by Ciara Knight
She turned and gazed at her father. “If you stay, he’ll torture you. His only mission in life has been to punish you since Charlotte died.”
“I know, but it’s time for me to face my own demons.” He chuckled nervously and took Gabby’s hand. “Not all of them are as ugly as he is. I can do this. Trust your old man.” He offered a reassuring smile.
Alexander watched as an internal struggle waged within Gabby. Her mouth tightened into a frown of sadness. She was right. Forras only wanted him to stay in order to torture him. He still blamed Bruce for Charlotte’s death.
Forras held up his good hand. “I’m not finished yet.”
“What else?” she asked in a low, cold voice.
Alexander stiffened. Negotiating with a demon was dangerous and stupid. They always had a hidden agenda, a twist.
“Why, you, of course.”
Alexander stiffened, his blood running cold. “No!”
Boon moved quickly between them. “Not happening.”
A flash of something crossed Forras’s eyes, something resembling grief. “Don’t start molting over there, Blue Jay. I just want to see Charlotte again.”
Alexander shook his head, his jaw popped under the pressure of his anger. “You aren’t touching her.”
Forras smiled. “Even if she begs?”
Boon took a step toward him, his eyes filled with contempt.
“It’s a trick, a way to breach Heaven’s gates. He’s fishing for a way in,” Alexander warned.
Gabby moved toward Forras, but Alexander caught her wrist. “You. Are. Not. Doing. This!”
She pulled free and took another step. “If you don’t torture my father, not once, then you’ll have what you want most when we return.”
Alexander stepped back, clutching the back of the couch to try to keep himself from completely losing it. No, it would never happen. Forras would never touch her again. She was his, not Forras’s.
Forras clapped his hands together. “Great. We have a deal. Should we toast to it?”
Gabby clenched her fists at her side. “This is your only warning, Forras. Not one demonic trick on my father.”
“I’ll stay with him,” Sammy offered.
Boon swung around, fear etched in the deepening lines around his eyes.
Sammy sauntered over to him and ran a finger down his jaw line. “We’re together, forever.”
He took a long intake of air and closed his eyes then nodded almost imperceptibly.
“May I speak to you for a moment?” Alexander heard the venom in his voice, but he didn’t care. He jerked his head for Gabby to follow him.
Forras chuckled, filling the room with his menacing laughter. He was enjoying being a wedge between Gabby and him. Old hostility surfaced each time he glanced at Forras. Anger that lead down a dark path he’d tried so hard to avoid.
Gabby turned on her heels and headed down the hall.
“Let’s check what’s going on in the rest of the world.” Bruce grabbed a remote from a side table and switched on the television. Clicking through several channels, he finally found one reporting news.
“Shear pandemonium has struck most major cities across the U.S. but the cause is still unknown. Some theories are that it’s a new virus. Others a terrorist attack. But could it be something more sinister?” a lady’s voice echoed.
Alexander shook his head. If they only knew the truth.
He followed Gabby down the hall into a large master bedroom, with floor to ceiling windows that matched the ones they’d smashed through in the living room months ago.
“You can’t be serious.” Alexander stood over her, looking down into her tired, yet argumentative eyes.
“I only promised him what he would want most. Charlotte.” Gabby’s expression softened and she lifted her arm, but he backed up, knowing her touch was too intoxicating for him to remain focused.
“So, you didn’t know what was happening when Forras kissed you?” Alexander asked.
Gabby bit her bottom lip and sighed. “I knew, but I didn’t—”
“You mean, you let it happen anyway?” Alexander’s voice lowered to a harsh whisper as he swallowed his hurt.
“No, I didn’t have a choice. You know I would never do that to you. Charlotte took possession of my body.” Gabby’s eyes softened. “I love you,” she whispered.
“Do you? How would you feel if you walked in on me kissing Avery?”
She scowled up at him. “I did, remember?”
He shook his head. “It wasn’t the same thing. She kissed me.”
