I screamed in agony. A wild, throbbing started from my ankle.
"Isaac!" I hollered.
He slid down to my side.
"Don't move. I need to take a look."
He rolled up my jeans and studied the purple swelling that continued to grow. He poked at it and I slapped his hand away, gritting my teeth from the pain.
"Yeah, it's broken. I'll have to see if they have anything to wrap it with."
I nodded and tried to stand. My ankle protested and I fell back down.
"Stop it. I'll have to carry you."
He swiftly picked me up and cradled me to his chest.
"Can you pick up the pace? I'm very uncomfortable and in a lot of pain."
"We're already here. Quit complaining."
We walked through the door to find Liam cowering in a corner with Zeke yelling at him.
"I told you to watch her! I gave you direct orders and you disobeyed them! She could be hurt or lost somewhere!"
"B-but she left with Isaac. He'll protect her."
"And if he doesn't? It's on you if she comes back harmed, you understand?"
"Yes, sir."
Isaac cleared his throat and Zeke faced us with a slight crazed look in his eyes. He took in the ghastly sight of Isaac's arms around me and growled.
"What happened?"
His eyes raked over my body, from my tangled hair to the cuts on my hands and arms. Isaac set me down gently and I kept off my left leg.
"We were walking to the beach when she fell off a sheer face and landed on her left ankle. Completely broke it," Isaac answered. Zeke went rigid and slowly approached me.
"You are supposed to be her Guardian. You are supposed to be protecting her!"
"She's a klutz. How can I stop that?"
I shoved away from him and ended up falling in the floor. Zeke kneeled and gently helped me up and kept an arm around me to keep me from falling.
"I'm taking her to her room to heal it. Since you didn't think to."
Isaac scowled as Zeke swept me off my feet and carried me up the stairs. Once we reached my room, he shut the door and laid me on the bed. He kneeled next to my leg.
"Now, this will hurt. You will most likely be knocked unconscious. Are you ready?"
I kept my gaze steady on the door.
"Whatever."
I felt him hesitate at my reaction before he firmly grasped my ankle, ripples of pain radiating through my body. The screams of pain that escaped my mouth sounded inhuman. As Zeke pushed his powers through me, the pain only intensified. My vision began to cloud with dark spots and my screams became gurgled.
"I'm so sorry. Please forgive me."
His voice was the last thing I heard before my body shut down.
Running. I was running again. The trees and branches moved, making a pathway instead of trying to grab me. The roots that usually tripped me, shrunk away, leaving my path clear. The warm sun splashed my ace as I stopped beside the crystal blue lake. A small waterfall bubbles quietly into it. I kneeled and watched the colorful fish play. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Zeke make his way towards me. With each step he took, it became darker and fire began to dance in his palms. A malice filled his eyes as he finally reached me.
"Lucifer will be pleased."
He grabbed my arms and his fire scorched my skin. The once peaceful lake began to bubble as he pulled me up.
"See you in hell," he hissed.
He shoved me into the lake and watched me fall.
When I finally woke up, I was covered in a sheen if sweat and shivering. A dull throbbing had started in my ankle and I shifted the sheets to take a look. My ripped jeans had been traded for pajama shorts and my face flamed at he thought of any of the angels changing me. I caught sight of the bandage and my thoughts turned to my latest nightmare. It was a new twist and I didn't know what to think. They have never started good and ended badly. And the lake? I have never found it. Was it a warning? To be cautious with Zeke? I slowly stood and tested my ankle. It seemed sturdy so I made my way to the kitchen and ignored the imploring looks of the men. I found some fruit and took to nibbling that with my back to them. My thoughts returned to the nightmare and I forgot the audience I had.
"Why would it burn me? Why would he do it to me to cause me harm on purpose?" I mumbled to myself. A hand settled on my shoulder causing me to lash out and elbowing the person in the face.
"Shit! Jesus Christ, Kira! What the hell was that for?"
The sound of his voice pierced deep through me and I pushed off and returned to my room. I had no desire to be around him until I figured out what I wanted to do. I heaves a sigh and searched for a pen and paper. Once I had found them, I sat on the love seat and scribbled furiously. After about two hours of writing, I stood and walked out into the balcony. The sun was setting over the horizon and the glorious pink, orange, blue and purple colors it produced made me remember nights of sitting alone on a rooftop and just thinking about life and daydreaming about years ahead. Never had I dreamed of this happening. Forgetting common sense and going on impulse, I silently monkey climbed up to the roof and settled in. A light breeze brushed my face and I closed my eyes, enjoying the sensation.
"Kira? Kira!"
I reopened my eyes and silently maneuvered higher up and away from the balcony. I focused back on the sunset.
"Isaac! Have you seen Kira?"
Panic was evident in his voice. I couldn't hear his response but a stream of profanities erupted from Zeke's mouth. My curiosity piqued, I cautiously looked over the edge to see Zeke leaning against the railing. His dark hair was disheveled and sticking up in different directions like r had ran his hand through many times. To prove it, he ran his hand through his hair and sighed. He looked to the setting sun and smiled gently.
"Kira. She deserves to be with you. She is pure. She is everything I'm not. You put her with me to torture me, huh? Well, we won't be together for long if you want your plan completed. After everything is said and done, she'll hate me. I will never get to see her smile, hear her laugh or experience her when she's fired up," he chuckled quietly. "I ask you watch over her and put her with an angel that can love her night and day..."
The sun suddenly burst with light and I just knew he was speaking to God. If I hadn't been watching him, I would have missed the tear that rolled down his cheek until he wiped it away. He straightened and collected himself before looking around. It took everything I had to not climb down and hold him. I had to let him go now before anything happened.
