My mind wiped the danger away as I thought of one thing—love. Gamma ’s love radiate d in my heart, filling my soul with sere nity . I could see myself glow ing . It was so bright that it blinded me , and finally I was able to shut my eyes at my will. Next thing I knew, so meone enclosed me and I was out of the chair .
“Claudia, wake up.”
Groggy and weak, my eyes slowly opened to find myself in Austin ’s arm s . “Austin , y ou ’re late, ” I mumbled, safe in his arms, and I gripped him tightly with all of me. “The dark shadows we re here . I think I made them go away.”
“I ’m sorry. I know. You lit up like a candle .”
“Uhhh….”
“But an attractive one, ” he winked. “Never saw a more beautiful candle than you.”
I blushed, but I was sure my face was already flushed from my light. “It makes me feels so weak.”
“It drains your energy. Don ’t do it when there is no one around to help, but I understand why you felt the need. I should have been here sooner.” He embraced me like he hadn ’t seen me in months and let out a heavy sigh. “When we were in Paradisus, they didn ’t go near you. I found out from Katherine that they are actually afraid of you. They can only appear through your dreams , when you are more in a human state of mind. You are sleeping a lot less , so that is a good sign. Maybe you should be sleeping with me?” He grin ned slyly.
“Hmmm…I ’ll take my chances.”
“Why? Are you afraid you ’ll try to take advantage of me like you did at the night club?”
“What? No, ” I blushed again and changed t he subject. “Where were you?”
There was a moment of silence and I didn’t know if he was going to answer my question. “Trying to spen d the day not think ing of you, ” he replied finally with a subdued look .
He didn’t give me a chance to reply, but there was nothing I could say anyway , because in a way , I was doing the same thing .
“Let ’s go home. My car is just outside.”
“We ’re taking the car?”
“The night is still young , my sheltered one. Let ’s take a drive.”
St ill in his hold, h e carried me out the door. A b lack blanket of darkness cover ed the land, and not even the golden crescent moon could be seen . The air was still and not a sound echoed through the neighborhood. I looked behind me , feeling disturbed that the shadows were in Gamma ’s house , and Austin ’s words echoed through my head ; They are afraid of you and can enter through your dreams when you are in a human state of mind .
We drove in silence for a while. Austin hadn ’t breathed a word. Occasionally I would turn to say somethi ng, but decided to keep my mouth closed when I saw the discontented expression on his face. As I tapped my feet, trying to think of something to say, he continue d to look straight ahead. After a while t he silence was driving me nuts so I gave in.
“So, what did you do today?” I asked .
“Nothing.”
I was taken a back by his sharp tone. “What ’s up with you?” I asked with the same rude tone.
“Why were you at Gamma ’s house?”
“Did I do something wrong? Why are you asking me that question? I ’m a big girl.”
“Apparent you ’re not.”
“What?! What do you mean by that?”
“You need to be more responsible and not go anywhere by yourself. You could ’ve gotten killed back there. Angels and demons are looking for you. What if I didn ’t come?”
“Then I would glow like a candle for a while longer, burn out and then go home.”
“This isn ’t funny.” The car picked up speed. He was furious and drove like he was.
“I ’m not trying to be funny. And I ’ll go again , with or without your permission next time .” I crossed my arms, then jer ked back when he swer ved the car to the other la ne. “Since you ’re questioning me, why won ’t you tell me what you were doing today?” I asked again.
He flashed his eyes at the rear view mirror, swerved ba ck to the other la ne , and picked up spee d. Curious to see how fast he was driving, I looked at the speed ometer . I was surprised to see we were going eighty miles per hour . “Why are you driving so fast?”
Too pre occupied with something, he answered the question I had asked before. “I was with Delilah .”
“Oh.” Something strange hit me at the pit of my stomach, like I had eaten something bad. But I already knew he was with her , so why did it feel worse when the words came from him?
