Atonement (Heaven Sent Book 1) Read online

“Thank God we made it here in time to shower,” Becky proclaimed softly.

  “No! No! No! You will not bring God into this, not now, not ever. I have spent the entire night working you over. You are mine!” Schlosser waved his hand in the direction of the car next to them, raising the volume on the other vehicle’s stereo.

  As Ron got back inside, he crooned to Becky, “Do you want to dance, darling?”

  “Dance? Yes, later I’m sure there will be lots of dancing at the reception.”

  “Our wedding song, can’t you hear it? It’s coming from the car next to us. You do remember, don’t you? I mean I know it’s been awhile but …” His words trailed off as he surveyed his wife. Her brows furrowed and formed a crease above her nose. Her eyes, still damp from earlier, sprung new tears. “Becky don’t worry. It’s okay that you forgot our wedding song. there’s no need to get upset about it.”

  “No, I didn’t forget. Of course I remember our wedding song.” Putting the car in reverse she pounded the gas pedal and backed out of the spot a little too quickly. Gen sprinted to get back to her position on the roof, there was no way she was abandoning Becky now. Gen could have used her power to teleport but saving energy wherever possible was the smarter play.

  “Okay, do you want to tell me what’s going on then?” As they pulled up to the light, Gen could feel Ron’s touch as he reached for his wife. “Beck, what is it? What just happened? Why are you so upset?”

  “You never told him the song was on during the accident, did you Becky? No, you’re a liar and a conniving bitch, just like your little Angel friend back there,” Schlosser bellowed.

  Becky snapped at Ron. “I’m not upset, I’m just tired. Maybe a little cranky, you know, like you were earlier.”

  Ron reached out and covered her hand with one of us own. “Yeah, I totally get being overtired.”

  Schlosser continued to read Becky’s thoughts and use them against her. “Oh no, Becky, you aren’t getting out of this. You want to know what the world is trying to tell you, bitch? Die!!! That’s what the world is trying to tell you.”

  Becky wrapped her hands around the top of the wheel, gripping it with the strength to turn her knuckles white and her fingers numb. Gen heard the wedding song replay, the melody rising in tandem with Becky’s anxiety.

  Becky turned and looked at Ron. “How is this possible? This is a country music station. Why are they playing this? They shouldn’t be playing this!” She turned the radio up a pinch more just to be sure. “Earlier, I tried shutting it off, but I couldn’t, it wouldn’t turn off. Has that ever happened to you in this car, where you couldn’t turn the radio off? It’s strange right? Weird even.” Becky’s words were tumbling over on themselves as she sped forward.

  “Beck, I think you should pull over. Honey, I want you to pull over. Do you hear me?”

  “Oh, here we go.” Schlosser banged triumphantly on the inside roof of the car, taunting Gen. “He thinks you’re losing it, Becky. He’s already starting to panic. I hope that bitch Angel is still around to see the two of you splattered in a ditch. She’s no help to you now, to either of you! I’ve got you. She can’t help you, no one can!”

  Gen’s fury was rising with each taunt, but damn him he was powerful.

  In her mind Gen spoke to her brother. I thought this was a good tactic Xav, but now I’m thinking I may have underestimated him.

  The car was picking up speed and Becky’s driving became erratic, veering from lane to lane as drivers pulled out of the way and honked their horns.

  Schlosser yelled at Ron, “I thought this would have been easier if you had just stayed asleep, but now you get to witness your crazy wife lose it. I know that Angel is responsible for waking you up, but it doesn’t matter. She’s not powerful enough to stop me. No Angel is, you’re both mine now. I have your wife right on the edge and I’m going to watch her take the two of you right over it.”

  Becky began to rant. “This can’t be, Ron, this just can’t be. I can’t do this, I don’t think I can do this anymore. I mean I should have just told you. Then maybe things would’ve been different, but now I realize nothing makes a difference, when the world has it out for you, it wins, right?”

  Schlosser continued the onslaught. “Look, Becky, Ron is looking at you the way you always feared he would one day. Can you feel it, Becky? It’s all spinning away.”

