Angel Warriors

by Stephani Hecht

“Tell us what you feel, empath,” Douma demanded, his voice laced with compassion that he did not really feel.

  “I feel despair.” Tears ran down the angel’s face. “The voices are in pain. They’re crying for help.”

  “You can hear the voices?” Douma was intrigued. “Only telepaths can do that.”

  Forcas roughly released the angel. Cam rolled into a ball. Holding his head in his hands, the angel rocked back and forth. The demons just stared at the empath in a cold, detached manner.

  “What do you think?” Forcas asked his demon brother.

  “None of the test subjects reacted this way. This is defiantly unique.” Douma continued to look at Cam like he was a lab rat.

  “Do you think he could be part of the Order of Four?”

  Gabi shook her head. What the hell was the Order of Four? She had to get Cam away from those two sons of bitches.

  “I think that is a very good possibility.” Douma said thoughtfully.

  “So that would make Abdiel the Control then.” Forcas nodded with satisfaction.

  “Let’s take all three to Mammon. Let him decide.”

  Forcas knelt in front of Cam. “Come with us, little one. We will ease your suffering.”

  Cam gave the demon a grateful smile. “Yes, that will be good. I’ll go anywhere with you. Just make the screaming inside my head stop.”

  Like hell, Gabi thought. There was no way she was going to let those monsters touch Abdiel or Cam. She slipped her cell phone out of her pocket and pressed the one speed dial button that she thought she would never use, her brother Raphael.

  When she heard his voice answer, she could only manage a little croak of response before she slumped over on the ground next to Abdiel.

  Abdiel woke up with a groan, every muscle in his body aching. It felt like he had been hit with a bus. A bus driven by his brothers. He slowly opened his eyes and only saw blurry images. He furiously scrubbed at his face trying to wash away the fog.

  Slowly his vision cleared, and he realized he was in an opulent room that was all white and gold. The voices of healing angel chants drifted all around him, soothing him all the way down to his soul. He was lying on a large, soft bed, and he was wearing white linen pants with a white shirt.

  He was up in Heaven in the healing chambers.

  “Gabi? Cam?” he called out, panicking as the memories of the fight came back to him. Both of them had been hurt, and now he didn’t know where they were.

  “They are being healed,” a strong voice said behind him.

  Abdiel turned and saw a tall, male angel. He had short, straight, black hair and the same green eyes Gabi had, except his eyes were cold and unfeeling where hers were always dancing and full of life. Although he did not appear to be that much older than Abdiel, the stranger carried himself in a way that demanded respect. It was obvious he was a very powerful and ancient angel.

  “I am Raphael. I am Gabrielle’s brother.” He inclined his head formally to Abdiel.

  “What happened to us?” Abdiel asked rubbing his head.

  “Your brothers dipped their weapons in demon’s blood. It is something we have never seen before, and it obviously acts like a poison to us.”

  Abdiel forced himself to his feet and walked out of the room. He needed to see Gabi and Cam for himself. Raphael understood and followed him.

  He found Cam’s room first. Ana and Derel were with him. Derel sang the healing chants while Ana held a bucket for Cam as he projectile vomited. All of a sudden, the empath turned on his brother and shoved him away with a roar that could only be described as demonic.

  “Back the fuck off,” he snarled. “That damn singing of yours is driving me crazy.”

  Raphael instantly shifted into head healer mode. He went over and helped Derel to his feet. “Do you need me to take over?”

  “No, that won’t be necessary, sir.” Derel rotated his arm, working out a kink. “He’ll come out of it in a minute.”

  “How many spells like this has he had, and how long do they last?” Raphael asked as he knelt down to look at the empath more closely. Abdiel was stunned when Cam growled and snapped at the head healer.

  What shocked him even more was the way his empath looked. Cam had two black eyes and bled from his nose and ears. He was deathly pale and shaking, his blond hair slicked back with sweat. The feral look left his face as quick as it had come. His blue eyes grew wide as he looked over at his brother.

