by R C Knight
Aria watched with a smile as Bishop and Mikayla smiled and laughed while shaking hands with various villagers. “Party time!” Jackson shouted happily as he left the receiving line. People began to move the chairs out of the way, creating a dance floor. A long table had been set up off to the side. Food was brought out as music began to play from the record player. The dance floor filled quickly, as people began to dance.
“Let’s dance!” Myra shouted as she pulled Kai to the dance floor, giggling as she ran.
“Shall we?” Ryder asked as he turned to Aria. She smiled as she slipped off her ballet flats, feeling the sand between her toes. They followed Myra and Kai to the dance floor, joining in on the fun. She laughed as he spun her around. Her heart releasing some of her worries as they danced throughout the night.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Earth
Morning came quickly as Zane’s team and the angels loaded onto The Persephone. Everyone was groggy and slightly hungover from the night before. The after party had lasted into the early hours of the morning. A small group of villagers had formed on the beach, waving goodbye to the group. Anne and Aiden were on the ship, giving Riley one last hug. He smiled sadly as they walked down the ramp.
“This better work.” Riley looked over at Zane. “I don’t know how many more times I can say goodbye to those two.”
“I know.” Zane smiled sadly as he patted Riley’s shoulder. “This will work. I know it will,” he said confidently as he looked at the villagers on the beach. “We owe it to them to make it work.” Riley nodded in agreement as he walked away, heading to the helm. Zane’s group was standing by the railing, waving goodbye to the villagers. The angels had gone below deck, wanting some time alone. He walked up behind Keira and wrapped his arms around her waist. “You ready for this?” he whispered in her ear.
“Of course.” She smiled up at him, standing on her toes to give him a kiss. Zane smiled as he returned the kiss, pulling her into his chest.
“Good,” he responded as he pulled away. The crowd of villagers started cheering as they slowly pulled away from the shore. “I should go check on the angels. Make sure Myra has a bucket she can throw up in.” Zane chuckled as he turned away from Keira and walked across the deck.
~~~~
The angels were sitting around a small table that had been set up in the sleeping area. Aria sighed with frustration as she looked over at Ryder. “Why didn’t you bring this up earlier?” she asked, her voice laced with anger.
“I didn’t think it was relevant.” Ryder responded defensively.
“Don’t you think I should’ve been the one to decide that?” She looked over at Kai and Myra. “Did you two know about this?” They nodded while avoiding eye contact.
“Unbelievable!” She threw her hands in the air. “None of you thought to tell me?” The ship rocked as they left the dock. Myra bolted forward, leaning over a bucket as she began to vomit. Aria shook her head as she watched Myra wipe her mouth with a handkerchief. “You done?” she asked with irritation. Myra nodded her head miserably as she propped herself against the wall, keeping the bucket between her legs.
“Alright.” Aria continued as she glared over at Ryder and Kai. “Do one of you want to explain yourselves?” They looked nervously at each other, Kai shaking his head in defiance. Ryder sighed loudly.
“Fine.” He looked over at Aria. “But Michael was the one who didn’t want us to tell you.”
“Don’t use Michael as your scapegoat!” she shouted. “All of you had a choice. And you chose not to tell me.”
“I didn’t think it was a big deal.” Ryder replied with confidence. “Otherwise, you would have been the first to know.” Aria sighed as she looked at her team.
“When did it start?” She looked at Ryder in defeat.
“Shortly after New York,” he replied nervously.
“And what did you tell him?” She prodded impatiently.
“Not much. Zane’s been acting pretty normal, other than his random outbursts here and there.”
“You should see him behind closed doors.” Myra giggled. “That man is far from normal in the bedroom, he’s amazing.” Aria glared furiously at her. Myra immediately stopped giggling and looked down at the bucket. Aria turned back to Ryder, fury in her eyes.
“Why did Michael want you to watch him?” she asked with frustration.
