Falling from the Darkness (Brotherhood of Angels Series Book 3) Read online

  He had thought she was lost in Outer Darkness. That’s where Chase had believed her to be. She was the reason Aiden and Chase had been apart for three centuries. Chase wanted the prophecy to go forward so he could see her. But she wasn’t there! Aiden had to find Chase and tell him. They could be together now.

  And then, there was the other question of, how did Jestiah end up in Tealsdor?

  It was as if the entire world had been holding secrets from him his whole life. But for what cause? He wasn’t sure who was for the prophecy and who was against anymore.

  And his mom… He didn’t even know what side she was on.

  But, if Jestiah’s memories were real, then she was alive. She was in Tealsdor. And, with any luck, she might have a small amount of sanity left for him to save.

  Aiden tried to swallow the dry lump in his throat. He worried about the genuine authenticity of Jestiah’s memories. He had been lost in Tealsdor, that Aiden was certain, but what about the part of Elana? Was it just a trick of the mind played on Jestiah while wandering around in the layer?

  But, if it was true, then it would explain how he came to have the box.

  Aiden slipped the box into his holster snuggled up next to the tablet. There was so much more to this than just a single memory. He would have plenty of questions for the angel when he awoke.

  ~~~

  Aiden’s hand slipped down off his face and he jerked awake. He couldn’t remember how long he’d been sitting there waiting for Jestiah to wake up.

  Long enough to fall asleep.

  Loreans didn’t need rest, just like they didn’t need food, but Aiden’s energy was waning under the constant light, making him tired.

  He slipped from the chair and walked away from the small bedside table, stretching his back as he paced the floor.

  Aiden glanced at Jestiah. He was still unconscious.

  Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to rummage through his memories again to see his mother? One more hit wouldn’t hurt.

  Traipsing to the platform, Aiden gripped the side of the bed. He was torn with what to do. Still grasping the bed, he bowed over, lowering his head.

  He groaned. It was a plea for some unknown being to help him. He felt so alone. Carrying the weight he’d been burdened with for so long collapsed on him. He wanted to see his mother. He wanted his brother.

  Why wasn’t Chase there? He needed him.

  Tears filled his eyes, leaking down his cheeks, dripping off his chin. “Argh.” He sniffed the tears back the best he could and sucked in a long calming breath. “I can’t do this.” He shook his head. “I can’t do this.”

  His breathing hitched in ragged gasps as he fought to control himself. Now was not the time to fall apart.

  Letting go of the bed, he stood and walked to his seat, resuming his watch over Jestiah. He wished the angel would wake up already, he had questions that desperately needed answers. Like, how long had Jestiah and Elana been trapped in Tealsdor. And, was she still there?

  The slight chill he felt earlier slipped through the room, brushing over his skin like an old friend. Aiden stood and peeked out the window, but nothing was amiss. No one outside seemed to notice.

  Maybe he just imagined the feeling?

  A strong pulse in the air gripped him like a tight glove. Nope. He wasn’t imagining it.

  Then, it was gone again. Like it never happened.

  Sitting back down, Aiden was no longer tired. But every nerve was heightened, aware of his surroundings. It was hard to imagine Jestiah being the one behind the sensations.

  Maybe Jestiah had served as a distraction. Something wasn’t right – the motto of his existence – and Aiden didn’t know just how far he’d be expected to carry through with his plans.

  Aiden watched the unconscious lorean, while leaning back in his seat. Why wasn’t Jestiah awake? What could have happened to place him in such a deep sleep that no one could wake him?

  Was Aiden in danger of losing his mind if he dug deeper into the subconscious of the tampered-with lorean?

  Chapter Five

  Aiden rolled his head, trying to work out the kinks in his neck. He’d been sitting beside Jestiah for the better part of the day.

  Did angels have stress? If so, Aiden had more than his share.

  He glanced over to Jestiah. He was still breathing, but that was about it. He wasn’t going to make it if they couldn’t find a healer who could help him. The ones in Nevaeh had no idea what to do. Healing loreans weren’t in great demand. The power was from long ago that only a select few loreans were even born with. They were created for the war that divided the layers, healing loreans injured in battle, but since then, they have been deemed less than useful.

