Scarla entered the room, sweaty and still in her training attire. “Now spill. Did you find it?”
Chay grimaced and sent a glare Scarla’s way. Gideon lurched forward to plant a fist in Chay’s stupid mug.
Scarla plopped herself between the two of them. “Don’t be mad at him. You should’ve known better. Now, tell me, did you find it and what happened?”
“Stay out of our shit, Baby Girl. None of this is your business,” Chay grunted.
Scarla side-eyed Chay, and a scowl lowered her brow. “Since when? All of you are always up in my business as if I’m ten and not twenty-three. And you’re the one who told me.”
Chay settled a cold glare on her, which she ignored. The tactic hadn’t worked since she hit puberty. Today, they played the father—daughter role. Tomorrow, it would be the mother—son. The two traded roles daily. His head dropped back to the sofa, his eyes closed.
“You know what, whatevs. I don’t want to know your stupid secrets. I have secrets of my own and a friend to share them with.” She pushed off the sofa.
Chay’s hand shot out to grab her wrist and caught Scarla between seated and upright. “What friend?” One eye open and staring right at her, Chay’s low voice threatened violence. None of them were naïve, and the chance of her retaining her innocence at her age, in this present day, was slim. Don’t ask, don’t tell clearly applied, but Chay refused to face that reality.
“My friend has ovaries and a uterus. Happy?” Scarla wrestled her arm free.
Chay slumped back into his previous position, that little bit of activity taxing. He managed to wave her on her way. Scarla huffed and stormed through the door, back to the training center. “So now you wait for the next one.” His gaze returned to the flat screen.
However long it took. The waiting game sucked, yet he had no choice. The vial in his pocket weighed more than a freight train careening off the rails.
A frisson of power zapped Gideon’s senses. He jerked up from his relaxed slouch. Chay was in the same alert condition.
“Felt that?” Chay was completely dialed into the situation.
Gideon was too busy zeroing in to answer.
Seconds stretched into a full minute. “Maybe we’re wrong,” Chay said.
“Both of us?” Gideon growled. Wait...the signature of the power was familiar. He felt it before, recently.
A scream came from the training center.
“Scarla!” Chay jolted into action with Gideon on his heels.
CHAPTER FIVE
Invisible to those around her, Dina studied her surroundings. Gideon’s essence led her to this place with rows of punching bags and weight racks. An arraignment of sai, nunchaku, tonfas, staves and wooden swords were stacked on a corner shelf. In the opposite corner, polearms waited for use. This place reminded her of home.
In large stencils, the sign on the wall read ‘No Fear Here’. Over a set of free weights, another sign read ‘True Power Begins in the Mind’. A young woman lifted weights below the sign. Burgundy hair fried from too many dye jobs and dressed in baggy clothes that gave no definition to her form. Dina’s aura encompassed the young woman and uncovered the woman’s entire life story. Too bad she wasn’t a comfort angel, because Sophie certainly needed comfort. Her soul required a balm and succor, the kind which she wouldn’t find building muscles and learning combat.
Another young woman entered the room from a rear door. Petite in form. Blond hair, though the lower inches were dyed black. Pretty, Dina noted until their gazes locked. The female’s eyes widened with dawning horror. The woman saw Dina even though she was invisible.
Dina’s aura expanded, brushed the woman, and reeled back at the unexpected. A Halfling. An abomination to Heaven and Hell. An affront to the celestial order stood in front of her.
Dina called forth her Empyreal sword and fully materialized. Sophie screamed while the Halfling settled into a familiar attack stance, a short sword appearing in her hand. She spared a quick word to Sophie who ran in the opposite direction.
The Halfling raced across the distance separating them. Dina noted the female’s speed, the way she carried her blade, the grace of her movements, and the flex of her muscles as she leaped and brought her blade down in a killing arc. All of it more than familiar…because it was so similar to her own movements…and those of the mentor who trained her.
Dina raised her sword and blocked. The strength of the blow reverberated through her body and surprised her. For a Halfling, the female was strong. However, strength would not save her.
