Empower

by Ashley Stambaugh

  Walter then took over and explained what a unique human Melina actually was. He told the others about how her parents were both able to absorb angel powers, which made her ability even stronger than normal, and because of that she had also been able to absorb Noxin demon powers. He talked about her struggles with controlling the demon powers, but that she had eventually been able to reverse them to do good.

  Phinneas spoke up again and told them about Maura and how she had been working with Adelia and the Noxin demons from the very beginning. He explained that the demons were stealing the guiding angel powers from humans like Melina for some plan that they had, and now it seemed like that plan had been put into action.

  When Phinneas had finished talking, Walter glanced back over at Victor and Byron. Byron wore a look of disbelief with his eyes big and round, his mouth gaping open. Victor did not wear the same expression. His forehead was creased, and his hard and narrowed eyes were filled with concern. After a few seconds passed, Victor leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his broad chest. He stared down at the table for a moment and then looked back up at Walter and Phinneas.

  “What makes you think that the Noxin demons have enacted their plan? If I need to prepare my angels for battle then I have to have proof, hard proof, that we are needed.”

  Walter swallowed. All they had to go on were the incidents that Melina had gone through. To Walter, her experiences over the past few days were proof that the demons had started something, but would it be enough for Victor? He glanced over at Phinneas, who gave him an encouraging nod, and then cleared his throat before looking back at Victor.

  “We haven’t seen anything ourselves,” Walter said, “but Melina has told me about several unsettling encounters she’s had with the demons over the past few days.”

  Victor raised an eyebrow but remained silent, so Walter continued and explained everything that had happened with Melina.

  “I see,” Victor said when Walter was finished. “And you don’t have any idea why the demons want guiding angel powers or what they could do with them?”

  Walter shook his head. “We know that the powers are weak in them, but apparently they can still do whatever it is they have planned.”

  Victor pursed his lips and furrowed his brows as if he was contemplating everything. A few seconds later he leaned forward in his chair and rested his elbows on the table. “I’m assuming you have some sort of a plan?”

  Walter and Phinneas both nodded.

  “Let’s hear it then,” Victor said.

  Phinneas cleared his throat. “First off we need to determine where the demons are congregating. We know they’re all over Melina’s town, but they could also be in different cities all around the country or even around the world. We need to know how widespread this threat is.”

  Victor rubbed his chin a few times and then gestured toward Walter and Phinneas. “So you need as many angels as possible to scour the earth for Noxin demons, is that right?”

  “Yes,” Phinneas said. “Cecil and Helene are talking to all the other elders right now to see how many of their angels they can spare to help with this. We told them to meet us at the summoning stone.”

  Victor turned to Byron who simply nodded at him. He looked back at Walter and Phinneas. “All right,” he said. “Let’s go and meet them.”

  Chapter Nine

  As soon as Walter left her apartment, Melina sat back down on the couch. She wanted to call Dean, but she needed to collect her thoughts before she tried to explain everything to him. So much had happened in just a few short days, and it was all a bit overwhelming, especially now that Walter thought there were probably Noxin demons all over her town. Just thinking about that made her shudder. Hopefully Walter and the rest of the elder guiding angels would be able to convince all of the other angels to help them.

  And then there was the situation with Tessa. The fact that the demons were targeting her friend was bothering her more and more, and she couldn’t stop thinking about it. She should probably call Tessa later, not just to make sure that her friend made it home safely from having dinner with her mom and brothers, but also to ease her nerves. Tessa was like the sister she’d never had, and she didn’t want anything to happen to her.

  After a few more minutes of mulling things over, she picked up her phone to call Dean. It was a little after one o’clock. She could never remember if he was on the same time as her or an hour ahead, but she didn’t think it would make much of a difference anyway. People’s schedules usually weren’t too busy on a Sunday afternoon. She hit the call button and waited for him to pick up.

  It rang and rang and rang then went to voice mail. With a sigh, she ended the call and then tried one more time. It rang and rang again, and just when she was about to hang up, someone answered the phone.

  “Hello?” a woman’s voice said.

  Melina’s brow creased as she paused, unsure of what to do. She pulled her phone away from her ear and looked at the screen to make sure she hadn’t accidentally called someone else. Dean’s picture and phone number were displayed. She slowly brought the phone back to her ear.

  “Hello?” the woman said again, her voice a little louder.

  “Hi, um… I was trying to reach Dean Porter.”

  “This is Dean’s phone,” the woman said. “Who may I ask is calling?”

  “Um, Melina. Melina Rowe. I’m a friend of Dean’s. I —”

  “Oh yeah,” the woman said in a slightly annoyed tone. “He’s mentioned you.”

  Melina’s brow furrowed even more. “I’m sorry. Who are you?”

  “My name’s Lynn. I’m Dean’s girlfriend.”

  “Oh, well, it’s nice to finally get to talk to you,” Melina said. “Dean’s told me a lot about you.”

  Lynn didn’t respond, so Melina continued. “Uh, is Dean available?”

  “No,” Lynn said. “He just went out to get us a late lunch, and he left his phone here.”

