by J. E. Taylor
“Your turn,” Lucifer growled, and he pointed at Tom.
Two demons grabbed Tom’s arms. Tom spun, wrenching his wrist away from one demon, and landed a throat punch to the other. He snapped the demon’s neck and dropped the limp body before two others stepped in. He parried and twirled out of the way of many of their attacks, but his luck ran out when he backed right into Lucifer’s reach.
My father punched Tom, lifting him right off the ground. Tom collapsed on his knees but rolled away before Lucifer could do the same thing he had done to the other man.
The two remaining demons circled him. Tom executed the type of spin kick I once saw in an old kung fu movie I had found on my computer. The demon’s head snapped with the force, but when Tom landed, he stumbled. The grimace on his face broadcasted pain.
He shuffled a couple of steps to get his balance, but it wasn’t enough. A demon drove his boot into Tom’s supporting leg with such force, I actually heard the snap through the glass.
Tom fell, clutched his knee, and bellowed to the heavens. The agony in his scream curdled the contents of my stomach. Before the demon could connect another kick, Tom swept the demon’s leg out from under him. Luck favored Tom this time because the demon hit his head on a rock post and didn’t move.
Somehow, Tom climbed to his feet. I was awed by his tenacity and will to survive. He stumbled toward the house with eyes that radiated fear.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Lucifer growled. He grabbed a fistful of Tom’s hair and yanked him backwards into his grasp. Lucifer’s hand wrapped around Tom’s throat.
All I could see was the despair in Tom’s eyes. It was enough to crush my heart. Tears blurred my vision, and I wiped at them.
“I promised you pain,” Lucifer hissed.
A steel blade reflected in the light, and I cried out a warning that wouldn’t breach the void.
Lucifer gutted Tom. Blood spilled out of Tom’s abdomen along with his entrails. He frantically tried to put himself back together while Lucifer smiled with satisfaction.
“This is only the beginning. I have a very special place for you in hell, and my staff has instructions to make your suffering more horrific than anything ever seen before.” Lucifer’s hand formed a claw. “Now give me my fucking grace.”
Lucifer’s fingernails pierced Tom’s chest.
Tom’s cry of pain and fear weakened my knees. I slowly slid to the floor. In that moment, hatred bloomed in the center of my soul. Hatred so pure I couldn’t run from it if I’d tried.
I hated my father.
I hated what he stood for.
And I hated what he did for his insane pursuit of power.
An arrow pierced Lucifer’s throat, making me jump. Hope flared inside me, and I climbed to my feet as Lucifer released Tom.
Lucifer turned towards the door where I stood, and his gaze met mine. It wasn’t an illusion. It wasn’t a manifestation of whatever was happening to me. Lucifer was actually looking at me as if I had been there in the flesh. His eyes widened with recognition, and his mouth popped open.
A second arrow pierced his chest, breaking whatever had been taking place between us. I dropped to the ground, gasping for breath.
He waved his hand, and a breeze brushed my cheek. His face formed a hateful glare as he yanked the arrows from both his neck and chest like they were annoying gnats instead of deadly projectiles.
He stepped toward Tom, but the appearance of CJ from the right side of the yard pulled both Lucifer’s attention and mine. CJ had the same stunning golden wings that I had seen in the front yard. White light radiated from him as if heaven had opened up and supplied him with God’s wrath.
Righteous fury pulsed over the clearing, and CJ moved like he was made of heavenly intent. When he decapitated Lucifer with his own hands, flames of pure white rolled over the entire yard, licking as high as the doorframe.
I shivered on the floor, staring out at the carnage. The rise and fall of Tom’s chest slowed. I bit my lower lip, and hot tears rolled down my cheeks.
A HAND LANDED ON MY shoulder, and the darkness surrounding me faded with a blink. I glanced out the window expecting to see blood and gore still painting the yard, but only green grass and a clean rock wall met my gaze.
