part0023

She felt a twinge of sadness, for the over six thousand humans who had died, but she didn’t feel guilty over it. That guilt laid at the demon’s feet.

They’d also lost twenty-one agents, including three of the snipers, and five shifters. The death toll would have been a lot higher, if she hadn’t done what she’d done and been able to end the battle with the power of an angel running through her body.

Problem was, she wasn’t sure exactly what she’d done. She was pretty sure she’d passed out because her body integrated the new power. She hadn’t expected that, she didn’t gain permanent power from feeding on any of her lovers, just longer life.

In hindsight, when she had first gotten a power from Samael, it wasn’t done through blood sharing, he had imbued the power into her body of a soul eater, while they’d joined their bodies together to make their first child. He’d done the same again for warlocks and then witches.

She was still part human, but she didn’t think she had angelic and demonic powers anymore. Or at least, not just that, she was part angel. Her personal aura in the real world encompassed the city, and her reach on the life-web must’ve been hundreds of miles now, she could see all the way to other cities in Maryland and Virginia. It was… overwhelming.

Jacob said, “I know you’re awake, what just happened?”

She opened her eyes, and her heart melted at the look of love and concern on his face. She could feel it too, with her powers, but more than that, she could see his very soul, and it was beautiful. All their souls were, Jace, Carl, Meri, Allison, Cinna, and even Daniel was there. They were in the hotel room, and she was sure they were alone.

“Well, I kind of came up with a desperate idea, his body wouldn’t stop healing at that ridiculous rate, but his mind was gone for the moment. It was his body’s instincts driving his regeneration. So… I thought if I fed on his life force, that he wouldn’t be able to fight back. And when his body finally expired, he’d be sent to hell.”

Jacob tilted his head, “I heard a but in there.”

She winced, “Well, it seems I was wrong. I didn’t banish him back to hell, I ended his immortal life, and stole his power. Asmodai no longer exists, in any form.”

She raised her palm off the bed, and smiled widely, as a ball of glowing azure fire appeared.

She giggled, the power was still overwhelming, and she felt way too good, it would take her time to adjust, and she laughed a little more. It sounded a little unhinged, even to her own ears, but she was so full of overwhelming emotions and couldn’t help herself.

She could feel the emotions from every human in DC, but that’s not what was overwhelming, it was her own emotions.

He frowned, “You sound…”

She smiled, “Crazy? Drunk on power and my own awesomeness? Actually, no. I’m overwhelmed because of the color of the flame. Do you realize what it means?”

Jacob shook his head.

She sighed softly, “It is the flames of heaven. I stole his angelic nature and power, but not his fallen status. My soul is bound for heaven, so my flames are not blood red hellfire. I am no longer a warlock either, the power of hell is quite beyond me, and thankfully so. I never really truly believed that, until now.”

Jacob frowned, “What happens now? Angels aren’t allowed to interfere.”

She shrugged, and then snuffed the fire as she lowered her hand.

“I’m still part human, I think I get a pass, that whole free will thing. Insane speed, strength, the fires of heaven, wings, and the ability to discern the spiritual. I’m not sure what else I can do yet, the power didn’t exactly come with a manual, and those things are just the obvious. I also have no plans to experiment to find out, I imagine I’ll discover more if I need to. I’m pretty sure for instance, that I have power and sway over the dead now, but that’s something I will never use if I can help it. Oh, and I can probably teleport, if I can figure out how to do it.”

She was fairly sure that was where the seeing souls part came in, it was part of her power to command spirits of the dead, but also to judge the spirits of the living.

“I’d also appreciate if we kept this to ourselves. I felt the need for my body to integrate and change with the power, so I purposefully timed my wing disappearance to the closing of the gate. I’m hoping those that see that draw the wrong conclusions. I don’t plan on showing off, and I sure as hell don’t want groupies or to be worshipped. Not just the humans, I already get enough looks of awe from the shifters that don’t know me yet.”

She honestly didn’t know what to do about that, things were complicated enough. They’d defeated Asmodai, and ruined his grand plan, but it had come at such a high price. The humans would be horrified even at that smaller price, and who knew what would happen. At least they could hide at that point without a problem, hopefully the big battles were behind them again, at least until the next idiotic warlock started a war.

Hopefully that would be a while, she had a feeling most of the ones in the US had just been killed.

Jacob grunted, “We’ll see.”

She said, “I’m not asking anyone to lie, and I won’t either, I just won’t be showing my wings and throwing blue fire around all the time. Just… please be circumspect, if no one asks, no one needs to know.”

She was kind of glad she didn’t know what would happen, because intent made a difference, she wondered how this power would change her. In that moment, she felt peace being surrounded by her friends and her lover. She didn’t think she’d be corrupted by this power, the obvious and constant connection to heaven gave her a feeling of deep peace and contentment.

