Jeremy (Broken Angel #4) (12 page)

“
N
aomi
.”

One word. Her name. It was all Jeremy could say as he gazed into her distraught face. His face filled with raw emotion. She finally saw the truth. He loved her.

“Please, Jeremy. Let me save her. I can do it.”

She folded her wings into her body and turned to Welita. She hovered her hands over Welita’s chest, murmuring healing words he’d heard Raphael use so many times.

“Welita, please, keep breathing. Don’t go. Chuy needs you. Little Naomi and Emma need you.”

Jeremy stood and walked over to Naomi. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she kept moving her hands over her dying grandmother. Welita was almost gone.

“Naomi,” his voice croaked.

“No!” She jerked his hand off her shoulder and angrily brushed the tears from her eyes.

“She can’t leave. It’s too soon. I won’t be able to see her anymore. I’m not letting you take her away from me. Her family needs her. Don’t you understand?”

“I do,” he said softly.

“Then help me. Why isn’t this working? What am I doing wrong?” Her voice was frantic.

“Seraphs don’t have the power to heal, only archangels. You gave up being an archangel.”

“I’ll be an archangel, then. I want it back!”

“It doesn’t work that way.”

“Why not?” Furious, tear-stained eyes flicked to his. “What’s the use of any of us having angelic powers and not being able to use them? She’s . . . she’s . . .”

A cold settled in his chest as he watched her struggle to say the dreaded word. Her body shook until finally anguish washed over her face and she broke. “She’s dying, Jeremy. Please, help me save her. Please, you’re an archangel. You can do it. Help her.”

Her shoulders shook harder when he placed his hands gently over hers and moved them away from Welita.

“I can’t. My healing powers are limited. I’d give the world to you if I could.”

He would give her anything. He just couldn’t give her this.

Dark, wet lashes slowly lifted. Pained eyes gazed into his.

“This is my world, Jeremy. She is my world. Don’t you understand?”

“I’m sorry, Naomi.”

“Of course you don’t.” She snatched her hands out of his. “You don’t know what it feels like to suffer. You’ve always had the world at your feet, whether it was on Heaven or Earth. Everyone loves you. You expect it to just come to you. You’ve never had to fight for it.”

He
did
know suffering. He wanted to fight for her. But to fight for her would mean he’d have to fight Lash.

“Don’t just stand there! Do something!” She slapped his chest. “Do something! Do something!”

She railed against his chest as she continued to cry for him to stop Welita from dying. His heart breaking, he pulled her into his arms and held her tight.

There was a sudden whoosh of air, and Lash appeared in the bedroom. Before he could take Naomi, Lash paused in front of the bed startled. Hazel eyes gazed down at Welita. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed thickly.

Jeremy wished Lash didn’t have to see this. He knew how much Lash had loved Welita, too.

Tearing himself away from the bed, Lash went to Naomi and gently place his hand on her shoulder. “Naomi.”

Jeremy hesitated before releasing her, knowing it would be the last time Naomi would let him near her. When he finally let her go, she immediately flew into Lash’s embrace.

“I can’t do it, Lash. I don’t have the power to bring her back. I’m losing her. Go get Raphael. He’ll do it for you. I know he will,” she said, sobbing into his chest.

“My love, look at me.” He lifted her head, then cupped her face between his hands. “I love Welita too. I don’t want to lose her either. But—”

“No . . . Please, Lash. I . . . I can’t . . . I can’t—”

Welita let out a moan. In an instant, Lash and Naomi rushed to her side.

“Hold on, Welita. I know you can hear me. I know you can,” Naomi said. “Lash is getting help. Welita?”

Welita’s chest lifted and slowly lowered. It lifted once more.

The room stilled as they waited. The clock ticked away the final seconds of a life that would be mourned by all who knew and loved her—Naomi, Chuy, Lalo, Megan, Emma, Lash, and so many more.

A final breath rushed out of Welita. Then . . .

Nothing.

The clock ticked on.

“NO! WELITA! NO!”

Lash held on to Naomi tightly as she reached out her hand to Welita, wailing.

“Don’t leave! Come back! Come back!”

Jeremy fought against the crushing weight on his chest. It was agony, pure agony, seeing Naomi and Lash suffer so much. He wanted to go to them and hold them both. He wanted to bring whatever comfort he could. What could he say? His mind swarmed with the words people told each other when a loved one died:
She’s in a better place. She lived a long life.
But there wasn’t anything he could say that would ease their pain.

He shifted uncomfortably. He had a job to do. Pushing away the ache in his chest, he called out to his brother.

“Lash.”

Red-rimmed eyes looked to him. Understanding what was being asked of him, Lash nodded and carefully moved Naomi to give Jeremy space.

Naomi buried her head in his chest, fingers digging into Lash’s back as she held onto him. Lash kissed the top of her head and then nodded to Jeremy again.

Taking a shaky breath, Jeremy flicked his hand. Wind rushed through the room, extinguishing the candlelight.

