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

  “I hope he knows what he’s doing,” Meredith thought. “The Guild will not show her any mercy if they find out about Ella.” She returned to the dining room. Reaching for a muffin, Meredith sat quietly sipping her tea. Even Francesca wouldn’t dare disturb her now and Meredith considered her a friend.

  Paul and Adam returned to Utopia after they were finished flying with the family. Because of the time difference it would be early morning there. They went to the sanctuary to meet with Arthur.

  “This shouldn’t take long. We need to let Arthur know what happened.” Paul knew that whatever connection Jayden had with Natalie was broken. He didn’t know if it was because he was bled, or because Natalie killed his brother Jasper.

  He thought back to Jasper’s body. If it was an accident, how did he get inside the cabin? He would take a closer look at the remains when they returned to Aeden.

  The children were still sleeping when they arrived at the sanctuary, but Paul could see they were anticipating the celebration that awaited them.

  There were several large Christmas trees, decorated with handmade ornaments. Lights and strands of popcorn adorned each one. Underneath, there were hundreds of presents waiting to be opened. Fresh pine wreaths served as centerpieces on each of the tables and wood was crackling in the fireplaces, where stockings hung on the mantles. Paul smiled to himself, “It certainly does look like Christmas.”

  Paul invited Analie, Ambrosia and Jade to listen in. They were already dressed for the day, but rather than wear fancy dresses, they elected to wear jeans and sweaters.

  Jade had changed the highlights in her short hair to a deeper scarlet. Analie and Ambrosia both wore their blonde hair in a single braid.

  As they followed Arthur and the Guild members into the library, and closed the door, Paul told them about the deaths and the hellfire in Aeden. Nothing was mentioned of Aura’s gift.

  “You should never have trusted Natalie. She’s more evil thanyou know,” Jade insisted.

  “There were no witnesses, but we did find some broken furniture in the house,” Paul said.

  “You can’t believe Natalie is innocent?” Jade asked. Jade had reason not to trust Richard and his daughter Natalie. Arian Crestwell’s body was never found after his parents were killed. His brother Will believed that he was dead, but Jade still held out hope he was alive and would return to her.

  “We have no proof to discount her report that it was selfdefense,” Adam admitted.

  “Richard will hide Natalie whether she’s guilty or innocent,” Analie said.

  “Few of us believed they had a falling out. We’re certain she used your father to gather information about the Guild,” Adam said.

  “I can’t wait to see her scar,” Jade grinned. “If it was made with angelfire, she’ll wear it forever.

  “They will want retribution, Paul,” Analie said. “They may ask that Jessica be charged.”

  “I can assure you Jessica won’t be punished,” Adam replied.

  “If we find that Jasper’s death was not in se lfdefense, Natalie will be brought before the High Council for judgment,” Paul assured her.

  “Which is why they will hide her,” Analie said.

  Analie knew her brother Richard all too well. After the first attack in Utopia, it was rumored that her and her daughter Ambrosia were also targeted. They weren’t home at the time. Moving into the sanctuary would offer them some protection, but she still didn’t trust her brother. Sooner or later, he would make another attempt on her life.

  “Perhaps, but we still hav e Aura. Jayden loved his brother.

  defense,

  If we determine that his death was not in selfJayden will not be forgiving. He will want

  retribution. Jane may very well blame your father for sending Natalie to Aeden,” Adam said.

  “At least we know that Jayden didn’t kill his brother,” Paul said. “Let the Utopians know about the deaths. Someone may hear something that might be useful with our investigation.”

  “I’ll call a meeting now. I’m sure the word will spread quickly,” Arthur said.

  “Perhaps you shou ld wait until after Christmas. I see no reason to interrupt thechildren’s holiday. They’ll know the truth soon enough.”

  It was decided to delay the news until the next day. Then, they would call a meeting with the Commission.

  Paul and Adam left to return to Aeden. They would go back to Elijah’s property, hoping to find something they had missed when they walked through the burnt ruins the last time.

