Her Demonic Angel (Her Angel Romance Series Book 5) Page 30

  Her power had withered and died in his presence. She had told herself countless times that he had come to hurt her, to capture her for his new side, but it hadn’t stopped her wanting to protect him, and it had been impossible to raise a hand to harm him.

  She would never do such a thing.

  She loved him too much.

  A shadow washed over her and then Marcus crouched beside her, still wearing his silver armour. His wings were gone now though. She hated the pitying look in his pale blue eyes.

  “Do not lose faith, Erin.”

  It was easy for him to say. The love of his life was still with him, could still remember him, and hadn’t just come to kill him.

  Marcus gently laid a hand on her shoulder. “I am convinced they have had their memories altered. The only reason they could have for changing Veiron’s memories is that he remembered something. It is possible that he remembered you.”

  That wasn’t a comfort at all. It only made her want to cry and give up all hope. What chance was there of saving Veiron from Heaven and this twisted game if Heaven could just change his memories and make him believe their lies? She had told him the truth and he had fought against it, voicing lies that his master had put into his head. He believed that he had died months ago. Even Nevar had forgotten about her and the two times their paths had crossed, and it wasn’t because he had died. Apollyon had reported that Nevar had escaped their fight with only minor injuries.

  Erin was beginning to believe the Devil. Both he and God were cruel and malevolent. They used their men to their advantage, uncaring of their feelings, shaping them into pawns that would do exactly as they ordered.

  She wished she could free Veiron.

  “Erin, we may be able to unlock his memories.” That caught her attention and she raised her head and looked at Marcus.

  It was a small comfort, a slender thread of hope that she clung to as though it was a lifeline. Even if they could restore whatever he had remembered, what future was there for an angel of Heaven and the Devil’s daughter?

  Veiron’s words rang in her mind. Evil. She wanted nothing to do with Hell or her father, but Veiron still thought her evil. She clutched her chest and breathed deeply against the pain in her heart. Was this how Veiron had felt whenever she had said such terrible things about his kind and Hell? Had he hurt so deeply that it felt as though his life would end? He had wanted nothing to do with the Devil, had been against him just as she was, but she had reacted to him as though he was still aligned with that realm and that vicious man, and she had wounded him with her careless words. Evil. She wasn’t evil, she believed that in her heart, but it still hurt to hear him call her such things.

  Amelia came to sit on the sand beside her and Erin could hear Einar whispering to Taylor, comforting her as he healed her.

  “Is it really true what he said?” Amelia’s voice was low and cautious, and Erin nodded, knowing exactly what she was asking. “When did you find out?”

  Erin sifted the sand through her fingers, focusing on the feel of it to distract her from the pain of her memories.

  “When the Devil attacked us in Hell, I made a deal with him. He wanted me to awaken and promised I wouldn’t have to die to do it. In exchange, he offered to call off his men.” She closed her eyes and then opened them again and stared into the distance at the turquoise water that stretched into infinity. The sunlight twinkled on it and she felt the whole scene should have soothed her, but she felt nothing as she looked at it. “The angels attacked and I begged him to send you all away. He refused to save Veiron… he made me watch him die… and then I felt as though I was dying too.”

  Amelia touched her other shoulder but she shirked her grip.

  “The Devil told me then that I was his daughter,” Erin said and turned to face Amelia, locking eyes with her. “Which means I can’t be your sister.”

  “Erin—”

  “Am I your sister?”

  “Yes.” Amelia cast her gaze down at the sand. “But not by blood. You were adopted… but that doesn’t mean you’re not my sister.”

  “When were you going to tell me? Were you ever going to tell me, Amelia?” Erin’s hands heated and she breathed slowly, trying to calm her rising anger. She had avoided talking about what had happened to her since Veiron had died and the Devil had returned her to the resort island. She hadn’t wanted to face it because it meant admitting that she was the Devil’s daughter, and therefore couldn’t really be Amelia’s sister. Now, the hurt that she had bottled up inside her heart broke free and flooded her, jumbling her feelings and leaving her afraid that everything she feared was about to happen.

  She didn’t want everyone to turn their backs on her.

  She didn’t want to be alone.

  “I only found out when mum died and dad was so upset because they had both wanted to tell you, but they had never found the way to break it to you.” Amelia reached out to her and then paused and lowered her hand into her lap instead. “We wanted to tell you... but then my life got turned upside down... and I was afraid of losing you.”

  Erin didn’t know how to react to that. Amelia feared losing her? Erin realised what she meant. Amelia had never told Erin what had happened to her. She had been afraid that Erin would freak out on discovering that she was some kind of angel, just as Erin had feared Amelia would leave her on discovering that she was something straight out of Hell.

  They weren’t so different after all.

  “Just because they aren’t your biological parents... it doesn’t mean that they’re not your parents, Erin, or that I’m not your sister. Mum loved you as her own... and dad loves you. I love you.”

  There wasn’t any comfort in those words. Her parents had never told her. All this time she had thought they were her real parents and Amelia was her real sister. It hurt to discover that it was all a lie, not just because she felt betrayed and that she had lost her family, but because it confirmed that the Devil wasn’t leading her astray. He really was her father and her power had nothing to do with the power that Amelia commanded.

