Taking Angels (The Angel Crusades)

by CS Yelle

  “Then don’t go,” I said, feeling fear coil inside me at the thought of him facing an angry council. “We would have to be on the run forever if we refused a summons from the council.” Allister shook his head.

  “How long do we have?” I asked.

  “A few weeks, a month at best,” he said. “Won’t they just shimmer here?” I raised an eyebrow and frowned.

  “Shimmering only works for short distances. We can’t jump over and over again, it drains our strength. We can go back and forth to a close location, but something keeps us from going from one place to another, leap after leap, or over great distances.” He shrugged at my confused stare. “I don’t understand it myself, yet I must live by the rules.”

  “Kendal will travel back to Greece to inform the council about you. They will summon us and then give us time to reach Greece before they send out a retrieval party to forcibly bring us to them,” Victor explained. “We should get away from here, now,” Allister said.

  “Where would we go?” I asked.

  “We can head into Canada, hide out in the wilderness. We have a lodge on an isolated lake. No one will find us up there,” he assured.

  “No,” I said.

  Allister turned to me, his eyes wide and mouth hanging open.

  “I can’t leave my family, my friends, and my senior year with no explanation,” I told him.

  “Britt, this is about life and death, yours as well as mine.” Allister took hold of my arms just below the shoulders. “If we don’t leave, they will find us and eliminate every trace we were ever here.”

  I looked at him doubtful and unwavering. “That includes your friends, your parents, and anyone in close contact with you since you changed.” He turned away from my horrified gaze.

  “It’s true.” Jennavia nodded. “If a retrieval party comes, they will have sweepers. Eternals able to sense close contact between you and others, similar to Angelina and myself, only much stronger. People who know too much will die.”

  My body began to shake, my legs weakened and I eased myself down into a nearby chair. My friends, my family, killed because I lived. Killed because of what I had become.

  “Why did you have to change me?” I said, my whisper catching in my throat as I stared at my feet. “Why couldn’t you just let me die and be done with it?”

  “I’m so sorry, Britt,” Allister pleaded for my forgiveness. “I didn’t know.”

  “You didn’t know?” I repeated, coming to my feet in a rush, my fists clenched at my sides, anger raging to get out as I glared at him. Slapping him hard across his face, I cried out, “Then why did you do it?”

  His head snapped to the side with the force of my blow and then he turned away bowing his head, but not touching the reddening handprint on his cheek. “I understand your anger,” Victor said, taking a step closer so he interrupted my glare at Allister. “I believe what Allister means to say is he didn’t realize his touch would manifest itself in this manner. Kendal destroyed the natural transfer of your soul to the afterworld, thus leaving part of your angel inside you, very weakened by the attack. You should have become an empty husk destined for death, but Angelina and Allister stopped Kendal from finishing the job. When Allister touched you your angel fused with your soul, thus turning you into an Eternal with a soul unlike any other.” “He had no way of knowing the ramifications,” Jennavia added.

  It didn’t matter. I lived at my loved ones’ peril. No rationalizing could change that.

  “What do we do now?” I looked from one puzzled face to the next, searching for a way out of this. “Jennavia and I will try to find Kendal, hopefully we can catch him before he reaches Greece,” Victor said. “The three of you need to continue on until we determine the extent of our predicament.” He looked from one teen to the other, assuring we understood. “Very well, Allister, make sure Britt gets home safely. Your mother and I will leave at once.” He turned and strode from the room.

  “Goodbye, my dears,” Jennavia said, following him.

  I looked over to Allister as he stood behind the desk staring out the window.

  “I will see if I can get a fix on Kendal’s direction to give Mother and Father an idea of where to start,” Angelina said standing. She glanced my way with a wary look and then left the room.

  I hesitantly walked over to Allister, feeling a mix of emotions. I wanted to hate him for what he did, except I didn’t have the strength to do so. I stood next to him and placed my hand lightly on his shoulder.

  “I am so sorry,” he whispered.

