Taking Angels (The Angel Crusades) (21 page)

They nodded, visibly relieved, something I
couldn’t afford to feel.

Chapter 23

I hopped out of the Jeep in front of my house, the
sleek black reminder still parked at the curb. I glanced at
it in passing and pulled my eyes away reluctantly as I
walked up the porch steps.

“Mom, I’m home,” I called. Nothing. I walked
into the kitchen noticing a note on a yellow legal pad
sitting on the island.

“Britt, we have dinner plans with the Hastings.
Leftovers in the fridge. Won’t be too late. Love, Mom.”
I turned from the island, opening the fridge door,
staring at the Tupperware labeled with tape. MeatloafMonday. Lasagna-Sunday. Chili-Saturday. I spun away,
swinging the door shut on the menu of Minnesota
standards. The only thing missing: Tater Tot Hot Dish. Oh
there it was, behind Saturday’s Chili; Tuesday’s delicacy.
Realizing my lack of appetite, much less after
seeing what waited in the fridge, I climbed the stairs to
my room, dropped on my bed, and rolled onto my back.
A twinge between my shoulders reminded me of the
collision with Gabe and the subsequent back rub. I smiled
at the memory.
I glanced at my dresser as I turned to flick on the
light on my nightstand. A red and black box sat on the
dresser and I leapt to my feet, realizing its contents. My
new phone. My waterlogged one from my jaunt to
Canada, later shattered by Kendal had left me without my
most used communication device. I tore into the
packaging, pulling the shiny touch screen phone out of
the plastic. I unwound the charging cord and plugged it in
with great anticipation.
I pulled homework out of my backpack and paged
through the notes and textbooks. Every so often, I
checked the progress of the charging phone and then
dropped back down on the bed in disgust.
Unwilling, or more like unable to wait for the
charge to finish, I pulled the plug and powered the phone
up. It took forever for the phone to cycle through the
startup and I tapped anxiously on the dresser as the little
hour glass spun on the screen, infuriating me every time it
I checked only to see it still spinning. I looked yet again
just as the spinning hour glass flashed off and the red
connection arrow blinked over and over again, the little
message symbol adding numbers in front of it, one after
another. By the time all the messages were downloaded
on the phone, it read 43 text messages.
I opened the first message, from Angelina.

Going after Bastion and Allister, hope you get home
safely. Will text later.

For the next hour I paged through the texts, a
random voicemail mixed in, from Angelina, telling me
they were doing everything to stop Bastion and get
Allister to Greece.

Around text message number thirty-eight, the
messages got shorter and more worrisome.

 

Britt, we landed in Athens. Bastion and Allister within
our reach.

 

Still looking for Allister, Bastion has gone underground
with him.

 

Saw Mother and Father today. They are being held until
Allister comes forward.

 

Father went on trial today for Allister’s crime of creating,
will write more, later.

I stopped reading, letting my hand holding the
phone drop into my lap. Angelina meant me. Victor was
on trial because Allister created me. I steeled myself and
lifted the phone to keep reading.

Good news. Father found not responsible for Allister’s
actions. Still haven’t located Allister and Bastion.

 

Bastion turned Allister over to the Greek Eternal Council
today. Allister looks defeated before trial even begins.

Trial halted today until more evidence of Allister’s crime
can be brought forward. Britt, be careful. I think Bastion
intends to search for you as evidence. If Bastion brings
you to Athens, Allister could be sentenced to death. If no
other evidence is found, maybe life in prison.

I dropped the phone this time. It bounced off the
carpeting and slid against the dresser. Did she know
Kendal came back to Grand Rapids? That Bastion might
be on his way here searching for Kendal?

I crouched to the floor and crawled over to
retrieve my phone. I tapped out a message on my keypad.

Kendal is in Grand Rapids. Will Bastion be able to find
him here?
I pressed Send.
I hoped for an answer right away, but none came.

I stared at the phone, willing it to chime with a text from
Angelina, but nothing.

I sat on my bed, leaning against the headboard,
horrified at the possibilities facing Allister. Prison or
death? When given those two choices, what would
Allister want? For me, an everlasting lifetime without
Allister seemed too overwhelming. Give me death.

