Read MIDNIGHT DIVINE (The Helio Trilogy Book 1) Online
Authors: Valerie Roeseler
Tags: #Angels, #Romance, #The Helio Trilogy, #Valerie, #Midnight Divine, #Fantasy, #Paranormal, #Roeseler
“After what this demon’s
put you through! You’re defending him?” Jack seethes with anger.
“He didn’t have a choice,
Jack. And even though he knew there would be consequences, he defied his orders
to help me. They’re after him now as well. I watched the Fallen who kidnapped
me impale him from behind his back! And you can’t deny that without his help I
would still be stuck in that cave and probably dead. He has information that
can help us. We need him, and he needs us. Now. Put. Him. Down.”
Jack lets go, and Trey
drops to his feet, smoothing the wrinkles out of his shirt, “Thank you, Ivy.”
“Don’t thank me yet. I need
to know something.”
“I can’t promise you I have
an answer, but I won’t lie to you.”
“Where's the angel that was
sent to protect me?”
“I promise you, I didn’t
have anything to do with that. It was all Beleth—the Fallen who kidnapped you.
He’s Lucifer’s right hand man and the Duke of Sheol. Rumors have been spreading
that it's been difficult to capture you, and Beleth has finally taken things
into his own hands. If Beleth still has the warrior, he’s probably within the
dungeons of his Keep.”
“How do we get there?”
“You don’t,” Jack barks.
“Why?” I challenge.
Jack’s body is rigged with
tension. “You’re not strong enough yet, and we don’t know where it is. We'll
have to start hunting.”
“Maybe Trey can help?” I
suggest and face the demon among us.
“I've never been to The
Keep. I don't know where it is. Let me see what I can find out. I’m just going
to have to stay low and try not to draw attention.”
“Thank you.”
“I don’t know how long it’s
going to take. I’ll keep you updated.” With that, Trey walks through the back
door of the kitchen, shedding his shirt as he sprouts black wings with yellow
stripes through the center.
They remind me of a Goldfinch.
Without looking back at us, he shoots into the air
and flies away.
“Do you really think we can
trust him?” Alice criticizes.
I look around the room at
the curious faces of the angels around me, “Yes. I don’t know how, but when we
touched, I could feel his pain. I could feel his emotions as if they were my
own. It happened when Jack grabbed my hand as well, and again before I healed
Evelyn. I feel as I can trust him.”
“You’re empathic?” Eric
inquires.
“What’s that?” I as
k
.
“You can feel emotions
others feel when you touch them,” he explains.
“Um, I guess. I think
that’s what happened. I know I’m right about Trey. I just need you all to trust
me.”
They accept my declaration
with hesitance, and I realize it's going to take some time to convince them.
Alice and Eric leave to retrieve my car from the hiking trail where I’d left
it, and Evelyn goes to her study for more research. Apparently, my
transformation
is
happening faster than anyone expected, and they come
to the conclusion I have the ability to heal because Azrael possesses the same
trait. Jack threads his fingers through mine. I pull him to me and hold him
tight around his waist. I need the comfort only he seems to provide. “I don’t
want to sit here and do nothing.”
Jack kisses the top of my
head and looks down at me, “I think I know what you can do.” He leads me
through a narrow doorway off the side of the kitchen I haven’t noticed before.
He flicks on a light switch and reveals polished wooden steps leading down into
what I imagine is a cellar. Every step we take exposes more and more light.
With the last step, we move into a vast open room with vaulted ceilings and
blue
mats lining floors. There are heavy bags hanging in a
corner next to a few speed bags, and the walls are lined with
more
equipment
you normally see in
a boxing gym.
“What’s this?”
“It’s a training room. It
’s
rare if it gets used anymore, but I’m hoping to
change that.”
“You want all of us to
train?” I arc my eyebrow in question.
“I want you to feel safe
here. We have to prepare for every contingency. I want to do everything in my
power to protect you. I would lay my life down for you
, but
you need to be able to defend yourself if something
happens and I can’t be there. We have to be smart. I know you can defend
yourself, but you need to be prepared for the type of beings that will be after
you. They’re stronger, faster, and have had millennia to strategize.”
“I use to be able to defend
myself without many problems, but after Beleth attacked me
,
I realized I was useless against a being with that much
power.
