“Why do you say that?” he asks urgently.
“You’ve called the beings of the universe to you—to aid you. While your protection shield is back in place, I’m afraid it’s still set things in motion. If I don’t tread lightly, I could be exposed. If that happens…” My voice trails off and my mind travels back to the Throne Angel’s words.
Then, the human will have to die.
“What is it? What are you not saying?” he asks.
“Nothing. It’s nothing you have to worry about,” I lie, trying to sound more upbeat than I feel. My insides recoil at my transgression—angels are never meant to lie—but if I can find a way to protect him, that’s still my job. It’s what I do. At least, that’s how I justify it.
Silence expands between us for a moment until Liam takes a deep breath and places his large hands over the top of his head. “It figures, you know,” he finally says.
“What does?” I ask, tilting my head to the side.
“The only love I can get is forbidden. It’s a sick joke,” he mutters. “You know, I should be more upset about Rachel. I should be brooding—or I don’t know… maybe dead, from the way you tell it. I mean, demons and all. But, instead, there’s this weird warmth spreading through me and I can’t…” he pauses, taking another deep breath. “I don’t want to let that go.”
I watch him for a moment, my heart thrumming loudly in my ears. “I don’t want to, either,” I admit.
“Then what do we do?” he whispers.
“There’s nothing we can do, Liam. As it is, one of the demons thinks he can use it—”
My eyes widen and instantly, I bolt upright, pushing to a full stand.
Liam’s eyebrows knit together. “What? Eva—?”
“Liam, I need to go. There’s something I need to do,” I say, raising my fingertips to my lips.
“Now? But I want to get to know you. I want to know what it’s like to be an angel. Have you always been an angel? Where do you come from? Where do you go when you’re not with me?” His questions tumble out at me, and I sense his fear of losing me too.
Taking a step toward him, I brush aside my own trepidation to alleviate his. Placing my hands alongside his temples, I bend forward and kiss his forehead. The energy in the motion sparks between us, sending of tendrils of pink light, even though neither of us can feel its effects.
He raises a hand and rubs the spot where my lips would have touched his skin.
“Don’t worry. I won’t be gone long,” I whisper. “When I get back, I’ll answer everything.”
“Where are you going?” he questions.
Determination creeps into every fiber of my being, and I say, “I need to track down a demon.”
Chapter 5
The Temple of Intermediaries
Without another moment of hesitation, I leave Liam’s side to chase after the incubus. I can’t let him undo all of this beauty erupting between Liam and I—and I have to find a way to circumvent the rules. If I can track down the incubus and kill him, there will be no loose ends. Unless of course the Throne Angel is asked to deliver her testimony—but she won’t be pulled in without just cause. If there’s no incubus, there’s no cause.
Appearing outside Liam’s home, I grab hold of the pieces to my elemental sword. The incubus’ energetic signature will still be splattered across the blade, I just need to follow it. I rest back on my haunches and close my eyes. I summon the strength to call forth universal magic to track the incubus by his blood. Placing my hand on the blade, droplets begin to rise, and particles of white and gold light surround it, weaving in and out of its atoms until a connection can be made. After a few moments, a faint pathway ignites.
Clenching my jaw in determination, I hold both pieces of my sword and cast them back into the aether bound to me and my arsenal of weaponry. I glance up, trying to lock onto the demon’s last-known stop. His energy signature bounces all over—crisscrossing itself in an obvious attempt at hiding his destinations. However, each of the stops gets just a hair closer to the Guild’s location.
Sighing to myself, I straighten my shoulders. “It will take more than that to throw me off, demon,” I whisper, phasing out of Liam’s reality and back into the Eighth Dimension.
Demons can’t enter the Guild without just cause, but if he’s planning on sending them a message, there’s only one place it can be done.
The Temple of the Intermediaries.
Within seconds, I am outside the temple doors. The building is a massive structure of purple and white light, with deep shadows interplaying against white and gray stone. It all works in tandem, making it an impressive structure. The doors’ enormous size dwarfs every known creature, and inside, beyond their mass, is the only neutral space in the known universe where all creatures in all dimensions can go for sanctuary—even those stuck in Purgatory. It’s also the only place where demonic entities can pass along messages to their angelic counterparts. It acts like the glass between prisoners and their visitors in human prisons.
But more than that, the Intermediaries are the only beings capable of shifting through space and time. Without them, Guardians wouldn’t be able to help their human charges because they wouldn’t be able to walk between veils. Demons would be trapped on Earth rather than syphoned into Purgatory if they functioned outside their own directives. The threads of fate would unravel, and chaos would rule. It’s a beautiful thing, the way this universe is so delicately, but perfectly balanced.
Taking a couple of tentative steps upward, I search for signs of the incubus. Yet, none of his energy has come out this far. At least, not as of yet.
Biting my lip, I throw back my shoulders. “I guess it means I wait,” I say, taking a seat on the stone steps.
It will only be a matter of time before the demon tries to enter here. When he does, I’ll be ready. My mind drifts back to Liam and our most recent exchange. After all these years—after the struggles and watching—he can hear me again. And… he knows I love him.
