Angelstone: Dark Angel #2 (Urban Fantasy)

by Peach, Hanna

  Alyx froze. What should they do?

  Then the guard appeared to look closer at them. “What the hell?” he said, noticing that Alyx and Fernando were suspended in the air. “Bernie, where the hell are you?”

  “Take him down,” Fernando said in Alyx’s ear. “We’re running out of time.”

  Alyx heard the guard cry out. “What have you done with Bernie?”

  The first two bullets cracked the air like a whip. Alyx flinched as one of the bullets ricocheted off the marble. A yelp came from Fernando.

  He’d been hit. His shoulder oozed red blood.

  “Get him, damn you.” Fernando placed his feet on the sculpture and began to kick. The Black Stone piece shifted slightly. “I’ll get this out.”

  The gun began to fire again at Fernando. He gritted his teeth but kept kicking at the piece. Alyx launched herself off the sculpture towards the guard. He pointed his gun at her and pulled the trigger. Alyx winced as a bullet lodged in her shoulder. He fired again, this time grazing her arm.

  The guard’s face contorted into a mask of horror as Alyx tackled him to the ground. His gun was knocked from his hand and slid across the marble floor.

  The guard recovered quicker than she expected and aimed a punch at her jaw. She blocked it with her elbow. Then blocked another punch.

  “Settle down,” she said, trying to restrain him as he was bucking under her. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

  The guard continued to struggle.

  “Move off him,” she heard Jordan cry out from somewhere behind her. A quick glance over her shoulder showed her Jordan flying from the open window towards them with his palms out. DreamWalker. Alyx tried to rise up off the guard, but he clung onto her, wrapping his legs around hers in an attempt to use her as a shield.

  “Alyx, move,” Jordan said louder.

  “I can’t.”

  “We don’t have time for this.”

  In the distance, Alyx could hear the wail of sirens. Underneath her, the guard froze. His eyes widened as he stared at her wound which she could already feel closing over the bullet. “What the freaking hell are you?”

  That distraction was all she needed. Alyx rolled to her left, pulling the guard up and over her until he was on top and his back was now exposed to Jordan. “Jordan, now!”

  Alyx felt the guard flinch as the DreamWalker pulse hit him. She watched his eyes become dull, then shut. He slumped, his full weight collapsing on her. Alyx shoved the sleeping guard off her.

  “You okay?” asked Jordan.

  “Fine. We don’t have much time.”

  They both flew back to the sculpture. Fernando had gone with the third piece. Alyx eyed the statue and the space of the open window. They had maybe five pieces left to break up and transport. Four if they pushed it.

  “I estimate we have one minute until those cops are on us, probably less.”

  “We’re not going to make it.” Alyx ran through what she knew of the building. Her mind raced over the exits and all the windows and the dome...

  “New plan,” she said. “We’re going to have to destroy that glass dome. Then pull this statue out in one piece. That’s all we’re going to have time for.”

  “Can the three of us carry it?”

  “Nope,” said Fernando’s voice. He had flown in through the open window, Luce behind him. “But the four of us can.”

  While Luce helped Jordan and Fernando strap up the sculpture, Alyx flew out of the open window and up to the top of the glass dome. The sirens were louder out here, and Alyx could see the flash of red and blue lights several blocks away. They had one shot, at best. She said a silent apology and began to smash the glass dome with her sword. The dome broke, raining colored glass to the floor below.

  Alyx flew down through the hole to the sculpture where Luce, Jordan and Fernando were waiting. She grabbed the last strap.

  “Let’s go,” she cried.

  They pulled up into the air at once. The straps pressed into the skin of her hands as they carried the full weight of the Black Stone piece towards the open dome. Just as they lifted up out into the open sky, the police cars pulled up to the building, skidding in their haste.

  Dammit. “Luce, can you get a mirage up?”

  “Already on it.”

  Alyx felt the familiar whoosh of energy envelop her skin. But it was an unstable mirage, the edges billowing in and out like a large soap bubble in the wind. The mirage kept pulling back from parts of her body. Alyx bit her lip. If a police officer looked up at the wrong moment...