I turned toward the owner of the hand, and Alex’s concerned eyes stared at me. His lips tilted in an awkward smile.
“Thank you,” I whispered and covered his hand with mine.
He squeezed and I wondered if I would have gotten stuck in that horrifying scene if he hadn’t pulled me back.
Angels, demons, vampires, soul eaters, shape shifters, psychics. Outside of what was written in the bible, I had not been taught about these things. Not in the practical sense. Nothing my mother had taught me had been grounded in this type of reality. I shivered again, and this time my whole body trembled.
Alex helped me to my feet, keeping his arm around my waist to steady my sway. My breath shook, and I glanced across the room to where CJ and Tom stood staring at me with the same wide-eyed expression that I imagined still graced my face.
“You shouldn’t have survived,” I whispered, staring at Tom. I forced myself into control despite the tingling across my skin. Shock kept my heart galloping. “What is happening to me?”
“I have no idea,” Tom said and glanced out the door. Apprehension settled into his features. “It’s almost as if you are creating echoes of my past.” His haunted gaze found mine.
“You saw it, too?”
All three of them nodded. I gulped down the fear now threatening to burst from my fingertips despite the gloves. If it had just been me, I could chalk it up to stress of losing my mother, but since I’d pulled them into whatever that was, it scared the daylights out of me.
And what scared me the most popped out of my mouth.
“Lucifer saw me,” I said. “He looked right at me.” I pressed my lips together.
“You were standing where Bridget had been standing when she shot him with the arrow,” Tom said. “He wasn’t looking at you. He was looking at Bridget.”
“If he was looking at Bridget, she never would have gotten that second shot off that hit his chest,” I said. I was as certain as I was of Alex’s arm supporting me at this very moment. There was no arguing my point. Not with how fast he’d swatted her away once he reclaimed himself from my vision.
Tom and CJ’s heads tilted like a puppies who were trying to figure out a foreign word. Tom’s gaze narrowed as he looked at the door. A crease appeared between his eyes, and he blinked rapidly. Then all the lines in his face smoothed. His gaze returned to mine, and it was filled with wonder.
“Faith, you have an entirely different kind of astral projection than we do.”
CJ’s head snapped in Tom’s direction, and he gasped. “Time travel?”
Chapter 5
“What triggers it?” CJ asked.
I shrugged. We had been sitting at the kitchen table for at least an hour trying to figure out my newest manifestation.
“If I actually time traveled, wouldn’t you have been able to hear my warnings?” I asked. While I was certain my father had seen me that night, I was not certain of anything else.
Tom leaned back in the chair and ran his hands through his hair. It seemed to be his go-to move whenever he was exasperated, and he had done it enough times so his hair wasn’t neat any longer.
“Maybe it’s more of an echo, like Tom alluded to, but I don’t understand how just an echo of the past could allow Lucifer to see you,” CJ said. He chewed on his bottom lip and stared out the kitchen window as if the bright sunny sky had the answer.
“Have you ever done anything like that before?” Tom asked.
I shook my head. “Out on the front lawn was the first time anything like this has ever happened, and CJ triggered that one when he said there was another way to transfer grace.”
“That was wild,” Alex said, pulling my attention to the basement door. “I hadn't seen it when Uncle Tom gave my
dad Michael's grace, so it was truly awesome to get a glimpse of it.” He gave me the kind of smile that made my heart flutter and my stomach flip. “Are we going to do any schoolwork today?” he asked, but his gaze still lingered on me.
“How are Amber and Arianna doing on the math problems I gave them this morning?” CJ asked.
Alex's gaze flicked to me and then back to his father. “They finished a while ago and have been playing video games ever since. They didn't hear anything that happened up here.” He nodded to the back door. “So at least your range of pulling people into the echo is limited.”
CJ stood from the table. “I'll be right back.” He looked at me. “When I get back up here, we can talk about your schooling. I don't think we need to solve this right now.” He waved towards the table. “And you can go home if you want,” he said to Tom.