“Doesn’t matter. I saw her on top of you, which to me is much worse. So I guess you’ll just have to live with this.” Her chest rose and fell with a deep breath.
“That was before,” Alexander mumbled.
“Before what?”
“Before we were…never mind.” His voice cracked.
“It shouldn’t matter. But we didn’t bond anyway. We were denied, remember?” She crossed her arms.
He straightened. “Gabby, sweetheart. You’re wrong. It was a different type of bonding, but we did—”
Shaking her head, Gabby slipped her arms around him and rested her head against his chest. “I don’t want to fight with you.”
Alexander stroked her soft hair and she looked up at him, her eyes full of compassion.
“I know how manipulative Forras is, but I can’t just leave my father in his hands without some sort of insurance policy. And we can’t take him with us because he’ll unleash all the demons before we have a chance to speak with Herak. I’m supposed to save the world, no matter what it costs me personally. I’m the Chosen One.” Her voice shook, and he knew she was refusing to cry. “Alex, I can’t do this.”
“What?” Alexander stroked her cheek with his thumb and leaned down to rest his forehead on hers.
“Have you doubting me. I can’t worry about what you’re thinking or how it will affect you each time I make a decision. I have to take charge, do what I think is best.” She shook her head slightly. “I’m not a scared, weak little girl anymore that Forras can control, but I don’t feel like a leader either. I feel…alone.” Her eyes shone with unshed tears and his heart ached.
Lifting her chin, he swept his lips over hers. “You’re not alone. I’m at your side.” Yet, he knew as a leader she would always be alone, because she’d have to make decisions that cost lives.
“No, you question me at every turn. Do you really believe in me?”
“Yes.” Alexander tucked stray blonde strands behind her ear.
“Then act like it. Listen to me. Trust me. Support me. Stop making me feel like I’m alone in all this.”
His chest ached. She was right. He’d questioned her at every turn, guarded her, protected her, but never followed her, never trusted her. “I’m sorry. I will try. You’re the Chosen One, and the most amazing person, angel, demon, hunter I’ve ever met.”
“I’m the only mutt on Earth,” she chuckled.
Alexander cupped the back of her head and leaned in. “My mutt.”
Gabby claimed his lips and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing against him. Hurt and worry surged into him and he accepted it, offering love in return. While she hid it well, he sensed her feelings of loss and self-doubt through their fledgling bond, one she hadn’t yet felt.
Her tongue swept over his, and the world around him completely evaporated. Cradled in bliss, he held her tight against him and wondered if she had felt their souls touch as he had.
Boon cleared his throat. “Um, excuse me.”
Alexander tore his lips away, breathless. Gabby buried her face in his chest and he held her.
“I guess all’s well?”
He ignored Boon’s grin and stroked her soft hair. “Yes, we’ll be right there.”
Boon vanished from the doorway and Alexander reached down, lifting her chin gently with his knuckle. “You are strong, smart, and will lead with grace and a control I can’t comprehend. If you feel lonely, just glanc
e at me and remember this.” He leaned down again, his nose brushing hers. “You’re the most amazing gift that ever existed, and that your loving me is still beyond my understanding.” He claimed her lips once more and she sighed, melting into him.
Chapter Nine
While Gabby’s chest ached with indecision, she refused to show it. The others stood around the living room, watching, waiting for her to make the next call.
Her dad leaned in and scooped her into his arms. “I’ll be fine. Go save the world.”
She clung to him. A bear hug—a rib crushing, I-know-I’ll-never-see-you-again kind of hug. Tears threatened, so she quickly pulled from his embrace.
“Let’s go see if I can leave Kemp.” She gave a half smile and focused on stretching her wings. Grace had given her a change of clothes with slits in the back like Sammy’s. The woman was a dream with a needle and thread.
All her muscles tensed, but nothing happened. She couldn’t feel them. She closed her eyes and willed them to release, but only a tickling fluttered against her ribs.
“Relax, baby. It’s been such a long night. You’re tired and tense.” Alexander stood in front of her and rubbed her shoulders. “Your wings are like another limb. It’s just your brain hasn’t figured that out yet.” He tucked a piece of hair behind her ears and smiled, that bright, dimple-bearing smile that always made her melt.
