“Never. I refuse to go against my father.” Azrian caught sight of the curious stares as people passed by them on their way to the dining hall.
Abyss shot the passersby a glare, wrapped her fingers around Azrian’s neck, and pulled him in for a kiss. Alone again, she said, “Enjoy the hike. I suggest a good dose of protein and sugar for breakfast. Snowshoeing in the Alps is strenuous if not exhausting. Watch those sudden drops.”
He didn’t know whether to take her warning as a threat or as a friendly tip. “Thanks for the advice. I’ll be on the lookout.” His jaw clenched as she sashayed in the opposite direction until she turned and pointed her fingers at him in the form of a pistol. Threat it was.
“Whether you leave or not, stay out of our way.” Abyss floated off in a fine mist.
Something about their plan to control humanity seemed familiar, reminding him of the conversation he had with Zoeree about her boasts of him taking over the world. The humans needed guidance in so many ways. The surviving clans had fretted over discussions on the topic. His father and Uncle Sabree used to come home from those meetings depressed and anxious. They sympathized with the clan’s concern because they shared this planet with the self-destructive humans. How to correct the damages never transpired, hence the launch of this lunatic rogue mission. Nothing surprised him anymore. Forget the hike. He should update his father instead.
Inside the dorm, Azrian was alone again. He peeked inside Liz’s bedroom and noticed the empty closet and stripped bed. Unsure why, she must have requested a new cabin. For now, he had the place all to himself and stalled a bit longer before he tried to communicate with Aunt Ariane or his father. Perhaps a hot shower first.
Stripping off his clothes, he stepped under the nozzle. No matter how brief, the heated cascade rinsed away his despair. Minutes later, wrapped in a towel, he returned to his bedroom to get dressed. Azrian looked up and almost stumbled over his own feet. He yanked the towel tight when a frazzled Zoeree charged him. “What are you doing here?” He glanced around. “How did you even get here?”
“Doesn’t matter. What does matter are the female trappings in the other room. Bras hanging in the bathroom. Wait! You mentioned sharing a room with Liz? Did you lead her on?”
“Of course not,” Azrian said. This meant Zoe had been snooping around before Liz moved out. “Believe me, she means nothing.” Again, he glanced around the room. “So, you’re not here to give me an update?” He would’ve expected Sabree or his father to pop in via mist or speed. “I certainly have one, but I was going to send it to Pop telepathically.”
Zoeree’s cheeks flushed to match the rims of her eyes. “You didn’t think I’d let you leave without me keeping an eye on you? Mom should’ve never sent you here.” Dressed in a pair of shorts and a tank top, she kicked the empty plastic bag away from her feet.
“How’d you get in? Did you morph like Aunt Ariane?”
“Duh, it’s not rocket science. I morph better than Mom. Stronger too. I turned into an owl and flew here, carrying a bag of clothes in my talons. Just the bare necessities, top and shorts.” She pulled on the flimsy fabric to show off that she was braless. “Do you approve?”
His cousin had never paraded her sexuality in front of him before. Why now? Because of Liz? Azrian swallowed hard. “Yes. No!” His eyes focused on her nipples for a moment too long. “Stop that,” he said glancing away. Time to get nasty if only to do battle on equal grounds. Azrian folded his arms across his puffed chest. This would sting. “Go home to Mommy. Liz acts more maturely than you do.”
She pointed at the bathroom door left ajar. “Is she hiding in there?” Tears pooled in her eyes and began to spill. “You’re nothing but a deceitful little prick.”
Azrian cringed. Would he ever understand the female psyche? Only a few years older, his pop admitted that he was still clueless. Azrian never meant to hurt her, just send her home. And send her off, he did. He baulked when she turned into a horse, reared, kicked the door open, and galloped off. Azrian ran to the door in time to see the horse leap over the fence and turn into owl mid-jump. “Wow, she’s amazing.” Movement caught his eye.
Liz pranced along the walkway toward his cabin. Abyss followed behind.
Now they decided to show and almost a minute too soon. Azrian kicked Zoeree’s discarded clothes under the couch. “What do you want?” he asked. “Come to rat me out.” He wished he found the nerve to slam the door in their pouty faces.
