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“—hear me? Zach, please.” Misty’s choked voice filtered in. He started becoming aware of his body—and wished he hadn’t. Every muscle ached, and his hands shook so badly his fingers tapped against the ground. He knew without looking that his amethyst glowed, and his tattoo pulsed. “God, Zach—open your eyes, just open those beautiful eyes for me.”
He really wanted to; looking at Misty had become a favorite activity. She was just so gorgeous, so genuine, so unlike anyone he’d ever met. Swallowing, he gave it a shot.
Light blinded him. He forced himself to keep his eyes open, tears blurring his vision. Misty’s face gradually focused, her blue eyes anxious.
“Sam,” she said, her gaze never leaving Zach. “Turn the flashlight somewhere else.” The eye aching light faded. Zach wanted to kiss her.
“Alex?” His throat was raw, like he’d been screaming for hours.
“She’s here. Sam has her. She’s okay, Zach.”
“Good.” Relief closed his eyes.
“Hey—no, don’t go anywhere. You just came back.”
“Back?”
Alex appeared next to Misty, her face pale. “You protected me, kept him from—taking me,” she whispered.
“I couldn’t let him hurt you.”
“You know who he is, don’t you,” Sam said. It wasn’t a question.
“I—”
“You started speaking. In Latin,” Misty said. She stared at him like he was a stranger. Zach had a sinking feeling he’d just revealed something.
“I don’t...” He closed his eyes. It hurt to talk. Breathing was a close second. “You weren’t supposed to hear any of that.”
“We did,” Sam said. “And I understood a good portion of it.” Both girls stared at him. He knelt near Zach’s feet, arms crossed. “When were you going to tell us you are—” He looked at the tattoo, then met Zach’s eyes. “A guardian angel, and a fallen.”
***
They got Zach to his feet, and up the ladder leading to the abandoned house built over the haven entrance—then his already shredded strength ran out.
“Set him down, Sam.” Alex spoke quietly, somehow knowing noise hurt him as much as all the touching.
“We’re almost—”
“Now.”
The cold ground seeped through his shirt, eased some of the heat still flaring through him.
“Thanks,” he whispered.
“We shouldn’t go far, since we’ll just be heading back.” She met his eyes, and he nodded. “Misty, do you have some water in your purse?”
“I—sure.” She dug out a bottle of water and handed it to Alex, her eyes still a little—distant.
That hurt, more than Zach expected. She’d have to find out about him sooner or later; he had wanted it to be later, and on his terms. Now she was about to learn everything.
Alex helped Zach sit, leaning him against the back of the house. He took a few sips of water, until his throat refused any more. After she set the bottle down, she cradled his cheek, and met his eyes. He swallowed, nodding at her unspoken question.
“Misty.” Alex held out her hand and waited for Misty to kneel next to her. Misty gripped Alex’s hand like it was a lifeline, her gaze on the wall behind Zach. “We don’t have much time. Simon’s hurting, and I think whatever has him is draining his energy.”
Shock jolted him. “How—”
“I could feel him fading, Zach. When I touched your amethyst.”
He nodded, let out his breath. “Can you—please tell her, Alex.”
Alex brushed her hand over his cheek. “You’re sure?”
“She—needs to know.” Zach kept his gaze on Alex, taking the coward’s way out.
“Okay.” Alex took in a shaky breath. “Misty, look at me.” Zach felt more than saw Misty turn her head. “This is the quick and dirty version. You’ll have to save any questions for later. Zach was an angel who wanted to be mortal. He was condemned because of it, ending up in Purgatory as a guardian. Forever. He met his mom, Claire Wiche, who helped him get back to heaven so he could fall. Now he’s a mortal with—benefits. Like the whole fi—” She cut herself off. “The F word thing.”
A heavy silence surrounded them. Zach waited, looking at Misty, and braced himself for rejection.
“Holy shit,” Misty whispered. She clapped one hand over her mouth. “Sorry. I just—” She finally met his gaze, those beautiful blue eyes wide. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Scared.” He swallowed. His throat was still raw, but he could talk without being punished for it. “Didn’t want to lose you.”
“Hey.” She let go of Alex, leaned down to frame his face. “My best friend’s boyfriend is a Fenris Wolf. You really thought this would spook me?”
“Well, yeah.”
To his utter relief, she kissed him. “I believe I win in the coolest boyfriend category.”
Sam snorted, and Alex laughed.
“Right.” Alex shook her head. “I used to have a normal, boring life.”
“Yeah,” Misty said. “I miss it, too.” She smiled at Zach. “But only sometimes.”
“Zach.” Sam’s quiet voice broke the connection with Misty. She sighed, obviously feeling it too. “What exactly is guarding my haven?”
Misty slid her arm around him, and he took advantage, leaning against her, even though he had more of his strength back.
