Angel Dreams (An Angel Falls Book 2) Page 15

  “Now, love. Go!”

  Just as I’m about to lift her up, she digs her heals into the floor and pushes herself backward. She slides across the hard floor until her back touches a wall. I don’t have time to react to her rejection. Travis’s movement from over by the altar distracts me.

  “What did you do to her?” I scream.

  “This does not concern you.”

  “Not good enough. What did you do!”

  Sounds reach me through the floorboards overhead. Someone’s moving around upstairs.

  “Corrine! Down here,” I yell.

  “No, no,” Travis says in a patronizing tone. “I don’t think so, angel. You’ve disturbed my life enough. It’s time for you to go away.”

  “I haven’t even started, you despicable little bastard.”

  Approaching this small guy, I’m not sure if I want to throttle him or bash his face in. Both have their appeal. He backs up a step, but otherwise, looks undisturbed. It infuriates me further.

  “You know what?” I say, and stop advancing on him. “You can fantasize in your slice of Hell all you want. Just leave Juliana alone.”

  He narrows his eyes at me, one of his favorite expressions. It only serves to enhance his impersonation of a mad rat about to attack. I turn my attention back to the one who matters, Juliana. She alternates between watching Travis and burying her face in her knees.

  “We’re out of here,” I say.

  “She won’t go,” he says to my back.

  My molars grind with hatred for this man, but I will not lower myself to his despicable level. I squat down in front of Juliana.

  “I’m going to carry you out of here now.”

  Behind me I hear Travis moving. I glance over to make sure he’s not about to stab me in the back. He pulls back a piece of fabric. It slides to the side, revealing a large mirror above his altar.

  “I release you. In the name of the unholy, enter now, my Night Terrors.”

  In a stream like black smoke, they come out of the mirror and into the room.

  I bend down to pick Juliana up. Now would not be soon enough to get us out of here. She’s shaking all over and cowers away from me.

  Before I have my arms around her, something attacks me from behind, wrapping me in an immovable cloak. Immediately I relinquish my body and slip from its grasp by twisting to the side. The thing is all black, very tall, and desperately evil. There’s a man’s tortured face somewhere inside, but it’s mostly hidden in shadow. There are others in the room. They circle around, never holding perfectly still. Some of them hover like ominous clouds over my head. I get a distinct impression they’re waiting to see what this big one is going to do before they move in on me. I think I’ve angered it, and it comes at me for a second time. Avoiding its grip, I slide out of its path, and then not wanting to be cornered, I duck past it to the opposite side of the room.

  This freak show game of cat and mouse is not what I had planned for today. I cut my eyes over to where Travis is. He’s watching the play from his altar and looks self-satisfied. He’s the one who brought this on and he’s the one who can stop it.

  “Call off your dogs, Travis.”

  “You need to learn some respect,” he says.

  “Respect for what?” I say incredulously. I dart out of the demon’s grip again.

  “For the powers you know nothing of. Consider this your free lesson in demonology.”

  “What is the matter with you?” I don’t know how long I can keep this up. When the thing touched me I could feel my energy draining almost instantly. If it touches me again, I may not have enough life force to even save myself, let alone be any help to Juliana, or Corrine.

  “Your ignorance is laughable. How dare you enter my sanctuary and make judgments over me.”

  His anger is rising, his tone is growing louder, and there’s a new fire behind his eyes.

  “You’re pathetic. A weak man who gets off on playing with himself in the dark,” I say trying to make him as angry as I can. With every maneuver I try to move closer to Juliana. It isn’t working though. The demons are nearly as fast as I am. The basement isn’t large enough and there are too many of them.

  From upstairs, I hear footsteps again and now there are voices. Someone other than Corrine is up there.

  “An angel that has no power. That is what is pathetic. Let’s see how you handle this,” Travis says. “Night Terrors, shred him to pieces.”

