Saving Grace

by Christine Zolendz

"Stay with m e, Shane," I pleaded over and over. "Please don't leave me." Tears poured openly from my eyes.

  Gabriel swung his arms around me, pulling me back, and locked me into his chest. Pure horror spiked and tore against every surface of my skin. "Grace, my love. You can still save him," Gabriel murmured into my ear, nipping at it. "Come with me and I will let him live." I struggled against his grip as darkness seeped through my skin, hardening my flesh layer by layer. It ebbed through my veins whispering its beautiful little lies. It called my name, pressed its insidious lips to my soul and offered me a heaven like I'd never known.

  I fixed my eyes on Shane, trying to focus on how much and how long I loved him. Shane blinked his eyes at me in what seemed like slow motion. His lips moved slightly and the lightest of whispers caressed my ears, " Don' t, Grace, don't listen to him."

  A gurgled gasp.

  "Time is running ou t, Grace," Gabriel threatened.

  Shane's body trembled and a thin stream of blood fell from the corner of his mouth, spilling to the floor. His expression didn't change, though. And it spoke to me crystal clear. "Your heart belongs to me."

  Gabriel raked his lips along my neck and clutched me tighter. "Then, watch him di e, Grace." Every nerve ending in my body hummed with Gabriel's desire, and my stomach convulsed against the thought of it.

  I whimpered, and then screamed, "I WILL ALWAYS BELONG TO HI M, GABRIEL, NEVER YOU!"

  Shane's lips lifted slightly and his body stilled. And then he was gone, taking his last breath, and taking my heart with him. I never fully realized the meaning of the word death until just then and the thought of living this life without him in it wasn't happening...because without him, without him in my life I'm dead inside anyway. I've spent lifetimes looking for him and I wasn't wasting a minute more without him.

  "Oh, Grace," Gabriel whispered. "Maybe you will change your heart when I get my hands on Lea?" He released me and I collapsed onto Shane. A broken whimper escaped my lips. I can't lose him again, I can't.

  Blurry eyed, I pressed my lips to Shane's. "I'll be right ther e, Shane. I won't stay here without you," I quietly whispered to him.

  Chapter 32

  With the agony that tore through my body, a strange force of energy surged in my veins. It traveled from somewhere deep in my belly and out over every inch of my skin. Rushing up the stair s, my head was filled with visions of how I would end my life; the best option to me was riding my bike off a bridge.

  Gabriel was sitting at my kitchen table eating the damn French toast smiling at me. "Grace," he nodded and stood up to block the kitchen door and my only way out. "Do you really think I am going to let you hurt yourself? No, my love. That body of yours is a little too precious to me."

  "You'll never keep me from him, Gabriel. He'll either come back for me or I'll find him." I paced the kitchen trying to find a way out. I was trapped, caged and so fucking enraged.

  "All that has transpired and you still believe in him?" he chuckled.

  "Yes, Gabriel. If there is one thing that I have learned in the last two thousand years is to believe in what Shane and I have. However you try to twist it or mangle it with your jealousy and lust, it will still never affect how my heart and my soul will always be his." I stalked up to him and stood an inch away from his face. "No matter how much you torture me, no matter what you say to me, it will never change the truth. You want to take over heave n, Gabriel? You're going to have to do it without me on your side and I will fight against you every step of the way."

  Gabriel laughed. He laughed so hard that he had to sit down again at the table and wipe the tears from his eyes. Disgusted, I stormed past him into the living room, and headed for the front door.

  Gabriel's hands grabbed my shoulders back and he spun me around like I was a rag doll. My body shuttered with pain at his touch, and when he wrapped his arms around me, sheer tormenting agony ripped through me in waves. "I told you there are so many ways to torture a person. It's one of my most favorite pastimes, my heart. I have a certain skill for it, I've been told."

  Wrapping his hands around my throat he lifted me over his head, my feet dangling loosely below me. Behind him, shadows moved together and stepped forward into the room. Holy hell, was that a fucking ARMY behind him? My vision blurred and my lungs struggled to pull in air. I kicked my feet out while my windpipe exploded in flames. I don't care what he does or who he brings, I'm fighting him until I cease to exist.

  I felt myself being thrown from Gabriel's hold and then the blackness came.

  And from that darkness I felt life. I felt hope.

  Then a voice, more like a nuclear explosion, detonated through the darkness. It trembled the ground below my body and thundered through every inch of my soul. It called me by name, snapping my eyes wide open.

  Gabriel stood tall, wings outspread near the door, with others like him all fiery eyed and ready to attack.

