by Lori Adams
“It’s done,” he said hoarsely. “So now you know. Sophia and I were married a week ago.”
“How is that possible?” Raph murmured.
Michael gave Katarina a pointed look as he answered. “Celeste made it possible. I felt her helping at the wedding when I was called Home. By all that’s holy, I swear to you, Celeste helped me stay with Sophia. I think she can help us now. You know her. So please, Kat, tell me how to find her.”
Katarina’s head was swimming. She stared absently at the floor, processing things. Yes, she knew Celeste. Or thought she did. None of this made sense.
“No, she wouldn’t do that,” Katarina mumbled, rubbing her forehead. “This…wasn’t supposed to happen.”
“What does that mean?” Michael demanded sharply. A bad feeling came over him. Katarina was still hiding something. He marched over and yanked her to her feet. “What does that mean?”
“Michael!” Dimitri forced himself between them.
“I want to know!” Michael shouted. His chest was heaving with blazing energy. Arms shaking. Somehow he managed to back down, but he kept his eyes tight on her.
Pastor St. James spoke up, his voice feeble against the hostility in the room. “What’s going on?”
“She’s hiding something about Sophia,” Michael accused.
The pastor pleaded with her to explain. And then Dimitri urged Katarina to tell whatever she might know. He was at a loss, the same as everyone else.
Katarina shook her head, giving in to the inevitable. “It’s not what you think, Michael. I’ve known about Sophia for a very, very long time. Well before this lifetime. What you discovered about her past life with Dante is true. Yes, her name was Lovaria then. But she’s had many names and many lives, before and after she was Lovaria. With each cycle of her life, Sophia was supposed to complete an Awakening and become a spirit walker. She had done so in the past, and she would have succeeded as Lovaria if she hadn’t fallen in love with Dante.” She paused at this because Michael flinched as though he’d been struck. He couldn’t bear to hear someone speak so causally of Sophia loving Dante. Even if she had been Lovaria at the time. Michael clutched the back of the chair and, staring at the floor, told her to go on.
“Dante manipulated Lovaria and, in the end, he lost her. But he never gave up. He swore that he would keep looking for her. Each time he found her soul, he went after it. With a vengeance. You all know the stories; we’ve been warned about Dante’s obsession for years. Only a few knew who he was really after; I doubt even his closest friends knew the whole truth. Each time Dante caught up with the soul, he and his pack would resurface to Take her. Each time, Dante got too close. Each time, he was on the verge of interrupting an Awakening. Rather than let Dante Take the soul to Hell, the girl was destroyed by some twist of fate and the soul returned to the cycle.”
Michael’s head snapped up. “But not with Sophia.”
“Yes, with Sophia, too. Remember, Michael, Dante killed Sophia in the courthouse. It was you and your brothers who drew her soul back into her body. You and your brothers were the twist of fate, this time. The only difference being that the soul returned to the same body and was not put back into the cycle.”
Michael’s mind raced back to October, when Dante had killed Sophia. Yes, he and his brothers had arrived moments too late. Yes, Sophia had gone to the Borderlands to wait for Dante. But…
He looked at his brothers now, each face reflecting a secret from the incident that they had never spoken about. Their combined effort hadn’t been enough to bring Sophia back. It had been an unspoken understanding that something or someone from a higher realm had helped them. Had it been Celeste?
Michael tried to fit the pieces together. “And what does this mean to my Sophia now?”
Katarina’s eyes flicked around the room. More secrets were simmering under the surface, secrets she had no right to divulge. But with Sophia in Hell, and no way of contacting Celeste, she was terrified of the outcome if she didn’t. Drawing in a deep breath, Katarina plunged ahead in a quavering voice.
“Sophia was always meant to be a great spiritual warrior. More so than any of you know. When Dante not only tracked her soul down again but actually killed her, Celeste became frantic. She begged me to ask the family to help Sophia. Protect her. It was Celeste’s greatest fear that Dante would interrupt the Awakening as he had so many times in the past. It was essential that Sophia complete it this time. What you don’t realize is that each incomplete cycle stores the power for the next Awakening.”
