“It’s going to be okay,” Shay shouted over the howling wind.
My head bobbed mechanically, but my gaze held on the black-cloaked demons.
It looked as if Felicity and Trey were having problems standing, too, as a couple of smaller trees collapsed around us. Unfortunately, the hooded newcomers stood perfectly still, unaffected. More importantly, though, they had not progressed forward. That was when I noticed their feet did not touch the ground.
With a deafening crack, the ground split open leaving us on an island, separating us from them. I knew we had to move, but we couldn’t. All at once everything in front of me blurred, and this time I understood it wasn’t my eyes. A milky purple orb had formed around Shay and me, similar to the one in the warehouse. It lifted us off the ground and dimmed the howling winds and booming thunder. Shay stared at me, a small smile playing around his lips.
The earth rolled like a giant wave, and moments later Felicity and Trey lost their balance. Screaming, they stumbled into each other and fell into the crevice. This time I felt no sympathy at all. Two down, four to go.
The Marqs still hovered and started their advance again.
The sides of the orb vibrated with each clap of thunder, as if we were watching a ripple in the water. Rain pelted down—except when I looked up, no clouds were in the sky. Water pooled around us and soaked into the ground, making it soft and squishy. I felt like I was trapped in a snow globe, except the raindrops fell on the outside of the glass.
In the distance, a glowing dot came toward us, its emerald green glow becoming larger as it neared.
“What is that?” I yelled at Shay.
“I don’t know.” He wrapped his arm around my shoulder, tugging me against his side, and braced himself to attack. But when he lifted his sword and tried to puncture the side of the orb, it only flexed outward.
The translucent green sphere’s color faded and stopped a short distance away. My eyes widened with shock when I saw that in its place stood a girl about my age—who looked a lot like Sidelle. Very slowly, she raised her arms into the air and her mouth formed words I couldn’t hear.
Fierce winds swirled leaves, dirt, and other debris. A massive branch broke from a tree. It struck two of the hooded creatures’ heads, and we watched them fall into the crevice. When the limb flew straight at us, it bounced off the orb. The remaining two demons spread out, trying to dodge debris the size of small cars, and clusters of dirt as large as watermelons. Another tidal wave of packed soil rolled and then opened in the shape of a hand, snatching one of the Marqs back into the ground. A horrific screech pierced the air and then was muffled by the earth, leaving only a small piece of black material waving in the wind.
White light cascaded across the sky and thunder vibrated the ground, tearing down even the largest of trees until their roots and trunks created a cage around the last creature. Lightning struck again, setting wood on fire and dropping the last remaining demon into the open pit. As soon as the creature had disappeared, the blowing stopped, the rift in the earth slammed shut as easily as if it had been a door, and the orb around Shay and me disappeared. The sky still poured rain to extinguish the smoldering fires.
Shay grabbed me, pulled me into a tight hug. “God, Zoe!” he said into my ear. I could feel his heart racing against my own. “Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine,” I assured him, pulling away and plucking a leaf from his hair. “Are you okay?”
“As long as you are.”
I glanced back at the spot where the demons had stood moments before. “Are they gone for good?” Then my eyes moved to the girl collapsed on the ground in front of us, and panic rushed through me. She didn’t even appear to be breathing. “Sidelle?” I raced toward her and dropped to my knees by her side. “Shay! What’s happened to Sidelle?”
He was at her other side, crouched protectively over her. “She’s drained. We’ll have to help her back.”
I put my hand on her shoulder, shook her gently. “Sidelle?”
Nothing.
“Oh my god, Shay! Is she—”
“I’m okay ... ’m okay,” Sidelle whispered, then she moaned and squeezed her eyes. “Yeah. Headache.”
“Sidelle?” I whispered, again.
Her eyes opened and warmed. “Don’t worry about me, Peanut. I’m ready to party.”
“Yeah, right.”
“Truth,” she said, but I could see the exhaustion in her cheeky smile. She staggered to her feet and spread her arms out, showing us she could stand on her own. When I stepped away, I saw her wink at Shay.
He nodded. “Go ahead. She already knows about Kieran and me.”
