The Seventh Angel Ch. 00-01

It's been forever. I've been in a very dark place, pretending everything is alright, unable to bring myself to open the laptop to write because of all the emotional pain, but after every storm the sun eventually comes out, and we need to keep going regardless of the pain and scars left behind. I want to thank everyone who kept writing to me. That helped keep my head above the raging waters. There were times the emails made me cry, touched my heart and made me realize I could not walk away from this. So, here you have it, book number seven from the Alpha Angels Series. Finally. For those who are new, the series is as follows:

AOD

Dark Prince

Angel of Retribution

The Witch and the Dragon

Dark Angel

Redemption (which is where I crashed emotionally. You can tell in the last two chapters of the book)

I apologize for the two year wait. Hope you enjoy this story. I leave you with Seth and Amaranth's prologue and first chapter. More to come hopefully soon. Give it at least two weeks.

*************

Prologue

The gates of Hell burst open, the heavy metal splitting to either side within a pool of blood from the ground. Amaranth flinched when the cold blood spattered her. She turned her face, raising her flaming sword and pressing her wings tight to her body in disgust. A shiver of terror streaked through her at the deathly silence that followed.

She turned, panting, eyes wide. The pool of blood had drained into the gaping hole the gates had once blocked.

Air so fetid and cold blew from the darkened interior. No light emanated from within the abyss. No brimstone and fire. No heat. Nothing, but a dead cold. A cold so horrible, so soul-chilling it burned. All around and as far up as the eye could see, a greenish-black ocean churned. She was in the eye of the most massive funnel she'd ever seen.

With a grimace, she realized her black soctanal was drenched in blood. The blood of the virgin sacrifice?

Who? Who had been slain so that the prince of darkness could be set free?

The darkness, it roiled, moving like a living thing. Grotesque faces pushing against it trying to break free at last. That is when the horrendous screaming began; the screams of countless tortured souls.

Amaranth had fallen to her knees. She was but a girl. Barely seventy-six sun orbits of the Seraphian blue star.

"Davariel," she cried out, holding her holy sword with shaking hands.

Was he not the guardian of the gate in Megdoluc?

Her cry echoed in the sudden silence, nothing but the roar of the waters churning around her.

She panted, eyes riveted to the dark pit before her. All movement ceased for a few seconds.

She blinked as the surface of that void trembled minutely.

Horror is what her eyes beheld next as he rose, head bowed so that the black curtain of his hair covered his face. Inky black wings spread behind his back and in his arms...

"Davariel," Amaranth screamed waking with a start, the vision of Lucifer still emblazoned in her mind, holding what looked like Davariel dead in his arms.

Screams still echoed in her ears. So real. So loud.

The door to her room burst open. Kabiel spilled in, his torso spattered in blood, bright grey eyes wild.

"Hide. He's lost his mind. Possessed," he panted like a madman.

Amaranth's jaw dropped and she squealed in fright when the older reaper gripped her arm and practically flung her across the room.

Her wings hit the heavy armoire that sat near the corner of her room.

Kabiel's wings spread and she watched as he flew against the door, throwing his weight against it.

On the other side, something big thrashed against it repeatedly, but Kabiel had thrown the deadbolts closed.

His eyes, whites showing all around the iris beseeched her.

"Hide," he screamed, grunting when whatever pummeled the door cracked it again his back.

Whatever it was, it wouldn't be long before it broke through.

Kabiel unsheathed his holy sword. "Fuck."

"I want to fight," she argued.

Another blow to the door rattled its hinges and cracked the wall.

Kabiel was upon her in an instant, gripping her arms and pushing her armoire a few inches away from the wall to reveal a niche hidden behind it.

"Please! You cannot die. The prophesy—"

The wood splintered in hundreds of pieces.

Kabi didn't give her any more alternatives.

She was brusquely shoved behind the armoire, the heavy piece of furniture shoved back to conceal her.

A loud roar filled the room, making the hairs on her body raise.

"You filthy, abominable thing," she heared Kabi hiss.

Whatever he spoke to growled.

A demon?

Amaranth sniffed, expecting to smell the fetid aroma of the unclean. The stench of blood filled her nose, but underlying it was a scent she could hardly forget. A scent that brought back the memories of her childhood crush.

His hair was streaked in gold and platinum, and his wings were the blackest wings a reaper ever had. She remembered his eyes, a blue so vibrant it reminded her of lightning. Lightning bolts on Seraphia were a bright electric blue, like Davariel's eyes.

