War (Fallen Book 2) Page 4

  When one left the city, they had nothing but their own two feet. That didn't mean that lasted long, just until they were out of sight of the city. Then one of the forces would swoop in and pick them up. Kaiden smiled, thinking of a line from an old game, swooping in bad. So true.

  “Will that make it to Kathhill?” Kaiden asked.

  “Yes,” Desiree said. “It’s a two-day drive.”

  The others groaned. Kaiden wasn’t looking forward to it either. While the trip to the Houndpoint had been relatively safe, this one had all the trappings of being a problem. This was just the type of trek that was going to interrupted by a cutscene with the big baddie plotting evil things while the hero of the story was ambushed.

  They all knew it and dreaded it. What was going to attack them? What in the world was going to blow up the car and force them to walk the rest of the way?

  Hours later, Ai drove the vehicle. It was just big enough for all four of them. Kaiden dreamed about a big SUV with plenty of space, but instead, they only had a beater.

  The roads weren’t in the best condition. The car bounced on the streets. The terrible suspension of the vehicle meant they felt every little bump in the road, and potholes nearly wrecked the car. Kaiden’s physique was getting a workout. This was worse than any of the fights on his body. By the time they stopped for the night, his muscles ached from head to toe. He hurt all over. After stepping out of the car, he stretched.

  “That was terrible,” he said.

  They had all complained about it, except for Desiree. “You haven’t been in Necoloatan for long. Just wait,” she promised. “This was a smooth ride.”

  Ziva groaned. “I thought the roads in Ashya were terrible, but these are a thousand times worse. It wasn’t this bad on the way to here.”

  Desiree laughed. “It wasn’t, but we had a bigger truck so we didn’t notice.”

  Ai nodded. “That makes sense.”

  The angels and demon arrived a moment later. How Orlas even found them was a mystery to Kaiden as well. Maybe the bond let them know where their human was at all times. That was a scary thought. That had to be just for demons, at least Kaiden hoped so.

  The angels took watch as they usually did since they needed a fraction of the amount of sleep humans needed. Zaphkiel had assured Kaiden they did sleep, yet so far, Kaiden had never seen an angel or demon asleep. He hadn’t even seen one with their eyes closed outside of blinking, nor had he seen them eat.

  Kaiden was never going to understand them on a physical level. What they wanted or desired, that was easy. They were more human in that regard, and Kaiden understood humans, at least as well as anyone could. They were greedy and selfish.

  Not that Kaiden thought all people were that way. His lovers proved that wasn’t the case. None of them were greedy or selfish. They wanted the best for the world and for those around them. That was part of what drew Kaiden to Ai, Ziva, and Desiree. Never in his life had he expected to meet such dazzling women inside and out. They cared about everyone and were so selfless.

  It took a while, but Kaiden finally drifted off to sleep. His dreams were about the future and a victory. He saw himself with his lovers at his side with kids running around a city that was free of both angels and demons. It was a time when kids actually knew their parents and were raised and loved by them, the way it had been in the past. Kaiden was happy. It was a great dream, and he hoped it would one day come true.

  Not many of his dreams actually came to pass, but this one he desperately hoped would.

  “Wake up!”

  Kaiden was jarred from his dream and back to the land of the living. The moon was blocked by a massive man. What in the world?

  “Giant,” Zaphkiel.

  All of them were on their feet in seconds. The massive giant must be twenty feet tall and ten feet wide. His thick body was covered in hair. It was a surprise the stench of body odor alone hadn’t woken Kaiden as he started to gag.

  “Stay away from his hands,” Muriel warned. “He can crush all of us. He’s super strong.”

  That was no surprise to Kaiden. The beast was huge. His biceps must be the world’s biggest and would make even the Rock jealous.

  Pulling his sword and covering it in fire, Kaiden was ready. Ziva had her blades out. So did Desiree and Ai.

  Ai was licking her lips as she eyed the giant. “I can take him,” she said. “He’s no match for me.”

