Innocence and Evil (The Arcadia Falls Chronicles #6) Read Free

water ran out, even though
I knew the others were going to want a shower as well.
    When the water ran cold, I turned it off and
moved the curtain aside. I snagged the towel off the hook and used
it to dry off my entire body, then wrapped it around my waist. With
a hand towel, I wiped the steam away from the mirror so that I
could see my reflection.
    I looked the same.
    But, I was a completely different person
now. In a way, I wanted my old self back. The guy who didn’t give a
crap about anyone else. Well … the guy who pretended not to give a
crap about anyone else.
    I was a warrior in my own right. Intended to
rid the world of evil.
    I had no idea how to live up to what was
expected of me. I needed the Warrior Angel to tell me what to do …
to tell me how to control my new and growing powers. But, I didn’t
have a clue how to find him.
    My fingers curled into a fist and I lifted
it up in front of me. Then, I turned my hand and slowly uncurled my
fingers. There, sizzling and snapping atop my palm, was a glowing
white ball of energy. My Warrior Angel magic.
    I stared at the incredible thing my body
could create, wondering what it was good for. Is it a weapon? If
so, then for who? Was I supposed to use this on people? Normal
citizens who have made mistakes in life. Or was this a power only
meant for me to use on vampires and other demon creatures.
    I needed answers and I wasn’t getting any
while I was hiding out in this house.
    The energy absorbed back down into my palm
as my fingers curled back into a fist. “I need you,” I whispered.
“Dammit, I need help.”
    My eyes lifted and I stared at myself in the
mirror, which was beginning to fog back over where I had already
wiped it. I wanted to punch my reflection. I wanted to crack it to
pieces and watch it fall.
    What was happening to me?
    And then, with sudden clarity, I knew what I
had to do.
    I dressed quickly and hurried out of the
bathroom. Downstairs, I peeked my head into the control room and
found Oscar manning the panel. “Open the gate for me in a few
minutes, okay.”
    Oscar jumped a little when I burst into the
room, but recovered quickly and nodded. “Gotcha.”
    I closed the door behind me and headed for
the front entrance. I didn’t even tell Christina where I was going,
so I sure as hell wasn’t going to tell anyone else. But, I should
have realized that I wouldn’t be able to get out of the house
without her knowing about it.
    “Hey,” Christina called from behind me.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
    I halted to a stop just before I reached the
front door. Slowly, I turned to face her. “I have to do
something.”
    “Then I’ll come with you,” she told me.
    I shook my head. “No, this is something I
feel like I need to do by myself.”
    Her eyes softened. “Zander, I want to come
with you.”
    “I don’t need you with me.”
    She defiantly moved passed me and opened the
front door. “I know that you don’t need me with you. I’m not
stupid. But, I would hope that you would want me with you.
There is a difference.”
    That little manipulator. She knew that I
wouldn’t tell her that I didn’t want her with me. My hardened heart
turned soft when it came to her. “Fine.” I stomped past her. “Get
in the truck.”
    I didn’t stop to see if she would still
follow me. I knew she would.
    Our vehicles were all parked in a row to the
side of the house. It had been a while since I’d driven my truck
anywhere. So it was covered in a thin layer of dust and pollen. I
flung open the driver door and hopped up behind the wheel while
Christina slid into the passenger seat.
    “You don’t have to act like a baby,” she
told me, leaning back against the leather.
    I rolled my eyes and turned the key over.
“I’m not. I just don’t want you to see what I’m going to do.” I
paused, thinking I’d better explain so she didn’t think I was going
to kill myself or something. “I’m going to try to call the Warrior
Angel.”
    Her