Purgatorial

Nina's POV

There was a folded paper next to my phone. My fingers trembled as I reached for the paper; something felt wrong—but familiar. I unfolded the page. Cam's neat writing stared back at me.

"What…" but before I could say more, I found my eyes glued on the black ink.

Nina,

This isn't a goodbye letter. I don't want it to be. So, I'm calling it a "just in case letter".

There are a million things I want to tell you, but there are no words that can encompass how I feel in this... moment. Everything is touch and go. Yesterday, I realized something. And you're not going to like it... you always hate my plans. I'm not saying this to you in person because I wouldn't be able to handle it. Plus, you'd find a way to keep me there. Or I would go back on my decision. That can't happen. This is too important. You were right, little bird, I'm not selfish enough to let the whole world burn. I'm doing this for you. For Philip. For all the innocent people like Vanessa and Dawn who got caught up in this mess because of people like us. I know you'll hate me for leaving, but... I need you to understand that, even if I stayed, and Cain stopped the ritual... We would be dead. This is our best shot. I'm our best shot at winning.

I'm not going to lie, the odds of me surviving are slim. It's hard to admit that. This... is the hardest thing I ever had to do. But even if it happens... if I'm gone... You'll be safe. I don't know if Phillip's going to survive, but I know you will. And that makes my life worth something.

That night at the Inn, when you saw what happened to my father, I knew I was in love with you. I knew as you held me in your arms, as you lulled me to sleep... I remember every second of that moment because that's when I knew that there was no one else for me. I knew it and I wanted to tell you. I should have told you so many things, so much sooner.

If I'm going to take anything good from this life, it's the memory of us.

I'll always regret being an asshole to you. It's easy to be cocky and reckless when you have the kind of Power I do, but you… you keep putting yourself at risk without it. You're braver than I am, always have been. You are the best part of me and I will always be thankful for your existence, for your patience, for your passion, for your unconditional love.

Always yours,

Cam

I was thrown into chaos, but before I could get a semblance of décor about my wits, the door slammed. I flinched as Serena grabbed me out of bed. Where was the fire? Well, it turned out Heaven and the Angels who'd remained there had been destroyed. The bad news hadn't stopped there. Cameron had pretty much volunteered as tribute to keep Cain entertained for a whole day. Because the ritual to open the jail dimension needed a whole freaking day. Oh, and if anyone who was a part of the ritual scratched their nose, they'd have to start all over. How pissed was I? Beyond any imaginable scale.

"Nina!" Serena snatched my hand. She pulled me into an alcove on the second floor. I was trying to get to the basement, I needed to tell Phillip of his brother's demented choice, I needed— "You need to come with me."

"No. I need to see Phillip. I need to tell him that Cameron's planning on sacrificing himself. That—that we're opening Purgatory too early, Phillip and V might die!"

Serena stared me down sternly, but not unsympathetically.

"Why would you do that? It's not going to change anything. Listen, you have every right to be freaking out, but right now, I need you to stop and think. Phillip is putting himself through hell. They're pumping him with herbs that would drive any Demon blooded creature insane. The same goes for your friend. The Lunantis coven is doing everything they can to speed up the process. Phillip and Vanessa are in a world of pain, barely conscious. Do you really want to tell them that this might be for nothing? That we're going to open Purgatory and they might not get cured on time?"

I clenched my hands. Taking a big breath, I leaned back my head. I pushed down angry tears despite how desperately worthless I felt. My voice cracked.

"He didn't tell me, Serena… How could he not tell me?"

Serena's hold changed; her hand clamped my forearm in a reassuring squeeze.

"You wouldn't have let him go. What he's doing is commendable, Nina. If Cameron manages to distract Cain long enough, this could all be over. Cain will be gone."

"So will Cam." Along with every other being with a shred of Power. A world without supernatural creatures. Except for… My eyes met Serena's. Except for Witches and Warlocks.

"When it's almost time, I'll locate Cam. He can ditch Cain and come back—through a Portal. I'll take away his Power. I promise you." That didn't sit right with me. You could poke so many holes in that simple-minded plan. It was a freaking swiss cheese. "Come with me."

"Where?"

"Cam asked me to take your Power away. ASAP." Of course he had. That was such a Cameron thing to do.

"Am I your first guinea pig?" Serena nodded. "Well, you've transplanted souls. How hard can this be?" I joked.

"It might hurt a little. I need to phase something into your body." I remembered the stone vanishing into Lucas' chest. "But no, it's not as hard as plucking souls from their bodies."

