Entanglement

She watched as the Guardians lifted the weak and broken bodies of humans out of the burning building. She ruffled her wings restlessly, every fiber in her being eager to join them. She had been raised in Heaven; trained by the Archangels who took her on as their charge whenever her mother, Jilasia; Archangel and leader of the Guardian Angels; had a mission on Earth.

But she was never allowed to go with them. Because she was The Hybrid, The Only, The One Who Should Not Exist.

"Azlynn, what are you doing?"

Azlynn jumped, pulling away from the Watcher's Pool and turning to see Gabriel watching her with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm watching Mother and the others," she said. Gabriel sighed. "Azlynn, we've talked about this."

"Why can't I go?" Azlynn demanded, as she always did. "I've been trained as a Guardian my whole life. And don't give me that look," she snapped, seeing the amused quirk of Gabriel's lips. She was young even by human standards; by angel standards she was an infant. A very well-trained, very deadly infant.

"Come on Gabe," she pleaded. "You know what this means to me. Take me to Earth with you the next time you go. I can help! What's the point of all this training if I never get to use it? I'm meant to be a Guardian; I should be down there, helping! You can't keep me trapped up here forever-"

"Easy, Azlynn," Gabriel said, lifting his hands in a soothing gesture. "I know you want to help, and you've always been an excellent student-"

"Then take me with you!" Azlynn burst out, flapping her wings in agitation. "No human is going to know about me, and even the other creatures down there could never peg me for what I am."

Gabriel looked torn, and Azlynn leaped at the chance to exploit his weak moment. "Please, Gabe, I'm begging you. I want to help, I want to do something useful. I'm the daughter of the most powerful Guardian Angel there is; does it really make sense to keep me locked up like a bird in a cage?"

Gabriel appraised her for a long moment, and Azlynn held her breath.

"Now I'm not saying I will, but if I did decide to take you down with us on our next mission, what exactly would you do to help? You know the others aren't going to be pleased with someone as young as you tagging along on the actual mission. We're Warrior angels, Az."

"I'll work in a police station," Azlynn said eagerly. Gabriel's eyebrows shot up. "Beg pardon?"

"I've already thought about it. If I can glamour my wings so no one will see them, I can appear human. If I can get a job in a police station, as a receptionist or something, I can help keep you informed of what's going on down there."

"How do you know so much about human police stations?"

"I've been watching what's going on down there same as the rest of you," Azlynn replied coolly. "I've seen all the bombings and killings. The humans want to know what's going on just as much as you do, and there's plenty of investigating going on among the human police. I can keep you all informed when there's a new murder or fire, and keep you in the loop with anything the police find. I know it's not much, but come on Gabe; I won't be in any real danger and at least I'll be doing something."

Gabriel sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. His brilliant golden wings drooped slightly, and Azlynn knew he was about to give in to her pleas.

"All right, Azlynn. You win. It's time you start assisting in the missions."

"Really? So you'll take me with you?" Her wings lifted and shivered excitedly. Gabriel smiled ruefully and nodded. "God help me, yes, Azlynn. You can go."

Azlynn grinned, and hurled herself at Gabriel with such force that he let out a startled "oomph!"

Azlynn hugged him. "Thank you, Gabe! You're the best!"

"Well I better be. Your mother is going to have my wings for this."



"You agreed to let her do what?" Jilisia's incredulous voice filled the chamber, her impossibly green eyes going wide with disbelief as she stared at her fellow Archangel.

"She's been trained, Jilasia. She's an angel just like the rest of us."

"Not quite like the rest of us," Imogen said dryly, the ancient angel's piercing gray eyes flicking over Azlynn coldly. Azlynn bristled.

"She is an angel," Gabriel repeated firmly. "She deserves the chance to prove herself. I've already chosen her as part of my next team."

"Are you sure she can do the job?" Imogen pressed.

"With all due respect, Imogen, I've trained with her far more than you have," Gabriel said sharply. "Her paternal lineage has no affect on her abilities."

"I wouldn't say that's entirely true," Imogen shot back, eyes flashing. "No other angel can summon and control Hellfire."

"But they can summon and control Angelfire, which she does remarkably well," Gabriel snapped, his wings ruffling. "I choose my team, and it's already done. Azlynn is going with me. Do you wish to contest that, Imogen?"

The room filled with tense silence as his challenge soaked into the air. Imogen's eyes were still hard, but she relented. "No, Gabriel, I do not. Just know that she is your responsibility."

"I'm well aware of that fact."

"You had best take care of my daughter, Gabriel," Jilisia said sternly, her normally serene and gentle face suddenly fiery. Gabriel inclined his head humbly. "You have my word."

The other Archangels had little left to say after that; Gabriel was one of the oldest and rarely would someone speak against his decisions. Azlynn breathed a sigh of relief. It was set in stone, then. She was going to Earth with Gabriel and the other Warriors.

