“Are you trying to tell me …” The words lodged in his throat. There was no way this could be true. “What are you trying to tell me?”
Wariness flashed in her eyes. He had the oddest conviction that his reaction wasn’t what she’d been expecting. So what the hell had she expected?
“My parents are from different dimensions.” The words were reluctant, as though she’d never spoken them before. Of course she hasn’t. It wasn’t the kind of thing anyone would share. “They met in their dreams when they were still children and kind of grew up together. Later, they communicated on the astral planes. And then … they fell in love.”
He guessed that theoretically it was possible to dream of those who existed in another dimension. Why not? And she had just revealed the astral planes weren’t confined to one dimension or another. Which meant they were potentially accessible to all sentient beings.
Except for the Guardians.
Somehow, Aurora’s parents had succeeded in a trans-dimensional physical union.
And then the truth slammed through him.
Aurora is the result of a trans-dimensional union.
Awe shivered through his soul. It had been so long since anything had so fundamentally shaken the core of his existence that he had no idea what to even say to her.
There was nothing that marked her as such an extraordinary being. Her damp hair curled around her face, the freckles that dusted her nose and cheeks were still ridiculously appealing, and her eyes were the prettiest blue he had ever seen.
“What happened?” His voice was hushed. Her parents had flouted the most elemental laws of the universe—and had lived, undetected by the Guardians.
But the Guardians were of this dimension. Aurora’s mother came from another. Was that how she had avoided detection?
“When they were teenagers, they found they could communicate without needing the dreamworld or the astral planes. They were telepathically linked. But the thing is, that’s the sum total of my dad’s psychic ability. He can’t even link to me.”
Another eerie shiver scuttled over his flesh. It took this to another level entirely when her parents had been still able to connect outside of the spiritual realms.
At least he now knew the reason for Aurora’s extraordinary mental barriers. She had inherited them from a species of human he’d had no idea even existed.
“One day when they were sharing thoughts she simply walked from her world into my dad’s arms. The same place we met the other day.”
“How did she evade the Guardians?”
“She never mentioned them. She just took one step. That’s all. And then the gateway or whatever it was that had opened for her closed. Permanently. But because of my heritage I was sure I could access my mum’s dimension. And … I was right.”
“There has to be more to it than that. Something must have triggered a split between this world and your mother’s.”
She hesitated, and he took her hand. Just as Mephisto had asserted, Aurora had been fully aware of what she was doing. And now he knew her reasons, he couldn’t even blame her.
The damage had been done, and even if he understood why she had done it, it didn’t change the outcome. Nothing could change that, but in his eyes, at least, she didn’t deserve to be condemned to a lifetime of confinement for simply trying to discover her maternal origins.
Her smile was infinitely sad, and something deep in his chest ached in response.
“Somehow when they were psychically connected to each other, they also simultaneously opened a physical breach between their worlds. If I could do that, using the flower as my anchor, then theoretically there was nothing to stop me from walking into her world.”
Chapter 18
Gabe
Before meeting Aurora, Gabe would never have considered such a theory had a hope of success. Even discounting the inherent danger of the Guardians, the likelihood of a mortal managing to breach dimensions was mind-boggling.
And that didn’t even touch on the tricky question of finding the right parallel dimension in the first place.
Then again, nothing about her actions had been random. She knew exactly where she was going.
To the world where half of her DNA originated.
“You had it all worked out.” He couldn’t prevent the thread of admiration in his tone. It wasn’t her fault she’d been ignorant of the ancient protocols.
“I thought so. It’s a shame I didn’t have a Plan B for when an avenging archangel swept me off my feet, though.”
He still had no idea how that had happened. But one thing was for sure. “Lucky I did.”
“Gabe.” There was a cautious note in her voice he didn’t like. She must know by now she could say anything to him, without judgment. “Please tell me you’ve come across this before. I can’t be the only one whose parents are from different dimensions.”
Ah, gods. He wanted to reassure her. Tell her of course she wasn’t the only one. To ease the fear he could so easily guess was churning through her psyche.
The words hovered in his mind, loathed, yet so apt.
The fear that she was an anomaly of creation.
Yet he couldn’t lie to her, because it wouldn’t change the truth, and she deserved nothing less. But as he gazed into her eyes, a truly outrageous notion rocked his existence.
Just because he had never known this to happen before didn’t mean it hadn’t.
It wasn’t possible. Something of that magnitude would be common knowledge among the elite immortals. Even if it was never spoken of. And whether the Alphas liked it or not, archangels were numbered among the elite.
But no one had known of Aurora.
“You’re the first I’ve encountered.” His voice was low. She flinched, as though he’d inflicted a blow, and he sucked in a deep breath. “But that doesn’t necessarily mean that you are the only one.”
“But you wouldn’t bet on it?” She sighed and squeezed his fingers. “Thanks, anyway. Nothing like having it confirmed from the highest power that you’re a total freak of nature.”
