Milayna's Angel (36 page)

He was dead wrong.

“I won’t switch sides,” I yelled over the
groans and wails of the people suffering for all eternity in the
fiery pit and the banshee-like screams of the demonic angels flying
overhead, their black robes flowing around them, the hoods covering
what I knew were hideous faces. “I’d rather die a thousand deaths
in your pit than spend one second as your slave.”

Oh crap, what have a done? I just signed my
own death certificate. This is how it has to be. Abaddon can’t win.
Azazel can’t win. If I have to fight to my dying breath to make
sure of that, then that’s what I’ll do, and, oh crap, that’s what
I’m gonna have to do.

“Fine. Death it is.” He jerked me up by the
collar of my T-shirt and shoved me closer to the hole. My toes hung
over the side, pieces of rock and clumps of dirt falling beneath my
feet. My heart beat so hard against my ribs that it hurt. I was
sure he could hear it. It thundered in my ears, the blood rushing
behind them.

The demon angels flew low, circling us like
buzzards over roadkill. Their shrill laughs pierced my ears and I
wanted to cover them with my hands, but I didn’t dare move. I
didn’t want to show any weakness or fear. But, more than that,
Abaddon said he’d go easy on my family if I did what he wanted. I
didn’t know if I could trust him. In fact, I was fairly certain I
couldn’t, but I was going to do what he asked just in case he’d
keep his word. If I could do anything to make things easier on my
family, I would. So I stood still and let the hideous angels of the
Pit swarm around me, screeching as they flew by.

“Abaddon…” I heard someone yell.

“Well, Xavier, how nice to see you again.”
Abaddon smiled.

Again?

“I can’t say the same,” Xavier said. “Let her
go.”

“Now, now, Xavier. Just because you have a
soft spot for her doesn’t change what needs to be done.”

Huh? What are they talking about?

While Xavier distracted Abaddon, I saw
Benjamin sneak outside. I wanted to scream at him to run, but no
one had noticed him, so I bit my lip to keep quiet. But Abaddon
followed my gaze.

“Get the boy,” he yelled. A gray demon
reached out to grab Benjamin. He screamed and turned into black ash
when he touched Ben’s arm.

A second demon rushed Ben. He reached into
the arm of his pajamas and pulled out my dagger. When he turned
toward the demon running to him, the tip scraped against its arm,
killing it.

“Milayna!” Benjamin flung the dagger at
me.

Reaching out, I concentrated on my power,
willing the knife to come to me. It barreled through the air, and I
caught it on the blade side, slicing my hand open. I felt warm
blood fill my palm. Flipping the knife, I grabbed the handle,
swinging it at Abaddon’s legs. He jumped out of reach, letting go
of my arm. I stared into his eyes as I reached up with my other
hand and took hold of the knife. I plunged it into his chest,
gagging at the sound of the pop his skin made when the blade
pierced it. I tightened my grip on the handle and turned the knife,
hearing bone crack.

He looked at me, his eyes wide in surprise.
“You bitch!” he whispered as he turned into a plume of black
ash.

A strong swirling wind whipped around us. My
hair smacked me in the face, stinging it. The wind howled. The
force of it knocked me off balance, and I teetered on the edge of
the pit. I held my arms out to my sides to steady myself, but I
could feel myself leaning too far toward the pit. I was going to
fall in. I watched the demons climbing up the sides, waiting for me
to tumble in so they could drag me to the very bowels of hell
itself.

The ground shook beneath my feet. The wind
whipped around me. The demon angels screeched as they flew
overhead.

And I slipped and fell into the glowing
pit.

29

Spreading my legs and arms out as far as I
could, I tried to reach the sides of the pit and slow my fall. I
reached a narrow part in the tunnel. With my legs and arms spread,
I stopped myself, but I couldn’t stay that way forever. My muscles
burned, and the demons were advancing.

Something grabbed the back of my shirt, and I
screamed. It yanked me upward, and I lost my grip on the sides of
the pit.

“Milayna! Give me your hands,” Xavier
yelled.

I reached up with one hand, and he grabbed
it. I pushed off with my feet. I was dangling over Hell. One slip
and I was a goner. All Xavier had to do was let go, and I was dead.
He hesitated, looking into my eyes. The words of the hobgoblins
played in my head like a recording:

He’s coming. It won’t be long, Milayna. The
one that will kill you is here.

The other one couldn’t do it

Was Xavier the one sent to kill me who
couldn’t? If so, he had a perfect opportunity. He just had to let
go. But he didn’t. He pulled me up.

“Drop the knife and grab my other hand. I
can’t hold on to you!”

Drop my dagger? The only defense I have
against the demons—no friggin’ way!

I stuck the dagger between my teeth and
reached for Xavier’s hand. He pulled as I walked up the side of the
pit. I fell on my hands and knees at the entrance of the hole,
crawling away from it.

“Are you okay?” Xavier bent down and looked
into my face.

“I’m fine. That was just a little too close,
you know?” My voice was wobbly, and my whole body shook.

He grinned. “Yeah.”

The wind swirled around us faster. Like a
mini tornado, it picked up all the demons and caught the flying
angels in its funnel. Abaddon’s ashes swirled in the air before
disappearing with the demons into the pit.

The wind stopped as quickly as it started.
Slowly, the yellow light dimmed and the earth began to move,
shifting back into place. The hole collapsed, filling with dirt and
the ashes of dead demons. The demi-demons and Evils took off,
disappearing in the darkness.

I ran to Ben and pulled him into my arms.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?” I turned him around to look
at him.

“Is he dead?” Ben stared at the ground where
the hole had been.

“Yes.”

He turned, buried his head in my shoulder,
and cried. “Good,” he said, sniffling.

