Shadow Angel: Book One

by Leia Stone

  Indigo sobbed. “Arthur. He found out about the talisman. That Gage helped you. He’d been dumped in the alley behind Shade Tower to die.” She sniffled. “Gage wanted to see you. He told me to bring him to you. He made it this far, and just collapsed.”

  Her words cut through me like knives.

  It was late, and thankfully the streets were devoid of people, but being seen was the last thing on my mind.

  “We need to get him to the healing center.” I tried to heave him in my arms, but he was too heavy.

  His glassy eyes looked around as if searching for someone.

  When he finally found my face, a slight grin pulled at his lips. “Tate. You did it.” He looked at the light wings behind me and a tear fell from my cheek.

  “Help me carry him,” I screamed at Indigo, and tried to lift him again.

  “No,” Gage said stronger than a moment ago. “No Lumen healer can fix this.”

  Pure panic flushed through me. “Gage.”

  The resignation in his voice scared me.

  “Tate.” Gage reached for me, his fingertips dripping with blood as he touched my chin.

  “I should have left with you. I should have said yes.” His voice had lost its momentary strength and was now breathy.

  I couldn’t hold it back anymore. A sob racked my chest and I let it free. “Please don’t go.”

  I stared down at him, feeling completely lost as his life bled out onto the concrete.

  “You…” Gage rasped, and his chest rattled with blood. “…were the first one to make me feel like I wasn’t irredeemable.”

  I froze. Irredeemable. The memory of the angel Cael saying nearly the same thing flooded my mind. I thought it weird and random at the time, but what if…

  Had the angel foreseen this very moment? Was he trying to tell me something? A wild thought ran through me just as Jacob and Dash landed behind me.

  “Tatum, what’s going on? Is that—?” Jacob cut off when he saw Gage over my shoulder.

  “Help me grab him.” I stood and hooked my arms under Gage’s arms.

  “But—” Jacob argued, looking at the state Gage was in.

  “I got you, bro.” Dash stepped up and grabbed Gage by the ankles. “Where to?” Dash asked me, and I wanted to cry for the amount of trust and complete ride-or-die I saw in his face in that moment.

  Bless you, Dash. Silent but loyal.

  “Sanctuary,” I told him. I stretched my wings wide, and we kicked off the ground.

  Gage groaned as we took flight. We looked like two drunks carrying a bloody corpse. It was wobbly, messy, and probably horrifying to any human watching, but it was the only way to do this quickly. We soared over the building, my wings getting stronger and steadier with each flap.

  “Let me help.” Jacob zoomed into view, putting his hands underneath Gage’s back to support his middle. “Drop the wards,” he yelled at someone below.

  I’d forgotten about that, but I didn’t bother searching for whoever Jacob called to. I just prayed they’d figure it out in time. There was a shimmer in the air for a second and I wondered if it was the wards dropping.

  I glanced down at Gage to make sure he was still breathing just as his eyes rolled into his head and he went limp.

  “Hurry!” I screamed.

  We sailed over the roof and then descended way faster than anything I would ever try on my own. We didn’t have any resistance, so I was going to assume the wards against Shades entering the compound had been dropped.

  Slowing upon landing so that we wouldn’t jostle him more, we touched down right in front of the double doors to the Ascension Sanctuary.

  A Lumen warrior ran toward us, sword drawn. “Get that Shade out of here,” he barked.

  “You can’t bring just anyone in here. It has to be approved by the Lumen masters,” Jacob told me softly.

  There was no time for that.

  “Step aside or answer to the angel Cael, who has approved this mission.” I sort of lied, but I was pretty sure this was what Cael meant when he said no one was irredeemable. Gage wasn’t hopeless, and maybe the angels could heal him.

  I’m not sure it was even possible, but if anyone could heal him from near death it was an angel of Avalon, right?

  The dude blinked at my casual use of the archangel’s name but didn’t move. I was just about to set Gage down and pull my sword when I heard a familiar voice behind me.

  “You heard her. Move!” Aurelia shouted and the dude jumped into action, opening the door for me, and stepping aside.

  I didn’t have time to thank Drea’s mom. Jacob, Dash, and I just shuffled Gage into the room and beelined it right for the portal. With each step, the vortex’s normally white and blue light grew gray. When we were not six feet from it, black shadows began to bleed into the portal.

