Page 62 of Rekindled Prophecy

She approached the front of the building where Olivier waited with a self-satisfied smarmy smile and a chuckle.

With his gigantic hand outstretched towards her, in an elegant British accent he intoned, “Good evening, Greylyn. As you can see,” his over arm indicated the army surrounding them, “I’ve been waiting for you.”

Chapter 25

Olivier

Well, if those words did not strike fear into a guardian angel’s heart, nothing would.

Greylyn steeled herself against the panic flooding her entire body. The thumping of blood pounding through her brain drowned out all else for just a moment as her heart fought to break free of her ribcage.

She did not question why Olivier would stoop to know the identity of a guardian so far down on the angelic totem pole. The mere fact that he did was enough to instill terror, evidenced by the uncontrollable trembling in her limbs as her knees threatened to give way. But there were people inside the dilapidated brick building that could die horrible deaths if she did not step up to defend them. Even if that meant facing off against the next worst thing to Lucifer himself.

Taking a few deep but ragged breaths, she craned her neck to look Olivier in the face. “How nice of you to go all out with the welcoming committee, but really, you shouldn’t have gone to so much trouble.” She heard the tremor in her own voice.

A wide smile overcame Olivier’s face. “Nothing is too good for you, my dear. I have been waiting to meet you officially for some centuries now. Just never had therightopportunity.”

Greylyn took in his seven-foot, muscular frame, long flowing platinum blond hair, and nearly glowing aquamarine eyes. Yes, the Thor description was right on…if Thor was also a giant. Olivier certainly looked more the part of the fair-featured demi-god than a villain. Excellent façade for someone so purely diabolical.

He was dressed all in black – a stylish and expensive business suit with a red power tie and shiny black dress shoes. Olivier looked like he was headed to the opera, not to a battlefield.

“Nice suit,” she quipped in an attempt at bravado. “Hope you know a good dry cleaner.” His soft chuckle filled the air. His laughter was hypnotic, almost flirty. Something about Olivier invisibly tugged her closer to him. Unable to fight it, she found herself staring up into his neon orbs with barely an inch between their bodies.

He took her arm in the crook of his own and led her to a small wooden bench just outside the entrance to the apartment building. Greylyn had never felt pure, unadulterated evil before now. No doubt, she had gone up against various forms of evil over the centuries, but this was overwhelmingly different. Her skin felt like she was tied to a spit over the fiery pit of Hell, while her insides roasted, and the oppressive smoke choked her lungs.

Olivier gestured for her to take a seat. Unable to share the small bench with her, he pulled up a lawn chair that someone must have left behind. She was surprised when the chair did not collapse under his massive frame. Inwardly she was grateful for even the short distance. The air cooled instantly.

For several minutes he looked her over as if he were surveying a piece of artwork. She could almost swear that he was peering into her very soul, reading her every thought and emotion. It did not feel intimate, though; she felt violated.

Unable to stand his scrutiny any longer, Greylyn broke the silence before her nerves got the best of her. “To what do I owe this privilege of a face-to-face meeting with one of the most notorious fallen archangels in existence?” Damn, there was still a slight tremor in her voice. “If I had known in advance, I would’ve dressed up a bit more. Her hand indicated his designer suit and then her torn jeans, tee-shirt, and sneakers. “Next time you wish for a meeting be sure to indicate cocktail attire on the invitation.”

A loud guffaw echoed across the empty streets and alleyways. Looking around, she noticed that the demon army had drawn back. Olivier seemed deep in thought as he continued his inspection of her. His eyes had narrowed to slits and a wry smile played on his lips. Clearing her throat, she hoped to break the uncomfortable silence.

His perfect teeth displayed in a wide smile. “For such a tiny thing you certainly have caused a lot of trouble. How have you survived all these years?” Without bothering to wait for her answer, he continued, “By listening to all the tales from those you have defeated, the ones who lived to tell the tale anyway, I would have thought you’d be more the Pink Power Ranger type. I didn’t expect to meet such a wisp of a creature.”

Was that a compliment?

After a slight pause, he added, “Not that I’m complaining. You are quite extraordinarily lovely. I would wager Aphrodite herself would pale in comparison. She is taller though.” A perfectly manicured hand reached out to stroke her flushed cheek, causing searing tremors to race over her body, and not in a good way.

“I may be a wisp, but I can still pack quite a punch.” The terse tone of her voice conveyed more bravery than she felt.

“You misunderstand. I am highly impressed. Perhaps your size led others to underestimate you but be sure I won’t make that mistake.” To emphasize his point, he leaned over to pat her knee as if she were an errant child.

She jerked away. “At the risk of being impolite, how about we discusswhywe are meeting and under these circumstances. Apparently, you were expecting me, but I have to say that I was not expecting you.” Greylyn clasped her hands to keep them from shaking.

“Not at all, dear. As a matter of fact, weshoulddiscuss our situation. It is a most unfortunate one … for you and those innocent humans in the building anyway. However, we could possibly come to an arrangement to benefit all parties involved and avoid an unfortunate and ugly incident altogether.”

The way he raised his platinum eyebrows did not instill confidence he truly meant his words. His neon green eyes flashed crimson for a split second. With a flick of his wrist, the building exploded outward, fireballs shooting in all directions. The force of the blast obliterated everything in a two-block radius, except for Olivier, herself, and the now howling demon soldiers.

Shrieking, Greylyn fell to her knees. Her ears rang from the thunderous sonic boom and tears poured down her cheeks. “No!”

Just as quickly, the building came back into focus. Still standing. Intact. Unharmed. “Itcanbe over with that quickly.”

Giving her a second to recover from the shock of the realistic, but thankfully faux, explosion, Olivier continued. “Several months ago, this lovely young lady came to visit the old psychic woman. Sofia, isn’t it? The reports from this particular visit were highly interesting since the lady in question had already been in our sights for many years. Since birth actually.”

Chills ran down her spine at his words. He was talking about Kelly.

He stopped for a moment, peering into her eyes to ascertain her reaction to the news. Try as she might to remain inscrutable, she felt a nerve jumping in the corner of her left eye.

---