Falling Sons

Previously. . . the bounty party from Lucifer that was after Delilah lost her scent giving the gang a temporary advantage while they hide away at a safe house. Omar has arrived to the safe house, but just barely as he attempted not to succumb to his injuries. And we followed Gabel as he gained adjusted to his new Fallen life and he made a deadly deal with his father, Lucifer. This is how their story continues...

Chapter Thirteen: Milady

She’d been honest. More honest than she’d ever been in her whole life.

Milady wasn’t proud of the things she’d done.

She told Aden everything. How she had set up the demon party so many months ago in hopes for Delilah to be abducted. How she had made it possible for them all to get to Hell. How she had planned for the Ice Monster and dragon to capture Delilah, but both attempts had failed. How she had made Delilah’s life miserable. How, in a last ditch effort, she moved their wedding to sunset so Gabel would take her.

Milady knew she couldn’t take it back.

And she didn’t plan to.

She wasn’t going to apologize for what she had to do to stay alive.

Aden trusted her about as far as a human could throw an elephant. He was constantly on her heels and followed her everywhere.

She never ever got a moment to herself.

Even now, with the dining hall basically deserted.

Aurora—Aden’s mother—and Naomi—her mother—were two of the few angels who hadn’t left in one of the many search parties. If Ezekiel wasn’t so popular, no one would care about Delilah. She’d just be another victim of angelic infidelity.

“Aden, why haven’t you left to look for your sister yet?” Aurora questioned.

Aden choked on his supper. “Well my brothers—”

“You mean Omar?” Naomi corrected.

“No, I would assume that Gabel is out searching for Delilah as well because—”

“But he is a Fallen now.” She interrupted.

“He wasn’t always.” Aurora scolded her. “He was a gentleman and respected.”

Milady couldn’t help to wonder if Aurora knew this day would come and she merely kept it a secret his whole life. What you didn’t know couldn’t hurt you, right? Milady also felt that she owed her mother-in-law an apology for being the cause of his fall.

“—he was in love with Delilah.” Aden finally got to finish.

“He’d want to make sure she was safe just like everyone else.” Milady added, but in the back of her mind, she was curious as to what Gabel would do if he did find Delilah. Would he take her to the devil? If so, could Milady convince Lucifer that Gabel was working for her this whole time so she could keep her soul?

“Milady.”

Her name being called pulled her from her thoughts. From the looks on their faces, it had been called several times.

“Are you alright?” Aden lightly touched her hand. His exterior was soft and gentle, but as soon as she met his eyes she was chilled to the bone from the cold hardness that lied there.

She didn’t know why this surprised her. He was still mad at her. After all, she had destroyed his family and any form of trust they had shared. All she had wanted with Aden was a normal life, but she doubted they would ever share any resemblance of normal. Their two month anniversary was tomorrow and they still hadn’t shared a bed. She broke him while trying to save herself.

She was about to answer his question when a slithery voice filled her head, calling her name. She turned, half expecting to see Lucifer whispering into her ear.

“Milady?” Aden’s features hardened.

“Excuse me.” She quickly got to her feet and hurried out of the Hall. All the while, the voice rang louder and clearer in her head until she could barely focus on her surroundings.

Milady slammed the door to their home and fell to her knees. “Get out of my head!” She grabbed each side with a hand. “I’ll be there! I promise!” She struggled to get to her feet as her vision came and went. Her fingers grazed the silk fabric of her cloak and yanked it.

Just as she was about to open the door, Aden walked in, blocking her way.

“Move please,” she finished tying the cloak with trembling fingers.

“Where are you going?”

“Aden you don’t understand—!”

He unfolded his wings and crossed his arms.

“You don’t understand. Lucifer’s calling me. I have to go.”

He didn’t look convinced.

She let out an aggravated breath and tried to shove past him.

The end result was her being pulled back inside with a firm grip on the top of her wings.

“I swear by God that I will tear out your wings if you try to leave.”

“Aden please!” Her eyes burned with tears as she tried to pry her wings from his grip. “You don’t understand.”

