Immortal Alliance (IMMORTAL ALLIANCE SERIES Book 1)

by A. Catherine

  The demons at least were casual, right at home. The angels were tense, like they were forced to eat dinner with their in-laws. They seemed to be trying to stay civil though, despite their combined powers and general dislike of one another causing a dry sauna heat to fill the room.

  Or maybe it was just me who felt it.

  Jophiel seemed to be the only one not trying to conceal her acrimony of the demons, eyeing them like they were vermin.

  “How was Reaper’s Creek?” Kale asked the blonde next to him.

  She tensed slightly and slipped a quick glance over to the androgynous one, then shrugged.

  “It was fine. Not a lot of answers, mostly just more questions.”

  The androgynous once spoke next, looking at Gabriel. “Demetri said that there are areas with tears between realms, small, barely cracks, but they tend to attract some of the souls near it. Sealing them is easy enough, but he doesn’t know why they’re happening,” she said.

  Her eyes went from his to mine, noticing that I was watching. She cleared her throat.

  “I’m Iaoel, by the way.”

  “Iaoel is an Angel of Sight. They can see premonitions, futures, pasts, they tell us a lot about fate and help divisions like ours know where to go,” Gabriel clarified. Oh, is that all?

  There was a lot to unpack there, that explanation only left me with more questions.

  The blonde chimed in, “They tend to be very nosy.” Before anyone could retort Kale, gestured to her.

  “This tardy spitfire is Seere, she’s my second, a demon—obviously.”

  Seere waved mockingly at me.

  I looked back at Iaoel, then between Jophiel and Gabriel.

  “So…she’s an angel who can see things, and you’re both archangels?”

  Iaoel cleared her throat. My eyes went back to her.

  “Quick side note, assuming that you are progressive. I’m not a she, but they. The Angels of Sight have no gender.”

  “Oh. Right, sorry.” They waved me off politely as if to say it was a common mistake.

  Gabriel took a small sip of wine and then opened his position more to me. “I guess introductions are in order. Jophiel is my older sister, she charges over the creation division of heaven. Her and Uriel are twins.”

  Uriel, that was an archangel name I was familiar with from my studies.

  Gabriel continued, “Jade is the Guardian Master; she essentially leads the Guardian angels. Duma, next to her, is a Spectral. They train new angels before they receive an assignment.”

  Gabriel looked at Kale, signaling him to introduce his own posse.

  Kale finished the food he was chewing on and cleaned his mouth with a cloth before speaking.

  “You met Lillith, mother of demons, Lucifer’s first wife, blah blah blah.”

  “What a rousing introduction, thank you,” Lillith scoffed.

  Kale ignored her. “Seere is a fifth-generation demon, she and I trained together when we were young. And Daevas,” pointing to the ginger demon, “is a first-generation demon, one of Lucifer and Lillith’s first spawns. He’s also my third.”

  I observed each of them, taking them in, saving Kale for last. He was relaxed, but still a little of that mysterious power leaked from him in sparks of electricity.

  “You lead them?” I nodded. “So, what kind of demon does that make you?” I asked.

  He raised one eyebrow and smiled wickedly. “The fun kind,” was his only reply. Again, he avoided the question. My head throbbed once more.

  I took a deep breath. “You keep naming different types of angels and demons. How many are there?” I asked Gabriel.

  Kale chuckled. “Too many.”

  “There are nine archangels. You know the big ones: Lucifer, Michael, Raphael, but some of them have multiple names and have since been less included in historical records. Each of us oversees a division of heaven, these divisions establish and maintain what we call the cosmic Balance, keeps the realms intact, and protects the peace of mortal and immortal life alike. Going through the entire paranormal pyramid right now would take a long time and might be too much all at once for you right now,” Gabriel explained.

  I looked over at Seere and Daevas. He was swirling the wine in his glass, not looking at anyone in particular. He was quiet, but it felt like he was perhaps aware of everything and everyone. A trained spy with keen listening skills.

  Seere was nibbling on a piece of bread, her eyes remaining on Kale. His occasional sideways glance to her told me that they were in fact communicating, through that web they told me about.

  Seere watched him with such intensity, like he was the thing that held her onto the earth. Kale had mentioned that she was his second, adding to the assumption that he was in charge of the demons that sat before me. Clearly the two of them had a history, history of what, I wasn’t sure.

  I glanced back at Daevas, who now was watching me closely. His expression was emotionless, but his stare laid me bare. The tattoos that rose from beneath his shirt up his neck looked almost like they were moving, like a snake slithering. His green eyes pulsed like they did the first time I saw him in my apartment.

  I focused on them, and the sound of forks on plates and voices faded to something else. I could hear my heartbeat, among the rushing sound of flowing water and wind. My peripheral vision turned black, and all I saw was the pair of green eyes that held me in place.

