Only beings of the afterlife can enter Hell. Even fewer can enter the Eighth Heaven.
Undead but charged with immortality, Elijah de Ricci does not possess the clearance to abide in either. The ensorcelled masque, a grand spectacle of wealth and divine power, rages in the peak of the night. Only the man holding me stands apart from the rest, lacking a proper costume.
A mask would have helped conceal him, but as he regards me intensely, I'd wager the headstrong vampire has no intention of hiding his face.
I stumble nervously over my words. "Are you dead?"
He's been dead for over seven-hundred years, but thankfully, he understands the route of my question, requiring no clarification.
"I'm no spirit."
"A god then?"
I'm just spouting things out now.
He shakes his head. "No."
"Then how?" I grasp his clothing, excitement surging through me. Overwhelmed enough that my eyes have watered, I smile with relief to be able to hold him. "How are you here?"
I receive no answer.
In fact, it isn't until I notice his line of sight has moved beyond me resolutely that I realize the music has stopped. The dancers no longer sway and swoon. Their piqued attention now rests between us and the man standing at the foot of the table, just before the carpeted stairs. Elevated, all can see his ire. The king of this realm remains calm in the face of betrayal, on the outside at least.
On the inside, I'm sure his hate has climbed to new lengths.
Elijah examines me, composed and emotionless. Stupidly, all I can do is gawk and paw after him as he releases me in order to advance towards our devilish opponent. He clears the distance in steady strides, paying no mind to the chatter that buzzes when gods and demons alike realize this vampire is not of this world.
This vampire has somehow traveled time itself. My bets are on Jehovah.
The Light God stands directly beside his brother, watching the spectacle unfold. His proximity to his impulsive sibling immediately makes me question his involvement. Surely he wouldn't be so near if he were behind this. Samael's visibly shaken, silent, eyes sharp on the man who stole my heart, who showed it light, an irreparable act that destroyed our chance before we ever met.
Torches line Elijah's path. The flames release whiffs of tuberose and patchouli into the dense air, creating an aura of sensuality. That is what the in-between is. A place where temptations come to fruition, where the spirit can unleash without consequence.
Elijah's hair is pulled back like the first day I met him, half tied, half left hanging to his shoulders. The stiff black leather he wears conforms to his muscular figure, an enticing aphrodisiac to the depraved. The nefarious creatures of the divine, who notably worm their way through one another and take whatever pleases them, eye him like a prize to be won.
Their hungry regards stir up the possessiveness in me. I push my way through the frozen dancers, the billowy skirts, regardless of the looks I receive. Elijah stops at the base of the stairs to take conference with the devil above him. Samael's attention diverts from him only when he notices me following close behind, not oblivious to my protective nature. It makes his lip curl aggressively.
"How did you manage this?"
"With difficulty."
"It's not possible."
"Yet I am here. Flesh and bone."
Samael descends a step. "You realize what you've done coming here? What you've done to her? To the world you care so much for?"
"I made no vows to you, Beelzebub."
Elijah's emboldened sneer startles not only Samael, but the room. Gasps hitch throughout the crowded space. I keep my eyes only on my temperamental captor, imploring peace.
Oh, fuck Elijah. What are you doing?
"You are treading on dangerous ground, moroi." If it weren't for the hundreds of onlookers, he'd have already attacked him. I'm sure of it. To uphold his position, Samael continues conference. Not once has he looked at his brother since his timely arrival. "Why have you come all this way? Can't you see how changed she is? Surely you don't still hold out for someone so above you? Turn. Regard her, notice her resolve."
Elijah doesn't turn to appraise me or study me in any way, and it infuriates the Lord of Darkness. Samael's body flares stiffly.
"Look. At. Her."
"You're a coward who steals what you have not earned," Elijah announces bluntly, unfazed by Samael's prudent upper hand in this situation. "If you were a man worthy of her, you would fight for her."
"She's already mine."
"No," Elijah counters matter-of-factly. "She's not, and you know it."
"What are you proposing?"
"You fight me, man to man, on earth. The better man wins."
Samael chuckles, lacing his arms together. "I am superior to you in every way. It would hardly be a fair match, even on the mortal realm."