I’d started to doze off when a chime from my
phone woke me with a start. I jerked the phone up and
opened the text from Angelina.

Britt, Kendal is good at avoiding detection. Chances are
Bastion won’t get within 300 miles of you. Don’t worry.
Angelina.

Don’t worry. Yeah, right. Questions and thoughts
rolled through my mind. I didn’t know where to begin, so
I typed the first one I caught.

Tell Allister I love him. Send.

I felt exhausted. I set the phone on my night stand
and slid down so my head rested on my pillow. I didn’t
even have the strength to get under the covers. I curled up
on my comforter and fell into a deep, fitful sleep.

I should have known better. Should have
reminded myself where I would end up; in Kendal’s
mind. Luckily I never had to hear his thoughts, but
everything else played through my vision like a movie in
HD.

He stood, or should I say, we stood outside a nice
brick home with black shutters and a large porch. No, I
screamed. Not this house. Kendal, no, not this house. He
walked up the stairs onto the porch, looking in a dark
window. I felt a tingling sensation and then we looked at
a bed, covers pulled up on the person sleeping so only the
her blond head showed.

I knew the bed, I knew that blond head. Kendal!
Kendal! I screamed frantically. Get out, don’t you dare! I
never knew if he heard me or not, but I did everything I
could to reach his mind. You sick sadistic bastard, not this
house! Not this bedroom! Not, Cassie!

Cassie rolled over, restless in her sleep. She
cracked her eyes a sliver, and then they flew open. Her
mouth stretched wide to scream and then she stopped.
Recognition and resignation mixed in her expression. She
knew Kendal, had witnessed him up close when he
kidnapped me on the way back from Duluth. She knew
what he did and what he was about.

She sat up, staring right at him; not turning away
in fear even though I could see her body shaking with
terror.

“Kendal.” She spoke and I actually felt him
flinch. “Kendal,” she repeated, this time without a
reaction from him. “If you hurt me, you’ll hurt Britt.”

Kendal stopped. Not moving one way or another,
standing as if in thought. Consideration.
“Why would I care?” he whispered.
“I know you don’t want to hurt Britt.” Her voice
shook. “You don’t want to hurt the person you love.”
“I don’t love her,” Kendal shouted.
Good, maybe Cassie’s parents will hear and scare
him off. I closed my eyes and urged her parents to wake
up.
“Of course you love her,” Cassie, gaining control
of her voice, spoke more confidently.
“It doesn’t matter. She loves Allister,” Kendal said
evenly.
“Allister may not come back,” Cassie countered.
Good girl, I thought. Keep him thinking. The
longer you delay the more chance we have of saving you.
“No, he may not,” Kendal agreed, his voice softer,
lighter.
“All you need to do is not hurt her and when
Allister doesn’t come back,” she stopped, letting Kendal’s
imagination do the rest.
“You’re right,” Kendal said, hope in his voice.

I felt tingling and we were out in the street once
more and then I sat upright in my bed, my hair matted to
my head with sweat and my clothes damp with
perspiration. Grabbing my phone I hit C for Cassie on my
speed dial.

“Hello?” Cassie answered on the first ring.

“Cassie, are you alright?” I shouted into the
phone.
“How’d you…you were with him?” Cassie
gasped, her fear audible.
“I screamed my lungs out trying to get him to
stop.”
“I was so scared.” Cassie began to cry. “I thought
I was dead.”
“You were friggin’ awesome,” I praised. “The
way you remembered he loved me, brilliant!”
“I didn’t think it’d work,” she sobbed, her
emotions getting the better of her.
“But it did, girl, it did.”
We stayed on the phone the rest of the night. We
mostly listened to the other breathe, yet neither of us
could hang up until dawn lit the morning sky.
“Bye Cassie,” I whispered, exhausted, into the
phone.
“See you in a bit.” Cassie chuckled weakly.
I hit the end button and felt relief for the first time
since Kendal stood on Cassie’s front porch.
I got up from bed, resolving to speak with him
and letting him know my unhappiness with him if he hurt
my girls, or their family. Maybe I’d give it another shot at
making him stop. Play on his feelings for me. Him quit?
Not likely, I sighed heading to the shower.
The Jeep’s horn sounded way too soon and I
threw my clothes on and ran down the steps, only to run
back up to gather my backpack and race down again. I
jumped into the seat and noticed Cassie missing.
I looked to Elisa and Trish, my mouth hanging
open and eyes wide.
“She’s okay, just exhausted,” Elisa explained
quickly.
“Surprised you look as good as you do.” Trish
nodded.
“She told you?” I asked.
“Called to tell me she wouldn’t need a ride,” Trish
said. “Spilled the entire story in two seconds flat.”
“So it’s true, Kendal went to kill her?” Elisa
gasped.
“Yeah, and I came along for the ride.” I nodded.
“I have to hand it to the girl, she thought fast. Told him if
he hurt her, he’d hurt me and lose any chance he had at
being with me.”
“But she lied.” Elisa leaned forward between the
seats as Trish pulled away from the curb.
“Totally.” I smiled at her. “Like I would love a
murderer like Kendal.” I shook my head, smiling fondly,
“It’ll always be Allister for me.”
A roar of pain ripped through the morning air and
Trish trounced on the brakes as a figure jumped out in
front of the Jeep.

