A flicker of remorse shows in his expression. “I understand, but we need to talk.” He crosses his arms, determined for me to hear him out.
But I’m more determined to avoid him.
I step off the driveway and onto the grass. The tall blades tickle my exposed ankles in the rolled-up skinny jeans. Zeke shifts to the side, continuing to block me.
I throw my hands in the air. “What do you want from me, Zeke? I’m not okay right now, and I don’t want to talk.” Unless he plans to tell me he was joking and I’m not really anyone’s soulmate, there’s nothing he can say to make anything better. The situation is insane, and it’s going to take a lot more than angelic power shooting from my hands to make me accept I’m soulmate to any of the Fallen angels. A hell of a lot more.
“Just… give me the chance to explain. Don’t leave it like this.”
I shake my head and scoff. “There’s no way to explain this. It’s…” I pause and search for a word to describe the insanity of what he’s suggesting. There isn’t one. “It’s impossible. And unnatural. And I’m not interested in hearing anymore about it.”
Bracing myself for resistance, I move forward. I’m prepared to push past Zeke, but he shifts out of the way just as I’m about to bump into him.
Without hesitating, I unlock the door and slip inside my house. One peek over my shoulder reveals Zeke hasn’t moved from his spot. Though, he is facing me. I avoid looking at his expression. I don’t want to see his disappointment… frustration… or whatever emotion he’s feeling. I close the door and lock it.
“Mom? Dad?” Like this morning, I receive no response. Periwinkle trots down the stairs, tail wagging, greeting me.
I reach down and pet her. Then, Peri whines and scurries toward the back door. Praying Zeke doesn’t hear me, I open the door and let her into the backyard to relieve herself.
Periwinkle hops down the patio steps and squats. My eyes scan the perimeter of the yard, looking for any indication I’m about to be greeted by the angel I left out front, or one of his three brethren. My worries are unfounded. Peri returns and we’re back inside with no intruders making their presence known.
I walk towards the stairs, Periwinkle on my heels, and I release a shout of surprise when I see two brawny, blonds. Zeke and Adrian are standing side by side. The former watches me with concern, while the latter looks bored.
Peri barks.
“Get out of my house,” I command.
“Veronica, please. We have to talk about this.” Zeke’s ever-present mask has fallen away, showing the true depths of his concern. But I’m too overwhelmed to care.
“You don’t get to break into my house whenever you want,” I yell. I’ve had enough. The angels have been bullying me in the name of protecting me. I’m done with it.
“We wouldn’t have to if you didn’t run like a scared child anytime you hear something you don’t like.”
“How dare you.” I hiss at Adrian. “Unlike you, I didn’t have the luxury of growing up knowing all about the supernatural, Fallen world. Excuse me if I’m not jumping for joy every time a new piece of information is thrown my way!” Especially when the information claims I am a soulmate to two angelic beings.
“Luxury?” Adrian’s voice adopts an ominous tone, and his eyes sharpen into slits. “My existence has been a never-ending, watered-down, but no less agonizing, version of Hell. Sorry you can’t seem to handle some truths about who you are, but don’t presume to know anything about us. You. Know. Nothing.”
His words are like a slap to the face. I stumble back from the mere force of them.
“Enough, Adrian,” Zeke barks.
Adrian slinks back a step, but his furious eyes don’t leave mine.
A knock sounds on the front door.
I tear my gaze from Adrian and see two heads of black hair through the stain-glassed windows.
Another knock.
“Veronica? Are you in there?”
I say nothing. I don’t have the energy to handle adding the two light brothers to this discussion.
But Gabe and Mr. Cohen don’t give up so easily.
“Veronica, we know you’re in there. Open up. It’s important.”
Zeke lifts an eyebrow, but I shake my head. I press my lips together, determined to remain silent until they go away.
My plans are thrown to the wind when I hear Gabe say, “Veronica… your parents are missing.”
