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

  Aiden was bored with the puny angel. His muscles quivered and heat rolled through his body. His wings purred against his back. “Now you just had to go there. Yelling at me? Really?”

  Leopold’s feverish eyes darted between Aiden and Sabre. “Just hand her over. She’ll be safe with me.” Emotion choked his voice. “Please. Put her down. Give her to me.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Staring at Leopold, Aiden held onto Sabre protectively in his arms, his wings flayed open and instinctively wrapped around them both, cascading around her like a shield. “I would never just hand her over.”

  What kind of a fool did Leopold think he was? How did he know Leopold was a good guy and not a rogue who wanted to use her to fulfill the prophecy? He couldn’t be sure, and therein lied the danger of handing Sabre over to him.

  The lorean stood with his arms out, a sadness washed over his face as he gazed at Sabre’s still body. “You’re hurting her. Can’t you see she’s dying by your touch?”

  “What?” Aiden winced, looking at Sabre, helpless and limp in his arms. Her once dark complexion was now ashen and wilted. He was sucking her dry without even knowing it—without trying.

  Siphoning had never been a problem before, but now he wished he’d never had the power. He pushed to enter her mind, but what he saw scared him. Darkness and death lingered around her. Reapers wouldn’t be far away if he kept siphoning from her. Her life was leaving her body, being sucked away every second he held on to her. He looked up at the lorean. “I didn’t mean to.”

  “I know, but you have to stop. You’ll kill her.” Leopold’s concern tore through Aiden’s chest.

  Wind rushed through the willow’s branches, swaying them around their hidden alcove. Aiden’s heart raced. He needed to help Sabre.

  He needed her to live.

  A week ago, he wanted her dead, but now…

  He gazed down and stared at her restful face. Her brown eyelashes covered her eyes, lying over the slight layer of dark freckles covering her cheeks. Her full lips were slightly parted and she was taking in slow breaths.

  He lowered his wings and held her out to Leopold. His eyes locked with the lorean’s. “Can you help her?”

  “I’m her guardian, of course I will help her.” The angel gently took Sabre and cradled her lovingly in his arms. For such a small lorean, he held her with such strength that it surprised Aiden.

  Leopold looked up at Aiden, his brows furrowed then released into a soft expression. “Where is yours?”

  Aiden didn’t take his eyes off Sabre He couldn’t. He had come so close to killing her that his heart wouldn’t stop racing. “My what?” he asked, absently. Slowing down his breathing, his heart followed suit. She would be fine. She had to.

  Her color was already returning to her cheeks, and her breathing was deepening.

  Leopold brushed a tendril of hair from Sabre’s forehead then glanced at Aiden. “Your guardian. There is no way someone with your abilities and power would be left unattended.”

  Aiden hated to break it to the man, but he didn’t need a babysitter. “I don’t need one.” The idea was absurd. He was a guardian, he didn’t need one. Besides, he hadn’t heard of any lorean ever needing their own guardian before. “I’m a lorean. I don’t get a guardian.”

  Leopold smirked then nodded over Aiden’s shoulder. “Are you sure about that?”

  Aiden turned to see Tristan standing behind the tree trunk, his arms folded, just watching the event unfold. Scowling, Aiden turned back to Sabre and her angel. “He’s not my guardian.”

  Aiden’s body tightened. He didn’t have enough left in him to argue the point. He was weary and exhausted.

  “You keep telling yourself that,” Leopold said, a snicker lacing his words.

  “Bite it, fun size. I already told you, I don’t have a guardian angel.” Of course, Tristan would choose now to show up. Frustration was a familiar emotion Aiden was beginning to feel a lot of. Tristan always had to show up when he was the most unwanted. Always thinking he had to swoop in and save Aiden from Outer Darkness. But Aiden didn’t need help. If he fell, Tristan wouldn’t be able to stop him.

  No one would.

  Tristan moved around the trunk. His stature was much larger than the other angel—not that it was surprising. But it wasn’t just height. Tristan’s wings were whiter, shoulders broader. He was an intimidating angel, and Aiden wondered what Leopold must be thinking, but to Aiden, Tristan was just annoying.

