3. Gabby

Gabby's thrumming with energy. And she knows exactly what she's going to do with it.

All is silence as she lands on hard stone, Colt right beside her. They snap their wings in simultaneously as they approach the Damascus Citadel, a towering fortress steeped in history, perched high above the sleeping city. Moonlight bathes the centuries-old stone walls and towers in a silvery glow, casting long shadows across the battlements.

The second stone is here.

Waiting to be reunited with the first one tucked into a small pocket of her bag.

Colt angles his head, his dark gaze scanning the ruins. "There isn't much left," he muses quietly.

Gabby reaches out to brush his arm. "What did it look like?"

"It was a city within a city. A busy one, and a heavily protected one." He looks up, his eyes narrowing. "There were more towers."

"Is it hard?" Gabby asks, linking her fingers with his. "Seeing it like this?"

Colt turns to her, his chiseled lips tipping up at the edges. "Change is inevitable. Often fascinating. The foundation of progress." He steps closer, running his finger along her jaw. "And it all led me to you."

Gabby's breath whooshes out. "For a demon, you sure know how to sweep an angel off her feet," she whispers.

They lean in, only to be interrupted by faint, harsh voices. "I can feel it! The energy, the power, it"s here!"

Gabby and Colt exchange a determined glance, their shared mission propelling them forward. Silently, they move through the shadows, their footsteps muffled by the soft crunch of gravel underfoot.

"Dig, you fool!" the same man hisses. "The glow's getting brighter."

Gabby and Colt stop, then peer around a crumbling wall. There, in the center of what was once a room, three men squat. A large slab of stone sits to the side as two dig frantically at a hole that's already as deep as their knees.

The idiots have done all the hard work for them.

Gabby's conscious there's no way the cult would only have three members here to collect the second stone. More would be on their way.

Which is why she steps into the moonlight and unfurls her wings. She has every intention of being the one to lay her hand on the second shard.

The member overseeing the others stumbles back a step, then quickly recovers. He unsheathes a sword, the sound slicing through the night air. "We got company," he growls.

The other two leap out of the hole, lifting their shovels. They won't be giving up without a fight.

Just the way Gabby likes it.

With a cry, she leaps forward, Colt right beside her. Unsurprisingly, more cult members pour from behind the walls, their faces twisted with hatred and a dark thirst for blood.

Bring.

It.

On.

Gabby leaps high, welcoming the clash of good and evil. Her wings span wide with resplendent, radiant grace, casting an ethereal light that illuminates the courtyard and turning the moonlight into a celestial spotlight. In stark contrast, Colt"s fiery aura blazes with infernal energy, weaving through the darkness like chaotic wildfire.

With each step, they move in perfect synchronization, their movements fluid and precise, a harmonious blend of celestial grace and demonic power. Gabby"s wings gleam like starlight as she expertly parries and strikes, while Colt conjures flames that dance and swirl around him, incinerating any cultists who dare to get too close.

The night air crackles with energy, filled with the discordant symphony of battle. The battle of light and shadow echoes off the ancient stone walls, the cultists dropping with each collision. Fiery spells erupt from Colt"s hands, streaking through the night and leaving trails of searing light in their wake. Gabby"s twists and strikes, an angel of wrath and death.

Desperation marks the faces of the cultists as they fight fiercely, but they're no match for the celestial and infernal duo. One by one, they fall under Gabby and Colt"s relentless assault, littering the hole containing the stone like bloodstained petals.

Gabby stops, barely breathing hard, then turns to Colt. They grin at each other triumphantly. The cult never stood a chance.

She strides to the hole, stepping around the bodies. She used to feel for them, for the lost souls they had to have been to become the agents of darkness that they are. Seems fighting to save the world can leave sympathy in short supply.

Kneeling down beside the hole, she draws in a sharp breath as she registers that the obsidian shard sitting in the center, pulsing with the same black glow as the first one. Her hand reaches down as anticipation floods her veins. There's no hesitation this time.

Just excitement.

The moment her fingers brush the smooth surface, the jolt shoots up her arm. Inky darkness injects up her veins, shooting straight for her chest. Her breath stutters. Her heart jerks against her ribs.

It's electrifying. Terrifying.

Exhilarating.

And then it's gone, just like the first time. Gabby leans back, holding the irregular shard, glad her angelic essence is strong enough to negate the power of the obsidian. She looks up at Colt. "Two down."

He glances from the stone to her. "Is everything okay?"

Gabby leaps to her feet, gripping the stone tightly. "Of course." She licks her lips, reminding herself Colt is astute, along with the fact he has nothing to worry about. She's stronger than the obsidian. "Do you think we can get three in one night?"

Colt's lips twitch. "Only one way to find out."

The energy is back, thrumming through Gabby's veins. She closes her eyes, using the energy to harness the spell. This time it's easier, as if the obsidian is hungry to be reunited. A flutter of a frown creases her brow. It's almost as if it's the one in control…

But then an image crashes into her mind, vibrant and detailed.

