Anna's Way (Ditch Lane Diaries Book 2) Read online

  Zenuael entered the room with quite a presence. He stood nearly six foot three and weighed around two twenty-five, give or take ten pounds with short flaming red hair blow-dried straight, parted at the temple and smoothed over to one side. Zenuael wore a fitted black-and-brown tweed blazer with a white shirt and black pencil tie, plus black trousers paired with black leather Florsheim’s. “Luc, it’s been a while. I see business is great. Hans Hofmann, nice—goes great with the Herman Miller. So, I have information that’s worth more than all of your pieces in this office including that bitch at the door. Are you ready to deal?”

  Nonchalantly, Luc waved toward the sofa. “Sit down, Zen, and tell me what you have, and I’ll determine the value of your information.”

  Zen placed his hand in his pocket and walked around the office. “Not good enough. I’m risking the Eternal Blackness just being here and I don’t have time to dick around. Are you ready to deal or not?”

  Pushing his chair back, Luc stood and went to sit on the edge of his desk with his arms folded across his chest. “I’ll play. If memory serves, you have a weakness for young human females. I happen to have a most beautiful and exotic female that just turned eighteen, and she wants to be an actress. Oh, and did I mention she’s a virgin?” Luc waved his hand toward the opposite wall, and a vision of the female walking down Sunset Boulevard in California appeared.

  Luc watched as Zenuael’s eyes widened and evidence protruded from Zen’s trousers. Bingo.

  Zenuael smiled and took a seat on the marshmallow sofa. “I want her and an oceanfront property decorated to my taste that’s completely off the AAF’s tracking system. The female must not age, and she must come to me freely. If I get caught, they’ll make an example of me. Otherwise, I’ll continue to offer you any pertinent information that comes along, for a price.”

  Luc threw his head back and laughed. “Why don’t you just come on down and work for me and I’ll give you anything earth offers.”

  Zenuael crossed his right leg over his left and placed the palm of his left hand on the circled cushion. “Not going to happen. I love home and, no offense, The Creator never lies. You, however, are the King of Lies.”

  Luc stepped over to the sofa and sat down on the other end. “Thanks for the compliment. So, not to waste any more of my time or yours, let’s hear what you’ve got.”

  Cole stepped into the office and said, “Sir, you have another appointment.”

  Luc turned to Cole and said, “Tell them to wait.” He turned back to Zenuael and raised a brow.

  Zenuael said, “I overheard during a recent conference at Michael’s headquarters The Creator is using select humans in the war. He’s embedding into their human genome powers that have only been available to angels, the Prince, and the Spirit of Man through His DNA. I have, let’s say, an intimate relationship with an angel who is a part of the human memory pool. She gave me proof.” Zenuael waved his hand, and on the wall, a vision appeared of a human sitting on a braided rug in front of a fireplace talking with two little girls who looked around four or five years old.

  The female exaggerated her hand motions while she talked to the younger females. “Would you like for me to tell you two a little secret? And if I do, then you both have to promise to lie down for a nap. Promise?”

  The little red-haired girl grabbed the little blonde’s hand and whispered something into her ear, and both girls laughed. The redhead said, “Yes, we promise.”

  The two little girls sat on the floor with their hands in their laps, looking at the older female. The female said, “Good because you two are wearing me out. Once upon a time, there was a woman born with special powers. The power of the angels. The woman can see the future, heal the sick, and disappear.” At that, the female disappeared and then appeared in front of the little girls, who squealed with excitement, clapping their hands. The female placed her finger over her lips and said, “Shush, we mustn’t tell anyone my secret. But that’s not all. Soon both of you will have special powers, too. Ruby, you’ll have dreams of the future.” The female turned to the little blonde and squeezed her hand. “And you, my sweet Anna, will heal the sick and fight demons.”

  Anna’s eyes went wide, and she punched Ruby in the arm. “I fight demons.”

  A warrior angel appeared before the human female. “You mustn’t ever speak of your power or theirs again. You have no idea who could be listening. You have all the powers of the angels, and they do not yet have them. Wipe their memories of this story and put the girls to bed.”

