Golden Angel: (Broken Angel #5) (11 page)

R
ocks crunched
beneath Jeremy’s crocodile boots as he walked down the dirt road. The sun beat relentlessly down on his head. He felt like he was walking inside a giant oven. How many miles had he walked? Two? Twenty?

He paused, wiping sweat from his brow. He peered out into the vast desert, searching for any familiar landmarks. The horizon flickered in a wave as he adjusted his eyes. Everything looked different from the ground. For the hundredth time, he wished he could fly.

And why in the hell did Saleos have to make his headquarters in the middle of the desert?

He’d searched the island for Saleos’s demon brothers. He’d even gone to the same bar, hoping they would show up. Tired of waiting, he had told Leilani he had some business to take care of and hopped on the next flight to Vegas.

He lifted the last water bottle he had on him. It was empty.

Damn it! Crushing it, he flung it away.

This body was too high maintenance. It needed to be fed and watered constantly. And what was up with his skin? It was so sensitive, feeling everything that rubbed against it.

Closing his eyes, his mind drifted to that night with Leilani. Her touch, her scent, it overwhelmed him. This was for her. He needed forever with her.

He opened his eyes, determined to find Saleos. Every minute here was time away from Leilani.

Squinting, he finally spotted the building.

He’d made it. This was the place. This was his salvation. This was where he’d get back everything he’d lost. With his powers back, he could make sure that Leilani stayed with him, even in the afterlife.

Saleos had once offered him his heart’s desire. Why shouldn’t he take it? After centuries of service, he had been banished and stripped of everything. No powers, no wings, no family. He had nothing, except Leilani.

And your soul.

“I have nothing!” he yelled, pushing the thought away. He was giving up his soul for love, how could that be wrong?

He hurried his pace, wishing he could go faster. He hated how slow his body was and how quickly he tired. He hated that he could barely see or hear. Most of all, he hated that he couldn’t take to the sky.

It’ll be over soon.
He counted the seconds to when he would be able to fly again.

When he finally made it to the entrance, he paused to catch his breath. He felt like he was dying. He leaned against the glass door, waiting for the ground to stop spinning. It was worth coming here, worth the blisters on his feet and the angry red sunburn covering his arms and face. Soon he wouldn’t ever have to deal with this pathetic body again.

He placed his hand on the door handle, ready to begin his new life.

This is it.
If he did this, there was no going back.

Then again, what did he have to go back to without Leilani?

He flung the door open. Cool air hit against his sweat-drenched face as he stepped in.

“Jeremiel! It’s great to see you again. Back for another round of poker?”

Joab’s black eyes danced as he approached Jeremy, holding out his hand in welcome. Jeremy gazed down at it. Chills crawled up his back.

What was he thinking coming here? Even though Joab was in his human form, Jeremy could feel power radiating from the demon. There was no way he could take on Joab or any of his brothers if something went wrong.

Joab’s lips curled into a slow smile. “Come now, Jeremiel. We’re all friends here. There’s no need to worry.”

Shoving panic aside, he placed his hand in Joab’s and shook it. He was tired of feeling scared, tired of feeling helpless. He was here to gain back what was rightfully his.

“Take me to Saleos.”

“Ah, so you’re taking him up on his offer.”

Silence.

Sweaty palms.

A frantic heartbeat.

Warning whispers.

He ignored them all.

Then he uttered the one word he never thought he’d say to the dark angel.

“Yes.”

“Then come with me.”

Jeremy followed Joab as they made their way through a smoke-filled, crowded casino. Sounds of ringing slot machines muted his pounding heartbeat.

Several topless women carrying drinks gazed at him appreciatively. He froze when he saw a familiar face.

“Jeremy.” The dark-haired beauty gave him a wide smile.

“I’m sorry, do I know you?”

She pouted.

“Why don’t you refresh his memory, Sari?” Joab grinned.

Sari sauntered to him, raking red polished nails down his drenched chest. When they reached the edge of his jeans, she leaned in, whispering, “I’ll make it so you won’t ever forget me.”

Slowly, she bent down and took his jeans zipper between her teeth, sliding it down.

He remembered. She was the woman from the video.

“Don’t,” he groaned, pushing her away. He couldn’t move her. It was like trying to move stone.

Joab laughed. “There hasn’t been a man or angel yet who’s been able to turn down Sari.”