  “Oh crap, I’m sorry, Derel,” he moaned. “I did it again, didn’t I?”

  “It’s all right, little brother. I know you didn’t mean it.” Derel reassured him. He turned to look at Raphael. “The spells are happening further apart and are less frequent. The healing seems to be working.”

  “What’s happening to him?” Abdiel bit out part of the lump in his throat.

  “The demon’s blood affected him the worst,” Raphael said. “We don’t know whether it is because he is an empath or a telepath. I suspect that it is because of both.”

  Abdiel walked across the room and knelt by Cam. “How you feeling, bud?”

  “Just do me a favor and shoot me in the head.” He moaned before he vomited again.

  “His body is trying to purge the demon’s blood. It is extremely toxic to him,” Raphael told Abdiel. “He almost entered a catatonic state. Luckily, he has a very strong will.”

  “Did you hear that, Cam?” The archangel tried to encourage him. “You did really good.”

  “Can’t talk now, must puke.” Cam sat up and did just that.

  “I’m so sorry,” Abdiel whispered to Ana.

  “Not as sorry as your brothers are going to be once I get my hands on them,” Ana snapped out as she rubbed her brother’s back.

  “Is he going to be okay?” Abdiel asked.

  “Of course he is. Derel is taking care of him. Now you go rest, I promise to get your empath back to you, and he will be as annoying as ever.” Ana leaned over and gave him a peck on the cheek.

  As Abdiel started to leave, he stopped and looked back at Cam. He should have kept him safe. He had failed his empath, and now the young angel was suffering for it, and Gabi was hurt too. What kind of archangel are you anyways? You can’t even protect the ones that you love.

  “He is not Appolion,” Raphael said, the expression on his cold face never changing.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Abdiel snapped back, aggravated that his thoughts were so obvious.

  “You think you failed him like you failed the twins. What befell Cam was no more your fault than what happened to Appolion or Rachel. What happens, happens. We have no control over fate.”

  Abdiel wasn’t sure if he liked his future brother-in-law or not. He couldn’t help but wonder how this robot angel and Gabi could be related. It was obvious when personality was being handed out, she had gotten it all. Raphael led the way to Gabi’s room. As soon as Abdiel saw her, his heart stopped.

  She looked so helpless lying there. Her dark hair was fanned out over her pillow and her cheeks were flushed. She wore a white gown. The fabric hugged her skin, showing off her luscious curves. Her hand was tucked under her cheek.

  “How did we get away?” Abdiel asked as he sat on the bed and brushed his fingers through her hair.

  “She called me,” Raphael replied. “She did not want your brothers to hurt you again.”

  Abdiel smiled at that. It must have been hard for his proud, little princess to go running to her big brother for help, but, she had done it for him. She opened her eyes and looked up at him.

  “Abdiel,” she breathed out. “You’re okay.”

  “Thanks to you, princess, yes.”

  “What’s the Order of Four?” she asked him.

  He exchanged confused looks with Raphael.

  “I have no idea,” Abdiel finally said. “Where did you hear that?”

  “Your brothers. They said Cam was part of the Order of Four and that you were too. They said that you were the Control.”

  “
Do you have any idea what they could have meant?” Abdiel directed his question to Raphael.

  “No, I will have to do some research on the subject.” The ancient angel’s face filled with concern.

  “Michael told me some big things were going down in Detroit,” Abdiel admitted.

  “Unfortunately, your chief only shares information when he deems it fit.” Raphael ran his hand through his hair in frustration, the first real show of emotion that Abdiel had seen.

  “You’ll get no argument from me there.” Abdiel was all the sudden feeling drained. The poison had taken a toll on his body and he still was not one hundred percent.

  “Give me a couple days to consult with some of the other elders. Let me see what I can come up with.” Raphael placed his hands on Gabi and scanned her making sure that she was healing properly.

  “Is there any way to fight this poison?” Abdiel asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

  “Not at this time,” Raphael admitted as he moved away from Gabi, obviously satisfied with her progress.

  “So we are helpless against it.”

