by Jen L. Grey
“What does that mean?” Her lips turn down into a frown.
“They have it heavily guarded.” I lift my shirt, so she can see my wound. “I got injured trying to get it and then thrown in here. We’re going to have to go back home and get a better plan. Then we’ll have to try again.”
“Is this some kind of joke?” She stomps her foot down on the ground.
Did she just throw a mini tantrum? “Yes, Becca. This is all a joke. I got stabbed just for shits and giggles.”
She points her finger at me. “My job is to make sure you come back with the Angel’s Breath, so this better not be some kind of trick.”
Has she lost her damn mind? “Do you think I’d risk my parents’ life?” Wow, I feel guilty using that, but I have to get her off my back.
“I don’t know, would you?” She crosses her arms and stares at me.
“Why the hell did I come here in the first place?” Is she even the same person at all? It’s like I can’t even find a glimmer of the person she used to be. Why is she so invested in me getting this? “Wait … Are you supposed to steal it from me before I even give it to the council?”
A huge smirk crosses Becca’s face and her eyes appear dead inside.
Something is wrong with her. It’s as if some part of her is twisted now. I don’t know if it’s Damien and his influence, or if it’s part of her being brought back to life. But something evil and dark resides in her, and the more time that passes the more it comes out. It’s a little terrifying and I’m not sure what to expect from her. “Look, I’m not going to double cross you. It’s in my best interest to get the freaking vial.” I rub my eyes and then rub my hands down my face. “We just need to reconvene. These angels are strong and there are several guarding it. We need more resources to get it.”
"This better not be some ploy." Her face twists into a sneer. "I'm not here to be played."
She's flipping out of her mind. "I just told you I tried and got caught. I can't get to it."
"Just know you're going to have to answer to both the council and Damien." She crosses her arms and juts her hip out. "I think we need to try one last time."
"Fine." She's not going to let this go or take us back until I give in. Also, we need to get out of here before someone comes looking for us. Jerab could come back at any second. "Let's go before someone catches you in here." I brush past her and walk out the door not waiting to see if she follows.
Footsteps follow behind me, so I don't slow down. She's following me. The hallway is deserted, but I'm sure it won't last long. When I get to the end, I stop, and Becca runs into the back of me.
"What the hell are you doing?" She hisses through her teeth.
I spin around and place my fingers to my lips. "Be quiet. They can hear better than we can." I don't know that for sure, but hell, they're angels. I lean out a little ways and notice there are several of them congregated outside of the hallway.
It's Jerab with the dark skinned one I fought and the blonde girl. They are huddled over a piece of paper looking over something. They glance back and forth from one another, but no words leave their mouths.
His words from earlier crash back down on me. I bet they are speaking telepathically again. I motion for Becca to follow me and tip toe out behind them. I hope they are deep in thought and don't look behind them, but there is no telling how long we have to get out of this place.
Somehow, we make it past them without alerting them, but I don't let out my breath until we turn the next corner and are out of view.
My stomach drops when the pedestal that holds the angel's breath comes into view. Shit, there is no one around and it's right there. Becca is going to expect me to take it.
Her mouth drops open. "Where did it go?"
I don't know what she's talking about, but I'm afraid to ask. "Where did what go?"
"Don't play games with, Christina." Her nostrils flare and eyes narrow. "The pedestal is gone. I guess when you tried to take it the first time, they just removed it from here all together." She stomps her foot. "Dammit, we aren't going to get it, are we? You're right. We are going to have to go back and regroup."
How can she not see this? They must have it blocked from her. My eyes look at the top and I can see the faint glow from the vial. I could climb up there and get it. It wouldn't take long, and it would save my parents' lives. But what Jerab said still haunts me. He's right. The council would use the power to further their power. It wouldn't be used for good. I can't take that back for the sake of two people when the lives of billions would be at risk ... the lives in multiple dimensions. No matter how bad it pains me, I have to leave it here. The safest place for it is in this realm where it's meant to stay. I take a deep breath and make the hardest decision of my life. I walk away from the pedestal and follow an angry Becca to the other room.