  The vision on the wall disappeared.

  Luc began to pace about the room and the walls in the room vibrated. “Of all the low-down, dirty tricks, to give humans the power of the angels. That makes me furious. What the hell is the old man thinking?” The black double-breasted suit Luc wore transformed into the armor of the angels, and his translucent wings jutted up toward heaven. “He is helping them again. He sees them make mistake after mistake, and He forgives them. But does He forgive me? Hell, no. He probably knew the whole damn time what I was going to do. He will not take what is mine. Earth is mine.”

  The color of Luc’s eyes flashed like fire as he turned to face Zenuael. “You keep bringing me information, and I’ll give you whatever the hell you want. And I want to know everything about that human and those two little females, especially the little blonde named Anna. Fight demons? Ha. It’s ludicrous.”

  Over the next twenty-odd years, with help from Zenuael, Luc began to pursue human wards, systematically capturing, recruiting, and torturing them. Luc stripped the wards of their powers, absorbing their embedded genetic code linked to The Creator, which gave him the ability to access the outer banks of the heavenly realm, which he hadn’t seen since being cast out. Luc never stayed long enough during his invasions to trip Heaven’s sensors. But to be in Heaven, even for a minute, recharged his powers and gave him great strength.

  Luc had taken a special interest in the human with all of the powers of the angels. Erinelle, the guardian for the human and a formidable foe, had taught the human well. The resourceful and resilient human female fought worthy battles. So Luc set his sights on the children.

  Chapter 1

  Undercover Angel

  Everglade, Tennessee 1977

  “Help me. Please, God, somebody help me.”

  Anna glanced up from a stack of patient insurance forms she’d been tackling. She must’ve left the front door open after she returned from a quick tuna melt at the Drug Store Grill. Anna sprinted from behind her desk in her little office down the hall from the patient check-in counter. She slung open the door to the small waiting room cluttered with too many reception chairs and old Life magazines.

  Frankie Shelly, Anna’s piano teacher from high school, had collapsed on the floor, and her lips were turning blue. Anna reacted on instinct. Her healing power’s energy tingled to life, shooting to her fingertips. About ninety-five percent of the time, her power acted like a homing device, pinpointing a person’s injury or illness so she could heal them. After an hour or so, their memory of the healing incident would miraculously be wiped clean.

  Anna dropped to her knees beside Frankie and prayed, “Please, God, help me heal her.” She poised her hands barely an inch above Frankie’s face and allowed the healing power to guide her hands downward, past Frankie’s torso, to rest near her left lower abdomen. She gently pressed down with her fingertips. Anna’s pulse rate pounded so loudly that her ears were ringing.

  The lights in the office began to flicker, and Anna could hear the coffee table behind her scoot along the floor as her healing power hit its peak. A gust of cold wind swirled around her, and one of the old Life magazines hit her in the back of the head, but she remained focused. A few minutes later, the healing energy began to dissipate, leaving her extremely thirsty, with a metallic taste in her mouth. Anna noticed Frankie’s color had returned to her face, and her lips were pink, not blue.

  Whew. Thank you, Lord.

  Frankie’s eyelids flutt
ered open. “Anna, is that you?”

  “Yes, ma’am, it’s me. You passed out.” Anna exhaled a sigh of relief as she rested her bum on the heels of her feet and placed her hands on her thighs.

  Frankie shook her head and slowly sat up. She pressed the palm of her right hand on the chilly linoleum floor to prop her upper body. Frankie looked into Anna’s eyes, and her voice quivered. She said, “I had this indescribable pain in the pit of my stomach while driving over here. I had to pull over twice to throw up. Lord, child, I thought I was dying for sure. You saved me, honey. I’m not quite sure how you did it. But electricity shot from the top of my head down to the tips of my toes. You’re a gift from God. That’s what you are. A miracle from God.”

  With a look of compassion, Anna said, “Frankie, you were passed out cold. How about I take you into one of Doc’s exam rooms, and you lie down a bit while I call an ambulance? I’d call Doc, but he’s on a cruise.” Anna helped Frankie to her feet and linked her arm around Frankie’s waist.

