Chapter Thirty-Four: Angel's Plan
Angel nodded to her as she got Quix to a spot. "Huh, that's interesting," he walked closer to the reaper. "He's not the normal type," he announced. He turned his attention to Atropos and scowled. "What are you doing here?"
"I've already gone through that with Tydeus, you two really need to stop with all the instant Fate hating. I'm on your side you know."
Angel snorted. "I doubt that. You guys are the one that forced her into this in the first place."
"Correction, the Gods forced her soul to carry this burden. We just carry it out."
"Same thing to me," Angel glared at her. "I'll never forgive you three. You've put her through so much. That stupid spell to purify her soul in the first place and fill her with power? It's barbaric. Do you know how much she's suffered?"
"That was just one life where she suffered. Her others haven't."
Angel's fist clenched. "That's not true, and you know it. You haven't been the one at her side. You haven't been there as she takes this task on time and time again. Willow had to be turned to a vampire because she was poisoned, Hazel lost her best friend and her mate, and Acacia spent her life charging herself up like a battery. Don't tell me they didn't suffer."
"Those few lives did but-"
"No," Angel interrupted her. "Just don't even try to talk to me. I know what I've watched those women go through." He pointed at Holly. "What you plan to put her through as well."
Quix turned his head from one to the other. "Who is this guy?"
"Angel," Holly replied. "He's going to be my magic mentor if he's to be believed."
"I am," Angel snapped. "And I'm glad that you're not stuck with all fodder for once. This guy," he pointed at Quix. "He's actually at Axel's level, maybe even higher? This is unheard of."
"Hello?" Quix answered as he frowned.
Angel paused. "Yeah, sorry, I'm just upset." He sighed hard. "That woman is dangerous. Please, Holly, stay away from her."
"If you didn't have that barrier going on I'd stay away from you," Holly pointed out. "You say she's dangerous but she just helped me save Quix."
"Save him?" Angel frowned. "He's not trash nor fodder, why did he need saved? What did you get involved in this time?"
"War took over his body," Holly explained. "Apparently that's an ability of his. We're hoping this barrier of yours keeps him out."
"War?" Angel paced back and forth in the room. "My barrier can keep Dagon out, but I don't know how it'll hold up against more than one of these guys. If I had three Dagon's trying to break it at once? I'd need Tydeus for backup, and we're not really talking at the moment."
"Why?" Quix asked as he took a seat near Ruby. He smiled at the other reaper. "Tydeus didn't seem like too bad of a guy. He saved me in any case."
"He's my best friend," Angel agreed. "But that's part of the problem. We both have the same feelings for Holly and the soul she harbors. As I've taken care of her, I've fallen for her. I couldn't bring myself to leave Acacia's side. She suffered so much, I couldn't just leave her to endure it."
Holly found herself softening just the tiniest bit. But still, this guy just knew how to get on her nerves. "You don't have feelings for me," she interrupted.
"Yes, yes, your soul," Angel replied. "I know how this goes. I've been through it enough times."
"Is there no way to stop it?" Holly demanded. "I refuse to just be born over and over again to fight the Sins and I'll never, ever, fight Eros."
"I don't know a way out of it, yet," Angel admitted as he kicked the wall hard. Then winced and held his foot. "That was dumb."
"That was dumb," Holly agreed with a faint smile. "But if you've been with my soul all those times, and nothing ever changes, how are you so sure that when all seven are gone that it will? I've already tole you, Eros is off-limits so that particular life would be wasted."
"I have to figure it out. I won't let you down, I promised the others that I would help free your soul from all this."
There were those words again, free her soul. There had to be a way to do that. She had paid attention to Ruby's story of course. She would be careful, but it was looking more and more like the only way she was going to escape this hell was to seek help. She did her best to not think about it. She didn't want to get his attention, at least not until she was prepared for it.
The last thing Holly needed was his voice in her head when she was dealing with the people in this room. "How's the barrier looking, Angel?"
"As long as they keep their distance, I think I'll be able to maintain it. But with more than one guy out there trying to control them? I won't be able to do the whole floor as I wanted. I'm going to have to stay right in the middle of them and keep this room safe."
"You can't leave the room?"
Angel shrugged. "I probably could, but I'd rather stay here as much as I can. These guys are your protectors. You have to have them in your life, so I'm going to guard them as best as I can." He frowned. "This will make your magic lessons a lot harder though." He groaned. "I might actually have to ask for help." His lip curled as he spoke. "Can you do me a favor, Holly?" he asked.
Holly eyed him like she would a snake. She did appreciate he was taking care of her reapers, but she couldn't bring herself to trust someone like this. "What's that?"
"I need Tydeus's help. I need to stay here and make sure this barrier is going to stay. I want you to find him, and I want you to ask Dagon to try to attack this thing."
"Attack it?" Holly frowned. "Isn't the point to keep it up?"
"I need to know how much power he can produce when he's right next to it. It'll determine if I need to stay here or if I can leave the room. Please, I wouldn't ask you to do any of this if it wasn't important."
"You'll take care of them?" Holly demanded. But she wasn't demanding it of Angel, she was demanding it from Atropos.
"You got it," she agreed. "Angel baby will be able to focus on his barrier, and I'll make sure all their other needs are taken care of. I bet these two are starving. And poor Quix is all banged up. I'll take care of him in a jiffy."
The smile that came to Holly's lips surprised her. Why was help from the pink-haired Fate cheering her up? Not even twelve hours ago she was barely a blip on Holly's radar. Holly chuckled to herself. She shook herself out of the odd move and nodded to the group again before she shut the door and ran off to find the others.
Holly didn't know where Dagon was, but Famine would be easy to find. He was sitting in the same office she'd left him before. He looked up at her rapid knock. "Yes?"
"Angel needs help testing a barrier of his. Can you provide some assistance?"
Famine raised a brow. "Why me? You could have asked my darling brother."
"I knew where you were, I wasn't so sure where he was," Holly replied with a shrug. "You shouldn't look too deep into it."
Famine chuckled. "Very well. I'm gone for now in any case. Lead the way."
"No," Holly answered. "I still need to find Tydeus and get him to help out too. Angel is worried the barrier won't hold if Death and War join forces."
"Let's not forget that Father could interfere as well," Famine cautioned. "I wouldn't be surprised if he makes his move soon."
"Why's that?" Holly asked. Her throat constricted. She wanted to believe in what he'd told her, but that was getting harder to do.
"He's always ready to give deals to those who need them most in their time of need." Famine paused. "Be sure to let me know if he does contact you. We'll have to put you in that barrier as well to keep him away." His steel eyes pinned her down.
Did he know? Was it that easy to read her? Holly did her best to just mumble an agreement. "I have to go find Tydeus, can you find your way from here? It's just down the hall, in conference room 403."
"Got it," Famine replied. "Good luck with your search. I believe my brother was having a conversation with him."
Holly groaned inside. Great, that meant she'd likely have to referee yet another fight. Just how she wanted her day to go.