Anathema (19 page)

“Elizabeth?”

In my peripheral vision, I see someone
rising, and the voice is a dead giveaway. Evan.

“You need to lie back down and get the
pressure off that arm.”

I feel him gently nudging me to a reclining
position, and the pain makes it really easy to give in. “Where am
I?” I whisper, my voice weak from a dry throat.

“Still at the cabin.”

I keep blinking, trying to clear the haze.
His face comes into focus. He’s frowning in concern, and his hand
rests on my shoulder, keeping me down.

“You shouldn’t be here,” I whisper, knowing
it’s not going to do any good. I don’t think there’s anything I
could say that would make him leave.

“We’ve talked about this, Elizabeth.”

“But you’re still here.”

He nods . “Yeah, I am.” He sits back and
stares at my arm, watching to make sure I’m not still bleeding.

“I want to sit up.” I expect him to argue,
but he just leans forward.

“Then I guess you’re gonna need help to keep
off that arm.” He stands and goes around to the other side and
gently takes my arm. “You ready?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay.” He starts lifting me carefully, and
while the motion hurts, it’s nothing compared to what it could be.
I do my best to bite my tongue and not make any noises that might
make him second-guess my health.

He hovers next to me, waiting to make sure I
can adjust to sitting up. My stomach is clenching, and I try to
focus on something else. I don’t want to vomit. I just hate feeling
so fragile, as though I could just fall apart any moment.

“How long have I been out?” My hair falls
across my face, and I lift my good hand and brush it back.

“Almost a day, Elizabeth.” He stands and
starts pacing the room. “It was touch and go there for a while. I
wasn’t even sure you were going to wake up, and I didn’t have a
clue what I was going to tell Lev when he got here.”

I shake my head, more frustrated than before.
“He shouldn’t be here, either. Don’t you guys understand how
dangerous I am?” At that moment, I think back to the fight with
Sarah and how quickly it was over. Of course, if I hadn’t had that
power, I would have died. I summoned it so quickly it shouldn’t
have been possible—and if I could do that at the drop of a hat,
there’s no telling what could happen next, which is so not good for
other angels.

“Lev doesn’t care about the danger. He cares
about you.”

I struggle to my feet. “I care about the
danger! I care if he lives or dies. But nobody seems to worry about
what I think, I guess.”

“You should sit down,” Evan orders. “Besides,
Lev hasn’t arrived yet. He’s still on the road.”

I start to stumble, but Evan is there,
whether I want him to be or not. He catches me and waits until I
manage to hold my own before he eases his grip. “I need to go to
the bathroom.” I grit my teeth. Actually, I just need to get some
space between us because right about now he’s hovering a little too
close to Jimmie’s style for my taste.

I take two more steps and sense he’s close to
taking my arm again, thinking I can’t walk by myself. Yet I wave
him back. “I’m all right. I can do this.”

He nods and takes a step back, the frown on
his face much like one I’ve seen on Lev’s face before. I think it
comes from unrestrained frustration.

Not really so sure I can do this myself, I
keep my hand touching things like the dresser, the door, the
walls—anything to keep me upright as I inch down the hallway and
into the bathroom. Once inside, I close the door and lean against
it. Immediately, I feel exhaustion creeping back because I’ve
exerted myself so quickly. I stay there, my eyes closed so I can
catch my breath. Then I force myself to walk over to the sink to
wet my face down, hoping that will refresh me.

As I step in front of the mirror, I see dark
shadows beneath my eyes. And I see a huge bulky bandage on my arm
from where Evan pulled the bullet out of my arm. Just seeing the
thick white gauze both renews my nausea and reminds me how much it
hurts.

My trembling hand pulls the water handle, and
the flow eases from a tiny dripping to a constant flow. I dip one
hand into it and rub my wet fingers across my eyes two or three
times. While it does bring some color back into my face, it doesn’t
make me look any more normal. Then again, I’ve been shot, so
there’s no chance of me looking that way.

My head aches so much I know I should get
back to bed. I’m quickly feeling the effects of being on my feet to
long. Shaking, I jerk the water handle to turn it off and stumble
against the door. The pain hits hard and low. I pull it open and
stagger into the hall. I don’t know if Evan heard me as I hit the
door, but he’s waiting there and is quick to slip his arm around
me.