He tugged and she felt the strain in her muscles where they were attached being pulled taut.

“You can come with me.” She blurted, desperate for anything to make him release her. If she lost her wings now, after everything, what would have been the point? “If you won’t let me go alone, you can come with me.”

At first he seemed hesitant, but his muscles relaxed though he kept a tight hold on her. “Why do you have to go?”

“I don’t know.” Words spilled from her like a leaky faucet. “Lucifer just calls, never tells me why until I’m there. But I have to go. If I don’t he either sends demons or Fallen to retrieve me.”

“They can’t come here. This is Holy ground.”

“I know, but they’ll come as close as they can and be as annoying as possible until I agree to go, but then everyone will know what I am. Aden please. My mother can’t find out, she wouldn’t be able to bare it.”

Aden’s eyes searched her face. The hardness was still there. He would never trust her again.

Standing so close to him, she could see the honey golden flecks in his eyes and smell the spicy cinnamon scent of him.

He finally sighed. “Alright, let’s go.”

The Fallen waited at the gate as usual.

“Here, wear this.” She handed him her cloak. “It’ll allow you entry.”

“And you?”

“My wings were demonically made.” She looked away. The cloak wasn’t to help her enter, it was to conceal her black wings when she entered and left.

Now that she was older and understood the properties and responsibilities of such wings, she wished her mother had never taken her to the shadow man. How differently her life would have ended up.

“Our Master isn’t pleased.” Spoke the Fallen. “His time is precious and you’re wasting it.”

“Well I'm here now, so stop wasting my time.”

“And what’s this?” He nodded toward Aden.

“He’s coming with me.”

“Is Master aware?”

“Of course.” She lied not very convincingly.

The Fallen had a look of doubt, but shrugged anyway. “Not my funeral.”

As they entered Hell, Milady moved closer to Aden. “Stay close to me and don’t slow down and whatever you do, don’t say anything.”

He never answered her, but she felt him on her heels the entire way in.

The room was dark with only the devil’s blood red eyes piercing into her. “You know my policy about guests.” His tone was crisp and pierced like knives.

“Aden wouldn’t let me come alone.”

“You should have left him at the Gate.”

Lucifer snapped his fingers and the side of the room that they were on became dimly lit by flaming torches.

Two Fallen advanced from the darkness and grabbed hold of Aden, each grabbing one wing, ready to pull at any moment.

The look she received from him was pure hatred. Milady felt her heart break. They were past the point of no return. She would never be able to make this up to him.

“Aden…” She could barely speak as she neared him.

She was soon restrained by Lucifer. An arm wrapped around her waist with a dagger poking her side. “Now what shall I do with him?”

“I only need more time.” Tears poured from her eyes as she kept her gaze on Aden. “Please don’t hurt him. I promise I’ll bring Delilah to you.”

“You’ve had your chances and I’ve been remarkably patient with you.” He gently grabbed a handful of curls and smelled it as her back went as rigged as a board. “So we’ll make a deal.”

“What kind of deal?” She breathed, knowing nothing good could possibly come of it.

“It’s been so very long since I had my last Dark Lady. You change your last deal into this one and I’ll let your friend go free.”

“Don’t listen to him Milady!” Aden struggled to break free.

The dagger lightly pierced her side, it barely hurt, but was enough to take her by surprise, releasing a gasp.

Aden stopped and for the first time, in a long time, she saw worry in his eyes. He still cared.

“You promise not to harm him?”

“You have my word.” Lucifer purred.

She couldn’t bear to look at Aden as she said, “I’ll do whatever you want.”

“Release him!” Lucifer shooed away the guards.

“No!” Aden protested.” Milady, don’t do this! I love—” His voice was cut off as the heavy doors closed behind him.

Lucifer lightly dragged up the knife, cutting the side of her dress open and leaving a paper thin cut along her stomach. She could feel it swell with blood before dribbling down her side. Just as his hands began to move, she turned, stealing the knife and stabbed it into his shoulder before running for the door.

Wrong move, the words crawled through her mind.

