I stared into her eyes as her words sank in, she trusted me even after what I had done to her. The slight bruise on her neck a testament to the darkness that was inside me, if only she knew what I had been ordered to do. How could I possibly carry out such a task? Everything about her called to my very soul. What could I do I could not disobey a direct order to do so would mean my death.
I sighed better my death then hers, the sudden realisation of those words in my mind were like a kick to the chest. I would die for this female, I would give up my very soul if it meant keeping her alive. Knowing this I knew I had to think of something to save her, knowing this I knew she had become my very reason for existing.
Silently I pulled her into my arms in a tight embrace as if just touching her would make all my worries disappear. I kissed the top of her head
"come let's get you to bed."
To these words she smiled michiviously, I shook my head.
"to sleep."
I corrected, the disappointment on her face was evident.
"give me time Reece it has been awhile since I have cared for a female I do not trust easily."
She placed a hand on my cheek the gentle caress like a silent promise.
"I can tell how hard this is I won't rush you."
Without another word I took her hand as she followed behind a contented smile on her lips, as I pulled her onto the bed beside me. Curling up into my arms she rested her head against my chest, she didn't know it yet but the slight weight of her body on my wing awoke things inside me I had thought long since dead. Closing her eyes as I stroked her hair she drifted off to sleep still wearing the dress she had worn out.
My mind was racing with a thousand thoughts as I watched her sleep, how could I let this happen? How was I to save her from Micheal's wrath?
That's when an idea came to mind, I needed to talk to Gabriel.
Slowly so as not to wake her I gently removed myself from her embrace, standing next to her I took one last look at her face relaxed in a deep sleep. I gently tucked a stray hair behind her cheek before leaving out the balcony door.
Once outside I glammered then jumped of the balcony spreading my wings heading towards the cliff I had trained on top of what seems like months ago.
Once landed I pulled a feather from my wing as I sent the invitiation. The wind lifted it up as it sped into the sky in seconds it was out of sight.
It didn't take long before I could see him approach at lighting speed even from here I could sense the fury emanating from him.
Landing in front of me he grabbed my collar lifting me up burning anger seeping from every pore.
"how dare you summon me here Dantalis."
Spiting my name out like it was something rotten he bared his fangs in a growl.
I sighed
"are you done?"
Realising I had no intention of fighting back archangel Gabriel put me down. Still fuming he demanded.
"what do you want and be quick about it I have better things to do then deal with the likes of you."
I sighed
"I need your help."
"with what? To slaughter your mark? Since when have you needed anyone's help in killing those around you?"
I shook my head
"not to kill, I need your help to save her."
At this Gabriel stopped short narrowing his eyes
"is this a trick? Some sort of dark joke you're playing?"
I sighed as I aproched the edge of the cliff looking out towards the ocean.
I could no longer deny it, with every fibre of my being I knew without a doubt that her soul belonged to me and mine was hers. I knew without a doubt what she was to me. Cams words came to mind as I turned back to Gabriel who stood watching me a guarded expression evident on his face.
"she is my mate."
Gabriel's wings flared with power as they started to glow the anger in him returning.
Quicker than even I could perceive he punched me, pain seared my jaw on impact as the force of it had me to the ground.
Returning to my feet his fist clenched preparing for another blow as he laughed bitterly.
"the great Dantalis, born of darkness falling in love. How dare you came to me with this. What makes you think I will or that I even believe you?"
I stared him down
"I asked for your help because she is your daughter."
At this his eyes widened
"how-"
"It wasn't hard to figure out, the way you reacted, the look in your eyes. The eyes of a father wanting to protect his daughter."
I sighed
"as for the believing me I can already tell that you do else why would I summon you here? Why would I risk asking for your help when you clearly do not like me nor even trust me. Knowing all that why would I risk telling you knowing she was your daughter and that you might kill me just for revealing what she means to me."
Gabriel stared at me still suspicious but no longer as angry.
We stared each other down for what seemed like ages til finally he sighed
"its impossiple."
I shook my head denying his words
"no you're her father you cannot want her to die."
Gabriel spun on me in anger
"of corse I don't want her to die, don't you think I would do anything within my power to keep her alive if I could."
Dropping into a sitting position he buried his head in his hands.
