by Last, K. A.
My phone rang, breaking the silence, and Josh raised an eyebrow.
“What?” I said.
“Just didn’t pick you as a Green Day kinda girl.”
“Should I be listening to someone more wholesome, like The Jonas Brothers?”
“You are an angel.”
I laughed, gave him a gentle push and jumped up to grab my phone. It was Emma’s mum.
“Hi, Mrs Shrove, I’m so sorry…”
“Grace, dear, I wanted to see if you were ok?”
“Me, Mrs Shrove? I should be asking you that.”
We talked and shed some tears together. Josh held my hand, squeezing it gently now and then. Emma’s dad also hopped on the line to see if I was ok. What was it with them, checking up on me when their daughter was the one who died?
“She’ll be well looked after, Mrs Shrove, I know it,” I said. Josh smiled. “Ok, I’ll see you Monday.” I ended the call and watched the light on the screen blink off. Josh still held my hand.
“The funeral is Monday morning.”
“Your birthday,” he said.
“Don’t remind me, please.”
Josh raised my chin gently with his finger and lightly pressed his lips to mine. I knew what his intensions were; I always knew what his intentions were. He’d been justifying it in his head that he wanted to take my mind off things, and this time I let him.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and we dropped onto the bed. He kissed me deeply, fiercely, and I tasted blood in my mouth but I didn’t care. It was definitely taking my mind off things. My hands slid down his chest and I hooked my fingers into the belt loops of his jeans. He kissed my neck, making my spine tingle.
Josh rolled over and pulled me on top of him. I took a deep breath and rested my forehead on his, closing my eyes. His hands were warm against my skin as he lifted my T-shirt to caress my back, his fingertips gently traced the rose lines where my wings hid.
“Promise you’ll never leave me,” I whispered.
“Where would I go, Grace? You have my heart. And my soul if you want it.”
In that moment it didn’t matter that Josh was human and I was an angel. It didn’t matter that what we were doing was against the rules, and it didn’t matter that I would outlive him a thousand lifetimes over. All that mattered was us, and I melted into his kiss.
Sighing, I pulled away and sat up on the bed.
“Grace, what’s wrong?”
“It’s Archer. He’s outside the door.”
We both looked at the closed door of my room.
“Well, are you going to come in?” Josh asked, not trying to hide his annoyance. The door opened just enough for Archer to stick his head through, an amused smirk on his face. “What is so important you couldn’t wait, I don’t know, half an hour?”
“Josh.” I put my hand gently on his arm. “Angelica is downstairs.”
“Bit more important than feeling up my sister, don’t you think?” Archer laughed. I threw a pillow at him and he ducked. “See you two in a minute,” he called.
We made ourselves more presentable, and less ruffled looking, before leaving the loft. Angelica stood beside one of the couches, her nose in the air.
“Please, do have a seat,” I said, sarcastically.
“Think I’ll pass,” she replied, moving towards me.
“Snob.”
“Traitor.”
“Wouldn’t want any dirt on those pristine linen pants, would we?” I said.
“Is that a footprint on your butt, you know, from being kicked out of Heaven?”
“Ok, girls, I’m going to jump in before you start pulling hair and scratching each other’s eyes out,” Archer said, standing between us.
Gently, I grabbed his shoulders and moved him out of the way.
What do you want? I stared at Angelica, channelling all my anger at her.
You know what I want.
She isn’t here.
I can see that, where is she?
“What are they doing?” Josh whispered to Archer. To him I was just standing there staring at Angelica.
“Angelica was just leaving,” I said, walking to the door and holding it open.
“Actually, I’ve come to make you a deal.”
“I don’t make deals with the devil, so to speak.”
“Grace, you are closer to the devil than I am,” she laughed, and the sound made me sick. Angelica was supposed to be the epitome of goodness, like I once was, but her halo was hurting my eyes and her purity made me want to vomit.
“No deals,” I said.
“Your status fully restored. For Charlotte.”
“Seriously, you would do that for me? I’m so touched. Like I said, I don’t make deals with the devil.”
Josh fidgeted at the table while I stood with my hand on the door, gesturing for Angelica to leave. Archer walked over and I hid a smile, knowing what he was about to do.
“Would you like a footprint on your butt, too? You know, from being kicked out of the Tate family shed.” He mimed a kick at Angelica and she flinched, stepping into the doorway.
“Have it your way. We’ll be back, and next time no won’t be the right answer.”
“We’re shaking in our boots,” I said. “Don’t let the door bruise your butt on the way out.” I slammed it in her face.
“What’s going on?” Ryan asked from the top of the stairs, stretching and scratching his head.
“Not much,” I said, “just putting out the garbage.”
Archer, Josh and I burst into fits of laughter, and Ryan looked at us like we’d all lost our minds.
TWENTY-SEVEN
GRACE
My stomach felt heavy with worry for Charlotte, but if Angelica didn’t know where she was it meant she was probably still alive. I just hoped she knew what she was doing. We decided to keep a low profile after Angelica left, and get some things sorted for the party.
