The Throne Angel’s gaze drifts from me to the end of my sword, then she snorts. “That archaic sharp object will do nothing against me. Surely you must know this.”
“It’s not meant for you,” I say, rearing up and flinging it toward the Asphyx Demon. It slices through his outstretched gray, scaly forearm, and it thrusts him backward. With the sword pinning him momentarily to the couch, he squeals in surprise.
Not much passes my attention, and a demon being sneaky is certainly not one I’ll let go. If he has his way, the Asphyx can entrap Liam’s soul and call all of his demon buddies to feast on him until he’s a shadow of his former self. Not unlike the incubus, but in a non-sexual way.
In any case, no thanks.
From inside out, light erupts through the Asphyx’s veins at the point of the sword’s entry. The universal light breaks apart the skin on his arm as if it were a mirror being shattered in slow motion. Before the light has the ability to flood through to his torso, the Asphyx pulls his arm out of its socket and detaches it from his body entirely. Without so much as a scream, the gory mess of light and gray flesh flops onto the couch cushions. A stench rolls off the hunk of flesh, and I cover my nose to keep from gagging. The demon bolts upright, and the glowing green orbs for eyes land squarely on me.
“That was nasty,” I say, making a face.
Pulling back his lips, he snarls. “Do you know how long it will take to regrow that limb, Guardian?”
“Do I look like I care, Asphyx?” I retort, scrunching my face.
“Time is running out for your beloved human,” he sneers, drawing out the word long enough for the Throne Angel to take notice. “You can’t protect him much longer.”
“Beloved?” The Throne Angel says, turning her wheeled eyes on me.
“It’s…” I begin, shaking my head, “not like that. He’s human and I—”
It was a simple statement from the Asphyx demon, but it’s put me on the defensive more than any other weapon could have. And he didn’t even know what he was wielding.
“There are rules against such a fixation, Guardian.” She crosses her arms over her body. “Surely you know that.”
A shiver races up my spine. “I know. There are no rules being broken,” I mutter, backing up slightly. “He’s under my protection. N-nothing more. The demon was being glib.” Heat creeps up from the back of my neck, flushing my cheeks. I fight the instinct to cover it up with my free hand, but my back stiffens.
Regardless of my admonishment, the Throne Angel isn’t convinced. It’s clear across her stiff stature and burning gaze.
“Uh-huh,” she says, her wheeled eyes rotating counterclockwise.
My insides roll. I don’t know what I’m feeling—not really. And I sure as hell don’t know how Liam feels. This is all so new. Too new. There’s been no time to assess.
With his remaining hand, the Asphyx Demon’s fingers contort into odd shapes and angles as he works some sort of strange magic only he can command. Lightning begins to arc around his fingers, but before I can summon my next weapon, a strange odor fills the room—and it has nothing to do with him. The scent is potent, and even Liam covers his nose with the crook of his arm.
“Ugh. What is that horrible smell? What’s happening, Eva?” Liam asks, his voice muffled by the fabric of his shirt as he pulls it up over his face.
“I don’t know—” I say, flitting my gaze around the room.
Behind us, the origin of the odor becomes apparent as a Lurite Demon appears. His toothless grin and horrifying smell make my stomach lurch, and I want nothing more than to vanquish him quickly so it will dissipate.
“Oh, this looks my kind of party. Not every day you come into a mixture like this. Thanks for the invite,” the Lurite says, tipping his chin toward the Asphyx Demon. Then he raises a hand and points to the bloody stump. “Looks like you’re missing something.”
Without a word, the Asphyx raises his hand and jabs his remaining pointer finger in my direction.
“This is getting ridiculous,” I mutter, tipping my gaze to the ceiling. “Liam—do something.”
Without having to ask again, Liam crouches down, covers his ears, and takes a deep breath. Beside the Asphyx Demon, a portal begins to manifest, either to summon more buddies or to capture Liam.
