MIDNIGHT DIVINE (The Helio Trilogy Book 1) (34 page)

Unfazed by my anxiety, she
states, “I couldn’t chance that they would overhear me. It was code to let him
know we were being stalked.”

My voice cracks, “Twelve,
Alice? I thought there were six!”

“I spotted six more while
you were loading the bags. Eric and Solas will take care of it. Just clear your
head and think about practice. We don’t need to alarm Becky and Regan with you
spazzing out. And would you
please
slow down. I’d rather we don’t draw
attention.”

I meet her demands and let
off of the accelerator until we hit a reasonable speed. I try to calm myself
down before we reach Becky’s, but my irritation with the
demons
coming after us boils beneath the surface of my
veneer. I need to let out some of my pent up rage.

Instead of spazzing out
around Becky and Regan, I turn my irritation into a quiet rage. I don’t speak
to anyone as I tear off my jacket and reveal my new black tank top from beneath
it. I know they'll see my new ‘tattoo’ on my forearm, but I really don’t care.
I let an evil grin slither across my face as I pull the strap of my guitar over
my head. I’m ready to wail and let shit out. Alice takes center with the
wireless mic in her hands. “Let’s start at the top of the set,” she instructs
and counts off the beats with the rock of her body.

One, two. One, two, three,
four.
I slam my pick down hard and fast as my left
hand slides up and down the neck of the guitar. I watch my fingers dance to a
beautiful, horrifying tune and pour my rage into the music. As we enter our
fourth song in the set, I bite down on my lip and moisture drips down my face.
I continue to destroy the strings with my anger, drowning myself in the music,
sweat, and blood. In this moment, I don’t need anything or anyone.

By the sixth song in the
set, I'm melded into ecstasy. It's one of our slow songs, and I allow myself to
catch my breath.
During the transition into the next ballad,
I become dizzy as my vision begins to blur. My attention's drawn to a
burning in arm. I gaze down and notice my mark glowing with a red tinge. A cold
sweat break
s
out over my body. The sound in the room becomes
muffled like I have plugs in my ears. I sway on my feet as though I’m going to
pass out. Alice is by my side in a split second. “Easy,” she mutters as she
steadies me under my left arm and slides my guitar off. She addresses a
bewildered Becky and Regan, “She’s not feeling well. I need to get her home.
I’ll text you both later.”

I’m ushered out the door
and placed in the passenger seat of my car. Alice jumps into the driver’s seat.
“I'm gonna puke. What’s happening?” I
grumble
. I can barely get
the words out. They feel heavy on my tongue. My lungs feel hot and tight. I
know I’m going to black out at any moment.

Alice peels out of Becky’s
driveway and heads towards the manor. “Sorry, honey. It’s your dad. That’s how
he calls us when he wants to meet in the Veil.”

“Oh, God,” I mumble with
incoherent exasperation.

“You should go. The longer
you wait, the worse it gets. I’ll drive us to the house.”

“You guys
really
need
to start telling me shit before it happens,” I growl at her because it’s hard
to get the words out through my gritted teeth. Reaching up to my forearm with
my first two fingers, I slide them
up
the burning glow of
my arm from the crevice of my elbow
to my wrist
. Blackness. Silence. Nothingness. Emptiness.

In a flash, I'm laying on
the cold ground surrounded by tall, gray, dry grass. It prods my face like a
bed of hay. I lift my head and groan as my equilibrium comes back to me with my
vision and hearing. Pushing myself up, I slowly stand to investigate my
surroundings. It's the same as before. Everything's cold, gray, and dead save
for the large, full oak tree in the distance. It may lack its beautiful lush
colorings, but it's far from appearing without life.

“Ivy,” Azrael calls to me
from behind with his smooth
deep
tone. It almost
sounds sad.

I spin around with a scowl.
“Your
calling...
” I pause, making a show of using air quotes before
finishing my complaint, “suck’s ass!”

“Yes.
You
will become accustom
ed
to its potency. The
more it is used, the easier passage into the Veil will become,” he states as he
continues to stand stoic with his hands behind his back.

