Genesis Queen (The Road to Hell Series) (29 page)

Tears choked him. He threw back his head and shouted his grief, dragging his angel talons across his chest and gouging his flesh. Compared to the searing pain of losing his wife, the self-inflicted wounds were mere abrasions.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Zen couldn’t recall ever being this furious. Given his age, that was a remarkable feat. He’d endured unbearable grief, but not anger.

The cowards hadn’t faced him head-on, but downed him from behind with a magical blow served up angelic style. The other angel took out the Hellhounds guarding the end of Amos’s bed. With the biggest threats neutralized, they went for Petra.

Comatose, he’d been aware of his surroundings, watched it all with anger and injustice bleeding into his mind. Petra fought like a demon on steroids and both of the
Esdras
suffered injuries. Too bad they healed almost instantly.

He had no idea why Amos hadn’t woken during the violent scuffle. He’d prodded the boy mentally, and recognized something mystical deepening the child’s sleep. A wallop of mojo to the base of Petra’s scalp and her knees had buckled. Domiel had drained her succubus from her to the verge of death, and then left her to suffer. She’d die soon without nourishment. No doubt the angel knew she’d perish unhurriedly when he refrained from draining the last of her demon.

He didn’t think Zariel knew that while he was frozen, he remained very much awake. The angel verified that conclusion when he stepped into his view and said to Domiel, “I feel guilty for taking Zennyo Ryuo out like that.”

“Don’t.” Domiel blasted Amos with a ball of silvery light and the child didn’t issue so much as a grunt when the angel hoisted him over his shoulder. “Zennyo Ryuo will be dangerous when he wakes. But he’ll come to his senses eventually, understand that their death is the right path. It’s safer for all of us this way. He would kill us before we had a chance to explain our position. Drahel detailed how unreceptive Zennyo Ryuo was to killing Beliel’s family.” He recalled Drahel was the angel on the mountaintop that originally demanded he slaughter Madison and Amos. “We need to be in Heaven before Zennyo Ryuo wakes and kills us, so let’s get moving.”

I
will
kill you all
.

A useless promise since he couldn’t move from the seat to go after them when they exited the room with the boy.

All of that seemed to have transpired hours ago. He knew it’d been under half an hour. What had happened to his family since? Were they even alive? If they weren’t…anger pierced his temple in a jagged spike of pain.

Folly to attempt to force his hand this way. Fighting against the paralysis, Zen grunted and groaned in his mind, all while his body failed to obey. Not even with the slightest twitch. Every botched attempt ignited a new level of frustration and pushed him closer to the unthinkable.

A choice must be made. My family or my creator
.

A blasphemous decision.

After crafting the world, God visited his new construction. His first exhale mixed with the atmosphere and had spawned a race of Zennyo Ryuos. Even as an unintentional creation, God hadn’t shunned them, but had nurtured, loved, and mingled among them.

Being the breath of God had been a privilege. Until now.

He had forgiven God when He allowed his first family to fall by Pandora’s vileness. There would be no acceptance or forgiveness for that outcome a second time. Not with his new family.

Zen, this is bad
. Madison’s telepathy held an edge of panic. The only time he’d known her to panic was when she opened Pandora’s Box to save Phoenix from Micah’s covenant.

Madison, I will come
. Silence from her.
Can you hear me
? More silence.

He renewed his efforts to defeat the magical restraints. He would not allow these
Esdras
to succeed.

Any time angels were deployed to destroy any human creation, he received a message from the Word of God. None had been issued this time. This infiltration was an unsanctioned mission, which led these
Esdras
perilously close to their own Fall. Being omniscient, his creator knew of the attack and executed no counterattack. Instead He allowed the angels’ outcome to fall to fate. Which also granted Zen the free will to choose his path.

Hard choices.

Madison
? He tried again.

You’re a whisper, Zen. Speak louder.

Hang tight, I am coming
!

Before meeting Madison and Amos, his life had been black and white. Keep the balance at all costs. Kill whatever jeopardized the safety of mankind. The two of them had made him
feel
again. They reminded him of his peaceful existence before Pandora destroyed his race.

