Soul Savers: Faith Part 28

Her words, her commitment, the strength of her meaning flooded over me like a bucket of warm water. I soaked it in, understanding for the first time ever the extent of her feelings. Experiencing for the first time in my long life what she did-an unselfish love that surpa.s.sed the easy kind and expanded to the hard stuff. Love for those who were difficult to love, who refused love, who pushed it away, who thought they were above it. For those who so many would think didn't deserve it-like me ... like our enemies. The kind of love we were meant to have for all other souls. The kind of love we were given by the One who created love in the first place.

Love and faith-an invincible combination.

Her love flowed into mine to give us strength. My faith streamed in with hers to give us power. And that was everything we needed.

The skin on my shoulders and down my spine p.r.i.c.kled and tingled, and I recognized the sensation. My wings exploded from my back. A roar tore out of my chest.

I would be what she needed. Always.

Chapter 30.

Rather than pain stabbing into my chest, my back and shoulder blades tingled again, and at the same time the blade should have plunged into my heart, the crunching sound of metal and a terrifying roar filled the air. My eyes popped open to find Lucas's hands paused with the tip of the knife pressing into my leather vest and his eyes darting wildly. A large, dark streak came at us, and in a blur of motion, Lucas disappeared and the stone dais I lay on collapsed like a house of cards. My freshly grown wings burst free, each purple and black feather hard and sharp as a double-edged sword. They cut through the magical bindings holding me, and I sprang from the broken platform.

Tristan paused long enough to check on me as his own new wings spread wide, and then he flew after Lucas. Swiping the edges of my wings across the iron, I cut through the bars between my son and me, and sprang inside for him. I'd planned to slip my arms under his shoulders and knees and lift him up like I'd done so many times before, when he was little. But one look at him, and I knew I couldn't do that. Like I'd had to do with Tristan, I circled my arms under his, clasped my hands together over his chest, and launched myself upward into the darkness.

"I lost him," Tristan said as he soared up next to me. "Let's just get to the Earthly realm."

Hold on. I need you to light up.

A flame suddenly appeared in his outstretched hand, lighting our way, and I led him upward, hoping to find the faeries. At least a dozen cells like the ones that had held us were perched at the top of narrow pillars that rose hundreds of feet above the lake of fire. I flew by each one, using my wings to cut through the iron, and Tristan followed, pus.h.i.+ng the bars out of the faeries' way. Flying bodies with colorful, b.u.t.terfly-like wings suddenly surrounded us.

"We'll free the others," Stacey said, and she, Debbie, and Baby Cakes flew off into the darkness.

My focus centered on saving my son in my arms and the babies in my belly before something worse happened, and Satan was the one who was freed. "Let's get out of here."

I shot upward with Tristan, Bree, and many other faeries behind me. Half a dozen Demons swarmed in on us.

"Go, Lex!" Tristan yelled at me.

"We can take care of these," Bree confirmed.

With a glance over my shoulder, I saw that the faeries could indeed. Unlike when they were attacked and picked off one-by-one, now they severely outnumbered the Demons. Holding tightly to Dorian, I jetted upward, swerving around the evil winged spirits that tried to block me. I couldn't fight with my son in my arms, but if a Demon came close enough, they received a swipe of my wings that sent their heads plummeting back to h.e.l.l, where they belonged.

Fighting continued behind me. Lucas's mind signature came back into range as he attacked Tristan, who blocked his way to me. I opened my mind to Tristan, sharing Lucas's thoughts while I continued toward the surface. But then evil slithered into my head.

"Where are you going, Alexis?" Satan asked, his voice clear and smooth ... s.e.xy and alluring. "This is where you belong. Here, with me."

I paused, hesitating, drawn to his glamour. Nightmarish visions flashed in my mind-Mom's death, the Normans I killed, the children on the train-and their screams filled my ears.

"You knew you belonged here before," he taunted. "Nothing has changed."

I gave my head a shake. No, I was wrong then, and you're wrong now. Forgiveness has been granted.

"Go, Alexis!" Tristan bellowed again from below me. He must have heard Satan in my mind. Lucas laughed. He must have, too. But I suddenly worried about Tristan ... about leaving him in h.e.l.l again.

