Secret Worlds (348 page)

Blows sounded like thunder, shaking the landscape; and I chanced a glance at the picture window behind me. Steve and Tom had a hold on CJ, his mouth crying out, but the glass prevented me from hearing his wail. I turned back in time to witness the fountain of crimson coming from a headless body kneeling on the ground; blood cascaded down, staining the pristine white wings.

A head rolled on the snow, landing at my feet and I scrambled into a standing position. The sense of loss coming from the house clouded my vision, my heart ached with sorrow and I raised my gaze.

Lucifer stepped out of the snow cloud and I had a chance to revel in a moment of satisfaction. Ty had done some damage, but none of it was catastrophic. Lucifer limped forward on a bloodied leg. One of his wrists was twisted enough to elicit a wince from me and his right eye was swollen shut. Even with his injuries, he was a dangerous adversary. I exhaled, stepping into a defensive posture. I wasn’t going to charge into this, blinded by fury. That would only result in the same outcome as Ty, and my father, and Michael.

I was rather fond of having my head attached to my body and I had a family inside to defend, so I proceeded with caution, letting the power coil up inside me, looking for the right moment to strike.

I ignored the belligerent curses coming from CJ, the cautions coming from Steve, and the cries of pain coming from Naomi. I ignored everything but the bastard in front of me.

“I got this,” I whispered and the din in my head lowered.

Lucifer raised an eyebrow, waving me in with the fingers on his good hand. I took a tentative step forward with my heart in my throat and the metallic taste of fear lacing my tongue. New cries filled my mind and I paused, looking at the snow to my side before bringing my gaze back to Lucifer.

“I’m so looking forward to feeding on a trinity heart, no matter how tainted,” he said and looked at my chest. “Especially one containing the grace of two angels.”

I let a small laugh escape; he didn’t know I was now a father. He didn’t know just what kind of strength was building in my bones, and I sidestepped, bringing him away from the house. Away from the heads lying in the snow and towards the pretty little gazebo on the edge of the lake.

The full moon sat high overhead, settling a blue hue over the snow covered world. I caught a glimpse of CJ standing in the window, his glare as deadly as the power coiled in my belly. He met my gaze and the order to make the devil pay rocked my form but CJ didn’t have control over me, just like Steve couldn’t get me to relinquish the gun, and my gaze dropped to Lucifer.

Despite their lack of control over my actions, I wholeheartedly agreed with CJ’s order.

Lucifer would pay, but I needed information. I needed to know how to fulfill the statement Michael made at the hospital. All I needed now was Lucifer’s grace.

“Just out of curiosity, what the hell did Michael mean when he said now all I needed was your grace?” I asked as Lucifer advanced.

He smiled, stalking me like a deadly black panther. “You would become a trinity.”

“I thought I already was?” I asked, stalling, stepping further from the house.

“By vampire blood, not by angel grace.” He took a step in my direction and I countered, backing up into the half wall of the gazebo.

I had run out of space and Lucifer knew it. He lunged, pinning me against the post with his injured arm. His glare filling me with dread and the ripping pain that gripped my chest pulled a yelp from my lips. I looked down around the arm pinning me in place at the fingernails piercing my skin.

My jujitsu maneuvers didn’t work, it only proved to further increase the penetration. My base instincts started to take over and I let out a growl, sinking my teeth into his arm. They broke through the flesh and he howled, pulling away from me. I covered my heart with my left hand and shot my right out in the same dagger like formation as his hand had been.

My fingers sank into flesh and I pushed with both my inertia and my mind, crushing the ribs that stood in my way. I met Lucifer’s shocked gaze and smiled as my hand wrapped around his heart. His grace.

He stumbled back, and I yanked with everything I had.

Lucifer landed on his ass with a gaping hole in his chest, but he was still lucid. His wide eyes landing on the pulsing muscle in my hand.

Hot blood ran down my wrist and the thing continued to pulse in my grasp. When I looked beyond the still beating heart and met Lucifer’s gaze, I knew I only had a minute to react. He was already climbing to his feet, his features transitioning into fury. If I did the wrong thing, I’d be the one lying dead in the snow.

My stomach rolled at the thought of what I had to do, but I inhaled and brought the heart to my lips.

