by Amy Vansant
“Okay…but did you want him dead?”
“Maybe. And other than that…Rathe is actually kind of sweet…”
New plan. Don’t dwell on the brother.
“How sweet can someone be if they’re hell-bent on destroying the world?”
“He says you’ve ruined the world and he’s going to deliver us from evil. The world will be like heaven, like the Garden of Eden.”
“The angels I work with are here to help people. I’ve seen the good they do. Rathe and his people, they’re coming to judge. They’re going to wipe out millions and millions of people. Is that what you want?”
Tyannah opened her mouth but no sound emerged. She shook her head and shrugged.
“It’s like in the Bible,” she said, her voice almost a whisper. “Armegeddon. It’s supposed to happen.”
“Maybe, but not yet. Rathe isn’t supposed to be here yet. We let him in by accident. It isn’t his time.”
“Who said that?”
“My angels. The top angel.”
“You let him in?”
“Well, not me, personally. The Angeli think they might have somehow. It was an accident.”
Tyannah, looked back into the warehouse.
“But he made me…”
Anne remembered her own transformation. She remembered little but lying on the deck of The Revenge, bleeding from her mortal wound.
“Were you dying?” she asked.
“What?”
“Were you dying and he saved you?”
“No. I… He killed me but I came back. I think. He said he did. We were fighting and then I woke up… I don’t really remember everything.”
“Would a real angel kill you? Would a real angel give power to someone like Mallory? Come on, Tyannah. You have to see it!”
The girl stared at her.
Bingo. I got her thinking now.
“What happens to me if he dies?”
“Nothing. We’ve lost Archs and none of the Sentinels have died or disappeared because of it. We’ll take you in. You were on our list, you know.”
“What list?”
“We were always going to make you a Sentinel. You were going to fight for us but he got to you first. How do you think we knew how to find you?”
Tyannah bit her lip. “I don’t know. You could be tricking me again.”
“I’m not tricking you. Please. Let me free. We’ll rid the world of Rathe and Mallory and then you can come work with me.”
“Can I live with you? I can’t go back to my house.”
“What? Sure. Sure, I have a big place.”
“In New York City?”
“Yes. I have houses in lots of places.”
“I always wanted to go to New York City…”
“And you can! Just let me free. Quickly, before Mallory comes back.”
“I don’t know…I’m afraid it’s too late.”
Dammit, girl. Just untie me!
“What do you mean too late?”
“I was lying when I told you there wasn’t anyone else here. There is. One of your angels.”
Anne tried to sit up and winced as the wire in her legs pulled.
“Who?”
“He said his name was Michael. They’re talking about you. About trading you for him.”
“Michael?” Anne jerked at her restraints. “Ty, you have to free me! We have to help Michael defeat Rathe. He’s walking into a trap!”
“Tyannah!” called a voice from behind the girl. “Come here!”
She turned and looked back toward the warehouse.
“I can’t. That’s Rathe. I have to go…”
“No! Tyannah, no!”
Anne strained at her bindings, pain shooting through her shoulders as she tried to wrench free. “Please, help me!”
“Tyannah!” roared Rathe again.
“I have to go.”
She spun on her heel and ran from the room.
“No!”
Anne strained against her bindings, her throat tightening with panic.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Tyannah ran into the main room of the warehouse to find Rathe and Mallory facing the tall, dark-haired angel. She hadn’t gotten a good look at him before running to fetch Mallory. He was handsome and impressive. She looked at Rathe. He looked like a baby next to Michael.
Maybe Anne is right.
“Go outside and keep watch,” said Mallory as she approached.
“What about Anne? She’s in a lot of pain.”
Michael’s head swiveled towards her. He was trying to remain cool, but concern flashed across his face at the mention of Anne’s discomfort.
He cares about his Sentinels.
She looked at Rathe.
Would he care if I were captured?
“Why is she in pain?” asked Michael.
Mallory stepped in front of Tyannah.
“Let the other Cherubs and Sentinels tend to Anne,” he said. His eyes were wide and angry and he twisted his expression to let her know she should play along with his lie. “They still know that if Michael makes one false move, they should kill her, right?”
Tyannah nodded.
“Good. Now go outside and keep watch.”
She avoided Michael’s eyes and slipped outside.
As soon as she closed the door behind her, she put her back against the wall and released an exaggerated sigh. It felt good to be out of the warehouse. The place was starting to feel like a dungeon.
She scanned the bluffs but didn’t see or hear anything. Her mind wandered as she strolled, dragging her fingers along the wall of the warehouse. She had a decision to make. Should she stick with the man who brought her to the dance? The boy? Or should she leave with Anne and the Angel?
She stopped, put her back against the wall and slid down into a squat.
It all felt like too much. Why couldn’t she have a normal life like other people? Why was her life one battle after the next? She’d never known her mother. Her father had been a violent bastard who resented her existence. Her half-brother, Donny, wasn’t much better. The two of them only kept her around so they had someone to do the chores. Now, finally released from them, she still felt used.
