Cherrie Lynn Far From Heaven [Samhain] (pdf)

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she d never seen before. Big, golden-haired& and the most frightening thing she d ever seen in her life with
that killing hatred burning in his black eyes. As she stared in horror, they began to glow red.
Pain radiated from her chest, further cutting off her air and, when she tried to cry out, no sound would
come. His hand shot out to grip her throat, the hold tightening to bone-crushing proportions. His other hand
slammed into her chest and the agony there went nuclear, partially blinding her. Every nerve in her body
screamed as if it were being torn out. But she knew, in the moment before the sudden rushing darkness
could claim her completely, that it wasn t anything physical being torn out. It was her soul.
Ash, help me! He couldn t leave her now. He wouldn t.
She could no longer see, or feel, but she could hear. A sudden flutter like a thousand wings beating
the air. An infuriated shout, an answering roar.
There was no strength in her; she could only assume she was lying on the ground by now. Judging
from the direction the sounds were coming from, she was. She wondered if her heart even continued to
beat. But it had to, didn t it? She was alive; she wasn t dead yet. The noises of a vicious fight were still
swirling around her, close and then distant and then close again. Whoever they were, they seemed to be
locked in a death-match.
Her muddled brain tried to make sense of the words tearing from their straining throats.
You can t touch her soul. It is written
I can still kill the whore.
Kill her, and she goes with me. You ve still lost.
Maddie tried to move and sensed& nothing. Numbness should be preferable to pain, only at the
moment, it wasn t. It was infinitely more terrifying. She wasn t aware of the ground beneath her, of the
blades of grass that should be prickling against her cheek.
What if she was dead? The voices coming from above her, arguing over her& they didn t sound like
any voices she d ever heard before. One of them was so clear and piercing it was almost painful and she
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clung to that, because it was the only sensation she could discern in this tumult of darkness but the other
was low and menacing, a growl that couldn t have come from a human throat. The only thing she knew was
neither of them was Ash, and she wanted him, needed him to come put a stop to this&
The noise from the fighting reached a crescendo. Maddie wanted nothing more than to get up and run
away as fast as she could, but nothing on her body worked.
Paralyzed. Whatever he did to you, you re paralyzed.
After those words whispered through her half-functioning mind, all her thoughts became one repeated
prayer.
Oh, please, God, help me&
Suddenly, absolute silence descended, and for one terrible instant she thought her hearing had gone
too. But then she heard her name in that crystal, too-clear voice, sharp as wind chimes. It came from right
above her.
Madeleine?
She couldn t reply. Would he think she was dead if she couldn t answer him? She found that, cold as
she was, she could grow far colder and darkness could reach far deeper at the thought of those
ramifications.
The voice grew softer, sighing. Oh, Madeleine. I should have seen this coming.
What did that mean?
She wanted to weep from this frustration.
Riam stared down at the crumpled figure on the ground and wanted to drop through the earth and
thrash every demon in Hell. Especially the one whose fault it was she was brought into this situation in the
first place.
But his anger was short-lived. It turned out he d lied to that one, assuring him everything would be all
right. He had to gnaw his lip to keep from uttering a curse. After all these years, he should have learned not
to overestimate the demons ability to adhere to the rules. He d been a fool.
Saklon, the coward who particularly enjoyed deeds such as this, had retreated back to the slimy,
slithering depths from whence he d come and left Riam with a colossal mess to clean up. Quickly, he
surveyed the area to make sure Madeleine wasn t in danger of being found, then he stilled himself to send
out the telepathic distress call to the earthbound angels of the area.
This is Riam of the Order Iaoth, requesting aid for transport of a human female to the nearest safe
house. He gave the address, though the angels were all aware of one another s locations and one of them
should be able to find him easily.
A moment later, the answer came.
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This is Celeste. I m en route, Riam. ETA fifteen minutes.
Good. If someone found Madeleine like this, she would be taken straight to a hospital. Not good.
Kneeling next to her, he laid a hand upon her head and felt in one consuming rush the fear ripping her
thoughts to shreds. Her soul was hanging on by mere threads. He could see it, like a vague, shimmery
superimposition of herself overlaying her skin. Another second and she d have been free of her mortal
confines. He would ve had no choice but to take her with him.
What choice did he have now? He couldn t put her back. But neither could he leave her this way, with
one foot in her world and one in his. Maybe he should have let Saklon finish the job; at least then she
would be free. But the horror of what had been going on right before his eyes had been too much for him to
stand by and watch. He d jumped to action without thinking.
Madeleine, can you hear me? There s no need to speak. Think of what you want to say to me, and
I ll hear it.
What happened to me? Even her mental voice was weak, wavering.
I take it Ashemnon explained to you what he was, what he had planned for you?
Yes.
That was one of his superiors who attacked you just now. He didn t succeed at killing you, but now
you re& in between.
What happens to me now? Where is Ash? Please, I need him.
I m sorry, Madeleine. I ll try to help you any way I can.
Who are you?
My name is Riam.
Are you& like Ash?
No. I m the opposite.
You re an angel?
Yes.
Worry lanced through the thoughts coming from her. She was wondering about the implications of the
fact she was conversing with an angel. He stroked her head, knowing she couldn t feel it, but wishing he
could soothe her somehow. He got the distinct impression that she didn t necessarily want to ask the
question that formed in her mind then.
Can I be saved?
That depends on your definition of salvation.
Go back to the way I was before?
Riam sighed. He didn t have any answers for her. Just rest for now, Madeleine. You re safe.
Someone is coming for you. Her name is Celeste. Trust her, she is like me, only confined to the earth. You
won t be able to communicate with her like you can with me, but she ll take care of you.
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A sharp blast of panic came from her. But& where are you going?
I have to see what I can do to fix this. I ll remain here with you until she arrives. Just hold on. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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