  “Thank you, I’ll take it from here,” Tristan said, reaching out for Sabre.

  Again, Aidan was curious as to when Tristan received such a high order of ranking in the lorean world. How could he request something and expect it to happen? It unnerved Aiden. Tristan was hiding something, Aiden was certain.

  Leopold gave a curt nod to Aiden, an almost knowing smile crossed his lips. Then, he disappeared with Sabre before Tristan could take her.

  Tristan glowered, turning toward Aiden. “Where is he going?” He pointed into the air where Leopold had been. “Where is he, Aiden? You realize he took her, right?”

  Aidan had a feeling it would be a while before he found Sabre again. The thought both saddened and relieved him. At least Leopold would return her home safely.

  He hoped.

  And, Aiden still didn’t know where her home was, so until she called to him, she was safe from him as well.

  He shrugged, trying to keep the smug grin off his face. No need to start a new argument with Tristan, there were already plenty to pick from. “I guess he left to keep her safe.”

  “I get it.” Tristan laughed angrily. “You were siphoning again, weren’t you? You almost killed her. That’s why he showed up.”

  No. He didn’t mean to. Aiden cringed inwardly. “It’s not my fault. I needed a little energy, but I never meant to hurt her.”

  Tristan stormed up to Aiden, thrusting a finger to Aiden’s his chest. “You wanted her dead, admit it. You’d do anything to make sure the prophecy doesn’t become fulfilled. We all know what your goal is. Why can’t you see that killing is not the answer? That girl’s guardian is now hiding her away from you because you have ill intent. You’re a light angel from Nevaeh, you need to act like it!”

  Aiden dropped to his knees. Tristan’s words sliced through him. He had no more energy, and mixed with the fact that he had almost killed Sabre, it nearly killed him. He was drained. All he could think was that he needed his brother.

  Chase. His heart begged to hear his brother’s voice respond back, but nothing except silence answered his plea. His brother could help him. He would tell him what to do to make the hurt go away. The anger. The fear.

  Aiden closed his eyes. Maybe he could just block it all out.

  Tristan continued to rant about how wrong Aiden had been, and how all his decisions were not in alignment with Nevaeh. Aiden had heard the speech before and tuned Tristan out.

  “Aiden,” Tristan said.

  With nothing left to give, Aiden opened his eyes to look at Tristan. “What?”

  Tristan held out his hand. “I’ll hold on to the box for you. You need to get into the light and help yourself heal. You’ve obviously worn out.”

  Aiden shook his head slightly. “I can’t. It won’t work. You don’t understand.” He locked his gaze on his brother’s friend. “It. Won’t. Work.”

  Finally. He had said it out loud. He hated admitting it.

  Tristan grimaced, still holding out his hand. “You don’t know what you’re saying. You need to get out in the sunlight.”

  But all Aiden could think of was Chase. He was somewhere in the dark. He was in Cynnistear, living in the shadows. If only Aiden could be with him right then.

  Sitting on his knees, Aiden dropped to the earth. There was nothing left in him to fight.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Aiden blinked, trying to focus on his surroundings. Wherever he was, he’d never been there before. It was dark and cool. The light couldn’t reach him, this far beneat
h the earth. It was a welcoming reprieve.

  What happened? Aiden thought back to his last moments before shifting between layers and disappearing to… Where was he? He remembered picturing the cave he had found his brother in, but it would be impossible to be there. Wouldn’t it?

  His body ached. Still tense, his muscles screamed at him to relax. He was still weak, but not as much as he was under the willow tree. He sat up, slowly, clenching his jaw and squeezing his eyes shut as he did so. It took all he had not to fall back to the ground and let the cool dampness of the hard rock soak into his tired body.

  Sitting on his backside, his wings lay over the ground pooling around him in a layer of feathers. His eyes finally focused enough for him to make out purple amethyst crystals shining over him, embracing him, filling him with energy.

  Was it possible that he did find his brother’s cave, unconsciously?

  He stared at the walls, unable to move much more. The last three hundred years had come to this moment. He had waited for the girls to be born so he could kill them, but now…

  He couldn’t.

