I regained consciousness slowly, feeling my head pounding and my entire body aching. At first, I couldn't register anything around me, but eventually, my eyes began to focus. I saw dark, earthen looking walls around the room that I was currently in, and realized that I was lying on a bed of straw.
I managed to sit up despite the protests of my aching body, and felt something pull on my wrists. I looked down and saw that there were heavy chains wrapped around them. These chains were fastened to the nearby wall.
I rubbed my head, trying hard to remember what had happened. It was all so blurred. I could recall being in the car with Raziel. We had been waiting for someone and talking. Then we'd been leaving, and then... some kind of crash...
The sound of footsteps brought me back to reality, and I looked towards where they were coming from. My eyes widened as I saw my mother coming into the room through a large, arch-like doorway.
"Mom?" I whispered.
"Oh good, you're awake. I was beginning to worry that he was wrong about you healing so quickly." she responded as she came over to sit beside me.
"Where's Raziel? Is he okay?" I asked frantically as I looked around us.
Now that I had regained my senses, I understood that something incredibly bad must've happened to us. I wouldn't have been chained up in wherever this was if it hadn't, and my mother certainly wouldn't have been there.
"Relax baby. He's fine, although you both didn't look in that good of shape when he brought you here. I was really beginning to question him about doing it this way." Mom answered. She pursed her lips like she was getting upset just thinking about it.
I wasn't buying her caring act, "Who brought us here? What happened to us?" I demanded.
"Why, I did of course."
I looked at the doorway to see Flint standing there. He looked different then when I'd seen him before. He had his fox ears and tails out, and his eyes were golden. I also noticed that his hair was grey, and his features were sharper. Yes, he'd definitely used Zane's likeness as a disguise.
But the thing that really caught my attention was that he had Raziel with him, holding him from behind with his arms chained.
"Raziel..." I whispered.
I knew that we were definitely in a lot of trouble. Flint had been behind all of this, including my mother's appearance, and he'd managed to catch us both.
Raziel struggled against him, but Flint's grip on his arms was firm.
"No use in struggling. I told you that I kept her safe. After all, I can't have anything happening to the two I need." Flint informed him.
"What do you want with us?! You know my father's going to kill you for this!" Raziel shouted, looking over his shoulder at him in anger.
"I have no fear of half breeds, angels or not. All I'm interested in is getting rid of the bastard. But for now, I can make do with the two I have to lure him in." Flint responded. I watched as he walked him over and forced him down to the floor near me, melding the chain holding him to the wall. Then he turned his attention to my mother, "Make sure they don't try any tricks. I'll be back."
Mom agreed and he walked back out. Raziel struggled against the chains again, but they didn't budge from the wall, only rattling with his movements.
Mom frowned as she stood up and went to an old dresser on the other side of the room. She opened one of the drawers and took out her knitting that she'd been keeping in there.
"You may as well stop all of that rattling. You'll only give us all headaches." she told Raziel as she sat in the old chair beside it and began working.
Raziel scowled at her, "So you really did come here with that fox. All that stuff about you wanting to take Mia back to Florida was a lie for him." he accused.
"No, it wasn't. I have every intention of Mia coming home with me. But Flint says that first we need to finish up things here." Mom responded in a matter-of-fact tone. She didn't seem the least bit concerned over any of this.
"You know that he's not letting you or her go. Foxes never let their prey go." Raziel warned her.
Mom ignored him. Pulling on my own chain, I managed to move over closer to him.
"What happened Raziel? How'd we get here?" I asked quietly.
"I was wondering that one myself when I woke up. But it looks like he set a damn good trap. This is Flint's den for now. He helped Anna's father escape from jail, and he rammed into our car hard enough to damn near kill us. Guess it's a good thing we're mixed like we are. We definitely wouldn't be talking like this if we weren't." Raziel explained.
"Is he dead?" I had to ask.
