Michael had made him happy. Through his ability, he knew Michael had decided his beliefs didn’t matter. He loved and accepted Lake, wanted to be with him and protect him.
How could this happen? Michael was supposed to give Lake a reason to continue hating him. Hating everything around him. People wanted to beat him down, step on him. They thought he was a freak. Michael wasn’t supposed to make him feel like none of that mattered!
“It’s not possible for me to be loved,” he whispered. “Lev said the only way I was ever going to get anything I wanted was to take it from others.”
Lake sank to his knees. The anger that had been fueling him the past few weeks tasted bitter in his mouth. This wasn’t who he was. He spent his life fighting to hold his head high, to prove others wrong. But they hadn’t been wrong. He had shown them how right they were about him.
“Lake!” Michael rushed to his side.
Lake stared at him, blinking back tears. Maybe it wasn’t too late. He could still show the world he was worth something. He wasn’t a useless freak. Michael saw something else in him. He wasn’t an abomination to Michael.
“I’m sorry,” he blurted out. “I was going to hurt you. I was mad at you for rejecting me, and Lev convinced me I should get revenge, but that’s not who I am. I forgive you for running away. Please don’t be mad at me.”
Michael helped Lake up. “Of course I’m not mad at you. I’ve been hoping you weren’t mad at me for running, and that you’d forgive me.” He pulled Lake close.
Lake clutched him tightly. “There’s more, though. More about me you should know. I…I’m not completely human.” He paused to search for the cold. It sat in his stomach. Like it belonged there. It was part of him. Making him who he was. He let it free and changed.
Michael stepped back.
Lake quickly closed the distance, gripping Michael’s hands. “It’s okay. I’m not a monster. I’m part angel, and I have powers. I can get us anything we need or take us anywhere. We could run away. No one can stop us.” He smiled, his lips struggling to hold the expression. “Trust me.”
***
Despite the warm summer night, Michael felt chilled to the bone. Icy fingers squeezed the air from his lungs, and his mind fought to comprehend what stood before him. Large, leathery wings, black talons, and red eyes that glowed underneath a mop of black curls.
Lake’s voice trembled as he spoke. “I’ve been learning to use my power. The owner of this club, Lev, is an angel like my dad. He’s been teaching me. I’m an empath. I feel the emotions of other people and siphon them into myself to use.”
Michael barely heard the words. This had to be a mistake. Anyone but Lake!
You know what you have to do, Metatron said.
No, not him.
The child is the offspring of a Fallen and must be destroyed.
Anguish ripped into Michael’s chest and tore into his heart like a hungry animal. He squeezed his eyes shut. This was his duty, his path. The sword sprang to his hand at his summon. His wings unfurled. He kept his voice steady, not betraying the pain tearing into him as he faced Lake. “Do not touch me, half-breed.”
Lake faltered. “I…I don’t understand. Why do you have wings? What’s a half-breed? I’m part angel…why-why are you looking at me that way?” Tears filled his eyes and he screamed. “Stop looking at me like that!”
An invisible force threw Michael back, and he crashed into the wall. Another blast rocked the world, causing bricks and rubble to rain down. Screams filled the air and people raced past the alley. Smoke billowed above the club. Michael ignored the chaos, his focus on Lake. He swung his sword to where the half-breed had fallen.
Lake scrambled back, staring with disbelief and his voice a trembling whisper. “You were supposed to be different. You didn’t look at me like others did. You didn’t think I was a freak.” His voice rose in pitch and anguish washed over Michael like a tidal wave. “You loved me. I felt it. I felt love!”
Michael watched Lake race away. He knew he should follow, but his feet turned to the club, taking him inside. Battle surrounded him, his brothers fighting Fallen. He fell into warrior mode, happy to shut his emotions off.
When the fight ended, the sword remained in Michael’s hand. His fingers ached from how tightly he gripped it. He could still hear Lake’s voice, full of torment.
I felt love!
Back in the bedroom with Lake in his arms, Michael searched deep inside himself. Conflict turned his stomach and shook his beliefs. Homosexuality was a sin—one he sought forgiveness for each time he thought of Lake. He never received an answer, and struggled to understand why. Now he knew. There was nothing to forgive, no sin committed. The path was still before him; there was more to it, a part of him he had come to realize.
