Archangel's Fire Read online

  It definitely wasn’t anyone from the village. I hunched lower, watching as the figure ran and looked over his shoulder every few seconds. His footing seemed off, as if something was preventing him from running faster.

  I inched closer to get a better look when the stranger’s hood came off, chestnut-colored hair tumbling out in waves. It’s a girl!

  I gasped at the young girl’s terrified expression. Her pretty face was streaked with dirt and blood. Hair blowing wildly, she kept looking back over her shoulder as if running away from something.

  I looked at the cluster of trees where she’d first appeared. There was nothing there.

  The girl yelped as she stumbled again and fell, disappearing in the tall grass.

  “Hey!” I stood up, frantically searching for a sign of where she was. “Over here!”

  The girl popped up and continued to run away from the Sanctuary. Where was she going? She had to have heard me. I could hear her frantic sobs.

  “Hey!” I yelled again. This time, the girl looked quickly in my direction. She didn’t even slow down. It was like she didn’t see me.

  “I’m right here!” I waved my arms, trying to catch her attention.

  I took the last step that took me past the boundary. “I’m over here! I can help y—”

  There was a glaring flash of light and a force jerked me back. Suddenly, I was falling forward and my face smashed into the ground.

  3

  I squirmed under Lukas’s heavy weight. I couldn’t see anything but the grass beneath me, but I knew it was him.

  “Are you insane, Lukas?”

  I should’ve known he would come back for me. Ever since we were kids, he made sure that, in his words, I “didn’t get into trouble.” It wasn’t enough to have Big John, under Tovah’s orders, watch after me—at least Big John was sweet enough to make it look like I was capable of taking care of myself.

  Hard muscles pressed deeper into my back. “Get off me!”

  What the hell was wrong with him? I could barely breathe. “Seriously, knock it—”

  A hand brutally clamped over my mouth.

  “Be silent,” a stranger’s voice whispered into my ear.

  My heart slammed against my chest as I froze, terrified. Oh my god. This was what Tovah and the others had warned me about. Was this the person the girl had been running from? Were there others? What did he want from me?

  The stranger shifted, and a rough cheek brushed against my temple as he spoke. “You will be still if you know what’s good for you.”

  What’s good for me? What did he mean by that? His free hand moved between us, sliding up between my thighs.

  No! Not that! I thrashed against him. Loosening my arms, I reached behind me, clawing at his face.

  “Stop it. I’m not going to hurt you. Your crossbow is digging into me,” he growled. He lifted and yanked my crossbow away, tossing it to the side. The moment his weight was off me, I scrambled to get away from him.

  “Be still, girl, or they will end us both,” the stranger’s deep voice rumbled as steel arms clamped down on me. “I’m here to help you. We’re at the edge of the boundary and the spell is wearing out. They will see us if you move.”

  I had no clue what spell he was talking about, and there was no one else around except for the girl. Lifting my head, I strained to look above the tall grass for her. “Look, mister, I’m not the one who needs help. That girl over there is—”

  The moment my eyes adjusted to the glaring light, I realized I’d been lied to my entire life.

  I expected to see a field filled with butterflies flittering between the wildflowers. Instead, inches away from the blades of grass where the stranger and I hid, was a vast desert.

  It was as if a thin veil had been lifted. A fierce white light radiated off the barren landscape. It was unbelievable.

  Spotting the girl, I heard her cry out as she stumbled onto the sand, creating a billow of dust. Sand was everywhere. On her clothes, hair, and face.

  When she stood, she turned around, her dirt-streaked face a pale white. I followed her gaze to the line of trees across from one of the desert dunes. Squinting against the light, I watched as the air shimmered between the trees that appeared to be moving.

  Those aren’t trees!

  An army of black horses filled the entire horizon. They moved in unison, a solid line of defense across the sand. A large cloud of dust billowed behind them, blanketing the sky. The horses were huge, unlike any I’d ever seen. Their red eyes flickered like flames against their inky-black coat, making them look like demon horses.

