Angelstone: Dark Angel #2 (Urban Fantasy)

by Peach, Hanna

  “Hurt me? Hurt me.” Israel threw his head back towards the sky and laughed. It was almost manic. When he snapped his head back, there was no humor in his eyes. “Well... well done, angel. You certainly managed to do just that.”

  What could she say? What could she do to make it better? Anything. Something. What?

  “Israel, please... this doesn’t change anything between us,” Alyx couldn’t help the desperation in her voice. She started to move slowly towards him. If she could just touch him, if she could just get her arms around him... Israel just watched her progress towards him with what seemed like apathy.

  “Us? Us?” He tilted his head and frowned as if something just occurred to him. “Oh, won’t you look at us. An angel and a demon in love. Do you think God will ever forgive you for making such a stupid decision? Or do you think they have special places in Hell reserved for creatures like us? Does this make me the bad guy now? Should we be fighting instead of fucking, angel?”

  Alyx cringed at his choice of words and the cruelness to his tone. He’s just angry, she tried to tell herself. He doesn’t really mean these things.

  “Israel, this doesn’t change who you are.” Alyx was now close enough to touch him. If she could just touch him… she reached out her hand. “This doesn’t change anything.”

  “Don’t touch me.” He jerked away from her. He ran his bloody hands across his face and through his hair. The blood from his open knuckles smeared across his face, smelling like spilled copper. “I’m a monster,” she heard him mumble through his fingers.

  Alyx reached again for him. “No, Israel...”

  “No.” This time he pushed her hand away from him. “Don’t touch me. How can you stand to touch me?” his yell echoed off the trees above them.

  “Israel—”

  “Leave me the hell alone.” He strode off, snatching his sword handle as he passed it, leaving her standing. Alone.

  She wanted to follow him but she was rooted to the spot. She had ruined everything. Her hands felt empty. But not as empty as her heart.

  Chapter 18

  After leaving Alyx, Israel had walked far, far through the back grounds of Aradale. He now sat on top of the wall bordering the property, legs hanging over to the other side. There was nothing but more forest out here.

  He should just leave this place. Just go without telling anyone. That’d show Alyx that he didn’t need her. He could simply disappear. He had done well enough before she came along.

  He remembered the look on her face when she had realized she had been caught. The image burned like cheap vodka at the back of his throat. Part of him still couldn’t believe that she could have kept something so important from him. How could she?

  Their conversation repeated in his mind.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I was... afraid to. I was trying to protect you. To keep from hurting you.”

  Poor messed up Israel. Needs protection. Can’t handle anything himself.

  “Hello up there,” called a soft female voice, precise but with a thick Asian accent.

  Israel started out of his thoughts and looked down over his left shoulder. Down on the ground below on the Aradale side was what appeared to be a small girl with long ebony hair framing an oval face.

  Israel was so surprised he forgot to be angry for a moment.

  “Did Alyx send you?”

  The girl tilted her head. “No, the one you call Alyx did not send me.”

  “Oh.” Israel’s shoulders slumped a little. “Sorry, I want to be alone right now.”

  “I’m afraid that would be impossible.”

  “What?”

  Her voice took on a solemn tone. “Wherever you go, there you are. Therefore, you are never alone.” Her face shone proudly as if she had just revealed the great secret to life.

  Israel frowned. He really didn’t need this Confucius crap right now. “Whatever. Just don’t come up here.”

  “You need not worry about that. I can’t climb very well. Not like you.”

  Israel peered closer at her. Silly girl, she couldn’t climb, but she could certainly just fly up... wait.

  “You’re human,” he exclaimed.

  Her voice tinkled as she giggled. “That I certainly am.”

  “But... how?” Israel tried to think over what he had learned about Rogue sanctuaries. He didn’t think that mortals were generally allowed in. Although, he was a mortal – only part mortal, a bitter voice reminded him – and was allowed to be here. Perhaps she wasn’t supposed to be here?

  “Do you live here?” he asked.

