Fall from Grace (Book 2: An Angelblood Novel) (2 page)

Caspian, his second son, had disappeared on his
wedding night. Though Henry didn’t know his whereabouts,
he suspected the Guild was keeping an eye on him.

Joshua, his youngest son, had retreated to Aeden
with his best friend Will Crestwell, after suffering an attack
by the same wolf-likecreatures that killed Will’s parents.

Henry missed his children and the closeness that
they once shared. Now he was left with Meredith, their
eldest son Richard, and his daughter Natalie.
None of them
cared about celebrating the birth of Christ.
To them it was
just another day.

As he shook the snow from his overcoat and hung it
on the rack next to the door, he prepared for the fight he
knew would ensue with his wife.
He entered the grand
dining room and poured himself a cup of tea. By the time he
sat down, Meredith and Natalie sauntered into the room. In
keeping with some tradition of the holiday, they wore long,
red, wool dresses.

They took their usual seats at the table and waited
for Richard to join them.

Francesca poured tea for the others and hurried out
of the room.
Seeing thecross look on Meredith’s face, she
wanted to be as far away as possible.

There would be no hugs and wishes of a Merry
Christmas from any of them. Henry would wait to celebrate
later in the day with his friends and other children.

Despite Richard’s warning, as soon as he entered the
room, Meredith started her diatribe.

 

“I hope you’re satisfied. The Guild wants to kill
Natalie,just like they killed my father,” she screamed.

Henry slammed his fist into the table.
“Shut up
Meredith! I could stand to lose the Governorship. We are in
this predicament thanks to you.
I told you it was wrong to
keep those girls, yet you insisted. Rest assured if I am asked
to step down, you will suffer the consequences! Right now I need to speak to Arthur and then Paul.”

“Paul? He wants to convict Natalie. You need to
help
us
Henry.
Do
you
care
nothing
about
your
granddaughter?”

Henry glared at his wife.
“I will not be a party to
any more of your deceit. Do what you must and I will do the
same.”

“You need to stay with us and find a way to keep
Nataliesafe. She’s your flesh and blood!”

Henry ignored her rant.
He put his teacup on the
table, headed towards the front door, grabbing his coat as he
walked out.

He was disgusted with himself.
Natalie had played
him for a fool. He regretted ever trusting her. She hadn’t
changed at all. What would he say to Jane? How could she
ever forgive him for sending a murderer into her home?

Perhaps Paul’s speech was meant only as a
warning.
He needed to take control of the Utopian colony,
or risk losing it.

Henry
was
most
worried
about
Analie
and
she wouldn’t hesitate to
Ambrosia.
If Natalie killed Jasper,
kill again.
He would speak to Arthur.
least offer some advice.

 

Natalie
was
stunned.
She
His friend would at

never
expected
her
grandfather to turn on her.
She thought he would have
fought on her behalf.
She refused to be questioned by the
Guild. She would leave before they returned.

As soon as Henry was gone, Meredith looked to her
son. “Did you hear him Richard?
He has already aligned
himself with the Guild. He has already convicted her,” she
bellowed.

“We can’t count on any support from Father. He is
trying to save face with the Guild.”

“To hell with the Guild,” Meredith
screeched. “This
is your daughter we’re speaking of. I don’t have to remind
you of the danger that you are in.”

“You needn’t be concerned about me.”

Meredith moved them to the library. She didn’t want
their discussion to be heard by the servants, in case the Guild
questioned them too.

Richard sat on the edge of the desk and remained
calm.“There is an Enchantor who can help.”

 

“You killed the last Enchantor,” Meredith said.
Richard laughed. “There are others and I can assure
you this onewill do whatever I ask.”

“Who i
s thisEnchantor?”
“She was Virgil’s wife.”
“Are you sure she can be trusted after his betrayal?”

“I’m sure. She is desperate for some
information I
have,” Richard grinned. “You’ll have to trust me. There’s a
way that Natalie can be seen, yet stay invisible. It’s actually
quite brilliant.”

“I don’t understand Father,” Natalie said.
“You will, soon enough.
For now,we’ll go to Paris
until I’ve made other arrangements.”