  They kept flying up over the building and towards the edge of the roof. The police officers, who had now gotten out of their cars and were crouched behind them, pointed their guns at the entrance. One police officer had a megaphone and was calling out for them to surrender.

  They were flying right over the police now.

  Luce moaned.

  “You okay, Luce?” asked Jordan as quietly as possible.

  “Straps slipping,” she said through gritted teeth.

  Alyx looked back at her. She could see the strain on Luce’s face. Her knuckles were white as she gripped her straps. Her straps slipped a few inches and the sudden movement caused everyone to jolt in the air.

  No, this wasn’t happening.

  A flash of something falling caught Alyx’s eye. Her breath hitched as she realized what it was. Small pieces of glass must have fallen from the dome onto the sculpture as they pulled the Black Stone out. The jolt had dislodged the glass from its place on the sculpture and it was now falling like tiny missiles towards the heads of the police below. Please don’t hit anyone. Please.

  She watched them fall, landing close to an officer. The officer shifted and looked down. Luce moaned again and the mirage wavered for a second. The officer looked up, frowning.

  Alyx felt her heart thumping as he appeared to look straight at her. Almost there, hang on Luce.

  The alarms inside the building began to blare as the security system reactivated and the cop turned his attention forward. Alyx breathed in relief.

  They were past the police barricade. They just needed to get over this next building and down into the alley behind to get to the truck.

  Alyx felt the blackness begin to edge her periphery. She was being pulled into Israel. Her heart began to thud. Israel was in trouble. Dammit. She knew that returning to the demon den was a bad idea. But she couldn’t afford to be distracted at this second. Alyx focused on the straps that were cutting into her hands and forced herself to remain present.

  The truck, a dark shape in a narrow alley, was a welcome sight. The four of them lowered the sculpture onto the ground with a crack. Luce collapsed. Fernando flew to her side. Alyx took a moment to let herself slip into Israel’s mind.

  Israel took a step back, but in this small room in this old demon house, there was no more room. His back hit the wall. His hand gripped the handle of his sword as he faced the two hooded figures at the doorway.

  Then a familiar voice, soft yet with the promise of viciousness to come, floated to him, “Hello, lover.”

  Alyx blinked and was back in her own body. She flew to Jordan’s side. “Israel’s in trouble. I have to go.”

  “Trouble? At Aradale?”

  “No. Look, I don’t have time to explain. Will you guys be okay?”

  She glanced at Luce and Fernando. Luce was exhausted from her magical exertion, but she would recover. Fernando’s shoulder showed a bloody mess around where the guard’s bullet entered, but it appeared to have stopped bleeding.

  “We’ll be okay. You go.”

  Alyx made to take off, but Jordan stopped her with a hand on her arm. “Be careful.” He brushed a strand of hair from her cheek.

  She swallowed, a lump caught in her throat. “You too.”

  Chapter 35

  The demon house was quiet and dark when Alyx arrived. It was too quiet. Was she too late?

  When she got closer, a cold creeping fear seeped through her down to her bones. Each s
econd floor window yawned like black mouths with jagged glass teeth. They had all been smashed out.

  Alyx aimed feet first for the second story window. She slipped into the house and landed low, crouched on the carpet of the bedroom. The cold fear now choked her as her nose filled with a sour tang of blood. The missing glass lay around the room’s edge in an odd ring, as if a small tornado had whipped around the room. At the doorway was a body, dark hood wet with spilled life, the neck opened and shards of glass protruding from all over the body.

  Alyx flew towards the fallen body. She almost cried with relief when, pulling back the hood that draped partway across the face, she could see it wasn’t Israel. One of his attackers, no doubt. But who the hell defeated him? And where was Israel? And Vix?

  Alyx thought she heard the creaking of wood. Was there someone still here or was this house playing tricks with her as it settled into itself? Alyx stilled herself and listened again. Nothing. Only her own heartbeat in her ears.

