Shadow Angel: Book Two Read online

  Shadow Angel (Book 2)

  Copyright © 2022 by Leia Stone and Julie Hall

  All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form without the written permission from the authors, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  ISBN (paperback): 978-1-951578-22-0

  ISBN (hardcover): 978-1-951578-23-7

  Julie Hall (JulieHallAuthor.com) & Leia Stone (LeiaStone.com)

  BOOKS BY JULIE HALL

  JULIEHALLAUTHOR.COM/BOOKS

  Julie’s books have won or finaled in 21 awards.

  FALLEN LEGACIES SERIES

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  Forging Darkness

  Unleashing Fire

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  Warfare

  Dominion

  Logan

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  FANTASY

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  Matefinder: Next Generation

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  Water Realm Series

  CONTEMPORARY

  Wrecked

  Return to You

  Perfect Match

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  To our readers.

  CONTENTS

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Books by Julie Hall

  Books by Leia Stone

  CHAPTER

  ONE

  I stared at the crack in the stone wall and the empty dread settled deeper into my bones.

  Two weeks.

  I’d been basically living in the sanctuary for two weeks staring at this crack and hoping that Gage would walk out of it alive. But… he was gone. I’d told myself that today was the day, that if he didn’t come back, or the portal didn’t magically restore itself, I would let him go.

  A sob formed in my throat, and I stood, once again reaching out and pulling for my power. Purple arcs of light flared from my palms and licked the wall where the portal once stood, but nothing happened. It appeared that my portal making powers were limited and creating an opening to Avalon was not in the cards for me.

  The back door opened, and I sighed, already knowing who it would be.

  “Tatum,” Aurelia called behind me. There was so much pity in her voice. I didn’t want to hear what she had to say. “I think it’s time to say goodbye.”

  How did you say goodbye to someone when you weren’t sure what had actually become of them? There was no closure, no body, nothing.

  “He could still be alive. He could still come back,” I said quickly, not turning to face her. She was a Portal Master, and even with her help we weren’t able to restore the portal to Avalon. It was just here one day and then it wasn’t. Was this my punishment for throwing a Shade into the heavenly city of Avalon? They cut off our access to it? Or maybe Gage’s dark magical energy just broke the thing? I’d racked my brain for countless hours trying to figure out how to fix it and I’d come up with nothing.

  “He could…” Aurelia hedged. “But I think it’s time we focused on your studies. You have a great ability, but it needs to be shaped and molded so that you can live up to your potential.”

  Yeah, and my “life mission,” which was a giant mystery since Cael hadn’t even told me in detail what that was because he’d claimed the time wasn’t right… whatever that meant. I only knew that my mission involved defeating Apollyon, which I was super on board with after he’d crashed my Ascension Ceremony. But since I’d broken the only way to get to Avalon to ask Cael about my mission and when the time would be right, I might never know what I was supposed to do.

  “Your mother is counting on you too, dear,” she said softly, and my body went rigid. A month ago I didn’t even know my mother was alive, and now I’d not only met her but learned that she was trapped in the Netherworld.

  Aurelia was right, I needed to focus on getting my mom back too. I’d promised.

  I turned slowly, finally facing the master Lumen. She was dressed in battle leathers, hands clasped in front of her as she looked down at me with compassion.

  This was beyond hard. I wasn’t just grieving over the loss of Gage, but the loss of potential. For the person I knew he could have been. Of what we could have been had we had the chance.

  “I know. I need to let him go,” I croaked.

  She nodded and a single tear fell down my cheek. I’d sobbed myself to sleep the first three nights. But now I was running out of tears. Gage Alston was gone, and I needed to pick up the pieces of my life and move on.

  Looking back at the crack in the wall one more time, I nodded.

  Goodbye, Gage. I tried. I really tried to save you, I said, and then spun and left the building with Aurelia, leaving a piece of myself behind in the sanctuary.

  It felt strange knocking on Gran’s door. Our relationship had been strained the last two weeks, and it wasn’t just because I’d hardly left the sanctuary since the day of my Ascension. It was also because we hadn’t had a real conversation since she’d dropped the bomb on me that Apollyon was my father. Learning the truth felt like a betrayal, especially considering how close we’d always been, and a small part of me resented Gran for not telling me about Apollyon sooner. It wasn’t fair of me. I knew it wasn’t. Gran was literally incapable of telling me the truth because of the curse Arthur had placed on her, and the times she’d tried had only made things worse for her, but a kernel of bitterness had taken root in my heart that day which kept me from her ever since.

