Sacrifice (Revelations Book 1) (30 page)

“This makes no sense, you’re going to let him do to you exactly what Arveda did. Why are you willing to let him do it but you are condemning all of us for Arveda’s actions?”

“This time it’s my choice. When my mother erased my memory it was without my permission. She robbed me of so much. She wanted me to forget who I had been and in the process she stripped me of who I might become. She wanted Jack to be forgotten, now I will make sure both of them are nothing but strangers to me.”

“Chloe, please don’t do this.” Abby’s sword arm started to quiver under the weight and the Beast stiffened as if knowing his time might be up. “Lucas left you a note, please take it out of my pocket and read it. I’m begging you to help us, help me. It wasn’t supposed to end like this.”

Chloe’s head dropped, her voice suddenly becoming sorrowful. “I know it wasn’t. I’m sorry, Abby.” With a snap of her fingers the paper from Abby’s pocket appeared in Chloe’s hand.

“Lucas loved you. This was his fight, remember? He wouldn’t have sided with the wrong army. He was pure goodness and light and he was standing against all of this. You loved him, you can’t turn your back on what he stood for.”

Tears started to splatter against the dirt covered road, Chloe’s shoulders shook. “For all I know I only loved him because Arveda made me.”

“No, that’s not true. You loved him willingly. You did, I know it. Don’t let the world be destroyed just because of Arveda’s manipulations.”

Chloe’s shoulders slumped, as soon as her eyes met Abby’s she snapped her head to the side as a streak of fiery red hair came around the corner. Meri stood bloody and bruised with Lobo at her side. “Chloe, this ends now. Get your ass home and stop acting like a child.”

Abby’s eyes widened. “No.”

The words came before she even knew what was going to happen. Chloe’s eyes narrowed and the blue of her irises turned black. Something deep inside of her knew something was coming. The younger Striga shot her hands out hitting everyone with a blast of energy. Abby flew back into the wall and the sword clattered to the ground. Meri was the quickest to get back on her feet and ran toward her sister. Chloe’s arm shot out and something opened, as if reality tore itself a new door at her wordless command. The younger Striga walked through the door and disappeared as the Beast pushed off from his spot and lunged for his new escape route. Meri paused as soon as Chloe opened the portal, but a second later she regained herself and sprinted to head off the Beast. Lobo frantically followed as she came within striking distance of the creature. The Beast turned his head, bowed and flexed his neck at the precise time Meri was too close to change course.

Abby leapt to help, but Meri’s body came to an abrupt stop as a single horn sunk into her chest and protruded out of her back. He roared and thrashed his head in victory as Meri’s impaled body hung on his horn. Blood ran down his face, his inhuman snorts echoed off the buildings.

The world went into fast-forward. Abby cried out. Lobo still ran for his mate as the Beast flicked her limp body off his horn and continued through the portal. Abby doubled over, retching and wiping away the tears. Lobo slumped to the ground. He sat holding her body and staring into the empty space the Beast had parted through.

Abby tried to crawl over to him, maybe there was a chance Meri was still alive. “The healers, we need to—” Her words trailed off, Meri’s body transformed to some sort of winged and feather covered woman. Her green eyes flickered and with her next breath she shifted back to her human form. “What the—” Lobo’s head turned slowly, lips curled up, teeth bared, and snarling. She backed away and held her hands up. “Lobo, please. It’s just me.”

Seconds turned into minutes as Abby whispered plea after plea to Lobo. A shrieking cry splintered the silence and Lobo answered back with a howl and growl that made the hair on Abby’s neck stand on end. They were never going to get him to leave the alley. His eyes were wild like a wounded animal and as Abby looked closer she could see his fangs elongating and claws growing long and sharp.

Lobo growled again but this time he turned his attention towards the sound of heavy boots crunching along the gravel. Abby stood up, squinting into the darkness. She could make out a silhouette of a man. Tall, muscular, with a familiar gait. Even with her perfect night vision she could only make out the vaguest of details, except his armor, that shown brightly from the void. She reached for the black sword and gasped, “You.”

