by Katie Ashley
“Okay, maybe a big part,” I admitted.
Zach lips curled into a smile as he stared intently at me.
“What?” I asked.
He laughed. “I wasn’t looking at you because there was something wrong.”
“Then why are you staring at me like I am some mutant or something?”
Leaning in on his elbows, Zach lowered his voice. “I was just thinking about the other night when I saw you…” He shook his head. “This is gonna sound kinda crazy, but I knew there was something different about you. I mean, it was like you had this weird aura about you.” Zach cocked his head and grin. “It was kinda angelic.”
I choked on my coffee. “What?”
“See I told you it was crazy.”
“No, it isn’t.”
He lowered his eyes to the table. “Maybe it’d be nice knowing an angel or at least believing in them. It’d be nice believing in anything for once.”
“What do you mean?”
Zach didn’t respond. He kept absentmindedly sliding his coffee mug back and forth in his hands. Silence hung heavy around us. I heard people’s conversations and laughter from the front of the shop, and the acoustic guitar music, probably a CD of Zach’s, seemed amplified in my ears.
I drew in a deep breath. “So, um, what else is new?”
Zach laughed and glanced at his watch. “I think that’s probably a good cue that I should get you home.”
I nodded and grabbed up my purse.
“Night AJ, night Sarah,” Zach called.
“Night bro, night lovely lady!” AJ replied.
Zach rolled his eyes as he held the door open for me.
Chapter Nine: CASSIE
It was close to ten when we pulled up in my driveway. Zach walked me to the door and then followed me inside. As we stood in the foyer, music suddenly pulsed above our heads. The intensity of the vibrations shook the crystals on the chandelier over us.
A tight smiled curved on my lips. “Um, that would be Rafe.”
“The wallflower, right?” he snorted.
“Yep.”
Playing air guitar on the landing of the stairs, Rafe sang along with the song at the top of his lungs.
“Video Killed the Radio Star. Good choice,” Zach said.
I laughed. “Yeah, Rafe lives and dies for 80’s music.”
Rafe slid down the banister. He landed on his feet in a sweeping gesture and wedged himself between Zach and me. He grinned broadly. “Hey man, good to see you again. Now I can call down the search and rescue choppers, bring in the dogs, and the hikers…”
“Very funny, Rafe,” I muttered through clenched teeth.
Zach held up his hands in mock surrender. “No, it’s okay. I get the protective older brother vibe.”
Rafe beamed. “Glad you could see it my way, man.” He extended his hand. “I don’t think we’ve been formally introduced yet. I’m Rafe Christenson.”
“Zach Johnson.”
As Rafe slid out from between us, he winked at me. I rolled my eyes.
“So what’s your deal? You play sports or what?” Rafe asked.
“Nah, I don’t do the sports thing,” Zach replied.
“He’s a musician,” I answered.
Rafe raised his eyebrows. “Is that right?”
Zach nodded. “Yeah, I play guitar and sing a little.”
I nudged him. “He’s just being modest. I heard him play and sing the other night, and he was great.”
Rafe smiled. “High praise indeed. I’ll have to come hear you some time. You do any covers of 80’s bands?”
Zach tried to hide his laughter behind his hand. “Well, not exactly. Bon Jovi is really the only one I dabble in from the 80’s.”
“Bummer,” Rafe murmured.
Eyeing the grandfather clock, Zach cleared his throat. “I had a really nice time tonight, Cassie. I hope we can hang out together again.”
I smiled. “I’d like that. Thanks for the coffee and bringing me home,” I said as I walked him to the door.
Zach nodded. “You’re welcome. I’ll see you in school tomorrow.”
“All right.” After I closed the door, Rafe let out a low whistle. I whirled around. “And just what was that about?”
He closed his eyes and mockingly pressed one of his fingers to his temple. “I see trouble with this one.”
“If I told Gabriel you were down here mocking visions…”
Rafe shook his head. “And if I told Gabriel the two of you were standing down here mooning at each other-”
“Mooning? What are we back in the 50’s now?”
