Lillian swallowed, knowing that it took all of Raz’s willpower to stay where he was when Micah’s hand wrapped around her upper arm so tight she was sure it would leave bruises. There was no place for pain or fear on her face, she only wanted him to see her love.
She didn’t want him to see how she was shaking inside. They had planned to fight Micah, and now she would do exactly that. The problem was they had always planned for the two of them to fight Micah. Would she even stand a chance against him on her own?
Her eyes never left Raz’s, even when giant wings rustled and the world began to blur she fought to keep them open. Her heart screamed I love you, when Micah took her away.
TWENTY-SIX
Traveling from Ireland to Alabama in what felt like the blink of an eye was quite the shock to her system. Whereas Ireland had been sunny but windy and rather cold with the threat of rain, Alabama was warm compared to that and the air held another kind of humidity.
When her brain caught up with the change, Lillian took in her surroundings. Live oaks and other trees scattered around them and the grassy ground was soft beneath her feet. The sky was still dark but like everything else touched with a hint of red announcing the hellhole nearby, and only to the east slowly starting to blush a beautiful pink as the sun began to flirt with the horizon. Wafts of silvery fog were all that was missing to turn this into a dramatic setting for their showdown.
Still, the quiet and beauty of the place tugged at Lillian’s heart and for a moment she felt as if she had traveled back in time, making her wish they could enjoy it and wouldn’t have to stain it with the sounds of battle and blood.
But blood would flow. It was inevitable.
A couple of yards away stood a giant live oak, one of those grand and branched ones that she had only ever seen in movies. God, she loved those – at least if it weren’t for her guard being tied up to it.
As far as she could tell Abby, Matt and Joshua were fine, their pride probably hurting the most judging by the anger in their eyes. Lillian wasn’t at all surprised to see five low life demons guarding them. They had something reptilian about them, with their scaly skin and sometimes jerky movements. Two of them carried shades.
Not good.
“You see them?”
Lillian didn’t know whether Micah meant her guard, or the demons or the shade, but replied with a clipped, “Yes.”
“I will let you go, but let’s make something clear first. It’s quite simple really. Behave and they’ll live. Flee or make a move against me and they’ll die. Understand?”
Did he really think she was stupid enough to believe he would let her guard go once this was over? Of course not, she knew he would kill every witness to cover his arrogant ass. Still, being restraint, either by him or by rope wouldn’t work in her favor, and so she nodded, shooting daggers at him for good measure.
Micah let her go.
“Where’s Maion?”
Micah sighed but replied. “At the safe house.”
Relief flooded her. There was a chance for him.
A sixth demon, an Ebony, had noticed their arrival and broke away from the group and walked over to them. Micah pulled a glove from somewhere and Lillian knew what was about to happen. Yep, the Ebony handed over his shade to the angel, a triumphant smirk curving his lips as his gaze traveled the length of her with unmasked hunger. Not the lewd but the bloody kind.
Micah turned towards her, his haughty voice filled with disdain and something close to exasperation. “As always I should have learned from history. If you need something done, you have to do it yourself. I should have taken care of you myself a long time ago.”
“I take it my stalker Ebony and the angel who attacked me were working for you then.”
“Unfortunately, yes.” He sighed and shook his head. “Quite the disappointment, both of them. Not to mention the embarrassment.”
Poor guy, her heart went out to him. Not.
“Anyway, let’s get this over with, shall we?”
“Sure.”
Without wasting any time and without any real elegance, Micah took a quick stance and struck. The shade would have gone straight through her, if she hadn’t summoned her sword and deflected the blow.
Sword disappearing she danced away and held up her hands as his face darkened and the demons crawled closer to her guard. “Sorry, my bad. It’s just ingrained, I guess.” Shrugging, she hoped like hell her acting would convince as she added as innocently as possible, “Going down without a fight is just not Ivory style. It goes against everything you guys taught us. So how about we do this the conventional way. You and me and our swords.” After a nod towards her guard, she said, “And they don’t get hurt.”
