The Guardian's Mark
Chapter 16

I was a zombie. Or at least I felt like one. I had one thing on my mind today and nothing was going to derail me from that.

Gavin had left as soon as the sun began to peek out, taking with him any comfort his body had given. I was on my own now. Unable to sleep, I’d been playing with my stone for most of the morning. When I was finally ready to face the public, I made sure I looked the part. I dressed in a pair of black skinny pants, a white blouse, and low heeled boots. Oliver, upon arriving to guard my door early in the morning, had informed me that I would be meeting with Nakir at noon to discuss this evening’s strategy.

Hopefully the plan was to bring in about a thousand new guardians because we were going to need it.

Rainen stood at the top of the stairs, waiting as I emerged from my room. He smiled kindly and again I was dumbstruck by his beauty. More than anything though I was appreciative of his kindness. He was one of the least judgmental fellows, save for Natalia, and went out of his way to ensure I was comfortable.

Every step we took toward Nakir’s office normally would have given me anxiety but today I was feeling surprisingly confident. The fate of everything rested in my hands which also meant I was the only person everyone’s eyes would be on today. Instead of being filled with fear, I’d reached some level of acceptance.

Rainen knocked lightly on Nakir’s door and waited for the “come in” before pushing it open and ushering me inside.

Nakir was sitting at her desk, wearing a navy blue skirt suit and looking very calm. “Good afternoon, Ava. Rainen, you may stay for this conversation as it involves you.”

We both sat in the simple white armchairs that faced her desk, quiet as we waited for her to start the conversation.

“So, tonight is the night we’ve been training and preparing for. We are going to close the gates to the netherworld, ensuring that no new spirits are able to cross over and terrorize here on Earth. Lucifer may still have spies that are feeding him news of our every move so we will be creating a diversion. Only you two and a handful of the fellows will know the details of the plan until it is time to move. To keep Lucifer distracted, we will be throwing a party.”

Had I heard that right? A party?

“By midnight this house will be filled to the brim, enabling you to sneak out undetected. We will mingle as if nothing is out of the ordinary and at my signal you will make your move.”

Guess I had heard her right. It made sense but the last thing I expected to be doing on this night was partying. And with angels at that.

“What do we need to do?” Rainen asked.

Nakir launched into the details of the plan as we listened intently. Even as she described it I felt it was almost too easy. Wouldn’t people notice us leaving the mansion? There had to be scouts from Lucifer everywhere. Party or not, they would notice twenty or so angels leaving the property. After speaking with Nakir we went to meet with Ullrick to go over the weapons Rainen and I would be taking with us. Unlike his usual candor, he was quiet and every time he looked at me his eyes spoke volumes. He was still angry about what had happened with Gavin and blamed me for it. I was half expecting him to shoot me with one of the guns he’d loaded for us.

After that awkward encounter, we met with Natalia who had my outfit for the evening. Or outfits rather. The suit I would wear when we left the party and the dress I would wear to the party. If she intended to have me blend in, the dress certainly wasn’t going to do the trick.

Following that, we ate lunch by the pool with Natalia. My brain of course reminded me that this might be our last meal. I was sure I wasn’t the only one having the thought but none of us said anything. When we were finished we sat in silence and listened to the sound of the birds, soaking up the sun. I hadn’t seen Gavin all day but I knew it was because he had been ordered to stay away from me.

“Ava...”

I blinked, turning my attention to Natalia who had spoken. I’d been so zoned out I wasn’t sure how many times she had called my name. “Yes?”

She smiled lightly. “How are you feeling? Is there anything you need or want to talk about?”

I shifted in my seat, thinking about my answer. “Really, the only thing I can think about is getting Carter back safe. I know I shouldn’t say this but I’m more concerned about getting him back than anything else. And I know I should be focused on closing the gates and I will but I can’t focus on anything else until he’s safe.”

Natalia didn’t change her expression, simply nodding. “I understand. We will do everything in our power to help him. But you must prepare yourself for the fact that he could be in bad shape. Lucifer doesn’t go easy on his captives and he’s had Carter for a while now.”

