Between (A Key Holder Novel Book 1) Page 4

  I tugged on his hand, moving him down the path I wanted to take. “The guy in the dream said I'll help you get your memories back.” I reminded him, “Come this way, I want you to see this. It might jog something.”

  He followed me. “Oh my God.”

  I stepped back and let him get closer to the statue. He stared at it intently, and let his hands slide over the perfectly sculpted replica of wings.

  “It's nearly perfect.”

  I smiled. “Nearly? I always thought it was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.”

  He barely acknowledged me, and simply walked around and around it. “Where did it come from? Who made it?”

  I shrugged. “The artist is unknown, and it just appeared here about six years ago. The plaque was there as well.” I pointed to the bronzed plaque near the base of the statue.

  Noah bent down, reading it solemnly. “Dedicated to our brothers and sisters of the air. May your light shine forever in our hearts.”

  I sighed. “It's a lovely tribute to the angels.”

  Noah looked up at me from where he crouched by the statue. “Cassie, we have to find the artist.”

  I raised an eyebrow as he waved at the granite.

  “I think that whoever sculpted this was an angel.”

  ***

  GABRIEL EASED HIMSELF up from the roof, groaning at the ache in his muscles. His heavenly essence was strong, as he was the oldest living angel, but it was draining quickly without a daily infusion from the River of Life. A river, he sighed, that was locked away in Heaven. He was becoming more and more susceptible to mortality. The younger angels were in dire need, and he had no idea how to proceed. He didn't want to hurt his brother, but the door had to be opened again. Unfortunately, only a great sacrifice by the person who locked it in the first place could unlock it again. Gabriel shivered in his tee-shirt, and pulled on his black hoodie. Noah loved humans, and he was especially close to the human girl Cassie. Gabriel had begun to fear that only in sacrificing Cassie could Noah open the door for the angels to return to Heaven.

  “He's looking for you.”

  Gabriel sighed. “Go away, demon.” he said wearily. The little Thandoux was lovely, but her presence was as bitter to him as acid.

  “Your brother is looking for the sculptor.” She ignored his mood and leaned against the roof. “That would be you.”

  Gabriel resisted the urge to curse. Every moment he spent on Earth was draining away his angelic goodness like a sieve. “Yes. I'm aware.” He tried to elbow past her, but she reached out, grabbing his arm with a hand that was as silky smooth as it was strong. He looked down at her, biting his lip. He did not accost females, no matter the species, but this one was the most irritating he'd ever met. She'd seen him on the rooftop weeks ago, and now every time he was here, she was too. She was nearly a foot shorter than him, and her body was lusciously curved. He tried to ignore her ridiculously low-cut shirt as he glared at her.

  “You can let him find you. Give him the memories. Open the door.”

  Her lips were soft and pink and Gabriel shook himself to remind him that no matter how lovely she was, she was still a demon. Despite the fact that she was a vegetarian, and her kind never harmed humans, she was a demon and he was an angel. The two definitely did not mix.

  “What does it matter to you?” he asked, suddenly wary. Demons were locked out of Hell, just as angels were locked out of Heaven, but he would have assumed they saw that as a good thing.

  She shrugged, but he saw a flash of fear in her wide blue eyes. “It doesn't.” she lied with the swiftness and grace all demons had, “The sooner you angels get the hell off this plane the better off we'll be.”

  Gabriel had to laugh at her bold claim, and he shook off her hand as he turned to leave. “My brother must find his own way. He has to make the choice. I can't force him to open the door.”

  The Thandoux followed him, but her voice was strong. “Unless you kill him.” she said, and Gabriel turned before he could stop himself, grabbing her by the throat and lifting her off the ground.

  “That is my brother!” He ground it out, his anger, fear and worry overwhelming him. “No one hurts my brother.”

  The little demon groaned, and her hands covered his around her throat. “Then maybe you aren't the man for the job.” Her voice barely made it past the hold he had on her vocal chords.

