Behind The Alpha Book 4 CASS

Chapter 25

(Chapter song ‘With or Without You’ by U2)
CASS

We made a lot of stops over the next few weeks.  I shot my arrows and Ember blew her kisses.  Together we spread our love all over the country.  It's an incredible experience to be able to help people find what their hearts most desire. 
It's also disturbing knowing that by now, my true mate may not even be around anymore.  It’s such a piss off that I’ve been denied this practically my whole life.  What happens when my aura calls out and no one answers?  Is that the end of it?  As I watch Ember, I kind of have a thought that maybe, instead of wandering into the wilderness to die, I ask Valentino to make me a permanent love bug.  The jobs not that bad and I do have fun.  Ember and I make an excellent team.  The question is, will she have me?
I stand in the restaurant watching a couple eat.  My bow is wrapped in my crossed arms.  Ember lines up her kiss and blows it.  I watch her pouty lips form and her breath pushes the kiss off her palm like a bullet.  Seeing what she does makes me so proud to know her.  She’s so much more special that I first thought.  She’s very good at what she does.  Hits her targets with acute accuracy. 
His aura connects with hers and they leave, kissing on the way out the door. 
“Good job, love bug.”  I smile. 
“Thanks.  It’s strange.  I don’t feel as frustrated as I did before when I was alone doing this.  Before, I always held this feeling that I was correcting a giant mistake, but now I feel like I’m just making them feel a stronger love that was already there.  Making them feel safe to feel for each other and taking away what’s been holding them back.”  She turns to me and grins. 
“It does feel good to let go.  I certainly feel better.”  I say.
“What do you mean?”  She looks at me curiously.
I shrug.  “I always felt pent up.  Stuffed.  Like I was always a second away from exploding.  Being with you, doing this, I feel…normal for lack of a better word.”  I kind of chuckle as we leave the restaurant. 
“Not surprising.  Your heart was blocked.  Blowing the power onto the arrows siphons off that love in there.  As far as I’m concerned…”  She spins around on the sidewalk and faces me.  “You, Mr. Love bomber, are cured.”  She grins and bounces on her toes. 
The corner of my mouth ticks up.  “You think so?”
“Yes.”  She closes the gap between us.  “Working with you has also shown me the change in you.” 
I watch her thin fingers fondle my shirt.  Her head is so close.  “What changes?”  I whisper.
“How committed you are.  How selfless.  How much you care.  I see that inside.”  Her blue eyes find mine and her smile drops a bit. 
I reach up and rub her cheek with my thumb.  “I was always like that.”  My fingers fill with a warmth that almost feels like an electric storm.  “All you had to do was open up and see me.  That’s all.”  My eyes gaze onto hers and I see her delicate heart.  Her softness.  She has love and if I’m right, she’s starting to set it free. 
I lean into to kiss her and my phone rings.  I groan, close my eyes and pull it out.  I look at the screen and furrow my brow.  “Dea?”  I answer. 
I look at Ember and walk around her.  “Whoa!  Slow down…What happened?...”  I stop, then around and look at Ember, my face full of confusion and shock.  “You want to run that by me again?” 

