by Diem, J. C.
Sam released our camouflage. He was shaking slightly and sweat dripped down his face. “That is getting harder to do,” he confessed. He was exhausted and he’d only had to hide us for a few seconds.
“It was unnecessary,” Brie scolded him. “I could have teleported us to safety. You need to conserve your energy for when it is needed.”
“It is instinctive,” he said with a shrug. “I spent four hundred years hiding from demons. It is not easy to switch off my instincts.”
I was just glad he hadn’t lost his abilities yet. I’d only visited six of the nine realms. We still had three more to travel to before I would have my final showdown with the Hellmaster. Sam had saved my butt enough times for me to know that I couldn’t do this without his assistance.
₪₪₪
Chapter Three
“How are you feeling now?” Brie asked me. It was a sign of our progress that she was showing any concern for my health. In the past, she would have just returned to her post and left us to fend for ourselves.
“Better,” I replied. I looked down at my arms and saw that the dusky hue had receded a little. Only people who knew me well would know it wasn’t my natural skin color. I put a hand to my forehead to find the low grade fever I’d had for the past few days was gone.
“I should return to our base before I am missed,” Brie said. “Can you summon Leo to your side?”
I reached inside my pocket and drew out a small wooden angel that Leo had carved for me. The angel’s knees were drawn up to his face and his wings were wrapped around him. His face was hidden, but I knew it was meant to be Nathan. I concentrated and Leo appeared in front of me. His worried expression cleared when he saw us. “That took longer than I expected,” he said. “What was the delay?”
“Sam had to hide us from a couple of angels,” I told him and saw his relief that my best friend’s talents weren’t gone yet.
“I will leave them in your care,” Brie said. She hugged Leo briefly then disappeared.
Leo examined my face and frowned. “You do not look as though you need to exercise any excess energy away this time.”
Usually, my eyes would be glowing blue from Nathan’s infusion of grace, but he hadn’t given me much this time. “The taint is a lot stronger now that I have two different toxins inside me,” I told him. “Being purged with holy fire then healed with Nathan’s grace is barely enough to hold them back.”
Sophia had seen a vision of what would happen to me when the poison grew too strong. My skin would turn completely black and I would rot to the core. It would be too late to save me by then and I would surely die. It was nearing the end of July now and I only had a few months left before this would happen. My eighteenth birthday was only four months away and it didn’t look like I’d even live to see it.
Morose at the thought of dying so young, I put the angel carving back in my pocket. I touched the sapphire rune stone that was my link to Nathan. With a thought, I could bring him to me, but I didn’t. We needed time apart after he shared his grace with me. Doing so had strengthened our bond even more. I could feel him in my heart where my missing soul should have been.
Sam surreptitiously looked at my watch then shared a glance with Leo. I knew them both well and blew out a sigh. “Did you forget to tape something?”
“No,” he replied sheepishly. “There are two programs on at the same time and I could only record one of them.”
“Your addiction is taking over your life.”
“Scold me during the ad break,” he said. Leo had become hooked on a program about fairytales that was set in modern day times. Even worse, he had taken to watching daytime drama shows while we were in hell. He’d assumed the task of taping Sam’s favorite shows during our absence.
Sliding a look at me, Leo made his decision and zapped us back to the living room. The moment the TV came on, Nathan realized we were back. He appeared in the doorway, but he didn’t come inside. We stared at each other and I drank in his gorgeous face and dark blue eyes. His black hair was chin length and framed his sculpted cheekbones and full lips. He was six foot one and had a lean, muscled body. To me, he was perfect in every way.
“Violet is fine, Nathanael,” Sam said pointedly when we’d been staring at each other for too long. “Either come in, or go away. Do not hover in the doorway like that.”
Leo managed to hold onto his sniggers for about three seconds before they escaped from him. “I have never seen a Seraphim scolded by an imp before,” he said.
Instead of being affronted, Nathan just smiled wryly, which made my heart wrench even more. I craved his touch badly, but we could never be together. It was forbidden for angels and humans to date and it was even worse in our case. I wasn’t even human. Sophia and I were the only ones who knew I was a Nephilim. If the rest of my friends or allies ever found out what I was, they’d have no choice but to kill me.
“Are you hungry?” Nathan asked me as he entered the room.
“I could eat,” I said with a shrug. It was the middle of the afternoon and I’d had lunch three hours ago. My appetite had returned now that the taint had been pushed back a bit.
Concentrating, Nathan used his unique talent to reach out and grab one of the cookies that were in a jar on the counter downstairs. He handed it to me with a flourish.
“Show off,” Leo muttered good naturedly. Nathan was different from the rest of his kind. He could do things that none of the others could. This trick only worked if he knew exactly where the object that he wanted was being kept.
“Would you like some tea to go with that?” my guardian asked.
“Coffee would be nice,” Sam said without taking his eyes off the screen. He wasn’t being intentionally rude. He was just absorbed with his addiction.
“Yes, please,” I said for us both.
“I would not mind a couple of cookies either,” Sam added.
“Do not push it,” Nathan warned him. “I am not your maid.”
