Fall from Grace (Book 2: An Angelblood Novel) (4 page)

She intended to give him the portrait in front of the
family, but because she had no idea where he was, she had
Rusty place the painting in Aidan’s bedroom. Aura was still
angry that he didn’t consider Alannah’s feelings when he
stayed away all night.

Aidan came home before six, still wearing the same
clothes from the day before. Since the little ones were still
asleep, they didn’t know that he hadn’t come home all night.

Aura suggested he take a shower and change before
the others arrived.
He could sense that Aura was still
annoyed with him, so he thought it would be better to wait
until she was calm, before he broached the subject of Jeziel.

A few minutes later, the rest of the family arrived,
still dressed in their night clothes, following the family
tradition. At first Will and Joshua were uncomfortable, until
they realized even the Guild would be wearing red plaid
flannel pajamas and robes too.

While
they
waited
for
the
little
ones
to
come
downstairs, Aura gathered the adults in the kitchen.
She
hadn’t spoken of the deaths to the rest of the family on
Christmas Eve.
Some of them were just hearing the news
for the first time and Renatta was visibly upset.

“Poor Jane, I don’t know how she can bear it; first
losing Ella and now Jasper too.
Does anyone know where
Natalie and Jeziel went?”

“Natalie is in Utopia or at least she was,” Jayden
said.

 

“No one really knows where Jeziel is.” Aura looked
crossly at Aidan.

 

“Why wouldn’t she stay here? Surely she knows
that as Elijah’s guardian she has a duty to protect him.”
“According to Natalie, Jeziel was afraid of being
punished by the Guild,” Aura said.

 

“Why would the Guild punish her?” Renatta asked.

“Jeziel was only given permission to leave Heaven
to act as Elijah’s guardian. Many of the High Council were
opposed to her coming,” Iris said.

“Do you think she had a part in his death?”
“We don’t know anything yet. Hopefully after they
question her,we’ll have more answers,” Iris said.

 

“If they can find her,” Aura added. “I’m not sure
she’ll be back anytime soon.”

She remembered her conversation with Alannah.
She was certain that Jeziel was in Hell with her father.
She
would wait for a quiet moment to tell her father that news.

Aidan gave Aura a blistering stare.
Surely she
didn’t believe Jeziel was responsible for the deaths? He
would
speak
to
her
privately
later.
Jeziel
may
have
befriended Natalie, but that didn’t mean she was following
her down the path to darkness.
Aidan was convinced of her
innocence.
He needed to explain to Aura that Jeziel would
never
turn
her
back
on
Heaven,
regardless
of
the
circumstances.

“I don’t trust Natalie. I’ve known her all my life
and I can tell you she is more like Richard than you know,”
Renatta said. “She may have told you Jasper’s death was an
accident, but I don’t believe it.”

Joshua looked at her. “We told them the same
thing.”

 

Rita and
Jessica remained
quiet,
but listened
to
every word.

Will asked hesitantly, “Knowing Natalie as we do is
it possible that she killed Ella?
Jasper believed she did. By
eliminating both of them,there wouldn’t be any witnesses to
implicate her.”

He was trying to be supportive of Rita, but didn’t
want to hurt Jayden.
He knew what it felt like to lose a
brother. He wouldn’t wish that on anyone.

Jayden never said a word.
He knew that Natalie
killed Jasper.
She had admitted doing so.
Of course, she
swore it was selfdefense, but he didn’t believe it. Her story
had too many holes in it.

Aura decided she couldn’t remain silent any longer.
“I have something to share with you, but I think it’s best to
wait until after the memorial service tomorrow.”

“Did you see who killed Elijah?” Rita asked
.
“No, but I have seen something else.”

Rita thought she must have some damning evidence
to show them, seeing how upset she was. Being a seer was a
thankless job. She was glad that she didn’t have to see all
the terrifying visions that
Aura
saw routinely.
In
that
moment, she almost felt sorry for her sister.

The little ones came downstairs around seven. Their
hair was still in two braids and they were wearing matching
red plaid nightgowns, without slippers on their feet. Bren
and Tracy helped Alannah tear into the presents.
She was
laughing as hard as everyone else.

