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  Each angel stood still and unseeing. They seemed excruciatingly empty—ripped from their responsibilities. They were mere shells now.

  Panic stirred inside as I wondered where Hadrian could be. Where was the one who silenced these remarkable beings into submission?

  As though hearing my thoughts aloud, the shadows in the corners stirred to life, sending the all-too-familiar scent of fear across the room to me.

  “Garreth!” I pleaded in an urgent whisper.

  I pulled at his cold hands but they wouldn’t yield. I threw my arms around his neck but my efforts fell short. All I could think of was his warm scent, that thin thread of a lifeline that had reeled me in to this place, connecting us again; but, it was nowhere to be found and I was confounded that the trail should suddenly run cold when it should be at its strongest.

  I stood on my tiptoes, looking into his eyes that were lifeless now. He was here, I was here. How could this possibly be so wrong? I kissed his face over and over. Was I too late, then? Was there any chance of breaking this awful trance he was in? Then, to my horror, I realized he appeared just as vacant as the others.

  “What has he done to you?” I stepped back, confused. “Garreth, please. You have to come with me.” Why couldn’t he snap out of it and realize this was our chance? It was here! This was all he had warned me about! It had come!

  I tried whispering into his neck, but his warmth was gone. The scent that was always with him was replaced by something cold and empty.

  “You risked everything to come to me in my world and now I’ve done the same to find you.” I didn’t hear the silent retreat of the other angels, never noticed their sudden absence. We were alone now.

  Something in the corners moved again, and just as quickly something in Garreth sprang to life. His hands broke free and tightly grabbed my shoulders, as if he were suddenly in pain. There was acknowledgment in his eyes that I had come for him.

  “You love me?” Garreth’s voice rattled.

  “Yes,” I nodded my head, tears blurring his beautiful face before me. “I love you.” I looked around. The urge to flee this stone chamber was unbearable. “Where is Hadrian?”

  A new fear grew inside me. My gaze darted around the empty room. In taking Garreth, Hadrian had to know I wouldn’t be far behind. He had to be here, waiting to spring from the shadows, but there was no sign of him and Garreth wouldn’t budge. Instead, he stared at me with eyes now deep and black and that’s when the familiar chill traveled down my spine, weakening my legs.

  Garreth’s entire body quivered and I jumped back, not knowing what was happening. I stood frozen as his stunning wings snapped and cracked like breaking bones, caving in on themselves to fit behind his shoulders. He moaned and slumped to the stone floor, as if being tortured by an unseen assailant.

  “What’s happening?” I went to my knees and reached for him, torn between the urge to run or spend moments we couldn’t afford cradling him in my arms. “Garreth, please! I don’t know what to do!”

  Within seconds, the room became a frosty tomb, despite the welcoming glow of the candles. The chill around me whispered his name. Hadrian.

  My heart screamed inside me to run but I couldn’t as the world and everything in it slowed down to a pace only felt in dreams, and the stones around me began to pitch.

  Garreth was motionless, lying on the floor at my knees. I felt a presence behind me and I closed my eyes, knowing once I turned around what I would see. I tightened my grip around the golden handle of the dagger I now held in my sleeve, afraid it might slip from my sweaty hand. Now that I was here, now that I was about to place myself in front of the one I feared, to save the one I loved, I couldn’t think properly. I wrapped my fingers tighter around the beautiful knife, feeling its chill through the cloth, like the cold hard truth of what was behind me now.

  Very slowly and deliberately, I stood. Each inch that my body distanced me from the inert form of my beloved Garreth felt painful and wrong.

  Hadrian’s breath whispered on the back of my neck. I knew he was waiting; he knew he was winning. The question was, would I allow him to? Was this all for nothing?

  The cold steel in my grasp pulled my senses back to the surface. I had brought myself here by placing it through my heart. Was that what I had to do to Hadrian? How on earth would someone defeat a dark angel? My mind raced, sorting through possibilities and coming up empty. This wasn’t like any place I was used to. In the stolen seconds, I allowed myself to think of the safety of home. I realized how alien home had been to me and that I had merely waded through life until now, never really living it. It was Garreth who had brought me to life. He had shown me what I was missing by revealing himself to me.

