Demon Cursed

by Sadie Hobbes

  “What? Oh, no. I mean, I would love to sit down with him and ask him some questions. I’m sure the answers would be fascinating. But, actually, I wanted to speak with you about the attack last night.”

  “Have you examined the sword?” I asked.

  Marcus nodded. “Only to confirm, as Donovan suspected, that the language engraved on the blade is Enochian. I don’t think the blade is the important factor, though.”

  I frowned. “But they were trying to get the blade, weren’t they?”

  Graham answered. “Marcus doesn’t think so. He has another theory as to why you were targeted.”

  I looked between the two of them. “Okay. Let’s hear it.”

  Marcus placed the book on the table. It was ancient with a peeling leather cover. Whatever the title had been had long worn off. The pages were thicker than normal pages and not uniform, as if they were made from different materials at different times. The book looked like it might have been drenched at one point in its history, the pages getting warped in the drying process.

  Marcus carefully opened the book. A few flakes of leather slipped off from the spine nevertheless. Marcus cringed but then simply sighed, accepting, it seemed, that any time he opened the book, he would destroy it a little bit. He turned to a page demarcated with a red silk cord. He turned the book around and pushed it toward me.

  Despite the worries of the last twenty-four hours, I had to admit I was curious. I leaned forward. The paper was a dark ivory with wavy stains of a slightly lighter ivory running through it. The entire page was covered in writing, but I couldn’t understand a word of it. “I can’t read that.”

  Marcus looked at the page and then frowned. “Oh, sorry. That’s the Enochian. Where did I put the translation? Hold on, hold on.” He flipped through another few pages and then pulled out a sheet of paper.

  The paper was not originally from the book. He slid the book back over, the translation now on top.

  This time there were only a few words on the paper. And these words were in English.

  The child of flame and the child of darkness will meet.

  The world will tremble in their wake.

  A shiver went up my spine as my gaze locked on the word flame. Noel had said flaming wings had appeared behind me last night. With everything going on, I’d barely even thought of that conversation.

  But now a feeling of dread settled over me.

  “I don’t understand.”

  Marcus sat back, crossing his hands over his chest. “I didn’t either, at first. This prophecy is very old. It’s been around for hundreds of years, long before the Angel War even began. These were the only two lines that had ever been translated. But everyone agrees it refers to the final battle. The battle between the forces of good and the forces of evil.”

  That sounded horrible but also unrelated to me. Before I could ask a question, though, Marcus continued.

  “During the war, the prophecy was well-known, but no events seemed to fit the words. But then I found this book. It’s why I was coming to speak with Graham. The book has the full prophecy.”

  “I’d never heard of it either,” Graham said. “According to Marcus, it hasn’t been taught in a long time. It was all the rage right after the first descendants of the angels came of age. But then nothing happened, and it fell away again.”

  A memory clicked into place. “Wait, that demon who attacked you. He was looking for this book wasn’t he?”

  Marcus nodded. “Yes.”

  “Why didn’t you just give it to him?” I asked.

  Marcus shook his head. “I didn’t have it then. I was looking for it too. But even I had it in my possession, I would not have given it to him. The stakes are too high.”

  “Higher than your life?” I asked.

  Marcus nodded. “Yes.”

  Graham cleared his throat. “We think that the demons you ran into and the ones that went to the apartment were looking for you specifically.”

  “Me?” I shook my head. “No, you mean the sword.”

  Marcus’s face alighted with excitement. “Your connection to the sword is fascinating. No one but a demon or a Celestial should be able to ignite a demon’s sword. Humans are unable to do it. But you can, and you can wield it as well.”

  “But … I mean, I’m the only human who’s tried. No one else has gotten a demon’s sword, right?”

  Marcus shook his head. “No. There have been a few demon swords that have been captured over time. Not many mind you. But there have been zero reports of those blades being engulfed in flame, at least when held by humans. People have been able to wield them, but they worked no differently than a normal sword. When you wield it, you can cut a demon in half. That means there’s something very different about you.”

  I sat back, flicking a glance at the door. Noel’s voice floated through my mind. You had wings. My skin felt like it was on fire. I didn’t like where this conversation was going.

  Marcus continued, seemingly unaware of my discomfort. “Graham told me that you have no memory of your life before two years ago. I think that’s because your life was not on this earth. I think you arrived here two years ago.”

  Okay, now we were heading into crazy town. “You think I’m only two years old?”

  Marcus gave a little chuckle. “No, no. But I think that prior to that time, you lived your life somewhere else. I think you lived your life with the angels on high.”

  I stared at him, not sure what to say. Now I wasn’t worried about being crazy. I was worried Marcus was crazy. I wasn’t angelic. I hadn’t spent my childhood and the entirety of my life with angelic beings. That was nuts … wasn’t it?

  “Look, all we know for sure is that you can wield the demon sword better than anyone else. We also know that they targeted you and your family,” Graham said.

  “But see, that’s why they were going for the sword, not me. Why else go to the apartment?”

  “Because they were trying to capture you,” Marcus said. “And if they were able to kidnap Noel and Micah, you would do anything to keep them safe. Even willingly turn yourself over to the demons.”

