by C. L. Coffey
Gabriel released his arm, waiting for me to return to the couch before he turned his back again.
In the back of my mind, I knew going out there wasn’t the smartest thing to do. I had no resources and no contacts. We’d spent the last eight years on the run, in hiding, and we’d done it without leaving much of a trace. I might have learned enough to know where to start, but if my mom didn’t want to be found, no matter how much I knew her, it wasn’t going to be an easy task.
If Gabriel had people around the world, he had better connections and resources than I did.
I peeled the wet shirt off me, wincing as the fabric brushed over the torn edges of my cut. My arm was covered in blood, right down to the back of my hand, but the cut itself wasn’t bleeding anymore.
My healing ability may have allowed me to forgo stitches, but Gabriel was right. It needed dressing. I was beginning to hate that he was always right.
Pulling his T-shirt on was harder than getting my shirt off. For something that was usually so tight on Gabriel, it still hung on me like a dress. Best of all, the sleeve covered most of my scarred arm. It smelled like him too. Musky, with a hint of … I sniffed the fabric.
Oregano?
I guess I’d not really been close enough to Gabriel to notice that before.
The cut had sliced the skin on my upper arm, on the one opposite to the one covered in the Lichtenberg fractures.
Great. I was a walking scar.
I rolled up the sleeve, tucking it over my shoulder and out of the way. “I’m done.”
Gabriel walked over, pointing at the armchair. “Sit.”
I did as he instructed, turning my head in the opposite direction. I wasn’t squeamish, but I really didn’t want to watch. I could hear him opening the first aid kit and rip something open, and then something wet was being wiped up and down my arm.
“How are things going with your charge?”
I turned back to Gabriel as I arched a brow. “Harrison?”
He was kneeling on the floor in front of me, focused on cleaning the smeared blood off my arm. “You have a second charge?”
I gave him a half-shrug, raising my other elbow. “Are you sure he’s supposed to be my charge? He’s … he’s a tool.”
Gabriel paused and looked up at me. “That’s not a very complimentary way to describe him.”
“There aren’t really any complementary words I can use to describe him. I thought he seemed like a decent person at first, but the way he is with Leigh-Ann, his own twin, is awful. She’s actually so sweet too. Why did you pick him?”
“I didn’t pick him,” Gabriel corrected me. “He was picked for you.”
“By whom? And why him?”
“His name was taken from Metatron’s book.”
My eyes narrowed. “Metatron sounds like a Transformer,” I muttered. “What’s his book?”
“Metatron’s job is to write the words of Heaven. While all humans require guardian angels, our numbers prevent this. Metatron’s book contains a list, and Harrison was on it.” Gabriel resumed cleaning my arm.
I leaned over and picked up the ice pack, returning it to the back of my head. I wasn’t sure if my headache was from where I’d hit my head or this conversation. “But why was Harrison on it?”
Gabriel paused again. “Metatron cannot talk. He was able to give me his name, but at great risk. Asking him why is not possible. Just know that Harrison is special, and you must protect him.”
“I’m probably protecting him from himself,” I grumbled. “And why is it a risk for me to find out what’s so special about him? His name is in that book, so surely-”
“You are the risk,” Gabriel told me. He set the bloodstained wipe to the side. “You’re a nephilim. You’re the offspring of one of the Fallen. One of the jobs of an archangel is to kill Fallen and nephilim. If I ask about Harrison, someone is going to want to know why. I don’t want to lead them back here to you.”
He was making me uncomfortable as he stared. One minute he was trying to kill me, then he was saying he didn’t want to bring Heaven here to keep me safe?
“You must keep Harrison safe. Whatever that is from will undoubtedly be revealed at some point, and possibly soon.”
“Then you need to give me the opportunity to do that,” I told him. “If it hadn’t been for you, that fallen angel would have killed me today. He tried.” I pointed at my cut. Now that Gabriel had cleaned it, the wound didn’t seem as bad as I first thought. The bleeding had definitely stopped, but the wound was still wet. A human would certainly need to have stitches. “If I can’t protect myself, I can’t protect Harrison.”
