by Amber Lynn
Like the whole grave yard thing with that ghoul, that was just weird. Add to that my compassion levels rising, my increased want to play hanky panky, and a sudden lack of interest in killing people, and I think something is wrong with me. I can kind of understand wanting to play with my mates more, but I never had a compassionate bone in my body before and I really did enjoy being an assassin. I cannot say I totally hate how things are turning out; it is just a little strange.
“You will get used to it, sister. Your change is a little bit harder than the rest of ours,” a male says and something appears walking next to me. I stop and go to grab a knife. I may not enjoy killing as much as I used to, but I am not going to just let someone sneak up on me.
“Just who are you?” I ask taking in the semi-glowing man. He has big golden wings that look quite a bit similar to mine. As far as clothing goes, he is wearing a standard pair of jeans and a white t-shirt. He has blonde hair, which may actually be white. It is hard to tell with the glow effect he is giving off. He definitely has the brightest blue eyes I have ever witnessed.
“You can call me Gabe. I have been sent to enlighten you. It is just about time for your true path to be laid out and we wanted to make sure you were ready.”
I give the guy my standard I am talking to a crazy person glare. The only thing keeping me from trying to do him harm is the fact that his wings match mine. I don't know why, but that means something to me.
“Of course it does. What I am is the missing piece that you have been searching for. You mother at one time was one of us, but she chose a different path. We hope that you will not follow in her footsteps.” Gabe waves his hands and a picnic table appears next to us. “Why don't we sit down? Things might be easier for you to understand in a seated position.”
Right this second that sounds like a swell idea. I take a seat and he settles in across from me. “Okay, you have my interest. Just what are you? No one seems to want to tell me that missing piece of me.”
“Try not to be too hard on the people that have figured it out. They wouldn't have been able to articulate it to you, even if they wanted to.”
Now that we are seated he tucks his wings in so they are no longer visible. He is still glowing, but I will let that pass for the moment. The fact that he has been able to read my mind, so far, is the part of the situation disturbing me the most. I have enough people able to do that already.
“Yes, you do. Usually our kind doesn't surround ourselves with such an eclectic group of people, especially not the demon and Hellhound. You turned a few heads when you accepted the puppy, but we are a very forgiving race.”
“You still haven't mentioned just what that race is,” I say trying to move the conversation along.
“We are angels, of course. Technically, you are only part angel, thanks to your mother, but the calling is still in your blood.”
Angels. I am sort of friends with a demon, and well aware of the fact that they have counterparts up in the sky, but I never thought that I could be part angel. Seriously? Maybe this guy was smoking off of Gore's pipe.
“Since you can read my mind, I am sure you realize I am having just a little bit of an issue believing what you say.” Little may be an understatement.
“I know and now is not the time for me to prove everything that I am about to tell you, but that time is coming soon. When a partial angel, like you, turns twenty-three they can ascend into their full powers. It can be a very daunting task for someone that was not raised Upstairs, which doesn't happen very often. Most of the time when us full angels beget a child with a human, the child is taken away to be raised in our ways. Your case made that impossible, so you were allowed to mature in the regular world.”
“So, my mother, the angel, came down from heaven and got my father to impregnate her. What about the situation is different from any of the other times you guys come down to find some action?”
“There are many differences. When you meet your mother, which I am sure will happen sooner or later, you will probably understand a bit more. Aside from her part of the equation, I mentioned that we other angels only bestow children on humans. We stay away from copulating with paranorms for a very good reason. The resulting child ends up being a tool of great power to anyone that can wield it. The list of those capable of controlling what you will become is very small. It is our hope that you will not mind guiding your own destiny. We will be there to assist, when possible, but we don’t want to control your actions. There is that whole free-will mandate going on Upstairs.”
“I am all for people not controlling me. How can you be so certain this will actually all take place? I am more than just an angel and a werewolf.”
Gabe holds out his hand and an orb appears in his palm. It looks a bit like a giant pearl. There are different shades of white and cream swirling around in it. I want to reach out and grab it, but I hold my hands tightly together.
“You are right. You are many things, but you have already felt the changes, so I have no doubt that you will ascend like all the other angel hybrids.” He continues to look into his orb. I don’t know if it is some kind of crystal ball or what, but I am hoping he is actually seeing something and not just dazed by the swirls. “It is an orb of life, your life. You would be surprised to know that it shows you have a pure heart. If there was anything that tarnished you, it wouldn’t be this clear. It would have tints of black or red swirling with the white.”
“Now I know you have me confused with someone else. I have killed enough people to get what I am told are reaper markings on my back, I think that means I am just a little bit more than tarnished. Maybe you should take the story you are selling and try it on someone else.” I am ready to get back to my guys and if I knew a way out of here, I would be scurrying over that direction.
“You have killed many. There is no denying that fact, but do you honestly believe angels never get their hands dirty. We have a class devoted to doing battle against the evils of the world. None of the people you killed made the world a better place. They were murderers and rapists, running around turning the faithful into the faithless. Each one of them was marked by Lucifer. You have always served as one of our warriors even if you didn't know it.”
