Hunted

- 15 - UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL

Angels?

No wonder our amulets hadn’t reacted to their energy. Everything made sense now. The thick clouds. The bright lights. The high-pitched sounds angels called music that shattered glass surfaces. Even their ability to harm humans and get away with it was so typical of angels.

Refusing to panic, I studied the white wings rising behind the one in front of me. They were massive. Impressive. My eyes locked with the angel’s and I shivered. I’d never seen such coldness in anyone’s eyes, not even a demon’s. But then again, he wasn’t an ordinary angel. He was an archangel, an annihilator, one of the angel hordes that had defeated our forefathers and sent them to Tartarus.

I swallowed and glanced at Dante, who was to my right. His eyes didn’t shift from the archangel, though his expression was amused, which didn’t make sense. Dante wasn’t the smiling kind.

“Everything will be okay, Lilith,” he reassured me softly.

We’d be lucky to make it off the roof in one piece. The archangels were big and buff. The blond facing me wore a white tunic like a suit of armor, along with a gold kilt-like wrap, gold sandals and a matching cape. His eyes were an indeterminate color. The sword sheathed on his side was long, the hilt golden too, but he didn’t pull it out. Instead, he crossed his arms and studied me like a principal who’d caught a student ditching school.

I stared right back, realizing he was trying to get inside my head. In your dreams, pal. I was armed with memories, happy ones. The ones he’d tried to steal from me.

A flicker of surprise flashed in his eyes, then disappeared. My heart pounding, I glanced over my shoulder. Esras, the twins and Kael had closed in, their backs to us in a defensive stance, weapons ready. They were no longer covering their ears. The other two archangels faced them, their attitude equally condescending.

“Dante,” the one in front of us said in a deep, rumbling voice that vibrated my bones. A sneer marred his perfect face as he stared at Dante. “I can’t say it is nice to see you again. How long as it been?”

“A couple of centuries. Give or take a decade. What do we owe the honor of your presence, Raphael?”

“We want the girl,” the archangel said without glancing at me.

“You can’t have her,” Dante declared.

“My fight is not with you, Dante. Not this time,” Raphael said and pulled out his sword. “But I will fight you to get her. The little imp is an abomination.”

“She is just a little girl,” Dante retorted, stepping forward, wings flexing.

“If only that were true, but you and I know what she will become. She was never meant to be born.”

Dante chuckled. “Yet here she is. Once she was, there was no stopping those sworn to protect her. How long have you been searching for her now, Raphael?”

The archangel didn’t like that. His hand tightened on the hilt of his sword. “Were you the one hiding her before her powers manifested? Is that why we couldn’t find her?”

“No, love shielded her. I’m just one in a line of her protectors. You can’t stop her from fulfilling her destiny.”

Hysterical laughter filled the air, but I didn’t realize it came from me, until the archangel turned those cold eyes on me. What color were his eyes anyway? They seemed to change every few seconds.

“What is so amusing, imp?” Raphael thundered.

“You,” I said, surprised at how calm I sounded. “Don’t you know that love trumps hate?”

“Don’t lecture me on love,” he bellowed.

“As an archangel, all you know is how to follow orders. You don’t understand love, not like we and humans do. It explains why you hurt all those people. Most of them sold their souls in the first place to help those they loved.”

“They will understand that every action has consequences.”

“How? You wiped out their memories,” I retorted.

“They will have their memories back once they die, and an eternity to relive their past.”

“That is what all this is about—free will. Master Haziel’s ramblings about fates and my survival makes sense now. My survival was guided by love, not fate. I mean, what are the odds of a powerful Cardinal falling in love and marrying a human? Very low, but they chose to stay together and damn the consequences.”

He glowered. “Your grandfather started this chain of events with his recklessness. Your leaders should have stopped him.”

“Perhaps they knew the kind of Guardian my grandfather is, the kind that doesn’t give up when faced with obstacles and believes in the power of love. My parents falling in love wasn’t fated either. They chose each other despite the odds.” Even though Raphael didn’t respond, his eyes said I was right. “Are Bran and I fated to be together because of the choices those who loved me made or the choice he and I have made and will make?”

The archangel took a step forward. “You and the young man—”

“Will survive this,” Dante finished, shifting, so he stood slightly between me and the archangel.

“That is the problem with your kind. Too many choices,” Raphael said without any inflection in his voice. “Look at you, Dante, her champion. You are ready to die for her, yet the last time we met you were in the service of her father and believed in his cause. Fickle as humans and twice as arrogant, your loyalty is worth nothing.”