But
since my fever’s broken, I feel stronger. I think I
would be ok with the self-defense tactics I already know.”
“You are stronger, yes. I
don’t understand why. That change wasn’t supposed to advance so suddenly. It
must have something to do with the genes from your mother. And it brings up the
question, if your transformation is progressively faster than we expected, when
will the final alteration happen? We have no way to tell now. Either way, I
know you can defend yourself, I've seen that first hand. But I need to know how
well you're prepared for beings who are fiercer than you’ve encountered
before.”
“Ok.”
“For now, I want you to
rest up. We’ll begin in the morning. Wear something you can move comfortably
in. I’m going to check in with the others later and see where we stand.”
Back in my room, I open the
doors to the terrace for some fresh air. I sit at the table and chain smoke
while I contemplate my new position.
My whole life, I’ve been sleepwalking.
Not anymore. It’s time to become the warrior I was meant to be. I won’t let
them take me. And I’ll be damned if I’ll let any of those evil parasites harm
my friends. Time to rest up, baby girl. Tomorrow's a new beginning.
Jack starts my training by
making me show him what self-defense tactics I already know. He counters each
one with more power and quickness than I'm ready for. I end up on my back a few
times. While my reflexes are faster than they use
d
to be, I'm still not
quick enough.
“Stop holding back, Ivy.
Don’t be afraid you’re going to hurt me. I promise you won’t,” Jack smirks.
“I’m sorry, Jack. I just
can’t see you as the enemy. It makes it hard for me to want to hurt you.”
His smirk turns into a
devious grin. He changes
his
approach, “Your
emotions will cost you. You have to be objective or you'll risk making the
wrong decision. Instead of trying self-defense, because that comes to you
naturally, let’s try some hand to hand combat. He walks over to the wall and
picks up two sets of black fingerless gloves. He holds out a pair to me, “Put
these on.”
The gel padding over the
knuckles make me feel a little better that I can’t cause much damage. “Ok. The
padding makes me more comfortable.”
“I thought it would,
but
I want you to be prepared. I’m not going to hold
back, and I don’t want you to either.” I nod my head, securing the glove around
my wrist. “Now, most of your opponents will be taller and a lot wider than you.
You have to change your strategy on how to advance on them. Because you're
smaller, you don’t want to punch from below them. You'll lose the force behind
the hit because you'll be fighting gravity. And always remember to keep your
other hand up close to your face. It’ll protect you. But if it’s too far out,
they can use that to push it back at you. That would be counterintuitive. So,
start in your fighting stance.”
I place my feet in a wide
stance with my left foot in front and my right foot behind me. I hold both of
my hands in loose fists close to my face as Jack instructs me.
“Good. Now, when you go to
throw your punch, instead of a straight punch to the jaw, swing your elbow up
and back in an arc, and complete the circle coming down at an angle to connect
with their face.”
I practice the swing along
with a few more combinations he teaches me. After ghost boxing for half an hour
and bouncing on my feet across the floor, Jack begins circling me. He's a
silent predator ready to pounce with his graceful stride. The movement of
muscles beneath his skin are rolling plains kissed by a constant breeze
.
“Are you ready?”
“As I’ll ever be,” I reply
with an arrogant smile and shift into a defensive crouch.
I let out a calming breath.
Jack takes his first swing at me from my left. My senses are getting stronger
and all movement becomes slow motion. I see his fist coming and duck underneath
it while simultaneously bringing my right fist into his chest and letting his
body’s momentum work for me. I parry around to his backside and hook my arms
around his neck for a tight clench. I jump up and place both feet into the
backs of his knees and pull back. His heavy body lands on top of me as my back
crashes to the mat. As he comes down on top of me, I push back up with my legs
and force him over my head. Jack lands in a crouch behind me. I pop back up
into a crouch across from him. A growl comes from deep in my chest out of pure
instinct. “I thought you said you weren’t going to hold back?” I tease him.
Jack charges. We brawl
hand-to-hand for another half an hour. I'm surprised at my ability to learn so
quick, even picking up on things I've never been taught before. I take a break
and retrieve my bottle of water, collapsing against the wall. Jack joins me and
nudges my knee with his, “I’m proud of you, Sunshine. Your form and reaction
time is ever improving. You're a fast learner. Once you're fully transformed,
your strength, power, and fighting skills will supersede any enemy you come
into contact with.”
