“But then I found Vince and now, my parents’ love seems secondary to his. Then again I don’t have two angels as my parents. That is so special. To be so close to God’s love. His greatest warriors, their blood runs through you.”
“Yes, it does. It is why when Damarion and I mate our children shall sit by our side as we choose which domain we will rule.”
“There is another besides Hell?” I asked.
“I am a child of the family of Ryeal, one of the highest families in all of God’s kingdom. The only choice in my life is to choose who I will rule. You child may be my disciple if I choose it.”
I stayed silent. She was still too alert to attack her. I couldn’t defend myself against her, but I had one chance. The only chance.
“Ah, my favorite daughter of God…please save me from my sins with your unsullied pathway to Heaven…” Damarion jumped up as I placed my hand on the final lock panel. “LaDressa? Is that you, my love, in the flesh?”
“How was she to save you from your sins?”
“It was a joke, my love.”
“I did not enjoy it,” she scolded.
“I apologize.” Damarion cupped her face in his hands. “Have you come to save me?”
“Yes, and you and I shall destroy my brother finally.”
Their eyes were locked, and I knew in this moment I had one chance. A chance brought on by the distraction of love. Her guard was down as my knife pierced her back and a screech tore through the tight hallway. Wings unfurled, causing my whole body to tremble. Damarion came for me. The handle of my claustanima may have held my soul, but the blade buried to the hilt in the princess’ back held her.
* * * *
Detective Vincent DeTello
“Detective DeTello, can you explain why you shot without aiming?” The middle officer at the table asked me. Three were staring me down as the inquest continued.
“Again, I was trying to save my partner. When a second shot went off I knew it wasn’t an accidental discharge from the weapon I’d kicked away.”
“Why did you think that weapon had discharged?” the female officer on the end asked. “How many weapons do you know of that discharge from hitting a wall?”
“None, ma’am, like I said I was focused on my partner. Detective Tucker was bleeding out.”
“So the room wasn’t secure?”
“It appears not.” I shifted in the hard wood chair. “This all happened in a matter of seconds.”
“It takes point two seconds for a bullet to get from the chamber into a human,” my final judge said. He was Commander McHenry, my old boss. “Seconds are important. Your focus needed to be on securing the room, not your partner.”
“If she would have survived, would you say the same thing?”
“You were the only one who went upstairs that survived,” he chastised. “Two officers went up and three body bags came down. One was child-sized.”
“The child filled one of the bags by his action.” I bit my bottom lip and looked at the floor. “He shot, with very little grip strength, he shot and killed my partner. I was next. I heard the second bullet and with one hand covering a gushing wound to Tuck…Detective Tucker’s throat, I shot back. Warning shots. I never thought they would hit anyone.”
“Perhaps neither did the boy. He just wanted you to leave and let his father go.”
“Speculations will get us nowhere,” the female judge said. “Detective DeTello, the raid on the house was good. Your methods were sound, but someone needs to take the fall for the death of this child. Even though his father was a drug dealer and suspected of murder, his mother is the daughter of a councilmen. You will be suspended without pay until further notice.”
My union lawyer stood up to object, but I placed my hand out to stop him. I didn’t want to live in Chicago anymore. I’d been raised there and loved the city like no other, but I needed calm. I needed peace. I needed a town from a postcard. Tuck was gone and I’d killed a kid. Not my first, but my youngest. I thought moving to homicide meant I would help the ones who died, not add to the graveyard. The interview I did on Monday gave me hope for a place where my toughest case would be who stole Jim Bob’s speakers.
“We can appeal,” my lawyer whispered. “You’re not done. You can still be a cop.”
“Save lives, solve mysteries…I’m good for now.”
I left and stood outside the glass door. With a flick I inhaled the sweet taste of tobacco. Nicotine coursed through my blood stream and I saw my city for what it was.
A beeping woke me from my sleep. I turned to see I was in a regular room. On the side I saw a doctor’s coat and when I looked up Dr. Ashworth smiled down at me.
“How did you…”
“I’m consulting. I’ve flushed your system of the toxin I put in by accident.”
“Toxin?”
“Passing out from pain is one thing. Having three times the limit of skullcap is another. I used the wrong measurement when flushing your body of nicotine. I’m titrating the correct amount now. You should be good in a day or two.”
“Will I pass out every time I stub my toe?”
“No, it was hitting a receptor in your brain. Skullcap is a relaxant that worked a little too well.”
“Where’s Esther?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Is she safe?”
“I suppose so.”
I pressed on. “And her soul? I saw it.”
“I heard you more than saw it. You used it as a weapon.”
“Isn’t that its purpose?”
“Dr. Ashworth, the other patients are responding as well,” a nurse said as she entered the room. To me, she said, “You’re awake.”
“Yes. I feel like I slept for a month.”
“Good, now let’s get up and see if that pulled muscle in your hip is gonna give you trouble.”
“Pulled muscle?” I questioned Dr. Ashworth, who gave me a go-with-it-look.
That was a good explanation for what happened. My leg was stiff, but I practically had a new hip. Outside of being used as a piñata, being a member of the Frozen didn’t seem too bad. Healing-wise. Dr. Ashworth bowed out of the room and I headed to the bathroom, using my IV pole for support.
