Midnight Fire - Rise of the Dark Angel - Book One (29 page)

             
Then
,
John’s chest rose and her tears cascaded. He was going to live. He may have to leave her
,
but
he’
d live. He slowly opened his eyes and they were
no longer
blue,
but the same endless night color as she and Jayden had
. There was
the
light of a new Angel
shining
in
side
them.

             
“Chastity
,
what’
s going on?”
He
asked as he slowly stood.

             
“John
,
something really bad happened.
I had to make a choice for you
and I pray
you’
ll forgive me for it
but
I know I did the right thing,” she started.

             
“Are you okay? Is my sister okay?”
He
asked as he looked her over
and then looked around
,
seeking out his sister.

             
“We’re both fine
,
John. This has to do with you,” she mumbled. She was normally so confident in her words
that
John took a step back, worried about how wrong the situation really was.
Then, for the first time he
noticed Josiah in the room. John didn’t know who it was
but
he didn’t feel threatened. He could somehow tell the person before him meant no harm.

             
“John
,
you’ve been t
hrough a change. You were dying
and a choice was made for you. Y
ou’ve been turned into an Angel. Very few mortals are chosen for this
honor
,
but
you’re so pure
…” Chastity said i
n a choked voice.

             
“My son, you need to say goodbye
,
now. There’s much you need to learn,” Josiah spoke for the first time since
John
woke.

             
“I can’t go anywhere. I need to be with
Chastity and
my sister. I don’t understand what you’re both saying,” John said in confusion.

             
“There
were
only two choices
,
John. We could’ve held you while you left your body and went to your eternity, or transform you into a protector. I made the decision to have you transformed. I knew it was what you
would’ve wanted. This way you’
ll be able to always watch out for Phoenix and your other family,” Chastity told him. The pain
searing
through her was almost more than she could bear.
If she stayed on earth too long she wouldn’t be able to return home. She didn’t think the war would end anytime soon, which meant she’d have to choose. She couldn’t leave her brother behind to do it all on his own. That meant an eternity without John. Josiah had warned her about all of that when he’d given her the choice to come to earth to help.

             
“How do you know any of this?”
He
asked. She was afraid
he’
d ask her that question.

             
“John, I’m an Angel. I came here to help you and the other humans. The longer I’m here, the more I will change. If I stay too long, I’ll never be able to return home. I made that choice because it’s what I had to do. I made the sacrifice, but you don’t have to,”
Chastity said. Joh
n didn’t know exactly what she was really giving
up as he hadn’t made the trip to the kingdom
but
he’
d know soon enough and then
he’
d never understand
how she could do it
. Once you walked in the light, it was incomprehensible to actually
leave it
.

             
“I won’t leave,” he said.

             
“John, you can’t say that. You don’t know what you’re doing to yourself. You must go with Josiah. You can’t condemn yourself to this emptiness,” Chastity pled with him. She loved him enough to know he couldn’t give up his eternity.

             
“Chastity
,
there is
no eternity for me without you
or my family. I don’t care what you’ve done before and I certainly don’t care about what I’m giving up. All I care about is protecting
those
I love,” he told her.

             
“Then
,
you can do it from above,” she pled with him.

             
“No, I won’t leave you,” he said. He turned to Josiah. “I hope you can understand
,
but
I’m where I belong
. I can’t leave my sister. She’
s innocent and young and needs me. I can’t leave Chastity
,
either. Nothing could be offered to me that would ever make me change my mind,” he told him. He then bowed. He didn’t know this
being
with the kind eyes
,
but
his heart was hurting. He couldn’t understand it
,
but he felt as if something was ripping away inside him.

             
“There is nothing I can say to change your mind?” Josiah asked him, though he looked as if he already knew John’s answer.

             
“Nothing,” John simply replied.

             
“So be it
, John, you’
ll remain on earth, forever outcast from the light. I will warn you that you, more than Chastity, are vulnerable to the dark forces. You haven’t had time to learn what being an Angel is about
. You’ll be very susceptible to Vyco,”
Josiah said. There
wasn’t any
anger in his words, just a deep sadness.

             
“I’
ll teach him
what he needs to know. I won’t let him end up with the same fate as me. I know I chose wrong. I’ll take care of John,
” Jayden said
,
as he stepped into t
he room.