I roll my eyes and cross my
arms over my chest to prepare myself for why he's brought me here. “I imagine
you know about my vision of Lucian?”

His eyebrows converge, “I
do. I also have knowledge of his plans. Lucian is on the move with a legion of
Fallen. They will arrive in three days and attack at Evelyn’s manor. You need
to prepare for the battle to come.”

“Three days?” I repeat in
astonishment. He only nods, and I find my voice again, “Great. Any advice?”

“Do not let your emotions
get the better of you. You cannot throw yourself in the line of fire for the
sake of your friends. I know of the power you possess. I do not doubt the
strength of your abilities if you can set aside your emotions. You cannot allow
the enemy to sway you. This is only the beginning. Until we meet again, safe
travels daughter.” And with that, my father disappears without another word.

“Really!” I yell into the
emptiness. “That’s all you’ve got!”
Like you can’t be bothered with more
information than that?
“Goddammit,” I mumble under my breath as I pass my
fingers over my forearm again. This time, as I graze the Enochian letters from
my
wrist
to my
elbow
, I notice the glow
is different. While inside the Veil, it's white. Outside of the Veil, it's red.

I sit straight up on the
sofa in the entertainment room of Evelyn’s manor. Alice jolts awake at the end
of the sofa with my feet in her lap. Eric and Evelyn jump in their chairs
across from me as Solas ceases his pacing in front of the fireplace. “You’re
going to wear a hole in the rug,” I tell him with a gamine grin.

He returns my gesture with
a tight lipped grimace, “What did he say?"

“He had information about
Lucian,” I begin as everyone’s undivided attention sets on me. “Lucian's
procured himself a legion of Fallen. They're planning an attack on the manor in
three days.”

“Three days is plenty of
time to prepare,” Eric says, rising from his seat. From his demeanor, I presume
he does this sort of thing often.

Evelyn joins him, “There
are many preparations to be made around the estate. I'll notify Michael.” I nod
to her, and she leaves us.

Solas adds, “I'll call and
update Cass. They should arrive tomorrow, and I’ll have them prepare their
ranks as well.”

I swing my legs from
Alice’s lap and approach him, “What happened earlier with the
demons
following us?”

He places his hands on my
upper arms and sighs, “We weren't able to contain any of them. They scattered
when they sensed us. I imagine they were only scouts sent to assess our
situation. We need to be more observant of our surroundings. They probably
followed you from here into town.” His large hands slide down my arms, and our
fingers entwine.

It occurs to me that I have
classes
,
and
I can’t afford to miss. “What am I going to do
about class? I can’t go. I need to be here with you and everyone else to
prepare for Lucian, but if I skip again, I'll fail the semester and possibly
lose my admission.”

“I’ll take care of it,”
Alice dismisses with the wave of her hand as she joins us.

“How?” I counter.

A broad smile splits her
face, “I have my ways, sweetie. Don’t worry about a thing.” She pats my
shoulder and leaves the room.

Solas' emotions are all
over the place. There's love, apprehension, hope, worry, and what bothers me
the most, fear. I've never known Solas to fear
anything
. His fear
insinuates that
I
should be afraid as well.

“You’re scared,” I whisper
as more of a statement than a question.

He hesitates and twists
away from me to face the hearth. His shirt stretches tight over his back,
threatening to tear as he folds his massive arms over his chest. I give him his
space and wait for him to speak. “I'm Cherubim, Ivy. Fallen or Divine, we do
not
fear. It's ingrained into our essences not to fear,” he says with disgust.

“But you do,” I reaffirm.

He hesitates. “Yes.”

“If you're afraid, then we
should all be afraid. What is it that's scaring you about all of this?”

He faces me, searching my
eyes for a reaction. “You.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I know we have your
visions. I know we should trust them to guide us... I’m afraid of losing you,
Ivy. It's the only thing I fear. I can’t let him take you.”

