Broken Wings (Hidden Wings Series Book Two) Read online

  I glanced at Kade. His face had relaxed a bit, but his eyes and jaw were clinched tight, and he was taking in shallow breaths, which I found myself mimicking.

  “Is the potion gone?” I asked.

  “No, there is just enough for one more sip,” Samuel said. “We have to go. Can you walk, Kade?” Danyel asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

  “What? He can’t go anywhere! There is no way. Can’t you see his back?” I cried.

  Kade’s eyes opened. They were weary from pain, but he turned and looked at me. “Don’t worry about me, Emma. I’ll make it. I’m not sure how long this potion will last, but the sooner we get this over with, the better,” he said, with his charming crooked smile.

  How the heck could he do that? How could he act like he wasn’t in excruciating pain? It must have been the potion. That was some pretty powerful stuff, but it would eventually wear off and out, and then he’d be in a worse position.

  His smile was like a beam of sunshine throughout the darkness. I wanted to wrap my arms around him, but right now that was just not going to happen.

  Samuel and Danyel reached down and each took one of Kade’s arms, carefully lifting him to his feet. Once he was up, they slowly let him go. He wobbled a bit, and I held my breath. His weak eyes found mine, and he winked. He actually winked!

  I reached for his hand, and he quickly laced his fingers through mine. His hand felt hot, like I had gripped the handle of a red-hot pan, but I dared not let go. Right now, we were each other’s strength.

  “Let’s move,” Danyel urged. “Kade, would you like help?”

  “No. I’ll be fine,” he answered.

  Danyel and Samuel had their swords ready, and slowly started walking toward the dark tunnel that the creature had come out of. I started to move forward, but Kade didn’t move with me.

  “Are you okay,” I asked. I studied his face, which seemed to be growing more and more pale.

  “I’m fine. I just wanted to - I need to…”

  He pulled me until I was against him, and then leaned down and pressed his warm lips on mine. His fingers carefully wrapped around the back of my neck, pulling me deeper into the kiss.

  My hands found his face, and I steadied myself, drinking in his warmth and love. His lips were soft and sweet, and his kiss took me to an unknown place. I was no longer in Hell, but floating somewhere else, somewhere beautiful, alone with Kade. We were lost in a Heaven all of our own. I never wanted the moment to end, but he suddenly pulled away, leaving me numb and dizzy.

  “Thank you,” he whispered with a smile. “You give me strength. Much more than that potion.”

  I couldn’t speak. His kiss had sucked every word from my mouth. I smiled at him and he reached and took hold of my hand. My heart felt like it was going to bust out from my chest. All I wanted to do was to get out of this miserable place.

  I knew it was just a matter of time before he would be in torturous pain again, and all I could do was hope and pray that we could get through it all before that happened. I needed him, and it seemed that he needed me just as much. We were meant to be together, no matter what anyone said.

  “Hey, are you two coming?” Danyel yelled.

  I looked at Kade and he nodded. Confident with him by my side, I took in a deep breath and stepped forward.

  Chapter 8

  The tunnel was long, pitch black, and at a downward slope. There was a faint glow at the end a few hundred yards away. Here, a few hundred yards seemed like a thousand miles, especially with the damned treacherous terrain.

  Samuel dropped glow-sticks about every ten feet to help light our path. I kept a tight hold on Kade, who kept me balanced, and saved me countless times from falling onto the sharp, jagged rocks. With every step, deeper and deeper into Hell, the air was getting thicker. I could barely manage, and began to worry about Kade.

  As we finally made our way out from the tunnel I glanced over to him. He caught my eye and managed a smile, but I could tell that something was very wrong. He was looking more and more pale, and the dark circles under his eyes were quickly becoming more prominent. He didn’t look like he was going to hold out much longer.

  “Let’s stop for a minute,” I said. I knew we needed to, and I wasn’t going to let him go any further. Each breath he took was becoming harder and shorter.

  “I’ll be fine,” he answered weakly, and then coughed.

