MIDNIGHT DIVINE (The Helio Trilogy Book 1) (23 page)

What do I say? Maybe I should leave. No. That would
show weakness. I'm not weak.
“Good evening,” I
say with my head held high. I spot Cassius at the left corner of the far side
of the table. After a moment of silence he stands and approaches me.

I'm stupefied when he takes
my right hand and kneels before me. He places a light kiss on the back of my
hand and bows his head, “What can we do for you, Princess?” He glances up to me
and winks.

The corner of my mouth
gradually turns up as I try to restrain my amusement, “May I join you? I
haven’t eaten in a while.”

Cassius stands and guides
me to a seat at the head of the table next to him, “Of course, Princess. Have a
seat.”

Remembering appreciation
isn't recognized within their ranks, I simply nod my head to play along with
Cassius’ ploy to earn their trust. The other eleven men rise from their seats
as I step in front of the chair before sitting. Pausing, I look around and
search their faces. I don’t recognize any of them, but they're all dressed the
same as Cassius, and I assume they're all Griffins like him. I sit down, and
they each follow suit. I take an empty goblet from in front of me and turn to
Cassius, “What do I have to do to get a drink around here?” I joke.

“What would you like?” he
inquires.

Hesitantly, I glance around
the room of Griffins examining me, and my pretenses fall away. “Does it really
have to be like this?” I suggest with a bored and tired expression.

I'm met with looks of
misunderstanding from them. Cassius bends down to speak low in my ear, “What do
you mean, Princess?”

“You know exactly what I
mean, Cass
ie
,” I scowl in irritation. Murmurs resound around
the room between the Griffins. Cassius gives me a callous glare with his brows
pinched together. “Stop treating me like I'm glass! You’re not going to break
my heart, and I’m not going to run crying. And stop calling me 'Princess' or
I’ll come up with girly names for each of you.” I point around the table. “My
name is Ivy. Use it.” The stunned expression
s
on each of their faces
have me shaking my head, “Look, I’ve been through a lot of shit these last few
weeks. I need a fucking drink. I was hoping you guys would loosen up and have
one with me.”

I see some smiles across
the table, and Cassius weaves to the middle of the table to pick up a tall dark
bottle of wine, “Would you like some wine then?”

I cross my arms over my
chest. “Do I look like wine's going to solve my problems
, Cass
?" I deadpan. "No. We need some whiskey.”
Every Griffin begins pounding the table.

Cassius puts the wine down,
an amused grin plays across his face, revealing dimples in his cheeks. He
reaches over and plucks a square bottle full of liquid gold from next to a
platter of enormous turkey legs. “Will this do?” he chuckles, and the pounding
of fists on the table gets louder and faster.

“Shots for everybody!” I
cheer and throw my hands up. Another Griffin leaves and brings back two trays,
each holding thirty shot glasses. They're passed along the table and filled to
the brims. Once the first bottle is emptied, more is brought to the table from
the bar along the wall.

Cassius jumps into the seat
of his chair, shot glass in hand, “A toast!” The room echoes with the repeated
phrase and raised glasses from every Griffin in the Dining Hall. “To Ivy! May your
future nor your past never take
away
your class. For we
will never be the same without it, my dear lass.”

I lift my shot glass to
Cassius, and shouts explode through the room, “To Ivy!” We throw our shots back
and cheers ensue.

Food is passed along the
table like Thanksgiving dinner. We eat and laugh as the Griffins tell stories
of how they've been getting away from The Keep under the radar to find women to
bed. As soon as I finish my first plate, another randomly replaces it as
Cassius comes to sit beside me and pours me another shot before dropping the
bottle down in front of me. It's a bottle of Jack Daniels.
Jack. I’m so sorry, Jack. Please forgive me.
I send up a silent
prayer and throw back the shot. “What has you drowning in your sorrows, sweet
Ivy?”

Without meeting his gaze, I
snatch the bottle of Jack and pour another shot. “Beleth,” I mumble. I hesitate
with my hand around the neck of the bottle as I place it back down. “I agreed
to bind with him tonight.” I throw another shot back and revel the burn down my
throat. I've lost count of how many I've had, but I have to keep drinking to
keep my buzz going.

Cassius nods his head,
“Maybe it is for the best, now that you are one of us.”

I don’t look back at him. I
regret the lie they believe
—
that I'm Fallen as
they are. “I’m afraid this will only make things worse for me.”

“How so?”

I falter at the thought of
my declaration. I lean in and whisper close to his ear, “My heart belongs to
another.”

