Airs & Graces (7 page)

“What form should it take?” My inquiry was honest, but found myself being glared at from under the same chestnut locks I was just told not to stare at.

“Well,” the waitress began, “That depends on how long you two have been going out. What can I get you?”

“I’ll have water and a house salad, no dressing.” We looked at Adelaide expectantly, but she seemed stuck with a look that I didn’t recognize on her face.

Finally she blurted out, “We’re so not going out!”

The waitress looked at me nervously. “Okay, what can I get you?”

Adelaide shook her head and looked back down at the menu. “Right, uh eggs. Sunny side up and a side of toast. Dry, no jam.”

Given the waitress’ apparent nervousness, I was impressed at how she excused herself in a professional manner, as if extracting herself from a dangerous situation. The social tension would have to wait, seeing as there was important reading to be done.

Adelaide was clearly looking down in the direction of the book, but she was no longer turning pages. It became apparent she wasn’t reading at all when she looked up at me, shrugged, and said, “I don’t even find you attractive.”

“Is there something in the journal that requires you find me attractive?” This only seemed to aggravate her more. I tried to peek over the top of the book to see what section she was on.

She snapped the book shut. “Never mind. I have to go to the ladies’ room.” She scooted out of the booth and headed toward the sign that said ‘Bar.’

The table to my left caught my attention, when I figured out they were laughing and commenting on the situation at mine. They were all teens, two boys, two girls, all in variations of essentially the same thing: flannel, piercings, and tattoos.

“She’s totally into you, dude,” their blond-boy-alpha-apparent said. They must have caught my confusion, because everyone started laughing again.

“You’re totally clueless, aren’t you?” One of the girls, this time. I didn’t like it, but wasn’t entirely sure what they were talking about. She shook her head and smiled. “Just don’t be surprised when she keeps getting mad at you for what’s going to seem like no reason then.”

“Don’t envy you, dude,” said the brown-haired boy.

They got my attention off the journal long enough to figure out what they meant. If it was true, and Adelaide did have feelings for me, we were in trouble. I’d have to do something.

As Adelaide returned from whence she went, I stood and left money on the table. I intercepted her by putting my arm around her waist and walking her out the front door.

“What…” She trailed off when she felt how urgent my movements were. I led her around the corner and then pushed her up against the wall.

“Whoa!” She put her hands up, and I waited for her to push me, but she didn’t. I put my right hand in her hair and leaned forward. She stopped breathing. As I leaned into her, she was paralyzed, unable to move. When I was very close to her, I spoke in a low tone.

“It is important to me that you know what we’re doing here and how critical it is that we succeed.”

She swallowed and started breathing, as I continued. “The fate of your entire planet hangs in the balance, and your personal feelings cannot get in the way. I did not come here to date you, or fall in love with you, or have any part in your life. I came here to pull the Grace from your being and send you back to your life. I came here to stop Heaven or Hell from spilling out on your world. Do you think ‘Judgment Day’ is a happy day? It is not. Many, many, people will die. That is why I am here, and for no other reason. Am I being absolutely clear?”

She looked up at me, her eyes hardening. “Are you done?” she asked. “‘cause if you’re done we need to get something clear. You’re pretty to look at, Tab, but ever since you came into my life, it’s been one shit storm after another. You know what? Seriously, you need to get the fuck off me.” She pushed me and slipped out from under my arm stepping just out of my reach.

“You keep saying that you want to pull this Grace shit outta me and send me back to my life, but what fucking life? Are you going to fix the cops and the fact that my boss,
my friend
, is dead for me too?” She stared at me accusingly. I said nothing.

“Yeah, I didn’t think so. I get what this means, and I am trying to be a good girl and follow orders here but it’s hard when you act like such a goddamned douche.”

She didn’t seem to be interested romantically in me, so I leaned back. “How I treat you isn’t an issue here. If you’re willing to let yourself die, let your planet die because you’re offended, then that’s your choice. That’s the whole reason I’m here is to give you a
choice
. Without me, they’re the ones that choose your destiny. I suggest you focus on that. As to your life…”

I stopped talking because I didn’t have an answer. I thought maybe a second of silence would allow me time to think of one. I was wrong. “I’m sorry about your life. All we can do is look to the road ahead.”

