Dark Angel Ch. 12

Anniel opened her mouth to answer she didn't know, but Seth's voice had them all turning to the doorway.

"Not necessarily," he answered leaning against the doorframe. "I think Devon knows where that portal is, but I doubt he'll ever reveal its whereabouts."

"He's waiting," Ashriel nodded.

"Waiting for what?" Anniel asked stroking his tense arms.

He turned to look at her again. "Waiting for his father's return."

Anniel looked down at her feet, her mind going back to the memories of Davariel. Strange. She'd been only a baby, just barely two, yet she still remembered them vividly. Was it because Devon was his living image? She didn't know, but she even remembered what he smelled like, so sweet, the essence of pure love.

Ashriel tipped her chin to look into her eyes and cursed. "You were angel-struck by him."

Anniel brushed his hand away from her face and snorted. "Don't be silly, Ashriel. I was just a baby."

He shook his head. "It doesn't matter. He affected young and old alike."

Anniel wanted to laugh at his worried expression, but refrained, not wanting to hurt his feels. It was cute he was actually jealous of Davariel. It was the silliest thing she'd ever heard, but there he was pouting at her.

Gripping his hand and leading him out of Rayne's cabin she took him back to Natanael's cabin. She needed to show him he had nothing to be jealous of. She was not interested in any other male but him.

***

As if he didn't have enough troubles, Seth came up with the brilliant idea to land them on Rhydiam Nine. Garethiel waited for them at the space port, along with Amaranth.

Ashriel glared at Seth in the helm as his twin brother waved enthusiastically from the landing pad.

Seth poked his tongue into his cheek before frowning irritably. "It's just temporary, okay, so just deal."

"Aside from bringing me to my worst nightmare, what are your designs on Amaranth? If you defile her, she'll be horribly punished."

Seth actually growled at him. "I have no designs on her. She doesn't want me. I know if she'd wanted to be with me she'd have renounced her priestesshood."

Ashriel regarded him coldly. "Even if she did renounce, she'd still have to forgo a hundred siglon task to be discharged honorably. It usually consists of guarding one of the portals of Hell on the most horrible of posts. The ones no one else wants to guard."

Seth pouted. "I would have waited. Hell, I would have stood watch with her."

Ashriel's brows rose in surprise. "For a hundred siglons?"

"Wouldn't you have done the same for Annie?" The weretigri frowned. "Oh, yeah. I forget. Your devotion to your priesthood was above and beyond anything."

Ashriel drew himself up. "You don't understand the responsibility that was laid on my shoulders from a very young age. While most reapers my age trained to become holy warriors and still hadn't the strength to pleasure themselves in secret, I became High priest when Davariel killed the high priest I was to succeed. He'd named me as his successor and I was thrust into his place whether I wanted it or not."

"You mean you couldn't have refused?"

"No one has ever refused such an honor. To be a high priest is an honor. We are finally allowed to take our sacred swords and fight against devils and demons."

"But you could have refused," Seth insisted.

Ashriel shook his head. "No. To do so would have brought shame to my family and to myself. It was my obligation as a holy warrior to take my place and fight evil." Ashriel turned, remembering the horror of the demonic invasion Davariel unleashed by cracking open one of the portals of Hell. "And none too soon. You don't know how many devils and demons I slaughtered. Only to be attacked by more. They flowed out of every dark crevice like floodwater. Unstoppable. As if that wasn't horrendous enough—"

Ashriel stopped talking when he noticed Anniel standing at the top of the ramp in the helm. She looked at him wide-eyed, nibbling her lower lip. He wondered how much of his nightmarish memories she'd heard.

Rising, he strode to her and embraced her. She snuggled against him and stroked his arms as if trying to soothe him. It made his chest tighten and he held her tighter. He'd go mad if he ever lost her...hence the reason why his kind were forbidden to mate.

"I'm fine," he reassured her.

She looked up at him, her hand caressing his bare chest. He bent and kissed her lightly on her lips. "Time to go, baby. If my brother so much as breathes too heavily on you promise you'll tell me."

She grinned up at him. "I'll do better, honey. I'll kick him in his balls"

Ashriel couldn't help the bark of laughter that erupted at the picture her words evoked.

***

If having to face Garethiel was the worst of her problems, Anniel could deal with whatever else fate threw her way. The love she felt for Ashriel bolstered her confidence, and besides, she no longer felt a thing for his blond twin anyway. A little twinge of guilt niggled at the back of her mind over the fact that she'd fucked a pair of twins—again—and somehow it was kind of slutty of her, but Devon and Lucien didn't count because they'd only been helping her with her mating heat cycle. As for Ashriel and Garethiel? Garethiel's physical beauty had mesmerized her and not having any experience, his words had easily seduced her. She'd fancied herself in love with him all those years ago. Ashriel she was sure she loved. He was perfection, not just physically, but in every other aspect as well.