  He was lying to me, and I knew it was because he was trying to keep me from feeling sorry for him. The heat in this place made me feel like my skin was boiling, and I had on this suit, which was trying to keep me cool. His burned flesh was directly open to the scorching heat.

  I stopped and held him back.

  This wasn’t supposed to happen. I couldn’t let him suffer like this. I knew he’d follow me all the way into the depths of Hell to protect me, even if it killed him. But I wouldn’t allow him to. I couldn’t stand by and watch him suffer, let alone watch him die.

  “Samuel!” I called in an urgent tone. I didn’t care if it was louder than it should have been, but this was a matter of emergency. I needed them to stop and listen. Both he and Danyel turned back.

  “No, Emma. I’ll be fine,” Kade said, but I noticed a line of blood trickling down the corner of his mouth. He noticed my eyes, which were wide with horror, and he quickly wiped it away.

  My breath caught in my throat.

  “You’re not fine, Kade. This is not fine. We need to get you out of here!” I could feel myself losing it. Seeing him like this was tormenting every part of me.

  Samuel quickly made his way back to us.

  “What is it, Emma?” he questioned.

  “It’s Kade. He needs help! You have to help him!” I cried, with pleading eyes.

  Samuel took a good look at Kade, and I saw his eyes close.

  I suddenly felt Kade’s grip loosen, and watched his eyes roll back into his head as he went limp. Samuel reached out and grabbed him under his arms to keep him from falling to the ground.

  “Kade!” I screamed. At this moment I didn’t care about anything else but him.

  “He won’t make it much further,” Samuel noted. “He’s losing too much blood.”

  “Blood?” I looked down and noticed a small puddle of blood by his feet, and we’d only been standing there for a few minutes. I wondered how much blood he’d lost while we were walking.

  Kade moaned and it made my stomach twist.

  “I’m sorry, Emma,” he breathed.

  “No, Kade. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” I sobbed, watching his eyes roll back. “We need to get him out of here, now!” I screamed. My heart was being torn apart, bit by bit. Tears poured down my cheeks.

  Samuel paused. His eyes furrowed.

  “Don’t let him die, Samuel. Please, don’t let him die!” I pleaded, holding Kade’s hand. “Promise me. Just promise me that you won’t let him die!”

  I couldn’t bear to watch him suffer. I wished that there was a way he could be turned back into an immortal, that way he would be able to heal. But I knew that wasn’t going to happen. Not here. Not now.

  “Emma. I made a promise to your mother that I would keep you safe. We need to finish this mission, or Kade, along with everyone else, will die.”

  “So what are you saying? We’re going to leave him here to die?” I yelled, to the brink of hyperventilating. If he was assuming that I’d leave Kade, he was out of his mind! That wasn’t even an option.

  “Danyel!” Samuel called. Danyel was up ahead, sword ready, eyes peeled, making sure that we didn’t have any unexpected visitors. His head snapped back and Samuel motioned him to come.

  Danyel came quickly and knelt beside him. Kade was still limp in his arms. His eyes showed deep concern, and then he glanced up to Samuel and shook his head.

  “What are we going to do now?” Danyel asked.

  “I want you to take him back,” Samuel replied, followed with an exhale.

  “What? No, I’m not leaving you on this mission alon
e, Samuel.” Danyel’s eyes narrowed.

  “You have to. We have no other choice. Kade will die if he stays here any longer. You’ll have to find a way to get him back to Alaine, or at least to the safe house.”

  “And what about you and Emma?” Danyel asked, glancing over to me.

  I sobbed, “Please, Danyel. I won’t go any further unless you take him. I can’t go on if he dies. He needs help, badly. He needs Alaine.”

  Danyel paused for a brief moment, considering the situation.

  Samuel placed his hand on Danyel’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, brother. I’ll take Emma the rest of the way, and make sure that we complete our mission.”

  Danyel sighed. His eyes told me that he was broken and torn between taking Kade to safety, and leaving us in Hell to continue this perilous journey alone. I knew he didn’t want to leave Samuel, but he also knew that if Kade stayed in this place any longer, he would die.