As he speaks, the glow around him starts pulsating and gets a little intense. I divert my eyes a little and just briefly, out of the corner of one of them, I see him sitting there with wings even larger than the ones he originally was wearing and the little bit of pulsing he was giving off is nothing compared to the bright light that I see surrounding him.
“Don't look too closely,” he warns. “You aren't ready to witness one of us in our true form. Your time is coming soon though.”
“So, when I become this angel you claim, do I have to start hanging around Upstairs with the rest of you? I kind of have a life here and would prefer to stick around.”
“We are well aware of your situation. Your life is here with Alex and Sebastian, and any other riffraff you happen to collect along the way. We are certain that you will stay on the path of good and straighten out the paranorms that have become corrupt. Many things have been prophesied about you. I choose to only believe about half of them, even if they all will probably come true. Everything I have heard keeps you with your mates. So rest assured, you won't be leaving them anytime soon.”
If he has been as stalkerish as he seems, he has to know I am not going to like him knowing bits of how my future may turn out and him not sharing. Maybe they don't have kindergarten in angel school.
“Your sense of humor is great and it will help you greatly during the trials ahead of you. You are preparing to go up against a succubus to retrieve your mate, right?”
“Correct. An evil not nice word succubus has taken Sebastian.” For some reason it seems wrong to call Candace what I really want to call her while sitting in front of an angel.
“Don't worry. They are just words. Your emotions are what give them meaning. It isn't like I haven't ever said a curse word. Angels aren't
any more perfect than any other being. We just like to pretend the halos make us that way,” he says with a little laugh. I guess that is a good thing to hear because I am far from perfect, and I have the scars to prove it. “As far as your succubus goes, you have been told of the Panoptic blade, or knife I think it was called during your conversation, and you feel it would help you accomplish your task.”
“Well, yeah. If it can really kill a demon, I think it would be helpful. Candace has made it clear she would love to see me dead. If it is a choice between me and her, I think I will go with me living.”
“I believe most people would make the same choice. We have already covered that, even if you don't believe it, you are still a pure heart, so I think you can take on the two trials that are required to obtain the knife. These trials aren't to be confused with the ones you go through during your ascension. Depending on their outcome, we may consider giving you a pass on one of the other trials, but that has never happened before.”
This little side trip to la la land might not have been as bad as I thought it was going to be. First, I found out what my third part is, although the verdict on the answer is still out, and second, I have the opportunity to get my hands on a knife that can kill Candace. I would say that things are looking up. I am only slightly worried what these trials are going to have in store for me.
“So, for these trials to get the knife, what do I have to do?” I ask Gabe ready to get down to business. I have no idea what is going on in the real world or where I actually am, but time is a wasting as far as Sebastian's quality time with the monster goes.
“Patience. It is one of the things you really need to work on. You cannot rush Fate and she is the one administering your exam. I have just given the green light for it to be started. You will get your beloved back and learn some valuable lessons along the way. For now, I will get you back to Alex. I didn't stop time to pull you out of that portal. Time does pass differently here, but not that different. About ten minutes will have passed in your world. I imagine we are to the point where they are becoming frantic, so you need to be returning.”
“That's it. You are an angel hybrid that will wield great power, you will do some ascension thingy, and get ready for various trials if you really want to get your hands on that knife you are looking for. For some reason, I was hoping for something a little bit more when I finally found out what my third part was.” I have no idea what being an angel even means. I didn't think it was possible to even be one.
“This is the first of many meetings we will have leading up to your birthday. Your ascension trials will begin the week before. I am sure you won't have any issues with them. Your whole life has been leading up to this moment.”
Easy for him to say. I bet since he is a full angel, at least I think he is, that he didn't even have to go through any special trials. He was probably handed a halo the second he was born or created or however a full angel comes to be.
“Just go reassure your werewolf mate that one of the demons didn't grab you on your way out of Hell, would you?” Gabe says and then waves his hand like Ben does when he wants something to appear. Sure enough, a nice little portal appears in the ground next to the picnic table. “They are waiting for you in the cemetery. I suggest waiting to tell them where you have been until you get home. There are too many prying ears around that place.”
It is sound advice, so I will probably take it. I stand up and make my way to the portal. I jump into the portal and hope yet again that it will be the last one I have to take. Let me get back to the world I was born in and just leave me there. All future conversations with persons from either Upstairs or Downstairs can just take place in my office.
Chapter 13
Just how long does it take to drive across town?
I land unceremoniously on the ground in the middle of the cemetery. Have I mentioned I hate portals? As I pick myself up off the ground and start brushing the dirt off of me, Clyde runs up to me panting like a madman, or mad dog. At least he isn't foaming at the mouth.
“Can you yell, 'She's over here,' for me at the top of your lungs?” he asks. “Alex can probably pick you up again, but I want everyone to know it was I that found you. They thought I sent you to Antarctica somehow.”
