A Touch Menacing

by Leah Clifford

  “No!” She gave up on the useless bandage and gripped Az’s hand tighter. He opened his lips as if he were going to say something more, and then he stilled. “Az, please,” she whispered. “Please don’t.”

  He stared up, eyes wide, unfocused. And then Eden felt herself, too, go still. He’s gone. He’s dead. She looked up at Gabe.

  Two tears raced down to his jaw. With every blink his irises flashed redder, bloodshot and glowing.

  They took him from me. From us.

  Her chest ached. Her head throbbed with tears she wouldn’t let herself cry. “If I had been a regular girl with a normal path, I wouldn’t have been able to be with him. And Jarrod wouldn’t have met Sullivan and . . . Gabe, we’re all going to be mortal again and he wouldn’t have been able to be on my path.” She swallowed hard. “I wouldn’t have left him. I wouldn’t have!” she sobbed, falling against his shoulder.

  “But,” Gabriel said carefully, his voice breaking, “now you will. Because we’re going to save the Siders.”

  She stood and took the first few steps backward, her eyes locked on Az, every fiber of her body screaming against leaving him.

  I love you, she thought. And then she turned. “Come on. We’re ending this.”

  The building was oddly quiet. No one fought anywhere that she could see. She and Gabriel took the stairs up a floor, had to climb over a body on the landing. A knife stuck out of the chest. Eden pulled the weapon free and took it with her.

  He stopped them at the base of the stairwell. “Ready?” he asked, but she wasn’t sure what she was supposed to be ready for.

  She kept the knife at her side and followed him down the balcony. Another body blocked the way, and suddenly she realized Jarrod and Sullivan weren’t with them, that she hadn’t seen them since the brief glimpse over the balcony railing. “Gabe?” she called softly.

  He raised a finger. Barely audible voices came from a room ahead.

  As they got closer, she could hear muffled whacks. “Release her to us!” someone yelled.

  “No!” The voice that answered was so full of venom, she almost didn’t recognize it as Jarrod’s. Gabriel’s hand was on her shoulder, anticipating her reaction. Hurry, she thought at him desperately.

  Gabriel burst across the threshold. “I demand cessation!”

  His voice thundered through the room. Eden couldn’t see past him, but she heard the shuffle of feet, the rustle of fabric as the angels turned toward him.

  “What have you done?” Gabriel demanded. Eden squeezed past him. Jarrod was the first thing she saw. Doubled over on his knees, he’d been stripped of his coat. A wide V of Bound spread out from him on either side, packed into the room. His white shirt was striped with dirt and grime. A few of the streaks were red at the edges where blood had soaked through. Even from the door, she could see the way he trembled. Under him, protected from the worst of the blows, was Sullivan.

  The angel closest to him held a baseball bat–sized chunk of wood.

  “Who allowed this cruelty?” Gabriel snarled. “Let them up! Now!”

  “No one will do such a thing,” a voice called out.

  “Gabe.” Eden held up a shaking hand when she spotted Michael. The angel swiveled to her, his gaze heavy and without pity. “He killed Az,” she said.

  Everyone’s eyes were on her.

  On the floor, Jarrod uncurled, his face contorted. Every movement was stiff, his shoulders pulled back in pain. He dropped his head again as if he couldn’t take the effort, whispered something to Sullivan. To Eden’s relief, she stirred.

  Gabriel moved slowly toward Michael.

  “It’s true,” Michael said simply. “Azazel offered me his life in a promise Upstairs. When that promise went unfulfilled, Azazel was ended by my hand with mercy in my heart.”

  Eden waited for some sort of reaction from the other angels, didn’t understand when no one moved. “Why aren’t they doing anything?” she cried.

  Gabe kept his eyes on Michael. “Is that how he got out of the cell you all were keeping him in?”

  Michael’s crimson irises lightened, yellowed. “And now I fear our Gabriel has been tainted by these cursed creatures.” His voice rose and sharpened. “Gabriel chose to surround himself with temptations. He has a history of giving in to sin. He failed a mission he never should have been trusted with!” he said, glaring down at Eden. “He is impure and unloyal. The Sider plague is being eradicated, and Gabriel consistently stands in our way.”

