The Elementalist (24 page)

66

~Kiss and Make Up~

Claire

Claire, still sore, her neck still bruised and purple from Adam’s attack, sat on her bed, her phone in her hand. She stared at Jamie’s phone number, wanting so much to call him. She needed to fix this rift between them. She needed to explain things and tell him her true feelings. It might change everything, so she hesitated. 

Adam hadn’t appeared since he tried to kill her and Alisa. He probably thought she wasn’t worth it. She was only a dumb human after all. What damage could Claire possibly do at this point? The Fourth Blood Moon was in two days. The fact that it was about to happen on a holy day was astronomical. Especially since it wouldn’t happen again for another five hundred years. And they only had one more day to prepare. Resigning herself to whatever the outcome, she punched in the numbers to Jamie’s cell. He answered on the second ring, sounding out of breath.

“Hey, Jamie.” She squeezed her phone, her hands sweaty, and her heart thumping against her ribs.

“Claire?”

“Um… yeah. Can you come over?”

“Uh, well, I’m kind of busy right now.”

Claire glanced out her bedroom window to his house. His front door opened, and she watched him come out, wearing a white tank top and athletic shorts. His basketball rested against his hip. Even from her window, she could see the sun glistening against his sweaty brow.

“You’re playing basketball.”

“So?” He glanced up, and their eyes met. There was a hard line to his lips, but her heart flipped at the sight. Man, he looked good. She had started to see him in a new light since Alisa showed up whether she wanted to or not. How had she missed all those adorable quirks? How was it possible she’d never noticed the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled?

“Please,” she begged.

She watched him drop his ball and pace in a circle, running his free hand through his sweaty hair. “Fine. But only for a minute. I… I just can’t deal with all the drama in your life anymore, Claire. I just can’t.”

Stunned and hurt, she sat quietly for a moment. His words were too accurate. She did create a lot of drama, but for him to say it straight out like that… well, he’d gotten confident in his bluntness, and she was not used to it. He’d always followed her around like a lost puppy, and the fact that he was actually implying he was done with her, that she may have lost him, created an ache in her chest like she’d never felt before—a totally foreign emotion.

“Okay,” she replied softly and hung up her phone.

She watched him walk reluctantly toward her house. He didn’t bother with the front door, just climbed up the trellis like always, and slipped through her window. He sat on the sill, looking at her with impatience, but she could only stare.

In the evening light, his lashes contrasted with his dusty-blonde hair. His shoulder muscles flexed as he slid the rest of the way inside before he straightened the curtains. He stood before her, so big, so strong, so… beautiful. How come she’d never noticed before? What else had she missed?

“Um… Jamie…”

“I can’t stay long. My mom’s making dinner—”

Before he said another word, she stepped forward and jerked him toward her, their lips meeting forcefully. In his shock, he didn’t even raise his arms to hold her back. She slid her hands up his arms and cradled his face between her palms, pressing her lips to his again.

Finally, he seemed to wake up, his arms wrapping around her, pulling her so close that she struggled to breathe.

“Claire,” he breathed against her mouth.

“I’m so sorry, Jamie.”

He didn’t answer, just reigned kisses on her lips, her eyes, and her cheeks, as though he couldn’t get enough.

“Do you really want to go home?” she whispered into his neck.

“No.”

67

~Back Home~

Alisa

For once, I listened. I went back to Elysium, intending to find Raphael, but what I found instead was not the peaceful, heavenly city, lying on a sleepy, golden hill, but one preparing for war. Angels in battle armor gathered everywhere, brandishing Nephilim weapons.

I was stunned and speechless as I stood at the gates. How would I ever find Raphael in all of this confusion? So many people, so many angels. Dread laid heavy hands on my shoulders at the site, and I felt overwhelmed and unprepared for this… of everyone in white and in armor.

But we had to do something. Bas Iblis and his minions couldn’t win. Raphael had to take back Idir Shaol. We had to set things straight. It was our destiny!

Every part of me began to tingle. I had to find my family. We were going to
do
something!
Finally
. I ran into the city, over the golden paths, completely dismissing the beautiful buildings that surrounded me. I didn’t have time to admire anything.

Most of my relatives lived in a huge mountainous area of Elysium, thick with pine trees and green foliage. It was absolutely breathtaking. The colors, the trees, could not be described because they didn’t even exist on Earth. I loved it, but I didn’t care about the scenery that surrounded me as long as I was with the ones I loved. 

