Purgatorial

Devil's Cove

Six Days Ago

My back arched as something sputtered from my mouth. I felt like a giant ice-cube. My throat ached badly, reminding me of my first College party. I'd drunk too much and spent the rest of the night hugging the toilet, throwing up the Devil's juice known as Tequila. Argh. The stinging felt exactly the same. Another shudder attacked, causing me to heave again. This time I didn't fall back on the hard ground. When I tipped backward, feeling like life had been sucked out of me, a strong arm drew around my waist. The first thing I saw once I managed to wring my eyes open was my lap. My jeans were soaked, looking five shades darker.

"Phi..." my attempt at Phillip's name ended in an abrupt wheeze.

"Shh, I'm here. Breathe, babe. I'm not going anywhere." Phillip's arm curled, keeping me glued to his side. "You lost consciousness for like half a minute before I got us out. You have no idea how glad I am for health class. I could actually kiss the person who invented CPR." Phill changed his stance, maneuvering his body behind mine. He pulled me against his front, nestling me between his legs. He hugged me and just after ten seconds the coldness began to ease.

"A-Are you... o-okay?" my teeth chattered and my burning larynx didn't help. My respect for penguins grew a ton. They lived where no one wanted to, brave little soldiers. Soldiers? Hmm, I might have suffered temporary brain damage. Or I hoped it was temporary.

"I'm alright. I'm going to make it hotter. Tell me if it's too much, okay?"

I nodded distractedly, feeling along the jumper jacket for Phillip's hands. I found them knotted above my stomach. In a blink, Phillip's hands unlatched and clasped mine in a safe cocoon. Phillip was a walking, talking heater. Water started draining from our clothes, bodies and hairs. He was turning his body's heat so high we were smoking, we could literally watch the water evaporate into steam.

"You're incredible," I whispered uncaring of my vocal chords' protests.

"Nah," one hand let go of mine, lifting to my face. With a finger Phillip swiped a golden strand from my eye. "I bet you say that to all the guys who save you from drowning." A croaky laugh slipped free. Turning my head to the side, I found just how close Phillip's face was. Because we were sitting down, his mouth was leveled with my nose. He took advantage by kissing its tip.

I had to let go of a heavy sigh before my lips tipped up in a tender smile. It eased off too quickly. My brain was finally defrosting. I twisted around some, ending up on my knees. I made a decent grab for his shoulders, shaking him.

"You idiot. You stayed! You should've gone with them."

Phillip grasped the hands on his shoulders, leaning forward. I tugged free, or tried, but he wouldn't allow any distance between us. I was stuck while Don Juan detoured my dead-serious conversation with some kissy action. It was unacceptable. A shudder made my stomach flip-flop and I could feel my lips open an inch once Phillip's mouth brushed them. Traitorous body.

"Don't kiss me to shut me up..."

His lips stretched into a wide smirk.

"I would never do that." I gave him a pointed look. His smirk dissolved into a pout. Oh... I quivered when he stuck out his lower lip for dramatic effect. "I'm serious. I like the sound of your voice way too much."

"I bet you say that to all the girls you rescue."

"Oh, someone's learned how to copy-cat." My head cocked backward. Phillip crowding me was half-way to dumbsville and I needed to think straight.

"This isn't the time to flirt. You made a stupid mistake-"

"Yeah, according to my brother I'm prone to those. He still thinks I was an idiot for making the Deal that saved his life." Okay. He seriously needed better attention. Not to mention he needed to stop interrupting me... "But this-staying with you-it's not a mistake. Neither was saving his life, but that's not important now. What is important..." he paused, curling his fingers harder around mine. I swallowed reading his electric eyes. "It's important that you know why I stayed."

Despite all the heat Phillip was radiating, I suddenly felt ice-cold like I'd gone swimming with Polar Bears. It had all happened so fast. I'd... I'd forgotten what Phillip confessed back in the caves. Three little words that carried a very big meaning floated up from the obscure corners of my mind.

My heart skipped a beat, doing a silly flip-flop. Gosh. This was putting me off my game. I wasn't shy. I wasn't the type to be intimidated by emotions. I was an adult, dammit. A woman who knew what she wanted, someone who'd been aiming to major in Psychology. Also, I was a Witch, a Solstice Witch. It was time to take control of my mind, body and soul.

