Iniquity (The Premonition Series Book 5) (18 page)

“You’re aware it’s a weapon against half-angels? It can be used to harm your daughter. Are you eager to give that away when you don’t know how he’ll use it?”

“No. I’m not eager to relinquish it to him, especially now that I’ve seen what it can do. I didn’t know the extent of its power. I was told it would subdue, not that it had the potential to kill.”

“It’s also a key.”

“It is and I don’t believe Evie made the conscious choice to use the whistle to unlock the gateway to Sheol. She was conditioned to do it. The moment she touched it, she was no longer in control of the consequences of her actions or even aware of them. Once the gateway opened, it attempted to pull her into it.”

“Do you believe it wise to give the boatswain to an angel you don’t know?”

“I have to trust in Heaven to know what’s right.”

“What’s right for them or what is right for Evie? It’s not always the same thing. They don’t always coincide.”

“No, you’re correct, they don’t. I said I have to give Atwater the key. I never said you had to let him keep it. He’s at the same base as Evie. Will you come with me to deliver it?”

“What would you like me to do once you deliver the boatswain?”

“Whatever comes to mind,” Tau murmurs, touching his throat lightly.

“When do we leave?” I ask.

Phaedrus rises from his chair. “I must leave you both here,” Phaedrus says absently as his soft, fuzzy wings unfold from him.

“What is it?” Tau asks.

“I’ve just been given a mission.” His black owlish eyes grow even darker. “It would seem I have to depart at once.”

“Do you know your assignment?” Tau asks, standing as well.

“We’ve met. It’s Reed’s friends: the half-Seraph, the Power, the Throne, and the two Reapers.”

I lurch to my feet. “Are they in danger?”

“They’re in no immediate danger. They want my help to locate something for them.”

I frown. “What do they want?”

“They want a weapon capable of destroying a soul.”

“Is there such a weapon in existence?” Tau asks.

“Heaven says there is. Heaven says they’re looking for a Faerie weapon—one that sings.”

A
beefy Power
angel with beige-colored wings brings me a delicate plate of seasoned cod. Xavier and I sit alone at our table in a posh dining room beneath low-hanging crystal chandeliers. Around us, Power angels savor the exquisite cuisine, casting covert glances at Xavier and me. I would’ve preferred to eat alone in my room, but Xavier insisted that I show myself here. He wants the other angels to grow accustomed to my presence—to my supremacy inherited through my Seraphim blood.

My skin feels paper-thin as Xavier’s hand comes within a breath of it. He picks up his wine glass, watching me, expecting me to suddenly recognize him for more than the human he has always been to me in this lifetime. I also remember him now as a British soldier from another lifetime—the life I don’t want to remember. In that time, he’d dangled the carrot of freedom before Simone—a desperate girl and she’d agreed to help him in exchange for her life. The biggest problem I have with that is I’m not entirely sure how it worked out for her. Not well, I’d imagine, because she died—I died.
I’m Simone…or I was.

I scan the room for the diamond-shaped pupils and blue wings of the Cherub angel I’d seen when I first arrived. Atwater. I need to speak to him. If he knew Brennus before his fall, then I want to know why he’s still hanging around the Gancanagh and hasn’t tried to kill them. The Gancanagh lair in Houghton is not something that angels would normally let slide. Atwater knew I was a prisoner there, and yet, he’d done nothing to help me escape them. He had only come to me after Russell had freed me.

“You’re quiet.” Xavier lifts his glass to his lips and stares at me over the rim. His blond hair is dark under the dim light of the chandelier.

“Why would Atwater be following the Gancanagh?”

“I don’t know. He must have his reasons.”

“Do you know where he is?”

“Not at the moment.”

“But you can find him, right?”

“I can.”

“Find him for me.”

“Okay.” Xavier leans back in his seat, toying with his glass. “What are you going to do for me in exchange?”

“What do you want?”

“Cooperation.”

“Am I fighting you?”

“No. You’re biding your time, waiting for Reed to rescue you.”

“He’s my aspire. You’re keeping us apart.”

“I’m allowed to protect you from everything that can harm you now. I could never do that in your previous lifetimes as a human. This is a much better position to be in. I don’t have to watch you die and do nothing.”

“Reed won’t hurt me.”

“He’ll destroy you.”

“Why do you say that?”

“He doesn’t know who you are. He doesn’t understand you.”

“He understands me fine.”

“His only goal is to protect you.”

“Why is that so wrong?”

