Free Archangel Evolution by David Estes Page A

now that
you know you’re faster.”
    “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”
    “Great,” Gabriel said. “Hey, how was your
sleep last night?”
    Taylor frowned. “Fine, why do you ask?”
    “I just wanted to see what impact our little
meditation session had on you.”
    “Oh.” Taylor remembered how she had learned
to block angels and demons from corrupting her dreams. “Well, it
worked, I think. No Dionysus messing with my head last night.”
    “What about the other thing? Any bad stuff
there?”
    “Thankfully, no. If I had any nightmares
about my mom’s death, I don’t remember them.”
    “Good,” Gabriel said. Even as he enunciated
the “dah” on the d , with lightning-quickness he launched
Taylor’s pillow across the room at her head. Unflinching, she
grabbed it with one hand and tossed it aside. Gabriel smiled,
shaking his head. “You really are amazing.”
    “I don’t think being able to out-duel you in
a pillow fight qualifies as amazing, but thanks.”
    “I guess we’ll find out today. Are you ready
to start training?”
    Taylor’s eyes lit up. “Hell yeah! I can’t
wait to see what I can do.”
    “Me, too,” Gabriel said. “And I’ve managed to
locate the perfect arena for it.”
    “Where?”
    “It’s a surprise.”
    “Great, you know how I love surprises,”
Taylor said sarcastically.
    “Yes, I do,” Gabriel said, playing along.
    They agreed to meet in an hour so that
Gabriel could confirm that his “training arena” would be available,
and so he could make a few calls to ensure the necessary equipment
could be requisitioned. Taylor, not one to primp, was ready in five
minutes and found herself calling Sam on her iPhone. Although it
wasn’t unusual for Sam not to come home—sometimes she stayed at
Chris’s dorm room or at the Lair—Taylor still wanted to make sure
she was okay.
    Her friend answered on the third ring with a
tired, “Taylor?”
    “You can call me Archangel Taylor for now
on.”
    “What?” Sam asked, confused.
    “Haven’t you heard? Gabriel told me the test
results showed that I am the most powerful angel around, almost
like an archangel.”
    “No, I didn’t hear that. But I did hear about
your mission.”
    “Yep, training for it starts today.”
    “I heard that too. I’m going to come to help
out.”
    “Great!” Taylor said, even more excited now.
“We’re starting in an hour. Gabriel will tell Chris where it is.
See you there.” She hung up and realized the call had only killed
about 45 seconds. She groaned—still about fifty minutes to waste.
Deciding that watching TV or reading a magazine would be impossible
given how jumpy she was, Taylor waved at a dark figure that was
pretending to repair a bike on the lawn outside her window. Seconds
later, the dude was in her room.
    “What can I do for you?” the demon guard
said.
    “I wanted to see how the injured members of
Hell’s Angels are doing, particularly Sampson. Have you heard
anything?”
    The demon shook his head. “Not lately. Want
me to radio in to find out?”
    “I’d prefer to go there in person. That is,
if you don’t mind?”
    “Fine by me. Let me just clear it with my
mission leader.”
    A minute later, Taylor was following the
demon out of the dark teleport room in the Lair. Although it would
have been quicker to teleport directly to the demon medical wing,
it required special approval that would take too long to obtain.
All teleporting within the Lair was monitored and approved to
prevent the chaos that would ensue if there were demons constantly
popping in and out of view. For the most part, teleporting could
only be conducted using a designated room.
    From the teleport room, the duo made their
way down a torch-lit tunnel. Unfinished, the tunnel walls and
ceiling were comprised of rough, bare rock, giving it an Indiana
Jones feel. The tunnel led to a security door, which opened
upon the demon’s command. They were expected. From there, they took
one of the many