  I felt cold, the anxiety and fear that had gripped me the whole time I was here dulled to nothing. Replaced with resounding numbness.

  Those green eyes pulsed further, and I was no longer looking at them, but looking at a pair of golden-brown eyes, human eyes, my eyes. My olive skin was blanched, paralyzed. My hair’s brown and blonde highlights were dull compared to the radiance of the ethereal creatures around me.

  Whispers sounded around me, or him, Daevas, the eyes I was now looking through. Speaking different languages, mostly unfamiliar, but others weirdly familiar. And all eerie enough to raise the goosebumps on my arms.

  All at once, it was gone, the water and wind ceased, and my vision returned to normal, no longer looking through those eyes, but through my own.

  “Wraiths and vetala’s aren’t strong enough to cause rips between the realms,” Jophiel said.

  I missed the earlier parts of their new conversation. I blinked, letting in an unnatural breath to steady myself. Daevas no longer looked at me, but his mouth curved upward, knowing full well what he had just done. Whatever that was.

  “That’s why I think it has to be something else, disguising as a wraith to throw us off,” Gabriel responded. “What did you find in hell?” he asked Lillith.

  She rolled her eyes. “So bossy, you could say please…” she sighed when he simply waited. “The cells down there are still secure, so are the pits, no strange visitors or infiltrations so far. Good thing too, the hellborn aren’t the forgiving types. Even if something managed to get in, they wouldn’t get past the legions. Lucifer hasn’t sensed anything unwelcomed enter his realm, so from our side of things, nothing is out of the ordinary.”

  “Legions?” I blurted out without thinking. They were talking about actual hell, Dante’s Inferno and all that, it was absolutely mind-boggling.

  Enough of a distraction to take my attention away from Daevas and his whispers.

  Kale nodded. “Demons aren’t as disorganized as you may think. Lucifer keeps a tight ship. Each legion is a generation, and they are trained in combat, magic, strategy. You could think of them as armies. They mostly consist of the lower-class demons who don’t have a lot of raw power.”

  My eyes widened. “How many of you are there? Do you outnumber humans?”

  Jade answered, “No, humans outnumber angels three to one. And there are even less demons. Maybe a few million. We aren’t created the same way as humans. And since we’re immortal, the need for more isn’t a priority.”

  “Oh.” The questions in my mind were endless. “How are you created? Gabriel said something about being parts
of God’s souls…”

  Duma decided to answer, having not spoken since dinner started. “In a simple explanation, he takes pieces of his soul and uses it to create matter, to create us, the angels that is.”

  “Demons are created the old-fashioned way. Offspring of other demons. But our abilities to procreate diminish the younger our generation is. Most fifth-generation demons and younger can’t conceive. Angels can procreate if they bed humans, demons unfortunately can’t. As much as we try,” Seere explained.

  She winked in response to my horrified expression. Demons sleeping with humans, angels sleeping with humans? My dinner was threatening to come back up.

  Jophiel sneered, “Can we save the supernatural history lessons for another time and get back to why we’re here?” Her voice full of irritation.

  Gabriel put a reassuring hand on my lap. “We’ll explain it further later.”

  The rest of the dinner was carried out with exchanges of information they acquired in their scattered scouting. Talking about places and people I had no knowledge of.

  Eventually I stopped listening and resigned to simply taking in the full intensity of all of them together. I found myself watching Gabriel and Kale the most.

  Eventually, I moved away from the table and helped Jade with the dishes to gain some sense of mortality back— finding comfort in the suds and flowing faucet. Lost in the process of washing and drying I hadn’t realized that more than half the group had left the room.

  Handing Jade the last plate to dry, Gabriel touched my shoulder, turning me around.

  “Need some fresh air?” he asked.

  Only Lillith remained in the room, flipping through channels on the tv. I faced Gabriel, who looked sympathetic and beautiful. I nodded.

  He jerked his head for me to follow him. He led me down the left-side hall, passing a few adjacent halls and some doors before we reached the end, where a metal ladder led upwards to a ceiling door.

  “It leads to the roof,” he stated as he climbed up first, hauling open the door and we were greeted by a cool, crisp draft.

  He peered down at me, and it was enough to get me to climb up the rebar ladder, my legs aching from a long day.

  When I reached the top, he took my hand to help me step onto the roof. The sky was dark aside from a sea of stars. The city below was small, only a few lights to illuminate the quiet streets.

  We must be much further north than Arizona, the air was extremely chilly, and the wind didn’t help. Goosebumps raised on my arms, but I ignored it. The cold was refreshing compared to the heat I sat through during dinner and it helped calm my electrified nerves.

  Gabriel walked to the edge of the building and looked out into the view. His mind elsewhere, distant.