  “Please, Danyel,” I begged.

  Danyel finally nodded, conceding, and then took in a deep breath.

  “You already know what will greet you at the next four gates,” he said to Samuel.

  Samuel nodded.

  “Strength and honor, brother. And God speed.” Danyel said. He hugged Samuel like he’d never see him again.

  “God speed,” Samuel repeated.

  That was something I never thought I’d hear coming from the mouth of Fallen Angels, but then again, these weren’t your normal Fallen Angels. These Fallen had been around since the beginning, and were starting to doubt their choices, and what they were fighting for.

  “Emma. If you should reach Lucifer, just remember not to be deceived by him. Keep your head. His tongue is forked, and he will try to seduce and lure you into remaining here. Remember what’s real. Think on those you love. Alaine, Samuel, and Kade,” he said with a wink. “Just remember who you are. Be confident. Lucifer, and those around him, feed off of your fear, so don’t show it. Your father will guide you, and the suit will help you. You just have to have faith.”

  I nodded but doubted his words because I wasn’t really sure of who or what I really was. The only thing I had going for me was that I could heal a lot faster than the normal human, but I was still just that…human. That meant I could get hurt or even die.

  Flashback of Lord of the Rings…I suddenly felt like Frodo. My fellowship was falling apart, and instead of a Sam, I had Samuel, my father. I knew he’d protect me and take me as far as he could, but would it be enough?

  I wiped the tears from my face and stood to my feet. If anyone could do it, we could.

  Samuel lifted Kade to Danyel’s shoulders so he was lying across them.

  “Can you put the sleeper on him so he won’t wake up until he needs to?” I said to Samuel.

  “Yes, that’s a great idea,” he answered. He then placed his mouth near Kade’s ear and whispered, “Sleep.”

  I was glad that Kade would be able to sleep through the pain. I touched his limp hand and wished there was something, anything, I could do to help him. I wished that he were already with Alaine getting the help and medicine he needed.

  My hope now rested in Danyel. That he would be able to make it out of this place, and back to Alaine without any trouble.

  “Fly safe, brother,” Samuel said, stepping in front of Danyel.

  They each grabbed hold the others right forearm and gripped firmly.

  “I’ll see you both on the other side,” Danyel returned. Samuel nodded, and then Danyel leaned over and kissed my forehead. “You are in the best of hands, Emma. Please, be safe.”

  “I will,” I promised. “Thank you, for taking him.”

  He nodded, but I knew it was killing him that he wouldn’t be here for us.

  Danyel started walking, and as soon as he hit the tunnel, he disappeared in a blur, leaving Samuel and I in the dark, alone.

  Everything suddenly seemed to get so dark and eerie.

  Sadness overwhelmed me. I had assumed Kade was going to be with me throughout this entire journey, but he was gone. Just like that. And almost every ounce of my hope went along with him.

  Samuel and I still had a ways to go, and if the guards of the next levels were anything like the one we’d just encountered, we were in serious trouble!

  I mean, we’d barely made it past the first level, and had already lost half of our team. This suit had better kick in some major super powers other than a dang cooling system. The invisibility thing was pretty awesome, but I needed extra super powers and some kick ass abilities to help Samuel.

  Danyel had told me that this suit could help me. But, how? Was there some kind of special power button that I didn’t know about?

  I sighed and then remembered when we were in the forest. I really didn’t have to do anything, but when I became afraid and needed it most, it did make me invisible. Maybe that was it. Maybe it worked off of my fear. That was the part I didn’t understand and probably never would. It was Angelic magic.

  Just in case nothing else worked, I figured that I should shoot a quick prayer to God. A God I’d never known, a God I’d never met, and a God I’d only heard of in church, or on special occasions. But he was Kade’s God, and once upon a time, Samuel, Danyel, and even Lucifer’s. They believed in him, so I guess I should too.

  I just hoped that he could hear me, and wondered if my frail words could even escape this evil place and travel the long distance up to his ears, wherever he was.

  But even if they did make it to him, would he do anything? Would he help us?

