Anathema (20 page)

"So what is it you aren't saying?" I ask,
daring him to meet my gaze.

"What do you mean?" He sets the unused gauze
back in the box on the night table and throws away the old
dressing.

"There was something about my dream that
bothered you, and while you didn't say anything, I still saw you
react. So tell me what it is."

Lev suddenly appears with a basin of water
and a wash cloth. At first, he looks from me to Evan and then goes
about cleaning my feet as I awkwardly lie there, feeling completely
useless. More than once I jerk my foot back as Lev accidentally
finds a tender spot. He looks closer at it to determine if the skin
is broken.

“What’s going on with my dreams?” I demand
again, knowing if I don’t keep bringing it up, he’s going to just
let it slide.
Well, that makes one of us
. I refuse to let it
go. I have a right to know.

“All right,” Evan finally relents. “I’m not
completely sure that what you experienced was just a dream,
Elizabeth.”

I flinch. Lev thinks it’s because he’s
prodded a tender spot, but it has nothing to do with my foot. “What
do you mean? Lev said that I was sleepwalking.” I look at Lev.
“Were you with me in my dreams?”

Lev shakes his head and grabs the towel to
dry off my feet. “No, I wasn’t.”

Evan nods and sits in the chair across from
the bed. “I didn’t say all of it was real, Elizabeth. But the parts
with the angel from the Triune are quite possibly real, and that’s
troubling.”

“I don’t understand.” A cold chill sweeps
down my body, and I shudder involuntarily. Lev looks up, concern
forcing his mouth into a frown.

“In other words, I think you might have
actually had an altercation with one of the angels sent here to
judge you. He or she was probably testing your powers to see how
much of the dagger’s supernatural abilities you absorbed.”

The basin slips and clatters to the floor,
dumping water everywhere. Lev’s face is as white as a sheet, and he
fumbles, trying to gather things up. While Evan hasn’t really said
much, whatever he has said has been enough to freak Lev completely
out.

“So what does that mean?” I lick my lips and
tell myself it’s not time to panic.

Evan leans back in the chair, and even from
where I’m sitting, I can see he’s not at all comfortable with
what’s going on. “It really depends on what happened in the dream
between you and the angel.”

I recognize the forced calm in his voice.
It's masking something far more disturbing than I probably want to
hear about. But I have to. I have to know what the future
holds.

"He was following me and reached for me. I
kept trying to get away from him but couldn't. Then the power just
seemed to act of its own accord. It lashed out at him, and he fell
to the ground. He was getting up again as Lev woke me."

When I thought Evan's frown couldn't get any
deeper, I was wrong—oh so wrong. Right about now he's looking at
the carpet. I keep waiting for him to say something, but he's not
exactly being verbal.

"What does that mean?" I finally ask. In my
peripheral vision, I see Lev mopping up the last of the water from
the basin. If I have to guess based on Lev's expression, he already
knows what Evan seems reluctant to tell me, and he really doesn't
like it at all.

"I think the angel was probably testing your
boundaries, checking to see what kind of power you possessed. If
he'd wanted to attack you, he wouldn't have waited until you'd
drawn the first blood. He would have done it upon sight."

Lev sets the basin on the dresser and leans
against it. His wings shimmer lightly, almost like a second, barely
visible layer over the shoulder muscles as he leans back over the
dresser and props himself with both arms. His head is bent low,
almost like he's praying, but I think he's probably just listening
to the conversation and doing everything he can not to react.

"And what are you holding back?" I ask
quietly.

"Depending on which member of the Triune
tried to make contact, it could mean a lot of different
things."

I shake my head. "Why does it matter which
angel approached?" I try to get comfortable, but that's pretty hard
to manage when you feel like you have the weight of the world
breathing down your neck, just waiting for things to fall
apart.

Evan leans forward in his seat. His elbows
rest on his thighs, and he cups his palms together. For a moment,
he just stares off into space as though lost in thought. Then he
gradually turns toward me.

