Hell's Angel: Guardian Angel Book 2
Chapter 20

I moved to step forward, to help him in some way against my sister, but one hand effectively held me back. No matter what, he’d said. I wasn’t the obedient type, and letting him fight my battle was an order I planned to ignore. He was my guardian and it was his duty to protect me, but he had to know by now that I couldn’t just sit on the sidelines.

Power emanated from the tip of her sword and hit Michael square on. I gasped in worry, my eyes unnaturally wide. I moved again only to be stopped as Michael’s magnificent wings beat the air once. A blast of sulfuric humidity nearly knocked me off my feet, but I was clearheaded enough to watch Michael launch himself at Vega. She deflected his strike, but not without effort and I could see the toll even that made on her.

I was still in so much pain I could barely move, but that didn’t mean I was just going to watch. Vega’s new monsters scuttled around like thousands of rats moving towards the angel. I did what I could keeping my distance and shooting laser beams of light to dispel the Darkness. The giant black wave turned its attention to me.

I was momentarily torn. I didn’t want Michael to have to protect me, again, but survival won out and I concentrated solely on the demons headed my way. Those assholes were fast and it was a chore just to play keep away. My wings didn’t want to work, so I ran, thankful for my thick-soled boots that kept the debris from tearing up my feet.

The sounds of battle high above my head vied for my attention. My eyes darted up for just a millisecond, just long enough to see the blur of Michael’s weapon, before black spots floated up and Darkness blocked out the fight. My mind worked on overdrive, trying to figure out how to completely obliterate the Darkness when it just insisted on multiplying like rabbits. My light could only do so much when the leech-like creatures were closing in on me, enveloping me in pitch black where all I could see was my breath as it puffed from my lungs.

I gasped, feeling the sharp bite of cold. It was just what I needed. The tingling sensation started in my fingertips. The pins and needles spread and the ground beneath my blood-covered hiking shoes got slippery. Ice crackled, sounding like shattering glass as it raced along the fractured marble of Vega’s palace. It moved quickly, instantly freezing everything in its path. I watched in trepidation, licking my chapped lips anxiously as the first tendrils of my power reached the Darkness.

Time became inconsequential as I waited to see if anything would come from my last-ditch effort. At first, it looked like nothing would happen. The inky blackness kept coming like a toxic oil spill, seemingly undeterred by my magic. My stomach sank as I thought I was out of ideas, but the mass of demons suddenly stilled. The glistening crystals of ice snagged onto the closest bit of Darkness and raced upwards. It was too late for the ones ensnared by my net, and the others quickly tried to swarm me, but it was hopeless. The ones that weren’t icicles yet just bounced back toward the solidifying mass looking like chewed black licorice bubblegum. It only took a few seconds for the Dark little monsters to completely freeze over and I waited another minute for the other shoe to drop. But it didn’t. Vega’s pets, which had terrorized human and titan alike, remained a tar-looking ice sculpture. I’d actually done it.

But these were just the minions. Darkness personified currently held my angel’s life at her command with a sword at his throat. It seemed impossible, but somehow, he’d been disarmed while I’d been otherwise occupied. Vega wasn’t a goddess known for her mercy, and as pissed as she was, there wasn’t much hope that she’d let my guardian go because she was attracted to him. She’d said so herself that his pretty face wasn’t going to be enough to stay her hand.

I reacted. Golden streams of light stretched out from my center to wrap tightly around her leathery wings. She flinched and spun around to face me, but the light kept its firm hold on her, barely keeping her aloft. No matter what, I couldn’t just outright kill her. She was my sister and I was hell bent on giving her another chance to end this nonsense.

“Vega, listen to me. The Darkness can be destroyed, see?” Her eyes flicked briefly to the statue and her nostrils flared, but she didn’t remark so I continued. “I know you’re angry at me for running away and making you jump through Thesis’ hoops with me, but look around. You’re alone and I have Michael with me. Do you really still think you can win?”

I could tell the moment my words registered in her head. She’d spent centuries building her unstoppable army, only to be without them in the end. Her expression fell just the tiniest bit, but pigheadedness ran in our bloodline because she quickly schooled her expression to show no weakness. Only fury remained in her flaming eyes.

“So what do you propose, little sister?” she sneered. “I lay down my arms and we both go on our merry way?”

