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The darkness swallows me whole.
18
Visions
Storm
“Storm!”Riella’sbodystiffensin my arms, her voice ringing through the air as she shouts against my mouth. I pull back in surprise. She went from kissing me—one of the most amazing kisses I’ve ever had in my whole entire life—to yelling. But it’s not at me. She’s screaming for me like I no longer lay on top of her.
Staring at her face, I search her expression. Her eyes shift from violet to milky white, and fire crackles in her palms. I realize now what’s happening. She’s having a vision.
I need to reach her. If she’s anything like me, a part of her should still be tethered to the present. It will just take a little effort to get her to return to me and pull herself out of her own mind. “Riella, can you hear me?” I watch for signs of a reaction to my voice, but I see nothing. I have to break her out of this, except I’m not sure how to do that yet. All I know is if I don’t pull her from her mind, we might lose her. If that happens, we’ll lose all hope for humanity right along with her.
Her white eyes rapidly move back and forth, the milky pupil expanding and retracting. Opening and closing her mouth, she gulps in ragged breaths. Beads of sweat drip down her forehead. She doesn’t look to be in any pain, but whatever she witnesses scares her. I just wish I could see what she does, so I could help her.
The only way I can try to tap into her vision is extremely dangerous, but I need to try. I’ve never seen someone experience a vision so intensely. Mine aren’t even this bad. And given what and who we’re up against, I don’t see any other way to help. This is something I have only tried once at the Tabris Hunter Academy, and that was under the strict supervision of a psychic hunter gifted with a mind’s eye similar to mine. I was supposed to learn more about it, like how to control the flow of another’s visions, but River got us thrown out. His problem with authority and his hot-headed attitude pushed too many people, and after he refused to heal one of the elders because of him being a douche, they decided we weren’t worth keeping around. I would have loved to have stayed and learned more. River, on the other hand, was happy to go. He always said experience beats education any day.
As for me? I’m not so sure. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve learned a lot from hands-on experience but educating myself by learning from others is just as important. Some days—hell, most days—my brother is just a broody asshole, but he’s my brother and I love him. I will nut punch him for this though. Maybe knock his teeth out if I can’t get Riella from her vision.
“Riella, please. Please, listen to my voice.” My words come out as a prayer, and I raise my hands and cup Riella’s face between my palms. I call out to her once again, hoping against all odds that I can reach her without having to delve into her mind. Not only is it potentially fatal for both of us, but it is also extremely intrusive to the person I’m trying to bring out of the vision.
I was warned about only doing this as a last resort, and that’s where I am. She’s far too deep in the vision to pull her out any other way.
“Please, God. Help me help her. I know she’s lost her grace, but I know she’s not truly forsaken.” Inhaling a deep breath, I move my trembling hands to her temples. I close my eyes and say a holy chant in Aramaic. Tingles course over my skin, the incantation working. I open my eyes, letting the vision pull me in. Flames consume the world around me, devouring a barren landscape of gnarled trees and black rocks. I’ve seen a vision of Hell before, and I recognize the dark crimson color of the sky and inky clouds. In the distance, I notice a small town with flames rising from around it. If this is a vision of Hell, it must mean one thing: Dagan taps into Riella’s mind, which is why she struggles to escape. This can’t be good.
A shockwave zaps through my soul, and my surroundings shift as I’m pulled into the city and in front of a three-story brownstone mansion. I look around to see peo—err, demons—milling around the street.
Strange, uninviting emotions cause me to take an automatic step back. Someone sighs, yanking my attention away from the darkness seeping across the world in front of me. Turning to where it comes from, I spot Riella standing behind me. Thank God that I found her. I’m not sure she notices me yet, or if she can even see me at all. I open my mouth to call out to her, but then I remember this is a vision and we can’t interact. I’m solely bearing witness to her mind’s eye.
I need to truly connect with her. That’s the risky part. I can’t control what happens after. Once I merge our minds, we might get lost together.
But I have to try. She was once an angel, and I fully believe that I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t meant to. We were brought together by fate and the Almighty. Our kiss might’ve even strengthened the bond we started forming.
Closing my eyes, I step closer and imagine her lips against mine once more. I concentrate on the sensation of warmth building between us and how touching her feels like experiencing eternal paradise even if she lost her grace.
“Riella, please. Let me in. Let me help you.” I reach out, pressing my fingers into her temples, positioning my ethereal form as I do my corporeal form back in River’s room. “Riella? Can you hear me? I’m here. Just look at me. Feel my soul. You’re not alone.”
A small gasp escapes her lips, and she locks her vivid eyes to mine, the violet color no longer the white from the mortal plane. She slumps her shoulders in relief, her body relaxing as she covers my hands with her own. “Storm? I’m so confused. How are you here? I’m not sure what’s going on. Did Hell take me? I can’t escape. I’m trapped.” She gestures toward the brownstone and then the street.
I give her a halfhearted smile. “You’re in a vision. Somehow you went into it during our...uh...kiss. it might have been meant for me but since we were...uh...well you might have intercepted it.” I pull my hand from her and scratch the back of my neck, feeling a little embarrassed.
She shakes her head. “I don’t know. I’ve never had a vision like this before. Well, I mean, not before Adriel gave me the one where he foresaw the end of humanity. The one he pushed me for.”
“You were pushed?” I tighten my jaw.
“Adriel knew I was scared, and he was trying to help me. He knew I wouldn’t otherwise, but—” She turns away, hiding the tears welling in her eyes.
So that’s how she ended up falling from grace. The archangel she trusted to guide her sent her to Earth. But why? None of the old books speak of such a thing. Angels stay away from humanity and only contact prophets through visions like mine. I’ll have to stow away this information to research later. Something feels utterly wrong about Riella’s revelation, but we have more urgent matters to attend to. Like why we’re in Hell and how we get out of this vision.
“I don’t know anything anymore. It scares me.” Her bottom lip pouts with her words. “I just want to leave. You need to teach me how to make this stop.”
Biting my bottom lip, I say, “The only way a vision stops for me is by letting it play out. You’re experiencing this for a reason, and it could give you the answers you seek.”
She frowns, groaning lowly. “I’ve been here for what seems like forever. Nothing changes. Ever. It’s just this street and the fire.”
I open my mouth to encourage her to focus again when the door of the brownstone opens, and Dagan walks out. My body tenses, my soul screaming at the sight of the monstrous prince of Hell in his evil, monstrous form. Tentacles slide from beneath his shirt and wrap around another demon, dragging it out to the stoop.
“So, Ansel, you have all the arrangements made for me topside?” Dagan rocks on his heels, shifting into a more humanoid form, though something still looks wrong.
