More Than This

by Alexa Land

  At first, I could see by the headlights, but soon darkness surrounded me. I considered conjuring a ball of energy to light my way, but I had a feeling it would be like poking a hole in a balloon—the moment I started to vent, it was all going to come flooding out of me.

  I stumbled in the dark for another minute, until I couldn’t take it anymore. I dropped to my knees and tried to push my hands into the soil, but it was too hard and dry. Instead, I flung them out to the sides and just let go. Long, blue tendrils of electricity radiated from each hand and snaked across the ground, igniting everything in their path.

  A second wave of energy left my body. This one looked and felt like being at ground zero during a massive explosion—I could actually see the shockwave radiating out in every direction. Nearby boulders shattered as the ground beneath me gave way, and I fell five or six feet.

  As the pain increased, I pushed myself up onto my hands and knees and just tried to concentrate on breathing. It felt like I was burning from the inside out, and the pressure was stronger than ever. All I could hear was a deafening roar, and tears spilled down my cheeks as the power flowed from my hands in wave after wave. It began to gather and swirl around me like a tornado made of lightning, picking up rocks and dirt and anything else it could grab as it gained speed and intensity.

  Oh God, it hurt. My entire body glowed with that same blue light as the energy started to force its way out through my skin.

  I wasn’t going to survive this.

  I threw my head back and struggled to breathe through the pain. It was like being in the eye of a storm. While chaos raged all around me, directly overhead I could see the clear night sky. I focused on the stars, and my last thoughts were of Ari as I waited to die.

  Suddenly, some kind of huge, winged creature filled that open patch of sky. I squinted against the brightness of the energy swirling around me and thought it was a hallucination. But when it began to descend straight down into the calm eye of the storm, I realized it was an angel. So that was how death claimed us. I bowed my head and accepted my fate.

  Strong arms encircled me. I rested my head against his bare chest as he wrapped his wings around both of us, almost like a cocoon. It felt safe, reassuring. I closed my eyes and just concentrated on breathing.

  After a few moments, I realized he was doing something to the energy hemorrhaging from me. Absorbing it? Neutralizing it? I couldn’t be sure. All I knew was that the pain began to lessen, and the roaring in my ears diminished.

  I took a shaky breath. When I opened my eyes, I was looking down at the angel’s bent leg. He was wearing plaid flannel pajama pants, in shades of light blue.

  I tilted my head back to look into the face of my savior and whispered, “Ari.”

  “You’re going to be okay, Griffin. I’ve got you.”

  “I don’t understand what’s happening.”

  “I know. Give me just a minute. I’ve almost got this under control.” Concentration creased his brow, and his slender body shook from the effort of whatever he was doing to save me.

  Abruptly, the tornado of lightning vanished, and everything it had been carrying fell to the ground. The sudden change in pressure made my ears pop.

  We both dropped back into a seated position. While we tried to catch our breath, his huge, white wings folded behind him, then disappeared.

  I said, “Please explain what just happened.” None of this could be real. It just couldn’t.

  “I will, but first we need to get out of here.” He struggled to stand, clearly weakened by whatever he’d just done.

  My legs were shaking, but I managed to get to my feet and help him up. Then I gave him a boost so he could climb out of the newly-formed crater we were in. I scrambled out too and picked him up in a piggy back position, both because he was barefoot and exhausted.

  As I made my way over the rough, charred ground, headed toward distant headlights, I said, “You somehow failed to mention you’re…what exactly, an angel?” I could barely process it, though maybe that bombshell was somewhat tempered by the fact that I’d almost died just minutes earlier. There wasn’t much shock left in me after something like that.

  “I was, once,” he said. “You never mentioned you were a warlock either, you know.”

  “But you already knew, didn’t you? That’s why nothing ever phased you, like burning couches or the fact that Fig clearly isn’t a dog.”

  “Yeah. I knew.”

  “Since when?”

  “Since the day you were born.”

