Awaken: Book two of Fallen Series

Chapter Thirteen

“Belle” My father was the first to reach me, making Raphael and the others quickly duck out of the way. His arms wound tightly around me, catching me off guard. He normally wasn’t a very affectionate person. And he most definitely didn’t usually touch people so openly. They must have been really worried for him to be acting like this. The thought has me wrapping my arms around him and hugging him back just as tightly.

“I’m sorry to have worried you.” I murmured.

“Do not apologize daughter.” My father remarked, “it was hell that affected you.” He pulled away keeping his large hands on my shoulders and keeping me at arm’s length so he could look me in the eye. His green eyes bore into mine as if he were looking into my soul. “I do not want you to go back to hell. Not until we know what caused your reaction. Please.”

“I thought you all said it was the sins?” I questioned.

“You heard all that?” Uriel came and stood beside me, careful not to touch my father. My eyes scanned everyone around me, stopping on Lucifer. “Yes, I did. I heard everything.” His face paled. He opened his mouth to say something but I looked back to my father. “So, what happened if it is them. And that is a big if. There is no guarantee that was what it was.”

“You’re right. It could have been anything. But if the sins escaped, they will be in hell now looking to feed so they can regain their strength. That’s when they will come to earth and seek out the horsemen.” My father’s muscles tensed; his lips pressed into a thin line.

“Father? What is it?” I asked, gently wrapping my hand around his arm.

“The sins will split up, they won’t all attack at once. They will each go after a horseman. Two, maybe three. I know three will come for me. Two for war. One for pestilence and famine.” My father’s eyes met mine briefly, before his hand covered mine and squeezed. “If this is the sins, I need you to go with the other horsemen. Help them.”

“What? No.” I gripped him tighter. “I won’t leave you here against three sins. Not alone.”

“I am death Belle.” My father smiled, “What can they do?” I wanted to agree with him. Smiled with him and say, You’re right. But he had this look in his eyes. He wasn’t telling he something. He was holding something back. Something important.

“Maybe.” I finally answered, somewhat hesitantly. I still just didn’t believe him.

“Belle, can we talk?” I wanted to growl at the sound of Lucifer’s voice. It grated on my nerves, sending sparks of fury through my veins. That damn archangel, kept deceiving me, lying to me. He kept giving me half-truths and broken vows.

“No.” I hissed, smoke or steam expelling from my mouth. Ooookkk, well that wasn’t normal. I shook my head at the new development, adding it to the list of crazy s**t that just keeps happening to me. What’s one more thing on top of the never ending pile I already had?

“Belle please. Let me explain.” That was it. Pleading. I was so sick and tired of hearing his pleading and begging. I loved him. I loved him with everything in me. And I have given him chances, freedoms. I have forgiven him. And now, he is hesitant to choose freaking sins over me? No. Rage burned through me, fire bursting from my hands in torrents surrounding me in never ending waves.

“You’re pleading now?” I screamed. “Again?” I laughed manically. “I forgave you Lucifer for deceiving me. And now, you don’t know if you would pick me or your precious sins?” I shook my head. Tears filled my eyes just as well as anger and hatred filled my heart. “Let me decide that for you. Pick your precious sins Lucifer. If I am not important enough to you that you would hesitate to choose me. Then I am obviously not that important to you to begin with. Go back to hell, find your sins and be happy with them.”

It broke my heart. It completely shattered me, but I turned and walked away. I felt like I was dying. Like my being was withering from the inside. It was excruciating. I love Lucifer, and I didn’t, I don’t want to let him go. I want him beside me. But what other choice did I have? Lucifer didn’t even call out to me, once. He didn’t try to stop me as I walked away, which only made me hurt all the more. It made me know all the more that he chose the sins, or he would have chosen them instead of me.

A broken sob cracked from my chest as my back met a wall. I slid down, pulling my knees to my chest and tucking my face between them. I debated on curling my wings around me, but I didn’t. It wouldn’t make a difference. Everyone would still find me. They had left me alone with Lucifer, but there was no doubt the felt my anger, then my pain. Then my utter heartbreak. There was no hiding it.

“Belle?” Uriel’s soft voice reached me, seconds before his hand met my back. “Are you alright?”

“Did you hear any of it?” I asked, turning to him. Uriel said beside me, pulling me into him.

“I did.” He nodded. “You were right to do and say what you did. It might give him some perspective.”

“No.” I cried. “It hurts. I hurt him; I broke myself.” I shook my head, pressing my face back between my knees as I sobbed.

“It will be alright love. Lucifer will come around.” Uriel tried to assure me.

