young hunter there,” Colin responded. “She was smart, talented. And she said she was visited by angels. She had been her whole life.”
“Never mind,” Andrew muttered. “This story just got a lot more interesting.”
Colin nodded but Anna still wanted to leave. She opened her eyes hoping to convey to Luca how much she agreed with him, how they should just forget this ridiculous idea and go back to Boulder and, this time, stop at the Dunkin Donuts because she was starving. But Luca’s eyes were frozen on Colin.
Hunters were never visited by angels unless they were immortal or were being offered the chance to become an Immortal. But Colin hadn’t said she was one of them. More than that, he’d just told them this woman had claimed to be visited by angels her entire life.
Colin took a deep breath and pulled the zipper higher on his jacket. It seemed so much colder out now. “She had no interest in immortality, but she claimed they still visited her. And soon after meeting this young woman, we were ordered to leave.”
“Holy shit,” Andrew and Dylan mumbled.
Luca kept staring and the doubt in his eyes made Anna’s heart leap into her throat. Luca was their rock. Their leader. The center of their small universe; his unending and unquestionable faith had carried Colin and Anna through so many moments of their own doubts and uncertainties. Anna hated this fallen angel with a fierceness that surprised her.
Luca inhaled a long slow breath then moved closer to Colin, his eyes never leaving him. “Then tell me, my old friend. What were these angels saying to this young woman?”
Colin shook his head. “What else? They wanted her to be an Immortal.”
“So…” Dylan said, “sounds like maybe Heaven does play games sometimes?”
Colin finally broke away from Luca’s intense stare and looked at Dylan. “Or maybe, sometimes, what both sides are doing isn’t all that different.”
Andrew kicked a rock on the ground and dug his boot in the red brown dirt. “Do you think it’s possible? Our whole lives, they’ve been leading us around, bringing us to the point where we had no choice but to take on this job for them?”
“I volunteered,” Luca protested. “I wasn’t desperate for help. I was already a hunter and when my angel showed up and offered me the chance to do this as long as I wanted, I took it. I wasn’t manipulated.”
“But the rest of us…” Colin started, but Anna wouldn’t let him finish.
“Are alive because an angel saved us. This is exactly what Adriel wanted. All of us to start questioning God, our faith, our allegiance.”
Colin looked down at Anna and kissed her forehead. “And I wouldn’t change what I did. But that girl in Tel Aviv… Luca, you ended up training her about a year later. She’s now an Immortal.”
Chapter 11
Tel Aviv, 196 7 . When Colin and Anna checked into their hotel, they were handed a map of evacuation routes and shelters in case of any bombings, and Colin thanked the receptionist, folded the map, and tucked it in a pocket. He and Anna weren’t worried about explosions.
The Angel had predicted war was inevitable here, and really, by now, Colin and Anna didn’t think a person or entity would need supernatural powers to predict that. On their way out of the hotel lobby, they passed a television with an image of Levi Eshkol on it. He was delivering a speech, but they couldn’t speak Hebrew.
Tel Aviv seemed weighed down by the somber mood of yet another war. The last major conflict with their neighbors had ended only eighteen years ago. Colin and Anna had predicted then that peace here would be difficult; there was far too much hatred and prejudice and they had witnessed the effects of hate and intolerance so many times since becoming immortal. This wouldn’t be their last trip to Tel Aviv.
Mostly, though, this was a city of fear now. The war hadn’t started yet, and no one in Israel could have anticipated how quickly it would end. But
“Never mind,” Andrew muttered. “This story just got a lot more interesting.”
Colin nodded but Anna still wanted to leave. She opened her eyes hoping to convey to Luca how much she agreed with him, how they should just forget this ridiculous idea and go back to Boulder and, this time, stop at the Dunkin Donuts because she was starving. But Luca’s eyes were frozen on Colin.
Hunters were never visited by angels unless they were immortal or were being offered the chance to become an Immortal. But Colin hadn’t said she was one of them. More than that, he’d just told them this woman had claimed to be visited by angels her entire life.
Colin took a deep breath and pulled the zipper higher on his jacket. It seemed so much colder out now. “She had no interest in immortality, but she claimed they still visited her. And soon after meeting this young woman, we were ordered to leave.”
“Holy shit,” Andrew and Dylan mumbled.
Luca kept staring and the doubt in his eyes made Anna’s heart leap into her throat. Luca was their rock. Their leader. The center of their small universe; his unending and unquestionable faith had carried Colin and Anna through so many moments of their own doubts and uncertainties. Anna hated this fallen angel with a fierceness that surprised her.
Luca inhaled a long slow breath then moved closer to Colin, his eyes never leaving him. “Then tell me, my old friend. What were these angels saying to this young woman?”
Colin shook his head. “What else? They wanted her to be an Immortal.”
“So…” Dylan said, “sounds like maybe Heaven does play games sometimes?”
Colin finally broke away from Luca’s intense stare and looked at Dylan. “Or maybe, sometimes, what both sides are doing isn’t all that different.”
Andrew kicked a rock on the ground and dug his boot in the red brown dirt. “Do you think it’s possible? Our whole lives, they’ve been leading us around, bringing us to the point where we had no choice but to take on this job for them?”
“I volunteered,” Luca protested. “I wasn’t desperate for help. I was already a hunter and when my angel showed up and offered me the chance to do this as long as I wanted, I took it. I wasn’t manipulated.”
“But the rest of us…” Colin started, but Anna wouldn’t let him finish.
“Are alive because an angel saved us. This is exactly what Adriel wanted. All of us to start questioning God, our faith, our allegiance.”
Colin looked down at Anna and kissed her forehead. “And I wouldn’t change what I did. But that girl in Tel Aviv… Luca, you ended up training her about a year later. She’s now an Immortal.”
Chapter 11
Tel Aviv, 196 7 . When Colin and Anna checked into their hotel, they were handed a map of evacuation routes and shelters in case of any bombings, and Colin thanked the receptionist, folded the map, and tucked it in a pocket. He and Anna weren’t worried about explosions.
The Angel had predicted war was inevitable here, and really, by now, Colin and Anna didn’t think a person or entity would need supernatural powers to predict that. On their way out of the hotel lobby, they passed a television with an image of Levi Eshkol on it. He was delivering a speech, but they couldn’t speak Hebrew.
Tel Aviv seemed weighed down by the somber mood of yet another war. The last major conflict with their neighbors had ended only eighteen years ago. Colin and Anna had predicted then that peace here would be difficult; there was far too much hatred and prejudice and they had witnessed the effects of hate and intolerance so many times since becoming immortal. This wouldn’t be their last trip to Tel Aviv.
Mostly, though, this was a city of fear now. The war hadn’t started yet, and no one in Israel could have anticipated how quickly it would end. But
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