Reign of Angels 2

by L. G. Castillo

  “You really think so?”

  “Yep. We’re good, and your secret is safe with me.”

  She let out a breath of relief. “Thank you.”

  “So, is that how you got the dagger? You made it? You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” I added quickly.

  “My father made it a long time ago.”

  “Did Belial get to him too? Maybe he was forced.”

  “No, he…” Tears welled in her eyes. “He wanted me to kill the love of my life.”

  “That’s horrible! Why would he want you to do that?”

  “Because Sam was Gibbor.” She gazed into the distance, lost in a memory. “Back then, Nephilim were more angel than human. We aren’t immortal, but we live for a very long time and are stronger than humans. My father was a poor sheepherder with great ambitions. So when a Power offered him great wealth, he agreed without hesitation. All he had to do was kill Sam.”

  “May the Ancients return their souls home again,” I murmured.

  Hali’s brow lifted with surprise. “That’s right. You know about the Valley of Lost Souls?”

  “Not really, the Gibbor prayer and something about the Ancients deciding where their souls go.” Ancients were angelic royalty who ruled over all angels, like Tristan’s father. My chest ached as I recalled the look on Tristan’s face when Hunter had brought it up.

  “For the Nephilim, Gibbor or Eljo, our souls are left to wander the Valley of Lost Souls for all eternity. That is, unless an Ancient decides to let us be reborn. It’s our punishment for being the children of the fallen.”

  “They can’t do that! It’s not your fault.”

  “That may be, but the Ancients have been doing it for centuries. I was fortunate to have one help me.”

  I balked. That could only mean one thing. “You killed Sam?”

  “No, I couldn’t.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “He…he took his own life…for me.” She gazed down at the dagger. “I tried to stop him. But when I managed to reach him, it was too late. He was gone.”

  “But he came back?”

  “Yes, but not for a very long time. When the Ancient allowed Sam to come back, he came and found me. That’s when we had the girls. But then…Ari…”

  I gritted my teeth, recalling the angel with eyes like green ice.

  “It was strange. Ari kept asking for the new Throne and demanding we tell him where the Throne was hidden. We had no idea what he was talking about. Ari thought because Sam is Gibbor who chose to bind himself to a reformed Eljo, we’d somehow know. And he…he…” Hali bit her lip, blinking fast. After a moment, her breathing slowed and she continued. “We buried Sam’s body a few weeks before the warrior angels attacked Vegas.”

  “I’m so sorry. Maybe you can contact the Ancient who saved him the first time? Who was he?”

  “Val’s father, Raphael. I met him once. She’s just like him. Fearless.”

  “You met him? The Raphael. That’s Val’s father?”

  “Yes. He’s an influential Ancient with a kind heart, but not even he will go against Phanuel. It’s hopeless. My love, my life…he’s gone.”

  I held onto Hali as she wept into my shoulder. Her pain echoed in my chest for a love lost as I thought of Tristan.

  7

  Karenna

  The moment I stepped foot into the dining area, I froze. Sunlight filtered brightly through the windows, making the crowded space cheery.

  “What’s wrong?” Hali asked, sounding panicked.

  “Do you see that?”

  “See what?”

  “The sunlight. Is this real?”

  Hali let out a breath of relief. “It’s real. Zach said we’d more than likely see the sun today. He doubted Ari and his army would’ve bothered messing with the ocean currents.”

  “I’m confused. Do you mean they are the ones causing this crazy weather?”

  “That’s what Zach said. I’m so relieved. It’s finally starting to feel like normal.”

  But for how long? If Ari and his army decided to search the ocean and somehow found us, there would be nowhere to escape. I shivered.

  “I don’t know about you, but I’m starving, and the buffet looks awesome,” I said, quickly shaking the thought away.

  A massive amount of food lined the buffet tables. Pastries, cereals, eggs, and even fruit was available for the passengers. Every imaginable breakfast item was laid out neatly. Families moved through the buffet lines.

  The scent of coffee brewing wafted through the air, and my stomach rumbled with appreciation. It’d had enough of protein bars and jerky. As much as I kept eyeballing the stacks of chocolate chip pancakes, I stuck to a cup of coffee until I knew my stomach had settled.

