The Angel Trials- The Complete Series

by Michelle Madow

  “You wanted me to come on this date with you because you wanted my forgiveness,” I said, reminding him about his claim from earlier. He nodded, and I continued, “But showing me this house isn’t going to magically make everything better. I can’t forgive you if you never explain why you did it to me. Why you…” I paused, getting in control of myself to make sure I didn’t start crying while saying it. “Why you broke our engagement and stopped talking to me, kicking me out of your life like you never loved me at all.”

  “After everything we went through, you think I never loved you?” His eyes flashed with pain, like my words had physically hurt him.

  I was glad for it. I’d suffered so much—it was gratifying to see that he might feel some of that pain, too. “You broke our engagement and stopped talking to me.” I glared up at him. “What was I supposed to think?”

  “You’re right,” he admitted.

  “Really?” I was shocked—those were words Thomas didn’t speak often. “About which part?”

  “All of it,” he said, and I stilled, bracing myself for what was coming next. “I just thought if I broke it off quickly, it would be less painful. That you’d be able to move on faster.”

  I said nothing, since what was there to say? Admitting the truth—that I’d never moved on—was too pathetic. Instead, I stayed silent. A warm summer breeze blew up at us from the lake, and I took a deep breath, loving the familiar, earthy smell of the island. The moon was only a tiny sliver in the sky, and at this time of night so far from the city, it was easy to believe we were the only two people in the world.

  It was also easy to believe we were the people we once were. But I steered my mind from that path, not willing to let it go there.

  “I was wrong, and I see that now.” He watched me with so much sadness—like he wanted to put together the broken pieces of my heart.

  Deep down, I wished he could. But it was too late for that.

  “I’m sorry,” he added.

  “You were definitely wrong.” I crossed my arms, still unable to accept his apology. “And while it’s nice to hear you admit it, I can’t forgive you.”

  “Why not?” He spun to face me, looking angry now. “I’m doing everything I can to show you I’m sorry. I built our house. I saved your friend’s life. I told you I was wrong breaking it off the way I did. What else do you want from me?”

  The intense way he was looking at me took my breath away. But I took a step back, somehow managing to center myself.

  “Simple,” I said. “I want to know why you decided you didn’t want to marry me. And the explanation better be good.”

  Even then, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to forgive him.

  But at least it would be a start.

  17

  Sage

  “All right,” Thomas said, motioning toward the house. “Do you want to go inside?”

  He was stalling.

  But I also really wanted to see the inside of the house.

  “Only if once we get inside, you tell me why you broke off our engagement,” I said.

  Thomas nodded and led the way inside. I followed, stepping through the front door and into a foyer that looked like it was straight from a fairytale. Every bit of the decoration was traditional and ornate—the exact opposite of Thomas’s modern penthouse.

  “Wow.” I took a few more steps into the hall, letting my fingers linger on the carvings on the wooden entry table. “You really went all out on this.”

  “The designer did most of the work.” He shrugged, like it was nothing. “But it was what you said you wanted so… here it is.”

  I nodded, since it was exactly the type of decor we’d discussed that summer, when this miniature castle was a fantasy and not something I thought Thomas actually intended on building.

  Even though I was inside it right now, it was still hard to believe this was real.

  He led the way into the dining room, where the grand wooden table was set for two. “I took the liberty of having dinner ready for us when we arrived.” He reached for one of the chairs and pulled it out, motioning for me to sit. “Porterhouse steak, cooked rare, just how you like it. With mac and cheese on the side. And some creamed spinach, in case you want to attempt to be healthy.”

  “Creamed spinach isn’t healthy,” I said instantly.

  “I know.” He smiled. “But it’s the only way to get you to eat your vegetables.”

  My stomach rumbled, and I wrapped my arms around it in embarrassment. I couldn’t lie and say I wasn’t hungry even if I wanted to. Which I didn’t. It had been forever since I’d sat down to a decent meal, and my mouth was already watering at the thought of a perfect, juicy steak.

