The Pull of Destiny (Undying Love, Book 2) Page 8

Now she really is clinging to Cassius’s robes. I can see her shaking. The hair on the back of my neck stands on edge when the oracle bends down to whisper something into her ear. He’s so casual with this human girl. My human girl. It brings a bad taste to my mouth.

  Tasia nods at whatever the oracle said. Then she shouts, “No. I want to make a different deal!”

  I raise an eyebrow. “Is that right? But I’m the only one with a bargaining chip.”

  “Not anymore. Let him go,” she says, still clinging to Cassius’s robes, though she’s at least looking at me.

  I growl as my hands twinge at her words. It’s like my body wants to obey her. My beast wants to obey her.

  “Make me,” I challenge darkly, holding on to whatever is left inside of me that still wants to fight.

  “Let him go,” she says. “I want you to let him go.”

  Damn it.

  I lose my grip, and my arms slide back to my sides as my beast takes control of my actions. The angel doesn’t miss this chance. He runs over to the female angel who is now fully healed. She’s given her logician 100% control of her physical appearance again. My beast is drawing back from my physical appearance as well, but not because I want it too. It’s acting on its own.

  “What deal?” I ask flatly.

  Cassius whispers something in her ear again and she replies, “You have to kill three natural demons before you can talk to me. Prove you don’t have any intention to hurt us or to cause problems. Prove that you only want to talk.”

  Oh, but I would hurt you and cause problems if my beast wasn’t so infatuated with you, girl. A sense of longing fills my chest the longer I look at her and my rebellious thoughts die down some, but my logician still has some power. It reminds me we’re here for our own survival. I have to play this smart.

  “I’ve already killed one natural demon for you,” I state. “I protected you.”

  Cassius leans down to her again, probably telling her what to say next.

  “Okay,” she says. “Two natural demons then. You have to kill two more.”

  “Fine, and then I’ll be allowed to speak with you in private?”

  She shakes her head. “No, you’ll just be allowed to speak with me.”

  I growl. “Then hear me out now and let’s not waste any more time for either of us.” I walk forward, determined to stop this shouting match.

  “Stop!” she screams.

  My feet freeze into place. “These angels are using you!” I spit on the icy ground to my right. “They don’t care about you as an individual, foolish girl. They only like humanity as a collective.”

  “Enough!” she cries. “Why would I trust you over them, demon? Just shut up.”

  Cassius catches her hand, quieting her, like she somehow feels comfort in his empty action. She looks up at him with obvious desperation, but that look too fades.

  I want to tell that damn angel to get his paws off my girl, but my mouth is locked shut. How is she doing that? How can her words hold so much power over me? My beast obeys, but not without frustration. I need her to see me, but that isn’t going to happen like this. There’s no guarantee of it ever happening, but I suppose complying with these demands will get me closer than resisting will—if she’s going to keep stopping me like this when I do.

  Should I give in? My beast says I should, my logician isn’t convinced.

  Cassius finally speaks, “Arsen, are you ready to listen?”

  He must notice the bind on my tongue. I reluctantly nod my head in reply.

  Tasia takes a deep breath. “You will kill two natural demons with an angel watching you to make sure you keep your word. You won’t harm this angel in any way, and you’ll return only after you’ve completed your task. Then we’ll talk—unless you break the deal.”

  I open my mouth, and this time I can talk. “I accept the terms,” I say. It’s not like I have a choice in the matter.

  This deal is too vague. She says we’ll talk, but she hasn’t said if she’ll let me talk freely. I’m going to end up doing dirty work for the angels by killing two of my kind, and I may not even get anything in return. But even if she did say she’d let me speak freely, how can I know she’s telling the truth? My beast says all of this thinking is stupid. What we have to do is simple. If I do as Tasia says, everything will work out somehow. My beast feels this. It feels it strongly, but my logician says it’s terribly wrong.

