Page 80 of Blood and War
“No, you’ve grown soft.” Lucifers eyes trailed toward the emerging humans, grinning as a pair of green-gold eyes caught his own. “She’ll be your downfall, you know. Your complete undoing.” Another swing, and Kellan managed a strike. The thin line of blood trickled down the fallen angel's dark armor where the Horseman had pierced through. “Join me, Kellan. Horseman of War. Join me again.” His power surged again, and for a moment, Kellan was in total darkness. Like he was freefalling between worlds, and his surroundings came back to him in a flash. Every inch of his body burned from the darkness and the shadows Lucifer possessed. As they found their way into him through even the smallest wound, scorching him from the inside out, and he felt it throughout his entire body as it fought to incapacitate him.
“I refuse to join you again. Refuse to allow myself to fall into that once more. To kill innocents. The bloodshed ends here!” Kellan moved to strike, but he was a fraction of a second tooslow, his blade tied up with his enemies as that familiar silver-gold of an angel blade nearly struck him stupid. More of those shadows surrounded him. Prodding, slashing him as it tore into him again and again. Kellan could feel the warmth of his blood as it welled within his clothing. Soaking the fabric above the wounds. The Dark King had always been a force to be reckoned with, even against himself, and he struggled to gain the upper hand.
The blow to his knee had been unexpected, and his body tumbled to the ground, rolling out of the way a heartbeat before the blade had come near inches from his face. Lucifer was stronger than he remembered, and Kellan was struggling. He hadn’t been prepared for this power. It was nothing compared to what it had been like so many years ago. Back then, his siblings had barely managed to claw him away from Lucifer's grasp. Now? Kellan felt like he’d be lucky to survive another five minutes.
At the echoing footsteps around the bend, he glanced behind him, watching as Demitria rushed toward him, her own sword poised in attack as she lunged toward the fallen angel.
He was on his feet, slashing at those shadowed tendrils that shot their way toward the second human in his entire existence he’d ever found himself caring for in a millennium. “This is not your fight.” Kellan growled, his arm pinning her against the mountain's rocky surface while the other held firm on his sword. “Get back.” He tossed her aside with such carelessness that she was nearly tumbling to the ground. “Stay out of my way.” He snapped, his attention wholly focused on the dark angel before him, not even sparing a glance in her direction to insure she’d been okay.
She screamed something at him, but he couldn’t hear it through the ringing in his ears. As his blood boiled, and he fought to control the rage threatening to take hold of him.
“Get her out of here.” He muttered through clenched teeth. Jace’s grip was firm around her, but she fought him with everything she had. Struggled against his arms that held firm around her. Clawing at him to let her go. Yet the human held strong, and something akin to pride washed over him.
“Let me help you! You’re hurt!” Demitria cried out. Kellan knew he was. Could feel the fatigue that was threatening to overwhelm his body with each new wound the fallen angel opened up across him, but he wouldn’t let it stop him. He’d fight until he was dead. Protecting her until he couldn’t anymore.
“I don’t want your help.” Lucifer stumbled as Kellan feigned left and swung, the tip of his blade connecting as it submerged into the Dark Kings left thigh. He growled, a deep guttural and animalistic sound as he recoiled from the blow. Kellan couldn’t help but grin as his opponent's face was laced with pain.
“I’m getting tired of these games, Horseman.” Lucifer thrust himself forward, throwing his weight into his next swing and Kellan barely managed to evade the sword as more of those shadows fought against him, winding around his wrists. Kellan clawed at them, ripping them free as they seared into his skin, marring the exposed flesh where the fabric of his shirt had all but shredded. He hadn’t accounted for the dagger that embedded itself into his side, piercing through his armissuento the tissue below his ribs. He hadn’t meant to let the sound free, but a slight yelp escaped his lips as he stumbled to his knee. Panting, as that agonizing pain took over him. Lucifer had been too fast. Spinning on his foot, his sword barreled toward his exposed chest, and Kellan knew this was where he’d die.
Then everything was in slow motion. The screams that ripped through the air. The heavy footfalls across the stone beneath them.
The sickening sound of piercing flesh echoed through Kellan’s ears as a roar erupted through the battlefield.
