Esra's Prohpecy (Book 3 An Angel-blood Novel)

by Linda L. Creel

  “You have done more than your share. Unfortunately, I know of whom you speak, and they will have to accept the consequences for their actions.”

  “Mortriel and his sister may think they have the upper hand, but they will soon know that we have more power than they can imagine.”

  “You have the full support of the High Council. We are forbidden from you helping you with this war, but we may be able to offer some guidance.” He reached over and kissed her on the cheek. “You will always be a daughter to me, I hope you remember that.”

  “Thank you, Michael.” As he was leaving, he turned around. “You gave Heaven hope today, Aura. We have not had such hope in a very long time. You and Aidan will be together soon. Then you will right the terrible wrong that his brother has done.”

  “There’s still a chance that Dahnael may remember who he is,” Aura said, trying to be positive.

  “I hope you’re right.” Michael hugged her and joined the rest of his group.

  “You’re coming to the wedding, aren’t you Uncle Gabe?” Bren asked.

  “I wouldn’t miss it for anything. Don’t forget you owe me dance.” He winked at Bren and Tracy.

  “We won’t forget. You’d better have your dancing shoes on,” Bren giggled. Gabriel gave the girls a long hug and kiss. Though he had no children of his own, he regarded Bren and Tracy as daughters. He was forbidden to interfere in the battle they would soon face, but he had no doubt, they would be more than prepared. They did after all have his strength, and he was God’s warrior.

  Before she walked outside, Ariel pulled Aura to the side. “Thank you for giving me my life back. I will never forget what you’ve done for all of us.” She hugged Aura before walking outside, holding her husband’s hand.

  Esra handed Aura another ring, before she left. “What’s this for?” Aura asked.

  “Give this to Tracy. I’m sure she will be delighted to see the same visions as Bren. The gift will come in handy in the future.” Aura watched as the Archangels ascended to Heaven. A sense of peace flooded her. Not only did Heaven have hope, Aura finally believed that her family would soon be home.

  After the Archangels left, Aura asked Bren, Tracy and Alannah to follow her to their bedroom. “I have a gift for you,” she said to Tracy.

  “What is it?” Aura pulled the tiny ring out of the pocket of her jeans and placed it on Tracy’s right index finger. “Esra wanted me to give this to you. She thought you might have need of it.”

  Tracy could barely contain the excitement in her voice, as she stared at the small stone. “This is just like the ring that Jess wears. Does that mean I can be a seer too?”

  Aura smiled. “Everything that Bren and Alannah see, you will see too.”

  “I’m a seer,” Tracy started to yell. “I’m a seer, Bren. Did you see my ring, Alannah?”

  Bren and Alannah started giggling.

  “Will you teach me how to project images like you?” she asked Alannah.

  “I can try.”

  Tracy was beaming. She had no idea that she would receive such a precious gift. Aura knew that Esra trusted her, completely. “Congratulations, Tracy,” a tiny voice trickled into her mind. A look of utter confusion crossed Tracy’s face. “Who is that?” she asked Bren.

  Alannah started laughing. “That’s my sister, Alorrah.” “You mean I can hear Alorrah too?” Tracy was bouncing up and down. Alorrah must have seen her, and started giggling with the other girls.

  Tracy ran up to Aura and hugged her. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. “This is the best gift ever. Now I really am Bren’s sister.”

  “This will only make your bond to Bren and Alannah stronger. Esra would not have given you the ring, if you weren’t deserving of it.”

  “I promise I won’t abuse my new gift. I’ll only use it, to keep us safe,” Tracy said. “I don’t think y ou should say anything to the others. Rita and Jessica will know, and of course Mom, but no one else will know you have the gift of sight. We will keep this little secret just between us, for a little longer.”

  “I won’t say anything. This is so cool. I can see everything.” “Tracy, I have to warn you that some of the visions may be upsetting. You can’t always filter what you see,” Aura said. “I know – Bren and Alannah have shown me some pretty terrible pictures, but I’m a lot stronger than you think.” “Of course you are. Let’s get back to the others, before they come looking for us.” She walked the girls out of the bedroom and down the stairs. Bren decided that they should celebrate with ice cream sundaes. Mia ran to the pantry and grabbed the chocolate syrup. She didn’t need to be asked twice when ice cream was involved.

