The Light and Fallen (23 page)

She suppressed a wild giggle. Her arm was the
least of her worries. Jack was ominously quiet, and she felt like
she was witnessing the calm before the storm.
What would it feel
like?
she wondered.
Dying.
She squeezed her eyes closed
and pushed the thought away. She couldn't give up yet. She wasn't
ready.

Jack got out and walked around to Samara's
car door. "Get out," he snapped. He turned his back to her and
walked to the edge of the bluff and stared down the sheer face of
the cliff.

Samara felt stiff and sore as she stretched
her arms, and she climbed awkwardly out of her seat. She stood
beside the car and waited, still surprised at her lack of fear. She
felt a strange sensation that seemed to be her heart pounding,
beating harder and harder. It felt like it was trying to fight its
way out of her chest.

"You don't have to do this," she said.

Jack moved his head slightly, but continued
standing with his back to her. Samara watched frozen leaves swirl
around his feet as gusts of wind swept across the top of the bluff.
She breathed deeply, expanding her lungs with cool air, and blinked
up at the sun. It was strange, but she wasn't cold any more. In
fact she felt warm, like she was sitting in front of a fire.

Suddenly Jack spun on his heel. "Let's get it
over with," he said. He walked over to Samara and grabbed her
roughly by the shoulder.

A surge of warmth rolled up her body,
shooting from her toes directly to the shoulder where his fingers
were digging into her skin. Jack swore and jerked his hand away. He
took two steps back and stared at her with narrowed eyes.

After a few seconds he shook his head
incredulously and moved toward her again. "At first I couldn't
understand it," he said, "but you really do have an appeal. I hate
to let you go."

He studied her face for a long moment, then
turned and pointed to the edge of the cliff behind him. "It needs
to look like a suicide so no one will be suspicious. You're not
exactly the type to off yourself, but everyone did see you break up
with Lucian. With your dad missing, people will put the pieces
together."

Samara heard his words, but they seemed to
come from far away. The sound of the wind rushing across the
parking lot was drowning them out. She searched herself for the
fear she expected to surface at any moment, but it was gone.

"No," she said. Her voice was quiet, but
strong and steady.

Jack sighed and rubbed his hands against his
jeans. "I don't enjoy this you know. It's just a necessary
evil."

When she didn't respond, he wrapped his arms
around her waist and threw her over his shoulder. He stepped across
the low guard rail and dropped her inches from the edge of the
overlook. Stones skidded over the side and bounced down the
mountain as her feet hit the ground, and she staggered to keep her
balance. "Last chance," he said. "I can throw you off, or you can
choose to walk into your destiny with some dignity."

Samara gasped as a wave of heat exploded
through her, making her eyes water and her lungs burn. "I'm not
going," she said, forcing out the words. "If you want me dead,
you'll have to do it yourself."

"Fine," Jack snapped. "Easily done."

A wave of heat rolled down her arms, and she
closed her eyes. She wasn't sure what was happening, but she felt
more alive than she ever had before. She suddenly felt strong,
indomitable. Her eyes snapped open and she smiled. "Are you
sure?"

She took one step toward Jack, then another.
As she moved closer she could hear the air between them crackling.
He froze for an instant, then dove forward and plowed his shoulder
into her chest. He forced her back a few inches and she dug her
heels into the rocky ground. She refused to die like this.

Jack spun off her and circled back around
like a dog on the prowl. His eyes were burning with excitement, and
she knew she only had seconds before he came for her again. She
lifted her arms in front of her defensively and waited until he
started running.

"I'm. Not. Going!" she shouted. She screamed
in pain as a searing wave of heat forced its way through her palms
and slammed into Jack like a wall. He flew away from her and landed
on his back in the parking lot, skidding across the loose
gravel.

He lay motionless for several seconds, then
rolled over and pushed himself slowly to his feet. His eyes were
burning with a mixture of anger and admiration as he stared at her.
"Well, well," he gasped. "Aren't you full of surprises."