  There was truth in his words. But there was a larger problem. “Why not just kill me? I mean, if I’m supposed to be part of this prophecy? And besides, wouldn't I know if I was an angel?

  “We don't think you're an angel but the child of one. I believe you are the child of an archangel, possibly Michael himself,” Marcus said.

  Shock roared through me. “Michael? The top archangel?”

  Marcus nodded. “And as the child of flame, it makes the most sense that he would be your father.”

  I shook my head. “But that still doesn’t answer why they wouldn’t just kill me.”

  “Graham said the same thing. It’s possible that due to your ability to fight off the other demons that they were nervous about being able to take you down and were waiting for reinforcements.” Marcus paused. “But I think there might be another reason.”

  I swallowed, not liking the serious look on Marcus’s face.

  “I don’t believe the demons want you dead. Because I believe they want the prophecy to come true. They want to usher in an era of chaos. They want the final battle to happen. Because if the child of darkness wins, the doors to Hell open up. And demons will rule the earth.”

  Chapter 40

  Marcus went into a long, drawn-out explanation of how he came to his conclusions, but I barely heard him. All I could think about was why couldn't I remember anything from before I woke up on that beach. Was it possible I grew up on some other plane of existence? That seemed crazy.

  But then that one flash of memory came back: demons, lots of demons. Had they attacked me? Had I escaped, landing somehow on that beach?

  And if it was true, if I was the child of the prophesy, what did that mean for Noel, Micah and Torr? What kind of danger would they be in? What kind of danger would I be in?

  Thoughts, fears, and horrible possibilities raced around my head in circl
es, growing in intensity. How could I possibly keep them safe in the middle of this if Marcus was right?

  I stood up, cutting Marcus off in mid-sentence. “I need to get some air.”

  Without waiting for either of them to say anything, I hurried from the room and down the hall. I glanced in Torr’s room. The kids and Donovan were all still there. They were laughing and smiling over some story Donovan told. Even Torr was laughing. I didn’t want to darken their happiness, so I hurried past and down the stairs.

  I vaguely remembered the way out and ducked down a side hallway, seeing the door leading to the outside with the sun shining through the glass. I picked up my pace and was practically running by the time I hit the door and burst outside.

  I took off at a run, sprinting down the manicured lawn and into the trees. I ran for a good ten minutes, my mind spiraling in a thousand different directions at once. A child of an archangel. A prophecy of some final battle. The kids looking happy. The demon that I had beheaded. Images flowed through my mind too fast for me to catch, and I was too stunned by Marcus’s ideas to even try.

  Finally I slowed at the edge of a creek, staring at the water as it rippled over the rocks. Was it true? I wish I could deny it, but the truth was I didn’t know anything about my life before I woke up on that beach.

  At the same time, it seemed incredible. I was just me. How could I possibly be the child of an archangel? And what? I was supposed to be part of some final battle?

  I sank onto a tall rock and stared at the water, as if somehow the answers might reveal themselves. But the water babbled on, providing me with no information.

  I’m not sure how long I sat there. It seemed like a long time. My body was stiff when I finally stood.

  “There you are.”

  I turned as Graham stepped from the tree line. “I’d ask how you are, but I think I know the answer to that.”

  I shook my head, looking away from him, not wanting to meet his gaze. “I don’t know how to process any of this. I mean, it just seems too far-fetched.”

  “As far-fetched as your ability to fight demons with a strength that rivals theirs?”

  I struggled to accept it, but he was right. What other explanation was there for my abilities?

  “I also wanted to let you know that I told the Uriels you wouldn’t be in for a few days.”

  I stepped back, fear rushing through me. I hadn't even thought about my job. “No. I can’t. I’ll lose my job.”

  “It’s okay. I told them it was a favor to me to allow it. Now I owe them. They will call on it. But I’m still hoping you will take me up on my offer and become a full-fledged member of the Seraph Force.”

  I opened my mouth to answer. But he hurried on before I could speak. “Hear me out. You can patrol only over in Forks. Every night if you want. I’d just ask you to help train some of the newer recruits. And some of the not so new. I think they could really learn something from you.”

  “Graham.”

  “I’m not asking you to decide now. You have enough on your plate. You have time. Wait until your family is healed and then talk it over with them. That’s all I ask.”

  I stared up at him. It was a more than fair request. And work was the smallest issue I needed to deal with now. With Micah and Torr still healing and the demons after me, the Uriels were just not a priority.

  Oh God. Were they really after me? Had I brought all this pain to my kids? I turned around, emotions clawing up my throat. My words were barely above a whisper. “What does this all mean? What am I supposed to do?”

  Graham walked toward me and slipped his arms around me. I hesitated for a moment, worried that I was opening a door that should stay closed. My life was complicated enough as it was. But he felt so warm and it felt so right to be in his arms. I leaned back, letting myself have this one small moment.

  “Nothing. You don’t have to do anything. I don’t know if what Marcus said is true. Right now all you need to do is help your family heal.”

  “And how am I supposed to do that? How can I protect them twenty-four seven?”

  “You’ll stay with me, and we’ll figure this out.”

