“Not biological. He found me when I was just a little girl. He raised me like his own, but kept me a secret. Anna took care of me. She was like the mother I never had. He made me believe Katherine had killed my parents. Recently, he told me it was too dangerous to live with Anna , and that Katherine had erased her memory of me. He wanted me to get close to the venators so he could help me get revenge for my parents ’ death s . The only way I could do this was to bring the forbidden apple from Island of Eden. I didn ’t question him; revenge was the only thing on my mind. My heart was so cold because he fed evi l into it. I knew nothing else.
“In the process, I got t o know many of the venators . They truly care for me in ways I ’ve never felt before. Katherine is a lovely woman who thinks of all the venators as her own. She is amazing. If it wasn ’t for them, I would have let Master kill you today , so you need to thank them.
“You need to rethink what you are doing. Step away from being one of these so call angel fighters. Let me tell you one thing, you are no match for them. Walk away right now , and become the Earth angel you were meant to be. Do your job and help the humans.”
“You know it isn ’t easy sometimes. Some of them are just so ignorant and whining. They moan and bitch about how things don ’t go right for them.”
“I know what you mean. I ’m sure there are tons of cases like that . I ’m sure there always will be, but we need to protect them. That is our duty. That is our purpose, the reason we exist.”
“Wow! You ’ve surely have changed.”
“I ’m glad he sent me to be with the venators. I don ’t know anything about my past life anymore. Maybe he killed my parents and erased Ann a ’s memory when the time was right for him.”
“What will you do?” he asked.
“I ’m going back to my family. I ’m not sure if I need to be concerned with the forbidden apple. I mean…I was never told not to take it off the island. An apple is an apple. What harm could it do…right? But then again, why did he need it so desperately , and why did he want you to track Ben jamin ? I guess I need to go back and explain. But I ’m afraid they ’ll think I ’m a traitor.”
“Well…good luck. I ’m sure we ’ll run into each other someday. Thanks for saving my life , and I ’ll go back to wh at I was meant to do.” He smiled . “Oh by the way, you ’re right. We were no match for Michael.”
“I told you so. I ’ve never met him, but we ’ve all heard of him. Perhaps some of us even dreamt of him, ” she laughed out loud.
Chapter 23
Davin strode down the hall in Nubilus City , humming a tune, ecstatic that Caleb and Vivian were by his side. He couldn ’t wait to introduce them to the rest of the venators. When he opened t he door to the training room , i t was empty. He looked over his shoulders at Caleb and Vivian as he twisted his lips in confusion.
“Looks like they knew you were coming, ” Vivian laughed.
“Either that…or they knew you were coming, ” Davin smirked.
“I ’m sure it was you. Have you met yourself?”
“Haha…very funny.” Davin paced toward the back, looking out into the garde n. It was too quiet. Worri e d, he search ed for the watchers. The watchers, in statue form, were grounded. Davin glared at them. What good was it if they couldn ’t talk? He guessed it wasn ’t their fault , since they only attend ed to Katherine and nobody else.
With an idea, Davin took them into Katherine’s office. He felt a little mischievous sneaking in without her permission, but he felt like he had no choice.
“Ummm…Davin, should we be in here?” Caleb asked worriedly.
“Heck, ye a h. Who knows, they may be in danger.” As terrible thoughts ran through his mind, he could do nothing but think of Avalon and wonder if she was safe. Then he wondered why thoughts of her consumed hi m . Perhaps she put some kind of spell on him to make him think of her. Perhaps she was the one who led them to harm. As Davin continue d to search for evidence, nothing was out of the ordinary and he couldn ’t find any information that may clue him in on where they could be.
“I hear them, ” Vivian said suddenly.
They rushed out the door and sure enough, the venators were coming , in groups. When they saw Katherine, she greeted them with a warm , welcoming smile. “Good to have you here , Caleb and Vivian. Davin can do nothing but talk about you two. I ’m pleased Phillip has ag reed to your staying with us until we can figure who is behind this massacre.”