“Because of you,” Ryder replied with annoyance. “Because you covered for him. You know he can tell when you’re lying. There is something going on with that human and you’re helping him cover it up. Michael was worried you had become too attached. Which you clearly have!” Aria’s face fell in shock.
“Did you tell him?” she whispered. Ryder shook his head sadly, his face falling in defeat. “You did, didn’t you?”
“I didn’t have a choice,” he muttered. Aria stood from the table; her fists clenched.
“You always have a choice,” she hissed as she turned and stormed out of the room. Kai looked over at Ryder.
“She has a point,” he commented nervously. “You could’ve left out the part about her falling in love with him. Especially since she’s not acting on it.” Ryder shook his head, his eyes low and distant.
“It had to be done.” He looked at the door Aria had stormed out of. “She’ll thank me for it someday.”
“You do realize that they’re going to force her to stay in Heaven once they are able to cure her.” Kai smacked the table. “Damnit Ryder! You know how much she hates being stuck there.” Kai stared into Ryder’s eyes, anger shining in his dark blue irises. “You know what I think? I think you did it out of jealousy. Because she’s not giving you all of her attention anymore!” He paused, waiting for Ryder to deny it. “That’s just fucked up,” he hissed as Myra grunted and leaned over the bucket to vomit more. Kai looked over at her, concern in his eyes. “Take care of her, will you?” He looked at Ryder, his eyes narrow and brows furrowed. “I’m going to go talk to Aria.” Kai stood up from the table and walked out of the room.
~~~~
Aria ran into Zane right before she reached the stairs. He threw his hands out, grabbing onto her arms to keep her from falling.
“What the hell!” he shouted as he looked down at her with concern.
“Sorry, I didn’t see you.” Aria explained breathlessly.
“Is everything alright?” he asked quickly. “I was just coming to check on you.”
“I’m fine,” she replied as she brushed the hair out of her face. Zane looked over at the door to the sleeping area.
“What about everyone else?” he asked nervously.
“Go check for yourself,” she responded with anger. “And tell Ryder he can go fuck himself while you’re in there.” Aria shoved past him and ran up the stairs.
What the fuck? Zane thought as he walked towards the sleeping area. The door swung open as Kai came walking out. “Oh, hey,” he said as he noticed Zane standing by the door. “Have you seen Aria?”
“Uh, yea,” he replied with hesitation. “She just went upstairs.” Kai nodded as he headed towards the stairs. “Hey! Is everything alright?”
“Just peachy!” Kai shouted as he ascended the stairs. Zane shook his head in confusion as he opened the door to the sleeping area. Myra was leaning over a bucket, vomiting. Ryder was sitting at the table, clenching his fists in frustration.
“I, uh.” Zane paused, wondering what the hell happened. “I just came to check on you guys. See if you needed anything.”
“We’re fine.” Ryder responded; his voice strained with emotion.
“Uh, alright.” Zane shrugged as he backed out of the room and closed the door. Looks like there’s trouble in paradise, he thought as he made his way to the stairs.
~~~~
Aria made her way to the bow of the ship, fucking Ryder. She thought as she punched the railing. Always sticking his nose in other people’s business. Aria sighed as she slammed her hands onto the railing. She braced the railing tightly, her knuckle
s turning white from the stress. A growl of frustration left her lips as she stared out at the ocean.
“Hey,” Kai said softly as he walked up next to her. He placed his arms on the railing as he leaned forward, staring at the waves.
“What do you want?” She paused. “Is there something else I haven’t been told?” she asked with frustration.
“No,” he responded calmly. “I just wanted to talk.” He continued to stare at the ocean, letting Aria take her time to respond. Aria let out a sigh of resignation as she leaned onto the railing, mimicking Kai’s stance. Her eyes wandered along the waves, watching the rays of the sun reflect in the water.
“I don’t understand why he did it,” she muttered softly. Kai sighed sadly as he looked over at her.
“He’s worried about you.” He stared into her eyes. “And somewhere in his twisted mind he thought telling Michael would somehow protect you from the fallout.”