  It was worth a shot.

  I said a quick prayer, a prayer that simply asked God to protect Danyel and Kade on their journey, and to give Samuel and I the strength and whatever else we needed to get out of Hell safely. That was it, followed with an Amen. I figured there wasn’t much more I could say.

  “Are you ready, sweetheart?” Samuel said, holding out his hand to me.

  “Yes,” I answered, taking hold of it.

  “Alright, Emma. We are going to be entering the second level soon. I don’t want you to be afraid, but I want you to be aware of some very important details. I need you to keep your eyes on me at all times, and do not let them wander,” he urged. “Coming up, there will be things that you should not look upon, especially because you are not yet dead.”

  “That sounds completely horrifying,” I exhaled. I didn’t know if my heart could take much more.

  “This next level is filled with soul snatchers, or ghouls. They feed off of the living and suck their souls right from their bodies, so keep your eyes focused on me…at all times. If you should ever look away, call for me immediately. And whatever you do…NEVER touch them. They will paralyze you with a single touch, and with that touch they will taste your essence. Once this happens, they will stop at nothing to steal your body and suck your soul from it, so it will remain with them for all eternity.”

  “Soul snatchers? Ghouls?” Okay, that was definitely not painting a pretty picture in my head right now. Actually, that statement just scared the bejesus outta me. I started to envision zombie like creatures hovering in the air, skin hanging off, mangled faces, and bulging eyes. Shivers ran up and down and all-around my spine. Yep. This level was gonna frickin’ suck!

  “Emma.” He stopped and steadied my head in his hands. “Do you understand what I just explained to you?”

  “Yes. Can’t you just blindfold me and carry me through?” I asked, still horrified, envisioning his words. I seriously wanted to be blindfolded.

  Samuel laughed. “I wish I could, but my arms need to be free in case I need to protect us. Just keep focused and keep your eyes forward. They won’t even notice you unless you make eye contact with them. It’s the eye contact that is the connection, and that’s why you need to keep them on me, always. As long as you do that, you will be fine.”

  I sighed and started to doubt myself. I loved to watch scary movies, and tried to cover my eyes during the scary parts, but I HAD to peek. I had to see what was coming, and what
was going to happen, even if it was scary and they were going to die.

  This time I couldn’t peek, because if I did those scary soul snatcher ghouls would come and suck my soul and take my body. Yep. I hated Hell. Every stinkin’ part of it.

  “Let’s get going, sweetheart,” Samuel said kindly. “We’ll do this together.”

  Chapter 9

  Level 2:

  My pulse started to race thinking about the horrors of this level. I was already having a difficult time trying to breathe in Hell’s thick, smelly air.

  “Tell me about your parents,” Samuel asked. “Tell me what they were like. I’d really like to know more about them.”

  That question threw me, but for a second as I thought back, it took my mind off of everything around us. All the events that happened over these past few days, really kept me from thinking about them. The parents that raised me, and loved me like I was their own. The only ones I’d ever known my whole life. The ones that were ripped away from me in an instant. I missed them. I missed them horribly.

  As soon as he mentioned them, a flood of overwhelming emotion rushed through every part of me, awakening the wonderful memories, and also the horrors of their death. I couldn’t speak. Emotions kept the words down in my throat. I didn’t know what to say or where to begin. All I knew, from what I could remember up until the day they died, was that I loved them and they loved me.

  “I’m sorry. You don’t have to tell me. I was just trying to distract you, and thought that if your mind was on something familiar, or on the ones that you loved, maybe it would help. But, if it will cause you too much pain, let’s think about something else,” he said.

  “No, I think that’s a good idea.”

  “Good then. The next gate is coming up.”

  “Okay,” I breathed, and everything inside of me started to tremble.

  “Some of the Fallen refer to this level as the Gate of Lost Souls,” he said, in a funny voice.

  My pulse started to race, but as I thought about it, there wasn’t anything else that I could think of that would take my mind off of the now, like my parents. They would have wanted me to get through this. They taught me how to be strong.