Cyneolle decided to remain aboard the starcruiser along with Chameleon and Rayne. He took one look at his father from inside the helm and refused to leave the ship, claiming it would be better for Rayne if they remained onboard so she wouldn't become too distressed at so many changes in her surroundings.

Anniel knew he'd recognized Garethiel as his father and didn't want to face him.

Eventually she would have to tell them both the truth. Her son needed to confront his father if need be, and Garethiel needed to finally know he had a son.

She held Ashriel's hand all the way back to Garethiel's high rise condo on the outskirts of the city of Veegalle on Rhydiam Nine. The traveled in a roomy SUV that could accommodate ten people comfortably.

The sun set to the East, the red-gold rays glinting off the tall buildings. They crossed a river, its deep bluish purple waters flowing lazily toward a darker purple sea. A wall of mountains flanked the southwest edges of the city and to the north was a vast forest of deep blue trees with vibrant red trunks.

It was all very pretty, but the sight of Ashriel's hand engulfing hers kept drawing her eyes. He had strong hands, long fingered, sun-kissed bronze with masculine veins running up his arms.

He held her hand the entire trip, his eyes gazing out the window, face devoid of expression. At the front of the transport, Seth and Amaranth antagonized one another, making Anniel frown. What was with those two anyway?

Garethiel, thankfully sat all the way in the front of the ten-seater. Not that she cared, but she was grateful the twins were not near each other. Amaranth and Seth's bickering was enough for all of them.

Anniel just longed for Devon to either communicate with them or open a portal and take them back home. She hadn't had the opportunity to ask Seth if their commander had linked to him yet.

Anniel raised a brow when Amaranth said with an indignant sniff to Seth, "I wouldn't let a man-whore like you touch me with a ten-foot pole."

She stuck her nose up in the air and turned her head with a swish of her fiery red tresses.

Anniel cringed when she saw lean over and whisper something in the girl's ear. Something obviously lewd and inappropriate, because Amaranth's face flushed deep red as she gave a squeak of outrage and slapped Seth soundly.

"You're not a tiger, you're a pig," she spat.

When Eriel began to snicker, Seth turned, his palm still rubbing his stinging cheek, to fix the reaper with a glare.

Ashriel looked at them and flattened his lips in anger.

He made to lean forward, but Anniel gripped his forearm.

"Leave them be," Anniel scolded in a low tone.

He just clenched his jaw and flashed another look to the front of the transport, his nostrils flaring as he shook his head. "Sethaliel needs to leave her be."

Anniel frowned at Ashriel, knowing fully well it was Amaranth that had chosen to sit next to him; Amaranth who began the snide remarks about his carousing.

Seth was no saint, had been to too many brothels by now, had become as tainted a male whore as Zak had been in his single days, but she knew Amaranth's rejection of him stung. It was probably the worst of ways, but she knew he tried to get the pretty, red-haired reaper out of his system by bedding anything that moved. In reality, it only made him more bitter.

Anniel shook her head, closing her eyes a moment and praying they reached Garethiel's home soon.

As fate would have it, Anniel would find no peace at her ex-boyfriend's house either.

Ashriel had kept hold of her hand as his brother granted them all access. The reapers entered first, followed by Seth and finally Ashriel and Anniel.

Ashriel's grey eyes held Anniel's gaze and he kissed her knuckles as they walked over the threshold. She smiled up at him.

"Tonight you will sleep with me," he told her. "I will have it no other way."

She smiled and closed her eyes, leaning her head against his bulging biceps.

When he stopped abruptly, his entire body tensing, she opened her eyes again with a start.

To her dismay, his parents stood in the wide foyer, their cold judgmental eyes on both of them.

"Mother. Father," Ashriel said softly.

For a long moment, neither parent spoke. Their gaze, if anything, just grew icier as the seconds ticked by.

Anniel heard Ashriel gulp. He took a deep breath and her heart clenched when his wings drooped a bit and his eyes lowered to the floor in submission.

His mother narrowed her eyes. "Have you any idea the shame we have had to endure because of you."

Anger filled Anniel. His parents didn't understand. He'd done nothing wrong.

