Heavensgate - Faith (Heavensgate Book 3)

Book summary

In Heavensgate - Faith, a miraculous birth ignites an ancient prophecy, setting off a fierce battle between Heaven and Hell. As Faith’s daughter is stolen, she transforms into a vengeful mother, willing to destroy everything for her child. Her journey tests the bonds of love, belief, and redemption.

Excerpt from Heavensgate - Faith (Heavensgate Book 3)

CHAPTER 1

-I AM-

I belong in hell.

My pathetic alter-ego, Jacob, passed through the Gate leaving me to pay for his sins. He was blind to the truth, but I learnt my torturous lessons despite the interference of the immortals, Hope and Joy in my spiritual growth.

I’ll tell you my secrets so you’ll have a fighting chance around those eternal bitches. Faced with annihilation, I’m not so bad after all, am I?

You’ve met Hope; ancient as the stars and still playing the innocent. You fix your pathetic sheep-mind on her and waste your sad little lives praying for Hope to ease your misery.

When you’re drowning in anxiety or grief or fighting for your next breath, Hope shows you the quintessential beauty of life before she steals your heart and kills you.

Suckers.

Hope is a malignant, cock-teasing tramp.

You also know the miracle that is Joy.

She is the blessed sunshine among life’s vicious downpours. Fleeting, beautiful Joy casts shadows of despair with her absence.

Even as Joy abandons you, you beg her to bring a happy ever after ending to your insignificant life.

These two immortal sirens have a sister, Faith, who poisons your soul with the lie that the Creator loves you. Faith tricks you into trusting this indifferent god in your darkest hours.

I love Joy, and this is my greatest sin. I must redeem myself in my Master’s eyes and beg him to save me from the fiery pit to sit at His right hand, a trusted soldier of Hell.

Lucifer has commanded me to deliver Faith to him naked and reeking of despair. She must crawl on torn and bloodied knees to my Lord. He will feed on her grief until hopeless, joyless and without mercy, she forsakes the Creator.

It is prophesised that Faith will plead for allegiance with Lucifer thereby fulfilling her destiny as the greatest destructive power in the universe.

I think you’ll agree that over the ages Faith has been a damn good mind-fuck; however, her time with the Great Deceiver will bring a new dawn.

Hope, Joy and Faith: these are the women in this shadow life I lead - may the Devil show me mercy.

I warn you to avoid these damned Sisters of the Soul in the full and certain knowledge you won’t take my advice.

By the way, I am Jake Andersen.

Welcome to Heavensgate –

where Faith in the Creator will die. 

CHAPTER 2

- DEATH OF A HERO -

Rob is roadkill. She loved those three little words. Yes, it was wicked, but it felt so good.

Choking back tears and snot soft-hearted Deputy Henry Cullen had delivered the astounding news to Faith who, despite being astonished by such a blessing, had done her best to calm and comfort the young officer.

Fighting tears of anger and grief Henry had guided her down her icy path and was now settling her into the waiting patrol car with quiet consideration. He tucked a blanket around her legs “for warmth” while she smiled in the dark interior. Faith snuggled under the blanket grateful for the comfort of such simple kindness given that four hours earlier his heroic boss had kicked her in every tender place where bruises are not easily seen.

Henry drove with emergency lights flashing and siren blaring, going as fast as he dare through freezing fog and a blizzard building into a white-out. His pregnant passenger sat beside him in silence, grateful for the shadows hiding her cringing response to the many worried glances he sent her way.

Henry’s beloved boss was the reason for this mad dash through the freezing night. The Captain of St Johns’ police department had been on the highway outside Dina’s Diner waving down a vehicle which rather than obey his signal to stop had accelerated and smashed him into the asphalt. The sole witness gave a short statement at the cop shop telling the story of a white van and a woman driver. The stranger had also managed to escape a locked interview room leaving behind a stench the Duty Officer described as, “Rotting flesh, like death, it made me puke. It made us all puke.”

Faith considered this night time dash to Heavensgate Hospital quite unnecessary because they were on their way to say goodbye, Henry to his hero and she to her abuser.

Peering between the hypnotic swish of the windscreen wipers, Henry chewed his bottom lip. He had no idea how he would comfort Faith when she saw her husband. He prayed someone had the presence of mind to bring Pastor Martinez to the Intensive Care Unit. Henry was useless around weeping women, he always felt their tears were his fault; not that Faith had shed any tears. She must be in shock, he knew he was. His musings distracted his attention from the road sending them careening around a bend slaloming over black-ice. Faith clung one-handed to her safety belt, the other protecting her unborn child who responded with a vigorous kick to already bruised ribs. The moment the unnerving fishtailing was over she tapped Henry on the knee saying, “Well done. Now please turn off these awful sirens and ease off the gas; there’s no rush. I doubt Rob’s going anywhere.”

