War (Fallen Book 2) Read online

  The cocky man forced a grin. “It’s all good, Chosen One. Just get me out of here.”

  Kaiden was trying to think of a way to break free. They had to get out of here and kill Lincoln. Now more than ever did he want to kill his old friend for the Lincoln back in Kathill was already dead. He had been corrupted by Lilith and turned into a strange nasty version of the guy Kaiden had known.

  “I’m working on it,” Kaiden said. “What we need is a distraction.”

  Thankfully, the angels had gotten away, and Lilith left the supplies back there too. Kaiden hoped that she didn’t go through the car.

  If Zaphkiel went back and told Vincent, they could bring the whole force here and attack. Kaiden prayed Zaphkiel would do just that. He couldn’t see another way for them to get out of this. A full-on battle raging around them would surely distract Lilith.

  Not that breaking the restraints that held them would be easy, but at least in that situtition, they stood a chance.

  Kaiden closed his eyes. God, please help us. I know I don’t pray a lot, that I sin, that I failed, but you had me bond Zaphkiel. Allow us to break free. Let us kill Lincoln and travel to Hell. Amen.

  When he finally took in the room, Ziva was stirring.

  “Fuck me running,” Ziva said. She opened her eyes and took in the room. “This place smells like wet, hairy balls.”

  Kaiden laughed.

  “That begs the question,” Ai said with a grin, “how do you know what wet, hairy balls smell like?”

  Ziva snorted and laughed. “Remember that one time when Desiree played the prank on Justin?”

  Ai burst out laughed. “Oh my. Yes. Gross.”

  Johnny and Kaiden looked at each other, one that said women. Kaiden loved them, but he would never fully understand them.

  Kaiden cleared his head. “As enlightening as that is,” he said, “we need to figure a way out and make a plan.”

  Even though Kaiden prayed to God for help, he wasn't going to leave it in His hands entirely. He had to make this happen to.

  “We know the plan,” Ziva said. “Break free of these chains, kill Lincoln, and travel to Hell.”

  Johnny shook his head. “You all can do that last part without me.”

  “Don’t worry,” Kaiden said. “I wouldn’t ask that of you. It’s part of my quest and no one else’s.”

  “Good,” Johnny said. “I’m all for taking out Lilith, but that? Fuck no.”

  Desiree started to stir. “Ouch.” She looked at her constraints. They were just like Johnny’s.

  “Hurt, don’t they?” Johnny asked.

  “Like ten thousand burning suns,” Desiree said.

  “These aren’t any better,” Ziva said.

  Kaiden had both on him, and if he was being honest, they didn’t hurt at all. They were just heavy and secure.

  “Why aren’t you squirming?” Desiree asked.

  Kaiden shrugged. “I think it’s because I’m in both worlds, so neither affects me.”

  “You lucky prick,” Johnny said.

  “If you say so,” Kaiden said.

  Kaiden did consider himself lucky but not because of that. He was lucky to have found his soulmates, his true loves, and they all loved him. He was lucky to have Zaphkiel and even Muriel, Dazielle, and Orlas.

  The door flung open, and Lilith walked in with a smirk on her face. If she wasn’t the vilest demon around, she might be attractive, but she was ugly and gruesome to Kaiden.

  “About time you puny humans woke,” she said.

  Kaiden’s blood flowed. He wanted to kill her and make her pay for all her sins. The way she made Kaiden feel was overwhelming. Just being in the same room with her made him nauseous to his stomach. It was evident by the way she acted toward him that she felt the same.

  “You sicken me,” Lilith said. “Embrace the demon in you.”

  “I have,” Kaiden said. “It’s you who hasn’t.”

  Lilith’s wicked laugh pierced Kaiden’s ears. The sound was harsh, and it wasn’t just Kaiden who didn’t like it. Everyone else in the room outside of Lincoln, who stood in the doorway, cringed.

  “Show her proper respect,” Lincoln said.

  Lilith turned and walked to him. She licked his face with her long tongue. “My little pet.”

  To Kaiden, it looked like she wanted to eat him, to literally bite his flesh and feed on him. Nothing about what she did was sensual, yet Lincoln was acting like it was. The way he shivered under the touch of her was disgusting. His eyes longed for the demon. It was almost as if she was the succubus for Lincoln.

