Angel of Distrust

by Tabitha Barret

  “Where is she, Alazar?” Gabriel growled like an unearthly demon. His knee was pressing against Alazar’s chest and his thick hands were wrapped around his throat.

  “Balthazar,” Alazar wheezed through his constricted windpipe.

  Mercifully, Balthazar was already placing his favorite knife to Gabriel’s neck, though Gabriel was unfazed by the attack.

  “Stand down, Balthazar. That’s an order. Alazar will tell me where my daughter is,” Gabriel snarled. He was barely in control based on the wild look in his eyes.

  “I will not stand down. You don’t command me,” Balthazar said defiantly.

  Black dots were covering Gabriel’s deranged face as Alazar started to lose consciousness. He wanted to cheer at Balthazar’s refusal to take orders from the Voice of God, but he couldn’t get enough air through his throat.

  “I will kill this traitor, Balthazar!” Gabriel bellowed.

  Balthazar tossed away his knife and grabbed Gabriel’s wrists. Putting pressure on his wrists, Gabriel was unable to maintain his grip. Gasping for air, Alazar watched Gabriel soar through the air as Balthazar tossed him across the room. He was grateful to have Balthazar by his side.

  Gabriel took no time in jumping back into the fray, but Balthazar cut off his forward progression by pulling his guns on him. Gabriel skidded to a halt and raised his hands, though his anger was far from abated.

  “Where is she?” Gabriel yelled.

  Balthazar shook his head at Malcolm, who was trying to decide which angel he should help. Mark edged toward Balthazar, presumably to help Gabriel, but one stern look from Balthazar had Mark retreating back to the dais.

  “Alazar doesn’t have her, Gabriel. Tristan and I tracked him down to make sure that he was innocent. He wouldn’t be breathing if I thought he had stolen away my Master,” Balthazar said confidently.

  Alazar coughed and gasped until he was finally able to form words. “Thanks for the vote of confidence in believing me to be innocent from the start,” Alazar said sarcastically. He rolled to his side and slowly got to his feet. He made sure to keep Gabriel as far away as possible.

  Gabriel tried to get around Balthazar’s right side, but Balthazar raised his guns higher.

  “I know he has her. He is the only one with reason to harm her. He fucked things up and he’s trying to worm his way back into the fold by pretending to be on your side, Balthazar. Do not let your loyalty to this traitor blind you to the truth,” Gabriel sneered. He gauged the distance between himself and Alazar, while keeping a close eye on the guns. Alazar was nervous that Gabriel would ignore the pain of a gunshot wound in order to achieve his objective of killing him.

  Balthazar shook his head. “Alazar has no vengeance in his heart. I am sure of it. Tristan felt Alazar’s fear when we told him about Anjali’s disappearance. We personally searched for Alazar instead of sending the Nachtghuls because we needed to be sure of Alazar’s innocence,” Balthazar explained.

  Crossing his arms, Alazar frowned. “That’s why you came to retrieve me? You were testing me. Of all the lowdown, dirty things to do. I can’t believe that I was prime suspect number one. I love how the truth comes out now,” Alazar grumbled, disgusted by what he was hearing.

  Balthazar shrugged unapologetically. “You were banished, Alazar. We had to be sure.”

  Alazar threw his hands in the air. He couldn’t believe that the Predznak thought he was capable of kidnapping Anjali after everything they had been through. So much for believing that he was the leader. He slunk over to the dais and sat down to pout.

  “I don’t believe either of you,” Gabriel snapped.

  Balthazar stepped to the side to block Alazar from Gabriel’s view. “Gabriel, listen to me. I’m so sure that Alazar isn’t guilty that I’m willing to shoot you. Hell, I’m willing to stand before the Council and be charged with insubordination to protect Alazar because I know he’s innocent. He was just telling us about a Rogue who is hunting Anjali. Apparently, Michael and Hades are aware of the situation. Vaughn is about to be dispatched. There is more at work here than you know,” Balthazar said calmly.

  Alazar couldn’t see Gabriel but he could hear his deep sigh. Relaxing for the moment, Alazar knew he was safe, though he could still be tossed into the fire once this was all over.

