Descent (A Hidden Wings Novella: Prequel)

  Descent

  A Hidden Wings Novella

  By Cameo Renae

  This Book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, duplicated, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior written consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

  Published by Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly Publishing

  Text Copyright 2013 by Cameo Renae

  Cover by Mae I Designs

  Dedications

  Descent is dedicated to all the readers who asked to know more about the characters. After writing this, I’ve fallen in love with them even more. Thank you!

  I’d also like to thank those who helped me make it shine: Karla Mathis Bostic, Kimberly Royals Belden, Heather Adams, and Sarah Davis (My AWESOME publisher). You all are my rock stars!

  To ALL the pages that helped promote, and to Derinda Love of Young Adult & Teen Readers, Amber Garcia, Christy Lynn Foster, and SJ Davis of Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly Publishing for helping with its launch.

  And last but not least. To my Street Team…for being there for me, encouraging me, reading, and sharing my stories…I love you all!!!

  Prologue

  Lucifer. His voice was like the softest of velvet and the sweetest of honey, filling the Heavens with the most glorious melodies. His music reverberated through every cell of your being; filling, lulling, and entrancing you with his song and worship.

  Because of this, he was praised by all that surrounded him. But, it would also be that constant praise which allowed pride to seep into the tiniest crevices of his heart. Pride slowly turned to jealousy. Jealousy turned to hate, and it was that hate which began to alter and callous his once pure heart.

  As time endured, Lucifer’s pride, his jealousy, his hate, and finally his deceit... led to THE FALL.

  Chapter One

  Samuel’s Beginning

  Samuel:

  I was given a choice and it was the most difficult, life altering decision one could ever make. Right or wrong. Life or death. Good or evil. At the time, I was so wrapped up in the deception that I didn’t realize how much that one choice would throw my whole existence into a spiraling decline. But in the end, it was my decision, and my consequence.

  After centuries of war and death, I wished I was given one more chance. A chance to rewind and do it all over again. It should have been an easy decision but my heart was torn.

  We were told that if we chose to stay in Heaven we would be bound under the laws of one Supreme Being, and be slaves for all eternity. If we left, we’d be free to do whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted.

  Or so I thought. That was the ultimate deception.

  I was a young angel. Not young in human years, but young in immortal years, and I still had much to learn. Lucifer was given leadership and authority to train up the younger to become the next worshipers. But, something happened. Something which was never intended. The very one whom God had chosen and saw fit to give charge over a third of his angels, was secretly and deceitfully plotting against him. One by one he turned the hearts and minds of the angels against their creator.

  I was one of those third entrusted in his care.

  Each one of us had slowly become brainwashed believing the sweet, yet forked tongue of our leader. Why should we have had any cause to doubt him? He was placed in the highest regard by the Almighty himself.

  He subliminally and constantly fed us his twisted truths; that we were slaves, and would be for all of eternity; that our very existence was to feed the selfish desires of one almighty being, when we ourselves were all powerful and immortal.

  God knew of his treachery, and allowed each immortal to choose. A simple choice. A choice to stay, or to leave with Lucifer.

  After each decided, those that chose Lucifer were immediately cast out of Heaven and banished for all eternity.

  A third of the angels fell with Lucifer that day, and as we fell our beautiful white wings caught fire and scorched black. Even after the healing they remained black. As dark as the heart of whom we fell with. Changed forever. Just as our entire reason for existence had.

  We were now banished to live in the most uninhabitable region existing, the Underworld, which was filled with nothing but sweltering heat and stench. There was no life in this God forsaken place. The ground was parched and sulfur rose from large cracks steaming from the molten lava, which flowed below. This was our new home. Our Hell.

  The majority of the first part of the century, after the Fall, was spent tunneling and building an underground empire for us and Lucifer to reside in. It was miles deep, but surprisingly they did come upon a hollow cavern which had water running deep, deep underground. It was much cooler than any other area in the Underworld, so Lucifer claimed the area as his dwelling.

  Lucifer’s dwelling was built in a way where it was nearly impossible to access, unless you were a member of the Fallen, or given authority. There were five levels of Hell, and each level was guarded by the fiercest, most horrifying creatures imaginable. Lucifer gathered and even birthed some of these creatures from the fiery pit of Hell.

  This made it nearly impossible to gain access to him. Anyone who attempted to travel through the levels…failed, and met their demise in the most horrific ways imaginable.

  We thought that after the fall, our existence, our life, would have changed for the better. We thought we would be free, and could do as we wished. We were never more wrong.

  We now had a new leader. A leader who craved more power and dominion than that of our creator. A leader whose heart turned so dark, so black, and so calloused, which turned us into slaves and warriors fighting a senseless war against our brothers. Those who fell with Lucifer and chose not to abide by his rules were immediately executed. So we did what we needed to, just to stay alive.

  For hundreds of years we fought against Heaven’s angels. We fought for power. We fought for human souls; we fought for dominion over the earth. We were never free.

