Fall From Grace (18 page)

“Don’t know, but I think we best discuss
that after I get rid of what’s her name out there.” Bruce lifted
the bloodstained shirt over his head and pulled on the green one
Sammy handed him.

Bruce took a deep breath and opened his
door. Sammy, Boon, and Alexander were forced to remain behind,
helpless.

“Principal Mastema, it’s a pleasure to see
you again.” Bruce sounded light and happy.

“David, good to see you. How many years has
it been?”

Alexander leaned against the door.

“Re-remember dad, I told you Alexander and
Sammy’s uncle was coming. David wanted to stop by to see you. He’s
going to be working to rebuild Grace’s home.”

“Yeah, I remember you saying that. Didn’t
know you’d be here already. Wasn’t expecting you until
tomorrow.”

If Alexander didn’t know better, he’d swear
the two men were old buddies. Of course, hunters were excellent at
blending and twisting the truth to work around the law.

“Listen, Mr. Moore. This arrangement with
the kids staying with you must be a strain. If you’d like, the
girls could stay with me until Grace gets back and their home is
rebuilt.”

“No. No. The kids have been great. Nothing
to worry about. I promised their mother I’d keep them, and I
wouldn’t feel right about changing the plan.”

“I’m sure she wouldn’t mind. Give her a call
and ask.” The principal’s heels clicked on the linoleum floor.
Alexander prayed it was the kitchen and not the hallway or she’d
discover the blood, then this conversation would turn in an
entirely new direction.

The thought of trying to call Grace broke
his heart. His earthbound mother lay in a grave unable to free
herself from darkness. Trapped between worlds, and that woman out
there had something to do with it. She was demon. He just had to
prove it.

“No need, Principal Mastema. I’d like the
kids to stay with me. Besides this makes it easy for the kids to
work on helping with the new construction. They really wanted to be
a part of the rebuild. As a matter of fact, I promised we’d all sit
down and go over the plans tonight. If you don’t mind, we need to
get started before it gets too late. I wouldn’t want the kids being
tired at school tomorrow. Don’t worry though. I’ll call if we need
anything. Thanks again for making the trip out here. You have got
to be one of the most…involved principals. Kids are lucky to have
you.”

The Principal’s heels clicked twice then
silenced.

“Bye. I’ll be at your office before school.
Just like I promised.” Gaby’s voice sounded cheerful but
Alexander’s fists tightened. That woman kept inserting herself into
Gaby’s life at every turn.

Bruce handled himself well. He managed to
shut the woman up and send her away. That was better than any of
the rest of them had done. Finally Alexander would get five minutes
with Gaby. Something he’d waited days for.

He yanked Bruce’s bedroom door open and
headed down the hall. David held his hand up.

“Mr. Moore, I really think—”

“Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of the
kids.”

A car door slammed.

Alexander stood only feet from Gaby but
restrained by the possibility of these intricate lies all being
destroyed by that woman out there.

The front door opened and clicked shut.
“Dang she’s persistent.”

Finally the car started and the principal
drove away.

Gaby searched the room then stared her
father down. Alexander raced to her side. “It was a set up.
Someone, or something, made it look like your father had been
drinking. Someone who knew The Prim would have the power to take
you away.”

“You notice she nonchalantly wondered
around. I’m guessing she knew the bottles were there.” Bruce
gestured to the kitchen.

“So that’s what was going on?” David
nodded.

Bruce stood at attention ready for trouble.
“It’s been what, ten years? What was with that country accent?”

David laughed. “I’ve been living in
Kentucky. Part of my cover while hunting demons is to appear as a
local. Figured it made for a better story.”

Sammy sat down in one of the kitchen chairs.
“What are we going to do? A master demon. Grace trapped. House
gone. Shouldn’t we leave Kemp?”

Boon sat by her side. They’d been
inseparable since the bonding ceremony.

Alexander and Gaby made their way to the
small love seat only a few feet away.

Bruce shook his head but kept his eyes fixed
on David. “Need a plan first. A new base.”

