Hell's Angel: Guardian Angel Book 2
Chapter 9

Randall pulled into my mother’s giant driveway and for once I wasn’t dreading an altercation with her. The worst thing that could happen already had. Cassi kept her arms around me and was the only thing that kept me on my feet. She went into the mansion with me along with Michael and Randall. The Gemini twins stayed outside to keep an eye out for any danger that might strike while I was so vulnerable from my grief.

My parents, Ethan and Mackenzie were already in the parlor when the maid showed us in. My mother’s eyes were scarlet and she had ugly splotches on her face. I’d never seen Loral Dawson look anything but perfect. My dad stood behind her chair with a hand on her shoulder, which she squeezed like a lifeline. He looked like he had more white hairs than he did before. My brother-in-law just looked broken. His clothes and golden-blonde hair were rumpled and his normally shining sapphire eyes bloodshot. Specks of dried blood still dotted his jaw.

But what shattered my heart the most was the sight of sweet little Mac clinging tightly to her dad. She looked lost. Her naturally owlish eyes were bigger than normal and her bottom lip quivered. She kept asking why they were at grandma’s so early in the morning and wanting her mom. I doubted the four-year-old understood the concept of death and I didn’t know how we were supposed to tell her that Maxine wasn’t going to be coming back.

“What happened?” I choked out. My legs couldn’t support me and I fell onto the sofa. Cassi and Randall sat on one side with Michael on the other.

“The... the coroner on scene said some kind of animal attack. It looked like there were claw marks when I went out.” I hated how dead his voice sounded. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think he’d swallowed sandpaper.

I knew that Max anchored the morning news and had been in the office at five for her show. It didn’t make sense for her to have been attacked in front of her home. “The timeline doesn’t even fit. And what the hell kind of animal can maul someone in Logan?”

Mac wiggled from Ethan’s lap and launched herself at Michael. He caught her instinctively and rubbed her tiny back when she buried her face in his neck. “Did the scary lady get my mommy?”

My blood ran cold. Vega or her titans shouldn’t have been able to touch my sister. For six months, my family had been under the protection of the most noble warriors in history. There were holes in the protection, like Corvus attacking, but I’d personally fortified their house after that stupid crow’s murder attempt. But wait. Max’s death couldn’t have happened at their house. I was missing something big here.

“I have to see it,” I demanded hysterically, looking right at Cassiopeia.

She bit her full bottom lip. “Lyra, I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

“Lyra-Rose, it’s a crime scene and a media circus over at the house. I don’t think you’d get near. And you don’t want to see it. As for the b-body,” my mom choked on the word, “you should leave well enough alone.”

My dad squeezed her shoulder. “Your mother’s right. Let the police do their jobs. You don’t have to torture yourself with what’s happened.”

I glared back at Cassi until she looked away. She was an amazing friend and I knew that she was just trying to protect me from witnessing the most horrific thing to ever happen to me in this lifetime, but I needed answers. I stared at her until she acquiesced with a small nod.

I didn’t let my parents or Ethan aware of the fact that I was getting my way. I sat quietly for ten minutes while the maid took Mac to the kitchen for some breakfast and the other three adults talked about funeral arrangements. By then, I couldn’t listen to any more talk of putting my sister in the ground without having to throw up. A sob rushed passed my lips and I jumped to my feet and ran out of the room. Burning tears blinded me and I couldn’t even tell where I was running to until I subconsciously flung my body onto a soft mattress. My bed with the princess canopy in my old room. The mourning that I’d held at bay since numbly getting into the car came flooding out with a vengeance.

The door creaked open and a second later, the bed sagged with someone’s added weight. A warm hand brushed my hair away from my neck and the comfort radiating from it instantly alerted me to who my visitor was. “I was at her house last night after my date,” I cried. “It was late and she had to be to work early, but she let me vent. It all seems so damn petty now.”