“Really?” I look at him to
gauge his reaction.
“Yeah, um… There at the
end, I felt more like the prey than the predator.” He shakes his head, “I
haven’t felt like that in a long time.”
“You’re full of shit,” I
giggle.
Jack stands up. I take
another sip of water and replace the cap. “I want you to try something,” he
announces as he crosses the room.
I stand up and follow Jack
to a built-in cabinet on the opposite wall. He opens the doors, and my mouth
drops. “Jack, I don’t think
—
”
“
—
I know you’ve probably never used anything like this—unless
that’s something else I just haven’t learned about you yet—but I want you to
have the best possible chance of winning a fight. This will be just another
skill to add to your arsenal… So to speak,” Jack shrugs.
“Jack, I’ve never even
held
a sword before!”
“We’ll start off with
something a little easier.” He pulls a long stick out of the cabinet. It's
circumference is as wide as my arm. He holds it out horizontally for me to
take, “This is a staff. It’s light and has the ability to keep your enemy’s at
a distance.”
I take the staff from him,
testing its weight and balance
in my hands. The wood
feels uncharacteristically comforting against my palms. I walk to the middle of
the floor and try to swing it around with precise twisting to get the feel of
it. Jack watches me with a hubris grin. It gives me confidence I need, and I
start to feel cocky in my abilities. I begin to twirl the staff in tentative
circles, hand over hand. Then, my movements become second nature. The staff
spins around me so fast it would be hard to track its movements with a human
eye.
Jack pulls his shirt over
his head, and his wings shoot out behind him. He charges and jumps into the air
above me. His wings generate a steady wind that cools my body. “What are you
doing, Jack?”
“You’re enemies have the
ability to fly while you don’t… yet. You need to learn how to counter an attack
from every angle.”
I slice the staff through
the air as he dives at me. I fall flat on my back, but don’t hesitate to jump
back to my feet. With Jack standing before me, I swing with a precision I
didn’t know I possessed. He blocks each advance.
I’ve got to get around him.
I spin into a low crouch and kick out with the staff parallel to my leg to
knock him over. When he jumps over, just as I expect, I take my chance. I'm not
sure if it’ll work, but it's worth the shot to try something new. I charge and
run along the wall horizontally. Jack spins around in surprise. I come down
with the staff in front of me. He tries to swerve out of my line of attack, but
my staff nicks the tip of his wing. He soars into the air, his face menacing as
he stares down at me. A dark green feather drifts with languid graciousness
between us before landing silently to the ground.
It occurs to me I just
pissed off the wrong person. Jack nosedives at me. I raise my staff
horizontally in both hands to block him. He's strong. He grips the staff and
pushes me to the ground. I use my momentum from the fall and roll on top of him
after I hit the ground. I push the staff across his neck in a choke. A growl
comes from his chest, and he shoves me into the air. I land against the wall
without my staff, and the mortar collapses behind me and crashes to the ground,
putting a huge hole in the wall. I hit the ground and realize I don’t have a
way to defend myself anymore. I jump to the cabinet and snatch a pair of Sais.
Jack crouches low and
begins to circle me, looking for an opening. I spin the daggers with a flick of
my wrists three hundred and sixty degrees and catch them in my palms. Before he
gets a chance to back me into a corner, I jump over his head to land behind him
again.
Evelyn, Alice, and Eric
come into the training room and watch us practice. Alice’s jaw hangs open as
she watches. Eric has a bemused smirk as he stands with his arms crossed over
his puffed up chest. He looks like a proud papa watching his little girl ride
her bike without the training wheels for the first time. Evelyn appears worried,
but I can’t tell who she's worried for, me or Jack. After dueling with Jack
another hour, he smiles at me from above, “I think that’s enough for today.”
We put away our weapons
which have been
tossed
around the room. Our onlookers whisper among
themselves, but I can hear them with a clarity that would be impossible before
my transition
began
.
“Did you see that?” Alice
brags.
“Jack wasn't trying to
fight back. He was just trying not to die!” Eric whisper yells.
“You know, I can hear you,
right?” I call out
as I
face them. Jack hands me another bottle of
water. “Thanks.”
“I thought you said you've
never used any of these weapons before?” Jack marvels with perplexity.