Her heart drummed like mad. She needed a chance to fight him without her guard being punished for it and this was the only way. When he took his sweet time, she relaxed her stance and rolled her eyes, “Oh come on, Micah. You’re a freaking angel, how much damage could I possibly do, huh?”
The sigh he expelled reminded her of an arrogant monarch who was bored enough to grant a subject’s wish just to be rid of him. “Alright, we’ll fight this out.”
“Without them getting hurt?”
“Yes.” He made a sign to the Ebony to calm down and to stay put.
Micah took his stance, and Lillian had to suppress a triumphant smile as she summoned her sword once more.
The two of them burst into action. And in that moment Lillian was actually grateful for the angel’s timing since she was dressed in her training sweats and top which now allowed her all the freedom she needed to move. Contrary to his tight suit.
Micah was quick to use the sky, attacking from above so she had to concentrate more on evading his attacks than on making her own. It wasn’t like she hadn’t expected it. He wanted to wear her down, tire her out.
It might have worked, if circumstances had been different.
As it was the angel was a little rusty after having spent the last few years, maybe even decades, in an office. He had more experience handling a pen than a shade, whereas Lillian had spent every day of the last two years fighting, training and being one with her weapon. She was young, fast and her reflexes honed.
But deluded by his angelic superiority complex Micah had forgotten to consider that an important advantage on her side. He would tire out from his aerobatics way faster than she would from dodging them. She just had to wait him out. It was the same arrogance she banked on to keep him from wiggling his way out of the fight. For him losing to her wasn’t even a possibility, so she really hoped that his pride wouldn’t allow him to use her guard as leverage against her to stop their fight once the tide turned.
Ducking another attack Lillian rolled and closed her eyes against the sand and leaves that flew up with the gust created by his wings. He couldn’t keep this up. Rolling around on the ground and getting dirty wasn’t as wearing as doing loops, even if the skin on her hands and arms burned with the scrapes and cuts she’d sustained.
In the meantime she had to do her best to help her guard.
That arrogant bastard of an angel hadn’t even made sure she wasn’t carrying any weapons before he brought her here. Her next move might just bring her close enough to her friends. It would only seem normal to seek shelter under the broad crown of the live oak.
Yes! Micah dove again, shade raised high and ready to cleave her in two, and Lillian rolled, using the movement to slip a small dagger close to Joshua. For a moment she held her breath, her heart thundering not only with exhaustion but with fear as she waited for the demons to make a move against her guard for what she had done. When nothing happened, relief was a heady pulse of new-found power and her focus was back on the angel.
Soon enough Micah’s feet touched the ground more often. Now, Lillian used her own wings to boost her jumps, and although she wasn’t able to fly just yet her wings made her far more agile and flexible.
Sweat beaded on their brows, but his face was dark and furrowed with concentr
ation.
Their swords cut through the air, flaming sword against dark shade as they began to dance on the ground. His blows were strong and hard and fast, and Lillian found herself gritting her teeth every time they vibrated through her.
Micah’s suit, once so pristine, was dirty, crumpled and in some places torn and bloodied as the angel bled from quite a few good, nasty cuts here and there. One across his thigh was deep enough to be lethal to a human, but only slowed him down. Lillian’s biggest problem was that whatever she did to him, he could survive it since the wounds were inflicted by light and didn’t weaken him nearly enough as the few bites the shade had gotten out of her.
Knowing she was getting tired and definitely too hot and feverish, as the darkness beckoned, Lillian tried another attack, but her movements had become too slow, too predictable. Micah dodged lightning fast and in a burst of rage he thrust the shade into her. At the last second Lillian managed to angle herself away so the shadows bit into her shoulder and not her chest.
Oh God, the pain.
Fire and acid burned through her blood and ate away at her flesh.