“I see… This may be
difficult for the both of you. I wish I knew what to tell you to make this
easier, but I have seen the way Solas looks at you. No matter what you choose,
he knows you do not have a choice,” he whispers back to me.

I sit back and look at him
in bewilderment, “Solas?”

Cassius tilts his head and
leans back into me to keep his voice low, “Is that not who you speak of?” I
shake my head. I catch sight of someone coming through the door. It's Beckett.
Cassius addresses him, “Brother! Are you here to join us?” His deep voice bellows
with merriment.

“I do not. Though, I wish I
could,” he tells his brother, then looks to me. “I'm here to escort you back to
your chambers so you
can
get ready for the ritual tonight.”

The entire room stills with
his words and every head snaps to my direction. I clear my throat and stand,
“Thank you for the momentary reprieve gentlemen, but I must leave your good
company earlier than expected.” I'm met with looks of astonishment, disbelief,
devastation, and alarm. I nod and let Beckett lead
s
me back to my quarters.

Beckett opens the door to
my chamber, and I follow him inside. A thin white gown lays across the foot of
my bed. It's more of a toga in design than a wedding dress. I run my hand
across the fabric. It’s soft and layered with lacy vines across the waist.

“Is there anything you
need?” Beckett offers.

“I need to speak to Solas.”
Beckett bows his head and leaves me to prepare.

Soaking in the steaming
water of the stone tub, tears run down my face. I'm finally alone and
able to
release my sorrow in private. My latest nightmare
begins to make since to me now.
The dress
on my bed is the same from my dream. Dream, vision, omen. Whatever it is must
have been symbolizing the binding.

I dunk my head backwards to
drown my thoughts in the hushed whir of water. When I can’t hold my breath any
longer, I surface and wipe my face. Standing up, I reach for the white towel
hanging on the corner of the cabinet and wrap it around my body. I twist
another around my head so my hair won’t drip while I dry the rest of my body. I
stare at myself in the full length mirror. More tears seep from the inner
corners of my eyes.

I turn away from myself and
return to the bedroom. Solas stands facing the fireplace and flames dance
across the black suit he's wearing. “You wanted to speak to me?” he prompts
without facing me.

“Um… yeah. Let me get
dressed. Give me just a minute. Please, don’t go.” I grab my garments and the
dress from my bed and skirt into the bathroom. I towel dry my hair and slip on
the ensemble. Without regarding my reflection, I return to the bedroom once
more to find Solas standing in the same place. His arms are extended in front
of him, and his hands rest on the mantle above the hearth. His head remains
downcast as he stares at the rug beneath his feet. He appears tired and sad.
Is he upset about the binding?
“Solas?”

“What did you need to speak
to me about?” His body is unmoving.

“Um… I don’t know exactly
what’s going to happen. I was wondering if you could enlighten me on what the
binding ritual entails,” I request.

His head raises, but he
continues to gaze ahead of him at the cold candles lining the shelf. He lets
out an audible sigh. “Cassius and Beckett will be waiting for you at the doors
of the Throne Room. I'll let them know when we're ready for you. Everyone will
be inside. You'll walk to the front and meet Beleth at the bottom of the steps
where you will kneel to him, then stand. I'll begin the ritual—”

“—Wait. You lead the
ritual?”

He finally turns to face
me, “Yes.”

My face falls, “I’m sorry,
Solas. I don’t have a choice. I have to do this. This may be my only chance to
get close enough to kill him.”

“I know, but maybe you
don’t have to go completely through with it.”

“What are you talking
about? I have to do this. I can’t turn him down now. It’s now or never.”

“I hate to ask this of you,
but…there's a point in the ritual where it's required you both slice your palms
open and mix your blood in the Cup of Unity. Your essence is contained within
your blood. After it's mixed, you're supposed to drink from the cup first, then
Beleth.” Solas steps closer to me. “Maybe you don’t drink, and only he does.
When it comes time for the kiss to seal the first part of the bond, it will
give you a chance to strike.”

I shake my head, “What if
the others attack?”

“There are many that will
protect you. I'll be by your side and keep the others away. The Griffins are on
your side, as well as many other Fallen. The few that will try to attack will
be immobilized and thrown into the dungeons.”

“Do you really think it'll
work?”

“Yes,” Solas reaches for my
hands and turns my palms up.
Devotion,
fondness, affection, regret.
“We need to cover this,” he notes, examining
the rank on my
right
forearm.

“How? Gloves?”

“I can get you some. Finish
getting ready. I’ll be back shortly.”

