Enrapture | The Angels Series Book 2 | Slow Updates

Chapter Thirteen

He beat his wings and pulled back just as the creature exploded in a blaze of white light. He shielded his eyes and was relieved when the splatter missed him. He heard a hoot above him and drew his attention to the breathtaking owl that now flew toward him.

Its honey-gold eyes watched him as it closed the distance between them. He had thought that he was in awe of her before, but now he was speechless. She just kept surprising him. He extended his arm and Athena landed there, climbing up his arm and nuzzling into the side of his face. She pecked him gently with her beak and he reached a hand to pet her, smoothing out her feathers and letting her nibble on his finger.

She spread her wings and bobbed her head as she prepared to take flight, and for a moment he was afraid she would leave him. She didn't, however, and simply took to the air so that she could return to her normal form. She appeared a few feet away from him on her hands and knees, heaving following the change. After a moment, she rose gracefully and sauntered over to him.

He couldn't stop the smile that split his face when she looked at him. She was even more beautiful to him now. He wished he could scoop her up into his arms and kiss her. He would be nursing a serious hard-on later because her ability to come up with and execute a plan of attack in seconds flat had appealed to something primal within him.

"That was easy," she said, giving him a seductive smile. He watched the sway of her hips as she walked in front of him, heading straight for the gate that no doubt contained their desired portal on the other side of it. Her confidence had suddenly increased and he wanted to kick himself for being such an ass before.

Something sparkled from the corner of his eye and he noticed the spear she had gifted him, discarded in the sand. He reached a hand out and willed it to him, and to his surprise it obeyed. He sent it away for safekeeping and trotted behind her, picking up her satchel from the rubble that had once been her chariot as he went.

They passed through the gate and toward a black mountain. Aside from the large iron doors and the Behemoth that had been guarding it, the mountain didn't appear different from any of the others that were in Hell. The power that pulsed from within was undeniable, though.

He couldn't see a doorway or opening anywhere in the mountainside, but Athena kept on walking as though she knew exactly where to find the portal. When they reached the mountain, she dragged her hands across and kept following the jagged walls with her palms. She suddenly stopped when her hand passed through the stone and tossed him a smile from over her shoulder.

"This is it," she said reaching for his hand and tugging him through the portal. He would never get used to the sucking cold that awaited him for those brief moments as he passed through. He was relieved when they came out on the other side.

His eyes grew wide as he took in the sight before him. It was definitely a city of temples. There were structures surrounding them in every direction, some of them crumbling and others still in decent shape. Ancient Egyptian symbols decorated the walls of the temples and some even displayed beautiful pictures – each telling their own stories.

Night had already befallen the land and he looked up at the countless stars that filled the sky. Athena rushed through the empty dirt road and he followed her, getting the feeling that she knew exactly where she was going. She stopped in front of a statue of a slender woman with a star resting against her forehead. She wore a long dress and had hair that reached her waist. The statue was beautiful, and he thought it even resembled Athena a little.

He realized it must have been her mother's statue, and backed off to give her a moment of privacy. Athena knelt before the statue and spoke in that unknown tongue – her melancholy voice pulled at his heart strings and he longed to comfort her. She rested a palm against the statue and continued to murmur quietly.