Fall from Grace (Book 2: An Angelblood Novel) (28 page)

“What?” Bren and the other girls looked at each
other and then started jumping up and down. “We’re
moving up in the food chain,” Bren giggled.

They stood to congratulate the young couple.
Myra
hugged them both and then looked at Mahlyssa. “Well
Grammy, looks like you’re going to be a grandmother
again.”

Logan was her third son.
He and Tiffany had been
married for just a few months now.
Tiffany was Jack
Donnelly’s daughter. It was not uncommon
for
the
descendants of the Archangels to marry each other; thereby
mixing the blood and giving extraordinary powers to their
children.
Tiffany was the granddaughter of Raphael and
Logan was the grandson of Metatron.
Their children would
probably be guardians or healers.

Mahlyssa wasn’t expecting
such a warm reception.
She was home now.
She was almost as excited as Tiffany
and Logan were about the baby.
Mahlyssa loved babies.
She regretted not having more with Virgil when she had the
chance.
Perhaps one day she would meet someone else and
she could give Shannon and Myra a brother. One could only
dream.

Chapter 27

“I need to talk to all of you about Arian,” Aura said.
Will took a defensive stance.“What about him?”

“I know you
want to find Richard and bring him to
trial not only for Virgil’s death, but for the other deaths as
well.
We need to wait a little longer, before we reveal
everything we’ve learned here today.”

“Look, I agreed we had to wait before we went after
Natalie.
But Richard is clearly guilty of all those other
murders and we have enough evidence to bring him to
justice now,” Jayden said.

“That’s true, but I need you to listen to me,” Aura
insisted.

 

“What difference does it make if we wait?” Will
asked.

“It will make a considerable difference. As I’ve told
you repeatedly, we still don’t know who all his accomplices
are.
Richard has aligned himself with Samhael. I know that
with certainty. I don’t want to give Richard the upper hand.
We want Will and Joshua to return to New York for the next
few days. You’ll all be back for Jasmine and Tristan’s
wedding.
Rita and Jessica can go with them.
I think you
should go too Arian. If Richard discovers Arian is here with
us, he will be in more danger than youcan imagine. Rita’s
shield will protect him at the Academy.”

“You want us to return there?” Joshua asked.
“Yvonne and Yvette Devereaux are there. We
believe
their
father
Phillipe
has
been
in
contact
with
Richard. I’m sure he has some knowledge of his plan to
overthrow the government in Utopia,” Aura said.

“Why would it benefit us to wait?” Arian asked.

“There are others who might be in danger and we
are obligated to protect them.
The less information Richard
thinks we know, the more likely he is to make a mistake.
I
can’t tell you everything right now. After we start the trial,
Richard will have little chance of getting away.”

“Natalie certainly didn’t have any trouble leaving,”
Will scoffed.

“Natalie left because
I allowed her to leave.
She is
more valuable alive, than she is dead.
War is coming and it
will show us no mercy. I’m not trying to frighten anyone,
but I want us to be prepared. If we wait a little while longer,
I promise we’ll have the upper hand. None of us knows why
Richard spared Arian’s life. He must believe he had some
value or he would have let those creatures kill him, like his
parents.”

“Do you know something else you’re not telling us
Aura?” Rita asked.

“I know a great deal I’m not divulging for your own
safety. You can’t fathom some of the visions I’ve had,
disturbing as they were.
Everything happens for a reason.
We have a lot to do to prepare for the weddings and I don’t
want any more distractions.”

“What am I supposed to tell the children of Utopia?”
Henry asked.

“Tell th
em to be patient.
Tell them we are trying to
ensure their safety. Richard won’t be able to use Mahlyssa
to hide Natalie now.
Their friends are limited.
I expect we
will soon be meeting the Cavanaugh’s. Richard will be
obsessed with revenge.
If we wait, the only revenge he’ll
know will come from the justice of Heaven. This is the way
it needs to happen.
There is more at stake than any of you
realize. We should be vigilant, but patient.” Aura repeated
the same words Michael spoke to her.

“I don’t have
a
problem
waiting;
provided
the
outcome will be the same,” Arian said.

