Destiny Strikes (20 page)

Fallon automatically followed the long blood-red fingertip skimming over Dennis’s chin and the slow progress down his shirt.

“The first time I met Rafael,” the woman said, “I recognized what he was, and I’ve kept close tabs on him ever since. You see, I also knew when I set eyes on Rafael who had sired him. That’s when my hatred toward him began.” She ran her fingers through Dennis’s hair and growled as she yanked his head back. “I take it Rafael hasn’t told you anything about what he’s seen or knows.” The mysterious woman moved directly in front of Dennis. “But I must confess, if not for following the buffoon, I would never have found this young one, and he is exactly what we need. Half-breeds might’ve been a mistake for Angels in the beginning, but we’re learning just how valuable you really are.”

If what the woman said was true, it explained some things and left others open-ended.

“You’re right about one thing. Something is talking to me. But before I let it loose, I’m kind of tired of thinking of you as just some evil insane lady.” Fallon smiled to drive her dislike home. “Most civilized people you run across introduce themselves when they meet someone.”

Cocking her hip, and cradling one arm under her breast to rest her elbow on her balled fist, and placing her finger to her lip, Fallon tapped it a couple of times before saying coyly, “Even bitches have names, too.”

Moving without Fallon ever seeing it, the crazy woman placed her small but incredibly strong hand, around Fallon’s neck, lifting her into the air before she knew what was happening. “You are an insolent little bitch. You have no idea the likes of which you fuck with! My name is Anebasi, and you will show some respect.”

The next thing Fallon sensed was her body soaring through the air, waiting for an impact similar to Travis’s earlier flight. Damned if she didn’t like trouble and it was probably going to get her killed.

CHAPTER 36

Time stood still as Fallon fought for one last glimpse of Travis. But she saw he’d started moving. The next thing Fallon knew, she was in Travis’s arms. He flew overhead to snatch her right out of the air.

Yeah, her suspicions about him were starting to fit and telling him could make or break their budding relationship. She immediately shook off the panic that tried to invade before it could take root. So instead, enjoying the moment, she wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder a second before letting out a huge breath and turning to smile at Anebasi. The bitch glared spitefully.

“Do you think you can handle things from here while I try to calm down the situation?” he asked while smoothing away one stray hair obscuring her vision.

In light of dwelling on such tenderness amongst the chaos, Fallon turned to see people huddled in masses weeping and quieting the children’s fears of what was taking place before them. Dennis had obviously dropped the ball when it came to keeping the sixty or more people docile and under control.

“Yeah, I believe so. But it sure would be nice to have my brothers for backup,” Fallon admitted honestly.

As soon as her feet hit the floor, Shirley, the crazy person who’d given her direction and practically predicted this shit, appeared. There also wasn’t a warning for how remarkably nimble she was for her age until she jumped up onto the edge of a pew and held a crouched position facing Dennis.

“You take care of the Wicked Bitch Witch while I deal with the young one.” Her voice held authority and she was nothing like the kind old lady she’d portrayed herself to be when they met.

People rushed for the exit now that Dennis’s hold on them was broken. They pounded on the doors. “Let us out,” they screamed but the double doors held firm.

Fallon watched in fascination as Shirley’s ballet-styled shoes effortlessly glided from one pew to next. Her feet never touched the seat’s curved shoulder rests. Shirley raced for the front of the church, eyes focused on Dennis.

Granny kicked it into high gear well before Fallon realized she looked twenty years younger than in the store.

“It cannot be,” Anebasi said in terrified bemusement as she watched the drama as it played out. “The Guardian has never stepped out of his place before. Sataria, this has nothing to do with you. This isn’t a Heavenly dispute Archangels must fight.”

Fallon decided not to let the opportunity go to waste and used every ounce of her strength to land a blow straight to Anebasi’s sternum. The strange woman flew backward with the force of the blow and shattered the podium in the pulpit in a showering debris of splintered wood.

