Redemption (30 page)

Enoch and Theus arm wrestle at a table to Fane’s right.
 
A cheering group of hunters hold up wads of cash into the air as bets are made.
 
Ambrose and Daelyn whisper in the corner, eyeing
 
a young hunter, whose baby blue eyes and blond curls caught their attention when he first arrived.
 
Julian rolls his eyes and turns away, filing his nails into perfect half circles.

Fane places his hand on Grigori’s shoulder as he passes, pleased to have the man fighting on their side.
 
His new sense of appreciation for the man’s skill on the battlefield and as a leader has come as a surprise to Fane.
 
Who would have thought that he could begin to form a friendship with his enemy?

But then again, maybe the hunters aren’t his enemy any more.
 
The lines are shifting and new bonds are forming.
 
Perhaps peace can be an option.

“I was watching you last night,” he says to Grigori as he passes.
 
“Remind me to stay out of range of your broad sword.”

Grigori grunts with pleasure and Fane returns his focus on William.
 
The boy stands near the wall, a heavy sword held aloft over his head.
 

“By the power of Gray Skull.”
 
He raises the sword higher.
 
It wavers in the air, threatening to fall as he sucks in a great breath to prepare for a loud bellow.
 
“I have the power!”

Sadie giggles as she rocks back into Nicolae, who sits just behind her.
 
Gabriel chuckles, shaking his head in amusement.
 
His blond hair falls over his eyes.
 
Fane looks to Roseline, who shrugs back, obviously as confused as she is.
 
Claudia is all smiles beside Roseline, but he can tell she’s just as lost as they are.

“Seriously?
 
Prince Adam of Eternia?
 
Cringer the mighty battle cat?
 
Skeletor?” William gapes in shock.
 
“Are you telling me you don’t know who He-Man is?”
 

He drops the sword to his side, narrowly avoiding cleaving his leg in two as it clatters to the ground.
 
Once his hands are free, he clutches his chest and staggers back in shock.
 
“I’m appalled at how uneducated you are in 80’s pop culture.”

Roseline shrugs.
 
“We never really watched TV.”

“Return of the Jedi?
 
Mad Max? Aliens? Top Gun?
 
Robo Cop? Tron?
 
First Blood?”
 
With each movie title William announces, his voice rises higher and higher.
 
His face begins to turn red as he rushes through each name.
 
“Breakfast Club?
 
Terminator?
 
Rocky? Indiana Jones?
 
Die Hard?
 
These are all classics!”

He stares at the blank faces surrounding him and shakes his head.
 
“I’m so disappointed in all of you.
 
These movies helped shape my childhood.”

Without Fane having to say anything to him, William turns and walks away, dejected.
 
Sadie rises to follow, but Claudia waves her off.
 
Her hair whips behind her as she rushes to grab the door and follow him out into the hallway.

“What’s wrong with him?” Gabriel asks.
 
“I thought he was just joking.”

Sadie shakes her head as she draws her legs up into her chest.
 
“You know how uncomfortable he is being the only ‘normal’ one here.”

“Yeah, but those are just movies,” Gabriel protests.

Sadie sighs and leans back in Nicolae.
 
“Not to him.
 
To William, they represent everything you and I aren’t anymore, Gabriel…human.”

The silence is broken as the hunters return to their discussions.
 
Most talk about what weapons they will select for the battle.
 
Others tell wild stories about their last night in Amsterdam or exaggerate details of their time spent hunting wild game in the jungles of the Amazon.

Fane sinks down into a chair behind Roseline and her friends.
 
He tries not to let Gabriel’s arm slung over her shoulders bother him, but it does.
 
He fears that it always will.
 

“He can’t go with us,” he says softly.

The group turns and stares at him.
 
Roseline’s gaze narrows, but it is Sadie who speaks first, casting a worried glance at Nicolae.
 
“Who can’t?”

“William.
 
He’s a liability.”

Roseline stiffens at Sadie’s cry of outrage.
 
“Just because he’s not an immortal or some uber hunter with spy gear doesn’t mean he can’t be useful.”

“You know that’s not what I’m” Fane begins but Roseline cuts him off.

“A battle is no place for your brother, Sadie.
 
You know that.”
 
She reaches out and places a hand on her friend’s arm.
 
“He will be safe here.”

Sadie’s brow furrows with indecision.
 
Nicolae leans forward, resting his chin on her shoulder.
 
“They’re right.
 
You’d never forgive yourself if he got hurt.”

“Or worse,” Fane adds.

She glares up at him but he doesn’t flinch.
 
She needs to face the truth, even if it hurts.
 
“He’ll be alone here.
 
You know he’ll be mad about that.”

Her protests are pathetically weak, and she knows it.
 
“Couldn’t Claudia stay behind with him?” Gabriel suggests, offering Sadie a sympathetic smile.

