The housekeeper brought cups of tea and arranged them on a teak coffee table between them.
“Green tea for you, Miss, and rose tea for your guests,” the woman said. She bowed her head and exited the room.
“My parents send me these teas from their travels,” Nadine explained. “As you can see, I live alone with Matilda.”
“Don’t you miss them?” Perri asked.
“It’s not about whether I miss them or not. It is safer for them to be away from me.”
Unable to suppress her curiosity, Helena asked, “What do you mean by that?”
Nadine picked up her cup and raised it to her pink lips. She took in an appreciative whiff of her tea. “I, being what I am, bring death and trouble to those I hold dear. It’s easier to keep such people at arm’s length.”
Her words struck a chord in Helena’s heart. She observed Nadine once more. Her exterior showed confidence and disinterest. But, if she looked past that, there was a subtle vulnerability and shyness there. Helena tried imagining the world of isolation from her family and friends. Somehow, she could relate to her troubles because she was also the reason why those closest to her were in constant danger.
“If what you said last night was true, that makes you a saint,” Helena said.
Perri raised a brow. “What’s that?”
“I don’t know myself,” Helena replied. “Until now, Lucious and Alexander believed that I was one.”
Nadine chuckled. “What I am is a pawn in a grand game that many in this world know nothing about. I can’t make friends. I can’t fall in love. Otherwise, those close to me will end up eaten by the darkness.”
“The darkness?” Perri asked.
“The same darkness that’s after Helena,” Nadine said. “I can sense a demon’s presence on you.”
Helena shifted closer in her seat. “Why would the demons be after you?”
Nadine sipped her tea. “For a very different reason.”
“And that reason being?” Helena pressed.
A tall man materialised next to Nadine. His chestnut hair grazed his shoulders and a pair of green eyes, which resembled the evergreen trees, assessed them. He reminded Helena of Michael. The way he stood—his shoulders were broad and exuded protectiveness—and the clothes he wore were too much like her guardian’s.
Perri nearly fell out of her seat from surprise. She clutched the sides of it for support.
“You really have a guardian angel…” Helena whispered.
“Meet Horus, my protector.”
Horus bowed his head, yet his eyes never left Helena. “Pleasure to meet you both.”
Helena jumped out of her seat, almost hitting her knees against the table. “Do you know what happened to Michael? What did he mean when he said he can’t guard me anymore? Where is he?”
Horus’ expression darkened at the mention of her angel’s name. “Don’t speak of him again. He betrayed the order and you—his punishment—have no need for explanations from me.”
Helena stared at him in disbelief. His words hit her like a million blades that lodged in her heart. Michael had mentioned her being his punishment before. But, what was he punished for, and why her?
Her voice came out barely above a whisper. “What do you mean?”
“We can sense her awakening. It would be best if you give your soul to the demon, so her filthy presence can be erased from this realm,” Horus spat out each word crammed with hatred.
The back of Helena’s legs hit the seat. She tried to grab something, anything to keep her from falling. Bending to one side, she clutched the armrest. This angel was very different from Michael.
Nadine lifted her hand. “Enough, Horus. Can’t you see she doesn’t know about her fate?”
“Stop with these ridiculous riddles and tell me the truth!” Helena shouted.
“I’m sorry, Helena,” Nadine added. “The Angel Realm has their secrets, and I can’t reveal this one to you.”
Helena slumped into her seat. She took hold of her cup of tea with a trembling hand. The cup touched her pale lips, and she swallowed the hot liquid. It burned her tongue, but she ignored the unpleasant sensation and forced the drink down her dry throat. Feeling better, she set it aside. “Why did you want to see me?”