“Don’t change the subject. You like him, I can tell.”
“Of course I like him. It would be kind of stupid if I hated my assignment.”
Rafe snorted. “Yeah, I like Chaz too, but I don’t like him the same way you like the Zach Attack!”
“You can believe what you want to, but there’s nothing like that between me and Zach.”
“If you do like him, there’s nothing wrong with it. The Dominion calls our kind to fall in love all the time.”
I widened my eyes. “But why?”
“Duh, to teach humans. Sometimes they have to learn how to trust and to love, and to do that, they have to learn it through relationships.”
“Have you ever had to do that?”
“Once or twice,” Rafe replied.
“How was it?”
Rafe eyed me before responding. “Let’s just say it wasn’t a walk in the park.”
I sunk down on the bottom step. “Ugh, that sounds awful. And why would the Dominion want to do something like that to me? I’ve barely been a guardian a year. I have no clue how to fall in love or be in a “relationship”. If that’s what they want with Zach, why wouldn’t they send someone with more experience? Not someone like me who will only mess things up!”
“You wouldn’t mess it up.”
I shot him a look. “And just how can you be so sure? You’re kinda singing a different tune than you were at lunch today.”
“Because they won’t let you. If things start going wrong, the Dominion will fix it.”
I brought my hand over my mouth in disbelief. “They really do that?”
Rafe shrugged. “Yeah, sometimes. Depends on the case.”
“So what happens then? Do we get in trouble? Do we get demoted?”
Rolling his eyes, Rafe eased down beside me. “Man, are you full of questions tonight.”
I sighed. “I can’t help it. There’s just too much being thrown at me, you know?”
“Okay, listen to me. Things have to go very, very wrong for us to get demoted, right? Like major acts of unholiness, right?”
I nodded.
“So, you’ll be fine. Stop worrying. Trust your gut, and when you get in trouble, ask for help.”
“All right.”
“Come on, little sis. It’s past your bedtime. I’d hate it if you didn’t get all your beauty sleep.”
“Whatever,” I mumbled
Just as we started up the stairs, Gabriel breezed through the door, his face ashen.
“Gabe, what’s wrong?” Rafe asked.
“Cassie, we need to talk.”
Sophie appeared in the doorway. She must have been alerted to the rising panic making it hard for me to breath. “Okay,” I murmured, as I eased slowly down the stairs.
Rafe followed right behind me, and I wasn’t complaining when both he and Sophie sat down on the couch with me. I didn’t think I could bear hearing what Gabriel had to say alone.
“Micah paid me a visit today.”
I gulped. Micah was one of the angels of the Dominion. Actually, he was an enforcer more than anything—someone who ensured everything went smoothly with our assignments.
“It seems there’s been a mistake with your assignment.”
“A mistake?” I repeated lamely.
Gabriel nodded. “Zach was never meant for you. The issues at home with him, his step-father, his mother, his brother
s…it was never meant to be entrusted to one so young in the ways of being a guardian angel.”
I glanced over at Sophie and Rafe who both wore expressions of disbelief. “But I connected with his pain. It was just like the Dominion had told me it would be,” I argued.
“I know it was, Cassie. It’s just—”
“And I transported to him. You’re not supposed to be able to do that unless you’re assigned to your person!”
Sophie reached over and grabbed my hand, but I still kept rambling. “Plus, he even has a Thomas family connection since Victoria was his aunt. He’s grieving on top of everything else he has going on.”
Gabriel sighed and stood up. He snaked a hand through his dark hair as he began pacing in front of the fireplace. “Micah really doesn’t understand it either. He wants to believe the mistake has something to do with a dark energy in the area.”
Rafe leaned forward. “You mean like Lucius?”
Gabriel nodded. “And it seems his power grows by the day.”
I cleared my throat. “So let me get this straight. The reason why the angel—”
“Not just angel—archangel,” Gabriel interrupted.