  I froze. What the HELL happened to the hope I just felt? How the HELL AM I GOING TO FIGHT ALL OF THEM?

  Gabriel laughed lowering his gaze to me and crouched down over me. His eyes were cold and remorseless. I felt the bile rising up from my stomach and the heat splashing colors across my face. But the last thing I was going to do was back down from him. He just took Shane from me and rage was boiling my blood. I want to end him slowly.

  "You and your merry men there can tear me to shred s, Gabriel, but I will go down fighting. You can have my body after it's cold and dead, but never my soul." I knew my voice sounded raw and panicked but I held his stare, daring him.

  Gabriel grimaced and looked beyond me, eyes flaming brighter.

  I twisted my head around to follow his line of sight. On the other side of me was the archangel Michael and two more blue-eyed angels with their arms braced securely around Shane.

  I swear to yo u, I could just about see the butterflies fly out of my mouth. Shane was STANDING THERE! My heart stuttered in my chest and pounded so wildly that my lungs began to convulse. He was crouching, ready to attack baring his teeth. Facial features hard as granite and full of rage and vengeance. His muscles strained and twisted against the steel hands that restrained him. "You lay one finger on he r, Gabrie l, and I WILL FUCKING DESTROY YOU!" He growled. My avenging angel.

  I tried desperately to catch my breath, but the sobs came. And when the first of my whimpers reached his ears, Shane's eyes locked on mine and for a brief second his eyes softened.

  "Oh come now, Shane. We both know I've la id more than one finger on her already," his voice grated at my insides like grounded up glass.

  Snarling and screaming, Shane's body rocked with tremors and he lunged forward trying violently to charge Gabriel. The two angels holding him back grunted and fought against his pull but lost their grip and stumbled backwards.

  Shane slammed Gabriel into the wall with such force it cracked with impact and it crumbled around them. Gabriel's minions circled around them and I jumped up and ran to Shane.

  "NO!" I spun around to face Michael. " Michae l, do something!"

  Shane began pummeling Gabriel, pounding him over and over again in the face until his demons threw him off, sending him flying up against the opposite wall. Gabriel stood laughing at Shane and licked his lips. I jumped in front of him and blocked Shane.

  " N o, Grace! Get behind me!" He yanked me behind him and when his hands touched me, I fell into his arms and wrapped myself around him. Throwing his hands around me, he held me close and kissed my forehead, "I am in fucking complete awe of your strength and your reverence. But you have to get behind me babe."

  Gabriel charged at us, arms reaching towards us, steel claws grasping. But just as he came close enough to touch me Michael stood between us wings spread the span of the room, and Gabriel stumbled back with fear in his eyes.

  Michael faced me and searched my face with his ancient blue irises, looking right into my soul and I felt it being weighed and measured.

  I stepped forward and held my chin up towards him. "Yes, Michael. Ta
ke a good look at my soul and what I have been through because of Gabriel for the last two thousand years or so. Weigh and judge it wel l, Michael."

  The archangels eyed widened and he turned his eyes on Shane, looking at him the same way.

  I stepped even closer and leaned in, "The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis."

  Shane jerked his head at me, "Dante Alighieri, Grace?"

  One corner of Michael's lips turned up so slight that if you weren't standing as close as I you would have never noticed. "You are so much like Job, Grace. You never faltered in your search for him, you never lost your faith, never questioned it." His eyes smiled at Shane, "And you. You gave up your heavenly place to be with her. I stand in awe of the both of you."

  Turning his face toward Gabriel his lips pulled back. "Gabriel your envy, your lust, your greed and all the trouble you've caused in between are far worse crimes than that of a simple kiss. A simple kiss that may I add was forgiven and sanctioned long ago."

  "NO!" Gabriel's voiced boomed. It rocked the ground and made me clasp my hands over my ears and cringe. "I will not let him have her. SHE IS MINE!"

  "Enough," a small musical voice sung lovingly into our ears. It jingled lightly like a breeze blowing through wind chimes. The voice touched my heart and a warmth spread throughout my body filling it with the deepest feeling of love that I had ever known. Shane squeezed my hand and I knew he was feeling that same feeling.

  I breathed in quickly then exhaled a faltering breath. The power behind the voice overwhelmed me and brought me to my knees and Shane slid down to the floor with me.

