Fall From Grace (10 page)

“Bruce, I think you’ve got one hot-headed
little girl on your hands. Maybe she needs some discipline.” He
lifted his hand high into the air in warning.

“You touch my daughter and I’ll sacrifice
you to a coven of demons myself.” Bruce pushed from the chair and
shoulder rammed the one guy in the gut.

Adrenaline surged through her muscles. Gaby
took advantage of the distraction and grabbed the vase from the
table, jumped on the chair, and shattered it over the big man’s
head.

He turned, unfazed and shoved her from the
chair. The kitchen turned upside down as she rolled back slamming
her head against the corner of the cabinet.

Dad spun around and swept the legs out from
the second man, but didn’t have a chance to reach the third before
he shoved a gun in Gaby’s face. Terror caused her to scurry back,
but anger demanded her to act. She wanted to grab a steak knife and
plunge it into him before he had a chance to kill someone she
loved, but she wouldn’t make it.

“Calm down; don’t do it, man.” Dad pleaded.
“We go way back. You need to give me a chance to explain
things.”

The other two men groaned and rose to their
feet, each grabbing an arm to restrain her dad.

“Start talking.” The man grabbed Gaby by the
collar and flung her into a kitchen chair, picked up the one she’d
fallen from and waved the gun for Dad to sit down.

“You saved my life once. I’ll give you five
minutes.” His husky voice had a hint of respect.

“Mark, keep watch out the front. Bill,
you’ve got the back.”

“Randy, let my daughter go. She has nothing
to do with this.”

“You’ve got five minutes. Don’t waste it on
something you know won’t happen.” Randy walked around the table and
leaned against the wall, glancing down at his watch.

“There was a demon coven here, but I took it
out. Forras, the head demon, was sent to hell where he belongs.
After that, the few remaining demons fled. There’s been no activity
here since summer.”

Randy waved the gun in front of him. “Bruce,
we both know that isn’t true. Four minutes.”

“There was a demon last weekend, but I
handled it. He’s dead. No sign of any others.”

Randy leaned over the table. “You expect me
to believe Kemp is clean? We both know this place has some sort of
draw to earthbound creatures.”

Gaby’s stomach flopped at the way he spat
the term earthbound. This man would never be reasoned with; she
needed to figure a way to get them out of Kemp before they
discovered Alexander and the rest of them.

“Three minutes.”

Gaby rubbed her sweating palms against her
shorts and concentrated on slowing her breathing. The last thing
she needed was to have some power surface in front of them.

“Two minutes.” Randy’s lips curled in
pleasure of his torment.
Monster
.

The back door creaked open and Mark rushed
into the room. “Hey, boss. I think something’s going on over near
the beach. I’m gonna check it out.”

Gaby froze. She needed to get them refocused
before they discovered Grace’s house. Would they know immediately
that they were fallen angels?

“Go check it out.”

Mark bolted through the back door, slamming
the glass sliding door so hard she thought the glass would
shatter.

“Randy, come on. There isn’t anything else
to tell you.” Bruce admonished.

“One minute.”

Gaby slid her hand into her pocket and
fumbled around to find the send button. She hit it twice and pulled
it from her pocket. At a minimum she had to warn the others.

Randy pressed the gun to Dad’s temple, and
there was no more time.

“Guess Gaby over there is going to be an
orphan.”

Her fingertips tingled. She couldn’t sit
there and watch her father die. “Wait! I’ll tell you what you want
to know.”

Randy pulled back the gun with an ear-to-ear
grin and straddled a chair. “Go ahead.” He leaned over the table
still holding the gun in his right hand. She only hoped Alexander
could hear her talk. “There is a new coven of demons forming. I
thought I could handle it on my own. Pick up where my dad left off.
He’s getting old and tired; I’ve been training for this.”

She averted her gaze from her dad so as not
to break under pressure. She needed to make them believe she was
actively hunting. “They’re living outside of town near the old
railroad tracks on the county line.”

“How many?” Randy’s eyebrows rose in obvious
excitement for a good hunt.

“Three, but there could be more on their
way. I was working on a plan to take them out. Best approach would
be from the water, but I didn’t have a boat so I was working on a
new plan.”