“You may not have a choice,
Solas. My visions are there for a reason. I think our best possible chance to
defeat Lucian is to play out the vision. And like you said, you can shift into
his father and divert him. I believe in you. I know you won’t let him take me.”

He engulfs me in his strong
embrace and kisses the top of my head. Laying his cheek on top of my hair, he
utters in a husky tone, “Never. I love you, princess.”

“I love you too, Chief,” I
smile against his solid chest.

The smell of coffee, toast,
bagels, and freshly cut fruits awaken my senses. My eyes flutter open to find Solas
standing on the balcony, fully dressed with his phone to his ear. The doors are
closed as he speaks in hushed tones, but I can still hear his side of the
conversation. “Listen, I haven’t told her yet. I tried, then all this shit came
up.” There's a pause. “I will. Let’s just worry about it after we deal with her
brother. How soon will you be here?” He waits for a response. I imagine he's
talking to Cass or Beck. “See you soon, brother.”

As he pulls the phone from
his ear and hangs up, I get up
and
get dressed to join
him on the balcony. I have a million questions running through my head.
Is
Lucian my brother? Will my mother want to help me as Azrael's willing to
,
or will she take Lucian’s side? Does she even know of
his intentions? Is Solas’ past so important that Cass and Beck are pushing him
to tell me?

“Good morning,” Solas
greets as I step onto balcony and light a cigarette.

Inhaling an audible breath
full of nicotine, I try to relax my mind.
One thing at a time,
I remind
myself.
If it’s that bad, he'll tell me.
“Morning. It's yet to be seen
whether it'll be good or not.” The corner of his mouth turns up at my sarcasm.
“Who was on the phone?”

“Cass. They'll be here by
this afternoon.”

“How many Griffins are we
expecting?”

He grimaces, “Including
Cass and Beck?”

I shrug, “Sure.”

“All of them,” he states as
a question.

Thinking of the many
Griffins that surrounded The Keep, I dread the meaning of his words. “And how
many is that?”

“They'll arrive in groups
of twenty from all directions and at different times so they won't draw
attention.”

“How many groups, Solas?” I
huff.

“Ten.”

“Holy shit,” I mumble under
my breath. We're silent a moment, letting the situation sink in before I ask,
"Is Lucian my brother?"

His mouth tightens into a
thin line as he leans forward on the terrace wall with his elbows.
"Yes."

I state the obvious fact,
needing to hear it from him, "Lilith's his mother."

"Yes. He's been in
Sheol
for
most of his
existence, hiding from Michael."

"Because Michael was
supposed to destroy all the Lilim, right?"

"Yet another reason
the Prince must be after you. Michael granted you freedom, whereas he's hunted
Lucian since he was conceived."

"Where do think Lilith
stands in all this?" I wonder.

"Who knows?" he
sighs as he stands to face me. "But I wouldn't count on her to take sides.
She's a recluse, and only gets involved in matters that benefit her." I
bob my head as I snuff my cigarette out, and Solas kisses my temple as I blow
smoke from my pursed lips. He moves past me, making his way through the
bedroom, and calls over his shoulder, “I have to go speak with Evelyn about
preparations. You should join Alice for breakfast. We start training outside
today.”

I trudge downstairs to make
a cup of coffee and scarf down some breakfast. At the marble island, Alice sits
with a cup of coffee and an assortment of deadly daggers spread out in a neat
line. She methodically polishes the silver blade of a Stiletto as I lean back
against the counter, eating a piece of dry toast and witnessing this whole
other side of my best friend. Yet to acknowledge my presence, I let her have
her tranquil moment. I’m mesmerized by her calm and focus for something which
seems so tedious. It's a complete opposite from the exuberant energy she bounces
around with. I consume the last piece of my toast as I study her movements. She
sets the Stiletto on the leather cloth as the last blade in line. A small sigh
escapes her lips, and she carefully rolls the weapons before securing the ties
around them. She quirks her lips, “Are you done staring?”

“Are you done making love
to your flatware, Hannibal?”