"Alrighty then," I muttered. "Let's make me human." I said as my stomach twisted in on itself.

It was earie. We were down in the maze of underground tunnels, with screams bouncing off brick walls. Dawn was somewhere around here. I couldn't think beyond Serena's chanting. Not about the agonizing pained yells or about Cameron's stupidly heroic gameplay. My heart rumbled, an angry thunderclap in an expanse of quiet nothingness that quickly filled me as the distinct feel of Magic swarmed my body. I knew it was crazy, but I swear I felt my blood scatter; like it was trying to dodge the Magic—

My mouth dropped in a hollow scream—a choking noise filled the room. It started off as a pinch, then, it became a tiny needle stab. My shoulders jumped on their own accord and then there was nothing. No prickling. Nothing pushing to get loose, no little whisper in the back of my head…

I gasped, eyelids fluttering. The world felt smaller, quieter.

I heaved several times.

I was human.

***

Cam's POV

We were marching inside Romeo's territory, the large compound Rory brought Nina and I when we'd been desperate to get inside Hell. If there were wards protecting the place, they didn't faze Cain. He just walked in like he owned the place.

Several faces greeted us beyond tall iron gates. None of those faces was the least happy to see us.

"What do you think you're doing here?" one demanded, voice dripping with contempt.

"Sightseeing." Cain threw back without pause. "Also, collecting certain items I need to unleash a Basilisk or two on Earth. What are you doing?"

"This is our home. You're not welcome, abomination." Oh. Good. Antagonize the guy with the power to snap his fingers and kill you.

Cain merely cocked his head, "You say abomination, I say special-boy. That's what my Mom always said, up until I cut off her tongue." his lips curved into a cheery smile.

An unsettled look drifted across the girl's face. Her fingers uncurled from the woven banister. My gaze skipped across the other surrounding faces, noting the disgust or simply stunned glares. My eyes stopped dead on a young man—parting a sea of bodies, claiming a front row seat on the balcony.

"Cain." Romeo said.

"Lucifer's lap dog. Hi. How's it going?"

Romeo's nostrils flared at the mention of Lucifer. He was smart enough to put two and two together; he knew Cain had sacrificed Lucifer and Etna. Romeo kept calm, narrowing his eyes on where I stood. Confusion flooded his face. I kept my expression smooth and cold.

"I switched teams. Sorry." I said with a brimming smile, "Not sorry."

"If you want to pledge allegiance to me, you can. You'll be my slaves. You'll get to live. Well, until I get bored." Cain mussed. "Cam, kill the ones who don't submit."

"What?" I hissed, eyes unwavering from the menacing Cambions and Fallens. There was more than twenty on the balcony. Not to mention the ones cluttering inside, I could hear their heartbeats. I had full control of my Power now, I'd learned to use it in ways I'd never dreamed, but even at full potential I doubted it would be enough.

Cain twisted at the waist, eyeing me slyly.

"I own you now. You'll entertain me, won't you?"

"You and I have a very different view on entertainment." I muttered, anger bristling just beneath the surface.

Ignoring me, he faced the crowd again.

He threw open his arms, yelling, "Who wants to be my slave?"

For a moment, I thought no one would give into this maniac. Who would actually want to be a slave, to stay alive until Cain snapped and killed them? I was just playing a part. Slowly, though, shame colored several faces. Doors opened and more people walked into the quadrangular terrace, heads lowered in defeat. I counted fourteen damned beings kneeling before Cain.

Romeo wasn't one of them. Obviously.

"Alright!" Cain clapped. He stepped forward, overlooking the bowed heads. "Cam, get to work on the others."

I swear I could hear the heads snapping towards me. I kept my senses alert for any sudden movements, waiting for some idiot to charge me first. No one moved. Except for Cain, who half turned my way, tilting his head.

Son of a bitch.

Romeo probably expected thunder clouds, but I opted for the new short-circuit the heart shtick. I made it upstairs in a blur, digging a hand inside the first being I neared. In a barbaric show of triumph, I threw the heart at Romeo's face. The challenge clear as water.

He caught the sloppy organ before it smacked him. Romeo's fingers crushed it like sharp talons, grinding the useless muscle into bloody chunks. The remaining Cambions and Fallens were frozen sentinels. From across the balcony, gray eyes battled black ones.

"You've learned a few new tricks," he addressed me. "They won't be enough to save you. You'll die here, Cameron." Did Romeo really think I had joined Cain? Shit. I could use his help in this distracting gig. "I heard what Lucifer did for you. What an ungrateful little bastard you turned out to be. Tear him limb from limb!"

