Copyright © 2017 by Harriet Carlton
This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or other unauthorized use of the material or artwork herein is prohibited. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. All rights reserved.
For Kat,
Who helped me during some of
the toughest parts of this book.
Also in the Angels Series
Angels Rising
Angels Soaring
Table of Contents
Dedication
Also in the Angels Series
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 1
The time after Christmas and New Year’s often seems to pass with a blissful sense of hope. The joy of the holidays has not diminished and the New Year has heralded new light and new dreams for the future. For Imorean Frayneson, this was not the case. His serious, brown eyes blinked heavily and he turned to look out of the window of his living room. Snow. They should have had snowfall by now. His town, Blowing Rock, nestled in the North Carolina Blue Ridge Mountains, got snow almost every winter. It was late this year. Imorean, seventeen years old, on the cusp of eighteen. In early March, March thirteenth to be exact, he would be eighteen. His birthday, the future, the absence of regular snow, somehow none of it mattered, not on this gray January day. All that mattered were the two airline tickets on the table in front of him. He pushed his hands through his prematurely white hair. It had turned fully white a few years ago and was nothing more than a harmless hair condition. His hair was not the most unusual thing about Imorean though. The most unusual thing about him were the two great, white wings sprouting from his shoulders and settling on his back. Imorean was an unusual creature, an angel-human, no, Archangel-human, he reminded himself, hybrid. It was all part of an elaborate scheme by the Archangel Michael and his brothers to enlist new help and new recruits into their ranks to take part in a supernatural battle for humanity. Imorean knew if he weren’t in the situation himself, he would never have believed it. Yet, here he sat. Two airplane tickets lay on the table in front of him, bound for Iqaluit in the northern territory of Nunavut, Canada. Beyond Iqaluit, Imorean knew lay Felsenmeer, an old angel base that had been specially designed for elite students. Imorean wasn’t sure if he was ready. He closed his eyes and drew a heavy sigh. It wasn’t, though, as if he had any choice. His move from the main campus of Gracepointe in Norway, where he had spent the last semester with Michael and the other angels, was made out of necessity.
“They came then,” said Roxy, entering the living room. Imorean looked up, glad to be brought out of his reverie. Roxy had been his best friend for many years. She was several inches shorter than Imorean and quite pudgy. The underside of her black hair was dyed bright blue. She too, was part of the elaborate scheme to recruit humans into the angel army. Her wings, unlike Imorean’s, were blue, red, yellow and green. Each angel’s wings were unique and Roxy’s were some of the most unique. Roxy had been living with Imorean for the last few weeks, due to her own family fleeing the state. Imorean knew Roxy was worried about them. Her home had been attacked just a few weeks ago by one of the most powerful demon generals opposing Michael and the angels. Vortigern. The mere thought of the name still sent a shudder down Imorean’s spine.
Imorean shook himself. “Oh, yeah. Michael sent them this morning.”
“Why so serious?” said Roxy, sitting on the couch next to him.
“It’s after New Year’s,” sighed Imorean.
“Yeah…?”
“Roxy, you know what that means.”
“Michael will be moving us any day now.”
“According to the tickets, this weekend,” said Imorean, shaking his head.
Roxy sat forward. “That doesn’t give us much time left here, does it?”
“No.” Imorean knew what she was worried about. Her parents. They had fled across the Tennessee border to stay with family. Away from the supernatural happenings. His own mother, Amelia, had volunteered to go after them and find them. The Archangel Gabriel, Michael’s younger twin brother, had offered to go with her. Imorean knew his mother felt a duty to Roxy and her family.
“You two are up early,” said Amelia, stepping into the small living room.
Imorean smiled at her. Amelia was a small, wiry woman with a heart-shaped face. She worked in a vet clinic. It was nice to see that her curly, brown hair was loose around her shoulders this morning, not tied up in a bun.
“Imorean raked me out of bed early this morning like the taskmaster he is,” said Roxy. “Coffee?”
“I’d love some,” said Amelia. Imorean smiled at her as she followed Roxy into the kitchen. “He can be a bit overbearing sometimes.”
There it was again. That hard edge to his mother’s voice. Imorean looked back down at the tabletop. The revelation of his wings had hit his mother hard. Finding out he was having to be taken away to the far north for his own protection weeks earlier than normal, due to the fact that Michael had given him a piece of Archangelic DNA… well, that had hit her even harder. He was glad Roxy was here to diffuse the tension.
Imorean stood and stretched, flaring his wings. “Did Gabriel say anything else about when you’d go and check on Roxy’s family?”
“He sent me a text this morning,” said Amelia, stirring her coffee. “He was hoping we could go today or tomorrow. It depends on his and Michael’s sentry shifts.”