Gabriel reached for a bandage, binding it around my arm. “You are right. Tomorrow we will begin your training. Tonight, you rest.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Because I’d told Leigh-Ann I would be studying late with Gabriel, she had already fallen asleep when I’d gotten back to our room.
It wasn’t actually that late, thanks to our detour to Las Vegas instead of studying, and really, I needed to do some to catch up anyway. But my arm was throbbing, and I had a headache that I was waiting for painkillers to stop.
I changed out of the clothes Gabriel had loaned me, but not before taking a deep sniff of his shirt. Okay, maybe that was a little weird, but I was trying to see if I had imagined the oregano. I hadn’t. Was that a Gabriel thing or an archangel thing?
The apartment he had taken me to was one of a dozen or so small units on campus that housed all the faculty members. His was right on the edge, furthest from the college but closest to the forests that covered this part of the mountainside.
I pulled on some pajamas and crawled into bed. I hadn’t been lying there long when I heard Leigh-Ann stir. I rolled onto my side, taking care with my arm, and stared over at her bed. I was glad she was finally sleeping in her own bed.
She stirred again. When it turned to thrashing, I sat up. “Leigh-Ann?” I called, not wanting to scare her awake.
In the dim light in the room, she rolled, and I watched as she went straight through the protective wooden bar designed to stop someone from doing just that, snapping it clean in two.
As her body slammed to the floor, I turned and flicked on the light. I scrambled down off my bed, but as I grew near, she stood. Still half under the blanket, she moved towards the door.
Like the last time I had caught her sleepwalking, her eyes were open, only this time, they were white. It was like her pupils and irises head completely disappeared.
This was scarier than a fallen angel with a sword.
“Grande periculum dæmonium,” she whispered.
I stepped in front of her, trying not to get freaked out by the eyes, which seemed to look straight through me. “Leigh-Ann, it’s Kennedy. You need to wake up now.”
Leigh-Ann’s hand shot out and wrapped around my throat, squeezing hard. “Grande periculum dæmonium.”
“Leigh-Ann.” I gasped then clawed at her hand, trying to get her to release me. Instead, she lifted her arm. I was much taller than Leigh-Ann, but even so, the effort had me on my tip toes, still struggling to breathe, whereas Leigh-Ann was holding me like I was nothing more than a doll.
I didn’t want to hurt her, but for the second time in the same day, I had spots dancing across my vision.
“Grande periculum dæmonium,” she screamed at me.
I reached out and slapped her.
The white disappeared from her eyes, replaced with her normal blue, and she dropped me to the floor.
“Kennedy?” she cried out, mortified. And then, before I could get up off the floor, she bolted out of the room. The bell I’d hung from the handle jingled as the door slammed behind her.
“Dammit,” I muttered, struggling to get to my feet as a coughing fit set in. What the hell was that? Where had Leigh-Ann’s sudden strength come from?
Although my throat hurt, I burst out into the corridor, more concerned about Leigh-Ann. It was empty. Where had she gone?
&nbs
p; I ran down the hallway, heading for the Common Room, which was the closest room to check. It was empty too. Just as I was about to back out, a voice carried across the room. “Look at Dora, breaking curfew.”
I recognized the Cajun twang before Ty’s head popped up over the back of the couch, and I didn’t have time or patience to talk to him. “Have you seen Leigh-Ann?”
“Why?”
“Just answer the damn question, Ty,” I snapped.
“No. Why?” he repeated, getting to his feet.
“I’m just looking for my roommate. It’s nothing you need to concern yourself with.”
With his nephilim-powered speed, Ty was at my side in an instant. “If it involves my girlfriend, it concerns me.”
My mouth dropped open. Leigh-Ann had told me he invited her to the dance, but boyfriend?
“What’s the matter? Surprised your friend didn’t tell you?”
My eyes narrowed. “I’m surprised her taste is that bad.”