  “I know.” The only words I could think of felt so inadequate.

  “I need to take you home,” he said, turning to me. I nodded.

  Chapter 13 We stepped onto the front porch when the Wrangler pulled up. Trish brought the Jeep screeching to a halt, pulling the parking brake while Elisa and Cassie jumped out before the vehicle completely stopped.

  They raced up the walk, leapt up the steps and stood before us, their hands on their hips, anger sizzling in their eyes. In all the years we’d been friends, they never scared me like they did right then.

  “You owe us an explanation,” Trish ordered. “I can’t,” I started, but Allister’s hand on my shoulder stopped me and I turned to look up at him. “They’re already in this too deep. The truth may

  keep them from inadvertently getting in harm’s way,” Allister pointed out. I nodded, turning back to the girls. I spotted the porch swing and some chairs off to the side and motioned for them to take a seat.

  They looked warily at us, moving over to sit as Allister and I walked over and leaned against the railing facing them. Glancing at Allister, he motioned for me to go ahead.

  “Humph.” I cleared my throat. “I’m sorry we ran out. I’m sorry I lied to you. I’m sorry I’ve gotten you involved in something dangerous. I’m so sorry.” I stared at their questioning faces, guilt pouring over me as I tried to explain they may have a death sentence imposed on them by being my friend.

  “Okay.” Cassie nodded. “So you’re sorry. I followed the first two, but endangering us?” “Remember the story I told you about the canoe trip?” I asked.

  They nodded.

  “It’s true. Allister saved me.” They waited expectantly for me to continue. “When he saved me, he changed me into something other than human.”

  “A vampire, I knew it. Allister is a vampire and he bit you; he changed you into an immortal,” Elisa said wide eyed.

  “No, no, Allister is not a vampire and he didn’t bite me. You’ve been watching too many movies.” I laughed, raising my hand to calm her.

  Elisa blushed, glancing from Cassie to Trish with a shrug. “It could happen.”

  The girls rolled their eyes and then turned back to us.

  “I’m an Eternal,” Allister said, helping me. Observing the girl’s lack of comprehension, he continued. “A very small number of people are born without souls so they live forever. I’m one of those people, as are my parents and Angelina…and now Britt.”

  The girls looked at each other, mouths hanging open and eyes wide.

  “If you don’t want to tell us the truth, just say so.” Trish stood in a huff. “Don’t feed us bullshit and expect us to say, yum, can we have some more.”

  “No, he’s telling the truth,” I assured. “How do you think we got out of Cassie’s so quickly?”

  Trish softened her stance as she thought. “There wasn’t any way you could have done that,” she admitted.

  “But we did,” Allister said and shimmered into nothingness before their eyes.

  “We have powers that allow us to do many things that are beyond your comprehension,” he continued as he shimmered next to a tree in the yard.

  Elisa nearly fell to the wooden floor and Cassie jumped. Trish spun as she stood in front of me, staring at Allister in disbelief.

  Allister vanished again and reappeared next to me once more.

  The girls stared at him in shock, speechless.

  “So what does t
he fact you and Allister are … Eternals, have to do with putting us in danger?” Cassie finally asked, frowning.

  “You remember the guy I chased at your house?” Allister asked.

  “Yeah, I never saw him before,” Cassie nodded.

  “He’s an Eternal too?” Elisa gasped.

  “Yes, he’s an Eternal.” Allister confirmed. “He’s the same Eternal who tried to take Britt’s guardian angel when Angelina and I interrupted him. He is somehow tied to her and she now sees him take other angels from people.”

  “Your dreams are actually what that freak is doing in real life?” Trish looked at me. “What does he mean angels?”

  “Yeah,” I grimaced, waiting for them to throw up their hands and run. “We have guardian angels inside us.”

  “Like a soul?”

  I shook my head. “And a soul.” Surprisingly, Trish said nothing, only appearing distinctly uncomfortable and blinking a few times before giving a quick nod.