  Becky was mumbling, blaming the music. “The song, it’s the song, Ron. It’s not me, I swear it’s not me.”

  Schlosser’s pace made it hard to counter his influence, it was wave after wave of negative energy and interference.

  “Today the song is going to kill everyone you love, Becky, right in front of you. Or maybe I shouldn’t do that, maybe you should live as your baby and husband die!”

  Gen felt Ron’s fingers colliding with Becky’s, trying to grab the wheel from her.

  “Becky please, stop, pull over, please!” Ron’s voice squeaked under the strain of mounting dread.

  “Here we are, Becky, a little patch of road picked out just for you and hubby to die on.” Gen looked in horror as this part of the road had no guard rail. “Becky you need to let go now.” Schlosser sang the words. “It’s okay Becky, it will all be over quickly.”

  The demon shifted in the backseat, his eyes caught Gen’s through the glass. “You can’t stop me, you will never be able to stop me!”

  Gen could feel a surge of power come through the roof, it was so strong it knocked her off balance and she somersaulted backward onto the trunk of the car. Gripping tightly to the edge where the trunk lid connected to the car, she managed to keep herself from tumbling onto the road. Schlosser smiled at her, his crooked yellow teeth and black gum line made her stomach clench. She had to use all dexterity just to hold on. His final commanding words echoed solemnly through her head. “Becky. Just. Let. Go.”

  Becky loosened her grip on the wheel. Ron’s pulling jerked them hard to the right, tires unable to grip, rotated the vehicle several times before it spun off the road and sailed over the embankment, where there was more than a fifty-foot drop to the bottom. The fall would send them through tree branches and heavy brush, the area’s rocky terrain created a pool of swampy wetland below.

  Becky never hit the brake. People nearby could hear Ron screaming as they flew off the road plunging to their death.

  Schlosser was inside the car, reveling in every moment of terror the couple experienced. He was too busy to notice that Gen had recovered and made her way back to the center of the roof.

  At first the car seemed to float, the outer branches of the trees scraped against the driver’s side door panel. Becky had never rolled up her side window when she left the parking lot. The sharp edges of the tree limbs grazed her forehead, abrasive enough to tear the skin and send blood dribbling down her cheek.

  Gravity tilted the car forward. Gen was running out of time, a few more seconds and the car would roll over on itself and plunge to the bottom. She closed her eyes and concentrated on pulling the car level, using her shield to break the fall and help steer them away from the largest of the boulders at the bottom. In mid-air Schlosser broke the back windshield and made his way onto the roof behind her, but Gen never turned around. As he attempted to grab hold of her, he bounced off her shield. The force sent him sailing through the air away from the car and toward the boggy wetland beneath them.

  Becky and Ron’s car landed just feet from the deepest part of the swamp. The violent thud rocked them back and forth in their seats. Water splashed up and inside the car, a tire burst, the windshield cracked, and the engine hissed, but they were upright and virtually unharmed.

  To the casual observer above it might appear as if someone had picked the car up and placed it down below. The car was still running. When Ron finally caught his breath, he leaned over and turned the key shutting off the engine.

  “Becky, are you okay?” Ron’s voice was hoarse from yelling.

  She looked at him and replied, “What just happened? Are we
dead?”

  “No sweetheart, we aren’t dead, we’re okay.” Ron was out of the car. It took a minute for him to get his legs back underneath him. Gen knew all his training could not have prepared him for this situation. He walked around the vehicle twice sloshing through muddy liquid as he went.

  Becky joined him. She stared between him and the car. “I did this?”

  He looked at her. “Yes, you had some sort of episode and I couldn’t get you to pull over or stop.” He couldn’t finish the sentence he was so choked up. “Oh my God, Beck, what happened to you?”

  Becky went to him and maneuvered them to a dry patch of land. There, they held onto to their trembling bodies, collapsing to the ground in each other’s arms. What they couldn’t see, what they couldn’t know, was who else was there with them.

  Gen could hear Xavier in her head telling her he was on his way. She was quick to stop him. No, Xavier, I got this. I am fine, they are fine. This demon keeps coming, he won’t be fine.