“Please, don’t,” he said when Sari shoved his jeans down.

“Relax.” She leaned over him. Her hair slid forward, exposing scars across her shoulder blades.

“Umm, much bigger than I remembered,” she said when he hardened against his will.

“Consider it your welcome package to the club.” Joab’s laughter filtered through his head.

“No. Don’t!” Jeremy struggled to pull away. “No! Leilani!”

Jeremy’s voice echoed in the dark room as he woke up drenched in sweat. He let out a sob when he heard the waves beating against the surf.

It was a dream. It was just a dream.

He got out of bed and grabbed a cool bottle of soda from the fridge. He couldn’t believe he’d actually entertained the thought of going to Saleos. He hated to admit that he did briefly think about it and had even driven by the bar where he’d last seen Joab and Jether.

Leaning against the open door, he looked out, watching the waves roll onto the beach. He must be insane to even think about going to Saleos for a second. Still, he couldn’t fight the desperation he felt. He wanted Leilani to stay with him. He couldn’t bear the thought of losing her.

He tipped the bottle, draining the last of its contents. Before he turned to go back inside, a flash of red caught the corner of his eye.

He shivered.

Was that . . .?

He stared out into the night. Nah, he couldn’t see squat, especially in the dark.

“Ugh! No more midnight chili dog runs with Sammy,” he said, chuckling uneasily as he went back to bed.

N
aomi bounced
with a huge grin on her way to the bridge where Lash stood waiting for her. He leaned over the railing, hazel eyes scanning the water. She paused, watching him. Even now, after all this time, he still took her breath away.

Over the past few days, they had both taken turns looking out for Jeremy. So far they hadn’t gotten caught.

Gabrielle had done what she’d promised and looked after Jeremy on Earth. She passed on the news to the family from time to time. But it wasn’t enough. Naomi and Lash had needed to see for themselves. So far everything was going as planned. Jeremy was finally with Leilani. And best of all, Michael was pleased with Naomi’s proposition.

“Guess who?” She placed her hands over Lash’s eyes.

“Hmm, let’s see.” He whipped around and kissed her. “Yep. It’s the love of my life.”

She melted into his arms. Life couldn’t get any better than this. She had Lash with her, and soon Jeremy would be with his family.

“You look exceptionally beautiful today. You’re positively glowing.” He pulled back and kissed the tip of her nose.

“I’m happy.”

“And so am I. Is it horrible to be happy when everyone around us is on high alert?”

The threat of Saleos attacking was still on everyone’s mind. Every day she and Lash trained with the archangels, preparing for what Michael had said was the inevitable.

“What if Michael is wrong?” She hated the thought of going to battle.

“It would be a first. He’s never been wrong. If he says there will be a fight, then it will come soon enough.”

She stilled for a moment. She didn’t want to think about what would happen if Lash or any of the others were struck down. They had all been training with swords, except for Rebecca. Naomi was thankful that the gentle angel wasn’t part of the angelic army. Though she didn’t see why they bothered with the swords. To a human, a sword could be deadly, but not an angel. Right?

“What’s wrong, Naomi?”

“What happens if an angel is struck down?”

“You don’t have to worry about that.”

“Tell me, Lash. I need to know. Can an angel die if they are struck by a sword?”

He let out a slow breath. “That depends.”

“On what?”

“On who strikes. Uri said Saleos’s army created swords using hardened lava from the Lake of Fire.” Worry flashed across his eyes and he tightened his hold. “Promise me you’ll stay behind me during the battle. Don’t do anything crazy.”

“Lash, I—”

“Promise.”

She gazed into his hazel eyes, tempted to tell him what she had worked out with Michael. It wasn’t the time, especially now that she knew the type of danger they were facing. She had to prepare herself for anything if she wanted to protect him and the rest of her family.

“I promise. So, what else did Uri tell you?”

“Uh . . . nothing interesting.”

“Lash . . .” She frowned, folding her arms across her chest. Uri and Lash had been speaking in hushed whispers for days. Every time she and Rachel entered the room when they were supposed to have been playing poker, Uri would happen to be in the middle of one his crazy Chernobyl stories. She knew something was up when she kept walking in on the same story at exactly the same spot.

“What else did Uri say?”

Lash brushed a hand through his hair as he walked to the railing. “He said something about Saleos’s new power.”