Five minutes later the car came to a sliding stop outside the hospital’s main doors. Henry killed the engine and leapt out to help Faith into the bitter night where, hesitant to step into her future she paused sticking out her tongue to catch the icy melt of snowflakes. Henry’s raised eyebrow made her put her tongue away and say, “Worry makes me crazy. Let’s get inside before we catch our death.”

Certain he would never understand the mysterious ways of women Henry helped her into the brightly lit foyer where a gum chewing receptionist tore her eyes away from a glossy magazine barely long enough to give directions.

Faith’s swollen ankles, bruised body and unreliable centre of gravity made climbing stairs difficult so, forced to suffer the enclosed elevator she inspected the floor praying Henry would not notice her struggle to maintain a sad expression. Mild cramps gripped her belly before fading away leaving her with a new worry - if this was labour it was a month too soon.

A tinny voice announced, “Intensive Care and Theatres,” as the doors whooshed apart. This was it, whatever happened she must behave appropriately. Pressing the button which kept the doors open she patted her bump, thought sad thoughts and with crocodile tears in her eyes said, “My mom’s playing bridge with Mrs Martinez tonight and…” she let her voice catch on a sob, “I think this babe is getting ready to arrive.”

“If you’re sure you can manage without me; maybe I could go get her for you?” Practically twisting his tongue in haste Henry ran an ink stained hand through frizzy curls, his doe eyes tearfully revealing his relief at having an excuse to leave.

Faith nodded, biting her bottom lip against a smile - gentle Henry was more used to filing reports than babysitting pregnant widows.

“OK. Good. Er, I’ll do that straight away.” He could not leave fast enough.

In the gloomy corridor, Faith pasted on an idiotic grin and wiggling her fingers until Henry’s anxious face disappeared watched the numbers count down, both envious of his escape and relieved there was now one less person to put on a show for. Faith liked Henry, he was sweet. She was blessedly unaware that this was the last time she would see the young officer alive.

Unsure which way to go she took a steadying breath gagging at the stench of death unconcealed by disinfectant, not knowing that her anxiety was adding an overtone of burnt rose to the mix. Considering leaving while still she could she noticed a thick, red line painted along the floor and wobbled on, one hand supporting the small of her back the other tucked under her swollen middle.

In truth, she felt afraid, not so much about Rob as the undeniable fact that her bump had dropped lower and the babe was no longer kicking.

As she approached the ICU a tickling inside replaced her fear, the touch too gentle to be the child and so rare she could not immediately identify it. The sensation surged into her chest and she blushed ashamed by the fluttering butterflies of hope. Feeling bad for feeling good, she pressed a buzzer beside a pair of metal doors muttering, “Creator, forgive me.”

Faith waited, nibbling the sore edges of pre-chewed nails and longing for a sneaky cigarette. Her apprehension flared when crackling static and a disembodied voice requested her name before an electric click opened the door to the rest of her life.

Inside the ICU she squirted the mandatory disinfectant on her hands and composed her expression into what she imagined to be a look of hard-won courage in a naïve wife close to breakdown. A few more reluctant steps along the sterile corridor brought her to Room 1 where she found her husband’s name scrawled on a whiteboard by the door. Taking a moment to gather courage she smoothed down her unruly hair muttering, “There you are, Robert, numero uno like you always must be.”

A twinge in her lower back reminded her that she had a perfect excuse to leave, but determined to do what would be expected of her she peeked into the small room gaining the attention of a handsome, slim man with a profusion of tar black, renaissance curls. The badge on his white coat introduced him as ‘Mr Lord - Consultant’.

“Come all the way in. You’re the Captain’s wife, yes?” The doctor wore the blankest expression Faith had ever seen on any person in her life. She entered with her hands shielding the bump straining the buttons of her best coat and her dutiful eyes fixed on the body in the bed.

“Mrs …,”

“Faith. I’m Faith.”

“Yes, you are.” He bowed so deeply his forehead touched his bony knees.

Throwing the Doctor a puzzled look she noticed the two attending nurses. The man was tall and skinny, his limbs sharp angles, his skin so pale as to be nearly translucent, a silken pony-tail black as a starless night hung down the length of his back.

Goosebumps decorated her skin when she heard Rob ask, “You know what’s under a pony-tail? A horse’s ass, that’s what.” She stared at man in the bed, there was no way he could have spoken yet she had definitely heard his voice. The male Nurse shook his head as if to reassure her, his gentle eyes sparkling with delight beneath a heavy coating of pink glitter shadow and bright blue liner. Reading her reaction to his appearance as admiration he waved in greeting only to have his elegant hand slapped down by a much shorter nurse whose plump body refused to be contained by the mere fabric of her uniform making her appear more upholstered than dressed. An unruly mass of crimson curls topped off the unkempt look, threatening to push a tiny starched, white cap off her head. If this nurse was also wearing makeup Faith could not see it.