Angels of the Knights

by Valerie Zambito

  Father Tomas was arrested fifteen years ago for murdering a child? Why did he not tell her? He brought her to town to investigate the disappearance of two children in Alden without ever disclosing the fact that he himself had been suspected of killing one? Was this why Anthony had been so nervous? Was the boy afraid of Father Tomas?

  Crumpling the article in her hand, she realized that she needed answers. Deciding to try the local library first, she grabbed her backpack and headed outside. Once out on the front steps, she could not help herself and glanced over at Kade’s house, but everything was quiet and nobody appeared to be awake yet.

  Oh, Kade, I am so sorry I cannot be the girl you need, because in truth, you are everything that I need.

  The library was a block south of AU, so Fallon had to pass by the site of the explosion. She gasped when she saw the Sentinels and two new angels hovering over the still smoldering wreckage.

  Then, she remembered.

  The vacuum cleaner.

  People had been in the building last night when the bomb meant to kill her detonated.

  I will get you, Marc Ellis. You may know who I am now, but I also know you, and I promise that you will not get away with your evil for long. I’m coming for you.

  With renewed determination, she walked the rest of the way to the library and entered the quiet interior. The clerk directed her to the row of computers that were set aside for public usage. Selecting one, she sat down and entered Father Tomas’ name and the word murder. The article from The Alden Press she already read came up as well as an account of the trial or, lack of trial, rather. The small town had been geared up for the proceedings and, at the last minute, the charges were dropped and Father Tomas was released from custody.

  Most in town simply accepted the fact that their beloved priest was innocent. However, the family of Lilly Segal, the murdered child, was very vocal for many months regarding the injustice in this case. Eventually, though, all of the gossip faded away, and Fallon could not find a single mention in subsequent years. It was as if the incident had never happened.

  She found it difficult to believe that an Emissier of Emperica was capable of murdering a child, but his omission was suspect.

  Next, she typed in the word blackcoat. She had never heard of this word before the Kjin used it. The definition appeared on the screen as n. 1. Black”coat, a clergyman.

  Clergyman? The Kjin said he following the orders of the blackcoat. So, that meant he was taking orders from a clergyman?

  The certainty burgeoned unbidden in her mind.

  The Kjin was ordered to attack her by Father Tomas.

  Feeling sick, Fallon wearily made her way back to her house.

  When she turned on Oak Street, she wished desperately to see Kade or his Jeep, but neither was home. The day could really not get any worse. She spent the morning healing broken bones, found out her that an Emissier was collaborating with the Kjin, and now another painful truth. Kade had left her.

  She would need to speak to him at some point to warn him of his uncle. She hoped to be able to take care of the situation quickly without him ever finding out the truth, but it had taken an ominous and more urgent tone and he was in danger. So, was his family. Fallon thought about his parents and sister, Chelsea. A Kjin, no matter what the relationship to the humans involved, would not hesitate to harm them if he or she thought it would be of benefit. It was in their nature. Just as an angel could never be evil, a Kjin could never be virtuous.

  Fallon entered her empty, cold house, and a pervasive sadness settled over her shoulders.

  What is your problem, Angell? You have walked into empty houses for years. You should be used to it by now.

  She was used to it and that was the problem. Now that she had experienced the fervor of love for the first time, she did not want to let it go.

  Lurching up the stairs in exhaustion, she peeled off her jeans, climbed into bed, and did something very unwarrior-like. She cried herself to sleep.

  CHAPTER 13

  Conditions

  Kade sat in the dark and watched the soft and even flow of Fallon’s breathing as she slept. She was so beautiful his heart ached just looking at her. But, there were tears on her cheeks. Why? He hoped nothing had happened to her while he had been occupied with his family last night. By now, she must have heard about the explosion at AU. His Uncle Marc had been devastated over the death of two custodians who were in the building at the time, so as soon as his mother called him that morning, the family gathered together at the Ellis home. As the day progressed, he found himself stuck there by the multitude of visitors that stopped by and the reporters camped out on the front lawn. This was big news not only for Alden but nationwide.

  It was late when he returned home and he did not intend to wake Fallon, but he had to see her. He had to make sure that she was okay.

  He snorted in his head. Who was he kidding? She did not need him for protection. She proved last night that she was more than capable of protecting herself.

  Kade shifted in his chair and it made a small creaking noise. He was surprised that she did not awaken. Her angel instincts should have warned her that he was here. Now, he was convinced that something had happened to her while he was gone.

  Suddenly, Fallon’s breathing stopped, and in the next instant he was flat on his back with her Aventi at his throat.

  “It’s just me,” he told her softly.

  With a sigh, her body relaxed and she stepped away from him, walked to the edge of the bed and sat. He swallowed. She was wearing nothing but a tee-shirt and panties.

  “Don’t ever do that again,” she scolded him.

  Amused, he said, “That’s twice now you’ve had me on my back. If I didn’t know better…” The pain in her green eyes stopped him and he got to his feet. “What’s the matter, Fallon?”

  “I thought you left me,” she whispered.

