Indebted: The Premonition Series (6 page)

Following the meager scent of Reed, I direct my image forward over the carefully raked stone paths to the center of the garden where a small stream winds effortlessly around an ancient tree. Leaning against the tree, a hazy figure of an angel regards my clone silently. Sniffing the air around him, I push nearer, listening for any sound he might make. Drawing close, I bring my ghostly lips inches from his ear. Concentrating very hard, I move those lips and manage to just whisper, “Boo.”

Reed’s arms try to wrap around me, but as he does so, my clone dissipates into him like fog, and my consciousness immediately shifts back to my body still sitting dormant next to Phaedrus. Inhaling a sharp breath, I open my eyes and look at Phaedrus who grins back at me with his black, shiny eyes.

“Well done!” he says, extending a hand as he rises to his feet. I take his hand and let him help me up off the floor.

Blushing a little at his praise and enthusiasm, I reply, “Thank you for your help, Phaedrus.”

“Not at all. Do you want to try again?” he asks.

“Not right now, maybe later,” I reply, feeling exhausted from the effort to control my new ability. But, as I say this, something in Phaedrus’ look makes me ask, “Is something wrong?”

“No, it’s just that I’m not sure how much longer I will be here to help you,” Phaedrus replies with a puzzled expression on his face.

My eyebrows pull together. “You’re leaving?” I ask in a sad tone, squeezing his hand tighter. I had hoped that Phaedrus would want to stay with us. He has become part of our circle quite quickly, more quickly than anyone else could, since we are all so tight now.

“I don’t know,” Phaedrus says in a frustrated tone. “I am getting really strange signals. I am not sure what I am supposed to be doing and it is very irritating because that has never happened to me before.”

“What do you mean?” I ask, letting go of his hand and seeing his brow knit.

“You know how I told you that I see images in my head, pictures of a target that I’m to help?” When I nod, he continues. “Well, I get these pictures and then I set out to find my target. The closer I get to the target, the warmer it gets. Conversely, the farther away the colder I feel.”

“Right, like you said before, it’s like a game of ‘hot and cold’ for you,” I reply.

“That is correct. I am getting images of a new target that needs my help,” he says.

“Oh,” I say with disappointment. I was hoping that I would remain his target to aid. Since he is an angel of mercy, a Virtue angel, who is sent to execute miracles for his targets, I like having him around.

“Yes, but here is the disturbing part of all of this. The further I get from you, the colder I feel,” he says in confusion.

“You mean, you can’t set out to find the person that you are seeing in your head because I keep drawing you back to me?’ I ask.

“Yes. I have several theories as to why this is happening, but I have come up with no definitive answer yet,” he admits.

My mind furiously attacks the puzzle that Phaedrus just presented to me. I could be in greater danger than the other target, and therefore, in greater need of Phaedrus’ help. Or, I could just be a draw for him by my very nature, blocking out the other target. My mind shifts again as I think that maybe I’m meant to go with Phaedrus on his next mission. Maybe he can’t leave me because I’m supposed to help him—go with him.

“I had not thought of that, Evie,” Phaedrus murmurs, reading all of my thoughts as if I had been speaking them aloud. “I have never had a partner before, it would be unusual for that to be the case.”

“Who is your target?” I ask him out of curiosity.

“I don’t have names, just faces,” Phaedrus says, sounding frustrated. “It is all very strange. I don’t know how I am to find them if I cannot follow my senses to them.”

“Them? There is more than one target?” I ask.

“Yes,” he replies, deep in thought. I was just about to ask him more questions regarding his pending mission when I hear a growl coming from outside. A part of my mind is constantly monitoring what is going on around me. Even though I can’t understand any of the conversations taking place outside in the courtyard, I listen anyway.
I know that growl
, I think as I bolt to the door to find Reed. It only takes me seconds to see him where my clone had just left him by the tree, but he is no longer alone. Scores of Powers are surrounding him, causing me to stiffen. They arrived so silently, I hadn’t even heard them coming.