“Whatever.” She stopped herself from saying more and looked away. “Whatever.”

“Let’s go get your car back.” This made her look back up at me.

“I thought you said – ”

“I know what I said,” I interrupted. “And now I’m saying this.” I started walking down the street, adding to no one in particular, “Besides, I need to speak with Michael.” I had to know for sure.

The bus ride was silent, and she sat on the aisle across from me. She didn’t look at me once, appearing to be lost in her own thoughts. Once we got off the bus, I tried to go over the plan with her, but she didn’t communicate with me unless she had to. By the time we reached frat row, I could only hope that she understood the directions I had given her. From my hiding place I watched her walk, keys in hand, to her car. I could see Raphael move toward her, then pull back, fearful it was a trap. He had every right to be. It was, in the end, Michael that approached her, and I slammed into him from the side within a foot of her.

Adelaide was startled but didn’t drop the keys. I had told her it was very important that she not drop the keys. Michael was keeping us in real time, so it looked like two people struggling on the front lawn. I used my power to keep the others at bay, while I struggled with Michael. It was all a matter of leverage, and Michael had none. The Earth was where I started from. It was my center of gravity, and my power was designed to keep his influence Heaven-ward. They all struggled against me, but I could hold them for long enough for Adelaide to get away, and he knew it. This is why he let her see the struggle, or more importantly, hear it.

“Have you told her what she’s preventing, Tabbris?” I pushed harder, trying to keep him off balance so that Adelaide could get away. “Have you told her what your plans for her are? Did you tell her that you contemplated killing her, even planned it?”

It was clear to me what he was trying to do, and it was working. Adelaide stopped. She didn’t turn around, because I’d warned her of what an Archangel could do if she looked him in the eyes. I could see, however, that she paused deliberately, to allow Michael to go on.

“I told her what you planned to do, to slaughter millions.” I shifted and let him take a step forward as if I were weakening. He didn’t take the opportunity to push, only to lean closer to Adelaide, to make himself heard.

“Only the unrighteous, the damned, and the evil! It seems to me that the Earth could use a few less of those. Is she willing to give her life so that darkness can swallow the sky and the Fallen can claim the planet?” I shifted again, putting my back to Gabriel. I needed to see where he stood in this exchange. Happily, he didn’t push.

“Don’t listen to him, Adelaide. Drive.” She turned her head but didn’t look at me.

“You can all go to hell,” she intoned, and with purpose, she opened the door and closed it. I heard her start the car.

“I can’t let her go.” Michael pushed his influence toward me with all his might, and his brothers aided him. He fell for my ruse of weakness as I’d hoped he would. Powerful and professional, he was also the strongest of the Archangels, and that leads to just the slightest bit of overconfidence.

As my back bowed and I strained against him, I looked up into his eyes. “With all due respect, brother, you don’t have a choice.” The surprise on his face may have signed a death warrant for me in Heaven, but it was truly worth it. A wave of my hand and a couple of holy words, and I completed a rejoining spell, calling all of the present hosts of Heaven to the frat house sanctuary. Of course, I was pulled to the target destination myself, drawn halfway across the lawn in an instant, but unlike the others, I was expecting it, and had a few moments to get away while they were disoriented.

I used that moment, and got as far away as I could, before one of them just pulled me back via the same effect. They’d know I wasn’t going to just abandon her, so I’d need to keep moving. I’d caught Michael off-guard twice now, with regard for individual lives being something of a blind-spot for him, but my luck would run out eventually.

Adelaide’s car was obfuscated from their vision by powers I’d used unseen in the darkness; she would be safe from their detection for a while, but that hardly meant safe in general. I waited, worried, for the longest time. I had an uncanny appreciation for how time seems longer in certain circumstances. This was one of them. The parking lot of the church we were supposed to meet at was quiet and empty, glistening with recent rain from the lights of nearby houses. There was no car, and there was no Adelaide.