Raph’s face lit up. “That’s why she has so much spiritual energy! Sophia finally completed the Awakening and all the power from the past caught up to her.” He looked at Gabe for confirmation but his brother looked startled. He opened his mouth but didn’t speak.
“Yes,” Katarina confirmed. “You’re partially right. Sophia has all the spiritual energy from the unfulfilled past lives; but she was also born with more. She was born for something more.”
“Born for something more,” Michael repeated evenly. His eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “You’ve known all this time and didn’t tell me. When Celeste asked for our help in protecting Sophia, she’d asked all of us. And yet you didn’t ask me. You asked Milvi and Raph. You told me to stay away from her. Why, Katarina? Why were you trying to keep me from Sophia?”
She refused to back down under his hard demands. Michael was seething, but she was in the right. Hadn’t she done what was best for Celeste and Sophia?
“You were a threat, Michael. You had unnatural affection for Sophia. We all thought so. You would have interrupted her Awakening, just as Dante had done over the years.”
“Do not compare me to Dante!” Michael yelled, even though the accusation rocked him to the core. He had tried to stop Sophia. He had tried to keep her for himself. Being a spirit walker was too dangerous; he’d only wanted to protect her. My God, he had almost ruined her.
“Once I recognized your interest in her, I wanted you as far away from Sophia as possible!” Katarina shouted. “I wanted her protected from Dante and you!”
“You wanted?” Michael shouted back. “Don’t you mean Celeste?”
Katarina’s eyes fluttered with agitation, as though she’d been caught overstepping her authority. Instead of relenting, she lashed out, “You were never supposed to fall in love with Sophia!”
“Yes he was!” Gabe snapped, startling everyone. Heads swiveled around. Gabe had a hardened look of defiance for what he was about to reveal. Beside him, Uriel’s face lit up with a bright smile.
“Now we’re getting there,” Uriel said. Whatever he’d been waiting for was finally about to happen.
“What did you say?” Katarina asked Gabe.
The fog was beginning to clear for Gabe. He had been as surprised as everyone else about the news of Sophia’s past lives and her descent into Hell. That was far from what he had learned about her. Not until this moment was he sure how his discovery fit in.
“My breakthrough into Sophia’s past goes a little further back than yours,” Gabe answered. He strode around the room, tapping his lips and contemplating ways to best explain. “As you asked, Michael, I looked into Sophia’s unique connection to you, that second heartbeat. It all began during the formation process, when you were Born of Light. Sophia’s soul was also forming, receiving the light within the next cycle. As best as I can understand, the connection between you two came from a transference of sparks. Your spiritual light was supercharged due to your calling, but so was Sophia’s. In essence, you shared the same light for a brief time. The same power source.”
“Tell them what it means,” Uriel said, hyper with anticipation. The tiny bird on his finger anxiously rocked side to side.
“I’m getting there,” Gabe chided. “Anyway, as a result, you and Sophia are drawn to each other, as water is drawn to water. Or in this case, more like lightning to lightning. The first time Sophia came within range of you, the spiritual connection that had lain dormant sparked ba
ck to life—at that car accident where you described it as a jolt of electric shock. That was the second-heartbeat effect. You feel hers as she feels yours, going back to the formation process. It basically means that you and Sophia are—”
“Soul mates!” Uriel blurted out. He’d known for a while now and couldn’t hold back any longer.
Michael startled. Soul mates? Yes, of course. The depth of his love for Sophia went beyond the imagination. Hearing they were soul mates made perfect sense. But the analytical description was fascinating. He looked expectantly at Uriel, who seemed especially happy.
“I knew before anyone,” his cousin told him.
“How did you know?” he asked, and Uriel shrugged with a mischievous grin.