The light of the moon was the first thing Nico saw. Its pale glow bathed everything in an eerie yellow light. Shouting echoed all around and he quickened his pace as he was able to make out Chloe and Abby arguing. The creature who’d saved him jogged to keep up, “Nico, don’t forget, you’re different. Not all of them will accept you.”

He paused, “Good different or bad?”

“Well, which ever you choose to make it. You’re a personification. You need to maintain balance.”

“Personification of what—” His question broke off at the sound of a scream from a nearby alley and Nico sprinted towards it, “I don’t have time to think about balance right now.”

Nico slid to a stop at the opening of the alleyway. Meri’s bloody body lay on the ground with Lobo cradling her head in his lap. It took several nudges from Nico’s savior to make him snap out of this new hell was currently witnessing.

Throughout their troubled friendship there was always one thing he was certain of, in this crapshoot called life Meri would always outlive him. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. She fought hard, she loved hard, and she was loyal to a fault. He’d held out hope that she would survive until he saw her change. The Striga had briefly reverted to her true form for a moment before her soul left her body. It broke a part of Nico he didn’t even know existed.

They’d fought together and against one another, they’d argued, but in the end they always stood by each other. Now she was gone leaving everyone who knew her devastated.

“Will you help them, Nico?”

“I can’t disrupt them now.” Nico whispered.

“If not now, then when?” the man asked.

“I didn’t think your kind was into fortune-teller bullshit.”

“I think you don’t even know what my kind are.” He smirked.

Nico turned to face him, taking in the full sight of his savior. He tapped his chin. “Your glowing eyes give you away. You’re a Nephilim, aren’t you?”

He nodded. “I didn’t realize you knew any of us.”

“One or two.” Nico cast another glance down the alley “How did you end up in Hell?”

“Not all of us work for the Church.”

“You’ve sided with Lucifer? Then why help me on behalf of God?”

“I haven’t sided with anyone. I’m out for myself and my wellbeing rests on both sides staying where they belong. Good in Heaven, Evil in Hell, Purgatory for everyone else.”

“That’s a lie, you work for the Order. You’re a Dark-Soul.” Nico scratched his temple “Wait? How do I know that’s a lie, how did I know you’re a Dark-Soul?”

“You are the Personification of Justice. You can hear a lie. You can hear the truth, and your perception is quite exceptional”

“So, you are lying?”

The Dark-Soul smiled. “Of course I am. You should know that the Church has spies everywhere, even in Hell. But my cover can’t be broken. My work isn’t done there.”

“But Rosa knows.”

“Yeah, she’ll have to be dealt with. That’s why you need to snap out of your fog and get everyone together.”

A scream cut through the air, Nico bristled. He knew exactly where that scream had come from. “Arveda.”

“She’s going to want blood for this. The Striga are not to be trifled with when it comes to their grief. You’ve already seen what grief did to Chloe, she turned her back on everything and everyone. Arveda might just obliterate New Mexico off the face of the planet. Meri was…” he paused and let his eyes wander to Lobo cradling Meri’s lifeless form. “Meri was to be Arveda’s successor. She was the embodiment of everything her mother had been in her youth. She was the favorite, with the exception of Chloe. Now the old Striga has lost both of them, she won’t take it lightly.”

“What do we need to do?”

“Get everyone to safety, Rosa will be coming for you.”

Nico smirked, “She can’t come for me, the Gates are closing. My sacrifice will seal her in there.”

The Dark-Soul shook his head. “Rosa doesn’t use the Gates to enter Hell, she’s been here long before you opened them, remember?” He glanced down towards Meri, “Not everyone in Hell needs the Gates, otherwise you’d never have to worry about demons. That entrance is needed for the Beasts, the Horsemen, and the full army.”