  Every shadow in the room closes in on me. As a last resort I had been planning on leaving by disappearing and then reappearing in another location. It is how I normally travel anyway. This calls for a last resort plan, I decide. Picturing the cars outside of the house, I expect to be there instantaneously, but nothing happens. I try again, but I can’t leave. Through the wraiths encircling me, I see and hear Travis laughing at me.

  The demonic creatures grab at me. They are everywhere, above, below and all around. I feel myself being torn apart. Sick hungry joy emanates from them as pieces of my soul are being ripped away.

  “Marcus!” I yell as loud as I can. Maybe my mentor is within earshot. If he is, then at least someone will know what happened to me. “Downstairs!” I scream to whoever can hear me. Please help Juliana get away from here, I silently plead as I lash out against black razor edged shadows.

  Nearby, I hear her sobbing. It fuels my efforts to escape from these evil beings. I fight back, trying to find any opening but there isn’t one. With the last ounce of my will, I call for help. “Heaven help us! Pure light and love find us now!”

  The shattering of pure brilliance is an explosion in the room, radiating from my core. The dark beings shriek and pull away. I hear thumping on the stairs of descending footsteps. Then a male voice calling, “Jules? Jules, where are you?”

  The light is complete. It is everything, and everywhere, blinding me and encapsulating me. I am no longer a separate being from this light. I am the light and it is me. Odd as it sounds, the feeling is not entirely disturbing. There’s a faint memory of being torn to pieces, and it still hurts, but not that bad. Below me is a dark and heavy place, and the impulse to be away from it is so strong. Stronger than anything I’ve ever felt before. But this encapsulating sun is guiding me to someplace far away. I think I want to go. It has to be better than the memory of the pain. Do I have a choice? I let it lead me farther away. My last clear thought before giving in completely to this radiant luminosity is simply, goodbye.

  Chapter Thirteen: Cleansing Blood and Bone

  Juliana

  “Jules, what are you doing down here? Get off the floor.”

  When I’m unable to respond to him, he shakes my shoulder.

  “What’s the matter with you?” he says, as my head bobs like a broken doll’s.

  “I, I, umm, I…” The shaking and sobbing is uncontrollable. The ability to speak and cry at the same time isn’t possible. I hide my face from my brother and let the tears fall into my lap. Misery at its best is unbearable, but at its worst, it’s debilitating.

  “You gotta get out of here, Jules. Patrick’s dad doesn’t look right. I’ll help you up.”

  Managing to nod my head at Jared takes every bit of my determination. A part of me I don’t recognize is desperate to crawl over to Travis’s feet and beg him to let me stay here and finish what we started. Jared moves to my side and awkwardly tries to lift me to my feet with his working arm. His left hand and arm are still in a cast from the incident at Castle Hill, but he manages. My body resists his efforts even as my mind wants to go with him. There seems to be no way of controlling the shuddering violence coursing through me. As I stand, I have to lean on Jared. The sobs continue as he half drags me across the basement.

  I take one last look at Travis as we start up the stairs. He’s standing in front of the oval mirror with his back to me. His full attention is on his hands as he makes a measured pour of some liquid into a basin on the top of the altar. Wracking sobs blur my vision, but I can see that the mirror doesn’t reflect
Travis’s image. Its surface is empty of any reflection. The feeling coming from the mirror is dense and icy. The demons which had come into the room had exited the same way. I’m afraid if I stare at the mirror too long, I’ll see them. And they will see me. I turn and bury my face against Jared’s side.

  As we leave the house, I have to hold the sides of my head again to help control the shaking. The urge to stay here almost overpowers me and I have to force my feet forward. Releasing my head, I cling to Jared like a life raft saving me from stormy seas.

  “Get a grip already, will you?” Jared says.

  A few feet from the house, I lose it altogether. Pushing Jared away, I fall to the ground in a heap, sobbing and clawing my way back toward the house. The gravel scratches my hands and the side of my leg, but I don’t care. Part of me wants to hide in the car and escape from this nightmare, and part of me needs to get back to Travis. He can fix my pain. He’s the only one who can stop this battle inside.

