Everlasting Embrace (Embrace Series)
EVERLASTING EMBRACE
By
CHARLOTTE BLACKWELL
World Castle Publishing
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locations, organizations, or person, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
World Castle Publishing
Pensacola, Florida
Copyright © by Charlotte Blackwell 2012
ISBN: 9781938243455
First Edition World Castle Publishing May 1, 2012
http://www.worldcastlepublishing.com
License Notes
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you respecting the hard work of this author.
Cover: Karen Fuller
Photo: Shutterstock
Editor: Maxine Bringenberg
Dedication
For all the amazing fans that support me every day. This one is for you.
A Special Thanks to Mary Ting and the Crossroads Saga, I have enjoyed this crossover more than anyone could know.
More Special Thanks
Everyone knows how much I love music and writing this book would have never happened without the amazing playlist I have. I want to give a huge thanks to the bands that helped inspired me to complete this book. Their music gave me the push when I was ready to quit and through twitter their band members cheered me on. Thank you so much boys!
Marianas Trench – Twitter @mtrench
Fighting For Ithaca – Twitter @FightingForIth
and
Halfway To Hollywood – Twitter @HalfwayToHolly
whose song Breakdown is the only reason there is an end to this book.
Introduction
From Between (The Crossroads Saga) By Mary Ting
God created the world in seven days. Filled with the living and fruitful land, it was perfect—paradise. He then created man in His image to walk upon His world. Then God sent angels known as the watchers with pristine, enormous white wings. These beautiful creatures’ sole purpose was to look after His creations; but they could not resist the temptations confronting them. Thus, forbidden children were created, half angel and half-human, called nephilim.
For their sin and betrayal, earth was flooded for forty days and forty nights, wiping the land clean, but He saved the ones who asked for forgiveness. After the land was fruitful again, God sent the Twelve and earth angels to guide his creations. The Twelve resembled watchers with their majestic wings, but the earth angels had none. The earth angel’s role was to guide and interact among His creations as the Twelve balanced the world, keeping it safe from unworldly creatures.
Again, temptations were irresistible and nephilim were born. Instead of cleansing the land once more, the Royal Council, a group of God’s first angels, sent the nephilim to a place called Crossroads. These nephilim were known as the alkins—the only group of nephilim sent to Crossroads. All was peaceful until Aden, one of the Twelve, rebelled and procreated a legion of evil angels known as the fallen. More of the fallen escaped when he opened the gates of the Abyss with Alexa Rose’s help. Out of the Abyss came many demons and fallen, and one of God’s first angels named Aliah—the most dangerous, heartless angel ever created.
Chapter 1
Angels
“Ben, look out!” I scream as Nathanial grabs Ben with his newly enhanced speed and races down the dimly lit street, down the cobblestone path, and back to the car he got from my parents on our first Christmas together.
“Please stop. He’s not a danger to your kind, and I can assure you he will keep your existence a secret,” Ebony pleads with the angel hunters that we’ve been trying to protect Ben from.
“Witch, we came to you for help. These nephilim cannot be left free to roam the earth. We need to find and destroy them all. These half-mortal and half-angel’s caused God to flood the earth. He destroyed most living things on earth to cleanse it of nephilim. We cannot allow anything like that to happen again. It is just too big of a risk. He might seem to be good, as you call it now, but it could change at any time, and we are not willing to take that risk.” The few streetlights along the way begin to flicker as he speaks with authority.
Ebony has control of the situation, so I stand a few steps behind her and let her work a different kind of magick. With all the demons and rogue vampires we’ve come across, nothing has ever terrified me the way this angel does. This supposed creature of God standing before us is the most terrifying creature I’ve met. I watch Ebony as she tries to convince him to leave Ben alone. She looks more powerful and passionate than I’ve ever seen her. She really is a Magnificent One, and I’m seeing more proof of that today than I ever have.
“Are you freaking kidding me? That’s just life; anyone can change. Take me, for instance; I was a lost little girl. Then all the sudden I gained powers, and I’m supposed to help save the world. Things changed though. I ended up being a teen bride and mother—but lost my life, at least my mortal life, and became a vampire. It’s now in my nature to be evil, but I’m not. Neither is my family. We live a peaceful life and are here to help. You really think there will be another freaking Noah’s ark? Give me a break. All Ben wants to do is live his life peacefully, and we’ll help him. Just give us time,” Ebony defends.
“You make a good fight, young witch. I’ll give you and your demon vampire family six months to prove you can control the nephilim. Just be warned...others, like me, will be looking for him, and are not as trusting. I will be keeping a close eye on you. If at any point I feel he is slipping to the dark side, he will be destroyed; and I cannot promise that those around him will not get hurt as well.”
“Thank you. We will not fail you—but please, tell me who you are. What archangel are you?”
