Black Halo (Grace Series)

by S. L. Naeole

  “She had no right, Grace. She had no right!”

  “It’s okay,” I whispered.

  “You and I both know it’s not.”

  I smiled sadly, my heart breaking as I took in the pain in his eyes, in his voice. I let my hands move around him, pulling him in close to me, sighing with relief when he completed the circle and held me against him, tighter than I possibly could.

  “Grace…”

  My head shifted so that Ameila was in my line of sight. “Yeah?”

  “I’m sorry. I’m sorry about what’s been happening, but there’s a reason for all of this…”

  My head bobbed down once, acknowledging her apology, but I said nothing. I knew the reason why all of this was happening. We all did. Even poor Dr. Ambrose, who had lived under the radar for who knows how long, only to now be exposed not just to the threat of discovery, but also to those who could end, if not his life, then surely his very existence.

  “You’re quiet,” Robert said to me softly, his hand rising from my back to stroke and smooth out the tangled mess that was my hair.

  “Just thinking,” I mumbled against his neck.

  “That’s such a typical answer—not at all what I’d expect from you. You know your mind is as blank as an empty notebook.”

  “It’s true,” I argued. “There’s so much to think about, so many things to sort out in my head, and I don’t know how much longer I have to do that…”

  “Grace, I’m telling you that your mind is quiet—it’s as though you’re in the middle of a dreamless sleep.”

  Recognition of what was going on came to me like a bolt of lightning, only instead of coming at me from the sky, it came to me from deep within.

  “I’m doing it again. I’m locking you out of my thoughts.”

  “You’ve been doing this on and off for a while now,” Robert agreed. “But I didn’t think that you weren’t aware of it.”

  “You thought I was doing it on purpose?”

  I felt the nod without needing to see it. “I thought it was because you were still hesitant about trusting me. I didn’t want to bring it up and upset you.”

  I lifted my head and took in the strong lines of Robert’s face, the silver eyes that swirled and rippled like molten silver, the lips that were deceptively soft and capable of making me forget everything and anything save for what it felt like to have them on mine.

  “Ahh…”

  Robert smiled, a slow, lazy grin that caused my stomach to turn into one large knot that weighed heavily inside of me. “I hear you now.”

  “So when I’m thinking about how I feel about you, my thoughts are clear, but when I’m not…”

  “Your mind is empty.”

  “If only that were true,” I sighed before placing my head back down, settling it there and basking in this rare moment of calm before everything that I feared demanded attention.

  COMPULSION

  Exhaustion forced me upstairs to Lark’s room where I slept for several hours, waking up just past midnight. Though I had wanted Robert to stay with me, I knew that he had a lot to speak to his mother about, and more so, he had to come to terms with the solution that she and Dr. Ambrose had come up with for Stacy. He did stay with me until I fell asleep, a moment of rare peace for the two of us that included no worries or fears from the outside world.

  When I emerged from the room, rested and refreshed after a quick shower, the house was ablaze with light. I headed down the stairs and stepped into the large living room, surprised at what awaited me there.

  “Did you get enough sleep, Grace?”

  I looked at Dr. Ambrose and nodded out of courtesy before turning my attention away to the others who now occupied the room.

  Ameila stepped forward with a woman I recognized from the wedding Robert had taken me to on our first date. Her silver hair had been piled atop her head then in a cacophony of braids that hung like metallic vines down past her ears. Now it was loose, a waterfall of light cascading down her back, contrasting with the black sweater dress that clung to her body.

  “Grace, may I introduce you to Sera,” Ameila said with a knowing smile. “Sera is my mother.”

  My eyes flew from mother to daughter, their features so different and yet so alike—how had I not seen it before? As she smiled at me, the deep purple that ringed her pupils thickened, the violet hue sparkling with a joy that seemed misplaced, given the circumstances that most likely warranted her arrival.

  “I have seen your face so often these past few months and I must confess, the visions I have received of you from my grandson pale in comparison to seeing you in person. It has been a while, has it not?”

