Free Give Me Love by Zoey Derrick

ability to heal doesn’t stop with you.”
    Mikah remembers Seraphina telling him that he helped Vivienne heal. But if she’s the one with the healing ability, she didn’t really need him, did she?  
    Yes, she did. She needed your strength, your encouragement, and your need for her in order to pull herself through. Seraphina’s voice rings clearly inside Mikah’s mind and he understands. You gave her hope.
    “How?” Vivienne breathes. She hadn’t healed herself consciously; how was she supposed to heal anybody else?
    “We will teach you,” Seraphina says aloud to Vivienne. “Just like we will teach Mikah what he needs to know. Though Andrew and Connor are pretty deadly, so there may not be much he needs to do.”
    “Do we have that kind of time?” Mikah asks from behind Vivienne.  
    “You do. As I said, you’re fully protected within the apartment, and when you go out the same applies. We can drop the protection anytime and expose you to Riley when you’re ready.”
    “But if we’re fully protected, why do we even have to expose ourselves to him at all? Or to anyone for that matter? What is the point of all of this?” Vivienne is rather upset. “Why can’t we just leave it alone and forget about it?”
    Mikah takes a deep breath. “I think I can answer that one, Vivienne. If we don’t fight, you will never be in the clear.”
    “Mikah is right,” Elizabeth says. “Riley is not all you will have to worry about in your lifetime, however he is the one who poses the biggest threat to you now. The devil knows that he’s found something in Riley. The anger that, for whatever reason, Riley holds against you is a very powerful tool, and Link will do whatever he can to exploit that. If you, Mikah, and the guardians eliminate Riley, you send a message to the devil that even his best men will be unsuccessful.” Elizabeth paces again. “Link is too blind to see that evil will always exist, that it has to. There has to be a balance in the world of good and evil. When Riley fails, he will turn to his next tactic.”
    “Which is what exactly?” Mikah says flatly.
    “An heir.” Zirah steps forward. “The devil will seek an heir to his throne so that when your daughter comes of age and if she decides to defeat him, the circle of hell continues with that heir.”
    “What happens, hypothetically speaking, if my daughter defeats the devil and there is no heir?”  
    Elizabeth, Zirah, Seraphina and Red all look at each other, but no one seems about to answer.
    “I don’t recommend ignoring that question,” Vivienne says, a warning note in her voice.
    Elizabeth looks at her, anger in her eyes, but she softens when she realizes who it is that she’s talking to.  
    “If the devil has no heir when he is defeated, a state of anarchy will break out within the walls of hell. When that happens, hell on earth will be born and the destruction of mankind imminent.” All eyes are on Elizabeth, fear and understanding radiating throughout the room. “You see, again, it is about the balance of good versus evil.”
    No one says anything. Vivienne takes a few steps back to sit back down. “We have no choice.” Her voice is weak and quiet.  
    “Believe me, I wish there was.” Elizabeth’s voice has taken on a somber tone, and Vivienne places her head in her hands again, deflated and exhausted.  
    “Is there anything else we need to know?” Vivienne says through her hands.  
    “No, not right now,” Elizabeth says. “You, Mikah, Red, and the other guardians can work on your plan. Mikah, when you’re ready, speak to Red and you two can discuss training. Vivienne, you will need to come to Elysium for yours. Zirah and Seraphina will be more than happy to help you. I suggest that you don’t wait too long to get started. The sooner we can end this, the sooner it will be over.” Elizabeth, sensing his determination to be done with this, approaches Mikah. “But you do not need to do this alone, my son. Those in