Taking Angels (The Angel Crusades) (24 page)

Allister wants me to tell you he loves you, no matter what
happens. If you wouldn’t be in peril, he would sacrifice
his life to see you one more time.

I stopped on the stairs, contemplating going back
and telling Kendal it was off. The thought of seeing
Allister one more time before I died appealed to me, but I
couldn’t let my desires outweigh my love for him. With
me gone he could live on and I would be where I should
have been since that day on the river’s edge, dead.

Jeep.
“Yeah.”
“For good, he’s leaving for good?” Elisa couldn’t

hide her enthusiasm.
“For good. You don’t need to sleep over anymore,
unless you want to.” I forced a smile. “Can you drop me
off at home, I’m kind of tired?”
Gabe sat waiting on the hood of his car as we
pulled up. He slid down and walked over as I jumped out.
Trish pulled away and I waved.
“Not staying here tonight?” he asked.
“No, no need.” I walked past him without
stopping.
“Why is that?”
“I told Kendal to leave Grand Rapids.”
“You what?”
“I told him to leave.”
“And he listened to you?”
“Yep, sorry but you’ll have to hunt him down on
your own now.”
“No problem, although I’m a little surprised he’d
listen to you. Even if he is in love with you,” he added
when he caught my expression.
“So that’s it.” I stopped at the base of our porch
steps and turned to him, extending my hand.
“What’s it?” he looked at my hand as if it was
some hideous tentacle.
“You can go and chase down Kendal on your
own. I’m done with it.”
“You don’t care he nearly killed Cassie?”
“Of course I do, but I have to get him out of here
so Bastion doesn’t find me and hurt everyone I love.”
He stared at me, incredulous, then turned and
stormed off. He slammed his car door and sped, as much
as a Focus can speed, down the street.

I rushed inside. Details, details, I needed to get the
details for tonight set so I didn’t forget anything. I started
by taking out some paper and sitting down at my desk.

Dear Three Amigos,
I know you will be upset with my decision, but I
hope someday you will understand I do this for love. Love
of you and Allister. Bastion is closing in and if he finds
me, he will surely want to eliminate you three to keep his
secrets.
I do this for Allister, to keep him alive, not giving
Bastion any evidence to use against Allister to put him to
death. He created me out of love and I am giving up my
life out of love as well. I don’t regret the past months he
allowed me to feel alive again. I treasure every minute the
three of us spent together, time I never could have had
without Allister’s gift. So please, don’t cry for me, my life
is what I always hoped for. I have the love of someone I
love with all my heart and I have the love and friendship
of the best friends any girl could wish for.

I wiped the tears from my eyes and cheeks,
dabbed them off the paper, and folded it in half. I planned
to ask Kendal to leave this at Trish’s house afterwards.

The rest of the evening I gathered some things
together, placing them out for easy discovery. Lockets,
rings, and other jewelry I deemed precious. I held the
locket I picked out for Angelina on that fateful shopping
trip to Duluth, in front of my face. The intertwined hearts
with the words
sisters forever
gleamed back at me. I
sadly set it on my dresser. I took the ring I bought for
Allister and rubbed my thumb against the shiny surface of
the black onyx stone set in gold. On the back it said:
Eternally Yours, Britt.
I set the ring next to Angelina’s
necklace and turned away, not wanting to feel the agony
looking at them brought me anymore.

I stared out my window waiting for Kendal as the
sun set, bringing my last day to a close. Much calmer
than I thought I’d be.

