The Human Side (The Demon Side Series) (13 page)

The minute I learned what must be done, my heart already knew the answers to his questions. If I were in Heaven, sure, I’d never want for much. I had a beautiful home with comfortable elegant furnishings. With my job as an Arch, physical appearance, and bad boy image, I could practically have any woman I desired. Since my return to Heaven, many had tried to take Etta’s place. I could forget all about her and live the so-called good life.

But had she not risked her heart, soul, and life for me more than once, I would still be locked in the dark, stripped of everything but a burning hole where my heart should be. For Etta, I could spend a millennium working the counter of the burger stand and sleeping in a roach motel. I would deal with my appearance as an ugly, pimple-faced, scrawny twenty year old, guaranteeing I’d live my days alone, cold, and poor.

“Yes,” I said confidently.

“And what if it’s not the letters? What if it’s you?”

The thought never crossed my mind. If my presence has been the cause, then destroying myself would be the only way to save her. Self-destruction would earn me a trip to Hell, where I doubted I would receive a warm welcome. I knew the torture that would await me should I pass Lucifer’s gates. My time in Hell would be a short vacation compared to what would come next.

Once Lucifer felt satisfied with my punishment, he would ensure I’d never rise against him. Giving me a one-way ticket to Purgatory, I would spend my days lost, drained, and in a constant state of excruciating pain with no relief to be found. But I owed her more than just keeping my word that I would never hurt her. I owed her my soul. It would be a small price to pay for all she had given me.

“Whether it is me or the letters doesn’t change what must be done.”

“Rahovart! You can’t mean that?” Gabriel grabbed my shoulders, giving me a small shake. I pushed away his hands and locked eyes with John.

“If that is what must be done, I swear to you it will be.”

“You’re fully aware of what that means?” John studied me. With a nod, I confirmed my answer.

“You know, sometimes you make it hard to hate you. I want to. But I have found myself in a tough spot. I thought I could save her by myself. That all she needed was her father. I put my pride before my better judgment, and it almost cost me my daughter’s life. I need your help, Rahovart. I need you both to help me save my baby girl.” John put out his hand palm down.

“Of course I will help.” Gabriel placed his on top of John’s. They turned to me, awaiting my decision. John asking for my help threw me back a bit. Had he finally come to his senses that none of us could do it alone, or did he have something else in mind?

He’d made his disdain for me very clear from the start. The bad guy in my head said it had to be a trick to get rid of me. If I agreed to work with him, I would have to take orders from him. Should he give the order to take myself out, I would have no choice but to comply. Even if it wasn’t a trick to get rid of me, I still questioned his leadership abilities.

His arrogant, gung-ho attitude had gotten him in trouble before. Not only had he risked Etta’s life, but he cost another girl and her uncle theirs during his time in Iraq. But if I refused his plea for help, he would work against me and with Gabriel’s quick agreement to help John, my refusal would turn my brother against me as well. I would be damned if I did and damned if I didn’t.

“As long as it serves in the best interest of Father and Etta, I will help you.” When I placed my hand on top of theirs, a surge of electricity traveled up my arm and knocked the three of us on our backs in the middle of the road.

Chapter Sixteen

I jumped up and grabbed Gabriel just as an oncoming driver slammed on his brakes. The bumper of the car nudged my leg as I threw Gabriel to the side of the road. I closed my eyes, awaiting the impact. When nothing happened, I opened my eyes to find the car no longer in motion. Sprinting to the driver’s door to check on the occupants, I tried opening it, but it wouldn’t budge. Peering through the glass, I saw the driver frozen in shock.

“What the—?” John drew my attention to the jack-knifed semi leaning on its left side tires over him. It seemed all time had stopped except for us.

“Oh, this is going to hurt,” I said under my breath.

“What’s going to—?” Gabriel asked as he dusted himself off when three bright blue bolts of lightning crashed in the center of us, sending us slamming into the concrete.

“That’s what,” I answered, struggling to sit up.

“You see how pride, fear, and doubt can slow the best laid plans,” Father’s voice boomed as the light flickered away revealing a large buck, a fawn, and an owl.