  Dazielle groaned. “Ai, be smart.”

  Dazielle and Ai glanced at each other and had a silent exchange. Kaiden knew that the longer two were bonded, the easier it was for the pair to understand each other.

  “Very well,” Ai said, “but I can take him.”

  Ziva stepped up next to her. “Let us all have some fun.”

  The giant reached down to the earth and ripped out a chunk of rock as big as a car. The giant growled at them. Kaiden had never heard such a fierce sound, not even when he was fighting the dragon. This giant was the scariest, nastiest monster Kaiden had ever seen.

  “Damn,” Desiree said. “That is big.”

  Kaiden glanced at her. “His strength?”

  Desiree shrugged. “I can’t really read monsters that well, but he’s high level, and he’s clearly strong.”

  Kaiden had hoped to know if he was more than them or not. It sure felt like the giant was like level fifty.

  The giant finally threw the rock at them, but it was easy to avoid. The aim of the mammoth man wasn’t the best. It was slow-moving and easy to predict.

  Zaphkiel was the first to attack, firing his bow, but the arrows just bounced off the giant. The skin of the man had to be extremely thick as the arrows didn’t even leave a mark. This was going to be tough.

  “Please tell me,” Kaiden said as he started to run at the hairy giant, “that it has a weakness.”

  “Fire,” Muriel said.

  Kaiden grinned from ear to ear. That was just what he needed to hear. He slowed, created a ball of fire, and flung it at the beast. His aim was off, and the giant easily dodged the ball of fire.

  Ziva, Ai, and Desiree arrived in front of the colossus and started to slice and slash. Only Ai was able to break the skin of the monster, but even her gashes weren’t deep.

  Kaiden resumed his run, and when he got close, he jumped and slashed at the upper part of the leg with his flaming sword.

  The monster roared in pain. Kaiden had drawn a real blow, and the giant was furious. His anger was intense, and the roar shook the ground like a microearthquake.

  “Pull back,” Dazielle said urgently as all the angels were in the air and firing away with their bows.

  Kaiden and the others listened, and it was a good thing too. The giant’s blood started to flow from the wound. Where it drenched the earth, the ground began to melt.

  “I may have forgotten to mention,” Zaphkiel said, “but their blood and air don’t mix well. If their blood gets on you, well, let’s just say you do not want that to happen.”

  Kaiden groaned. They had been nearly killed, and it could be avoided. This attack was all on him and only him. Reaching for his fire magic, Kaiden shot blast after blast at the giant.

  Most missed, but the ones that hit made the monster scream. Kaiden was relentless in his attack. not stopping, firing over and over.

  Finally, the giant dropped to the ground and landed in its own blood. It screamed on last painful moan and died.

  By then, Kaiden was drained and needed a week-long sleep to recover. He was no mutant with healing. Life might feel like a video game with the levels and XP points, but Kaiden had no healing potions, no stamina potion to help him recover.

  Kaiden was thankful they were all safe as he passed out on the spot.

  Chapter Twelve

  Ai watched as Kaiden collapsed and dashed over to catch him before he smashed to the ground. “You foolish man,” Ai whispered.

  She took him back to the sleeping area they had sent up. They had a large tent that was just big enough for the four of them
to sleep in.

  Secretly, Ai had been hoping for a night of lovemaking with all of them, but she wouldn’t dare admit that to any of them for fear of being selfish. Kaiden did bring out a more aggressive side of her, one she had no idea was there until she met Kaiden. He made her want him, and she acted on it. She showed him more skin than she ever had anyone else. She flirted, was playful. She loved to give him her body.

  Now she was thinking about sleeping with not only Kaiden but all of them. Sure, she had shared Kaiden with Ziva. But the thought of adding Desiree turned Ai on. Part of Ai wanted to sleep with Ziva alone.

  Never in her life had Ai thought she would love a woman or want to bed her, but she did. She loved Ziva and Desiree.

  Ai shook her head and placed Kaiden in the tent and under his blankets. The others peeked in.

