Broken Halo (26 page)
Authors: Zoey Marcel
Sonya
grabbed a fistful of his garment and shook him as best as she could shake a
taller, stronger angel as though doing so would break Nimbus' rocky coffin.
“And what of you? It didn't have to be like this. I wanted to follow him that
day! I would have if you hadn't stopped me.”
“And
you would have been damned because of it and your son would still be soulless,”
Cassiel returned, “As long as your soul is divided you cannot win.”
She
turned to see the stone statue was gone. “Where did he go? What did you do to
him? Where is he?”
“Nowhere
you can go.”
“Tell
me now, or -”
“Or
what? Are you going to kill an archangel outside of heaven's gates? If it is
your life's quest to damn yourself why don't you simply go bed a demon, or let
a vampire bite you. You seem to be good at those things.”
She
wanted to hit him, but a final shred of reverence forbid it, so she settled for
pushing him away from her. “He wouldn't have hurt me.”
“Sonya,
he was about to kill you.”
“He
was bluffing. I heard his thoughts.”
“Go
back to earth, Sonya. You have no place here. Fulfill your mission, or if
Nimbus means so much to you then break your vows, but in the end when all is
said and done, hell isn't orgies and one enduring party. That is the
underworld. The abyss is the real hell and I can promise you that if you ever
go there, there will be no one to comfort or pleasure you. The only thing you
will have is memories and they will haunt you, none more so than your broken
vow.”
His
words made her spine and scalp tingle with dread. They were foreboding, but
nothing haunted her more than an eternity without Nimbus. He was encased in
stone, if not dead and the last thing he would remember about her was that she
left him, betrayed him.
Cassiel
gave her a comforting hug. “I was only trying to protect you.”
“I
know.” She wept into his robe. The embrace brought her consolation, but Nimbus
would have healed her by now. “Where did you send him?”
“I'm
sorry, but I'm not at liberty to say. Spend a few days grieving, but you must
fulfill your mission. And Sonya, whatever you do, do not break your vow.”
***
Sonya
found Less where she left her. The voluptuous woman admired her wings in awe.
“So that is what a black angel looks like. I didn't know they really existed.
You have to hunt vampires now?”
Sonya
nodded, trying not to break down again.
“Are
you all right? You look as though you have been crying.”
Her
heart clenched at the final image of Nimbus that was burned in the back of her
mind permanently. She thought nothing could be as scarring as losing her soul,
but the sight of the light leaving his eyes forever was much worse. “I'm well.
I should be going, though.”
“To
find your son?”
She
made a tearful whimper and buried her face in her hands.
“Oh,
Sonya, I'm sorry. What did I say?”
“I
can't ever see Sully again. He is part vampire.”
“And
you have to eat them now?”
Sonya
wrinkled her nose. “No. I won't be eating anyone. I have to slay them and drink
their blood for nourishment and atonement. That includes all vampires, even the
energy ones.”
“What
about the other types of demons?”
“No.
I'm supposed to avoid all other demons to the best of my ability.”
“Will
you have to avoid your mate as well?” Less asked.
Sonya
wailed loudly as the tears gushed from her eyes. There was a lump in her
throat, rendering it sore and her heart ached so badly she felt it breaking in
her chest. “He is a rock.”
“Do
you mean he is stubborn?”
“No.
Well, yes very, but Cassiel turned him into a rock.” She sobbed bitterly. Her
face felt as though it was liquid rather than skin at the moment.
“An
archangel turned your lover into a pebble?”
“No,
not a little rock. A great big, stone idol like the ones in the underworld
temple.” She raised her head as it dawned on her. Was Nimbus now a satanic
monument in an unholy shrine? Would breaking the stone release him from his
granite prison, or was the solution more complex than that? “The temple.”
Less
tugged her arm when she stood with determination splashed across her
countenance. “I know what you are thinking and it is dangerous, not to mention
utterly foolish and destructive of you. Aren't you supposed to avoid demons,
not invade their kingdom?”
“What
better place to find the undead,” she made excuse.
Less
raised an eyebrow. “That is not the reason you want to go down there. We are
free from our masters now and you want to return to yours and be his slave
again? What the blazes for?”
Freedom
was her slavery. Sonya knew no other freedom save for the sweet surrender of
laying down her arms and lying in his. Nothing else mattered when he was
holding her and nothing sure as hell mattered without him. “You wouldn't
understand.”
“I
cannot say I do. You are hurting now, but perhaps in time you will heal from
this blow.”
“Time
doesn't heal all wounds, Less.”
“Perhaps
not, but maybe it will become easier to cope in time, or to pretend everything
is well, enough for you to live your life.”
Survival
– that's what life without him would be. A damned, meaningless waste in which
she would be pushing on only to survive and atone for sins she wasn't even sure
she was sorry for. The only mistake she regretted at the moment was losing her
soul mate. That wasn't even considered a sin, though being with him was.
“Perhaps. I shall be going now.”
“I
will go with you.”
Sonya
was surprised by this. “You mustn't. It will be too dangerous.”
