“Gabriel… Are you alright?” she called.
When they arrived back at his cabin, Gabriel stopped outside the door and gave Aurora a cheeky grin.“You have a weird look on your face,” she laughed. “What is it?” Without answering, he scooped her up into his arms and shoved the d
Hannagan’s Bar was a rough and tumble place that ironically sat on the corner of Blood Alley just north of town. The story went that back in the day the original owner PJ Hannagan threw so many drunkards out mid-brawl that cleaners had to come down every morning and hose blood from the laneway outside. Eventually, the lane earned the nickname Blood Alley and when old PJ passed away the City officially named it in his honor. It always struck Gabriel as a strange kind of memorial but made for a good yarn all the same.
Aurora sat back against the pillows and hugged her knees to her chest. She didn’t want to admit it, but she had gotten used to the idea that it was just the two of them. She and Gabriel against the world. Now there would be other people in his life, important people who had a lifetime of history with him. People like Harrison, and now his parents.
The house, where Gabriel grew up, was warm and inviting. In the living room, a floral couch was offset by peach cushions, and behind them, a warm fire crackled in the hearth.When his mother had opened the door and seen Gabriel standing there, Aurora feared the woman was going to faint. At first, she simply stared at him, but then tears rolled down her cheeks. Aurora expected them to shout, to be angry, at least at first, but there had been none of that. Just relief, love, and forgiveness. The essence of family
Back at the cabin, Aurora was sitting on one of Gabriel’s over-sized armchair, her long legs tucked beneath her bottom, and her hair piled high on her head. She was so engrossed in whatever she was reading that she hadn’t even noticed him staring. When he eventually managed to tear his eyes away from her, he looked around the place. Since she moved in the cabin had a few new additions. There were throw pillows on the couch and wildflowers in the kitchen. There was a dog bed for Aurel and a scented candle on the hearth.
Hell was ruled by five demons. Melloch, Belphegor, Astaroth, Lucifer, and the Master himself, Satan. Melloch knew most humans believed Lucifer and Satan were one and the same, but in reality, they were very, very different.Lucifer was an exquisite creature, perfect to behold, with a mane of golden hair and majestic wings that glimmered like mother of pearl. He was the first angel cast from Heaven, the first to break God’s heart. But Satan was something else entirely. He was the Beast, the creator of hell.As old as the universe itself, Satan dwelled in the nether regions amid the flames of an unquenchable fire. His skin was burned and charred, his desire for anarchy insatiable.
Before Aurora’s foot even touched the old wooden porch Jasmyne came bursting out of the front door, her hands perched sharp on her hips. “And just what do you think you’re doing here?” “Jasmyne…”
Out on the veranda, Aurora stroked Aurel’s head as he dozed quietly by her side. When she had first wandered through the forest all those years ago with Stefan and her sisters in tow, it was Aurel who had appeared from behind a towering elm and led her to the old farmhouse. He had been just a cub then, separated from his pack, and they bonded immediately. Since then he had been her constant companion. When things got tough there was something about the strength of his presence that reminded her of who she was. Aurel was an alpha. A leader. And so was she.
Gabriel coughed and it was the sweetest sound Aurora had ever heard. She leaned in close and tucked another pillow in behind his head. On the floor, Aurel rested quietly beside them.“Aurora,” he sighed. “I'm not an invalid.”“I know, but you're not as strong as you used to be. You're a mere mortal now and lucky to be alive.”He returned her smile and took hold of her wrist, gently pulling her down onto the bed.“Careful,” she told him. “My scar is still healing.”Gabriel traced his finger over the tiny ridges of the symbol that had saved his life, probably more than once. “It's incredible,” he whispered. “What we've been through.”“Gabriel when I thought I lost you, I mean really lost you, I…"“Ssh,” he soothed. “I'm not going anywhere, okay? Not ever.”She nodded and gently kissed his forehead. “You have your human life back just like you always wanted. Tell me, what will you do with it?”He smiled and shook his head. “You know what? I have no absolutely no idea.”Aurora nodded and
Aurora’s hands fell helplessly to her sides and she let out a long breath. After everything they had been through she was sure that God would return Gabriel to her. How could she have been so wrong?“I'm sorry child,” Lucius whispered as he got to his feet. “We tried.”Tears rolled over Aurora’s cheeks and spilled onto Gabriel's chest. “Thank you Lucius,” she whispered. “Now if you could please leave me.”“Of course.” Lucius got to his feet. “Aurora, your parents would be very proud of the woman you have become. You really are your mother’s daughter.”She smiled through her tears and thanked him for his kindness. Lucius had saved her life. If only she had been able to save Gabriel’s.As the Council turned to leave, a gust of wind blew in through the window scattering the earth across Gabriel's chest. Aurora dipped her head as another tear slipped over her cheek. One quickly gave way to many as she could no longer contain her sadness. Tears pooled on Gabriel’s chest and Lucius had to
When night fell and they were finally alone, Aurora folded herself tightly into Gabriel’s arms.“I still can't believe you're really here,” she whispered. “I’m so grateful.”But instead of pulling her close, Gabriel pushed himself up onto one elbow and looked at her. “Aurora there’s something I have to tell you. I am here, but there were conditions attached to my return.”“Conditions, what do you mean?”His brow dipped and a shadow fell over his eyes. “Aurora we have much work to do. There is so much that needs to be done and I will be counting on you to help us.”“Us?” She repeated. “Gabriel you're acting very strange. What's going on? What are you talking about?”As she waited for him to respond, his gaze was so intense that the hair on the back of her neck stood on end.“The earth needs to be cleansed,” he began. “It must be returned to the way God created it. It’s what He wants Aurora. It’s the reason He sent me back.”“Gabriel you're not making any sense. What do you mean it must