“You’re here to change things, Evie. It’s not about you, it’s about what you’ve become—a half-angel. There has never been your like in all of history. You’re changing the world. You’re the wave that will crush our enemies.”

“Why must I be a crusher? Why can’t I be a uniter?”

“You fight evil. It’s what you do. It’s why you’ve always been chosen. Do you think Emil deserves to live?”

“No.” I mutter. He has a point. Emil cannot be allowed to live.

Xavier’s lips twitch in a suppressed smile. “You’ve always been an excellent crusher. You crushed Kimberly Cline. I distinctly remember you making her cry,” he teases me.

I make a face. “She told everyone that she was going to get you to break up with me junior year.”

“Yes, and you told people I said that she had bad breath.”

“She did have bad breath.”

“True, but I never said that.”

“You thought it. Anyway, you did end up breaking up with me senior year.”
Why does that still hurt so much? It makes no sense.

Xavier sees it. I can hide nothing from him. He sets down his wine glass. “I didn’t want to hurt you, but I had to put some distance between us.”

“It’s fine—”

“No. Let me finish!” he growls.

I look at him. “Go on.”

“You were…such a temptation for me. We weren’t engaging in just kissing anymore, like we had been sophomore year. I was supposed to be protecting you, but I was becoming your direst threat. You were so fragile. I couldn’t touch you without hurting you, not the way I was feeling about you. I wanted you. You had been the love of my life for centuries.”

“I thought there was something wrong with me,” I admit.

“There
was
something wrong with you! You had the body of a sixteen-year-old girl and the ancient soul of my love. There was clearly something wrong with that.”

“Your body looked about the same age as mine.”

“Looks are so deceiving, aren’t they, Evie?”

“They are. With a look, you made me believe you found me repulsive. I thought you didn’t want me at all.”

“You held all the power and you didn’t even know it. And so what if I
had
been a stupid boy and not an angel and I had thought that? It would mean that
I
was a fool, not you! But you know now what I am and that I love you—have
always
loved you. I wanted you then, but it’s nothing compared to how much I want you now.”

“It’s too late,” I whisper.

“It’s never too late. Not for us! Not for where we’ve been.”

“Where have we been, Xavier? I want to understand. I do. I need you to stop talking in riddles and explain where we’ve been. What do you remember about our last lifetime together?”

“I pushed you too hard and it all fell apart,” he says in a quiet tone.

“What do you mean?”

“I should have gotten you out of France earlier. I could’ve, you know? I could’ve saved you from him—from Emil—but you were such an ace! You had the potential to end him before he harmed anyone else. You just needed to find yourself in Simone. So I left you in the game, but I left you too long.”

The air around me is suddenly haunted by Emil’s scent—it’s the fragrance of his hair tonic. It’s scent memory from Simone’s lifetime. I put down my fork and pick up my wine glass, taking a sip to allow the taste of the red to expunge the odor of my tormentor.

“Why would you do that to me, if you loved me?” My hand shakes, causing my wine to weep rosy tears on the inside of the glass. I set it down.

“I sometimes expect perfection from you. You rarely give me anything less than it.”

“But this time I was less than perfect?”

“I...don’t know. I can’t remember my last hours there. I know I was supposed to meet you at the bridge. I know I was there early. I remember checking my watch, waiting.”

“What would’ve happened at the bridge had everything gone to plan?”

“You would’ve reported Emil’s new location to the allies. They would’ve had the information and I would’ve seen you safely away. The goal was to undermine Emil. Human soldiers would’ve hunted him down for his war crimes. I would’ve followed you at a safe distance for the rest of your life, watching over you.”

“Why were you allowed to interfere with my life at all? I thought angels couldn’t do that.”

“I was your
guardian
angel. I alone was allowed to interfere in your life. I could manipulate you in order to help you achieve the goal of your mission, which was to subdue and put an end to Emil in that lifetime.”

“So I was your pawn.”

“It wasn’t like that. You mostly lead me.”

“But I never made it to the bridge?” I ask.

He shakes his head. “I truly don’t know.”

“Maybe this is bliss, Xavier.”

“What do you mean?”

“Why would I want to remember any of this? Just the imagined smell of Emil makes me want to vomit.” I look in his mismatched eyes. “Maybe the kindest thing you can do for me is to allow me to forget.”

“I’m never kind, Evie. Do you think for one moment Emil will go away? He’s here to kill you, of that I have no doubt.”

“I know he is. He’s always here to kill me, isn’t he?”

“He is.”

Out of the corner of my eye, a flash of blue catches my attention. Atwater sees me staring at him from my seat. He motions with his chin for me to follow him. Turning, he disappears through an archway at the back of the dining room. “Excuse me for a moment, Xavier.”