"Nooo," the unholy voice cried. "Your hatred feeds it."

"What else am I supposed to feel," Kabiel shouted back.

Amaranth heard tears in his angry shout.

"You killed Father Gadriel," Kabiel screamed.

Another roar, and Amaranth saw when Kabiel's body hit the wall with so much force, she heard bones crack.

She placed her hands against the armoire to push it out of the way to help Kabi.

"He deserved it," the demon screamed. "He defiled me."

Kabi shook himself and stood on wavering legs, sneering at whatever stood before him.

Amaranth put her entire upper body against the armoire, but it wouldn't budge.

"You defiled yourself, you fucking whore. I saw how you'd flirt with anything, anyone...with me."

Silence.

"But I loved you, Kabi," came Dava's soft voice. A choked whisper.

Amaranth's eyes brimmed with tears. It was him. Oh God in heaven.

"You think I can love what you've allowed yourself to become?' Kabi chuckled, wiping the trickle of blood that escaped the corner of his mouth. His lips twisted into a hateful snear.

"No. Nooo," Dava roared again. "I don't w-want to k-kiiiillll—"

"No problem. Just stand there nice while I gut you, fucking demon."

The sound of swords clashing lasted a pitiful three to four seconds.

Blood sprayed everywhere. Amaranth watched horrified, covering her nose and mouth as she sobbed.

Had Kabi succeeded in killing Dava?

She blinked, her eyes peering out through the sliver of space between the wall and the edge of the armoire.

The heavy piece of furniture moved, slid all the way over to reveal him.

Covered head to toe in blood, every inch of his naked skin. Behind his back flared bright red demon's wings. His fingernails were clawed and his eyes glowed bright, as if a fire burned within them.

Amaranth felt her heart convulse in sorrow. The horrid vision of the angel she once loved shimmered and blurred until she had to close her eyes to it...to him.

She'd loved him as a girl even though it was forbidden for her to ever mate. Her love was pure.

She felt his lips on her face, his tongue dart out and lick her tears. She heard his sob.

She wanted to ask why, but he covered her mouth, his lips pressing hers open as his tongue dipped inside, tasting of blood.

Her first kiss. A bloody kiss from a fallen angel.

"I'm sorry," he whispered against her mouth. "I didn't want to. But the hate feeds it. The hate makes it strong within me and I can't fight it." Another hitch of his breath against her trembling lips, "But you...you love me..."

She opened tear-filled eyes to see him frown.

He hissed then, his hands tightening on her upper arms. "Don't," was all he said before flinging her back and pushing the armoire once again into place.

*******

Almost three hundred and fifty siglons later...

Ashriel had warned her to stay away from the former Edenian Master Guardians. They were led by Devon, Davariel's long lost son.

She'd seen Devon. The sight of him nearly brought her to her knees. He was the spitting image of his father, only with jet-black hair and the physical traits the possessed manifest; snow-white skin, darkened fingernails and lips and whenever he grew angry his darker side grew in strength physically transforming him more.

Dava's words came back to haunt her-"The hate makes it strong."

And yet, whenever she looked at him, she saw it, the holy flame of the heaven-sent. His aura was like fire, with flaring wings of power surrounding him. She saw the same flicker within his woman. The child she carried was the sixth prophesized angel.

There was still one more. The one who supposedly would break open the gates of Hell unless somehow Davariel came back...

Amaranth shook her head. There was no returning from the realm of shadows. Ever.

Dava was gone forever.

She'd finally stopped crying about that. Swore to herself to never shed another tear for another man ever again. Her heart was dried up and dead within her ribcage. Her only mission now was to find the seventh angel and keep the prophesy from taking place. An angel with hair like a shining star and eyes like blue fire would set the prince of darkness free, and the war between realms would begin. The beginning of the end.

Not long after Dava had been cast into the realm of shadows, she renounced her calling. Amaranth was sent to Gramarg to guard its gate to Hell for one hundred siglons.

Upon completing that task, she was free, but she chose o return to Seraphia, still chaste and untouched, save for Dava's kiss.

She was allowed to return into the holy place and two hundred siglons later became the first free reaper to become high priestess. Her only finishing task was to find the seventh angel and kill him or her before Lucifer was set free.