“No!” he yelled and lunged, but I had already sunk my teeth into the slimy muscle.

Blood burned my tongue, sliding down my throat and I shoved the rest of his heart in my mouth before he could reach me. His face transitioned from fury to shock to pain with each chew. I struggled not to spit it out, knowing I had to eat the whole thing in order to destroy him.

My throat spasmed, and I stepped up onto the gazebo, forcing breaths through my nose as the vile heart broke down between my teeth. Lucifer crawled forward and I suppressed my gag reflex, swallowing what chunks were left.

My esophagus clenched and I fell to my knees, folding over at the pain that bloomed in my core. I grabbed a fistful of snow and shoved it in my mouth to calm the burn.

Lucifer grabbed my wrist and I yanked away from him, falling back onto my butt.

The power encompassed every fiber and I bellowed, pushing myself to the opposite wall with my feet. The wounds on my chest formed a patchwork-healing pattern and after a blink, my skin flushed clear. The wounds disappeared and the power inside me flashed beyond comprehension.

Bitter cold sucked into my lungs as I huffed through the pain gripping me. This was far more painful than the shadow virus had been. It felt like two masses of air ramming into each other creating an internal tornado. White and dark, fighting for dominance as they melded together into one and CJ’s power braided through it like a golden lasso, tying it together and bonding it to every cell in my body.

Lucifer chuckled, his gaze still animated and locked on me. I pushed myself into a standing position and he dragged himself up as well.

Another cry filtered through me and I looked at the window. My second child. The storm settled like rain and I snapped my gaze back to Lucifer and the gaping hole in his chest.

“So that’s how you steal grace,” I said and stepped forward, slamming my fist into his face. Bones crunched, and this time, I knew they were his. He flew onto his back on the snow and then turned onto his hands and knees crawling away.

I stared at the withered wings, feeling a level of triumph I had never known. I always assumed I would die at his hands and a just fury wrapped around my heart. I sent the first blast of power at him, crushing him into the ground.

“Go to hell,” I whispered and the power leapt out, striking with the full force of a flamethrower at point-blank range. Nothing was left but a blackened patch and I stared at it.

Freedom.

The word had a new meaning and I looked up, crossing the bloody snow to the house that held my future.

A future filled with hope.

“Where is he?” I screamed as another contraction crushed my abdomen.

“He’s coming,” CJ said and crossed to the door.

A blinding fear filled me and I didn’t understand why CJ would let Lucifer inside. When Damian stepped in the door with blood dripping from his lips I gasped and the next contraction gripped my stomach. I cried out, grabbing the sides of the couch as Raven wiped my forehead with a damp cloth.

As quickly as it started, it faded, and I breathed a few deep breaths in preparation for the next one, bringing my gaze back to Damian.

He wiped his sleeve across his face, grimacing at the maroon swath it left on the coat. He peeled the fabric off, dropping it on the floor.

“He won’t be bothering any of us, ever again,” he said and I blinked, unable to comprehend his words.

Damian’s gaze jumped to Tom, and then the baby wrapped in a towel in his arms. It jumped to Steve and the same type bundle wrapped in his arms. When his gaze returned to me, it was filled with wonder and he moved across the floor, dropping to his knees next to me and pulled my hand to his chest.

His warm smile settled over me and the next contraction began in earnest. It was like this child waited until her father was at my side. My face scrunched into a mask of pain and I saw the worry in his eyes.

“It’s okay,” I squeaked out and relief flooded his features.

“Push,” Jennifer said, looking down between my legs with the same excitement she had with the first two boys. Raven helped me curl forward; holding her hands on my shoulder blades like Jennifer told her to do.

Damian stared at me, awe painting his features.

“Watch for the baby,” I said, each word a pant and he seemed to snap out of his trance, shifting so he could see what was making Jennifer grin like a madwoman.

“Oh, my god,” Damian said, his face flushing with anticipation. “I can see the baby’s head,” he added with a smile. “Keep pushing, sweetheart,” he added with a new level of exhilaration sparkling in his eyes.

The pressure gripped me and I pushed with the last ounce of energy I had and suddenly it released. Jennifer wrapped the third child and smiled.

