Chapter: CHAPTER 43AnaI barely realize what's going on as Ryan shoves me to the ground, cradling my head to protect me from the fall. He throws his body over mine, holding me tight and pressing me against the floor.It's only when I hear the gunshots that I realize he's being a human shield to stop me from being hurt. I cry out when he suddenly tenses and groans quietly at the same time as a gun goes off. Was he shot? Oh God, please not this again!Ryan maintains his position, shielding me from the barrage as best he can. I feel tears in my eyes. He can't die! I just got him back.I start to move, wanting to shield Ryan instead. He tightens his grip and bends his head down to my ear."Don't move," he says.Suddenly he is ripped away from me. I look up to see two men hauling him off and a red stain spreading on Ryan's chest. I gasp in horror and begin to cry.I scramble to my feet and fight the overwhelming instinct to cowe
Last Updated: 2021-04-17
Chapter: CHAPTER 42RyanI come into consciousness slowly, awareness returning to me in delayed flashes. I'm in bed. There is a pressure on my chest. I open my eyes to find that I'm lying in my own bed for the first time in months. Ana is lying next to me, her head on my shoulder and her arm across my chest.What happened?For a moment, I have no idea what events transpired to bring about our present nearness. As I stir, I realize I'm sick. More than just a cold. The flu? My head and body have a dull ache and I feel incredibly weak.Ana moves in response to me shifting under her. She looks up at me and her hand rests on my forehead. I pull back a little in surprise. Why was she sleeping on me? Did something happen between us that I don't remember?"Oh, you're really awake this time?" she asks, her eyes hopeful.I just stare at her, confused. "What happened?"She rolls over on her stomach and props herself up on her elbows.
Last Updated: 2021-04-16
Chapter: CHAPTER 41Ryan I'm back in that makeshift hospital tent, the hot Afghan wind offering no relief from the burning in my skin. I've got a raging fever and my head is killing me. The burns on my arm, torso, and face feel like they are ablaze. I hear a voice speaking to me."Please wake up, Ryan."For a brief moment, I think the voice belongs to Saph. But that can't be right. I don't want Saph to be here with me. I'm not in love with her anymore. I'm in love with someone else. I love her more than I ever loved Saph."Please wake up."Ana. I love Ana. I want Ana. How could I ever have confused her with Saph? Somehow, Ana is here with me in Afghanistan, here to comfort me during one of the darkest moments in my life. I open my eyes to see her sitting by my bedside. All around her is the chaos of that tiny hospital tent. The sounds of the battle outside echo distantly, but when I look at her, I feel the world stop and re
Last Updated: 2021-04-16
Chapter: CHAPTER 40Ana"He's not dead, you fool!"I nearly shout at the book in my hands. Casper looks up at me from his spot near my feet. The female protagonist has given up hope that her love has survived a plane crash, despite the fact that he's very, very alive and trying to find her. In my frustration, I look up from the book and out the window. It's getting dark outside. Drawn out of the story and back into real life, the bad feeling in the pit of my stomach returns.I've spent the day alternating between berating myself for not speaking up last night and trying to read to keep my mind off what happened. I should have said something. I should have told him! But I was just so blindsided by the realization that he doesn't hate me, that his actions were born out of a heightened sense of self-defense instead of general disgust for me. He'd been avoiding me for so long that I thought he was mad at me, not... whatever this is.I waited
Last Updated: 2021-04-15
Chapter: CHAPTER 39RyanI look out the door of the shed to see that the dismal grey clouds filling the sky have finally begun to precipitate. A dreary rain taps out a muted, doleful rhythm on the roof of the shed. The wind blows a cold shiver through the trees.The weather matches my mood perfectly.Last week, I almost kissed Ana. For some reason, that's messing me up more than any kiss ever has.Once upon a time, kissing a girl wouldn't have merited a second thought. Once upon a time, I was considered a catch. I was popular, handsome, and wealthy - the three things all the girls I used to know wanted in a man. Now I'm none of those things. I have no friends, unless you count Ana. Anyone who catches a glimpse of my face can see I'm now more off-putting than I ever was handsome. I suppose I've still got access to the same deep pockets, but the affluent lifestyle of my family is so far removed from anything I want now.Su
Last Updated: 2021-04-14
Chapter: CHAPTER 38AnaI look up at the overcast sky and feel a chill sinking into my bones as a cold wind blows through the clearing. What a perfect day to be outside , I think sarcastically, frowning as I pull my hat down to cover my ears."What happened? A week ago, it was perfect. Now it's like the North Pole has declared war."Ryan pauses, resting his shovel on the ground and turning to look at me with an expression of incredulity."You think this is bad? It's above freezing right now. This is nothing. Wait until it's 20 below as a daytime high. Then you can complain."I gape at him in horror."Twenty degrees below zero? Fahrenheit?""In January, this area spent over two weeks below zero. Got as cold as thirty-five below last winter."I look around at the wildlife surrounding the cabin. "How is anything still alive here? How is this not an Arctic wasteland?""The inhabitants have learned to adap
Last Updated: 2021-04-14