You need me, I said to him.

"I'll be fine. My faith-and my love-are where they belong."

Although my stomach knotted, I continued upward, leaving him behind once again as I accelerated. I held Dorian's large body close against me as we flew through the fiery tunnel, toward the pit and the surface of the Earth. With a shaky heart, I shot us up and out.

And into chaos.

My ears rang with grunts, yells, roars, and the clanging of weapons. The odors of baby powder, sulfur, iron, and blood wafted in the air. Lightning streaked webs across the clouds above, thunder rolled overhead, and fat snowflakes glowed orange like embers as they fell. My breath came out in icy puffs in front of me. Faint little streaks slipped through Dorian's lips, too.

I landed near the rim of the pit and laid him out of the way of the warriors, then soared high into the sky to gain a view of the battle. For as far as I could see in every direction, Angels clashed with Demons in the air. On the ground, more Angels helped the Normans and Amadis who fought Daemoni and Demons with human bodies. Thousands of dead and injured lay scattered about the Earth. Black, silver, and crimson stained the snow as weapons, claws, and fangs sliced through flesh and blood spurted.

I tried to find my team, my mother, and my grandmother, but it was impossible in the bedlam. To add to it, several figures shot out of the pit.

The faeries came first, including Bree, Stacey, Debbie, Baby Cakes, Lisa, and Jessica. I dipped down closer as more flew out after them, followed by all kinds of supposedly mythical creatures, some whom I wasn't sure should have been freed. I dropped back down to Dorian's side in case something tried to attack him, and each time a figure emerged, I held my breath, waiting for Tristan. My chest began to tighten as I thought about him being left behind last time, unable to fight his Demons. He defeated them. They no longer have power over him. I tried to calm myself, but not until he came through the flames did I finally believe it.

Tristan rose from the pit, along with Lucas. They fought each other on a fiery tentacle so fat, it looked like a snake or eel. When the thing lifted itself higher and twisted, it exposed what looked like a yellow blazing eye in the orange and red magma. And I swore it searched for me, because as soon as its gaze landed on me, it zipped in my direction. Tristan and Lucas flew up in the air when it did, and they continued their hand-to-hand combat.

The snake's flame of a tongue lashed out at me, and I flattened myself over Dorian's body, keeping us protected with my wings. When it pulled back, I jumped up and shot an electric charge at it, but the power had no effect. This was a beast from h.e.l.l. My sword and guns were gone, taken when I'd been captured, leaving me with my hidden dagger and knife-both too short to reach the snake's head without my skin getting burned. I had my wings, but I couldn't leave Dorian, unconscious and helpless.

The fiery serpent charged at me again. I rose up just high enough to pull it away from Dorian, my wings hard and lifted, ready to slice into the thing. Tristan saw it charging my way, though, and abandoned his fight with Lucas. He flew over the snake, banked into a turn with his wing angled down, and severed it in half. At the same time, a green light streaked toward us, slammed into the fiery pieces, and they disintegrated into black smoke that wisped downward, into the flames. On the far side of the pit stood Owen.

I lowered to the ground to check on Dorian when someone's power blasted into me, knocking me sideways. As I tried to catch my balance, Lucas landed nearby, his hands out toward me, and wave after wave of power slammed into me like knives blazing with h.e.l.lfire. Burning cold sliced into my flesh, oozed into my blood and bones. I lifted my wings to block it and shot Amadis power back at him, but he was so strong, so dark.

Since he had no use for Dorian anymore, I took the chance and launched myself upward, drawing him away from my son. As expected, Lucas tried to follow, lifting himself several feet above the ground, his power still blasting at me. Until a white and black streak knocked into him, tackling him to the ground. Vanessa's fists pummeled Lucas's face several times and then her head dove down before he threw her off of him with his power. He launched himself into the air, blood pouring out of the side of his head. Vanessa spit Lucas's ear to the ground. I soared after our sperm donor.