“Little girl, you need to do more research. I am not an archangel. They have stepped down and left things in the hands of the twelve chosen angels. My name is Martian. I am one of Samuel’s watchers—he is one of the twelve angels. We come here to protect the world and feel that a nephilim is too big of a risk—they should not even exist. I have my orders, and it’s my job to destroy them all before they have the chance to slip. Now, let’s see if you can prove me wrong!”
Large wings with feathers as smooth as silk that appear to have black tips shoot from his back, with a wingspan of least ten feet. Then, without further ado, he takes off in flight, leaving no further trace of his existence—except the sharp breeze from his wings flapping.
“Oh my God, Ebony, you were amazing! We better get back to Nate and Ben.”
“Thanks Sophia. I really didn’t know if I’d be able to talk him into it. I’m just glad he was able to listen to reason.”
It’s been two months since I Embraced Nathanial—and nearly three months since my best friend Ebony lost her husband, Matt. Christmas passed us by before we even knew it. In just a few days, it will be the New Year. I know many of the town’s people were hoping that we would have another party this year, but we just don’t feel up to a party. So much has happened in the past year, and not a lot of it worth celebrating. It’s still hard to believe how many people we’ve lost: Ms. Edwina, Mr. and Mrs. McCord—and Matt. If it weren’t for Constance Embracing Ebony, we would’ve lost her too.
I have to say though; it hasn’t all been b
ad—there have been a few good points. Like, through losing Ms. Edwina, Ebony and Eliza have learned to communicate with her and their long deceased parents. Then, when Mr. and Mrs. McCord, Nathanial’s parents, died, Isaac was able to save Nik, their unborn baby. Since Mrs. McCord was bitten by a rogue vampire before she passed, the venom had the opportunity to infect her unborn child. We realized, almost instantly, that Nik is a day walker: half vampire, half-mortal. Since Nik is a day walker, he has vampire strength and skills, but survives as a regular human. After the McCord’s died, Luke and Nate tried to decide what would be best for Nik. They came to the conclusion that it would be best for Luke to return to college and complete his degree in order to get a proper job to support their baby brother. Upon their decision, I Embraced Nate, which allowed him to join me for all eternity—and helps him to care for Nik as a vampire role model. I’m not happy about him giving up his goals and dreams, but I couldn’t argue with him when it came to Nik’s best interests.
Matilda immediately noticed that Matt and Ebony’s little girl, Elyn, and Nathanial’s brother, Nik, are soul mates. With some of the visions Ebony was having, we also learned more about angels. We found out another close friend of ours is a supernatural too. Since then, we have been able to confide about our existence to him—to Ben. When we discovered that he is nephilim—part angel, part mortal—we knew he needed our help. A nephilim is born from an angel and a mortal. They receive their powers around their eighteenth birthday. We’ve been working with Ben since we found out about him, and about the angels that want to destroy him. They were able to get Mel, another nephilim—and Ebony’s Achilles heel—before we could help her. I only hope that throws the other angels off Ben’s trail. I mean, what are the chances of two nephilim being in the same small town?
Now we are determined to protect Ben and lead him in the right direction. Unfortunately, we know very little about angels. Even though Matt, Ebony’s husband, was training to be a guardian—an angel of sorts—these angels are much different. Guardians are supernatural beings, here to help witches. They are good beings, but much different from God’s angels. I just hope we can find more information about them. I don’t understand why they are working so hard to destroy the nephilim, rather than training them to do good here on Earth.
Ever since we began to protect Ben, the Williams family, our shifter friends, thought it might be a great idea to start a school for supernaturals. Elijah is working on the legalities, and almost everything is finalized. He’s found a great supernatural contractor that has begun to work on an extension to our house. The school will be underground and hidden away from all, but he has added a small extension to the house above to help conceal it. The Magnificent Ones are working on spells that will also help conceal the whereabouts of our school from others, mortal and supernatural alike. I think this will be the best place to hide and to teach Ben. Ebony and Eliza have been using magick to track other supernaturals. We’ve also contacted various known groups. In regards to the school, it looks as if when we open we’ll have thirty or more students. We’ve already began preparing, purchasing books and equipment for their regular studies as well as for their magickal studies and physical training.
Back at the house, Nathanial and Ben are filling the others in on the angelic attack. When Ebony and I walk in the room, they all turn and await our news.
“It’s good to see you girls. We were beginning to get concerned,” Florence admits.
“It’s all thanks to Ebony. She convinced the angel to give Ben time to prove himself. He’s given not only Ben, but us, six months to prove that the angel’s secret will not be in any danger.”
Ben breathes a sigh of relief. “Well, that is great news. But how, exactly, am I supposed to accomplish this?”
“I don’t know if there’s anything any of us can actually do. You just have to prove yourself pure of heart, and we already know that you are. I don’t perceive any of this being a problem,” Ebony explains.
“Elijah, is there any more news on when the school will be completed? I just think that will be the best place for Ben. The angel—he called himself Martian—assured us that he and the others are watching; and not just Ben, but the entire family. We may have to work on getting the school set up a little faster than expected. I have to admit that concerns me a little, with the babies around.”
