Feeling great about her memories coming back, she grabbed Holly into a hug. Holly let her arms dangle. She ’d never hugged Claudia before. “Oh what the heck, ” she said , an d squeezed her back. “Princess, you can let go now. Pretty necklace by the way.”
Claudia looked down and smiled. “It was a gift.”
“Nice gift, ” Holly replied with a quick smile.
This time Claudia didn’t mind being called a princess. In some ways, the simple word made her stand out from the rest. She had to accept it. She was special. She had the holy soul. Only she alone could destroy Aliah once and for all. But how?
“Now that we are all happy again , I say we rescue them right now, ” Davin said, urgently. “I bet Michael, Austin and Avalon are tied up in Paradisus, waiting for us.”
“Whatever it is, w e ’ll be walking into a trap. How I hate these traps , ” Holly huff ed . “Why does it feel like we did this before?”
“Before we do anything, we need to inform Katherine and get some backup…watchers and other venator teams, ” Vivian suggest ed .
“Michelle and Gracie, you two inform Katherine and we ’ll meet you in Paradisus. Don ’t know where exactly. Just find us and hurry, ” Holly command ed.
“After this is over, I ’m going to eat chips and salsa, ” Davin blurted, looking around the cabinets , wondering if Austin had any.
“Chips and s alsa ? What on Earth is that?” Vivian asked.
“See, Holly. I ’m not the only unearthly one here, naïve about human stuff.”
Vivian frowned and narrowed her eyes on Davin.
“Let ’s go and get this over with so I can throw some c hips and s alsa down his throat, ” Vivian teased as they transported to Paradisus.
As the other s took off, Claudia pulled Davin aside. “I think I know how to get rid of Aliah.”
“How?”
During the whole conversation as Claudia explain ed her plan, Davin was shaking his head. When she finally finished he said out loud, “No!”
“It ’s the only way.”
Davin tightly grip ped both sides of her shoulders. “Do you even know what you are saying? It ’s insane, Claudia. I…I mean…we…meaning the alkins and I ’m sure the venators …would forbid you to do this. What if it doesn ’t work? Michael would be devastated , and we would be too. I don ’t care if Aliah lives, but we care if you do. If it means you would be here with us, Aliah can hunt us the rest of his life. I don ’t care. We need you. Do you understand? Michael just found you. You found each other. Live happily ever after. This kind of love is epic.”
“Living happily ever after only happens in fairy tales.”
“No , it doesn ’t. It depends on how you see it. Living happily ever after is what happiness means to you and the way I see it , this is it . There’s the potential to be so much more if you only give it a chance…but my answer is no.”
“Okay, ” she nodded, but she didn ’t mean it. She only said it to be agreeable. Just as they were about to soar, Claudia felt a sudden rush of energy as if she had been struck by a lightning. She gasped deeply and hard , and she heard her name called in her mind .
“What ’s wrong?” Davin held her steady.
Cold , danger chills r an through Claudia’s veins. “It ’s Michael. He ’s in trouble.”
Davin grabbed Claudia’s hand and lightly kiss ed the back of her palm. “It ’s good to have you back , my friend. Now…let’s go fine them.”
Chapter 32
No matter what time of day, Paradisus was always the same. The light shone brightly like the sun even in the absence of it. Being somewhere beyond, time stood still. The air was always fresh, smelling like the vibrant flowers or the scent of the tre e s . The weather and temperature never change d, and it was always perfect. But today, Paradisus reeked of evil , and the air was damp and eerie .
The venator team landed where they had the last time. Holding their weapons tightly , they carefully searched the surrounding area.
“What is it?” Vivian asked Davin.
“It ’s Michael. I think he called out for Claudia. This isn ’t a good sign, ” he whispered. “Claudia also told me they found out Aliah is still alive. His soul is in Callum ’s body.”
“What?” Caleb said in shock .
“Do es the rest of the team know?” Vivian asked , searching for demons when she hear d shuffling from the trees.
“I don ’t know. If they don ’t, they ’ll soon find out ,” Davin replied.