I heave a loud sigh. “I
haven’t.” I'm just as surprised myself.
Everyone converges into the
middle of the room. “Jack’s been training all of his life. He knows what he’s
doing. But you, Ivy… Where did that come from?” Eric muses.
“I don’t know. It just felt
natural. Second nature or maybe it’s just a survival instinct
, but
I didn’t have to think to
o
hard about it. It seemed I knew what I wanted to do
and exactly how to do it.”
“You’re dangerous, Ivy.
Lethal. I was having a hard time keeping up with you, and you haven’t fully
transformed yet. I can’t imagine what you'll be capable of then,” Jack
confesses.
Evelyn speaks up, “I can
shed some light on this situation.” She pauses to search our faces. “I spoke to
Michael.”
Everyone questions her all
at once.
“What?”
“When?”
“What did he say?”
Evelyn holds her palms up
for everyone to settle down. “This is far more serious than we thought. Meet me
in The Chamber in ten minutes, and I'll explain. Meanwhile, you two get cleaned
up,” she points to Jack and me.
We reconvene in Evelyn’s
office, which I realize is
‘
The Chamber’. I sit
down in one of the chairs in front of her desk, looking at the painting behind
Evelyn with a new feeling of recognition. Jack stands behind me with his hands
on my shoulders as Alice and Eric stand off to the other side of us. Evelyn
paces behind her desk. She looks at each of us before she reveals what she’s
learned.
“As we already know from
what Trey has told us, Ivy’s father is Azrael. Her mother is Lilith. And this
is a phenomena, Ivy, because Lilith has been cursed to not birth children. The
consequence is the death of the child. Michael has informed me that Lilith made
a bargain with him to spare your life. In return for forsaking you, she vowed
to pass down abilities that could be used to greatly diminish
beings of Darkness
. And for his promise to protect you, she would let
him either kill her or send her to Purgatory. His choice… Which has not been
made as of yet.”
I try to keep my jaw off
the floor as she continues, “Your visions are a gift from Lilith.
Michael
has also given you the most important gift that will
make you an unbeatable weapon against the Fallen.” She pauses and lets out a
heavy sigh. “He’s given you the gift of Immortal Pestilence.”
“What's that?” I look to
each person for answers, but I’m only met with disbelief and astonishment.
Jack’s head drops in devastation.
“It’s the ability to turn
any immortal being into a mortal human,” Jack’s voice softens with sadness.
I'm at a loss for words.
Evelyn addresses us again, “Michael has also given you even more abilities to
better equip you for the challenges ahead. He wouldn’t tell me what gifts he
gave you, because when I spoke of your father he became furious. Apparently,
Lilith never told him who your father was. I expect the knowledge you have to
fight so ferociously has something to do with Michael’s hand. There's no doubt
in my mind that you were created to be a Warrior of Light.”
I slump back in my chair.
“Wow,” I
mumble
.
“In the meantime, Michael
has reassigned Jack and me.” Everyone’s heads shoot up. Evelyn smiles, “It's
now our mission to guard you, Ivy, and prepare you for your final
transformation.”
I jump into the chair and
spring into Jack’s arms. I hug him tight around his neck, and Evelyn dismisses
us with a smile on her face.
Jack and I sit outside on
the terrace and smoke a cigarette. I can’t help the feeling of impending doom
looming over my shoulders, but I'm comforted Jack and Evelyn have been assigned
to aid and protect me until I complete my transformation. “Will you stay with
me for a while? I really don’t want to be alone right now.”
He threads his fingers with
mine and places a soft kiss across my knuckles. “Whatever you need, Sunshine.
I’m here.”
“Thanks, Jack,” I give him
a small smile. “I really want to take a shower. Will you wait for me?” He nods
his head and lights another cigarette.
I enter the bright white
lavatory and close the door behind me. I stare at myself in the mirror again.
This
is who you are now. Can’t really complain, can I? I’ve never looked this good
or felt this strong and invigorated, save for the sleep I need.
I release a
long breath through my nose and push away from the sink. Pulling my shirt over
my head, my skin chills. I push off my jeans with my underwear and let them
crumple to the floor. I unhook my bra and let it fall to the growing pile of
dirty clothes and towels from Evelyn trying to bring my temperature down.