Steal Me From Heaven (36 page)

“I’m going to go upstairs and get ready. My drink is there?” Jacob nods. “I may not make it to the meeting.”

“That’s fine. You know the plan. Take all the time you need.”

Chapter 17

Dark shadows float along the lawn sprawling across the grass. I can barely make out the multitude of Demons and ghosts that hide in waiting. The Vampires make their way out to meet them. Those of us who can fly are on the rooftop.

When Jacob lets out a fierce roar, we attack. The Demons are falling fast. Once the ghosts join the fight, we are once again at a disadvantage. Jacob nods at me and Rebecca. We take flight to the pond. He will join us after he makes sure no one follows us. I look down and see Jacob’s sword slicing through a ghost. It will not kill it but it will slow it down.

After we fly over the pond twice to make sure it is clear, we land. Rebecca starts to put up the hidden mirrors, attaching them to the trees in a circle. I hear the water rippling behind me. When I turn, I see several Demons emerge.

“We’ve come to drag you back to Hell, hybrid,” the one with the scar says.

“Does Lilith miss me already?” I say sarcastically.

“She will not be as kind to you this time.”

“You call her hospitality kind?” I spit. “Quit talking and let’s dance already.” I throw my dagger at him and miss on purpose. It lodges in the chest of the Demon behind him. He crumbles to bones in the water.

“Missed me,” the scarred Demon remarks.

“Yeah, but I hit your friend.”

The Demon turns to see his friend is gone. When he faces me again, I am in flight and coming down on his head. My dagger buries into his back, but I miss his heart. The second Demon throws me off, and I roll to the ground. I know there is at least one more that came out of the water. I cannot find him. When he grabs me from behind, I realize my mistake. I am too close to the water, and with two Demons in front of me and one holding me from behind, I have no room to fight them off. I grab my blade from my thigh and stab the one behind me. He screams but does not let me go.

When I try to reach for the other blade, he stops me. I call forth my light and shock him until he drops his hold on my arms. I turn around quickly and dispose of him with a blade to his heart.
As I withdraw my silver, I am kicked from behind. I land face first in the water. I spin around and stumble to get to my feet. The scarred Demon kicks me again. I hear the water rippling behind me again. The portal is open but I do not know if it is meant to let me in or more Demons out. I feel a talon pierce my shoulder. I now realize Lilith is on the other side close to the surface.

I hear a yell from above. The flash of metal catches my eye as Lilith’s limb is amputated. Her talon still clenches my flesh around my bones. Before the two remaining Demons reach me, I see Malachi land in the water in front of me. His spears from his wings are dripping with Demon blood as they hang down to his calves.

Taking out two daggers, he throws them at the same time and kills both Demons. He turns and offers me his hand to help me up. When I stand, he comes behind me and pries Lilith’s dead bird hand off my shoulder.

“Where did you come from?” I ask.

“You needed me, so I came,” he says. “Is she ready?”

“Yes, where is Jessica?”

“If she needs me, I will know it, and I will go to her.”

“Are you feeling better?” I ask.

“Are you?”

“Yes, I feel fine. My shoulder hurts now. I do not think it is healing.”

“Let me see,” he says.

“You are avoiding my question.”

“Maybe,” he says as he stretches my top down. “It looks bad. I cannot heal it.”

“Didn’t you recharge?”

“I have no light. I told you I gave it to you.”

“You said you would recharge as much as you could.”

“And I did. I cannot lie. I’ve used all I’ve regained.”

“Take it from me,” I plead.

“No, you need it more.”

“If you are about to die, you will take what you need from me. Do you understand?”

“If it comes to that, and I know that you will be okay, then I will.”

“We are ready,” Rebecca interrupts. We walk out of the water. Malachi goes to hook up the many hoses and water pumps. I stand by Rebecca, who starts chanting her spells. I hear a howl
coming from the battlefield. The wind picks up, blowing the leaves from their branches.

“They are coming but so are the Demons,” I call out. Malachi turns on the pumps. Jacob and Jessica land beside us.

“Now that you are here, I must go,” Malachi says to Jacob.

“Go where?” I ask.

“The Fallen are to stop the Demon retreat as the Vampires advance from behind. Are the sprinklers set?”

“Yes, they will start in ten minutes,” Jacob says.

“Why must you go?” I ask Malachi.

Jacob takes my hand and answers for him. “He is their leader. It is his place.” Malachi nods his head at Jacob.

“Lilith pierced her shoulder with her talon. Her skin is starting to darken once again. She is close to the gateway. She will enter before it closes.” Jacob turns to me and looks at my flesh.

“Thank you for saving her,” he tells my former Guardian. They may not like each other but at least they respect one another.

“If you hurt too badly, use the light to heal yourself. You have plenty.” Malachi leaves through the air.

“The ghosts are here. Stay close to me,” I say to Jessica and Jacob. I start to glow large enough to envelop all of us. The ghosts try to break into my enclosure but they cannot. As a large quantity gather, Rebecca cast a light on the first mirror that starts a chain reaction. The beam goes around to each mirror, which reflects it to the next one. After the circle is completed, the ghosts disappear into the largest mirror closest to us. They are trapped inside.

“It’s working,” Jessica says. The pond is about one-third emptied.

“I do not know if the Fallen can hold them off long enough for the water to recede,” I wonder out loud.

“You have never seen them fight,” Jacob informs me. “The water from the sprinklers that we installed will help them heal faster.” I hear the rotating heads of the gadgets start and water mist rise up in the night sky. Horror sounds erupt as the Fallen attack from the sky. The Demons try to retreat but the Vampires attack from behind. The plan is working perfectly. More and more spirits are falling into our trap.