  Erin couldn’t breathe.

  On the back of losing Veiron, it was too much for her to handle. She wasn’t strong enough. She needed to get away and get some air, find some space, do something to make it all sink in so she didn’t feel as though she was drowning.

  “This hasn’t changed anything, Erin. You’re still my sister. I still love you. You have to believe that.” Amelia touched her shoulder and Erin couldn’t stand it.

  She shot to her feet, pain erupting in her heart and scorching it. She wished it would incinerate it completely. She didn’t want to feel anything anymore. Her whole life had been a lie. She had tried so hard to convince herself otherwise this past week—that it was the Devil who had lied so she would use her power to help him—but now she knew that he hadn’t deceived her. She had deceived herself.

  “I can’t do this right now,” she said and Amelia stood and blocked her path.

  The love Amelia had claimed to feel for her shone in her grey eyes and Erin wanted to fall into her arms and hold onto her. She needed to feel Amelia’s arms around her, comforting her just as she had done so many times in the past.

  Another need overruled it though.

  She needed to be alone. It was the only way she was going to find the quiet she needed in order to process everything that had happened today and in the past few weeks. She knew it was running away, but she didn’t care. Her hands heated further, scorching her bones. She needed space or she was going to go nuclear.

  “Erin, listen to me. You’re my sister, by blood or not.” Amelia caught her arm but Erin tore her hand off her, cast it aside, and shoved past her.

  “Let her go. She needs some space, Amelia. It’s been hard on her.” Marcus again and she silently thanked him for his support. He had always been there for her since she had first met him, judging her needs better than Amelia had ever been able, and it seemed her new status as the Devil’s daughter hadn’t changed that about hi
m. The relief that swept over her because of that almost overwhelmed her. He wasn’t going to cast her out because of her father, and she knew Amelia wouldn’t either. They wouldn’t leave her alone to fend for herself.

  Erin walked the beach, trying to get her head straight. Heaven had assigned Nevar to watch over her. Did that mean that they had known all along that she was the Devil’s daughter? Had they placed her with Amelia’s parents or had that been dumb luck? They had assigned Marcus to Amelia, so they must have known what she was. They must have placed her with that family on purpose.

  With Heaven already guarding Amelia so closely, the Devil may not have noticed that they also guarded his daughter.

  Or had her entry into that family been his doing? Had he hidden her there and the fact that Heaven had assigned a guardian to her been a coincidence?

  Her head hurt.

  Either way, she hated both realms and refused to work for them.

  Erin sighed and wrapped her arms around herself. It felt as though these past few weeks had stripped her identity from her. Everything she had known had changed, leaving her unsure of herself and who she was. Was she still the same woman she had been before being captured and taken to Hell? She no longer felt the same. Heaven and Hell had beaten her carefree spirit out of her. They had destroyed her life, just as they had destroyed Amelia’s, and Marcus’s, and Veiron’s, and everyone else they sucked into this vicious game.

  She wanted them to pay for that.

  She wanted to tear down Heaven and destroy Hell. She wanted them all to feel her wrath and end this game. They had no right to play with people’s lives like this.

  Veiron had never wanted the role they had given him, always forcing him to fall, to remember all the terrible things they had made him do in their names. They didn’t care about who they hurt with their game. She and everyone else were just pawns to them, a means to an end, a player they discarded without regret.

  The Devil had sacrificed one pawn to gain another.

  His best man in exchange for his best woman.

  Well, she wasn’t going to play this sick game of his for him. She was going to stand against him and shake Heaven and Hell until they acknowledged her power and bowed at her feet. She would show them no mercy, just as they showed none to her and those she loved.

  She would convince Veiron to listen to her and would reclaim her lost love and bring him back to her. Nothing would stand in her way. Not God or the Devil himself.

  Veiron would come back for her. He would want to fulfil his mission and capture her, and when he returned, she would be ready for him. She would do all in her power to convince him that everything Heaven had told him was a lie and he loved her, and that they were meant to be together. He would listen to her. He would remember her.

  A wave of sickness crashed through her and Erin clutched her stomach.

  She could feel the Devil’s blood coursing through her veins, a powerful darkness that had threatened to seize control of her more than once since he had awoken it within her. She had tried to master it, had spent the week hiding away from the others, practising with her power and learning to control it. It was too strong at times, ruled by her feelings. Whenever she remembered what had happened to Veiron, it spiralled out of control, burning at a thousand degrees, until she felt as though it would destroy her and the demon within would take over.

  Erin slowly sat down on the sand and rubbed her stomach, trying to ease the churning ache there. She had thrown up several times when an attack like this happened and had quickly learned to rest and wait it out rather than trying to do anything.

  Darkness swept through her, feeding on her fear and her pain, growing in strength until it began to feel good, drugging her with how strong she felt. The sickness that came with it as it writhed beneath her skin took the edge off how powerful she felt though and kept her grounded.

