by Fleur Camcho
Her eyes bore into his. “Tell me and I’ll shoot.” The red car inched closer.
Pain flashed through his eyes and he closed them. “I’m an angel.”
Laura checked her sight and shot, pop, pop, pop. She relentlessly pulled the trigger until there were no more bullets left to spend. With their tires shreaded, the Veyron ground to a stop.
❦
Jace stopped the car. “Well. This is… interesting.” They were in front of an old corroded gate. It was connected to a rusty chain-link fence that ran around a large field. In the middle of the field, an old building jutted out of the landscape.
“You said you just needed a place where no one would find us.”
“Still, I’d hoped it would have electricity or something. Who knows how long we’ll be here.”
“Well, I’m sorry I don’t have a hotel room lined up.” Her voice was bitter.
He reached for her hand and traced the inside of her palm. “I just don’t want you to catch cold.” Shivers ran up her arm and she ducked her head, embarrassed. He lifted her head and ran his hand through her hair. “But this is perfect.” He stared at her intensely when he said it. Like he wasn’t talking about the building at all.
She stared at him, intrigued. “So. You’re an angel.”
His blue eyes clouded over. He opened his door and walked to the gate. “It’s locked.”
Laura joined him and pushed the numbers, unlocking it. “It’s my lock.”
He shrugged. “I didn’t say it would be a problem though.”
“Whatever.” She stuck her tongue out at him and he laughed.
❦
Jace ran his hand over the exposed brick, stopping to study the intricate painting. “I remember these.” The building was a replica of a Pompeii bathhouse, complete with an open roof, a small pool and columns. Except now, graffiti lined the walls and the pool was filled with silt. “So much like Pompeii.”
“You remember these? Like in the history books?”
He just shrugged and continued to study the wall.
Laura took his hand, unable to say much. Jace continued to inspect the building and the overgrown garden until there was nothing left to study, except the woman by his side. He memorized the lines of her face and the way her hair drifted as she moved. “Why are you helping me?”
The corner of her mouth lifted. “Do people not usually want to help you?”
“No, people help me all the time. But that’s usually when they’re entranced.”
Laura took a step back but he grabbed her hand, pulling her close. “But you can’t be entranced.”
“I can’t?” Her eyebrow lifted.
“Nope.”
“How do you know?”
“Because you’re the one who’s entranced me.”
She turned away. “Wow, that was cheesy.”
He pulled her closer. “I’m serious, Laura. You’re everything to me.”
She leaned in, millimeters from him, and licked her lips. “Jace?” Her voice was soft, sweet.
He leaned in closer, a hair width apart from her. He could barely breathe. “What?”
“How did you end up in my backyard?”
He jerked back, and pushed his hand through his hair. He tried to walk away but Laura held tight to his hand. “You have to tell me sometime.”
She was still whispering and Jace couldn’t resist her. He stood quietly for a time, trying to decide what to say.
Laura waited patiently, rubbed her forehead on his chin and caressed his arm lightly with her fingertips.
He swallowed hard and closed his eyes, leaning his forehead on hers. A light wind blew and a strand of her hair tickled his nose. “They shot me.” He cleared his throat. “They shot my wings with one of those arrows, and they caught on fire.”
An understanding dawned on Laura.
“My wings burnt up and I fell to the earth.”
Laura was quiet, listening, and she leaned into his chest.
“They discovered that I was a spy.”
“A spy?”
Jace nodded. “We grew up together, working as Guardians, but they were influenced by the wrong people. The wrong angels. And they fell.” He paused for a moment, remembering, and a sadness clung to him.
“Were you good friends?”
He nodded. “And that’s why Michael thought I would be a good spy. He thought they would trust me. And he was right. As soon as they saw that my wings turned—”
Laura gave him a puzzled look.
“In order for me to really convince them, I had to become one of them. A Fallen one. And when that happens, your wings turn. They become grey, ashy. They never questioned why I’d done it.”
