by Brenda Trim
“I think there will be another attempt there. From what Lia said Lucifer seemed as if he was crossing over before being sucked back to Hell. I think that progress excited them and are now going to try again,” Dante interjected.
“We can’t let that happen,” Lia blurted. “They killed a dozen people to power their spell. And, made several more their skirm.”
“They had female skirm,” Araton said, cutting her off from saying anymore.
“That’s never happened before. Skirm are always males. We must be on guard. Seems like Lucifer has taught demons something new,” Zander added as he ran his hand over his chin.
“I have already checked the Mystik Grimoire and found nothing. Although there is a passage that talked about using supernatural energy for Dark spells. I’m guessing that’s what they are doing, or planning on doing,” Evzen explained. She had no idea what he was talking about. A grimoire was a book, so she’d say they had something that held their information.
Natalia noticed Araton pull his cell phone from his back pocket. Turning she watched as he read the screen. She wasn’t surprised when he interrupted the conversation a second later.
“The house shows no signs of having been cleansed with angelic power. I need to head over there and help my brothers.”
It became obvious which of the men were the top dogs in this group. They all shared a look. The slender male that talked about the grimoire looked at the much larger guy with brown hair. His eyes reminded her of a panther. Odd, but stunning. Their gaze shifted to Zander then Dante.
Zander was the one that spoke up. “I know I don’t have to tell you that we can’t allow the demons access to the home again. Suvi is fairly certain their spell will hold, but all magic can be broken eventually.”
“That’s the last fucking thing we need,” Araton cursed and headed out of the room.
Lia glanced around then lifted her hand. “I’m going to make sure he doesn’t destroy the place. I have no doubt I will talk to you all again.” As she raced down the hall after the angel, she thought about how crazy her life had become.
Araton landed in the middle of the street, noticing there were more humans out and about during the day than there had been the night before. He left his body wrapped in invisibility and headed to the front door. He walked through the door and stopped short at the sight of Natalia standing there with Abraxos.
“What the fuck are you doing here?”
Hands on her hips, she narrowed her eyes. “Same thing as you. Helping.”
Araton took several steps toward her so they were standing toe to toe. Her breath was a sweet heat against his skin. “And what do you think you are going to do? You’re human and have no power against demonic entities.”
“I might not have a sword that burns them, but I can cut a bitch and slow them down enough for you to take them out. Besides the more positive energy in a place the better,” she asserted.
He watched her for several tense seconds then nodded his head. Turning to his brothers, he saw Ramiel and Gloria were with Ayil in the main parlor where the sacrifices had been made.
“What are they doing?” Lia’s melodic voice drew his gaze back to her. Unable to resist touching her, Araton grabbed her arm and lead her to the room.
“They are drawing the evil energy from the earth and house. Ramiel is an Angel of Retribution and Izzy’s Guardian Angel and Gloria is an Earth Angel. Together with Ayil they will be able to infuse Light power throughout the area,” he explained.
Araton joined Abraxos, leaving Lia at the entrance. Removing the dagger, he had stuck in one of his boots, Araton sliced his finger and bent to draw Angelic runes on the floor where the pentagram had once been.
The best way to remove the Dark stain from the house would be persistent cleansing of the air through blood and magic. Same way it was tainted. His body recoiled when he first touched the floor.
Gritting his teeth, he fought the worms crawling through his veins. His movements slowed and bile rose like the tide in his throat. When his mouth filled with saliva, he had to take a break to catch his breath.
A hand on his shoulder made him look up. Lia stood there with a glass of water. “Thank you,” he croaked and took a gulp then coughed as the liquid burned its way down his throat.
“Looked like you could use a pick me up,” she said with a smile.
“That did the trick,” he told her as he noticed the tide of bile wasn’t pressing quite so strongly against the back of his throat. Taking another drink, this time a smaller one, he set the glass aside and went back to work.
Murmurs filled the room, and he concentrated on pushing Light out of his pores and into the structure of the house. He met resistance and closed his eyes, putting more force into his push.
A scream startled him from his task. He jumped to his feet with his eyes open at the same time the other angels moved. For several seconds Araton couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
Shock wore off and he jumped toward Lia. Shadows were peeling from the walls and rushing into her chest. She’d grabbed the dagger he dropped and was swinging it, but it did her no good.
Every time dark energy entered her, she screamed and jerked. Araton wrapped his wings around her and did something he hadn’t done for longer than he could recall. He prayed to God asking for Him to protect Natalia. It wasn’t that God didn’t listen to him. He was busy fighting demons and rarely had a reason to ask for His help.
She stiffened in his hold and he grabbed her tighter then looked at his brothers. “What do I do?” The shadows continued to pour into Natalia’s body. Every flinch drove a knife through his heart. He stood there helpless in every way that mattered at that moment.
Ramiel and Gloria slapped blood palm prints on the walls where the shadows escaped from. It slowed them before making them stop. Araton knelt and lowered Lia to the ground. She’d gone lax in his arms.