His power pushed back at me, a force that slowed me down as I flew against the resistance. Two Angels swooped at him, long swords out-no, not Angels, exactly, but Mom and Rina. Each of their blades glinted in the light of the fire as they swung toward him, carving a b.l.o.o.d.y X into Lucas's chest. He lurched backward before hanging in midair, his expression wild and confused as his power stopped blasting at me. His red eyes filled with flames when they found Mom and Rina who hovered above me now. He yelled something unintelligible as he tried to lift his hands toward them, but I could feel their power storming down at him.

I took the opportunity and sped toward him. He laughed at first, then smirked, which was followed by a cry to his people for help. n.o.body came. Except Vanessa, who sprang up and grabbed him from behind, pulling him to the ground. And Tristan, who paralyzed his body. I stopped several feet in front of this man who was supposed to be my father, pausing only for a second to relish in the terror s.h.i.+ning in his eyes.

Then I whipped my right wing out.

The feathers' edges swept across his throat.

A sound like "no" gurgled through the gash.

Then his head rolled off his shoulders and toppled, blood spurting from the stump of his neck like a fountain. Snowflakes descended into his empty, icy eyes and gaping mouth.

And everything around us fell still.

The fighting ceased. Battle cries silenced. n.o.body moved so much as a finger. Everyone simply stared at Lucas's beheaded corpse.

The fountain of crimson ceased as shards of bright blue light flared from his body. They twisted together and grew into tentacle-like forms and curved upward and high above the gruesome form that had once been a man. The light gathered together, spiraling into a glowing ball that pulsed out a beat as it grew.

The blackest of all magic soared over my head, sending an eerie tingle down my spine. The ball of light absorbed it, expanded and brightened.

It throbbed one more time.

Then it whizzed toward Dorian.

"No!" I dropped to my son's side.

But I couldn't stop it. The ball circled around me and plunged into his body, and a moment later, he gasped awake, clawing at his chest. My head snapped up toward Mom and Rina.

"His soul?" I shrieked. "Did Lucas's soul just possess Dorian?"

Mom's blade plunged into Lucas's torso again. She twisted it around, and then yanked it out. On the silver tip was a white gauzy substance, thin and smoky-like Kali's soul when I'd removed it from her physical body.

"No, not his soul." Mom flicked the essence into the fiery pit.

The edges of the sinkhole instantly began closing in. The flames dimmed and lowered. Vanessa flung Lucas's body into it, and Tristan picked up his head by the hair and tossed it in, too. My sperm donor, body and soul, disappeared into h.e.l.l. As if being sucked down by a vacuum, thousands of evil souls in their Demon forms sailed into the pit, screeching in protest. The fire immediately extinguished, and the ground closed up.

"What was it?" I asked desperately as I turned back toward my son, my hands flitting over him, checking him for injuries. Specks of dried blood clung to his neck, but that was all.

He rolled away from me and pushed himself to his feet, drew in a deep breath, and glanced around. His resemblance to Tristan still blew me away.

"He has Lucas's power now," a cloaked figure from the side of the pit hissed. One of the Ancients. "Which means he has ours."

My poor heart stopped once again. "He ... he has the power of Lucas and the Ancients? What does that mean?"

In answer, the remainder of the Daemoni roared in some kind of evil cheer. And then they attacked again. The fighting resumed.

Magic spells and powers shot from the Ancients toward Tristan and me. We both flew at them, swooping by them, but when we thought we'd severed their heads with our wings, they disappeared into black smoke. Cowards, I thought as I swept around to view the battle.

Although they were severely outnumbered with the Angels helping the Amadis and the Normans, the remaining Daemoni fought with renewed vigor. More blood spilled. More bodies crumpled to the ground. I opened my mind, sharing the enemies' thoughts with our allies, while I used my own powers. Tristan paralyzed several until the Angels or Amadis could defeat them. Then his next thought came to me, and I had to stop him.

No. I shook my head, and he restrained his deadliest power. Enough have died already. There's only one person who can stop this.

Tristan nodded, and together, we dropped down to Dorian, landing on each side of him.

"Dorian, you can end this," I said. "You have Lucas's power. You have control over them now. Right?"