  “Good morning, Karenna!” Calder cried from across the room. He held a bus box filled with dirty plates and glasses. He looked frazzled with tousled hair and disheveled clothes. “Did you sleep well?”

  Except for the nightmare, I’d say I’d slept pretty well.

  “Like a rock. Did you get any sleep? I mean, how did you all manage this?” I waved my hand across the expanse of the room.

  His green eyes danced. “Isn’t it great? Your father had a lot to do with it. Did you know he was an engineer? What am I saying? Of course you do. Well, he and some electrical engineers got a grant from REMI Cruise Lines to test shielding concrete on ships. A lot of us were skeptical that they’d finish when…oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…” His voice drifted off, and he began to clear the empty table near us.

  I fingered the keycard in my pocket. I vaguely remembered he and Mom discussing a study about conductive concrete shields at the dinner table. I’d done my best to follow the conversation because he’d been so excited about his results. But when the words “electromagnetic waves” and “magnetite” spilled out of his mouth, my brain powered off.

  “It’s okay, Calder. I know what you mean.”

  “Thanks for taking the girls. Did they behave?” Hali asked, as she approached us with a stack of blueberry pancakes. “Calder?”

  I followed Calder’s gaze. His lips curved downward as his green eyes followed Jo helping Javi and Neto with their breakfast. The longing on his face was almost too much to watch.

  “Calder?” Hali repeated.

  He blinked. “Oh, yes…they were great. Zac took them to one of the shops to get them some swimsuits. Val’s setting up a kiddie pool,” he said. “And if you like ping pong, Mr. Nacho and I will be setting that up after breakfast.”

  Swimming, shopping, delicious food. It was like a summer vacation. I scanned the room, taking in the families sitting around tables covered with pristine white tablecloths, eating heartily, and smiling. It was as if they had forgotten the entire world had fallen apart. From the devastated cities and war-torn streets we’d traveled to make it to the ship, the angels had steered us into a cocoon of normalcy surrounded by calm ocean blue waters and bright skies. It was a deception of the mind that kept everyone calm in the chaos we were living in.

  And all it took was pancakes and ping pong.

  “There’s Lucy,” he said, pointing behind my shoulder. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to work.”

  “I’m still alive,” Lucy said, licking her fingers. “Did you try the French toast? Raffi made it, and it was damn good. You know Raffi.”

  I sighed with relief as Lucy bounced toward us, thankful to see her cheerful face.

  “Nice to meet you.” I shook the angel’s hand before turning on Lucy and letting her have it.

  “Lucille Sara Morgan! You gave me a heart attack! You could have at least woken me up.”

  “I told ya she’d freak.” She held out her hand.

  “Sisters,” Raffi replied under his breath and slapped a king-size chocolate bar into her palm.

  I balked. Preteen angels were as annoying as human ones. If Val were here, this would’ve been a huge bonding moment for us.

  “What did you expect, Lucy? We’
re surrounded by water and you can barely do a breaststroke,” I pointed out.

  Raffi elbowed Lucy, snickering. “She said breast.”

  Oh…my…god. I was a thousand percent behind Val for whatever reason why she didn’t want her brother here.

  Lucy stopped giggling when she saw the expression on my face. “I’m not a baby. Besides, Calder and Zac brought me here for breakfast.”

  “I didn’t know. Like I said, you could’ve told me.”

  “I left you a note.”

  “It was under my bag…stuck with gum!”

  “Oh,” she chuckled. “It must’ve fallen off the table. Anyways, we gotta go. There’s a surf machine, and Zac thinks he can get it set up.”

  “That’s right, brah.” Raffi held up his hand, gesturing the shaka sign.

  “Mommy! Mommy!” Hali’s girls ran across the dining area. They looked so cute with their hair styled in double Dutch braids.

  Zac hurried after them. “I’m sorry, Karenna. I ran into Jo, and she told me you were looking for Lucy. If I’d known—”

  “It wasn’t your fault. I know all the angels are busy. You don’t have to babysit my sister.”

  “Who’s babysitting?” Lucy scowled.

