Adam knocks just once. I move aside to let him in. Picking up my desk chair I sit preparing myself for whatever it is he has to say. Probably something along the lines of: What has come over you? Since when do you act this way? I’m completely ashamed of your behavior.
Taking a seat on the bed Adam looks at me and says absolutely nothing. The longer he doesn’t speak the more nervous I become. If he’s trying to punish me with silence, it’s working.
“Hanna,” Adam says breaking the silence. Finally, because honestly I don’t know how much longer I could’ve stood the silent treatment. “I know a lot of…things have happened to you lately.” Understatement of the century. In the last two weeks I’ve watched someone die, been branded by a mystical symbol that gives me super human abilities—twice. Discovered a hidden war between fallen angels who possess humans in order to free themselves from purgatory and the Guardians, supernaturally gifted humans who’s goal is to stop said Fallen. I’ve been tormented by a psychotic blonde with black soulless eyes and then found out my best friend/boyfriend is prophesied to either save or destroy the world, so yeah—a lot of things have happened. “But you can’t go around behaving like this,” Adam continues. “It’s not going to make you feel any better and you’re going to end up losing more than you realize. Trust me, I know. After mom and dad—lets just say I got into my fair share of stupid fights too and not everyone forgives and forgets, no matter the circumstances behind your actions.”
“I know. I don’t know what came over me. I didn’t mean to fight with Kat like that or to let things go as far as they did. It’s just that…” I have no idea how to explain myself without really telling him what’s going on and that’s not an option, so like an idiot I sit with my mouth hanging open, no words in my defense.
“You don’t have to explain Hanna. I get it. I’ve been there.” Coming over he places his hand on my shoulder. “Just know there are other ways to deal with your grief that don’t involve getting into fist fights with your friends.” He squeezes my shoulder lightly. “I talked to Kat downstairs. I think if you apologize she might forgive you. She understands you’re going through a hard time right now.” Heading for the door he pauses. Looking back he says, “ I’m always here if you need to talk. About anything, okay? And Hanna,” I meet his eye. “They’re going to find him.”
No they’re not because there’s no one there to find.
Adam closes the door leaving me alone with my thoughts, which happen to be all over the place. If I’m not thinking about Jared, Blondie, the lying, or about how my life has become scary and crazy, I’m thinking about how I went psycho and punched Kat in the face for completely stupid reasons. I hope Adam was right when he said he thinks she might forgive me. I hope she does because despite my actions, I really do miss her. Aside from Jared, Kat’s my closest friend and I really don’t want to lose her.
I flop down face first onto my bed prepared to give into self pity until something better presents itself when Will bursts through my door in full panic mode.
“We have a problem,” he announces.
“Is it Jared?” I jump up from the bed. “Is he okay?”
Will shakes his head. “No, it’s not Jared. Jared’s fine,” I relax, “But Zoe’s missing.” for a very short-lived moment. Can this day get any worse?
“What do you mean Zoe’s missing?”
“Last night I went back to the church for her and she was gone. I’ve been looking everywhere. I’ve tried everything I could think of to locate her. I even tried calling blood-to-blood and got nothing. It’s like she doesn’t exist anymore or she’s being heavily shielded somehow. It doesn’t make any sense.”
“Could she have woken up on her own?” Please say no. Please say no.
“No,” I sigh in relief. If Will notices he doesn’t let on as he continues. “My blood is the only thing that can wake her.”
“Then we’re okay right? I mean she can’t hurt us if she’s asleep.” The look on his face suggests otherwise. “Can she?”
“If Blondie took her.” He runs his hands down over his face. “Then we’re screwed. Even though Zoe’s in a coma like state it’s possible she could still be conscious on some level and if she is, then it’s possible she heard everything we said at the church. And if Blondie does have her and he get’s into her head he’ll know—”
“That Jared’s alive,” I finish for him.
“Yeah.”
“What do we do?”