  Not diving back into Jestiah’s mind was hard for Aiden. He wanted to see his mother again. But it would be the same memories Aiden had, just through different eyes. Not for the first time that day, he wondered how as a child he never saw Jestiah on the earthly plane. He’d been able to see his mother and her wings, her distinct scent and the light she held around her. Why hadn’t he been able to see Jestiah?

  Then again, Aiden’s charges never saw him either. Sabre was the first mortal to see him. Maybe because Elana was his mother, he and his brother had been granted a selective sight to see her?

  Aiden leaned forward on his chair and fiddled with the smooth box Jestiah had carried, tracing the name of his father’s family with his fingertip. He thought he got rid of the memory of Scott Hawthorne long ago. But, sitting there, running his finger over the scared wood, Aiden was forced to realize that he hadn’t really escaped anything. All he’d done was tuck his grief and denial away in his mind and never dealt with any of it.

  Knowing that his mother wanted Trilorean to have the precious box made Aiden even sadder. Why not give it to her boys? Why Trilorean? What did she leave Aiden and Chase? Besides an abusive father?

  Closing his eyes, Aiden released a long pent up breath. Knowing the box was for Trilorean and not him, hurt, but it also made him want to protect it even more. Tucking it into the side pocket of his holster between his wings, he had settled the box next to his half of the tablet. Both acted as reassurances he was doing the right thing. Trilorean’s box and the tablet both had a tie to the dark angel who bought Aiden and his brother from their father.

  Now if Aiden could only make Chase understand why they had to end the prophecy.

  Leaving Jestiah on the platform was like leaving the last piece of his mother behind. He was the last one to see her. And that alone gave Aiden comfort. Maybe one day he would see her again, even if it was through the fogs of Tealsdor.

  Closing the door, Aiden was seized by the strange chill from that morning. It was heavier than before. He turned toward the sounds of a new commotion coming from along the river bank running down the back part of the city—close to his place. All intensive leaders stayed in the bunkers. They were the most humble of all living conditions. Aiden would give his right wing for a plush couch to fall onto after a long day on Earth. But not here. Not in Nevaeh.

  Aiden hated that he just couldn’t be happy with his choice to be good. He wanted to be all light and goodness, but deep down, he knew he was failing. Choosing to be good shouldn’t be this hard. No one else seemed to have a hard time controlling how they felt or thought. No one else looked like they wanted to disappear and never return.

  He wondered what was going on as he wound his way down to the bunkers. His wings fluttered and immediately his senses heightened. Something was wrong. The feeling intensified the closer he got.

  Why wasn’t anyone else noticing this? Aiden pushed his way through the foliage and limbs.

  He slowed his pace, peering between dense white barked trees that lined the perimeter of the forest, mingling along the bank of the river. Bright, jewel-like green leaves and needles decorated trees that never turned colors and never grew old. They were eternally present in the light, happy with their existence.

  He watched his place, the last bunk nestled up
close to the trees. It had the best view of the river and the forest from his window. A view that gave him pride which wasn’t something to boast about. Slinking around the trees, he slowed even more at the sight of shadows moving around his room through the window. Shadows didn’t belong in Nevaeh, and casting one was next to impossible.

  A darker lorean came out of his bunker, scowling and barking orders at others.

  Aiden ducked behind a tree, peering around the trunk and some high growing brush. A familiar voice fell on his ears and he froze. He hadn’t heard that voice in years, and yet, it was like yesterday. He would never forget the man who killed Trilorean.

  Mundar.

  If loreans had nightmares, Mundar would be the root cause of them.

  Mundar led the search on the bunkers, all of them, not just Aiden’s. His rogue loreans followed orders, ransacking each room in their hunt for something indefinite.

