22. Evangeline

Jett brought me back to the beach house, and as soon as my feet hit the carpet, I collapsed onto the couch. I was already feeling exhausted by the overwhelming task ahead of me. Save the world. Three little words with a shit ton of pressure. “Are they going to be ok?”

“Kase and Ry?” Jett asked, sitting beside me and pulling me against him. “They couldn’t be safer.”

“But what if the other hounds turned against Lucifer, too?”

“Not possible,” he assured me. “The very fabric of a hellhound is to serve Hell and Luce. We couldn’t turn against him if we wanted to.” From the tone of his voice, I could tell how inconceivable he thought it was, which made me feel better. “What’s our next step when they get back?”

What was our next step? I was supposed to know this, but all I felt was lost. “I don’t know,” I replied quietly. “What if Lucifer was wrong? What if I’m not the death angel? Everything we know will cease to exist if I mess this up.”

“Hey,” Jett said, shaking me a little. “Lucifer isn’t wrong. You’re special, Evangeline. If anyone can fix this and take out Zabiza, it’s you. Lucifer wouldn’t have shared his powers with you if he didn’t know that to be true. You just need to have faith in yourself.”

“I don’t know what to do,” I replied.

“You’ll figure it out. Luce said to trust your instincts, and you already know where to go. I bet Zabiza doesn’t expect that. Forget everything else and focus on your gut. What’s it telling you?” Jett asked.

I sighed and closed my eyes, clearing my mind. I could do this. I had to. What was my next move? After a few minutes, my eyes popped open again. “Do you remember how to get to the island where we met the angels?”

“Yeah.”

“Take me there,” I ordered.

“Now?”

“Right now,” I replied, standing and pulling Jett to his feet. A sense of urgency flooded me, and I felt I needed to go immediately.

“Ok, let’s go,” Jett said.

“Wait, you’re not going to argue with me. Tell me that Rylan told us to stay here?” I asked.

Jett shrugged. “I told you to follow your instincts, and this is where they’re taking us. They’ll be able to find us if they return before we do. You need to see the angels, so let’s go see them.” He held his hand out to me, and I took it.

Without another word, he teleported us to the island. The thrones were empty, but I didn’t expect the angels to be waiting for us. I let go of Jett’s hand and approached them. “I need to talk to you!” I yelled, my voice echoing eerily, considering it was open air around us. Nobody appeared until I was about to yell again. A blinding flash of light surrounded us, and then Cassiel, the angel of balance, stood before us.

“We’re a little busy right now, Evangeline. What do you need?” Cassiel asked. His bored tone did little to hide his anxiety.

“Zabiza has taken Lucifer,” I informed him. “What I need is the support of the angels to fight him, rescue Lucifer, and save the world. While you didn’t heed our earlier warnings, I hope you will reconsider now.”

Cassiel paled. “He has Lucifer?”

“That’s what she said,” Jett replied impatiently.

“Oh, this is bad. This is very, very, bad,” Cassiel said as he began to pace.

“What aren’t you telling me?”

Cassiel stopped pacing to face me. “The Maker is missing. We thought maybe she had gone somewhere to be alone, but she didn’t return, so we’ve been searching for her. After what you told me, I now fear that perhaps she did not leave on her own.”

This was bad. Zabiza already had all the important pieces in place to take over. “I know where he took them,” I replied. “Can you gather the angels to help us fight?”

Cassiel nodded. “I can see what I can do. I know many will fight. Give me your hand, and I’ll pull the location from your mind.”

I held out my hand for him to work his angel magic. “Cassiel, can I ask you a question?” After a moment, he nodded, so I continued. “Have you heard of the death angel?”

Cassiel looked confused for a minute before his eyes went distant as if he were trying to recall some long-forgotten information. “Lucifer was the death angel the legend spoke of,” he finally said.

I shook my head. “Lucifer said he was never the true death angel. It was just what he and God wanted everyone to believe,” I replied. “Lucifer thinks I’m the death angel. He— he shared his powers with me.”

Cassiel started pacing and muttering to himself again. I only caught bits and pieces of what he was saying. “Impossible... why would they... the implications... could it be... if so....” Cassiel stopped talking and turned to me with a calculating eye. “If what Lucifer says is true, then you’re the only one who can fix this.”

“Gee, you figured that out all on your own?” Jett sneered.

“Your tone is not needed,” Cassiel snapped, glaring at Jett. When he refocused on me, his face softened. “The responsibility you have been tasked with is great, Evangeline.”

“Don’t I know it,” I sighed. “Any advice?”

“Unfortunately not. But I can do something.” He stepped closer to me and placed his hand on my forehead. I gasped and felt something I never thought I would again—my grace. Tears formed in my eyes as the heavenly power filled the void my fall had left within my soul.

“Holy shit,” Jett murmured behind me.

When Cassiel finished, he cupped my cheeks softly. “Good luck,” he whispered. With a flash of blinding light, he was gone.

