Between (13 page)

“
I’m only following the Divine Elder’s order,” Austin replied calmly.

“
Again, in human language, that’s B.S.” Davin shot back and looked at me, confirming he said the right letters. “And all the letters in the alphabet that mean the same thing…and that’s a mild version of what I’m really thinking.”

I was horrified at what I was hearing. This wasn’t happening; I didn’t understand. Why would the Divine Elders want Michael?

“
Austin, please, you can take me. I’ll go with you. Set them all free, including Michael,” I begged.

“
I already have you.”

“
Austin, please. I’ll do anything. Just…” And those words were the last spoken from my mouth as Holly bound my hands and gagged me.

Austin sprang towards me and released his massive wing. He took the gag out of my mouth and released the binding on my hands. “Sorry,” he said and gave Holly an angry look. “I didn’t say Claudia.”

Holly nudged her shoulders with attitude.

“
Holly, bring Michael. Patrick, release the rest,” Austin commanded. He turned to me and enclosed his wings around me. I struggled to break away from his hold, but as usual, what was the point? In complete darkness, I was in Austin’s arms and I knew we were being teleported to the unknown.

Chapter Ten

I wasn’t sure where we were, but we were standing in someone’s office. A tall book case which was situated behind a mahogany desk covered the back wall from the ceiling to the floor. A crystal chandelier hung in the middle of the room, giving it an elegant look. There was a black, leather sofa on the right, adjacent to a rectangular coffee table. An arrangement of beautiful tall flowers was placed in the center of the table. The décor was elegant in its simplicity. Looking out through the window, I knew we were someplace high above; all I could see was the blue sky.

Austin stood between Michael and me. Michael’s hands were still bound behind him. I leaned forward to glance at Michael, and he gave me a warm smile to tell me everything would be fine. The door flung open and I tensed up. Holly, the girl who had gagged my mouth, walked in first.
I would like to gag her
, I thought. Her ebony hair was just above her shoulders, streaked with blonde highlights. She was petite and slim, figure much like mine, with striking facial features. Then Patrick walked in. He was taller than Michael with honey-blonde hair and bright green eyes. He wore a warm friendly smile. Both Holly and Patrick held their bows that were superbly imprinted with designs in gold; these were the bows that magically shot what looked like lightning bolts.

After a few seconds, a woman appeared in the doorway with her hair in a stylish bun. Her beauty took my breath away and at that moment, I knew I had seen her somewhere before. She wore a red sleek dress, looking sensual, especially with her black spiky high heels. Pearl earrings dangled from her ears and her neck was lavished with a strand of pearls. Taking graceful steps, she headed toward the front of the desk. As soon as she set her eyes on us, Austin bowed. The lady in return nodded her head to acknowledge him.

“
My lady Katherine, this is Michael and this is Claudia Emerson,” Austin introduced.

Katherine?
My eyes grew wide with sudden revelation that this was
the
Katherine; the one in the painting at the Grand View Hotel. I couldn’t believe I was standing right in front of her. I was in awe of her appearance, but frightened because I didn’t know what she wanted. If memory served me correctly, I wondered if her wings were golden, just like the painting of her.

“
You’ve done well,” she replied with a proud tone, looking at Austin, then turning to Michael. “Sorry you were bound, but had you come in peace, this would not have been necessary.”

What!!!
I thought.
That was not the way it happened.
I didn’t say anything because it was not my place to do so and more so, I didn’t want to correct Katherine.

“
However; I do agree some actions may have been hasty. Austin tends to be a little dramatic.” With a flick of her hand, she released Michael. His hands were free, resting by his side.

“
Thank you,” Michael said. Even as a hostage, he was polite.

“
Let me introduce myself.” Katherine regarded both of us and turned to Michael. “I am Katherine, one of the Twelve. The Twelve were separated many life times ago. Phillip, Margaret, and Agnes make the decisions in Crossroads and I, along with the rest, do so on Earth. We are located throughout Earth and meet when there is a need.

“
Phillip and I have disagreed on how to handle conflicts on many occasions. We offered our help, but he refused. Because Claudia crossed over to Halo City, Phillip believed it was his right to handle the situation. But I believe that for anything that happens on Earth, we have the right to intervene. Imagine me, going to Crossroads and taking over, making demands. Phillip does not know our ways and I can say for sure that you and your friends do not know the culture of this century. Phillip was overly confident with your skills, but Aden and his followers were weak. There is a bigger problem at hand. Aliah, the demon creator, escaped when the gates were open.”

Katherine paused. Fear emanated in Michael’s eyes and Katherine understood his expression.

“
Yes, Aliah escaped when the gates were opened. We didn’t know until Michelle and Gracie found Austin. Austin tends to attract female friends,” Katherine said, cocking her brows. Then Holly let out an agreeing cough. “Michelle and Gracie gave us pertinent information and asked to be forgiven. They still have to do penance for their sins, but as long as they prove themselves, they will be forgiven.”

“
Where is Aliah?” Michael asked.

“
We do not know. All we know is that he has been sending his demon spirits to kidnap young girls that fit the description of Claudia.” Katherine looked at me blankly.

Katherine’s words had just confirmed my hunch of why Claudia was missing. My heart sank thinking about her, how scared she must have been, and with no guardian angel to protect her.

“
Claudia needs to be protected at all times,” Michael stated, his eyes pleading with his request.

“
We have been ever since we found out. I’ve assigned Austin to be her guardian angel,” Katherine replied.

“
She doesn’t need one, she already has me.”

