Fall From Grace
Authors: Ciara Knight
by
Ciara Knight
Battle for Souls Series
Fall From Grace
Copyright © 2012, Ciara Knight
Trade Paperback ISBN: 978-1-62237-019-1
Digital ISBN: 978-1-62237-018-4
Editor, Ayla O’Donovan
Cover Art Design by KJ Jacobs
Electronic release, June, 2012
Trade Paperback release, June, 2012
Published by Turquoise Morning Press for
Smashwords
Turquoise Morning, LLC
Turquoise Morning, LLC
P.O. Box 43958
Louisville, KY 40253-0958
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Warning: All rights reserved. The
unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work,
in whole or part, in any form by any electronic, mechanical, or
other means, is illegal and forbidden, without the written
permission of the publisher, Turquoise Morning Press.
This is a work of fiction. Characters,
settings, names, and occurrences are a product of the author's
imagination and bear no resemblance to any actual person, living or
dead, places or settings, and/or occurrences. Any incidences of
resemblance are purely coincidental.
This edition is published by agreement with
Turquoise Morning Press, a division of Turquoise Morning, LLC.
Dedication
To Julie Helligrath, Nancy Patton, Tanya
Spann, and Chris Suskind for being the first to read my
stories.
Acknowledgments
A special thank you to all who made this
book possible: my critique partners, Lynn Rush and Hildie McQueen;
my family for all their love and support; editor, Ayla O’Donovan;
publisher, K. J. Jacobs; and all the staff at Turquoise Morning
Press.
Praise for Ciara Knight’s
Battle for Souls
Series
“It’s awesome delicate story brings on the
hype of its fast paced telling that makes you keep reading.”
~Coffee Books and Me
“Ms. Knight has definitely hit a home run in
my book with her new series, Battle of the Souls.”
~The Readers Roundtable
“A compelling story chalk full of demons,
fallen angels, engaging, lovable characters, and a battle between
good versus evil where your very own soul could be at stake. Fans
of young adult angel romance novels will be in heaven! Right away
you are drawn into the story with action and wonderfully flawed
characters.”
~My Neruotic Book Affair
Fall
From Grace
Gaby Moore’s powers emerge years too early
due to adolescent hormones, complications with loving a fallen
angel, and constant demon attacks. She is forced to deal with the
guilt of believing she murdered Alexander’s “mother,” while trying
to stop the demonic war before it begins. Only the love and
acceptance of friends, family, and her beloved Alexander could save
her from turning to her demonic side.
Chapter One
Gaby Moore spent the last year obsessed with
her ability to see the future, until she saw her own death and the
murder of someone she loved. Now she’d do anything to avoid another
vision.
Unfortunately, the familiar tingles danced
from her fingertips to her neck. “No, not now.” Focusing on the
present, she scanned the crowd for her best friend, but all she
found were fifty plus students putting finishing touches on
homecoming floats.
Streamers, wire, and paint scattered on the
asphalt, remnants of a day’s worth of hard work. The red letters on
the junior float ran down the side from the heat of the Florida
sun.
The prickling on her skin morphed into
electric charges. Everything shimmied and blurred.
Gaby clutched the side of the float. Tissue
paper crumbled beneath her grip. “Oh, God…no.”
Blood-orange light spun…trees overhead
cracked and fell to the ground…smell of burning foliage…screams.
The vision shattered reality and she fell into its iron grip, her
mind ripped from her body and submerged into the future.
Stay calm. Must keep from drawing
attention.
Alexander’s bright navy wings extended,
blocking the intense light behind him. Denim blue eyes stared
wide.
“Alexander, h-help me.”
His jaw set, a look of disgust crossed his
face.
It’s just a vision.
Still, she clutched his shoulder and pulled
him closer. “Don’t…let…go. I love—”
Alexander disappeared, ripped from her arms
into a typhoon of color.
More screams. Not just her own. Everyone she
knew and loved called out to her from the other side of the raging
swirl of orange.
She looked down at her arms. Skin bubbled,
then melted.
Eyes shut, she concentrated on the present,
and tried not to scream out from the intense burning. They’d rescue
her in the vision, or she’d wake any moment. But no angels came.
Her family and protectors abandoned her. The orange sun enveloped
her body.
“Gaby…Gaby. Are you okay?” Sammy Lorre’s
voice came in a hushed distress.
Blood pulsed in Gaby’s ears as she panted.
“I-I.”
“See, I told you she’s a freak.” Through
watering eyes, Gaby spotted Avery, Ms. Popularity, standing with
her arms crossed, a mocking smile spread across her face.
“S-sorry.” A crowd gathered. Gaby had to
think, quick. She pushed herself up from the shaded asphalt next to
the float and rested her hips on the side of the trailer. Sweat
poured down her back causing the cotton fairy costume to cling to
her. She brushed away the small pebbles embedded in her knees. The
little white spheres skittered along the dark concrete, leaving
behind indentions in her skin. She shook her head. Sammy held her
arm to steady her.
“Guess skipping lunch wasn’t a good idea.”
Gaby squeaked out a pathetic laugh to hide the fact her stomach was
about to prove her last statement false. “Have to fit in my
Homecoming dress and all.”
Sammy stroked Gaby’s arm, emitting warmth
through her body. Her legs still shook, but the nausea subsided
with each healing pulse Sammy surged. Thank God she had an angel
for a best friend.
