The Angel Series Collection - Books 4-5

2. Throes of Cataclysm-2

“Fall? Your family murdered people and destroyed my life. It wasn’t a fall. It was an atrocity. I lost my child!”

“Doesn’t the end justify the means?”

There I had it, the worm in the apple. “No! Aidan, it doesn’t,” I bellowed.

“Look! Sorry to offend, but that’s how my world operates. A few lives lost for the greater good.”

I almost charged him, but somehow, I held my feet planted to the ground. “What about our daughter?” My voice broke, “Dawn?”

“What about her?”

“Did our child’s death justify your f*****g means?”

fuckingAidan held his tongue for a brief moment, and then he answered. “I supposed she became collateral damage.” A thirst for blood surged through me. I wanted him dead! To keep from unhinging my fury, I drove one knife through his right shoulder.

Aidan screamed out from the sharp stab. “You f*****g b***h! If I get loose from here. I’m going to kill you myself!”

Silently communicating, I ordered my blades to still until further orders. They obeyed, hovering in Aidan’s face.

Aidan was my captive now. He was pinned against the tree as blood trickled down his arms and chest. His once crisp, white shirt changed into a deep crimson and with each breath he took, his face deepened in agony.

Good! His heart may be a cold stone but at least, he was feeling pain. I flashed a satisfying grin. “I hope you bleed like the swine that you are.”

“I had no way of knowing if you were in Tim-buck-f*****g-two or at the Bahamas living it up with some fruity drink on the beach.”

“You lie.”

“You’re right!” he threw at me like shooting bullets. “I should’ve looked further into your whereabouts, but I had to protect Dawn. I was backed into a corner, sweetheart. It’s the truth. I swear!”

“If you cared for our child so much, then why did you let your family take Dawn’s life?” I swallowed the lump that choked my pain. I wasn’t going to cry, I wasn’t going to cry. I repeated inwardly to myself.

“My uncle and the others in charge informed me that Sally and I would be raising the child. We’d teach her magick and our traditions. The family’s long term goal had never changed. They wanted immortality.

I repeated my question. “If what you say is true, then why did they take Dawn’s life?” I gritted through my teeth.

“It was not until I tried to escape with Dawn did the family turn on me. Sally ratted me out to the Family. I knew better than to trust that bitch.” Aidan sneered.

“Yet, you trusted Sally enough to join her diabolical scheme to take me down.”

“That’s where you are wrong! I didn’t get a say.”

“Why are you still alive?”

Aidan’s lips pressed tight and then he relented. “I remain useful to them.”

“Like how?”

“The Family knows I can find you.”

“They know your whereabouts?”

“My uncle bugged my jeep. Don’t worry, Van or the Family won’t come for you unless I defect or you murder me.” His voice seemed stiff as if he’d been rehearsing lines for a Broadway play.

Holy geez! I’d put everyone into danger. I stared at him puzzled. “The Aidan I once knew would’ve never allowed this to happen.”

“Don’t blame me. Your lover boy has left a vapor trace that the Family can see miles away.”

“You’re lying!” I stepped closer. “Val would never be so careless. But you… coming here with a tracking device attached to your damn jeep takes the cake!” I wheeled on my heels, my gaze slamming into the Cajun. I shouted, as my voice spewed with panic. “Get under his jeep and find that damn tracker. Destroy it!” Then I shouted over at Jeffery and Dom. They’d gathered outside on the porch watching in silence. “Get your things. We gotta get moving fast. The Family will be sending their forces.” I turned back to Aidan, our eyes locked. I had one more lie to uncover. “If you can track me, then why didn’t you find me at Haven Hospital?”

youfast“You may find this hard to believe, but it"s the truth. The Family cast a spell. A recherché spell that blocks my sensory.” His lies rolled off his tongue like sweet nectar. “It was not until you came to stay with Dom and Jeffery that I was able to find you. The Family used you as a decoy to pull me out of hiding. I underestimated them.” Aidan jerked from the festering knife stuck in his shoulder. The old blood had dried his shirt as the fresh blood spread farther down his chest.

“Why should I believe you?”

“Because it’s the truth!” He spewed, desperation marked his tone. “I want you back. Why is that so hard to believe?”

I scoffed. “And what? Sally, you and I all live happily ever after under the same roof?”

“I don’t love Sally. I never have. I’d ditch her in a heartbeat to be with you. Besides, she’s untrustworthy.”

My brow shot up. “I could say the same about you.”

“Like I said, I do have flaws.” His voice seemed weaker. The pain was getting worse.

The soft Stevie wanted to run to him and throw her arms around his neck, but the hard Stevie preferred a daggered rammed through his lying, black heart. “Stop it! Stop saying those things to me. You do not get to whisper sweet nothings in my ear after you and your damn family destroyed my life. Everything that has ever meant anything to me, you have taken. The only thing I have in my heart for you is contempt.” Calm rage poured from my voice.

Then I recalled a druid spell. One I inherited from Aidan when we had infused ourselves together. I began to chant, arms spread like an eagle’s wings, calling to the elements, and demanding their powers.

