Killian said gruffly, “There’s a lot you still don’t know about all of us.” He added, “We’ve done mostly good, but we’re not perfect.”
“I can’t deal with this! What’s going to happen now?”
Killian was saved from answering by the sudden shift in air pressure that preceded a teleporting guest. Before I could blink, Raphael stood in the foyer with blazing, furious eyes.
“Killian! A word, please,” he ordered as he stalked to the dining room.
Killian turned to me and said, “Sorry, babe, you’re not invited. Would you wait for me in the bedroom to give him some privacy?”
Grinding my teeth in frustration, I headed for the bedroom. If I was invited, Raphael would’ve included me. It was Primani business and I wasn’t Primani. I didn’t like it, but I’d never seen his eyes like that. The hair was still standing up on my arms. I strained to hear but they kept their voices down. No shouting. Not a surprise.
Twenty minutes later, Killian tapped on the door and let himself inside. I was frozen at the window, staring out at the city skyline. I’d been wondering what we could do for Sean. Surely he could just teleport out of here. He wasn’t in jail. I didn’t know where he was, but he could disappear and never get caught. His cover was blown, but he could live anywhere. He could probably change his face if he wanted to. It didn’t seem like too big of a deal now that I was thinking about it. If the woman was a killer, she deserved to die, right?
He cleared his throat awkwardly and waited for me to turn around. His eyes were red from strain and I knew something was very wrong. He lifted a hand and let it drop back to his side. He cleared his throat again but couldn’t seem to get the words out. He looked away and blinked.
Pushing past him, I ran to the dining room calling to Raphael.
He froze when he heard my voice and slowly turned around. His eyes weren’t furious now; they were bleak and tired. He swallowed and seemed to steel himself for me. Killian came into the room and tried to take my arm. I jerked away from him and ran to Raphael.
“What’s happened? Where’s Sean?”
Raphael looked at Killian and then back at me.
Killian croaked, “Mica, sit down.”
“He’s dead, isn’t he? He was caught and punished!” Hysterical now, I clung to Raphael’s shirt and cried, “No, not now, he can’t be dead, not now. We just saved him!”
Raphael cupped my cheek and my hysteria gave way to a fuzzy sense of peace. Raphael picked me up himself and brought me to the couch. He sat down next to me and Killian sat on the other side.
Patiently, he held my hand and smoothed his fingers over the rune. It hummed oddly as he sent his saol into me. He said, “Don’t worry, child. I’m only easing your panic so you can listen to my words. I cannot stay long. There is much to do yet. Killian will stay with you so you won’t be here alone.”
When he judged me to be stable again, he wrapped his big hands around mine and faced me. “Sean isn’t dead, nor will he be killed. He has, however, already been judged by Michael, and will begin his punishment at midnight tonight.”
Swiveling towards Killian, I was shocked to see tears in his eyes. He was wretched, and that freaked me out more than anything else could have.
“What is the punishment?”
His voice was a whisper when he answered me. “The Stone Garden. One hundred years in the Stone Garden.”
Killian’s breath caught and he got up and left the room. Raphael stared at his hands and blinked.
“I don’t understand what that means. What does that mean?”
He looked into my eyes and said, “He will stand as stone for 100 years. He will use this time to reflect on his arrogance, his pride, and his crimes. When he has finished his sentence, he will be invited back to Heaven. It may sound harsh since you don’t know of our ways. But the sentence is more lenient than most. He is fortunate to not have been stripped of his Primani status and made fully human. If that were to happen, he would be arrested and spend the rest of his life in a human prison. Michael was…most displeased. Sean was one of his favorites.”
Stunned, I stared at the clock. It was already 11:30. “I want to see him. Take me to him, please!”
Killian nodded to Raphael. They had one of their telepathic conversations.
Raphael finally agreed, but warned, “Mica, I wish you wouldn’t insist on coming. It will only break your heart. The process is not easy to watch. I would shield you from that if you’d only let me.”