  I draw a breath of air in an attempt to calm my racing mind. On the upside, she didn’t tell me I have to kill two specific natural demons. That means I can kill any two I want. I can handle that. I can handle this. I can play along. I need to get Tasia on my side, but right now I don’t know anything about her. I don’t know how to appeal to her—but I’ll learn. And maybe I’ll learn how to tug on this bond as well.

  “Imae,” Cassius calls.

  The female angel behind me replies, “Yes, Oracle?”

  “Go with Arsen.”

  “Very well.”

  Cassius addresses me next, his odd iridescent eyes gleaming in the dark. “The sooner you get this done, the sooner you’ll see her again.”

  “You don’t have to tell me that, Oracle,” I jibe.

  He regards me coolly as he leads Tasia away. I don’t know where they are going, but they aren’t returning to the base. She’s right there in front of me. I could snatch her away—except I can’t. Now that I’ve given my word, my beast intends to make good on it.

  It looks like I’m going demon hunting.

  “Go back inside,” the female angel, Imae, says to the orange eyed male.

  “Be careful,” he whispers to her, before hurrying past me.

  I turn to her with a smirk. “It looks like I have myself an angel for a partner.”

  “More like a master,” she remarks.

  Keeping my word is going to be harder than I thought.

  “ARE YOU FEELING better?” the ridiculously calm and collected angel next to me asks.

  “Yeah,” I reply, placing a hand over my heart. I can’t feel it pounding through my coat anymore, so I’m definitely feeling better.

  “I’m sorry I freaked out like that,” I say quietly.

  I honestly did my best to stay calm, but being around Arsen is unbearable. I feel so many emotions run through my body all at the same time whenever he’s around.

  “There is nothing to apologize for,” Cassius declares. “You did very well, Tasia.”

  “I can’t believe he actually listened to me like that,” I say. “How do we know he isn’t going to turn around and break his word?”

  “He won’t. He will do as he said.”

  “Then why did you send an angel to go with him?”

  He smiles at me. “Better to leave nothing to chance.”

  I shrug. “So why did I have to say all that stuff. Couldn’t you have done it instead?”

  “No. He would have fought his way through to get to you. Your words are the only ones that can reach him. It’s because of your bond.”

  I frown.

  “I know it’s hard to understand, Tasia, but search your heart. You know what I say is true.”

  And I do. That’s probably the scariest part about all of this. I know I’m connected to Arsen. Cassius said God preordained this connection so that I’d be able to save the mortal world. I know this. I’ve played it over and over in my head, but it still doesn’t make any sense. Why me?

  Cassius says, “I will teach you to shield yourself so this bond is no longer such a struggle for you. You won’t feel him straining against you anymore. You’ll be the one in control. You already hold a greater power over him than he does over you, as you just saw.”

  “Doesn’t that mean Arsen could learn how to utilize his side of the bond and overpower me instead?”

  “Yes, but fate favors you. Arsen will not win.”

  I shake my head and decide to change the subject. “What are we doing in Wissahickon Valley Park?” I ask.

  “There’s a portal under
that bridge,” he points to the icy bridge we’re coming up on, “that leads to the immortal world, Ilenima. Arsen will not bother us there.”

  “He can’t go to Ilenima?”

  “He could, but it would be disastrous for him. So he hides away in the mortal world, Terra, causing trouble instead.”

  Cassius stops before we set foot on the bridge. It looks icy like everything else, the slippery slopes at either side of it look like a death trap. You’d slide right to the frozen river below if you tried to get under the bridge. At least as far as I can tell. It’s the dead of night in winter.

  I hug myself as a chilly wind howls past.

  “May I pick you up?” the angel next to me asks.

  “Uhh,” I reply, feeling stupid.

  “The way down is slippery,” he clarifies. “But if you’d rather follow me, that’s fine.”

  I decide it would be less embarrassing to have him carry me than to fall on my face trying to follow him. “S-sure. You can pick me up.”

  God, why am I so awkward?

