Awaken: Book two of Fallen Series

Chapter Eleven

A sudden wave of intense energy shot through me like an electric charge, making me drop to my knees. I grit my teeth as the pain made my body convulse. My nerves rapidly fired like I was being electrocuted. Black spotted my vision and my eyes watered. I could feel hot liquid dripping from my eyes and nose. Lucifer was beside me, I could feel his hands on my face, could hear his shouts. But they were nothing but distant whispers. The words lost in the sounds of the whooshing of blood in my ears, and the thundering beat of my heart in my chest. The pain and electricity in my veins felt as if it was intensifying everything in my body by ten, and it was painful. It hurt to breathe, to move. Just the beating of my heart felt like I was being stabbed repeatedly by a dulled blade.

A scream ripped from my lungs as Lucifer’s hands slipped under me and I felt him lift me from the ground. His breath in my ear told me he was whispering something to me, but I couldn’t make out his words. The pain was over ridding everything. Consuming every part of my being. I didn’t know what was happening to me. I didn’t know where this pain was coming from, but I did know something powerful was causing it. Something dark. Something here in hell was suddenly affecting me and Lucifer needed to get me out of here right now. I needed the pain to stop. I was going to lose my mind. The pain was going to completely consume my mind.

“G….ge…..get.” I swallowed, the pain in my throat from speaking was unbearable. It felt like I was swallowing fire. “M…me. O….ou…..out.” I didn’t know if I could say more than that. It hurt too much. The fire in my throat and my chest intensified with every breath, every word. Fire didn’t even seem like a strong enough word to describe what I felt right now. I could only hope Lucifer could understand what I meant by those three words. Get me out. Short, but simple and to the point. He needed to get me out of hell. Get me back to death’s realm. Whatever was happening to me, I needed it to stop. To go away. I couldn’t take much more.

I screamed out again as my body was shifted. I knew they were trying to be gentle, as I was moved from Lucifer’s hands to much cooler hands. I couldn’t help the sigh that escaped as the cold from the new arms seeped into my over-overheated body. I heard the distant whispers of voices around me but still couldn’t make out the words. All I could do was burrow myself deeper into the person holding me. Despite the pain of the movement, the coolness of their skin was like ice water putting out the flames licking against me. Suddenly, it was all gone. All the pain, the fire. Gone. My body shivered violently from the aftershocks, my teeth chattering harshly together. The sudden change from fire to ice sent my body into shock. I could feel my powers inside of me clashing as they grew and spread out around me in a cloud of uncontrollable and unpredictable storms.

I could feel hands on me, covering my body. I could hear voices in the distance. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t bring myself out of the fog of pain I had been in. It still wreaked havoc on my body like a bad memory that refused to leave me alone. Determined to bring myself back to my men, to my newly found father. My family I never knew I had, that I still haven’t met. War and famine. Pestilence who still doesn’t know who I am. Whom I still haven’t gotten to know properly. Determined to bring myself back for the family I have not yet been able to have. Children I have yet to have the chance to have. My men have not yet been able to complete my bond with them. I refused to leave the people I loved in such a way. I had to fight my way back to them. For them, for myself. For our future.

I squeezed my eyes tightly and gritted my teeth. I focused on memories of my men, of memories before the pain. Pushing all memories of hell deep down, shoving them inside a box of my own creation and locking it deep within myself where it could never be accessed. I pictured chains. Unbreakable, indestructible chains wrapping around the box over and over. Drawing power from within myself, I locked the chains with a lock so powerful only my death could destroy it. Or the death of my men.

Once the process was finished, my shivers stopped and the fog cleared. My body still hurt. I was sore from where the pain had ravaged me. A hand caressed the side of my face, sending a soothing wave of energy through me. I sighed, leaning into the touch craving more.

“Belle?” Raphael’s distressed voice whispered by my ear as I felt him curl himself around my body. I groaned as I turned and snuggled myself into him, burrowing my face into his chest and breathing in his scent of sandalwood and earth. I relished in the comfort it brought me. Raphael wrapped his arms around me and gently held me close to him. “What happened to you, my Belle?” He asked me, his voice breaking.

“I don’t know.” I rasped, my throat still sore and dry.

Raphael turned his head away from me, “Get her some water.” He demanded harshly to someone behind him. He turned back to me, smoothing my hair from my face before pressing a kiss to my forehead. “Everything will be alright.” Raphael assured me. “We’ll take care of you. Can you sit up?’ He turned and reached behind him, grabbing what I assumed was a glass of water. I nodded weakly. My arms shook as I moved to put them under me and sit myself up. I had barely gotten my weight on them before my arms gave out on me and I collapsed back onto the bed.