The female Elk and her first fawn of the spring grazed at the edge of the forest. Winter had receded and new life was emerging. When the Reapers returned to Hell spring had bloomed throughout the entire forest. Wildflowers burst from their pods and newborn animals balanced on slender legs. It seemed all the world was rejoicing, except for Aurora.She gazed out of the window at Jasmyne and Harrison as they sat together on a brightly coloured picnic rug, her head resting easily on his shoulder. They were friends for now, but Aurora knew their relationship would grow to be much more. She was pleased for her sister. She deserved to be loved and Harrison was a good man. Had it not been for him they would have died on that field and Melloch and his Reapers would have taken over the world. If anyone was to take the place of her brother in Jasmyne's life she was glad it was going to be Harrison. There would be problems of course. He was human and she was a descendant. Children were not allowe
The world fell silent as Lucifer stared into the water. Time stopped and nothing moved.“This cannot be...” He reached up and gently touched his face. “I don't understand?”Aurora glanced across the pool at Lucifer’s reflection and her blood ran cold. His golden hair was nothing more than a tangled grey web and his once radiant skin hung like melting wax. No longer a sight to behold, his wings were torn, soiled with mud and ash. He stared in horror at his reflection while around him the Reapers fell on bended knee, their heads bowed.“But I was perfect,” he whispered. “The most beautiful being in all of creation. How?”Slowly and carefully Gabriel inched his fingers, one by one, toward the dagger. He had to strike Lucifer down before the pool receded. It was their only chance.Lucifer peered into the water as a loose strand of silver hair slipped through his twisted fingers.“My hair..." he whispered. “My face…”Suddenly he tore his eyes away from the pool and roared up at the sky. “W
The sky broke open and driving rain lashed the field. The army of Reapers thrashed their heads and shook their arms desperately trying to rid the freezing water from their bodies. Many had never experienced rain or bitter cold and Aurora had counted on the extreme weather hindering their attack. It was working. Soaked to the core, she ran through the forest and found Gabriel crouched down where she left him.“We're holding our own for the moment but we can't push them back much longer. Lucifer and the others will be coming. Gabriel, are you ready?”He tightened his grip on the dagger. “Ready as I'll ever be.”She forced a smile and kissed his cheek. “I'm so proud of you Gabriel.”He was about to respond when a brilliant white light exploded from the cave dwarfing the entire field in its glow. The rain stopped. The birds retreated to the safety of the trees and the world fell silent.“It's Lucifer. He's here,” Aurora whispered. “Let's move.”They hurried through the forest until they r
Aurora shot a second arrow into the air, a signal the Reapers were coming. Using the arrows to communicate was effective but more important, it was silent. The arrow sailed high into the darkened sky and hung against the storm clouds like a black-winged bird.To Aurora, it felt as though her entire life had been leading to this moment. Only seconds remained until the Reapers would breach the cave. She pictured her mother and father as they had been when she was a child. They were the reason she was here, not because they were her parents but because they represented all that could be. Her mother had lived her life every day not as someone put on the earth, but as a part of it. Her father had watched over them as every season they grew taller and stronger. Together they had sewn their love and tendered to it with warm smiles and splashes of laughter. People deserved a chance to learn how to love like that - and it was up to her to give it to them.The first calls of the Reapers caugh
The tunnels were dark. It had been a long time since Melloch travelled along these earthen halls and the twists and turns were taking too long. He knew what he had to do and he was becoming impatient. The sooner Lucifer's blood was spilt the better.As he led the first legion toward the surface, Melloch let the heat of his hatred burn stronger and hotter. Behind him the footfall of his legions echoed through the tunnel, the rhythm growing louder as they moved toward the chamber of the cave. His best soldiers were up front, the rest would breach the surface once the site had been secured. The human saviour was dead. Melloch had seen to that himself but just to be certain, he wanted his strongest soldiers up front and ready to fight.His plan was to blame Lucifer's untimely death on the soldiers of the second legion. When a battle with the humans inevitably began, the second legion would falter. The humans couldn't kill his soldiers, but their weapons would cause confusion. Maybe some o
Aurora was striding across the field and from the look on her face, Gabriel knew she meant business.“We have His blessing,” she said firmly. “Now let's kill these bastards.”“Wait, we what?”She held up her wrist and Gabriel saw the symbol burned into her skin.“Aurora, how?”“He sanctioned the battle Gabriel. We have God on our side. There's no way we can lose now.”“What's all the fuss about?” Harrison asked as he walked up, an M24 sniper rifle slung over his shoulder. “What did I miss?”“God sanctioned the fight,” Gabriel told him. “Look at her arm.”Aurora held out her wrist and proudly showed Harrison the symbol.“Aurora, this is incredible news.”“I know, I was just telling Gabriel the same thing. I really feel like we can win now.”Their enthusiasm was building but Gabriel failed to share the jubilation. Not only was God allowing them to fight His battle - now He had carved His approval into Aurora's arm. He couldn’t help wondering where God was in all of this. Why He wasn’t d