“Okay.” Xavier leans back in his seat, toying with his glass. “What are you going to do for me in exchange?”
“What do you want?”
“Cooperation.”
“Am I fighting you?”
“No. You’re biding your time, waiting for Reed to rescue you.”
“He’s my aspire. You’re keeping us apart.”
“I’m allowed to protect you from everything that can harm you now. I could never do that in your previous lifetimes as a human. This is a much better position to be in. I don’t have to watch you die and do nothing.”
“Reed won’t hurt me.”
“He’ll destroy you.”
“Why do you say that?”
“He doesn’t know who you are. He doesn’t understand you.”
“He understands me fine.”
“His only goal is to protect you.”
“Why is that so wrong?”
“You’re here to change things, Evie. It’s not about you, it’s about what you’ve become—a half-angel. There has never been your like in all of history. You’re changing the world. You’re the wave that will crush our enemies.”
“Why must I be a crusher? Why can’t I be a uniter?”
“You fight evil. It’s what you do. It’s why you’ve always been chosen. Do you think Emil deserves to live?”
“No.” I mutter. He has a point. Emil cannot be allowed to live.
Xavier’s lips twitch in a suppressed smile. “You’ve always been an excellent crusher. You crushed Kimberly Cline. I distinctly remember you making her cry,” he teases me.
I make a face. “She told everyone that she was going to get you to break up with me junior year.”
“Yes, and you told people I said that she had bad breath.”
“She did have bad breath.”
“True, but I never said that.”
“You thought it. Anyway, you did end up breaking up with me senior year.” Why does that still hurt so much? It makes no sense.
Xavier sees it. I can hide nothing from him. He sets down his wine glass. “I didn’t want to hurt you, but I had to put some distance between us.”
“It’s fine—”
“No. Let me finish!” he growls.
I look at him. “Go on.”
“You were…such a temptation for me. We weren’t engaging in just kissing anymore, like we had been sophomore year. I was supposed to be protecting you, but I was becoming your direst threat. You were so fragile. I couldn’t touch you without hurting you, not the way I was feeling about you. I wanted you. You had been the love of my life for centuries.”
“I thought there was something wrong with me,” I admit.
“There was something wrong with you! You had the body of a sixteen-year-old girl and the ancient soul of my love. There was clearly something wrong with that.”
“Your body looked about the same age as mine.”
“Looks are so deceiving, aren’t they, Evie?”
“They are. With a look, you made me believe you found me repulsive. I thought you didn’t want me at all.”
“You held all the power and you didn’t even know it. And so what if I had been a stupid boy and not an angel and I had thought that? It would mean that I was a fool, not you! But you know now what I am and that I love you—have always loved you. I wanted you then, but it’s nothing compared to how much I want you now.”
“It’s too late,” I whisper.
“It’s never too late. Not for us! Not for where we’ve been.”
“Where have we been, Xavier? I want to understand. I do. I need you to stop talking in riddles and explain where we’ve been. What do you remember about our last lifetime together?”
“I pushed you too hard and it all fell apart,” he says in a quiet tone.
“What do you mean?”
“I should have gotten you out of France earlier. I could’ve, you know? I could’ve saved you from him—from Emil—but you were such an ace! You had the potential to end him before he harmed anyone else. You just needed to find yourself in Simone. So I left you in the game, but I left you too long.”
The air around me is suddenly haunted by Emil’s scent—it’s the fragrance of his hair tonic. It’s scent memory from Simone’s lifetime. I put down my fork and pick up my wine glass, taking a sip to allow the taste of the red to expunge the odor of my tormentor.
“Why would you do that to me, if you loved me?” My hand shakes, causing my wine to weep rosy tears on the inside of the glass. I set it down.
“I sometimes expect perfection from you. You rarely give me anything less than it.”
“But this time I was less than perfect?”
“I...don’t know. I can’t remember my last hours there. I know I was supposed to meet you at the bridge. I know I was there early. I remember checking my watch, waiting.”