  My blood coursed through my veins at lightning speed; and, with it a fire, something brewing inside me along with the last of what Garreth had given to me, sacrificed for me.

  Light.

  It was white and hot, like new blood brought to life, and running through me like the night Garreth first gave it to me, only stronger now that it was mixed with my own. My inheritance. The blood essence of an Archangel. That essence was derived from Hadrian’s own existence and now I was going to use it against him.

  I spun around to face him. “What have you done to him?” I demanded.

  Hadrian was silent. Towering over me, his dark wings quivered tensely as he stared down at me in an obvious attempt to intimidate me, but I stepped forward, welcoming the threat. His dark eyes reflected amusement at my resolution. To my surprise, he backed off a little, eyeing me curiously as he paced back and forth across the stone floor, carefully choosing his words.

  “Your Guardian, Garreth, was found in violation of—”

  “I asked what you’ve done to him.” I felt shaky, as if I might collapse at any second, but thankfully, my voice didn’t betray me. To my surprise, I found myself ready to use the dagger that was so carefully hidden in my sleeve, ready to start and end this war.

  “My, my, aren’t we agitated today? If I may continue?” Hadrian seemed to take pleasure in my endeavor to appear fearless. “As a Guardian he was not permitted to enter the human world and cavort as if he were like the very one he was responsible for. It is unheard of and places the entire society in danger. Your Garreth broke many rules because of his selfishness.”

  Hadrian’s black eyes settled on me, keeping me locked to him.

  “Garreth said he had permission. It was never done before, that he was the first. He was allowed to.” I looked away, hiding the fresh tears forming that would give away my crumbling resolve.

  “And no other will dare make his mistake in the future. I’ll see to that myself.”

  “You don’t care about violations! That’s not why you’re doing this! Haven’t you done enough?” I trembled, knowing Garreth lay as still as death behind me. “You’ll never have your army. You’re no match for your brother,” I spat, clutching at straws with which to wound him.

  “Ahhh, Lucifer. Garreth was very informative. I may still have my chance; you see, I have a sizeable army already. But I can’t risk the naïve emotions of another Guardian such as Garreth. May he be a lesson to us all, for he is no more.”

  My heart plummeted to my feet at his words. No more?

  The ripping pain inside my heart mimicked what I saw in Hadrian’s eyes.

  He can’t be…

  But I felt the pain endured by Garreth as if it were my own. I was too late. My heart was being ripped out of my chest.

  Hadrian stepped closer, placing his wickedly perfect face close to mine. “Remember this, Teagan. I am stronger than my brother. I am smarter than the great Dark Prince and I always get what I want.”

  I was momentarily dizzy, blinded by a light that unexpectedly appeared in the room. Hadrian’s breath was still on my face, warm and soothing, and I leaned into it away from the chill of the stone chamber.

  “There is something else I desire, something more than the power Lucifer holds in his hands. For, without a taste o
f it, I fear I am nothing. It is the only way to ensure my existence.”

  His voice dripped like sweet honey, touching my soul with a deep torch. I wanted to look away but couldn’t. It wasn’t just his beauty—it was a longing he carried in his dark smile. He touched my forehead with the tip of his finger, leaving an icy heat across my skin, thrusting me into a dream that was so real and inviting I couldn’t bring myself to fight it. Slowly, the pain I had felt over Garreth slipped away from me.

  I felt like a ghost watching over myself, and before long I was in the dark night of my bedroom, listening to the fluttering that I knew was Hadrian, comforted by the darkness he shrouded himself in. It was familiar, night after night, never failing—always expected, always anticipated. In my vision, I realized the fear that always accompanied his presence was not what I thought. It was the fear of him not returning to me, of him not torturing me with the dark eyes that forever watched me, leaving me alone and breathless with fear.

