Refracted (The Celadon Circle Book 2) (11 page)

Aamon scanned face after face. Most of the kids nodded before turning away to look at something else – anything else.

When his eyes sought Jordan, she wasn’t swayed by the pain she saw. If anything, it made her despise him more.

“I didn’t know,” he whispered. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Her strangled laugh made him wince. “
Because we shouldn’t have to!
You
brought us here.
You
took us from our families.
You
claim to love us.
You
are our father. Act like one.”

Aamon exhaled through trembling lips. He pulled one child after another into his arms and still, Jordan felt nothing.

“I promise,” he murmured, “this will never happen again.”

When he got to Jordan, she shrugged. His words meant nothing to her. She walked past him, intent on checking on Mazie and falling into bed.

A hand shot out and grabbed her hair, twisting it and yanking her backwards. Gina’s scream was a mix of primal madness and injured animal. Unfortunately, she wasn’t aware of Jordan’s proficiency with hand-to-hand combat – or her newly discovered power.

Instead of trying to get away, Jordan stepped back into Gina, catching her off guard. Leaning forward slightly to protect her head, she used her body to slam the Cambion against the wall. The crash was deafening. Jordan felt sheetrock give beneath them.

Ivy and Aamon screamed in unison. Gina touched the back of her head and smiled like the devil himself at the blood that covered her fingers. Her voice cut through the din, stoking the fire that Jordan had barely gotten under control.

“Tell me, Jordan, who will protect Mazie after you’re dead?”

Before she could react, Gina raised her hand, glowing bright, eager. Jordan only had enough time to connect with her own power before she was flung against the wall with the energy of a wrecking ball.

Her lungs struggled for oxygen. A rib snapped, and then another. Her chest ached, seeming to grow smaller with every small breath she managed. Gina was literally crushing her from the inside.

Panic dug in with long claws, scrambling for purchase as it made a slow climb to her throat. Jordan wanted to scream, to beg for mercy. Somehow, she managed to push the fear down before it manifested on her face. She needed to get control but dear God, the pain was excruciating! 

All around her, chaos ensued. One girl named Becca, whose special ability was the element of fire, wound up like Sandy Koufax on the mound and threw a blazing slider. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough power behind the pitch. The fireball fell short, set the carpet on fire, and only succeeded in separating Gina and Jordan from everyone else. The light from the orange and yellow flames caressed Gina’s face like a lover, highlighting her blue eyes, softening the harsh lines as she frowned. How could someone so beautiful be so ugly?

Jordan’s vision grew dark around the edges. She could barely get air to her shrinking lungs. Panic began its ascent again, faster than before. A tear slipped from between her closed eyes and tracked furrows of pain on her face. The beast within cried silently with her, begging to be let out. Not knowing what else to do other than to give Gina the satisfaction of her death, Jordan opened the door and set it free.

Power pulled like a cresting wave. Jordan felt her soul rise as the swell grew. At the top, she waited, balanced on the precipice, as the whitecap formed.

The rush Jordan felt as the wave broke and surged through her body was almost more than she could take. She fell to the floor, landing on one knee. One hand dug into the piled carpet to keep from tipping over, the other curled tight against her chest.

She could breathe again! Once accepted, the power leveled out, surrounding her with warmth, healing her injuries, giving her strength Jordan never thought possible. The beast, she knew now, was nothing more than fear of the unknown. She was afraid of what she was, of changing into something evil. Well, she would find a way to cope with it. Gina’s cloudburst was mild compared to the squalls a full demon could conjure.

The fire eating away at the carpet and licking the walls a few feet away suddenly disappeared as Jordan lifted her head and met Gina’s wide-eyed stare.

“What the hell?”

Jordan rose to her feet, Jordan said, “Hell has nothing to do with this.”

Slowly, she advanced, shoulders back, arms at her side. She thought about Mazie and the other kids Gina had hurt. It was hard enough being plucked from the only families they’d ever known and transplanted to a world full of demons and other creatures that shouldn’t exist. The last thing they needed was a crackpot in head-to-toe Abercrombie and Fitch invading the only reprieve from madness they had. The daytime horrors were bad enough.

“Jordan, are you…okay?”

“Look at her eyes!”

“What’s happening to her?”

Jordan ignored the whispers, the exclamations of shock. She couldn’t worry about them now.

