My eyes snap up to Lukas, silently pleading for him to help me. It’s a small mercy Joseph hasn’t noticed me yet. I’m hoping he can transport me out of the parlor before I lose that advantage.
“Brother,” Joseph sighs. “What have you done?”
Seventeen
Brother?
Did Joseph just say brother?
Forgetting my predicament, I look at my patient with fresh eyes. Rich, dark hair. Firm jawline. Laugh lines around his mouth.
How could I have missed it? Gabe is the Fallen angel in front of me, and he sustained a life-threatening wound.
The world around me blurs, and I choke on emotion. What would have happened if Lukas didn’t get me in time? Gabe could have died. What the hell was he doing to get so hurt?
Hearing my whimper, Joseph finally looks down, taking notice of the figure seated at his brother’s side. I hear him inhale sharply. “Messenger?”
Tears burn my eyes, but I manage to keep them at bay. I look up. “It’s me.”
“What—” Joseph hesitates, unsure what to say. Then, his features harden, concealing the worry for his brother. “What are you doing here?”
I’m not given time to answer. Joseph connects the dots and whirls on Lukas, raising a fist blazing with Angel Fire. He strikes the other Light Fallen. Hard. Lukas doesn’t even lift a hand to defend himself. He hits the ground, and Joseph moves to step around the chaise, determined to strike again.
“No!” I jump to my feet and grab onto Joseph’s arm. “Stop. He didn’t do anything!”
“Like hell he didn’t,” the normally composed man shouts. He jerks out of my hold, but I quickly scramble to catch his arm again. “He kidnapped your parents, and now he’s abducted you.”
“He didn’t kidnap me!” Not this time at least.
Joseph doesn’t listen. He shrugs me off again and stalks to Lukas. Fortunately, the Light Fallen has found his feet. He holds up his hands. I think he’s going to attack Joseph, but nothing happens. Not until Joseph collides with the protective barrier Lukas has erected.
“Allow me the chance to explain,” Lukas requests in a calm voice. I don’t know if I would be so composed after getting decked.
I hurry around the chair to stand behind Joseph, but I don’t try to hold him back now that I know Lukas isn’t in danger of being attacked.
But that doesn’t stop Joseph from trying.
Orbs of light fire out of the angel’s hand. One after another, the attacks come in quick succession. They sizzle against the barrier, and sparks fly all around them. I duck behind Joseph. I don’t know if the sparks would burn, but I’m not willing to risk it.
Joseph’s back stretches and flexes with each throw. I expect him to tire out, but he shows no signs of slowing down. Anger fuels him, and I know he is acting on my behalf. I need to convince him Lukas did nothing wrong. I came here of my own free will. And thank God I arrived when I did. Otherwise, I hate to think what may have happened to Gabe.
Trusting beyond a shadow of a doubt that Joseph’s fury will not turn on me, I place my palm flat against the muscle covering his shoulder blade. The muscle twitches, but Joseph does not pull away. In fact, I swear he shifts back and gently presses into me. I’m not even sure he knows he does it. I can sense the intense fear he’s feeling on my behalf.
Suspecting I have his attention, I repeat, “Lukas did not abduct me.”
The attacks cease, though I’m not sure the reprieve will last long.
A loaded silence fills the parlor. I swear I can feel its weight on my arm, but I resist its strength, determined to keep my touch on Joseph. The contact soothes him. Again, our connection allows me to sense the emotion.
“If he did not take you, then how are you here?”
I release the breath I’d been holding. He sounds normal. “Lukas comes to me when he needs my help, but I always go with him willingly.”
“Help for what?”
This is it.
This is the moment I reveal the ward restraining my powers is gone, and I’m afraid.
I don’t know how Joseph will react. He’s already demonstrated he isn’t always as composed as I believed him to be. Will he chastise me for keeping the secret? Will he resume his attacks on Lukas? Or will his reaction be something I cannot even begin to anticipate?
“Messenger?” I’ve been silent for too long. There is no turning back. I have to tell him the truth.
“I help heal Fallen. Fallen on the brink of death.”