Aria laughed darkly. “Oh yea. Getting me stuck in Heaven once I’m cured is definitely one way to protect me.” She sighed as she looked at the ocean, she smiled sadly as she saw two dolphins jump out of the water. “What if they don’t find a cure? Would they just kill me to make sure I don’t fuck around and accidentally create a Nephilim?” Kai’s face fell as he thought it over.
“You don’t think they would actually kill you? I doubt Michael would allow it,” he responded with disbelief.
“Wouldn’t he?” she asked with frustration. “I would be a liability at that point. Their only options are to cure me and lock me away or kill me.” Her eyes fell with sadness as she watched the dolphins lead their ship. “At least I’ll be able to help mankind before I go.” A tear silently slid down her cheek. “That is the job of angels, after all.” Kai sighed wearily as he ran a hand up and down Aria’s back.
“We’ll figure something out,” he said, his voice lacking confidence. “I hope.” He quietly watched the dolphins with her, trying to provide as much comfort as he could.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Earth
The trip up the Great River was uneventful. Aria had kept to herself most of the time, slowly sinking into depression. Zane had tried to talk to her to figure out how he could help, but she just pushed him away like she did everyone else. Ryder had been losing his temper over the little things, increasing Zane’s curiosity over what had happened. They were due to arrive at port the next morning, causing everyone to be on edge.
Zane was sitting at his desk in the Captain’s Cabin, looking over some maps. A knock on the door reverberated around the room. “Come in!” Zane called out. Bishop opened the door and quickly walked inside, shutting the door softly behind him. “What’s up?” he asked as Bishop sat down across from him.
“I’m worried about tomorrow.” Bishop sighed as he looked down at the maps on Zane’s desk. “In fact, everyone is worried.
“Why are they worried?” he asked calmly.
“Because of the angels,” he responded with annoyance. “Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed how divided they’ve been lately? Aria won’t even talk to anyone.”
“Believe me, I’ve noticed,” he replied with frustration. “But I don’t think it’ll affect them on the battlefield. They’ve trained to fight for over a hundred years. A little argument amongst themselves isn’t going to affect that.”
“Are you sure?” Bishop asked hesitantly. “Because the others are worried that they’ll be too distracted to fight. Which would put all of us at risk.”
“I’m positive,” Zane responded with confidence. “Whatever is going on between them won’t be an issue during a battle.”
“Alright,” Bishop replied, his voice laced with disbelief. “I hope you’re right.”
“Of course I am!” he replied cockily, a smile on his face. Bishop chuckled as he looked over the maps.
“Going over our travel plans?” he asked, pointing at the map in front of Zane.
“Yea. As long as we can buy some horses, we should be outside of Chicago in a week. From there we’ll set up camp so Riley can work his magick.” Bishop nodded as he looked over their route.
“Alright. Let’s make sure to pack enough supplies for a month. We don’t know how long we’ll be waiting outside of Chicago, and I don’t want anyone unable to fight because they’re starving.”
“That can be arranged.” Zane folded up the maps and put them in the top drawer on the desk. “Now, can you have Ryder and Aria come in here. I need to talk to them.”
“Good luck with that,” Bishop muttered as he got up and left the cabin.
A few minutes later there was another knock on the door. “Come in,” Zane shouted. Bishop opened the door, escorting Ryder and Aria inside the cabin. Once they were in, Bishop turned and quickly left the room, closing the door quietly as he left. “Please, sit down,” he said calmly as he pointed at the chairs across from him.
Aria sighed wearily as she walked over to one of the chairs and sat down. She looked worn down and irritated, bags had formed under her eyes from a lack of sleep. Ryder moved to the corner of the room, crossing his arms across his chest.
“I’d prefer to stand,” he replied grudgingly.
“Fine,” Zane sighed as he looked between the two of them. “Care to explain what the hell is going on with you two? And don’t you dare say nothing. Everyone can tell there’s something wrong.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Aria responded quietly. “It’s not like it can be fixed.” Ryder looked at her, his face drawn. Zane sighed loudly as he placed his hands on the desk.
