I run my fingers down his shoulders to his arms. “You’re beautiful.”
He frowns. “This has never happened before.”
Maybe that’s a good thing.
His eyes blaze as he turns toward me. It’s definitely a good thing.
I still. “Your lips didn’t move.”
He looks thoughtful. “Neither did yours.”
I shake my head. “You’re talking in my mind, now?”
He’s silent for a moment, then speaks. “You can’t hear me now, can you?”
I listen, but there’s nothing.
“That’s interesting. I’m used to speaking telepathically with other angels. But it’s never happened with a human. I wondered how long it would last.”
“You think it’s just from our…romantic connection?” I felt worried that he could speak to me telepathically, but now I feel kind of sad that it’s gone.
His mouth quirks up at the corners. “Want to try again and find out?”
“I really, really want to. But I don’t think I can sleep knowing those things are after me. Are we really safe here?”
He holds me closer. “There are armaments all over the cabin. Trust me, we’re safe.”
The sincerity in his voice reassures me. I force myself to relax. “I hope you’re right.” I hesitate. “The thing is, I don’t know if I’ll feel safe until I know what they want my research for. It doesn’t seem like something immortal beings would be interested in.”
His brows crease. “Why don’t you tell me about it? Maybe I can figure it out.”
I open my mouth, then close it again. I haven’t told anyone outside the scientific community about my research. Few would understand it. Even fewer would believe it.
“Okay.” I begin to explain slowly, “Since I was a little girl, I’ve been able to sense strange things all around me. For a long time I didn’t know what they were, only that they bothered me. When I got older, I had a suspicion. In college, I had access to a lab and could actually conduct a few experiments. I finally confirmed what I suspected. What I was sensing was actually holes in the fabric of space time. Like little black holes.”
The interest in his expression heightens considerably. “Really.”
“Really.” I affirm. “I noticed that they’ve increased in number as I’ve grown up. For some reason they bother me. So, for the past ten years I’ve been researching ways to make them go away.”
His entire body stiffens. “And…”
“And I’ve found one.”
He lets me go and jumps up. “I know why they’re after you.”
From the way his entire body tensed, I’m not sure I want to know. “Why?”
“Gillian, those holes are the very reason for my existence. They are the holes demons come through to get here from the hell dimension. If you know how to close them, you’ll prevent them from coming to Earth.”
The implication of his words stuns me.
“If this is true,” he says gravely, “you’re right. We aren’t going to sleep tonight. And you are going to need more protection than just me. We need to gather the entire army. This changes everything.”
To Be Continued…
PART TWO: ANGEL BETRAYED
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
1
Brion
I jump off the sofa and run to the door, adding extra power to the armaments around the cabin. If what Gillian is saying is correct, every demon in Hell is going to be after her. We need to get downstairs so I can call the only two angels I trust for something this serious: Cas and Zakiel.
We.
I turn back to see my little scientist still sitting on the sofa, staring at me openmouthed.
“What are you doing?” Her voice is incredulous.
I stride over and grab her hand. “We need to hurry.”
She resists my attempt to pull her to her feet. “I thought you said this place is safe.”
Dammit. I sigh. “Gillian, this place is safe from a normal demon attack. But if you’ve found a way to close the portals from the underworld—and they know about it—this is not going to be a normal demon attack.”
“Why is it that when I’m with you, the entire world changes every few hours?”
“The world hasn’t changed,” I mutter, pulling her to her feet. “Only your perception of it.”
“Are you really trying to discuss metaphysical philosophy with me?” she asks exasperatedly. “You know I’m a scientist, right?”
I kiss her forehead. “Yes. You’re a scientist who feels black holes that open from the hell dimension. That alone should shake your scientific foundations.”
She puts up her hands in surrender. “Touché. What kind of demon attack is it going to be?”
I turn away. The kind where they open a humongous portal, suck the whole damn cabin into the hell dimension, and thousands of demons spend the rest of eternity figuring out how to get into it. “Don’t worry. I have backup.” I’m not about to lose her now.
She sways against me for a moment, then her nose wrinkles. “Are we on the run now? Because at some point I should probably stop by my house and get more clothing. And the rest of my research.”
“The rest of your research?” I can feel a headache coming on. I haven’t had one since I was human, but this little scientist may just bring one on yet.
“Yes. No one can recreate my research without the equipment in my lab, the USB I carry on me, and the research at my house.”
I rub my forehead. “Great.”
“It’s in the terms of my contract. I can’t keep all of the information and equipment in the same place.”
I pin her with my stare. “Really. I’m becoming very interested in who’s funding your research.”
“You know, if demons really are after me, we should probably go back to the lab and get my invention.”
I’m almost afraid to ask. “What invention?”
“The one that actually closes the portals.”
Can angels get migraines? I feel the edges of my vision start to waiver. “You not only found a way to close the portals, but you built a device to do it?”