Just as her fingers grazed the brass handles of the door, there came a terrible sound. It was like ripping fabric as she experienced the worst pain she had ever had in her life.

Chapter Fourteen: Gaven

With Omar’s arrival, he stole Delilah’s “bed.” If Gaven had known that she slept on the couch he would have given his bed to her in a heartbeat. After much convincing—she finally took his room and he now slept on the floor—near the couch where Omar slept almost twenty hours a day, with an extra pillow and a quilt that smelled like cottage.

Gaven didn’t care.

He was with Delilah, well not with Delilah, but this was close enough. Sort of.

He couldn’t help the way his heart automatically quickened and skipped beats when she was around. He caught himself staring at her gorgeous unruly hair that burned like a flame. Or the way she sometimes walked on her toes like she did in ballet. Or her perfect, straight smile that made her eyes glimmer and shine in the light. He was fascinated with how her eyes changed color with the seasons. Today they were green, but you could see the golden flecks if the light touched them right.

Delilah casually leaned against the kitchen counter in a pair of faded jean shorts and V-cut long sleeved sweater, blue, his favorite color. He was almost one hundred percent positive it was an accident. Her hair was held back by a bandana, a giant puff ball of hair. It near broke his heart when she cut and dyed it, but it was necessary for their cover. Even though her freckles were exposed with her hair pulled back, she looked like a different person.

For a second, Delilah’s eyes met his and her face flushed a bright cherry red before she turned back to her conversation with Tatyana. He quickly looked away and pretended like he was busy with his mac’n’cheeese, which happened to be lunch for the tenth day in a row.

“Are you going to eat that?” Omar questioned as he carefully sat up. Gaven still didn’t fully understand the whole angel thing, but according to Delilah he was taking longer than normal to heal. Personally, Gaven thought Omar was lucky to be alive. Gus said he was.

“You look at my sister the way my brother does.” Omar swallowed forkfuls of the cold noodles, not waiting for Gaven’s permission.

“Doesn’t that mean…?” Gaven turned to him.

“No, he’s technically my half-brother, she’s my half-sister. They aren’t related.”

“Uh huh,” he looked back to Delilah. She affectionately watched Omar in that intimate way that only siblings had.

“I'm surprised you’re trying so hard.”

“What?” Gaven fully turned to face Omar and the empty plate that Omar slid back toward him.

“To impress Delilah,” Omar answered. “She had a boyfriend—” Gaven’s heart plummeted to his stomach and he nearly became sick— “but at the same time they may be over. He is a Fallen now after all and she’s in hiding…she may be open to something new.”

Gaven could barely think straight, Delilah has a boyfriend? How was he supposed to believe that? He had to see it to believe it. Maybe he could ask her? No, maybe make a move and see what her reaction was. That could work…only he’d struggled the last four years to make a move.

“Gaven?”

He looked up to see Delilah’s beautiful peachy-freckled face only inches away from his own.

Gaven jumped in surprise knocking the plate off of the coffee table and he feared the worse when suddenly a hand shot out and caught it.

Delilah raised the dish before scowling at Omar. “You could have asked for your own food.”

“He wasn’t going to eat it anyway.” Omar grumbled, melting into the couch.

“Still, you should be eating healthier things to help you regain your strength.”

He waved away her words with his hand as he stood.

“And where do you think you’re going?” Delilah demanded, hands on hips, all motherly-like.

This was almost comical. She was so much smaller than Omar, her threat almost nonexistent.

“Well, first, the bathroom.” Omar neared his sister. He was a good head and a half taller than her. “And then to get some sun, your highness.”

She rolled her eyes, stepping aside.

Gaven watched as she took the dish into the kitchen and began running water.

He swallowed as he slowly came to her side. This was it. This was his moment. “Do you want some help?”

She gave him a gentle smile. “You can dry.” She handed him a towel.

“And I'm going to go watch TV.” Tatyana left the kitchen. “Oh wait, we don’t have a TV! Maybe I’ll take a nap and hope I have a decent dream.”

Delilah let out a long heavy sigh once Tatyana was out of hearing distance. She took a deep breath, a sure sign she was holding back tears.

