by Diem, J. C.
Following the path, we walked past a pier to another park. We didn’t enter it this time and continued on until we reached the Hudson River. Turning north, we maintained a comfortable silence. There were many things that I wanted to say to Nathan that I couldn’t. I was pretty sure he was suffering from the same problem.
Buildings lined the far side of the river. They were small compared to the skyscrapers in Manhattan. Our path curved and skirted alongside a museum with gray walls. Seeing a small stand of trees just ahead, I was surprised to see so much greenery. The trees still had their leaves attached. They appeared to be pines of some sort, so I guessed they were needles rather than leaves.
Two inhumanly handsome men were standing beneath the trees. From their expressions, they were having an intense conversation. Nudging Nathan in the side, I nodded towards them. “I think they’re angels,” I said at his enquiring glance. “Do you know them?”
He studied them and shook his head. “They do not look familiar.” That didn’t mean they weren’t his kin. Anyone could be possessing the vessels. He wouldn’t know who it was unless they introduced themselves.
They hadn’t noticed us yet. Even if they did see us, Nathan would just look like a normal human to them rather than a celestial being. The pair were now arguing and didn’t notice it when thirteen figures appeared behind them. Scarlet light emanated from their hideous faces, giving away who and what they were.
Weapons appeared in the hands of two of the demons. Two others drew slender, clear bottles from beneath their robes. The rest descended on the unwitting angels and grasped hold of them.
Nathan took a step forward, but I caught his hand before he could go to their aid. He was badly outnumbered and something told me these weren’t ordinary lesser demons. They were something far worse.
Instead of daggers or swords, their weapons of choice looked a lot like scalpels. Hands were clapped over the angels’ mouths to muffle their screams of fear and outrage. Their clothes were torn open to expose their chests. Their screams turned to pleading, but were ignored. The demonic surgeons sliced through their flesh to reach their hearts. Then the two holding the bottles stepped forward. Bright white light spilled out of the opening and was drawn into the bottles.
The angels screamed in desolation and loss as their holy essence was stolen from them. They sagged to their knees when their vessels became empty of grace. Blood flowed from their deep, jagged wounds. They would die if they didn’t receive medical attention immediately. Right on cue, their heads were tilted backwards and the scalpels were drawn across their throats.
Leaving the bodies to slump to the ground, the demons unceremoniously disappeared. Appalled that his kin had been destroyed right in front of him, Nathan left my side and appeared next to the bodies. He hunkered down beside them and put his hand on their foreheads. He shook his head in sorrow when he realized that he couldn’t save them. What had been left of the angels had died along with their vessels. Their essence would live on, but the demons had trapped them in vials. We still had no idea why they were collecting them.
I raced over to offer Nathan some support and stumbled to a stop when I saw their faces. I’d thought they would revert back to their human guises when they died, but they were still inhumanly handsome.
Seeing the slices in their flesh up close, my hand went to the scar that marred my chest. It was the same type of wound that my mother had received that I hadn’t even known about until after she’d died. For a long moment, I teetered on the edge of an epiphany. Then I fell over the edge into a realization that I could never come back from; my mother had once been an angel.
With the truth now evident, I couldn’t believe that I hadn’t seen it before. It was no wonder Sophia reminded me so much of my mom. They’d suffered exactly the same type of loss. Both had lost their grace and had been permanently trapped inside their human vessels.
Selfishly relieved that Nathan was lost in mourning, I turned away so he couldn’t see my expression. Shock coursed through me and my mind was scrambling for an explanation. Questions wanted to spill out of me, but I kept them shut tightly inside.
My guardian had been there the night my mother had died and he hadn’t saved her. I now wondered if he’d known her before she’d ceased to be an angel, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask him. Did it even really matter? She’d had her grace taken from her and had been reduced to far less than the celestial being that she’d once been.
One question plagued me above all others. My mother had never told me who my father was. Now that I knew the truth about her origins, my old curiosity was aroused again. She must have met a man and had fallen in love with him and they’d conceived me. He’d either died or had left her to fend for herself before I was born.
Sorrow for my mom almost overwhelmed me. She’d not only had to contend with losing her holy essence, she’d also been lumped with me. I felt ashamed of the grief that I’d caused her every time I’d been rebellious. She’d deserved better and I’d failed her.
Tears welled, but I refused to let them fall. I was filled with self-pity, yet my self-loathing outweighed it. What right did I have to feel sorry for myself? It finally hit me how selfish I’d been and how I’d always put myself first. I couldn’t fathom why Fate had chosen someone as flawed as me to save humanity. How could I save the entire population of the world when I couldn’t even save the one person who had meant everything to me?
Gathering myself, I turned to see Nathan laying the bodies to rest. He wore a look of sorrowful concentration as he put his palms on their lifeless chests. They began to sink into the ground and he sank down with them. They disappeared from view then he returned alone. He held his hand out to me. I took it and laced my fingers with his. We were both filled with too much sadness to succumb to temptation this time.
He took us back to our base and I dropped his hand before Brie could unleash a scathing remark about me trying to suck his essence away again.
Sophia saw our expressions and was instantly concerned. “What has happened?”
