When I was done, Eli looked pensive. “If you don’t mind me asking, what was he like?”
I could understand an angel’s fascination with the Devil. Who used to be one of them but was now their eternal enemy. “Beautiful. And terrible. He tried to come across as the good guy, all charming and hospitable. But underneath it all I could feel his darkness, and his power. Like he could crush me with a single thought.”
“And yet you turned him down.” Eli sounded impressed.
I cringed. “I hate to bust your high opinion, but I found I couldn’t lie to him. He has the power to compel truth, I guess.”
Eli shrugged. “Well, still, it’s good to know you’re truly on our side.”
Hmm. I hadn’t really thought of it like that, but I guess he was right. Something else struck me. “Don’t forget I could be part demon now, too.”
His eyes darkened. “I guess we need to take you to see one of our healers.”
As we walked for the door I said, “So I guess all of the angels in this area have to live in HR headquarters, huh?” I cast my eyes around. “Makes it kind of hard to bring home a hot date.”
Eli chuckled, and for some reason I found myself wondering if he’d slept with Commander Hunter. Or wanted to. And then I wondered why I was wondering that. Uhhh, I really needed some sleep. And maybe another soul. I was getting delirious. “I’m major tired and hungry,” I said pointedly.
“Maybe I can get you some ambrosia. It’s very nourishing to all life forms.”
“No thanks. Lucifer made me drink that shit.”
Eli glanced over at me. “Well, sorry.”
“I get very cranky when I’m hungry. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“You’re always cranky.” Eli pushed open the door to what appeared to be a small medical ward.
“No, I’m feisty. You’re cranky. There’s a difference.”
Eli walked up to a counter and rang a bell. It had a sonorous tone instead of the high-pitched DING! of a usual bell.
A female angel with olive skin and wavy black hair emerged from the adjoining room. “How can I help you?”
“I had a run-in with Lucifer,” I answered.
She smiled at what she thought was bad humor.
Eli sighed deeply and shook his head at me. “Unfortunately, she’s not joking. Zyan has just returned from the Hell dimension, where Lucifer attempted a demon bond on her.”
I lifted my arm as evidence. The healer’s eyes widened. “Okay, let’s take a closer look.”
She led us into a small room which looked like a science lab or military testing compound. High-tech equipment littered the room, along with some interesting looking tools made of different crystals; amethyst and citrine and malachite, among others I didn’t recognize. “Have a seat,” she said, gesturing towards a chair that appeared to be made of titanium with small round panels of glass all over it.
As soon as I sat down, the discs of glass began to light up and beep softly. Most of the discs turned bright blue, but the ones under my right arm turned red. I saw the muscles in Eli’s jaw clench and unclench. “What does the red light mean?”
“It senses demon energies,” the healer said in an emotionless tone.
“So I am part demon, then.” My own tone was dead, flat.
“He didn’t finish the bond, though,” Eli protested, shaking his head in denial.
“It’s true that the bond is incomplete,” said the healer. “The spiral must be complete, as well as the addition of demonic runes.”
Yep, that was about right. She knew her demon bonding. “So, what does this partial bond mean?”
The healer looked at me and shrugged. “I’m not entirely sure. I’ve never seen a partial bond. It is clear that you now possess some demon essence, or the lights would not glow. However, the part we need to worry about is how much control Lucifer now has over you. With a normal bond, he has almost complete power. With this—I just don’t know.”
I felt like I was going to throw up.
“But if Lucifer’s bond was that strong, he would have been able to find you in the other realms. Or forced you to return to him so he could complete the bond,” Eli argued.
“Commander, may I speak to you in private for a moment?” The healer asked.
“Uh, sure.” He cast me an apologetic look as he followed her into the next room.
I stared at the door. I knew what she must be saying. That I couldn’t be trusted anymore. Especially not with the HR. I got out of the chair and paced around the room.
Eli reappeared back in the doorway. “Zyan, the doctor says we should probably keep you here for observation.”
“For how long?” I placed my hands on my hips and glared at him. Not that it was his fault, but still…
“Well, I’m sure you’re really sleepy anyways, so why don’t you just take a nap in the chair and we’ll see after that?” His face was neutral, his tone calming.
Well, he had a point there. I was pretty exhausted. “I need you to call Quinn. Oh, and I need some pillows.” Eli’s eyebrows shot up. “Do you think this chair looks cozy?”
“No, I suppose not,” he agreed.
“Well, those are my conditions. Take it or leave it.”
“Fine. I’ll be back in a few.”
He strode out of the room and I plunked down in the chair. I noticed the doctor was too scared to come back in here. What the fuck ever.
Within thirty seconds of sitting down, sleep overtook me.
