04

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are a product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.

Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2010 by Levana Hyll

All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Levana Hyll

ISBN: 978-1453727959

Printed in the United States of America

First Edition

*******

Prologue

Angelos City, Angelorian continent, Seraphia; 3432:

Kabiel gazed into his vid-crystal, recording the beauty of Seraphia's sun as its reflection dissolved into the shimmering sea. Unable to resist the call of the breeze and open sky, he opened his wings and ascended into the pink and lavender streaked heavens.

He focused his vid-crystal on the pearl-grey castle below, surrounded by deep green lawns, pewter fountains, and ancient trees. The holy city of Angelos was his home and home to over ten thousand reapers, like himself. Beyond the fortress-like wall encircling the holy summit, lay Angeloria, a sprawling metropolis built along the cliff walls descending from the mountain top. The setting sun cast a rose glow on the stark white buildings as the white-winged citizens bustled about in their daily routines.

Chanting drew his attention and he refocused the crystal orb on the moving mass beyond the wall.

"Ah, yes," he sighed, looking at the thousands of alien beings congregated there. "There they are...as far as the eye can see...calling to their god." He'd almost forgotten it was off-world visitors' day. "You'd think by now they'd grow tired of chanting his name."

He panned up, capturing the return of the remaining black-winged holy warriors. They descended from the sky, alighting within the barricaded area just before the gates of Angelos. Were it not for the barrier, the flood of intergalactic beings would stampede right onto sacred ground.

Pushing back errant wisps of breeze-tousled dark hair from his face, he shook his head. "They stand there all day long, once every moon cycle, calling him...and what does that son-of-a-bat do?" Kabiel's black wings hummed, whisking him to the balcony he'd been perched on moments before. Beyond open balcony doors, he focused his vid-crystal on a young holy warrior bathing in an opulent gold tub. "He snubs them like the conceited ass he is," he concluded loudly so the other warrior could hear him.

Davariel ignored him, like usual, as he raised a large sponge over his head and squeezed, letting the water rinse the perfumed soap from his long, blond hair. He kept his eyes closed and opened his lips to breathe while the water and suds licked down his glistening body. The golden sunset made the droplets of water shimmer like thousands of diamonds upon his open jet-black wings.

Kabiel shook his head, realizing he was staring, again. Wouldn't do for Dava to catch him drooling over him like one of his angel-struck followers.

"Look at that pretty girl indulging in her bath," Kabiel teased to break the obvious silence.

Davariel's grin stretched across his angelic face, his eyes blinking open. Tucking his wings behind his back, he spread his thighs and raised his hips. "Come here" he purred, "let me show you how much of a girl I am."

Kabiel snorted, trying to hide his smile. "Have you no shame, reaper? I'm recording this for my dear sweet mother."

"Oh, well . . ." Davariel laughed, rising from the water, "in that case, let's give her something beautiful to visualize when she mounts your father." He gripped his erection and stroked in a lazy rhythm, his eyes sparkling with mischief. Kabiel burst out laughing when he tweaked one of his nipples with his free hand and wiggled his tongue with all the perversion he could muster.

"Brat."

"Me?" Davariel made a show out of looking offended. "She's the one always trying to get her hands into my soctanal," he replied, mentioning the traditional fledgling reaper's black satin loincloth.

Kabiel gave him a wry grin, but knew he was telling the truth. His mother was obsessed with his reaper brother. It was the reason why Kabiel never brought her around anymore, preferring to go home to visit instead, and even that wasn't often. He found it annoying to see her flushed, fanning herself with her pretty, white wings as she asked about dear sweet Dava. Meanwhile, his father, seated right next to her, would scowl like a thundercloud at both of them. Still....

"We're supposed to be angels." Kabiel wiggled his wings for emphasis.

Davariel rolled his eyes with a sigh. "Death angels, Kabi." He lowered himself back into the warm water. "We kill demons and devils. Nothing angelic in killing."

For a moment, he slipped beneath the water, but resurfaced, spreading his wings wide, and shaking them. Droplets of water rained everywhere.

Kabiel, shielded himself and his vid-crystal from the deluge with his own wings. "That's what we reapers are born and bred to do," he pointed out from beneath his feathers.

