Broken Faith: Spiritual Discord, 1

by Brandy Nacole

  “Look Sabrina, I know we haven’t got off to a good start, but heck, do you blame me?”

  “Blame you for having a narrow-minded brain? Yes.”

  I narrow my eyes at the beautiful vampire, whose now-clean dark blond hair reaches to her waist. Look what a good dunking does for a person. The wave of her hair frames her porcelain face, with eyes that hold a cold, calculating glint.

  “Anyway, I just think we need to find some common ground, especially if you’re going to be staying here.”

  “I do not believe that will be a problem any longer. I found a suitable location that’s far from the humans. Once I discuss the details with Kayson, we will be leaving.” Sabrina cuts her gaze to the side yard as a rabbit goes scurrying across the shadowed lawn.

  “Where is this new location?” Sabrina left late in the night, and dawn is close to breaking, so wherever she went has to be close.

  Sabrina looks around the yard cautiously, “I’m not going to discuss that in the open. We have no clue as to who could be listening. The fact that the hounds know we are here and didn’t attack leaves me questioning.” Sabrina turns her stare back to the shed door. “I will discuss this with Kayson first and if he agrees, which I’m sure he will, we will have no choice but to involve you as well.”

  I roll my eyes. Great. And if I didn’t agree with this oh-so secretive plan, Sabrina will no doubt threaten me until I agree. But what if helping them doesn’t really solve my problem? What if it only makes it worse? That being said, how could it get any worse than having them stay in my backyard where nosy neighbors can see?

  “Whatever,” I say with a shrug. “I’ll be leaving soon for classes, then I have to go to work. I won’t be back until late this afternoon. Will you be okay?”

  Sabrina’s cold eyes regard me with disbelief. “I’m sure I can protect myself without the help of a fragile human.” Sabrina looks behind her, toward the driveway where my car and Briston’s jeep is parked. “What did you tell your human friend?”

  Squaring my shoulders, I step closer to Sabrina. I’ve had enough of her ‘I’m an immortal badass’ attitude. “The truth.”

  Sabrina seems a little surprised by my boldness. She takes my answer with a pleased calm. I was expecting a bit of mockery before threats were made. This is surprising. “That’s good. We will more than likely need his assistance.”

  “Assistance for what?” There’s no way I am going to let her use Briston for something dangerous. I can just picture her dangling him from a rope for the hounds to chomp on. We weren’t going to play cat and mouse with my best friend.

  “If Kayson agrees, I will let you know.”

  My anger starts to swell as she dismisses me once again. “So are we going to call a truce or not?” If she is unwilling to be halfway decent to me, I don’t see why I have to keep agreeing to her demands.

  Sabrina doesn’t answer me, but she does seem to pick up on my “back off or get lost” mood. Her cold eyes soften just a bit. She walks past me without bumping into me or fixing me with a glare, which is a refreshing change. I decide to test this supposed calm. Besides, some small talk won’t kill her, although she acts like it will.

  “Can you believe that Kayson fell because he lost his faith? He really doesn’t seem like the type, does he?” Well, the small talk may not kill Sabrina, but it could kill me. Sabrina whips around with so much speed my hair is blown around my face. I fight not to back up a step at the look of rage on her face.

  “He told you why he fell?” Sabrina growls the question out, but before I can answer her, she turns back around again with as much force as before, jerks the door open—nearly ripping it off the hinges—and storms inside, slamming it behind her.

  Why would she be mad he told me why he fell? Technically, he didn’t tell me the whole story, he just gave me the Cliff’s Notes version. If she would have stuck around for a moment instead of losing her temper like usual, I would have told her that. With a shrug, I turn back toward the house. It isn’t my concern now. Now Kayson has to deal with her, although I’m not sure that’s a good thing. Before taking a step, I look up to find Briston standing at the backdoor, jaw dropped. Well, he got a good glimpse of the proof he wanted. He can’t deny my story now.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Sabrina

  I’m swimming with rage as I stand in the middle of this tiny shed. I don’t like the confinement. I miss the open space of the forest. And my voiceless shouts of anger are only making this room seem that much smaller. How could he tell her why he had fallen, and not tell me? Not only was I the one who saved him, but I understand. I know of the evils that exist in this world, and how they can make you crumble into becoming a person you don’t want to be.

