by Deanna Chase
Dan’s anger ratcheted up to fury, making my stomach turn. “This isn’t about my daddy issues,” he said with disgust. “It’s about Jade. A friend of mine. Someone I care about very deeply. How dare you use her? Use me to get to her?”
This time, when Dan pulled his arm back for another blow, Philip countered it with a block and sucker-punched him in the stomach. Dan staggered then found his feet. After a small moment to catch his breath, he launched himself on Philip, and the pair went down in a heap, brawling right in the middle of the church, with the angel council looking on.
Meri stomped over to them and yelled, “Stop it. Both of you.”
Neither of them listened. They were too far gone, duking out whatever personal battle they needed to wage. Sure, for Dan it was partly about me, but not all of it. I suspected not even most of it.
My shoulders sagged as a bone-wary exhaustion settled over me. Would anyone care or notice if I sank to the floor?
Lailah moved forward, giving the brawling men a wide berth. “Members of the council, please, I beg of you to put a stop to this unproductive display of male aggression. Before you stand two women with one soul. Your wisdom and assistance is humbly requested for a resolution in this unusual circumstance.”
The pale, long-haired councilman gestured off to the side and nodded to Philip and Dan, who were grunting and rolling around on the tile, steadfastly trying to kill one another. Or at least Dan appeared to want to kill his father. Philip was doing his best to hold Dan off as long as possible and to avoid any more bone-crushing strikes.
Two large bouncers, both resembling some sort of angel giants, emerged from the wings. In no time they had Dan and Philip restrained. Dan did his level best to break free from his captor. Philip relaxed, despite the guard securing his arms behind his back.
“Take them below,” the councilman said.
Dan twisted and called to me, “I didn’t know.”
I nodded, a piece of my heart mending. Even though Dan had been helping Meri, he hadn’t chosen her over me. My turbulent emotions overwhelmed me. I longed for a quiet place to curl up in the fetal position.
The bouncers guided the duo out of the room.
Lailah seemed to sense my weariness because she stepped up beside me and linked her arm through mine. “Lean on me if you have to.”
“Ms. Farmoore,” the ice queen angel on the dais said. “Wasn’t Mr. Toller’s soul assigned to you?”
“Yes.”
“Then I suggest you join him.” She waved a hand toward the hall leading out of the sanctuary.
Lailah tightened her grip on my arm. “I don’t think so. Philip was assigned to Ms. Calhoun, but he’s abandoned her. At this time, Ms. Calhoun is in far more danger than Mr. Toller. She deserves an angel in her corner.”
She stared down at Lailah as an eerie silence filled the church. None of the parishioners spoke or even moved. Finally, she murmured something to the councilman to her left. He nodded and headed for the pair of us. He stopped on the other side of Lailah and whispered in her ear.
Lailah didn’t make any indication she heard him. The ice queen’s cold gaze passed over me and then she said, “Though we don’t agree that Mr. Pearson has neglected his duty to guard Ms. Calhoun’s soul—part of it does reside within the ex-angel Meri—we find your request acceptable.”
“Thank you,” Lailah said.
“You have been granted permission to guard Ms. Calhoun’s soul,” the councilman confirmed. “Do you understand since you claimed her, her fate is yours?”
Lailah nodded solemnly. “I understand.”
Her fate was mine? Holy shit balls, what did she just agree to? I clutched her arm tighter. “Lailah?”
“Not now, Jade.” My new angel guardian moved to stand in front of Meri. She stood with her feet shoulder-width apart, hands settled on her hips. “You know what that means, right?”
Meri raised her head and gave Lailah a grim smile. “Yes, I know what that means.”
“Good. Then you know I won’t be giving up.”
Meri gazed at the floor and mumbled, “I never expected you to.”
The lead councilwoman stepped up to a mic. “In light of recent events, the council will recess until further notice. Ms. Farmoore, you and your associates will be shown to guest quarters. We’ll summon you when your presence is required.”