******

The sound of the door squeaking open drew their attention. Without looking, Davariel already knew it was the high priest, Gadriel. The older reaper frequently came to him when he bathed. It seemed today would be no different from usual.

The high priest walked to the balcony with a frown and closed the glass doors on Kabiel and his annoying vid-crystal.

"B-but how am I supposed to get to my room, father Gadriel?" Kabiel tapped on the glass with annoying persistence.

"You can climb down," Gadriel's voice roared, making Kabiel flinch and move away from the glass. "And if I catch you flying within sacred grounds again, I shall thrash your bare hide, boy!" The high priest gripped the wide leather belt cinched low on his narrow hips, making Kabiel's silver eyes go round.

With that, the raven-haired, fledgling reaper scooted over the edge of the balcony and disappeared.

Davariel snickered, closing his eyes once more as he angled his head back. "You'd enjoy doing that, wouldn't you, father?" It wouldn't be the first time father Gadriel had reddened a fledgling's ass.

He opened his wings as he squeezed the wet sponge over his head. Davariel couldn't help the smug grin that graced his lips. He knew the picture he presented, with his neck tipped back, body arched seductively as water from the sponge cascaded over him. He knew exactly how much power he held over the high priest at that moment.

After rubbing the excess water from his eyes, Davariel opened them to see Gadriel kneeling next to the gold tub with a look of utter adoration on his face. The high priest's silver eyes raked over his body as he sighed.

His eyes....

Davariel reached over to his right and picked up a mirror. Once again, he looked into his own face. Every reaper had silver-grey eyes...except for him. His eyes were not only a shocking shade of electric blue, they were larger than normal, almost encompassing the entire white area, making Davariel unique amongst other reapers. He always wondered why. What alien species had contributed to his conception?

Father Gadriel told him long ago that one of the high priestesses found him abandoned at the city gates, wrapped in a bloodied old blanket, placenta and umbilical cord still attached. They named him Davariel, which meant God's different one in the ancient cherubic tongue of the Dominatio's.

He'd grown accustomed to being touted the most beautiful Seraph ever born. Beings from all around the galaxy revered him like a god, but their idolization and adoration suffocated him. He could no longer wander free and if he tried to fly out of the holy city, they would follow him, making it impossible for him to land anywhere without being mauled by literally hundreds of clawing hands, paws, tentacles, or whatever appendage the alien used to touch.

Davariel frowned at his face. He was a prisoner not a god...and he longed to be free, to be normal.

Gadriel's fingers wrapped around the edge of the mirror, gently pulling it away from Davariel's face. "Such a beautiful sight, my Davariel."The high priest's eyes smoldered with barely repressed lust.

Being continuously locked away on the castle grounds afforded Davariel little with which to occupy himself. The worst days were when the others went to visit their families. He'd sit and sulk, watching the others fly away with their parents. His only entertainment was being father Gadriel's special boy.

Davariel lowered his lashes with a coy smile. "My new tub? The ruler of a Fae planetary system sent it as a gift."

"No, silly angel." Father Gadriel laughed. "You! You're the beautiful one!" He reached out and caressed Davariel's face.

Davariel's smile faded with a wistful sigh as he recalled his rather interesting afternoon. He bit his lip, leaning into the caress as he looked up from beneath his gold tipped lashes. "I met a girl today. She was one of the privileged ones allowed into our city."

Davariel held his breath, waiting. Surely, father Gadriel would understand his curiosity.

*******

Gadriel's grin waned. He'd screened the special visitors and there was no girl amongst them. He'd never allow a temptation near his beloved angel. Of course, he knew Davariel occasionally would have his friends fish people out from amidst the throngs that came to see him. Whoever caught his fancy he'd have brought to him, like a child picking out sweet treats at the market.

Bringing aliens onto sacred grounds was forbidden, but since Davariel had no blood family to visit, the high priests and priestesses had taken pity on him and allowed him the indulgence. When Davariel was smaller, he'd pretend the alien was his mother who'd come, or his father. It was always the same. The angel-struck creature would pick him up and hold him for hours, until visiting time came to an end. Then they would have to pry the child from the hysterical alien.

There were times when Davariel had cried too as he waved bye-bye to another pseudo mommy or daddy.