“So you’re really going to go through with it?”
Kendal’s voice came from behind me.
I jumped out of my chair, spinning to face him.
“Yes.”
“Allister is a lucky man to have you love him so
deeply you’re willing to sacrifice your own life to
preserve his.”
“I’m the lucky one,” I said truthfully.
“Are you ready for this?”
“One thing.” I held up my letter to the girls.
“Could you leave this at Trish’s house once it’s over?”
“Now I’m a delivery boy?” he raised an eyebrow.
I looked at him, unblinking.
“Fine.” He took it and shoved it into the front
pocket of his jeans.
“Okay.” I stood, inhaling deeply.
“I need one thing first,” he said.
I looked up at him, my nerves creeping closer to
the surface, threatening to break free and shatter my stoic
facade. “What?”
“I want a kiss.”
“Huh?”
“A kiss. I want you to kiss me first. Then I’ll do
it.”
I looked away from his expectant gaze. Did I want
the last lips I touched to be those of a killer? My killer?
“If you don’t, I won’t.” He sensed my hesitation.
“Fine,” I sighed. “But just a little one. Don’t get
any big ideas.” I narrowed my eyes at him and he nodded.
Uneasy, I stepped close to him. His breath
brushed against my forehead as he stared down at me. I
looked up. His eyes were dark and hard, nothing like
Allister’s brilliant blue. I closed my eyes, trying to push
away the reality of who I kissed, thinking only of Allister.
His lips touched mine, soft and gentle, not like I
expected. They pressed harder against mine, his passion
pushing into me; his desire washing over me. If it were
anyone else maybe it would be pleasant, enjoyable, but
the knowledge that the lips pressing mine belonged to
Kendal sent any hints of those feelings into an empty
abyss inside of me, never to have meaning or purpose.
After long enough, I opened my eyes and pulled
away. Kendal stood motionless, eyes still closed, not
willing to come out of his moment. He finally opened his
eyes to look sadly at me.
He nodded. “Are you ready?”
“Yes,” I whispered. I closed my eyes as Kendal
drew his hand back to plunge into my chest and rip my
heart from me. “I love you Allister,” I whispered my last
words to him.
“No,” a voice cried out.
My eyes flew open in time to see Gabe shoot a
bolt of energy from his hand into Kendal’s chest. The
Eternal convulsed and staggered backwards. Kendal
regained his balance, lunging for me where I stood frozen
in shock. As his thrusting hand grew closer to my chest
another blast of energy hit him, driving him into the
closet doors. The doors pulled off their hinges on impact
and toppled to the floor with Kendal.
Gabe shoved me out of the way, rushing to the
fallen Eternal as he struggled to get up. Gabe raised his
fist over his head and it glowed with energy. With
incredible force he sent it down, plunging it into Kendal’s
chest. Instead of pulling Kendal’s heart out like I
expected, Gabe kept his fist inside the man’s chest.
Kendal looked at me with eyes filled with sorrow. Even
as he faced his end, I somehow knew he sympathized for
me and what I needed to face now that he could no longer
help me. I watched energy glowing within Kendal and
then he shimmered and was gone, though not before a
glowing mist-like vapor rose from him.
The vapor from the Eternal rose above me,
settling over me as my back arched convulsively, my toes
coming off the floor as I floated above the ground. The
mist hovered above me for a moment and then drove
straight into me violently. I screamed in pain. Slowly my
body lowered back to the floor and I lay panting for air as
the pain echoed through me.
Gabe knelt by my side. “Britt, what’s wrong, did
he hurt you?”
I couldn’t respond, the pain so enveloped me my
thoughts couldn’t form into whole words. I gasped for air,
my lungs burning. My breath came in short siphons
instead of the large gulps I needed. A flash of light
blinded me and then the room went dark. I lay still, the
pain gone, but afraid I’d bring it back with any sudden
movement. I looked around, trying to discern any
identifiable shapes. A moan came from across the room
and I saw a figure rise up. I knew Kendal was gone; it
had to be Gabe.
Gabe inched closer on his hands and knees until
he reached me. Putting a hand on my arm he leaned close
enough I could see his face in the pale light filtering in
through the window from the street below.
“What did you do?” I was crying.
“What?”
“Why did you stop him?” I sobbed. “He was my
last chance to save Allister.”
“What are you saying?” He leaned away from me.
“I
wanted
him to kill me, to keep Bastion from
taking me to Greece and sentencing Allister to death,” I
said between jagged sobs.
Gabe didn’t make a sound. Not a sigh, not a gasp,
nothing to indicate he still sat there.