Accepting he was gay came easily. He embraced the fact and his feelings for Lake. His task held so much more risk because of his love. He would fight harder to send the Fallen to Hell and banish the half-breeds. The world would be safer for Lake.
But Lake was the thing he hunted.
Michael collapsed and his sword vanished. Shudders rocked him and tears rolled down his cheeks as the agony spilled out. Lake was a half-breed and Michael knew what he needed to do. He couldn’t shy from his duty. It might destroy him in the process, but he would do it. He would send the Fallen and their offspring to Hell.
Including Lake.
Chapter Six
Cold air stung Lake’s face. He raced through the city and night, blowing past crowds of people, trying to escape the image chasing him. But Michael’s face kept pace until he reached the trailer park. He slumped onto the rickety steps and buried his head in his arms.
You decided you loved me and that you didn’t see what everyone else saw.
The talons dug into his palm as he clenched his fists. He shoved himself to his feet, ignoring Melody as she cried out, cowering in her chair. He tore through the kitchen until he found a large knife. He glared at his reddish skin and talons. He’d cut off everything angelic about him. He’d make himself normal.
The first blow missed, and the knife thunked against the kitchen counter. Lake took better aim the second time. Pain shot through his hand, dark blood gushing on the third, painful strike. The color looked black in the dim light of the trailer. Dizziness hit him, and the knife slipped from his grip. He sank to the floor, whimpering as tears spilled down his cheeks.
He didn’t understand. How could Michael have wings? Why did he turn on Lake? Why the sudden hatred?
Hours passed as Lake huddled against the stove. His face was raw from where the tears had carved paths down his cheeks, and his eyes ached. The wound on his finger had stopped bleeding, but blood was smeared across his skin and clothing.
Melody whimpered when he stood. Guilt swelled up his throat. He had terrorized his own mother, needlessly hurting her after being encouraged by Lev.
“Mom?”
“Get away! Don’t come near me, please,” Melody cried, hiding her face against her arms.
“Mom, I’m sorry. I…I didn’t mean to hurt you. That wasn’t me. Please forgive me,” he pleaded.
Melody refused to look at him. She kept her face coved with her hands. “No, please. Get away, monster!”
The word tore at Lake, but after what he had done, he was a monster. Still, he couldn’t give up. Maybe a different approach. “Mom, have you eaten anything lately? You look hungry.” She didn’t answer, but he kept trying. “I’ll put a pizza in and clear the table. We can have a family dinner for once.”
Lake prayed for a pizza to be in the freezer. That bit of luck held out. He quickly set the table for two. The gash in his finger broke open as he worked. Grabbing a towel, he wrapped his hand and rushed to the bathroom. The cut stung as he cleaned it and slapped every bandage in the medicine cabinet over it.
A check on the timer showed eight minutes left until the pizza was done. Lake trudged to his bedroom to wait. He didn’t want to watch his mother cower. The smell of t
omato sauce and cheap spices filled the air as time ticked down. Hunger grumbled in Lake’s stomach. When was the last time he had eaten? He licked his lips, planning conversations to prove he wasn’t evil.
A soft knock on the door made him jump. Melody inched into the room, carrying two plates. “Lake, the pizza is done.”
Lake wiped the impromptu sleep from his eyes. “Thanks, Mom. Do you want to sit down?”
Melody hesitated, but handed him a plate and sat on the broken folding chair. She nibbled at her slices, both of them avoiding eye contact. The silence filling the room felt awkward and strangely loud. Lake hadn’t known that was possible. He tried a few times to speak, but each time, he shoved more pizza into his mouth instead.
“You’re nothing like your father.”
Lake almost dropped his food. “W-what?”