Alice's giggle echoes like
delicate wind chimes. She picks up her leather pouch and steps around the
island. “Guess what we’re doing today?”

“Uh, training?” I mock and
take a large sip of my coffee.

She tilts her head and
drawls, “Yes.” Straightening her posture, she adds, “Archery to be more
specific.”

My eyes bulge as I choke on
my coffee. “I’m sorry, did you say ‘archery’?”

She wiggles her brows and
prances from the kitchen, “Go change into something more movable and meet me by
the barn. I promise you’ll love it.”

I’m shocked to find targets
lining the trees in the distance high and low. Alice approaches me as I round
the barn. There's a line of six short targets behind her. She has a bow in her
left hand and a quiver full of golden feathered arrows on her back. Over the
next two hours, she instructs me on everything from parts of the bow and arrows
to different aiming positions and techniques. After mastering the six targets
she set up for us, Evelyn arrives with Maximus and Andromeda saddled up for a
ride. I then realize what the targets lining the trees are for. Evelyn
instructs me on different positions to ride that will give me better control of
my aim. Despite the knowledge of the impending attack, training's a complete
success I find gratifying.

As we're wrapping up with
mounted archery, I spot a precarious flock of large birds heading our way. It's
Cassius and Beckett. And with them are more Griffins in their angelic forms. I
call out to Alice and Evelyn, “They’re here!”

“Let’s clean up, and we can
greet our guests,” Evelyn says gingerly.

“Beck!” I shout charging
around the front of the manor. He spins with a broad smile and open arms as he
folds his large brown wings behind him. I jump into his embrace, wrapping my
legs around his waist. “I’ve missed you,” I mumble as he squeezes tight.
Cassius stands behind him with his arms overlapping his puffed out chest, a
genuine smile dimpling his cheeks. A low growl comes from our right.

Beck spins me around and
sets me back on my feet. “We come bearing gifts,” he announces. I glance to the
woman standing next to Cassius. She's where the growl had come from. Her hands
are fisted at her side and body tense, yet her expression's unreadable. Beckett
pulls my attention back as he produces a small box from behind his back.

“What’s this?” I inquire
with a quirk of my eyebrow and a mischievous grin.

“It’s not Nun Chucks,” he snickers.

I open the box. Squealing
in delight, I do a little dance, embracing my trusty black Chuck Taylors.
“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!”

“There's more in the
basement,” he adds.

Cassius interrupts him with
a presenting hand that guides my attention back to the woman at his side, “Ivy,
I would like you to meet our sister, Theodora
, General of our legion of Griffins
.”

I should have known she was
their sister. Her wavy russet hair frames her square face, her jaw
’s
set, and her gray eyes match her twin brothers. I
note a tiny mole under her left eye, but it by far doesn't take away from her
fierce beauty. Theodora’s tan wings are accented with bronze and coffee tinted
downy. They're reminiscent of a sweet caramelized candy, which contradicts her
presence. She's intimidating and aggressive with a powerful body that screams
dominance.
I have no doubt why she was chosen to lead them.

Cassius clears his throat
,
and I catch myself staring. I stammer in awe, “I… uh…
sorry. You’re just so stunning.” Theodora’s lips twitch up to her beauty mark,
taking away some of her aggression.

The shock in my voice
causes Beckett to chuckle. “Well, she
is
our twin. What did you expect?”

I roll my eyes and rat him
out, “Well, you
did
say she was more
beast
than woman.”

Cass makes a show of
wincing. Beck backhands him across the chest, and Theodora raises a hand to
stop their antics. “It’s quite alright, brothers.” Extending her hand out to
me, she continues, “I am an undefeated warrior. It is natural for them to
ridicule that which they cannot comprehend. You can call me Thea.”

I take her hand, “Ivy.” Her
sentiments flow through our touch, and I catch amusement beneath her tough
exterior. I smile.

“Pleasure.”

Our hands release
,
and I turn to the brothers, “Alright! Cassie
…
Becky… Let’s go see what’s in the basement.” I take a
mocking bow, “After you, ladies.”

