by JP Epperson
“I made a few changes while you were in the shower.” She grinned. “Trust me, you won’t be disappointed. It won’t work for anyone the same way it will work for you. I’ve enhanced it so it will be an extension of whatever ability you are using. In other words, if you are using your speed ability, the whip will be as fast as you are. If you use strength, each slash of the whip will be ten times stronger than that of an angel or demon without that ability. If you use stealth, the whip will go into stealth as well, but unlike the other weapons you use, the whip can be used in stealth and it will not only be invisible but it will also be silent, and there will be no wind from its whiplash. If you use your fire, your whip can emit the fire as well. And the best part is . . .”
She paused for effect, that huge smile upon her face again. I looked at her and she was lovely. Even more beautiful than I thought before. When she smiled like that, everything about her lit up. She was almost glowing and I wasn’t the only one that noticed. Liam looked at her with eyes filled with nothing less than love, adoration, and pride. She saw his gaze and looked down shyly. It would not be long before they professed their love for one another. I had never seen it before—two angels falling in love. Nich and Lori fell in love while Colton and I were falling for each other, so I didn’t really see it happen for them. I felt both blessed to witness such a thing, and also a bit like an intruder.
I turned away to find that I was not the only one who saw what was happening. Colton and Nich both watched with smiles on their faces before turning away. Colton looked at me, and I smiled too as I remembered those first moments when our love started to grow. It all began with a few tender smiles and looks. It was beautiful. Talon, on the other hand, looked at them with disappointment, as though he might say something like “What a shame.”
Liam and Olivia were both starting to grow on Talon, but the fact they were soon going to claim each other as soulmates would almost take away some of the respect he had for them. Talon was just the type of guy that felt love was a weakness. I both agreed and disagreed with him. Loving someone does weaken a person, but it can also give you strength unmatchable by anything, both in the human world and in ours. My love for Colton and his for me had given us the strength we needed to defeat our enemies time and time again. Even now, though we would never again be together the way we once were, our love still provided us with the tools needed to save each other.
“Okay, I give.” I laughed. “What’s the best part?”
“Well,” said Olivia, “not only will it be just a normal whip to anyone else that picks it up, it will also be rendered completely useless against you. When you were injured, I got some of your blood on my clothing and body. I collected and infused it into the whip. So even if your enemy gets hold of it, this whip will never tear your flesh or bleed you. You will never be whipped by this whip.”
“I don’t know what to say, Olivia. I’m more than impressed. I’m completely speechless. Thank you, thank you so much. I mean it. This thing is going to be a permanent addition to my uniform, so to speak.”
“You don’t have to add it to your regular weapons,” Olivia assured me, though she couldn’t hide that fact that she was thrilled. Physically, Liam and Olivia looked the same age as the rest of us—in their mid-twenties—but there was no denying they didn’t have as many years as we did. Our age is almost written in our eyes, as though as more time passes, more wisdom appears in them. Liam and Olivia’s eyes still held that glowing innocence.
“Oh yes I do.” I smiled. “This whip has earned permanent residence on my hip.” And I really meant it. I would be lying if I didn’t admit that the whipping Big Jack gave me haunted me still, and I was sure it would for many years to come. I never wanted to see a whip again, but The Terrible Beauty does not run from her fears. Olivia gave me a way to fight those fears, and so this whip would forever hold a spot on my hip and serve as a reminder of what I survived.
I wanted Olivia to know what it meant to me but was not about to go crazy with touchy-feely garbage. I had already surpassed my level of emotional boohooing with Colton and Nicholai. So instead of speaking, I tried to put everything I was thinking into my eyes. I tried to show her that this was a gift I would never forget and I would cherish it always. She seemed to get the point because her eyes turned glossy and she suddenly turned away to admire a weapon. I smiled and went back to the glass cabinet to retrieve the last weapon I wanted to bring with me as we sought out our friends and foes.
In the very center of the display sat an elegant sword. The handle, with its intricate designs, was remarkable. I knew that every detail of the handmade sword, from handle to point, was carefully planned by the very person who wielded it. Lorileigh’s craftsmanship was flawless. She and Olivia would have gotten along well. I had seen Lori gracefully unsheathe that beautiful work of art too many times to count. Everything about her was graceful—the way she spoke, moved, and fought. Even her favorite weapon was graceful. It moved as though it was a part of her, and I supposed in some ways it was. So when Nicholai presented it to me all those years ago following her death, I was humbled to the point that I fell to my knees sobbing.
“It was what she wanted,” he had said to me that day. Not even I could control the emotions fighting inside me as I was overcome with both humbleness and a broken heart.
