The Sentinel pushes through the door, his gold-plated armor glistening in the soft lights of the hotel room. His hair is styled perfectly, a chestnut color that matches his impassive eyes. Six more Sentinels follow behind him, each one looking like the other save for the difference in hair color. It's as though He simply cloned one to make many.
"What information could you have to offer this time? And I'd really love to know how you keep finding us," Asher queries, crossing his large arms over his thick chest. His stance shifts until his posture offers a more intimidating vibe, his eyes looking down at His soldiers with a penetrating glare.
Every Sentinel turns to look at him, and, with eerie synchronization, they say, "The location of Lucifer's new headquarters."
The hard look on Asher's face only grows harder, his eyes boring into the soldiers with seething hatred. "And where might that be?"
"First, we have information pertaining to the fallen angel," one Sentinel informs, this one with hair as yellow as the sun. Had it not been for the difference in hair color, I'd have never been able to tell them apart, their similarities so striking that it's disarming.
The four of us look at one another, Eli deciding to take the lead with the questioning since Asher's glare turns glacial. "We're listening. What do you know about Luna?"
"We know she plans to take the deceased woman home. We also know she's on a suicide mission to discard any Hellspawn or being of Hell that she comes in contact with. She won't stop until she can control her mourning. As of right now, the angel is unstable and will likely get herself killed if she isn't controlled," we're told, the unfeeling Sentinel offering the information as though he were merely reading a shopping list he didn't much care for.
A round of snorts follows his statement, and I tell him, "You realize controlling Luna is impossible, don't you? It's exactly why she was sent here to Earth. If she was easily controlled, she would still be sitting on her pedestal beside Him."
The Sentinel offers me a bland look before telling the room, "If she isn't stopped before the balance tips too far in either direction, we'll be forced to step in to rebalance the tilted scales. I'm sure none of one of you want that, so I suggest finding your missing angel and drawing her back from the mission she has set for herself."
Asher growls low in his throat. "I don't much care for being threatened by pansies dressed like shiny Ken dolls."
He takes a menacing step toward them, but Eli is quick enough to stop his brother from making a mistake he will surely regret later, slapping a hand against his chest with a loud smack. Elijah turns to the Sentinels and appeases them quickly. "We'll find her and bring her back. No need to lower to such standards, now, is there?"
The cloned men don't reply, their faces void of any emotion. It's a moment later, after the awkward silence has grown to an unbearable level, that the lead Sentinel finally speaks. "Find her. Our next encounter won't be so pleasant if the angel is still running rampant with a need for revenge."
Before either one of us can respond, all seven Sentinels are filing out of the room and closing the door after themselves with an echoing slam that doesn't sit right in my chest. My stomach clenches, and I'm forced to swallow down the worry that's tightly lodged in my throat. If we don't find Luna first, then there's no doubt His soldiers will follow through with their word. I won't allow that to happen, and I'm more than positive the others will hold the same sentiment as me.
"Guess we're going to find Luna then," Devon quips with a smirk he has no right displaying.
"If you knew what was good for you, you'd wipe that fucking look off your face right now before I do it for you," Asher threatens, snarling at the white-haired angel with a deadly look that sends a shiver racing down my spine.
Devon's smirk slips off his face just as quickly, his jaw clenching tightly with the effort.
"So, how are we getting home?" Eli asks, breaking through the sudden tension that's clogging the air around us. "Because I'm pretty sure the airport is still a wreck after the Hellspawn attacked, and I don't particularly enjoy the idea of being flown home by angels of Heaven. I have some dignity left after last time, and I'll be damned again if I compromise that shit any more than I have."
His words snap the tension like a rubber band, drawing snickers and huffed laughter from us all. Shaking his head with a small smile, Devon answers, "I'll work out how we get home. For now, you three can start looking for Luna trails."
We all nod, breaking apart from the living room. Devon heads to the bedroom, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket, tapping the large screen before putting the device to his ear and locking himself away in the room.
"Where do we start?" I ask the two fallen angels before me, biting my lip in contemplation. "I wouldn't know the first place to start looking for her. Especially since I'm less than knowledgeable on our surroundings. Had I known this was going to happen, I'd have researched better before we arrived."
"Don't blame yourself, man. None of us knew we'd find ourselves balls deep in this shit storm," Eli mutters, scrubbing his hands over his tired face. "As for where we start? I'm as clueless as you. I was banking on Luna coming to us. Going to her is going to prove a lot more difficult if she's on a rampage and not wanting to be found."
A thought comes to me then.
"There would be a trail," I mutter quietly, my eyebrows drawn in concentration. Louder, I tell the two, "She's grieving. She might not want to be found, but if she's seeking revenge for Ms. Frenchie and she's too far gone in her mourning to dispose of the bodies properly, then she'll leave an unintentional trail for us to follow. The only thing we need to work out is where that trail will begin."
"That's a very good point," Asher comments thoughtfully, turning to look at his brother before those intense eyes come to rest on me. "We need to go back to that torn down house and see if we can find anything."
I nod just as Devon comes out of the bedroom. He clutches his cell in his tightened fist, his arms crossed over his chest. "Looks like we're stuck here for a few days until we can get a plane out of here. The damage to the airport was only superficial, the front a little worse for wear. Everything else stayed intact since the Hellspawn vanished not long after us. Once the place has been cleared, which will take three to four days tops, we'll fly home. Tickets are booked already."
Three to four days to find the trail Luna has no doubt left behind. It doesn't feel like enough time, but I'll take all I can get to make sure Luna is safe and protected. No Sentinel will harm a hair on her head, not if I can help it. With the three other angels by my side, we'll find her. I have complete faith in that.
Chapter 5
Luna
I'm a backseat passenger in my own body while grief swallows me whole and leads my actions. Hatred burns through my veins like boiling blood, bubbling under the surface of my skin with an all-consuming pain. My mind is full of darkness, thoughts of retribution clouding my better judgement.
Ms. Frenchie is gone. She didn't deserve to die, even less so at the hands of my sadistic brother. I'll make him pay. I'll make them all fucking pay if it's the last thing I do.