Chapter 24

Kendal slammed his hands on the hood of the
Wrangler, crumpling the metal as if it were tin foil. His
eyes met mine and I knew he’d heard me. His face
twisted in rage as his dark eyes threw daggers through
me. He held my stare and, ever so slowly, his wrath filled
face softened and a little smile spread across his lips.

It sent a shiver down my back and the hairs on my
arm stood on end. In a blink, he vanished. I knew where
he headed and I screamed to Trish as she tore out, laying
a patch of rubber and sending smoke from all four tires.
We squealed around corners and accelerated to nearly
sixty miles an hour on the straight stretches.

I leapt from the Jeep before Trish came to a
complete stop, tumbling on the pavement and tearing up
my hands, arms, and knees through my jeans as the
material shredded on impact with the abrasive surface. I
sprinted up the front porch steps, burst through the front
door and raced up the stairs. Throwing open Cassie’s
bedroom door, I came upon Kendal. He stood, holding
her above the floor with one hand around her neck.

I cried out, furious, hurling myself into Kendal
with all my strength. I bounced off him, not budging him
in the slightest as I collided with Cassie’s desk on the
rebound.

“You think you can trick me?” Kendal shouted.
“I’ll show you what happens when you try to make a fool
out of me.”

“No,” I cried out as I scrambled to my feet,
lowered my shoulder and rammed his stomach.

Air rushed out of Kendal’s lungs at the impact,
doubling him over, though he didn’t relinquish his hold
on Cassie, now beginning to turn white.

I picked myself up off the floor again, bracing for
another charge when Kendal backhanded me across the
face. My head exploded in pain, my back hitting the wall
and dresser as I crumpled to the floor. I watched through
blurry eyes, watering uncontrollably from the pain
radiating through my back and legs.

Kendal stood tall, holding Cassie away from his
body with an extended arm. The telltale mist began to
drift from Cassie’s limp body as I tried in vain to get up.

A flash of light blinded me, leaving nothing but
spots where objects should be. Kendal roared in agony
and then anger. Then there was nothing. Silence. The only
the sound, my sobbing.

Gentle hands eased me off the floor and lay me on
Cassie’s bed. I felt myself rub against someone else in the
bed and I looked, blinking wildly to clear my vision. I
reached over, feeling Cassie’s long, soft hair. I touched
her cheek, pulling back convulsively. Her skin was cold
to my touch.

The room erupted with activity as people rushed
in to where we lay on the bed. I tried to focus, but only
vague images dominated my vision.