Elijah's lack of response visibly irritates Samael, who is never left without an answer. Elijah's stealing the dominance in the room, challenging one of the strongest beings in existence... testing his authority.
"Why do you not answer me?"
"Because I'm not laughing," Elijah replies. Samael's mouth slims. "You took my life from me, and I intend to fight for it."
Trapped between two wills, I watch them bounce energy off one another in dread. Speaking for Samael diminishes the journey to Hell Elijah's made, but promises our vows are sustained. Speaking for Elijah means jeopardizing everything I've spent over a year protecting. Samael has been waiting for the opportunity to take this man from me.
Only my vow prevents that.
"Cassandra, come here," Samael demands.
I remain firm, eying them both silently from where I stand.
Samael rubs at his temple. "You've made quite the spectacle, coming here, vampire. Interrupting our party. I think I will react in kind." Samael sets his gaze on the nearest demons to him. "Seize him."
The room explodes with noise, sudden chaotic movement. Within seconds, I'm standing guard in front of Elijah's body like a shield, arms extending weapons I materialized to keep the hordes at bay. They hesitate to make a move against me, knowing very easily I could end their immortal life for good.
Surrounded on every side, I glance frantically at Samael, who stares us both down, expressionless. Elijah's hand settles possessively on my waist, and Samael's eyes widen at the insult. With a taunting twinkle in his emerald eyes, Elijah speaks.
"I think she's chosen her side, monsieur."
"If she did, she'd know how quickly I'd retaliate." He pierces me with a formidable glare, to get his point across. "Promises broken have consequences. Your soul is mine, Elijah de Ricci."
"His soul is hers... actually," the omniscient voice beside him interjects, disrupting the hostile air with confession. "And mine."
Samael's head snaps towards his brother, confusion marring every line in his face as he absorbs the meanings woven in those words. Until now, Jehovah had been silently watching chaos break loose. I'd been standing with a sharp dagger to someone's chest, the other one in mid-air for anyone else who might try to catch me off guard. Jehovah's confession makes the entire room deflate with disbelief.
My arms drop to my sides. Elijah's lips press to my hair, coming up behind me.
"He is a vampire!" Samael points anxiously to the subject of his work. "I own his immortal soul! He offered it to me in exchange for everlasting life!"
"To rebirth as a creature of the afterlife, the mortal must cast away all light, and turn towards the darkness forever. Such words were not whispered in his ear on his sick bed. He was told of a purpose, a journey unfulfilled. The moment his heart stopped beating, he became my warrior. In effort to throw you off, I've allowed you to believe you had some choice in this vampire's fate. I've watched him descend and rise, knowing he'd always best you... because he is of both you and me."
"You lie!" Samael seethes viciously. "You lie! I had him in my grasp after he burned in the pyre. I tormented him in purgatory! I allowed the resurrection! I made those choices!"
The ballroom is silent. Not a sound made.
Even I feel whiplashed, stunned by the revelations.
"Remember, dear Samael. Remember." With complete composure, Jehovah squints at the lord of this realm. "Who initially whispered the thought in your ear? Who stood beside you as you called out to her, goaded her into summoning her power? Who was there as Elijah de Ricci dug his way out of the earth?"
Samael shakes his head in horror, backing away from his brother, but Jehovah only follows, hands wound behind his back. The devil is laid bare in front of every god in existence, every demon that worships him.
"You sent the woman to him, the one who would serve you later. Angelica." Elijah's grip tightens on my waist. Jehovah huffs, feigning amazement, gracefully gliding in the different directions Samael takes. "Centuries ago. You didn't see it then either. You were too consumed in the chaos of it all... You led him down the path of darkness. You enticed him to the flavors of your deceptions and deprived ways and he spat it back out at you. He killed her."
Oh my god.
The devil's head turns slowly. With wide eyes, he observes his audience to the ultimate spectacle before his unhinged gaze lands on my own. I'm speechless, battered by the revelations, revelations that change everything.
Jehovah clasps Samael's shoulders, decidedly. "Now do you see, brother?"
I expect a reply from the Lord of Darkness, a fatally violent reply. A movement. Anything. He's still, like stone. It occurs to me that no one has moved for some time. My eyes scan the guests, searching for a flick of the wrist, a shuffling of feet. Even a twinge of wind in hair. Gazing upon Elijah, whose eyes remain over my head, determinedly set on Samael a few feet away, my stomach flips tumultuously. I slip from Elijah's fingertips, and to my disbelief, he doesn't react, frozen in time.
