The Forsaken(3)
Hushed but frantic gasps of fear caught at Isabella. She didn’t dare look at her Cherub sisters. Exiled to Earth, kicked out of the heavens; the harshest of penalties had been passed onto them. And here she thought because they were Cherubs they might be granted a reprieve.
Isabella had not cried when they whipped her. She had not shed a tear when her wings had been sliced off, but she cried now. “I beg thee…”
The Mistress turned back toward the Council. Isabella could have sworn she heard her say, “For the greater good, Isabella, thy will be done.”
Chapter One
The reek of rotting food filled his senses. Rancid juice seeped through his penance gown, making his butt wet and cold. The flimsy material did little to warm him or keep him clean. His first impression of the Earthly realm: disgusting!
Nathanael stood, automatically arching his wings to take more of his weight as he balanced precariously on the large garbage bags littering the Dumpster. Grimacing, he stumbled forward, falling fast and hard to the asphalt. He’d forgotten his wings had been removed.
He skidded on the hard pavement while his mind balked at the stench and at the unholy sight mankind had created on the Almighty’s blessed Earth. Blood oozed a golden hue from his ripped knees. While the alley was dark, his angel eyesight enabled him to see clearly. He shivered. Too bad I can’t regulate my body temperature. Earth is cold.
Standing, he braced his legs apart, moving into his warrior-training stance. What was I thinking? A gust of wind brought a pungent fecal odor straight to his nose, and then he remembered: make right the wrong to his intended mate so he could succeed. Simple, he’d boasted to his brethren, but as he stood on the hard ground of Earth, he wondered if that would be the case.
Deep in thought, Nathanael didn’t hear the men moving from the shadows of the alley until harsh hands pushed him down, grinding his nose and face into the oily slime from the nearby Dumpster.
By the blessed blade, I am a fool. Not only a fool, but now I’m covered in grime. Nathanael swore he heard his brethren laughing their collective asses off at him. That, more than being held down, angered him. Nathanael bucked back at his assailants. Shocked when he couldn’t dislodge their arms, he struggled more, twisting his body this way and that, seeking an opportunity to slip an arm free of their pin hold. Once free, he would plan his revenge. Plus, they were wasting his precious time. He no more wanted to be on Earth than be held down. Humans and heaven-born angels did not mix; that creed was certainly written down in one of the holy book held in the heavenly library.
He was Sere, used to fighting—but without the support of his wings, his body did not bend the way it should. Muffling a mouth full of obscenities that would have shocked his brethren, he bucked up again, forcing one man to let go.
“Looking for an easy target, are we, gentlemen?”
The lyrical voice stole through his brain, gut, and heart like a holy light. The woman’s words, soft in melody, boomed like liberating bells through his body. And he knew that heavenly voice must belong to the purest of angels, a Cherub. What is she doing here? Nathanael twisted his bloodied face, still pinned to the asphalt, until he could see the angel.
One man let go of him to swagger toward a young-looking woman. She stood her ground, wearing a costume that made her look anything but Cherub. She wore tight black pants that looked like a second skin. Brown boots that went up to her knees encased her calves and a black formfitting shirt that clung to her body stunned Nathanael. He could barely breathe. Cherubs, beautiful in their traditional, modest robes, did not hold a candle to this alluring teen taunting the men with her voice and dark-clothed body.
Her leather jacket billowed around her. She bowed, extending her long torso toward the man. The twinkle of her star-studded earlobes caught Nathanael’s eye, quickening his heart. She made her movements slow, appearing to welcome the man’s advance. She tossed her candlelight hair over her shoulder as she pivoted one foot behind, balancing in a warrior’s stance. Nathanael saw a throwing star gleam in her right hand and admiration rose through him. This Cherub could wield her voice to make the man do anything she wanted. Instead, she planned to teach him a lesson in humility.
Contorting his own body, Nathanael slid free of the other man’s hold. Without giving his opponent time to jump him again, he leveled a kick to the man’s midsection, noting at the last second the man’s eyes were an unholy green.
The woman didn’t spare him a second glance. “Get back from him. I’ll take care of this.”
Nathanael laughed. “I don’t think so.”
“And that’s your problem.” Disdain dripped from her prayer-perfect mouth.
In the glow from the streetlight, he made out a flirt of a smile as it sailed ever so briefly across her lips. Then she let loose her weapon. The six-pointed, polished-gold throwing star spun and sunk into the man who approached her with ease.
“Just stay out of my way. You are only going to get hurt more, Sere.”
Swifter than he anticipated, she doused the fallen man’s body. The man screamed; his human form dissolved into an oozy green gob of mess on the asphalt, making the alley stink of sulfur, telling Nathanael the woman had used holy water. The human had been demon-turned. How?
She somersaulted past him, the click of her heels the only warning as she used her momentum to go after the other man. Nathanael barely scooted out of her way. Another throwing star impacted the man’s large chest. Landing on both feet, she doused him with another vial of holy water while he sputtered in surprise. Nathanael knew how he felt. Women where he came from did not kill. The demon burst apart, air vaporizing into green puffs of sulfuric mist before falling to the ground. Nathanael watched in awe as she stuck her hand in the green muck to retrieve her weapon. Then she wiped it down and put it back somewhere on the back of her belt.