He’d forfeited everything for the Word. His family. His life. His reason for living. All because he believed the Creator knew best.

I gave everything, while He sacrificed nothing
. He followed the dictates of the Word without protest, even when he disagreed.

I killed innocents for Him
. His loyalty had been unquestionable.

This must be how Job felt when God took everything from him
. How had Job remained true?

Had Micah felt this betrayed by his father?
If so, I can understand why he Fell
.

Zen screamed in his head at the inequality of his relationship with his creator.

If this is how you award my eons of faithfulness, then you don’t deserve my loyalty. He inhaled sharply, his fingers tingling as if reawakened from sleep.

I
forsake
you
!

In a rush, the paralysis evaporated. A heaviness shot through his chest, and he gripped his shirt. Silence pierced his ears like a warning gong. The Word no longer resided within him. Dual emotions ripped through him: freedom and anguish. His old purpose eliminated with one sentence. His new solo gig wouldn’t be easy.

I’ll face it head on, so long as my family survives
.

He would be damned for his decision. Of that he felt certain. Probably even be considered God’s enemy. He despised understanding Micah’s reasons for his Fall, while loathing the circumstances that brought about his understanding. The blame for his enlightenment lay at his creator’s feet.

Madison, I am coming
!

Silence from Madison. He probed for her mentally and found…nothing.

Stumbling from his chair, he collapsed to his knees beside Petra.

“I’ll send someone to help you, Petra.” He rubbed the achy flesh on his chest.

“Save Amos…Madison,” she whispered, unmoving on the floor.

I will send someone
. He reiterated the promise as he teleported. He hit the lawn and surveyed his surroundings. A sorrowful wailing rent the evening as dragons battered against an invisible shield. His rainbow orbs pierced that same shield and sailed straight into an angel-bastard. Apparently, the magic had been erected just for the dragons. They hadn’t erected a defense against him because they believed he’d already been eliminated from the equation.

Overconfidence is always the first crack in a secure firewall. I am the cudgel that will tear down their barricade
.

Zen released his rage. On autopilot, he slugged angel after angel with his power, his footsteps crunching their diamond remains.

Scanning the crowd as he mowed through them to reach the keening, he spied Madison on the lawn. Motionless.

If she is dead, I’ll blast them all to pieces
.

Near her the Kings were trapped in separate rings of
Angelfire
. Micah was on his hands and knees, crying and distraught, flickering between angel and his human persona. He was also the one making the god-awful noise. He’d never seen the King emit this much emotion…
except for when he thought I’d killed Madison the first time
.

Zen sent two orbs in the direction of the fallen brothers and sliced through the fire, freeing them both. A mini-teleport and he avoided retaliation from an
Esdras
at his back. Reappearing behind the angel, he slammed the creature in the spine with a death blow. That’d send his divine creator a profound message.

The angel exploded into a burst of green diamonds. Another teleport and he landed in the Demon Lock beside Madison.

“Zennyo Ryuo!” Domiel stumbled backward. Fear widened the angel’s eyes and he tensed as if he prepared to flee. Zen didn’t allow him the opportunity, but froze him by trapping him in a rainbow sphere.

A finger to Madison’s artery confirmed her demise. Fury swept through him, flipping the circuit breaker connected to his restraint off. Visible crackles of power manifested along his body like a Tesla coil as Micah leapt from the trap in his true visage. And collapsed to his knees with the first step. The King took a moment before pushing to unsteady feet. If he’d needed further proof of Madison’s death, Zen had it in Micah’s precipitous feebleness.

He reacted and went after Domiel. Seconds later he gripped Domiel by the throat and lifted him off the ground. His fingertips sizzled with rainbows, short-circuiting the angel’s magic slowly, purposefully, hopefully with a great deal of pain.

“He’s mine.” Micah’s voice came out hoarse from emotion. Fire burned in the fallen’s eyes as he sank to his knees. Zen almost pitied Domiel. Hell would not be kind to the
Esdras
angel. “He killed Madison. He. Is. Mine.” Beliel pushed to his feet and wobbled, but maintained his footing. The King wouldn’t last long at this rate. “Don’t allow Zariel to harm Amos.”

