Above The Flames (The Flames Trilogy #1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

stiff muscles, pulling his weight with arms that were like mush. He pulled the blanket away, knowing who it was even before he did. Gabriella’s dark blue eyes stared, unblinking. Her rosy cheeks had turned gray and were sunken in to the bone. Her baby laughter, which had always brought a pang of happiness into his heart, was gone forever. He cradled his sister, his arms turning red from the cold blood that coated them. Slowly, he stepped backward around the bodies of the rest of his family, almost slipping in the pool of dark blood underneath them. He turned, the baby still in his arms, ready to run, but slammed into a wide chest.
    “I’ve been waiting for you,” the silky voice said.
    Amon backed up, fear making his movements clumsy. He almost stumbled again, but caught himself in time. When he met the man’s eyes, they glowed red.
    Amon screamed, finally able to open his eyes. His breaths came quick and carried little oxygen. Bael! This must stop. I can’t take much more.
    The smell of burning rock was strong as he inhaled deeply, dragging the thick air directly into his lungs. A long cough followed, and when he was through, his throat felt like it had been sliced apart with razors. When was the last time they brought me water?
    A thick band of gray smoke funneled through a rocky archway, which happened to be the door to his prison. Long ago, the rock had split and broken open, leaving this small chamber.
    Soon after he arrived, he’d been strapped and chained to this wall. Demons had stripped him of all his clothes, leaving only a small brown cloth covering his manhood. They used to come and lift that strip of cloth, point, and laugh. The humility was endless in Hell, but that part had never bothered him. He’d been an angel once, far better than any of these evil beings. He had been better than them, and he thought he still was.
    The torment, though, had eventually made him lose the most important thing he had. Hope. And when the rock had grown over his chains, he knew there would be no escape. In fact, there was no need for chains any longer since the rock now covered his arms, leaving them buried underneath the wall. He’d like to say he barely missed them, but they would come in handy when he had an itch, or an ache that needed rubbing. Of course, they’d gone numb as well, so sometimes, when he woke after his nightmare, he imagined they had been cut off. Gone forever. Thankfully, that was only his imagination.
    The room was dark, the walls charred and black. Orange flames flickered around him, stretching across the walls and ceiling, creating shadows. They tickled and burned his skin when they touched it. Sweat poured down his forehead, the heat almost unbearable. Of course, I’ve grown immune to it now.
    If he had to look at this room much longer he’d go crazy. As if I haven’t already. Dreams of his family plagued him almost every night. They always ended the same, even though some of the events leading up to finding his dead family changed. Amon had a feeling that was Bael’s doing. He loves to make people have nightmares. I think he feeds off their fear.
    “Amon. My old p-pal.” Amon stiffened as a demon came into view, his red eyes reflecting the flames. His black hair was short, his large ears sticking out from the side of his head. Great, it’s Belze.
    Amon cleared his throat. “I’m not your old pal, Belze. Nor your current pal. So, whatever you want, out with it.” Amon’s voice was weak to his own ears, so he narrowed his eyes.
    Belze stumbled as he came through the archway, catching himself against the wall Amon hung on. “That was a b-bit embarrassing.” He ran a hand down his black button-up shirt, smoothing it. “I th-thought you might want to know we’re blowing this j-joint.”
    Amon angled his head. “What do you mean?”
    “W-we won. The demons, that is, n-not you fallen ones , since you actually didn’t fight or anything…”
    “Get on with it. And for the love of