Avenging Angel Read online

  Avenging Angel

  By Tamsin Baker

  Book 2 in the ‘Gabriel and Kadie’ series.

  This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

  AVENGING ANGEL

  First edition. April 7, 2020.

  Copyright © 2020 Tamsin Baker.

  Written by Tamsin Baker.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Chapter 1.

  Chapter 2.

  Chapter 3.

  Chapter 4.

  Chapter 5.

  Chapter 6.

  Chapter 7.

  Chapter 8.

  Chapter 9.

  Chapter 10.

  Chapter 1.

  My instincts screamed with the scent of death and I curled my fingers into tight fists.

  My wings twitched, wanting to shoot out and take flight.

  Everything inside me wanted to hunt the Demons who caused my love, the mother of my newborn child, to be placed into a coma in order to save her life.

  I wanted to shred the skin of those monsters who forced me to leave my newborn son with an old Target of mine who had milk in her breasts to nourish him.

  I stepped out the front door into the cool, late afternoon. For a mo­ment I swayed on the spot, standing on the doorstep of Jasmine’s brownstone.

  Fear, an unknown emotion to me up until today, shivered along my spine like ice. Cold, strong and unwanted.

  I released a shaky breath. I’d just made the biggest decision of my life. Leaving behind someone who was arguably the most important thing to me was like ripping off my sword arm. Trusting another to guard him as I would was near-impossible, but Jasmine was the closest person I could think of who would do just that. My son... I still couldn’t wrap my head around the very concept of him.

  This was not supposed to happen – a half-human, half-angel progeny. But apparently, this was not the first time this had occurred. I just did not think it would happen with me. I still had a penance to pay for falling from Heaven, and while I did not know when that penance would be repaid, I had been unwavering when it came to my duty. Saving humans Demons wanted to destroy was easy and satisfying, but I had longed for home.

  Until Kadie.

  “They can all get fucked. I have a new home now.”

  A light breeze ruffled my hair. It was difficult for me to get cold because of my angelic tendencies but my skin pinched all the same.

  Kadie was different in every way. She was a Witch. She was genuine and beautiful and kind. She was the woman I loved and the mother of my child. She was the person I intended to save, even though I had technically already fulfilled my duty in regards to her.

  My duty was only to her, to my son. Everything else fell to the wayside.

  I had two options: I could stay and protect my child, in Jasmine’s home while she tended to him. But that would not bring his mother back to me, nor to him. And if she died because of this poison infesting her body – where her only chance of survival was to place her in a coma - how would I explain it to my child in the years to come? How could I look him in the eye and tell him I had done absolutely everything to save her? What kind of father – what kind of man – would I be?

  I needed to do everything in my power to get his mother back—for him, and for me. And to do that I must solve the puzzle before me. Why was Kadie so important to the Demons?

  I stretched to my full height beneath my shield of invisibility and extended my blackened wings. They screamed in relief. I glanced at the singed ends, the battle I had fought – was it only a day or two ago? – flashing in my mind. Demonfire was deadly to an angel. I could heal myself against almost anything, but I could not regrow my wings if they were burned off with Demonfire. However, they still worked and I intended to use them to the best of my ability. But first, I needed clothes and a plan.

  Kadie’s home was where I needed go. A place I could be alone to think without fear of being attacked. Despite my invisibility, the Demons were able to track me if they needed to. I needed some time to slow down and wrap my head around everything that had happened. Everything had happened so incredibly fast and my brain was struggling to catch up with my new reality. As much as I wanted to rush in and fight, I knew that was not the most intelligent decision. Not if I was going to do this the right way.

  I leaned forward, cleared Jasmine’s stoop, flapped my wings and catapulted myself into the sky. I flew higher and higher, until the clouds were at my elbows and Earth was far beneath me.

  I glanced up at the never-ending expanse of blue above me. I hadn’t ever stopped to ask “why.” I’d been taught it wasn’t my place to question my fate, nor the overall “plan.” But here I was, still a Fallen Angel, and a new father to a son who Tabitha, my Angel Agent, said could be the beginning of a race of super-soldiers.

  Why was the question I should be asking. Why had this happened? Why me? Why Kadie? Why?

  How had Kadie and I achieved such a thing? And why was I still an Angel if I was able to father a child? Shouldn’t I be demoted to a human, at the very least? Taking away my immortality seemed like the perfect punishment.

  Although, if I could grow old and die after a life spent with Kadie, it wouldn’t be a punishment at all. Quite the opposite, in fact. I’d finally found someone to exist for, to love. And because of that love, everything had changed.

  I’d changed. I wasn’t trying to get back into Heaven anymore. I wanted to stay on Earth, stay with the mortals I’d protected for so long.

  But there was so much more to think about than my impending mortality.

  Did Hell’s Demons want my unborn child?

  I wasn’t entirely sure if my son was who they were after, or if it was Kadie, or if was me. They had been trying to get their revenge on me for a while, and I thought that attacking Kadie was their way of doing that.

  But what of my son. Certainly, they knew he existed. But did they want him as well?