Dante chuckled. “That is the beauty of having free will, Raphael. Something we have, and you don’t. We can think for ourselves, make our own decisions. Like the child said, you do as commanded, without thought, questions or doubt, like a puppet on a string.”

There was a roar and Raphael charged. Dante boldly moved forward too, but the clash of steel against steel didn’t follow. Instead, a whooshing sound came from above, then a wing dropped on the roof between them with a sickening thud, forcing both of them to stop. White feathers floated in the air just as another wing followed. Though chopped from their bases, there was no blood, just a weird glow where flesh should have been.

We all looked up.

Bran gave a mocking bow toward Raphael, his wings flapping furiously. “Sorry for my untimely arrival. You can either continue and lose more of yourselves, or find your friend before the humans do, archangels.”

“This is not possible,” Raphael bellowed, pointing his sword at Bran. “How did you do this, Nephil?”

“Easy. With this,” Bran raised his dagger.

“Find Samuel,” Raphael yelled to the other two angels. “And get him too.”

While he issued orders, Dante issued his own by telepathing something to Kael. All I managed to hear was “now”, then Kael grabbed my arm. “Follow me. You too,” he added to the three Cardinals.

We took off at the same time as the other two angels. The surprised look on Raphael’s face was the last thing I saw before we disappeared, though I wasn’t sure whether it was from seeing us teleport or Dante rushing him.

We spanned the globe—Chicago, Buenos Aires, Melbourne, St. Petersburg, Vienna, and London, then materialized on an empty floor of a building. Lucien stopped peering at the sky through the floor to ceiling windows when we appeared.

“Finally,” he said, hurrying to us. “I thought you were dead. He…the other nature-bender said you were in trouble and ordered me to stay put or he’d make me sorry. Where is he?”

“Making sure we got away safely,” Kael snapped, then walked to the window to study the sky too. I wanted to follow him and reassure him, but first things first.

I turned to face the four Cardinals. Every conversation we’d had zipped through my mind. I’d treated them like newbies, and they’d let me. I walked to where they stood and handed Esras the sword. My voice was calm when I spoke, even thought I was furious. “Why wasn’t I told you were Cardinals?”

“I didn’t like the idea to begin with,” Esras said, then glanced at the twins. “It’s why we arrived late in the alley.”

“Was this some sort of practical joke you three cooked up or another one of Master Haziel’s brilliant teaching moments?”

This time, no one responded. Either they didn’t want to tattle on Master Haziel or they were guilty. I couldn’t look at them without feeling like a total idiot, so I turned and rejoined Kael.

“You okay?” he asked.

“I will be.”

“What happened?”

The urge to vent washed over me, but I squashed it. His concern for me was instinctive, but he was more worried about Dante, who still hadn’t appeared.

“Long story,” I said and glanced out the window. Below us, the city spread like an oasis in a desert. Above, not a single cloud marred the vast blue sky, which meant we were safe. Was Bran safe? Just because I didn’t feel his pain didn’t mean they hadn’t captured him. Even thinking about it made my chest hurt. I had so much to tell him and so many questions.

“They’ll be okay,” I said.

Kael nodded. “Of course. Dante is unstoppable, and Llyr might be reckless but he’s smart.”

Despite his words, he was worried. Even though the tingle on my back returned, the writings didn’t shoot to my hand, so I knew it was safe to touch him.

I reached out and gripped his hand.

Kael lowered his head and studied our linked hands, then me. He smiled and gave my hand a gentle squeeze, then let it go. “You are good for the Nephilim, Lilith. I don’t care what that archangel said. It will be an honor to fight by your side.”

I shivered, imagining fighting the archangels. “Do you think we’ll have to fight them?”

He nodded. “Yes. The Tribe never stops once they’ve received a directive. We’ll need an army. Dante and I are not alone. You can count on us and our friends to protect you. There will be many casualties, but this time, they’ll have some too. We just need to know how Bran chopped off that angel’s wings. No Nephilim, Guardian or demon, has ever done that before.”

“That’s a good thing, right?”

“Oh yes. Angel wings are not just the symbol of their glory. They contain most of their powers. Chop them off and an angel becomes useless. All they can do is ascend, if they are strong enough even to do that. In most cases, they stay in their physical form until one of their own finds them and helps them ascend.”

“Is that why they cut off our forefathers’ wings?” Lucien asked from behind us. I hadn’t realized he’d joined us until he spoke. I want to tell him to go away, but there was something cute about him. He didn’t have the edgy ruthlessness of the other three, who were smart enough to keep their distance.

Kael nodded. “Yes, young Guardian. Before the Principalities were banished into the abyss, they chopped off their wings first, making it impossible for them to ascend or use their powers. The lucky ones escaped with their wings but lost their feathers, making them more powerful than the average Nephilim, but still not as strong as an archangel. That is what makes Dante and Bran very unique.”