“His name is Elias, and he is—was—an angel.” He waited for that to sink in before he continued. “He’s the reason I even tried to fall. He was a—I guess you could call them guards, watching over the souls in Between. What you call Purgatory.”
“That place really exists?” Misty stared at him. “I thought it was made up, to scare kids into going to confession.” She shrugged. “Sorry. Mom always threatened us with it growing up. To find out it’s really out there, is kind of mind-blowing. How did he end up here?”
“Something went wrong when he fell. It’s not a guarantee, and according to what my mom told me, not every angel who tries makes it. Elias ended up here, and his need to protect pulled him in.” Zach sighed, closing his eyes. “Now he wants out, and he plans to use Simon to get out.”
“How...” Alex’s voice faded, her eyes widening. “Oh—oh, God. He’s going to possess Simon.”
“Something like that. And I have to stop him.”
Sam raised his hand. “Question—how exactly are you going to stop him, when you can’t even get close to him?”
“I have no idea.”
“I do,” Alex said. She glanced at Sam before she continued. “I think I know where he’s keeping Simon.”
“Where?” Sam said, a low growl under his voice. Zach had a feeling Sam already knew the answer.
Alex swallowed. “The sewers under the haven.”
***
Sam yanked Alex off her feet and hauled her out of earshot.
Zach gripped Misty’s hand. “He won’t hurt her, will he?”
“No. She’s the only one who can keep him calm when he loses control.” She pulled Zach to his feet, kept her arms around him. “The sewers are where he—changed, for the first time.”
“Oh.” He took in a deep breath, eased out of Misty’s embrace. As much as he wanted to stay here, holding on to her, he knew Elias was busy figuring out how to bind himself to Simon. “I have to go.”
“Not alone, Zach.”
His heart lurched. “Misty—”
“Simon saved Alex’s life. We all owe him—even Sam.” She raised her voice, though Sam had already pointed his death glare in their direction.
“Misty’s right,” Alex said. “You don’t have to come with us, Sam. I know how you feel about—”
“You’re not going without me, Alex.”
“Fine.” She stomped back over to Zach and Misty. Zach made a mental note never to piss her off. Temper sparked around her, and it didn’t take a wild guess to know that temper would burn. “There’s an entrance down there, just outside the shield—”
“Not anymore.” Sam moved behind her. “The shield has expanded.”
“Then we’ll have to take the tunnel next to the school basement. You drive, Sam.”
She walked off before he could answer.
Misty wrapped her arm around Zach’s waist, and helped him stand. “Don’t worry about them. This is normal. Sam wants to protect her. Alex wants him to back off.”
“Glad it wasn’t me.”
She laughed. “Oh, this is all about you, golden boy. Alex reminds him on a regular basis that her friends are her choice. They really are fun to watch when they get going.”
Zach let her talk; it distracted him from the pain of moving, of breathing. By the time they reached the scratched and dented SUV sitting in front of the house he wanted to take a nap.
“Hey.” Warm fingers touched his cheek, and he realized he’d closed his eyes. He knew it was Alex; her energy radiated from her. He met her concerned gaze. “You okay?”
“Been better.” He shook his head when she opened her mouth. “We can’t put this off. I’ll get worse.”
“Right. Sam—help him in the car. And no smartass comments. Let’s go get Simon.”
***
Zach spent the too-short trip back to the school gathering his strength.
Misty was with him every step, from the car to the basement, and now at the top of the ladder leading back down to the spot where Simon disappeared. He wanted them all gone, but he knew he needed their help.
“Here.” Misty held his hands as he knelt next to the hole. “I’m going first. Don’t even try to argue.” She leaned in and kissed him, then let go, graceful as she slid down to the ladder bolted against the wall. “See you at the bottom.”
When it was his turn, he proved to be much less graceful. He was thrilled to hang on the entire climb, instead of pitching off. The effort left him exhausted and sweating.
He waited until they had all joined him at the bottom of the ladder, then spoke quietly.
“If I tell you all to run, you run. No questions.”
Alex shook her head. “Zach—”
“If I can’t stop Elias, I won’t be able to protect you from him. He still has power, Alex, even in his current form. I won’t know until we’re almost on top of him if I can stand against it.”
Misty gripped his hand. “We’ll stay with you, Zach.”
He fought down the panic. “No—damn it, Misty—”
Sam cut him off. “You tell me, I’ll get them out. No, Alex.” He turned to her, cradled her cheek. “There are some things even you can’t face, and hope to walk away from.”
She laid her hand over his, and Zach saw it—the love, the trust that bound them. He really needed to figure out how to block emotion, without it draining him.
“Okay,” she whispered.
Sam kissed her, then took her hand. “Let’s go get your ghost.”