Sam came thumping down the stairs, drawn by her alarmed tone. His hearing was just as good as an angel’s. He burst into the room and took up a spot beside Leo. They didn’t look anything alike, but their worry was nearly identical.
“We just witnessed Collectors harvesting two angels,” Nathan said. His devastation was plain to see as he sank down onto his chair.
Sophia blanched and put her hand on her heart, just like I had when I’d seen the bodies. It was an involuntary reaction to hearing the news. She would have a scar just like my mother’s. My feet were moving before I realized what I was going to do. I put my arms around her and hugged her tight. “I’m sorry,” I said hoarsely. “I’m so sorry for what they did to you.”
“Now you finally understand the danger that we face,” Brie said to my back. I didn’t need to see her expression to know it would be cold. “It is not just humans who will suffer if the demons break free from their cage. Our kind will be hunted down and harvested, just like the two poor souls that you saw being taken today.”
I flinched at her accusing tone. It felt like she was blaming me for every theft of holy essence that had ever been stolen. “I’ll find your grace,” I vowed to Sophia. I didn’t know how I’d do it, or if it was even possible, but I meant it with everything I had. “I promise that I will find a way to fix you.” Sophia stroked a hand down my hair, comforting me instead of the other way around. She didn’t say anything, probably believing it was an empty promise. I leaned back and met her eyes. “I will,” I said fiercely.
Her smile was sad. I knew she wanted to believe me, but she didn’t dare to. If I were to fail, it would be yet another disappointment that she would have to suffer through. “I believe you will try,” she said at last.
“Would you like some tea?” I asked. “I know I could use some.” I also needed a few moments to be alone.
“I’d love some, thank you.”
“Tea fixes everything,” Nath
an said so bleakly that Leo put a hand on his shoulder in comfort. That was something my mom used to say. It had never been less true than it was right at this moment.
₪₪₪
Chapter Nineteen
By the time the kettle finished boiling, I’d settled myself down enough that the tray didn’t rattle when I carried it to the table. Sam sat with his head bowed, watching the others from beneath his heavy brow. I could tell that he felt left out. He was an imp, the lowest of the low in hell. He had nothing in common with the three current and one former angel, apart from a desire to lock the demons away forever.
Pouring Sophia some tea, I filled a cup for myself then shifted my seat closer to Sam. He sent me a grateful look. The contact wasn’t for just his benefit. He wasn’t the only one who felt like an outsider. I didn’t belong here either.
“What can you tell me about the Collectors?” I asked the room in general.
We all looked at Sam, hoping he’d have an insight into the strange pack of demons. He gave a small shrug. “I have only heard of them through gossip.” That was the lesser demons’ favorite pastime, so it wasn’t a surprise. “I have heard that they have been tasked with searching for angels, but I did not know that they were stealing their essence.”
“They have to be keeping the grace somewhere,” I said. “What I’d like to know is why they’re taking it in the first place?”
“That is something we would all like to know the answer to,” Nathan said. His face was drawn, yet he was still achingly handsome. I only allowed myself fleeting glances at him to prevent myself from becoming ensnared by his beauty.
“You don’t have a book about them in your library?” I asked Sophia.
“I am afraid not. Most of the books were written by humans who were beneath the influence of angels. I do not have any books that were written by demons.”
“You should not be wasting your time worrying about stolen grace,” Brie said. Nathan flicked her a glance that bordered on being annoyed. It seemed I wasn’t the only one who found her attitude to be abrasive. “Your task is to stop the gates of hell from being broken open.”
“I know,” I said crankily. “I don’t need you to remind me about it every five minutes.” I hated being told what to do. I hated it even more when the order came from a snotty little fourteen-year-old brat.
She raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “Are you certain of that? It would seem that you stray from your task far too often. Sometimes, it is necessary for you to be taught a lesson to put you back on the correct path.” Her lips curved in a small, mocking smile.
Narrowing my eyes, I knew with utter certainty that she’d tipped Hag and Orifice off and had sent them after me. I bared my teeth in a tight grin that almost made her flinch. “Believe me,” I said grimly. “I won’t be forgetting the lessons anytime soon.” I would never forget the torture that I’d received at the hands of the beings who were supposed to be holy and pure.
“Is there something going on that the rest of us do not know about?” Leo asked uneasily. Sam had slipped his hand into mine and was huddled against my side. Neither Brie nor I answered, which was answer enough. “There should not be secrets between us,” he said with a hint of anger. “How are we supposed to function as a group if we cannot be honest with each other?”
From the sly look in Brie’s eyes, she was well aware of my secret. Hag and Orifice had obviously told her about Zach. She dangled the knowledge above my head, erroneously believing that it gave her power over me. I was about to shatter her illusion that I was the malleable child that she mistakenly believed me to be.
“I’m dating someone,” I said. Profound satisfaction flowed through me when Brie’s mouth dropped open in shock at my unexpected admission. “He was my boyfriend in Denver. He moved to New York and I ran into him a few weeks ago.”
It was good to finally tell them the truth. I felt as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. It came crashing back down again when I saw the look of betrayal on Nathan’s face. He looked away from me and his entire body was tense with pain.