“You look like you’re going to pass out,
Elizabeth.”

“I’m okay,” I argue, trying to stand on my
own, but he’s not about to release me. Truthfully, he probably
shouldn’t, consider how shaky I feel.

“Let’s get you back into bed, okay?”

“Yes.” Suddenly too tired and light-headed, I
lean against him and let him pretty much carry me.

Chapter Fourteen

The world is dark, and I am running, hard and
fast. But I don't know where I'm going or why. My heart is racing,
and I know someone is following.

It takes a moment to realize I'm surrounded
by woods and the moon is only a sliver in the sky.

Where am I?

I glance over my shoulder, and suddenly I see
the light breaking through the stretch of trees around me. They're
coming. I try to run faster, but my foot catches on a large root,
and I tumble to the ground, landing on my hurt arm. I scream as the
light approaches, the brilliance filtering around the trees as it
heads towards me.

I'm struggling to get to my feet, but the
light is faster. Then I see that angel, tall and thin. Ghostly
pale. He's almost on top of me before I can even get to my knees,
his hands reaching outward.

"No!" I scream, trying to bat them away. Yet
I see balls of light gathering at my fingertips. The power is
surging, almost ready to be released.

Pain. The sudden jolt of it sends the light
from my fingertips outward. It leaps toward the angel, and I hear a
horrible screeching. I fall back to the ground, covering my ears
and roll into a fetal ball, trying to protect my wounded arm. The
searing pain is intense, and I'm crying.

The nausea hits quickly and I vomit. The same
thing that always happens when the power surges through me. It's
probably a sign that a human isn't supposed to have that kind of a
power, but I do.

"Lizzie! Wake up!”

It's Jimmie's voice. It's distant, but I see
him standing over me. There is still that horrible light glowing in
my fingertips, and he's standing there like a target.

"Jimmie, go away!" I yell, forcing myself to
get to my feet, no matter how dizzy I am. He tries to grab me and
help, but I pull away.

"Get out of here!" I yell and start
running.

"Elizabeth, stop!" Lev blocks my path, and my
body collides with his. In my peripheral vision, I see the glowing
is brighter. The ball of light at my fingertips is bigger, much
more threatening.

"Get out of here!" I yell, crying. I try to
push past him, but I can't. And to my side, I see the angel from
the Triune rising.

"It's a dream, Elizabeth," Lev tries to
assure me. I see the white
glow of his wings behind him, and
I feel the energy of light coursing through my body, readying
itself for another blow.

"No, it's not! Look at my hands, Lev. The
power is ready to discharge, and there is one of the Triune over
there!" I try to point. "Where is Evan?"

Suddenly I feel a rough jarring sensation as
Lev grabs my shoulders and shakes me hard. "You have to wake up,
Elizabeth! Now!"

For a second, the darkness seems to tumble
all around me, and I feel myself falling before Lev's arm encircles
me. Pain...so much pain. I stare at my hands, searching for the
glowing, but there is only darkness, as it should be. I find myself
looking up at him, his blond hair glowing in the moonlight. His
warm breath funnels outward, and he stares at me with a
tight-lipped frown.

"Is this a dream?" I ask. His arms feel so
secure around me, and I just want to stay there, but the Triune is
coming. I start to struggle, but that only makes him grip my body
even tighter. He sweeps me into his arms as though I weigh nothing,
and I rest my head against his chest.

"Not anymore. You were having a nightmare and
took off sleepwalking. It scared the rest of us pretty badly, I
will say that."

My hand absently touches where the bandage
covers my arm, as though that will stop the intense searing
below.

"How's your arm?" he asks softly and begins
walking through the night with me.

"It hurts." I look up at the starless,
overcast sky. "Where are we?"

"The cemetery."

I begin to shiver, suddenly aware of the fact
my clothes are too thin for the night air and I'm wearing neither
socks nor shoes. That only reminds me I've probably cut my feet;
there’s a low pain pulsing on my left heel as well.

"Cold?" He frowns and looks at the goose
bumps stippling my arms.