Just before they reached the hills, they stopped. Everything remained the same, even the huge , black , dark pit , and there were no signs of evil. “We don ’t see anything ; ma ybe the y’re not here, ” Caleb said .
“They are . Delilah told Michael to come here.” Claudia was almost sure that was what Delilah had said, but she was certain now . Her necklace vibrat ed and turned jet black. She ’d always had her doubt s about Delilah , but couldn ’t quite put her finger on it. She thought it was because she was always flirting with Austin. If only she had spoken up ; but wh o would have believe d her? She had no proof.
“Let ’s head back this way, ” Davin said, leading them on another trail toward the west. Before long, Davin spotted Avalon bound to a tree up ahead . He waved his hand, motioning everyone to remain at a standstill. “See…I told you she ’s no traitor.”
“How would you know?” Holly asked, looking around for more demons. “Just because you ’re attracted to her doesn ’t mean she ’s off the hook.”
“Attracted to her? I—”
“Oh , be quiet you two , and think of some way to rescue the poor girl, ” Vivian spat .
Before they could decide what to do, Vivian spotted Michael high up in the tree, tangled with the branches and knocked out cold. When she looked to the ri ght , she saw Austin in the same condition . “They ’re up there, ” Vivian gestured.
With those words, the branches of the trees came alive, swirling like the arms of an octopus ’ tentacles. One slashed at Vivian. She flipped over, turned sideways and chopped it with her sword. Another came slith ering, looping around Davin ’s leg. He placed his sword flat against his jean s , slit in between and severed it off him. “Hasta la vista, baby.”
Many branches swarmed, headed straight for Claudia. She could see them clearly headed right for her as if they were in slow motion. Bel ieve, believe, Claudia said to herself in a continuous cycle as she held her bow right in front of her. Eye s focused on the target s, she pulled her arm back to shoot multiple times. “Bull ’s eyes, ” she mumbled as more come toward her from behind. With an upper lash to the left and then a right, she ducked as one barely missed her head. She flipped over them and slashed another. Claudia found herself close to Avalon.
“Claudia !” Davin yelled . His gaze was on Avalon.
“Got it, ” Claudia bellowed , knowing what Davin was asking her to do.
When she was close enough, she willed the bo nds off Avalon. Since the angelic cuffs were originally placed by God ’s first angel, only a being with a holy soul could unb i nd them. She knew it was up to her.
Once Avalon was free, she massaged the sore areas and willed her bow. “Thanks, ” she said to Claudia , and pushed her out of the way as a demon came toward them. Avalon knew what to do. Now free, s he whirled in circles around the base of the tree. As it followed her, it ended up tying itself and could no longer move. Given this opportunity, she sho t the silver flames from her bow. It fired up, scorching and collap sing into black ashes.
“Wake up Michael and Austin !” Caleb shouted.
“I ’ll do it, ” Davin volunteered , getting ready to throw pebbles at them, the ones he found underneath his feet. He sprung on top of an adjacent tree. He would have to aim for their heads since most of their body parts were covered by the branches. With precision, he aimed the numerous pebbles at Austin ’s and Michael ’s heads.
With the hits from the pebbles and hearing the loud commotion, Michael and Austin shot their eyes open
to find themselves up i n the tree , wrapped up like cocoon s . Michael spotted Claudia fighting the demons. Not only was she using her bow, she was using the power within her. It jetted out of her hands as she wave d th e demons away from her , as if it was a magic trick.
Michael felt so proud of how much she ha d grown into her own. Never did he imagine , the firs t time he laid eyes on her , that this would be her destiny …their destiny. How times had changed, but one thing remained constant …h e loved her more than anything he c ould possibly imagine , and he would do anything for her.
“Michael, wake up. Stop staring at Claudia and get your sorry butt down here, ” Davin bellowed as he threw more pebbles on Michael’s head. Looking irritated, Michael pe e led his eyes away from Claudia and scowled .