  “It’s not a problem. I’m watching Raffi for Val today—”

  “Hey! Not cool, brah!” Raffi frowned.

  “I meant Raffi and I are hanging out while Val and Tristan are working. I’m glad to have Lucy and your girls come along,” Zac said.

  “Please, Mommy! Please, please.” The girls bounced, tugging on Hali’s blouse.

  “All right, all right.” Hali laughed. “Who managed to tame your hair? Lucy?”

  Zac’s face reddened. “It was me.”

  “You know how to braid hair?” I took in the angelic warrior’s powerful arms and thick hands. Wow.

  “Yes,” he replied, looking embarrassed. “I hope you don’t mind, Ms. Ledi.”

  “No. Not at all,” Hali said. “Since you’re here, I was wondering if you could tell us where we’re headed.”

  Zac’s smile froze. “I, uh, the Hawaiian Islands.”

  “Is that where the safe haven is? Oahu, maybe?”

  Zac tensed. “I can’t answer that.”

  An uncomfortable tension built between the two of them. I was curious about where the safe haven was too. I didn’t think about pressuring any of the angels to tell me. If they wanted us to know, they would tell us.

  Zac finally broke the silence. “What I can say is that we should be there in only a few days. In the meantime, we’ll have a bit of fun. Nisha, Hazel, let’s go find Val.”

  “Karenna! Over here.” Hunter stood at a table near the windows.

  “Mr. Texas is calling for you,” Hali said, as she watched Zac leave with her girls. “Does he ever take off that hat?”

  I chuckled as Hunter waved his cowboy hat in the air, motioning for us to join him.

  As we made our way through the dining area, I spotted a swinging door propped halfway open. As we passed, I saw a silhouette move. My heart skipped a beat, wondering if it was Tristan.

  Stop it. It’s just a shadow. If Tristan wanted to see me, he would.

  Hali and I were making our way over to Hunter’s table when I spotted a familiar face sitting next to Jo.

  “Gus! You made it.” He patted my arm as I hugged him.

  “See I told you mis angelitos are good. Señora Hali, I told you Karenna and Jo would make it back safe.”

  “You were right.” Hali threw a wary glance at Dorian before sliding out the seat next to me and sitting.

  I silently groaned, wishing again Dorian had stuck with his buddies. They were nowhere in the dining area. They probably had some poor angel running room service for them.

  “Karenna, I took the liberty of getting you a plate.” Hunter slid a plate filled with eggs and bacon in front of me. “And no god-fearing Texan would eat breakfast without this.” He plopped a small jar of salsa next to the plate.

  My stomach rumbled. If I kept my eyes on Gus and ignored Dorian, I could manage to eat the delicious-looking breakfast. “Thanks. It looks good.”

  Gus grunted.

  I blinked with surprise. He glared at Hunter then turned his attention back to his food.

  “Hunter was telling us about Tristan,” Jo said with a warning voice.

  “I know it’s unsettling, love,” Dorian said, sawing a knife through a massive steak. “I’m shocked about it myself. I mean, you traveled with Tristan for days. It’s a miracle you two are still alive.”

  “We’re alive because of Tristan,” I snapped and looked to Jo, waiting for her to jump in and agree. We both owed Tristan and Calder our lives.

  “We wouldn’t have made it back without him,” she said half-heartedly.

  I raised an eyebrow. How could she not defend them, especially Calder?

  She poked at a bowl of fruit. I frowned. Jo always ate a big breakfast, except when Dorian was around.

  “Hmm, I doubt that. You two are a determined pair. Here, have some more coffee.” Dorian lifted the carafe and refilled Jo’s cup. “Still, I shudder to think that you traveled almost halfway across the country with someone like him. Hunter, tell Karenna what you told us.”

  “Well, now, it’s what us Gibbor have been told. I ain’t one to start rumors,” Hunter said, frowning. “Jo here tells me Tristan’s been a good friend to you.”

  More than a friend.

  I tensed. Where was Hunter going with his story? “He saved us multiple times.”

  “Gus here says Tristan is one of the good ones, right ol’ timer?”