With a short intake, I met Phillip's eyes with honesty and said something I'd only ever told my Mother and sister.

"I love you, too." The words rolled out with surprising ease. Phillip was unblinking. His Adam's apple bobbed as a thick swallow carried down. Not breaking our linked stares, I folded a palm against his cheek earning a quick jolt. "Don't look so surprised, you said it to me. You had to know I felt... That I feel the same." Now that I thought about it, it had been obvious to me from the start. The way something between us had just clicked when we'd met in Hell. I wasn't a heartless person and would help people if they needed, but the way I'd helped Phillip, cared for him right off the bat, hadn't happened before. The strange peace that came with us being together, the lack of judgment between us, made for a harmonious existence I'd ever only dreamed of.

Phillip moved his head up and down. I felt like screaming hallelujah.

"I just wasn't... What you said back in the caves, I thought..." he shook his head, looking to the side with a confused gaze. "I don't know what I thought."

Oh. That. Yeah, this might be a good time to 'fess up to some stuff. Like about my mother and sister's deaths. An acid burn spread in my chest, corroding blood and melting holes in me. Phillip had never asked about how they'd died. The only thing I'd shared was that I'd stumbled inside our house and blood had been splattered on the walls, soaking into the beige carpet mom used to love. She used to make me and Tracy take off our shoes before walking into the living room... Now she didn't care whether the carpet was clean or if a deer had found its way inside and pissed on it. She couldn't care. And Tracy... Trace, my little sister, would never have a first kiss. Or date. Or get drunk. She'd been fourteen. Too young, too innocent, too everything. That wasn't what Phillip needed to know, though, what he needed to know was who'd done it.

He'd always assumed Romeo had. Because I'd told him Romeo had snatched me from Earth and taken me into Hell. I'd never told Phillip the truth because of what he was, a Nephilim. It seemed like something he should know-something he had to know. Maybe he wouldn't be hurt, maybe Angels and him really didn't have a strong connection.

"Phillip, there's something you really need to know. Something I've kept from you since the day we met, when I found out what you were." Concern lines itched Phillip's face. A steady breath later, I spilled, "It wasn't Romeo who killed my mom and sister. You assumed he had since I told you he dragged me into Hell. I never bothered correcting you because... because I didn't know how tight you were with Angels."

"Angels...?"

I ignored his confusion, going on, "A few days before I was taken to Hell, I'd thought Angels were good guys. Maybe somewhat dickish, but hey." I shrugged nonchalantly, before turning somber. "But when I got home and found my family slaughtered it wasn't a Demon, Cambion or Fallen waiting for me. It was an Angel. She had the Triquetra symbol and her wings were spread wide..." Emotion choked me to a stop. I put a hand to my lips, silencing an agonized cry remembering the gory scene. "Tracy... my little sister... she was the first body I saw. I saw... I saw parts of it, she'd been torn apart from the waist up-" Phillip's hands came to my aid, his thumbs wiping stray tears off my cheeks. "It was an Angel, Phillip. She did it. And... She would've killed me, too, if Romeo hadn't shown up when he did. He saved me from her. The Angel got away, though."

"Bloody hell." He started after three minutes of staring and processing. "An Angel killed your family?" I nodded, knowing it was more of a statement than a question. He believed me. "Why didn't you tell me sooner? I could've tortured one of those bastards who Raphael brought and get information on who did it."

Phillip was heaving deep breaths and his control was reaching a dangerous limit. His skin was starting to turn slightly pinkish at his neck. His blue eyes roared to life with uncontrollable fire.

"I didn't tell you because I wasn't sure how close you were with them. Before meeting you I'd never met a Nephilim, I thought your kind was gone. I never asked because I was afraid of the answer, afraid that you'd turn me in because I know what loyalty means among Angels and..."