  Her voice hinted at some strange accent that I couldn’t place, but her words flowed off of her tongue like water from a spring, free and soft yet with purpose and drive. I felt compelled to walk towards her, pulled by something unseen and I didn’t want to fight it. Instead I helped it by quickening my feet, hurrying to be beside her and answering her, if only to hear her speak again.

  “I saw you at the wedding,” my mouth spat out, the sound rough and awkward, like cardboard to the filmy satin of her reply.

  “Yes. I had hoped that we would have spoken then, but it wasn’t the right time.”

  I nodded clumsily, my head bobbing up and down like it was on a large spring. She smiled the most stunning smile I had ever encountered, and I began to feel a liquid-like warmth spread inside of me, like I had just drank a cup of hot cocoa and it was easing its way into my chilled bones.

  “How odd; just as you had then, you now keep some of your thoughts hidden away like secret treasures to be sought out. What a clever girl you are!” she said to me before turning to look at Robert, who stood behind me, his hand resting protectively against my waist. “It’s alright, N’Uriel. She is worth it.”

  “Worth what?” I looked at the both of them, my eyes flicking back and forth, waiting for a response.

  “My grandmère believes now that you’re worth dying for.”

  “Oh, I’ve always believed that. I knew it the moment I first saw you, sweetling. You’re far more special than N’Uriel gives you credit for. To be able to resist so well the pull of our kind—my charms barely worked on you.”

  “Was that what I was feeling? Oh no, your charms worked very well—I would have done cartwheels if you asked,” I blurted out before clamping my hand over my mouth.

  Sera laughed, the same musical laugh that I had grown accustomed to from Lark and Ameila. “Oh Grace, I so look forward to getting to know you better, but that time will come. For now, we must focus on this terrible deed that has been done to Lark’s husband.”

  “Husband?!” I choked.

  “Yes, her husband,” she said with a sly smile. “I admit, when I learned that she had planned on taking a human for a partner, I was quite shocked. But it’s been centuries since one of our kind has found a mate, and seeing how her last union with one of her own kind fared, I felt it was quite necessary that she be allowed this happiness. Besides, turning a human is a trivial thing—he’s good to her and loves her. There’s nothing trivial about that.”

  “Husband?” I squeaked, unable to fully accept the term.

  “I know they married quite quickly, but given the consequences had they not, I think they made a wise choice. Besides, Lark’s had half a millennia to get used to the idea-”

  “But Graham’s only eighteen!” I gasped, my voice raising in pitch just enough to cause every head to turn to look at me in shock and disbelief. “He’s never had time to get used to the idea—he’s never even thought about it.”

  “You fail to understand that it wouldn’t matter whether he’s thought about it or not, Grace.”

  I didn’t understand why Graham told me about being turned but not about getting married. And why didn’t I figure this out on my own? I knew the rules, I knew what was required, and yet the thought that he’d have to have gotten married in order to be with Lark intimately had never crossed my mind.
r />   “Is the reason you’re so upset about this because you’re feeling some jealousy, Grace? If so, it’s understandable. I must admit, after fifteen-hundred years, I’d like to think that my N’Uriel would be ready to settle down but, given the circumstances…”

  “Given the circumstances, it’s far better that he not get married to a dead girl walking?” I finished for her.

  “Well, not that exactly, but there’s always time to discuss this later.”

  “Will you stop speaking as though I’ve got all the time in the world?” I snapped, my limit having finally been met. “I’m not like you. I’m not like Graham. I’m not like Dr. Ambrose. I’ve got a timer on my life and it’s about to go off. There’s not going to be any ‘getting to know each other better’, or ‘discussing things later’ so let’s stop pretending, alright? It’s not making me feel better—it’s making me feel worse.”

  Sera’s smile didn’t waver, but the sparkle in her eyes dimmed a bit at my words.

  “I didn’t mean to upset you. Forgive me for doing so.”