“You what?” Joseph spins around, forcing my hand to fall away. “How?”
I don’t have time to feel the loss. The angel steps into my personal space. I move to the side, closer to the chaise. He follows and draws close until his thighs press into mine. I have to lean back in order to see his face. I’m pinned between Joseph and the bloodied furniture, but fear is the last thing I’m feeling.
Tiny, pleasurable bolts of electricity sing against my skin, reminiscent of the kiss I shared with Zeke. The thought makes me blush. Joseph’s eyes heat. I see the flames flickering, and I can’t tell if he’s aroused or angry. Maybe he’s both.
“Messenger?” His voice is deep and smooth, and I feel its vibration in my stomach.
“What?” I’m too caught to be embarrassed of my breathless whisper.
“How do you heal Fallen angels?” His strong fingers wrap around my hip as if he’s trying to keep me in place.
The reality of my situation returns, and it douses the heat growing within me like a bucket of cold water. I lick my lips, and Joseph’s eyes focus on the movement. Another flash of fire crosses his gaze.
I rip off the band-aid. “My ward is gone.”
One blink. Then two. Joseph continues to stare down at me from his elevated height. The fingers on my hip tighten their hold. “Your ward…” He trails off.
I pick up where he leaves off. “Is gone. The ward keeping me from accessing my powers is gone.”
The warmth and desire I thought I’d seen disappears in an instant. Joseph dons a careful mask, and the connection between us goes silent. I can’t even guess what he’s thinking. “How?” he asks again.
“A sorceress,” I answer, careful to keep my tone even. Two can play the no-emotion game. “She removed the ward.”
“How did you contact a sorceress?”
I don’t lie. “Lukas.”
Joseph’s mask slips. Once again, I feel his anger.
“Don’t!” I hold his wrist, keeping his hand on my hip. “He didn’t do anything wrong.”
“You’re mistaken,” he clips. “You have no idea what he’s done.”
“The sorceress freed me from a spell which kept me from protecting myself.” I reach out and grab his other wrist, forcing him to face me and not turn around to shoot light-daggers out of his eye. “Lukas helped me master my powers. I can use them now.”
Understanding flits across his eyes. “That’s why you no longer train with us.” I tell myself I imagine the sense of betrayal traveling through our touch.
I refuse to feel guilty. He and the others are responsible for this situation. If they’d just been honest with me, I never would have needed to keep the truth from them.
“If I may interject,” Lukas begins, but Joseph cuts him off.
“You may do nothing,” he barks, glaring over his shoulder. “I’ll deal with you later.”
“Brother,” the weak exhale reaches me. Joseph hears it too. We both rush to turn and look at Gabe. I almost fall over, but Joseph’s grip keeps me upright.
Gabe’s matted hair is brushed out of his eyes. Blood still sticks to his skin, but that doesn’t matter.
“You’re alright.” Relief washes over me. Even though I was sure I healed him, it is nice to see him awake. I lean over and clutch his hand in mine, lifting it to press my lips against his knuckles. It’s instinct, but the bold gesture makes my lingering blush deepen.
“I’m alright, Veronica” he repeats, pulling my hand to clutch it to his chest. He not
ices the moisture gathering in my eyes. “Now, tell us how you came to be involved in this mess.”
Eighteen
“Wait. You’re telling me you’ve had access to your powers for nearly a week?” Gabe sits upright in the leather armchair in Lukas’ study. I insisted he bathe before we talked. He wears a pair of Lukas’ suit pants and an unbuttoned white dress shirt. It’s weird seeing him in formal attire. I’ve grown use to his casual style. I actually prefer it.
I look up from the skin just below his left rib. No mark reveals the injury he’d received. “Yes,” I confirm.
Gabe shakes his head in disbelief. “How could none of us have sensed it?”
Joseph, standing behind me where I sit on the couch, speaks up, “I knew Messenger was hiding something.”
Gabe scoffs. “Yeah. Right. And you just decided not to say anything to the rest of us?”
