Gabriel (28 page)

“
Which of you were once Kematians?”

“
Everyone except Robert,” Gabriel said.

Michael went past each person
and looked them up and down. Personal space was not a topic he was familiar
with. He ran his hand along their backside and sniffed their necks. They pulled
away until he came to Tre, who didn’t move. He stood there and let Michael
examine him.

Michael returned to stand
beside Gabriel.

“
You did not move when the others did. Why?” Michael asked.

“
You were checking us to make sure we are okay. I have already
fought the demons. I will not change again, so I didn’t fear what you would
find,” Tre said.

“
I assessed each of you, yes,” Michael said.

“
If you want to look me over like that, you better buy me dinner
first,” Robert said.

“
Are you hungry?” Michael asked.

“
Great, we have to teach another one the art of sarcasm,” Robert
said.

Gabriel leaned against the
wall with his arms crossed, and a grin slid across his face.

“
Okay we need to get things done so we can get our women back,”
Robert said.

Michael glanced at Gabriel
with an eyebrow raised. Gabriel shrugged. They both stood among the guys and
watched Robert go over the plans.

Gabriel studied Michael’s
reaction. He was used to being the leader, and now he followed a human.
Maybe there is some hope for him yet. Maybe
Michael will be able to look at the humans as equals someday.

Robert marked where they
would enter and all the other possible entry and exit points. He showed them
where he thought the women were held, and divided the teams. He turned to
Michael.

“
The only thing left to discuss is you and Gabriel. Where you will
be and what areas you plan to cover, so I’ll let you take over from here,”
Robert said.

“
Very thorough, Robert, thank you,” Michael said in a husky tone.

“
Our first goal is to get the women out. Gabriel will get to the
women, and I will assist you with the Kematians. Gabriel has told me about the
dart guns you will be using. I will try to keep them off of you as much as I
can, but you must rely on your teammates. Tre and Ajeet, will this be a problem
for you?”

“
No,” they said in unison.

“
Good, because if one of you allows the other to die I will kill
the survivor. Understood?” Michael asked.

“
Yes,” they said together.

“
The next thing will be to bring the ones who could be human back
here.” Michael folded his arms. “Gabriel told me about the mishap last time, so
we have decided to wait there until they return to their original state.”

“
How are we all going to get back? I’m pretty certain no one who’s
alive and awake is going to volunteer to ride in the trunk,” Tre said.

“
We’ll take two vehicles and make two trips if we have to,” Robert
said.

“
Who else is going to drive?” Gabriel asked.

“
Shit! I didn’t think about that. Well, we’ll take Maree’s
Suburban. It seats eight. Then I’ll shuttle us back and forth.”

“
I will carry Calla,” Gabriel said.

“
I will bring one human back, too,” Michael said.

“
We do not know how many, if any, will be human,” Gabriel said.

“
That’s true. I’ll go move vehicles around. You guys grab your
things and meet me outside.”

Robert left, and the men
grabbed the packs. Gabriel rolled up the layout. He picked up the sole canister
and placed it in his pocket.

“
Does anyone have any questions?” Gabriel asked.

They shook their heads.

The sound of footsteps echoed
through the stairwell. The men exited the house and piled into the car. Gabriel
and Michael remained outside the SUV. Robert rolled down the window, and
Gabriel leaned in so everyone could hear him.

“
We will arrive at the warehouse before you do, gather information,
and await your arrival,” Gabriel said.

They nodded, and Robert
backed out of the driveway.

Gabriel turned to Michael.
“If anything happens to me, I need your word you will look after Calla.”

“
Nothing will happen to you.”

“
Say it.”

“
You have my word.”

“
Michael, if you have to make a choice between saving me and saving
Calla, choose Calla.”

“
That I cannot do.”

“
She is my soul-mate.”

“
I understand, but you are my brother. You cannot expect me to put
a woman above my family.”

“
We are all brothers and sisters in the eyes of the Almighty. That
is exactly what I expect you to do.”

“
I cannot make this promise.”

“
We are here to protect humanity.”

“
Yes, we are. If even one of us dies, many more lives could be
lost. I will not sacrifice those lives for one.”

“
If Calla dies, that is exactly what you will have done.”

“
Explain yourself.”

“
She is my soul mate. If she dies, a part of me will die, too.”

“
I do not understand this ‘soul-mate’, but I would never hurt you
on purpose. I will do my best to keep your woman safe.”

“
Thank you, brother.”

“
I did not agree to your terms.”

“
No, you did something better. You offered your best, and with that
knowledge I know she will be safe because my brother does not fail when he sets
his mind to doing something.”

Michael rubbed his forehead.
“You are right.”

“
Let us go.”

They extended their wings and
took to the skies.

Michael and Gabriel landed
near the warehouse. The windows were still boarded up, but the front door
remained open. They waited for the other men to arrive with anticipation.
Everything was silent until they heard someone screaming from inside.

Chapter Twenty

Gabriel bolted in the
direction of the warehouse. He felt Michael grip his shoulder, trying to
restrain him.