He brushed her hair from her forehead, noting how the locks were once again tangled. He was relieved to see no blood when he scanned her from head to toe. Her eyes were closed but they seemed to have sunken into their sockets. Her skin was pale, and her pulse was slower than Araton liked.
“Is she going to wake possessed?” Ayil asked.
“There’s no demon inside her,” Araton insisted. “But she is full of evil energy. And we will do whatever it takes to remove any Dark magic from her system.”
Abraxos and Ramiel shared a look. “She might be beyond our help,” Ramiel said as he watched Natalia.
“She isn’t beyond help. She has a warrior’s soul. She will fight being taken over, but we need to help her. Question is where do we get that help?”
“We’re in New Orleans. There’s always Marie Leveau,” Ramiel suggested.
“That’s an option, but I think we need to consult Camael first,” Ayil replied.
“We will take her back to Les Augres for the Dark Warriors to watch over while we seek an audience with Camael then,” Araton said then bent and picked Lia up. He held her close as he walked out the front door.
The world seemed far darker without her vibrant energy filling it. From the moment he met her last night she brightened everything around her. Including him. She inspired thoughts and feelings he had given up on long ago when the world was young. This beautiful female had to be okay. He wouldn’t accept anything less.
Chapter 8
Izzy hugged her mom as she waited for fear to keep her at Zeum. Even in Khoth she stayed close to the castle most of the time. And then that fateful day happened that ruined her life. Shaking her head, she pushed aside the negative thoughts. This was about more than trying to escape nightmares that refused to let her go.
“We’re ready for you guys to cross over,” Gerrick announced as he held his staff in the air with Jace while they held open the Aurora Borealis colored portal.
“Zander,” Dante called out and clapped dad’s hand. “Izzy. It’s so good to see you. Goddess I can’t get over how big you have gotten.”
“Are you sure it’s safe for you to be here?” Dante asked.
Zander ran a hand through his shoulder length black hair. “Her energy has changed. This is a test of sorts. She insisted and is as stubborn as her mother. I want to test matters when I am close to protect her.”
Tears threatened and made her eyes blur for a second before she cut them off. Now was not the time to lose it. Her dad would never let her leave the house again. And, she needed to test her theory that the Goddess abandoned her.
When Troy attacked her, she tried to reach the Goddess or Ramiel and tried to use her powers, but nothing happened. Ramiel felt horrible about not being there for her when she needed him. He said he never heard her calling.
She believed him. Rami proved that he would risk his life to rescue her when he went to the Underworld and saved her. There was no way he would ignore her pleas for help when helping her wouldn’t pose any risk to his safety.
Dante’s laugh drew her back to the moment, and Izzy made her lips twitch. Normally, she would have laughed with him and teased her father. Keeping with who she used to be, so she avoided the odd looks and the questions, Izzy said, “It’s not just mom who is stubborn. You make her look like a pushover, dad. And, Illianna’s brothers already told you they can’t sense the Goddess’s energy like they did before. Rami confirmed that.”
“She’s not wrong about that, Liege,” Tristan agreed from his position behind them. Her dad found Tristan during a battle on a cruise ship a while back after he witnessed demons attacking and killing people on vacation including some of his family.
Tristan used to be far older than Izzy. She recalled him teasing her and giving her piggyback rides before she left for Khoth. She returned an entirely different stripling than when she left. Now she was close in age to her friend and far more haunted than he was.
Her dad shot the young wizard a glare and wrapped an arm around her waist then kissed the top of her head. He never showed anyone except her, her mom, and her brother a softer side of himself. With everyone else he was harsh and unbending. Of course, as the Vampire King he had to be that way.
Before her time on Khoth she hadn’t understood much. Not only because she’d been a small stripling then either. For as long as she could remember she felt power in her body. In fact, it fizzed and bubbled happily in her veins until Troy had attacked her.
“What’s wrong with her?” Izzy blurted when the sight of a female sleeping on the couch caught her attention.
“Shadows flew into her body when the angels were trying to remove demonic energy from the house,” Dante explained. “Araton brought her here for safe keeping and supervision while he went to Camael to ask for advice and next steps.”
Izzy walked over to the cop and sat on the coffee table. Cocking her head, she tried to get a sense of what was going on with this woman. Kinda like her power, she’d always been able to sense evil energy. At least she thought she had been able to. She’d missed it big time with Troy.
“I don’t feel anything malicious inside her. Was it demons that possessed her?” Izzy clarified.
“I got the sense that they didn’t think it was a possession. That takes blood sacrifice and they were removing the dark energy from the house. Natalia insisted on being present. She reminds me a bit of Mack,” Dante said with a smile. “Araton was annoyed by Lia, but secretly the angel is falling for the human.”
Natalia blinked her eyes open and gasped then sat up and scooted back on the couch. “Where am I?” She asked while scanning the room. “Never mind. You’re here in person. What the hell happened? What were those shadow monsters?”
Zander walked up behind her but remained standing. “That is what we would like to know. How do you feel?” Her dad demanded. If you didn’t know him and the tone of his voice you would think he was issuing orders.
