Fall from Grace (Book 2: An Angelblood Novel) Read online

  Fall from Grace

  An Angelblood Novel Book2

  Linda L. Creel

  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2013 Linda L. Creel

  ISBN: 978-0-9893901-4-9 – paperback

  ISBN: 978-9893901-5-6 – E-book

  About the Author:

  Linda grew up in Maryland, but she has spent the last fifteen years living in Florida with her husband and best friend, Ron.

  Stay tuned for more about the angelblood novels and other books that are coming soon.

  The Family’s of Aeden

  The Allhearts:

  Paul (Uriel’s son) and his wife Eve (Granddaughter of Esra and Gideon)

  Their children: Christina, Ruthie, Paul (PJ), Rita, Aura, Bren, Reaghan

  Christina is married to David Kelly, her sister Ruthie is married to Allen Dunn

  The Dunn’s:

  Adam (Ariel’s son) and his wife Angela (Eve’s best friend)

  Their children: Mary, Allen, Jessica, Tracy, Molly and Macy (twins)

  The Kelly’s:

  Martin (Metatron’s son) and his wife Myra

  Their children: John, David, Logan, Dillon, Tobias and Tabitha (twins)

  John is married to Mary Dunn, they have a daughter Mia

  The Donnelly’s: Twin son’s of Raphael

  Jack and his wife Jillian

  Their children: Tristan and Tiffany

  Joseph and his wife Gina

  Their children: Willow and Joey

  The Gilman’s: Howard (Aura’s godfather) and his son Rusty

  The Collins: Jane, her twin sons Jasper and Jayden and Ella Forster (Jasper’s mortal fiancée)

  The Hunters: Hespa (the Huntress, brings rogue angels before the Council), her son Elijah, her daughter Ericah, Ericah’s husband Elliot

  The Archangels of the High Council:

  Michael, Gabriel, Uriel, Raphael, Ariel, Metatron, Raziel

  The Guardians:

  Gideon (Gabriel’s twin brother, the Shield of Heaven, Aura’s grandfather)

  Jeziel (Lucifer’s daughter)

  Aidan (Michael’s son, Avriel’s husband and father to Alannah and Alorrah)

  Iris: closest to the Almighty, she acts as Aidan’s guide

  The Eternal Children:

  Alannah and Alorrah (Twin daughters of Aidan and Avriel)

  Alexis: (Identical cousin of Alorrah and Alannah, daughter of Avriel’s brother Alerael and Michael’s sister Meliah)

  The Family’s of Utopia

  The Fairbourne’s:

  Henry (the Governor) and his wife Meredith (Lucifer’s sister’s daughter)

  Their children: Richard, Caspian, Analie and Joshua

  Axel (Analie’s husband), Desiree (Caspian’s wife)

  Natalie (Richard’s daughter), Ambrosia (Analie and Axle’s daughter)

  The Carnegies:

  Arthur and his daughter Renatta (once Richard’s fiancée, now married to Rusty Godwin)

  The Allgoods:

  Albert and his wife Carolyn

  Their son Thomas, his wife Tess, and their daughter Meaghan

  The Crestwell’s:

  The first family killed. Their sons Arian, Will

  The Whitehall’s:

  August, his daughter’s Winifred (Jane Collins best friend), Andromeda

  Jade (August’s granddaughter, Ambrosia’s best friend and Arian’s girlfriend)

  Matthew (Andromeda’s son) the last surviving member of the Godwin family

  Acadia Dearbourne: (orphaned, she works as a servant to the Fairbourne’s)

  The Angel’s of the Tier:

  Kaelariel (Michael’s wife, she was gifted with the sacred whip)

  Bodhi (Ariel’s husband, he was gifted with the sacred bow)

  Dionese (Gabriel’s wife, she was gifted with the sacred dagger)

  Cerci (Metatron’s wife, she was gifted with the sacred bracelet)

  Astinon (Raphael’s wife, she was gifted with the sacred diadem)

  Avriel (Esra’s twin sister, Aidan’s wife, mother to Alorrah and Alannah, gifted with the sacred ring) the only Angel of the Tier to die

  The Fallen:

  Lucifer

  Samhael

  Mortriel (Lucifer’s son) Bael (married to Iris)

  Prologue

  Henry walked out of the house towards the country. As he

  entered the main street of the town, he noticed the residents of Utopia were busy finishing their last minute shopping. They were all in a festive mood, each wishing him a Merry Christmas as they hurried in and out of the shops. It was obvious they hadn’t heard the news from Aeden.