“Fine, archangel, whatever.” I noticed Sophie giving me a concerned look out of the corner of my eye. “An archangel was supposed to take on Zach and his family, but because of some weird, dark force, they became occupied, and I intercepted his pain. Is that what you’re telling me?”
Gabriel’s face hardened a bit at my exasperated tone. “Yes, Cassie, it is.”
I hopped up to join him in front of the fireplace. “And just precisely what am I supposed to do now?”
“Well, Micah and the rest of the Dominion feel it is best if you continue helping Zach.” He reached out his hand to touch my shoulder. “They’re very proud of the work you’ve done with him so far, especially the other night on the bridge.”
Although receiving praise from the Dominion should’ve been awesome, it still didn’t dampen the flickering anger and frustration within me. “Okay, so if I’m supposed to keep helping Zach, what is all the fuss about?”
“The ‘fuss’, as you call it, amounts to this. Yes, you will still be guiding and protecting Zach, but at the same time, you cannot ignore who you were originally assigned to—” at the look on my face, Gabriel sighed. “Fine, the soul you were supposed to seek out.” He bent down to take a folder out of his briefcase. “With everything that went on, they felt it only fair to go ahead and give you a file this time, instead of having you prove your skills at seeking out an assignment.”
When he reached out to offer me the folder, what little patience I had left snapped. “Are you kidding me? They give me a file now after everything that has happened? Looks like it could’ve saved me a lotta trouble to begin with if they had just given me a freakin’ file!”
“Cassie!” Sophie cried, her eyes as wide as the coasters on the coffee-table in front of us.
Gabriel narrowed his eyes at me. “You best remember yourself and your position in the Dominion.”
“Fine,” I muttered. I flounced down on the couch beside Sophie and snapped open the file. “Oh no.” Gabriel and Sophie turned to look at me. “No, this seriously cannot be happening!”
“What’s wrong, Cass?” Rafe asked.
Lauren’s face flashed before my eyes. “I’m supposed to be with Lauren Sinclair? She hates me!”
“I’m sure she doesn’t,” Sophie reassured.
I flung my head from side to side. “Yes, I’m pretty certain she hates me.”
Gabriel cleared his throat. “I can surmise just by glancing at the file why she might be inclined to dislike you.”
“And?” Rafe insisted.
Gabriel answered before I could. “She has a crush on Zach.”
Rafe exhaled noisily. “Oh man, and I thought Zach was a problematic assignment,” he mused.
Gabriel chose to ignore him. “Lauren is struggling with self-esteem issues and depression.”
“Thanks for the assignment breakdown,” I snapped.
Gabriel’s eyes widened. “Are you seriously giving me…attitude?”
Sophie stepped between us. “All right, let’s all take a deep breath. Cassie has had a very trying couple of days. I think it would be best for all of us to go on to bed. Things will look different in the morning.”
I had to stop myself from snorting in Sophie’s face. I knew it would hurt her feelings too much, and she was already trying so hard to make things right.
“Yeah, let’s hope so,” I said, rising from the couch. As I started up the stairs, I couldn’t fight the dread that filled me. Not only did I face everything that was to come with Zach, but now I had a feeling things would be even more unbearable with Lauren.
The moment my head hit the pillow, I fell into an exhausted sleep.
Chapter Ten: ELIJAH
Friday afternoon found me at my first archangel training session. Although Rafe was in charge of the training, Gabriel stood with us at the pond below the house.
“Are you sure we should be doing this out here?” I asked, motioning at the wide open spaces. It unnerved me that any neighbor could peek into the backyard and get an eyeful of what we were doing.
Gabriel shook his head. “To the average person, you two won’t look any more suspicious than two guys doing karate moves.”
Rafe bowed. “Yes, the master is correct.” He raised his head and winked. “And you, little grasshopper, have much to learn.”
I couldn’t help laughing. Gabriel shot both of us a warning look. “I don’t think I need to remind you that archangel training is a serious thing?”
