Fear The Fall: Fallen Hunters Series

  Fear The Fall

  Melissa Winters

  This is a work of fiction. All of the characters and events portrayed in this novel are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons or businesses is unintentional.

  * * *

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Copyright © 2020 by Melissa Winters

  All rights reserved.

  Edited by Per Se Editing

  Cover Design by: Regina Wamba of ReginaWamba.com.

  Contents

  Fear the Fall Playlist

  Prologue

  Radioactive

  Monsters

  Miracle

  Redemption

  Play with Fire

  Believer

  Riptide

  Wolves

  Something Just Like This

  Stay

  Sucker for Pain

  Bad Blood

  You’re Somebody Else

  Therefore I Am

  Devil Devil

  First

  Help

  Hell Froze Over

  Blame

  Everybody Rise

  Dead Inside

  Bloody Valentine

  Chop Suey!

  Helium

  Acknowledgments

  Books by Melissa Winters

  Meet Melissa

  Fear The Fall Playlist

  The Night We Met by Lord Huron

  Radioactive by Imagine Dragons

  Monsters by All Time Low

  Miracle by The Score

  Redemption by Besomorph & Coopex

  Play with Fire by Sam Tinnesz

  Believer by Imagine Dragons

  Riptide by Vance Joy

  Wolves by Missio

  Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers & Coldplay

  Stay by Rihanna

  Sucker for Pain by Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa & Imagine Dragons

  Bad Blood by Taylor Swift

  You’re Somebody Else by Flora Cash

  Therefore I Am by Billie Eilish

  Devil Devil by Milck

  First by Cold War Kids

  Help by Papa Roach

  Hell Froze Over by Kodaline

  Blame by Bastille

  Everybody Rise by Amy Shark

  Dead Inside by Muse

  Bloody Valentine by Machine Gun Kelly

  Chop Suey! by System of A Down

  Helium by Sia

  This book is for my friend Mary Donovan for all the times I’ve asked her to read my books for proofing errors and mistakes. She drops everything to help and she’ll never know how much I love and appreciate her! This one’s for you girl!

  “Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love. It did not end well.”

  —Laini Taylor

  Prologue

  The Night We Met

  A pair of sea-green eyes meet mine and time stops.

  It doesn’t matter that a lady is bleeding out at my knees, a casualty in a fight with a legion of demons. I’m transfixed by the man holding the woman in his arms. His five o’clock shadow and ruffled light brown hair make him look rugged and masculine. Not things I should be noticing, considering the woman is dying and I should be long gone by now.

  “Can you help her?” he yells, over the wail of demons being dragged to hell.

  If not for the fact that he’s looking right at me, I’d think he was just calling out for help, because humans aren’t supposed to see angels unless God wills it so.

  “Help her.” His eyes plead with me.

  I jerk backward. “You can see me?”

  “Yes, I can see you. Are you going to help?”

  I shake the stupor away, baffled by the fact that this human can in fact see me. That’s not possible, unless something has changed. It happens very rarely, but there have been a couple of occasions where God has given his divine mercy at the last second. I don’t question God’s choices.

  He’s speaking to me, and that can’t be good for him.

  Witnessing a holy war will sign this man’s death warrant. It’s law. Humans can’t be privy to knowledge of our kind. They’re to have faith in our existence, but signs are forbidden—except through miracles that I, as a virtue angel, can provide. Typically, sightings are cause for cleanup of the extermination variety. Humans aren’t to be touched unless they threaten the balance, and his being able to see me disrupts the balance in an epic way.

  “How can you see me?” I demand, looking for some sign that this is, in fact, God’s will.

  “I don’t have those answers, angel. Can you help her?” he repeats a little more forcefully.

  I shake my head. “I can’t,” I whisper, feeling as though I’m betraying a man I don’t even know, from the way he frowns in my direction. The look of disappointment sears through me.

  It’s not my place to interfere in a human’s fate. I’m not to have interaction with humans, let alone save one. By law, I should end his life and the woman’s right now, or at the very least, call for an angel of death to do the dirty work. Or I could provide a miracle and hope God approves of an unsanctioned one.

  “Please,” the man begs. “She’s a mother. If you won’t do it for me, do it for her three kids.”

  I run my hands down my face, feeling a rush of cold that I shouldn’t feel. Angels don’t experience such things. The elements don’t affect us, and I certainly can’t care about this woman’s family.

  But for some reason, I do.

  “Is she your wife?” The words slip past my mouth before I can stop them.

  The less I know, the better. Being on Earth is horrifically hard for angels, as we don’t typically experience the range of emotions that humans do. Here, I’m getting caught up in matters that don’t concern me.

  “No. She’s just an innocent bystander who got stuck in the cross fire.”

  I bite my lip, thinking over the options.

  The man’s hand lies atop mine, and shivers course through me.

  “Help her.”

