Broken Wings (Hidden Wings Series Book Two) (23 page)

“
Hey, you need to rest. A day is nothing. Both of you needed it,” he said.

“I’m glad Alaine made it back to the house,” I said.

“Yes. She’s with James, Alex
ander, and Thomas.”

I nodded, emoti
onally and physically exhausted.   

“Hey,
no more tears. You should go back to sleep. It’s been a really long few days for all of us, and we still have quite a ways to go. You’re not alone anymore. We’ve taken out all of the Grimlocks, so you’re safe here,” he said, placing his hand on my forehead. My body was still in excruciating pain, and it hurt to breathe. My head felt like a thousand needles were being pressed into it.

I wanted to fall back asleep and not deal with the pain
, and before I could say anything, Danyel leaned over me and whispered in my ear.

“Sleep
, sweet Emma.”

I fe
lt my pain being sucked away into darkness, and my eyes quickly followed.

**********

“Emma. Emma,” a voice in a distance, called out to me. “Emma, time to get up.”

I opened my eyes to the most wondrous sight. Samuel, my father, was kneeling beside me. He lo
oked weary, but he had a wide smile on his face. Dom and Malachi were standing behind him, peeking over his shoulder. I turned my head and noticed Danyel in the corner gathering his things.

“Damn! W
ith the amount of sleeping you’ve been getting, you should be the fairest maiden in all the land,” Dom jested. Malachi punched his shoulder and shook his head in disapproval.

“She is the fairest. Next to her mother, of course,” Samuel added.

“Awwww,” Dominic sang, and I shook my head.

“How long was I out
?” I asked. My voice was very weak and my throat was dry.

Samuel handed me a
canteen and answered, “For a while. We don’t have watches, and there is no way of really telling time down here. But, I’d say a few days.”

“What?
” I said, choking on the water.

“Yep
,” Malachi confirmed. “We figured the longer you slept, the faster you’d heal.”

“How are you feeling?” Samuel asked.

I sat up straight and twisted. I couldn’t move an inch without pain the last time I was awake, and now barely had any. Even my head felt clearer and free of pain. Wow! I guess I was healing quickly.

“How are
you
feeling?” I asked Samuel.

He grinned and paused for a few seconds. I figured he was weighing his word
s, trying to be strong for me.

“I’m good
,” he answered. “But, it will be a while before I’m able to fly again.”

“I’m sorry,” I said
.

“Hey, don’t w
orry about me. In a few more days, I’ll be as good as new,” he winked. Behind him, Dom nodded with a thumbs-up.

T
hat would be perfect if we had a few days. I wasn’t sure how we’d even get through the next gate, or even what was waiting for us. Yes, we’d survived the first four levels, but we still had one more to go. The worst. On the upside, we now had reinforcements. Dom, Malachi, and Danyel were with us now. I didn’t feel alone anymore, or like the rest of the journey was a Kamikaze mission.

Their presence gave me hope
.

“Well
, now that we know that everyone’s fine and healing nicely we should get a move on. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not anxious to move, but I’m also not planning on being in Hell longer than I have to. This place stinks, and is wreaking havoc on my skin,” Dominic blurted.

“P
retty boy forgot to pack his lotion? That’s too damn bad,” Malachi huffed.

“
Actually… I don’t really need that crap. The heat here is actually making my skin glisten. See.” He flexed his huge biceps and admired them for a few seconds, and then turned to me with a wink. I could feel my face flush with heat, because I was actually admiring them as well. Dom was quite the specimen; a picture of perfection. They all were. But, Dom was the one who loved to flaunt it.

“Okay, Dom. I think you’ve admired yourself enough for
a few lifetimes,” Samuel laughed. 

“
I mean, who could ever get tired of looking at these gorgeous guns?” Dominic asked. 

“I can,
” Malachi, Danyel, and Samuel said in unison.

“Whatever. You’re all
jealous,” Dom sputtered, covering his biceps with his sleeves. “They’re just jealous of you,” he whispered to his arm.

“Yeah,
whatever… big guy. Now get your damn stuff, and get ready to move,” Malachi huffed. “Do you guys see the crap I have to put up with daily? Why did God do this to me?”

“
Aww, buddy. Come on. You love me, and you know it. Without me, your life would be one huge, dark, grumpy mess.” Dominic smiled widely. Malachi shot him a dirty look and walked away.

I giggled, which actually shocked me, and even Samuel and Danyel had grins on their faces.
I loved my Guardians. Now, more than ever, I was glad that they were here, my glimmers of hope in the darkness.

I sat
up and assessed my damage. My garment was definitely the most awesome super suit in existence. There were no holes or scratches on it anywhere. Any normal threads would have been torn to shreds, and I definitely would have been dead a long time ago. I should have been dead, but I guess fate had something else in store for me.

F
or a moment, I’d forgotten the real reason why we were risking our lives.

Lucian.

The thought of him sent a surge of emotions through me, and hate and horror were right at the top. It reminded me why we needed to get through the next gate to speak to Lucifer. It wasn’t something I was looking forward to, but if he was the only one that could stop Lucian, then I was more than willing to take the chance.

The last run
in we’d had with him didn’t end very well. His last words were…
The next time I see you ~ you will ALL die
.

Those words
thundered through my mind.

With a
renewed strength, hope, and three more Guardians, I gathered my things and readied myself for the next part of the quest. I had no clue what we were up against, but I had a feeling that whatever it was, we’d get through it. I now had four of the most amazing Warriors that had ever lived at my side. One of them was my father. A Fallen Angel, choosing to journey into Hell to protect his daughter.