CJ crossed to the stairwell and started down. “You have schoolwork too, Alex.”
Alex rolled his eyes and smiled before he disappeared down the stairs with his father.
Tom leaned back in the chair. “Do you want me to stay?”
I met his gaze and glanced towards the back door. Something had happened during that vision. Whatever ambiguity I’d had about the man across the table had gone away. Even with some of his missteps, I knew his heart was in the right place.
Instead of answering his question, I asked, “How did you not die?”
“A miracle and a little angel grace,” he said. “My sister-in-law is a healer, and CJ gave me Raphael's grace. Considering I'm his descendant as well, it helped.”
“You are from two angel bloodlines?”
“Yup. My brother is from three.” He pointed towards the basement stairs.
“I thought you were twins?” I had read in one of the entertainment rags that my mother bought from the store that CJ Ryan had a twin brother, but that didn't jive with what Tom was saying.
“We are. Fraternal twins sired by different fathers. My mother had both Raphael and Lucifer blood in her, and CJ's father had Uriel and Lucifer bloodlines. So, CJ was actually the first natural trilogy ever born. You met the only other set of trilogies to ever be born outside this house.” He nodded towards the front door.
“Tiger woman?” I hooked my thumb over my shoulder.
“Yes. They are my best friend’s kids.” For a moment, his eyes darkened and then he looked down at the table.
“The one you killed?”
He nodded. “Damian was Gabriel's son. He would have been your cousin.”
I laughed. I couldn't help it. “You mean those two are my second cousins?”
Tom grinned and shrugged. “I guess that would be accurate. So, do you want me to stay?” he asked, leaning back in the chair.
“Do you want to stay?” I countered.
“I don't have any cases right now. My schedule cleared as if...” His expression darkened. “Damn it. Fate?” he yelled at the ceiling.
The air next to the table shimmered and a girl who couldn't have been much older than me appeared. I imagined Fate as some glamorous model with long flowing hair and an elegant dress. This was not what I envisioned. The hair fit, but that was where my mind's eye and reality diverted.
She glanced at me and then turned her stark gaze at Tom. “Did you give her your grace?” she demanded.
“No. Did you divert all my cases?”
“Yes. Kylee and Michael have gladly agreed to resolve anything outstanding, so you can focus on Faith.”
“Bridget isn't going to like that,” he said.
“Bridget agreed. She thought you needed a break.”
Tom's jaw tightened. “It's my responsibility,” he hissed.
Fate shrugged. “You still have to follow through on the rest of the deal,” she said, then turned to me, basically dismissing the man who looked like he was twice her age. She stuck her hand out. “Hi, Faith.” She smiled. “I'm Julia.”
“But...” My mind misfired. I thought her name was Fate.
“Fate is more of a role. It isn't my name. Just like Death. His name is Nick. Although you really don't want him showing up out of the blue. While he is a sweetheart, he tends to be a buzzkill, if you know what I mean.”
Tom snorted and looked away when Fate glanced at him.
“Anyway, I'm glad Tom took my advice and collected you from that home. I was never a fan of state-run homes, especially ones that harbored soul eaters.” She shivered.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Even if it had been a true state-run facility, child services are not equipped to help you the way Tom and his family can.” She gave me a pat on my shoulder and then swirled into a smoke tornado that dissipated a moment later.
“So... Fate...” I waved at the air, feeling more like Alice after she fell into the rabbit hole.
“Yeah. She's a pistol.” He smiled and there was a fondness in his eyes. “I used to babysit her before her family moved to Florida.”
“Fate's from Florida?” It all just seemed so ludicrous. I almost wished I was back at the cottage in the woods buffered from any of this. My mother certainly hadn't prepared me for the real world.
“I don't want to mislead you. This is not the real world. This is beyond the real world into something that only a few see. Calling on deities like Fate and Death, meeting archangels, battling Lucifer, hunting the supernatural—all of this is not normal. People in the real world know nothing of these things. They only know their version of reality. Of normal.” He glanced at the stairwell and then back at me. “You've never been normal. We've never been normal, either, and that is probably why Fate intervened on your behalf.”