****

I stand in the street in downtown Upton, Deacons pack.  My arm is wrapped around me and my other hand is rubbing my chin.  Ember is beside me with her hands in her back pockets and a leg kicked out.  Her lips are pressed together as she tries to make sense of what we’re looking at. 
Deacon is pacing around behind me, freaking out. 
I open my mouth then shut it.  I go to say another thing and draw a blank as I scan the giant hole between two buildings where a 3 story office once was about 8 hours before.  The large, crumbling, rectangle foundation is cracked, full of rock and is filling with water from the broken water piping.  It’s definitely been “taken”.  The neighboring buildings remain untouched.
Finally, I have to say something.  “I have so many questions, but one is really bugging me.” 
Deacon walks around and stops in front of me.  “What?” 
I put my hands on my hips and lift a finger to him.  “You were dating a sexy librarian and you didn’t tell me?”  I cinch my brows and tilt my head. 
“We aren’t dating…Just talking…and she’s not a sexy librarian…I mean, she is now, but she wasn’t bef….CASS!  THAT’S NOT THE POINT!!”  He yells.  He looks at me panicked with his chest heaving.
I rest my hands on his shoulders.  “Right.  So, how does an entire building just disappear?”  I try to calm him down and get some answers.
He shakes his head.  “I have no clue.  I was at the pack house thinking about Jenny…”
“Wait…Jenny?”  I arch a brow.
“Jenny Clark.  New pack member.  She was in the building when I left her.”  Deacon says.
I stare at him intently.  “Is she hot?” 
He smirks.  “She’s so fucking hot…”  He gives his head a shake and pushes me away.  “Ugh, Cass!”
“Right.  Sorry.  Ok.  Go over it again.”  I carefully study his face and listen to what he’s telling me.
He shoves my hands off.  “Ok, first off, I’m not an asshole.  I’m not.  I just…wanted to get her know me so bad, I kind of…made her mad.”
“You bombed her.”  Ember says.
“No…No nothing like that.  Jenny…She’s quiet, ya know.  She’s a little shy.  I just wanted to have some fun with her and she…kicked me out.  Ok, fine.  I left.  Then I wanted to apologize and went back.  The place was a wreck, Cass.  I mean, next level tornado shit.  It was dark and I searched for her.  I found her in this room.  She was half naked and, Holy fuck,  I mean…you get what I mean…”  He says as he shakes his hand by his face.  “Anyway.  It wasn’t Jenny.  She just…came on so strong…I couldn’t.  I had to get help, so I left her.  Told her to stay here and…”  He motions to the hole.
“So, she was attacked?”  I question.
He shakes his head and runs his hands through his dark brown hair.  “No.  There were no signs of attack.” 
“What about after you left?  Anything on security?”  I ask.
“The cameras in a three block radius were knocked out.  We got nothing.”  He makes a whiny face.  “Cass…if anything happens to her…” 
I hold up a hand.  “Nothings going to happen ok.  We’ll locate the building.  Now, did she say anything before this?  Anything at all?”
Deacon thinks.  “She didn’t say anything, but she seemed spooked.  When I talked with her last, she seemed to be uncomfortable in the store.  Just off.” 
“Like someone was in there with her?”  Ember says. 
Deacon nods.  “Yeah.”  His head flicks between us. 
Ember crosses her arms.  “There's not a lot of things that can steal a building.”
“Michael?”  I raise a brow.
“Mmm…No. He doesn’t have that kind of power.”  Ember says. 
“Artemis.”  Deacon suggests.
“Again.  No magic powers.”  Ember confirms. 
Embers phone rings.
I snap my fingers.  “Azriel.” 
Deacon scrunches his brow.  “Azriel?  Why would he steal a building from my pack?”
“I don’t know.  Maybe it’s a council mission thing.  We should go to Zander.”  I turn Ember. “Hey, we need to go to Phoenix.”
“No.  We need to go to Chicago.”  Ember says.
“Chicago?”  I tick my head.
“That was Puck.  He found the next ingredient in Chicago.”  She rocks her phone in her hand.
I cross my arms.  “What is it?”
“An angel feather.”  She states. 
I lean to her.  “Excuse me?”
“I said an angel feather.”  She says again.
“Yeah, I heard what you said, I just don’t believe a damn word.  Angels?  Tell me that’s a metaphor or the name of a bird.”  I glare.
“Uh…Cass?” 
I turn to Deacon.  I blink my eyes at him.
“They’re real.”  He smiles.
“Real.”  I repeat.
“Yep.  Nala informed us.  Angels do exist, but they don’t like being called out.”  He says.
“You’re shitting me.”  I lean back and tilt my head to the side.
“Nope.”  He shakes his head.
I turn to Ember.  “And there’s one in Chicago.”
She nods.  “Yes, but he won’t be there long.  We have to move now.” 
I look to Deacon.
He motions his chin at me.  “Go.  I got this.  I’ll call Azriel and get him over here.” 
I nod.  “You call if you need me.”  I point to him.  Ember grabs my arm. 
“I will.  Have fun Angel hunting.”  He crosses his arms and nods.
The fact that he’s not even remotely bothered by what he just said, tells me he believes it.  I still don’t.  Angels?  Are you fucking kidding me?
Ember blinks us to a place in the city of Chicago.  It’s not as busy as New York, but still pretty busy.  The streets are hustling and the traffics moving. 
The place is pretty hopping with bars and restaurants everywhere.  People are dressed nice and it seems like everyone is out for a good time, judging from all the smiles, laughter and hollering going on.  This looks like a main strip of some sort. 
“Ok.  So, where is he?”  I ask.
Ember looks around.  “Puck said he was right here.”  She pulls out her phone.  “Maybe we missed him.” 
I turn and look at all the people walking around.
“Spare change, Mister?” 
I look down to a man in ragged clothes.  He looks dirty and hungry. 
I walk to the homeless man and squat down.  His face is hidden under a ball cap. 
“Uh…yeah…hold on.”  I pull out my wallet and open it.  I dig out a 20 and hand it to him. 
