Page 25 of Hunted by the Fallen
Eleven
The groundbeneath my feet solidifies, but I don’t open my eyes. Not until I no longer feel the disorienting twists and turns of Lukas’ preferred method oftravel.
The world around me stabilizes. My head is spinning as I take in the concrete building in front of me, surrounded by empty fields. I just healed Charles yesterday. What could Lukas already need my powersfor?
Unless I failed. Perhaps Charles’ wings were only healed for a short while. Maybe I’m not as powerful as Ithought.
Immediately, I shake my head. There is no way my healing didn’t work. I mean, I brought my mom back from the dead, for crying out loud. My powers are obviouslystrong.
Slowly, I rotate and find Lukas’ gaze. The fear I feel is only matched by my dread. “What do youwant?”
The Light Angel maintains a calm demeanor despite my less-than-polite question, but I know from experience that his mood can change in an instant. “Your gifts, Veronica, arerequired.”
“Charles?” Though I’m relatively confident my healing was successful, there is always room for doubt. Especially since I can’t imagine another reason for Lukas’ second summons coming so quickly. I thought I would have had more time to practice my powers. I steel myself for another session of his cruel motivation, unsuccessfully attempting to convince myself it won’t be as bad as Ithink.
“No,” he answers, his relief evident in the way his shoulders relax. “Charles is quite recovered. I don’t believe I properly thanked you for that, by theway.”
His appreciation is surprising, but I don’t let it lull me into a false sense of security. “If not for Charles, then why am Ihere?”
Lukas rolls back his shoulders and turns on his heel. “Thisway.”
I hesitate for a second before picking up my pace to catch up to Lukas. Like the other Fallen, he has a long stride and movesquickly.
“Where are we going?” I won’t walk into the unknown without at least trying to prepare myself for what’s tocome.
“To meet with afriend.”
“Is hesick?”
“She isnot.”
She?
My blood runs cold. I told Lukas I had no interest in learning about my birth parents. He’d seemed to accept it. But what if he hadn’t believed me? Or, more likely, what if he doesn’t care what Isaid?
I stumble as the ground transitions from grass to gravel. “Am I going to see a female angel?” I hold my breath. The thought I might be meeting my birth mother makes my palms sweat and my stomachache.
Lukas snorts. “No. Odette is asorceress.”
I stop walking. “Asorceress?” That is, officially, the last thing I expected him to say. Angels, demons, and now sorceresses?. What’s next?Vampires?
I shake my head. I doubt I will ever get used to the craziness of my newreality.
“Why am I here to see a sorceress if she isn’tsick?”
Lukas doesn’t bother to look back at me as he says, “Because I have questions. And she is the only one with the answers.” He pulls open the metal door, gesturing for me to proceed him into the dimroom.
Self-preservation has me shaking my head. “Youfirst.”
Lukas shrugs and pushes the door wider, allowing me to catch it as he glides inside. I lean forward, straining to see what is hidden in the strange building. The large room looks like an abandoned office with no electricity. Candles are positioned on the desks throughout the space. Cubicles divide the area, creating hallways. I turn back around. A breeze causes the fields of grass to sway. I don’t even see a road leading up to the building. It’s in the middle ofnowhere.
“Veronica,” Lukas’ voice comes from within the dim building. “Odette is waiting forus.”
I don’t care if anyone is waiting for us. I don’t want to go inside the unusual building. It’s creepy to the max. But I know I only have the illusion of a choice. So, Ienter.
The metal door closes loudly behind me, and a gust of air blows several pieces of paper off of desks. Lukas stands beside a candle and motions for me to follow. “Thisway.”
We walk through the abandoned cubicles. I stare at the floor and hold my arms slightly out in front of me to keep me from colliding with anything. I glance at the candles as we pass by, and I note the wax hasn’t melted. Either the candles haven’t been lit for long, or there is some magic preventing them from burningdown.
