“What’s wrong, Lucas?” Mara said with a smirk as she stood and sauntered over to him.
Lucas stood and met her halfway. He didn’t care how freaky Mara was or how much of an ass he may look like to anyone watching. This time, she was going to get the message loud and clear.
He was inches from her. He lowered his face to hers in what could have looked like a kiss in the making, then stopped and glared into those evil, yellow eyes.
“Keep. Away. From. Me. Got it?”
Mara smiled like he’d invited her to dinner. “Why, Lucas, whatever did I do?” She batted her lashes at him.
He hated her at that moment. He hated himself, too, for allowing himself to get roped into her games again. He wanted a shower after having her hanging on him. He felt …
Unclean.
Unclean in a dark, evil way that Lucas had never experienced before. He could feel a darkness coming to life in him, clawing from his depths in an attempt to gain freedom. The feeling troubled him. He’d always felt he had to take the high road, be the nice guy, do the right thing—until now.
He moved even closer to Mara once he felt he regained control. “You haven’t seen hostile, but you’ve deserved to. Just stay away from me and anyone that has to do with me. You and I have nothing left to talk about. Understand?”
Mara just held the same shit-eating grin. “You’re breaking my heart, lover.”
Lucas chose to walk away before she had him going down another path to Weirdsville. He didn’t look back. Not while students looked back-and-forth between him and her. Not when he was approaching the locker room door. Not even when he put his hand out to open it and he heard her begin to cackle like some possessed witch—a cackle that replayed in his head all day.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
GABRIELLE ~ LOVE LOST
After Phalen left, Gabrielle went through the rest of her day at school in a daze that was occasionally interrupted by dueling feelings of sadness and anger. The competing emotions arose any time she recalled Lucas and Mara with their arms wrapped around each other. She told Nonie that she wouldn’t be joining them for lunch, using an errand as an excuse, and managed to squeak into the class she shared with Lucas just as the last bell rang. Luckily, he was already there and seated on the far side, and there was an empty seat right by the door that would allow an easy and rapid exit.
She didn’t want to talk to Lucas. Not today. Not tomorrow.
Possibly never.
She wanted to put the ridiculous feelings she thought she was developing for him behind her and focus on her task.
That’s all I want.
Even as she thought it, she knew she wasn’t being honest with herself, but she was going to keep saying it until she began to believe the words. Driving home from school, she gladly allowed her angelic ability take over. She was lost in repeating her new mantra until the car suddenly came to an abrupt halt, tires squealing in protest.
Gabrielle’s hands gripped the steering wheel so hard her knuckles turned white.
What just happened?
She looked up to see if she’d hit something. Inside a black Mercedes, with side and rear windows tinted almost as dark as the paint, was a female demon. The car faced her own, blocking it almost head on.
Mara.
And she wasn’t alone.
Gabrielle hadn’t wrecked. She hadn’t hit anyone. But she had a problem in her way.
A big one.
Sitting next to her was a face Gabrielle had never seen but knew immediately. Even with the Veil, there could be no mistaking the energy coming from the human form was Javan’s. Javan and Gabrielle stared at each other for what seemed like a very long time but was only moments. The smile across his face was not an inviting one, and there was a look in his eyes Gabrielle wasn’t accustomed to seeing. The love he once had for her seemed absent. She had often wondered if he still loved her or if there was even a remnant of what they once had shared. She felt she had her answer, and she felt the crushing realization that he was truly, thoroughly, lost to Light—and her. She didn’t hold on to any ideas that he’d ever be able to be forgiven by Yahuwah, but she wasn’t present when Javan was cast out; there had been no closure for her because she had never seen him again.
Until now.
She realized, at that moment, that she had been holding onto a small bit of hope that they could be together again, somehow. That foolish hope was now completely squashed—along with her heart.
What was I thinking? We could never be Reyahs again. I have to let him go … completely.
Before either had a chance to do anything, the car sped off.
Gabrielle didn’t attempt to move her own car for several more moments. Why had Javan appeared to her here—now? And who was Mara to him? How did she fit in to any of this? How did Lucas fit into any of this?
Gabrielle shuddered, shaken again by the knowledge that Lucas was, on some level, involved with Mara—possibly Javan. She was still going to have to find out more about what had happened to make Lucas so angry at Mara even though she’d made the decision there could be nothing between her and Lucas now—she had stopped kidding herself. The best-case scenario: her heart would be shattered. Again. The worst case: she’d become one of the Fallen.
A car horn jolted her out of her thoughts. She raised a hand in apology and drove the two blocks to her home. It made her uneasy that Javan must know exactly where she lived.
What could he want with me now?
She rushed in the house as fast as she could in front of the human eyes that might see her, not wanting to raise suspicion, dropped her things in the floor of her entry, and called to Amaziah.
It took much longer for him to arrive than Gabrielle had hoped. She spent the time waiting running through scenarios and possibilities. How deeply involved was Lucas with Javan and Mara? Ideas and images swam in different directions in her mind. They tossed and dove deep, then would resurface like a drowning victim. It left her mentally exhausted and confused—nothing made sense. When Amaziah finally did arrive, she felt like she had been trying to keep her head above water as those thoughts pulled at her legs, trying to drag her under, trying to kill some part of her she didn’t want to let die. She fell into his arms when he manifested in her living room.