Unwanted attention pinpointed me with unflinching rage. I barely had time to dodge the first wave of assault. The first three—two girls and a guy—rushed me in a fury. Electricity coursed through my body, sailing the air. It hit the guy square in the chest; his twitching body was sent flying. I sidestepped one girl, coming up behind her, grabbing her head. I bashed it against the stone, denting it and popping her head like a watermelon. I faltered a step as a weight bared down on me; the other girl clawed from behind, leaving angry welts across my face. She was digging for my eyes. I tried to shake her off, but I was grabbed and forced to whirl. Sharp canines greeted me—Cambion. More voltage spewed from my skin; the girl and Cambions were swatted like pesky bees by an electromagnetic pulse.

I zoomed for their vulnerable bodies, decapitating the girl and—I blocked an incoming Azure blade to the gut. That wrist broke between my hands and I claimed the dagger for my own. Yelling died as I plunged the weapon into an unprotected chest. I was alternating between my ability and the Azure dagger, conquering masses of Fallens and Cambions. I couldn't really tell who was what, unless bared fangs made an appearance. Thunder exploded in the distance once I was swarmed by more people than I could see—they piled onto me. One of many fists collided with my head. Dark spots danced across my vision. There was a wet snap when another punch hit me square in the face. I didn't have time to worry about a broken nose; I struggled to sit, crawling from underneath the angry flurry of bodies vying for my every limb.

A yell dislodged from deep in my chest when a finger squished my right eyeball—I was yelling and kicking then, swinging the Azure blade everywhere, hoping to nick my opponents. I howled like a frenzied wolf about to be put down when a hand seized my throat. I felt myself being lifted into the air—my body was bashed into the stone walls repeatedly. I couldn't say if the audible cracks came from the stone cracking under me or me breaking against it.

My fingers opened, limp. The Azure dagger landed with a useless clatter.

Through my remaining eye, I saw more and more of them. Breathing hurt. So, broken ribs were extremely likely. Red hair flowed and fell around a breathtaking face. This one I knew; she was a Fallen. Once upon a time, in Hell, we'd danced together.

"Mammon," I croaked.

Her face contorted in a sneer.

"Ah, you remember. I remember you as well. I never would've thought someone as charming and charismatic could be such a coward." that made my lips split into a bloody smile. "You disgrace your family. Your father, your uncles. They might have been on different sides, but they would have never ally themselves with someone whose goal is to spread mindless death and destruction on everyone and everything our Father built."

I wanted to laugh. But it would be a waste of time. An onslaught of Power rammed into her in the form of thunder. She dropped me. Her face, neck and sweater were scorched, tainted with blood. On the ground, I coughed, aware of the red gathering below my chin as my eye bled, along with a large gash on my head. There was no getting away. Hands tugged hard on my legs. For a second, they pulled so hard I thought they were going to rip me limb from limb, like Romeo had ordered.

In a last ditch effort, I stretched my fingers for the dagger. My fingers were inches from brushing the dulled edge...

Someone picked it up. I glanced up—just barely catching a purplish glint.

"I'm getting bored now, Cameron. Wrap this up." Bastard. He was standing over me, watching me getting beaten to death by a fucking mob and did nothing. I kicked myself for thinking he would help. I was a toy he was obsessed with.

Spitting a globe of bloodied spit, I unleashed my Power. It was a majestic, wild beast, galloping throughout the skies in deafening thunderclaps and whitish-blue lights. It didn't strike at random like it used to, like it had when it killed Dad. The awful scent of brunt flesh quickly dominated the air around me, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. No matter how much I forgave myself or how much time passed, I would never forget the first time this smell had consumed me.

The hands on my legs slacked, then slipped away. I managed to roll onto my back, wheezing. Cain was staring down with a grin, pleased. I think. It was hard to tell with this guy. Blood rushed to my mouth, foaming near the lips.

"Well." Cain intoned the word. He was casually balancing the dagger on his middle finger. "This was quite the blood bath. Pun intended. Because you're covered in blood."

In one quick movement, Cain flipped the Azure dagger in the air and crouched beside my head. It was almost too quick for me to track. The blade was still spinning in the air when he'd crouched; once gravity pulled it down, he caught it by the hilt without looking. His eyes were busy searching mine.

In another flash, Cain gripped my hair, forcing me to sit awkwardly—I wanted to moan from the slicing pain. Bodies upon bodies stared back at me. Some were still alive, just severely wounded. Those would heal given time. But beyond those bodies, Romeo stood. Thunder had nicked his shoulder, the only evidence: a patch of reddened skin fused with wisps of shirt.