  I felt the air shift around us. Hadrian’s hands were on my face, closing my eyes with lips I had never felt before. I didn’t want him...I... Who did I want? I couldn’t remember anymore. I was floating. He was holding me and we were spiraling higher, above the stone floor. His lips were on me, cool and mesmerizing. The downdrafts of his wings pushed us higher off the ground, and I pictured what we must look like from below, the beautiful image of us entwined. It reminded me of looking up at another image, spiraling high above me, but I couldn’t see what it was. It was a dream, forgotten now.

  Higher and higher we rose, my insides reeling as he pressed his lips to my neck. His black wings carried us, keeping us from falling, and I felt the gentle breeze from them on my skin. Their tips pricked me as they waved to and fro in midflight, bringing to the surface tiny dots of red on my pale, bare hands that smeared with the brush of his lips.

  His melodious voice whispered promises in my ear. I tilted my head back, desperate to hear more—the words, the promise Garreth could not repeat minutes before.

  I dared to look down to see how high we really were. I turned my eyes toward the stones, the patterns of light that splashed across them on the floor, and I felt the breath leave me. From here I could see the one thing that would bring me to my senses. The one thing strong enough to break any spell.

  Fragmented light from the stained glass windows stretched its way across the floor, appearing haphazard at first, but from this height I saw clearly now that the light broke off into eight points, each pointing to an arched opening in the walls. I traced the lines back to the center where the beams of light touched each other. To my wonder, it formed a perfect circle at its center.

  The heart of an octagram.

  I saw the beautiful star from where Hadrian held me and my heart crushed in agony. It was his star, Garreth’s star, and the moment I saw it I remembered everything. I saw Garreth’s light illuminating deep within his chest. I felt the warmth it radiated and instantly felt the searing heat of my hand, the power of my own mark tingling with a simple reconnection to him. I heard his heart beating in my chest stronger than ever before and I smelled him.

  He was alive.

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Hadrian’s hand reached out to caress my face, to bring me back to him. Suddenly, I remembered his mark and my eyes focused on the star that was his. Hadrian’s octagram was made up of two squares that stacked diagonally on top of one another. The four points of each square then each became a star point. Entranced, I visually traced the lines on his palm, staring at the octagram until the two squares separated themselves from each other and became two simple squares.

  Finally, I understood.

  The bottom square represented the light, the Guardian he used to be, and the top square, the darkness he had become.

  One on top of the other.

  Dark claiming light, yet the light still visible, still trying to break free.

  I thought back to the glowing screen of my computer and the peculiar meaning of Hadrian’s mark, which suddenly wasn’t so peculiar anymore.

  Conflict...separation.

  As we descended. I remembered that hand striking Garreth, sending him across my room in pain. Hadrian’s hand inflicted destruction while my hand held the instrument that would separate light from dark. More importantly, I held in my other hand my own mark. One that could not be claimed or swayed, that had the power to inflict justice. I was the one who could witness what hung in the balance between the two worlds. I was the source of light that would split the darkness and unify the separation between the human and angel worlds.

  Hadrian’s dark eyes squinted with malice. “You wouldn’t.”

  “Try me. You told me never to underestimate myself.”

  “Look inside yourself, Teagan, and recognize the real reason you came here. It wasn’t to seek out your Guardian. You came because of me.” Hadrian’s voice was tender now as he approached me.

  In his eyes, I saw glimpses of what had just happened between us, like a movie reel rewinding in slow motion. Fleetingly, I had succumbed. The gentle wind from his wings, the sting of the feathers, our arms intertwined. His hand reached for me and I could hear his thoughts.

  “Take it...accept me.”

  And just as quickly, I came to my senses.

  “No. I love Garreth. And I won’t let you destroy him or anyone else’s Guardian.”