Katherine looked harshly at Michael. She didn’t like his response “Have you not heard a word I said? You are from Crossroads and you are out of jurisdiction. I run Earth as I see fit. I’ve already assigned Austin and that is final. It was her grandmother’s wish.”

I blinked in surprise. I didn’t make the connection until now. Gamma was an Earth angel; of course she would know Gamma.

“
Lucy Reed and I were good friends. She begged me not to tell anyone about Claudia and her secret. She asked me to watch over her if something were to happen to her. May she rest in peace. I’m sorry we couldn’t help her. She kept everything to herself. I’ve fulfilled her request and assigned Austin.”

“
But…” Michael continued.

Katherine interrupted. “I’ve heard many things about you Michael, good and bad; what you did in the past and what you have done presently. I could use your help, but we need to do things my way, not your way. Understand me clearly, disobedience from you, and you will no longer be welcomed on Earth. You’ve already broken one of your Divine Commandments; You’ve fallen for her. I can feel it in your heart and I can feel it from her.” When Katherine set her eyes on me, I immediately gazed down, unable to look her in the eyes.

Katherine continued. “I have the gift of emotions. I can feel your sorrow, pain, hatred, guilt, love and every emotion you can think of. I’m assuming Philip doesn’t know about this. I’m not sure what he would do, but I know that he cares for you deeply. He may even pretend he doesn’t know. Yes, it is forbidden and we ingrain it in your minds that it is so, but falling in love is the least of our concerns. We have more important things to worry about. We were not created to judge. That will happen when Judgment Day comes. But that doesn’t mean we approve of angels falling in love just because we do not reprimand them. You’ll be reprimanding yourself when you are left with a broken heart.

“
If I had it my way, angels and humans would cohesively live together, but Philip and a few others do not agree. At the end, we are left behind with a broken heart and the humans move on to their Heaven. This is a long story and I don’t need to bore you with this. Let’s talk about the plan. We need to draw Aliah out of hiding. He sends his demon spirits to do his dirty work because he can’t leave his dimension. He is stuck somewhere, what we call Between. Since he is aware of Michelle and Gracie’s betrayal, they cannot locate him. We need to use Claudia as bait.”

“
No!” Michael rebutted. “That’s not a good plan. I won’t allow it.”

“
Michael, I will remind you again. You follow my orders, you will be able to protect her too, or else, you’ll be sent back and will not be welcomed. You decide.”

“
There has to be another way.”

“
I’ve weighed the odds, and I see no other way. We’ll have to capture one of the demon spirits and have him take us to Aliah’s hide out. He’s already killed several Claudia Emersons, thinking they may be the one.”

Michael looked distressed. I could tell he didn’t agree, but he had no other choice. “Could I stay with her at all times?”

“
Michael, you know that I cannot grant that. I can only allow you to stay as long as you can. That was agreed upon with the Royal Council; I cannot undo what has been done. Since you cannot guarantee your stay with her at all times, Austin needs to be her guardian angel. There is no need to worry. The Royal Council does not know Claudia is special. They’ve actually left the decision up to us. I guess you could say, in human terms, they’ve retired. This decision was made recently and they left Phillip in charge of Crossroads, as it always has been, and the Divine Elders in charge of Earth. The Royal Council will stop their visits. They feel the Divine Elders are capable of making decisions that were in their hands.”

“
I guess I have no choice,” Michael said, glaring at Austin. “Could I ask Davin, Caleb, and Vivian to join me as well? They have proven their skills and can be useful if there is a need.”

“
Yes, besides Austin, there will be Patrick, Holly, and you remember…” She was hesitant. “Trinity?”

Michael looked bewildered. “Trinity? I thought she was…?”

“
She was near death, but we managed to save her. Let her in,” Katherine said to Patrick. “She’s been waiting to see you. Ever since she found out you were alive, she has been begging to make contact with you. I kept you a secret from her because you two exist in two different worlds. But when I found out of your involvement, there was no way around it except to let her know that you are alive.”

Patrick walked out the door and walked back in with Trinity. She was tall with long, wavy, dark hair. Her eyes were mesmerizing, like the sunset glowing of violet hues. I had never seen that color of eyes on anyone before. I wondered who she was and why she wanted to see Michael.

“
Michael,” she said excitedly, running towards him. She immediately wrapped her arms around the strong back of his neck, squeezing him tightly, as tears ran down her face. Then she placed her lips near his, giving him a soft, long kiss that one would give to someone who meant more to you than just a friend.

“
Trinity–is it really you?” Michael asked, cupping her face, gleaming with happiness. “I thought you were dead. I thought one of Aden’s followers killed you.”

“
I was near death, but Katherine found me, and gave me peace and hope. I belong to her. She didn’t send me to Crossroads. She made a deal with the Royal Council.”

Michael turned to Katherine. “I thought you just said you couldn’t undo what was done.”

“
The situation at hand was different. I saved her and Phillip saved you. If I could change your duration of time on Earth, I would, just for Claudia’s sake, but I can’t. However, the more of us looking out for her, the safer she will be. I also need Trinity…and you know why.”

The conversation ended there.
Why does she need her?
I wanted to know, but I was not in the position to ask questions. Trinity stood right next to Michael, unable to take her eyes off him, placing her arms around his waist. She might as well have undressed him with her eyes, the way she was looking at him. I wasn’t sure, but if my instincts were correct, they’d had something once upon a time. And at that moment, my heart shattered, and for the first time, I felt insecure about Michael’s feelings for me. I forced myself to look away. Anger and jealousy seeped through and I wanted to tell her to keep her hands to herself and that Michael was mine. Then I remembered that she would be watching over me.
That’s just great!