  The girl smiled, revealing a row of small white teeth. “I’m afraid my neck is getting quite sore looking up at you on that wall. I shall sit here until you are ready to come down. Then we can talk and become friends.”

  This strange girl proceeded to make herself comfortable on the grass. Israel could hear her humming a tune, soft and lilting but foreign.

  Israel’s curiosity overruled his need to sulk alone. He swung his legs around and jumped down, landing softly on the grass. He glanced up at the wall. A jump like that would hurt most humans. But not him. He of demonblood, he thought bitterly. Why hadn’t he ever considered that his strength and abilities came from something inhuman?

  “My name is Xiang,” she said once he had taken a seat cross-legged on the grass near her.

  “Israel.”

  This close, he could see that she wasn’t a girl but a woman with soft youthful cheeks, smooth skin and beautiful almond eyes that seemed to always be laughing.

  “I would shake your hand but it seems...” she indicated his knuckles with a tilt of her head.

  Israel slipped his hands to his sides, trying to hide them. Although the blood had crusted, the wounds were still raw and even more sore now that the adrenaline from earlier had worn off. “Oh yeh. That.”

  “Did you fight someone?”

  A tree. Myself. “Sort of.”

  Xiang’s eyes widened. “Did you fight to defend your truest love from death? Or to save an innocent from the dark forces?”

  “Um, not exactly.”

  “You slayed your opponent though?”

  “There wasn’t really an opponent. Or anyone to save...”

  Xiang’s thin eyebrows arched. “Then what, brave Israel, were you fighting?”

  “Um... a tree?”

  “A tree?” Xiang frowned. Then all at once, her forehead relaxed and a look of knowing came across her face. “Of course. The tree was possessed by a woodland demon.”

  “It’s fair to say, no.”

  “The tree was a portal to an evil dimension?”

  “Not that I know of.”

  “Then... why were you fighting a tree?”

  “I wasn’t so much fighting it as I was just... um, hitting it.” Xiang continued to stare with a questioning look on her face. “Um, I was angry.” Of course, when he put it like that, it just sounded ridiculous. Israel suddenly felt a little stupid for his earlier behavior. But it had felt so damn justified at the time. All that glorious, righteous fury.

  Xiang stared at Israel for another long moment before she started to shake with laughter, bringing her delicate little fingers up to her mouth to hide her giggles.

  Israel spent a few more seconds being embarrassed before he cracked a smile. Fighting a tree. I mean, really?

  When Xiang composed herself, she said with a sly smile, “Well, I’m sure that tree has learned its lesson.

  “Yeh, I showed it. So, do you live here at Aradale?”

  “Yes.”

  “I haven’t seen you around.”

  “Ah, that is because you have been too focused on your worries: the Darkened who are killing the Seraphim in your name, the Black Stone which keeps disappearing, and your relationship with your Guardian, which seems more complicated than it should be, in my humble opinion.”

  Israel’s jaw dropped. “Have you been spying on me?”

  Xiang laughed, the sound reminding Israel
of little sleigh bells. “No. It is a small community at Aradale and I listen and watch closely. Apart from me, you are the only other mortal here, so you have been well spoken about.”

  It appeared that the Seraphim were not immune to gossip.

  “So there are only the two of us mortals here,” said Israel. There was no need to scare Xiang with the fact that he wasn’t fully human. Although after today, chances were good that she would find out anyway.

  “Yes,” said Xiang. “Although the FreeThinker Seraphim are accepting and friendly with the mortal population, they don’t usually provide refuge for them apart from exceptional circumstances.”

  “So what are your exceptional circumstances?”

  “I was once Darkened.” Israel felt his eyes widen and his mouth drop open at her admission. Xiang nodded her head. “And now I am not. I was saved by my true love, who is a Seraphim.”

  Could there be? Could there truly be a way to save Adere as Xiang just claimed she had been saved?

  “But how...?”

  “It is not my story to tell.”