Ty snorted. “Even missing a hand, I’m still a solid twelve. I’ve seen you looking.”
I almost choked on the air I was breathing. “If you’ve caught me looking, it’s only ever been with murderous intentions.” I shook my head and moved out of his way. “And I don’t have time for this.”
I went to open the door, but Ty’s hand shot out, keeping it shut. “Why do you need to find Leigh-Ann.”
“She has nightmares and–”
“Another?”
“You know?” I asked instead of replying. Maybe he really did like her?
Ty nodded, pulling the door open. “I think I know where she’ll be.”
I was curious how he would know that, but if he knew where she was, I wasn’t going to question it now. Instead, I followed after him as he ran down the hallway. My next stop was going to be the library as that was where I had found her last time, but he ran straight past it, heading for the door to the gym.
There was no way Leigh-Ann had gone to the gym.
I was right. We ran straight past it, heading to the small church on campus that sat beside the gym.
“Really?” I paused outside the door. I’d never been in the church before. Considering I’d spent the last half of my life being called a demon by my mom, she’d never allowed me to go, and she had even refused to step foot in one herself. “Can we go in there?”
Ty rolled his eyes. “The human half of us makes this okay. One half of our parents wouldn’t be able to, though.” Ty pulled open the door with force, but he stepped in with care.
At first, I thought it was because he was showing respect to the small church, but then I realized I could hear sobbing. Leigh-Ann was in there, but I couldn’t see her. Although it was nearly midnight, there were a handful of candles lit around the room. I gave them another look. They were electric replicas.
The church itself wasn’t big. Dean Pinnosa had said the college had about two hundred students in attendance, and the church probably would have gotten half of them in it. The building was old though. Older than the college. This had to be one of the original buildings back when the college had been a nunnery.
I followed Ty down the side of the church toward the chancel. Behind the altar, dropped in a kowtow at the ornate cross in front of her, sat Leigh-Ann. Ty didn’t stop. He grabbed a blanket from the side, shaking it out masterfully with one hand, and draped it around Leigh-Ann as he crouched down beside her.
Leigh-Ann was either shivering or sobbing—I couldn’t tell, but the moment the blanket touched her shoulders, she looked up.
Seeing Ty, she launched herself at him.
Never had I seen Ty act so tenderly towards someone. He was as tall as I was, and muscular, and Leigh-Ann seemed lost in his embrace as he held her while she sobbed. With loving strokes, he rubbed at her back.
Holy crap, he really did like her.
“I’ll look after her,” Ty told me. Although he didn’t look at me, there was a request to his words, not an instruction.
I chewed at my lip. I didn’t like Ty all that much, but for some reason, I knew I could trust her with him. I just didn’t want to leave Leigh-Ann alone when she was like this.
“It’s okay,” Leigh-Ann said with a hiccup. She looked up at me, her eyes red from the crying. “Are you … did I hurt you?”
“I am absolutely fine.” I lied. My throat hurt, and I was still shaken up at the fact that this petite girl had managed to lift me like she had. But I would heal fast, and I didn’t want Leigh-Ann to feel worse than she already did.
“We shouldn’t stay here,” Ty told her. “It’s freezing.”
The snow in the mountains had finally started to melt, but considering how high up we were, and because the nights were still cold, the snow was still lingering. The days were warmer, but the nights were, as Ty suggested, cold enough to see our breath in the air.
“I don’t want to go back to my bedroom,” Leigh-Ann said with a shudder.
Ty glanced back at me, and I gave him a helpless shrug. I did. I wanted her where I could keep an eye on her. I also wanted to be able to talk with her about what happened. But I also understood that she was barely out of the nightmare.
“You can stay with me,” Ty told her.
That had me arching my eyebrow. Honestly, I didn’t care whether they went back there and had sex all night long. I was just more surprised at Ty’s suggestion.
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” I told them. “Leigh-Ann, I really think you need to go see the nurse.”
“No.” Leigh-Ann shook her head. “I’m not going to the nurse. I don’t want anyone finding out about this.”