As we walk into the other room, I falter.
There waiting for us is the redheaded angel from earlier. Her eyes are on us and she has a large sword in her hand. "Jerab said you would be attempting to leave and when you got this far to tell you to just turn around. That you had your fun and it's time to go back."
"Well, you can tell Jerab he can mind his own business." Becca growls and places her hands on her hips.
"Becca, what are you doing?" Why would she even speak to someone like that? Especially an angel in a whole different realm.
"She's got darkness in her." The redhead raises her sword. "She can't think straight."
"Look, we are just looking to go home." Maybe I can rationalize with them? "We didn't mean to cause any harm."
"You came here to steal our Angel's Breath." Her wings spread out and she lifts her chin. "And you don't think that declares some type of war?"
Okay, she does have a point. "But we don't have it now."
"It doesn't matter." She charges at me and lifts her weapon high aiming for Becca.
Pushing through the pain, I run forward, heading her off, and blocking Becca from the attack. I jump and kick out my leg knocking the weapon from her hand.
"Lucky shot, reaper." The redhead snarls and clenches both of her hands in fists.
My dark power begins to churn. What the hell? It feels cold and foreign inside me, but it increases in speed.
The angel walks to me and rears back hitting me right in the eyes, causing my face to slam back.
Shit that hurt. I rub my eye and wince. That's going to leave a horrible bruise in the morning. I bounce back on my feet and charge back at her. I drop down and kick my feet out, trying to knock her legs out from under her.
She flies up and my feet just catch air.
The power is thrumming inside me and my stomach revolts. Why is it doing this? I don't understand.
The angel flies down and grabs me around the neck.
My hands grab on to her and the magic begins to pull from her. The black power suctions her soul to me and begins pulling it into me. What's going on? We've been told only humans have souls. How does Becca and now this angel have one? The suction comes on full force and the coldness overtakes my body as her soul pulls into me. When the transition has fully happened, her body goes limp and falls to the ground.
I fall to my knees as her soul passes to her afterlife. I'm so weak and dizzy. If I thought reaping a human was hard, this is ten times worse. After a minute, I stand and find Becca picking at her nails. I take a step towards her. "Are we ready to go home?"
She drops her hand and huffs. "Are you sure you don't want to look for it one more time?"
If I felt like I could, I would slap her right now. "No, I want to go home. That's the second time I went up against an angel and I just can't anymore." My wound is bleeding again, it's seeping out on my shirt. "I can't do this alone. I need help."
"Fine, it's your funeral." Becca closes her eyes and then holds her hands out making the portal with her fingertips. "Let's go."
It takes all I have in me to not look back at the angel I vanquished and walk through the swirling portal. I
t was self-defense, but why did my power ramp up like that on its own? It doesn't make sense.
When I appear in my apartment on the other side, I let out a shaky breath. Damien isn't here. I stumble to my couch and take a shaky seat.
Becca appears right behind me and stands over me. "You do realize I'm going to have to tell Damien everything, right?"
No, I don't, but I'm not surprised by this. She has drunk whatever Kool-Aid he has given her. "You know what, Becca. You do what you gotta do." I don't see any way to save whatever relationship I thought we had at one point.
"It's not like I have a choice." Her eyes are flat, but there is something dark surrounding her.
"Keep telling yourself that." I sigh. I don't want to fight with her. At the end of the day it won't change things.
"I've got to go." She holds her hand out making the portal to get her back to him. "I'll see you around." As soon as the white swirling portal is complete, she steps through without even a backwards glance.
This day has turned to crap. My body is aching, and my mind is tired. I need to clean my wound and change clothes. I reach down to help push myself up and feel something in my pocket. Wait ... What is that? I still for a second but try not to react. It seems as if people are watching me wherever I go so I don't want to alert anyone. I stand up and rub my hands down my pants and my fingers hit the item again. It's in a glass vial and it seems to pulse through me when I touch it.