I turned to face Jett and nearly toppled over. Flapping my wings to steady myself, I realized why I had been off balance. My wings had changed. They were back to their previous size, but instead of pure white, they were dove gray.

Jett stared at me in awe. “Did he do what I think he just did?”

I nodded. “Cassiel gave me back my grace.”

“So you now have the power of Heaven and Hell inside of you?”

I nodded again. This was unheard of.

“Ok, well then, I would call this a successful trip. Let’s get back home.” I took his hand, and we teleported back to the house. Rylan and Kase were there, and the second we appeared, Rylan yanked me into his arms.

“Where the fuck were you?” he growled as he squeezed me tightly.

“We went to talk to the angels,” I squeaked.

“I told you to take her back here, not go off on an adventure,” Rylan barked at Jett.

“We were following Evangeline’s gut, and it paid off big time,” Jett replied. “Notice anything different about her? Perhaps if you weren’t smothering her when she’s obviously alive and well, you would.”

“Nice wings,” Kase complimented.

Rylan released me to step back and look for himself. “How?”

“Cassiel gave me back my grace to help me beat Zabiza. He took The Maker as well,” I replied. “How did it go with the hounds?”

“They’re ready for your summons,” he replied. “What’s our next move?”

“Our next move is to go into battle,” I said.

“Before we do, we got you something,” Kase said. He went around the couch and bent to pick something up. When he stood, he was holding a shiny metal breastplate with a purple filigree pattern across it.

“It’s stunning!”

“I thought the badass death angel needed badass armor,” Kase replied. He came over to me, slipped the armor over my head, and secured the ties on each side so that it hugged my torso.

“It’s lovely. Thank you.”

“Now I think we’re ready,” Rylan said.

“Before we go, I just want to say that I love you all so fucking much,” I said, pulling them in for a group hug. “Be careful; if something happens to you, I won’t survive it.”

“We love you too, Evangeline,” Jett replied. “And the same goes for you.”

I nodded. “We’ve got this.” I looked at them expectantly, and their expressions mirrored mine. “Let’s go,” I prompted.

“We don’t know where we’re going, angel,” Rylan chuckled.

“Oh. Right.” How the fuck was I going to tell them where to go? It wasn’t like I had an address or coordinates, and they couldn’t scoop the information from my brain like Cassiel could. Well, this is an obvious problem we should have accounted for sooner. I wracked my brain for a solution when I felt power stirring within me. I had Luce’s powers, which meant that, theoretically, I should have the power to teleport us to the island myself. “I have Lucifer’s powers,” I said thoughtfully. “Ok, everyone, join hands. Hopefully, I won’t send us to Antarctica. Any tips?”

“Just make sure that you concentrate on where you want to go. Don’t let your mind wander past bringing us to that place,” Rylan instructed.

“And relax. The powers are a part of you. It should be as easy as breathing,” Kase added.

“You should probably put your wings away before we go, too,” Jett said. “Those are a dead giveaway that you’ve had an upgrade. Best to keep your cards close to your chest until you need to show your hand.”

I hid my wings, made sure we were all connected, closed my eyes, and concentrated on the island I needed us to get to. Lucifer’s powers jumped up excitedly like they’d been waiting to do my bidding. I felt a slight breeze as they swirled around us. I knew it worked before I opened my eyes because I could hear the sounds of battle around us. I quickly summoned my sword which thankfully wasn’t flaming again and looked around as the guys shifted, so we were back to back. While I had my grace back, it didn’t negate that I fell, hence the gray wings and flameless sword.

Angels and winged demons filled the skies, and other paras fought angels on the ground. Lucifer and God were kneeling on raised pedestals at the pyramid’s base, surrounded by a shimmering forcefield. Zabiza lounged between them on the pyramid, with Gale standing at his side. I knew that bastard was involved! He glared at my mates as he summoned his sword. He’d come straight for them as soon as we joined the fight. At our arrival, Zabiza snapped to attention; his surprise at our presence was palpable.

“How did you get here?!” he shouted.

“I’m full of surprises,” I replied. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way, Zabiza. Release them, turn yourself in, and your life will be spared.”

Zabiza laughed. “And why would I do that, little fallen angel? You and your mates are no match for me.”

“Hard it is,” I said under my breath. “Watch out for Gale.”

“We’ll take care of him, angel. Don’t you worry,” Rylan growled.

I summoned the hounds as I released my wings. In seconds, they joined the fight, startling the angels. It didn’t take them long to realize they were fighting on the same side. Once they did, angels and hellhounds pushed through the line of paras fighting for Zabiza. Zabiza’s eyes bounced between me and the hounds before settling on me. “Well, look at you,” he purred. “What other tricks do you have up your sleeve? Gale, I can see why you’re so obsessed with her. She’s full of surprises.”

“She’s mine,” Gale stated, causing my mates to growl.