  He sweeps my legs up with one arm and catches my back with the other. Then I’m in his arms. Just like that. I’m trying to figure out what to do with my arms and hands. Should I loop them around his neck? Keep them tight against my chest? I look up at him and get a good view of his strong jaw. My eyes move up his face, lingering on the sight of his pale skin softly illuminated by the light of the moon. I feel my face flush. Why do all angels have to be so gorgeous?

  If he notices my discomfort, he doesn’t mention or acknowledge it. He takes a step forward, to the icy slope at the right of the bridge, and then we’re sliding. He stays perfectly straight and doesn’t even wobble when he somehow turns our course on the ice effortlessly, landing us underneath the bridge at a perfect stop.

  “When I step through this portal, it will likely make you feel disoriented or even sick.”

  “Okay,” I say with a nervous laugh. I don’t know when I started clinging to his robes, but that’s what I’m doing, disheveling them and revealing a patch of the smooth snowy skin on his chest. I really wish I could turn off my brain right now.

  “Are you ready?” he asks.

  “I don’t see a portal,” I say uneasily.

  “It’s not something mortal eyes can perceive. Are you ready?”

  “As I’ll ever be, I guess.”

  Forget it. I cling to Cassius in my shame, anxious about this unseen portal, the warning he gave me, and the thought of going to another world. He doesn’t tell me not to, so I tighten my grip on his robes when he takes a step forward, and I squeeze my eyes shut. The cold air around me is suddenly gone, but it’s replaced by what feels like liquid. It’s hot and cold at the same time; trying to breathe through it is difficult. I feel like I’ve been tossed inside of a washing machine. I’m dizzy even without my eyes open. I’d probably be sick if they were open. And it doesn’t end. Rinse and repeat, over and over, drowning but somehow still breathing. I’m shaking and holding on desperately to the only thing keeping me from losing my mind.

  “Cassius, when is it going to stop?” I plead.

  “It has, child. Open your eyes.”

  I gasp, taking in a breath of clean, untainted air. It’s air that I’ve never breathed in my life. It tastes sweet. It fills and expands my lungs in a way that makes me feel like I’ve never been alive until now. All the sickness I was feeling has gone away.

  Finally feeling brave enough, I open my eyes. The first thing I see is Cassius looking down at me, his eyes a swirl of bright colors I can’t discern. I notice I’ve still got a death grip on his robes, so I force my hands to my chest.

  “Can you stand?” he asks.

  “I-I think so,” I reply.

  He gently places me on my feet, acting like I’m as light as a feather. I stare at my feet as I wait for my legs to stop wobbling, but I manage to stand on my own.

  “Welcome to Ilenima,” Cassius says.

  I look up from my feet to see a room that looks like it’s made out of frosted glass. There are mirrors and shards of mirrors decorating each of the walls. Soft light seeps through the frosted glass, lighting up everything around me. It’s not bright enough to be the work of the sun, but it isn’t dim either. It’s a cool, soft light that feels like night, but it’s far from the darkness of night we were in moments before. But I get the sense it’s still late at night here. I guess things are brighter at night in Ilenima than they are in my world.

  I hold out my hands and lift my head up to catch more of the soothing light. It’s almost like I can feel it rejuvenating my skin. I go back to looking around the room and see angels clad in silver armor. There are ten of them in this room, and they’re all looking at me. So many eyes on me at once is something that would usually make me uncomfortable, but I feel so at ease right now. Something about this place makes me feel happy. The calming sensation my crystals provide feels like it’s amplified, too. Cassius did say they came from this world, so it makes sense.

  Unzipping my coat, I pull my crystals out from my shirt to feel them in my hand. It’s almost like they’re vibrating, buzzing with energy. I turn to face Cassius and the crystals react stronger. Are they reacting to him or this place?

  I gasp and drop my crystals, allowing them to dangle around my neck on their silver chain, when I see the huge mirror standing behind us. It’s framed in silver and it’s really tall. It reaches all the way up into the domed ceiling. My first thought is I hope they have it locked safely in place. If they don’t, someone could accidentally bump into that thing. I could just see it shattering into a billion pieces.