  Hopefully Thomas intended on explaining why he’d broken our engagement during dinner. Even if he didn’t, I was going to insist he did.

  But first, food.

  “There’s staff in the house?” I looked around, expecting a maid or chef to come around the corner at any moment.

  “Nope.” He smirked. “We’re the only ones here. The meal is thanks to the robotic kitchen I had installed. Make yourself comfortable, and I’ll bring everything out.”

  I sat down and placed my napkin on my lap. Of course Thomas had a robotic kitchen. I wouldn’t have expected anything else.

  He used his vampire speed to whiz between the dining room and the kitchen, bringing out a bottle of wine, a carafe of blood, and both of our meals. He poured my wine first, then poured half as much into his glass. He topped the rest of his off with blood.

  It took all of my self-control not to dig into my steak the moment he placed it in front of me. But I resisted, since I was a shifter—not a savage.

  “A toast.” He raised his wineglass in the air. “To finally being reunited after all these years.”

  “How about a toast to you telling me why you broke our engagement and ignored me for all these years?” I sat back and crossed my arms. If he thought I was going to forget he owed me an explanation because he had my favorite meal waiting, he had another thing coming.

  “I thought we might enjoy our dinner first,” he said.

  “You thought wrong.” I took a sip of the wine—delicious, of course—and set it down. Then I picked up my utensils and began cutting into my steak. “Start talking. Now.”

  He also sipped his wine, looking contemplative as he stared into the glass.

  I dug into my steak, determined not to speak again until he offered me an explanation. It oozed with blood, just how I liked it. Delicious. I was more than happy to devour it until Thomas decided to speak. So that was exactly what I did.

  Finally, he placed his wineglass down and began. “I loved you, Sage,” he said. “I still do. I wanted to marry you more than anything. But marrying you would be selfish. You were so young—you still are. It was my job to be the adult and make the responsible decision to let you go.”

  I finished chewing, placed my utensils down, and blinked away tears. “I don’t understand.” I said, trying to swallow down my sadness with another sip of wine. “I loved you. According to what you said just now, you loved me. So why would marrying me be selfish?”

  “Because you’re a shifter.” His voice raised, and he watched me with such intensity that I could barely move. “I’m a vampire. I know you want to believe that love conquers all, but in real life it doesn’t work like that. There are too many differences between our species for marriage to ever work with us.

  “There aren’t.” I glared at him, anger blazing in my chest.

  “There are,” he insisted.

  “Is this about you being immortal?” I asked. “Because you said you didn’t care about that. You said you loved me no matter what, and that my physical age didn’t matter.”

  “I meant it,” he said. “While that difference would certainly lead to challenges as you aged, it isn’t why I ended our engagement.”

  “Then what is?” I was getting sick of him beating around the bush—he needed to be out with it already.
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br />   “Every shifter has a mate,” he said darkly. “By marrying you, I’d be stealing you of yours.”

  “You wouldn’t be stealing me from anything,” I retorted. “You weren’t forcing me to marry you. You asked, and I said yes. It was my choice. And I chose you.”

  “You were eighteen,” he said. “You didn’t know what you wanted.”

  “I did know what I wanted.” I crossed my arms, as if holding them over my chest could stop my heart from hurting. “But even if I didn’t, it wasn’t your decision to make for me.”

  “I had just as much of a right to break the engagement as you had a right to say yes when I asked,” he said.

  “Maybe so,” I said. “But not in the way you did. Ignoring my calls, ignoring my texts, refusing to see me when I came to the hotel—you acted like you hated me. Do you have any idea how awful that made me feel?”

  “I have a bit of an idea,” he said. “I read your texts.”

  “You read them and you didn’t care.” I stared him down, daring him to contradict me.

  “You’re wrong.” He held my gaze so intensely, like he was speaking straight from his soul. “I did care. More than you’ll ever know.”