Sammy lifted her fake fairy wand off the
side of the float and swirled it around Gaby’s head with a big
grin. “I command you to go to my house and eat something.”
The thought of returning to the safety of a
loving home made Gaby relax. Grace, Sammy’s mother, would probably
have milk and cookies waiting for them, always the most giving and
loving person she’d ever met. Then she could sit on the front porch
and sketch the scene from her dream. Grace and Sammy would analyze
it with her.
“The parade starts in ten minutes. Here.”
Avery tossed a granola bar onto Gaby’s lap. “Don’t want you little
juniors to miss my coronation with Alexander by my side as
king.”
Gaby looked up to judgmental eyes. A dozen
plus students stared down at her, the moment when everyone decided
if this was gossip worthy or not. The news of her episode would
spread faster than coastal winds sweeping through Kemp, Florida
during a hurricane.
So much for fleeing to the comfort of
Grace’s home and arms, she had to stay or draw suspicion to her
issues
once again.
“All right. Show’s over.” Sammy shooed the
crowd away.
Only Avery remained with one hand on her
hip. “I don’t buy it. One day Alexander’s gonna see you for the
freak you are.” She turned, flipped her bleached hair over her
shoulder and marched away.
Sammy helped Gaby walk, but her legs felt
like foreign objects being propelled by her butt muscles. Her knees
threatened to buckle. Gaby scanned the football field looking for
Alexander, but he was nowhere in sight. Good, he’d just hover over
her and worry. “She’s right.”
“Who?”
“Avery … I
am
a freak.” Gaby
concentrated on each step and pushed from Sammy to walk
independently.
“You are not.” Sammy’s perfect white teeth
shone bright, but her gaze drifted away from Gaby.
“The vision. It was worse this time. The
pain, it felt like my skin was on fire. I smelled burning trees and
flesh.” Gaby gagged at the memory. “Everything was intensified
compared to my normal visions.” Maybe she should have stayed on the
little green happy pills. At least they kept the visions away. No,
she needed to embrace the visions if she was going to help stop the
demonic war on Earth. She needed to suck it up and stay strong.
“It’ll be okay.” Sammy stroked her head and
wiped the sweat from Gaby’s forehead. “We’ll be by your side every
step of the way. Don’t worry—”
The music blared over the loud speaker.
Everyone darted about in a frenzy. Gaby grasped a bar and pulled
herself onto the trailer, careful to step over the tissue covered
castle pieces they’d worked so hard on. The other juniors, in their
various Sleeping Beauty garb, hung around the other end of the
float. The other fairy, Bree, jumped up and waved before joining
her boyfriend in back.
Gaby’s heart raced at the first sight of
Alexander helping Avery onto the senior float. If only she’d been a
year older. A twinge of heat rolled over her body at seeing them
together. There was no reason to feel threatened. She knew
Alexander loved her, and he was too smart to fall for Avery’s
tricks. Yet, doubt fluttered, nipping at her stomach.
“I’m going demon on Avery if she doesn’t get
her hands off my boyfriend.”
“Relax. My brother only has eyes for you.”
Sammy raised her arm and waved at the crowd.
She was right. “Sorry, this demon blood’s
like eternal PMS. I’m a freak of nature. A new definition of
mutt.”
“You’re not technically demon, you’ve just
got some demon blood in you from Forras’ attack, and he’s dead now.
Besides, your mother was an angel and your father a hunter.”
“As I said, mutt.”
Sammy sighed, “Look cheerful. You’re a
cheerleader.”
How did Sammy always look so happy? Even her
short brown hair bounced with every step. Maybe it was part of
being an earthbound angel. A never-ending supply of patience came
with her wings.
The float jerked as the procession around
the field began. Students filled up the steps to find their seats
on the bleachers. A sea of blue and silver with everyone dressed
for school spirit. The other side full of green and yellow letter
jackets and face paint. A boy danced around. “Look at the fairies.”
Did he not realize he looked just as ridiculous mocking us? It was
a right of passage, both sides shouting hisses and boos at one
another.
Gaby lifted her hand in the patented beauty
contestant wave and flashed a bright smile, her gaze fixed on
Alexander. She had every reason to be happy. The last few months
had been magical with Alexander, Sammy, and Grace. But it wouldn’t
remain that way. The demonic war loomed in the near future and she
needed to figure out how to stop it, or she’d lose everything.
Avery clung to Alexander’s arm, her other
hand waved at the crowd. Gaby’s legs shook under her. “I don’t feel
cheerful. She needs to find her own blond hair, blue eyed, beach
God. Cause Alexander’s mine. And if she’s Homecoming Queen and he’s
King, I’m gonna shove this wand—”
“Jealous much?” Sammy teased.
“No.” Gaby’s face grew hot. Why did she feel
this way? She needed to get a grip. She’d never been this out of
control jealous.
The float beneath them jolted forward, her
stomach rolled from the smell of concession stand food and her
earlier vision. The sun was setting, and a distant flash caught her
eye. Heat lightening? Thunder cracked in the background. With her
hand pressed to her belly, she glanced upward. Clouds were forming
a few miles out in the ocean. Hopefully the parade would end before
another storm moved in from the Gulf.
“Maybe I should go back to homeschooling
myself. No one truly knows what sort of powers I’ll have. I should
concentrate on training instead of school dances and
cheerleading.”
“Gaby, all you’ve ever wanted was to attend
school. You can’t—”
“I know. It’s just…if I’d get my crazy
attitude under control. I’ve never been so…so—”