Until Next Time The Angel Chronicles Book 1 (23 page)

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

Her heart was light. She remembered a wise man once saying that if she could live one truly blissful moment, then all the rest was worth it. She smiled now that she was able to fully comprehend the truth encompassed in his words.

She began to realize how very fortunate she was, in this, her first time around. Late night conversations with Daniel…Faith’s laughter…the men and women of her small village who’d stood beside her, asking for nothing more than to be part of her life.

The fear of loneliness was driven away by the joy of being with the love of her life—finally knowing who he was and that he’d existed all along. Human life was so full of gifts. It provided such amazing feelings of elation and exasperation—often at the same time. She’d never understood why there was so much darkness and pain in humanity, but now she did. Every dream had its nightmare, just like every human had his or her mate. It was all about balance.

Knight stopped at the gate of the old cemetery. A variety of stones were placed side-by-side, forming a multi-colored fence that surrounded the quiet resting place. She lifted her chin in the air to breathe in the lavender.

When she opened her eyes, Liz saw her. A queen of marble and rock with her arms open wide, she looked like she was offering the whole world a hug. Her head was bowed toward the grass, and she wore a mysterious smile. It looked like she was laughing at the forest creatures scampering around her marble feet. Like some fairy from an Irish folk tale, her wings stretched out behind her, threatening to lift her off her marble perch—back to the home she loved. Her long, graceful fingers reached out to them, as she and Jason walked toward her from across the field. It was as if she were offering them safe passage into the world above.

Liz swallowed hard. A grown-up…that’s what she felt like as she stared up at the marble face. In fact, for that moment, she felt quite human. And she knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she was no longer the person Jason thought she was.

“She took my breath away the moment I saw her.”

“When was that?” Liz asked, using the same reverent tone.

“I was twelve. Up until then I was okay. I know this sounds silly, but I used to believe that I had an angel on my shoulder when I was younger. I used to see her sometimes in my dreams. But one day I couldn’t see her anymore, and things got worse. That’s the first time I ran away. I just couldn’t take it anymore. I missed my angel. Then I saw this.” He paused staring up at the quiet statue. “When the sun came up, I swear she smiled at me.” He laughed. “Childish dreams, I suppose.”

“I don’t think so,” Liz said. “I think you were lucky to have found each other. She was probably…lonely.”

Jason cleared his throat; tears glistened in his eyes. “The thing is, I never thought in my wildest imagination that she could be real. And asking to take an angel from God seemed too much to hope for. Besides, it would be completely against an angel’s nature to like humans, I suppose. I mean…I know we can be impossible to live with. I’m pretty sure an angel’s heart would break, if she saw how people down here use and discard each other so easily.”

Liz stared at the ground; her eyes began to water.

“It would be awful. She’d most likely beg God to take her back up. But I’ll tell you what, I never felt as safe as I did in her arms. She always consoled me; she never judged me for the horrible person I thought I was.” He took a deep breath. “I never thought for one second that I would be lucky enough to meet a real one down here. And I know, it would be rude to ask her to stay here…just for me.”

He walked slowly around the statue; his long fingers caressing the cold stone. “She always listened to me. Of course, being an inanimate object tended to help.”

“What then?” Liz choked on her words. “You grew up and stopped talking to her?”

Jason shrugged. “Life changed, and my conversations with her grew worse and worse. I used to love the fact that she was quiet and listened, but then I got angry. I wanted her to explain things to me. The problems she had solved for a thirteen-year-old boy became much harder as I grew up. Angela used to come here sometimes, too. And Charles would bring her flowers.”

Liz lifted an eyebrow.

Jason laughed. “I asked him why once. He told me that if I could carry on conversations with her—he could certainly bring her some bloody flowers if he very well wanted to.”

“Sounds like Charles.”

“Yeah, he was always a flirt. Until he found Faith, of course.”

“Of course,” Liz said with a grin. “Although, when it really sinks in that he gagged her, Charles is going to need all the angelic help he can get.”

“I need to ask you a question,” Jason whispered. His tone turned serious, as he leaned against the side of the statue. “Is it hard?”

Liz turned her eyes to the ground. “I’m no savior, Jason. I’m not just a statue in a garden that a boy once loved. I’ve messed up. I’ve made mistakes. I’m scared most of the time. I doubt almost everything that I’m told, and I can’t sleep without getting bruised.”

Taking a deep breath to revive her courage, she walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “I love you, but I need you to understand something. There’s absolutely nothing I can tell you about myself that you don’t already know…or suspect. I may think certain things about myself, but there’s no way that I have the ego to tell you that I’m like this statue standing here.” He leaned his body back against hers, as she continued, “You believe I’m perfect, and I thank you for that. To make someone feel safe and happy, contented and joyful—that’s just about the highest compliment any girl could receive. I can tell you of dreams and of memories that will eventually bore you to death, but I’m more full of questions now than answers. I guess that makes me…
human
.”

