“No wonder my angel half is so ticked off,” Aaron said, struggling to stand. “Is it common for fallen angels to keep prisoners in a rec room?” he asked. There was a mustiness in the air that hinted of dampness and decay. Dark patches of mildew grew on the cream-colored walls. There was also a strong smell of chemicals.
Gabriel plopped down in the warm patch where Aaron had been lying. The dog was famous for stealing space after it had been warmed up. He’d always hated having to get up during the night, only to return and find Gabriel curled up, pretending to be fast asleep in his spot.
“The fallen hide from their pursuers in all manner of places,” Camael said, still awkwardly perched atop his beanbag chair. “Usually locales that have been lost to the world, hidden pockets forgotten or abandoned by the human thrall.”
“Who are these guys, Camael?” he asked, walking toward carpeted steps that led up to a closed door. “They’re not Powers, right?”
The angel warrior thought for a moment and then struggled to stand. It was the first time Aaron had seen Camael show anything but supreme agility and grace.
“Need a hand?” Aaron asked, moving toward the angel.
“I do not,” Camael proclaimed, awkwardly rising to his feet. “These particular fallen could be from any number of the various clans that inhabit this world, perhaps a particular band that wishes to endear themselves to the Powers by handing us over to Verchiel,” he said with a hint of foreboding.
“That would be very bad,” Gabriel said from the floor, his snout nestled between his paws.
Aaron looked to the dog, but was distracted by the sound of the door opening above. He spun to face his captors as they slowly descended the stairs.
“Step away from the stairs, half-breed,” said a low, rumbling voice with the slightest hint of a drawl. “I’d hate to put a bullet of fire in your brain before we had a chance to get acquainted and all.”
Aaron heard a woman laugh and guessed it was the one who had brought the lightning down upon them. Lorelei, he remembered. And … Lehash?
He moved back and watched as the two they had confronted in the woods stepped into the basement, and this time they had brought someone else with them. The cowboy had his golden gun drawn, and it glowed in the semigloom. Aaron thought the sight particularly strange; he would never have thought of an angel looking this way. Actually he would never have imagined any of the angels he’d seen since his life had so dramatically changed, but an angelic gunslinger was certainly something he’d never considered.
Camael and Gabriel now stood with him before the mysterious trio. The other of the three, an angel like the cowboy, stepped toward them, meeting Aaron’s gaze with an icy stare.
“Why have we been brought here?” Aaron asked, trying to stay civil.
The cowboy laughed, a toothpick moving from one side of his mouth to the other. “Tell ‘em, Scholar.”
“As designated constables, Lehash and Lorelei have taken it upon themselves to detain you so that we may determine whether you pose a threat to those citizens we have sworn to protect,” the newest addition said rather formally.
He was dressed in a pristine white shirt and dark slacks and looked as though he should have been working in an accounting firm, instead of hanging with angels. With guns, Aaron reminded himself.
The cowboy angel, Lehash, plucked the toothpick from his mouth, his eyes upon them unwavering. “He does have a way with the words, don’t he, Lorelei? If the citizens ever decide to elect a mayor, I’m gonna be the first to nominate Scholar here.”
They both laughed, but the angel they called Scholar scowled.
“You keep talking about citizens,” Aaron said, still desperate to know what was going on. “Citizens of what? Where are we?”
Scholar was about to speak when Lehash cut him off. “Little piece a Heaven here on this godforsaken ball of mud.”
Lorelei nodded, smiling beautifully, and Aaron was struck by how attractive she really was. “Aerie,” she said in the softest of whispers.
“Damn straight,” Lehash said, placing the toothpick back in his mouth.
Aaron turned to Camael and saw an expression of shock register on the angel’s face.
“After all this time,” the angel warrior said, “I did not find it—it found me.”
Can it be true?
Camael’s mind raced. He gazed at the rather sordid surroundings, then back to his captors. He lurched toward them eagerly.
Lehash aimed his weapon, pulling back the hammer on the gun. “Not so fast there, chief,” he growled.
Camael halted, his thoughts afire. He had to know more, he had to know if this was truly the oasis of peace for which he had been searching. “This is Aerie?” he asked breathlessly, a tiny part of him hoping that he had misunderstood.
“That’s what we said,” Lehash snarled, his aim unwavering. “Why? You’ve been looking for us?”
Camael nodded slowly, his sad gaze never leaving the three before him. Had Paradise also been tainted by the infection of violence? he wondered. Had he found what he most eagerly sought, only to see it in the throes of decay? “Far longer than any of you can possibly imagine.”
“You were close,” Scholar spoke up, his tone serious. “Most of your kind don’t get this far. It’s a good thing we caught you when we did.”
“Our kind?” Aaron asked. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Lorelei shrugged, glaring at him defiantly. “Scholar was being nice. I would have called you what you really are—assassins, killers of dreams.”
“They know what they are,” Lehash said, the toothpick in his mouth sliding from one side to the other.
“You are mistaken,” Camael said in an attempt to be the voice of reason. “The Powers soldiers that were slain attacked us. We were merely defending ourselves.”
“Were you merely defending yourselves against the others as well?” Scholar asked.
Camael shook his head. “I don’t understand—”
“You killed one of your own,” Aaron blurted out, cutting him off. All eyes turned to the boy. “I watched you put a bullet in that guy’s head back in the woods, and you’re calling us assassins?” he asked incredulously. “You’ve got some nerve.”
Camael sighed. It was sad that someone with as much power as Aaron, was so lacking in diplomatic skills.
“That one wasn’t much better than you,” the girl said, a sneer upon her face.
“Was looking to sell the location of Aerie to whoever would give him the best deal,” Lehash added.
“But you’re probably aware of that already,” Scholar finished.
Camael analyzed the situation. The beings before them believed that they were killers, probably working for Verchiel, and had come to destroy Aerie. He attempted to formulate a solution, but realized that the only way to convince the three that they meant no harm would be to explain about Aaron and his connection to the prophecy, although he seriously doubted they would even begin to believe that the boy—
“Aaron is the One in the prophecy,” he heard Gabriel suddenly say. The dog had strolled away from them and now sat patiently before their captors.
“Gabriel, get back here,” Aaron commanded.
Lorelei squatted down in front of the dog meeting him eye to eye. She reached out and rubbed one of his ears. “Is that what you think?” she asked affectionately. “You must think your master is pretty special.”
“Gabriel, come,” the boy called to the Lab, but he did not respond.
“I’m not the only one,” he explained. “Camael thinks so, and so does Verchiel. Do you have anything to eat? I’m hungry.”
Lorelei rose slowly, eyeing Aaron as she did. “Is that what you think?” she asked, loathing in her voice.
Camael was silent, as was Aaron.