“Gabe?” I said when my cries subsided.
“I’m here,” he answered.
“I’m sorry I disappointed you,” I whispered.
“Is that what you think?” he inched closer to me
so I could see his face again. Pain etched his features.
“Then what?”
“I’m saddened you would rather die to preserve
Allister’s life, than perhaps eventually live a life with
me.”
“Gabe,” I started. He put a finger to my lips.
“I pray someday I will find a love as pure as
Allister has.”
I reached up, put a hand behind his head and
pulled him down to me. Placing my head next to his, I
wrapped my arms around him and held him tight.
When he pulled away there was a curious
expression on his face.
“What?”
“Britt, you’ve changed.”
“Changed?”
“Can I touch you?”
“Yeah.” I gave him a “duh,” look. Like he hadn’t
just been doing that very thing.
He reached over, touching my face and my chest
as before. I couldn’t see his face in the shadows as he
leaned forward in concentration, but his body went rigid
next to me. He pulled back, obscured in the darkness
while I waited.
“Well,” I prompted when he didn’t volunteer any
information.
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Just tell me the truth.”
“I don’t know the truth,” he whispered.
Fear grabbed me, threatening to suffocate me. If
an angel didn’t know what I was, then who did? “I’m not
an Eternal anymore?”
“Yes Britt, I still sense the Eternal in you, but…”
“But what?” I clenched my eyes closed, bracing
for what was to follow.
“Your soul and your guardian angel are inside you
again.”
“My what?” My eyes flew open with shock.
“I sense your soul and guardian angel have fused
into one like before, only now their parts are equal. You
have the essence of the angel, though not the angel itself.
And you still have the traits of the Eternal you were while
your soul is intact.”
“So what kind of freak does that make me?”
“An Eternal and an angel, I guess,” Gabe spoke
softly.
I couldn’t speak. My attempt to protect Allister
had backfired, changing me into the thing the Eternals
condemned. A monstrosity, an abomination; something
that never should be.
“Kill me,” I pleaded.
“What?” Gabe said, his voice wavering.
“Kill me, I need to be gone from this world so
Allister can live.”
“I can’t,” Gabe answered, his voice hoarse.
“Just do it, for me. If you have any feelings for
me, do this, please. I’m begging you.”
“I didn’t say I wouldn’t kill you, though I
definitely will not. What I said is I can’t kill you.”
“That makes absolutely no sense.”
“Even if I was willing, I don’t have the power to
kill you.”
“You killed Kendal and he’s an Eternal. I’m part
Eternal, so kill me,” I argued.
“The way I killed Kendal won’t work on you. My
power enters an Eternal and fills the empty space where
his soul should be. It expands and destroys him, from the
inside out. That’s how we kill Eternals.”
“So, go ahead, do it to me,” I pressured him.
“Britt, aren’t you hearing anything I’m saying?
You have a soul
and
the essence of a guardian angel. I
can’t kill you like other Eternals because there is no void.
And in your case, you are also an angel. The only thing
more impossible to kill than an Eternal, is an angel.”
“But Kendal killed guardian angels,” I argued.
“Eternals absorb guardian angels and, as you saw,
when the Eternal is killed the angels are released.”
“So all those people Kendal killed, their guardian
angels are back to guide their souls to eternity?”
“That’s right. All those lost souls are no longer
lost. They will be guided by their guardian angels to the
afterlife now, as it is meant to be.”
“So you’re saying I’m indestructible now?”
“No, but pretty near.” Gabe shrugged.
“Aw,” I moaned. My only chance and I blew it,
no, more than blew it. I just became an indestructible
piece of evidence where before I was merely a piece of
evidence. I’d just condemned Allister to certain death.
“I know you wanted to save Allister, and you still
can by staying ahead of Bastion. Draw him away from
here to protect your family and friends,” Gabe suggested.
Right. The most important thing now is to protect
my friends and family. Plan one didn’t work out the way
I’d wanted, but plan two could still work. Even if it meant
I needed to leave and never come back.
“What if Bastion finds out and still comes here
when I’m gone?”
“We need him to see you and then give chase
while we lead him away from here,” Gabe explained.
“We?” I frowned.
“You didn’t think I would leave you to face this
alone, did you?”
“I guess I don’t know the schedule of an Avenging
Angel.” I sniffed.
“I’m pretty busy, but I’ll make time for you.” He
forced a grin.
“Okay then,” I sighed laying back, collecting what
rational thoughts I could. Maybe Gabe would show me
what I could do as an angel before I left.