“Don’t, Jeremy. Please.”

He gritted his teeth at Naomi’s heartbreaking plea and pushed himself forward. He had to complete his job. It was too late for Welita. He had to help her to the other side.

Waving his hand, a small sphere of light appeared in the corner of the room. As he twirled his hand, the sphere grew larger and brighter until the blue-white light filled the room.

Naomi let out a whimper when he positioned himself in front of Welita. Holding out his hand, palms up, in front of him, he slowly raised them. He murmured ancient words he hadn’t used in a long time. He couldn’t save Welita for Naomi. But this one thing, this he could do.

As he continued to murmur, a translucent replica of Welita’s body emerged. It hovered over the bed for a moment before it slowly drifted to Naomi.

Jeremy smiled when he saw Lash’s eyes widen. Welita appeared strong and vibrant. The way she’d looked when Lash had first met her.

Gently, he settled her down on her feet and waited for her soul to awaken.

“It’s time to wake up, Mrs. Duran.”

Brown eyes fluttered open. “Mijita? Lash?”

“Welita!” Naomi spun around and threw herself into her grandmother’s arms. “Oh, Welita.”

“Why are you crying?” Welita rubbed her back.

“You died.”

Welita looked at the glowing light and then at Lash’s angel wings. “I had a feeling this was the night. I sensed it. I sensed”—her eyes flicked to Jeremy—“you. You were the one watching me?”

“Yes, Mrs. Duran. That was me.”

“This is my brother, Jeremy. He’s going to help you cross over,” Lash said.

“No, he won’t,” Naomi snapped. Taking Welita’s hand, she pulled her across the room far from the light. “Don’t listen to Jeremy, Welita. Just wait here.”

“Why? I’m ready to go. I’m ready to see your father again, too. It’s been so long.”

“If you go, I’ll never see you again.”

“I don’t understand.” Welita’s eyes darted from Jeremy to Lash. “Won’t I be with you now?”

“Humans go to a different place from where the angels live,” Lash said.

Welita’s face fell. “Oh, I see.”

“But you’ll be with Javier,” Lash added quickly.

“No one’s going anywhere,” Naomi said. “Please, Welita, just do what I say and don’t move. I’m going to fix this.”

Welita looked over at Lash, hopeful. When he shook his head, she closed her eyes briefly, pain flashing over her face. When she opened them, she gazed up at Naomi, resolute.

“Please, Welita.” Naomi knew her grandmother well. Welita held on to her faith until the very end.

Brown hands reached up and cupped Naomi’s sweet face. She stared into her eyes, taking one last long look at her granddaughter.

“I wasn’t meant to be with the angels, mijita.”

“Don’t say goodbye, Welita. Please. There has to be a way. There has to—”

“Shh.” Welita wiped her thumbs against Naomi’s cheeks, brushing away the fresh tears. “This is life. I’m ready to move to the next part of it with your father and mother. I won’t be alone. And one day, may it be a long way off, Chuy and the others will join us. I’ll have family with me.”

“But I’m your family too,” she sobbed.

“And you’ll always be. But you have your other family, too. Your heart is with Lash. He is your family. You were meant to do important work for Him. I couldn’t be prouder. Te amo, mijita.” Welita kissed her cheek and turned to Lash. “Take care of her.”

“I will, Welita,” he said as Welita placed Naomi’s hand into his.

She paused, keeping her hand over theirs for a moment. Then taking a deep breath, she turned to Jeremy. “I’m ready.”

“Jeremy?”

Jeremy jumped at Lash’s voice. He was lost in the defeated expression on Naomi’s face. He was doing this to her. He knew Welita’s life had to end, as all human life did. That fact didn’t take away the pain he felt knowing that it was his hand that was literally taking Welita away from her.

“Give me your hand, Mrs. Duran,” Jeremy said.

“Call me, Welita. You’re Lash’s brother. You’re family too.”

He swallowed thickly as he gazed into kind brown eyes.

“Welita.” He held out his open hand.

Placing her hand in his, they walked to the blue-white light.

“All you need to do is walk through. You’ll feel a warm energy rushing through your body. Don’t be frightened. Just keep walking, and you’ll be fine.”

Nodding, Welita took a couple of steps into the shining orb. The light brightened as it encompassed her. It was so blinding, they could barely make out her silhouette. Her voice drifted back into the room, becoming more and more faint as Welita’s silhouette faded into the light as she walked closer to her new home.

“I’ll carry you in my heart forever, mijita. Carry me in yours.”

“Forever,” Naomi croaked.

Then she was gone.

J
eremy watched
Naomi as she stumbled forward, clutching her stomach, gasping. He wanted to be by her side. He wanted to brush the tears from her face. He wanted to hold her in his arms and feel her heart beating against his aching chest. Instead, it was Lash who was holding her, his haunted hazel eyes gazing at the empty light.

Jeremy wasn’t done yet. He had to close the passage, and with it any hope of Naomi ever seeing her grandmother again.