"Sounds like it. Great. I'm really proving something to her now." Raziel muttered. He angrily pulled hard on the chain one more time before sitting back against the wall in defeat.
I looked over at my mother, who was ignoring us now. I didn't know what I should do. Both of us were chained up, and I feared trying to bring out my wings. No telling if that would set something else off.
My mind was also on our fathers and Sean. What would they do once they learned of this? Did they already know? It would be pretty obvious to them that Flint had caused that accident, especially with Anna's father involved.
I sat back and closed my eyes, feeling defeated too. All I could do was pray now. If we were supposed to be descendants of a powerful angel, then something should've been able to help us out.
The sound of my mother's voice cut through the turmoil of my mind.
"Mia, do you really not want to come home with me?"
I opened my eyes to see her watching me. She'd stopped knitting and had a very strange look in her eyes. For the briefest moment, it almost felt like the old Mom was staring at me again; the one that had almost gotten better on medication at one time. Maybe I could find a way to play on that.
"No. I like it up here with Dad." I answered.
"I know I didn't do the best job of raising you, but I did try, and so did your grandmother. I do miss her at times, but she really shouldn't have done what she did with you." Mom continued, looking back at her knitting.
I dared to ask her what I'd suspected all along, "Grand mom didn't die from an illness, did she?"
Mom didn't answer. Raziel looked at her too. He'd been listening to our conversation and had finally decided to speak.
"Come on. I know you've got your senses back, and I know he did it before he made these moves. So, tell us how he killed her. Did he make you do it?" he pressed.
"Did you kill Grand mom?" I asked, although I admit that it was hard to say it out loud.
"Of course not! Mama was just in the way, and it was an accident." Mom responded. She refused to look at us as she spoke.
"I'll bet." Raziel scoffed, "And I'll bet that you're thinking that he'll give you everything you ever wanted. You know, you're a stupid woman for trusting a fox over angels. Why'd you really leave Michael back then? Were you really that scared of what he was? I don't believe it."
"Shut up! That's none of your business!" Mom yelled. She stood up and tossed her knitting to the floor.
"You think I'm scared of you? You're just a human, and I know what's gonna happen to you once this fox is done with you. I think you know it too. You just don't want to face reality." Raziel went on.
"I said be quiet!" Mom snapped. She walked over to us, standing in front of Raziel. Now I could see that familiar, irrational anger in her eyes. He was striking a nerve to bring it out in her.
Raziel refused to back down. He glared back at her.
"Trust me, I'm telling you truth. Once that fox gets rid of Sean, he'll kill you too. I'm surprised that he hasn't already done it, considering how long he's kept you around. He must think that he still needs you for something, or maybe he's just not bored yet."
"Raziel..." I started.
That was when a very commanding voice sounded in my head. It was so commanding that I had no choice but to stop and focus on it.
"Break her." it ordered.
This definitely wasn't Raziel using any kind of telepathy. The voice was far too deep, too wise sounding. Not to mention that he was still very busy arguing with my mother.
"Who are you?" I asked it in my mind.
It didn't answer. Instead, it continued instructing me, being gentle yet also firm.
"Use your ability and break her. She has been released enough from the curse to be broken and brought back, and she will help you."
My eyes widened in comprehension. I'd heard this voice at least twice before. The first time was back when I broke Sean, when for the briefest moment, I'd heard it command me to awaken.
And the other....
That was when I'd been in that airport. This voice belonged to the priest who had sat with me on Christmas Eve until my dad had come, and had given me the bracelet that I still wore on my right wrist. I was sure that it was his voice, and it confirmed what we'd suspected all along. The one who created our family was still watching over us. This was our angel.
As I thought that, I felt a warm envelope me, like something powerful had wrapped around my soul. I immediately had the confidence that I could bring Mom back to who she'd once been. She would be able to keep her sanity, but she could also be out of Flint's control.
I looked back over at her as my wings emerged, and in an instant, she was pushed back against the nearby wall. She held her head tightly as she doubled over, a small cry of pain escaping her.