“Highest power?” he mocked, but her smile was half-hearted. It was obvious he’d just crushed one of her most secretly held hopes. “Hey, cheer up. You’re in great company. I’ve been called that and far worse in my time.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
“I know, right?” He smirked and flexed his muscles and was rewarded when she laughed. He didn’t usually find anything amusing when he recalled the origins of his creation and the bitter fallout that followed. “I’m beyond perfection.”
“And so modest, too.”
He wound chestnut strands of her damp hair around his finger and gently tugged. He was so tempted to stay with her, but he needed to work. “Let me show you how to access the intergalactic web before I leave.”
“You’re going out?”
“Yeah.” There was no point telling her where he was going. He doubted she’d even heard of the Fornax Galaxy.
From the corner of his eye, through his open balcony doors, he caught a distant flash of wings approaching his villa from the forest. Looked like Azrael, one of the few who could penetrate the island’s defenses.
Shit. He didn’t want Az meeting Aurora and asking questions. Within a blink, he teleported them to the kitchen, and while Aurora gripped the edge of the table, he logged on. She’d soon figure out how to navigate the interstellar net.
Hey, Gabe. Azrael’s voice filled his head. You home?
Be right there.
“Catch you later,” he said to Aurora. “I’ll bring food back for us.” He leaned forward to kiss her and then froze.
Just leave. He took a step back, unnerved. He wasn’t into that kind of intimacy. Just because he wanted Aurora, didn’t change that fact.
“Okay, then.” She nodded and gingerly sat down, without even a glance in his direction.
If he didn’t leave right now, Az was going to stroll in the door. He gave an unintelligible grunt, unsure why h
e was making such a big deal of it all, and teleported onto the front terrace.
Azrael’s iridescent feathers shimmered in the sunlight as he landed next to Gabe. Folding his wings, he rolled his shoulders before casting a curious glance at the villa, as though he sensed Aurora’s presence.
Either that, or Mephisto had spoken to him, and Az had come to have a look at her for himself.
Gabe folded his arms. Not fucking happening.
“Something’s screwing with the astral planes,” Az said.
It was so not what he’d expected the other archangel to say, the word blurted from him. “What?”
Unlike most of the archangels who had given up visiting the astral planes after they’d annihilated the celestial city of their creation, Az had become obsessed with that realm and maintaining its harmonious balance.
Discounting when he had followed Aurora there yesterday, he’d only been in that realm once since the fall of their city. And he hadn’t gone willingly.
Once again, Az glanced at the villa. If he was wanting an invitation to go inside, he was going to have a very long wait.
“I’ve never encountered anything like it before,” Az said. “It’s pure chaos.”
And Gabe had a good idea who had caused that chaos. He gave Az a death stare. No way would he admit to her guilt. Not to Az. Not to anyone.
“The levels are collapsing,” Az continued, obviously not concerned by Gabe’s lack of response, or his deadly glare. “It’s like a physical entity was let loose and smashed its way through.”
He couldn’t stay silent any longer. “Except you can’t physically enter that realm.”
The astral planes, the ultimate haven of healing and renewal, would recover. But if Az or any immortal guessed Aurora might have something to do with the chaos, she would be held accountable.
They’d have to get through him, first.
“Guess who was there, attempting a cover up?” Az said, ignoring Gabe’s last comment. “Mephisto.”
What the hell was Mephisto doing there? “It could be a natural phenomenon. Mephisto likes to know what’s going on.”
Except Meph knew what Aurora had done. And if he’d discovered it was her actions that had caused the collapse, why would he try to cover it up?
Azrael’s fingers curled around the hilt of his katana. “If that was a natural phenomenon, then the universe is fucked. It was an outside force. Meph knows more than he’s telling me.”
That was no revelation. Mephisto always knew more than he shared.
Az shot Gabe an assessing glance. “You don’t know anything about it?”
His senses went on red alert. Az didn’t need Mephisto to tell him anything. He’d found incriminating evidence against Aurora himself.
That didn’t mean Gabe was going to admit to anything, and this island wasn’t under any official jurisdiction. Aurora was safe from everything, so long as she remained here.
“Why would I know anything about it? The astral planes aren’t my favorite place in the universe.”
“That’s why I couldn’t understand it. There’s a lingering echo of your presence scattered throughout the levels. But it’s distorted almost beyond recognition.”
“I visited the realm briefly yesterday.” No need to go into details.
“No,” Az said. “That wasn’t it.” Before Gabe could even wrap his brain around that bizarre comment, Az added, “Are the rumors true? You saved a human from the Guardians?”
Obviously, the events from Eblis’ club had leaked. Hardly a surprise, considering how many witnesses there had been. He guessed his cover in that sector as a megalomaniac half-blood demon had been blown.
“I wasn’t going to let those little fuckers take her.”
“And you brought her here.” That wasn’t even a question. Az knew too much of Gabe’s past. Knew that in all the universe, this island was the only place the Guardians could never access. “Any chance of meeting this irresistible female?”
“No.”
Az was silent for a heartbeat. “Be careful, Gabe. The Guardians never forget.”