The rain stopped as Sidelle shrugged, a casual little motion I’d seen her do so often. “Okay.” She grinned at me. “Zoe, I’m a fairy. A Summer Fairy, to be exact.”
Of course she was. “You’re a fairy.” I shook my head. “That’s good, right?”
She frowned.
“Well, it’s just that Kieran told me both good and bad exist within each Order.” I squeezed my wet hair, wringing out the water.
“I saved you both, didn’t I?” She held up four fingers, looking smug. “Against two DKs and four Marquises. I doubt Shay would’ve been able to defeat the four Marqs on his own.” She stumbled to the side, and Shay propped her up. “Even an experienced Archangel would have a difficult time with those numbers. When I saw you two leave to go outside after your little outburst in the basement, I felt something was off, so I followed you. Good thing I showed up when I did.”
Her words confused me, then I realized I had put Shay on a pedestal. And maybe subconsciously, I had put Kieran on one, too. As long as I was with them, I’d believed no one could harm me. They were my protectors, my guardians.
“Shay? Is that true? Would you have been able to beat them?” I asked.
He wouldn’t meet my gaze. “Well, I would’ve given it my all to keep you safe. I could have died, but I would have done it while protecting you. We all have to take that risk for you. Sidelle’s right. Taking on four would have been extremely difficult, even for me. But it’s over now. She saved us.” He nodded toward her. “Thanks. I owe you.”
“I owe you, too!” I embraced her.
Blood rushed through my ears, and tears stung my eyes as Shay’s words sank in. The very idea of what he’d said made me feel sick to my stomach. “Don’t you ever do that again, Shay!” I exclaimed. “Do you hear me? I don’t want you to give your life for mine! Next time—and yes, I understand there will be a next time—we’ll run or fight or do whatever we have to. But you are not going to die! I won’t let you!” I slugged his chest to make my point, but he didn’t even blink.
Must learn to fight.
He shook his head, looking sad, and his warm palm rested against my cheek. “Zoe, you can’t ask me to do that. I’m a warrior. It’s what I was born to do. I am assigned to protect you, and I will. If that means I have to die for you, then so be it.” He moved his hand so it pressed over his heart. “That’s just the way it is. The sooner you accept it, the better. We all need you to be safe and alive. We took an oath to God to protect you with our lives. The truth is, you need to be alive so you can save the world.”
I wasn’t accepting that. “You keep saying you believe I’m the Redeemer. What if I’m not?” I poked his chest with one stubborn finger and brought my face close to his. “And if you die ... I don’t want to think about that, so don’t mention it again.” All this talk about him dying was getting to me, and ... wait.
I blinked at him. “Who’s ‘we,’ as in ‘we all need me to be safe’?” I asked.
“Me, Kieran, and all the good Enlightens. You know, ‘we.’”
I turned to my rescuer. “You took this oath, too, Sidelle?”
She swayed on her feet, and I put my arm around her waist on the other side, but she nodded. “Sure did.”
The whole idea was ridiculous. I held out my hands. “But ... I mean, how do we even know I’m the one the prophecy is talki
ng about?”
“Zoe, remember in the warehouse when you were encased in that purple orb?” Shay asked.
“Of course.”
“Kieran didn’t create it or put you in it, and I don’t have powers to do something like that. The orb we were just trapped in, Sidelle can’t create those. She and Kieran can only create them around themselves.” He gave me a wry, almost apologetic grin. “So that leaves you. You created it, and you let us both out when we were safe. I think it’s a defensive tactic or something you subconsciously create when you’re scared. There is no way an Ordinary could create anything like that. At the very least, you must be part angel.” He tapped the underside of his wrist. “Anyway, I guess we’ll know for sure when you turn eighteen and get the Heaven’s Mark.”
“Sidelle, could I be a fairy?”
“Nope. Not a chance on that one.” She tapped her chest. “I’d know.”
I thought about that and wasn’t sure whether to be excited or unhappy that it all seemed to make some kind of crazy sense. “Why was today’s orb purple with white swirls?”
