Innocence and Evil (The Arcadia Falls Chronicles #6) Read online

  I needed answers and I wasn’t getting any while I was hiding out in this house.

  The energy absorbed back down into my palm as my fingers curled back into a fist. “I need you,” I whispered. “Dammit, I need help.”

  My eyes lifted and I stared at myself in the mirror, which was beginning to fog back over where I had already wiped it. I wanted to punch my reflection. I wanted to crack it to pieces and watch it fall.

  What was happening to me?

  And then, with sudden clarity, I knew what I had to do.

  I dressed quickly and hurried out of the bathroom. Downstairs, I peeked my head into the control room and found Oscar manning the panel. “Open the gate for me in a few minutes, okay.”

  Oscar jumped a little when I burst into the room, but recovered quickly and nodded. “Gotcha.”

  I closed the door behind me and headed for the front entrance. I didn’t even tell Christina where I was going, so I sure as hell wasn’t going to tell anyone else. But, I should have realized that I wouldn’t be able to get out of the house without her knowing about it.

  “Hey,” Christina called from behind me. “Where do you think you’re going?”

  I halted to a stop just before I reached the front door. Slowly, I turned to face her. “I have to do something.”

  “Then I’ll come with you,” she told me.

  I shook my head. “No, this is something I feel like I need to do by myself.”

  Her eyes softened. “Zander, I want to come with you.”

  “I don’t need you with me.”

  She defiantly moved passed me and opened the front door. “I know that you don’t need me with you. I’m not stupid. But, I would hope that you would want me with you. There is a difference.”

  That little manipulator. She knew that I wouldn’t tell her that I didn’t want her with me. My hardened heart turned soft when it came to her. “Fine.” I stomped past her. “Get in the truck.”

  I didn’t stop to see if she would still follow me. I knew she would.

  Our vehicles were all parked in a row to the side of the house. It had been a while since I’d driven my truck anywhere. So it was covered in a thin layer of dust and pollen. I flung open the driver door and hopped up behind the wheel while Christina slid into the passenger seat.

  “You don’t have to act like a baby,” she told me, leaning back against the leather.

  I rolled my eyes and turned the key over. “I’m not. I just don’t want you to see what I’m going to do.” I paused, thinking I’d better explain so she didn’t think I was going to kill myself or something. “I’m going to try to call the Warrior Angel.”

  Her eyes widened a little bit, but she didn’t really look too surprised. “Well, let’s go then.”

  I pulled out of the drive and passed through the gate, which opened before I got to it and closed behind me. Oscar could see us on the security cameras so he knew when to open and close it.

  Huge clouds of dust and gravel sprayed out behind us as we sped over the dirt back roads. After a little while, I turned onto a tiny road that, in reality, could hardly be called a road. Branches from the overgrowth scratched at my truck and the ruts dipped really low in some spots.

  It wasn’t long before the road began to slope upward. We continued like that, going up further and further until Christina glanced over at me and sarcastically asked. “Are we there yet?”

  “Nope.” I shook my head. “We’re going all the way to the top.

  Narrowing her eyes, she nodded. “Yeah, that makes sense. You’re trying to get as close as you can so he can hear you.”

  “It’s dumb. I know.”

  “No, it’s not. It’s smart,” she argued.

  I shrugged. “Maybe, but it probably won’t work anyway.”

  “Maybe it will and maybe it won’t. It’s worth a shot either way.”

  She had a point. I was going to try it, one way or another.

  Eventually the narrow, winding dirt road opened way and crested into a wide area at the top of the mountain. The trees were spread further apart than they were coming up, leaving a wide area at the summit. I parked, making sure the emergency brake was on, and took a moment to look around.

  “This is amazing,” Christina breathed.

  “It is,” I agreed.

  Below us, we could see for miles and miles. The green expanse of trees drifted on like a blanket covering the earth. Here and there a few tiny rooftops could be seen, as well as the two nearby lakes.

  Christina opened the passenger door and stepped out. “I’m glad I came with you, if for no other reason than this,” she said.

  I rounded the truck and stepped up beside her. Reaching out, I took her hand and gave it a squeeze. “Me too.” It felt good to get out, to get away from everything in real life. Way up here, we were on top of the world, far from all our troubles.

  While there was no wind down below, there was a heavy breeze up on the mountain. It caught Christina’s hair and lifted the dark locks, blowing them every which way. I released her hand and stepped closer to the edge of the summit.

  “Warrior Angel!” I called out. Even though I was yelling, my voice seemed lost in the wind. “I need you!”

  Christina stayed back and let me do my thing. I waited a few minutes and when nothing happened I tried again. “You can’t leave me here like this. I’ve tried to live up to what you have wanted. I have tried, dammit! But, I don’t know how. Please help me.”

  Again, I waited, and again there was nothing.

  “Some angel you are. You’re just like my father. To create me and then leave me. To give me these powers and then disappear, making me an outcast in my own world. Your just like him and he was a vampire … you are supposed to be the good guy!”

  I stepped back from the edge and bent over so that I was staring at the ground. I was breathless from yelling. I hadn’t realized that my abandonment issues ran so deep. Screw that … screw them both.