Xavier stands when I do. I make my way across the beautiful rug to the archway. It leads to a long hallway. At the end, Atwater waits just long enough for me to see him. He darts away. I bolt down the corridor. At the other end of it, there is a shear drop of several stories. I spread my wings and dive into the air, following the trajectory of the blue wings in front of me. I land at the bottom next to Atwater. He doesn’t look at me, but takes huge strides across the marble floor. Moonlight shines through gigantic windows carved from the side of the mountain. It’s almost perpetual night here this time of year. A beautiful set of silver doors lead outside. A large cloakroom is situated next to the doorway. Atwater goes to it. He runs his hand over several long coats and parkas in all shapes and sizes, finally choosing a white parka with long slits in the back of it. He holds it out to me, waiting patiently for me to put it on. My wings fit through the slits in it. He walks around me and zips it from the back so that only my feathers are exposed. I take care of the zipper in the front. Reaching his hand up to a shelf, he selects a white ushanka from it and squashes it onto my head. I don’t say a word; I just whisk away my hair from my eyes. He grabs a heavy white parka for himself that matches mine. Tossing me some white gloves, he walks out of the coatroom. I hurry after him, pulling my gloves on as I go. He thrusts open the door and my angel vision adjusts to the darkness outside. He walks out into the middle of a lovely courtyard. Ice sculptures of fierce warrior angels are the only figures near enough to overhear us. Still, Atwater takes me by the elbow and leads me away from the doors.

“Your father is on his way here. He should arrive shortly.”

“Tau is coming here?”

“Yes. Some of his army comes with him. He brings Reed as well.”

“How do you know this?”

“Heaven told me.”

“Why is Tau coming here?”

“I asked him to come.”

“For what purpose?”

“To deliver the boatswain to me. He was ordered to keep it safe until it was needed. When the time came, he was to give it to me.”

“Why do you need it?”

“I’m to either give it to you or I’m to use it on you.”

“What?”

“If you are not worthy to be the champion of Heaven, I’m to use it on you. If you prove yourself to be worthy, I’m to give it to you.”

“How do I prove myself worthy?” I ask.

“You already have.”

“How?”

“You survived the Gancanagh.”

“That proves I’m Heaven’s champion?” I feel disoriented by what he just said.
Is he insane? Is he evil? Is he a lunatic?

“No. The fact that you’re their queen proves that you’re Heaven’s champion.”

“I don’t understand.”

“No, but you will. When your father arrives with Reed, I need you to get Reed alone.”

“How?”

“You’re a resourceful being. I’m sure you will find a way. Tell Reed to come here to this statue.” He holds out his hand to the ferocious ice angel holding a sword aloft, ready to smite us at any moment. “Inside the ice shield will be the boatswain. I want him to have it. He plans to kill me for it, but that’s unnecessary. I want everyone who knows about it to believe I still have it. It will be safer for you if they do.”

“What do you want him to do with it?” I ask.

“I want him to take it and to leave here with you.”

“How?”

“Find a way. Once you get somewhere safe, I want him to call out these tones on it,” he says, before whistling a soft tune that is hauntingly familiar. “Can you remember it?”

“You want him to kill me?” I ask.

He scowls. “If I wanted you dead, I’d do it myself!” His cat-like eyes narrow to slits. “There are several different tones. At its worst, the boatswain will only subdue you—separate your soul from your angelic body. It cannot destroy your soul. What I want is for you to use a tone that will make you remember our deal—Emil has negated part of the contract by speaking of that night.”

“Our deal?” I ask. “That night?”

“If you keep repeating me I will smite you. I need you to go somewhere safe with Reed and only with Reed. I need you to remember our deal. Then I need you to lead your army into battle. The gates of Sheol are wide open. Demons are pouring in as we speak.”

“Whoa, wait! The gates of Sheol are open?”

“Emil has cut through the fabric of this world and opened hell to it. The Gancanagh have attempted to close it, but it has not held.”

“Where?”

“Where you once resided—in your little college town.”

“Crestwood?”

“Yes. Emil tried to capture your soul mate there. The Gancanagh saved him.”

“Which army am I to lead into battle? Tau’s or Xavier’s?” I ask.

“Not their armies, your army! You’re the queen of the Gancanagh. You rule beside their king. You must lead them into battle. It is the only way to defeat Emil. We must have them all: Tau’s army, Xavier’s army, and your army. And Reed must be at your side. You must unite them all.”