His eyes rested on my locket and he reached out and opened it. After considering it for a moment, he touched the tip of his finger to it and murmured a word so quickly I missed it. Snapping it closed, he kissed my forehead lightly and stepped back. Killian wrapped his arms around me and leaned his forehead against mine. As we held each other up, the room spun away and we rematerialized in a dark churchyard in the middle of cold drizzling rain.
Thunder rumbled as a storm moved closer. I knew this place…I’d been here before. Voices drifted on the wind and Killian immediately turned towards them. It was nearly midnight. We rushed around the church to find Sean standing on top of a stone pedestal. He was rigid with fear, his eyes huge in his white face.
Tearing away from Killian, I ran to him and threw myself between the witnesses that were crowded around the stone. “Wait! Sean!”
He stared down at me with horror in his eyes. Hands pulled at me trying to drag me away. I struggled and dug in my heels. Killian took my hand and gently moved me to the side. I craned my neck to see Sean but I couldn’t see him over the crowd that formed around us.
Tearing loose again, I screamed, “Michael! I want to see Michael!”
Complete silence.
Stunned silence.
The crowd backed away from me.
Sinking to my knees, I lowered my head and cried, “Michael! Please.”
I felt the change immediately. The air pressure shifted and I couldn’t draw a breath. Killian dropped to his knees. The light was blinding in the darkness of midnight.
A heavy hand lingered on my head, outlined in pure light. His power hit me like a lightning bolt. My back arched with the force. Still, I knelt and lowered my eyes before him.
“Please, Michael, I just want to say goodbye while he’s still Sean. I’ll be dead in 100 years. I’ll never see him again. Please! He’s had so little love. Can’t I comfort him for one moment?”
“Rise to your feet, little warrior.”
Killian’s hand squeezed mine refusing to release it. His fear was palpable and I stumbled as I stood. Michael’s face was beautiful and terrifying, like a living statue; hard as marble, beautiful as a painting. His was the face of justice; there was no mercy in his eyes. I understood Killian’s fear. I shook from head to toe but I stood there and hoped for mercy.
He lifted his hand and I rose to his height and levitated at his eye level. He held me in front of him and peered into my eyes.
He read my soul and set me down gently.
“You have five minutes.” He stepped away and vanished.
Killian nudged me. “Go now, hurry!”
I couldn’t seem to move so he grabbed my hand and dragged me to the stone pedestal where Sean knelt in prayer. I ran the last few steps and scrambled up to him, not caring who watched from below.
“Oh God, Sean! What have you done?” I clung to him and tried to still the raw panic racing through me. I wanted to grab him and run away.
“You shouldn’t be here,” he groaned, but his arms crushed me against him. He trembled with fear and I felt Raphael’s words come true. My heart froze in my chest as Sean’s strength dissolved into panic.
Killian wrapped his arm around us and said, “We have one minute.” He laid his hand on the back of Sean’s head and touched his forehead to his. “I swear I’ll find Aisling. Be strong, brother.”
Taking Sean’s face in my hands, I kissed him and said fiercely, “I love you! I will visit you every day. I won’t let you go through this alone.”
/>
He grabbed me in one last hug and whispered, “I love you too. Now go, so I can do this with some dignity.”
Killian tugged at my hand. “Babe, we have to get down. It’s going to start. We can’t be here when it does.”
Sean’s voice cracked as he yelled, “Don’t let her watch!”
Killian dragged me down to the ground and pulled me away from the crowd. When I realized he was leading me away, I struggled to turn back around. He refused to go back. He refused to let me turn around. When I wouldn’t stop struggling, he threw me over his shoulder and took me to the safe house.
“Knock, knock! Anybody in here?” The door cracked open and Rivin stuck his head inside the bedroom. “Oh! Here you are, darlin’! Why didn’t you answer me knock?”
“Get the hell out,” I growled, and pulled the pillow over my head.
I was nearly asleep again when he said, “This is your fault, you know. You’re leaving me no choice, so don’t get your knickers in a twist about it.” With that, he yanked the covers off of me leaving me feeling like a worm whose rock got moved.