It didn’t hurt to hear her say these things because I already knew, especially after the dreams I’d been having up until a couple nights ago. “Just promise me he will be a top priority.”

Rainen spoke up then, his voice calm. “You have our promise, mine and Natalia’s. We won’t leave without him.”

“Thank you,” I said, hoping the gratefulness I was feeling came across in my voice.

Once we finished our lunch, I decided it was best I spend my last few hours practicing with the stone. The day was particularly sunny, not a cloud in the sky. It was almost as if God wanted to leave me something beautiful before the events I was about to face. It was kind of calming...in a morbid way.

After a few hours, the sun had begun to set so I made my way inside. The party would be starting soon and I needed some time alone to clear my thoughts and get ready. Natalia met me in my room and helped me with my makeup and hair, deciding before I could protest that I needed to spice up my usual simple look. The white knee-length bandage dress she’d chosen was form fitting with thin straps and a sweetheart neckline. My fighting uniform would be kept in another room until it was time to leave and I could change. “I really don’t think this much eye makeup is necessary.”

Natalia tapped the eye shadow brush against the palette she was holding and returned to patting a dark brown color on my eyelid. “It’s not about being necessary. It’s about looking as if you’re actually interested in the party. Everyone is going to be dressed up and you have to be too.”

“I’m surprised you’re not putting me in a ball gown.”

She smirked. “Just because we’re angels doesn’t mean we don’t know how to loosen up.”

Interesting. What kind of party would this be tonight? I hoped I would be able to enjoy it for a little while at least before I had to leave.

Natalia finished my makeup and took me into the restroom to curl my hair. I wanted to tell her I wasn’t a stranger to doing my own hair but it seemed she was trying to extend our hangout and I didn’t want to take that away from her. It was also nice to have some girl time. I missed nights like this with Harper. I hadn’t thought about her in a while but I was thinking about her now, wondering if she was thinking about me. Did she even know I was gone or had the fellows wiped her memory?

Once I was ready, Natalia left to get ready herself, leaving me alone with my thoughts. Uncomfortable with this, I decided to practice with the stone until Rainen came to collect me.

The music started at about ten and thumped through the walls, the bass announcing that the party had started. I could hear a bit of chatter and was now growing nervous. I knew I was going to be receiving quite a few stares once they realized I wasn’t a fellow and was in fact the one chosen to save us all.

A knock sounded on my door, startling me. I sent the blue energy back into the stone and made my way to the door. I knew who would be on the other side but I was still hopeful it would be Gavin.

Rainen’s kind eyes smiled at me as the door opened. He was always a gentleman but this time his eyes did a once over of my outfit. “You look lovely Ava.”

My cheeks began to warm. “Thank you. You clean up nice yourself.”

Which he did. He was in all white as usual, a tailored suit and shimmering white patent leather shoes. The only item that wasn’t white was the silver tie he wore.

“Much appreciated. Shall we?” He held out his arm.

I took it and we started down the hallway.

The chatter grew as we reached the top of the stairs and down below we could see the party, or at least a part of it. Roughly a hundred fellows were gathered in the entryway, dressed in their most upscale and colorful garb for the event. None of them were recognizable but it was clear they were all fellows from the way they moved. There was an ethereal sense of superiority about them, their posture immaculate as they glided about the room. Most were in human form but a select few were in their angelic form and stood out from the crowd. It was certainly an interesting sight and despite being constantly surrounded by fellows, I was taken back by it.

Rainen patted my hand reassuringly and led us down the stairs. A few heads turned to glance as we descended but the whispers and stares didn’t begin until we reached the last step and began weaving through the crowd.

I was relieved once we’d made it through the mob but floored once we reached the sun deck and I saw what kind of lengths Nakir had gone to throw this party.

The entire backyard had been transformed and resembled nothing of what I’d been training on these last few weeks. A large white tent had been set up and the entrance of it was right at the sun deck doors. A shimmering white floor covered the grass and multicolored floating chandeliers danced over the crowd. Bars had been set up on either side of the tent and at the far end stood the DJ booth.