  “I don’t care what happens, you have to find him,” Mundar snapped at one of his men. “Trilorean left the boys the map. If they get it, we’re doomed! Now find it.”

  Aiden’s chest tightened and the ever-perfect temperature of Nevaeh seemed to rise. Map? What map was Mundar talking about? Trilorean never left them a map.

  “Maybe the dark one has it?” The other man said, his jaw set like stone. He stood solidly, his chest thrust out with his arms crossed over it. This angel surely hadn’t seen what Mundar had done in the past, or he wouldn’t be slinging challenges at the lorean with such disrespect.

  Mundar glowered at the man. “Perhaps, but I doubt it. The Rogues living in Cynnistear would have found it by now. It’s gotta be here.” His sharp tone cut through the conversation, ending any challenge the other Rogue had tried to start.

  Aiden couldn’t understand why Mundar wasn’t in Outer Darkness. He thought for sure that is where he’d end up, especially after what he did to Trilorean and the others at HALO. Maybe, just maybe he had escaped? And if he had, there was hope for Aiden to leave once he was sent there after killing the girls. He had even more reason to destroy the prophecy. There was no reason to even hesitate with Elana lost in Tealsdor. He could get her from the mist. He couldn’t get her from a place there was no exit.

  No. Leaving once a lorean was there was impossible.

  But, Aiden stared at the man who had done inconceivable things and was standing in Nevaeh undetected.

  The other man grunted and gave a half-shrug. “No one has seen the brothers. Not together. Maybe we are looking in the wrong places?”

  Mundar scoffed. “No. We just need to find the brothers. Then we’ll find the map. We won’t need them after that. We’ll have what we need.”

  The other lorean grinned wickedly. “I still want to kill them.”

  “As do I, Zylar” Mundar said, looking around at the bunkers. “But all in good time. And now is not that time. We need both loreans alive.”

  “What about the girls?” Zylar asked, looking to the side, watching the other loreans poke around the bunks.

  Mundar narrowed his eyes, obviously done talking to Zylar about his plans. “We’ll have to find them, too, but first we need that map.”

  “Of course, I was just wondering…” Zylar paused, a hesitant grin lifted the corners of his mouth. “I think they have found the lorean.”

  A cry rent the air.

  Mundar smiled. “Yes, I believe you are right.” He twirled around, gathering his group of Rogues. “It’s time for us to go. They’ve found the guardian angel.”

  Aiden stilled. The yelling came from the tower where he left Jestiah moments before.

  Aiden had difficulty swallowing the dry lump formed in his throat. It didn’t matter how fast he moved, he would never make it in time to help Jestiah. And just like that, the hope to know the truth about his mother and what they were doing in Tealsdor was gone. Mundar would have to kill Jestiah.

  Closing his eyes and leaning his head on a nearby tree trunk, Aiden hoped with all his might that Rais made it to the tower to protect Jestiah. If not, there would be nothing that would save the lost angel.

  Chapter Six

  Aiden wasn’t sure how fast he could get out of the forest without the Rogues seeing him. He wanted to try to help Jestiah, but a part of him wanted to run. The Rogues were there for Aiden, and from the screams he heard coming from the council tower, there wasn’t much he could do for Jestiah or any of the other loreans.

  His heart stuttered. It was just like the last time he saw his brother.

  Chase had needed Aiden. He was in pain and barely hanging on after giving his powers to the girl—Madison. And all Aiden could do was argue with him and turn his back on helping his brother.

  He wasn’t sure he deserved the white wings adorning his back.

  Aiden would bet his right wing that Chase would go back for Jestiah. He could see him and all his black wing glory, rushing in to save their fallen guardian angel.

  And yet, Aiden was hiding behind a tree.

  A small tug pulled at him, like his wings were being played with. He almost fell off balance, but caught himself, bracing his body with a hand against the tree trunk. It was the same magnetic pull from the girl he’d been tracking. The one he thought was Madison, but wasn’t.

  Sabre.

  Her timing sucked. Why did she have to need him right then? It was a bit harder to stay hidden if he was being pulled backward, away from his tree. He clung to the trunk, gripping the frail bark with his fingers, peeling away the fibers as Sabre drew him to her.

