Angel Betrayed (5 page)

Immortal Angel has lived a hundred lifetimes all in one. She's a mother, a sister, a daughter, a wife, and a best friend. She's traveled the real world, enjoying what our three-dimensional reality has to offer. She's hiked the stairs inside the Eiffel Tower. She's watched a Shakespearean play in a grassy clearing outside of Cambridge, and she's ridden a ferry to Ireland. In Australia, she cuddled koalas, in China, she cuddled pandas, and in the Middle East, she cuddled camels. And every time she opened a book, she entered a world beyond this one, one where the only limits are the imagination.

So many lifetimes of adventures have inspired her to reach beyond this planet to the stars above and to worlds rooted in fantasy. Her romances in space are meant to take her readers on their own adventures, imagining new and exciting place. With hot men. And maybe a few sexy aliens too.

You can follow Immortal Angel on FaceBook, Twitter @ImmortalAngel22, and her blog
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All of Heaven has grown quiet. Or perhaps my shock has made it so the only thing I can hear is the rapid pounding of my heart. None of this can be real. I can’t be standing in the clouds…in Heaven, speaking to four angels.

And their claims about me are even more ludicrous.

For the first time, I pause to consider the most logical explanation. It was me that got hit by the bus in front of the coffee shop that day. I’m probably in a coma, lying in a hospital bed somewhere dreaming of hot angels. Dreaming of being more important than I really am. And of having a beautiful, wonderful man who can read my mind.

Isn’t that what every lucky heroine in every novel gets?

But that sort of thing just doesn’t happen in real life.

Especially when I’m just a lonely scientist in real life.

Peter watches me closely his golden eyes filled with concern. “Are you all right?”

I look at the other three angels, and then at Brion. “I’m dreaming, right?”

Peter’s brows shoot up and he regards Brion. “Yet another reason we don’t bring humans here.”

“You mean, half human half angels.” I recognize my voice holds an edge of hysteria, but can’t seem to stop it.

Brion’s voice rumbles in my ear calmly. “It’s okay. Just being dead was enough to send me into shock. This is a lot.”

“And you,” I say, pointing a trembling finger at Peter, “somehow think I’m The One, the person who will sway the balance between good and evil. That only happens in the movies!” My laugh sounds a little crazy.

Peter sighs and rubs his forehead.

Brion turns me toward him, and our gazes meet. “Gillian, take a deep breath.”

I do, even while I glare at him. “I don’t need a deep breath.”

He gives me a hesitant smile. “There’s my little scientist. Now, take another deep breath.”

I hate that I’m starting to feel calmer. “Do you really believe all this nonsense?”

Now, his smile spreads. “Do you remember how, not so long ago, you didn’t believe I was an angel?”

I freeze.
That’s right. If all of this is a coma-induced dream, Brion isn’t real either. And Brion is the most real thing I’ve ever experienced in my life
.

But if I accept him, I have to accept that everything else is real, too.

Air rushes from my lungs. My knees feel weak. None of this makes any sense. It’s like a fantasy, and I became a scientist for a reason. My logical mind pushes away questions of spirituality, afterlife, and destiny.

Brion says nothing, but simply holds me close.

It’s exactly what I need. I hang on to him as tightly as I can, reveling in his strength. His wings come around me, wrapping me in warmth, and I realize I’m shaking.

All four angels are silent, and I wonder if they’re communicating telepathically.

After a few minutes, I pull myself together. “So what…” I clear my throat. “What am I supposed to do?”

Peter’s voice is grave. “On your thirtieth birthday, you will become immortal. At that time, you will choose to join the light or the dark. Your choice will determine the destinies of millions of people. Everyone who lives on Earth for the next thousand years.”

“Like Star Wars?” Another hysterical laugh bubbles out. I try, unsuccessfully to cover it with my hands.

Peter sighs, staring upward.

Praying for patience?
I can’t help but think, followed by another little laugh that makes Brion exchanges glances with Cas and Zakiel.

Brion’s gaze flies to mine. “When is your thirtieth birthday?”

Oh yeah, right, because if this is all true, my birthday is suddenly very, very important. I wish I could laugh again, but suddenly, none of this seems very funny. If it’s true, the fate of the world depends on me… and I don’t believe in fate.

