“Oh, hell,” she murmurs, “Get them out of here, Dad.”
The two hundred Pex creatures that Caius released turn as one, linked by the call of one of their own. Those who are infected join and all they begin moving in the direction of Anya.
Sebastian spins and hisses, “Run!”
Joel and Josh take the hint and do as they are told.
The moment Anya arrives, Caius grins. “Yes!” This is what he was waiting for. He picks his phone up and orders, “Release them all!” In simultaneous cities around the world, the Pex are released in every time zone. No place on Earth is spared. Each building Caius owns were strategically placed in the most populated cities in the world. They are built with the same design plan inside. The exterior needed to be different to avoid suspicion, but the insides are all the same. Each basement level houses a bio dome, built with specific hunts in mind for each site.
“My two thousand will flood the Earth and no matter how powerful you think you are, nothing will stop the tide once it starts. I’m coming for you, Herald.” He turns and leaves his sanctuary, heading outside.
Anya is trembling with fear and hatred as the Pex move towards her. Sebastian runs to her side and draws two gleaming swords to protect his child. “They will not touch you, do what you must, Anya,” he orders, and she is touched by the glow of love she senses around him.
‘Look with new eyes,’ she thinks.
One second, she is staring at them and sensing a darkness, the next her shoulders burn, and her wings explode forth. Ice blue eyes flash over her solid black, as she looks with the eyes of compassion and forgiveness. She can see the struggle of the PEX as they fight to no avail against the evil that has been forced upon them. Caius is responsible for the pain they are inflicting on the humans of Earth. Not the poor creatures she sees in front her now, howling and scratching to be free of the horrible monstrosities they have been forced to become. Pain and more suffering will not free these animals and mutated humans from their bonds. Anya looks around at the creatures and she feels a burning beginning in her chest at the injustice that has been pushed upon the horde surrounding her.
‘They didn’t ask for this to happen to them, they didn’t choose this.’ She realizes.
The creatures surround them but do not move. Confused by the two powerful immortals they do not know whether to attack or run.
Five flashes of brilliant light detonate around them, as though comets striking the earth. Apollyon, Liam, Zach, Cass and Morgan!
“Need some help?” Zach asks with a grin.
Shock has Anya’s hold on the Pex faltering. “Katie?” she asks Morgan in surprise.
“Safe and angry that I wouldn’t let her come with me,” he promises and reaches out to place a hand on her arm. “Shall we heal them?” he asks.
The moment he touches her, each Angel steps forward placing a hand shoulder to shoulder. Their connection increases her power. Love is the power she feels. It flows from one to the next and finally into Anya. They gift her with the last remnants of the ancient power they carry, and Anya turns, sending it straight into the creatures surrounding them. The wave front of pure energy passes through the rows of PEX standing around them, forcing them instantly to the ground, cleansed. The horrors that they had become burns away from their bodies in flashes of ash and light. The humans are healed, left lying on the ground dazed and confused, while the original two hundred hybrids are returned to their animal forms, free of any contagion from Caius’s experiments.
Sebastian watches in awe of his daughter. In that moment he knows everything they have been through even the death of his beloved was for this moment, so the Herald would survive.
Helicopters soar over the sky as the Guild members arrive and drop to the ground from ropes to begin the clean-up.
Keane allows the animals to be tranquilized so they can be moved to safety.
“Well done, daughter,” she is shocked to hear him say in her mind.
Anya laughs, “I am the daughter of a Druid, I learned to protect the innocent. That is what you taught me.”
Sebastian watches as the humans laugh and cry while holding onto one another. He wonders what this means now. They are exposed, even now the one named Joel is recording them on his phone. He snarls and appears in front of him. Wide eyed Joel watches as Sebastian snatches his phone and jams it in his pocket.
“Thank you,” he finds the strength to say to Sebastian.
“Humph,” he whirls and is gone as Josh laughs out loud at the shock on his friend’s face.
Anya stares in relief at the controlled chaos around her and turns to Morgan. “Where’s Katie? How did this happen? Tell me everything?”
Morgan laughs and hugs her, “She’s desperate to see you too, she’s with Caderyn the Fae Queen,” he starts to explain when the other Angel’s join her.
Vorn arrives in time to find Anya surrounded by the fallen angels. He glares at the one called Liam when he touches her arm. As though sensing him, she turns and smiles at him.
‘Having fun, love?’ he asks sarcastically.
Anya’s grin grows and she whispers back, ‘I missed you too.”
Satisfied he turns to stare at the clean-up crews working. Sirens are growing louder, smoke floats on the air, animals are being darted and loaded into black vans around them.
Keane is in discussion with a group of men and they