“What is it?”

“It’s nothing really. He can use his strength to change Earthly elements.”

“What do you mean? Like make it snow?”

“Yeah. Something like that,” he said, glancing over the railing.

“So he’ll win the battle by making a blizzard?” That was strange. What was special about that?

“Oh, shit!”

“Lash! Are you crazy?” She looked around, making sure no one had heard him. Even though she wasn’t against bending Heavenly rules, Welita washing her mouth out with soap for that one time she’d accidentally said “damn” in church had been ingrained in her memory.

“What are you looking—oh, shit!” she cried.

Please don’t be real. Please don’t be real.

She leaned over to get a closer look and sobbed at what she saw. Through the glasslike water was a clear view of Gabrielle. Her perfectly coiffed hair was strewn over her face. Her dress tore as she struggled to get away from Joab and Jether. The demon twins dragged her through the desert, stopping in front of Saleos, explaining that they’d found her outside of Jeremy’s cottage.

“No,” Naomi groaned. “They’ve got Gabrielle and they’re going after Jeremy next.”

“We’ll stop them. We’ll get Uri and Rachel to help.”

Taking her hand, they ran through the crowded courtyard toward the angels’ living quarters. As they neared, the sound of a ram’s horn echoed through the air. They froze.

The courtyard grew silent as angels stared at each other with horrified expressions as if they couldn’t believe what they’d heard.

The ram’s horn sounded again.

There was an eerie silence as the echoes of the horn faded away. Then, from a distance, there was a sound of powerful angel wings.

Naomi looked into the sky. Her eyes widened as Michael hovered over the courtyard. His gentle brown eyes were hard. He was fierce, wild, and powerful. On his right was Raphael, his face stern and focused.

“The time is nigh!” Michael cried, lifting his sword into the air.

There was a beat of silence, and then the courtyard became a storm of activity. The sky darkened as angels soared up by the hundreds to join Michael. Other angels ran into the living quarters for their swords.

“Lash! Naomi!” Rachel flew to them with Uri by her side. Her wings flapped steadily as she hovered over them.

“I’ve brought your weapons.” Uri tossed down a pair of swords to Lash.

Lash held out a sword to Naomi. “Are you ready?”

Her eyes flicked up to Michael. Their eyes locked for a moment. He gave a slight nod before he disappeared with a flock of angels behind him.

“I’m ready,” she said, taking the sword.

“Wait.” Lash cupped her cheek and gazed intently into her eyes. “Whatever happens, stay near me.”

She placed her hands over his, moving her shoulders back, priming her new wings, and smiled.

“
You
stay near me.”

L
eilani hummed
as she placed the yellow Closed For Cleaning floor sign in front of the men’s restroom. She lifted a mop and wrung out the excess soapy water before she stepped into the restroom.

She gagged. For a moment, she seriously entertained the thought of borrowing Kai’s scuba mask. Shrugging, she pushed away thoughts about filthy restrooms and hummed to the song she’d danced to on the cliff when she was with Jeremy.

She filled her mind with thoughts of Jeremy—his words of love and gentle kisses. He loved her. That was all she needed to be happy. Not even Candy making her do toilet duty three days in a row was going to get her down.

Pushing the mop over the floor, Leilani laughed at the expression on Candy’s face when she’d found out they were dating. Candy had been standing in front of the sign right under the ‘Hu’ll love it!’ word balloon when Jeremy had stopped his car and kissed Leilani. Candy had stood there, frozen, for such a long time that Leilani had thought Mr. Hu had ordered a mannequin replica of Candy for the restaurant.

Giggling, Leilani leaned the mop against the wall, pulled out her phone, and scrolled through her photos until she found the one she’d taken of Candy with pursed lips and bulging eyes.

“Totally worth toilet duty.”

Picking up the mop again, she moved it back and forth over the floor, thinking over the last few days. She’d never been so happy. Jeremy was happy too. He was the same funny, sweet guy she’d fallen for. Over the past few days, they’d become inseparable. They’d swam, surfed, and even done a little hang gliding.

When Jeremy had joined her and the family for dinner, Auntie Anela had given her an ‘I told you so’ look. Leilani was so glad she’d listened to Auntie. She was so happy, it hadn’t bothered her at all when she had come home to find Jeremy standing next a new central air system.