"it's no use Micheal will not allow her to live he believes she will bring about the end of the world."
I stared at him in shock
"why the hell would he believe that?"
"because of the prophesy, it is said that the child of an archangel will decide the final out come of the war between heaven and hell."
"but that doesn't say she will destroy the world it just says she will be the one to decide. Not to mention how do we even know it will be her, yes even now she seems to have more power than most fledglings but surely she has not been the only one to be the product of an archangel."
Gabriel sighed
"it's no use Micheal will not take the risk that she might be the one to save heaven, but you are right there have been others over the years. However none have been nearly as powerful as she will be. What you have seen is only a portion of what she is capable of."
Frustrated I asked
"what makes her so different?"
Staring into my eyes Gabriel answeared.
deep sorrow in his voice
"what makes her different is up until now there have only been children of archangels who have either lain with other lower level angels or even humans, however Reece is the product of not one but two archangels."
My eyes widened at this revealation
"two archangels, who was her mother and where is she now?"
"Sariel is no longer of this world, as punishment for what we had done I was forced to do the unthinkable."
I was speechless at his words
"I refused at first but If I had not Micheal would have forced me into purgatory for an enternity. Ariel knowing what he would do made me go along with it so that I would be excepted back to Micheal's side in hopes that I could save our daughter."
Gabriel shook his head
"after what was done I sent her away with the only person I could trust to keep her safe, but I knew it was only temporary as her power would become too great to hide. The best thing I could hope for was that she had a full twenty years before Michael found her."
His eyes became shadowed with the pain.
"all these years I feared her resurfaceing, all these years and still I have no idea how to go about saving her from execution Micheal will not yield. He thinks I betrayed him he will no longer listen to reason, nothing I do or say will change his mind. He believes that the only way to save heaven and the world is by killing the one person that might save both."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing how had noone ever heard of any of this surely a prophesy this important would be common knowledge. Gabriel seemed defeated in his own misery as I looked upon him. I could see it in his eyes the despair of losing the love of his life his mate. it had broken him in more ways than one. I knew loss, I knew pain but now that I had admitted to myself that Reece was indeed my mate I refused to lose her all because of the unfounded fear of one mind.
"You may have given up Gabriel but I will not, where you have failed I will succeed."
I started to lift my wings in takeoff, turning back one last time I said
"I'm sorry for you're lose but I refuse to make the same mistake I will save her."
As I took to the air I heard gabriel's answear
"for my daughter's sake I pray that you do."
Those words haunted me on my flight back to Reece's apartment.
Entering the room I found her still fast asleep on the bed her hair covering her eyes, slowly I reached over and tucked the golden strands behind her ear.
"mmm"
Her eyes fluttered open as she looked up at me.
"Hey….. what's wrong?"
"nothing go back to sleep."
I sat down next to her as she repositioned herself til she lay across my chest. Slowly I stoked her hair as she drifted back into sleep. Her shadowed wings stretched out across the bed had me itching to touch them til I couldn't take it anymore.
I reached out my hand starting from her neck I slowly traced an invisible line down to her shoulders blades. A slight moan escaped her as her eyes fluttered open she simultaniaously arched into my touch.
"Dantalis?"
Both our breathing had quicken as we stared at each other, slowly siting up she inched towards my lips.
"Dantalis.."
This time my name was a moan on her lips as our lips connected with a ferious passion only known to mates as I now knew within my very soul she was without a doubt my mate.
Knowing this I knew I had to protect her with my very life, with the darkness within me I could not risk her getting hurt again. Sharply I pulled away as I left the bed
"Reece-"
"Dantalis don't."
She sat up hurt was evident in her eyes I could see that, forcing me to sit on the side of the bed with my head in his hands.
That's when through my fingers I first saw the light, I bolted up glancing down at reece as she started to glow from head to foot. A look of shock was on her face as she stared at her glowing skin.
"What's happening?"
I took her into my arms.
"It's alright just trust what is happening to you is meant to be and soon you will understand."
"but I don't understand?"
"you will."
I looked into her eyes.
"Well this was bad timing."
It was too soon she was not yet twenty but I knew from the start that her power could not be contained for much longer.
"Close your eyes Reece I'll be here the whole time, I won't let anything happen to you."