  Disgusted with himself for losing control, and even more so for hurting a female, even a demon, Gabriel set her down gently and healed her neck with a quick burst of his power. She grinned, rubbing the area where no bruises would ever appear.

  “You're right, demon.” he said, pulling his hoodie up and walking away. “I'm not.”

  He heard her laugh as he slammed the door, but she also yelled out, “My name is Cimeron, angel. Not demon!”

  Gabriel didn't know why, but her little spark of stubbornness made him smile.

  ***

  NOAH FOLLOWED ME AWAY from the park, but I knew he hated leaving the statue. It was a beautiful piece. A lone angel, falling from the sky, his wings, arms and legs tangled, his hands grasping for something to hold on to. It was his face, though, that had always interested me. The angel was smiling as he fell.

  “Let's go to the modern art museum on Price Avenue,” I said to Noah as I looked at my watch. “I have a couple of hours before my next class.” Noah was quiet, and I simply walked beside him, hoping that my presence was enough to give him some comfort. We turned down Price, and I stopped. Noah took a few steps before he realized I'd stopped.

  “Noah!”

  He frowned, and looked up. Three lone figures were blocking our path. They were unnerving. The rest of the street was deserted, and they stood across the sidewalk, making it impossible for us to pass. It was clear they'd been waiting for us.

  “Cassie.” Noah's voice was flat and emotionless.

  I looked hard at him, but his face was impassive.

  “Turn around and run as fast as you can back to the diner.”

  I knew I looked like a fish out of water, but I let my mouth flop open as I tried to argue.

  “Now, Cassie.”

  I took a step back, but the tallest spoke before I could move.

  “If she tries to run, we'll kill her.” His voice was low and gravelly, and I shivered. He had his hoodie up, covering his face, but he was big and he appeared misshaped underneath his street clothes. The other two were smaller but I got sinister vibes from them too. I stayed still, waiting for Noah to say something. Obviously they could see him too, so they were either angels, which I doubted, or something worse.

  “What do you want? Who are you?” Noah asked.

  I blinked and looked at him curiously. A thread of power I'd never heard had crept into his voice. He crossed his arms, looking unworried and nonchalant, while I was shivering in fear.

  The biggest of the three laughed, and I flinched. It was a wholly unpleasant sound. “I am Ballach, and these are my friends Dester and Crill.”

  Noah's lips actually twitched as if he was amused. “Type?”

  Ballach's shoulders rolled under his jacket. “First level. Calderock.”

  The words meant nothing to me, but obviously they did to Noah. His smile died, and I saw real dread in his eyes. I felt my mouth go dry. We were in trouble.

  “What is it you want?” Noah had moved, subtly blocking me with his body. He was tense. I could sense he was preparing to fight, but I wondered what he could do against three much larger....beings.

  “We want you to remember.” Crill said, surprising me.

  Noah, too, seemed baffled. “Why would my memories mean anything to demons of your rank?”

  Ballach's voice was rougher, if possible. “When you bastards fell, it locked us out of Hell. We need to get back. Soon.”

  Noah's eyebrows went up. I was still trying to wrap my head around the whole 'demon' thing. It wasn't a stretch to imagine demons existed, as we all knew angels were real. The part I found hardest to believe is that they were running around on Earth and no one had mentioned it before now.

  “You think I can get you back into Hell?” Noah's voice was as skeptical as I felt. He was an angel, I'd seen his wings myself, but he couldn't remember even being an angel, more or less how to open the gates to Hell. I'd always thought demons wanted out of Hell, and here were three who were begging to go back.

  Ballach opened his mouth to answer, but something behind us caught his attention and he shuffled back a few steps, cursing in some language I didn't understand. Crill and Dester even flinched, and I almost turned around to see what was back there that might scare three obviously powerful demons.

  Before I could turn around the demons took off, running away from us. Noah grinned at me, and by the time I'd turned, whatever had scared them off had disappeared.

  “Did you see what it was that scared them?” I asked, but Noah shook his head.

  “I'm guessing an archangel level angel. That's the only thing that might scare a Calderock of the first level.”