  Chapter 2

  Paul and Adam arrived at the property around two o’clock in the morning. They walked through the burned rubble, looking for answers. As they sifted through the charred furniture, they found nothing to indicate the identity of the fourth person.

  “It would be helpful if we knew who started the fire,” Paul said.

  “Do you believe it was Samhael?” Adam asked.

  “He would certainly have the means. As one of Lucifer’s most faithful disciples, he would have been gifted with hellfire.

  “Jeziel should have been here,” Adam said .“Just because she shares your father’s blood, does not give her special privileges. I’m sorry, but leaving Elijah, regardless of the circumstances, is inexcusable. That in itself is a serious offense.”

  Paul smiled desolately at his friend. “If Jeziel was involved, I will be the first to bring her before the Council. I won’t jeopardize the safety of our children, but finding only three bodies concerns me the most.”

  Adam was reluctant to ask the next question. “Do you think Ericah might have been pregnant?”

  “It would explain why we didn’t find a fourth body,” Paul said.

  They looked at each other. It was unconscionable anyone would kill an innocent child, let alone an angelblood.

  “Perhaps that’s why Michael came to take Hespa back to Heaven. If she found out her daughter was pregnant, it would be difficult to control her,” Adam said.

  “If Ericah was pregnant, Hespa will find out eventually.”

  Adam looked tentatively at Paul. “Do you think the children were murdered because someone was seeking revenge against Hespa?”

  “It’s possible. Those rogues have no regard for life, especially angelbloods. They would consider it a great feat to not only take out her children, but her grandchild as well.”

  “How could they have known? I can’t believe Hespa wouldn’t have put up more of an argument with Michael,if she knew Ericah was going to have a child.”

  “We agree Elijah and Ericah put up some kind of a fight, futile as it may have been. Perhaps we should have spent more time going through the remains,” Paul said.

  “We wouldn’t have found anythi ng. If Ericah lost the baby during the struggle, the fire would have destroyed all the evidence,” Adam assured him.

  “We need to find Jeziel and question her. Natalie didn’t explain how Jayden’s body got inside the house. We should have been more aggressive with our questions. She admitted to killing him in selfdefense. But it appears she was trying to hide the body. Maybe she thought he would burn, and no one would know what reallyhappened to him,” Paul said.

  “Yes, but how did she get the body inside without getting burned? Do you think Natalie had the strength to pick Jasper up and hurl him into the flames?” Adam asked. “Or do you think someone was helping her?”

  “We don’t know if Jeziel left before or after the fire started. I find it hard to believe the fire started so quickly. Didn’t Jayden say he just left the two girls to meet with his mother?”

  “Yes ,and we can’t depend on Natalie to tell the truth. I have a feeling she would defend Jeziel because they share the same bloodline.”

  “We k now Natalie killed Jayden. She admitted that much to us. But I think she knows more than she’s saying. We should plan to question her again soon.” Paul said. “We canarrange the memorial service for tomorrow. I’ll have Eve contact Father Patrick. Meredith is asking for an inquest t
o determine if Jessica is guilty of a crime.”

  “We’ll not punish my daughter for defending herself. If using the whip was not warranted, she could never have called for it. The whip will only materialize, if she is faced with great danger. The weapon stays true to Heaven,and so does Jessica.”

  “No one will ever doubt your daughter’s loyalty Adam,” Paul said,trying to comfort his friend. “There is another possibility we are reluctant to speak of. The Elite Guard could be involved. We never learned who they were searching for. It could have been Hespa.”

  “Jeziel wouldn’t go against them, even to defend Elijah.”

  “If what you say is true , why didn’t she come to us for help? No one wants to believe in Jeziel more than I do, but we need to consider she may have fallen.”

  “I agree,” Adam said. “ She was with Samhael. We can only assume that he took her to visit Lucifer. If she is innocent I can find no reasonable explanation for her not coming to the Guild.”

  “We should return home. The little ones will be awake soon. There is no reason to ruin their Christmas celebration. We can discuss this more later.”

  They expanded their wings and returned to their homes. As expected, Eve and Angie were awake and waiting for them.