  “I’ve heard from my daughter,” Gabriel said softly as he stepped away from Balthazar. “She left a message with my service, but she didn’t know where she was. She said she was fine, but I could hear the hopelessness in her voice. I don’t know how she obtained a phone, but she’s a smart girl. She told me not to trust anyone. I immediately assumed that one of our kind had taken her. My mind automatically went to Alazar, which I do regret. Upon hearing her voice, I lost my sanity. I came here to unleash my anger on Lucifer and Hades for allowing Anjali to be captured. I apologize for my rash behavior, but I refuse to lose her again,” he said as his voice cracked. The desperation and anger in his words made Alazar cringe. He had heard about how crazed Gabriel had been when Anjali descended into Hell upon her mortal death. Gabriel hadn’t been allowed to see Anjali for years because Lucifer had kept them apart.

  Feeling like an ass for hating Gabriel, Alazar stood up. “After hearing Anjali’s warning, it confirms my theory that Haydn has her. The situation has been compounded by a new development. Demyan is hunting Anjali. He attacked Tristan, Liam and I and we all sustained injuries. Liam is still unconscious and Tristan is nursing a Celestial Sword burn. I don’t know why Hades isn’t here, but he agreed to send Vaughn after Demyan. I didn’t want Michael telling anyone about Demyan for fear that he would have accomplices or allies. As long as Mark can keep his mouth shut, I think we can contain the situation. Tristan believes that Demyan is on the path of becoming a Rogue, but is still clinging to his ideals. He needs to be captured before he finds Anjali and makes his final decision. If he tries to kill her, I swear to you, nothing will stand in my way of killing him,” Alazar decreed, staring into Gabriel’s eyes to make sure he understood what he was saying.

  Gabriel contemplated his statement for a long moment. He finally stepped around Balthazar and held out his hand to Alazar. Alazar hesitated, but grasped the hand in front of him.

  “Kill both Haydn and Demyan if they harm my daughter,” Gabriel said in a low, harsh voice.

  Alazar shook his hand and nodded, sealing his vow.

  Chapter 10

  Anjali woke up stiff and achy. She groaned when she realized that she had been sleeping on top of a pile of rocks. She wished that this was the nightmare and whatever she had been dreaming about was real life. She moved her shoulder and tried to crack it back into place, but it was futile. What she wouldn’t pay for a masseuse.

  She sat up and found Viktor sitting on a fallen log with a bunch of wildflowers in his fist. “I told you, I can always find you,” he smiled.

  “Oh, are you still here? If you walk in that direction, you will eventually hit the ocean. I promise you that if you keep walking into the water, you will drown and you will forget all about me. You don’t need to make a deal with one of my enemies to accomplish your goal,” she said snidely.

  She pushed herself up and walked away from Viktor. Kicking through a patch of big leafy shrubs, she walked toward the mountain, hoping to push him off it when she finally got there.

  “I understand that you’re upset, though I’m not sure why. You don’t even know me,” he replied rationally.

  “That’s right. I know nothing about you except for the fact that you are a coward, a snake, a liar and an asshole. I guess that really equates to one thing—you’re a complete loser. Spare me the details of why you want to expunge me from your mind and let’s deal with the bigger problem. Whose ass do I have to kick? I’d like to add his name to my list. Tell me who you made the deal with so that I can kill him,” she snarled as she trudged through a small stream, splashing water everywhere.

  “I don’t know his name,” he replied.

  She stopped midstride and did an about
face to glare at him. She stopped so quickly that he nearly stepped on her. “What kind of an idiot makes a deal with someone he doesn’t know?” she snapped.

  “A desperate one,” he said quietly.

  Ignoring the sadness on his face, she turned and marched through the jungle. “Well, we know that he isn’t mortal. Can you describe him? Did he have wings, or fangs or act like an arrogant false god? I need to narrow down the possibilities,” she huffed. She liked the idea of putting all of her energy into fighting someone that she could, by all rights, kill.

