Angel of Distrust Read online

  The Third Throne:

  Angel of Distrust

  Tabitha Barret

  @Copyright 2018 Heather Baker

  All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  For copyright and publishing information, contact Tabitha Barret at her website http://www.tabithabarret.com.

  Edited by Yvonne Graham.

  Book cover designed by Victoria Cooper Art.

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to persons real, living, or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Books in The Third Throne Series

  The Third Throne: Angel of Darkness

  The Third Throne: Angel of Death

  The Third Throne: Angel of Vengeance

  The Third Throne: Angel of Fear

  “No soul is desolate as long as there is a human being for whom it can feel

  trust and reverence.” - T.S. Eliot

  Table of 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

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgement

  Without someone to listen to your words, they are nothing but an argument with yourself. Without a reader, a book is a collection of thoughts and ideas that will never be read. For an author, their readers mean everything. Thank you to all my wonderful fans who have shown such tremendous support for my books! Without you, my stories would never be able to entertain, inspire, excite or bring a smile to someone’s face.

  Every book I write is a challenge that I must accept or refuse. These characters and storylines have lived in my head for so long that I often forget how much they change once I sit down to describe them. What comes across on the keyboard and computer screen is vastly different than the images in my head. The places and characters become real and are no longer under my control. They say and do unexpected things. When I’m unable to interpret them properly, they rebel against me and I get stuck. I have to accept that The Third Throne series is so much more than I ever imagined. Once I remember that the story is a living, breathing thing, then I’m able to move beyond my two dimensional imaginings and allow my characters to develop into what they are meant to be. Although they may frustrate me, I have to learn to let them tell the story when they are ready to speak.

  After writing seven books, I looked back at all the sacrifices my family have made over the years. I know I spent a lot of time tucked away at my desk, but I tried to make up for it in small ways. I should have done more dishes, vacuumed more and taken the time to sit and watch a movie, but that didn’t always happen. So, I want to thank my wonderful husband for making dinners and taking care of things so that I can have time to write. You are a vital part of the process, even if you don’t know it.

  Thing 1 and Thing 2 are getting older now and understand why Mom is always busy. They are also old enough to understand the commitment I have made to my writing. I see it when Thing 2 does her homework without being asked, or sits down to be creative in some way. I see it when Thing 1 goes to Scouts and Krav Maga and puts forth his best effort. I hope I have inspired you to follow your dreams and taught you that you can accomplish whatever you put your mind to. I hope that someday you can read these books and understand what it was all about.

  Thank you, as always, to my wonderful co-workers for approving my books covers and supporting my writing efforts. I’m glad that I have a team that I can talk to about my successes and failures. I love you guys!

  As always, I am eternally grateful to my beta reader, who is honest, loyal and willing to fight with me to improve my writing. Hopefully, you have learned a few things about paranormal romance and men along the way. Hugs and kisses for speed reading and finding all my plot problems. I swear, I will make it up to you by bringing you the Outback…again.

  Lastly, I thank my goofy, lovable dogs who are featured in my Instagram posts. They remind me that life doesn’t have to be serious all the time. You are the craziest dogs I have ever met, and I love you.

  Chapter 1

  Heaven 210,000 B.C.E.

  “Gabriel, if you do not get your daughter under control, I will be forced to kill her!” Michael shouted above the tempest. The blue flame of his Celestial Sword was the only thing visible through the pelting rain and hail.

  Gabriel knew Michael did not have the right to kill the Bringer of the Apocalypse once she had decided it was time to end the world, but Michael would not care that he lacked the authority to stop her. He would rather die doing something he thought was right than stand by and do nothing. Fearing that Michael would disregard the Council’s ruling to capture and contain Anjali, Gabriel pushed through the hurricane-force winds to save her from Michael’s sword.

  Though he did not agree that Anjali should end the world today, it was not his place to question her judgment on the matter. God Himself had no authority over His Bringer of the Apocalypse once she made her decision. Unfortunately, she had not joined with her Harbingers, the Predznak, so the souls of the mortals had not been judged yet. She could destroy the world, but the souls of the mortals would be in peril and chaos would reign.

  Watching his daughter unleash her power was a terrifying sight, yet he was still proud of her, as any father would be. Regardless of his personal opinion, he had to do everything within his power to protect her. If it came down to killing Michael, he too would sacrifice his life for something he believed in. He had always understood the need for a Destroyer, which was why he had accepted the responsibility of allowing the girl to be made from his flesh and bones.

  “Anjali, you must control yourself! You must stop the storm before it rips apart the ground!” Gabriel shouted above the roaring winds. His voice was giving out after his lengthy debate with General Tabbris, whom Michael had put in charge of capturing Anjali. Tabbris was more interested in killing the Destroyer, but had begrudgingly agreed to contain her. No matter what happened, he had to find a way to distract her from releasing her power.