Samara didn't wait for him to come for her
again. Instead she stepped over the guard rail and advanced toward
him. She broke into a run, holding her hands in front of her. Every
cell in her body felt like it was going up in flames, but she
pushed her feet against the ground as hard as she could and ignored
the throbbing pain. She braced herself for a crash and smashed into
his chest.

Jack had crouched to meet her, but at her
touch he flew backwards and slammed into a tree on the far side of
the parking lot. He hung suspended in the air for a moment, then
fell face first onto the asphalt with a sickening thud. Her knees
sagged with exhaustion and she sank to the ground. Her limbs
started to shiver violently, all her unexplained heat
evaporated.

Samara heard the distant roar of another
vehicle speeding up the narrow road, but she couldn't take her eyes
off Jack. He was lying motionless on the ground with his arms
splayed in front of him and his legs twisted at odd angles. She
didn't see any blood, but his skin was turning a frightening ashen
gray color.

Lucian's truck burst through the trees and
bounced across the parking lot. The truck rocked as Sofia jammed
down on the brakes, and its back tires swung over the loose gravel
in a wide arc, throwing dirt and pebbles into the air. Lucian threw
open the door and ran to Samara before the truck stopped
moving.

"Are you hurt" he asked. He ran his fingers
quickly up and down her arms and legs, then pulled her against his
chest.

His touch thawed the knot of ice that had
settled in her stomach, and she surprised herself by bursting into
tears. "How did you find me?" she sobbed. "I thought I'd never see
you again."

Lucian cradled her head against his shoulder
and rocked her gently. "Bell's Theorem," he said. "What affects
you, touches me. When I closed my eyes I felt like I was beside
you, and I knew exactly where to come."

He kept an arm around her shoulders, but
turned to the side and scanned the parking lot. "How are you all
right?" he asked. "Where's Jack?"

She pointed to the edge of the parking lot
where Jack's body lay on the ground. She squinted as she looked at
him. He still hadn't moved, but his skin seemed to be dissolving.
Beneath the pale layer of tissue that remained she could see a
shimmering haze.

"Is he dead?" she whispered.

"No," a deep voice answered. Duncan stepped
in front of her, shielding her as the last of Jack's skin
disappeared. She could no longer see the outline of Jack's body,
only a bright ball of light that slowly expanded outward, reaching
almost to the tops of the trees. It hung suspended in the air for a
moment, then collapsed into itself. Jack's body was gone, and where
he had been was the glowing outline of a divinely beautiful
being.

"Is that him?" Samara whispered.

"Yes," Lucian said. "He's in our true
form."

Jack placed one hand on the hilt of a jeweled
sword hanging around his waist, then slowly unfurled massive,
golden wings that extended several yards on either side of him.
Samara ducked behind Duncan and blinked, unable to look into the
blinding glare of his brightness. A gust of wind snatched her
breath away, and when she opened her eyes, he was gone.

She turned and searched the parking lot, but
she was alone with Lucian, Duncan, and Sofia. "Where did he
go?"

"Into the Void," Sofia answered. "Since the
Flood we're forbidden from being on the Earth in our true forms.
Jack's body must've been damaged beyond healing to force him
out."

"He's not gone for good," Duncan added.
"He'll return in a different body, but it'll take some time."

"Who helped you fight him?" Lucian asked. "We
didn't see anyone leaving."
"No one," she answered. "We were alone."

Lucian stared at her. "How did you overpower
him by yourself?"

"I don't know," Samara said. She rubbed her
arms and remembered the warmth that had filled her. "I knew he was
going to kill me, but I wasn't afraid." She reached for Lucian's
hand and held it tightly. "I kept thinking of you.

"I was on the edge of the cliff waiting for
him to throw me over, and then I was burning. When Jack attacked
me, I fought back, and then he flew into a tree."

Lucian glanced back at Sofia and Duncan. "Has
this ever happened before?"

