Angel Incarnate: Second Sight (32 page)

Chapter 50

Rita and Jessica
arrived with their guests from Utopia at 7:30p.m. Aura didn’t feel out of place
when she saw the other girls were all wearing renaissance-themed gowns too.

Joshua was dressed as a
medieval knight, and despite being a pretty convincing Robin Hood, she couldn’t
help noticing Will was in a foul mood.

“What’s wrong with
him?” Aura whispered to her sister.

Jade started laughing.
“He’s upset because Arian heard we were thinking about inviting Nathali to the
party, and he went off.”

“So I take it Arian
isn’t coming?”

“No, he wants to patrol
the woods again. He still thinks some mortals were responsible for that fire.”

Jessica gazed at
Joshua, and gave a gentle nod of her head, reminding him what they discussed
with Paul and Adam wasn’t to be talked about with anyone else.

“I tried to explain to
my brother that the only reason we invited Nathali was so Joshua and I could
keep an eye on her,” Will said. “But Arian didn’t want to hear it. He thinks
Meredith is going to try to pawn her granddaughter off on me.”

Rita had to walk away,
so Will wouldn’t hear her snickering.

“I doubt you’ll fall
for my mother’s tricks,” Analie said.

Meredith may have
goaded Caspian into marrying Desiree because of her family’s money, but Will
wasn’t someone to be bullied. His parents were one of the wealthiest couples in
Utopia, but neither of their sons gave a hoot about power or wealth.

The thought of him and
Nathali together was ridiculous. No one wanted to be related to Richard,
including Analie, and she was his sister. No, Richard as a father-in-law would
be a one-way ticket to hell.
  

“Don’t let it ruin your
night,” Joshua said as he slapped Will on the back. “Your brother will cool
off. Besides, Nathali didn’t come anyway.”

Bren and the girls ran
out of the kitchen. They were adorable in their princess costumes and ballerina
flats. Their hair was worn in soft ringlets and fake diamond crowns adorned
their heads.
 

Reaghan and Ava even
had sparks which looked like angel-fire shooting out of their make-believe
wands, though Aura couldn’t fathom how they managed that trick. Angel-fire was
the most powerful weapon in Heaven; it seemed unlikely the girls could summon
it. Then again, Reaghan was her little sister, and Aura had no idea what kinds
of powers she was hiding, especially if Bren told her to keep them a secret.

Watching the girls hang
on every word out of Bren’s mouth as if it were gospel, Aura couldn’t help but
admire her younger sibling. Even in her princess costume, there was no doubt
Bren was a natural leader.

By the time Ryan
arrived at 8 o’clock dressed as a thin Friar Tuck, the party was well under
way. Music was spilling out of the jukebox and Bren had the kids dancing to
Tracy’s favorite Beatle tunes.

As soon as they saw his
costume, the little ones couldn’t stop giggling; even Will was smiling.
 
Wearing a long, brown robe with a hooded
cowl, sandals and a tonsure wig; a large wooden cross hung from the roped girdle
around his waist.

Katie, Shanna and
Sophia from his support group were dressed as tavern wenches. Covering their
chemise-styled white peasant tops with billowy sleeves and underskirts, were
open front skirts -- the same shocking pink, electric blue and vivid magenta
color as their hair – each secured with black cross-laced leather cinchers.

Crowns of dried flowers
adorned their heads.
 

Everyone else has
arrived, but missing were Mehri and Stella.
 

A phone call to Ryan a
few minutes later, explained their absence. Apparently, Stella’s car broke down
on a back road not far from the park.

Aura offered to go
after them, but Ryan and Shanna, who had grown close to Mehri over the last
couple of weeks, told her they would just cut through the woods and walk them
back.

In the back of her mind
she was still worried about Lucifer and his dark wings. It had been quiet for
the last two weeks. Maybe they considered Michael and Gabriel’s threat.

She hugged her best
friend, and then watched him and Shanna stay in character as they headed
towards the park.

Chapter 51

Arian used a lantern to
light his way through the countryside. It was after midnight and he decided to
take one more pass in the woods before going home. When he reached the sight of
the fire, he saw a light coming from past a group of nearby trees.

I didn’t see that when we were here before. I’ll just take a
quick look, and then I’ll let the governor know what I’ve found.

Making his way to the
old cabin, he stopped when he heard the sound of raucous laughter coming from
something he suspected was less than human. Though he couldn’t make out what
they were saying, they were obviously excited about something.

This was a bad idea. I shouldn’t be here alone.