"Why are you so eager to go down there?" Her mother stood next to her, emerald eyes worried and pale wings rustling.

"Because I have to prove it to them. And to myself."

"Prove what?"

"That I'm not evil," Azlynn whispered.

"You're not," Jilisia said hotly. "You never will be; and never let any of them make you think otherwise."

"Maybe they won't think otherwise either if I show them that I'm an angel, not an abomination."

Jilasia sighed. "I suppose I can't really argue with you on that. Just be careful, all right?"

Azlynn smiled, nodding. "I promise."

Azlynn had no intention of screwing this mission up in any way. The Archangels had taken her on, raised her despite what she was; but only because Jilasia, as well as Gabriel and Michael, had insisted that she not be destroyed; they had passionately spoken on her behalf, and God granted them their request to keep her alive and train her as an angel. Most of the other Archangels accepted her, more or less, but a select few were convinced that she was going to betray them all one day.

Because Azlynn was not all angel. While her mother was a powerful Archangel, her father was Leviathan; one of Lucifer's generals, and one of the most powerful and oldest demons there was. He had stolen Jilasia's Grace while she was rescuing a human child from a horde of demons, and had rendered her weak and nearly human. She had been rescued, and her Grace returned to her, but then it was discovered that she was pregnant. Everyone had been convinced that the child would die; angels rarely had children, and they weren't supposed to be able to reproduce with demons at all. It was a shock when Azlynn was born, alive and healthy. She was the only one of her kind, and the Archangels had decided to keep her identity a secret from everyone but God and themselves. Even the other angels didn't know that she was the hybrid daughter of Jilasia and Leviathan. The daughter of an angel and a demon. The ones who knew about her at all thought she was just one of the rare human souls who came into Heaven strong enough to be made an angel.

Her heritage gave Azlynn unique abilities and features. Her wings were jet black where they sprouted from her back, but the other halves were brilliant ivory white, the tips flecked with gold and silver. Her midnight hair fell in a straight, glossy sheet just below her shoulder blades, her skin was pale, and her eyes were the deep, blue-tinted violet of a winter dusk.

She stood before the other Warriors who were following Gabriel to Earth to find out who or what was causing all the unusual and violent deaths taking place among the humans. The killings were mortal and paranormal alike, and everyone was living in fear.

Azlynn carried her crystalline athame and wore the silver Rune pendant that made her recognizable to other angels, and also served as a protection amulet.

"Are you ready?" Gabriel asked her. Azlynn ignored the curious stares that she was receiving from the other angels and nodded firmly. "I was born ready."

"Then let's fly."

The Warriors let out whoops, then dove into the shimmering tower of light, spreading their wings. Azlynn trembled in anticipation, then she took a deep breath and jumped after them. Flying in the Gateway was much more exhilarating than regular flying. Wind roared in Azlynn's ears as she sped through the heavens. Her hair whipped across her face and her wings beat hard against the violent air currents, keeping her on her course. She laughed delightedly, the wind snatching her voice away. They came out of the tower of light, and were hurtling through the universe that the humans knew. Barely. Their wings carried them past stars, over the rings of Saturn, and through black holes. Then they could see Earth, a tiny white and blue dot in the sky. Azlynn beat her wings faster, then curled them around her body as they slammed into Earth's atmosphere.

After several moments, they exploded free and plummeted towards the Pacific Ocean. Azlynn kept her wings folded tight around herself until mere seconds before she hit the water. Then she unfurled them and skimmed the waves, laughing as the salty spray splashed across her face.

"We're coming up on people soon!" Gabriel called out. "Everyone pull up your glamours."

Azlynn felt the air shift; felt her glamour cloaking her and making her invisible. Soon the ocean fell away and they were soaring into a large city.

"What is the name of this place again?" Azlynn asked, staring at the tall buildings and noisy cars in wonder.

"Los Angeles," Gabriel replied.

"The City of Angels," the dark-haired Tazian told her with a wink. Azlynn grinned. They touched down on the roof of a building.

"All right, Azlynn," Gabriel said. "You know what to do?"

She nodded.

"I admit, I've been rather curious to see what you plan to do with those," he nodded to her wings. "A simple invisibility glamour will only hide them from people's sight."

"I've got it covered," Azlynn said. She launched herself off the building, landing in an empty back alley. She concentrated her glamour, pulling her wings in. When she looked behind her, they were no longer visible even to her. She twisted, lifting her shirt slightly and peering into the dirty window of an abandoned building to look at her back. An intricate tattoo covered her back. Wings that were half white, and half black. She shook off her invisibility. She was dressed in a simple blue cardigan, jeans, and flat black boots. A denim messenger bag was thrown over her shoulder. She looked like a human, aside from her unique and hypnotic eyes. She straightened her shirt and strode from the alleyway.

She glanced up, seeing her fellow angels still on the roof. They chuckled at her choice of glamour. She nodded to Gabriel, then set off purposefully for the Los Angeles Police Department.