Genesis: Falling Angel (10 page)

“
It’s Fallen blood. I wanted to see if you’d change back. Guess not.” He tossed the vile on the ground and motioned to someone I couldn’t see.

The pain was too much to bear. My body was burning the poison even in my mortal form. Blackness crept into my vision, and suddenly I was in complete darkness.

Chapter 13 – Adrian

Things had not exactly gone as planned. Noah had crash landed only hours after taking off. After a brief walk through the forest and an argument with Noah, we were attacked. Then there was Luna.

Luna was not someone I’d known for very long. Even when she recognized me, I’d still denied that I was anything but a lowly human. She knew better, of course. She was certainly no idiot. I hardly recognized her. Faces sort of meld together after so many years and so many lovers. The fact that people seem to look better while I was feeding didn’t help. The only thing that I remembered was that voice. It was disturbingly sweet.

Gabrielle must’ve been pretty freaked out. She grabbed my hand at some point, and the touch made my jaw clench. I still had not fed. I was probably too weak to protect her. I gave her hand a small, reassuring squeeze anyways. She must’ve realized that she was touching me because she let go soon after. The loss of contact left me with a strange emptiness.

Luna howled before I could stop her. I tried to use my own supernatural strength, but she flung me off as though I were some sort of insect. She took Gabrielle and was gone before I knew it.

The werewolves were approaching quickly. I could hear their howls. Noah quickly snapped the neck of the one he held before rushing to help me up. I felt almost bad that I’d tried to give him up.

“I had to get Gabrielle out of there,” I offered.

He huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

The pack was closing the distance faster than I had time to think of a plan. Noah didn’t seem to have one, either. So I did what I assumed to be the most disgusting act of my life. I rushed over to the side of the fallen werewolf and tore into its neck with my teeth.

Noah gagged as I hastily drank as much as I could. It was still warm, and slightly bitter. It was all I could do to keep it down. I didn’t like what blood did to me. It was almost like
giving a human an energy drink: energy for a bit, crash later. Plus it made my eyes an unattractive red for a few hours.

The first beast jumped from the brush to tackle me. I dodged it with ease. While I was not the best fighter, I was fairly good at running away.

Even without Gabrielle around, my wings were still hidden. They would’ve only been a hassle in such a dense forest. So instead I jumped onto the nearest branch and climbed up a tree. The beast followed me, sinking its claws into the tree as though it wished to climb. Funny thing, though. Werewolves are too heavy to climb. They’d just break the branches they stood on.

I sat there
and watched it for a moment before I heard Noah cry out. He was fending off four of them while a fifth stood staring up at me, calculating. It was a tall, gray werewolf wearing a belt. For a moment, this puzzled me. Then I noticed the red vials he was carrying.

For a moment, I wanted to call to Noah and get him to snatch the vials. From the looks of it, he probably wouldn’t get to them fast enough. Gabrielle was being taken to Gula, and Judas was not very fond of keeping things alive. Lilith’s will had rarely mattered to him. He was probably just trying to get my attention.

He had it.

Anger was clouding my mind. I had worked so hard to take care of Gabrielle, to lead her to Lilith. The cities were supposed to be slight detours, not traps. Why wasn’t Lilith coming to my
aid? Why did I have to do this all alone? I had thought my brothers and sisters would aid me. So far, one was dead and the other was slowing me down. Some family they were.

The snarling werewolf below once more caught my attention. The big, gray one had turned his attention to Noah. I climbed even higher, disappearing in the thick foliage. The snarling stopped. They had really short attention spans.

I managed to jump to the next tree and the next before I started to climb down again. Noah was on the ground, his leg twisted at a strange angle. He caught my gaze, but did not hold it. Either he knew what I had in mind, or he was very angry with me. His bones would heal quickly. He needed to stop being such an idiot.

The five werewolves were all turned toward Noah. They had probably been humans once. The true werewolves were clever and never let prey get away. These just seemed like they were following pure instinct. Kill the nearest prey, eat the nearest prey, and gnaw on the bones of the nearest prey. Well, the better for my plan.

I stood directly behind the gray one. Part of me couldn’t imagine why they didn’t hear my heart pounding. The other part wished that I worshipped some sort of deity so I could thank it.

