Fallen Angel Reclaimed: The Complete Series by Lacey Carter Andersen

6

Surcy pulledDaniel and the woman with her to the ocean, erasing her teleporting trail, so that the angels couldn’t follow them. When she felt sand beneath her feet, she was breathing hard from the exertion. Opening her eyes, she stared at a sea of brilliant blue waters.

Her gaze moved to look all around them. White sands stretched out in the other directions. Empty of any kind of intelligent life.

Thank goodness, we’re safe!

Daniel sank from her shoulders, falling onto the ground. She looked down at him, her fingers itching to comfort him, but he forced a grim smile.

“Don’t worry, I’m fine.”

Of course that’s what he’d say while bleeding everywhere.

Deep down she knew he’d heal, but he didn’t have to act like it was nothing more than a scratch. She longed to ease his pain, if only by a little bit.

But I doubt he’d let me.

And then, she heard someone gasping. Turning to the old woman, she saw that Mertal was grabbing her chest, dragging in deep breaths, her eyes wide in panic.

Please, no…

“Are you alright?” Surcy asked, hesitantly touching the woman’s shoulder. Hoping she was just terrified after shooting a man, seeing a fight, and being teleported by an angel.

A terrified human I can handle. A curse? Not so much.

But this was not just terror. Mertal continued to gasp and grab her chest, her gaze growing more distant with each passing second.

Something was wrong, and Surcy had no idea how to fix it.

“What do we do?” she asked, but when she turned to Daniel, he’d passed out in the sand.

Panic clenched her heart. “Mark said you’d be fine, if we just took you here, so why aren’t you?”

Surcy didn’t understand, and her head felt light. The sun’s rays seemed to grow more intense overhead as she struggled to decide what to do.

The old woman collapsed, her knees sinking into the wet sands along the shore. Her face growing paler. Her eyes closing.

“What do I do?” she asked again, looking around. But for the first time, she found herself with no one to guide her. Should – should I teleport us back?

No, they’d be right back in the angel’s hands, but she couldn’t just let Mertal die either.

Taking Mertal’s hand, she knelt down. “I don’t know what to do. You’re some kind of goddess. Taking you here should have saved your life, but I don’t know what else to do.”

Mertal coughed and struggled to speak. “At… least… I got to see… the ocean.”

Surcy looked from her to the water. Some instinct she didn’t understand kicked in, and she swept the woman into her arms. Carrying her out into the water, she continued moving until the waves reached her chest.

The older woman smiled. Her breathing slowed. “I’m in the water. It feels… as good as I always imagined. After all of my dreams about the water, none of them compared to this.”

She smiled, grateful the water seemed to be helping the human.

And then, Mertal grabbed the seashell around her neck. “Let me go!”

Surcy frowned. “But—“

“Let me go!” And now, her voice held power.

Surcy obeyed, releasing the woman. Mertal sank beneath the water. Waves crashed over them, and Surcy lost sight of her under the water. When the foam cleared, the older woman was gone.

Her heart sank. “Mertal? Mertal!”

Looking around herself in a panic, she dove beneath the waves. Over and over again she searched, but there was no one to be found. Time stretched out, and still, there was no sign of her.

Staring in fear at the beach, she saw that the waves had reached Daniel. Stomach turning, she slogged through the water and onto the beach. Dragging Daniel further from the water, she stroked his hair while he lay in her lap. Then, pulled back his shirt to see his wound. Already the skin was pulling together, and the bleeding had stopped.

You’ll be back to yourself in no time.

And yet, she had lost the goddess they’d worked so hard to save. She felt sick, her stomach twisting and turning like a wild animal.

I’ve got to go back and get Mark and Tristan.She just hoped she could grab both of them and safely escape.

Something splashed in the water. Stiffening, she sat up and looked out at the waves. There was nothing… and yet, she’d seen something.

Another splash, and this time she was sure she’d seen a tail.

Gently setting Daniel’s head in the sand, she stood and walked back to the edge of the water. A minute later, a woman rose above the waves. Her hair was the color of the sun’s rays, and her eyes were the shade of a clear ocean. Her shoulders were bare, and her skin pale. She hummed with power.

An immortal creature.

Surcy moved closer, as if compelled by a force more powerful than herself. When she nearly reached the woman, she saw the seashell necklace hanging around her throat.

“Mertal?” she whispered.

The woman smiled. “Mertal… yes, that was my human name. The name I held when I was imprisoned.” She swam closer until she was only a foot from Surcy. “But that’s not who I am. I’m the Goddess of the Ocean, Queen of the Merpeople.”

Surcy’s eyes widened. “A mermaid?”

She flicked her tail, and her blue and green scales sparkled in the morning light. “Does an angel truly not believe in mermaids?”

Surcy felt her cheeks heat. “I’m sorry, my queen.”

The mermaid inclined her head in the most regal way imaginable. “Thank you. Thank you for returning me to the waters and bringing back my memories.”

She looks so happy. Too bad she can’t stay here.

Surcy stiffened at the thought and took a deep breath before speaking. “Caine and his followers will come for you again. There’s a sanctuary we need to take you too.”

The queen reached out and touched her cheek, her hand ice cold against Surcy’s skin. “I will never leave the waters until I return to my throne in Zudessa. But take heart, we will be prepared for Caine this time.”

Surcy nodded, her words caught in her throat.

“You have no idea what it was like to slowly die in a mortal shell, far from my waters. It wasn’t just my body that faded with each day, so did my connection to the ocean. Caine sought to break it from me and take my powers. Over many lifetimes he tried various ways to take my powers, but he didn’t know how. This time, he understood. That should frighten you and your demons. Somehow, Caine has figured out the secret to stealing our gifts. Each of us is different, but this is the lifetime I think he may be successful.”

Surcy swallowed the lump in the back of her throat. “Thanks for the warning.”

The mermaid dropped her hand and smiled. “You’re lucky you’re no longer under his control. Even though I can feel your heart aches at the loss of your wings.”

Surcy felt her heart give a painful squeeze.

“Believe me,” the mermaid said, sinking into the waters. “Nothing is worth the price of your freedom.”

She swam away, her beautiful tail flicking the water as she dove and played within it. Surcy held her breath, transfixed by the power of the Immortal. She was so lovely, and her happiness at being back where she belonged seemed to radiate from within her.

She’s happy.

Surcy envied her. She still had no idea where she belonged.

Reality came sweeping back to her, and she turned back to the shore. Walking out of the water, she checked on Daniel one more time, then took a deep breath. She needed to snag her demons and teleport back as quickly as she could. And this trip had already taken far longer than she’d planned.

Hold on, boys, I’m coming.

The world shimmered around her as she returned to the desert. Her soul-blade leapt into her hand as she appeared where she’d left her angels and demons… only, the angels were gone. And so was Mark. Only Tristan remained, his expression grim.

“What—?”

“They took Mark,” Tristan said, his tone one of complete disbelief.

“Why?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know, but I think they were after him all along.”

After Mark? That doesn’t make sense. What could they possibly want from him?

She closed her eyes and felt for the angel’s trail. The one that would tell her where they had teleported to, but they’d erased it, as expected.

Opening her eyes, she tried to hide her terror. “I can’t sense where they went, so what do we do now?”

“Bring me to Daniel and the goddess.”

She reached out and took his hand.

His large hand felt warm and comforting as he squeezed hers. “Everything will be okay. Mark is tougher than he appears.”

She hoped so, because she was beginning to realize something horrible. Caine and his angels didn’t seem to know how to be merciful. That wasn’t good, not when they’d taken the demon she was growing to care for.

Please be okay, Mark. Please. We’re coming as fast as we can!