Angel’s Fury

by Tamara Whitlow

  Rebecca stood up quickly. “Keep trying, she may come back. I’ll go and tell Mom.”

  Mary kept trying to reach her but the connection remained silent. When she opened her eyes this time she started to cry. Marcus came over and placed a hand on her shoulder.

  “It will be okay. They need her alive.”

  Mary nodded her head and continued to try to reach her.

  Logan made it downtown and luckily the streets weren’t packed. He drove street after street trying to see if he caught any trace of them. He parked his car and cast a spell to follow any magic that may have been used. He closed his eyes and listened for the distinct sound that the trail would have. He almost missed it, but he heard something a couple streets away, and he hurriedly followed the sound. He ended up a bakery, but Denise was not there anymore. He focused his energy on the spell and saw that it was to put someone to sleep. He looked up and saw that the bakery had a camera on the outside. The woman working behind the counter looked at him with a smile as he walked forward. There was only one other person in the bakery, and they were eating by the window. He waved a hand over their head as he passed and the person’s eyes closed. When he approached the lady at the counter, he looked her in the eye and asked for the camera footage. Her blank stare turned into a nod, then she walked toward the back. He followed her as she pulled up the footage. He saw Z and Analise literally run into Denise and take her away. He cursed and hurried out of the building. When he left, everything was just as it were, and the woman and the patron were none the wiser. He hurried back to the house to fill everyone in.

  57

  Analise could feel someone tracking her but she didn’t care. She felt that it was magic so it couldn’t be that angel. She ran so fast out of that house after that angel killed Z. She was trying to find a safe place, but where is anywhere safe from an Angel? She hid inside an abandoned building not too far away and sat against the wall. She pulled her knees up to her chest and put her head down. She started to cry. Z was the only person that she had left. She had tried to call her brothers, but they still weren’t answering her calls. Jeffrey was in the wind, and she was alone. A door at the far end of the building opened, and she scurried behind an oil drum.

  “Analise? We know that you’re in here, come out.”

  She didn’t move.

  “Maybe she’s cloaking herself?”

  Analise knew that voice. “Mary?”

  “Analise? Where are you?”

  She quickly stood and looked at her former friend with wide eyes.

  “Mary…He killed him. I-I-I don’t know what to do.”

  Mary ran over to her and grabbed her arms.

  “Analise, where is Denise?”

  “I don’t know… I don’t know.”

  “What do you mean you don’t know? You took her!”

  “I know… I did… but he took her.”

  “Who did? Where is Z?”

  “Dead. He killed him. One hand… He just squeezed until he was dead.”

  “Analise I need you to focus. Who has Denise?”

  “The angel.”

  Mary looked back at Marcus and he cursed.

  “Bring her. We’ve got to get back to the house. We have no idea what he plans to do with her.”

  Mary nodded and grabbed Analise’s arm.

  “Come on, you can come with us. We have to find Denise. Did he say anything?”

  She shook her head. “All I see is the terror on Z’s” face. He tried to fight him, but he wasn’t strong enough.”

  Marcus waved them on. “Come on, we can question her at the house.”

  When they arrived at the house, Rebecca ran to the door and gasped at how distraught Analise looked.

  “What happened to her?” She asked Mary.

  Mary shrugged. “Her boyfriend is dead, and I guess that Angel from the funeral has Denise. We found her hiding in a run-down building.”

  Logan came around the corner, and he looked pissed. He looked down at Analise and his lip curled. He took a step toward her and Mary placed a hand on his chest.

  “Logan, wait. We have to see what she knows. She was the last person to see her.”

  “I want to rip her heart out.”

  “We all do, but we need her right now.”

  They led Analise to the great room where Grandmother was sitting in her rocking chair. Analise didn’t look up from the floor when they were in front of her.

  “Child? Look at me.”

  Analise looked up and then back to the floor.

  “I’m so sorry. I- I just wanted…”

  “I know what you wanted. Trying to achieve power in sinister ways has consequences.”

  “I only wanted to be greater.”

  “You would have been, but you chose your own path, and you must live with that.” Grandmother pushed herself to stand. She took Analise’s face in her hands and tilted her face up to look her in the eye. “Now is the time to help. What do you remember?”

  Analise closed her eyes and her brow furrowed while she thought.

  “We were in the living room and there was a bright light and the door flew off. We hit the wall and there was man standing there. He was beautiful. Dark hair, yellow eyes, tall, yes, very tall. He kept calling her his bride. It didn’t make any sense and then he killed Z.

  Everyone looked at Logan standing in the corner as they heard him growl. Sabastian’s eyes widened, and Sabastian smirked at him.

  “I thought I was supposed to be the one who growled.”

  Logan squinted his eye at him, and Sabastian shook his head and looked away. They looked back at Grandmother.

  “Did he mention where he would take her?”

  Analise shook her head. “No. He just told me to stay out of his way.”

  Grandmother looked at Rebecca. “Go and get her some tea.” She looked at Mary. “See if you can reach her again. He can’t keep her asleep.”