“You have a girl,” she said and my eyes filled with tears as she handed the third bundle to me. I leaned against Raven and showed her the final perfect child. My little angel looked at me and cooed before her eyes roamed to her father.

“Glad you could make it,” I said breathlessly meeting Damian’s glossy gaze.

“You’ve got two boys and a girl,” Jennifer said glancing at Damian as she swiped up the afterbirth. “And you owe me a new couch,” she added with a smile.

“Do you have names picked out?” Steve asked as he looked at his watch and scribbled down the time along with the date on the paper he had recorded the other births on.

I met Damian’s gaze and nodded. “You pick,” I said, trusting him to pick the perfect names. I was too exhausted to think and in such awe of the miracles bestowed on us.

“Gabriel Alexander for my first born boy,” he said and I smiled, feeling the lump form at the homage to the two fallen angels. Damian traded a glance with CJ and got a nod in response. Alexander was his father’s middle name and I knew he caught the significance.

“Michael for the second.” I said. I needed to honor the man who saved Damian from death more than once.

“Michael Christopher,” Damian replied, completing the homage to those who saved us from Lucifer today although I could tell CJ wasn’t as comfortable with the honor.

“Hey, I wouldn’t have been able to do what I did without that little bit of magic I stole from you,” Damian smiled and CJ gave a silent nod looking down at the baby in his arms.

“I guess that’s as good a name as any,” he sighed.

“What about her?” I asked and pressed my lips to the baby’s forehead.

“Grace,” he said before I could formulate a name.

I glanced at Damian as Tommy handed Gabriel to him. The way he looked holding my child made me bit my lip, blinking the tears away and I glanced back at the baby in my arms.

“Grace?” I asked and the baby cooed. I smiled at her and tried the name once more time. “Hi, sweet baby, Grace.”

Epilogue – Damian

The kids ran down the beach. Their little legs pumping and their laughter floating on the breeze. I ran after them, pretending to be a big bad sand monster, catching each one in my arms and rolling onto my back on the sand. Gracie jumped on my chest and her little fingers found the ticklish spots on my neck as Gabe and Michael yelled for help.

I yielded, letting them go and sitting up. All three children gave me fierce hugs and I looked beyond my five-year-olds at my wife and friends watching in amusement.

The children ran back to the group and I sighed, feeling the blessings this life had delivered. I stood, swiping the fine grains of sand from my hands and crossed the distance, settling into the chair next to Naomi and picking up my beer.

Five years had changed all our lives. I still held the power of the trinity as well as the magic CJ had given me. The months following Lucifer’s demise had been tough on all of us. For Naomi and me, it was more trying to juggle three infants and sleepless nights than coming to terms with Michael’s death. Even the loss of my father felt surreal, but I suppose that was more easily accepted because he hadn’t been in my life for multiple millenniums.

Steve had the toughest time dealing with the guilt of killing Sarah. He still wonders if he did the right thing, even when I tell him it was better than the alternative. When he came back from taking us to the hospital, he said the entire place was clear. No blood, no bodies, nothing except the swath of burnt ground where I torched Lucifer. As I understand it, Sarah’s disappearance from the house in York is still an open case.

The loss of Ty hasn’t helped him bounce back either. He took it far worse than either CJ or Tom. Regardless of how much he bitched about being saddled with Ty as his guardian angel, the man had become his confidant and best friend.

CJ and Tom adjusted, but then again, they had other things pulling their attention away from their grief.

I sighed, focusing on my daughter. Grace was special in a way that none of us could pinpoint and my boys were just that; wildly active five-year-old identical twins.

Grace wasn’t a third identical twin. She hadn’t shared the same sac, only the same womb and the boys adored her. They were fiercely protective of her, just like the rest of us, and I like to think they know she has an extraordinarily rare gene. I like to think they know she’s a trinity.

My gaze landed on the birthmark on her right shoulder blade. Doctors had given us shit for years on that, but it was natural and not a tattoo as they wrongly assumed. As she got older, the details seemed to be getting crisper, the coloring bolder. When we had checked in at Brooksfield Hospital after the births, they accused us of drawing on our baby girl. That was the first time we saw the etched details of the white winged tiger mark.