Twenty-One
My whole world stops spinning. The living room walls blur, and I feel like I can’t breathe.
My parents are missing.
Another knock sounds against the door. Then, like someone pushing a reset button, the scene before me flicks back to life, moving at a normal pace.
Back in control of my senses, I rush to the door and fling it open. The wood bangs against the rubber stopper on the wall. “What did you say?”
The two light angels stare at me, surprised by my sudden appearance.
“Veronica, we—”
“What do you mean?” I interrupt. “How can my parents be missing?”
Mr. Cohen says, “When your parents didn’t return this afternoon, Gabe and I decided to go into town. We went to the diner where they had breakfast. Only… they never made it there this morning.”
My gut clenches with foreboding. “How do you know?”
“We spoke with a waitress,” Gabe reveals. “She worked this morning, but she didn’t see your parents come in.”
Lake Valley is a small town, and my family goes to Miss Macey’s often. I don’t doubt the waitress would have noticed my parents if they had arrived.
I want to think I’m in the middle of another nightmare, but Mr. Cohen’s expression makes that impossible. He’s distressed and worried. Neither of those emotions are reassuring.
“This can’t be happening.”
“I’m sorry, Messenger,” Mr. Cohen says.
I refuse to believe it. “They aren’t gone. They can’t be.” I think about this morning, and how I decided not to go meet them. “They probably got caught up spending time with Uncle Jasper or something.”
I look at the clock and the time makes me cringe. It’s four-fifteen. It’s unlikely they would be delayed this long.
“Where can they be?” My gaze swings between the four angels around me. I’ve forgotten about my frustration with the whole soulmate thing. All I can think about is my parents, and I can’t shake the feeling something bad must’ve happened to them.
“We need to search the house,” Gabe says.
I don’t know what he expects to find, but I nod anyway.
Gabe and Adrian disappear to search for clues. Zeke and Mr. Cohen stay with me. I wrap my arms around my body, physically trying to hold myself together.
“Do you think the demons got them?” I whisper the dreaded question. The thought demons might target my parents has never crossed my mind. The angels said the monsters were hunting me; they never even hinted my parents might be in danger.
Is this my fault?
“I don’t know,” Mr. Cohen admits. For a moment, I worry he’s answered my unspoken question. But I realize he’s talking about the demons.
“I’d be surprised if they did,” Zeke adds.
My worried eyes swing to him. “Why?”
“Yancor demons are violent, but they aren’t the brightest creatures. Organizing an abduction of your parents just to get to you seems above their level of strategy.”
Mr. Cohen bobs his head in agreement.
My fears are not abated. “It isn’t like my parents to disappear.”
“We’ll find them, Ron,” Zeke assures me.
I bite my tongue. Voicing my doubt won’t do any good. My parents are missing. If the demons are behind their disappearance, I need the angels’ help—no matter how much I wish that wasn’t true.
“I need water.” I walk to the kitchen. The two angels follow me.
I grab a water bottle from the pantry and twist open the cap. I swallow sever
al gulps, but the water does nothing for the dryness in my throat or the pit in my stomach.
“There’s nothing,” I hear Adrian call from upstairs. His steps travel down the stairs and he appears in the entryway of the kitchen. “I found nothing.”
“Neither did I.” Gabe arrives at his side.
“So how will we find them?” I ask, looking between the four angels. Each of them avoids meeting my eye. I focus on the one angel I’ve known the longest.
“Zeke?”
He releases a breath and runs a hand over his blond scruff. “We aren’t sure yet, Ron.”
“Well, what will it take to be sure? What do you guys need? What can I do?” I’ll do anything to find my parents. Absolutely anything.
“Nothing,” Adrian states. “We don’t need you to do anything.”
I frown. “But I can help.”
“If yancor demons are responsible, we don’t need you anywhere near this situation,” Zeke explains, using a milder tone. His brother narrows his gaze but remains silent. He agrees.
I’m not so easily convinced.