Maybe that explained Bran’s ability to chop their wings off.

“If we can’t defeat them, can we summon the Tribunal?” I asked.

He winced. “Don’t use that name.”

“You believe it can hear us?”

“It does. Say it often enough and loud enough, and the court will convene right here.” He looked behind us and concern flickered in his green eyes.

I turned to find Dante had appeared and was busy inspecting one of his massive bat-like wings. It had a fresh wound, as did his right cheek. A hollow feeling settled in my stomach even as Kael and I rushed to his side.

“Where’s Bran?” I asked.

Dante looked around and frowned. “He was right behind me.”

A quick scan and I swallowed. I couldn’t detect Bran’s presence.

“When did you last see him?” I asked in a high-pitched voice.

“We teleported together, dodging their lightning bolts.” A horrified expression crossed Dante’s bruised face. “They must have destroyed the last telegate.”

My heart sank. Blasting a telegate was like lighting a fuse line attached to fireworks. The path of destruction followed whoever was teleporting, instantly killing them and leaving nothing behind.

“We have to find him,” I said.

The cardinals nodded. They still had their swords out.

Dante jerked his head. “The last teleport was in—”

Bran’s sudden appearance cut him off. Still high on adrenaline rush, he had a broad grin on his lips and a sparkle in his emerald eyes, dimples flashing. His wings, shirt, pants and coat were muddy, but he had no bruises I could see or feel. Relief left me weak.

“Hey, sunshine,” he said, then sauntered toward me at the same time as I ran across the room.

“What happened?” Dante asked sharply, not masking his irritation.

“They blew the telegate with me in it. I had to get off and loop my path like crazy before coming here. Good thing you told me where you were headed. Locking onto Lil’s energy helped pinpoint your exact location.” He pulled me in his arms and held me tight.

I’m okay, he reassured me.

I thought they got you.

Me too. I’m okay. Really. For a moment, he just held me, until I stopped shaking, then he kissed my temple, leaned back and studied my face. “That was some signal you sent. I thought the Tribe got you.”

“They almost…because of them,” I added andjerked my head toward the Cardinals before I could stop myself. I immediately regretted it. Blaming them for refusing to leave was pointless now. “No, that’s not completely true. They don’t know Dante and Kael and didn’t want to leave with them, which is understandable.”

Bran glanced over his shoulder at Esras and the twins. “What are you doing outside the valley without the gang?”

“Trying to find you,” I said. “The others went to Xenith to say their goodbyes.”

He frowned. “Why?”

“They’re closing the portal until this mess with the Tribe is over.”

Bran shook his head. “I knew about the portal. I was asking why you were trying to find me.”

“Master Haziel’s orders. Did you find Jethro?”

“No. I was closing in on a lead when I saw your signal. On my way to you, I noticed an archangel circling in the air and saw the ones on the roof. He didn’t see me coming. By the time he did, he’d lost one wing. He started to fall, but I was faster.”

Being able to fly and having the element of surprise had helped him. Dante might use his wings to his advantage too. How many of their friends had wings? Kael was busy inspecting Dante’s singed wing. They looked so cute together. Unfortunately, they also had kept secrets from us.

“Dante and Kael knew about the archangels, but didn’t tell us,” I said.

Bran shrugged. “Can you blame them? The archangels are scary beings.”

He didn’t sound remotely afraid, but thinking about them filled me with both fear and anger, which was counterproductive. “Can we go home now?”

“Sure. What’s wrong?” Bran asked, frowning.

“We’ll talk later.” I incline my head toward Esras and the twins. “Tell them we’re leaving while I say goodbye to Kael and Dante.” Bran’s gaze followed me as I walked toward the two nature-benders.

“Hey,” I said to draw their attention. “Thanks for helping us escape Raphael and his warriors.”

Dante’s wing folded behind his back like a cloak. “Thank us when they are gone. I want to show you something.” He took my arm and led me to the wall. “Do you know where we are?”

“Las Vegas.”

“Treasure Planet Casino to be precise,” he corrected. “It is our building on the Strip. We will be open for business in a few weeks, but whenever you need to contact us, come to this floor. As soon as you teleport in, we’ll detect your presence. No humans or demons will be allowed on this floor, except you, Bran, and your Cardinal friends.” He glanced over his shoulder at the Cardinals. “The other ones,” he amended. “If you need us, come here. No more sending signals.”

I studied his face, then Kael’s, who’d moved closer and now stood by his side. “You guys knew we were dealing with archangels when we mentioned them last week, didn’t you?”