The beautiful blond Seraph seemed to float slowly to her son, her white filmy robes fluttering delicately around her slender ankles. She did not stop until she was mere inches from him. Her eyes looked him slowly from his black boots to his downcast eyes.

"My beautiful son, the most powerful reaper the galaxy had ever seen is now the most talked about male whore."

Ashriel flinched as if slapped, and Anniel felt rage fill her when he bowed his head in shame. There was no reason for him to feel that way.

"You shouldn't believe everything you hear," Anniel told the cold woman.

The Seraph's eyes darted to her, wide with hate. They lowered down Anniel's body with disgust until they fixed on her belly.

"How dare you even speak in my presence. I'll never understand how he could have fallen for the likes of you. Who's bastard child is that?"

Ashriel suddenly stood straighter and gripped Anniel's hand tighter.

Before Anniel could say anything he snarled, "That is my offspring.'

His parents horrified glare darted to Ashriel.

"Yours?' his mother screeched. "This harlot steals your virginity months ago, you awaken from a comatose state barely a week ago, and you want us to believe that that..." The woman pointed to Anniel's rounded stomach.

"She looks to be about half way along, Ashriel," his father finally spoke. "Are you that stupid about sex, you do not know how long a gestation period is for a chickling?"

Ashriel's face flushed red, and Anniel lost it.

"How dare you call him stupid. Yes. Ashriel and I had sex. It wasn't really our fault, but—"

His father's booming laugh cut her off, and to her utter annoyance, Garethiel's snickering behind them, had her wondering if her ears were billowing smoke by now.

"Wasn't your fault? Do tell me. Did you trip and fall and accidentally impale yourself on my virgin son's dick?"

"Gunthriel, must you be so crude?" Ashriel's mother hissed.

Gunthriel cleared his throat, and said meekly, "My apologies, Antaria."

Her cold blue eyes turned to regard Ashriel and Anniel again. "As sexually unrestrained as Garethiel always was, he'd never been so irresponsible as to spill his seed into an undeserving womb."

Ashriel eyes snapped up at that moment. "Ah, yes. Saint Garethiel, the conniving bastard that seduced Anniel when she was still pure and then left her pregnant."

Anniel felt faint.

"What?" Garethiel asked wide-eyed, clearly shocked.

"You fucked her like it was all a game to you. Her reticence at letting you bed her at first whetting your appetite for sport."

"Ashriel, please," Anniel pleaded in a low tone, feeling her face aflame.

"Reticence? Really?" Garethiel snorted, eyebrows raised.

Ashriel tensed as if to lunge and she had to grip his arm. "No. Don't."

"Anniel—" Garethiel began.

"Don't talk to her," Ashriel snarled.

"Ashriel," Anniel pleaded.

"I have a right to know what the hell is going on," Garethiel bellowed.

Again, Ashriel's body tensed, coiled up tight, ready to explode. "Right? You feel you have some rights? You fucked her and then walked out on her. Never turned back. Never cared. Just moved on to the next victim."

"Well, what the hell. I was just a chickling back then. She should have said something if she thought she was pregnant."

"You didn't deserve to know," Ashriel spat. "You don't deserve something as beautiful as her."

Garethiel began to laugh. "I always knew you had a fucking hard on for her ever since I showed you her image on the vid-crystal. You practically drooled, but you couldn't have her. You were forbidden."

"You...you bedded her because..." Ashriel looked taken aback. Anniel also blinked, looking from brother to brother. "It was all just to hurt me?"

Garethiel sneered. "You'd just been promoted to high priesthood. I was sick of hearing how glorious my little brother was, how mighty. If they only knew how pathetic you were. How you'd suffer lust and wouldn't even touch yourself. You thought you were better than me, but look at you now. Nothing but a male prostitute..." Garethiel's cold glare darted to Anniel as he finished his rant, "Eating my leftovers."

It seemed as if Ashriel disappeared from her side. One moment he was there, the next he and his brother were a ball of black and white wings, punches and kicks. They fought as if intent on killing one another.

Both Anniel and Antaria screamed. Eriel, Natanael, Amaranth, Abdiel, and even Seth dived in to separate the twins. It took quite some time, but finally they were pulled apart.

Bloodied and bruised, they glared at each other, panting.

Gunthriel held his wife, fanning her face with his hand as she whimpered and looked ready to swoon. "Oh, Gunny. Our sons fight like savages over a harlot. I don't think I can survive this nightmare. Where did we err as parents?"

Ashriel shook off Seth, Abdiel and Natanael and stalked to Anniel, ignoring his mother's words.

"We are leaving," he snapped gripping her hand again.

