Fall from Grace (Book 2: An Angelblood Novel) (20 page)

 

“She will definitely be a force to be reckoned with if
you’re right,” Rita said.

 

“Yeah ain’t it great?” Bren giggled. “Lucifer better
watch out for Aura.”

“You have no idea,” Eve said quietly. Paul and the
rest of the Guild looked curiously at her. He wondered what
she meant.
If she had seen a vision, she would let things
happen as they were supposed to.
She was forbidden from
interfering with fate and the Guild knew it.

The little ones started to shed their coats and their
fathers put them in the cars. The restaurant wasn’t crowded;
it never was on Sunday.
Perhaps this was some divine
intervention, to allow them to speak freely with each other
on the Sabbath. Or perhaps it was Eve’s shield that kept the
mortals away. Paul never asked and Eve never said.

Natasha arrived a
s they were entering the diner. “I
see we’ve had a change in weather,” she laughed, looking
directly at Jessica.
She then walked up to join Jayden and
Acadia.
Rita thought it was odd she chose to walk with
them.
Joshua and Will had taken their coats back to the car
as well; so they weren’t there to tell the girls they were being
paranoid.

Jessica couldn’t hide her discomfort. “How did she
know to look at me?”

“I’m not sure. I wish we knew more about her. I
have a funny feeling there is something not right about her.
She seems nice enough, but if she moved here from London,
how is it that she already knows her way around?”

“Maybe we shouldn’t discuss too many things in
front of her.
Do you see the way she looks at Jayden like
she knows him?”

“I noticed that too,” Rita whispered. “We should
keep an eye on her, in light of everything that’s been
happening recently.”

“I hate having to keep our guard up all the time. Do
you think our valley will ever be peaceful again?”

“It depends on what Aura finds
out about Mortriel.
Let’s stay close to Alannah and the girls. If anything looks
suspicious I’ll call for my shield.” When the boys returned
they all walked into the restaurant together.
Rita made sure
they were seated close to Jayden and Acadia.

Richard went to see Samhael that morning to tell
him his news.
It would not be wise to keep him in the dark
about anything; if he was to be trusted by his Lucifer.
He
decided the best place to meet was in the woods where the
creatures cabin was.
As Richard entered the area he could
see Samhael was already waiting there for him.

“So I see your little friends are dead?” Samhael
asked.

“Rita and Jessica found them. They brought their
heads to the Hall of Justice and rolled them on the table in
front of meand my mother.”

“That was unfortunate. Perhaps the girl has more
sight than you were aware of.”

 

“They would have been useful, but I assure you it
will not affect our plans.”

 

“Was Mahlyssa receptive to your request?”
“Yes, she is quite gifted. I hardly recognize my
daughter now.”

“Jeziel has informed me your daughter has already
moved to a cottage outside the boundaries of the valley.
Is
that correct?”

“Yes. I sent her there yesterday. She’s planning to
meet the Guild and their children at church this morning.”
“And you believe she will not be recognized by any
of them?”

 

“She looks nothing like she did. She has blonde hair
and blue eyes now.”

 

“And what of the scar made with the Angel-fire?
How did you erase that?”

“I told you Mahlyssa was gifted.
There
is no
evidence Natalie was ever marked.
Of course I had to
remove the curse in order to convince her to help me.”

“You do realize once the curse was removed, it can
never be undone?”

 

“You never told me that. How am I to control her if
I can’t hold the threat of the curse over her head?”
“You know where her daughter is. Perhaps that
information will suffice if you require her assistance again.”
“I was thinking perhaps we could make more of the
creatures?”

“That is easier said than done. We were
lucky those
two survived. Do you know how many times we’ve tried
over the years?
As I said, it was unfortunate they were
killed. They were the first to survive in a thousand years.”

“Is Lucifer upset with me?”

“He’ll get over it; especially if your dau
ghter is able
to
provide
us
with
information.
We
are
particularly
interested in knowing about the seer, Aura.”

“I’m sure Natalie can tell you anything you want to
know.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure. I’ve met her and she is
stronger than you realize. There is a rumor she may be more
powerful than Esra.”

