I nod in understanding as I glance at Arsen and Imae. “I’m assuming Imae can do something about the whole water gap?” I ask.
Imae replies, “Yes. My beast favors water.”
“It would be best if you left immediately,” Valor says. “We have no idea how long Uden plans on sticking around the area. Tasia, meet up with Divya so that you can learn his exact location. She’s in her room.”
“Understood,” I say.
I glance at Rynne, my first time making eye contact with him since we got stuck in the Command Center together. I’ve stayed as far away from him as I could today. I know it probably wasn’t necessary, but I needed the space. I kind of feel like I still need it. I don’t want to talk to Rynne.
I’m about to leave the room and close the door behind me when Rynne comes after me. He catches the door and then shuts it behind both of us, shutting us away from everyone in the Command Center. I turn away from him, not wanting to deal with this right now. He catches my hand.
“Tasia,” he says, “I want to apologize about yesterday. I know you’ve made up your mind and that this is what you want to do. I’m sorry for making it harder on you. I’m on your side. I want to help you. You have to know that.”
I turn around to face him and say, “I know that. Thanks. Good luck on whatever assignment Fiona puts you on today.”
“Good luck to you, too,” he says as he gives me a quick hug. I know I should put my arms around him as well, but I don’t. I don’t know why. I don’t feel the warmth from his embrace that I used to. It’s almost like it’s more of an inconvenience than anything. It’s strange.
Imae and Arsen emerge from the Command Center next. Imae glances at me and Rynne as she says, “Arsen and I will prep for the trip while you figure out where we’re going.”
“Sounds good,” I say.
I go off on my own as I make my way to Divya’s room. Her door’s open a crack, so I don’t have to bother knocking. When I peek inside, I see her on the ground in a cross-legged position with her hands in a mudra. She looks exhausted. There are bags under her eyes, and I swear she has lost weight. She’s been astral projecting so much lately. Has she been eating enough? Has she been sleeping? She’s pushing herself harder than anyone. She puts the rest of us to shame.
I cross the floor to sit down in front of her, mirroring her position. I wait for a moment before speaking, “Can you hear me, Divya?”
As if my words are enough to snap her out of her trance, her eyes blink open. “I figured you’d be here soon, so I started heading back. Seems I have perfect timing,” she says.
“Seems so,” I say.
“Are you ready for me to show you where Uden is?”
“I’m ready when you are.”
The two of us close our eyes. I concentrate on my breath, letting it come in deeper and slower with each passing moment. Soon enough my soul is lifted from my body. Divya and I are perfectly in sync right now it seems, because she rises, a perfect semi-transparent replica of her body sitting on the floor, the same time I do. She makes sure I have her in my sights before she takes off, speeding away from the base and Philadelphia in the matter of seconds. Time is a strange concept when astral projecting, but I’m fairly certain it doesn’t take us any longer than a minute to get to where Divya wants to take me, since she knows the exact location.
We’re hovering above blue waters where three large stones are jutting out. Divya brought me here quickly, but my astral body was able to memorize the way to get here, as if she’s poured all of her hard earned knowledge into me. I never thought of myself as having a good sense of direction, but when I’m astral projecting it’s like the routes I’ve taken have been forever burned into my mind.
I look around at the endless ocean dancing in the wind, but I don’t see a demon.
“How are you holding up?” Divya asks.
I’m getting tired of people asking me that question.
“I’m fine,” I say. “Where’s the demon?”
Divya looks up at the sun. “I’ve never been on the bad end of things,” she says. “I’ve been with the EEA for years, for nearly half of my life. Probably more. I’ve lost track. I’ve always been able to help spirits move on by receiving their last messages of hope that the one who killed them will be brought to justice. I was always either tracking down spirits or astral projecting, and I never dealt with violence or hunting much, not even in the EEA. I’ve been talking to ghosts and astral projecting for longer than I’ve been in the EEA. It’s my skills that brought me to the EEA in the first place. I didn’t have some traumatic experience happen to me. I just wanted to help people.”