“What did you do to fall?”
He turned his face. “Something very painful.” Laura didn’t push him for more.
“What about your family?”
“When Jacob, my Grandfather, discovered what I’d agreed to do, he was angry. Like royally pissed.”
Laura remembered her vision, after she found out Jace’s name. She remembered the terror she felt while watching lightning, and she knew that that was Jacob.
“But there was nothing he could do. And besides, I wanted to help. And so I joined them. And we did horrible—awful things. And every so often I met with Michael to deliver my report of their movements and plans.”
“So what happened?”
“One day, they started acting different. They came to earth and studied a couple. She was pregnant and the couple was very happy. The day she went into labor, we followed them to the hospital. I was very confused because normally we did big plans - stuff like affecting armies in Persia and Africa. And this was a little Afghan family and they wouldn’t tell me why the couple was so important to the group.” He shifted his feet and Laura could feel his heartbeat through his chest. She held her hand to it. He was terrified.
“Jace you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
“When the baby was born, the couple was so happy.” He stared off at nothing, remembering. “And then, all at once, they turned to me and told me to kill the child.”
Laura gasped and waited breathlessly for him to finish but he was quiet.
Finally, she couldn’t resist. “What happened?”
“In that moment I knew: they were testing me. Someone had betrayed me. Someone on our side… Evil had a spy. And they’d betrayed me. And so, I ran. They caught up with me over your yard, and Camilla shot me down with an arrow.” He looked at her now, drinking in her face, and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “And now, here I am.”
The wind blew and Laura tightened her coat around her. He pulled her into him, warming her, and they stood like that for a moment, staring at the mountains.
“Why can’t you go home?”
“I’m Fallen. I can’t contact them. Michael has to contact me.”
“Well, that sucks. That’s not a very good plan.”
“Well…” He hesitated. “There is one way around it.”
“What is it?”
He took a step back and studied her. “After you dropped me off at the mall, I found a church with a preacher nearby.”
“Wait, wait, wait.” She put her hand on his chest. “How did you get that shirt?”
He shrugged. “I asked for it.”
“Just like that?”
He nodded. “Just like that.”
Her eyebrow lifted.
“Fine. After you dropped me off at the mall, I went inside and found a shirt I thought you would like.”
“Me?” Her voice squeaked.
He grinned. “Yes, you! Honestly, I didn’t want to leave you in the first place. Plus, I needed you to tell me where you saw me so I could find my sword. But when you insisted that you were going to drop me off at the bus station, I realized that you would be safer and so I agreed. It would be better for you to stay away from me. But then… I don’t know. I wanted to see you again. And hoped that I’d have a reason to find you
.”
Laura breathed in deeply, her cheeks rosy. “And so…”
“And so, I asked the girl working there for this shirt. She said yes. Then I went to the parking lot, found a fast car, and asked the owner if I could borrow it. And he said yes, too.”
“And these people said yes, just like that?” Laura was incredulous.
“Well, it’s easy when they’re entranced.”
“What about free will and all that?”
“We can’t ask them to do anything that goes against something they’re fundamentally opposed to.” He stopped. “Well, we’re not supposed to. But not every angel follows that rule.”
“Okay, so what were you telling me? Some way to get around contacting heaven?”
“Well, we can have someone do it on our behalf.” He glanced away as he said this.
“Oh, well that’s easy. What would I need to do? Like, say a prayer or something?”
“Yes and no. That person has to actually believe in it. They have to have the faith that their prayer will be answered.”
“Ohhh.” Laura looked around. “And the preacher you went to see didn’t have the faith?”
Jace shook his head.
“Oh. Well, I see your problem then.”
There was a loud roaring noise and the ground shook beneath them.
Jace’s eyes opened wide as he stared at her. “They’ve found us.”
CHAPTER FIVE
“You killed her!” Urban’s voice rang out through the courtyard.