Austin continued after a pause. I wondered if he was trying to see how I would react —h e was sneaky t hat way. “Katherine found some venators . We were helping them get settled.” He pushed the gas peddle harder, zooming faster than before.
“Are you trying to kill us?” I yelled, hanging onto the dashboard.
His eyes darted at the rear mirror again and swerved in and ou t of several lines. The drivers adjacent to us honked their horn s in anger .
“I ’m serious. Slow down, ” I scolded. “Actually , I need you to turn around. I forgot my purse at Gamma ’s house. Speaking of which, why do you have my credit cards?”
Austin ignored me, and that irritated the heck out of me. He was too busy focusing on driving faster, but I was going to get his attention one way or another. “Austin!”
“We ’re being followed. Hang on.”
Sure enough, when I pee red at the side mirror, several huge black truck s were right on our tail. The faster he drove, the faster they followed. It was a good thing it was late at night and there were less civilian cars . The heav il y tinted front windows made it difficult to see who the driver s w ere . One thin g was for sure …there were now three vehicles after us. They position ed themselves o ne on each side of us and tried to jam us in the middle, but Austin braked hard and they collided. Even after the collision, they still continued.
“Red light, ” I yelled, but Austin punched it. So did the car behind us. We missed hitting a civilian ’s car, but the car chasing us was hit . It tumbl ed several times and crashed through a building structure.
“Another red light, ” I yelled again, closing my eyes.
“Don ’t worry. I ’m a good driver.” He jerked to the left and a black van tha t wasn ’t there before slammed in to Austin ’s side.
“Dam n, m y car. Nobody touches my car, ” he groaned with exasperation .
Austin skidded sharply to the right . The car made a screeching sound as we got on the freeway . He drove lik e a pro —then again I expect ed nothing less from him —but whoever was after us was just as skilled. They had to be some kind of demon s ; or could they be angels that Austin had told me about? As we sped along the highway, there were a lot more civilian motor ists up a head.
“Austin, ” I called, worried for those people.
“I kn o w, I know.” He suddenly turned right and we took a dive off the freeway , plunging down the equivalent of several stories . Even with the seatbelt on, I bumped m y head on the rooftop from the harsh impact. Austin looked at me and pl aced his hand on my head , h is silent way of apologizing and maki n g sure I was okay. The pursuers didn ’t stop , so Austin dro ve like crazy again. We drove over miles on train tracks, in and out of parked trains.
“Do you know where we ’re going?” I asked , panicking , holding on for dear life.
“Nope .” Austin didn ’t sound worried or frazzled like I would be if I were the driver. Instead, besides being aggravated from being followed, he seemed to be enjoying this ride. I wondered if it was testosterone that got him all excited, driving like he was having the time of his life. After all, when d id one get a chance to drive th at fast?
Suddenly, we heard a loud thump on top of the car. “We have company. Hold on tight.” He swerved the car sharply to the left, to the right, every way possible to shake th e thing off, but whatever it was clung to the car .
The thing started pounding, harder by the second, making a big dent. Frantically, I looked at Austin. Then it s hand penet
rated the roof and grab bed me by my shirt. “Ahhh!” I screamed from the top of my lung s .
Austin gripped its arm tightly with his right hand and the thing let go , obviously in pain.
“Get off my car, ” Austin said through his gritted teeth . With the push of a button, t he roof opened like the lid on a sardine can. A g us t of strong wind w hipped my hair and made me gasp in short breath s . The being was pulled to the top of the win dshield of the car behind us , along with the roof of Austin ’s car, crushing it . It emitted a loud, high pitched squeal of pain.
A second later, the car skid ded from the impact as the being f ell beneath the front tires, only to get rolled over. The two cars , on e on each side , co ntinued to follow us just as fast, hitting us from both sides. Hearing the screeching sound from metal contacting metal , Austin groaned. From the speed and the unpaved bumpy road, it felt like a roller coaster ride, but nothing prepared me for what was ahead.
