Meeting Fate

Shakyra's Pov

I stepped off the bus at the Fifth of Maine street along with everyone else,

Its was pretty much the main bus stop if you wanted to get anywhere in the city so it was usually pretty crowded

There were a few younger kids who were on their way to summer camp,

at the junior high school just across the street

the kids were crossing the street at the pedestrian crossing in the middle of the intersection

when the sound of screeching tires on asphalt brought a halt to their little procession,

looking up I could see an out of control car flying towards them

the other kids scattered dashing across the street in panic,

and getting out of the path of the oncoming vehicle,

all except for one little girl about eight or nine years old,

she had frozen up in the middle of the street,

eyes wide like a deer caught in the headlights

bystanders shouted at her to move, yet she didn't seem to hear them

I felt a pool of dread building in my stomach as the car drew closer

I couldn't just watch the little girl get killed but I couldn't just stand there and do nothing either

without stopping to think about it I dashed into the street and shoved the child as hard as I could,

I barely had time to see her tumble to safety unto the sidewalk,

with a frightened scream,

before I felt something hit me hard, I felt mind-numbing pain and then after that, I felt nothing at all.

Xanders pov

I sat alone on the edge of the roof of a building somewhere in the heart of the city,

trying to ignore the general cacophony that was the city's ever-present heartbeat,

mulling over the fight I'd had with Azeazel, I couldn't understand the old man's reasoning

most angels never found their mates, it was a very rare thing,

he should be happy for me, trying his best to help me claim her, and protect her,

ensuring she stayed safe, not trying to keep us apart,

it was common knowledge that when an angel found his mate, it made him stronger, not weaker.

He shared his powers with his mate and in return, her love and devotion fed his powers

and the connection of the soulbond the unification

of the angel's soul to his mates made him complete and whole.

an intense wave of pain suddenly tore through my chest, screaming I fell from the ledge I'd been sitting on

my body completely losing its strength and buckling under crushing pressure I hit the pavement hard losing my ability to breathe

As heard my mates dying scream in my head, I felt the wrongness of it,

denial tore through me as images of her last moments came to me, as my pain turned to utter agony and I found myself in the fetal position

she can't die, she was my mate, our souls were tied together,

nothing should have broken that bond,

I dragged myself to my feet I had to get to her

launched myself upwards and flew swiftly toward the scene of the accident,

she couldn't be gone she just couldn't I had to save her

I landed on a nearby rooftop, my mate's body lay sprawled irreverently in the street,

her precious lifeblood was everywhere so much blood,

I could barely stand to look, my heart and soul shattered, I felt the desolation and utterly violated

people were screaming, children crying, sirens wailed in the distance,

I could not hear my mate's heartbeat, nor could I feel her soul's presence she was just.... gone!

What I did sense however was the presence of a hell reaper,

and the only time they were present as if someone had committed a grave sin, deserving of the punishment of being taken to hell,

or if they had been paid off to claim someone,

the implications of that settled inside me with a frightening certainty,

I flew down from the rooftop tracking the reapers scent of sulfur and brimstone,

and finally caught up to it, I silently tailed the shadowy cloaked creature

using my powers to hide my presence, the reaper headed into the seedier part of town, It entered a bar,

A place that reeked of alcohol, human filth, and the kind of people, who dwelled on the dregs of human society,

just the kind of place a hell reaper would call home sweet home.

I slipped inside and quietly watched as it took a seat in a dark corner,

the humans all unaware of its presence,

someone else came through the door, someone I knew and had known all my life,

Azeazel! it couldn't be! I felt shock reverberate through my body,

this was why Azeazel was weakened? he was consorting with beings from the other side,

and it was draining away his powers and his strength He was losing his purity,

"Is it done?" Azeazel asked, the reaper nodded within his shadow cloak

"the girl's soul, was she sent to hell like I asked?"