I slept like a baby that night. With Kendal gone
the nightmares of seeing angels sucked out of people
stopped. I woke the next morning refreshed and happier
than I’d been in a long time. My room showed no signs of
the battle from the night before, thanks to Gabe. Saying a
silent thank you, I strolled down to the kitchen as Mom
and Dad sat at the kitchen table.

“Hey.” I greeted them, happy to see their faces
after I’d mentally said good bye.
“Don’t you look happy this morning.” Mom
smiled.
“It seems you’re looking forward to the
weekend?” Dad asked.
“Yeah, sure.” I grinned. Maybe it could have
something to do with being whole again.
“What do you have planned?”
“I’m hanging out with a guy I met at ICC in
Calculus class last week. His name is Gabe.”
“It’s good to see you moving on,” Dad said and
drew a glare from Mom. “Oh, I mean I like Allister and
all, but if he isn’t around, you shouldn’t sit in your room
and pine for him either.”
“Yeah, thanks Dad. Gabe is just a friend.”
“Sure, friends are good. Go hang out, have fun.”
He turned red as he struggled to dig himself out of the
hole he’d dug.
“Have a good day.” Mom’s smile disappeared as
she turned to Dad.
I walked out the door, laughing despite myself as I
heard Mom rip into him. Poor Dad.
Gabe sat on the hood of his car and slid off when I
stepped outside. He smiled and my insides turned over.
What? I needed to focus. I needed to get away from
Grand Rapids and draw Bastion with me. For Allister.
Focus. Focus.
“Hey,” Gabe said.
“Uh, hi.”
“I think I found them.”
He looked at me when I spun on him.
“Already?”
“They’re in a little town about thirty miles from
here, Nashwauk.”
“Yeah, I know it.” I nodded. I walked around to
the passenger side of his car and stopped, waiting for him
to get in. I looked at him questioningly.
“What?” he asked.
“We going?”
“I thought we might see if you could ‘travel.’”
“If we get in the car, we can travel a lot faster.” I
replied sarcastically.
“No, I mean
travel
,” he repeated. “The way angels
go from place to place.”
“Like shimmering?”
“What the Eternals do is much more limited. They
only jump from one place to another. We can go
anywhere we want.” He smiled at my amazed expression.
“Do you think I can?”
“Only one way to know. Try.”
He disappeared and then appeared next to me. I
jumped with a start.
“How did you do that?”
“Think of where you want to go, and you go.” He
shrugged.
No big deal, for him. I still didn’t know how the
Eternals shimmered, even though I’d ridden along with
Allister a few times. I stood there, not sure I could do
this.
“Okay, let’s try,” I sighed.
“I will ride with you. Tell me where we’re going,
and then I’ll help if you stray.” He placed his hands on
my shoulders and I tensed under his touch. “Relax. You’ll
do fine.”
It wasn’t the traveling I worried about. His touch
made me feel safe, comfortable. My mind, still loyal to
Allister, rebelled.
“Picture the sign outside the town.”
“I’m thinking of the sign outside of Nashwauk.
Now what?”
“Concentrate on it and you’ll be there.”
I closed my eyes, picturing the sign in my mind
and telling myself I wanted to go there and touch the
sign. I wanted to be in Nashwauk. No tingling, no
fluttering, just one second we stood beside Gabe’s car and
the next we stood in front of the sign.
“Oh my God,” I gasped, lurching forward before I
caught myself.
“Cool, huh?” Gabe grinned.
“I can go anywhere like that?”
“Anywhere as long as you can picture it.”
“What if I picture a field that is a building now?
Will I end up in the wall or something?”
“You watch too many movies.” He laughed. “You
will not be able to appear in a wall or anything like that.
You will move to the next available space, that’s all.”
“Good to know,” I said.
“Bastion and his goons are staying at a little motel
on the north edge of town. We could just kill them.”
“Would they send more?” I asked, not liking the
idea of killing anyone…even Bastion.
“More than likely.”
“Then we need to be sure they follow us out of the
area and keep them coming after us until the council
decides to pass judgment on Allister. Without me as
evidence …” I looked at Gabe.
“They should sentence him to life in prison.” He
nodded.
“That’s my goal then,” I said.
He extended his hand and I looked down at it, not
taking it.
“I know the location. You wouldn’t want to
appear in the middle of their room, would you?”
“No, that wouldn’t be good.”
I took his hand and we instantly stood on a hill of
ore filings overlooking a small motel. Three black
Mercedes sat in the lot and a few men stood around
smoking cigarettes. I suppose, if you could never die,
why wouldn’t you smoke?
“I counted a dozen including Bastion,” Gabe said.
“What do you suggest?”
“Pull your car in at that entrance.” He pointed to
the entrance furthest from our position. “Then drive by
like you’re looking for someone. Once they see you, act
surprised and make a run for it.”
“Then what?”
“We take them north, towards Canada. We get
across the line and dump the car and travel somewhere
they will never look, like Mexico.” He grinned, proud of
his plan.
“Canada again?” I groaned.
“Something wrong with Canada?” Gabe asked
raising an eyebrow.
“Kendal took me to Canada when he kidnapped
me for Bastion. What is it with you people and Canada?”
“Don’t lump me into ‘you people,’ but the
wilderness in Canada gives our kind freedom of doing