  My anger screams through my mind, and I want nothing more than to tear this room apart. That anger builds when my eyes meet the source of my anger. In a voice I don’t even recognize, I ask, “Why her?”

  Confusion fills Kayson’s face. “What’s wrong, Sabrina? What happened?” The worry in his voice does nothing to cool my temper. If anything it adds fuel to the fire. I’m tired of him patronizing me all the time, giving me half-truths, and then turning into Mr. Open around the human girl. If he wants to play nice with her, he can do it without my help.

  “I don’t understand why you keep turning to that human, coddling her, opening-up to her. Why, Kayson? What’s so special about her?”

  My body trembles as I confront him. My eyes start to burn as tears try forming. I knew helping him would mean nothing but trouble for me. Ever since he told me his name, I have been drawn to him. I don’t like thinking about it and I sure as hell don’t like admitting it, but that’s the truth. Is it because he’s the first being I have spoken to in over a century? Maybe. He is the first being to even know I existed in over a century, and it hurts to have him choosing an ignorant human over me.

  Kayson sits up on the bed, then tries to stand. When his leg buckles under him, he gives up. “Sabrina, I have no idea what you’re talking about. What—”

  “I’m talking about how you told her!” I angrily point in the direction of the house. “About why you fell. What’s so special about her that she gets to hear your secret and I don’t?”

  Kayson’s shoulders slump as his face falls. “I didn’t tell her everything.”

  “Well, let’s spare her a few minor details. How nice of you.” I pace the limited floor space available, and try to control my thoughts. I need to figure out my next move so I can leave him and his human pet behind. I want to go back to my quiet life. It’s a lonely existence, but at least the quiet of the forest never mocks me or has trust issues with me. The woods accepts me as I am.

  Kayson catches my hand in his as I pace past him.

  “Sabrina, please listen to me. I didn’t tell Emma anything you don’t already know.”

  I snatch my hand away and glare down at him.

  “I don’t know anything about your fall other than the fact that you did fall. Which is fine, Kayson, it really is. If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s your business. But for you to refuse to let me in, and then casually turn to some human for a nice little chat? That bothers me. Obviously, I’m not pure enough for you to talk to.”

  I turn back toward the door, needing some air and space away from him, when I’m spun around from behind. Kayson is standing on one leg, his hands clenching my shoulders as much for support as to keep a hold of me, as his fierce blue eyes stare into mine.

  “I didn’t tell her everything, Sabrina. I didn’t tell her how I stood before God and questioned him. I didn’t tell her how I disagreed with God when he told me Lucifer’s blood children were damned.” Cupping my face in his hands, Kayson runs his thumbs over my cheeks, never once does he lose his focus on my eyes. “I didn’t tell her that I fell because of you.”

  The sting in my eyes intensifies as my body stiffens with disbelief. He has to be lying. Angels fight the blood children; that’s what they do. I have never heard of one fightin
g on a blood child’s side. I shake my head and take a step back, causing Kayson to lose his footing. He pitches forward, but before he hits the floor, I catch him.

  When he looks up at me with those trusting, hopeful eyes of his, I just want to let go. But I keep my grip on him and help him back to the bed. Once I have him safely seated, I shake my head and back away. “You’re lying. No angel would argue with God on behalf of a blood child.”

  “I did.” Kayson’s voice is steady and unwavering.

  I collapse in the corner chair and continue to look at Kayson with doubt. “Angels have always been taught that Lucifer’s blood children and those like me— the halfs—are all damned. Why would you turn your back on that belief, and question God? Why would you do that for me? Tell me.”

