Beyond (33 page)

Austin sat up
and gave an irresistible smile t hat made Claudia lose her thoughts.

“
Hmmm…I need to take care of something. I ’
ll be back .
”
She rose to leave.

“
Where are you going?
”

“
I just need to do something.
”

“
And you don ’
t want to tell me. Don ’
t you think as your guardian angel, I should at least know where you ’
re going so I know you ’
ll be safe?
”

Claudia heaved out loud, letting Austin know without words she wasn ’
t going to give in.

“
You can huff and puff all you want. I ’
m not letting you go.
”

“
What? Don ’
t treat me like a child .
Y
ou can ’
t hold me hostage.
”

“
Oh yeah ?
I did it before.
”

Claudia felt furious because she knew he could and would. She had every right to go and come as she pleased , and no angel was going to tell her what to do. After sh e grabbed the apple, she h ead ed for th e door.

“
Fine .
I f you leave, don ’
t come back.
”

Claudia glared at him. It fueled a fire that was already blazing inside her.
“
Fine. Don ’
t worry , I won ’
t come back. This isn ’
t my real home anyway.
”

“
Is that how you really feel?
”

Claudia
didn ’
t answer .
S
he looked away feeling guilty, but for what?

“
Fine. You go, but the apple stays here. It is forbidden to take the apple out of Island of Eden.
”

“
Says who?
”

“
Says the Royal Council , that ’
s who .
If you take it out of here, then the Twelve have the right to lock you up. Do you understand? And why do you need it in the first place?
”

She had no words. What could she say? She
so desperate ly wanted her memor ies back that she would do just about anything, even break the d ivine laws.

“
Here, ”
he said and tossed a small dagger to her.

Claudia ca
ught it.
It was the smallest dagger she had ever seen. The handle was made of silver, but the blade sh one like crystals. It reflected the same light her butterfly crystal necklace did. If she held it at a precise ang le , she could prevent it from being seen.

“
I made it. It ’
s made with the crystal that can kill any angel , so be careful not to use it on me when yo u ’
re mad .
”
H
e cocked a brow.

After admiring the dagger, she thankfully and carefully slipped it inside her right boot .

Austin continued.
“
We ’
re not suppose to have access to the crystal , but you know I always find a way. And now Katherine knows about it , so it ’
s fine .
After the return of Aliah, I suggested we make some special weapon s just for monsters like him.
”
Austin ’
s tone became lighter and sweeter as he approache d her. His hand rest ed on her back as he embrace d her loving ly .
“
Please, Claudia. I ’
m sorry. Don ’
t leave. Stay here with me. I need you.
”

His words were so kind and tempting, but she had to be strong.
“
I ’
m sorry Austin. I need to do something, ”
she whispered , her body trembl ing .

“
Go if you must, but please don ’
t take the apple. If the Twelve find out, you will have to face the consequences. I know it sounds strange, but the apple is not allowed to be taken off of the island.
Please…I ’
m begging you.
”

Claudia took small steps back, passing the safety of her room to the pebble d ground. Austin turned his back on her and felt his heart tearing apart. She might as well have p i erce d the dagger through it . It was such torture to feel this pain so deep ly that the wall he ’d let down was building itself back up again. He didn ’
t want to see her leave so he couldn ’
t report what she did. If he didn ’
t see it with his own eyes then it didn ’
t happen.

Claudia felt awful for giving Austin grief after all he ha d done for her, but the need to get her memory back was so strong it outweighed everything.
To her, Austin turn ing his back was his way of letting her know he had lost hope and faith in her. After this was over, she had to find a way to make it up to him. As she prepared herself to leave, she let out a deep sorrowful sigh. Without warning, she was swept away so fast she couldn ’
t even call Austin for help. All she saw before darkness enclosed her was something white , and she felt something soft to her touch.

Chapter
20

Michael traced Claudia
’
s step out of Spec u s into Paradisus . He waited anxiously when he could n ’
t find her there, unaware of the hidden world beyond the waterfall. After what felt like a lifetime, he was able to trace her steps and felt relief she was no longer in the hands of Callum. He followed her again, but kept his distance. Knowing she would be safe for the time being, he flew back to Caspian.

When he arrived, guessing she would return to Island of Eden, he used his ultra-vision to see Claudia hanging out with venators. I t was difficult to hear with the music blasting, but he could tell she didn ’
t seem happy when she stormed out of the room. Wanting to give her space, he leaped onto the top of the roof. Glancing around, he stood among the watchers. They stood bold and tall, bigger and taller than him.
H
e felt sorry for them, but at the same time, it was their own doing. He sat there gazing at the moon reflecting it s beauty across the land and thought how peaceful it was. How he wished he could share this with his beloved.