Noah may have strength, but incubi are agile. I snatched four vials at once, injected one into the gray wolf. They all turned on me. For a moment, though, they were too stunned to attack. The gray wolf was convulsing, crying out in pain as it hit the ground. In moments, the huge, hairy beast was nothing more than a shaking human. While the others were distracted, I managed to inject two that were standing side by side. Noah was already healing. His broken bones had already snapped into place.
He was cleaning up after me, killing the shaking humans with ease.

I still had two to go and only one vial. They fell for the tree trick once more, barking like some dog chasing a cat up a tree. I threw one down at the werewolf that had been bothering me first. Unfortunately, the action caused me to topple back off the branch I was standing on.

My breath left with a
whoosh
the moment I hit the ground. I rolled over with a groan. Pain raced down my spine. Something had broken. My fingers felt my nose. Yeah, it was definitely broken.

Blood was streaming over my lips, down my chin. Why did I always have the worst injuries?

The final werewolf grabbed me and lifted me into the air. It slammed me into a tree. Something was more intelligent about its eyes, and I knew that I had miscalculated in believing the gray wolf to be the leader. It shoved its face directly into my personal space, baring its shiny white teeth in a chilling grin.

Its fangs sank into my arm. There was no tearing or breaking. It merely bit me and dropped me. It made to walk away, but Noah jumped on its back and snapped its neck like he was snapping a twig. Dragons were frightening.

“Don’t move,” he told me.

“Why? It’s just a little bite. It’ll heal soon.”

He rolled his eyes at me. “No, it won’t. Their bites are poisonous to vampires. It tries to change something that can’t be changed. Other demons would be fine, sure, but vampires are cursed like werewolves.” He knelt beside me. “You can drink their blood, but the infection is all in the bite. It’s the act itself, not the saliva.”

“Impressive. You’ve certainly done your research. You’re forgetting one thing: I’m not a vampire.”

“In a way, you are. You have to feed on humans just like they do. You sap energy from them. You might as well be one.”

The insult was too much to bear. “Those bloodsuckers are—”

Then it hit me. The pain was burning, like every tiny part of my body was burning away. I gasped for air, staring down at the wound. My stomach flipped. My veins were turning black as the infection spread. The site of the bite was closed, but my body couldn’t burn away the invading curse.

“What do I do?” I asked in a panic.

“Stay calm, for one thing. The faster your heart beats, the faster it spreads.” Noah gingerly lifted my arm to get a closer look. “Don’t worry. I actually know more about medicine than you think.” He frowned. “Unfortunately, there’s no treatment for this. Rest for now. The curse will either be destroyed or—well, you’ll be fine.”

Briefly I wished to be home in Luxuria. At least there, there was never a single fight. I didn’t have to lift a finger to do anything. My prey was numerous and full of variety. I wouldn’t be starving on the ground with a werewolf’s curse running through my veins.

“You know, I was going to kill you on sight. I was going to kill all of Lilith’s so-called “children.”

I glanced at Noah, frowning. “Thanks.”

“Let me get to my point. I knew you were trying to defend Gabrielle, and that’s something I really respect in others. The ability to protect is a true gift. I’m useless, personally. I always mess things up. But for whatever reason, you didn’t want a big scary dragon hurting her. I could’ve broken your neck like it was nothing and just taken her. I didn’t, though. Because you seemed to actually care about making sure she was safe. You don’t see a lot of kind-hearted demons.”

“Kill me,” I moaned. I caught his eyes with a frustrated gaze. “She’s part of a mission. I have no connection to her whatsoever. You’re reading too much into it.”

“I don’t believe I am. See, I want Lilith dead as much as the next guy. If you’re supposed to take her to Lilith, why haven’t you? Don’t tell me the only way to get an angel to cooperate was to baby her and guide her along. That’s just pathetic.”

“She has to be kept in good condition. It’s like taking care of a china doll that can be broken if played with too roughly.”

“Well you’re pampering her.”

“That’s completely ridiculous. You’re stupid, aren’t you? All of you lizards are idiots.”

“Then why are you taking her in the direction of Luxuria?”

“Because she’s mine!” My mouth snapped shut.

Noah looked triumphant. He rose from his place on the ground. “I’ll let you think on that. It’s a nice distraction, don’t you think?”

“From what?”

“Exactly.” He wandered off.