  Kayson breaks eye contact and looks down at his hands.

  “You must understand, I have always believed in God’s purpose and the laws that the angels have to follow. I still do believe in all of them, except the belief that half-blood children are damned.” Kayson gulps, “I lost that belief fifty years ago.”

  Kayson makes eye contact with me again, and I flinch as his meaning begins to sink in.

  I came back to the US fifty years ago.

  When the hounds surfaced to destroy us, I left my home behind to run. I have traveled throughout the world trying to stay off the hounds’ radar. I passed through the less populated areas of Europe, hid in the desserts of Egypt, and crossed the wide expanse of the oceans to keep my secret of my existence safe. But after years of running, I grew tired of the endless traveling. So I settled in the huge forests of North America, zigzagging my way from Canada, to the Rockies, down to the tip of Mexico, and back up the West Coast. Little did I know, I had an angel watching me. I’m not sure what to think about this.

  “Was your assembly in charge of North America?”

  Kayson nods, then continues. “I watched as you fought the urge to kill and feed off of humans. I watched you as you traveled over North America, trying to stay hidden from not only the hounds but the humans as well. I became intrigued by your behavior and so I started watching other half-blood children as well, to see if you were some kind of anomaly. But they exhibited the same behavior you did.”

  Kayson lowers his head once again, and I can see the defeat that slumps his shoulders. His voice is barely audible when he continues. “As time passed, I began to question what I had been told about the blood children. From what I could tell, your kind could change and did have a sense of right and wrong. So I went to God. When I questioned Him, he looked into my heart and saw that I was being sincere and wasn’t questioning him the way that Falon had. But even though he could see my sincerity, God dismissed my theory, and told me that no blood child could be saved. And somewhere in my heart, I disagreed. I disagreed with God. He could see that I doubted him. That’s when I was cast down. You see, to be an Angel of God, you have to believe. Faith in God’s plan is a prerequisite. Heaven’s beliefs state that blood children and all those created by blood children are corrupt, and bad for the world. I don’t believe that. I believe your souls can be restored.”

  The laugh that escapes my throat feels out of place against Kayson’s serious demeanor and the heavy, tension-filled room. He had sucked me right in with that somber air, until he said that last line. If he believes that the half-bloods’ souls can be restored, he is the only person who does. And look where it has gotten him. The beings of Heaven and Hell all know that the blood children are damned for eternity. That’s why Lucifer created them in the first place. He wanted immortal beings to spread the ill found effects of sin upon the earth. No drop of good value was placed into a blood child. That’s the bitter truth that had been injected into my veins all those years ago.

  “You must have a brain injury too. Blood children cannot be saved, half or not. It’s impossible.”

  And I am one hundred percent sure of that fact until Kayson’s stern face, that holds no hint of doubt, overwhelms me with his certainty. That’s when doubt starts to seep through my mind.

  “I’ll just have to prove you wrong too.”

  Kayson holds no doubt in his mind that halfs can be restored, I can sense that. His utter assurance sends an ounce of hope through my chest where my soul once resided. Still, what he said is misleading.

  “Why did you say you fell because of me? You didn’t fall because of me. You fell because of a belief you hold. I have nothing to do with your beliefs.” I don’t like being blamed for his decent from Heaven. That’s like being called a murderer, and I’ve tried wiping that name from my slate a long time ago.

  “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. You caught my attention and held it. But you’re right. You had nothing to do with my fall. That was all on me.”

  I fall silent when Kayson says I caught his attention and held it. What was that supposed to mean?

  I look at the floor. “Is that why you came here? To find me?”

  “That was my initial plan,” Kayson lowers his voice, “twenty-two years ago. But when angels fall, we go to Broken. It’s a deserted island shielded from human eyes. By the time I found a way off the island, got my bearings in the world, and found my way to North America, seventeen years had passed.”

  “It took you seventeen years to get to North America? Why?” I could understand it taking a few years, but seventeen!

