by KC Bellinger
“I’ll go find help,” Julia murmured.
I didn’t answer her. I didn’t even watch her go because my eyes never stopped scanning the sky for Penn.
***
“Listen to me, Whitney, if you don’t get up now, we all perish!”
I opened my eyes but couldn’t see anything through the snow haze. “Azu, is that you?” I rubbed at my eyes and stretched my back. The snow drifted away from my stirring body, but the ache in my chest returned. “Go on without me.”
“Fool! You think you will lie down and die because my brothers would do the same! You must be stronger than that,” Azu’s voice was firm and piercing. “Love will bring death to all of us.”
“Then let it, Azu, maybe we can find peace without it.” I didn’t want to fight anymore.
“Would you let my brothers die without knowing how much you love them?” Azu’s rough voice softened.
“No, you tell them, okay?”
“Never, Fallen Star, if that is where your soul lies then it is your duty to complete it.” The angel stroked my hand and then touched my cheek. “Oh, no.” She gasped.
“What is it, Azu?” I sat up so I could see her.
“How could I not see it? How did I not know?” Azu’s fingers fluttered to her face. She looked horrified.
“See what?” I took one of her shaky hands in mine.
“Can you not feel it?” She looked down at our hands.
Warmth radiated throughout me. I felt peaceful, accepted, and loved. But I felt that way with all the angels. I looked at her quizzically.
Azu took a deep breath and shuddered. “Many moons ago, before the seas brimmed with life, there was an angel. This angel was special, so special that its soul was split into three. The idea behind it was that more entities of this one soul would be better than one alone.”
“What are you saying? You aren’t making any sense.”
“Yes, she is!” Julia clapped excitedly from behind Azu. “Do you see why your heart struggles against Rhys and Penn? It’s because they are the split soul.”
“That would make you the third part?” I asked Azu.
She nodded and squeezed my hand. “If you believe in soul mates, I think you just found yours, all three of them.” Azu grinned.
“Do Penn and Rhys know?”
“It’s been so long ago, I’m sure they have forgotten. Well, at least Penn has.” Azu grunted. “Can you not see how each one of us plays a part in your soul? I should have known, I felt a strange attraction to you, but I thought it was because of Neetah. Now I understand.”
“What do we do now? How do we combine your souls again?” Suddenly, I was feeling strong again.
“We do not, Whitney. You see, not all soul mates stay together. It is rare when it happens. Sometimes it is only found when our soul is young enough, naïve enough, to recognize our mate. Some only see their soulmates in passing and, sadly, some never see them at all. It is told that when we pass, our souls are offered to rejoin their mates, but many refuse. They don’t want to know, because even in death there is pain when love is added to the mixture.”
“What if I just die, then couldn’t the three of you just return home? I’d never reject you.”
“You are speaking of suicide, Whitney.” Azu’s black eyes narrowed at me. “That is a sure way to never see any of us again.”
“I can’t live without them, Azu. I don’t feel the same about you, but you are right, I feel the pull.”
“It is because I am the female inside the soul.” She gave a sharp laugh. “They say I got the short end of the stick. I say, without having a female voice, there is little sense in a great warrior, or in my case, my brothers.”
I laughed and though my chest seemed to still be pained, I felt stronger.
“Whitney, you know you have a mission here on earth before you can pass from this world,” Azu said.
“What?”
“Julia has told me of your future and I am thrilled to know you will be in excellent hands.”
“Azu, no. I told you before, Rhys isn’t leaving me here alone.” I fought desperately to cling to that notion. It was the only thing keeping me going. And yet I’d be fine if Penn stayed. Oh, shit. I had a lot to figure out.
“Once this war is over, we can talk. However, one war is always followed by another. You have a long road ahead of you.” Azu gave me her hand and lifted me to my feet. “You have found your kindred spirit, but your heart isn’t done loving. One day you will have the choice to follow your heart or return to the origins of your soul.” She smiled at me reassuringly. Her eyes, however, told a different story. An undeniable sadness clawed behind them.