  It was Christmas Eve. Henry should have been celebrating. Instead, he was left to deal with the aftermath of the deaths of the angelbloods. This time it had hit the Guild in their own backyard. He was certain there would be repercussions, considering his granddaughter was at the center of the controversy.

  He sat on one of the benches in the square, trying to understand how he could have been so foolish. His father would have never been deceived.

  Henry thought about his father, Charles Fairbourne. He was the first governor of Utopia. While he was in control, there had been no deaths.

  Henry assumed the role of Governor, when his father ascended to Heaven in his one hundred and twenty fifth year. At only eighteen years old, Henry was already married with a newborn son. That was forty years ago. Now his brown hair showed streaks of grey and Henry felt that he had aged a hundred years.

  Forty years of marriage to Meredith and four children later, he wondered where it had all gone wrong.

  In the beginning he was happy, but after his father’s death, Meredith began to change. At first the changes were subtle. Perhaps he had overlooked the warnings because he was still young, naïve and in love.

  As his son Richard grew, so did Meredith’s arrogance. Henry should have known something was amiss when his eldest son was born with eyes the color of coal.

  Meredith was a descendant of Lucifer; a fact that was not of concern in those early years. Now, Henry could no longer deny that his wife and eldest son were walking the path to Hell, and taking Richard’s seventeen year old daughter Natalie, with them.

  Natalie was as cruel and self-serving as her father. But Henry had trusted her; wanting to believe that she had some sense of goodness in her. That was a careless mistake. Henry stood to lose everything that his father had worked so hard for.

  As he rested his head in his hands, he thought of his best friend Jane. She had already buried her daughter Ella just one week ago. Now, Jane would be planning a memorial service for one of her twin sons.

  Natalie had admitted to killing Jasper. She pleaded that it was in selfdefense, but Henry knew in his heart that Natalie felt no remorse for killing her husband’s brother. He would leave her fate to the Guild.

  He lost track of the time as he sat in silence, reflecting on his past. The snow had started to fall, and Henry watched the flakes shimmering, as they clung to the Christmas lights that adorned the square.

  As the snow dusted his black wool overcoat, Henry pulled a gold pocket watch out of his waistcoat. It was already after six o’clock in the morning. He had no idea he had been gone so long. Perhaps Meredith would still be asleep when he returned home.

  Chapter 1

  Richard had demanded that Natalie remain in Utopia, until her grandfather returned. They needed to be sur
e of his loyalty, before they abandoned their home. Henry had argued with the Guild that Jasper’s death was in selfdefense. If he still believed that, he would be able to convince the Council of her innocence.

  When they woke the next morning, Henry had not yet returned from his walk. Richard gathered his mother and daughter into his bedroom, where they could speak privately. He stood next to the six drawer chest, while his mother sat in a gold velvet winged chair in the corner.

  Richard’s shoulder length black hair was uncombed and he wore black silk pajamas and a matching robe. His mother’s auburn curls draped loosely down her back.

  If it hadn’t been for the scar on his daughter’s face, she would have looked like his mother’s younger sister, except for the eyes. Meredith’s eyes were a deep blue, while Natalie’s were black like his. Both women were dressed in red, long-sleeved, satin nightgowns, in observance of the Christmas holiday.

  As Natalie sat on the edge of the large mahogany bed, she addressed her father. “We should leave now. I don’t want to wait until the Guild returns.”