  “Why do you want to help her?” I don’t know why I ask. It doesn’t matter and it won’t change anything.

  “She doesn’t deserve to die for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Surely you agree?”

  His eyes pierce mine; the weight of his words weighs heavily on me. Without another thought, I place my hands on her chest and allow the energy I’ve stored to flow through me into her, shocking life back into her body. She inhales sharply, indicating I’ve just fucked up royally.

  If any of my brothers witnessed this, I’d be summoned to the Divine Council. Since it’s my first offense, I’ll beg for clemency and swear fealty to my legion. A lifetime’s worth of battle cleanup might save me. Or I’ll be stripped of my wings and barred from Heaven—a fate worse than death. Either option is horrific to consider. And for what? A bit of human lust? That’s what this was, right?

  How a virtue angel was able to be affected by such things is a question I’ll need to mull over in greater detail once I’m far away from here and this devastatingly handsome mortal. I’m one of the strongest beings. Even if Earth affects angels, it shouldn’t affect a virtue this much. I cringe at the thought. The weakness seeps into my being, making me feel dirty and traitorous.

  “She’ll survive,” I say, knowing I need to leave immediately. Something in the air is off.

  The sirens blaring in the background indicate that more humans are on their way. It won’t be long before quite the scene rains down on me. Glancing
around, I’m relieved to see the cleanup process is complete. When the humans get here, they’ll find nothing more than an injured woman and a man caring for her. My work is done.

  “Wait,” he says, reaching out and grabbing my elbow.

  A slow burn starts deep in my belly, building all the way up my chest. I close my eyes and attempt to shake off the sensations. Wrong, yet so right.

  Emotions like this are impossible for a virtue angel to feel, yet the heat from his touch still burns my skin. Something forbidden. Something that calls to my soul and threatens to rip away my very existence.

  “What you saw,” I start, and then stop, knowing that what I’m about to say will go against every law of my kind. But when I look back up to his handsome face, I know I have to warn him. “You’re in grave danger.”

  His answering grin confuses me, and I narrow my eyes. He can’t be making light of this. Does he not realize that by law, I should kill him on the spot? Does he not know that there is still a real chance that once I leave, another of my brothers could sweep in and do the job I’m somehow incapable—for the first time in my existence—of doing?

  “Angel,” he says softly. The very words caress my skin. If I were standing, they would surely buckle my traitorously weak knees. He leans over, trailing one finger down my cheek and over the curve of my exposed neck. I shudder under his touch, my eyes closing of their own volition.

  “You’re in danger,” I repeat, stressing the words, needing him to understand the seriousness of this moment.

  He shakes his head. “I am the danger.”

  Something about the way he says it sends goose bumps racing up and down my spine in equal parts intrigue and trepidation. I rush to explain, knowing my time is running out.

  “You can never repeat what you’ve seen here. I won’t compel you to forget, but you must never speak a word of this.” I stand and turn to go, but he’s right behind me, grabbing my elbow once more.

  “Why?” he questions, eyes mere slits as he watches me, waiting for my answer. But I don’t know what he’s asking.

  “Why won’t you compel me?” he says, solving my unanswered question.

  It’s such a loaded question. Why indeed? I’ve been pondering the same thing this entire time, but it all comes down to one very peculiar thing.

  “I can’t,” I admit, lowering my head.

  Something inside me won’t allow it. It’s not divine intervention. No, this decision is all my own.

  “What’s your name?”

  I sigh. “I can’t tell you that.”

  Giving a human my name is one of the greatest crimes against Heaven. Our names are sacred, given to us by our creator. I took an oath to protect it at all costs, because my name can be used as a weapon against me. Those who speak it can call on me at any moment, and in the hands of a human, that’s dangerous.

  “What’s your name?” he repeats, looking deep into my eyes, burning his features into my memory. Prominent square jaw, sloped nose that gives way to full lips and a slight hollow in his chin. Penetrating green eyes that I’ll never forget.

  “Victoria,” it slips from my lips, unbidden.

  He nods, smiling. “Until we meet again, Victoria.”

  Radioactive

  The clouds roll through, black and ominous. Thunder rumbles in the distance, and for a moment I consider abandoning my post to watch from the shelter of the barn. But that wouldn’t be wise. I draw my strength from the energy produced by such storms. The closer I am, the more power I can harness, and I will need it.

  Tonight, I hunt.

  The thunder booms as the storm moves closer. The wind begins its shrill howl, slicing through the trees. Branches tremble at its force. The promise of destruction comes with every gust.

  It won’t be long.

  A twinge of excitement courses through me at the prospect. I throw my head back, inhaling the fresh air as it caresses my skin. It’s then that the sky opens up, bathing me with cool drops of heaven’s tears. I cry out as the vortex of energy swirls around me. The warming begins in my toes and I sigh as it crawls up my body, every hair electrified by the energy’s touch.