“Look…” I pause and formulate my next words carefully. “If this has something to do with being your bashert, please don’t let that make you exclude me from this. I can help.”
Gabe and Mr. Cohen suck in air. Adrian and Zeke freeze. The room becomes unnervingly quiet.
Then, Gabe growls, “You are not their bashert.”
I blink, knowing I’m walking on thin ice. I don’t want to cause an argument, I only want the angels to not coddle me because of some crazy soulmate connection they think we have. I plan on arguing with them about the subject at a later time, once my parents are safely home.
But before I can say a word, Adrian growls back, “This isn’t any of your business, light boy.”
“It most certainly is,” Gabe steps forward, but Mr. Cohen places a staying hand on his shoulder. Still, Gabe continues, “Considering she is ours.”
I’ve made a dumb decision. I shouldn’t have said anything.
Adrian sneers. “We’ve been over this. She is not yours. Veronica is linked to us.”
They’ve talked about this before?
“You’re wrong,” Mr. Cohen states calmly, “She is linked to us. It’s how we felt her first transformation pains.”
“We felt them too,” Zeke returns with equal calm.
“I thought all angels would be able to feel my transformation?” No one pays me any mind. They continue talking as if I’m not standing there.
Gabe snorts, “A fluke, one we will seek to rectify once our bashert is safe.”
“Call her yours,” Adrian growls, tensing his shoulders, “one more time and I will, personally, rip those pasty wings from your back.”
Mr. Cohen tightens his hold on his brother, and Zeke reaches out to do the same to Adrian.
The threat of violence hangs in the air like a smothering blanket. I’ve had enough. “Will you all stop talking about me like I’m not standing right here?” I shriek.
At once, four pairs of angelic eyes land on me. Their expressions range from apologetic to determined.
“I don’t care what any of you think about this soulmate crap,” I say. “My parents are missing. We need to find them.”
“We will find them, Messenger,” Mr. Cohen assures me.
“But we will not risk your safety by allowing you to help,” his brother adds.
I glare at Gabe, but he doesn’t care. “They’re my parents!”
“And you’re our bashert,” Gabe counters. “We must keep you safe.”
“Again,” Adrian snarls, “she is not yours.”
“Well, she’s most certainly not linked to you, a soulless Fallen.”
I want to pull my hair out. “Stop it! I’m not linked or connected to any of you. Stop arguing.”
Both Adrian and Gabe open their mouths to object, but I hold out a silencing hand. “I’m going to my room. Just… leave me alone.” It seems like all I do is run to my room, but I need space to breathe and think. And I can’t do that when I have four angels breathing down my neck, arguing about stupid bashert nonsense.
Can’t they see none of this matters? Not while my mom and dad might be at the mercy of the violent demons who’ve been hunting me. I brush past Zeke and Mr. Cohen who stand closest to me. Neither tries to stop me as I race up the stairs.
Closing my bedroom door, I lean against the firm surface. My mind is a jumble of confusion and fear. I need to get ahold of myself before I can even begin to think of ways to help my parents. It’s very unlikely something other than the demons could have happened to my parents. Their disappearance coincides too closely with the recent appearance of my attackers, and I don’t believe in coincidences.
I pull out my phone. Pressing the first number on my favorite’s list, I hold my breath and wait for my mom to answer. The rings seem to last forever until, finally, the call goes to voicemail. I whimper, then press the button to end the call.
I press the second number on my favorite’s list, barely daring to hope I’ll get a different result. Dad’s phone goes to voicemail too.
I fall onto my bed, and the phone slips out of my trembling hands.
I stare at the ceiling, trying my best to keep the tears at bay. One leaks out of my right eye anyway. I think of all that’s happened, and I can’t believe it’s only been six days since my birthday.
Six days since the pain of my transformation began…
Six days since I learned what I really am…
Six days since I should’ve known there is no way my life will ever be the same.
I’ve been naïve, and I fear my parents are paying the price for my ignorance.