“I know, Gabrielle.” Amaziah wrapped his arms around her as she wept. She tried to tell him what happened through her tears. “You don’t have to tell me anything. I’ve been in tune with your thoughts from the moment I heard you. I am also surprised he showed himself to you. Especially in that manner. You have no idea who Mara is?”
Gabrielle shook her head. “I don’t understand what he’s doing, Amaziah … what he wants. The choice to rebel against Yahuwah was his and his alone. What could make him want to contact me in any way? I don’t believe it’s because he still loves me.”
Gabrielle let go of Amaziah and frantically paced the room.
“That was not love in his eyes for me, Amaziah. It was more like contempt—maybe even loathing. What have I done to make him feel that for me? He knew when he chose the path he did that there would be nothing for us. Nothing at all. He abandoned and betrayed me at the same time he did Yahuwah. Is that not enough for him? Is he going to haunt me forever, making me always wonder when he’s going to show up again, never letting me forget? Is that what he wants? To punish me? For what?” Gabrielle fell into the large, overstuffed leather chair and pulled her knees up to her chest, resting her chin on them. Her tears had stopped and were replaced with deep deliberation. She would have to protect her heart from Javan in the future. She cared too much for him, and that was dangerous. Her love for him could cause her to make the wrong decisions or worse.
It could make me want to join him.
Javan was a weakness. Something that could be used against her. She hadn’t been truthful with herself about that until now. She hadn’t counted on it being an issue for her here on Earth. The thoughts haunted Gabrielle. Amaziah made his way to her, knelt beside the ch
air she was sitting in, and placed his hands around one of hers.
“Gabrielle, Javan will strike out at anything, and anyone, who is still in Yahuwah’s fold. You know that. You were together for a very long time, but a dark seed settled in his soul, and when it grew, it choked out any goodness or love he held within.”
Gabrielle shut her eyes tightly in hopes that it would somehow make what she felt disappear—as if it never happened.
“Trust me,” Amaziah continued, “in time, his intentions will be revealed to us. Either through his own desire to make it known to you or by an act of treason by one close to him. It may be something we can learn through our own contacts, but it isn’t anything we can be enlightened to right now. I know seeing him was deeply unsettling, but don’t allow it to distract you from your goal here. Be patient. And always remember, Gabrielle, a tortured soul can ultimately do no better than torture yours. He has embraced hate, Darkness. Nothing can break through a closed mind, not even love. If he doesn’t accept love, he cannot give it.”
Gabrielle pressed her fists to her eyes, trying to push away her thoughts. After failing to do so, she looked at her friend. His bright blue eyes searched hers to see if she was feeling better. She wasn’t. Her heartache was not going to be pushed away so easily, but she needed to move forward regardless. She didn’t have time to dwell on his betrayal.
Too much depends on what I do to let this get to me.
“Thank you, Amaziah, for being here.” She smiled although it was listless.
“And I always will be. Now, go take one of those hot showers you always speak so favorably about. Sleep. Your work can wait for you to be better rested … and focused.”
Sheridan’s face flashed through her mind. Before she could say anything, Amaziah spoke.
“I’ll deal with Sheridan. Go. Do as I’ve advised. I will wait here with Sheridan until you wake. Karma isn’t going anywhere, either. Would you like me to Ease your thoughts so you can rest?”
“Please.”
Amaziah placed his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. It only took as long as a breath, and she felt her muscles relax. Amaziah smiled his familiar, reassuring smile and disappeared into the kitchen where Sheridan was waiting. Gabrielle closed her eyes and tried, once again, to push thoughts of Javan from her mind without success. Amaziah’s use of Ease helped, but unfortunately, it didn’t take the thoughts completely away.
After a longer than normal shower, she crawled into bed and pulled the down comforter over her. The mental and emotional exhaustion seemed to settle into her human body’s bones, weighing her down so much that it pulled her into a deep sleep. Lucas’s face, as had become customary the last couple of days, was the last thing her mind saw as she gladly let dreams take her away into a world she hoped would be more peaceful than her day had been. But her dreams didn’t allow her the rest she and Amaziah had hoped for. Instead, she woke more unsettled than when she lay down to begin with.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
GABRIELLE ~ AN EDGY ANGEL
“NO, LUCAS!” Gabrielle woke from her restless sleep, hearing the sound of her own voice calling out. She was sitting up, her hand pressing against her chest, her heart racing as fast as her mind.
What did I see?
Gabrielle pulled at the human strands of her memory, trying to manipulate them into something she could make sense of. She wished she could lift the Veil before she went to sleep. All she could remember was a jumble of images—an ancient book with a symbol of a two-headed snake coiled around a very long, curved sword that became a tree at the tip; Javan, laughing wickedly, his ominous glare falling on Gabrielle and Lucas; the wings of swarms of angels, Yahuwah’s and the Fallen, fiercely fighting; Gabrielle and Javan in combat; Lucas, falling, landing on the ground far below them, lifeless.