  Gabe’s arm shot up, pointed at Michael. “I accuse you of having hands that shed innocent blood,” he spat.

  Michael gave a dramatic sigh. “Innocent blood! Azazel was not innocent.”

  “Not Az,” Gabriel said. “Another.” He trembled, but kept going. “At Kristen’s, you found a girl on the back stairs. Do you remember her?”

  “I do.” Michael broke eye contact as a silent tear ran down Gabriel’s cheek.

  “Her name was Madeline,” Gabriel said to the crowd, “and she’s the one who helped me when I was Fallen. When every other abandoned me, she stood by my side. We learned so much about the Siders from her, and from Kristen and Eden and her friends, whom you’ve beaten.” He paused. “Did you kill Madeline?”

  A murmur passed through the crowd.

  Eden felt a presence behind her just as Kristen’s hand touched her shoulder, her sympathy silent.

  Gabriel’s voice boomed. “I accuse you, Michael. Do you deny it?”

  Michael said nothing.

  Luke gave a low whistle from beside Kristen. “Formal accusation? I haven’t seen one of those since . . . mine.”

  “What is it?” Eden tightened her grip on the knife at her side.

  Luke slid closer. She could smell the metallic tang of the blood drenching him, but couldn’t look at him. He smelled the same as Az had. “Sins need to be spoken,” Luke said. “Gabe accuses and then Michael must answer.”

  Michael sneered. “I was sent to exterminate the Siders.”

  “That wasn’t an answer,” Gabriel said. “Luckily, I wasn’t finished.” It was quiet enough to hear a pin drop. Gabriel’s gaze was trained on Michael. “I accuse you of shedding innocent blood. Of savagely ripping Madeline, sinless and innocent, from a path she’d just started upon.” The words strained out. “And doing so knowingly. You knew she was mortal, did you not?”

  Even from where she stood, Eden could see the betrayal sink in, Michael slowly shaking his head. “Gabriel, why?”

  “You could Fall for that alone,” Gabe said. “But I have more. How did the Siders start, Michael?”

  The color drained from his face.

  “You were always stubborn,” Gabe said. “Jealous. But the last few years, you’ve become cruel and hateful. Sometimes you hide it well. Others . . .” He gestured to Jarrod, the bloodied dirty shirt he wore. “Not so much. I know how it felt to keep my sins inside for mere months before I Fell. I can’t imagine what it feels like to keep them for years.”

  Raphael pushed his way through the crowd. “Gabriel, what’s the meaning of this?”

  Gabriel didn’t waver. “The Siders aren’t just some plague that happened into being. I met the first Sider today. A girl who told me about a chance meeting with Az.”

  The annoyance in Raphael’s tsk wasn’t reserved to him alone. Others grew restless. Eden shifted the knife.

  “And again, Azazel had gotten involved when he shouldn’t have. It does not bode well to speak ill of the dead, Gabriel,” Raphael scolded as if Az hadn’t been any more than an acquaintance to Gabe, instead of his best friend.

  It took Gabe a second to recover. “You wanted a way to get rid of Az, make it so he didn’t need me anymore. And so you stole away the path of a girl you thought was in love with him. You took her future. But that potential, that life force built in her still. You thought she was dead, so you left her body to rot, but she became a Sider. She spread Touch on to others until their own futures became so confused and crumbled that their paths, too, disintegr
ated. Michael, I accuse you of starting the Sider plague.” He turned to Michael and uttered two words. “Deny it,” Gabriel said, his face dark.

  The room took a collective breath. Disbelief fluttered through the gathered angels when no denial came.

  Michael glanced away for a split second before he struggled back, like looking at Gabe was a punishment he endured, a penance.

  When Michael finally spoke, his voice was small, like that of a child. “I loved you, Gabriel. Always more. And never was I chosen.”

  Eden saw Gabe’s cheeks flare red. “That’s not true.”

  Heartbreak shone on Michael’s face. “Azazel kept you away from me, don’t you see that?” he said, reaching. Gabe shook his head, moved his hand behind his back. Michael grimaced, but went on. “He made you believe only you could save him from Falling. I tried to give him a girl who wouldn’t leave, wouldn’t die, because then you could come Home. Then you could come back to me.”

