The Unknown // Colby Brock

~~ Chapter Twenty-Seven ~~

"What's the deal with that?" I muttered.

"With Colby and Ari?"

I nodded.

"They're in love."

"I'm sorry, what?" I blurted. Love? I knew Colby had a thing for her and that they had a sort of fling beforehand and now... but he was in love with her? And she was in love with him? It made sense since it'd been a couple of months but I just couldn't wrap my head around the concept of the devil not only falling in love but falling in love with a human girl who ignored nearly everything he told her to do.

Actually, no, that made a lot of sense. Colby had always liked it when someone stood up to him, which was why he was a big fan of Mike for a while. Not anymore; not since he spoke badly of Ari... everything suddenly made so much sense.

"I didn't expect it when she told me either but it's true. He told her he loved her when she woke up from the stabbing. Apparently, he was really scared he was going to lose her and she's been falling for him since the beginning of her time here, so I mean... yeah, it was a matter of time, I guess."

"I'm glad. He deserves a little love."

"Pfft, that isn't little. She's gonna be queen before we can even say the word. Seriously, they're both in deep."

Just as I was about to speak, Ari called out that it was time to go. I gave Xepher a little look before jogging to walk with Reggie towards the front door. Going to heaven always made me nervous, this being no exception. I could only hope that when we got there, Jake would be alive and no one would die.

We flashed up to heaven - Ari being helped by Aryia - and appeared at the golden gates. Both angel guards instantly tensed as they took on defensive positions, swords drawn. I twirled the dagger around my hand in preparation while Elton tried to make his first move, but Ari stopped him with a single hand on his chest.

"Don't kill any of them unless they've already killed one of ours," she ordered, taking a step forwards. "Just knock them out really badly."

"Ugh, you're not as fun as Colby," Reggie complained teasingly before flashing behind one of the guards and smashing his head off of the gates, somehow instantly knocking him out. Elton did the same to the other before they could react, leaving heaven with open doors for us to walk straight through.

I kept close to the front in our little lineup of demons and humans. I wanted to be the first one to see if Jake was dead or if Colby was dead. I knew that no one would handle it well if anyone turned out like that but I'd just... crash and burn. Jake was everything to me: my boyfriend, my soulmate, my partner in crime. Everything and I didn't know what I would end up doing if I found him dead, especially at the hands of someone like God.

Just as we were about to burst through the doors of heaven, Ari stopped. She looked side to side as if she was trying to find something, then turned to Devyn.

After a gentle nod, she turned to us instead. "I need to stay back for a moment. Remember, don't kill anyone." And with that she ran off in another direction around the building. My mouth opened and closed again before Devyn casually walked forward.

"Let's get our friends," she said timidly, placing her hand on the handle. I rushed up to join her. We took a second to breathe then pushed open the front doors of heaven's castle.

The throne room - similarly to how it was in hell - was the first thing we came across. That meant the moment the door was open, God was right there on his throne with Fate by his side and Sam and Kat hidden off to the side... and our king off in some other corner. I noticed a translucent bubble around them - one I'd seen before.

Katrina's powers were dangerous for many reasons. She could touch you and render you paralysed, she could throw you against a wall without touching you, and she could create bubbles where anything she says goes. For example, she could remove the oxygen needed to breathe or she could make it a million degrees. The last one was by far the most dangerous. Thankfully, she didn't use it often though.

"The cavalry's here for you, Colby," God said through gritted teeth as he scanned over our group. "Tell me, did you come for Colby or did you come for your friends and... lovers? Hm? Because I'm starting to think no one's here for Colby."

He let out a chuckle but I was looking at my king. Words never effected him; never. Yet he sat there actually looking disheartened by what God had said. Why was he so-

Ari. She wasn't here. He thought she hadn't come for him...

"You know nothing," I said before I realised what I'd said. "You have no idea who's there for Colby and I'm telling you right now, she is angry."

God raised an eyebrow for a moment. He looked over the room again before standing from his throne and slowly walking towards us. Everyone took on a more defensive stance in case he tried anything, but he kept walking casually like nothing was going on.

"I'd like to meet this person you speak of. If she's so angry, where is she?"

I had no answer to that because I didn't know. If she was trying to get the upper hand by going elsewhere in the house, then I couldn't give her position away.

"Preparing," I answered.

"For what?"

"Beating your ass." It seemed like everyone in the room turned to look at Ari, who'd appeared out of nowhere beside Fate's throne.

The goddess freaked out and stood, but the guards were already on their way to her. Even God left us to get to her. Ari quickly drew her dagger and sliced one of the guard's legs before ducking under the grabby hands of another. She jumped down from the small pedestal the throne sat on and dodged a number of other attempted attacks. When she got to us, she gave me a gentle nod with a smile.

"Let's fight some angels," I mumbled with a grin of my own. The guards seemed to multiply, coming from every angle while we spread out to fight each one in turn.

But we didn't kill them, we only badly injured them and knocked them out, as Ari had told us. I could see her watching over everyone else each time she'd be momentarily freed from the swords and hands coming her way.

I was doing well with fighting until I noticed a familiar blonde guy and blue-haired girl enter the battle. They'd realised we were winning and decided to intervene. Katrina threw me into an angel guard who instantly wrapped his arms around mine and immobilised me. I kicked and struggled but it was no use.

Before I knew what was happening, however, Mike and Elton were taken. And then Griffin and Xepher. And then Reggie. It seemed like we would have no chance.

But there Ari was, the only one not being held back. She was staring at Katrina in silence looking like she was begging her to understand, but Katrina wasn't listening. She lashed out a hand to get a grab of Ari's shoulder if she hadn't dodged it. Two times, three times, four. She wasn't attacking but defending. It took me much too long to realise that she was just avoiding getting knocked out by the touch of a fingertip instead of being reckless. And then finally, Ari pulled out a familiar move. She swung her leg around, knocking the back of Katrina's knees before pushing her shoulders. For the first time, Katrina was on the floor beneath Ari's knee, beaten.

Of course, Sam came out of nowhere and tackled Ari like it was nothing, leaving them to roll for a second until he was pinning down her wrists; dagger just out of her reach.

"Stop fighting. You've lost," he snapped at her, nodding around the room, which turned out to be his undoing. Ari took the opportunity to launch her foot into his stomach, sending him flying off of her. She grabbed her dagger and got to her feet, grabbing Sam around the neck to hold the blade delicately to his skin.

"I haven't lost just yet."

At that moment, the front doors opened to reveal a pool of white and gold standing on tall legs walking calmly into the room. It was Fate...