“A saint is a human like you, except the three realms fight for her soul in every cycle. When a saint is born into the Human Realm, a worthy angel is sent to guard her—or as I would like to say ‘convert her’. ‘One angel in the Human Realm per cycle’ that was the deal the elders had with the gods here. That is the deal they strained when they sent Michael to watch you…”
Helena opened her mouth to speak, but Nadine shook her head, adding, “At the same time, the demons either bargain for the saint’s soul or try to gain her trust. Demons are greedy beings and none can walk in this realm without acquiring a willing host with a grey soul. If a demon is able to steal the saint’s soul, they can become more powerful and enter the Human Realm in their form, but at a great cost. If they convert the saint into one of their own, they gain a higher rank in the Demon Court.”
Helena assimilated the new information. “The angels and demons want to convert you?”
“Yes.”
Perri scratched her head. “I’m going to get some air. You two aren’t making any sense.” She left the room, shutting the door behind her.
“But why do they want you?” Helena asked.
“I see it as a game gods played ever since the first saint appeared in this realm. Whoever converts more of us, gains the upper hand.”
“That’s awful…”
Nadine looked out the window. Her doll-like face was bathed in the spring sunlight, defining every contour. “Don’t pity me, Helena. I have accepted my fate long ago. If I don’t come to a conclusion by the end of my cycle, I retain a neutral choice of being reborn as a human.”
“You make the angels sound as bad as demons.”
“It’s because they are.”
“Nadine, please…” Horus interjected.
She shot him the same pleasant smile Helena was used to seeing at college. It put distance between her and the person she was addressing. “You know it’s the truth. Everyone wants more power. If I choose your realm, you gain a higher status for converting me, if I don’t, you could be erased.”
Horus lowered his gaze to the ground. His lips were pressed into a grim line, and he said nothing.
Nadine looked back at her. “Your guardian, you know him as Michael, came to see me before he was called back into confinement. He asked me to help you, and I will try to do so.”
“Confinement? Is he being treated as a prisoner?”
“You don’t have time to worry about him. He will live until he is erased or his punishment is deemed to be served by the gods. What you must concentrate on now is the demon. I have dealt with many of them over the years. Yet, none were as powerful as this. You must seek out a weapon to destroy him.”
Nadine sipped more of her tea as Horus grumbled something and disappeared from the room. She leant forwards in her seat. “There exist twin Arcanae Mortum blades. They were created by the three gods of this realm to fight against invaders from other realms. If you want to live, you must find one.”
“Where do I start looking? I doubt eBay will have a listing.”
Nadine sighed. “Use the beasts you keep at your side. I’m sure they can find one if they look hard enough.”
Helena stood. “Thank you for the information, Nadine.” She paused. The words she wanted to say were on the tip of her tongue. The loneliness this girl had to put up with was too much to bear. “I wish we could become friends.”
A faint smile played at Nadine’s lips. “Perhaps, one day, we will be. It’s nice to have someone to talk to who knows of the beings beyond this realm.”
“I agree.”
Helena retraced her steps to the outside where Perri was studying the flowers. “Let’s go home.”
“Master Vincent said that a perso
n’s flowerbed can tell a lot about its owner.”
“Yeah? And what does it say about Nadine?”
She glanced at the colourful carnations and begonias, and some purple flowers Helena didn’t recognise. “It’s hard to tell. It’s as if her life is so mixed up in the pretence that she doesn’t remember who she is.”
Helena started for the gate. “Living a life where you are a chess piece in a game between realms… I can’t imagine a more isolated existence.”
They walked in silence along the path to the bus stop. Nadine had pointed her in the right direction. Now, it was time to make a decision. Was she willing to follow this twisted and dark path?
A sudden chill crept along her spine, and she halted. The hair on the back of her neck stood to attention and her marked shoulder ached. Lazarus’ energy surrounded her shields and, soon, seeped through them as if they were made of paper.
“Helena, what’s wrong?”
The pain in her shoulder grew more intense, and she fell hard on her knees. Her heart picked up the pace, and her chest rose and fell in need of more air. “He’s…here.”
“Who?” Perri asked, already rummaging through her bag for her phone.