"Not that I know of," Duncan said. He looked
at Samara with interest. "It seems you have a rare gift."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Sofia reached out and touched Samara's face
gently. "Even we can't force an angel out of their body through
will alone." She reached around and pulled the gun from behind her
back. "We were planning to shoot him in the head. For you to force
him out without any sort of weapon is almost beyond
explanation."

"Almost?"

Sofia met Lucian's eye, then reached out and
took Duncan's hand. "Maybe you two should talk in private."

Lucian watched Sofia and Duncan walk away,
then threw his arms around Samara. "I'm so sorry," he murmured. "I
should've realized you were in danger. I never should've left you
alone."

"What did Sofia mean?" she interrupted. "How
did I do that?"

Lucian stepped back and gazed into her eyes.
She was pale and bruised and her hair was sticking out wildly, but
he thought she had never looked so beautiful.

"It's you," he said. A huge smile burst
across his face and he hugged her again. "You're the key!"

"That's impossible," she sputtered. "I'm just
a girl. A very ordinary one."

"You were never
just
a girl," he
corrected, "but you were ordinary, until you met me."

"What?" She sighed, exasperated. "I don't
understand at all."

"I think you're one of the last Descendants,"
Lucian said. "The last of the line of the Nephilim.

"They were children," he clarified, answering
her unspoken question. "The children of men and angels. They're the
reason we're forbidden to be on the Earth in our true forms."

Samara's head swam unpleasantly, and she
wondered if the past twenty-four hours were a dream. There was so
much that had happened, so much information that seemed beyond
belief. She couldn't be whatever he'd said.
But
, her inner
voice whispered,
something happened
. Something made her
burn. Something saved her from Jack.

"Why were they forbidden?" she whispered.
"Were they bad?"

"They were giants," Lucian said. "beautiful
and more powerful than humans. Some were evil, but most fought for
good." He gave her a reassuring smile. "They weren't really
different from humans in that way.

"A few could even reach into the deep
knowledge and manipulate the natural world. With their help, humans
were able to do incredible things; things that shouldn't have been
possible. They knew too much. Their abilities made them dangerous
to the human race."

Samara's mouth felt dry and she cleared her
throat nervously. "What happened to them?" she asked.

"Once we were forbidden from living on the
Earth in our true forms, they gradually died out. The bloodline is
very diluted now, but some of their descendants still live." He
squeezed her hand gently. "Hidden, just like you. It takes contact
with an angel to awaken their supernatural blood, but since we
can't identify them, waking a Descendant is a matter of chance. Or
in your case, divine intervention."

"What if you hadn't come?" she murmured.
"What if you had stayed away from me?"

"You would've remained as you were." Lucian
rested his chin on her head and rubbed her shoulders gently. "Every
angelic contact, even the ones with Jack, stirred the ancient blood
within you. Today, when you were facing death, your abilities
manifested and you used them instinctively to protect
yourself."

Samara turned away from Lucian and looked out
into the sunrise, remembering moments from the past few months: the
physics problems that seemed to solve themselves, her sudden speed
in gym class, Jack's surprised tone as he said, "You're stronger
than you look." It was impossible, but somehow it all fit. "If I'm
the key," she said, "then what happens now?"

"I don't know, but Duncan, and Sofia, and all
the members of the Light will stand with you, no matter what the
future holds."

"And you-," Samara whispered. She hugged her
arms nervously against her chest. "Where will you be?"

Lucian planted his feet on either side of
hers and slid his arms around her waist. "I'll be here," he said.
"As long as you'll let me." She relaxed against his chest, and he
felt her softness as their bodies melted together. "Destiny
awaits."

About the Author

Anna White is a counselor and writer. She
lives in the Deep South with her husband and two daughters, and can
usually be found reading or writing something with a cup of tea
nearby. She is currently at work on
Divide the
Darkness
, the next book in the Chronicles of the Nephilim
series.