Chapter: CHAPTER 67'You sure you want to do this, Case?'Addi's brow was a mess of worry lines as he looked at me, his gaze flitting down to where my hand rested on my distended stomach. I'd been rubbing it without even realising it. Rubbing it because I could feel Lily moving around inside. Rubbing it because it calmed me. Addi knew that and I knew what he was thinking now. He thought I didn't want to do this. He thought I'd changed my mind.I looked into his eyes and smiled.'Yes, Addison. Perfectly bloody sure, thank you.'I chewed on my lower lip as I studied his face, suddenly uncertain whether he was trying to dissuade me because he didn't want to be a part of this. I couldn't blame him. He might have enjoyed being a gangster once, but things had stepped up a level since his days of dealing drugs on Davey's patch.'You know, if you don't want to be here, Ads, no one's going to stop you from leaving, or think any less of you for not sticking around.''Speak for yours
Last Updated: 2021-04-25
Chapter: CHAPTER 66'No,' I gasped. 'No.'Ethan glanced towards Blake, lowering his voice. 'Please, Casey, please listen to me. I have to finish this now. Angels? Demons? It makes no difference. They are one and the same. Look at them. Both want to control this world, but it doesn't belong to them. The First might have been the first Angel, but the First was not the first being to walk this earth. Humans were here long before we arrived. The First Angel knew this and knew we didn't deserve to claim it. That's why the Seraphim killed her.'My mouth fell open. ' Her? ''The First was female, Casey, or at least as close to it as it was possible to get.'I rocked back on my heels, feeling overwhelmed by his words, overwhelmed by the pain in my broken arm, but mostly overwhelmed by what I knew he intended to do.'There must be another way,' I said. 'There has to be. You can persuade them, Ethan, if anyone can change things, you can.''This is the only way things can change. Usu
Last Updated: 2021-04-25
Chapter: CHAPTER 65'Are you fucking insane? ' Ethan shot back, his voice echoing out. 'Think about what you're saying, Azazel! Think about the pain they inflicted on us all over the centuries!''They inflicted it on us, Helel, while you sat quaking in whatever dimension you created for yourself. Don't talk to me of the pain of the Shedim when you turned your back on your kind a long time ago. Lucifer poisoned you, Helel. He poisoned your mind to the truth and infected you with his lies.'Turning his face up to the skies, where the Seraphim and Council waited, Blake called up to them.'Blessed Seraphim!' Blake pleaded with them, gesturing to me. 'Rightful descendants of the Throne, this is proof of my devotion, proof of my commitment to you! I will give you the witch. Do with her what you will, but I beg you to grant the Shedim a pardon. We denounce Lucifer. We denounce the ways of the First to Fall. We will no longer defy your rule. Please, I beg of you, redeem us our powers and let us
Last Updated: 2021-04-25
Chapter: CHAPTER 64The ground exploded near my feet, sending plumes of white dust billowing up into my face and I stumbled, alarmed as a fissure appeared in the dry, white earth, wide enough to swallow my feet.'Casey, watch out,' Ethan shouted, grabbing me around the waist and pulling me away, just in time.A tall, lithe Dominion, no doubt the one to fire the explosive shot that had made the ground open up, came hurtling through the melee, its moves surprisingly graceful, its hair flying around its shoulders like a cascade of silver silk. With a cry that contorted its beautiful face into something quite repulsive, it released a hail of hard, focused bolts of energy that came at us with such speed that I felt the first ones rip through the air by my face as I pulled out of their way, the fierce velocity burning at my skin. I heard Ethan cry out and judder against me, and I knew he'd not been so lucky. He'd been hit, not badly, but a small trickle of blood was snaking from his temple where th
Last Updated: 2021-04-24
Chapter: CHAPTER 63'Ethan,' I whispered urgently. 'I can't do what you asked. I don't know how.'He pulled me close again, smiling as he trailed the backs of his fingers of his now-blackened hand down my cheek. 'Just let go, Casey. Trust your instincts. Trust yourself. You can do this.'I swallowed my fear and nodded, still unsure that I could do what he wanted, still sure that his faith in me was misguided.'Oscar, look after Addi.' Ethan gestured to Addi, who was standing behind us all, still staring wide-eyed up at the Archangels as if hypnotised. I couldn't blame him. Even with their terrifying wings of fire, they were still dazzling to the eye. They were rising up into the air now, retreating towards their forces, the screech of the Cherubim heralding their return.Oscar's nose wrinkled as if he didn't much like his appointed role as Addi's guardian. 'And what exactly are you going to do?' he said to Ethan.'I'm going to do just what I promised.' Ethan turned back, direct
Last Updated: 2021-04-23
Chapter: CHAPTER 62Oscar chuckled. 'Careful, Uriel,' he said. 'Endorian magic has a habit of burning a bit. Hate for you to hurt those pretty hands of yours.'Uriel, who was clutching his hand to his chest, sneered at Oscar, his angered gaze sweeping over him with repulsion. He inhaled deeply and grimaced.'Berith, it appears no amount of time can lessen the stench of your betrayal. So many years in exile and your mutinous intent remains sadly as strong as ever. We believed you had left Lucifer's failed teachings behind you and learned your place. It seems we were mistaken.'Oscar sniffed dismissively. 'The Council have been mistaken about many things, Uriel. Time could never diminish the power of Lucifer's teachings, and time was all I ever needed to make you believe the lie. I've got to say, you boys have disappointed me, you really have. You're such experts at smothering the truth, I thought you'd have realised centuries ago that I hadn't abandoned your brother.'Uriel hissed ag