The red glow of the monitors was the first thing I saw when I awoke. The second thing was Eli, sleeping in a chair across the room. So, I guess he did sleep every now and then. Lightly though, because all I did was shift my weight to sit up, and his eyes opened.
“Rise and shine, Wings.”
“How do you feel?” He rose fluidly from his chair, completely alert as if he had never been asleep.
“Fine.” I noticed there were two pillows tucked around me. He must have brought them while I slept. “So, am I off house arrest?”
His eyes flickered. “There were no surges of demonic energy while you slept. So, we’ll just need to keep a really close eye on it. If anything feels strange, anything at all—”
“Yeah, yeah, if I start sprouting leathery wings and a tail I’ll let you know.” I rolled my eyes.
Eli’s expression made it clear he did not appreciate my lack of acknowledgement of the severity of the matter. “Why don’t you take the rest of the night off, and we’ll get together tomorrow?”
“Oh, so I’m on probation now?”
“No, you’ve just been through a lot. Go home and take it easy.”
I felt a surge of anger. “Fine.” I got up and stalked out of the clinic. Eli trotted behind me. “I can find my way out,” I snapped.
“Zy, don’t be mad. It’s for your own good.”
“Sure, whatev.”
“Don’t you want me to take you home?”
“I think I can handle it, Eli.” We were at the front doors. I shoved them open, startling the guards on the other side, and took the steps to the parking lot two at a time.
“Okay, well call me if you need anything.”
God, he was annoying the shit out of me. I strode off into the darkness without responding. If this was how he was going to act from now on, our little partnership was over.
CHAPTER FIVE
Quinn and Riley greeted me at the door with anxious faces. “Do not hug me and do not ask if I’m okay,” I growled.
A moment of silence. “Okay, how about a martini?” Riley asked.
“Sounds marvelous.” I sank down on the sofa as he flitted into the kitchen.
Quinn sat down in a chair opposite me. “Um, well I guess I can just chat inanely about the boys I like until you feel like talking. So, remember Lucas from Will’s bar?” And she did indeed carry on about several different crushes for the four minutes it took Riley to make our cocktails.
“Thanks, Ri,” I said after I took my first sip.
“Hey, why don’t we go up on the roof?” Quinn suggested.
I shrugged. “Sure.” I could use a little cool night air.
We took the elevator up to the little community rooftop garden, and it relieved me to see we were the only ones there. The sky was a deep ocean blue, the stars muted by a netting of rainclouds across the horizon. I could smell rain and trees and the faint tang of asphalt. A sudden, overwhelming relief to be back on Earth again rushed through me. If I didn’t have to cross into another realm as long as I lived, that’d be fine with me.
About halfway through my martini I spilled my story to Riley and Quinn. I ended by telling them how ridiculous Eli had been back at HR headquarters. “So I guess I’m a double threat now. Eli barely trusted me to begin with, but now that I’ve got this partial mark…I wouldn’t be surprised if he has angels spying on us right now.”
“Do you trust Eli?” Riley asked.
“What do you mean?” I asked, feeling sure it was a trick question or something.
“Well, you’re upset thinking he doesn’t trust you, but have you ever completely placed your trust in him?” His eyes bore into mine.
I cast my gaze back up to the sky, my memory drifting to another sky, long, long ago. A sky as light and bright as this sky was deep and black. Dotted with lacey clouds and butterflies zipping back and forth. And the scent of lavender and honeysuckle.
He placed his hands over my eyes. “I have a surprise for you.” His breath was warm in my ear and his voice tickled my skin.
“A surprise? What is it?” I tried to turn around and look at him, but he held me tight.
“If I tell you, it won’t be a surprise, now will it?” He moved his hands, but only for a moment. In their place, he tied a black silk scarf. The fabric felt cool against my flesh. Saying nothing, he took my hand and led me across the lawn. It seemed we were moving back in the direction of his house. I’d been spending more and more time there, while my parents thought I was taking harp lessons with Mr. O’Connor.
We walked a ways, and I could tell we must be beyond the house now, but I’d lost track of whether we were heading down the lane towards the carriage house, or back towards the gardens or the stable. I’d know if we got too close to the stables though, because of the cobblestones in the yard, and near the garden where the grass was especially soft and springy and the earth went down in a little dip. But before I could contemplate it too much more we had stopped. I could hear what sounded like a bird springing off a nearby branch, its wings beating through the air.
And then another sound. Something large walking towards us. The soft exhalation of a powerful set of lungs.
Alexander grabbed my waist and hoisted me into the air. A shriek escaped my throat. “Don’t you trust me darling?”
