Descension a dark apocal.., p.1
Descension: A Dark Apocalyptic Romance (Hell's Angel Book 2), page 1
DESCENSION – KNIGHTS OF THE SERAPHIM
Copyright 2023 © Olivia Boothe
https://oliviaboothe.com
Published by Three Brothers Press. All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher.
Book cover: Trif Book Design
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Internal layout: Lunar Morrigan Arts | Giulia Calligola
www.lunarmorriganarts.com/
Olivia Boothe
DESCENSION
Knights of the Seraphim
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Author’s note
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
BONUS CHAPTER
Acknowledgements
About the author
For those who believe there is more beyond the veil.
Author’s note
Descension: Knights of the Seraphim is a dark apocalyptic fantasy romance. Triggers include: graphic violence, explicit sexual content, and other mature situations.
For a more comprehensive content/trigger warning list CLICK HERE
This is book two in the Hell’s Angel series and cannot be read as a standalone novel. For the full reading experience please check out:
Afterworld: Losing Salvation 0.5 ~ a short prequel (not required reading)
AVAILABLE FOR FREE
Afterworld: Road to Redemption ~ book one in the series (required reading)
AVAILABLE ON KU
Reader Discretion is Advised
Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled down, and his angels with him.
Revelation 12:7-9
CHAPTER ONE
JAX
I could tolerate being hungry, but cold and hungry? This shit was getting old. Five months after winning the battle against my mother and the New York City Devil’s Army sect, and we were still out here in search of the damn sanctuary, gaunt and exhausted. Food was scarce and with about two dozen hungry mouths to feed, things were looking grim.
It was late March and a high noon sun shone brilliantly above us, but a frigid breeze blew through my hair as a small crew of scavengers and I crept through another abandoned town in bumfuck New York, hunting for resources. The brutal winter we’d had refused to retract her frosty claws from the Northeast, not to mention that we were still recovering from the late winter storm we’d had a couple of weeks ago—which dumped over two feet of snow.
Dirty, frozen chunks still clung to the shadowed parts of this town where the sun seldom hit and the landscape was a depressing canvass of leafless trees and brown, cracked earth. Spring flowers were nowhere near budding, let alone blooming.
A cold shiver slithered down my back as the cold wind hit my face. “I’d give my left nut for some sixty-degree weather. I don’t know how much more of this I can take.”
“I’d give my left nut for some hot coffee right about now,” Chaz said next to me as he pointed his rifle at the unmistakable green Starbucks sign about a hundred yards ahead.
“It wouldn’t even have to be good coffee,” I said.
Liling and Camila giggled behind us, whispering together as I led the scavenging group toward the coffeehouse’s parking lot. At least they could still find the humor in things, even when we’d been out here for hours with only a can of corn to our name.
“I doubt there’s anything edible left in here, but we should still take a look,” I said as we approached Starbuck’s entrance. Pushing the butt of my rifle against the already broken glass door, I cleared all the jagged pieces until I could reach inside and open the lock.
With slow and steady steps, we eased through, shards of glass softly crunching under our feet as we listened for the telltale signs of any damned scavenging for their own meal.
Nothing rushed out of the shop.
Brown wooden tables sat hidden under a thick layer of dust. A large ‘hiring’ sign still hung from the counter. A stale stench wafted from the direction of the now-inoperable open-air cooler that had once displayed their pre-made sandwiches and snacks. Whatever wasn’t gone was black and unrecognizable, and I cringed at the sight.
“Perhaps they have sealed coffee beans in the back,” Chaz whispered. He hopped over the service counter and nudged the back door with his gun. A collective silence overtook the space as we all held our breath, waiting to see if something had been asleep back there. The eerie creak the door made shot the hairs on my neck straight up, and I raised my rifle out of reflex, pointing it toward the opening. Nothing but silence leaked from the back room, but we remained hushed and alert.
“Taco Bell is empty,” Clint announced as he walked into the Starbucks, startling us. “Too bad. I was hoping to find a few cans of refried beans.” Clint looked around the musty interior of the café. “What are we hoping to find here?”
We all released the breath we’d been holding as we shook our heads. Good thing no damned had been lurking in that back room.
“What does it look like, dumbass? Coffee,” Camila said with a smirk.
He leaned against an exposed brick column. “Seriously?”
I shrugged. “Worth a shot.”
Chaz disappeared into the back room, and I took another look around behind the counters before following him in. “You three stay out here and keep watch while Chaz and I inspect the storage area.” It was never easy taking my eyes off them when out scavenging for resources, but they were hardened by the harshness of our new world and were damn good at taking care of themselves. Clint had survived through the worst of the disease that overtook New York City. Liling had literally escaped from the bowels of the Horsemen’s lair, and Camila had stayed strong in her faith, regardless of the atrocities she’d witnessed.