Austin realize d he was in midair while everyone was beneath him. When he saw the swaying motion of something next to him, he was astounded to see Michael wrapped up like him. “I guess we spent the night together. Was it as good for you as it was for me?”
“I ’ll say anything you want if you can get us out of here.”
Michael and Austin tried to wiggle out of the hold as they continue d to watch their friends below, making sure all heads were accounted for. The numbers of branches were increasing by the minute , and they could see their friends struggling. Seeing Michael and Austin conscious, Vivian jumped from the same location where Davin had stood and sliced the bra n ches that wrapped around them.
Set free, Michael and Austin landed on their two feet, but were unsteady when they fell. The venators and the alkins quickly gathered around, giving them time to wi eld their weapon s and steady themselves. Michael winked at Claudia when she looked over her shoulder . Claudia smiled shyly , and Austin turned with a twisted pang in his heart when he caught the exchanged look between them.
More branches flared out, slashing and wh ip p ing, but this time they had something that looked like thorns protruding from every direction . One coiled around Holly ’s body , taking her. She screamed out loud from the throbbing pain that cut her deeply. Austin soared to Holly, cut its arm at the base , and caught Holly ’s fall.
“It hurts like hell, ” Holly winc ed , s till in Austin ’s arm s . He waited safely behind a boulder with her while she healed. After what seem ed like a long time —even though it wasn ’t …in times like th o se every second counted —Holly jump ed out of Austin ’s hold. “I ’m better. It ’s good to have you back.”
“Good to be back.” He ruffled her hair and joined the others.
Michael jumped up to a tree, slashing the base of the branches. He leaped from tree to tree doing the same thing. Odds were in their favor now as Kathe rine and the watchers appeared , along with Michelle and Gracie. Since they just arrived, they were stunned to see the branches of the trees in motion.
“These trees are possessed by the dark shadows. I thought they only possessed humans, ” Gracie said as she chop ped one in half.
“They can claim basically anything that is living, except for angels. Thank goodness , or I would have to kill one of us, ” Michelle said , dashing sideways to escape. Instead of missing her, it nicked her. She howled in pain. Blood seeped through her shirt, but quickly healed and she was on her feet again. “Shit , that hurts , and my shirt is expensive …not that I paid for it. Did you see those things sticking out?” Michelle asked Gracie. There was no response from Gracie . She had been thrown a few feet away from where she stood. “Gracie!” Michelle ran after her.
The watchers were already mesmerizing in statue form, but seeing them alive was comp elling. Their grand height and physique was enough to intimidate anyone. Without a word from Katherine, the watchers knew what to do. The alkins, venators and watchers fought side by side. When wings were expanded, it was like observing numerous white feathers gliding with the wind. With the watcher s ’ help, the arms of the branches were all cut down .
It looked like a tornado and fire had hit th e place , as nothing but mostly chopped up woods and black ashes scattered throughout. Relieved, everyone let their guard down and relaxed, but only Claudia looked a little drained. She sensed Michael st anding behind he r, watching her every move. When she turned to the right , Austin lit a warm , sly smile. She didn ’t know what to do as everyone else seemed comfortable with each other.
Avalon went straight to Davin, trying to apologize , explain ing her side of the story. Claudia listened from a distance , exhausted , and didn’t know why everyone else seemed fine except for her. The only explanation she could think of was that Gamma had ma de her think she was full y human . That was the reason why she would never be a full venator, the reason why she needed some sleep, the reason why sometimes she felt the need to eat, the reason why she didn ’t heal as fast as the others, and the reason why she w ould always feel like she was mor e human than a venator .
“Claudia, ” Katherine called , breaking her thought s . Claudia took several steps, winced and stopped. Michael and Austin raced to her. There was a big, deep gash on her side about a foot long, where her shirt had been torn. Blood had already seep ed down from her wound. Without thinking, Michael pulled his shirt off and dab bed the blood.
Claudia flushed and tried hard not to stare , but she got a glimpse of his hard abs and the curve of his masculine chest . It was even more difficult to control her blushing cheeks when she extended her arms out to grip Michael ’s shoulder for support. He at flushed through her , making her hot and dizzy.