  She forced her thoughts back to Veiron. Heaven would send him after her again. He was the perfect man for the task of capturing and eliminating her. She would never hurt him. The Devil wanted her too though. What if he came for her first?

  Her power pushed again, heating her hands and causing her chest to burn. Her stomach turned and twisted, boiling and churning. She swallowed her need to throw up and clutched herself. Ribbons of crimson curled around her fingers and danced up her arms, gradually turning black.

  It was as though something rotten festered inside her and it was going to kill her.

  If Veiron didn’t kill her first.

  CHAPTER 30

  Veiron could find no rest. He paced the small courtyard garden in the white fortress of Heaven, trying to find beauty in the towering white tree that speared upwards and spread silvery leaves to form a canopy above the square. Since returning to Heaven three days ago after his failed mission, his mind had been constantly on his target.

  Erin.

  She confused him.

  The things she had said, the way she had looked at him, and the fact that she had protected him even though he had come to capture her, none of it made any sense. Neither did his reactions to her. He had felt her pain as though it was his own, and she had affected him in strange ways by merely looking into his eyes. A power of hers?

  He had felt hot, flushed all over and burning inside.

  Plagued by her, he had flown to the mortal realm, intent on seeing her again. They had moved, leaving the island barren of life and him with no trail to follow. Every instinct said to head down there again, to double check and ensure that she really was gone.

  Was it desire to see if she was there driving him or a darker urge?

  He had rested on the island. Tired from his flight, he had fallen asleep on the shore, warmed by the sun.

  He had dreamed of her.

  That dream still heated his blood to boiling point.

  It had been everything wicked and darkly erotic, but it had felt familiar at the same time. He had seen himself biting her, sinking the sharp teeth of a demon into her throat in the very place where he had seen a mark. His wings had been crimson and had covered her, shielded her from the world as they had made love, keeping her to himself. Her moans had been breathless as she had ridden him, his cock sliding in and out of her hot sheath, his own groans as desperate and lost as hers. Each thrust had cranked his temperature up another ten degrees, but it had been the sight of her so lost in her passion, writhing and moaning, her bare body beautiful and covered in glistening moisture that had truly done him in.

  That image of her stayed with him, was there whenever he closed his eyes, playing on repeat until he burned for her.

  Had she been telling the truth and they had once been lovers?

  Or was the dream merely that, a dream, a figment of his overwrought mind brought about by the things she had said?

  She had planted the seeds into his imagination and it had grown them, turning them into something sensual and erotic, into something that had never happened.

  Veiron pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes.

  He needed to speak with someone about it and the things that she had said, but he didn’t want to go to his superiors and Nevar had disappeared shortly after they had given their report.

  His superiors wanted him to return to the mortal realm and continue his mission. He had tried to question them about his past life but they had refused to answer, stating that it was not of consequence and that he would do best to focus on his mission. He didn’t want to focus on his mission. He wanted to know how the Devil’s daughter had known his name and whether everything she had told him was the truth.

  He sighed and stalked out of the courtyard, drifting through the white corridors, heading towards the main entrance of the fortress. Perhaps another flight would clear his mind and give him the peace he needed. He would fly a while and then return to look for Nevar.

  Veiron pushed the double doors of the fortress open and squinted at the brightness that assaulted him. He waited for his eyes to stop stinging and then opened them.
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  Instead of the pristine white grass and beautiful gardens of Heaven, he stood amidst lakes of boiling lava and spires of black rock.

  Panic washed over him quickly followed by calm as he called his swords to him, grasping one in each hand. How was it possible that he had gone from Heaven to Hell in the space of a heartbeat?

  “Veiron?” a soft female voice called to him, a voice that he recognised, and he wheeled to face the owner of it.

  Erin stood before him, her smile dazzling and amber eyes bright and entrancing. She wore nothing more than a tiny black tank and shorts. Something was different about her.

  The strip of colour in her black hair. It was lilac now. It had been red before. Had she changed it?

  He palmed his swords and realised he was missing one. He looked down and frowned at the broadsword in his right hand, causing something to jingle as he did so. He raised his free hand and touched the back of his head and tensed. His hair was long, tied with some sort of leather thong that had bells on it.

  He looked himself over. Rather than his blue armour, he wore black jeans and heavy boots, and no top.

  “We should keep moving,” Erin said and hobbled past him. His gaze slid down her slender bare legs to her feet. They were swathed in black.

  His t-shirt.

  He had bound her feet with it and she had touched his back.

  He flinched against the pain that stabbed his skull and clutched his head with one hand, squeezing his eyes shut.

  When he opened them again, the scene was different and Erin was gone. He sat before a fire in the middle of a jungle and he wasn’t alone. The abomination and the traitor were with him.

  Tears shone in her grey eyes as she stared across the fire at him.

  “I can’t leave her there, Veiron,” Amelia whispered. “Marcus won’t let me go and I’m afraid that if he goes alone, he won’t come back... or he won’t be able to find Erin. Please... I know I’m asking a lot of you but I need someone strong who knows Hell and won’t rouse suspicion. I need her back.”