Conduit by Maria Rachel Hooley
“It’s too late for me,” Jimmie wheezed, struggling to breathe. “But you have to take care of Lizzie.” He blinked a couple of times, and each breath seemed to get more and more shallow. “Tell her I love her.”
“Tell her yourself. You have to stay here with her.” Lev shook his head, worried that if he agreed, Jimmie would let go. That couldn’t happen. Lizzie would never forgive him for letting Jimmie die. He should have known this was going to happen, that they remained in danger. Evan had known, yet they were still here in this wrecked truck as Jimmie bled out.
Jimmie reached for his hand, and his face seemed to go white. “I…can’t.” He opened his mouth and started to say something else but then slipped away.
A coldness slithered down Lev’s spine, and he did the only thing he knew to do: he got out of the truck and scooped Lizzie into his arms, grateful she wasn’t conscious. It would have destroyed her. Glancing around, he saw a nearby park. No, it probably wasn’t the best location, but it would have to do. He needed to get them both away.
Grateful that no one was around yet, Lev ran with Lizzie tucked in his arms. Immediately, he noticed the jarring impact of his footfalls dredging her from the warm cocoon of unconsciousness, and he wondered what might happen when she came to. He prayed he didn’t have to tell her about Jimmie, not until they escaped from here.
By the time he finally made it across the park and into a thick stand of trees, Elizabeth was shifting like mad, making it very difficult for him to keep hold of her.
“Shh,” he said, “it’s all right. I’m here. I’d never leave you.” He cradled her tenderly against him as he sank down, his back against the trunk of a large oak, his shirt catching on the bark on the way down as he drew his arms protectively tight.
Once again, Lev regretted the change. Granted, it hadn’t been easy for him to get used to all the hormonal aspects of humanity, but now he abhorred feeling completely useless. And that’s exactly what he was to her, unfortunately.
Suddenly, she moaned, more loudly this time, and her eyelids fluttered open. Even though she must’ve seen it was Lev holding her, it brought no comfort.
“I’m here,” he managed, unsure what else he could say.
She seemed not to hear him as she tried to roll out of his arms, which made him have to squeeze more tightly.
“Let go!” she rasped, tugging at his arms, determined to get loose.
“I can’t let you go,” Lev whispered. “It’s not safe.”
She began thrashing harder. At first, Lev thought he could hold her, but he’d been remembering what it was like to have superior strength as an angel. Had he still been one, Elizabeth could’ve struggled all she wanted. Then again, he would also have been able to keep her calm and sedated as Evan had done.
Somehow, she plastered her hands against his chest and shoved as hard as she could. The sudden force propelled her from Lev’s arms despite his best efforts to hold on. She rolled onto her side, surprisingly quick. He reached out to catch her arm, but she jerked back, just out of reach as she struggled to her feet.
“They’re all around us,” she said, looking at the sky, searching for something beyond his sight.
“That’s why you need to stay here. With me.”
She brought her finger to her mouth and shushed him. Cocking her head to one side, like she listened for something.
“Come to me,” he said, stepping toward her. He was almost there, his fingers inches from hers when she screamed and her body was jerked savagely into the air.
“Elizabeth!” he shouted, watching her body fly through the air. Panicking, he ran after her. He couldn’t just give up. He was her last line of defense, yet she was being carried away faster and faster until at last she slipped away from sight.
Chapter Five
“Shouldn’t they have brought Lizzie back by now?” Griffin stood by the window, looking out. No matter how he tried to tell himself everything would be all right, he had a massively bad feeling about everything. While getting attacked by a dybbuk a couple of days ago could seriously dampen his spirits, he had a feeling it went far beyond that.
“They could’ve gotten held up at the hospital or by something else that was perfectly normal. The last thing we need to do is panic. It will only make things worse.” She stepped beside him and slid one of her hands over his.
“Do you understand how maddening it is that you never panic, Celia? It’s like all the world could fall down around us and you’d still be calm!” He gritted his teeth, wishing Jimmie’s old truck would just stutter down the road and pull into the driveway.
The room fell silent except for the constant ticking of the grandfather clock down the hall, and the silence began to feel smothering, forcing him to pace, his arms folded across his chest.
Suddenly, a couple of loud thumps resounded on the porch which made Griffin abruptly look. He headed to the door, but Celia cut in front of him.
“Let me go first.”
“Why? Somebody’s coming.”
“No, I don’t think that’s it.” Celia shook her head. “Besides, you have no defenses if it’s a dybbuk. I can handle them.” Celia didn’t wait for Griffin’s reply. Her mind was already set, and she knew he’d just argue. There wasn’t time for that.
“You really think dybbuks are just going to come through the front door?” His voice rose incredulously as he watched her unlock the door and open it.
“Nothing would surprise me at this point.”
At that, Celia found two souls in front of her, but they weren’t the ones she thought—just Evan and Lev, both looking much worse for the wear.
“Oh, no,” she stammered, taking in their painful expressions. She stumbled back a couple of steps. “Where’re the others?” Unable to believe it was just the two of them. She stepped out onto the porch to look behind them.
