Sabree spied Abyss at the table. Her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when he walked in. “Wait! Please stay. Where’s Ariane?” His plea stopped her from misting. She hiccupped a yelp and fainted. Her body hit the floor.
“Sabree,” Brian called after him. “They—she doesn’t know yet.”
“Know what?” Sabree carried Abyss over to the couch. “Nothing seems normal; did I lose a few days? Did I pass out? Where’s Ariane?”
“You died. I accidently dusted you. Killed you. I never meant...” Brian’s hands shot to his scalp and pulled on his hair. “Two weeks have gone by since your death. They passed before I gathered the nerve to dream up a fool-hardy scheme to bring you back.” Brian sucked in a breath after the mouthful.
Lightheaded from the news, Sabree patted himself to make sure his hand didn’t go through his body. “Am I a ghost?” The rustling sound of newspaper caught his attention. He took a step back when Brian shoved it in front of his face.
“See, it’s August 22, over two weeks.”
Inside the space-time-continuum, two minutes had become fourteen days after the day Brian dusted him. Recent memories churned inside his skull like soured butter. First, Sabree tattled on him for dusting Turian. Then Brian went ballistic when Ariane announced she was pregnant with his child. Could he blame Brian for dusting him? Sure enough, but Brian had risked all to bring him back to life. Sabree collected his dry wit. “What took you so long?”
Taken aback, Brian hugged him again. “Aye, I had to figure out how to rescue you precisely one second before I dusted you. No margin for error. Thanks to my exceptional speed, I hauled your bonny ass over my shoulder, set off the smoke bomb, and replaced the living you with your genuine ashes to make everyone think you went poof. Together, you and I time traveled into the future—our present. I did it, I cheated death.”
“At what cost?” Sabree whispered. He winced when Brian shrugged in response. “Why not relive those two weeks?”
His friend released a breath as he stared at his feet. “I wanted her to suffer.”
He knew Brian meant his sister. Strange but true, he understood. “I’m glad you cheat so well.”
“Sabree!” Ariane cried. “You cheated destiny, Brian.” Abyss joined her side. Her lips quivered into a smile.
“In the flesh,” Sabree whispered.
Ariane lunged into his arms and hugged him, planting his face with pecking kisses. While he juggled the armful, Sabree craned his head in Brian’s direction. “This has to be proof that our friendship truly exists.” He braced himself when Abyss joined in to hug him.
“Certainly does.” Brian stepped out of the way.
Sabree popped his head from the group hug and said, “Over here, Brian. You of all people should join us.”
Brian’s unfocused gaze stared beyond the threesome. A haunted look bore the guilt that plagued his soul. He snapped out of the trance and smiled sadly before he left the room.
Selfless as always, his friend let the women enjoy the moment. Sabree admired that about him.
19
SABREE 2.0
T he next morning, Ariane entered the kitchen and stopped when she saw me at the table, hands cradling my skull. The bitterness wedged between us might never go away. She blamed me for Turian’s death, Sabree’s, and for hijacking her into the portal against her will. I blamed her for hurtling me over the edge with her melodramatics. For the spider dance and ant invasion. She admired my ability to time travel but kept that admiration locked away.
“Thank you for bringing Sabree back,” she said. “But I still recommend a few lessons in anger management.”
“You think?” I asked, my miserable attempt at a smile trivial. “Not an easy thing to control. Practice doesn’t make perfect. It makes death.” I think she understood. Thanking me was the kindest thing she had done since the day I dusted Sabree. “Time heals all wounds and we have a shitload of time and a multitude of wounds.” I pulled out a seat for her. “Sorry about the portal trip. Rage and grief triggered my recklessness. Do you think they hold anger management classes for monsters like me?”
“We’re all monsters in some way. Maybe Yoga or Zen classes. I have no idea.” She tipped her stool to peer down the hallway and then leaned toward me. “Will Sabree be normal? Missing two weeks might mess with his mind, but then I know squat about time-travel glitches.”
“Sabree normal? Since when?” This time I managed a smile that twisted to one side. “Sabree 2.0 may develop some quirks. Have to keep an eye on him in case he needs rebooting.” Always a nerd, I just upgraded her lover from 1.0 to 2.0.