“Delilah?” He set down the rag as her head fell.

She took several stuttering breathes before her wet soapy hands covered her face.

He lightly touched her shoulder and she threw herself into his arms. He stumbled backward slightly, taken off guard, as he caught her. Gaven held her close, slowly rubbing her back. Her hair smelt like honey.

“How long is this going to last?” She murmured after her sobs had subsided.

“It won’t be forever, I promise.”

She squeezed him before letting go and wiping her face. “Sorry, I don’t know what came over me.”

“You don’t need to apologize.” He wanted to add in the fact he didn’t mind holding her, but thought better of it.

She turned to the dishes.

“Come outside with me.” He blurted.

“But—” She didn’t look away from the dishes.

“They’ll still be there when we come back, come on.”

“Fine,” she tried to hide her smile.

It couldn’t have been much warmer than fifty degrees out, but the sun was shining and bright white clouds filled the sky.

He collapsed in the grass, hands folded behind his head as he stared up at the sky.

“What are you doing?” She questioned.

He unfolded his hands and patted the ground next to him.

She hesitated before slowly lying down.

They were silent for a long time. The breeze blew stray strands of her hair toward him and the ends tickled his arm. Her legs were bent toward him and her knees gently grazed his legs, nearly making him catch his breath. His heart hammered away in his chest. They were so close.

“Did you ever make shapes out of the clouds when you were a kid?” She asked. “I used to do it all the time with my sister. Zain never joined. He said it was lame. Ariadne and I would go into the backyard on a nice day and just stare at the clouds, trying to create better shapes than the other.”

Gaven turned his head to look at her. It wasn’t very often she spoke about her family. Delilah stared up at the sky with a small smile.

She looked like an angel.

She is an angel. He reminded himself.

He slowly reached over and took her hand. Gaven saw her stiffen and feared that she would leave when she suddenly thawed and her fingers intertwined with his.

It was neither painful nor comforting. He dreaded that this was a one-time deal. How long would it last? Maybe this was only because she had just been crying and needed comfort. After all, she did have a boyfriend. He could barely swallow the word. It left a rancid taste in his mouth.

“Gaven?” She whispered.

As if being able to see for the first time, he realized Delilah was staring back at him.

“Are you alright?”

He could barely breathe. She was so breathtakingly close.

She smiled. “Can I trust you with a secret?” She rolled onto her side, making her all the nearer to him. Her bright round eyes shining.

“Of course,” his voice cracked.

“Gus went to get us cheeseburgers for dinner.”

Gaven felt the corner of his lips tug up into a smirk as his stomach rumbled. Even if it was fast food, it’d still be better than the bland food they’d been eating. It was even better that it wasn’t mac ‘n’ cheese.

Her eye lids fluttered close for a moment and he saw his chance.

He leaned forward and grazed her lips with hers.

His blood froze, completely paralyzed by her touch. He became completely paralyzed by her touch. The kiss had been soft and sweet tasting, like sugar. Probably remnants of her morning coffee. He let that kiss linger on his lips for as long as he could.

He slowly opened his eyes to see her staring back with large, surprised eyes.

“I’m sorry.” He instantly said. “I shouldn’t have. After—Omar said—”

“I know what he said.” She murmured, her eyes falling.

“Is it true?”

She sighed, pulling away a little. Cold air rushing into the sudden space between them. “It’s a long story.”

“We have time.” He wanted her to be close to him again. He lightly twirled one of her curls around his finger.

“Ok.” She breathed, rolling back over to face him.

Chapter Fifteen: Scout

Hound seemed unbelievably determined and focused. He stopped for nothing and no one. When the rest of them got food, he paced outside in the parking lot. When they slept, she heard him constantly tossing and turning. She tried speaking to him once, but he seemed distant and all of his replies were fragmented sentences.

She breathlessly caught up to him as the moon began to dip. “Hound,” she gasped for air. “Please slow down. We’re having trouble keeping up and we lost Leif miles ago, please Hound. I…I can’t do this speed anymore!”

He only went faster, pulling away.

