Lost In Time: A Fallen Novel (8 page)

“Why?” was all he could bring himself to ask.

She smiled, but it was a deadly look that flashed through her eyes. “Because I’m a Demoness, and paybacks are a bitch.” She brushed her fingers over the healing bruises on her neck before pulling herself away from him.

Marcus couldn’t see straight he was so upset. But he forced himself to take several deep breaths. He looked around for George. The Guardian was curled in a ball at the base of a tree. That wasn’t a good sign. Marcus rushed over to him. Blood was coming from his nose and mouth.

“Shit.” Marcus gently laid him back in the grass and looked around. “Are we in a fucking graveyard?”

“It would appear so. And I would think that a Fallen would have a more discernible and eloquent vocabulary.” Celeste looked around letting her senses spin out to take in her surroundings. It was an old graveyard with tombs and large monoliths. Then she felt it, the tickle at the base of her skull. Calliope was here, and he was doing something horrible. Fear tracked up her spine, and she desperately searched her surroundings.

There deep in the graveyard fresh death thrummed through the air like waves after a rock is thrown into a glassy pound rippling outward. Celeste turned and started to run toward the center of the disturbance. The closer she got, the more the smell of blood swamped her. She slid to a halt at the steps of a tomb. She didn’t even hesitate as she bounded down the steps.

But came to a screeching halt when she came to the bottom of the tomb a fire burned in the corner. A man was hung from the opposite wall, his body limp in death. Smoke burned her throat and made her eyes water, the smell of the disemboweled body turning her stomach.

She couldn’t see what was holding the body up and wasn’t sure she wanted to know. He had been split from chin to groin. His bowels spilled out on the cold stone floor.

Calliope hovered over the body. He reached in and grabbed the still beating heart and with it, the soul. He turned to Celeste, a smile on his lips as a portal shimmered and then opened.

“Shit.” She didn’t think; she didn’t have time. Marcus finally showed up behind her. “Attack him,” she yelled over her shoulder. As she rushed Calliope as the portal opened fully, she saw Victor on the other side.

“Close it,” she bellowed to her brother.

****

Marcus watched as Celeste leapt into the air, wrapping her body around the soul Calliope was holding up like a prize, and then was sucked into the portal which slammed closed behind her. For several seconds he just stood there, he had never seen anything like what he saw before him, and couldn’t even wrap his mind around what Celeste had just done. If she had been a millisecond slower the portal closing would have slammed close killing her.

Calliope screamed in rage, and Marcus pulled himself back to the reality of the situation and jerked out his guns he fired at the Reaper who turned his rage on him. Marcus ducked one wing but was caught in the abdomen by the other. It sent him across the small tomb.

A flash of light from the other side of Calliope, and the Reaper roared again. As Celeste Flashed back.

“I offered you the world, sister,” Calliope snarled.

“I’m not really interested in the world, brother,” she threw back.

Celeste rushed Calliope as Marcus pushed himself to his feet, trying to find an opening to give her some relief. Black wings swirled and mixed with the red of her hair. They exchanged bone breaking blows. That had Marcus shaking his head, she was tough but Calliope seemed to have strength over her. He proved it when he caught Celeste with a wing and flung her into the air, she bounced off a wall.

Calliope laughed.

“We could have been unstoppable.”

Marcus was amazed when Celeste rolled to her feet, staying in a crouched position. Her eyes glittered with the thrill of the fight. She smiled. “I’m already unstoppable.” She grabbed a handful of the fire that burned next to her, and flung it at Calliope. Then she vanished and reappeared seconds later with the Black Sword she sliced it through the soft flesh of Calliope’s side.

Calliope bellowed in pain and flung out his wings, knocking Celeste out of the way. Marcus rushed him, but it was too late. Calliope took to the air and flew from the tomb, scattering fire and ash everywhere, just as Victor and Christian appeared.

“YOU’RE LATE,” Celeste screamed from the corner where she still lay. She pulled herself to her feet, ignoring the fact that she had one or two broken ribs. She spat blood out and advanced on her brothers. “What part of immediately didn’t you understand?”

“You look like shit,” Christian noted.

Celeste narrowed her eyes and then turned to Marcus. “You know, I’ve heard that one too many times today.”

Christian turned on Marcus. “You told our sister she looked like shit?” he asked with what looked like horror and admiration. “You got balls Fallen. Stupid, but you do have balls.”

“Damn, he’s a sick bastard,” Victor said, looking at the disemboweled body still hanging grotesquely in the depths of the tomb. Not paying attention to a sputtering Celeste and a shocked Marcus.

“Which brings us back to the fact that you were LATE,” Celeste yelled garnering everyone attention.

George stumbled into the tomb; saw the body, and then wretched. Everyone moved away from the man.

“Who is that?” Victor asked in disgust.

“He would be the Guardian,” Celeste said.

Christian didn’t look away from George as he muttered, “He failed.”

Marcus had heard enough. “You have all breathed way too much sulfur, because you’re all insane.”

“We’re fighting damned souls. Our humor left a while ago,” Christian offered with a shrug.

“I’ve broken a couple of ribs,” Celeste said walking up close to Victor. Her anger obviously taking a back seat to the pain she was now in.

Victor smiled. “Would you like me to fix you, little sister?”

She smiled a real smile at her brother. It took Marcus’s breath away. “Yes, please.” Victor smiled and wrapped his arms around her. They glowed with fire for a moment, and then he released her. Celeste took a breath and then leaned up on her toes to kiss his cheek.

Marcus was stunned at the show of affection between the two. Christian ignored it as he inspected the body.

“What is that all about?” Marcus demanded.

Celeste glared at him.