  “That’s the Peacekeeper,” Cassius notes. “It’s the only way to access the mortal world from Ilenima. While there are many portals scattered about the mortal world, portals that can’t be moved, their matching pieces are all contained inside of this single mirror.”

  “So now I can see the portals?” I ask.

  “Only on this side. The portals in the mortal world are distortions in space rather than physical objects.”

  “Weird.”

  “Feel free to shed your coat. The soldiers here will take care of anything you do not wish to bring with you.”

  My coat is the only thing I don’t want to bring. It’s too hot to wear it here. I take it off and one of the soldiers takes it from me without a word. I have my cell phone. Valor said it wouldn’t work here, but I’ll keep it with me anyway.

  I follow Cassius out of the room filled with mirrors into a corridor. I continue following him through the huge building. Every part of it is made out of that frosted glass-like material, making the color scheme a soft light blue. Silver pots hold plants the deepest shade of green I’ve ever seen, and the floors are often decorated in red velvety rugs.

  I move behind the angel in silence at first, but when there doesn’t seem to be an end to this place, I say, “I have a lot of questions.”

  He laughs, a sound like a lullaby. “I’d be concerned if you didn’t. I will answer some of your questions tonight, but after that you should get some rest.”

  “I’m not tired,” I object.

  “Even so, it is late, and I know you’ll need to sleep eventually.”

  Cassius stops at an unassuming and almost invisible door. It’s a normal size instead of the big doors that led into that room full of mirrors. He turns the silver handle and invites me inside. It’s insanely clean and there isn’t any clutter or much in terms of decorations aside from some plants. It isn’t large or small. It’s comfortable. It has a bed, a desk, a closet, all made from silver or that frosted glass, but other than the odd materials, it feels safe and similar to home. There’s a large window letting in the full light of the moon, making the room as bright as it would be if it were illuminated by electrical lights.

  “Make yourself comfortable,” my angel chauffeur says.

  I decide to sit on the bed because I’m dying to see if the puffy comforter is as soft as it looks. As soon as I sit down, it molds around me, cushioning m
y seat perfectly. I’d plop down and enjoy its soft embrace all across my back if I didn’t have any inhibitions, but even with as light as I’m feeling at the moment, I’m not that far gone.

  “Is this your room?” I ask.

  “Yes, but it will be yours while you are staying here,” he replies.

  “I don’t want to take your bed…”

  “I’ve hardly ever used it.”

  “Oh.”

  He sits down beside me on the bed. I feel my crystals going hot again, even though they’re sitting outside my shirt and aren’t touching my skin. Strange. I don’t remember them ever doing anything like this before Cassius.

  “Shall I tell you some history?” he asks me.

  “About demons and angels and this place?”

  He smiles. “Yes.”

  I nod. “I think that’s a good place to start.”

  “I’m sure you know this by now, but demons and angels originally come from this world.”

  “That’s why you said God picked me to eliminate demons from my world. They don’t belong there?”

  “Indeed. Long ago, the Peacekeeper, that large mirror you saw, existed as thousands of shards scattered throughout our land. Each shard connected to a specific portal in your world. In those days, demons, angels, and all others were able to come into your world as they pleased.”

  “Others?” I ask.

  “Yes. Beyond angels and demons exist many creatures in this world: unicorns, dragons, pixies, and phoenixes to name a few. Some are very intelligent, but they act and live more like animals do in your world, whereas angels and demons act and live more like you humans. You can think of angels as the very best of humanity while demons are the very worst of it.”

  “So all of our human ‘fairy tales’ aren’t fairy tales at all,” I say.

  “That is true.”

  “Are there really so few mythical creatures in my world that people can write them off as fairy tales?”

  “Yes, but it wasn’t always that way. There was a time when immortal creatures caused a lot of mischief in your world, and that’s where your tales come from,” he explains. “Likewise, there were demons and angels that would go back and forth between worlds with agendas of their own. Demons have always spread darkness and tainted humans for their own amusement, while angels always strove to spread light and goodness. In those times, the origin of fairy tales, there was no structure, no order.”