Pulling on all her strength to keep standing, she faced Micah, his face a mask of everything she considered evil and yet this man dared to call himself an angel. “I’ve had quite enough of you.”
A flaming arrow suddenly pierced his throat, making his next words come out in a garbled, blood-soaked mess. “Yeah, me too,” Abby’s voice rang out and Lillian almost sobbed with relief. “Thanks for putting on quite the show. Made those stooges of yours a little careless.”
Thump, thump. Two more arrows slammed into him turning him quickly into a pin cushion, when Micah whirled around to face his new opponents. Lillian would have laughed if she could, but her breathing was ragged, getting more and more difficult to concentrate on.
Her friends were free. A smug smile tugged at her lips as she swayed on her feed.
“Raz!”
He appeared in the blink of an eye at her side, his face going pale and his eyes filling with worry and fear and love the moment they found her. His arms instantly went around her.
A smile tugged at her lips, her gaze assuring him she was fine and would hold on. “Couldn’t have you complaining we didn’t leave you some of the cake.”
He chuckled, his eyes sparking with pride despite the worry there. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
Her guard rushed to her side the moment Raz charged Micah, who was still on his feet and pulling the arrows out of his body as if they were nothing but flies.
The angels met, swords clashing.
Lillian swayed and almost dropped to the ground, but Joshua caught her in time. “Shit, Lillian. We need to brand those cuts.”
She knew. Her body didn’t fear the fire of Joshua’s dagger, would welcome it instead like a balm, but her mind and heart couldn’t let go as easily. Even as they slid her gently to the ground and ripped the last shreds of her shirt, she couldn’t take her eyes of Raz.
God, they were so strong, Lillian thought as she watched, her field of vision shrinking so she had to will her eyes to focus on the fighting angels. However Micah was wounded and tired, whereas Raz was pumped for a fight and fueled by rage.
Lillian almost felt pity for the losing angel especially when he fell to his knees, holding his stomach, his wings dragging in the dirt. But pity was lost on him.
The moment Raz was close enough, Micah’s head shot up, his face an ugly mask of hatred and triumph. The hungry shadows reached for Raz and Lillian’s heart stopped in her chest.
In a fantastic move that was nothing but a blur, Raz blocked the attack with such a hard blow that Micah lost his hold of the shade. It flew out of his hand, dropping to the ground and writhing there like a lost soul.
No. Her protest got lost in a croak, leaving her with no other option then to watch in horror as Raz bent down. Lillian saw the pain in his eyes the moment his hand wrapped around the hilt. White-hot, like fire, she could imagine the pain engulfing his entire arm, quickly numbing it. The roaring in her head was deafening and for a moment she didn’t know whether it came from the blood rushing in her head or maybe from Raz. No, it was Micah.
The angel had tried to reach the shade at the same time, but he was too slow, exhaustion and his wounds finally getting the better of him.
Raz’s jaw was clenched and his whole body tensed against the enemy writhing in his palm, but his movements were strong and determined as he raised the shadow blade and struck. Right through the heart.
And the deafening silence of Micah’s death was the last thing she heard before Joshua pressed his flaming dagger to her shoulder.
She came to on Raz’s lap, cradled in his arms. The most perfect place to be. Her eyes still closed she breathed him in. He was alive. They were alive.
“You did it,” she whispered against his neck.
A bandaged hand came up to lift her chin. His dimple flashed and gray eyes, so brilliant with love and relief, glanced down at her. “We did it.”
Raz bent down and gave her the softest kiss, before pulling back. “How do you feel?”
“Better.” Her body was throbbing all over and yet it wasn’t a lie. The dull pain from the branding was a piece of cake compared to the shade-induced fever and agony. She took her hand in his, softly tracing the bandage with her fingers. “You?”
“Nothing to worry about. Going to be fine.”
She was afraid to ask, her heart already dreading the answer. “Why didn’t you go to heaven to heal?”