Holy shit. I'm not sure how I know this, but I am ninety nine percent sure I have the Angel's Breath in my pocket. How the hell did that happen?
Chapter Seventeen
It doesn't make sense. I passed the vial up so how could it just be here in my pocket? I want to pull it out and confirm but there is no telling who all could be watching me. Hell, even the angels could be watching me from wherever they are. They did that the entire time I was up there. Was the reaping the angel some kind of test there at the end? Did they let me go with it? But why would they? Ugh, so many questions and not one person to talk to with answers.
Not wanting to waste any more time, I go to the kitchen and grab the first aid kit out of the pantry. I lay it down on the kitchen table and open it up. This might hurt like a mug, but I need to get this bandaged up again. I pull off my tank top and toss it in the garbage. It's soaked with blood so there is no salvaging it. I grab some of the alcohol swabs and suck in a deep breath as I wipe them against the wound. Damn that burns. Tears form in my eyes, but I push through. I grab some Neosporin and put a huge glob on the bandage and then stick it on top using the bandage to wrap it around my waist tight. Yeah, it doesn't look pretty, but it'll do the trick.
Once that's all settled, I walk to the closet and grab another tank from my closet. I don't have to look pretty. I just need something to cover me. I need to get some help and I have an idea of someone who can do that for me. I close my eyes and look for my former Earth Crystal guardian. I pull back not wanting him to know I'm watching him like all the other times. He's at a different hotel this time and doesn't seem to know I'm there . I'll take the small blessings right now. I don't know why, but I want to catch him off guard. He's still in town and only about ten minutes from me.
Now is the time if I'm going to make my play. I grab my keys off the table and head to the door. Momentarily, I'm in my car and driving toward the Drury Inn he's staying at. When it comes into view, I park in the lot and walk in. I smile at the hostess and make my way to the elevator. It is one of the perks about my power. I already know he's in 1204.
The elevator dings alerting me that I'm on the floor and I walk off turning right. The second door on the right is his room. I knock loud on the door. "Open up. We've got a big problem and I need your help."
It takes a minute, but soon the door opens. His black eyes are wide. "How the hell did you find me?"
"It doesn't matter." I push pass him and enter his room. "I need your help."
"And you think I'll help you?" He glances down the hallway before walking back in and shutting the door.
"Do you know how to protect against vision spells?" I need people not to be able to see me with this if I were to pull it out.
His head tilts back.
"Look, I don't even know if that's the right thing." This is why I hate being clueless. I need something but not sure what to ask for. "I need to be able to protect myself from people being able to see me at any moment."
"Well, look at you." His lips tilt up at the corner of his mouth. "Some things are beginning to come together?"
"No." I blow out my mouth. "Yes... Kinda." Some are, and some aren't. I just need a freaking mentor.
"I didn't think it would to be honest." He walks past me and takes a seat on the couch. "So, I'm pleasantly surprised by this."
Damn, that hurt. At least he's honest. "Well, after you get screwed over and over again, you tend to start learning your lesson."
He nods. "Fair enough." He motions around the room. "Yes, this room is fully protected so no one can see or hear anything we discuss."
"Okay, good." I reach in my pocket and pull out the vial of Angel's Breath. "Because I didn't mean to bring this back with me and it somehow got in my pocket."
"You didn't put it in your pocket?" His eyes widen.
Isn't that what I just said? "No, it showed up. I walked past it on purpose."
"That's amazing." He turns to his bed and begins raffling through his luggage. After a few minutes, he pulls out some gloves. Once he puts them on his hands, he takes the vial from me. He holds it in the air. "Was it uncomfortable holding it?"
"Holding the Angel's Breath?" Is he being serious right now?