"I know how much he annoys you. Do you want to kill him?" Cain whispered sweetly, lips brushing the shell of my ear. Romeo looked disgusted at the sight of us. Just this once, I agreed with the Cambion.

Through an eye swirling with red, I saw Romeo step forward, over bodies. People that had been his to command, who'd been loyal to him, to Lucifer. I'd never been loyal to anyone except Phillip and Nina. But still... Him thinking I was loyal to someone like Cain pissed me off.

"He couldn't kill me on his best day." Romeo's arrogant Brit accent brought me back. It didn't matter what this between me and Cain looked like, I was a decoy. I was giving the Coven a chance.

"I think he could." Cain replied breezily.

The cruel fingers released me, practically shoving me into the ground. I couldn't kill Romeo even if I wanted to, not like this. I would happily black out on this floor, warm from the blood pools stretching across it. Screams tore through that peaceful contemplation; was I screaming? No, vocal cords were quiet. Something loud thumped—close by. Warm blood splattered me in the face, jostling my head to the side. The sight was horrific; the stuff of nightmares.

Romeo was doubled over. Lines of pain etched on every corner of his young, old face. His arms struggled to wrap around his torso all the way around, but there was no way he could reach… Reach the black, solid wings sprouting from his back. They were as large—larger than Raphael's. Blood rolled down their massive expanse. They weren't Angel wings, they reminded me of a bat. Dark and membranous.

Cain was doing it. He was giving Romeo wings. Fear pooled in my stomach. Open the cage, open the cage, open it, open it, open it… I thought over and over in a frightened mantra, hoping the Coven could listen and know—

A blast pinned Romeo to a wall. The newly sprouted wings flattened underneath the Cambion's weight, tearing an animalist yowl from his mouth. Cain stepped over me, walked to where he had Romeo, now barely squirming, and stabbed the large wings in the middle with bits of broken rail. Leftovers from my fight.

Any other time, I might have enjoyed—savored—the sight. Romeo, the oldest Cambion known, pined and helpless, writhing like a moth whose wings were being clipped; Romeo had tortured my brother, betrayed us, gotten Rory killed. I hated him. Hated how he'd always lorded his power and influence with Lucifer over us—me—and how he'd showed me up that day we met, yet… Yet, seeing how easily Cain toyed with him chilled me.

I urged my Power to heal, but I was torn… No, no. Go faster, I willed it, using the fear as fuel.

"I thought you said I could kill him." Saying it in a single breath cost me an ugly coughing fit.

Cain whirled, brandishing a wicked smirk.

"You took too long to answer, I thought you weren't interested. Then I thought about trying something new." Keeping that lilac gaze on me, he twisted a banister stake causing the Cambion to roar in agony. "Do you think I can do this to humans? Ha, imagine if I turned them into oversized pigeons—oh! I could do that and throw them in a ring—with Demons. That would be a hoot!"

I wanted to puke. Thankfully, Cain didn't ask or wait for a reply, he sauntered back to where I was. Slowly, the psychopath squatted, bracing his elbows on his thighs, leering down at me. Suddenly, a hand came through my blind spot, a finger hovered up and down my face—never touching. My breath itched; his finger made contact with bruised broken skin, maybe cracked bones by the way it chimed with hurt, but it wasn't what set my heart racing. Cain's finger lazily dragged a path toward my blind eye. I could sense my Power working on the optic nerves—that bit of Power halted as Cain probed the sunken hollow. Lazily, it made its way to the good eye. I saw him grin through a hazy shade of red. The bastard's finger lifted only to hover above my seeing eye, lowering it closer. Was he going to blind me? Had he sensed the Coven? Figured out I was lying—

The finger pulled back without so much as touching me. Cain was still grinning widely, a twisted naughtiness ebbing from him. I gasped at the crushing grip on my jaw. Cain angled my head one way then the other without giving any sign that my resistance bothered him.

"I'm going to play with you for a long time." He whispered, nose grazing my swollen one. I refused to look too closely at the meaning of those words. As heat covered my bloodied, split lips, it became hard to ignore the pathetic wave of helplessness rushing in. Cain pulled back, licking his lips—eating my blood a second time. Just like when he'd wrapped a hand around my heart. "I have to collect those items now, when I come back, you better be here. Don't make me chase you." he made it sound like he wouldn't completely hate hunting me down.

A burst of strength came in.

"You said those things… were here."

"I lied. I was bored and wanted to break you in." he threw back with a chortle.