  “The terrible part was, she didn’t even know Az. You made a mistake, Michael. You stole her life,” Gabe spat, shaking. “Just like you stole Madeline’s. I accuse you of taking mortal life, Michael.”

  Michael closed his eyes for a beat. “Even dead you choose Az, and now I’m nothing.” He turned to face the crowd, his head held high as his voice rang out, loud and clear. “I stole the path of a mortal girl. I did so for my own selfish gain. For love. And I took a mortal life. I am guilty.” His voice fell. “Forgive me, Gabriel.”

  Eden watched as Gabe pressed his lips together.

  “Forgive me. Please. Give me this one kindness.” Michael clutched at him, but Gabe stepped back.

  “No,” Gabe whispered. “Your choices were your own.”

  In front of her, the dozen Bound angels all spoke at once. “He killed the girl? She was a mortal? He stole their lives. Then he’s Damned. Damned.”

  Michael pushed through the crowd, past Eden, and broke into a run. Eden watched as he stumbled away, his shirt tearing apart as wings sprouted from his back. His scream curdled as the wings smashed against the metal railing and then shed their feathers. He writhed toward the stairs, his back a lacework of raised pink scars, the wings gone.

  Kristen’s words were a whisper: “(‘When the rest of Heaven was blue)/Of a demon in my view.’”

  Eden stared in silence as he crawled. She wanted to feel vindication. Relief. Anything. She didn’t realize she was collapsing until Kristen caught her, leaning her against her shoulder.

  While she’d been watching Michael, Gabe had gone on speaking. “All they need is time,” he was saying from the room. “We can help Rachel find the Siders, and she will cure them. They’re no longer a risk to the mortal paths.”

  Sounds of agreement filled the air.

  “Are you all right?” Kristen asked.

  It’s over, Eden thought. The Siders, the strange life she’d carved out for herself. Az. “I don’t know,” she managed.

  CHAPTER 33

  As the Bound wandered off, dazed, Kristen handed Eden to Gabe. Then she tugged Luke’s hand. “We need to leave. Now.”

  He followed as she led him away from the others. Kristen only looked back once, to see Eden staring after her. She ducked into the stairwell with Luke, dragging him down two at a time.

  Finally, four floors down, Luke stopped her. “I have weapons to retrieve.”

  “Make new ones!” Kristen spun on him. He raised an eyebrow. “Please, Luke. Let’s just go.”

  “Why?” he asked.

  The lump in her throat made it almost impossible to get the words out. “They’re making Rachel turn us. They’re going to have that girl change us back as quickly as they can to save their precious mortals.” Luke didn’t react. She shoved him with all her strength. “I don’t want to be mortal,” she yelled.

  Her voice ricocheted through the stairwell, kept itself company in echoes. Voices on top of voices. The thought only made her more frantic. “What do I have to go back to? An expiration date and a mind . . .” She closed her eyes. “And a mind that sours.”

  “Kristen.”

  Luke’s hand cupped the back of her neck. When she opened her eyes, she thought he was going in for a kiss, but his forehead met hers. “You avenged Sebastian and the others, yes?” he asked quietly.

  She wasn’t sure. Two of the Bound had died at her hand, but it hadn’t changed anything. She felt no better. The empty hole where Sebastian belonged was still an open wound. No amount of death would fill it. “I guess so,” she said.

  He tilted his head back and locked eyes with her. “Then we’ve accomplished what we came here to do. I’ve sought an equal, who can stand beside me.” His voice was filled with heat. “Mortals are playthings! You deserve so much more than that. It’s beneath you.”

  “They’ll come for me. The Bound won’t let me stay a Sider.”

  “Let them try.” Luke’s irises swirled muddy and then blackened, bits of the Touch she’d passed him still working through his system.

  “And what will our life be? Running, hiding?” she asked, misery in her voice.

  “Kristen, Heaven runs from me, not the other way around. All the powers of Hell will protect you. As long as you stay by my side, this world is yours.”

  Silly, Lucifer, she thought. I bet you never suspected someone would beat you at your own games. She laced her arms around his neck and nuzzled against him to hide her victorious smile.

  CHAPTER 33

  As the Bound wandered off, dazed, Kristen handed Eden to Gabe. Then she tugged Luke’s hand. “We need to leave. Now.”

