Immortal Memory (Book One) (14 page)

She never wanted to listen to him most
of the time. However, she began accepting other things he told her.
What he said in the dream sent her into a whirlwind of
confusion.

“Where are we going, Zach?”

The angel gathered her into his arms
after they stepped off the high porch of the house. “First, we’ll
speak to Pastor Mervin. Then, we’re going to my mom and dad’s.
You'll talk to them about taking necessary precautions. Something
terrible will happen. I hope we aren’t too late.”

A warm security melted her insides like
sweet honey when he held her so tight against him. Zach could be
quite arrogant at times, but he also had such a tender side. How he
saved her life multiple times would never be forgotten. She’d never
forget how he saved her family and Jeff’s lives either. She owed
the angel everything for what he did.

Simra almost didn't notice when they
arrived at the church. “The pastor’s inside?”

He placed her on the long sidewalk
leading to the entrance. Zach nodded and stepped closer to her.
“Yes. Go inside and ask for Pastor Lynn Mervin. Tell him to write a
sacred prayer for protection against my demon brother. You need to
give it to my mom and dad. He knows us.”

“Will he believe me about Tristan? Why
can’t I use the prayer for me and my loved ones?”

“Yes, Simra. He believes demons exist
just as he knows angels and God are real. He knew me from years ago
and recently. Tell him you can see and talk to me. Zach Hanley. You
can say the prayer, but please work on your faith. You and your
family must have faith. And you all are already taking necessary
precautions. Seek God in everything you do. Trust that He's in
control.”

Simra’s soul froze to ice at
how this angel seemed to know so much about her and her family.
She
didn’t
have
faith because of past occurrences. It didn’t help that they were
all in danger by Tristan. Their involvement might diminish their
faith in God more.

Simra nodded and took hesitant steps up
the long walkway leading to the church. Zach stayed outside to
guard the place. The old door creaked open. She walked down the
aisle between the wooden pews.

The flames flickered on long white
candles on the other side of the pews. Their light cast dim shadows
against the walls. She still smelled the faint aroma of smoke from
the matches.

God’s warm presence embraced her. The
haunting faint tune of “Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus” came from
the back of the church. The song was played on a piano and cello,
and a sob caught in her throat. She regretted not trusting Jesus
through all this. But how could she?

So much had been snatched from her life
when she trusted Him in the past. A short older man approached her
with recognition. His neat black hair was slicked down, and his
blue eyes searched hers.

Simra gazed at the floor and lifted her
eyes back to him. “Pastor Lynn Mervin?”

“Yes? And you are?”

“Simra Reece, a friend of Dr. Zach
Hanley’s.” She explained everything the angel told her to say.
Simra asked the pastor to give her the prayer for
protection.

The preacher clasped his hands. “Are
you related to Melton and Lucinda Reece? You remind me so much of
Lucinda."

"That's my grandparents."

Pastor Mervin smiled. "I knew your
grandparents and Zach very well. I was there when everything
happened years ago. He never stopped blaming himself after he
returned years later. It isn't his fault that Azazel cursed
Lucinda. It's a shame what people said in the news about Zach years
ago. He's nothing like his brother. I’m very sorry for your
encounter with Azazel. I’ll give you everything you need and
perhaps more. Please stop by the church and consult me anytime.
You're at Cathleen's lake house where Lucinda stayed I
hope?”

Simra forgot for a moment that the lake
house was her Aunt Cathleen's years ago. "Cathleen? Yeah, my family
and I are staying there until Zach and I destroy the
demon."

"Good. Zach's fighting so hard to keep
everyone safe. Please do everything he says. He knows how his
brother's mind works, and he'll protect you all. I'll go and write
that prayer for you."

The preacher turned to go in
the back of the building and left her there. Relief washed through
Simra to hear everything the preacher said. He knew her
grandparents, Zach,
and
Tristan from years ago. Pastor Mervin would be
excellent to go to if she started having doubts about Zach
again.