Seeing a picture of him wearing a French maid outfit of a small black dress and a white apron, I snorted out a laugh. “I wish you could see the picture that’s in my head right now.”
The look he gave me said that he was seeing a picture of his own and that it wasn’t something he could describe in front of witnesses. Sexual tension charged the air and it only left when he teleported downstairs.
“If you were two normal people, I would advise you to spend the night together and get it out of your systems,” Leo said quietly. “Unfortunately, that is not an option.”
“It must be difficult being torn between your feelings for two different men,” Sam added. “You want to sleep with them both, but you can only have one.”
I heard a cup smash downstairs as Nathan overheard him. We all winced. Leo put a finger to his lips warning Sam to be quiet. Even if we whispered, he’d still overhear us. I’d have to activate Sy’s silence rune in order for us to have a private conversation.
Sophia entered the room a couple of minutes later, looking harried. She carried a tray with tea for me, coffee for Sam and cookies for us both.
“Is Nathan okay?” I asked. It hurt him to hear that I had feelings for Zach, even though it wasn’t a secret.
“He decided to patrol the streets for a while,” she replied as she put the tray on the coffee table. She was being evasive, which was answer enough. Sam looked guilty about causing Nathan’s anguish, but I couldn’t be mad at him. The fault was all mine. All I had to do was end things with Zach and his pain would go away. Of course, Zach would be the one hurting then. I loved them both and I didn’t want to hurt either of them.
Speaking of Zach, my cell phone buzzed in my pocket. I took it out and read the message. Leo arched his brow in enquiry. Now that Nathan wasn’t here to listen in, I could tell him what it said. “Zach wants to meet me tomorrow night.”
Sam tore his attention away from the TV long enough to flick me a curious look. “That is unusual. You normally see him during the day. Where does he want yo
u to meet him?”
“At a building near his home. One of his friends is having a party. He’s going to sneak out and see me.”
“How romantic,” he said with a grin. “It is very Romeo and Juliet of him.”
“We can only hope that your relationship does not end with either of you dying tragically,” Leo said dryly.
That reminded me of the vision Sophia had seen about Zach’s father. Mr. Orion was having an affair with Clarice Weller, my rival’s mother. Sophia had seen that their fling would end in blood and tears, which didn’t bode well for Mrs. Weller.
“You are living in a real life drama,” Sam told me solemnly.
“I wish someone would yell ‘cut’ every now and then so I could have a break,” I complained. Unfortunately, Fate was in charge of my life. I’d been chosen to save the world and she was putting me through hell to ensure that I would be able to complete my tasks.
They both went back to watching TV and I quickly texted Zach that I would meet him. It had been far too long since we’d seen each other and he was worried about me. Leo had pretended to be me while I’d been gone. He’d kept in touch with Zach by texting him. As always, he used the excuse that I had to travel to Boston for treatment to explain my absence.
Zach had an excuse of his own for not being able to see me. He had to spend more of his free time with Candy, his unwanted girlfriend. My rage tried to rise at the thought of my rival and I had to force it down. As much as I hated her, she was a far better match for him than I was. I’d come to the conclusion that it was better for him to have her waiting in the wings. When I died, she could step in and take my place. She could console him when I disappeared without warning.
₪₪₪
Chapter Four
Anticipation built inside me the next night as my date with Zach loomed closer. Nathan was aware that I would be meeting with my boyfriend and he was anything but happy about it. He stood behind me in the bathroom and watched as I applied my makeup. His arms were crossed tightly and a slight frown made his brows crease. Instead of marring his handsomeness, it actually added to it. “How long will you be gone?” he asked.
“An hour or two probably.” I examined my face carefully and was glad to see that I’d managed to hide the worst of my illness. My wardrobe was limited, so I’d settled on a green t-shirt that enhanced the color of my eyes. I was wearing black boots and black jeans that didn’t have holes in them. Leo had modified my pocket so I could tuck the sheath that held my dagger inside.
“I do not like you seeing your beau at night,” he said and his frown deepened. “Demons tend to be more vigilant once the sun goes down.”
“Leo and Sam will watch my back,” I reminded him. “I doubt we’ll go very far from where the party is being held. Candy will probably be there and Zach won’t be able to stay away for long or she’ll come looking for him.” I scowled at the thought of her intruding on our time together. She’d be constantly on our minds as we caught up with each other.
A smile tugged at the corners of Nathan’s mouth at the mention of Zach’s pretend girlfriend. He was hoping she’d steal him away from me. I held in a sigh at my complicated love life as Sam and Leo appeared in the doorway.
“Are you ready?” Leo asked.
“As I’ll ever be.”
“We will take good care of her and we will ensure that nothing untoward happens,” Sam promised my guardian. He’d decided to come along out of curiosity more than anything else. Either that, or there was nothing to watch on TV.
“See that you do,” Nathan replied. His eyes met mine and I read the silent message asking me to remember the promise that I’d made to him. I nodded in response then Leo whisked us away.
Moments later, we appeared on a sidewalk a couple of blocks away from Zach’s apartment building. The address that he’d given me was right across from us. Park Avenue was wide, with several lanes of cars heading in both directions. I only saw glimpses of the building through the stream of traffic. It was enough to make out that it wasn’t quite as opulent as Zach’s home. A uniformed doorman hovered just inside the foyer. He would take one look at me and call the cops if I tried to enter.