Satisfied Micah would take care of Domiel even if it was his last act, Zen tossed the bastard to him and teleported behind Zariel.

“As the
Jyamhak iw Jmekehj
”—
Scepter of Spirits
—“I reap all your souls for
my
kingdom,” Micah roared as Zen let loose a ball to the back of Zariel’s head. The angel went down and Zen caught Amos in his arms. He turned toward Madison’s husband, as a very real scepter, a twisted piece of magic that sizzled like a bolt of blue-and-white lightning, emerged from the archangel’s palm.

“Remember my promise, Domiel?” The tip of the sword pierced the angel’s gut. “
Plead for my mercy
, brother.”

For the first time since Micah’s Fall, Zen was glad he knew the man.

The King angled the foil upward, primed to pierce the
Esdras
angel’s heart, but halted and began to work the rapier in and out. Domiel wept. Beliel showed him no compassion.

He deserves none
.

“Welcome to your worst Hell, Domiel.” Micah pushed the weapon slowly into Domiel’s body.

Wrong decision leaving Micah in charge of that weapon
. Reaping all their souls fed them to Hell for brutal justice. Every single one of them deserved whatever punishment the Kings doled out. Zen’s only regret was that he couldn’t visit Hell to facilitate their agony.

He shivered at the intensity of Micah’s gaze. Fear swept across Domiel’s features and he cried out. Death came too soon and he imploded moments later, littering the lawn with gems.

The dragons swept through the shield with the angel’s death, indicating Domiel’s magic maintained the invisible shelter. Kur swooped to snag Phoenix by the collar and deposit him beside Madison. With an arm around Amos, Zen teleported beside them. He tapped Phoenix on the forehead with his other hand, walloping him with harsh magic. The Ark of Heaven jolted awake and peered about, dazed and disoriented.

“Madison is dead.” Phoenix jerked at his abrupt statement, but there was no time to ease him into awareness. “Revive her before it’s too late.”

Phoenix looked around, spied Madison on the ground beside him and threw himself over her. Tears coursed down the Ark’s cheeks.

He lifted his gaze to assess if the Kings or the dragons required aid. Micah plowed through the angels with the
Scepter
, going to his knees, stumbling back up and repeating the process over and over, grief, determination, and revenge the only logical justification why he was able to remain on his feet.

As Zen adjusted Amos more securely in his arms, a dragon brought down the last of the angels. A record slaughter. Green diamonds glittered in the sudden moonlight…more proof the angels had masked the moon in clouds to aid their skulking.

The fallen’s normal cocky swagger was missing tonight. With his arm strung over Elias’s shoulders, the twins approached. Unshed tears glistened in Micah’s eyes.

“You’ll be dead soon if Phoenix cannot resuscitate Madison.”

“I’d rather be deceased than go on without Madison.” Beliel swiped his fingers over his eyes. Zen caught Elias’s jerk of surprise.

It was blasphemous for him to work with the Kings instead of his godly creator. But no more profane than his maker turning His back on Zen when he needed Him the most. Killing his family twice in a lifetime was too much to ask anyone to endure.

I made the only choice I could. For my family
.

***

One look at Mads’s lifeless form and cracks, like an egg’s fragile shell, veined across Nix’s self-control.

Keep it together for Mads
.

Wrapping his arms around her, he crushed her in his embrace. Magic poured from him and into her much too fast. He should temper the speed for his own safety, but he couldn’t make himself hold back, not with her life on the line.

Not again
.

“Mads, please, baby, come back to me,” he whispered against her ear. He wept, aware he trembled so hard in his misery that he shook her, too. Uncaring who witnessed his heartache, he allowed his emotions freedom.

Don’t die, baby
.

“Amos?” came Micah’s gruff voice from behind him. He sounded tired and he’d never known the King to be anything but energetic.

Cannot endure her death again
.

“He’s fine.” A shuffling sound, but Zenny went on. “Domiel used a sleep spell on him. I kept him that way when Domiel’s magic dropped so Amos wouldn’t be traumatized by Madison’s predicament.”