  The riders’ faces were hidden in the shadows of the red hoods they wore. Even if I couldn’t see them, the terrified expression on the girl’s face as they closed in on her was enough to tell me they couldn’t be angels. Then I saw a glint of silver, then another and another, as each of the riders lifted their swords.

  “Let go of me.” I squirmed, trying to get out of the stranger’s hold. “They’re going to kill her. I have to help her.”

  “There is no saving her. The hunters will kill you, too.” The stranger tightened his grip.

  They were hunting the girl! I eyed my crossbow lying only inches away from my finger. If only this idiot would loosen his grip just a little. I couldn’t move. All I could do was watch with horror as the hunters passed us. Every inch of their bodies was pure muscle. Dark eyes peered from beneath their hoods.

  The poor girl ran faster. It was no use. There was no way she was getting away from them.

  Two hunters broke through the line, carrying a giant net between them. One of them had a black scarf wrapped over his mouth. With ease, they cast the net. It covered her and she cried out, falling to the ground.

  Her bloodcurdling screams stabbed at my chest. I couldn’t just lie there and do nothing. Kicking my legs, I tried to get some leverage to push the heavy stranger off me. His body was like steel. I couldn’t move him an inch.

  The stranger’s warm breath hit softly against my cheek. His heart beat steady against my back as the girl cried and clawed desperately at the heavy net. It unnerved me that he could be so calm as the scene played out before us.

  Scarf Guy and his partner jumped off their horses and moved toward the girl with the same fluid grace as the guardians in the Sanctuary. Scarf Guy pushed back his hood and tugged down his scarf. I gasped. I’d expected to see a monster. He wasn’t. He was striking. Black smudges lined his high cheekbones. His dark blond hair was tied back with a leather strap.

  One after the other, each of the hunters pushed back their hoods. They all had the same striking look as Scarf Guy. It wasn’t the ethereal beauty the guardians had. These men had a cold, hard edge. But there was no doubt they were some type of angel.

  “This was a fast one,” Scarf Guy’s partner said. “What shall we do with her, Nimrod?”

  The stranger stopped breathing. If it wasn’t for the quick pounding of his heart beating against my back, I would’ve thought he was dead. His weight grew heavier as each of his muscles tensed as the largest man, or angel, I’d ever seen emerged from the cluster of demon horses. Nimrod’s large boots sank deep into the sand as he walked to the spot where the captured girl lay. Black hair, so dark it looked almost blue, hung like a silk curtain to his shoulders. The other hunters bowed their heads slightly as he passed. He was dressed like the others, except for a large silver chain across his massive chest, holding his robe together. A shield-shaped emblem hung in the center.

  Nimrod’s dark eyes narrowed as he glared at the squirming and whimpering girl. “We do the same to her as we do with the rest.”

  “Wait.” Scarf Guy lifted his arm, blocking his partner before he could get to the girl. “We’ve been on the hunt for weeks. Perhaps we could have some kind of reward…for all of us?”

  Bile crawled up my throat as the hunters grunted in agreement. I looked over at my crossbow again. Just one shot. All I needed was one. Yeah, they might kill me, but the desire to take down Scarf Gu
y made me want to risk it.

  Scarf Guy crouched, his voice taking on a soft tone. “What’s your name, little one?”

  “A-an-annalise. P-please, let me go. I’m not one of them. I swear.”

  “We believe you,” Scarf Guy said as he took the net off her. “Don’t cry. There’s nothing to fear. We just want to have a chat with you. Maybe even have a little something to eat. How about that? It’s been weeks since we’ve had the pleasure of sitting down with someone as pretty as you. Aren’t you hungry?”

  “Y-yes. Y-y-you just want to talk?”

  “Of course. You didn’t have to run like that.” He reached out his hand to touch her. She cringed. “Don’t be scared. Let me check that cut on your cheek. We didn’t mean for you to get hurt.”

  Nimrod’s face was stoic as his dark eyes watched Scarf Guy comfort Annalise. His expression seemed to harden with each passing minute.