Rathe made her feel special by giving her powers. He was cute. Sometimes he was sweet, like when he’d popped out and brought her back a bouquet of Slim Jims. She’d just mentioned how she loved them and he’d gone and stolen her some. She couldn’t recall many other instances of kindness though. Mostly, he kept to himself. Maybe he’d only brought her the Slim Jims so she’d keep training. Maybe he’d simply forgotten she liked to eat and had run out in a panic, like some guy noticing the puppy’s bowl was empty.
He was nicer to her than Mallory was, but she still felt expendable. On the other hand, in a way, he was the only family she had now…did she dare throw it all away in the hope life could be better with Anne and the Angeli? Anne’s promises might be a trap to separate her from the Cherub and destroy her. She’d already admitted to trickery.
Rathe said her purpose was to kill Angeli. Wouldn’t they want her dead? Wouldn’t it be dangerous to let her live?
She wanted to cry, but couldn’t. She’d stopped crying a long time ago. Crying never changed anything. It was time to think.
She felt numb.
Rubbing her temples with her palms, she closed her eyes. This was the most important decision of her life. It could determine if she lived or died.
What do I want to be?
That’s when it hit her.
A hero.
That was it. She wanted to be a hero. A superhero, like the women on the poster hanging on her bedroom wall back home.
She’d suffered a pang of regret at leaving the poster in Pennsylvania. Those superwomen had gotten her through some tough times.
When she saw her troubles through the eyes of a comic book heroine, her choice became clear. Heroes didn’t hire people like Mallory to work for them. Heroes didn’t hunt down and kill people, even if they’d done bad things. T
hey tried to help bad people change their ways. Sometimes it seemed stupid, but they had to try.
She stood, wondering if there was another door through which she could re-enter the building. Maybe she could reach Anne without the others knowing…
She broke into a jog. She needed to make a loop around the structure and look for another way in, one Rathe and Mallory couldn’t see from the center room.
She felt lighter.
This is right!
She knew it. She was doing the right thing.
I am taking control of my life!
Running faster, she rounded the corner of the building.
That’s when she hit the wall.
It felt like a wall. An unmoving, uncaring brick wall of the sturdiest construction.
One moment she was running so fast she felt like she was flying, the next moment she was lying on the ground, her whole body shaken to the core.
No. Not now. I just made my decision!
Rattled, it took her a moment to realize someone was on top of her, holding her down and draining away her power.
Not now, please.
“Don’t!” she said before a hand clamped across her mouth.
“Sssh! Stop struggling or I’ll drain you dry!”
It was a man pinning her. She felt as though her heart would beat out of her chest. It had been stupid to run around a blind corner. Stupid. She was on guard duty. That usually meant there was something to guard against. She knew better. She’d been so excited to make her decision!
This was her reward.
“Is Anne in there?” asked the man.
She nodded as much as the pressure on her mouth would allow.
“Is she being watched?”
She opened her eyes wide and shook her head sideways and up and down.
“I don’t know what that means.”
She tried again.
“You’re telling me that question is too complicated for a yes or no answer?”
She nodded her head.
“Fine. If I take my hand off your mouth, do you promise to be quiet?”
She nodded.
“You felt me draining you, right? And you can feel that I’m a Sentinel as well? You know I can kill anyone who steps out here, Cherub or Sentinel, right?”
She paused, taking in this new information. This man was some sort of hybrid? Did that mean that someday she might become a Cherub? If that was true…maybe it would be a bad idea to help the Angeli…
She wanted to scream for so many different reasons.
Why is everything always so hard?
The man slowly removed his hand. She was so entangled in her thoughts, she didn’t notice until he spoke.
“Hello? Okay?”
“Okay,” she whispered.
“Are you Tyannah?”
“Yes. Who are you?”
“Con.”
Con. That was the name Anne called into the woods. She hadn’t been lying! But…she had been lying when she said she was lying…
Nothing was easy.
“Where is Anne?” he asked.
She wasn’t ready to say.
“What are you?”
He scowled. “What do you mean?”
“How can you drain me and be a Sentinel?”
“Oh. It’s a long story.”
“Will I turn into a Cherub some day?”
“What? No! I hope not… Why would you think that?”
“Well you’re both—”
His expression relaxed. “Oh, no. I’m different. Sentinels don’t turn into Angeli if that’s what you mean. Jaysus, for a second you had me thinking your lot was going to start spawning like rabbits.”
Tyannah laughed and the man smiled. He was handsome and he seemed nice. He had a kind face. If he hadn’t been straddling her and pinning her arms to the ground, she’d almost relax.
“So, let’s get back to business,” he said.
He sat back on her thighs and released her arms. She considered skittering away from him, but where would she go?
“The Cherub has Anne inside?”
“Yes. She’s in one of the back rooms tied up with metal wire.”
He nodded. “Okay. I’ve seen her get out of worse…”
“He ran it through her body.”
“What?”