  “Is he okay?” Ziva asked. Her face was covered in concern.

  Ai wasn't a doctor, not that there were actual doctors around these days. Just people who knew a bit about healing a person.

  “I think so,” Ai said. “He used a lot of energy, more magic that he has before.”

  Ziva nodded. “We’ve all done that.”

  “Speak for yourself,” Desiree teased. “Not that I have magic like you, but I’ve never done that.”

  Ziva giggled. “Okay. Most of us.”

  They were playing with each other, flirting. Ai loved it. Watching them banter was great. They were in love too.

  It was beyond all she could ask for.

  Ai breathed in deeply. She wanted them right now, but they shouldn’t, couldn’t. Rest was needed.

  “We require sleep,” Ai said.

  The other two sighed. “You’re right.”

  It was hard not to do more, not to make love to them when she wanted to so much. She loved them, desired them all the time. In all her life, Ai never thought this was possible, this pull they had on her.

  Ai thrived on it.

  Laying in the tent, for the few hours she could, Ai fell asleep, dreaming of her lovers.

  Desiree woke the next morning, sore and tired. Last night did not provide much real rest for her. She needed a bed and no more monsters.

  The giant’s corpse was still laying on the ground not twenty feet away. The blood had started to melt even the giant. That was beyond disgusting, even to Desiree. While she might have seen some nasty, vile stuff living in Necoloatan, nothing compared to that.

  The thing had smelled bad when it was alive. Now, it was a rotting body and stunk ten times worse. The body odor the night before had resembled that of a man who had never showered in his life and had spent the day running ten miles and bodybuilding.

  Now the reek was that with an added nasty melting-skill component. Desiree wanted to puke but held herself together.

  Orlas appeared next to her.

  “How can you stomach that?” Desiree asked.

  The demon shrugged. “It’s bad, but you haven’t been to some parts of Hell. This is nothing.”

  Desiree cringed. She might have to go to Hell and smell something even worse. She wasn’t looking forward to that.

  Zaphkiel, Dazielle, and Muriel were off in the distance. The three angels were staring in the direction of Kathill. They should be able to make it tonight.

  “Are they okay?” Desiree asked.

  Orlas shrugged. “We all fear going back to Kathill.”

  Desiree understood that to a certain degree. The city was off limits, and going was an act of war in and of itself.

  “We have to,” Desiree said.

  Orlas nodded. “I know. It is the most logical plan, yet that does not mean it will be easy.”

  Desiree knew that this might blow up in their face. Charlie or Lindsey might reject the plan and refuse to help.

  Desiree had never heard either of them talk about the prophecy, but they had to be aware. They had to know who Kaiden was.

  “Shouldn’t they want to help?” Desiree was trying to figure out why they wouldn’t. What would they gain from refusing She just couldn’t wrap her mind around them rejecting their plan, and yet she knew that was a possibility.

  Orlas shrugged. She was a hot demon. If she wasn’t bonded to Desiree, she might have in the past tried to bed her, but she was too much like a sister. Desiree was no saint and had slept with more than she could count. In her eyes, that was all practice for Kaiden, Ziva, and Ai. Desiree wanted to be the best lover she could and had practiced a lot.

  She giggled.

  Orlas side-eyed her. “Humans.”

  That made Desiree laugh even more. “Demons.”

  The harmless banter was something they had done before. Desiree needed this, a moment separate from the bleakness. She had wanted to make love last night to Ziva, to Ai, to Kaiden but hadn’t.

  Desiree was sure she saw lust in Ai’s eyes, but Ai was a good girl. That was Ai, smart and logical to the very end as she fought for the Chosen One and the future.

  It had been the right choice not to have a marathon love-making session. Today was going to be a long one.

  Ten minutes later, the others exited the tent. Kaiden was the last one to leave. He was hunched over and had bags under his eyes.

  “I feel like shit,” he said. “Total shit.”

  Zaphkiel leaped over to him. “That happens when you use that much magic. You scared me.”