Gina raised her hand again. The green radiance pulsing from her palm hinted at what was to come. When she closed it into a tight fist, a mild throb – a ghost of the pain that had assaulted Jordan before – returned. She brushed it aside, but the fact that Gina was trying to hurt her, to
kill
her, was just as bad. What gave her the right to decide anyone’s fate?

A whooshing noise made Jordan pause, but just like the headache, she shoved the noise aside. It reminded her of Gabe, and her heart lurched at the thought. No one was coming to help her, not ever again. The middle of her back, right between her shoulder blades itched and burned. She pushed that aside, too.

More excited whispers reached her ears. Aamon yelled for her to stop.
Too late
, she thought, and paused in front of Gina.

The Cambion’s eyes were as large as hubcaps. Shaking her head, Gina dropped her hand and backed into the wall.

“What the fuck are you?”

“That,” Jordan said, raising her own hand, “is the least of your worries.”

Her fingers circled Gina’s slim, sculpted neck before she slammed her against the wall.

“Get off me or I swear the next time you doze off I’ll gut you like a deer. Your last breath will be spent watching Mazie feast on your steaming entrails!”

Gina knew what buttons to push. She used Jordan’s affection for the youngest child in the house like a tool, twisting the pain and desperation deeper.

But Jordan no longer felt desperate, at least not for Mazie’s safety. Gina would soon find out why.

She squeezed Gina’s neck harder, cutting off what little air she had allowed before. Gina’s eyes bulged and she clawed at Jordan’s arms and hands, scratching deep furrows with her acrylic nails. Blood instantly pooled in the ragged slits and splattered the floor like the beginning of a murder scene. It didn’t go unnoticed by Jordan that this was the second room of carpet she’d ruined.

“Jordan, that’s enough!” Aamon yelled. “Let her go!”

She bent close enough to Gina’s face to smell her musky, spicy mélange of fear, sweat, and overpriced perfume. “Hear me good, Gina, because I won’t say this again. You will never hurt another kid in this house or anywhere else. If you do, I swear on my brothers’ lives I will kill you…slowly, and I’ll enjoy every minute I make you suffer.” She watched as the girl’s face began to change from dark red to purple. Her eyes fluttered and she swayed on her feet. “Nod if you understand me.”

Like a drunk at closing time, Gina managed a loose head bobble. Jordan let go and felt a small bit of satisfaction when the girl sank to the floor, staining her silk pajama bottoms in blood.

Gina panted, rubbing her neck, which would sport bruises in the shape of Jordan’s fingers soon. Using the wall for support, she clambered to her feet. In a raspy voice, she said, “You owe me a new pair of pajamas.”

Jordan smiled sweetly. “Put it on my tab.”

“Bite me, bitch.” Gina spat in her face.

Something inside Jordan snapped. Instinct told her Gina would never stop. Not only had she lost her position in the house, she’d also been found out. The Cambion would retaliate with a vengeance.

Gina reached back, fist cocked and ready to fly. In her weakened condition, she still managed to put the force of a Brahman bull behind the punch. Even then, Jordan had no problem palming it, stopping her cold.

Her fingers tingled. Rage – raw and unfiltered – saturated every pore of her being. The rancorous black thorn tattooed upon her heart, dormant for months, quickened as bitter blood raced through her veins, baptized in tainted sap.

But there was something else inside, as well. Something pure and good. Something that said she was right for what she was about to do.

Just like when she healed Koda’s wounds, blue pulses of light passed from her chest. They raced down her arms, underneath her skin, riding her veins. Jordan could feel friction as the energy searched for something to save…or kill.

When the throbbing flashes reached Gina’s fist, she began to scream. Aamon leapt into action. Jordan watched, unconcerned, as he raced towards her and slammed into an invisible barrier. Until it happened, she had no idea she was capable of such a thing. But on a deeper plane, in her subconscious, Jordan
knew
she had that ability. It was like remembering something from a long time ago, or perhaps sharing someone else’s memories.

“Jordan, remember the dream!” Ivy pounded against the barrier. “Remember Gabriel and what happened to him – what you did to him? You have to stop!”

But this was right. Wasn’t it? She was a Slayer. Gina was evil. Evil should be destroyed.

In her mind’s eye, she saw her Guardian fall. Agony filled her once again as his ashes scattered in the wind. She’d killed him out of hate. Was she doing the same to Gina?