“Neither one of you can stop what’s coming,” she hissed. Her body shuddered. Then she bent over as if to vomit and a copious amount of blood flooded past her lips. The malicious smile she taunted Sataria with turned Fallon’s stomach. “I’ve seen what Orion’s handwork has done in times past, and I believe you've witnessed it yourself, Sataria, a time or two. We’ve ushered in the wrath of the Creator, and his right hand is not far away.”

Shirley, or Sataria, or whoever the duplicitous woman was, wasn’t far from Fallon. She had her knee in Dennis’s back with him facedown. She had one of his massive wings bent at an odd angle.

“I know,” Fallon overheard. “But thwarting what you had planned here will be good enough for me.”

Fallon had no idea what they were talking about, but before Anebasi could respond, Fallon struck again. She relished the pain that glazed the woman’s eyes that continued to water as skin sizzled, and enjoyed the satisfying sound as bones crunched. Good. She’d fractured Anebasi’s jaw. “You won’t be messing with my brother again.”

Any satisfaction for the blood flowing down Anebasi’s chin was short-lived as Fallon felt excruciating pain in her abdomen. The bitch had delivered an achingly powerful shot to her midsection, which felt like a laser as it burned her flesh through the heavy material of her dress. Her regular attire would have been useful now, Fallon supposed, as she sailed through the air for the second time.

Travis, trying to keep everyone calm at the back of the church, raced forward and caught her again before she crashed against a table set up with gold plates on it. “I’ll buy you flying lessons after this is over if it’s so important for you to be in the air.” Then his expression turned serious. “Think you can finish this? Because Lord knows I don’t want to hit a female, but that woman is pushing me.”

“Don’t worry about me, I got this. I’ll heal. Thanks for the assist, but I can take care of myself.” Shrugging her shoulders, she said, “Might hurt for a while, but I always get over it.” Fallon pushed him off, trying to make sure Shirley/Sataria was okay. She’d seen another body flying through the air with wings and had hoped it was Dennis. It wasn’t. Shirley lay still as death near a huge hole in the building’s structure.

Screaming in rage over the sight, the reins to her power slipped and lightning flashed in rapid flickers outside. Her own wings sprouted forth. Travis's astonishment was nothing compared to the panicked expression that flew across Anebasi’s face.

“Yeah, chick-a-dee, now it’s really on.”

Fallon knew Anebasi’s painful death was clearly written on her face as she smiled. She even enjoyed the emerging fear on the bloodied and disfigured features of her adversary.

“I thought if I killed you,
he
would come,” Anebasi muttered contemptuously. Then she smiled awkwardly and looked not at Fallon, but directly at Travis. “It appears all the reunions are going to have to be put off until another day. But let’s see if she can save you this time, brother.”

Before Fallon flexed a muscle to move, bright light seared her vision, temporarily blinding her as it left Anbesi’s hand. As her eyes adjusted to her surroundings, she saw that Anebasi had crawled and reached Dennis's prone body. Her body wavered as she lifted her hand and pointed again. A second beam arrowed past her and Fallon squinted this time as she hurried to reach Anebasi. Too late, her foot came down where the woman’s head should have been. Shit, she’d disappeared with the lifeless body of Dennis in tow.

Travis groaned somewhere behind her.

She turned, making sure Travis was okay. He lay in a dark-red pool as his hands clutched his exposed ribcage and abdomen. The sight activated a familiar numbness that settled over her like a mantel. The building pressure that had constantly plagued her could no longer be denied.

If in her right mind, it would’ve been hard to believe the succession of events that happened in what seemed like a split second of time. One minute, Travis lay in the middle aisle with a giant hole in his stomach. The next, the church doors burst open with the percussion of a cannon blast. Fallon disregarded her brothers’ sudden appearance as they sized up the scene. Instead, she approached Travis and fell to her knees.