I’m in the middle of indulging in my sorrow, tears rolling down the sides of my face as I continue to stare towards Heaven, contemplating why God would subject me to such things, when a faint buzzing sound reaches my ears.
I prop up on an elbow and scan the room. I look at my laptop and clock, but neither item is the source of the sound. I slide off the bed, prepared to search my room, when I feel a slight vibration near my foot.
I look down and see my phone is illuminated and vibrating with an incoming call. I lean down to pick it up, but my arms hovers over the device as I read the caller ID.
Mom
I don’t waste another second. I snatch up the phone and hit the accept button. “Mom?” I cry into the phone. “Where are you? Are you alright?”
All I hear is static.
“Mom?” I pull the phone back and confirm the call is connected.
“Mom,” I say for the third time. “Are you there? Where are you?”
“She can’t hear you,” a scraggly voice grumbles.
I stumble back. My thighs hit the edge of my mattress, and I lean against the bed for support. “Who are you?” My question is barely more than a whisper. My lungs feel as if they’re robbed of all air.
“My master’s servant,” the mysterious caller says, “and he is most interested in meeting you, Veronica Messenger.”
“How do you know my name?” I’m trying to buy time to think of what to do. Should I get the angels and let them speak with the caller?
“My master knows a lot about you, Veronica,” he replies. “Which is why he’s so eager to meet you face to face.”
“And why would I want to do that?” I stand and walk to my door, deciding this is a situation I definitely shouldn’t try to handle on my own.
I’m reaching for the doorknob when the caller says, “I think we both know why.”
There is movement on the other end of the call, followed by muffled voices. Then, I hear my mom’s voice. “Veronica?”
“Mom?” My knees shake, and I press my hand against the door to remain standing. “Is that really you?” My voice echoes back to me. I realize I’m on speaker.
“It’s me, honey.”
“Where’s Dad?”
“Right here, sweetheart,” he answers, sounding farther away from the phone.
“Where are you guys?” I ask, my heart pounding in my chest. “Tell me where you are.”
“We aren’t sure,” Mom says.
At the same time, I hear Dad shout, “Do not come here, Ronnie. No matter wh—” A loud thump followed by my mom’s cry fills the receiver.
“Mom!” I shout. “Dad?”
No one answers. The phone is being shuffled again, then the original caller’s voice returns, “If you want to see your parents again, you will come meet my master.”
My blood turns cold. “W-why does he want to meet me?”
“Because you’re special. And he likes special things.”
I’m in over my head—way over my head.
“Alright,” I tell the caller as I open my bedroom door and walk towards the stairs. I need the angels help to save my parent’s. I can’t do it alone. “I’ll meet your master.”
“Excellent,” I imagine the caller’s eerily pleased grin. “There’s one more thing, you must come alone. If you don’t, your parents will die.”
My steps halt. I’m a quarter of the way down the stairs. I can hear the television in the living room. I pray whoever is in there hasn’t heard me.
Turning around, I softly walk back up the stairs.
Misunderstanding the reason for my silence, the caller asks, “Do you understand the terms of the meeting? You must come alone. Once my master is finished speaking with you, you and your parents will walk free.”
I wait until I’m back in my room, with the door closed, before I reply, “Your master will just kill me if I come alone.” The yancor demons have been perfectly clear on what they want to do when they get their hands on me.
“I am authorized to guarantee your safety during this meeting,” he says, “but only if you come alone.”
My head spins. I don’t know what to do. My gut says to tell the angels about the conversation, but I know they will insist on coming to any arranged meeting. And if what the caller says is true, doing so will mean endangering my parents’ lives.
I can’t risk it.
“How can I trust you or your master?” I’m out of options. The only thing I can do is try to get some reassurance. “You kidnapped my parents to blackmail me into a meeting. How do I know your master will keep his word and let us leave?”
Claimed by the Fallen: A Fallen Angel Reverse Harem Novel (The Fallen Harem Book 1) Page 15
