“Stay focused,” Fiona tells me.
I close my eyes for a moment so I can collect my breath. I make sure that my earmuffs are tight over my ears, and then I start shooting at the target in front of me. I’m barely off-center. I correct myself. I fire off a few more rounds with the semi-automatic pistol. I’m getting close to center now.
Fiona whistles. “You sure you’ve never done this before?”
“I’ve never held a gun in my life,” I say.
I carefully hand her the gun, making sure I don’t have my hand on the trigger and that I’m not pointing the muzzle anywhere near her or anyone else.
“I really don’t like it though,” I say.
“You have a great eye for it,” she tells me. “If you put in some more practice, you’ll be hitting dead center every time.” She holds the gun back out to me. “You still have some rounds left.”
I stare at my feet and refuse to take the gun.
“Can we just call it a day?” I ask. “Or could we at least get some lunch?”
“What’s wrong, Tasia?” Fiona asks.
I sigh. “I never thought I’d hold a gun in my life. I’ve always hated guns. They’re used in wars, hunting, everything that involves death. I never thought I’d be involved in death.”
“It’s not the same thing,” she says. “First of all, never blame a gun for what someone decides to do with it. Second of all, we hunters at the EEA kill things that are evil. We kill things that have no right to live. We kill things that shouldn’t live in the first place. They’re monsters. It’s not the same.”
“Something about holding a gun makes me feel dirty.” I shake my head.
“You can still get out, you know? I’m not making you stay here. I will avenge your parents either way. They’d prefer you not to be involved anyway.”
“I just feel so anxious. I’m second-guessing myself. I wonder if I can really do this, but then I remember Arsen and I just get so angry.”
I hold out my hand for the gun, and Fiona gives it to me. I fire the rest of the rounds. I’m dead center every time. Once I’m empty, I hand the gun back to my godmother.
“Can we please get some lunch now?” I ask.
Fiona smiles at me, but her eyes don’t match. “You got it.”
CHAPTER 20
Rynne
SITTING IN THE EEA’s classes is interesting. The information the humans have about demons is a bit inaccurate. They really have no idea what they’re dealing with. Well, they don’t know the origins of the made demons they simply refer to as monsters. It’s a detail that isn’t that important for them to function, but it’s a detail all the same. Honestly, they just don’t seem to know much of anything about natural demons at all—aside from what’s been said in religious texts.
I’ve given Blade the important information. I had to fabricate another lie and told her that I’ve successfully killed a demon before with the help of a mentor no longer alive, but I’ll do whatever it takes to prepare them for the war to come. I told her silver weapons are the most effective way to kill a natural demon and to go for the demon’s heart. Carving out the heart and destroying it until the demon can no longer regenerate is the only way to kill them.
I also gave her some other basic information, about their strength and their ability to shift forms, but other than those important details, all natural demons can vary greatly in their abilities and overall threat level. It’s good to see she’s incorporated that into the EEA’s database already, and this teacher is teaching that information despite it being brand new. The EEA is on top of things. One day soon they’ll likely know more about demons than they ever imagined they would.
When I was a human, I didn’t know about anything supernatural until the day I should have died. It was the day my family was murdered by a couple of monsters. It was also the day Imae gave me my second chance. I’ve since learned that monsters exist as a product of demons. Demons come from the immortal world, Ilenima. They are natural demons, and they are the root of the evil threatening to consume Terra. All of these monsters the EEA hunts were originally made from the blood of natural demons. Once a mortal drinks immortal blood, whether it be demon or angel, that blood changes them forever. However, it doesn’t make us immortal. We’re still very human in a lot of ways.
Made demons and angels stop aging at the point we were turned, but we still have the same amount of years left in our life that we would have if we were still human. We heal faster than humans, but that healing is taken from our years of life. We are far from immortal in that sense. More than anything, it’s like our essence has been changed. Made demons are advocates of darkness. Made angels are advocates of light. We are compelled to act on one or the other depending on our roots.
Even so, most of the monsters that have been growing in number and plaguing Terra are descendants of made demons. Made demons, though significantly altered, can still have children with mortals. It seems most, if not all, children of made demons carry on their demon parent’s curse—though the power of that curse and the connection those descendants have to the immortal world also seems to weaken. It’s assumed the same type of thing would happen if a made angel were to have children, but angels don’t turn mortals on a whim like demons do. We pledge our lives to be exemplary angels, to follow the Oracle and carry out God’s will. We’re special cases, honorary angels, but there are so few of us I’ve never even met another made angel.
Creatures like me, even monsters, are just altered humans. However, that doesn’t make monsters any less dangerous. Demon blood changes people for the worst. Angel blood changes people for the best. A monster could have been a decent human once, but after they’re infected with a natural demon’s immortal blood, they’re lost. They become no better than the natural demons themselves. I was never a bad human being. But since I became an angel, I crave only light. Whereas when I was human darkness might have enticed at times, now it only repels me.
They’re details, important details, but not to the job of these hunters. Angels don’t want the world to know about their existence. They don’t even want the world to know about the demons’ existence. The angels would’ve banished demons from Terra a long time ago if they had the power. If they had the numbers.