Shaking, he lifted his hand. The blue and white light swirled like a whirlwind crackling with electricity. Around it went, growing smaller until the sphere was the size of a marble.

He paused, his hand trembling harder. He had to do it. He had to finish his job. He squeezed his eyes, fighting against the torment he felt as he listened to Naomi’s sobs.

“Naomi, I’m sorry,” he said. Then with a final flick of his wrist, the sphere vanished.

A cold rushed through him as Naomi took a step toward him. She was silent. No crying. No pleas. Nothing.

She stopped in front of the window. Moonlight poured over her grief-stricken face. Slowly, her face twisted and blue ice glared at him. The words that came out of her lips were not from his beautiful, kind Naomi. They were from a stranger. Terse. Harsh. Cold.

“Don’t you ever talk to me again. Ever!”

“Naomi!” Lash cried.

Naomi whirled around, snapping at him.

“No, Lash. He’s your brother. I’m his sister. Families are supposed to help each other.”

“But—”

“I don’t want to hear it, Lash. I begged him to help.
Begged
him.”

“Let me explain,” Jeremy said.

She whirled around toward Jeremy, eyes still blazing. “There is nothing you can say that could ever explain what you did. Nothing!”

With a sharp crack, she flapped her wings and disappeared from the room.

Wide-eyed, Lash turned to him. “She’s talking crazy. She doesn’t mean it. I know you did what you could. I’ll talk to her.”

“Wait.” Jeremy grabbed his arm before he could leave. “Let me. I . . . I need to.”

Lash nodded with understanding. “Just know, no matter what happens, you’ll always be my brother.”

T
he cold air
bit Jeremy’s face as he rocketed through the sky. He saw Naomi in the distance, her wings flapping listlessly, shoulders shaking as she made her way back home. Each sob was like a knife plunging into his chest.

He’d done this to her. He’d broken her heart. He had to fix it somehow.

With powerful wings, he propelled himself forward.

When he was just about to reach her, her head snapped up.

“Leave me alone!” She flapped her wings harder, widening the distance between them.

“Let me explain,” he said as they soared through the sky. She flew faster. The wind rushed over his ears as he called out to her. Although his wings were larger and more powerful, he could barely keep up with her. Each time he was just about to reach her, she gritted her teeth, letting out a growl, and flew out of his reach.

“I was doing my job! Can’t you understand?”

Naomi stopped. Her wings slowly moved as she floated in the air. It was so sudden, he came to a buffeting halt, almost crashing into the back of her.

Curling her wings, with a squealing arch, she spun around to face him.

“Your job? YOUR JOB?” she screamed. “Is that all my grandmother was to you? A job?”

“I didn’t mean it that way.” He swallowed thickly, praying for the right words to help her see he’d had no choice in the matter. “We’re angels. We each have a job to do. I was doing mine.”

“Really? You’re going to stick with that excuse? You know we have free will. You didn’t even try!”

“You’re a seraph now, Naomi. You need to understand how it works for us.”

“Oh, I understand.” Her voice shook as she approached him, coming within inches of his face. “I understand that you’re so used to having everything, you have no clue what it means to truly give yourself to another person. I understand that all you care about is your precious archangel status and being worshipped by everyone who sees you. Centuries later and you still think of yourself as a god among men—and even angels! You have all these angelic powers, and not once did you sacrifice for someone other than yourself.”

He jerked back as if he’d been slapped. “That’s not true. I went after Lash. I went into the Lake of Fire for him. I died for him.”

“See? The thought of sacrifice is so beyond you, you don’t even know what I’m talking about. Giving your life up for someone is easy. But can you give up your powers, the gifts that make you great? Can you give up your control of others?”

“I don’t control anyone.”

“Oh my God! You still don’t see it, do you? You say you love someone, and you expect the love to come back to you. You tried to control me!”

“I didn’t.”

“Yes, you did. You used your powers to draw me to you.”

“That was a long time ago, and it wasn’t intentional. I didn’t even know I had them.”

She shook her head. “You still can’t see it. You tell me you love me. You tell me you want me more than a sister. Why would you tell me that when you know Lash is the love of my life? What purpose would it serve?”

“I . . . I . . .” He didn’t have an answer.

“That’s what I thought. I’m done with you.”

Before she could turn to leave, he grabbed her arm.

“Don’t do this, Naomi. You’re upset and grieving. You’ll feel better, it just takes time.”

“Stop patronizing me!” She scowled, jerking her arm out of his grasp. “Look, let me make this simple for you. You keep to your
job
and I’ll keep to mine. We don’t have to work together. So stay away from me. Got that,
almighty archangel
?”

“I’m just trying to help.”

“You can help by leaving me alone.”

“I don’t know if I can,” he murmured.

“Then maybe you should leave.”

He sucked in a breath, the wind knocked out of him. Sapphire eyes gazed at her in disbelief. Whatever love she’d had to give him was lost now, and there was no hope of getting it back.

“Goodbye, Jeremy.”