Her Black Heart (The Dark Amulet Series Book 2)

by A. J. Norris

  “Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk. What a disappointment,” Abaddon said from over by the expansive window.

  Maurice screamed and passed out.

  Julia stiffened with her back to the Demon Ruler, grabbed the amulet from Amalya, and swallowed it.

  No! Amalya mouthed, horrified.

  Julia winced as the amulet slid down into her stomach. She wasn’t going to let Abaddon get his hands on the sigil.

  “I thought you might have killed Ra’zael like I asked. Guess I’ll have to enslave you instead,” he said.

  Raz lunged at his former master. “No!” Julia shouted and sprung forward. Amalya batted her away with a wing. She landed on her knees in front of the door, someone popped back up between the jambs. Elliott had a red-flamed sword in both hands.

  The beastly demon and Raz grappled on the floor. She heard something snap and Raz cried out. Abaddon pinned him down. Elliott jumped in the air and sank the blade into the ebony skinned creature. The demon bellowed. The flame sizzled then extinguished itself.

  Abaddon reared back, reaching over his shoulder. Elliott leapt out of the way of the clawed hand. The monster yanked the sword through his chest and tossed the blade aside. “My strength grows.” He returned his attention on Raz who was crawling away, a wing bent and hanging in an awful position.

  Julia’s heart thundered behind her sternum. She couldn’t breathe. She and Amalya huddled together on the floor. She didn’t blame Amalya for protecting her baby. She watched in horror as Abaddon twisted Raz’s ankle until it fractured.

  A new sword somehow formed in Elliott’s hand. He charged the demon, slashing at his chest, neck, and arms. Abaddon tried to catch the blade with one hand and hold Raz off the floor by the throat with the other. His nostrils flared and he flung the Guardian across the room. Raz crashed into Maurice with a loud thud. Elliott cut a deep gash across Abaddon’s abdomen. The beast curled his head with the intent of ramming Elliott with his horns. The angel flew back and out of the strike zone.

  Julia focused on Raz. He lay crumpled against the wall on top of Maurice, who also looked dead. Elliott tried another angle to get at the beast. The demon counteracted all his moves until Elliott was forced stop his attack.

  “Arghhh! Where’s my amulet?” When no one answered, he stomped toward Raz.

  “No one has your stupid piece of shit!” Julia shouted. The beast halted and pivoted. “But I know where it is.”

  “Oh? Do tell.”

  “Not unless you leave us alone. And un-Taint me.” Julia had no plan, she only knew she wanted the mayhem to end. There were two reasons she’d swallowed the amulet. First, a part of her wanted to keep it, and second, she didn’t want anyone else to have it either. But in this moment, nothing was more important than her angel. Her decision suddenly became clear. She couldn’t have both. Raz for the amulet seemed like a fair trade considering Abaddon seemed desperate to get it back.

  “Un-Taint? Purify? Hmm…I’ll have to think about it.” He paced with heavy hoof-steps.

  Julia’s heart clutched.

  Come on.

  He stopped and stared at her for a long pause.

  Come on.

  Tears streamed down her face. She forced herself not to stomp her feet like an impatient child.

  “All right,” he closed his eyes briefly, “it is done.”

  Julia furrowed her brow. Maybe he wasn’t as strong as he wanted everyone to believe. Why give in so easily?

  High-pitched squeals filled the room. Julia covered her ears and hunkered down on her knees. As another screech resounded, she toppled to her side. Raz wasn’t moving. She watched his rib cage for movement.

  Breathe!

  His chest expanded after what seemed too long, and she sagged with relief.

  Abaddon fell to his knees next to her, his hands over his ears.

  He was weaker than when she’d first seen him.

  The room darkened but sunlight still shone in from the window. Shadows crept along the floor and walls.

  She knew the sound of the shadow demons. They were coming for…not Raz. Maurice. The force of her angel’s landing had crushed the weaker man to death. She needed to pull Raz away from the human before the shadows reached them. The noise grew louder yet and further weakened her. Getting to her hands and knees proved unattainable. She dragged herself along the floor using her arms. She wheezed. She coughed. Something choked her from the inside out. More coughing, wheezing, then gagging. She pawed at her throat. An object was stuck in her windpipe.