  No answers came to me.

  In desperation I closed my eyes, extended out my arms and thought of my lover, the goddess Teramea. The reason I’d been thrown out of Heaven. The woman I’d loved for millennia.

  The air surrounded me and my wings flexed out, stretching as best as they could. I flew as high as I could go and there was a whisper in my ear. The faintest of words.

  Go now, Gabriel. Quickly.

  My eyes snapped open and I dove back to Earth. I wasn’t going to ignore Tabitha’s warning.

  I rode the currents of air over the city and landed with a loud thump on the concrete outside Kadie’s house.

  It was moments before sundown. I glanced to my left, then to my right.

  A heated tingle of warning stroked my spine. The Hell Demons were rising. I would soon need to hunt them down, killing them before they reached their Target.

  I’d never tried to capture a Demon before, nor question them. My goal had always been to exterminate them on sight, their very existence on this plain a crime. But I needed information from them now, and that would require a different dance.

  I sneered as I shifted my weight, turning my eyes once again to Kadie’s purple door. I did not like admitting that I needed them at all. I did not like depending on Demons to assist me with anything, let alone something of grave importance. I would not put it past them to use tricks and deceit in order to attempt to keep me from reaching my goal while interrogating them.

  If it was even possible to interrogate them, because if it was, I’d be willing to do anything to find out some answers.

  I walked up to Kadie’s door and adjusted my height to suit her small house.

  Unbidden, a small smile rose to my lips as my gorgeous Witch filled my mind. Her
red hair spread over her pillow as she cuddled me and laughed with happiness. As though she had nothing to worry about.

  We’d been blessed with beautiful time together, although too short. I prayed to the Gods above that we’d have more, especially now with the birth of our son.

  Coldness crept inside my gut once again, and I pushed it away. Kadie was not gone, nor was she dead. I needed to stop mourning her life. I needed to stop thinking we would never get more time or that she would never get time with our son.

  I scooped up the potted plant by her front door and pulled the spare key from its hiding place beneath the bottom soil.

  I needed clothes and somewhere to think, and this was the place to do it.

  I opened the door, not bothering to let go of my invisibility until I was inside, with the door shut and locked securely behind me. There was a calming affect this place had on me. I felt home here. However, there was an obvious emptiness that permeated through it due to the fact that Kadie was not here.

  Perhaps I would feel better if I knew how she was.

  Was Kadie still unconscious? I sent out a message to my Angel Agent.

  How’s my little Witch doing, Tabitha?

  An exhausted laugh sounded in my head.

  Me? Or Kadie?

  I stumbled for a moment. I needed to remember that Tabitha was part Witch too. And she wasn’t doing well either, since helping me with Kadie. Apparently, magic used a lot of energy and that energy could be both depleted or restored. Using too much in a short span of time made it difficult to recover for witches. They needed peace in order to build the magic back up. Unfortunately, we did not have that sort of time.

  Both of you, of course.

  Kadie’s still alive, although her energy is low. I have her tethered to me, so I won’t be able to help you much with your search. She is consuming a lot of my power.

  I could hear the exhaustion in her voice, though she tried to hide it. I could not help but feel a swell of gratefulness for having her in my life. I did not know how I would be able to do this without her.

  Thank you, Tabitha. I don’t know how to tell you how grateful I am for what you’re doing.

  I walked to the couch and finally let myself drop into it. A heavy sigh escaped my mouth. My entire body crumbled like a sturdy mountain during a trembling earthquake. I did not realize just how exhausted I had become during this process and it felt good to just sit for a moment. Now that I knew Kadie was okay, I was able to do just that.

  For just a moment.

  I’m doing this for all of us, Gabriel. Kadie is more important than we know, I’m sure of it. The Demons want her desperately, and there has to be a reason for it. If we win this hand, it may turn the tide for Heaven.

  And that was all I’d ever wanted. My side to win. The good team. Those who fought for the best of humanity on Earth. Not the worst.

  Do we know why they want her? Perhaps now was not the best time to inquire about such a thing, but I could not help but question it. If I was able to figure out why Kadie was so important, it might make it easier to protect her or it might reveal a beneficial strategy on how to defeat the Demons. Any new information I could get, I would take.

  Unfortunately, no. We just know they want her. And if they want her this much, something must be special about her, more so than we could have predicted.

  I nodded my head and then remembered that she could not see me.

  Please let me know if there is anything I can do from here.

  There was a brief pause, but something told me that Tabitha was not finished.

  Is your son safe?

  The mention of my son caused me to pick my head up. I let out a breath. I wish I could hold him now. How something so fragile could be so powerful. I was contented to know he was in good hands, however, and a flicker of a smile lit up my face.

  Yes. Jasmine has him.

  That’s good. There was an approving tone in Tabitha’s voice. It reassured me that I had made the right decision leaving him with her, even though it was the most difficult thing for me to do. More so than fighting Demons. More so than falling from Heaven. Now, don’t worry about us. You need to focus on hunting down those responsible for this, and finding an antidote to the poison, if you can.