My God.

She let go of the girl’s arm and fell to her knees beside her, checking for any signs of burns or damage. There was nothing, no marks to indicate she’d done anything permanent.

Aamon rushed over and began his own examination. Gina put her head between her bent knees and took deep breaths. Jordan stood up and backed away. Ivy was there to meet her, pulling her into a comforting hug.

“Are you okay?” she asked, squeezing harder.

Jordan nodded, unable to speak. The power was still there and always would be. She’d tapped into it, called it to her, and now it was hers whether she wanted it or not.

“Gone.”

At first, Jordan thought Ivy mumbled the word, but realized it came from farther away.

Gina
.

“It’s gone.” She held her hands up in front of her face, shaking them, clenching them into fists. “It’s GONE!” She raised her eyes to Jordan. “You took it!”

“Took what, Gina? What are you talking about?”

Aamon looked at Jordan, but she didn’t acknowledge him. She focused on Gina and waited to hear what she already knew.

“My powers. That bitch took my powers! I have nothing left – nothing!”

Everyone regarded Jordan with mixed expressions. Some seemed fascinated while others looked horrified. Only Ivy stood beside her, unflinching.

“I didn’t take anything, Gina,” Jordan informed her. “I burned them away. You abused what you were given. You didn’t deserve them anymore.”

“You psychotic freak, give them back! You’re a Cambion just like me. You can’t burn up someone else’s powers.”

Jordan cocked her head, hearing a different personality – one hidden for so long but present for the moment – answer her half-sister. It was her, but felt alien.

“The Cambion part of me agrees. The angel part sees things differently.”

Chapter Thirteen

Gabriel

It was good to be back on Earth again. Although he loved Heaven – his heaven in particular – Gabriel couldn’t deny that Earth felt more like home. He’d never questioned why that was. Now, he couldn’t help it.

After his meeting with Yasen, Gabriel had left Heaven as quickly as possible, not knowing if Michael was aware of his journey to the Helix Nebula. He hadn’t stopped to speak to any of his brothers and sisters who called out as he hurried through the Gates. He’d left like a fugitive fleeing from his homeland.

No one should ever feel that way
, Gabriel thought.

Some humans believed that, after they passed, a better place waited for them, a paradise with no sorrow, no disease, no war. There was a Father who loved them – loved them so much He gave his only son for their sins – and He would be awaiting their arrival with open arms. For the most part, this was true…for human souls. For angels, it was much more complicated.

Though Gabriel loved his brothers and sisters and the role assigned to him as an archangel and messenger between worlds, he did not like the politics. If every angel cared about Heaven, Earth, humans, eradicating Evil, and did their jobs, there would be no need for the hierarchy. They would all work toward the same goals. Unfortunately, some did not. Some, like Michael, focused on the wrong things.

Ironic. Humans were destroying one of his Father’s most beautiful creations while His own angels were hell bent on destroying another. Heaven and Earth…Pretty soon, there would be no difference between them at all.

So why did he feel so drawn to Earth? Why did it feel more like home?

Gabriel smiled as different faces came to mind.

Casen, with his gentle ways, kind nature, and never-ending strength. Gabriel had watched the man struggle with the transformation from bachelor cowboy to surrogate father. It had been a difficult change. When Richard Bailey slowly descended into his own personal hell, neglecting his children while he obsessed over keeping Jordan out of Aamon’s clutches, Casen had taken on a more paternal role. He’d pulled on Richard’s boots and, though they were uncomfortable, he’d managed, not knowing if he’d ever be able to take them off again. Casen never complained. He did what had to be done for his niece and nephews and had come to love them as his own.

Nathan was a lot like Casen in many ways. He rarely complained, was easy to please, and had a big heart. He loved information and learning. He cared about others more than himself. He would make a wonderful angel some day. Nathan sacrificed so much – as a Slayer protecting others, and for his family, but it never even crossed his mind how much he gave up. He understood people, and they were drawn to him, listened to him. Nathan was the best kind of leader – one who had no idea that he was.

Quinn was everything Nathan was not. Gabriel had no idea how twins could be so different. Like opposite ends of a pole, Nathan kept a cool temper while Quinn’s always ran hot. But where one was weak, the other was strong and in that, they complemented each other. Quinn was a fighter. When standing side by side, enemies always looked warily at Nathan because of his build, not realizing Quinn was the dangerous one. In combat, he was poetry in motion, wielding weapons like an artist wields a brush. He glided silently around his enemies. Every move was intricate, effortless. His battles were tantamount to a ballet and beautiful to behold.