  He followed as she led him away from the others. Kristen only looked back once, to see Eden staring after her. She ducked into the stairwell with Luke, dragging him down two at a time.

  Finally, four floors down, Luke stopped her. “I have weapons to retrieve.”

  “Make new ones!” Kristen spun on him. He raised an eyebrow. “Please, Luke. Let’s just go.”

  “Why?” he asked.

  The lump in her throat made it almost impossible to get the words out. “They’re making Rachel turn us. They’re going to have that girl change us back as quickly as they can to save their precious mortals.” Luke didn’t react. She shoved him with all her strength. “I don’t want to be mortal,” she yelled.

  Her voice ricocheted through the stairwell, kept itself company in echoes. Voices on top of voices. The thought only made her more frantic. “What do I have to go back to? An expiration date and a mind . . .” She closed her eyes. “And a mind that sours.”

  “Kristen.”

  Luke’s hand cupped the back of her neck. When she opened her eyes, she thought he was going in for a kiss, but his forehead met hers. “You avenged Sebastian and the others, yes?” he asked quietly.

  She wasn’t sure. Two of the Bound had died at her hand, but it hadn’t changed anything. She felt no better. The empty hole where Sebastian belonged was still an open wound. No amount of death would fill it. “I guess so,” she said.

  He tilted his head back and locked eyes with her. “Then we’ve accomplished what we came here to do. I’ve sought an equal, who can stand beside me.” His voice was filled with heat. “Mortals are playthings! You deserve so much more than that. It’s beneath you.”

  “They’ll come for me. The Bound won’t let me stay a Sider.”

  “Let them try.” Luke’s irises swirled muddy and then blackened, bits of the Touch she’d passed him still working through his system.

  “And what will our life be? Running, hiding?” she asked, misery in her voice.

  “Kristen, Heaven runs from me, not the other way around. All the powers of Hell will protect you. As long as you stay by my side, this world is yours.”

  Silly, Lucifer, she thought. I bet you never suspected someone would beat you at your own games. She laced her arms around his neck and nuzzled against him to hide her victorious smile.

  EPILOGUE

  Eden snuggled in closer, the blanket around them both holding her to Gabe
’s shoulder. His shirt was cool against her cheek, wet with the tears she’d cried for Az. She felt safe here in her room, with Gabe. He hadn’t left her side since last night.

  “I guess I should go out. They’re waiting for me,” Eden said. When the Bound insisted Eden be turned mortal immediately, Gabe had refused them. Now, his arm tightened around her.

  Gabe stroked her hair. “Let them wait,” he said softly. “How’s your ankle? I don’t want them turning you until you’re at one hundred percent.”

  Under the covers, she rotated her foot, expecting pain, surprised when it moved easily. “It’s better,” she said.

  She shouldn’t have been surprised. Healing her wounds had been able to burn up some of the Touch she’d taken in from Rachel. Siders had begun showing up just past midnight, and Rachel had started turning them mortal again. Even now, seemingly dead bodies filled Jarrod’s room, laid out on the beds and the floor. It took three hours for them to reanimate, at which point they were told to spread the word and shown the door. Eden wondered what kind of lives they’d have. If they’d just end up starving on the street. She wondered what kind of life she would have.

  “When Rachel makes me mortal, she’ll be taking in any extra Touch left in me,” Eden said. “And Sullivan’s. All the other Siders coming here. It’ll be too much for her.”

  “We’re working on that,” Gabe said. “Some of those at Kristen’s did escape injured. They’ll be dosed and given time to get well before they’re made mortal. There are two other Siders, Annalise and Donavan, who I trust to spread it safely.”

  “And when there are no Siders left? What happens to her then?” Eden asked. Without taking in some Touch, Rachel would die. Slowly. In pain.

  “You have my word, I’ll figure out a way to make her mortal before time runs out. The Bound are no threat to her. Not anymore.” Gabe held Eden close.

  The blanket enveloped them like a cocoon. Fresh tears stung her eyes. She wanted to stay like this forever, not having to think. Not having to face Az’s death and whatever the future held for her. When she tried to snuggle in closer, though, Gabe lifted her off his shoulder. His eyes were nearly as swollen as hers must have been. “You’re going to be okay. You know that, right?” he said.