They sneer and grumble,
leading us into the house. Thea sighs behind me, “We are going to be great
friends.” Over my shoulder
, I
glimpse her impish
grin, and
I
giggle.

We meet Solas and Eric in
the basement with the other seventeen Griffins who arrived with the triplets. I
recognize some of them from The Keep as I'm introduced. I doubt I'll remember
all two-hundred names once the day's over. The basement's lined with weapons
and gear we'll use to fight the Fallen legion. Solas and Eric pour over maps of
the grounds, planning where troops of Griffins will be fighting. Thea joins
them and begins giving her input on the strategy. They're engrossed with their
task, and I squirm uncomfortably as everyone busies themselves with
preparations.

Alice props an elbow on my
shoulder and
we
unite in observing the commotion. “They're good
at what they do. Griffins were originally created as Divine Guardians. Cherubim
were created to guard Paradise as well as the Tree of Life. And while Eric and
I are considered lowly Reapers, others seem to underestimate us.” I take in her
profile, and she winks at me with a charming smile.

“I trust you. I trust
everyone here.” I sigh. “I just don’t know if I can trust
myself
not to get in the way or botch
the entire thing.”

Her arm slides off my
shoulder, “There's no reason for you
not
to believe in yourself, Ivy.
This is
your
army. You were created to destroy enemies like Lucian. It’s
in your nature
and
essence. This is who you are.
This
is
your destiny.”

“Yeah, sure. No pressure.”

“I know you’re stressed
out. You’ve had to take everything you know and put it aside. You're not the
same Ivy I met two months ago. She was reckless, arrogant, and barely keeping
her head above water. Now, you're vigilant—still arrogant, but modestly so—and
you’ve discovered your purpose. You're lethal when you need to be and
compassionate about those you care about. And you have us. We're here to assist
you in achieving the greatness you're destined for. We won’t let you down. It's
crucial that you not only believe in us, but have faith in yourself as well.”

Her words move me, and I'm
overcome with eagerness to triumph. I hug her, sending my love through our
touch. Then, I'm engulfed in a pair of massive arms from behind. The familiar
sensation of playful brotherly love assails me, and I know it's Beckett.
“Beck,” I wheeze from the lack of oxygen he's allowing me. “What are you
doing?”

“Awe, I just couldn’t
resist the love fest going on without me,” he chides.

“Well, I sort of can’t
breathe!” I utter hoarsely.

He releases us, “Sorry.
Chief want
s
to talk to you.”

“Oh, so now you’re a
message boy?” I tease.

His arms fold over his
chest. “No. He just can’t get away from Thea’s onslaught of objections,” he
gestures to Solas with a quick jerk of his head.

Wandering to the table
where Thea's expressing her protests with wild arms, Solas catches my approach
and grins with amusement. He's not listening to a word she's saying, and she
notices. She growls and stomps over to Eric in effort to get him to see her
side. Skirting the table, Solas pulls me against his solid body and kisses my
temple. “I thought she'd never shut up,” he says, his breath caressing my ear.

I chuckle as he pulls back
from me, “Beck said you needed me.”

“That I do, princess,” his
eyes sparkle with mischief. “I overheard you and Alice.” I grimace, wrinkling
my nose. “I think I can make you feel more comfortable going into this.”

“How?”

“You know how to fight. No
one doubts your abilities there.” He lowers his voice, adding, “I’m sure you
could even take out a Griffin if you were so inclined.” I shake my head as he
smiles. “Lucian doesn’t realize we're aware of their plans, and that gives us
an advantage. We'll take cover and wait for them to present themselves before
we attack.”

I survey the maps on the
table, trying to make connections with what he's saying. “I don’t understand.
There’s eighty acres, and seventy percent of that is open land. How do you
expect to hide over two-hundred of us? We won’t all fit in the manor.”

“Camouflage. We have narrow
slash patterns for those who will be in the grassy areas, and more blotchy
patterns for those within the trees. You'll be here,” he says, pointing to the
barn.