  “What the hell happened to you, Jules? I’m taking you to Mom. Where are the car keys?”

  “She’s fine,” Travis says from just inside the front door. “Leave her. We have business to finish.”

  The sound of his voice encourages me and I begin to climb off the ground. Jared grabs my upper arm and helps me to my feet. He doesn’t let go as I start toward Travis.

  “Get off, Jared,” I manage to say.

  “I’m gonna have to come back later,” Jared says.

  “It will not be here later. You’re not my only buyer, Jared. Give me the money and I’ll bring it out to you.”

  “Whatever, dude. Look at my sister. Did you give her something? What were you doing downstairs?”

  “I gave her nothing. She’s a girl,” Travis says as if this is an obvious answer.

  I hear the change in his tone as he tries to influence my brother’s reasoning by softening his voice.

  “You still want the hashish, don’t you? Help me out, and take it off my hands. There’s a car I need to go look at. I’m supposed to be there tonight.”

  “Yeah, Jar. Let’s go back inside,” I say, suddenly feeling stronger and less out of control.

  Jared looks from me to Travis and back to me. “What’s up with you, Jules? You’re acting really strange. Even for you.”

  “Shut up. My blood sugar’s low.”

  He’s giving me the dad look. One eyebrow is so high on his forehead it’s almost comical and the other one is down in derisive speculation. The bulge of his jaw muscle is what really makes him look like my dad though. I give a half-hearted tug on my arm to free myself. His grip doesn’t slacken. The longer he touches me the stronger and less freaked out I feel. I want to go inside. Jared can buy his drugs. Then Travis and I can finish what we started.

  “Did you smoke something with Travis?” he asks me.

  “No,” I say, defending myself. “If you’re going to though…”

  “No way. You were crazy last night. We’re leaving.”

  “No. I’m not done.”

  “Yes, you are!”

  Jared forces me to the car and stuffs me inside. He comes around to the other door and then climbs in.

  Travis walks over to the car. He stops in front of the hood, staring at Jared. “If you leave, don’t ever come back here.”

  I turn in my seat to watch my brother’s reaction. His good hand clenches the steering wheel, the knuckles turning white with strain. The bulge on the side of his jaw hardens even more and I wonder if he is about to crack his teeth. He drops his gaze to his lap for a second and then he reaches across his body and slams the door.

  I open my door to get out, but Jared is quick as he reaches over and slams it closed too, narrowly missing my foot.

  “You’re not even supposed to be driving with your cast on,” I say.

  “You weren’t so concerned yesterday.”

  “I left something inside,” I lie, and reach for the handle again.

  “Jules, open the door again, and regret it for the rest of your life.”

  His right hand opens and closes on the shift knob between us as if flexing his muscles fuels his determination.

  “What do you care? I need to grab something inside,” I try again.

  “You, you, you. What happened to you, Jules? You’re being a selfish little snit. I’m taking you to Mom. You don’t even care how you’ve screwed up my day.”

  “I haven’t done anything. In fact, I want you to buy the hash. I could use a good buzz right about now.”

  “That’s it,” Jared says, and turns on the car.

  Damn. I left the keys in the ignition.

  Travis had already gone back inside. The void left by his absence is an empty cavity inside my chest. The feeling is unreasonable and unexplainable. Suddenly, everything that happened in the basement rises up to the surface and the pain is back. As Jared backs out of the drive, the misery takes hold of me. It cinches my chest and constricts my throat. The building pressure behind my eyes lets loose and the tears stream out. Something terrible has happened. I know it in my soul, and yet I don’t know what it is exactly. I’ve lost something precious, not something, more like some… Jared barges in on my nearly completed thought.

  “Cut the crap. Seriously, Jules, the tears aren’t going to work on me. You can save it for someone who buys B.S.”

  “Jared,” I choke out in total agony. Inside, I’m desperate to tell him something awful has happened, but I just can’t get it out. My head begins to vibrate and convulse. I have to hold myself by wrapping my arms around my head as tight as I can. It barely helps.