  Kaiden felt bad for his old friend. Lilith had corrupted him beyond repair. The way he gazed at her, Lincoln wanted her, desired her, yearned for her body, her touch, her attention. It seemed as if he wanted her to give him attention. When she wasn’t, he had a look of longing. It wasn’t love. It was something different, like but mind control.

  Lilith returned to Kaiden and the others. “I’m going to make an example of you.”

  “How so?” Ziva asked. She was the fiercest of the group and had her I’m gonna kill you face.

  Lilith tilted her head. “You, I like you. Ziva, you’ll make a fine pet for me.”

  Ziva crinkled her nose. “I’m no servant. You’ll learn that fast.”

  Kaiden would pay to see Lilith try to turn Ziva into an obedient pet. It wasn’t going to happen. Ziva was the most independent woman he knew. Well, Ziva, Ai, and Desiree all were that way. It was one of the many traits he loved about them.

  “Oh,” Lilith purred. “I can break the strongest of wills. Just ask Orlas. She was a fine angel many ages ago.”

  Desiree sneered. “Orlas is mine. Don’t you talk about her.”

  Lilith spun to face Desiree. “You poor little thing. What I know about Orlas would curl your tongue and make you sick. The frisky Orlas who now embodies demonhood was once an angel.”

  “And?” Kaiden said. “Most of the demons started out as angels.”

  Everyone knew that, and why Lilith was trying to make it sound like this was new was interesting.

  “True,” Lilith said, “but Orlas was the uncorruptable, pure, and I broke her. I can break all of you too.”

  Kaiden smirked. “You can try.”

  Another man who was at least level forty appeared behind Lincoln and knelt. He waited to be observed by Lilith, who only noticed him since she followed Kaiden’s gaze.

  “What do you want, Terry?”

  Terry cleared his throat. “Scouts have seen a force marching to the city. It appears to be the one the Chosen One gathered.”

  “All of it?” Lilith asked.

  Terry nodded. He was still on one knee. “Yes.”

  Lilith cursed under her breath. “Ready the forces, and break out the armory.”

  Kaiden liked the sound of that. Clearly, his force was bigger than hers. He had no idea how big the army was now, but if it had Lilith this freaked out, that was all Kaiden needed to know. She was scared. That was good news.

  They might just get out of this alive.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Days passed. Not much happened for Kaiden and the others. Lilith came to torment them but not much. She was furious about Kaiden’s army, which would soon arrive.

  “How did they know to get here?” Lilith asked. She had entered not long ago.

  Kaiden laughed. “You let the demons and angels go.”

  “They didn’t go to your force,” Lilith said.

  “We have a lot of tricks up our sleeves,” Desiree said. “You are on the losing side.”

  Lilith strode over to Desiree and kicked her, a powerful one, and both screamed. Lilith had touched the chains that restrained Desiree. They were harsh on Lilith too.

  It made Kaiden smile to think that some demon lovers had been in pain as they tied his lover up, but then he felt bad since he cared for all people. Those demon lovers were wrapped up under her spell. That shouldn’t be held against them.

  “You will reveal all you
know,” Lilith said.

  “We haven’t yet,” Ai said.

  It was true. All the torture and pain they had experienced over the last few days hadn’t broken them. Not a single person spoke. Not even Johnny. It was impressive.

  Kaiden was proud of his friends, his people. They were terrific and gave him strength.

  “No matter,” Lilith said. “The battle will be tomorrow, and I have the upper hand.”

  It was true. She did by being in the city, much like Kaiden had when the force had assaulted Houndpoint.

  Lostvale was going to be hard to attack. Not that Kaiden knew much of the area, having only seen it from the distance and this room.

  That night, Kaiden was the only one awake. He was fighting his restraints when Lincoln walked into the room. His old friend glanced around and checked the others.

  “Kaiden,” he said. “You need to give up and join her.”

  Lincoln was appealing to Kaiden, trying to save him based on Lincoln’s point of view. That was unexpected.

  “I can’t, and you know it.”

  Lincoln groaned. “Please. I don’t want to kill you, and you don’t want to kill me. Think of how powerful Lilith and Zaphkiel could be.”