Still, I couldn’t forget they were all just kids. Keeping them safe was my responsibility—I owed that much to Father Ortega and Jian. I would’ve preferred if they’d stayed at our camp in Stockbridge with the rest of the survivors, but Clint was our best tracker and trying to reason with two hard-headed teenage girls when they were bored out of their minds was pointless.
A bit of sunshine filtered through the broken blind, lighting up the small back room. The instant my eyes landed on the shelving unit lining the adjacent wall, I lowered my weapon and smiled, unable to hold back the whistle that burst from my lips.
Jackpot.
“Salted Almond Chocolate Bites.” I read the label on one of the packaged items sitting on the shelf. “I mean, it’s not coffee, but it sounds amazing.” Whoever raided the supermarket must’ve overlooked Starbucks. “Got anything good?” I asked Chaz.
He huffed as he rummaged through a cupboard on the other side of the room. “Paper cups, stainless-steel thermoses, and mugs. We can fill the thermoses with water from the creek before heading back to camp.”
I checked the next package on the shelf. “Woo-wee. Dark Chocolate-Covered Espresso Beans. Now, that’s what I’m talking about, baby. There’s a bunch of ‘em, too.”
Chaz looked up from his search, an eyebrow hiked way up.
“Caramel waffles… some oatmeal,” I went on as I pulled my bag off my shoulders. If Hank had been with us, he would have been giving me puppy eyes, drooling at the find. Not that he would’ve left Kate’s side, even if I’d tried to lure him away with the promise of snacks. Ever since he sensed the baby growing inside her, he’d turned into a bit of a ferocious protector, even more than before. They were literally attached at the hip.
Which made spending any time alone with my baby mama a bit of a project.
“Find anything good?” Clint asked from the door, startling me and dissolving all thoughts of Kate’s warm body wrapped in mine.
“Fuck, kid. Didn’t I say to stay outside with the girls?”
“They can handle themselves. Plus, we haven’t seen a walking corpse in forever.”
Both girls peeked their heads through the door. “What’s everyone talking about?” Liling asked.
“Jax’s a bit paranoid about me leaving you out there all alone…” he mocked.
“Why? Is it because we’re girls?” she asked, her eyes rolling.
“I never said that,” I crooned back.
“Yeah, Jax,” Camila added with similar flair, trying to echo Liling’s irritated tone. “Plus, it’s not like we’ve seen a whole bunch of zombies around.”
Clint crossed his arms, a satisfied grin creasing his lips. “See. That’s what I said.”
I shook my head. While hardened by this deadly world, in the end, Clint, Liling, and Camila were still just kids. And the fact we hadn’t seen any d’shiad or damned wasn’t exactly a good sign. Grunting, I went back to packing my bags. “Just keep an eye on the front door, will ya? There are worse things than zombies or demons out there.”
“Yeah, like what?” Camila asked.
“People. Now go.”
“Fuck this,” Chaz said, giving up his search. “Liling, you get in here; I’ll go keep watch with Camila and Clint.”
In true teenage fashion, her shoulders slumped as she reluctantly accepted her new task.
“You didn’t think you were just coming for the tour, did you?” I teased.
She stuck her tongue out at me.
“Come on, the quicker we get this done, the faster we can get back to camp. Just see if you can find anything else useful.”
“Is coffee useful?” she asked.
My ears perked up, and I nearly choked on the chocolate bean I’d stuffed inside my mouth. “Don’t mess with me, Liling…” I warned as I finished stuffing my bag.
“We are in a coffee shop,” Liling said matter-of-factly.
I dropped my duffle and rose to my feet. Before her, a cabinet full of packaged coffees stared back at me. An insane craving bubbled in my gut, and I practically drooled. “Oh yeah, definitely useful. I can fit a few in my bag. Give me the ground stuff; we can’t do much with whole beans without a grinder.”
Loading four packs of coffee into my duffle, I was so euphoric, I almost didn’t hear the scream that erupted from outside. It wasn’t until it sounded again, louder this time, that Liling and I stared at each other, instantly recognizing the voice.
Camila…
“Shit. Time to go.” I hauled my bag over my shoulder and grabbed my rifle from where I’d left it. I ran out of the back room and nearly slammed into Clint, who was already on his way out, his rifle drawn. Through the broken glass door, I caught sight of Chaz and Camila in the parking lot. The girl cowered behind the big guy while the Marine pointed his rifle at something I couldn’t see from my position.
“Liling, stay back,” I ordered as I dropped my duffle and pushed through the broken front door. “Clint, with me.”
Growling like a d’shiad, but looking nothing like a hellhound, a lumbering monstrosity creeped across the parking lot on all fours. Spikes protruded from its spine, its slimy, black leathery skin steamed, burning by the sunlight. When it opened its mouth, rows of too many sharp teeth dripped with saliva. Though longer-limbed, it held the swagger of a croc. Given the sun’s damage to its skin, this beast was clearly Hell-born, which meant desperation had brought it out during daylight hours, giving us the advantage.