Rainen took my hand and led me into the tent. This time very few fellows noticed me, perhaps because the room was so crowded. Our group was toward the back left of the room, conversing as some of the crowd was but it was clear from their sideways glances that this was no casual chat. The group consisted of Natalia, Ullrick, Zamira, and of course Gavin. Nakir was nowhere to be found, perhaps watching the party from behind the scenes.

We’d made it halfway through the room when Gavin looked up and our eyes locked. I couldn’t read them but I was sure there was some sort of turmoil in them that he was keeping from showing externally. I wanted to look away to hide my own inner turmoil but I was afraid to break eye contact first.

“Excuse me.”

I’d bumped into a fellow in her angelic form, or rather one of her massive white wings. She was gorgeous. Long dark curly hair and caramel skin, the elegant satin blush pink dress she wore falling softly over her curves. Her gold eyes were kind but intimidating nonetheless.

“Sorry,” I said, rushing to keep up with Rainen. Looking back, I caught her staring after me, recognition in her eyes.

The party was in full swing and most of the fellows toward the middle of the room were dancing. We had to snake our way through the writhing bodies until we finally reached our group. They made space for us and conveniently enough I came to stand next to Gavin. Rainen stood beside me and dropped my hand once we’d reached the circle but I caught the glance Gavin sent our joined hands. I wanted to squeeze his in reassurance but I knew someone would notice.

Natalia began talking to Rainen and Zamira. This left Gavin, Ullrick and I to converse.

Which meant there wasn’t going to be much conversation.

“Evening Ava.” Ullrick sent me a nod, his face void of emotion.

I lifted the corners of my mouth slightly, more out of politeness than anything. “Ullrick.”

Apparently, that was enough of an interaction for him because he then turned to Gavin and said something about needing to speak with another fellow before venturing off. As soon as he was lost in the crowd, Gavin leaned down to speak sideways into my ear. “You can forgive him. It’s alright.”

I turned to respond in his ear, confused for obvious reasons. “What are you talking about? He hates me.”

A smile crept onto his face. “He hates himself for what he had to do. He actually admires you.”

Well he sure had a funny way of showing admiration. “I don’t understand. He chewed my head off that night.”

“It’s hard to explain. He’s prideful and loyal. When those two conflict he doesn’t know how to deal with it. He respects how you’ve been handling yourself. And how you argued against his decision in order to protect me.”

How on Earth Gavin got all that from silent brooding Ullrick I had no idea. But I was glad for the explanation. It made me feel better knowing that no matter what, Ullrick was on my side. “Well I care about you but I guess that’s obvious.”

“I care about you too. That’s certainly more obvious.”

If we hadn’t had an audience I would have been kissing him after that statement. He was looking extremely handsome in his navy suit as well which doubled the urge. Instead, I kept my urges to myself and merely smiled.

“I’ll be with you tonight by the way. Nakir knows she needs me and that if anything, she can trust me.”

I was extremely grateful to Nakir to hear that. It was scary thinking of what I would have to face but knowing that he would be there made all the difference. My confidence for the evening was certainly building. I reached out to squeeze his hand, caring very little about who saw.

Rainen finished his conversation and turned to me. “We’ll leave in an hour, once the party is in full swing and everyone is much more...inebriated.”

Was it not in full swing already?

“Alright, what do we do until then?”

He smiled. “Enjoy yourself. Just don’t drink anything, especially anything offered to you.”

“Why?”

“Not everyone here is a fellow.”

Wait, what did that mean? Malevolent spirits couldn’t set foot on the property and my pendant would have lit up by now so who else was here? Humans? Other Elioud?

I began to scan the crowd, curious to see if I would be able to tell who was and wasn’t a fellow. It was difficult. They were all so beautiful and confident. Each person was dressed up in their own eclectic way that fit their personality, some going as far as to cover themselves in various forms of tribal paint, glitter, or other accessories. My eyes had scanned the crowd twice before I saw him at the back of the room.

Carter.

He looked exactly as he had in my dream, wearing an all black suit and his eyes as red as blood. He stood still, staring directly at me.