             
“You’re supposed to be with my sister,” John said, immediately looking around.

             
“We have control
of
the prison now
,
and she’s safe,” Jayden said. John knew
she would be
or Jayden would’ve never left her side.

             
“Jayden
,
you’ve been a Dark Angel for a long time. How can you teach him the ways of the light?
” Josiah
asked
. Jayden laughed a bitter laugh.

             
“I
didn’t know what I was giving up, but now I do. I may not be able to change my eternity, but I can certainly help John make the right choices
,” Jayden said.

             
“Jayden
,
you aren’t as lost as you think,”
Josiah said. None of them seemed to pay attention to the
all-important
words. “I’
ll leave you
,
now,” he finished. Before anything further could be said there was a great flash of light and Josiah was gone.

             
“No one can k
now what’s happened today. We’
ll both teach you
,
but
the others can’t know,” Jayden said.

             
“How were you able to keep this from us?” John asked.

             
“We had to
, John. I
t’s the only way,” Chastity said. She wrapped her arms around him and held on tight. He’d given up his salvation to s
pend an eternity
on earth
. It wasn’t as bad as being with the dark forces
but
it was horrible compared to what he could’ve had. “I’m sorry
,
John
but
I knew you wouldn’t want to leave your sister. I just thought you’d go with Josiah and keep an eye on her from the kingdom,” she sobbed. She couldn’t let him go now that she had him back.

             
“You made the right choice, the only choice,” he soothed her. He lifted her chin and brought his lips down to hers. The kiss exploded through his system unlike anything he’d ever experienced before. The pleasure
coursing
through his body was
exquisite
and he couldn’t pull away from her. He tightened his arms, bringing her
closer
, forgetting about the world of war around them,
forgetting
about everything but that single moment in time
,
where her lips stroked his.

             
“Um guys, now isn’t the best time for this,” Jayden said, as he uncomfortably cleared his throat. They both pulled apart and glared at him. “Sorry
,
but
we have very little time before Phoenix
stomps
into the room. Wh
en you didn’t answer your radio
she went a little
berserk
. That’s why I was sent to find you,” he finished.

             
The three of them talked for a few moments and as Jayden had said, Phoenix
came
flying through the door. She looked around in panic and when she saw John standing there, looking not only alive but better than ever, her eyes narrowed.

             
“How many times do you lecture me about answering the damn radio?”
She
yelled at him, shocking them all with her use of language. “I’ve been worried sick. I’ve had this horrible feeling all week something terrible was going to happen and then you have the nerve to not answer when you’re being called,” she continued to lecture as she came right up to her brother and started poking him in the chest. John grabbed her up in a bear sized hug, lifting her easily off the ground.

             
“I love you
, S
is and I’m sorry. I promise to never let
it
happen again,” he told her. She was so shocked by his words it stopped her tantrum.

             
“What’s wrong with your eyes?”
She
asked
,
as she looked at him with a puckered brow.

             
“I don’t know what you mean,” he said, looking just as confused.

             
“We had a very stressful situation in here, with some explosions. Sometimes, that can make your eye color change,” Chastity said. She wasn’t exactly lying as the events had been beyond stressful.

             
“Oh, I didn’t know my eye color was different,” John said.

             
“It’s okay, they’re really beautiful,” Phoenix quickly replied, not wanting him to feel bad about
himself
. The eyes were incredibly stunning.

             
“That’s because I look good all the time,” John said and ruffled her hair. She sent him another glare, not completely forgiving him.

             
“Well
,
we’d better find dad. He’s worried sick about you,” she mumbled.
He let her go and Jayden pulled her close to his side.

             
“There’s much to be done in the coming months
but
we’
ll succeed as long as we stick together,” he said. He tilted his head and quickly kissed her as they stepped from the dingy room.

             
The rest of the group surrounded them. There was j
oy in the air as they’
d completed their mission with very
few
casualties. The
people
who’d fought and died would be honored. They also
had many more forces. They’
d take back their land. It wouldn’t be easy but it would happen.

             
“I can’t
believe how mellow everything’
s been over the last month,” Phoenix said to Jayden as they took a stroll in the woods. There had been only a few losses to their men and women
in
the last battle but the elders were working on new plans before attacking again.