Helena’s mind grew blank and she fell as the demon’s energy twisted around her.
Helena groaned. A headache was killing her, so she massaged her forehead. She blinked a few times, trying to grasp her surroundings. She was at home or, more correctly, her parents’ place. Across the dining table sat Richard and her mother. They had unsettling, blank expressions on their faces. Their eyes stared into space.
She reached across the table and prodded her mother’s hand. “Mum?”
Sasha didn’t respond, remaining motionless like a mannequin.
Helena withdrew and scanned the room. Nothing was out of the ordinary. Everything was in the same place. The light seemed less intense, creating shadows in the corners of the room. Her heart resonated in her head, giving her headache more life. She tried her best to ignore it and ran around the table to her mother’s side.
“Wake up, Mum. Mum?” She shook Sasha by the shoulders.
Her mother’s expression remained the same.
Helena’s skin prickled, and Lazarus’ energy swarmed the dining room. He appeared behind Richard, resting his hand on her step-father’s shoulder.
“It is so nice to see you and your family, my flower.”
Helena backed away, her attention fully focused on the demon. “What do you want?”
“That question is getting old.”
She gripped the table’s edge with her left hand which gave her weak limbs some support. Her eyes scanned the room in search of a way out. She could run outside, but she would be abandoning her parents. Her knuckles grew pale from her grip on the wood.
Lazarus advanced a step. His hand landed on Sasha’s head, and he stroked her platinum hair with a gentleness Helena didn’t expect from a demon.
Helena pushed away from the table and balled her hands. She didn’t care if her nails were digging into her skin. Anger heated her from within, pushing back the fear he was masterfully inducing.
“Don’t touch her!”
“Do you believe I care for your orders? You are a young soul with next to no potential energy. Because of your entanglement with the undead in your realm, your lifespan isn’t very promising either. Yet, instead of surrendering your soul and sparing your family the torment, you try to fight a losing battle. Where is the logic in that?”
He grasped Sasha’s hair, yanking her head back with an audible crack so that her empty, hollow eyes were staring at him. “Have you ever wondered why only daughters are born in your family tree?” he asked and smirked. “By your expression, I can tell that you did not.”
Helena hated herself for remaining where she was. Every fibre in her wanted to dive forwards and kick him where it would hurt any man, but logic—or fear—kept her feet cemented in one place.
“What are you talking about?”
“Not a single male was born in your family line for the past two centuries. Why do you think that is?”
Helena frowned. Although she hadn’t paid much attention to her family tree, she was certain only women were born as descendants. Even statistically speaking, it was an anomaly. “Why do you care what I think? You just want to take my soul, right?”
“It’s not your soul, in particular, I’m after. Your soul is mundane at best and wouldn’t be enough for what I wish to achieve.” He let go of Sasha’s head and took a step closer. Helena automatically took one back. He kept advancing until her back hit the wall and her breath was knocked out of her lungs.
Pale-faced, she stared into his crimson and black eyes. “What are you after?”
Lazarus grinned. His razor-sharp teeth looked like they could bite through bone. “You’ll figure it out.”
She tried to move, but her body ignored her commands. It was as if the wall behind her had merged with her, keeping her in place.
His long curving claw ran the length of her cheek, scratching her skin.
She tried to swallow the knot that kept her from speaking. Her body was paralysed. She could do nothing as he leant in and hissed into her ear. “I won’t take your soul yet, my flower. I only want you to know that I can do so whenever I please.”
Her shoulder burned again and her vision faded. As her headache dissipated, she peeled open her eyes in a hospital ward with Perri, Hans, and Lucious staring at her. She clutched the hospital gown over her sweaty chest. Her breathing came in uneven pants.
Lucious was already at her side. His hand wrapped around her neck, and he slammed her back into the pillow hard enough for the air to wheeze out of her.
“You dim-witted woman!”
Hans tried to pry him off of her, but Lucious released his energy and Hans stumbled backwards.