  But all that ended today. It wasn’t just time for me to let Gage go, it was also time for me to let go of the resentment I held against Gran. She’d been a victim of Apollyon and Arthur as much as I had, even more so. She bore the weight of an actual curse on her shoulders for seventeen years just for being part of my life.

  The door swung open, and I almost took a step back when my gaze landed on Gran standing in the entryway. Her hair hung in loose waves that barely grazed her shoulders. Only a single streak of gray mixed in with her brown strands. Her brown eyes sparkled with life that wasn’t there months ago. Gran was always hunched, so I was used to looking down at her when we stood toe-to-toe, but her frame today was strong and straight, and I found she was actually eye level with me.

  Gran was in her early sixties, but as long as I could remember she looked ten years older. Now that the curse was lifted from her, she looked ten years younger. In fact, she looked you
nger than I ever remembered her being. The change was shocking, and I was so relieved the curse was gone.

  “Tatum,” Gran said as I stood in shock in front of her. “Come on in, dear.”

  She ushered me into her studio apartment. Drea had told me she’d been moved from the healing center into the family housing building next to the dorms last week. I barely noticed the room because I was so distracted by Gran’s physical transformation, but even from a brief glance around I could see she’d already started to make it her own. That made me happy.

  “Gran, you look…” Words failed me, but she picked up on what I was trying to say and grinned.

  “Watchers are known for aging well,” she said, but then the smile slipped off her face. “The curse was hard on my body as well as my mind.”

  She fell silent for a moment; her eyes took on a faraway look as if she was thinking back over the years that she’d lived under that damned curse. My heart broke in that moment and an unbridled rage toward Arthur washed over me.

  I’d been so consumed with myself I hadn’t really stopped and considered what Gran had gone through. What she’d had to endure.

  Gran shook herself a little, snapping out of whatever remembrance she’d fallen into a moment before. “But that’s all over now, and I feel better than I have in years.”

  Without warning, I reached forward and crushed Gran in my arms, squeezing tight, no longer worrying about hurting her frail frame. My heart was heavy with regret that I’d kept her at arm’s length these past couple weeks. Yes, losing Gage had been soul-crushing, and I’d be the first to admit I hadn’t been fully in my right mind lately, but this was Gran. My gran. I never should have held her responsible for Arthur and Apollyon’s deeds. It was stupid and selfish of me.

  “Oh, Gran, I’m so sorry. Will you forgive me for being so distant lately?” I asked with my face pressed to her shoulder. She rubbed circles on my back like she used to do to calm me down when I was little, and my agony lessened with each rotation.

  “Oh, honey, there’s nothing to forgive. I knew you needed some time. But I have missed you.”

  “I’ve missed you too,” I managed to croak through my emotions.

  Gran held me until tears lined my eyes and I started hiccupping. We both laughed and she pulled back with a smile. “Go sit down, I’ll make you some lemon tea and bring you a spoonful of honey for that hiccup. I have a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies too.”

  Gran might look different on the outside, but she was the same Gran I knew and loved.

  “Cookies?” I said and then returned her smile with a wobbly one of my own, and another hiccup. Normally, Gran making cookies in the oven would have sent me into a panic, but now that the curse was broken I was no longer afraid of her burning the house down.

  Gran chuckled and shooed me over to the same bistro table that had been in our last apartment, the one Drea and I had set up in here a few weeks ago. I ran my fingers over the table, remembering how many meals Gran and I had shared on it and smiled. I was holding my breath, trying to get rid of my hiccups, when she returned a few minutes later. The tea tray she held was loaded with a teapot, two teacups, a plate of cookies, a spoonful of honey, and a small silver key. I popped the honey-covered spoon in my mouth, sucking the sticky sweetness off as I stared at the key. It was short and the teeth were a bit blocky with a deep notch in the middle. The top half was chunky black plastic. It looked familiar, but I couldn’t say why. I also didn’t know why she’d put it on the tea tray of all places.

  “What’s that?” I asked, blessedly hiccup free.

  Gran pushed the key across the table toward me. “That is yours,” she said.

  “Umm, thanks? What’s it for?” Gran was being cryptic and even though I knew she wasn’t cursed anymore I worried about whether or not she was making sense.

  She snatched up a cookie, taking a bite. “I’ve held on to that key for years. Arthur’s curse prevented me from telling you about it or giving it to you, although I tried many times.”

  That’s why it was familiar. It was always hanging from Gran’s keychain. I’m sure I asked her about it at some point, but never got a straight answer.

  I picked it up, turning it over in my hand. I ran my thumb over the teeth and then flipped it over, noticing that there weren’t any markings on the metal. Gran had possessed it so long; I’d barely given it a second thought. Since she was giving it to me now, I assumed it opened something special and she wasn’t just handing down a keepsake.