I hope to have a home here with Brecken someday. Oh my gosh! Brecken and I! Here together! That thought stopped me for a moment, and I tried to picture it. A second later, when my mind came back to the present, I realized that running through the streets would not get me home very fast. How stupid. I closed my eyes, picturing the cute little cottage in the hills where Gram and I lived. Within a millisecond, I was there.

Our mansion in the sky was small and cozy. That was how we liked it. We could change it with just a thought, but we were waiting for my mom, dad, and brothers for that. When I walked in, Gram was racing through the house, a baldrick strapped to her waist, sheathing a sword that bounced at her side. She gathered other Nephilim armor I’d never known she possessed.

“What are you doing?” I stood in the doorway, gaping. She was
so
not the warrior type, with her long, flowing hair and slim figure.

She stopped, surprised to see me, and gazed back at me with wide, blue eyes. “Alisa! You’re back! I’m so glad. I’m getting ready for battle.”

“But…”

She faced me squarely, putting her hands on her hips. “Everyone is going to battle.
Everyone.
The demons have gone too far, taking over Idir Shaol. They have usurped the guardianship program, and they are forcing guardians into mortal bodies. To what end, I have no idea.”

“Gram. I was one of those souls, forced into a body.” Did she really not know this? Had it been so long since we’d seen each other or talked about my life? It did seem like an eternity, and she was the one I usually confided in and shared with. How could she not know what I’d been through?

“What?”

Suddenly, I felt utterly exhausted. Too tired to explain, too spent to even think about it. “Didn’t you even notice I was missing? I’ve been gone for ages. Brecken had to rescue me from Gehenna. He saved Raphael too.”

“What!” she cried in disbelief.

“Truly, Gram, I’ve had a terrible time.”

“Oh, darling. I’m so sorry! I did notice you were gone. Of course I did! But I figured you were flitting around Earth like usual. Tell me everything.” She dropped the armor and ran toward me, enveloping me in her healing embrace, the scent of apple pie engulfing me. This feeling, so wonderful, so safe, could bring tears to my eyes if I were able to cry for real. I wrapped my arms around her, basking in her love, soaking in the essence of
her.
After a moment, she pulled away.

“There isn’t really time to talk about it now. It will have to wait, I guess. I do want to hear all about it, but if we don’t act now, we could lose everything we’ve worked so hard to create. Hurry and get your things.”

I completely understood. Now was not the time to discuss such heartfelt, difficult experiences. Hopefully there would be time after the battle… if we survived. I tried to picture Gram going toe to toe with a demon. I couldn’t even imagine her wielding a sword or having to harm a living creature… “Seriously, Gram. You can’t do this. You do realize that Nephilim weapons can kill you… forever.”

She smiled, but it was a sad smile that made my heart clench, like she was trying to hold back tears. Shaking her head back and forth, she said, “It doesn’t matter, darling. I want to be a part of this. I want to look back and know I did everything I could to help set things straight.

I felt the same way, but I was frightened. I didn’t know how to fight. The only experience I’d had was with Andras and Lamia, and I’d barely survived that. I wasn’t a soldier or a battle-hardened angel of justice, and I certainly didn’t want to die.

“Well, there’s no way you’re going without me!” I said with false bravado and a brave face. I buckled a sword to my waist, looking remarkably similar to Gram, except she didn’t seem afraid, old or feeble, but strong and powerful, glorious, with her silver hair flowing over her shoulders. Breathtakingly beautiful.

Glancing up, I noticed my now-familiar ancestors running past my cottage with their armor strapped on. I couldn’t believe this was happening. I couldn’t believe I was watching the people I loved and admired, going to war.

A
war
.

In
heaven
.

It was inconceivable.

What if one of us got hurt, or heaven forbid, died?

“Let’s go,” Gram said, grabbing my hand and pulling me out of the door. We fell in line with the others, running to the gates of Elysium. My sword, which was definitely too big, banged against my legs, feeling awkward and cumbersome. I didn’t want to fight with this weapon. I needed something small, like a dagger or the sword I’d used against Anaita. Her betrayal still pricked me, and I wondered if I would see her in this fight.

There were people and angels milling around, but I hadn’t seen anyone who looked in charge yet. “Who’s our leader?” I called out to Gram. There were a lot of higher-ups, angels with physical bodies, and people organizing into groups, but I didn’t see anyone I knew well.

“Michael, the archangel,” someone said, but I couldn’t put a face to the voice as we surged to the gates.

