Rebel Angel: A Sainted Sinners Novel (16 page)

“
W
e’re driving
to the park?” Aurora asked Ezra as they got ready to leave the safe house late that evening.

Ezra glanced at her, adjusting where his sword lay against his back.

“We’re hitching a ride,” he said. “I don’t want to endanger anyone else, but we can’t take down Belial and Armeros alone.”

Aurora nodded, fidgeting with the two golden knives sheathed on each of her thighs. She’d only fought with them a couple of times, but Ezra’s gift had proved vital at the Sea of Lights.

She could only hope they would be so lucky today.

“Here,” Ezra said, stopping her. He knelt before her, adjusting the sheaths at her thighs.

She flushed and warmed at the intimate contact, though they’d only left Ezra’s bed an hour before. Looking down at his bowed head, her fingers itched to stroke his hair. They’d kissed, quick and heated, just before she left to shower and dress for the fight.

Now, it seemed that Ezra had turned his thoughts to the oncoming battle. His fingers might have lingered a little as he righted her knives, but soon he was on his feet again, all business.

“Ezra,” she said, stopping him as he moved toward the front door.

He looked back at her without a word.

“I feel like I should say something,” she said, wringing her hands.

His face was a mask, unreadable and blank.

“I don’t want anything from you,” he said. Her heart started to sink, but he cleared his throat and clarified. “Not before the battle, when you think we’re going to die. If you still have something to say after that, we can revisit this later.”

Humbled, Aurora sucked in a deep breath.

“I know. Just… thank you,” she said.

He was still for a moment, then he nodded. “We should go.”

He ushered her out the front door. The late evening air was surprisingly cool, given the season.

A car horn honked, and Ezra looked at her expectantly. “That’s our ride, I think.”

They walked around the side of the yard to the front of the house. Parked at the curb was a cotton candy pink Mercedes convertible, a stunning blonde behind the wheel. A handsome blond man was in the passenger seat beside her, looking annoyed.

The woman looked right at them, grinned, and honked the horn twice more. “Come
on
!”

Aurora looked at Ezra. “Does she know what we’re doing?”

“Better not to ask. Try not to talk to her, if you can help it.”

The blonde looked Aurora up and down as they walked up to the car, then winked at Ezra.

“Hiya, handsome,” she said.

Aurora couldn’t decide if her accent was British or just rich and snotty. Wherever she was from, she was stunning. Big blue eyes, a perfect face that any supermodel would kill for. What little Aurora could see of her outfit was white and skintight, and it looked suspiciously like a designer dress.

“Stella, Lucan,” Ezra said, inclining his head.

“You must be Aurora,” Stella said.

Aurora just nodded, letting Stella stare her fill. Lucan seemed disinterested, almost antsy, if someone that big and muscular could fit the term.

“You’re cute,” Stella said, seemingly satisfied. “Climb in.”

Ezra helped Aurora in one side of the convertible’s backseat, then hopped in to sit next to her. Before he was even fully in the seat, Stella pulled off with a squeal of tires.

Stella gunned the convertible through the streets, taking turns at top speed. Aurora nearly swallowed her tongue. Unable to find a seatbelt, she reached over and gripped Ezra’s hand. He glanced at her, then shook her hand off, only to move over and slide his arm around her shoulders.

In the front seat, Lucan didn’t flinch, appearing bored with the whole thing.

They hit a straightaway near the park and Stella floored it.

“Woooohoooo!” she shouted as they zoomed down the road, the lush greenery of City Park rising in the distance.

Luckily, with Stella’s tactical driving, they were out of the car and on foot less than two minutes later. Ezra helped Aurora out again; apparently no one got in and out of Stella’s driver’s side door but Stella.

“That was a blast,” Stella said.

She opened the door and got out, proving Aurora’s suspicions right. She wore a tight white sheath dress and sky-high red heels. For all her dramatic good looks, Aurora found it funny that Stella was barely taller than five feet.

“Aurora!”

Aurora turned to see Vesper trotting toward her, Kirael in tow. Vesper’s dark hair was long and flowing, and she wore jeans rather than her usual leather battle gear. Clearly Vesper and Stella weren’t actually walking into the fight tonight.

“Hi,” Aurora said, a little confused by Vesper’s presence.

Vesper threw her arms around Aurora, surprising her with a hard hug. When Vesper released her, she pulled a face.