 

“I agree, let’s move forward with the plans for the
wedding and let the Guild deal with this,” Will concurred.
“Then we’re agreed. We will keep Arian’s return a
secret for now?” Aura asked.

Each of the guests in the room nodded in agreement.
“We have a plan in place that will allow us to capture
Richard and Natalie.
And anyone else who defies the laws
of Heaven,” Adam added.

“I suggest we make plans to go shopping tomorrow
in New York like we discussed before.
I know Mahlyssa
and the others will want new clothes to wear to the wedding.
One of us will be with them at all times, so the shield will be
ready in the event we need it.”

Aura could see the fear in Mahlyssa’s face. “I
promise you’ll be safe. There’s no reason to be frightened.
No one will touch any of the little ones.
We will protect
them with our life,” Aura assured her.

“I’ll go with you,” Myra said. “We can choose a
dress together.”

Mahlyssa returned her daughter’s smile. “If you’re
sure the children will be protected, then I see no reason to
stay hidden.”

“Good, now is it me or is anyone else hungry?”Aura
asked.

“I could eat again,” P
.J. replied.
“There’s a surprise,” Aidan mumbled to himself.

They all laughed.
Alannah said, “Daddy made a
joke.” She ran to give Aidan a hug. Soon the entire room
was more relaxed.
They stopped talking about Richard and
Natalie
and
started
to
make
plans
for
the
upcoming
weddings.

Myra insisted Mahlyssa stay at her house, until
Richard’s trial was concluded. “We have more than enough
room for all of you. Shannon can stay with us and the others
are welcome to stay as well.”

“Why they not stay our house daddy?” Mia asked.
“They are certainly welcome to stay with us, but
why don’t we let them decide,” Logan said.

 

“I thought you said the ground was hallowed?”
Mahlyssa asked.

“It is, but I think Myra wants to keep you here,”
Aura said. “You’ll soon realize this is a close knit family.
My grandfather Gideon’s shield protects all of us.”

“I believe Aura’s shield is more powerful than
Gideon’s,” Joseph insisted.

“Why don’t you let the others stay with Aura, she
has the most room and can offer the most protection,” Adam
said. “Please don’t misunderstand me. You’re all welcome
to stay wherever you choose, but we want you to feel safe
and Aura has a way of making everybody feel at home.”

The other couples
decided to stay with Aura. “If
you need anything we can send a silent message to each
other,” Aura insisted. “The only reason we let Natalie
escape today, was because I insisted the wards be down.
I
won’t make that mistake at night, I promise. You’ll be
completely safe here.”

Mia
decided that she would stay at Myra’s house
too, provided that she had enough chocolate syrup and milk
for all of them.
As usual Joey would be with her.
The two
were rarely separated.

Aura
pulled
her
father
aside
and
whispered
something in his ear. “Please dad, we can wait until after
dark, but I want to do this,” she pleaded.

Paul looked at his daughter for a moment and then a
huge smile crossed his face. “All right, but only for a little
while. We’ll have to stay close to them as it’s their first
time.”

Aura
hugged
her
father
and
kissed
him
on
his
forehead.“Thanks, you won’t regret it.” Aura called for
everyone’s attention. “We need to get our baths early
tonight. We have a special surprise for the new angelbloods.”

Alice was hoping she knew what the surprise was.
She thought her parents would love it once they got the hang
of it.

It was nearly four
o’clock. Aura told them they had
to be bathed and ready to go by six; no later.
That would
give them a chance to eat once more, before she started to
clean the kitchen.

The
caterers
left
hours
before, so they weren’t
included in any of the family discussions.
Mahlyssa helped
bring the plates into the kitchen when they were finished.
She couldn’t get over how comfortable she felt around all of
them.
She would make sure her daughter Shannon would
never suffer the same regrets she did.

Chapter 28

Natalie and Jeziel arrived outside the Devereaux
estate before three o’clock. Fortunately for Natalie, Richard
wasn’t there yet. She quickly introduced Jeziel to Phillipe as
her cousin.

“If I didn’t know better I would have mistaken her
for you,” he said.

“We do share the same blood,” Jeziel smiled. “I’m
told we look like my mother Laelah.
My father has silvery
blonde hair. They may have banned him from Heaven, but
he is still the most beautiful angel to ever live.
No one will
ever take that from him,” she said proudly.