When I got back in the room I was alone. Utterly alone without anything but a TV and phone on the bed. On the wall was a computer. I stood by it and was able to access the internet. Somehow I’d need to get back to Esther, if nothing else to check to make sure she was okay. What came next? I felt like Yappy as thousands of questions came to me. The most important was, was Esther feeling the same ache I did because we weren’t together? May never be together. Kiriana joined the Frozen, why couldn’t I? Was I ready for marriage or could I just hang around and date?
New Life Ascendency. I typed the words in the search engine and thirty pages of results filled the screen. The first few pages were Documentary Channel specials. I wanted something more obscure. Maybe something more than what I’d already studied growing up.
Eight pages in I saw a line that caught my eye. Survivors of the Ascendency Support. Clicking the link brought me to a page with survivor stories. It was a chat room, but a closed one. A blog posted a year ago had a picture that had a familiar landmark, the P.E.O building on Iowa Wesleyan Campus. It was in the background of a woman who stood with her family. The story told of how she’d survived as a teenager and gone on to live a happy life after years of therapy. Digging in the top drawer of the nightstand I found a local phone book. As of the spring she still lived in the area.
For the second time in so many days I removed my own IV and sneaked out. Only this time I made it out the door. Scrubs don’t have the thickness necessary to stop December winds in Iowa. Luckily my home was close enough for me to stave off hypothermia.
Being a cop I didn’t leave my key in the obvious places. No, my dumb ass thought taping the key on the inside of my dryer vent was intelligent. Heat plus tape. Luckily it just fel
l down in my landscaping…now covered in five inches of snow.
My home seemed foreign to me now. As if something was missing, but everything was where I left it. Including my second set of keys, which I snagged after bundling up and taking a second look around. What was missing? I walked into the living room and saw a vision of Esther bundled up on the couch. She looked up at me and smiled. Violet eyes inviting me to stay and be with her. One step made it all disappear and the blanket on the couch sat alone.
Getting back to the station wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. Jones rolled by and saw me while I was walking. He was exhausted and couldn’t even muster up more than a “need a ride?”
“Where you headed?” he asked after he parked at the station.
“Following up a lead.”
“I thought the guy got away.”
“I hope he thinks that too.”
Taking off I looked in my GPS and found the directions to Bruce’s trailer. The gravel driveway covered in snow wasn’t the easiest thing to maneuver in a four door vehicle, but I made it close enough to the barn. You’d think there would be tracks or some sign of the number of people out and fighting.
“They’re gone,” Bruce called from the top of his steps.
“Gone? It’s only been a few hours since I saw them last.”
“They left two days ago.”
My chest felt caved in on.
“Left? That massive house is just gone?” I pulled open the barn. One vehicle remained. “She’s just gone?”
“I suppose so.”
I walked around the barn, unable to process. I’d never get to say goodbye. She’d abandoned me. The back of the barn still had the shimmering panel that stood out from the rest. Faux wood, mixed with the traditional. Removing my glove, I placed my bare hand where she had once placed hers. My head fell against the back wall and I prayed it would just open. I wanted to walk the halls where she’d been. Find her room and collapse on her bed for one night. Just one. Was that too much to ask for?
“Esther…I didn’t get a chance to tell you…” I turned around and leaned against the door. “I found someone who survived. She has a good life here in Mount Pleasant. You can have a good life here too. I can protect you. I swear I can. Give us a chance.”
Chapter 15
Pivane
“YOU were not born of Hell, were you?” Gabriel asked.
“No,” I replied.
“A demon seduced your mother, though?”
“I wouldn’t know. My father was not in my life.” I took in what he was saying and suddenly it hit me. “You have a cure.”
“I’m not sure why I’m helping you,” he groaned as he leaned against the doorway. Dr. Ashworth approached and injected Eliza.
“Technically the good doctor is—you’re just observing.”
“I want you gone.”
“I’m not fond of being this close to you either.”
“Without the woman.”
I stood with my hand still holding tight to Eliza’s. Rage burned deep inside me and the strength I’d found against Lucifer pulsed in my body. Gabriel tilted his head as if he felt the shift in the air.
“Half-breed…something that has become a problem in the world as of late. Are you to return to Hell?”
“I’m pretty sure I’m not welcome.”
“Is anyone?”
“More are welcome in Hell than in your home.”
“Touché. We do have those magic passwords. Where will you go?”
“Telling you would defeat the purpose of running.”
“Leave her. Let her have a life.” Gabriel narrowed his eyes at me.
“What if the life she chooses is with me?”
“What woman, born of Earth, would choose that?”
“She will, I swear it be true. Now free of the bonds of my home she will choose to go back with me.”
“Leave this room.” Gabriel crossed his arm and furled his wings. White feathers tipped with silver reflecting any speck of light. “If she wakes and her first request is to see you, I’ll allow it. If not she is under our protection.”
“You’ll erase her memory. Clear all her emotions for me.”
“You could just as easily dig in her mind and make her beg for you.”
