Anathema (14 page)

“I know you are worried about the future,
Elizabeth.” His deep voice rumbles through me.

“Are you reading my mind, Lev Walker?” I
demand, pulling back and shaking a chiding finger at him.

“I don’t have to. I sense the anxiety flowing
through you.”

I shrug. “Like you aren’t anxious?”

“Yes,” he admits, nodding as he takes one of
my hands in his own. “But the difference is I’m an angel and can do
something about it.”

“Not according to Evan,” I point out, a
shudder running through me.

Lev is stiffens. “Let’s just say Evan and I
have theoretical differences about this one, okay?” He levels a
pointed gaze at me.

“But what if he’s right? What if there is
nothing you can do that won’t put you in the middle of a battle you
shouldn’t be in?” I try to drop his hand, but he refuses to let
go.

“My place is with you, Elizabeth. God wanted
me to understand love, and I do, but that means I have to be there
for you even in this battle. You’ve done nothing wrong, and I have
to make the Triune see that. Even angels can be stubborn and
short-sighted. Trust me.”

“I just don’t want to be the reason things
get bad for you. You’ve done more for me than anyone, and I love
you, but I don’t ever want that love to hurt you.”

He squeezes my hand. “I’m a big boy, in case
you haven’t noticed, and you can’t pick my battles for me, earthly
or otherwise.”

“Did God ever tell you how stubborn you
are?”

He laughs and shakes his head. “More than
once.” He looks off into the distance as though he’s reliving
certain memories, and part of me wonder if angels have the same
sorts as humans.

“Do you ever regret the choices you made with
me?” I brush my longer bangs behind my ears.

“Never—but you should know that,” he
chides.

The sun burns brightly behind him, haloing
his face with a golden glow. Only I know that so very little of
that is from the sun. I keep staring at him, amazed at his beauty.
The clouds keep rolling in until, at last, they’ve obscured the
light.

Chapter Ten

That night, wrapped in Lev’s arms, his wings
furled around us, I find at last I do not dream, which comforts me.
It makes it easier to convince myself I’m not really seeing images
of the Triune which will eventually come, seeking to judge me for
using the powers they believe I’ve stolen.

Still, when dawn finally comes, I find myself
waking to a grey sky and rain falling in heavy, swollen drops that
patter noisily on the windows almost like hail. Even as my eyes
open, Lev’s already sitting up. From where I lie, I can see him
frowning, almost like he’s concentrating really hard on something.
I can always tell because the aura of his wings seems so much
brighter when he’s distracted.

Lightning arcs across the sky and splits the
clouds. I sit up and slide my legs over the edge of the bed so I’m
right next to him, and the moment he sees I’m awake, he pushes away
whatever deep thoughts have engrossed him and leans in to kiss my
cheek.

“Good morning, Elizabeth.” He nuzzles my
face, sending a shiver down my spine.

Thunder crashes outside, and I jump. He slips
his arm around me, and I feel his calm soothing through me, a
tranquil warmth that drives away fear. Rain pelts the glass
louder.

“Looks like a beautiful day,” I mutter.

“More reason not to go anywhere and just bury
ourselves in here, Elizabeth, where it’s warm and dry.”

I kiss his cheek and smile. “I don’t think
that’s quite what Evan has in mind.” I slip my hand to the back of
his neck and toy with his blond hair, my fingers caressing the
golden corn silk.

He nods , and the grin vanishes. “Yeah, well.
It was worth a try.”

“There’s nothing I’d like more, Lev. But we
have to remember this world isn’t ours right now, and no matter how
we feel, we have to find a way to keep the Triune at bay.”

He shakes his head. “You sound like someone
else I know,” he mutters.

I lean toward him to rest my head against his
chest, and he enfolds me in his arms, resting his chin atop my head
as the storm rages outside. The lightning seems far worse than
before, and the thunder is deafening at times, but when I’m in his
arms, it seems the whole world melts. I’ve never felt that with
anyone. Then again, Lev is anything but just a guy.

A soft knock parts us, and Lev rises,
stepping to the window while I eye the door. “Come in.”