"The Triune is composed of three angels, each
of whom has a different strength. The head of the Triune is Lepail.
He focuses on balance. Atmir is the second angel. His concentration
is on justice. Lastly, there is Turnoc, an angel who is concerned
with faith. If Lepail is the angel who first made contact, I'm
guessing his report was not kind, Elizabeth. He can easily sway the
other two into seeking a path of destruction for you."

The breath I'm holding comes out in a
shuddering gasp, and Lev turns, his face ashen. Evan reaches for my
hand. "However, if you were approached by one of the other two,
their views could be tempered with understanding of your situation,
which might make all the difference in the world for you."

He squeezes my hand, and I know he's trying
to be reassuring, but all I feel is this sense of panic building
inside me. My racing heart won't slow, and I wish I saw a way out
of this nightmare. But I don't. I don't think Evan does, either.
And right about now, considering how I'm feeling, I really don't
want to think about what’s going through Lev's mind. It can't be
good.

“How would I know which of them it was?” I
toy with the covering just for something to keep my hands busy so
Evan won’t notice the violent trembling in my fingers.

“You wouldn’t be able to tell. All three of
them would seem identical to you.”

Lev shakes his head. “It was Lepail. We both
know as the head of the Triune he wouldn’t simply delegate the task
to another.” He straightens from the dresser and stares out the
window. “And we both know Lepail isn’t going to listen to a word
Elizabeth says.”

“We know nothing of the sort,” Evan counters
loudly. “While it seems Lepail would be the one in control, we both
know that what seems is not always what is."

While Lev doesn't say much after that, I can
tell by the hard line of his jaw he's holding a lot of things
inside.

"Have you seen any of the Triune?" Evan asks.
"I mean, outside of your dreams?" He walks around the room, and I
see the shimmering at his back as well, hinting his thoughts are
keeping him from focusing on concealing his aura as well.

"They were in Knoxville. Didn't you see
them?"

Evan freezes in mid-stride. His expression
suddenly turns shell-shocked. "When?"

"Right after I left." I take a deep breath,
trying to steady myself. The grandfather clock down the hall chimes
softly.

"It's just a matter of time," Lev says,
shaking his head. "That altercation with Sarah will lead them here,
and Elizabeth's powers are too strong to miss her location
now."

"Meaning I can't hide anymore, right?" I toy
with the ends of my hair and try to ignore the throbbing in my
arm.

"It's not really like you could have hidden
to begin with, Elizabeth. The power would have given you away
regardless."

"So what happens now?" I ask softly. Lev
isn't looking at me. Instead, he's staring out the window, almost
like he expects them to suddenly appear any moment, which is so not
a comforting thought.

"You need to get some rest, that's what,"
Evan says. "Your body might have this great power, but you're still
weak, and the last thing we need is for you to be worn down when
the angels from the Triune finally appear before us."

"I'm not tired," I argue, despite feeling
sluggish as the needles of pain begin to jab harder with passing
time.

Lev turns toward me. He's got his arms folded
across his chest. Evan glances at him and heads out the door.

"I'll let Jimmie know she's resting," he
says, his tone once again measured to hide emotions.

"I'm really not tired," I argue. The last
thing I want is to be forced to bed like some little kid, but I can
tell by Lev's stubborn posture I'm pretty much stuck. The last
thing I need is to get upset and kick that power on like throwing a
light switch. No, the Triune may not be close yet, but there’s no
sense giving them a homing device to follow, either.

"Be reasonable, Elizabeth. I can tell you are
exhausted. Your body is still trying to recover from the bullet.
That's going to take time and rest; your power isn't geared toward
healing you, unfortunately."

He walks over and sits on the side of the
bed. His blue eyes meet mine, and I see the fearful expression on
my face.

"Why do I get the impression you’re hoping
I'll go to sleep so you won't have to deal with talking about the
future?"

"I don't know. You tell me," he whispers and
slips his hand atop mine. His fingers gently caress.

"I think it's because you're afraid to tell
me what's going to happen." I brush the hair from my face, and he
looks down at my hand.

