by Maya Daniels
“I really thought you’d kill me before I got a chance to explain why I followed you.” Chuckling uneasily, he wipes his forehead and upper lip with the back of his hand. “I can honestly say I haven’t been this scared in my life.”
“Good.” His head snaps up at my words. Waving my hand to put him at ease, I shrug my shoulder. “If you are not scared of me, you have no self-preservation. Hunter or not, you’re still human. Fighting rogues is one thing. Facing something like me is an entirely different story.”
“So, it’s true then? You really are—” he cuts himself off abruptly, pressing his lips in a thin line to physically stop himself from speaking.
“A demon?” Cocking my head to the side, I smirk at him.
“The Prince of Hell.” Gulping, thinking I can’t hear him, he mumbles, “God help me.”
Throwing my head back, I laugh from the bottom of my being. Slapping my hand on my thigh, wiping tears from my eyes, I can’t help but walk up to him. He flinches but doesn’t pull away when I grab his shoulder, turning him around to walk towards the SUV. Dragging his feet only slightly, he follows, his body rigid.
“I think I might like you, Jared.” His reaction to my statement is more violent than when I was advancing on him to separate his head from his body. He stumbles and twitches, like I’ve punched him.
“Tha…” he squeaks before clearing his throat. “Thank you.”
“Me liking you might not be a good thing.” I bare my teeth at him. “It all depends on what Helena says. I can like you and still think of many creative ways to end your miserable life. You better start praying to your God that you’re not plotting against my mate.”
“I would never hurt Hel. I would be dead many times over if not for her having my back. I don’t care if I die, as long as I can help her and repay some of it.” For the first time, he looks unafraid, squaring his shoulders.
Slapping him on the back, making him stumble a couple of steps, I open the passenger door. “Get your ass inside. You might live a lot longer than you hoped for if that is the case.”
Leaving him gaping at me, I jog around the vehicle. I should’ve known the Order would not stay out of this. For all their righteousness, there are some greedy fuckers for power, even in those waving the cross in the faces of the rest of us. I just hope Helena takes the unfortunate news well.
Helena
The unsettling feeling after Eric left so suddenly slowly fades away, and I realize that I’m grateful that he left. I need some time away from everyone so I can think. Closing the bedroom door softly behind me, I kick my boots off one by one. I’m going to use the tub that resembles a small pool for the first time. Nothing can calm your mind like water. Placing my guns gently on the tallboy, I stare at them for a moment. Ever since I held them in my hands, they felt like a part of me. After being away for two weeks, they feel foreign and strange. Like the bond I had with them is broken. Or maybe I’m the one broken. Whatever it is, all I can do is trace every line on the metal with detachment.
Lifting a hand, my fingers trace the barrel with a featherlight touch. The calmness I always felt when my skin would glide over them is not there. Have I really changed that much? More importantly, did Raphael change me that much with whatever he did? Just like everything in my life nowadays, I have too many questions and not enough answers. Blowing out a slow breath, I turn away from my guns and drop my clothing whichever way it falls on my way to the bathroom.
Passing the mirror makes me stop and slowly turn to look at my reflection, naked as the day I was born. The dark circles under my eyes are almost gone, and my skin is looking healthy. Glancing down, I twist my arms this way and that, frowning in confusion. The bruises that felt like permanent markings for almost two weeks are gone. Clear, smooth skin meets my gaze in the mirror. Did Eric heal them? I sure couldn’t, because they would’ve been gone before I got out of that place if that was the case. Another question without an answer.
I push that to the back of my mind, along with everything else I can’t figure out. Lo and behold, the queen of suppressing emotions. Turning my focus to the flat surface of the water, I lower my body in it. Warmth envelops me, instantly making all the tension slowly fade away. With a deep sigh, I lean my back against the warm tiles, tilting my head back and closing my eyes. The quiet around me is a welcomed companion. After being alone for most of the time I was kept locked up, I thought I’d never want to be alone again if I ever got out of there. I was wrong. There is wisdom in silence, I just never knew to appreciate it until now. With my body feeling lighter and the water carrying my weight like an embrace, I gradually drift away. I don’t fight it. Thoughts of my real parents try to push to the forefront of my mind, but I fight against it tooth and nail. Anything is better than overthinking at the moment.