The words had left my mouth
before I could even think. They were such bold words, too. I held no affection for the angel, but in a sense she was mine. She was like a companion. She was someone to help ward off the loneliness. She was a light in this dark world. Of course I was drawn to her. Anyone would be, mortal or immortal. Angels have that sort of gift.

Now she was gone. I had allowed Luna to take her, and now she may not even be alive. She could be broken and bleeding to death in a jail cell while I sat around and did nothing to aid her. She could be learning how to hate because of me. This not only compromised my mission. Her absence had taken away the only excitement I’d had in years. I hadn’t traveled in so long or communicated with anyone besides my regular meals.

Before I could even notice what had happened, it was dark. My body no longer burned. My veins were no longer black. The infection was gone.

Noah appeared as I made to stand up. I pointed in one direction. “Gula is that way.
I’ll try to look out for that bite of his. That was unbearably painful.”

“So I take it you mulled it over?” Noah wondered, smiling sweetly.

“I figured out that if I don’t get that angel to Lilith, then my dear mother will kill me. So hurry up.”

I took o
ff at a sprint. A companion would be nice.

Chapter 14
– Adrian

“All I’m saying is that it’s best if I do this alone,” I said.

Noah and I stood in the forest just outside the walls of Gula. He smiled sweetly. “Oh, Adrian. How naïve you are. You see, I’m the one with the unbeatable strength and speed. You’re just an incubus.”

I rolled my eyes. “
Judas is expecting me. No offense, but you’re lacking one thing: experience with the curse. I have the curse of Lust. Judas has Gluttony. We’ve almost always been cursed. You’re new to all of this and don’t know him like I do. He’s killed plenty of dragons.”

He huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. “All I’m saying is that you should have back-up. Arrogance won’t save Gabrielle.”

For once, I decided not to care about his insult. I had a rescue mission to undertake. “Just wait here. We’ll need our getaway car.”

He put his hands on his hips. “Are you referring to me? I am not your getaway car. I’m the most powerful ally you have. Did I mention I can breathe fire?”

“You can—you know what? Never mind. Thanks for not using it earlier.”

“I didn’t want to burn the forest down.”

I sighed. “Look, just stay here. If I’m not back here in the next four hours, I’m dead and you’ll have to get her. My brother is a pretty tough opponent, but he’s dumb. Basically, he’s a complete moron. You can use that against him.”

Noah pinched
the bridge of his nose. “Have it your way. Just don’t come crying to me when your ‘brother’ beats you to a bloody pulp.”

“I won’t.”

“Just go.”

So I left Noah to wait on me in the forest. Gaining entrance to the city was easy. I just walked straight up to a guard and said, “Adrian of Luxuria.”

He looked me over briefly, recognizing me. He nodded and opened the gate. “My lord is waiting,” he said gruffly.

It was easy to spot where Gabrielle would be. There was a brand new coliseum built in the city, all shiny and made of white stone. The carvings in the stone depicted different beasts, but I didn’t linger on it. Of course Judas would want a big arena to greet me. He was probably sitting in his mansion, sharpening some knives to cut me apart.

Gaining entrance to the coliseum was easy. No guards were at their posts. The arena itself was indescribably huge. Empty stands rose above the arena.

Gabrielle was lying on the ground. Her arms and legs were shackled to the nearest wall. She lay on her side, eyes open and glassy. For a moment, I thought she was dead. Then, she shifted slightly.

The coliseum was empty. I took a few hesitant steps into it. Then I took off into a full sprint. My heart was pounding and my breaths were short and ragged. The stretch of space between us seemed endless. Her eyes met mine briefly, but I could tell she didn’t recognize me.

When I finally reached her, I knelt by her side. My hands reach
ed for the shackles to snap the chain. Of course, I was strong enough to snap chains. However, if Judas found me, I was dead. There was no way to beat him. Not that I knew of. I focused on the task at hand, managing to break the chains binding her legs before a loud buzzer went off. Metal gates sealed off every exit. A dome of black glass was slowly sealing off the top of the coliseum. For a moment, there was only darkness.

The sun became visible once more, though I knew the coliseum had been completely sealed. I cursed under my breath. Of course Judas would’ve been waiting. Gabrielle was the perfect bait. I could offer nothing to him. Why was he so dead set on me?