And what’s more, it also means that the little battles we’ve had with demons so far… well, there’s going to be a lot more of them. If the demons have been hunting me just for my machine, what are they going to do now? A vision singes my mind. One of being ripped apart by demons in Hell.

I shiver.
Is that my future?

“Deep breath,” Brion whispers, then continues more loudly. “Your thirtieth birthday?”

My mouth opens, but nothing comes out. I try again. “In five days.”

“Really.” Brion’s mouth forms a grim line. “There’s no way this was an accident.”

“No,” Peter affirms. “But it is interesting.”

“Interesting?” Brion’s repeats, dryly. “Michael stole her invention, now hordes of demons are after her, and her life and the fate of Earth hang in the balance. What is so interesting about it?”

I hate that he’s spoken my fears aloud. Made them real. But if they are real, then I’m glad he’s here. I feel like we can face them—together.

Peter puts up his hands for peace. “You misunderstand.”

Brion crosses his arms over his broad chest. “How so?”

“Michael betrayed us. But in waiting so long, he made sure we have to protect her for only five days. Until she’s immortal.” Peter pins me with his golden gaze. “In every soul, there is both light and dark. No angel is completely good. And no demon is completely bad. Remember that. It may save your soul.”

I’m pretty sure demons are bad and angels are good, so I don’t know what to say. I simply nod.

“Five days?” Zakiel’s eyebrows rise. “That doesn’t sound so bad.”

“It wouldn’t be, under normal circumstances. But there are demons who will go to any lengths just to have her.”

“Where can we take her that she’ll be safe?” Brion asks Peter.

“Can’t I just stay here?” I pipe in.

The three brawny angels turn to stare at Peter, and I feel a surge of hope.

“I wish she could. It would make all of this much easier.” Peter looks at me, sadness in his eyes. “You’re not immortal yet, Gillian. The fact that you’ve remained in Heaven this long is only due to your angelic side. But I’m afraid it won’t last much longer.”

And just like that, my hope fades.

“So what can we do?” Brion asks.

The angel shakes his head. “All you can do is stay one step ahead of them.”

Brion stands up straighter. “We can do that.”

“Of course you can,” Peter says, rising from his throne. His gold-tipped wings fully extend and his voice thunders through the hall. “You are warriors of Heaven. Prove it now. Protect Gillian at all costs.”

And suddenly, everything falls into place. Until now I’ve been resisting. Hoping in the back of my mind that all of this was a bad dream, and that I’d wake up and tomorrow would be another normal day of work.

But I’ve finally reached the tipping point. I believe in Heaven. I believe in angels. I even believe in demons. And I believe in their power to shape humanity for good or evil.

But my place in it is harder to believe.

I take a deep breath. “So all I need to do is chose the side of good and all of this will end? We’ll win?”

“Whomever you give your heart to after your thirtieth birthday, and consummate that relationship with thereafter, will be the side you choose.”

I almost laugh. The fate of the world depends on whether I have sex with an angel or a demon? I give Brion a reassuring look
. I got this. Too easy.

But Peter must have seen my confidence. “Don’t think it will be easy. You know the calling you feel for Brion? There will be a demon that calls you similarly. He will appear loving and logical. That is the power of the dark side—to become what you believe you desire. To appeal to your baser desires and make you believe it’s your right to satisfy them.

“But it isn’t Truth. Love for all things, self-sacrifice, and allowing others the freedom to choose for themselves. These things are Truth. Making the right choice will be the most difficult thing you’ve ever done. It will hurt. It will rip your heart in two. But if you choose the light, you will protect others from having to make the choice. And if you choose the darkness, you will doom others to make it for themselves for the next thousand years.”

When his speech is finished, Peter furls his wings and sits down on the throne behind him.

None of us speak. It doesn’t feel like there’s anything left to say.

We turn to leave, but then Peter calls to me. “Gillian.”

I turn back and he beckons me to come closer, so I approach him cautiously. “I do have one thing for you.” He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a ring box. “This has been passed down through the ages, and I’ve held on to it for as long as I can remember. The instructions are not to open it unless all hope seems lost.” He steps forward and hands me the box. “I’m giving it to you now with the same edict.”

I put the box in my pocket and suddenly feel a wrenching pain. It’s coming from the center of my being—as if I’m being ripped apart.