“There he is!” Gram pointed to the front where he stood, radiating like the sun, his golden armor lustrous, his bright blond hair curling beneath the edges of his helmet. His eyes burned with fire as he called out to other high-ranking angels. I searched for Raphael, knowing he’d be here. I wanted to be in the unit he led.

I found him at the far end of the gathering, his regiment of soldiers growing by the second. Hurrying back, I waved to catch his attention, but he didn’t see me, and I got pushed farther away. I’d also lost Gram in the crowd.

I turned to see Natty—my dearest friend in the entire world—pushing toward me through the multitude. She waved and sidled up next to me. I pulled her into my arms, amazed she had found me and overwhelmed with the whole experience. Her eyes shined, and there wasn’t an ounce of fear in them. I took courage from her and vowed to stay by her side throughout the entire fight.

The first contingent of soldiers rushed out of the gates of Elysium and, in a flash, disappeared from sight. They departed as one, and would reappear together at the gates of Idir Shaol, a host of heaven’s angels. How terrifying it would be for the demons that had overtaken that little hamlet in the universe.

The second group of soldiers did the same. Slowly we moved forward, my group being last in line. Raphael stood before us, his long, ebony hair hanging past his shoulders, his green eyes catching mine for the first time. A smile crooked his lips, but he didn’t gesture to me. He didn’t need to. We knew what we meant to each other, brought as close as friends could be through time and trials. I would do anything for him. I was devoted to this man who felt like a brother to me. There was no sign left from his ordeal in Gehenna. He was glorious once again, and I was proud to be fighting alongside him after all that had happened.

Natty marched beside me over the golden-paved street, and I tingled with anticipation as I gripped my oversized sword. This was real. This was happening, and for one moment, I wished Brecken, no, Bretariel, could be here to help. We were going to roust those awful demons from Idir Shaol, and it was going to be exciting. I knew Brecken would have loved to be a part of it.

I stayed toward the back, still a bit afraid of what we would come up against, and I wondered if I would see Lilim or Adam. Would they seek me out? Did they still have some kind of vendetta toward me? I squeezed Natty’s hand for reassurance.

Finally, we reached Elysium’s golden gates. It was our turn to go. The people around me seemed just as nervous as I did, and we looked like a ragtag group of misfits. Certainly not the type to do battle. The experienced angels had left with the first group. Probably to take the brunt of the action. I guessed they wanted to give us peons a chance to participate without getting hurt.

68

~Revived~

Brecken

The first thing that registered in his mind was pain… all over. His chest burned when he breathed, his muscles ached from lying still for so long, and the light in the room was painfully bright in his eyes, even though his eyelids were still closed. He tried to pry them open, but they felt cemented shut. The lights dimmed, and his father was at his side. Feelings of love for his dad enveloped him, and he was so grateful to have someone here who cared.

“Dad.” Brecken’s voice felt gravelly in his throat from lack of use. He tried to wipe the sleep from his crusty eyes.

“No.”

Brecken tried to reach out and take his father’s hand, but Calvin Shaefer pulled back, just out of reach. He stood beside Brecken with a granite expression. No smile. No words of comfort or compassion.

“Call me Calliel from now on.”

“Huh?” Brecken rubbed his face and stared at his father, his mind slow to respond, but for the first time, he recognized who this man really was. His heart ached at the rejection he saw in Calliel’s eyes. Finally, Brecken understood why he had never felt loved by him. He was fully aware that there were angels who were angry that he’d been given this chance, who didn’t believe that he deserved to switch sides. Many had made their feelings clear, but he’d never imagined one would be assigned to be his Earthly father.

How hard he’d tried to win his dad’s favor, to impress him somehow, to earn his approval. He’d never been able to and now he knew why. Closing his eyes, he tried to hold back the deep ache in his chest that threatened to surface as tears. More than anything, he didn’t want to show that kind of emotion in front of Calliel. Brecken was the Great Undoer after all, but never before had he felt so small.

“Please go away,” he whispered, betrayed by the trembling in his voice.

Calliel plopped down in the chair by the bed and shook his head. “No can do. I have to stay to make sure you make a full recovery.”

“I’m recovered,” Brecken said quietly, wishing more than anything to be alone.

“Not quite. There’s been some talk, Bretariel… of traitors in our midst.”

Brecken turned to gaze at the man he once revered as his father, whose expression was now filled with such disgust for him that there could be no mistaking how he felt.