As he turned to leave,
he tripped over a tree root, causing the lantern to fall to the ground. As he
stumbled around in the dark, he cursed himself for being careless. He listened
as the voices inside the cabin suddenly quieted.

“Did you hear that?”
Fenryr whispered.

“Yeah – someone’s
outside,” Faelan said.
 

As he moved towards the
door, his brother caught his arm. “Samhael said we were to wait here for
Richard.”

“I know what he said,
but if the angel-bloods find us before we can carry out our assignment, not
only won’t we see the rest of those gold coins, but we’ll have to deal with
Richard’s wrath. Are you prepared for that? Turn off that light,” he said.

Claws replaced his
fingers, and long, razor-sharp fangs protruded from his mouth as his head grew
in size, morphing into the Abyvir. Gone was any semblance of humanity. Sleek
black fur replaced his once pale skin. After the transformation was complete,
Faelan opened the door to the cabin.

Since the brothers had
taken the blood of the hellhounds, their senses were heightened. Their vision
was so sharp; they no longer needed light to see at night.

Twenty five feet from
the cabin, Faelan saw Arian fumbling around on the ground. “I’ll make this
fast,” he muttered to himself.

He lurched towards the
young man, and with claws extended, made one swift slice through Arian’s torso,
opening up his chest and knocking the breath out of him.

Arian flipped over
backwards, but before he could right himself, the Abyvir drove its claws deep
into his back causing him to scream out in pain before passing out.

Before Faelan could
finish him off, Richard came running through the woods with Grendel. “STOP!” he
yelled.

The Abyvir looked at
his master and backed away. Thankfully, Arian was still unconscious, so he
didn’t see the governor’s son.
 
“Get back
in the house while I decide what to do with him,” Richard said.

“Why don’t you just let
me kill him?” Faelan asked.

“Fool -- he is more
valuable to me alive.”

Grendel came running
through the woods. She leaned over to inspect Arian’s body.

“He’s in bad shape. I
don’t know if he will survive. You could take him to Mahlyssa’s home in New
York.
 
Tell her there was an attack in
Utopia, and you are trying to protect the boy, so he must not leave her care
under any circumstances. I’ll use
a glamour
to hide
the cabin. No one will be able to see or hear any noise coming from inside,
unless they are loyal to Mortriel.”

Richard felt an
adrenaline rush as he stared at the crippled woman.

“Yes, Mahlyssa will
help. I can tell her I have a lead on her husband, Virgil, but I have to deal
with this matter first. That will buy me some time.
 
Are you certain no one will find the cabin?”

Grendel began to laugh.
“I may have been cursed, but I still have some powers. Have you forgotten I was
once an angel?”

Richard returned her smile
before his eyes fixed on the Abyvir. “Do you remember what I told you about my
sister’s house?”

Faelan nodded.
 

“Wait for me to leave,
and then you and your brother can start the attack.”

Though Arian was still unconscious,
he was moaning, and Richard wanted to be gone before he woke. He picked up his
body and threw him over his shoulder.

Before using the portal
to take him to the Enchantor’s home, he cautioned the brothers once more. “Be
swift and precise. I suspect Arian’s parents may come looking for him. You can
kill them, but my sister and her daughter are your primary targets.”

A smug smile crossed
Grendel’s lips. “There is a good chance Renatta will be with the Crestwells.”

“Yes – yes, I’ve had
this conversation with Mortriel. If my timing is right, I will be the first to
reach her.”

He turned again to
Faelan.
 
“Someone will undoubtedly hear
the screams, and then notify my father. When you see me, you are to return to
the cabin and stay there. If you want to be paid, you won’t disregard my orders
this time.”

“You should get out of
here,” he told Grendel. “I don’t want anyone to know of your involvement with
my plans, not yet.”

She nodded, and then
started limping slowly away. Richard repositioned Arian over his shoulder, and
then vanished.

Chapter 52

The Abyvir brothers
rushed to the countryside, making their way to Analie’s home. Not wanting to
disturb the neighbors by bursting into the home, they opened the door slowly.

Once inside, they made
their way up the stairs, until they came to the bedrooms. As they opened each
of the doors, they found the rooms all empty.

They went back
downstairs to search the rest of the house. When they came up empty-handed,
Fenryr looked at his brother. “Are you sure this is the right place?”

“What do you take me
for, an idiot? This is Analie’s house, but she’s obviously not home. We aren’t
going to kill her today, so we’ll go back to the cabin and wait for Richard.”

Since he wasn’t allowed
to kill Arian, Faelan had been looking forward to spilling Analie’s blood.
 
