by A. J. Norris
She laid her head back down and closed her eyes. She was home alone with Elliott gone on task and Virgil probably off having sex somewhere with Dahlia. Amalya didn’t like her.
“Aw, look at you. Knocked up already.”
Amalya’s eyelids flipped open. She surged up into a seated position. “Oh, it’s just you. Thought you weren’t supposed to be here?”
“Thanks. Nice to see you too,” Joelle replied. “But I’m not here. Not officially anyway.”
She laid back down. “That’s not what I meant. I was hoping you were Max.”
“I have a task for you. Although, it’s unconventional.”
“Oh? Sounds intriguing. I’m listening.” Anything to stop thinking about the baby.
“You’d be doing me a solid.”
“So this would be off the record?” In other words, not an authorized task. She stared into his speckled green eyes.
“There aren’t records kept, sweetheart.”
“Smartass. Do you want me to help you or not?”
“I owe a friend.” He paused and scrunched up one side of his face. “And see, there’s this female…”
She rolled her eyes. “Just tell me, Joelle.”
“Okay, you know those amulets?”
Amalya sat up and put her feet on the carpet. “Yes. What about them?”
“Well, I kind of need you to steal one.”
“From where?” she drawled.
“A museum in Chicago.”
“Why can’t you do it?”
“Because—”
“You’re a wussy?”
“Ouch.” He slapped his hand over his chest and grimaced. “Hurt a male, why don’t you. Technically, I can’t have anything to do with it, but you’re a rebel and so I thought this would be fun for you.”
“What about this female you mentioned?”
Joelle took a deep breath. “See I screwed someone over and I want to make it right.”
“Who are we talking about?”
“Ra’zael, and his female’s name is Julia.”
“He has a task?”
“Partly yes, but Julia is the one I’m worried about messing things up. She has a choice to make and she’s struggling to do the right thing. If something drastic doesn’t happen—”
“They’ll both end up in Netherworld.”
“And you get that she has to be the one to…Raz is…is, well…”
Amalya smiled. “I get it. You’re in love with him.”
“No.” He pretended to look offended with the accusation. Amalya knew better.
“Sure about that?”
Joelle stared at the carpet and didn’t deny anything.
“I’ll tell you what, I’ll do it. But then you owe me big time.”
His face brightened. “Agreed.”
***
Amalya was more than dimly aware this wasn’t a good idea. At. All. Joelle had filled her in with all the details he knew. The amulet was located at the Field Museum in the curator, Tomas Koebel’s office for now. He didn’t know why exactly, and it didn’t matter anyway. Someone named Maurice wanted the dark amulet for himself and already had several people murdered in the process, including Julia. Ra’zael the Guardian was given the task with helping the dead girl find the Tainted trinket. What was Amalya supposed to do with the amulet after she retrieved it? Destroy it? Hm. Nothing was ever that simple. Julia’s soul was in jeopardy. Amalya had to find her, fast, and figure out how to force her hand into doing the right thing. She had a terrible plan in mind but it might just work. Ra’zael couldn’t interfere with Julia’s decision to save herself, which was what Joelle was afraid of him doing. And if she failed they both failed.
Teleporting was so much fun. Usually, other than the brief disorientation upon landing and the buzzing in the ears, it was like free falling—a weightlessness that was better than the thrill of a rollercoaster. She appeared in a hallway that looked dated, but she had no time to worry about if she had somehow transported through time. Her esophagus had a spasm and her lunch landed on the teeny tiles.
“Blech.” She smacked her lips at the bad taste. A saliva string connected her to the pile. She spat until the thing separated.
A stainless steel drinking fountain was mounted to the wall. She slurped water, alternating between spattering the bowl and rinsing her mouth out. The door opened behind her. She glanced at the man in the doorway. He moved toward her with a limp. “Are you all right?” Amalya asked.
“I should ask you the same question. Is there something I can do?”
She spat in the fountain again. “No. I’m fine. Just pregnant.”