“I don’t know.” Will plops down on my bed. Leaning forward, he rests his elbows on his knees. Looking over at me he says, “Jared’s safe for now, but if Blondie does find out the truth. If The Compound becomes compromised, we may have to move him.”
I sit down beside him. “Move him where?”
“I don’t know. The Compound is the safest place we have.”
“Well, maybe Blondie doesn’t have her. I mean can the Fallen even enter a church given that they’re you know, fallen and all?”
“No. The Fallen can’t enter any place consecrated but still, I can’t shake this feeling that he has her.”
“Yeah, but you just said he can’t enter a church so how—”
“He could have had someone human do it.”
“Someone human? Like who?”
“That’s what we’ve got to figure out.”
CHAPTER FIVE
After fifteen minutes of riding through town on the back of Will’s motorcycle he turns off onto a hidden drive shrouded in trees, kicking up dust and gravel in our wake. He takes the next corner too fast causing the back tire to skid sideways. My heart pounds so hard in my chest I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t feel it against his back, as my hands become tight fists around his waist. Righting the bike easily, he laughs. Glad he finds nearly crashing so amusing.
After another mile or two of my life flashing before my eyes at break neck speeds, a large log cabin style house emerges in the distance. Finally slowing down, Will parks beside Eric’s black SUV. He hops off the bike with a dramatic flourish while I wait for my heart rate to normalize. With his helmet held tucked under his arm, he grins.
Taking off my helmet I throw it at him, hitting him square in the chest.
“Ow,” he says with a half laugh while rubbing his chest with the palm of his hand. “What was that for?”
“Like you don’t know.”
He grins; I roll my eyes. Ignoring him I take in the enormity of Eric’s house as I climb off the bike and I have to say, it’s pretty impressive: large A-frame, huge windows, and a nice front porch with flowers lining the walkway in shades of blue and purple. “Didn’t peg your brother as the flower garden type.”
“He’s not.” Will’s goofy grin falters. “Zoe planted them after we moved in.”
“Oh.” After all the hellish things she’s done, it’s hard for me to imagine her planting flowers.
“I know you think bad of her, and I don’t blame you, but Zoe wasn’t always the enemy.” Lost in thought Will stares at the flowers along the edge of the walkway. “There was a time when I trusted her more than anyone else in the world and I have to believe that somewhere deep inside, the person she once was is still in there somewhere. I just need to remind her.” For his sake I hope he gets the chance. I know if it were Adam, I’d do anything to save him.
Shaking off any signs of vulnerability, Will takes my hand and begins leading me up the walkway to the front porch. “Let’s see if Eric’s come up with any leads while I was gone.”
The inside of Eric’s house is just as impressive as the outside. Completely open and airy, the main rooms, separated by support beams, merge flawlessly together. A large living room on the left side and a cozy dining area leading into a sleek kitchen a chef would kill for on the right. In the back corner of the living room a set of spiral stairs leads up to a loft overlooking everything. And right down the middle, separating the living room from the kitchen is a long hallway running the length of the house.
All of the floors
are hard wood accented with area rugs and the walls have all been painted a smoky blue gray complementing the black leather furniture of the living room and the black cabinets and stainless steel appliances of the kitchen. It’s definitely not the kind of house I imagined fallen angel fighting super humans to be living in. I was expecting something more, I don’t know—minimalist, with weapons everywhere or something—not cozy and picturesque.
“Your brother has a nice house.”
“He’ll be glad you think so. He designed and helped build it himself.”
“Really?” I spin in a small circle. “Wow. He should have gone into architecture?”
“Probably, but hunting The Fallen is a lot easier to do when you’re a cop.”
“What’s easier when you’re a cop?” Eric asks. Descending the stairs he’s dressed very much not like a cop in jeans, a dark blue t-shirt, and navy Converse. Maneuvering around Will and I, his wet hair shimmers in the sunlight spilling through the enormous living room windows that more or less span the entire length of the front of the house, as he enters the kitchen. Pulling out one of the counter drawers he removes a gun. With swift hands, he snaps in a clip, then tucks it into the back of his jeans.