  At ten o’clock, the other families went home and Aura got the girls ready for bed. No one missed Aidan. As far as they were concerned he could stay with Jeziel. Aura didn’t want to accept that Dahnael would be on the other side, when war came. She couldn’t think about that now. She only had a few more days to make sure her plan was foolproof.

  For now, she would enjoy knowing Bodhi was awakened, and her sister was getting married in a few days. Aura was determined not to do anything interfere with the wedding ceremony. Of course, there were some things that even she couldn’t control.

  Chapter 22

  Meredith and Natalie decided to spend the night at the beach house. There were no pressing issues and the time away was good for them. Jeziel wouldn’t mind, she was too wrapped up with Aidan.

  After finding a secluded spot on the beach, Natalie called for Samhael. He smiled when he saw that she was still wearing her swimsuit and very little else. The sheer cover-up did little to hide her blossoming figure. “What can I do for you?” Samhael asked.

  “My Grandmother and I were thinking about staying here for a day or two to enjoy the beach. We can’t get a message to Jeziel, because she’s with Aidan. I was hoping you could let her know our plans.”

  “I would be happy to deliver a message. Would you object to my stopping by later to take you to dinner?”

  “I’d love it, as long as I’m not taking you away from any business.”

  “I’ll meet you at back at your house at eight. I have something that I would like to discuss with you and your grandmother.” Samhael didn’t kiss Natalie on the hand this time. Instead, he gave her a passionate kiss on the mouth which almost took her breath away.

  “I look forward to this evening,” he said, before disappearing in a small cloud of smoke. Natalie looked around and there was no one else on the beach, except Meredith.

  Natalie danced back to the umbrella and chairs, where Meredith was waiting. “Samhael will deliver our message to Jeziel. He’s asked me to dinner this evening and says he has something he wants to speak to us about. I told him I’d be ready by eight.”

  Natalie was as giddy as a school girl. She started choosing different outfits in her mind. “Anyway, we can stay on the beach for the rest of the afternoon.”

  Meredith stared at her granddaughter. “I can’t believe that Samhael is taking time out of his schedule to entertain you with dinner.”

  “He just kissed me, and I swear it almost took my breath away.” “So I take it you’re over Jayden?”

  “Jayden who?” Natalie laughed. “Let’s order some lunch. There’s a restaurant not far from here. We won’t have to change.” “I am getting a little hungry. We should have asked if Oliver made deliveries.” “I’m sure that Samhael can ask him to make you something special for dinner.” As they were walking towards the eatery, Natalie couldn’t help noticing the group of mortals that were staring at her grandmother. “They all keep staring at you. That has to make you feel better.”

  “I have to admit, it is rather flattering,” Meredith said. “You see -. I told you this place was great. A couple more days and you’ll feel like a new woman.” Natalie hugged her grandmother. The restaurant was just a few yards away, so they stood in the short line waiting to place their orders.

  “Why don’t we eat on the beach?” Natalie asked. She looked ove
r the menu and ordered a seafood salad and iced tea. Meredith decided to use the restroom nearby and asked Natalie to order her the same.

  As she stood outside and waited for the containers, Natalie couldn’t help thinking about her date with Samhael. Meredith, on the other hand, was worried about what Samhael wanted to ask of them. He wasn’t the type that you could just refuse, without there being consequences.

  Aidan returned to Aeden with Jeziel, shortly after midnight. “I told you I needed to be back this afternoon. Why did you keep me away so long?” he asked.

  “I lost track of time. We were having so much fun. Didn’t you enjoy yourself?”

  “I did have a good time, but I wanted to spend time with Alannah today.” “I’m sure she’ll get over it. I can’t imagine why you even care. She doesn’t even call you Father anymore. Aura has turned your own daughter against you,” Jeziel argued.

