The Fall (19 page)

Archer heard a thrum in the air, getting louder. Nephilim looked around in confusion, not understanding.

“Stall him, Archius,” someone whispered. The voice was in his head, and the fact that no one else seemed to snap to attention at the sound of it suggested no one else was hearing one of their own. Having nothing else to go on, he trusted the voice.

“That was entertaining,” Asmodeus professed, grinning maniacally. “Well, I’m off. You guys have fun, now. By the way, you should know that this place will probably be flooded with Naphidim. They are spilling over the ley lines, and this joint is filled with them. I’m guessing after millennia as spirits, their corporeal forms will be reaaaaaaallyyyy hungry!”

“Wait!” Archer yelled. Mastema turned to him, regarding him as he would a cockroach.

“What, abomination?”

“Where are the Grigori?” he asked. He had a feeling he knew.

“In Tartarus. I have been imprisoned with them for thousands of years, and their cries for forgiveness from their creator have been tiresome. May they rot there forever.” The thrum had become so loud that Archer felt the need to cover his ears. The other Nephilim were doing the same, alerting Mastema that something was amiss.

Something else was stepping from the doorway.

***

Addison looked on with trepidation. The figure took form, and it was a spectacular sight. The man was more than seven-feet tall, muscular, and utterly beautiful. His eyes were silver, as was his hair. Addison knew she was looking at divinity. She also knew it must be one of the Grigori.

“Demon,” it said, the voice deep and sultry. “You will not leave.” Mastema gave the angel a smile before clicking his fingers. When nothing happened, he looked around in confusion.

“What have you done to my powers?” Mastema demanded furiously.

“You will not leave.” With that, the angel clapped his hands together above his head. Wings unfurled from his back, spanning the entire room. They were not feathered, as Addison had embarrassingly expected, but almost incorporeal. They were like smoke, but looked soft to touch.

The angel curled his finger, and Mastema went flying towards him. Shackles appeared around his hands and ankles, and he was thrown back through the portal. The angel stood, staring at his surroundings. He took a deep breath, and sighed sadly.

He stopped when he saw Archer.

“Archius.” His voice was a whisper. Addison looked at Archer, who was looking at the Watcher coldly.

“Samyaza.”

Addison gasped. THAT was Samyaza? She wasn’t sure why she was so shocked. It made sense, but she just hadn’t expected Archer’s dad to look like such a … spunk. She almost slapped herself for her mental tangents, trying to focus on the present.

“You,” Samyaza began, breathless, “you look exactly like her.”

Jake stepped up next to Archer.

“Janus, my son.” Samyaza looked at them with pride.

“You are no father to us,” Jake spat. Samyaza’s expression was hard to read, but Addison thought she saw dismay. She felt bad for him, but shook that off, knowing that he had left his sons and their mother to fend for themselves.

“I am sorry I was not there for you. I feared it would draw attention to you and put you in danger. Whatever you believe, just know that I loved your mother. More than myself.” Addison saw Ace lift his head at that, his hair still covering his face. Fury radiated from him, despite his injuries. She frowned, but her attention returned to Archer’s exchange.

“Now what?” Archer said, not bothering to respond.

“I must go back. If I leave, Tartarus is unlocked and all creatures will be free. I will accept my punishment and pray God will forgive me. When I step through, destroy the portal. I’m sure you all have powers to allow you to do so.” Archer nodded. Samyaza paused before stepping through the doorway.
“I have had glimpses of your lives, Sons. I am proud of you.” With that, he stepped through, disappearing into oblivion.

“Fuck,” Jake muttered, shaking his head.

“That just about sums it up,” Archer remarked dryly. He pulled Addison into his arms and kissed her forehead. “Everyone, use whatever powers you have that may be useful to destroy the portal.” Suddenly, things were flying at the portal, and it was shaking from within itself. The surrounding Nephilim all wore looks of concentration, using whatever powers they had to close the portal. Archer held up his hand, and a ball of light erupted from it. It struck the portal, which exploded. Everyone looked at him in awe, but he ignored them. He turned to Addison.

“Are you okay, Addy?” Archer looked at her from head to toe, searching for any sign of injury.

