by Jen L. Grey
He then turns and grabs me by the waist. “Don’t make this harder than it needs to be.” He then sweeps my feet out from underneath me and hits me hard on the floor knocking the breath out of me.
Holy shit that hurt. I try to get up, but he kicks me in the waist where I’m already injured causing the bleeding to start all over. I grab my waist and whine. “Fine. I’m not freaking worthy.” I feel like I’m dying. I can’t breathe, and my insides are screaming in pain. “So, what does that mean?” I’m not with Becca and I can’t get back to her right now. So, I’m not sure what the hell I’m supposed to do here and now.
“It means we have a few questions to ask of you now.” Jerab steps forward again and stares into the white eyes of the angel I had just fought. Silence descends until the other angel nods.
“What the hell just happened?” Are they somehow communicating without me knowing?
His starlight eyes turn to me. “We were talking telepathically. That’s how we do it here. I am only talking this way with you.” He motions toward me and the other male angel with the olive skin steps toward me.
The angel grabs me by my arms and begins to pull me in the opposite direction than I want to go.
“Hey, wait.” I yank but his grip is firm. “What are you doing?”
“Stop fighting.” The angel rolls his eyes. “We are taking you in for questioning. You’re going to be here a while.”
No, my parents. I can’t stay here.
I kick my feet out and hit him in the back causing him to stumble forward. He turns around and yanks my arms tighter causing me to get closer to his face.
The blonde girl steps forward and places her arms around my neck, placing me into a deep choke hold. She tightens her grip around my neck until my vision becomes gray.
Not wanting to succumb to the gray around me, I kick and try to wiggle free, but to no avail. No matter how hard I fight, their strength is superior to mine. Right before my vision goes black, Jerab’s face comes into my view.
His brows are furrowed, and he scans my body. “What is so important that you’re willing to get this hurt for?”
I want to spit in his face and tell him where he can go, but my vision just fades to black.
Chapter Fifteen
I wake on the floor of an all white room. It’s strange because I’m not cold. I sit and realize my clothes are clean and my wounds are mended, but my hands are still sticky with blood. What the hell happened and why is a jack hammer attacking my head? Do they even have those here?
The room has no doors so there is no exit. How is that freaking possible? Ugh, I miss Earth more and more. In fact, I need to figure out how to get back there. The only thing in the room besides me is a bowl of water and mirror. Well at least I can clean my hands off.
Crawling, I make my way to the bowl, my side screaming out in pain the entire way. I place my hands in the lukewarm water and rinse the sticky congealed blood away from my hands. The water is thicker than on earth and has a mineral feel to it. Hell, maybe it’s not even water. Who knows what I’m using at this point.
When they are cleanish, I wipe them dry on my pants and look into the mirror. I yelp and stumble back when it’s not my reflection that I see. Holy shit, how am I seeing Becca? Wait… No. This girl doesn’t have a cleft chin.
It’s Beth.
Beth is in a room searching for a way out. She’s yanking at the door handle and then combing through the room trying to pick the lock of the door. Her blonde hair is matted, and her blue eyes are bloodshot.
I don’t understand what’s going on. How is this possible? She’s dead. Is this some kind of cruel joke? “Beth.” Can she hear me? I hit the heel of my fist against the mirror. “Can you hear me?”
She doesn’t even flinch and continues her desperate search. All of a sudden, she stops and sits in the middle of the room and her shoulders begin shaking as sobs wrack her body.
No, this can’t be happening. I’ve got to help her.
Something in the corner of the room flashes and I tear my eyes away for just a moment.
Jerab steps into the room and the open spot behind him flashes closed.
How in the hell did that happen? However, my eyes go back to the mirror.
“I take it you found our present?” He leans against the wall as he glances at the mirror.
Is he being serious right now? “You consider this a present?”
“Yes,” he says, tone is unsure as he looks at the mirror and then me. “Don’t you want to know the truth?”
“What the hell does that mean?” The truth? This can’t be the truth. She’s dead.
“Your friend,” He motion toward the mirror. “She is not where she’s supposed to be.”
Please tell me this is some kind of joke. I reach out and touch the mirror. She’s still sobbing, her whole body quivering. “No, she died.” This can’t be right. “Where is she then?”
“That is an answer even I’m not sure of,” his wings push him off the wall and he nears me, so he can look into the mirror as well. His movements are graceful and free. “All we can do is find her soul’s essence. It’s trapped, but we don’t know where it is. Someone has her and she’s never been released to go to her afterlife. She’s been caged here since her passing.”
Dear God, no. She’s been trapped in that room for over two years in that state? How is that possible? And she has a soul. “That’s not possible.”
“What do you mean?” His eyes are blinding as they settle on me.
“Reapers don’t have souls.” We learn that from day one. That’s why we hold the jobs that we do.
“That’s interesting.” He stretches out his wings. “But obviously she does, or she wouldn’t be in her situation.”
If they are giving me a gift and telling me a reaper has a soul, then they want something from me. What in the world would an angel want from someone like me? “What’s the gift for?”