  “That’s not true. This is my fault. I should have paid more attention to the time.” “I’m quite sure Aura has taken good care of Alannah in your absence. Why don’t you relax? You haven’t broken any laws. All you did was spend the day with a close friend. If they can’t understand that, perhaps you should re-evaluate your relationship with them,” Jeziel said candidly.

  “I need to go. Do you want me to walk you to the cottage?” “Of course - where else would I be staying? There is something else we need to talk about. Are you still planning to take me to the wedding?” she asked.

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to come to the wedding, so I guess the answer is no,” he said.

  “You could take a stand you know. If I’m not good enough to come to the wedding, you could refuse to go too.”

  “I can’t refuse to go to the wedding. I promised Rita and Jessica I would be there,” Aidan said. “So I’m not good enough for Aura’s family, is that it? How can they treat me so cruelly? I’ve done nothing wrong and yet they all treat me like an outcast. It isn’t fair.” She started to cry, leaning her head on Aidan’s shoulder. “If you were my friend, you would spend the day with me instead of going to those damn weddings,” Jeziel sobbed. She snuggled against him like a hurt child.

  After a few minutes he broke loose of her embrace. “We agreed that we would only be friends. Have you forgotten?” “I haven’t forgotten. I know you still believe that Aura is Avriel, but surely you can see that she’s not. She’s never going to remember you or your past life together.”

  He knew that Jeziel was right. Aura had been ignoring him and spending time with Dareus and Aureus. “I’ll let you know about the wedding,” he said. “But right now, I need to go home.”

  “I’m just going to say something to you Aidan. This is coming from a friend. You may be in love with your precious Aura, but I have it on good authority she’s going to Rita’s wedding with those twin boys,” Jeziel stated matter of factly.

  “How could you know that? Aura never said anything about having a date for the wedding.” “Why do you think she pushed you to ask me? Aura doesn’t want to feel guilty about inviting Aureus and Dareus. Don’t take my word. Ask her yourself.”

  “We’re here,” Aidan said, as they approached the front steps to the cottage.

  “Will you come in and have a cup of tea or glass of wine with me?” Jeziel asked. “The more he thought about Dareus and Aureus, the angrier he became. Aura accepted Avriel’s ring. She was bound to him, whether she liked it or not. “Why don’t we go back to Paris and have a light breakfast at another café. I was rather fond of those croissants,” he said.

  Jeziel jumped up and threw her arms and legs around him. To her surprise, he didn’t put her down; instead he held on and started laughing with her. He would teach Aura a lesson that he could play games too.

  “We might draw a few stares if we go dressed like this. I have another idea. There’s a French bakery not far from another great beach I know. We can go there, instead.”

  When Jeziel and Aidan arrived at the tropical isle, the sun was still shining. They walked hand in hand on the boardwalk until they found the small French bistro. Aidan suggested that they have tea and croissants at one of the garden tables.

  After an hour, they returned to her cottage. Once again Jeziel kissed Aidan goodnight, or good morning, considering that the sun was almost up. And once again, he didn’t pull away.

  Aidan knew if he stayed there much longer, Jeziel would convince him to go back inside, and that was a line he wasn’t yet prepared to cross.

  He was already in enough trouble. Aura wouldn’t care that he didn’t keep his promise to her, but he broke another promise to Alannah and that was unforgiveable. He wasn’t looking forward to another confrontation. Maybe she would be asleep when he got home, but as the sun was rising, he doubted that he would be so lucky.

  After he was out of sight, Jeziel returned to her house to find Samhael and Natalie waiting there. “Did something happen?” she asked.

  “Something wonderful has happened,” Natalie gushed. “Samhael asked me tomarry him and I said yes.” She held out her left hand and showed a beautiful blue diamond. It had to be at least five carats and it was set in a platinum setting.

  “We’re going to meet Grandmother for breakfast and tell her the good news. Would you like to join us?”

  “I can join you, as long as I’m back in a couple of hours. I really didn’t get any sleep last night,” Jeziel said.