I moved to take a step forward when he vanished as if he had never been there. I squeezed Gavin’s hand which I had yet to release, my heart racing.

“What? What is it?” he asked.

“Carter. I saw him. He’s here.” I refused to pull my eyes away from the crowd lest he reappear. I wasn’t going to let him get away if he did.

“It’s only a hallucination. It isn’t real, Ava. Lucifer is toying with you.”

Was he though? “I thought he could only do that with my dreams.”

“Unfortunately, he can do much more. He can alter your reality but only slightly.”

“Can he see me? What I’m doing now?”

“No, not with the stone. You’re protected.”

Thank goodness. Otherwise this plan of ours was going to be a fluke. “Okay...”

“Let’s get a drink. Non-alcoholic of course.”

At this point alcohol wasn’t sounding so bad. What did I need to have a clear head for?

I followed Gavin through the crowd to the bar and was immediately awed by the bartender. She seemed to be making the drinks without doing any of the physical labor herself. The liquid flowed out of the bottle on its own and danced into the glass she was holding before she handed it to the patron.

Now I really wanted something alcoholic. Did angels have their own supernatural liquor? That would be interesting to experience.

“I know what you’re thinking and no.”

I looked up at Gavin, feigning innocence. “What?”

He smiled. “No alcohol. What do you want? I’ll order.”

Dammit. I was possibly going to accidentally kill myself tonight. I was pretty sure I deserved a drink.

“Cranberry juice,” I told him, almost grumbling. I turned to watch the crowd again, waiting to see if Carter would pop up to determine whether I was hallucinating. If he showed up I was going to chase him down, regardless of whether I would seem like a mad woman to everyone.

“Here.”

I turned around and was surprised to see Gavin holding a shot in one hand, cranberry juice in the other.

I raised a brow, taking them from him. “I thought you said no alcohol?”

He shrugged, retrieving his own shot from the bar. “I just agreed in front of the others.”

I tried to fight the smile that came but to no avail. We held the shots up to cheers, locking eyes. “To the amazing adventure this has been.”

His green eyes were steady on mine. “And the blessing it is to have met you.”

We downed our shots though my chest was warm and burning long after. My nerves were also beginning to make themselves known, creating a doubting energy I didn’t much welcome.

“Dance with me?”

I didn’t know when but I’d zoned out and was just noticing Gavin’s outstretched hand. “In front of everyone?”

“It doesn’t matter anymore.”

I took his hand, deciding it was time to let go and relish in this moment. He was right. Our situation didn’t matter anymore so why bother hiding what everyone already knew?

He led me to the center of the floor, the colorful lights above us twinkling in such a way that made everything seem magical. The music was of the deep house variety so the fellows around us were moving accordingly, hips swaying and such. My current dance partner had another idea in mind it seemed. He pulled me close and wrapped an arm around my waist, the other holding my hand.

I smiled. “What are you doing?”

“Dancing the way I want to right now.”

I swayed with him, placing my hand on his shoulder. Our bodies were pressed together in a way that left no room for escape and our lips were so close I knew at any moment one of us was going to give in and kiss the other.

Slowly the music began to fade along with those around until it was just us. For a moment, I thought it might just be my imagination but then I realized it was actually happening. Everything around us rippled like disturbed water before morphing into a different scene. We were on a beach on a sunny day, the ocean breeze rushing past with a gentle kiss. I was no longer wearing my heels but barefoot, my toes sinking into the sand. The sun was high in the sky and warmed my skin.

“How...?” I asked, looking around at the shimmering deserted beach.

“Only a strong bond where the guarded trusts their guardian will allow the guardian to create illusions. I’ve always done it to give you pleasant dreams but I can only do it while you’re conscious if you trust me.”

The rays of the sun may have been warming my skin but his words caused the heat in my heart to grow. “This is amazing. And I do trust you.”

“Thank you for trusting me.”

We swayed for a while like this, caught up in the moment as nature danced around us. The waves lapped up the shore, just barely touching our feet. It was all so romantic and peaceful. It was perfect.

“Gavin.”