“Est a tangle textu nos weave, oh quam nos decipio, nostrum pectus pectoris repletus per lugeo, nos must aufero is sceleris, a rutilus lux lucis mitis weaved, permissum suus subluceo take temerarious inter redimio him ut is nemus oh sic angustus si is wiggles retineo him anhelo!”

Est a tangle textu nos weave, oh quam nos decipio, nostrum pectus pectoris repletus per lugeo, nos must aufero is sceleris, a rutilus lux lucis mitis weaved, permissum suus subluceo take temerarious inter redimio him ut is nemus oh sic angustus si is wiggles retineo him anhelo

As my voice rose above the rising tempest, black, menacing clouds gathered. Thunder roared, and lightning streaked the sky. In the blink of an eye, a glowing rope materialized, snaking around Aidan’s body, binding him to the tree. His eyes flew wide open. “Don’t kill me!” he shrieked.

“You’re not getting off that easily.” I flashed him a dark grin. I thought at this point that I’d stepped off into the world of never, a land that had never been touched. I had to admit, there was something exalting about this all-knowing power. It made me feel alive, electrifying.

I spotted Jeffery and Dom embraced in each other’s arms with the look of fear. Even the Cajun stood back eyeing me cautiously.

“What’s wrong?” My eyes cut to Dom and Jeffery and then to the Cajun.

Jeffery spoke up in a worrisome tone. “Boo, go look at your face.” His gaze quickly pulled away. “My face?” Alarm trickled over me. My hand shot straight to my cheek. Something was wrong. The strange texture of my skin was thick, like molten rock. The surface was hard and rough. I darted to the closest mirror … Aidan’s jeep.

When I peered into the small mirror, hysteria seized my mind. I froze, astounded. Staring back at me was a hideous creature glaring at me in mock horror. Instantly, my hands flew to my face as bloodcurdling screams escaped my lips. “What have I’ve done?” I whaled.

doneMy face had warped into a sick green with mounting wrinkles. My teeth had turned black as ink. My eyes were yellow. The creature in the mirror was as frightening as it was hideous. I collapsed to the ground, rocking back and forth sobbing. “I’ll never use my powers again! I’ll never wish evil upon anyone ever!” I ranted, through streaming tears. I didn"t want anyone to see me like this. I tried covering my face with my hands.

Without warning, I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder. The Cajun had come to my side. Without a word uttered, he gathered me gently into his arms and carried me inside. He ventured down a narrow hall and into a dim bedroom, and gently laid me down on a bed, covered with a red patched quilt. I was in the same room before, dim lighting, a small dresser and a nightstand with a lamp setting on it.

As soon as the Cajun set me free, I shied away, with my back to him. The monstrosity that had consumed me repulsed my entire being. I couldn’t stand for anyone to see me like this. I laid there heaving with painful tears while every regret I"d ever felt plowed its way through my mind. I wept not just for the ugliness that I"d become, but also for the loss of my child and for the abomination that resided within me.

All the rage.

I felt I was dying inside.

Then, out of the haze of my nightmare, a voice brought me back. “Look at me!” The Cajun spoke in a tender voice. “Come on belle fille!”

belle filleWhile dread twisted my gut, I eased up into a sitting position. I kept my face down and hidden with my hands and hair.

The Cajun’s gaze felt like tiny needles stabbing me simultaneously. I despised him for seeing me like this, ugly and an abomination. “Don’t call me that! I’m hideous!” Among other emotions, a deep sense of shame robbed me of any dignity.

“Don’t hide your face.” He tugged at my hands.

“Stop!” I jerked away. “Don"t look at me!” I balled up into a fetal position with my back to the Cajun.

No matter how hard I resisted, he was relentless. “Your face has returned to normal. Look for yourself, you are still very beautiful.” There was gentleness in his thick voice.

I flipped on my side facing the Cajun. My hand reached for my face. A burst of hope shot through me as I slid off the bed and darted down the hall to the bathroom. My heart pounded against my ears as I flipped the light on and went straight for the mirror.

Slowly, I reached up and lightly touched my cheeks while I stared blankly at the mock image. The girl with the green eyes, though frightened, stared back at me. Nick was right. My face had returned to normal.

I glanced up from the mirror and saw the Cajun leaning in the doorframe. A sudden rush of joy came over me as I rushed into his arms. He held me close to his chest, stroking my hair whispering soothing words in his native tongue. He held me tight for a good while, until I loosened my grip and the tears had dried. The warmth of his smile echoed in his voice. “Now you are better, yes?”

yes?“Yes. Much!” I spoke shyly, dropping my gaze and pulling away from the comfort of his arms. His kindness reminded me too much of the old Aidan. The Aidan I once loved. I couldn’t get involved with another man. Three wasn’t a charm in my book. There would be no love interest here, not today or ever.

Giving him nothing more than a forced smile, I quickly skirted away, heading outside. I left the Cajun standing alone. He didn’t like me, and I was comfortable with our toilsome friendship. It kept things simple. Right now, with everything toppling on my shoulders, simple was all I had to give.