She let out a delicate snort. “We’re alive, that’s always nice. However, you just met your long-lost angel father who saved all of our butts.”

Well, wasn’t that just their situation in a nutshell?

“Looks like you have a new power, though,” she said with a smile. Her hand stroked his cheek, and she gave him a quick kiss. Despite his protests, she stood up with a groan. Archer watched Addison walk over to a man lying on the floor. He followed her and leaned down to touch him. He was losing consciousness. Addison looked up at him with tearful eyes.

“Archer, can we take him with us? He got hurt trying to help me.”

Archer paused, and Addison frowned. She was prepared to argue, but Archer nodded.

“Jake, can you carry this man into the van?”

“Ace,” Addison said. “His name is Ace.”

Archer growled, and then felt sheepish. This was so not the time to feel territorial. If this Nephilim had tried to help Addison, then he owed him his life.

“Come, Addison. I want to take you home,” Archer told her, picking her up to cradle her against his body. She snuggled closer to him, and the action made him want to puff out his chest. She was his life, he realised. Though the thought may have initiated a nervous breakdown weeks ago, it now warmed his chest. If he had ten minutes, ten years, or ten decades, it didn’t matter. He loved her, and he would never leave her. Could never leave her.

His fellow Vertalur brethren had shackled the Nephilim sorcerers and were piling them into black vans they had brought along. Preparation was key, and these guys were nothing if not equipped. Everyone looked grim but relieved. It was a miracle that no one had died tonight.
Well, no one on our side, anyway.

Malachi had been lucky, though. If Archer had been the one to kill him, he would have taken his sweet time to teach everyone a lesson on what happened if you fucked with his woman. Looking back at Malachi’s corpse, he saw something gleam in the light. Telling Addison to wait, he went over and saw the gold cuff Addison had told him about. He examined it, and let out a gasp. He gently removed it and put it into his pocket.
Salvation.

***

Jake drove them home with Jeremiah in the passenger seat. Addison was draped over Archer’s lap, and they were squished up next to Levi and Chance. Ace lay stretched out in the far backseat.

“Shweta,” Addison said finally, tired of the silence. Everyone turned to look at her as though she had gone completely nuts. She let out a sigh and hoped this was worth relieving the tension. “My middle name, Jake. You asked me, and I told you I don’t have one. It is Shweta.”

There was absolute silence for a moment before a loud bark of laughter echoed through the car. It came from Jake, who was shaking in hysterics.

“Are you kidding me?” he asked, spinning towards her

“Unfortunately not,” she said regretfully. One by one, each of the men started laughing. Even Jeremiah smiled, with his head down, as if trying to be polite. “Okay, laugh it up. My mum wanted to put something cultured into my name, so she did.”

“Your mother doesn’t like you very much, does she?” Levi asked seriously, though his eyes were glistening with humour.

“Ha ha,” she replied sarcastically, before haughtily adding, “It’s not that bad.”

“Oh, but it is.” Archer laughed, kissing her head. “But it suits you. Unusual, unique, and it certainly grows on you.”

“That sounds like you’re describing a fungus.” Addison glowered at him before cuddling back against his chest, nuzzling against his neck. She breathed in deeply, savouring his scent.  He smelled like home, she realised. The tantalizing smell of spices filled her head and she sighed deeply.
There are so many things that are going horribly wrong
, she thought. But this, being here with him, felt so very, very right.

***

Chapter 22

Archer didn’t bother saying goodbye to his brothers, taking Addison straight to his room. Addison looked around, paying attention to the decor for the first time. The bed was absolutely huge, far bigger than a king-size, and was draped in black silk sheets. The walls were deep red, and Addison had the strangest feeling that she was entering a lion’s den.

“The ladies must love this,” she said as she looked around, jealous at the thought.

Archer looked down at her. “You are the first woman to be in here, Addison. And you shall be the last,” he murmured before kissing her softly. Addison let out a deep, contented sigh.

“Archer,” she began, looking up at him with a smile. “Is it all over? Will everyone leave us alone now?” Archer pulled her down onto the bed alongside him, holding her in a tight embrace.

