Mallory from my health class climbed the steps with her boyfriend in tow, and she smiled as our eyes met. I gave her a little wave in response before plunging my hands back into my jacket. A tiny spark of happiness warmed my chest. Maybe things really were improving.
The scoreboard announced we were up, 1-0. I hoped Sam had something to do with the goal, even if I’d missed seeing it. She was playing forward, so it was entirely possible. I watched her fly down the field, deftly maneuvering the ball around an opponent before passing it to a teammate.
By halftime, the score was tied up, my nerves were frayed, and my bladder was about to burst. No one was getting into the school bathrooms at night; everything would be locked. I stood up to check the situation outside the two-stall ladies’ room in the concession stand.
A significant line snaked around the corner already. My lower body sent up an urgent throb as I debated joining the group of women. Aside from the fact I wasn’t sure I could endure the wait, I had another reason to hesitate.
Jodi, a particularly cruel senior, bounced up to the end of the line. Dressed in her dark green and white cheerleading uniform, with her blonde locks pulled into a high ponytail, she looked deceivingly innocent. But her gaggle of friends filed in behind her, forming a pack of pretty girls with ugly personalities. And I was alone. I’d be giving them the perfect opportunity to practice their hateful stares and snide remarks.
Another portable bathroom stood across the top field, on the edge of the woods. I shifted uncomfortably as I weighed the guaranteed public taunts against the distant secluded shadows. It was a hike, but I was desperate. I stuck my hand into the pocket of my jacket, closing my fingers around the reassuring cylinder of pepper spray. With a sigh of resignation, I started across the dark field, gripping my concealed weapon.
Would pepper spray even work against supernatural beings? I released my grip for a moment to snag a mint from my other pocket. No, I ordered myself, lifting my gaze to the moon and shaking my head. I needed to find a way to keep my thoughts from constantly spinning back to Dothan and his brand of crazy. My focus needed to be on getting to that portable potty as fast as possible without actually running. I picked up my pace, eyeing my target longingly.
Crossing the field without jostling my aching bladder was an important goal, but apparently it wasn’t nearly complex enough to keep my brain occupied. Maybe he’s telling the truth, a tiny inner voice challenged, complete with a smug hint of satisfaction at pushing right through my ineffective mental blockade. I gave up the struggle, crunching down on my peppermint in frustration. My revealing dinner conversation with Nathaniel had left me balancing on the precipice between belief and disbelief, and I was looking at a painful drop on either side. To accept the existence of supernatural beings was a fall into a frightening abyss of the unknown; a new reality fraught with rules I didn’t understand and vendettas I didn’t want to face.
But the other choice left Dothan as one of two things: a compulsive liar bent on playing with me, or a deluded mental patient in need of serious professional help. It didn’t matter what side I landed on anyway. Dothan was either a danger to Nathaniel, me, or himself—all scenarios which required cutting him out of my life.
A shard of pain pierced my heart, exploding in a flutter of panic. Sadly, I recognized the feeling all too well. It had hit me yesterday, beating against my chest like the wings of a furious bird, when I saw Dothan’s car missing from the stable lot. Beau had picked up on my nerves and been skittish throughout our flatwork. Thankfully, I’d had enough sense not to try to jump.
I hadn’t managed to calm down until I spotted him out in a field on my way back to the barn. My pulse had slowed as I gulped in the cool autumn air with relief. Dothan was still in Huntsville.
We hadn’t come within speaking distance, and that was for the best. There was nothing much to say. Somehow I was going to have to let go of my strange emotional attachment to him. It shouldn’t be too hard—our relationship had been an elaborate lie. And yet one part of our last conversation continuously played in my head, contradicting all my reasonable thoughts. “Somehow in the process, I came to care about you,” he’d said. “Believe that.”
I’d reached the dark column of the portable bathroom. “Finally,” I mumbled to the crickets, yanking the door open. A nauseating scent wafted out to greet me: the sharp ammonia of urine unsuccessfully masked with sickly-sweet deodorizer. My nose crinkled as I took a step back.