  “You just want to talk?” Annalise repeated as if she wanted to believe him.

  “Yes.” His cocky grin sent chills down my spine. “And maybe after you’ve had something to eat, we could have a little wine and a little—”

  Light gleamed off the blade’s sword as it sliced through the air and across Scarf Guy’s throat. The smile on his face froze even as he fell to his knees. Time seemed to still until finally his head fell forward, hitting the sand with a sickening thud.

  Annalise screamed, breaking the silence. Nimrod pushed Scarf Guy’s headless body off to the side and raised his bloodied sword again. I slammed my eyes shut, knowing what was going to happen and not wanting to see. I was a coward, and I hated myself for it.

  4

  I was burning. It was like the sun’s ray were aimed only on me, searing deep into my skin. I’d never felt such torture, but not even that could beat the agony in my chest.

  “It’s safe to get up now,” the stranger said.

  I should’ve felt relief when he lifted his heavy mass off me. I didn’t. The girl, Annalise, was dead, and I let it happen. Shame pinned me to the ground. I couldn’t even lift my head. I wanted the sun to burn me alive. I deserved it.

  “I let her die,” I mumbled. “I could’ve ran after her and got her attention. I could’ve taken her to the Sanctuary and called for Big John and the others. I could’ve hidden her in the mountains. I could’ve—”

  “What you would’ve done is killed everyone in the Sanctuary,” the stranger snapped.

  I curled my hands into fists, ready to tear a new one into the stranger. It was his fault that I hadn’t even had a chance to try. “You don’t know that!”

  My head snapped up. Impatient sapphire eyes met my furious ones.

  He was an angel. His skin radiated the same luminous glow, his brown hair hung in waves across his forehead and down the length of his neck. Brown-gold scruff lined his cheeks and sculpted jaw. Even though his body was taut and muscled like the other male angels, there was something different about him. He carried himself as if he were royalty. I didn’t like it.

  “Yes, I do. I don’t know who this Big John is, but I highly doubt he could beat Nimrod and his hunters. You don’t know the hunters and what they are capable of.”

  “I don’t—” The gall of this angel. I jumped to my feet. “I was here. I saw what they did. And you don’t know me or what my family and friends are capable of.”

  “I know the people in your village have very few weapons and the angels who watch over this place are not trained for battle. Not for the likes of the hunters. You should be thanking me for taking the time to save your life.”

  “Why you arrogant—thank you? Thank you?”

  “You’re welcome. Now, I have some business to attend to with Tovahiel.” He brushed sand off his clothing. “Take me to her.”

  “Excuse me? I don’t even know you.” I didn’t care if he knew Tovah’s angelic name. The only person I’d ever heard call her that was Big John.

  “Look, little girl.” With a scowl, he closed the distance between us, looming over me almost menacingly. “I don’t have time to argue with you. Take me to Tovahiel.”

  He was trying to intimidate me. It didn’t work when Lukas tried to pull that stunt, and it wasn’t going to work now.

  Pulling my shoulders back, I made myself as tall as I could. I caught a glimpse of my crossbow lying just behind him. “You can find her yourself.” I dashed past him, snatching up my bow.

  “Where are you going?”

  “To find the hunters.” It would be easy to follow their tracks. The only thing the hunters left was blood-streaked sand. Red smudges lined the ground as far as I could see. The least I could do was find Annalise’s body and give her a proper burial, and maybe kill a few hunters while I was at it.

  “I won’t allow it,” the stranger yelled after me.

  I barked a laugh and continued walking. “You’re not the boss of me.”

  I’d already broken Tovah’s command and crossed the boundary. I might as well continue and find out what else Lukas had lied to me about.

  “There is no way you can save the girl.” The angel placed himself in front of me. “Even if you’re strong enough to make your way through the desert and to the city—by the looks of you, you wouldn’t last an hour—there is no way you can save her. She belongs to the hunters now.”

  My hand itched to slap the arrogant expression when his words finally hit me. “Did you say ‘save her’? As in she’s still alive?”

