Authors: Laura Kreitzer
There were so many new people in my life, and though I barely knew them, I felt an immediate bond to all of them. It was strange that this was happening all at once and so suddenly. I kept to myself my whole life, pretty content at being alone. The only constants in my life had been school, my job, and my family. Although my adoptive parents sacrificed a lot and always provided for me, we never truly emotionally bonded, but Jenna and my cousin Nicole were always there for me. They were better than any friends I could make at school or work.
“
We know it’s not up to you,” Andrew said behind me. I turned to see his golden eyes. “We’re all in this together.” He sighed in frustration. “I hate being behind this glass, unable to keep you safe.”
In the reflection of the glass I saw Karen’s lips twitch, almost as if she were suppressing a smile. It bothered me that she would be suppressing any emotion that resembled contentment.
I circled around the lab table and walked toward Andrew’s cell. Though I was facing Andrew, watching his every smooth stride across the small space, I spoke over my shoulder to the two FBI agents.
“
Joseph, get me the blueprints to this place or something similar that’ll give me the layout. Tell whoever it’s about security for the lab or something convincing. Karen, I need you to write down any and all information about the guards, security, and anything else you can think of enlightening me with. Flirt if you have to. It’s time to illuminate the Illuminator.” I stepped closer to the glass that kept my angel and me apart and put my hand against it. “We’re getting out of here,” I promised.
There was nothing but silence behind me as I continued to watch Andrew. His gold eyes smoldered into mine. Just one look into his golden depths made me weak in the knees. No one had ever had that kind of effect on me before, and more than anything I wanted to be behind that glass. When I turned around to see if they had left, they were both arguing silently to each other and stopped immediately when they saw me looking at them.
“
Can I go in there?” I yanked my thumb over my shoulder.
Karen frowned. “It’s your lab, Gabriella.” I looked at Joseph for confirmation, and he nodded silently.
“
Well, how do I get in there?” I couldn’t see any doors. Maybe the glass just slid away?
“
Go on, Karen. I’ll keep an eye on Gabriella.” Joseph pointed toward the door, just in case she didn’t know which way the exit was. I wondered what their small tiff was about, because they both looked pretty upset with the other.
“
You’re Gabriella’s Guardian,” Lucia said harshly through the glass cell. “You’re not supposed to leave her.”
“
I told you,” I heard Karen say to Joseph under her breath.
“
No, Lucia. I’ll be fine,” I cajoled. “What could happen?”
“
I’ll keep an eye on her,” Joseph promised.
Lucia’s blue eyes narrowed.
“
Lucia. Really. I’ll be fine. I’m about to go into Andrew’s cell, anyway.” She deflated at my words, though the piercing look she shot Karen didn’t falter.
“
So . . . can you help me into the cell?” I asked, eyebrows raised. Joseph nodded, and we both watched Karen turn around, put her palm on the door, and slide her keycard. The door popped open, and she strode out, the door sealing back in place like we were being locked in a large Tupperware container.
Joseph waved in the direction I should walk. I saw a door to our right and went towards it with his warm hand on my lower back. It was strange how comfortable I felt with him being this close to me.
If it weren’t for Andrew, I’d probably fall right into Joseph’s capable hands. Tall, dark, and handsome didn’t even cover the small glimpse of the personality I’d seen. I never thought I’d meet anyone like Joseph, and I most definitely never thought I would meet someone like Andrew. Everything had happened so fast, but no matter how generous, kind, and sweet Joseph was, my brain seemed to revert back to the golden-eyed angel that saved my life.
The door opened to a small hallway with five doors to the left. That was actually the first door that I had gone through where I didn’t have to go through some kind of security check. “Each door opens into a cell. I’ll give you some privacy.” He turned around, and the door shut behind him.
I breathed in a steadying breath and walked toward the first door, which was Andrew’s cell. The door after that was Ehno’s, and the third was Lucia’s. Standing outside Andrew’s cell door, I tried to gather my thoughts, but there was no fixing that disaster. His door, though, did have security. After the appropriate checks, it popped open as if it was sighing in relief. A tanned arm reached out and snatched me up. Andrew hugged me to his chest, and I comfortably put all my weight on him. He didn’t seem to mind. The thought of cameras, glass walls, or people watching our exchange completely slipped my mind. I didn’t want to pull away from his warm embrace, but we needed to talk. He didn’t object but still held me close to his face, his eyes searching mine. He closed his eyes and put his forehead against mine.
“
I can’t figure it out.” His hot breath filled the air between us.
“
What?”
His eyes opened. “This . . . connection we have.”
I nodded in understanding, our faces still only inches apart. As his words sunk in, the electricity flowed through me in rough, hot waves, and my hands on Andrew’s forearms gripped him tighter with the shock. All I could think about was how wonderful it felt to be this close to him. He didn’t shy away from the electricity but pulled me into another bone crunching hug.
“
I never thought I would feel this way again,” he whispered. “Especially for a human.”
There it was again, the reminder that I couldn’t have him—that I’d age and die. My cheeks heated because he’d probably heard my thoughts through my touch. Now I wasn’t so sure if I liked this gift of mine.
“
Andrew?”
“
Hum?”
“
Why can’t you get out of this cell?” I barely whispered into his chest.
“
I . . .” Andrew pulled me from his embrace to just an arm’s length away, his fingers around my wrists. “I don’t know, but this place weakens me. Ehno is having the same problem, as surely as Lucia is. I have a bad feeling about this place. The sooner we get out of here, the better.”
“
Does that mean you have a plan?”
“
No.” He let out a shaky breath. “But when you find the blueprints, bring them to me. We’ll figure something out.”