  That answer hung in the air for a while. Finally, I said, “I need to know what’s going on here.”

  “It’s a long story.”

  When we reached the car, I helped him into the passenger seat and said, “I want to hear all of it. Start at the beginning.”

  “Okay. Just get us out of here.”

  The engine was still running, so as soon as I got behind the wheel, I swung the car around and started back down the dirt road. Ari pivoted in his seat and raised a hand, and I asked, “What are you doing?”

  “Wiping away your tire tracks. It’s important that no one traces you to that scene back there. If I wasn’t so drained, I’d obliterate the whole thing, but I just can’t manage it.” When I glanced in the rearview mirror, it looked like a small cyclone was chasing us.

  He kept doing that until we got to the asphalt road, and then he slumped in his seat and exhaled slowly. After a few moments, he said, “I always knew what you were because I was friends with your mother, Lourdes. I got worried and thought you might need help as your twenty-fifth birthday approached, so I put myself in your path. That way, I could keep an eye on you and make sure you were okay. It really seemed like you had the situation under control, but I didn’t mean to fall asleep tonight. When Fig woke me and told me what was happening, I realized I’d totally messed up. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you as midnight approached.”

  That was a hell of a lot to absorb, from knowing my mom to talking to my dog. Instead of asking about those things, I went with an easier question. “Why didn’t you tell me what you were?”

  “Because revealing my true nature to anyone is strictly forbidden. Tonight, it couldn’t be helped, because I had to save you.”

  “So, my mom didn’t know what you were?”

  “She knew, but I never had to tell her. Lourdes was a powerful witch and could see the magic that surrounded me.”

  I asked, “What’s going to happen, now that I know your secret?”

  “They’re going to be coming for me now, but don’t worry. I’m going to make sure I’m far away from you when they catch up to me. Also, I’m going someplace with over a million people, which should buy me some time.”

  “Who’s coming after you?”

  He said, “That’s not important. Before I go, I want you to know these past few weeks meant everything to me, Griffin. I always wondered what love felt like, and now I know.”

  I stopped the car in the middle of the empty road and turned to him as I exclaimed, “I don’t understand what’s happening, but you can’t leave!”

  “I have to, because they won’t hesitate to kill you too, once they find me. There’s an important decision to make before I go, though. After your parents were murdered, I decided the best way to keep you safe was to hide your powers, so you could blend in with the human population. I cast an incredibly strong spell and used up a lot of my magic in the process, but it obviously wasn’t enough to control your energy. Has it been building up since you were a boy?”

  I nodded. “Since I was ten.”

  “I’m really sorry I didn’t do a better job with that spell. It should have been more than enough to keep everything in check, but you’re much more powerful than I ever anticipated.” He touched my cheek and looked sympathetic when he said, “It must have been so confusing for you and Rosalind when it started to build up.”

  “Did you know my aunt?”

  “I knew of her from your mom, but I only met her briefly.�
��

  On a hunch, I said, “The night you brought me to her when I was a toddler?” He nodded, and I whispered, “You saved me from the fire.” Even though that realization was shocking, it also felt like a puzzle piece falling into place. No wonder it seemed like I’d known him forever.

  “I’m so sorry I couldn’t save your parents, too. That fire became a raging inferno in a matter of seconds, and I had to make a choice. Your mom and dad adored you, and they would have wanted me to save you instead of them.”

  That made my heart ache. I asked, “Who killed them?”

  “A hunter who figured out their magic wasn’t an act. He ended up dying in the fire. There are others like him, though. Your parents didn’t believe there were still people out there who hunted supernaturals, and they were far too cavalier with their magic, no matter how much I tried to warn them. It ended up costing them their lives, so please don’t make the same mistake. Stay hidden, no matter what.”

  I muttered, “This is all so confusing.”

  “I know. I’d explain more, but I just don’t have time. The enforcers are probably already on their way, and I have an important question for you. Do you want me to lift the spell so you have your powers back, or should I suppress your magic once and for all, so you can be like everyone else?”

