Her face fell. “You’re kidding me.”
“I wish I were.”
Abby shook her head like a willful child, “No. I don’t believe it. That’s not like him. And especially if it concerns you. No way. There must be something else going on here and we will find out what it is. You can count on us, Lil.”
“Thanks, Abbs.”
Trying to lighten the mood again, Abby added with a wink, “In the meantime we can teach him that running away doesn’t change a thing.”
“About that. Last night, he said…he said he didn’t run away but that he left to save me. Or our souls to be exact. That not only his but also my soul would go straight to hell if we…you know.”
“Wait a sec. Are you saying…that your soul will burn in hell just because you want to be with the love of your life who happens to be an angel?” Abby looked taken aback. “Something’s seriously wrong with our world if that’s true.”
Amen to that.
Raz wasn’t certain who of the two of them tried harder to forget what had happened the night before, but he was pretty sure that neither of them succeeded. To be honest, he wasn’t able to think of anything else.
The whole evening ran in an endless loop in his mind, from the drinking to seeing her dance with Joshua and the mindless possessiveness and jealousy controlling him.
To that kiss.
Yeah, jealousy was quite an interesting feeling. It could make the greatest fool out of the brightest man. She was right of course. He had left and she had a right to do whatever the hell she wanted with other guys. However, the thought of another man’s hands on her…and all he had been able to think about was making her forget them.
And still he had pulled away. One moment he wanted to punch himself for doing it, but the next he knew it had been the right thing to do. He had pulled away, not because he didn’t want to be with Lillian – nothing could be further from the truth – or because of his wings. No, he had pulled away because the reason why he had left was still valid.
He wouldn’t be responsible for damning her soul to hell. Lillian might want to live in the here and now and say she didn’t care about the consequences, but Raz wasn’t so certain she fully grasped them. He would have to make her understand. Seeing her again had made him realize at least that much, whatever that was between them wouldn’t be ignored any longer and one way or another they would have to deal with – and he really preferred it to be his way. But for that to happen he had to make sure Lillian survived the next week. Raz had to find out whether she was the Ivory he thought her to be and what exactly happened with the angel in that parking lot.
The house was empty for now since everyone, including Sam’s guard, had taken off on what could be considered was a morning-off to explore New Orleans from a tourist’s point of view.
Except for Lillian.
He knew she was inside. Of course, when he went through the house looking for her it didn’t take him long to find her since he had only to follow his nose. The kitchen, apparently it was still one of her favorite places to hole up.
He paused in the doorway and simply watched her as time fell away and mingled with flashes of the past. Inhaling deep he nearly closed his eyes. Sweetness filled the air, honey, lemon, something fruity, and yet all he smelled was her warm vanilla scent. He had missed it like a lost limb. The thought suddenly sparked a wave of anger inside him, although he had no idea as to why or how. Sudden changes of mood still caught him off guard most of the time, and once again he had trouble figuring out the reason for it. He just knew that Lillian always screwed things up for him. His life, his once blessed lack of emotions and his wings. His decision to leave. And now the system he had been working for and living by as long as he could remember.
Cupcakes. Lillian knew she was flooding the kitchen with them but couldn’t stop herself. Baking and cooking were her comfort. Others had comfort food, she had comfort cooking. When others went for ice cream she went for recipes.
The small cakes were bright, simple and never disappointed, which was exactly what Lillian needed right now as the world around her refused to be just that. For a little while she didn’t need to think about Raz. About him coming back – as if that wasn’t enough of a shock – to accuse her of murder. About their kiss, his touch, both of which she craved despite it all. About the fact that she could fly. About how her life always seemed to change in just a blink of an eye. While she got lost in the scents and tastes, her mind was on the next icing and nothing else, and her body relaxed with the familiar movements. Lavender, one of Abby’s favorites, lemon and raspberry and poppyseed. So many possibilities.
Lillian pulled tray number three out of the oven, moved to put it on the table and nearly jumped out of her skin when she noticed Raz leaning against the wide doorjamb, looking as good as ever.
Fuck, he’d scared the hell out of her. Fortunately she didn’t make a complete fool out of herself, for instance by letting go of the tray, and managed to put it down safely.
Damn it. Okay so hearing him approach was almost impossible, but usually she could at least sense him. Now not even that? As if the sea of cupcakes around her wasn’t enough of a sign of how much she was out of it.
Stealing a glance at him to gauge his mood, she took in the strong arms crossed over his chest and then the familiar scowl. He radiated confidence and power, looking at her in accusing silence, and made her heart pick up its pace as he pushed away from the jamb and walked into the kitchen, stopping at the other side of the table. The familiar heat and tension between them bloomed, whether they wanted it or not, and sowed a lot more trouble than she had the energy to deal with right now.
“I need you to tell me everything that happened that night with the angel. And I need it to be the truth.”
As if she hadn’t been honest so far? Oh, that bastard. He couldn’t stop from pushing that dagger deeper and deeper, could he?
She didn’t look up, so as not to betray herself with her eyes, when she replied casually, “Why bother? You think I killed him anyway.”