A pastor like him could be trusted. He
seemed to be a true follower of Christ. The preacher returned in no
time with a piece of paper.

The man handed it to her with a frown
darkening his face. “Hold on to your trust in the Lord. Demons are
the most dangerous creatures. They work for Satan. Don’t fall for
their tricks. Remember that God’s much more powerful than every
being in creation, including the devil.”

She had already fallen for Tristan’s
lies and tricks countless times in the past. She learned her lesson
and would never believe anything the demon said again. Zach and God
were there to assist her, but the problem was trusting them. Would
the Lord allow all that pain in her life again? Would she ever
understand the reason He allowed it? Keeping everyone safe from
Tristan was her main priority now.

Simra took the paper and shook his
hand. “Thank you, Pastor Mervin. Your understanding and support are
much appreciated.”

“Be careful, Simra.”

Simra smiled and walked out the door to
greet Zach. “He’s a nice man, but I don’t know if I should tell
your parents about their son being a demon.”

Zach gave her a sarcastic laugh. “They
already know somewhat. They had a brief encounter with him and me
recently. Come, we have to go. Something terrible is about to
happen. I sense it. I hope we’re not too late.”

He swept her up into his arms. They
arrived across the street from a large brick home. Cop cars and an
ambulance were lined up in the driveway. Something terrible
happened, and they must have been too late.

Simra felt the blood rushing from her
face. “Oh no! What happened?”

Zach almost dropped her. He rushed
inside to see about the disturbance. An older woman hurried out of
the house alongside several paramedics. The men carried a covered
body on the small bed. The lady broke down into continuous
sobs.

Zach tried reaching out to the woman
who must have been his mom. Then, he pulled back when he seemed to
realize she couldn’t feel him. Instead, he raised a fist in the air
and cried out in rage.

Guilt pounded at Simra for not doing
what he asked in the beginning. She placed her own family’s needs
first. Simra only worried about protecting her own loved ones. She
had been so selfish. Someone in Zach’s family got murdered because
of her.

No one other than Tristan
could have killed this innocent person. From now on, Simra would
do
everything
Zach
told her. It was the only way she knew how to make it up to him.
Trust and compassion began to fill her heart.

Tears flowed down her cheeks for the
angel and his family. Simra flinched at the vibrating cell phone in
her pocket. “Yeah?”

“Simra, this is Jeff. Listen, I don’t
know how, but Quint escaped. His prison cell was still locked after
it happened. You believe Tristan had something to do with
this?”

Chapter 17

"For where two or three are
gathered in my name, there I am among them." -Matthew
18:20

Simra held back a sob. “I suppose he
did. Jeff, I think Zach’s dad was murdered. I’m sure Tristan or the
drug dealer did it. I have to go. I’m at his parents' house right
now. I’ll call you back.” She hung up in time to see Zach stomping
toward her.

A heated scowl shadowed across the
angel’s face before he rushed to leave. “I’m finding Azazel. Talk
to and stay with Mom.”

Simra started to tell him how Quint
escaped, but the words froze from escaping her lips. Simra shook
her head, and more shameful tears fell from her eyes. The cop cars
left, and she realized she must speak to Zach and Tristan’s mother.
She brushed away her tears. Simra gathered up the courage and
walked toward the wide front door of the brick home to
knock.

The older woman peeked out the door but
didn’t open it all of the way. Ms. Hanley’s blue eyes were swollen
and red from crying. She squinted at Simra. “Can I help
you?”

Simra nodded and forced a smile. “Hi,
Ms. Hanley. I’m a friend of Zach’s. I know this sounds insane, but
he's an angel. And I've been seeing him. He brought me here to
protect you from your husband's murderer.”

Ms. Hanley’s lips parted in surprise,
and she broke down into more sobs. The woman closed the door
halfway. “How do I know you aren’t a friend of the
murderer’s?”

