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  PC Benson

  Vis

  Nephilim’s Savior Book Two

  Copyright © 2020 by PC Benson

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

  This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

  PC Benson asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

  PC Benson has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party Internet Websites referred to in this publication and does not guarantee that any content on such Websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

  Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book and on its cover are trade names, service marks, trademarks and registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publishers and the book are not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. None of the companies referenced within the book have endorsed the book.

  First edition

  Editing by Claire Allmendinger

  Proofreading by Lia Fairchild

  This book was professionally typeset on Reedsy

  Find out more at reedsy.com

  Contents

  Book Description

  VIS

  1. Prologue

  2. Chapter 1: After Effects

  3. Chapter 2: Reality

  4. Chapter 3: Confusion

  5. Chapter 4: Trigger

  6. Chapter 5: Transition

  7. Chapter 6: Darkness

  8. Chapter 7: Lost

  9. Chapter 8: Changes

  10. Chapter 9: Reveal

  11. Chapter 10: Home

  12. Chapter 11: Atonement

  13. Chapter 12: Choice

  14. Chapter 13: Attack

  15. Epilogue

  About the Author

  Also by PC Benson

  Book Description

  How does one go on after they have lost everything?

  I had protected and cared for Lilly since our parents died. It had always been the two of us. We did everything together. We were best friends—us against the world.

  They had taken her from me, and I would sacrifice everything to get my sister back—including my mate.

  Lilly had embraced the darkness. How could I save her without turning dark myself? What if there was nothing left to save?

  Vis is Book 2 of the Nephilim’s Savior trilogy

  New Adult/Paranormal Romance/ Dark Romance.

  Approximately 63k words.

  Trigger warning: contains violence, foul language, and consensual adult scenes.

  VIS

  Dedication

  This book is dedicated to all of you who gave this new author a chance.

  Content Warning

  This book contains graphic violence, graphic sexual scenes, and foul language.

  Trigger Warning

  Mention of sexual abuse and mention of violence against children are found in this book. However, all sexual encounters are consensual.

  Acknowledgment

  I have to thank my family again for their constant patience as I spend time with these crazy characters and take time away from them. I also would like to thank my editors who make my story flow better, and my beta readers for improving this world and characters with me. I would like to thank my ARC team for their kind words. Most of all I would like to thank you for going through this wild journey with me.

  One

  Prologue

  I took a deep breath and welcomed the salty air to permeate my lungs as I looked around the vast blue ocean and watched the waves hit the rocks in a rhythmic motion. Serenity surrounded me, but it failed to tamper my tumultuous mood.

  Admittedly, I had been quite challenging to live with ever since Gabrielle—my reason for being—disappeared with the Dark one. Ti had told me to take a moment to myself, probably hoping I would garner peace from my surroundings.

  My shoulders sagged as I thought of the events of a few weeks ago with the Dark one. No, dammit, it was Lilly—Gabby’s sister. Gabby had gone after her, to stop her from turning into the Dark one.

  I was on the topmost floor of the three-story home, as far away from people I could manage. Of all places the Brotherhood had chosen, why Venice? It was too damn crowded.

  Cold seeped into my skin from gripping the glass railing of the balcony. How the fuck had that happened? I was still in disbelief at the recent turn of events. How in the bloody hell did we miss something this big?

  Although I’d stayed close to Gabrielle, I longed to touch her and hold her in my arms. I could feel her anguish and hopelessness, and they were enough to overwhelm my own turmoil. Often, I had to restrain myself from showing up on their doorstep. Being forced away from her and not able to comfort her as I felt her distress was beyond cruel. This must be payback for the blissful moments we shared.

  I smiled at the memory of her touch, her soft skin against my lips, and the light she brought that brightened the darkest corner of my being.

  Alas, she was gone. My chest constricted, which threatened to consume me, so I bowed my head, squeezed my eyes shut, and braced my weight on my elbows. The energy begged to be released as it surged inside of me, and my jaw clenched, so I carefully took deep, slow breaths, in and out to tame the turbulent energy.

  I jumped from the touch on my shoulder.

  “I’m sorry to startle you, Alec,” Celeste said from behind me.

  I must be really out of it to allow someone to sneak up on me. I chuckled to myself.

  I glanced behind my shoulder and saw Celeste’s face, which made my eyes light up. I reached for her arm and crushed her in a tight embrace. I took a deep breath and felt some of the energy simmer. She’d come just at the right time, but I wondered what she was doing here. I stiffened up and pulled away.

  “What’s happened? Why are you here? Did something happen?” I brushed my hair in irritation at its annoying length because it kept falling over my eye, but I had no time for such things as a haircut.

  Celeste raised both hands, looking taken aback. “Slow down. Nothing’s happened. I came out here because we could feel you. You were projecting some serious energy.”

  Guilt crept up my face, so I turned away.

