Hell's Angel: Guardian Angel Book 2
Chapter 15

We slid through the wide rock formations that surrounded the castle. The grounds within the gate were totally barren with wilted fossil grey cacti that seemed to grab at the hems of my forest green cargo pants. Something crunched under my practical hiking boots and I really didn’t want to know what it was in this creepy hell.

Surprisingly, we didn’t run into any of Vega’s titans while we crept out in the open of the castle grounds. We made it into the giant entrance hall before anything actually happened. The second we breached the stone walls, I doubled over in pain. I took a deep, gasping breath and squeezed my eyes shut. Something wasn’t right. I wasn’t hurting, but someone else’s pain invaded my senses.

“Michael,” I panted. “He’s here and he’s in trouble.”

Loki’s comforting hand warmed my shoulder and he leaned over so that his handsome face filled my vision. His dark eyes were concerned and a frown pinched his lips downward. “Hey, Lyra, I need you to breathe. Focus on me. We will replace the angel.”

I sucked in air and nodded. It took another minute before I could stand properly, and even then, I had to lean a little on Loki as we silently made our way down the medieval corridor. Giant granite slabs at our feet tossed up small echoes to the equally stony walls and I was worried that every step would bring out one of Vega’s monsters. My heart pounded a million miles a minute, so loudly that I was sure Loki could easily hear it.

“Down this way,” he said after we’d walked for what felt like a mile. “If I remember correctly, Vega’s bedroom is this way.”

I arched both of my eyebrows to my hairline. “If you remember? Vega’s room?”

His eyes rolled slightly. “Keep in mind that I have not been here in several millennia. And your sister has lusted after Michael since the dawn of time. She will not keep him locked away in the dungeon. She’ll want him close, where she can see her prize.”

We turned another corner and started up a flight of stairs. I really hoped he truly knew where he was going. “You seem to know a lot about my sister.”

He stopped and turned to me. Weak candlelight from the sconces above flickered along his face. The flames reflected in his eyes and cast shadows on the planes of his cheeks, making him look harder than the caring guy I knew. “I’m not one of your humans, Lyra. Vega created me and I still carry a piece of her. I understand how she operates, because it’s what I would do. She wants to prove that she’s superior, and so she’ll keep Michael where you and he will both suffer the most and she can finally have her way.”

I swallowed back at the intensity of his voice. It scared me a little, that he was so in tune with her, but it helped that he was on my side. Loki said he loved me, at least one of my past lives, so I just had to trust that whatever influence Vega had on him wouldn’t come back to bite me in the ass.

I tugged nervously on my ponytail. “Okay, Let’s just replace him and get out of here.”

“That might be a little harder than you think.”

I looked up to the top of the stairs where he was staring and my stomach dropped. Standing on the landing were three humanoid creatures with murky brown skin, bald heads too small for their giant bodies, and floppy pig ears and snouts. Tusks curved up from their mouths that looked sharp enough to impale me with one strike. The largest one, probably 7 feet and 600 pounds, narrowed beady maroon eyes at me and snorted.

“What exactly is that?”

“Ogre,” Loki answered through gritted teeth.

“And we have to get through them to get to Michael?”

“You got it.”

I drew my sword and leveled it at the trio of ogres the way Michael taught me. My own power sparked to life in my chest, a comforting, familiar heat that raced down my nerves and extended beyond me. The perfectly balanced blade glowed with my light when I swung it in a practice arc. The ogres didn’t look too wary of me, which I hoped was more stupidity than confidence on their part.

Loki shifted once again into the giant wolf and launched himself up the remainder of the stairs, creating a path through the towering bodies. I followed closely on his heels and spun away from the first attack. Using my momentum from the spin, I brought my knee up to the monster’s round beer belly and landed a punch with my free left hand. Something popped in my knuckles and the ogre easily batted me away as if I was nothing more than a fly.

“Oof.” Air rushed out of my lungs at the impact as I flipped through the air and landed hard on my butt. The ogre swung a heavy mace at me. I gasped, watching the spiked ball growing closer to my face, and rolled away at the last possible second when my brain had finally registered the danger. A somersault landed me on my feet and I got ready for the next coming attack. The ogre roared, an awful sound that shook me to my very core, and tried to hit me with the mace again. I leaned away and countered with a slash of my blade. Infused with light, the sword left a two-inch gash along its side.

The ogre growled and his skin, colored like baked mud, shivered at the raw power of it. I flinched from the sound and this time I wasn’t quick enough to get out of the way of his huge weapon. One of the sharp spikes dug into my ribs and the force of the strike sent me careening to the ground. Pain lanced up my spine, momentarily paralyzing me, and I couldn’t breathe.

“Mine.” The ogre’s guttural voice was like crunching gravel. It grated on my already sensitive nerves, but the pure bloodlust that laced his tone was what really made my heart stutter in terror. This thing would take great pleasure ripping me apart until I was just a pile of goop.

The ogre stalked toward me twirling its mace, savoring my defeat. I found enough strength to sit up a little and pressed my hand against the gaping wound right on my side. With my other hand, I frantically scrambled backwards away from the monster that stalked me like prey. My breaths came in short pants that didn’t do nearly enough.