A short, redheaded angel materialized from behind us. She held a hand out in the direction of the hallway and nodded, indicating we should follow her. We did as instructed, and I fell into step beside Lailah. “Want to tell me what that meant? My fate is yours?”
She sighed. “When an angel abandons an assignment for another, she is then forced to suffer the trials of her new charge. That means anything that happens to you, I will be forced to experience it with you.”
I froze in horror. “You mean if I lose my soul, you will too?”
“Keep up, please,” the redhead called over her shoulder, not slowing down.
Lailah grabbed my arm, propelling me forward. “No, I will remain unaltered, but I will experience the extraction as if it were my own.”
Oh, Jesus. What had she done? “So you will feel all my emotional and physical pain?”
She gave me one curt nod. “It is what it is.”
I gaped. It was worse than being an empath. “But why would they do that to you? You’re only trying to help me.”
“Angels are preprogrammed to want to help troubled souls, but we can’t possibly help everyone. The council sends us our assignments based on importance. The bonding is sort of like a punishment for redirecting our focus away from our regular clients. It’s to discourage us from going rogue and helping every poor soul that crosses our paths.”
“But Dan is here and Bea’s not in any danger.” Especially since the whole reason Bea had an angel guardian was because of me. While I was here, she should be safe.
Lailah shot me a confused look. “You didn’t think they were my only assignments, did you?”
“Well…yeah. I mean, you didn’t say anything about anyone else.”
“It’s confidential, remember?”
That’s right. Angels didn’t reveal themselves to their assignments. And they certainly didn’t go around telling other people about them. I wondered how many souls Lailah was ignoring right now. I opened my mouth to ask more questions, but she cut me off.
“Let it go. Please, Jade?” She stuffed her hands in hidden pockets in her robe. “While things might get unpleasant, my life isn’t in danger. Yours is. I’d like to focus on keeping you around, if that’s okay with you?”
I nodded and let her go ahead of me. My footsteps slowed and my limbs started to go numb. I was in shock mentally and it was affecting me physically.
The white halls we traveled down were bare except for the gold gilded sconces and soft yellow flames that flickered within them. Hallway after hallway, it was all the same golden-splashed whiteness. My vision narrowed to our escort’s feet. Just when I thought I couldn’t take one more step, she stopped and produced a gold key.
She unlocked our room and pulled open the gold door. Inside was a lush suite, filled with elegant, white, overstuffed couches and chairs. A mountain of gold silk pillows rested on the plush gold and white checkerboard carpet, and four separate bedrooms circled the common living room and kitchen area. The only colors in the entire place were from the plates of fresh fruit piled on the dining table. I wandered in, collapsed on one of the couches, and sighed in relief.
Meri and Lailah hesitated in the hallway.
I raised my eyebrows in question.
“Not everything is as it seems,” Lailah said and then confronted our guide. “How long will we be held here?”
The guide said nothing, not even acknowledging Lailah spoke. She held the door open, waiting for her to enter.
Lailah’s face turned dark. “Speak, young one.”
This time the guide flinched and looked up at her with wide, pleading hazel eyes as she shook
her head.
“She’s fulfilling her vow of silence,” Meri said, pointing to a thin gold ring on the angel’s hand. “She can’t answer you. Besides, she likely doesn’t have the answer.”
Lailah took another step away from the room. “Even so, she knows.”
I sat up. “What’s going on?”
“Those committed to silence know everything,” Lailah continued as if I hadn’t spoken. “They run the council’s errands and serve their every whim.”
“We just got here. She can’t know,” Meri argued. “What does it matter anyway?”
Lailah turned on Meri, her face contorted in disgust. “Did you not learn anything in angel training? That room is a time warp. We could think we’re in there five minutes and a whole year could go by.”
“Oh, shit.” Meri started to back up. “I’d heard of the time warp rooms, but I didn’t think they put angels in them.”
