by Katie Ashley
Sophie was waiting on us when we walked in—alerted to our mood. The moment the door closed behind us, Gabriel unleashed his fury on me. “How can you be making promises of forever to Abby when you know we’re out of here in August?”
“Because I intend to keep my promises.”
“What do you mean?”
I drew in a ragged breath. This was it; the moment when I had to actually say the words. My heartbeat accelerated to such a rapid speed, I feared it might explode out of my chest.
Reading my emotions, Gabriel widened his eyes in horror. “No, you can’t be!”
I sighed. “I know it’s hard to understand-”
“There’s nothing to understand. What you’re talking about is incomprehensible! It’s death, don’t you understand that?”
“I know what transcending entails. I’ve given it a lot of thought,” I argued.
“Have you really?”
“Yes, I have.”
Gabriel exhaled noisily, and I knew he was trying to quiet his anger. “I know you think you love Abby, but it’s not real.”
I shook my head. “You’re wrong. I love Abby with every fiber of my being.”
“But does she love you?”
“Yes, she does,” I replied, emphatically.
“Elijah, you have to remember that Abby is a young woman who has just been through the greatest strains imaginable. She’s lost her mother, and she’s pregnant. Not only is she not in control of her emotions, but she’s just sixteen. Her likes and dislikes aren’t fully formed yet, and when maturity sets in, she may find she’s an entirely different person.”
“What are you trying to say?”
Gabriel sighed. “I’m trying to get you to see what could happen six months to a year down the road. Abby could totally forget about you or any feelings she might have had for you. Believe me, I know.”
“What are you talking about?”
He stared down at the floor. “When I was still young in my guardian form, I fell in love with my assignment’s daughter. I thought she felt the same way about me, and I contemplated the same thing you are.” Gabriel shook his head. “But I was wrong, Elijah. After a few months, she abandoned whatever feelings she had for me and married another man.”
I narrowed my eyes. “If you think Abby’s just some spoiled, prima donna, you’re wrong. She’s got more depth of character than even she’s aware of. And even if she changed her mind as long as I’m in her life, I’ll be happy.”
Gabriel grunted in frustration.
“But it’s not just for her that I want to transcend...I-I want to be a father,” I said, softly.
“Excuse me?”
“Don’t you understand? I’ve sheltered children all my existence. I’ve held them through the darkest periods of their life, when their bodies were ravaged by illness and physical pain, when their parents died or abandoned them, and as they drew their last breath. I’ve been there through all that pain, suffering, and death. Now I want to be there through the life. I want to be there when Abby’s baby draws its first breath, takes its first step, and says its first word. I want to teach it things and watch it grow. And whether I have five years or fifty years on this earth, it will be worth it.”
Gabriel whirled around to face Sophie. “How did this happen? He wasn’t sent in some heartthrob’s form for goodness sake!”
She shook her head. “You really don’t know anything about true love, do you?”
“I can talk about this anymore!” he cried, and then he stormed upstairs and slammed his door.
I looked at Sophie. “I wish it hadn’t happened that way.”
“Regardless of how he found out, Gabriel would never have taken this lightly.”
“I guess you’re right.”
Sophie took my hand in hers. She curled back my fingers and slid a piece of paper onto my palm. Then she pressed my fingers tightly back together.
When I dared myself to glance down, a name and address were scribbled on it. “What’s this?”
“It’s the name of a man you need to speak with.”
“Why?”
“Because a long time ago, he was one of us,” Sophie said.
My eyes widened, and I fought to calm the erratic beating of my heart. “Really?”
She nodded.
“Thanks Sophie.”
“Just because I gave you his name doesn’t mean I condone what you’re thinking about doing.”
“I know, but I’m grateful all the same, especially considering Gabriel’s feelings.”
She sighed. “This isn’t Gabriel’s decision to make, Elijah. It has to be yours. It is something you and you alone must overcome or partake in.”