  Celeste placed her hand on my arm, a gesture to look at her, causing me to glance sideways and meet her bright green eyes.

  “Are you okay?”

  With a dry laugh, I said, “Do you think I’m okay?”

  “Yeah, stupid question. Will it help if I say that you’re both on the right path?”

  I shook her off and resumed my stance on the rail. “Celeste, please don’t get me started on the prophecy. Just don’t.”

  “But, you did it,” she persisted.

  “At what cost? Did you know about Lilly being the Dark one? What about the other Dark one…or the original Dark one? Are there fucking two of them now?”

  I didn’t mean to blame her, but I hadn’t been the best company for the past few days. It was only because of blood and loyalty that Vik and Ti had put up with my shitty attitude.

  “No, I didn’t know about Lilly, that was definitely a surprise. My gift doesn’t allow me to see everything. However, I am here because of something…”

  “Celeste, please stop!” I pushed off the rail and walked inside, not wanting to hear anymore.


  Ti and Vik were in the kitchen. They stopped talking and glanced at me with apprehension.

  I ignored them, plopped myself on the couch, turned the TV on loudly, and flipped the channels. My eyes were glued to the TV, not really seeing anything. I just wanted to drown out the noise, most especially Celeste and her premonitions.

  As far as I was concerned, I had done my part: I’d let Gabrielle go. Now, I had to learn to breathe without her. The only thing that kept me going was that I could still sense her. If that disappeared, I wouldn’t know what I’d do.

  Celeste stood in front of the TV with her arms crossed and a scowl on her face. She stared hard until I gave in.

  I rolled my eyes and sat up. “I’m barely keeping it together as it is, so please spare me from any more premonitions all right? Until I get Gabrielle back, I’m all tapped out,” I drawled, aware that I was acting like an ass, but my constant state of tension had put me in a foul mood. I had to stay in control. If I lost control, I could blast this whole place to pieces, and innocent people would get hurt.

  With narrowed eyes, Celeste stood taller and placed her hands on her hips, which shouldn’t have looked intimidating with her short stature and petite frame, but she could make even the toughest man walk to heel. “Alec St Clair, if you just take a moment and actually listen,” she said sternly, “I came here because I had a premonition.” She paused and cocked a brow, daring me to interrupt.

  I didn’t dare. When she wanted something, she had a way of forcing the issue. I sat still and braced myself for more fucking blows.

  She continued. “This had nothing to do with you or Gabrielle.” Her frown deepened, and with a deep sigh, she sat on the couch next to me.

  I let out the breath I was holding, along with some of the tension I had bottled up.

  “Wait, what do you mean?” asked Ti from behind me.

  With furrowed brows, Celeste looked up, her gaze settling at all three of us, one at a time, then out over the clear ocean, which was visible through the floor-to-ceiling windows. The house had been designed by my mother, who’d made sure the ocean could be seen from any angle in the house. Celeste took a moment, and when she spoke, her voice hitched. “I think…it might be…the premonition might be connected to me.”

  I stared at her in confusion, then turned to Vik, who lay sprawled next to me, and then to Ti, who stood behind him—they wore a similar expression and had their brows furrowed.

  “Huh?” asked Vik.

  “What I meant was, I had a premonition about Gabby, but it wasn’t clear,” she said in frustration.

  I opened my mouth, but Ti beat me to it.

  “You aren’t making sense. You said it had nothing to do with them, but you had a premonition about Gabby?”

  “Precisely.” I gestured with my hand.

  “Let me finish and stop interrupting,” she snapped.

  With a frown, I glanced at Ti and Vik for back up. They both looked at Celeste like she wasn’t quite right in the head.

  “It’s all very confusing,” she said with a frown.

  “You think?” Vik said under his breath. Ti hit his shoulder, which earned a glare from Celeste. He grinned at Ti and pulled her on his lap.

  “I had been scouting and watching all probabilities tied to Gabby ever since you both left the compound. Everything was fine and normal. I saw Gabby leave and knew that the prophecy had been fulfilled. The future lines had opened up, and I traced all lines, and everything is right on track. I have been checking up on Gabby—just to make sure everything was fine, but today she had a block on my sight.” She glared at me when I sat up abruptly, about to interrupt her again.

  “She’s fine. I’m sure you can tell since you can feel her?” she said, her tone heavy with sarcasm.

  “Well, yeah, but, what does it mean, she has a block?”

  “It means that there is someone with her that’s connected with me. The only block to my sight is my future, something I’m not allowed to see. So if I can’t see, then I’m probably involved.” She whispered the last part as she fidgeted with the bangles on her wrist.

  Everyone watched her distress in silence.

  She continued in a soft voice, without looking up. “I wonder if it had anything to do with Adam?”

  Ti sucked in a breath, which made Celeste finally look up, showing her watery green eyes as she held back her tears.