"Elizabeth, I can't tell you what's going to
happen because I don't know. I could give you lots of guesses, some
good and some bad, but that doesn't mean I can divine the future.
I'm not that sort of an angel." His voice sounds raw, and his
expression is troubled.

"So there are angels who know the future?" I
chew my lip, intrigued.

"Yeah. Like I said. I'm not one of them."

I shake my head, trying to wrap my mind
around that concept. "I thought supernatural abilities were
bad."

He half-heartedly laughs. "Elizabeth, I'm a
supernatural creature through and through. That doesn't make me
bad. The abilities you’re referring to are those used by humans who
draw their power from evil."

He looks up at me and touches my face. "And
for the record, the ability that has fused with your body isn't
evil, so that doesn't count, either. None of this was of your
choosing."

"I never meant to cause this much trouble," I
whisper, suddenly overwhelmed by everything around me.

"I know." Lev lies down next to me, which
makes things really close quarters on a small twin bed. Although
he's distracted by his thoughts, he offers a cocked smile and
brushes his fingertips against my chin.

"You need to sleep, Elizabeth. There's
nothing to worry about tonight. You're safe, I promise."

With those words, his wings unfurl and drape
around us, closing off everything else and leaving us to the
sanctuary of each other and now.

Chapter Fifteen

The steady thrumming of pain gradually forces
me from the peaceful nest of sleep, and by the time I realize I've
crossed from unconsciousness, I also know I have a raging headache,
my arm is on fire, and my body aches. So much for peace and
quiet.

Forcing myself to open my eyes, I quickly
realize the side of the bed once filled with Lev is now empty, and
it's almost like a dream. Then again, Lev is like that. Part of me
knows he will never completely fit in with this world.

I sit up and look around the room, aware by
the sunlight pouring in around the thick curtains. It's morning. I
grit my teeth and rise from the bed.

"Lev?" Part of me knows he's gone. And
something tells me it's not just from this room.

I force myself to stand, and as I walk toward
the door, my hair slips over my shoulders and falls in disarray
around my face. Without thinking, I start to raise the wounded
shoulder, but the shooting pain quickly changes my mind. I gasp,
push the hair back with the other hand, and struggle to open the
door.

The cabin is quiet, and I see Jimmie crashed
out on the couch, while Griffin lies on a pallet in the middle of
the floor. Only Celia stands there, staring out the window into the
bright, perfect sunlight. Her arms are folded across her chest, and
even in the dusty morning light, I recognize the outline of her
wings because her back faces me. The long, blonde curls spill
midway down her back, and she seems not to hear me approach, so I
walk up to her and touch her arm. She absently whirls. A worried
frown plays at her lips as she realizes it's me.

"What are you doing out of bed, Elizabeth?
You need your rest."

I shrug and touch my temples. "Head started
throbbing, and it woke me."

She nods. "I'll get you some Tylenol." She
reaches for her handbag and pulls out a small plastic container.
Her deft fingers quickly open it and spill two into my palm.

"There you go." She nods to the pills and
closes the bottle. "I'll get you some water to wash them down."

Without waiting for a response, Celia heads
into the kitchen, grabs a glass, and fills it with water. Then she
brings it to me.

"Thanks." I take the glass, pop the two pills
into my mouth and take a swallow. Once I'm done she takes the glass
back.

"Now maybe you should go back to sleep."

"I'm not tired," I mutter. As I look at
Jimmie and Griffin, I shake my head, awed at how they can sleep no
matter what’s going on around them.

"They were up pretty late, worrying about
you."

"Figures," I murmur, glancing around the
room, looking for Lev and Evan.

"Where are the others?"

Celia's sudden forced smile hints she's
hiding something. "They’re looking around."

"What for?" I go to the window and peer out.
No such luck. I don't see anybody.

"The Triune."

My back stiffens; no matter how things go, I
can't see any of this ending well. "Why are they looking for the
Triune? What good is it going to do to find them?" I’m trying to
keep my voice even; the last thing is to wake up Jimmie, who’s
probably going to freak out when he finally does open his eyes.
Then again, ever since Lev and I met, Jimmie seems to be freaking
out a lot.