Phillipe stopped dead in his tracks.“Lucifer is your
father?”

“Yes
is that a problem?”
“I just wasn’t aware Lucifer had any children.”

Jeziel’s tone was indifferent. Phillipe could almost
sense a bit of bitterness in her voice.“My father has two
children; me and my brother Mortriel.
My brother followed
him after the insurrection in Heaven; leaving me behind.”

“I’m sure he had his reasons for not taking you with
him.”

 

“Oh, I’m sure of that. I wasonly a child. But I’m all
grown up now.”

 

Natalie whispered.“Are you still alone?” She had no
desire to explain the scar to Phillipe’s daughters or his wife.

“Yes. The girls are at the Godwin Academy and
Marie is still at the beach.” As they were about to enter the
house, Richard showed up.

“Why did you summon me here? Has someone
discovered your identity?” he asked. He didn’t have to wait
for a response.
He could see that Natalie was herself again.
Gone were the blonde curls and the blue eyes.

“Why don’t we go inside?” Phillipe suggested. “I’m
afraid the servants are not here, otherwise I would offer you
some refreshments.”

“That won’t be necessary, but thank you for your
kind offer,” Jeziel smiled.

 

Seeingthe scar on Natalie’s face enraged Richard.
“How did this happen?”

 

Natalie started at the beginning, telling her father the
whole story.

 

“Joshua is engaged?” Richard laughed. “Mother
will love that. And who pray tell is the lucky girl?”
“Jessica. Joshua is marrying the girl who gave me
this scar,” Natalie whined.

“Are you sure there is no mistake?”
“I’m sure and Henry also knows.”

“How did your appearance change back? Did the
spell wear off?”

 

“No, Aura saw threw my disguise.”

 

Richard
became
even
angrier. “Where is your
wedding ring?”

 

“It’s gone,” Natalie hung her head in shame.

Richard walked over to her and placed his hand on
her chin, lifting her head and staring into her eyes. “Were
you wearing the ring when you were exposed today?”

Natalie
took
a
step
backwards;
fearing
that
her
father would slap her. “I had it hidden beneath my blouse
where no one could see it,” she explained.

“Well obviously someone saw it. Where is it now?”
“Aura ripped it off my neck.”

“I told you not to wear that ring. I should have
insisted you give it to me.
I trusted you and once again you
have disappointed me.”

Jeziel stepped in to defend her cousin. “It wasn’t
her fault.This is Aura’s doing. I think you should accept
some responsibility for what happened.”

“I have always accepted responsibility for
my
daughter’s poor judgment,” Richard replied. “Every day I
have to deal with another crisis because my daughter fails to
listen to me. I doubt your father would be so patient.”

“
My father waited thousands of years for me to
return. I can assure you he is more than patient,” Jeziel
hissed.

Not wanting to upset Jeziel for fear of retribution
from Lucifer, Richard decided it would be in his best interest
to calm down. “Well now we have a dilemma.
Do either of
you have any suggestions as to how we correct it this
problem?”

“Natalie should stay with me. Perhaps you can seek
the Enchantor’s help again,” Jeziel said.

“That might be worth considering. Mahlyssa
removed the scar the first time, I have confidence she can do
it again.”

“What can you offer her this time father? Before,
you removed her father’s curse. I doubt you have anything
else of value to bargain with,” Natalie said.

“Do I look like a fool? Everyone has a weakness.
Mahlyssa’s weakness is her daughter and the other children
who reside with her. I’m certain the threat to harm them will
provide me the advantage I need in order to gain her help.”

“Why don’t you reverse the spell and curse her a
second time?” Natalie asked.

 

“If I could do that we wouldn’t be having this
discussion. Unfortunately,that’s not a possible option.”
“What if she refuses to help you?”

 

“Then I will make an example of one of the
children. She will agree or their blood will be on her hands.”
‘What should I do in the meantime?” Natalie asked.

“You’ll stay here until I have met with the
Enchantor.
When I return,we’ll give you another identity.
Jeziel is welcome to stay with you until I return, but you are
not to leave this house. Are we clear about this?”