by Liz Schulte
Something heavy crashed into the warehouse, the sound echoing through the metal enclosure and down my spine. I transformed to smoke faster than ever before and was at the door in an instant. I pulled my knife and opened it. Baker was limp on the ground, his head a bloody mess, surrounded by six trolls. A person I couldn’t quite see stood behind them.
“She’s in the building,” the obscured man said. “Find a way in. I’ll take care of the shifter.”
I traded my knife for a gun. It wouldn’t do much damage to a troll, but neither would the blade, and at least the gun let me keep out of arm’s reach. I aimed at the softest location on the troll closest to me, its throat, and pulled the trigger. Its beefy greenish-black skinned hands shot to its neck futilely. Black seeped from the wound like tar. One by one each troll turned to me. I probably should have been scared. I should have gotten the angel to back me up, but I didn’t want that. I had this. All the anger I felt, everything I held in, funneled to the top of my brain. They were mine.
I cracked my neck and widened my stance, then beckoned them forward. The troll I shot charged. When it was too close to stop itself, I transported behind it, pressed the nose of my gun against its side, and pulled the trigger three times in quick succession. It screamed in pain, launching the other trolls into action. Good. One wasn’t enough. It would be over too soon.
Trolls were large and slow, but if they got a hold of you, you were in trouble. The trick was to stay just ahead of them, so there was nothing they could do. I launched myself at the injured one and got an arm around its thick neck. It twirled and pawed at me. Releasing my anger didn’t lessen it. It only grew and with each passing moment I felt stronger and more alive than ever before. Positioning my elbow beneath the troll’s chin, I squeezed and yanked back, exposing the vulnerable area. I stuffed the gun into my waistband and grabbed my knife, sawing and hacking. The troll gurgled and sputtered, then crashed to the ground, its head hanging only by thin tendons that hadn’t been severed. I retrieved my knife, not bothering to wipe the black troll blood from my face.
“Next.”
What followed was a blur of action, but one by one each troll fell. Finally it was just me and the human man, whoever he was. His eyes were terrified. I smiled and rammed the knife beneath his chin and up into his brain. Warm red blood poured over my hand, but I still twisted the blade before I tore it out.
I turned back, my blood-soaked shirt warm with the heat a fresh kill. I hadn’t lost control, well not completely, but I was damn close. The holy blade dripped with the life of our latest foe and hummed in my hand. Its energy passed through it and into me, and at that moment I realized that I’d been lacking. I had been playing out of my depth for so long I’d nearly forgotten what it was like, the sheer release of tension I experienced, just knowing I was the strongest one in the whole fucking room.
“Tell me again how you have changed, jinni,” the angel’s voice came from behind me.
Olivia stood apart from Femi, who was doing a fairly good job of looking cool and unconcerned, and Baker, who was bleeding pretty bad, but otherwise seemed none the worse for wear. I stepped over the bodies littering the ground and strode toward her. “And tell me again, angel, how I’m any different than you?” I spoke softly, but knew she could hear me.
When she was within an arm’s length, I touched the tip of the holy knife to her chest, just above her heart, leaving a red and black stain. Her gaze didn’t waver from mine. “There is only one thing that makes either of us even remotely human, angel, and it’s her. Despite what you think, I understand you better than anyone.”
I went inside, wiping the blade against my pants, and headed for my cell, not seeing anything in front of me. I focused inward, trying to pull everything back, but the harder I tried, the more my control slipped away. I couldn’t live like this. Everywhere I went there would be riots, blood, and tears. I had to settle down. I turned abruptly and headed toward Olivia’s room on the other side of the building. She’d already resumed her regular position and stood staring at her maps, apparently at peace.
“I need your help,” I told her.
She blinked and looked at me. “With what?”
My mouth went dry and I glanced away. Asking for help was like swallowing razorblades. “I can’t…” I shook my head. “It won’t…”
She nodded slowly. “Is that such a bad thing?”