“Since when did you have Gabriel’s phone number?” asked Imorean.
“He gave it to me when you and Michael were swooping all over the mountains a few weeks ago.”
Imorean watched as Roxy inclined her head. She asked in a stretched tone. “Are you sure about that?”
“What are you implying, Miss Daire?” asked Amelia, raising her thin brows.
“Roxy, don’t say it,” said Imorean. He knew what his friend was thinking. “Did he say anything about coming around today?”
“He said if he and I go over to Te
nnessee today, he’d have Michael to babysit you.”
Roxy spat her coffee. Imorean spluttered. “What?”
“Aren’t we old enough to look after ourselves?” cried Roxy.
Amelia folded her arms. “Gabriel said you’d both say something like this. No. It’s nothing to do with age. It’s to do with the fact that there’s a demon commander out for my son’s head. It’ll be safer with Michael… here. Though, I shudder to say it. I don’t like the thought of him in my house. I don’t want to have to replace any more windows.”
Imorean glanced at the kitchen window. The first time Michael had arrived here, he had mistaken the window for a door and successfully flown straight through it.
There was a knock at the front door and Imorean swallowed. The only visitors they could expect were the Archangel brothers. Roxy and Amelia looked at him in unison. With a sigh, Imorean crossed the living room and opened the door. On the small front porch stood Michael and Gabriel. The two Archangels were nearly identical. Michael was marginally taller and had four green wings, two large and two much smaller. Gabriel was finer featured and had only two green and tawny wings. Two was the standard number of wings for angels. Michael’s dual pair was the only one Imorean had ever seen. Their eye color too, was different. Michael’s eyes were piercing and green, while Gabriel’s were warm and hazel. Aside from that, both brothers were well-built and sported short, brown hair. They both had angular features and both moved with a sense of pride. These angels were two of the most powerful weapons in heaven’s arsenal. Imorean frowned as they entered his house. The effect of wonder about them had long since worn off.
“Amelia,” said Gabriel. “Are you nearly ready?”
“Can I drink my coffee first?” asked Amelia, a small smile on her face.
Imorean pulled a face as Gabriel returned Amelia’s smile. His frown deepened as he spotted the bright look on his mother’s face. He cast a sidelong glance at Michael. The Chief of all Angels looked equally as uncomfortable as he felt.
“You received the tickets, I see,” said Michael. Imorean was glad for the change of subject.
“Yeah. Looks like a long flight,” replied Imorean. “Not looking forward to it.”
“Nor I. Felsenmeer is a good distance from here, though.”
Imorean glared at the kitchen as he heard his mother giggle. Giggle. He hadn’t heard her do that in years. Even Roxy was drumming her fingers against her mug. She felt awkward as well. Imorean’s eyes widened as he saw Gabriel wink at his mother.
“Gabriel,” said Michael, sounding fed up.
“Yes?”
“If you are going to go, please leave. You are sickening the entire room.”
Gabriel held up his hands in surrender. “Don’t be jealous that I’m better looking than you are.”
“Gabriel, we are nearly identical. There is no ‘better looking.’”
“Ah, well. Whatever helps you sleep at night.”
“Imorean,” said Amelia, shrugging on her coat. One sleeve was twisted.
“Yeah?”
“Remember, Papa’s driving the twins back in the afternoon. Make sure they clean their room when they get here.” She spared a glare at Michael. “They’re not going to like you.”
Michael blinked. “I did not expect them to.”
“He sets the bar nice and low,” said Imorean, helping Amelia with her coat. “Text me when you get there and don’t worry, I won’t forget about their chores. How long have I lived here?”
Amelia flashed a bright smile at him, and for a moment, Imorean felt as though nothing between them had changed.
“See you later,” she said. With those words, the illusion was shattered. Everything between them had somehow changed. There was no going back to the way their life in Blowing Rock had been in the past.
Chapter 2
The day had been slow. Imorean skittered about on his laptop with no real quest in mind. Roxy had played on her phone. Rachel and Isaac, Imorean’s twin half siblings, had arrived and were being unnervingly quiet. It may though, have been due to Michael. They were wary of strangers. Imorean sneaked another glance at Michael, passing it off as though he was looking at the clock on the mantelpiece. The Archangel had been sitting stock still for hours. Eyes closed. Wings and arms folded. Not a muscle moving. Imorean wanted to ask what he was doing, but didn’t want to risk the Archangel’s scathing tongue. Imorean checked his phone again. His mother and Gabriel had arrived in Tennessee, but after that, Imorean had heard nothing. He bobbed his knee. He was nervous. He frowned again. There was also the question of what was going on between his mother and Gabriel. Their short interaction in the kitchen had seemed dangerously like flirting. But was that even allowed? Were angels allowed to flirt with humans? Imorean jigged both knees. Was his first mentor hitting on his mother?
