Then she shows her the consequences of those choices, how her family died in a fire. Elina feels the fire burning the flesh from their bones, the screams silenced by the smoke and flames.
Next she shows Elsbeth, her friend, backing away from Simeon, sobbing when he comes to her in his fallen form. Unable to bear the sight of him fallen, she leaps to her death. The oncoming subway train is too close for him to stop her. Unable to heal her, she dies in his arms.
Alexandria does not stop there, she shows her Varena’s death when Raphaim comes to take the baby from her. She fights Kane, with all the power of a Keeper, but no control. She burns her body up from the inside out, unable to channel that much power.
Then just when Elina thinks she can take no more, she sees Malach’s beautiful face and his green eyes begging her to run. Forced to use his gifts to protect her, he cannot defend himself against the onslaught of the fallen that surround him. He dies a miserable death not willing to give up the information they seek. As if that is not enough, she feels every blow, punch, and stab as though she were one with him.
Lastly, she sees humanity, running and screaming from an enemy they can’t see. The shadow demons seep in from every corner. Joined by the fallen angels, released onto the earth to have their revenge. The demons hunt and kill as many humans as possible. The military tries to respond and soon discover their weapons are a joke.
Forced to go into hiding, humanity begins to form small bands of resistance. Some join keepers and begin to fight back, but they too are being pursued and captured. Through it all, Raphaim seeks the one thing he can’t find. The Keeper.
Elina’s tears dry up and Lexy hovers above her and releases her face. “Now can I, Daddy?” Lexy asks with her fangs elongated. She smells the powerful blood pumping through Elina’s body and her mouth salivates at the thought.
“No, leave us!” he snaps.
“Fine!!” In a blink, she disappears porting to the cell next door. Wet screams can be heard as she tears another victim apart in a blind temper tantrum.
Raphaim releases the chains holding Elina to the rock slab. Elina looks at him, shocked by her sudden freedom. With a wave of his hand a table and chairs appear with fresh water. He walks forward and offers his hand to her.
“Let’s try this another way, Elina. Truly, we should be allies. We are both Fallen after all. I understand you are shocked, and shamed, maybe even a little humiliated, by your failures, but we can turn things around, together.”
Elina sits up and listens to his words. Her heart is broken and her soul is lacerated. She can’t think with the images crowding her mind. As the blood rushes through her body, she sways and presses her hands to her temples. “Fallen?” she whispers, “am I fallen now?”
“Here, drink this.” Raphaim says, pressing a frosty cold glass of ice water into her hand. Elina accepts the glass and finds she is too weak to hold it by herself. Raphaim steps closer and assists her.
She swallows the water gratefully, and sighs with relief as it slides down her throat to her starving organs. With a snap of his fingers the glass disappears. Gently he encourages her, and guides her to a chair. On wobbly legs, she lets him assist her and sits down.
“Elina, you have to accept that things are different. Your destiny and mine are intertwined, they always have been.” He reaches out and takes one of her hands, “Join me! Together we will reform a world, where no one gets judged and we can be free to make our own choices. Wouldn’t you like to be free?” he asks vehemently.
Elina nods her head and looks up into his black eyes. “Free from your lies! I WILL NEVER JOIN YOU DEMON!!! I AM A DAUGHTER OF THE LIGHT!” She screams at him, the shock on his face has him jerking back from her.
She jumps up on shaky legs and raises a fist to her tormentor, “You will never have me, DEMON! I am free!”
Instead of the fury Elina expects, she finds pity in his eyes. “Don’t you see? You are no longer a Daughter of the Light, Elina. Look around, seek your God. Do you feel him with you?”
Slowly, she backs away from him and turns away from the truth, she sees glaring back at her. Barely able to stand now, horror is crashing down on her and Elina wonders: Where is her God now? He is always with her?
“Only I can set you free from your sin. The path you have chosen to walk, makes you a slave to him. I am offering you true freedom from the bonds of wickedness,” he quotes from the bible, “I can undo the chains that hold you. Together, Elina, we can let the oppressed go free and break every yoke.” She turns to face him once more.
“You are nothing but a thief, Raphaim. You know only destruction. The path you offer leads to one destination, eternal destruction.”
Excited by the open dialogue he steps closer, hoping to convince her.
“Wrong! I have studied your bible, Elina and I tell you there is another way. If you tell me where the parts of the book are we can level the playing field. Right now, your God has, the advantage over all of us. Angels are his slaves, worker bees, if you will.” He passionately explains.
“They want more than to live in servitude for all of eternity. Can’t you see that? Surely one who has lived her entire life serving one master can understand the
