Shattering Halos

by Sunniva Dee

  “No, no. Seven is the magic number. Seven. It doesn’t work otherwise.” She rolled her eyes, clearly bored with having to spoon-feed me. Did I mention I liked her? “It’s got to coincide with an unpunished Celestial, a bloody lunar eclipse…and some other ingredients. Doesn’t happen too often.”

  “So you’ll need the purest and kindest living souls on Earth, I’m guessing, not a pick-your-own from the top fifty list?”

  “Aw, sweetheart. I knew you were bright,” she crooned, “They’re like twinkling lights on Earth. Easy as hell to spot. Ooh, and guess what? I’m getting two of them myself!”

  “Uh-oh, bundles of joy?”

  “Geez, you think all I care about is kids?” She was a terrible actress. Her faux outrage fell flat on its belly. “But yes, I do get to pick up the little ones.”

  “As in abducting them.”

  “Whatever.” Her contented smile remained suppressed for a millisecond.

  I shook my head and considered how to collect facts without suffering through heaps of excruciatingly dull details. Females and their incessant chattering. So much, yet so little to say. Who the hell cared?

  “That’s wonderful. Who are the children?”

  “My adorable ones?” Lilith sighed, pleased. “Have you heard of Rosetta Morante, a seven-year-old from Rome who’s dying from bone cancer? She’s got an amputated leg and some more stuff going on because of the disease.”

  “And she’s being a particularly good girl, I’m guessing?”

  “Hell yes, Douma says the Heavens are crushing like crazy right now. They can’t wait for her to arrive. At the moment, she’s saved about a thousand sinners from us. She’s already pretty annoying.”

  “How’s she saving them?”

  “Oh, the usual, Catholic stuff. Offering up her suffering as payment for their sins, writing hundreds of letters to the Baby Jesus to make sure he’ll grant her wishes. Unfortunately, she’s so void of sin she pulls off every one of those pranks. The Catholic Church has already proclaimed her a Servant of God and a Venerable.”

  “Right, and she won’t know what hit her when you swoop in, I take it?” I gave the rope of peacock green hair I’d wound around my arm a violent tug. Her amused laughter rang out.

  “Exactly. After I’ve seized her, she’ll be compelled and turned into the blackest sin. Piece of cake. Soon, we’ll have the group of them converted to pure evil in one fun, restricted area, and we’ll be good to go.”

  “And the location of the fairgrounds…?”

  With her eyes glittering at me like that, I couldn’t help getting a little enthused myself.

  “Galdhopiggen, where else? Ramiel kills them, and our seven million demons spring off the shelves, ready to be unwrapped!”

  “Ah, your calculations are off.” Oh, bland. What was I, an accountant now?

  “Why?”

  “Seven million demons and seven sinners. Because of the people you slay.” In an attempt to divert Lilith from the snarky comment she was about to let slip, I grabbed her chin and sucked those lips into a charring kiss.

  “Who’s the second kid?”

  “Another girl, she’s a toddler, though.” Lilith’s eyes softened into something akin to tenderness. Very out of character.

  “Mariana Gonzalez, a two-year-old from Buenos Aires. She doesn’t speak much yet, but her heart overflows with such goodness that she’s already attracted Heaven and Hell. This baby’s in danger of ending up as a pope, a saint, whatever she wants. I can’t wait to get my hands on the little piece of candy!”

  “Sounds like fun. What’s so special with the rest of them?” Casual, conversational interest worked when you wanted to keep the ladies talking.

  “Well, number three is Jonathan Greene, fifty- year-old high school teacher working in the Bronx. Four hours of sleep is all he allows himself. With the most unpolluted of hearts, he spends all his time on charity. He takes in students who are having a rough time, volunteers at pregnancy centers, and even picks up drug addicts from the streets.”

  Lilith had gone a couple of shades paler. Since I wasn’t the sweetest creature in the stratosphere, I pulled out my acting skills to help me through the concerned stomach-patting.

  “This must be so hard for you. Who else?”

  “Number four: Adali Menckner, thirty-three-year-old, from Germany. Among the purest of the pure. Works with Doctors without Borders in Afghanistan.”

  Her face scrunched up like she was swallowing bile before she courageously continued.

