Angel Betrayed (4 page)

I hover in midair for a few moments, watching the other angels fly out of the building in a mass exodus. Many take demons with them, tossing them to their deaths below. But I can’t focus on them.

I’ve got her. My little scientist is safe.

“I need to get this guy upstairs.” Zakiel tells me, holding a barely conscious Cas.

I nod. “All right. We’ll be at the cabin. Briefly.”
While I finish what I started with my little scientist. Then figure out what I’m going to do to Michael.

I don’t bother flying back this time, but use the portal.

Once we appear, I carry her gently to the couch and place her on it.

She’s on me immediately, looking me over. “Are you hurt? What happened to you? Where did you go?”

“I’m fine. Michael imprisoned me. Briefly.”

“Michael! The demons mentioned him. Is he the one who did this?”

She looks up at me so innocently, and I realize I don’t want to admit to her that the leader of the army who was supposed to protect humanity has betrayed us. The being to whom I swore my eternal soul in service. But I don’t have a choice. “Yes. He stole your invention to protect his home planet, Celeron.”

“He took my invention to another
planet
?”

Although her voice rises, I believe she’s taking this rather well. “As I mentioned before, Earth isn’t the only planet we protect. The archangels are all from Celeron.”

She’s silent for a few moments. “As much as I hate it, I can understand why he did it. I built the machine to protect my home planet, too.”

I clench my fists in rage. “Then you have a purer heart than mine. Because I really want to kill him right now.”

“Well, I can always build another.”

My heart stops for a moment.
Why did Michael take this one if she could just build
another? It only takes six months.
Then I get the sinking feeling in my stomach that maybe we don’t have six months. But I don’t want to disillusion her right now.

We sit in silence for a moment, and Gillian traces her fingertips over the skin of my chest. This time I start to glow immediately. She makes my heart feel warm. As if there’s more to afterlife than pain and death. Right now I’m happy just to hold her.
How is it that the thirty years I’ve been an angel has passed in a flash, but two hours apart from her feels like eternity?

I’m just a soldier. One of the many Michael has forced to do his bidding. But the way she holds me, focuses her whole attention on me, makes me feel special. I can almost believe there’s something within me worth loving. Something still…almost human.

Her fingers come around to find the scars on my back.

I shiver. “I almost lost you tonight.”

She sits back and looks at me. “How did you get out of prison?”

Uh-uh. No more stories tonight. I’ve got something more interesting to do with those lips.
So I give her the kiss I’ve been dreaming about since I was in prison.

I entwine my fingers with hers and pull her gently back toward me. Our lips meet, and I relearn the heavenly taste of her mouth. Our tongues thrust together in perfect harmony.

Even though her passion matches mine, I can tell she’s resisting.
You really want to tell stories, little scientist? I just want to hold you. And kiss you. Well, maybe a little bit more, if I’m being honest.

After a few more slow, openmouthed kisses, she whimpers and I can tell she’s finally giving in to the passion between us. Our tongues entwine, mimicking the gentle motions of our fingers. I pull her over me so she straddles my legs. I feel her heat as her legs open, and she cries out softly as she brushes against me.

I groan into the kiss.
That’s right. Do that again
. I pull her hips against mine again, matching her movement. She presses against me, her pebbled nipples moving against my chest.

She’s so hot that her hips are moving in little circles on their own. My fingers find the hem of her shirt, ready to pull it off.

“Uh-hmm.” A throat clears loudly behind us.

Fuck. Not now. Let this be my imagination. I kiss her again.

“Brion.”

I break away with a frustrated groan and turn her slightly so I can see over her shoulder. To my surprise it’s Zakiel
and
Cas. Cas appears fully healed.

“That was fast,” I comment, holding Gillian close to me for a few more seconds. She buries her head in my chest in embarrassment.

“Maybe to you,” Zakiel replies. “But we got here just in time. We need to get going. There’s a horde of demons on the way, and I don’t think they’ve come for tea.”

Brion gently stands me on my feet, then springs up off the couch with his usual vigor, almost as if gravity doesn’t apply to him.

I’m envious of his clear head, because mine is still fuzzy from our kisses.

“What’s the plan?” Brion asks them.

“I was hoping you had one.” The corners of Cas’s mouth turn down in concentration.

Brion smacks the wall beside him. “Fuck it. Let’s go upstairs. Just open a portal and we’ll come, too.”

Zakiel looks pointedly at me. “What are you going to do with her?”

Good point. I’m not sure I’m ready to go upstairs, but I really don’t want to stay downstairs by myself. A horde of demons doesn’t sound fun.

Brion doesn’t even pause. “I said ‘we’. I’m taking her with us.”

Cas gasps. “You can’t do that!”

“Watch me.” Brion’s jaw tightens.

Zakiel puts a hand on his shoulder to stop him. “No human has ever been to the heavenly dimension before.”

“There’s a first time for everything.”

My heart is in my throat.
I’m going…upstairs? Don’t I have to be dead for that or something?

Cas places a hand on Brion’s other shoulder. “I’m not sure why, but I also don’t feel like this is a good idea.”

The corners of Brion’s mouth turn down in concern. “She needs protection, we need information, and I don’t think I can do that from here.”

After a few moments, Cas nods hesitantly. “I don’t know of anyone who’s taken a human upstairs.”

The way they’re talking worries me a little. “Is it safe for me to go with you?”

