Sal stood in the middle of the road. As they were about to crash into him, he lifted his arm and flicked his wrist. Naomi screamed as the car flipped, and she slammed against the roof. Shattering glass muted her screams and the crunch of metal as the car rolled over and over. Lash tried to get a hold of her as her body was being tossed around and just as his fingers touched her arm, she fell out of the car.
Before the car stopped, he tore through the crushed door. “Naomi! Naomi!”
In the distance, he saw her motionless body, and his heart stopped. No!
When he reached her, he stifled a cry at her blood-streaked body. His hands trembled as they hovered over her battered body, struggling with whether his touch would hurt her even more. Delicately, he lifted her into his arms, and he heard a faint heartbeat. He let out a breath of relief. “Stay with me, Naomi. Do you hear me? Hang on.”
A cold wind blew hard and the sky drew dark with dust and clouds. Then he heard barking and Bear scampered out from behind the mass of metal. She ran toward them. It was a miracle she was still alive.
“Lash, take her away! They’re near!” Deborah cried as she struggled to hold back the titian-haired angel.
He could just make out the shapes of the fallen angels within the clouds. Lucifer had bought his entire army.
He looked toward Shiprock, Naomi’s salvation. It was far for him, but he could fly it. He had to.
He pushed out his wings and pressed her close to him as he stood. “We’ll make it, Naomi.”
He took off into the air and flew as fast as he could. His eyes scanned the ground below and the sky, and there was no sign of Sal. That’s when he saw was a little brown furry animal chasing after them.
“No, Bear. Go back.”
She continued to chase them as he struggled. Shiprock grew closer, and he could feel himself growing tired and he pushed himself to go faster. He couldn’t stop. He had to keep going.
Something rammed hard against his back, knocking the wind out of him and caused him to lose hold of Naomi. She fell a few feet before he was able to grab onto her arm and her body dangled in the air.
A harsh laughter came from behind him. “You can barely fly.” Sal flew a few feet in front of him, his black wings spilling out his back, taunting Lash. “And you call yourself a seraph.”
He tried to maneuver himself away from Sal, but Sal wouldn’t let him pass. “Pathetic.” Sal punched him in the chest and he buckled in pain but kept a tight grip on Naomi as he struggled to fly away from him.
Sal shot up higher into the sky and circled around him like a hunter circling its prey. “Give it up, Lash. Let go of the girl, and I may just spare you.”
“Never.” He gritted his teeth as he struggled to pull Naomi up.
In one swoop, Sal caught hold of one of his wings and ripped it.
Searing white pain coursed through his body and he screamed. His wing went limp and he started to fall.
“Last chance, Lash,” Sal called as he spiraled down to the ground. “Save yourself and let her go.”
Lash grabbed Naomi’s other hand and tried to pull her up close to him as he continued to fall. If he could get under her maybe he could cushion the impact with his body. Just as he was about to hit the ground, Rachel flew through the air and caught her.
He fell with a loud thud, and turned over, groaning in pain. He looked for Rachel and found her settling Naomi gently to the ground. Bear came running up to her and whined as she licked Naomi’s face.
Rachel patted her on the head, comforting her. “She’ll be okay.”
“What are you doing?” Lash pulled himself up and pressed his hand to his rib cage. Some bones were broken. “Take her to the safe house.”
Rachel looked at him with sad eyes. “That’s not for me to do. I was told to—”
A searing pain slammed Lash’s back and he soared ten feet through the air before crashing to the ground. When he looked up, Sal was standing over him and was about to attack him again when a blur of white knocked Sal to the ground.
“Take her, Lash.” Jeremy flapped his wings as he fought to keep Sal down. “Go to the top of Shiprock.”
Lash scrambled over to where Naomi laid her head on Rachel’s lap. “Help her please. Use your powers, to help her. I don’t have enough to heal her.”
“I’m sorry. I can’t.” Rachel lifted Naomi and placed her in his arms. “Go quickly.”
Bear barked and then whined.