"That's why," Phillip said, his face illuminating with some great knowledge. "That's why you thought you'd hurt me, isn't it? After we kissed. You said you didn't want to hurt me. You were afraid that if you told me an Angel killed your family you'd be putting me in a tough spot with them." I nodded feeling mute. His eyes softened. An arm drew around me. "Listen, babe, there's no alliance between me and them. It's true that Raphael raised me and Cam, and growing up we worked as Heaven's mercenaries. But that's over now. Michael and Raph coming after us was the final nail in that coffin."

Something akin to relief rolled over me, knocking a weight off my slim shoulders. For the first time in a long, long time, I leaned into Phillip without a trace of wariness. I let myself feel everything, thinking he was mine and there was absolutely nothing to tear us apart. Finally.

Leaves rustled just as an even, cold voice cooed, "I almost feel sorry for crashing such a sweet moment. Almost."

My heart picked up pace, beating wildly, violently. It was... She was...

"You?" Phillip croaked, startled.

"Me," she said, emerging from the thick bushes. I'd never forget a thing about her. The deep caramel hue of her skin, the royalty lines that made up her face or the way she held herself. Like she was a superior being standing over vermin. "Good to see I left an impression."

My lips curled in a snarl. It wasn't until Phillip stirred that I became aware she was staring at him. Talking to him.

"You tried to kill my brother. Your name's on my list." He said dryly.

"Oh? Is it a Christmas list?"

Phillip's lips quirked bitterly, "Hit list, actually."

The Angel shook her head, coming closer. Her lips pinched when Phillip jumped to his feet in what could only be described as a blur, shielding me.

"My, my. This gives me a sense of dejá vù. Your father always kept your mommy far from me whenever we crossed paths," Phillip didn't move an inch. The air grew hotter. It should've caused warning bells to go off in the Angel's head. She talked on, "Can't say he always succeeded."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It doesn't matter now. They're both dead." Phillip reacted this time. Fire licked across his fingertips, dancing to the center of his palms. "Don't be angry with me, Phillip. I didn't electrocute Gabriel. You can thank your big brother for that..."

His arm pulled back in a single second, swinging a fireball the size of a softball at her head. The Angel dodged in the nick of time, but wisps of dark hair caught fire. She cursed, quickly drawing a hand around the burning edges, snuffing out the baby flames. Her palm was red when she opened it.

"That's not very nice." She spat, meeting his eyes, no doubt. "How can you defend a killer?"

"He's not a killer," Phill heaved with anger, charging to defend his brother with an uncanny passion. "What happened was a horrible misfortune. He was barely eight years old. He saw someone rip out our mother's heart. He was scared. He doesn't need to justify what happened to anyone, not to me and definitely not to some Archangel bitch."

The jigsaw puzzle pieces clicked. This was Uriel. The Archangel who wanted Lucifer dead, the one who'd tried killing him when his soul was in control of Cam's body. She...

"You killed them," I spoke at last, stirring from my kneeling spot. Everything stopped. Phillip shoulders hunched with tension as he heard me stumble to my feet, walking to his side. "It was you. You killed my family."

Uriel's eyes shone between two colors. Maybe brown and green. I couldn't be sure, all I saw were red images. Blood on walls. Mom's face... lifeless. Her windpipe crushed. My sister...

It all came crashing down. The peace of mind I'd kept for all these months. I grabbed hold of the energy surrounding me, twisting it to my will. Then I threw it at her. I guided Magic inside her, it was energy, there was nowhere it couldn't reach. I told it to slip inside her veins and connect with her bones. With a flick of my wrist I broke her bones, starting with her legs. She crumpled on her knees with a surprised hiss.

Phillip glanced over his shoulder, blue eyes slightly widened.

"Uriel killed your family?"

"I didn't know her name," I breathed harshly. "But I could never forget her face."

Phillip head's snapped back to Uriel as other bones twisted and chipped. Vertebrae. She knelt in awkward way, like her spine was malformed. It gave me a lick of satisfaction to see her taken down a notch. But this wasn't what she deserved, Uriel shouldn't take another breath.

"Why did you do it?" Phillip questioned walking towards her, his steps measured. I made sure to keep Magic from dealing more damage, I wanted to know, too. I needed to know. "Angels don't meddle in Witches affairs. Witches were God's last legacy on this world, I don't think Michael would tell you to hunt down one of the first Coven's. So, why?"