  Since the girls were spending the night at Aura’s, Angie decided to stay at Eve’s home until her husband returned. Jane and Jayden were there with Acadia. The sisters would be introduced to Alistair later in the morning. Until then, they knew Aura would make them feel at home.

  Eve remembered how happy they were a couple of weeks ago. Everything started to change when Natalie came to the valley and befriended Jeziel. They were more than friends, they were family. Rita didn’t trust either of the girls, but had no proof of their involvement in the recent deaths.

  She knew that Aura hadn’t seen the deaths of Elijah and his sister in her visions. But she was certain her daughter saw the confrontation with Natalie and Jasper. Soon the truth would be revealed.

  Richard and Natalie arrived in Paris moments after leavingHenry’s house.

  Natalie wasn’t happy about leaving Jasper. She questioned whether he would have their marriage annulled. She wasn’t pregnant because she took precautions against it; a mistake she now regretted.

  She couldn’t worry about that. If the Guild suspected her in Jaspers death, they would come after her. Meredith told her how they killed her father. Natalie shuddered to think she would suffer the same fate.

  They found Desiree dressed in a loose fitting gold brocade dress, sitting quietly in the parlor when they entered the house. Her long blonde curls cascaded down her back.

  Charisse, her mother, was going over the menu plans with the servants. Like the governor’s mansion, there were very little Christmas decorations displayed.

  “Richard,” Desiree exclaimed. “We weren’t expecting your return so soon. Is everything alright?” She gasped when she saw Natalie’s scar. “Who did this to you?”

  Richard told them the story, from his perspective. “What of your husband? Didn’t he come with you?” Desiree asked.

  “He is in the custody of the Guild,” Natalie huffed. “We need to keep her here for at least a day, until I can make other arrangements,” Richard stated bluntly. “We’ll take good care of her,” Charisse insisted.

  Charisse Devereaux w as one of Meredith’s oldest friends. The years had been kinder to her than to Meredith. Charisse had not lost any of her youthful appearance. Like her daughter, she had long blonde curls, but her eyes were a deeper shade of blue.

  Richard wasn’t in the habit of discussing his personal business, but he knew Desiree and her mother could both be trusted.

  “I have no doubt of your loyalty. We are experiencing some problems with the Guild and I’ll need some time to sort things out,” Richard smiled.

  “Take all the time you need. No harm will come to her here.”

  Natalie was already self conscious of her scar, but Richard assured her it was temporary.

  “This is their fault,” she cried. “I am to wear this hideous scar for the rest of my life and Jessica isn’t even questioned. Her attack on me was unwarranted Father. You know that’s the truth,” she sobbed.

  She looked down at her hand and stared at the wedding ring on her left finger. “They turned Jayden against me,” she sobbed. “I promise I will make them all pay! I swear it!”

  Richard was unsympathetic. “Perhaps you should have considered the consequences when you killed that girl and Jayden’s brother. Did you think they wouldn’t want vengeance for their deaths?”

  “They deserved to die. I will not feel any rem orse for either of them. Jasper had no right to speak to me like I was trash. Killing Ella made him suffer.”

  “I doubt he is suffering now,” Richard laughed , but then became more serious. “If the Guild determines you were responsible for Ella’s death, it will seal your fate. No one will believe you didn’t murder Jasper; regardless of the circumstances.”

  “How can they know? Ella and Jasper are both dead.”

  “You are a fool if you think they’re incapable of finding the truth. Rita may not be a practiced seer, but I’ve heard rumors her sister Aura is as powerful as Esra. If she sees what you’ve done, the Guild will order your death.”

  “Then you’ll fight them.”

  “I may be powerful, but I don’t have the skills to take on the entire Guild, at least not yet. “Don’t worry; I have a plan in progress.”

  “What am I supposed to do in the meantime?” Natalie sobbed.

  “You’ll do nothing! I will come for you after I’ve taken care of some business. It’s Christmas day. Nothing is going to be accomplished today. I’ll leave first thing in the morning. While I’m gone perhaps Desiree can take you shopping. You’re in need of some new clothes.”