“Here, let me help you, my love.” Uriel’s gentle voice came from my other side just before his arms reached under my arms and he pulled me up to lean me against the headboard of the bed. I hated feeling so weak. Hated feeling like I couldn’t do anything for myself. But right now, I couldn’t. Right now, I was weak, I was defenseless.

Everyone surrounded me. Michael, Uriel, Raphael, Azrael, Lucifer, Gabriel, my father. Everyone was looking at me with so much concern and fear in their eyes. Whatever had caused what happened to me it had even scared death himself. That had to be bad. I wanted to apologize for causing them distress, but I knew I didn’t have anything to apologize for. I didn’t do anything wrong. Something in hell had caused it. I didn’t know what, I just knew it wasn’t anything good. Something, someone powerful. Extremely powerful had done something. I just didn’t know what. I didn’t know enough about my power yet. And I didn’t know anything about hell. How could I explain anything to them if I didn’t know myself?

“Here, take this. It will help.” Raphael said, handing me a glass of ice water. I greedily snatched the water from him and guzzled it down. It instantly cooled the remaining burning in my throat, making a moan slip past my lips in relief.

“Thank you.” I whispered, slumping into him. I was so tired.

“Can you tell us what happened?” My father stepped forward. His eyes were blazing with green fire. Ful of relief, sorrow and something else I something else. Regret maybe? But why? What did he regret? He didn’t do anything wrong to regret. Not that I knew about anyway. How long was I unaware for? Did I miss something? I furrowed my brow at him, my head tilting to the side as I studied him. He dropped his eyes to the floor in shame as I did this and I knew then why he had that look in his eye. He was ashamed he didn’t protect me like he said he would. Like he vowed. But he couldn’t have protected me from what happened even if he had wanted to.

“It wasn’t your fault.” I told him. “You couldn’t have stopped it. Something in hell caused it.” His eyes snapped up to mine, widening slightly.

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know.” I answered honestly. “It was like a surge of power hit me all of a sudden. Almost like something broke in hell and hit me. Whatever, or whoever caused it, is powerful. Too powerful.” I shook my head as a shiver ran through me. Raphael tightened his grip on me. “I don’t know how to explain it.” I burrowed into Raphael.

“You said something in hell broke?” Lucifer asked.

“I don’t know. That’s just how it felt. Like something broke, or snapped. I don’t know how else to explain it. I don’t know enough about my power or hell to know more. I’m sorry.” I buried my face into Raphael’s side hoping it would put an end to the conversation.

“That’s enough.” Raphael growled, his arms tightening further around me. “She doesn’t know. We all know she is new to this. We can’t expect her to know much right now. It takes years of training to know and understand our powers, and she will have more than any of us. She needs time.”

“You’re right.” Lucifer sighed; his tone remorseful. “I apologize Belle. It was not my intention to push you.”

I nodded, a yawn forming on my lips. “Rest my precious one.” Raphael murmured, kissing the crown of my head. “you’ve been through a lot today. You need to heal.” He started to run his fingers up and down my arm soothingly making me sigh. My body relaxed against him and sleep threatened to take me. I had never cuddled up to Raphael like this. We weren’t estranged or anything, we just haven’t had the chance to be together. It felt good to be in his arms like this, to be curled against him with his arms around me.

“What do you think she means by something broke?” Death whispered. I guess he thought I had fallen asleep. I wasn’t about to lay here and correct him either. I’d just listen to what they had to say. Maybe they had an explanation for this whole mess.

“I don’t know. There isn’t anything in hell that could break.” Lucifer answered. I felt the side of the bed dip down, before his hands started to rub light circles on my upper leg. Hmm, it felt so good to have them both rubbing on me like this. If I wasn’t careful, they would put me to sleep.

“So, there are no seals, no creatures locked up. Nothing?” Death asked, his tone was skeptical. “You don’t keep any prisoners in hell?”

“Of course, I do.” Lucifer snorted. “But none that could get loose. Their prisons are too heavily warded. None could escape on their own.”

“And if they had help?” Uriel asked.

“No. Only I can unlock the gates.” Lucifer replied.

“Lucifer. Who do you have locked away in hell?” My father asked.