But now, having come into full sexual bloom, Gadriel should have known Davariel would eventually start plucking out girls for his pleasure. The very thought had the dark haired reaper gritting his teeth in irritation.

Davariel raised his face. "I like her. I want you to find her and include her in our games."

"Absolutely not!" Gadriel bellowed, his voice echoing in the large chamber.

He reared back when Davariel slammed his fists into the water and screamed like a child having a tantrum. "Why not?"

Not wanting the boy to work himself into a belligerent mood, the high priest cleared his throat and tried in a softer voice, "calm yourself, sweetling."

"I will not!" Davariel stood, the water cascading down his long, lean body, like a shimmering curtain. "I want her!" He faced the high priest undaunted, fists clenched at his sides.

Gadriel's eyes couldn't help but devour the sight. He gulped and tried to raise his eyes to the young warrior's angered face. "Temptation. You must stay away from-"

"What difference is there if I play the same game with her that you play with me? I want to know what it feels like to be with a woman."

Davariel's wings fluttered behind him, lifting him from the tub. His soaked hair left a trail of water that streamed from his curled toes as he flew to the side of his bed. He flung himself belly first onto the burgundy, satin coverlet that draped the round, angel-sized bed.

Gadriel rushed over to where he laid. His hands itched to mold themselves to all that wet, silky flesh, but he knew he needed to be patient. The fledgling reaper could become upset enough to tell someone about their secret games. If anyone ever knew what he'd been doing to the young holy warrior, since he was a chickling...he shuddered at the thought.

"She'll never be satisfied allowing you to play with her through the scantivale," he pleaded, mentioning the transparent barrier they always used in their erotic games. "She'll eventually want to feel you skin to skin. Please, Davariel! She'll make you fall from grace!"

When Gadriel reached out to caress him, the young reaper shrank away from his touch in contempt. "Don't touch me! I want Levinia!" Davariel's eyes narrowed to furious blue slits. "If I can't have her, you'll never touch me again!"

Those words sent a shock of alarm through Gadriel. He was addicted to Davariel's charms and the mere thought of never being able to touch him again made him want to lash out and hurt someone, Davariel included.

"But, child, be reasonable," he insisted. "You're a holy warrior! We're not allowed to take mates."

"Then I don't want to be a fucking holy warrior," Davariel snarled back.

Fury filled Gadriel like bitter poison. He clenched his fists, struggling not to give in to the desire to slap that beautiful face. Petulant, spoiled little shit! Never. He would never let Davariel go. It was time to teach the unruly child a lesson.

He took a deep breath and smiled at Davariel's scowling face. "It's alright, my sweet boy. Father Gadriel will help you." His smile broadened as he palmed his impatient cock. "Don't I always give you everything you want? I love you."

Chapter One

Eighty years later; New York City, North American continent, Earth; 3512:

Luciel gripped the hilt of her sword. The edge of the blade dripped black blood on the grimy sidewalk. It seemed like the end of time was upon the entire universe. There were hordes of devils and demons everywhere, killing, raping, destroying everything in their paths. In the short time it had taken to teleport from her penthouse to the scientific complex where she usually trained, she'd encountered about twenty devils and six demons, all quickly disposed of by her own hand.

Luciel usually took the monorail to get into the center of the city, but ever since the whole planet had gone to hell in the past week, she'd had to resort to the risky and tricky deal of teleporting. She gazed across the street at the shattered tube of the monorail. Hovercrafts, and other personal air transports littered the streets like fallen over-ripe fruit. Most of them had been driven to the ground on purpose, piloted by demonically possessed citizens bent on murder and destruction.

Five cruisers made their way across the sky, their saucer-shaped hulls casting misshapen oval shadows across the devastation surrounding Luciel. Galactic guardian soldiers, scouting out survivors. There were humans who hadn't succumbed to possession; the pure of heart. Luciel raised her sword to signal she was alright. It didn't matter, though. They would recognize her. She was the only Earth-born Master Guardian.

She sensed the presence of a life force approaching and turned to face the newcomer.