“Queen Vega will enjoy the angel much more once you are dead. Long may you live, Princess.”

My eyes narrowed. I wasn’t sure if I was angrier about the title or about what he said about Michael. Definitely his boast about what Vega would do with Michael with me out of the way. Rage bubbled up within me. “No happening, jackass.”

The scream that escaped my lips was purely animalistic. My power flew out of me like sapphire-threaded, sunglow yellow waves. It was like an atomic blast clearing everything in its wake. All three ogres burst into gross, taupe brown powder.

Loki helped me to my feet and wrapped his arm around my waist. My knees shook and it took a minute to get the pain under control. I felt weak, but I wasn’t going to be an invalid. “Maybe we should get you out of here.”

“No,” I mumbled through gritted teeth. “You said we were close. I’m not leaving without Michael.”

He sighed in exasperation, by at least he didn’t argue. That was probably the biggest difference between Loki and Michael- Loki caved into my wishes, even when they were just this side of crazy.

The trek down the long corridor to Vega’s suite was slow going. Loki half carried me and every step sent a wave of pain rushing through my entire body. I was on the verge of tears by the time we finally made it to the door of her room. The double doors were opulent, made of a white material like wood but with a more marbled texture, definitely not something you’d replace on the mortal plane, with amazing geometrical designs on the smooth surface. They stood a good twelve feet high and spanned the width of a two-car garage. The solid gold door handles were ornately curved and probably as long as my sword.

Loki unwound his arm from my waist and took up position in front of me. Normally I might have taken offense at being treated as a damsel who needs saving, but I was in no condition to handle any surprise attacks. The Norse trickster yanked the door open and raised his blade. His head swung left and right looking for any trouble before he motioned me to follow. We both kept on guard as he led the way through the bedroom.

Like the rest of this realm, the suite screamed Vega. The entrance room was nothing but weapons, most of them coated in blood and grime like trophies from her kills. A massive head, some animal that seemed half bear and half human with goat horns was mounted above the door to the next room. It made me queasy.

We made it easily into the next room and Loki stopped so abruptly that I ran into his wide back. I couldn’t see anything around him, but his stature changed infinitesimally. He was tense, but not like he was prepared for another fight.

Using my sword as a crutch, I slipped by him into the main bedroom. It was sparsely furnished with a giant canopied bed, oak dressers, tables, and a standing wardrobe, but I really didn’t notice any of that because all I saw was Michael tethered to the opulent headboard. I sucked in a sharp breath as my eyes drank him in. A long chain attached to the bed was wrapped around his wrists with just enough slack for him to stand, his posture regal despite the bruises and cuts peppering his skin and the odd angle of his lackluster wings. He was shirtless and bare foot wearing only the dark jeans he’d had on when he was taken, though they were tattered now.

Pain raced up my spine and I practically fell into Loki’s side. I stopped breathing for a second. Michael’s grey eyes studied me with an intensity to rival my own perusal and a muscle in his jaw twitched. His stormy eyes took on a darker look when they glanced over to Loki.

“Why the hell would you bring her here?” he growled.

“It’s not like I wanted to. Vega brought all of Arcadia here. The town doesn’t even exist anymore.”

“Then you get her out of here; do not bring her right into the heart of the danger.”

I pushed away from Loki with my hand pressed firmly to my side to staunch the slowing blood flow. I didn’t stop until I crossed the room and stood right in front of him. “I’m right here, guys. I can make my own decisions. It was my choice to come for you, Michael.”

He looked down on me from his great height and sighed. “Lyra-Rose, you should not have risked your life for mine.”

I placed my hand on his bare chest. His warm skin was firm beneath my fingertips and sent tingles all the way down to my toes. It was almost enough to overshadow the catastrophe going on outside this room. I nibbled on my bottom lip as my fingers glided over to his shoulder and down his arm to the chain keeping him prisoner.

I could feel Vega’s magic humming in the cold metal links. It bit at my flesh and my heat coiled warily in my chest. The wound at my ribs pulsed uneasily as her power fought against me. No wonder he couldn’t get out. “This is gonna take some serious divine intervention.”

My sunset-orange light sparked to life along the surface of my hand and gathered to a brilliant point at the center of my palm. The remnants of Vega’s power battled against my own and I gave a bigger mental nudge. I winced. Even when she wasn’t here, Vega was stronger than me and it was taking a lot of effort to get past whatever wards she’d set to keep Michael captive. Michael’s dirt-coated white wings fluttered anxiously above me. “Lyra-Rose, please, stop.”

“I can do this,” I panted. Using so much energy was starting to take its toll. I put every ounce of power I had into one final push.

The chain snapped apart at the same moment my knees gave out. Michael scooped me up

when I wobbled and held me firmly against his solid body. My vision blurred, but I could still see the concern etched in the strong lines of his jaw. I tried to wave off his worry but I could barely lift my hand. “I’m fine,” I insisted at the same time I lost the battle to even keep my eyes open.