“No, I am not yelling anything in the middle of a grave yard. I don't want to wake anything up.” I already had one creepy ghoul experience. Another, on top of the earth shattering news I just received, would push me over my limit. I look at the sky and notice the sun is starting to come up. If they have Will still out here helping with the search, we need to get him to shelter pretty quickly.
“Meet us at the cars, if you would. It is easier to rendezvous there since we are all spread out trying to find you.” I hear Alex say. I take off in a quick jog to meet them.
“It wasn't my idea,” I say when I am out of the cemetery and have a visual on the guys.
“I didn't figure it was, but when you have a succubus out there that doesn't value your life as much as I do, I have to be a little concerned. Neither I nor Clyde could contact you and that worried me more than anything else.”
I can see how that would be an issue. I didn't even think to check the connection when I started wandering around aimlessly prior to my mystery guest showing up. When my mind suddenly becomes my own again, I don't even notice it anymore. That is a bit sad. I might actually find comfort in the guys having a place in my brain. I think that means Hell just froze over. Too bad we just left before the event took place. It would have been something worth seeing.
“I cannot say anything yet; at least I was told it wasn't a good idea. Let's get everyone back to the penthouse and we can have a nice chat on what our plan of attack will be to get Sebastian back.”
“You’re the boss. We are all taking the same vehicles, so let's move out,” Alex commands and everyone hurries to do his bidding.
Walt walks over on his way to the Jeep and gives me a quick hug. “It isn't nice to scare an old man like that, niece.” He releases me as fast as the hug started and is on his way.
“I am sure no one was more surprised than me that I didn't travel on with the rest of you,” I reply as I scramble into the car. Will is already in the backseat and he left the door open for me. “You holding up okay?” I ask turning around to face him. I don't see any blisters starting or little sparks of flame just waiting to erupt.
“Far as I can tell, everything is just dandy. Alex assured me that if the search had to last past sunup, the windows in here would keep me safe if I had to run for cover. I didn't feel anything out there as the sun was starting to make its move. I am not willing to run out and test its effect, but I am not really afraid of it.”
“Good. Sebastian says that it is natural for you to want to go out into the sun, but you should probably refrain from standing out in the middle of the day. As far as anyone knows you are a normal vampire, but you haven't even had to take a drink yet, so who knows.” Alex waits for me to turn around and leans over to give me a quick kiss on the cheek before he starts the car and gets us heading in the right direction.
“About the whole drinking thing, I have to have fangs in order to accomplish that, right? So far, I haven't felt anything going on in the canine area. Should they have appeared by now?”
“I think at first they should come out with strong emotions. Hunger and anger would be the normal ones. They won't be very big, but you should feel some wrongness with your gums when they first erupt.”
“Do you think we could try a feeding when we get back and you are done explaining where you have been? I think I am starting to feel hungry and I don't want it to turn me into a crazed, blood starved lunatic.”
“I am glad to hear that. Since you are such a young vampire, I don't think the guards would have any problem restraining you if it came to that, but the fact that you don't want to get to that point, gives me hope for you,” Alex says and I concur.
A lot of recently turned humans would think an explainable bloodthirst i
s a good reason to lose control. I didn't spend a lot of time with Will pretransformation, but from what I observed, he did seem to have a good head on his shoulders, for someone cursed with a Y chromosome.
“With all the vampire guards in the building, there are plenty of feeders available for you to choose from. Just let Marcus know your preference and he can find someone for you,” I tell him.
“Do you know if it has to be right from a person? Can't I drink it from a glass or something? I don't know if my fangs will even come out and it might be a little embarrassing if they don't,” he replies.
I can understand where he is coming from with the embarrassment issue. It would probably be similar to having erectile dysfunction. Not being able to perform in any aspect has to be hard on a guy. It is too bad that I have no idea the answer to his question. I have always just fed from Sebastian and have never felt the need to ask. “We will have to check with Marcus because I don't have a good answer.”
“It sounds like pretty much any questions I have about my new life should be directed to the guard. I can do that, but if you are at least part vampire, don't you think you should know the answers as well?”
“Maybe, but the vampire side of things is only a small part of what makes me tick. I can only feed off of Sebastian, so getting the specifics on how fresh my blood source has to be has never been an issue.”
“What are you planning to do while he is out of the picture? You still have to eat, right? Does Alex serve as a stand-in?” We should have Sebastian back before it comes to that, but if it did, Alex would be the only other person I would willingly drink from.
“If worse comes to worst, I have no problem opening up a vein, or two, for Nyx. We prefer to keep that between her and Sebastian, though. It is part of their relationship that I leave alone as much as I can. As you may have noticed, without even being around us that long, we are still working out all of the kinks in our relationships.” Alex finally pulls into the parking garage on what had to have been the longest ride across town since the beginning of time. It wasn't more than ten minutes, but when I have news I am trying really hard not to think about, it makes the ride seem longer.