“Are you ready, sweetheart?” Samuel asked, with a furrowed brow. I nodded.

“Are you?” I threw the question back.

“I was b
orn ready,” he grinned, his chocolate brown eyes glistened in the light of the fire. He seemed to be fine. It was amazing what a few days of rest could do to a badly injured immortal.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Samuel asked.

“Oh. Yeah. I’m fine. I was just thinking, and sometimes that’s not too good for me,” I replied.

“Well,
if you ever need to talk, I’ll be here for you,” he said.

“
I know. Thank you.”

“And, I’ll be here
if you ever need a firm, muscular shoulder to cry on,” Dominic added, tapping his hand on my shoulder. “And if you ever need a softer, fluffier shoulder... I’m sure Malachi would be available for you too.” His eyes shifted to Malachi, whose face flushed red with anger.

“Dom, I
think you need a mini lesson in ass kicking, and I’ll be more than happy to give you a hands-on,” Malachi snickered. In a nano-second Malachi did a spin, kicking Dom’s legs out from under him, jumped on top of him, and wrapped his large hand around his neck. Not tight, but I could tell he just wanted to show him up.

Malachi was big brawny guy. Muscular but he didn’t flaunt it like Dom
inic. His tanned skin defined his bulging muscles.   

“Whoa, big guy!
You got me. I totally didn’t see that one coming,” Dominic admitted, pushing Malachi off to the side. “Touché brother…touché!”

A wide smile
of accomplishment spread across Malachi’s face. He turned and gave me a slight nod. Samuel and Danyel just laughed and shook their heads. I had a feeling they must’ve been a lot like Dominic and Malachi when they were younger.

Dom jumped up, dusted himself off, and helped Malachi to his feet. They both laughed
and gave each other a quick fist bump.

“One day, Emma,
you’ll be able to kick all of our asses,” Dom said, grinning at me.

“Whatever,” I said, blushing.

“You just might,” Danyel added. “If you are truly the one of whom the prophecy foretold, then your strength and abilities might be greater than any Angel in Heaven or Hell. That’s why we can’t let Lucifer find out about your true origins. He must believe that you are a Nephilim - a Halfbreed - just like his son.”

“But what if he finds out
, or sees the mark like Lucian did?” I questioned. “I mean, if Lucifer is as cunning or as smart as Lucian, he’ll find out one way or another. The mark on the back of my neck will make it totally obvious.”

“Then we
will have to make sure that he doesn’t,” Samuel said, his eyes still weary with pain, with a certainty embedded deep within.

I didn’t feel like
questioning them right now. I knew that they wouldn’t send me into a lion’s den without warning, and wouldn’t let me enter without strict instructions first. We still had one more level to go through before we reached him anyway.

One more chance
to try and cheat death.

Chapter 13

Level 5:

The guys
gathered their weapons and prepared themselves to enter the next gate. We had to travel a few hundred yards down a dark, rocky slope to get there. One gate left. After all that we went through, I couldn’t imagine anything worse than the gargoyle-lion-scorpion creature, soul-snatching ghouls, snakes, or Grimlocks.

I was just thankful that Samuel was still with me
, and that he was okay. I really thought I was going to lose him to the Grimlocks, but he looked like he was almost as good as new.

“
Everyone stay quiet,” Danyel whispered loudly, taking the lead.

Samuel walked over to me
, and took me by the hand. “Just stay with me. They will go in first and clear the way. Then we will enter,” he said.

“So, w
hat are they expecting to run into at the next gate?” I whispered to Samuel. We ducked down behind a medium sized boulder.

“
Hell Hounds” he answered.

“I bet they a
ren’t the kind of hounds I’d ever want to run into.”

“
No. No one would want to run into these dogs. They are Lucifer’s guard dogs; birthed and bred right here in the fiery pits of Hell. They are usually invisible to the human eye, and are exceptionally strong, fast, and very ferocious. Their teeth and claws are their weapons, and their skin is thick like a shield. The fur on their backs is as sharp as barbs.

“
The hounds are kept right here, rabid and starved, until such time as they are needed. The Fallen sometimes send them to collect souls. They are unleashed into the human world with one goal, one mission. To seek out their targets, kill them, and then drag them back to Hell. However, most victims cannot be recognized once they’re brought down. Once the soul is taken, they become the hound’s next meal.”

I tried the swallow the huge lump
that was caught in my throat. I was slowly starting to become numb to it all. Not really numb, but not surprised. I never knew there were horrors from Hell that entered into my world. My mortal world. I thought these stories were all fairytales, but they weren’t. I was coming face to face with all of them. Every horrific creature.

He turned to me and then a
look of concern flooded his face.

“I’m so sorry, Emma. I’m
so used to briefing warriors before going into battle. I shouldn’t have given you all of the gory details.”

“No, it’s okay. I’m fine. B
ut will they be?” I whispered. I pointed to Danyel, Dominic, and Malachi who were hunched behind three separate boulders about twenty-five yards ahead of us.

“I’m sure they will
. I don’t know if Malachi and Dominic have ever come across Hell Hounds before, but I’m certain Danyel will brief them on what they need to do.”

“Do they need to t
ake off their heads to kill them?” I asked. That was the most logical explanation and seemed to work for everything else.

“Yes,
” he said with a confused grin. “That’s definitely one way to do it, but it’s not as easy as it seems. The Hell Hounds come and go like wisps of fire and wind. Like I said before, they are extremely fast, and they also have layers of razor, sharp teeth. Once they latch on to their victim…” he shook his head.