  The mortal village was already in a dire state when he and Michael had arrived. The thatched rooves had torn off, adding to the flying debris. Though Anjali was at the edge of the town along the dense forest, the devastation had already reached the far end of the village along the river. The mortals had taken shelter in the nearby caves along the mountain pass, but many had not reached safety in time. Now, the surrounding forest was being used as a weapon against the villagers. The trees were knocked down by the winds and were sucked up into the tornadoes forming all around them.

  He did not know why his daughter was taking her wrath out on these people, but he prayed that her reason was strong enough to justify killing everyone.

  With Anjali in his sights, Gabriel pushed deeper into the storm, careful to stay out of the path of the tornadoes. At the same time, he kept a watchful eye on the Celestial Warriors braving the fearsome winds, unable to trust their true intentions. First Lieutenant Marcus and Second Lieutenant Orrin were ahead of him by two paces, but Senior Swordsman Demyan and Warrior Farouk, who were coming at Anjali from the east and west, were making better progress. Gabriel was concerned that the eager warriors wishing to prove the
mselves would engage the Destroyer in battle.

  “Anjali! I implore you; think about what you are doing. Do you really believe the mortals have fallen so far from grace that they deserve to die?” Gabriel shouted.

  Anjali raised her arms to the Heavens and allowed her power to flow from her body. A sense of peace washed over her. She was fulfilling her duties. She was punishing the wicked mortals and it felt good. It felt right. They had crossed the line and sinned, all of them. One of the mortals had cheated in a game, while another swore and cussed at a female. These were intolerable sins and needed to be dealt with. Upon seeing the injustices, her power had erupted from her body and created the massive storm.

  Her power no longer clawed at her chest and stomach, begging to be released. Instead, it easily poured through her skin, rose up into the air, and fulfilled its purpose. Soon the earth would quake and break apart. Fire and ice would obliterate everything within her path. Water would consume the land and nothing would be left—not even Gabriel.

  She blinked and tried to process what she was seeing. What was Gabriel doing here? She was on the outskirts of the mortal civilization and he was supposed to be in Heaven deciding what to do about a dangerous Veteres causing havoc in Hell. Why would Gabriel endanger himself by coming to the Mortal Realm during its destruction?

  She looked around and saw the reason for his presence. The Celestial Warriors were defying the storm and approaching from different directions. She could see that Gabriel was shouting, but she could not hear him. She quickly understood his warning when bright blue lights shone through the debris-filled air. A kill order had been given.

  Recognizing the newly promoted Lord Commander Vladimir in the distance and the ever-smug General Tabbris behind him, she understood that the warriors were not demanding that she surrender; they were here for her head. The warrior closest to her was new, or at least newly instated since the last time the Council had tried to interfere with the destruction of the world. He and Demyan were getting closer, which meant she had two choices: subdue them and finish her mission, or attempt to stop the destruction of the world and speak peacefully with the warriors.

  The Council had no say in the matter, but it seemed that their swords would be making the final decision today. Angry that the Council had ordered her to be murdered, she wanted to turn her power against them. She could tear them limb from limb and make an example of them. No one would dare question her again if she mangled Heaven’s most capable soldiers. They would fear her power and finally give her the respect they had refused to grant her. She would teach them not to interfere.

  “Anjali, please, there is still so much for you to learn about sins. These mortals still love God. Look into their hearts and you will see the goodness in them. I know they have made mistakes, but they are not beyond redemption. If you destroy them now, their souls will not be properly judged. There will be anarchy in Heaven and Hell!” Gabriel shouted.

  She was surprised by Gabriel’s pleas. He had not come to warn her about the Council overstepping their authority; he was concerned that she was overstepping hers. She trusted her father’s wisdom and guidance for he had never led her astray. Even though she felt that she was in the right, perhaps she should at least consider Gabriel’s assessment of the situation.

  Reflecting on his statement about the goodness in the hearts of the mortals, she pictured the men who had been fighting. Her power had reacted so quickly that she did not have time to look into their hearts. She understood the sins of men better than anyone did, but she was often too quick to react and had trouble resisting the urge to punish the wicked. Her power made her conscious thoughts disappear and all that remained was a vindictive need to bring the mortals to their knees. It was like having a darker side of her personality take over and having no control over it.

  Anjali panicked when she realized that Gabriel was correct. The Predznak had not tempted the mortals and offered them a choice between Heaven and Hell, nor had they been judged. Ending the world now would throw everything into chaos. God would be cross with her for sure, just as He was the previous times she had created ice storms, massive earthquakes, and tsunamis. As rational thought overpowered her need to seek retribution for the sins she witnessed, she realized that she had gone too far. Gabriel was right; she had overstepped her boundaries.