  Kaiden groaned. “I had to. The giant was going to kill us.”

  Muriel was there. “It was, but you have to be smart.”

  “Yes,” the third angel said, landing next to him. “We can’t afford to lose you and Zaphkiel.”

  If Desiree didn’t know any better, the two female angels were guarding Zaphkiel, protecting him. He was as much a key to this as Kaiden was. Desiree was sure that if they weren’t angels, they might be about to start their own relationship with him.

  That wasn’t going to happen. Desiree just couldn't see angels doing that. Demons, on the other hand, Desiree was sure they would. It wouldn’t surprise Desiree one second that Orlas was jealous of Desiree and the harem she was in, not that Desiree was ever going to talk to the demon about it.

  It was time to go and start this crazy plan for real.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Kaiden was beyond tired, but he forced himself to get into the car. The ride would be torture. This was going to be a horrific day for him. The giant had taken a lot out of him.

  At least getting away from the dead body would be welcome. The stench was lingering in the air and getting worse as time went by.

  Kaiden made sure to breathe through his mouth as much as possible until they were miles away.

  Desiree was behind the wheel driving to Kathill. Part of Kaiden was actually looking forward to being back to the place he had called home for a very long time. There, he had he thought he knew the world but was so wrong.

  Sure, he had known it would be dangerous and scary, but he had had no clue. All the things that the leaders had hid from them angered Kaiden. That needed to stop. While that issue wasn’t his primary reason for visiting, he might bring it up.

  As the hours passed, the roads were worse and worse. The wall that separated Necoloatan and Ashya grew in front of them. Kathill was on the wall with half of the city in the demon side, the other half the angel side.

  The Tree of Life that brought the angel or demon to this realm to bond to his or her human was in the center of the city, balanced between angel and demon. For a long time, Kaiden had thought angels were good and demons bad, but that wasn't right. Neither side was good or bad. They were two sides to the same coin but not good or bad. Kaiden didn’t have a way to truly describe what they were. Yin and yang maybe, not that he really understood that.

  The bigger the wall got, the more anxious those in the car became. It wasn’t like they had been talking all that much to begin with, but now it was deathly silent, the tension thick. There was little doubt this was going to bring back memories for the others too.

  Kaiden hadn’t known the others
back when they had been there, but they had to have met at least in passing. The city wasn’t that big, and none of them had been out of the town for that long. None of them could remember if they had ever crossed paths. Kaiden had racked his mind trying to think of them, but he must not have. He would not have forgotten seeing three girls this hot. No way. They would have stood out in his memory. Them not remembering him was more likely. Before Zaphkiel, Kaiden wasn’t all that much. Being bonded to the fallen angel had changed Kaiden in many ways, and he was grateful for that.

  The road turned to dirt, and the vehicle started to kick up a dust storm. There was no way they were going to go unnoticed as they approached the city.

  Kaiden worried that Babael would appear and stop them. The demon belonged to Charlie. Not that Kaiden had ever seen the demon as it lived miles beneath the city. That had to drive the demon crazy. Most likely, he was itching for some action, more than even Vegeta.

  A mile from the city, there was a poof of dust in front of the car. Desiree slammed on the brakes. Sure enough, standing in front of them was Babael.

  He was almost comically a demon with the red skin and small horns on his head. He looked like a chibi demon and wasn’t scary at all.

  Next to the car, the angels and Orlas appeared.

  Kaiden stepped out and eyed the small demon.

  “Babael,” Kaiden said.

  The demon sneered. “Filthy halfbreed.”

  Kaiden had heard the term more than once and didn’t like it since it wasn’t accurate. “Babael,” Kaiden said again, ignoring the insult. “We seek to enter the city.”

  “You aren’t allowed in,” Babael said. “You know the rules.”

  Kaiden rolled his eyes. “Fuck the rules. We need to talk to Lindsey and Charlie.”

  Babael laughed. “They know who you are, but you still can’t enter.”

  “Please,” Orlas said. “You know we won’t harm the people.”