 

“Paris will be the first place they will look,”
Meredith said.

 

“The Guild will be busy with the memorial service. I
only need a day or two.”

“This is her life Richard,” Meredith argued.
“Have I ever disappointed you Mother?”

“Why do I have to run away?” Natalie complained.
“I haven’t done anything wrong.”

 

“Do I need to remind you about your responsibility
in that girl’s death?” Meredith said.

 

“That was an accident!” Natalie yelled.

“The Guild won’t see it that way, especially after
you just admitted to killing Jasper. We’ll hide you in Paris
for now, unless you want to wait for Paul to come back,”
Richard smirked.

Natalie didn’t respond.
“I expect you to stay with her,” Meredith said.
“I’ll take care of everything.”

Richard smiled as he took Natalie by the hand and
they both vanished.

“I hope he knows what he’s doing,” Meredith
thought. “The Guild will not show her any mercy if they
find out about Ella.”
She returned to the dining room.
Reaching for a muffin, Meredith sat quietly sipping her tea.
Even Francesca wouldn’t dare disturb her now and Meredith
considered her a friend.

Paul and Adam returned to Utopia after they were
finished
flying
with
the
family.
Because
of
the
time
difference it would be early morning there. They went to the
sanctuary to meet with Arthur.

“This shouldn’t take long. We need to let Arthur
know what happened.” Paul knew that whatever connection
Jayden had with Natalie was broken. He didn’t know if it
was because he was bled, or because Natalie killed his
brother Jasper.

He thought back to Jasper’s body. If it was an
accident, how did he get inside the cabin? He would take a
closer look at the remains when they returned to Aeden.

The children were still sleeping when they arrived at
the sanctuary, but Paul could see they were anticipating the
celebration that awaited them.

There were several large Christmas trees, decorated
with handmade ornaments.
Lights and strands of popcorn
adorned each one.
Underneath, there were hundreds of
presents waiting to be opened. Fresh pine wreaths served as
centerpieces on each of the tables and wood was crackling in
the fireplaces, where stockings hung on the mantles.
Paul
smiled to himself, “It certainly does look like Christmas.”

Paul invited Analie, Ambrosia and Jade to listen in.
They were already dressed for the day, but rather than wear
fancy dresses, they elected to wear jeans and sweaters.

Jade had changed the highlights in her short hair to a
deeper scarlet. Analie and Ambrosia both wore their blonde
hair in a single braid.

As they followed Arthur and the Guild members
into the library, and closed the door, Paul told them about
the
deaths
and
the
hell-fire
in
Aeden.
Nothing
was
mentioned of Aura’s gift.

“You should never have trusted Natalie. She’s more
evil thanyou know,” Jade insisted.

 

“There were no witnesses, but we did find some
broken furniture in the house,” Paul said.

“You can’t believe Natalie is innocent?” Jade asked.
Jade
had
reason
not
to
trust
Richard
and
his
daughter
Natalie. Arian Crestwell’s body was never found after his
parents were killed.
His brother Will believed that he was
dead, but Jade still held out hope he was alive and would
return to her.

“We have no proof to discount her report that it was
self-defense,” Adam admitted.

 

“Richard will hide Natalie whether she’s guilty or
innocent,” Analie said.

“Few of us believed they had a falling out. We’re
certain she used your father to gather information about the
Guild,” Adam said.

“I can’t wait to see her scar,” Jade grinned. “If it
was made with angelfire, she’ll wear it forever.

 

“They will want retribution, Paul,” Analie said.
“They may ask that Jessica be charged.”

 

“I can assure you Jessica won’t be punished,” Adam
replied.

“If we find that Jasper’s death was not in se
lfdefense, Natalie will be brought before the High Council for
judgment,” Paul assured her.

“Which is why they will hide her,” Analie said.

Analie knew her brother Richard all too well.
After
the first attack in Utopia, it was rumored that her and her
daughter Ambrosia were also targeted. They weren’t home
at the time.
Moving into the sanctuary would offer them
some protection, but she still didn’t trust her brother. Sooner
or later, he would make another attempt on her life.