Evan pushes the door open and looks from me
to Lev and back again. “There’s breakfast in the kitchen. Then we
should probably head back to Knoxville. It’s too wet to consider
just doing it outside.”

As if on cue, lightning flashes, the glare
illuminating Lev’s brooding form with an unnatural brilliance.
“Maybe we could skip today,” Lev mutters, parting the curtains.
“It’s pouring out there.”

“Delay isn’t an option. You know that.” Evan
clutches the doorknob tightly, and I know he’s trying to keep a lid
on worries even he cannot control.

“Yeah. Okay. But this time I’m going.”

I stand and start to argue, but Evan shakes
his head, telling me I can’t win this one anymore, and I close my
mouth, swallowing the words in a catch of breath.

“Celia will be coming as well.” Evan turns
and heads out while I stand there for a moment, trying to get my
bearings as the world seems to pound around us amid the hail that
now smacks the windows and thunders down on the roof. More
lightning. I hate storms. Rain I can deal with, but not this kind
of weather. It’s too close to the storm brewing inside me.

“Why do you have to come?” I ask. My throat
feels funny—dry and scratchy.

Lev turns and steps toward me. “While Evan
can contain your power, he can’t exactly do it while trying to
train you, which means he needs help. That’s where Celia and I come
in.”

“And where you could get hurt,” I snap and
charge toward the closet, where I yank out the first t-shirt and
jeans I find. It’s not like it really matters what I’m wearing. The
rain and hail are going to plaster them against my body, anyway,
I’m sure.

“I’ve been in dangerous situations before,
Elizabeth. I can handle myself.” He sounds so self-assured, so
cocky, and it infuriates me.

“So you’ve dealt with the powers of a holy
relic trapped in teenage girl before? This is all so familiar
there’s every margin for error, right?” I glare at him as I rush
through the bathroom door to change clothes. I can feel him
following me, but I don’t bother turning around. There is nothing
he can say to me to make any of this any easier. Yes, maybe Evan
needs him. But that doesn’t mean he won’t be in danger just the
same.

Once I slip into the bathroom and close the
door, I lean against it and try to catch my breath. There’re so
many moments I want to have with Lev, but it seems as though
whatever I might want is constantly thwarted. Before, it was
because I could die at any moment, and Lev knew that. Or that there
were evil angels surrounding us that had to dealt with. This time,
it’s me and this…power that resides in my body. I hate it. How I
hate it. But I know railing against it is pointless. I can’t change
what is, so I’d better get ready to face it.

After suffering a breakfast full of small
talk and worried looks, Evan, Celia, and Lev head out to the Jeep,
knowing I’ll follow. Griffin catches my arm on the way, and
although he still seems weak, he looks much better than he has in
months, and he did seem to have a pretty healthy appetite at
breakfast, which is comforting. It’s the only good thing to come
out of Jayzee’s death so far.

“Please be careful,” Griffin says, his
fingers gently clasping my wrist. “I want you to come home in one
piece.”

He pulls me into a hug, and I feel the
tension threading through his body.

“You don’t have to worry about me, Griffin.
I’d worry about everyone else.”

“They are angels, Lizzie,” he argues.
“They’ll manage.”

I shake my head. “This power is designed to
kill angels, so like I said, it’s not me you have to worry about.”
I pat his back once and pull away.

Jimmie awkwardly stands at the door, his gaze
averted to the floor. Jimmie always picks things to look at instead
of people when he’s worried. I guess I’m thinking I’ll just slip
past him, so I’m not exactly expecting it when he wraps his arms
around me.

“Be careful,” he whispers, and I nod to let
him know I’ve heard. I just wish I knew why everyone wasn’t worried
about the angels in this case. They seem to be walking into a whole
lot more danger than I am, at least until I get my face-to-face
with the Triune.

“I will,” I tell him and walk outside into
the driving rain that is cold and stings as it pelts my skin. I
shudder and run for the Jeep to find Lev already sits in the
driver’s seat; I take the passenger side. Once inside, I shudder
involuntarily and try to fold my hands into the fabric of my
t-shirt. It’s like autumn just turned really, really cold, and
okay, maybe I should have expected it and dressed for the occasion,
but I didn’t.

