Chapter 8~~~ The Doctor
Razakiel's POV
"Dad," Carli calls as we move further into the house, "Grab your bag Razakiel's friend is injured."
"Coming!" A deeper voice replies from a room near the end of the hall. His voice is quickly followed by shuffling and muffled footsteps, and then a shadowy figure, probably just over six-foot-tall, makes its way down the hall towards us.
As he escapes the shadow, his silvery eyes sparkle with youth, belying the bottomless wisdom in their depths and the grey hair visible in his shoulder length black hair. He swipes a hand across his jaw, dark with a few days' worth stubble, before his eyes latch onto the pale figure now resting against Nich side.
"Why is she still on her feet? Tell me you didn't make her walk all the way here!" His tone almost violent as he takes in her limp figure and blood-stained clothing, her eyelids dropping, almost closed, like she is on the verge of collapsing any second.
Moving quickly he gently lift her from Nich grasp, ignoring the slight whimper that escapes her at the movement, whispering quietly in her ear as he carries her through a doorway to the right and into a room, empty of anything but a light and the narrow table-like bed in the center, covered with a single white cloth and a similarity pillow bland at one end.
Before any of us could even begin to think about moving into the room after them, the option is torn out from under us as the door is thrown closed and the distinct sound of a lock clicking into place reaches my ears. For a second panic hits me; what if he steals her, hands her back over to the devil, I need her to get back home, but it disappears almost the moment it soon arrives. He has no idea who or what she is, not to mention this are the two people I trust the most.
Nich, however doesn't seem to share my thoughts. His voice echoes through the halls as he shouts through the door, only to be ignored even as he threatens to break the door down.
"Relax, his just healing her. Do you want the girl to die?" she asks with humor tinting her tone, "Don't stress, he just prefers to work in silence." She says pointedly as Nich opens his mouth to continue his tirade. With a slight sigh and defeated nod, he turns from the door.
"Well as long as you don't make a sound, you can come in and stand in the corner." A deep voice commands our attention, and without hesitation Nich follows John back into the room, before it is once again closed and locked in place.
As soon as they disappear out of sight Carli turns back to look at me, before looping her arm through mine and leading me away from the door and down the hall to a dining room taking a seat at the table.
"You shouldn't have brought them here, Raz, it's hard enough keeping this place hidden from the angels, now with the whole hell thing, going on it becoming even more difficult and you think you can just show up with a couple of random fallen and expect our help and protection?"
"Carli I'm sorry, I didn't intend on bringing anyone here at all but the situation got a little out of hand down there. I mean obviously! I ended up with Luc seriously injured, by a demon no less, not to mention the random tag along that couldn't be left behind." I'm almost growling by the last sentence. "Like I need that idiot around, his going to get in my way."
"I'm just saying, you better have not led a bunch of demons to my doorstep, Raz. If you have, trust me when I say you won't have to wait for them to kill you; I'll murder you myself." With a slight smile gazing my lips from her words I nod in acceptance.
"I am sorry Carli but I took precautions, Nich and I were both shielding when we left, and Luc has a shield too, so they shouldn't be able to follow us. I honestly wouldn't have brought anyone here, but she needed a doctor and this is the only place I could come. I was going to take her someplace else and come here on my own later."
"Why, Raz? What's going on? What are you doing? Who is she?" Her questions tumble out over the top of one another, fighting to be heard and answered. I knew I had to answer her questions at some point, considering now is the only time we are going to be alone, I guess this is the best time to explain.
"I'm going home Carli. She might be my one and only ticket into getting back in heaven…" A clear discernible what? resounds from the room down the hall and a quick glance at Carli's guilt riddled expression has a silver of anger moving inside of me, my body tensed and ready, despite knowledge that I would have told him eventually anyway. "You were sharing your thoughts with John the whole time?" I already know the answer; being a reader and a shield like me, she can send her thoughts directly to him while shielding them from me. The fact that he is her father just makes the process a lot easier.
"Sorry?" she asks, attempting to train her expression into one of contrition, though the barely hidden smile easily overpowers any attempt. A sigh leaves my lips before I can consciously make the decision to just let it go.
"He would have found out eventually, I guess. It's not like I was going to hide him from him. I just wanted to have the conversation in private first." My fingers slight through my dark hair as I calm the breathing tension in my body and relax back into the rough wood of the chair beneath me.
"Do you want me to stop, or are you okay with him listening in now?" she asks without meeting my gaze, as her eyes focus on her fingers as they nervously twist a strand of that red. I can't help the smirk that appears as I take in the innocent expression painted on her face.
"Like anything I say would stop you from sharing." I shake my head at the convincing angel before me, not even attempting to conceal the laughter shaking my body. Her face lights up as she smiles back at me.
"Sorry Raz, you know I can't help it. So, are you going to tell me how you intend to get back in the good books or what?"
"She is Lucifer's daughter." I say quietly, suddenly nervous of someone else overhearing my words.
"So? Sure, I didn't know he had a daughter, but how does that help anything? Taking his daughter up there isn't going to get you in heaven, Raz"
"She's a half breed Carli!" her expression turns to one of shock, and for moment I think I see a glint of fear in her eyes, then it's gone, replaced by a look of consternation. "Carli it will work trust me. She was the reason Lucifer was going to be thrown out of heaven. Without her he has nothing, without her there is no way the fallen can attack the angels and stand a chance. If I hand her over, Mikheal wins and Lucifer is no longer a thread."
"You realize that they will kill her. You would sacrifice the life of an innocent girl simply for the slight chance that you might get back to heaven? You do realize that it's a slight chance, right? They could kill her and turn you away. Or worse they might just kill you both for the participation in the rebellion."