  The musical voice echoed, reflecting its awe-inspiring sounds throughout the expanse of space around us. Where, for some reason wasn't my apartment any longer. OH CRAP, am I DEAD? "It is a pure soul who can hold true the innocence and timelessness of passion in another soul. Each unveiling the greatest pieces of the other, locked together at the heart for eternity," the music sang. And when it ceased, the silence was vociferous and left me empty, yet whole.

  Gabriel slithered back, trying to blend himself into the background of the emptiness but Michael would not have it. "Go back where you came fro m, Gabriel. Your evil cannot darken this tale, it was written from the heavens."

  Gabriel blanched. His army of fallen angels slowly faded into the all too familiar furnishings of my living room and the life that I had been living. Gabriel's eyes lingered on me; his voice whispered softly in my thoughts, "I did truly love you, that was never my lie." Then he lowered to his knees, unclenched his fists, and let them fall loosely to the floor. His chest heaved with shallow breaths and his gaze fell away from mine, his body gradually lost color, evaporating into the air. Then Gabriel was gone, and the tightness that I had felt around my heart for so long loosened and I felt I could fully breathe again.

  I looked up at Michael and waited to hear our final fate. He smiled down at me then looked to Shane. "Do you still want time here, brother?"

  Shane didn't turn to Michael to give him his answer. His blue eyes held onto mine and my heart surged, " N o, Michael. I need more time here. As long as we possibly can have here, and then an eternity after that."

  Oh yeah!

  Happy-Epilogue-After

  The minute the important tubes and machines were taken away and the only thing left was one IV, I left my lonely hospital bed and climbed gently into Shane's. His battered and bruised face nuzzled against the crook of my neck and we slept in each other's arms like that for days. The doctors and nurses did not complain. They were actually amazed by our closeness, and the sheer miracle of our survival from our horrific motorcycle accident.

  That's what our fight with Gabriel transformed into. I guess it was a good excuse as any, it's not like anybody would have believed that we both fought with the devil and won. But, I was beyond pissed that my precious motorcycle had been mangled into pieces all over Fifth Avenue. I mean, seriously?

  I would eventually get another one, and I was happy with that. Material things are easily replaceable, but angels like Shane definitely are not.

  " He y, beautiful," Shane whispered. "What are you thinking about?"

  I shifted my banged up body gently to face him. I couldn't help but laugh. Even though he was black and blue from head to toe and mostly purple in the middle, he was still ridiculously gorgeous. And he was all mine. I ran my bandaged hand through his dark, silky, hair; I would never get enough of touching him. "I just keep thinking about everything that was said and how happy I am lying in this horrible hospital bed with you. Makes we wonder where we go from here. I mean, our lives are open unwritten books, we could do anything together from here, it's just so..."

  Shane's crooked smile sent heat across my chest. His eyes danced and his hand slowly lifted to my lips to run his thumb along the bottom of them. "I know where I want to go from here," he murmured. If he said Boozer' s, I was going to pinch him hard on the neck, the only place without a bruise on his body. I waited with pinched up fingers.

  "I want to wake up every day I have left to the warmth of your lips on mine, the sound of your voice singing next to me, the feel of your fingers on my skin and your heart beating music with mine." His eyes shined with love and need. "How about becoming my wife?"

  I stared at the man that I had searched forever for and my breath caught in my throat. Tears stung at my eyes. This was the sort of love that people wrote books about. Right in the middle of what I thought was an ordinary life; fate sent me a fairytale, one with a happy ending. A love that makes someone like Shane Maxton doodle silly hearts on a paper with my name in his hospital bed and someone like me to break down all my walls, trust him completely, and say, "Oh, hell, yes!"

  Then he brought his lips to mine and he kissed me like it was our very first kiss, and it felt like heaven.

  Aha! See, I promised no cliffhanger!

  Thank you all for hanging around to see what happened to Shane and Grace. It was a ton of fun to write the story and get to meet lots of readers who were touched by my words. I hope I did justice to book 2! And YES, I am writing Shane's point of view and it should be published soon ?

  Come visit my blog at http://christinezolendz.blogspot.com

  Friend me on Facebook or drop an email at ChristineZolendz@aol.com

  Or you can visit me on Goodreads. I do have a twitter account, but I always forget to use it!

  Thank you to my special Detective in the New York City Police Department who sat down with me to help me formally interview Grace...and help me ... um ... with the speaker scene and ... um ... all the other scenes that made me giggle and red faced when I wrote them. (Don't get all excited, I'm married to him, we're allowed to do all that yummy stuff.)

  And thank you, Hailey and Emily, for eating lots of mac and cheese and smacking my laptop with your feet every chance you got. Love you both to pieces.