Lash looked to Bear and then back at Rachel. He couldn’t leave her any more than he could leave Naomi.
“I’ll make sure she gets home,” Rachel said. “I promise.”
He ripped the necklace from Naomi’s neck and wrapped it around Bear’s collar. He knew when Welita saw it that she would know what it meant.
“Hurry, Lash. They’re coming!” Jeremy held Sal in a choke-hold. With a grunt, Sal freed himself from Jeremy and took to the skies heading toward the dark clouds.
Lash looked to the direction Sal flew and saw the army of the fallen near. Behind him he heard something that sounded like an army of jet engines. He turned and saw Raphael leading a swarm of angels as they flew toward the dark cloud.
“Go now!” Jeremy yelled as he took up into the skies to join Raphael.
He took Naomi into his arms and winced with each shallow breath she took. “We’re almost there, my love,” his voice quivered.
Bending his knees, he pushed off the ground into the air. Pain tore through him with every flap of his injured wing, but he willed himself to go faster as he gritted through the burn. He could hear the battle behind him grow closer. He didn’t dare look back. His one focus was to get Naomi to Shiprock.
As he got closer to the mountain, a splatter of cold droplets fell onto his back. One after another they fell he could barely see through the sheets of rain that fell over them. His wings began to grow heavy and he felt himself dipping down again. He gritted his teeth, pushing himself harder and further than he ever had before.
Though it felt like hours, in a few minutes he finally laid Naomi on a flat surface on the top of Shiprock. He looked around for a safe house, a cave, a hole. There was none. Whatever was meant to keep her safe was somehow gone or missing.
He turned to look at the fighting. They were close. He cradled Naomi to his chest, fearful that at any moment they would get her. The rain washed away the blood that covered her face and darkened her hair. He covered her body attempting to shield her from the rain and the swarm of fallen angels that were ready to take her away from him. “Please, don’t let them take her. Whatever mistake I made, I’m sorry. I was wrong. Please, don’t make her have to pay for my mistakes. Do what you want with me. I’ll do whatever you ask.”
He was wrong. Why was it now that he held the most precious thing in his life, did he realize how wrong he was. When did he lose faith in what he was supposed to do? Where did Naomi find the faith she needed to trust him? And now that she did, all he had to offer her was death. He kissed her cheek gently and whispered, “Forgive me.”
Lash placed his head against Naomi’s chest, and focused on the slow beat of her heart and the warmth of her skin. He imagined that they were back at Welita’s house sitting around the dinner table, remembering how she’d throw her head back when she laughed. He remembered Naomi and Chuy’s relentless bantering, and how when they included him in their teasing he felt like part of the family. He thought of Welita’s trusting eyes as she told him to have faith in himself. He even imagined Bear and the way that her little leg would lift and shake whenever he scratched the right spot behind her ear. He wanted those moments again.
“Lash,” Naomi’s voice was faint. “Where are we?”
He lifted his head and saw dark bruises form under her eyes, a startling contrast to her pale face. It was an expression he’d seen many times before. She was dying. “Shh, don’t talk. We’re on the top of Shiprock.”
“Bear?” she wheezed.
“Is fine. She’s being taken back home.”
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She nodded and glanced down. Her fingers traced the red welts on his stomach. “You’re hurt.”
“It looks worse than it feels.”
She covered her mouth as she gave a deep wet cough. When she stopped, she looked down at her hand and her face turned whiter. Quickly, she clutched her hand into a fist.
“What is it?” He reached for her clutched hand.
“Nothing.” She coughed again and pressed a hand to her chest. Before she could wipe her mouth, Lash saw the blood lining her lips and he tenderly brushed it away with his fingers. Gently, he flipped over her hand and peeled her fingers open.
He groaned. “You’re coughing up blood.” He looked in the direction of the fighting angels and spotted Raphael. “Raphael, please, help her.” If there was one person that could save her, it was Raphael.
He clutched the side of his head with his hand as a stab of pain swept through it. Then he heard Luke’s voice as if it were speaking from inside his head. “I can save her. All you have to do is ask.”