“Well, we’ll take care of it now.” Randy
tapped the barrel of the gun against the tabletop.

Her muscles relaxed slightly at his words,
but she needed to keep up appearances. “That is my coven. I get the
kill.”

“Listen little girl. Leave hunting to the
pros.” Randy pushed from the table, and she clutched the cell
phone, slipping it under her thigh.

Randy yanked the walkie-talkie from his
belt. “Load up, men.” He slid the walkie-talkie back on. “Oh, and
Gaby, if you aren’t telling the truth, I’ll be back to take care of
your father and to hunt down that fallen angel you’re rumored to
have the hots for.” Randy’s nose flared with disgust.

Gaby tightened her grip around the cell
phone before the nudging ice found freedom from her fingers and
created a new issue for them all. The table shook, and she forced
herself to take deep breaths, attempting to steady herself.

“What the—” Randy’s eyes shot wide, and he
pointed the gun at her face. Her father always said hunters didn’t
bother with questions.

****

Alexander’s eyes burned at the sight of the
large man threatening Gaby. He pounded on the glass slat window,
drawing the man’s attention to the front of the house. Alexander
didn’t have to even try to look demon. He knew his rage took care
of that. The large man turned and fired two shots, but Alexander
ducked and ran for cover, leading him away from Gaby and Bruce.

The man bolted out the front door and yelled
to one of his partners. “Get the truck.” Alexander had counted
three men. One Sammy was leading to the county line road where Boon
had spotted demons. If it was demons they wanted, maybe it was time
they found them.

Twigs crunched under each rapid footstep as
he bolted through the woods. His wings protested for release, but
he continued running with all his energy to put distance between
them. After a couple of miles, he took cover and watched the man
run by, headed straight for the demons. For a moment his conscience
gnawed at him for leading the man into danger, but it was what a
hunter wanted, and if he took a few out and then left, all the
better for Gaby.

He raced back, pumping his arms until he
reached the clearing then took off for her house. What if one of
the shots hit her? His stomach churned, and he clipped the oak tree
out back, sending leaves raining down. He snatched the screen door,
pulling it off the hinges. “Gaby!” He slipped his shirt over his
head as he maneuvered over some lawn equipment on the back
porch.

Blood.

On the glass sliding door. His heart pounded
faster than his quick steps. “Gaby, where are you?”

“Alex, she’s in here.” Bruce called from his
room down the hall. He rounded the corner and found a first-aid kit
open on the bed and Gaby propped up at the head. He dropped to his
knees by her side. The iron smell of blood caused his entire body
to shake. “Gaby, my love. I’m here.”

“Bullet ricocheted.” Bruce offered.

“Relax. It’s only a flesh wound.” Gaby
smiled at him. “You’d think I was dying.”

“Don’t say that.” Alexander clung to her
hand. His chest tightened at the thought of being separated from
her. “I won’t lose you.” Alexander brushed Gaby’s silky hair from
her perfect face.

Bruce cleared his throat. “I’ll go clean up
the kitchen.” He tossed some bandages on the bed and left the
room.

Alexander pulled her sleeve up gently. Her
pink shirt, saturated in blood, clung to her arm. This was too
close. Maybe Gaby was right; they needed to Soulbond. He couldn’t
bear for death to separate them for thousands of years.

Gaby sat there stiff, not saying a word. He
could feel the tension and knew she was upset. The thought of
losing her twisted him in knots. How could life be so cruel? Thank
God she was okay, for now.

He picked up a cloth left on the nightstand
and cleaned the wound. She flinched, and he concentrated on sealing
the skin.

“Stop. There’s no need. Save your strength.
There are hunters out there. Don’t waste your energy healing
me.

Alexander lifted her hand and brushed his
lips against her soft skin. “They’re gone for now, and there’s no
reason to have these powers if I can’t heal the one I love. Keep
you from pain.”

“It’s only physical pain; it doesn’t hurt
near as bad as you choosing an eternity without me.”

