An Angel's Ascent (25 page)

“
Angel,” Aries said breathing in sharply.

“
I'm sorry I got carried away. Won’t happen again, promise,” I purred.

“
Sen is already awake. He hasn’t quite accepted our schedule yet. I thought today I’d work on some stuff with you guys. I might be immortal, but it doesn’t hurt to train more.”

Aries kissed the tip of my nose and jumped up. Popped upright was a better way to describe what he did. He was so fast that he was in one spot one moment and in another a half a second later. It was like I was missing frames.

I jumped and almost fell off the bed as I had been in the process of sitting up.

“
I'm sorry, I forget myself when I’m around you. I’ll be glad when you catch up.” Aries said laughing.

We walked downstairs, and I found breakfast on the table, egg and cheese croissants. I looked at Aries with a weird expression.

“
I can tell when you are about to wake up. You stop mewling and thrashing. You settle down and sleep peacefully for thirty or so minutes and then just twitch. I drove into town before Switch headed to his room and got breakfast. There’s fresh fruit in the fridge that Switch brought last night.”

I stared at him wide eyed.

“
I can sleep but usually don’t need too. To be honest, it scares me. I remember everything, and it’s just blank. Empty and hollow. No dreams. I’m dead so I guess that’s why I don’t dream.”

I was just helping myself to a sandwich and nodding. I hadn’t had one of these in months and was kind of hungry. My appetite was changing too I noticed. I would be starving one moment, then eating out of habit the next. I could go ten hours without thinking of food. I also noticed that I was faster. I was doing things at a different pace, and it was throwing me off. I would reach for something and overshoot. Kind of like seeing Aries is in one spot and not the next. I’d be able to see him move before too long.

Sen and I decided to work with the sword and dagger today, so when I was done being human I found them and searched for Sen outside. It didn’t take long; he was just warming up outside. I put tunes on and jumped in. Sen rolled his eyes but kept going.

After warm up we sped it up to get my adrenalin flowing. I moved faster and faster keeping in time with some rhythm in my mind.

“
Angel?” Sen said. I just realized he had stopped about ten minutes ago.

“
Yeah?” I asked stopping.

“
You’re beginning to blur. You’re not like Aries here yet, but you’re getting close. I think it’s time for weapons.”

Aries had the sword and dagger held up for Sen to choose.

“
Sword,” he told him.

Sen picked up his own sword and told me to mimic as best as I could. We would do ten steps until I could do them blindly.

It took thirty minutes for me to do the first set, and after two hours, I’d learned everything. Sen showed me the dagger, and we worked for another hour before Sen called a break and headed inside. I danced around with both the sword and dagger. I was playing with them when I realized that the handles when brought together locked. The dagger slid into the sword handle and made the sword a little more deadly.

By this point, Aries had wandered inside as well, and I was alone.

Something came over me, and I began to dance to some kind of silent music. I could feel it but not hear it. I twisted, turned, flipped, balanced on one arm, and moved my body in directions I’d never even considered before. Nothing was impossible. My eyes closed, and I adapted my master’s moves to the ones that flowed from me still and was twirling and bouncing effortlessly in a small circle. I ended on bent knee with the combined weapons in front of me with the sword blade horizontal.

Something inside me felt like these moves were very old. I had done this before. At the edges of my vision, I could see people. They weren’t really there, this I knew. It was some kind of crowd. I had to be experiencing a past life, one where I had these weapons.

My body knew these steps all on its own; I just had to follow through. I looked badass I knew, and I felt it. Some part of me realized now that if I ever faced a demon, I could hold my own. A weight was lifted from my shoulders. I could do this; I really could.

Whistling made me open my eyes and look up. Aries was smiling like he sold a multi-million dollar record. Sen was gaping open mouthed and wide eyed. Aries, using his hand, gently closed his mouth.

“
She is... her...” Sen stuttered going down on one knee.

I blushed and realized I had done something that mortals could never do even on drugs.

“
Even if I am I won’t have you bowing to me, it should be the other way around.”

I took the bottle of water Aries handed me, sipped half the bottle, and then accepted the little towel. I was sweating but wasn’t drenched. If anyone even attempted what I had just done, they'd have sweated out all the fluids in their body. It felt as if I had been dancing for twenty minutes when only seconds had gone by. My body was sore in the strangest areas.

At that moment, the earth moved. We all staggered trying to regain our balance. We looked at each other wondering what it could have been. I felt fire tingling along with my magic. Kali had said... it had been a dream then.

“
Back up!” I called. I walked back away from the cabins so that if I messed up they might not get hurt. I closed my eyes and lifted my hands. I was now trembling with the effort to contain this new power, to use it slowly and precisely. My lip felt wet; that’s when I noticed my nose was bleeding. I wasn’t meant for these powers; I was just human, and my brain was trying to keep up. Suddenly I knew where the powers I had come from.

The part of the brain we weren’t supposed to be able to use. That explained the migraine I had after I had wrecked the room at Deaths Door. Oh shit. She said I would get them all at the same time!

I turned and ran as far as I could as fast as I could. The lake wasn’t all that far and if I made an oopsie that would probably be the best place, right?

I staggered as the pain hit me from trying to tame the raging storm inside me. I knew that if I survived this I’d hurt beyond anything else I’d ever experienced. I felt wind trying to burst forth along with the power of earth. Was there more, what all had she said?

I threw my hands out in front of me as I slid to a landing on my knees unable to hold it in a moment more. One hand released wind, while the other moved the earth around me. It felt like I was in Los Angeles during a major earthquake. The wind was chaotic around me, clouds moving at an amazing speed. A tornado couldn’t have been windier. My hair whipped madly around my face obscuring my vision from time to time.