“Azu, if something happens to me while we are inside—”
“Nonsense. My brothers are aware of your love.” Azu dropped my hand. “As am I. Enough of this now. Someone is in pain. Can you not hear them?”
I couldn’t hear anything over the roar of the snowstorm, I couldn’t see much either.
Azu’s wings, shades of iridescent blue, shimmered and soared toward the mouth of the church.
***
Julia and I separated in the graveyard. She returned to her window to watch. If anyone needed help, and they could escape, Julia would guide them to safety. I knew she felt helpless by the creases forming along her forehead. “Are you sure there isn’t anything else I could do?”
“Just don’t get hurt, please. Justin would never forgive me.” I waved frantically as I ran toward the back of the church.
Magic gripped the door. No one was getting in or out without using some sort of power. I pressed my ear to the door and heard voices. Mentally, I spread my fingers and tried to feel my way past the pews and aisles, but again, my senses told me not to. There was something evil inside. There was a faint cry from inside the door. It sounded rough and tired. I reached for them and stroked hair that turned out to be long and brittle. It was one of the church patrons.
You’ve got to let me in, but be quiet, I can help, I told her and then sent a mental picture of me helping her and the other church members.
The sniffling stopped and the doorknob turned. The voices that echoed across the walls stopped and heavy-footed steps came barreling toward the back door.
“Where do you think you are going?” a female questioned. “I told you no one can get out.”
I leaned against the door, trying to listen with my human ears, causing a slight knock.
“Or are you trying to let someone in? Move out of the way, old woman.”
A muffled scream traveled across the room. People were stirring but I stood ready to tackle whoever opened the door. The footsteps moved quickly away from me, and I heard exasperated cries and crashing from within.
“It’s an angel.”
“We’ve been saved.”
Azu must have entered in full angel beauty. The locks in the doors clicked and silently the door opened without touching it. From the back, I could see the heads of the congregation. Some were slumped in their seats. The lady I felt from inside the door was crumpled against a wall. A statue must have fallen and hit her in the head, for it lay face up in her lap.
I pushed open the door and sure enough, Azu was in her radiant glory from her floor-length black locks and matching eyes to her white deerskin dress. Her lustrous wingspan cast a prismatic light show. There were no signs of the Strongs, so I stepped inside. Subtly, Azu nodded at me, but no one else in the church saw. She was the only form of light now that the last of the candles had burned out. The church would be pitch black if it wasn’t for her and the occasional bolt of lightning from the sky.
“Behind the altar,” someone cried. “Father Bucheli is injured badly.”
Azu walked behind the podium and gasped. She knelt out of view.
I started up the aisle trying to sort out through the destruction and who was dead or alive and needed help.
“Hello, Whitney,” a small voice greeted me from between two unmoving bodies. “Do you recognize anybody?�
�� Camille giggled.
The horror of seeing Justin’s head resting in her lap jarred me out of my own problems. I could see the shimmer of the knife in the flashes of the electric snowstorm. She had it pressed firmly against his throat. Luckily for him, he was out cold.
“Don’t hurt him!” I cried.
“I don’t plan to,” Camille said with a sneer and then smiled. “Come sit with me.”
I sat. Shaking, I pulled Justin out of Camille’s hands and leaned his head back on the pew. “What do you want with me?”
“We want you to join us.” Curtis Strong stood behind me and placed both of his hands on my shoulders then gently rubbed them. “It isn’t too much to ask, is it?” His hand slid under the collar of the cloak and found my bare skin. In circular motions, his fingers crept down the front of my sweater.
“I’ll go with you as long as you leave them alone.”
“That’s what we were counting on,” Curtis said, sliding one hand further down my chest while his other locked onto my throat. “Shh, don’t scream and we’ll leave, nobody will even notice.”
“Don’t count on it, human!” Penn shot down from high in the church’s dark rafters. His wings arched as he spiraled down in front of us.