“What would’ve happened at the bridge had everything gone to plan?”
“You would’ve reported Emil’s new location to the allies. They would’ve had the information and I would’ve seen you safely away. The goal was to undermine Emil. Human soldiers would’ve hunted him down for his war crimes. I would’ve followed you at a safe distance for the rest of your life, watching over you.”
“Why were you allowed to interfere with my life at all? I thought angels couldn’t do that.”
“I was your guardian angel. I alone was allowed to interfere in your life. I could manipulate you in order to help you achieve the goal of your mission, which was to subdue and put an end to Emil in that lifetime.”
“So I was your pawn.”
“It wasn’t like that. You mostly lead me.”
“But I never made it to the bridge?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “I truly don’t know.”
“Maybe this is bliss, Xavier.”
“What do you mean?”
“Why would I want to remember any of this? Just the imagined smell of Emil makes me want to vomit.” I look in his mismatched eyes. “Maybe the kindest thing you can do for me is to allow me to forget.”
“I’m never kind, Evie. Do you think for one moment Emil will go away? He’s here to kill you, of that I have no doubt.”
“I know he is. He’s always here to kill me, isn’t he?”
“He is.”
Out of the corner of my eye, a flash of blue catches my attention. Atwater sees me staring at him from my seat. He motions with his chin for me to follow him. Turning, he disappears through an archway at the back of the dining room. “Excuse me for a moment, Xavier.”
Xavier stands when I do. I make my way across the beautiful rug to the archway. It leads to a long hallway. At the end, Atwater waits just long enough for me to see him. He darts away. I bolt down the corridor. At the other end of it, there is a shear drop of several stories. I spread my wings and dive into the air, following the trajectory of the blue wings in front of me. I land at the bottom next to Atwater. He doesn’t look at me, but takes huge strides across the marble floor. Moonlight shines through gigantic windows carved from the side of the mountain. It’s almost perpetual night here this time of year. A beautiful set of silver doors lead outside. A large cloakroom is situated next to the doorway. Atwater goes to it. He runs his hand over several long coats and parkas in all shapes and sizes, finally choosing a white parka with long slits in the back of it. He holds it out to me, waiting patiently for me to put it on. My wings fit through the slits in it. He walks around me and zips it from the back so that only my feathers are exposed. I take care of the zipper in the front. Reaching his hand up to a shelf, he selects a white ushanka from it and squashes it onto my head. I don’t say a word; I just whisk away my hair from my eyes. He grabs a heavy white parka for himself that matches mine. Tossing me some white gloves, he walks out of the coatroom. I hurry after him, pulling my gloves on as I go. He thrusts open the door and my angel vision adjusts to the darkness outside. He walks out into the middle of a lovely courtyard. Ice sculptures of fierce warrior angels are the only
figures near enough to overhear us. Still, Atwater takes me by the elbow and leads me away from the doors.
“Your father is on his way here. He should arrive shortly.”
“Tau is coming here?”
“Yes. Some of his army comes with him. He brings Reed as well.”
“How do you know this?”
“Heaven told me.”
“Why is Tau coming here?”
“I asked him to come.”
“For what purpose?”
“To deliver the boatswain to me. He was ordered to keep it safe until it was needed. When the time came, he was to give it to me.”
“Why do you need it?”
“I’m to either give it to you or I’m to use it on you.”
“What?”
“If you are not worthy to be the champion of Heaven, I’m to use it on you. If you prove yourself to be worthy, I’m to give it to you.”
“How do I prove myself worthy?” I ask.
“You already have.”
“How?”
“You survived the Gancanagh.”
“That proves I’m Heaven’s champion?” I feel disoriented by what he just said. Is he insane? Is he evil? Is he a lunatic?
“No. The fact that you’re their queen proves that you’re Heaven’s champion.”
“I don’t understand.”