I managed to blow a hole in the wall and shatter the mirror before I hit him. He yelped and threw himself to the floor.
Killian chose that minute to reappear, and ducked as I aimed another shot at Rivin. Tackling me on the bed, he held my hands tightly in his.
“Rivin, wait for me downstairs,” he ordered quietly. The door closed with a click. He released the breath he was holding.
“Baby, you can’t blow him up. We need him.” He didn’t release my hands, but he shifted his weight so he wasn’t hurting me. He brushed his lips against my cheek and sighed when I turned my head away.
Patiently, he said, “You’re still angry?”
I stared at the ceiling. He stared at me.
“I thought we had an understanding, you and I. I thought we’d agreed to spend eternity together. I thought I’d already made it clear that I had a bad back and couldn’t sleep on the couch.”
“Also, I think it’s fair to add that I can’t go through eternity holding your hands above your head like this just to keep you from misusing your powers. It’s not very comfortable for me and I’m sure it’ll be hard for you to go to the bathroom.” He ended this observation with another kiss on my cheek.
I smiled just a tiny bit at that.
“Finally, I have to stress that if you keep misusing my powers, I’ll have to take them back. I’ll have to figure out how that’s done, but I’m sure it’ll involve the loss of your blood. Possibly cleansing with fire and water…”
I stared toward the ceiling so I could see his face above me. He was worried about me; that much was clear. His eyes were tired from too many sleepless nights. He was upset about Sean too. I was just adding to his stress. I was a crappy girlfriend.
“What’s today?” I asked quietly.
“It’s Saturday. It’s been three days and no, I haven’t slept at all.” His eyes were soft as they met mine. “And you’re not helping by refusing to talk to me. It’s not my fault.”
I tugged gently at my hands and he lifted an eyebrow. “You can let me go now.”
When he released my hands, I wound them around his back and he relaxed against me.
“Let me help you, love,” he murmured, and enveloped me inside his saol. It flowed gently around me, pulling the pain and sadness away. We lay tangled on the bed just breathing and finding the balance I so desperately needed. Eventually my nose realized he smelled of bread and my stomach growled like an angry mountain lion.
“Why don’t you take a shower and come downstairs? I went to the bakery. You have to eat and get back to the world. I have a surprise for you.”
Rivin yelled, “Incoming!” and ducked behind the couch when I came downstairs a little while later. He peered over the back of the couch as I walked past. Following me into the kitchen, he leaned against the counter and pointed to the bloody gash on his bare shoulder. Did the man not own a shirt?
“Oh, shut up. You’ll live,” I apologized and looked around for Killian.
“He’s out back waiting for you.”
Huh. Okay. As I entered the garden, a black and white streak of lightning flew into my arms. Stumbling off the path, I fell down with Domino on my chest. Laughing and crying, I hugged her to me and held her close. She put up with my soaking her fur for a few minutes and then scrambled to her feet again. Killian stood with the sun at his back, face in shadows. He crouched and wiped the tears off my cheeks with a sad smile.
“It’s good to see you smile, if just for a minute.” He looked away and said, “You’re the wettest woman I’ve ever known. Do you have a leak?”
Laughing softly, I pulled him back to me and kissed him thoroughly. “I’m sorry I’m so difficult. It’s just too much for me to take in. I’m feeling so...so disconnected. I need to find my balance again. I’m scared.”
Smoothing my hair back, he said, “Tell me.”
“What if we never find Aisling? Or Dani? No one’s found a trace of her either. How could she just vanish? I checked with the lab rats and they told me there’s been no sightings, no tips, no trace of her. The cops have zilch. We don’t even know where else to look. Then there’s Aisling. How will you find her? What are we supposed to do when we fail? Give up? It breaks my heart all over again.”
He took my chin and looked me in the eyes. “We will find Aisling because I told Sean I would. I’ll use whatever magic I need to. And I think we’ll find Dani when we find Jordan. My gut tells me she’s with him, wherever he’s at.” He traced the rune on my hand and said kindly, “I think you should brace yourself for the worst though. Dani’s not likely to survive the birth of that demon.”