"No. they will let me back in. she is the half breed of one of the most powerful Archangels; do you know how much power that gives her? She could probably take out all of the angels in heaven on her own. You know it was forbidden for angels, most specifically archangels, to create half breeds almost half a century ago. I will be saving them all from future attacks. Sacrificing one person for the greater good is better than letting her live to destroy them all."
A slight clenching in my chest as I speak the words sends my mind reeling for a moment. The image of her body collapsing to the ground when she was injured by the demons consumes my thoughts for a moment; could I really let them kill her? I shake the thought away before it can get a hold of my mind; of course, I can, I have to.
"Raz, it's not a good idea, there a lot of other half breeds out, some just as powerful as Luc. Don't do this, please. Surely Lucifer can just find another one, or create another one?" I don't understand the desperate look in her eyes, like she is certain I will be killed along with Luc. Like I'm already dead. And there's no other outcome.
"Lucifer can't leave hell. Sure, he can send projections but that won't help him get another half breed and demons don't have the ability to spot them. And why are you so sure they are going to kill me? Carli? They won't kill me. Why would they? Unless there is something I'm missing? What aren't you telling me?" I ask starting to question my own plan simply from the worry in her eyes.
"No. Nothing. You're probably right, I just can't help but worry about you, we are pretty much family, Raz." She smiles, though I'm not sure it quiet reaches her eyes, like she really is hiding something from me. "So, if that's your plan, did you want to come here just to share it with us? Or…." She continues, taking my mind of the previous confusion and back to the task at hand.
"I want you to get in contact with Ahreal, I know she's still in contact with you, she always said you where her only daughter and she wouldn't ignore you simply because someone decided to make it illegal for you to exist, 30 years after you were born." She lets out a short laugh at my words, knowing I have heard them multiple of times in my life.
"Okay Raz, I'll ask her if she'll meet with you at some point, but I know her opinion will be the same as mine, so she may not take you to Mikheal. She might not even hear you out. Whether she gives you an explanation or not, I can't say, but think about what you're doing, okay? That girl has done nothing wrong but be born to the wrong father. If you were what she is would you sacrifice yourself for greater good? Because I'm a half breed Raz I know and I know I wouldn't"
"But you're different Carli, Lucifer isn't your father. You aren't a thread to the angels." I try to explain my reasoning, knowing all the while that maybe I am wrong; I have been following Luc for a while, hearing her thoughts and not once has she considered giving up and joining Lucifer. All she wants is to escape and be free. She doesn't want the angels of heaven to be destroyed any more than I do. And yet I can't seem to shake the thought that she is dangerous, and isn't supposed to exist. Archangel half breeds are too powerful to exist without using their powers against us. Handing her over is the best. It has to be.
"I'll tell Ahreal, Raz, just… just be sure before you do anything, okay? Maybe you could wait for a little while and find out what her intentions are? Before you hand her over to be slaughtered." A shudder makes its way done my spine at her last word and I have to force the feeling away completely before I change my mind.
"I'll wait for a few days, I guess. At least until she is healed completely." Carli smiles in response and nods to herself.
"Good, the doctor is done if you want to go see the patient?" I immediately get to my feet and start moving towards her. Relief flooding through me with the knowledge that she is okay; I have to push away the feeling that it is not simply because I need her alive, because the thought of her no longer living and breathing… I can't even think about it. The shudder that races through me, sets me moving even faster toward Luc.
I am through the door and at her side in moments. Her bottomless blue eyes blink up at me in confusion for a moment, as I run my hand through my hair.
"Are you okay?" I murmur keeping my eyes on her face, searching for any pain or discomfort. A smile gazes her face, adding a sparkle to her eyes, as she nods her head.
"I'm fine, thank you." And then I notice the silence around us; Carli and John are looking at me with inquiring gazes, and I realize what I have done. I'm not supposed to care. I don't care. Backing away from where Luc sits on the edge of the bed, I move until my back hits the wall.
"Good. That's good. I just… we, um, we can't have you injured if we are going to stay ahead of Lucifer's demons." She sucks in a breath at my words and her head whips around, her long hair flaring around her.
"Did they follow us? Lucifer. I saw Lucifer. He was standing right behind us when we left. Did he follow us? Please don't let him take me." She jumps to her feet as we speak, despite heavy protest from John. Her fear is clear in her voice, as she turns in place, those iridescent wings shimmering behind her, enhancing her dangerous beauty and exuding power as she regains awareness of her surroundings and stands facing me, her blade ready in her hand.
"Lucifer can't leave hell, he sent a projection when he found you, so that you would think he could follow you if you tried to escape. He isn't here and neither are others of the fallen, or demons, except Nicholas, obviously." Her tense stance relaxes before my eyes, blade disappearing from her hand and wings slowly fading.
"Okay. Sorry, I don't know why I overreacted like that." Except she does, she knows exactly why she reacted like that and so do I; because if Lucifer could have found us she wouldn't have the easy death that the rest of us would get, she would be back under his blade and I get the feeling this would warrant an even more punishment than anything she has received before.
The glimpse I got of Lucifer torturing her in her mind after she passed out from me removing the block in her mind is already too much. And I know her memory is a lot worse than what I glimpsed.
"I won't let him catch you Luc. He won't hurt you again, I promise." I tell her, looking right into her eyes, I watch as they soften slightly, losing the last of the fear and regaining the look of determination that fits her so well. I can feel the judging eyes of Carli and John on me as they listen to my words, knowing my intentions. But at the moment nothing matters but the fact that Luc is healing and safe.
"So, what do we do now?" she asks, that smile once again grazing her face and I can't help the answering smile on mine as she looks at me waiting for a reply.