"Don't be stupid," Garethiel snickered, spitting blood on the pristine grey floor of his condo. "The media is already abuzz with news of your arrival."

"I don't care," Ashriel snarled, reaching for the front door.

"They'll hound you and Anniel everywhere you go. Imagine how many Master Guardians will be interested in knowing you've sired a chickling with one of Edenia's ex-Master Guardians. They refer to them as fallen angels and I hear the bounty on anyone of them is astronomical."

***

His brother's cryptic words halted him. Anniel stood by his side, her eyes wide and distressed as she took in his injuries. It was nothing, really. Garethiel looked worse than he did. Ashriel was sure he'd broken the arrogant fool's nose.

The media.

Reaching out he caressed Anniel's sweet face. She looked tired. He would not put her through more distress. He would swallow his pride and anger and remain beneath his brother's roof. He had no choice. They had nowhere to go until Devon contacted them. Seth had warned numerous times during their escape he could feel they were being followed. They had to wait it out.

"Fine," Ashriel grated. "I'm sorry." This he said softly to Anniel.

"You've nothing to be sorry about," she replied, her eyes glowing with love.

"I want to know about my offspring," Garethiel demanded making Ashriel's feathers ruffle.

Anniel turned to regard him coolly. "I have a son."

Garethiel's eyes narrowed. "You...you mentioned him back on that god-forsaken planet."

She nodded. "I named him Gareth."

His parents snorted with disgust and Garethiel stood a bit taller, disappointment clearly in his demeanor.

"So...he was born wingless I suppose since you gave him a non-sacred name."

Anniel held her head up, her eyes hard. "He had one wing."

His mother immediately began murmuring that it couldn't be Garethiel's. Their blood was too strong to produce a defective Seraph. After all, they'd produced Ashriel, proving their blood was still very pure.

Garethiel glared at his parents at the mention of Ashriel being the only proof of their blue blood. He looked back at Anniel, eyes narrowed. "A one-winged Seraph? You mean the notorious cyborg on Rhylos? Cyneolle?"

"Yes. Cyneolle is your son."

Garethiel's face paled a bit. He looked away, pensive. After a moment, he turned back to Anniel, eyes hard. "Why didn't you ever try to let me know?"

"How?" Anniel spat.

Garethiel laughed mirthlessly. "Oh, come now. With all the power your Alpha Angels have, I'm pretty damned sure anyone of you could've located me if you'd really wanted to."

"Actually," Seth interrupted, "we didn't want to."

Ashriel bit the inside of his bloodied mouth to keep from smirking.

Garethiel scowled. "Why not? If I was really the father, I had the right to know."

"Not after the way you left her, you prick," Seth growled.

"Son," Antaria snapped. "Are you going to continue to allow these people to insult you in your own home? Throw them out."

His mother's words cut him to the quick, but then his mother's lack of maternal warmth shouldn't have surprised him.

Garethiel held his hand up, as he stared at Seth. His eyes then slid to Anniel. He looked down, licking his lips before looking back up at her. Ashriel stiffened.

"I was really young, and arrogant...and cocky." He swallowed. "I'm sorry I hurt you Anniel. I know there's nothing I can say to erase all the shit you must've gone through, but...I'm really sorry I acted like such an ass."

Ashriel's heart sank. His gaze darted to Anniel and once more, he felt...afraid. Afraid she might still, after all this time, feel something for the first love of her life...Garethiel.

He gripped her hard when she wrapped an arm around his waist to hold him as she regarded his brother. "I forgave you a long time ago, Garethiel. We were both too young."

"She loves me now," Ashriel had to say, his hand sliding down to caress her baby bump. "She belongs to me and carries my offspring. I will not abandon her or my chickling—ever."

Garethiel narrowed his eyes, but remained silent.

"Ashriel," Anniel chastised gently.

He glowered down at her. "You are mine."

From across the room, Natanael cursed drawing everyone's stare.

The purple-haired reaper patted his pockets, his eyes searching the floor in desperation. "Fffuck!"

"What the hell is your problem?" Eriel muttered.

Ashriel's eyes narrowed as the reaper fell to his knees and looked around the floor carefully, the others doing the same in puzzlement.

Natanael's bright grey gaze lifted to Ashriel with piercing intensity.

Ashriel did his best to remain expressionless, knowing fully well that what Natanael looked for was carefully stowed away in Ashriel's boot. It had fallen out of Nat's pocket during the tussle and he'd snatched it up despite his raging urge to continue to pummel his twin. A little red vid-crystal he had every intention of viewing as soon as he had a moment of privacy.