Less
looked entertained by her concern. “I was a sex slave to a soul devourer in
hell. I think I can handle whatever happens to me in the future.”
“
Touché
, you are quite brave, but I
cannot risk hurting anyone else. I have done so much damage already.” She
fought back the threatening tears.
“You
won't and I won't get in your way. I'm in your debt for helping me escape
quietly. Any immortal who saw me leaving with you earlier likely thought
nothing of it since you were a succubus. Besides, Jude may come looking for me
and once he finds out you are now his only natural enemy, he will flee and
never bother me again. You are doing me a favor and I shall be your faithful
servant. Should vampires be scarce you may feed off of me.”
“No,
I'm not allowed to touch the blood of humans. The scent doesn't even appeal to
me. I can only drink from vampires.”
“In
that case, I shall quell your loneliness and any needs you still have as a
succubus to help nourish you,” Less offered.
“That
is generous, Less, but you don't have to give yourself to anyone you don't want
to ever again. If you couple with anyone I want it to be with someone you
actually want to be with and care about.”
“I
never have, but it might be agreeable. What is it like to make love?”
Her
eyes stung. “There are no words. It is something you have to go through in
order to understand.”
Less
sighed. “Perhaps someday. It would have to be with a woman since they are more
compassionate.”
“Not
always. Remember Demornae?”
She
grimaced. “True. If I sleep with a man again it must be on my terms. I want to
be in control and he shall be the one to beg me for release and moan as I
punish him for being a dirty little lad.”
Sonya
looked at her with a smile and they laughed. “I'm glad to see that slavery has
not embittered you toward the male gender.”
Less
grinned. “Wouldn't you find that agreeable – to be in control of a man?”
She
thought about this for a second. “No. I feel safest and most aroused when being
overpowered by a strong male. A man's dominance is one of his most masculine
traits. If I was with a pushover I couldn't respect him.”
“I
see. I would rather be in charge. I would feel much stronger and safer knowing
that I was the one deciding the boundaries of our relationship. I think it
would be empowering to hold the key to a man's pleasure and make him beg to be
touched and take his penalties like a good slave. Anyway, I can see you are
blushing. You will let me travel with you, won't you? I have nowhere else to
go. I won't be in the way.”
“What
if I'm killed at some point? What about your future?”
“I
have no plans for marriage and no future ambitions except to learn the dark
arts of witchcraft so I can find a spell to remove this ridiculous engraving
upon my forehead,” Less complained.
“It
could be short for Leslie.”
“Except
my birth name was Tansy.”
“I
didn't know that. I can call you that if you like.”
“I
would, thank you. Do you know of any witches who could teach me?”
“If
I did I would tell you and find a spell for my broken heart, but I suppose I
deserve it,” Sonya responded ruefully.
“Be
of good cheer. I will find a way to heal us both.”
She
smiled weakly.
The
first rays of light flared across the sky, announcing the rising sun. Blazing
orange fire burned up the morning sky with smoky purples and twilight blues
with stars sparkling against it. Baby pinks swam in the sensual depths of the
blue. The dark purple and bright orange were engaged in an epic battle for
dominion over the sky, but the pastels wanted nothing more than to be left
alone, but they couldn't be. They were a part of the sky. The light pink of day
and the turquoise blue of night caressed one another as though they had forever
to be together when in reality they knew that once the sun rose the blinding,
glorious light would chase away all definition of color until only the warm
light of day remained, just as the darkness of night swallowed the splash of
colors at dusk whole in its silencing mouth.
One
might wonder why the colors ever bothered to mingle if they were only to be
separated in the end by the division of light and darkness. Still, there was
dawn and dusk. That brief window in time when they were together and touching
for one magical, fleeting moment before fading into nothingness. But it was
good. It must have been for the colors to keep coming back time after time and
fusing together into a vibrant masterpiece that no one would ever forget.
Perhaps others might, but Sonya never would.
Returning
to earth in darkness had reflected the empty, desolate hollow that was her
chest and soul now. However, seeing the sun rise up over the earth this morning
was the promise of new beginnings. The day may prove to be the ultimate
disappointment. On the other hand, it could be the day she found peace and
happiness again. This day, like the rest of her life, was whatever she made it.
The choice was hers and hers alone. Cassiel could not keep her from doing what
she wanted anymore than Nimbus could force her to do something she didn't want
to. She was a free agent living out an unwritten history and it was in the
brown eyes of a true friend with no ax to grind and no ulterior motives, as
well as the breathtaking mural of the dawn that she found something she was in
desperate need of: hope.
Note: The story continues in the upcoming sequel:
Broken Vow,
Book Two in the
Fallen
Angels
Trilogy.
For a complete
catalogue of Erotic Fiction… write, email or call:
Pink Flamingo
Publications
P.O. Box 632,
Richland, MI 49083, 1-877-629-0051
E-mail:
[email protected]
On-line:
For Consensual BDSM,
Spanking Fiction and General Erotica:
For our complete BDSM
catalog