To Fall (The To Fall Trilogy Book 1) (48 page)

71

Xander

Before the sun rose, my phone rang. Caleb. Pressing the button, I whispered, “One sec.” Abby slept peacefully in my arms, wearing the sexiest pink lingerie that allowed more skin to show than not. The starlight streamed in, glimpsing over her face and curled hair sprawled over us like a sheet. The most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. Kissing her head, I slipped out of bed and went to the kitchen. “Caleb?”

Wind whipped in the earpiece. “We’re coming back.”

I stood straight. “What happened?”

“We spoke with Uriel, but it was brief. He wants to gather with the four of us. We’ll be there soon. Sorry, Brother, I know you were looking forward to having Abby to yourself. We’ll leave as soon as possible.”

“It’s fine, Caleb. Especially if it means he will hear us out.”

“Agreed.”

I hung up and started breakfast. They would be hungry after their flight. I wanted to speak with Caleb in private, first. I was close with all of my siblings, but Caleb and I had a special connection. I looked up to him, regarded his advice and guidance like a real brother. There was a weight on my heart and I needed him now more than ever.

My siblings landed in the backyard, all looking pensive and concerned. “How was your flight?”

“Long,” Hannah muttered, then brightened. “Do I smell pancakes?”

My chin jutted to the house. “Hot and ready for you.” They advanced to the house and I held my brother’s shoulder back. “Caleb, can I speak with you alone?” He stayed and my sisters closed the glass door. We sat on the outdoor couch and I looked to Caleb. “I hurt Abby.”

Sitting forward, he asked, “What happened? Is she okay?”

“She is now. The other night, I let things go too far. I couldn’t…control myself. We were in the bath.” My hands trembled and Caleb gripped my shoulder. “She had an attack and hit her head—” I couldn’t speak; tears crawled in again, remembering the images.

“Alexander.”

I couldn’t look him in the eyes anymore, ashamed. “She was out all night. There was a lot of blood, Caleb. She wouldn’t wake up. I did that to her. I hurt her.”

“No, it was an accident. Brother, these human emotions are strong and new to you. Hell, each of us are dealing with them, but you’re mostly affected. I don’t envy you. You’ll get better at controlling them. We think you’re doing incredibly well.”

I shook my head. “I’m not. I’m only hurting her—”

Caleb cut me off. “Alexander. Think about Abby, her limitations. Without you, she would still be leading a half-life. She’s full of kindness, wonder, and love. She embraces life. She has the most beautiful soul. You’re giving her the life Heaven should have given her.”

Hannah and Calista appeared and hugged me, having heard our conversation.

Calista wiped my tears. “We are happy you have found love, Brother. You make her weak heart strong. Caleb’s right. We would all struggle in your position. You’ll stumble, but we’ll all be here to pick you up.”

I nodded. After a long moment, the girls closed the doors.

Hannah said, “We’re leaving in an hour to speak with Uriel. He wanted all of Abby’s Guardians present. We’re gathering near the South Mountains, the Estrellas. We’re also going to discuss Cresil and the current demon count.”

We knew possessions were higher than we had ever experienced, but there was something in her tone.

“Brother, we’ve been casting demons back since we went up there,” Calista said. “The numbers are
unreal.
” It was happening…Hagath’s warning…
Hell is coming. Hell will reign here. You can feel it, can’t you?

We heard water running—Abby was awake.

Caleb looked to me. “Let’s keep the information minimal. Just what she needs to know.”

There was so much she didn’t know. So much we kept from her.

Once I explained that the Archangels requested a gathering to Abby, I asked her to stay at the house and we wouldn’t be far.

We flew south, twenty minutes away, and waited on the highest peak for Uriel to arrive. Two blinding lights—even in daylight—shone in front of us. Two Archangels descended with measured movement, Uriel and Gabriel. My siblings and I exchanged a curious look, gazing up at their enormous forms, glowing brightly with wings furled to their backs.

Why would two Archangels come for a gathering like this? It was highly unorthodox.

Gabriel greeted us, “Brothers, Sisters, it is good to see you. You have asked to speak with the Second Choir.”

Caleb stepped forward. “Yes, Brother Gabriel. We are here on behalf of Abigail Miller.”

He nodded. “The Ordained Soul, yes. Is she the only reason for our summons?” His cold silver eyes examined us, flashing like liquid steel. He knew the answer to his question, more than likely stalling to read our minds. No Guardian’s secret could be kept when faced with an Archangel.

Hannah stepped next to Caleb. “Brothers, the time has come to act on the demon Cresil. He knows who Abigail is. He aims to kill her, like her mother. The longer he lives, the greater the chances of him telling Lucifer of her existence, if he hasn’t already.”

“Yes, we are aware of Cresil, as well,” Gabriel said. “Uriel and I convened with the Council of Angels. Lucifer requested he dispose of Cresil in Hell and bade passage for Prince Astaroth to collect him.”

What
? We looked at each other, alarmed.

Calista fought to maintain her composure. “No. You have exposed Abby. Demons everywhere will try to kill her now.”