  Can’t…breathe.

  Her face heated, sweat poured down her temples. The dry heaving raged on. She was suffocating on the amulet.

  Julia forced her eyes upon Raz. Shadow demons tore at his clothing. Elliott stood over him and slashed at the inky translucent blobs. Amalya tugged at his legs, arms, anything she could grab. Maurice’s soul thrashed.

  Something hit her between the wings. Abaddon lay beside her. “Cough it up!” he bellowed over the screaming demons and beat her back again. The amulet came up and landed under her chin. A charcoal taste filled her mouth. She retched and black smoke billowed around her. She patted the carpet for the sigil blindly. Her hand felt the metal and she palmed the amulet. She started to roll away but the beast stopped her.

  “Let me go!”

  Abaddon lifted her off the floor by her pants waist and grabbed one of her wings. “You’re not going anywhere.” He laughed while she flailed around. She stopped struggling, deciding it would be a good idea to conserve her energy.

  He released her wing then she dropped. She glanced behind her as she crawled away. The ebony, horned beast battled the male angels. Elliott jumped and caught Abaddon around the neck from behind. Raz stabbed the creature’s torso until he sank to his knees. Amalya pulled her to her feet and handed her a tin cylinder. Julia read the label, Revoking Powder.

  “It’s salt,” Amalya said, “make a circle around them. Hurry.”

  The females poured a salt line around them, starting on opposite sides of the fighters. Elliott and Raz flapped twice and flew backward. They chanted in a language Julia didn’t understand. She figured, given the salt, the incantation was meant to send Abaddon back to Netherworld.

  “Enough!” Abaddon screamed and everything went still, including the shadow demons. The demons hissed in protest. “Silence!”

  The Demon Ruler jumped to his cloven hooves and spun around. He chuckled and walked to the line. His hoof poised mid-air to step over the white grains. The muscles in his legs strained as he tried to breach the barrier. He tried again with his hand and hit an invisible wall.

  The beast tromped around and took a running start. Met with resistance. When he circled around again for another attempt, Julia noticed the shiny round amulet inside the salt revoking circle. She’d dropped it.

  No!

  Abaddon huffed, expelling gray smoke from his nostrils. Julia held her breath, praying he didn’t step backward onto the amulet or he’d just leave, defeated. And why hadn’t the Revoking Powder gotten rid of him anyway? Raz moved on her right. Her eyes focused on him. He continued to cite the foreign-sounding chant.

  Julia looked back in time to see Abaddon pick up the amulet. She launched at him but Raz blocked her from entering the circle. He marched her backward holding her close to his chest.

  “Sorry. You know how much I hate you,” she said.

  His brows knitted together. “What?” She gripped him below the waist and twisted. “Ow! Fuck!”

  Julia slipped through his arms and strode toward the beast.

  “You want this?” He dangled the pendant, now hanging from a leather cord. She crossed the threshold without a plan, only a need to make sure the amulet got destroyed. He smacked her away and she flew across the room. She hit the wall above the headboard, bounced on the bed, and onto the floor. Her entire body ached as she writhed.

  CHAPTER

  SIXTY-THREE

  Ra’zael

  Helplessly watching Julia sail into th
e wall over the bed tore Ra’zael apart. Now she lay on the floor gasping in pain, the crest of one wing cracked in half and folded over in an unnatural position. He wanted to check on her, but not enough time remained to help her and Elliott. Amalya brushed past him toward Julia.

  Thank, Deus.

  The shadow demons shrieked in a high crescendo. Maurice screamed. A black tendril snaked up and muffled his cries. A portal opened next to the pile of demons, near the floor. The edges of the hole fuzzed. Beyond the door, Netherworld awaited. Sulfur odors wafted to Raz. The black blob crept toward the opening.

  “Wait. Forgetting something?” their master asked and tossed the necklace. A tendril forced Maurice’s hand out and he caught the amulet. He balled his hand into a fist.

  Raz lunged and reached the forsaken ball from Hell as the last of it slid through. The mass pulled him in. Only his legs remained in Earth’s realm. He drove his hands into the blackness. The shadow demons hissed and stung him. He found Maurice and pried the amulet from his grip. Most of his legs were now in Netherworld.

