“Who is it, Gabe?” a voice in the background inquired.
Without thinking, she whispered, “Quinn?”
“Jordan, is that you?” Gabe asked.
“Jordan?!”
The person in the background shouted and she smiled through tears.
Yes, that was her brother.
Over the line, she heard a scuffle of sorts and then Quinn was there – his voice so clear he could have been sitting next to her.
“Jordan, is that you? Jordan!”
She sniffed and swallowed around the lump in her throat. Still, Jordan barely recognized herself when she replied, “Yes, it’s me.” She paused and tried again. “Quinn, it’s me.”
“Oh, thank God!”
She wanted to reach through the phone and hug him. Her brother was okay. But why was Gabe there?
“It’s so good to hear your voice,” she said, still sniffling.
“It’s good to hear yours, too. We’ve been worried sick. Are you okay?”
She nodded, then remembered he couldn’t see her. “I’m okay. Quinn, is it safe for you to talk?”
“Yes. What about you? Tell me where you are and we’ll come get you.”
The prospect was tempting. She pictured herself in a group hug, mashed between him, Nathan, and Uncle Case.
“Jordan?”
“I’m here.”
It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him her location. Instead, she bit her bottom lip hard enough to draw blood. She had a job to do. Orias would hunt her down if she didn’t keep her end of the bargain. There was no way she would bring that kind of danger to her family.
“Are Nathan and Uncle Case okay?” she asked, hoping Quinn wouldn’t notice the change of subject.
“They are,” he answered. “I’m not with them right now, but Nathan was here last night.”
“Where’s ‘here?’” He wasn’t at home?
On the other end, Quinn sighed. “It’s a long story. I’m with Gabe at a motel but I swear, we’re all fine.”
“Why Gabe? He left us. Have you forgotten what happened in the mine?”
Quinn was quiet for a moment. “No, I didn’t forget. I lost you that day, in more ways than one.”
He was referring to when she died. Jordan had occasional nightmares where she was back on that rocky ledge, blood from the fatal bite delivered by the Kongamato rolling down her neck, dripping from the ends of her hair as it held her in its massive arms, poised for one more strike.
It never got the chance. Instead, the Kongamato died, lost its grip on her, and she fell. Jordan had no idea if she died from blood loss, the broken back, or the crushed skull. Dead is dead. She supposed it didn’t matter.
“It’s another long story,” he told her. “Do you trust me?”
“You know I do.”
“Then trust Gabe.”
She heard her brother gulp as he took a drink of something. Jordan longed for her coffee in the other room.
“He didn’t know the whole story, Sis. Michael lied to him – is still lying – so Gabe left. Michael sent soldiers – it was too close for my comfort, but we managed to escape.”
Was it a set-up? Maybe Gabe was playing Quinn to get to her.
“I’m going to put you on speaker phone. He wants to talk to you.”
The day Gabe turned his back and left them to deal with the Kongamatos alone ended horribly. The creatures nearly bled Nathan and Uncle Case dry. Jordan was killed, brought back by a demon, and then forced to leave her family.
Her Guardian could have prevented it all.
But the demons kept you safe, a voice inside whispered.
She wanted to ignore it or argue with it, but could do neither. If not for Aamon and Ivy, she’d either be dead or Michael’s prisoner.
“Jordan, can you hear me?”
Gabe sounded nervous. His voice – one she’d known her entire life – picked at her heart with sharp nails, worrying tiny pieces from the whole. Arm pressed into her midsection, Jordan rocked to and fro, desperate to ease the pain.
“Yes.” She gulped, fighting back tears.
“Have the demons hurt you?”
She thought about Gina, and then quickly dismissed her. Demons were one thing, but five gallons of crazy in a two gallon bucket was altogether different.
“No, they haven’t hurt me. I’ve been treated okay.”
“Good, that’s good.” Gabe cleared his throat. “Jordan, I could say I’m sorry but it wouldn’t be enough. I walked away from you – from my family. Instead of following orders, I should have followed my heart.”
He paused. Jordan pictured slumped shoulders, tousled hair, and golden eyes.
“I’ll give up my grace before leaving you again.”
Relief washed over her as the angel inside recognized truth in his words. Though unsure about her powers, Jordan had no doubt about this.
She wanted to say something meaningful, something that would assure him they were okay, but her emotions were all over the place. Instead of an eloquent speech, what he got was, “I’m not mad anymore, Gabe. Just promise you’ll look after my family and yourself. I have a feeling I’m going to need all of you soon.”
“Tell us where you are and we’ll come for you,” he begged. “We’ll get Nathan and Casen and go some place safe while we work this out.”
Gabe’s voice had taken on an edge that made her sit up on the bed.
“Jordan, you’re in danger. Michael thinks you may be a Paladin. I know you aren’t familiar with the word but trust me, he won’t stop searching until he knows for sure, and he has an army of Aeons at his command.”
Suddenly, Jordan wanted Koda. Running her fingers through his fur always helped her think. She grabbed a pillow instead.
How could she possibly explain that, as a baby in her mother’s womb, she’d not only killed the angel, Sariel, but also absorbed her grace? How could she tell him she was a monster?
“Gabe, I am a Paladin.”
Someone sucked in a breath. “Jordan, are you sure?” Quinn asked.
Damn. He knew something and it was bad. She could tell by the tightness in his voice.
“Yes,” she said. “I’m sure of it. I…things have happened. I have powers that aren’t normal for a Cambion, and sometimes my eyes glow blue instead of pearl-white.”
“Don’t forget about the wings.” Ivy stood a few feet inside the room. Jordan frowned; sure she’d locked the door.