She knew she wasn’t a charity case to him. She was the woman he was in love with, and that was all she’d ever wanted.

She danced around with the mop, feeling way too excited. She couldn’t wait until the end of her shift. After work, she and Jeremy were going over the local community college’s course catalog and making plans. Jeremy had been adamant about helping her with tuition and had plans to take some classes too.

Grabbing a disinfectant spray and toilet brush, she took a deep breath and was about to step into one of the stalls when her jeans pocket vibrated.

Juggling the spray and brush, she reached for her phone. A text message appeared on the screen.

Leilani chuckled as she typed a reply. She and Sammy had given Auntie a smartphone for her birthday last year, and Auntie still had problems texting with it. She wasn’t able to drive anymore, and it frustrated her to be so dependent on Leilani to run errands.

Leilani’s laugh echoed in the room. Auntie’s inability to text made for very interesting conversations.

“Yes, Auntie, you really do,” Leilani said to the screen.

“Hey, Leilani! Can I go with Kai to watch
Interstellar Explosion
?”

“Sammy!” Leilani yelped, startled as Sammy ran into the restroom. The spray can and the phone flew out of her hands.

Plop!

“Eww,” he said, staring into the toilet bowl. “Your phone is in the toilet.”

“And whose fault do you think that is?” She stared down at the phone. Even with gloves on, she was debating whether or not to stick her hands in the water.

“Yours.” He blinked with a blank expression on his face.

She scowled. He was losing his baby fat and looking more like a prepubescent teen. To make things worse, he was also mouthing off more. Maybe she could ask Jeremy to have a talk with him.

“Well, can I?”

“Can you what?” She held her breath and in one swoop snatched the phone out of the water. Holding it at arm’s length, she took it to the sink.

“Go with Kai to see
Interstellar Explosion
. All my friends have seen it already.”

Interstellar Explosion
was the hottest new sci-fi movie about aliens invading Earth. Sammy had been bugging her to take him to see it for weeks. Alien movies were not her thing. They gave her the creeps.

“He’s working,” she said as she patted her phone with a paper towel. She didn’t know why she was bothering. It was pretty much toast. Maybe she could get a bowl of rice. She’d heard the dry rice would help absorb the water and it might work again.

“He got off early. Please, Leilani.”

Damn it! Sammy was giving her those puppy dog eyes again. She hated it when he did that. He knew exactly how to get her to say yes.

“Besides, you’ve been busy with Jeremy all week.”

Crap! He was right.

“Fine. But have Kai bring you back before my shift ends!” He was halfway out the door before she’d finished her sentence.

She sighed and looked down at her phone again. She sprayed it with disinfectant and wrapped it with a paper towel before sticking it in her pocket. She picked up the overflowing wastebasket and went outside.

She’d been neglecting Sammy over the past week. She didn’t want to be one of those girls who was so engrossed with a new boyfriend that she forgot everyone else. As she walked outside to the trash container, she made a mental list of activities they could do as a family.

Family. The word warmed her heart.

She slapped down the top of the dumpster. They could go camping next weekend. She’d need to ask Mr. Hu, though. There was no way Candy would let her off.

Leilani shivered as a cold chill suddenly hit her. The sunlight dimmed, and she looked up. Dark clouds rolled across the sky. She blinked, wondering if she was imagining things. The clouds didn’t look real. It was as if they were hiding something. It looked like the beginning scene of the
Interstellar Explosion
movie trailer.

There was a sudden loud flapping sound, and a flock of birds surged to the sky. Slowly, she walked to the lanai, following the birds as they flew inland. She shivered again when a cool breeze blew through the patio, making the tablecloths flutter.

Every fiber in her body was freaking out. Something was off, but she couldn’t figure out what. She looked around the restaurant. People were eating, drinking, and enjoying themselves. Mr. Hu was moving from table to table, telling the same lame jokes. Candy was entertaining a group of attractive male tourists. Everything appeared normal.

She looked out into the horizon at the darkening sky and chuckled. She was going nuts. The disinfectant spray’s fumes must’ve gotten to her. For one crazy moment, the word ‘aliens’ had actually crossed her mind. It was just a little rain. And if she didn’t want to get soaked, she’d better stop her nonsense and toss the other trash bags into the dumpster.

She walked back inside, pushing away the lingering ominous feeling.