“I know that. I’ve thought about her and James until my head’s turned inside out. I want to kill him all over again for what he’s done to her. I dreamed of her death. I’m praying that it was a warning and not a premonition. But I know what demons look like now. I don’t know how she would survive it. I just want to find her and…try to save her.”
“We’ll do everything we can, you know that. For now though, let’s eat. You’ll feel better. Then you and I are going for a walk.”
Domino pushed her way into the house and stared at Rivin with one ear cocked. He took one look at her and exclaimed, “Bloody fucking hell! A demon dog!”
She inclined her head and gave him a measured look. He squatted down and held out a hand for her to sniff. This was his lucky day. The princess deigned to greet him. He reached over to fondle her ears and she closed her eyes in doggy bliss. I shook my head. Rivin? She had no morals whatsoever.
As the sun set and Rivin went out to his favorite pub, Killian and I settled in for a night at home. The London safe house was in a quiet neighborhood on the outskirts of the city. It definitely wasn’t within walking distance of the city center. Rivin had his own motorcycle which he used instead of one of our cars. The McLaren was parked in the garage and the little beater Fiat sat in the driveway. We kept the McLaren locked up so Killian wouldn’t have to go ape shit on some unlucky car thief. Tonight though, the cars were going to sit unused and get some rest. Domino was apparently exhausted from too much happiness and curled up on the soft cushion of one of the easy chairs. Closing her eyes, she dismissed us with a happy tail thump. All was right in her world.
“Well, I thought it was too early for bed, but Domino’s giving me an idea.”
He said, “It is. It’s only 7:00 and we just ate dinner.”
“So what’s your point?”
Flipping on the stereo, he kicked off his boots and sprawled across the couch. He looked up at me with a lazy smile that melted my heart. He was so gorgeous when he wanted to be. I curled up at the other end so our legs were draped together and I could look at his face.
“Do you remember the time you tried to defrost my feet and got busted?” I asked when he started to rub one of my feet.
Chuckling at the memory, he said, “Yeah. You know that was Alex’s boss? He was s
o shocked. He thought I was trying to seduce you. It took hours to get him to believe that it was actually Sean who was trying to seduce you.”
“What? You threw Sean under the bus? That’s just wrong!” I tried not to laugh, but the image of his face when that guy caught us in the living room was classic. Before that day, I’d never seen Killian caught off guard. He seemed a little more human.
“Killian, who is Raphael--really?”
Sobering, he gazed at me before answering carefully. “Raphael is an archangel. He’s very, very old. But I don’t think that’s what you’re asking, is it?”
“I know he’s a healer and I know he’s a seer. He’s more than that to you. And, I think, to me.”
He hesitated and said quietly, “You’re right; he’s more than that to me. Raphael is my maker. He made me Primani.”
Fascinated, I leaned forward. “How do you do that?”
“Primani usually start as human warriors. If the angels find you strong enough, they recruit you. If you agree, you have to be changed by an archangel’s blood. The change is what makes us technically angels even though we don’t have to die first. It gives us our Primani powers and allows us to function in our human form and never age. It’s Raphael’s blood that made me Primani.”
“And let me guess, Sean and Dec too?”
Smiling at my perception, he nodded. “One day he’ll wish he’d made you Primani. You are more intuitive than most and more powerful than many. You’ve already got more power than you should because of me. If Raphael turned you with his blood, you would be too strong. The other archangels wouldn’t allow that to happen. And I’m profoundly grateful for that. I don’t want to share you with the rest of Heaven.”
“Don’t worry. I don’t want to be Primani. I can’t see myself living that life for eternity. So what about Michael? Why is he so scary?”
Smiling grimly, he said, “Michael is the head of all the angels. He’s the closest to Heaven. His powers are absolute and he is feared by anyone with any brains. He can strike down an angel with a wave of his hand. He has a short temper, very little patience, and no sense of humor, in case you were wondering.”
The Lost Soul Trilogy (Primani Book 5) Page 86