Raziel immediately sense this change in my power too, but just as quickly as it came on, it was gone.
"What was that?" he asked as we both felt it dissipate.
"I don't know. I heard this voice in my head telling me to break her, but it's gone." I managed to answer. I was still reeling a little too. It felt like my body had been hijacked in those ten seconds, even though it hadn't felt as scary as it was strange.
Mom was finally beginning to come back to her senses. She looked around as she let her head go, her eyes wide in comprehension of what was happening.
"Oh my God. We're really here." I heard her say.
"Sounds like you're back to your senses. A little help here?" Raziel called as he pulled on his chains.
Mom hurried over there to help us, "I'm so sorry. Are you two alright?" she was asking as she tried to loosen them.
She didn't need to ask what all of this was. It looked like she remembered everything that had happened. That angel hadn't erased it from her memories. He'd only set her free from that fox's control.
"I think so. Can you help us get out of here?" I asked her.
"I think I can. But we'll need to hurry. He'll be coming back soon." Mom answered.
But just as she was able to start loosening the chains, we all heard footsteps coming towards the room. Mom quickly stood up, going to the other side of the room to pretend she hadn't stopped knitting.
It wasn't ten seconds later when Flint was coming back in. I saw Mom draw in a shaky breath that she tried to hide along with keeping her expression neutral, but the fear was still there within her eyes.
Flint's attention turned to her first.
"I see things are going smoothly here I was beginning to wonder if you'd get along with our guests." he said, a broad smile crossing his face as he stepped in front of her.
"Of course. They've been quiet enough, but I'm getting tired of hearing those chains. Couldn't we find another way to hold them?" Mom requested.
She was being a very good actress. It was hard to tell any difference in her.
"Possibily, but you do realize that we must be careful. After all, they aren't exactly human anymore, are they?" Flint reminded her.
"No, I guess not." Mom relented.
Flint moved a little closer in front of her. It was odd, but I had the distinct feeling that he was sniffing her. Yet he wasn't acting aggressive.
He spoke again after a minute or so of doing this.
"Why don't you come with me for now then my dear? I believe being away from them for a while may help your headache."
Mom hesitated, but couldn't come up with an argument against it, so she reluctantly agreed.
I had a sickening feeling welling up inside of me as they left the room. Flint knew. I was sure that he somehow knew about what had just happened here.
Raziel listened as they walked away, then yanked hard on the chains as he tried to stand up. But they held tight. But he refused to give up as he sat on the hay beside me.
"Hey, we need to take our chance while we can." he whispered, keeping his voice as quiet as possible.
"How? We can't unwrap these ourselves." I whispered back.
"I have an idea. You think you could maneuver yourself behind me?"
"I'll try."
Pulling at my looser chains, I was able to move to where we were less than a inch apart
"Good. Now turn around and hold still." Raziel ordered.
"What are you going to do?" I asked him.
"I'm going to melt some of your chains. I can't do it with my own because I can't move my hands into the right position, but I bet I can with yours. Sit still." Raziel explained.
I did as he said, feeling the heat on the chain as he held his hands against it. Within seconds, it felt like it had loosened a lot. I was able to free my hands. Once I did that, I turned to unwrap his enough to where he could do the same with his own.
"Good. Now we can get out of here." Raziel commented as he rubbed his wrist.
"Any ideas on which way to go?" I asked him as we both stood up.
"I've got a pretty good idea, but we'd better hurry. I'm not too sure that we can handle Flint ourselves if he catches us." Raziel admitted, bringing out his wings.
"But what about Mom? We can't just leave her." I protested.
Raziel looked at the doorway, debating on what to do.
"I don't know. Maybe she can keep fooling him and we can get help once we get out of here."
I knew that he was conflicted about that decision, but it was the only realistic option we had. Neither of us were strong enough to take on Flint, and we weren't that certain of our way out of this den. All we could do was try to find our fathers, or hopefully Sean.