Burying her face in his back, she imprinted his scent on her soul. “You’re
my
angel. You make
me
feel safe. In your arms, I’m at peace with the world and
that
is a miracle.”

Liz could barely breathe as a cool breeze washed over her skin. “Someday…I promise…”

Taking her hand, he kissed her smooth skin rubbing it against his warm cheek. “I need you.”

Her legs gave out beneath her, as he eased her onto the soft grass.

“I’ll never love anyone but you,” Liz vowed, staring into the soul that held her future.

A moment of true bliss—a moment few people are ever granted—was upon her. She reveled in the gift, as the quiet marble angel bore witness to the creation of an unbreakable and everlasting bond.

***

Jason’s body and mind were adrift in a peaceful repose. Opening his eyes, he searched the ever-brightening sky. Above him, the marble hands reached out. The angel smiled sweetly, reminding him of the exquisite night he had just experienced. The reality of true love had spawned new hope…new goals…new dreams that he couldn’t wait to experience. He rolled over on the dew-covered grass and looked around him. “Beth?” Surveying the cemetery and the orchard below, he called out again, “Elizabeth?”

A strange ache appeared in the pit of his stomach. He hated the desperate feeling of waking up without her by his side. Getting to his feet, he threw on his clothes and walked toward Knight who was grazing at the bottom of the hill. He noticed a red satchel hanging from the saddle; the sight of the red velvet material that she’d worn the night before made the passion reappear inside his soul. But as he moved closer, Jason noticed a small piece of parchment tied to the bundle. His name was written on the outside.

He reached for it, but his hand shook so badly that he stopped in midair. He stared at the letter knowing, in the depth of his soul, that he didn’t want to read what it said. His mind played tricks on him. Maybe the others had come back to get them, fearing the worst. Or, maybe someone needed her help and she had to leave, but was already making her way back to him. He looked to the road and prayed for her to run into his arms and make this horrible feeling of dread disappear.
But she wasn’t there.

Beads of sweat ran down his spine like a waterfall of fear. Untying the letter from the satchel, he fell to the ground as his heart exploded in his chest.

Jason,

He’s coming to kill you—all of you. Faith once asked me to keep Charles safe. I will not fail in that request, or the promise I made to myself to make sure that nothing ever happens to you. Nobody on earth is more important to me…you are my miracle.

Please understand that Charles needs you. He can’t continue on his path without you and Faith by his side, and the ‘paths’ that you all have are necessary. I have the ability to stop this. The evil that’s after all of you can’t be allowed to win. Deep down, I know you understand.

I was offered an exquisite moment last night and I took it—thankfully and without regret. You’re going to do great things, Jason. You’re going to change the world and I’ll be with you every step of the way. We will continue. So until then…until next time…always remember that I love you.

Pain swirled inside his soul. Jason tried to breathe, but it was impossible. The veil of darkness fell, and he passed out in the fragrant field of lavender.

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

“I know you?” Donald Faire asked as he paced the room like a caged animal, circling the Oriental carpet where she stood.

“Think very hard,” she said, calmly. “It’ll come to you.”

The man sneered. “Know this, I’ll get my son along with his cohorts. There’s no place they’ll be able to hide and there’s absolutely nothing you can do to stop me.”

“You’re wrong about that.” She felt her face contort into a smooth white mask, and she aimed her black marble eyes at the man who was suddenly shaking behind his desk. “I think you should call your wife now.”

He laughed suddenly—a short, quick gasp of air—as his alcohol-induced stupor lifted long enough for him to finally recognize the lady in red. “I think you should change back into your gown from last night and take her place.”

Her blood boiled at the sickening man. He was like a plague, infecting everyone in his path. She burned with hatred for what he’d unleashed on Jason and his family. She wanted it finished, but the voices inside instructed her to wait. The demon had to recognize the eyes of his accuser before justice could be served. And, above all, sinners must be offered one last chance at forgiveness.

She could hear the voices of the men outside the closed door of the study, getting ready for the hunt. They were the posse chosen to run her friends down and wipe them from the face of the earth.

Her cheeks burned when the gates of hell appeared and swung open behind the loathsome man, waiting to take him to the place where he truly belonged. On the other side of the room behind her, the tunnel to peace stood open. Everything was in place for the soul to make its final choice.

Her voice came out steady and clear. “Donald Faire, you are guilty. You are an abomination. I, as God’s servant, stand before you to deliver you to your creator; as I come to do all that is fair and just in His eyes.”

Upon completing her requisite speech, she felt the human side of her rise up, enraged. “However,
I
will risk having everything stripped from me to ensure that you’re denied passage into my beloved world.”

Donald sat down behind his desk and smiled. “Have you been drinking from my cabinet, girl?” he asked, wiping the line of sweat from his brow.