I sensed the other two not so far behind, as well as Kali awakening. The power surge inside me had called to her. She was taking over my body. I didn’t mind, at least she knew what she was doing.

“
Yes!!!!” she called out, her strange voice echoing. My eyes glowed white from the power within me. Kali stood there now, fully in control. She could handle the pain. She must have been blocking it from me because I didn’t feel anything. Another blessing, it had been getting to the point that I thought it would rent me to pieces.

Blood now drenched the upper part of my shirt. It was pouring from my nose. The smell would have gagged me if I had any senses other than sight and sound. How long my body could withstand this assault I didn’t know. Changeling or not I was still mostly human.

“
Mother, I must return. I wished to feel this one last time, the freedom, the pleasure it gives me... is like no other... but you must learn to control it or there is no hope. The evil beings coming will rip you apart and eat everything in their path. You have to be strong enough! I can’t stop the pain any more than you can. Your body will have to endure. To save the human race... it is worth this isn’t it? If not, then this is what will happen...”

Images flashed through my mind. My friends were dying. Raven was being tortured. Michael was fighting for his life, a losing battle with so many monstrous beings. They gorged on the humans in this realm. Bones were scattered haphazardly among them. Aries and the others were each trying to slow the onslaught, but it was obvious they were fighting a losing battle. As each beautiful vampire fell I felt something inside me snap. I was the reason for this. I had allowed it by failing. Aries looked into my eyes before he fell, surrounded by three demons. I screamed his name! He didn’t blame me. He had tried to tell me. He had seen this before he had chosen. He had known this was a possibility. Sen laid to his left torn in half. Children were screaming for their parents, the ones not already being consumed. I could not allow this to happen.

“
I have no choice but to...” I replied as the tears began to drop. Rage fully consumed me. I wanted vengeance for this!

She left then, returning all feelings and control all at the same time. Once again I fell to my knees and refused to scream aloud. Aries was nearby; I wasn’t sure he’d hear or not with the wind screaming as well, but it wasn’t worth it. I could do this. I was chosen to handle the burden, and I would handle it. Already I could feel the tendrils that connected me to the earth. I could now judge how much I needed and where to send it. It seemed as if my skull would implode, but I was learning, slowly. I could slow the rush and control the amount that I needed. There was just so much of it.

Wind was a bit trickier; there was no connection, and it was wild and free and uncontrollable. It wanted to be released, to fly freely, unbound. I called to the spirit, urged it to obey me, commanded it, and gave it no choice. This was mine, and it belonged to me. I stood once more, finding my feet.

The earth became silent and lay once more dormant as well inside me. The wind tried one last time to flee, but I snapped it back and closed off the outlets. There was no path for it to follow anymore. Wind raged at me inside, begged for its freedom. I promised in time; I promised it vengeance. It gave up as well and returned to slumber along with earth. I felt the animals nearby startled by this and yet they knew me. I was not to be angered for sure, but I was one of them. There was something inside me that called to them.

I fell to the sand as my body gave out. It could take no more without rest.

“
Sen!” Aries cried, running to Angel.

He’d never seen anything more beautiful. She was his all-powerful goddess. No one else could claim her. How could he in the end? Was she meant to belong to him? Could he keep her?

Or would she leave him. It would kill him if she no longer needed him.

He scooped her up, trying desperately to ignore all the blood. She was pale as a ghost and looked so brittle and broken in his arms.

His fangs dropped, and he roared. She smelled like heaven. His mouth watered at the sight of all the fresh blood bountiful before him. The beastly creature within sharply inhaled and Aries eyes glazed over, sparkling blood red. The monster shivered in pure delight but refrained, barely, from tasting even a drop.

Aries fought for control. This perfect woman belonged to him, and he would not harm her.

“
Give her to me. The smell no longer bothers me, Aries.”

Aries turned towards Sen and growled in denial. His fangs were flashing. She was his, at least for now. He’d control the animal side of him one way or another. If this were all the time he had, he wouldn’t waste it. He stared Sen down letting him know that she belonged to him.

He had never seen her quite this messed up before. It had taken more out of her than ever before. She had a gray tone to her skin as he wiped the blood away.

Sen had stayed downstairs to give them some time alone. He just wasn't sure they had it in them to do this. Could she fight when her own body was tearing her apart? Could he stand by and allow her to? Why couldn’t it be him?

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

I first realized I was awake when the pain consumed me again. It was tamer than before, and I was able to keep it to myself. My breathing was labored but evening out. And my heart was throbbing madly, but it too was returning to normal. My body felt as if something had clawed its way out. My muscles were clenching up and my teeth chattering.

I couldn’t move yet, but I knew with time I’d heal. I needed a hot bath. I sensed Aries nearby but not touching me. I opened my eyes and desperately sought him. He looked grim. That answered one question. I looked as bad as I felt. I smiled weakly at him. It was all I could do. If I said anything, it would probably turn into a moan or groan.

“
Don’t do that!” He growled and jerked himself off the bed, to pace the small room.

“
Do what?” I croaked.

“
Hide it from me. I can feel your pain. Don’t think you can get away with suffering in silence. I wish I could take it from you but no amount of begging or complaining will change this. So if you must endure the pain alone then don’t hide it from me, I’m not a child, I can handle it.”

“
Oh really? Wasn’t that you bashing your fists into a damn wall last time? Or was I hallucinating, because if it was Switch or Cross, my imagination is going into overload along with everything else. I can’t control much, but I won't have you suffering on my behalf. I’m strong, as well. I need you, not you beating things up every time I get hurt. Take it out on the enemy not the surroundings.” My voice rasped, but I got it out. I needed an ice cold glass of water.