“Oh hell no—” the Vengeance Demon proclaims, leaving the doorway to make his way through the growing crowd. “He’s mine. I had dibs before any of you lot knew he was on the market. His girl, er, ex-girl, gave me direct permission to—”
Without thinking, I summon a throwing star dipped in the blood of the ancients and fling it at his head. The Vengeance Demon shifts to the side just as it whizzes by his ear with millimeters to spare. His eyes open wide in surprise, then flash with horror and trademark vengeance. The sides of his face clench as he prepares to run at me. Quickly, I summon another weapon—this time a saber.
“Gods, Goddesses—angels, archangels, demons, and other beings—I release you from my previous request. I…uh—reinstate my protection shield, or whatever it’s called, and cast any beings not here for the betterment of my life out of my home and away from me,” Liam says, his words tumbling out in a gigantic run-on sentence. “But—but Evangeline can stay. I want her to remain by my side, and I want to continue to hear her.”
One by one, as if pulled by a ripcord, the demons are plucked from Liam’s home. The portal the Asphyx began shrivels up and crackles out of existence just as long, black fingers began to poke through.
The Throne Angel, on the other hand, takes another step forward, completely unfazed by the change in creed. If she could narrow her eyes, I swear she was doing it because the weight of her stare is unbearably uncomfortable.
“Judgement is a fickle thing, my dear Guardian. As I stated earlier, whether you like it or not, it has been set in motion, and there’s nothing you can do to stop it—no matter how much you wish it to be otherwise. You, however…you would do well to remember Judgement isn’t only reserved for the lower beings of humanity. You are not immune from its reach. Should the Guild learn—”
“There’s nothing to learn. He’s my charge,” I say, looking over my shoulder at Liam as he pulls his hands from his ears and looks around. “Nothing more,” I breathe, casting my gaze to the floor.
“It is not me you need to convince. It’s not my place to deliver Judgment for you at this time. I’m here strictly for the human. However, if a direct question is asked of me by someone of higher rank, it’s best you know I cannot lie as well as you,” she says, eyeing me unblinkingly.
“I’m—” I breathe, about to deny it all again, but the weight of her stare drops my defenses. “What do I do?”
She takes a step toward me and grabs hold of my hands in hers. “Love is a merciless God, dear one. It doesn’t care much for bureaucracy, and it will take as it chooses.”
I shake my head, glancing at Liam as he peers around the room. “That’s not helping.”
“You have only one good choice in this matter, but you won’t like it.”
I bite my lip and exhale. Shifting my eyes back to her, I ask, “What is it?”
“You will need to let the human go and break this forbidden bond,” she says matter-of-factly.
“What are you suggesting? I give him up as my charge? I can’t do that. I mean, that alone would set off inquiries,” I say, shaking my head.
“Then, the human will have to die.”
Chapter 4
Judgement is a Fickle Friend
“What on Earth are you talking about?” I say, my mouth gaping open. “No—that can’t be all there is. Ugh, this is all my fault. Mine alone. He doesn’t even know I love him.” Without thought, my hands fly to my lips in attempt to hold back the confession already unleashed.
A small, deliberate smile creeps across the Throne Angel’s face, and her wheeled gaze moves beyond me.
Turning around, Liam’s face is ashen. His eyebrows upturn in the center and he blinks his brown eyes wildly.
“You love me?” he whispers, searching for me in the room. “Like in the ecumenical way God loves all his children, or…?” His question lingers in the air between us, and I want desperately to reach out to him. To have the ability to hold his face in my hands and kiss his lips.
Instead, I fidget under the Throne Angel’s scrutiny. A full confession would be held in her record; there would be no escaping it. Should a trial ever be called… I swallow hard, “Liam, you’re very special…”
“Oh, right,” he nods to himself. His eyes drop to the floor, and his inner turmoil turns again to reinforcing his longstanding fear of his unlovability. A rejection from me is no different from all of the others, and if I don’t do something, I could make matters worse for him. Either way, this isn’t going to end well.
As if sensing my anxiety, the Throne Angel takes a step toward me and places a large hand on my shoulder. “It would appear it’s my time to depart. Think about what I said.”