“Zach wants me to meet him in a room near the side entrance,” I told my friends. “It should be just around the corner.” Leo didn’t bother to make us walk the short distance. Instead, he teleported to the side street. “Wait for me here, okay?” I said to them both.
Sam held out his hand and I stared at it blankly. “Your dagger?” he prompted.
Feeling like an idiot, I handed it over. Zach would have questions that I couldn’t answer if he found my weapon. I was pretty sure I’d be safe inside the building. If anything happened, Leo would hear me if I had to call out for him.
“Shout if you get into any trouble,” Leo said. “If you are not back in an hour, we will come looking for you.”
“An hour?” I complained. “That’s not long enough. I haven’t seen Zach in two months.”
“One hour and that is final,” he said. Coming from a fourteen-year-old kid, his order should have been laughable. Since his vessel was possessed by an angel that was possibly billions of years old, I had to take him seriously.
Sam offered a compromise. “At least poke your head outside so we can see that you are okay.”
“And that you are still wearing your clothes,” Leo added with a smirk.
Checking my watch, I saw that it was time to meet with Zach. “I’ll be fine and I’m not going to take my clothes off,” I said.
“If you do not show us that you are unharmed, I will sneak inside and see for myself,” Sam said.
I knew he’d come good on the threat and blew out a sigh. “Fine. I’ll pop my head out so neither of you feel the need to check to see whether I’m still fully clothed.”
“It is not just your innocence that we are protecting,” Leo said. “For all we know, demons could be inside the building. You will be out of our sight and this worries us both.”
“If I see any demons, I’ll leave,” I promised. “I’ve got to go. Zach will be waiting for me.” I trotted across the street and approached the side door. Testing the handle, it was unlocked so I pulled it open. The latch had been taped down so it could be opened from the outside. It was a sure sign that Zach had been here.
Before entering, I turned to wave at my friends. Sam returned my wave, but Leo just glowered at me. He’d seen how passionate I was when I was with my boyfriend and he didn’t trust me to keep my lust in check. I couldn’t really blame him. Once the mood took over, all I wanted to do was tear Zach’s clothes off and have my way with him. Part of that was the legion talking, the rest was normal teenaged hormones.
Stepping inside, I closed the door. It was quiet inside the service entrance. The hallway was long and the walls were a pleasant yellow color. The carpet was a bit threadbare and was a bland shade of beige. My footsteps were muffled as I walked to an intersection. I could see part of the foyer from here, but the doorman was hidden from my view. Elevators were stationed against the far wall and a set of stairs was next to it.
I had a choice of turning left and entering the foyer, or turning right where there was another hallway with a few rooms to choose from. Zach had told me to meet him in a maintenance room that was behind the first door to the right. Opening the door, I was disappointed to see he wasn’t there. Racks of floor to ceiling metal shelves were crammed with cleaning products, tools and other assorted equipment. The floor was bare concrete and the air was musty. It wasn’t exactly a romantic spot. The metal shelves were tall enough to block the light and to cast deep shadows between the aisles. Curious, I headed down an aisle then froze when I heard voices coming. Realizing they were coming this way, I hurried to the end of the aisle, turned to the right and found a dark corner to squeeze into.
“I’m telling you, no one will be down here,” a young male voice said. It sounded like he was trying to convince someone to enter the room. “It’s the perfect place for us to make ou
t in private.”
The door opened and I peeked out to see a guy and a girl about my age standing in the doorway. Wrinkling her nose, the girl was about to protest, but the boy pushed her inside. She giggled as he backed her against one of the shelves. Four more kids came in after them and paired up. Even at a glance, it was obvious these teens had come from the same party that Zach had been invited to. Their clothes were expensive and were far fancier than anything I’d ever owned.
Two more guys entered before I could even think of trying to sneak past the kids. Seeing that they’d missed out on pairing up with someone, they decided to explore the room.
Knowing that I was going to be discovered at any moment, I was on the verge of calling out for Leo. That would definitely blow my cover, so I kept my mouth shut and hoped for the best.
₪₪₪
Chapter Five
Examining the boxes in the shelves, the two boys worked their way to the end of the aisle. Something caught the closest boy’s attention and he turned his head. I looked down to see the tips of my shoes were visible. His gaze moved upwards to my face. The shadows weren’t deep enough to hide me. Elbowing his friend in the side, he pointed at me. “We have company,” he said quietly.
The second teen squinted then started when he saw me looking back at him. They exchanged a look then moved closer until they were blocking my exit. “You don’t look like you belong here,” the first boy said. He was good looking, but there was something cruel in his eyes.
His friend cast a look over his shoulder to make sure we weren’t being observed. Before I even had time to process that I was in danger, he lurched forward and put his hand over my mouth. He slid behind me and trapped my arms behind my back. I struggled, but he was stronger than me. If we’d been in the shadowlands or in hell, I could have snapped him in half like a twig. Unfortunately, I lacked my unnatural strength and speed when I was in this dimension.