The few demons that had survived escaped , and there was no sign of Callum or Avalon.
“Well…there you three are. What were you doing , h aving a party back there ?” Holly snuff ed .
“Sorry, ” Austin said. “But hey…you ’re all in one piece.” He gave a sorry grin. “Don ’t tell me you let Callum and Avalon escape?”
Holly thr ew her hands up in the air. “Let ’s see…hmmm…we were busy fighting demons. You three were back there making out.”
Austin narrow ed his brows with a n “are you serious ” look and t ook off, search ing for Patty.
“What?” Davin snapped out of his thoughts, laughing out loud from Holly ’s words, then bec am e stoic, changing the subject. “Callum took her. Avalon is innocent.” She had to be. He couldn ’t have a crush on a traitor ; that would be horrific.
“I don ’t think so, Davin, ” Gracie said softly.
“Have you not heard her words?” Davin snapped.
“Callum is her father. Did you not hear his words?” Michelle fired back. “I knew something was suspicious about her. She was way too calm and observant.”
“How does that define a person? You mean to tell me you ’re never calm and observant?” Davin retorted.
“You ever see me calm and observant?”
“Well , that explains everything then.” Davin rolled his eyes. “I think you ’re wrong. He took her without her permission. Did anyone see?”
“Again, the princess, the frog and the toad were too busy to see anything . Let ’s get out of here. We need to report back to Katherine ,” Holly said.
“Michael is the frog…right?” Davin said. “Because there ’s no way he ’s the ugly toad.” Then he changed the subject. “We need to find Avalon. She is part of this team. If it were Austin, you would go to the ends to find him.”
Caleb and Vivian stepped forward. “We ’ll go with you.”
“So will I, ” Michael said.
“Me too, ” Claudia said, feeling extremely relie ved seeing Austin holding Pa tty safely in his arms . She was still unconscious. Claudia was flabbergasted th at Callum brought her t here , an d tried to take her life. Recalling when she visited Patty for the second time, she had felt an unknown presence and now guess ed it might have been Callum lurking nearby, watching her steps. Why wasn ’t she more careful? She was utterly mad at herself for thinking of her selfish needs when she should have be en more careful of the people she cared about. Then it occurred to her. She now understood why venator ’s memories o f their loved ones were erased—to keep them safe. Claudia looked at Austin , waiting for his answer.
“Alright, ” Austin roll ed his eyes, unable to say no to Claudia ’s pleading look. “We all go.”
“What?” Holly scoff ed . “Fine. But we need back up because the next time we see him, he will be mad as hell , a nd no fire or ice will st op him. Something evil is inside him. I t makes my skin crawl with horr or . You saw his face, heard his tone. He ’s not the Callum we know. Delilah , Conn o r, you two take Patty to her house and inform Katherine we need the watchers . It ’s a shame. Look what happened. I can ’t even enjoy the beauty of this place. There are black burnt spots everywhere from the demons. Now…can we get the heck out of here?”
Claudia waited for Austin to pass Patty to Conno r ’s arm s and spoke. “Please be careful. She won ’t remember today , will she?”
“No, she won ’t, ” Austin said . “I’ve taken care of it.”
“Thank you, ” Claudia said. “Could we go somewhere first?”
“Where?” Austin asked.
Claudia had been waiting for this opportunity. “To my place. Not to Isl and of Eden …t o my human house where I used to live.”
Chapter 26
Claudia’s room was too small to have all those bodies in there. Austin, Michelle, Grace and Holly sat on the edge of her bed, while the alkins stood by the window. They waited patiently , wondering how Claudia knew of this place and what questions she would ask.
Claudia pace d back and fort h with her hands clasped together. She wasn ’t sure how to begin her speech without sounding accusatory. Rubbing her hands together, she thought of ways to begin, but she couldn ’t think. All eyes set heavily on her , making her fe el uncomforta ble. Warmth flushed her cheeks . Her heart hammer ed out of control . She just needed to spit it out. Final ly, she stopped and stood still , ready to make her speech.