Dante frowned and exchanged another glance with Kael. “Our paths have crossed before. We had to be sure it was the same horde of archangels.”

“Just how old are you?”

“Old,” Dante said with a finality that didn’t invite more questions. “We’re still searching for the Summoners, but we know they are the ones kidnapping young demons. We don’t know why.”

“To start an army. Gavyn, Bran’s brother, told me,” I added when they scowled. “He also said that he and his friends summoned the Tri…the Nephilim court. He said other stuff too, which I’m beginning to believe might be true after what that archangel said.”

“Don’t take anything Raphael said to heart,” Dante said reassuringly. “Most archangels resent the fact that the Principalities rebelled against the prime directive, and chose free will and love. The thought that you could unite the Nephilim and start our path to ascension bothers them. I don’t know what verdict the court came up with, but Raphael is running his own show, so be very careful. Any time you leave the safety of your enclave, make sure you let us know. Stop by here first, or send someone to inform us.”

“Okay. Since you know more about them than we do, do you know if they or the court can bring back someone from Tartarus?”

Dante’s eyes narrowed. “They are the ones who put the Principalities there to begin with, so that is possible, but I’ve never heard of anyone coming back. Why do you ask?”

“Just something Gavyn said. Could they…do you know if Valafar is alive?”

Dante shook his head. “Of course not. Your grandfather defeated him and sent him to Tartarus.”

“Who told you Valafar is alive?” Bran asked from behind me, his voice deceptively soft. I hadn’t realized he’d joined us. “Gavyn?”

“No, Solaris,” I said, turned and realized my mistake when his emerald eyes grew stormy. “Bran—”

“You what?” He was by the twins’ side by the time he finished the question.

Solaris cringed.

“I…I, uh…” Solaris stammered.

“What did you tell her?” Bran snarled through gritted teeth. Esras opened his mouth and started to speak up, but Bran silenced him with a look. “Home. Now. Follow us.”

He was back by my side before I could protest his attitude. I didn’t need him fighting my battles. Worse, he was humiliating the Cardinals in front of Dante and Kael.

“Bran,” I protested.

“She had no right to screw with your head like that, Lil. Not right now with all the crap we are going through. I’ll be in touch.” A nod at Kael and Dante and we teleported.

He looped our teleport before we ended in the foyer of my house. Along the way I tried to reason with him, but I might as well have been talking to a wall. The others appeared behind us, not giving me a chance to calm Bran or lecture him on his high-handedness.

He rounded on Solaris. “Start talking.”

Fear paralyzed her. Lucien distanced himself from her as though her guilt might rub off on him. Esras wore a resigned look.

“Our parents were killed during the nature-bender’s raid and we wanted Valafar to pay when we heard he was alive,” Lunaris said. “We’d been searching for several weeks when we heard that Cardinal Falcon had killed him.”

Bran’s eyes narrowed. “So you decided to mess with Lil’s head, while we are in the middle of a crisis, by saying he’s alive.”

“We were told he was alive,” Lunaris said.

“Told by whom?”

“A Civilian Guardian saw him in Buenos Aires,” Solaris finally spoke up. “I set off with my Cardinals to investigate. There’s a group of Werenephils in the Amazon. They are hiding a powerful but aging demon.”

Bran cocked his brow. “And?”

“They were gone by the time we got there.”

“That is because Valafar is dead and trapped in Tartarus for eternity. I was there. I watched him die,” Bran said. “The two nature-benders who helped us today were his men. Dante was his right-hand man, Kael one ofhis senior guards. They betrayed Valafar by helping us. Do you know what he would have done to them had he survived?”

The twins shook their heads.

“Used them as an example. Hunted them down and publicly punished them before killing them, so no demon would ever thinking of crossing him. He was ruthless, the kind of demon not afraid to get his hands dirty.”

Silence filled the room, but in my head the conversation with Gavyn kept replaying. Could Valafar have summoned the Tribunal and sent the archangels after us, then asked Gavyn to offer Bran and me a deal? Bran stepped aside and said, “Now about what you said to Lil…”

“No, that’s okay,” I said. Please, let me handle this.

He hesitated, then stepped back.

When I glanced at him, I found him standing guard, arm crossed, legs apart, gaze locked on the twins as though to warn them to act right or else.

Please, wait for me in the kitchen.

His eyes narrowed and he appeared ready to refuse, then he nodded and left. I waited until he disappeared, then faced the Cardinals. “Tell me again what you learned about Valafar.”

Surprise flashed across the twins’ faces.