  “Yes, and now you brothers know it.”

  “That’s one hell of a weakness, healer,” Abdiel shot out angrily.

  “We are working on an antidote.”

  “Until then, we’re sitting ducks.” Abdiel bit back a foul curse. He was in Heaven after all.

  “Yes it is. I must go now. I have a lot of work to do if we are ever going to find a way to fight this new weapon.” Raphael got up and left. He didn’t kiss his sister, let alone say goodbye to her. After being around the Lehors so long and seeing the way they were so affectionate it bothered Abdiel a little.

  Abdiel started to get up to grab Raphael and demand that he show his baby sister some attention, but she tugged on his hand. “Stay with me. I need you to hold me.”

  Abdiel didn’t argue. He stretched out on the bed and spooned her in his arms. Soon the two of them were sleeping peacefully.

  Chapter Eight

  Abdiel was woken up by someone shaking his shoulder. Deciding to ignore whoever was bugging him he snuggled deeper into bed. Pulling Gabi closer to him, he savored both her soft curves and the way her silky hair tickled his cheek. Maybe if he just kept pretending to sleep they would go away.

  “Wakey, wakey, time for eggs and bakey,” Cam’s voice sang out.

  What in the hell is Cam doing here bugging me? He should still be in his own room, puking his guts up.

  “Awh, isn’t that just so sweet? They look so cute there snuggling,” another voice chimed in. Abdiel though it might be Derel’s, although he could be wrong. It was so damn hard to immediately place each brother. There were so many of them.

  “So, I guess everyone knows that he’s marked her, huh?” Cam asked his brother.

  “Are you frigging kidding me? It’s all anyone is talking about in Heaven, that Mr. Dark Angel and Ms. Ice Queen are together. No one thought that they would ever find a mate period, let alone each other.”

  “Gabi is not an ice queen,” Cam spat out, instantly protective of his healer and friend.

  “Look, you don’t have to tell anyone from our family that. We all love Gabi just as much as you do. I was just telling you what everybody was saying is all.”

  “Everybody is wrong about them. They’re perfect for each other. If I ever find a female that loves me half as much as they love each other, I’ll consider myself one lucky bastard.”

  “They got it that bad for each other, huh?”

  “Oh my God, Derel,” Cam groused. “Their voices are consistently in my head going on and on about each other. It’s a good thing that I’m learning how to block voices or else I’d be privy to their every sexual encounter. That would be a real T.M.I. moment.”

  Both of the brothers laughed when they saw that Abdiel was flipping Cam off even though he still had his eyes closed. Finally realizing that they were not going to go away, the archangel opened one eye and saw Cam standing over the bed. Although the black eyes were gone, Cam’s face was still pale and drawn. Derel was holding him up, the empath leaning heavily on his brother’s shoulders. Abdiel was relieved when Cam gave him a lopsided grin. The side effect that had been making him angry earlier had obviously worn off.

  “We have to go,” he told Abdiel. “The council has sent for us.”

  “You need to be in bed. I’ll tell the council they need to wait,” Abdiel said gruffly as he got out of bed careful so as not to wake Gabi.

  “I tried to tell them to wait,” Derel replied. “But this demon blood thing has got their panties all in a bunch. They won’t even listen to Ana, and she’s one of them.

  “It won’t do them any good if Cam passes out at their feet either,” Abdiel argued.

  “I promise not to give those bastards the satisfaction,” Cam replied with a weak smile. “Besides, you know that we can’t exactly refuse a summons from the council. I don’t know about you, but I’ve no desire to be banished to Hell for disobedience.”

  Abdiel gave a sigh of resignation as he reached over and softly shook Gabi awake. Although he hated to admit it, Cam was right. It was never a good idea to tell the council to go take a flying leap. It tended to make them cranky.

  “Cam.” Gabi yawed and stretched her arms as she woke up. She had just a smidgen of bed head, and it made her look cute. “How are you doing?”