“I asked you to come here because I need answers. Austin told me I ha ve selective amnesia , which is the reason why I can ’t remember. The good part is that I ’m starting to remember, but it ’s like pieces of a puzzle, scattered. I f I c ould fit them together then these flash backs would make sense. I ’m not pointing any fingers because I don ’t know what happened, but something tells me you are a ll hiding the answers from me.
“Callum told me he could help me remember my past if I ate the apple . Now I know for sure he wasn ’t trying to help me, he was using me . Desperately wanting my memories back has only brought d istrust and pain. So please tell me what you know , so I can go on with my life. Either way, I ’m going to find out sooner or later. If you are truly my friends, then you will set me free.”
Dead silence filled the room until Michelle and Gracie stood up and pointed their fingers at Michael . “He did it.”
Davin, who was leaning against the desk, raised his brows in discontent . “Good one girls. Great way to explain.” He turned to Claudia , looking apologetic. “It was out of our hands. The Twelve wanted you to forget your past so you could move on as a venator. We are so sorry that we kept this from you.” His tone was soft and sincere.
Claudia swore to herself she wouldn ’t shed a tear, but tears welled up anyway. She couldn ’t help her emotions , as it was difficult to believe what Dav i n was saying . Her heart hurt so much . She could feel it breaking, crumbling with every breath of Davin ’s words. “You all knew , yet you stood in front of me, pretending that nothing was wrong?”
The room was filled with silence again . Their heads were down, unable to look her in her eyes. Uncontrollable tears stream ed down Claudia ’s face. “Yo u all pretended to be my friend s …feeling sorry for me as if I was this stupid angel who would never ask questions or wonder about my past and who I really am. I can ’t believe Katherine agreed to this .”
Michael reached for her. “Claudia, this is not t heir fault. This is my doing. I—”
She didn’t let him finish. Astounded by his word s , she pierce d his eyes with hers in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“All of you go back to Nubilus City . I need to talk to Claudia alone.” He turned to Davin. “Give me some time. I promise we ’ll help you find Avalon. We need to stick together on this. Wait for me…okay?”
Davin gave Michael an unsure look. His eyes darted with panic.
“I promise, ” Michael affirmed and gripped Davin ’s shoulders. “We can ’t just walk into a trap.”
With a confirming nod from Davin, they left , leaving behind Michael and Claudia in the room.
Claudia sat on the edge of the bed. She watched Michael nervously pace back and forth. Michael knew this moment would come sooner or later. How could he tell her he was the one who had taken her memories? With a troubled heart, he kneeled beside her .
“I’m about to tell you things that w ill be difficult for you to understand . Perhaps there are memories you may recall and others you may question. But try to open up your heart, mind and soul , for I didn ’t want any of this to happen.”
Claudia nod ded , biting her lips as she wait ed anxiously. She could hardly contain herself for fear of what she was about to be hear. Gripping her hands together, she prepared to listen.
“As Davin said, the Twelve thought it was best to erase the memories of your past to help you ease into who you are now. This has been done many times before. Many venators don ’t remember their human li ves . The alkins, like Davin, Caleb, Vivian and me are different . We were taken without a choice
, and we can’t recall any part of our human life.”
Claudia’s eyes grew wide. “That ’s awful. Don ’t you want to remember?”
“A part of me does and a part of me doesn ’t. It ’s been like this for so long that it doesn ’t matter anymore. The life I have now , here with my friends and now with you overpower my past. I just want what is now.”
Michael h eld Claudia ’s clasp ed hands tenderly in his and gaze d into her eyes with love and passion ; she could feel it burning inside her. “It is forbidden for us to love humans or each other in that special way, but that didn ’t stop us. How can something that feels so right be so wrong? Being with you never felt wrong. It’s the one sure thing in my life. You’re the one thing I did right. I ’m not sure how you feel, but I love you so much that it hurts. You may not remember us, but I do. My heart ble e d s every torturous day we ’re apart. I wanted to die, but knowing you were alive and well, knowing I could see your beautiful smile , kept me going.”