“I made Kirael bring me, just so I can apologize. I’ve been going nuts since you and Ezra left,” she said, glancing at Ezra for a moment. She dropped her voice to a whisper. “Is he being nice to you?”

Aurora couldn’t help a smile at that. “Perfectly.”

“I really had no idea that you’d be in so much danger,” Vesper said, her eyes big and sincere. “I can’t apologize enough, I’m so so sorry.”

Aurora patted her hand. “It’s forgotten.”

“Well…” Vesper said, stepping back with a sigh. “I brought something for you. Hopefully it will help.”

She untied a velvet pouch from her belt, holding it out to Aurora.

“Super, super fragile,” she said.

“Are these the orbs?” Aurora asked.

“You bet. They’re pretty simple to use. Grab them, smash them on the person you want to trap. Don’t miss,” Vesper said, her quirky humor shining through.

“Right,” Aurora said. “I think I can remember that.”

“I put four of them in there, just in case,” Vesper said. “They’re like a zillion dollars apiece, but I want you to crush it tonight. No pun intended.”

She winked, and Aurora nodded. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

“Maybe we can like… hang out,” Vesper said, getting a little awkward. “You know, once you don’t die.”

Aurora laughed. “I wouldn’t hate that.”

“Okay,” Vesper said, turning to look at Kirael. “Kirael is going in with you. Don’t let anything happen to him.”

Aurora gave her a salute, making Vesper grin.

Kirael came over and grabbed Vesper’s wrist, towing her back to the black Range Rover they’d arrived in. Vesper waved one more time, then hopped in the car and left.

“So…” Aurora said, looking to Ezra. “What happens now?”

“Well, Stella is here to help lure Belial out into the open.”

Aurora squinted at Stella, but didn’t say much. She didn’t know the blonde’s back story, but Ezra’s word was good enough for Aurora.

“Lucan’s here for Stella,” Ezra continued. A glance at Lucan showed his complete distaste for the whole venture, or maybe for being around Stella. He was like a big, silent wall of stone, no clues to be found.

“And I’m here to back you guys up,” Kirael said. “The Alpha Guardians are also here, patrolling the park to keep bystanders out of the blast radius, so to speak.”

“Right,” Aurora said. “Ezra, you leaked the location of a meeting I’m supposedly having?”

“You’re consulting an oracle,” Ezra said. “That’s the rumor going around. In reality, the oracle will be one of the witnesses we’ve got stashed around the park. Watching, waiting. I promised them quite a show.”

“Okay. So… I just walk out there, stand, and wait?” she asked.

Ezra gave her a sharp look. “It’s your plan, Aurora.”

“I know,” she said, giving herself a shake. “Okay. Okay.”

Kirael looked at Lucan and Stella. “Let’s, uh, go take our places.”

Stella smirked and Lucan scowled, but they both allowed Kirael to lead them off into the park.

Leaving Aurora and Ezra alone for a few final moments. They looked at one another, both seemingly at a loss for words. Aurora was brimming with the need to touch him, thank him, beg him to be careful.

He turned toward her, and she threw herself at him, flinging her arms around her neck. Pressing her lips to his, she gave him a quick, fierce kiss.

When they broke apart, she looked up at him, breathless.

“Don’t die,” she said, keeping it as simple as she could.

Ezra’s lips curled up. “I’ll do my best.”

She took a step back, then another, then turned and left him. Jogging out to the big open area they’d previously laid out as the battleground, she found a central spot and stayed put.

Minutes ticked by, nothing more exciting happening than the soft chirp of crickets. A single lonely streetlight stood nearby, casting a sickly green glow across the ground.

As promised, the Alpha Guardians were keeping all pedestrians away, so the whole place was still. After ten minutes, Aurora started to lose her nerve, wondering if Armeros and Belial would even show.

Maybe she was crazy, maybe neither of them was really hunting Nulls in the first place. Maybe…

Behind her, she heard the sound of feet hitting the ground. Spinning, she saw a towering pair of glossy black wings. Their owner, a lithely handsome blonde man in a black suit, strode toward her with a wicked grin on his face.

Her hands dropped to her knives, but he held his hands up, indicating that he meant no harm.

“I’ve been looking all over for you, darling,” he said, his subtle British accent reminding Aurora of Stella’s.

“Uhhh… who are you?” she asked, playing along.