One would think Jordan, the baby of the family, would be spoiled and perhaps a bit needy. She was anything but. Gabriel felt closest to her because he’d watched her grow up and been there for almost every milestone. Unlike Casen, who was already a grown man and set in his ways, Nathan, who was strong in mind and body and rarely needed to lean on others, or Quinn, who kept everyone at arms’ length, Jordan was the only one who’d let him into her heart. She didn’t see Gabriel as an angel, but as a friend and confidant. She had good qualities and some that made him want to scream, but she was his ward and he wouldn’t change a thing about her.

Those four people were why he loved Earth so much. They were his family – more so than any angels in Heaven.

And I left them when they needed me most.

Gabriel picked up a rock and threw it toward the night sky. He’d been such an idiot. What if Casen, Nathan, and Quinn refused to let him back into their lives, even after explaining why he had left? He probably wouldn’t get far, fairly certain one of them would finish what they started the last time he saw them and blow a hole in his forehead. It wouldn’t kill him, but part of him would die just the same. Perhaps the most important part.

He leaned against the shed, shifting his attention back to the farmhouse. It was late. Gabriel wondered if Casen and the boys were still awake. He was weighing the consequences of knocking on the door and begging for forgiveness when someone emerged from inside.

Quinn hauled several duffle bags down the steps and tossed them in the back of Jordan’s car. Seconds later, he roared down the drive in a cloud of dust and gravel.

Gabriel decided to follow.

<><><>

The motel Quinn stopped at in a neighboring town was not fancy, but appeared fairly clean from the outside. Gabriel made himself invisible and watched from a few cars away as Quinn unloaded his gear into the last room on the bottom floor, far from the other guests. Shortly after, he drove to a grocery store. From the number of bags he exited with, it looked as if he planned to be away for a while. This worried Gabriel.

Now, Quinn’s room was dark except for the flickering light of a television. Should he knock? What would Quinn say after all this time?

A police car crept by. The officer behind the wheel scowled, and Gabriel realized he must look like some sort of deviant hanging around the parking lot. He should have stayed invisible. Now, he had no choice. He’d have to leave or take his chances with Quinn.

Rapping softly on the door, Gabriel secretly hoped Quinn wouldn’t hear and give him an excuse to leave…maybe try again tomorrow. But this was Quinn, one of the best Slayers in the Circle. He could hear a whimper in the middle of a heavy metal concert.

There was a soft curse and then the door opened a crack.

“Are you alone, Gabe, or do you have a winged posse waiting to take me out as soon as I open this door wide enough for all of them to fly in?”

Gabriel frowned. “Of course I’m alone. How did you know it was me?”

Quinn rolled his eyes. “I looked through the fish-eye lens in the door, dummy.”

When Gabriel didn’t answer, Quinn sighed and pointed to a small circle about eye level embedded in the door.

“And this allowed you to see outside?” Gabriel smiled. The wonders of this world never ceased to amaze him.

Quinn shook his head. “Gabe,
really
?” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Why are you here? I should rip your damn wings off for leaving us under a jumbo pile of demons back in Tennessee – and for Jordan’s death at the hands of the
Kongamato –
and for running away like a coward.” Quinn gripped the doorjamb with white knuckles and Gabriel took a step back. “You know, ripping your wings off would be too merciful and I don’t have time to come up with anything creative.
I
have to fix this fucking mess you left us in and right now…” He ran a jerky hand through his hair. “Right now, I’m too tired.”

Quinn stumbled back into the room and slammed the door in Gabriel’s face.

Jordan had
died.
She’d been killed by the
Kongamato
and he never knew. 

Gabriel sat down on the curb in front of Quinn’s door and put his head in his hands. Michael didn’t tell him. His brother knew he would have moved Heaven and Earth to get to her – to any of his wards – if they’d been hurt.

He thought back to the last day he’d seen Casen and the boys in Tennessee and groaned. No wonder Quinn and the others had been so upset. He must have come off like a selfish bastard who couldn’t have cared less about their welfare. He’d relayed the information Michael shared regarding their father and Sariel but now, thinking back, they probably thought he’d known about the demon situation all along and never told them.