“I didn’t know the matter dealt with her ward,” Joseph states, “but I did notice the signs of a pause in time that afternoon in the backyard.”
I look over my shoulder, eyebrows raised. “Really?”
From the seat by the windowsill, Lukas asks at the same time, “How?”
Joseph looks at his fellow Fallen, avoiding eye contact with me. “I checked my watch before your arrival. When Veronica returned, I happened another glance and noted nearly an hour had passed in what seemed to only be seconds.”
“Indeed?” Lukas leans against the window and murmurs, “I’ll need to be more careful next time.”
Meanwhile, I’m stunned Joseph never broached the subject. Gabe shares my thought. “Yet, you chose to keep this information to yourself? Stars, Joseph, what if it hadn’t been Lukas warping Veronica’s time?”
“I was reasonably confident Veronica came to no harm during the lost time.”
Gabe shoves off the chair. “That’s not your call to make!”
I want to curl into a ball. The last thing I want is to cause an argument between them. “Don’t fight, please.”
I’m ignored.
Joseph moves to stand next to the couch. I see him cross his arms from the corner of my eye. “I made sure to enact mental barriers, making us immune to future pauses.”
My neck whips to Lukas. Did he know that?
The angel shakes his head. He’d had no idea.
“Rest assured, brother, I did nothing to endanger Veronica’s safety beyond the foolishness she was already taking part in.”
Cringing, I look down and fold my hands in my lap. I don’t think Joseph has ever criticized me, not even when he was my teacher and I made a mistake during a lab which damaged an expensive horizontal projectile gun. He’d been nothing but patient and kind while I stammered through my explanation of what happened. I guess the difference is the incident in the lab had been an accident.
“Veronica has been helping Fallen who would have otherwise lost their wings or even died.” Lukas comes to my defense. His figure blurs until he is standing directly across from Joseph. “One such Fallen being your brother.”
Gabe nods, and I see gratitude overriding his suspicion. The same cannot be said for his brother.
“Veronica has no business being involved with any of your kind,” Joseph growls back.
“What do you mean?” What does he mean by “your kind”? I look between the Fallen, but none meet my gaze.
With impeccable timing, Charles strolls into the study. He must have heard my question because he gives me the answer none of the others will, “Your friend is talking about the army Lukas has gathered to fight the Darkness.”
“Army,” Joseph snorts. “A band of Fallen more interested in their own riches than the life of mortals.”
“Joseph,” Gabe says warningly. “Don’t.”
“And you,” my ex-teacher throws his frustration at his brother. “You actually offered to help them? Tell me, how did that go?”
How could I have not put the two together? Of course Gabe was injured fighting with Lukas’ other allies. It was how all of my patients got hurt. But why would he ever have agreed to join in fighting the Darkness. Wouldn’t he have told Joseph at least?
Gabe doesn’t cower. “I did what needed to be done. Now, I know what the Darkness looks like. The demons under its command are formidable foes, Joseph. One we should not take lightly.”
“You were supposed to gain information without becoming directly involved,” Joseph states. “Besides, we have other matters to occupy our time.” He gestures toward me.
Indignation sparks. “Don’t talk about me like I’m not here.”
Again, I’m ignored. And that does nothing to soothe my rising temper. “I’m serious. I’m eighteen. I can make my own decisions. I want to help Fallen with my powers.”
“You don’t know what you’re saying,” Joseph challenges, finally deigning to look at me. “Your powers are nothing but a beacon, marking you for anyone who is trying to find you.”
I hold back my retort. We both know he doesn’t worry over my discovery itself, but rather that my discovery will ultimately lead to other angels figuring out the unique circumstances surrounding my birth. But Lukas doesn’t know that piece of information. Not yet, anyway. And I don’t think now is the best time to share the news of my Fallen parents’ rival races.
“I’ve shielded Veronica from every Fallen she’s healed,” Lukas states, “except for Gabe.”
“Do you honestly think that is enough to keep Fallen from wondering at the identity of their mysterious healer? There hasn’t been one so powerful to mend snapped wings for millennia. Someone will come looking for her if only to abate their curiosity.” Joseph will not approve of my involvement in Lukas’ operation. No matter what anyone says.