The hallway was dark as we peeked out of the room. Seeing no sign of Flint, we quietly made our escape. I stayed close to Raziel until we reached a large, open room. It was barren, with dirt floors and walls, and we could see that it had an extremely high ceiling with what looked like openings that may have led to the surface of the woods.
"This must be how you get out. We can fly up to those holes." Raziel concluded as we looked up at them.
"Do you think we can..."
I was cut short by the frightening echo of terrified screams. They were ear piercing, chilling both of us to the bone. It sounded like a woman screaming in terror.
"That's..."
I couldn't make myself finish. Those were definitely a woman's screams, and there was no mistaking who they probably came from. It made me feel even more sick to my stomach.
Raziel shakily pulled me into a protective hug.
"There's nothing we can do." he whispered.
"But she's...." I whispered back.
The screams ended abruptly, leaving the den in an eerie silence.
"There's nothing we can do." Raziel breathed. I could hear the pain in his voice as he spoke. His voice cracked as he let me go and forced himself to continue, "We need to get out of here right..."
I was suddenly jolted back, my hand ripping out of his; and the next thing I knew, I felt a sharp blade being held to my throat. Raziel stood very still as he stared at the one holding me in place, afraid to move to the risk of me being hurt.
I could hear Flint chuckle in my ear.
"Leaving so soon, are we? Now that isn't very polite."
"Let her go!" Raziel demanded. He was trying to sound strong, but fear was marring his voice.
I felt like I could barely breath with the blade pressed to my throat. It felt so sharp that I was scared it would cut my throat if I dared to move.
"Bold words from one who rode right into my trap. True, I wasn't quite expecting to catch you two, but you're serving my needs nicely, and I cannot let you leave until the half breed shows up. After all, what better bait is there than the one he cares for so deeply?" Flint told him.
"What did you do to my mother?" I managed to ask him.
"You'd really want to know? I didn't think that you were one for mental torture." Flint noted.
"You know he'll kill you now. There's more than enough for us to justify it." Raziel warned him.
Flint only chuckled, "I told you before, I have no fear of Nephilim. Besides, the one I want is already here." he stated as he glanced to our left.
Sean stepped out of the far shadows.
"I figured that you'd catch my scent fairly quickly. I'm here now, so let her go." he ordered.
"Took you long enough." Raziel muttered, looking at Sean from the corner of his eye as he stood near him.
"Sorry, but finding a fox's den isn't easy, although he did leave us enough clues for it this time. Honestly Flint, if you wanted me so badly, why go after so many innocents? You've left yourself open to death if you manage to kill me. First you kidnap two Nephilim, then you murder the wife of another. I'm beginning to think that they told the truth about you being insane." Sean went on.
Flint wasn't fazed, "Say what you will, but you know you're not strong enough to face me. I've waited nearly eighteen years for this moment, and I certainly don't intend for you to walk away from this den. It's going to be your grave."
"So you say. But let Mia go. This fight is between us." Sean responded.
"Very well."
I gasped as the blade was whipped away and I was suddenly pushed forward. Sean easily caught me and handed me over to Raziel.
"Stay back. You don't want to be in the middle of this fight." he warned us.
"You sure you want to do this Fox? You know you might be outmatched." Raziel reminded him.
"I know, but this is something that I have to do. I refuse to let anyone else die." Sean replied.
I really wanted to say something to stop him, but I knew that it wouldn't do me any good. Sean had made up his mind.
I also knew in my heart that this fight was inevitable. Flint knew that Sean wasn't going to stand by and watch the people he'd come to care for get hurt or killed. Even if this killed him, he'd fight back to protect everyone else.
Flint regarded him with distaste as Sean moved to about a foot from him. For the first time, I realized that he'd made himself look more like a human again. It was like a cruel joke that he'd do that after what he'd done to my mother. He even still had blood on his hands and clothes from the attack.