  “No one will bother you here,” Charisse assured her. “You will be completely safe until your father returns.”

  “For now, I suggest we put this behind us and enjoy the rest of the holiday. The Guild will wait until tomorrow to conduct the memorial service for Jasper. Until then we shouldrelax and make the best of things.”

  “I’m sure I have something that will fit you,” Charisse said. “Why don’t we go upstairs and find something for you to wear? You’ll feel better after you’ve had a nice warm bath.”

  Normally Desiree would have offered her something from her own wardrobe, but lately she had gained so much weight, she doubted anything would have fit Richard’s daughter. Her mother was about the same size as Natalie and no one could ever doubt Charisse’s taste in clothing. She always kept in style with the latest fashions.

  Chapter 3

  Henry returned to the sanctuary to find the Utopian children still opening their Christmas gifts. He had forgotten to bring his own presents for his daughter and granddaughter. Thankfully, they were not there when he arrived.

  The residents of Utopia already had trust issues with Meredith and Richard. If they knew that Natalie was involved in Jasper’s death, they would be even more suspicious. Judging by their jubilance, they hadn’t heard the news about the deaths in Aeden yet. Perhaps they could at least enjoy one more day of peace.

  “Henry, I wasn’t expecting to see you this morning. Are you here to see Analie and Ambrosia?” Arthur asked. “Is there somewhere we can speak privately?” “Of course - the library is through the living room. I assume you’re here to talk about the deaths in Aeden?”

  “Yes, among other things.” Once they arrived at the library Arthur closed the door behind them. Henry took a seat on one of the leather couches, while Arthur sat on the corner of a large cherry desk. “I believe Natalie may be charged with Jasper’s death.”

  “I knew they suspected her, but Paul saidthey didn’t have enough proof to bring her to trial.”

  “ Natalie and Richard played me for a fool. She used my friendship with Jane, to gain access to the Guild and their family. I know Meredith knows more than she’s saying. I don’t t
rust any of them now,Arthur.”

  Running his hand through his hair, Henry informed him about Paul’s comments. “I fear I could lose the colony if the Guild recommends that I be removed as governor. What would I do if they asked me to step down? My father was the last governor. This is all I’ve ever known.”

  Arthur could hear the desperation in Henry’s voice. “Paul would never blame you for the actions of your family.”

  “What about Analie and Ambrosia? If the rumors are true, they could still bein grave danger.”

  “I can assure you they’re perfectly safe here. They just went to pick up a few things from Winnie’s house for the little ones.”

  Henry began to pace. “I’m losing my ability to keep the Utopian people safe. I had doubts about Richard and Meredith, but never imagined Natalie as a murderer. I’m planning to move Meredith and Richard to his country estate.”

  “You could move to the sanctuary with the rest of us.”

  “How would that look? People woul d think I was afraid. I’m staying in my home, but I’ll have them both gone by tomorrow. If I know Richard, Natalie will be gone when I return.”

  “Doesn’t the Guild want to speak with her?”

  “When have you ever known Richard to care about the Guild? He thinksbecause they have Lucifer’s blood, they’re untouchable,” Henry chuckled.

  “I wouldn’t be too concerned. Paul’s words were more for their benefit then yours. He has complete confidence in you, but he may be trying to force their hand. We suspect Richard is planning to overthrow the government here.”

  “You are a good friend Arthur, better than I deserve.”

  “Nonsense - we both care deeply for the residents of Utopia. I’m sure everything will work out.”

  “Thank you. It means a lot to have your confidence.”

  “You will not be judged by your family’s betrayals Henry. The Utopian people still believe in you. Perhaps you should start believing in yourself again.”

  “I need to see if my house is still standing. Meredith wasn’t happy that I left. Without the younger servants there, she’ll have to depend on someone else to cook her Christmas dinner. Paul suggested she learn to cook for herself. Please let Analie and Ambrosia know that I’ll return later with their gifts.”