  “Then why didn’t you act like it?”

  “I already told you,” he said. “I was protecting you.”

  “Yeah, right.” I shook my head, unable to believe this. If that was protecting me, he had a very different definition of the word than I did. “If you loved me, you wouldn’t have ignored me. Then I came here for help and you manipulated me into this stupid date. I don’t know what kind of game you’re trying to play, but I’m not falling for it. Not again.”

  The words hung in the air, and we stared at each other, saying nothing.

  Apparently, we’d reached a standstill.

  “It wasn’t supposed to be like this,” he said sadly. “You were supposed to have found a mate by now. Then you would have understood why I did what I did. You probably would have even thanked me for letting you go. Because my letting you go had allowed you to find him.”

  “You might be a powerful vampire, but you’re definitely not a psychic,” I said bitterly. “Because I don’t think I have a mate. I’ve never imprinted on anyone.”

  Shock passed over his face, then doubt. “Have you tried?” he asked.

  “I tried.” I smirked, hoping what I said next hurt him. “Once I realized you weren’t going to talk to me ever again, I was more determined than ever to find my mate. I was so convinced that finding them was the only way to heal my heart that I must have kissed every shifter in the state. But it never happened. By my age, every shifter has at least imprinted on one person by now. But not me. Apparently I’m destined to be alone forever.”

  I’d hoped it would hurt him. Instead, it just sounded pathetic.

  That was me. A big, ugly ball of pathetic that repelled anyone I was ever interested in dating.

  I wished I could disappear into the floor so I wouldn’t have to look at his disappointment for a moment longer. With my food, of course. My love life might be nonexistent, but at least food was always there for me.

  “Maybe you’re not destined to imprint yet.” He sounded way more convinced about it than he had a right to, considering it was my life and not his. “Maybe you aren’t meant to find your mate until you get to Avalon.”

  I backed away from him, immediately suspicious. Because since arriving to the Bettencourt, I hadn’t spoken a word about Avalon. Neither had Noah. I wasn’t even sure if I was going to Avalon. Yes, I was helping Noah and Raven get there, but going to Avalon meant leaving my pack. I didn’t think I could do that.

  How did Thomas know about Avalon? Could he have motives in bringing me here that went beyond wanting my forgiveness? Could he be working with the Earth Angel… or with Azazel?

  I doubted the latter, but who knew how much he’d changed in the past few years? I certainly wasn’t the same person I was back then. Why should I expect the same from him?

  “I never mentioned Avalon,” I said cautiously, not wanting to give too much away. “What do you know about it?”

  “When I spoke with Raven privately, she told me she was heading there,” he said simply. “I figured you and Noah were going as well.”

  “Oh.” I took another bite of my food, feeling like an idiot for jumping to the conclusions I did. Of course Thomas wasn’t working with Azazel.

  He might be cold and dangerous, but he wasn’t evil. Well, what he’d done to my heart was pretty evil. But just because he’d dumped me didn’t mean he would team up with demons.

  At least, I didn’t think he would team up with demons.

  “And your journey to Avalon isn’t the most interesting thing I know.” He eyed me up, waiting for my reaction.

  I didn’t give him one. “Care to inform me what is?” I asked, even though I could tell from his tone that he was going to.

  “I have eyes everywhere, Sage,” he said. “And I know that Noah isn’t an average lone wolf. He’s the First Prophet of the Vale.”

  18

  Sage

  I froze, unsure what to say.

  The First Prophet—Noah—had played a huge part in opening the Hell Gate that had released the demons onto Earth. But he and the other shifters had been under the influence of a demon when they’d done what they did. The supernaturals that had been at the war in the Vale knew that.

  But supernaturals throughout the world weren’t as understanding. Many of them thought Noah should be killed for what he did. It was why he’d been going under the radar for so long. And even though Noah was a common enough name for male shifters, it was part of the reason why we’d originally taken to using fake names on hunts.

