Hell's Angel: Guardian Angel Book 2

Andromeda had set Loki and Thor up in a townhouse by the take. As far from my manor as you could get. I made the trek across Arcadia while the generals began meeting with their battalions. Everywhere I passed, I saw people training. It was a sure sign that this war was coming more quickly than I thought. Maxine stayed back at my home reading one of my millions of books while Randall hung out with her so I was glad I didn’t have to worry about her for the time being.

My heart stuttered as I climbed the steps to the porch. I really didn’t want to see Loki, or his brother, and I especially didn’t want to be asking them for a favor. I pressed the doorbell and almost chickened out when I heard the chime echoing inside their current abode. Thor answered before I could turn and run.

“Princess Lyra,” he said with a formal dip of his head. He was as handsome as ever in a creamy white polo and khakis. His thick hair was messy in a way that said I-just-woke-up-and-look-this-good. His radiant smile was subdued but still full of admiration.

I was glad that Thor answered the door because I wasn’t pissed off at him and could think straight. Love- or lust or whatever- and anger made a person, and titan, do stupid things and I needed us both to be clearheaded when I told the Gemini my ludicrous plan.

“Hi, Thor. May I speak with you?”

“Of course, Princess. Come in.”

“Your brother’s not in, is he? I don’t think I’m ready to talk with him quite yet.”

“As it happens, he is observing a sparring session at that moment. He feels terrible about Freya making that deal to lose your guardian on his behalf and is doing what he can to help.”

“That’s sort of why I’m here. Maxine may have found the end of the bridge connecting to the titan plane, but Vega has enchantments in place that would keep my humans out. I want you and Loki to go in and break the wards so we can attack.”

Thor frowned. “Ah. Princess, I do not think that is such a good idea. It is foolish to invade Vega’s realm.”

“Well it’s also stupid to sit around and wait for her to make the first move. Are you guys going to help me or not? I’m not letting her and the other titans march on my cities.”

The so-called god of thunder sighed. “Of course, Princess. If that is your wish. My brother and I will do whatever it is you need.”

I released the breath I didn’t notice I’d been holding. This whole plan depended on them opening Vega’s realm for us and we’d be screwed without their help. I smiled. “Thank you. I have a few more things to finalize and then I’ll let you know when to go.”

I turned to leave, but he called my name when I put my hand on the knob. I froze before I could make my escape without looking back at him. “Lyra. I know that you are hurt right bow, but Loki and I do care about you. I hope you know what you are doing and please be careful.”

Thor’s words threw me off guard. Of the two, he was the quiet, brooding brother. Loki was the one to express his thoughts, so hearing the sentiment from the golden warrior just made everything seem so much more dangerous, and it was just shy of a suicide mission to begin with.

I nodded once as the door swung open. “I will, thanks. And the same goes for you.”

Max was the only one still at my house when I got back. She was on the giant futon flipping through an old magazine. Without glancing up, she held out my cell. “Mom called. Twice. And you’ve got probably a hundred texts asking where you are. She’s a little miffed, but I think it has more to do with my dying than her usual orneriness with you.”

I bit my lower lip. Crap. My family was going through a really hard time and I was too busy with my own drama to be there for them. Poor little Mac, losing her mom and now me. I’d been so glad to get my sister back that I forgot how much they still hurt. “I’ll call her right now.”

“No need. I sent a message from your phone saying you were at Randall’s writing my eulogy and wanted it to be spectacular to do my memory justice and didn’t want to be disturbed where you’d start crying until you puked again. The funeral’s tomorrow. Promise me you’ll go. Mackenzie needs you there. The whole family does.”

Her hazel eyes pleaded with me and I sat and wrapped my arms around her slender shoulders. A sob lodged itself in my throat. “I still can’t believe you’re dead. I’m so sorry that you can’t go home.”

Her eyes shone with tears and I could tell the dam was about to break. “I know. I’m never going to get to see my daughter grow up. That’s why you have to beat Vega, Lyra. For Mac. Make a place that’s safe from monsters for her to grow up in.”

My eyes stung as I leaned on her bony shoulder. “I’ll do my best, sis. I don’t want a war with Vega, but I’m not going to just roll over either. I promise that I won’t let her bring hell on earth.”

I was numb when I got to the cemetery. Only a few early arrivals were there, talking to my parents and Ethan. Mackenzie sat in the background with her other grandmother, looking lost. I wanted to puke seeing her so miserable in a black tutu dress that flared out to her ankles. She saw me first, launching herself into my arms. I couldn’t help the sob that rumbled through me as tears dripped down my nose and into her brown hair. It was a good thing I hadn’t worn any makeup.