We built a small bonfire in the centre of the clearing. The boys were off in the forest doing, I don’t know, guy things, and I was staring at a pile of sticks, thinking.
The mid-morning sun was warm on my face; I closed my eyes relishing its touch. My wings felt very cramped and I decided to give them a stretch. No one was around to see so it couldn’t hurt. They pushed gently past the straps of my red tank top—I didn’t want to ruin yet another piece of clothing—until they were fully unfurled. I stretched them wide and gave them a gentle flutter.
I looked at my hands and a tiny thought entered my mind. I’d worn the ring on my right ring finger for as long as I could remember, it had always been there, from the moment I came into creation, and I’d never questioned its existence. My union with God was symbolised by that ring, and for that reason I’d never taken it off. Curious, I fiddled with it for a few seconds then began to slide it down my finger.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Seth said. He came around the bonfire to stand beside me.
“What are you doing here?” I sighed, pushing my ring back into place.
Seth regarded me for a moment. “Just trust me,” he finally said. “You don’t want to take your ring off.”
“Give me one good reason why I should trust you? You … you left.” He flinched, his expression hardening. “You watched Emma die.”
“In all fairness, I did try to stop Matthew, and you still don’t want to take off your ring.”
“Why? What will happen?” I asked cautiously.
“I can’t believe after thousands of years as an angel, you have never worked out what your ring is for.”
“It’s a symbol of my connection with God, or rather it was before it turned black,” I said.
“Mine did the same thing when I fell. If you remember, my stone used to be amber, now it’s onyx like yours.”
I glanced at Seth’s ring; one sweeping angel’s wing surrounding a jet black stone. I twirled my ring again, trying to picture what it used to look like when it held the sparkling blue sapphire, a stone as dark as death stared back at me.
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“All fallen angels have black onyx in their ring, those who still have rings,” Seth said.
For a moment I let my guard slip. I was confused and wondered why Seth had come, he always had a hidden agenda, but this time something felt different.
“You still haven’t worked it out?” he asked. “For someone who’s been around as long as you, you’re pretty dumb.”
“Hey…”
“If you take that ring off you will lose your wings. They’ll be stripped.”
“Angelica said I was lucky not to have been stripped after I fell.”
“And she’s right,” he said. “But no doubt she intends to try.”
I rolled everything Seth had said over in my mind, and stopped on one thing that puzzled me. “Annie wasn’t wearing her ring, it was around her neck. So why did she keep her wings?”
“If it was around her neck then technically she was wearing it. I guess the Council made an exception, and Angels of the Light have ways around almost anything. Besides, as far as I know, only another angel can strip you. Unless you’re stupid enough to do it yourself.”
“Why are you telling me this? Are you helping me?”
Seth’s eyes softened. He looked like he actually cared, which frightened me. We’d fought for so many years, and it hurt too much to remember what it was like when we’d been friends. I pushed into his mind and glimpsed the beginning of a thought.
Because I…
Seth?
Get out, Grace. “If Angelica loses her ring, she also loses her wings,” he said. “Think about it. She will be powerless against you, against us.”
“There is no us, Seth.”
His expression turned cold. I could feel the wall he put back up between us, not even realising how far it had come down in the first place.
“Ivan and Blake, have they been stripped?” I asked.
“My boys got into a little trouble, yes. Their rings are with the Guardian.”
“There’s a Guardian?” I shook my head and rubbed my temples. “Why don’t I know any of this? Has my existence been that sheltered? Am I really that naïve?”
“Don’t beat yourself up too much; I don’t actually know who it is. The Guardian’s identity has been a secret for a very long time. Besides, you’re just a Protection Angel. Need to know basis I guess.”
That was true; my status in Heaven had been on the lowest rung, but Seth’s knowledge got under my skin and it looked like I had a few things to learn. While I was thinking and trying to process all the new information, he’d come a little closer. I raised my head and stared up into his eyes. His face was only inches from mine, and his cold expression bore into me.
“Can we be killed, if we’ve been stripped?” I asked, my pulse racing.
“Yes, but it’s complicated. Lose your wings and you lose your power. It also makes you weak, hence the reason Ivan and Blake are more bark than bite. They don’t put themselves in dangerous situations anymore. They’re hoping to get their rings back one day.”
Seth reached out and stroked my feathers. I shrank away from his touch, folding my wings as close to my body as possible, but I stood my ground.
Do you remember what it was like, before my fall? Seth’s eyes held mine, and I found I couldn’t look away.
Of course I did, but I was used to the way he was now. I’d blocked the other memories. I didn’t want to go there. Seth stroked my cheek with the tips of his fingers and I closed my eyes, shivering at his touch.
Please Seth, don’t.
You know why I fell, don’t you?
I didn’t answer, I didn’t want to, and for some stupid reason I didn’t move.
It’s too painful to remember, I said. Please … don’t.
“Why did you really come?” I put up the wall inside my head and stepped back. “Why are you trying to help me defeat Angelica?” And then it dawned on me. A smile spread across Seth’s face as he saw my realisation. “You need me. You want her gone and you can’t do it yourself.”
“You do always figure things out eventually, Grace.”