“Britt, my name’s Eric, I’m here to help you,” the
man said. “Where are you hurt?”
“Back, legs,” I gasped. The pain was so
overwhelming, my thoughts burst like bubbles as soon as
they formed. I felt the bed move and Cassie’s cool flesh
disappeared from my fingertips.
“No, wait,” I cried, hearing the bodies rush from
the room and down the stairs.
“Don’t worry, you’re going to be alright,” Eric
told me.
“Cassie?” I asked.
“They’re doing everything they can for her.”
But I knew from experience, Kendal didn’t leave
anything to heal. His touch was complete; final.
They strapped me to a backboard, lifted me on a
gurney, and carried me downstairs, my eyes finally
starting to focus. We hurried out the front door and I
heard Trish and Elisa cry my name.
I raised my hand in their direction, not yet able to
see that far clearly. A hand clasped mine and another
touched my shoulder.
“It’ll be okay, Britt,” Trish said. I heard the tears
in her voice.
“Cassie?” I asked, focusing on her face.
She shook her head.
“No.”
“She’s alive,” Elisa whispered. “They said she’s
still alive.”
I nodded, hopeful. Kendal never left a victim alive
before. I wondered why now?
As they slid me into the ambulance I caught sight
of a bright glow to one side. I put my hand on the
paramedic sliding me in and he stopped, glancing down
at me curiously.
“Wait a minute,” I whispered, trying to see the
source of the light. I pointed at the light and it moved
closer. I concentrated through the pain as I pushed the
intensity of the aura down. A gentle hand took hold of
mine and the face moved closer. My eyes opened wide
and I saw Gabe, concern heavy in his features. He smiled
down at me, holding my hand.
“It’s okay, Britt,” he whispered, leaning close.
“I’m here to protect you now.”
I stared at him in shock as he released my hand
and the men slid me into the ambulance. As the doors
swung shut I felt a surge of panic race through me. If
Gabe came to protect me, did he know what I was?
The ambulance ride brought back memories of a
life I thought I’d left behind. They rushed me into a
curtained area and began cutting my tattered clothing
from me. They hooked me up to monitors and my heart
beat sounded strong and steady. Not dying today, I
thought with a grimace.
Once they verified my stability they left me to
concentrate on the person in the area next to me. The
curtain pulled closed didn’t allow me a view of the
patient, but I knew it was Cassie. I closed my eyes,
listening to the heart monitor over the buzz of activity
around her.
Her heartbeat, steady, but weak, never skipped a
beat or changed its pace.
The curtain around me flew open and Mom stood,
tears running down her cheeks, staring at me in horror.
She took two quick steps to my bedside and placed a
hand on my arm.
“Britt, what happened?” She asked and then her
eyes narrowed and she looked me up and down.
“What?” the rapid change in her expression
making me curious.
“You don’t look … hurt.” She stared, her eyes
filled with surprise.
“Huh?” I pushed myself up to lean on my elbows.
My clothes, cut away to expose my injuries, showed me
nothing. A little dried blood here and there, but I didn’t
have any injuries at all.
“How can this be?” Mom stepped back.
“Mom, Mom,” I said drawing her eyes to mine.
“I’m fine. I can’t explain right now, but please, don’t
freak.”
“Britt, they told me you were seriously injured,
maybe paralyzed.”
“Please, just trust me. I need to check on Cassie,
okay?” I pushed my legs over the edge of the bed as I sat
up, testing my balance.
“I, I, don’t know what to think.” She looked at my
legs and then back at me, unable to argue with the
evidence of my well-being she could see with her own
eyes.
“Please, go home. I’m fine. I’ll explain later.”
Like I even could, I thought.
She nodded, still in a daze, and walked out
without a word.
I set my feet on the floor easing my weight off the
bed to balance over them. I moved to the curtain and
peered around the edge as a nurse took Cassie’s vitals.
She spun and rushed through the curtain on the other side.
I guessed Cassie’s mom and dad were on their way here
so it was now or never.
I stepped next to Cassie. Her face pale, her eyes
staring straight ahead vacantly. I put a hand tentatively on
her cheek, prepared for the sudden coldness her skin
transferred to me. I hesitated, remembering Allister’s
warning, and ignored it. I never thought I would have an
opportunity to bring back one of Kendal’s victims besides
Angelina, that I was destined to watch helplessly, useless
as the killings continued.