Will and Joshua stayed close to Rita and Jessica the
rest of the day.
They intended to leave for New York in a
week, but Aura doubted that would happen. Rita didn’t care
if they ever left, but when the boys did go, she and Jessica
would travel with them.

Willow would
accompany them
too.
She liked
Matthew Godwin and kept company with him each time he
visited Aeden. Matthew didn’t have any friends to speak of,
save the other children who attended the Academy. Most of
them were much older, so he was always grateful for the
time he spent with Willow.
They were the same age and
shared the same interests.

Papa was as excited as the little ones. He made sure
the video cameras were on in every corner of the living
room. Aura put drinks for the little ones in spill proof cups.
They would be eating and drinking in the living room,
amidst all the gifts.

When it came time for Will and Joshua to receive
their gift from Papa, he handed each of them a small box.
They looked curiously at each other, hoping it wasn’t
jewelry.

When they opened the boxes, they were pleasantly
surprised to find a set of car keys.
Papa walked them to the
door, where two Lexus SUV’s awaited. One was painted
gold, the other painted silver.

A red ribbon adorned each of the hoods.
Without
realizing they were still in their pajamas and barefooted, the
boys invited Rita and Jessica to take a drive with them.
The
girls didn’t mind. They followed them to the cars.

Aidan knew Aura was still angry with him.
He also
knew some of her visions were unsettling.
He hoped that
she wasn’t going to show them that Jeziel was involved in
the deaths.
He was optimistic that his friend was innocent
and there was an explanation for her running away.

Alannah walked over and held her mother’s hand.
“It’s okay Mommy.”

Aura picked her up. She couldn’t fathom some of
the visions Alannah had seen.
She carried her into the
kitchen to prepare a hot breakfast. Cooking allowed her to
escape her worries, at least temporarily.

A memorial service for Jasper, Elijah and Ericah
was planned for the next day.
There would be no bodies,
only memories.
Aura suspected the day would be hardest
for Jane and Jayden, especially after what she was going to
show them.

When they returned to the house, Rita pulled Aura
to the side.“What did you say to Jasper?”

 

“Say to Jasper when?”

“After Ella died and you
were trying to convince
Jasper to go to Australia with Papa, what did you say to
him?”

“I told him he would see Ella again.”
“How could you know he would see her?”

“I saw Ella as an angel. Jasper was standing next to
her. He didn’t look any different. I couldn’t see the fire in
the background and I had no way of knowing he was dead.”

Rita shook her head before walking back to the
living room with the others.

Aura made sure they had gifts for Acadia and her
sixteen year old friends from Utopia. She asked Ambor and
Astor if they would be staying in Aeden.

“We’re going to the Australian colony. Your father
said the governor would meet us here today.”

 

“You’ll both love Alistair. He’s a good friend of the
family;a kind and caring man,” she smiled.

 

Most of the angel-blood had blonde hair and blue
eyes. These girls were no exception.

Alistair was a jovial man. Like Papa, his brown hair
was peppered with thin strands of grey. When he arrived,
Aura invited Alistair to stay for lunch. Paul introduced him
to the young girls.

He greeted them both with a hug and a promise.
“You will be treated with the utmost respect there. I have
prepared a home for you, not far from my own.”

“Thank you. We visited Australia with our parents
many times before and fell in lovewith the country.”
Alistair laughed. “I’m sure you will both fit in
nicely.”

They sat next to each other at the table, talking as if
they had known each other forever. Aura knew Alistair
would treat them both like daughters.

Alistair soon excused hims
elf. “I should get these
girls back so they can get settled in.
I left Ethan with the
Justice’s. I don’t want him to think I abandoned him on
Christmas day. We’ll see each other soon.”

He stopped to speak with Howard on the way out
the door. Aura knew they were making plans to meet again.
She hoped he would take Iris with him on his next trip.
They seemed to enjoy each other’s company.

Henry arrived in Aeden around three o’clock in the
afternoon.

 

“Henry, we weren’t expecting you,” Paul said.