He cringed at her words. That’s what she
thought, that he chose not to be with her? “Gaby, it isn’t like
that. I want to be with you.” He grasped her hand and pulled it to
his heart. “All I’ve ever wanted, from the moment I carried you
from the ocean, was to protect and love you.” His arms and legs
felt like lead weights, heavy with the knowledge they would be
separated some day, but could he tell her the truth?

Gaby set her jaw, and he knew she refused to
cry. “I don’t need your protection. I only want your love.”

He pushed off the floor and sat on the bed
next to her. “I can’t lose you.” The bed shook underneath him as he
leaned in and cupped her face. His body ignited with one brush of
their lips.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, and
they lost themselves in each other, if only for a moment. For the
first time in days, they connected the way they used to. The
thought of losing each other just made them cling that much harder
to what they had now.

The familiar smell of apples from her
shampoo made his pulse race, and he edged closer, pressing against
her, never wanting to let go.

Something broke in the kitchen, snapping him
from the moment. He pulled away. Gaby smiled the way she did when
they first met. A smile that melted his heart.

He held the nape of her neck and leaned his
forehead against hers. Eye to eye as he drank in her scent and
petal soft skin.

“I love you, Gabriella Moore. Never forget
that.” Alexander rasped through his desire to never let her go.

“I love you too, and I want to be with you
forever.”

Bruce cleared his throat from the
doorway.

“Here’s your chance to ask my dad.” Gaby
smiled with anticipation, and her silvery blue eyes sparkled in the
dim light.

Alexander gripped her neck tighter and
wished for there to be a way to make all of Gaby’s dreams come
true. “I can’t.” Alexander choked.

Tears stung his eyes. “Gaby, I can’t ask
your father to allow us to Soulbond.”

Silence hung in the room like a noose around
his neck, threatening to end his existence if he told her the
truth, but there was no choice.

Her eyebrows furrowed. “What is it?”

She stroked his check, and he kissed her
palm, fighting for the strength to end her dream; both of their
dreams.

He took a long shuddered breath. “We cannot
Soulbond because you are not an angel.”

Gaby yanked her hand from his. “I’m the
daughter of an angel that must mean—”

“Grace says it doesn’t matter. You were born
human. If we try to Soulbond it would kill you, separating us
immediately.”

“But if we don’t, we’ll be separated forever
if I die.” Gaby’s gaze darted around the room stopping on
Bruce.

“Dad, tell him. Tell him that I’m the
daughter of an angel, and Grace is wrong.”

Bruce shook his head.

Alexander clutched Gaby’s hand and wouldn’t
let her pull away from him. “We have now.”

“No, Grace is wrong. You’ll see. I have
angelic gifts; that means something.”

Alexander’s phone buzzed, but he ignored
it.

“Get it; Sammy or Grace might need your
help.”

“No, I’m not leaving you.”

“You already have.” Gaby pulled her mother’s
wedding ring from her finger and placed it in his palm.

The small silver ring with white diamonds
rested in the palm of his hand. A never-ending circle to represent
their time together. But she was right; they would be torn apart.
The feeling of a demonic claw slashing his heart to shreds nearly
made him crumple to the ground with pain.

“We can’t be together unless we Soulbond,
but we can’t Soulbond because I’m not an angel. There is nowhere
left for us to go.

Chapter Ten

Blood orange eyes glared at Boon. Gaby tried
to scream and warn him to run, but nothing came from her mouth. She
looked down, and her bare feet pressed into the damp, cold dirt.
Only a white nightgown covered her in the dark forest. Another
vision, always forced to stay on the sidelines and watch the
horrific details of a future event. But she could feel the cold,
taste the pine when she took a deep breath. Frogs croaked in the
nearby thicket, and she willed her body to move.

Boon stood there, back to the creature. The
demon snorted and raised its clawed hand. Gaby clutched her soft
nightgown and leaned forward, but still her legs would not move.
The hand swiped across Boon’s back. He arched and cried out in pain
before he fell forward over a log. The brittle old bark crushed
beneath him sending shards of wood into the air.

Boon shook his head and rolled forward,
jumping to his feet. Blood saturated his t-shirt, but he ripped it
from his body and morphed into the dark raven creature his angelic
form always took. His wings spread wide, and she was sure Boon
could take him, but three more creatures emerged on all sides of
him.