  “I told you it’s not possible.”

  “It is possible if she’s still alive. Are you sure? I thought they stabbed her.”

  “They only wounded her enough to keep her from running away, but they didn’t kill her. Wait!”

  Before I could dart out of his reach, he grabbed my arm. “You can’t help her. She’s as good as dead.”

  “Let go of me. She’s still alive.”

  “There’s nothing you can do.”

  “I heard you the first time.” I tugged my arm.

  He leaned in close, his blue eyes blazing. “Obviously, you didn’t.”

  My nostrils flared as I stared him down. Or in my case, glared up at him. “I know you’re an angel. And by the looks of you, it’s obvious you could give those hunters a run for their money. But for some reason, you don’t want to. That’s your choice. I choose to do whatever I can to help her. So. Let. Me. Go.”

  He looked up at the sky, shaking his head, and then mumbled, “Do we have to save the humans in the process? Ungrateful beings.”

  “If I’m so ungrateful, then get your meaty paws off me. You can find Tovahiel and get on with your business.” I tried to pull away.

  “No.”

  “Let go!” I whacked his muscled arm with my bow. He didn’t even blink.

  “You’re a member of the Sanctuary. I’m not letting anyone out. There’s a reason Tovahiel forbid you all from going outside the boundary.”

  “You know about that?”

  “There are many things I know. And stop pulling, you’ll hurt yourself.”

  “I’ll stop if you tell me who you are and how you know so much about us.”

  He paused, thinking about it. “You won’t run?”

  “You have my word.” I was such a liar.

  “Fine. My name is Cade. The guardians know me as the archangel Cadriel.”

  “Oh, it’s nice to meet—” I lifted my free hand, stuck two fingers out, and jabbed him in the eyes. “You!”

  He jerked back, howling. I ran out of his reach as fast as I could. Placing my fingers in my mouth, I whistled for Mika, hoping she could hear me from this distance.

  There was a sudden rush of hot wind and the sound of flapping. Before I even passed the pool of blood where Scarf Guy literally lost his head, Cade, in all his archangel glory, landed in front of me.

  I staggered to a stop, astounded by the sight he made. He was stunning. With an impressive wingspan, he hovered shirtless above me, his wings fluttering softly. Every muscle of his lithe body flexed with each movement.r />
  “Does Tovahiel allow all humans to behave like this or is it just you?” He gazed down at me, the whites of his eyes red from my fingers.

  I placed my hand on my hips, satisfied to see him blinking and knowing even a puny human like me could take down an archangel, even if just for a couple of seconds.

  “Are all archangels selfish or is it just you?”

  “Selfish? Me?” He laughed, landing soundlessly on the sand and folding his wings inward. “Little girl, if you only knew.”

  Little… Protruding fingers went sailing through the air again.

  He caught my hand in midflight. Damn, he was fast.

  “While you are busy playing savior, I’m here to actually help save your kind. As we speak, the witch’s spell is wearing out. We have no time to waste.”

  “What are you talking about?” I didn’t know anything about spells or witches. There was nothing like that in the Sanctuary.

  “Tovahiel didn’t tell you?”

  “Tell me what?”

  “Hmm, maybe she only told the intelligent humans.”

  Resisting the urge to stomp my foot, I jerked the hand he didn’t hold up, aiming for his eyeballs again.

  “I’m tired of this nonsense.” Cade caught that hand, too, and spun me around. “Look.”

  I stared at the spot where the Sanctuary should’ve been. Poplar trees should’ve circled the fields. Small cottages should’ve sat at the foot of the mountain. But there was nothing but sand.

  The Sanctuary was gone.

  5

  I ran back to the spot where we had hidden. The patch of tall grass was still there, even the indentations of our bodies were still in the sand. But the trees and everything else was gone.

  “What did you do?” I stood there blinking, unbelieving. A hot wind gusted, sending sand over the grass. It covered it, wiping the last remaining evidence of the Sanctuary’s existence away.