She just wondered where her clothes had gotten to, which was why she hadn’t gotten out of the bed yet.

Meri sighed in faux despair, “I’ll never knock you on your ass in sparring again, will I?”

She shrugged, “Why not? I don’t have to tap all that extra speed, and us training that way will be a challenge and will keep me sharper.”

She was so incredibly powerful at that point, but she also couldn’t afford to get cocky and arrogant. Any other soul eater could steal her power the same way she took Asmodai’s, as long as she couldn’t control her own powers in the moment. Still, it would be very hard for them, she doubted she would have succeeded without her shifter powers, and a lot of help from Jacob, snipers, and an AC-130 gunship.

Meri smiled, as if she’d just given her a Christmas present.

She asked Jacob, “What’s the plan?”

Jacob frowned, “I’d like to head back to Chicago and our home, but we have to stick around a while and see what the humans come up with for rules of engagement and new laws. I hate to be thankful for a horror, but I have a feeling Asmodai’s last act will put steel in their spines, and they’ll see the true threat there.”

She’d have to agree, but she also didn’t want to underestimate the greed and selfishness of a politician. At the least, they’d be looking for some angle to exploit things.

Jacob added, “But for today I think we’re done, and can relax while that’s going on. Alright, everyone out. We’ll join you out there soon.”

Cinna gave her a salacious smile and wink, and just based on the emotions Jacob was giving off in that moment, she didn’t think Cinna’s conclusion was wrong.

The five of them filed out, leaving her alone with Jacob.

Jacob started to undress, with a glint in his eyes as he answered, “Love you too.”

Her stomach flipped, and she felt butterflies as her body started to tingle. Good lord, was her libido even higher now? Definitely still human, she remembered Uriel was kind of cold, not in a bad way, but definitely not interested in the pleasures of the flesh. Her thoughts wandered to putting her new improved and insane speed to better use than killing, and she blushed as she looked deeply into his eyes. She was sure her eyes mirrored the same deep love and intense desire and naked lust she saw in his.

Jacob slipped under the covers, and she sighed at the feel of his body against hers as he claimed a long sensuous and loving kiss, as his hands lit a trail of fire down her skin as he explored her body.

She opened up to him eagerly, when he took his place between her legs, and the pleasure they shared together went on for a long time. She felt insatiable, but he managed to put her fires out before they took a quick shower and he passed out next to her, with his arms wrapped tightly around her.

She sighed in sated contentment, and then snuggled up closer and closed her eyes. Her mind started to drift among the lives and the emotions in the city, and even beyond over the life-web. She was able to feel a lot more information now, though it was still nebulous in nature, she wasn’t reading minds now, thank goodness. At least, not without trying, like her witch spells required the effort.

She felt warm, safe, loved, and thoroughly pleasured, but her mind wouldn’t shut down.

Shit! She realized it was simple truth as soon as the absurd idea of it popped into her head.

She was beyond sleep now, and she would never sleep again. The time spent internalizing Asmodai’s power was the last sleep she would find.

That didn’t stop her from snuggling into Jacob though, and enjoying the night, as her mind wandered and spread out.

She figured a few things out. Just like her witch, shifter, and soul eater powers, it was a matter of visualization. Teleporting would be a simple matter of wanting to be somewhere else, and visualizing it, and then willing it to happen. Most of her other powers were just enhanced versions of what she’d already had, plus the necromancer thing which she wouldn’t use. The wings were actually a part of her body now, she’d shifted away from her true form, by losing the wings. Otherwise her body was just about the same as it always was, just far stronger and faster if she willed it.

There might be other things, but she honestly had no idea what they were or could be. Samael hadn’t shown off with his powers, and neither had Uriel. She might be able to control the weather, like Samael had that day he’d hunted her down and imprisoned her, but that could be an archangel power. She was too afraid to find out, and to accidentally cause a deadly storm on accident. The weather wasn’t something to mess with lightly.

That was okay though, she was strong enough now to deal with any threats on Earth, as long as she wasn’t facing impossibly long odds and large numbers. Obviously, her body had been changed, if she no longer needed sleep. She probably never needed to feed again either, she’d no longer age regardless.

She bit her lip, as she studied her beloved’s face. He was handsome, strong, and sexy. He was also good to her, confident, in control without being overbearing or domineering, and she felt her libido waking up. She felt the sudden and shocking desire to give him a child, but then she considered he might be cross if she woke him and demanded one in that moment.

Yeah, it was going to take her some time to get used to her new life.

Especially when it finally occurred to her, that she could now keep Jacob young forever if she willed it. Short of dying in a fight or accident, she’d never have to mourn the loss of another mate, if he consented. Her eyes teared up at the thought, and she felt peaceful, as her mind wandered.