Time had passed and the
music stopped. He jumped in front of the double door only to have it almost squash him flat against the structure wall, not knowing it was Claudia ’
s doing. Moving away from the opened doors, he listened to Austin and Claudia ’
s heated argument .

When the voices became low and soft, Michael
’
s heart pounded . He could almost feel what would happen next. He had no right to stop it , nor did he have the right to claim her as his. He would have to endure the hurt and the pain if they were doing what he thought . Unable to control his curiosity, he peeped in .
C
laudia was in Austin ’
s arms . Immediately, h is heart sank as if a knife had twisted in it .

Michael
’
s back s lid down against the wall for support and he scrunched low on the ground. With his hands covering his face, he was beyond agony.
A part of him wanted to give Austin a piece of his mind with his fist, but how did he know it wasn ’
t Claudia who kissed him first ?

Such f
eeling s of torment ran to every nerve in his body and immobilized him. His heart was hurting so badly from th e sight that he wished he hadn ’
t follow ed her t here.
Darkness and anger fell upon his soul , and the pain of what he ’d s een was unbearable.
All hopes of getting her back crashed along with the waves on the shore.
He felt as if he had already lost her and wanted to take flight to escape.

Michael had known t
he possibility of Claudia and Austin sharing some tender moments was inevitable since Austin was the sly one.
But knowing and seeing was two different thing s . Th e pain stung so hard , he thought he would die right then and there, but he had to bear it for Claudia ’
s sake and refocus on her . From this point it couldn ’
t be about him, it had to be about her .
She was about to do something she would regret , even though he wasn ’
t quite sure what she planned to do.

When Claudia stepped out the double doors that were already opened, Michael stood up and backed away, out of her sight. She was still holding the forbidden apple, determine d to take it with her even after Austin inform ed her it was not allowed. Michael could only conclude she wanted to take it to Callum, and t here was no way he was going to let her fall because of him .
B
ut why did she need it?
A f orbidden apple was just an ordinary apple. It would not bestow nor take away any type of angelic po wers. He calculated her move , and when he was ready, he enclosed his wings and arms around her and vanished.

He took her to one of the places he knew might give her comfort , a place they ’d once shared. Afraid of what she would do or say and too hurt from seeing Claudia in Austin ’
s arms, he left her standing on a boulder as he stood nearby the waterfall.

Surprised
by where she was and by the fact she was alone, Claudia turned to the sound of the water. Up ahead toward the right, she saw a figure. It was difficult to see him as she tried to block the sunlight that shone brightly in her eyes. She squinted and moved to a different angle in hopes of getting a clearer view . When her vision cleared , she saw wings so grand that they cast a shadow in the shape of a heart. She gasped sharply, knowing the angel standing afar was Michael , and just like in her dreams, he was dreamy.

Claudia suddenly felt nervous
and her heart started hammering faster. His presence alone made her so lightheaded that she couldn ’
t gather the thoughts of what she wanted to say. He had literally kidnapped her, taking her without her consent, but strangely, she wasn ’
t upset. When she took steps to shorten the distance between them, she could see so much happiness and yet so much pain that it saddened her , and she wondered what he had been through. Thinking of questions to ask, she asked the most obvious one.
“
Why did you bring me here?
”

Michael
closed his wings and relaxed when Claudia ’
s tone was level.
“
Tell me first…why do you need the forbidden apple?
”

It
had n ’
t dawn ed on her until now, but the apple that she ’d held a second ago was now missing. Claudia turned to look f or it, thinking she had dropped it, but it was nowhere in sight.
“
What did you do with my apple?
”

“
You need to answer my question first.
”

“
No…you need to answer my question firs t,” Claudia retorted.

Darn that stubbornness of hers. She
’d surely broke n out of her shell, but she was just as adorable in his eyes. In fact, he found it amusing she was fighting back.
“
I guess we ’
ll have to stay here all night.
”

Claudia
scowled, turned her back and walked away, letting him know she was not happy with his answer. Biting her lip, she contemplated what she should do. Thinking she had no choice, she would have to answer him.
“
I wanted to eat it.
”

“
Then why didn ’
t you eat it at Island of Eden?
”

Claudia frowned. She didn
’
t like answering his questions.
“
Were you following me?
”
She gathered he was. In fact she didn ’
t mind, she only pretended to be upset. She smiled inwardly. He cared about her in ways she had n ’
t realize d until now.