The kindness hidden in her smile sends tendrils of relief racing down my spine, and before I have a moment to think, I wrap my arms around her. “Thank you,” I whisper in her ear. “I will.”
“Don’t thank me too soon. Heed my warning, dear one. This is not a battle you can fight with those swords of yours.” With that, she disappears from the room, and suddenly Liam and I are completely alone.
Taking a deep breath, I spin on my heel and take Liam in. His hazel eyes are distant and his lips tug downward as his mind whirls through thoughts faster than either of us can keep up with. He pulls his broad shoulders back as he exhales and takes a seat on the floor.
Beyond this tumultuous day, the beauty of the man I’ve seen all these years radiates off of him in waves. Still intact. He’s still the man who would stop traffic to save a runaway puppy or open the door for a mother carting her three children inside the grocery store. The man who helps his elderly neighbor to dialysis when her daughter is unable, which is often.
He’s the man, who when all alone, silently wishes for peace, tranquility, and above all—love.
Not money or power. Not revenge or retribution.
His life hasn’t been easy, but he is still here, fighting for the only think worth fighting for.
Love.
Biting my lower lip, I take a step toward him and set myself opposite him on the floor. Pulling my legs in, I cross them and place my hands in my lap. Inhaling deeply, my pulse races through every vein in my body, making it impossible to calm down.
“Liam,” I begin, my voice quaking, “I—I shouldn’t tell you this, but you need to know…”
He looks up, trying to locate the source of my voice, but he doesn’t say a word. Instead, his eyes offer a hint of sadness and trepidation.
Breathing in slowly, I exhale through my nose and stare at my clasped hands. “I have loved you for as long as I can remember, and not just in the ecumenical sense,” I say, swallowing hard as I look up.
Though he can’t see me, his eyes land squarely on me, and a shiver races up my spine. He licks his lower lips, drawing my attention to the one place I’d love to touch, but can’t. “I’m not sure—does that mean…?”
“In the all of you sense, yes,” I whisper. “I’ve tried not to, but I can’t seem to help it. There’s something about you that touches me at soul level. I love you more than I ever should as your Guardian.”
“And that’s bad?” he asks, his eyebrows again turning up in the middle.
“Yes,” I admit, pressing my fingertips together.
“Why?” he whispers. Anxiety blooms in his aura, and I wish more than anything I could ease it. Raising my hand, I blow gentleness toward him, and his shoulders relax slightly.
“Because it’s against our law, Liam. Guardians are here to protect and guide our humans only. We’re not meant to meddle or get involved when it’s not our place,” I say, biting my lip. “And there are explicit rules against falling in love.”
“Figures,” he says, shaking his head.
“But I can’t help it,” I say, lifting a hand and placing it alongside his cheek. He sighs contently and closes his eyes, as if he feels the touch of my skin on his.
“Do—can you feel my touch?” I ask.
He opens his eyes, “I don’t know. I just…I guess a feeling of contentment rolled through me. Was that you?”
Pulling my hand back, I say. “Perhaps. How do you feel now?”
He takes a moment, considering. “I feel normal. Kinda strange, though.”
“Strange? Strange how?”
“Like a schoolkid who just found out someone he’s never even met likes him,” he chuckles.
A smile bursts from my lips, and I laugh. “I can imagine.”
“There has to be a way we can—I don’t know—see each other?”
“Dating isn’t—”
“No, I mean, I wish, but I mean actually see each other. I wish I could see you with my own two eyes. It’s weird. I feel like I’m having a conversation all in my head and if I were,” he says, tipping his head to the side, “well, then I’ve really gone off the deep end.”
“You’re not losing your mind,” I whisper, shaking my head. “Somehow, you’ve managed to circumvent the way things typically work. You’ve always been unique in that way. It’s like somehow you’re hardwired to tune into our Guardian frequency.”
“You make it sound like it’s a radio station,” he laughs again.