  “It’s Christmas Day. The Guild will not t urn away from tradition. I have every confidence they will prepare for Jasper’s memorial service tomorrow. That will buy us some much needed time. For now, we will wait until we see if Father will fight for you. The two of you have grown close these last few weeks. He stillbelieves Jasper’s death was justified. That may be enough to convince the others of your innocence,” Richard said.

  “You are asking us to place her life in his hands. Are you prepared to take that chance?” Meredith asked.

  “Henry will be back soon. We’ll know then if he will continue to support Natalie. For now, I suggest we relax and celebrate the holiday.”

  As Meredith and Natalie returned to their rooms to dress, Richard pulled a pair of black wool slacks from the armoire and paired it with a red cashmere sweater.

  Most of the older servants had been given the day off to spend with their distant relatives at the other colonies. Henry insisted that they be allowed to observe the Christmas holiday. Meredith had argued the point, but Henry didn’t budge. There were other servants that could attend to her needs.

  Francesca Leoni had been taking care of Meredith for as long as she could remember. An orphan herself at fifteen, she came to work for the Wycoff family shortly after the death of her parents.

  Still attractive with her flowing chestnut hair and deep azure eyes, she was in her seventies now and half of her life was gone.

  Of course seventy was still young enough to have a life of her own. Angelbloods didn’t age like their mortal counterparts. They lived for one hundred and twenty five years, but never looked a day older than twenty five.

  Francesca never married; nor did she have children of her own. She regarded Meredith as a daughter and had no intention of ever leaving her.

  Though still a servant, Meredith regarded Francesca as family and forbid anyone from mistreating her, including her son Richard and granddaughter Natalie.

  Meredith still blamed the Guild for removing the younger servants from her home. She had tried to find more help to no avail.

  She wasn’t sure if it was because of the holiday season, or because word of her conduct was well known amongst the angelbloods. The other girls who left her employ, were not quiet about the living conditions. It was common knowledge that the Governess, her son Richard, and his daughter Natalie, were intolerable to work for.

  Most of the angelbloods had trust funds established at the time of their birth. In the event that there was an untimely death, even the most distant relatives would be expected to provide care for the younger children.

  This usually wasn’t a problem. But there had been some families who had turned their back on their heritage and preferred to live amongst the mortals. They weren’t punished. Instead, the Guild ensured they were financially stable and allowed them to leave. They did after all have free will. They honored their decisions.

  Occasionally, there were instances that no other family existed. The males were usually adopted by friends; while the females were often taken into the employ of the Governor, until they reached the age of maturity, which was sixteen years.

  Henry returned home around seven. The house was modestly decorated for the Christmas holiday; nothing like the past years when his children were younger. A large Douglas fir stood in the living room, but it was sparse of ornaments and there were no gifts underneath.

  The smell of fresh pine was in the air. But otherwise, there was no indication that it was Christmas morning.

  Henry used to look forward to the holiday when the children were all younger. It was one of their favorite holidays and they enjoyed the anticipation of opening gifts.

  Now, all of them were grown and had left the estate, not under the best of circumstances.

  Meredith had all but disowned their daughter Analie. She was staying at the sanctuary because it sat on hallowed ground and the Guild felt she was no longer safe in her own home.

  Caspian, his second son, had disappeared on his wedding night. Though Henry didn’t know his whereabouts, he suspected the Guild was keeping an eye on him.

  Joshua, his youngest son, had retreated to Aeden with his best friend Will Crestwell, after suffering an attack by the same wolf-likecreatures that killed Will’s parents.

  Henry missed his children and the closeness that they once shared. Now he was left with Meredith, their eldest son Richard, and his daughter Natalie. None of them cared about celebrating the birth of Christ. To them it was just another day.

  As he shook the snow from his overcoat and hung it on the rack next to the door, he prepared for the fight he knew would ensue with his wife. He entered the grand dining room and poured himself a cup of tea. By the time he sat down, Meredith and Natalie sauntered into the room. In keeping with some tradition of the holiday, they wore long, red, wool dresses.