  Alyx moved through the door into the landing. The doors to all the other rooms on this floor were open. Each room offered the same sight. Broken windows but no glass. It was then that Alyx realized that all the broken glass in the room she just came from couldn’t have come from one window. There was too much glass. All the glass for the second story windows had been drawn into that one room. What the hell had happened?

  She moved towards the top of the stairs. Another figure lay prone and turned away from her at the foot of the stairs. This time the familiar shape of his lean body caused a small cry to fall from her lips. All the things she had wanted to say but had left unsaid – I’m sorry, you are everything, I love you – taunted her. Why had she been so scared? Even when he had told her that he loved her, she didn’t say it back. It had remained in her heart, trapped. Now those words would remain trapped within her forever like a butterfly encased in amber.

  Alyx flew to Israel’s body. Perhaps it wasn’t him. A part of her still refused to believe that it was him. Her hand shook as she reached to roll him towards her. She had to see his face. She had to be sure.

  She touched his shoulder. He was still warm... was he still alive? A hand flicked out gripping hers and pulled her forward, tipping her off balance. A blade was cold at her throat. His head snapped around to hers with a furious snarl on his lips.

  Then it softened. “Alyx?”

  “Alyx?” another voice came from behind her. Somewhere in the part of Alyx’s mind that wasn’t completely lost in Israel’s face before her, she recognized the voice as coming from Vix.

  “You’re alive,” Alyx said, her eyes not leaving Israel’s face. The grip at her wrist loosened but didn’t let go.

  Alyx was vaguely aware of Vix saying something behind her, something about checking the perimeter, then she was gone.

  “I’m okay, angel.” His breath brushed across her face like a caress as he sat up against the front door and pulled her into his lap. Their eyes never left each other. He pulled her hand to his face so that her palm rested on his cheek.

  “You’re alive,” she repeated dumbly. She moved her fingers down to his jaw and then down his neck. His pulse felt warm and comforting under her fingers.

  He chuckled and pulled her closer so that his lips now brushed against her cheek.

  “It certainly does look like it. But you should keep touching me, just to make sure.”

  Alyx’s fingers continued down his neck and down his chest. “I thought I was too late. I thought you were gone.”

  He moaned as her fingers found the skin of his stomach under his shirt. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”

  “But why were you just lying here...” Alyx’s face fell when she realized. “You were using yourself as bait?”

  Israel laughed nervously. “Yes. Stupid, I know.”

  Alyx opened her mouth to agree but then a thought struck her. She would have done the same thing.

  “No,” she said. “Not stupid. Dangerous, but very brave.”

  He seemed surprised at this. He had obviously expected her to get angry at his actions. She smiled at him to show him that she wasn’t mad. Alyx moved her hand up his warm stomach until she found the scar over his chest, then she moved her hand to his right side and found his heart. He placed a hand onto top of hers, his shirt dividing them.

  “See,” he said. “It still beats. It’s in the wrong place but it still beats.”

  “No,” she said. “Nothing about you is in the wrong place.”

  He smiled. Then tilted his head forward until their foreheads rested on each other, their breaths mingling, their hearts and their hands between each other. Alyx could feel his pulse thudding against her hand, matching her own runaway heart rushing through her ears. She felt herself draw forward, her lips begging to touch his. He looked down at her lips and moved forward as well.

  Then he cleared his throat and lifted his head so that their little world was broken. “We should help Vix secure the perimeter, then head back to Aradale.”

  “Oh.” Israel’s words repeated in her head, until we figure our own stuff out, we can’t be together. “Of course.”

  She suddenly felt awkward sitting across his lap, her hand up his shirt. Alyx got off him and the stark reality of her surroundings came back into focus. She suddenly remembered why she had gone there. “What happened? What happened to Adere? I saw her in your mind. Did you...?”

  Israel shook his head. “She ran off when I killed the other Darkened. Vix was cornered so I helped her instead of going after Adere.”