“No,” Fane shakes his head.
 
“She’s one of our best fighters.
 
We’re going to need every sword we can find.”

Roseline sighs, scrunching her nose as she thinks it over.
 
“I have to agree with Fane.
 
We need her.
 
Sorry, Sadie.”

Fane watches as Sadie curls her legs inward and presses her face to her knees.
 
He feels
 
some remorse for upsetting her, but it had to be done.
 
He turns and walks away from the group, feeling like more of an outsider than ever before.

***

R
oseline raps her knuckles on the doorframe of Gabriel’s room.
 
She steps back and waits, tugging nervously at the hem of her shirt.
 
When the door opens, Elias’s tall frame fills the entire doorway.
 
“Gabriel isn’t here right now,” he informs her in his deep voice.

“I know.
 
I actually came to speak with you, if that’s ok.”

“Of course.”
 
He steps back to allow her to enter.
 
As she passes by, she can’t help but brush up against his wings. The feathers are softer than they appear and warm to the touch.
 
She moves quickly toward the opposite wall to allow him to close the door behind her.

When he does, he turns and crosses his arms over his chest.
 
She finds it rather disconcerting that he’s never wears a shirt.
 
His muscles remind her of a bull, strong and well developed.
 

She clears her throat and forces her hands down by her side.
 
“I came to speak to you about Gabriel.”

“No,” he shakes his head as he lowers himself onto the bottom bunk.
 
Even while leaning forward, the tops of his shoulders are wedged by the top bunk.
 
“You came to speak about his fate.”

She nods and slowly sinks down onto the only chair in the room.
 
Elias stares at her with wide, seeing eyes.
 
“You fear for his safety tomorrow, but it is not for you to decide his fate.”

“But it’s ok for you to mess around with it?” She shoots back.
 
She instantly bites her lips, scolding herself for her sudden outburst of anger.
 
She knew this conversation would be an emotional one, but she needs to keep her anger in check.

“I understand why you would see it that way, but I am truly nothing more than a guide.
 
I do not know his fate any more than you do.
 
Gabriel must decide that on his own.”

“And Lucien?
 
How does he play into all of this?”

Elias shifts, lowering his elbows onto his knees.
 
“Lucien was a surprise to me.
 
I’ll admit that.
 
All of my sources led me to believe that Vladimir was the one we would be fighting, but you took care of that for us.”
 
His chuckle is low and rumbling, like thunder rolling across a humid summer sky.
 
“That was quite an impressive show, young one.”

“When we got word that Malachi had taken you, I knew something was wrong, so I got Gabriel to safety then went looking for myself.
 
I had my suspicions that it had something to do with family blood.
 
Only that can heal all wounds.
 
Unfortunately, I was right.
 
Gabriel unknowingly saved his own father that night in Sorin’s dungeon.”

“And you knew Lucien took me and you still let me stay there?”
 
The pitch of her voice rises as the panic of her imprisonment washes over her again.
 
The fear of her transformation mingles with the image of Enael’s death.

“I am very sorry about what happened to you, Roseline, but it was not my place to interfere.”

“Interfere?” She leaps to her feet, seething.
 
“Do you have any idea what he did to me?”

“Yes.” He nods solemnly.
 
“In fact, I know the details quite well.”

She hesitates, confused by his words.
 
“How?”

“Because Malachi was reporting to me on your progress.”

That was the last thing she expected him to say.
 
Goosebumps crawl along her skin.
 
“He…he was?”

“Think what you like about him, but his actions in the end proved that he was trying to pay back for all of the wrongs he committed.”

Roseline rubs her hands along her arms, feeling chilled.
 
“And did he?”

Elias slowly shakes his head.
 
“That was not the way to do it, but at least he tried.
 
He saved your life and because of that, he also saved Gabriel’s.
 
I am grateful to him for his sacrifice.”

“Sacrifice?”
 
The word feels wrong rolling around on her tongue.
 
“He didn’t die a noble death.”

“On the contrary, Roseline.
 
He died saving you, the only girl who ever showed him that there was an ounce of good in him.
 
Do you know of anything more noble?”

She sucks in a breath, fighting for a calm that she doesn’t feel.
 
Elias smiles sympathetically.
 
“Without his blood, you would be lost by now.
 
I know you didn’t mean to kill him, but the fact is, if you had not, this war would have been over long before it even began.”

Her legs begin to shake as she sinks back onto the chair.
 
Clasping her hands between her thighs, she rocks slightly, overcome with conflicting emotions.
 
“And Gabriel?
 
Will he have to pay for his sacrifice too?”

When she looks up at the hulking angel, she notices the hint of a tear in his eye before he turns away.
 
“I don’t know.
 
I pray not, but his fate is out of my hands.”