“No!” she hissed.
Once more, I moved fast, this time undetectably. Couldn’t have her get away. She tried to pull back when I seized her upper arm, enveloping her body with my version of a Malakhim netting. She tried to mist but failed. “You’re next on my do-over list.”
Wings flapped in readiness as I shot Ariane a knowing glance. Together, Abyss and I flew into the portal that burst open on command. Another flash blinded all. The queen of Goth and I disappeared. Thunder clapped as the portal closed behind us, silencing all except for the gasp echoing in my mind. Ariane.
Hand in hand, we soared toward the Blood Sea World. Wait. I paused midflight. Too many enemies had already been deposited on the dumping ground of sorts. Maybe she would prefer the Ocean World. Nah. An eviler thought revealed itself. Should I ignore it?
Abyss knew where I was headed. Her telepathic shrieks polluted my mind. She begged me to give her another chance, unaware of all the get-out-of-jail-free cards she had used in the future. Because of her and Farian, Earth had met its demise thirty-three times.
Disgusted, I held her at arm’s length and accidently let go. My telepathic shrug revealed an insignificant oops. Her body jetted off in a tailspin. Should the portal currents carry her off to where she deserved to end up or should gallantry intervene? My wings flapped in place as the flailing she-devil sailed away. She zipped out of sight, too fast to be carried by portal currents. Which meant only one outcome—a Dark One had locked on to her soul.
Those higher up had decided on her fate. Yet, one way or another, that someone would make me pay the exorbitant price for not going after her. I hovered minutes longer to think better of my decision. Instead, I crossed her off the list. Sabree and Ariane needed me. To absorb infinite amounts of celestial energy, recharge, I took the long way home, only a second or two lost back on Earth.
19
Abso-bloody-not
S abree’s wound was already on the mend by the time I returned. Despite how Ariane fussed over him, he kept asking me when the lab equipment would arrive, amazed at how good the Colton tabs made him feel. I checked my phone. “According to the email, anytime tomorrow.”
The news good, Sabree flashed a weak smile until I gave him the bad news about Abyss. “As you noticed, I have four black wings and can enter the portal worlds on command. Instead of leaving her on the Blood Sea world, already overcrowded, Abyss broke away from my grasp.” Liar. “The Fates decided her punishment. A Dark One swallowed her soul.” And then spit it out for sure.
“A Dark One? They really exist?” Sabree’s eyes moistened. “Poor Abyss.”
So, he thought the sentence was harsh? Understandable from his perspective, but he had no knowledge of the atrocities she committed before I traveled back in time. “Aye, they exist. One almost swallowed me whole.” I squeezed his shoulder and when his body tensed, my hand dropped to the side. This wasn’t the Sabree I was chummy with. Not yet. “Sorry, but she earned her fate.”
“She sure did,” Ariane chimed in. “The shrew stabbed you and tried to kill me!”
“I agree,” Sabree said, “but your brother might have angered the Malakhim. Did you see any, Brian? Did they say anything about lifting our exile?” His eyes turned a champagne hue matching his hair, an angelic combination.
If the color represented optimism, he had never given up hope that one day, the Fallen would return to the portal heavens. This I sensed strongly in the friend left behind. No different with Sabree 3.0. Sadly, the Malakhim never accepted me, especially how I came to be. They proved that on Halloween night. Loree had seen to it. Soon, the Malakhim would have no choice but to concede to my wishes. If and when I took Athorsis’s seat as archangel, I’d lift the ban. Whip the Malakhim into shape. “Yes and no.”
“What does that mean?”
“I met your mum, Loree. She’s pissed. Cut off your allowance because you helped Turian with the zygotes. With me and Ariane.” I almost smiled. The telltale color of his eyes said it all. Anger.
Sabree rolled his neck as his eyes darkened a rich teal.
Better douse the flame before it sparks. “She tried to keep the peace between me and the rest of her buds. They’re not happy about way the Lighted One, Athorsis, intervened.” I leaned over a large box FedEx delivered yesterday. “Thought she would have set this up.”
“You met my mother?”
