by Amy Vansant
Boudica caught her staring and winked, causing Anne’s cheek to jerk into a nervous smile.
Yikes.
The Angelus walked to her, wiping blood from her face with the back of her arm. The room settled into silence. The battle had ended.
“I’m glad you’re on our side. I can’t say I’ve ever seen an Angelus split someone in half,” said Anne.
Boudica’s sword unraveled back into her wings and then disappeared. “Hell of a lot easier to drain them when they’re flopping around like fish.”
“Sure. Naturally. I’ve always said that.”
The redhead eyed her. “Is that Con’s shirt? Are you naked?”
Anne looked down. “Oh, yes. Long story.”
“No, I asked if that’s Con’s shirt. That’s a pretty short story.”
Anne’s brows knit as Con strolled to them, covered in sweat and grinning as wide as his face could stretch. He’d lost three teeth and blood streamed down his chin.
“How are my two favorite ladies?”
Anne tapped her own teeth with her nail. He stuck his finger in his mouth, exploring the gap where his incisor once nested.
He spat blood to the floor. “Eh, they’ll be back soon enough.” He looked at Boudica. “You were magnificent, Red. Like a damn volcano out there.”
She pointed at Anne. “Is that your shirt?”
“Huh? Uh, aye, she was naked—”
“Ooooh,” said Anne, at once realizing the cause of Boudica’s obsession with her clothing and how bad his answer sounded.
She felt a little flash of jealousy and then chastised herself for it.
Still, it is a chance to have a little fun.
As Boudica stared at her, she glanced down at her own naked legs.
“He just charms the pants off you, doesn’t he?”
She flashed a grin and walked away.
“Whoa whoa, no wings!” she heard Con protest behind her.
Boudica wasn’t the best person to mess with—if you didn’t want to be split into hemispheres—but it was really hard to resist taunting Con.
She picked her barefoot way to the southwest corner of the hall. Blood, mixed with the ashes of the dead, created a mud-like substance lying in patchwork across the marble floors. The Arch Angeli gathered, each babbling with distress over the breach of their secure location, while the lesser angels began clean-up.
“Anne!” said Alexander, striding towards her. “What happened?”
The other Angeli turned to her, expressions expectant, and she realized Alexander wanted an explanation of her involvement in Nyx’s incursion.
“The shadow Cherub, Nyx, he appeared at my home disguised as Michael and grabbed me. My guard was down. There’s no excuse.”
The group whispered among themselves, gazes darting back and forth from her to each other. Her involvement with Michael was already a scandal. No doubt Nyx’s method of trickery had only exacerbated the Angeli’s reproach.
She felt her anger rising as the hiss of disapproval crescendoed.
“Yeah, yeah. I’m Jezebel. Get over it.”
The crowd hushed and stared at her, shocked by her outburst.
A middle-aged gentleman pushed through the crowd. “But how did Nyx bring you here? Only Angeli and those accompanied by Angeli can enter. Did Michael—”
“Did Michael let him in? Are you crazy? You can think whatever you like about me, but Michael would never do anything to endanger you or your mission. If you don’t know that—”
She huffed.
The man cleared his throat and reiterated his concerns. “Pardon our confusion, but, again, only Angeli can enter.”
“I don’t know what to tell you. Maybe your security system is broken.”
The Archs returned to mumbling among themselves. She longed to have Michael at her side. Even Leo would be handy, someone who might defend her honor, or at least Michael’s. The other Archs only knew her as one of their many Sentinels—she was no more than a hired soldier to them. A soldier seemingly trying to rise above her station.
Anne moved toward Alexander. “Did we lose any Archs?”
He sighed. “Six.”
“Six?”
“Six.”
“The Cherub you had me kill in the snow, and Alida: have other Angeli returned?”
Alexander’s eyes lit. “Oh yes! Eris is here! And D.C. Charles is back at work. Thank goodness. His wife was hysterical. He married a human, you know. Nice woman but—”
“D.C. Charles? But he was killed after Michael.”
“Who returns appears to be random.”
“Is there some reason he wouldn’t come back? Maybe he’s staying away for a reason?”
Alexander shrugged and, when she fell silent, wandered off.
“’Tanks for that,” said Con, approaching. “You know, Boudica and I are at a fragile stage of our relationship.”
Anne chuckled. “Riiight. Whatever, Romeo. Come with me.” She hooked his arm and dragged him away from the prying eyes of the distraught and untrusting Angeli.
“What’re you doin’?”
Anne kept moving until they were on the opposite side of the hall. “Stay on your toes.”
“What’s that mean?”
“They just had their precious hall breached by the enemy and then you and I show up. They’re looking for someone to blame and we’re looking pretty good choices at this point.
“They think we did this?”
“It’s possible. Apparently no one can enter headquarters without an Angeli, and Nyx brought me here alone.”
“What’s that got to do with me then?”
“Nothing. But they know we’re close and they might know you swing both ways.”
“Watch it there.”
“You know what I mean.”
Con grunted and scowled, as if considering this new information. “But wait. We’re the ones who killed Nyx. Why would we do that if we were workin’ for him?”