“Damn it, Lillian. What do you expect? They found one of your feathers at the scene. You’ve got a flaming sword which consists with the wounds. I come here, find bone dust that keeps me out of the safe house.” He sighed and then added, “And I know you’ve been playing around with witchcraft. Maion told me what you did for him. Which means you getting hold of a shade really isn’t such an impossible leap.”
Feathers on the scene? Lillian shook her head and bit her lip trying to get a hold of the anger threatening to consume her. Throwing away the mittens she’d been holding in her hands she looked him directly in the eyes as she leaned forward, bracing her hands on the table between them. “You know, this is really starting to piss me off. Not only because you think I’m capable of doing it, but also because you’d think I’d do such a botched job of it. My feathers on the scene? Really? Jesus Christ, Raz, why can’t you stop seeing what’s so freaking evident and close your eyes for a second and just listen? Listen to your heart, for once. For me. And then tell me you ...”
That was as far as she got before she heard her guard stepping through the hallway and flooding into the kitchen with Becca in all her witchy and polka-dotted glory in tow. “Hey, look, who we…” Abby’s gaze ping-ponged between the two of them, probably picking up the angry, sizzling tension that had heated the room a couple degrees, before she ended with a lot less enthusiasm, “found outside.”
“What the…” Raz had his sword out and its tip to the witch’s throat so fast the movement was nothing but a blur.
Joshua took a step forward, ready to protect Becca, but even with his full height and grim expression he wasn’t a match for the furious angel about to blow inside their kitchen.
“Oh, so you welcome a witch amongst your midst but not an angel?”
Joshua shrugged. “Depends on the angel.”
For one moment Lillian didn’t know whether to laugh or throttle him but then Raz’s gaze went hard and dark,
and the only thing she cared about was Joshua’s survival.
Raz’s eyes flicked to Lillian, his voice not much more than a growl when he calmly let her know, “You’ve got exactly three seconds to explain.”
“Becca is our friend.”
Raz cocked his head, watching her closely, to see whether she was actually serious. To his utter shock she obviously was. What the hell had happened in the two years he had been gone? Was it possible for someone to change so drastically? If so, was it his fault?
Shaking his head, rather to make himself concentrate on the present problem again and not in disappointment like Lillian might think, he asked dryly, “A demon, your friend? And you’re seriously wondering why I might consider the possibility of you murdering an angel?”
“Yes, a friend. You know, someone who helps you when you need them the most, instead of tucking tail and running away.”
“If you think a demon helps you, we might need to revisit your definition of it. Tell me, how exactly did she fool you?”
“You two done?” The witch cut in. Her big eyes held a touch of amusement but it was mostly hidden behind determination. “She is standing right here and there’s a reason for it. Two actually. So how about we postpone the trip down memory lane, since I’m pretty sure you want to hear them.” Her gaze flicked to Raz, without a hint of fear, locking on him until he saw the hint of smile curving her lips. “Both of you.”
He scowled. “Why should I listen to you?”
“Because what I have to say concerns her.” She inclined her head towards Lillian.
Raz felt the muscle in his jaw tick. Those damn demons. Always going for the weak spot. Though this time it was his own damn fault for making his so freaking obvious in front of the enemy.
Well, he could always kill her afterwards. He lowered his sword, but kept it ready in his hands.
At least the demon didn’t waste any time in getting to the point as she returned her attention towards Lillian. “Your sigil isn’t working.”
What? “What?”
It was as if he wasn’t even there.
The fact that Lillian wasn’t that surprised by it, made him realize that this wasn’t exactly news to her. Lillian frowned. “Which sigil? The one on the house? Or…”
“No, the one on your wrist. Like we suspected. I managed to track down an old friend who knows more about that sort of stuff and he confirmed it.”
Raz spine went rigid at that. “What the hell?”
Not even caring to look at him the witch calmly remarked, “Keep that up, angel, and this will take longer than you’d like.”
Lillian’s eyes flicked to her guard. “The others…”
“Are fine. The sigil on the house works and the ones on their arms do too. But not yours. That’s why a certain Ebony keeps finding you. His name’s Darrick by the way.”
Raz had to admit that this was getting quite interesting but he remained suspicious. The witch was a demon after all.
“How’s that possible?”
“The sigils are made to protect Ivorys, but you aren’t one.” When stunned silence exploded around her, she hurried to add, “No, you are an Ivory but not…not a hundred percent.”
Raz burst out laughing and shook his head. “Now, you’re really starting to piss me off, demon.”
“And I don’t really care, angel.” To Lillian she said, “This will make much more sense when you know reason number two for my visit. Did you tell him?”
Lillian shook her head.
“I think you should. This is all connected.”
Raz bristled, not liking the fact that the witch knew more about Lillian than he did. And especially that Lillian seemed to trust the witch more than him. “Tell me what?”
His gaze pinned Lillian, but her eyes were avoiding his - which unsettled him more than anything else could. “Tell me what, Lillian?” His whole body was tense, his heart missing more than just a beat as dread filled him.
TWENTY-TWO
Lillian swallowed visibly before finally looking at him and admitting, “I can fly.”
“Come again?”
“I can fly and before you ask, yes, I mean more than just Ivory style.”