“Sophia, we have faith in Ben, and we have to have faith that these angels will realize he means no harm. After all, they are dealing with vampires and witches, and they didn’t harm any of you. Let’s just take precautions to remain safe—and prove that we can be of assistance to them,” Florence suggests.
“I agree with Florence…we need to be careful. He said they will be watching all of us. We already have the Cerberus and the demons to worry about…now angels. We need to find a way to work with them.” Ebony shows a hint of her stress.
“Is there anything we can do to help speed along the opening of the school? I think things will be much better once we can begin full training, and have the protective cover of the school,” I push a little more.
Elijah smiles at Florence, and I can see them both nodding in agreement. Then Florence admits, “Well kids; it’s finished. All we have left to do is decorate and stock it with supplies. Isaac and Constance are working to prepare enough of the synthetic blood to stock the entire school, so that we can make sure it’s accessible to those of our kind when they need it. Eliza, we will need to go shopping and get a full stock of magick supplies too.”
“Oh my God! I thought we were expecting to open in a few months; not right before spring, that’s for sure,” I respond with exhilaration.
“I’m so up for a shopping trip. I’ve already started placing some online orders and have a pretty good stock back at the Manor to bring over, but nothing beats making a trip into Boston to the magick store.” Eliza’s excitement is evident.
“Well maybe Ebony and I can start decorating, while Nate and the boys move some furniture in. I believe I saw the furniture stored in the garage—considering I can’t park my car there,” I joke.
“That would be great, Sophia. The sooner we get the school set up, the sooner we can bring in the students. We have a lot of things to set up, and there’s more furniture coming tomorrow. We already have most of the dorm rooms set up with beds and dressers. We still need to set up the common rooms, and move any of our history or research books from our library to the school library. If we work hard, we should be able to have everything set up within the week,” Elijah encourages.
With our plans solidified, Florence and Eliza leave for their road trip to Boston to go to the Broom Closet, our favorite metaphysical store. They decide to take Nik and Eyln with them, so that the rest of us can work hard here, without worrying about the babies. It also gives Eliza a reason to stop in and see Luke; of course, he’s always happy to see his baby brother. I know it’s been hard for Luke to be back in Boston at school.
Chapter 2
Safe Haven
A few days later the supernatural school is finished. We’re able to house about sixty students—and of course, our first one is Ben. Today, we’re moving him from the main house into the dorm. Because of Ben’s situation with the angel hunters, and them being after him, we decide to give him a separate room away from others. Although the school is hidden and under magickal protection, we’ll still place extra protection on Ben’s room. We hope this will help, but really aren’t sure, because this time, we are fighting angels—and only God knows what kind of powers they have.
Ben has always had a close relationship with his mother, so when he realized the changes he was going through, he talked to her about it. From what he told us, the initial change from mortal to his angel self, or nephilim, was quite painful. He had no idea what was going on when the excruciating pain in his back overpowered him. His mother heard his cries and protected him through his change.
He lost a few days; he thought he’d slept them off, and in a
sense, I guess he had. His mom explained to him that during the change a type of cocoon protected him. When he broke free of the cocoon, his wings appeared. He asked her what was happening, and she explained the little she knew about his biological father, and that his wings formed from the cocoon he was wrapped in. She didn’t know much, but what she did know was that his father was an angel, a very important angel. She hasn’t—or maybe can’t—share any more with him. Most of what he is learning is coming from us, and the attacks from the angel hunters. Now he must learn not only who and what he is, but what he can do with it. His mother arrived earlier to bring some of his things. She’s aware that he’s going to attend a school for the supernaturals; not only for his safety, but hers. Still, she is not aware that the school is located right here.
“Did you have a nice visit with your mom this morning?” I try to engage Ben in some normal conversation.
“Yeah. I still find it hard not being honest with her, but I guess it has to be done. So let’s get my crib set up. Please tell me there’s a built in sound system,” he changes the subject.
“Yeah, okay, and I won’t tell you I’m lying either,” I laugh. “Seriously though, there is a basic stereo system and television in each room, as well as a large common entertainment room for everyone to share—not to mention an impressive game room. We’ll show you everything when we get down there. Are you ready to see your living quarters yet?”
“You bet! Let’s get this show on the road,” he says, running to the elevator. “Hey wait a sec, I thought the elevator was right here?”
Ebony smiles. “It was.”
“Well, what the heck happened to it? Did it decide to leave?” Ben snarls back sarcastically.
“As you know, we are magickally protecting the school, and part of this protection is hiding all the ways to get into it. My sister, Eliza, and myself have placed a spell to hide the elevator down to the school. There is also another one on the outside of the house, which is also protected. The two of us, as well as all of the Pierce’s—and Nathanial—know the incantation to make the entrance visible,” Ebony explains.