“Please trust me, Ms. Hanley. The
killer's after me too. A drug dealer named Quint killed Tristan.
You might not have heard the news, but I was engaged to Tristan
last year. He won’t leave me alone now. Zach’s been protecting me
from him and Quint. Your son told me he witnessed how Tristan’s
been tormenting you and your husband. However, I see we were much
too late to stop the murder. Zach’s very angry and is chasing after
Tristan now.”

The woman’s eyes widened with
astonishment. Ms. Hanley opened the door wider and placed a hand to
her heart. Her thin gray hair barely reached her neckline. “You’re
Simra, Tristan’s fiancé? He’s dead? My sons are the ones bothering
us? Come in. Tell me more. I know you endured such a difficult time
with Tristan and how he must’ve treated you. I’ve heard so much
about you from him before he disappeared. I believe
you.”

Simra sighed from relief when Zach and
Tristan’s mom opened the door for her to enter. “Yeah, I’m Simra
Reece. Tristan’s my ex-fiancé. He’s not just a spirit; he’s a
demon.”

She tried to hide the surprise from his
mom knowing about her. Tristan went into great detail about his
parents being dead when they first met. That could explain his
future plans of murdering them. The thought caused her to shiver
with dread, but she didn’t dare tell his mom.

She described everything to Ms. Hanley,
including how it began with her grandmother. Simra told her about
the protective barrier around the lake house. She explained about
her and her family staying there.

“Ms. Hanley, Zach wanted me to give you
this prayer for your protection. My grandmother and I are the only
ones who can see him and Tristan. Your strong faith will protect
you as you recite this each day. I suggest we pray together now.
Who murdered your husband? Was it Tristan or Quint?”

Ms. Hanley broke down into lengthy
sobs. “That explains so much about my sons. I've always questioned
things about them. The killer claimed his name was Quint. He shot
my husband. He said Tristan owed him money. He wanted the money
from us. We didn't have it. Let's pray.”

Unable to refrain herself, Simra placed
an arm around the woman to soothe her. “I promise Zach and I will
keep you safe from your evil son and Quint. You'll be safer staying
at the lake house with us. We’ll recite the prayer now. Then, you
should start packing.”

More tears fell from the woman’s eyes.
“Thank you, dear. I'll pack my things and stay with all of
you.”

Simra smiled with relief and unfolded
the piece of paper the preacher gave her. She and Ms. Hanley
recited the prayer and bible verses together. They held hands until
they finished. Tears fell from their eyes while they
read.

A special bond grew between
them that Simra couldn’t describe. Glory spread throughout Simra’s
soul from sharing the Lord with another person. God
did
protect her and her
family at the lake house. He also sent Zach to save them at
Mandy’s. Simra's faith grew stronger.

God might protect Zach’s mom too. Simra
closed her eyes to pray a silent ‘thank you’ to the Holy Spirit.
She caught a glimpse of Zach walking past the window. The angel
must have returned from finding his brother.

Simra placed her hand on Ms. Hanley’s.
“I believe I see Zach outside. He might be waiting on me. I’ll be
right back.”

Ms. Hanley squeezed Simra’s hand with
tears streaming down her cheeks. “Please tell him to come
inside.”

“I will.”

Simra walked out the door and stepped
onto the lawn. She scanned the yard for him. Her stomach twisted in
knots at the thought of her family being in danger right now.
Tristan and Quint were both on the loose. Her family might be their
next target.

She needed to make sure her loved ones
were safe. Silence settled around the area. Simra turned to go back
inside the house. Maybe it was only her troubled
imagination.

Strong hands clasped her shoulders and
turned her around to face glowing demon eyes. “Hi, baby. You’re
coming with me now.”

Tristan covered her mouth to stop her
from screaming. “My brother got distracted when he found your other
detective boyfriend in trouble with Quint. Zach's too busy guarding
your other lover. He confuses me. The guy’s supposedly in love with
you, yet he protects that loser cop.”