Page 42 of Hidden Sacrifice
“And vampire,” the angel commented before his eyes flicked to Jace. “With a vampire mate destined to become a pack member.”
“The vampire, Jace, and my demon mate, Jax share sensations of pain. I could use some help on this. No one else seems to have an answer. We want the same thing that you all want, for the souls to stay on their endless journey of lives. But to do that, we need to be able to function. We can’t function without at least understanding how our team operates. If someone has the answer, it would be silly to hold it back simply because it is not their problem.” Mor explained passionately, softening the bold and uncompromising tone in favor of honesty.
Looking at the angel’s face, he did not indicate if this change in tone worked in our favor or against us.
“You are different,” the angel said simply before sighing. “Show me what you mean about your mates, and I will see if I can help.”
Jace immediately pulled out a knife and stabbed himself in the arm. I felt the pain searing into my flesh; the slow drag of the blade out of his arm nearly mirrored perfectly in my sensations.
“You could have let me stab myself; that way, we heal quicker,”I grunted to Jace’s mind.
His head turned to face me as he brought his arm up to lick the wound, and the pain started to recede. The middle finger of his hand pointed to the sky.
The angel sat there wordlessly watching the exchange.
“Let me examine your souls,” the angel said, giving absolutely no indication in his tone whether he was bored or intrigued.
Jace reached out his hand first, allowing the angel to grasp it firmly. The angel’s eyes clouded over white as he sat there motionless.
“Now the demon,” the angel announced, releasing Jace.
Taking a deep breath, I put my hand inside the angel’s and watched his eyes return to that clouded-over state. Having an angel read my soul is absolutely nothing like what Aggie does. Images of my life flashed inside my mind, highlighting every critical moment over my long history. Every major decision I ever made seemed sorted and ranked. I already knew what this particular test would reveal; that I was a failure. A dud. A celestial soul with no merit. The angel released his hold on me, and the images faded. Sinking into the depths of my mind to await their opportunity to haunt my dreams.
“You have twin souls. Or, more accurately described, soul echos. Twin souls occur during creation when one soul splits off into two. They hold the same capacity in terms of power and are generally born of the same soul type. That is not the case here, as the demon has a celestial soul, whereas the vampire has a mortal soul. This is what we call a soul echo. The soul started as one but eventually split into two. One soul having abilities that were not inherent to the soul echo.” The angel paused and looked at Mor.
“So, what does that mean in terms of practicality? Why are they just now feeling each other’s pain? Is there a way to block or remove the link?” Mor listed off the questions, not realizing that this angel already gave her more information than we could have ever hoped to get from one of them.
“Soul echos are particularly rare. Factoring in your unique status of vybred demonling with a celestial soul, it would be safe to say your situation has never occurred before. You have my attention, but I do not feel it will be beneficial to give you information based on assumptions. I swear, on my power, I will investigate this further and update you if I find information that may be helpful. In the meantime, please relay the information regarding the Enochian spells.”
Mor considered the offer the angel gave.
“His offer is very generous for an angel. I would agree to the terms.”I hoped she would take my advice.
“What is your name, angel?” Mor asked, and I couldn’t tell if she would listen or not.
“Ezekiel,” the angel said with a slight smile.
“How do I get ahold of you if you do not get ahold of me?” Mor’s eyes narrowed.
“Take this,” the angel said, flipping a metal coin onto the table. It glistened in gold with an unknown symbol carved into it. “Push power into that, and I will know that you request a meeting. I will find you.”
Mor’s fingers reached out, picking up the small round coin and inspecting it. She held it in her hand, her thumb flat on it, and I saw the coin glow as she started to push power into it.
The angel shivered uncontrollably. “Yes, it is working,” he said through clenched teeth. It wasn’t a comfortable sensation to receive a call through a coin. Unique though, if it could reach across realms.
Mor pocketed the coin before explaining her death and the book found at the scene. The angel nodded along. She even pulled out printed copies of many of the spells that she handed over to the angel so he could get a good look at them. At the same time, she explained the details of the other angel spells found in the hunt.
I sat there silently, in amazement, as I watched Mor discussing demon affairs with an angel.
“Thank you, Ezekiel,” Mor said with a smile as she stood, extending her hand to the angel.
The angel looked at her outstretched hand with hesitation. “If I touch you, I will read your soul,” he cautioned, extending his hand to the side. It would be her decision.
Confidently, she placed her hand in his, and I watched as his eyes glazed over white while they shook. She didn’t leave her hand in his, simply allowing him a glimpse into her most profound truths. Whatever memories he had pulled into her mind didn’t affect her as she smiled warmly.
“Come on, boys, it’s time to go home,” she said, turning to us.
We all got up to leave. The angel behind us cleared his throat just as we were about to go through the invisible doorway. We all stopped to look back at him as he warred with himself, clearly deciding if he should or shouldn’t say anything.