The man stopped. “Oh. Well, I—”
“Don’t worry about it. Are you Tomas?”
“I am Mr. Koebel.”
Oh, man.
Amalya suppressed the need to roll her eyes.
“May I have a word with you? In your office?” She didn’t wait for his response and walked into his office. Tomas hesitated for a second then followed her inside, limping. The man obviously was already having a violent, confusing day. Things were about to get worse. Amalya wasn’t in the mood. She closed and locked the door behind him. “Please have a seat, Mr. Koebel.” She humored him this once.
“Okay, what can I help you—”
“Let’s cut the crap. You have an amulet in your possession with markings that could be mistaken as Druidic. They’re not. Believe me. And you’re going to give it to me. Now. Please.”
He leaned back in his chair and clasped his hands over his belly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Bull. Shit.” Amalya smiled.
“Excuse me, lady, you—”
“My name isn’t lady.”
“Sorry, ma’am, but I don’t have what you’re looking for.”
She laughed without humor. “Let me remind you what it looks like. Metal, triangles, surrounded by swirls.”
“The only jewelry items we have are square or oblong shaped not round—”
She grabbed him by his shirt. “Hand it over, or you’ll walk out of here with more than a limp. Got it?” She made her wings visible and spread them for added effect. “They’re real,” she said.
“Holy…s-s-shit.”
“You know what black wings mean don’t you?”
“N-no. W-What?”
“Push me and find out.”
“I don’t have it.” His eyes darted to the desk drawer. She released him by shoving him and the chair into the wall behind him. Tomas’ head hit hard. He blinked and his mouth hung open. “Wow,” he said while his head bobbed.
Amalya yanked the drawer open. Right on top of some museum stationary and mixed in with a container of paperclips was the dirty little bastard. She took a couple of tissues from the top of the desk, picked the amulet up, and wrapped it. No way was her skin going to come into contact with the thing.
She wheeled Tomas forward and placed his hands on the plotter. He continued to act dazed. Amalya stalked to the door and pivoted. She raised her right palm and erased his memory of the last few minutes. The last thing he’d remember was opening his door because he heard barfing sounds in the hallway.
Poof.
CHAPTER
SIXTY-ONE
Julia
Slate blue. That was the color of Raz’s eyes. Oh God, he was staring at her. Julia looked away. “Why are you staring at me like that?” She curled in her shoulders.
“Julia.” He jerked his chin in the direction of the black feather.
“Huh?” She scanned the area around her until she caught sight of the plume.
Shane splashed around the tub, his hands making squeaking noises under the water.
Raz pulled the plug. “Don’t make me punch you. Stay put,” he told him then looked at her. Julia stared back at him. She traced the outline of his features. Memorized them.
I’m sorry. Julia looked at the draining water and Shane. He had a tuft of black fine feather stuck to his face. She reached out a
nd plucked it from his chin. She stood and stepped over the lip of the tub. The feather fell from her hand.
“Ra’zael? What in Netherworld is going on here?” A dark-haired female, with black—no raven-colored—wings appeared. Startled, Julia slipped on the slick tile, her ass landing on the tub’s rim then she dropped backward onto Shane’s lap. He swore.
Raz scooted backward toward the door so quickly Julia had trouble tracking him. The look on his face wasn’t fear—no wild eyes or ashen face. His reaction was more like, don’t touch me.
“Oh relax, Guardian,” the newcomer said. “I’m not going to tell anyone if you accidently touch me. And I’m sorry about before, Elliott told me what happened.”
“What is with you angels and your touch phobia?” Julia heaved herself out of the tub. Now that she was on her feet and not in shock, she couldn’t take her eyes off the female angel’s wings.
The other female giggled. “I’m Amalya. Male angels are crazy if you haven’t noticed. There’s a lot you have to know and I’m still learning.”
Julia snorted. “Great. So they’re all like him?”
Amalya nodded. “You’re Julia.”
