Secrets and Sins

Chapter 34

~Beatrice~

The piercing screech of the alarm woke her at 6 am. Beatrice reached out and pressed the snooze button, knowing Ava would probably need a reminder to get up later. The Halo bearer was wrapped tightly around her, Beatrice sighed before carefully beginning the process to untangle herself from the woman’s grasp. She was hoping to get a quick run in at the hotel gym before meeting with the others. Ava grumbled, blindly clinging tighter, her face burrowing into Beatrice’s neck.

“I have to get up, baby.” Beatrice whispered, managing to pull back enough to press her lips to Ava’s cheek.

“Mmmm noooo stay.” Came a sleepy reply.

“Ava.” Bea started, the Halo bearer wound her arms back around her, pulling her close.

Eyes still shut, Ava kissed her way all over the sister warrior’s face, searching for her lips. When the younger woman found what she was searching for, she smiled softly, deepening the kiss.

“Hey!” Lilith’s voice shouted from the other room.
“I can fucking hear lips smacking. Don’t forget I have super hearing!”

Ava groaned pulling away from her. Beatrice couldn’t help but chuckle at the Halo bearer’s thoroughly irked expression, honey brown eyes open just a sliver.

“There will be plenty of time for that.” The sister warrior said gently, pressing a chaste kiss to Ava’s lips.
“I promise.”

"Not while I'm here!" Lilith yelled.

Beatrice pushed herself hard on the treadmill, the burn of her muscles a welcome distraction from her concerns for Ava’s safety. She fell back into the same mind-numbing pace she would run when in Switzerland a short while ago, before Ava literally fell from the sky. The sister warrior felt the anxiety she had been living with since knowing how much Ava was wanted by Reya ease slightly.  The run helped to settle her, but she knew that it wouldn’t be long before the nervous, highly strung energy would sneak back in. Beatrice stretched well when she finished, centering herself before heading back to the penthouse for a shower.

~Ava~

The tension in the conference room was so thick you could cut it with a knife. They were waiting on Dr Salvius and Mother Superior’s arrival, Lilith paced along one wall, eyes on the floor an agitated expression on her face. This would be the first time she saw the woman since she had murdered her son in cold blood. Ava could barely sit still, tapping the toe of her boot against the chair leg. Even Bea who was sitting beside her, drummed her fingers on the table, showing a hint of nerves. They needed this to go well, or at least good enough that everyone could work together in some sort of harmony.

The door opened, in stepped Mother Superior, and following closely behind her was Dr Salvius, the blonde woman had dark circles under her bloodshot eyes. Obviously, the news of the former sister warrior joining their efforts hadn’t been well received. Lilith froze in her tracks, peering up. The occupants of the room held their collective breath as the two women scrutinized each other.

Dr Salvius was the first to move, approaching Lilith at a measured pace, when they were within an arm's length of each other, she stopped. A moment went by where nobody moved, nobody breathed and then the blonde woman drew her arm back and promptly punched the former sister warrior as hard as she could in the mouth.

Holy shit.

The act snapped everyone out of their stupor, Vincent and Mother Superior both rushing forward to get between the two women.

“It’s fine, I won't do it again.” Dr Salvius stated, holding up her hands, her right knuckles already showing a bruise.
She fixed the Queen of Hell with a glare, "I hate you for taking my son away from me, but I will work beside you for the cause."

Lilith flexed her jaw slightly, she didn’t say anything or do anything, she just stood there. Ava couldn’t believe what she had just witnessed, but even more unbelievable was that the winged woman just stood still and took it.

Like she deserved it. Maybe Lilith has really turned a corner?

Mother Superior cleared her throat, establishing order once again, “Right, so, the reason for this meeting is to discuss the portals. Jillian, have you had any luck predicting the sinkhole location or time of opening?”

“I’ve been monitoring for any seismic shifts in the area, there are a few unusual readings but nothing that screams sinkhole is imminent.” The doctor answered tiredly.