Tears ran unchecked down her face as she placed her hand over the wound. But Travis was already gone. With his death, she was tired of fighting. Fallon screamed her rage as the source of power within her released its vengeance on everyone around her.

CHAPTER 37

“Who’s passing out wings?” Wallace asked of no one in particular.

A quiet had fallen over the church upon Wallace and his brothers’ arrival.

A pretty redhead tapped a handsome older woman beside her, probably her mother, and asked, “Who are they? They are soooo beautiful and look at those muscles.”

Unable to resist the temptation, Wallace beamed a smile in a pretty redhead's direction. The woman promptly fainted and slid to the floor.

Michael narrowed his eyes at him. “Can’t you be serious with anything?”

“Come on,” Wallace whined. “This is the second time we’ve encountered black wings. Wait.” He studied the empty place where the young male’s body lay broken before it disappeared. “Has anybody thought to ask why black, not white as other angels have?” Then he glanced back at Michael, thoughtful. “Now our sister has a pair.”

Before she dropped to lift the stranger’s bloody form into her arms, she with similar wings arched high over her head. The beautiful black spinel feathers with hints of deep purple shimmered in the neon hell she called down. Unable to hold in a grin, he turned to Avedon. “You can’t tell me they wouldn’t be cool. I mean, minus the blood.”

“Can you shut the fuck up for one minute, Wallace? I don’t know how much longer Avedon’s rods will hold. The situation is much worse than we thought.” Michael scrubbed a hand over his mouth.

Silence.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

Lash after lash, bolts of lightning stuck four hastily made copper rods outside. The percussive thunder caused a serious undulation of the earth to rock the building.

A miracle they arrived when they did.

Dark clouds and intense rumbles had guided them to the right place and into a clear landing-zone.

Boy had the cows had been pissed.

The massive animals had charged their chopper, veering at the last second when Michael opened the door saying, “Mooove.”

Freaky.

From there, they had raced over broken and uneven ground just as the sky blazed into a pale predawn glow. Fallon’s scream did not pierce just his ears, but also his heart. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure what was coming next. With one nod, Avedon ran around the side of the building. He studied the layout briefly before he chose a patch of earth to work with. His hands penetrated the soil to create thirteen-foot sturdy copper rods, diverting the deadly bolts into the ground.

Busting through the door, he saw a scene straight out hell.

Fallon and the helpless people she would destroy.

“What the hell are we supposed to do now?”

A keen wail and choked sobs ravaged his sister’s face. Her intense blue eyes, swallowed completely in obsidian, were unreadable, and head tilted heavenward.

She’d blasted a circle around her and the clearly dead man wrapped in her arms. Not everyone present had escaped her pain. Moans from the injured joined hers. At least she’d stopped screaming. Death was preferable to that soul-wrenching misery. Her suffering clawed at his insides.

It looked as if death would be the only way out of this.

The storm outside, and probably inside of Fallon, was only getting worse. Fissures and large seams split the arched, boat-style roof.

Michael’s voice soothed the people as he gathered everyone at the back of the church. He crammed everyone he could into a corner portion of the building where no electrical devices or our outlet could harm them.

Then Michael joined him.

The tenderness with which Fallon held the lifeless body spoke volumes of a day Wallace never believed he’d see.

“I think she just lost the man who’d stolen her heart. I’d hate to be on the receiving end of her vengeance.”

“Wallace. I need your head in this.” Michael’s voice cut through his thoughts with an icy coldness instead of the usual ear-bleeding tone. “Over there.”

Wallace saw what triggered Michael’s immediate cause for alarm. Every lightning strike outside increased in electro-magnet charge. They were sitting ducks as every stray spark looked to feed. Exposed wires spit tiny flickers, and ceiling lights and fans burst into flames.

“Your only focus, no matter what else happens, any fires you see, put the damn things out. But not in a way that’ll get us all electrocuted,” he added.