Solas is only gone enough
time for me to brush out my hair. I'm admiring the falling layers of the gown
across my chest in the mirror when he returns. It startles me enough that my
wings burst out of my back of their own volition. “Jeez! You scared the shit
out of me!” I laugh at our reflection,
fold
my wings back, and
turn around to meet his gaze.

“Don't hide your wings. You
should leave them out.
They’re
divine
,” his voice is low and soft.
He steps forward
and brushes the edge of my wing with his fingers. He utters, “Midnight divine.”

I blush, “Thank you.”

“Here. Try these,” he holds
out a pair of black lace fingerless gloves
,
long enough to reach
my elbows. They're embellished with tiny water crystal droplets that reflect
the light elegantly.
They complement my wings, and I become a split imagery of black and
white—yin and yang, light and dark, good and bad.

“They're gorgeous,” I slide
one onto my right arm and secure the elastic over my middle finger so the point
of the glove rest
s
against my middle knuckle. They're perfect. I
put the other on and behold both arms out in front of me. “Thank you, Solas.”

“You are very welcome.”

My bedroom door flies open
and hits the wall in
an
explosion. “Ivy!”

Solas and I dash into the
bedroom with angelic speed to discover Beckett huffing and sweating. “Beck?
What’s wrong?”

“Your friends tried to
storm The Keep,” he huffs. “We had no choice.”

“Where are they? What
happened?” I rush to him with angry questions.

“The guards took them to
Beleth. The Griffins didn’t know who they were. They thought they were
protecting you!”

“Beckett! Where are they?”
I demand.

“Beleth has them in the
dungeons. He’s injected them with Qeres. There was nothing we could do.”

I put my hand on his
shoulder to calm him, “Ok. Calm down. I’m going to take care of it.”

“How?”

“You just let me worry
about it. Ok? You did nothing wrong. Let all the Griffins know I don't hold
anything against them.” Beckett nods his head.

Solas voices, “It’s time.
Are you ready?”

“More than ever,” I reply.
We veer past Beckett, and Solas pats him on the back before we continue down
the dank passageway, and I hold my dress up to the side so I won’t trip.
I’m coming, Jack. Hold on as long as you
can. You are mine, and I am yours.

Solas and I reach the
sealed entrance of the Throne Room, and I collect myself to appear confident
for the binding ritual
,
while in all reality
my insides are on fire with the thought of Jack, Alice, and Eric being chained
and tortured beneath my feet
as Trey and I were
. Beckett informed us they've been infected with Qeres—an Egyptian
perfume that's poisonous to Angels of Light and slowly eats away their
essence—as Evelyn had once been before I unknowingly healed her by absorbing
the poison from her body. I plan to do the same for my friends as soon as I
find them. My wings rustle and tuck tight against my back.

Solas glances over his
shoulder to me, “He's ready. Are you?” I nod, letting my fists loosen at my sides.
“Stand out of sight and wait here until I announce you.”

He forces the massive mahogany
doors ajar with both hands and enters as I step out of view. The echo of his
steps change pitch as he ascends the steps to Beleth’s throne of obsidian, and
swish
before they cease. His voice booms with a vibrating force, “My Liege! I present
to you, Ivy! Daughter of Lilith, Princess of Darkness!”

I round the corner and
throw open my midnight wings out beside me in full extension to illustrate my
allegiances with confidence in what I'm about to do. I stride past the throngs
of Fallen to each side of the vast hall, and as I approach Beleth poised before
the steps of his throne, each angel kneels, then arises after I pass. The Duke
surveys my presence as I approach. I fix my gaze to his, tuck my wings back,
and halt aside him. The legion of Fallen rank in a thick half circle, settling
in to witness the ritual.

“Kneel,” Solas commands.

Beleth and I kneel on both
knees, and Solas places a hand on each of our heads. When he begins to speak he
makes sounds and vibrations with a deep hum of a musical rhythm. The Enochian
language is beautiful, and I wonder if I'll ever be able to master it. He
withdraws his hands and motions for us to rise. As we comply, Beleth faces me,
and I mirror his motion. His eyes no longer encompass their usual flames.
Instead, they're all encompassing black orbs, and I suppress the terror they
instill.

Solas continues, “My Liege,
repeat after me.” More words of Enochian language cascade off Solas’ tongue. I
hope I won’t have to repeat him as well. There's no way I can speak as
eloquent. Beleth reproduces the musical rhythm with his low grating voice. My
body pulses with annoying shockwaves causing my center to clench in
trepidation. “Ivy, repeat after me.”

I'm relieved when the words
are in English, and I repeat the vow of the binding, “I surrender my essence to
your possession. My spirit, body, and respect is yours through the eternity of
my being.”

