“What’s the matter?” Abdiel asked him as he reached out to grab Gabi’s hand for support. Only one thing could be upsetting Nathaniel, Cam.
“Cam lost it and beat the crap out of Ramiel’s healer,” Nathaniel told them.
“Is this some kind of sick joke?” Gabi’s face was full of shock. “Cam would never do that.”
“Come on, all you Lehor brothers fight,” Abdiel defended his empath. “Maybe Cam decided to follow in your footsteps.”
“No,” Nathaniel shook his head. “This was no simple brawl. He really hurt the other angel. Michael had to pull him off.”
Abdiel and Gabi exchanged worried looks. Although they didn’t tell Nathaniel, they both had been worried about Cam. “Do you really think he was trying to hurt that other angel?” she asked.
“Look, he’s my brother, and I love him, but he’s all messed up. I don’t know what he’s capable of anymore,” Nathaniel admitted.
“It’s the demon blood, isn’t it?” Abdiel knew deep in his gut that his friend had not been the same since they’d been poisoned.
Nathaniel nodded his head. They all knew that there would be no more ignoring the obvious. Cam was in big trouble, and he needed them.
“Take me to him,” Abdiel commanded.
Cam lay on his bed and stared into the darkness. Derel had come and healed him a while ago. Afterwards, his brother had tried to talk to him, but Cam had merely grunted in response to all of Derel’s questions. Finally his brother gave up and compelled him to rest. Cam had resisted the order. He knew he should be sleeping, but he just couldn’t.
What were Gabi and Abdiel going to say when they found out that he had attacked another angel? Whenever Abdiel had trained him, he had stressed the importance of keeping one’s anger in control. Cam curled up in a ball and cradled his aching stomach. He had done a piss poor job of that. If Michael hadn’t grabbed his hand, he would’ve destroyed the healer just like he had the demon.
Abdiel and Gabi walked into his room. Gabi sat on his bed with him while Abdiel just sat on the floor. They were all silent for several minutes.
“Are you guys mad at me?” Cam finally asked them.
“No, of course not,” Gabi reassured him. “We love you.”
“You should have told us though,” Abdiel said gravely.
“I was afraid you guys would hate me if you knew what was going on with me,” Cam rasped out. “I think I’m turning demon.”
Abdiel reached out and grabbed the younger angel by the back of the neck. He gently pulled him forward. They met head to head. Cam was mortified when he realized that he was about ready to cry. When Gabi laid her head on his back and stroked his hair in a motherly fashion, he started to bawl like a baby.
“I won’t let that happen, bud. I’ve got your back,” Abdiel told him.
“Promise me that if I do turn, you’ll destroy me, Abdiel. It would devastate my brothers if they have to fight me.”
“Stop talking like that. That’s not going to happen.”
“Damn it, Abdiel, promise me. I’m so fucking scared I’m going to go demon and hurt someone from my family. You have got to swear to me you won’t let that happen.”
“You’re not going to turn Cam,” Abdiel declared so firmly that Cam had no choice but to believe him. “I won’t let you.”
Relief swept over Cam. He didn’t have to fight this battle all by himself anymore. Abdiel was going to help him and make it all better.
Chapter Thirteen
Cam’s mutterings and thrashing woke Gabi. Oh please no. He was having another nightmare. She leaned over and touched his brow and he instantly calmed down. Brushing back his sweaty hair, she whispered some nonsense words to him. Even while asleep, his face was lined with anxiety.
It wasn’t until Cam had broken down and cried that she had realized just how bad off he was. She had held him in her arms and rocked him like a child until he had finally fallen asleep. Even then, she and Abdiel still wouldn’t leave him. She had curled up at the foot of the bed, and Abdiel had stretched out on the floor, one arm reaching up to touch Cam’s leg.
Derel had healed her and Abdiel when they had first gotten home, and she had asked him if Cam was all right. He had reassured her that Cam’s injuries had been taken care of as well. However, he refused to meet her eyes, and she suspected that he was hiding something from her, couple that with all the nightmares that Cam was having. She wanted to make sure for herself that he was really healthy.