Peter cups my face in his hands, and I feel enormous power coming from him, holding me in place. He speaks quickly, but clearly. “You are the future now. Whatever you do, stay alive. And when the time comes, remember how it feels to give, to love selflessly, and to care about something higher than yourself. The true choice between darkness and light is subtle – there are a million shades of gray. There is darkness even with angels, and light even within demons. You have to pierce through to the heart of the matter and decide whom you most truly align with. I pray it will be light.”

At that, Peter disappears and everything dissolves around me.

When the world around me reappears, the blinding pain is gone. But I can’t quite catch my breath.

Brion appears suddenly and puts his arms around me. “Steady. Breathe slowly.”

Zakiel is in front of us, putting his hand against the rocky outcropping at the very top of a mountain.

I look to the left and instantly feel a sense of vertigo. We are literally on the edge of nothingness, and the clouds are far below. Brion holds me tightly and wraps his wings around me.

To my surprise, I hear a door open. When I look ahead again, Zakiel has disappeared inside the opening in the rock. Brion unwraps his wings and gently pushes me inside ahead of him. The minute the door closes behind us, my breathing becomes easier.

A knock on the door behind us puts us all on high alert. Zakiel opens it cautiously to find Cas on the other side. “That was fast,” Zak comments.

Cas steps inside and looks at me. “And that was close.”

He’s holding my box of research. “I stopped by your cabin and picked this up. Or what’s left of your cabin.”

Brion winces, and I hastily step forward and grab the box from Cas.

He seems relieved to be rid of it, and furls his wings. “Peter said she can’t come back until she’s immortal, even for a second. Or she may poof out of existence for good.”

The other two look grim.

“Is that what the terrible pain was?” I ask, my grip feeling slippery on the box handles. “It felt like I was splitting apart.”

“That’s because you were,” Cas answers.

My mind paints a perfect picture of what they’re describing, and my stomach lurches. There’s no way I’m going back to Heaven until I’m sure it’s safe.

“Thanks.” I reply dryly, leaning back farther to compensate for the weight of the box. Then I peruse the tiny room. “What is this place?”

“This is Zakiel’s safe house,” Brion explains with a strained smile. “Unfortunately, you’re not the first person we’ve have to protect from demons.”

His admission makes me feel a tiny bit better. All this “The One” talk had me feeling as if I was the only human who’s gone through this.
Half human
, my mind reminds me,
and all the other humans didn’t have an entire demon horde chasing them.

I shift and bump into Cas, mumbling an apology, then shift and bump into Zakiel. “Geez. This is going to be a rough five days with all of us crammed in here together.”

“Oh,” Zakiel laughs. “That’s because we’re only on the top level.” He walks to the far wall and puts his hand against it. With a flash of light, a trapdoor seems to pop out of the floor. He gestures to it and Brion holds out his hands for the box. I give it to him, glad to be rid of the weight, then find myself climbing down a circular staircase at least three flights into the center of a space that widens with every spiral. Light comes from irregular slits in the walls all around the upper stories.

“Nice,” I say.

Zakiel turns back to us and spreads his arms wide. “Please, make yourselves comfortable. My home is your home.”

I walk toward one of the sofas set out in a large rectangle around a great square carpet, trying to take in the entire space. The walls of the safe house are made of stone. The ceiling is vaulted in the center up to where we came in, and it looks like there are rooms around us that branch off with double doors. There are a number of swords and paintings on scrolls on the walls. It seems very…Asian. “Where are we?”

“China.”

“Really?” I walk to the closest window, but all I can see are clouds. I’ve always wanted to visit China. It’d be great if I wasn’t in horrible danger.

“How safe is this safe house?”

“As safe as any other place in this world for you.” Zakiel answers from the kitchen.

Something twists in my belly.
Which means not safe at all.

Cas and Brion come down from the stairs. I can tell they’ve been talking by the tense way they carry themselves.

Cas walks around the room and looks out the windows. I can see he’s astounded by the mountaintop safe house, just as I am. “China, huh?” he says, “not bad.”

“I’m going to take a look around, just to be safe,” Brion says, disappearing into a room off the open kitchen.

Always my protector,
I think with a smile.