I’m not sure what any of this has to do with my question about Uden, but I hold my tongue and listen.
Divya continues, “The first time I’ve ever seen violence is when I joined the EEA, and even then I didn’t see it often, not firsthand. I’ve still never been on the front lines, so I’ve never seen the blood and gore up close and personal either, but I think it’s wearing me down. I think it would be nice to retire. I just want to help people. That’s where I’m happy. I wonder where you’re happy, Tasia.”
“I don’t know,” I reply, “but I’ll figure it out when all of this is over. There’s nothing for me or anyone else until it is.”
“I’ve seen Uden swimming around under the surface,” Divya informs. “Follow me.”
She dives into the water. Since she doesn’t have a physical body, she phases through the water’s surface. I follow behind her and my vision adjusts perfectly in the water. We go deeper and deeper, where it should be hard to see anything, but as is the case for our astral bodies, it’s clear. That’s when I see the long, snaking body of the demon lying at the bottom of the ocean. He’s humongous. He’s much larger than Arsen is. He looks like a water serpent or a dragon of some sort. He even has long whiskers on his face like a catfish.
His gray, almost white, eyes are open orbs, so I don’t think he’s sleeping, but he doesn’t look like he plans on moving any time soon. We should move fast anyway.
I’m back in my body, and I hear knocking at Divya’s door. Divya comes back as well, but I get up and answer the door, so she won’t have to. It’s Imae and Arsen.
“We’re ready to go when you are,” the angel says.
“I’m ready,” I say.
I look at Arsen, expecting him to be staring at me like he usually is, but he’s looking past me and straight to Divya. I look behind me to see her return his gaze only to deflect it. She gets off the floor and comes forward. I move out of her way, but Arsen doesn’t. She shoves past him—or she attempts to. He lets her by, but he catches her arm before she can round the corner and leave.
“For what you did the other day,” Arsen says as he scratches the back of his head with his free hand. “Thanks.”
Divya looks at him with a bewildered expression, and then she pulls away. I know she wouldn’t have been able to get out of his grasp if he didn’t want her to, but he lets her go. She practically runs down the hall to get away from us. That was freaking weird.
“What was that all about?” I ask with a scowl.
Arsen glances at me. “Nothing.”
Imae and I exchange looks. I could tell him to explain, but it’s not worth the fight.
Whatever.
“Let’s get going,” I say.
“But little miss angel here can’t fly,” Arsen protests.
“It doesn’t matter. You can carry us both easily,” I point out.
“Are you serious?” he demands with a growl. He moves in front of me so that I have to look at him. “You’re going to make me carry an angel on my back?”
“You’re working alongside angels already. Why is this any worse?” I ask. “Also, you don’t get a say in the matter.”
Imae speaks up, “If it makes you feel any better, I’m not exactly looking forward to riding on your back either.”
Arsen growls again.
“Enough” I say.
&
nbsp; He stops growling, but he’s still sulking.
We make our way out of the base. Imae is carrying what looks like a really heavy pack, probably filled with whatever she’ll need to catch Uden, silver chains or something like what we had the first time we went to the beach to try and capture Uden.
“Blade wanted you to have this,” Imae says as she hands me Fiona’s semi-automatic pistol along with silver bullets.
“Thanks,” I reply.
I take the silver bullets, stowing them away as I slip the gun into my EEA uniform’s always empty holster. Fiona’s going to start letting me carry around my own gun now? I really have come a long way.
I lead the way out of the base and then I order Arsen to shift. I turn around as he starts ripping off his clothes. Imae does the same. We turn back around when Arsen lets out a bark. I gather Arsen’s clothes. He lies down, allowing us easier access to his back. I climb up first, doing it way better than I did the first time I tried to climb up his fur and scales, and seat myself at the base of his neck. When I’m situated, I look over at Imae to see her hesitating. It doesn’t last long though. She climbs up behind me with her heavy pack in tow. I hold on to one of Arsen’s spines in front of me, and then he takes off.