His dirty hand reaches out and grabs one end of the bill.  “Bless you, kind soul.”
I smile.  “You’re welcome.”
He lifts his head and his eyes glow white.  My eyes widen and in a flash I hear feathers unfurl, I’m grabbed by the waist and faster than I can scream, I’m shot into the air.
I’m held to a chest and can barely move my head.
My eye opens and I let out several panicked whines as I realize the earth is just a bunch of lighted dots. 
“Holy fuck!”  I yell as I try to push off him and kick my legs.  We go into a turbulent dive.
“CALM DOWN!!” 
“FUCK YOU!!”  I scream back and kick my leg hard into his junk.  He screams in pain and we fall fast out the air.
I scream as I hang on.  We spin in an out of control nose dive to the water.  I feel feathered wings wrap around me in a shield just before we hit the water in a massive splash down.
I break away and swim backwards.  The man is now a big, shirtless guy with long black hair, tattoos and solid muscles.  His eyes glow at me and my face fills with panic.  I turn and swim my ass to the surface as fast as my feet can kick. 
Like I was hit by a torpedo, I feel arms under mine and I’m rocketed to the surface.  We fire out of the water, I take a huge breath of air before we arch and land on the bank.  The two of us rolling apart across the grass and pavement.
I cough as I get up on my hands and knees, getting the water out of my lungs.
“WHAT THE FUCK?!  I TOLD YOU TO CALM DOWN!” 
I turn my head to the big guy stomping toward me.
“You kidnap my ass, fly me in the goddamn air, drop my ass in the lake and expect me to calm down?  Like I said…Fuck you!”  I say hoarsely.
He enters my space, grabs my shoulder with one hand and picks me up.  I’m still gagging on water and coughing. 
He points in my face.  “I needed to take you somewhere safe to talk.  You didn’t have to bag me.”  He growls.
I glare at him.  “It was a dick move so I paid it in kind.”  I snarl. 
He tilts his head to me.  “I can bury you in that lake.”  I hear feathers and his wings are barely seen, but I still see the scope of what I’m looking at. 
I look at the wings and flexing muscle.  “Sorry.”  I grumble.
He pulls me close, glares at me hard and clenches his jaw.  “I forgive you.”  He shoves me back and let’s me go. 
I rub my shoulder and chest and watch him walk around.  He runs his thick fingers through his straight, black hair.  His dark eyes side eye me. 
“Who are you?”  I say as I wring my shirt out. 
He turns.  “Caliel.  Guardian Angel.” 
“A Guardian Angel.”  I say as I step up to him.
“Yes.”  He confirms.
“Ok, Caliel. Where’s Ember?”  I lift a brow to him.
“She’s searching for you.  She won’t find you until I’m done here.”  His deep voice hits my chest. 
“Ok.  So, what do you want?”  I ask.
“First, you’re heart is strong.  It can protect both you and her.  You just need trust.”  He starts.
“I trust.  It’s Ember that won’t trust me.  I just can’t prove to her…”  I get interrupted.
He holds up a hand.  “Stop trying.  Just love.  That’s all you can do.  You push.  You annoy. You will drive her to do what she doesn’t want to do.” 
I look him over.  “She doesn’t want to make the arrow?” 
“She doesn’t fully realize it right now, but when it comes, she will have to make a decision.  All you can do is trust that the decision she makes is the right one and back…off…”  He thumps a finger in my chest.
“That’s easier said than done.  I fucking love her, man.  I need her.  She’s going to destroy us.  I don’t think I can let her finish this.”  I toss my arms out to the side. 
“Trust her.”  He looks hard into my eyes.
I sigh, lower my head and kick at the dirt. I’ve seen her.  She’s dead set against this.  Against us.  I can’t shake it. “What’s the second thing?”  I mumble.
Caliel places a hand on my shoulder.  “When the fight comes, be ready.  This won’t be an easy battle.”
I raise my head.  “Battle?”  I give him a confused look.
He nods.  “Yes.  The warrior is almost ready.  He’ll need your help.  You need to be ready when he calls.”
I narrow my eyes.  “Who are we fighting?”
His face falls and his jaw ticks.  “Death.”   The word thumps in my chest like a bass drum. 
“Death.”  I say.
“Yes.  Now, your advantage is the weapon.  It is hidden, but it won’t be hidden for long.  You will help, along with others, to stop the weapon from being used.”  He eyes me and I feel that this situation is a lot more serious.  This is what Michael was talking about.
“Who’s the warrior?”  I ask.
“He won’t reveal himself.  He’s preparing.  When he’s ready, he’ll find you.”  Caliel instructs.
“So, Michael is running around with Death and we’re just supposed to wait for this one guy.” I say with disbelief.
“That’s all you can do.”  He says.
I nod in agreement, but I still have major doubts.  There’s got to be way more to this.  I’ll have to talk to the council about it.
“I’ll release you so the cupid can find you.”  He turns and starts to walk away.
“Wait!”  I stop him.
He turns. 
“I need to ask for something.”  I say a bit quiet.
“What?”  He walks back to me.
“A feather.  Can I have one?”  I kind of feel stupid even entertaining it.
He looks at me, looks at the ground like he’s thinking.  His arm reaches back as I hear feathers push out.  His arm yanks and he pulls put a large black feather.  He looks it over and feels it slowly. 
He walks it up to me and hands it over.  “Godspeed.”  He grumbles.
I take the feather and from the tip of my fingers, the black is pushed up by white.  The color flows all the way to the tip.
I watch the feather carefully.  “Thanks.”  I raise my head and he’s gone.  I look around and he’s nowhere to be seen.
I stare at the feather a little longer and Ember blinks in.
“There you are!  Where the hell have you…”  I hold up the feather.
Her eyes go wide.  “You got it.” 
I spin it in my fingers and grin.  “I did.” 
“Let’s get it to Puck.”  She takes the feather and my arm and we blink back to my place.
The house is dark. 
“Puck?!”