“No, but you will. When your father arrives with Reed, I need you to get Reed alone.”
“How?”
“You’re a resourceful being. I’m sure you will find a way. Tell Reed to come here to this statue.” He holds out his hand to the ferocious ice angel holding a sword aloft, ready to smite us at any moment. “Inside the ice shield will be the boatswain. I want him to have it. He plans to kill me for it, but that’s unnecessary. I want everyone who knows about it to believe I still have it. It will be safer for you if they do.”
“What do you want him to do with it?” I ask.
“I want him to take it and to leave here with you.”
“How?”
“Find a way. Once you get somewhere safe, I want him to call out these tones on it,” he says, before whistling a soft tune that is hauntingly familiar. “Can you remember it?”
“You want him to kill me?” I ask.
He scowls. “If I wanted you dead, I’d do it myself!” His cat-like eyes narrow to slits. “There are several different tones. At its worst, the boatswain will only subdue you—separate your soul from your angelic body. It cannot destroy your soul. What I want is for you to use a tone that will make you remember our deal—Emil has negated part of the contract by speaking of that night.”
“Our deal?” I ask. “That night?”
“If you keep repeating me I will smite you. I need you to go somewhere safe with Reed and only with Reed. I need you to remember our deal. Then I need you to lead your army into battle. The gates of Sheol are wide open. Demons are pouring in as we speak.”
“Whoa, wait! The gates of Sheol are open?”
“Emil has cut through the fabric of this world and opened hell to it. The Gancanagh have attempted to close it, but it has not held.”
“Where?”
“Where you once resided—in your little college town.”
“Crestwood?”
“Yes. Emil tried to capture your soul mate there. The Gancanagh saved him.”
“Which army am I to lead into battle? Tau’s or Xavier’s?” I ask.
“Not their armies, your army! You’re the queen of the Gancanagh. You rule beside their king. You must lead them into battle. It is the only way to defeat Emil. We must have them all: Tau’s army, Xavier’s army, and your army. And Reed must be at your side. You must unite them all.”
“What happens if I fail?”
“Then you cease to be and everyone you love falls prey to your inescapable.”
“What about my soul mate?”
“You need but ask him and he will move a mountain for you. Do you understand what I’m telling you? We don’t have much time!”
“Can you give me the tune you want Reed to use one more time?” I beg, feeling completely desperate.
Atwater whistles it for me again. When he finishes, he asks, “Do you have it now?”
I nod, overwhelmed by all he’s said. He straightens then, turning toward the silver doors. “We should not be seen together. Wait a bit before you return inside.” Atwater leaves then without a backward glance.
I wander around, covering up the tracks that had led to the ice figure of the avenging angel before making new tracks to other ice statues in the courtyard. Something stirs in my abdomen. It tugs me toward the silver doors. I have a sharp intake of breath. Reed! I think as I touch my hand to my belly. Forgetting the tracks on the ground, I round the last sculpture. I pause when I see Xavier’s dark shape in the light of the doorway. As I near him, I notice he’s without a coat and his skin is turning rosy from the chill. “What are you doing out here, Evie?” he asks.
Snow falls around me, trapping us in a shaken snow globe scene at the top of the world. “How did you know I was out here?”
“You never returned to the table. I have angels looking for you. I saw Atwater. He said he saw you, but wouldn’t tell me where because he said you wanted to be alone. I noticed his nose was red from the cold. Did you speak to him?”
“Yes. I wanted to talk to him about Brennus, but he was in a hurry to get away from me. I think he’s the one who wants to be alone.”
Xavier nods, distractedly. “Your father has arrived,” he says with a guarded look. His breath curls away from him like smoke.
“Oh?” I ask. “You look upset about that.”
“I would like you to go to your room until I come to get you.”
“I’d like to speak to my father.”
“And you will. I want to speak to him first.”
“Why? Is something wrong?” I ask.
“He plans to give the boatswain to Atwater.”