Julia’s eyes widened. “How did you—”
“Lucky guess.” She weaved her hand into the folds of her silky dress and pulled out a cell phone. She tapped on the screen before putting it up to her ear. Julia heard a deep male voice answer. Amalya’s face lit with a smile. “Hey, you, that’s not why I called. I need you to come to me…long story…all right…bye.” She put the cell away. “Raz, Elliott’s on his way.”
“Terrific.”
“It’s fine. He’s not going to kick your ass again.”
Julia’s mouth fell open. “Elliott’s the one who—”
“Yeah,” Amalya said. “It’s because we’re mated.”
“Oh, well that explains everything.”
“It does,” Amalya and Raz said together.
The white-haired angel appeared moments later. Julia shrank away from him. The last time she’d seen him she had jumped onto his back. The dude’s brilliant white wings made Raz’s look off-white. And they were pure white. Elliott jerked his chin in Shane’s direction. “Who’s the wet human handcuffed in the tub?”
“A murderer. Accomplice. Asshole,” Raz said.
“He’s why I called you,” Amalya said. “Can you help Raz get rid of him while I talk to Julia?”
“Anything for you, female.”
“Aw, you’re so smart,” Amalya said. Elliott winked, then pulled her close for a peck on the lips.
Okaaay. Angels were all nuts, male and female.
Elliott and Raz lifted wet Shane out of the tub. He shivered as water dripped off of him. “What’d ’ya think, my brethren, a flying lesson?” the white-haired angel asked Raz.
“Sounds good.”
“Excellent.” Elliott clapped Shane on the back so hard he pitched forward. Raz caught him before he went down. All the males shuffled out of the bathroom as Shane sobbed. Julia heard the suite door shut a couple seconds later.
“What are they going to do with him?” Julia asked.
“Oh, I don’t know, drop him off a tall building. Who cares? He’s dead anyway.”
Julia gaped at the female with an open mouth. “But I spared his life.”
“Good for you, that’s a start. Now you’re going to earn those wings.” Amalya shrugged. “Or not.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means you have a whole lot of Taint in your system. Shit gets harder to overcome every day. Not looking good. You’re still obsessed with the amulet.”
“Am not.”
“Then why are you so defensive?”
“I’m not!”
Amalya sighed. “Do you know what I am?”
“A bitch?”
“Nice. Well…okay, maybe sometimes. Anyway. Raz can’t save you. It’s your job and you’re not doing so hot. I took the liberty of doing some of your dirty work for you. And that museum curator was very helpful too.”
Julia gasped. “You have it,” she gushed.
“Had.”
Julia rushed the female and gripped her biceps. Amalya wrenched out of her grasp and Julia tumbled into the wall. The woman’s strength wasn’t something to mess with. She envied her.
“Watch it! I’m pregnant.”
“I’m sorry. I—”
“Just don’t do it again.”
Her eyes found the floor. Sorry. Another feather fluttered to her feet. Then another.
“You shouldn’t be losing your feathers like that. Keep that up and you’ll be bald.” Amalya shook her head. “Julia, you have a chance to make this right, but it’s up to you.”
A tear streaked down Julia’s cheek, dripping off her chin. “How?”
“These amulets give you a false sense of yourself. I’ve been told they affect everyone in different ways. For me, I thought everyone around me was an idiot. Every negative emotion I felt about myself was compounded. Once the cycle started, I couldn’t stop it. Even after I lost the damn thing, the crap stayed with me.”
Julia looked at her. “Did you destroy the amulet?”
“No. I hid it in Maurice’s room. Bastard almost caught me too.”
The blood drained out of Julia’s head. “What?”
“Julia!”
CHAPTER
SIXTY-TWO
Ra’zael
Far below the rooftop of the hotel at street level, police lingered behind yellow caution tape. An ambulance had taken the body of Julia’s attacker to the morgue. Raz scratched his head while he looked over the edge. He glanced at Elliott. “We just wanna drop the human from here?”