Gabriel tensed and spun to
face Michael. “Let me go! That scream could be Calla.”

Michael grabbed both of his
shoulders. “Use your head, Gabriel! How do you know that’s not a ruse to lure
you in? How do you know they haven’t figured out Calla’s value to you and
aren’t using it against you? More importantly, how do you know you’re not
jumping to conclusions? Stop and listen.”

Gabriel stopped, and at first
he only heard his pulse drumming in his ears. After another moment, he started
to relax and located the area the scream came from. It was a block away at a
gas station that had been closed. A young boy, who appeared to be in his teens,
had a girl, who looked around the same age, flipped over his shoulder. She
screamed and kicked her feet. Laughter filled the air.

Gabriel pulled away from
Michael and lowered his head.

“
Thank you.”

“
You are tense, but we need to wait for the others to have the best
outcome for the women.”

“
I am glad you believe my friends are an asset.”

“
I was skeptical, but Robert is driven with the desire to save his
mate, and the others are driven with the need to find and save their people.
Both of these goals make them determined to succeed.”

“
Yes, that is true.”

Gabriel and Michael walked
back over to the spot they were waiting. They leaned against a wall, waiting
for the men to arrive.

“
Have you contacted any of our brothers?” Gabriel asked.

“
I have tried, but without any success.”

“
Can you feel their life forces?”

“
Yes.”

“
Are they blocking you?”

“
Yes.”

A grave expression crossed
Michael’s face for the briefest moment, before his expression returned to its
usual stoic features. Gabriel could still detect the grim glint lying beneath
the surface of his gaze. Michael must have been as worried by the lack of
contact with his brothers, as he was.

The SUV pulled up, and the
men stepped out. They removed items from their packs and geared up. Robert
opened the rear doors and unzipped the black bag that sat on the floor. He
pulled out six stun guns.

“
What are those?” Gabriel asked, approaching the guns to take a
closer look.

“
Stun guns,” Robert said. “Sam left them on the floor with a note
that read: ‘Don’t die, dick.’ I’m not sure if they’ll work against them, but I
figure it’s worth a try.”

“
What do they do?” Michael asked.

“
You touch the skin and send one million volts through the body.
Does electricity affect them?”

“
I do not know.” Gabriel glanced at Michael, who shrugged his
shoulders. “We did not have electricity when we first battled them.”

Robert snorted. “The
electricity was always there. The means of harnessing it was lacking. What the
hell do they teach you,” he glanced to the sky for a moment. “Up
there
?”

Michael laughed and clasped
Gabriel’s shoulder. “It wasn’t the
teacher’s
fault.”

“
Well, it’s worth a try. Especially when that long tongue comes
snaking towards your face,” Robert said, visibly shuddering. “That was nasty.
The bullets didn’t affect them, but these,” he said holding up the stun gun,
“may work.”

“
It is worth a try,” Gabriel said.

Robert turned on the stun
gun. “This is the switch to turn it on. Touch their skin and hold it. Be
careful not to make contact with yourself,” he said as he handed one to each of
them.

“
Check your weapons. Make sure the safeties are in the ‘on’
position,” Robert said.

They each checked their
weapons and put them in the pockets of their black bags. They paired up and
prepared to take their positions.

Gabriel led the group, and
Michael brought up the rear. They approached the entrance, and Gabriel entered
first. He walked through the hallway and stopped at the opening of the
warehouse.

“
I am here,” Gabriel yelled. “Where are the humans?”

The Captain of the Kematians
stepped forward.

“
I thought I already killed you once. Do not worry. I will amend my
earlier error.”

Gabriel took another step
forward. “Answer my question. Where are the humans?”

“
I will give you a choice: your life for one of theirs. Which one
do you want to live?”

The other men and Michael
were hidden in the hallway shadows, waiting for the signal.

Gabriel moved closer and
placed his hand on the weapon at his side, hidden under his jacket. “I will ask
you once more. Where are the humans?”

The Captain motioned behind,
and two Kematians came to the ledge. One Kematian held Calla, and the other
held Maree. They were
both
alive
.

A sigh of relief escaped
Gabriel.

“
Now choose!” the Captain yelled.

Gabriel raised the dart gun,
faster than the human eye could see, and fired. The other men rushed into the
warehouse shooting their weapons.

The Captain removed the dart
and threw it on the ground.

“
You are a fool to think mere humans can destroy us. Kill them
all!”

The Kematians holding Calla
and Maree picked them up and threw them over the edge of the loft.

“
Michael!” Gabriel screamed, pointing to the women.

Michael, already in flight,
caught Calla by her foot and Maree by her wrist. Gabriel heard the snap from
Maree’s wrist. She let out a scream.

Gabriel saw Robert’s head
jerked in the direction of the scream. He watched as Michael set the women
down. Maree cradled her wrist. Michael’s hands begin to glow and then he
ushered both women to a corner. Gabriel watched Robert as shoulders relaxed.