She laid hands on him and began to chant softly as she entered his body with her healer skills. When she got a good gander at what was going on inside of him, she pulled out so fast that she stumbled backwards and landed on her butt.
She had seen the source of energy that Raphael told her about, but now it was huge. It had been a great white ball of power, neither good nor bad, and it was barely contained. She knew that it was to blame for his new gifts. She remembered what he had told them about destroying the demon and let out a shudder. Raphael had been right, Cam was one of the most powerful angels, and she wasn’t sure he would be able to handle that responsibility.
That had not been the worst thing that she had found in him though, not by a long shot. The demon blood was still flowing through him. His angel’s blood was fighting it, but she didn’t know if he’d be able to withstand another poisoning. It would turn him catatonic, or worse.
She started to shake with fury. Derel had to have found the same things in Cam when he healed him and he had not said a word about it to her. She did not think for one cotton picking minute that Derel had overlooked these abnormalities. He was too good of a healer to miss something this big.
She got up and went to her old bedroom, where the Lehor family was crashing. She rapped on the door. Derel answered it. As soon as he got a good look at her face, his smile faded. He knew that this wasn’t a social call, she was coming to him as his leader, not as his friend.
Officially, she was second in command of all the healers, answering only to Raphael. Since she had chosen to become an angel warrior, she tended to leave all the leadership jazz to Raphael. However, tonight was different. She was going to rip Derel a new one.
“Come out in hallway with me, and close the door,” she snapped at him.
“Yes, mistress,” he replied, addressing her formally.
Normally, one of the Lehors using her official title would have ticked her off, but not now. By using it, Derel was showing that he knew he was in big trouble and was a little afraid. Good, she wanted him shaking in his boots. Right now that was a good thing.
“You lied to me, healer.” She was all Ice Queen now, her tone completely detached and not showing the love she really did have for him. “I just got done scanning your brother.”
“I didn’t lie.” Derel kept his eyes down, shamed. “I just didn’t tell you everything.”
“You lied by omission, damn it Derel, how could you not tell me? This is huge. If the council ever found out what you did they’d proclaim you rogue and banish you.”
Derel went down on one knee before her and bowed his head. He was completely subjecting himself to her, showing that he acknowledged her leadership and honored her. By angel custom he could not get up until she released him. She hated it when her healers did that.
“I had to protect my brother, mistress. I’m sorry if I offended you.”
She walked by him, leaving him to kneel for a few more minutes and kicked the door open to the bedroom. Ana, Ramiel and Nathaniel all jumped when they heard it hit the wall. None of them had gone to bed yet, but then they obviously had a lot to talk about.
“This ends now,” she commanded. “There will be no more secrets kept from me. Cam is not only my empath, he’s my friend, and I will not have you lying to me or him anymore.”
“We’re just trying to protect him,” Ana protested.
“We could have lost him, Ana. We almost did. The whole reason that demon got him in the first place was because he was having a major meltdown and not scann
ing the area like he should have been. This whole thing has him scattered, and we need him focused now.”
“Maybe he should just go home with me.”
“He’s a full grown male now and not some infant that needs to coddled. It’s time to cut the apron strings, Ana.”
“I happen to think my sister is right,” Nathaniel interjected. “Cam’s not safe on Earth anymore. The demons are hunting him down.”
“I don’t mean to get all Her Highness on you guys, but too freaking bad. We need him too much in this war. His skills are unmatched now, and I happen to think they’re only going to grow more powerful.”
“That’s not fair.” Ana was near tears. “Hasn’t our family sacrificed enough? We already lost our mother and father.”
“I’m sorry, Ana, but that’s the way things are going to be. I have no say in it, and neither do you. I hate to break it to you, but this is only the beginning. You know what’s going to happen when the other empaths find out.”
“You think they are going to persecute him?” Ramiel growled out.