“Perhaps, but we still hav
e Aura.
Jayden loved his
brother.
defense,
If we determine that his death was not in selfJayden
will
not
be
forgiving.
He
will
want

retribution.
Jane
may
very
well
blame
your
father
for
sending Natalie to Aeden,” Adam said.

“At least we know that Jayden didn’t kill his
brother,” Paul said. “Let the Utopians know about the
deaths.
Someone may hear something that might be useful
with our investigation.”

“I’ll call a meeting now. I’m sure the word will
spread quickly,” Arthur said.

“Perhaps you shou
ld wait until after Christmas. I see
no reason to interrupt thechildren’s holiday. They’ll know
the truth soon enough.”

It was decided to delay the news until the next day.
Then, they would call a meeting with the Commission.

Paul and Adam left to return to Aeden. They would
go back to Elijah’s property, hoping to find something they
had missed when they walked through the burnt ruins the
last time.

Chapter 2

Paul and Adam arrived at the property around two
o’clock in the morning.
They walked through the burned
rubble, looking for answers.
As they sifted through the
charred furniture, they found nothing to indicate the identity
of the fourth person.

“It would be helpful if we knew who started the
fire,” Paul said.

 

“Do you believe it was Samhael?” Adam asked.

“He would certainly have the means. As one of
Lucifer’s most faithful disciples, he would have been gifted
with hell-fire.

“Jeziel should have been here,” Adam said
.“Just
because she shares your father’s blood, does not give her
special privileges. I’m sorry, but leaving Elijah, regardless
of the circumstances, is inexcusable.
That in itself is a
serious offense.”

Paul smiled desolately at his friend. “If Jeziel was
involved, I will be the first to bring her before the Council. I
won’t jeopardize the safety of our children, but finding only
three bodies concerns me the most.”

Adam was reluctant to ask the next question. “Do
you think Ericah might have been pregnant?”

 

“It would explain why we didn’t find
a
fourth
body,” Paul said.

They looked at each other.
It was unconscionable
anyone would kill an innocent child, let alone an angelblood.

“Perhaps that’s why Michael came to take Hespa
back to Heaven. If she found out her daughter was pregnant,
it would be difficult to control her,” Adam said.

“If
Ericah
was
pregnant,
Hespa
will
find
out
eventually.”

Adam looked tentatively
at Paul. “Do you think the
children
were
murdered
because
someone
was
seeking
revenge against Hespa?”

“It’s possible.
Those rogues have no regard for life,
especially angel-bloods. They would consider it a great feat
to not only take out her children, but her grandchild as well.”

“How could they have known? I can’t believe
Hespa wouldn’t have put up more of an argument with
Michael,if she knew Ericah was going to have a child.”

“We agree Elijah and Ericah put up some kind of a
fight, futile as it may have been.
Perhaps we should have
spent more time going through the remains,” Paul said.

“We wouldn’t have found anythi
ng.
If Ericah lost
the baby during the struggle, the fire would have destroyed
all the evidence,” Adam assured him.

“We need to find Jeziel and question her.
Natalie
didn’t explain how Jayden’s body got inside the house. We
should have been more aggressive with our questions.
She
admitted to killing him in self-defense.
But it appears she
was trying to hide the body.
Maybe she thought he would
burn, and no one would know what reallyhappened to him,”
Paul said.

“Yes, but how did she get the body
inside without
getting burned?
Do you think Natalie had the strength to
pick Jasper up and hurl him into the flames?” Adam asked.
“Or do you think someone was helping her?”

“We don’t know if Jeziel left before or after the fire
started.
I find it hard to believe the fire started so quickly.
Didn’t Jayden say he just left the two girls to meet with his
mother?”

“Yes
,and we can’t depend on Natalie to tell the
truth.
I have a feeling she would defend Jeziel because they
share the same bloodline.”

“We k
now Natalie killed Jayden.
She admitted that
much to us. But I think she knows more than she’s saying.
We should plan to question her again soon.” Paul said.
“We canarrange the memorial service for tomorrow. I’ll
have Eve contact Father Patrick.
Meredith is asking for an
inquest to determine if Jessica is guilty of a crime.”