  Inhaling deeply. I straightened and turned to Christina. “Let’s go. I should have known better than to think this would work.”

  She reached out for my hand and the wind picked up even more. The gust was so strong it practically blew me off the side of the mountain. The sky darkened as a cloud passed over the sun.

  I grasped Christina’s outstretched hand and we both tilted our faces to the sky.

  “Holy crap,” Christina whispered.

  “Yeah,” I agreed.

  A massive dark gray cloud was making its way across the sky, blocking out the clear blue canvas of the day. “It’s going to storm.” I tugged on her hand. “We better go.” The last thing I wanted to do was be stuck on top of a mountain in the middle of a downpour.”

  She followed me to the truck and we hurried to open our doors. But then, a deafening crack of thunder sounded and we both covered our ears as we looked upward again. The black storm parted directly above us and a shaft of blinding light burst through the opening.

  “It’s him!” Christina yelled over the wind. “It worked!”

  I didn’t believe her at first, but then, I saw the sandaled feet of the Warrior Angel appear. The blade of his sword was the only other thing that I could see right then. The steel shimmered, reflecting in light that wasn’t there.

  Before we knew it, he was on the ground. His black and white feathered wings lifted and then spread wide, covering an expanse of probably eight feet or more. He had dark hair and piercing dark eyes that seemed to bore right into my very soul.

  I had expected to see him in robes, like you would imagine an angel would wear, especially since he did have sandals on. But, he wore clothes that were on the more modern side, blue jeans, but no shirt. He probably couldn’t wear a shirt because of his wings.

  “My child,” he boomed as he landed atop the earth. “Why have you called for me?”

  I couldn’t speak at first. I hadn’t really thought this would happen.

  “You have called for me and I have come at your request.
Speak now or I shall take my leave.”

  I cleared my throat and tilted my face up to meet his dark glare. “I have called you because of the gift you have given me … the powers and the urge to kill. I don’t know if what I am doing is the right thing.”

  The Warrior Angel’s eyes narrowed. “You do not appreciate the gift I have given you? I gave you life and a purpose. You have the heart of a warrior, a good soul, and a soul like yours should not go to waste.”

  Damn, he was offended. The last thing I wanted to do was piss off someone like the Warrior Angel. “I do not mean to disrespect. I truly appreciate everything you have done. But … I’m worried that I may be doing it wrong. That maybe the gift is leading me in the wrong direction. I … I’m afraid of hurting people.”

  “Listen to me closely, Zander the Warrior.” The angel tilted his head and tightened his grip on the hilt of his gigantic sword. “You will know. This gift will not let you harm those who have not committed ultimate crimes. It does not matter that you have learned one sin is as terrible as the other. That is not true, someone who steals bread to live is not the same as a murderer. Your gift will know the difference.”

  “How can I be sure?” I asked.

  “You will simply know.”

  “I am afraid.” That was the first I have admitted that to anyone … ever, and it wasn’t easy to say.

  “Do not fear. You are a young warrior and your gifts are still developing. They will grow and prosper, just as you will as a man. You have a purpose now and lying in fear will not accomplish what you are meant to do. It is time to move onward … you are forbidden to hide any longer, my child.”

  Forbidden. What?

  “So you don’t want me sitting around the house anymore, is that what you’re saying?”

  “That is correct.”

  “What should I do then?”

  “I shall give you a mission, to ease your conscience.” The Warrior Angel took a step toward me. “You will hide no longer. In the city is where the evil is breeding. It grows with each passing moment. A particular group of humans have taken allegiance to the vampires. These humans have not decreased since Korina’s vampire line was eradicated. If anything, the amount of people who are pledged themselves to evil is growing. They are hiding the remaining vampires, being their eyes when the sun shines upon the earth. These humans will lead you to large numbers of vampires. Find the humans and there you will find the demons.”

  I shifted, suddenly uncomfortable. “I don’t want to kill humans.”

  “Hopefully you will not have to. They are merely being led astray.” The Warrior Angel gazed out over the expanse below them. “It is my hope that these sheepish humans have enough morality left in them to choose the correct path in the end.” He turned his eyes back to Zander, “However, if you have to eliminate them in the process, then that is what you must do. Your gift will lead you.”

  I sighed. Then gift would lead me, but where exactly would it lead me.

  “Okay, so killing these vampires that the humans are hiding is my mission. I can do that. I am just afraid of hurting innocent people.”

  With a slight shake of his head, the Warrior Angel stared down at me. “My child, innocence is difficult to attain these days.”

  I nodded my agreement. That was true. As time passed our world seemed to become uglier and uglier. But, I was determined. We had nearly stopped the Vampire Apocalypse and we couldn’t stop now. We had to keep taking them out before they started to multiply again.

  The Warrior Angel lifted his giant sword. “Is your need for guidance satisfied now?” he asked.

  “Yes.” I nodded. “Thank you for coming to help me.”

  “I have merely provided you with a slight nudge, you did the rest on your own.” He turned his eyes to the clouds above us. “I must take leave at this time. Be well, my children.”

  With that, the jean clad Warrior Angel lifted his sword into the sky and shot off the mountain like bullet from a gun.