“Family is everything to you,” I said, echoing his words from last night.
“Yes. And family doesn't always mean blood. The couple who took us in after our parents died taught us that. We were lucky, and I never quite understood the responsibility that was put on my adoptive father until now.”
CJ walked into the room, interrupting the barrage of questions Tom’s last statement had brought to the forefront of my mind.
CJ glanced at his watch. “Valerie should be home soon,” he said. “And we have done nothing in relation to your schooling.” He pointed at me and raised an eyebrow.
“I'm taking college courses online.” I straightened my back. “I'm already past high school.”
CJ pursed his lips as he studied me. “Tomorrow I will give you the opportunity to test out. If you pass, I'll make sure you are issued a diploma, and we can start your college curriculum.”
“I'm already enrolled in online classes,” I repeated as if he hadn’t heard me the first time.
“Then bring your work tomorrow, and you can use the time after the test.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. He was a bit cocky.
CJ leaned on the dinner table. “I'm a member of Mensa. I earned the right to be cocky.”
I stood, and my hands itched inside the gloves. “I’m not some ignorant little girl off the street,” I snapped. Something got my hackles all in a bunch.
Tom’s arms were crossed, and an amused smile played on his lips, like he was enjoying my challenge to his brother.
CJ waved his finger at me. “We can discuss this tomorrow.”
“You’re leaving?” Alex said from the doorway, cutting through the tension. He actually looked disappointed.
My heart jumped in my chest, and I found I wasn't quite ready to go. “I would like to see what Alex is working on,” I said, stalling. I didn't want to fall back into awkward conversations with Tom and Bridget until April came home, and the way the boy was looking at me compelled me towards him.
“Come on. I'll show you,” Alex said, and his smile brightened my world.
Chapter 6
The basement was more awesome than the rest of the house. Two girls sat at a table, both focusing on whatever CJ put in front of them.
Alex cleared his throat. They glanced up and identical eyes widened. Their smiles radiated, and they dropped their p
encils and ran to where I stood.
“I’m Amber,” the one on the right said.
“I’m Arianna,” the one on the left said.
“I’m Faith,” I replied, smiling at them. I would never remember which was which.
The affection in Alex’s eyes as he gazed at his sisters was clear, and it remained when he glanced at me.
“How old are you?” Arianna asked.
“I just turned sixteen,” I said.
“You’re younger than me?” Alex asked, surprise arching his brows.
I looked directly into his bright blue eyes. His eyelashes were dark, and they framed his eyes perfectly. “How old are you?”
“I turned sixteen last fall,” he said hooking his thumb over his shoulder like his birthday was an object behind him instead of a date in the past.
“We’re basically the same age,” I said, almost forgetting there were others in the room.
“Go study.” Alex pointed at the papers the girls had left. His commanding tone reminded me of his father.
The girls obeyed without a bat of an eyelid.
Alex took my hand and led me into the far room where four computers sat. He stopped in the middle of the room and turned to me. His gaze was almost as intense as his father’s, and he stepped close, searching my eyes for something. He glanced toward the outer room and then reached out and cupped my cheek. His thumb ran over my lower lip.
“What are you doing?” I whispered, enamored enough that I held my breath.
He licked his lips and shrugged. “I’m not sure.”
I didn’t stop him when he leaned close and pressed his lips to mine. They were soft and tender, and his hand threaded into my hair, pulling me closer. That swirl of air that encompassed us outdoors returned. I opened my mouth to say we should stop, but his tongue slid in between my lips and slowly tangled with mine. The slow tongue dance created a spiral of heat inside me that burned brighter with every swipe.
He pressed me against him, and I wrapped my arms around his neck. The kiss deepened, sucking the air out of my lungs. It left me lightheaded and wanting this to never end.