For the first time, she looked smug. “Yes, I did. It took six months to get all of the pieces together, and I just completed it three days ago. It’s really big, so I didn’t ask you bring it earlier. I just brought the plans so I could re-create it. But it takes quite a few specialty parts to build it so if we have more angels and can use a portal, it might be best just to bring it with us.”
I grab her hand and spring toward the bookcase. “You know, Gillian, you and I are going to have to have a talk. About information that needs to be shared. And when.”
2
Gillian
Brion almost hurtles toward the bookcase, yanking the book out. The bookcase pops open and he ushers me inside before him. He shuts it behind us and places his hand on it. A green light seems to emanate from between his hand and the door. This time, the green light flashes out over the door in all directions, and I can feel the strange force again.
Brion might say that he has backup, but his actions are telling me this is a big deal. Very big.
He flips a switch at the top of the staircase and I’m surprised to see bright white light flooding the space below. I’m even more surprised when we reach the bottom of the stairs. Computer screens span the entire far wall with a long table that runs beneath them. There’s surveillance equipment, what looks like heavy-duty communications equipment, and some devices I’ve never seen before. The rest of the walls are lined with bookcases and there are two long tables that function as work space on either side of the room.
The screens are already on. One holds a map of the Earth with red and white dots.
He doesn’t bother looking
at them, but grabs my hand and pulls me around the staircase to a door beneath it. He opens it and ushers me inside. We cramp ourselves into the tight space and he closes the door behind us. It’s pitch-black for a moment, but then I see the outline of his hand on the wall in front of us. A keypad appears, and he types a ten-digit code into it. The wall slides back with a whoosh.
We crawl out into a tall but compact room. Weapons of all shapes and sizes line the walls. One wall has lit cubbyholes with stones, pendants, rings, and other artifacts.
“All of this is yours?” In the close quarters, I’m aware once more that his brown eyes are flecked with gold, and his skin seems to shimmer. I want to touch him, to run my fingers over him again, but I force myself to resist. I clench my fists.
He shrugs and his exotic scent seems to fill the tiny space.
Get your mind on the plan, Gillian.
“Some of it,” he answers. “The rest I inherited. Or stole.” He takes a pendant off the wall and puts it around my neck, and puts a stone in my pocket. Then he goes to the wall in front of us that holds two more daggers, similar to one the demon had used.
“Those look alien.”
“They aren’t from this world,” he agrees. “Angels protect multiple worlds, even though I’ve never been to them. Some artifacts from other worlds make their way to Earth.” He holds out the dagger for me.
I hold up my hands to ward it off. “I don’t think I want that.”
“Yes, you do. It’s a Galadrian dagger. You might think using it is horrible, but believe me, a demon taking over your body is worse.”
I take the dagger.
He hands me a belt with a leather sheath and helps me to hook it around my waist. Then, he grabs an assortment of weapons for himself, sliding a pendant over his head. It lies against his bare chest and I find myself wanting to touch it. With a gentle hand on the small of my back, he guides me back out into the main basement.
He brushes by me, caressing my hip as he goes to the communications device. He flips a switch and a feminine voice answers in a language I don’t understand. He speaks back in the same language for a moment, then flips the switch off.
“Who was that?”
“Our angelic messaging service. She’ll call Cas and Zakiel to meet me.”
“I thought you have telepathy. Can’t you just call them with your mind?”
He shakes his head. “Not typically. We try to stay fairly well shielded from each other, or we’d always be in each other’s thoughts. Unless it’s an emergency. It takes a lot of emotion to use our minds like that.”
“Really.” I pause. “Isn’t this an emergency?”
He pins me with a level stare. “You’ll know when it’s an emergency.”
I don’t have time to think about it, because at that instant a glowing portal opens in the corner of the room and an angel steps through. He has short, curly dark brown hair and piercing blue eyes. He’s shirtless and his wings are out. Black jeans and combat boots complete his ensemble. He looks around the same age as Brion, but his demeanor is slightly older, more serious.
Do angels hold stock in Levi’s, or what? And what’s with all the tattoos? Ink swirls over him in much the same manner as it does Brion, across his chest, shoulders, and arms.
“Cas.” Brion steps forward and clasps arms with him.
“Brion.”
But before they can continue the exchange, a second portal opens and an angel wearing black slacks and black leather dress shoes steps out. He looks noticeably different than the first two. This angel has straight white-blond hair down to the center of his back and green eyes. He’s thinner and taller than the others, his facial structure more delicate. He has the same golden skin, but his wings look as though they’re dipped in gold rather than titanium. And his tattoos are fundamentally different. They’re sharper, and the language seems almost alien.
Brion clasps arms with him as he did before. “Zakiel.”
I’d thought the basement was large, but the two new angels dwarf the small space. They furl their wings, but don’t draw them in like Brion does.
I know they have wings so it must be easier to be shirtless. But I still find it awkward to be near three enormous, tattooed, half-dressed warriors. Even if I do have a dagger of my own. I caress the hilt.
Zakiel looks at me and asks a question in the language I can’t understand.