“Tur n back. We ’ll fall of the cliff, ” I said. Surprisingly, I was calm. Were the demons stupid? Could they not see the cliff ahead?
“Cool . That ’s perfect. Hold on!”
“Austin….nooo!” I screamed . The car veered off the cliff with the front bumper pointing down, free falling as my stomach went the opposite direction. The only thing holding me locked inside was my seat beat, but not for long . Everything happened so fast. With the sound of a click, I was now in Austin ’s hold and in the air . I could see car s falling below me. Just as the tunnel of smoke and fire engulfed us , we spiraled up and away. I could see the massive black smoke and blistering fire from the collision and explosion.
“Your car, ” I said, sounding sympathetic, knowing how much he love d his car.
“It ’s just a car. I ’ll get a new one. Material things can be re placed, but you, my sheltered one , are irreplaceable.” He brushed my cheek with sweetness in his eyes . “Let ’s go home.”
Chapter 12
It was too quiet when Michael arrived at the s upernatural school. He looked everywhere and opened each classroom door to check for hostages or any living or non -living beings, but there were none. Continuing his search , he went around to the back. Find ing no one , he knew they were in trouble.
He followed Caspian’s steps by using his angelic super hearing . Though it was faint, he found himself going toward the hills . Michael suddenly felt icy chills prick l ing along his spine , the kind of chil l s that warn you danger is near. A part of him was worried, but another part of him wondered why he should care. Whatever await ed him, he hope d it wasn ’t as eerie and gloomy as the weather.
Dark , thick ominous clouds covered the sun, making the day al most appear as if it was night. The thund er roared in madness and the black clouds turned and rolled , getting bigger and more sinister looking , as if they were about to burst into something evil. The air smelled so strongly of vampire blood that you could almost taste it . Unaware of where he was going or what he would find, he jump ed on top of a tree to get a better view . Many trees surrounded the area, making it easier for Michael to leap from tree to tree. When he was close enough, he situated himself to get a closer look , careful not to be spotted.
He could see vamp ires in fast motion and realized he was right in the middle of a battle. The Pierce family and their friends were fighting for their lives. Michael recalled Caspian telling him about a group of vampires called Cerberus. They were the original vampires , made from Cain ’s doing. Cyrus was one of Cain ’s grandchildren , but he became reckles s in creating new blood seekers, going against Cain ’s order.
It was horrendous to see the way vampires fought, biting and ripping at each other ’s limbs . Their fangs sprout ed out, raging like wild beasts. Blood was everywhere , and what was more disgusting w as the blood surrounding their mouths , defining the word cannibalism. Their speed w as incredible, just like the angels, but the way they fought was more gruesome , and Michael cringe d . Why couldn ’t they at least fight with swords , he thought. Michael had been in a war before where he ’d fought against angels like himself, but seeing a battle from the outside was a whole different story.
The Pierces’enemies seemed to have the upper hand , and t he family’s moral e seemed low. Three he recognized were inj ured, protected by their friends. He could have left the scene and pretend ed he was never th ere ; t hey would never know. Why shou ld he care about them ? But when he spotted Sophia, his heart became so ft. The Pierce family reminded him of his Crossroads family : Davin, Caleb, Viv i an, and Alexa Rose. How he miss ed them. At that moment there was no longer a doubt in his mind ; he had to help .
Like an eagle soaring down on his prey, Michael spread his wings and landed in the open , g etting the Cerberus ’ attention, and they race d toward him. Stunned to see such grand wings, let alone an angel, the vampires were baffled at first, but their animal instincts kick ed in. With fangs as sharp as kni ves ready to tear Michael apart, they dash ed toward him with great speed, but they were unaware of and unprepared for Michael ’s dea d ly weapon.
Michael’s already spread wings be gan to spin like airplane propellers. As the Cerberus charge d forth , Michael ’s win gs effortless ly sliced through them , like hu ndreds of swords , destroying ten Cerberus at a time . Even then, more continue d to charge. As he elim in ated them with h is sword, the remaining ones fearfully back ed away , hissing and sn ee ring .