“Why are you so interested in her? I would think he
would care more about Rita and Jessica.
They both can
wield the angel-fire.
Surely their downfall would be a great
victory for all of us.”

“You are assuming
you are strong enough to take
them down. You haven’t exactly been successful in the
past.”

“I didn’t have the help of Mahlyssa in the past.
Everyone has a weakness. I just need to find theirs.”
“You’ll keep me informed if you run into any
problems.Until we meet again,” Samhael vanished.

Richard was left again feeling insecure. Damn those
girls for killing Faelan and Fenryr.
Now he would once
again have to change his plans.
He was getting tired of all
the delays he was faced with. He only had a few more days
before the Council would demand his presence to stand trial
in the death of the Enchantor.
He had to convince them he
was innocent. He couldn’t depend on any help from his
father. He would go to Paris. He always thought better when
he was in Desiree’s company.

Aura asked her father to make sure Jade was there
for the engagement party.
Joshua told his father the news
the
night
before.
Henry
seemed
pleased
with
the
announcement.

Henry would attend the wedding without Meredith.
He planned tocall the Devereaux’s home in Paris to deliver
the news to her. At first he contemplated not telling her, but
when
he
realized
she
would
be
offended
about
Joshua
marrying Jessica; he couldn’t resist. As miserable as
Meredith made all of them, he cared nothing about causing
her a little misery.

“Is Meredith there?” Henry asked politely.

“It’s Henry. He wants to speak with you. Perhaps
he realized he made a mistake and
wants to beg your
forgiveness,” Charisse said.

Meredith would be cordial to him until she found
out the purpose of his call. “Hello Henry, to what do I owe
this pleasure?”

“I have some news I wanted to share with you.”
“And what news is that? Has something happened
while I was gone?”

Henry
laughed. “Your son is getting married.
Joshua is marrying Jessica Dunn. I believe you remember
her as one of the daughter’s of the Guild. Isn’t that
wonderful?” He could almost feel the heat through the
phone.

“That’s why you called me?” Meredith screamed.
“Do you think I care?”

 

“I thought you would want to know.
Enjoy the rest
of your day,” and he hung up laughing.

 

Meredith was not amused by the news.
Charisse
seeing she was upset asked, “what did he say?’

 

“He wanted to tell me Joshua has lost his mind. He
plans to marry Jessica, the girlwho scarred Natalie.”
“I can’t believe Henry would let him marry her;
knowing what she did to his granddaughter.”

“Henry cares nothing about Natalie. The only
granddaughter he
cares
about is
Ambrosia.
Wait
until
Richard hears about this. He’ll be as furious as I am.”

“They’re not married yet. A lot of things can
happen in a short time,” Desiree smiled.

 

Meredith looked at her.“Do you know something
you’re not telling us?”

 

“I know Richard doesn’t like to be made a fool of.”

“Let’s hope Richard can deal
with the lot of them,”
Meredith said. “They all deserve to suffer for what they’ve
done to us.”

Charisse and Desiree both nodded in agreement, but
remained silent.
It would not do them any good to keep the
conversation going.
Meredith could be irritating when she
was going off on one of her tangents. They were almost sick
of listening to her complain.

Chapter 21

Aura left the house before
nine o’clock. She would
have a couple of hours before she needed to be back for the
party.
She knew exactly where to go; her vision was clear.
Before she left, she knew she would have to be convincing.
She grabbed one of her favorite pictures and put it in a cloth
bag. “This will do.”

As she arrived she was a little nervous, but she
realized she needed to do this alone.
She walked up to the
front door and rang the bell.
A little girl answered the door.
“Hello I’m looking for the owner of the house,” Aura said
kindly.

“Won’t you come inside and I’ll tell mum you’re
here?”

“Thank you Shannon,” Aura replied.
“Do I know you?”

“We’ve never been introduced, but I know who you
are.”

Aura couldn’t help noticing her long blonde hair and
bright blue eyes.
She was as polite as she was beautiful.
Mahlyssa had undoubtedly spent time teaching her manners.
She hoped this meeting would go well for her sake. When
Shannon returned Mahlyssa was with her.