This moment is nice, in a strange way. Even though I’m in a kind of danger my brain can’t fully wrap itself around, I feel less lonely than I have for years. It’s not just Brion, although I feel connected to him in a way I’ve never felt with any man before. It’s Cas and Zakiel. After all we’ve been through together, we almost feel like family.

It’s strange to know this sense of peace can’t last forever.

“How long do you think it will take them to find me?”

“All of our safe houses are centuries, even millennia old, and have never been discovered by demons.” Zakiel looks at me. “But they’ve never had this much reason to find them, either.” He sits back with a sigh, gazing fondly around the room. “I must admit, I do hope they don’t find this place. It has sheltered me since the reign of Genghis Khan and, of all the places on Earth, it is my favorite.”

Cas and Brion have finished their own investigations and joined us on the couches. It’s very surreal to see them all relaxed, reclining against the backs of the sofas with their arms outstretched.

Even though they are relaxed, I’m still nervous. I feel like we should be preparing for whatever might be coming. “So, what do we do now?”

“Now?” Cas picks up what looks like a TV remote control. “We wait.”

“Are you serious?” I search all three of their faces.

They are. They actually are.

“That can’t be all!”

Cas shrugs. “Later, we’ll gather all the angels for the final battle. We just have to wait until the last minute to call them.”

“Why?”

“We can’t congregate because the demon horde will sense the energy of a flock of angels together.”

So they are just going to watch TV and wait for a demon horde attack? Sorry. Not this woman.

“So then, we’ll focus on getting answers to some of my questions. Answers that can give us the most powerful weapon of all… knowledge.”

All three angels look at me as if I’ve grown a third head.

“Knowledge about what?” Brion asks, his brows furrowed.

“Knowledge about what we can do to win a war against demons.”

It’s Zakiel who answers me this time. “I understand your compulsion. But you must understand that knowledge is relative. It differs on every planet, in every decade, and in every dimension. Most things that truly matter aren’t won by knowledge. They are won by making the right choice.”

I process his words for a moment. “I agree that knowledge changes, and choosing good over evil is the ultimate victory. But knowledge is still power, especially in war. And more of it is always better.”

“There is also a saying that ignorance is bliss,” Cas interjects, and Brion silences him with a glare. He goes back to pushing buttons randomly on the remote.

“Look, maybe none of you have studied science. But if they’re tracking us through energy, there is a way to shield it. And it isn’t just with charms and tattoos.”

Silence follows my words.

Brion looks at me as if he’s seeing me for the first time. “You know what? You’re right. And I’m going to help you find out more.”

A rush of relief comes over me. This is why I love Brion. From the very first moment we met, he seems to understand me in a way that no one ever has.

He might not view the world in the logical way I do. He might not see research and answers as the method to winning this war. But in his eyes, I know he believes in me. And that nothing else matters to him.

My heart swells.

Cas drops the remote in his lap. “If you really want answers to her questions,  you know who to ask.”

Brion shrugs. “At this point, I don’t mind. If Michael had to steal her scientific device to protect his homeworld from demons, Gillian is probably correct in saying we can build other machines that are just as powerful and will protect us in other ways.”

Brion looks at me for confirmation, and I realize I’m staring at him with my mouth open. I can’t believe what he just said.

This is the first time someone’s ever defended me. And he doesn’t even know if I’m right. He just believes me.

Finally, my jaw snaps shut. I’m so off balance I don’t know what to say. “Yes. That’s right. I can build other machines very easily if I just have the parts.” My brain is starting to function again. “You said you can’t congregate together, right? But I assume we’re going to need more than three or four angels to defeat a horde of demons. Let’s find out what they’re tracking. We may be able to build a machine to nullify it, put a barrier around it, or block them from tracking it.”

Brion claps his hands on his knees and rises from the couch.

He raises his eyebrows at Zakiel, who nods.

“All right. Come with me.” Brion leads me into another room that looks like an office.

I see my box from the lab sitting on a desk and realize he had always meant to give me this room to work.

Can he read my mind? Or does he just really care about my work?

As I look over at him, he’s studying the box intently.

A little voice in the back of my mind whispers,
Or maybe, Gillian, he actually loves you.

DID YOU ENJOY THIS PREVIEW OF ANGEL AWAKENED (AN ANGEL WARRIOR ROMANCE - PART III?

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