The Pierce family was just as shock ed as the Cerberus , but grateful to see Michael . Knowing this was their fight and not his, Michael g ave a knowing nod to Caspian, letting him know he was t here for them and t hat they could count on him. Seeing that he had helped them gain the upper hand, he spr a ng back to the same tree and disappeared.
Before heading home, he followed a trail where h e had spotted a group of onlookers observing the fight. They were not vampires , nor did they move like humans.
Their steps brought Michael back to the supernatural school. Carefully moving from one side of the wall to the next, he spotted them in the back . As he stood there observing , he weighed the odds of taking them on his own. Judging the distance, scanning how many there were, he saw how close they stood to the stream. If he wasn ’t cautious, he could lose them in the woods that nestled on the other side of the stream.
Michael quietly le apt on the roof and sprang behind them. “May I ask what you are doing here?”
In shock to see a stranger, they scrambled to escape while the ones near est Michael attacked. Th ree came at once. Michael punched one in the stomach , and he fell i n the water. The second was thrown over Michael ’s shoulder , only to slam against a tree so hard he was knocked unconscious. Michael blocked the blow from the one that was left and pulled him up by his shirt.
“Who are you spying for?” Michael said in a rage.
No answer was given from the stranger ’s mouth. A nnoyed, Michael moved him around and held him tightly with his arms wrapped around his neck. “I ’ll break your neck if you don ’t tell me.”
“I...I …don ’t work for anyone. I ’m an Earth angel. I was searching for another angel. We ’re trying to help him.”
Michael squeezed tighter. “Don ’t lie to me.”
Coughing, the stranger struggle d , begging for mercy. “Please. I ’m telling you the truth.”
“What is your name?”
“Victor.”
“Victor, tell me …w ho is lo oking for this particular angel?”
“The y go by the name of Angelus Pugnators .”
“What do they want with him?”
“I don ’t know, ” Victor managed to say wh ile Michael continued to grip him tightly around his neck.
“You ’re lying.”
“The master wants his soul.” Victor ’s words were hard to hear. His voice came out low , still gasping, a lmost inaudible.
“I ’m goin g to tell you this one time. The angel you ’re searching for is in good hands, protected by the blood seekers. Judging by what you are capable of, you won ’t even hav
e a chance with them. They may even turn you into one of them. If I ever catch you here again, I won ’t give you another chance. Don ’t ever come back. Do you understand?”
Unable to speak, Victor nod ded his head.
“Go back and tell the others what I said.”
With the confirmation, Michael let him go. Too busy looking over his shoulder while escaping , Victor trip ped over a small boulder and land ed in the stream. The coldness stung every nerve in his body. Drenched, he picked himself up and look ed back for Michael, but he was no longer there.
Chapter 13
Austin and I headed to Nubilus City. When we entered the training room, the level of anxiety was not as high as before. Having a girls ’ day out with my friends had helped settle the issue of whether I had any friends besides Austi n. Holly approached me with a smile that was different from before , t he kind of smile you give to a friend you care about. Feeling that she did utter ly warmed my heart. It wiped away the insecurity of wondering if her kindness was a sympathy act.
I was just about to give her a hug when someone grabbed me tightly , like he or she hadn ’t seen me in years. I sucked in air from the firmness as I wondered who it could be , and knew when I heard his lively voice. “What ’s up, Claudia?” Davin cheered as he swung me around. His actions were totally unexpected , being that he was usually aloof. But whatever the reason, he made my day. There was something about Davin ’s personality that stood out from the rest. He was definitely friendlier , with a great sense of humor …s omeone I would enjoyed just hanging out with all day if I could.
When he set me down, he looked shocked and suddenly backed away like he had made a mistake. Davin was hilarious and I love d being around him, but this was very odd.
Holly smacked Davin’s arm, “What ’s wrong with you? She ’s not your teddy bear.”