  “Number five: Sherab, a monk from Tibet. The fool is ninety-three and has been one hundred percent unselfish kindness since he was three.”

  She growled with discomfort. The selfless love didn’t hurt me the way it did her. I was used to exposure to Earthlings and their random compassion.

  “Hush, gorgeous, and number six?”

  Lilith was over it, her head suddenly lolling back and forth in refusal. Her skin tone took on a sallow quality I’d never seen before, so I slid a hand between her legs in reassurance. Locating her sleek opening, I let two fingers glide in, momentarily closing my eyes at the sensation.

  Then I began the kind of comfort she responded to so well. Once her dark irises glazed over and her cheeks had that healthy, violet glow rising in them, she resumed her story between moans.

  “Davion Alexander, a seventy-three-year-old coffee worker from Jamaica. He’s the heart and soul of a charity organization called the Blue Chain Project. Thousands of poor laborers now have meaningful lives without starvation thanks to him. Obviously, he too walks around flaunting the cleanest of hearts.”

  “I’m sorry, Lilith,” I said. “Trust me. I’ll make you forget all of this.”

  “Oh really, you think you’re so special?” she mumbled.

  Her heat was getting to me, making my voice husky.

  “I’m not?”

  “Eh, you’re not too shabby.”

  “One more to go, and I’ll pay you back.”

  My other hand traced her hip, a nipple, and she jerked into my cupped palm with an un-Lilith-like whimper.

  “King Eirik VII, eighty-four years old. All he’s ever done, thought, and said has been for the good of his people. He’s about to die. When he does, he’s predestined to spark an abundance of compassion and love from his subordinates. It will ripple through Earth like we haven’t dealt with in centuries. No matter the situation, we’d do our best to stop him, so this is a great two-in-one.”

  She had goose flesh. From all the talk of kindness or from being about to shudder into another orgasm for me, I didn’t know. Either way, Lilith was positively shivering.

  I forced the bumps to vanish with a pillaging only Lilith could appreciate. Afterwards, I plummeted to the tiny town of Spring Hills.

  Chapter 26 — Heart

  Gaia

  On the second day of Christmas, the angels’ absence was getting to me. I loved the idea of relaxing with my family, but there were more pressing issues. My stress levels soared.

  I mulled over how my mom wanted Gabriel to come to dinner. When would she understand that I had no control over when he’d drop by? Being the girlfriend of an angel wasn’t always easy.

  I glanced down at my ring and smiled. The summer sky blue of the heart sparkled back at me.

  On my way down the stairs, a twinge ran through my hand. I cried out and plopped down on the step. After the initial stab, the pain dulled into an even throbbing. It seemed to originate from underneath the stone. I pulled the ring off and examined the skin beneath. It appeared even and unaffected.

  I studied the piece of jewelry itself, and my eyes widened in surprise. The aquamarine did not glitter blue anymore. Instead, it burned in a flat, charcoal gray.

  Chattering on the porch interrupted my thoughts. Luna’s happy laughter sieved through the walls. A deep, sensual voice cut in, morphing her responses into breathless laughs.

  Cassiel.

  I slid the ring back on and stomped outside. An idyllic pictu
re worthy of a small town greeting card met me. A happy, attractive couple relaxed on the porch swing, the exception from the norm being that he was oddly beautiful and she eerily young. Luna stared at him with the intense crush of a fifteen-year-old as Cassiel rocked them back and forth with one Prada shoe touching the floor.

  She had her legs tucked under her in a corner of the swing. Beside her, long spikes of hair fell in reckless disorder in front of gleaming cat eyes. Even if he couldn’t pull it off, I think his smirk aimed at gentle. Luna drank him in, undeterred by how out of this world he was. Oh yes, she was hanging onto this Fallen One’s every word!

  The anger got to me. Without thinking, I lunged at him and grabbed him by the arm.

  “You! Come here.”

  Luna looked guilty. “Hi, Gaia, I was about to show him in, but Gabriel wanted to chat for a second.”

  I froze.

  He did not just impersonate Gabriel!

  “No. No-no-no. This is not Gabriel. Cassiel is his brother and has nothing in common with him. Go inside Luna.”