My wings force their way out of my back as I realize Reed is alone amid Powers from Dominion. Plucking one of the wicked-sharp swords off the wall near the door, I turn and stride out into the courtyard, calling over my shoulder to Phaedrus, “Get Zee.” As I approach the mob of angels by the tree, all eyes turn to focus on me. I scan the crowd, seeing several faces that I recognize from my stay at the chateau. Foremost among them is Preben, the Power who was in charge of me after I arrived there. I recognize his silver hair and light brown wings that are so similar to Zephyr’s wings in coloring.

Seeing Preben makes me lose some of the fear I have associated with these angels. He had tried to help me when I was at the chateau, even when he thought that I might be evil. I slow my pace and attempt to reign in my aggressive emotions that urge me to attack them for the threat they represent to Reed. My instincts to protect him are almost overwhelming me, making it difficult to assess the situation clearly. Adopting a casual mien, I stretch my hand out to Reed as I near him. He instantly takes my hand in his.

“Your bodyguards have arrived, love,” Reed says in a casual tone, but I can feel that he is tense. He reaches down, taking the sword from my other hand and holds it non-threateningly at his side.

Trying to play along with his relaxed air, I reply, “They can’t all be my bodyguards.”

“You are very important to us,” Preben says, smiling at me easily as I regard him with skepticism. He is so tall; I almost have to take a step back from him. Remembering how he helped me by translating for me what the war council was saying during my trial and how he allowed Reed and me to be together later, some of the animosity I’m feeling dissipates and I smile back at him.

“Hmmm,” I reply, quirking my eyebrow at him, “You mean I can stop praying for death now?”

Preben’s smile deepens. “I have my doubts that you ever began, Seraph,” Preben replies in a mildly mocking way that makes me smile a little more, too.

Assessing all of the members of his unit that are standing behind him, forty or more, I ask, “So many angels just to guard me? You must think I can’t defend myself at all.”

“You are very young. How can you possibly stand against ancient evil like the Gancanagh?” he asks me rhetorically.

“They don’t want to kill me, Preben. They want me for their queen. I think my odds are better than everyone else’s as far as they are concerned. They will want to keep me alive so that they can turn me later, but I doubt they will feel the same way about you when they come,” I say with honesty, looking at the other angels amassed around us who are listening to our every word. “Are you sure this is something you want to get involved in?”

The entire group erupts in laughter, like I had just made a joke. Looking at Reed to see if he will explain to me why everyone is laughing, I see that he’s watching me carefully, not giving away anything that he is thinking. I’ll have to learn to be more like him; he doesn’t show his weaknesses to everyone, whereas I wear them on my sleeve.

Preben gives a sharp nod. “I am quite sure that I want to be involved,” Preben replies. “We were just discussing your protection. I will choose who will be your personal guard, and then the others will be assigned other duties in your army.”

“Hmmm,” I reply, regarding this new bit of information. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, but this is not my army. It’s Reed’s army. If you join it, you are joining him. As for who will be my bodyguards, I leave that to Reed. He is in charge here.”

Preben’s eyes narrow. He is used to calling the shots. Dominion has given him authority over all of these angels, but his rank doesn’t translate to us because Reed now outranks everyone here. My Seraphim wings etched on his chest, just above his heart, makes him essentially Seraphim. He ranks above all of the Powers and is now at the top of the chain of command. I didn’t know I was giving him an upgrade when I agreed to bind with him, but I’m glad that there was at least one perk for him in being stuck with me for eternity.

“That is semantics, Seraph,” Preben states. “Since you are bound to him, you are one, so I fight for you. It is your army, as it is his army. Unless he ceases to exist, then it is just your army.”

A menacing growl escapes from me. What Preben said just now feels like a threat to me and the growl that it elicited is purely instinctual. It’s my first insight into the risks that Reed has undertaken in binding with me.
What lengths will Dominion go to in order to get me back?
Any talk of Reed ceasing to exist I take very seriously.

Reed tightens his grip on my hand a little, but he doesn’t say anything. I think that it’s his way of telling me to play it cool. I squeeze his hand back before letting it go. “Preben, it’s good to see you again,” I say a little icily, extending my hand to him to shake. He looks at it for a second, not sure of what to do. He takes it hesitantly, watching Reed over my shoulder the entire time. I shake his hand, but when I try to let it go, he doesn’t relinquish it right away.