  “I may have once been an angel with high powers, but now I hold nothing but a heartbeat.”

  I feel a twinge of envy. I once had a heartbeat. There was a time when I could still remember what it felt like to have the steady, warming pulse of life beating under my skin. But no matter how hard I try, the memory of that feeling eludes me.

  “I had to obtain money to travel from once place to another, while also making sure to keep evading the hounds. Traveling in an honest manner these days has become very expensive. Once I did reach America, my hope in finding you had dwindled. I figured you had moved on to another location in the world. That’s when I began to look for any half-blood.”

  “What were your plans once you found one?”

  A small chuckle escapes from Kayson. “Honestly, I don’t know. I’ve had twenty-two years to think about that, and I still don’t know.”

  My doubt still lingers, but the possibility is exciting. “Do you have any theories on how to restore a soul?”

  Kayson shakes his head, “At this point, my mission is to prove that a half can show compassion, restraint, and remorse. Maybe then, if God sees that it is so, he will intervene.”

  “Until then?” Kayson’s mission may never pan out. Surely he had other plans to get back into Heaven or to get on with his life as one of the fallen.

  “I will continue my fight with the hounds, on earth just as I did in Heaven, while also keeping my focus on proving everyone wrong.”

  Silence falls over us as the first light of dawn seeps through the small holes in the walls. First things first. Before Kayson can prove everyone wrong—and a small part of me hopes he can—we have to get him somewhere safe.

  “You know that the hounds have found us. I don’t know why they haven’t attacked us yet, but they’re close.” I make the decision not to tell Kayson about the hound that followed me earlier. That would only cause more worry and arguments between us. “I did some scouting tonight, and found a quiet place for you to hide. The only problem is I don’t think you are going to like my plan on getting you there.”

  “What’s your plan?” Kayson looks weary, but resolved to hear me out.

  “We are going to have to use the human girl and her friend.” Kayson tries to interrupt me, but I hold my hand up to stop him.

  “Just listen to me. We have to get you to the cabin safely and in order to do that we need a scent the hounds haven’t tracked. They have yours and mine, and now Falon has Emma’s. My plan is to lead them away in the opposite direction by going north. Emma will then go west in case there are more than two hounds accompanying Falon. He has his Beta with him at least
. Then her human friend can take you to the safe location once we have them on the hunt.”

  As figured, Kayson shakes his head with disagreement. “You are not putting yourself or Emma in danger. There has to be another way.”

  “There is no other way, Kayson, and you know that. My plan is to travel far north before hitting the coast, the hounds will be no problem for me. I’ll inform Emma about the safety of water so she can escape unharmed as well.” I know my plan isn’t going to be accepted without a heated discussion, so I prepare myself for the hours of argument. Little does Kayson know, no matter how much he disagrees, I’m taking him to the safe house whether he likes my plan or not.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Falon

  I fight the urge to rip Evren apart as he comes strolling up the walk. He’s soaking wet from his failed attempt at catching the vampire. When the vampire left the safety of her hiding spot, I ordered Evren to track her, capture her quietly, and bring her back to me. When Emery reported that Evren had in fact lost the vampire, I was more than ready to rid the hounds of such a disgrace. That feeling is growing with every step he takes toward me.

  Evren keeps his head low in submission as he approaches. A smart move on his part. “So you let the vampire outsmart you, I hear. Did I not train you better than this?”

  “Yes, Alpha.” The hound’s voice trembles with fear, unsure of what his fate may hold. Lucky for Evren I need him—for the time being.

  “You do know how much of a disgrace that is, do you not, Evren.” I hold my hands behind my back as I circle around the pathetic little pup practically peeing himself in fear in front of me.

  “Yes, Alpha. I have shamed all who call themselves hounds.”

  Furious, I grab Evren by the throat, lifting him up so he is eye level with me. “Nothing like it, you fool. You’ve only shamed yourself.” I tighten my grip around his throat, cutting off his air. “You will follow my orders next time and bring me the vampire.”