A two-year-old girl suddenly escaped her mother. She ran down the middle aisle. Straight into danger.

Michael gained the parents’ permission to hold and quiet the young girl with bows, ponytails, and a little blue-and-white-striped sailor dress.

“Shhh. Hush now, little one. All will be well in short order.” Michael’s harmonious cadence set the child’s, and others, minds at ease again. With a tiny thumb stuck in her mouth, her head rested on Michael’s massive shoulder, and two fat teardrops trickled down her rosy cheeks. A poignant quiet fell on everyone gathered around them.

Pop. Pop-crack-pop. Pop.

BOOM! CRACK! BOOM!!!

Whispers, pleas, and prayers swelled.

The complete darkness descended as lightning and thunder knocked out the backup generator.

A rush of wind whistled past Wallace, a message Michael sent too low for humans to hear.

“Avedon, I do not envy your next decision. Continue to ground Fallon’s lightning or keep this structure together, because all these people are dead if this building comes down on their heads.”

“On it.”

The power of Avedon’s gift brushed against Wallace before the deep indentions within the church walls sealed.

Wallace doused three fires, then unplugged every guitar, electric keyboard, microphone,

He couldn’t say he didn’t feel a little nervous due to the power left behind after every lightning strike. Whatever Fallon pulled from the earth sent a rumbling vibration through the ground beneath them, similar to a ten on the Richter scale.

“Can things get any worse?” Wallace asked.

“Yes. If some have their way.” The newcomer’s voice emanated from Heaven’s light, suffusing every dark corner.

“Hey. Could you tone it done a little?” Power and presence had silenced everyone but Wallace over the archangel’s arrival.

Weeping followed.

The faith-based being the humans wouldn’t remember tomorrow emerged. He towered over Wallace’s six and a half feet, and his white wings added another two feet to the seven-foot warrior’s body. Shoulder-length blue-black hair framed his hairless, but chiseled features.

Too bad it was a no-no to touch humans. He’d drop more panties in an hour than Wallace collected in a month.

Wallace scratched his head in confusion. Those obsidian star-filled eyes turned to him, and drawing his attention did not make Wallace feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

An audible swallow bobbed his Adam’s apple as large sandaled feet and unreal sculpted muscles that weren’t covered by a cream with solid gold adorned shoulder clip, toga stalked toward him.

Not one to be intimidated at a time when his sister’s life and human were in danger, he faced the superior being head on when he stopped a mere two feet away.

Ready to die, he asked, “Why the hell are you showing up now?”

Wallace didn’t know whether it was foolishness in taking on an Archangel or the endless grief Fallon suffered, but the Archangel never got the chance to rip him a new one.

A dark and malicious presence smothered the heavenly atmosphere Gabriel’s appearance had created.

“My daughter will be powerful in the face of my enemies.” It was Fallon’s mouth moving, but not her voice.

“Help her, dammit!” Wallace shouted over roaring winds that sounded like a freight train. With the windows destroyed and the church doors hanging by the hinges, the wind whipped unfettered through the church. The parishioners weren’t able to defend themselves against its ferocity. This was the most devastating worst-case scenario they could imagine about Fallon's losing control.

Avedon exchanged a meaningful glance with Michael. Wallace never saw such a bleak expression darken either one’s features.

If Fallon survived, she would not forgive herself for hurting these people.

“If you keep standing there doing nothing, the super cell of 2008 will look like child’s play. None of the lightning has reached us yet, but it will only be a matter of time.” Wallace could tell that his insolence did not disturb Gabriel’s blank, obsidian gaze.

Just when despair over the crappy position he found himself settled in, and hating their boss for standing about and watching her, the Guardian walked right into the maelstrom that was his sister, and grabbed her hand. A similar, unfocused pitch-dark blank stare turned to the Archangel like a possessed doll.

Gabriel’s immense hand engulfed the side of Fallon’s face.