  He felt something tug on his feet. Elliott the Redeemer pulled. Raz eased back through the opening to his waist. The demons jerked him forward to the thighs. The white-haired angel yanked harder and managed to grab a…belt? Elliott had manifested something useful. Raz glanced over his shoulder. The smart angel braced his feet on the portal’s edge. “Pull! Pull!”

  “I…am. Harder than…it…looks.” Raz could hear the strain in Elliott’s voice. Raz punched the stray tendrils.

  “Pull harder. Ouch! Fucking bastards sting.”

  He must have listened because only his arms, shoulders, crests and head were in Netherworld. A tendril coiled around a wrist. While Raz worked at freeing his hand, the portal began closing in on itself. “Whatever you’re doing, do it quicker!” Peeling the black goo stung his fingers, but he finally pried the stupid thing off. The door between realms was almost closed now. With a surprisingly powerful heave, he was muscled to safety. He lay on his back panting. Amalya, the reason for the sudden strength stood over him, along with Elliott.

  “Julia? Is she okay?”

  “I’m right here.” Julia crawled toward him and collapsed two feet away. He dragged her the rest of the distance and draped her over his chest. She winced and groaned.

  Raz sucked in a breath. “Sorry.” He’d forgotten about her broken wing.

  “Do you hate me?”

  He brushed the hair out of her eyes. “Oh, yes, completely hate you.”

  She sniffled. “Good. Because I hate you too.”

  “Isn’t that sweet? They hate each other.” Abaddon sat on the floor, his big goat shaped legs crossed at the fetlocks.

  “Why is that thing still here? I thought that was ‘Revoking Powder’ we used,” Julia said.

  Abaddon snorted. “Morons did it wrong.”

  “What was that?” Amalya asked.

  “I. Called. You. Morons.”

  Amalya walked over the edge of the salt ring. Raz carefully laid Julia aside and sat up. The demon jumped to his feet. Elliott rushed toward them, stopping when she put her palm up. “Wait. I need to see something.” Her mate balled his hands into tight fists.

  The Demon Ruler lowered his head until he and Amalya were eye-to-eye, their faces inches apart.

  “What?” he growled. His breath blew her hair back.

  “Just checking.”

  “Checking what?”

  She stuck her foot over the line. He hissed and withdrew.

  “What’s the matter? I thought you were the mighty ruler of all demons.” She passed into the circle.

  Elliott took a couple of steps closer, ready to defend her. Raz’s heart raced. What was she doing?

  Aba moved to the other side of the circle. Raz’s mouth fell open. If Darkness was going to attack, he would’ve done so already.

  Amalya chuckled. “More angel. Less demon. Every day. Just checking.” She stepped back into Elliott’s waiting arms. He whisked her further away from the Devil. Who apparently wasn’t so devilish after all.

  A warm breeze skated across Raz’s arm.

  Deus.

  Unseen, but felt. When the draft hit Abaddon his back stiffened. “Deus, you can’t make me leave.” An invisible force knocked him to his knees. He laughed. In the next second, he slammed onto his ass and arched off the floor like someone had trampled his balls. He gasped. “F-Fine, I’m going, but can I at least have my amulet back?”

  “No!” all the angels shouted. A portal opened up and swallowed him.

  CHAPTER

  SIXTY-FOUR

  Julia

  Julia scanned the angels’ faces. “Uh, what was that?” she asked Amalya.

  “I had a hunch the big freak wouldn’t touch me.”

  “I’m sorry…you did that on a hunch?” This female was crazy. And she loved it. “You got gumption.” Amalya winked at her. Julia learned the true meaning of the word, right here, right now. She couldn’t wait to tell Augustina about…wait, she couldn’t. She scratched her head. Why had she thought of that old lady? Maybe because she’d been on her mind this entire adventure, haunting her.

  Julia labored to her knees. “Ouch. Ow.” The pain of her wrecked wing felt like the broken arm she’d had as a child. Every time she adjusted her body, the wing pounded.

  “Think you can concentrate enough to poof?” Amalya asked.