"And you thought I had no care."
I spin, finding Jehovah moved away from his raging brother, descending the stairs.
"How are you... how are you doing this?"
"The universe unlocks to willing recipients. It isn't without it's difficulties."
"Could I learn to do it?"
"Not if you take the course I wish for you. No."
My head tilts suspiciously. "Course?"
"If you should wish it, since we still reside in the eighth heaven, a place where I possess the power to challenge my brother's decisions, I will allow the vampire to guide you back to earth."
He speaks of freedom, something I have not contemplated in a very long time.
It's almost cruel to dangle it in front of me this way, at the threshold to Satan's doorstep.
"Samael would never allow that."
"Unless he'd been persuaded to."
"He gave up a millennium of darkness to get me here. Why would he bargain, especially after you betrayed him?"
"My brother would do about anything to secure you. He'd sacrifice much, but I don't believe he'd pass up this exchange... even for you."
"What is it?"
"We bargain on the earth itself. On it's ruler. If he wins, he gains dominion over the planet for eternity, leaving me the fight to sustain light. And vice-versa. If I win, light wins."
"And where do we fall into this? Me and Elijah?"
Jehovah reaches me, smiling softly. "Samael possesses a key to all darkness on earth. It is his weapon, as Elijah is mine."
"And me? What am I in all of this?"
"You are the wild card, my dear. For what you will lose, you have the chance to choose your next steps."
For what I will lose...
"Retreat from the path of darkness and fight for the light with your vampire, but you must do so in the form you were as you were born." My eyes widen slowly, realizing what he means. "You are a goddess of darkness. To journey the path of light, you cannot take this form with you."
Immediate panic.
I look down abruptly, choking on useless words.
"You are free to choose. I have denied you the chance for so long so that this moment would happen. If you wish to remain a god, a god of darkness and keep your rank in the underworld by my brother's side, I will guide Elijah from this place and concede furthermore."
I drop the weapons on the ground, turmoil rising as my eyes take in the natural glow to my skin. I have power at the tips of my fingers, divine energy in my veins. "I cannot win if I am human..." I whisper fearfully.
"For this task on earth, you will be a demi-god. You will possess a sixth sense, more energy than most. Exactly as you were, you will become again... And of course, upon your succeeding, you will be welcomed in the light, and handsomely rewarded."
Upon my succeeding, right. Because if I fail, no doubt the consequences will be dire. My hand covers my mouth, worriedly. I'm trembling.
"I will have no power."
"The path of light is not the easy one, my dear. It is far easier to chase the dark." He waits until I look at him again, wanting my full attention. "I wouldn't bargain such a prize if I didn't believe you and Elijah could win. In fact, I'm sure you can."
"And what happens if we fail?"
"You will have until the next eclipse to locate and destroy Samael's armament. That is precisely three months away from this day on earth. Either way, the journey will end in dry desert. Once Samael agrees, as we will make sure he does, he will not be able to kill either of you, or alter the earth to cheat his word. Still, you will surely face challenges, but none you cannot overcome... so long as you remain strong."
"And Elijah? Where does he fit into all of this? Why doesn't he have a choice?"
"His purpose is to be your protector. That objective remains. But his importance in this grand scheme is far beyond his comprehension."
"What do you mean?"
He studies the frozen vampire, suspended in time. "Why do you suspect this man has the power to shape-shift while no others like him can? Why can he manipulate fire or move items with his mind? Why does his blood heal the sick?"
My mind may explode. I'm having trouble focusing on his words.
Human.
Three months.
Bargain.
My thoughts come in mere words. I stare sternly at Jehovah, trying to understand what he's trying to tell me. "I... I don't understand..."
"You were made to counteract the other. From the very start, Elijah was destined to be your true companion. I placed him in the world, so that he may become worthy of his future title."
My eyes dart to Elijah's youthful features, looking over his flawlessness in utter confusion.
"Title?"
Jehovah regards me plainly.
"You are in love with the God of War, my dear."
A/N: Guys
GUYS
OH MY GOD
GUYYYYSSSSS!!!!!