  “It’s okay,” I mumbled before turning away to face the others, many of whom I did not recognize at all, others whose faces were very familiar.

  Robert began to make the introductions, with each individual standing up to greet me as though I were the guest of honor.

  “This is Naomi. She’s an EP who spends most of her time in Cleveland, and this is her husband Theo.”

  Naomi and Theo looked like two bronze statues, their bodies chiseled with muscles that gave me pause as I tried to imagine why they would need to be so physically fit, their hair cut extremely close to the scalp, their eyes deep brown and curious as they smiled and said their hellos. I liked them immediately.

  Robert led me to an older looking woman with strawberry blonde hair, her face sprinkled with tan freckles that set off her peridot eyes. “This is Linda. She’s a close friend of the family.”

  When Robert didn’t include what Linda was exactly, I took it upon myself to ask. She smiled and patted my cheek, answering with a fairly pronounced drawl, “Nothing special, hun. Just a family friend, that’s all.”

  “You remember Hannah from the wedding, right?”

  Hannah—the dark haired beauty who had married her prince charming in front of angels, electus patronus, and one lowly human—stood up to shake my hand.

  “Hello, Grace,” she said with a friendly smile. “I’m sorry we didn’t get to speak at the wedding but things were just so crazy—it’s good to finally be able to see you and thank you for helping make my wedding and my grandmother’s last day a very special one.”

  “Hannah is accompanying Sera and Lem,” Ameila explained as a man who stood taller than anyone I had ever seen approached me. My eyes ran over him in intense inspection, unable to look away until I had taken in every single inch.

  His hair looked like swaths of silk had been stained with deep red wine. It was clipped short by his ears, with longer patches that curled up front. It resembled Robert’s hair in every way except color, and I grimaced when I realized that my fingers itched to play with the errant lock that hung above a far too handsome face.

  His jaw was stubbornly set, strong and square and smooth like polished stone. His generous mouth was pulled up on one side in a crooked smile that caused my stomach to do a little somersault, surprising me and burning my cheeks with guilt. I quickly raised my eyes to admire the proud nose and finally the eyes that stared at me with equal interest.

  And it was his eyes that finally made me gasp in wonder, for I had seen them before. One was a pale, icy silver, while the other glistened in warm, dripping gold. This was the angel from the nightmares, the one who had ordered the execution of Sam’s wing-bringer and soul mate. He was the “Lem” that had remained a mystery to me, now standing before me in the flesh.

  I took his hand and heard a swift intake of breath—did it come from me?—before I quickly removed my own from his strong grip, letting it fall to my side only to be filled once more by Robert’s cool one.

  “Everything I’ve heard about you is true. You’re quite acceptable—for a human.”

  Sera found this comment to be highly amusing for she broke into laughter that floated over everything, blocking out my ability to feel anything but amusement.

  I didn’t like it.

  “Lem, you’re so particular. She’s more than acceptable. She’s exceptional, and why shouldn’t she be? Ma petit-fils is a very bright boy with exquisite taste.”

  When Lem replied, his voice was much stronger and deeper in my waking mind than it had been while I was asleep. He spoke with authority, though there was a slight wavering that clued me in to a sort of deference to Sera that was curious and something that I wished I had time to investigate.

  “You’re right, Sera. She is a delectable choice. I can find no fault with young N’Uriel’s decision to select her as his mate.”

  I tried to hide my annoyance at being discussed like I were some entrée they were mulling over but it was very difficult, especially when in the background I could hear the chiming of the clock—two strong peals—and I was instantly reminded that this wasn’t a meet-and-greet for nothing.

  “I’m sorry if I’m being rude, but could someone explain to me what’s going on, why are all of you here?”

  Every eye became fixed on me, the room quiet once more as no one had the nerve to speak up—all of their opinions saved for their thoughts that mingled amongst each other, leaving me completely out of the loop…

  “I asked them to come so that we can discuss what’s going on with Samael,” Ameila finally spoke up.

  “What’s there to discuss?”