I ground my teeth to keep from lashing out, but the bite was still in my voice. “If we want to go unnoticed it is.”
She took a deep breath. “What exactly can I do?”
“I need Olivia.”
Her head tilted back slightly in understanding. She stared at me. I was shaking with the effort of trying to hold back the emotion that refused to be wrangled. Sweat ran down my forehead, and I was fading in and out. She offered me a hand. As skin touched skin, a cool wave washed over me. In a blink Olivia stood before me, her eyes bright and wet as she pulled me closer.
“Holden,” she whispered.
I wrapped my arms around her and we sank to the floor together as she held me close, keeping me from falling apart. Her fingers trailed through my hair, and slowly my breathing returned to normal and I solidified.
Everything will be okay, she said.
Just her voice being there in my head began the construction of new walls that were stronger than ever. I pulled back and pressed a hand to her cheek. I need you with me.
She smiled a little. You’re never without me. I will always be with you, no matter what happens.
I nodded though I had trouble believing it. I’d seen firsthand what having her with me meant when the angel was in control. But for now, I rested my forehead against hers, enjoying the glow. It was somehow different than when she was full angel. It was softer, more inviting when she was herself.
Why did you leave? I asked.
Her eyes looked distant for a moment, then filled with sadness. She didn’t need to answer; I could see her reason on her face. She left because she couldn’t stay. I thought it would be for the best.
Come back. Please come back.
Her hand cradled my face. “Fight it, Holden. Whatever is inside of you, keep fighting it. Hold on to the good.”
“What if the only good inside of me is you?”
“I don’t believe that and though she will never say it, neither does the angel. If you lose it, look right here.” Her other hand went to my heart.
“Stay,” I told her.
“She’s stronger than me,” she whispered, then kissed me one more time before I released her and let the angel come back. The conversation replayed in my mind. I still couldn’t say for certain if Olivia was gone by choice or forced out. The angel forcing her away, I could forgive. If she chose this and continued to put us all through …My head shook.
She blinked and looked at me again. “You look better.”
I nodded. “I should check on Baker.”
I stood and went for the door. “Holden,” she said, not jinni, but my actual given name, making me soften ever so slightly toward her. “Olivia isn’t right.”
I glanced back.
“Don’t fight your nature. Embrace it. Harness it. We need you at your strongest right now. If you fight it and never learn to truly control it, your nature will always defeat you, and Olivia might not always be here to bring you back. When I call you ‘jinni,’ it isn’t an insult. It is a reminder of what you are. Until you accept it, you will always be at a disadvantage.”
I left and headed for the bathroom. The troll blood smelled like ass.
I stood in the hallway holding a towel to the three-inch gash in the back of my head that was still streaming blood, and watched the kid sleep. How did she stay asleep through all of that? Strands of hair were plastered to her tiny pink face, and her eyelashes fluttered against her flushed cheeks like dark smudges. Femi was talking to Phoenix and giving him what she picked up. Holden came to stand next to me, hair wet and clean clothes on. He didn’t say anything, just s
tared in at the kid. What happened out there wasn’t like anything I had seen before. Not only were his eyes on fire when he came out, but as he fought, his entire body erupted into blue flames that he didn’t seem to notice. He moved so fast he blurred, and his attacks were precise and vicious.
“Has she spoken?” the angel asked from behind us.
Holden shook his head. “I’m not sure she can.”
She folded her hands behind her back. “Have you tried other languages?” I told her what we’d attempted and the corner of her mouth twitched. “Anything besides human languages?”
“No,” Holden said. “She is a human.”
“Who has been raised by demons. What language do you imagine they spoke to her in?”
It was so simple, yet not one of us had thought of it. “Well, hot damn, angel. You shoulda jumped in the game a lot sooner. You know any demonic tongues, boss?”
“No,” he said.
It wouldn’t be that hard to take a demon alive, but trusting the translation? Well, that was another story.