“Jimmie…is gone,” Evan said, his voice soft. “And Elizabeth has been taken. Evan touched Lev’s shoulder. “Let’s go inside. There’s no point in waiting out here.” The two men stepped into the house.
“What?” Griffin exploded, surging toward Lev. “You let her be taken?” His face twisted with rage, and had Evan not been standing between them, Griffin probably would’ve taken a swing, but since he couldn’t, he focused on Evan. “And you let her father die? How could you?”
Celia stepped in front of him, cutting him off. “That’s enough, Griffin. None of this was done on purpose.” She set her hand on his arm, but he savagely jerked away.
“Of course it wasn’t,” he muttered. “You guys are angels, so you never get it wrong.” He raked his fingers through his hair, trying to come to grips with the news he’d just been given. Lizzie was God only knew where, suffering the same pain he’d felt, pain sharp enough to drive him mad. They had to find her somehow, and right now all they were doing was sitting there.
“So where is she? We have to go now and get her back before they kill her.” He stared expectantly at Evan, figuring he’d have all the answers. Somebody had to.
“We don’t know, exactly,” Evan replied. He reached out and set his hand on Griffin’s shoulder, seeking to comfort him. Instead, it just angered him more.
“Don’t touch me!” he fumed, jerking away. Feeling frantic energy welling up inside him, Griffin realized he just couldn’t stand around and look at the floor like Lev or look at the ceiling like Evan. He needed to move before he went mad, and at this point, he was already more than halfway there.
“Tell me you have a plan,” Griffin demanded, holding out hope for some kind of reprieve. Always before, Evan had been so meticulous and cautious about trying to handle everything. Now, Lizzie’s life depended on those two things not changing.
“I’m working on it as we speak,” Evan affirmed, nodding.
“You’re working on it? By the time you get done, Lizzie will be dead, too—or don’t you care?”
Evan stiffened. His wings materialized slightly and then winked back out.
“Look, G
Those words humbled Griffin and stilled the need to argue. It was natural to try to blame someone, but Evan had truly done what he could, for all of them. Only a fool would keep thinking otherwise.
“He’s right,” Celia chimed in. “I barely kept the dybbuks away from you, and if Evan hadn’t arrived when he did, you would have probably died.”
“So what are you going to do now, Evan?” Lev finally asked, his voice edgy.
“I’m going to try to make the arrangements for Jimmie since there’s no one else to do it. I convinced the cops that it was just a simple accident that killed him and that we were the only ones in the truck. After I get Jimmie’s funeral set, I’ll seek out other angels to help. Some of them know far more about the dybbuks than I do. They will be able to offer the guidance I need.”
Lev glared and waited until Evan met his gaze. “Guidance? You think that’s what’s going to save her? Are you kidding?”
He rolled his eyes and strode for the door. “I’m going for a walk.”
“Lev, it’s not safe!” Celia stepped toward him, but Evan caught her arm.
“Yeah, well, maybe if they come after me, I’ll at least end up where she is now.” He kept walking and slammed the door after.
Once again, Celia started to follow, a desperate sadness in her eyes, but Evan stopped her, giving her a stern look. “I know you want to help him, but right now his human nature is taking over. You won’t be able to reason with him.”
“But what about all the dybbuks out there?”
He finally nodded. “All right. Follow him, but you can’t untangle his heart. You can’t fix this. No one can.”
She gave a subtle nod. “I understand.” Then she slipped out.
Griffin found himself alone with Evan. “You know he’s skirting along a dangerous precipice, right? He’s not doing well as a human.”
Evan gave a slow nod. “Yes. I’m not sure what to do about it. What can be done? When he became human, it was supposed to be permanent. We could never have known it would end up like this.”
Griffin took a deep breath, trying to calm down. “Look, I’m sorry about earlier. I’m just crazy worried about Lizzie, and I know if these creatures are somehow getting past you, things are going to get a lot more serious—and soon.”
“Yes,” Evan agreed, “they are.”
Even though Griffin knew he wouldn’t be able to see anything out the window, he still sauntered over to it, more to give himself something to do than anything else.
“How long do you think we have to get her back?” He leaned on the window sill, feeling the muscles in his back tense. He hung his head, wishing he could stop the fear from clawing at his insides.
“I don’t know.”
Griffin shifted and saw that the angel wore an expression of uncertainty, his gaze seeming to drift past the ceiling.
“Evan?” Griffin whispered his name, shaken to the core.
“I have to go now, Griffin. There are things to be done and answers to be sought.”
Then Evan was gone. At one time, Griffin would’ve believed angels could handle anything. Now he knew better.
* * *
Lev must’ve walked for hours, always watching the sky, thinking he might catch sight of something to help him find Elizabeth. Perhaps he was a fool, putting himself out here like bait.
It didn’t matter, though. The dybbuks didn’t want him, so he’d had no choice but to go back to the house and try to help Evan accomplish whatever plan he finally came up with.