When my vows are complete,
Beleth grins with narcissistic iniquity. Solas produces a silver dagger etched
in gold symbols from the inner pocket of his suit, grips its hilt, and holds it
high above him as he consecrates the blade in foreign Enochian. I focus on the
glint reflecting off of the blade, envisioning myself plunging it into Beleth’s
evil heart—if he even has one. After a few moments, Solas brings the dagger
down and passes it to Beleth. The Duke accepts the blade and reaches for my
left hand, which I don’t hesitate to offer.
Triumph,
sinister pride, possessiveness.
His black eyes never
leave my face as he gradually slices my palm from the base of my thumb to ring
finger. Solas holds a silver
jeweled goblet
between us, and Beleth tucks my fingers into a fist
,
squeezing it tight above the Cup of Unity. Bright red
blood drips into the cup until my hand heals, impeding the flow.

Beleth transfers the blade
to me hilt first. My heart beats harder against my chest, but I pacify my
apprehension before he can doubt my demeanor. I smile as I relieve him of the
dagger with my right hand, masking my anxiety as excitement, and he continues
to leer with
triumph
and pride. I take his
right hand in mine and direct his palm upward. Gripping the hilt tighter, I
tilt its point into his palm. I perceive this moment as my chance
,
as his observation lingers on my face.

With my new angelic
swiftness, I arc the blade up, twisting my wrist as it plunges into Beleth's
throat. His eyes go wide, changing into a blazing inferno, and I use his
stupefied hesitation to thrust the blade through the side of his neck. It
slices as smooth as butter and blood spills over my arms, his suit, and the
floor.

My smile never leaves my
face as I focus upon Beleth’s lovely body collapsing at my feet
, his head barely
attached to his neck
. Growls and battle cries
reverberate around me, yet I refuse to take my eyes from him, knowing Solas
will protect me. I perch over Beleth's body with the tilt of my head, studying
his dying eyes. “Remember when I told you not to touch me? I guess you just
found out how serious I was.” He blinks
,
and I imagine I
don’t have much time left for him to remain incapacitated. “And you really
shouldn’t have touch my friends. I remember telling you I would end you if you
did. I keep my promises.”

I grasp the sides of his
face and watch his back arc off the floor. Ice and fire shoot from my
fingertips as the veins beneath his skin become visible black spider webs
spreading like poison. Pain blasts behind my eyes, and my vision becomes pure
white light. My ears begin to ring, then my chest aches with the pull of
Beleth’s dark essence. The light recedes from my sight
,
revealing Beleth's state. The black and red tendrils
of his essence reach out from his chest as a spider would hatch from an egg.
They're followed by a black mass of red shimmering specks. The monster of his
essence floats in spirals high above us, and I can’t release my hold of Beleth.
His essence stops at its apex and rapidly dives into my chest.

Excruciating fire engulfs
my entire body, forcing a brassy, thunderous scream I didn’t know I was capable
of producing. The entire room shakes and rumbles with my cry, causing the
ground to crack and split beneath Beleth’s body. I sense my vision fading and
struggle to contain a hold on reality. Beleth’s essence fills me with vile
,
foul images of his sins. Revolted with the
malevolence, I fight to restrain the bile churning in my stomach. My body
begins to cool as the intensity of reaping his essence completes its cycle. I
stand on shaky legs and clear my focus staring down at his lifeless body.

“Ivy!” I turn in time to
detect a pair of Sais Solas tosses to me. Catching them, I spin into a crouch
and leap at a Fallen soldier charging me. As I attempt to kick him in the
chest, he grabs my ankle and twists. My body turns over midair, and I tuck back
towards him, driving my blades into his thighs. I let my body's momentum work
for me and throw the warrior overhead. We tumble as yin and yang until he lands
on his back. He growls at my
blades
protruding from his
legs, and I throw my own legs over his throat and chest as I pull his arm
between them. I twist his arm, ratcheting it backwards until it dislocates from
his shoulder’s socket, and he screeches a guttural cry. I don’t want to kill
anyone unless I have to, so I twist his neck with a quick snap to incapacitate
him until he heals.

I roll to my feet and
wrench my weapons from the unconscious warrior. “Chief!” I call out to Solas on
my left. He bashes his knee into his opponent's face, finishing him off, and
leaps thirty feet to my side. “How do I get down to the dungeons?”

“I’ll take you. Stay
close,” he instructs and gestures with his head to follow him. He leads me up
the steps past the throne and veers through a hidden doorway offset into the
wall. “This way.” We rush down the spiral cobblestone steps with few torches
lining the walls. The temperature drops as the sweat from the limestone façade thickens
the air the further we descend.