Brion turns back to me. “This is Gillian,” he says in English. “Gillian, this is Zakiel.” Then he points to the angel with dark hair and blue jeans. “And this is Cas.”
Cas gives a wave and a small smile. “Hello.”
Zakiel switches to English, following his lead. “Why have you called us here?”
Brion gestures to me. “Gillian was my target. She’s a scientist.” He says it almost proudly, placing a hand on the small of my back.
I turn to him and raise my eyebrows. “Target?”
He shrugs and whispers in my ear. “Sorry, it’s the lingo.”
I blush. “You’re lucky you’re cute.”
Unexpectedly, he smiles back.
“What’s going on here?” Zakiel says, pointing a finger from me to him.
Brion shrugs, but his gaze runs from the top of my head down to my toes, warming me to my core.
My blush deepens.
Zakiel’s eyebrows fly up and his mouth opens in surprise. “Are you… attracted to this human?”
“Yep.” Brion grins. “I was surprised at first, too.”
“I haven’t even looked at a woman in the two centuries since I died.” Cas’s face is chagrined and he gazes down at the crotch of his jeans sadly. “I thought becoming an angel meant we didn’t have human urges anymore.”
“I don’t know why, but from the first moment I laid eyes on her, I’ve been drawn to her.”
I stare at Brion first, surprised by the revelation. How could such an incredible man not have desires? And what was it about me that brought those urges back to him? I feel a spark of pride.
Then, my gaze turns to the other angels and a strange sadness takes over. Angels or not, it’s a shame these beautiful men lost something so precious when they died. True love is a gift.
After a moment, Zakiel mutters, “This can’t be good.”
He looks at Cas for backup, but the other angel merely shrugs.
Brion continues, pointedly ignoring the byplay. “She’s invented a device that shuts the portals from the underworld. Someone downstairs found out about it and put a hit on her.”
His words seem to suck the air from the room. Shock drains the color from the other angels’ faces. For a long moment, no one speaks.
“You’ve got to be kidding.” Zakiel runs his fingers through his very long, white-blond hair and starts to pace.
“ Are—are you sure?” Cas asks.
Brion levels him with a stare. “I wouldn’t have called you both here if I wasn’t serious.”
After another couple of awkward seconds, Cas curses. “Every demon and their mother will be trying to kill her now. And get their hands on the device.”
I can feel my knees starting to tremble slightly. But Brion’s next words devastate me.
“Please. I need your help.”
It isn’t what he says, but how he says it. I get the feeling he would kneel if he had to. The other two angels straighten.
“Anything,” Cas answers immediately.
Zakiel gazes at Brion thoughtfully for a moment, then nods his assent.
Gratitude rushes over me. Brion was right when he said we weren’t alone. But then, for the first time, I begin to feel real fear about the final outcome of my situation. If two angels are willing to drop everything and help you, a voice whispers in my mind, things must be really bad.
Zakiel steps forward. “You have our help, Brion. What is your plan?”
“We need to go back and get the rest of her research from her apartment. Then we need to get to the lab to pick up her invention.”
“How long do
you think we have before all of Hell descends on us?” Cas looks between them.
Brion shrugs. “I’m betting we have hours. At best.”
I wonder what all of hell descending on us will look like. A sudden thought occurs to me. “If you’re right, and they’re tracking me, do you think they’ll go to my apartment? Keith is still there.”
Brion lets out a stream of curses. “I forgot about him. Yes, we need to get him out of there.”
“I left my phone at the lab so I guess we’ll have to tell him in person.”
“Then let’s get on it.” Zakiel looks over at the staircase and a wide smile spreads across his face. “But before we go, I’m thinking we’ll need some of the goodies you’re hiding under that staircase.”
3
Gillian
After the angels are fitted with weapons, Brion hides the box with the research I took from the lab under the stairs. Then we climb back up to the main level.
As we hurry toward the front door, I take in the cabin one last time, wishing we could have stayed longer. The sunset streaks the sky behind the wooden structure, and my breath catches. This place is beautiful, peaceful in a way I hadn’t realized I crave until now. I hope I’ll see this place again.
Brion reinforces the house, then wraps his arms strongly around my waist. His wings take a moment to unfurl, and then we rise into the air. The other angels rise beside us, their fiery wings lighting up the night sky. Cas flies slightly in front of us, and I notice for the first time they leave glowing trails of angel dust behind them. It’s more beautiful than I could have imagined.
Things have happened so fast that I haven’t had a chance to ask any questions. I look at Brion above me. The wind beating against our faces ruffles his feathers and sends his brown hair waving behind him. For a moment I’m overcome by the sight of it. It feels like a dream. And this angel who holds me so tightly feels like so much more.
I twist my face and curl up closer to him, so I can speak into his ear. “There’s so much I don’t understand.”
He looks down at me, the gold in his brown eyes seems to dance. “Ask me anything.”
Angel Warrior: The Complete Series Page 4