“No. No. No. Uh uh. No, you don’t,” Shane said.
“Shut up,” Elliott said. “Naw, let’s take him higher.” Both angels seized Shane—one in the front and one at his back, each grabbing an arm. They soared straight into the air. With dusk settling over the city, coupled with the clouds, their ascent was masked. Oh, and humans rarely looked heavenward. Shane screamed but a conk to the back of the head silenced him. When he woke up they were as high as they could go without the human passing out.
Raz hoped the idiot wouldn’t start hollering again. He didn’t; he smiled instead. “Are you taking me to Heaven?”
“We just told you we were going to drop you.” Elliott laughed. “Did you hear that? He thinks he could get into Arcadia.”
“Yeah. I heard.” Raz snorted. “Here’s good.”
“Now?” Elliott asked. The angels released Shane over Lake Michigan. He dropped like a missile, hands still cuffed.
Raz looped toward the lake’s choppy surface. Shane barely made a splash when he smacked the water head first.
He never resurfaced. Well, at least not in one piece.
Raz listened to the whitecaps crest and fall, the flapping of his wings, and the seagulls screeching. He skimmed the water, dipping a hand along the way. Flying was better than he remembered. Never again would he Fall. Abaddon could kiss his ass.
Look at me now, bitch.
He’d been in that prison for many Earth decades. It seemed like forever and a day.
Annoying music played nearby. Raz barrel-rolled to his back. Elliott talked on his phone above him and frowned. “Gotta get back, don’t we?”
Elliott nodded then changed direction, heading toward shore.
***
Julia
Amalya had stashed the amulet in Maurice’s room. Her amulet. She raced down the hallway. Forget teleporting. Her mind was too scattered. To her surprise, the dark-haired angel hadn’t followed her. Julia banged hard on the door.
“Open up!”
If she’d paused for a minute before running down to the asshole’s suite, she might have reconsidered her tactic. All rational thought left her mind the second Amalya told her she’d hidden the amulet in Maurice’s room. At least asking where to look would’ve been helpful. She pounded both fists on the panel.
�
�Open up, Maurice! I know you’re in there!”
I can smell you.
The door creaked open a couple of inches, the security latch still in place. A sliver of Maurice’s face filled the narrow gap. He jerked his head back when she stuck her face in his. The door slammed, almost lopping off the tip of her nose.
“You coward!” she shouted.
Raz’s words echoed in her head. You’re stronger than you know.
Julia took a deep breath. Time to put her personal karate kick into action. She backed away from the door to get a running start, jumped, and slammed into the door with both feet.
“Kiai!”
Crack! Boom!
The door hit the floor with Julia riding it like a surfboard. Maurice scooted backward on his ass, his eyes wide as saucers. “Ju-Ju-Julia?” He swallowed. “This…can’t be!”
“Well it is.” She stalked toward him, fists clenched at her sides.
“B-But Bryant k-killed you.” He backed himself against the wall.
“Yes. Thank you for that.” She willed her wings visible and flared them.
He shook his head swiftly, his body trembling. “What are you—”
“Dark angel to match my black heart.” She didn’t know what she was, but Amalya was an angel, so why not her?
“Stop!” Amalya yelled. “Julia, quit it!”
She looked at Maurice and realized that her hands were around his throat, crushing his larynx.
“What are you doing? No!” Raz was in the room now. Julia locked gazes with him for a moment. Tears glistened in his eyes.
What am I doing?
Revenge wouldn’t save her. She let go. Maurice slumped to the floor gasping and rubbing his neck. Her Guardian wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her to his chest. She went limp and sobbed in his arms. “Let go, my female. Let it all go,” he whispered in her ear.
“I’m trying.” Julia finally composed herself. “Where’s the amulet?” she asked Amalya. The other female walked across the room to the mini-bar. She dug inside the freezer compartment. Julia came over, wiping tears from beneath her eyes. Amalya peeled back the tissue covering the pendant. They stared at the stupid life destroyer.