“I’m not going to stop,” I tell him. “I will keep helping.”
Joseph’s eyes flash. He’s never looked so dangerous. “We’ll see about that.” He leaves, using his angelic abilities to vanish from the room.
I stare at the spot where he’d been standing. I’m wondering how long Joseph needs to calm down before he will actually listen to me. I hear Gabe groan.
“This is not good.” He rubs his hands down his face.
“Where do you think he went?”
“If I had to guess, my dear brother is informing the Dark Fallen about what he’s learned.”
Adrian and Zeke are sure to lose their minds when they find out what I’ve been up do. No doubt, they’re already freaking out after seeing Lukas sprint me away. Not to mention, I have to face the fact I kissed Zeke and Adrian saw.
Will Joseph really tell them about my powers without my consent and make matters worse?
Gabe’s face says as much.
“Shit,” I mutter under my breath. There is no telling what mess will greet me when I get home.
Gabe releases a humorless laugh. “My sentiments exactly.”
Nineteen
Gabe does me the favor of not immediately returning us to the house. We sit on a pair of swings in my neighborhood’s park. It’s too hot for parents to bring their kids outside to play, so we have the place to ourselves. The toes of my shoes drag against the soft mulch, uncovering the moist soil beneath as I sway back and forth. We’ve been like this for nearly an hour. I’m putting off the inevitable. I will have to face the other Fallen eventually, but I can’t bring myself to ask Gabe to take me home. I’m going to have to endure the lecture of the century soon. Just… not yet.
“I don’t think I ever said thank you.” Gabe breaks the silence.
I press my cheek against the chain and look at him. “You’re welcome.” I know he’s referencing my healing.
Now that the quiet has ended, Gabe has no plan to let it return. “We suspected you’d be powerful after your mother’s resurrection, but I have to admit, it is a different thing to experience it firsthand.”
“I’m sorry if I hurt you.” I remember the pain I felt when I first began his healing.
“On the contrary,” he replies, “I felt instant relief the mome
nt you touched me.”
“Really?” Stunned by the vast difference in our experiences, I explain what I felt during the healing. I describe the shortness of breath and radiating pain throughout my abdomen. It felt like my organs were being ripped open. I’d never struggled so much when healing a Fallen.
“Hm.” Gabe purses his lips. “Perhaps you absorbed my pain as your own?”
My eyes widen. I hadn’t thought of that. My symptoms did seem to match the injuries Gabe sustained. But that seems unlikely.
I shake my head. “I’ve healed a lot of Fallen, and that’s never happened before.” Whatever caused my discomfort, it didn’t have anything to do with the healing.
“It may be because of our…” Gabe trails off, and presses his lips together, rethinking what he was about to say.
But the time for secrets is over. “Because you think I’m your bashert?”
Gabe stops swinging, staring at me like I am responsible for hanging the sun in the sky. “I don’t think, Veronica… I know you’re our bashert.”
I’ve been so adamant about avoiding this conversation, but I can’t continue living this way. The alleged soulmate connection is responsible for Joseph’s overprotective behavior—for all of the Fallen’s overprotective behavior.
This conversation needs to be had, and I’m finally ready to get it out of the way, even if I’m still nervous. It helps that I’m speaking with Gabe. He’s the easiest Fallen to talk to.
“It doesn’t make sense to me,” I decide to start by restating one of my many qualms with the whole soulmate thing. “How can someone have two soulmates?”
Gabe frowns. I don’t know why until he says, “Apparently, you have four.”
I sit up straighter, no longer swinging. “Do you really believe that?” Last I checked, the two sets of brothers argued against the others’ bashert claim.
Gabe shrugs. “All I know is the Dark Fallen seem to have the same pull to you that Joseph and I experience. They can sense your emotions like we can, and they are fiercely determined to keep you from harm. Just like we are.”
Hunted by the Fallen: A Fallen Angel Reverse Harem Novel (The Fallen Harem Book 2) Page 12