My dad walked up to me next. He was tall and engulfed my much shorter body in a tight hug. I leaned into his broad chest, still rather fit from when he used to play for the NFL, and drew support from him. It didn’t matter that Maxine was waiting for me back at my place in Arcadia. She was gone from this world to fight a war she shouldn’t have even known about. I think I mourned the upcoming battle and what had become of both of our lives as much as I did for my sister’s death. If it wasn’t for me and Vega, she would be with her family right now.

“It’s okay, honey,” my dad crooned through my sobs. “She’s in a better place now.”

I choked back a hysterical laugh. If only he knew the half of it. “It’s just not fair.”

“I know. But that’s life. Who said it had to be fair?”

“I did,” I muttered. Yeah, in my original design, human life had been fair. But freedom for mortals to make their own decisions came at a price. I couldn’t intervene, but Vega could. She and her titans created the darkness the infested every aspect of humanity and introduced the suffering that had plagued my world since the beginning of time. No, life wasn’t fair, and even with all of my powers as a goddess, I couldn’t do anything about it.

I sat in the row of chairs with my family as friends and other relatives poured to the gravesite. The wooden casket was polished so that I could almost see my reflection in the silver-painted grains and intricate gold filigree that lined the edges. I stared at it from my seat. It was surreal, knowing my sister’s body was there when I’d just spoken to her on my way to Logan.

“And now, a few words from Lyra-Rose.” Reverend Johnson’s voice shook with age. He’d been my Sunday school teacher, always trying to get me to believe. The irony was that I hadn’t believed in anything until my personal guardian angel had swooped in.

I rose on legs that felt like wet noodles and I was surprised when I made it to the podium without falling flat on my ass. Sorrow radiated from every single person and stabbed into my chest like a physical would that I wouldn’t recover from anytime soon. I could control my empathy, cut everyone off so that only my despair remained, but sharing in their sadness actually made me feel more human. I licked my dry lips and cleared my throat.

“Maxine Miller is my hero. My sister and I grew up with very privileged lives, but she always stayed grounded. Max was always on my team when we played football with my dad, even when she was a teenager and didn’t really like playing anymore. When I was seven, she bumped my bike and I fell. I was so scared to ever get back on a bike again, but she took me to the gymnastics center her friend’s mom owned and talked them into letting me practice there so that if I fell, I landed on the mats. Max always looked out for me. She was the person I went to with boy drama- even now. She had no pity and would laugh at my petty grievances before helping me find a way to deal. Max was the kind of person you could trust, someone who always had my back and protected me.

“Max was like a light to everyone she met, making all of our lives a little brighter. When she had Mackenzie, there were some problems and I didn’t think either of them would make it, by they both fought and pulled through. She’s tougher than anyone else I’ve ever met. For the last four years, my sister had been an amazing mother and worked doing what she loves as a newscaster. I don’t think I’m mom material, especially while working, but she did it. She and Ethan have raised a fantastic little girl who is just like her. I am so proud to call Maxine Miller my sister.”

Waves of pain assaulted my extra senses, making my stomach tense like a bad case of cramps. All of these people cared about Max and were devastated to lose her. My eyes flitted from person to person, each wearing black with red, puffy eyes, clutching yellow carnations to toss onto my sister’s coffin. I couldn’t change what happened to her- even I wasn’t omnipotent and reality was a fragile thing to screw with- but I could make things a little more manageable for the mourners.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes for just the briefest moment. Using my empathy, I took some of that debilitating grief from everyone, especially my brother-in-law and niece. It came like a smoky black fog crashing into me. The pain in my stomach intensified until my insides were on fire. I’d never been sick, but I’d felt like I was dying on the day I shed my mortality. This felt similar. Chills raced up my spine and everything hurt. My head pounded, my face felt hot and a sheen of sweat made my forehead slick when I moved a strand of hair away. I imagined this was how the flu felt. I muffled a groan as I stepped away from the limelight on shaky legs. Absorbing this much sorrow had its consequences.

My dad squeezed my hand when I got back to my seat. “That was beautiful. Maxine would be honored.”

I gave him a tight smile. The eulogy wasn’t my best bit of writing, but Max had given her input when I was writing it. It was exactly like when I had to give a speech at her wedding, her micromanaging as if I didn’t have a master’s degree in journalism. Although this time was much more morbid. I sat back in my seat with the rest of the family and watched the procession of all of the people that loved Max drop flowers onto the lid of the casket before it was lowered into the ground.