  58

  They tried for hours to reach Denise to no avail. Analise was now asleep on the floor in the corner while everyone was still trying to focus their energy on finding her. Mary had started getting lightheaded while focusing on their tie. She hadn’t eaten anything all day, and she had barely touched the tea that her mom brought her. Grandmother has been in deep meditation for the last two hours, and there was nothing left to do but wait.

  “Why does she have to be here? Can’t we take her out back and put her down?” Logan asked, looking at Analise.

  “She isn’t an animal, big brother.”

  “Isn’t she? Anyone who can put their lives above someone else’s like that doesn’t deserve to breathe the same air.”

  “Sons, this is not the time for this. We will deal with her later. Right now, they need our strength.”

  “Sorry Father,” Logan muttered.

  Grandmother’s eyes opened, and she almost fell backwards. Sabastian was closer and he fell to a knee and placed a hand on her back to steady her.

  “Thank you, child.”

  Everyone gathered close as she turned and looked at Mary. She smiled and Mary’s heart skipped.

  “She came. The angel Jeriah has her and is trying to take over heaven. She is going to open herself up to you shortly. We’ve got to be ready to move.”

  Mary smiled and her energy which was low, came back in full force. She felt the familiar tug and smiled.

  “Got her.”

  Logan closed his eyes and touched her arm. He followed the location and let her go.

  “She is in a house on the coast.”

  “Let’s go.” Marcus pumped his fist in the air.

  Rebecca and Mary stood up and followed everyone to the door.

  “Listen, we are outnumbered out there with angels, so we’ve got to stick together.”

  Mary smiled. “Plus, we have your Guardians.”

  The Guardians gave her a nod and followed them out. Analise popped up from her sleep and eyed everyone.

  “Wait! Do you need me?”

  Loga
n sneered and walked out, and Grandmother chuckled.

  “No dear, you’re here with me.”

  They gave Grandmother one final look before they walked out.

  59

  The air from the water was cold as they parked in a lot that was down the street from the house. The waves were crashing heavily on the beach and strong gusts of wind blew as they stood beside the cars.

  “What is the plan? We can’t just bust into the house, and our magic is useless against angels,” Sabastian asked.

  “Our magic may not work, but it can slow them down,” Logan answered.

  They looked up the street and it looked deserted. There were no street lights, and the houses were dark. Logan had told them that the houses were mainly used as summer houses for the richer folks that came to the beach. More than likely, there was no one living in them. The made their way down the street and as they got closer to the house, they stopped.

  “Do you think that he still has her in here?” Sabastian whispered.

  Logan shrugged as they looked up the stairs that led to the house.

  “Logan, put a containment spell around the house just in case there are any humans helping them. We don’t want anyone getting away.”

  Logan nodded and steepled his fingers and muttered the ancient words. With their sight, they saw the green bubble cover the house. Marcus motioned for Sabastian to follow him while he pointed Logan and the women toward the back of the house. They all walked their separate ways, and before they made it to the house, a loud clank sounded followed by a loud boom. They paused and looked up to see sparks flying in the air. This was the first time that Marcus, Rebecca, Logan, and Sabastian had seen the Guardians. They were huge and had battle gear that you would have seen back in the Roman era. Their helmets were shiny gold that matched the breastplates. They wore a white sarong that fell just above their knees. The sandals wrapped around their calves and stopped at the knee. Their swords had a silver blade that was housed in a bright golden handle. Their swords clanked together with the three lesser angels. One of the lesser angels fell to the ground, and the Guardian jumped into the air and came down on top of him as he thrust his sword into his chest. The Lesser angel cried out and then disappeared. As the Guardian stood up, a bright light shone and Jeriah was there. His arm swung in a calculated arch and beheaded the Guardian. The body fell to its knees and then disappeared. Mary and her crew could only watch as the battle raged on. Marcus took the opportunity to run around the side of the house and kick the door open. He took the stairs two at a time and called out.

  “Denise? Are you here?”

  He listened and heard footsteps behind him. His sons came in the door behind him, and he nodded. They checked door after door, but she was not there. Logan heard something faint at the end of the hall and he ran down to the last room on the left.

  “Denise?”

  “Logan! I’m here!”

  He turned and called out. “Father! I found her!” He kicked the door open, and Denise was standing there. He smiled and put out a hand for her to take, but her eyes widened. When Logan turned around, a sword pierced his chest and pressed forward. Jeriah stood there with a sneer and pressed his sword as far as it could go.

  “LOGAN!” Marcus called out.

  He ran toward Jeriah, and cast fireballs at him which only pushed Jeriah backwards. He was almost to his son when an arrow shot through his heart from the back. One of the other Lesser angels was standing there holding a crossbow. A light shone behind him, and a Guardian ran his sword through the angel. When Sabastian looked back down the hall, his father was falling to the ground.

  “FATHER NO!” Sabastian cried.

  He tried to get to him but was pulled back by Mary and Rebecca. A bright light shone from the room and a scream so loud came that it busted every window. Sabastian, Rebecca, and Mary jumped behind a couch and fell to the floor. They had no idea what was happening around the corner, but it felt as if the house was burning to the ground.