A brief flash of blue-white light faded to reveal a white winged Seraph dressed in the same black uniform Luciel was wearing. Aria's light brown hair curled about her round face and her green eyes stared at Luciel. In them, Luciel saw the reflection of the desolation spread out around them.

"There are too many of them." The Seraph's voice was like the soft wash of a flowing spring, so at odds with the ruins surrounding them.

Luciel looked about. Most of the city had been burned, the smoke turning the sky grey. Blackened buildings with smashed windows stood like terrified witnesses to the struggle between good and evil being waged in the city. Amidst the crashed hover-crafts and transports were human bodies, strewn about in various stages of decomposition; the carcasses of those once possessed. Those not killed were hiding.

There were other pulses of life forces around them...devils. They hid amid the debris and rotting corpses; skulking in the sewers, waiting for the right moment to strike. The demons were different. They were actual divine fallen angels, not Seraphian-born beings. When they appeared they killed without mercy or hesitation.

"What about reapers?" Luciel toed one body that seemed to be moving a bit, only to startle a large rat that had been feasting within the corpse. The rodent scurried over her black boot into a nearby magazine booth on the street corner, screeching in protest.

"Davariel has killed so many of them. The few thousand reapers that remain are scattered over the invaded worlds trying to destroy as many of the demons and devils as they can." Aria shook her head, her eyes misting over. "Luciel, as long as the rift remains open more of them will keep pouring out."

Luciel tried not to shudder at the mention of that name. Davariel; the beautiful black-winged Seraph that had haunted her dreams as a child, sung to her, played with her, and when she bloomed into a young woman, kissed her the way a man kisses a woman he desires. When she realized who he really was, her dreams became nightmares.

She turned away and cleaned her blade on a stack of newspapers that were still tied into a neat bundle. "I've managed to get close enough to cut him during the holographic training sessions."

"Luciel, letting you battle him . . ."

"I know-I know." She spun around, her long, dark hair feathering across her face. "I won't let him capture me." Davariel needed a virgin Master Guardian. The purity of the virgin's blood would strengthen his demonic sword which would be used to finish breaking open the gates to hell. "But if he does capture me, I have another plan."

Aria shook her head and was about to say more, but raised her sword instead. The Seraph's eyes darted to their surroundings as she adopted a battle ready stance. The action caused something inside of Luciel to register. It was as though she had lived this moment before.

Luciel felt them before they appeared. Seven demons materialized; three sprung out from a dark crevice between two buildings, two others crawled out of a puddle of blood that had pooled in a large hole in the gutter and the other two descended screeching from a rooftop. Aria and Luciel launched themselves into battle against the creatures. Sunken yellow eyes in corpse-like faces with pointed brown teeth, the fallen angels always transformed their true beauty into terrifying visages. It helped them feed off the energy of terror they evoked. Some of them had no color, their translucent wrinkled skin showing their putrid innards. The others had a bluish or grey hue to their leather-like flesh. They also fed on the emotions of anger and hatred, so Luciel made sure to keep her feelings well reined.

Her blade sliced across the neck of a blue demon that flew at her. The creature's head sailed about twenty feet before hitting a light pole and falling into a mesh trash can. Two more Master Guardians appeared and helped them battle the demons, using their white wings as well as their blades to fight.

Even though Luciel did not have wings, she was by no means at a disadvantage. She impaled two more demons and was about to go after a third, but one of the Master Guardians intercepted, killing the creature before she did. Luciel panted as she watched the carnage around her. More demons appeared and a few devils; so many.

She suddenly found herself surrounded by five demons. They were much larger than the others. Their sunken gold eyes stared at her, assessing. A burgundy one moved closer. Luciel crouched, raising her sword to battle, but the creature only sniffed at her. A grin spread across its leathery face; jagged brown teeth in a razor-sharp smile. It growled and hissed, speaking in a language to the others she didn't comprehend. When they backed away from her, Luciel frowned in confusion.

Lightning flashed and thunder threatened in the distance. Loose pieces of paper and dead leaves swirled around her feet. Somewhere in the distance, there was an explosion. A flock of devils were being chased in the sky by six reapers. It all seemed so familiar.

The dream; this was all as in the dream she kept having. Heart thudding, she spun around and stared at the scientific complex. Visions of Davariel standing inside the atrium filled her mind.