"Nay" the reaper replied its voice barely above that of a whisper,

"she was pure of heart and soul, and the act of self-sacrifice, she saved an innocent child in the process, she was too pure and shined far to brightly for us to claim her, so she ascended"

Azeazel growled "this is not what I paid you for I wanted her gone, permanently because of this she will be reborn and he will find her again, he is her true mate"

"There is nothing to be done about it, she was too pure too bright we could not claim her" the reaper replied

"I have done as you requested and killed the girl, made it look like a human accident an unfortunate tragedy, you will pay me what I am owed"

Azeazel rolled back the sleeve of his coat and used a knife to slice his wrist,

the reaper held out a glass, its bony skeletal fingers wrapped tight around the base,

the blood poured into it, and then Azeazel allowed the wound to heal

Azeazel then rose, left the bar as quietly as he came, the reaper stayed and sipped the angel's blood as if was a fine wine

Filled with disgust, sick to my stomach angry and horrified at what I had seen and heard,

I slipped out of the bar, the loss of my mate ate at me, I could feel my unshed tears gathered behind my eyes

but I had hope, I would see her again, she would be given a second chance and I would find her once more,

and this time no one would stand between us

in the meantime, however, azeazel would pay for what he had done.

I flew west across the city to the cathedral a usually peaceful and solitary place,

with its glass stained windows and beautiful effigies of saints,

angels, the son himself, but tonight this cathedral would be used for a different purpose,

I made my way inside, found a suitable spot, and began to prepare a summoning

Azeazel had no idea the mistake he made when he has taken my mate from me,

and now what azeazel didn't know would most definitely hurt him,

I had been secretly learning things from other angels who had passed through this city,

Demon Hunter Angels had been only too happy to teach me about sigils

and traps and bindings used to capture and seal demons if they were too powerful to be killed outright,

And a kindly Scribe Angel had once imparted to me the knowledge

to perform protective spells and summoning to call down certain powerful beings,

And Gaudian Angels didn't mind a helping hand every once in a while,

when they needed a break from their post of watching over the city,

in exchange for some extra training time,

Tonight, I would summon Sammael the keeper of the gates.

I finished the summoning sigils I needed to use and began to chant the spell

in Angelic our mother tongue, the words getting more powerful with every utterance,

until finally a great beam of light lit up the church from the inside, and Sammael appeared

Standing at all of seven feet tall with golden hair and piercing grey eyes,

silver armor covered his torso, and shoulders over a white tunic and kilt

and from his knees to the tops of his boots were silver braces, in one hand stood a massive spear,

that was taller than he was in his other hand was a silver shield

"You have summoned me fledgling state your business

and do not waste my time" Sammael stated

"an act of injustice has been done against me by one of our own" I replied

"and I suspect also against many others as well I would not summon you,

here just because I could, great Sammael or for trivial matters,

the scribe who thought me gave me grave warnings I am risking much by summoning you here this night"

"State the betrayer's name and I will seek the ether for his sin," Sammael said gravely

"His name is Azeazel" I replied

Sammaels eyes fell closed and his head tipped back for several long minutes as he listened to the ether,

I waited patiently in the silence until finally his eyes opened and he studied me gravely

"Azeazel was a great Archangel but he has committed many acts of betrayal in recent years, he also consorted with those of the other side on many occasions, that resulted in deaths of innocent beings,

these acts were paid for in angelic blood used to make his consorts that much stronger, these are grave offenses of the highest order, these acts cannot be allowed to stand and they must not continue

The creator has been made aware of what has been done and justice will be served you and your mate are now under the protection of"

The church doors suddenly slammed open azeazel stood there he was furious

"what have you done" he roared angrily

he was bleeding energy his wings unfurled to their maximum span he held his sword in one hand he was in full Archangel mode

"Take my hand fledging" Sammael instructed, I did not hesitate to take Sammael's offered hand

the archangel uttered a few quick words and immediately the world disappeared

I woke to water being splashed on my face, I groaned and opened my eyes I was lying face down on a beach somewhere the water

I had felt had been the sea washing against the shore the salt stung my eyes and nose and sand roughly grated my skin.

"About time you woke up! glad to see you made it" someone said pleasantly.