  “Okay. Weird, but okay.”

  “We shouldn’t divulge any more right now, for your own safety,” Allister interrupted. “We need you to promise not to say a word of this to anyone. You shouldn’t even discuss this with each other for fear of being overheard.”

  “Why?” Elisa asked.

  “If the wrong person hears you speak of this, it would be dangerous for you,” Allister told her.

  “You mean if the person happens to be another Eternal,” Trish stated.

  “Yes, touching Britt and bringing her back to life is forbidden in our world. She and my family are in danger because of my actions and now, unfortunately, so are you.”

  Elisa and Cassie stood up next to Trish, all three sharing the same shell-shocked expression from the information they struggled to process. They walked down the steps, entranced, as they moved to the Jeep.

  Cassie turned back to where we stood on the porch and then took a few steps closer. “Does being an Eternal mean you don’t age?” she asked. Trish and Elisa walked back to hear our answer.

  “We do age.” Allister nodded. “But we age much more slowly.”

  “How much slower?” Trish asked.

  “About ten times slower, give or take,” Allister replied.

  “So if you say you’re eighteen, then you’re …a hundred and eighty?” Elisa calculated, her eyes opening wide.

  “Around there,” Allister agreed with a brief head nod.

  “Wow,” Cassie gasped.

  “Remember to come over and study with me for history.” Trish gave a feeble smirk.

  “We’d better go.” Allister took my hand.

  I looked blankly down at our hands and then back to him. He let go as his eyes dropped from my gaze. I hadn’t forgiven him for changing me and putting all of us in danger, not just yet.

  We walked to the car as the girls drove off in the Jeep. Allister opened my door and I slid inside. He climbed in and started the engine, looking at me, the shame visible in his expression as well as his posture. We drove to my house without a word, each lost in thought, or at least I was. I got out, not giving him a chance to open my door and he stood, looking awkward as I shut the door behind me.

  “I’ll check on you later,” he said.

  “Call before you do and I’ll meet you in the shed.”

  He nodded and I walked to the house, feeling his eyes on my back as I closed the door behind me. I leaned against the closed door, exhaling heavily. What do I do now?

  I excused myself from supper, which they held even though I asked them not to, telling my parents I ate too much at the party and wanted to go to bed early. I didn’t tell a total lie, I did want to go to bed early, feeling the strangest urge to try and dream of Kendal hoping to find him and end this quickly.

  I got to my room and closed the door, sitting down heavily on my bed. My hand dropped between my legs and brushed the edge of the mattress and box spring, hitting the notebook I kept there with the names and descriptions of the people I needed to heal. I opened the book and looked at the last name I penciled in at the top that no longer needed my powers. Mr. Kingsley. He should have been my next happy ending, instead, he was the latest victim of the psycho I now took walks with in my dreams. My phone buzzed and I looked to see Allister’s name flashed on the screen.

  “Hello?”

  “Britt, can you meet me in the shed?” Allister’s tone was wary.

  “Yeah, fine,” I said, too harsh.

  I slipped down the stairs, past the living room where Mom and Dad sat reading and watching TV, and hurried across the dark backyard to the shed, shutting the door softly behind me. I didn’t bother to turn on the light. Only then did I realize I still held the notebook in my hands.

  “What’s that?” Allister asked pointing to the notebook.

  “Nothing, just a list of people I was going to heal someday.” I shrugged with indifference.

  “We spoke of this. Your powers are so new and underdeveloped; you might kill them or injure yourself.” He took the notebook from my hand and stepped to the light flowing in through the window from the streetlight. He paused at the first page and then paged through page after filled page. He glanced at me after a few pages in disbelief and then turned a few more pages before tossing the notebook onto the chair. “You need to be careful you don’t push yourself too far. It takes years to master,” he said condescendingly.

  “I’ve got it under control,” I said, a little insulted. “I healed three people with cancer a few weeks ago,” I reminded him and then pulled away.