Melody set her plate aside and met his gaze. “Your father. Right away he told me what he was, laying it on thick that an angel loved me. I blushed like a schoolgirl each time. He was so handsome. Tall and dark with broad shoulders. He was like the hero in a romance novel. Women’s heads turned his way, but he had eyes only for me.” A fond smile lifted her lips, but it quickly vanished. “One day he slipped and I saw the truth. He looked worse than a prisoner in a World War Two concentration camp. His skin hung from his bones, and his wings…there was nothing to them but stumps. The sight turned my stomach. I couldn’t look at him after without seeing that. He went into a rage when I told him I had seen the truth and asked what happened. He knocked me senseless and then disappeared. I was terrified when I found out I was pregnant. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw a skeleton baby. Then you were born.” Her voice turned to a whisper, “and you were beautiful. You had a thick mop of hair that was already curly. And the first time you sprouted wings, they were so tiny. I was so relieved.”
Lake had to be dreaming. He wasn’t really hearing this. His mother hated him, hated how he reminded her of his father. “But I thought you didn’t want me.”
“I was stupid.” Melody hung her head. “Your father disappearing after beating me was a blow I struggled to recover from. I turned to drinking to dull the pain. It was a miracle you came out healthy. A healthy little boy I refused to love. Instead, I threw all my anger at you and tried to drag you down to where I was trapped.” Tears filled her eyes. “But you refused to gave in. You fought back. Then, one day, a monster came home in your place.”
“That wasn’t me,” Lake whispered.
“No, it was my hatred and pain. I saw what I had done to you. When you returned and were yourself, I listened to you cry.” Melody’s voice cracked. “And I realized if I didn’t take this chance, I’d lose you to the darkness your father left in both of us. Can you forgive me?”
Lake’s throat tightened. “I’m sorry too, Mom. I let someone convince me that it was right to hate everyone, that you deserved it. I never wanted to hurt you the way I did.”
Melody hugged him tightly, cradling him against her chest. Her emotions seeped into him as she stroked his hair. “My baby boy. My beautiful, beautiful gift from God.”
***
Michael pulled in a slow breath, searching for calm, but his mind refused to still. His thoughts churned and collided like a violent storm. Never before had his resolve been rattled so badly, the path so difficult. He must hunt Lake down and kill him. Sentence him to an eternity in Hell.
How could he do that to someone he loved?
He must be— Metatron started but Michael shut him out.
Complete silence. From everyone and everything. Even God.
Michael needed to concentrate. Work through the feelings and let the pain out. Once it was gone, he could do his duty.
But the pain refused to leave. Each waking moment, he struggled against the sorrow and to hide the tears that constantly flowed. His brothers didn’t know the truth. He told them a half-breed had escaped, but left out the fact that it was Lake, who he loved with every fiber of his being. Then he told them he was gay, so they’d think he was searching with God for a way to amend the sin.
What do I do?
He knew what he had to do. Each time he thought about it, his heart tore again. Soon the pieces would be too small to heal. Wasn’t there another way? Something that would spare Lake?
He opened the line of communication back up.
Oh, you want to talk now? Metatron snapped.
I can’t do it. I can’t kill Lake.
You don’t have a choice. It’s your duty.
But he’s not like the other half-breeds. He doesn’t deserve that fate.
They belong with their Fallen parents.
And if I refuse?
Then you share the same fate.
Cold spread through Michael. He felt his body wilt away. Redness crept through his wrinkled skin. The feathers on his wings fell to the ground. Only a few clung to the stumps. He struggled to stand upright.
Michael grit his teeth. I can’t kill someone I love. I won’t! Doing what I did outside the club was torture. I’d rather fall than murder Lake.
So be it. Metatron fell silent.
Michael opened his eyes, seeing himself returned to the hotel room. In the mirror on the wall, he still looked like himself. He had yet to start withering. His brothers surrounded him, the worry on their faces making them look centuries older. He managed a tight smile as his heart tore a little more. “It’s who I am, and it’s wrong to force me to change.”
He didn’t give them a chance to reply. In the hallway, he paused. His sword appeared at his summon, the flames flickering brightly. Would he need it anymore? Would he be strong enough to yield it as a Fallen? If he could, he’d pass it to Zade. He knew Zade would pick up the mantle of leader when they realized he wasn’t returning. The sword disappeared as soon as he released it. It only listened to him.