  “The fact that what he’s doing is wrong,” Linda said with venom.

  “Or that he’s acting out of revenge, rather than duty,” came Hannah’s acerbic reply.

  “But more importantly because he’s killed an innocent and has now taken another with little intent on returning him unharmed,” Lem said with finality.

  “How do you know that?” My question came on the heels of a gasp that was not my own. I felt an immense wave of relief wash over me at the sight of Lark standing in the doorway, a grief torn expression slashed across her face.

  “Answer her,” she insisted as she stepped towards us, her hands pulled up in front of her, clamped into desperate fists that looked so deceptively delicate.

  “We have seen it,” Sera replied in a grim tone. “This trade with Grace will not bring the outcome you two desire. He is no longer out for just Grace’s life, but also for her suffering.”

  “But why?” I cried, feeling what little hope there had been left inside of me for the safe return of Graham wither away into ash. “Why is my death so damn important that he’d do this? He’s the goddamned archangel of death; why doesn’t he just kill me already?”

  A hiss filled the room and I fell to my knees as the familiar sharp pain stabbed inside of my head, each cut an echo of each other, fading after each slice until slowly the pain subsided, but not before blood spurted from my mouth and nose onto my clothes and the floor beneath me.

  Had this happened in a human home, a great commotion would have erupted and there’d be nervous calls for help being thrown about. But this wasn’t a human home, and so the reactions ranged from bored to curious as Robert pressed a hand to my head, easing the residual throbbing that always occurred after these attacks.

  I looked up at him and saw the worried haze that covered his eyes and felt incredibly stupid and guilty all at the same time. It only grew worse when I heard Robert’s groan of disapproval. “Grace, just watch the language,” he whispered to me.

  “Oh stop,” I argued, shoving him away as I waved my arm to our captive audience, not caring that I probably looked like an extra on some B horror flick. “They can hear you whispering. And I’m sorry if I wasn’t raised to know what the proper etiquette around angels is but I’m only human, and while all of you stand here and talk about calls and duty, my best friend’s li
fe is in danger.

  “I know that he’s not an angel, or an EP, or-” I looked over at Linda “-whatever the hell you are, but he’s my best friend, and he’s also married to Lark, which means that he’s as much a part of your family as he is mine. I’ve already offered my life up for his. What else do I have to give in order to help bring him back safe?”

  All around me eyes began to drop, gazes unwilling to give me the answers that I sought, and I growled in frustration.

  “You don’t care about saving his life, do you?” Lark accused.

  “That’s not it at all, Larkahd,” Sera insisted, calling Lark a name I had never heard uttered before.

  “Do not use that name!”

  It was such a shock, hearing Lark’s angelic name for the first time, and then seeing her reaction to its use. It was almost enough to make me forget why it had been said.

  “If that’s not it then what is?” I asked, intent on keeping the dialogue focused on Graham and not on old family disagreements that could be argued amongst themselves.

  Sera’s eyes twinkled at my diversion, pleased that I could see the need for familial privacy and filling it. “Graham’s life is important—of course it is—but the danger that he is in does not compare to the potential consequences of what Samael has done. He threatens to cut the thread that keeps humanity and divinity connected yet separate, and that cannot happen.”

  “I get that. Humans can’t know about angels and blah-blah-blah. What I want to know is why is Sam doing this?”

  Sera’s voice lowered, her tone somber. “Can you imagine, centuries of joyless existence? Of a self-induced prison that you cannot break out of? Sam’s guilt over Miki’s death has plagued him for centuries, but he could accept his fate so long as he knew that his decision was one that all angels would make. Duty before love, and love only for duty.

  “So imagine how upset he became when he learned that he was wrong, that an angel would defy his very purpose and sacrifice his life for love; love for a human; a particular human.”

  I blanched at her words as my mind began to reconcile the truth. Sam didn’t just want to fix a mistake. This was personal. The centuries that Sam had lived without loving, without feeling, without caring—all of it had become pointless, nothing more than a lie…and all because of me.