Jay smiled. “Had you now? And had Lizzie been awake for long or did neither of you sleep at all?”
Miles’ blood ran cold, and his face paled. They knew about Lizzie, and they about him as well. He took a step towards Jay. “It’s not unheard of for an Angel and a Fallen Angel...”
“If you were an Angel that would be true,” Jay said, looking at Miles smugly. “Dear me, I wonder what our dear little cursed child has been up to while her Balancer has been here with me on the other side of the city...”
“If you hurt her,” Miles said, balling his fist. He released his wings and took flight immediately, not thinking at all. He flew as fast as he could, but it took time to reach the pub and by the time he did, he already knew it was too late; otherwise, Jay would not have been so smug. He landed and ran inside.
“Lizzie?” he called. “Lizzie, answer me!” he demanded louder.
He checked the bar, the bathrooms, the apartment upstairs, and then the back, but she was nowhere to be seen. As he walked back towards the bar, he saw the empty beer bottle on the counter and frowned. He walked towards it and saw the handwritten note under it.
Miles,
If you want to see your girlfriend again, meet back at the warehouse you were at last night.
You have until dawn to decide.
Adrial
His hands shook as he read the note. He scooped up the bottle and flung it across the room. They had figured him out, and in doing so, had figured Lizzie out and taken her hostage. This was his fault and his alone; if he hadn’t involved her, if he hadn’t gotten involved with her, she wouldn’t have been in danger. Feelings were dangerous; this is why Balancers were not allowed to feel anything. They were the guardians of Neutrality, and love swung that Neutrality out of balance.
He had to save her, though; he had to make this right. He went behind the bar and got her shotgun and extra shells before going outside and releasing his wings. If it was a fight the angels wanted, then it was a fight they were going to get. He took off and flew towards the warehouse one more time.
MILES
Landing nearby, he walked towards the warehouse, keeping his eyes and ears open for any Angels that might try and ambush him before he reached the front doors, but none approached him. As he was about to open the doors, however, they opened on their own and Jay stepped out. Miles raised the shotgun and Jay held up his hands.
“I’m not here to attack,” he said. “I’m here to lead you to her.”
“Damn right, you are,” Miles snarled. “And it’s probably a trap.”
“Adrial wants to strike a deal with you, an exchange,” Jay said. “I’m to take you to where they are waiting for you.”
Miles nodded but kept the shotgun trained on him. Jay sighed and lowered his hands slowly, turning around and leading the way. Miles followed him, keeping the gun trained on Jay but scanning the perimeter for other Angels that might attack him. There was no sign of anyone else, though; it seemed like they were alone.
They entered the open area near the back of the warehouse where Adrial was perched high above them on a beam that ran across the ceiling. Miles glanced up at him, and as he did, Jay made a run for it, rounding a corner and disappearing. Miles cursed himself mentally but trained his gun on Adrial.
“Guns are so human,” the Archangel said. “So primitive. Would you not prefer to fight by blade?”
“I’ll take what I can get,” Miles said. “Where is she?”
“She’s safe if you’re worried about that. They all are,” he added cryptically.
“They?” Miles asked, looking confused.
“Yes, they. See, I have a deal to strike with you, our young Balancer.”
“How did you know I was a Balancer?” Miles asked frowning.
“Another one confessed to it after I showed him a photo of you and tortured him for hours on end. Eventually, he couldn’t take the torture anymore, and in exchange for food and water and some hours of relief, he said you were one of their kind.” Adrial smiled. “Imagine my surprise!”
“And Lizzie?” Miles asked. “How did you know about her?”
“I’m not stupid,” Adrial said, standing on the beam and looking down at Miles. “Anyone could tell you were attracted to each other. I bugged the apartment and sooner, much sooner than I anticipated, you both gave in to your sin and shagged like rabbits. Now a Fallen Angel would do that for pleasure, but a Balancer marauding as an Angel? That’s love.”
Miles glared at Adrial and just wanted to pull the trigger and blow his head off, but he needed to know where Lizzie was first. “What do you want?”
“It’s not about what I want, Miles, it’s about what you want really.” Adrial walked across the beam, and that was when Miles noticed the two lines running from the beam towards two square boxes down below. “Do you want to complete the mission you swore to do and save the missing Balancers?” Adrial offered, tugging on the line connected to the box which lifted the material covering it to reveal the missing Balancers all cooped up in a cage.
“Or,” Adrial said. “Do you want to save your girlfriend?” He tugged on the other line, and the material lifted to show a terrified Lizzie bound and gagged in the cage beneath it. “It’s your decision. Do you act as a Balancer or an Angel right now?” Adrial sat back down on the beam. “Either way, you can walk out right now with the contents of one of these cages today, and if you promise not to come back, I will stand by this agreement and not send anyone after you. You have my word.”
Miles looked between the Balancers who looked bloody and beaten and then at Lizzie’s terrified face, and he felt his soul tearing in two. The Balancer inside of him knew which decision was right, but the man, with his feelings, wasn’t so sure. There was a large part of him that wanted to choose Lizzie, to walk away from this situation with her, to start a life with her and leave this all behind, but he knew he couldn’t do that. A millennium of breeding, of training, over thousands of years of work, couldn’t just be magicked out of you in one night.
“I’ll take the Balancers,” Miles said clearly. He saw Lizzie out of the corner of his eye, and he saw the tears forming in her eyes. He wanted to say he was sorry, to say he did love her and that he would come back for her, but he couldn’t risk it, not until the Balancers were out of harm's way.
Adrial smiled and clapped his hands. “Then we have a deal,” he said, taking out a remote and pressing a button. The cage for the Balancers opened, and Miles rushed forward to help them to their feet. “You have twelve hours to vacate the city.”
“What are you going to do with her?” Miles asked.
“That’s not your problem anymore, Balancer,” Adrial said.
Chapter Sixteen
Lizzie
She felt like she had been hit over the head with a frying pan. She was groggy as she woke up and her body ached, and she was shivering from the cold. She was resting on cold, hard metal which didn’t help. She tried to move, but she was bound and couldn’t, which didn’t help her aching body. She opened her eyes, but couldn’t tell where she was; something was blocking her view. Was it a cloth? She thought she could make out the bars of a cage. She could also hear muffled voices from beyond.