The city accepted him when he stepped outside. The flow caught him up and he drifted aimlessly in it for a few hours. His walk took him down familiar paths he would no longer travel, and to places he’d never see again, ending at the café he and his brothers had spent so much time at. The bell jingled as he stepped through. A head full of black curls drew him to the far corner.
“Pleased to meet you, Lake Divine.”
Lake looked up from the cup of coffee before him. Happiness sparkled in his brown eyes. He moved to let Michael slide into the booth next to him. “I told Anna you were coming and to get you your usual.”
Michael picked up the cup and took a sip. His nose wrinkled at the lukewarm temperature. “Cold coffee is the worst, though.”
Lake laughed lightly. “I wasn’t sure how long it’d take you to get here. I figured if I waited here long enough you’d show and we could talk.”
“Lake, I’m—”
Lake held up a hand. “Already forgiven you.”
Michael pulled Lake close. He didn’t know how long he had until he started to wither, but he didn’t care. As long as Lake was by his side, he’d deal with the consequences of his decision. He would walk the path he had to and not the one he felt obligated to. He glanced at Lake, a smile pulling his lips. “Not too rough, is it?”
Lake melted against him. “No, it’s perfect.”
#####
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Sneak peek at Zadekiel, Path of Angels Book Two
Sparks burst into the air, shooting into the plumes of smoke and reaching for the stars above. Zade watched the dancing yellow and orange flames. Fire held no prejudice. It devoured everything with equal vigor. Wood. Grass. Flesh. It consumed all, leaving nothing but a pile of ash.
When the flames died and the embers cooled, Zade, Gabe and Joe sifted through the warm remains. They broke up pieces of bones and spread the ash. Fresh dirt covered any evidence. The sun was rising as they finished, birds singing to welcome the new day.
Silence hung between the three brothers as they trudged, soot-covered, back to the hotel. Joe and Gabe collapsed on the bed and wer
e asleep in seconds. Zade slumped into a stiff chair next to a table in the corner. His thoughts flitted to a nice hot shower, but his legs refused to carry him to the bathroom, and sleep claimed him quickly.
Light streamed through the curtains when he woke. The sun was slowly disappearing behind the skyscrapers. Muscles protested as Zade pushed to his feet. He shuffled past his unconscious brothers to the bathroom. The water turned black as he washed the grime and dirt away. A quick shave rid the stubble from his chin. He ran a hand over his hair. He’d need a haircut soon. When he was a toddler, his mother had let his hair grow into an unruly Afro and he remembered the pain whenever she had tried to tame it. Never again. But that had to wait for another day; it was time to wake Joe and Gabe.
“Hope you didn’t use all the hot water,” Joe grumbled, stretching.
“Don’t be such a baby.” The remark earned Zade a glower. He turned from his moody brother to Gabe, who was sprawled across the bed, snoring softly. Zade smacked his shoulder. “Get up. Sun is setting and the Fallen don’t stop.”
Gabe muttered a string of obscenities, pulling the pillow over his head. Zade punched him once more, then turned to the small coffee maker. The brew the hotel offered was horrid and bitter, but the aroma was enough to stir Gabe better than Zade could.
Zade returned to the chair he had slept in, cup of coffee in hand, and watched the street below. People lingered in the dying sunlight and pigeons scurried among their feet. A movement drew his attention to the building opposite the hotel. Through a window, a couple argued. The woman threw a shoe at the man, and then stormed across the room. The man followed, arms waving angrily as he shouted at her. Zade tore his gaze away from the scene, looking past the city to what couldn’t be seen.
Gabe joined him. “You think Mikey’s okay?”
Zade looked at his brother, seeing his worry mirrored in Gabe’s dark-blue eyes. “Yeah, he’s fine.”
Four years had passed since Zadekiel started this journey with his brothers. Archangels born into the human world, it was their duty to find fallen angels and send them to Hell. The task became more difficult when they discovered that the Fallen were mingling with humans and having children. Half-breeds were harder to spot; their bodies weren’t withered husks and didn’t possess the same level of coldness their parents did. Zade had to risk getting close to identify a half-breed. Even then, the faint chill could easily be a benign breeze.
Michael (Path of Angels Book 1) Page 6
