Chapter Thirty-Three: Seeking Angel

Angel looked up as the group walked in. He gave Holly a searching look before he dragged his attention to the one suffering. "What's going on?" he demanded.

Eros took it upon himself to answer. A fact which Holly was grateful for. She really didn't want to talk to this cabbit any longer than she had to. She was not a fan of him.

"The reapers need you to cast a barrier spell. You still can manage that right? Something like the one you used to keep me and the other sins away from Acacia?"

Angel nodded slow. "I could, but why do you need my help? Isn't this one of the things that was chasing Holly in this life? At least that's what I heard from Dagon," he paused. "Tydeus isn't talking to me yet."

Eros's lips twitched. "That's too bad. I'm sorry to hear that."

Angel gave him a look and the other man stopped teasing.

"These two are Holly's friends, and the one that's not here is already one of her protectors. He's asleep right now but we'll need him in the barrier as well. I don't know how big you can make the things, but both need to be covered."

"Why?" Angel demanded. "That still doesn't explain why you need my help."

"Death is trying to tear her mind apart by revealing her death. He's trying to blackmail her into giving up Holly."

Angel's golden eyes narrowed into slits. "Giving up Holly?" he demanded.

Eros smoothly stepped between. "Easy there, I said he's trying. Ruby has been fighting it. All we need is for you to put up a barrier so the reapers are protected and Death can't use their past against them. That's it."

Holly shook her head. "I should have known asking this guy was pointless. All he cares about is himself. The only reason he'd even help is if it helped him in some way. He doesn't care that they're my friends."

Angel winced. "Hey, that's not true."

Holly ignored him. "One of the other guys has to be able to do the same thing. I refuse to believe that the only one we can depend on is this asshole."

"Wait a minute," Angel interrupted. "I never said I wasn't going to help."

Holly glared at him. "You never said you were going to either. Which is it? Are you going to help me or not?"

"Obviously I'm going to help you. It's why I"m here!" He grunted and waved a hand as it glowed golden. "I'll go set up a barrier around the perimeter. This building is fairly large so I'm going to have to reduce the range of this to just this floor. Will that be enough for you guys? I need magic to use in order to study with Holly."

"Study with me?" Holly frowned. "I was told I can't use my magic, it's too dangerous."

Angel smirked. "That's because I wasn't here. I'm a magic mentor. I've helped all of the ones before you learn and master their magic, and you will be no different. I'm confident I can help you learn and master it as well."

Holly sighed. "Are you always this confident?"

Angel chuckled. "No, but spending so much time with someone important to me changed me a bit. Anyway, I'll start with this room and expand the barrier from there. Can you get the other guy to come here too?"

Having to grab Quix? Yeah, she looked forward to that. "Right away," she answered.

Eros loped after her. "Hey, wait up."

Holly shook her head. "Eros, I need you to stay here and keep an eye on him. Don't let him do anything that will hurt Ruby, okay? I'm counting on you."

Eros sighed. "As you wish," he replied with a pout.

Holly didn't waste any more time. She left him behind and headed back to where she'd left her reaper.

He didn't answer her knock so she opened the door. The man was still fast asleep in bed with an arm flung over his eyes. He grunted as the light from outside hit him.

"Quix?" Holly called softly as she tiptoed into the room. She didn't want to wake him up, but she knew she had to.

Quix groaned in response but didn't respond other than that.

"Quix?" she called again as she reached out and grabbed his hand. He clung to her but still didn't wake. A smile flickered on his lips and a happy sigh escaped him.

"Seriously," Holly grumbled and wrenched her hand free. She leaned over him and shook him as gentle as she could be. His injuries were still very visible. As she leaned over his eyes snapped open and he grabbed her arms making her fall on his chest.

"Hey," he greeted with a strained smile.

"You did that yourself," Holly pointed out. "And hey yourself. I need you to come with me."

Quix frowned. "Why? What's wrong?" He was on his elbows in a heartbeat. "Did Famine come back?"

"He did," she nodded. "And this guy called Angel is here. He's putting a barrier on you and Ruby so you guys can't be taken away from me."

"Taken away?" Quix frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

"It's Death," Holly all but whispered. He's trying to make you guys remember your past. He tried to use Ruby to capture me."

"Why am I not surprised?" Quix winced as he sat up. "Okay, take me to this guy. I can't let anyone use Ruby."

"All you two have to do is stay in that room while he has the barrier up. Death won't be able to use you against me like that."

Quix's eyes turned pure white and an uncharacteristic smirk came to his lips. "You think Death can't reach you? Foolish. We haven't met yet, my name is War and my power is to make others my puppets. Especially easy with my own brother's minions."

Holly glared at him. "Let Quix go."

"No," he answered with a shrug. "This body means nothing to me, but it means something to you. I want you to slip out of the net your protectors have woven around you. I won't let Death hurt you, you're a bit too important for that. Give yourself up, and I'll let these peons go."

"You know, I don't like it when people mess with my friends," announced another voice.

Holly glanced over her shoulder and saw Atropos sashaying down the hall. Her dark skin was flushed as her eyes narrowed on Quix. "Did you guys think you could just come in and try to blackmail her to give herself up? I'm not going to allow that."

"How are you going to stop me?" he demanded. "Aren't you just another reaper?"

Her eyes sparkled and she smirked as the glitter on her skin sparkled and glowed. "Oh, no, honey. I'm no reaper. I'm a Fate. And Holly is my friend. I don't like it when people pick on my friends."

He shrugged. "Then if she refuses I'll kill her loved ones off one by one, it makes no difference to me. This is a war, and I'm always the winner in those."

Quix held out his hand to the side and his scythe appeared in a swirl of black.

Atropos's eyes glowed a deep pink and Quix's white orbs faded away. He held a hand to his head and his scythe vanished. "What's going on?" Quix demanded as he looked around.

"How'd you do that?" Holly demanded as she looked back at the woman.

"His Fate wasn't tied to Quix, so I just unhooked him from him. If it had been Death in control, I wouldn't have been able to do that. You need to get this guy to Angel baby as fast as possible." She collapsed on the bed with a huff. "That took more out of me than I remembered."

"Are you okay?" Holly inspected the Fate her color was paler, her sparkles were less dazzling too. She almost made her think the woman was muted.

"This? I'm fine, it's just hard to use the power of a Fate in a body like this. If I burn through it, I'll just have to find another body." She tugged at one of her wild pink curls. "I like this one though, a lot."

"Will War try it again?" Holly demanded as she put an arm around Quix and let him lean against her for support. Even his braid was drooping at this point.

"He's dumb, so yeah I think he will. Here, give me a minute to get my breath and I'll help you get him to safety. The last thing we need is War getting his claws in him again."

"Will the barrier stop that too?" Holly demanded.

"I hope so," Atropos answered as she got to her feet and slipped her arm around the other side of Quix.

Together the two women led him to the safe room one step at a time.

But Holly couldn't shake the feeling that the powers she'd witnessed from the hell brothers meant much worse was in store for her.