“You guys know how I am. It’s my nature to feel things underneath everything else. Beneath souls and lights and auras.” He ran is finger over the delicate gray feathers of his finch. “Lots of animals are monogamous, you know. Zebra finches, like this little lady, mate for life. I sensed the same connection when you and Sophia were together. It was no different to me. You know, like lovebirds.” He smiled affectionately.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Michael asked quietly, humbled by the truth. Uriel laughed lightly.
“Like you would have believed me. You wouldn’t even admit that you were jealous of Dante.”
Michael couldn’t argue with that, so he asked Gabe the next logical question. “How did you come by your information? Details about the formation process are privileged; only a Light-Maiden would know.”
Gabe grinned, savoring the rest of his news. “Sophia’s mother told me.” He paused, anticipating the next question.
“And just how would she know?” Michael asked.
“Because Celeste St. James is a Light-Maiden,” Gabe replied.
Michael’s face dropped. He whirled around to Katarina, who was glaring at Gabe. She was not surprised, only irritated that the secret was out. “Is that true?” Michael asked.
At first, Katarina refused to admit anything, but as her silence quickly confirmed the implication, she eventually nodded. “Celeste St. James is her earthly name. I cannot reveal her true name. But when you sent your brothers to find Celeste, they couldn’t because no one had heard of her by that name.”
To Michael’s surprise, this revelation was no shock to Pastor St. James. But Sophia’s father was running his hand through his hair with an exasperating frown.
“Does that mean Celeste knew that Michael and Sophia were…well, destined to be together?” he asked.
Katarina sank back into the chair with a look of utter betrayal. “I…don’t know. I was only asked to help Sophia complete her Awakening. Celeste never told me that Sophia had a soul mate, much less that it was Michael. If I had known, I would have—” Her eyes flashed to Michael, pleading for forgiveness. “I’m so sorry—”
“I understand,” Michael said. It was obvious that Katarina was doing only what she thought was best for Sophia. He couldn’t hold anything against her. “So now will you tell me how to find Celeste? She’s the only chance we have of helping Sophia.”
“Oh, Michael!” Katarina cried. “I honestly don’t know! I have no way of contacting her. I never have. As a Light-Maiden, she moves within the light; she has always found me when she’s needed me.”
“Gabe, then,” Michael said urgently. “You’ve spoken to Celeste. How did you find her?”
“I didn’t. She found me. It was just minutes after you and Sophia were married. I had been asking around for information about a Light-Maiden. No one would help me and then Celeste appeared at the Borderlands. She was…” He paused, remembering with a half-smile. “Brilliant. I mean positively glowing. It was amazing, the energy she emitted. I’d never been in the presence of a Light-Maiden before. She had hair like lightning and…well, anyway, she knew who I was. I was honored. And so I told her that you’d sent me to find information about Sophia. I remember how she thought that was particularly amusing. And then she asked me to take a walk. So we did. She told me everything. I mean about the formation process, not about Sophia’s higher calling.”
“So call her!” Pastor St. James wailed. “Do whatever you angels do and call her!”
“It’s not that simple,” Dimitri said. “We can call each other as need be, but not someone as significant as a Light-Maiden. They don’t answer to us. They are far superior in the higher realms and—”
“Then we’re back to square one!” the pastor cried, his voice cracking with emotion. He slumped into a chair and dropped his head into his hands. “We’ve got to find Sophia. We’ve got to get her out of Hell. It’s been too long.”
Katarina looked frantically at Michael. “Sophia has too much power to be trapped in Hell. If they find out…if she is reconnected with her soul, and they confine her, they’ll take her Chelsea Light. By any means. She doesn’t understand the power she can wield. We have to get her out before they take it or turn her dark. There will be no stopping the destruction if Dante controls her.”
The pastor was rocking back and forth, tearing at his hair while Katarina clarified the dangers. Finally he choked out, “Call Armaros!”
Michael caught his breath, hoping he had misunderstood. “What did you say?”
The pastor looked up, his eyes swimming in tears. “I said, call Armaros. There’s no choice left. You have to call Armaros.”