Something jerks me out of my light sleep. I wasn’t really sleeping, more like a meditative state where you drift off, yet you’re aware of every sound and shift around you. Not opening my eyes, I stay still, straining my ears to hear whatever it is that brought me back to reality. That’s when I realize it isn’t a sound that woke me up.
It is a presence.
The energy that radiates in the bathroom pebbles my skin with its power. How I’ve never noticed this until this very moment is beyond me. The intensity, the pull I feel at the center of my chest, the way my heartbeat instantly syncs in with his. If I could’ve denied my bond with Eric until this very moment, it all goes down the drain right now. There is no mistaking that my soul is connected with his. But, is it by fate, or by our own making?
I feel the stirring of the air, although he is as silent as a ghost on his feet. The closer he gets to me, the stronger my reaction is to him, like my body is trying to scream at me for daring to ignore him and not acknowledging his presence. Even with my eyes closed, I can feel his gaze marking every line, dip, and curve of my body. His intent focus is like a physical touch making my breathing speed up.
“I wasn’t sure if you heard me come in.” His words are soft, the deep timbre of his voice making me shiver.
My lips curve into a smile when I turn my face towards the sound of his voice, still not opening my eyes. “I didn’t.” For whatever reason, my answer is just as soft, as if we don’t want to disturb the silence. “I felt you, however.”
“Is this one of the new developments?” Eric sounds hesitant, making me finally look at him.
He is leaning against the wall, his arms folded over his chest and one leg crossed over the other at the ankles. One foot is resting on the tip of his shitkickers while his gaze is focused on my face. My smile grows at how careful he is to not let his eyes wander, thinking it will upset me at the moment. For all the noise he likes to make and his bad boy attitude, demon boy is very considerate. Almost sweet, but I wouldn’t dare tell him that. After the scare I gave him when Michael snatched me, I’m not sure he would appreciate me taking a jab at his tough, macho ego.
“Maybe…I’m not sure.” Barely moving, I shrug a shoulder.
“Why do I feel like I’m not going to like whatever it is that made that smile grow?” Slightly narrowing his eyes, he mockingly glares at me.
“Wouldn’t you like to know.” Laughing, I wiggle my eyebrows at him.
He peels off the wall, coming to crouch next to my head. “I love it when you laugh, Hel.” His warm lips press on my forehead, and my eyelids flutter shut at the contact.
“Yeah, I haven’t done much of that lately.” Mumbling, I savor the moment.
“If it’s up to me, that is all you’ll be doing.” Pulling away, he searches my eyes.
A lump forms in my throat, and I have to swallow a couple of times to dislodge it. “You’ll think I’m a lunatic if I walk around laughing twenty-four/seven, Eric.”
“Better you be a lunatic than to watch you sad. When I see that dull look in your eyes, it kills something inside me. It makes me want to kill everything around me to never see it there.”
“I’ll be fine, I promise. I just need time.” Liftin
g a hand out of the water, I cup his face, and he doesn’t even flinch at the rivulets running down his skin. “It wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been. You need to know that.” At his incredulous look, I make sure he sees that I’m not saying things to only make him feel better. “I mean it. Did he hurt me? Yes, many times. But”—Raising my voice stops the menacing growl coming from his chest— “that was only because I was fighting him, not letting him draw blood. He always ended up with a few vials but never without paying for it one way or another. I need you to know I gave as much as I got. Unfortunately, he is stronger than me. But I made him bleed, many times.”
“That’s my girl!” Forcing a smile for my sake, he nuzzles my hand. “Did Raphael tell you anything useful while I was gone?”
“Apart from telling me I’m something ‘other’ you mean?” Chuckling at Eric’s glower, I shake my head. “No, I left him with Maddison because I started shaking the building again. I needed to calm down. I’m sure he will spill the beans. He just needs a nudge. Let me get dressed and we can press him on it.”