“Can I help you?”
“I hope we can help each other.”
“What is this about?”

“Would you mind if I sit down? I have a lot to tell
you.
I hope you’ll wait to reserve judgment until after you
hear my story.”

“Shannon, ask one of the girls to bring us some tea
please.” Mahlyssa had never seen anyone as breath-taking
before. Surely this girl had the blood of the angels.

“Yes mum.”
“She’s a lovely little girl. Is she your daughter?”

“I doubt you’re here to discuss my family. What is
it that you want?”

“Actually I am here to discuss your family. “I’ll
start at the beginning.” One of the other servants brought a
pot of tea and two cups to the sitting room.
Aura could tell
they weren’t used to having visitors.

“I don’t know how to begin without upsetting you.
Clearly it’s not my intention. My name is Aura. I am the
daughter of Paul and Eve Allheart.
My father is an angel
and like my mother, I am an angel-blood.
I told you I was
here to talk about your family.
I can assure you I will only
speak the truth.
I know you were once married to an angel
yourself.
His name was Virgil and you had a daughter
together.”

Mahlyssa was looking at Aura with a great deal of
intensity. She wasn’t used to company and she never
discussed her past in front of the servants, who she now
regarded as family. There was something about this girl that
made Mahlyssa trust her instantly. “That was a long time
ago,” she said sadly. “I haven’t seen either of them in almost
forty years.”

“I’m sorry for your pain. I should also tell you I am
a seer.
My great-grandmother Esra was an angel who many
believed was the eyes of God.”

“I have heard my husband speak of Esra. I
understand she was the first given permission to marry a
mortal.

“She married an Irishman named Fionn, my great
-
grandfather.
My grandmother Alice was the first angelblood.
Your daughter was also angel-blood. I have news
which may cause you some grief.”

“Is this about my daughter?”

“I do have news about Myra, but I was speaking of
someone else.
Richard Fairbourne has been here a number
of times. You shouldn’t trust him.”

“I’m aware of the darkness that lives in Richard. I
have never trusted him.”

 

“Did you also know he is a descendant to Lucifer?”
Mahlyssa looked frightened suddenly. “I was not
aware of that.”

“There is no need to be afraid. We are perfectly
safe,” Aura smiled softly. “I know your father cast a horrid
spell
on
you
and
demanded
your husband’s wings in
exchange for your life. Even though it cost him his divinity,
Virgil loved you enough to give them up. He truly believed
he could save you.”

“When the powers of Heaven learned of your
father’s deceit, they intervened; causing the wings to turn to
ash when Marcus’ hands touched them. Virgil did not betray
you or Heaven. It’s vital you understand that.”

“I forgave my husband years ago after I realized my
father was to blame for my misfortune.
Do you know his
whereabouts?”

“I do,” Aura said sadly. “Virgil has returned to
Heaven.”

 

“When? I didn’t hear about his departure?”
“I’m sorry Mahlyssa, but Virgil is dead. Richard
took his life before Thanksgiving.”

 

“Richard killed Virgil you’re certain?”

“I’m sorry for your loss, but I can
attest it’s the
truth.
My sister witnessed his death.
My father performed
the funeral rites for him and watched as he ascended.
The
curse was removed and he became the angel he once was.
He could not have ascended if he were not one of Heaven’s
children.”

“Virgil searched everywhere for many years hoping
to find you. He only moved to Utopia so he could be closer
to the angel-bloods there.
I truly believe he thought you
would come back to him.”

“I went there after I heard a rumor he was living
outside the Utopian city.
Are you telling me he was there
the whole time?”

“I’m afraid so. Richard never wanted the two of you
to meet. He lied when he told you Virgil hadn’t been seen.
The truth didn’t fit into his plans. Knowing you were both
desperate to find each other gave him an advantage. Richard
intended to use you both for his own misguided cause.”

“Virgil is dead by Richards own hand? He played
me for a fool. I should never have trusted him.”

 

“I know Arian is here with you. He needs to be
returned to his brother.”

 

“If Richard finds out I betrayed him; he will kill us
all.”

 

“If you come with me, I can guarantee your safety
and promise to protect those who live here.”