Preben leans closer to me, saying in a low voice, “I am not your enemy.”

“You wouldn’t be the first to tell me that and be wrong. We will see, won’t we, Preben?” I reply, pulling my hand gently from his. To everyone else, I say, “Thank you all for coming. If there is anything that you need, please ask and we will try to accommodate you.”

“We need intel,” Preben says right away. “We have been briefed with the information that has been gathered on the lair in Houghton and other nests that have been uncovered, but you have more personal information. I have listened to your statements to the war council. We need to go over all of it with you again.”

“I will arrange it,” Reed says with authority. “We will provide you with the information that we have uncovered and you can ask all of your questions. We can do this after you and I speak about Evie’s personal guard. Zee, you in?”

“Lez go,” Zephyr replies, materializing from nearby and sounding a lot like someone from my generation is supposed to sound. He has been hanging around Buns and it’s starting to rub off. I can almost imagine that he’s really nineteen or twenty years old, instead of a few billion, give or take. “You won’t be needing this while we parley,” Zee says, wrapping one arm around Preben’s shoulder and plucking the sword from the sheath strapped to his back. Tossing it to Reed nonchalantly, he continues to talk to Preben in a friendly tone. “All of you can follow me to the conference area,” he says to the Dominion angels. Then he turns back to Preben. “You play golf?” he asks, steering him towards the largest Naxi pagoda that is central to the cluster of pagodas.

Taking my hand once again, Reed says, “Walk with me.” We stroll casually away from the other angels. Reed doesn’t speak until we are halfway across the courtyard. Then, he says to me in a low tone, “Stay by my side until I tell you differently.”

I nod my head once in assent. My heartbeat picks up then, hammering at the walls of my chest, while all of the reasons he doesn’t want me out of his sight dance in my mind. Stopping suddenly, Reed pulls me into his arms. When his lips touch mine, all of those thoughts cease. I press my hands to his chest, leaning into him as I kiss him back, tugging his lower lip between mine. My heartbeat races faster as his hand skims over my wing, trailing downward hypnotically. “Don’t be afraid,” Reed whispers close to my ear, “Trust me.”

I close my eyes, and I focus on slowing down the beat of my heart. He must have heard it and wanted to give the angels another reason for it to be beating so fast. “I trust you,” I breathe back, resting my head against his shoulder. I let him go and we continue towards our pagoda. “I just don’t know who is fronting and who is real.”

“You let me worry about that, love,” Reed replies with ease.

“How bad did I just mess up back there?” I ask in a serious tone. He shrugs lightly. “That bad, huh?” I cringe.

“I would not call it messing up. I would just say you gave them some information that I don’t mind them knowing,” he replies, bringing my hand to his lips and kissing it.

Stopping in my tracks, I face him and ask, “What did I just tell them?

Brushing my hair from my face he says, “Well, you walked into the middle of the meeting brandishing a weapon when you thought that I was alone with them, letting them know you don’t trust them and are willing to fight them if necessary,” he explains, tucking my hair behind my ear.

“Oh,” I say, feeling a blush creeping into my cheeks. I cross my arms in front of me.

“Then you positioned yourself between me and their leader, like a lioness protecting her cub, letting them know that you value me above your own safety. You demonstrated that the way to get to you is through me,” Reed says.

I stiffen, biting my bottom lip in panic. “So, I put you in more danger instead of protecting you?” I ask, dropping my arms and pacing a little in front of him while looking at the angels behind me.

“Yes, thank you,” Reed says, smiling and enjoying the fact that he is now the center of any plot they conceive. “They will attack me to gain your cooperation.”

“WHAT?” I yell, not caring who hears me, my heart is now ramping up to tear through the walls of my chest.

Pulling me behind a large tree that shields us from the angels, Reed kisses me deeply. My arms wrap around his neck as I press my body into his. His lips move over mine as his hand threads through my hair at the base of my head, angling my face to his. Running my hands from his neck to his chest, I hear Reed growl low as he reluctantly breaks off our kiss. Drawing back from me, he says, “They would have seen me as a target anyway, Evie. You are mine and they know that I will never let you go. They already knew that I am the key to your compliance because you risked your life to save mine at Dominion. You just solidified the fact that nothing has changed.”