The skin on her back stung for a second before her massive red wings unfurled, taking up half the room.
“Breathtaking,” Alexander whispered.
These ugly, dark, demonic-looking wings? “But why are they red?”
Boon released Sammy, wrapped his arm around her waist, and moved to their side. “Because you carry the weight of all lost souls. The blood that ran through the Earth during the last war, and that of the war yet to come, is saturating each feather.” His voice cracked. So much grief glistened in his black eyes, it nearly crippled her.
Alexander traced the edge of her wing with his fingertip. It shot a jolt through each feather, into her back and down her calves, all the way to the tips of her toes. She shivered at the delightful intrusion.
Alexander smiled. “I remember how sensitive my wings were in the first few months.”
Gabby concentrated on stilling her breath. “Boon, why would I—”
Grace cleared her throat. “I think that is something we should talk to Herak about.” She exchanged a look with Boon.
A hiss drew her attention to the front door.
Forras winked at Alexander. “Ah, my friends have arrived.”
Three grotesque creatures stood in the entryway. Gremory snapped his tail at Alexander in some sort of demonic mocking greeting. She could feel Alexander’s anger radiate thick in the room.
“Dang, that’s impressive. I want a pair of those.” Carson waved his spiked knuckles, gesturing at Gabby’s wings.
Alexander shot his wings out, but Donn snarled and lowered his head, ready to ram his horns into Alexander in defense of Carson. Alexander gave them a snarl of his own. “You’ll never—”
“Enough,” Gabby snapped, with more authority in her voice than she was used to, and by Alexander’s facial expression, he felt the same way. “We don’t have time for this.” The entire room fell silent and her dad gave an approving nod.
Wind blew through the windows, ruffling her feathers. She had to force a blank stare, ignoring the tickling sensation along her wings and the demon stench assaulting her nose.
Boon and Sammy moved to flank her, Boon turning to the side to fit with his tucked black wings. “Why are you three here?” he demanded.
“Because I summoned them. Unlike you, they’re loyal,” Forras snarled in answer.
Boon threaded his fingers with Sammy’s. “I’m an angel, Forras. And I never pledged my loyalty to you. My heart and soul are of Heaven and belong to my love.”
Forras heaved. “I think I’m gonna hurl. That little pure pink thing she’s got going on is deceiving. By now, I’m sure you two have done the—”
“Enough.” Grace lifted her finger. “I’ll not have you speak to them that way. You might not think of me as your mother anymore, but I can still whip you, Forras. Trust me. I’m ashamed of your behavior.”
A hint of regret pulled his face into a solemn expression before that all too familiar look of evil twinkled in his eye. “What’s wrong, Mom? I didn’t live up to your expectations? Well, I guess I am the black sheep of the family, and blue jay over there is the favorite. Gee, Mom, not very angelic of you to show favoritism.”
Gabby clutched the hem of her shorts to keep from tackling Forras herself. “Don’t talk to Grace that way. She’s never done anything to hurt you.”
Forras tipped his head at her. “Didn’t she?”
Boon jumped six feet across the room and landed nose to nose with Forras. Alexander soared to the doorway as Sammy guarded her dad. Grace stood unmoving with a pained expression on her face.
Boon stretched his wings, covering Forras from her view. “We don’t have time for this. Anything Grace has done has been to protect you. The only issue is your interpretation of her actions. Now, are you going to hold back the demons here in Kemp, or were you just boasting beyond your abilities again?”
“I’m the head demon,” Forras sneered. “They’ll follow my orders. Whatever they may be.”
This was getting out of hand. Too much history, too many things unresolved between them all, but now wasn’t the time.
“Forras, how long do we have before all of Satan’s army is on Earth? Months? Weeks?” Sammy asked.
Forras chuckled, “Days.”