Forty-Five
KELLAN
In his rage, Kellan’s sword severed through a limb. Blood spurted across his face, his clothing, and along the edge of his blade. He’d taken Lucifer’s hand from the wrist down, and it tumbled to the ground beneath his feet, muscle and bone protruding from where the chunk of flesh once sat. With a blood curdling scream, Kellan was consumed in a wall of darkness for a mere moment before stepping out of it completely as the Dark King disappeared, his wounded figure retreating further up the mountain.
Kellan turned, fighting back that welling sea of rage that threatened to become him.
Demitria’s eyes were unnaturally wide as she gripped her abdomen with trembling fingers. Lucifer’s sword pierced clean through her body, staining the golden fuller of the blade.
“Kellan…” Her voice wavered, and he’d never heard that melodious voice so panicked. The terror in her eyes as she looked up at him, her body swaying as she crumpled to the ground beneath his feet. Kellan was beside her in a heartbeat, catching her frail body in his arms before she made impact. Holding her to him as he knelt there. Willing.Beggingthatgrowing inferno within him to subside. To just give him time to think. To figure something—anything, out.
“No… no.” His own fingers trembled as he reached for the blade marring the beautiful ivory of her soft skin. He was horrified at the events that had played out. It couldn’t be happening. It was supposed to be—should have been him.Him, that died on this battlefield. Not her. Never her.
Kellan’s hand curled around the blade, feeling it cut into his palm as his own blood mixed with hers. Panic set in, and he was ripping the sword from her body, hurling it away as if it had burned a permanent scar into his hand. Kellan could feel the blood on his fingertips. Her blood. They were both coated in her blood. It pooled around her, into his lap and across the stone, and he couldn’t make it stop as she began to bleed out.
He could feel it writhing beneath his skin, like a serpent, winding and slithering just below the surface as his power begged to be freed. To consume. To lay waste to anything and everything in his path.
“I’m… sorry.” She coughed, spitting up more of the crimson liquid that began to fill her lungs, and that tether went taut.
“Don’t say that. Don’t say you’re sorry.” He cried out, shaking his head. He couldn’t hear the words. Couldn’t let her say them. “You stay with me.” Kellan’s hand brushed across her face. Over the trembling bottom lip as he caressed her. Feeling as the warmth, her lifeforce, began to leave her body. Demitria coughed again, and it coated his armor. His shirt. “I mean it, Demitria. You aren’t going anywhere.”
He’d been a fucking idiot. Had led her into the trap that would take her life. A life that he wanted—needed more time to explore. To learn and map out every inch of her skin. Every freckle and scar. To commit everynoiseto memory. But there was always blood. More blood on his hands. Blood he had never wanted to spill over a war he had never wanted to happen.
“Kellan… I-I need you to know something.” She swallowed, wincing from the pain that coursed through her body from the gaping wound in her chest.
“Anything. Just stay here. Stay with me.” He pleaded, his fingers digging into her that little bit harder, as if she’d do just that.
Her eyes closed briefly, the movement slow and dragged out, and she laughed softly before the sound died out as she winced once more. “I was falling for you. Hard.” Kellan knew the sharp intake of breath sent another wave of searing pain through her, but she pushed on. Knowing the words needed to leave her lips before it was too late. “Harder than I ever thought was possible.” A hint of a smile graced her full lips, and he rubbed his thumb across them once more. “I think I love you.”
Something in him shattered. Like every single bone in his entire body broke at those threebeautifulwords. He was completely torn wide open, shattered into a million little pieces by that damning phrase, but he smiled at her anyway. Willing it to meet his eyes. “There was a reason I couldn’t kill you when we met. A pull I still can’t explain.” He whispered, not letting the panic that threatened to take hold, the tremble his body fought, find its way to his voice. “I needed you, more than I’ve ever needed anyone before. Now I need you to stay here.” Kellan’s forehead rested on her own as he closed his eyes. Something rumbling through him. A feeling he hadn’t felt before, almost as if he’d been the one who had been pierced through the chest. “I love you, Demitria.”
“I was sure I wouldn’t get to hear you say it, but I’m glad I could, even just once.” She smiled again, and Kellan could tell she was growing weaker with each breath she took. “I’ve wanted to hear it for a while.” Her breathing was shaky now, and a ragged sigh left her lips. “I hope we can meet again… someday.”She stared into his silver lined azure eyes as she drew her last breath, and her chest fell still.
For the first time in as long as he could remember, Kellan, one of the Four Horsemen, War. Warrior and bringer of destruction, hung his head and cried.