She had no idea how to respond, but said, “I doubt he will like his new name.”
“Beats Fang.” I sat upright, my quirky expression frozen. The pressure behind my amber eyes squeezed when the dishes and utensils started to vibrate. The sugar bowl skipped across the countertop. I braced the edge of the table. “Someone’s coming, someone unwelcomed.”
“Now who?” Ariane glanced around the kitchen.
At first, the lights flickered, and then Loree appeared opposite us. Her entry into our world created an instantaneous and thundering turbulence. The appliances rattled while the dinnerware chattered inside the cabinets. I leaned closer to Ariane and clutched her arm. Call it a gut feeling, but the rowdy entry declared trouble, this visit less amiable then the previous. Ariane’s tense muscles confirmed my intuition. A dish bounced off the table and shattered when it hit the floor.
Loree spoke telepathically without a formal greeting. “Brian, your selfish whims abused the universes. You have failed us.”
My shoulders rounded. The exquisite immortal risked all just to scold me. How dare she speak in such a condescending tone.
Refusing to use telepathy, Ariane replied for me. “It’s not his fault. I demanded he take me into the portal.”
“Silly child, believing you matter.” Loree shoved my sister aside as she advanced and slapped my face. The unexpected assault caught me off guard. The blow sent me reeling across the room until I slammed into the pantry door. The top cupboard doors flew open, spilling the contents all over the floor. A can bounced off my head, deflected by the natural force my body produced in self-defense. Why didn’t the forcefield ward off her slap? Because I deserved it? Unwilling to satisfy her whim, I shook the blow aside.
Loree stepped between us when I leapt to my feet. Her voice thundered inside our skulls, my sister flinching from the immortal roar. “Your deeds have not gone unnoticed! My fellow Malakhim warned you would squander your abilities for self-gain.”
Angered, a heavy brogue slurred my words. “Not for self-gain, for Sabree. Your son. It wasn’t his time to die. I lost control, because your holier-than-thou messengers can’t—or won’t—bother to help us.”
Loree’s eyes glowed a shamrock green. “You tried to destroy Turian, thus altering history. I thought you would be more vigilant.” She ignored my gesture of claiming otherwise. “The Malakhim are coming to Earth to destroy all—not only your pathetic clan, but the Fallen as well. They will have you to thank for their fate.”
“Brian’s right,” Ariane hissed. “No one’s bothered to help us figure out who or what we are. We’re learning on the fly.” She slid along the wall toward me. My sister’s shoulders relaxed when I reached out and pulled her closer.
“I’ll stop them.” A can made me stumble when I stepped in front of Ariane to protect her from Loree’s forward lunge. Would she dare strike again? Ariane hugged my back. Fear or reinforcement, it didn’t matter. I welcomed her support.
Eyes outlined in crimson glared our way. “Brian, Ariane, you are so wrong, so naïve. The Malakhim submit to the Lighted Ones—the archangels if you will. The Fallen were banished because they revolted against them.”
“We’re naïve because, like Ariane tried to explain, we’re learning as we go. None of you care or offer help.” My nerves bolstered, I pressed onward. “So, stay out of our business.”
Ariane asked,
“Why were you spared? Why didn’t they banish you with Turian and the Fallen?” She leaned toward me. “I sure would’ve banished her sorry ass if given the choice.”
“Although I was Turian’s lifelong mate, his brother Farian stepped in as my lover. Because of this and Turian’s revolt, along with the Fallen exile, the Malakhim separated our lover’s tryst for all eternity. They sent the brothers to Earth and kept me within the portal realm. The Malakhim assigned me the task as liaison between them and us. Regrettably, Turian exploited the portal; hence the reason we assigned members of the Fallen to destroy him. Little did we know his offspring would step in.”
Reluctant to speak directly to her mind, I spoke out loud. “An archangel, not Turian, exploited the portal. Ruthlessly traveled time. I destroyed Turian because the same naughty archangel possessed him. Threatened us.” Maybe I had inherited Turian’s rebellious antics. Like father, like son. Turian, or the archangel who possessed him, must’ve known the Malakhim sent Loree to order his death. No one imagined I would step in. No choice. A chill from deep within shot through my core. What if the Malakhim sent Loree to destroy us?