“I don’t know. Who knows why Angeli do or think anything? Just make sure Boudica is still on your side.”
Con chuckled. “Oh, Red and I are good. Can’t say she’s a huge fan of yours at the moment though.”
Anne pictured Boudica’s sword passing through Sentinels as if they were made of warm butter.
“Great.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Taksi found the handsome man wandering in Central Park. He walked slowly, stopping, starting, his hands thrust in his pockets, muttering to himself.
He sat on a bench and she took a seat alongside. She stroked her long, dark hair, hoping the movement would catch his eye and inspire him to engage.
After a moment, his blue eyes locked on hers. “Do I know you?”
She shook her head and did her best to appear startled, the way she imagined a human woman might when addressed by a stranger.
The man held up a palm. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you. I’m, I’m having a strange day.”
She wanted to tell him everything, but it was against the rules to interfere directly with pawns. She was already worried she’d be penalized for the little she’d shared with Leo.
There has to be another way.
A woman with a stroller passed and Taksi squinted at her. The woman stopped. She walked backwards a few steps until the stroller was parked in front of the bench.
She leaned over the baby and cooed to it. “Hey angel, hey little baby angel, are you okay?”
The man next to Taksi on the bench looked up and flashed the young mother a smile. She returned the pleasantry and strolled on.
Taksi studied her bench mate from the corner of her eye. He seemed to have returned to his thoughts, muscular forearms resting on his thighs as he stared into the distance.
She searched left and right for another passerby. An old man shuffled toward them mumbling broken bible verses in staccato bursts. Greasy, gray hair swung against his forehead; his clothes were dirty and ill-fitting.
Taksi concentrated and
found the man’s thoughts jumbled. She mentally sent him a suggestion. She didn’t have very much power over humans, but if what she suggested to them was something they wanted to do anyway, she had a better chance of inspiring them to do it.
It took several tries, but eventually the homeless man took the bait and screamed, pointing at the sky with both hands. “And there was war in heaven! Michael and his angels fought against the dragon!”
The man on the bench jumped at the sound of the voice. He watched with some interest as the old man shuffled on, but soon returned to his thoughts.
Taksi dropped her head into her hand and sighed.
I deserve this, playing so fast and loose with the rules.
A strawberry-blonde woman jogged by and the man watched her go, his neck straining to follow her bobbing image.
“Anne.”
Taksi turned to the man beside her. “Did you say something?”
He looked at her, the blue of his eyes dancing with electric light.
“Anne.”
“I’m sorry, my name isn’t Anne.”
“No, I remember! Anne! Anne Bonny!”
She scowled. “The pirate?”
He stood and put his hands on her shoulders, his expression the picture of joy. “Yes! The pirate!”
He seemed to realize he’d crossed his bounds and took a step back. “Sorry. Again. I didn’t mean to frighten you.” He thumped a fist to his chest. “I’m Michael.”
Taksi pretended to be flustered. “Are you alright, Michael?”
He smiled, deep dimple appearing on his right cheek. She felt certain it hadn’t been there a moment before.
“Yes. Yes I am now. Thank you! I just realized I have to be somewhere.”
He took several long strides away and then jogged back to her.
“She pretends to hate that, by the way—people recognizing her as the pirate. But she doesn’t. Not really. It’s pretty cute.”
Taksi nodded. “I’ll try and remember that.”
Michael, looking giddy, made fists and shook them in front of him as if he’d just scored a winning goal.
“I’m Michael!” he yelped before again jogging down the path.
Taksi smiled.
She closed her eyes and focused on her counterpart.
Where are you Casso? Where are you?
“Taksi?” she heard Casso’s voice in her head.
“Hello, Casso.”
“What are you doing on Earth?”
“What am I doing on Earth? What are you doing on Earth?”
Casso cleared his throat. “I, uh, I—”
“Did you think you could hijack the body of one of the Angeli and get away with it?”
“What? There’s no rule that says I can’t come to Earth.”
“No, but what about wearing Seth makes you think you aren’t interfering with my players?”
“What? I’m—”
“Stop it. Don’t pretend you don’t know you’ve crossed a line. You’ve been officially penalized. I came to tell you.”
“What? What do you mean, penalized?”
“Haven’t you been paying attention? Your Cherubs are ineffectual mutant tadpoles from hell. Wasn’t that a hint?”
“I thought that was because I pushed them too soon?”
“No. It’s because you’ve been cheating and you’ve been penalized.”
Casso grumbled something indistinct.
“Just give up and go home. Start over. New plan.”
“No. I can do this.”
Taksi laughed so hard internally that she was certain her human form had laughed out loud as well. Hopefully, the humans wouldn’t pick up her body and haul it away to a hospital.
No. That won’t be a problem. I’m in New York.
“Casso, if you think you still stand a chance, which you don’t, you’d better stop cheating before your next Cherub shows up as a lump of clay.”
Casso snorted a laugh. “If he does I’ll turn him into a Golem.”
“You’re hopeless. Goodbye, loser.
“Goodbye, has-been.”
Taksi disconnected from Casso’s consciousness and opened her eyes.
It was a beautiful day.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Michael knocked on the apartment door, waited a moment, and then knocked again more urgently.
