to Zoe. She's hiding from the Sahara and Marael right now. They were in some kind of heated argument. We were trying to find Bree and her sister when you called me back. Why did you call me back?”

Kell shakes his head in bewilderment. “I had to Am. You were speaking like some scary monster.” Amara frowns in consternation. “I... I don't remember.”

Taking another impatient breath, I step in front of Amara. “Did Zoe say anything about me?”

Amara nods. “Yeah, I told her why I was there. She was really worried about you. You're all she could think about. Well, that and her friends. Before I snapped out of it, she told me to tell you that she's fine. Not to worry about her.”

I sigh in relief. “Tell me about this world that she has been sucked into.” Amara sighs, her face falling with fear. “It's...it's really scary. It's a sad, desolate place made of ash. Everything is dead or dying—even the trees. There's a river of blood and bones and a circle of crucifixes where several decomposing bodies hang crucified. They're the girls that were killed several months ago. Zoe said that she was alone. She couldn't find her friends. We searched around for hours, but the world is perilous. There are a few deadly monsters, including... him. We were hiding when I heard Kell call to me. How... how long was I gone?”

Fallon, Mathias, and I look at her with surprise. Kell kneels before her, his face set in a grim pout. “You were out for minutes. Are you saying that you were trapped in that world for longer?” Amara nods. “Yeah, as soon as I got to the world, I ran into a wandering Zoe. She was so surprised to see me. We've been running and hiding since.”

I pace around, feeling despair overwhelm me. Zoe is trapped in a world where the time is slower. Who knows how long she thinks she's been trapped there. And I'm standing here like an idiot, unable to do anything about it.

“How do we get them out of there?” I ask Amara. Mathias frowns, his mouth set in a grim line. “We need to speak to Creighton. Now!” Everyone nods in agreement.

Kell takes Amara in his arms, his face set with worry as everyone makes their way outside. Fallon follows behind me, his face set in a bleak expression. “I failed her.” He utters softly. I shake my head and pat him on the shoulder with commiseration. “We can't beat ourselves up over this Fallon. We'll get them back or die trying.” I whisper in encouragement. However, a small part of me can't help but feel that he's right. We both failed them. And now I might lose my mate because of my carelessness.

Just then, Amara stops and turns to us. “When Sahara and Marael were arguing, they said they were in the deepest reaches of hell. What if they're in hell. You lived in hell. Do you know some way to get in there?”

Fallon and I look at each other. You can see that he's having the same thought that I am at that moment. And even though it's not a great idea, it's the only option we have.

“Lucifer.” We say in unison. Everyone stands on the front porch with a questioning frown. “What do you mean, Lucifer?” Mathias asks. Fallon and I nod, then turn to him.

“We have a way to get into hell.”