  “But…”

  “No buts! I’m so not messing around right now.”

  Nobody from my family was going to be exposed to Fallen angels, especially not if she happened to be a pretty teenage girl. Luna plodded to the entrance, lips unexpectedly puckering in a smug grin. In the doorway, she turned and sent Cassiel a gaze I’d never witnessed from her before.

  “Do you have any idea how awesome you smell? Like violets and licorice?”

  What on Earth?

  When the door slammed shut behind her, I wheeled around. “Are you out of your mind? That’s my little sister you’re dazzling!”

  His stupid six-pack quaked in hilarity under the black, slim-fit tee. And damn me for even noticing that.

  “Hey, she’s a young woman. How did you think she’d react to me? I assure you—no need to dazzle.”

  Wow. The balls of this guy.

  “Bullshit. And what’s with messing with her senses? You smell nothing like flowers or candy. Is this you upping the entertainment value?”

  His forehead crinkled into a frown. It actually looked like he was giving it some thought.

  “Yeah, I’m thinking her imagination’s playing a trick on her. Haven’t heard that one before.”

  I hoped we survived this mission. If we did, I’d do everything in my power never to lay eyes on him again.

  “Why did you make her believe you’re Gabriel?”

  A mischievous smile spread across his face.

  “As a matter of fact, no introductions were made. All I did was tell her you wanted me in your bedroom, and pronto.”

  “Cassiel! Screw you and your shenanigans!”

  A strangled belly laugh rolled from him as he slinked out of the seat. He caught my hand.

  “Nice one. Christmas gift from Lover Boy?”

  The ring wiggled from side to side between his fingers as he studied the details. I sighed warily.

  “Yes. The stone was light blue when I opened the box, and now it’s gray. Weird.”

  He shot me a warning look.

  “Let’s take a walk in the backyard, shall we?”

  I nodded. Out of sight and perfect for our purpose, the pavilion sat in a secluded corner. The shrubbery had all but overpowered the dilapidated construction. Vines seemed determined to lock us out, but we wrestled our way in. Cassiel soundproofed it before sinking down next to me on the bench.

  As he made a show of “dazzling” me, I searched for the feeling of exhaustion. It’d been the saving grace at the dorm. The world depended on my abilities to convince our spectators. If I didn’t pull this off every time we met, I’d destroy everything we fought for.

  Okay, Gaia. No matter what he does, no freaking out.

  Cassiel found my lower lip with a thumb, his voice slithering past my stage fright.

  “First things first. The ring is Angelical. Its stone, the Celestial aquamarine, reacts to any Supernaturals hovering nearby. You’ll recognize the colors as you run into them. For the Fallen Ones, it seems to take on the catchy color of charcoal. Hooray.”

  “Wow, insane!”

  “Indeed.” Cassiel sounded bored. “Have you sensed a pounding from it yet?”

  “What do you mean ‘pounding?’”

  “Which answers my question. At any rate, the aqua heart will be pounding when Gabriel’s in the neighborhood.”

  “Oh, my God, that’s so awesome!”

  “Yes, yes. Awesome. Now, enough chit-chat.”

  His arm slid around my shoulder. Leaning me into a much too comfortable embrace, he brushed the hair away from my face. Without the slightest hesitation, he began to blanket my neck with searing kisses from earlobe to collarbone. I gulped.

  A low chuckle erupted from him. “You’re welcome.”

  “Shut up, Cassiel.” I tried to mask my features with a dazed expression.

  “Did the ring sting on your finger when I appeared?”

  “Yeah, it needled me.”

  “Excellent. He gave you the right kind. If you’re asleep and a Grigori comes, you’ll wake up from the pain before he crosses the threshold.”

  “Oh yeah? How many different kinds can you get at the Angel Store?” I was tittering. Stupid nerves.

  Cassiel had stopped paying attention to me. My giggle morphed into a gasp. I crinkled my lids shut, trying to recall the exhaustion. The exhaustion!

  Oh, sweet Lord, if Gabriel saw this.

  The hands of an absolute pro teased under the sweater. Ripples of shameful goose bumps rose under his fingertips as they trailed up my stomach. I hoped he didn’t notice my reaction. I stayed immobile with eyes closed to hide my rebellion from any onlookers.

