Broken & Burnt (Angels of Sojourn)

  Broken

  & Burnt

  An Angels of Sojourn Novella

  JOYNELL SCHULTZ

  Copyright © 2018 Joynell Schultz

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN: 9781793260406 (print)

  WET DOG PRESS

  BROKEN & BURNT

  Some decisions are worth the consequences…

  Fallen Angel, Bree, is far from perfect. Most recently, she stole from work and revealed her wings to her dying sister. On top of this, when a Highest Order Angel comes to remove her wings for her crimes, she accidentally stabs him during her attempted escape. Any hope she had of forgiveness is far out of her reach.

  Highest Order Angel, Jaxon, has a perfect record, and he’s proud of it. He loves his job upholding justice, but when a fallen angel with beautiful eyes distracts him, causing his first slip-up in over fifty years, he won’t go home until he finishes what he started. What’s even worse, the fallen angel he was sent to punish is also the compassionate one who risks everything to save his life.

  THANK YOU

  As always, I wanted to thank you for picking up one of my stories. I am truly humbled you picked me in a sea of millions of other books. I appreciate it. I hope you enjoy Bree & Jaxon’s story in Broken & Burnt.

  If you enjoy this sweet little fantasy story, you’re sure to love some of my other books. You can learn about them (and sign up for my newsletter which includes a few free ebooks) here: www.JoynellSchultz.com/Subscribe

  CONTENTS

  CONTENTS

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Other Books by Joynell Schultz

  About the Author

  Blood & Holy Water, Chapter 1

  Chapter 1

  BREE

  Bree’s heart thundered as she crouched behind her metallic blue SUV’s steering wheel. She held as still as possible while trying to calm her rapid breathing. The angels had finally come for her. She had known it was only a matter of time, but she didn’t think it’d be so soon.

  Despite the angel being invisible to humans while in the angels’ realm of Sojourn, Bree still had sensed its presence the moment it appeared in the grocery store. The hair rose on her arms, and a heaviness weighed on her chest. This was one of her few abilities as a fallen angel. As Bree sensed the angel moving down the produce aisle, she let go of her cart and carefully snuck past the ice cream and pizzas, creeping out the store’s automatic doors.

  When she approached her SUV, she sensed the angel moving closer. If she jumped behind the steering wheel and pressed the pedal to the floor, the angel would surely see her and teleport inside her vehicle. Instead, she hid for a few minutes, hoping the angel would pass by, and she could drive away.

  Bree still sensed the angel, and her time was running out. If she waited too long, the angel could use its angelic power to locate her, and then there was no hope.

  Leaning against the door, she lifted her head to peer out the window. People filled the lot, pushing grocery carts back and forth to their cars. Row by row she searched for anything unusual, not that she would notice anything. It was against the Angelic Rules for Angels of Sojourn to reveal themselves to humans.

  Tempted to step out of her vehicle and stay in sight of humans, so she’d be safe, she resisted like she had resisted staying inside the grocery store. This was only a temporary fix. The angel would find an opportunity where nobody was looking and grab her, pulling her somewhere private.

  As Bree inserted her key into the ignition, her phone sprung awake in her center console. The screen flashed Northeastern Community Hospital.

  Not now.

  It’d been days since her sister was pain free and well enough to call, and she couldn’t miss the chance to talk to Calinda. Calinda wasn’t coherent often, and her days might be numbered. Bree’s heart pounded as she clicked answer and slouched in the seat with an uncontrollable smile. “Hey, Sis. You’re awake?”

  From the other end was not her sister’s voice, but someone else's. “No, sorry, but this is Eva, her nurse. She’s still sleeping, but I wanted to give you the update.”

  The hair rose on Bree’s arms, and her chest started to constrict. The angel was getting closer. Bree leaned up to peer out the window. “Is Calinda okay?”

  “Yeah, she’s fine right now, but her episodic pain is becoming more frequent. She just had one about twenty minutes ago, and it was quite intense. I was wondering if—”

  Bree’s shirt tightened around her neck and the fabric wrinkled in front of her. She dropped her phone to grasp an invisible arm. She tugged at the limb, trying to free herself, but a bright, shimmering light grew around her, causing her to close her stinging eyes. When her feet hit something solid, she opened her eyes to an unfamiliar alleyway.

  Despite the magnificent white wings stretching wide, the angel in front of her appeared to be a thirty-year-old human. His short, light-brown hair stuck up a little in front, his wide shoulders hidden beneath a white gown, and a strong jawline combined with his six-foot or more frame made him look regal. The angel held a brilliant, glowing sword Bree had nightmares about—The Sword of Light.

  This was it, the moment she’d lose her wings, forever.

  There was no way she could run from him. Her chance at escape completely gone, but who was she fooling? You couldn’t hide from an Angel of Sojourn for too long.

  Dropping to her knees, she pulled her light gray wings from their hiding place in Sojourn. She gave them one final flap as she stretched them back, parallel to each other. With a bowed head, she whispered. “I ask for your compassion as a Highest Order Angel of Sojourn. You can have my wings, but I wish you wouldn’t take them right now, since I still need them. Between them and my voice, this is all I have left to comfort my dying sister.” She wiped her tears as she looked up, hoping to see sympathy in the angel’s face, but it wasn’t sympathy she saw.

