by K. A. Last
“If you want Charlotte dead, why did you let her go?” I asked.
Angelica frowned, her forehead creasing between her eyes. “Charlotte is like a nail in the bottom of my foot.”
“You didn’t answer the question.”
“That’s because she didn’t let her go, did you?” the guy asked.
“Everything will work out in the end.” Angelica smiled, but it was too wide and toothy to be genuine. “You’ll see.”
I struggled against my restraints. They dug deeper into my flesh and I winced.
“Don’t move too much.” The guy sat with his knees up and his arms resting on top of them. The blue around his wrists flickered in the darkness, bathing his face in a soft wash of colour. “It only makes it worse.”
“Who are you?” I asked.
His shoulders shook again. This guy did a lot of laughing, which in itself seemed funny because he didn’t come across as being an overly happy person.
“Looks like you did a good job.” He glanced at Angelica.
She shrugged.
Angelica’s eyes locked on mine, and a sharp pain seared through my head. I fell to my knees, my bound hands stopping my complete fall. The blackness beneath me was replaced by more images Angelica fed into my brain. No matter how many times I blinked I couldn’t get rid of them, and the pain exploded behind my eyes like a series of fireworks.
Noise filled my ears—people talking and laughing. Flames flickered across the scene and two people came into focus through the fire. It was Grace and the guy next to me, staring into each other’s eyes, like lovers who hadn’t seen one another for years. I wanted to gouge my eyes out and I didn’t know why. What I saw ripped me in two. My heart swelled with hatred for him. Someone I couldn’t even remember. He reached up and caressed Grace’s face and she closed her eyes; then the vision was gone.
My chest heaved involuntarily. The same man from the vision sat across from me. My body shook with hatred so powerful I wanted to rip his throat out, and I couldn’t remember his name. When I raised my head, he stared at me with a snarl on his face.
“The feeling’s mutual,” he said.
“Don’t tell me you can read minds, too,” I said.
He smirked. “It’s an angel thing. But don’t worry. Once we’re out of here, I won’t be able to hear you.”
“It’s how the In-Between works,” Angelica said. “If you’re an angel, you can hear everyone, which means all these souls can hear your thoughts.” She gestured to the lights. “But you’re a vampire, you can’t read minds.”
“It gets a little noisy for us,” the guy said.
Angelica clapped her hands and smiled. “Right, I’m going to let you get reacquainted.”
She disappeared in her balls of light, and when she’d gone the blue fire that had bound me fell away. I got to my feet, rubbing my wrists. The guy stayed where he was, also free to move as he wanted, but he didn’t.
I took one step towards him then stopped. I wasn’t sure why. Every fibre of my being wanted to attack him and pound him into the blackness.
“She only gave you one side of the story,” he said. “You can’t trust her.”
“I can’t trust anyone.”
He regarded me, his head cocked slightly to one side. The silence was like a weight bearing down on us, squashing us into the darkness. The lights continued to float around in the oblivion.
“I’m Seth,” he finally said.
“I don’t care.”
“We both love her,” he said, ignoring my retort.
“If you’re referring to Grace, I don’t remember loving her.”
“All the better for me, then.”
“I don’t like you much, do I?” I asked.
“Like I said … feeling’s mutual.”
Seth got to his feet and squared his shoulders. He didn’t have a shirt on, and the muscles in his arms flexed intimidatingly. He was bigger than me—slightly taller. If I’d still been human I wouldn’t stand a chance against him. But I wasn’t human anymore, so I clenched my fists and waited for him to come at me.
“I’m not going to fight you,” Seth said.
I lowered my hands. “That’s disappointing. If we hate each other, it seems like a good thing to do.”
“Grace wouldn’t want it.” He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his black jeans. The darkness made his blond hair appear grey. “And Angelica is expecting it.”
“Then where does that leave us?”
“My entire existence has been a fight.” Seth shrugged. “I’ve done things … some I’m not proud of … some I wish I could undo.”
What was he getting at? I didn’t know this guy, or I didn’t remember him. Actually, I didn’t really feel anything for him now Angelica wasn’t there. When she’d been standing next to me, I’d been filled with so much hatred for Seth I thought I’d explode.
“Angelica has that effect on people,” he said.
I ran a hand through my hair and looked out into the blackness. The lights floated around in every direction with no set pattern. They bobbed along in the void, sometimes bouncing off each other.
“Where are we?” I asked.
Seth stood beside me and we watched the floating lights together.
“The In-Between … The place where the fallen are sent.”
“Those lights are fallen angels?”
“Their souls, yes.”
“And they can hear me?” I glanced at Seth from the corner of my eye.
“Yep. And I won’t be able to hear you once we leave, because Angelica has my ring.”
“You’re one of them?”
He folded his arms and didn’t answer.
There were more questions forming in my head than I knew how to ask. Sometimes it felt easier not to want to ask them, because every question led to more questions, and no answers. But I did wonder why Seth was there and not floating around with all the other souls, and what he’d done to make Angelica tie him up.
I looked at the angel I’d known in a past life and waited. If he could read minds, he’d answer me eventually.
