In the distance, impossibly situated as if under the edges of the frozen lake, sat jagged mountains covered with snow.
Blinking, I tried to reconcile their appearance. I couldn’t quite put my finger on what was off about them, but they seemed to stretch inward.
Must be the effects of the added dimension.Hell also had strange sights, but I’d gotten used to its extra dimension, and since I could never access it, I learned not to pay much attention when the Chosen bent and manipulated their way through the landscape.
But now, with my new power, I instinctually understood how everything worked, how that hidden space, which I’d never been aware of before, was used to create the portals between worlds.
With one last scan at the area to ensure no one had spotted me, I flew toward the largest building in the middle of the city—an enormous, silver-domed building. Where Lucian’s castle, built of sharp angled glass capable of slicing unprotected skin, boasted its presence against the reddish-gray of Hell, this structure tried to blend in with its neighbors, assuming the same color palette and reminding me of the city of Babylon, with its sleek curves and natural grace.
This is the place Samael spoke of—God’s Citadel. Adam will be here, I’m sure.
As I soared to the dome, ten feet away I flapped my wings to hover and reach out a trembling hand to touch the surface. Would my dark power sound an alarm? I didn’t know, but I had to risk it, to test out Heaven’s security.
No bells rang, no gongs chimed, and no angry horde of angels swarmed me when my fingertips made contact.Their lack of security is horrendous.
But why wouldn’t it be? Just like Hell, only those loyal to their plane could enter.
Except for newly made angels who haven’t been logged in the books.
The warmth of my fingers trailing against the dome’s icy surface left a momentary imprint on the metallic barrier. Tiny flakes of snow fell, landing on my wings and in my hair. In the air lingered a scent of moisture, of oceans and the biting freeze of ice.
It smells pure, clean, and boring here.Not at all similar to Hell, which always smelled of smoke and sand and death.
A quick circle around the building confirmed what I’d suspected: there would be no stealthy entry into God’s Citadel. As far as I could tell, no openings led inside except for the front entrance, which lay before a path of bluish ice.
The complete silence sent a prickle of unease into my stomach, but I shoved it away. I only had one chance, and time was ticking.
Landing near the entrance, I summoned my black Hellsteel sword, forged from the Lake of Fire, and looked around. Like sentinels guarding the icy path, white-barked trees lined the walkway, their limbs smooth and bare. In the Vs of branches rested tiny mounds of accumulated snow.
“Here goes nothing.” I heaved a deep breath and grabbed the frigid door handle.
“Not so fast, imbecile,” a voice whispered from behind.
Startled, I spun toward the person.
Samael gave a wry grin. “Thought you were doing this alone, eh?”
“Thank Lucian.” My shoulders loosened, and I lowered my sword. “I thought you needed to piggyback with me to enter this place?” I shoved a hand into my front pocket, seeking the comfort of Phoebe’s necklace. Touching it reminded me of how despicable I’d truly become.
But this is what I’ve been working towards my entire life. I can’t let anything change.
“I was with you the entire time.” Samael summoned his armor and crafted a burning staff. “As soon as you called to me, right after Lucian bestowed your Chosen status, I lingered between Hell and Earth, waiting for you to pass. It wouldn’t do to let everyone know we’re working together. Especially your father.”
“Does everyone know he’s my...?” Carefully, I kept my voice low and even, not wanting it to betray my quiet fury at Lucian’s deception.
“I don’t think so, but I’ve suspected it for some time. Lucian has always taken a special interest in you, a hated human—the very epitome of what caused his downfall—in more ways than one.” He grinned slowly, as if he knew a secret, then tugged at a bracer. “He was hard on you because he had to be. Imagine the target on your back if an angel like Malachi had known you were Lucifer’s son.”
Samael’s logical explanation made sense, yet the knowledge of who and what I was had been withheld from me...even used against me. Phoebe had been right. What kind of family does these kinds of things to one another?
With my hand still in my pocket, I traced the pendant’s infinity pattern then pulled it out. Before I’d become an angel, I couldn’t read Words of Power. Now, my heart stuttered in my chest. The symbol etched into the back saidPrecious.
Had I known somewhere deep inside how beloved she was to me, to her father? Would I ever be able to earn her forgiveness for what I’d done?
But I had no choice.
Coming to a decision, I returned it to the safety of my pants pocket. It would do no good to continue filling my head with all the mistakes I’d made over the past.It’s time to stop pining over what will never be and do what I came here to do.
I gave my familiar armor a critical once-over. It was the old trappings of a marked human, and I could do better. Dematerializing the metal, I broke down its molecular structure and reforged the bonds, using my new ether to reinforce the metal. No longer completely black, the hue turned charcoal gray. Words of Protection burned onto its surface in silver scroll. The plating curved up and around my body, encasing me in ultimate safety.