  “You have a list of people whose asses you need to kick?” he asked as he caught up with her.

  “Who doesn’t?” she quipped. “You are currently number two on my list. You moved up from number three. Congratulations.”

  Once again, he seemed amused by her, which only pissed her off more.

  “Out of curiosity, who is number one?” he asked.

  “Haydn,” she replied without thinking.

  “Is he the one who captured you?” he smiled as if he was happy to have a name connected to her enemy.

  She stopped again and looked up at the sky to gather her thoughts. “I guess it doesn’t matter if you know the truth since you are determined to forget me,” she muttered before turning around to face him. “I, Viktor, am the Bringer of the Apocalypse, created to end the world.” She was being dramatic but it was better to express her anger with her words instead of her fists and kneecaps. She waited for the doubt or confusion that most people had when learning of her title and destiny, but he merely looked at her.

  “You’re the Destroyer. I know,” he shrugged.

  Her mouth fell open when he casually said her hated nickname. “Did the creature you made the deal with call me that?” she asked, trying to run through every possible reason for him to know that name.

  “No,” he replied. “I’ve heard it before over the years.”

  She blinked a few times and stepped back to sit on something capable of holding her weight. “You’ve heard others call me the Destroyer?” she asked, her voice almost giving out. She couldn’t believe that he knew who she was.

  He looked down at the ground and frowned. “I don’t believe that it’s a kind name, but more of a detested name, one that people use to make you sound like a monster. Up until now, you’ve never responded to the name. I had the impression that you didn’t know you were the Destroyer,” he explained.

  She put her hands over her face and took a moment to accept that Viktor not only knew who she really was, but he had known for a long time, even though her previous incarnations had no clue about her destiny.

  “Have you seen what I’m capable of?” she asked, concerned about how much he actually knew.

  “If you mean the tornados, the rain storms, the lightning bolts, the gale force winds, the ice and the fire, then yes, I know what you can do,” he said matter-of-factly. He was unreasonably calm and collected while detailing her destructive abilities.

  “Do you fear me? Is that why you want to forget about me?” she asked as she began to tremble. Had her true identity ruined their relationship? For some reason it hurt more to believe that he couldn’t love the real Anjali. It would confirm her secret fear that no one could love the real Bringer of the Apocalypse, the one who didn’t care about casualties and collateral damage.

  Without hesitation, he shook his head. “I have never feared you, except for the time that you threw a vase at my head during an argument we were having. I was ready to fight an encroaching army that wanted to burn down our village, but you preferred to run and find a new home. You didn’t want me getting killed, so you threw the vase at me to knock some sense into me. Oddly enough, it worked,” he chuckled.

  She couldn’t help but smile at his story until she realized that her mortal self wanted to run from danger, yet now she was the first person to engage an enemy head on, when not trapped in bonds.

  “I’m not that person anymore. I’m the woman who would ask you to take up arms and follow me into battle. It seems that you are the one who prefers to run away this time,” she said sadly.

  She stood up and left him to ponder her statement.

  Anjali tried to remember that Viktor was a stranger, yet the more time she spent with him, the more familiar he was. She could almost picture herself throwing a vase at him. Logically, she should be angry with him about the deal he had made, but instead, she was more upset that he couldn’t love her anymore. How could breaking up with someone she knew nothing about hurt so damned much?

  From the corner of her eye, she saw Viktor catch up with her and match her pace.

  “Who is Haydn? You didn’t explain how he factors into all of this,” he said softly.

  “He’s my Angel of Distrust and he wants to torture me until I release my other angels so that he can kill me,” she said, annoyed that Haydn was still lurking around the island.

  She turned to look at him when she didn’t hear him walking beside her. Seeing him frozen in shock put a smile on her face. It seemed that he didn’t know everything about her after all.

  “The person working for you is an angel?” he asked incredulously.

  She nodded and sighed. “He’s one of the Angels of Temptation and he’s unwilling to do his job. He’s lost his mind and it’s up to me to get him back on track, though things are very complicated.”