Nico nodded and took a step forward, then paused. He turned his head slowly, giving the man a curious look. “Did you just say Beasts? As in plural?” The man didn’t say a word but the twitch of his lips as they curled into a sly smile revealed more than Nico needed to hear. “Fuck.” He turned back to the street and started walking out of the shadows.

When he stepped out of the darkness Abby felt a cosmic sucker punch right to the gut. “You.” She gasped with the sword at the ready. She wanted to double over, scream, and lash out all at once. Slowly she rose up, glaring at him. “Is this the best the devil can do? Conjuring a demon to take the shape of—”

“It’s me, Abby.”

She stared into Nico’s familiar eyes but shook her head. “Nico is dead. You aren’t him.”

“I am. I swear it.”

“You swear it to whom”

“I swear to God, Abby, I’m real.”

She was still shaking her head, but any words she might want to scream were lodged in her throat. Instead Lobo looked up, eyes dark with pain, “You must be looking for a quick death, demon. First they take my mate and now you disguise yourself as my best friend? Hell must want you back really quick to send you here looking like that.”

“Lobo,” The Wolfman snarled and barred his teeth, Nico paused. “James, look at me. I’m not a demon. Smell my scent, there is no demon in me.” He reached out his hand as he knelt down beside the feral man. “Feel my pain over what’s happened here. It’s really me.”

Abby blinked but still stood speechless, she wanted to believe, but she also knew the armies of Hell would use any trick to gain the upper hand. Lobo sniffed the air, his eyes narrowed and shook his head. “You aren’t you. You smell different, but…”

“But the same?”

“Yeah.”

“I might be different but I’m still your friend.” He offered up a small smile. “Deep down, I’m still me.”

Lobo stood up, hefting Meri’s lifeless body with him. “Then what are you doing here if you aren’t a demon and how did you escape Hell?”

“Long story, but—”

Another voice interrupted them, a deep, masculine voice Abby had never heard before. “But we’ve got very little time to tell it. Everyone must get somewhere safe. The church is our last safe place. It’s where we’ll make our final stand against the Whore.”

Abby gawked while looking up at the man who stood taller than Nico. His brown hair was short and messy which paired heavenly with his glowing blue eyes. They didn’t glow bright, like beacons, it was faint but they glowed none the less. He was handsome and frightening all wrapped up in one perfect package. It wasn’t his height or eyes that made Abby want to take a step back, it was the black leathery wings jutting from his back and the onyx horns that protruded from his temples. The horns were particularly menacing, coming out of his temples, then curving upward and back with gold casings covering their lethal tips. “What the hell is that thing?” Abby asked before she could think to mind any sort of manners.

The man, or creature, laughed off the insult and bowed his head. “I can see why you like her, Nico, she’s feisty.” He drew his attention to her and bowed his head. “I’m a Dark-Soul, I take it you haven’t met any of us yet?”

She shook her head. “No. Do they all look like you?”

“You mean, do we all look like devils?” Again he laughed. “No, we’re all different.” He gave a shrug of his shoulders and added, “Not all of us come equipped with horns and wings, some of us are just born lucky I guess.”

“I’m sorry, that was rude.”

He held up his hand. “We’re in the middle of a war, manners have no place on the battle field. Now, we need to get moving. Rosa isn’t likely to take a break until she can make you all pay.”

Abby screwed up her nose. “From what I can tell she’s winning.”

The group trudged down the street toward the church. The Dark-Soul led the way and Abby stayed close by him to get her questions answered. He looked down at her with what looked like sorrow in his eyes. “She hasn’t won, in fact, Nico dealt her a pretty big defeat down there.” Abby swung her head around to give Nico a questioning look, but the man beside her answered for him. “Nico killed himself while in Hell, he sacrificed himself to close the Gate.”

“But the Gate is still open.”

“It’s closing, give it time. His sacrifice likely put a stop to the Beasts’ emergence.”

Abby sighed as they made their way into the church. “No such luck, the Beast came out before Nico fell in and he fled with Chloe through the portal.”

Jack stepped out of the shadows inside the entryway and clasped hands with the Dark-Soul. “Graham, glad you could finally show up.”