“Your best friend. Your worst nightmare. Your future lover,” he said with a shrug. “Depends on you, Aurora.”

“My mother told me not to talk to strangers,” she said, glancing around.

For the plan to work, she needed Armeros to arrive and challenge Belial. Since apparently the angel couldn’t be bothered to be on time, she’d need to stall for a few moments.

“Ah, speaking of your family,” Belial said. He strolled in a circle around her, forcing her to keep turning so as not to give him her back. “I heard about your little adventure at Aragoth’s. Nasty business, slaying a demon that big.”

“I wouldn’t know,” she said.

“Oh, come now,” he sighed. “There’s really no need for games. Lies are my area of expertise, after all.”

“You still haven’t told me your name,” she said.

He smirked. “Belial. I think you might know that, though. Stella tipped me off that you’d be here, but she was a bit evasive about the details. I think she might be trying to fuck me over, but I can’t for the life of me figure out why. Why would she help
you
?”

“I don’t know who that is,” she lied.

“Ah ah ah! Don’t bother lying.”

A rustling sound had them both craning their heads. Armeros landed without preamble, striding straight toward Aurora.

“I wouldn’t do that,” Belial called, stopping the angel short.

Armeros looked from Belial to Aurora, then bared his teeth.

“Treasonous bitch,” the angel hissed. “I’ll strike you both dead.”

“Not if I kill you first,” Belial said, not batting an eye.

The two leaned forward ever so slightly, dark and white wings braced against the sky. Aurora only realized a moment before they moved that she should get out of their way, scrambling backward.

The angel and the Fallen collided like a thunderclap, grappling and growling before flying apart. Out of the corner of Aurora’s eye, she saw the members of her group approaching from all sides.

Kirael and Lucan moved silently, but Stella strode straight into the fray without a moment’s hesitation.

Belial saw her and went pale. “Princess.”

“Oh, Belial… I think we have some catching up to do,” Stella said, giving him a dazzlingly cruel smile. “You’ve been very, very bad—”

Stella was cut off when Armeros lunged at her, tackling her to the ground.

“Spawn of Satan!” Armeros howled.

Belial didn’t waste a single second, rising to come after Aurora. Aurora’s heart thudded and she fumbled for the orbs, but Belial was coming at her too fast.

Kirael and Ezra appeared on either side of her, and Belial slowed for a split second. Then he pivoted and went after Kirael, moving so fast that he slammed into Kirael and sent him soaring skyward over the trees.

Belial rose, shedding his jacket, and turned toward Ezra and Aurora. Across the clearing, Stella shrieked in pain and stumbled back from Armeros, a dagger through her chest.

Lucan bellowed with rage, releasing his wings. He scooped Stella up and carried her away. Armeros turned and headed for Belial with a manic grin.

Belial shifted and avoided the angel, the two circling each other like jackals, ready to go for the kill. When Armeros circled close to Aurora, he turned and ran toward her. Aurora raised her sword, thinking of how hard Armeros had hit Kirael, how easily he’d taken Stella down.

As she took her first step to strike at Armeros, defending herself from the maelstrom of flying angel, Ezra came at him from the side. Thunder cracked again, and Aurora saw the glint of swords flying.

A flash of red; someone was bleeding.

Distracted, she missed Belial’s approach. He snuck up behind her, putting a hand over her mouth and a knife to her neck.

Aurora struggled in his grasp; she’d rather die fighting than let Belial ruin her as he had done to Jackson. Belial turned, muscling her away from the scene with surprising strength.

Then he stumbled, dropping the knife. Aurora jumped away from him and spun; Armeros was bearing down on her, Belial bleeding from a dagger through the neck.

Belial gurgled and clutched at the dagger, a satisfying sight. Aurora raised her sword against Armeros’s onslaught, but again Ezra jumped in, taking the brunt of the angel’s attack.

“Orb them!” Ezra grunted. “Aurora, now!”

She ripped at the pouch, grabbing an orb and flinging it at Armeros. The angel broke from Ezra’s grip and jumped out of the way, and the orb missed Ezra by the barest inch.

Ezra jumped back as Aurora took aim. She powered the orb at Armeros with every ounce of her being, her breath catching in her throat when he flapped his wings and avoided it neatly.

She’d have to get closer. With only two orbs left, she nailed Belial as he wrenched the dagger from his neck, staggering toward Aurora with a determined expression.