“And you believe that’s a bad move?”
“I do. I saw what it did to you. I’m never letting that happen again. I’ll destroy it before I see it in another angel’s hand.”
The wind is so cold that I can believe that we’re living at the edge of the world here. I shiver. “Do you think Heaven has a plan, Xavier?”
“I know they do.”
“Do you trust them?”
“The end game is all that matters to them. How they get there is what matters to me.”
“Maybe the courage is in letting go, Xavier.”
“If only I could,” he murmurs, “but I can’t.” He takes the hat from my head. My hair falls and frames my face. His hand finds its way to the nape of my neck. His fingers thread through my hair. He leans down and whispers in my ear, “Reed is here. Tau insists that he remain alive for now; so do not make me kill him. Go to your room and wait for me.” He kisses my cheek and lets me go.
I walk through the door he holds open for me. Tens of thousands of angels reside here ready to do whatever Xavier tells them. It would only take them minutes to kill Reed. I shrug out of my white coat and hand it to Xavier. He gives it to a Power who has come to attend us. It occurs to me that I’m a lethal woman. I could kill them all. I glance at Xavier. I don’t want to hurt him. I love him, even if he acts jealous and arrogant. And we need his cooperation and his army in order to defeat Emil. I’ll have to be smart and use my head instead of force—or, in this case, magic and genetics.
Xavier looks away from me. He begins speaking in Angel to the Power by his side. I don’t know what he’s saying exactly, but I can guess it something like, “She’s to go directly to our suite. Follow her and report to me if she leaves or has any visitors.” I frown at them, but they ignore me.
I turn away from them. I take a few steps and lift off into the air, flying in the direction of my room. When I’m out of their view for a moment, I duck behind a massive column. Creating a clone, I release her to continue on in the direction of my room. I whisper a hast
y spell to make myself invisible. My Power bodyguard passes me, following my clone. Hopefully she can make it to my room and through the door before he gets there, or my ruse won’t work for very long. I peek around the column and see Xavier flying in the opposite direction. I follow him, avoiding angels who nearly collide with me. I may be invisible, but I’m solid, so if they bump into me, they’re going to realize something is wrong.
I almost lose Xavier in a crowd, but I manage to locate him near the entrance of a tunnel. It really doesn’t matter anymore though, because butterflies are careening inside of me, begging me to follow them to Reed. Xavier turns down a corridor that has images of Heaven carved into the very walls. When he enters the room at he end of it, I have to cover my mouth and hold my breath to keep from gasping. It’s a huge round room carved from the gray rock of the mountain. An X-shaped cutout bisects the floor and ceiling in a crisscross pattern. As I look up, the cutout goes clear up for several stories to the moonlight and stars far above my head. When I look down over the cutouts in the floor, the drop goes on so far I cannot see its end for the darkness below. White recessed lighting glows almost blue, causing everything to have a soft, ethereal glow.
Tau stands on the other side of the abyss with Reed. They’re both dressed in black long-sleeved shirts and black utilitarian trousers. They look like human assassins without their wings out, but still very much like they’re ready to kill something. Tau’s attention is on Xavier, with his hands behind his back and chin up, he has perfect military form. Reed has a similar stance, but his eyes are not on Xavier, he’s looking at the door behind us. He feels me. He’s waiting for me to come through the door.
Xavier flies over the abyss in front of him, speaking to Tau in Angel. Reed doesn’t look at them. He keeps watching the door. An argument quickly breaks out between Xavier and Tau. I’ve rarely seen either of them in anything but full agreement with one another. The last time they argued in front of me was in high school and it was about me—about the amount of time Xavier had been spending with me and not with his friends. It was the time Tau had walked in on us in Xavier’s room and we were doing a little more than just talking, of course, he was Drew then. I don’t know what they’re fighting about now, but I can guess it’s about me again.
Iniquity (The Premonition Series Book 5) Page 18