  Each in authority was given one member to mentor. I was given a young angel named Danyel.

  Danyel wasn’t much younger than I, but he lacked most of the skills which were necessary to stay alive in battle. I took him under my wing and taught him everything I knew. Skills picked up and mastered, along with knowledge I had gained which kept me alive these past centuries.

  Danyel and I were companions, but through the many years of fighting together, he had also become my best friend, and even more so, like a brother to me. We fought side by side, defeating and accomplishing every task given to us, and had become a force to reckon with.

  For centuries we fought, but began to wonder what it was all for. Hundreds of angels died, and for what?

  Power?

  But we kept our conversations to ourselves. Never letting them linger for fear of being executed. So, we continued to fight the senseless war hoping that one day it would all end, and we could finally find some peace.

  But it wasn’t peace that finally found me. It was something much greater. Something I never expected or anticipated. I found happiness for the first time in a very long time, and that was the day I met Alaine.

  The Fallen were given permission to roam the mortal world freely, but I despised it almost as much as the Underworld. Most humans in my eyes were but mere cockroaches, scattering about with no real purpose. I, and the rest of the Angels, questioned why God had chosen to create them. They were just another flawed creation. Most of their leaders were evil and deceptive, and the majority of the populations followed like
sheep being led to slaughter.

  I had waited, anticipating the day I would witness their destruction. But, as the cockroaches, they somehow managed to survive.

  Lucian, one of Lucifer’s closest allies, was given charge over all his affairs. He was nearly as old as Lucifer and was powerful, ruthless, and had no problem dealing death to all he felt worthy… or even unworthy.

  He was swift to carry out executions and handed mercy to none. But slowly, as the years passed, and just as Lucifer…Lucian’s heart began to grow dark and cold.

  Because of Lucian’s high ranking position, pride slowly began to seep into his heart. Pride eventually turned to jealousy, and jealousy into hate. And it was that hate which began to build a wedge of disloyalty, distrust, and betrayal between him and Lucifer.

  Finally, one unsuspecting day, Lucian stood up to Lucifer and blasphemed him. He abandoned the Underworld, taking hundreds of Fallen with him. Fallen whose loyalties had now turned towards Lucian.

  But, I also remember the look in Lucifer’s eyes as they blazed with fire. Blazed with a deep seeded hatred and revenge. I knew, deep inside, that he would not allow Lucian to get away with such treacheries, but he surprised us all when he let him leave. Alive.

  We all knew it wouldn’t be long before Lucifer would have his revenge.

  But, let’s back up just a bit…to my beginning.

  My name is Samuel, and I was born a Pureblood Angel. My father and mother still reside in Heaven, and I…well, it’s obvious that I had chosen to become one of the Fallen.

  It has been a few centuries since the Fall, and over that long course of time I had become a fully trained and high ranking warrior in the Fallen’s army. My days and nights are mostly spent in very remote areas within the mortal world. I hate the Underworld. Most of the Fallen choose to stay there, because Lucifer keeps them well stocked with food and strong drink, but I can never handle the smell or the heat.

  Most of the Fallen stay away from the mortal world, unless they are called, because of its many temptations, and their hatred for the cockroaches.

  What does God see in them anyway?

  He should have destroyed them in the beginning, the day they fell in the Garden.

  He should have destroyed us all.

  There was one law. One binding law for both Angels and Fallen alike. None were to mate with the mortals. If they did and were caught, they would immediately be executed. If the mortal female became impregnated, they would also be hunted and killed.

  There were always those few Fallen who willingly chose to defy the law, and some who didn’t get caught. Thus, the Nephilim were born. Halfbreed children born to mortal mothers and immortal fathers. Because they were half immortal, each Nephilim was born with a gift, released on their eighteenth birthday. Until the transformation, they were completely human. But after, they became part of the immortal world, and easier to track because of their scent. Angels have a sweet unique scent that they use to identify each other. The Fallen had the same scent but it had a strong smoky smell along with it.

  Most Nephilim children had no knowledge of who or what they really were, and didn’t understand the transformation. When their gift came, some abused it, but most kept it secret. Even that didn’t work, because most were found and executed by Lucian and his league of Fallen.

  Chapter Two

  Alaine’s Beginning

  It was a bright moonlit night as Jane Wilder sat near the river, just down from her new home, dreaming up ways of how she’d like to spend her twenty-first birthday. This was her new favorite spot to escape from the rest of the world, breathe the fresh air, and relax under the canopy of the moon and stars.

  She’d just finished the tedious task of unpacking, having recently moved from the city to her new home out in the Oregon country. It wasn’t too far from the rest of civilization, but far enough to seem distant, which was ideal for her.

  Jane twisted a ribbon in her silky brown hair, letting it fall behind her. She closed her chocolate brown eyes, and let all other senses take over. The sound of the rushing water and the air stirring through the tall grass made her muscles loosen, and the stresses melt away. The cool night breeze blew gently, kissing her delicate skin, sending a shiver through her.