Uden won’t get away this time.
THE LOBBY IS NOISY with all the hunter teams Blade is sending out on missions. Donovan and I have been paired up to scout Philadelphia. Other groups are scouting farther away. We don’t have any specific assignments right now. We’re mostly supposed to look for any signs of natural demons. If we come across any made demons, we exterminate them too. Even though natural demons are our goal, and the root of the problem, monsters still have to be stopped.
“Things sure have gotten lively around here,” Donovan comments to me. It’s easy for him to raise his voice among all the chatter. He’s a big guy all around, and like his physique would suggest, he has a loud voice.
I nod my head in response.
I’m not feeling very chatty. I’m trying to quiet my mind and get back to the same place I’ve been for years. I need to follow the oracle’s orders without question, because what good does questioning do me? I’ve been doing good things as an angel. I know that. I’m worried about Tasia and the changes she’s going through, but she made her choice. She wants to do with the oracle says. She has welcomed these changes. However, if she wanted out, I wouldn’t hesitate to take her side. That’s how much she means to me. She’s stronger than I am, and I’ve been embarrassing her because of my weakness.
“Head on out, you sorry lot,” Blade shouts. “And has anyone seen Divya? I have a bone to pick with that woman.”
Someone shouts from down the hall, “Right here!”
It’s Divya. She catches quite a bit of attention as she storms through the hunters in the lobby and straight up to Blade.
“There you are,” Blade says. “I was starting to wonder if you just up and left. I’ve hardly seen yo—”
Blade is unable to finish whatever she was trying to say. Divya stops her mid-sentence by planting her lips on Blade’s. She kisses her fast and hard. I hear a couple gasps among the hunters, and whistles among others. Donovan claps. I don’t react. I didn’t see that coming.
Divya presses her forehead to Blade’s and says, “Be safe.”
Then like a storm, she leaves as fast as she came. Blade looks after her with a confused and dazed expression. She shakes her head.
“What are you all looking at?” she demands. “Get to work.”
It’s day and the streets are clear. Donovan and I probably got assigned the least likely place to have any monsters or demons. With the angelic presence coming from the PA Branch of the EEA and the huge fight that happened a couple weeks ago, I doubt many would be dumb enough to hang around. I wonder why Donovan and I were sent here. The two of us would’ve done much more good somewhere else. I’m one of the best monster fighters the EEA has, but Blade and the confidant decided to send me out on the streets of Philadelphia? It seems like a waste.
“Relax,” Donovan says as he laces his hands at the back of his head. He’s already broad, taking up enough room on the sidewalk just by walking, but now he’s taking up even more room. People have to give him a wide birth or risk getting hit by him.
“I am relaxed,” I say. “It’s hard not to be relaxed. We’ve been sent on the only mission that probably won’t have a single lead or run in.”
“Yeah, but you’re tense anyway. What’s wrong?”
“There’s nothing wrong,” I say quieter.
“Deny it all you want,” he replies nonchalantly.
“Okay,” I concede. “So it’s not exactly true. Nothing’s wrong exactly, I just feel so useless lately.”
“Tell me about it. Join the club. Angels, demons, what good are humans these days?”
“You’re plenty of good. Without you this purge of evil in your world wouldn’t even be possible. You’re helping a lot,” I assure.
“Then stop feeling sorry for yourself,” he says with a grin.
His chipper attitude is the most charming feature he has. He’s right. I don’t really have a right to complain.
“What are you two talking about?”
Was that questions directed at us? Donovan and I both turn around to see a young woman right behind us. She’s probably in her early twenties.
I’m about to tell her we were talking about a game, when she says, “Do you believe in monsters?”
