“Morgan? There was so much blood,” she sobs out. Anya has moved forward and is now walking slowly around the fallen ruins, sniffing at the air like an animal. Her eyes are beginning to glow and her teeth are pushing at her gums. This time, she does not fight the urge to shift, she simply lets it take over.
Stone, by, stone, Katie pulls away the rocks of Morgan’s tomb.
“Move back,” Anya hisses. Katie jumps back and watches in amazement. With a wave of her hand, Anya lifts the rubble up into the air and fires it across the darkening waters of the ocean, revealing Morgan’s motionless body. Katie rushes to his side, weeping in relief. His wings are crumpled and broken and the stump where his arm once was, is no longer bleeding. She lifts his head into her lap and rubs his hair away, but his eyes do not open.
“Balthial said he could heal himself, Anya. Why isn’t he moving?” Anya is staring at him and trembling with desire.
“So much blood, Katie. Doesn’t it smell amazing?” Her mouth is pooled with saliva at the thought of all that immortal blood. The tangy metallic taste is drawing her in, and she doesn’t know if she can fight it, or even if she wants to.
“What?” Katie whispers horrified. Staring up at her best friend, she doesn’t know how she will stop her. Anya only has eyes for the blood, slowly, she steps towards Morgan. A blur of movement is the only warning before Anya is struck from the side.
The vampire Daria managed to survive the blast. She was blown backwards through the hole in the wall and on the other side of the sand dunes. Leaping at Anya, she sinks her fangs deep into her shoulder and grins as the human screams. She needs nourishment to replenish her wounds.
Anya grabs the vampire by the hair, ignoring Katie’s screams and jerks her clear of her shoulder. Her strength surprises Daria and when she turns on her, the vampire is shocked.
“You are a vampire? I thought you were human.”
“Wrong on both accounts, I am the Herald.” Astonishment fills her face just as Anya pulls her head back and bites. Daria screams and tries to fight, but she is no match for Anya’s strength.
Katie watches in horror as the female vampire begins to shrivel, drying out like a prune, before finally turning to dust. Anya stumbles for a moment and allows the powerful blood to fill her system. “Yes, oh! I needed that.”
“Morgan, wake up baby. I’m in trouble. I need you…” Katie whispers smacking his pale cheeks. “Come on Morgan,” she yells shaking him. Terror fills her heart. She knows if Anya turns on them, they are lost.
His dark eyes flicker for a moment and she sobs out a semi-hysterical laugh, “That’s right, come back to me. Don’t leave me alone here! I need you.” Katie presses a kiss to his forehead and his hand reaches up to caress the back of her head.
“Kathleen?” His eyes open and the pain in his body registers. Anya hisses and Katie’s head snaps around in fear.
“Get away from him, Katie! He killed my mother!” Anya demands and she stalks towards her. “I’m going to drain him until there is not a single drop of dust left to remember him by.”
“No, Anya! We need him, remember. He can tell us where the gates are,” Katie pleads.
Morgan struggles to stay awake and turns his head towards Anya. His eyes fly open wide as he stares at her. “Is it true?” He whispers through cracked, bloody lips. “You are the Herald?”
“I am the harbinger of death to the Twelve, Angel.” She leaps forward as Katie shields him with her body, protecting him with all that she is.
“Kathleen, you need to go, now!” Morgan demands struggling to push her away with his good arm but Katie clings to him.
“No,” she screams, “I’ll not leave you here to die again, I can’t.” He tastes her salty tears as she protects him with her body. Katie holds on tightly to him, curving her own body, overtop of his, to shield him from the attack. She glances up when Anya screams in rage and the attack does not come.
Two Archangels land blowing rock dust all around, Katie squeezes him as he grins at his brothers from her protective embrace. Anya is held immobile by an invisible power. “What took you so long?” Morgan demands.
Liam walks quietly towards them and leans down to look in Katie’s eyes. “We have him now, little one, let us in.”
Katie nods and backs away in relief, while watching as the two angels begin to heal his wounds.
“Morgan, this is becoming a regular thing with you, isn’t it?” Liam says as he slices his arm and drips the blood into Morgan’s mouth and onto the stump of his arm. Katie looks at Anya and the angel staring at her.
“Is she really the Herald?” Cassiel wonders.
“Cassiel, I need you!” Liam snaps at his brother, who immediately focuses on Morgan.
Anya is struggling to move, fighting against the bonds that hold her. She can see what they can’t. One of these three is fallen. Katie moves to Anya’s side and reaches out to touch her.
“No,” Cassiel snaps at her. Katie stumbles back and glances at him. “She is more powerful than you know.”
“Is it hurting her?”
“No, and we can’t hold it forever. Cass, we must get him to a gate. I can’t heal him here.” Liam announces. The strain of fighting Anya is beginning to show on his face. He is trembling and sweating as he struggles to keep her in check.
“I’m going