“Unfinished business,” Abyss answered for Liz. She tugged on his towel on the way to the loveseat. Liz refused to step inside and leaned on the door. She let the frigid air breeze inside.
“Go ahead and kill me. Pop will take care of you.”
Abyss stood and sniffed the air. “Brian is here? Odd, but I smell horse.”
Oh, no. He couldn’t let them know that Zoeree had morphed here. He changed the subject to scare them. “Pop will dust this entire complex if you hurt me. All I have to do is call for help.”
“Boastful and bold, the nut doesn’t fall far from the tree.” Abyss sneered when Liz corrected her with the actual idiom. “Shut up, human. This changes everything. We cannot risk Brian’s retaliation. He will destroy us all if we touch his precious boy.”
“I’m not going to stand by and be insulted by a lecherous vampire.” Liz paused when Abyss brushed her off without a comeback. She stuck her tongue out at Azrian and cocked her head when he flipped her the bird in return. Liz slammed the cabin door.
Instead of warmth, the door created a draft. He pulled the towel tight around his hips. So much for acting maturely. “I’ve been doing my own research,” Azrian said. “Give me a chance to prove that I agree with your plan to subdue humankind.”
“Of course, you are going to admit such lies. You’re a double agent.”
“Actually, triple. Pop doesn’t know I have my own agenda.” He offered further proof. “I haven’t told him yet that you threatened me.”
“Silly boy, my brother has the gift of detecting truth and lies. All he has to do is touch you.” Abyss eyed him closely.
Azrian regarded the intense gaze as her checking out his body language. “Agreed. Take me to him. The sooner you know my intentions, the better.” He noticed how the perfectly plucked eyebrows slid under her bangs as if his consent surprised her.
He honored his father’s wishes until asked to go against his own beliefs—beliefs that stemmed from his deplorable education. Serine had downloaded tons of propaganda into his mind, most of it stuff his father disapproved. The education she fed polluted him with the bloodiest and vilest crimes humanity had ever committed historically, philosophically, and religiously. The information upload gave him nightmares for weeks on end. They ceased after she disappeared. His father had caught on and disposed of her.
“Get dressed and meet me in the front lobby.” Abyss walked outside, turning once to see if he changed his mind.
He would have preferred to flip her the bird but nodded instead as he shut the door.
3 3 3
Hours later, after dinner, Azrian woke to a dark room. The bed was cement hard, more uncomfortable than when he first lay down. He rubbed the blankets, his fingers scratching rough wool instead of soft fleece. Panic tightened his throat. His heart pounded. He jumped off the bed and focused on the room. The walls had closed in, no window or closet.
Azrian tried to communicate telepathically with Ariane. No response, not even static. The Guardians probably lined the walls with the lead-titanium blend to prevent telepathic communications, common amongst the Fallen. They must have drugged and placed him in a cell after Abyss ratted him out. Would the group kill him before his father came to the rescue? Could they kill him, or would the A-factor prevent his death? For obvious reasons, his pop had never tested different ways to harm him. Azrian slumped on the cot and leaned against the wall. So much for his brief mission as a double agent. He chuckled, figuring it was better than sulking.
An hour passed. The overhead lamp brighten
ed the room. Azrian shielded his eyes and sat up. Squinting, he watched Abyss and Liz enter. Neither one sat on the empty seats that lined the wall.
“Interrogation time?” Azrian swallowed hard. “I thought Gibyss was going to test my loyalty.”
“He’s outside,” Abyss said, pointing at the door. “I had to inform my peers about you before we advanced to the next stage. Apparently, you are a desirable commodity. On our side, we could use you to distract your father. Do you share any of his gifts and anti-abilities?”
Abyss had to be referring to the A-factor that he inherited from his father and Athorsis. More human and part angel, or Nephilim as his father often claimed, he could portal jump at will. Much to his regret, his father did not pass down the time travel or exceptional speed. To his advantage, the rogues had no clue as to what he did inherit. “I can enter the portal at will. I share his immortality.” What he didn’t share was the power to destroy the Fallen or Malakhim at will. They tried once when his father and he pursued a murderous rogue. Nothing happened. Either inexperience or inability had a hand in his failure.