I was broken, body-wise. As Cain grew further away, I heard last breaths being taken; when he left the compound completely, it was a sea of dead bodies, minus I and Romeo. He'd killed everyone—including the ones who'd bowed to him. I could hear the Cambion's labored breaths even with blood slamming my ears.

Time became hazy as I laid there, finally allowing that eyelid to drop; Power bristled from injury to injury, mending it, stopping internal bleedings… It might have been an hour before I made fingers twitch, then, peeled my eyes—I bit a wince, leaving one eyelid drawn. It was too soon. Body aching, I stubbornly pushed to my feet.

The sight of death greeted me, its smell hung on my clothes and skin. The gruesome ocean of bodies should have made me retch, but I was on the move, limping to the wall behind me. Romeo had managed to dig out one spike. I'd only seen Cain plunge two into each abhorrent wing, but there were five of them now.

The second I braced a hand between a wing and his head, Romeo went from limp to snarling, snapping his canines at my wrist—bastard. I easily slid from range.

"Stop," I said. "You'll only make it worse." There was nothing in Romeo's face suggesting he cared. I grabbed the makeshift harpoon in a shaky hold, pulling as swiftly as I could. Blood splattered me below the neck.

"Kill me and be done with it, Cameron. I refuse to be a plaything for that maniac. If Lucifer could see you—his own kin, brought so low… Disgusting." He spat in my face. I wiped it with the back of my hand, face unmoving.

"He's obsessed with me," I started, grabbing another bit of rail. "Lucifer told me—he told me to distract him. To buy time." I whispered the last part, throat still sore from all the screaming.

Romeo's head stopped thrashing. His wince was a sliver of his earlier pain once I tore two more metal pieces, freeing his right wing. Unpinned, the large bat wing slammed into me, knocking me over. So weak. Using so much to fight and now to heal—I was not near finished healing. Half of me wanted to curl up and sleep.

Metal clashed with cement. Both eyes flickered—it hurt less now—I saw Romeo tearing out the last piece. Both wings dragged behind the Cambion, pointless, like he didn't know what to do with them. A bird who'd been born without wings.

"They're opening it?" he meant Purgatory. I gave a nod from my place at his feet. Maybe Romeo didn't give a crap about me playing Cain, I'd killed his army. Maybe he was going to lift a boot and crush my skull. "I thought a bloke with your arrogance wouldn't sacrifice himself for the greater good." He should look in the mirror. Clothes rustled along with… something dragging and a swear. I was hauled to my feet.

"…I'll do anything for them." I heaved, letting Romeo manhandle me against a wall, helping me stay on my feet.

"A ritual that large will have a large ripple effect. He might notice whether or not you're with him. And if he does notice something amiss…" Romeo paused, eyeing the drooping wings with scorn. "What do you think he'll do to you?"

Cain wouldn't simply kill me. I knew that. He would make me bleed, bend and break.

Recovering a bit more, "If you have a better idea to keep him busy, say so." Romeo's mouth remained shut. "Then I guess it's up to me and my arrogant ass."

He kept a hold on my shoulders.

"You still have Power. You'll be sucked into Purgatory once it's open." I gave a low, suffering sigh. "So will I, for that matter. Thank you for the warning, princeling." I was too exhausted to banter. "Do you have a failsafe plan? No, of course not. You were never great with those. What's this mark on your neck?"

"It lets him find me—wherever I am." My eyes glared past his shoulder. "If you bite him…" the words came out small, leaving me flushed. "If you bite him… do you think he'll die? Like I would?" the words sounded like those of a scared, wishful boy.

Romeo gave an almost pitying look.

"I don't know," he whispered. "He does have Angel blood, maybe. How would I get close enough to bite him?" Romeo snorted before asking what things Cain wanted to gather; I told him about the Hell Gates. "Bastard. Today's perfect. It'll be a full moon." The only night when the Hell Gate would open on this side. "He'll be busy ransacking the magical stores in the city. He'll also need an infant's skull, the blood of a widow and the…"

"What?" I gritted, telling the foggy fear to vanish. This wasn't me—I needed to stay strong. I sent Power to my legs, standing straighter without the Cambion's help.

It started with the wings. They broke—cracked, like porcelain, starting at the rims. The pieces fell like putrid, black pus on the ground. Then, whatever decease, spread to Romeo's neck. The blood pouring—or was it Cambion venom? Whatever coursed down his skin was black and oily. Romeo stumbled, his left leg failing first as skin fell in patches. In seconds, Romeo looked like he was melting from the inside out.

His eyes burst—popped. Every bit of him became little more than a gooey black puddle on the ground.