“We are at your service, ” Caleb said, lowering his head in a sign of respect.
“We are happy to help, ” Vivian said, copying Caleb ’s actions.
“Wonderful. Davin can show you to your rooms. Get acquainted with the others …you already know Holly, Michelle, Gracie and Austin.”
Right on cue, the Alpha team joined them . “You ’ve already met everyone in the Alpha group except for Delilah , Connor , and Avalon.”
They all gave warm welcomes . When Davin spotted Avalon ’s smile, his heart became relaxed into a world of tranquility. His eyes zoned in on her radiant blue eyes that reminded him of the color of the ocean. Her lips were pink and full and her hair bounced with each word she spoke. She was like a painting he could stare at all day.
He finally snapped out of the trance when Caleb nudged him. Everyone had left, leaving Davin fixed on Avalon, watching her leave.
“Davin, ” Caleb called. “What ’s wrong with him?” he asked Vivian.
“Oh my…his eyes glisten the way Michael ’s do when Claudia is around. Well…maybe not as much. We ’re in big trouble. I should say, he ’s in big trouble.”
“What?” Davin snap ped . “My eyes do not. I mean…I do not.”
“Oh, yes they do !” Vivian laugh ed . “You have such a crush.”
Davin look ed befuddled, blushed like he ’d never blushe d before, and let out a nervous laugh. “Funny, Vivian. That is really funny.”
“I ’m not kidding , and I ’m not trying to be funny. You have it bad.”
“No…you don ’t understand. I believe she has special powers .” Davin lean ed in to whisper , and walk ed away wondering if it really was a crush. He rested his right hand over his heart to feel it thump at a steady pace, but when he gazed at Avalon walking in front of him, it thumped even faster. Could it be? Caleb and Vivian caught up to him, walking beside him with their arms around his shoulder.
“You can look, but please don ’t do what Michael did. We ’ll be in a bigger mess, ” Vivian teased.
“Don ’t worry. And if a crush , or whatever you call it , is what I ’m really feeling , it doesn ’t mean it is returned.”
“Davin is in love…Davin is in love …, ” Caleb sang.
“Shhh, ” Davin blushed. “She ’ll hear you.”
“Hey…where ’s Claudia ?” Vivian asked , her thoughts suddenly on Claudia when she re alized everyone had passed and there was no sig n of her.
“It ’s kind of a long story. Let me have Austin explain it to you, ” Davin rep l ied, hoping Michael was with her.
Vivi an had grown to care for Claudia. She didn’t want to be face to face with her. She would be force d to look her friend right in the eye s and pretend to meet for the very first time. After the incident, it was as if she had lost a sister. Michael, Davin, Caleb and Vivian had agreed that instead of erasing her memory as Michael had been instructed, he would suppress her memories instead. It was the only way that she could re g ain her full memories . Vivian and Caleb had purposely left Michael ’s T-shirt and the backpack behind hoping she would find them , but they never told Michael .
As they entered the training room, Davin avoided standing near Avalon, but when she gave him a heartwarming smile and her eyes lit up too, he knew. Standing there , he couldn ’t believe that he could ever fall for anyone. He knew this would cause problems, but at the same time he couldn ’t help himself.
“Oh , boy. Looks like our lover girl feels the same ,” Vivian commented to Caleb.
“Great! What ’s go
ing on? Michael and Claudia are not together and these two remind us of them, ” Caleb said.
“Here we go again.”
Davin didn’t hear a word ; his eyes were set on Avalon, millio ns of miles away in his own world . In his world, only two of them existed , and his mind wandered with forbidden thoughts for the very first time.
Caleb and Vivian guided Davin further in as if he was a child , and led him toward the front. Finally , when Davin brought himself back to reality, he noted he was standing in a horizontal line with the A lpha team .
Katherine looked at the venators with a proud gleam. The number of them had triple d in such a short time. “I ’ve called t his meeting because we are in a dire state. As you know, the dark shadows have escaped . At first we were not sure what their intentions were. Now they have taken over human souls and the numbers have increased.