“He ran the wire through her back and around her collarbone and stuff.”
His mouth fell open and he put his hands on his head.
“What kind of a sick bastard would do something like that?”
“Mallory. He’s another Sentinel but he’s awful. He’s the reason why I’m going to help you.”
“You’re switching sides?”
“Yes.”
“Really? Are you sure?”
She squinted at him.
“Why, are you trying to talk me out of it?”
“No! No, not at all. It’s just…I thought this would be harder.”
“Good. Can you get off me? Being pinned makes me crazy. I hate it.”
“Oh, sorry.”
Con rocked back and allowed her to move out from beneath him. She sat on the ground across from him, holding her knees to her chest.
“Just so you know, I can catch you if you run. I can fly, too.”
She shrugged. “Whatever. I’m not going anywhere. Anne said I could be a Sentinel for the Angeli instead of working for the Cherubim.”
“She did? You talked to her? How long ago?”
“Right before I came out here.”
“So she’s conscious. Good.”
“Is it true?”
“What?”
“That I can work for the Angeli? She said she would train me and I could live with her.”
Con exploded with laughter and covered his mouth with his own hands.
“Live with her? Man, she must really like you. She likes to keep to herself. Her and the dogs and Jeffrey.”
“She has dogs? Nice ones?”
“Oh yeah, nice ones. Little ones mostly and fluffy ones. All nice.”
“I like dogs. Who’s Jeffrey? Is he one of the dogs?”
Con laughed again.
“Nah, he’s like her live-in butler. He’s a good guy, but don’t tell I said so.”
A butler! She could feel her smile stretching from ear to ear.
“I think I’m making the right choice. I’m gonna go from livin’ in a warehouse with a psycho to livin’ in New York with a butler.”
“Well, you are if we can get out of here in one piece. We have to get Anne.”
They fell silent. Con looked like he was thinking, his lips pursed hard and his brow furrowed. He used a small stick to push a pebble back and forth in front of him.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“I’m thinking. I have a tendency to rush into things and I’m trying to…you know…be more thoughtful.”
“What are you thinking about?”
“Well, that’s just it. I don’t know yet. I think I need more information. What else can you tell me?”
“The wire is really tight around her. She won’t be able to get out of it and it will take a while to undo. I don’t know how we’re going to do it without Mallory or Rathe sensing us.”
Con scratched his chin. “I can maybe phase her out of it…”
“Of course, they’re distracted right now…” she added.
“By what?”
“There’s an angel in there talking to them. I think he’s trying to negotiate with them to get her back, too.”
“An angel!” He stood. “Who? Do you know?”
“Michael.”
“Why would he go right in there?” He threw his hands in the air. “I called him to come and help me and he goes right into the bad guys’ nest. Isn’t that just like that arrogant bastard. Thinks I can’t be of any help. Wants to do it all on his own. Probably showin’ off for Annie…”
“He looks big.”
Con straightened to his full height. “He’s not that big.”
>
“Taller than you I think.”
“Maybe by an inch.”
“Or two.”
“Or two. Whatever.”
He whirled on his heel and paced.
“Well…I guess it’s good he’s here. Rathe called down the thunder now. Michael’s strong, I have to give him that. Though I don’t know how good a fighter he is. We’re usually fighting his battles for him. He was pretty good in Virginia though…”
“I don’t think he’s going to get her back.”
“What? Why not?”
“Rathe promised her to Mallory.”
“What do you mean, promised her to Mallory? Like he could marry her or something?”
“No. He hurts women. He likes that she can’t die. He wants to keep her like a toy.”
“Jaysus mother Mary…”
“I know what it’s like to be hurt and I don’t want it to happen to her.”
Con looked at her. His kind eyes said everything she needed to know. That he would never hurt a girl. That he was sorry to hear she’d been hurt. She hadn’t been looking for his sympathy. The words had just jumped out of her mouth. She stood and stared into his eyes.
“Let’s go get her.”
“That’s my girl!”
He opened his arms and moved towards her. She flinched and leaned away from him. He paused.
“Hug?” he asked. She hesitated and he changed tack by raising a palm. “How about a handshake?”
She raised her hand and then, setting her jaw, moved in and gave him a quick hug. Her face felt hot and she looked away as they separated.
Con lightly clapped his hands together.
“Okay, here’s the plan. You show me the wall out here adjacent to the room she’s in. I’ll phase in, phase her out of the wires and then out of the room. Hopefully. If the coast is clear, maybe I’ll try and phase you through the wall too so we’re both in there. I don’t know how tough this Rathe guy is or how hurt Anne might be.”
“He’s not so tough. He’s smaller than I am.”
“Little guy, eh?”
“And he’s my age. Maybe younger.”
“I heard that. Good. We’ll save Anne, and then Michael and I will make short work of Mallory, and then we’ll all jump on Rathe and be home for supper. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“Hands up!” Con held up his palm. “Isn’t that what you kids call it?”
She eyeballed his hand and then grinned.
“High-five?”