The scene around us began to shimmer as the foreign voice broke the Zen of the moment. It took a moment to dissipate but soon we were back at the party and Ullrick had his hand on Gavin’s shoulder.

“It’s time,” was all he said. Surprisingly when his eyes switched to me they were void of judgement or disapproval. “Natalia is waiting for you in the library.”

I nodded at him as Gavin released me. Squeezing his hand quickly, I let go and turned to head off the dance floor.

I could feel their eyes on me as I left so I didn’t turn back to look as I so wanted to. Instead I made my way back inside the house and down the hallway to the library. The door was locked so I knocked. A few seconds later Natalia opened it and ushered me inside.

My black uniform was laid over the mahogany desk and for a moment I just stood there looking at it. “This is really happening.”

Natalia placed a hand on my arm. “It is. You can do this. Let’s get you ready.”

A few minutes later I was suited up and staring myself down in the full-length mirror Natalia had brought in. The black suit fit like a glove, wrapping around my curves like a second skin, and had straps in various places around my arms and legs, the front zipping up into a turtleneck. A holster for my gun was strapped to one thigh and one for the dagger was strapped to the other. I was wearing black martial arts boots and my dark highlighted hair I’d pulled back into a chignon bun, pinning back any flyaways.

The woman staring back at me I recognized and yet she was someone so different from who she’d been before all of this began. She was stronger, wiser, bolder, and more sure of herself. She was who I’d always aspired to be.

She was me.

“Ready?”

I turned to Natalia who was now wearing her navy uniform, her golden hair back in a French braid. “Yes.”

“Give me your hand.”

Confused, I did as I was told.

She took it gently. “We’re going to dematerialize out of here.”

Dema-what?

“You may feel a little dizzy afterward but that will pass.”

Oh crap.

Before I had time to protest, it was happening. Everything around us went black as the air was sucked out of the atmosphere. It only lasted for a moment before the blackness warped and we were suddenly outside in the woods. I knew the clearing immediately by the severed tree trunks.

I also was going to be sick.

“Are you alright?” Natalia asked, releasing my hand.

The world around me was spinning and my balance was completely thrown off. I stumbled to the side before dropping to one knee, inhaling and exhaling deeply in hopes that it would help the spinning go away. “I just...need a moment.”

And to never do that again.

The spinning resided after a bit and I was able to stand, however my legs still felt weak. “I didn’t know you could do that.”

She smiled. “It comes in handy. You’ll get used to it.”

The trees rustled as a breeze rushed past them and a moment later four fellows appeared in the clearing. None I recognized though shortly after Zamira, Ullrick, Rainen, and Gavin appeared as well. All had dematerialized and soon there were upwards of thirty of us. Everyone gathered in a circle, waiting silently for someone to speak. Predictably, it was Ullrick that stepped into the middle, turning to survey his angelic army.

“We all know what is at stake tonight so I’m sure you don’t need reminding. Lucifer will be ready for us at every turn which is why we must be vigilant and work together. We are not only fellows but family. Two of our own, Elyon and Cassiel, are in Lucifer’s possession, as well as the mortal Carter. We must do all we can to save them however the most important asset tonight is Ava.”

All thirty pairs of eyes turned to look at me, sizing me up. It was an intense amount of pressure but I wasn’t going to let them see it affect me. I straightened my spine and stared each of them down until one by one their eyes returned to Ullrick.

“She is the answer to Earth’s salvation. We will no longer face the threat of the malevolent spirit population growing in mass. And once it is cut off, it will only be a matter of time before they are only a page of history. Do not forget: We must leave as soon as the gates are closed. The dark spirits will sense it’s closing and attempt to ambush us. We must be ready. I trust each of you will fight as if your existence depends on it.” He paused for a moment, surveying his audience. After a few moments, it seemed he was satisfied and closed his speech. “Alright, let’s move in.”

The circle began to close so I followed suit. Everyone moved as closely as they could to each other and linked hands. Natalia was to my left and Rainen to my right. I wanted to sneak a look at Gavin who stood next to Rainen but decided against it.

There was silence for a moment as they all closed their eyes. And then Ullrick spoke.

“Now.”

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