“I am fluent,” Olivia said. “We could test the theory. Shall we wake her?”
“No,” Holden and I said at the same time. I wouldn’t have guessed he had a soft spot for anything other than Olivia, especially not for kids—but thinking about it, it fit with what I knew about him.
“Let the little skirt get some shut eye.”
She looked at Holden to translate. “She needs the rest.”
The angel nodded. “Very well. I will be in my room if I am needed.”
“Wait, angel,” I said, lowering the towel. It was a long shot, but I had to give it a try while she was feeling helpful. “Can you stop a transformation?”
“A transformation in regards to what?”
“Maggie is turning into a vampire,” I said, my stomach tightening at the words.
“Your relative?” She looked to Holden who nodded.
“Show me.”
I led the way to Maggie’s cell and unlocked her door. Maggie was still in the coffin I procured for her. From the sound of it she was thrashing and fighting to get out. Waking up in a coffin had to be terrifying. “It’s okay, baby. Just relax. You’ll make it through this just fine.” She quieted a little at the sound of my voice.
“How long has she been in the transformation?” the angel asked, opening the top of the coffin to peer into Maggie’s petrified face, contorted somewhere between normal and monster.
I couldn’t look at her. All I could see was what I had done by bringing a perfectly grand girl into all of this. Maybe the council was right. Maybe it was time for a change. I couldn’t keep watching the people around me die. I stared at the ground and tugged on my ear. Maggie didn’t need to be put on display like this. She would hate it. “It was a long shot. I figured it would take a damn miracle to stop it now. Thanks for trying.”
“I can stop it,” the angel said. “I can’t undo what is already done, but I can stop it where she is.”
“What would that even be?” I asked, having trouble fathoming her or anyone being part vampire, part human. Like jinn, vampires were dead. I didn’t see a way she could be both. “Do it,” I said. “She’s not a vampire.” It didn’t really matter what she was. She was Maggie and she deserved to have her best chance.
The angel looked to Holden and he nodded. The angel closed her eyes and laid her hands on Maggie who flailed and screamed even louder than before. I turned to leave, her screams pinning my guilt to me like a knife, but Holden caught my elbow. He didn’t say it, but I knew what he meant. I made the choice to bring her into this world, then I tried to take it back like a giant palooka. I couldn’t run away from this. I had to see it through. I squeezed the bloody towel I still held against my head more tightly, and felt a warm trickle down my neck, but I didn’t turn back to watch. I stood there and listened to the pain I caused.
Then it stopped. Not a single sound came from the room. Not able to stand it any longer I whirled around. The angel had pulled her hand out of the coffin, and Maggie was resting peacefully inside. “Is that it? Is it done?”
The angel tilted her head to the side. “She will transform no further.”
I couldn’t see her and I was afraid to look. The image of her face twisted and disfigured into something that was not quite a vampire and not quite human stuck in my mind. Vampires could hide their inner monster and look normal. But what if that was one of the last parts of the change? What if halting the process somehow stunted her? I could have made matters even worse.
“What is she?” Holden asked, peering into the coffin. “Is she dead or alive?”
“Her heart beats again,” was all the angel said before she headed for the door. “Let me know when you would like me to speak with the child.”
“Applesauce! What’s that supposed to mean?” I shouted after her.
Holden lowered the coffin lid softly.
“How does she look?” I asked and held my breath.
He glanced up at me. “Like Maggie.”
I released my breath. “No disfigurement?”
He shrugged. “None that I could see.”
We went back to the hallway. “Look, Baker. You know earlier I—”
“I know, boss. I’m sorry.” I could keep it together around jinn normally, but earlier the pure anger and bitter emotion rolling off of him got under my skin before I even knew what was happening. “I shouldn’t have blown a gasket.” I fiddled with my blood-drenched towel. “You’re getting stronger, eh?”
He rolled his shoulders back and his completely normal green eyes met mine. “You’re about to drip blood on the floor.”