  I answered without hesitation. “I want my powers.”

  “Okay.” He murmured something in a language I didn’t understand. Immediately, I felt a rush of energy, and he exhaled slowly. He was trembling as he hugged me and said, “Please leave the desert as fast as you can. Don’t take more than a few minutes to pack when you get back to the rental house.”

  “Don’t go, Ari.”

  “I have to. I won’t let you die because of me.” He kissed me before saying, “I’ll always love you, Griffin. Please say goodbye to Mateo for me.”

  I had a million questions, but somehow the one that slipped out first was, “Who’s Mateo?”

  He stood up on the seat, and I stared in amazement as his huge, white wings unfurled from out of nowhere. With one powerful motion that blew my hair back, they propelled him into the air as I cried out, “Wait!”

  But he was already gone.

  Chapter Nine

  When I burst through the door of the rental house a few minutes later, Fig yipped excitedly and ran over to me. “We have to go,” I said, as I grabbed my leather motorcycle jacket and put it on. “I’ll explain in the car.” He turned and ran outside, then scrambled into the convertible through the open driver’s side door and waited for me.

  I spotted Ari’s phone on the coffee table and tapped it quickly to see if I was still shorting things out. It didn’t react, so I stuck it in my pocket. Then I grabbed the things that were important to us, including Ari’s sketchbooks, the canvases he’d been working on, and the ukuleles. There were a few of his tote bags by the side door, so I grabbed those, too. I decided the rest of the stuff really didn’t matter, so I ran out of the house, kicked the door shut behind me, and threw what I was carrying into the backseat.

  As I got behind the wheel, I asked Fig, “Did I forget anything important?” He shook his head, and I said, “I’m glad you’re dropping the pretense of being a dog. We’ve known each other way too long for that bullshit.”

  I sped back down the hill and turned onto the road leading to the highway. Along the way, I explained what had happened, and then I said, “I suppose you always knew Ari was an angel, since he rescued you too, the night of the fire. Would it have killed you to give me some sort of heads up?” He just shrugged.

  Eventually, we merged onto the I-10 West, and I told him, “Apparently, I have my powers back. I need to figure out how to use them, and fast, so we can save Ari from whatever’s coming after him. I assume he returned to L.A., but he left his phone behind, so I can’t call and let him know we’re on our way.” I glanced at Fig, and then I glanced at him again. “I’m supposed to be able to see magic. I know you’re bespelled, so something should happen when I look at you. But all I see is an English bulldog.” He just sighed, and I muttered, “It’s frustrating for me too, you know.”

  Maybe half an hour later, Fig stood up on the passenger seat and growled as the hair on his back bristled. I followed his gaze, and when something odd caught my eye, I murmured, “What am I looking at?”

  I pulled to the side of the road and cut the lights before getting out of the car. The desert was pitch dark and the night was perfectly clear, so a million stars were visible overhead. But then, a part of the sky went totally black as goosebumps rose on my arms. Some sort of dark shape passed quickly and silently, high overhead, and a moment later, the stars reappeared.

  When two more dark spots drifted over us, I whispered, “We’re going the wrong way.” I got back in the car and did a wild and totally illegal U-turn in the middle of the interstate. The big Cadillac bounced and lunged as we drove down into a weedy ditch, then out the other side.

  “New plan,” I said, as we returned to the pavement and I floored it. “We need to follow whatever the hell those things are, because I’ll bet you anything they’re going after Ari. Try to keep an eye on them as long as you can while I make a phone call. Now that I’ve caught a glimpse of what we’re up against, it’s pretty obvious that we’re going to need all the help we can get.”

  I pulled Ari’s phone from my pocket and punched in the code I’d seen him enter many times. Then I dialed August’s number. The vampire answered on the second ring, and I said, “Hey. So, good news, I’m not dead. Also, I may have powers now.”