  “She means teleport,” Elliott clarified.

  “I got it, and yeah.” Julia reached for Raz’s hand. He was already on his feet and limped closer to her. “Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “You don’t look fine. Your ankle and wing are—”

  He waved her concern off. “I don’t think you should try to stand. Relax and picture—do you know where Eternity is?”

  “Ummm, the dance club?”

  “That’s the one. Picture being inside.”

  “Won’t people notice us just appearing out of thin air?”

  “No,” Amalya said. “Trust me, it’ll be fine.”

  ***

  Julia ended the dizzying journey on the floor of a bathroom stall. A men’s bathroom stall. She looked up and saw Raz gazing down on her. “Let’s go see Max.”

  “Max? Oh, wait, I know Max, from the woods.”

  “That’s the one.” Raz scooped her up off the epoxy floor. She moaned and he kissed her cheek.

  “Why did we end up in the bathroom?”

  “Creator’s idea of a joke. Plus, it’s a safe place to land if you wanna avoid detection.” He carried her to an elevator. They both grimaced with each step. He pushed the down button.

  “I didn’t realize this place had a basement.”

  The doors slid open. “Two actually.” He turned sideways and boarded. She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed. “Do me a favor, reach down and push that button.”

  “Which one? Oh. Never mind.” Located where the emergency stop should be was a pearly button with liquid swirling around inside. She sucked in her breath when she reached out. Her wing ached.

  Moments later, the elevator chimed and the doors opened. “Good evening,” the angel behind a podium paused, “Ra’zael the Guardian.” As they approached him, he studied Julia a moment before smiling. “This is becoming a regular thing…black wings.” He frowned, “Oooh, have Max look at that wing. Ouch.”

  Raz nodded. “That’s why we’re here.”

  Julia smiled despite her self-consciousness and the pain. “I’m Julia the, um, ah, just Julia.”

  “Nice to meet you,” the host said as they went past.

  “Who was that?” Julia asked Raz.

  “Gregory.”

  They walked by planted bamboo sticks and through an archway into a long high-ceilinged room. Plush couches and huge pillows in different shades of purple lined the sides of a brick path up the middle, leading to wooden French doors. Three angels stood over a table full of all kinds of food. She breathed deeply. The whole Thanksgiving turkey smelled de
liciously sage-scented. Her stomach growled.

  Raz chuckled. “I’d say eat but I’d wait until after Max heals you.”

  At the back of the room, Max and his green hair sat sideways on the oversized chair with his feet hanging over the armrest, typing on a Mac Book. “Whatcha need?” he asked without looking up.

  “Her wing—”

  “Don’t have it.” Raz sighed heavily. “You know you don’t need my services. You could just set the bone yourself.” Max raised his head. “Jesus, you look like shit. Where’ve you been? Hell?”

  “Funny,” Raz said. “Will you heal her or not?”

  “All right, since you asked so nicely.”

  “Please, Max. Will you fix her wing?”

  “Wow, you’re a lot nicer now. Netherworld did you some good. Just for that, I’ll fix you up too. Okay, let’s see her wing. Can you stand, female?”

  “I think…so.” Raz set her down on her feet. Julia wavered on her weak legs and her vision went grainy. “Whoa. Head rush.” She blinked and grabbed at Raz, who steadied her.

  “Maybe you should sit down,” Max suggested. The Healer led her over to a padded bench. “I need you to hold her still.”

  Raz kneeled in front of her and cupped her elbows. “Put your hands on my shoulders.” She rested her forehead in the crook of his neck. Max lifted the loosely hanging part of the wing.

  “Oh, God,” she whimpered. Tears sprang from her eyes.

  “Don’t worry, that’s the worst part,” Max said.

  Despite his reassuring words, she held a breath and braced for more pain. She exhaled when the only things she felt were a lot of pressure and heat. No agony. Forcing herself to relax, she took in her Guardian’s scent. He whispered in his native tongue, his voice had a soothing cadence. She smiled, then her chin quivered, but not from any physical discomfort. Belonging. Joy. And love. The last time she remembered feeling those things, was the day Raz gave her the poisoned amulet. Julia jerked her head up. “The amulet. We have to destroy it.”