“No, just the opposite. Like Raphael is the leader of the healers and Michael the leader of archangels, your mother was the leader of the empaths. She was so loved and honored by them that they have refused to elect a new leader even though she’s catatonic. As soon as they learn that her son is so gifted they will no doubt demand that Cam be their leader.”
“There’s no way.” Ana shook her head. “He’s too young for such responsibility.”
“He blew up a demon simply by willing it, Ana. I’d say that makes him a big boy now.”
She grabbed a dagger off her dresser and went back out into the hallway and stood over Derel. He still hadn’t moved. At least he knew how to be a polite angel. Not that that was going to earn him any bonus points right now. She was too pissed off at him. She handed him the dagger.
“Derel, son of Lehor, I demand that you take a blood oath that you will never deceive me again,” she commanded.
All of the sibs let out a collective gasp. What she was demanding of him was huge. To swear a blood oath was binding and only used on rare occasions. The last blood oath Derel probably had taken had been the one to serve as an angel warrior. He didn’t hesitate even for one second. He took the dagger by the blade and squeezed it tightly in his fist until blood began to trickle from between his fingers.
“I swear upon my blood never to lie or keep anything from you again, Mistress Gabrielle.” Only after that did he look up into her eyes.
“You may raise now, healer.” She turned and looked at the rest of the clan. “You guys were my family when I had none, and you taught me to love. I will never forget that. I love Cam too. Don’t you think that I feel like locking him up in his room and keeping him safe? But I won’t humiliate him like that. He’s a warrior; he’s taken the same vows we have, and I won’t dishonor him by treating him any differently.”
“Gabi, there’s something else you do need to know,” Derel said quietly, he took a towel from Ana and wrapped it around his cut hand.
“What’s that?”
“You know that energy source you saw in Cam?” When she nodded he continued. “I found something like that in Abdiel too. It’s kind of like Cam’s, but it’s different too.”
Gabi didn’t answer because she was already beating a path back to Cam’s bedroom. As soon as she got there, she threw herself down on the ground where Abdiel was sleeping and scanned him. Derel was right. There was a white light building up in her mate too. She stared it down with her healer’s eyes, despising and fearing its very existence. She knew that nothing would ever be the same again. Their lives had changed and there was no going back.
Her breath came out in short, little gasps as a wave panic swelled through her body. She laid her head on his chest and started to cry. He woke up and asked her what was wrong, but she found that she couldn’t put her sorrow into words. In the end, he just ended up holding her and rocking her like she had rocked Cam earlier.
“This is still our house, right?” Abdiel asked grumpily.
Gabi gave a small chuckle as she patted his hand. They had gone down for breakfast and found the kitchen full of angel warriors. Abdiel took one look at the gawking crowd and decided that Michael was going to pay for this one.
Cam walked down the stairs and joined them. As soon as he saw the crowd, his lip curled. “I’m going back to my room,” he announced.
He turned around and started to leave. Abdiel grabbed his by the back of his shirt and hauled him back.
“If I have to play nice, so do you,” Abdiel told him.
“They’re all staring at me like I’m some frigging lab rat,” Cam complained.
“Well, you did go ballistic on them,” Gabi informed him tartly.
Cam responded by walking up to the fridge. Grabbing a carton of milk out of it, he proceeded to drink straight from it. He looked around like he was daring someone to say something.
Abdiel went over to him and jerked the carton from his hands. He smacked the punk on the back of the head. Cam rubbed his head as he shot the archangel a filthy look.
“Excuse my empath folks,” Abdiel told the other angels. “He’s always cranky in the morning.”
“Did you really give it to your brother’s healer?” a young dark-haired male asked Cam.
“Yeah, so?” Cam grunted.
“That is so cool,” the male exclaimed. “That guy was such a jerk.”
“It’s about time us empaths stood up for ourselves,” a blond, male angel chimed in.