"Yeah, a little," I manage.

Lev slips one hand upon my forearm, and
suddenly I feel his warmth suffusing through me, driving back the
chilly night air.

"Better?" he asks.

"Much. Thanks."

"You're welcome." He tilts his head and
kisses my forehead. "Anything for you, Elizabeth. You ready to
fly?" he asks softly.

"Yeah." I close my eyes and wait to feel us
suddenly soar through the air. I keep waiting to feel it, but it
isn't coming. "I thought you were going to fly," I murmur, keeping
my eyes closed. I just don't think the sudden feel of leaving the
ground is going to make me feel so hot.

"We are flying, Elizabeth."

Surprised, I open my eyes and find he's
right. Our bodies are floating amid the starlight, high above the
clouds.

"I...didn't realize."

He smiles. "I know. Evan warned me your
stomach has been weak lately, so I made sure you didn't feel any
sudden movement."

"Thank you," I whisper, probably more
grateful than he will ever know.

"You're welcome," he murmurs. "We're almost
back to the cabin."

"How long was I gone?" I whisper.

"Probably about twenty minutes. So Celia went
one way, Evan another, and I headed to the cemetery because I
figured that was the most likely place you'd end up."

I can tell by the way the tree line suddenly
appears around us Lev is descending, and a moment later, I feel the
gentle bounce of his feet touching earth.

Even before Lev can get two steps, Evan and
Jimmie are there, both of them doing the hovering thing I like so
well.

"Is she all right?" Jimmie asks, trying to
move in closer, even though Lev is walking and getting any closer
is going to be difficult at best.

"She was sleepwalking. She'll be okay," Lev
says, doing his best to get to the door and get me inside. As he
slips into the living area of the cabin, Griffin and Celia whirl
toward the door, their gazes quickly focusing on me.

"Is she all right?" Griffin's face is pale as
he rushes toward me. "If anything happened to her, I'll
never--"

"I'm okay, Griffin. I'm fine, really." I try
to struggle out of Lev's arms, but he shakes his head and tightens
his grip.

"I don't care what you say. You're not fine
enough to walk around just yet, so I'm putting you to bed."

Griffin stands at the center of the room, his
arms awkwardly dangling at his sides, and his pale face tells just
how worried he is. There's nothing I can say that's going to make
him worry any less. I know that much from experience. And even
though Griffin and Celia don't follow us, there's nothing that's
going to stop either Evan or Jimmie from coming into the bedroom as
Lev sets me down on the bed.

Evan immediately comes toward me and looks at
the bandage, probably expecting to find fresh blood because I've
been up and around, but the gauze is pristine, thank goodness.

"I'll get something to clean your feet so we
can make sure you didn't cut yourself," Lev says, giving me a last
look before heading out the door.

Evan sits next to the bed and proceeds to
pull back the dressing to inspect the wound, and I get really still
because even the thought of pulling the bandage back makes me
nervous. It's stupid, kind of like thinking of an infection will
make one appear. Then again, I'm about that lucky.

"I dreamed about the Triune." I stare at the
blanket, because I'm afraid to meet Evan's gaze. Then suddenly his
fingers get really still, which probably isn't a good sign.

"All right. Tell me what happened in your
dream."

"One of the angels was following me in the
woods. I was running, trying to get away, when I tripped. The angel
came after me and tried to grab me. I felt the energy surge in my
hands, and when I looked down, I saw the light. I knew I wasn't
going to be able to control it. When the angel attacked me, there
was this instant of horrible pain. The energy surged toward the
angel, and I ran."

Evan's face turns ashen. Yet again, not a
good sign for an angel. For a moment, he just sits there,
stone-faced, as he stares ahead, his hands unmoving. It's like he's
somewhere else beyond me and everything else. I can't tell you how
much that scares the crap out of me.

"Evan? What's going on?"

Suddenly he blinks and his fingers resume
pulling back the bandage. I purposely avoid looking at the wound,
figuring I've passed out enough for one lifetime.

"At least there don't seem to be any signs of
infection," he mutters. He completely takes off the dressing, puts
on a salve and then re-bandages the wound.