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“You will. When you are ready, call on Me.” Father raised a hand and His light surrounded Theo.
Daniel
The clash of metal woke Daniel with a start. “What’s going on?” He pushed himself upright and stared out from the mouth of the tunnel leading back to the locker room at the mayhem going on throughout the underground fight club. Humans versus humans, angels versus demons. But where was… “Theo!” The angel slumped over right before his eyes.
Daniel scrambled over to Theo’s sprawled, bloody body. His robes were torn, wings a shattered mess. “No, no, no. You can’t die on me, Theo. God promised you’d be mine forever. Forever doesn’t end today.” He wanted to touch his angel, but unsure where to lay his hands without causing further harm, he grabbed Theo’s robes and shoved his face into the fabric, screaming at him to “Live, damn it, live.”
He laid his cheek against Theo’s and whispered into the angel’s ear everything he felt in his heart. “I do love you. I promise to be better. With you by my side, I know I can be better. No more drinking or gambling. I’ll go back to school and earn a degree. I’ll devote my life to helping others. I know I can do it because you’ll be with me, loving me, guiding me. And I’ll do the same for you. I’ll help you navigate this new world. With God as my witness, I love you. I think I have from the very moment I saw you a year ago.”
Theo’s eyes popped open. He stared up at Daniel, blinked, then grabbed him and pulled him down in a hard, messy kiss. Their eyes were both open to start, but after a moment, Daniel closed his, drawing back just enough to smooth out their rough kiss to something gentler, something filled with care and love.
“I love you. I love you,” Theo murmured against Daniel’s lips. They gazed at each other, so close together, Daniel’s eyes almost crossed, but he didn’t dare move.
The ring of steel on steel jarred them both. They separated and scuttled deeper into the hallway, escaping how near they were to the fighting. Troian’s crimson body bled black streaks from the multitude of cuts on its arms, legs, and torso. One wing hung crooked, one eye was nothing more than an empty socket, and still the demon fought, turning in circles, catching any who got too close. John, Sy, El, and Nate all bore slashes to their arms and legs. Their robes were torn and stained with blood, both red and black. On the ground, Judah, Ari, and Leo ran about, darting in where they could, stabbing at Troian’s legs and flanks. They looked tired, though, taking longer and longer to recover after each dash and slash.
“I think the demon is wearing them out,” Daniel said, pointing out the former angels. “Our human bodies can’t keep up with that kind of pace.”
“I’ve got to help them.” Theo took a step forward, but Daniel yanked him back. “You can’t, you’re— Wait. You’re healed?”
Theo gazed at him a moment and then winked. “As are you. God works in mysterious ways.” He patted Daniel’s hand where he held him, then walked toward the melee, drawing his sword. Daniel stood frustrated as he watched his angel join the fray. Troian seemed like they would outlast them all. How would they ever defeat it?
“Daniel!” someone yelled behind him. “Look out!”
He spun to see Bull running straight at him. Daniel tensed, knowing he wouldn’t be able to escape the man’s headlong rush. A swoosh of color zipped in front of him and Bull was gone, but the crash to his left had him staring.
Sabre lay groaning in a heap on top of Bull, who wasn’t moving at all. Daniel ran to aid his friend.
“Sabre! You saved me. Are you alright?”
“Yeah.” Sabre stood up. Daniel grabbed him when he swayed. “I’ll be fine. Thanks. Just give me a second.”
“Here,” Glen pushed a chair at Sabre’s legs. “Sit. Let me check you over.” When Sabre opened his mouth to refuse, Glen cut him off. “Please.”
Sabre huffed and sat. “I’m fine.”
“Let me be the judge of that.” Glen patted Sabre’s upper arm gently.
“Ari!”
Gabriel’s cry had Daniel twisting to see what was going on. Judah had Ari over his shoulders, carrying him in a wide arc to where they were standing. Daniel watched long enough to make sure they were in the clear before turning back to the ongoing battle between good and evil.
Theo and the Maccabee brothers were majestic in flight, performing a beautiful dance in the air as they swooped and dodged. Theo’s presence seemed to rejuvenate them. They glowed with divine power; their swords found their mark more often. Troian’s screeches of outrage rattled both the overturned chairs scattered about and the empty cage in the center of the room.
As he watched, however, Troian landed a lucky strike on El, and then Sy went down. Nate dove away to ensure his brothers were okay, leaving just John and Theo to fight the crimson demon.
When another lucky swipe of its claws caught John’s sword arm, his blade tumbling to the ground, Daniel held his breath. Theo was alone, and the demon was ignoring him as it took slow, lumbering steps toward Daniel.
“Adonai!” Theo shouted. “Aid us, my King!” He threw his arms wide and head back, body arching as a brilliant white light surrounded him. The light was so bright, Daniel had to cover his eyes. When it faded, his angel was gone, and the demon was getting closer and closer.
Frantically, Daniel looked around as he huddled in the mouth of the hallway.Where’s Theo? Where’s my angel?
Daniel stepped into the open, without a care for the demon still advancing. “Where’s Theo?” he shouted at the Maccabee brothers. The answer he received came not from John or Sy or El, but a ferocious growl that echoed from the dark hall behind him. Hands pulled at his arm, tugging him out of the way as a huge white tiger raced from the darkness into the arena.
The tiger roared as it ran full speed at Troian, claws and teeth bared to rip into the demon. Unprepared, Troian fell under the weight of the tiger, who clamped onto the demon’s exposed throat with his teeth and ripped it away. Black blood spilled from the torn flesh. The demon managed one weak hit on the tiger, but the tiger barely noticed as it continued to slash with every one of its sharp claws, shredding the demon into barely held-together pieces.
“Thelial, that’s enough,” John said, approaching the tiger slowly. “You have bested the demon and saved your mate. You have saved us all.”
Thelial…? Why was John calling the tiger by Theo’s na—? “Theo?” Daniel said in a small voice.