  He didn’t have what it took. Maybe he wasn’t as good as he wanted to be?

  Ending the prophecy was the best thing he could think of, but now he didn’t know how he was going to be able to do it.

  The small box weighed him down even more. With the key now in his possession, he could finally see what his mother had left them.

  Aiden tramped down the irritation that the box had been meant for Trilorean, making the situation worse. The dark lorean’s death haunted Aiden every day. He didn’t need his brother’s eidetic memory to remember how he died. He could still hear Trilorean’s plea for them to take the tablet to opposite ends of the layers before his wings were ripped from his torso. There’s not a sound in any of the worlds that could cover that up.

  His death started everything. How unfair was it for a sixteen-year-old to harbor such a responsibility? Aiden bowed his head. Two sixteen-years-olds were held responsible. And even after three-hundred-years, they still carried the burden. Alone.

  And now Aiden had a new weight, consuming his mind and burdening his heart.

  His mother was alive in Tealsdor. How would he even begin to tell his brother? Chase felt everything deeper than Aiden, it would kill him to know.

  Aiden shifted his weight on the stony floor. The hard ground hurt his skin. His nerves were heightened, begging him to move off the cave floor.

  No wondered his brother couldn’t move after laying on the ground in this cave for days. Why is it, that everywhere Aiden went, plush luxuries were non-existent? Yes, he was in a cave, but it didn’t hurt to want something more comfortable.

  Aiden stumbled trying to get up, only to fall back to the earth. Lacing his fingers together, he placed them on top of his head. His arms felt like weights, holding him down.

  Letting his arms drop, he gazed around the cave. A small light omitted from the entrance, giving off just enough light to mix with the dark in a perfect blend. The darkness seeped past Aiden’s skin and warmed his body to the soul.

  There was no way Chase would have survived staying down there.

  Just as if his brother read his mind, Chase’s voice filled Aiden’s head. “How did you find me?”

  Aiden was confused. Find Chase? He hadn’t found him. He didn’t even know where he was, let alone his brother. All he knew was that he was in a cave. Nothing more, nothing less. “I don’t know what you mean,” he croaked.

  “Aiden, look up,” Chase said quietly, but his voice echoed on the cave walls around Aiden.

  Aiden tried to hold his pounding head up, but it was hard to focus, searching the cave for his brother. “Chase?”

  “I’m here.” Chase’s frame came into view near the entrance and the light.

  Aiden wanted to cry. He needed his brother so much, but he wouldn’t cry. “I don’t know how I got here.” He tried to swallow but his mouth was too dry and he only succeeded in lodging a lump in his throat. “I was so weak. I remember thinking I just wanted to be in a dark place and I woke up here.” He also remembered thinking he wanted to be with his brother, but he wasn’t going to divulge that either.

  Chase moved in front of him, out of the shadows. His black wings blended in with the shade of the cave, giving him an ominous look, but Aiden could see the tips were tinged in gray.

  Kneeling beside Aiden, Chase reached out to touch him, but Aiden jerked back.

  Aiden had almost killed Sabre. There was no way he wanted to unknowingly hurt his brother too. “Don’t.” He was a killer—almost. He had almost accomplished what he’d sought out to do years ago. His gut twisted sharply and his body shook.

  Chase rolled his eyes. “Don’t flatter yourself. You don’t have enough energy to hurt me.” He placed a hand on Aiden’s arm.

  Instantly, Aidan’s body calmed and he knew everything would be okay. He wouldn’t have to siphon from his brother, his power would come back. He should have known because they were always stronger together.

  Chase stood and gave Aiden a wary glance. “What’s going on, brother?”

  Aiden wasn’t sure what he meant. He had already told him he didn’t know how he got there. Pushing his mind to focus on Chase, he tried to read what his brother meant, but was stopped before he could breach the barrier.

  “You’re feeling guilty…” Chase trailed off. “You’re shrinking from the light.” He tipped his head and stepped forward, quickly trying to snatch the small box still grasped tightly in Aiden’s hand, but Aiden pulled back before he could take the small package. “What’s that?”