  “Something’s wrong with you. Really wrong.” He stares hard at me, his brow furrowed with concern.

  All I can do is sob and weep, and try to keep my head from coming off.

  Jared shifts the car into a higher gear. “Change of plans, Jules.”

  ∞

  Clack, clack, clack. The sound hammers on the inside of my skull. He does it again, wood smacking against wood. It’s so close to my head that I bury my face deeper into Jared’s shirt trying to muffle the intrusion. He’s pounding on someone’s screen door while cradling me against him. The edge of his cast digs into my back as we wait for someone to answer. The noise and discomfort seem trivial though, compared to the pain swimming around inside me.

  I hear the inner door swing open, but don’t bother to look. Jared can ditch me anywhere. What difference does it make?

  “Good. You’re here. Bring her inside.”

  Jared steps over the threshold.

  The male voice commands, “You, stay outside.”

  Jared mumbles, “Huh?”

  “Forget it. We’ll deal with it later. Follow me?” the man says.

  Jared settles me higher against his chest. My foot bumps into something solid, probably a wall, as he carries me through the house. “I thought you were kidding last night.”

  “I thought you were too high to remember what I said.”

  “Nah, I remembered. Didn’t think it was real though,” Jared says.

  The other voice is familiar. I’m afraid to look at who it is. It’s as if every time I’m near any men, I become something totally different. I can’t control what I’m doing, or saying, and the need to be near them is overpowering. If they want me sexually, I’m completely lost. At least with the crying and the shaking, I can feel the real me — as miserable as that is. Even being near my brother, I start to morph into someone unrecognizable.

  “What has she been doing over the last twenty hours?”

  “Pissing me off,” Jared says bluntly.

  “Obviously. But what else?”

  Before I hear what Jared has to say about my behavior, the man interrupts.

  “Put her down here. Then don’t touch her unless I say to.”

  With a gentleness so unlike his earlier treatment of forcing me into the car, he lays me down on a stiff surface. The room we’re in is brighter and the light penetrates through my lids. I turn my head away from the sound of the
ir voices and then cover my face with my hands. The uncontrollable shakes have stopped, but the sniffles continue to make my chest heave.

  “Why can’t I touch her?” Jared asks.

  “She feeds on male energy. You carrying her has strengthened her. Look at her.”

  The feeling of their visual inspection irritates me. How dare they treat me like a specimen.

  The man’s voice is familiar. And so strong. Not in tone, but more like Travis’s. It’s an inner strength. My hands slide back and my eyes begin to flitter open. Who is talking about me when I’m right in the room? Some arrogant asswipe, that’s who.

  Recognition comes in the next instant. As does violence. The surge is so compelling my body jerks upright.

  “Noooo!” I shriek. “You get away from me!”

  Scrambling off the cot my eyes search for a way to get out of the room.

  Chris Abeyta, the medicine man, steps in front of a door, blocking my exit. “I think we’ll have to restrain her,” he says to Jared.

  “Are you serious?”

  “Unfortunately, yes. And it’s not going to like it,” Chris says.

  “It? I thought you said she’s been captured by a she-demon.”

  There’s a hallway across the room and to my right. I’m in his sunroom and workroom. Organized clutter is everywhere. Chris stands between me and the back door. I’ll go the other way then.

  Chris anticipates my plan.

  Before I take my first step he says, “Get her back on the cot, Jared.”

  “I’m not sure I can tie up my sister,” he says.

  I take that as my cue, and sidestep toward the hallway. Jared doesn’t grab me, but he does move in front of me.

  “Jules, convince me you’re not possessed and I’ll consider moving.”

  “Christ, Jared! I don’t know what you’re talking about. Move it, or I’ll castrate you in your sleep.”

  It’s the wrong choice of words. I guess I should have thought this through a little better. He body blocks me, lifting me off my feet, and over his shoulder. I pound on his back and kick at his nuts for the two seconds it takes for him to dump me back on the cot.