  “Are you planning to attend Rita’s wedding with Aidan?” “Yes-he already asked me. Is that a problem?” “Just be careful, the Arc hangels will be there. If they suspect you’re going to start any trouble, they may hold your hearing then,” Samhael warned.

  “They don’t have any evidence. There isn’t going to be a hearing.” “You have a great many things to learn about the Guild. They could start Natalie’s trial tomorrow if they wanted to. Don’t underestimate them. They will be watching you closely.”

  “I’m not worried. Aidan won’t let anyone harm me,” Jeziel insisted. “He won’t dare go against his father, not even for you. Michael is the chairman of the High Council. I have it on good authority he is quite fond of Aura. He believes she is Avriel incarnate. You should check your attitude at the door so to speak. If you get in trouble in front of the Archangels, I can do little to help you. I hope you remember these words. They are intended to keep you safe.”

  “Thank you for the advice, but as I’ve said, I’m not planning on getting into any trouble. The wedding isn’t until tomorrow anyway. Tonight they’re having a dinner.”

  “Just remem ber, if you become enraged for any reason, your eyes will become black again. I will be unable to change them a second time. There is no match for the angelfire that the Guild’s children can wield.”

  “Are you telling me my father is not in possession of a weapon more powerful than angelfire?” “There were many weapons of Heaven lost during the war. If we could restore just one of them, we may learn how to restore the others. Then, we would have the means to take on the Guild and their children.”

  “If my father has possession of these weapons, why can’t we restore them to power now?” Jeziel asked. “The power was lost when the gifts left Heaven. We’re in possession of all but two; Avriel’s ring, and the bow of Bodhi. We’ve searched thousands of years to locate the second half of the bow, unsuccessfully. It’s possible the weapon was destroyed.”

  “I don’t think so. The creator would never have given them a chance to awaken the Angels of the Tier. As far as Avriel’s ring, soon it will be in my possession.”

  Sa mhael laughed. “You are such a fool. There is a rumor that Aura was born beneath the veil of the Creator himself. No angel pureblood or half-blood, will have the gifts that she received when she was born.”

  “I hate her! She’s done everything to take Aid an away from me, but little by little, I’m drawing him closer. It will only be a matter of time before I have Avriels ring and then I will control those brats.”

  “I trust you’re not planning to ha
ve children of your own?” “I might have one to carry on the family name, but let’s just say, it’s not on top of my, to do list.”

  “Are you ready to go? Natalie hasn’t been home all night and I’m sure Meredith is worried,” Samhael said.

  The three of them held hands and disappeared to the beach house that Natalie was renting with her grandmother. Jeziel knew her father would approve of Samhael’s marriage. She wished that she could be there with Aidan, but she couldn’t trust him yet. Once she got Avriel’s ring, then Aidan would be bound to her. She smiled at the thought.

  Chapter 23

  When Aidan returned to the house, he found Aura standing at the sink washing dishes. He pulled a chair out and sat down at the table. He could still see an imprint of his hand that was left when he slammed his fist into the table. He wondered if Eve told Aura that he lost his temper.

  “Did you have a late dinner last night?” he asked. “No why would you ask?” “It’s not like you to leave dirty dishes,” he said.

  “I’m just getting a head start on some of the food for Rita’s dinner tonight.” When Aura turned around the first thing she noticed was Aidan’s eyes. They were a dark grey. “I’m assuming you’ll be bringing Jeziel to the dinner?” she asked.

  “She’s part of the family. Why shouldn’t she be there?” “Our dressmaker Anastasia was murdered by your friends’ brother yesterday. He gutted her like a pig. T’s odd that the only person to know we were going to see Anastasia besides family was Jeziel.”

  Aidan slammed his hand into the table again. The teacups and saucers bounced, but didn’t fall to the floor. “Jeziel was with me yesterday. Why do you insist on blaming her for every bad thing that happens to you?”

  Aura stared at Aidan, whose eyes were no longer grey, but were pitch black. Gone was any resemblance to her husband. This angel standing in front of her was lost.