  A human could not withstand such a process. Their minds have been closed off from the day of their birth. If they only knew the power they could wield, they’d be unstoppable. The mind is an extraordinary tool capable of anything, but humans rarely tap into that power. Instead, they live their lives defenseless and weak, unable to protect themselves from the evil that surrounds them.

  Luckily for me, I am no human. Fallen from grace, I roam the earth determined to earn back my place in the heavens. Stripped of my standing and banished, I now walk amongst Heaven’s greatest enemies—demons.

  Lightning flashes overhead, pinning me to this spot. Sparks erupt from my hands and I cry out at the exquisite pain. As quickly as the storm began, it’s over. The energy recedes, leaving me powerful yet hollow. As a virtue angel, I controlled the elements, and I’ve somehow carried that gift here to Earth. During storms is the only time I can come close to feeling like I did in Heaven, and it’s an effective slap in the face.

  I fall to my knees, allowing the residual energy to create spasms throughout my body. Soon all of it will be soaked into my skin and stored for use. I begin to pray—a force of habit I’ve yet to break. My words are useless. God is undoubtedly not listening.

  “Victoria?” I raise my head to a fellow fallen, Ezekiel. “Are you ready?” he asks, voice quiet as he realizes what I’m doing.

  I stand to my feet, brushing off the dirt that coats my knees. “I told you, I work alone now.”

  Two years ago, it was always him by my side. We’d fight together every night and wake up next to each other every morning. Those days ended the moment I realized Zeke was my Band-Aid.

  He saved me from crippling despair and helped mold me into what I am today. For that, I owe him my life. But it’s not my life he wants. No, that would be my heart, and that was stolen from me.

  “It’s dangerous, Tori. Why must you be so stubborn?” he practically growls, bringing me back to the present. It’s nothing new. We’ve had this same argument no less than twice per week for the past two years. Since the day I gave him my virginity. Yet he still persists.

  “It’s not stubbornness; I just don’t need you slowing me down,” I say, turning my back to one of God’s finest creations. He’s a work of art, there’s no doubt, and that is exactly why I don’t need to be anywhere near Ezekiel Kincaid.

  I don’t trust myself around him. I’ve already been weak in his presence, and I don’t intend to be that person again. He helped me through a trying time, but now I need to help myself.

  Then there’s the fact that he’s teamed up with a few mortals who also hunt demons. Early on, they almost got us killed, because Zeke isn’t honest with them. They don’t know who or what he really is. He hides his true power. A power he too brought from Heaven. That’s a gift that shouldn’t be hidden, so I refuse to hunt with them. Why delay the monsters’ deaths just to deceive humans?

  He barks a laugh. “I’m the best hunter on Earth. It’s you who can’t keep up with me.” My eyes meet his, and the sexy grin he has plastered all over his face makes my insides lava. I push down the lustful feelings, determined to resist.

  He’s a test and I will not fail. Not this time.

  “I’ll let you believe what you want to, but as for me, I go alone.” As I walk past him, his hand shoots out, grabbing me by the elbow.

  “The easiest way to get yourself killed, Tori. I’m just trying to help. Why won’t you let anyone help?”

  Tearing my arm free, I spin to look right into his cobalt blue eyes. “Because I have a job to do, and your help comes with ulterior motives. You want something we once had, and that’s no longer on the table.”

  “Such as?” he drawls.

  “Such as,” I repeat snippily, “sex.”

  His brows rise and his lip quirks in a sexy-as-sin smirk. “Sex?”

  “That’s
what I said.”

  “You know cuddling is just as good. Maybe a little makeout session.” He shrugs. “It doesn’t have to necessarily be sex, Tori. I’m open to all forms of foreplay.”

  “Ugh. See?” I groan. “That’s exactly what I’m talking about, Zeke. Unlike you, I don’t want to be here,” I nearly spit. “I want to go home, and in order to do that, I need to prove my loyalty and allegiance. Falling back into old habits won’t get me there.”

  “I remember a time when you enjoyed those habits.”

  I did. Zeke was passionate. He took his time and always made sure I was content. He provided comfort in a world that was foreign. I was lonely and he was good company. More importantly, he mended my shattered heart and battered ego. For a short time, at least.

  “Yes. I did. Until I finally got my head on straight and my priorities in line.”

  He scoffs. “You strive for the impossible. No one has ever been allowed back through the gates, and you know that. Once you’re forsaken, it’s done.” His eyes nearly beg me to heed his words.

  I continue walking toward the barn, trying to put some distance between us. I’ve closed the door for us to be more because we have two entirely different paths. I want back in, and he’s determined to stay on Earth. He’d be my temptation and the very reason I’d never get home. I’ve tried to convince him, but he’s unmovable in his resolve. Which begs the question . . . why? What is he running from? I don’t ask, because that would mean I’d have to share my own past. For two years that’s been the one topic of conversation off limits. I don’t ask him why he fell, and he doesn’t ask me.