Dina sidestepped the next swipe and countered with a fist to the female’s jaw. The Halfling dropped into a roll and escaped Dina’s follow through. He taught her this? But why? Why train the enemy?
The Halfling came at Dina with a flying kick. Dina pivoted, grabbed the Halfling’s leg and pitched the blond across the padded floor. The Halfling was on her feet quicker than a normal human would’ve been able to achieve, her features twisted with rage. She released a battle cry and raced forward.
Dina tracked her, timed her familiar movements. And swung her sword at the precise moment to cleave the Halfling’s head from her shoulders.
Gideon grabbed Dina’s wrist and stepped between her and her target. The tip of a dagger pressed into her unshielded throat. His appearance wasn’t a shock. The fallen angel with him—flanking her—was completely unexpected. She assumed the UnHallowed were loners.
Her eyes and the shadows in the basement of the home hadn’t tricked her. Even without the fall of coppery hair, his cruel lips, sharp cheekbones, and piercing eyes were all the same. And the body…she’d never forget the feel of his body, even though the only time they’d held each over was on the training field…and the day he betrayed Father.
“I will not allow you to kill anyone here,” Gideon spoke low, yet she heard every word over the shouts of the females.
“The creature is a Halfling,” she said, expecting the explanation to suffice.
“And I’m an UnHallowed. Your point?”
Apparently stating the obvious wasn’t enough. “She is an abomination.”
“She. Is. Family.” He pressed the tip deeper into her exposed throat. “And you are not. So whose side do you think I’d choose?”
Hurt snaked through Dina as their gazes clashed. The vehemence of his voice matched the determination in his eyes. He would slay her to protect the Halfling. She spared the woman a glance and found her gaze a mimic of Gideon’s. She had to admit, the very idea of a Halfling repulsed and equally intrigued. Gideon protected this girl. An unknown emotion stabbed Dina, one she didn’t have time to examine, so she forced it away and recalled her sword.
Gideon released her wrist but kept the dagger to her throat. “Why are you here?”
“I seek—” you “—information.”
Slowly, the dagger lowered. She stepped back—and into the sharp point of another blade when it slipped between the slats of her borrowed armor. She peered over her shoulder at a pasty skinned, frail looking man. No, this was a fallen angel. Another UnHallowed? His power level was subtle, but there.
“Draw a blade on Scarla again and I’ll gut you, Angel. Capisce?”
“Capisce?” She threw the query at Gideon. The word was Italian in origin and didn’t mean what the angel implied, but she was in no position to argue.
“Agree, or—” Gideon said.
“You will allow him to injure me.” Dina watched a muscle flex in Gideon’s jaw and the red rim around his cerulean eyes widen along with the black slivers. The cerulean vanished. Did that mean he liked the idea or did it mean the opposite? “I agree to your terms.”
The blade was removed. Before she turned and properly addressed the fallen angel, Gideon had her by the arm. He dragged her across the mats, past a stunned Sophie, and marched them through a short hallway. Gideon turned the knob of the second door on the left and hauled her through a comfortable looking room with plush sofas and a huge flat screen TV.
He continued
to pull her along and she allowed it. Better to have a guide into the enemy’s lair than stumble along blind. Footsteps thumped behind her. She had an entourage and expected no less. They exited on the other side and stepped into another hallway with doors lining each side. Gideon halted in front of the second door on the right and ushered her inside.
The suite was nicely appointed with a king-sized bed, sitting area, dining table, and bar. Paneled walls, fur throw on the bed and stone floor. Simple, seemingly comfortable, yet claustrophobic. No window to the clouds, no air caressing her feathers. Instead, the weight of the earth pressed down on her.
“How did you find this place?” The UnHallowed demanded as soon as the door closed in the Halfling’s face. She pounded on the surface, shouting obscenities that caused Dina to flinch. Yet the UnHallowed refused her entrance.
“This place is shielded, so how?” The UnHallowed stepped forward, his movements precise, controlled. His dull pewter eyes peeking between strands of lank hair.