I felt the familiar energy surge inside me, rush to
my arms and then into my hands. The force of it flowed
stronger and more controlled than the first time I healed
someone. Everything around me slowed, the beeping of
the monitor, the pulsing of the ventilator, the dripping of
the IV monitor doling out fluid and medicine into
Cassie’s arm.
My energy streamed through my arms and entered
Cassie. My will to bring her back urged me on, telling me
I could do this; I could save her. But the energy continued
to flow, taking much longer than the others. My
confidence wavered as my strength began to falter. Doubt
tickled my mind, warning me to be aware. Too much
energy passed to another might not leave enough for me.
A movement caught my attention though I didn’t
look away from Cassie. A figure stepped to the other side
of Cassie and stood very still, watching.
Ignoring the newcomer, I kept my focus on my
objective, pushing every ounce of power into her to bring
her back. Just when I thought it useless, my flow surged,
increasing in the rate it entered Cassie. Without warning,
the excess energy backlashed into me and sent me
sprawling across the floor.
I slid into the cabinets with a bang, shaking my
head to clear the sparkling fireworks before my eyes.
Gingerly, I got to my feet and looked over at
Cassie, not feeling the least bit confident I’d
accomplished my goal. I froze as my eyes touched on
Gabe, the intruder, standing over Cassie. He looked up
from her face, smiled at me, and then turned back to look
at Cassie again. I followed his gaze to see Cassie grinning
at me, her eyes bright and alive. Alive.
I rushed over, taking her hand and holding it
tightly between mine.
“I thought we lost you for a minute.” I smiled,
tears rolling down my cheeks.
“I did too.” Her smile was tired. “Thanks to you
two, I guess you’ll be putting up with me for a while
longer.”
I looked over at Gabe, his expression torn. “We
need to talk.” He motioned to the hall with a lean of his
head.
“I’ll be right back.” I inched closer and whispered
to Cassie.
She nodded, letting go of my hand as I walked
around the bed, following Gabe through the curtain.
I opened my mouth to speak and Gabe put a
finger to his lips, silencing me. I stopped, raising an
eyebrow in question. He motioned to a room across from
Cassie’s bed and we stepped inside as he closed the door
behind us.
Racks lined the walls with supplies and I realized
we were standing in a storage room. I turned to him,
crossing my arms in preparation for what he was going to
say.
“You shouldn’t have tried to heal her without
more experience,” he frowned.
What did he know about me healing people? I
clenched my jaw tightly.
“Did you hear me?” he whispered, an edge to his
voice.
“Yeah, I heard you.”
“If I didn’t come in when I did, you might be
lying in the bed next to her, both of you dead.”
“Right.” I shook my head. “I’ve done this before.”
“You shouldn’t have.” He glared.
“What do you know about what I can and can’t
do?”
“Britt, listen, I know you’re a half angel and you
want to help your friends when you can, but you don’t
have enough power to heal someone who just got touched
by a soulless.”
“Half angel?”
“Yes, half angel. Don’t you know what you are?”
“I thought I did.”
“Ha, yeah, right. I’ve seen plenty of you ‘h-a’s’.”
“So how do you make an ‘h-a’?”
“You don’t make an h-a, they’re born. We call
them half angels because they’re part angel, and also part
human.”
“I was made,” I told him stubbornly, determined
to shake the confidence from his expression.
His eyes narrowed. “No.” He shook his head.
“Not possible.”
“I’m telling you it is.”
“Who made you then?” He folded his arms across
his chest.
“An Eternal.”
His eyes shot wide and his mouth dropped open.
He tried to talk, his mouth moved but nothing came out.
“It’s true.” I nodded.
“How?”
“First off, are you an angel?” I asked.
“Yes, an Avenging Angel.” He nodded.
“A what?” Panic raced through me as Allister’s
warning about Avenging Angels surged into my mind and
I kicked myself for my stupidity.
“Avenging Angel. I show up when something, or
in this case, someone is disrupting the natural flow of
things. This Eternal going around taking Guardian Angels
is messing up the natural balance and I’m here to put a
stop to it.”
“Oh.” I chose my next words carefully. “So
you’re here to kill Kendal.”
“Kendal, who’s Kendal?”
“The Eternal who hurt Cassie.”
“You know him?” Gabe gasped.
“Unfortunately.” I shrugged.
“Is he the Eternal who changed you?”
“No, another Eternal did.” I looked away, trying
not to give anything away.