He stepped away, scratching his head. “I don’t know why the two colors. I wasn’t in the first one with you, so I can’t tell if the properties are the same or not. This one was different, though. It was big enough for us to move around in a little. I can’t even tell you if anything can harm you while you’re in it.” He frowned at Sidelle, obviously concerned. “I wouldn’t think so, but I’m not sure how we could even test that theory. Any thoughts, Sidelle?”
“No idea,” she replied. “I’ve never seen it manifest like that. I wasn’t at the warehouse, so I can’t comment on differences. Maybe it has to do with the angel glow.” She shrugged. I was relieved to see her color returning to normal.
I let out my breath. “Whoa,” I said. This was all too much. What I needed was to sit down. “Let’s go back a few steps. What were those cloaked thingies? That girl said something about a mark ...”
“Did Shay or Kieran tell you about the levels of angels?” Sidelle informed me, collapsing on the grass beside me.
I nodded.
“Well, Hell also has levels of demons.”
“Yeah, Kieran said something about demon knights being low-level demons. So these ones are higher? Can they be killed?” I looked back toward where the creatures had floated moments before. “Are they dead now?”
“Unfortunately, no,” Sidelle replied. “The Knights can be killed for a while, but Marqs ... well, they are much harder to fight. On the bright side, if you actually manage to kill one, they remain dead. This evening, I only opened the earth so it swallowed them. They will be forced to return to Hell, but they will return.”
She only opened the earth. Huh.
“Marquises are mid-level demons,” Shay explained as he helped me back to my feet. “They are the fighters of hell, like the nephilim are for heaven. They are ruthless, vicious, brutal, and they’re also expert swordsmen. Typically you find them in small groups. They’re most effective that way.”
“They’re also experts in starting what everyone calls ‘natural disasters,’ you know?” Sidelle said. “Like flooding, erupting volcanoes, droughts, and forest fires. That kind of thing.”
Shay nodded. “Sam wants the world to be in total chaos. His plan is to ultimately have the demons overpower the Ordinaries so he can take control. Rule both Hell and Earth. While they’re stirring up trouble, he’s been sending out Marqs to find the Redeemer.”
I flicked one eyebrow up. “He’s sending things to find me?”
“Yep. I think we just confirmed to the Marqs that they found their target. Sam is going to be hell-bent on killing you now.”
We must find a way to stop the Marqs, too. My head spun. “You know what, Shay? I’ve had enough for tonight. I’m ready to go home.”
He nodded and took my hand, and we walked back to Cali’s house with Sidelle limping beside us. I observed the face of my girlfriend, amazed by what I’d just discovered about her.
“Sidelle? Can I ask you something about being a fairy?”
“Sure. What’s on your mind, Buttercup?”
“Were you assigned to protect me, too?”
She nodded. “A long time ago. Back then, no one knew who it was, so the oath didn’t mean anything. I only knew that one day I would be called upon to serve. The day of your birth, the earth told us that someone had arrived who had the potential. We didn’t suspect you specifically, but as you grew up you showed great potential. King Oberon, the King of Summer Court, decided to send someone to watch and monitor your progress.” She poked me in the shoulder. “I suspected the Council of Angels had the same idea, since they sent Kieran and Shay. They must have thought you’d shown the most potential of anyone in years because they assigned two guardians to you. That move made the fairies set up shop here in St. Joseph, too. I befriended you, but it was a little different from Kieran’s approach of being your best friend. I thought being a girlfriend to you would be enough. I didn’t need to be at your side twenty-four seven.”
“What did the earth tell you?”
“It’s not like the earth spoke, exactly. It was more like a power surge.”
“Uh-huh.” We walked a little farther, then I frowned at her again. “So was that you doing the wind and rain thing tonight?”
“Yuppers. I can manipulate all natural objects to do my bidding: summer weather, water—to a point—and plants.”
“Wow. Like you could make it hot and sunny every day?” I checked her back. “Do you have wings, too?”