I exhaled, my breath condensing in the chill to form a gauzy plume. Sucking the fresh air into my lungs, I darted inside and locked the door. The breath left my chest in a whoosh as I realized the tiny space was now completely devoid of light. Maybe I didn’t think this through very clearly. Too late now. I aimed as best I could while trying to touch as few surfaces as possible.
Fumbling for the latch, I cracked the door enough to find the hand gel dispenser. I squirted a generous glob onto my palm before kicking the door open completely. The alcohol stung my torn cuticles as I rubbed my hands together, and I caught my pained expression in the little mirror on the door. I stepped out of the rank enclosure gratefully, waving my fingers in the cool night air.
A figure suddenly appeared from behind the closing door. My breath caught in a terrified gasp as hands latched on to my upper arm and jerked me into the woods.
Chapter 23
My captor shoved me up against a thick tree truck, and I recognized his face: a senior named Tyler, whose breath blasted my face with the smell of alcohol. He was flanked by two of his friends, Alec and Mason, thus rounding out the probable crew of the famous paintball attack.
A nervous laugh escaped my lips. For a terrifying moment, I’d pictured my abductor as a fierce avenging angel, complete with glowing eyes of fire and divine orders to eliminate me. But my relief was quickly replaced with a fresh wave of fear as Tyler’s face hardened at my initial response.
“Do you find something funny?” he asked, cocking his head to the side.
My mind whirled sickeningly. I was about to be assaulted. Would anyone in the distant stands hear me scream? Tyler had my arms pinned, but maybe I could grab my pepper spray if given the opportunity. I swallowed audibly. “No,” I responded, my voice cracking.
Another figure flew from the shadows, knocking Tyler away from me with enough force to send me sprawling. I scuttled backwards toward the tree, as though it could offer me some sort of protection.
“Don’t ever touch her again,” a familiar voice growled in the darkness. Dothan! I slumped against the tree trunk, the rough bark scratching my scalp.
“Who the hell?” Tyler thundered, regaining his balance.
I had a split second to wonder how Dothan would answer that before Mason lunged at him. Dothan tossed him aside like a bag of sawdust. Mason landed with a heavy thud, sending a pile of empty beer cans rolling away with a hollow clatter.
Even in the dim moonlight, I could see the astonishment shining in Tyler’s eyes. He glanced quickly at Alec, who looked equally stunned—their fallen friend was not a small guy. Mason moaned from his spot on the ground as Tyler’s hands flew up in a “whoa” gesture.
“Look, buddy,” Tyler said, clearly struggling to insert some authority into his voice. “I don’t know who you are, but this doesn’t concern you. My girlfriend and I are just trying to work something out.”
Dothan took another menacing step forward. “And you need your friends for backup?”
Tyler cut his gaze over to me, as if I might save him. What a loser. And yet I was the one cowering in the shadows like a defenseless nocturnal animal. “Girlfriend?” I bit out, trying to wrest some power back. “I wouldn’t date you if you were the last guy on earth.”
Alec took a step toward Mason, and Dothan’s head snapped in his direction. “Don’t move,” he ordered. Raw power rolled off of him in waves, mixing with the tension in the air.
Alec gave a scoffing laugh, but he stayed put. “I was just going to help him up.”
“H
e’s fine where he is,” Dothan said firmly. “Jamie, if you want to go get security, I’ll stay here with them.”
I could hear the hidden meaning in his words. He was allowing me to make the choice, despite the risk to himself. I could involve the school administration—and possibly the police—by reporting this incident. By doing so, however, I’d also be putting the spotlight on Dothan. Everyone would want to know who he was and what he was doing in the woods on the edge of school grounds at night. Not to mention the question of how he alone could have possibly managed to stop three huge guys from assaulting me if they were truly determined. I could imagine the reaction from my classmates, the snide suggestions I was making the whole thing up. Tyler and his friends might be drunk and stupid, but they would not corroborate my story, tonight or in the future.
