When night fell and they were finally alone, Aurora folded herself tightly into Gabriel’s arms.“I still can't believe you're really here,” she whispered. “I’m so grateful.”But instead of pulling her close, Gabriel pushed himself up onto one elbow and looked at her. “Aurora there’s something I have to tell you. I am here, but there were conditions attached to my return.”“Conditions, what do you mean?”His brow dipped and a shadow fell over his eyes. “Aurora we have much work to do. There is so much that needs to be done and I will be counting on you to help us.”“Us?” She repeated. “Gabriel you're acting very strange. What's going on? What are you talking about?”As she waited for him to respond, his gaze was so intense that the hair on the back of her neck stood on end.“The earth needs to be cleansed,” he began. “It must be returned to the way God created it. It’s what He wants Aurora. It’s the reason He sent me back.”“Gabriel you're not making any sense. What do you mean it must
Aurora’s hands fell helplessly to her sides and she let out a long breath. After everything they had been through she was sure that God would return Gabriel to her. How could she have been so wrong?“I'm sorry child,” Lucius whispered as he got to his feet. “We tried.”Tears rolled over Aurora’s cheeks and spilled onto Gabriel's chest. “Thank you Lucius,” she whispered. “Now if you could please leave me.”“Of course.” Lucius got to his feet. “Aurora, your parents would be very proud of the woman you have become. You really are your mother’s daughter.”She smiled through her tears and thanked him for his kindness. Lucius had saved her life. If only she had been able to save Gabriel’s.As the Council turned to leave, a gust of wind blew in through the window scattering the earth across Gabriel's chest. Aurora dipped her head as another tear slipped over her cheek. One quickly gave way to many as she could no longer contain her sadness. Tears pooled on Gabriel’s chest and Lucius had to
Gabriel coughed and it was the sweetest sound Aurora had ever heard. She leaned in close and tucked another pillow in behind his head. On the floor, Aurel rested quietly beside them.“Aurora,” he sighed. “I'm not an invalid.”“I know, but you're not as strong as you used to be. You're a mere mortal now and lucky to be alive.”He returned her smile and took hold of her wrist, gently pulling her down onto the bed.“Careful,” she told him. “My scar is still healing.”Gabriel traced his finger over the tiny ridges of the symbol that had saved his life, probably more than once. “It's incredible,” he whispered. “What we've been through.”“Gabriel when I thought I lost you, I mean really lost you, I…"“Ssh,” he soothed. “I'm not going anywhere, okay? Not ever.”She nodded and gently kissed his forehead. “You have your human life back just like you always wanted. Tell me, what will you do with it?”He smiled and shook his head. “You know what? I have no absolutely no idea.”Aurora nodded and
Hell was home to thousands of demons; tens of thousands. A cauldron of sin, the realms were stacked one upon the other, each darker and more sinister than the one above. It was everything humans feared and more. Oppressive and dirty, the halls twisted in an eternity of circles, trapping souls in an endless search for light. There was no time to mark, and no end to crave. And there was the screaming. So much screaming. The primal sound of a soul in agony was something humans would never comprehend. If they knew what awaited them in hell they would wish for eternal nothingness. The fear
The trees were bare, their leaves long gone and snow on the ground would make hiding his tracks almost impossible. He should turn back. There was every chance a blizzard could set in. Not that the cold would have any effect on his body.For Gabriel every day was like a winter’s morning; cold and dark. For years he had felt nothing and, how could he? He was dead.Taking shelter behind the only thing he could find, a decaying wooden fence that had seen better days, Gabriel crouched down and took one la
Back in his cabin, Gabriel swore out loud. He was supposed to be a hunter, a vigilante, but that woman, whatever she was, had completely thrown him off his game.“Damn, it,” he cursed. “Damn her. What the hell was I thinking?”He pace
Aurora fell onto the bed. She would never dare to cry in front of the others, but in the privacy of her bedroom she let out her grief. The loss of Stefan had shattered her heart into a thousand pieces. Her only brother was dead. She had been warned. Her visions had shown Stefan’s death at the hands of a vampire, but it had seemed impossible. No new vampires had walked the earth for hundreds of years. Yet still, she prepared and planned, and hoped maybe there would be a way to save Stefan’s life. Wh
Gabriel crouched down and scooped a pile of snow into his hand. In his palm, the shards shone like diamonds in the moonlight. Every year the snow came earlier. Just by a week or two, but he noticed. Change was all around. He could sense it in the earth and feel it on the wind. It was more than just Aurora and the farmhouse. There was a certain vibration in the air, a shift of some kind. Something was coming.In his former life, Gabriel led missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. He fought the enemy head-on. He was a