Fallen Angel Reclaimed: The Complete Series by Lacey Carter Andersen
20
Mark drovewith Tristan in the seat beside him. In the back, the woman sat silently, with her child’s head resting in her lap. The little girl slept, her tiny snores filling the car. Her face was still sticky from the ice cream she’d eaten earlier. It would’ve been easier to teleport, but Surcy needed to regain her strength, and they couldn’t risk waiting.
“I still don’t understand where you’re taking me,” the woman said, stroking her daughter’s tangled hair.
Mark stared out at the road, trying to decide how much to say. And how to say it. “There is only one place that Caine can’t reach. We’re taking you there.”
“And this… Caine. He’s the one who wants me dead?”
He nodded. “Caine is The Judge. The man responsible for deciding where each soul goes when it dies. But he wasn’t meant to have that kind of power. He’s abusing it in every way possible. The only way to restore the world back to a time of fairness is to find the gods and goddesses who are meant to make the decision.”
She frowned. “And you think I’m one of these goddesses?”
“We know you are.” Mark’s hands tightened on the steering wheel.
Her brows wrinkled. “I just… I can’t believe that a woman who’s never been loved by anyone is a Goddess of Love. Whatever the hell that is.”
Mark smiled. “There’s one person who loves you with her whole heart. I’m not sure anyone needs more than that.”
The woman looked down at her child, and the slightest smile tilted her lips up.
Tristan shifted in the chair beside him.
“What’s wrong?”
His gaze flickered to the sky.
It took Mark a second to understand. Are we being followed?
Angels, he mouthed.
Tristan shrugged his massive shoulders, but his jaw was clenched.
Crap.“Text Daniel.”
Tristan pulled out his phone and started typing. He sent messages and received messages over the next few minutes. At last, he set down his phone.
“What’s happening?”
Tristan sighed, loudly. “They have a plan to draw the angels to them instead.”
“A safe plan, or a Daniel plan?”
“What do you think?” Tristan muttered.
Our reckless brother can’t be too crazy with Surcy with him. Right?
Unwillingly, he smiled. Surcy had never been one to sit home quietly. She hated Daniel’s crazy plans, but she was always right there at his side. Mark wondered what she was thinking now.
Two hours later, they pulled off the main road and began the slow drive up the bumpy road. The dark woods had tried to swallow the tiny road over the years, but magic had carved out this path and wouldn’t allow the woods to reclaim it. When they came to the end of the road, Mark turned off the engine, praying that Daniel’s plan to distract the angels had worked.
“Where are we?” the woman asked, her voice loud in the darkness.
“This is as far as we can go by car. We're hiking to the top of this mountain.”
Tristan got out first, and a crisp wind surged in through the open door, catching Mark by surprise. He inhaled sharply and all the scents of green life hit him in a flash. Mark had to fight back the dark memories threatening to tug him under.
I can’t think of the past now. Not with the present looming over us.
Once he was out of the car, Mark helped the woman out. Tristan lifted the sleeping child and cradled her in his arms. The girl snuggled against Tristan's chest without waking.
Mark took the lead as they started up the path. The shadows were deep in the woods at night, but demons thrived in the dark. He took the woman’s hand and led her carefully over tangled roots and small plants. The necklace around his neck grew heavier with each step they took. A full, stunning moon filled the sky, so big and bright it was nearly blue.
When he was a child, he would have tried to touch a moon like this. He would have tried to pull it from the sky. Against his will, his mind went to his father.
Don’t think of him. Not yet.
But when he was surrounded by nature, it was nearly impossible not to. Every breath he took renewed him. His senses reached out and touched the plants and animals around them. His head felt clearer than it had in months and strength flowed within his blood.
The ancient woods of my youth are powerful.
And yet, as much as he loved this place, his visit here would be short. No matter that he served an important cause, his exile would have no end.
He moved faster. More sure. But forced himself to slow for the tired woman. He wanted to outrun the overwhelming feelings building within him, but no matter the distance, he couldn’t.
“Do you wish for us to go the rest of the way without you?” Tristan asked, his voice soft.
Mark took a painful breath. “No. I’m fine.”
As they continued forward, the shadows darkened. The trees grew bigger and thicker, full branches stretching far into the sky. This was a place of ancient magic, a place untouched by humankind for far too many years.
“Are we nearly there?” the woman asked, sounding out of breath.
“There’s still a long way to go,” Mark told her honestly.
“Then,” she huffed. “I need to take a break.”
The last thing Mark wanted to do was take a break, but he steered her to some boulders and sat her down. Tristan stood beside her, still holding the tiny girl. His expression was impossible to read in the darkness.
A tingle spread over Mark’s skin and he stiffened. He didn't see anyone as he looked around, but he knew something in the darkness watched them. “Do you feel that?”
“What?” Tristan asked, sounding confused.
“I don’t think we’re alone.”
Tristan was quiet for a long minute. “I don’t sense angels.”
Mark moved closer to his brother and the woman. “I don’t think they’re angels.”
Out of the darkness, a hundred red eyes flashed to life. The unmistakable scent of rotted death washed over him. He knew the creatures they faced. The guardians of the woods usually only attacked enemies.
He hadn’t realized that his father had identified him as an enemy, but now that he knew the truth, they had no chance at making it out alive.