We were interrupted by the doorbell. Sophie and I both exchanged confused looks. Once again, my heart jolted in my chest. What if it was Micah or another member of the Dominion coming to talk to me about transcending? What would I say to them?
With trembling hands, I threw open the door. It was Abby.
“What are you doing here?” As soon as the words left my lips, I felt like an epic jerk. “I’m sorry! I mean, do you wanna come in?”
Abby giggled. “No, I need to get back. I just needed to tell you something.” In her hesitation, I realized she wanted to be alone with me.
“Here, I’ll walk you out.” I glanced back at Sophie who nodded.
After I closed the door behind us, Abby cleared her throat. “I just wanted to say thanks again for tonight and all you’ve done for me over the past few months.”
I arched my eyebrows. “But you don’t have to thank me. There shouldn’t be a doubt in your mind about how much I care about you and want to be with you.”
“There’s not,” she said softly.
“Then what is it?”
She kicked at a leaf on the porch. “I know that Gabriel doesn’t want us to be together.”
The statement took me totally off guard, and I blurted, “Huh?”
“I could tell by the way he reacted to you saying you’d always be with me. He doesn’t approve of me, does he?”
“Abby, that’s not it,” I argued.
Leaning against the banister, she said, “No, I can understand why. I’m some knocked up slut who he thinks is going to corrupt his little brother.”
“I promise you he doesn’t think that.” My arms encircled her waist. “But even if he did, it wouldn’t matter. I love you, and no one is going to change that.”
“I love you, too.”
We stayed gazing into each other’s eyes for what seemed like an eternity. Then ever so slightly she moved closer to me and brought her lips to mine. Softly our lips touched until something broke loose within me.
I crushed her against me and let all the pent up desire of the last few months flow out through my kisses. Instinct once again took over as I parted her lips with my tongue. I sought her warmth and her taste. Our kisses deepened, as if we were trying to break through to each other’s souls. It was desperate, breathless, and aching, and I never wanted it to end.
It was then that the thought of angels with fiery swords guarding The Garden of Eden entered my mind. But I didn’t care. If I was going to transcend, I might as well do it in a blaze of glory
Chapter Thirty: CASSIE
As I lounged on the sofa in Zach’s room, I flipped through the pages of my history book, trying to make heads or tails of my assignment. A melody interrupted my thoughts as Zach began strumming his guitar. I glanced up at him. He perched on the end of the bed, guitar in hand, books abandoned beside him.
I noisily cleared my throat.
“What?” he asked, innocently.
I shook my head. “Homework first, remember?”
“Jeez, we’ve been working all afternoon,” he whined.
“But we’re almost finished.”
“Just a little break?” Zach asked, giving me a puppy dog look.
I rolled my eyes. “You’re such a bad influence.”
Actually, I welcomed the break. I
’d come home with Zach after school, and we had been working steadily since then. My eyes blurred from all the reading we’d been doing.
Zach’s phone buzzed beside us. He grabbed it up before I could argue the break didn’t include a texting marathon. His fingers flew in a flurry of typing as he texted someone back. He finished and looked up and smiled. “Lauren.”
Since that night at my house, neither one of us had ever mentioned what we’d said. It was as if it had never happened, and that was fine by me. Deep down, I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it, and part of me wondered if Zach still did as well.
“Ah, I guess I can allow love to interrupt us a bit.”
He shook his head. “Nah, wasn’t that kinda texting. She wanted to know how things were going with Mom, you know, since she did the restraining order on Bruce and all.”
I nodded. It had been less than a week since I’d been awakened in the middle of the night to Zach’s pain. When I’d appeared, Zach was unconscious after trying to stop Bruce from choking Annie. I’d used all the strength I had to zap Bruce. Fortunately, Annie had not only thrown him out of the house, but she’d also slapped a restraining order on him as well.
Zach’s strumming turned into a melody and brought me out of my thoughts. I smiled. “What’s that you’re playing?”
He grinned sheepishly. “It’s kind of corny.”