Jace gripped Laura’s shoulders. “How did they find us?”
“I… I don’t know.”
“Think Laura!”
“I have no idea! It doesn’t matter now, does it?” The ground below them trembled again, and Jace pulled her close.
“Laura, you have to run. As soon as they enter the building, take a car, preferably theirs, and run. They won’t chase you if they get what they came for.”
Laura’s eyes widened. “No, Jace. You can’t just let them kill you.”
“Of course not. I intend to kill every one of them.”
“But I can help. I… I know I’m not much of a fighter but I can at least try.”
His hand trembled as he stroked her hair. He pulled her chin up to look her in the eyes. “You don’t understand. We can get hurt, but we’ll heal from every wound except from one of our own weapons. That’s why you had to aim the gun at the wheels. And that’s why I needed my sword!” He threw his hands in the air. “I need my sword!” He rubbed his face.
“So how are you going to kill them?”
“I’ll find a way.” The shaking grew stronger and a few bricks tumbled from the building. Jace gave one last look at Laura. “Whatever you do, don’t go inside the building.”
“What?”
Jace shoved her away. “Hide until you have a chance to run.”
Laura stared at him defiantly. “I’m not a coward.”
“Laura, we have the power of a thousand strong men. I can’t… I can’t risk losing you.”
“Where are you, Jace? I know you’re here!” Urban’s voice raged closer now.
Laura hesitated and felt the wind pick up, blowing dust from the building. A snow storm was coming.
“Go.” He gently pushed Laura and she ran around the corner of the building. She stopped and peeked out. Jace faced the building, clutching his hands in fists and looking determined. The building shook and suddenly Urban exited the building.
They stared at each other in silence, until Urban took a step forward. “How could you kill her?” Urban’s voice was surprisingly soft. More dangerous.
Laura was rooted to the spot.
Urban broke a chunk of brick off the building and threw it at Jace. In a flash, Jace moved and it bounced uselessly on the ground.
“How could you kill Camilla?” Urban was screaming now. “We grew up together. You were betrothed to her, for heaven’s sake.” The ground shook when he said this. “How could you?”
The breath caught in Laura’s throat. Jace was engaged to her?
A darkness shadowed Jace. “She never loved me.” The words flew from his mouth and he clasped his hand to his mouth.
Laura knew how much it cost Jace to admit it.
He lowered his hands and his eyes steeled on Urban. “You thought I didn’t know, didn’t you?”
Urban didn’t answer but just stared at Jace, breathing heavily, clutching a brick.
Jace stared at the ground. “I always knew that she loved you. From the beginning.”
“And I loved her. And you — you killed her! How could you?” Urban threw himself at Jace; he flew so fast that Laura barely saw him move and they wrestled in the grass. They punched and pummeled each other, sending chunks of dirt and grass flying through the air. Jace twisted himself free and stood over Urban, breathing heavily. Urban shot up and thrust Jace against the building, causing the bricks to fly inward. They wrestled, falling into the building and Laura lost sight of them.
Where was the rest of the team?
A hand grabbed her from behind, clasping her tight, and pushed her forwards. She struggled against her captor but it was like pushing against the Grand Canyon wall. He dragged her towards the building and she drug her feet. Holes wrecked the walls of the once beautiful building and fallen chunks of ceiling soaked in the pool. Urban had Jace pinned against the wall, blood dripping from his mouth.
“Jace.” Laura gasped his name and both men spun towards her. Her hand flew to her mouth; she’d distracted them. Jace looked horrified and shame crept over Laura’s face. She was the stupid girl in the horror film who died first.
“There she is.” Urban grabbed Jace by the neck, squeezing tight, and dragged him over to her. Jace wheezed, trying to breathe, and pulled on Urban’s hand. Urban stared at her, curious and unaffected by Jace’s lack of oxygen. “So. He told you his name, did he?”
