Echoes in Eternity (The Pella Series Book 1) (69 page)

“How about Alex?”
she asks. I am doubly alert with this question.

“Alexandros is unique,” he says and stops.

“In what way? Wasn’t he destined to die like the rest of the Nephilim?”

“His father made a bargain giving him up in hopes to work his penance off…”

“So, basically he sold his own child!” Elissa hisses angrily, offended on my behalf.

“It wasn’t that
simple. He wasn’t doing it because he took the easy way out,” Marcus replies. Taken aback, Elissa pulls herself away from him immediately and sits back.

“Are you defending him?”
she scolds him.

“No, baby! I’m not,”
Marcus replies shaking his head.

“Because if you are, I have a birth mother up there who tried to sell me to get her youth and immortality. What was Alex’s father
promised?” she spews in a poisonous tone. At that moment, I’m both awed and turned on by her reaction.

“It’s great to see that you are protective of Alexandros. His father was one of the first
Fallen
who was punished. His wings were ripped off him, which in turn changed his nature,” Marcus says. Elissa automatically flexes the ethereal wings retracted inside her back. Marcus has wings. “He,” Marcus says nodding with his head beyond his dungeon “can be very persuasive.” Elissa flinches in his response remembering Apollyon had Elissa only a few minutes, and she was loose limbed. Her thoughts were overtaken.

“How long has Alex’s
dad been under his influence?” she whispers as if she’s trying to prevent Apollyon from hearing them.

“Hundreds of years.”

“What?” Elissa shouts. “I thought when Alex was dying he was only 32 or even younger.”

“I can’t divulge
that information yet.”

“Yet? Dad, I don’t know if I am going to see you again. This isn’t like breaking into the Supermax. Why can’t you tell me now?”

“Supermax?”

“Super Maximum Security Prison.”

“Ah…”

“You’re not gonna ask me what it is?”
she asks raising her eyebrows.

“I still have knowledge of the human world. I
can guess what it is. No. Supermax has nothing compared to Tartarus and Hades.” He shakes his head.

Elissa tries
a different angle to inveigle information about my father’s identity.

“Who fathered Alex?”
she asks. Marcus’s initial reaction surprises her making her take several steps back. Marcus stands his full height and opens his wings up. His wingspan is about thirty feet long! He is completely magnificent! His wings are shimmering. The wingtips have crimson splotches as if he’s just been to war and he’s just been stained in enemy blood.

“Da
ddy! You are…” she says inhaling deep in awe. “You are simply spectacular!” she finally manages to whisper, though her voice echoes in the dungeon as if she shouted it. Elissa takes a few tentative steps towards him with her hand extended. She wants to touch him. When she gets near Marcus, he lowers his wings in order for her to reach them. Her fingers tentatively run over his soft to the touch but strong wings.

“Careful,” he warns
her. “It can be sharp like a razor.”

She nods
in response continuing to run her finger over each individual feather. Marcus closes his eyes.

“What’s Alex’s father’s name?”
she asks again softly.

“
The name doesn’t matter. The
Watchers
who have become
Fallen
have changed their names overtime. Knowing this, you should recognize the abilities to match with the
Fallen
. Alexander’s father is capable of moving matter.” Elissa’s hand stills and she looks up at him, confused.

“Gas, li
quid, solid and what governs it,” he explains.

“What do you mean?” What governs it? Heat, cold, air?

“Natural forces such as cohesion, their chemical affinity, or even gravitation. You must understand that each of us has abilities and powers. And those above or below would love to harness it to use in their battles against one another. I have a side I serve. But when that side declared war on my child I withdrew my abilities from their service. I have been asked back to join the ranks again. But, I cannot take sides until my child is safe. You’re my first priority.”

“But here you are…”
she says stating the obvious. “You have told me that no forgiveness shall be given to the
Fallen
,” she adds barely hiding her worried look.

“I’m not
Fallen
. I’ve merely exchanged my freedom for your pardon and safety from one side.”

“That’s not fair!
You have matriculated me fifteen times! The debt has been paid!”

“
Yes, but you are a key to Eden. Eradicating you would initiate a war neither side is prepared to have yet. It’s not about fairness. I had to ensure your security. Now, Eden is bound to protect you.”

“But I saw what you promised! You can never come back!”

“That’s right. Marcus, can never come back. He died on earth,” he says.

“I don’t understand.”
Elissa states, confused.

“I cannot explain it to you. Don’t push it!”
Marcus says harshly and his wings are immediately spread, conjuring dust off the ground like the blades of a helicopter. He easily lifts himself off the ground and hovers above as far as his chains allow him. From Elissa’s demeanor, I can see that she doesn’t want to push him.