“Didn’t they tell you? Technically your angel status is pending until after the hearing, and I’m tied to Jade’s fate,” Lailah said in exasperation.
Meri shook her head. “No one told me anything.”
I flew off the couch, ready to join the group in the hall. I would not get stuck in a place where time stood still. I had a life to lead, damn it. But when I tried to cross the threshold, I couldn’t. An invisible wall kept me trapped inside. Frantically I banged on the barrier, yelling profanity at the small guide.
Her lips turned up in a sad, twisted smile as she started to grow right before my eyes. She shot up three feet and her body morphed into a transparent image of her former self. When she flickered back into solid form, there was two of her.
The twins moved fast, each crowding Lailah and Meri. Horrified, they both started to move forward, though their stiff movements made it obvious they were being forced. What were the twins doing to them?
They had to be using some sort of angel magic. Slowly, painfully, Lailah and then Meri made tiny, reluctant steps. They both put up a tremendous mental fight. Their fierce determination filtered through their angel defenses and pulsed around me. But the key master was too strong for either of them. With one final push, the twins propelled the two angels into the suite and placed one palm on the invisible barrier. It flashed solid white and instantly became a seamless part of the interior wall.
The gold door was gone. The three of us were trapped in a gilded cage.
Chapter 27
Silence filled the room as we stared at the seamless wall. I took in the surroundings, realizing for the first time the lack of windows. We might as well have been in a dungeon. For all I knew, we were.
“Shit!” Lailah turned and headed for one of the bedrooms, mumbling, “Freakin’ power-hungry, no-good pieces of council slime.”
I walked to where the missing door should be and placed my palms on the wall, fingers searching for any sign of an opening. Nothing. Not even one minor bump grazed the perfectly constructed wall. Damn angel magic. Methodically, I worked my way from top to bottom and then proceeded to the right, intent on checking every last inch of the surface.
“You’re wasting your time,” Meri said, her voice flat.
“I have to do something.” I eyed her lounging on the snow-white couch, her feet tucked under the shiny gold pillows. “Living the life of a trapped princess isn’t my idea of happiness.”
She snorted. “Happiness. Yeah, that’s what I’m worried about.”
I swallowed, realizing I’d put both feet in my mouth. Fifteen years in Hell with no soul would certainly color someone’s perspective. “Right. Sorry.”
She shrugged and picked up a gold, leather-bound book from the table.
Shaking my head, I sat next to her. “Can you answer a question?”
She gazed over the top of the book, her eyebrows raised.
“I’m pretty sure Philip transported me here, but what about the rest of you? Did you come willingly? What about Dan?”
“Philip brought me too. Lailah and Jonathon were summoned and because Dan comes from angel blood, he was able to tag along with me. He wasn’t invited, but now that he’s here, the council will listen to what he has to say.” She went back to her book, clearly dismissing me.
Jonathon had been at the council meeting? Where had he been hiding?
I fidgeted, acutely aware I didn’t have my tight circle of friends at my side. What I wouldn’t do for Pyper’s sarcasm and Bea’s wisdom right now. Not to mention Kane’s solid presence.
I put the wistful thoughts out of my mind and focused on finding a way out of the plush cell. After what seemed like hours, I’d touched every inch of the walls in the main room. How much time had gone by in the real world? Hours? Days? Months?
The thought of Kane giving up on waiting for me made my heart sink to my stomach. How long was too long to wait? He’d have to move on eventually.
No. We were getting out of here. I stormed into Lailah’s room. She lay face-down on the luxurious white pinstriped down comforter. “Get up!”
She rolled slightly to peek at me with one eye. “For what?”
“We need a plan to break out of here.”
She sat up, her shoulders slumped in a clear display of dejection. “The room is sealed. No magic can free us—not mine and certainly not yours. We’re stuck here until the council deems fit. Any planning we do is useless. Trust me. It’s never been done.”
Stubborn irritation crawled up my spine. “I’m a white witch. No one knows what I’m capable of. Not even me.”
