Coming DarknessAmazon
An archangel in exile. A powerful race of vengeful creatures. A conflict of world-ending proportions.
Archangel Lucifer's spoiled life comes to a halt as he learns that Heaven is empty, and his Father missing. Seeking answers, he’s brought face to face with a race of Creator-Gods unhappy with his Father and the world He created. Planning to wipe out this heresy and letting Darkness reclaim the earth, they imprison Lucifer in Hell.
Meanwhile, the Archangel's lover sets out to prove his opponents wrong. But Lucifer’s influence runs deeper in Kai than he suspected, and the fear that he’s merely Lucifer’s pet becomes all too real.
Excerpt:
Stepping in the doorway, Roberta stopped cold. Standing in the middle of the
spacious office were two men. The one dressed in black had a dark, olive
complexion, long, black hair, and tattoos on his face that trailed down his neck
and under his collar. The other had brilliant red hair and looked like he
stepped out of a fairy tale and… Was that a bow and quiver on his back?
The most astonishing part of this scene though, was not the oddity of the men, which was par for the course around here, but that the tattooed man had The Asshole pinned under his boot.
Crying.
She didn’t know what to do. A small voice somewhere in the back of her mind told her to run before any of them noticed her.
Too late. The tattooed man stopped what he was doing and looked at her. The other one, following his gaze, turned to look at her as well. Both gazes fixed her to the spot, and she trembled.
“His wife?” Tattooed man asked, taking a step toward her. “Where is his wife?”
“Don’t you tell this bloodsucking son-of-a-bitch, you fat fucking cow. Don’t you say a fucking word.” The Asshole raised himself onto his knees and shouted at her.
Even on his knees and blubbering, he insults me. She felt a tickle of satisfaction when the tattooed man cuffed him on the side of his head.
“That’s no way to speak to a lady,” he told The Asshole, who started another bout of crying.
“Please, you can’t take my wife. Let me… let me call Lord Te. I’m sure we can work something out.” He was alternately trying to grab the man’s pant leg and shying away from touching him. Roberta watched, fascinated, as he did this a few times while making his pleas.
She pitied him, which surprised her, since the only thing she felt for him since the day they’d met had been intense hatred. The tattooed man drew a metal band attached to a length of chain out of his coat pocket and, grabbing The Asshole by the hair, fastened the metal band—a collar?—around his neck.
That’s it—I’m asleep at my desk. There is no way something this crazy could be real.
“You were asked a question.” The man out of a fairy tale addressed her, immediately dispelling her illusion. “You would do well to answer it.”
He came toward her. Finally able to move, she threw the tray at him and turned to run. Vaguely she thought it odd that she didn’t hear the tray hit him or crash to the floor. That thought drowned in the realization that she wasn’t moving.
“Turn around.”
Her body was not her own as it obeyed without her consent. Absently she noted the tray positioned neatly on the floor by the door, as if she’d carefully placed it there. The man was moving toward her now. Too late she realized don’t look into his eyes. Her will to do anything but what he wanted dissolved the instant she did. Something from him squashed any sense of self-preservation. He burned through her, and she would gladly smolder to a cinder and not lift a finger to save herself.
“Knock it off, Uriel.” She heard an exasperated voice say. Uriel? What a beautiful name. The tattooed man brushed past the one named Uriel to come toward her, leading The Asshole by the leash.
“Do you want the information or not?” Uriel replied, never breaking eye contact with her.
The conversation flowed around her as she floated on white puffy clouds of adoration.
“Not if you make a drooling idiot out of her, I don’t.”
Uriel’s hair is so red. It can only be what true red looks like.
“Do you actually care?”
This was the red that nature and man alike strove to capture. Vibrant fire! The truth of it will always elude them, but I see it. I know. She did and was warmed from the inside by the knowledge, knowing it was special and only for her.
“Yes, I do actually—and you should too.”
#
Kai looked at the blank look on the woman’s face and shook his head, disgusted. He’d warmed to Uriel but now could feel a rush of disappointment as he was reminded how ruthless the angels were in the pursuit of their goals—innocents be damned. It galled him how they were so unnecessarily cruel.
The woman smiled in delight when Uriel raised his hand toward her. “Take my hand, child,” he said. The oozing sweetness of his voice was nauseating. He watched as the woman took Uriel’s hand. “Now, this one’s wife is hiding from me. Do you know where she is?”
“Most likely she’s in their house on the grounds,” the woman replied, breathless.
“Good girl,” praised Uriel. “Picture it in your mind… that’s it.”
They were all instantly transported to the foyer of the main house. Gregory moaned. The woman swooned and would have fallen if Kai hadn’t caught her. He gently lowered her limp body to the ground, throwing a murderous glare at Uriel in the process. Once he’d released the woman, Kai turned to Gregory.
“Now, call your wife. If you try to warn her, I swear to you I will request that you be given to me and your fate will be ten times worse than the worst Lord Te could ever do. Do you understand?”
Gregory nodded shakily. True, Kai could search the house for her, but that was tedious. He’d spent more time on this job than he’d planned and was eager to be done and gone.
“Catherine...” Gregory began, the sound little more than a croak. Kai hardened his gaze.