“I am able to heal her,” Victor offered.

“Yeah, wish he would offer to heal the rest of us. But he keeps that ability just for the girl,” Christian said. It was obviously a source of contention between the Reapers.

“Stop bitching. You heal,” Celeste snapped.

“Yeah, so do you. But if Victor is around, you heal immediately. You should have to suffer like the rest of us.”

Celeste moved over to Christian and put a hand on his chest. “Is someone still pissed over having his ass handed to him?” she asked with mock concern.

“Shut up, Celeste.” Christian shrugged her off, Celeste laughed.

Marcus had to admit they acted like a family. And his notion that she may be working with Calliope went out the window. She loved her brothers, and they loved her. Marcus knew from past experience you didn’t turn your back on that type of love.

“What am I going to do?” George asked, interrupting everyone.

Marcus helped the man to his feet and led him out of the tomb.

When they reached the fresh air, Marcus took several deep breaths trying to catalog everything that had just happened. Calliope had offered Celeste a partnership, and she had turned it down.

“Charles deserved better than that,” George said looking up at Marcus.

Light spread around them, and Marcus sucked in a breath, not having felt the light in over five hundred years. George fell to his knees.

“I failed,” he cried.

“Royally failed,” Christian said, stepping up behind Marcus.

“This has nothing to do with you, Reaper,” the Angel hovering just above the ground said. Her voice was so beautiful it brought tears to Marcus’ eyes.

She held a hand out to George. “You must stand before the Arch and explain what has happened.”

George nodded and climbed to his feet. Christian stepped forward and stopped the Guardian by placing a hand on his shoulder. George paled, and Marcus could actually see his knees shaking. “He failed. His soul is ours.”

George looked like he was going to faint as he looked from Christian to the Angel.

“His soul is not up for debate,” the Angel said.

“You’re right, it’s not. He guarded a Touched. The Touched was brutally murdered, and his soul is permanently damaged. As we speak, the Touched is standing judgment with Dante,” Christian explained.

“That is not the way of things,” the Angel thundered. Her light pulsed around her like a beacon.

Victor moved forward and shrugged. “Things are changing. Maybe you should come down from your lofty perch and check it out.”

The Angel sucked in a disgusted breath. “How dare you speak to me so, Reaper.”

Victor shook his head. “You should check the treaty. A Reaper claimed the Touched soul and therefore the Guardian of that Touched now belongs to Dante.”

“You have no say here. The Touched already belonged to Dante.”

Marcus stepped forward holding up his hands. “If you tell us what other Guardians are watching over the other Touched, we will relinquish George.”

Christian snorted. “He has no say in this matter. He is a Fallen.”

“And his concern is mired in mortal emotion and not in concern for the Guarded,” the Angel accused not even looking in Marcus’ direction.

“We are trying to save them from Calliope,” Marcus argued. “Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”

“Yes. We are aware of the situation, and it does not concern us. George?” She held out her hand.

George tried to move forward but Christian refused to let the man go. “So you understand the Infernos are under attack, and you have chosen to ignore the threat? You and your brethren know that souls are going unclaimed because of the unrest in the Infernos?” His only show of irritation was George sucked in a pained breath, as the hand on his shoulder turned white with the grip he had on him.

“It is not a threat against the Angels. It is a threat that was created in evil, and will be dwelt with by evil.” She finally turned and looked at Marcus as she said the last part.

“Why can’t you just tell us who is in danger? Save the souls that are deserving and stop another death like that poor soul down there suffered?” Marcus asked. They knew unconditional love, did they not suffer when innocence was brutally murdered? The scars on his back, where his wings had once been throbbed, of course they didn’t, and his scars reminded him of that.

“Would it ease your curiosity if I were to tell you that Jessica is not involved yet?” she said with a mocking tone.

Marcus stepped forward. Irritation, pain and embarrassment drove him over the edge. “This has nothing to do with Jessica. Besides, after everything that has happened, I wouldn’t believe you. But it has everything to do with the fact if Calliope wins in his quest to take over the Infernos, he will release the souls of the damned into the mortal plane, and your precious Guardians and Touched will be the first to die.”

“Pity, it wouldn’t be the Fallen,” the Angel answered.

“How can you be so cruel?” Celeste asked stepping forward. “Aren’t you supposed to be gentle and kind?”

The Angel took one look at Celeste and hissed, backing away from her. “You are an abomination, and will not be acknowledged.”

“You’re pushing your luck Angel” Victor said coming to his sister’s side. His next words spoken to Christian. “Take the Guardian, she has no ground to stand on, and she knows it. If you have a problem take it up with Dante.”

The Angel sucked in a breath, bringing her several feet above the ground. It didn’t stop as a weeping George was Flashed out of sight with Christian.

“You will regret this,” the Angel warned, and then disappeared.

“I need a drink,” Celeste said.

Marcus couldn’t agree with her more. He pulled a phone from his pocket and called to have the plane readied.

“We are headed to New Orleans,” he said to Victor. “How are things going?”

Victor shook his head. “Once you open the doors to the asylum and let the inmates out, they really don’t want to go back.”

Marcus couldn’t blame them. “At least we avoided Calliope from getting into the Infernos today.”

“And what about tomorrow?” Celeste asked.

“Tomorrow will be another day and another fight,” Marcus said walking away.

“You need to hold yourself together,” Victor snapped as Celeste watched Marcuse move away.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

Victor kissed her on the forehead. “Keep your distance with the Fallen. His fate is unwritten and therefore, dangerous.”

Celeste threw her hands into the air in agitation. “You told me to build a relationship with him before I left the Infernos.”

“Yes, but not that type of relationship,” he said.