             
“I
t’s been nice. I tend to worry
too much when you’re in the line of fire,” Jayden said, enjoying the feel of her hand in his and the sun shining on them.

             
“It seems every night as I sleep I picture our house on the hill with fresh flowers surrounding us,” Phoenix told him. She was much more confident in their relationship. They’d been together for
over six
months. She wasn’t too far from her eighteenth birthday
,
and he didn’t seem anxious to get away. She knew it was only a matter of time before he proposed. In their community
,
getting married at eighteen was normal. Her mother already talke
d to her about the possibility of it happening
. She held back a smile, thinking of how magical it would be.

             
“I can’t wait for the dream to become reality,” he said. He stopped and pulled her tightly against him, brushing their lips together. Phoenix sighed into his mouth. It didn’t matter how many times he kissed her. Each time felt like the first. He was always so gentle with her. Sometimes, she wanted to see a bit more of an animal in him. The thought made her laugh, which caused him to scowl.

             
“Am I amusing you?”
He
asked,
which made her giggle even more.

             
“No, it’s just a thought I had. I love your kisses,” she told him, then pulled him closer so they could resume.

             
Suddenly
,
there was a frigid air surrounding them and Jayden lo
oked up, his entire body tense
. Phoenix looked at his eyes and a shudder racked her body. She hadn’t seen that look on his face since the day those men had tried to kill her.

             
“What is it?”
She
asked him in fear.

             
“We need to get out of here
,
now,” he told her. He grabbed her hand and started to move forward.
Then, a
man appeared before them. Phoenix stood in shock as she stared at the guy. There was no other
word to describe his entrance other than
,
appear. He wasn’t there one moment and then suddenly, just there.

             
“Hello, Jayden. I’ve been
trying to contact you for a while
,” the man said. He smiled as if they were all there to have a pleasant chat.

             
“I’ve been very busy, Vyco. Let me get Phoenix back and then we can speak,” he said as he pushed her behind him. He needed her to get away from the Demon. Vyco would have no qualms about killing her.

             
“I think right now is a perfect time to chat,” Vyco snarled.

             
“I
don’t have anything to report,”
Jayden told him
, starting to get angry
. Phoenix looked from the stranger to Jayden. She was frightened by how fierce Jayden looked. She backed away a bit, causing the stranger
’
s eyes to zero in on her.

             
“I’m being quite rude. I apologize. My name is
Vyco
. How are you, Phoenix,” he said with that same pleasant tone. He didn’t appear antagonistic but there was something about him that sent shi
vers down
Phoenix’s spine.

             
“How do you know me?”
She
asked. She felt Jayden tense even more if that were possible.

             
“Do not speak to her,” Jayden growled at the man
.

             
“Now, Jayden, is that any way to speak to an old friend?”
He
said with a huge smile.

             
“
I’m sorry, Vyco. I would be more than willing to speak with you once Phoenix is back inside
,” Jayden said. He
didn’t take
his eyes off
Vyco
.

             
“I don’t think that’s the truth, Jayden. See, I think this little human has gotten to you. I don’t think you’re fighting on my side, anymore. It saddens me that you’d dare to betray me. It angers me that you’d possibly think you’d get away with it,” Vyco said as he took a step closer.

             
“Why don’t we just agree to go our separate ways,” Jayden said, though he knew that wasn’t going to be good enough for the Demon he used to follow. Vyco didn’t like to lose, and Jayden turning away from him would be
a considerable loss
.

             
“Ah, you sadden me. I was hoping to speak to you in a more pleasant manner. You see, you’re causing great strife for me right now. I have plans, Jayden. I can’t have you interfering
. I’
ve
come to the conclusion
that if you’re not helping me, then you’ll need to be destroyed
,”
Vyco
said, starting to show some of his true colors.

             
Phoenix was frightened as she saw his eyes start to glow red. She looked from
Vyco
to Jayden, then back again and her body started to shake.

             
“I
’m done doing your dirty work. Leave me be
,” Jayden
thundered
.

             
“I think you could be persuaded to
come back
. Perhaps if
your
precious Phoenix were
to
come to harm if you didn’t,”
Vyco
stated. His eyes zeroed in on Phoenix once again and she fell to her knees. She didn’t know what he was doing to her
,
but suddenly she had unbearable agony ripping through her body. She screamed before she could stop it.