“Okay,”
she says raising her hands in a universal gesture of peace. Marcus understands and slows to show Elissa that he doesn’t want to scare her. Marcus slowly lands and retracts his wings, tucking them inside his back and making them invisible. Then he sits on his haunches like a cowboy would. Perhaps some habits never die.

“You were telling me about Alex. I gather his father was tortured and he gave Alex up…”
Elissa says, and Marcus shakes his head vehemently. Why?

“His father had endured more than many of us could. Alex was going to die by v
iolence and destined for Hades,” Marcus says. This is a revelation for me.

“It can’t be! Alex said that it was against the Divine Laws.”

“Alexandros is too important for Apollyon to ignore. Apollyon couldn’t get what he wanted from Alex’s father. But his father was in Alex’s life early on. He’s the one who taught Alex how to ride and how to fight. He taught him battle strategies. Not just human strategies, but angelic tactics. He gave him the resilience, stamina and skills. Alex was able to tame an immortal horse at the age of 9! It couldn’t be done by a mere human child at any age!” Marcus says in awe of something I was able to accomplish. “He was in his son’s life. Spent as much time with him as possible to get him ready for what was coming.” Is he talking about the same father who left me, and sold me to Eden?

“Dad! Please, I need to know his name! What if he’s around and I m
eet him? I don’t know what he’s capable of doing?”

“You would do well to stay away from him! He’s not serving on the same side anymore!”
Marcus’s voice booms.

“But, you just said…”
she says and he cuts her off.

“I know what I said! I know what he did to him to give him up, but he was already
Fallen
! He had to make a choice between an abhorrent choice and a detrimental choice. He didn’t have any leverage! None of the
Fallen
did. Alex’s father thought he was making a deal to have his son killed but sent to Elysium. He didn’t know that Apollyon would intercept. Alexander is…” he says and restrains himself.

“What is Alexander
?” Elissa asks curiously. Marcus shakes his head.

“Please? Tell me!” A pained look crosses his eyes which he conceals immediately.

“What is he to me?”

“Your guardian!”
Fuck! Why is he concealing the fact that I was her husband, father of our children?

“
Is that all he is to me?” Elissa asks in a barely audible voice.

“Should he be?”
Marcus replies quizzically. What the hell is he trying to do? Plant seeds of doubt into her mind? If so, why would he do that?

“That’s not an answer and you know it!”
Elissa shouts, reprimanding her father.

“Whatever you’re feeling for him… It should not be there. He should only be your protector. You have matriculated
to your sixteenth generation. You are very close to becoming immortal. Don’t waste all my efforts. Alexander can protect you. You are now free to love anyone,” he says. He is deliberately trying to prevent our relationship from going further.

“Do you
mean
anyone except Alexander
?” Elissa hisses.

“Yes,
that’s exactly what I mean!” his words are cut, cold and staccato. I’m stunned momentarily.

“You sound like Uncle Gabriel,”
Elissa mutters. Marcus visibly flinches with the comparison.

“I’m your father! My sole purpose since you were born has been to protect you! You’re my child! I love you!” he says. His pleading voice echoes around his dungeon.

“You want to protect me, keep me in a gilded cage for the rest of eternity, but you won’t let me live, dad! What kind of an existence is that? Uncle Gabriel said that my life wasn’t my own to make choices! I expected that of him because he only serves Elysium, because he’s not my dad, but you… Your words wound me,” she whispers. He flinches as if she hit him. He shakes his head in a firmly restrained power.

That’s it! I’ve heard all I can take. I can barely handle him trying to break her affection of me, but I can’t handle it if he tries to put his duties to Eden above her.

“Elissa!” I call out. She feels it. Her body calls out to me, but her subconscious pulls her back. Elissa is straining herself to remain here.

“No!
I haven’t gotten all my questions answered. I can’t go just yet,” she shouts back at me, responding to me for the first time. I pull her to let her know I want her to come.

“Dad! Please!”
she shouts, stumbling back with my tug. Marcus rushes forward and easily scoops her up in his arms. His gaze rakes her over from top to bottom looking for an injury. Elissa’s hand goes to her back as she arches it feeling some pain at the base of her tailbone. I know that Courcillion must be straining to hold us both here. Elissa looks like she’s in excruciating pain. She screams in agony, and I shout back at the Duke.

“
She’s hurting!
”

“
I need your help! It’s difficult to hold you both!
” he groans.

“What is hurting you baby?”
Marcus asks.

“
I’m not hurt. I feel him calling me…”

CHAPTER XX
IV

RETURN TO ME

Elissa Cassandra Duncan

My father tenses immediately.

“Apollyon is very deceitful! You can’t believe in anything he says! You can’t respond to his call.” I’m momentarily surprised at his assumption, but Apollyon isn’t entirely incorrect.