Broken Wings (Hidden Wings Series Book Two) (5 page)

“Well, h
ow far is it to Hell?” I asked. As soon as the words left my lips, they sounded so strange, and so ridiculous, that I literally laughed out loud. A few seconds later, the whole table was laughing with me, and even Alaine had a smile on her face.

At least we coul
d laugh about it right now. I looked at all of the faces around the table and hoped that we could all be together again.

“The
closest porthole to Hell is in the town of North Pole. It sits in Santa’s workshop, directly behind his chair,” Malachi said.

I burst into laughter again.
“You’re kidding me, right? The place where Santa lives and happy Elves sing and make toys?” I answered in a snarky tone.

“Who do you think created Santa?
The real man, Nicholas, lived over two-thousand years ago. He was a Christian man, a man of faith, a Bishop, a Saint, and known for his anonymous giving to children. His story was passed down through the generations, but Lucifer thought it brilliant to take and twist the meaning.

“
He used the story as a distraction, to haze the true meaning of Christmas, and replace it with a chubby man in a red suit, who would travel the world in one night, fulfilling worldly desires of children - toys, decorations, twinkly lights, feasts…yadda yadda.

“
Christmas has become his ploy. What was once a time for celebration of life and love has now become about getting the biggest and best gifts. Most mortals have become spoiled and ungracious, and fail to appreciate the things right around them. They forget that Christmas is about love, and God’s perfect, selfless gift. So, ultimately…Lucifer’s ploy is working,” Malachi answered.

Alexander blurted, “yeah, and didn’t you know that if you twist the word Santa a bit, you get-”

“Satan,” I breathed figuring it out. But even if that wasn’t what it was meant for, it seemed like a damn good explanation.

I wasn’t expecting
that, and it really made me feel bad for all the times I begged for gifts, and wasn’t grateful for the ones I received and didn’t want.

“Wow,
” was the only word that crept from my mouth.

“
Yep. Through the years, Lucifer’s learned to play dirty. Human minds are soft and easy to bend and mold. Most will just follow, never questioning. They are like sheep being led to slaughter.

“Given, t
here are a few that rise up, and see the truth for what it really is, but they are usually seen as outcasts, preposterous, and maniacal for going against the majority. Mortals are a sad, ignorant race, and Lucifer thrives off of that,” James sighed.     

“And we’re going to
him for help?” I questioned, starting to doubt this whole quest. “If he’s as cunning as you say he is, then what’s to stop him from tricking us?”

“
There’s no way of really knowing, Emma, and that’s the risk we’ll be taking. Right now, he’s the only one that can stop Lucian. Because there is a huge rift between them, Lucifer might be open to hear about it. This might be the only chance for him to seek vengeance. Yes, Lucifer is cunning, but more than that, he loves revenge, and he loves power.

“
Lucian has wanted to rule over the Fallen, and has always questioned Lucifer’s power. He’s taken part of the Fallen army with him, and outright defied him. But if I know Lucifer, he’ll want to put him in his place. He’s planning something, and I’m sure of it. I’m a bit surprised it’s taken this long,” Danyel said.

I
f anyone knew about the Fallen and Lucifer, it would be him and Samuel.

“
Danyel, I heard you say that there were five levels of Hell. I thought there were nine circles,” I questioned, remembering a paper I did in school on Dante’s Inferno.

He laughed. “That was a book, written by a man who
had mixed religion and his own private concerns; concerns primarily of his enemies. He was a poet and a writer, in which war, exile, and other fateful events, caused his heart to harden. Ultimately, disgust and bitterness with his enemies, set-in-motion the outlines of the inferno, and his pages became a place of eternal damnation for all those he despised.”  

Wow
. I was getting re-schooled by the Fallen Angels themselves, and a lot of this was going right over my head. I guess I’d get a hands on experience of Hell soon enough.

“
Well, if there’s a chance it will save us, then I’m in,” I spoke.

Yeah.
I was talking brave now, knowing that I’d have the three of them with me, but right now, we were all safe and together. Tomorrow my words and my bravery would be tested, if we could ever escape this place. I just hoped that I wouldn’t start screaming and crying when the action hit, proving my mortal chicken-ness.

“Don’t worry, Emma. We’ll make sure
you get the chance,” Dominic chimed, with a wide smile on his face.

“Yeah! We’ll kick ass
for you tomorrow, Emma!” Alexander added, giving his knuckles to Dominic.

Bam!
Their colliding fists would have shattered any human hand, but after they smashed their knuckles together, they laughed.

Immortals.
At least they were fun.

Samuel turned to Danyel and placed his han
d on his shoulder. “When we escape from here, I’ll take Emma and you’ll take Kade.” Danyel nodded, but Kade’s brow furrowed.

My heart was breaking insid
e for him, thinking about how he must be feeling. Probably helpless, and now, hearing that he was going to be carried by a Fallen Angel…that must totally suck.

It all
seemed so strange, like a horrible nightmare. Just last night, Kade was carrying
me
as we flew effortlessly through the forest making our escape. I could picture him fighting and killing the Darkling with ease. So strong. So fearless.

I
couldn’t believe that he had chosen to become mortal so he could travel with me into Hell. He was thinking about me over himself. Still trying to be my protector. I hoped I could make it up to him one day.

But…
WAIT a minute!

My mind started to whirl, and my heart thumped loudly
.

Kade
was…
human
! Human! He was no longer a Pureblood.

Did that mean
that we actually stood a chance of being together, without any law binding us?