  I glanced back at her, waiting for her to go on.

  “Your mother gave that to me the last day I saw her. It goes to a safety-deposit box downtown. I was supposed to give it to you when you turned thirteen, but of course I couldn’t, due to the curse.” She took a deep breath, and I leaned back in my chair.

  My mom. It felt like a blade stabbed my heart then. That key was another reminder of what my obsessive portal watching had stopped me from doing. I should have been preparing for my mom’s rescue, but Gage’s loss hit me so hard I’d put it out of my mind. Staring down at the key I thought about how many years Gran had held on to it and I was flooded with regret over not making my mom a priority.

  I heaved a sigh, and even the breath in my lungs felt heavy.

  A safety-deposit box? I wondered what was inside. I looked back up at her trying to keep an open mind and take in everything Gran was saying.

  “Tatum, your mother knew the day she dropped you off with me that she may not be coming back. She didn’t tell me that in so many words, and I didn’t realize it at the time, but looking back I can clearly see she left that day with a mission. One she wasn’t confident she’d accomplish. I don’t know what it was, and it’s apparent now that the whole car accident was just a cover-up for whatever really happened to her, but I think you may find some more answers in whatever she put in that safety-deposit box.”

  “You don’t have any idea what she left me?” I asked.

  Gran shook her head. “After her accident I tried to access it, hoping to find out if it led to any clues as to why she left in a rush. But it’s in your name and they wouldn’t let me. I would have brought this to you earlier, but I just remembered it this morning. There are some memories that the curse stole from me that are still coming back in bits and pieces. Some things are still scrambled. I have the name and address of the bank though, so you can go check whenever you’re ready.”

  Holy crap. Excitement and nervousness thrummed through me in equal measure. I was torn between jumping out of my seat and running to find out what my mom left me, and staying glued where I was, terrified I’d find out something even worse about myself.

  “Thanks, Gran,” I said, and then reached across the table to squeeze her hand.

  The indecision I felt must have been splashed across my face, because Gran set down her half-eaten cookie and grabbed my other hand. She waited until she had my full attention to speak. “I know that finding out about Apollyon being your father was a shock. I can’t tell you how much I wish I could have prepared you for all of this sooner.” She waved her hand indicating the room, but what she really meant was all the Watcher stuff. “And I know you’re probably feeling a little insecure about it all, but I want you to know that you are still you. It doesn’t matter who your parents may be. You are still Tatum Powers, the strong and compassionate girl I raised. That was true last month, and it’s true today. No matter what you’ve learned in the last month, or what secrets you might uncover with that key, nothing will ever change who you are.”

  She’d hit the nail on the head. That was exactly what I was apprehensive about. I might be a full-fledged Lumen, but there were still pieces of Apollyon living inside me. Even Cael had said only I had specific abilities to defeat Apollyon, and I was smart enough to understand what he meant by that.

  I so badly wanted to believe Gran was right, that I was still me no matter what, but what if she was wrong? What if the same darkness that festered in Apollyon’s dark heart lived in mi
ne too?

  Later that day, I shoveled food into my mouth during lunch as I prepared for my advanced portal making independent study with Aurelia. I’d pushed the key Gran had given me and whatever possible Pandora’s box it would unlock out of my mind until I could deal with it after school. And I’d shoved all things Gage-related into another impenetrable box and closed the lid. I’m sure there were healthier ways to deal with my emotions, but I didn’t have time to move through the stages of grief like a normal person. So instead, I squeezed Gage into a corner of my heart and put a barrier around him so I could focus on preparing myself to take on Apollyon and the horrors of the Netherworld in order to save my mom.

  I couldn’t do anything for Gage, but I could help my mom. I didn’t have a hope of succeeding if I was distracted, so all my attention needed to be focused on that one task. Save my mom. I’d deal with grieving for Gage properly and opening Pandora’s box later, possibly with a therapist.

  Lumen Academy had given me a leave of absence due to what happened with Gage, but now they’d thrown me in full throttle. I was set to take the Junior Hunter Skills Test tomorrow, and then Aurelia said she would advance me to junior hunter.

  Aurelia promised me that once I advanced to junior hunter she would start to plan a mission with me to the Netherworld to rescue my mom. She’d said that because it was dangerous, she’d have to ask people to go on a volunteer basis only. She also mentioned that after a lot of the hunters saw how hard I worked trying to close the portals during the attack on my Ascension Ceremony, she didn’t think we would have a problem finding enough volunteers.