He raises a hand and snaps his fingers. A white cushioned chair appears in the middle of the room. “Please sit so we both can feel comfortable with each other’s intentions.”
I try, but I can’t hold back my snort. First off, I will not ever get comfortable with their intentions. They are different; arrogant and not very personable. I’m sure it’s because they aren’t used to dealing with people like me, but I still can’t get a good read on them. At least on Earth I can get an idea if someone is up to no good or not.
“Are you okay?” He glances at my head. “Did you hit your head? I hear sometimes that can cause issues with the head.”
A hard laugh escapes me as I sit down in the chair. He thinks I find this funny. I’m not even going to try to explain I don’t. The chair is super comfortable, almost as if it’s made of clouds. I sink right in. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Well then,” His eyes crinkle on the sides as he examines my head. “Let’s get to it then.”
This ought to be fun. I’m in the hot seat, so I slouch back and cross my arms. My eyes trace back to the mirror.
“Why are you here?” He reaches out and touches the mirror causing it to disappear.
“Hey,” I lean forward. He took Beth away from me.
“Answer the question.” He arches an eyebrow. “She was serving as a distraction and now that you know, there is no point to it staying here.”
Shit. Fine. I have to play nice if I want to save my parents and figure out a way to fix whatever happened to her. “You know why I’m here.” I don’t want to freaking play these games. “I’m here for the Angel’s Breath.”
“But why?” His tone turns tense and his shoulders tighten.
They are already suspicious of me so might as well let it all out. “I was assigned this job.”
His face pinches. “What kind of job do you have? How did you know where to find us?”
Aren’t they all knowing? I bit my tongue hoping it will hold back my snarky comments. “I’m able to lock in items, people, things, in my head and find them. So, I was hired
on as a seeker as such.”
“So, you just find rare things for people without any thought of the consequence?” His nose wrinkles as if he smells something bad.
In all fairness, it sounds bad when worded that way. “No, I hate the people I’m doing this for.” They don’t need this artifact. They don’t need any of them. “But they always find a way to make me, so here I am.”
“What does that mean?” He takes a step toward me. “How are they making you?”
“If I don’t bring the Angel’s Breath back,” I cringe, and a shiver runs through me, “they are going to kill my parents.”
His face smooths out to a mask of indifference. “Please come with me.” He walks back over to the wall where he had entered and when he gets close the area blinks and a door appears.
Not wanting to be left behind, I jump out of the seat and follow right on his heels. He walks out the door and I have to jog just to keep up. It’s like the slightest movements aren’t anything to them. It’s like it’s not even a thought for them.
After turning down a few hallways, we walk back into the room that is similar to where I left Becca. The ceiling is high, almost as if it’s nonexistent and there is the high pedestal with steps leading up just like I had pictured in my mind over and over again. He glances at me before his wings stretch out and he flies up.
Well that’s nice of him. I watch him, and he stops right at the top where the vial should be and looks down at me. “Are you coming?”
It would have been nice if he could have given me a lift. I head over to the steps that seem to hover in the air somehow and begin my ascent. I try to hurry, but at the same time keep my balance. I doubt he’d swoop down and catch me if I fell. When I make it to the top, a soft blue glow comes from the dome-like structure. It’s the faint blue of light when the sun is rising which lasts for just those few seconds on Earth each day.
The closer I get to the top, the more mesmerizing it is. When I take the last step, the vial comes into view. The Angel’s Breath inside it lights up the blue container causing the blue to shine everywhere. I reach out to touch it, but Jerab grabs my hand.
“Do you understand what this is?” His hand remains on mine and it’s full of warmth.
This is the closest I’ve ever been to an angel and the smell of honey hits me hard. I’m not sure what he’s asking me. The question seems like it’s meant to be asking something more. “This is the vial of Angel’s Breath.” My eyes go back to it and stare at the vial. I’m not sure which one is more beautiful. The Earth Crystal or this. “I’ve seen it for weeks now. Every time I close my eyes.”
“No.” He releases my hand and motions to the vial. “Do you know the power this holds?”
“I’m assuming it’s something important.” Why else would I be up here to get it if it weren’t?
“This is why I have such a problem with those on Earth.” He holds his arms out wide. “You have one of the nicest planets available and you take everything for granted. You come up here to get something you know is important, but you fail to understand why.” He shakes his head.
“What would you do? If your parents’ lives were at stake?” He would have to do the same thing.
He laughs. “We have no parents here. We are created from the sun and stars. We are celestial beings.” He lifts his chin and looks down his nose at me. “We don’t have those flaws like you do.”
Wow, he’s charming. “And you have great people skills.”
“I’m not here to impress you.” His nose wrinkles again and his forehead creases. “You need to understand that whoever holds this Angel’s Breath or any of the other artifacts has control of the elements they are tied to.”
“What?” Elements? They are just artifacts. “I think we are talking about different things. I’m going after artifacts. Not elements.”
“This is what I mean.” He shakes his head and sighs. “You have not done any research and you are going after these items. They are both artifacts and elemental items. Didn’t you know that the Earth Crystal controls the earth elements of all the dimensions?”