  “I feel like somebody tied me up and forced me to watch Jessica Simpson act while Ashley Simpson sang.” The empath swayed a little causing his brother to tighten his grip.

  “Ouch,” she giggled wrinkling her nose. “That bad, huh?”

  “Just let me put it this way,” Cam said dryly. “I am so going to kick Forcas’ and Douma’s teeth in next time I see them. That demon’s blood really did a number on me.”

  “What are you doing out of bed?” she asked him. “No offense, but you look like hell.”

  “He doesn’t have a choice. The council requests our presence,” Abdiel informed her.

  She surprised them all by swearing.

  “I suppose those nosey, busybodies think we’re tainted now.” She rolled her eyes.

  “I take it you’re not a fan of the council,” Cam said with a grin.

  “They have sticks up their b—” Abdiel cut her short by covering her mouth with his hand.

  “Here I thought I was going to have to worry about your smart mouth getting us in hot water. Her highness is going to get us all in trouble,” he told Cam.

  Gabi pushed his hand away. “I’m sorry. You guys have never had to deal with the council before. I have. For the most part, they’re just using the proceedings to fit their own agenda.”

  “Hey, my sister is on the council,” Cam protested.

  “I said for the most part. Of course I’m not including Ana. She’s my best friend,” she defended herself.

  “Michael and Raphael will be there as well,” Abdiel reminded her gently.

  “You forget Jehel is the head of council,” she snapped. “He hates all three of us.”

  They could not argue that point. Jehel had never made it a secret that he didn’t trust Abdiel. He had also always made it clear that he thought Gabi should behave like all good princesses and not be mixing with humans. As for Cam, well Cam was Cam that was enough to set Jehel off.

  “We are so screwed,” Cam moaned.

  “Ana won’t let anything happen to you,” Derel promised him. “Now come on, let’s get this over with.

  After Gabi fixed her hair, they made their way to the council chambers. The floors that they walked on were made of gold as were the set of closed double doors that stood at the entrance of the chambers. Abdiel moved to take Cam from his brother, but the angel shook his head and refused the assistance.

  “Thanks, but I will face them on my own two feet,” he said.

  “I’ll be waiting for you out here,” Derel told him. “For goodness sake little brother, just keep your mouth shut. You know the rules. It is forbidden to speak unless you
are asked a question.”

  “I know, I know.” Cam rolled his eyes. “Ana already drilled that fact into my head.”

  The three of them pushed open the doors and walked in together. The sound of their feet marching forward echoed through the chamber. Besides that, it was eerily quiet as several eyes followed their every move. When they reached the front, they knelt down on one knee and formally bowed. They stayed in that position, with their heads down, waiting for permission to rise.

  The council chambers managed to seem large and oppressive at the same time. The walls were made of solid white marble and there were pillars in every corner. Several rows of long podiums stretched across the front of the room, staggered theater like. Several justice archangels stood at attention at various places, much like bailiffs in a human courtroom, there to both guard the council and to take any angel judged guilty away.

  The council was comprised of archangels, elders, and justice angels, like Ana. They were feared and respected by all. Their word was law. Whenever someone received a summons, they were instantly filled with terror. If the council wanted to see you it was never good news.

  The council made up the laws and guidelines that all angels were expected to follow. They were ruthless with those that broke the law. The council was not known for its mercy. Cam had compared them to the Gestapo, and Abdiel completely agreed.

  They were still kneeling on the ground, not able to get up until they were acknowledged by the council. Abdiel was seriously starting to get pissed off at them. The fact that they were making his Gabi grovel on the floor made him seriously think about doing something stupid and rash like standing up and demanding to know why they were even summoned in the first place.

  You need to frigging calm down, Cam’s voice admonished in his head.

  Crap, if Cam could feel me projecting anger then the other empaths that were on the council would be able to feel it too.

  Don’t worry, Cam sent, picking up on his thoughts. I’m blocking your emotions from them. In fact, I’m shielding all of our minds, they won’t be able to feel anything from us.

  How in the hell are you managing to do that? Abdiel shot back, careful to keep his head down.