I never paid attention to the rumors that when Father, the Son, and Spirit appeared on earth, they chose to manifest as animals indigenous to the region as to not draw attention, but I had never seen it with my own eyes.

Father never traveled without the two by his side. Some say they were his protection detail, though they never engaged in any battles. But when asked, Father would only reply with a chuckle “even the all-knowing needs advisors.” Quickly, the three of us took to one knee and bowed our heads before them.

“Well, now that you all put your pride aside and decided to work together, your next task should be fairly simple.”

“What will you have us do, Father?” Gabriel asked.

“Find the source that is shattering the girl’s veil and bring Vetis and all those working with him before the Tribunals.”

“Father, the source we can manage, but bringing Vetis before the Tribunals is impossible. Only an Arch can hold the golden shackles.” Though I questioned his orders, I kept my tone humble as to not upset him.

“Which is why I chose you and Gabriel to hand-deliver them to the Tribunals.” Father circled us as he spoke.

“I have yet to complete my mission, Father. I am no Arch.”

“Did you really believe I would send two of my sons to Earth with the task of getting a girl to say I love you? My son, have you not grown to know me by now?”

“I do not understand.”

“You all needed to learn a lesson. John, a great leader with a solid moral compass, needed a lesson in humility and pride. By asking for Rahovart’s help, you have shown me you can put your pride to the side in order to do what is right. Gabriel, a fierce fighter, and yet so closed off to what truly matters—happiness. By accepting Rahovart’s decision to walk away from the Divads and allowing yourself to open up your heart to a woman, you have shown me you can love something more than a good fight. Rahovart, a lover and a fighter, but easily discouraged; by ignoring your doubts in John, ignoring your fear of your past and willingness to lay your soul on the line for another, you have shown me you can persevere to the end.” The three of us were gazing at each other, hoping one of us knew what he was getting at, when Father turned our attention to the van.

“Ms. Johnson, would you mind joining us?” he spoke. With a look of disbelief mixed with awe, Amy stepped out. Father, followed by the Son and the Spirit, approached her as if he were speaking to her, but my ears didn’t pick up a sound. With a few nods Amy answered whatever question or secrets he had for her then waved us over.

“Okay, let’s see if this works. Mr. Divad, would you mind turning around and lifting your shirt?” Amy twirled her finger. John about faced as he curled his shirt above his shoulders.

“Are you sure about this?” she asked, looking at Father. The Spirit flew to her shoulder, squawking in her ear, encouraging Amy to continue with her task.

“Okay. Okay. I just want to be sure. John, I’m sorry if this hurts, but I have to do it.” Before John turned to see what she had been doing, Amy quickly rubbed her hands together then slapped them both on his wound. John’s eyes rolled back into his head as his body dropped to the ground.

“Oh, my gosh. Mr. Divad? Mr. Divad?” Amy knelt down, lifting John’s head into her lap.

“He will be fine, my child. You all have your orders. Destroy the artifacts, and bring me Vetis. The same rules apply, though. You’re on your own. Should you need it, Ms. Johnson here will take care of any medical needs. I will now leave you to your work.”

Before I had a chance to question him further, I was struck by a golden rod of lightning. My muscles stiffened as my body went into violent convulsions, and again I fell to the asphalt with a thud. Sounds of Gabriel’s screams were faint compared to the ripping of my skin. Then everything went black.

With my vision blurred, I regained consciousness to the sound of Amy voice singing over the ringing in my ears. My head throbbed as if I had been hit with a sledgehammer as I tried to sit up. My skin burned and my back twitched as if electrodes had been attached on high speed. My clothing clung to my body as if it would rip at the seams if I moved.

“What just…?” I said, straining to focus my vision. Amy crouched over a recovered John. I watched him slowly flap his wings as Amy approach me.

“Hey. You feeling okay?” she asked while helping me to my feet. Dizziness set in, causing me to lose my footing. In a flash, John appeared to my right to assist Amy. I stumbled again in shock.

I no longer held the form of a frail, pale, lanky, young boy in desperate need of acne wash. My natural form had returned. The poor sap, Ramen, had given way to Rahovart, the Arch. As great as it felt having my body back, the change had weakened it.

“Feels as if someone hit me in the face with a cinderblock.”