“
I’ll do that,” I answered confidently. We definitely needed someone else on our side. After watching him in the library, I was sure he would be able to spot the best avenue of attack—or escape. Preferably escape.
His fingers traced under my eyes. “My sweet, you’re in need of sleep.” My stomach did a somersault at being called “my sweet.”
My experience with men was slim to none, and it probably showed. “Not yet. I will soon, though. I promise.”
“
Go on. I’ll be here.” His lips twitched a little at his words. He kissed my forehead. That was the second time he had done that, and it surprised me just as much as before. A small spark lit between us, and I was sure I just blushed a deep shade of red for the millionth time today.
CHAPTER 18: THE SIGHT
My pen tapped the paper as I slouched over in the chair across from Ehno inside his cell. He was perched at the edge of his cot, his back ramrod straight. The white scrubs the FBI had made them change into made his red eyes even more shocking. They were like an albino’s, which contrasted dismally against his now short blonde hair that used to reach past his shoulders. You would think he was wicked, but he wasn’t. He was otherworldly, no doubt, but he was divine, too.
There was a tick in his jaw. “I cannot remember,” he stated. He cocked his head to the side as if he were listening to something. “Andrew cannot either.”
Their strange way of communicating might come in handy later, I thought out of nowhere.
Ehno continued, oblivious to my thoughts. “We’ve been trying. It’s as if the last moments of our life have been wiped away. There really is no time frame I could compare it to.”
I sighed and looked back down at my paper, which was blank. “Ehno, I’m going to get you out of here. I promise.” I looked up at him, pleading with my eyes. He gave me a sharp nod. “Tell me about your psychic ability?”
He raised an eyebrow. “I wouldn’t call myself psychic.”
“
Oh,” I said intelligently. “What would you call it then?”
“
I’m intuitive.” His rigid posture relaxed some, and he leaned toward me. “You’re the Illuminator. You have the power to get us out of these cells. I’ve seen it.”
My head did a nosedive right into my palms. “I’m sorry. I don’t know how to do it,” I growled, frustrated.
His warm hand landed on my shoulder. “I know it’s hard—you don’t know how to control your power right now, but we will teach you.” When I didn’t look up, he took a deep breath and sighed. “Do you trust us?”
“
What?” I looked up into his strikingly red eyes.
“
Do you trust us?” he repeated.
“
With my life.”
“
Then listen to me. We’ll teach you what you need to know.” His face was serious, though I could see his lips twitching as if they itched to spread into a wide grin. “Andrew has taken a particular liking to you.” He finally smiled; the look really suited him, much better than his previous rigid posture.
“
Really?” I was curious. Was I like a little sister? A good friend? Who knew? I was hopeless—condemned to heartbreak. Dramatic, who me?
“
Gabriella, you don’t see what you truly are.” His posture was back to the firm position it was before. The more relaxed Ehno disappeared as quickly as he had emerged.
Reflexively, I looked out through the glass to see Joseph leaning over a desk, his cup of coffee only inches away. His eyes were closed, and he had slipped into a somewhat uncomfortable sleeping position. He looked so peaceful. When I glanced back to Ehno, he hadn’t moved an inch.
“
I’m just a human who happened across an ancient race of angels,” I said cynically.
“
You’re wrong,” he disputed smoothly. “You’re more than that. So much more . . .” he trailed off in thought.
“
How’s that?” I challenged, hoping to get more information. He didn’t respond. He only watched me with a curious gleam in his eyes. I peered down at my blank paper. “Ehno, people are watching. I have to act the part—”
“
I know,” he cut me off. Of course, he must have known what I was going to do next. “You won’t hurt me,” he promised.
Turning in my chair, I reached for my supplies. I was going to draw blood. After snapping my latex gloves on, I reached for the alcohol swabs and tourniquet. He automatically placed his left arm out for me, and I wrapped the tourniquet above his elbow and watched as the vein swelled. I patted it a few times before finding the best angle to draw the blood. I was extremely nervous. From my training I knew that I needed to insert the needle as smoothly and as swiftly as possible to prevent pain. I’d done this a million times before, but this time I faltered, unsure if I could truly continue with this façade. Was I really going to do experiments on these angels until I came up with a way to release them? Or, I added in my head, a plan of escape?
Ehno noticed my hesitation and smiled at me reassuringly. “You won’t hurt me,” he repeated. “It’s okay.”
With a smooth calculation, I inserted the needle. He didn’t even flinch. I added the blood specimen tube into the holder while keeping the needle as firm as my anxious hands would allow. I watched as the tube started to fill with blood. I gasped and pulled the tube out before extracting the needle from his arm. It looked as though I had sucked molten gold from his veins. My eyes studied the rich color for several seconds as a dream came rushing back to me. Two angels attacking . . . tripping over a body . . . golden blood. I thought any second I would get sick, so I leaned over, putting my head between my legs and breathed in deep breath after deep breath, trying to stabilize my frantic heart and quick intakes of air.
In a flash—literally—Ehno was at my side, his hand on my shoulder again. He seemed not to know what to do to comfort me. “What’s wrong?” he asked, concern laced into his words. I didn’t answer.
And that was when it happened.
I snapped, completely.
Exhausted tears burst from my eyes, and I tried to wipe them away, ashamed at my behavior. I was usually calm and collected. It had been a really long day. Instead of the sobs lessening, they seemed to double and intensify until Ehno was no longer at my side, but banging on the glass. What was he doing? I didn’t know or care. Tears continued to spill onto the floor and suddenly someone was yanking me from the chair and into their arms. The scent was familiar. Joseph. He stroked my hair and wiped the tears from my cheeks, mumbling nothing coherent, but it was soothing nonetheless.