Chapter 53

“Start from the beginning,” I whisper, fighting my desire for him. Sexual distractions are not what I need right now.
“Once every year, you and your mother would come and stay here with us. My father was always in the realm of the angels. We were sworn never to speak of you in front of our father. Each year after every visit, you would forget about us and who we were. So, each visit you made we had to start all over again in gaining your trust and friendship. By the time we’d been through all that palaver, it would usually be time for you to leave again.
“One day when I was about six, I stole my father’s dagger, a gift to him from God himself. My father had bragged to us countless times about how powerful the dagger was. I found a spell in my mother’s collection and decided I would stop Hope from clearing me from your mind.
“I was selfish and did not think of the consequences. I did not know what I was doing, but at the time I was confident everything would work out.
“I slit our palms with the dagger and said the words of the spell. “Forever.” Our blood mingled, and a bright blue light came from our hands. Once we finished being violently shocked by an electric charge, things changed. From then onwards, every time we were near each other, I felt the electric current running through my veins. Each touch made the currents stronger. I could feel your presence even when you were miles away.” He looks down at me and sighs. “A year later you came back with no memory of me or any of us. The spell had not worked the way I wanted it to. Later I found out the feelings I had were associated with marriage and the bonding ceremony.
“I don’t know how I managed to bond us together because only a being who is immensely powerful is supposed to be able to do it. When I turned ten, you stopped coming altogether. At the time we didn’t understand why. We later learned that Hope had died in a car accident. Two years later we moved to Enchanted Falls.
“Mom sent us to watch over you two years ago. Misty was the only one allowed to see and speak to you. Your grandmother did not want you to become suspicious. For the first year, everything went smoothly. Not one single dark one ever showed up. It was just after your seventeenth birthday that we had to fight the first one off. As the months passed, more and more of them began to show up. Thankfully, we were able to stop them before they reached you, or before you even knew anything was wrong.
“On that day in the bookstore, they outsmarted us by using transporters and placing a blocking spell over the shop.” Chris goes quiet at this point and stares into space. I patiently wait for him to finish. When it becomes clear he’s not going to say anymore, I let my questions run free.
“Who’s my father?”
He sighs. “I don’t know, I really and truthfully have not got a clue.” The look in his eyes and the way he didn’t avoid eye contact tell me what I need to know.
“Cole thinks I’m an angel because I can do the blue ball thing.”
“That may be a result of the bonding. When you bind your soul with another, you receive part of them, which includes powers.” On saying that, he raises his hand, and a weak blue electric ball appears.
“My electric sphere’s known as Angels Light. It is not as strong and won’t kill a dark one, just hurt them.”
“Why?” I ask, not understanding why his would be so weak.
“Because I am stronger at healing and moving objects with my mind. Angels and Guardians have a variety of powers but are stronger in some areas than others. James is stronger with the ball of light, and I am stronger at healing. James also has the rare power of sight; sometimes he will see the future, but only rarely. Misty has the power of creating an electrical whip and is strongest at levitating. I also have the gift of making people move against their will. Which I don’t use because I can’t control it yet.”
I settle back down and close my eyes, sleep is calling. The time in the gym where he made me hit the punch bag comes to mind.
“Why does Lucifer want me to marry Cole?” I ask in between a yawn.
“I believe it is so Cole will gain some of your power, and you will then be under his control. However, that is just speculation,”
“Then why did he send the Order of Terror after me?”
“Because he knows he cannot have you, so he will stop at nothing to destroy you. You cannot trust Cole. We do not know what his motives are.”
“But…”
“Go to sleep, Kayla,” he demands, cutting me off from defending Cole.
***
The next morning as I enter the kitchen, all eyes turn and look at me. Feeling self-conscious, I shrink back and peek behind my long hair.
“Kayla, listen, we have a new problem,” James states. Chris glares in his direction while, Cole, Misty, and Justin look away, refusing to make eye contact.
“What is known as The Council, well they have put out an alert for your arrest. The Council is made up of angels who are just below the elders. They believe you are the girl from the prophecy and should be stopped before you bring it upon us. The elders will not intervene on your behalf. They are backing the council. You are what they call a half-breed, and by law, no half-breed should be allowed to live.”
“What does that mean?” my heartbeat picked up its tempo and my skin flushed with heat.
“It means we are in a hell of a lot of trouble! That is what it means, dear Kayla.” I hear the sarcasm in James' voice but choose to ignore it. Great, not only have I got Lucifer after me, but I also have a group of angels who want to see my head on a stick too.
James sighs. “We need to come up with a plan to stop the Order of Terror first. The order will not stop until their task has been conducted. I don’t know much about the order as they were last seen when Lucifer was exiled to his realm.”
“Cole, what do you know about them?” Justin asks, pushing himself away from the kitchen wall and moving closer to our little group. I give him a weak smile as he looks in my direction, but he turns away.
“Not much I’m afraid. I know what they can do, but not how to defeat them.”
“Cole and I will check Mom’s old books and see if we can find anything,” James says, heading for the door with Cole trailing behind him.
***
We spend the rest of the day looking over old books and making various kinds of potions in the hope they will work on the order. Night descends quickly, giving the cabin a creepy feeling. I feel strange and on edge. I know the Order of Terror will strike again soon. Sitting around waiting for them is driving me crazy.
The information we found about them has terrified me more than I can say. I feel like running and never stopping. That would be pointless though. If I run, they will find me and try to tear me down. They will play with my mind. I won’t know what’s real and what’s not. But I will fight, that’s all I can do. Fight and hope to win.
At times though, I feel like screaming from the rooftops, “If you want me, come and get me.” Just to get it over with.
I’ve always been the kind of girl who hid my face, afraid to look at the world and let them hear my voice. However, now I must believe in myself. It’s the only way. No more hiding, only I can set myself free.