I feel the ground quake beneath our feet. Rebecca grabs the large mirror and takes off running in the direction of the hotel. If the mirror shatters, then all the spirits will be set free. She must secure it somewhere safe. The water has receded from the pond to
where there is at least a twenty-foot circle of mud before the water meets the grass.

A mighty squeal comes from beneath the portal. Lilith is coming. Jacob pushes me behind him. With her red wings ablaze with fire, she ascends into the night sky. She does not land to fight us. She is going after Rebecca.

I see someone else emerge from the gateway. It is Arthur. He turns to face Jacob one on one. I jump to the air to chase the red Demon down. Jessica is close behind me. When I see Rebecca, I do not see the mirror or Lilith. I land in front of her. “Is it secure?” I ask.

“Yes,” she replies. “It is whole and in place.”

“Good. Did you see Lilith?”

“No, she is here?”

“Yes. She was chasing you,” Jessica replies. We all take to flight and head back towards Jacob. When I notice a large shadow above us, it is too late. Rebecca screams as Lilith pierces her shoulders with her talons and drags her away. I guess she has recuperated from losing her limb earlier.

“No,” I scream. “You want me, not her.” I try to chase but she is too fast. I climb higher in altitude and notice their direction. She is headed towards the mountains. I narrow my vision and darken my eyes to allow for more light to pass through. I see her perched on a tree limb but I do not see Rebecca. I know she will torture her in order to find out the location of the mirror or use her to get Jacob to bind her.

Jessica flies up to meet me. The altitude is too much for her to handle. “Come, I know where they are. She will wait for us. We need Jacob and Malachi if we are to get her back.”

The pond is completely drained now when we land. Jacob and Arthur are fighting in hand-to-hand combat. Male egos once again get in my way. “Pull out your blade and finish him. We have more important matters to attend to,” I yell at Jacob.

Arthur reacts first and slices into Jacob’s stomach. Jacob rolls and stands back up with a dagger in each hand. He uses my trick of throwing the daggers in the air while charging Arthur with new blades already in his hands. When Arthur notices his folly, he sidesteps, causing the first dagger to miss his heart and land in his shoulder. The second dagger lands in his throat as Jacob runs his right hand all the way through his heart. Arthur falls to ash.

“Why is he not bones?” I ask.

“Lilith must be protecting him. He is Demon now.  He will need to find another portal before he can return since this gateway is closed. It should take him a while.”

“We need to find Malachi. Lilith has Rebecca. I do not know if she will break and tell her where the mirror is located. She made it to secure it in the manner in which we instructed.”

“You find Malachi, Jessica and I will go to Lilith. Where did she go?”

“She rests on a branch high in the eastern mountain side. Maybe Jessica should get Malachi?”

“No. He will not leave his people for anyone other than you.”

“Oh.” I do not know what else to say. “Be careful.”

We all fly off in different directions. I know Jessica will come in from behind the mountains. They work well as a team. I can tell that Jacob had trained both his sister and Rebecca to fight. Their styles are all identical.

When I find Malachi standing amongst the dead bodies and remaining warriors and Demons, his body is severely bruised and bloody. I land behind him. He turns his blade on me but stops when he recognizes me.

“Marion, why are you here?”

“We need you. Lilith has Rebecca.”

“Jacob can handle her,” he says as he buries his sword into his adversary. “He will not let harm come to his daughter.”

“He doesn’t know,” I admit.

“What? Marion, why would you keep that from him? If Lilith tells him, he will surely bind her to keep her safe.”

“I thought I could tell him in order to keep him from binding her, not to have it used against me.” I cup my hand on his cheek. “Please, Malachi, I need you.”

“Gerald,” he yells to his friend. “You are in charge.” Malachi jumps to the air, pulling me up with him. He hugs me pressed against his bloody body. I have to fold in my wings for him to fly safely. “I need my light back now,” he says to me.

“Take it, I offer it to you.” He picks up the blue pearl necklace and holds it in his fingers.

“I’m glad you still wear my gift,” he says as the chain slips back down to rest on my neck.

“Always,” I say. He leans down and kisses me. He parts my lips with his tongue but he doesn’t enter. I feel him withdraw my breath into his body. I release his light back into him. When he is
finished, my lips are still parted, and I am left shivering in his arms.

“You okay?” he asks. I just nod my head and snuggle my face into the crease of his neck. From the change in the scent of him, I know his wounds are healing.

“Don’t leave yourself vulnerable ever again,” I tell him. After I motion to the spot where I last saw Lilith, he lets me go to fly on my own. She is no longer in the tree. I look down below and see Jacob and Jessica fighting her.

“Where’s Rebecca?” I ask.

“I have her. Go to Jacob,” Malachi yells as he nose dives swiftly through the tree branches. I see a shadow leap from somewhere off to my side. Before I am able to lay eyes on it again, I am hit and we roll together through the air. She has me pierced up under my rib cage. I know her face.

“Ariel,” I say. “My Demon protector, aren’t you on the wrong side?”

She laughs. “You are no longer my charge with you being a Guardian yourself. Lilith saved me from the Abyss. My loyalties are to her. Demon to Fallen, I can kill you with a twist of my knife.”

“She didn’t tell you, did she? I am not Fallen. I am Angel. You cannot touch me.” I see her frown as she realizes the truth. She twists the blade into my heart. I pulverize my electric charge into her body. She is thrown backwards through the air, and she falls to the ground. I expel the knife from my chest. I am still alive, but it definitely has slowed me.

I recover enough to chase after her. I descend to the ground. I see Rebecca is tied to a tree, dangling above a blazing fire. Lilith can make her fall at any moment. Arthur is there protecting her. He must know of another portal. The fighting is getting closer. I can smell Lilith’s foul stench.

“Hello, Arthur. It looks like it is just you and me,” I say. “I’m not the little housewife you remember me to be. Let go of my daughter, and I might let you live.”