My hand felt a tug and I looked down to see Eliza’s eyes opening slightly. She tried to smile, but the ventilator got in the way. The gray of her eyes didn’t have the dull effect from the drugs. Instead they sparkled when she looked upon me.
“There is no point now. Pivane, I will allow you safe passage out of this town, but understand Lucifer has knowledge of her and that makes the two of you targets. By staying with her you risk her life.”
I looked at my gray-eyed goddess. The bruising had started to heal and was no longer a deep purple. Cuts marred her face and when the little bit of me that was still a man saw a tear slide from the corner of her eye I didn’t know if I could put her through anymore. Even now I was barely standing. My knee couldn’t hold my weight and my spine was in a state of healing that would not allow me to move quickly if attacked. Every motion, from a leaf blowing to a man turning a corner, will have me on edge. Our lives would be spent not living, but running with nowhere to go.
“He will need to return to Hell or chance his sister taking power.” But that didn’t matter. No matter how I tried to spin the reality, Lucifer was the top of the food chain, not the bottom. “You’re right, Gabriel. I’ll leave her.”
Eliza’s eyes widened as she grasped my wrist to the point where I feared bruising. I sat on the side of the bed and used my free hand to brush back her blonde hair.
“It wouldn’t be a life with me. You wouldn’t have a purpose except to keep moving.” Her hand stroked my cheek. “If you stay here, you’ll be free to have fat babies and cure the sick. We can’t even lay together without me sending you into a coma.”
Her eyelids drooped as she shook her head. Frantically she pointed at a dry erase board on the wall. Dr. Ashworth passed it to her. Scribbling with the blue marker, she kept her focus on the board. The marker swiped down three times before she flipped it for me to see.
I LOVE YOU!
“Right back at you. That’s why I need to let you go.”
She shook her head furiously. When I lifted my finger to put her to sleep she grabbed it and bent it back. The look she gave me burned into me with heat of a woman who would not be denied. Was it wrong of me to get as hard as a damn brick?
“Give me the cure,” I demanded of Gabriel. “We’ll take our chances.”
* * * *
Esther Benson
“You can’t,” Kiriana said as we leaned facing each other on the other side of the hidden door leading to the barn. “Not now. The princess has sworn vengeance. She heals and you’re dead. You barely survived. You want to take Vince with you?”
“I didn’t think I wanted to. That girl. She seemed like they were involved. Now he’s outside our compound. I don’t get men.”
Kiriana’s velvet gaze rested on me with compassion as she took my hand.
“I understand. I do. At one time I thought I’d kill Nye, but Gabriel explained I wouldn’t.”
“Then I could—”
“I have a disease Gabriel was able to freeze. You stabbed the princess in the back, literally, before you practically cut off one of her wings and shoved her into a cell.”
“Damarion’s in there too.” I felt that was a bit of compassion I hoped she understood.
“We can’t treat her. If she survives, we all die.”
“Then I have nothing to fear.” I stood resolute. “We should kill her now.”
“Except her brother who was stabbed in the leg by Vince right before you attacked his sister. I doubt either of you are his favorite person.” With a squeeze she released my hand. “If I thought you loved him I’d say screw it, but Esther—”
“I can still feel his hand on my back,” I choked
out as the phantom touch warmed my skin. “The way his lips tasted when he last kissed me. I know I wasn’t supposed to…not before a marriage, but Kiriana, I felt more of a loss from leaving him at the hospital then losing my claustranima. My heart is still with him. It may always be.”
“Esther…one of the hardest things a person can do is admit another has their heart. The only thing harder is telling the person.”
My hand rested on the panel and the door slid open. Cool air rushed in the foyer, but as I looked in the barn Vince was gone. Running from the barn, I saw his car stuck in the snow. His tires spun, unable to find traction. The cold air hit my lungs without a hint of pain. He was still here, I could still be his. I slammed against his car door and he jumped. His hand slowly put his car into park. The gray-green of his eyes were circled with red. Not crying, but on the verge. He stared at me through the window, but didn’t move. Had I misjudged him once again?
Laying his arms on the top of the steering wheel he rested his head on them. No longer could I see his eyes. His back moved with heaviness as if breathing was difficult for him. Had he passed out again? He couldn’t have. Dr. Ashworth had removed the root dispensing the sedative.
Opening the door he turned to me.
“You’re here?”
“Yes. I…” Tears streamed down my cheeks as I took in the pain in his face. He got out of the car and pulled me into his arms. “I did something…it will put us in danger.”
“I’ve known nothing but danger from the moment you stepped into my life.” He cupped my face and when our lips met my world once again felt whole. “Stay with me, Esther. This town will need someone like you.”
“I can’t. I have a sentence. I’m set to go to Nigeria. The next Hell’s Mouth to close is there.” The wholeness dissipated as I saw him question my very existence.
“When are you leaving?”
“In the next few days. We have to close up this home. The Frozen who are not permanent residents have already returned to their compounds. It is just for us to decide what part of our lives here we’ll need in the next assignment.”
“So the house is full of boxes? You’re stuck taping and renting a U-Haul?”
Stolen Redemption Page 18