  My fingers tightened around the dagger. It was light’s turn to reclaim what was now dark and I raised my arm, aiming for the source of Hadrian’s power. He saw it coming, his wings spreading wider, flapping like thunder, rolling like the dark clouds that covered the night. His hand was raised, in protest, and his octagram glowed with red fury.

  “Remember, my blood runs with yours. You cannot destroy me. We are the same.” The dark angel’s voice echoed and bounced off the stones surrounding us.

  The dagger, aimed true, then plunged downward, straight into his open palm, slicing the overlapping squares neatly in two with one thrust. In the shrillness of his suffering, the stones began to loosen with his anger and began falling around my head. I tried to cover myself from being crushed, but all that fell around me was the soft silence of gray as thousands of feathers floated to the ground.

  A brilliant white light shone down on me from above. I lifted my face to it, feeling a soft shower of white that floated down to me, kissing my cheeks and eyelids. It fell as softly as white feathers but melted as soon as it touched my warm skin. I realized it was snowing. Fluffs of white drifted down through the massive opening in the roof where the tower once stood, washing away the darkness. I was sleepy and wanted nothing more than to lie down and dream but the gentle flakes tingled my skin, keeping me awake. I heard footsteps behind me, and as I turned I realized Hadrian was nowhere to be seen. I looked around frantically, wondering what had become of him, what had become of Garreth, but I only found a dusting of white snow on the floor. I was alone.

  As the footsteps grew closer, I saw an arched tunnel that was lit by a warm glow that grew in size and moved with the imminent visitor. My heart pounded in hope, for I wanted it so much to be Garreth; but, as the figure entered what was left of the stone chamber, my heart sank and I began to wonder if Hadrian’s words were true.

  A Guardian stood before me, aged and regal, white wings tinged with gold folded at his sides. He gestured for me to look to my right. Before me, the shattered walls of stone magically disintegrated and I looked out upon a vast sea of angels, their multicolored feathers blending into a cloud of color as they stood shoulder to shoulder.

  In a wise, gravelly voice the angel spoke. “There are thousands of Guardians; one for each person, sometimes two or more. You have done the remarkable. By ensuring that our society still exists, you have begun to save the race to which you belong. The Guardians have been released, but the damage Hadrian has begun cannot be reversed until humans want them back, thus restoring order to the balance of all things.”

  His pale-blue eyes were almost white. Not the eerie, ch
alky white that I had seen on Brynn and Claire, but the white of the endless sky that hovers beyond the blue. They were eyes that had seen many things. I felt humbled that they looked upon my confused face now.

  “But how can a human want their Guardian back if they don’t even know they’re missing?”

  “You are the example of all that is possible. The voice of reason is not only the voice of a Guardian. It is also your own. You should be very proud of yourself. I speak for all the Guardians when I say you have done a great thing.”

  “May I ask you something?” I said timidly.

  “Please, my name is Mathur, and you may ask whatever you wish.”

  “I came here looking for someone. Is he…? I need to know if he…” My composure was failing me. If I said his name, I knew I would lose it completely.

  “Yes, he is well. Do not worry, my child. You will see him soon,” the angel reassured me.

  I was relieved at his words but I wanted to ask so much more. Where was he? Was he hurt? How long do I have to wait to see him? There was so much I needed to know and still I wouldn’t be satisfied until I could feel his arms around me and breathe him into my lungs.

  “Your life, even a few days ago was quite different, yes?” Mathur folded his hands together.

  I looked at Mathur and smiled, feeling a little more comfortable. He reminded me of a grandfather, warm and wise.

  What did I feel? I was still me. I was still the girl I had always been, but there was something remarkably changed about me. I took stock of all that had happened to me in a surprisingly short amount of time. I lost my best friend, stood up to Brynn, fell in love, and was tempted by a dark angel with plans to destroy all the good I have ever known. I learned about my father and felt pity when I thought of how Hadrian had taken advantage of him. Without my father, I wouldn’t exist, and without me, Hadrian’s plan might have worked. And I never would have known what kind of person I truly am if Garreth hadn’t taken the risk to become human and find me.