  “Noah can be trusted,” I told Thomas. “He’s on our side. He—more than anyone—wants to fight the demons until every last one of them has been wiped off the face of the Earth.”

  “He’s the one who released them from Hell in the first place,” Thomas said.

  “Not on purpose.” I sat straighter, determined to set him right. “He was being manipulated by a demon. He thought he was releasing the wolves’ Savior—not opening a Hell Gate.”

  “Maybe he truly did think he was releasing some mythical Savior.” Thomas took another sip of his wine, like we were having a light conversation instead of discussing the beginning of the end of the world. “But no matter how you spin it, he led packs of wolves to murder innocent vampires.”

  “The vampires of the Vale were hardly innocent,” I said, since Thomas knew this as well as anybody. “They kept humans as slaves. They turned humans into vampires against their will. The Vale was a corrupt and brutal place. Don’t say otherwise, because I know you agree. You’ve told me as much yourself.”

  “All the vampire kingdoms—except for the Haven—are corrupt and brutal places,” Thomas said. “Their kings and queens are stuck in the old ways. But that doesn’t give a bunch of evangelical wolves the right to march upon the city and murder all the vampires that live there.”

  I stared at him, feeling like I barely knew him. “When did you get to be so noble?” I asked. “Other than Mary with the Haven, you hate the way the vampire kings and queens run their kingdoms. I thought you would have been happy that Laila was taken down.”

  “Oh, I am happy that Laila was taken down.” He raised his glass in a toast. “But the Earth Angel killed Laila before the wolves marched upon the city. The wolves had nothing to do with Queen Laila’s demise. Their attack wasn’t about wanting to hold a coup. It was about murdering all the vampires that lived in the Vale, plain and simple. And the First Prophet played a large role in that.”

  “Noah tried to stop it,” I said. “He went to Prince Jacen to make a deal with him.”

  “And how did that turn out?” Thomas raised an eyebrow, like he already knew the answer to the question.

  “But by that point, everything was already set into motion.” I spoke faster now, needing him to understand. Noah’s life depended on it.
“Noah couldn’t stop the wolves from marching upon the city—they were out of his control. But because of his deal with Prince Jacen, the citizens of the Vale had warning about what was coming. They were given the opportunity to escape. Many of them did. The ones who didn’t… well, they stayed there by choice. But Noah wanted them all to leave. He didn’t want anyone to have to die.”

  Thomas didn’t look convinced. “You speak of the First Prophet fondly,” he said, not breaking my gaze. “Are you sure you don’t have feelings for him?”

  “You mean romantic feelings?” I asked.

  “Precisely.”

  “I’m sure.” I laughed. It was tempting to remind him that I hadn’t had feelings for anyone since he’d broken my heart, but there was no need to bring that up again. “Noah’s like a brother to me. I trust him with my life.”

  “Strong words from a shifter who already has a brother and a pack,” he said. “What did the First Prophet do to earn your trust?”

  It didn’t go beyond my notice that Thomas refused to call Noah by his given name. Thomas didn’t trust Noah. Given Noah’s history, I couldn’t blame him. But Noah was currently in Thomas’s penthouse, which meant he was at Thomas’s mercy. To ensure his safety, I had to convince Thomas to trust him too.

  “I met Noah at an underground shifter bar in LA,” I started, thinking back to when I first saw him at that bar. He’d looked so sad and lonely. And haunted. I’d never forget that dark, haunted look he’d had in his eyes that night. “He told me he’d come from the Vale, so I assumed he was one of the many wolves who’d suffered in the war up north. He eventually told me that he was on a mission from the Earth Angel herself—that he had to kill ten demons and present their teeth to her to gain entrance to Avalon. He’d killed his first demon about a week earlier, but he didn’t know where to go from there. He had no money, no connections, nothing. He was living on the streets. I felt awful for him—”

  “Of course you did,” Thomas interrupted.

  “What do you mean by that?” I asked.