  “You did well in there. I’m sorry if it was too much, but we’ll all have to get used to it for a while.” His eyes never leaving the horizon. I neared the edge as well but kept a solid ten feet between us.

  “What exactly am I to do here while you all carry out your…’mission’?” I asked delicately.

  I didn’t want to stew in this strange world, wondering if every day was to be my last.

  He shrugged. “Whatever you like, as long as one of us is around to keep you safe, you’re free to do anything you wish. We’ll make sure some of your things are brought here, your computer, journals, a few books if you want. I want you to be comfortable.”

  I snorted, “Comfortable. I just found out angels and demons exist. Been thrust into a reality of insanity, and now have to live in it. I won’t feel comfortable for a while.”

  Gabriel chuckled. “Well, having a sense of humor about it is a good sign at least.”

  I was to stay in this strange warehouse among five angels, two of which were archangels, and four demons. Beings that up until ten hours ago I didn’t even believe existed. This was going to bring on quite the existential crisis, that’s for sure .

  My eyelids began to feel heavy, my mind fuzzy and exhausted. I took one last deep breath of cold air and let it out with a long sigh.

  “I’m tired.”

  Gabriel nodded, walking towards me.

  “I’d be surprised if you weren’t. Let’s get you to sleep.”

  FIFTEEN

  Kale

  AS SOON AS THE DOOR to my room was shut, I released the power I’d been pushing inside.

  Fire and bolts of electricity streamed up the steel beams lining the walls. Crumbles of shredded concrete showering down in places where it was hit the strongest—swept away from the floor by the lingering shadows that followed.

  The headache that formed under the pressure of concealing my abilities finally subsiding. I loosened a long sigh, my muscles releasing tension and my emotions dulling to something less lethal. The fire and electricity dissipated and fizzled out.

  I cracked my neck and stretched my aching arms. I didn’t usually have to keep my energy cooped up when it was just Daevas, Seere and I here. The place was large enough, and sturdy enough that I could continually drain the excess without harming others.

  But it was way more crowded now.

  The warehouse was my mortal getaway from hell and from my responsibilities. But its durability made it the ideal location for a large and powerful cohort to occupy without utter destruction.

  Even then, I wouldn’t have to shove my powers down as much if it weren’t for the human being here. A small slip blasted in her direction could wither her to dust, so more restrictive measures were necessary. The only problem was, going too long under that amount of pressure usually led to unintentional violence and catastrophe.

  A soft knock rapped against the door. I knew who it was.

  “Come in.”

  Seere was inside a moment later, shutting the door behind her. Her eyes amused and curious.

  “Well, that was fun. Think we scared her enough? I think we could’ve done better,” she harped.

  I chuckled. “There’s always tomorrow.”

  I picked up a small finger knife and in one swift swing, sent it flying towards the wall. It jutted itself half an inch into the concrete.

  Seere went to the wall and observed the knife, then turned to face me, pinning her head and back to the wall.

  “You were uncharacteristically civil.”

  I groaned, slicing another knife towards the wall. It hit an inch next to her left ear. She didn’t so much as flinch.

  “I wish these feathered fairies would stop trying so hard to soften everything for her. It just wastes time.” Another knife pierced the wall just above her right shoulder.

  She smirked. “Says the person who suppressed their power to the point of bursting.”

  I sneered at her, “I think she should be involved, not dead, Seere. Though if Gabriel coddled her anymore, I might’ve burst.” One lodged above her head.

  She shrugged, her shoulder tapping the knife above it. “He’s a softy. I thought Jophiel was going to rip Lillith to shreds when she kept sensually licking her fork at Duma.” Seere giggled.

  “I think we all would’ve enjoyed watching that.” I smiled.

  “The human would die of shock,” she scoffed.

  I walked towards her, stopping a few inches away and began pulling knives from the wall.

  “She’s smart, for a human.”

  “I suppose.”

  “She saw right through you—she knows you’re something more than the rest of us. Don’t know how, but she sees the difference. A lot like I did when we first met.”

  I turned my focus from the knives to Seere, staring up at me.

  “Maybe I’m not doing a good enough job at keeping it all in,” I stated.

  Seere held my stare, her mouth turning upwards. “You like her. Admit it,” she teased.

  I rolled my eyes, pulling another knife from the wall.

  “Sure, as much as anyone can like a helpless mortal. She’s got kick, I’ll admit. But she’ll soon enough become a burden like all the rest.”

  “So leave Prince Charming to
care for her.”

  I lifted my chin and let out a quick laugh.

  “I can’t let him have all the fun.”

  I plucked the last knife and walked away from Seere. She simply sank down to sit on the floor. Her fingers played with her braids.

  A sigh broke from her lips. “There’s so much vanilla in this place now, it’s making me antsy.” Referring to the angels that now occupied our home-away-from-home.