Ty shot me a look of irritation. “If this is because you think I’m going to take advantage of her, you’re wrong.”
“Leigh-Ann fell out of her bunk,” I told him, rolling my eyes. “And she’s wandering around with no shoes on and just her pajamas.” I omitted the fact that her bed was now broken, and I was concerned that might also have injured her.
Ty shifted his body so he could look at Leigh-Ann’s bare feet, and then he scooped her up into his arms.
She squealed. “What are you doing?”
“The boring one is right, annoyingly. You have no shoes on. I can’t let you walk back to my room like that.”
Leigh-Ann giggled and then reached up, wrapping her arms around Ty. She leaned up and kissed him. As she pulled away, I saw the smile on Ty’s face.
Huh.
“I want to go back to Ty’s room, Kennedy,” she said, turning but not quite looking at me. “I know you don’t like him, but I feel safe with him. He’s … special.”
“It’s not that I don’t …” the words died in my throat as Ty shot me a pointed look. “Fine, I don’t like you. But if Leigh-Ann gets caught in your room, you’ll both be in serious trouble.”
Ty’s nose wrinkled up. “Okay, Professor Puritan.”
“Did you just …?” I shook my head. “Whatever.” I walked over to Leigh-Ann and wrapped the fabric around her. It wasn’t a blanket, but an altar cloth. Smooth, Ty. “Are you okay? Really?”
Leigh-Ann nodded, resting her head against Ty’s chest. “I am now. I don’t want to talk about it tonight. I’d rather do it tomorrow when the sun’s up.”
If that was what she really wanted, I wasn’t going to argue. I followed Ty back into the main building, separating at the top of the stairs to head to my room. Once inside, I sat down on the sofa below my bed and stared at the broken pieces of Leigh-Ann’s bed.
How on earth had someone that small managed to do that much damage? I leaned over and rapped on the wooden post of my own bed. It was solid. With a bit of force and my supernatural strength, I would be able to break it, but not a human.
My hand went to my throat. It wasn’t hurting anymore, but Leigh-Ann had managed to do something else that should have been impossible for her. Did these nightmares—night terrors—give her an adrenaline boost too?
And what was with those eyes? I hadn’t noticed them when I�
��d pulled her from the river. I’d been too focused on the fact that she was out in a blizzard shouting her brother’s name. What was it that she had said this time? Grande periculum dæmonium. Was that French?
What the hell had just happened?
There might have been something to Leigh-Ann wanting to look at things in the daylight. The following morning as I was getting dressed, I tidied the broken pieces of wood away. The split had been along the grain. If she were thrashing hard enough, it would have been easy to split it.
I managed to spend so long over-analyzing the broken beam that I ended up missing breakfast. First class of the day was gym and seeing how Gabriel had finally agreed to let me join the class, I was strangely excited. High school me wouldn’t have been impressed at that development.
It did mean that I had gotten dressed straight into my gym clothes, so by the time I got to the gym, the others were just coming out of the locker room, and I wasn’t late. I found Leigh-Ann by herself at the back of the gym.
“Where’s your boyfriend?”
Leigh-Ann’s cheeks went bright red. Even her ears were turning red. “He doesn’t like gym. He said it was bad enough a man his age was being forced back into a school disguised as a college, but there was nothing that was going to get him in a gym class.”
“Just how old is he?” I asked, tilting my head. I knew I was a couple of years older than Leigh-Ann and the rest of the freshman class, and to be fair, Ty certainly didn’t seem like a fresh-faced freshman.
“Twenty-four,” Leigh-Ann responded, going a deeper shade of red. “I think my parents will kill me if they find out about him.”
If her parents were going to have a problem with Ty being older than her, they were going to have a field day when they discovered he was a nephilim.
“How are you feeling this morning?”
“I didn’t sleep with him.”
“Leigh-Ann, I wasn’t asking that. And also, so not judging you if you did … well, maybe I would, but only because it’s Ty, and I really don’t get that attraction.” I blanched. “I mean the nightmare.”