  “Even Torr?”

  I felt Graham stiffen behind me before he relaxed again. “There is something very different about him. I will have a member of the Seraph Force in the house at all times, but he’s not a prisoner exactly.”

  I knew I couldn’t ask for more than that. I’d had nearly two years to get to know Torr. I couldn’t expect people who’d only known demons one way to suddenly accept that they could be something entirely different.

  “And if I am part of this prophecy? If I am supposed to face the child of darkness?”

  Graham gently turned me around, his hands now on my shoulders as he looked directly into my eyes. “You’ll face him or her. But you won’t face them alone.”

  I stared into his eyes and read the promise there. I let my arms slip around his waist leaning my head against his chest as he wrapped his arms around me again. And for just this moment, my mind stopped spinning. The full weight of responsibility wasn’t on my shoulders alone. I leaned into Graham and just let myself feel safe.

  Chapter 41

  Despite my worry over the prophesy and Marcus’s beliefs, after two days in Graham’s home, I was going stir crazy, along with everyone else. Our apartment might’ve been small, but it was ours, so there was a sense of comfort at being stuck inside. Here, everything was new, luxurious, and not ours.

  Torr had even gotten so bored he agreed to answer some of Marcus’s questions yesterday. Marcus looked like a kid on Christmas morning when he showed up in Torr’s room with pen and paper. I hovered nearby as Marcus began to question him. But I had nothing to worry about. Marcus asked him about his own abilities and skills and didn’t push when Torr said he didn’t want to answer something.

  Then in the morning, the skies opened up. Rain slashed against the window, making us all even more desperate to get outside these four walls.

  Graham stepped into the room and glanced around. Noel lay on the floor reading a book. Micah lay face down on the end of the bed, hanging half off of it. Torr lay on the bed, throwing a ball up and down, up and down. Tess stood over by the window, looking out. She glanced at Graham and then back out the window.

  “Well, you all look bored,” he said.

  Noel shut the book, sitting up. “Desperately.”

  I smiled. “We’re all getting a little antsy.”

  Graham’s mouth quirked to the side, his eyes narrowing. “You know, I do have a training area. Maybe you’d all like to—”

  “Yes, that would be great,” I said.

  Tess turned from her position at the window with a grin. “I’m game.”

  Graham’s smiled dimmed when he looked at Torr. “I don’t know if …”

  Torr nodded. “I understand.”

  But I could tell from the look on Torr’s face that he was as desperate to get out as the rest of us were. “I don’t have to go. I could just—”

  Torr shook his head. “No, Addie. Go. You need to burn off some energy. You can work on that thing we’ve been talking about.” Torr’s eyes bored into me.

  As a family, we’d discussed my wings. They’d all seen them when the demons had attacked in the apartment. I’d tried on and off to get them to appear, but I honestly had no idea what I was doing. But maybe in some sort of training scenario I might be able to figure it out.

  All three of them thought that it was important for me to know how they worked so that I could call on them when I needed to. I agreed, but I really had no idea how to do it and therefore no real chance to work on it.

  Micah leaned over and whispered into Torr’s ear. Torr shook his head before finally nodding.

  “Are you ready now?” Graham said.

  Noel jumped to her feet. “Yep.”

  “Then let’s go.”

  Before we left the room, Micah had stopped at the door, holding it open to tie his shoe. Torr, cloaked in
invisibility, slipped through. And at every doorway that we went through, either Micah or Noel came up with some sort of excuse to pause for a moment longer than necessary to allow Torr to slip through.

  I knew that he should be staying back in his room. It wasn’t safe for him to be out. But at the same time, I was beyond thrilled that the three of them were working together. They had become a unit, just like Torr had always wanted.

  It took us ten minutes to walk to the training facility. It was actually a separate building connected to the main house by an overhang that provided cover from the elements.

  Graham threw open the glass doors to the building. I stepped in, my mouth falling open. It was a massive gymnasium. The training “room” could have easily housed thirty of my apartments. The ceiling was three stories high. Mats were laid out in the back half of the room. Weapons lined the wall. There was even an obstacle course laid out on the right-hand side of the area with ropes, high walls, and swinging obstacles that an individual would have to cross to reach the finish line. I smiled, my excitement growing.

  Graham glanced over at me. “Good?”

  I grinned back at him. “Very good.”

  Throughout the next week, the kids, Torr, and I spent at least a few hours in the training building. Torr and Micah had to take it slowly because they were still healing but Noel and I finished each training session as a sweaty, exhausted, happy mess. During that time, Tess, Laura, Donovan, and Graham all trained with us. And I realized that Graham had unintentionally gotten his way: I was training with the Seraph Force.

  I even sparred with Graham a few times. He was amazing. Fast, strong, he knew what he was doing. And each time, I felt a special little thrill at being closer to him. Yesterday he’d offered to show me some takedowns. He stepped behind me and wrapped his arms around me.

  “What do you do now?” he asked, his lips right next to my ear.

  I shivered, not a single fighting technique coming to mind. Because to be honest, I didn’t want to do anything. I wanted to stay right in that moment and not move. Or maybe move, but just not to defend myself.