Since that day, the sword sat on the center shelf of my display case. I often came in here because just being near her favorite weapon made me feel like Lorileigh was nearby. I usually visited it about once a week. Just brushing my fingertips down the smooth side of the blade brought her back to life for a little. There were times when I handled the sword that I would really begin to believe she was with me. When something was really troubling me, I liked to clean the sword. It soothed me. Often the times I was missing her the most, I would suddenly smell her favorite perfume as though she just walked by. I would hear her lighthearted laughter in another room, or see a flash of long golden locks whipping around a corner. Once I even thought I felt her hand upon my shoulder before I felt the warmth of a gentle kiss on my cheek. I supposed my mind knew that rather than time healing the loss, the pain hidden in my soul deepened into an almost tangible hardness. I read in some human books that sometimes people suffer so much, their mind takes over in strange ways to protect itself. Like the people that forget horrible memories or the people that have more than one personality. I guess it applied to angels too, because I knew she was gone and she was never coming back.
Chapter Twenty-Two
We reconvened in the living room of my apartment, my safe room once again secured and hidden from sight. We stood in a circle, hand-in-hand, praying for protection. Praying that we would be able to bring home those taken, prevent whatever the prophecy had foreseen, and that we would all make it home safely. When we finished the prayer, we hesitantly released each other’s hands. We knew that no matter what we were about to walk into, there was a likelihood that some of us would not be returning.
After pausing to say our unspoken goodbyes, we lined up around Liam. When heading out for war, it is taboo to speak your goodbyes or doubts aloud. Doubt and fear can be a cancerous duo, manifesting into reality if you give them the power. So, really, it is not wordless goodbyes we say to one another, but rather we make sure to show the love and respect we share for one another instead.
Liam was going to use his tracking ability as he had done before. Only this time, he would be able to track Theodore directly since he had his scent, which should take out the guesswork and put us right in the middle of whatever was going down.
“Get ready, everyone,” Liam said.
The room was still. There was no sound but for the incessant tick tock of the wall clock above the fireplace. I watched as the second hand clicked rhythmically. The constant clicking of the clock worked as a soothing mechanism as it slowed down the thoughts whirling in my mind. My mind eased as it went to the place I needed it to go to follow Liam smoothly. I knew the others all had their own techniques to
get their heads in the right state of mind, whatever they may be. But for me, it was the always reliable ticking reminder of time.
There we stood, mellowing down until we were all on the same wavelength so we could follow Liam wherever Theodore’s trail led him. We stood in offensive positions, and I could feel he was about to do whatever he had to do to work his ability, when someone emerged right alongside us in the living room. Instantly, our positions changed from offensive to defensive, and I had a holy-water arrow loosed even before I heard the sound of the crude laughter cackling mere feet away from us.
“Nuh, uh, uh,” taunted the childlike voice of Finders as she twirled her pigtail around her finger. “If you want to see your precious Evangelina again, you’ll listen up. My sister is keeping your sweet friend company, and if I don’t make it back in one piece in the next five minutes, I’m afraid there won’t be much left of your dear mummy figure.”
She giggled as though she was perfectly at ease with whatever choice we made. “I’ve brought proof, in case you doubted me.” She waved a tattered, bloody gossamer piece of lace that I knew without a doubt came from Evangelina’s gown.
My blood was boiling. I was seething. I could feel the heat of my rage begin to fill me up. What was more, Colton reacted the same way I did. Where I had an arrow only inches from her eye, Colton swung the sword away from me, stopping just short of her jugular. If it were physically possible for him, I think he would have been breathing fire. Evangelina played as much a part in his life as she had in mine.
“All we want is you, Belleeza.” And now the playfulness left Finders’ voice. She stood tall and proud. No more hair twirling or smacking of her lips. Her gaze was serious, calculating, and I knew that she was not someone to be underestimated. She was letting me see the real her. It was a smart move—I’d be more likely to listen to what she said if I respected her as a worthy opponent. Somehow that eased something inside of me. I never knew what to do with FindersKeepers. They were like children to me. But a skilled warrior—that I knew how to handle.
“And the tracker—he comes with us. Can’t have anyone following us.”
We caught a glimpse of the warrior in her, a side I was unaware even existed, and just like that it vanished. She got her point across, and right before our eyes, we witnessed her slip back into what we now realized was her cover. She was more cunning than anyone ever realized. It was no wonder their kill count was so high. If Keepers’ intelligence matched her sister’s, then they really were a pair to be reckoned with.
“I’ll go,” I agreed. “But the tracker stays,” I continued over the uproar from my colleagues.
“I don’t think so, Belleeza,” Colton said, as he added a bit more pressure into the sword against Finders’ neck. He refused to take his eyes off her. He knew now, as I did, that she was not someone to turn your back to. “There is no way you’re going without me and especially not completely alone.
“I agree with the . . . viator,” Talon grumbled. Though it was clear to anyone with ears that he detested the fact that he agreed with Colton.
“If you are going, I’m going as well,” Liam said.
“No!”cried all the others at once, but he looked undeterred. Olivia looked scared and pleaded with her eyes for him to stay. Colton, Talon, and Nicholai looked firm.
“It’s really not up to any of you.” Finders smirked, looking amused. “Not if you want what’s been taken to be returned in one piece. Belleeza and the tracker come or your Evangelina is fated for an awfully long and painful torture.”
“I will come willingly and alone, or we can take you apart piece by piece and track your sister ourselves.”
“Belleeza,” Colton said. I could hear the pleading in his voice now. “Why don’t we just do that anyway? We need not separate or take orders from this one.”