Michael’s muscular arms slid under my body and he settled me onto his lap. I laid on his shoulder, burying my nose into the crook of his neck. “Cassiopeia has agreed to see what happened with you. But I wish you would not.”

I sounded like Darth Vader when I sucked in air to inflate my lungs. “I have to know. There’s no way it was just some random animal attack.”

“Lyra-Rose, she was under your protection. How could Vega have killed her?”

“I don’t know!” I shrieked. “I’m not infallible. If Max’s death is my fault, I have to know. And you can be goddamn sure that I’m going to make that bitch pay for going after my family.”

Michael sighed and continued to rub soothing circles on my back. Cassi and Randall came up a few minutes later. Michael slid me back onto the mattress and moved so that Cassi could sit with me. She still looked reluctant, but she grabbed my hand and her eyes got a faraway look as she concentrated on this morning. The chocolaty color melted and swirled and soon I was sucked into their depths.

I was outside of Know Now News, the city’s only newspaper and news network. The sun warmed us, but it was still a little cold just because it was so early. The door opened and Max walked down the red-brick stairs to the parking lot. She had a pretty light green blouse with black slacks and her cute Louboutin shoes. She was digging in her giant leather bag, probably for her keys, so she didn’t notice the redhead leaning up against her car until she was practically right on top of her. Max jumped and narrowed her eyes at the goddess. “What do you want?”

Vega cocked her head to the side, her curtain of wavy strawberry-blonde hair cascading over one shoulder. “Don’t pretend to be brave with me. You know that I can end you in a single heartbeat.”

Max took a hesitant step back and popped her knuckles nervously. “I know. But I’m guessing there’s more of a reason you’re here than just scaring me.”

Vega’s smile was pure evil as she flashed brilliantly white teeth. “You’re important to my sister so I figure that you know where she’s been hiding. I’m getting very bored just toying with you pathetic humans.”

Max’s jaw locked and her hazel eyes flashed. “Lyra is my sister, and I’d never betray her to you. I’ve seen what she can do to one of your titans. I have absolute faith that she can stop you.”

Vega’s nostrils flared. “You stupid mortal! Fine. If you want to be so virtuous, I’ll just have to use you to hurt her.”

The sister that I actually liked gripped the strap of her bag tightly, ready to use it as a weapon. Vega’s own soul-sucking power flared up like noxious gas. Ethereal black flames encircled Maxine and she coughed against the icy burn that invaded her lungs. My heart sped and I called my own golden-hued orange light even though I knew that wouldn’t do anything in this memory.

“That wouldn’t leave any of the marks they found on her,” Cassi mumbled.

I watched, helpless, as one of Vega’s larger titans descended from the sky to land in front of Max and my heart lodged itself in my throat. I’d personally faced off against this giant monster once, and just the other day Cassi told me about how he’d massacred a ton of her people in Greece about two thousand years ago. She sucked in a sharp breath. “It’s Draco,” I murmured in disbelief.

Maxine screamed as the dragon stalked toward her. It moved with a grace that belied his massive size. She turned and ran, but the beast launched itself into the sky only to dive at her with claws extended. Bile raced up my throat when my sister fell, blood weeping from deep grooves on her back and the tops of her shoulders. She cried out in pain and tried to crawl away. The dragon doubled back and sank its teeth into her calf. I sobbed as I imagined how much pain my sister must have been in.

“This could have been so much easier for you,” Vega drawled lazily as she watched the spectacle.

Blood dribbled out of Max’s mouth and down her chin. her chest barely moved. “I love Lyra. If I’m going to die to protect her, so be it.”

Vega’s turquoise eyes blazed. “Now you’re just pissing me off. This was just about hurting Lyra, but now I want everyone close to you to suffer. Let’s make your death even more shocking to that adorable husband of yours, shall we?” She waved one delicate hand and all three of them disappeared from the parking lot. I didn’t have to wonder what happened next because I already knew. This was the moment that my world fell apart.