No point in changing the subject now. Sabree was hooked on his mum and the portal. “Yes, several times. You already know we’re related. Farian and Turian were brothers, so that makes us cousins.”
The news stunned Ariane. Sabree, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes. “You knew Farian was my father? He disowned me eons ago. I almost forgot the pathetic rogue still exists. So, you met him?” He shook the hair out of his eyes when I nodded.
This do-over my own mission, I never traveled back in time to destroy Turian under Farian’s command. Sabree neither. “Let’s just say we bumped into each other more than once.”
Sabree looked me in the eye. “You should have sent him special delivery to a Dark One. Or did you already?” A smile came to his lips.
The look Ariane gave Sabree before she glared at me, reminded me of my future sister. “When were you going to tell me that we were cousins?”
“Mentioned it the other day but you never caught on. Too much information all at once. Can’t remember if I told you about the portal either. You almost fainted when the tear in space blew open and I flew through it with Abyss in tow.”
My sister smiled innocently. “Sorry, Brian.”
“Can’t blame you for being curious.” I shrugged off my tattered jacket and let it drop to the floor. Back less than a week and already I lost two jackets. Behind me, all four wings shot out and spread full length. “I was born with these. You have two, but you must wear the amulet to sprout your wings and enter the portal. A gift from father number one. Turian. His were also black.” Wings of energy slid under each shoulder blade. “Sorry, you had to find out this way. There’s still so much to tell you.”
“Do black wings make us bad guys?” Ariane waved her arms around and asked, “Where exactly is this portal?”
How many times had I asked myself that same question? “No. Turian’s turned black when they exiled him. Sort of like anti-matter.” Her eyes glazed over, so I decided to say no more. “Look, we’ll continue when your mind has a chance to clear.”
“You are amazing, Brian,” she said. “Can’t imagine what you’re going through, dealing with this crap all by yourself.”
“I’m not alone.” Why not? No time like the present to tell them about Azrian. “My son traveled back with me.” Their eyes, two sets of prismatic gemstones, widened together. One citrine and the other amethyst. How should I respond to that? A nervous giggle slipped out. “The butler made me do it.”
“The butler?” they both asked.
“You son is the butler?” Ariane took a step forward with hands on her hips. “Ew! You mean to tell me that I crushed on my nephew? That kid has to be in his early twenties. You said only four years had gone by.” She poked Sabree in the arm. “Why are you so calm?”
“Oui, it makes sense. Except for the Asian features, they could be twins.” Sabree faced Ariane and grasped her by the shoulders. “Children of the Fallen or Malakhim mature in three years and stop aging in their early twenties. Like you and Brian did. And as I.”
Ariane’s eyes began to water. “Who…” she said between swallows. “Who is the mother?”
“Azumi. The she-devil at the Halloween party.” Unable to accept the look in my sister’s eyes, my gaze sank to the floor. “Originally, Wayde paid her handsomely to seduce me. We made love on the veranda. The DanJal clan took her and our unborn son. She died at childbirth.”
“As expected,” Sabree said. “The Fallen cannot mate with humans. You said she died in childbirth, yet your son survived. Imposs—"
“My God, Brian! How could you do such a thing to that poor girl?”
How could I have been so stupid? My emotions, the ones I had kept in check until now, snapped, all control lost. Tears brimmed and began to spill. Damn it, damn it. I sucked in a breath that ended up sounding like a raucous whimper. Doomed.
Ariane eased her aggressive stance, reached to grasp my arm, and backed up instead. Her eyes teared up. “I didn’t mean it that way. We weren’t there, so we have no idea what you went through.”
Emotions boiled over before all else. “Bloody damn right. I went through hell trying to discover who and what we were while protecting you from everyone.” I pointed a finger at Sabree, refusing to look his way. “Including him.” My foot stomped not once but twice. “Young and stupid. An inept idiot. And a virgin. Azumi had no trouble getting me to drop my pants.” How many times had I wished for a do-over and guess what? Like it or not, this was it. My prayers had been answered, but at what cost?