I feared that they had been smarter than I and thought of a way to track her. Then my thoughts turned to Demons and the Fallen. If they had Adelaide, there wouldn’t be enough for the Archangels to put together again. Finally I had to know, so I broke a rule of mine and started looking. If I was spotted, the Archangels would know exactly how to find her through my spell, so I had to find someplace that they wouldn’t see me. Alone and still injured, I went looking for a den of self-serving and self-indulgence. It was then that I noticed I was being followed. I stopped at a street corner, as if waiting for the traffic to subside. Not that there was much. The stranger stepped up to my left, and I immediately knew what was going on.

“Hello, Tabbris,” he opened. He was presenting himself physically as a blond man in his thirties. “It’s been a while since we talked.”

“There’s a reason for that.”

He smiled at my answer. “Yes, I suppose there is, but I bear you no ill will. After all, you’re just doing your job.”

“Job. Yes, that’s one way to put it.” I still didn’t turn to him. I kept my eyes out for more tangible threats.

“Oh, so you don’t work for Him anymore? I didn’t see that memo go by my desk.” He let out a small chuckle. “Wouldn’t that be great? Imagine, you, here, doing what you do best with no one pulling your strings.”

“Strings?” I turned toward him, fully aware that he would realize that I found the expression offensive.

He held up a single, gloved hand. “Oh, well, I don’t retract my question. How about I rephrase it: without His interference?”

“I can endure His interference.” My answer was short and to the point. “You have nothing to bargain with. You have no mercy, so you can’t tell me you’ll spare anyone. You have no restraint, so you can’t tell me you’ll accept anything less than full dominion. Finally, you have no honor, so no matter what you tell me, I can’t believe that you will uphold your end of the bargain. We have nothing to discuss.”

As I started across the street away from him, he called to me. “Sounds like you’ve been listening to their propaganda too long, Tabbris. Toeing the party line?”

I paused long enough to look back, I knew he could see my wings. “I think you can guess how well I’m toeing the party line right now.” With that, I walked into the night to try to find peace from both sides long enough to find Adelaide and see why she didn’t make it to the church.

Chapter Three

Adelaide

I watched Tab hold Michael back from me and made it a point to stare at the Archangel’s mouth and no higher. Tab had warned me not to look into his eyes, and even though I was pissed at him, he was still the best line I had on all of this mystical bullshit. I opened my door and listened to the Archangel spout off about Tab planning to kill me or some such. I waited to hear Tab deny it, but he never did… he just told me not to listen to Michael and drive. I’d had it with the entire lot of them.

“You can all go to hell,” I said and got into my car, shutting the door firmly behind me. For the first time in what felt like a week, I was me. I know it was only because I was angry, but you know what? So fucking what; I was out of there. I started my car and put her in gear, pulling smoothly onto the street and leaving the entire lot of them to rot.

I was supposed to go to Saint Mark’s at the north end of Capitol Hill and rendezvous with Tab, but I was torn… Jesus fucking Christ, these Angels and Demons were so fucking busy with their goddamned power struggle… I swallowed hard and tried to hold onto that pissed-off feeling, but it was starting to fizzle out on me. You can only stay pissed for so long before the hurt crept in. I hit I-5 south and checked my fuel gauge. I had almost a full tank. I needed to think. I needed to figure out exactly what role I would play in this, or if I could figure out a way out. It was becoming hard to think around Tab. He was such a damned tour de force, unreadable as all get out, nice enough one moment and a total prick the next… I didn’t get him, but outside the diner, that had been extra special.

“I did not come here to date you, or fall in love with you, or have any part in your life. I came here to pull the grace from your being and send you back to your life…” all while knowing my life had been burned to ash and was blowing across Alaskan Way and out into Elliot Bay. It was stupid to think he gave a shit about me. He was just like all the rest: Angel, Demon or Fallen… hell every friend I had ever had, and even my own mother. They were all the same, wanting what they could get out of me without any care at how it made me feel and without really giving much of their emotions in return. Expecting me to take all these personal risks, make all the sacrifices, while they all stayed safely locked up in their high towers.