  “Hmm, you like this, don’t you?”

  This is so messed up!

  The cocktail of desire and panic scared me to death. My mouth went dry as I scoured for coherent comebacks. A palm caressed its way up to my bra, leaving me hyperventilating. Did he just brush a nipple and make it pebble?

  When Cassiel’s lips arched over mine, readying themselves for the kill, I wanted to scream with anger…and with the need to throw myself at him. Suddenly, my clothing, and his clothing, seemed superfluous.

  I did the single thing I could come up with under the circumstances. Not in my wildest dreams had I thought it would be this hard to do.

  After a moment that stretched too long, I hid against his throat and slung my arms around his neck. Eliminating the space between us, I burrowed deep against his skin. I angled my mouth up to his ear. Then, under the shroud of our embrace, I stammered it out.

  “Stop now or I will tell Gabriel.”

  The pressure from him eased. Those tantalizing fingertips abandoned my breast and discreetly backed down to my abdomen. A rush of air entered my lungs.

  “Do you not understand that you’re begging for it? I’m just responding to you.” He breathed the words into my ear.

  “Cassiel, you idiot! What if any of this slips from me to Gabriel? I’m an open book to him when I’m unguarded! All he needs is a hand covering my heart. He’ll know this was you even if I wanted to protect your stupid ass. If I happen to think about your freaking seduction at the wrong, freaking time, you’ll be freaking dead! Hurry up and get on with the infiltration news already. I hate you.”

  “For being irresistible to you?”

  “Screw you.”

  He delivered the update about Mount Galdhopiggen and the seven purest souls while half-heartedly hiding his grin. The titillating love bites he gave the insides of my palms did nothing to quell my anger.

  My furious expression forced me to remain snuggled against his neck, inhaling and exhaling his warmth as he talked. What an anticlimax when all I craved was to bash his brains in. Besides sex, that was.

  Apparently, the sheer terror of the Grigorian plans, the seven humans in peril, and our race against time were just the beginning. Sure, I distrusted Cassiel in most areas. But when he worried about secrets some Lilith from
Hell wasn’t revealing, I had no reason to doubt him.

  I needed Gabriel. I missed him like crazy. What if Douma had set his claws in him again?

  Please. Come home.

  ****

  That night, the entire Samuelle family headed to the ice rink at my father’s insistence. The place brimmed with families. Dad clowned around, purposely out of rhythm with the disco music that thumped from speakers accosting the rink from all sides.

  At Luna’s age, I would have been horrified. Now his antics only drew an eye-roll from me. Luckily, Luna’s BFF Vicky came along as well. Engrossed in sending flirty side-glances to some boys from school, they paid no attention to the parental units.

  The ring stirred and shifted around my finger. I jolted to a halt, jerked my glove off, and held my hand up in front of me. It nestled tight against my skin like a living organism. Suddenly warm on its own accord, the ring seemed to…sigh? Luna slapped my butt as she passed me on the ice, and I jumped.

  The stone sparkled sky blue, reflecting the spotlights above. It pulsed with the steady beat of a calm heart, causing my own to speed up. I scanned the surroundings but didn’t see him.

  “Hey, Gaia! Everything all right?” Mom hollered as she swooshed by with a firm grasp on Dad’s mitt.

  “Yep, phone call,” I lied.

  Did this device take in every Celestial close by? Maybe it detected my stand-in protector Yofiel who’d never even showed herself. God, I hoped not.

  But there he was. He drifted toward me on skates, hurling my heart into a somersault. Through the haze of my happiness, I still recognized how out of place he looked.

  Oh, you’ve got to unplug the lightshow, baby.

  From his expression, my thoughts didn’t reach him. His absolute grace on those skates screamed unnatural, and the way his beauty shone was beyond what he should expose.

  Any moment now, people would start kneeling around us, expecting miracles to happen. I had to talk to him about it. At present though, I was busy joining the crowds in slack-jawed ogling.

  The masses and I wore winter jackets, scarves, and hats, impersonating clumsy snowmen out here. In comparison, Gabriel’s amber locks moved freely in the gusts of air as he skated toward me. So did his thin, long-sleeved white shirt and wide, matching pants.