His eyes told her all she needed to know. “I can’t.”
There it was. What they had feared all along. He was banned from heaven, because of their love.
Lillian swallowed and had to bite her lip to keep her tears from falling. Raz, knowing her all too well, brought her face to his. His kiss was gentle, a reminder of promises made. “Heaven is with you. Don’t forget that.”
Nodding Lillian tried to be strong, for him, for them.
Looking around she found her friends in various positions sitting or lying on the grass much like Raz did. “And you guys?”
“Same here. Just scratches,” Matt assured her with a smile.
Joshua shook his head. “Can’t believe we survived it.”
“Neither can I, to be honest.”
All their heads snapped towards the unfamiliar voice.
“What’s the kid doing here?” Abby asked and even more frowns and worried glances got thrown around.
Matt looked at her as if she had gone crazy. “What kid? I only see an old man.”
Okay. “Apparently we all see something different.”
Untangling herself from Raz who had tensed up beneath her, Lillian got up, never taking her eyes off the young man leaning against a tree, arms crossed over his chest while he watched them.
There was something eerily familiar about him and curiosity flared, nagging her mind to come up with an answer. Narrowing her eyes at the stranger, Lillian asked, “Who are you?”
He shrugged. “Most people call me God.”
Yeah, well. The silence that echoed was long.
Lillian had to try twice to get her voice going again. “God?”
The guy pushed away from the tree and walked over, his hands in his pockets, as if it was just another stroll in the park. His tousled brown hair got caught in the breeze and green eyes twinkled with something close to mischief. “The very one.”
“You don’t seem particularly angry about…,you know,” Lillian motioned towards the spot on the soft grass where Micah’s body was now nothing but drops of dew sparkling in the sun. “How come?”
“Because he was lost and needed to be taken care of.”
A good dose of irritation joined her confusion, as she frowned. “Then why didn’t you take care of him?”
“I wanted to see whether you could do it.”
Raz didn’t look much happier than she felt as his eyes darkened. “She could have died. They all could have.
”
“Oh, I know.” The man who was God shrugged. “But amazingly enough they didn’t.”
Was it just her or was this guy incredibly callous?
She had never believed in God, even as an Ivory, which should seem ridiculous but was the simple truth. What she did believe in was…goodness, the kindness of the heart. Seeing that heaven and God, the one place that should have those qualities in abandon, had little of it, was another kick to the gut.
“What will happen to us now? You here to punish us for what we did?” Already imagining the worst, Lillian continued, “If so, then I want one thing to be very clear, my guard had nothing to do with this and were only used by...”
God held up a hand to stop her flood of words. “Jeez, calm down. I won’t kill any of you. You destroyed the rule book. My map.” And then he flashed them an eager smile, like a kid right before unwrapping his gifts. “Now, we improvise.”
“Improvise?” Lillian knew she sounded like a parrot but her brain had quite some trouble catching up, not to mention grasping the fact that she was face to face with God.
“Worlds change, games change, rules change. Change is everything. It’s evolution. The humans unconsciously know that perfectly well. Look at today’s society, what was once unacceptable is now ordinary.”
Abby took a step forward, frowning and fists clenched at her sides and Lillian knew in that heart a world was tumbling apart. “So that’s what this is to you, a game?”
“Don’t get your panties in a bunch, Ivory.” God chuckled to himself, eyes laughing. “Always wanted to say that one. Modern human language is so…visually fascinating, don’t you think?”
Those green eyes. Where the hell had she seen him before? It took Lillian a moment to place his face, but when it finally clicked, she was even more confused than before.
He was the one from the bar, the cute guy who had asked about her car and then came out when the angel was about to kill her in the parking lot.
“You’re him. The guy from the bar, who saved my life.” A crease forming between her brows, Lillian cocked her head, curious and at a loss at the same time. “Was that you? Did you save me? Are you him? Or do you just appear to be him?”
Ivory Guard Page 23
