A Terrible Fall of Angels (Zaniel Havelock #1)(23)
The power flowing from Gimble’s hand to me pulsed. I felt it flow into my hands where they touched the door and I prayed again, silent this time, but I knew that God could hear me, and the angelic being using Gimble as its doorway would hear it, too.
St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil; May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; And do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God, thrust into Hell Satan and all evil spirits who wander through the world for the ruin of souls. Amen.
“Ask for your own safety, too, Havoc.” This was Gimble’s voice, his frown jarring in that freckled face of his.
I added out loud, “Keep me safe as I save this woman. Help me defeat my enemies and those that harm the innocent.”
Gimble smiled at me stupidly happy, and for just a second I saw stars in his eyes. “Tell her she will be safe, and it will be so.” And that wasn’t his voice again. It reminded me of the demon and Mark Cookson, but I kept that from the front of my thoughts and the angelic energy didn’t remark on it, so I could still hide my thoughts even now. I guess I hadn’t lost all my skills, even the ones that I wasn’t supposed to learn.
“Kate, come to the door so I can see where you are.”
“Don’t you move!” the demon roared.
I heard her whimper.
“You cannot touch her,” I said.
The roar sounded again, and then it was Mark’s voice. “What’s happening? Why can’t we touch her?”
“We’re outgunned.” The demon’s voice was disgusted.
“You’re a demon! Do something!”
“Kate, come where I can see you.”
“Why?”
“We’re going to open the door.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
You said the door was stuck,” she said.
“We have . . . we can open it now, but I have to see where you are so the door doesn’t . . . so opening it doesn’t accidentally hurt you.” I shut out the image that went with that warning. I shoved it back down into the dark hole of my soul, where all the sins and horrors I’d experienced stayed.
I heard movement and the demon’s two voices started arguing. The younger one wanted to grab her, fuck her, or kill her at least, and the older one, the real demon, was trying to explain that the girl was off-limits in this moment.
Kate appeared at the door, one arm trying to cover as much of her body as she could; her other arm was held awkwardly at her side, not moving much with the dislocated shoulder. The demon had ripped the hospital gown off her. I hoped that was the worst he’d done, but one problem at a time. Save the life first, save the rest later.
“Step that way, stay along that wall,” I said, motioning with my head, because my hands were on the door. I felt that pulse of power as Gimble laid his other hand on me, so that a hand sat on both of my shoulders and suddenly I felt them—wings. Wings so tall and huge that they went through the ceiling and through the floor, spread out around my human body like I was a child trying to wear my father’s clothes. They rose up white and shining, edged with silver and shot through with gold, so beautiful. If they’d been a physical weight it would have dragged me over like a turtle stuck on its back, pinned to the earth by the weight of the glory at my back. Tears started down my face as I put my hands against the door and pushed. I knew the door would move for me, I knew it would open, because for this moment I had been granted the strength of the angel whose wings rose like a halo around me. Nothing so fragile as a door could stand against me. And just like I had at sixteen, I pushed too hard.
The door cracked, splintering, over half of it spinning into the room. If Kate had still been on the bed or just behind the door, she’d have been in its path and she would have died. I shoved the memory of another moment like this down, back into the hole inside me where all the sins lived. I could not let them weaken me now. A sinner forgiven by God cannot be anything but strong. The wings at my back flared, flexing as if we would fly with them, and I reached my hand out to Kate. Her hand wrapped around mine and I pulled her out of the room with Gimble at my back as if he held the angel wings in place like a costume that wasn’t fastened down yet.
Kate threw her undamaged arm around me, but there wasn’t time. The demon rushed the splintered doorway. I pushed Kate into the hallway behind us. I felt the thrill of power as she stumbled through the wings. She reached up as if she felt something and then I planted my foot and braced for impact. The demon filled my physical vision, but the inside of my head was full of shining light laced with gold and silver finer than any that would ever hold a ring. My fear was gone, washed away by the light.
“I command you to leave this body in the name of God and all the angels.” I said it confident that the words with the power at my back would stop the demon.
The demon hesitated and then it laughed, staring down at its taloned hands as if surprised they were still there. “Too late, angel boy, this body’s mine.” The talons slashed at me again, going for my throat, and only the quickness of angels let me block his arm with mine and block his other arm as it came for my heart.
“Havoc, get down!” Charleston yelled from behind me.
I dropped to my knees, trying to roll away, but the wings were in the way, and Gimble was there. “Down!” Charleston shouted again.