  Releasing a deep breath, I turned to Christina and raised my eyebrows. “That seemed to go well.”

  ***

  I didn’t talk much on the way back, and Christina didn’t push me to either. I was trying to process everything that would need to be done. The first thing I was going to have to do was talk to the whole group. Which meant, in the long run, I was going to have to talk about why I had gone to the Warrior Angel in the first place. Even though they all knew what was going on with me, we never discussed it, but that didn’t mean that it was any easier to reveal my faults.

  I glanced over at Christina and felt a sudden happiness flood over me. She knew me, she knew that I was mentally processing all of this and needed to come to terms with myself before we talked about it.

  It was nice having someone who knew me that well.

  She caught my gaze and offered me a small smile.

  “The first thing we are going to have to do is talk with the rest of the group.”

  She nodded. “I know. You good?”

  I concentrated on the narrow dirt road in front of us. “Yeah, I’m better than I was before.”

  “Now that you have a direction?”

  I nodded in response.

  When we approached the gate to the house I only stopped for a moment before it rolled back, opening the way to our home.

  As I parked the truck next to Oscar’s motorcycle, I shifted into gear and stared at the sizable log home and the expanse of grounds within the fence. Sudden memories of my mother and our small apartment flashed inside my head.

  Closing my eyes, I saw my mother sleeping on the couch, a book lay open and down across her chest where it had fallen when slumber had finally claimed her. Then I saw the two of us at our small kitchen table for supper. She was laughing and pouring iced tea out of a plastic pitcher. The vision changed and I saw myself burst through the front door after school, fling my pack on the couch and head for the kitchen where I found a note from mom telling me she was working a double shift again.

  Then, I was back in the truck with Christina. The memories were only memories again.

  But, they were my memories and it had been my life. Sometimes I hated the man I’d never met, Trevor … my father. It didn’t matter that he was a vampire, my mom sacrificed everything for me and we lived in squalor while he had more than one mansion.

  I tried hard not to hate him.

  It never worked. I would always hate him.

  We found Chloe and Drew in the living room. They were sitting on the floor, one of them on each side of the coffee table. They were chatting and cleaning their guns, which were in pieces and spread across a thin cloth that had been placed underneath the weapons to protect the wood.

  “Hey.” I strode into the room with Christina right behind me. “I’m glad you guys are here. I thought you were going to the training center today.”

  Drew didn’t look up. “We did. Unfortunately, there was no one there today except the trainers.”

  Christina and I exchanged a glance and then she leaned against the door frame. “That isn’t good.” She pushed some hair out of her face.

  “No, it’s not,” Chloe agreed. “So, what’s up? You said you were glad we’re here, which means that something is happening.” She set a spring on the table and leaned back against the couch.

  Christina bypassed me, headed for the recliner. “Nothing, except that Zander and I had a visit from the Warrior Angel.” She plopped down onto the soft cushions. “Well, he had a visit, I was just along for the ride.”

  I remained standing and watched as Chloe and Drew turned their heads toward each other, gazes locking.

  “The storm,” Drew said knowingly.

  Chloe nodded in agreement. “We should have known it was something paranormal. A storm doesn’t just come and go like that.” She turned back to me. “So, what warranted this visit?”

  I shifted and glanced at Christina, who nodded encouragingly. “I think it’s best that everyone is here when I explain.”


  Drew had begun putting his gun back together as we spoke. He finished the job by sliding a full clip into place and tucking the weapon away into his holster. “Let’s gather up the crew then.” He stood and held out his hand for Chloe.

  Twenty minutes later, I stood beside the entertainment center in the living room. Christina was at my side, but Chloe, Drew, Alice, Oscar, Luke, Gavin, Sarah and Daniels were scattered around the room in front of me.

  I cleared my throat nervously. “All right, you all know public speaking isn’t my gig.” I paused, trying not to look as uncomfortable as I felt. “So, I’ll get right to it.” As I told them the story and explained what the Warrior Angel wanted, I watched their faces. No one seemed too awfully surprised, which was a plus. I didn’t want anyone thinking I was crazy.

  I finished up and for a moment, silence sat heavily in the room. Then, Gavin leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees. “Those who pledged to the Vampire Council aren’t dying with the vampires, they are trying to rebuild the faction again.”

  Drew nodded. “That’s what it sounds like.”

  With a shake of her head, Chloe closed her eyes and whispered, “Dragons … strength, courage, and immortality. They won’t go down as easily as we thought.” She sat up straight. “They know now what kind of power they can have with vampires at their side and they don’t want to give it up.”

  “Maybe we’re giving them too much credit.” Daniels frowned. “Maybe it isn’t as serious as all that.”

  I eyed the soldier, “Or maybe it is. Why would the Warrior Angel direct us to them if they weren’t a problem? However, he did say that they are misguided, that hopefully some of them can be spared. He said my gift would let me know.” I rolled my eyes at this last part.

  Luke stood and joined me at the front of the room. “Do not doubt the words of the Warrior Angel. If he said you would know … then you will know.” He reached out and grasped my hand. “I know you are struggling with a lot right now, but you need to trust in yourself.”