“Nope, we’ve got it under control,” Rafe assured.
Gabriel eyed us one last time. “All right then. I’ll leave you two to work.”
“Later,” Rafe called as Gabriel headed to the house. He arched an eyebrow at me. “So are you ready?”
“Um, ready as I’ll ever be, I guess.”
“That’s my man!” Rafe said, thumping me on the back. We got into position by facing each other.
“Close your eyes and breathe deeply,” Rafe instructed.
I closed my eyes and began concentrating on the rhythmic rise and fall of my chest.
“Okay, now, you want to clear your mind. Demons will use what is inside against you—especially fear or insecurity.”
My eyelids snapped open at the last words. “Seriously? I might as well give up now!”
Rafe shook his head. “No excuses, Jay-Jay.”
I sighed and closed my eyes again. I tried draining everything from my mind—all the fear, the sadness, the confusion. I must’ve been concentrating harder than I thought because hearing Rafe’s voice made me jump. “Good job. Practice that several times a day. When the moment comes, you won’t have the free time you have now, so it’s good getting used to it.”
“Okay,” I murmured, keeping my eyes closed.
“Once you have cleared your mind, find something or several things that bring you joy. Pour all your energy into those thoughts. They are the shield you will use.”
The faces of the children I volunteered with flashed before my mind. Their happiness when I did the Clown Dance coursed through me. But they were fleeting. I began fixating on one person—Abby. Her face and her smile sent energy humming around me.
“Now, here’s the tricky but cool part. You’re going to shift that energy like you normally do when you’re helping someone, but in this case you’re going to use it as a weapon.”
My eyebrows arched in surprise. “Really?”
“Yeah, think of it maybe more of a defense than a weapon. When demons send their energy towards you, then you simply use yours to push it back or away.”
“Can I also send some at them?”
Rafe grinned. “Oh, yeah.”
After he showed me the different ways I could use my hands and arms, he cocked his head. “Ready to try it for real?”
I nodded. “Sure.”
Rafe rais
ed his arm like he was pitching a baseball. Instead, white light came streaking at me. Quickly, I shifted my energy to send it shooting out my hand. It intercepted Rafe’s light with a sizzle.
“Dude, that was awesome!” Rafe exclaimed.
“Thanks,” I replied, ducking my head.
We went through several more moves. Over and over, I practiced deflecting Rafe’s energy. Then suddenly out of nowhere, I felt Abby. She was nearing the house. It was like her perfume already invaded my senses. The more I pictured her in my mind, the more I felt the soft curves of her body against mine. I turned momentarily to anticipate her coming around the side of the house when a burst of energy tore through me. It sent agonizing pain zig-zagging through my chest. The force sent me spinning backwards and freefalling. The next thing I could remember I was floating in a perfect dream with Abby beside me. Her voice echoed all around me.
“Elijah? Are you all right?”
I opened my eyes and stared up at the sky. That’s when I realized I was flat on my back in the grass.
“He’s coming around now,” a voice said.
Abby’s face peered down at me.
“Hi,” she said.
“Hi.”
I pulled myself into a sitting position and rubbed my burning chest. “What happened?”
“Rafe says you guys were practicing karate moves, and you got the wind knocked out of you.”
My gaze flickered to Rafe. He grinned and bobbed his head.
“I see,” I murmured, as I staggered to my feet. When I lunged to one side, Abby grabbed me by the waist, pulling me to her. Her fingertips tingled against my skin.
“Easy now.” She peered up at me, trying to gage how I was feeling. “Better?”
I smiled down at her. “Much better.”
“Come into the house. I have something for you.”
I followed her up the hillside. Before I could open the back door for her, she headed on in. She grinned at my surprised expression.
“Sophie let me in and told me where you guys were.”
“Ah, I see.”
She grabbed a plate on the table and whipped back the foil to reveal chocolate chip cookies. “Ta-da!”
“Wow, you baked?”
She nodded. “I just wanted to do something to thank you.”