A female joined the group. She tucked a strand of long blonde hair behind her ear. “The Empath Guild would love it if you would be our keynote speaker at next month’s meeting.”
“I don’t do well speaking in front of crowds,” Cam argued.
“What would be title his speech?” Abdiel drawled out. “101 ways to beat a healer?”
That comment angered the blonde female. She gave him a huffy look. “Like an archangel would understand. Empaths have been getting the shaft for far too long. We’re the ones sticking our necks out night after night. And what do we get for all our efforts? A room in the loony bin when we become catatonic.”
“What exactly is the Empath Guild?” Abdiel directed his question to Cam. Talking to the female was like talking to a pit bull.
“It’s an advocacy group for empaths.” Having lost his carton of milk, he grabbed a Coke. The whole conversation seemed to bore him. “I’ve never been to a meeting, but I guess they push for empath rights.”
A vision of empaths carrying picket signs flashed through Abdiel’s mind. What was next? Healers demanding medical and dental benefits?
The female went over and placed an imploring hand on Cam. “Please, it would be an honor to all of us. You are the most respected empath out there.”
Abdiel let out a groan. These kids were looking at Cam like they worshiped him. He was going to be impossible to live with now. When he finally told them that he would speak at their stupid meeting they almost fainted at his feet.
He looked over at Gabi. Her mouth hung open as she shook her head. It made him feel a little better to know that he was not the only one baffled by the weird turn of events.
“Oh honestly,” Ana hissed from behind them. She had walked into the kitchen and had heard most of the conversation.
Cam gave his sister a lopsided boyish grin as he pulled her into a hug. She gave him a quick squeeze.
“Feeling better?” she whispered to him.
“Much,” he reassured her.
“Michael wants to see you three in the gym,” she told them as she pulled away.
Their gym had been converted into an infirmary. Cots were lined up on both sides. It was already half filled with the injured. Michael was kneeling by one of the cots. On the other side sat a female justice angel. She had a beautiful mane of deep red hair. Her bright green eyes were rimmed red from crying.
“What’s Haniel doing here? I sent him to the healing cham
bers,” Gabi said when she saw the injured angel.
“Yeah, that’s one of the reasons I wanted to talk to you guys,” Michael cast an uneasy look at Cam. “The morning that all this stuff started going down, another team was poisoned.”
“Which team?” Abdiel asked.
“The guys from Flint.”
Flint was about two hours north of Detroit. Like their city, Flint was seeing a lot of activity lately. It was a little close for comfort.
“They were taken to the healing chamber,” the chief continued. “The empath went crazy and attacked the healers. They had to tie him down.”
“Crap.” Cam paled. “It really sucks to be one of us empaths now.”
“The council had decreed that any poisoned angel must be confined to Earth until they are deemed not dangerous,” Michael finished.
“That’s ridiculous,” Abdiel said angrily. “Haniel is an archangel.”
“I told you the council had sticks up their butts,” Gabi spoke in a stage whisper. The chief gave her an aggravated look.
“I think you’ve been hanging out with this one too much,” Michael jerked his thumb at Cam.
Cam kneeled down next to the red-haired female. “What is your name?”
“Amadeaha, I’m Haniel’s sister.” She never looked up from her brother.
“I’m an empath,” Cam said softly. “Would you like me to ease some of your pain?”
“No,” Amadeaha whispered. “I want to feel this pain, remember it. It is the least I can do for my brother.”
“Are you sure? Please, let me help you.”
When the female shook her head in the negative, Cam shrugged his shoulders and stood up. He cast a sad look down at the justice angel. He even started to reach out and touch her, but he stopped himself at the last moment.
“So how is Haniel doing?” Abdiel asked Michael.
“It’s going to take a few sessions of healing, but he’ll make it. However, his days of being an archangel are over.”
“Is that what you called me for?” Gabi walked closer to the injured angel. “To help heal him?”
“Thanks, Gabi,” Michael drawled out. “We could use the help. We seem to be one healer short.”
Angel Warriors Page 17