Lev has already turned the engine over and
flipped the heater on, not that it’s blowing warm air. He backs out
of the drive and watches me from his peripheral vision, a frown
etching deep lines in his forehead. When he finally switches to
drive, he gently takes one of my hands, and I feel the usual warmth
begin to flood through my body. It takes a moment or two to stop
shaking, but I’m grateful; it’s probably going to take at least ten
more minutes for the heater to blow anything resembling heat.

“You okay?” he asks softly.

“Peachy.” I lean back against the headrest,
acutely aware of the audience in the back seat. It's a lot like
having your parents on a date with you—except this is hardly a
date, and those are hardly my parents.

For most of the drive, nobody says much of
anything. We're all probably thinking about what's ahead, trying to
get used to things being the way they are. None of us asked for
this, but then again, how much of our lives is ever what we ask
for?

Lev tries to break the silence by turning the
radio to an oldies station—“Earth Angel” by the Penguins. I quickly
change stations. There's only so much absurdity a girl can
take.

"I like that song," Celia complains.

"You would!" I snap, preferring Pearl Jam's
“Jeremy,” which raises more than a few eyebrows.

The rain and storm stay with us the whole
drive, and it's actually worse in Knoxville. As the rain sluices
from the sky in a wild torrent, I'm glad Lev is driving. It’s
probably a whole lot less complicated for him than it would be for
me, and considering my ADHD, we might just find a ditch the easy
way.

It's hard even to see the community center
when we pull up. The Jeep windows are fogged, and there's so much
storm blustering around us, the world is distorted by wind and
rain. Once again, the lot is empty, for which I'm grateful. Of
course, if and when they open this place, I'm not sure where Evan
is going to suggest we play "Test the Powers."

"You ready?" Lev asks. "I don't think the
rain is going to get any lighter."

"Yeah, " I agree, and fumble for the door
handle. Even as I jerk it open, the sky pelts me, stealing my
breath with cold. For the second time, I lament my clothing choice.
Does this mean summer is officially over?

I jump out of the Jeep and hold the door open
for Celia while Lev lets Evan out of the back seat. Then we all
make a mad rush for the door. Celia already has her key out, so
that when we get there, she's able to let us inside quickly.

In the entryway, we try to shake off the
water. The rain has seeped through my t-shirt, plastering it to my
body, and my sopping hair sticks to my face no matter how many
times I try to push it back.

"I'll get some towels," Celia volunteers.
"Just wait here."

"See, I told you it would have been a great
day to stay home," Lev mutters, raking his fingers through his wet
hair to separate the strands.

"And I told you we don't have the time,” Evan
snaps Elizabeth's gift hanging over our heads. We can't risk
that."

Before Lev can respond, Celia returns, her
arms loaded with folded towels that she quickly hands out. "I would
have brought fresh clothes, but nothing back there is going to fit
anybody, so we'll just have to dry off as best we can."

Nobody has to tell me twice. I'm already
trying to blot the moisture from my shirt before I attend to my
hair. It doesn't take long before the towel is soggy and I'm at
least a little bit drier. Hey, I'll take whatever I can get.

Celia rolls a big plastic container towards
us so we can dump our soiled towels. I rake my fingers through my
hair, trying to force it into some kind of order. It's so not
willing to comply.

"Are you ready?" Evan asks, his blue eyes
staring intently.

I glance over at Lev, who wears a
long-sleeved white Henley, and black knit sports pants. His gaze is
averted, and I know he knows I'm looking, trying to gauge his
thoughts. He's not about to make it easy for me.

Celia, on the other hand, stares at me. She's
wearing a pretty aqua shirt and jeans that accentuate her model
beauty. She, too, waits.

"I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be," I
finally say. Immediately my body tenses, and I know I'm not ready.
Then again, I'll never be ready, not with Lev’s and Celia's lives
hanging in the balance.

"All right, then." Lev heads toward the gym,
and the three of us silently follow. As usual, Lev hovers closely
beside me.

I don't want to do this
, I think,
folding my arms across my abdomen.

That makes two of us,
Lev's voice
fills my head. He reaches for my hand, and I take it.

Please be careful
, I think.