Her wings became incredibly heavy as she waited for Katrina. “Can you make him stop?” She panted, her wings having trouble keeping her up. She needed a break.

“Why don’t you ask him?” Katrina snapped.

She sighed and let Katrina pass. Scout assumed Katrina would be depressed, in mourning from the loss of Wesley. Instead she was bitter, cold and simply unpleasant to be around which was awful to say since Katrina and Scout had been best friends for as long as she could remember.

Scout slowed to try and catch her breath, but it was pointless. She needed rest, she needed to stop.

To make things worse, the sky had been pregnant with dark, bruised clouds for hours, but the rain hadn’t started until now. From the altitude they were at, the rain was colder than ice, like frozen spears piercing her back.

Scout almost hoped the rain would cause Hound to lose the girls scent once more so they could wait for the storm to pass.

The only time she could find her friends’ silhouettes was when a fork of lighting would paint the sky a frightening white. The rain made it much too hard for her to see anything else. It only left her with blurry fragments.

Blinking lights appeared and she thought they reached civilization again. But all too late, she recognized the looming mass as an airplane. She dove in an attempt move out of the way, but as if the plane had every intention to hit her, it dipped and began to turn after her.

Her frozen muscles cried in pain as she tried to fly faster. She thought she was clear when suddenly the tail of the plane came up and clipped her left wing.

She felt the cartilage snap and frantically tried to straighten herself out with her one good wing before she began falling. A scream escaped her lips, but the wind snatched it up and carried it away. Her hands searched for something to grab onto as if magically a rope would appear in thin air.

Her back scratched the top of a pine tree. On the way down, her broken wing collided with a thick branch, nearly tearing the wing from her shoulder blade.

She wondered how awful the pain and damage would be once she finally hit the ground. Would she pass out? Or be awake for hours with excruciating pain? Would Hound and Katrina come find her? Would they even care?

She closed her eyes and braced herself for the landing when suddenly her fall broke with warm arms and a grunt.

With her new found safety, she finally felt how cold she was and the throbbing pain in her wing. She didn’t even want to see what it looked like.

Scout slowly opened her eyes to look at her hero as they began moving. Leif’s forehead crinkled with worry as his golden eyes studied her. “Are you alright?”

She’d never heard him speak before. Someone who looked so young, so innocent…how could they have a voice that deep?

“Scout?”

Her heart fluttered when he said her name.

He set her down near a tree that she could lean against. Her broken wing bumped up against something and she had to do everything in her power to not cry, only letting out a whimper.

“I'm sorry.” He seemed truly apologetic as if it was his fault. “I’ll be right back, I promise.”

“Leif!”

He turned.

“Thank you.”

He gave a small nod before running off.

The spot Leif chose was surrounded by trees and the rain barely came through the canopy. The foliage on the ground kept her hidden from anything that might be lingering in the woods.

She was curious if Leif stayed back to keep an eye on her. It seemed like something he’d do, though she knew little to nothing about him.

Scout tried moving, but the pain was too great. She bit her lip as her eyes swelled with tears.

“I told you I’d be right back.” He knelt next to her.

She hadn’t even sensed him come up to her, let alone hear him.

He reached for her bent wing, the majority of it holding on by only a few threads.

“I'm going to be sick.” She tried to breathe as the back of her throat burned with stomach acid.

“Don’t look.” He handed her a piece of wood.

“What’s this for?”

“Just hold it.”

“But—?”

She saw his hand twitch before pain shot up her back. A wail slipped from her lips as she broke the log in half.

“You alright?” He questioned, golden eyes flickering up for a moment.

Scout managed a nod, panting. This was almost worse than when her wings had been torn.

“This will sting a little bit at first.” He explained, still holding the part of her wing where it had broken with one hand. “But I promise it’ll make it better.”

He smeared yellowish-brown goo on the injury that hardened almost instantly and it stung like a bee sting.

“What is that? It smells repulsive.” She cringed.

Leif let go before placing several oak leaves over it. “It’s a remedy they used for broken bones in the Breeding House.” He folded them down to cover the dung smelling gook. “And the smell will help mask our scents to animas and angels.”