Half premonitions were of little use to Gabrielle. She angrily went downstairs to confront Amaziah, thinking that he was the reason for her deep slumber that caused her to not remember her dreams. She found him with Sheridan, debating something again. Her voice reached them before she did.
“Amaziah! Please don’t do whatever it is you’re doing to put me into such a deep human sleep! I can’t remember half of what I am supposed to see! Would you—”
Amaziah raised a hand to Hush Gabrielle, immediately blocking her ability to speak out loud and preventing her from communicating with him telepathically. It was a power he never used on her. It infuriated Gabrielle, but she had no choice but to wait.
“Gabrielle,” Amaziah said calmly, “I have done no such thing to you. It may be an unforeseen, and unavoidable, consequence of taking human form. You know dreams are something angels never have. How can we when we never sleep? The difference in what you’ll be able to recall compared to a vision, as you can see, is vast. If this continues to be a problem, consider transforming into your Divine form and allow your human body to rest on its own without you in it. But please … calm yourself. You know I would never do anything that might upset you in this way.”
When he thought she had calmed, he raised his hand again, made a small gesture, and Gabrielle felt the restraint he’d placed on her lift.
Boy, would I like to have that trick.
“And one day, it may be given it to you. If Yahuwah sees its usefulness to do so,” Amaziah said.
“Of course, Amaziah,” Gabrielle replied, putting her hands together and resting them against the front of her body in a subtle show of respect.
Amaziah was her friend, and the closest thing she had to a human father, but she was still his subordinate. A fact she sometimes forgot. He had never told her exactly how high he ranked in the Choir of Angels, but she knew it was very high. When she’d asked him, he just said it was of little importance and went no further with the topic. He had Yahuwah’s audience whenever he desired it, though. So, regardless of what he said, he was extremely important, and trusted, by Him.
Amaziah smiled, and the heaviness of her initial mood lifted. She shook her anger off and told him what she could remember of her dream.
Amaziah listened closely to the description of the images she was able to bring back to the waking world, the crease between his brow deepening with every detail. When she finished, he walked over to the glass door that led to the deck and a small yard that ended in a thick line of trees. He stood there, quietly thinking, for a long time. Finally, he turned to face them. Curiosity and concern mingled heavily in his eyes. There was something else he held in his gaze—a deep sadness, an emotional wound that had never quite healed beginning to open again. It made her stomach turn in sympathy.
“There was a book, ancient in appearance as you described. The Book of Barabbadon. It had a symbol of the two-headed snake twisting around the blade of a long sword as you also described. I saw it thousands of years ago. Long before Yahuwah had even breathed you into existence, Gabrielle. There was an attempt by Darkness to gain power over Yahuwah. The Book was the instrument used to wage a great war between Heaven and Hell, and all the beings within them. The angels in our eternal home who were witness to it don’t speak of what happened. They would rather pretend as though the battle had never occurred at all.
“The number of casualties was terrible. So many lost those they were closest to, and their hearts still ache for them even without passing the reminders of our history down to the fledgling angels through stories. It was a somber time. A time I’ve hoped we’d never see again.”
He paused, and Gabrielle could tell he didn’t want to revisit the memory himself.
How many of those lost were angels he had been close to?
“It was ordered that the Book be destroyed. Without doubt, I have believed it had been. Now … I wonder. I have to go to Council with this information right away, Gabrielle. We’ll talk more soon.”
And he was gone.
“Gabrielle.” Sheridan showed her displeasure with her commander loudly in her tone, which was unusual. It told how she didn’t think Gabrielle deserved to hold the position sh
e had and of her feelings about being put out by having to come here every day. Gabrielle was sure envy—jealousy—had hitched a cosmic ride tonight. “Don’t you think this living as a human … thing is a bit much? And you know how Amaziah worries over you, though I don’t know why. Your decision to come here,” Sheridan paused, “it seems a bit misguided. Some of the troops are starting to talk, and I—”
“Sheridan,” Gabrielle’s tone was flat and stern, the week’s karma seeping deep into her mood past the point that she could shield anyone from it—especially Sheridan. “I don’t concern myself with what others say. I know my decision isn’t one many agreed with, including you. However, your opinion is one that I truly don’t spend my time worrying over.”
Sheridan stiffened. Even with her feeling particularly bold, she knew she had overstepped.
Gabrielle hadn’t been entirely honest about not being concerned with what was being said. It did bother her, but what troubled her more was her willingness to be less than truthful. Other than keeping the visions she had of Lucas and her attraction to him to herself, she couldn’t remember being anything but honorable with her brethren. Another side effect of her human body, she supposed.
She really did care less and less about what Sheridan thought of her, though. Gabrielle’s trust in her had been slowly eroding.
“So, what are the instructions for today’s lot?” Gabrielle asked with a bite in her tone and an upward glare at Sheridan. “Are the troops ready for their assignments?”
Even though Sheridan still held her stiff demeanor, she seemed to welcome the topic shift; she responded quickly. “Yes, the troops are ready.”
Inception Page 10