“Fine.” He leaned forward, making eye contact with Aria then Ryder. “I don’t know what the fuck is going on, but you need to pull your shit together. We can’t afford to have you two divided during battle.”
“You don’t need to worry about that,” Ryder responded angrily. “We don’t let our emotions rule the battlefield.”
“Really?” Zane replied sarcastically. “Because it sure looks like you’re letting your emotions rule you right now.”
“That’s different,” he replied angrily. “But once the fighting starts, everything will be forgotten. At least during the battle, anyway.” Zane stared into Ryder’s eyes, seeing the certainty in them. He glanced over at Aria, worried about how quiet she was.
“Very well, I’ll take your word on it.” Zane paused as he watched Aria, her face was a mixture of worry and acceptance. “But remember, divides like this get people killed. The last thing we need is to lose someone on the battlefield. Make sure you get your shit together, so no one dies.” He looked back and forth between Aria and Ryder. Aria sighed as she stood up.
“I’m as good as dead anyway,” she muttered under her breath as she left the cabin. Zane watched her leave, his face tight with worry.
“What the hell does that mean?” he asked as he looked at Ryder for an answer.
“Don’t worry about it, human.” Ryder responded haughtily. He turned and followed Aria out of the room.
~~~~
The next morning, they docked at a large port. The Persephone was dwarfed by all of the ships already docked there. Zane had everyone wait on the ship as he went to talk to the harbormaster. He returned with a smile on his face. “Everything’s good to go,” he shouted as he walked up the ramp. “Let’s go into town for horses and supplies. We can unload what we need from the ship once we’ve secured the horses.” Zane looked around the group, he could tell they were anxious to leave the ship. “I need a few people to stay here with the ship while we go into town.”
“I’ll stay.” Aria responded wearily.
“Alright,” Zane paused, looking around the group. “Anyone else?”
“I’ll stay as well.” Keira chimed in, she smiled warmly at Aria as she walked towards her.
“So will I,” Riley commented. “We don’t want to leave the women by themselves, after all.” He chuckled as he joined Keira and Aria.
“Great,” Zane muttered under his breath. “Okay. Mikayla, why don’t you ta
ke Myra and Kai to find medical supplies? Jackson and Liam, I need you to stock up our rations. We need enough for at least a month. Bishop and Ryder will come with me to find some horses, and possibly a wagon.” The group nodded as they received their assignments. “Good, let’s go.”
Aria watched as the group filed off the ship, sighing with relief once they were out of her sight. She turned to return to the sleeping quarters when Keira softly grabbed her arm.
“Come on.” She gently tugged on Aria’s arm. “Why don’t you spend some time with me? It’ll help you feel better.”
“I doubt that,” Aria replied as she pulled her arm away from her and walked away. Keira pouted as she followed Aria.
“Please,” she whined. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you.”
Aria sighed with defeat. “Fine,” she replied with frustration. “What do you want?” Keira smiled triumphantly.
“Let’s talk over here.” She pointed towards the railing. Aria followed her, muttering under her breath in frustration. Keira stopped and leaned against the railing, sighing with relief. Aria stood next to her, her body tense and her mind spinning in a million directions.
“So,” Aria paused as she looked at the port. “Will you tell me what you want?”
“I was hoping we could talk, woman to woman.” Keira responded with confidence.
“About what, exactly?” Aria asked, her voice laced with irritation.
“Well, first off I want you to know there are no hard feelings.” Keira paused, watching for her reaction. “You know, about Zane?”
“Ah,” she muttered. “Why would there be?”
“I thought that’s why you’ve been so upset?” Keira replied with confusion. “Because Zane chose me over you.” Aria kept her eyes on the ship that had docked across from them. She clenched her fists in frustration. Just stay calm. She repeated over and over in her head. She took a deep breath as she looked over at Keira.