Before saying anything else, Ariane leapt at me and squeezed me in a bear hug. “I’m sorry, Brian. Let’s discuss this over a bottle of wine. No judgments or accusations.” She smiled into my eyes.
“Why not. Sorry, about the…”
“Forget it, Brian.” Ariane glanced at Sabree, her lips set in a stern do-not-argue-with-me frown. “Right, Sabree?”
“Oui. Make it a few bottles.”
3 3 3
Azrain found his father in the office. One good thing about him, Pop never shut the door, never made him feel unwelcomed. Azrian could spend all the time in the world with him. He had heard horror stories about Duncan’s selfish need for privacy. For once though, he wished the door was locked shut. But the urge to blast his father for telling Aunt Ariane and Sabree about him overruled all else.
“How could you, Pop?” Right away, the wine on his father’s breath warned him to choose his words carefully. However, when his father smirked and waved a mellow hello, Azrian relaxed a bit. “You told them about me, without warning me first?”
“Aye.” Brian belched. “The time was right. You can’t pose as a butler forever.” Beside the list of scribbled and crossed out text, he lined up the collection of stones in order of color.
“When are you going to tell them about Zoeree?”
“Soon enough. They should form a bond of their own before they find out they had a daughter and not under the best of circumstances.”
Wrong answer, Pop. So what if Aunt Ariane seduced Sabree. They still loved each other in their own weird way. Azrian glanced at the row of stones again and focused on the two similar in color: an opal and star moonstone. “Why do you have two white stones? Can I have one?”
“Abso-bloody-not.” Brian held a finger in front of the moonstone. “This one is special. I may need it for future endeavors.” He poked the obsidian as if it were an oversized insect. Any insect would do. “Want this one instead?”
“No freaking way.” How could his father suggest he take the stone belonging to Abyss? “I don’t want her evil to rub off on me. Probably dark magic or worse.” Azrian’s innards rumbled when his father laughed at the lame excuse. Then his phone played the “Demons” song. Taking advantage of the distraction, stealth fingers crawled toward the moonstone, the one that shimmered and vibrated like a twinkling star on the horizon.
Brian waved at him. “Quiet, the call’s from Wayde.”
With his hand cupped over the stone, Azrian snapped it up and dropped it onto his lap. He grinned all teeth when his father’s amber eyes glanced his way. Azrain squeezed the stone and squelched a gasp when images and memories of Zoeree flashed through his mind. The vision faded the moment he sensed her call for help.
To visualize more, Azrian concentrated and squeezed the stone harder. Then he recalled the day he eavesdropped on Sabree, and how he used to think Zoeree was trapped inside the monitor, begging her father for help. Maybe her nonphysical body slipped inside the stone to hitch a ride back in time with them. Resourceful girl.
Things began to make sense, come together. Just the other day, Aunt Ariane complained about dreams of a young lady with golden curls. His aunt also said she caught a glance of her here and there, especially in electronics that had screens. Aware of this, Azrian vowed to confront his aunt, pull her away from setting up the lab.
“Damn it, Wayde, did you forget I promised to bring them by the end of the week. There’s only one more to fetch.”
Azrian slipped through the secret door, when his father mentioned something about an underwater dive.
Sorry, Pop, guess it’s up to me. You collect the flash drives while I take care of family. Azrian descended the stairs into the lab, he paused and stepped aside when his aunt instructed the deliverymen to leave the equipment at the front door. The men shrugged, clueless that his and Sabree’s combined strength could easily carry the equipment into the lab. One humongous box each.
When the delivery guys trampled up the stairs, grumbling, Sabree continued to complain about how Wonder Boy had toyed with their lives, challenging the Fates by creating a Nephilim and transporting him into a past where he should not exist. Azrian figured he had better intervene.
“It’s me, the butler-turned-son of Wonder Boy.”
Sabree grunted his disgust. “The damned so-called butler should know better than to lurk in people’s business.”
“Call my father whatever you want. I’m not here to discuss him.”
Ariane peeked over a corner storage unit. “Show some respect. Your father’s been through a lot.”