“Do you want me to rip your heart out? I will, and Lord Te will heal you and bring you back to life so I can do it again,” he hissed. Gregory paled; his eyes rolled back in his head. Kai slapped him again. “Don’t you dare. Call her again.”
Gregory took a deep breath, “Catherine, come here, darling. I’ve something to show you.” He called up the wide staircase that curved up the right side of the foyer.
The woman came screaming out of a door on the lower floor, firing a cross bolt into Kai. The bolt hit with a thump and, taking him off guard, knocked him back a step. She reloaded and leveled the crossbow at Uriel.
The most astonishing part of this scene though, was not the oddity of the men, which was par for the course around here, but that the tattooed man had The Asshole pinned under his boot.
Crying.
She didn’t know what to do. A small voice somewhere in the back of her mind told her to run before any of them noticed her.
Too late. The tattooed man stopped what he was doing and looked at her. The other one, following his gaze, turned to look at her as well. Both gazes fixed her to the spot, and she trembled.
“His wife?” Tattooed man asked, taking a step toward her. “Where is his wife?”
“Don’t you tell this bloodsucking son-of-a-bitch, you fat fucking cow. Don’t you say a fucking word.” The Asshole raised himself onto his knees and shouted at her.
Even on his knees and blubbering, he insults me. She felt a tickle of satisfaction when the tattooed man cuffed him on the side of his head.
“That’s no way to speak to a lady,” he told The Asshole, who started another bout of crying.
“Please, you can’t take my wife. Let me… let me call Lord Te. I’m sure we can work something out.” He was alternately trying to grab the man’s pant leg and shying away from touching him. Roberta watched, fascinated, as he did this a few times while making his pleas.
She pitied him, which surprised her, since the only thing she felt for him since the day they’d met had been intense hatred. The tattooed man drew a metal band attached to a length of chain out of his coat pocket and, grabbing The Asshole by the hair, fastened the metal band—a collar?—around his neck.
That’s it—I’m asleep at my desk. There is no way something this crazy could be real.
“You were asked a question.” The man out of a fairy tale addressed her, immediately dispelling her illusion. “You would do well to answer it.”
He came toward her. Finally able to move, she threw the tray at him and turned to run. Vaguely she thought it odd that she didn’t hear the tray hit him or crash to the floor. That thought drowned in the realization that she wasn’t moving.
“Turn around.”
Her body was not her own as it obeyed without her consent. Absently she noted the tray positioned neatly on the floor by the door, as if she’d carefully placed it there. The man was moving toward her now. Too late she realized don’t look into his eyes. Her will to do anything but what he wanted dissolved the instant she did. Something from him squashed any sense of self-preservation. He burned through her, and she would gladly smolder to a cinder and not lift a finger to save herself.
“Knock it off, Uriel.” She heard an exasperated voice say. Uriel? What a beautiful name. The tattooed man brushed past the one named Uriel to come toward her, leading The Asshole by the leash.
“Do you want the information or not?” Uriel replied, never breaking eye contact with her.
The conversation flowed around her as she floated on white puffy clouds of adoration.
“Not if you make a drooling idiot out of her, I don’t.”
Uriel’s hair is so red. It can only be what true red looks like.
“Do you actually care?”
This was the red that nature and man alike strove to capture. Vibrant fire! The truth of it will always elude them, but I see it. I know. She did and was warmed from the inside by the knowledge, knowing it was special and only for her.
“Yes, I do actually—and you should too.”
#
Kai looked at the blank look on the woman’s face and shook his head, disgusted. He’d warmed to Uriel but now could feel a rush of disappointment as he was reminded how ruthless the angels were in the pursuit of their goals—innocents be damned. It galled him how they were so unnecessarily cruel.
The woman smiled in delight when Uriel raised his hand toward her. “Take my hand, child,” he said. The oozing sweetness of his voice was nauseating. He watched as the woman took Uriel’s hand. “Now, this one’s wife is hiding from me. Do you know where she is?”
“Most likely she’s in their house on the grounds,” the woman replied, breathless.
“Good girl,” praised Uriel. “Picture it in your mind… that’s it.”
They were all instantly transported to the foyer of the main house. Gregory moaned. The woman swooned and would have fallen if Kai hadn’t caught her. He gently lowered her limp body to the ground, throwing a murderous glare at Uriel in the process. Once he’d released the woman, Kai turned to Gregory.
“Now, call your wife. If you try to warn her, I swear to you I will request that you be given to me and your fate will be ten times worse than the worst Lord Te could ever do. Do you understand?”
Gregory nodded shakily. True, Kai could search the house for her, but that was tedious. He’d spent more time on this job than he’d planned and was eager to be done and gone.
“Catherine...” Gregory began, the sound little more than a croak. Kai hardened his gaze.
“Do you want me to rip your heart out? I will, and Lord Te will heal you and bring you back to life so I can do it again,” he hissed. Gregory paled; his eyes rolled back in his head. Kai slapped him again. “Don’t you dare. Call her again.”
Gregory took a deep breath, “Catherine, come here, darling. I’ve something to show you.” He called up the wide staircase that curved up the right side of the foyer.
The woman came screaming out of a door on the lower floor, firing a cross bolt into Kai. The bolt hit with a thump and, taking him off guard, knocked him back a step. She reloaded and leveled the crossbow at Uriel.
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