“That might need to wait a bit.” Helping me get out of the pool, Eric wraps me in a towel, pulling me into his arms.
“What do you mean? Did you find out something?” His face is closed off, not letting me know anything.
“I hope you won’t get more upset, but I brought a friend of yours back with me.”
“What? Who is it?” Pushing out of his arms, I hurry to get dressed.
“He said his name is Jared.” My gasp makes Eric nod as if I gave him the confirmation he is searching for. “He was scared shitless of me, but I recognized that same pride you have for your team. Every time he mentioned the rest of his team, he looked a lot less like a little mouse.” Chuckling, he twists around, escaping my punch. “I’m joking, Hel. I just want to break the tension...” Snatching me by the arm, he pulls me to him. “I want you to smile now because I’m pretty sure we won’t like whatever it is that he wants to tell us.”
Eric
Walking behind Helena, we enter the living room where Maddison and Raphael are sitting with Jared. I can tell by the way Maddison is sitting on the edge of the sofa that she is forcing herself to engage in small talk, waiting for all of us to be present before hearing what made the hunter seek me out. I was impatient as well on our drive here, wanting to know it all, yet dreading it as well. Humans are capable of unspeakable things in the name of their belief. They have twisted their faith in their maker, believing they are doing the right thing by shunning the sinners, not noticing the shadow slowly creeping up their soul until it’s too late. They learn the lesson the hard way when faced with my father. But that’s a mess I’ll leave it to ponder another day.
When Jared sees Helena, whatever he is saying is forgotten. Jumping up from where he is seated, he darts forward and throws his arms around her. Stopping in my tracks, I watch him closely, noticing there is nothing possessive or sexual in his movements. The way he is checking her over, holding her at arm’s length, speaks more of family, rather than a love interest. Seeing this makes me relax my body, my coiled muscles unclenching.
“Thank God you are okay, Hel,” Jared breathes, tears shimmering in his eyes. “I had to see you for myself to be sure.” Glancing my way, hoping I won’t notice, he flinches when he sees me watching him. “Not that I doubted that he would get you out of there.” Tilting his chin in my direction, he makes Helena look at me over her shoulder, smiling. “I just needed to see you for my own piece of mind.”
“Thanks, Jared.” Squeezing his arm reassuringly, Helena blows out a long breath. “As much as I would love for us to sit and talk about what happened, that’s all in the past, and it can wait. We have pressing matters at the moment. I’m perfectly fine, but I’m not sure the same goes for Hector. Eric said you have information for us.”
“We, George, Cass, and I, have been lurking around the Sanctuary ever since you left that night. Things have changed. A lot. I’m not even sure that words can explain the extent of it. We’ve been feeling like we are living in a twilight zone.”
Helena frowns, her fingers twitching like she is missing the weight of her guns at hearing those words. That’s when I notice that she doesn’t have her weapons on her. Glancing at Maddison, I see her following my line of sight before her eyes jerk back up to my face. Her eyebrows climb up her forehead when she finally understands my confusion, but I shake my head slightly, making sure she understands to keep her mouth shut. There is time to worry about things like that later. We have more significant problems now, as Helena said earlier.
“Changed how? And why aren’t the others with you?” Helena is sitting close to Jared as he talks, but she turns towards me and motions me to sit next to her. Smiling like an idiot, I comply straight away. She has me wrapped around her little finger, and the funny thing is, it doesn’t bother me at all.
Maddison smirks.
“We’re being watched, Hel. I’m sure they expect us to lead you right into their hands. So, we started getting creative, deceiving them into thinking we are inside the Sanctuary while sneaking around. Unfortunately, one or two of us have to be physically seen most of the time so they don’t get suspicious.”
“You keep saying ‘they.’ Who are ‘they?’ Everything you’ve said so far sounds so ominous, but we are talking about the Sanctuary.” Helena rests her hand on my thigh, not looking my way. It doesn’t go unnoticed by Jared, his eyes flicking to her hand for a second. It doesn’t go unnoticed by Raphael either. The fucker is frowning, making me bare my teeth at him.