  It was confusion.

  Chapter 2

  JAXON

  Removing the wings of a fallen angel was not a task Jaxon took lightly. It was a sad day for all angels when one of their own lost their connection to Sojourn. The Sword of Light grew heavy in his hands, and he relaxed his arms and tilted his chin, taking in this fallen angel in front of him.

  In his fifty years as a Highest Order Angel, he had only removed the wings of a handful of angels, but he upheld justice in other ways, even taking lives when necessary. He was proud of his perfect record and the swiftness of his performance.

  Not once in fifty years had anyone asked for his compassion or had asked to keep their wings to benefit someone else. Those Jaxon encountered lied, tried to trick him, begged for their lives, or begged for their wings.

  But this little angel, with her long, brown hair blowing in the breeze and too-big, grey watery eyes wanted to keep her wings for someone other than herself—and Jaxon believed her. More interesting was that she volunteered for him to take her wings as soon as she was done, knowing that when her wings were removed, she’d become mortal and die whenever her body gave out.

  Jaxon stepped away, accidentally kicking some loose stones down the alley and into the brick exterior of the grocery store. He tightened his grip on the sword. “How is it a fallen angel has a sister?”

  Her lip quivered, and sh
e blinked long eyelashes that accentuated her eyes. He could get lost in those eyes if he wasn’t careful. “I didn’t last long in Sojourn. After Calinda’s husband died twenty years ago, I fell from Sojourn to be here on Earth with her.”

  Angels didn’t choose to fall. They were kicked out of Sojourn. That was her first crime. What she said had to be a lie even if there was truth radiating from her eyes. He needed a reminder of why he was here. “The fact that you revealed yourself to humans and stole from your place of employment is why I’m here. For those crimes, you must be punished as defined in the Angelic Rules.” He repositioned his body at her side to get a view of her wings. He took a deep breath while raising the Sword of Light, drawing its power. The fallen angel dropped her head, her brown hair falling over her tiny shoulders.

  How could someone so small be such trouble?

  He hesitated before reminding himself of his duty. Of his perfect record. He’d take her wings, and nothing would stop him.

  The woman raised her head, glancing toward the alley’s exit. Jaxon refocused, looking away from those beautiful eyes.

  That was his mistake.

  She spread her wings with more speed and might than he expected, causing him to lose his footing. When he stumbled, she bounded to her feet with angelic quickness and gave him a shove, knocking his sword loose from his hand. She took off running, her wings disappearing back into Sojourn in a shimmer of light.

  His sword’s hilt hit the ground first, bouncing the blade towards him. As he tumbled down, a sharp pain stabbed his abdomen as the Sword of Light’s blade slid into his side, sending a raw inferno throughout his body. It stung like nothing he had experienced, even his gruesome human death that left scars even in his afterlife. Pure agony roared from his lips as his eyes opened wide, seeing the woman retreat.

  Right before his vision went black, he caught her glancing over her shoulder and her mouth agape when she saw him crumpled on the ground. In his last moment of lucidity, he hid his wings in Sojourn in case a human found him dead. It was his duty to uphold the Angelic Rules, even in his demise.

  With his cheek pressed against the cool pavement, all he could think of was how nice a long sleep would feel. He gave into the sensation, drifting into black nothingness.

  Chapter 3

  BREE

  Bree was responsible for stabbing an Angel of Sojourn, and not just any angel, but a member of the Highest Order. If he died from the Sword of Light, his existence would cease. Her stomach twisted into a tight knot. Despite knowing that revealing herself to a human and stealing from her job would cost her wings, she had still violated the Angelic Rules. But to be doomed for eternity for killing an angel? That, she was not prepared for.

  Rushing toward the angel, her eyes fixated on the weapon protruding from the angel’s back. The sword passed through his body. She knelt and lifted his side up, exposing his white robe soaked in glistening blood around the blade.

  Though he wasn’t conscious, the fact that he was still solid reassured her that he wasn’t dead. If the Sword of Light had stabbed his heart or lopped off his head, he would disappear into a white flame and leave nothing behind. She grabbed the hilt of the sword, and the light disappeared, leaving only a golden handle and dull steel blade.

  Please be the right thing to do.

  Taking a deep breath, she tightened her grip and yanked the sword from his abdomen. She untangled him from his white robe and lifted it up to his chest. A wound oozed golden blood above his white, tied-on shorts, trickling down his muscular side and dripping onto the pavement. Bree wadded up an end of his robe and held it against his wound, applying as much pressure as she could.

  Oh man, oh man, oh man.

  What was she going to do? She couldn’t leave him. What if he died? She didn’t have any angels she could call or take him to, and it wasn’t like you could drop a man bleeding golden blood off at an emergency room.

  She bit her lip.