When Claudia’s wound closed, Katherine spoke. “I ’m afraid this was a decoy, to get us away from what Aliah is doing. For those of you who don ’t know, Aliah’s soul has taken over Callum . He can only go to the places beyond where Callum is allowed as an Earth angel. It ’s a good thing Earth angels are forbidden to wander to the places t he Twelve reside.
“Thank goodness he can ’t go to Nubilus City, Crossroads and Island of Eden, but without a doubt, he is and has been making his way to the human world. He has already wiped out many towns, turning humans into demons. We must stop him , or he will take over this world we work so hard to protect. I ’ve already asked the o thers to regroup and meet me a t Nubi lus City. We need to strategi ze and bring Aliah down.
“Avalon, when this is over, you ’ll have to be on tr ia l with the Tw elve. But I need you now. You ’ve proven your loyalty today . We ’ll give you a chance. For now you are pardon ed .” Katherine turned to Claudia. “Claudia, here we are again. I need you to think of a way to get rid of Aliah once and for all.”
Claudia caught Davin ’s eyes. Davin vigorously shook his head and mouthed, “No.”
Instead of telling Katherine the truth, that she already had a plan , she said, “Yes. I ’ll try to think of something.”
With that, Katherine took off and t he rest followed. At the same time, Austin grabbed Claudia ’s left hand and Michael took her righ t. Claudia was yanked in the middle. When she didn ’t move, they both turned to look and realized what had happen ed .
“Awkward, ” Holly mumbled.
“You can say that again, ” Michelle seconded .
“Thank you, but I don’t need my hand s held . I can get there myself, ” Claudia said as politely as possible as she kept her eyes to the ground. She didn ’t want to look at them, afraid to see the look s in their eyes. Then she took off.
Chapter 33
Claudia landed in Nubilus City. Heading straight for the training room where t hey usually m e t, she stopped in her tracks when she saw Elissa.
“Claudia, ” she called with panic in her tone , and squeeze d her tightly. Elissa ’s hair smelled like burnt woods and her face was dirty , as if she painted her face with black ashes. She looked tired and worn.
“Hey, Elissa.” Claudia pulled away when Elissa finally let go. “Are you okay?”
“Yes…no…I mean…it ’s hell out there. I mean…it ’s really bad. The demons are taking over. I was at a small town called Springfield and the whole town is doom ed . So are the other ones we were sent to
after that. We need to stop hi m or els e it will be end of the human race , and for us all.”
Claudia closed her eyes briefly, coming to terms with what she had to do. She was the only one who could do it. Her heart felt heavy and she suddenly felt drained. She had failed once before, but now she had a chance to make things right.
Claudia pulled Elissa to the side . “Listen, ” she whispered, her hand on Elissa’s shoulders, looking squarely in her eyes . “Have you seen Callum? Do you know where he might be?”
“I ’m not sure where he is. His demons are all over the world, taking over the small town s first and then moving inward to the citie s. He could be anywhere. Why? Do you have a plan?”
Claudia didn’t answer. “Where were you last?”
“A town called Lakewood, but you won ’t find anything useful there. It ’s burnt down. That ’s what they do. They take the human souls and their bodies and burn down their home s . It ’s like the evil monsters are making Earth their home, a living hell.” Elissa eyes became glassy and full of fear as she trembled with her last word s .
“I ’ll be back. Don’t tell anyone you spoke to me,” Claudia requested.
“Where are you going?”
“I ’m not sure. Please …I ’ve never asked you for anything.”
“Okay, ” Elissa nodded and watched Claudia transport to somewhere unknown.
The A lpha team and the alkins stood in front as the rest of the team stood behind them. Katherine waited patiently as she checked off the names of the groups mentally in her mind—at least the groups that had survived. When the door cracked open, thinking it was Claudia , Katherine gave a sigh of relief, but became startled again when Elissa entered instead. Claudia should have been here by now and yet there was no sign of her.
“Have you seen Claudia ?” Michael asked Katherine, still standing in his line formation.