“Tell me,” I urged.
“It’s Annie’s Song by John Denver. It was the first song I ever learned.”
“I like it.”
“My dad taught it to me when I was eight.”
“Will you sing it for me?”
“Okay.” Zach cleared his throat and began the song. As his voice filled the bedroom, I closed my eyes, concentrating on the lyrics of the song. Even with my eyes closed, I knew Annie was standing in the doorway. Her pain cut into me like a jagged knife. Something about the song had awakened dormant memories in her, and she fought the tears glistening in her eyes.
I opened my eyes to see her smiling at us. “That was my husband’s and my song. He used to sing it to me all the time, especially whenever I couldn’t sleep. He would hum it to me, and it never failed to soothe me right to sleep.”
“That’s very romantic,” I murmured.
Annie leaned over and kissed Zach’s cheek. “You’ve made such a turn around these last few months. I’m very proud of you, and I know your dad would be, too.”
As he stared up at his mother, I felt Zach struggling with his emotions. There was so much he wanted to say to her, but he was unable to. “Thanks,” he said softly.
She smiled at me. “I can’t thank you enough for helping him.”
“There’s no need to thank me,” I protested.
“No, I want to. I’m glad Zach has you in his life. You’ve helped him so much.”
“And Lauren. She’s helped too,” I quickly interjected.
“Yes, she did.” She nodded. “I’m grateful for the both of you. Well, I guess I better go and let you guys get back to work.” She touched Zach’s cheek before she headed out the door. When his mom left, Zach stared down at his guitar for a few minutes. Finally, he looked up at me. “Back to work.”
“All right,” I answered.
We began quizzing each other over our History notes. The sound of busting glass downstairs caused our head’s to jerk up. Then there was a loud crash like the front door had been kicked in.
Zach’s eyes met mine for only a second before he bolted to his feet. As he ran out of the bedroom, I was close on his heels. We pounded down the stairs together.
As we skidded into foyer, our feet crunched along the broken glass. The front door hung precariously by one of its hinges.
Annie was in the middle of the living room, and Bruce had her by the arm.
“Leave her alone!” Zach demanded.
Bruce glared over him. “Stay out of it, Zach!”
Zach shook his head. “You’re not supposed to be here. There’s a restraining order now, remember?”
Annie nodded. “He’s right, Bruce. You’re not supposed to be here, and you better leave because I’m calling the police.”
When Annie’s fingers wrapped around the receiver, Bruce backhanded her. The phone went flying across the room before smashing into the wall. Before Annie could do anything else, Bruce smacked her again. But this time, the force knocked her off-balance, sending her reeling to the ground. A sickening cracking noise echoed through the room as her head smacked against the hardwood floor.
Zach sank to his knees beside her. Cautiously, he brought his hand to her face, his fingers feathering over her reddened cheek. “Mom?” he questioned. When she didn’t respond, he slowly raised his head to glare at Bruce. Zach’s emotions rippled through me like choppy waves on the ocean during a storm. Anger—white hot and electric—pulsed through me, causing me to shudder. The intensity caused me to grab hold of the edge of the couch to steady myself.
In one swift movement, Zach rose to his feet. He launched two quick punches to Bruce’s face, sending blood spattering across his hands and the floor.
“No Zach!” I cried.
Bruce punched him back. Pushing and shoving, they fought into the kitchen. I hurried behind them, fear constricting my lungs.
A butcher’s knife gleamed on the cutting board.
Zach grabbed it.
“No! Put the knife down!” I warned, the panic rising in my voice.
“Just stay back, Cassie,” Zach said.
“Are you gonna let the little woman fight your battles or let your rage rule you?” Bruce asked.
“No, I’m going to end it all now,” Zach said.
“How?” Bruce questioned.
“By killing you!”
Bruce smirked at Zach, but I knew Zach was serious. He would kill Bruce in the kitchen or die trying. His mother and Taylor would be safe but at the sacrifice of his future. I saw it all so clearly. The self-defense claim wouldn’t hold up in court, and he would go to prison.