Finally, he said, “It all comes back to Grace.”
TWENTY-FOUR
Seth
The In-Between
Angelica really did a great job on Josh. His head was so mixed up I didn’t know which thought to listen to first. I couldn’t blame him. Everything was complicated, and trying to explain it made it even more so.
I blocked Josh’s thoughts, and those of the fallen drifting through the abyss. I wasn’t looking forward to losing my powers when Angelica decided it was time to resurface, but for the time being the noise was too much. We stared at the floating souls, standing side by side in silence. I could get used to Josh with no memory. It would make my life a hell of a lot easier. Still, I wasn’t sure if Grace already knew, and if she did, it would tear her up.
She cared too much sometimes, but that’s what I loved about her.
I’d seen Grace only twice since that night in the clearing, and both times were under the control of Angelica.
Angelica, playing her stupid games—I was tired of them.
They’d almost broken me, and I hoped the next time I saw Grace would be the time I got to stay.
Seeing her and not being able to talk to her or touch her, made me realise nothing else in my world mattered apart from Grace. I’d changed, and I needed to make her see that. I’d spent so many years convincing her to listen to me, and now that she had, I would spend the rest of my life making up for what I did.
“What’s Angelica going to do to us?” Josh asked, breaking my reverie.
I laughed. “She won’t be able to do much. She can’t get rid of me until she gets what she wants from Grace. And she won’t get that if you’re dead.”
“What does she want?”
I scoffed, shaking my head. “What she thinks she wants is a ring. What she really wants is revenge.”
“Don’t we all … You seem pretty relaxed about be
ing a prisoner.”
“I’ve known Angelica a long time,” I said. “She’s not as tough as she makes out to be.” But I also wasn’t as relaxed as he thought.
“No one ever is.”
I let Josh’s words hang in the air for a while before I responded. “I’ve spent a lot of time being angry. If I’ve learnt something, it’s that angry gets you nowhere.”
“Angry is all I’ve ever known,” Josh said.
There was a time when I’d felt the same way, but it didn’t matter anymore. There was only one thing that mattered to me.
Grace.
Josh watched me from the corner of his eye, and I pretended not to notice. I concentrated on the millions of fallen souls floating around us. I wasn’t sure if the In-Between was worse than Hell. I’d done one, but never stepped through the gates of the other. Actually, a life without Grace would be worse.
I couldn’t be sure how long we stood like that. Time was different in the In-Between. An hour could be minutes, or vice versa. Angelica would return eventually, and when she did I’d be ready to fight as hard as I could. But first, I had to get to Grace.
“You have to be ready,” I said.
Josh turned to face me. “For what?”
“Anything.”
Words hung on the edge of Josh’s lips as orbs of light split the darkness, and Angelica appeared, along with two more angels.
“Tie them up,” she said.
The girl angel shot blue celestial fire from her fingertips, and it coiled around my wrists and ankles. I didn’t fight it. There was no point. The guy flicked his fingers and bound Josh in the same way.
Angelica smirked. “Come on, boys; it’s show time.”
TWENTY-FIVE
Grace
Late Sunday night
Ten minutes after Angelica had taken Josh, she came back. You’d think we would have been ready for her, but I wasn’t expecting to see her again so soon. She didn’t hang around for long, only enough time to tell us to be at Dhye Park before dawn, or Josh was dead. I left another fireball scorch mark on the wall. Unfortunately it passed through her as she orbed.
Archer, Ryan and I spent some time getting our weapons ready, but no amount of stakes or crossbows could defeat Angelica. The only way to stop her would be to knock her out and strip her wings—something that wasn’t easily done to an angel. Then there was the dilemma in that she was technically the good guy, and I didn’t actually want to kill her. I wanted her to leave me, and my friends, alone.
After a few hours rest, we made Abby promise not to leave the terrace. At first she argued that Ryan got to go, so why couldn’t she? The simple answer was that Ryan could fight. Abby wouldn’t be strong enough to protect herself, and I couldn’t guarantee her safety. In the end she agreed to stay put. Although, her head was so full of confusing thoughts I couldn’t lock on to what she was planning to do. I had to be satisfied with her word.
“You have my number?” I asked.
Abby nodded, and snuggled down into the couch. Her eyes drooped, and I hoped she’d be able to sleep some more.
“Time to go,” Archer said. “Only an hour or so before dawn.”
After making sure the door was secure, we decided to mist to the park, even though Ryan hated it so much. I didn’t want to waste any time traversing the city again. We went upstairs to Josh’s room and stood in a loose circle. Archer and Ryan grabbed my arms and a few seconds later we were in the park. We hung back in the shadows, the lights from the war memorial reflecting off the pool in front of it. Ryan breathed loudly in my ear and I glanced at him.
“Don’t freak out on me now,” I said.
“I’m cool.” He tightened his grip on the stake in his hand.
“That won’t be any good against Angelica. You know that, right?”
Ryan shrugged. “Gives me something to hang on to.”
Archer put a finger to his lips and pointed to the lawn in front of the Pool of Reflection. Balls of pure white light spun in circles until they meshed together to form a person.
