Echoes and Embers (Rebel Angels) (15 page)

Rosalind pressed her face against
Gadrayel’s
chest and hesitantly took Sariel’s hand.
Gadrayel
rocked her gently, whispering into her ear. Alyssa watched in silence, torn between trepidation and tenderness. Rosalind’s future would be determined in the next few minutes.

Heaven’s light radiated from Sariel, expanding until it encompassed Rosalind and
Gadrayel
. Rosalind moaned, tossing restlessly. The light intensified.
Gadrayel’s
lips moved in silent prayer, his eyes squeezed shut.

Afraid to distract them but too anxious to stand still, Alyssa crept to the window and eased open one side of the shutters. Twilight had descended beyond the window, painting the castle compound with a purple haze. Countless humans went about their business, oblivious to the spiritual warfare raging in their midst. At some other time, Alyssa might have found the thought amusing. Right now she felt only dread.

Rosalind cried out, drawing Alyssa’s attention back to the bed. Sariel released her hand, speaking ancient words as he passed his hands over Rosalind’s head. Alyssa couldn’t understand what he said, but the rhythm of his speech was familiar. She used to know this language. There was so much she used to know.

Gadrayel
stood and placed Rosalind on the bed then they joined Alyssa at the window.

“Is she all right?”

“She’ll sleep through the night.” Sariel sounded distracted, thoughtful.

“What were you able to learn?”
Gadrayel
asked.

“I’m not sure. The images are skewed by a child’s perception. I’m still trying to unravel the intricacies.”

Alyssa sensed his resistance. He understood far more than he was saying. “Did you see her father?”

“Aye.”
He heaved a sigh and looked out into the twilight.

“Who was he?” Direct questions were harder to avoid. Alyssa had tired of his evasiveness long ago. She needed to know once and for all if Rosalind was a
Nephilim
.

“His name was
Balam
.”

“
Balam
?”
Gadrayel
gasped. “But she is not a
Nephilim
. I have sensed the nature of a
Nephilim
thousands of times and Rosalind is—”

“Unique,” Sariel agreed.

“Who is
Balam
?”

Sariel turned toward her, leaning his shoulder against the window frame. The setting sun cast eerie shadows across his features, making him look sinister. Or perhaps it was just his gloomy mood.

“
Balam
was one of our best. Strong, dependable, focused. I dispatched him on a mission and he never returned. After years of futile searching, I had no choice but to accept that he had
Fallen
.”

“That’s not possible. Lord Baldwin of Monthamn is interred with his wife beneath the parish church.”

“I’ve heard it said that an angel can surrender their immortality to avoid Falling. I’ve never known anyone who did so, but I’ve heard it can be done.”

“That would explain why we never sensed
Balam’s
Fall
,”
Gadrayel
said. “If he surrendered without succumbing to corruption, he would have disappeared.”

They spoke in hushed, urgent tones. Alyssa grew more anxious with every word they uttered. They shared information, but she was no less confused. What did it all mean? If an angel surrendered its immortality, what became of it? Where did it go? What did—?

“Humans join our realm when they leave their mortal bodies. Our reality is what they think of as the afterlife.” Sariel answered her unspoken question.

“Then what became of
Balam
? What becomes of the
Nephilim
you destroy?”

“That’s two different questions. If
Balam
was about to
Fall
and he surrendered his immortality instead, his essence, his energy would have simply dispersed.”

“But Gideon became mortal when he surrendered his immortality,” Alyssa said.

“Gideon repented and was transformed.
Balam
simply surrendered.”

“How sad.”
She glanced at the bed where Rosalind slept. They were speaking of her father. “He no longer exists in any reality?”

“If
Balam
was about to
Fall
,”
Gadrayel
put in, “he escaped an eternity of damnation. I say well done.”

She still didn’t understand. Why were they being so evasive? All of these facts still danced around the real issue—Rosalind! “This doesn’t explain what you sense in Rosalind. Is she or is she not a
Nephilim
?”

“If her father were Grigori and her mother—”

“She is
not
a
Nephilim
. Her nature is far more complicated,”
Gadrayel
interrupted, his eyes gleaming dangerously.

Sariel chuckled. “I agree. She is not a
Nephilim
. I don’t think there is a term for what she is.”

Alyssa could stand the tension no longer. She stepped in front of Sariel and grabbed his upper arms. Resisting the urge to shake him, she looked deeply into his eyes. “Tell me exactly what you saw. Must Rosalind be destroyed?”

Sariel understood Alyssa’s frustration, but he was not intentionally skirting the facts. What he’d sensed within Rosalind was confusing and convoluted. “When Lady Catherine spoke of her attack, she was lying about the child. Rosalind sensed it then, even as young as she was. Rosalind’s mother
was
the result of Lady Catherine’s ravishment.”

“Did Lady Catherine know her attacker?”