"It's been interesting to actually see you in person. I can say that now. You don't look anything like our father." he commented.
"I'll acknowledge that. However, there is something I want to know from you before this starts." Sean requested.
"Very well. I suppose I can grant a dying wish." Flint conceded.
"Why did you target Missy Renaldi so early on? Were you that aware that I would take an interest in her daughter from the beginning?" Sean asked him.
Flint shrugged, "Of course not. That was just a stroke of luck that her child turned out to be the one you picked as a mate. That woman was more to just bide my time until I got bored with her. However, she did prove more useful than I'd thought she'd be. Now, if you're done with the questions, why don't you show your true colors?"
He took a step back and allowed his ears and tails to reappear. I was immediately reminded of my encounter with Sean that first time when I broke him. All I had remembered for a long time after that were those eyes, but now I also did recall the ears and tail appearing as well.
Sean sighed, pulling off the silver chain he always wore on his wrist. His silver ears and tail appeared, and his eyes became golden. That chain that he wore was what he called a Limiter, and it held back his true nature enough to allow him to appear like a normal human.
"And this is the proof of the abomination you are. Without suppressing things, you would always look like this. You'd be nothing more than a freak of nature to those humans." Flint informed him.
"That is true. I've seen myself as nothing more than an abomination for much of my life. However, I believe that I am learning now that perhaps everyone is born for a reason, and if I have to defeat you to protect that reason, then I will." Sean replied.
"We'd better move." I heard Raziel say.
The two of us flew up to one of the nearby ledges to watch. We'd done it just in time too. Flint and Sean were ready to begin their death match.
Honestly, I hadn't thought of what these foxes could do until I was seeing it. They could make weapons out of anything, and Flint also had something extra.
He could create fire.
I suppose it was a good thing that Sean had a good head on his shoulders. If he hadn't been able to make a shield, he probably would've been burned into nothing.
As we watched this fight, the two of us suddenly became aware of other presences coming down one of the holes and to the ledge across from us. It was Michael and Raphael. The two of us immediately flew over to them.
"Thank God you two are safe." Michael whispered as he hugged me tightly.
"How'd you find us? Did you follow Sean here?" Raziel asked them.
"For now, let's just say we ended up with a little bit of extra help. But it looks like we made it just in time to witness this showdown." Raphael noted.
"Do you think he even stands a chance against a full blood?" Michael asked him.
"I couldn't say. I've only heard stories about these foxes fighting, and it's been for various reasons. But I've never heard of a fight between a full blood and one mixed with a human. Although I will say that if beating a Mantis is any indication, there might be a slight chance for him." Raphael answered.
"Isn't there anything we can do? We can't just let Flint kill him." I reasoned.
"It's your call Michael. We could intervene on the grounds of what's happened with Missy and the Smiths." Raphael added.
So they knew about what had happened to Mom. That didn't surprise me. They very well may have come in through another entrance and seen her body.
Michael shook his head, "Not yet. I don't intend to do that unless Sean loses. I'd rather see him prove himself now by getting rid of this one."
Flint's voice brought us back to full attention.
"Enough games! I'm done playing with a half breed!" he declared.
He transformed into a full fox, looking beyond intimidating as he snarled at Sean.
Sean still didn't back down, transforming too. He was a bit smaller than Flint, but no less intimidating. Both of them snarled at each other before going at it again.
I really didn't want to watch, but couldn't pull myself away from this brutal scene. A part of me just couldn't miss a second of it.
Incredibly, it looked like Sean had more of an upper hand. Throwing Flint back against one of the dirt walls, he stood over him and spoke.
"I don't want to kill any more Flint. I've done enough of that in my life. So retreat and crawl back to your hole in the Veil." he ordered.
"What the hell are you doing? You can't just let him go!" Raziel yelled at him.
Raphael glanced at Michael,"Should we be willing to accept this?" he wondered.