“And that’s what we intend to find out,” an unfamiliar deep voice said from behind me.
I jumped and raised my hands in defense.
A black-haired man about my height held his hand out in invitation. He wore a red and gold robe—yay for color!—and had a long sword strapped across his body.
I took two steps back. “Where’d you come from?”
“Devon.” Lailah moved to stand just slightly in front of me. “I’m surprised to see you here.”
“Ah, sweet Lailah, I very much doubt that.” His thin lips curved up in a sardonic smile.
She crossed her arms over her chest. “I guess you’re right, but I am surprised the council deemed it necessary to start their interrogation off on such a combative note.”
He inclined his head in acknowledgment. “Your witch appears to be highly valuable. Not to mention the prospect of an angel returning to the fold.”
“That’s what I was afraid of.” Lailah turned to me and wrapped me in a tight hug.
Surprised, I bristled and tried to step out of her grasp. “What are you doing?”
“It’s okay, Jade. Don’t be scared,” she cooed and then whispered harshly in my ear. “Whatever happens, don’t fight him. Cooperate no matter what he asks. The consequences are too dire.”
I stopped struggling and tried to process her warning.
“Everything will work out fine,” she continued in her motherly farce. “Go with Devon. I’ll be right behind you.” She released me, glaring at the angel warrior. “If anything happens to her, you’ll have to answer to me.”
He laughed, a low and seductive sound. “Don’t tempt me.”
I shivered, ready to crawl out of my skin.
With one last slow smile in Lailah’s direction, he snapped his fingers, making my world shift from the pale white reality to a stark gray one. Rows of reclining chairs were lined up in front of me. Behind them, computers with dangling electrode wires filled the walls. My field of vision narrowed in on a tray of hypodermic needles.
Oh, God. A test lab.
I whirled around and ran smack into Meri.
“Ouch,” she grunted as our skulls banged together.
White spots filled my vision and my head swam. “You’re here too?”
“Obviously.” She held her forehead with one hand and scowled at me. “Better to be here than our guest quarters.”
“Because being a lab rat is much more preferable to the soft beds and mountains of food we had available,�
�� I scoffed.
Another red and gold-robed angel materialized and guided Meri to one of the chairs.
“What are you doing?” I whispered urgently when she didn’t even protest.
She sent me an impatient look. “Getting this over with. They’ll get what they want one way or another. The longer you fight them, the longer we’ll end up locked in the time warp chamber.”
“So? We have to try.” I grabbed for the restraint the angel was trying to clasp around her wrist.
He lifted his head, a stern scowl on his face.
Meri slapped my hand away with her free one. “For God’s sake, Jade. Don’t you understand? The time warp room is called that for a reason. To us it may seem like five minutes, but it could be five years. Years—not months, not weeks, not days. Years.”
I froze, the reality of what she said finally sinking in. “But why?”
“Angels don’t want to hurt humans or cause pain. Their main concern is souls. You know that. The room is to make you as comfortable as possible. But they will leave you there until they make a decision, and that could be instantaneous or it could be indefinitely. It all depends on how the council votes. We have no way of knowing how much time has passed.”
Panic took over and I started to tremble. “You mean, years could have passed already?”
She met my terrified gaze and nodded. “Yes. That’s why as much as I don’t want to be prodded, I’m willing to endure this to get on with whatever life I may or may not have. I advise you do the same. The longer you fight it, the longer they’ll keep you here.”
Kane’s image flashed in my mind. I stared at the emerald secured to my finger and my stomach ached with a sick emptiness.
Meri lay back in her chair and closed her eyes.
I barely noticed as Devon guided me to the one next to her. They were angels. They might take my soul, but they wouldn’t torture me. Right?
I had to get home. To Kane and my family. Gwen would be heartsick. A pinprick in my arm brought me back to reality and I flinched, but the restraints kept me in place. Magic flared in my chest as the urge to escape seized me. The machine to the right started flashing and a high-pitched alarm filled the room.