“That’s not at all clear. Lady Catherine spoke of the incident with grief and regret. Rosalind’s deep affection for her grandmother made her especially intuitive, but Lady Catherine never explained the specifics of the attack.”

“Rosalind said she wasn’t supposed to know about it. How did she find out?”

“She came upon her grandmother weeping in the garden one afternoon. Lady Catherine reluctantly shared the tale. She had promised her husband she would never speak of it. He threatened to lock her in a convent if she ever mentioned what happened.”

Alyssa shook her head, her brow furrowed thoughtfully. “Then Rosalind’s mother had no idea she was not Lord
Monthamn’s
child.”

“Correct.”

“How does this change Rosalind’s nature? What am I not understanding?” Fatigue and worry shadowed Alyssa’s gaze.

He wanted to take her in his arms and comfort her, but nothing he could say would make this easier for her to accept. “Rosalind’s mother was a
Nephilim
.” He paused while that fact sank in. “I believe Lady Catherine succumbed to the seduction or was taken against her will by a Grigori.
Balam
was not dispatched to
judge
Rosalind’s mother, but obviously at some point their paths crossed and attraction erupted. He spent thirteen years at her side and surrendered his immortality when she was infected by the Black Death.”

“Then Rosalind is the child of an angel and a
Nephilim
?” Alyssa glanced toward the bed. “She is more angel than human.”

“Which is why her nature is so confusing to us.” He waited for her to look at him before he continued. “Very few
Nephilim
are capable of reproducing. To my knowledge one has never before begat a child with an angel.”

Alyssa shook her head, rubbing her eyes with her fingertips. “Is her angelic nature pure? Does this conclude your mission?”

“I sense
Balam’s
strength and determination. That portion of her nature is pure. Her human nature is complex, as human natures always are, but she is primarily good.”

“What about the other angel, her grandfather?”

Sariel sighed. Alyssa was too perceptive for her own good. He had hoped to avoid attempting to explain what he sensed. “That portion of Rosalind’s nature is well hidden. As of right now, she has it completely suppressed, but the right set of circumstances could shift the balance within her.”

“That’s true of everyone, be they angel or mortal.” Her lovely features tensed with dread. Fear lit her bright blue eyes. “Even demons occasionally have a kind thought. We are all a blending of light and darkness.”

Sariel smiled, wanting this business behind them once and for all. “Which is why my judgment is to let her live, under strict supervision.”

Alyssa’s hand flew to her chest and she released and audible sigh. “Thank God!” Her obvious relief was followed almost immediately by a barrage of questions. “How will we ever make her understand all this? I can scarcely comprehend it myself. Is Rosalind immortal? Can she produce offspring? Will her offspring be at risk?”

“Is she forbidden to me?”

Gadrayel’s
softly spoken question snapped Sariel’s attention to his friend and dragged a soft gasp from Alyssa. If Alyssa was not forbidden to him, how could Rosalind
be
forbidden to
Gadrayel
? Both females were a unique blinding of angelic and carnal natures.

“Does she love you?” He watched
Gadrayel’s
expression closely as he waited for the answer.

He glanced at Alyssa before returning his gaze to Sariel’s face. “She loves Ray. She doesn’t know me.”

“Then spend time with her as
Gadrayel
and see how she responds.”
Gadrayel’s
mouth parted in a beaming smile. Sariel felt compelled to add, “Just so we’re perfectly clear, you do not yet have my blessing.”

Gadrayel
nodded. “I understand.”

Sariel reached for Alyssa’s hand but she stepped back.

“What about Enos and Paimon? What if they come for her again?”

“
Monthamn
Castle
is surrounded by a legion of Michael’s warriors. He has made them available to me until this business with Enos is concluded.”

Her eyes widened and she looked out the window as if she expected to see them circling in the sky. “When did this come about?”

“Let’s retire to a more comfortable chamber and I’ll explain.” She slipped her hand into his and they started across the room. “
Gadrayel
,
let her sleep.”

“Aye, sir,”
Gadrayel
answered immediately, but Sariel heard amusement in his tone.

Alyssa followed Sariel to her bedchamber and he asked that she await him there. The request confused her, but she didn’t question his intentions. Her mind whirled with everything she’d learned and all that remained unanswered.

Rosalind was safe, at least from the Grigori.

Alyssa wrapped the thought around herself like a fur-lined cloak, absorbing the comfort and security. Sariel was no longer her enemy. They could face Enos and Paimon united.

Paimon.
The name sparked disjointed images within Alyssa’s mind. Who was this demon who looked so much like Lailah? What had she wanted with Rosalind?

Alyssa stoked the fire as she waited for Sariel’s return. When had he spoken with Michael? And why had Sariel chosen such an intimate setting for his conversation with her? He’d made his feelings for her more than obvious, so why torment her with what could never be?