Abby interrupted. “Graham? That’s your name?”

He smiled. “Yep, did you expect me to be named Az’Zeal or something menacing like that?”

“Well… Yeah, sort of.”

“Sorry to disappoint, but the name is Graham Blackwell.” Jack was motioning for Graham to follow him but before he walked away he glanced back at Abby and whispered. “There are two Beasts in Jack’s book of Revelations. Remember?”

Her eyes widened when left with that little tidbit. Two of them, one more Beast to contend with if the Gates didn’t close in time. “Shit.” She cursed.

“Don’t worry.” Nico said against her ear. “We’ll take care of him, we’re prepared this time.”

She jumped and hitched a breath. “You can’t sneak up on me like that.”

Nico’s brow pulled together in a hard line. “I’ve never snuck up on you before.”

“Yeah, well.” She wrapped her arms around herself searching for some sort of comfort in the wake of everything that’d happened. Lobo was certain Nico was back, but even he’d said Nico was different. Different how? She wanted to believe it was him, she wanted to feel his arms around her, but she’d died and was reborn a freak of nature. A supernatural killer. What did that make him? “Things are different now? Don’t you think?”

“My feelings for you haven’t changed.” He held out his hand to her and whispered, “Come with me.”

She slipped her hand into his as he pulled her into a quiet room. Abby eyed him suspiciously. Taking a step back he let their hands drop and leaned against the far wall. “Say whatever you have to say, Abby. I’ll answer you as best as I can.”

He gave her space, space she hadn’t realized she’d need. Even after death he was still concerned about her, the world was teetering on the brink of disaster and he was making sure that she got a chance to get some answers. Her chest grew tight, there was no doubt he was still Nico, but one question still lingered. “Are you—” Her voice quivered. “Are you broken,” there was a pause, “like me?” Her whole body trembled as she did her best to hold back her sobs. “Are you a monster?”

He backed into the corner. His hand cupped her cheek, smoothing his thumb over her delicate skin. “You aren’t broken, Abby. And as far as I can tell, no, I’m not a monster.”

“But you died, we all saw you fall into that pit. How can you be here?”

“Graham saved me.” He ran his hand through her hair and shook his head. “Well, that’s not entirely true, I was already dead and enduring Rosa’s torture when he arrived. What he said was true, I sacrificed myself to close the Gate. I did it for you, I never thought I’d see you again, but my only mission was to close the Gate to give you a fighting chance. Rosa had already killed me twice by the time he came. He knocked her out and gave me a chance to come back.”

“Why?”

“God deemed my actions worthy of returning to the fight.”

“So they resurrected you?”

“No, my soul was trapped in Hell, it couldn’t be resurrected, but it could be reincarnated.”

“But that would mean you’d have to be born all over again.”

He shook his head. “I don’t think God has to play by anyone’s rules, especially since Lucifer decided to change the game. The personification of Justice died, remember?” she nodded and he continued, “Graham was given the task of reincarnating my soul into the Personification of Justice and transported my soul out of Hell.”

Abby stared at him for a long moment and then her eyes lit up. “Does that mean—”

Nico cut her off. “No, Lucas is still gone. Rosa crushed his heart. Just like Justice, he can’t be reborn, Courage will be reincarnated, new body-new soul. Either someone will be born as the reincarnation of Courage or they will find someone who is worthy, but it won’t be Lucas just as I am not in the body of the previous Justice.” He paused. “I already asked.”

“But you’re really real? This isn’t a trick?”

“No trick, it’s me, just slightly different.”

“Different how?”

“I have the same gifts as any other Personification. I’ll live just as long as you will, I won’t age, and I can withstand a whole hell of a lot of damage. As Justice I can tell if someone is lying. I can tell if their motives are pure and if their actions are just.” His hand dropped to his belt where his blade used to be sheathed and patted a silver hammer hanging from the holster. “And apparently the hammer is my new weapon of choice.”