The angels have their hands full in the immortal world, keeping the demons in place. They’re spread too thin when they try to extend the same reach into the mortal world. An angel’s job in the mortal world shouldn’t have to involve demons. Angels are meant to be unseen guardians and guides to mortals. My job here is to keep Tasia on the path to her destiny while equipping the hunters here with the tools they need to assist her and fight natural demons. They will be the army the angels don’t have. They will be the front line in banishing demons from the mortal world. It’s ideal for mortals not to know much of anything about the immortal world. None of it should directly involve them, but demons broke that balance. That’s why these lies are necessary. Mortals only need to know the information that will allow them to win this war. Time will tell if more truths are to be shared in the future.
I’ve already been versed in how to combat the different kinds of made demons. I also know, in theory, how to combat a natural demon. I don’t need to learn anything from these EEA classes other than what the EEA knows.
When class gets out, I wait for Tasia. The class was small, with maybe three other students. People aren’t exactly lining up to join the EEA, but the organization has a wide reach, and more people are combating the supernatural every day.
Darkness is spreading.
Tasia closes her laptop and puts it inside her backpack. After zipping it up, she looks up at me with a small frown.
“Something wrong?” I ask her.
“No, it’s just a lot to take in. I mean I knew a lot of this stuff before, from the stories my parents used to tell me. It’s just different now. It’s so much more real now,” she says.
I walk with her out of the classroom, and we wander slowly and aimlessly d
own one of the many halls in the hunter base. She takes out her phone, and I notice her small frown has grown bigger.
“I just got a message from Connor,” she comments. “He says that his and Didi’s parents want to move them out of Reverie.”
“What’s wrong with that?” I ask.
“I don’t know. It’s just sad. We all lived in Reverie for so long. I mean, the twins and I lived in Reverie for our whole lives.”
“So how did yesterday go?” I ask to change the subject. “What class and number were you given?”
“I’m an E-class.” She laughs nervously. “Not that surprising, seeing as I have no hunter experience whatsoever.”
“It’s only your lack of experience that makes you an E-class. You have more knowledge than most people coming to join the EEA, I bet.”
“My number is ninety-six,” she says. “Blade was saying that we use the numbers one through one-hundred to express an individual’s power level. Monsters who have been observed get the same ranking, one being the most powerful. Of course, no one’s ever seen a monster assigned one as their power level. I don’t think anyone would be able to take care of something like that.”
I laugh. “Yes, that would be one powerful monster.”
“I didn’t hear much about demons in class—at least compared to the monsters,” she remarks. “My parents never taught me anything special about demons either. It was all just kind of generic information. Demons are just… evil itself. Everything in our house should have kept demons away or at least hurt them, right? I just learned in class that silver is the most effective weapon against them, but still. How did Arsen destroy my home and break through every line of defense so easily? How did he kill my parents when even their blood was pumping with vervain?”
She falls silent. She touches her black diamond, a habit she’s had ever since she was given the priceless crystal.
I keep my voice low as I reply, “Demons are worse than monsters. They’re much more powerful. I’m sure everything in your house irritated him. That’s why everything was broken and thrown all over the place.”
“Irritated? It didn’t harm him?”
“It did, but not enough to stop him.”
“Even the vervain in my parents’ blood?”
“Yes.”
Her eyes start to shimmer. I think she might cry, but she doesn’t. She sucks in a deep breath of air and turns her head to smile at me.
“Maybe I shouldn’t be,” she says, “but I’m really glad you’re here, Rynne. I was kind of mad before since everyone has been hiding things from me. Now I’m just glad I’m not alone.” She sends her gaze to her feet. “I feel safe when you’re around. So…” She wrings her hands. “Since I’m an E-class, does that mean I can go on E-class missions?”
“Technically, yes, but we’re still novice hunters. We’re not allowed to claim missions without approval. We have to be assigned or approved.”
We’ve almost made our way back into the lobby. I figure it’s as good a time as any to show Tasia what I’ve learned about the screens mounted on the walls. We can look through marks and request to be sent on missions by using our IDs. It’s up to Blade to decide if she wants us on the marks we request or not. I doubt she’ll be sending Tasia on missions anytime soon, but it’s worth knowing. Then I see Miguel from down the hall. It shouldn’t matter, but he seems to be the type who thrives on confrontation.
“If it isn’t the prodigy,” he mocks.
“Hello, Miguel,” I say, simply to acknowledge him.
“Who’s the girl?”
“New member.”
Tasia raises her hand up to her face in a slight wave, but Miguel disregards her.
He says, “And a friend of yours. It seems Blade’s letting anyone into the EEA lately.”
Now the nerves are settling in. Tasia goes to the comfort of her black diamond, letting her fingers rest gently on it.
“I assure you her joining has nothing to do with me,” I say, only partially lying.
“Is that right?”
Miguel walks right up to me, much too close to be friendly. He’s about my same height, so it’s easy for him to stare me in the eyes. I think he wants me to flinch, but I don’t. Then he shoves me. I stagger backward a few steps, but I don’t push him back.