Uriel tipped her head as much as possible. Hair fell forward, shadowing half of her face. She gave him a sweet smile that looked too obscure for an Angel.

"Her Coven was the only one with the ritual Lucifer needed to escape Hell. I knew that. He was supposed to rot there, in his kingdom of sin and death."

"You murdered her family because you hate Lucifer?"

"Everybody hates him!" She yelled, rearing back her head. The dark curly hair was shoved away, revealing a startling disgust. "He destroyed Heaven. He wagered a war among Angels that resulted in endless casualties. In Angels to become Fallens. Even after Michael cast him out he wreaked havoc among humans. He built his kingdom in Hell, sent out Fallens to tempt humans, to teach them how to evolve. He led humankind into great wars and genocides! How can you not hate someone so twisted?"

Even if all Uriel was speaking was true, it hadn't been the Devil who killed the people I'd loved more than anything in this world. It had been her. I lifted a hand and she slowly floated above ground. Her broken legs dangled perspicaciously, swinging side to side like doll's.

"I never said I didn't hate him." Phillip stated taking a step back as Uriel dangled in mid-air. "He let me be tortured in Hell after telling me we were family. Trust me, I don't like him more than you do, but you still haven't told me the truth."

Uriel's eyes squinted at him. I didn't like it. Magic moved across her spine, forcing it to straighten. I could almost feel the broken bones in her back arch, poking against muscle and skin tissue. She yelled out of surprise.

Phill fisted a hand that was quickly swallowed by fire.

"Growing up with Cam I learned a lot about lying. Or how to avoid a subject. Which is what you're doing," Phillip turned to me, gaze chilling. "Put her down."

"Phillip..."

"Trust me," was all he said. I didn't want to argue with him when it looked like he was ready to tear Uriel's heart out. I lowered my hand and Uriel's body got dumped on the ground rattling like a sack of broken bones. Phillip approached when she still wouldn't answer, lifting his burning hand to her face. "Tell me the truth or I'll get very persuasive."

The flame's light danced across Uriel's pained face. I crossed my arms feeling... off. Phillip's hand burned brighter illuminating a bigger area... Something shiny on the ground caught my attention. It wasn't far from where she'd landed. It was a syringe. Some sort of iridescent liquid was inside.

The earth gave a shake. It happened too fast for him to move. My warning scream broke out of me too late.

A hand made out of solid dirt had risen from the ground by Phillip's feet, where the needle was. It wrapped its fingers around it and shoved it into Phillip's leg, forcing the needle's juice inside him. I cried out again when he stumbled to the side as if stunned by a taser. Foolishly, I ran over dropping by his side just as he arced off the ground. Pain clinging to every fiber as the substance spread though his veins, I could see a faint glow just beneath his tanned skin, mapping its way to his hands, neck and... Phillip convulsed letting out an ear piercing cry.

Like something was tearing him apart from the inside. On a cellular level.

I put my hands on his shoulder trying to hold him. He didn't seem to notice. Phillip thrashed wildly against me, his eyes taking on a bright blue, becoming icy instead of electric. Soon, they were glowing same as the liquid inside him. I started to let energy inside him to prob what was wrong. I had to fix him, I had to make his pain stop because... God, it was killing me! I'd watched Phillip get beaten, tortured both physically and mentally, he'd never screamed like this.

He didn't deserve whatever this was.

"You should never lower your guard, Witch." I lifted my head, shocked. Before I could order Magic to snap at her heals, a fist slammed straight into my temple, spinning me around.

***

I gasped flinging my eyes open. Coming out of Serena's skin felt like being ripped away and thrown a hundred miles in the air. Pushing sweat matted hair off my face, I sat on the barn's couch, heaving. Iciness spread along my veins. Being torn from memories like that... It never happened before. I knew what it meant, though, my Power was whispering it.

There were no more memories to see. I bit my lip hard, feeling hotness prickle my eyes. There were no more memories in this necklace, not Serena's, anyway.

Uriel took the pendant away from her. Maybe she'd done so after knocking her out. It... it didn't mean she was dead.