The loving gesture seemed out of place to Wallace. The echo of a gentle declaration confused Wallace even more. “This one is lost to you, brother.”

Fallon’s head burrowed further into Gabriel’s palms. “You have betrayed me this day. Mercy won’t be so forgiving next time. The battle for Heaven and Earth has begun.” The male voice faded.

When obsidian receded to blue/violet, Wallace released a long rush of wind in gratitude.

Squatted down like Gabriel, Wallace oddly wondered if his sister could see the Archangel’s dangly bits under the short toga.

His weird line of thinking ended as the Archangel Gabriel asked,

“Do you accept my son?”

Wallace gasped and choked as if something had gone down the wrong windpipe. The dead man. His son. No way.

He struggled to keep up after that incredible revelation. Digging his finger into his ear as if that would help, he focused.

“Be careful with your answer, child, because from this moment on, the two shall become one, and Orion will need to begin his search for the next in line of his children.”

Whoa, that did not sound like the wonderful news one feels at learning their father is . . . a fucking constellation! However, this situation took precedence over daddy issues. One thing for certain, Lilith would have some explaining to do.

Her hair blew across her face as she angled her head to block some of the wind generated by the buildup of energy darkening the clouds outside. The light show that surrounded her forlorn expression reminded him of the little girl in the movie
Poltergeist
. The soft voice that held a world of pain pulled at his heart and brought tears to his eyes as he listened.

“Guardian, why didn’t you come any of the times I called you?” Fallon pressed.

The way she’d cried over the guy, Wallace had hoped she’d have had said yes.

“Now I can’t stop it. When Travis is with me, I can control my thoughts and power. Now that he . . . he . . . he isn’t here.” Her voice broke with a sob of agony Wallace wished he never had to witness.

“There isn’t much time, my child. This choice must be of free will.”

Everyone present appeared to hold their breath and sighed together as she screamed out in anger, “Yes, dammit.”

After another soul-bearing scream of anguish, Wallace couldn’t comprehend, quiet descended.

Then everything went to shit again.

A blast from a single bolt exploded through the ceiling.

His arm came up to shield his eyes as the searing flash linked her body and the Guardian’s, narrowing down into the guy with a hole through his chest.

Suddenly, he found himself thrown off his feet and hurled against a wall. Wind exploded from his lungs. Gasping for air, he picked himself off the floor.

Damn. That hurt.

Blinded by the infernal glare, he narrowed his eyes.

Then stared in horror.

The trio exploded in a power display that would put a Science Center’s glass ball of electricity to shame. Thin branches of currents weaved and interlocked the trio then lifted and dropped Travis’s body like a rag doll.

Wallace searched the church for his brothers.

Avedon shrugged his shoulders and saluted. Dumbass. Like this was their sendoff.

He found Michael with the people against the back wall. His symphonious voice soothed as he attended to the injured as best he could.

Whistling, Michael glanced his way. “What the hell is happening?” he yelled over the noise. “That doesn’t seem like it is helping the situation. I thought Fallon was scary before but
this
! This place can’t take much more.”

Glancing in Avedon’s direction, Wallace feared for his brother, who tried once again to steady the earth surrounding the church. Sweat poured from him. “I never thought I’d have to say this. But I can’t hold this one off.”

In a sudden instant, winds calmed as everyone waited and watched the trio for results. Travis’s inert body was not the charred remains Wallace expected. He appeared rested and without a trace of the blood that covered the Guardian or Fallon.

Then for some insane reason, the appearance of a luminescent glow around him had Fallon laughing like a lunatic.

“Since most here seem stunned by these developments and someone’s made statues of everyone but us. That is one cool trick. And you, Travis, I happily welcome you to the family. If you can prevent this from happening again, I would much appreciate it.”

As the couple held each other for dear life, no one but Wallace noticed the Guardian gently picked up the blond-haired woman with wings or the tear that slid down his face before he disappeared.