  I raised my eyebrows and his grin died.

  “My memories are coming back more and more. Why can't I remember the important things?”

  I put my hand on his forearm and tugged. “The museum is this way.”

  He followed me willingly enough.

  “As for your memories, I have a feeling that everything will return in its own time. We can't force them to come back, so we have to follow this statue mystery and see if that leads us to the answers we need.” We walked along Price Avenue, and a few people actually passed us, never seeming to have noticed that the street was empty only a minute before.

  “Cassie, every second we're together puts you in more danger.” Noah said with a worried frown, and I nodded.

  “So I've noticed.” I smiled at his pained expression. “Look, Noah, as you've probably noticed, I'm not your normal human girl. I've taken this angels and demons thing pretty good, right? Remember I told you my mother had a friend from overseas? Well, he was more like from out of this world. My mother's best friend was an angel, just like you.”

  Noah looked at me for a moment before he frowned. “How do you know? You have a picture of the guy on your wall Cassie. Angels don't pose for photos.”

  I grinned, and stopped at the steps to the museum. “That's not his real picture.” I said, shaking my head. “My mother kept that around so people wouldn't ask too many questions about her friend Noah.”

  “How are you sure he's an angel then, Cassie?” Noah waited as I tied my shoe before we went up the steps.

  “Noah came to my mother when she was a young girl, and he healed her.” I pulled open the door and grinned as he tried to put it all together. “She was dying of cancer, and the doctors had given her weeks at most. Noah came to my mother and the next day the cancer was gone. Gone, as if it never was. Doctors called it a miracle of modern medicine, but she knew it was Noah. She continued seeing him each year until she died. Believe me, he was an angel.” We entered the museum and Noah walked quietly beside me as we went in search of the curator.

  “He told her he was an angel?”

  I grinned. “Do any demons have wings? Do they look like angels?”

  He shook his head slowly.

  “Then he was an angel. My mother told me about his wings, and his powers. He continued to visit her every year because he told her he'd saved her for an important reason. She died without ever finding out what it was.” We stopped at the information desk and I pretended to click on my ear bud so the receptionist wouldn't think I was insane.

  “Did he ever visit you?” Noah asked quietly, and I shook my head.

  “No, I never saw him, though my mother did tell me a way I could recognize him if he should ever appear to me.” Noah sent me a look, but I held up my finger as I asked the secretary to direct us to someone who might be able to give us information on the statue in the park. She pointed us to an office at the end of the hall, and we walked slowly as I tried to finish our conversation.

  “Do you think Noah died in the fall?”

  I shrugged. “No, my father was convinced, that many more were here on Earth. He said we'd have known if Noah died.”

  We stopped at the door and Noah grabbed my hand before I could knock. “How can you recognize him?”

  I shrugged again. “My mother said he has a mark, right here.” I touched his unblemished right cheek. “It was the shape of a half moon.”

  Noah frowned, and I could see he had more questions, but I shook my fist and he let go so I could knock. We waited, and after a moment or two the door opened.

  The curator was an older man in his late forties with a balding head and a stuffy attitude. He seemed surprised that I was asking about the sculpture, but he knew a lot more about it than I did. Noah stood behind the chair I took, watching the older man as he pulled down a book of pictures of the sculpture.

  “This, Ms. Larke, is the one you mean?” He held it out, and I nodded. He pulled out the pages and rifled through them. “It wasn't a commissioned work, you know.” Everyone knew the statue had simply appeared in the park.

  “What I'd like to know is if you have any idea who the artist might be.” I said, and I tried on my best sugary-sweet smile. “Since you're obviously an expert, I thought you might have a guess.” I batted my eyelashes, but had to hold back a grin when Noah groaned behind me. I was not above a little flattery and flirting to get answers.

  “Well,” the older man reddened and appeared flustered. “There are several theories. I have one particular artist in mind, however.”

  I nodded eagerly. The old man pulled out several more photos of other statues, and I recognized the work of the mystery sculptor immediately. Every piece depicted angels, and in every one the angel had a smile on his too-beautiful face.