“That deal ended when she fell,” Zabiza replied. “If I want her, I will have her. You’ll do well not to provoke me into proving that to you.”

“Yeah, that’s gonna be a no for me on both of you,” I replied. “Also, what deal?”

“Gale had me trigger your fall in return for joining my forces. As we know, that plan backfired when the hounds that caused your fall became your mates.”

I looked at Gale. “You did this to me?”

“You wouldn’t give me the time of day, Evangeline,” Gale replied. “I had no choice but to put you in a position where you depended on me. I should have known that wouldn’t work on you.”

“I trusted you, and you ended up being worse than the people I’m hired to kill. You’re a disgrace to all angels. Thankfully, now they see you for who you truly are. The Maker sees you for who you are,” I replied.

“Oh, who cares,” Zabiza said. “Let’s get back to the task at hand. I wonder, Evangeline, who would it be if you had to choose one to save? Would you save your Maker, the one whose rules cast you out of heaven and stripped you of your grace, or would you save Lucifer, ruler of Hell, who stands for everything you’ve spent your life fighting against?”

I looked at God. She wore a white robe and had a luminescent glow around her. Now that I had my angel powers back, I could see auras, but even if I couldn’t, I would have been able to see hers. Her straight black hair hung down her back. I met her imploring eyes and knew I could never forsake her. My eyes shifted to Lucifer, who was smiling at me. He gave me an encouraging nod as if to say, you know what to do. I did know what to do. I met Zabiza’s mocking look. “It doesn’t really matter because I plan to save both of them,” I replied.

“You and what army?” he asked. “Sure, you have the hellhounds here, but they can only do so much, and they’re no match for me. The angels don’t follow you, so you won’t have any help there. Tell me, little angel, what’s your plan?”

A slow smile spread across my face. “Now, where’s the fun in that?” I summoned Lucifer’s army— no, my army, because that’s what they were right now. The additional demons aided in the battle in the sky and on the ground. I knew they could handle Zabiza’s forces. That only left Zabiza himself, and he was mine.

“Kill her mates. I’ll deal with her myself,” Zabiza growled at Gale.

“Happily,” Gale replied, launching into the air. My mates shifted into their hound forms as he landed ten feet away from us and charged him. As worried as I was for them, I knew they could take care of themselves. I needed to focus on Zabiza. The key to ending the fighting entirely was to kill him.

I launched into the air and darted to the right as he lobbed a fireball at me. I grinned down at him. I had firepower, too, and mine was hellfire. I let the power swirling within me flow freely, combining the powers of heaven and hell. Oh, yeah, he didn’t stand a fucking chance against me. With my power upgrade, the way I saw the world shifted. I could see a steady stream of power seeping from God and Lucifer into Zabiza, or rather, a similar-looking amulet to my own. Asteria may not be willing to choose sides, but she certainly set Zabiza up for success. That was another problem for another day.

I held out my palms and sent a steady beam of hellfire and light at Zabiza, forcing him to scramble off the pyramid and take cover behind God’s pedestal. I pulled back my powers so that I didn’t accidentally hit her. Zabiza’s head poked out from behind the pedestal, and he grinned like an idiot.

“Oh, you stupid fools,” he laughed. “You gave her access to your powers? Some random fallen angel? Do you realize how much easier you just made this for me?” He continued to cackle as he pointed the amulet at me and mumbled something. I saw the power streams from God and Lucifer end and braced myself for whatever was going to happen. I felt the amulet I was wearing heat, but instead of sucking the power out of me, the power began to drain from Zabiza’s amulet into mine.

I felt the extra power funnel into me through the amulet, and I grinned. This was going to be too easy. I flew around to get a better angle on Zabiza and charged down on him with another power beam. I cut the stream at the last minute and swiped my sword at him, catching him across the chest. As I flew past him, I turned and shot a hellfire ball at his back, sending him flying away from the pyramid and pedestals.

“What is happening?” he yelled in frustration.

I circled, landed a few feet away from him, and pulled my amulet from beneath my armor. “You were beaten before we even started, Zabiza,” I said. “I’ll give you one more chance. Surrender, and you will keep your life.”

Zabiza got to his feet in a rage that had him turning an unnaturally bright red. “I worked too hard for this to let you take it from me!” he roared as he charged me. His irrational behavior was ultimately his demise as I ran my sword through him. I twisted the blade, sliced upwards, and then removed it. As I did, his organs spilled from his body. His life was over so quickly that his eyes were frozen open in shock, the emotions of his last moments permanently etched on his face.

I grunted as the power he had already collected and the power he had already taken as his own funneled into me through the connection of the amulets. I felt my temperature rise as I stumbled backward and fell to my knees. It was too much. It was all too much. My body wasn’t prepared to take on so much power, and now it was killing me. I fell to my back and searched for my mates. I saw them in the distance, racing toward me, but I knew they would be too late.

Through all of this, I hadn’t considered that death angel might refer to my ultimate fate if I succeeded.