“Thank you doctor.” The older nun turned her eyes to Vincent.
“Considering we don’t know how to prevent it; I think it’s best to discuss what our options are once the portal opens. Vincent?”

“Everything I have found so far in the old texts that reference any kind of portal or veil between worlds has no mention of any way to close it. I will keep searching, but translating the ancient languages is taking me longer than expected.” Vincent remarked, removing his glasses to wipe them down.

“So, when it opens, we fight the tarasks spilling out of it?” Camilla queried.
“Every other tarask we have been up against has taken nearly all of us to defeat.”

“My wraith army can help with that.” Lilith volunteered; arms folded across her chest.

“We can't exactly start a war between demons in the middle of Madrid, the civilian casualties would be horrific.” Bea countered, going back to her relentless finger drumming.

“What if we blow up the portals? End the war before it’s begun?” Ava offered, everyone turned to her with various expressions of surprise.

“How do you propose we do that?” Mother Superior tilted her head.

“Well. You know. With the halo.” Ava could see in her peripheral vision that Bea was already shaking her head, jaw set in defiance.
“Reya’s plan is to destroy the portal to Hell with the halo, right? She told me when I spoke to her. So why don't we just destroy both? Lilith doesn’t need the portal as she can teleport between worlds anyway. I say we just blow up the portals between all realms.”

“No Ava, we can’t do that.” Bea snapped.
“If we take the halo out of you…you might die or at least be paralyzed again.” Bea finally turned to meet her eyes; she looked on the verge of tears. Ava took her hand, squeezing comfortingly.

“We don't know that Bea.” The halo bearer murmured softly, imploring her to at least contemplate the idea.

“No. There has to be another way.” The sister warrior’s voice held a tone of desperation.

“I agree with Beatrice, Ava, we will not risk your life.” Mother Superior had a don’t argue with me expression on her face.

“What if we just kill her? Reya. Cut off the head of the snake and the body dies?” Lilith offered.

“Kill her?” Ava snorted.
“Isn't she immortal?”

“She is immortal, but not unkillable. I think that may be our only option, unless we find a way to close or destroy the portal.” The former sister warrior answered with a shrug.

The group dissolved into discussion, weighing up the possibility of being able to destroy Reya. Eventually they came up with a very tenuous plan, when the portal opened, they would mobilize the OCS and wraith army to keep the tarask forces busy, while Ava and Lilith faced down the deity herself. Ava agreed to it like the others but kept the idea of the halo destroying the portals as plan B, she refused to let the war spill out into her world.

~Beatrice~

Beatrice didn’t like how quiet Ava had been since the meeting in the conference room this morning, she feared the Halo bearer was still considering using the halo to destroy the portals, her heart began to race, and her breathing quickened at the thought. The sister warrior took a deep steadying breath.

I will not let her sacrifice herself. Not again.

“Okay I believe the interference that is causing the halo to activate is coming from your crown Lilith.” Dr Salvius announced, lowering her scanning device.
“It must be whatever the material is that it is made of. It seems to give the halo a power boost, even without touching Ava. Hence activation.”

“So, if I simply remove it and put it on the other side of the room, Ava and I should be able to train without any surprises?” The winged woman confirmed.

The blonde woman nodded and then gestured at the Halo bearer, “Ava come and try to touch her please.”

The sister warrior watched as Ava moved forward. Lilith removed her crown and reverently placed it on the desk in the corner before turning and meeting Ava in the middle of the room.

“Ready?” Lilith asked, raising her eyebrow at the Halo bearer and raising her scaled hand palm out towards her.

Ava gulped, glancing back towards Beatrice her expression unsure. The sister warrior tried to offer her a reassuring smile. The younger woman inhaled deeply and slowly reached out, touching Lilith’s palm with a fingertip, her entire body rigid with fear.

Nothing happened.

Beatrice released the breath she didn’t realize she had been holding and could see Ava basically sag with relief.

“Great, now we can start training for the showdown with Reya.” Lilith grinned.

“Yaaaay.” Ava replied sarcastically.