Last Updated: 2021-04-23
Chapter: CHAPTER 6(Ben POV)Somehow, the more time I spend with this girl, the more of a mystery she becomes.A week ago, she was a silent, timid, unresponsive girl. She didn't talk, she didn't cry, she didn't interact with anyone at all. Then yesterday a switch flipped and suddenly she was talking, yelling, glaring, displaying emotions, arguing, and describing in excruciating detail the most horrible moments of her life. I half-expected to wake up this morning to discover it had all been a dream I'd created to finally get this case moving along.And the few details I was able to pull out of her about the time she spent in Alaska -I'm still not sure whether to believe her about that. Hitchhiking across the Alaskan wilderness in a blizzard with a trucker she didn't know? The girl I dragged from that mildewy prison cell couldn't have done all that. But the woman who demanded a gun yesterday afternoon could have. That woman was brave, fier
Last Updated: 2021-08-18
Chapter: CHAPTER 5November 21Ana"Thanks for being so cooperative, Ana. I know this wasn't easy for you."I glance up at Ben standing in front of me.Your little sister was murdered, and you're doing nothing. Don't you care about her?"What you said to me yesterday," I begin."Yeah, about that." He rubs at the back of his neck and looks chagrined. "I'm sorry.It was uncalled for. And insensitive. This case," he gestures around the little video-monitored interview room I'm sitting in, "hits a little close to home for me. Imisplaced my frustration on you and it wasn't fair. I'm sorry."I sit back in my metal folding chair and consider him as he says this. Did thesepeople take away everyone he loved too?"You're right." His expression changes from guilty to interested. I frown at him."You were an insensitive jerk."He deflates slightly."Bu
Last Updated: 2021-08-14
Chapter: CHAPTER 4November 21stBenI roll my head around my shoulders, several hours of hunching over case files takingits toll on my neck. I hear a satisfying pop as my vertebrae realign.Jones's eyes flick up to me. Her annoyance isn't visibly present on her face, but Iknow it's simmering under the surface. I crack my knuckles and her eyes narrow.She glares at me for a few seconds before bringing her expression back to neutralas her attention returns to the report in her hands.I've never been out on duty with Jones before - hardly knew her, really - but by now,we've become acquainted with each other's quirks and pet peeves. Jones and Ihave been pouring over the case files for the Clarence family murders since the nightwe brought Anastasia here. Or Tayja, as it seems she was called. I don't understandthe need for an exotically spelled nickname.The more
Last Updated: 2021-08-14
Chapter: CHAPTER 3AnaI open one eye at the sound of a door opening. I know it's one of the police officersassigned to protect me, but I still feel a small spark of terror anytime someoneinvades my tiny fortress of solitude. The minuscule room has just one small windowin the wall opposite the bed I've occupied for the last two days. At least, I think it'sbeen two days. I haven't been paying very close attention."I know you're awake."It's the man. Ben, I think. I don't bother to respond."You have to do... something. Eat something, say something... Anything."I don't."This isn't healthy, you know." He's beginning to sound agitated. "Don't you realizethat we need your help to lock up the people who did this to you? What about yourfamily? Your little sister was murdered, and you're doing nothing . Don't you careabout her?"" Ramirez !"That's the female one. I've never h
Last Updated: 2021-07-08
Chapter: CHAPTER 2(November 17th)BenI sit in the waiting room at St. Joseph's Emergency Room. My left leg taps animpatient rhythm on the floor. I scan the room for the seventh time, mentally takingnotes on each person in sight. I check the hallway leading to the exit. No one. Icheck the hallway behind the front desk. No one. But someone could beapproaching, just out of view. I casually stand and walk toward the entrance to theER, scanning for signs of anyone I might have come into contact with during my twoyears working undercover. I look for signs that anyone besides me is carrying. Sharpangles where there shouldn't be any, strange bulges in pockets or at thewaistband.I turn and stroll up to the desk. The nurse looks up, but when she sees it's only me,she goes back to her work. I look through the small office back to the hallw
Last Updated: 2021-07-08
Chapter: CHAPTER 1AnaI don't know how many days have passed since I watched Ryan bleeding out on thefloor of his cabin while the chloroform-soaked rag clouded my brain and draggedmy consciousness away from me. I don't know how long I've been locked in thisroom. I don't know where they've taken me, except that it's a long, long way awayfrom that little cabin I came to think of as home. I don't know how many timesthey've beaten me for information.I don't know how long I've spent locking the world out, retreating into myself anddisassociating from my surroundings. I feel like I've just woken up for the first timein weeks. I've never been more scared, more timid, more weak. I've never hatedmyself so much before.The door opens and I jump in alarm, triggering a shock of pain that seems toemanate from everywhere. My head, my ribs, my arms, my legs... is any part of meuninju
Last Updated: 2021-07-08
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