Uriel’s violet eyes blazed. “Guardian, we are not thoughtless. We have concealed the reason for our demands. Lucifer is unaware of her, the soul remains protected. Lord Cresil belongs to Prince Astaroth’s realm. The demon king retains his right to maintain order, to deliver his own punishments, to set an example to his realm as is stated in the Council of Angels’ decree. We have already granted Lucifer’s request.”

We shared a horrified look.

I quaked with rage. “No! You cannot allow a demon prince up here! He will wreak havoc and pollute this dimension with demons. We are overwhelmed as it is. They are increasing at an alarming rate. Lucifer will not destroy Cresil and you know this. They do call him The Great Deceiver!”

Uriel’s pale face screwed up and long black hair whipped around him like feathers of a raven.

Gabriel held him back and warned, “Brother Alexander, I will caution you once as a courtesy.”

“And what of Abby?” I challenged, ignoring Gabriel. “Her heart grows weaker. She needs you to heal her.”

Uriel closed the distance between us and his bulky form tensed. “Your feelings for the human girl blind you. She is not yet ready for judgment.”

Caleb allowed control to leave his voice. “I am not blinded. Calista and Hannah are not blinded. We speak on behalf of the girl. She has a pure soul. Her time for judgment is now!”

Gabriel scowled. “No. You all have feelings for the human girl. You all care for her, I sense it in you.”

Calista asked, “Brothers Gabriel and Uriel, when will Astaroth be sent here?”

“He walks the Earth as we speak,” Uriel stated.

We stood stunned, and then I lost it. “You have damned the humans with this demon filth. You have poisoned the Earth. And you refuse to help one of the most pure souls of our Creator, a soul that could only exist because He wills it to be! Damn you two for what you have done!”

Uriel and Gabriel spoke in unison. Their eyes flashed. Their words shook the ground beneath our feet. “THE WILL OF GOD SHALL NOT BE QUESTIONED!”

Lunging forward, Calista and Caleb grabbed me.

Caleb whispered, “No, Brother. Not now.”

Hannah stepped in front of us and restrained her voice. “Yes, Brothers. We understand. Thank you. For God’s Throne.”

The Archangels gave a brisk nod and repeated our vow. Their light streaked the sky as they ascended to Heaven.

Hannah turned, emerald eyes blazing, feathers twitching. “We’re all thinking it. Let’s get it out there.”

Caleb’s jaw clenched. “I think the time has come to start questioning. This makes no sense. Why not destroy Cresil themselves, if not for Abby, for his other crimes? Why council Lucifer and grant passage for Astaroth to come to Earth? Allow a demon prince to be among humans? It’s insane! Astaroth is dragging more demons up with him as we speak. If the Scales tip—” He shook his head. “And that bullshit with Abby? Since when does the opinion of one Guardian, let alone four, get ignored? This is
not
God’s mandate.”

Calista’s eyes narrowed. “I agree. There’s an agenda here.”

“Why two Archangels? Why did they want to speak to all of us, only to ignore us again?” Hannah’s questions sent a wave of panic through us.

My chest hollowed a moment before I shot off the ground, leaving the rock fissured beneath me. Sensing my siblings behind me, we raced home. I looked to my brother. “Caleb!”

“I’m already on it.” The phone went to Caleb’s ear. “Hey, Jake, what’s going on today, man?”

My own phone was at my ear, waiting for Abby to pick up.
Please, God. Please.
The line clicked and the shaky tone of her voice chilled my core. “Xander?”

My true Hell had just begun.

72

Abby

Waking up alone, I smelled breakfast meat and syrup. I padded to the kitchen in pajamas, daydreaming of last night, and I hit a hard body. It was a cloud-scented body, but not Xander’s.

Caleb.

I tried to cover myself and it turned into an epic fail. I needed much thicker arms to complete the job. These weren’t let-your-boyfriend’s-brother-see-you-pajamas. “Oh! I didn’t know you were here.”

Caleb turned and his neck was bright red. I’d never seen him blush. “Sorry, Abby. It’s my fault.”

“Um, I’ll change.” I ducked back into Xander’s room. They weren’t supposed to be here for another eight days. Something was wrong. After changing, I found four serious faces in the kitchen.

Meeting me at the island, Xander gave me a kiss. His voice was husky and low. “I’m sorry.”

“What’s going on?”

Taking my hand, he sat me down at the table. “We have to go out today. The Archangels want a gathering with us. I know I said Abby business trumps angel business. But—”

“What’s an Archangel exactly?”

“The Second of the Nine Choirs are…like us, they’re soldiers, but much more powerful, and most importantly, they are messengers for angels of the Upper Echelons or His Throne. They are responsible for delivering our commands and assignments. Archangels are the equivalent of generals in your military. Only seven exist, where Guardians number in the millions. It makes meeting with them difficult.”

“Is everything okay?”

He nodded with a tight smile. “Yeah. I want you to stay here, though. Don’t go anywhere, okay? This shouldn’t take us long. We’ll be in the area to the south.”