Who keeps a gun in the kitchen?
“Hunting Fallen,” Will says nonchalantly. Joining Eric in the kitchen he takes a seat at one of the stools along the island. “I filled Hanna in on the Zoe situation after I found nada at the church. We were hoping you had better luck coming up with some kind of lead using your cop powers.”
Crossing his arms over his chest, Eric leans against the counter with a half smile on his face. “Cop powers?” Will shrugs with a grin, Eric laughs. “Nothing concrete, though there have been some reports of suspicious activity out at the old abandoned factories on the outskirts of town that could be something. Or it could just be teenagers looking for a place to party. Either way, I’m going to check it out.”
“We’ll come with you,” Will says indicating he and I both. My heart flutters rapidly in my chest. I don’t think I’m ready to actively seek out The Fallen, especially Blondie since he’s the one most likely to have Zoe. “I just need to grab a few things first.” He heads for the hall off the kitchen.
“Absolutely not,” Eric says stopping Will in his tracks. “It’s way too dangerous and she’s not been trained.” He points at me even though we all know whom he’s referring to.
“I can’t just sit here and do nothing Eric and you shouldn’t go on your own. Zoe’s my sister too and every second we waste arguing about who’s going to find her is another second Blondie has at getting into her head. You know what’s at stake if he does. Besides, Hanna can handle herself.”
No I can’t.
I have no idea what I’m doing.
I’m not ready for this. I’m not ready to go on the offensive. I can barely handle defense.
Will doesn’t notice my silent freak out, but Eric does. His eyes roam over my face. His gaze shifts back to Will.
“I said no Will and that’s final. You’re too young, she’s about to have a panic attack,” He tips his head in my direction. “And I don’t want to have to worry about you two getting hurt.”
“Too young? Seriously? You were doing riskier things than this when you were seventeen and Hanna will be just fine. Right Hanna?” He looks over at me.
Eric saves me before I have to respond. “Maybe so, but I’m older now, so I know better and I’m telling you no.”
“You’re like twenty-two,” Will argues. “You’re not that much older.”
Eric shakes his head side to side. “Stay here, leave, go check on your friend Jared or whatever, I don’t care. But you’re not coming with me and that’s final.”
My heart skips a beat at the thought of seeing Jared. I know we haven’t been apart that long, but God, I miss him so much. I would much rather make sure he’s okay than go off to some decrepit factory that’s potentially full of Fallen in search of a girl who tried to kill me. I’m sure Eric can handle himself. He is a cop. This is the kind of stuff they’re trained for, right?
Right.
“Whatever you say boss,” Will says sarcastically. He stomps down the hall swearing under his breath. “At least call Logan and Gage for backup,” he yells back just as Eric closes the front door behind him.
“Will?”
He doesn’t answer so I venture down the hall peeking into the rooms as I go. The first door on the left is cracked a little revealing a set of stairs leading down to the basement and the first door on the right is opened to a room littered with girl paraphernalia, so most likely Zoe’s room. The next door on the left is an enormous bathroom and the last door on the right is closed. I knock lightly. Opening the door, Will moves to the side for me to come in.
“Sorry for the mess.” Will kicks some dirty clothes lying on the floor to the side. His room, though a little on the small side isn’t really all that cramped, nor is it a mess with only a bed, one dresser, a nightstand, and a guitar case leaning against the wall near the closet. Honestly, it barely even looks lived in. No posters, no stacks of CDs or records, no DVDs, no dirty dishes, no anything except what’s minimally required to call it a bedroom. Now Adam’s room on the other hand, that’s what I would call a mess. If a person were to play hide and seek in there, they’d probably never be found.
I run my fingers over the edge of the guitar case. Memories of my mom bring a small smile to my lips while breaking my heart at the same time.
“What are you thinking about?” Will asks. “You’ve got this happy yet sad look going on.”