“It’s just like I said,” Solaris said, for once her voice not belligerent. “We had a lead, a den of Werenephils in the middle of the Amazon guarding an aging, powerful Lord that fit Valafar’s description. That lead turned cold. We were about to give up when one of my Civilian Guardians spotted him in Buenos Aires again. Before we could confirm it, the Damned Humans in our sector whose contracts we’d canceled were being attacked and their fortunes reversed, and young demons started disappearing. We even thought our inquiries had led to the attacks. Then the incident on the island happened and we were put on lockdown.” Lunaris gave me a look I couldn’t explain, like she felt sorry for me and wasn’t too happy about it.

The hated hollow feeling settled in my tummy again. “You heard what Gavyn said about the Tribunal bringing back demons from Tartarus. There could be a connection.”

“Can we trust anything he says?” Lunaris whispered.

I shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ll ask Dante and Kael to look into it after we’re done with the archangels.” If I survived.

They nodded.

“Okay. I’ll see you guys around.” I turned to head to the kitchen.

“I’m sorry, Cardinal Lil,” Lunaris said, stopping me in my tracks. “We shouldn’t have brought up Valafar during a mission or now when we have other things to worry about.”

“That’s okay.”

Solaris looked like she’d swallowed a rotten egg. An apology from her wasn’t going to happen. Fine. I didn’t need it. “See you later, Cardinals.”

“May I say something, please?” Esras said. He’d been so quiet I’d forgotten his presence. Lucien’s too.

Why couldn’t they just leave? I was sure they had to report to Master Haziel or something. “Esras, I’ve a lot on my mind, so please make it quick.”

“I’m sorry if you feel we misled you about our identities,” he said.

“I don’t feel you misled me, Esras. You misled me. Whether Master Haziel put you up to it or it was your brilliant idea to test me is now pointless. Are you a Cardinal too, Lucien?”

Shoulders hunched, the younger man shook his head. “No. Master Haziel asked meto…to…”

“To what?” I asked impatiently.

Lucien swallowed visibly. “To be his, uh, ‘eyes and ears’ is how he put it. He wanted to see if the four of you, all sector heads, could work together. He said you could learn a thing or two from each other.”

Yeah, Ilearned something all right, how to be a jackass. “My grandfather heads this sector, not me,” I reminded Lucien.

“But you will be the leader when your grandfather retires,” Lucien said.

Sure, if I survived the archangels. I was too tired to argue with him. “Thanks for having the guts to tell me the truth. I did learn something from you guys, so all in all a successful mission.” I turned to leave, but the Cardinals didn’t move.

Lucien looked confused. “But Master Haziel expects all of us back in the pit.”

“You guys go ahead. I’ll see him later.”

“But—”

“Go,” Bran barked from behind me.

Lucien teleported, but Esras and the twins stayed.

“Before we leave, I have something to say.” Esras moved closer, his gaze intense. “Let’s start over. I’m Esras, son of Fearghal, head of Southeast Sector, headquarters Melbourne. Master Haziel was right. There’s much we can learn from the way your team operates and the alliances you form. It doesn’t matter whether they are with demons or Neutrals, they come in handy. We would not have made it out alive today if it weren’t for your friends.”

He smiled, but I wasn’t ready to forgive him yet.

“It is true Master Haziel told us not to say anything,” Esras continued. “I wasn’t happy with his decision, but I was trained to never question orders from my superiors.”

“Funny, my team is the opposite. We question everything and break rules often.”

He nodded. “We’ve heard. Maybe we will learn to be more… spontaneous with time. All I know is Guardians should stick together.”

Tell that to his two companions, especially Solaris.

“To make up for this afternoon’s fiasco,” Esras continued, “I’d like to invite your team to our house for dinner tonight. The rest of my team will arrive this evening after visiting their families in Xenith. We’re staying at Cardinal Hsia’s until this crisis is over.”

“We’re staying with Cardinal Moira,” Lunaris said. “I head Northeast Sector, headquarters Brussels.”

“Southwest Sector, Buenos Aires,” Solaris said. “We’re staying with Cardinal Janelle.”

Bran lived with Aunt Janelle too. From his scowl, he wasn’t too thrilled by Solaris’s news. I’d hate to have a twin and live away from her just because of my powers. I wondered how often they saw each other.

“Is the dinner for all the Cardinals or just us and Esras’ team?” Bran asked.

Esras glanced at Solaris and Lunaris. “You should all come, so we can get to know each other in a relaxed environment. So? How about it?” He glanced at me.

I didn’t really want to deal with a roomful of Cardinals who knew so much about us while we knew next to nothing about them. On the other hand, we had a common enemy—archangels—to defeat. We had to learn to work together.

“I’ll talk to my friends as soon they return and we’ll let you know,” I said then started for the kitchen.