Something glittered out of the corner of my eye. Its amber hue gave it away—of course, only I could see it. Leaned up against the refrigerator, Lucius smirked at me. “You know the only way out of this, don’t you, Cassie?”
It was as if Lucius read my thoughts. He knew the only way to say Zach was to reveal my true self to him. It would mean sacrificing everything we had as friends as well as my cover. But it was the only way I could go head to head with Bruce.
“All right then, I’m waiting,” Bruce taunted.
“And so am I,” Lucius said.
Zach lunged at Bruce, and the world slowed to a crawl. I had made my decision. I stepped between them. I closed my eyes and honed all my strength on breaking out.
My wings broke through my human form, roaring like a locomotive charging through the kitchen. Pots and pans rattled on the countertop, and dishes fell and smashed onto the floor. When my wings unfurled, wind rippled through the kitchen, blowing our clothes and hair and sending papers fluttering through the air. A piercing light radiated out of them, blinding Bruce.
With him momentarily incapacitated, I channeled all of my energy. I also had to be careful since in full angelic form, the power within me could kill someone. It hummed and buzzed through my muscles and veins. Just when it felt it would explode out of me, I let the energy go.
In a lightning quick flash, Bruce was jolted back. His body convulsed, and he screamed in pain before falling to the ground. He moaned and writhed for a moment before he stilled and closed his eyes. For a moment, I had worried it was too much until I realized he was still breathing.
Before I returned to human form, I glanced around the kitchen for Lucius. But he was gone. With a sigh, my wings retracted, and my body returned to normal.
I then dared myself to look over at Zach. He was shell-shocked. The knife dropped from his hands, clattering onto the floor. His knees buckled, and he slammed back against the counter. “Cassie…” was the only sound that fluttered from his lips.
> Chapter Thirty-One: CASSIE
Before I could respond to Zach’s incredulous expression, Annie began moaning in the living room. “Call 911,” I instructed.
Zach grabbed the extension in the kitchen as I hurried to Annie’s side. Blood flowed beneath her head as she writhed in pain. I reached out my hand, lightly touching her head. When my touch eased the pain, Annie’s eyes fluttered open.
“Zach?” she questioned.
“He’s okay,” I answered.
Tears spilled over her cheeks. “Thank God.”
Zach came sprinting into the living room. “The paramedics are on the way.” He knelt down beside his mother and took her hand in his. “I thought I’d lost you,” he said, in a strangled voice.
“I thought the same thing about you. When I was unconscious, I had such a terrifying vision of you trying to kill Bruce.” She shook her head. “It’s so over, Zach. I promise you that.”
I saw the hope surge in Zach’s eyes. “Really?” he questioned, his voice wavering with uncertainty.
“Yes, I really mean it this time. I swear it on your father’s memory,” Annie replied.
I knew Annie had never promised anything like that before. Tears replaced the doubt in Zach’s eyes, and he leaned over and kissed his mother’s cheek. It was then an ambulance screeched into the driveway. I hurried to let the paramedics in. The police followed shortly on their heels.
As the paramedics worked on Annie, two police officers surveyed the scene. One went into the kitchen where Bruce was coming into consciousness. “So what happened?” an officer asked.
Zach drew in a deep breath. “He hit her, so I went after him—to you know defend her.”
The officer eyed Zach’s bruised and bleeding face. “Do you want to press assault charges?”
Zach met his mother’s gaze before he replied. “Yes, we do.”
“We’ll put him away.”
“Thanks,” Zach said.
“Okay folks, we need to get her to the hospital.”
We followed the stretcher outside. As they loaded Annie inside, Zach turned to me. “I’m going to ride with her.”
I nodded. He quickly hopped into the back. He slid onto the bench beside the stretcher and grabbed his mother’s hand. He glanced back at me one time just before the ambulance door slammed shut.
