Archangel Evolution (30 page)

His wings burst from his back, arching over
his head, shining magnificently. “My wings are white!” he declared.
“But they would be no less beautiful if they were black! There is
no dark or light, only shades of gray. We are all human inside, all
different, all good, all bad. All human,” he repeated. “None
better, none worse. All equal.”

Taylor’s skin tingled. Not with evolution,
like before, but with excitement, with wonder, like listening to a
brilliant vocalist hit a high note. He was speaking for her. Her
thoughts, her feelings, and her beliefs had received a voice from
Gabriel. Like she could never have provided on her own.

“Look at me,” Gabriel continued. “I did
horrible things. Horrible. But I made up for them. Look at me now.
If anyone is a shade of gray, it’s me. Let’s all be gray together.
What do you say?”

The crowd cheered. Screams of “Yes!” rose
through the cavern, echoing in the hollow space.

Taylor felt alive.

T
wo months had come
and gone like a fast car on the highway. Between attending classes,
studying, and visiting the Lair, Taylor had very little time to
think.

But now it was all over: her freshman year,
final exams, the signing of the Great War Abolition Act by the new
angel and demon leaders, Clifford’s funeral. It had been a busy
time, full of emotions—both happy and sad.

A new colony of angels and demons had been
organized, with their primary goal being to protect humanity. Those
who volunteered to be part of the colony would infiltrate all
manner of human organizations, from hospitals, to political
parties, to law enforcement agencies, in the hopes of being able to
heal the injured, protect the innocent, and diffuse political
tensions. They would be secret messengers of peace.

A special task force had been created to
search for David Knight, the last living Archangel besides Taylor.
They hadn’t heard from him. No communications, no threats, no
violence against angels or demons or humans. And so they hunted for
him, not knowing which continent he might be on.

Gabriel seemed happy, but at the same time,
Taylor knew he was troubled. She knew he felt responsible for
unleashing the monster that his brother had become. No matter how
many times she tried to convince him it was the result of some
mutant gene in David’s DNA combined with the mental games played by
Dionysus, he wouldn’t forgive himself, obsessing over his brother
and where he might be, what he might do. He lay awake at night,
staring at the ceiling. Even when he was able to drift off, he was
never restful, twitching and mumbling in his sleep.

For the last eight weeks, Taylor had worried
about him. When the time had passed without event, he got better,
happier. He still worried, but obtained some level of peace. It
helped that he had so many responsibilities. After all, he had a
colony to run! Gabriel had been unanimously voted as head of the
new Demonangel Colony, of which all Taylor’s friends were now
members.

Taylor would join eventually. After college
perhaps. Taylor and Sam had agreed to wait. But now Taylor was
ready for a break. Ready for normal.

She leapt from the cliff, allowing gravity to
take her on a free-fall, her stomach lurching magnificently up and
down, right and left. Just before being dashed to a thousand pieces
on the rocks below, Taylor’s wings burst from her back, caught the
wind, and pushed her higher, skimming the treetops as she rose.
Yeah, normal was good
, she thought as the sun hit her face.
Okay, maybe not the normal that most people have, but normal for
an angel.
“I’m an angel!” Taylor yelled as she soared over the
mountaintops.

“I
thought
there was something
different about you,” Gabriel said, coming up behind her.

Chris appeared in the air in front of them.
He said, “Being a demon ain’t so bad either.”

Wingless, he began to drop. Taylor saw Sam’s
head pop over his shoulder. “Don’t forget the humans!” she yelled.
Before hitting the ground, they disappeared, reappearing moments
later on a tree branch below.

A flash of white buzzed over their heads.
Sampson said, “Woohoo!”

A dark shape glanced back as they passed.
Kiren said, “Woohoo!” She was clinging to her boyfriend’s neck.

“An angel together with a demon…weird,”
Gabriel said. “I never thought I would see the day.”

“Clifford did,” Taylor said. “He knew it all
along.”

“You’re probably right. He always seemed to
be a step ahead.”

“Try two,” Taylor said. “Race me back to the
Lair?”

“Give me a head start, ten seconds.”

“Wimp,” Taylor joked.

“You’re an archangel!”

“Okay, angel-boy. See you at the finish.”

Gabriel took off and Taylor counted to five
before racing after him. Her boyfriend
was
the head of the
new Demonangel Colony, after all, and ten seconds was a long head
start.

She passed him halfway to the Lair, but
stopped to let him catch up. Instead of passing her, he flew into
her arms. They embraced, enjoying the moment, spinning through the
air, the freedom of being alive, the act of being in love.

Taylor hoped it would last.

###

If you liked this book, enjoy a BONUS CHAPTER
at:

http://davidestesbooks.blogspot.com/p/archangel-evolution-bonus-chapter.html

Discover other books by David Estes available
through the author’s official website:

http://davidestes100.blogspot.com

or through select online retailers including
Smashwords.com.

The Evolution Trilogy by David Estes:

Book One—Angel Evolution

Book Two—Demon Evolution

Book Three—Archangel Evolution

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About the Author

After growing up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
David Estes moved to Sydney, Australia where he lives with his
wife, Adele. When he’s not writing, he’s enjoying the sun and surf
at Manly Beach.