The Edenian Master Guardians had two of the angels. And where there were two, they had to know where the last one was hiding.

She just needed to make contact with them and gain their trust...become their friend until she found the seventh angel.

Ashriel forbade her to go near them, afraid they would seduce and taint her.

He didn't know she was free. Only two high priests knew her status. It was necessary for her to complete her calling. Free reapers were not allowed to carry weapons. Even their own divine swords. It was forbidden by the League of Stars. After what happened when Davariel went rogue. The entire galaxy was wary of all reapers.

As long as she remained masquerading as a holy one, she would not be required to lower her status to those that chose to abandon their calling.

She studied every communication that left the starcruiser three of the Edenian Master Guardians traveled in.

She'd studied them closely, going through all the information available about them. They were Weres, two dragons, and a Weretigri, a white one. Those were rare. Dava had had a following of white Weretigri's. After his banishment, they were rounded up and practically exterminated.

What a coincidence that his son would find one to recruit as his apostle...as well as the two dragons, a Lycan, and vampire. As of yet he had no reapers following him around.

Hence why Ashriel wanted her to stay away from them.

She'd found old holographic pictures of all of them, including the young weretigri child who'd since then grown, but there were no pictures of him as a young adult.

No matter. Amaranth was ready to do anything to gain their trust. Even if it meant giving herself to one of them...

Her conscience niggled at that idea. To defile herself. Her virginity was all she had left, but if she needed to sacrifice herself...she hoped it would not have to come to that.

A message sent from the craft made her pause.

She blinked and then grimaced. The red dragon had sent out for a sex droid. How disgusting.

Her hand hesitated over her com unit, fingers trembling. If she intercepted the message and responded, making believe she was a sex playmate...

The Edenian Master Guardians were beautiful. The red dragon was no exception.

Letting out a frenzied breath, she spoke to the com-unit to relay her answer.

Her message sent, she felt perspiration bead in the middle of her back, waiting for the answer.

Her com-unit blipped, and remained blinking.

She gasped. He'd answered and was waiting to see her.

Amaranth jumped up and ran to her hygiene unit. The unit continued to blip.

She pressed quickly a few directives into the machine and held her breath as the blue rays engulfed her.

Looking down at her attire, she guessed it would have to do since there wasn't time to change.

She dashed back to the control panel of her small cruiser and slapped her hand over the com-unit.

The red dragon's unsmiling face appeared in her screen.

She swallowed, doing her best not to react like a star-struck idiot.

He blinked bright green eyes lined in black kohl at her. His hair was a deep-deep true red, shimmering in the soft glow of his cruiser's interior lighting. It poofed around his head and streamed over his shoulders in a crimson cascade she knew reached almost to his backside.

Tawny brows drew together as his pink tongue flicked out to lick a full lower lip decorated with two silver hoops. It almost looked as if he had silver fangs. His eyes trailed down her body, what he could see of it, but shot back up to her face and frowned when he looked at her hair.

Amaranth almost forgot she was supposed to be a sex playmate. Jerking a bit, she smiled, batted her lashes, and flared her black wings.

His eyes immediately widened, completely focused on her wings.

"Holy shit."

"H-hello," she purred, trying to be seductive by shrugging her shoulders so that her ample bosom could jut out more. Waste of time since the red dragon just stared at her wings, completely mesmerized.

She flared them more until they touched the sides of the flight cabin.

The hygiene unit had curled her bright red locks so she stroked them forward.

"A god-damned reaper," he breathed in awe.

She bit back a growl and hoped her eyes didn't go black at his curse. It was the way Edenians expressed themselves. She had to grow accustomed to it.

His dazed expression fell in an instant, replaced by one of slight annoyance. "I'd asked for an Angel. Not a reaper."

She frowned in confusion. "Angel?"

Remien Fyre nodded. "Yeah. Like Devon's Angel. A Crystalian. That would be perfect for Mr. Perfect."

Amaranth blinked more confused than ever.

The red weredragon sighed, shaking his head. "Sorry, babe. You're freaking off the charts hot and all, but—"

"Wait," Amaranth blurted when she saw his finger hover over the disconnect button on his com-unit's panel."

"I think we'd be perfect for each other. Give me a chance." She pouted at him, fluttering her lashes.

His eyes softened a bit and he smiled. Wow. He was sublimely beautiful. If she had to have sex with any of them...