             
Jayden
dropped to his knees and
quickly
ran his hands
over her body. The pain was getting worse but she didn’t know how or why.

             
“What are you doing to her?” Jayden screamed, looking at
Vyco
.

             
“
Come back
and it all stops,”
Vyco
said and then laughed as if it
was
nothing more than a game to him.

             
Jayden stood, looking
more fierce
than she could imagine possible. Phoenix was in immense pain
,
but t
he way he looked frightened her so much it overshadowed the aching in her body
.

             
J
ayden
’
s body started to shake and his hands clenched into fists at his sides. He bowed his head for a moment and then looked straight to the
skies
and yelled. The sound of his voice was like a booming thunder rolling across the
prairies
.

             
Phoenix watched in horror as the back of his shirt
ripped
open
and suddenly huge ten foot
wings sprouted from his back. She couldn’t move
,
her pain was momentarily forgotten in her paralysis.
She watched as the
immense
feathers sprouted from his back. They were black as night.

             
She looked over to
Vyco
,
who no longer looked confident. He was staring at Jayden in shock
,
as well. She looked between the two men
,
wondering if she was about to die.

             
“Release your hold on her or face my wrath,” Jayden
yelled with so much fury in his
voice, she’d think the man would immediately comply.
He did take a step back at the power flowing from Jayden. He’d be a fool not to heed his warning.

             
“You don’t think you can possibly beat me, do you?”
Vyco
said, though he
took another step back.
Jayden lifted his hand and Phoenix watched in amazement as fire began forming in his palm. Who was this boy she’d fallen in love with?

             
“
We’
ll find out, won’t we,” Jayden said. He lifted his hand and threw the enormous fire ball at
Vyco
, who jumped out of the way
at
the last second.

             
Phoenix watched as the
demon
transformed right in front of her. He suddenly sprouted several feet in the air, his body bulking out. His skin turned a deep scarlet and his features
distorted
,
making him look like the worst kind of monster. She knew in those moments she was going to die. He lifted his arm up, which was
engulfed
in flames.

             
“Phoenix, I want you to run,” Jayden told her, never taking his eyes from the beast before them. She couldn’t move a muscle in her body so she didn’t see how he expected her to run.

             
B
efore the beast could do
anything,
there was a blinding light
, causing
Phoenix to duck her head. When she looked up again there was another man, only where the first man seemed to be surrounded by a
deep
darkness this man was surrounded in light. He was beautiful beyond anything she’d ever seen before. She didn’t know how to describe him. He had f
lowing white hair, and his eyes were filled with an
endless
depth
. She felt like she could stare into them and see the heavens above.

             
“
Vyco
, you’ve broken our agreement,” the man spoke. Jayden’s head whipped around to look at the god he’d
once
trusted above any other. How could Josiah have any kind of deal with
Vyco
?

             
“Did you really think I’d play fair, Josiah?”
Vyco
snarled and then laughed. It was a
horrid
sound that filled the
area
,
sending more shudders rippling through Phoenix.

             
“Then, our deal is off and you must
face the council
,” Josiah said.

             
“
You can’t prove anything
. I’ll
already
decided
to
depart your planet
,
anyway,
but not before I destroy it,”
Vyco
raged.

             
“
This is over. You’ll leave now, or
die,” Josiah said, standing at his full height. Everything about the
god
suggested he
could back up his words
.

             
“I’m not afraid of you, Josiah. I’ll return,”
Vyco
thundered. Then flames shot all around him and he
vanished
in a cloud of smoke. Phoenix’s pain
immediately dissipated
and she sat on the
ground, her head whipping back and forth from Jayden to the
god
named, Josiah. She still didn’t know if she was about to die.

             
“It
’
s truly begun, my son,” Josiah said.

             
“I don’t understand. How could you make a deal with
Vyco
?” Jayden asked, sounding
utterly
devastated.
He’d been missing the home he’d given up, only to feel the ultimate in betrayal.

             
“I thought it would bring peace to this world,” Josiah said with tear filled eyes.

             
“How can
any of the Angels
possibly trust you? You’ve lied to
them all
,” Jayden shouted.