Apparently, too soon after finding out that he even existed, neither one tried to connect with their newfound nephew. He’d give them time. “You have no idea how much.” That remark should grab their attention. And it did. Azrian smiled to himself when Sabree and Aunt Ariane dropped what they were doing and moved closer.
“So, Mini-Me, what’s going on?” Sabree asked.
Azrian did a double take. Mini-Me? Creepy, dude. “Pop wanted to wait, but I think you should both know right away. We have to save her.”
“Save who?” Sabree asked.
“The young woman with the blonde curls. She keeps asking me for help.” Ariane pushed by Sabree to be near Azrian. “You know who she is, don’t you?”
“Her name is Zoeree.” Azrian paused when the couple’s combined shock hovered in silence. When his aunt’s eyes revealed recognition, he said, “Your daughter.”
Ariane cursed under her breath. “Brian never mentioned I had a daughter. He came back in time with only you.”
“That’s what I thought too.” Azrian held out the moonstone in his palm. “She snuck inside this to escape with me and Pop.” That sounded nuts. Neither one would except such an off-the-wall explanation. Stranger things were usually up to his father to deliver. “Zoe can morph into any creature like you, Aunt Ariane. Someone shot her when she turned into a cardinal, but her spiritual-self flew away. She hid in mechanical or electronic devices until she hitched a ride inside this stone.”
Sabree scoffed. “Now I understand why Brian didn’t tell us about you too soon. The kid’s loonier than his father.”
Ariane ignored the wisecrack and took the stone from Azrian’s hand. Her fingers wrapped around it in a protective squeeze as she held it up to her lips. “Zoeree, can you hear me? It’s Mom.” She squeezed her eyes shut and shuddered all over.
“Aunt Ariane?” Azrian asked. “Can you see her?”
Ariane’s eyes flew open. “Yes!” She spun on an astonished Sabree. “Our daughter needs us.” She handed him the stone. “See for yourself.”
Hesitant at first, Sabree held it and closed his eyes in concentration. A broad smile came to his lips, immediately replaced by a frown. His eyes popped open. “White Ghost?”
“Concentrate,” Ariane said.
His eyes glowed a rich lavender. “I see her, but I don’t know her. She’s your child? Who’s the father?”
Ariane blushed. “You are.”
“Impossible.” Sabree’s eyes moistened and displayed a kaleidoscope of colors before he reached over to pu
ll Ariane closer. They hugged each other while they grasped the stone together.
Azrian smiled to himself. Mission accomplished. Eat your heart out, Pop. At least he helped in some way, since he couldn’t retrieve any of the flash drives. “Pop may know someone who can help. Maybe the archangel.”
The door banged open. “Azrian! Did you take the moonstone?” From the top of the stairs, Brian’s eyes blazed atomic orange, which cooled when he caught sight of Ariane and Sabree in an intimate embrace. “I’m too late.”
“Sorry, Pop. I had to tell them.” Azrian grabbed the stone from Aunt Ariane and held it between two fingers. “Zoe came back with us. She’s in here with White Ghost. I had to let them know she needs our help.”
Brian tripped on the first stair and caught his fall by disappearing and reappearing at the bottom of the stairway. “What?”
Ariane stormed him with flailing fists. “Why didn’t you tell me about my daughter?” She pointed at Sabree. “Our daughter!”
“What other secrets are you hiding from us?” Sabree snapped one of Ariane’s pencils in half.
“You couldn’t leave things alone, could you?” Brian’s eyes glimmered for a second and then cooled. “Thought we agreed to leave deceit behind.”
That hurt. “Not fair, Pop. I told them because Zoe needs our help.” Azrian held the stone out. “Here. See for yourself.”
Brian caught the stone as it flew from Azrian’s hand into his own. “I’ll take the bloody rock and put it back with the rest.” The stone flashed a bright light in his grasp. His eyes squeezed shut.
Azrian leaned forward, amazed at how his father’s pupils moved back and forth beneath his lids. He glanced at his aunt and Sabree, holding a hand up to keep them at bay. “Don’t worry. Zoe is showing Pop a thing or two. He’ll see that I’m right.” Azrian knew this to be true. His father should understand the situation better than any of them.
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