  Two

  Chapter 1: After Effects

  It had been two days since I had knocked Lilly out. Daemon had scanned her, and so had I. She just needed time to recover after my blast and her transition to the Dark one.

  I sat on Lilly’s bed, my heart heavy as I studied her face, which happened every time my gaze landed on her. I leaned forward, and my hand hovered over her face in hesitation because every time our skin touched, the dark void latched itself onto me and left me with hollow despair. However, after a couple of days of living with the Fallen and two Dark ones, I had learned to shield against them. The first day had been agony, and when the pain got unbearable, I crawled into bed and curled into a fetal position. I didn’t think I would last, but instinct had kicked in, and a natural defense had built against their parasitical cold aura, which sucked out any light it touched. However, I soon discovered I couldn’t protect against skin contact with Lilly—no matter how much I shielded. I huffed out a loud breath and curled my fingers inward into a fist. I paused and brushed her blond hair off her face instead, careful not to touch her skin. I observed her for a few more seconds, then got up in a huff.

  Nothing had changed. She was out cold. She still had a dark aura and was definitely still the Dark one. I tucked my arms around my body and continued to scrutinize her.

  I had been so worried about Lilly that I had spent the first forty-eight hours by her bedside. Now that I felt more reassured that she would be fine, my thoughts wandered to Daemon. If Lilly was the Dark one, then what did that make him?

  I thought the prophecy had stated that when God sent the savior to maintain balance, the dark side had demanded they be allowed to create a Dark one for a fighting chance in the war to come. They were only allowed one—not two.

  I had noticed Lilly’s aura had felt different from Daemon’s. Hers was an endless pit of evil, while Daemon was cold and less evil. But what did that mean?

  I glanced at Lilly one more time with my mind made up, got up, and sought Daemon out.

  The Fallen had converted an old brick building at the boardwalk of Venice Beach, right in the middle of everything, and turned it into a three-story home. It was not something I would have imagined they would live in, but in a way, it suited them—an ideal bachelor pad with an urban class and an airy, open loft design with high ceilings, exposed pipes, and large, arched windows that took up the whole wall overlooking the ocean.

  I walked past the brothers’ bedrooms into the main room and looked around, but the leather couches were empty and eerily quiet. The kitchen, with stainless steel appliances, was spotless.

  I continued to the wrap-around balcony, which had exits to the kitchen, living room, and bedrooms. No Daemon or the brothers. Were they downstairs?

  The living room had a bar and a secondary lounge area that opened up to a front deck overlooking the boardwalk. The more formal, receiving room was downstairs.

  No, they wouldn’t be down there. I heard them in the afternoons, out on the front deck, acting like frat boys, hollering at the ladies as they drank beer.

  I walked up the stairs and exited the top floor, as this old building didn’t have an elevator. The top deck had low couches, a fire pit in the middle as the center point, tables dotted around, a Jacuzzi tub, which faced the ocean, and tiki torches that lined the perimeter. It was the ultimate ocean view—top deck—party venue.

  Daemon sat facing the ocean. I took the seat next to him. He glanced sideways and asked, “How is she?”

  I shrugged. “Same. No change.”

  There was a pregnant pause between us, and I watched the crowds through t
he glass walls: bikers, skateboarders, and rollerbladers breezed through the lane before the beach. Music blasting from the restaurants, and I could hear chatter from peddlers on the sidewalk along with laughter, jeers, and other sounds traveling up from the boardwalk. Races, ages, and families from all walks of life—some dressed casually, some chic: punk or hobo, some even wore costumes—filled the beach.

  I could see why it appealed to the Fallen.

  I turned to Daemon and studied his profile. He looked lost in thought. “So, based on everyone’s reaction. I’m guessing that Lilly was a surprise?”

  He chuckled darkly.

  “If you didn’t know that she was the Dark one, then what did you want with her to begin with?” I persisted.

  This time he turned and faced me. He had thick lashes, deep chocolate-brown eyes, thick, dark brown wavy hair, which he kept short and trimmed, and five o’clock shadow growing on his jaw. This was the first time I’d got a good look at him, as he’d always worn a hood and glasses during our encounters. Today he wore a cream button-down shirt, which was only buttoned in the middle, his hairy chest peeking through. If I didn’t know any better, he looked like he was only in his mid-twenties. He had his brow raised but didn’t speak.

  Fine, I guess he wasn’t giving me any answers.

  I sank in my seat and gave up trying to get answers today. I gazed back out at the beach and watched a couple of seagulls run off with someone’s lunch before other birds joined and made a big mess of the sandwich.

  I missed Alec. I’d tried sensing him several times, but nothing. Our connection couldn’t just be one way! I just needed to learn more about my aura.

  It was peaceful up here, so I stayed for a little while. I didn’t mind being around Daemon. There had always been something about him—a mystery I needed to figure out. It was pleasant just sitting with someone, especially when they didn’t need to fill the quietness with words.