Laura shook her head. Did they have rules against that? She didn’t know what was the right thing to do, but disagreeing with Urban seemed like a good plan. Jace’s face grew a tinge of blue and Laura reached for him but firm hands held her in place. Urban laughed, staring back and forth between them. “And it appears that the human girl fell for the angel.” Jace was slower now; the lack of oxygen was affecting him.
“Let him go!” Laura felt dumb, but she had to do something.
“Am I right?” Glee played over Urban’s face.
Desperation overcame her. “Yes, yes he did. Now let him go. Please?” Jace needed air.
“And you think this will kill him?” He gestured at Jace, who was slumped over Urban’s arm, with his hand slowly pulling at Urban. “No, this will just incapacitate him for a little while. Only this —” he pulled his sword from its sheath and Laura gasped “— will kill him.” Urban slid it back and Laura sagged in relief. “I don’t want to kill him. Yet.” His eyes darkened. “Not until he’s suffering as I am.” He loosened his hold slightly and Jace breathed in sharply. Still keeping a tight hold on his neck, Urban pulled him to stand up straight. “Let’s see if the Angel fell for the human.” Jace reached towards her, coughing. He stared into her eyes.
“I’m sorry.” She mouthed the words, not wanting the other men to hear the depth of her despair.
Jace shook his head. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t stop myself from coming back to you. My fault.” His voice rasped.
Urban laughed. “Captain. Hold him.” The soldier pushed Jace against the wall and Jace struggled against him.
“I would be careful, Jace.” Urban sneered. “You wouldn’t want Cherry over here to snap her like a twig.” Jace quit struggling and spat at Urban. Urban laughed. “Can it be true? Are you capable of loving again?”
Jace lurched at Urban. “This is between you and me. She’s got nothing to do with this.”
“Oh, on the contrary. I find her as intriguing as you do, Jace. A human who can’t be entranced, how very interesting.” He walked to Laura who instinctively pushed back into the man holding
her. Urban pulled a strand of Laura’s hair and smelled it. Laura smashed her head into his nose, causing blood to spurt out.
Urban wiped at his nose and laughed. “You’ve got quite the spitfire, Jace. I guess that reminds you of home, huh?”
Jace ignored him and stared at Laura, deep into her eyes.
“And that’s one reason why I want you to see this.” Urban leaned over Laura, breathing in her ear. Dark, seedy rot caressed her face and Laura choked, jerking her head away.
“No!” Jace struggled but the soldier held him tight.
Urban grabbed her chin and forced her head still. “My name…” Laura stiffened. “…is Alexander.”
Laura choked and grasped for air. She convulsed and Urban, she refused to think of him as Alexander, grabbed her. They both fell to the ground shaking and she felt as if worms were crawling all over her. Her chest burned with hatred and jealousy and the fire inside felt like she would burn from inside out. Urban was convulsing and smoke rose from his chest. Laura tried to push him off her but he was too heavy. She grew dizzy and slumped over.
Images sped through her mind: exhilaration while running through the woods, practicing sword fighting and knocking the dummy off the stand. Climbing a tree and peering through the leaves, watching a young Jace and Camilla play tag. Camilla’s face, smiling. Love burst through her heart and she cried out, clutching at Urban. Then fighting with a crying Camilla, and watching her run away. Hatred and jealousy burned through her chest, and Laura had to grit her teeth. Late night whispering with Camilla and running through the trees, looking behind them, and then darkness descended and Laura felt pure rage. It was dark inside her mind and she felt empty, hollowed out. It left her so empty that she stared at the floor, unwilling to move.
“Laura.” Jace pleaded with her. “Get up, Laura.” She didn’t respond. Urban stirred and scooted away from Laura. “You.” He looked at her in awe. And then he looked at his own hands, studying them in wonder. Suddenly his eyes hardened. “Take her away. We’ll have nothing to do with her.”
Cherry grabbed Laura and she barfed all over him.
“Seriously? Why?” He tried to fling the bits of bacon and egg off him.