Donovan and I both exchange looks before we step aside to lean against a building and stop congesting the sidewalk. The young woman follows us quietly, her eyes slightly downcast.
“What kind of monsters are you talking about?” I ask.
“You know,” she says. “Werewolves, vampires, that sort of stuff.”
I look her over again. She’s dressed perfectly normal. I mean, she’s obviously someone who cares about her looks, but she isn’t dressed in an extreme style. She doesn’t look like she’s any sort of paranormal fanatic. Then there’s that downcast look of hers. Something’s bothering her.
“We do,” Donovan answers.
“I didn’t,” she whispers. “But now I think I have to. Can you tell me anything about them?”
“We could probably tell you a bit,” I reply cautiously.
“I… I need help. If you’re willing to talk, let’s go to the café a block from here. I was about ready to give up, but maybe you two will believe me.”
She is desperate.
Donovan answers again, “Sure thing. We’re here to help.” He must see the desperation as well as I do.
We walk in silence to the café she mentioned. We order drinks and then find a booth in the corner where no one will bother us. There’s more silence as the girl stares into her coffee cup. Donovan and I don’t push because we can see she isn’t eager to talk just yet. She’s collecting her thoughts about something.
She sighs. “My name’s Alisha. I know it was weird for me to approach you like that. I just… I heard you mention something about angels and demons, and I got desperate. I’ve been looking around trying to find help, but everything I’ve looked into, the Internet, and even so-called professionals, don’t seem to know what they’re talking about.
“It happened a few months ago when I ran into a handsome man. He was really charming. I met him at a club, and he swept me off my feet. We had sex that same night. It was the best night I have ever had, but things got strange. He cut himself and then he forced his wound into my mouth. He wouldn’t let me move and he didn’t stop until he made sure I drank his blood. I started feeling weird almost immediately after that. I got dizzy and I even passed out. When I woke up, he was gone.”
“What does this man look like?” I ask, already not liking where this is going. “Did you catch a name?”
“He said his name is Victor, but I have no idea if that is his real name. I tried to find him afterward, but since I never caught a last name, my search came up empty pretty fast. He was really handsome,
though. His eyes seemed to glow. They were luminous and blue, or maybe it was a really deep purple. I thought it was strange at first, but I didn’t care. His eyes were so beautiful. His hair was long and a white silvery color. He was cleanly shaved, and he must have been a bodybuilder of some sort. I have never seen muscles like his before—at least not anyone real.”
I glance at Donovan to see that he’s putting down all that information on a tablet. Good.
“Did you catch anything else?” Donovan asks.
Alisha shakes her head. “I’m afraid that’s all I know.”
“Continue the story,” I urge.
“I started feeling weird and I passed out,” she says. “Things pretty much went back to normal after I woke up. I told myself what I did was stupid, and I went on with my life. It wasn’t until the next full moon that I blacked out again. When I woke up, I was in a field somewhere, and I had blood all over me. It’s happened a few times since, but only when it’s a full moon. When I wake up I have no idea what happened or how I got there. One night I even set up my phone to record me getting out of bed. I—I looked like some kind of monster.”
She takes out her phone, brings up a video, and shows it to me and Donovan without hesitation. The video shows her ripping out of bed with a snarl on her lips, and then her body starts trembling and I think I can see her starting to shift. We don’t see much after that, or even a clear picture of what she turns into, just her jumping out her window.
“I’ve been looking for someone to help me,” she says. “I’ve even shown other people this video, but a lot of people have just accused me of being a film student trying to pull a prank. All the self-proclaimed paranormal experts haven’t been able to help me either. The one time I found someone who said he’d help told me he needed to observe my change, and so we waited for the next full moon. I never saw him again after I woke up. I haven’t gone to the police, even though I wake up with blood on my hands. And I… I don’t know. What’s happening to me? How do I stop this? ” She looks at her shaking hands. “I don’t know what to do.”
The Pull of Destiny (Undying Love, Book 2) Page 32