Chronicles Of A Fallen Angel-Chapter 70: My Plans Changed
She smiled – sharp and predatory. "I like this version of you. It's dangerous, but I've always preferred dangerous."
My phone buzzed. Multiple messages had accumulated while I'd been... occupied.
Marcus: Covenant meeting is set. 2 PM, neutral ground. St. Louis Cathedral. Catherine Morse will be alone, but don't assume she's without backup. -M
Marco: Where the hell are you? You missed morning briefing. Call me.
Sarah: Heard you didn't come back last night. Hope you're having fun. ;)
"I need to go," I said to Selene. "The meeting is in a few hours, and I need to prepare."
"Of course." She moved to me, rising on her toes to kiss me softly. "Be careful, Cain. The Covenant doesn't play games. If they decide you're a threat, they'll move to eliminate you regardless of how powerful you've become."
"I know."
"And Cain?" She gripped my shirt, holding me in place. "Don't become someone I have to destroy."
"I won't."
"Good. Because I'd really hate to kill you after the best sex I've had in a century."
I left her suite and made my way through the Velvet Room's empty morning corridors. The club was closed, staff cleaning and preparing for the evening. A few of them looked at me as I passed, and I saw recognition in their eyes.
They could sense it. The power radiating off me. The change.
Word would spread. By tonight, every supernatural in the city would know that something had shifted.
Good.
---
I arrived at the safehouse to find Marco waiting in the planning room, looking annoyed.
"Where were you?" he demanded.
"Selene's. Club business."
"Right." He studied me, and I saw the moment he noticed the change. His expression shifted from annoyed to wary. "What happened to you?"
"What do you mean?"
"You feel different. Stronger. Like..." he trailed off, clearly not sure how to articulate it.
"I broke through a threshold. Got significantly more powerful."
"How much more powerful?"
"Enough."
Marco was quiet for a moment. "That's going to change things."
"I know."
"The Jackals operate on being smart and careful, not on raw power. If you start throwing your weight around – "
"I'm not going to compromise the team," I cut him off. "But I'm also not going to keep pretending I'm weak when I'm not. The world's going to know what I'm capable of. That includes potential enemies and allies."
"And the Covenant meeting you said?"
"Still happening. But I'm going in as someone who can defend himself, not someone begging for mercy."
Marco considered this. "That's a risk. If they see you as too powerful, they might decide you're too dangerous to leave alive."
"Then they'll learn what happens when they try to kill me."
The words came out flat, certain. Because they were true.
Marco must have heard the conviction in my voice because he nodded slowly. "Alright. But be smart about this."
"Always am."
I spent the next few hours preparing. Not practicing suppression techniques like Elena had taught me, but the opposite. I practiced manifestation. Control. Precision.
I could produce divine energy at will now. Shape it. Direct it. Use it as both weapon and shield.
At 2%, I'd been able to hurt vampires with my touch. At 12%, I could incinerate them with focused blasts of celestial fire.
Sarah found me in the training room, watching me work through combat forms.
"Holy shit," she breathed. "You're moving so fast I can barely track you."
I stopped, turning to face her. "How much can you see?"
"Enough to know you're way more dangerous than you were a few days ago." She moved closer, circling me like she was assessing a threat. "What happened? And don't tell me it's just training."
"I broke through a power threshold. Got access to abilities I'd lost."
She studied me for a long moment. "You're different. Not just stronger, but... harder." 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂
"I'm just done pretending to be less than I am."
"Good. That version of you was getting boring." She moved closer, and I caught the scent of her arousal. "This version? This is interesting."
"Sarah – "
She winked, then pulled away before I could respond. "Good luck with the Covenant. Don't die."
She left, and I stood there processing. Sarah was right about one thing – I had changed. The caution, the careful maneuvering, the constant calculation of risk versus reward... it was still there, but muted now.
Because I didn't need to be as careful anymore.
I could afford to take risks. To make statements.
At 1:30 PM, I left the safehouse and drove to the Cathedral. Marcus had chosen well – St. Louis Cathedral was neutral ground, sacred space that provided protection for both parties. Neither side could attack without violating fundamental supernatural law.
But that didn't mean Catherine Morse wouldn't have backup nearby. Or that this couldn't go wrong in a dozen different ways.
I arrived early, parking a block away and walking to the Cathedral. It was a beautiful building – classic architecture, spiritual weight that I could feel even from outside.
I entered through the main doors and found the interior mostly empty. A few tourists taking photos, a couple of people praying in pews. And at the front, near the altar, a woman stood waiting.
Catherine Morse.
She was in her fifties, with gray hair pulled back in a neat bun. She wore a simple pantsuit, looked like she could be a lawyer or accountant. Nothing about her appearance suggested danger.
But I could feel the power radiating from her. Angelic blessings woven into her very being, granting her strength, speed, and perception beyond human norms.
She turned as I approached, and her eyes widened slightly as she registered my presence.
"Mr. Cross, I presume?" Her voice was cultured, controlled. "Or should I call you Cain?"
"Cain is fine. And you're Catherine Morse."
"I am." She gestured to a pew. "Shall we sit? We have much to discuss."
I sat beside her, and for a moment, neither of us spoke. We were both assessing, measuring, trying to determine what the other was capable of.
"You're stronger than I expected," she said finally. "The reports I received suggested you were barely functional. Low power, operating carefully."
"Yes, my plans changed."