"Yes." He lowers the vial and his gaze lands back on me. "I can't hold any of the artifacts."
Wait. "Is that why you just put the gloves on?"
He nods. "They are too powerful. It hurts." The vial brightens in his hands. "I've never met anyone who could hold any artifact without protection." He holds the vial out to me.
Just like the stone did, it calls to me. I reach out without any hesitation and take it back. The vial thrums in my hand and syncs to the power inside me. There is no discomfort and if anything, the power has a familiar flow. "There is no discomfort at all. It's almost as if it's a part of me."
"Were you able to do that with the Earth Stone?" His head tilts and he cradles one of his elbows with a hand.
"It was the same way as this one." I hand the artifact back to him before the weird possession feeling takes over. "It felt like a similar energy source as me. When I hold on to it too long, it's almost as if it connects to me."
"I guess that's why you can touch it." His eyebrow arches.
"As fun as this is, I came here for a reason. Ever since I got back from the Angel Realm, I feel as if I'm being watched.”
"And why is that?" He crosses his arms.
"I'll tell you, but first, I need your name." Guardian feels weird at this point. I mean he lost the freaking artifact, so he can't be that great of one, right? "I need something to call you."
"Now listen here." He holds out a hand.
"Did I not just bring you an artifact?" I take a step toward him and hold out one finger. "Also, I alerted you to the fact I was going to get the second freaking artifact." I hold up a second finger. "And last, I know who stole the Earth Crystal from you." I hold up a third finger.
He sits on the bed and bites his lip. "Fine. On Earth, I go by Jeff."
Huh. I don't know why, but I expected a more unique name than that. "Okay, Jeff. Ever since I came back from the Angel Realm with the artifact, it feels as if I'm being watched. So that's why I'm here." I spread out my arms. "I need your help keeping this artifact safe."
"It makes sense." He scratches his chin. "Both the council and demon wouldn't be happy that you came back empty handed. They will be watching you especially since you kept the Earth Crystal from them. I'll make sure to keep this one safe."
That's a relief. He was upset with me for a minute, so I wasn't sure
if he would help. "Okay, good. But if I'm being watched then your location could be compromised."
"I'm already working on a new location." He shakes his head. "So, don't worry about it. I can leave at a very short notice with no problem."
Well that's a relief. "Okay, good. One less thing for me to worry about." Now I can focus on my parents. "Now I can give my parents the priority." I sigh. "I need to figure out a way to save them."
"You do realize two lives in the whole scheme of things isn't that big of a deal." His tone is condescending.
"Maybe it isn't, but they are my parents." I'm so tired of people saying that to me. "It matters to me, and at the end of the day, I'm the one having to do all this. So, if I can find a way to save them, then I damn well want to." It's my prerogative, right?
"But you aren't focusing on the end game." He stands and begins putting his things away.
"I'm definitely not focusing on it if I'm preoccupied with my parents' safety." I'm not going to let this drop. I'm tired of being bullied.
He raises a hand up in surrender. "Okay, but all I'm saying is it's going to be hard to outsmart the council and a demon and focus on what matters."
"Look, I get it." I lean against the wall. "I left the Angel's Breath behind knowing my parents’ lives were at risk. I put the realms and lives of millions ahead of their own. But now I'm here and have a chance at maybe saving them. I have to try."
"Fine, I'm just saying don't lose sight of the end goal." He lays the artifact on top and zips up his suitcase. "I hate for you to have made it this far and then fail." He glances around the hotel room. "Look, I think I better go ahead and head to the new spot. You are right about being followed. You know how to find me. I'll be in touch."
It's for the best for him to move on. "That's fine. I would hate for them to sneak up on us. I'll keep you updated."
He nods and grabs the bag, slinging it over his shoulder. He holds his hands out and wiggles his fingers. After a moment, he makes a large circle with his fingertips. A white portal appears in the middle of the room. His black eyes find me once more and he grins as he steps through.