“I thought you were dead.” Curtis turned to his daughter. “You said you destroyed him with the lightning!”
Camille shrugged.
“No matter.” Curtis revealed my neck clutched in his hands. “She’s coming with me and you won’t stop us.”
Although his hand wasn’t tightening, I felt frightened and squeaked as he spoke.
Penn took a giant step toward us. His sweet vanilla scent clung to the surrounding air and I fought the urge to touch him. Penn grinned and looked thoughtful for a moment, but violently shook off any idea he had.
He took a step closer but returned his wings to his body. “Well, I guess we have a problem because if you kill her, I’ll return home to her.” Penn shrugged then folded his arms. “It’s your choice. You return her to me here, or I follow her home.” Penn raised a finger and tapped it lightly on his lips. “Hmm … What will you do? Because get this human, if she dies now, so do you.”
I glanced at Camille. She was playing with the head of an unconscious girl, braiding her hair, and talking to her like she’d invited her over to play dress-up.
“So, what will it be?” Penn took another step.
Curtis’s hand tightened.
“Whitney, love, looks like we will join each other sooner than later, in heaven.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “Penn,” I said hoarsely, “there is something I must tell you.”
Curtis’s grip grew tighter and my vision fogged, but Penn, maintaining eye contact with me, kept the pain away.
“I do love you.”
Penn’s mouth twitched and his body quivered. He glowed like any angel inside a holy place. Suddenly he brightened every dark crevice of the church.
“No!”
The shout shook the whole church, leaving goosebumps on my arms. The hair on my neck stood and a pain shot through my chest. I turned to face the new voice that made me weak in my knees.
It was Rhys.
I realized the sting of my words as I’d confessed my love to his brother.
A slab of white quartz slashed at Penn, knocking him in the head. He fell heavily against a pew, breaking through the wooden bench. Amelia stood behind him. Angrily, she held the weapon high above her head then brought it down on Penn.
This time it was my voice that screamed. I threw Curtis off me and reached for Penn, trying to shield him from Amelia. Curtis grabbed my arm and yanked me away. Amelia had another shot of hitting Penn. She screamed, and the weapon fell to the floor. Rhys had Amelia by the hair, but his eyes were on his brother. I flailed wildly, trying to free myself from Curtis.
“Let me go!”
He laughed in my face.
Anger soared through me and the animal in me broke loose. One of my hands found the soft spot on the back of his neck and the other found his chin. I snapped his head with an easy flip. He fell to the floor hard.
Curtis was dead.
“Daddy!” Camille cried. She ran to him and cradled his broken head in her arms.
“Penn, can you hear me?” I asked as I crawled to the angel. “Please don’t leave me.” I took his hand and twisted my fingers through his. I leaned over him and kissed his cheek. A tear escaped my eye. “There is still so much more I need to tell you. There needs to be more time. Please don’t go.” I rocked back and forth, unable to focus on anything else or anyone else. Tears that I swore off fell and watered his face like a light rain.
“So, this is how it ends.”
I looked up to see Rhys standing above me. His hand was knotted tight against Amelia’s scalp. His lip curled into a sneer.
“I would have killed him myself if I’d known he’d trick you into falling for him.”
“Rhys, there was no trick.” I was at a loss for words. “Ask Azu, she’ll tell you the truth.” I couldn’t tear myself away from Penn, even to save Rhys from a jealous rant. “Please, before you say anything you might regret, find her.”
“Say something I might regret! Are you kidding me, Whitney?” Rhys’s voice boomed through the church like a gray wolf howling at the moon. He hurled Amelia into a pew and threw his hands into the air. “You cannot know the truth of my heart. I thought you were mine. I thought I meant everything to you! But I see my brother’s charm coaxed you to disregard anything you may have once felt for me.”
I cradled Penn’s fallen body in my arms and cried. “Rhys, please. He is your brother. He is a part of you.”