“Can you destroy at will?”
There we go. Abyss finally asked the million-dollar question. Azrian offered a thousand-dollar answer—part lie, part cluelessness. “Not sure. Never had reason to try.”
Abyss glanced at Liz and sneered. “Well, we certainly don’t want to give you reason to. I will have Gibyss ask you a few questions. Some I don’t expect you to pass.”
Gibyss entered the room and shut the door behind him. “You called?”
Abyss must have used telepathy to summon him. Azrian noticed how she left the door cracked open for that very purpose; otherwise, the lead-titanium walls would’ve prevented their communication. All he had to do was answer truthfully. If they doubted his true intentions, he would escape into the portal before they could drug him. The number of Fallen who turned against their pledge not to interfere with humanity surprised him. So many had turned away from his father’s clan and joined the rogues. Maybe even Cayiel.
Gibyss pulled up a chair and sat in front of Azrian. He pointed at his hand, gesturing that he needed to touch him to receive clear reception. “My lie-detecting ability works best with skin -to-skin contact. Much like wires.”
Azrian offered his hand. “Ask away.”
49
GROUND CONTROL TO MAJOR BRIAN
“A
zrian’s interrogation lasted about an hour.” Stuck in the middle of the hotel room between the beds, I couldn’t punch the wall, so instead, my nails dug into my palms. “I had no idea Azrian sympathized with the Fallen rogues. And Gibyss, what a liar. He never had the ability to sense the truth. Easy to fake out my son though.”
The betrayal was my fault for not listening to my sister. Never should’ve asked Serine to educate our kids. She polluted his mind with the worst of humanity. Fear more than the desire to dominate had to come into play. The Fallen, including Miss Know-it-all Abyss, had no idea Farian’s agenda went beyond controlling Earth. More like destroy everything. The man was treacherous. A single tear threatened to escape. I rubbed both eyes.
Ariane shook her head. “I can’t believe Azrian would stoop so low.” She squeezed my shoulder. “What are you going to do about it?”
“Aye, only one thing to do. Use it against them. Azrian plans to keep them abreast of our mission, so we pretend to be ignorant blowholes and feed them rubbish.”
“Blowholes, Brian?” She glanced at the window. My gaze followed hers when a shadow flickered across the sun for a second. “I feel terrible about filling him with lies, but you’re right, he betrayed us first,” she said. “However, I don’t blame him for worrying about his home.”
Had my ears deceived me? My sister sided with my son. “Enough to join the rogues. Because if yes, please be upfront and tell me now.”
Her eyes grew wide as her mouth thinned to a sneer. “Never, Brian, you know that.”
“Don’t know what to expect anymore. Everything’s falling apart: Azrian sides with the enemy, Sabree’s dying from the inside out, Zoeree has been snooping around the complex, and more than half the Fallen betrayed us.”
“Zoeree snooping about? She was with me just this morning.” My sister studied my pained expression. Had I opened my mouth too soon? To send a message through my thick skull, she asked aloud. “Why was Zoeree there? Why didn’t you bring her here before the interview?”
“Bugger.”
“Why?” she asked again. The shrillness in her voice peaked. “She’ll never stay away now that she knows Azrian’s up to no good. She’ll be all over his case.”
I pointed at the window. “The lass is here. Downstairs in the garden.”
Ariane ran over to the window and released the breath she had held in a loud sigh when I leaned over her shoulder. Zoe waved at us from below. My sister returned the gesture and spun around. “Why didn’t you drop her off before the interview?”
“Not enough time. Found her seconds before.” My arms spread wide to gesture a roomful of people. “I couldn’t barge in and whisk her away. Too many humans around, so I waited until we were alone and took her with me. Didn’t see any harm in it. Until now…”
“You’re right, Brian. Bad idea.” She glared at me with crimson eyes. “How could you be so stupid?”
I blinked the rebuke aside. “Strangest thing though—Zoe looked human. I mean I sensed her as one. Did you ever try to morph into a human?”