“Yes, baby.” He gave her forehead a soft kiss.

“Then can you please finally make love to me?” she looked up at him imploringly. “With no interruptions.” Archer smiled down at her, and his hand went to her cheek. He kissed her. Once. Twice. Then longer and deeper. The kiss became desperate. All Archer could think about was how close he’d come to losing her forever. He pulled off his clothes before slowly removing her own.

“Are you sure, Addy?” he asked, wanting to make sure.

“I’ve never wanted anything this much in my life.”

Archer’s lips went to hers as his hand cupped her breast. Without breaking the kiss, he gently massaged them, pinching her nipples and rolling them in his palm. His hand travelled south seeking her wetness. He wasn’t disappointed. Her sex was drenched, and Addison let out a whimper when he began to rub her clit.

“I’m ready,” she begged. He positioned himself above her. With one deep thrust, he was inside her. He made no attempt to be gentle; he was beyond that. He kissed her hard before breaking away so he could thrust harder.

***

Addison was in ecstasy. Archer had never lost control as completely as he had now. He was pummelling into her so hard that her back was against the headboard, and her arms were above her head against the wall, stopping her face from driving itself through it. Archer moved his hands from her hips and slid them upwards, briefly cupping her breasts before travelling up her arms and clasping her hands in his. His rhythm never slowed, and Addison’s orgasm arrived with a vengeance.

“Archer!” she screamed as her body began quivering. She clenched unintentionally, and the movement made her sex even tighter.

“Addison, oh Heavens. Don’t let go of that, that feels fucking amazing,” he groaned, thrusting harder than she thought was possible. He came inside her, the sensation filling her up and making her come again. Archer collapsed, and because he was the only thing keeping her up, she collapsed on top of him.

“You Are. Going. To. Kill. Me,” Archer said between breaths. Addison laughed and stretched on top of him, making him moan when her bottom rubbed against his groin. “Oh, no. I’m not ready.”

“I don’t think I’ll be able to walk tomorrow,” Addison said with a smile, flipping herself over and resting her chin on his chest. She kissed him lightly on the lips. “I love you, Archer.”

“I love you too, baby. Jake has been my only real family for some time now. Having you is a blessing I never thought I'd be lucky enough to receive."

"If you don't mind me asking, what was your mother like?" Archer had never spoken in detail of his mother, and Addison wanted to know about the lady who had birthed the love of her life. She was worried that it might bring back bad memories, but when she saw Archer smile, she knew he had loved his mother a lot.

"Her name was Lucia. We lived where modern Greece is now. She was a seamstress, and many believed her to be the most beautiful woman in our village. You would have liked her, Addison," Archer said, his smile wistful. "She was kind and good, but tough. She never let Jake and I get away with things, but in hindsight, it was obvious she was amused by our misadventures."

"I imagine it took an incredible level of patience to put up with the two of you," she joked. Archer's smile became bittersweet.

"She told no one about who our father was. She was treated badly, treated as some kind of tramp, because she didn’t have a husband. Still, she said no bad word against anyone, not even our father. We lived a simple life, but she made sure we had everything we needed. She even taught us how to read. Samyaza had taught her." Archer couldn't hide his bitterness when he mentioned his father.

"Before tonight, had you ever met him?" she asked. "Samyaza?"

"No," Archer said, looking down. "Mama would always say he was watching us from Heaven, but I don't know if even she really believed that. Knowing how many children he has, I thought he was a selfish, careless man looking out for only himself. I used to hope he’d rot in Tartarus for the rest of eternity. Now I don’t know how to feel." Addison snuggled closer to him, her hand going to his cheek before combing through his hair in affection.

"Well he missed out," she said with sincerity. "You, Jake, Levi, Jeremiah, and I'm sure many more are such great people. He missed out on seeing you grow into the men you now are."

"Thank you, Addison. If I am ever blessed with children, I will do my best to make amends for his mistakes."

Addison looked up at him in surprise. "Nephilim can father children?" she asked. She has assumed it was impossible, but her heart lifted at the thought.

"We can. It's harder than it is for two full humans to conceive, but not impossible."