Essentially, they had not even done anything but scare me. I had zero proof. Pushing myself up on quivering legs, I forced a casual shrug. “I’m not remotely interested in spending one more second around these idiots. I have a soccer game to get back to.” I looked pointedly at Tyler, glaring through the shadows. “Pick up your friend and go back to your cave. I’m sure there are a few brain cells left between the three of you that still need killing.”
“I’m fine,” grumbled Mason from his position propped up on his elbows. “I just landed hard.” He struggled to his feet with a distinct lack of grace.
Dothan stepped in front of me protectively, dismissing them with a silent nod. Rather than experiencing the conventional surge of gratitude at this gesture, though, I felt somehow diminished.
Tyler motioned with his head and his friends followed him back toward the open field. Mason spat onto the forest floor as he swaggered by, either to punctuate his version of events or to display his contempt for us.
Dothan ignored him, tracking their movements until they’d faded into the curtain of inky blackness. Then he whirled on me. “Are you all right?”
“Yes,” I lied, wincing at the tremor in my voice. My imagination intervened in an attempt to remind me otherwise. I shuddered violently as my mind conjured up awful images of the potential assault. Lewd scenes played out behind my closed eyelids like a horrible movie clip.
I fished out my pepper spray. “I was going to use this, once I had the chance,” I explained weakly.
His hands gripped my shoulders. “What the hell were you doing, coming over here alone?” He shook me slightly.
We’d learned in health class that anger was a secondary emotion, fueled by something too uncomfortable to feel. So I recognized on some level the angry bubble filling my chest was a defense mechanism, created to displace the sickening fear. That knowledge wasn’t enough to keep me from lashing out at Dothan, though.
“Avoiding a line for the bathroom,” I snapped. “What are you doing following me? I told you I didn’t need your help.” I tried to shake his hands off my shoulders, to no avail. Superhuman strength, I reminded myself.
To his credit, Dothan didn’t ask if the nasty words were my version of a thank you. Instead, he just pulled me closer, wrapping his iron arms around me. For one comforting moment, I allowed myself the reassuring security of his embrace.
But he was still the same man who wanted to kill my grandfather. I broke away, taking a shaky step back. “Did you hear what I said?” I asked, my dry throat turning my voice to gravel.
His face turned stony in the moonlight. “You can’t keep me from protecting you,” he growled.
“I could take out a restraining order,” I shot back, planting my fists on my hips defiantly. What was I saying? I couldn’t seem to stop the fear and rage boiling inside me from turning into an attack on my savior. “Maybe I’ll get one for me and Nathaniel.”
He laughed, the harsh rasp holding no humor. “A piece of paper couldn’t stop me. But I would never hurt you, Jamie. And I’m not a threat to Nathaniel either.”
I pulled in a lungful of chilly air. “Why?”
“I can’t kill him,” he said simply.
“Because you don’t have everything you need?” I clenched my fists, sending a welcome jolt of pain through my tender fingertips.
He dragged his hand through his disheveled hair. “Yes, that. But also because of you. Like I said, I would never hurt you.”
A tiny bit of my anger escaped into the night, like steam from a broken pipe. “Does that mean…?” I trailed off, leaving the words floating in the darkness between us.
“It means the way I feel about you changes things. I know the pain of losing your last family member. I won’t do that to you.” He dropped his head and sighed heavily. “I don’t want you to feel the way about me that I feel about…him.”
Desperate hope fluttered in my belly. “Maybe it wasn’t even Nathaniel.” Please, I prayed silently.
“I did my research.” He scrubbed at his jaw. “It’s a long story. Since my mom died, it was always just my father and me. The two of us led a fairly secluded life. As a half blood, I couldn’t control the things that so obviously set me apart from humans…the current in my touch, for example.”
“Wait…your father could control the current?” My mind instantly flashed to Nathaniel, and a few more pieces fell into place. The shocks I’d received from contact with my grandfather had only occurred when our skin touched unexpectedly. Or during frantic moments of stress, like when he’d grabbed the phone to prevent me from calling 911. In all the years I’d lived with him, there had probably been other incidents I couldn’t recall, because I hadn’t been looking for the signs.