  “Oh-oh, okay. Would you mind calling Clyde? He’s still working at the water treatment plant.” Clyde was Frankie’s husband, and the couple shared a friendship with Anna’s parents. The couple frequently came over to her parents’ house to play Rook on Saturday nights.

  Anna opened the door that led to the patient exam rooms and they entered the first room on the right. “I’ll give Clyde a call. Hey, the hospital will probably want to run a few tests just to be sure you’re okay. Are you feeling okay?”

  Frankie stopped and turned to face Anna. “Whatever you did to me, I feel fine. Just a little tired.” She kissed Anna on the cheek.

  Anna helped Frankie onto the exam table and placed a pillow behind her head. “I’ll leave the door open. I need to call the ambulance and your husband. Then I’ll come right back.” Frankie nodded and closed her eyes.

  Anna called Everglade Hospital for an ambulance and then placed a call to the water treatment plant and talked with their receptionist. Clyde would meet the ambulance at the hospital. Anna quickly went into the break room located in the back of the office and opened the old green fridge to grab a Coke. She always got very thirsty after a healing event. She chugged it down and threw the can in the waste paper basket next to the walnut kitchen table.

  A few minutes later, Anna was back in the patient room and reached out to hold Frankie’s hand. “Would you like something to drink?”

  Frankie gave Anna a weak smile and shook her head. “No, I’m fine. I just want to rest my eyes. Thank you for staying with me.”

  “You’re very welcome.” Anna sat down on Doc Smith’s stool and braced her back against the wall. Now at the age of twenty, Anna’s healing powers were growing stronger with each healing event, and she desperately wanted to understand them.

  Anna’s mind raced back to the time when her healing powers began. She had been fifteen when she went spelunking with her friends Ruby and Sandy to Campbell Ridge Cave, and they found a hidden room, along with ancient drawings on one of the rock walls.

  * * *

  The discovery of the cave’s hidden room initially had been fun and exciting. Inside the room, one wall was dedicated to ancient drawings. Anna sat on the ground with Ruby and Sandy. Anna said, “I’ve got this weird feeling like we’re being watched.”

  Tipping over a rock, Sandy found a crystal totem, and Ruby knelt down to pick it up. The girls stared wide-eyed at the totem. Ruby’s voice trembled. “It looks like the totem in the drawing. I know this sounds weird, but this thing is pulsing in my hands.”

  The totem was around six inches tall, made out of quartz crystal, with piercing sapphire eyes. The detailed carvings made the image of the face appear real and smooth as glass to the touch. Every way Ruby turned the totem, it seemed to be watching them. She handed the totem to Sandy, who gave it to Anna, who quickly gave it back to Ruby as if they were playing hot potato.

  Sandy placed her hand on Ruby’s shoulder. “Put that thing back and let’s get the hell out of Dodge. I’ve got the heebie-jeebies in here.” Ruby placed the totem back in the hole. Rocks began to fall, and the ground beneath Anna’s feet vibrated.

  Anna glanced in the corner, and a man with long black hair stood with his arms across his massive chest, and he smiled at her. But his smile wasn’t warm. It was cold, and terror shot straight to her heart. She blinked and looked again, and the man was gone. Anna screamed, “I’m out of here.”

  * * *

  Luc made a point to keep a check over the years on the little girl who was supposed to fight demons. He watched her and her best friends as they grew. Today, they entered Campbell Ridge Cave. Even though The Creator was winning battle after battle in the war, Luc continued to track and strip wards of their powers. He hadn’t seen any real power come from the girls—yet. But as Luc entered the cave, he felt The Creator’s presence. The Creator was here.

  Inside the hidden room, Luc looked at the drawings on the wall. They looked to be thousands of years old. It hit Luc like a ton of bricks. The Creator had been using humans in the fight a lot longer than the twentieth century. The redhead picked up the totem and Luc instantly recognized The Creator’s sapphire eyes. The totem. The Creator was using sacred places like this cave to connect with human wards. Each girl held the totem and then the redhead placed it back in the hole. The cave also led straight to the Earth’s core and his home: Hell. Luc became so angry that the ground began to shake, and rocks began to fall.