“I suppose it sort of is,” I say with a grin. “It operates on a different frequency to what ordinary humans can hear. You’re not meant to even sense it.”
“Then why could I before?”
I shake my head. “Quite honestly, I have no idea.”
“And why did I go so many years without hearing you? You said you’ve been here the whole time…”
“I don’t know what changed. Maybe you outgrew your abilities?” I shrug, wishing I knew the logistics of how it all works. Yet, a niggling thought plays at the back of my mind.
He deliberately shut me out.
“Do you remember that night when I was ten and I snuck out of the house? It was like my third or fourth foster home…the one with the green shutters…” he asks, his eyes narrowing as he recalls. Instantly, I know the night and situation he’s referring to. But even if I didn’t remember, he broadcasts it crystal clear in his mind.
“That was the night you were going to run away and look for your mother,” I whisper.
“I think it was also the last time I could hear you,” he says, chewing on his lower lip.
“Why do you think that was?”
“I’m not—I guess I was hoping you could tell me,” he says, scrunching his face up.
I inhale and exhale slowly. “I have a theory.”
“You do?”
I nod. “It was the first time you didn’t trust me. You didn’t listen to me that night when I told you to go back. Being a part of your mother’s life was never in your future. It would have brought you more pain. And…”
“And?” he says, sitting up straighter.
I bite the inside of my cheek, “And… I think you deliberately closed yourself off from me.”
He narrows his eyes in response.
“That doesn’t—” he begins, but his hazel irises flash with recognition. “Oh my god, I did.”
The silence that floods into the space between us is deafening.
“For some reason, your words and thoughts are very powerful. More powerful than most of my charges, in fact. Don’t get me wrong, intentions are innately potent, but with you…” I sigh. “I suppose it’s one of the reasons why I have such a connection with you. You have this special beauty and innate ability to draw me out. I don’t know why.”
Reaching out, I place my hand over his as it rests upon his knee. Again, he exhales softly.
“You’re touching me again, aren’t you?” he whispers.
My eyebrows dip in and I nod. “I am.”
He grins broadly, the green flecks in
his eyes sparkling, “I knew it. It’s like—a warmth washes over me and calms my nerves. It’s happened a lot over the years. I just assumed I was getting better at balancing my emotions.”
“You have gotten much better at that. But I also can’t seem to ignore your suffering when I know I can help,” I say. “If the Guild knew how much I—” I clench my jaw and exhale.
“It’s that bad, huh? If they find out, I mean.”
“If they uncovered my affections for you… I don’t even know what they’d do. I’ve never seen a precedent for it, but they’d likely send me to Purgatory as punishment.”
“That doesn’t sound good—it’s like an in-between place, right? Not quite heaven, not quite hell.”
“Something like that,” I admit, pulling my hand back and adjusting my legs. “But you’re right—it’s not good.”
“That bad, huh?”
“Mostly, it’s a place for expelled demons, so as you can imagine, it’s not a place I’d want to go.”
“But you’re an angel. Why would they send you there?”
I swallow hard, “Lost souls of all kinds get sent there, actually. It’s the place they go to while the universe decides their fate. But many get stuck there forever because there is no clear path to redemption at that point. Besides, demons were once angelic, Liam. They have power given to them through universal grace. It was simply corrupted. If I were to go against our law—in any way, shape, or form—they’ll assume I am no different. I’ve been corrupted, and therefore not fulfilling my prime directive. The reason I exist. There really is no in-between.”
“Well, we can’t let that happen. I mean, there has to be a way we can keep you safe,” he says, his eyes again searching the space in front of him, seeking me. “I can’t lose you again. I need to understand. I want to get to know more about you.”
My heart flutters in my chest, and tears unexpectedly well in my eyes.
“I would love nothing more than all of that,” I say, my voice squeaking. “But I’m afraid if I don’t back away, if I don’t give you up to another Guardian, bad things will happen.”
The Chronicles of the 8th Dimension - Limited Edition Box Set (4 Books): A Supernatural Thriller Box Set Page 53