“My mom. She used to play lullabies to Adam and I when we were little. Every night. And when we got older she taught us how to play them too, but I haven’t played in a really long time. Not since…” She died.
Will wipes a tear from my cheek with his thumb. He’s got that look on his face again like he wants to kiss me. It’s the same look he gave me after pulling me out of the chasm Zoe made me jump into and the same look he tried to hide when he held me in his arms after pulling me out of the lake. I wish he wouldn’t look at me like that. And I wish…I wish I maybe, sort of, just a tiny tiny bit, on some level, didn’t want him to look at me like that.
Swallowing hard, stomach full of guilt for even slightly considering the idea of possible feelings for Will, I step back. Jared’s the only one my heart belongs to. I know this with every fiber of my being and to let things get blurred between Will and I would just be cruel. For everyone.
Dropping his hand, Will’s jaw clenches before he looks away.
I’m sorry, I want to say, but I don’t because it wouldn’t do him or I any good. He knows I know how he feels about me and he also knows my heart belongs to Jared, and that I can’t feel for him how he wants me to.
Turning from me, Will kneels down beside his bed. Reaching under he slides out a large black case. More blades than I have ever seen in my entire life of all different sizes and designs fill the inside. There’s even a sword in there. He takes them out one by one concealing them under his clothes, at his back, the inside of his boots, the inside of his jacket, at his wrists, anywhere he can hide them.
“Take this.” He hands me a medium size blade with a silver handle.
Taking it, the blade reflects the blue of his walls. “What am I supposed to do with it?”
“Keep it. If you’re going to be hanging around with Guardians you should have one.” He winks with a half smile. “Telekinesis can only get you so far. These blades, beside their own, are the only things that can harm or even kill The Fallen.”
“I know.” The night Will and I were ambushed in the woods by Blondie and his Fallen friend forces its way to the front of my mind. I learned first hand that night exactly what these blades can do. The way The Fallen’s body disintegrated, peeling away in rapid decomposition is something I’ll never forget.
“Why did your brother take a gun? If these blades are the only thing that can hurt them, wouldn’t a gun be ineffective?”
“Ordinarily yes, but Eric makes his own bullets out of the same metal as our blades. It’s harder to carry around a bunch of knives when you’re a cop and issued a gun.”
“Guess that makes sense.” Although if Eric is anything like Will, he probably keeps a knife hidden on him somewhere anyhow. “It’s probably more convenient to carry a gun than all the knives anyway.”
Closing the case, Will slides it back under the bed. “You’d think that, but it’s not really. Guns are too conspicuous. And loud. Fire a gun and anyone close by hears. Use a knife…”
“No one hears,” I finish.
“Exactly. Now come on.” He takes my hand leading me out the door and down the hall.
“Where are we going?” Butterflies and apprehension fills my gut. Butterflies if we’re going to see Jared, apprehension if we’re following after Eric.
“To an abandoned factory outside of town,” Will says once we’re in the driveway. He tosses me a helmet before straddling the bike.
“But Eric said not to come,” I say. I get the importance of finding Zoe before Blondie has a chance to read her thoughts and memories, but rushing into something I’m not completely sure I can handle has got my stomach turned inside out. Eric’s right about me, I’m untrained and unprepared. What if bringing me gets Will or Eric hurt? The last few times I’ve gone head to head with a Fallen it was because it was unavoidable. But this, this I can avoid.
“Eric says a lot of things. Most of them stupid, like him telling us not to come. I doubt he even called for backup because he never does. He’s under the impression he’s indestructible, but one day he’s going to find out he’s not. I don’t want today to be that day. Besides, the sooner we find Zoe the safer Jared will be. And you want Jared to be safe don’t you Hanna?”
“Of course I want him to be safe.” I sigh knowing full well he’s manipulating me into going and judging by the grin on his face he knows it’s working. Pulling his helmet down over his face he pats the seat behind him. Reluctantly, I put my helmet on too, then climb onto the back of his motorcycle.
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