Suddenly the coliseum made sense. Judas was bloodthirsty, savage in nature. He’d once been an animal long ago. The beastly nature didn’t leave just because he inhabited a human body. He often enjoyed fighting others for sport. Then, he would eat them.

Was I
the only one that Judas could find to fight?  Why not one of our other brothers or sisters? I was the weakest. There was no challenge in this match. If he wanted to kill me, I was dead. Death would only come after he toyed with me for a bit, of course. Then he could do whatever he wanted with Gabrielle. The thought made me sick.

“Welcome, brother.”

How had I not noticed him? Judas was sitting in the stands, grinning like the idiot he was. I had always prided myself on being cleverer than my brothers and sisters. Here, the idiot of us had gotten the best of me. My mission was important, but I’d rather Lilith deal with me than him.

In a flash, he jumped over the railing and landed on the dirt floor of the coliseum. The ground shook slightly. He made no move to be closer to me. He merely waited like a predator that already has its prey cornered but wants a little fun. He folded his huge arms, and I eyed his muscles with envy.

He’d used something against me that I didn’t realize I cared about. He’d taken what was mine, chained her up, and left her in some crazy drugged state. It occurred to me then that there were other ways to toy with helpless girls. I clenched my fists and glared at him.

“Come on, Adrian. Do you really think I’d touch her?” Judas gestured to her. “Lilith would kill me. Have to keep the girl a vi
rgin or something like that.” He grinned. “That is, unless you’ve already caved.”

Caved? Was he serious
? “I have some self-control,” I replied smoothly, making my face blank. “I’m not some wild beast cursed with hunger. I’m a bit more civilized than that.”

His face twisted sli
ghtly in anger. “That’s right. You don’t act on your urges. You’re just a whore. Anyone and everyone can have you. No, you’re worse than a whore. You just give yourself up for free. So I guess you’re more of a slut.”

Well, ouch. I frowned slightly. “We do what we have to, Judas. You of all people should know that.” I ran a hand through my hair with a smirk. “Besides, at least people want me. T
hey love to give me attention, to please me. When was the last time you had a willing partner?”

Well, that was a low blow. His face twisted in fury, and I momentarily regretted saying anything. His ego was almost as great as Pride’s. I held up my hands in a gesture of surrender. “Okay, Judas. You have my attention. No more insults, I swear. Just say what you nee
d to so I can finish my mission, unless you want Lilith herself to show up. I’m sure she’d be very annoyed to find you holding me up.”

A grin spread across his face. “You’re such an idiot. Do you really think I’d do this if Lilith hadn’t a
lready abandoned you? The angel is free game now. I’ll take her to Lilith, so don’t worry about it.”

What? “Explain,” I said through clenched teeth.

“Your loyalty is being called into question. You’ve taken too long. Do you really think she’d let you go on a mission without constantly watching your every move? She’s angrier than I’ve ever seen her. You’ve befriended a dragon. You’re becoming a bit friendly with the angel. Think about it, Adrian. You were entrusted with this mission because you are the most expendable. Lilith can fill your place if she has to.”

Lilith was the ultimate form of lust. She could be anything
anyone wanted. The sad thing is that she lacked the magnetic pull I had. “She needs me,” I said, though my voice wavered slightly.

“No she doesn’t! If anything, you’ll compromise the mission. Your silly little emotions toward humans haven’t gone unnoticed. You’re too emotional, which makes you risky. And since Lilith isn’t on your side anymore, and you’re in my territory, you’re mine.” He began to remove his shirt.

Pushing aside my slight horror at seeing him begin to strip, I quickly looked for any exits. If he was about to shift, I had to get the hell out of there. Then there was Gabrielle. She was obviously drugged somehow. I knew I could carry her, but could I risk her snapping out of it and seeing my wings?

Something pricked my neck. I reac
hed up and yanked it out. The vial had only traces of red in it. I scowled, casting it aside. I could feel my wings being forced back into view. It was slightly painful while I fought it, but I eventually just let it happen. My shirt ripped as they sprouted from my back, and I pulled the torn fabric off. Judas was looking at me with an eerily calm expression.

“I figure you’ll need those,” he mocked. “You can’t do anything but fly, right?”

I remained silent.

He tilted his head side-to-side, resulting in two loud
pops. He grinned lazily. “How about this? When I win, I’ll finish you off nice and slow. I’ve always wanted to kill you, you see. You’re just so damn cocky with nothing to back it up. Once I’m done with you, I’m going for your little friend there. There are many ways to make her scream, I’m sure. Lilith can have her when I’m done.”

