Satan's Queen

6

Kaitlyn stood away, watching mutely, her heart beating so hard she felt it pounding behind her eyes. Lucifer looked awful as he lay in Jacob's lap. Blood streaked his face, looking bright against his deathly pallor. He had the face of The Fallen and yet bore the horns of the monster. He even wore the shadow of the jackal across his expression, the long snout, the great yellow teeth ...

His face was blank as he stared up at the sky, his eyes fixed, as though he couldn't look away. She didn't know what was happening but it felt like danger was afoot and Jacob was directly in its way.

'Jacob!' she cried.

The jagged remains of the balcony rumbled as a volcano exploded. Kaitlyn stepped back, arms protecting her head as it literally blew apart, throwing debris in all directions. A huge rock crashed into the castle, knocking down a tower. Steaming, burning rubble thudded around them.

'Have no fear,' Jacob told her in a level voice, and somehow she heard him above the screaming and explosions. There was so much noise. Too much noise. His green eyes were angel-bright, his gorgeous face beaming brightly. She swallowed. She'd forgotten how startling he could be.

Then everything stopped: the roar of the volcanos, the incessant screaming, the shuddering castle. Just like that, as though somebody had turned off a switch. It made her ears ring. It was so startling she staggered.

The hair stood up on her arms. In the quiet and stillness, she watched as Lucifer reached out a hand towards the sky. Kaitlyn raised her eyes.

She gasped. The smoke and ash-filled clouds had parted, revealing the most startling blue she'd ever seen. It was so bright she had to raise her hand to shade her face. It wasn't an ordinary sky—the blue was much too intense. She couldn't describe it.

And she suddenly wondered: Was it heaven? Was she actually looking into heaven?

Jacob didn't move, his eyes on Lucifer.

'Jacob!' she hissed.

She went to race over to him but he whipped his head around and said, 'Stay. Do not interfere. Keep safe.'

He spoke with such command that Kaitlyn's feet rooted to the spot. Lucifer was still reaching for the sky, eyes bright as more blood-filled tears rolled down his cheeks. Kaitlyn looked above again. There was something there, she suddenly realised. A little blip in the perfect blue. No, there was more than one. One, two, three, four. Glittering like little flecks of glass.

'Jacob?' Kaitlyn whispered but he didn't seem to hear her, continuing to cradle Lucifer's head in his lap, his white wings as bright as the blue.

Kaitlyn watched the glittering specks. They were descending in long, slow circles. Then there was a flash so bright Kaitlyn was forced to turn away. It reminded her of her angels whenever they were trying to protect her, though ten times worse. No matter that she closed her eyes or tried to cover her head, the bright light was blinding. Along with the flash came a roar, like that of a crashing wave.

Her scream was lost in the sound as she fell to her knees and huddled into a ball, covering her head.

Just as suddenly as it began, the roaring stopped and darkness replaced the blinding light. Amid the silence, she heard something like a bell ringing. It seemed to recall a distant memory she couldn't quite grasp.

She dared to look up and froze. Her heart swelled in her chest, then rose into her throat where it made the tears well in her eyes. The specks—she knew them. She knew them all too well. She knew the way they flew. She knew the way they blazed. It seemed like forever since she'd last seen them.

Then she remembered what she'd done. How she betrayed them. And she felt a nasty shot of guilt that left a foul taste in her mouth. Dazzlingly bright, they floated down to the balcony. The first to land was Zeke. Seeing him again seemed to melt something hard inside her and she burst into tears.