His charges would never trust him again and he couldn’t blame them. Gabriel had lost the only people who made him feel there was more to being an angel than just a job.

With a heavy heart, he considered his next move. Jordan still needed help. He’d go to Hell and search it level by level if he had to. He’d threaten every demon he came across.

Might as well start now.

Gabriel got to his feet and was stepping off the curb when the door opened behind him. He turned and faced Quinn. The dark circles under the boy’s eyes and lines of fatigue made Gabriel feel even worse.

“I’m sorry, Quinn,” he whispered, “for everything. There was so much I didn’t know…”

“Gabe, just come inside already. It’s late and my beer’s getting hot.”

He left the door open and Gabriel watched from the threshold as Quinn flopped onto a double bed and took a drink from a brown bottle.

“Wanna shut the door? It’s colder than a witch’s tit in an iron bra and I’m not heating the entire parking lot.”

Gabriel shut the door and locked it. His angel eyes showed him runes and symbols Quinn had drawn on the walls and back of the door to ward the room against demons.

“Have you been with many witches?” he asked Quinn.

For a moment, the young man stared at him like he’d suggested they go skinny dipping with Michael.

“No, why?”

“I inquired because you seem to know their thermal readings. I had no idea witches’ body temperatures ran cooler than non-witches, or that they favored undergarments of iron.” Gabriel frowned. “I would think those would be uncomfortable.”

Quinn laughed, transforming his entire face and making him appear younger. Gabriel smiled, not sure what was so funny but happy to see the boy in better spirits. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen Quinn laugh.

“Gabe, it was just an expression! I have no idea what a witch’s temperature runs, but I’m pretty sure they don’t wear iron bras.” Quinn wiped away tears with the back of his hand. “I don’t understand how you’ve spent so many years around humans – especially
my
family – and still take everything so literally.”

Gabriel shrugged. He tried to understand human emotions. With Jordan, it was easy to tell when she was being sarcastic. She rolled her eyes, placed a hand on her hip, or gave some sort of outward signal. Quinn was always serious, so the meanings behind his words were harder to unravel.

“Do you feel better?” he asked.

Somber once more, Quinn said, “Not really, but I have to admit it’s kinda cool seeing you again, even if I am pissed at you.”

Deciding the urge Quinn felt to rip his wings off had passed, Gabriel sat at a small dinette table which held a pizza box. The aroma of cheese and tomato sauce made his mouth water. Technically, he didn’t need to eat or drink to survive. As long as he had his grace, he could sustain his vessel indefinitely. Still, he liked human food.

Tearing his eyes from the red and white box with the little Italian man on the front, Gabriel focused on Quinn once more.

“Why didn’t Nathan and Casen come with you?”

Quinn’s eyes narrowed. “How do you know they didn’t?”

Gabriel
was
familiar with one human expression: Open mouth, Insert Foot. He’d mastered that one. He wanted to crawl under the table.

“Gabe?”

“I was at the farmhouse when you left.”

“You were
spying
on us?”

Gabriel shook his head. “I was contemplating on whether to knock on the door.”

Quinn drained the last of his beer and set the empty bottle on the bedside table. “I’ll tell you why I’m alone if you tell me why you bailed on us in Tennessee.”

It was a fair trade. Gabriel offered the missing pieces of the story. It was difficult, especially the part about Michael’s lies. He hung his head, remembering how Quinn accused him of being nothing more than a pup at the end of his big brother’s leash.

After disclosing the conversation between Michael and his Aeon, Gabriel paused to let the information sink in. Quinn got up from the bed and grabbed two bottles of water from the tiny refrigerator. He sat at the table, slid one of the bottles to Gabriel, and flipped the lid on the pizza box.

While they dined on cheesy goodness, Quinn reiterated what he’d learned. Around a mouthful of pizza he said, “So, my sister could possibly be part demon
and
part angel. Michael knew but never told you. He gave you orders to stay away from us and is sending his Amazon-in-charge after Jordan. Have I got it right so far?”

Gabriel helped himself to another slice. “Yes.”

“So why are you here,
with me
?”

The pizza lodged in his throat like a lump of wax. Gabriel swallowed hard and said, “I defected from the Circle.”

The words, so alien, hung from his lips. Gabriel remembered Yasen’s remarks about the hierarchy and tried to quell his jangled nerves.