"I trust you."
She whispered as her eyes slowly closed her body preparing for the change, going limp as she let go.
Her eyes closed as my heart swelled with her words, screw Michael and his orders I could never kill her. For the first time in my life these were orders I could never follow.
I sighed as I looked down at her face her body was still glowing her wings though were starting to come into their colour. I held her in my arms the whole time as I watched them began to die down. Her wings started to form from her shoulders, black started to envelope her feathers. Gabriel's black wings had evidently been carried down to his daughter. The black continued from the preliminaries to the flight feathers however from the tips a red and yellow fire grew from them. Leaving her wings as black as Gabriel's with fiery edges inherited from her mother Sariel.
The glowing gone her wings newly formed her eyes snapped open. In an instant she flipped off the bed like a warrior, her wings flared behind her she held black claw like blades on her left hand and a black short sword in her right fiery red filigree decorated the blades edges. Her knees were bent weapons in hand ready for an attack.
I jumped off the bed the moment she woke up, my hands I held in front of me so as not to frighten her.
"Reece it's alright I won't hurt you."
I started to step towards her, she swung her left hand at me intending to claw me with those blades.
"Reece it's me Dantalis-"
"I know who you are Dantalis, you were right I received all the knowledge of my parents. They knew Michael would send someone after me, that's why they choose Peter because he has the power to conceal energy. He hid mine all my life, hid me from you. I know you, I know who your father is and what you plan to do to me."
I shook my head in denial.
"Reece please don't judge me by my father or my past you may have the knowledge of my reputation but that is only how other people see me."
"Do you deny that there is a darkness in you, do you deny the stories said about you? I have seen it with my own eyes your father has tainted you."
I made no move to get closer to her as I answered.
"No I do not deny it. I am born of evil and because of that there is a darkness within me that I can not rid myself of, But everything I have done in the past I have been ordered to do I am an angel of heaven reece not a forsaken."
"Then what's stopping you from following your orders now?"
"What's stopping me now is my love for you."
She laughed.
"You loved Katianna also, did you not?"
I bulked at that name I had not known that Gabriel knew about that time in my life. She saw my face and continued.
"Yes Dantalis Gabriel knew about that. You fell in love with her yet still cut off her wings and cut out her heart leaving her in the middle of the city of angels in heaven for all to see."
"Listen Reece you don't know the whole story I had no choice-"
"There's always a choice Dantalis."
Again I tried to step closer, spinning her wings became hard as steel. Using them she swept at my feet forcing me to the ground. It was a tactic only Gabriel could do with his wings, yet something else passed down to his daughter. I rolled out of the way as she brought her clawed hand to the ground where my stomach had just been. The red at the edges of her wings seemed to climb their fiery way up her wings consuming the black. I had no idea what it meant but it couldn't be good.
"Reece please stop this I told you I don't want to kill you."
"Stop lying!"
She yelled, it was at that moment Cam burst into the room.
"What's going on?"
"Cam get out!"
He shook his head.
"No way bro she's clearly out of control."
I glared at him.
"Cam I can handle this now get out."
Reece looked from me to Cam as he had an arrow trained at her heart, I put myself between Them.
"Cam I'm warning you get out now!"
He stared at me in disbelief.
"What are you doing? Take her out now before she gets too powerful."
"Cam! Get the hell away from her!"
Bree stood in shock at the scene before her, from the look in Cam's eyes I knew he was going to kill her I couldn't let that happen so I used Bree's distraction to do something I never thought I would ever do. I swiped away his bow grabbing his wrists as I did I used my other arm to envelope his neck pressing on his oesophagus with just enough pressure to force him to pass out. He struggled but I was always more powerful than he was.
"I'm sorry brother."
I whispered just before he collapsed to the ground passed out. I turned back to Bree who stood next to Reece in stunned silence. I reached out my hand.
"Come on he won't be out long."
She shook her head
"I'm not going anywhere with you."
I bared my fangs in anger and frustration
"Reece we haven't time you must come with me now."
Without warning she hardened her wings and shoot dagger like feathers towards me as she turned grabbing bree and ran for the balcony jumping into the air. I dodged the projectiles spinning to the side just in time as she disappeared out the door over the edge.