He huffed. “What am I doing?”
He phased through the door and appeared on the other side, nearly smacking into to Jeffrey, who yelped and spun away from him to the floor like a falling top. Anne’s assistant flipped on his back and took a moment to focus.
“Michael?”
All four dogs came flying out of the bedroom, slamming against the wall in the hall and scrabbling on the hardwood floor. Upon spotting Michael their barking ceased and they threw an impromptu party, squirming at his feet as he petted each in turn.
The Angelus held out a hand to help Jeffrey to his feet. “Sorry, Jeffrey. Is Anne here?”
“You scared me to death.”
“Sorry. Is Anne here?”
Michael watched Jeffrey pale and his gaze darted down the hall.
“What’s wrong? Is she down there?”
Michael spun on the Stefano Bemer shoes he’d manifested and, careful to avoid the smaller dogs—both for the sake of the dogs and his loafers—strode down the hallway.
“Anne?”
“Michael?”
It was a man’s voice.
Con. Michael felt his heart sink.
A mane of shaggy blond hair poked from one of the guest rooms.
Not Con.
“Leo? What are you doing here?”
Leo’s eyes lit. “Michael!”
His brother entered the hall and clapped him in a hug.
“You look good, Leo. Have I been gone long? I’m never sure how the time translates.”
“From what I’ve heard, close to two months. Only just got here myself.”
“How was your trip back?”
Leo shrugged. “Crazy lady hitched a ride inside of me. Are you itchy by any chance?”
“Itchy? No.”
“Then you’re probably good.”
“Did you say a crazy lady hitched...you know what? I don’t want to know. Where’s Anne?”
Leo’s lips twisted. “That’s what we were just discussing.”
Michael peered into the room Leo had vacated and saw a caramel-skinned girl sitting on a bed, her eyes rimmed with red as if she’d been crying.
“I know her.”
“Tyannah. She was Rathe’s Sentinel. She’s on our side now.”
“What? And Mallory?”
“Dead. Killed by Tyannah and Con during Anne’s rescue.”
“But Anne’s release was one of the terms of my surrender. What about Rathe?”
Michael looked up in time to see Leo motioning to someone behind him. He turned to find Rathe standing next to Jeffrey, just inside the front entryway.
Rathe held up his hands, warding him away. “Now don’t do anything rash—”
Michael’s face grew hot with rising waves of rage.
“You.”
“Wait, wait. You don’t understand!”
Tyannah screamed. “Michael, don’t! He’s on our side now.”
Michael took one step toward the Cherub before Leo tackled him and he collapsed forward.
“Have you gone mad?” he screamed, rolling on to his back. Leo pinned his arms and stared down at him.
“Michael, you don’t know where we stand now. A lot has happened since you left. Take a breath.”
Michael gathered his power, preparing to propel his brother into the ceiling. Nothing would keep him from exacting his revenge on—
“Anne’s been taken.”
Leo’s words turned his blood to ice. He relaxed his arms.
“Where? By whom?”
“We don’t know.”
“When? Get off me you oaf!”
Michael shoved his brother off him and stood, flashing into
his energy form to reform with a less wrinkled suit. He glanced at Rathe, swallowed the urge to kill him, and then turned his attention to his brother.
“Tell me everything.”
Leo walked into Anne’s bedroom and he followed.
“I heard the glass break. I think she was taking a shower, but she was gone by the time I got here. I tried to contact HQ but no one answered.”
“No one answered? How is that possible?”
“I don’t know. I was just briefing Tyannah before I went to find out. That’s when you appeared.”
Michael closed his eyes and searched for Anne’s energy signature. He felt nothing, just as he hadn’t been able to feel her presence when he’d tried to locate her from the park. It had concerned him then; now he felt panicked.
“I can always find her,” he mumbled.
Leo patted his arm. “I know. Look, I have an idea. Anne’s been to HQ. She could be there now. You wouldn’t be able to sene her there.”
“She’s been to HQ? Have you all lost your minds?” Michael looked around at the invisible audience he felt must be watching the insanity unfolding around him.
“We’re at war,” said Tyannah from the doorway.
Michael glared at her. “You don’t speak. It’s only my—my sheer lack of knowledge—that has spared your life thus far.”
“I won’t let you hurt her,” said Rathe, appearing behind her.
Michael squeezed his eyes shut and grimaced, frustration scrambling his thoughts until only the most juvenile phrase could pass his lips.
“Oh please.”
Rathe sniffed. “You can’t kill me. Only a Sentinel can kill me.”
Michael opened his eyes. “I can’t kill you. But I can make you wish you were dead.”
Leo grabbed his arm, spinning his attention away from Rathe. “Listen to me. Let’s you and me go to HQ. We’ll find Anne. Don’t you want to find Anne?”
Michael stared at him.
“We will. We’ll find her,” Leo repeated.
He nodded and pointed a thumb behind him. “What about Frick and Frack back there? I can’t leave them with Jeffrey. If anything happened to him, Anne would kill me.”
“Thank you!” said Jeffrey’s voice from the hall. He popped his head in the door. “But they’re cool. I’m touched, though, that you’d think of me.”