I tightened my hold on her wings. “No. I can’t let you have the opportunity to try and fight again. My world and the City isn’t safe with you on the loose. But I don’t want to send you to the abyss like you did to Thesis. You’ll be locked away in the prisons until I can trust you again.”

She snorted. “For the rest of eternity, you mean, because I won’t try to earn back your trust. I won’t grovel to the likes of you.”

“If that’s the way you want it.”

Pure hatred fell across her face and she snapped my threads of light holding her wings. Thin scars marred the flesh and her flight faltered, but not enough to stop her from bulleting right at me. The recoil from losing grip on my magic smacked me in the face and I fell to my butt, splayed out with no time to move and no weapon.

Well, no real weapon. A jagged rock, probably once part of her ostentatious throne, dug into my hand as I landed, opening up yet another bloody gash. I picked it up and sent it flying.

Vega laughed when the stone went by, a cut on her bottom lip stretching so far that I winced. “You though you could win? You can’t even throw at your target without screwing up.”

“Oh yeah?”

She cocked a head to the side at my jab before realization dawned on her. Brows furrowed, she did a quarter turn, but never made it all the way around. The acrid smell of burnt meat assaulted my nose and my eyes drifted down to the flaming blade tip poking from her chest. I held back a gag and flited my gaze up to Vega’s wide eyes, which were almost back to their turquoise color.

Michael yanked the blade out and her body jerked. Blood gushed out of the wound in thick clumps and a trickle from between her lips stained her teeth a coppery red almost as dark as my hair. “You gave him a sword,” she accused. Her tone held surprise and just a twinge of grudging respect.

Her breast rose and fell six times- I counted- before movement stilled all together. Her eyes and mouth stayed open in pained shock and I couldn’t get myself to turn away from the vacancy I saw there. Gold and silver stars started to settle over her immobile body like glitter and I stumbled back half a step. It wasn’t the sudden demise like Thesis where she was there one second and gone the next. No, this time, the sparkling starts completely engulfed her before dissolving like sugar in coffee. I don’t know how long I just stared at the place her body had been.

I jumped when a warm weight pressed against my shoulder. I blinked back my alarm and turned my head to see Michael’s strong arms pulling me tight against his broad chest. His steady hand stroked my hair and I drew comfort from the motion. My stomach roiled and it took a long minute before I could get my raging emotions under control.

“Lyra, come. We should get you back to the others.”

The rough padding of his thumb wiped tenderly under my eyes and it was only then that I realized I’d been crying. I sucked in a gasping breath. “Y-yeah. Let’s go. We need to see what’s going on with the titans and who’s still…” I faltered. Any way to finish that sentence would make me nauseous.

Michael nodded once and scooped my limp body up in his arms. His powerful white wings opened with a whoosh and he pushed up from the ground so that we could leave what was left of Vega’s once magnificent palace.

The trip back to the main square, or whatever that place was where we’d first been brought from Arcadia, was a quick one. I avoided looking at all of the bodies, human and titan alike, that were being slowly dissolved by that same sparkly mist that had taken Vega. The archway for the arena doors was all that still stood, and I slowly made my way to there with Michael keeping a helping grip on my elbow.

Max nearly tacked me in a hug the moment she saw me, knocking me off balance and hitting me in the butt with her new hammer in the process. Only Michael kept me from tumbling to the ground. “Lyra! Thank god! I was so worried!”

I pulled back a little to take a hard look at my sister. She sported a new black eye and bloody knuckles. Her grimy T-shirt had holes and bloodstains and definitely wasn’t its original green color, but she looked to be in one piece. I raised both eyebrows. “You’re okay?”

She grinned and held up Mjölnir. “Totally fine. This thing freaking shoots lightning, just like in the movies. Did you know that? I was pretty awesome, if I do say so myself.”

She was way too peppy, so I stepped back further and took account of my surroundings. I’d expected to come back to more fighting, but now I noticed that more humans than titans remained. My heroes seemed to be tying up loose ends while the titans just tried not to meet the business end of any weapons. Paul Bunyan on his ox held the three-headed Cerberus at rifle point while Hercules kept what looked like bigfoot in his sights.

Loki’s wolf bounded up and he transitioned seamlessly into his normal self when he reached my growing group. His dark eyes raked over me quickly, as if he couldn’t really believe I’d made it back alive. Welcome to the club. “Vega’s forces have surrendered- what’s left of them, anyway. We, the titans, all felt it when she was vanquished. Well done, Lyra.”