He looked over the edge and at the foot of the mountain was Luke. He gave Lash a sweet smile and acted like he was taking a stroll in the rain.
“Let me help you,” the voice echoed in his head. “Don’t repeat the mistakes of your past.”
A vision went through his mind. This time he was standing by the hazel-eyed woman’s side. She had an arm around him as he watched Jeremy hand a gold ring to an older man. Behind the man, Naomi was gazing sadly at Lash.
“She wasn’t yours to begin with,” Luke said. “She can be now.”
Lash dropped his head to his chest when he realized the meaning of the vision. The man was Naomi’s father, accepting Jeremy’s offer to be betrothed to her.
He gazed down at Naomi, her eyes searched his questioningly. “What’s wrong?” She coughed again, spitting up more blood.
He tore off the end of her shirt and brushed away the blood from her chin. His eyes locked with hers, and he felt his heart surge. Rain mixed with his tears slid down his face. He couldn’t do it. No matter how much he loved her, he couldn’t damn her soul even if it meant he might lose her.
“No,” he whispered.
“You fool!” Luke spat. He expanded his black wings to their full length and flew high above them. “Then I shall take what is rightfully mine.”
“Not this time!” Raphael shouted as he surged past Lash right toward Luke.
Raphael kicked his foot against his chest sending him flying back. “Jeremiel, the time is now!” he yelled.
Jeremy landed a few feet away from them. His blond hair, darkened by the rain, laid plastered against his head. His wings were at its full expanse as if he was anticipating a fight.
“What’s…Jeremy…doing here?” Naomi wheezed.
Lash felt his stomach plummet. Naomi could see him.
He held onto her tighter, and he growled at Jeremy. “Stay away from her. I’m warning you.”
Lightning streaked across the sky behind Jeremy. His lips turned into a thin line as he looked at Naomi and then back to Jeremy. “You’ve done your duty, Lash. Let me do mine.”
Lash tensed and his nostrils flared. Raphael and Jeremy betrayed him and somehow they were able to wipe his memories of the event. Whatever it was, he was not letting them take her away from him. He gently lifted Naomi off him and placed her on the ground.
“Lash,” she whimpered.
“I won’t let him hurt you. I promise.” He pressed his lips against her cold cheek, then drew back and gazed intently into her eyes. “I love you.”
“I love you,” she whispered.
Lash turned to face his best friend. The one person that he thought of as his brother, the one person he thought would never let him down and would always be by his side. He was ready to fight him.
“Don’t make me hurt you,” Jeremy warned.
Lash crouched in front of Naomi protectively. “You wanted her once and I gave in. I won’t do that again.”
“How can you believe Lucifer’s lies?”
“How can I not? I trusted you, and you knew all along this would happen, yet you told me nothing…friend.” He sneered the word.
Jeremy opened his mouth about to say something and then slammed it shut, clenching his jaw. “So be it.” He raised a hand high above his head, and a flash of light streaked down from the sky and into his hand. Before Lash could take a step toward him, Jeremy threw the bolt of lightning and sent Lash crashing to the ground next to Naomi.
23
Lash jolted up gasping for breath. “Naomi!”
His eyes adjusted to the brightness of the room. Sunlight streamed through the wall-length windows in the Room of Offerings. He was home.
Everything around him was the same—the marble floors, the circle of white furniture in the center of the room, the rich tapestries, and the walls lined with sculptures and paintings. It was perfect, it was beautiful—he hated it.
He dropped his head into his hands as raw pain surged through his chest. She was gone. The one person who believed in him, had faith in him, was torn away from his arms. His reward became his punishment, and he was left to wander until the end of time without Naomi, half alive—broken. Would he ever find a way to heal his soul?
He trudged to one of the glass cases and stared at the statuettes: Raphael, Gabrielle, Jeremy, all of them. They all betrayed him. Rage boiled at the sight of them. He punched his fist through the case and swiped his arms over the shelves, smashing the figures to the ground. One after the other, he went along the walls, dumping over the cases, shattering them until there was nothing left, and he fell to his knees sobbing.