With a deep breath, Calliel spoke. “There’s a war starting. Right now. As we speak.” He leaned forward, his hands gripping the chair, his knuckles white. “And I should be there. But instead, I sit here in this disgusting place, babysitting the demon who caused it all to happen.”

“
I
caused it? What are you talking about?”

“It’s you they want. It was you they were bargaining for. They probably would have left Idir Shaol alone if Michael had handed you over.”

Brecken flinched in disbelief. “That’s not true.”

“It is.”

“I don’t believe you.”

Calliel gave Brecken a slow smile and then sat back casually in his chair. “The archangels wouldn’t give you back. They valued your life more than everyone else’s. And then there was the problem of your little guardian messing things up.”

“What?” This whole conversation was hitting him from left field. It was so confusing that Brecken had no idea where it was coming from or where it was going, but there was one thing he did know. Calliel had been completely misled.

He tried to figure out the timeline in his head, but he was still too groggy and too achy to focus. “Please, just go.”

“Sorry,” Calliel said, intertwining his fingers over his stomach. “I have to stay here until I’m told I can leave.”

Brecken took a deep breath and tried to sit up, the room spinning. He slid his feet from the bed and let them hang over the edge, his back to Calliel. Brecken wore a typical hospital gown that was open in the back, letting the cool breeze in. Goose bumps rose on his back, arms, and legs.

He turned slowly to look over his shoulder, and Calliel’s eyes grew narrow, his hand moving slowly behind him. On gut instinct, Brecken leaped from the bed to the nearby window, hoping it would open, but his balance was off and he stumbled to the side, falling over the rolling bed tray. He crashed to the floor with the dishes and Calliel on top of him, straddling his prone, weak body, a Nephilim dagger pressed to his neck.

Instantly, Brecken stopped struggling, astonished that his life was about to end this way, by the hand of the man he’d practically worshiped. “Dad, please.”

“I’m
not
your dad.” Calliel shook his head slowly back and forth, his voice a low growl. “And you can beg all you want, but your time here is over. I’m done. I don’t care what happens anymore. This whole experience was a complete waste of time… for everyone. You’ll never change. You are who you are. The
Great Undoer
, and that’s just what you do. Everything around you unravels and falls apart. None of this would be happening if it weren’t for you. My wife is on the front lines of battle, fighting right now, with death at her heels, because of
you.
”

Calliel’s fingers tightened around Brecken’s neck, squeezing. His other arm was raised high, the dagger in his fist glinting brightly in the evening sunshine. Brecken endeavored to push the knife away, but Calliel was much stronger. Just when he was about to give up, he heard a scream from over by the door.

Both Brecken and Calliel turned in surprise. Sophie, Heidi, and a couple of nurses, stood in the doorway with wide eyes and horror-struck expressions. Sophie immediately burst into tears and raced to Calliel’s side, throwing her arms around his chest.

“Please don’t hurt Brecken, Daddy! Please! He’ll be good from now on; we promise!”

Heidi remained at the door, her shaking hand covering her mouth, her whole body trembling. “Wha… what are you doing?” Her eyes bored into her father’s, the terror in her expression heartbreaking.

Calliel slid off Brecken and put his arms around Sophie. “Oh, honey. I’m sorry. It’s not what you think.”

Heidi and the nurses rushed to Brecken’s side, hefting him up by the armpits. They helped him balance with their arms around him, their expressions of shock still plastered on their faces. Calliel reached out to Heidi, but she backed away slowly. He got to his feet, slipping the dagger into the back of his pants.

“Sophie, come here,” Heidi ordered, gesturing to her.

Sophie shook her head, burying her face in their dad’s shirt. Her sobs were the only thing heard in the room besides Brecken’s labored breathing.

“I would never hurt her,” Calliel said, trying to calm everyone down. “This isn’t what it looks like.”

“You mean you weren’t just sitting on Brecken with a knife at his throat!” Heidi screamed and then she began to cry. “What were you thinking? He’s been in a coma for a week! What is wrong with you?”

“I’ve called the police,” a nurse stated, her eyes steely and her jaw clenched.

They all stood there, staring at one another. There was no explanation Brecken could give his sisters to make this right. Not one that would make any sense anyway. They had no idea who he really was, nor that their dad was a guardian angel sent here to protect him. There was no way to explain or repair this debacle of a relationship.

More nurses and doctors rushed into the room and tried to apprehend Calliel, but they were nothing against the grief-stricken throne angel. He fled the room, Brecken’s two sisters pushed to the side.