Michael words zapped Claudia so hard, so fast , she didn’t know what to say. In front of her was a guy she could not remember, confessing his love for her. He had just begun and it was already too much to bear. Tears trickled down her ch eek s . Michael wiped them and looked into her eyes , hoping she could love him back the way it used to be.
“I love you more than anything in my entire life. I ’m so lost and broken without you , ” Michael said , so tenderly and whole-heartedly that she could feel e very single word . Even more so, she was surprised to see tears pool up in his eyes. “I was told to selectively erase your memories, memories of your past life as a human ; memories of Davin, Caleb, Vivi a n and me. Don ’t be angry at them. They didn ’t want this. They care for you and love you like a sister. Try to step inside their shoes and understand what they were thinking , and what they were going through.”
Claudia knew Michael was right. If she was in their position , what would she have done?
“When you are under the command of the Twelve, there is no escape, ” Michael continued. “Understand not all of them wanted this, especially Katherine. I thought about taking you away, but that wasn ’t fair for you. I ’ve r u n away before and I didn’t want that for you . You ’re always looking behind your back, never knowing who to trust.
“They chose me because they knew I was the only one who could get close enough to you for you to allow me to touch you and control your mind. I didn ’t erase your memories. I couldn ’t do that to us. Instead, you r memories were suppressed. These flash backs you ’re having, it ’s because your memories are coming back , and the more you are exposed to the environment and experience s that are similar, the faster you ’ll remember. You told me b efore once before that memories are kept in the he art. Search your heart, my love . Do not burden it. Do not seek revenge or anger. Give it peace, love and forgiveness , and there you will find what you are looking for.”
“Michael, you didn ’t give me a choice. You took that choice from me. Knowing myself , and if , as you say , our love was real, I would have r u n away with you to the ends of the world. I would n’t care about the danger , you know. All that would matter is that we would be together.”
Michael buried his head in Claudia ’s lap. His body shuddered as he tightly wr u ng his fist on the blanket she was sitting on. “Not a moment goes by that I don ’t relive that day , and what I have taken from you. Forgive me , my love. I know not what else to say. They would have taken you to the Royal Council , and I would have lost you forever. I did the next best thing to have you here. I hope that one day you ’ll find it in your heart to forgive me . Please know that my intentions were good.”
Claudia could do nothing but let her pain pour out through her tears. Feeling the depth of Michael ’s pain, her anger diminished. She now understood the reasoning behind all that he ’d done . She was too caught up i n her feelings; she had forgotten what it would have been like for him. If the role was reversed, she would have done anything to keep him t here. Who was she to judge when she didn ’t walk in his shoes ?
Tenderly, she placed her hands on Michael’s face a nd wiped his tears. “There is nothing to forgive. You did what you thought was best. I don ’t know why, but I trusted you from the first moment I was in your arms. Every time you were near , or just when I he ard your name, I g o t butterflies in my stomach and tingl y feelings in my heart. I never knew why until now. All those times you came to my rescue was your way of showing me how much I meant to you. My heart tells me you mean everything to me, but my mind doesn ’t know yet. Now it makes sense. These flash backs occurred when you were around. I just need time…that is all I ’m asking.”
With a glow in his eyes, he gave a huge grin. “Of course. I ’ll be here waiting as long as it takes…I ’ll always be here.” Pulling her up to stand, he cup ped both of her hands together and exhale d a deep breath of relief as his eyes sparkle d joyfully . Claudia was starting to remember , and the best part was she had forgiven him. That thought alone was enough. One step at a time , he thought , to make his plan work.
Claudia suddenly remembered two items, one inside her pocket and the other one tucked underneath her T-shirt. First she pulled out the little trinket that looked like a key chain with a picture of both of them together.
Michael smiled with wonder. “Where did you find that ?” he ask ed, pulling his shirt up just enough to show her his.
“I found it there.” She pointed underneath the desk to a backpack . “Clipped to the side zipper.”