He couldn’t live like this. Naomi was somewhere close. He could feel it. He could hear her voice in the wind—her touch still lingered on his skin. He couldn’t live in Heaven, knowing she was near and never being able to see her again. Heaven, home, neither could exist without her.
Footsteps echoed in the distance and stopped outside the door. Lash held his breath, hoping whoever it was would leave him alone. The door opened and closed, and he felt a presence in the room. “Lahash, we need to talk.”
Raphael. Lash curled his hands into fists. “Go away.”
“I know you are angry with me, and there is much I need to explain.”
“What’s there to explain?” He jumped to his feet. “You tell me to keep Naomi safe and then you have Jeremy kill her. If this assignment was meant to make sure that I was miserable for the rest of my existence, well, bravo”—he clapped—“mission accomplished.”
Raphael’s eyes grew sad. “The assignment wasn’t to hurt you. It was meant to test your faith.”
“It was meant to see what kind of fool I am. When Gabrielle handed it to me, I should’ve—” he froze. She did want him to do it. She knew it would end like this and she acted like she didn’t want him to take the assignment, knowing that he would.
“Gabrielle knew Naomi would die. Damn her to Hell!” Lash punched his hand against the stone wall and a loud crack reverberated through the room. He clutched his hand to his chest and winced. Even in his angel form, it still hurt, but it didn’t compare to the pain in his chest.
“It is not what you think,” Raphael said calmly. “Come with me. There is something I need to show you.”
“No. I’ve had enough of you. From now on, I’ll take my assignments directly from Michael.” He walked past him and threw the door open to find Jeremy standing in the hallway.
There was a beat of silence. Before Jeremy could say a word, he lunged at him, sending them sailing down the hall.
In one move, Jeremy threw him off and leapt to his feet. “Stop it, Lash. I will not fight you.”
“Fine by me, asshole!” He punched him.
The echo of his fists contacting Jeremy’s jaw sent a flurry of angels into the corridors. Rachel ran down the hall, her dark eyes widened as she watched his fist connect with Jeremy’s nose, splattering blood against the white walls. She gasped and turned back down the hall.
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Jeremy’s eyes glowed with rage as he wiped blood off his face with the back of his hand. He tried to push Lash away, only to be punched again by his right hook. As Jeremy hit the ground, Lash threw himself on top of him. Lash was about to punch him again when Jeremy grasped his hands together and hit him on the chest so hard that he flew back smashing into the wall.
Raphael sped down the hall and tried to get a hold of Lash. There was a chorus of gasps when Lash dared to elbow him in the stomach. Raphael fell to his knees.
“That is enough.” Gabrielle pushed through the crowd with Rachel following close behind. She paused at the outskirt of the group, biting her lip with worry as she looked at Raphael who was still on the ground.
Gabrielle placed herself between Lash and Jeremy. Her green eyes glittered with anger as she stood face to face with Lash.
“Get out of the way or I’ll have to take you down, too.” He took a threatening step forward.
There was a deathly silence as Gabrielle pulled her shoulders back and expanded her wings to their full length, pulling her rank as archangel, as second in command only to Michael. “You wouldn’t dare.”
Lash paused taking in the scene around him. All eyes watched warily for his next move as they looked from Lash to Jeremy, blood dripping from his face, to Raphael, who lay still on the floor. Lash’s eyes rested on Rachel’s, silently pleading with him to stop. Anger drained out of him when he realized what he’d done. Never in his life had he ever resorted to violence against the archangels.
He stepped back and ducked his head in deference to Gabrielle’s authority.
She flicked her wings once then closed them back into her body. “Raphael,” she said gently as she bent down and placed a hand on his head. “Would you like to seek an audience with Michael to request a reprimand of Lash and his attack on you?”
Raphael wore a haunted look. “No, it is what I deserve.”
Lash’s head shot up at the statement. He admitted it.
“You have already been forgiven for your past.” She helped him up and pressed a hand against his cheek. “There is no need to punish yourself further.”
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