“There’s more than one Eternal in Grand Rapids?”
“Not now, but at one time, there were …five.”
“Five,” he shouted, then remembered where we
were and whispered, “Where are they now?”
“I’m not sure I should tell you. I don’t want you
to hurt them.”
“Why do you think I would hurt them?”
“Don’t you kill all Eternals you find?”
“Who told you that?” he laughed, his features
softening.
“Uh, one of them.”
“I’m here to remove the Eternal doing the harm. If
the others are functioning within the boundaries set by the
council, I have no interest in them.” He looked at me, his
expression unaccusing, and then it began to shift the
longer he stared at me. “How did this Eternal ‘create’
you?”
“Kendal took my guardian angel and the other
Eternal tried to heal me. He did, but this is the result.” I
shrugged, downplaying Allister’s infraction.
“Can I place my hands on you?” he asked.
“Didn’t ask before.” I frowned, not feeling
playful.
“That was just a massage. This is a little more
intimate.”
“Whoa, I’m not sure I like the sound of that.” I
put my hands up defensively, backing away.
“Nothing like that,” he blushed. “I need to touch
you to see what you really are. Your aura says h-a, but if
you speak the truth...”
“I do,” I said evenly, knowing there was no way
of hiding what I was.
“This will show me.” He looked at me
expectantly.
“Fine,” I sighed, putting my hands to my side.
He took a step closer, placing one hand on my
forehead and the other to my heart. I jumped a little when
he placed his hand on my chest, then stood as still as
possible.
He concentrated, eyes closed, lips pressed
together, his breath blowing steady against my hair.
I stared up at his face. Did I want to know if I was
this new mix, or had I accepted that I was an Eternal?
He gasped slightly and I studied his face for a
reaction, but his expression stayed the same. He exhaled
heavily, pulling away, turning from me to lean against a
shelf of sheets.
“What?” I stepped closer, putting a hand on his
shoulder.
“I’ve never felt anything like it,” he whispered,
not looking at me.
“What, what is it? You can’t just study me and not
tell me what you found.”
“Nothing.”
“Don’t keep the truth from me. I demand you tell
me.”
“Nothing,” he repeated.
“I heard that, now tell me what I am.”
He turned around, his normally glowing face, dull
and pale. “Britt, you have no sign of either a guardian
angel or a soul as separate entities like they should be.
They’re combined somehow. It’s as if you have no soul or
guardian angel, but a combined essence of both,” he said,
looking into my eyes with sympathy.
“I knew that.” I shrugged.
“You did?”
“Yeah, Alli…the other Eternals told me I didn’t
have a soul, like them.”
“But you still have some of the guardian angel’s
essence in you too.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means you are part Eternal, soulless and
destined to walk the earth forever and…”
“And what?” I grabbed his arm.
“You have a guardian angel within you.”
“I can’t, can I?”
“Not normally,” he agreed.
“I’m not normal. No part of this is normal.”
“Britt, you are definitely not normal. I sense the
angel side in you, but when I look closer, you have the
Eternal side as well. I have never encountered something
like this before.”
“Is it bad?”
“I can’t say. I doubt the Eternal Council will
approve and I’m not willing to say the Angel Senate will
like it either.”
“Angel Senate, you mean the leaders of the
angels?”
He nodded.
“Does that mean I’m damned on both sides of the
line?”
“Kind of,” he laughed.
“I’m glad you find this so amusing.” I glared.
“I’m sorry.” He sobered. “But seeing you, I
understand you pose no threat to our side. I advise you
live your life…”
“Which is forever, now,” I interrupted angrily.
“Yes, live your everlasting life as quietly as
possible. Don’t draw the attention of either side.”
“You’re not going to tell?”
“I see no need.” His soft expression begged
confidence.
“Thank you.” I wrapped my arms around him,
squeezing him as tightly as I could.
“You’re welcome.” He gasped at the exuberant
squeeze.
“Now, you say you know this Kendal who tried to
kill your friend?” he said, pulling away from my
embrace.
“He kidnapped me once.”
“He what? No, never mind. I don’t want to know.”
He raised a hand to stop my response.
“He’s in love with me. He attacked her to hurt me
when he realized I could never love him back.”
“You have the strangest acquaintances,” he
sighed.
“Tell me about it.”
“I think we need to keep an eye on your other two
girlfriends while you and I hunt him down. Do you have
any idea where he is or where he might strike again?”