He couldn’t see the exits in the room. He wouldn’t be able to, not until his soul decided which path to take. But she knew that he could feel their power.

“
You
destroy me?” His smile was pure evil. “I don’t think so, but I am willing to bet that you could make me beg.”

She offered a disgusted sneer matching this vile man step for step. “I advise you to get used to begging. You’ll need to do a lot of it where you’re going.”

His raised his eyebrows. “I’m getting excited by this conversation.”

“Your wife should be here for this.”

“No, I don’t feel like sharing you just yet,” he shouted. Bolting around the desk, he grasped her arms before pushing her against the wall.

Without a word, she stared into his eyes and his face began to burn. She smiled. “You
will
pay.”

“You can’t make me.”

“
I
can!”

Power surged through her soul, as her partner stepped through the wall and into the room. A loving smile spread across his face.

Emily moved to stand beside Matt’s casual figure. “Don’t you
ever
listen to me?”

“No,” he admitted with a smile.

“What about Angela?”

“You need me more,” he said, taking her hand. The sparks from their fingertips flew around the room. “
I
need you more.”

“I wouldn’t blame you if you just turned around and left. I can do this alone.”

Matt leaned down and brushed his lips against her cheek. “We started this together, and we’ll finish it together. Never forget, Em, we promised to always put each other first.”

She hugged him close. Emily would never tire of his magical blue eyes, and although his power was uncontrollable at times, she was eternally grateful that he was the one forever at her side.

“Did you tell him?” Matt asked.

“I was just about to finish,” Emily replied.

The warrior’s eyes grew dark. “I meant
Jason
. Did you tell him that you loved him?”

Emily looked up at her best friend. “Yes…and it will always be.”

Matt grinned, a mysterious look beaming from his bright blue eyes. “Always is an
extremely
long time.”

Donald Faire screamed for his wife.

Emily shrugged. “Well, we’ll probably burn for all eternity anyway, so love really doesn’t matter much, does it?”

“Burn? I see no innocents in this house,” Matt stated. Waving his hand, he slammed the door the second the lady of the manor entered the room.

“What’s going on? Have you found them? I want those boys back, Donald. I want them all punished—Anthony and Martha, too. I want them all killed for the embarrassment they’ve caused this family!” Helen Faire stopped ranting when she spotted the quiet couple standing in the corner. “And what’s this supposed to be?”

Her husband snorted. “They’re here to find us guilty of all our sins and take care of us once and for all…unless, of course…we ask for forgiveness. What do you say? Should we beg for our lives?”

Her narrow lips pulled into a snide smile. “Tell them to go hell.”

Emily smiled back. “I’ll be sure to meet you there someday.”

Her beloved partner grinned like a happy child as he took her hand. “It’s time.”

Warrior and angel crossed to the center of the room. Their clothes dropped to the floor, as bright red robes swirled around them. Like a judge voicing the charges against the accused, the partners recited the Faires’ sins. The air in the room began to burn; the stifling heat increased with every word they said.

Then the screaming began. Bodies fell to the floor as the flames engulfed the souls of the truly evil. Emily knew that the stench of charred skin would forever be burned into her memory, but it didn’t matter. Justice was being served.

Matt pulled her out the door as the flames overtook the room, throwing the unrepentant couple straight through the gates of Hell.

Matt looked down at her and smiled. “Where to now?”

Emily walked past the posse of men writhing on the floor in the hall. They were all free to be saved by a raindrop falling from Heaven…but none came.

The partners stood on the marble porch and leaned against the columns. Their faces softened as the human lines faded away. The only scars left behind were the ones faintly etched into their souls tempered by the newly acquired wisdom shining in their eyes.

Matt placed a pink square in his mouth, and began to chew.

“What’s that?” Emily asked, picking at the ashes stuck in her hair.

“Gum!” Matt said the word proudly. “Mark won it in some kind of card game.”

Emily pictured the saints and giggled. “Do you think we can choose where we’re sent next? I mean, if we’re not in too much trouble?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. Is there a specific place you had in mind?”

“John told me about this place in the desert where you can learn to play those cool card games. Oh!” she exclaimed and clapped her hands as her memories sharpened. “There’s also some type of amazing candy bar called Baby Ruth that can play baseball. We should
definitely
check that out.”

Matt laughed as his Irish accent disappeared. “How about this place called America? I hear it’s the land of the free.
Everyone
should be happy there.” His eyes lit with love as he looked at Emily. “Maybe in America we could be…”

She stepped forward taking his hand. “Maybe next time.”

A bullet whistled through the air, Emily was still smiling when it smashed into her skull.

Matt fell down beside her as the second shot pierced his heart. “Yeah…maybe next time.”

The Irish countryside wavered around them as a large, metallic raindrop fell from the sky. Emily took hold of Matt’s hand bringing him with her. As they flew over Dublin, she reached down and touched the face of the one she’d never forget.

“Until next time, Jason—know that I love you.”