She grinned. “Slow down, Tadpole. Yes, I could make it hot and sunny, but that would drain me. Eventually nature would overpower me. Working against nature for any prolonged length of time would kill me. And, if you think about it, everything would die without rain.” She leaned closer. “Yes, I have wings, but they’re not like Shay’s or Kieran’s. We don’t use them to travel. Ours are much smaller and thinner, more iridescent. Also, we use Glamour. That’s like magic.”
She’d always been pretty, but wow. When I studied her now, she was a human-sized Tinkerbell. I had no idea how she’d react to that comparison.
As we neared the back patio door, I veered off, not wanting to go inside. After assuring us she was feeling just fine, Sidelle waved and left us, smiling. Shay and I walked around the house to get to the street.
I hesitated before climbing into the car. “I don’t want to ruin the cushions with my dirty, soaked clothes.”
“Don’t worry about it.” He helped me into my seat.
We sat in silence, holding hands, and I was glad he didn’t speak for a few minutes.
Yeah. Tough to beat that first date.
Chapter Twelve
Zoe
The events of the past twenty-four hours flashed through my mind, and I still wasn’t sure how to feel.
Sam, the devil himself, was after me.
I might be an angel—oh, and I left out the best part. I could be the babe in a prophecy. And if so, I was fated to save the world.
We drove the entire way home in silence, though Shay often glanced in my direction. Every so often he squeezed my hand, but I wasn’t sure if it was for my comfort or his.
Now that the party and date were over, I just wanted to crawl into bed, and sleep. My parents would be happy to see me at this hour, since it was a little after eleven by the time Shay dropped me off. He pulled into the cul-de-sac, stopped the car in front of my house, and twisted the keys out of the ignition. We both undid our seat belts and stared at each other.
He broke the silence. “Say something.”
My wet clothes squished out more water onto the cloth upholstery when I turned toward him. “What do you want me to say?”
“Anything. What you’re feeling. What you’re thinking.”
I put my hands over my face and rubbed, so frustrated I was tempted to scream. “I’m not sure what I think,” I admitted instead, feeling my throat growing thick. “It’s all ... too much. I’ve been hunted
by demons and rescued by a fairy. I find out my best friend is an angel—and that he might not be my best friend anymore. And you ... you’re ...” I couldn’t help myself. I sagged and let the tears come.
“Hey, come here. Don’t cry.” He pulled me toward him and wrapped his arm around me. “It’ll be okay. I’ll protect you.”
I cried harder when I heard that last part. My head rested against his chest, and he rubbed small circles in my back, trying unsuccessfully to get me to stop crying.
“I’m right here,” he soothed.
“I know you are. And that’s another thing that has me confused. I just ...” I hiccupped and pulled back so I could look him in the eye. “I feel ... extremely close to you for some reason, and I don’t understand why or how that is. I’ve only known you a few days, but it feels like a lifetime. I’m so drawn to you it scares me.” Another hiccup, followed by a noisy sniffle. “You think I’m someone special, and you think I’m going to save the world from the devil. Oh my God, Shay, that’s like ... a ton of responsibility! What if you’re wrong about me, or what if I can’t do whatever it is I’m expected to do? What if—”
“Shhh,” he said. “Don’t worry about all that right now. Let’s just get through one day at a time, and we’ll find the answers together, okay? And listen.” He put his hands on my cheeks, holding my gaze. “You are someone special. You are to me, anyway.”
“Why?”
“Because ... I love you, Zoe. I’ve watched you grow into a beautiful and amazing woman with a kind soul.” He pointed from me to him a couple of times. “I don’t know what this is, or why I feel the way I do toward you either, but I believe events happen for a reason. I’ve learned to go with it and question God later. The thing is, I think He brought you and me together.”
He looked so calm, so together. I, on the other hand, was a mess. I should just go with it, too.
Shay squeezed my hand. “He has a plan. Who am I to tamper with that? I told you I was never far away, and that’s true. Physically, Kieran protected you, but I was always there, in your heart and mind. You just didn’t know it.” He smiled. “I watched over you when you slept or if you were at school and Kieran wasn’t in the class. You didn’t have all the same classes over the years, and I might not have been able to sit next to you, but I was always there.”
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