  He walked over and stood before her. “I would never leave you,” he said, truthfully. “But, I do have two conditions if we’re going to continue this relationship.”

  “Conditions?” she asked with incredulity.

  “Yes, number one. I will never stand back and watch you fight the Kjin without getting involved. Don’t ever ask me to stay out of it again, Fallon. I’m not made from that cloth, and it nearly killed me to walk away at the lake. You may be stronger than me, but I’m stronger than most of them, and I know how to fight.”

  Wait. Was that a small smile on her face?

  “I think I can deal with that,” she responded. “And, the second condition?”

  “For the love of God, Fallon Angell, please don’t ever, and I mean ever, fight like that wearing a white bikini again. I’m a man. Flawed as I am, there is only so much I can take. Promise?”

  “I’ll try. Now, you tell me, Kade Royce. Where have you been?”

  He explained to her about his family get-together and his inability to get away. As each word passed his lips, he noticed that she grew noticeably more relieved. He walked over and knelt in front of her. Reaching out, he tilted her head up with two fingers under her chin.

  “You really thought I left you?”

  “Yes.”

  “And, you’re still mad at me, aren’t you?”

  She jerked her face away from his grip. “Yes, and I’m trying to play hard to get here, because I heard that’s what girls are supposed to do.”

  He wanted to laugh, but figured that would probably not be a good idea right now. “Fallon, you are definitely not most girls.”

  “No,” she agreed.

  Her reaction confused him. “Did something happen that I’m not aware of?” he asked. “You heard about the explosion at AU, right?”

  She shrugged and turned her head. “I was there.”

  “There? Where?”

  She hesitated. “In your uncle’s office.”

  “In his office?”

  “Yes, Kade! I was in the office when the bomb went off. The power of the blast threw me out of the w
indows.”

  “What! Are you okay?”

  “It took awhile for me to heal, but I’m fine now. Exhausted, but fine.”

  That was why she did not hear him come in. He took her in his arms. “I’m so sorry, baby, that I wasn’t there for you. You should be mad at me.”

  She sighed. “No, I shouldn’t. I’ve been working alone for years. I never should have expected you to get involved.”

  “But, I am involved now, Fallon. You have to accept that. You agreed to my conditions, remember?”

  She gave him another one of her small smiles and nodded.

  “Tell me. Why were you in my uncle’s office?”

  The smile vanished. “You may find it difficult to believe.”

  “Trust me. I would believe just about anything at this point.”

  She took both of his hands in hers. “There is no easy way to tell you this, Kade, but the person you call your Uncle Marc, is actually a Kjin.”

  Kade stood and pulled away from her. “No…no, it can’t be. I think I would know if my uncle was an evil demon, Fallon.”

  “He is.”

  “How can you be sure?”

  “Many ways. For one, my Kur warns me of the presence of a Kjin. Secondly, he left a note for me in his office. I had just enough time to read it before the bomb went off. He tried to kill me, Kade.”

  He ran his hand through his hair and began pacing.

  “Did you tell him about me?” she asked and then held her breath as she waited for the answer.

  He snapped his head her way. “Never. I would never betray your confidence, Fallon. Tell me you believe that.”

  “I do,” she replied and she meant it.

  Suddenly, his brow creased. “You know, now that I think about it, it was him more than my parents who insisted that I stay all day yesterday.”

  “He probably didn’t want to give you an opportunity to save me.”

  “Hold up. You must have realized what he was when you came to dinner at my house.”

  “Yes.”

  “And, you didn’t tell me? When my family is in danger!”

  “I didn’t feel they were in danger at the time. Marc Ellis wants nothing more than to appear as a functional, law-abiding member of society. Your family, his family, is his cover. He would not jeopardize that.”

  “And, now?”

  “Now, I think they may be.”

  He took a deep breath. “We have to find a way to keep them safe.”

  “We will, but that’s not all.” She went over to her bag and retrieved the research she printed out yesterday. She handed a copy of the newspaper article to Kade, and he scanned it carefully.

  “What does the local priest have to do with any of this?”

  “Father Tomas is an Emissier to Emperica. He is able to communicate with the Elders and relay information to the Knights.”

  Surprisingly, he did not bat an eye. “And, this murder? I was only seven or eight when it happened, but I do remember. It was big news here in Alden.”

  “Don’t you see? Father Tomas was arrested for the murder of a child and now two children are missing.”

  “But, he was exonerated.”

  “No, the charges were dropped. How and by whom, it doesn’t say in the article.”

  “You think he is a Kjin?”

  “No, he’s not. I would be able to tell if he was, but one of the Kjin that attacked us at the lake said he was summoned by the blackcoat boss. I looked it up. Blackcoat means clergyman.”

  “This is getting crazier and crazier. So what do we do now?”

  Inside she smiled at his willingness to be in this with her. “I need to call…” Her cell phone rang and she picked it up from the nightstand. “Hello.”

  “Fallon, it’s me.”

  “Julian! I was just about to call you.”

  “Listen to me, Fallon! I found out that the Kjin are working together and gathering in Alden for a very specific reason.”