  “I need to know. Please.”

  Xiang’s almond eyes narrowed slightly. “Why do you need to know this thing? It is a dangerous venture.”

  “There is someone. She... I have to save her.”

  Xiang’s eyes widened and she nodded in understanding. Xiang sprang up. “Come. I am supposed to meet with the one who can tell you. Perhaps we shall have answers for you.”

  Israel followed this bouncing Asian woman back towards the main Aradale buildings.

  But they didn’t go back to the main building. They veered off to the side gardens where a pond filled with colored dragonflies and pink lilies lay under a small wooden bridge. There was a familiar figure leaning against the bridge railing above.

  “Vix,” Xiang called out. The figure turned her head and gave them a small wave. The familiar blond-haired seraphelle flipped over the railing of the bridge and flew towards them.

  “There you are,” said Vix as she approached. “I was waiting. I thought maybe I had gotten the place wrong, but instead I can see you have been sidetracked by Israel here.” She nodded to Israel in acknowledgement.

  “Maybe sidetracked a little. Oh, but for such a good cause,” Xiang said.

  Vix didn’t answer. She slipped her arms around Xiang in a crushing embrace and planted her lips over Xiang’s.

  Israel disappeared to them. It was just a kiss but he could feel it was so much more. He felt as though his eyes were intruding, that this moment was too private for him to watch. He dropped his gaze to the floor until he heard Vix speak.

  “What is this good cause then?”

  “Israel wishes to hear the story of how you saved me.”

  When Israel looked up, they had both turned to face him, but they still had an arm around each other.

  “Why?”

  Xiang burrowed closer to Vix in the crook of her arm. “He wants to know how to un-turn a Darkened.”

  Vix frowned. “To save a Darkened is not a thing to take lightly. They don’t want to be saved. Are you sure you want to risk it?”

  Israel nodded. “I have to.”

  “Who is the Darkened you are desperate to save?”

  “Adere. She’s an old friend. I am responsible for her turning. I have to make it right.”

  Vix fixed her eyes on Israel but there was softness to her voice. “You are not responsible for her turning, despite what you think.”

  Israel thought of what Alyx had said to him. “For as long as this thing with Adere isn’t finished, you and I can never be together.”

  “Will you tell me or not?” Israel said.

  Vix chewed her lip studying his face. Then she eyed the area around them. “Okay.” She lowered her voice. “A Darkened can be turned back only one way.”

  “Which is?” Israel tried to keep the impatience out of his voice.

  Xiang nudged Vix. “My hu, it would be best to tell him the whole story.”

  Vix leaned down to her and brushed the tip of her nose against Xiang’s. They shared a smile and Israel felt like something unspoken had been communicated, although he wasn’t sure what.

  Vix looked at him intensely. “This story is private. It stays between us.”

  Israel nodded. “I won’t tell anyone.”

  She stretched her hand out to a patch of grass. “Let us sit.”

  They seated themselves cross-legged on the soft grass. Vix kept one of Xiang’s hands clasped against one of her legs. “Long story short,” began Vix.

  “But not too short, my love,” interrupted Xiang with her bell-like voice.

  Vix smiled at her before continuing, “After I left Urielos, I wandered the earth alone, aimless for several centuries. There was so much hate and anger in my heart... I found myself in China at the turn of the last century, lost somewhere in the Hengduan mountains. I came across this great monastery. The monks took me in.

  “Imagine my surprise when I discovered the oldest of their monks was a Seraphim. He told me that he had been an Elder but that he had left the society almost a thousand years prior. The Elder said that he had been at that monastery for hundreds of years. He taught me meditation and helped me calm my anger and let go of the past.

  “One day, about fourteen years ago, I was in the nearest village getting supplies for our monastery. I passed a house and halted when I heard the sounds of arguing. Soon a girl ran outside into her garden. It was Xiang. She was like a vision to me sitting outside under her cherry blossom tree, tears shining like diamonds in her eyes.”