“And if he doesn’t?” I mumbled into my knees. “if he don’t come back to me? What then? I love him. I know love isn’t always enough.” I lifted my head and wiped my eyes. “I’m not stupid. And I know what I’ll have to do if the time comes with the sins. But I can’t, I won’t fight Lucifer.”

“You won’t have to.” Uriel looked at me like I’d lost my mind.

“Uriel, you don’t know that. If he chooses the sins. If they are free and he picks them, there is no telling what will happen. They could corrupt him.” I leaned back against the wall, a deep sadness settling into my chest. Then there was pain. I gasped, grabbing my chest as I struggled to get breath to my lungs. It hurt everywhere. I fell onto my side clawing my chest and ribs when my eyes hazed over. The pain was still there but I was no longer in deaths realm. I was somewhere else. I was looking up into a open sky, through someone else’s eyes. Someone who was hurt. But who?

The person turned their head slowly, they groaned, my breath would have caught in my throat at the sound of the voice if I could breathe. It was Gabriel. He was badly injured. And id what I was feeling was anything to go by, he was dying. As Gabriel looked around, I saw just a few more groups fighting not many but enough. Gabriel however was alone, no one near him to help him. When A rather large angel with a cruel and menacing smile started to approach Gabriel, I snapped. I wouldn’t lose him too.

My mind snapped me back to deaths realm second before I ported myself to Gabriel. I may not know where heaven was, but I had seen it, saw the landscape, the area thanks to Gabriel. I landed in front of Gabriel right as the angel was about to land the killing blow. My mark flared of its own accord, a large golden sword appearing in my hand and blocking the other angels from touching Gabriel.

“Don’t even think about it.” I sneered, my wings snapping out aggressively. They were quivering and twitching with my anger. “Gabriel is mine, do you understand me?” I growled. “You tell Theseus, the archangels are my mates, my men. He can’t have them.”

“How did you?” The man’s jaw dropped.

“Don’t worry about how I know. Just like I know he is here, hiding somewhere.” I looked around, but couldn’t pinpoint where he was. I looked down to Gabriel, he was in bad shape. I squatted down, hoping this new healing mark would kick in. Lifting my hands over his wound “Heal” I whispered, so low I doubt anyone could hear me. As soon as the word left my mouth a bright silvery glow blinded me. With a yelp I scooted back, covering my eyes frantically. What in the world was that?” When the light dimmed, Gabriel lay there, good as new. Not a mark on him. But he was asleep. Uh, ok. Well, that was anticlimactic.

“Who are you?” A new voice reached me from above, I didn’t have to look to know who it was. It was obvious by the voice. I looked back to Gabriel one more time before looking to the angel who tried to kill him.

“Touch him, and I swear you will beg for a death that will never come.” I warned. I spread my wings and met Theseus in the sky, his hard eyes seemed to soften a bit when I looked him over. “My name is Belle. And I have been trying to find a way to talk to you without one of my men for a quite a while now.”

“Why is that?” Theseus plastered a cocky smile on his face and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Because they want to kill you.” I said, my voice kind of like “Uh, duh” sounding.

“Yes, and I want to kill them.”

I growled, my chest vibrating, fire dancing along my fingertips. “My men are off limits.” I warned.

“Why did you want to talk to me?” Theseus asked, ignoring my statement.

“Because I think everyone deserves a second chance. I know how it feels to be abandoned by the two people who are supposed love you and raise you and care for you.” Theseus’s eyes met mine, a fire the depths I had never seen blazed within his golden eyes. A deep and endless pit of despair, rage, and loneliness briefly flashed in his eyes he shut it down, only for the fire to remain. But that fire, it looked like it could burn anything and everything in its path. The longer I looked, the more mesmerized I became. His eyes were like liquid gold. I shook my head. Wait, no s**t. Blinking, I saw he had been under the same spell or whatever.

“You deserve a chance.” I felt a tug, in my gut, my eyes widened. “Go. They’re coming.”

“What? Who?”

“My men. Now go. Now.” I urged, not wanting him to get caught. “I still want to talk to you. I don’t want you dead. Just stop killing for a little while. Please.” He turned to leave, his eyes still on mine. There was indecision in them like he wasn’t sure. I couldn’t make him of course, it had to be his decision.

“Fine. But where do you want to meet to talk?” He asked. Damn him, he was seriously pushing it.

“They follow me everywhere. Can you dream walk?” I asked

“Uh, no.” He chuckled. “Can you?”