I hoped.
“Haven’t seen that type before,” Chaz called out when I approached the beast from the opposite side, while Clint circled around to block it from behind. “Do you think they come in packs like the hounds?”
“No clue,” I muttered, but I knew what he was getting at. If there were any more of them around, gunfire could lure them to us. Even slowed down by the sun, we couldn’t take on a horde of demons.
Cursing under my breath, I lowered my rifle and reached for the army knife strapped to my thigh. Clint shot me a raised brow, but Chaz kept his eyes focused on the beast as it made its way toward him and Camila. He’d seen me do hand to hand combat with a giant scorpion before, so going up against a giant lizard thing wasn’t a shocker. Granted, back then, I’d also been nearly invincible with Astaroth tied to my soul. With the demon gone and my ability to heal from mortal wounds non-existent, the knife shook slightly in my hand. I gripped the handle tighter and rushed at the beast, silencing all thoughts on how this could go wrong and hoping not to lose my nerve—or a limb.
I’d done this before, and I was fucking good at it. I didn’t need a Horseman fused to my soul to take down one of hell’s minions. Or, at least, that’s what I tried to sell myself.
As I got about two feet from the monster, it belted an ear-splitting shriek that stopped me in my tracks. Literally. Some unseen force froze my body, limb by limb, muscle fiber by muscle fiber.
Balancing on one foot mid-run, I stood suspended like a fucking ballerina about to break into a pirouette. The knife slipped from my stone-still fingers. No part of my body budged, no matter how hard I begged my muscles to move.
The skull-crushing shriek that had escaped the beast still echoed in my brain. Its scaly lips peeled back in a snarl, and it looked like it was grinning with malice. Even as its flesh blistered from the sunlight, and strips of the black leather-like skin peeled off and evaporated into smoke, the demon didn’t flinch, as if the sun was a mere nuisance.
From the corner of my eye, I noted Chaz was stuck in a similar frozen position. His rifle lay propped up on his massive shoulder, ready to fire, but if he was having the same trouble moving as I did, his finger couldn’t pull the trigger. Clint fared no better on the other side of the monster.
We were royally fucked.
The lizard-thing continued its calculated stroll toward Chaz and Camila. It sniffed the air, licking its chops as if savoring something tasty, drool dripping at the corners of its cracked lips. Each drop sizzled as it hit the asphalt.
I couldn’t quite figure out how it could smell anything aside from the stench of its own burning flesh.
Suddenly, a smoky substance spewed from its mouth, constricting my airways as it reached my nose. My lungs struggled for oxygen, and the lump in my throat had no way of escaping through my forced-shut lips. I couldn’t make out what this new substance was, but it was suffocating. My vision blurred, and I was about to lose consciousness when shots rang out and the beast inhaled the smoke into its body.
More shots blasted and somehow, through the corner of my eye, I was able to make out Liling’s form. Aiming her gun, she fired another round, and whatever power had imprisoned me loosened its hold on my body, finally enabling my muscles to move, but the relief was short-lived. I tried taking a few steps toward the beast, but walking felt like wading through waist-deep mud.
Camila and Chaz both unfroze as well, and the marine wasted no time spraying the beast with bullets. What did it matter now? Liling had already fired her weapon, might as well shred the son-of-a-bitch.
The demon shrieked and that otherworldly feeling of being paralyzed by some unseen force took a hold of us again. Chaz couldn’t fire anymore. For some reason, though, Liling wasn’t affected by the demon’s strange ability to control us with its shriek. Perhaps she wasn’t close enough for it to reach? She kept firing. Unfortunately, she still needed some target practice, and most of her bullets bounced off the asphalt—it’s a miracle she didn’t shoot one of us. But whenever she did manage to hit the demon, I felt the hold on me lessen.
I waited for a chip in the armor and managed to grab my army knife off the ground and lurched toward the beast.
Pitiful human… a voice hissed in my head, the words spoken in Latin. I looked around to see if anybody else had heard it too, but everyone seemed oblivious.
Your soul reeks of hellfire … the voice spoke again, and this time, the lizard-like beast cocked its head slightly, his dark gaze penetrating mine. And that’s when I knew the voice was coming from it. You’re a child of the darkness, but you’ve sold yourself back to these vermin.
My body tensed. Last time I was able to hear demon thoughts was because I had one of the Horsemen fused to my soul. I couldn’t understand how this was even possible. Astaroth had been completely wiped from existence, stabbed with empyrean steel. I knew because I’d died with him before Gavri’el breathed life back into me. I was certain no trace of him had remained.
Then again… I shook my head, refusing to allow the idea to take root in my mind.
The beast chuckled in my head. You are forever bound to our realm, mortal. I can smell him in you. His essence is entwined with yours. But you know this. Deep down you know, even though you try to hide it, try to deny his existence. You feel his shadow, feel the pull of his power tugging at the fringes of your reality.