  Gen watched Schlosser pick himself up out of the mucky water and make his way toward her. “That’s interfering!” Schlosser pointed to the car sitting upright. “You can’t do that. Now you’re going to pay.”

  “So, you’re a Roamer Demon, Schlosser is it?” She waited to see if the knowledge of his name would alarm him. He barely flinched. “You roam the earth with no specific purpose, no particular allegiance to anyone or anything, enjoying the moment when you can influence a human into destroying themselves or those they love with your incessant nudging. She never would have driven off that road if you hadn’t been whispering in her ear all night.”

  Gen stood her ground as Schlosser stopped feet from her position. The stench he gave off made her stomach recoil. He was a good foot and half taller than Gen. His clothes were layered, mismatched, and stained.

  “You had an equal amount of time to influence in the opposite direction, bitch. I assume you are the reason hubby woke up early. You just failed to beat me, so then you had to cheat. It changes nothing, you’re going down for this.”

  Gen watched him labor the angrier he became. The yellow puss that oozed from a wound on the side of his head was probably partly to blame for the rancid odor. He’d been using too much energy to kill Becky and Ron. She was betting that he’d weakened himself.

  “I saw you interfering first, demon.” Gen launched the accusation to see if he would work himself up more, she wanted him to start the confrontation. If she was only defending herself, there would be less explaining to the higher ups on the back end.

  “You Angels think you can decide who lives and who dies. What makes you so special? You aren’t supposed to fight battles, isn’t that what the rules say?”

  Gen laughed a reply. “Oh, you want to debate the Accord. You think you’re some sort of genius on all the bylaws Heaven and Hell setup for us to abide by down here?”

  “You have been chasing me all night. Well you caught me. You want a fight bitch, then let’s fight.”

  Gen watched Schlosser pull a knuckle knife out of his pocket and slip it on. His fiery eyes narrowed down on her; his sneering revealed a snake-like tongue, split and forked at the tip.

  “You will perish here today for what you have done, Angel. I will make sure of it. You can’t kill me, but I, I can kill you.” He was fuming mad and ready for a fight.

  “It’s you who doesn’t get to decide who lives and who dies, not today damn you, not today!” Gen leered at him and took a defensive posture, waiting for his next move.

  Done arguing, Schlosser ran full speed and lunged straight for her. Gen never moved. As Schlosser reached her position, he simply bounced off her shield.

  “Good to know you dumb asses make the same mistakes twice,” Gen quipped.

  Crashing to the ground Schlosser yelped when he landed hard against something sharp. Cursing her and everyone else, he pushed himself up and off the object while dark green blood escaped his shoulder. The thick liquid burned soil, branches, and shrubs as it left a destructive path between them.

  “Your shield can’t hold forever. I will break it, and then I will break you.”

  He started hurling vials of demonic fire at her head. He was right, the shield wouldn’t hold forever, she just needed the right moment to let it down and engage.

  Schlosser laughed. “I can feel your shield weakening, Angel. It’s only a matter of time now.”

  When there was a small break in his offensive, Gen dropped her shield. “Good thing I’m not an Angel then.” She pulled a dagger from the front pocket of her sweatshirt. “I’m a Guardian and you’re done messing with my Charge.” She hurled the weapon at him.

  Schlosser had drawn his arm back in preparation to continue the onslaught when her dagger pierced his wounded shoulder and sent him once more to the ground.

  This time she jumped on top of him and pulled the blade out. He swung at her, but she moved her arm adeptly to block him. In one swift motion she stabbed him several times in the chest and neck. He howled in pain.

  They continued to swing and smash each other, their blood mixed and made the muddy grass beneath them slippery.

  Soaked in his blood she screamed at him, “You are not going to kill them or anyone else for that matter, not today.” She pulled up to stab again, but he pushed her off and rolled on top of her. Seizing the moment, Schlosser folded his large hand around both of her wrists and used his weight to hold her in place. He removed a small vial from his pocket. it wasn’t like the others, it was molten red, the color of magma. He broke the vial in his palm and sprinkled it all over her neck and body, narrowly missing her face.