“I t
hought
you
should
know
that
Richard
and
Natalie are gone. I suspect they are in Paris, but I don’t
know how long they’ll stay there. I’m certain Richard will
hide her somewhere else.”

“We didn’t think they would remain in Utopia.
You’re welcome to stay and have dinner with us.”

“Thank you
I can’t really stay. I need to return to
Analie and Ambrosia.” He looked at Jane. “I am so sorry
for your loss.
If I knew that Natalie would have caused so
much pain, I would never have asked you to take her in.”

“I don’t blame you Henry. We all trusted Natalie.
At least Jasper and Ella are together,” she said.

“If there’s anything I can do
, please let me know.
I
really have to get back.
I want to make sure the girls are
safe.”

Jane
walked
him
to
the
door
and
hugged
him.
Regardless of what happened, he was still her friend.
She
knew he felt terrible, but hoped he would be safe too.

Chapter 4
After dinner, Aura asked her father to join her in the
library. It was time she told him about Jeziel.

 

“I think you need to know that Jeziel has been to
Hell to visit her father.”

 

“How can you know this? Have you had a vision?”

“Alannah told me that Alorrah met her. She said
that Samhael brought her there.
She also said that Samhael
started the fire that killedElijah and Ericah.”

“We need to notify the High Council about this
immediately.
Did you see anything else?
Did Jeziel kill
them?”

“I haven’t seen the vision of their death. I can only
tell you what Alorrah said. I don’t want you to say anything
to Aidan about this.
My telling him that Jeziel has chosen
the dark path won’t convince him. He’ll have to see for
himself.”

“Aura, do you think it’s fair to withhold that kind of
information from him?” her father asked.

“Something is going on. Aidan is protect
ing her for
some reason. I don’t know why, but I’m not about to allow
him to warn her. For now, we’ll act as if we don’t know
anything.
I need to see where his loyalties lie.
He should
have been here with Alannah.
Instead, he chose to search
for Jeziel.
The less we tell him now, the safer it will be for
all of us.”

“We’ll see what the Council says before we make a
decision.”

 

“I can’t ask for anything more.”

They walked back out to the living room.
Aura
didn’t speak to Aidan the rest of the day. Even Alannah kept
her distance from him. She wasn’t happy that Aidan was
protecting Jeziel either.

By eight o’clock, everyone started to load up all the
gifts to take them home.

Once again Bren and Tracy decided to stay with
Aura. She didn’t care if they ever left. Having them around
was good for Alannah.

She helped the girls carry their gifts to their new
bedroom.
Her father helped her knock down one of the
walls to convert the large space.

The bed was larger than a California King.
There
were five closets, and a huge Grecian bath that would easily
hold all of them. Aura used all the colors they liked; yellow,
pink and purple. They each had their own dressers and coat
racks for their robes.

Inside the closet, the shelves were made so they
could easily reach them. There was a sliding door which
opened to a massive play room. Judging from their reaction,
the girls loved their new space.
They all three spoke in
unison. “Thank you Aura. This is the best present ever.”

Despite having their own space, the girls insisted on
sleeping with her again. She didn’t argue. In time they
would
move
into
their
new
room.
She
said
a
quick
goodnight to Aidan, before helping the girls get ready for
bed.

Aidan was beside himself.
Why was Aura so angry
with him?
She would have searched for her friend if she
was missing. He would speak to her about it in the morning.

As he went into his own room, he saw the package
resting against the back wall. He hadn’t seen it before. As
he removed the paper, he was overwhelmed to
see the
portrait of the two of them with the little ones.

He carried it downstairs and Rusty, who was still
awake, helped him take the picture that was hanging over the
fireplace down. They hung the new picture in its place.

“You don’t think she’ll mind?” Aidan asked.

 

“Not at all - she gave it to you so that it could be
displayed.”

 

“Do you think she will forgive me for not being here
last night?”

“This was Alannah’s first Christmas. Paul took
everyone flying last night. He made arrangements for Bren
and the little ones to see Santa Clause.
That was a big deal.
I’m sure they would have liked you to be there with them. I
don’t think Aura is angry. I think she’s just disappointed.
She puts the children before anyone else,” Rusty said
honestly.