  The girl named Anna looked straight at him, and he smiled. Hmmm, maybe there was strength in the girl. Most humans never saw him. Another time and place he would deal with the girl. He had to meet with his generals and make a plan to start searching caves around the world. Luc wanted to smash the totem but was afraid The Creator would then realize that Luc knew His secret. Anna began to run out of the hidden room but not before Luc made her trip into a hole. He chuckled.

  * * *

  The girls fled the hidden room. They ran over stones, climbed boulders, and waded through freezing, waist-deep water before reaching the mouth of the cave.

  They had been sitting on a large rock, trying to catch their breath, when Anna discovered an amethyst stone in her pocket. Sandy found a hiddenite stone in her thermos, and Ruby opened her backpack and pulled out an amber-encased spider web. Then the weirdest thing happened—Anna couldn’t account for the passage of time after she had held the amethyst. One minute she’d been sitting at the mouth of the cave, and the next she was back home.

  The trip to the cave changed Anna’s life forever. The next day, Anna had been outside, relaxing in her mom’s rattan loveseat and flipping through the latest edition of Glamour magazine, when a ruby-throated hummingbird fell onto the floor of the patio. The little hummingbird flapped around frantically, trying to fly, but it had a broken wing. Anna picked up the bird and held it gently in her hands. The healing energy surged into her fingertips, and when she opened her hands, the bird flew away. It was the first time she realized she had healing powers.

  Over the years, Anna tried many times to talk to Ruby and Sandy about what had happened in the cave. She wondered if either of them possessed powers. But every time she opened her mouth to ask them a question, it was as if an unseen force stopped her.

  Anna healed injuries, illnesses, and even saved a couple of lives of people who might have died without her help. But not every injury and not every illness. Anna failed to heal her grandmother, who died of breast cancer. Her grandmother was the driving force behind Anna wanting to become a doctor. That was why she started working for Doc Smith after she graduated high school. If Anna could understand her healing power, the human anatomy, and the treatments available through modern medicine, then just maybe during her studies, she would figure out a way to marry science with the supernatural.

  * * *

  The ambulance’s sirens stopped once they pulled into Doc’s parking lot. Anna met them at the front door and led the paramedics to the patient room, and they lifted Frankie onto the gurney. Ann
a followed Frankie to the ambulance. “I’ll check on you tomorrow.”

  Frankie smiled weakly and nodded. “Thank you, Anna.”

  The ambulance pulled out on the main road. As she turned to go inside Doc’s office, she still had a funky taste in her mouth. Inside the break room, she reached into the fridge for another soda, this time, ginger ale.

  Sitting at the table, Anna sipped her drink and wondered why she was given this extraordinary ability. She needed help and guidance, so she closed her eyes and said a prayer. A presence entered the room, and the hair on her arms rose. She quickly looked behind her, and no one was there. Anna called out loudly, “Who’s there?”

  Anna’s imagination was running wild. She stood to leave and someone touched her shoulder. She screamed and ran out of the room.

  Anna quickly grabbed the change of clothes she had brought to work. She was meeting Ruby and Sandy at Ditch Lane and would freaking change clothes in the car. Anna ran into the main office at the patient check-out counter to switch the phones to the answering service. She glanced up and a young man, who looked like he was in his late twenties, was staring down at her from the counter. He had gorgeous violet eyes, thick platinum-blond hair, and skin the color of caramel. He looked and smelled so good Anna nearly swooned.

  He grinned and pointed to a chair. “May I talk to you for a minute?”

  Anna couldn’t tear her eyes away from him. He had an ethereal beauty. “Wh-who are you?”

  “Please, come and sit with me in the waiting room. You just prayed for help, and I’m it.” He smiled at her warmly.

  One minute Anna was standing and the next she’d passed out on the floor. Anna opened her eyes, and the young man was still there, kneeling next to her. “It’s okay, Annabelly. I’m here to help you. Do not be afraid.” Anna’s head turned up to him at the mention of her nickname. He placed his hand on the top of her hand, and she jumped from the humming electricity of their contact. He said cheerfully, “My name is Raphael.”