  “Three? No wonder people were starting to get suspicious,” he fumed. “Why didn’t you just send up a flare or put up a sign?” Allister shouted.

  “You weren’t very quick at contacting me to tell me I shouldn’t,” I shot back.

  “Okay, okay, you’re right,” he said raising a calming hand and turning away to look out the window. He stared out the window in thought for a moment and then turned back, nodding. “It should be fine. We can’t heal cancer.”

  “You healed mine,” I reminded him.

  “Yes, but I changed you. Permanently healing cancer is impossible. If I hadn’t changed you into an Eternal...” Allister attempted to reason.

  “But I did heal them.”

  Allister stared at me hard for a moment then sighed, shaking his head. “If you say you did it, then you did, but that is amazing. I’m pretty advanced at healing, but I can’t heal cancer…not completely.”

  “I only healed those three that day. I tried to heal four,” I said, sadly recalling my failed attempt to heal the woman with the beaten and battered body.

  “You did three in one day?” Allister exclaimed, shocked. “I knew about the one,” he mumbled under his breath.

  “Yes,” I ignored his muttering, wanting to finish explaining, “but I couldn’t heal the fourth one and then I passed out. When I woke up, this came back.” I lifted my arm into the light and showed him the scar that returned after that failed attempt.

  “You mustn’t do that again,” Allister cautioned, his eyes troubled.

  “I understand I need to be more discreet,” I said with a nod. “I stopped healing people after you warned me.”

  “Not only that,” he added, “if you overexert yourself, it appears you bring back your mortal injuries. We don’t want you to bring back the injuries you suffered when you went over the falls.”

  “But I wasn’t injured when I went over the falls,” I pointed out.

  “Britt, you died. Your body suffered broken bones, head trauma, and internal injuries. You could not have survived those injuries even as an Eternal.”

  “You said you couldn’t die unless your heart was torn out by an Eternal.”

  “Not unless you exceed your capacity for damage trying to heal someone and then suffering mortal damage on top of it. Even we have our limits,” he paused.

  “And what? There’s more?”

  “An angel can rip out your heart and kill you too.” Allister held my stare for a minute as frust
ration and disbelief percolated to the surface and he turned away from my accusing eyes.

  “Is there anything else you conveniently forgot to tell me?” I moved closer to him as he stood with his back to me.

  “You’ve just progressed so fast with your powers and now everything is collapsing in on us. I thought I had more time. I don’t know what to do next.”

  “I don’t know what to believe anymore,” I said as my determination to be mad at him wavered. Standing this close to him, seeing him so upset I faltered. “You made this choice for me and now I need to decide if I can live with it. The way it looks right now, I don’t think I can.”

  Allister turned to me and I spun away from his hurt look.

  “We need to get past this.” Allister spoke gently to my back.

  I looked over my shoulder, the dim light from the streetlight shining on his face. “That’s pretty easy for you since you made all the decisions.”

  “Britt, don’t you see what I did actually saved your soul?”

  “But you didn’t know that would happen when you touched me.” Facing him, I pressed forward, making him take a step back. “You made the decision knowing I might have ended up a soulless monster. Now you put me in a position where my family and friends are in danger because I’m alive. I don’t know if I can forgive you for that.”

  “I understand, but the thought of losing you wasn’t an option then and isn’t an option now.” I felt the intensity of his stare even in the darkness.

  “I just don’t know what I should feel.”

  “I know I don’t want to live without you,” he said, turning to look out the window at the night.

  My feelings for Allister were undeniable, yet my guilt over the danger to my loved ones overshadowed those feelings right now. If he let me die on that riverbank, none of this would be happening. Then again, three more people might be dead or dying of cancer if I didn’t have the power and opportunity to heal them. How could something this wonderful turn into something so terrible?

  I looked at Allister, tears blurred my vision as the stress and frustration became unbearable.

  In a heartbeat, Allister had me in his arms, my head on his shoulder, my tears wetting his shirt.