Leo’s mouth was open as well as he tried to articulate his confusion. “What? How?” Taking a breath, he organized his thoughts. “Perhaps you had better explain this in more detail.”
Nathan crossed his arms and stared at the wall. He was unwilling to hear the story, but he made no move to leave. Brie’s shock had turned to quiet glee at seeing everyone so put out by my news. Sophia fussed with her teacup, refusing to meet my eyes. Clearly, she wasn’t happy about this either. I was pretty sure I knew what was bothering her.
“I can see what you’re all thinking,” I said, “and no, I am not sleeping with him.” Nathan closed his eyes in relief and some of his tension seeped out. “We met by chance and we’ve had coffee together a few times.”
“You are lucky the boy did not turn you in to the police. You did flee from the scene of your mother’s death, after all,” Brie pointed out.
“Zach knows I’d never hurt my Mom,” I said as evenly as possible. It was all I could do to resist the urge to throw myself at her and throttle her into unconsciousness.
“You knew about this?” Leo said to Sam, who was the only one who hadn’t looked surprised by my bombshell. Brie’s shock had been due to me admitting to the secret.
Shrinking down into his seat, Sam nodded timidly. “I have been helping Violet to sneak off and meet with him.”
My guardian sucked in a breath and glared daggers at my best friend. “Don’t blame Sam for this,” I said sharply.
“Why did you renew your relationship with your beau?” Nathan asked. “Do you not realize how dangerous you are to him?”
I flinched at the implication that I would bring harm to my boyfriend. “His name is Zach Orion,” I reminded him. I thought I’d broken him out of the habit of using such archaic speech. “I haven’t told him anything about angels or demons. He has no idea about you guys or that I’m supposed to save the world.”
Brie was practically drenched in self-satisfaction now. “It would be selfish and stupid for you to continue seeing this boy. You should break it off with him immediately.”
“Or what?” I said flatly. “You’ll send Hagith and Orifiel to torture me again?”
Her face paled when Sam, Leo and Sophia looked at her with a mixture of accusation and horror. “I did not ask them to harm you,” she defended herself. “I merely mentioned that I was concerned that your attention may have become divided.”
In a quiet rage that I hadn’t known he was capable of, Sam launched himself across the table. His hands wrapped around her throat as he knocked her out of her chair. “You. Do. Not. Treat. Friends. That. Way!” he said, banging her head against the carpet to emphasize each word.
Leo dragged him off while his twin glared at the imp in hatred. “Violet is not my friend,” Brie spat. “She is a soulless vessel that is quickly filling with evil. Soon, she will burst and infect us all!”
My face twisted in disgust at the image her description brought to mind. I pictured my body as a balloon that grew bigger and bigger until it popped, spraying my putrefying guts everywhere. “Eww, gross,” I said in complaint then shocked her when I sniggered.
“How can you laugh at a time like this?” she said in outrage and scrambled to her feet. Any injury that she’d sustained from Sam’s attack had already healed.
“Because I’m not an emotionless robot like you,” I said. “I’m human and we tend to laugh, cry, scream and yell whenever we feel strong emotions.” My tone was as patronizing and condescending as I could possibly make it. After her declaration that I was basically a walking bag full of pus, I felt no desire to hide how I felt about her.
“I cannot believe you tattled on Violet,” Leo said. The look he gave his sister was full of disappointment. He turned his back on her and looked at me. “Did they hurt you?”
“She said they tortured her,” Sam reminded him. “Of course she was hurt!”
“It wasn’t that bad,�
� I replied, but they didn’t believe me. “I mean, it didn’t tickle, but I’m fine. No lasting damage was done.” None that I knew of anyway.
“The only lasting harm that has been done was the injury the Wraith Warrior gave you,” Brie pointed out. “Thanks to your stupidity at being drawn into yet another demon trap, it was able to pinpoint your location.”
“I guess that means I am stupid as well, since I was with Violet both times when she has become trapped,” Leo said flatly. Every time Brie opened her mouth, she dug herself into a deeper hole.
“This bickering is getting us nowhere,” Nathan said in a harsh tone. “Briathos is correct, Violet needs to break up with the boy immediately.”
I could almost feel the jealousy coming off him in waves. “That’s not going to happen,” I replied. Even when my guardian was the one giving the orders, I still didn’t like it.
“Why do you insist on seeing him?” Sophia asked. She was barely able to hide her exasperation with me.
Sam came to my rescue before I had to try to explain my reasons for not wanting to let Zach go. “She did not ask to be chosen to save the world.” His words were quietly dignified and even Brie appeared to be listening to him. “She went from being a normal teenager, to an orphan who is expected to fight the denizens of hell. Zach is the only normalcy she has in her life right now. Surely she deserves to find some happiness among the horrors that she will have to go through?”
Nathan’s face fell at the thought of me finding happiness with someone else. “Does this boy mean so much to you then?” he asked me.
I realized I was twisting my ring around and around and stopped. I gulped down my fear and nodded. “I care about him and he cares about me.”
Angels might not be able to cry, but their vessels could. I saw tears shimmering in his eyes. Then he nodded in acknowledgement of my words and disappeared.