  “Okay,” Melina said. “Can you please tell him that I called then?”

  “Sure.”

  “Thanks,” Melina said. “Again, it was nice to talk to…”

  Click.

  “…you.” Melina looked at her phone screen and saw that Lynn had ended the call. “That was weird.” She laid her phone down on the couch and placed her hands on her hips.

  Why had Lynn been so rude to her? It was almost as if she was mad at her for some reason. But what could it be? She had never even met her before. Melina’s brow remained in a constant crease as she replayed the conversation in her head. She couldn’t figure it out.

  If Lynn was going to patrol Dean’s phone, then she was going to have to try to contact him another way. She picked up her phone again and found Dean’s information in her contacts list. Maybe he would respond to an e-mail.

  A little after six o’clock, Lee arrived at Melina’s for dinner. They had decided to just do takeout, so Lee had picked up some Chinese food on his way over.

  “Mmm, I’m starving,” Melina said as she took the cartons out of the bag and set them on the kitchen table.

  “I know how you love your lo mein, so I made sure to get plenty.” He picked up one of the containers and handed it to her.

  “You know the way to my heart, don't you?” she said with a short laugh.

  “That’s what I’m always aiming for,” he said as he leaned over and gave her a kiss.

  Melina blushed at him and then pulled out her chair to take a seat.

  “So how did last night go?” Lee asked as he sat down across from her.

  “Well,” she said after swallowing a bite of noodles. “Our night out was actually cut a little short.”

  Lee’s forehead creased in concern. “What do you mean?”

  Melina hesitated for a few seconds then finally responded. “There were some Noxin demons in the club.”

  “What?!” His eyebrows shot up as he dropped his chopsticks down into his box of stir-fry. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner? What happened
?”

  Melina let out a heavy sigh. “They were after Tessa. I wanted to talk with Walter to try to figure it out before I said anything to anyone, but we’re still at a loss as to why Tessa was their target. Well, other than to get back at me.”

  “You're sure they were after Tessa and not you?”

  She nodded. “Yeah. They didn’t even notice me at first.”

  A loud whoosh of air escaped him as he leaned back in his chair. “Wow. So you haven’t told Tessa yet?”

  “No,” she said.

  “I think she deserves to know.”

  “I know. I just…” She let out a soft sigh. “I don’t want to scare her.”

  “Melina,” Lee said as he reached across the table and laid his hand on top of hers. “Please don’t do this again. Don’t push us away.”

  Her lip began to quiver as her eyes filled up with tears. “I don’t know what I would do if anything ever happened to any of you because of me.”

  Lee squeezed her hand. “I’ve told you before, I’m not going anywhere. And if Tessa or Gwen wanted to leave, I think they would’ve done it by now.”

  “Maybe,” Melina said.

  “You’re too hard on yourself. You always have been.”

  “You’re right,” she said. “I am always hard on myself. But you can’t blame me for wanting to protect you from all of this.” She raised her free hand and wiped the tears from her eyes.

  “And you can’t blame me for wanting to protect you from all of this.” He lifted her hand and gently kissed her knuckles.

  Melina nodded.

  “And if I had to wager a guess,” he continued. “I’d say that Tessa and Gwen wished they could help protect you, too.”

  Melina gave him a small smile. He seemed pretty confident in his statement, but she wasn’t so sure. When she thought back to some of the comments Tessa had made last night, she couldn’t help but wonder how her friends really felt about her new life.

  Around nine o’clock, Melina walked Lee down the stairs from her apartment and to the back door of her bookstore.

  “I’ve got a busy week,” Lee said, “but you know I’m always here for you. Whatever you need.”

  She smiled. “Sometimes I think you’re too good to be true. I’m one lucky lady.”

  “I’m the lucky one.” He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in for a kiss.

  She leaned into him and laced her fingers around his neck. He really was too good to be true, and she didn’t want to take him for granted. She pulled back and looked him in the eyes.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  “For what?”

  “For being so open and supportive of all this. I…” She paused as she took in a deep breath. “I appreciate you more than I can ever tell you.”

  He smiled and gave her another kiss.

  “I love you,” she said.

  “I love you, too.” He opened the door and stepped outside. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  She gave him a quick wave and then closed the door behind him. After locking up, she headed back upstairs to her apartment and checked her phone. Still nothing from Dean. No phone call, text, or e-mail.

  She thought about calling him one more time, but she didn’t want to risk making Lynn even more annoyed. The last time she had talked to Dean, he was trying to work things out with Lynn, and she didn’t want to get in the way of that. She decided to call Tessa instead. Certainly she would be home from dinner with her family by now.

  She dialed Tessa’s phone number, but instead of ringing it went straight to voice mail, like it was shut off. Melina’s mind instantly began to race. Why would Tessa have her phone turned off? She hardly ever shuts it off. Maybe something has happened to her.

  She quickly threw on her coat, grabbed her keys and purse from the kitchen table, and rushed down her apartment stairs and out the back door to her Jeep. Teleporting would probably be quicker, but she didn’t like to do it unless it was necessary. She hopped inside of her Jeep and took off toward Tessa’s.