“This was one of the gifts you gave me for Christmas. I didn ’t know what it was used for until you clipped it on my pants. I never took it off.”
Claudia blushed. After the color diminished from her skin, she revealed the butterfly crystal necklace. “And this?”
“I made you that necklace for your eighteenth birthday. It was made from a special deathly crystal. It ’s from Halo City. The necklace will vibrate and change color when demons are nearby. It was the only way for me to help you be aware , so you could hide until I was able to reach you. I was your guardian angel before Austin was assigned to you.”
“You were my guardian angel first?”
“Yes, ” he smiled , happy to be able to tell her this part of her past.
“It vibrate d and turn ed black when I was in Spec u s, right before Callum and the demons came. That explain s everything.” Claudia looked deep in thought and snap ped out of it to ask another question. “Where is Halo City? I ’ve never heard of it.”
“It ’s where I live , where the alkins live. You don ’t remember, but we were sent there a lifetime ago. We are different than the venators. The venators are allowed to exist here. Though they have the power of angels, they bleed like humans. We, on the other hand, are different. We were banned from being in your world. You could say in a way we are dead. We don ’t bleed like the venators. Actually, we don ’t bleed at all.”
There was a sudden sadness in his tone. Claudia t ried to recall . She had seen Austin bleed, but never had she seen Michael ’s blood. She changed the subject to lighten the mood. “I would love to see Halo City.”
“You ’ve already seen it, but you don ’t remember. I ’ll take you there…soon. When the time is right.”
“Okay, ” Claudia nodded. “I have many que stions to ask, but we should get going. We fight Callum and his demons together…okay ?”
“Yes...together, ” he wink ed , making Claudia feel light headed. After he expanded his wings, like an old habit, she placed herself into his hold , h er head lying on his chest wher e she could feel his heart patter ing with long , full happy beats. Placing her hand on his skin as if she could imprint herself on him, she thought, Mine once more , and said, “Don ’t ever let me go.”
“Never without your permission, ” he said and placed an airbrush kiss on her forehead , unsure if she would approve.
Claudia closed her eyes, taking in his kiss, feeling secure in his hold , and this time enjoying it and knowing why she did. Re
alizing what she had missed, how complete she felt, she never wanted him to let go. The way he made her feel , like home , was a feeling she could never forget and never wanted to lose again .
Leisurely, he closed his wings, not wanting to rush this moment of her in his arms. If it wasn ’t for her not regaining her memories, he would w h isk her away and never look back.
Wondering why Michael was taking his time, Claudia looked up. His eyes were glowing, looking down at her with admiration and adoration. Unable to control himself, he embraced her with all of his desire. “I love you, ” he whispered. “I always have. I always will.”
Though she couldn’t say it back to him, just to see her heartfelt warm smile was enough ; t he smile that melted his heart , the smile that he fell in love with , the smile that almost said , ‘I love you ’ back.
Chapter 27
Guilt lingered on Victor’s soul for what he ’d almost d one . He needed to find Father Shepherd and confess . His newfound strong desire to be an Earth angel again ha d lifted his spirit s . He was determined to be more helpful than he was before. He just needed to convince Father Shepherd.
Father Shepherd was also an Earth angel; however, h e was also known as an Executor . They assign ed Earth angels their mission s . When one mission was accomplished, they report ed back to their Executor and move d on to the next.
Being that it was a weekday, in the middle of the afternoon , the church was pretty empty . There were a few parishioners sitting i n the front pew praying , and two were standing in line for the ir confession . The candles on the donation table were fully lit, which was a good sign. It meant that people had c o me to the morning mass. Church of Guadalupe of Mary had been his home. He could practically walk blind folded and kn e w where everything was.
Ready as he ’d eve r be, he walked down the aisle and then turn ed left. The door on the left was for the priest and the one on the right was for whoever needed to confess or needed a one on on e talk. Victor sheepishly stood behind the line. There was now only one man in front of him. The man hung his head low a s if he was embarrassed to be t here. He lightly tapped his f oo t , seeming impatient.