  Gus glared, not saying a word.

  Hunter shifted uncomfortably, clearing his throat. “Sorry if my stories rubbed y’all the wrong way.”

  “Not at all,” Dorian leaned forward, jumping in. “I think it would behoove us to know everything about these alleged ‘good’ angels. After all, our lives and our loved ones’ lives, are in their hands.” He ruffled the top of Javi’s and Neto’s heads. They gazed at him with dark adoring eyes.

  Alleged? Alleged! Did he not have any appreciation for Tristan and Calder saving his sorry ass?

  Dorian sat back, arms folded, looking confident I would agree with him.

  There wasn’t anything Hunter could say that would ever change my mind about Tristan.

  Even so, my hand trembled as I lifted my cup. “Okay, tell me. What’s Tristan’s story?”

  “For one thing, his own grandfather doesn’t trust him,” Dorian said.

  I wanted to slap the smug smile off his face. “So he doesn’t get along with his grandfather. Big deal.”

  Silence filled the table. Jo pushed back her bowl. Gus dropped his fork and bowed his head over his plate.

  “It’s a huge deal when your grandfather is one of the Ancients,” Hunter paused, taking a sip of his coffee. He waited until all eyes were on him before giving the final blow.

  “Remi’s his grandfather.”

  8

  Karenna

  “Remi? The Remi of REMI Entertainment. The Remi of…” I fished out my keycard and tossed it on the table. The bright yellow and aquamarine coloring the script and logo stood out against the white tablecloth. “REMI Cruise Lines? Remi is Tristan’s grandfather? No way. It doesn’t make sense.”

  Jo and Gus stared down at the table, not saying a word. Hali peered at Hunter, her head tilted to the side, studying him. Javi and Neto, oblivious to the conversation, continued to dig into their breakfast.

  “Yeppers, the same Remi. Remiel, Ancient of the House of Remiel, to be exact,” Hunter drawled.

  “But there’s no way…” Images of how Remi had acted toward Tristan at the camp in Vegas filtered through my mind…Tristan’s rage when Remi had called him selfish, and the venom in Tristan’s voice when he’d lashed back. Was it true?

  Then I remembered what Tristan had said about his father destroying one of the angelic houses and the pieces of the puzzle slowly came together. “Remi doesn’t
trust Tristan because of his father, but how is Remi his grandfather?”

  “Remi has a daughter named Diniel.”

  “The angel who protects infants,” Hali murmured.

  “That’s right. You know your angel names,” Hunter said, arching an eyebrow. “It’s well known in most Gibbor circles that Diniel bound herself to Phanuel. Don’t know why. All we know was Remi got madder than a mule chewin’ on bumblebees when he heard and disowned her.”

  “Tristan’s mother married the enemy.” Poor Tristan. No wonder he could barely talk about his parents.

  “And…” Hunter leaned forward, lowering his voice. “The year Tristan was to graduate from the angelic academy, Phanuel accused Remi of sending angels to Earth to join Belial. There was a trial and everything. It was said Diniel wanted Tristan to take over Remi’s house, and it was her idea to get Remi kicked out. Her own father! Can you believe it?”

  “No,” I gasped. That explained the heartache on Tristan’s face whenever he mentioned his mother.

  “I always thought something was fishy about Tristan. Didn’t I tell you, Josette?” Dorian said, waving his fork. “And I’m not sure about this Remi either. What if what Phanuel said is true? Remi could be sending us into a trap.”

  I gritted my teeth. I was about to tell Dorian off when Hunter suddenly placed his hand over mine. I sucked in a breath at his firm touch. Then I realized my hand gripped a butter knife. For a split second, I wished Hunter had gotten me steak and eggs for breakfast.

  “I don’t think so,” he said, slowly lifting his hand from mine. “Remi’s been good to us Gibbor. For an Ancient, he trusts us. And if you know anything about angels and the Nephilim, that’s really sayin’ something.”

  I narrowed my eyes at Dorian. “That’s right. Why would Remi and the other angels bother going through the motions of saying they’re taking us to safety when they could’ve kept us on land when Ari and his army attacked? And what does any of this have to do with Tristan?