“Milayna! Ben!” My parents rushed to us. My
dad reached us first and pulled us into his arms. My mom grabbed
us. Crying, she looked us over.

“Look at your hand. Get in the house,” my mom
said and swiped at her teary eyes.

My dad looked at me. “Abaddon?”

“Dead,” I said quietly.

Xavier followed us into the house. “Are you
okay?” he asked me again.

“Yeah. I don’t really want a repeat, though.
What did Abaddon mean when he said it was good to see you again?” I
asked.

Xavier shrugged a shoulder. “Just the crazy
ramblings of a demon damned to Hell for all eternity thanks to
you.”

I nodded and forced a smile.

I don’t think so buddy. What are you
hiding?

***

After Abaddon’s death, it felt as if life was
finally normal again. I was able to graduate high school without
worrying about demons—although I swore I saw two little red bodies
under the bleachers at my graduation ceremony.

My visions returned to normal. Well, normal
for me. I still had them, but they were about other people and how
I could help them rather than my own death. A refreshing
change.

All in all, it seemed like my life was back
on track. I enrolled in college. I was slowly recovering from the
loss of Chay. And Abaddon was becoming a distant memory.

Except, it was all an illusion. One shattered
by a vision I had sitting at the table on a Saturday morning while
having breakfast with my family.

A dark-haired man stands in front of Azazel,
who is flanked by four men. The dark-haired man’s back is to me.
Azazel looks at him.

“
I have a job for you,” he tells the
man.

“
I don’t work for you.”

“
You do now.”

“
Like hell,” the man yells.

“
When that little twit killed Abaddon, I
got a promotion. Now you answer to me,” Azazel, says, inspecting
his fingernails, looking bored as always. “And I’m not done with
you. Need I remind you that you didn’t fulfill your
obligation?”

“
What do you want me to do?”

“
Finish her.”

Milayna’s Angel

Almost Lover—A Fine Frenzy

Ashes and Wine—A Fine Frenzy

My Happy Ending—Avril Lavigne

Talking to the moon—Bruno Mars

Sorry—Buckcherry

The Truth—David Cook

Don’t—Ed Sheeran

Together Again—Evanescence

Goodbye—Hootie and the Blowfish

Voodoo—Adam Lambert

Sleepwalker—Adam Lambert

What I’ve Done—Linkin Park

Dreaming with a broken heart—John Mayer

I’ll Do Anything—Simple Plan

Cold as you—Taylor Swift

Could’ve Been—Tiffany

Get to me—Train

Say Something (I’m giving up on you)—Zoo
Dragon’s

Every time I write an acknowledgements page
it becomes harder to find something new and different to include.
That’s because when a person finds a team of talented people, they
tend to continue working with them as long as possible. That’s
where I find myself. I’m surrounded by talented individuals who are
all working toward the same goal: putting out the best books we
can. There are so many great people involved with the Milayna
Series. I’d have to write a novel to include everyone who worked to
bring “Milayna’s Angel” to fruition. With that in mind, I’m going
to keep this brief.

Always first, I have to thank my family. I am
married to the best man. He cooks dinner and does laundry so I have
more time to write. He’s awesome, and I’m so blessed to be his
wife. And my four kids, well, they’re my miracles. No mother could
love her kids more than I do mine.

The people at Clean Teen, the depths of your
encouragement and support amazes me. Thank you for your love of the
“Milayna Series.” I’m so happy I’m part of the CT family.

Thank you to the readers of the Milayna
series. You are the true life and breath of a book, bringing it
alive each time it’s read. It’s amazing to me how many emails,
Facebook messages, and tweets you send, telling me things you loved
about my work, and giving suggestions for the series. I love
that!

If asked, Michelle will tell you she is a
wife, mother, author, reader, and M&M connoisseur, especially
peanut butter, which she eats way too many of while she writes. Red
Bull or Monster Khaos are her coffee of choice, she has an abnormal
obsession with hoodies and can’t write without one, and hates to
cook, but loves to watch cooking shows. Michelle is a hopeful
romantic who loves a swoon-worthy ending that gives her butterflies
for days, and books that keep her thinking of them long after she’s
turned the last page.

Born and raised in Flint, Michigan, she now
lives in a sleepy suburb of Houston, Texas with her extremely
supportive husband, four amazing children, a 125-pound rescued “lap
dog,” and two crazy rescued cats.

Michelle writes across genres in the young
adult and new adult age groups and loves to hear from readers,
bloggers and other authors!

Website:
http://www.Michelle-Pickett.com

Email:
[email protected]

Blog:
http://www.Michelle-Pickett.com/blog

Facebook:
http://www.Facebook.com/michellepickettauthor

Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/michelle_kp

If you enjoyed Milayna, check out
Michelle Pickett's young adult romance— Unspeakable.

On the outside, Willow appears to have it
all. She’s beautiful, smart, from an influential family, and she
dates the most popular guy in school—Jaden. But she would walk away
from it all in a second.

She is tormented by lies and suffocating
guilt because of a dark secret that dominates her life. But when
someone uncovers her family’s past, they use it against her. She
tells herself she just has to make it to graduation. Then she can
leave Middleton, and her secret, far behind. But when Brody
transfers to Cassidy High, he turns Willow’s life upside down. He
shows her what it feels like to live again and suddenly, she isn’t
satisfied with just surviving until graduation. She wants a normal
life—with Brody—and he wants her. But the closer they become, the
more it threatens to unravel the secret she’s worked so hard to
hide.

Not only is Unspeakable beautifully written
and capable of making you feel a vast array of emotions, but it
gives you an inside look at the dark and painful life of a physical
and emotional abuse victim.