“Yes, angels have the power to control it with their minds. But I’m not strong enough. Although sometimes, if I—” Dothan’s lips tightened. Something like guilt gleamed in his eyes as he continued. “If I draw energy from another source, I can enhance my abilities. But not always. And even if I succeed, it isn’t…pleasant…for the person whose psyche I’m tapping into.”
“Oh.” I suddenly recalled a reel of memories from that very first day we met: the concentration playing across his face as he’d finally extended his hand to help me up, and the corresponding stab of pain in my head I had attributed to the fall. Incredible. Had he tried to enlist my psychic energy to avoid shocking me when we touched? My brow furrowed as I considered this new violation. Sadly, I also felt a flicker of annoyance at the fact my brain power had apparently not been strong enough to be of much assistance. But I was getting off track.
“I’m sorry,” I continued, pulling myself back to the immediate conversation. “I didn’t mean to interrupt. You were talking about your Dad.” And Nathaniel. Please, please let that part be a mistake.
“Right. Well, we traveled a lot and never really set down roots. He homeschooled me, and as I got older, he also shared what he could about my…origins.”
Homeschooling made sense. And what a genealogy class that must have been. I nodded encouragingly, allowing him time to gather his thoughts. An owl hooted in the distance.
Dothan raked his hair behind his ear. “He couldn’t tell me everything—I’m not one of them. But I knew enough to figure out where to look for answers after he was killed. I sold almost everything we owned and started traveling around the world, lurking and listening. For the past six months, I’ve dedicated my life to finding out what exactly happened and who was responsible. Angels talk, same as people. I heard it was Nathaniel from several different sources. And he has the book, Jamie. I’m sorry, but I’m sure it was him.”
“Oh,” I managed, swaying slightly. My bones suddenly felt leaden. I couldn’t think about Nathaniel’s alleged guilt right now. He was safe—that was what mattered. That, and finding more answers. “What exactly is in that book, anyway?”
“Some valuable knowledge. Remember I told you only an angel can kill another angel? Well, it’s still not that easy, because the weapon involves an ancient potion called qeres. There’s one surviving set of instructions on how to make it—and it’s in that book.”
“Uh huh.” Sure. An ancient potion. My legs were trem
bling now, threatening to give out at any moment. I struggled to hide the signs of what had to be shock. Dothan was finally talking; I couldn’t risk an interruption. “But you saw the page, and you said you still didn’t have everything you needed.”
“That’s right. The book had instructions on how to make qeres…but one ingredient is a whole different potion. That must be in another book, which could be anywhere. The page also referenced an ancient dagger.” He ran his hand down the sides of his mouth. “I had a feeling they’d be smart enough not to keep everything in one place. That’s why I came into Nathaniel’s shop as soon as I figured out when he wouldn’t be working—so I could buy up the books I thought might be helpful.”
Never underestimate those tricky archangels, I thought to myself, fighting not to laugh hysterically at my private joke. God, this whole night was surreal. “So, you never found the other recipe? Or the dagger?”
“No. And I’d never find it now, even if I continued to try.”
“But…you’re not going to look anymore, right?” A sharp pain flared through my finger as I scraped viciously at a hangnail.
He sighed. “Right. Like I said, it’s over.”
I exhaled in relief as a distant roar rose from the stands. “Oh, no,” I moaned, slapping my forehead. “The game. I’m missing it! I have to get back.” Suddenly, I’d had my fill of ancient potions and angelic drama.
“I think Huntsville just scored, from the sound of it.” He extended his hand. “Let’s go see.” Nodding toward his open palm, he added, “I understand if you don’t want the shock.”
And I understood he was giving me a graceful way out if I didn’t want to hold his hand. The background cheers faded away, leaving only the music of the crickets to fill the loaded silence. I hesitated another moment, chewing on the inside of my cheek. We both knew my decision was about more than accepting just the mild shock of his skin.
Divine Fall Page 14