  Vix paused to brush a lock of hair that fell across Xiang’s face. “She was only fourteen then. But she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.” Her eyes never left Xiang’s face. “She still is.”

  Xiang blushed.

  Turning back to Israel, Vix continued, “It turned out that Xiang had been banished from her home by her parents, kicked out with nothing and nowhere to go. Because of her anger and her hurt, the Darkened took over. I flew back to the temple and begged the Elder to tell me what I could do to bring her back, as I could not kill her even though I knew I should. He told me that an act of love would be the only thing that could bring her back.”

  “An act of love?” asked Israel.

  “Yes.”

  Israel frowned. “What does that mean?”

  “Exactly what it sounds like. You have to perform an act of love towards the Darkened in question.”

  “What, like sex?”

  Xiang giggled and Vix rolled her eyes. “Men,” Vix mumbled. “No, you mug. Sex and love are two different things.”

  “But I’m not in love with Adere.”

  Vix scoffed. “You don’t have to be in love to perform an act of love. An act of love comes in many forms.”

  “I still don’t understand,” Israel said, shaking his head.

  “Perhaps I should tell you the rest of the story. It may become clearer after you have heard it.” Vix seemed to relax a little. “I was also confused about the Elder’s advice. He told that he could not elaborate any further than ‘an act of love’. He told me that it would be better if I just killed her, as her demon soul would start to need other human life to continue to survive in this world.

  “I found Xiang in the forest near her village. She was so confused. Tormented. I could feel her soul fighting with the demon inside her for control.”

  “That happens? I thought the human soul remains a prisoner.”

  “If the soul is strong enough, it can fight back,” she looked at Xiang with pride. “It helps if the mortal understands what is happening and who the demon is. This is why the demons don’t try to invade our bodies. It is more trouble than it is worth to occupy a Seraphim.”

  “That has happened?” asked Israel. “Seraphims have been turned before?”

  Vix’s eyes looked grim. “It has, I regret to say.”

  Israel felt tendrils of anger started to curl around his body when he thought of Michael. Was t
his what he had seen in Michael? Could Michael have tortured Alyx so brutally in the Hollows without a demon possession to direct his behavior? Was Michael possessed?

  Israel was about to let a tirade burst from his mouth when Vix silenced him. “Don’t be so quick to judge, Israel. We all have our demons, our weaknesses, our own crosses to bear. Often, we are closer to the devil than we think.”

  Xiang clung tighter to Vix’s hand and arm, looking more like a child than ever. She began to hum a soft low tune under her breath. It was the same tune that he heard her sing before.

  “So Xiang knew the demon was trying to control her?” Israel said, trying to shift the issue.

  “The Chinese and most Eastern cultures have stronger beliefs in the supernatural than the West does. Xiang knew and I could sense she was trying to fight it.”

  “But if she had given the Darkened permission to take her body..?”

  “You don’t have to give actual verbal permission to allow the Darkened in.”

  Israel felt prickles across his skin as he let this sink in. How close had he been to giving his “permission”? How many times? He pushed these thoughts away. “How did you save her?”

  “I approached her, but she attacked me,” Vix explained. Xiang cringed at this announcement. “We fought but I had the upper hand.”

  “You were always such a strong warrior, my hu,” Xiang said, stroking Vix’s arm.

  “It is no match to fight against someone who is also warring with themselves, my love,” Vix responded. Turning back to Israel, she continued, “Finally I disarmed her and had her pinned down. I should have killed her. But I couldn’t. God, she looked so glorious. Her black hair fanning around her face like a dark halo. One minute she was growling at me, the next she was begging me to kill her. Even with the jade-colored skin and fire-red eyes flickering underneath, she was still beautiful. I don’t know what came over me...”

  “What?” Israel said. “What happened?”

  “I...” Vix lowered her eyelashes with a shyness that Israel hadn’t seen before on her usually strong face. It suits her, he thought. Makes her look younger. “I kissed her.”

  “And that expelled the demon?”