Pure Soul Book 2
1

Cassiel

“Oh my gosh, the adrenaline coursing through me is astronomical,” I exclaim as we step out of the Spirit Realm and into a cave near Niagara Falls. Of the six of us, I am the second to last having stepped through the portal. Shuffling to the side, I glance behind me to see Baraqiel’s six-and-a-half-foot tall, muscled frame step through and a second later the shimmering purplish-blue essence of the portal vanishes.

Our commander, Zadkiel shakes his head, his slicked back blonde hair not moving in the slightest as he does so. His broad shoulders and 6’2 height breaks up the only light coming from the sun as it tries to push through the rushing water that’s falling from the cliffs overhead. Zadkiel’s hair appears to be more of a brown color in the limited light instead of the natural blonde I’m used to seeing. My eyes swivel to the other three angels fascinated by how the lack of light can alter their appearances so much. Having lived in a realm of pure light for the majority of my 18 years, it’s astounding to see how just a little bit of darkness can change someone’s appearance.

Turiel is completely shrouded in the shadows, his brooding look hasn’t gone unnoticed as he casually leans against the rock wall, arms crossed over his wide, muscular chest. I can just barely make out his strong jawline and intense forest green eyes as he focuses his gaze on Zadkiel as he waits for instructions. Daniel and Ananiel are only half hidden in the darkness and their piercing green eyes are also focused on Zadkiel as he speaks to us. “Cass, are you even listening to what I am saying.” Zadkiel crosses his arms over his muscular chest, and I can just barely make out his muttering, “the young ones drive me crazy.” I so desperately want to state that he is but four years older than me, but I bite my tongue to keep me quiet and offer him a menacing glare to acknowledge that I heard his words.

Rolling my eyes, I mimic his stance as I go to an “at ease” position (well for the most part an at ease stance because I am mimicking him as I cross my arms over my chest too, instead of clasping my hands behind my back like I would normally do). “Were we given clothing to wear so that we can better blend in with the humans? I don’t think walking amongst them with our armor on is probably the wisest of decisions...”

“Michael said that they’ve set us up with a home base and that everything we would need shall be within its confines,” Baraqiel answers my question and then adds; “the information provided to me shows that there is a tunnel which connects to the house from this cave.”

I rock forward on the balls of my feet as I try to contain my excitement. This was my first real quest in the humans’ world bestowed upon me by the ‘Right Hand Man of God’ himself, MICHAEL. I’ve proven myself on many a mission before but this one is an honor beyond honor as it is extremely important that we achieve our goal of acquiring the precious element that if in the wrong hands would not only destroy humanity and earth but all the angels as well. “What are we waiting for then? Let’s go,” I just barely stop myself from clapping my hands together like a five-year-old as the other’s nod around me and we begin to follow Baraqiel as he loads information on his electronic device to direct us onward.

Ananiel makes her way through our small group until she is walking by my side. Out of all of us, Ana is the shortest, just barely hitting the 5’7 mark in height measurement and she tilts her head up a smidge because I’m just about two inches taller than her. “So, Cassiel, would you like to tell me what exactly is going on between you and my twin brother? I see the way Daniel looks at you, watches you...” she flips her long dark brown hair from off her armor as she arches an eyebrow and glances at me sideways.

I feel a blush creep across my cheeks and thank the stars above that we are engulfed with the darkness of the cave (minus the light from Baraqiel’s communication device) because Ana isn’t able to see the crimson tint running from my neck up to the tops of my ears, flushing my face and causing my cheeks to heat up. “Um, I have no idea what you’re talking about. We are just friends like you and I.”