“The patrons, Hel. They are locked up in the library day and night, and hunters keep going missing by the dozen. What’s worse is that there haven’t been any hunts set up or any information on demon nests.” Glancing uneasily at me, Jared clears his throat.
“Tell her everything and tell her the truth. Don’t worry about insulting me. You won’t. We need to know what’s going on.” Hoping I’ll put him at ease, I try smiling reassuringly. That only makes him stiffen and ready to bolt. I frown at his reaction.
“Don’t mind Eric. He is harmless.” Helena waves a hand in Jared’s face. Raphael’s eyes almost roll out of his head, and I bite my lip, tasting blood, just so I don’t laugh. Madison chokes at those words but covers it with a cough. “Why would the patrons harm any of us? Well, anyone apart from me, since I’m an abomination, or whatever. That doesn’t make any sense.”
“The reason I came searching for Eric was that we overheard a conversation between Samuel and Adam. They talked about using Hector to get their hands on you, saying that you are a foolish, sentimental girl that will give your life for someone like him. Someone who turned their back on an Archangel to protect a creature that needed to be put down for the sake of humanity. Devil spawn is what they call you.” Jared looks ready to cry at that, but Helena listens without any emotion showing on her face.
“What about Solomon?” I can tell she’s trying to piece things together while remaining as calm as possible, struggling not to react but to look at things objectively. Her hand flexing on my leg would’ve clued me in, as well.
Jared shakes his head, his hair flopping over his eyes. “Solomon seldom leaves the library. I’m not joking, something is going on there, but we’ve had no luck figuring it out so far. We were busy trying to find you. They got to you before we did. With the wards around this apartment, I had to wait for Eric to leave so I could follow him in hopes he would let me see you. We couldn’t get past the elevator in this place. We tried.”
“Looking for me?” Jerking back, she looks from Jared, to me, then to Raphael. “You got them involved, and in danger?” Rounding on me, she takes me by surprise.
“He didn’t know, Hel.” Jared pulls her attention to him.
Good thing, too, because her hand relaxes on my thigh, and I can stop grinding my teeth. I fully expected my bone to snap. After Jared is done talking, I’ll make sure Raphael sings like a canary. This is definitely not merely divine power. Raphael himself ca
n’t make me want to yelp in pain like she just did.
“Never mind.” Huffing in frustration, she prompts him to keep talking, motioning with her hand. “What else did they say about Hector?”
“George was much closer to them. He told Cass and me that, apparently, they are planning to send you a gift to make you willing to listen to them. He didn’t know what they planned, just that it’ll have something to do with Hector. But, none of us have seen Hector in a while, so I’m not sure how they can use him against you when he is not even around.”
Helena looks at me, so many emotions playing one after another in her eyes until they settle on rage. Her green eyes burn with anger to seek justice for her father. I have every intention of helping her with that. The starting tremors of the building as a result of her rage are barely felt when she catches herself and concentrates on controlling her breathing.
“What else did they say?” Her voice is even, but she pushes the words through clenched teeth, not moving her eyes away from me.
“Um…nothing else important. Apart from some nonsense about angels being weak and not what they used to be. I’m not even sure that’s what they said. George was pretty angry, so he might have heard wrong.”
“Yeah.” Helena drags the word out drily. “He must’ve heard wrong.”
Turning away from me, Helena turns to Maddison first. Some unspoken conversations that none of the male kind will ever understand passes between the two women. Then she looks at Raphael. The Archangel nods, a slight tilt of his chin, acknowledging that he is ready for whatever she needs from him.
“Are you okay, Hel.” Jared reaches his hand towards her hesitantly, but thinks better of it, letting it drop between them on the sofa.
“Oh, I’m just peachy. And I think it’s playtime.” Her eyes glitter with excitement making my lips lift at the corners.
“Playtime it is then, cupcake.” Winking, I get to my feet.