“Yeah. Sorry about that. I’m sort of new to this healing thing.”

“Where’s Gabriel?”

“He’s in the van. After he saw you drop, he asked I take care of him in the van.”

“Oh, yeah?” I said with a wiggle of my brow.

“Not in that way, pervert.”

I laughed, and she punched me in my arm before lowering me against the bumper.

“Uh huh.” I teased when a rapping sound came from the back window.

“Rahovart, can you come here please?” Gabriel hollered from inside the van.

“Sounds like he’s awake. I’m gonna check on him,” Amy said excitedly. “It’s not every day you find out you’re dating an Arch Angel and get the opportunity to not only heal him, but see him as one.”

“No, Amy! I want Ra,” Gabriel shouted.

“Why won’t you let me in?” Amy yelled through the tinted rear window.

“I need to see Rahovart for just a moment.”

“I’ll see what he wants. He probably ripped his clothing with his massive, bulging pecs,” I joked in hopes of comforting her. I hadn’t touched the door handle when the door flung open and Gabriel pulled me inside, slamming the door behind us.

“She can’t see me this way. Rahovart. What am I going to do?” Gabriel hands motioned up and down his body.

Just as I had, Gabriel regained his Angelic form. His salt and pepper crew cut contrasted against his tanned skin. His emerald eyes pierced your soul, distracting you from noticing the large scar running from his upper lip, across his left eye and fading into his hairline. His overbuilt physique prevented him from resting his arms to his sides. Even with my massive size, Gabriel’s six-foot-six broad frame dwarfed me. Though he hadn’t been nude, his shirt lay in shreds on the floor, revealing his deeply scarred chest, arms and neck. His years as an Arch had been hard on his body, leaving behind long, thick, reddish welts as evidence of his victories and failures.

“Uh, go out there the way you are?”

“I can’t. Not like this,” Gabriel said, slapping his hands against his chest. His reply shocked me. He had always been so proud of his marks, and took every opportunity he had to show them off and compare against the rest of us. Now it seemed as if he was ashamed of them.

“Are you worried about her seeing you as you are?”

“What if they disgust her? What if she can’t look at me? I don’t think I can handle that.” Resting his elbows on his knees, Gabriel clasped his hands together and began rocking back and forth.

In all the years I had known Gabriel, I had never seen him so worried. Before missions sure to be suicide, he’d come across slightly anxious, but it had been more of a “let’s get this party started” type. The riskier the job, the more excited he would get. When the rest of us would be writing our goodbye letters just in case we didn’t make it home, he’d be out partying and joking around about how much fun he’d have. The polar opposite of the man I knew sat across from me now.

“If you’re that worried about it, Gabriel, just project the illusion of Benjamin.”

“Look at you, Rahovart. You resemble nothing of what you did ten minutes ago. She’ll know it’s not the real me.”

I understood his concerns. When I learned Etta saw me as something different than what I had been, part of me became terrified that once she saw the Demonic me, she would lose all interest. She had seen me at my worst, but she loved me enough to look past my appearance and saw the true colors of my soul. My gut told me Amy would do the same with Gabriel.

“Gabriel, do you love her?”

“Yes, but I don’t see what that has—”

“Then just go out there.”

“I can’t.”

Just as he had with me, I flung open the van door and yanked him outside, slamming the door behind us. As Amy and John rounded the rear, Gabriel shoved me down as he unfurled his wings and folded them over himself.

“Gabriel? Everything okay?” Amy asked, stepping toward him.

“Don’t look at me.” His wings muffled his voice.

“What is going on?”

“He doesn’t want you to see what how he looks,” I said just before I went to deliver a punch to the center of his wings, knowing instincts to protect their base would kick in. Gabriel opened his wings and turned to block my blow. Fearing a fight, Amy rushed between us.

“Stop!” she exclaimed, placing her palms against his chest. Her focus traveled up from his waist to his eyes, admiring everything in between. Being fully exposed, Gabriel puffed out his chest and stared off in the distance over her head in an attempt to cover up his feelings of inadequacy.

“And what’s wrong with how you look?”

“He’s worried his scars will disgust you,” I blurted out.