Perri’s hands shot to her neck. The shock was painted on her face as it reddened. She was suffocating.
“I told you not to go alone!” Lucious roared. “I said I would protect you, yet you ignore my words and go off to see a saint and get taken by the demon. I should throttle you right here and be done with it.” His fingers tightened on her throat.
She looked up at him, her eyes welling up as she struggled to take a breath. “I—I’m…sorry.”
Lucious’ hand shook, and he withdrew it. “Perhaps I should heed Alexander’s suggestion and keep you under lock and key. That way, you will remain where I can see you.”
Helena gasped for air. Grateful it was finally flowing freely into her lungs, she glanced at Perri whose face was returning to its normal shade. She tried sitting up and swayed.
Lucious caught her. Unlike a second ago, his touch was gentle and the rest of his energy retreated.
The door to the private room swung open. Helena’s mother’s hair was dishevelled, and Richard still had his lab coat on when they entered. Their eyes found her straight away, and her mother launched to her side.
“Are you alright? What happened?” Richard asked, and Sasha hugged her.
Helena forced a smile. “I’m okay.”
“It seems she was a little anaemic and fainted in the street after visiting a friend,” Hans said.
Sasha drew back and pinched Helena’s cheeks. “What did I tell you about skipping meals? Do you want me to come and feed you every day?”
“We must be going,” Hans took Perri’s hand and led her out of the room.
Helena was thankful they wouldn’t witness the further embarrassment she was about to undergo. And, by her mother’s expression, she had a lot more in store.
“Sowry. ‘is won’t ‘appen again, I ‘omise,” Helena mumbled.
Her mother let her aching cheeks go and looked at Lucious. He was holding on to Helena’s hand, providing her with subtle warmth.
“Since you look well, we should take you home,” Richard suggested.
Lucious smiled. “No need. I will take her back and make certain she is well.”
Sasha and her
husband exchanged some silent words with their eyes that Helena wasn’t privy to. She never understood how couples could, with one look, tell what their partner was thinking.
Her mother kissed her on the forehead and gave Lucious her Hollywood smile. “We will fill out the paperwork and be on our way if you promise to take good care of her. Make sure she eats her meals.”
“Of course, Mrs Hawthorn. You have my word.”
Richard’s eyes lingered on her as if trying to ascertain if she was alright, and her parents filed out of the room.
Lucious pulled up a chair next to her and sighed. It was the only sound that disturbed the silence between them.
Helena touched his hand. “Lucious, Nadine mentioned something about a way to kill a demon. We have to find a weapon created by the gods. She called it an ‘Arcanae Mortum’ blade.”
He pushed her hand aside. “I will look into it after I return you to the apartment. But first, you must answer me this. Do you trust her?”
Did she trust Nadine? Her personality had changed dramatically ever since she found out Helena was soul-bound to Lucious. Nadine was a saint—a being she knew nothing about. Yet, she wanted to believe the girl and be her friend. Nadine hadn’t once hurt Helena. On the contrary, she wanted to protect her by getting rid of Lucious and, in turn, revealed what she was to everyone.
“I think she is a good person.”
“Be cautious of her. We don’t know what her goals may be.” Lucious collected her clothes from the small chest of drawers in the corner of the room and placed them on the bed. “Get changed.”
She reached for her clothes and winced. Her elbow ached. She lifted her sleeve to find it bandaged. “When did I get hurt?”
“Must have been when you collapsed. Do you want me to help you?”
Helena’s cheeks heated, and she glared at him. “No! Go outside. I’ll be out in a few.”
Lucious shook his head. “That is not going to happen, my dear. I will turn around, but you must change in my presence. Leaving you alone is too dangerous.”
Regardless of his point, the embarrassment didn’t lessen. She gathered her clothes to her chest and climbed out of her bed.
Demon Gates (Helena Hawthorn Series Book 2) Page 5