“They are difficult to detect because they are much like humans unless they use thei r powers. They are also much like you, pos sess ing strength and speed. Though they do not hold a weapon like a sword or a bow , their power comes from within their malicious wicked hearts. Like the silver flames that project out from your bows, red flames project out of their hands. This knowledge is based on firsthand experience by Austin, Davin and Claudia. We still do not know who released them , and we won ’t know until this evil being shows itself.”
Delilah raise d her hand.
“Yes, Delilah . You have a question?”
“Where is Claudia?”
Austin step ped forward, his eyes lock ed on Katherine, letting her know he had this handled. “Claudia is on a special mission. That is all you need to know.” Austin flashed a quick short smile and f ell back in line.
“What mission?” Delilah whisper ed .
“It ’s none of your bus iness, ” he whispered back with a rude tone.
Delilah narrowed her eyes on him. “Well…excuse me. Protective , aren ’t we ?”
Austin ignored her, unable to stop thinking of Claudia, wondering where she was and what she was doing. He thought of going after her many times, but then he thought it would only push her away. Knowing she would eventually do the right thing, he decided not to search for her and not breathe a word about the missing apple.
The day s she was absent w ere a true picture of how it would be without her. Ultimately she would be in the arms of someone else , and that thought alone broke his heart. He suddenly felt empty , and the pain that cut like a knife deepened with each passing moment she was gone . Island of Eden was too quiet when no sound of her laugh t er, her voice or the mere esse nce of her sparkled in their home.
Thoughts of Claudia broke when Katherine continued her speech. “I ’m going to set you in groups of at least ten or more. Each group will be assigned to a town or a city . We will start locally from the Rave where the last demon activity was witnessed, and then you will move forward. One member from each team will select a reporter who will report back to me, so that I may keep track. You must be on the lookout for a group of Earth angels called angel fighters , also known as Ang e lus Pugnators .
“This group is really after angels with special souls , so I do not believe they will harm you; however, any group s that kill angels are our enemies , so do whatever you must do to stay safe. Just a reminder , do not wa nder by yourself or split up the group. Alpha Team, I ’m sending you to Paradi s us again. There is something out there.
“Before we depart, I want to let you know how proud I am of all of you. You have shown me your dedication, loyalty and true marksmanship ; all that it takes to be a venator. I think of each and every one of you as my own. Many of you have made big sacrifice s to leave your human parents, friends , and ordinary li ves to become the protector s of all. Some of you will sacrifice your li ves today, tomorrow or in the near future, but know that you will leave this world with dignity, honor and respect, leaving behind one thing that can never be taken , and that is hope. Keep in mind the words I ’ve instilled in you. You must work as a team. God speed. Everyone dismiss ed .”
Chapter 24
Michael brought Claudia back to Paradisus . They were standing on top of the hill. Claudia remained still, safely tucked inside Michael’s wings.
“We ’re here, ” he said, not wanting to let her go.
Claudia looked up, unable to unlock her eyes from his as if she was hypnotized. “Ummm…I should …go, ” she finally managed to say . Then s he pushed his wings apart , afraid if she didn ’t, s he wouldn ’t want him to let go.
When he opened, she took several steps away from him. “Thank you. You can leave now.”
“Are you meeting anyone?”
“No .” She shook her head, lowering her eyes away from his, afraid he would know she was n’t telling him the truth.
“Then, I ’ll stay here.”
“What?” Claudia ’s eye grew wide. “I ’m perfectly fine.”
Michael sat on the pebbled ground underneath a tree, leaning against it. He grinned as he folded his hands around the back of his neck to rest. “It ’s a beautiful day. I think I ’ll stay here.”
“Umm….” Claudia lost her words for a second. He looked so alluring she had to shake the wicked thoughts from her mind. “But you can ’t !”
“Says who?”
“Says…me .” She couldn ’t believe Michael was seriously going to stay. He was teasing her and she knew it.
“Why not? This isn ’t your property, ” he smirked.