  The two would be strong and able to run both lands, but that wasn’t what Zaphkiel wanted, and it wasn’t what Kaiden wanted.

  “I can’t. Zaphkiel can’t. We won’t.”

  Lincoln nodded. “So be it. Tomorrow, you will be put up on a cross, shown to you force, and killed.”

  Kaiden couldn’t believe his ears. Lilith was going to crucify him just as the Romans had done to Jesus. Never had Kaiden thought that would happen to him. He had known they would try to make his life horrific and kill him, but to do that? That was one of the most barbaric ways to kill a person. Then again, in many ways, it made a lot of sense for Lilith to want to do that.

  It wouldn’t surprise Kaiden to learn that Lilith had played a role in the death of Jesus. That had been a violent and cruel day, or so the Bible said. The way the angels reacted to the Crown of Thorns spoke volumes.

  Lincoln left, but after hearing that, there was no way Kaiden was going to sleep tonight. He needed to get out of here before he was taken to a cross. He needed to break free.

  He prayed for strength and power, and then, Kaiden reached to his specializations. More and more appeared in front of him.

  Would any of them allow him to be strong enough to break free? One said a burst of energy, increase your powers by one hundred. That was it. This option hadn’t been available before. God had heard his prayers and granted him a way out.

  Kaiden smiled and chose that as his new power. Once he activated it, his strength was intense. The Chosen One could take out anyone.

  He ripped off his chains. Then he moved to Ai and freed her. He released Ziva, Desiree, and Johnny.

  They all woke as he shredded their chains. His new power didn’t last long. After he freed the last one, it was gone, and he was back to normal.

  “How did you do that?” Ai asked.

  Kaiden explained, much to their shock and awe. What he had done didn’t matter. He was free.

  “We need to get out of here, and join the force,” Kaiden said.

  Just then, Orlas appeared next to them. “Finally,” the demon said. “I couldn’t sense you.” The demon looked at the ground and the restraints. “Those vile things. No wonder. Wait here. I’ll tell the angels, and they’ll get you.”

  Kaiden was beyond happy to see the demon and the news of the angels.

  Ten minutes later, one of the walls to the room exploded open, and alarms suddenly rang out. Standing there was Zaphkiel, Muriel, Dazielle, Layla, and an angel Kaiden didn’t know. They all had harnesses.

  “Quick,” Zaphkiel said.

  Desiree and Johnny eyed the angels.

  “You can’t think I’m going to get into that thing,” Desiree said.

  Layla laughed. “You are.”

  Johnny groaned. “Fuck me. I’m afraid of height.”

  Kaiden laughed. Big Johnny was scared of something. That was refreshing.

  The alarms continued to sound.

  “We don’t have much time. We have another attack going on,” Layla said.

  Getting into a harness was a frantic mess. Just as Kaiden finished strapping in, the door to the room opened, and Lincoln was there.

  “They are getting away,” his old friend screamed.

  The angels flew straight up into the air fast. The screams coming from Desiree and Johnny were priceless. Never had Kaiden heard two people more frightened. He was in bliss. This was incredible.

  He glanced over at Muriel and Dazielle. Both Ai and Ziva were smiling, much like Kaiden surely was.

  A few demons zoomed through the air after them, but they were no match for the speed of the angels. Nothing flew as fast as they could. Soon, they were so high in the air that it was hard to breathe, and the angels leveled out and headed out of the city.

  “Oh my god,” Desiree yelled. “This is fucking awful.”

  Kaiden laughed. “I love this.”

  “Me too,” Ziva and Ai said.

  “You guys are fucking crazy,” Johnny said. “I need my feet on solid ground.”

  “It won’t take long,” Zaphkiel said.

  The angel wasn’t wrong. A few minutes later, they started their descent and were outside of the city. It didn’t take long to see a giant force surrounding Lostvale. It was astounding.

  Vincent had been a busy man.

  Kaiden looked at Layla. “I’m impressed.”

  The angel just winked at him. “Vincent and I make a great team.”

  That was the truth, and Kaiden was grateful to have them on his side. He wouldn’t be able to succeed if he didn’t have them. They really knew how to make an army. There were hordes and hordes of both angels and demons. Kaiden half-expected to see some of the monsters he had faced in the force.