"As much as I'd love seeing that fox dead, I could make myself honor it. But it will be another story if he ever comes back over to this side." Michael relented.
I was agreeing. Enough blood had been spilled over this. If Flint limped away with his wounded pride, then that would be enough for me. Even if he was a monster, I couldn't make myself want to kill another living thing. It just wasn't in me.
Flint grunted as he pulled himself back up on his shaking legs. He was covered in the fallen dirt, and limped slightly as he moved a few steps towards Sean, but didn't seem at all willing to give up.
"You've been tamed." he growled, "I can feel it in your bite. You allowed that little Nephilim girl to break you, to make you her servant, and it made you soft."
"You make it sound like that was a bad thing." Sean noted, sounding contrite.
"A tame fox is worth nothing! You've become nothing more than a pet! Allow me to prove this fact to you!"
Several stone spikes suddenly erupted from the ground around them. Sean let out a yell and fell to the ground as one ran up through his front right leg.
"Sean?!" I cried out.
Flint chuckled as he limped over to him. He seemed to be getting steadier as he moved. Not at good sign.
"You still have your instincts and tough fox ways. I will give you that much. However, you will never be a match for an elder." he stated as he looked down at him.
"Enough is enough." I heard my dad say.
But as he moved to get up, Raphael suddenly held up his arm in front of him to stop him.
"Wait. Listen."
We all noticed that there was another sound echoing through the den. Something was coming there at a fast pace. Judging by the sounds, it was two very large somethings.
Flint turned his head towards the sounds. Sean followed his gaze to the far wall where the archway entrance to the room was. We could now see what had made the sounds.
They were two large foxes.
One I recognized right away as Manake; completely black with many tails. The other was silver in color, also sporting many tails. I counted them and realized that they had nine.
"Is that Musket?" I heard Michael whisper.
"Looks like Manake managed to find him just in time. This could get very interesting now. Let's hope he's on Sean's side." Raphael responded.
"Who is he?" Raziel asked him.
"Sage's brother. Sean's surviving uncle." I whispered back.
"You've got to be kidding. A fox that old showing up here?" Raziel said in quiet disbelief.
Flint backed up a few steps as they moved closer.
"So, you actually decided to intervene this time." he muttered.
"You realize that this grudge match has always been your own doing, Flint. But you're foolish as well to think that I would not look for you after what you've done with my own, not to mention your recent attempt against my life." Musket responded. He had a very deep, commanding voice. I definitely felt like it showed his age.
"And you were all too willing to lead him right to me, weren't you Manake? You've always been good at being a second to this den of foxes." Flint accused, glaring at him.
"This was not my doing this time, even if I did set out to find him." Manake admitted. He didn't sound concerned about Flint's anger at him. In fact, he seemed quite content to sit back and watch this all unfold.
Musket moved forward, heading over to stand in front of Sean like he was protecting him.
"No, this turn had nothing to do with him. It seems that there are much higher beings that wish for you to pay the price for your evil deeds. You've been foolish enough to think that you'd avoid retribution forever Flint. You and Sean are the only two remaining, and the legacy of our den will not be left to you for all that you have done against your own kin."
"We should go now. This fight is no longer ours for the taking." Michael stated.
"I agree. Let them handle this one. It does ultimately come down to family ties." Raphael nodded.
"Hey, we're not just leaving Sean here, are we?" Raziel spoke up.
I was surprised that he'd managed to speak up about that before me, but he also seemed genuinely concerned.
"Don't worry. They're going to make sure that he'ssafe and taken care of. That's what they do for their own." Raphael assured us.
I didn't like leaving that den like we were, but I knew that my dad and Raphael were probably right. We could already hear the growling as we got out through one of the entrances in the ceiling. No doubt Musket was ready to be done with all of this. By the way he'd been talking, he'd been after Flint for a very long time.
But what kind of intervention was Musket talking about? Could it have been from our angel?
We could only wait for now to find out.