The goo was already soothing her wound, a peaceful sensation seeping into the nerves.

Golden light was sprayed across his face in thin bands and spots when she woke up.

“How do you feel?”

She stiffly sat up and ran a hand through her short hair. She stretched her wings. It was stiff, but not painful. It seemed it would hold.

“You should be able to fly in a couple days.”

Scout nodded. “You saved my life.”

He shrugged. “You probably would have lived. The trees slowed your fall.”

“Really, you did Leif.”

His lips twitched into the smallest of smiles.

“Scout?” Hound’s deep base of a voice called.

“Scout, where are you?” Katrina’s voice followed.

Leif moved to get up, but Scout frantically shook her head.

She wanted them to think she was dead. That’s what they deserved after ditching her last night. But all too soon they stepped around a tree, facing her. She saw Hound sigh with relief and Katrina ran over to hug her.

Scout put out an arm to push her back. “Don’t touch me.”

“Scout.”

“No,” she barked. “You left me.”

“You were right behind us.” Katrina whispered. “Then…then you were gone.”

“Yeah, thanks to you.”

Scout caught Leif’s golden eyes flash. “What?” She rounded on him.

He shook his head.

Hound said nothing.

Katrina never apologized.

So be it. Scout thought.

Leif walked with her the following day as Katrina and Hound slowly flew overhead, always within seeing distance.

Leif told Scout all about his childhood. About the Breeding House and how they trained the young to fight and how he had killed his father when Leif saw him abusing his human mother physically and sexually. His mother died shortly after due to her juries, and then he ran away.

Scout felt sad for him.

He had lost everything.

But hadn’t they all?

She saw Hound and Katrina dip down into the trees. Had they already found the girl? It was too early in the day to break for the night. Scout hurried her pace to see them standing in a charred clearing. The metal skeleton of a truck sat upside down. The cremated remains of humans were in melted chunks inside.

“Why did we stop here?” Scout questioned.

“This is where her scent ends. They must have gotten in an accident…” Hound trailed off.

“This can’t be it…” Katrina mumbled. “It can’t.”

Scout was about to speak as a shadow moved in the corner of her eye.

Katrina stormed into the trees, Hound following her. “There has to be something.” Katrina’s voice faded. “I know there is.”

“Did you see that?” Scout whispered.

“See what?” Leif questioned.

“That,” she pointed off to the right as a shadow disappeared between the trees. She never used to be afraid of the dark, but ever since she became a Fallen she learned to fear the shadows because anything could be lurking in them.

Leif took a protective stance in front of her as he drew a dagger from his belt.

Everything fell silent.

Suddenly a terribly tall, handsome man dressed in black appeared in front of them. His short hair fell in waves around his head almost like a halo. His grey eyes were frighteningly beautiful. For a moment she thought it was Lucifer due to his breathtakingly resembled her master.

She gasped with realization. “You’re the Dark Prince.”

It seemed the young man hadn’t heard the name before or he had and wasn’t very fond of it. “I prefer Gabel.” He grumbled. “Are you the search party?”

“Part of it.” Leif replied. “But you’re looking for the one in charge, I suppose.” He nodded behind Gabel.

Scout could see Katrina and Hound walking up to them.

“What can I do for you?” Her tone was crisp, authoritative.

“I'm here to help you find Del—the girl.” Was all Gabel said.

“She’s dead.”

Gabel paused, took a deep breath. Fear prominent in his eyes. “She can’t be.” He breathed. He seemed to fade away for a moment before coming back to them. “Impossible, I can still sense her.”

“How—?” Hound began, eyes darting between Katrina and Gabel.

“Do you want my help or not?”

“What makes you think—?”

“I’ve arranged your rewards with Lucifer.” Gabel spoke in a cool, almost charming tone. “If I return the girl alive, you receive your prizes.”

“And why should I trust you?” Katrina jabbed a finger into his chest.

“Because,” Gabel replied with the straightest, most serious face Scout had ever seen. “She trusts me.”

To be continued...

(Thank you for reading!)