My grip on Ariane’s arm eased when she tried to pull away. “Sorry, Sis. What would you have done in my place? The thing inside him, the monster, escaped every time.” My gaze sank to the kitchen floor.
“You lie. Unlike, Turian, you and your sister cannot be destroyed. Prepare to live a solitary existence on Earth, for no others will be spared.”
“So, it’s true. This archangel possessed Turian the moment he and Julia hooked up? However impossible it sounds, that union does make us pretty much indestructible.”
On a roll, encouraged by my brainstorm, I stepped inches from Loree. Her sweet scent of vanilla cream enticed my taste buds until the pain-in-the-ass eyeteeth poked my lower lip. “That same archangel possessed Turian when the Fallen tried to kill him. Your orders! He almost succeeded in destroying the seven, including Sabree and Abyss. However, I mind-dusted him instead.”
I paused to bat the final mindblower to home plate. “What does that make me if I can ward off an archangel? Sent him running with his tail between his legs?” And, more than once.” My jaw clenched tight. “Something damned scary,” I whispered in her mind. What would be her response to that eye-opener?
Loree’s gaze softened as fear shone in her immortal eyes. “Yes, an archangel possessed Turian and used his body to impregnate your human mother. Bodily possession of a Malakhim can happen while we exist as pure energy. If the possession occurs in a physical world, it would extinguish the Malakhim’s shell—its entire being. Turian did not burn because he is anti-Malakhim. As the offspring, you received code from Julia, Turian, and celestial powers from the archangel—conceived from three unique entities, and thus evolved into an indestructible being.”
“I can handle that. Too bad you can’t.” The cans of frosting sprawled across the floor snagged my attention. Two flavors, chocolate and vanilla, sparked the next question. “Which flavor of archangel? Light or Dark?” This time I winked at Ariane. “I’m betting on Dark.”
“The archangel chooses,” Loree whispered. Along with her form, her voice faded, leaving our world, the exit quieter than her entrance.
“Wait,” we cried together. The rude creatures adopted an ill-mannered way of coming and going at will.
My sister cradled her belly. How much of the archangel’s code would my niece inherit? By the fear in her eyes, Ariane probably wondered the same.
Although light years away, I challenged Loree with a bogus charge of testosterone. “If you weren’t Sabree’s mother, I’d blast you first. We will kick your angel butts—all of them!” I punted a few cans as if playing soccer against the world champions. Cans jetted all over the kitchen floor. After a hook shot rocketed a can into the living room, I whirled on Ariane. “How are we supposed to interpret this bullshit? Dark or Light One? Why does the bloody archangel get to choose?”
Sidestepping a can, Ariane reached out to squeeze my arm and cringed when I pulled away. “We still have free will,” she said. “We’re in this together, and together, we will figure it out.” She gazed into my eyes and smirked. “When were you going to let me know you destroyed a meddling archangel and not Turian?”
“Not the easiest thing to explain. Every time I traveled back to that scene, things changed, never quite the same. Never meant to murder Turian. The archangel can access time travel and spits out fire and brimstone. Could be three thousand years ago or just yesterday.” Frazzled nerves made me squeak out a chuckle.
“Besides Fallen, anti-Malakhim, and human genes, my daughter might possess DNA from an archangel.” She joined in with my nervous banter. “Exactomundo, genius. I definitely would’ve had you committed for admitting such nonsense.”
3 3 3
Sabree misted into the townhouse after paying tribute to the one woman he had truly loved. Many lifetimes ago, Zoe, a mere human so full of life, had opened his eyes and taught him to treasure his time on Earth. Losing her left him a hollow shell, his soul bitter. He had gone into isolation longer than usual to avoid contact with humans and the Fallen.
His spirit endured the heart-wrenching ache that faded over time, only to resurface when he first laid eyes on Ariane. Once again, his body revitalized with renewed passion. Her strength allowed him to get close, yet her human half flashed a neon sign, warning him of the danger she would suffer if romance intervened. For the most part, Sabree kept his willpower in check; however, Ariane’s passion and a syringeful of anti-anxiety meds had overpowered him. Her lustful actions created what he feared most—a pregnancy. A daughter.