“My chest and head are killing me. It feels like the one time I had pneumonia,” Natalia replied and shivered then glanced around the room.
Figuring the woman was cold, Izzy looked up at Slate who was standing closest to the doorway. “Can you get her a blanket?”
“Sure thing. Can I get anyone anything else?” Slate asked.
“Some coffee,” Dante requested as he took a seat in one of the armchairs in the room.
“I’ll take some coffee as long as you have chicory,” Lia added.
A true smile bloomed cross Izzy’s face. She recalled the type of caffeinated beverage her aunt Mack brought over to Nate on Khoth. She hadn’t recalled that it originated in New Orleans until that moment. She missed her friends on Khoth and her favorite haunts, as well.
“Is there any other kind?” Slate countered before chuckling and heading out the door.
Her dad ran his hand through his shoulder length black hair and sat on the love seat not far from the sofa. “It’s almost nightfall. Before we head out to patrol, is there anything else you can share about what’s happened in your city?”
Natalia rubbed her chest and shook her head. “Things have been off for weeks now with the virus running rampant throughout the world. Crime hasn’t really gone down much despite a majority of the population staying at home. I’m inclined to take a guess that’s thanks to the demons and their skirm. Until the other night I had no idea supernaturals were real. I mean I always believed they were out there, but I never had confirmation, so I wasn’t searching for clues that might hint at supernatural causes. Not that I would know what to look for.”
Slate returned with a blanket over one shoulder and a tray with a carafe of coffee, cups, sugar and milk. “Evil comes in many forms. It’s not always as easy as saying look for the horns. Sometimes they come with a handsome smile and good looks. What I will say is you should never ignore your gut. Even if what it’s saying seems like you’re overreacting.”
“I’ve seen enough in my career to know you are too right. I’ve never ignored any kind of warning. I knew something wasn’t right at the LaLaurie Mansion, and I told my partner, but I didn’t insist on waiting for back-up. Now he’s dead,” Natalia explained as she sat forward. “I’m going on patrol with you guys.”
“Of course, you are,” Dante said with a smile. “I’m going to let your angel know so he doesn’t worry about you.”
“He’s not my angel,” Lia insisted, but Izzy sensed the woman was falling for Araton as much as she suspected the Warrior Angel was for her. “Can he get calls in Heaven?”
Dante shrugged his shoulders. “No idea. I text or call when I need to and somehow, they usually show up when we need them.”
Izzy’s dad sat forward and leaned his elbows on his knees. “From what Illianna and her brothers said they don’t get calls per se, but they hear when individuals they are connected to need them. But many angels have homes on Earth and spend a good amount of time here. Their jobs require them to be here anyway, so it makes reporting to a scene faster.”
Lia sipped her coffee and they discussed areas to focus their patrols on for another half hour before it got dark. Izzy was on edge as she waited to leave the house. Les Augres wasn’t as protected as Zeum and she had honestly expected the demons to make an attempt before now.
She’d been there at least an hour. The fact that they hadn’t made her feel free for the first time ever as well as horrified that she was no longer a being worthy of the Goddess.
She’d always wanted to be with her friends and family without placing them at risk of an attack. Before going to Khoth she never really missed going out to the park or for ice cream. Once she had the freedom to explore more, she realized how much she missed in the Tehrex Realm.
Now, as she stood to head into th
e streets to patrol for the first time since returning home, Izzy wondered if she was making a mistake. She was numb inside. Unsure if she wanted to know the Goddess had left her or not. If Izzy was worthwhile, she would still have the Goddess with her.
She needed to know the risk she posed to those around her. Especially her little brother. Cian was a beautiful baby. Resolve settled in her gut like a stone. She would go on. Reclaim her life. When Donovan’s grim face popped into her head, she stalked out the door ready to kill something.
Dante watched the shadows, aware Zander and Izzy were out with them. He wasn’t exactly comfortable having the living embodiment of the Goddess Morrigan walking the streets with them. If the demons managed to get a hold of her, they could use her to free Lucifer.
The only reason he hadn’t objected more strenuously was because Izzy had indeed felt different. From the moment she was born, he’d been drawn to her by the Light that shone from inside the little girl. Now, she wasn’t so little anymore. And the Light was gone. Or muted. He couldn’t really tell.
Ever since he’d seen her in person after she returned from Khoth she was different. Yes, she’d matured and was easily eighteen years old. But, she had yet to transition. The time when stripling passed from childhood into their full powers.
Initially, he thought she had transitioned, but he realized she didn’t move with the sensual grace of adult females. Or radiate sexual maturity. Not that he thought about Izzy that way, he reminded himself when his gut twisted in a knot. That was how his mind worked.
“I love the old buildings and architecture in the Quarter,” Izzy said as they headed past Jackson Square and deeper into the area.
“Many of these buildings were built when I first arrived in this country. For this area that’s extremely old,” Zander told his daughter. Dante often forgot that not everyone had been around so long there were few things they thought of that way.