  “What’s happening?” I asked Dash.

  “He’s a Shade, Tatum.” The way Dash looked at me, with such pity, it made me sick.

  No. This had to work.

  “What do we do?” Jacob looked to me.

  I glanced up toward the sky, the heavens, Avalon, whatever.

  “Please save him. He’s good. Deep down he’s good,” I said, and then grunted with all my might and pushed Gage into the portal.

  The second his head hit the now gray and black swirling energy center, his body jerked and then he was sucked all the way through. I moved to follow him, and the portal snapped shut, going from a giant opening to nothing in seconds. My mouth dropped open as I stared at the crack in the stone wall that was once covered by the portal.

  But that didn’t make sense. This was a permanent portal. That meant it didn’t close, ever.

  But just like that, it was gone. Gage was gone.

  I turned to Dash, who stood there with his hands still in a position to hold Gage, mouth hung open. Then I looked to Jacob, who stared back at me, eyes wide.

  Okay, this was definitely not normal.

  “What happened? Where is the boy?” Aurelia’s voice called from behind me, and I swallowed, facing her with shame and horror.

  “He’s… gone.”

  I threw a Shade into a portal to Avalon and broke the one thing that was considered holy in this place.

  Crap. Not cool, Tatum.

  But even though that was bad—and I would need to answer for it—I wasn’t sorry.

  Was Gage alive? Would they save him?

  I didn’t know, but I had to hope. Sometimes hope is all you need.

  SHADOW ANGEL: BOOK 2

  www.ShadowAngelBook2.com

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  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  A big thank you to my amazing co-author Julie for being so lovely to write with and having such creative ideas. You deserve a pet otter. Thank you to our editors, beta readers, my ARC team and everyone involved in making this pretty baby be the best it could be. A special thanks to Lucas Hall for the amazing interior formatting and graphics.

  ~ Leia

  A giant shout-out to my talented co-author, Leia Stone, for being such an amazing writing partner. Leia's brain is a giant "idea machine" that I stand in awe of on the regular. Authoring can be a lonely career, but I had such a blast creating the world of the Watchers and crafting Tatum and Gage's story with her. And better yet, I know I now have a lifelong friend.

  Also a wet sloppy kiss to my hubby, Lucas, for all the hard work he puts into all of my books and for making a placeholder cover that was almost too good. Love you babe, now and forever.

  ~ Julie />
  ABOUT LEIA STONE

  Leia Stone is the USA Today bestselling author of multiple bestselling series including Matefinder and Wolf Girl. She's sold over two million books and her Fallen Academy series has been optioned for film. Her novels have been translated into five languages and she even dabbles in script writing.

  Leia writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance with sassy kick-butt heroines and irresistible love interests. She lives in Spokane, WA with her husband and two children.

  www.LeiaStone.com

  ABOUT JULIE HALL

  Julie Hall is a USA Today bestselling, multiple award-winning author.

  She writes YA paranormal / fantasy novels, loves doodles, and drinks Red Bull, but not necessarily in that order. Julie’s daughter says that her superpower is sleeping all day and writing all night . . . and well, she wouldn't be wrong.

  Julie currently lives in Colorado with her four favorite people - her husband, daughter, and two fur babies.

  www.JulieHallAuthor.com

  BOOKS BY LEIA STONE

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  FANTASY

  Vampire Hunter Society

  Shifter Island Series

  Wolf Girl Series

  Daughter of Light Series

  The Titan’s Saga

  Supernatural Bounty Hunter Series

  Dream Wars Series

  Fallen Academy Series

  Dragons & Druids Series

  Matefinder Series

  Matefinder: Next Generation

  Hive Trilogy

  NYC Mecca Series

  Night War Saga

  Water Realm Series

  CONTEMPORARY

  Wrecked

  Return to You

  Perfect Match

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  BOOKS BY JULIE HALL

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  Julie’s books have won or finaled in 21 awards.

  FALLEN LEGACIES SERIES

  Stealing Embers

  Forging Darkness

  Unleashing Fire

  LIFE AFTER SERIES

  Huntress

  Warfare

  Dominion

  Logan

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