Retribution (Redemption Series) by R.K. Ryals Page B

mother for her
off-spring's actions."  
    "And you plan to save them?"
Sophia asked.
    Marcas shook his head.
    "No, I plan to release them, give
them a choice. Or offer them sanctuary depending on that same choice."
    "Lucifer will kill you,"
Sophia breathed.
    Marcas smiled.
    "He can try."
    Sophia's gaze moved to me, her eyes
perusing my figure critically enough I had to fight not to squirm.
    "And the Naphil ? A relationship is out of the question.
You understand that, right?"
    I felt my jaw clench, but Marcas ' hand tightened on mine, and I knew he was trying to
keep me from intervening.
    "She has a choice."
    "No," Sophia said with a
laugh. "No, she doesn't. She never has. None of us ever has."
    The room fell silent. I looked from
Sophia's face to Bezaliel's .
    "What do you mean 'never
has'?" I asked.
    Bezaliel's expression
remained neutral, his eyes sharp. His gaze moved once more to Marcas .
    "There is a prophecy in
Heaven."
    Marcas didn't blink.
    "A
prophecy?" I asked.
    Bezaliel's gaze remained
locked on Marcas '.
    "In the name of retribution, a
relationship will arise between an Angel and a Demon. And, in the end, this
relationship will destroy the world."
    I froze, my eyes locked on the
unblinking battle between my father and the man I had come to love. A prophecy? Is that why Sophia turned away from Marcas ? Because a relationship with him could destroy life
as we know it?
    "I don't understand," I
whispered.
    Bezaliel turned to me,
his gaze firm but sympathetic.
    "Damon was seeking redemption. In
so doing, he believed a child born of an Angel/Demon match would bring
salvation to Lilith's hybrid children. What he never understood is that a match
between an Angel and a Demon will do nothing more than destroy the Angel. She
will have to deny Heaven."
    I shook my head.
    "She could choose Exile. They could
both choose Exile. In Exile, there is neutrality," I argued.
    Bezaliel stepped
forward, but I moved away, my shoulder going into Marcas '
side. His free hand found my shoulder.
    "There is no neutrality in a
relationship with a Demon. Both of you would be denying your races and creating
a link between two worlds that should not be connected. Those of us who have
chosen Exile have given up more than you will ever know. You do have the choice
of Exile, but you cannot link yourself with a Demon. On Earth, there is good
and there is evil. There is no middle ground. What happens if that line is
blurred? Chaos. What happens if other Angels or other
Demons decided that the rules no longer apply to them, that we can choose mates
from other realms? The Exiles came to be because we chose human love over
Heaven. What happens if an Angel chooses the love of a Demon over Heaven?
War."
    Bezaliel's gaze moved to Marcas once more.
    "My condition?" he asked.
    I stiffened. My father's words were
convincing, strong, but they were his opinion. I wasn't sure I agreed. There
was a lot of blurred lines and middle ground on Earth. And if he was suddenly
trying to establish some fatherly protection slash intimidation, he was a
little late in the game. Marcas ' hand stayed glued to
my shoulder.
    "The choice is hers," Marcas answered firmly.
    I felt like I was drowning. There was
not enough air in the room, but I didn't falter. I kept my face even, my
thoughts barred from anyone in the room who could read them. My father was asking
too much. After everything we had been through, after everything we'd done, he
was saying it had all been for nothing. He was asking me to forsake myself.
    Someone turned and left the room. I
didn't have to look to know it was Sophia.

 
    Chapter 11

 
    Scars are marks that infiltrate the skin. They are
marks torn into the soul, leaving behind wounds that can never be healed.

 
    ~ Bezaliel ~

 
    My old bedroom was just as I remembered
it, small and terrifying. If it had ever been comforting, the comfort had been
torn away from it by circumstance.
    "It's a miserable feeling, isn't
it?"
    Amber's voice was soft when