Angelica wasn’t the only reason he was here, though. I could feel it. Memories flooded my thoughts and this time I didn’t stop them. My time in Heaven with Seth played out in my mind. It hurt. I’d worked so hard to keep it locked up, I didn’t want to remember. When Seth had left, my world shattered, we’d been in sync for so long it was like the night losing its stars. Angelica had told me we were better off without him; he wasn’t a true servant of God and was where he belonged. I came to earth not long after. Well, a few hundred years, but that was nothing in the scheme of things for an angel. I spent so long trying to block it out, throwing myself into protecting the Tate’s and fighting evil, but with Seth on my heels everywhere I went, sometimes it was hard.
Finally, it dawned on me why he fell. How could I have been so blind? Angelica and Seth had been my best friends, how did I not see it before?
“You fell because of me,” I whispered.
A lonely tear slipped down my cheek and Seth reached out as if to catch it in his palm, but instead he brushed it away with his thumb. The memory of catching Seth’s tear in my hand flashed across my mind and I stared into his cold eyes. He glared at me in silence.
Eventually Seth said, “You might want to go get Charlotte. Matthew got hold of her early this morning. She’s locked in a warehouse out on the highway.”
“Seth…?”
“Just go, Grace. I’m done with Matthew and his crap. Chasing Charlotte was fun, but I want Angelica now. She’s the one who convinced you to hate me so much in the first place.”
“No, you did a good job of doing that yourself,” I said.
He stroked my cheek again and it made me shiver.
“Angels aren’t supposed to fall in love, especially with each other. But for the record, you were worth it.”
And then he was gone.
TWENTY-EIGHT
GRACE
Saturday Afternoon
Seth’s touch lingered on my cheek as I retracted my wings. The good news, there was a way to defeat Angelica, or pull her down a few rungs. The bad news, well I didn’t want to think about that.
“Grace?” Josh called across the clearing. I knew he’d seen everything and I felt a little guilty. “What did he want?” he asked, coming to my side.
“To tell me Charlotte is locked in a warehouse on the outskirts of town, among other things.”
“Charlotte is what? Why are we standing here? Find her!” Archer said.
“You could be a little less rude,” I said.
“Oh, we’re sorry, Grace, did we interrupt a private moment between you and Seth,” Josh shot at me.
“Josh? It wasn’t like that.”
“I saw the way he touched you.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, shaking my head.
“I know what I saw.”
“Josh, Seth and I have history. Not even Archer knows about it.”
“Well, that’s news to me.” Archer sounded mad, too.
Great, my boyfriend and my brother were mad at me for something that was out of my control. I knew I wouldn’t win this one, but I had to try.
Josh, please…
“Would you stop doing that,” he said, storming off towards the shed.
Ryan was silent through the entire exchange. He shrugged and followed his best friend. I knew he wasn’t angry, he just felt he had a responsibility to Josh.
“Ryan,” I called after him, “we’ll be back soon with Charlotte.” He nodded and continued walking.
Archer clenched his fists at his sides. He looked really angry.
“What the … what were you thinking, Gracie?”
“Arch, it’s complicated. I can’t explain…”
“Try.”
My brother stood over me, not about to back down. The story would take too long to tell, so I opened my memories to Archer and flooded his mind with a snapshot of my life before him, before our fam
ily. Archer’s eyes widened with every new piece of information.
“Well, that kind of sucks.”
“Can we go get Charlotte now?” I held out my hand.
“You don’t love him back, do you?”
If looks could kill Archer would have died instantly. He flinched then took my outstretched hand without another word. I misted us to the other side of town and we landed in a lane way between two big warehouses. We walked to the end and out into a car park. Concentrating, I searched for Charlotte.
“She’s in there,” I said, pointing to a dilapidated tin shed across the street.
I misted again and we landed inside the warehouse. The shape of some old farm machinery came into focus as my eyes adjusted to the gloom. Apart from the two run down tractors and a dozer, the place was empty. I couldn’t see Charlotte anywhere, but I could feel her.
“Charlotte,” I called into the darkness.
“Grace? Upstairs,” a tentative reply echoed off the metal walls.
There was a staircase in one corner leading up to an office. Archer and I ran to the bottom and picked our way over the rusting steps. It took a few shoves to open the door at the top, and when we entered the small room we found Charlotte chained to a chair. Or rather, she was under a huge pile of chains that wrapped around her body and her legs. Hercules wouldn’t have been able to break free.
“What took you guys so long?”
“You kept running away, remember?” Archer knelt down to pick the padlocks holding Charlotte captive.
“We stopped looking, figured you’d come when you were ready. Seth told us where you were. Looks like we won’t have to use bait, Arch,” I said, laughing. He threw me a look and Charlotte raised an eyebrow. “Never mind,” I said quickly. “Are you coming back? We may have a way to put Angelica in her place.”
“This bit you haven’t told me,” Archer said.
“All in good time. Let’s get Charlotte home first.”
Archer began to unravel the chains. When he was done Charlotte rubbed her wrists where they’d been bound, then launched at Archer and hugged him. He spun her around a few times to see if she was hurt.