“What’s the matter with you? Are you scared?” Miguel taunts.
“I don’t want to fight.”
Tasia subtly backs away from us. She’s holding her black diamond tightly as if it will ward off Miguel’s aggression.
“You think you’re better than me, huh?” Miguel demands.
“Not at all.”
He roars as he pushes me again. I still don’t fight back.
“What the hell is going on in here?” Blade demands as she walks into the hall. “If you guys have a problem, take it to the ring.”
I can’t go against the commander of this base. I’m here as a recruit. I’m to do as she says. “Yes, ma’am,” I say.
I promptly turn around and catch Tasia’s eye to make sure she’s holding up okay, and then I proceed to the gym. I can feel Miguel hot on my heels, but I don’t look back. The gym is in use as usual, but the boxing ring is empty.
I grab a couple hand wraps and wrap my hands up tight. Then I get inside the ring and see that a crowd has started to form. Tasia and Blade came as well. Tasia looks worried, but Blade’s face is unreadable.
Once Miguel joins me inside of the ring, Blade signals us to start. Miguel swings wildly at me. I dodge, but just barely. At a glance, his technique seems random and unrefined; however, it’s that random and unrefined that makes him dangerous, and it isn’t without focus. I let him get in a few more swings, hoping it will make him feel a little better. I dodge for a moment longer, just so I don’t look like a complete wimp, and then I let him punch me in the face.
It stings a bit, and I fall down to the semi-bouncy floor. Miguel comes down hard on me again, but I roll away. I position myself for him, and then I leap off the ground and tackle him. I knock him down and trap him underneath me. Then I get in a couple swings myself. Once I feel like my fighting back has been observed, I allow him to kick me off of him.
I make sure everyone can see the tables are turned as I end up underneath Miguel and he throws punches. I protect my face with my arms and hands, but he has a good hold on me. I decide not to get up.
He doesn’t stop. He keeps punching and punching and punching. I’d be a mess right now if I wasn’t protecting my face with my arms and hands.
“That’s enough!” Blade shouts.
Miguel doesn’t stop his onslaught, however. It takes Blade and another hunter to pull him off of me.
“What was that?!” Miguel screams. “You weren’t even trying! You let me do that!”
Blade instructs a couple of hunters to take the enraged man away, and then she joins me in the ring. Tasia comes too. She looks me over with worried eyes, and gently glides her fingers across my right cheek, where Miguel punched me, but I’m already healed. I didn’t let him hit me that hard in the first place. Tasia brings her fingers back to her side when she realizes what she’s doing. The slight color in her cheeks is charming, but I can’t help feeling disappointed that her fingers are no longer on my skin.
“Looks like he didn’t get you too bad,” Blade says as she reaches out her hand and helps me off the ground. “Try not to hold it against him. He’s seen and been through some awful things. He lives in a world where the strong survive and the weak die. It’s the same world you know very well, I’m sure.”
“I understand,” I say.
“Are you hurt?” Tasia asks.
“I’m fine.”
I watch after Miguel’s struggling form as the hunters carry him out of the gym. Every human here is unique. The hunters aren’t one body of light. They’re a mixture of light and darkness, as all humans are. I accept that. The goal of the EEA is a good goal. I may not like Miguel or his amount of darkness, but he is my teammate, and he is h
uman. Just because he’s teetering on the edge of darkness, filled with anger, the anger that a demon of some sort no doubt planted inside of him, doesn’t mean that he will fall prey to it in the end. He won’t fall prey to it. He’s here, surrounded by people who want to better the world. And they will better the world because God’s word is absolute.
CHAPTER 21
Arsen
YUKI IS STILL AT the hotel I left her at, a couple cities away from Philadelphia. It’s only been a few days, but we’re rarely parted for that long or for that distance. Nothing short of me making her leave would ever convince Yuki to leave me. I learned that truth many years ago.
“What have you been doing?” she asks as she stands with her arms folded in the doorway of the hotel room.
I force her back into the room so that I can get inside, and then I close the door behind me. She continues standing with her arms folded. Her eyes are cold. She’s angry, but she isn’t going to express it in words or in anything else but this look and posture.
I say, “Distancing myself from the girl doesn’t work. I can’t find any angels, except for the ones near her. I decided I’m going to keep my eyes on her to see what I can learn.”
Yuki continues being standoffish. She even takes a few steps back from me when I walk farther into the room and seat myself on the bed.
“There are things in life beyond killing angels, you know,” she informs. “You’ve done enough. You’ve killed angels for over eighty years now. You could always just move on and forget about all of this. Have some fun like other demons. Terra is paradise. The angels basically don’t have a presence here, not when it comes to keeping demons in check. All the killing you’ve done has only made Terra safer for us.”
“There is nothing else,” I say. Then I growl. “My rage has not waned.”
Yuki finally drops her hands to her sides, making her seem slightly less closed off from me.
She says, “There is another option. I can kill the girl for you. I can get in and get out so fast that the angels won’t know what hit them. I was there, too. She didn’t affect me the way she affected you. If she’s gone, things will go back to the way they were before.”
Demon Snare (These Immortal Vows Book 1) Page 16