Chapter Thirteen
She was frozen, her entire body locked up tight. Katia’s mind was reeling. Elaina. Something about that name was calling to her in the strangest way. She was in shock. A buzzing had begun in her ears, drowning out the whispered questions of the room’s other occupants. Through the numbness that had taken root in her body, Katia felt a hand run comfortingly up her spine. Leaning down, Luc whispered softly in her ear, “Are you okay?”
With a deep breath, she turned her head toward him and raised her eyes to meet his. They were inches apart now, their breath mingling softly. Katia didn’t know what to say, but she knew she felt safe here in this little private world held within Luc’s gaze. She nodded slowly as she swayed closer toward him. The moment only broken by the harsh sound of a throat clearing across the room.
Katia pivoted away from Luc, taking in the other new arrivals. The woman was stunningly-beautiful, she looked like she should be perched on a cloud somewhere strumming a harp. In contrast, the man looked like a warrior. His sharp, chiseled features and shortly-cropped military cut were in complete sync with the steely look in his eye. Stepping away from the comfort of Luc’s touch, Katia turned her gaze back to the man who had thrown her into mental limbo. He was still gazing at her in wonder. Swallowing hard, Katia finally found her voice.
“Who are you? I feel like I know you…” she said, shaking her head in confusion.
Uriel made his way slowly toward her. “My name is Uriel, and yes, you do know me.” That last part came out in a strangled croak full of emotion. As he neared Katia felt her heartbeat slow, the buzzing dropped away and time stood still. She reached out with a shaking hand, and gently touched Uriel’s cheek. An electric pulse ran through her. The angel must have felt it too as his body jolted at her touch. Shaking her head, Katia looked deeply into his eyes. “So much pain. Why?”
Taking a deep breath, Uriel reached up and tucked an errant lock of Katia’s midnight hair behind her ear. “Loss is the cause of my pain; loss of the ones I loved more than anything.”
Katia was caught in a trance by the sadness in his eyes that reflected her inner pain. “I’ve lost people I loved too. Who did you lose?”
A tear tracked down Uriel’s cheek as he replied, “My wife, my son, and my daughter. But that which has been lost can sometimes still be found.”
Drawn in by the soft tone of Uriel’s voice, Katia was almost willing to believe him. It sounded so simple. Smiling sadly, Katia shook her head and dropped her hand back down to her side. “I wish that were true. But when people are gone they’re gone forever.” Katia turned away from Uriel, ready to walk away when his calm, compelling voice floated back toward her.
“But I found you, Elaina.”
Looking over her shoulder at him, Katia spoke.
“Why do you keep calling me Elaina? My name is Katia.” Frustration was finding a way through the trance.
A wistful smile curled up the corners of his lips as he replied so softly he was barely audible. “It wasn’t always.”
Turning around to face him fully, Katia asked the million dollar question, a pinch of anger leaking through. “What do you know about me?”
“I’ve always known you, Elaina – you’re part of me,” he replied in that same quiet tone.
Katia raised her eyes to the ceiling and threw up her hands in annoyance. “Seriously? Can’t I just get a straight answer?” She began to pace back and forth in frustration, her hands shaking. Luc stepped forward and gently touched her shoulder to try to calm her. Shaking him off abruptly, Katia made cutting motion with her hands. “No. No. Enough of this cryptic shit! I want answers! I’ve slipped down the rabbit hole here and there’s no way out unless someone gives me something I can work with!”
Michael spoke up from his position behind Uriel. “Your human, Sergei, summoned us. Uriel came to help uncover what manner of creature you are within our world.” Narrowing his eyes on Uriel, he continued. “However, it appears there may be more to this situation than we’d originally thought.” Stepping forward, Michael placed his hand on Uriel’s head. Closing his eyes as though to block out the rest of the world, Michael stood silently for a moment, then took a sharp breath that sounded more like a hiss. His eyes snapped open and he stared at Katia as though she was a rare tiger that had escaped from the zoo. He turned back toward Uriel, shaking his head as he tried to complete a puzzle with missing pieces.
“How could you? A direct order was issued from the highest power…” Michael shook his head in complete confusion.
Tearing his eyes away from Katia, Uriel turned to Michael. “How could I not? You wouldn’t understand. None of you could have.” He took in a shaky breath. “I wish I could show you, make you feel it, but I can’t.” Michael took a step away from his colleague and passed his eyes around the room sightlessly. When his gaze returned to Uriel his face was a mask of confusion and hurt. “It seems I’ve never truly known you…angels carry out our duties, we do not fall prey to such…human emotion. Tell her.