For the Fallen, the bond between father and child was acute. He should be able to connect with his tiny daughter as she grew inside Ariane’s womb but failed every time he tried. Something had severed the natural bond the Fallen normally experienced with their children. For two weeks, Sabree floated in limbo, unable to shake the heebie-jeebies lingering in the shadows of his mind. His gaze fell upon the creepy urn filled with his ashes. He wished Brian would get rid of it.
An electric spark darted up his spine. Could he and his ashes exist simultaneously? Alive no less? The physics of time travel, mostly theories and mathematics, baffled him. Brian had tackled Fate and risked the consequences in the name of friendship. Perhaps in the name of guilt.
In all his lifetime, millennia, Sabree never possessed such a friend. Turian came to mind, but too many secrets kept them distant. This so-called friend had even arranged to kill him along with Farian and five others. However, the twins had come to accept him. Despite the initial obstacle of lies, mostly his own, the three formed a splendid team. A satisfied smile spread across his face. Had the visit to Athens aroused his affections for the twins?
A loud thud upstairs and the mirror rattling against the wall alerted Sabree to an unearthly visitor, surprisingly one he could detect. He dared not mist into the room unannounced, fearful he might upset the Malakhim guest. Instead, he bounded up the stairs, skipping every other step, and skidded across the threshold to gawk at the cans of frosting strewn across the floor. The familiar sweetness of Malakhim lingered in the air. Creamy vanilla. He would never forget that scent.
“Merde!” Sabree swore as he kicked a can of frosting toward Brian’s sneakers. “I missed her again.” He eyed the mess while he spun his ring into an erratic orbit around his finger. “Looks like she made a rowdy entry.” He stabbed the ring into his knuckle and hollered at the ceiling. “Not sure if you can hear me, Loree, but you’re taking this exile thing too seriously.” Then he looked to the twins. “Bad news?”
“Aye, heaps.” Brian lowered his gaze. “If only you knew.”
By the looks of his friend’s disgruntled state, his mother had battered Brian around, which explained the open cupboards and cans littered all over the kitchen floor. When Brian gestured a thumbs-down and left the room, Sabree chanced a glimpse at Ariane. Her eyes brimmed with tears, he sensed Loree had filled her with dread. “It ap
pears Mother dearest is frightened. And so, she should be.”
Ariane ignored his brazen remark as she cradled her belly. “Brian might end up a useless whelp if he doesn’t upscale his self-confidence, sooner rather than later.”
Her threatening tone sent a shudder up his spine. Sabree kept his hands in his pockets when she reached out to caress his arm.
“Why did you visit Zoe again?” Ariane poked him. “We were just there.”
“What are you talking about? I never took you to Greece. It’s private. How do you even know her name?”
She batted his arm. “Stop kidding around. I turned into a hummingbird and hitched a ride in your mist. You told me her name meant life.”
“Sorry, Ariane, but that never happened.” Sabree stepped aside, worried she might detect thoughts of her imminent madness. A madness worse than her brother had ever experienced. “You have a photographic memory, and amazingly, you can remember what you had for breakfast a year ago, but you have no right to remember things you and I have never done together. Watch out, Ariane, a memory such as yours might be your undoing two thousand years from now. A mind full of useless details.” Silence hung between them. Without saying another word, his gaze sank to the floor when she stormed out of the room. A can of French vanilla frosting beckoned him.
20
AVENGING VAMPIRE SLAYER
O utside the Caderen assembly hall, the ten-inch thick marble doors held me at bay. Blocked my entrance with the boldness of an army. Seemed like only yesterday since Sabree brought us here to visit the underground clan. Staring down the doors, my vision blurred as I tried to make sense of the garbled patterns etched in the marble.
Sabree’s questioning gaze fell on me, or more so his mind touched mine, so I explained the silence. “I’ve seen this design in the ancient scrolls. Inked in as a border on each page.” I fingered the concave design. “By the looks of it, these were etched with a laser. Too intricately done for cutting tools. Maybe the patterns originated from the Malakhim.”
Against the Fallen Page 13