“Okay.”

Xander laced our fingers together and guided me to his room. His lips sealed over mine in a deep kiss. I wrapped my arms around him and he picked me up. “Abby, I love you, with all of my being.”

A chill swept over me. “I feel like you are saying good-bye for good.”

His eyes bore into mine with a surprising intensity. “No, I’ll never say
that
word to you. I just want you to know how much I love you.”

“I do. And I love you, too.”

He kissed me once more.

I watched my angels take off from the yard. The house was cool with the back doors open; a morning winter breeze flowed through. With country music on, I cleaned up the kitchen from breakfast.

The trash bag was full and I went to throw it out. Reaching the gate, I realized the canister was out front. I had to laugh at what the garbage truck going up their mountain must look like. Putting the bag down, I unlatched the gate and went to get the can.

A lanky form came up the hill. He waved. “Hey, Abby!”

I smiled. “Will?”

He had on running shorts, a white T-shirt, ball cap, and sunglasses. Slung across his chest was a camera case. “I prefer, Iron Will. You ever see leg muscles like these?” Jutting out a scrawny leg, Will drew up the nylon shorts an inch above his tan line. Man, he was white.

I laughed. “No, they are quite a sight. What are you doing here?”

“Hiking. There’s an awesome trail here I like. Unbelievable views. Wanna come?”

He knew I couldn’t. “Funny, Will. Why don’t I run a marathon while I’m at it?”

Will grinned. Bozo barked from the backyard.

Will finished walking up the drive and his head cocked to the side. “This isn’t your house. What are you doing here?”

“It’s Xander’s house.”

He exaggerated understanding. “Ah, I see.” I blushed crimson and Will asked, “You want help with the garbage can?”

“No, I’ll get it.” Bozo skidded next to me and growled at Will. My stomach dropped and any trace of a smile faded away as the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.

“You sure? It’ll give me a chance to use these muscles.” He was closer now. Too close.

Bozo bared his teeth and my heart raced. I was in trouble. My phone rang to Xander’s ringtone. Will’s smile sharpened into something else. Something so unlike him. Something…
evil
.

I tried to control my voice. “Excuse me, I’m sorry, Will, can you give me a sec?” My fingers trembled on the screen. “Xander?”

“Abby! Are you okay?” His words were rushed and the wind muffled his voice.

Before I could answer, Will grabbed the phone from me with fingers like ice, and he put the speaker on. “Hello, Alexander.”

Xander’s voice was panicked. “Abby, who is that?”

Will said, “Alexander, did I ever tell you my favorite color? I’ll bet Abby can guess.”

Trembling, I was rooted to my spot.

“ABBY!”

Will ignored Xander’s plea. “It’s pink. I prefer the color in polka dots. Mmm, Pink Polka Dots. And you, Alexander, have been playing with my Pink Polka Dots for much too long.”

He took off his sunglasses. Will’s eyes were black. All black. No whites.

Cresil.

Bozo launched at him. Screaming, I took off for the house.

A yellow fur ball flew past me; Bozo’s body landed with a sickening crunch in the rocks, and small whimpers came from him. I didn’t stop or turn around. I left Bozo, my protector, there to die. One thought flashed in my mind. What Xander told me.

Run
.

Reaching the backyard, I grabbed the gate and swung it closed. My feet didn’t stop. The latch caught. I kept running. Pain speared my heart with every breath. I wasn’t far from the house. A large shadow moved on the ground and gravel spit up behind me. I didn’t look back. The door was right there, another couple of feet.

A cold hand gripped my arm, yanked me back, and I screamed. Cresil jerked me around to face him, still holding my phone. Meeting his eyes, my own scared reflection blinked back at me.

“Should we let your rat hear this? I think we should. I think he should know what he’s been missing this whole time.”

Clawing at him, I dug my nails into his arms.

“Oh, Pink Polka Dots, please fight. You are going to be scrumptious!”

His grip was like an iron shackle. No matter how much I gasped, air wouldn’t come; it was locked outside of the vise gripping my lungs.

Cresil grabbed my hair; each strand strained and pulled on my scalp. He jerked me forward into the house and my feet stumbled to keep pace with him. Taking what little breath I had left, I screamed again. As he dragged me by my hair, my chest ripped with pain.

“Oh, I’m gonna have fun with you. Too bad, we don’t have a lot of time. I was gonna draw this out, but oh, well.”

I sobbed with the phone inches away.

“You hearing this, rat? She’s crying. Sweet tears for me are running down those pink cheeks.”

Xander cried, “Abby! Abby! Hold on for me, please!”

Scowling, Cresil’s chilled hold released me and air rushed around my ears. The walls of the family room flew past, my shoulder slammed onto the tile, my head bounced, and warmth spread down my face.

Cresil stalked over like a lion to his wounded prey. Blackness edged into my vision and I fought to breathe. His hand went to my chest and ice sunk into my heart.

“Oh no. That won’t do. I want you to enjoy this just like your mommy did.”