  She took in a breath of the fresh, crisp air, and smelled the many fragrances of wild flowers surrounding her, and then gently lay back into a blanket of tall, feathery grass. She almost fell asleep, when the breezes picked up and delivered a chilly gust. It woke her just enough to hear a rustling in the grass behind her.

  Jane slowly peeled her eyes open and saw a bright golden light appear out of nowhere. She gasped and immediately sat up, and then her breath seized as she turned around to witness an amazing sight. She thought she was dreaming, for behind her, stood the most beautiful stranger. She swore she saw white wings fold behind him, but when she blinked again…they were gone. She must have been hallucinating.

  He was tall and muscular; his body, perfectly proportioned. His golden hair fell like waves of silk down his shoulders. His skin glowed in a golden haze around him. His eyes were dark brown, but had a golden ring around them. His features were strong and sharp, and looked as if they were chiseled by God himself. He was too perfect. A masterpiece, and much too beautiful to be human.

  Jane’s immediate emotion was fear, but the longer she gazed into his eyes, an overwhelming sense of tranquility washed over her. A sense of knowing that she was safe with him, even though she had no clue who he was. His presence was like a warm blanket, enveloping her, wrapping her in a wonderful, seductive magic.

  He stepped forward, slowly holding his hand out to her, and she didn’t hesitate. Jane automatically stood to her feet and stepped toward him. As soon as she took hold of his hand, the world around her melted away.

  She was lost, in complete and total ecstasy. His breathe, his smell, his touch, completely intoxicated her. She was drunk with his presence, dizzy, but yet every part of her was alive and tingled in excitement.

  The ethereal visitor laid her down in the grass. He knew it was against the law, but the attraction to this mortal was too much for him to withhold. He was taken by her, and Jane was completely taken by him, both having never experienced such feelings before.

  That night the stranger romanced her by the river. His touch melted every part of her body. His breath made her world spin. His kiss was unyielding, hot and deep, sending electricity buzzing through her entire body.

  She would have never given in so fast to lustful desires. Never. It wasn’t like her. But, there was something so magnetizing about him that she could not resist.

  The next morning, the bright sun greeted Jane’s tired eyes. She was alone, still lying down by the river, her mind still lost in a fog. She wondered how she could still be there, but as sure as the river flowed, it all came rushing back to her.

  The stranger.

  The lust.

  The unimaginable things they did out in the open.

  Her clothes were still on, and for a moment she wondered if it was all just a dream. But there was something that seemed so real. His face. She couldn’t shake the face of the stranger, which was now imbedded, into her memory. A beautiful face with no name.

  She closed her eyes and as she did, she suddenly felt dizzy and nauseous.

  She headed back to the house, and decided to lay down for a bit, thinking it was just a passing feeling. Maybe it was just the beginning of a cold. But those feelings only grew worse.

  Jane didn’t tell anyone about her one-night stand with the stranger, because no one would believe her anyway. Having a one-night stand was something she was completely against, and besides, she didn’t want anyone to know, especially her parents, who were esteemed members of their church.

  A few weeks passed and Jane’s symptoms became worse. She learned that whatever happened down by the river was definitely not a dream, and that the beautiful stranger had left her with a gift. An unwelcomed gift.

  Jane was pregnant.
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  But what Jane didn’t realize what that this gift was from an immortal. A Pureblooded Angel, and it was his seed that grew quickly within her womb. Her child would be a Nephilim. A Halfbreed. Half human and half angel, and right now, these were dangerous times to be in.

  There were different jobs for each Angel. Some were worshipers, some warriors, some Guardians. Most of the Guardians were sent to a place called the Midway.

  The Midway was a point resting just between Heaven and Earth. A place where Heaven dispatched Guardian Angels out on specific assignments, and where Guardians were transported through portholes which would open up into different locations all over the earth; points of entry which would take them closest to their commissions.

  It was necessary for the Guardians to use the portholes because they didn’t have wings. They were to blend in with the mortal society, and remain hidden from those they were guarding. But sometimes, human contact was necessary, as was the case with Jane.

  One specific Guardian was sent to Jane, but this Guardian was not sent from the Midway. She was sent from Jane’s admirer, on a very secretive assignment. None knew of her assignment, except one, her mate. But he also didn’t know the details.

  The Guardian’s name was Khelsey, one of a handful of female Guardians. She was breathtakingly beautiful, and stood around six feet tall. She was lean, toned, and had the silkiest golden hair which fell down her back. Her eyes sparkled like the brightest sapphires.

  But Khelsey wasn’t only beautiful, she was a skilled warrior, and could fight right alongside the best of her male counterparts. Her assignment was to watch and protect Jane while she carried the Nephilim child, and to give her comfort.

  A few select others were sent out on a mission to find the most desirable and deserving home for the child to be raised, and not a single word was to be breathed about the birth, because it would put Jane and her child in grave danger.