“Why the hell didn’t you tell me?”
Lillian scoffed. “Oh, let’s see. Maybe because you already accuse me of murder…and somehow I just knew that advertising that little tidbit in the angelic gazette wouldn’t be very healthy for me.”
Her gaze ping-ponged between Raz and Becca. Quite sick of being sucker punched, she needed and wanted answers now. “If I’m not an Ivory, what the hell am I?”
“The daughter of a human woman and an angel,” Raz insisted.
Becca countered, “You should have done your homework, angel. Her mother isn’t all human. There’s Nephilim in her.”
“Nephilim?” Raz was stunned into silence which scared the hell out of her, and so she looked at Becca for answers. She had heard that word before knew it had to do with angels but couldn’t remember it all. “Somebody tell me what that means, right now!”
Abby stepped forward, the expression on her face a mix of curiosity, foreboding and a lot of what-the-fuck and probably mirroring Lillian’s. “Nephilim are the children of the Fallen and humans.”
Becca nodded. “Apparently your mother is a descendent of one. Way back, so there’s just about a drop or so of Fallen in you, but obviously it’s enough to make you more than just an Ivory.”
Lillian looked down, not seeing the colorful cupcakes in front of her and awash in confusion. Why was finding out that she wasn’t an Ivory bothering her so much?
The first eighteen years of her life she thought she was nothing more than an ordinary human only to find out she was an Ivory. Now they were telling her she wasn’t even that. Again she was something else. What the hell was she? Neither human, nor Ivory, nor angel. Something in between. Why didn’t anyone tell her? Why didn’t they know?
Another thought pushed to the forefront: how had the Ebony known? Her head snapped up and her eyes pinned Becca. “The Ebony knew. That’s why he knew how to follow me, right?”
“I think so, yes.”
“How could he know when neither Raz nor I knew? Can a demon somehow tell?”
Becca shook her head. “No. Like I said, the Nephilim blood in you is so…diluted, barely there, it’s…unbelievable it even manages to show like that.”
Anger was taking over, pushing away the confusion. Lillian had had quite enough of her life changing on a dime. Thank you very much. Maybe it was reckless of her, but she wanted some answers and most of all, she wanted some control over her own freaking life.
“Is there a way to keep the Ebony from vanishing again once he’s found me?”
“Uhm…yeah. Sure, now that we’ve got his name.”
“What do I need to do?”
Understanding dawned in her eyes and Becca said, “Give me five minutes. I need to establish a zone of confinement. Like casting a circle but I’ll broaden it and use the whole back yard, to be on the safe side. And you need to make him bleed the moment he shows up. His blood needs to be on you. Understand? Kind of a reverse locator spell.”
“Good. Thanks. If you don’t want to be found, it’ll be better you stay inside for this once you’re done, Becca. Okay?”
Without another glance at the others she marched over to the porch door and out onto the lawn, Becca on her heels.
“Lillian? What the hell?” her guard and Raz exclaimed in unison.
Becca ran from one corner of the yard to the next, chanting and whispering under her breath, her feet soon leaving a trail of red sparks behind that fell into the grass settling into a fiery line that flamed and then vanished once the witch fell silent.
“It’s done.” Halting on the steps that lead to the porch, Becca asked, “Are you sure about this? Once he’s stuck here…”
One of them would die. “I know.”
“Remember, make him bleed on you. You’ll need his blood on your hands
, literally.”
Lillian nodded. With a sigh Becca walked up the steps.
Come on you bastard, she thought as her eyes searched the sky and surroundings. “I want to know how he knew. Get back into the house for now, all of you. I don’t want him to realize we’re expecting him.”
No one asked who she was talking about, and she was grateful when her guard did as she had asked. Raz hesitated and just stared at her with an expression on his face that she couldn’t read at all. Realizing what he must think she turned away and bit her lips as tears threatened her. Even though she didn’t kill the angel, heaven and therefore Raz now had a different and very valid reason to eliminate her. To kill her. She could fly and was a threat to heaven. She had helped and even worked with the enemy. Yes, he certainly had a reason now.
Turning her back on him, she prayed for the Ebony to show. She needed to feel herself balancing on the edge of life and death, wanted to be free and aware of her body – wanted to fight for one last time.
Lillian walked towards a couple of wild herb brushes acting as if she was just out to gather some of them, although in reality her body was tense and ready to pounce, and her heart thundering inside her chest.
Come on you bastard.
Minutes ticked by, feeling like an eternity, until she was finally rewarded and her Stalker and a group of six demons appeared in the back yard. Her sword was out and aflame before they could even blink. Summoning her wings she used them to boost her jump and then she was on him like white on rice.
The Ebony’s smile vanished the moment her sword cut his arm and then his eyes widened with realization and in horror when her hand followed, wiping at his welling blood.
Becca’s fiery circle flared, a bright red ribbon in the grass.
Lillian smirked. “Gotcha.”
Ever since her guard had proven itself, the Ebony had never fought her directly, always teasing and enjoying the show from the sidelines while his minions swarmed them. Not this time though. She wouldn’t have any of that.
“Hello Darrick. So nice of you to drop by.”
Ivory Guard Page 19