I was suddenly feeling nervous. He continued, “The Fallen blood gave her that weird zombie look. Maybe it’ll wear off by the end of the fight. Then she can see the real you right before I devour you. That’s what you’re afraid of, right? You don’t want her seeing your wings. I bet it’s because you’re afraid of scaring her. Just keep telling
yourself that it’s necessary so that you can take her to Lilith.”

I’d had enough. “Are you going to fight me or what?” I demanded.

His face twisted in fury. “As you wish.” Fur began sprouting on his body. It was tan with black spots. His face twisted, allowed him to obtain the powerful jaws that so many feared. His legs became wolfish, his hands ending in blunt claws. A strange, chilling laugh erupted from him. He became even more massive. Like that was possible.

I’d always dubbed him as a “werehyena.”

He belonged to some prehistoric type of hyena. He was ancient, after all. He claimed that one day he got sick of starving and watching nearby humans gorge themselves with meat from fresh kills. Hyenas are more supernatural than people think. They were once shapeshifters, Judas claimed. It had taken him years to perfect the form of a man. He went to a nearby village and begged for a meal and a place to stay. The hospitable people gave him what he wanted. How did he repay them?

He went to each of their beds that night and devoured them. Flesh, muscle, bone, and everything in between
were all demolished. His sin was Gluttony, and his brethren followed him into it with great excitement. His teeth could crush bone in an instant. His muscular form could crush a body in seconds. His powerful arms could rip out a heart with ease. His laughter was enough to send any man running.

As if on cue, obnoxious laughter erupted from the beast.

I grimaced, getting into a decent stance for flying.

Judas was not like the others. He spoke freely in his half-beast, half-man form. He had a clear mind devoid of any raw bloodlust. He lived for a decent fight. He was definitely not going to be getting one from me. I braced myself for the charge that I knew would come next.

He took off. I launched myself into the air, but he leaped and grabbed my ankle. With a flick of his wrist, I was plummeting to the earth again. I couldn’t breathe for a moment after the impact. He appeared before me and slammed his fist into my stomach. I coughed, spewing blood onto Judas’ arm. He laughed at this before picking me up and tossing me across the coliseum.

I gripped tightly onto the railing surrounding the stands, pulling myself up in the process. I stood on the railing and examined the area around me. The only thing that stood out was Gabrielle, her blank stare burning a hole right through me. For a moment, I had to worry that she would wake up and notice me. She would probably run, and I didn’t want to be the one to chase her.

Judas was approaching at breakneck speed. I took a deep breath and jumped from the railing. My wings caught the air instantly. I needed time to think, time to form a plan. If I died, I would be failing.

Who was I failing, exactly? Lilith? Noah?

Or was I failing Gabrielle?

I was only a decent fighter with a weapon, specifically swords. Guns would do, too. I just wanted to slice up Judas into tiny pieces. I wanted to be coated in his blood. I was no animal, and he could not keep me trapped forever.

My eyes caught sight of the chain that I’d broken. If I could reach that, I’d have a decent chance. Judas, despite his clearer thinking, was still a brute. He wasn’t going to have some complex strategy. He was just going to pummel me to a pulp. I dove for the chain.

Only to be intercepted by Judas. He grabbed me by the wings, throwing me onto the ground once more. Before I could even twitch, he was on top of me. He leaned close, breathing the scent of rotten meat onto my face. I wrinkled my nose in disgust. He didn’t take the look so well. Next thing I knew, his hand was through my shoulder, hitting the ground beneath me.

Blood poured from the wound the moment he removed his hand. I bit my lip to hold back a scream, drawing fresh blood. A troll crushing my chest had put me into too much shock for pain. This was agonizing.

He held up his blood-soaked claw and began cleaning it. I panted and writhed on the ground before him as my wound slowly began to heal. He gave me a strange look. “That’s right. We heal fast, don’t we?” he said in a deep, rough voice.

His hand struck my face, carving into it with his blunt nails. His foot slammed down onto my leg, breaking it with a quick
snap
. My back arched off the ground, a cry of pain escaping me. He finished his work with a bone-crushing blow to my arm. Then he stopped, watching me.