“I know it ’s not, but I didn ’t invite you to stay and I don ’t want you here.” Claudia didn ’t want to be rude, but she felt that she had no choice. She didn ’t want Michael to follow her.
“Hmmm…you kind of hurt my feelings there.” He arched his brows with a frown.
There he went again , looking so darn sexy even while frowning . “Are you kidding? The deal was for you to bring me here and leave.”
“No, the deal was for me to bring you here. There was nothing about me not staying.”
“Fine .” Feeling frustrated she turned. Looking beyond, she noted even more how beautiful this place was. To the right of the hill was where the venators were the last time they were here. To the left was where she should go, back to the waterfall, to where Callum was waiting for her, but she couldn ’t get her legs to move. She wanted to stay here with him. Unable to decide, she turn ed to Michael, but to her surprise, he was gone .
Claudia exhaled a deep sigh. In a way, she felt empty now that he was gone. She guessed this was a sign for her to proceed to Callum, but something held her back. She wasn ’t sure anymore as she held the apple in the palm of her hand. Could it really bring her memories back? What if she was making a grave mistake?
Instead of using her super speed, Claudia decided to trek down the hilltop to give her time to think things through. As she marveled at the splendor of Paradi s us, she wondered if Michael truly left her side or if he was here, hiding. Unable to feel his pres ence, she figured he had left , and that thought made her feel utterly alone.
On her way to see Callum, Claudia sat on a small boulder by the stream , f eeling the warm breeze and listening to the flow of the water . Feeling a lump i n the pocket of her jeans, she stood and pulled out the butterfly necklace she had forgotten about. When she placed it on the palm of her hand, it sparkled and blinded her when the sun reflected at the precise angle.
Claudia sat back down, placed the apple on her lap and grasp ed the necklace from the ends of the chain allowing the butterfly to dangle. Beautiful , she thought. Unable to clasp the broken hook, she placed it around her neck and peered over to look at herself in the water . The reflection back from the stream was unclear, but she could still see it. “Perfect, ” she muttered and outlined th e crystals with her fingertip.
Suddenly she realized she could fix it by the power of her will . Not sure of how it c ould be done, she tried it any way. Placing the necklace on the palm of her hand, she enclosed it with the other and focused her light. As she inhaled a deep breath
, peace flowed through her. Her hands glowed as if she generated elec tricity out of them . To her amazement, the clasp was fixed. Giddy as a schoolgirl , she was proud of herself and clasped the necklace around her small neck , t hen secu rely tucked it underneath her T-shirt. Besides the little bump, it was hardly noticeable.
Holding the apple in her hands again, she wondered why this was so important to Callum. She stopped examining it when she thought she heard shuffling from the trees. Numerous trees were lined along the stream as far as she could see, so it was difficult to tell exactly where the sound came from. She swept the perimeter , and relaxed when she noted there was no one around.
When she gazed back into the stream, she saw a clear image of her grandmother. Gamma was smiling at her.
“Gamma, ” she called in shock . She turned to see if she was standing behind her . Disappointed, she realized it was a figment of her imagination. Claudia wondered why she hadn ’t visited her in her dreams. Gamma had promised she would always be there for her when she needed her the most. She ’d needed her since the day she woke up at Island of Eden when she couldn ’t recall her past, when she felt so alone, but she never came. As tear drops flowed down her cheeks, her heart ached.
After she gathered herself, she wondered if it was a sign from Gam m a . Maybe she couldn ’t visit her in her dr eams . Perhaps she was visiting right now but in a different way. She looked back into the stream again , only to find a hazy reflection of the trees behind her. Thinking about Gamma, guilt flushed through her. There was no way she could bring the apple to Callum now. Gamma would be very disappointed in her, especially knowing she was about to break one of the d ivine laws.
She would be on the run if she didn’t want to be locked up. What kind of life would that be for her, alone, always looking behind her back, not knowing who to trust ? She had lost her way and realized it now more than ever. What in the world was she thinking? How could she let her selfish needs engulf her? In a way, she was already running away from the angels. With these thoughts in mind, she knew what she had to do.