  He scratched his chin and thought about what she said. “I’ve never heard of the Angels of Temptation. I assumed that whenever you were meant to do, you would accomplish it on your own. Why would someone as powerful as you need angels?” he asked, genuinely curious.

  “Everyone needs help, Viktor,” she shrugged. “They will tempt the mortals to choose good or evil. When the wicked outnumber the righteous, I will bring about the end. Of course, there have been times when I mistakenly tried to end the world.” She didn’t know why she felt guilty for admitting her failures, but he didn’t appear to judge her.

  “I don’t understand. You are more than capable of judging the mortals. You were always the first one to know when danger was near or if someone was a friend or foe. I was concerned that you would sniff out my lies immediately when I arrived here, so I kept quiet about my intentions,” he said. “I could never lie about coming home late from a card game or why I needed to sneak out so that I could procure a birthday present or a token of my affection.” He gave her a wicked smile that proved he once loved her enough to buy her presents.

  She was surprised to hear him talk so plainly about the past as if it were yesterday. She liked hearing about the normal things they did without using the words, Hell, Lucifer and Hall of Shadows. It reminded her of life with CJ when things had been normal.

  “It’s more complex than figuring out if someone is a criminal or a saint. Before an Apocalypse is started, everyone needs to choose a side. Indifference toward God will no longer be an option. The Predznak will force everyone to look inside their hearts and judge who they really are. My angels are supposed to tempt and I am supposed to unleash my power to destroy everything. That’s the way it works. Haydn has forgotten what it means to be a Predznak, or a Harbinger,” she explained.

  “I remember what it means to be a Predznak; I just don’t care,” shouted the current bane of her existence from nearby.

  Sighing heavily, she craned her neck to spy Haydn standing on a branch a few feet off the ground to her left. “I assume that Viktor didn’t see you on the patio because you had stupidly fallen into the pool. How many times did you drown before you escaped the ropes?” she asked snidely to piss him off.

  “A few,” Haydn said abashedly.

  “Well, both of you can drown yourselves in the ocean and leave me to find my own way off this island,” she said haughtily.

  Haydn jumped of the branch and landed gracefully on the ground. “Allow me to kill your kidnapper so that we can move things along,” he said, stepping forward to grab her arm.

  Viktor stepped in front of her, presumably to protect her, but it w
as more likely that he was defending his negotiating chip. “You don’t get to touch her,” he sneered.

  Anjali rolled her eyes and stepped away from both of them. “You two are perfect for each other. Neither of you know what you want. You both kidnapped me, and now you are both trying to protect me. I want nothing to do with either of you. In fact, I hope you and Viktor fight to the death and save me the trouble of killing you both,” she snickered.

  She stormed off fully prepared to let them sort things out themselves. Her patience was gone and all she could think about was going home.

  “Very well,” Haydn remarked. He lowered his head and glanced up at Viktor through his lashes. His green eyes locked onto Viktor’s as he took a step closer to him.

  “Viktor, is it?” Haydn asked, gazing deeply into Viktor’s eyes.

  The skin on the back of Anjali’s neck rose when she realized what Haydn was doing. He wasn’t going to use his knives on Viktor, which she had a feeling Viktor could handle; instead, Haydn was going to tempt Viktor.

  “Utter one more syllable, Haydn, and I will show you no mercy!” she yelled. She wasn’t sure what she would do if Haydn continued to tempt Viktor, but threatening him was a good place to start.

  “Have you forgotten that you don’t command me?” he sneered.

  Viktor was standing in a crouch with one hand out, prepared to fight Haydn, though he kept looking at her. She wasn’t sure if Viktor was planning to grab her and run or if he was afraid that she would jump into the fight. “Back away, Anjali,” he whispered.

  She waved Viktor off and watched to see what Haydn would do. His hand hovered over the row of knives strapped to his leg. Sadly, he had found his weapons. Watching him decide how best to tempt Viktor, something strange occurred to her. The other Predznak were cold and detached when they tempted. They chose the correct words, but they conveyed little to no emotion during the actual act. Haydn, however, seemed excited. His face showed his delight as his fingers twitched above his knives.