“Titans. Primordials. Monsters the likes the world has not seen in eons. But they are all locked behind gates warded and sealed by the gods. They can not get loose. I swear it.” Lucifer sounded so sure. I believed him. “I know of no other prisons in hell.”

“I know of one.” My father admitted. “But I do not want to believe it to be true.”

“How could there be another without my knowledge?” Lucifer stood and I instantly missed his soothing touch.

“The creator wished it to be so.” My father answered coolly. “Long ago when the earth was at war. Right after my brothers were created, the creator gave us one job. One other task besides our ride.” It grew quiet for a moment and I basically quaked with anticipation. “We were tasked with imprisoning the seven deadly sins. With the creators help. He gave us the seals, the spells to keep them behind their cell. And the power to overpower them. It was easy and simple. A task to keep the humans safe from their destruction.”

I could feel Lucifer’s fury. “You are the one who stole my demons?” He growled.

“You created monsters Lucifer. The worst kind of demons the world has ever seen. Their destruction would have been endless. They would have overtaken the earth, destroyed everything, Killed everyone. Their bloodlust was enough to end realms. They needed to be stopped.” My father’s voice had gone deadly calm. The tension in the room was growing thicker by the second. It was enough to choke on.

“The seven deadly sins were, they are my greatest creation. They took centuries to create. To perfect. They were meant to tempt the humans. I searched for them for thousands of years. And all along they were alive and imprisoned? By you?” Lucifer growled.

“Not just me angel.” My father hissed. “But my brothers and creator as well. Do not forget your place.”

“Both of you need to stop.” Uriel said, his voice was calm, but you could hear the slight fear in it. “Belle needs to rest and she does not need to wake up to the people she loves fighting. Or worse, one being killed.”

“What do we do if they are freed?” Azrael asked, ignoring Uriel.

“Hope we can best them without the creators help.” Death answered. “He will not step in again.”

“You can not beat the sins.” Lucifer said, pride entering his voice.

“No but you can.” Gabriel chimed in. “They are your demons, your creations. You can control them.”

“The sins were not created to be controlled,” Lucifer scoffed. “I can not control them any more than I could the archdemons.”

“So, you’re telling me the sins could be roaming free wreaking havoc on earth, right alongside pestilence?” Michael ground out.

“If they are freed, then yes. And if the horsemen imprisoned them, then they will be seeking revenge.” Lucifer’s comment held so much conviction I feared for my new found family. If the sins were free, if they were what I felt. Then my new-found family. The family I have yet to know, could be in danger. A danger we had no idea if we could beat. I was already fighting a battle on earth. Protecting pestilence from humans wasn’t as easy as it seemed. Healing him and killing them was hard. And once the others joined him, it would just make things harder. Then there was the whole thing in heaven. I still had to help there. I had to do something about Theseus. I truly felt if I could contact him somehow without my men knowing, I could probably reach him. We were alike. We were both abandoned. I think I could save him. Despite the awful things he’s done, everyone deserves a second chance. He just needs someone to give him one.

How could I fight a war on three fronts? And Lucifer seemed determined to defend the sins. What was I supposed to do if he sided with them? I couldn’t let the sins hurt my family. But I also can’t hurt Lucifer. The situation seems impossible to handle. No matter how I looked at it, someone close to me was going to be hurt or killed.

“What about Belle?” Michael asked. “What do you think she will think about all of this?”

“What do you mean?” Lucifer growled.

“The horsemen are her family, Lucifer. What do you think she will do if the sins killed her only family? Huh? Do you think she will sit back and allow her family to be attacked? To be killed?” he asked calmly.

“She doesn’t know them. Why would she care?” He countered.

“Do you not think she would like to?” Uriel asked. “She just found out who she is and who her family are. She has yet to have that chance. She will fight for that chance, Lucifer.”

I felt Lucifer’s eyes turn to me as a heavy sigh left him. “You’re right Uriel. She will fight for that.”

“And what will you do then? When she fights against your precious sins?” Raphael bit out? His hand stilling on my arm.

“I will decide that when the day comes.” Lucifer’s tone went cold, just before his presence vanished from the room. His words stuck with me as Raphael started stroking my arm again. Was Lucifer really unsure of which side he would take should the time come? Was siding with me against the sins going to be such a hard decision for him? And if so, then why? What made the sins so special to him that he could possibly choose them over me? So many questions drifted through my mind as I allowed Raphael’s soothing motions to finally lull me to sleep.