  “This is his work as well.”

  I sent Noah a wink, but he was staring at the photos.

  “Do you know his name? Do you know where he lives? I'd like to meet him, if possible.”

  The curator shook his head, taking off his little round spectacles and cleaning them on his sweater. “It's quite impossible, actually.” he said with a sigh. “These works are also all mysterious gifts, left throughout the world. All the same artist, all unsigned.”

  I groaned and leaned back in my chair, the wind gone from my sails. The statue was our only lead to getting Noah's memories back, and now we were at a dead end. I stiffened when Noah's hand touched my shoulder.

  “Let's go Cassie.” he said, and I sat up. I shot him a look and he was pale. “I think I know who did these.”

  I said a hasty goodbye to the curator, going as far as kissing his round cheek before closing his door behind me.

  “You know who did the sculpture?”

  Noah nodded.

  “Well?” I asked, impatient to hear what he'd remembered. “Who did it?”

  Noah took my hand, and I was surprised to feel his shaking.

  I squeezed, and stepped closer. “Who sculpted the angels?”

  “It was my brother.” he said quietly. “It was Gabriel.”

  I was a bit flabbergasted, but I could see that he'd remembered something that disturbed him. I tugged him down the corridor, stopping at the little coffee shop. I dropped into a booth, and he sat next to me. It felt amazingly cozy with his shoulder next to mine, and I touched my headset. “Who is Gabriel? You have a brother. That's great, right?”

  “I can see his face in my mind's eye. Oldest brother, my brain tells me. Sculptor. The minute I saw the other sculptures I knew they were his.”

  I put my hand over his on the table and met his eyes, saddened by his obvious misery. “That’s all you remember?”

  He shook his head, dropping his eyes. “No, that's not all.” He groaned, running his other hand through his hair and shaking his head. “Damn, Cassie, this is too dangerous for you.”

  I shook my head this time, and nudged him with my shoulder. “You dissipate when you're out of my immediate range.” I reminded him. “There's a reason I'm the only person who can see you.” I squeezed his hand. “Touch you.”

  He started to say something, but I shook my head. “There is a reason I found you on that boat, Noah. There's a reason for everything, my mother always told me that.”

  Noah's eyes met mine again, and this time there was a little spark of power in the depths that I had never seen before. “Cassie, my brother is an angel. THE angel. He's angry, and he's looking for me. I think he wants to kill me.”

  I took a deep breath. An angry angel, a world full of demons. This was bad. “Why would your brother want to kill you, Noah?”

  He shook his head, his hand fisting in the longish strands. “I don't know.” he said raggedly. “I'm pushing it, but the memory isn't coming.” He slammed his fist down on the table, and the bottles rattled. Startled, I jumped. The barista looked over and shook her head, and I shrugged with a wince.

  “Don't worry, Noah. We will figure this out.” I looked at my watch. “But right now, I have to get to class.” I pushed on his leg, and he nodded silently. “It's history. You should be able to help me with that one, angel-boy.”

  He mumbled something as he stood and I threw my bag over my shoulder with a grin.

  “What was that?” I asked, and he smiled at me for the first time in a while.

  “I said its 'angel-man' to you.”

  I laughed, ignoring the aggravated frown of the barista as I left. When we were on the street I hooked my arm through his and tugged him back towards campus. “You know, Noah, I just can't believe you could have done something to make your own brother want to kill you.”

  He was keeping his eye out for other demons, but he looked down at me with a frown. “I don't even know me all that well, Cassie. I could be a really bad guy, and when my memories come back I might be him again.”

  I laughed then, and shook my head. “Sorry, Noah, you may have done something bad, but I don't believe that you're a bad person.” I stopped and chuckled a little. “Sorry, I mean angel-man.”

  We turned down the long drive towards the main hall and he was quiet. I let him be, knowing that everything he was going through couldn't be easy. It was a mystery, but I was determined to solve it. I checked my watch and grimaced. Two minutes until class, so I'd have to put off my Nancy Drew for another hour.