Enraged because he didn’t get the
opportunity, he ransacked the house, overturning furniture, and breaking lamps,
picture frames and anything else of value, while his brother stood there
laughing.

Faelan’s breath rattled
his lips. “Do you think this is funny? I had plans for that money!” he grunted.

Unfazed by his
brother’s tirade, Fenryr spoke with complete calm. “We’ll get another crack at
her; it just won’t happen tonight. Maybe we’ll find the kid’s parents on the
way home.”

Still grunting, Faelan
didn’t respond. He opened the door with such force, it pulled away from the
hinges. He heaved it across the yard. “Let’s go.”

The brothers had only
walked a few feet when they saw the Crestwells carrying lanterns and hurrying
through the meadow.

Still in their night
clothes, they were probably looking for their son. Next to them was a
breathtaking young woman. Her long, golden hair fell to the small of her back.

“That’s probably the
girl Richard spoke of,” Fenryr said. “I’ll take care of the husband, and leave
the wife to you. Just get her on the ground.
 
You can finish her off after you take care of Renatta. Remember Richard
doesn’t want her dead. One swipe of your claws down her face should do the
trick.”

“No, I’ll take care of
the man, and you’ll take the woman. I may not be able to control myself once I
smell their blood,” Faelan admitted. “I don’t want to risk killing the girl.
We’ll never see our money then. Let’s get this over with before they get close
to the woods. The farther away their bodies are, the less likely anyone will
find the cabin.”

“The old woman said she
put
a glamour
on the shack to hide it.”

“Yeah, maybe I trust
her, and maybe I don’t. C’mon.”

The brothers broke into
a run. Before they knew what hit them, the Crestwell’s were attacked from
behind.

Renatta screamed as she
watched her friends being shredded by creatures she had never seen before. They
looked like wolves, yet they were walking like men.

As his brother battled with
Robert Crestwell, Fenryr gutted his wife, Catherine, with a clean sweep across
her abdomen. She was dead before her body hit the ground.

The husband was a
little harder to kill because he was carrying a small silver dagger. Faelan
laughed before knocking it out of his hands. “Do you really think that’s going
to stop me?” he asked in a gruff voice.

“Run,” Robert shouted
to Renatta.
 
“Find Henry and tell him
we’re being attacked.”

As she started towards
the village, she looked over her shoulder, praying the beast wasn’t behind
her.
 
She had only gone a few feet when
Fenryr caught up to her. Grabbing her arm, he sliced through her cotton
nightgown until she was barely covered.
 
Then
he raked his claws over her face and threw her to the ground.

He was about to slap
her again when he heard Richard shouting as he entered the glen. The brothers
took off running towards the woods.

Renatta was on her
knees, rocking herself back and forth, and sobbing hysterically when Richard
got to her.

“It’s alright, they’re gone
now,” he said in a soothing voice.

“They – those creatures
killed the Crestwells,” she whimpered. She held her trembling hands up to her
face and when she pulled them away, they were covered in blood. “Please –
please don’t look at me. I’m so hideous; I wish they would have killed me
too.”
 

“You don’t mean that.
You’ll heal, and everyone will remember what you endured this night.”

She kept her head bent,
refusing to look at him. “These scars will never heal.”

“It doesn’t matter. I
will love you and spend the rest of my life taking care of you, if you’ll have
me.”

Renatta had never seen
Richard act with such kindness before. Maybe people were wrong about him. She
buried her face in his neck and snuggled up to him like a scared child.

“I’m going to take you
home, and then I’ll find your father and tell him what happened,” he said.

She gripped his shirt
so tightly, her knuckles turned white. With quivering hands and lips, she felt
the muscles in her body tighten.
 
“No --
please don’t leave me. Those creatures might come back.”

“I can’t leave the
Crestwell’s lying there.”

Richard looked up to
see some of the neighbors running towards them.
 
The women gasped when they saw the damage to their friend’s bodies.
 

“We haven’t had any
wolf attacks in years,” one of the men said.

“Can someone find my
father and tell him Renatta has been attacked,” Richard said. “I don’t know
where Arthur is, but he’ll want to know what’s happened to his daughter. And if
some of the men could bring a wagon and some linen so we can get their bodies
off the ground?”

Four of the men walked
to their homes to get a buckboard, while another group headed toward the city
to notify the Governor about the attack.

While, Richard waited
next to the bodies, one of the women, a young widow who was friends with
Renatta, covered her face with a scarf.

No one saw the smug
grin on Richard’s face because his back was turned.

This couldn’t have worked out more perfectly. Hopefully, the
brothers took care of Analie and Jade too, and they will just be a bad memory
after tonight.