  The burn sent spasms of pain rolling through her; it was Hell Fighter venom. The venom was the weapon of choice against those in Heaven. She arched upward and managed to free enough of her leg to roll them over. He lost his grip when they spun; now she was on top of him again. She took the dagger and slammed it into his chest.

  “Guardian” was the last word Schlosser uttered.

  “Go back to Hell damn you and stay there!” Gen continued to stab until she felt the twitching body underneath her loosen and crumble. His remains hissed as the body began to decay and disappear. All that remained was the stench of death.

  Standing, she wiped the fluid off her body as much as possible and felt the warmth of Xavier’s arrival behind her.

  “Genevieve, what the—?” Gen turned in time to see the look of horror wash over her brother’s face. “Why didn’t you call for backup? A Roamer Demon attacking? That’s crazy. What happened?” Before she could answer he pointed at the car and the couple on the ground next to it. “Who are they? What’s so special about them?”

  Gen snapped. “Nothing! Does there need to be something special?”

  He looked concerned. “I think we need to talk about this.”

  Gen had finally caught her breath. “Do I look like I want to talk about it?”

  “You better get your head on straight before our siblings see you. Whatever this was, you better let it go, Gen.”

  “I took care of it, I’m fine.” Gen made her way past Xavier and over toward Becky and Ron.

  “You are not fine and it’s not you I’m worried about, it’s Michael killing me when he finds out I didn’t back you up here.”

  “Just let me finish. We’ll talk about it later, ok?” Gen’s olive branch worked.

  “Sure, but you better not run into anyone until after you’ve showered. The sight of you would scare the crap out of them. You wouldn’t believe what you look like right now.” Xavier left her alone with the couple.

  She went over and touched them both on the shoulder. She gave them the one final act of kindness she had left to offer: the strength to get through another horrible car accident.

  Becky turned to Ron. “I thought I was going to die today.”

  He nodded in agreement “I thought for sure we were both going to die, Beck.”

  “Not today, not on my watch.” Gen spoke the words knowing they would never be heard
.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Genevieve walked among the trees. Snaking her way in and around the rough and stumpy terrain she cautiously stepped toward the voices rising and falling above the mist. The branches had shed the last remnants of the fall season. A scattered blanket of dead leaves was covered by a thin layer of snow. Every step was a noisy mix of crusty terrain and breaking branches. The air was dry and cold; soon this fog would be swept away by blustery wind laced with snow.

  “The Dakotas are no joke in November.” She said the words aloud, no fear of being heard by anyone other than her siblings. Her shield was up, but she was staying open, they knew where she was and what was happening; that was the compromise after what Xavier considered to be a disastrous outcome with Schlosser six months ago.

  Kelly’s voice pierced her brief recollection, asking Gen why she was drawn there if her mark wasn’t irritating her. Always the skeptical one, Kelly worried about the possibility of being lured into a trap.

  “I’ve learned not to question my instincts, Kell. Besides, it’s more like a pull; it’s just this thing that won’t stop until I follow it. I wish I could describe it better, but I can’t right now. You’re just going to have to trust me.” Gen moved some branches out of the way and caught her first glimpse of the entities speaking to one another.

  “Found the source, whatever they are, they’re all male, and they’re getting aggressive.” Gen smiled as she heard her sister quip about the shocking nature of male aggressiveness.

  Up ahead, the dense tree-lined area thinned and opened to a clearing. Even at this distance, Gen knew there were humans present, Hunters of the supernatural she imagined. The argument was getting louder, and she overheard one of them talking about children, human children.

  “Ok, so apparently there are children here. I don’t see them, but they could be cloaked. I’m not close enough to tell if any of these entities would have that power. I’m going to get a bit closer, but you know the non-humans will see me eventually. I see some Hollows, but I can’t tell if they’re friendlies or not. Just an FYI, it’s raw and starting to freeze, if any of you are coming, dress for it. Kell, no shoes out here, you need boots my friend.” Gen chuckled as she heard Kelly groan in protest.