  “That’s great, Griffin. Where are you?”

  “I’m eastbound on the I-10, and I’m pretty sure I’m chasing a trio of death eaters that are going after my boyfriend. Fun fact: I was dating an angel all this time and didn’t know it until today.”

  I sandwiched the phone between my shoulder and cheek as I passed a semitruck, then realized my lights were still off. I turned them on as I continued, “So, I fully intend to make good on my promise to save your husband, but I need your help first.” I glanced at a sign on the side of the road listing distances for the cities up ahead and asked, “How long would it take you to get to Phoenix?”

  “Arizona?”

  “No, Joaquin.” I rolled my eyes.

  “It’ll probably take forty minutes to get to my private jet this time of night. After that, I’d imagine it’s about an hour’s flight, give or take.”

  “Okay, could you do that? Like, right now? Also, please bring along anyone in your family who has some magical ability. I don’t actually know how to use my powers yet, and we’re going to need back-up.”

  “Sure, but…death eaters?”

  “I know you’ve seen Harry Potter, so you get the idea.” I tried to describe what I saw, and then I said, “Apparently Ari broke some kind of rule when he revealed what he was tonight, and he said they were sending enforcers after him.”

  “I’ve heard rumors through the centuries about the entities meant to keep fallen angels in line. People call them wraiths, though that’s a pretty general term. Angels are stunningly powerful, so obviously anything capable of taking them down would have to be off the charts. That’s what the wraiths are known for, their almost unfathomable power, and their singlemindedness when they’re on the hunt. Once they’re on an angel’s trail, nothing can stop them. You’d have to be a fool to even try.”

  I asked, “Does that mean you won’t help me?”

  “Oh no, I’m definitely helping you. I wouldn’t miss this for the world.” He banged on a door and yelled, “Oi, Laurie, put some pants on! We’re going wraith hunting!”

  I grinned and said, “Thank you, August.”

  “No worries, mate. So tell me, why do you think they’re headed to Phoenix?”

  “Ari mentioned he was going someplace with over a million people to slow them down, and that’s the first big city in this direction. Once we get there, can we use magic to find him?”

  “Yes, a locater spell shouldn’t be
a problem, and hiding in a big city was a smart choice.”

  “How will it slow down the wraiths?”

  “All living things put out an energy signature, so they’ll have a lot of interference to sort through. It’ll be like looking for an angel in a haystack, if you will. Sounds like he has his wits about him, which is good. He’ll need that, along with every ounce of magic he has left to help us fight them off.”

  “Ari mentioned using up a lot of his magic when he cast the spell on me to suppress my powers. Long story short, he did that to hide me when I was a kid,” I said. “He probably used a lot more saving me tonight, too. It was just like you predicted, I very nearly went supernova.”

  “No wonder the spell on you was so robust, if an angel cast it.”

  “Is his magic really something he can use up?”

  “Definitely. While their magic is incredibly potent, they have a finite amount, just whatever’s in them when they fall. When it’s gone, it’s gone.”

  I asked, “What does it mean when an angel falls?”

  “Either they’ve made the choice to leave heaven, or they’ve been cast out,” August said. “It’s a one-way trip incidentally, no changing their minds if they regret the decision later, and they’re allowed to live here on earth under one condition.”

  “Let me guess. They can stay as long as they keep the fact that they’re angels hidden from everyone.”

  “Exactly.” I heard voices in the background, then the sound of an engine starting, and August told me, “We’re on the way to the airport. I need to call ahead and make sure the jet’s fueled up and ready for us.”

  “Will you be able to find a pilot this time of night?”

  “Laurie can fly it. I’ll check in soon, mate. Is this the best number to reach you?”

  “Yeah. It looks like I’m not shorting out electronics anymore, since I’m on Ari’s cellphone and it’s not frying in my hand.”

  “Well, that’s good news. Oh, and never mind, Laurie is calling the airport for me, so I can keep talking.”