  Zaphkiel raced to the ground and only slowed just in time. Layla did the same thing with Desiree screaming to high heaven.

  “Relax, human,” Layla said.

  “I’ll relax on the ground.” Desiree slithered out of the harness, knelt down, and kissed the earth. “Hello, ground. I missed you.”

  Kaiden just shook his head. “Layla, I’m amazed. Next, you’ll show me the secret monster force with giants and succubi.”

  Layla laughed. “Don’t think I didn’t try, but they are harder to convince. Maybe when we have to march on my old bosses.”

  Kaiden cringed. Attacking the angels was the next problem after Lilith.

  Orlas and Satel appeared out of thin air.

  “You made it,” Orlas said. She hugged Desiree.

  “Barely,” Desiree said. “Flying isn’t for humans.”

  Orlas laughed and glanced around. “The others appear to have had a great time. Well, not Johnny.”

  The man was green in the face and suddenly puked. “Fuck,” he said. “Never again.”

  As Johnny and Satel strode away, Vincent arrived, along with Sargal and Jeremiah.

  “You made it,” Jeremiah said. “You had us worried.”

  Kaiden grimaced. “I’m sorry. I made a mistake and let myself get caught up in my old friend.”

  “Listen, kid,” Jeremiah said. His voice was firm and yet caring. “You can’t just trust everyone. This is war, and war is brutal. It isn’t fair. Lilith will go out of her way to make your life hell. War doesn’t care that you are the Chosen One, and it definitely doesn’t care that he was your friend. All war cares about is death and destruction.”

  It was a hard reality to accept. Kaiden didn’t like it. “I know, but—”

  Jeremiah didn’t wait. “None of that ‘but’ shit. You need to be firm. Be the Chosen One. We can’t have a weak Kaiden.”

  Kaiden took a deep breath in. “It won’t happen again. Trust me. I’ve learned my lesson,” he said. His voice was strong and a bit harsh. He didn’t mean it that way, but still, he was forceful, and he
meant it.

  “Good,” Jeremiah said. “We need you at the top of your game.”

  “I know.” Kaiden pictured his former friend. “I will not hesitate with Lincoln. Trust me.”

  “Very well. Let’s get this going.”

  “Let’s,” Kaiden said. That meant they would still be able to fulfill the plan. “We need to take out Lincoln, my friend from Kathill. He bonded Lilith.”

  “So we learned,” Vincent said. “Both are here.”

  “What is the plan?” Kaiden asked.

  “Later,” Vincent said. “You rest. Now that you are safe, I can fill you in the morning.”

  Kaiden yawned. “Okay.”

  A large tent guarded by angels, demons, and humans had been sent up for Kaiden, Ziva, Ai, and Desiree.

  Kaiden entered the tent. The makeshift bed that was just big enough for all of them. How they had done that Kaiden didn’t know and didn’t care.

  He fell on the bed, and the others joined him.

  “I can’t believe that just happened,” Desiree said.

  “You had fun,” Ai said. “Admit it.”

  Desiree rolled her eyes. “Flying isn’t my kind of fun.”

  “Oh yeah?” Ziva asked. “What is?”

  Kaiden knew what Desiree was going to say, as did Ziva. There was little doubt.

  Desiree didn’t answer with words. Instead, she leaned against Ziva and kissed her on the lips. Kaiden enjoyed watching them. They loved each other, and he could see that. The kiss was intense, and both their hands explored each other’s body.

  Ai was next to Kaiden. She nibbled on Kaiden’s ear. It really got him going. The next thing Kaiden knew he was hard and ready to make love to them between Ai teasing him like that and the other two kissing.

  Ai’s hands caressed his body, rubbing his nipples and then going down to his pants. Ai slowly undid the button and unzipped them. After pulling out his erect penis, Ai stroked it as they took in Ziva and Desiree. They were undressing each other. Kaiden watched as Ziva took off Desiree’s bra and bared her breasts. Then Desiree returned the favor, exposing Ziva’s amazing breasts. They were large, and Kaiden wanted to suck on them.

  But he remained in place while Ai stroked him. Soon, Ziva and Desiree were naked, and Desiree was on her back, and Ziva was licking her pussy.