“Uh huh,” Ana says unconvinced by my claim. “And does Daniel know this?” I hazard a glance in his direction unsure how to respond to her question. Honestly, I don’t have an answer since I myself am unsure as to what’s been occurring between us. I mean who wouldn’t be attracted to his rugged exterior, his feather soft brown ringlets of hair that obnoxiously fall into his eyes which he is constantly pushing from off his face. I smile to myself as an image of him trying to force his hair to stay off his forehead before it ultimately falls back down again, making him look like an angelic five-year-old flashes in my mind. Or, how in complete contrast for the way his hair gives him a boy-ish appearance, how his chiseled jaw when clenched causes his eyes to intensify and give off bad boy vibes. And don’t get me started on his beautifully sculpted chest, and well defined abs! I’m drooling just thinking about them; growl!

Oops, I’m caught red handed as Daniel happens to look over his shoulder just then, catching me gaze at him. Our eyes lock and I give him a sheepish grin feeling my cheeks flood with red again. Have I mentioned how grateful I am to be in the darkness of the cave right now? Dan offers an impish grin of his own in response to mine and then I shift my eyes to the ground as my heart rate picks up, pretending I can see my feet moving along the dirt as we trek onward. My mind wanders, lost in thought as I try to sort my feelings out over Daniel. I know I like him, he’s one of my best friends plus the physical attraction between us is undeniable, but is there anything beyond that?

Sighing, I shake the thoughts and the questions from my mind and then I attempt to try and distract myself by asking no one in particular, “how long will it take before we reach the base?” I watch as Zadkiel looks over at Baraqiel seeming to want to know the answer to my question as well.

“The directions show that we will arrive at our destination in ten minutes,” Baraqiel responds as he shifts his eyes from the mechanical thing he holds in his hand to investigate the darkness in front of him. Moving my head to the side, I look in the space between Zadkiel and Baraqiel thinking I am going to see something other than the black abyss of the darkness beyond. Rolling my eyes at myself for my ‘duh’ moment, I turn my eyes to the ground and continue to march forward. Allowing my thoughts to drift, I begin thinking of our impending mission, wondering if it is going to be a challenge to achieve. Knowing the company, I am keeping, I am pretty confident in thinking that it isn’t going to be an easy task.

How can ten minutes feel like an hour? I bite my tongue to keep myself from whining. I’m not a two-year-old... Instead, I sigh and keep walking. The next words I hear sound like music to my ears. “We have arrived,” Zadkiel speaks clearly, grabbing our attention right away. “This stairwell leads into the basement of our home base. Once we are in the basement there will be another set of stairs which will lead into the home itself. Any questions,” Zadkiel lets his gaze bounce to each of us before nodding his head and then he turns his attention to the rusted metal before placing his foot on the bottom rung of what he had referred to as a stairwell though I personally would have called it a ladder, but whatever.

I look at the steps hesitantly and then place my hands upon the rails, and a shiver runs over me causing goosebumps to pop up on my arms from the coldness of the metal. Counting the steps as I climb, I place my right foot on the sixth and final step before my head pops up into a dimly lit room that can only be the basement. As I place my hands upon the cold cemented floor so that I can push my body through the hole, I feel someone’s hand lock onto an area just above my right elbow and pull me through. Once my feet are planted firmly on the ground, I glance up to see who had assisted me only to berate myself because I should have known it was Daniel. “Hey,” he whispers as his gaze meets mine. I’m only able to give him a small smile before we are distracted by the others who are coming through.

“Will you two move out of the way so the rest of us can get through,” Ana huffs as she pushes herself up and out of the hole, unintentionally doing a somersault before finding her footing and standing up. Realizing that we are indeed blocking the passageway a bit, Dan and I shuffle off to the side making it easier for the others to climb through.

The last one to come out is Zadkiel and I watch as he places his strong, muscular arms in front of him, splaying his fingers flat against the floor as he heaves himself up and out. Once on his feet, he turns so that he is facing the hole and leaning over, grabs the heavy, circular metal door and closes it. The sound of the hinges groaning as he does so, almost has an ominous feel about it. Turning so that he is facing the group once more, he nods his head towards the staircase indicating for us to go up them.

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