  Seeing that the warrior to her right was only a few feet away, she had to make a decision. She had dealt with the peacekeepers of Heaven long enough to understand that the younger warriors liked to show off their bravery to Tabbris and Michael. She did not want to give the warriors any more excuses to kill her, so she needed to stop the storm…somehow.

  Quickly judging the strength of the storm, she knew the other disasters would soon begin. Her power had a mind of its own once unleashed, so reining it in would be a challenge, though not impossible.

  Closing her eyes, she tried to think of something peaceful and tranquil. She pictured the waterfalls inside of God’s Atrium and allowed the sound of trickling water to help ease her chaotic mind. She lifted her face to the sky and felt the warm sun shining through the glass. The surrounding lily ponds that shimmered and sparkled always filled her with a feeling of happiness and contentment. The beautiful arboretum gave her comfort while God spoke to her about the difficult journey she would endure during her lifetime.

  Unfortunately, the determined faces of the warriors interrupted her calming process and reminded her that she was considered a criminal by her peers. Few understood God’s plan for her and only saw her destructive side. They never understood that she was really a Bringer of Peace because she would exterminate evil from the Mortal Realm. The wicked would be punished in Hell until they repented and the righteous would be allowed to repopulate the world and live in harmony. Of course, she did not look like the Bringer of Peace in her current state, which was the real problem.

  The warrior to her right most definitely saw her ability to destroy, not her ability to give the Heaven-bound souls a chance to obtain true enlightenment. He was close enough to strike her with his sword.

  “I warn you, I cannot control the storm. I will yield, but I will need time to contain it. I cannot simply turn it on and off,” she shouted.

  Farouk laughed cruelly. “General Tabbris warned us that you would lie. He gave us orders to kill you on sight!”

  Anjali sneered at the naive warrior. When he refused to back down, the anger inside of her boiled over and she wanted to inflict unending agony upon him. She wanted to make him fall upon his own sword for his stupidity.

  “Anjali, focus on stopping the storm. It’s the only way to comply with their orders,” Gabriel yelled a few feet in front of her.

  Of course Gabriel was right, but the warrior was trying her patience and making it harder to focus. Seeing the fear on Gabriel’s face concerned her and helped to negate her anger.

  Again, she closed her eyes and thought about the ponds. She blocked out her desire to kill the warrior and thought about the calm, cool water. She thought about Gabriel and his love for her. She considered how Gabriel would feel if something happened to her. It was possible that he would do something desperate if he witnessed her death. For Gabriel’s sake, she let go of her anger and tried to draw the storm back inside of her.

  She felt the ground beneath her feet break apart as a fissure split the surface of the forest floor. Her efforts to control the storm were not working. She had to find another way.

  She thought about the angels who could help her, if she were ever allowed to meet them. Images of her ten Predznak appeared in her mind as she focused on the sins they carried and imagined what they might look like. Alazar, Balthazar, Tristan, Haydn, Solren, Zacharael, Aeries, Rayan, Sacha, and Elrick bowed their heads to her. They needed a master and she needed her head attached to her body to be able to command them. She drew upon their sins, the ones that lived deep within her: Death, Vengeance, Fear, Distrust, Illness, Desire, Anger, Agony, Deception and Hunger so that she could command the sins to obey
her. She was the one in charge. She was the one who chose when to use her power. The darkness inside of her was not in command, she was!

  “Stand down, Farouk,” Demyan yelled nearby.

  Opening her eyes, she saw Farouk’s sword poised over her head, his body braced against the driving wind. The blue flame glided through the air as the winds finally ceased and the warrior fell forward, unable to maintain his balance. Pain exploded in her right thigh when the blue fire made contact with her skin. She screamed from the pain, and tried to put her hand over the wound, but it was too painful. It felt like she had been burned by the sun. Her skin was red and blistered from the flame even though it had only grazed her. She staggered, unable to put any pressure on her leg and looked around to find a tree to lean against, but the forest had receded during the storm. She was not able to limp far enough to reach the tree line.

  Farouk fell at her feet and hit the hard ground, narrowly missing a fissure. The sword was knocked free from his hands and tumbled across the broken tree limbs on the ground. The flame was extinguished and laid dormant a few feet away.

  Every instinct told her to crush the warrior lying at her feet for daring to attack her even though she had told him to wait for her to get herself under control. Before she could reach down to grab the soldier by his neck, she was tackled by Demyan. Marcus, followed by Gabriel, reached her a moment later.

  “Do not harm her, Demyan! The storm has been contained. You have no right to hurt her since she did not attack you. Your warrior struck her despite her pleas for more time to end the storm,” Gabriel shouted hoarsely.

  Anjali tried to push Demyan off her, but his knees were crushing her chest and his giant hands were clamped around her wrists. Tabbris swooped in without a word and clasped the glowing blue Celestial Bonds around her wrists.