what we want without being seen. Plus it’s close.”
“Sorry…makes sense,” I said ashamed I included
him with the likes of Kendal and Bastion.
“Forgiven, but we need to act fast.”
“Let’s get ready and do it tomorrow then,” I said.
“It has to be tonight,” he said. “We know where
they are and the location is perfect.”
“I wanted to say goodbye to everyone,” I argued.
“Tell your parents you’re leaving, but tell the girls
you’re leading Bastion away. How long could that take?”
“Fine.”
“See you back at your place,” he said and
disappeared.
“Great,” I sighed. Now I have to race an angel; I
rolled my eyes.
I concentrated on my house and it appeared before
me. Or did I appear before it? Hard to tell.
Gabe’s Focus already sputtered down the street
and I turned to the one thing I didn’t relish. Not in the
least. I stood looking at the house, knowing what
followed wasn’t going to be pleasant. I walked into the
kitchen, my parents still sitting at the table drinking
coffee.
They looked up at me as I walked in the kitchen.
“What’s up, Britt?” Dad asked.
“I’m going away for a while.” I braced for their
reaction, raising astonished eyebrows as they both
nodded.
“We knew you would eventually want to go after
Allister,” Mom said, a little sad.
“It was just a matter of time,” Dad agreed with a
tired smile.
“But, how?”
“We’ve noticed something different about you
since the accident,” Mom explained. “And then when you
and Cassie were attacked, you going from near death to
not a scratch just confirmed it for us.”
“Confirmed what?”
“You’re something beyond us,” Dad said, pain in
his voice. “We understand there are things in this world
we will never fully comprehend and we’re guessing
you’re a part of something bigger than us. It explains how
we got you back when we were losing you. Before the
accident.”
Tears warmed my eyes. “I wish I could explain,
but that would only put you and Mom in danger.”
“Allister is in the center of all of this, isn’t he?”
Dad questioned. “And you love him?”
“Yes, I love him and he is smack dab in the
center.” I nodded.
“Your Father and I know what it’s like to be in
love, Britt,” Mom said, surprising me.
“We don’t approve, but we do understand.” Dad
nodded. “Just try to be safe and call us when you can.”
“I will.”
“Gabe going with you?” Dad asked.
“Yeah, for a while at least.”
“Good, it’s safer than traveling alone,” he said.
I went over and hugged them both, shocked by
their understanding and calmness. I guess the last few
months had changed more than me. After giving them
one last squeeze, I ran upstairs and gathered my things.
Throwing them into a duffle bag, I carried them
downstairs and dished out another round of hugs.
“Got your phone?” Mom asked.
I raised my hand holding the phone and she
nodded.
“Here.” Dad handed me some money in a roll
bound by a rubber band. “Call if you need more. We’ll
see what we can spare.”
I hugged him tightly around his neck and stepped
back as he wiped tears from his eyes.
“I guess my watch is over,” he said sadly. “I hope
Gabe knows what he’s doing.”
“He does, trust me, he does,” I said, wiping my
own cheeks.
I pulled them both into one last hug and
whispered, “I love you both.” Then stepped back.
“We love you too,” they said in unison.
I rushed out the door, hoping the pain I felt would
be left behind as the door closed after me, but no such
luck. The sick feeling in my gut hung there like a lead
burrito. I went to Gabe’s waiting Focus as he popped the
trunk and hopped out. Before I threw my bag into the
trunk I stopped, looking over my shoulder at Allister’s
Camaro.
Changing directions, I pulled the keys out of my
pocket and unlocked it with a beep of the security system.
I popped the trunk and moved around to drop my bag in.
Slamming the trunk shut, I saw Gabe staring at me, a
shocked expression on his face.
“If you think I’m going to run for my life in that
piece of shit, you’re nuts. We wouldn’t stay ahead of
them for a mile.”
He grinned and walked over to the passenger side
of the car while I went around to the driver’s side and slid
in. The engine popped off right away, surprising me after
sitting for so long, and we drove over to Elisa’s house.
Elisa opened the door, surprise on her face seeing
me and Gabe standing there.
“What, is it Kendal again?”
“No, Kendal is gone, but we have to leave.” I
turned my eyes so I didn’t have to see the pain fill hers.
“You’re leaving, Britt?”
“We have to lead Bastion away from here,” Gabe
said when I couldn’t speak.
“When are you coming back?”
“I, I…don’t know if I am.” My eyes met hers and
they locked, unable to move away. Tears blurred my view
of her face and I saw her wipe her own cheeks.
“So this is it? Goodbye and maybe we’ll meet up
again someday?” Elisa sniffled.
“I guess so,” I said with a jerky sob.
Elisa threw herself at me, wrapping her arms
tightly around my neck and squeezing me until I thought
I would burst. “I love you Britt Anderson,” she whispered
in my ear.
“I love you too.”
We leaned back, still with our arms around each
other, looking deeply into the other’s eyes and seeing the
resolve to never forget.
I gave a nod which she returned and we stepped
apart. I hesitated for a moment, turned awkwardly, and
walked down the steps to the waiting car. Gabe stood on
the steps for a moment longer, nodding as Elisa spoke to
him and then he turned and walked back to climb into the
Camaro as I sat waiting.