With that stark reminder, Az teleported. Gabe glowered at the lush forest, torn between contacting Mephisto and risking raising suspicions Meph hadn’t yet considered, or staying silent. But he needed answers.
Mephisto.
What? Meph sounded distracted, which wasn’t like him at all.
Have you met Aurora’s mother?
A sense of irritated disgust permeated Gabe’s mind as Mephisto answered. Why the fuck would I have done that?
That confirmed it. She hadn’t been referring to Mephisto. Based on what Aurora had told him, it was possible her mother hadn’t meant anything by her comment.
Except he wasn’t convinced.
What did you discover on the astral planes?
There was a long silence. So profound, an uneasy thought surfaced. Had Meph severed their connection without him realizing it?
Don’t worry. Sarcasm reeked from each word. I’ve cleaned up your crap. No one will trace anything back to you.
With that, he cut their communication, and Gabe frowned.
He was more than willing to shoulder the blame if it saved Aurora’s head. But why, when they both knew the truth, had Meph made it sound as if the collapse on the astral planes was down to him?
Something was going on and he had no idea what the hell it was.
* * *
Aurora
When Gabe teleported from the kitchen, Aurora let out a soft groan. She’d hoped that by sharing her secret with him he could give her some answers, or at least reassure her that she wasn’t the only one with such a mixed heritage. Instead, he’d confirmed she was even more of a freak than she’d ever feared. Although it had been sweet of him to try and make her feel better by telling her he’d been called worse. Not that she believed him. Besides, she had more important things to worry about.
He spoke to Mum. She couldn’t wrap her head around it. And she’d been so shocked, she hadn’t even asked him what her mum had said to him.
She leaned back in the chair. Possible answers to the mysteries of the universe were literally at her fingertips, but Gabe’s evocative scent enveloped her in soft cotton and wicked thoughts. Absently, she stroked his shirt sleeve, and her fingers tingled at the contact.
This was insane. She couldn’t concentrate while she still wore his shirt. And there was no need to. All her clothes were upstairs. It wouldn’t take five minutes to change, and then she could start work.
In his bedroom, she picked out a T-shirt and pair of shorts and quickly pulled them on. She had no idea where she going to put all the stuff he’d taken from her wardrobe. But they couldn’t stay on the bed.
She scooped up the clothes and glanced around the room. Near the doors that lead onto his balcony was a grand-looking sofa. It wasn’t the perfect solution, but draping her clothes over the back of that was preferable to finding room in his wardrobe. Not that she thought he’d mind, but sharing his dressing space seemed a bit too personal. In any case, this was only a temporary arrangement.
It didn’t take long to cover his sofa, and she had to admit, the aesthetics weren’t great. With a sigh, she hauled her case over, but it was too big to slide underneath, so she set it to one side.
And a glint of gold on the polished stone floor caught her eye.
She gasped and picked up the delicate chain as relief streaked through her. It was her butterfly necklace. Mephisto hadn’t destroyed it after all.
Sunlight streamed in through the open doors, and the tiny rainbows and flecks of gold shimmered and glittered like a minuscule fantasy world.
Why had this image haunted her for so many years? She’d never really questioned it before. It was just something she had always dreamed of and had wanted to craft into a piece of unique jewelry.
Her priority was to discover all she could about the Guardians and find a way home that wouldn’t put herself, or her parents, in danger.
But
first she was going to search for information on archangelic artifacts. Because it didn’t matter how insane the idea was, she couldn’t shift the conviction that the answers to her current problems were hidden in the origin of the necklace.
Night had fallen, thick and black, outside the villa, when she finally admitted defeat in her search for archangelic answers.
Talk about contradictory. Aliens apparently were just as invested as humans when it came to relying on gossip and speculation. Every civilization—and she’d found a mind-blowing number of different civilizations—had their own theories.
She wasn’t sure if it was comforting or not to discover that archangels, in some form or another, were known throughout the universe.
If any genuine information was out there, the ancient truth of the archangels had been buried long ago in the hazy stream of time.
She’d even tried searching specifically for information on the Archangel Gabriel but turned up the same ambiguous results. It didn’t come close to describing the man she knew.
Hopeless. She propped her elbows on the kitchen table and cradled her head. Maybe her searches needed refining, but so far nothing had come close to showing her a replica of her necklace.
And nothing ever would, because no one, apart from the archangels themselves, knew anything about those precious gifts.
What? Where had that thought come from?
She curled her fingers around the butterfly wings, but the certainty persisted.
The archangels crafted the necklace as a token of their devotion for their beloved. And the tradition had evolved, and perished, in antiquity.
Shivers scudded over her arms. Was someone—something—invading her mind?
She disconnected from the net, but the conviction that she was right about the necklace refused to leave her.
And that belief hadn’t come from an outside force. It was as much a part of her as her unique DNA.
She shook her head.
Focus.
The truth was, discovering hidden secrets of the archangels wasn’t going to set her free. It was the Guardians’ secrets she needed to unearth.
Redemption: A Realm of Flame and Shadow Novel Page 14