  They took their usual seats at the table and waited for Richard to join them.

  Francesca poured tea for the others and hurried out of the room. Seeing thecross look on Meredith’s face, she wanted to be as far away as possible.

  There would be no hugs and wishes of a Merry Christmas from any of them. Henry would wait to celebrate later in the day with his friends and other children.

  Despite Richard’s warning, as soon as he entered the room, Meredith started her diatribe.

  “I hope you’re satisfied. The Guild wants to kill Natalie,just like they killed my father,” she screamed.

  Henry slammed his fist into the table. “Shut up Meredith! I could stand to lose the Governorship. We are in this predicament thanks to you. I told you it was wrong to keep those girls, yet you insisted. Rest assured if I am asked to step down, you will suffer the consequences! Right now I need to speak to Arthur and then Paul.”

  “Paul? He wants to convict Natalie. You need to help us Henry. Do you care nothing about your granddaughter?”

  Henry glared at his wife. “I will not be a party to any more of your deceit. Do what you must and I will do the same.”

  “You need to stay with us and find a way to keep Nataliesafe. She’s your flesh and blood!”

  Henry ignored her rant. He put his teacup on the table, headed towards the front door, grabbing his coat as he walked out.

  He was disgusted with himself. Natalie had played him for a fool. He regretted ever trusting her. She hadn’t changed at all. What would he say to Jane? How could she ever forgive him for sending a murderer into her home?

  Perhaps Paul’s speech was meant only as a warning. He needed to take control of the Utopian colony, or risk losing it.

  Henry was most worried about Analie and she wouldn’t hesitate to Ambrosia. If Natalie killed Jasper, kill again. He would speak to Arthur. least offer some advice.

  Natalie was stunned. She His friend would at

  never expected her grandfather to turn on her. She thought he would have fought on her behalf. She refused to be questioned by the Guild. She would
leave before they returned.

  As soon as Henry was gone, Meredith looked to her son. “Did you hear him Richard? He has already aligned himself with the Guild. He has already convicted her,” she bellowed.

  “We can’t count on any support from Father. He is trying to save face with the Guild.”

  “To hell with the Guild,” Meredith screeched. “This is your daughter we’re speaking of. I don’t have to remind you of the danger that you are in.”

  “You needn’t be concerned about me.”

  Meredith moved them to the library. She didn’t want their discussion to be heard by the servants, in case the Guild questioned them too.

  Richard sat on the edge of the desk and remained calm.“There is an Enchantor who can help.”

  “You killed the last Enchantor,” Meredith said. Richard laughed. “There are others and I can assure you this onewill do whatever I ask.”

  “Who i s thisEnchantor?” “She was Virgil’s wife.” “Are you sure she can be trusted after his betrayal?”

  “I’m sure. She is desperate for some information I have,” Richard grinned. “You’ll have to trust me. There’s a way that Natalie can be seen, yet stay invisible. It’s actually quite brilliant.”

  “I don’t understand Father,” Natalie said. “You will, soon enough. For now,we’ll go to Paris until I’ve made other arrangements.”

  “Paris will be the first place they will look,” Meredith said.

  “The Guild will be busy with the memorial service. I only need a day or two.”

  “This is her life Richard,” Meredith argued. “Have I ever disappointed you Mother?”

  “Why do I have to run away?” Natalie complained. “I haven’t done anything wrong.”

  “Do I need to remind you about your responsibility in that girl’s death?” Meredith said.

  “That was an accident!” Natalie yelled.

  “The Guild won’t see it that way, especially after you just admitted to killing Jasper. We’ll hide you in Paris for now, unless you want to wait for Paul to come back,” Richard smirked.

  Natalie didn’t respond.

  “I expect you to stay with her,” Meredith said. “I’ll take care of everything.”

  Richard smiled as he took Natalie by the hand and they both vanished.