I refused to cry when we pulled out of the vision. I felt sick and my eyes stung, but I needed to focus. I swallowed back the hurt and looked up at Michael. “Arcadia,” I said in a scratchy voice. “It’s for the people that would be willing to serve me and fight Vega in this war, right?”

“Yes. It was a place for you to build your army.”

“Is Max there?”

His brow creased. “I do not think so. Why? What did you see?”

Cassi, with tears streaming down her face, answered. “Draco killed her. She refused to give up Lyra and Vega unleashed that monster on her. Randy, it was awful!” She wrapped her arms around the cupid, seeking comfort from him.

Michael ran a hand through his dark hair and I held my breath. “Then yes, she should be there. If ever there was a soul deserving Arcadia it would be her. But Andromeda contacts me with each new resident and I have heard nothing from her.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“Most humans’ souls are sent straight to Anubis, a caveat that Thesis put into place after you left. A select few, like Cassiopeia and Andromeda, go to Arcadia. Like you said, they are the ones willing to fight. As the gatekeeper, Andromeda knows each soul that is reborn there and she tells me. If I have not heard from her, it means that no one has entered. From what you told me of her death, Maxine’s soul should have entered into your haven. We would have known she was there before you had even heard of her death from Ethan. I do not know why it is not so.”

I pressed my palms into my aching, puffy eyes. “I have to know for sure. Something just feels off about this.”

Michael pat my shoulder with a heavy hand. Warmth radiated off of him and I drew comfort from the contact. “You should grieve with your family, at least help make the arrangements and give comfort to your niece. If answers are what you wish to replace, I may have a way to do so. Let me work out some details and I will tell you when we go home.”

I threw my arms around him and hugged him tightly. “Thank you,” I muttered with my voice thick from heartbreak and relief that he was there with me.

It wasn’t quite noon yet when we left. Heat soaked into my body from the summer day, but I still felt cold. Once back in the car, Loki and Thor appeared as if from nowhere. The trickster sat to my left as Michael drove and took my hand. I didn’t protest as he slowly traced patterns along my skin. His touch was gentle and I really appreciated the gesture. Even Thor gave me a sense that I wasn’t alone in this mess.

The house was quiet, muffled whispers as everyone tried to be careful, as if I could breakdown again at any second. But I wasn’t going to cry. The moment the front door slammed shut, I rounded on Michael. “Okay, so what’s your plan?”

“You and I are going to pay a visit to Anubis. While we were at your mother’s, I contacted several council members and negotiated so that we can cross into the spirit realm and return after we speak to the god of the dead.”

I nodded gratefully. My guardian pulled me into his arms, carrying me bridal style. I locked my hands around his neck and settled my head on his broad shoulder. Powerful white wings burst from his shoulder-blades and everything else seemed dull in comparison to their brilliance. With me all set, he strode easily to the door as if he wasn’t carrying my weight at all. Guess super strength was a perk of being an angel.

“I’m going with you guys,” Loki announced, leaving no room for debate.

Michael’s intense grey eyes narrowed and a muscle in his jaw twitched. “No, you are not.”

Loki cocked one black eyebrow. “I don’t answer to you, warrior. My orders come straight from your mistress. And I’m not letting Lyra go through this without a little extra moral support. And you can’t stop me.”

Michael turned expectant eyes on me. Part of me wanted to take this adventure with just Michael, but I knew that Loki would finagle his way into tagging along and I really didn’t have the time or patience to deal with the two testosterone-ridden males. I huffed. “I don’t care at this point. You’d better keep up, though, because I’m not waiting any longer.”

The Norseman grinned triumphantly and Michael’s hold on my back and behind my knees tightened enough to know he was annoyed with my decision. I didn’t care. They could work it all out between themselves later. Silently, they made their way out of the house. In the open air, Michael pushed off hard from the ground and those impressive wings blossomed out, catching the current. My stomach abandoned the rest of my body as the miles quickly stretched out below us. He went higher and higher and I was almost certain I could touch the clouds. Before we reached that altitude, however, the air shimmered like heat waves on the pavement. Gold made the view hazy, reminding me of the sun spreading its rays along the clouds at sunset. Michael headed right toward the spot and I closed my eyes tight against whatever impact would come.