  Fifteen minutes later, she pulled up in front of Tessa’s condo. She parked her Jeep and ran up and knocked on the front door. Nothing. She raised her hand and knocked again, this time louder and with more urgency. A few seconds passed and still nothing. She was about to try again when she finally heard footsteps coming from inside the house. A few seconds later the door opened and there stood Tessa.

  “Melina?” she asked, looking a bit surprised.

  Melina’s hand went to her chest as she exhaled in relief. “You’re okay.”

  Tessa’s forehead creased. “Yeah, I’m all right.” She cocked her head to the side. “Are you all right?”

  “Oh, yeah,” Melina said as she quickly nodded her head. “I guess I’m just a little paranoid after seeing those demons at the club last night.”

  “You seem to be acting a little bit more than just paranoid,” Tessa said as she narrowed her eyes. “There’s something you’re not telling me.”

  Melina looked her friend in the eyes and sighed. Lee was right. She deserved to know.

  “May I come in?” she asked.

  “Of course,” Tessa said.

  She opened the door wider and ushered Melina inside. They both made their way into the living room and sat down next to each other on the couch.

  Melina let out another sigh.

  “What’s wrong?” Tessa asked, her brow still creased. “Why are you so worried about me?”

  Melina opened her mouth to answer her but then shut it again. She wasn’t sure how to tell her. “I, um… I tried to call you earlier,” she said. “But your phone was shut off.”

  “The battery died when I was out at dinner,” Tessa said. “I forgot to put it on the charger when I got home.”

  “Still, you hardly ever shut your phone off, so I immediately thought the worst.”

  “Which would be what?” Tessa asked. “It’s not like I’m in any sort of danger.” She let out a short laugh.

  Melina just looked at her.

  Tessa’s smile faded. “Wait. Am I in some sort of danger?”

  Melina held her friend’s gaze for a few seconds longer and then slowly nodded. “I think so.”

  “But, I don’t understand.” Tessa’s eyes grew big as she sat up straight on the couch. “Who would want to hurt me?”

  Melina hesitated again before finally responding. “The demons in the club.”

  Tessa’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “They were after me?”

  Melina nodded again.

  “What makes you think that?”

  Melina bit down on her lip as she stared over at her friend. There was no way to say it delicately. She unfolded her arms and clasped her hands in her lap. “The first two demons I saw were in their human forms. And they were out on the dance floor dancing right behind you.”

  Tessa’s mouth fell open, but she didn’t say anything.

  Melina continued. “The other two were in stealth mode in their demonic forms, and they were moving straight toward you.”

  Tessa briefly shook her head then gave Melina a nervous smile. “I still don’t understand. Why would they want to come after me?”

  “To get back at me, maybe?” Melina said as she shrugged. “I’m not sure.”

  Tessa remained silent as she turned her gaze to the floor.

  Melina watched her out of the corner of her eye, waiting for her to say something, but she continued to stare at the floor, fidgeting with her fingers.

  “I’m sorry,” Melina said with a sigh. “I shouldn’t have even come here.”

  “No,” Tessa said as she looked back up. “I’m glad you did and that you finally told me everything. I just wish you had told me last night after we left the club.”

  “I’m sorry,” Melina said again. “I didn’t want to scare you, especially since I’m not sure about all of the details.”

  Tessa’s lips pressed together as she leaned her head forward. “Melina, I know you think you’re protecting me by trying
to keep me away from all of this supernatural stuff, but now that you have told me, I know to have my guard up and be on the lookout.”

  Melina nodded.

  “Besides,” Tessa said. “You’re my best friend. Whatever’s going on in your life will be a part of my life, too. I’m not going anywhere.”

  “So you’re not annoyed by my new supernatural life?” Melina asked. “You don’t think it’s a burden?”

  “No,” Tessa said. “I don’t think it’s a burden. But I sometimes wonder if it’s a burden to you.”

  “Why do you say that?” Melina asked.

  Tessa gave a slight shrug. “It just seems that way sometimes.”

  Melina looked down at her hands. She didn’t see her supernatural life as a burden. Well, the demons might be, but not her powers. They were a gift, and that’s how she saw them, right? She thought back to the conversation she’d had with Lee where he had told her that she needed to accept all of herself.

  She sighed. It seemed like everyone close to her thought that she didn’t fully accept her new life. Maybe they were right.

  Chapter Ten

  Back in The Realm, Walter, Phinneas, Victor, and Byron all stood up from the table where they were seated.

  “Everyone ready to go?” Walter asked.

  Victor turned to Ivan. “Can you manage things here while I’m gone?”

  “Of course,” Ivan said. He stood from is chair and left the room.

  They all nodded to each other and then teleported to the summoning stone.

  The crystalline stone was located on a lone pillar in a secluded and quiet place in the center of all the temples. The pillar was situated down in the middle of several stone steps, and there were trees and bushes growing all around it. It was a very private place, which made it an ideal spot for all of the elders to meet.