How strange the way a single moment in time can change everything.
Smiling to myself, I struggle to keep my heart under control. This whole thing could go so far sideways, it’s not even funny. And yet, there’s an enormous growing part of me that doesn’t care. The reward would be worth the risk, even if we could never be together. On a soul level, his attention moves me. That alone could be enough.
But what if there could be more? What if we could be together?
Shaking my head, I slump backward, leaning against the step behind me. Of course, there isn’t a way. We exist on different realms—different wavelengths.
Sighing, I tap the stone step, thinking.
What about the Intermediaries?
The idea pops into my head before I have time to even process its significance.
Could the Intermediaries help us to operate on the same level as Liam? They manage all of that, after all. Biting my lip, I shake my head. Even if they could, would they? Surely they know Angelic Law. I roll my eyes at my own idiotic thought processing, but internally, I can’t help but feel like there’s an answer hidden in there.
The Intermediaries are neutral. Not good—not bad. They simply keep the balance of things. Kind of like a Throne Angel, come to think of it. Judgement isn’t good or bad. It’s simply karma in play.
Building my courage, I stand up and brush off my leather pants.
“Maybe I could ask a few well-placed questions?” I whisper to myself. “They wouldn’t have to be any the wiser.” Taking a tentative look around the ethereal space, there is no indication the incubus is getting closer yet. His energy is still bouncing all over the place.
If this doesn’t go the way I’d like, I’ll hunt him down rather than wait for him to arrive.
Turning on my heel, I walk up the stairs and reach out for the massive circular ring that serves as a door handle. The material is cold to the touch, but as I swing it open, the door is surprisingly light. Beyond the open chasm is a tunnel of light more
beautiful than any other I’ve witnessed. And I’ve seen light in all its various forms.
As I walk inside, the light dissipates, materializing into a room that looks oddly similar to a human library. Along the outer edges of the walls, shelves adorn the space, intermixed with large, arching windows with intricate mesh patterns that go on for ages.
In the center of the room is a single, large, circular desk with an upper bar and lower workspace. The outer edge is adorned with beautiful stones and rocks, but the bar is made of ancient wood that emanates power and sanctity. I walk up slowly to find, sitting opposite me, an older woman with a gentle, smile-worn face, large purple glasses, and grey hair piled on top of her head. She stands up to greet me.
“Can I help you, Evangeline?” she asks, her voice steady and sure as she leans forward. Her eyes survey my every move, and I’m suddenly unsure about my plan to ask any questions at all regarding Liam and me. She obviously knows things. Instead, I fumble forward, calling upon my elemental sword and drawing it forth.
“Hello, yes. I—” I lick my lower lip as I extend the broken pieces outward across both my palms. “My charge was attacked by an incubus today and my elemental sword had the unfortunate situation of being broken in two.”
The Intermediary glances down at my outstretched hands and nods in agreement. “So it has,” she says, her eyebrows rising into her hairline.
I take a deep breath and set it on the counter.
“I’m still in pursuit of the demon, but I need to alert the Guild so I can acquire a new one as quickly as possible. I was…” I pause, staring into the depths of her dark blue pools for eyes. “I was hoping you would be able to help me to pass along the message.”
“Why not go to them yourself?” she asks, tilting her head slightly.
I nod, “Ordinarily, I would. But as I said, I’m still in pursuit. I’ve tracked his energy and he’s headed this way. So I thought I might make use of my time and see what assistance you might be able to offer.”
“If the incubus enters this place, you know it’s a place of sanctuary for all, dear Guardian,” she offers, her lips pursing slightly.
“Yes, of course. I was waiting outside—” I say, jabbing a thumb back the direction I came from. “Until I realized you may be able to help me.”
Her piercing gaze washes over me in a way that makes me shiver. It’s like she can scan my soul and I’m not entirely certain I’m comfortable with that. Especially not after dealing with the Throne Angel.
“Is that all?” she finally asks.
I bite the side of my cheek, considering.
“Yes,” I nod. “That’s all.”
Gingerly, she edges forward and raises her hands until they’re level with the desk, “All right, pass them over to me, then.”
Tipping my head in acknowledgement, I pick up both pieces of the sword and place them in her palms.
“They’re of good weight,” she says, eyeing them closely. “Pity about the fragments, though.”
I shoot her a lopsided grin, “Yeah. Kinda sucks. I feel like I’m missing a piece of myself.”
“Indeed,” she says, straightening her back and placing the sword on the desk in front of her. “You wouldn’t be able to do much without it, all things considered.”
“Thankfully, my charge is young. So I won’t need it for crossing. I just want to protect him from demons,” I say, shooting her an awkward smile.
She tips her head, returning my smile.
I linger there, watching her for a moment.
“You appear conflicted, child.”
“I… yes, I suppose I am,” I mutter, trying to allow my brain to sort through all of the bazillion questions I’d love to ask her. “I’m just not certain you can—” My eyes fall to the floor and I take a deep breath to calm my nerves.
“The path ahead of you is not going to be easy, sweet one. There are many forces working against you,” she utters quietly.