"I'm already in love with someone else, pretty girl. I couldn't..." his words died away and his eyes grew sad. "I only want..."

For a moment she thought she saw a shimmer in his eyes, but he blinked and looked back up at her, all business now.

"I need someone to pop Seth's cherry. Damn boy is too uptight."

Seth? The child?

Amaranth sat back, an uneasy feeling filling her stomach.

"How old is Seth?" She should know. It just threw her off that she was being hired for the youngest of the seven Edenian Master Guardians."

"He's...uh..."Remi seemed to think. "Three-hundred-twenty."

But he was part human...and part weretigri. Was he old enough? Was she corrupting an innocent?

Remi chuckled, his voice going seductively deep, eyes shining, "listen, babe, I know not getting ME is a major disappointment, but Sethaliel is easy on the eyes too." His smile faded a bit. "Just don't tell him I said that. I'll deny ever word." His grin grew mischievous.

Amaranth sat back. Well this dragon was certainly full of himself. Of course when a man looked like he did, he had every right to be full of himself.

"Won't say a word," she promised.

Remien pursed his lips for a second, his eyes going to her wings again. "Look...I'll be honest with you. Seth is a tiger. A weretigri to be exact and I'm scared he's gonna take one look at your wings and think snack. I mean he keeps his damned cat well under control, but it's too much control. You know? Shit like that can backfire. I drive him crazy with my tail when I shift into dragon form, then again, maybe if I didn't smack him in the face with it he might not mind so much." Remien grinned wide. "But where would the fun in not doing it be?"

Amaranth was unsure as to whether he expected her to answer or not.

"That wouldn't be any fun. I'll try not to flutter my wings in his face."

Remien's grin disappeared.

Wrong answer?

"Or maybe I'll just whack him with them. Show him who's boss."

Remien blinked before throwing his head back and laughing.

"I like how you think," he chortled. "Okay. Let's try this."

Before she could say another word, the red weredragon bounded off.

Since he didn't sever the com-link she waited.

Was he going to fetch the man-tiger? She felt apprehensive about the situation, not knowing what to expect. She was not about to molest some boy. She'd draw the line at that. She could befriend him perhaps.

Movement caught her attention. She looked back up at the screen and froze.

Heaven have mercy on her soul.

Amaranth blinked, staring dumfound at the face of perfection. Remien Fyre had called him Mr. Perfect, and he hadn't exaggerated.

Her eyes took in the expected shock of snowy-white hair, baby-fine, and cut shorter than the others. It was long enough to cover his ears and half of his face, but it only brushed the back of his neck, just barely dusting his shoulders...his impressively wide shoulders. Her eyes helplessly tipped over the precipice of those bulky shoulders to bounce along the knotted lines of his biceps framing an impressive chest.

This was no child. Heavens no.

Her eyes trailed back up, lingering on how soft and full his lips were. His nose was a straight blade leading up to...

Emotionless pale-pale blue eyes stared unblinking from his angelic face. His lashes and brows were a bit darker than his hair making his eyes almost glow.

No. Wait. They were glowing. Like the possessed. His eyes glowed bright and feverish.

"Not what you were expecting?" he asked making her gasp.

His voice. Those pointed fangs. He had fangs.

She felt her nipples tighten under her skimpy crossed bralette. "Are you...are you...what are you?"

"I'm an Alpha Angel."

His finger hit the com-unit button severing the communication.

Amaranth squealed in outrage. He'd hung up on her.

How Rude!

*******

Chapter One

*******

Years later. Alpha 7...

Seth needed to leave. He thrummed his fingers impatiently on the glossy surface of the black table in the conference room they usually used for meetings.

Ashriel had called this one just as he'd been on his way out.

He felt Devon before he'd even materialized into the room. His commander smiled and ruffled his hair as if Seth were still a cub before sitting close to the head of the table where Ashriel had situated himself.

The reaper looked grim...more than usual.

Zak appeared in a flash of golden flames and sat in front of Seth, next to Anniel who sat across from Devon.

As usual, Remien flashed into the conference room in a ball of red flames.

He'd brought Rowie with him.

Seth's brow drew up sardonically as Remi held a manacled Rowie face down on the table drilling into her from behind.

Rowie cried out in ecstasy, unaware as of yet of her audience. Not that it mattered.

Seth had seen them fucking just about everywhere. Of course this was the first time he'd seen Rowie bound and playing bottom.