Darkness & Light: Book 2: Shatter Our Hope

5 - Hayley

My eyes open. I'm not in the coffin, but laying on the cold, hard floor. I shiver hard, trying to drape my wings over my cold body. The night is long and cold and hard, but I do not want to get up off the floor. I'm too exhausted, and far, far too cold.

Drecca is watching me, his eyes locked on my face, which is bruised and bloody, slowly healing. My dark angel powers tend to heal me faster than humans, but I'm not healing that fast, not right now.

As I lay there, staring at the wall, I can't stop staring into the void. Aldrea is there, but she's exhausted, just like me. And as I look at the wall, the door beside it creaks open. In comes Donovan, his amused look shining like blood on ice. He stops before me, leaning forward, his smug look something of a twisted, vile look.

He clears his throat.  "Well, look at how far the mighty have fallen, girl." He walks around me. "Got any last words, before I put you back in that coffin?"

"Fuck you, Donovan," I growl. "Fuck you, and go eat shit and die."

Donovan laughs. "Such venom. Such... fight. Wasted on a foolish little girl."

"If you think me foolish, then you haven't been paying attention."

Aldrea takes over then, and she forces my body to stand, facing Donovan with fire in her hands and eyes. Aldrea and I unfurl our wings, leaping at him, we bring the purple and black flames down on Donovan's chest. He roars in pain, staggering backward.

Aldrea doesn't give him any moment to collect himself. He tries to get away from her, but he has no chance to do so. Not before she barrels into him, flames burning his skin and clothes. He tries to fight back against her, but he can't. Especially not when she creates a blade made of the black flames she can summon. Especially not when Aldrea drives said blade deep into his chest.

"You foolish girl! You cannot kill me, not with this! If you really think this can kill me.... heh. You're a fool."

Aldrea smiles at him. "I don't need to kill you, Donovan." She slashes her sword across his throat. "I just need to hurt you."

Donovan falls to his knees, clutching his throat as his shimmering black blood oozes from his wound. He looks at us with hatred in his gaze, his red eye glowing.

He heals his wounded throat, and stands up.  "You may make my flesh bleed, but you will never do so to my spirit."

Donovan lashes out, bringing his hands forward, he sends a blast of energy right at us. Aldrea catches the energy in her hands — our hands— and blasts the energy back at the demon Lord.

He falls down, and Aldrea raises her hand. The cage Drecca is trapped in floats on a phantom wind to us, and he looks at us, black eyes wide. Aldrea summons her power once more, and slashes at Donovan, and then.... we vanish.