Gabby's eyes fly open. "I know where it is."

Dawn is brushingthe sky a dusky purple when they land before the coastal caverns of Lebanon, a harsh blend of crashing waves and jagged rocks. The sea breeze carries the smell of salt and…magic.

Colt frowns, sensing it too. "We can't afford to get over-confident."

Gabby nods, even as she bounces on her toes. The third stone will take them to almost half of the obsidian. This is going far better than she could have imagined.

They venture into the largest cave, sea water splashing their ankles. The sand slopes up and as they enter, they find themselves on dry land again. Deep, rhythmic chants hang in the oppressive air, telling them the cult is close. The sound grows quickly as the cave opens out into a soaring chamber, members in dark robes circling it.

The third stone sits in the center, glowing brighter than any of the others.

Gabby strides in, uninterested in harnessing the element of surprise. "We don"t want to fight," she tells them, even as she admits to herself it's a lie. "Just give us the shard."

The cultists, undeterred, chant louder as they keep their gaze on Gabby and Colt, their voices rising in a sinister crescendo. Suddenly, dark tendrils of magic snake out from their midst, forming a barrier around the shard.

"That's new," Gabby comments, her eyes narrowing.

"They have powerful magic," Colt agrees with a growl.

With a graceful sweep of her hand, Gabby summons a radiant shield. "Annoying."

Leaping up high, she snaps out her wing as she unleashes beams of celestial light, striking down several cult members and sending them sprawling. Colt charges into the fray. He lashes out with his fists, his feet, his wings, cleaving through the cult's defenses. The cavern echoes the cries of those who dare to think they can defeat him.

The barrier of dark smoke parts, and a woman steps out, her hands outstretched as more tendrils of magic pour out.

Colt lands beside Gabby. "A witch," he snarls.

That would explain the magic. "You've chosen the wrong side," Gabby spits.

The witch shakes her head, stopping at the edge of the smoky barrier. "Fool," she says, her eyes flashing as the smoke curls around her skirts. "Vladimir isn't the enemy. Neither is the cult."

"He's twisted your mind," Colt snarls.

"And yours is too blind to see the truth," the witch snaps back. "We"re trying to stop something far worse from happening. We need the obsidian's power to do that."

Gabby narrows her eyes, stepping closer. "You expect us to believe that?"

The witch nods, her gaze unwavering. "It doesn't matter what you believe. All you need to understand is we"ll do whatever it takes to keep those stones from falling into the wrong hands."

"We obtained the first two stones with little trouble." Gabby flexes her wings as she smirks. "The third one won't be any different."

The witch"s lips curl into a knowing smile. "You may be smart with spells, angel, but you don"t truly understand the power of the stones. The third stone is special. It's the glue that holds the others together. It contains the most central essence, the core of the obsidian"s power." She lifts her hands as more dark smoke pours out of her palms. "Without it, the other stones are useless."

Colt shifts his weight, his hands clenching into fists. "Then we'll be getting it, right now."

The witch"s gaze snaps with intensity. "Never."

She throws her hands high, the tendrils of black smoke solidifying. Sharpening. And becoming deadly bolts of dark magic. The witch hurls them at Gabby with a furious screech.

Gabby surges forward, her arms wide as she summons a radiant barrier. The bolts glance off ineffectually, slamming into the walls of the cavern, cracking stone in sharp explosions. Gabby shouts a counter spell, ready to pulverize the woman, but it's already too late. The witch has raised a swirling vortex, unleashing a torrent of elemental forces. A maelstrom of wind, water, and earth erupts through the cave, whipping at Gabby as she works to stay in the air.

Colt roars below, ducking low as pebbles and gravel pelt them, running as the cult members are exposed by the moving smoke. He summons a blade and it slices through the air, parrying the soldiers" strikes with supernatural precision. With every swing, he pushes them back, his demon strength and agility making it seem as if he were battling shadows.

Focusing back on the witch, Gabby braces herself against the wind trying to rip the very skin from her bones. With a powerful surge of celestial energy, she conjures an ethereal cage and throws it.

It flies like an arrow, wrapping around the witch, capturing her within.

The storm of earth, wind, and water instantly ceases.

Gabby lands, stalking toward the trapped witch. Colt's mowing down the remaining cult members like the kick-ass demon he is.

The third stone is theirs.

Except the witch throws her head back and laughs, the shrill cackle echoing around the cavern. "You may have me, but you've failed."

"No!" Colt roars.

Gabby looks beyond the cage, her own denial screaming through her mind as she registers there's one cult member left standing. This was all a distraction. He has his fisted hand held high, fragments of onyx light fracturing through his fingers.

He has the third shard.

The central part of the obsidian needed to hold it together.

Without a backward glance, he disappears into the darkness at the other side of the cave.