An aura of menace surrounded him, more so than anyone else in the room, and incongruous to the words on the shirt he wore. ‘My Light Saber is Behind My Zipper’. What did that mean? “Gideon’s blood led me to this place.”
His gaze shifted to Gideon. “You let her wound you?”
“There was no let involved.” Gideon snarled.
“We had combat. I prevailed,” Dina said. All eyes swung her way.
Gideon glared at her. “Because I let you.”
“I thought there was no let involved.” The UnHallowed’s tone was steely.
Gideon whirled on the UnHallowed. “Can you get the hell out!”
“Where did she get you?” The UnHallowed smirked. “Did you bleed a lot? Melt anything?”
“Melt anything?” she asked.
“Acid for blood. That’s what you get when you’re one of us,” the UnHallowed said.
Acid blood? She remembered wounding him but was too distracted by the fight to notice. “You had no choice to release me when I snapped my wings open. It wasn’t because of your blood.”
Gideon folded his arms across his chest and smirked. “I could have ripped them off your back.”
Her fingers curled, a precursor to her calling forth her weapon. Removal of her wings…she’d never fly, never soar, be landlocked forever. Weak.
“This is like watching Couples Therapy.” The UnHallowed threw himself into the nearest sofa and ran a hand through his matted brown hair. “I don’t have much more energy for this.”
“Who are you?” She pivoted to face him. “My former mentor I know, but you, I have no memory of your presence in the Celestial Army.”
He saluted her. “Chayyliél, formerly The Powerful One. Now I’m as feeble as a ninety-year-old in adult diapers and just as harmless and dirty.”
It couldn’t be. Chayyliél was one of the most powerful angels in Heaven. Now, he looked so different, a shell of the former angel she remembered. He lost at least a foot of height and all of his mass.
“I was there, the moment Metatron fell. Didn’t have a choice since it was a command performance.” A smirk twisted Chayyliél’s lips.
“Shut it, Chay,” Gideon snapped.
“I’m finally being helpful, what you’ve requested for eons, and now you want me to shut up. Fine. Shutting up.” He slouched on the sofa, folded his arms across his chest, and closed his eyes.
Dina turned to Gideon, anger pulsing through her. “Never threaten my wings again.” Her palm itched for her sword.
His eyes narrowed and his gaze dropped to her hand. “Come at me again with an Empyreal sword and I will do more than rip your fucking wings off.”
“This movie is getting good. I need some popcorn.” Chay pulled out a small square object.
“Put the damn phone away.” Gideon grabbed Chay by his shirt and hauled him to his feet. “You’re leaving.” Chay gave Gideon a pointed glare and allowed himself to be tossed out of the bedroom door. She guessed at the unspoken look shared between the two men. Chay wanted the same thing she wanted…information.
The door slammed closed with a solid thunk and she turned to Gideon. Emotions flicked in the depth of his red-rimmed eyes. By his fisted hands and rigid stance, none of those emotions were good. He spun away from her, discarded his coat, and paced the length of the room. His movements were kinetic, almost contagious. She wanted to join in the pacing, yet couldn’t peel her gaze away from the ripple of muscles outlined beneath his shirt.
Instead of calling her blade or fleeing, the sensible thing to do, Dina was rooted to the spot. Despite her growing fascination with her UnHallowed former mentor skewering her with his gaze, she came here for answers. And she would get them.
CHAPTER SIX
Gideon circled Dina, not quite sure of his feelings about her presence, especially in his private quarters. Fuck, not sure about anything as he surreptitiously studied her. The light from the Cruor hadn’t done her justice. He took in her tousled hair, her wary eyes, and his armor gracing her body.
He’d pictured her here many a lonely night, her long reddish brown hair spread across his bed. The curve of her jaw tilted to receive his kisses and her lean form stretched out beneath his…Hollow dreams.
He turned away and rolled his shoulders, buying time to bury his pointless desire. “You said you wanted information. Go ahead and ask.” Thirst propelled him to the bar. “Want something to drink?”