It was suddenly colder, but not freezing. I opened my eyes one at a time to take in my new surroundings. The colors here were muted, like an old picture, and mostly ranged in shades of blue, green, and indigo. Flowers stretched in every direction as far as I could see with blades of dry grass up to my knees. A lazy waterfall in the distance was my only landmark.

“Damn,” I mumbled. “This is where spirits go when they die? So is it like heaven?”

“That is one way to describe it, but it is not the paradise that your humans would believe. Come, let us replace Anubis.”

Finding the god of the dead wasn’t too hard on his home turf. Michael led the way towards the waterfall until we reached a large gazebo with a folding card table and filing cabinet right in the middle. The place was pretty empty, which was weird considering how many people in the world died every minute. The only person was a man who looked about fifty with salt-and-pepper hair. He was good-looking enough for an older guy, like an actor. He wore plain jeans and a red polo. He didn’t have the jackal head like in the Egyptian legends, and he really wasn’t as scary as I would have thought.

The man rose from his seat behind the desk and came around to our side. He took my hand and bent low, placing a kiss on the knuckles. The old-fashioned gesture didn’t faze me as much as it would have a few months ago. “Princess. Always a pleasure to see you.”

“It’s Lyra, please.”

He smiled gently at me with wrinkles making crow’s feet around his sand-colored brown eyes. “Yes, of course. To what do I owe this pleasure?”

I licked my lips and swallowed back the bile that burned its way up my throat. It wouldn’t be any easier here to say that my sister was gone, especially since everything was so barren, despite the gorgeous scenery. “A woman died this morning protecting me against Vega. I need to know why she didn’t go to Arcadia like all the others. Her name was Maxine Miller from Logan, Utah.”

“Miller, huh? Let’s take a look.”

He opened the third drawer of the four-drawer filing cabinet labeled M-S. I wondered how a filing cabinet would be any help when it should probably be bursting at the seams by now. The thing pulled out a good two feet and Anubis thumbed through the files inside. It took a long time and several false leads that he pulled out to read before quickly stuffing back into their places. I chewed on my bottom lip nervously and popped my knuckles a few times before he pulled out the right file. It was just a blue folder, thinner than a few of the other ones he’d checked. He dropped it on the desk and flipped open to the first page, which looked like a quick bio of my sister with a candid picture of her smiling cheerfully. My heart lurched into my chest.

The god of the dead flipped through the folder while I shifted my weight from foot to foot. His forehead creased a little more with every second as he read through the file. When the folder finally closed, he was frowning and my stomach sank. “That’s odd,” he mumbled.

“What?” My voice cracked on the question.

“When a human dies, the basic details of their lives and deaths are recorded here to know where they should go. The afterlife isn’t like what most myths would believe; there’s really no heaven and hell or Fields of Asphodel, and we definitely don’t use a feather to measure goodness and devour the bad souls. Everyone gets a clean slate and a choice. If they were content and good, they could continue as they were. For those malicious people, they were given a chance at goodness and went on to the valley with everyone else, which is basically a giant city where they can interact like they did on earth. If not, they are sent to the cave, our version of a prison. No one feels pain here so we let them do what they want in the cave until they want to repent and join the rest of society in the valley. Your sister’s file has all of the normal details, including the last altercation with Vega, but it doesn’t tell me where she is.”

“Why wouldn’t it do that?”

His sandy eyes looked everywhere but at me. “It’s most unusual. The only other time a file wouldn’t have the valley or cave is if the soul went to Arcadia, but even then they’d pass through here before going to Andromeda. But Maxine’s soul never came here. She’s... lost.”

I sucked in a sharp breath. Tears burned the backs of my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. “How can I replace her?”