  Aiden had to remind himself that irritation was not a light lorean quality with each tug. Another yank on his wings sent him falling backward, losing his balance and the security of the tree. It didn’t necessarily hurt, but it didn’t feel good either. It was more of a dull throb at the base of his wings. He landed with an oomph on the ground.

  “Over there,” one of the Rogues called out. “I thought I heard something.”

  Aiden looked up in time to see a group of Rogue loreans, led by none other than Mundar himself, make their way toward him. He didn’t have to read minds to know what they were thinking. Murder was something they had already done once in his presence.

  Aiden knew the look in their eyes.

  Finally, a fight he could get into without repercussions from Rais—or higher. He grinned, pulling himself up into a squatting position.

  Slowly, he stood, squaring his shoulders, never breaking eye contact with Mundar. Aiden knew his frame was larger than many other loreans, and his wings alone spanned over twelve feet when spread out. But, he couldn’t chance showing them off and the Rogues catching sight of the holster between his wings, or Nevaeh forbid, the tablet.

  A sword emerged from the light around him, firmly placed in his fist.

  Mundar grinned wider, his eyes held a darkness Aiden hadn’t seen since arriving in Nevaeh. “Somebody grab that angel. He’s our compass to the map.”

  Aiden was ready, his feet planted firmly on the soft ground. He raised the sword, ready to avenge Trilorean. Ready to avenge all the wrongs made unto him and his brother. Ready to let out all the pent up frustration he’d accumulated over the years trying to fit in Nevaeh with the other loreans. It may never have happened if Mundar hadn’t killed Trilorean and pushed the prophecy into their sixteen-year-old hands.

  With the sword held high and ready, another tug ripped through Aiden, but this time, it didn’t let up.

  No. He wasn’t ready to leave. He was ready to fight.

  Mundar cocked his head, as if trying to figure out why Aiden was stumbling backward.

  This time, the yank on his wings was so hard, Aiden nearly cried out in a whelp. He wasn’t sure how long he could resist the urge to let himself be taken to the woman. Irritation turned to anger. Why couldn’t he defy her pull? He’d never had that problem before with any other of his charges.

  Just as Zylar approached him, Aiden was pulled out of there, away from the Rogues, away from the tree, and away from Nevaeh.

  The moveme
nt was so fast, it was dizzying. His sword dissolved into the swirling vortex of layers. Aiden had to close his eyes as a new light blinded him upon his arrival on Earth. He blinked a few times, trying to focus on his new surroundings. A heavy, but redolent aroma of fresh rain reached his nose before his sight became clear.

  A thick overcast created a gloomy shadowing that most light angels would hate, but Aiden took in a deep breath, soaking in the dreary state of the sky. A street lamp turned on under the slight drizzle, illuminating a small shelter next to the road. A bus stop wasn’t exactly his choice of meeting spots, but he’d make do.

  He rolled his head, side to side, popping his neck. He had been tense and ready for a fight, and now… Now he was just frustrated.

  Well, he was here, so where was this girl? If Sabre had already disappeared, he was seriously going to be upset. She just pulled him from the most fun he’d had in years. Not that he could admit that to anyone he knew.

  Except Dominic. He would have gotten it.

  There was a time they would have taken that black-winged, lorean-killing, psycho-rogue on together.

  Aiden walked around to peer into the shelter. A tiny old woman sat there with what he supposed was a dog in her lap. He wasn’t sure how any human could want some mouse-sized animal that yapped all day. A cane rested next to her in her frail hand. Aiden hoped he hadn’t been called there for her. He was never really good at the crossing over part. Tristan was the one who should be there. He was great with old people, and death.

  No. Aiden needed to get his head on right. He was a light lorean, too. This was his job. He had chosen long ago and when his wings came in white, he knew that was where he needed to be. Nevaeh was home. He was compassionate and kind hearted and… well… he was most of the time. He wanted to save the worlds from his brother’s plan and the prophecy, that counted for most of it.