“Emma?
Emma, did you hear what I said?” Alaine asked.

I snapped myself from
that blissful thought, and instantly felt my face flush with heat.

“I - I’m sorry. M-m
y mind was…somewhere else,” I stammered. Thank goodness none of them could read minds. That would have been completely embarrassing.

“I wanted to know
if you would go in and keep an eye on Caleb for a bit, while we discuss a few of the details. He should be fine, but he might be waking up soon. If he does he will be very thirsty. I’ve put a pitcher of water and a glass on the table next to him if he needs it.”

“Sure,” I said, ge
tting up from my seat.

“Thanks, sweetheart,” she said with a smile.

“No problem.” I had a feeling that this was her nice way of sending me out of the room, which most likely meant that there were some details they didn’t want me to listen to.

I opened the door to Caleb’s
room, and quietly snapped it shut behind me.

“
Emma?” Caleb said in a sleepy voice.

“You’
re up?” I turned to him and he looked so pale. His eyes looked like they’d sunken, leaving black rings around them, and his head and arms were wrapped in bandages. He tried to sit up, but fell back down again, weak. I rushed over to his side and helped him sit up. His lips were cracked and dry. “Are you thirsty?”

He
nodded, his eyes were still heavy. I grabbed the glass and filled it with water from the pitcher. “Here,” I said, handing it to him.

He slowly raised hi
s hand, took the cup, and gulped the whole thing down.

“
Do you want some more?” I asked.

“No, thank you,” he answered, lying back
down. He winced in pain, and his breath became shallow. His eyes clinched tight.

“I’ll go get Alaine.
” I was worried, and was just about to turn when he grabbed my arm.

“No. I’m alright,” he said
. “Please stay.”

“Alright, but a
re you sure you’re okay?”

“
Yeah. I just laid down a bit too fast. Alaine said I have a few broken ribs, and they hurt like hell if move too fast. Actually, if I move… period.”

“
I know. I had a broken rib once.” My thoughts went back to the airport bathroom. It was only a few days ago, but it seemed like forever.

I took a
chair from the corner of the room and set it next to his bed.

“Emma, c
an I ask you a question?”

“Sure,” I said. 

I took in a deep breath, not sure of what was going to come out of his mouth. He was medicated, and some crazy things can come from medicated mouths. 

“What are you?”

“Huh?” I shook my head, confused by his question. “What do you mean?”

“I know abou
t Alaine. I know that she is a Nephilim, and that the rest of them are Guardians. Alaine explained it all to me a while back, because I knew there was something different about them.

“But, last night, when I saw that old guy, Lucian, look at you…when he saw the mark on the back of your neck… there was
something in his eyes that I hadn’t see the whole time I was with him. I noticed a look of fear. He was afraid and confused when he saw your mark. So…what did he see, Emma? Are you one of them?”

I took in another deep breath
and exhaled loudly.

I’d forgotten that Caleb was there
last night, and actually witnessed everything that happened. I couldn’t see Lucian’s eyes, because my back was facing him. If Caleb was right, then Lucian must have known something. Maybe he figured out that I was the one of the prophecy. If he did, then I would become an even bigger target than before. 

That seemed like madness! A leader of the Fallen…
afraid of me? Maybe it was a fear of the unexpected. A fear of the fairytale.

“I
really don’t know,” I answered. And that was the truth. “What I do know is that Samuel and Alaine are my birth parents, and I am three-quarters Angel. They say there has never been another like me, but no one will know exactly what I will become until I turn eighteen. That’s when my
so called
transformation happens.”

Caleb was frozen, probably trying to run what I’d just said through his mind. His brow was furrowed,
his eyes were wide, and his mouth was gaping open.

“Alaine
is your mother?” he breathed each word slowly.

“Yes.”
He thought she was just my aunt.

“But how?”

“It’s a
really long story. One I don’t know all the details of. What I do know is that Alaine and my other mom were half-sisters. I was placed in her care because Samuel and Alaine were afraid for my life.

“
There is some stupid law among the Immortals that says that Purebloods can only be with other Purebloods. Because Alaine is only a Halfbreed, her relationship with Samuel was forbidden. They were breaking an Immortal Law, and the punishment was death.

“Samuel was supposed to have been killed for it. Everyone thought he
was dead, but he showed up last night, very much alive.”

“Whoa. So Samuel is one of the Fallen?”

“Yes.”

“If
Alaine is your mom, then that makes you… my sister? I mean legally, because she adopted me and Courtney. Right?”

“That’s r
ight,” I agreed. This was good. It was much better having him think of me as a sister, than having him being all creepy, and stalking me until I was eighteen. 

“You’re my sister. That’s
cool.” He gave a weak smile and closed his eyes.

“Yeah. Cool.”
 

His eyes popped open again
.

“Well,
sis, it looks like your eighteenth birthday will be the party of the century. I won’t miss it, and you better make sure I’m on that list,” he laughed, and then moaned in pain. He held out his hand to me and I took it.

“
Hey, no laughing,” I jested. “Don’t worry. I’ll see to it myself that you’re on that list,” I said. “That is, if I survive until then.”

His eyes had a bewildered look.

“Never mind. Just get some rest.”

I released my grip,
but he held on tightly. The medicine was kicking in again, and his eyes were getting heavy. I tightened my grip and as I did, he smiled and closed his eyes again. I didn’t want to stress him out, and tell him what we were planning. I doubted he’d even believe me if I told him I was going on a quest into Hell to speak to Lucifer. Heck, that seemed crazy in my own mind.