We approach a dead end.
“Now what?” Solas ignores my question, raising his right hand to the rock wall
as beautiful Enochian words spill from his lips. A square outline illuminates
with golden light, and the dead end gives way to a large opening. "What is
that?"

He steps through the
opening, "Beleth's wards.
”
My mind tumbles over
the possibilities of the wards and what more they could be capable
of
. Solas interrupts my revere, “Down here.” I continue
to follow him through the threshold he created, discovering a narrow corridor
lined with iron cages that are separated by stone walls for as far as I can
see. He picks up his pace into angelic hyperspeed, and we whisk down the prison
to a solid steel door. He seizes my arm to halt me, and I find myself more
accustom to his touch and the emotions he unintentionally shares with me.
Determination,
protectiveness.
“There will be three guards inside, one for each of your
friends,” he whispers. “One will be guarding the door. The other two will be...
working on your friends.”

I cringe at his words.
Working? You mean ‘torturing’?
I nod
once
and step forward to
open the door.

He halts me again. “It's
locked. They won't open the door for you, only for their commander. Step aside
until the door starts to open.”

I do as he instructs and
tuck myself against the wall as a scream comes from inside.
Alice!
Furry
courses through me.

Solas beats on the steel
door with the side of his fist six times and waits. There's a
clunk
and
the grating of metal sliding. The heavy steel door creaks open enough for the
guard to acknowledge Solas.

“Commander,” the guard
greets in a deep, hoarse tone.

“Elias, I’m here for the
prisoners. Beleth wants them displayed in the Throne Room,” Solas states.

Elias attempts to divert,
“Displayed? We’re not done here. They have more information about the Princess.”

“Are you questioning the
request of Our Liege?” Solas growls into Elias' face, pushing himself into the
torture room.

“No…No, Commander,” Elias
stutters. Whining comes from inside the room as one of the prisoners continues
being tortured.

“Well, you should,” Solas
admits. I hear his blade unsheathe
,
and
I
storm into the room. Solas has sliced Elias across
the chest, and they're now crouched for attacks as they counter step around
each other.

I have no time to hesitate
as the other two guards charge me. I hold my Sais tight and spring over the
first guard, landing in front of the second. I let the force of his onslaught
impale him onto my blades. Spinning around, I slice the arm of the first guard
as the one behind me clutches my waist. Planting both feet into the guard
before me, I thrust him
yards
away. The guard
holding me lifts me into the air and slams me off of the ground, causing my
teeth to clack on impact. The ground cracks with the force, but luckily I have
my wings tucked
,
and it softens my landing. I roll away before
he can stomp my chest in and spring to my feet as they both charge me in
unison. Solas dives into one of the guards, taking him down. It becomes
one-on-one with Elias already disposed of.

I stand my ground and let
my opponent plow me into the far wall. He doesn’t have a weapon and pushes my
wrists against the wall while his mountainous body pins me in place. The power
of the blow jars my grip on my weapons, and they clatter to the ground. “I’ve
been waiting for this day, Princess,” his voice slithers like a snake, and I
twists my head away from him as his tongue strokes my cheek.
Attraction, narcissism.
“Watching you parade around here like Beleth’s little
pet
,” he
spits his last word. “I knew he couldn’t break you… but I can,” he growls into
the crevasse of my neck.

“You can try,” I growl
through my gritted teeth. He begins to laugh, but I terminate it by slamming my
head into his—signature Ivy move when I'm in a bind. Both my head and his nose
gush blood. His grip remains strong. I use my wings to push me off the wall and
spit in his face. He releases my wrists to wipe his eyes, and I take my
opening. Wrapping my left arm over the nape of his neck, I swing onto his back
and let my arm twist around to the front of his throat to block his airways. He
tears at my arm, but I've locked it in place with my right hand clutching my
left wrist. He rips my black lace glove as he chokes and stumbles backwards,
pushing me back towards a
nother
wall. Before we
reach solid rock, I plant both feet into his spine and snap his neck. As he
collapses, I stand on his back between his black wings. Without hesitation, I
grip the arches of feathers on either side of my legs and rip them from his
shoulder blades.

Solas stares at me from
across the room, dumbfounded. I can only imagine what a sight I am to behold—a
massive ebony appendage in each hand, dripping with blood as I prevail over a
half-naked and unconscious Fallen angel. My face is dripping blood while my
wings spread high in victory. Solas disabled the last guard before I broke the
neck of the one beneath me.