I pressed the towel back to my head. “I’m fine.”
“I didn’t ask.”
I laughed, but he barely smiled which wasn’t unusual for Holden, but I had a gut feeling something was eating him so I went fishing. “It’s good the angel could stop the transformation. It might be enough to break her connection with Thomas which means we can find out why he chose Maggie.” I waited, there was nothing like an interrogation to snap Holden back to himself.
“Take it slow. Test your theory before you start in on him too much.”
So it wasn’t Maggie. “The kid probably hasn’t had a full night’s sleep in years. I mean, who could sleep in a house full of demons? I’m sure the shut-eye is normal.”
He glanced at me. “Did I say it wasn’t?”
“Nope. You surely didn’t, boss. I’m just taking stabs at what has put the stick in your craw.”
“Olivia wants me to embrace the jinni.” He raised an eyebrow at me and though he didn’t ask a question, it was implied.
“Ah.” I took a deep breath. “She’s not Olivia. The angel wants you to. Don’t forget that.”
Holden nodded.
“You know you don’t have to—”
He held up a hand, cutting me off. “I’m good, Baker. No need for a heart to heart. I’m going to head out. I need to look into the ley lines. Keep me in the loop.”
Femi came out of Phoenix’s cell, a smug look on her face. She glanced over at me and gave an exaggerated wink. I headed her way. “That expression can only mean one thing. Trouble.”
She laughed. “Just having a bit of fun.” Phoenix was stalking his cell, talking to himself. Femi grinned wider. “I told him we had to put the rune back in or he couldn’t stay.”
“That’s true.” Olivia came out of nowhere. “I placed the rune in him, and it must go back.”
Femi and I stared at her. “What does it do?” I asked.
She gave me a withering look. “Do you question my methods?”
“Yes. All the time,” I said.
“Step aside, chol.”
I shook my head.
“Step aside or I will allow Maggie to finish her transformation.”
Her tone left little doubt she’d do just that. Ultimately Phoenix wasn’t worth a showdown that I would undoubtedly lose. I stepped aside. Femi didn’t move to take my place. She just
watched the angel go into Phoenix’s cell, shutting the door behind her as the room filled with a blinding light.
“What do you think it does?” she asked.
“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out. Can you stay with the kid and keep an eye on the vampire?”
I expected an argument, but she just nodded. “I’ll keep a close eye on both of them.”
“He really pissed you off, huh? What exactly happened between the two of you?”
“I helped him once and he betrayed me. He should have never come back here.”
“Don’t let him get under your skin, kitten. His time here is limited.”
“I got this. We’re good. Watch your back, Baker.”
I half saluted her before leaving. I had a pretty good mental image of what the rune looked like. Whether or not the council could identify an angelic rune was another story. I could ask Uriel, but involving the angels would probably open us up to even more trouble. Not that the council was any picnic.
I arranged a meeting with Leilah. Anessa was the nicer of the two, but the dragon had a better chance of recognizing the symbol. I waited on the North Avenue Bridge for her as the afternoon traffic went by. It wasn’t exactly private, but people probably wouldn’t overhear us either.
“I gave you three days to make your decision. I hope the early meeting is a good sign,” Leilah’s smoky voice said in my ear.
I didn’t flinch. “I’m not here about that.”
“Oh?” She raised a thin black eyebrow. “Then why am I here?”
“Do you have pen?”
She scowled but produced a black ballpoint pen for me. I fished some random business card out of my wallet and drew the rune, careful not to connect any of the lines fully. Rune magic wasn’t something to be tinkered with. “Do you recognize this?”
“You’ve found it, haven’t you? That’s why you refuse to return. What do you plan to do with it?”
“I haven’t the foggiest idea what you’re yapping about.”
She scowled at the paper as she took it from my hand, then studied it. “Even if you have found the angel, it can’t save you. I have known you too long to believe you would enslave yourself to anyone.”