“You know I need no sustenance. And neither do you.”
He opened the small fridge and grabbed a beer. A twist of the cap and half of the brew was down his throat. “Liquor has nothing to do with sustenance, and everything to do with quenching an irrepressible itch.” He took another gulp. And surprise! Surprise! She held out her hand.
He played the gentleman and filled a glass for her. She approached him instead of the other way around. Her stride wasn’t the timid steps he remembered when she first came to him for training. Her confidence evident in every movement, even though the armor shielded her curves from his hungry eyes.
“Why are you wearing my armor? You never answered the question.” He drained the bottle and tossed it in the trash.
She studied the beer. Smelled it. Held it up to the light. Then took a tentative sip...and gagged. “This liquid is disgusting.” He reached for the glass, but she paused. “What effect does it have on you?” she asked.
“In copious amounts, it takes all of the pain away.”
She brought the glass to her lips again, tipped her head back, and took a deeper, longer draw. A grimace crossed her lovely face, but she swallowed. “I fail to see the appeal.”
Yet she kept the glass.
Gideon sat in his favorite chair, a vintage leather club chair he had since 1940. She perched on the arm of the sofa nearest to him, clearly uncomfortable. Why was she wearing his ill-fitting armor when, with his own hand, he’d fashioned new armor for her days before the Fall and left it in her quarters?
Dina watched him without the hostility of their first meeting. Hostility, he could deal with. The unknown swimming in the depths of her eyes, that he wanted no part of. “Information goes both ways.”
Dina tipped her head in his direction. “Tell me about the UnHallowed.”
He needed another beer before he started the tale. “You know of Metatron, the appointed leader of the Celestial Army.”
“Yes. Does he reside here also?”
“No…no one has seen or heard from him since the Fall. We don’t know if he is UnHallowed, Demoni Lord, or dead.”
“But—”
“Yeah, we fell because we believed in him more than we believed in Father. For that lack of faith, we should’ve landed in the lowest pit of Hell. Some did. Most didn’t.” He swallowed a gulp to clear the sudden lump clogging his throat. He—they—never spoke of this. Why rehash their greatest failure? “No longer angels. Not Darklings either. We were UnHallowed.”
“Who named you?”
“The name came to us. Came to us all.”
“You mentioned redemption at the Cruor. What did you mean?” She fired the questions at him as if she’d planned this interrogation a year in advance.
“We are here when we shouldn’t be, living among the humans. A guardian of sorts. Some of us strive to do good. Others don’t want to be bothered…most don’t want to be bothered. Some of us are completely evil.”
“Demoni Lords?”
“Ding. Ding. Ding. You are as smart as I remember.” He drained another beer and made a rim shot into the garbage can.
A grimace tightened her face. “Smart enough to know about the Demoni Lords. They’re a required study. Not smart enough to know about you.”
“We’re persona non-grata. The bastard love child.” A dry chuckle escaped at her furrowed eyebrow and questioning glare. “The Archangels know of us and chose to keep the grunts like you ignorant. Easier than explaining how Father’s love extended farther than the angels and the humans.”
“At first, I wondered how you, the UnHallowed, escaped detection, then I realized the Council of Archangels had to have known of your existence and kept the knowledge secret. The tome in the archive proved it.” Dina stood and strolled around the room.
With predatory intent, he watched her movements and stifled the desire to snatch her to him and take what he wanted. “Okay, this discussion is over, unless you want to explain why my armor is on your body.”
“What is your plan for the Cruor?” She pivoted and faced him.
He’d forgotten how tenacious she was. “As I stated, I plan on closing it.”
“How?” She bit out.
“Not your concern. Now it’s time for you to go.”
“I want to assist.”
“No.” Fear caused the word to come out harsher than he intended. He dialed back his anxiety and said, “Thanks, but working with me won’t advance your career. Besides, I got this.” He moved to the door.
Only the Fallen (UnHallowed Series Book 1) Page 4