  “I need to get my bearings,” Aiden said, attempting to stand. He clung to the tiny box holding his mother’s necklace. Chase deserved to know about their mother too, but it was complicated. They had spent centuries fighting, pushing each other away. But now, Aiden wasn’t sure he wanted to do that anymore. “Did you know you are an empath?”

  Chase chuckled. “That’s like asking me if I know I’m an angel.” He sobered. “What does it have to do with the box,” he said, gesturing to Aiden’s hand, still holding the package.

  Aiden grimaced under the strain from standing. “What if I told you, the other girl, you know, the one from the prophecy… What if I told you she’s an empath too?”

  Chase jerked back. “You found her?”

  Aiden attempted a grin. His insides felt like ants were crawling through him. “More like, she found me.”

  “And she’s another empath?” Chase attempted a smile, but even Aiden knew it was fake. “The prophecy didn’t ask for much, did it?”

  Aiden braced against the crystal wall to help hold himself up. “What if I asked you to help me find her?”

  “Thanks, but no. I like my prophecy girls alive.”

  “She’s part of the prophecy, Chase. We need to find her.” The last Aiden saw of Sabre, she was being carried away by her guardian. Only Chase could help Aiden find her. There was no telling how long it would be before she called to him and sucked him to her side. He would rather have control of the comings and goings instead of the other way around.

  Chase furrowed his brow, turning his lip up. “Yeah, that would be a double no.”

  “Brother,” Aiden said, catching his breath.

  Chase perked up. “Don’t brother me. You want to kill her. You think I’m going to help you kill someone to end the prophecy and put yourself in Outer Darkness, then you got another thing coming. I’m your brother. Just how far do you think I would go to protect you? I’ll go farther than you can imagine, so don’t even try giving me one of your sarcastic comments.”

  Aiden could feel the sadness coming off Chase in waves, making him sick with the overwhelming emotion. “I don’t want to kill her. Not anymore.”

  “Oh, yeah? Prove it.” Chase’s voice rose, making the echoes ring louder in Aiden’s ears. “After three-hundred years, brother, tell me, by all means, why am I the one wearing the black wings right now when you so desperately wanted th
e tablet to go into different layers? You had a plan to kill them, so I went to Cynnistear to save them. Do you remember that? Because I do every day.”

  Aiden tried to swallow the burden, but it was stuck, wearing down his heart. “I have something to show you.” Aiden held out the box. “Here, take it. It was our mother’s.”

  Chase looked from the box back to Aiden, pushing Aiden’s hand away. “Where did you find that? I thought it was lost.”

  Aiden thrust the box out again. “So you do remember. Then maybe you know what it’s for?”

  “Of course I remember it.” Chase didn’t stop staring at the box with remorse. “Mom loved that necklace.”

  Aiden nodded. “She did. It was special.” He looked around the cave. “And now I kinda know why. I think she got her energy from it.”

  Chase shifted his gaze to Aiden. “Is the necklace inside? I can’t believe you found it. How?”

  Waving him off, Aiden shrugged. “How is not important.” He wasn’t sure he should say anything about Darius. He kind of wanted to keep her to himself for a while. At least until the mortals had a chance to bury her body. Maybe even longer.

  Chase snatched the box from Aiden and lifted the lid. Pulling out the necklace, Chase held it up for Aiden to see. An amethyst crystal hung from a delicate chain.

  “Do you remember what it was for?” Aiden asked.

  Chase looked up, handing the box back. “Of course I do. She had a small box she kept hidden from Hawthorne. This crystal was the key.” He smiled sadly. “But it is long gone.”

  Aiden shook his head. “I have it.”

  Chase’s eyes widened. “What? How is that possible?” He paced the cave, unable to stand still.

  It was time to tell Chase about their mother. Aiden couldn’t hide it from him any longer. It wasn’t fair to have such a secret.

  “I think you need to sit down, brother. I have a lot to tell you.” Aiden told him about Jestiah, and how he was unconscious at the gates of Nevaeh, about how he had the box and Aiden took it, and how he died. But the hardest thing to tell him, was about their mother.