He was only a few yards away when he sensed that someone followed. He whirled.
“Who’s there?” he called, an edge to his voice. He wanted it to be a dybbuk, to be something he could destroy as he was being destroyed because doing so would be the only thing that would make him feel better, like he was in control. He saw no one but was sure he could feel someone—something. He didn’t have to be an angel for that.
A dybbuk? No, not this time. He stiffened.
Celia.
“You might as well face me. I know you’re there.”
Slowly, Celia appeared before him, starting out as a bright shimmer that transformed itself into her full form.
“How did I know it’d be you?”
“Some things are transcendent, as is the bond between us.” She stepped toward him.
“How long have you been there?” He looked away.
“The whole time.”
Lev laughed, but it was hard and brittle, unlike him—or what used to be him. Whether it was like him now he couldn’t say. “Of course. You figured I’d do something unforgivably stupid, right?” It wasn’t a question.
“You aren’t safe, Lev. You know that.” She touched his arm, but he pulled away. The dybbuks didn’t want him, and he was certain they both knew it, so what was her game?
“It doesn’t matter, Celia. Elizabeth is gone, and we don’t know where.”
“It matters to me.”
Lev started to argue but abruptly froze, searching the darkness. Had something moved?
“Lev?” Elizabeth’s voice called to him.
He waved her to silence. “Where are you?” He seemed to speak to no one, which set Celia on edge even further. It was like he was hearing voices she couldn’t.
“Who are you talking to?” Celia stepped closer.
Here again, Lev didn’t answer but instead glanced slowly around, now gazing skyward. “Elizabeth? Where are you? I can’t hear you anymore.”
Elizabeth? Celia shook her head, trying to make sense of what was right in front of her. What did Lev think he was hearing?
“Lev, what’s going on?”
“Shh!” He waved his hand around again, still searching. “I can’t hear her anymore.”
Unsure what to do, Celia fell silent and watched, hoping for insight. Instead, what she saw was her brother getting more and more agitated while getting louder and louder—so loud, in fact, that Griffin heard him and stepped out onto the porch. Lev kept calling for Elizabeth.
“Celia?”
She shrugged.
Lev whirled to face her. “What, you can’t hear her talking to us, begging us to help her before they kill her?”
“No, Lev, I can’t.”
His shoulders sank, his face ashen. “How can you not?”
“Because she isn’t tied to me like she was to you.” Celia stepped closer to him. “The two of you shared a covenant. There’s no way we could’ve known such a bond would transcend your loss of immortality, but perhaps it has, and that’s why you can still hear her voice.”
Lev closed his eyes and shook his head, tormented. “When she speaks to me, I can hear her voice as plain as day, but I can’t find her to save her. She needs me, and I don’t know how to help.”
“We can help her,” Celia said, and wrapping her arm around him, leading him up the porch steps where Griffin stood, unsure what to do.
Although Celia thought her brother might put up a fight, he went quietly into the house, his gaze trance-like and to the sofa, and she wondered if he still heard Lizzie’s voice, and if they could somehow use that to help them find her. As it stood, they were all at a loss as to how to find the dybbuks which had taken her, and even if Evan did manage to find angels who better knew how to deal with the situation, they wouldn’t necessarily know how to track Lizzie down.
“Why don’t you try to relax until Evan gets back? Maybe he’ll have answers.”
Reluctantly, Lev nodded and sank onto the soft
From the door, she watched him, relieved when he leaned back. She thought perhaps he might close his eyes and drift off to sleep, but he just shifted his gaze skyward, searching.
Lev had no clue how much later it was before Evan opened the door. It didn’t really matter. He’d spent the whole time sitting on the couch, listening for Elizabeth’s voice. He needed to hear it to prove it hadn’t all been his imagining things, but she hadn’t spoken again, which sent a cold chill down his spine. He couldn’t help but wonder if something had silenced her, or whether this newfound power had simply been wrested out of his control, leaving him in this horrible silence.
Still, when his father appeared, Lev forced himself to look at him. He scowled. “So, do you know any more than when you left?”
“I have recruited another angel who has had some experience dealing with dybbuks and will be joining us.”
“That doesn’t help us.” Lev straightened and closed his eyes, reaching again for the sound of Elizabeth’s voice, but there was nothing. Could he summon the connection at will if he tried hard enough? Closing his eyes, he did just that…and failed again. What did it take and what was the key?
“I think it might.”
Lev rose slowly to his feet. “Perhaps there is a different way.”
“Which is?”
Lev hesitated. “Change me back.”
“How would that help? You have two, soon to be three, angels already working behind the scenes. How could switching you back alter things in our favor?”
“None of you share the connection I have with her. Earlier today, I heard her voice for a few seconds, but I couldn’t focus it, and I couldn’t glean anything from it, unlike when I was an angel. If I had those powers back, I think I’d be of much more use than I am like this.”
Evan took a deep breath and walked over to his son. “I understand your reasoning, and it makes sense, but it’s not my call, Lev, not even close.”