  “So you killed the Darkened upstairs. But what happened to the windows? I didn’t think Vix had gifts.”

  Israel looked sheepish. “She doesn’t. I did that.”

  “What?”

  “Don’t get mad,” said Israel. “I was going to tell you.”

  Alyx shook her head, still confused. “How?”

  “I can manipulate air. Similar to your AirWhisperer, I guess. A side effect of the demon side of me.”

  “Show me,” Alyx demanded, still not believing.

  Israel hung his head. “I’m not very good at controlling it. I can’t really do it at will. Not yet. So far it comes out when I’m angry or scared. I need to work on that, I know.”

  “Wait, what? How did you even realize?”

  Israel frowned. “Some of it I can’t tell you, not because I don’t want to but because I made a promise to someone. I wanted to surprise you when I learn to control it fully. That’s why I didn’t tell you, that’s all. No other reason, I promise.”

  Alyx remembered the plate that day in the kitchen and how it had seemed to jump on its own and smash. She remembered the day that she had found Israel, furious, attacking that tree with his sword, how the wind whipped around him in a fury to match his own... the signs of an unchecked gift. How had she missed them?

  He grinned. “There is something I can show you. Go outside onto the grass by the side of the house.”

  Alyx started to protest but he silenced her with a kiss which left her lips tingling. “Just do it,” he whispered against her mouth.

  Alyx moved as if on autopilot. She soon found herself standing on the lawn.

  Israel appeared in one of the upstairs windows. She found her senses when he began to climb onto the sill, kicking out the remnant pieces of glass before placing his feet.

  “Israel, what the hell are you doing?” Alyx hissed.

  Israel smiled. “Trust me. Do you trust me?”

  Alyx wanted to scream at him. But instead she nodded, her mouth dry.

  He jumped. Instinctively Alyx lunged forward to catch him. She froze when she saw that he wasn’t falling. He was floating down towards the ground. Floating, like a dandelion on the breeze. He landed softly right in front of her, grinning.

  “Okay, you can stop showing off now,” Alyx heard Vix’s voice from nearby. “The place is secure. But you need to see this.”

  Alyx found she couldn’t move. Israel leaned in towards her. She shuddered w
hen his lips brushed her ear. “You’re gawking,” he whispered. “You’re very cute when you gawk.”

  Cheeky. That snapped her out of it. Alyx strode quickly to Vix, making a point to glare at Israel as she passed him.

  In Vix’s hands was a small cage the size of a closed fist. A small creature, some kind of butterfly, was lying dead on the base of the cage. The body was covered in black scales. The wings were also black and were frozen in place. On the wings was a set of dark blue eyes with clear eyelids half-covering them. It was almost like a larger version of the Communicator that Balthazar had given her that she now wore hidden under her shirt.

  “What the hell is it?” asked Alyx as Israel came up beside her.

  “‘Hell’ is right. This is a type of hell creature called a cicalope. These creatures have a second pair of eyes on their wings which they use to transmit what they see back to their nest. I suspect that Samyara was using these to keep an eye on this place in case you guys came back. I’ve found two and disabled them both.” Vix suddenly glanced up. “I take it the Florence heist was successful?”

  Alyx grimaced. “There were some complications, but we got the sculpture out and everyone’s okay. We should return. Jordan and the others should be back soon.”

  As Alyx, Israel and Vix soared into the sky to return back to Aradale, Alyx decided that as soon as they returned, she needed to tell Jordan that things between them would never work out. Maybe in time… No, not even in time…

  Chapter 36

  Lukas wiped the sweat from his forehead using the back of his hand, then clambered into the front of the truck with Marin. The two Cajatambo FreeThinkers had already taken to the sky and would meet them back at the community.

  Marin grinned as he released the clutch and began to drive the truck away from the Lima cathedral. He let out a laugh. “That was easy.”

  “Too easy,” Lukas said. It had been. Everything about the heist worked perfectly. This unnerved him.

  Marin laughed and slapped him good-heartedly with his left hand. “You worry too much.”