“Don’t worry, man. I’m a convert like you
now. Getting rescued by a fallen angel from the clutches of big,
bad, and ugly back there made me think. This is no war for the
weak. That thing took out two of my best hunters. Picked its teeth
with your black winged friend there and split a hole underground
that took down an angel’s house. From what I get, she was a serious
angel, too. Seems to me a new strategy needs to be formed. All
earthbound creatures and hunters work together to stop this hell on
Earth thing.” David wiggled his jaw. “Just not sure how to convince
the rest of the hunters without being assassinated for
treason.”

Gaby snuggled into Alexander’s side. “What
are we going to do to free the angels trapped in darkness?” He held
her tight, not wanting any space between them.

“You know Grace and the souls being trapped
wasn’t your fault.” Alexander tried to reassure her.

She didn’t answer. He squeezed her shoulder.
“We’ll figure something out. First, we need to keep you safe.”

“Why her?” David asked.

The muscles in his back seized as his wings
pushed for release. Stupid. How could he have slipped like that?
Gaby brushed her fingers down his arm and held his hand.

“My brother. That’s all he cares about is
protecting his girlfriend.” Sammy chimed in.

He kept his eyes closed, sure the burning
behind his lids was from his anger, and the last thing he needed
was this hunter seeing orange eyes. It had only happened twice
before, once after he’d confronted Forras and the other when Gaby
was shot.

“We need to be smart. Figure out how to take
out this master demon while we work on an escape plan in case it
goes bad.” Bruce leaned his elbows against the tabletop. “David,
tomorrow you’ll head back to convince your southeastern division to
join us. If we can trust them, maybe Kentucky can be our next home
base. Meanwhile, Alexander, you call some contractors and start
construction on your house. You wouldn’t want to give Principal
Mastema anything to be suspicious about. I’ll work on researching
how to take down a master demon. I’ve got some old books stashed
away for a rainy day. I think it’s time to pull them out.”

Gaby sighed. “What about Patronus?”

Bruce hung his head. “Not sure, G-Bear. I’m
worried whoever set me up had to take him out to succeed.”

“No.”

Alexander pulled her in and kissed her
forehead.

“It’ll be okay. Maybe he escaped. I’ll try
to find him in the morning.” Alexander knew Bruce spoke the truth
but he had to try.

A phone buzzed in David’s pocket. He paced
the living room floor and spoke a few curt, “Yes, sir.” and “No,
sir.”

He shoved the phone back in his pocket and
joined them again.

Bruce tensed. “What is it?”

David straightened to a hunter’s stature.
“Demon talked. Team’ll be here in two days to take down any
earthbound creatures and capture the hybrid.” He turned his head
and glared at Gaby. “The one of many worlds.”

Alexander didn’t like where this was going.
He pushed her behind him and clenched his teeth tight meeting the
hunter’s stare. “It’s a trap, you know. A demon of that level
wouldn’t know anything. It’s a set up.”

He didn’t back down. Instead he took a step
closer, towering over Alexander.

“Turns out you’ve been keeping a secret from
me. You’re not protecting her solely because she’s your girlfriend.
She’s the key to the whole damn war.”

Chapter Fifteen

Gaby tugged Alexander’s arm tight around her
waist. “I’ve never spent the entire night with someone before.” Her
body rested back against his; the twin bed didn’t allow for much
space.

“I thought your dad was joking when he gave
me permission to stay up here with you. Guess he figured I wouldn’t
try anything with the door open and two hunters downstairs.”

His body tensed at the word hunters, and she
brushed her nails down his arm. He’d been tense ever since David
figured out who she was. She squeezed Alexander’s hand, hoping he’d
stay by her side. Honestly, the hunter discovering the truth
freaked her out, too.

“You think anyone else is awake yet?”
Alexander brushed her hair from her ear with his lips and kissed
her cheek. She relaxed under his touch. The old anxiety meds hadn’t
worked as fast, and the bonus was she didn’t feel like a zombie
from his medicine.

“I think my dad and David never slept. They
were probably up all night planning how to kill the demon. It’s in
their blood. Dad never completely gave up hunting. I knew about the
old books he used to look through. Part of me knows he’s destined
to fight the remainder of his days here on Earth, it’s just hard to
face it.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll stop this war before it
begins.” He pulled her tight against him. His body curved around
hers. Alexander had been her first for everything in this life. She
had to cling to the belief they’d be sharing everything together
some day, or they’d be taken home to Heaven together. Nothing would
make her want to let go of him, not even her desire to look through
the journal hidden in her desk drawer.