“Yeah, I did know that.” Shit, if what he’s saying is true. Does this one control air? That’s the only thing that would make sense.
He nods, and a small grin appears. “Finally, you’re catching on.” He points to the vial. “This controls the wind. Whoever has this artifact can command the wind patterns, cause a tornado, or blow something down.”
Shit. So, if they have earth and wind, that is a lot of power the council can have. “Is there more than these two out there?”
“Now you’re asking the right questions.” He pushes away and floats in the air, using his wings to steady him. They are silent and beautiful. “Yes, there are four in total. The two remaining ones are Hell’s Flame and Triton’s Curse. They, of course, control fire and water. The person who has all the elements can control all the dimensions at one time. They can rule over them all if desired, so this isn’t just some small game.”
Okay, he’s pissing me off now. “Who said I’m treating it like a game?”
He arches an eyebrow. “Why are you wanting the Angel’s Breath again?”
And here I thought they were smart. “Because they are going to kill my parents if I don’t bring it back.”
“But when you bring this back to them,” he flies closer to me and flies around to my other side, “they will make you go for the next until you have all four in your possession. What then?”
This is the test the guardian was telling me before he turned his back to me and shut me out. Jerab is wanting to know what I’ll do with all four artifacts if I’m able to retrieve them all. “I have no interest in ruling over all. If I was allowed to, I would want to use them for the greater good.” I let out a deep breath and stare at the beautiful hue of the vial. “I’ve had a rough life, and no one deserves to live under the thumb of anyone.”
“But what do you think will happen if you were to hand over these artifacts to the council to save your parents?” His gaze lands on the vial and his wings flap.
We both know what will happen he just wants me to say it. “They will want to rule, but I’m trying to come up with a plan that will prevent that from happening.”
“They know your weakness.” He reaches out and touches the vial. It glows against his pale hand. “You won’t be able to beat them.”
My heart drops. He can’t be right, can he? “I’ll have to find a way. There has to be one.”
“All I’m saying is if you give the council these artifacts there are a whole lot more lives at stake than two people.” His eyes sparkle and he drops the Angel’s Breath back down in the container. “Are two people’s lives worth millions?”
It feels like a train just hit me. I want to say something back, but I have nothing to say.
Something like sympathy passes through his eyes and he flies over lifting me in his arms. He heads back in the direction we just came from in complete silence. He drops me off in my cell, but I’m so numb I don’t even notice. Am I willing to sacrifice my parents in order to save the world?
Chapter Sixteen
I’m not sure how long I’m in here, but it doesn’t matter. I have a huge decision to make and no matter which way I go, I have doubts.
At the end of the day, I have to decide: Do I want to save my parents, or do I protect the world from the council getting control of the artifacts? Either answer doesn’t feel right.
For the first time ever, my parents and I have a good relationship. It’s taken almost twenty years and a lot of bad situations, but it’s happened. And now, when it’s here, I have to make this decision. It’s like fate has had something against me from day one.
But can I choose to put the whole universe at risk, just to save two people who I happen to love? That brings selfish to a whole other level, and who’s to say at the end of the day they won’t do something to my parents anyway. It’s not like they can be trusted.
So, there is my answer. I ca
n’t take the Angel’s Breath, no matter the consequences. My heart feels like it breaks in two at the thought of what I’m going to have to do. It doesn’t matter though. Whether I like it or not, the freaking angel was right. I’ll just have to tell the council the Angel’s Breath was guarded, and I couldn’t get to it. I mean I’ve got wounds to prove I fought against angels. It’s not like they won’t believe me. Maybe it’ll be enough to save my parents. Now I just need to figure out how to get out of this place.
Maybe all I have to do is walk up to the wall like Jerab did. Since there isn’t anyone around, I let myself limp. My side is still killing me from the fight earlier, but I don’t want any of them to know it. I make it to the wall and nothing happens. Dammit. I reach out and touch it, hoping maybe my hand will just pass through, but it touches a cool, smooth wall. How the hell am I supposed to get out of here? I turn around the room looking for something to use to get out. I have to be missing something.
Behind me something begins to buzz so I spin around and find the flickering I’ve become so familiar with. Someone is freaking coming. I take a few steps back just as the door clicks into place. Much to my surprise, a blonde head I would know from anywhere walks into the room. “Becca, is that really you?”
She rolls her eyes and glances behind her. “Yes, it’s me.”
“How’d you find me?” The last time I saw her she was back at the beginning and in the place where there weren’t any angels. How’d she get here?
“I got tired of waiting on you,” she walks deeper into the room. “What are you doing here? Did you get the Angel’s Breath?”
“No.” I shake my head. Does she think I’d be in here if I did? “I tried. I went off looking for it.” She knows why I left. “I somehow got transported to a place that looked the exact same … this place… and found it.”
Her hazel eyes widen. “You got it?”
“Does it look like I did?” I wave my arm around the room. “I wouldn’t be in here if I had.”