“Stop doing that,” snapped Michael, breaking the living room’s glassy silence.
Imorean looked at Roxy in confusion. “What were we doing?”
“You, Frayneson. Winding yourself up. Gabriel and your mother are fine. They are on their way back.”
Imorean opened his hands and made a small noise of disbelief.
“You forget, Imorean,” said Michael. “You and I are linked. Now that you are aware of our connection, I intend to use it with you more often. It could come in handy. You are nervous. Stop being nervous. They will be fine. Back in a few minutes actually.”
“Leave me alone,” glared Imorean, putting his headphones in his ears. He didn’t turn on any music, but instead turned his brown glare on Roxy when he heard her snicker.
Just as Michael had said though, only a short time later Imorean heard the tires of Gabriel’s rental car crunching on the gravel driveway. He was on his feet as soon as the house door opened. His mother, looking drained and tired, entered the house first. Gabriel followed behind. There were shadows under his eyes.
“What happened?” asked Roxy.
“We found them,” said Gabriel, taking off his coat.
“And?”
“Roxy,” said Amelia, sitting down on the couch. Imorean swallowed at his mother’s gentle tone. “They were difficult at first.”
“They still think I’m a monster.” Roxy flared her rainbow wings. “Because of these.”
“No. They didn’t understand when you showed them before. They were scared. They said they wanted to see you, but they wanted you to go to them.”
“Not an option,” said Michael.
“That’s what I said,” nodded Gabriel. “I told them that they were to come back here if they wanted to see Roxy, as she didn’t want to go to Tennessee. Sorry for the lie, Roxy, but we can’t let you go into demon controlled territory.”
“I understand,” sighed Roxy. “I don’t want to come across those demons again any time soon.”
Imorean stayed silent. He understood how she felt. His own wings still bore solid, black marks from the last time he had encountered demons.
“We told them you were going back to school at the weekend,” continued Gabriel.
“And?”
“They said…” Gabriel trailed off.
Amelia took up his sentence. “They said they would see you at your next break. It’s not that they don’t want to see you, Roxy. I think… I think they just need some time to process this.”
“Yeah,” sighed Roxy. Her voice had a tiny tremble in it. “I think I do too. I’m going to bed.”
Imorean watched as Roxy exited the room. The clock on the mantelpiece read out five in the afternoon. His heart went out to Roxy, but he knew she would want her space for a little while.
The house was still too quiet. Isaac and Rachel had been put to bed. Roxy still hadn’t vacated the guest room. Imorean drummed his fingers together. He hoped she was all right. He looked up as Amelia entered the room and sat down on the couch near him.
“How were they?” asked Imorean.
Amelia pursed her lips. “They seemed scared. Who wouldn’t be?”
�
��Did Roxy’s parents even want to see her?”
“They did, but Gabriel said the timing was all wrong. If we’d been able to find them earlier or if they were closer, then something could have been worked out. You and Roxy are leaving at the weekend though. There’s just not time to convince them to come back.”
Imorean studied his mother’s face for a moment. There was a wrinkle between her brows. Her normally bright eyes were somehow colorless.
“Are you worried?”
Amelia looked up sharply. “Of course I’m worried, Imorean! I don’t want you running off to Canada to please these angels. Why don’t you stay?”
“Stay here?”
“Yes.”
“I can’t. Mom, I’m half Archangel. If I try to stay here without Michael or Gabriel nearby, Vortigern will find me.” Imorean stood up. “He’ll find you, Rachel and Isaac, too, and I don’t even want to think about what he’d do. I’m going away to protect everyone. The students, me, you, everyone… I can’t stay.”
“Aren’t you scared?”
Imorean heard his mother’s voice shake and he folded his wings tighter behind his back. “Are you?”
“Terrified. I hate the thought of you going away like this. I hate what they’ve done to you. Your life wasn’t supposed to be like this, Imorean. It wasn’t supposed to be… like this.”
Imorean dropped his shoulders. She was right. His life was never supposed to have been entangled with angels. Yet here he was, white wings rising from his shoulders, carrying the genes of the Archangel Michael himself.
“Maybe not, but my life is this now,” said Imorean. He watched as his mother stood. She looked out of the window for a moment.
“Promise me you’ll be safe?”
“I promise,” said Imorean, crossing the room to stand at her side.
“And you’ll keep me updated on everything that happens?”
“I will.”
“This isn’t easy, you know, letting you go again. Particularly when I know it’s under these circumstances.”
Imorean looked out of the window. Just beyond the Tennessee border, demons were circling. A nightmare commander lay in wait.
Angels Defying (Angels Rising Book 3) Page 1