  “What is it? Why are the gathering, Julian?”

  “For you, Fallon. They are gathering to kill you.”

  “Me? Why me?”

  “Apparently, the Kjin are now organized, and the higher ups don’t like the fact that you’re killing so many of them. You have been named their number one target for elimination.”

  “How do you know all this?”

  “I finally cornered that Kjin I was tracking. He spilled everything—after I let go of his throat, of course. He actually believed me when I said I’d let him go.”

  “You lied?” she asked.

  “It was a joke, Fallon. I can’t help it if the Kjin can’t recognize a joke when they hear one.”

  She shook her head at her friend then turned to Kade, who was watching her intently, obviously realizing something was wrong.

  “Julian, you have to go to Buffalo.”

  “Buffalo?”

  “Yes, you need to go to Father Michael and tell him what is going on. He probably already has a message from Darius waiting for us.”

  “What about Father Tomas? He is a lot closer than Father Michael.”

  “I have reason to believe that that particular Emissier is compromised.”

  Julian whistled through his teeth. “Are you sure, Fallon? That’s pretty hard for me to believe.”

  “I know,” she said regretfully. “It has been difficult for me, too.”

  “Okay. I’ll go. But, what about you? I think it would be best if you put a little distance between yourself and Alden at this point. We’ll go to Buffalo together and figure out how to handle this gathering. We may even have to call in other Knights. Nikki, for sure.”

  “I can’t leave, Julian. Too many people will be at risk if I leave now.”

  His voice grew soft. “Fallon, I want to know that you’ll be safe.”

  She glanced at Kade again—at his muscular physique and the determined look in his eye—and, a calm washed over her. “I will be safe.”

  “Okay. I’ll call you when I get there.”

  “Thank you, Julian. I’ll see you soon.”

  She hung up the phone, but before she could speak, Kade stalked over to her. “You’re in danger, aren’t you?”

  She shrugged. “No more than usual.”

  He reached out and framed her face with his hands. “If…If something ever happened to you…”

  “It won’t,” she interrupted.

  With a desperate groan, he brought his face to hers and kissed her hard. She wrapped her arms around his waist and opened herself to his kiss, his passion, and his fear. Still holding her, he walked her back until her legs hit the side of the bed. His lips never left hers as they fell back and his hand began to explore her body.

  “Kade…”

  His body went rigid, and then he rolled off her onto his back, flinging an arm over his eyes. “I know. I’m sorry.”

  She sat up and looked down at him. “Don’t be sorry,” she murmured. “I want you as much as you want me, Kade, but I have my beliefs first and my duty second.”

  He peeked up at her from underneath his arm. “I’ve never wanted anyone more in my life than I want you, Fallon. But, not just like this. I want you in my life forever, and I want to help you in your duty to destroy the Kjin.” His head dropped back down on the bed and he covered his eyes again. “I can’t go back to being a cop, but helping people has always been important to me. I think we could make a pretty good team together if you’ll have me.”

  She gently removed his arm so that he had to look at her. “I would love nothing more than to have you at my side, Kade Royce.”

  He looked at her doubtfully. “Really?”

  She leaned down and laid her head on his chest, hugging him close. “Yes. I have my doubts, of course, but I did accept your conditions, remember?”

  He stroked the side of her cheek. “You have made me a very happy man, Fallon.”

  “Happy to be throwing yourself into the midst of a war with evil forces? Do you really understand the danger h
ere, Kade?”

  “I do, and now that I know they exist, I couldn’t walk away if I wanted to.”

  “I’ll keep you safe,” she promised him.

  She felt him stiffen, but he did not respond.

  “To be honest, it feels like an unending battle most of the time. The Kjin are very difficult to kill because they can easily possess another body when they have to. It would help if we had more Knights.”

  “I guess you will have to make do with your Knight in Shining Armor until then,” he teased. “What is the plan?”

  “First, removing this threat from Alden.”

  He growled. “My uncle, you mean.”

  “He’s not your uncle, Kade, and the sooner you come to that realization, the easier this will be. You uncle died. How long ago, I’m not sure, but the Marc Ellis you know today is not your uncle.”

  He was silent for a moment. “What next then?”

  “First thing in the morning, I’m going to visit Father Tomas and get some answers.”

  “And, me?”

  “Go to your family and suggest a vacation. Tonight. Your aunt and cousins, as well. A Kjin who has just had his human ties cut is the most dangerous of all. He will not only be looking for a new body, he will be looking for revenge.”

  CHAPTER 14

  The Trap

  What?” Marc Ellis screamed. “Are you sure of this?”

  “Yes, Fallon Angell is still alive. I saw her walking toward St. Mary’s before I came here.”

  “Was my nephew with her?”

  “I didn’t see him.”

  Marc glared at the Kjin in front of him. It was not his fault that the Knight was still alive, but Marc wanted to take his head off all the same. First, the girl managed to escape the two thugs he sent after her at the lake and now somehow escaped his bomb. “We will proceed as planned then. If that girl wishes to do this the hard way, we will do it the hard way. But, one way or another, Fallon Angell will die.”