  60

  Denise thought that she was hearing things. She vaguely heard her name being called and she wasn’t sure if it was real or not. She didn’t have any windows in the room, but it sounded like metal being crushed and crashed into each other. When the voice got closer, she could hear that it was Logan.

  “Logan! I’m here!”

  He kicked the door in, and she had never been so happy to see him. She took a step forward and then she saw Jeriah. She didn’t have enough time to warn Logan that he was there before Jeriah thrust the sword into his chest. She saw him look to the side and heard the anguished cry of Marcus.

  “LOGAN!”

  She saw fireballs pushing Jeriah back and then his face contorted evilly. He swung his sword but missed, and an arrow from the other end of the hall zipped down and struck Marcus in the heart. He fell to the floor and Denise could see that Marcus was dead. Her head was swimming with emotion and then she erupted. Her back began to hurt, and she felt her skin rip as wings sprouted from her shoulder blades. It felt as if lava was pouring from her flesh as she stepped toward Jeriah. His eyes were haunted as he took in her appearance. She felt the blast of power flow from her, and Jeriah disappeared. She wasn’t sure if he was dead, but she did not care. She knelt down over Logan, and he was barely breathing. Blood pooled from his wound and dripped from his mouth. A gurgle sounded, and he started to cough. She looked down and a tear fell onto his face. His body started to shake, but she held on. She ripped his shirt open and stared in amazement as his wound was sealing together. She heard a gasp and looked down the hallway and saw Mary standing there. Mary covered her mouth and ran toward Marcus. The arrow was still inside his chest, and he was not breathing. Logan took in a deep breath, and his eyes were wild.

  “Father!”

  He sat up and looked at where Mary was cradling Marcus. He crawled toward him as tears poured from his eyes. Rebecca and Sabastian came around the corner and stopped short at seeing Denise with a bright light and wings. Denise came to Mary and Logan and knelt down. She took Marcus into her arms, and her wings engulfed them both. The light around Denise got even brighter, and they all had to shield their faces. When the light died down, Denise’s wings opened, and the arrow was gone and Marcus was staring amazingly at her. All their mouths were agape as Denise’s wings folded into her back and the light dissipated. Marcus sat up, and Logan launched himself at him and hugged him tight.

  “Father, I thought you were dead.”

  “I was. She brought me back.”

  Logan looked at Denise and she smiled back. Her body began to sway, and Mary caught her just as she fell.

  Rebecca took in everyone and shook her head.

  “No one would ever believe this. Let’s get her home before they come back.”

  They all agreed and Logan carried Denise to the car.

  61

  When Denise opened her eyes, the brightness of the sun shining through the window threw her off. She sat up quickly and looked around the room. She sighed in relief at being in the bed at Mary’s house. She closed her eyes and felt the sun that shined on her face. She heard the door open and looked over. Mary’s face came in to view and she smiled. Mary came running over and tackled her in a hug.

  “I was so worried, Denise. I’m so sorry.”

  “It’s okay. I’m sorry for leaving.”

  Mary let her go and looked at her.

  “How are you feeling?”

  Denise contemplated her answer for a second.

  “I think that I’m okay. Tired, but okay. How is everyone else?”

  “They’re good. They’re all downstairs waiting for you.” Mary smirked. “Logan has been asking to come up here every hour.”

  Denise looked down at her hands with a smile and then back to Mary sadly.

  “I thought that I lost them. When I saw him fall, I didn’t know what to do.”

  “Well, thanks to you, everyone is okay.”

  “Yeah, but not for long. Jeriah isn’t going to give up.”<
br />
  “I know. Come on, let’s get some food in you.”

  Denise smiled and nodded. “Let me brush my teeth and I’ll be right down.”

  Mary smiled and gripped her hand before getting up and walking out.

  Denise hesitantly came down the stairs. When she walked into the kitchen, everyone stood up and looked at her expectantly. She looked at the floor nervously. She felt a hand on her elbow and looked up. Logan was standing there looking concerned. She placed a hand on his and smiled reassuringly.

  “I’m okay… really.”

  He let out a heavy breath and nodded. He drew her into a hug and held her for the longest time.

  “Thank you.” He whispered into her hair.

  She could only nod. He let her go and they walked over to the table and she sat down. Grandmother walked into the kitchen and Denise’s smile was wide.

  “Nana. Thank you for coming to find me.”

  Grandmother walked over behind her chair and hugged her neck from behind. She kissed the top of her head.

  “You did a great job, Denise. I love you.”

  “I love you too, Nana.”

  The room felt lighter until a shadow came around the corner. Denise jumped up from the table so fast that the chair made an awful scraping sound.

  “What is she doing here?”

  Analise paused just inside the kitchen and looked nervously at all of the faces.

  “I-I’m so-sorry.”

  Denise looked at Mary with wide eyes for answers.

  “We found her in an abandoned building while looking for you. We brought her here to get answers.”

  “But why is she still here?”

  Logan threw his arms up and looked at his dad. “That’s what I was asking?”

  Marcus just shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. Sabastian barked out a laugh while Rebecca walked over to Denise.

  “She is a witch without a coven.”