He was right—but I liked my plan better. The desperation in his voice struck a chord in my heart, but I knew what I had to do.
Finders looked at me strangely, as if she were studying me. “Hmm. You’re right, you know, but surely you can see the wheels turning in her head. She intends to go willingly so as not to risk any of you. She’ll try to rescue her friends, and if she succeeds, great. Should she be unsuccessful, she intends to go down with the ship, as they say.”
Colton looked at me, aghast. “No!” he mouthed. I could see the resolve in his eyes. He meant to kill Finders so I could not do what he knew I would. So I would not go willingly and risk my death to save them, to save him. “No, Belleeza!” he yelled at me.
“There is no other choice.” I did the only thing I could do. I raised my hand and for the first time ever, I used my ability on my own side and meant it. The heat gathered in my palm and I hit Colton square in the chest before he could slide his blade across the smooth flesh of Finders’ neck. He looked shocked as I grabbed Finders’ and vanished, emerging across the living room.
“Liam, hear me now,” I roared. “I, Belleeza, The Terrible Beauty, warrior of God, command that you shall not track me, FindersKeepers, Evangelina, Anselma, or Theodore.”
Colton shook his head, his eyes blazing. ‘You can’t,’ he said, through gritted teeth. “I won’t let you go without me.”
“Have faith,” I shouted to my fellow colleagues, trying to make sure they could hear me above the sound of Finders’ laughter echoing throughout my apartment.
Colton vanished, and I knew he no longer wished to stop me but to come with me. I could not let that happen in case this was an ambush. I would not risk the warriors, my friends, and especially not him. My heart felt like it was being pulled in two different directions. On the one hand, against everything logical, I wanted Colton with me. I lost him before and now that he was really back, I never wanted to be separated from him again. I wanted to keep him with me always. I was almost scared that if we were not together, I would lose him again.
On the other hand, my heart knew that because I wanted him so badly, I could not take him with me. I had to keep him safe. The world could not afford to lose us both if I died tonight. I loved him. I loved him still. Truth was, I never stopped loving him. Despite every tear that ever fell from my eyes after he left me heartbroken, I still loved him. The image of him bleeding to death in the hotel popped into my head, and I knew that I had to keep him safe. The only way to do that was to make sure I did not take him with me wherever they wanted me.
“Now!” I shouted to Finders. Not knowing where we were headed, I would have to let her lead while I tagged along. “Now, Finders,” I shouted again.
Colton raced to get to us, but even with his speed, he would not make it on time. The moment he realized he wasn’t going to be fast enough, he looked up . . . but not at me. I followed his eyes as he nodded to someone, and I realized I’d made a grave mistake. It was not only Colton I should have been paying attention to. I should have been watching out for Nich too. Nicholai nodded in response to Colton before he vanished, and I knew I was not going to be able to stop him from tagging along.
“No,” Finders screamed. She saw Nich coming for us at the same time I saw him, but it was too late. We were already mid-vanishing and Nicholai would emerge with us wherever we landed.
“Now!” Nicholai shouted arriving just on time to tag along with us and bring Colton with him.
Oh God.
“Colton, no!”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Nicholai successfully tagged along with Finders and me and Colton made it just on time to tag along with Nich. We landed softly in a living room that looked like it came straight out of a magazine. It was clearly intended for a girl, but in a way that was both sexy and comfortable, using blues, silver, and different shades of brown. The glass-top coffee table on the rug was bare but for a crystal vase containing large white flowers. I could not help but to notice the décor resembled my own taste.
“Idiots,” Finders laughed. “Belleeza was never in any danger. The same can’t be said for you two. You’ll likely never see the light of day again
.”
“What were you both thinking?” I shouted, ignoring her but keeping her in my line of sight. I hoped my furiousness would mask the fear I felt for my beloved friends.
“What were you thinking, Belleeza!” Colton was seething; there was fire burning in his eyes. “How could you?”
“No way in hell we were going to let you go without any back-up.” Nicholai said. “I saw the look in your eyes when you glanced at Colton. We knew exactly what you were going to try and do. We weren’t about to let you walk into an ambush alone.”
I sighed. “Why?” I asked mostly to myself. Colton walked to me, and the fire was no longer in his eyes. He lifted my chin and kissed my lips ever so gently.
“I’m never leaving your side again.”
“That goes for both of us,” Nich added.
My anger subsided, leaving only worry for their safety. After all, how could I be angry at them for showing honor and loyalty? They did exactly as I would have done in their place, but if something happened to either of them, I could never forgive myself. I was unsure whether my face betrayed my feelings or if it was just that they knew me so well. I was assuming the latter, but Nicholai spoke, answering my unspoken thoughts.
“Don’t even think on it, Belleeza,” he said, touching my chin. “I am a warrior of God and I make my own choices. When I die, whether it be today or fifty years from now, it will be a warrior’s death—an honorable death. And I won’t have you taking that away from me by blaming yourself as if I am some innocent mortal caught in the crossfire. No one takes my death from me, not even you, Beauty.”