Angelica stood with her hands clasped in front of her. Her linen pants flapped gently in the light breeze. I wished the clouds would all band together and dump a storm on top of her.
That’s not very nice, she thought, and it echoed in my head.
I stepped out from behind the tree that hid us and moved to the edge of the shadows. I’m not in a very nice mood.
“Come on, Grace.” Angelica’s voice travelled across the clearing. “We’ve got a lot to talk about.”
“She’s not wrong there,” Archer said, under his breath.
The three of us stayed close together and walked towards Angelica.
I wanted to know what she had planned, but her block was strong. I checked my own defences, putting up a brick wall in my mind to make sure she couldn’t get in.
We stopped about ten metres away.
“You have something I want,” Angelica said.
I laughed. “You have a few things of mine, too.”
“First, you give me Annie’s ring.”
Archer snickered. “You must think we’re stupid.”
When we’d arrived in the park I’d had a good look around. There was no sign of Josh. She was hiding him somewhere; I had to figure out where. For a moment I allowed myself to hope I had a chance of finding Seth, too. Maybe I could get something out of Angelica that would tell me where he was, but I didn’t like my chances.
My gaze travelled around the park one more time, searching the shadows for any sign of the people Angelica was using as pawns in her silly games.
“They’re not here—yet,” Angelica said.
“You don’t get anything from me until I see Josh.” I dug into my pocket and pulled out the little red velvet pouch. “You hand him over, and it’s yours.”
Light filled in the shadows on the left side of the park, and an angel appeared. He shoved Josh, making him fall to his knees. Josh’s hands and ankles were bound with celestial fire. It pulsed blue, reflecting off his angry face.
“Don’t do anything to help that bitch.” Josh spat a wad of blood onto the grass.
“Let him go,” I said.
Angelica smiled her fake smile, the one that said ‘I’ve got something else to show you’.
Archer came closer and put his hand in the small of my back. He didn’t try to speak to me, but I’d spent so many years fighting by his side I could take an excellent guess as to what he wanted to do.
I weighed up my options. Misting to Josh would take only a second, but that left Archer and Ryan with Angelica, and I didn’t trust she’d uphold her ‘protect the innocent’ policy with Ryan. She’d already shown us her true colours once when it came to getting what she wanted.
“Bring him closer, then I’ll hand you the ring,” I said.
Angelica laughed as more light lit up the darkness in the trees. This time it was to our right. Another angel appeared with someone in her clutches. The feisty brunette manhandled her prisoner, who was also bound by the wrists and ankles. She threw him in front of her, and he burst from the shadows onto the grass. The light from the lamps in the park turned his blond hair white.
“Now things are going to get interesting,” Angelica said.
The man on the ground raised his head, and I froze.
A sob ripped itself from my chest and fell into the night. It had felt like an eternity since I’d looked into Seth’s eyes.
Angelica laughed her sickeningly sweet laugh. “We do have a bit of a dilemma now, don’t we? Which one?”
Archer moved towards Angelica. “You bitch!”
I grabbed his arm and held him back.
“What’s it going to be, Grace?” Angelica said. “The one you gave up everything for, or the one who sacrificed everything for you?”
TWENTY-SIX
Grace
Monday morning
Seth got onto his hands and knees and stared at me. Every cell in my body ached to touch him. I thought I’d missed him
, but seeing him again made me realise it was more than that. I didn’t just miss him; I yearned for him, and everything about him.
The brunette angel clutched a rope made from blue celestial fire. She tugged on it, and Seth clenched his jaw.
Angelica had me at a stalemate. If I did go to Seth, Josh would die. The angel holding him hostage pressed a stake to his back, ready to strike. But if I went to Josh, would I get to him in time? I couldn’t risk losing either of them. That had happened too many times already.
“Who’s it going to be, Grace?” Angelica smirked.
Grace, a voice spoke in my head. But it wasn’t any old voice; it was Michael. Act as if you can’t hear me, and listen carefully.
Can Angelica hear you?”
No. Michael scoffed. I’m an archangel. She thinks she has power, but she has no idea. Now listen. Angelica is in big trouble. The Council wants her to go home, but she’s refused. She thinks she has a job to finish, but it’s gotten out of hand.
I stopped myself from laughing. That’s an understatement. I looked from Seth to Josh, and back again, trying to make it appear as if I were deciding what to do.
We need to sort this out, once and for all, Michael thought. It’s gone on long enough.
I’m the first person to agree with you. What do you want me to do?
You need to go to Josh.
My gaze rested on Seth again. He devoured me with his eyes, and the thought of running away from him hurt more than I’d expected. I’d wanted this moment to come every second since he had been ripped away from me. How could I turn from him now?
I can’t, I thought.
Grace, Michael thought in his stern brother voice. You need to trust me. Seth can take care of himself, and he isn’t in danger. Angelica needs him. You need to protect the weakest link first.
I covered my face with my hands.
“Too much for you, is it?” Angelica laughed.
Seth, I thought, raising my head, making sure my block against Angelica was still in place.
He can’t hear you, Michael thought. Angelica has his ring, but she won’t hurt him. She needs him to unlock Annie.