Impossible. Sophia’s father shouldn’t even know about Armaros. But all that aside, Michael had managed to marry a human without turning Grigori. The last thing he wanted to do was alert one to the fact that he’d gotten around the rules of Heaven. By the Laws of Enoch—the Grigori’s version of the bible for all things forbidden—they were required to seek out other fallen angels and bring them into their brotherhood. Michael didn’t consider himself fallen and wanted no part of them. He wanted to remain a Halo.
“How do you know about Armaros?” he asked.
“Doesn’t matter,” the pastor mumbled, unable to look Michael in the eyes.
“So why in the hell would I summon him, a known Grigori?” Michael asked tightly.
The pastor looked pained and defeated but he answered without a shred of doubt in his voice. “Because Armaros is Sophia’s real father.”
Chapter 21
Michael
It was the most incredulous idea Michael had ever heard: Armaros was Sophia’s real father. The pastor may have seemed delirious with worry at times but he couldn’t just make that up out of thin air. What’s worse, he refused to explain himself.
“Just call him!” Pastor St. James demanded for the fifth time. “We can’t wait any longer! You’re wasting time! Now, please, for Sophia’s sake, call Armaros!”
Michael turned back to his family, his gut shredded with fear. He felt physically sick. The longer that Sophia remained in Hell, the more likely she would never return.
Angels were forbidden to consort with Grigori, let alone summon one. Could he ask his entire family to jeopardize themselves for him and Sophia?
Dimitri made the first move, taking Katarina by the hand. “We’re out of options, Michael,” he said quietly. Instead of leaving, as Michael feared he would do, Dimitri turned and clutched Uriel’s hand. Uriel placed the zebra finch on his shoulder and then reached for Raph’s hand. One by one, the unspoken request was answered.
The family joined together and created a vibrant pool of energy. A circle of cerulean light hummed like an electric fence. “It will take all of us for this,” Dimitri stated, giving each one a stern look. “Stay focused. The single name of Armaros will be sufficient. Now, Pastor St. James, if you don’t mind stepping back?” The pastor retreated to watch anxiously from the doorway.
Eyes closed, Michael and his family meditated in a singular direction. The name, Armaros, repeated like a mantra in their minds. Wave upon wave of energy gathered with unifying force. The air shimmied and the lights flickered. Fire in the hearth snapped out as though all the oxygen was sucked from the room.
A piercing sound shattered the windows. Shards of glass flew across the room and hit the walls. Still, Michael and his family remained securely focused as their hair and clothing blew about. Then the house shook with tremendous force. Books, picture frames, and knickknacks danced across the fireplace mantel and end tables, everything crashing to the floor. Doors swung violently on their hinges; wind flung itself against the outside of the house. And then everything stopped. The pressure eased and the calm stretched long enough for the pastor to peer around the corner from where he’d been hiding.
A frigid breeze swirled into the room. It came not through the destroyed windows but from the center of the living room, as though a sliver of air had been cut open. It was accompanied by the sound of waves crashing against rocks. Michael and the others opened their eyes to a million tiny gray and white flecks pouring through the crevice. They came together in a towering figure and gradually took the shape of a man who was scowling down at them.
“What is the meaning of this?” Armaros thundered, his blond beard shaking and his mismatched eyes crackling with frost and fury. He came bearing a sword and held it against the family. It took a moment to recognize them, and when he did, the tension slowly eased from his eyes, but the sword stayed ready.
Michael had never met the Grigori, but had heard Sophia speak of him only in annoying complaints. Armaros had intruded on her life more than once. She’d never given more than a vague description of him, so Michael was impressed by the commanding presence and authority radiating from him. He was powerful. More so than Michael would have imagined. Grigori were known to be ruthless and unpredictable, the outcome of their survival over the centuries. They were watchful of their women and children, and deadly when crossed. With a singular allegiance to their own kind, they were despised as much as feared above and below.