I paused just a moment, and then I felt myself sliding into a sidesaddle. I gasped, my hands finding coarse strands of mane and a sleek shoulder. Without waiting for permission, I tore off the scarf. “He’s beautiful!” My eyes couldn’t move over the horse fast enough, taking in every inch of his pure white body.
“She,” Alexander corrected, a broad smile on his perfect face. His eyes were so, so blue. It was hard to breathe. “Do you like her?”
“Like her? I love her!” I slid down again, tumbling into his arms, my sunbeam hair a mess against his gray coat.
“See? You should have a little faith in me. Wasn’t this a nice surprise?” I nodded, and those eyes were sucking me in, the whole sky resting in them. He leaned in and kissed me, just once, just for a moment. “I would never, ever do anything to hurt you. Ever. In this life, or the next, or the one after that. Through all the ages, for all of time, I am yours.” Another brush of his lips. “You believe me, don’t you?”
“I do,” I whispered.
I blinked up into the black sky again, black as the maelstrom of emotion in the pit of my stomach. My eyes found Riley’s. “I learned a long time ago that trust is a gigantic fucking waste of time.”
“Well, then you can’t be mad at Eli,” he said, and drained his drink.
“I can and I am,” I said with a hiss of petulance. “And I don’t care if that makes me a hypocrite,” I added as they both rolled their eyes. I tossed back my martini.
“I think all this hypocrisy calls for more cocktails.” Riley stood and strode off without waiting for a response.
Quinn glanced over at me. “You really should trust Eli. I think he’s a good guy.”
I groaned. “Let’s talk about something else, okay?”
“Fine.” Quinn tapped her fingers on the arm of her chair. “How about we practice more with your powers?”
“Um, something other than that.”
“Zy! This stuff is serious. You can’t keep putting it off.” She huffed and blew her bangs out of her face. “Why don’t you practice now, before Riley gets back.”
“Really? It’s not like I just came back from, you know, HELL or anything.” I glared at her. She just glared right back. “Jesus, will you shut up if I practice for five minutes?”
“Fifteen.”
“Seven.”
“Twelve.”
“Ten.”
She took a deep breath. “Alright, fine. Ten minutes.”
“So, what do you want me to do?” I ran my finger along the bottom of my glass to catch the last dregs of my beverage and then popped it in my mouth.
“Well first, quit thinking about alcohol.” Quinn looked around the rooftop area. “Okay, try this.” My eyes followed her outstretched hand. “Make those morning glories bloom. It’ll take focus, and just a little power. Not a lot.”
After what happened the other day with Riley, there was no worry that I’d try to unleash a lot of my power. In fact, I was a bit petrified just to let out a little of it. I gazed at the flower vines, and the small buds hidden amongst them. Before I had barely even reached for my power it was there, like a pet eager for attention. Quinn must have sensed it too, because she straightened in surprise.
My eyes returned to the buds, to one in particular, and I willed it to open. I felt my magic flow across the space between us, and the bud opened, revealing the royal purple within. A surge of excitement rushed through me, and all along the vine buds started popping open. Startled, I tensed up, and felt my connection with the magic cut off.
“Well, that was great!” Quinn beamed at me.
“Yeah, I guess.” I dropped my eyes. If she only knew about the other day… “It’s not that I don’t know how to call my power. It’s that it goes beyond my control so quickly. I didn’t mean to open those other blossoms.”
“Well, let’s try again, but this time—”
Riley pushed the door open. And this time, he’d brought a whole glass pitcher of martinis.
“When did the plan for tonight change to us getting wasted?” I laughed.
“About the time you came back from your little visit to Hell,” he answered, pouring me a refill.
Quinn caught my eye and we both shrugged. “Well, I can’t argue with that.”
The next evening, Quinn and Ri headed over to the bar and I headed to HR headquarters.
“How’s it hangin’?” I called to the angels guarding the front door. They opened the doors silently, without so much as a dart of their eyes or a twitch of their cheek muscles. Good lord.
Eli met me in the hall. “What do you look so vexed about?”
I waved a hand. “Oh, nothing.”
He stared at me for a moment, then chose to drop it. “So, how are you feeling? Did you rest up last night?”
“Feeling fantastic. So, what’s on the agenda for the night?” We strode up to the mega security door and the warriors started their whole scan thing.
“We’re planning on breaking into patrols and trying to find where Alexander is hiding. With the intel Donovan’s been doing with his pack, we have some good starting points.” I followed him to a small room with a conference table. Papers were strewn across it. “These are the operations bri
efs for the patrols.”
I grinned. “You actually came up with individual ops plans for each of the patrols? You must have been really bored last night without me.”
His lavender eyes darkened. “Just normal preparations, Zyan.” Then he added, “I know it’s not nearly as exciting as barging in, guns ablaze.”
Martinis with the Devil, Part Two Page 5