  I blinked. How could I have so easily forgotten? I needed to find an antidote to the poison coursing through Kadie’s body. I dropped my head into my hands, trying not to stress too much about all I needed to do. I had done more. I had fought more.

  But now, I had so much more to lose than ever before.

  Yes. I will. Thank you, Tabitha.

  I let go of the connection to my Agent, her dimmed energy filtering through our connection and leaving me cold and lonely. I leaned back against the couch and stared up at the ceiling, as though there might be some chance I would find my answers up there, written in the cracks.

  I’d gotten used to a solitary existence, but never felt this clueless or helpless. I couldn’t look after my son properly, only Jasmine could do that. I couldn’t keep Kadie alive, unlike Tabitha. What good was I for then? Besides endangering the few that I loved?

  Today marked the day I learned that I could rely on others, and trust them to do the right thing by me and my loved ones. Trust was not something I easily acquired. Trust had done more harm than good for me. I stopped trusting people long ago.

  And Kadie changed everything, as she was apt to do.

  I pushed up onto my feet and headed down the hallway. I ignored pictures of Kadie on the wall, my heart squeezing painfully together.

  I stepped into Kadie’s bathroom and flicked on the water in the shower. My clothes were little better than rags after the fight, and I was covered with the blood of my woman and child.

  My family.

  I shook my head as I shrugged out of my tattered garments. I could only imagine what Jasmine thought when she saw me in front of her home, as though I was touched by Hell itself. I was glad Kadie hadn’t seen me. I was glad my child couldn’t register what my appearance truly meant. Angels didn’t have families. We had our Gods. We had our legions of warriors. And the Fallen had Angel Agents, to guide them on their path back to righteousness. We had friends, sort of... But never a real blood and flesh family.

  What was I now? Part human?

  I stood beneath the spray of hot, clean water and washed away the decay of the day. The dirt of the Earth, the blood of the battle. One unlike any war I had ever fought.

  I did not feel any different. If I had been reduced to part human, it did not register on my person. However, I could not deny there was that possibility. I was not quite sure what to male of that fact. I don’t think I could wrap my head around that possibility if I tried.

  I tilted my head back and let my body relax, willing my mind to re-construct the puzzle before me. I did not want to think of myself or my place in this. Rather, I wanted to focus on what actually mattered: Kadie. My son. What all of this meant.

  Kadie was a powerful, but untrained Witch. The Hell Demons had originally wanted to torture her to the point that she’d commit suicide, or so I’d believed when I’d first been put on her protection duty.

  But maybe I’d been wrong. Perhaps it had been their plan all along to capture her. After all, they’d shown themselves in plain sight of other humans, and openly attacked her. That was something they never did, no matter who they were going after. Even when Kadie fought back, they kept coming. They were not perturbed by her power. If anything, it seemed to make their desire for her intensify. They were willing to take unnecessary risks to ensure she fell in with them.

  But why? That, I did not know.

  Was I also part of the plan? Our child too, perhaps?

  Probably not. They’d been following Kadie long before I’d begun protecting her, so how could they know that I’d be assigned to her? That couldn’t. Demons were clever at times, but they were not smart. They could not reason outside their emotion. There was no way they could have predicted that I’d impregn
ate her. If they’d foreseen that, then the Demons of Hell had more power than we gave them credit for.

  I did not believe it, and I don’t think anything could convince me otherwise unless God Himself told me such a thing.

  The child, my child, would have been a bonus for them for certain, but he was not the main reason for kidnapping her, I was sure of it. I did not even know what he was capable of, or what his existence meant for Angels and Demons and humans. He was important, certainly, and now that the Demons were aware that he existed, there was a good chance that they would go after him. But to say he was the reason for their attack on Kadie was not something I believed.

  Kadie was the true key, and I had to work out why the Demons wanted her so badly.

  The steam softened my facial muscles and, for a moment, I let my head hang and basked in the hot water running down my body.

  I picked up Kadie’s flowery smelling homemade soap and scrubbed at my body until my skin ached, then turned the water off.

  Her towels smelled like Kadie. That sweet, slightly earthy scent that always reminded me of how real and genuine she was. How close to nature she was. How she marvelled at the earth the way I seemed to marvel about her.

  I groaned aloud in the small bathroom.

  This is crap.

  My eyes snapped open. I had to pull myself together. I was no use to anyone when I was weakened with sentiment. As much as I loved Kadie, I could not allow her to be a hindrance. She already caused my heart to sag heavily, like an anchor deep in the sea. I could not allow her to do the same for my rationale.

  I pushed aside any struggling emotions with ruthless efficiency and dried myself quickly. It wouldn’t serve Kadie for me to fall apart now. Nor my son.

  Or the Gods for whom I’d always fought.

  Chapter 2.

  I needed to re-trace my steps. Perhaps go back to the castle where they’d held her?

  I shifted my weight, hands on my hips. I was well-aware how naked I was, standing so openly in her home, so vulnerable, but somehow, this vulnerability gave me strength. Focus. Perception.