Gabby grabbed her stomach, not from the searing pain of Forras’s brand, but because his words had kicked her in the gut. Not enough time to find Herak, convince him to lead the army and ready all the warrior angels. It was impossible.
She swallowed the rising acid. “Let’s go.” She walked to the window and took a deep breath. Looking back, she nodded her head at her dad, and he nodded in return. No more time for hugs or sorrowful goodbyes. She needed to take control of the situation.
Without another word, she launched off the windowsill and plunged into darkness. Wind tore through her wings and she fought to keep them moving in spite of the pain radiating through her feathers. She held her breath and struggled to remain in the air while she glanced back in hope the others followed.
No one appeared. She leaned left and nearly spiraled out of control, but she looped once then gained altitude. She slowed and flapped her wings to hover, the muscles in her back burning.
Below, along the tree line, she saw grey dots littering the grass. How many demons had escaped darkness and entered Kemp? She’d seen nearly a hundred just at the school alone.
Navy light appeared in the darkness below and her heart stuttered. Alexander neared, his bright eyes connecting with hers before he halted in front of her and wrapped his arms around her lower back. He continued to maintain their altitude but pulled her flush against his bare chest. His heat not only warmed her skin, but penetrated deep into her core.
“We’re ready,” he whispered in her ear, his breath caressing her earlobe. “Let’s get some answers so we win this war.”
Grace and Boon joined them. For the first time, inhaling the scents of pine and sea didn’t calm her nerves. A tremor shot through her at the thought of slamming into the barrier over the ocean again. She prayed they’d escape Kemp this time and find the help they needed before it was too late.
Alexander released her, and she flapped toward the east coast to cross the ocean to Europe. The muscles down her back all the way to her thighs tightened and lengthened with each flap of her wings. After thirty minutes, they reached the beach and landed on the soft sand. Each looked at one another. Howls echoed in the darkness, spurring her to continue.
Alexander scanned her from head to toe, as if to make sure no blood trickled from her ears or eyes, although she hadn’t attempted to leave Kemp yet. “I’ll remain by Gabby’s side,�
�� he told the others.
She reached out and ran her palm down his cheek. Then she turned toward the vast, endless ocean and faced the nightmare from the last time she tried to leave. The pain still etched in her brain, warning her not to proceed. But she had to.
Waves pounded against the sand. The first time she entered the ocean after moving to Kemp, she almost drowned at the hand of Forras and his goons. The last time, her skull was pierced with crippling pain. No, as much as she loved it, the ocean hadn’t been kind to her.
“Let’s go.” She forced the words to cross her lips and rose with two long flaps of her wings. Bracing herself for the mind-splitting pain, she leaned forward and flew over the water. The surf was choppy, and she had no desire to plunge beneath the surface, so she steadied herself and proceeded with caution. After a few hundred feet, she dared a quick glance back at Alexander. He reached out and squeezed her calf.
She lost her balance for a moment and snapped her head forward to regain control.
For once, they’d caught a break.
Pulling her shoulders back, she forced her wings to move their entire range of motion and shot across the sky. She had never felt so free. The power, speed, and ability her wings provided made her feel special. Maybe she could get over the ugly blood-red color and just enjoy the awesomeness of it all.
Alexander dropped below her. Unlike her awkward and jolting movements, he maneuvered with ease and agility.
Boon breezed past, maintaining a steady distance ahead. His black wings blended with the surrounding night. Focusing with her newfound angelic abilities, she could still see the variations in color, no matter how slight. The eastern sky over the ocean had seemed a dark void, yet she spotted Boon soaring, his jet-black wings having caught an updraft.
Alexander banked right then past above her. “Stay steady,” he yelled. Dropping down, his hands clutched her waist. His touch sent a soothing pleasure all the way to her soul.
Boon halted and looked to the north. Alexander released her waist and shifted below and right, while Grace hovered above to her left.
For a moment, no one spoke, but she knew they all felt it. The hellacious swarm of death aimed at them. She blinked and tried to will the image away, but hundreds of creatures zoomed toward them. “No, it can’t be. Demons can’t fly.”