He turned his head to look down at me, and my stomach dropped at the glow in his eyes, making me gasp.

Before he could respond, a body soared through the air toward us and landed not too far away. She immediately jumped up, shaking her blond hair out of her face-Lesley. Alys's vampire friend who'd been so close to choosing conversion. She charged back the way she came, but Vanessa was faster. In a blink, Vanessa held Lesley's heart in her hand. Was her soul still safe? What had she chosen in the end? I would never know.

"Dorian, do something," I begged.

Two more bodies flew at us. Met the ground in front of us with successive thuds, both face down in the snow. Both blondes ... and instantly recognizable.

"NO!" I screamed as I lunged at them.

Two were-cats, a cheetah and a jaguar, leapt at us, pus.h.i.+ng me away before landing at Dorian's feet. They crouched and bowed, then instantly transformed into their naked, human forms-Cruz and Rene.

"We brought you a gift, master," Cruz purred as Rene spit something b.l.o.o.d.y and tubular out of her mouth.

Dorian knelt down and turned the smaller body over at the same time I moved the other. My breath whooshed out of me, and my hand slammed over my mouth.

"No," I wailed as I dropped to my knees. "No, no, NO!"

I gathered Charlotte into my arms, rocking and holding her, pus.h.i.+ng her hair out of her face. Her sapphire blue eyes held no more light. No more life. Next to me, Dorian studied Heather, a chunk of her throat and trachea ripped out.

"Dorian, stop this!" I cried. "Stop it now!"

His jaw muscle twitched as he clenched his teeth while staring at Heather's face and her b.l.o.o.d.y, battered, lifeless body. His eyes, still hard, narrowed as he stroked a finger over her cheek, blinked once, and then turned them onto Cruz and Rene. They both fell to all fours, their heads down. Dorian ignored them as he rose to his full height, nearly as tall as his father standing next to him.

Tristan clamped his hand on Dorian's shoulder. "Do the right thing, son."

A growl rumbled in Dorian's throat and his nostrils flared as he glanced down at Tristan's hand, and then squared his shoulders, effectively shrugging his father off.

"It's over, my children." Dorian's voice was no louder than normal, but reverberated across the valley with unprecedented power. The endearment sent a s.h.i.+ver down my spine. "Stand down!"

The fighting stopped as suddenly as it had before, but the Daemoni, several thousand remaining on their feet compared to the hundreds of thousands before, only stood there, staring at Dorian.

"Who is with me?" Dorian asked with a command to his voice I'd never heard before. All of the Daemoni dropped to a knee. "Then come."

My hand grabbed at his leg. "Where? Where are you going?"

He turned those hard eyes on me, a glint of red glowing in them. "Away from you."

My eyes widened. "What? No! It's okay. If there's hope, we can convert them. You can convince them, can't you? They'll listen to you! They can become Amadis. Like you, Dorian. You're still Amadis. You still belong with Dad and me."

"No, I'm not. I'm nothing like you. These are my people now, and I belong with them." His voice raised a notch. "I must take care of them. Not you."

He spat the last word out as though it offended him.

"Dorian-"

The red in his eyes glared brighter, and his voice came out in a near roar. "Stop trying to control me! I am not your baby anymore!"

I flinched, and a heartbeat pa.s.sed between us as we gazed at each other, his eyes glowing with the power swirling within him now. More power than any of us could possibly comprehend. And not the good kind. The kind that was intoxicating, difficult to deny, too easy to embrace ... which Dorian's mind showed he was doing now-embracing it. His body delighted in the energy charging through it.

I shook my head. "No, Dorian. Please don't do this. Be stronger than this."

"Don't worry, mother. I'm stronger than you could possibly imagine."

A small smirk crossed his face before he broke the lock of our eyes, turned away from me, and lifted his arms into the air. The wind gusted up, circling and whipping around us. The Daemoni corpses disintegrated into ash, picked up by the wind. The gusts lifted the bloodstained snow into a tornado that spun around us, blasting ice crystals into my face and eyes. Just as suddenly as Dorian had created it, the snow-tornado disappeared, along with the Daemoni.

And so had my son.

Chapter 31.