“Never.” Ariane squeezed her head, mussing up her hair. “Blast Jesse and the HFA. They had no right to ask us to shoulder this mission. We barely survived the Malakhim attack. Our ceremony should have taken place ASAP. Inexperienced and vulnerable, Zoe might stumble into the monster’s lair.” Her eyes darkened as they bore into the wall behind me. “I’ve seen her die more often than I care to admit.”
“What?” A flutter in the window caught my eye. My sister shot a glance that way. A bird flitted about. The strong desire to yell at Zoe shouted from her mind. I couldn’t help but telepathically hear it. Ariane wanted to scold her but held back. I pulled away from the distraction. “You envisioned her death?”
She wrapped her arms around her torso. Her gaze met mine. “It’s hard to explain. I keep recalling memories of incidents that have never happened. It’s like we did something before but differently this time. The same with Zoe. Someone shot her as she galloped away. The bullet blew a hole in her flank.” She inhaled deeply. “But I also remember her as a rabbit being run over by a snowmobile. Both gruesome deaths.” Ariane visibly shivered all over.
So, my sister finally decided to confess all. Never once had she admitted to such bizarre restructuring of events before. Not even as I suffered from near insanity when dealing with the same contradicting recalls. Stunned, I finally spoke. “You’ve seen Zoe die in more than one way?”
“Yes, but that’s not all. Listen to me, Brian. What I have to say is important. Our lives depend on it, on you.” She sucked in a long breath and held up her hand to squelch my interruption, my mouth open to respond too quickly. “You must be vigilant. Change up what you keep doing wrong. Do the opposite of what Athorsis says. Succeed this time for all our sakes.”
Her words struck me cold. An electric shock bounced back and forth inside my skull as if a ping-pong match between equal opponents took place. Her peculiar request clicked my mind into overdrive. A toggle of some sort. I shook my head to clear it of the contradicting topic. Unwilling to acknowledge her odd request, hopefully, she would understand my deflection as a signal to return to the convoluted message later. Others, Tim E. Traveler for one, had also asked me not to listen to Athorsis. Their advice was beginning to stick to my mind like pine sap. But as long as we still had a prayer of stopping Farian, the ultimatum could wait.
My posture straightened. “We’ll just have to send in the big guns—me.” I scratched my scalp as my gaze darted around the room at everything but her. “I’ll step in as a network specialist seeing as Azrian effed up.
” I shot into JLS hyperdrive before she could utter a word.
3 3 3
At first, the idea of sending Sabree to the complex disguised as a computer expert seemed reasonable. However, the notion bombed big time. Had I lost all my marbles? What was I thinking? No one was more of a nerd than me. This fact, Sabree agreed on whole-heartedly. We had laughed until tears stung our eyes.
Hours later, idiotic idea number two blossomed when I sped to the nearest Swiss version of a Walmart and bought a pair of cool thick-framed glasses and matching outfit. Ariane mussed up my hair, easy to do since that was the norm. Most of it fell in my eyes. The wannabe stylist also recommended a fake-tan spray to add color to my pale complexion.
“Abso-bloody-not.”
Zoeree had been laughing at us while we argued about the matchy-matchy outfit. She squealed when she saw her mother aim the can of tanning spray at my face. She was such a child at heart. Ariane had thanked me for bringing her back from the Guardian complex, twice in one day. Would she have matured faster if Ariane had engaged with her mind? Find ways to help her daughter instead of spying on the Guardian compound. I could still send the rogues through the portal—exile them back to the Malakhim. Let them deal with the trash.
Ariane’s giggles pulled me from my thoughts. “Forever a nerd, you’re perfect for the job. None of the Fallen can sense you when you switch on your stealth mode. Not even Azrian.”
“Why do we care if he knows?” Sabree slapped Ariane when she tried to spray him with the tanning lotion. “Get away, woman.” I noticed how both their moods brightened after I brought Zoe back to the hotel the second time.
“I appreciate you too, Brian. But not right now.”
I winked at Sabree as we continued to use telepathy because Zoe was in the room. “Zoe told me not to butt in, that she can take care of herself. She wouldn’t let up, insisting she, alone, can sway Azrian away from his silly agenda. I think she’s jealous of Liz.”
Against the Fallen Page 35