“When did you come up?” Gaby laced her
fingers through his and kissed his knuckles.

“Few hours after you. You cried out in your
sleep. Bruce told me to go calm you and stay by your side all
night. I gladly obeyed his orders.” He nibbled her earlobe.

Her body awoke at his touch, and she turned
onto her back. Only a faint outline of his firm jaw line could be
seen in the dark. She wanted to see his dimples and bright blue
eyes, but his touch more than made up for it. A musky wood scent
begged her closer. He leaned down to kiss her, but grazed her cheek
instead.

She bit her lip in frustration.

“Someday we’ll be together. I know it.”
Alexander nipped her bottom lip.

Papers shuffled down stairs, and a cup
slammed against the oak table. “I said I need to stay and help
fight.” David’s voice rose.

“They’ve been at it for awhile.” He nuzzled
her neck. “I missed you.”

She ran her fingers through his soft hair
and pulled his face to hers. “I missed you, too.”

Pressing her lips to his, the world
disappeared. Soft sweeps of his tongue left a hint of mint in her
mouth, followed by more urgent passion. He pulled her tight against
him and his lips slid down to her chin, neck, chest. Pushing her
shirt to the side his lips danced down her shoulder, leaving a
heated trail behind. “I love you, Gabriella Moore. No matter what,
never forget that.”

“I love you, too.” She managed between
labored breaths.

His body tensed and he pulled away from her,
taking with him all the heat and leaving only empty, cold
space.

A sting of panic ran through every nerve.
“What’s wrong?”

Alexander bolted from the bed and peered
through the curtains. “Don’t know. I feel supernatural energy.”

Energy pricked at the back of her skull. Her
body stiffened, and she shot up in bed, back stiff as if a metal
pipe was shoved down her spine. “Alex!”

Deep pounding notes hammered against her
skull. Pressing her palms to her eyes she only saw swirls of grey.
One caught her attention. It soared with a silver tail. The
baritone notes softened, and the shimmery cloud whirled past her
twice and doubled back.

Fresh air swooshed each time the shadow
arched by her face. It twirled in the distance then shot straight
at her. Pulse thumped with the beat of the rhythmic march. Both
sped up until the object stopped and tendrils tickled her nose.

What? Grace, Mom, are you there?

The faceless soul morphed from inviting
white to army green. The wisps of darkness shot up her nose and
sucked the air from her lungs. Screams caught in her throat. She
struggled against the tube-like intrusion, but it plunged
deeper.

Alex, help me.
Only a thought in her
head, but she had to try. Her organs felt like they were being
pulled inside out. No answers from anyone. Alone…again.

A faint light illuminated the ground ahead.
The creature released her, and she fell. Her stomach left somewhere
above her head. Falling…arms flailing…wordless screams. Finally,
her body slammed against something. Bones cracked, and her skin
stretched. Her knees and hands burned. A sulfuric odor so powerful
it coated her tongue filled the air, and she fought to hold her
breath but realized she still wasn’t breathing.

Release us.
A voice hissed.
It is
your destiny.

The ground beneath her cracked and she slid
down. Clutching…scratching….clawing. Her nails broke under the
strain, but she continued the descent.

Release us before it’s too late.

She caught onto a rock and hung. Feet
dangled beneath her. Orange liquid bubbled below. Her hands singed
against the burning rocks, but she fought to keep her grip.

Glowing snakes slithered up the side of the
pit. The fire dulled and the Earth began to shift, tossing her back
and forth between the two walls.

Mom, please, help me.
Where was
Heaven? Why was she being shut out and left to survive on her own?
The ground stopped moving. She forced her head up to look around.
Her neck was stiff, and her body throbbed from being batted between
rocks. The dark green light appeared again. Her chest pounded for
the air to release, and she blew it out. The tendrils retreated
into the green light. She coughed and wretched trying to fill her
lungs, the demonic odor stung with each inhale. It faded and she
pushed up only to fall on her elbows.