“Tell me about it,” I whisper, lifting my gaze back to hers.
The wrinkles along the sides of her eyes deepen and she nods. “It’s often best to remember there is always a bigger picture than the one we can see in front of us. So, while things may seem dire—or impossible—the tapestry of your existence has many intersections. Each are reliant on the other for strength.”
My eyebrows knit together and I try to unravel her words.
Is she trying to tell me that everything with Liam will work out? Or that it won’t?
I narrow my eyes, trying to make sense of her Intermediary prophetic speak. “Uhm, okay?”
“All will be revealed. For now, take heart in simply knowing you’re on the right path, Evangeline,” she says, reaching forward and patting my fingertips as they rest upon the edge of the upper desk.
Without even asking anything specific, my heart lifts and the immense weight I didn’t realize I was carrying evaporates from my shoulders. “Thank you,” I say, exhaling softly.
“Don’t mention it, dear. Now, let me see what I can do about getting you a new sword. It would be a pity to leave you without one of these during these trying times. It’ll just take a moment.”
Without another word, she turns from me and vanishes from the space as if she had walked through a curtain—only the expanse behind her desk is a sea of books, tables, and windows, not an interdimensional portal. At least, not one I can see.
I take a step back, eyeing the room.
Do I wait? Or should I go and assume everything is being taken care of?
Before I have the chance to decide, the woman rematerializes as she walks toward her desk. This time, upon entry, it looks more like coming into being when it’s raining outside—only where the rain would be touching her body has rendered her essence invisible.
“It is done. The Guild has accepted the shattered remains and they will be processing its replacement,” the woman says. “I will alert you when its ready.”
“Thank you,” I say, tipping my head in gratitude.
Turning on my heel, I cast her a final wave and make my way back to the enormous doors. While things haven’t technically gone as planned, my aura feels lighter.
“I’m on the right path,” I whisper under my breath. “Maybe all of this is meant to be?”
The thought makes my heart skip beats, and I’m suddenly very excited and anxious to get back to Liam. I want to talk with him more—let him question me. Allow him to learn about who I am and how the world of angels works.
“But first, I need to derail the incubus,” I say, shaking away my own personal interests.
Without putting a stop to the incubus, everything else is in jeopardy anyway. Once again, I tune into the incubus’ energy and find it’s vanished completely. Cocking my head to the side, I curse myself for turning over the sword without having found him. Without continual access to his blood, the trail to him has grown cold.
Internally, I get a tug back to Liam. He’s calling for me, and his wishes supersede any side missions to track down the incubus. At least, for now.
Sighing to myself, I take a final glance around the space and push my essence back into the realm of the human world.
“Liam?” I say, automatically as I materialize within his sphere.
Instantly, my heart drops. The vibe surrounding his essence is all wrong. Horrifyingly wrong. As I corporealize near his location, I find him in the driver’s seat of his black Yukon. Glass shards are scattered everywhere, and his vehicle smells like gasoline, heat, and blood.
I force my essence inside the cab of his truck and find his body contorted at an odd angle. His head is slumped to the side, and blood gushes from the side of his neck. His breath is labored, and he swallows hard.
“Liam—what happened?” I cry.
In place of an answer, he shakes his head and blood sputters from his mouth.
I shift my gaze around the space, I search for an answer to what happened. I find it resting on the crumpled hood of his vehicle as the vengeance demon from e
arlier grins defiantly at me before disappearing.
Chapter 6
Departure
“No, no, no… Liam. I’m here, can you hear me?” I cry out, reaching for him from the passenger seat.
My hands crackle along the edges of his face and shoulder but make no contact the way I want them to. The way they would if I were human, too. Adrenaline floods my veins and I lurch forward, trying to get a better look at things.
What was he doing in the truck? How on Earth did the vengeance demon get to him? He should have been safe and sound in his home.
Liam groans, his lead lolling to the side.
“Liam? I’m here—I’m here,” I whisper, trying to bring a sense of calm and peace—even if I feel the complete and total opposite. “You’re okay. You’re going to be okay…”
For the briefest of moments, his hazel eyes flutter open. “I dunno—” he says through gurgles and spurts of blood, “’bout that.”
He’s right. His essence is fading quickly, and he doesn’t have much time before his body gives out.
“No—you’ll be fine. You hear me? It’s okay, it’s okay,” I croon, running my hand over the hair on the top of his head. “Everything will be okay.”
“I wish,” he says, his voice faint, “I wish I could see you. Just once.”
My eyes flit over his body, trying to find the source of the most damage. His entire left side is pinned against the crumpled door and there’s a good chance he’s bleeding internally, which is beyond what I can see. But based on the connection between us, it’s what I feel.
My stomach clenches, and tears flood my eyes.
Where are the paramedics? The ambulance? Anyone?
I know full-well they aren’t coming. Liam lives too far out from the city, and unless someone is specifically out here looking for him, no one would even stumble upon him. Not for days.
“Dammit,” I curse under my breath. I can’t interfere… I can’t do a damn thing about it.
It’s not supposed to be like this. He has things to do. He has a prime directive he hasn’t met yet…
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