“Yes. I thought it was normal.” I shrugged. “I guess I’ll find you there. Now go.” I didn’t give him time to respond this time, tucking my wings and drifting back down to Gabriel. He was okay, that’s all that matters. Somehow, he reached out to me. He knew I could get to him on time. But I still had questions. Like why was he here alone to begin with? Where was Michael and the others? Why was Uriel the only one with me before I got here? Why didn’t Lucifer call out for me after I all but broke up with him? After last night, why did any of them even leave my side? It wasn’t like them. MY guys would have been on me like glue. They wouldn’t be letting me out of their sight. So, what was going on right now? Something just seemed off. Like really off.

“Belle!” Michael’s shout made me jump out of my skin, my heart pounding. “What are you doing here? How did you get here?”

“Gabriel. He was hurt, he called for me.” I said, motioning to him. “Now does someone want to tell me what’s going on?” I demanded. “Why was Gabriel up here alone? He was almost killed. If I hadn’t gotten here, he would’ve died.”

“Belle.” There was a deep sadness in Michael’s voice, one I didn’t want to hear.

“Michael? What is it?” I was wary, hinging on frightened.

“Belle, Gabriel. He’s…He did not make it.” Michael spoke calmly, but I was just confused.

“What are you talking about? He’s right there?” I pointed to Gabriel. “He’s breathing, his wounds are healed. He’s fine. He’s just asleep.”

“No, my love. He isn’t breathing. That is angelic light pulsing within him. Whatever you did, filled him with light but he was already too far gone to heal.” Michael said sadly, taking me in his arms.

“No.” I pulled away harshly. “I would have felt the bond break. You’re wrong. He’s fine. He is just healing.” I ignored Michael, and moved to sit next to Gabriel. I moved his head onto my lap and started to run my fingers through his matted black hair.

“Belle, we need to get back, your father is waiting.” Michael told me gently.

“Tell my father, my mate needs me right now. After being alone all my life being around so many peoples all of the time is taxing, Tell him I’ll be back when Gabriel is healed, until then I’m staying here with him.”

“Belle…he.

“NO!” I shouted, cutting off his words. “He is fine. Now please.” I whispered. “Just, give me some space.”

“As you wish.” Michael bowed his head slightly, then was gone. A shuddered breath escaped me as I swallowed the sob that threatened to escape. No. Gabriel was fine. He was breathing. I could feel his breath on my hands, I could feel his heart though it was faint. He’s healing, he’s fine. That’s what angelic light is right? For healing? I clutched Gabriel’s head to my chest and rocked back and forth, tears streaming down my cheeks.

“Come on my love.” I whispered pulling away to press a kiss to his forehead. “I know you hear me. I know you’re in there. Come back to me okay.” I softly wiped the stray haor from his face before cupping it between my hands. “Please.” I murmured. “You can’t leave me Gabriel.” His skin still felt warm, though not as hot as it normally was.

“Michael’s right.” Theseus’s voice pierced the fog in my mind. “It’s just the angelic light sustaining him. He’s not there Belle. Not really.”

“Stop it.” I yelled. Clutching Gabriel closer to me. “You’re wrong. You’re all wrong.” Tears streamed heavily down my face. “Gabriel wouldn’t leave me. He promised me. He promised me he would always come home.” I looked up to Theseus. “You don’t understand. No one ever came back. Gabriel, the others. They promised they would always come home to me.” I looked back down to Gabriel and ran the tip of my finger down his jaw. “He’s fine. He will keep his promise. He’ll come home. I know he will.”

“Belle..”

“Damn it, stop.” I yelled. “I can’t lose another one of my men.”

Theseus recoiled but asked. “What do you mean another one? Who else did you lose?”

“Your father chose the sins over me.” I said on a sob, clutching Gabriel tighter. “His greatest creations. He said.” I chuckled darkly. “He chose his seven deadly sins over his mate. So I sent him back to hell to live with his sins.”

“Belle.”

“You don’t know me, so don’t act like you care. You wanted Lucifer to hurt. This was your plan, wasn’t it? To kill all the archangels?”

“I didn’t know about you. I didn’t know they had a mate. I never would have tri….” Theseus paused, I just shook my head and looked away from him, focusing back on Gabriel. What was the point in this healing mark if it couldn’t heal the people I loved? Useless. That’s what it was. Useless.

“Please.” I pressed my lips against Gabriel’s lightly. “You can’t leave me like this. You promised me, you’ll always come home. Remember our plan?” I smiled. “The house we built that we still haven’t been able to live in yet? How we want to start a family, have kids? I can’t do this without you, my love. I need you.”

Come on you stupid mark do something useful, heal Gabriel, bring him back to me. Save him. Please. Golden light erupted around me knocking me backwards. I didn’t even have a chance to get my wings out before my head knocked against something hard and darkness engulfed me.