“Thanks, but I didn’t do it.”

Loki glanced over to the guardian and a slight frown pulled the corners of his mouth down. “Oh, well, good job. Now Lyra doesn’t have to worry about her anymore.”

An arm came around my waist, almost possessive. I didn’t want to pull away after he’d just lost his brother, but the waves of testosterone rolling between Loki and Michael was giving me a headache I really didn’t need. I stepped away and cocooned into my sister’s side. My head drifted to her shoulder and her cheek rested on my hair. “C’mon, Ly, let’s get you home.”

I snorted at the word. “What home? I don’t even know where that is anymore. The City? That won’t be home to me for a while. I can’t go back to the mortal realm and Arcadia is gone. I’m gonna have to talk to Andromeda about- why are you guys looking at me like that?”

Three pairs of eyes settled on my face, but refused to meet my gaze. The all wore uncomfortable expressions that sent my heartbeat into a funky rhythm. “What?” I snapped. I’m not sure how much bad news I could take.

Max took both of my hands in hers. “Lyra, did you notice that Cassiopeia and Randall aren’t here?” I froze; even automatic functions like breathing stopped working. My big sister squeezed my hand before continuing. “Perseus and Andromeda ran into some trouble. They fought together and refused to leave each other. Cassi tried, but she couldn’t stop the monster. She watched it kill them both. She went hysterical. Randall was just barely able to get her to Eden because there was no way she could keep fighting in her state.”

Tears clouded my vision and made my nose runny. My hand flew up to my mouth to physically stop the puke that burned up my throat. I didn’t know how to help my friend through this. I knew going into this war that lives would be lost and I was ready to accept that- sort of. I just never thought that Cassi would be the one that would have to pay.

***

I paced anxiously in the massive throne/ball room. Thesis never did believe in doing anything small, so the throne room I’d inherited to meet with people was the same giant, echoing cavern that parties were held. Ironic that you could have too much room and feel claustrophobic at the same time. I’d been back in the City for days, or however it was measured here, trying to get things in order. Most of the gods were glad with my taking the throne, but there were still a few logistics to sort out from changing rule, not to mention the aftermath the war had on my people.

“I am here, Majesty, as requested.” Aphrodite floated into the room, late, I might add, and took a seat on one of the few plush chairs I’d come to realize were reserved for the queen’s inner-circle.

I sat in the throne, glad I was able to get a velvet-encased foam cushion for the butt-numbing surface. I regarded her for a moment, but she was still the same cold woman that tried to blackmail me. “First of all, I want to thank you for sending the Gemini twins. And I’m sorry about Thor.”

She sighed overdramatically. “Yes, it is a loss. Such a good soldier, and so attractive. But at least there’s still Loki.”

I frowned. She didn’t even care. Michael had been more sorrowful than that, and he hadn’t even spent the last thousand years with him. “Actually, Loki told me he won’t be returning to work for you. Your bargain is fulfilled. You even said you’d held up your end when you bartered Michael to Vega. Which brings me to my next point.”

That empty-headed smile slipped, but I didn’t give her a chance to protest. “Obviously, there are going to be some changes around here. I know you were part of Thesis’ court as well as the council. Your seat on the council will remain the same, but you won’t be an advisor in my court. I don’t trust you and I won’t give you a place of power in my regime. You’ll be a regular goddess who happens to be on the council, but there’s nothing I can do about that.”

Her jaw clenched, teeth grinding, and her face turned red with a shiny layer of sweat. “You little bitch. I’ll make you pay. You don’t know the power I possess.”

I lounged back in my high-backed chair. “Maybe not, but your son does, and Loki, both of whom have already pledged to me if you try anything. And I have a guardian that really doesn’t like when I’m threatened. And, if for some reason they fail, I’m perfectly capable of kicking your ass. There’s a cell in the dungeon I’d be happy to throw you in. You wanted me to be queen, Aphrodite. Now you have to deal with those consequences, just like everyone else.”

The bite in my tone left no room for argument. Sullenly, she got up, bowed, and strolled out of the room with as much pride as she could. I let out a breath. Now that that was over, it was time for the things I’d been putting off because I wasn’t sure if I was really strong enough to face them.