  Still pressing firmly on his wound, she examined his face for a sign—something to tell her it was going to be okay. Those hard, rigid lines of his jaw and cheek softened when his lips parted.

  When his face didn’t change, she returned to his wound, lifting the wadded part of the robe, only to let a stream of blood escape. She wasn’t making any progress. Her eyes caught lines of scars upon his legs and arms. Had he been a warrior for too long, or had he run into something tragic?

  Twisting him over, a pool of blood covered his back from the wound on the other side of his torso.

  Bree tensed at the sound of shuffling feet at the end of the alley.

  “Are you okay?” A twenty-something year old man called towards her.

  “Yeah.” Bree leaned over the angel, pulling the first excuse she could find out of her head. “I’m good. Just…um…having a little fun with my boyfriend.” She looked up and gave the man a wink. Hopefully, he was a good sport.

  He laughed and shook his head. “I see that.”

  She gave an innocent wave before carefully positioning herself like she was laying on top of the angel.

  Once the man left, she placed a hand on the angel’s forehead. It felt cool. This wasn’t good. He needed more attention, and she couldn’t help him out in the open with no supplies.

  She placed the heavy Sword of Light over the angel’s bunched-up robe to keep pressure on his wound, and she left the alley to figure out where she was.

  The familiar rows of cars in the grocery store parking lot lightened her step. The angel hadn’t taken her far.

  Dashing across the lot, she found her SUV still running. In no time, she turned down the alley and had the back hatch open. She folded the seats down and laid a spare blanket out neatly.

  As she hefted the angel into the back of her car, she thanked Superior she still had her angelic strength. Behind her, the Sword of Light still lay in the alley. She couldn’t leave it, but she didn’t want the weapon in the angel’s hands if he woke up. This may be the opportunity she needed to keep her wings just a little longer.

  She wiped the blade on the angel’s robe and laid it across her back seat. In a few moments, she was flooring her gas pedal, taking the man who had been sent to punish her to her house.

  Was she crazy?

  What else was she going to do?

  Chapter 4

  JAXON

  Jaxon awoke upon a soft surface. He peeled an eyelid back to reveal nothing but a blur. He made out a room with pale blue walls and sheer white curtains blowing in a breeze. Taking a deep breath, the crisp air made him smile. It reminded him of his younger years on the family farm. One day per week, his brothers took over his chores and let him go fishing at a nearby lake. He closed his eyes as he remembered each one of his eight siblings.

  At some point, he realized how long ago it was since he had seen his brothers or worked on the family farm, and he jolted, aware of his predicament. He was no longer human, but rather, an angel. Vivid memories of his human years only hit him when he was on Earth for an extended period. If he stayed too long, his human emotions returned. Had he missed anger, sadness, happiness…and lust?

  No. He wouldn’t let them return.

  When he was human, those emotions only got in the way of his job upholding the Angelic Rules. As a Highest Order Angel, he needed to focus.

  He pulled the pink sheet off his chest and pushed himself up with his arm, but a strong ache in his side had him easing back down to the soft bedding. He glanced towards his side, noticing a white bandage. Everything came back.

  He had been stabbed by his own sword.

  How humiliating. He laid back on the pillow and pulled a hand down his face. He was one of the best angels in Sojourn. The most skilled with a sword…

  But that woman had distracted him with her selflessness and beautiful eyes. How was that possible?

  He had never failed, and he wouldn’t this time, either. He wouldn’t return to Sojourn until he had accomplished his mission.

  Where was his Sword of Light?
>
  And who brought him here and cared for his wounds?

  If someone hadn’t removed the Sword of Light from his abdomen, the glowing blade would have acted like a poison, killing him in minutes.

  He grunted as he scooted against the headboard, blinking and rubbing his eyes to bring them into focus. He lay in a simple bed with a dresser at its foot. Perched on his pink sheet near his ankles was a huge, fluffy orange-striped cat. Jaxon tried to keep his eyes open, but he was so tired. His body slipped down the headboard as he lost strength, falling asleep again.

  His time as a human fluttered throughout his dreams, but after what seemed like a lot of time passed, a heavy presence of someone in the room settled on him.

  “Hey,” came a sweet voice.

  Jaxon tried to focus on the woman, but she was too close, and his vision didn’t seem quite right. All he could do was give a small smile before closing his eyes.

  “I’m just going to change your dressing and wash you up some,” the voice continued. “You’ve been sweating, and you’ve been here for a few days already.”

  A few days? He tried to ask questions, but his dry mouth could only croak out a hoarse, “Thank you.” He inhaled, noticing his own ripe smell and felt grateful for the help.

  A warm, wet rag wiped his face and neck, then washed his arms and chest, causing him to relax. He gritted his teeth when he was turned over for his back to be cleaned.

  Once he was flat in bed, he licked his lips and tried to clear his throat before speaking. “You’re good at this,” his words came out as a croak, but the woman appeared to understand.

  “I had a lot of practice. My sister is sick, and she used to stay with me. There were times I had to wash her as well.” Her warm hands made their way to his abdomen, and a shiver traveled up his leg. “I’m going to change the bandage now.”