Cas shrugs. “I don’t think anyone knows. I haven’t heard of it being done before.”

Zakiel is strangely silent now. I don’t know what to think, but I feel safer with Brion. I know he’s going to try to take care of me. And if taking me upstairs is easier for him, I’ll do it.

Cas looks me up and down. “Maybe we should combine portals to make sure she gets through.”

Brion’s eyes open wide in surprise, then his lips purse together and he places a hand over the center of his chest. “Thank you.”

The three angels move into a half circle around me. Each touches his own tattoo and an enormous, glowing portal appears in the room.

At that moment, the bedroom door flies open as if kicked from the outside. A demon flies toward me. Cas and Zakiel are already gone. Brion grabs me and jumps into the portal. I feel a hand grip my arm, long, pointed nails sinking into my flesh.

I scream.

Just as quickly, we rematerialize. A disembodied arm hangs from mine, fingers still moving. I scream again, and it turns to dust.

Brion holds me close, and Cas grabs my arm. He places one hand over the gashes and the other hand beneath it. A glowing warmth spreads up my arm, and when he removes his hand, the gashes are gone and only scars remain.

His blue-eyed gaze flies to Brion. “That was close.”

Brion nods. “Too close.”

“How are they getting through the armaments so quickly?” Zakiel looks worried.

“I have no idea.” Brion shakes his head.

For the first time, I notice where we are. My eyes take in our surroundings and I gasp in awe. It looks like an endless library, rows of shelves of books extend as far into the distance as the eye can see. At the end of each row of shelves, columns extend up into the sky. I can see clouds and sunlight above, but somehow I can also see through them to an endless sea of stars and galaxies in the distance. “Is this Heaven’s library?”

“It’s not a library,” Cas laughs. “It’s the Hall of Akashic Records.”

“What is that?”

“It’s the record of the lifetimes of every man, woman, and child that has ever lived, or will ever live, on Earth.”

“Everything that will happen? How is that possible?” I demand. “Don’t you guys believe in free will?”

All three look startled.

“Of course we do.” Cas answers.

“If you believe in free will, how is it that the future is already written?”

“Because all time exists at the same time.” Cas takes in my bemused expression. “All time is the present…” he begins, but Brion steps between us.

“Now is not the time for a debate on existential philosophy.” His forehead is creased with concern. “We have other matters to take care of.”

Cas nods. “Good point.” He turns and pins me with his blue-eyed gaze. “We’ll come back to this later, human scientist.”

We turn and pass under an archway between rows of bookcases to the right. The row is long, and I find it difficult not to reach out and open one of the books. Each one is completely different, and seems to glow from within. When we reach the end, two enormous doors gilded with gold stand before us. They must be at least three stories high. They open before us as if by an unseen hand, and we enter an enormous throne room with what seems like miles of stairs to the top. But we begin to climb, and before I know it, we’re standing before the throne.

“Peter.” Zakiel says with a strange accent.

The angel on the throne is looking down at a large parchment, winding it as he reads. He stands and comes to the edge of the dais without looking up, and the three angels bow before him.

Peter is glorious. His wings, their feathers tipped in gold, extend much farther than those of the three angels I’m with. He’s beautiful like a god of the ancient world. Curly blond hair frames his face in a perfect halo. His eyes are intelligent, his gaze sharp. A long, straight nose, warm, generous lips, and a strong jawline complete the package.

He’s shirtless and tattoos like nothing I’ve ever seen before grace his shoulders and chest. He wears perfectly pressed black slacks, the fabric shimmering with intermittent golden threads.

He gives off an air of immortality and I realize he is much, much older than the three angels with me. Even Zakiel. At that moment, he looks up.

His gaze flies straight to me and his eyes widen in shock. Then they narrow in rage. “Why did you bring her here?” His voice is thunderous. He yells in what I’ve come to think of as Angelic. And although I don’t understand it, for some reason when he speaks, the words somehow form themselves in my mind.

“The hell dimension has put a hit on my—on Gillian. A horde of demons came after us, and I couldn’t leave her down there to die. With all of them after her, she won’t survive without protection.”

“Do you realize what you’ve done?!” Peter roars.

“What have we done?” Cas asks hesitantly.

“You’ve let the entire demon world know she’s one of us!”

The angels stare at each other in disbelief.

“What are you talking about?” Brion asks.

Peter begins to pace, and continues as if Brion hadn’t spoken. “A century in the making, a sleeper half angel, the one who can sway the balance between good and evil. Nearly immortal, needing minimal protection.” He turns to the angels. “And you three have just blown her cover—in front of a horde. Congratulations! It’s a clusterfuck of interdimensional proportions!”

I stand there with my mouth wide open.

“How will they know she’s half angel?” Brion chokes out.

“Because no human can enter Heaven in corporeal form. The mortal body can’t stand the higher frequency vibration. When she reappears down there, the demons will know immediately what it means.” His eyes narrow and he gestures wildly with his hands. “And if you think they were after her before, just wait until you get back. Now that they know she’s half angel, they will move Heaven and Earth to find her.”

My ears are buzzing. My brain can’t process what I’m hearing.
Half angel? Nearly immortal? Demons will move Heaven and Earth to find me?

I turn to Brion and he wraps his arms around my shaking body. The other angels come to stand on either side of us.

“So,” Brion asks Peter, “What do we do now?”

To Be Continued…

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Angel Awakened
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