“Enough! He means nothing to me, and now, neither do you!” Rhys’s face grew rigid and tight as he turned and walked away.
“Rhys, please. Don’t leave this way. I love you, too.” I sobbed.
He stopped but didn’t turn around. “It doesn’t work that way, Whitney.” Then he continued walking, ignoring the wails that escaped my throat. He ignored the cries of innocent people still in the hands of danger.
Azu was right, Rhys needed to look beyond his heart, but he couldn’t, and now all these people would suffer right along with him.
Amelia stood, frozen in confusion, but she smiled as the door slammed hard behind the vengeful angel. A small trickle of blood escaped her broken nose. I had never seen her look so happy.
“Get her!” Amelia commanded the small girl.
I didn’t fight; I guess I should have. I let Camille bound my hands with the same angel hair rope that held my mother’s locket to my throat. It didn’t matter anymore. Penn wasn’t breathing and Rhys hated me. I wasn’t sure where Azu was. I looked at Justin and, although he wasn’t moving, his fingers twitched. It wouldn’t be long before he was fully aware of what was happening.
I leaned over and kissed Penn on his stiff lips then stood to leave with Amelia and Camile. I glanced back once more before leaving the church. There was still no movement from Penn. My eyes were swollen and painful as I did one more scan of the church. From the door, I could see two figures bound and gagged behind the altar. I knew right away by the celestial glow it was Azu. Next to her was Father Bucheli.
Chapter 23
I didn’t fight or scream when Amelia dragged me by the hood of the cloak into the small stone room. It was more like a cage, really. Small puddles of water were forming on the floor, and by the way it smelled, it was the same room they’d kept Azu and Penn. My hands were tied in front of me, so I could wipe needlessly at my eyes. I couldn’t stop crying and I hoped and prayed I would die of dehydration through my tear ducts.
“You killed my husband.” Amelia smiled. “I should thank you. The media will expect me to mourn but this is a time for celebration.” Her apricot lips puckered as she sniffed. “Too bad the plan isn’t ready yet. Close, but not finished.”
“Wouldn’t you like to know what I have planned?” Amelia’s face was so close to mine a light misting of spit sprayed
me when she spoke.
I shrugged and sat in one of the folding chairs, inhaling a familiar aroma. Two, actually. One was wild, like a feral cat in a meadow of sage. The other scent was male and sweet, like vanilla mist in early October.
“Until we are ready for the sacrifice, you will remain here,” Amelia said. I refused to make eye contact and give her the satisfaction that she finally broke me. “Aren’t you even remotely curious about what I have in store?”
“If it involves me dying, I’m good with it.” And strangely, I was.
“This is not a soul-saving ritual. After I am done with you, you’ll wish I sent you to hell,” she smirked.
“I have a few friends there, so whatever.” I refused to meet her gaze. It didn’t matter that I didn’t want to die, didn’t want to go to Hell, I was tired of hurting.
“Think again, Hour. You will spend your life as an undead.”
“Okay,” I said nonchalantly. “Whatever. I thought you didn’t want to tell me.”
Her grin shifted to a grimace then she slapped me across the face. I fell off the chair but didn’t bother to get back up. I could lie down and die and I’d be fine with that.
“Don’t dismiss me!” Amelia’s voice rattled the walls. A small crack in the wall split open slightly and more water seeped in through it.
I felt a little panicky. It must be Neetah’s terror of the water making me gulp air.
“Guess how old Camille is? She’s twenty-four, but we caught her when she was eight.” She continued when I didn’t answer, “There are other Hours, you know, out in the world. They serve demons and they are immortal. You will become one or die. No other Night Hour has survived, but I think you will. The others had nothing to lose, so they gave up and died. We have something that means a lot to you.”
“Justin?” I asked, now frustrated I hadn’t fought a little harder to destroy Amelia.
“The boy?” Amelia snorted. “No, we thought we could use him against you, but after the scene in the church with your lover boy angel, we have a different plan.”
