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“Lies,” Gabe hissed. He shook free of my hand. “All it does is lie. Don’t listen to it, Lizzy.”
The truth was, I wasn’t sure I’d really heard her in the first place. The Hell Gate wasn’t your typical kind of gate. It didn’t have bars or a lock. From my brief time near the gaping hole in the ground, I hadn’t seen anything that would require a key. Nothing she said made sense.
“I would never lie to my daughter.” Elizabeth pushed her lower lip out into the perfect pout. “She is the key. Once she opens the gate, we are all saved. My prince will join us on Earth. He will rule this kingdom, just as it is written. And Lizzy is our key.”
I didn’t like what she was saying. None of it. I?
??d just gotten used to the idea of being a half angel warrior. Now I was supposed to be some sort of key that unleashed Hell upon the Earth?
No, thank you.
“It can’t be me.” I was talking aloud to myself, more than anyone else. “I can’t open the gate. That’s not possible.”
“Why do you think more demons have slipped through the gate in the past twenty years than ever before?” Elizabeth took a step back toward the canyon bank. The waters rushed past her feet, splashing on the muddy banks. “It’s you, my dear. It’s your very presence. And when you’re ready, they’ll open all the way for you. It’s preordained. All of this. You were always meant to be here.”
My lungs worked overtime to suck oxygen from the air. At least in some part, she was right. The Nephilim had been concerned about the huge increase in demons slipping through the gate lately. And it had only grown worse when I came to stay at the manor at the start of the summer.
It was starting to make sense. I was helping them through.
“Enough!” Gabe swung his sword and lunged forward. “Enough of your lies.”
Elizabeth easily side-stepped his advance and gave a harsh laugh, so opposite of her sweet smiles. “Come find me,” she said, turning her dark eyes to me, “when you’re worthy of this great honor, my daughter.”
Without waiting for my response, she jumped into the raging stream and was swept away over the rapids, her blonde hair disappearing into the dark swirling depths of the storm’s aftermath.
Chapter Eight
I don’t know how I got back on the manor grounds. Everything was such a haze. By the time I figured out what was happening, they’d set me on a stone bench outside, gazing out onto the expanse of vividly green grass in the early morning hours.
It didn’t take long for word to get out of my mother’s sudden appearance in the forest last night. Nephilim ran around, as if prepping for war. I felt their gazes fall on me like the tiny red sight dots of sniper rifles. My eyes remained glued to the ground. If I dared to look up, they’d fire on me, releasing a hailstorm of questions and accusations that I wasn’t ready to face. Silence was my friend. I could face the quiet, for as long as I needed to.
I felt his gaze the moment he stepped out onto the grassy yard behind me. His presence settled over me like the expensive pink cashmere sweater my friend Kate bought one year with her waitressing tips. He didn’t have to say anything. I knew Gabe was watching over me, giving me space to think.
“You don’t have to babysit me,” I said without turning around. Despite my protests, I felt him move closer. “I’m not going to shatter into a million pieces.”
“I know.” He cleared his throat and then sat down on the bench beside me. “I just want to be here for you.”
Sighing, I gave into the exhaustion and rested my head on his shoulder. He opened his arms and pulled me into his strong chest. The familiar sound of his heart beating soothed my nerves. My eyelids felt heavy and began to droop. It would be so easy to fall asleep and forget this ever happened. Let it fade away like the wisps of a dream.
But I didn’t get to drift off into that happy place. Big black boots clumped toward us, stopping just short of the bench. My eyes trailed from the boots, to the khaki pants, to a tight black t-shirt. It was Manuel. He stood with his hands on his hips, regarding us with disinterest. I sighed and straightened up, leaving the comfort of Gabe’s arms.
“Silvia needs you,” Manuel said with a curt nod to Gabe. “Now. I’ll stay with her.”
Gabe snorted, but didn’t argue. No one argued with Silvia. It seemed that her word was law around here now. He pushed off the bench and squeezed my hand before leaving me with my trainer. Manuel took Gabe’s empty place on the bench and rested his chin on his hands.
“What, are you going to tell me to meditate again?” I asked, my voice bitter. “Maybe, think my way out of this one? I’ve got news for you. There’s no concentrating your way out of having an evil family member. Not even for you.”
I wasn’t sure why I was taking my frustration out on Manuel. He just looked so serene, with his heavy eyes gazing out onto the grass. I wanted someone else to do the freaking out for once. I was tired of being angry, tired of caring. Maybe if I made him mad at me, someone else would lose control for once.
“I am sorry for your loss.” Manuel’s velvety accent eased my frustration the tiniest bit. “And you’re right, meditation would not bring your mother back. I am very sorry.”
I chewed on my lower lip and considered his apology. He was right. This was a loss. It was like losing my mother all over again.
“I had an elder brother once.” He shifted and crossed his legs. “A long time ago. His name was Estefan. And he was magnificent.”
Manuel had hardly said ten words to me the entire time we’d been training. To be honest, I didn’t know if he ever talked. The Nephilim women who’d fawned after him had failed to engage him in any sort of conversation. The strong, but silent type, they’d called him.
Eventually, the fuss about his good looks had died down. The women weren’t impressed with his quiet disinterest. But Manuel did talk—only when he had something important to impart. My breath caught in my lungs as he continued his story. If I moved or made a single noise, I might scare him back into silence.