“Wings?” Gabe asked? “What wings?”
Eyebrows raised, Jordan asked, “Yeah, what wings?”
“Jordan, who are you talking to?” That was Quinn.
“My sister, Ivy. Do you remember her?”
“Vividly.”
Ivy handed her a fresh cup of coffee. “The night you and Gina got into it, right before you burned away her powers; there was a silhouette of angel wings on the wall behind you. They slowly opened and spread out on either side of your shoulders.” She shrugged as if they were discussing a suspicious mole or the possibility of Jordan having a gluten allergy instead of wings. “The shadow stayed for a few seconds and then disappeared.”
“You burned away someone’s powers?!” Gabe’s voice cut across the line.
Jordan took a sip of coffee. Did the wings really matter? She couldn’t change anything.
She thought back to that night in the hallway outside Gina’s bedroom. She remembered hearing a whooshing sound and how it reminded her of Gabe. A place in the middle of her shoulders had become irritated too, but Jordan had written it off as a manifestation Gina’s power.
What the fuck are you?
Gina had asked her that right before Jordan grabbed her wrist. Now, her question made sense.
She glared at Ivy. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I thought you knew. When you didn’t react to sprouting wings, I figured it had happened before.”
Jordan slumped against the headboard almost spilling her coffee. “Are you sure?”
Ivy nodded
. “I know what wings look like.”
“Did you get all that?” she asked Quinn and Gabe.
This just got better and better. Ivy reached over and gave her a hug before leaving the room.
Fuck you very much, Sis.
It wasn’t Ivy’s fault, though.
Jordan set her coffee on the bedside table and turned on the speaker phone. What the hell. Ivy’s revelation was just one more popped seam no longer holding her together. She lay back on the pillows and waited to fall apart.
“Jordan, what do you know about Paladins?”
Not enough.
She stared at the phone, wondering what Quinn thought about all this. He was suspiciously quiet. He probably found her freakish genes repulsive. Jordan couldn’t blame him.
“I know that I am part demon, angel, and human,” she answered Gabe.
“There’s a bit more to it than that.”
“No shit, Gabe. I just found out I’ve got a pair of wings hidden somewhere.”
“Jordan, let us come get you. We’ll get this worked out.”
“I can’t – not yet at least. I have a job to do first.”
“What job?” Quinn’s voice was neutral, giving no hint of how he felt.
“I made a deal with Aamon’s boss. If I hunt down a rogue succubus that’s giving him grief, I get to come home, no demons attached.”
“You get to come home? What, are they holding you hostage or something?”
Jordan shook her head. Some things never changed, including her brother’s temper. “Quinn, that’s how demons work. They kept me safe. I owe a payment for services rendered.”
“And Aamon’s okay with this?”
“Hardly. He was furious, but had no say in the matter.”
Quinn switched into Slayer mode. “What level is the demon?”
Jordan thought back to the report Orias left in the SUV. There wasn’t a lot to go on yet. The succubus was level “red.” They were told to go to St. Paul, Minnesota. A contact would be in touch once they arrived. He provided no information on the infractions committed or powers she possessed.
“Red,” Jordan replied, and braced for the lecture she knew would come.
“I don’t like it. Too many things can go wrong on a demon hunt, especially if she isn’t working alone.”
Jordan rolled her eyes. Quinn was a master when it came to excuses to keep her off hunts. For years, he had let her think it was because he couldn’t stand the sight of her – that he blamed her for their mother’s death. Now, Jordan knew he’d kept her at arm’s length because he’d been afraid to lose her. Old habits were hard to break.
“Besides, you aren’t experienced with demons,” he added.
Did he really just say that?
Jordan laughed, but crumbled inside.
Her brother’s voice sounded as hollow as she felt. “Oh…I forgot.”
If only I could.
Gritting her teeth, Jordan said, “I’ll be fine.”
“But you’re alone. We never–”
“–go on hunts alone,” she finished. “And I’m not. I have Ivy…and Xander.”
Quinn snorted. “Who’s that? Your brother from another mother?”
“No,” she answered as her heart broke. It was obvious the progress she and Quinn made in their relationship was gone. One step forward and a mountain slide back. “Xander is a Cambion, but he isn’t Aamon’s.”
“I thought that was Aamon’s job.” Gabe cut in. “Demons rarely procreate without permission.”
“Yeah, well, one of them must have gotten carried away. Xander spent most of his life in an orphanage. They didn’t discover him until he was thirteen.”
“That doesn’t sound right.”
“He was never claimed. Seeing as how they aren’t supposed to make little demons without permission, it makes sense. The incubus responsible didn’t want to get in trouble, Xander was shoved in an institution, end of story.” His face flashed before her and Jordan smiled, remembering the warm feeling she got when she was around him. “He’s…different – not like other Cambions.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s hard to explain. We have some sort of connection.”
Quinn huffed. “It’s called hormones, Jordan. Don’t put your trust in someone just because he has dreamy eyes and a killer smile.”
“It’s not like that! Whatever this is between us, it runs much deeper. He reminds me of you and Nathan. He reminds me of home.”
Why was she even explaining this to him?
“It doesn’t matter. I have my team and we’ll be fine. Once I find this hothead, I’ll be home free.” She swallowed hard. “Unless I’m no longer wanted at home.”
“What the hell does that mean? Of course you’re wanted, Jordan.”
Her breath caught in her chest. “Quinn, do you still love me?”
“More than anything,” he said without hesitation. “Why would you ask that?”
The tears came but she barely noticed. “Because of what I am. I’m part demon and they’re evil. I don’t want you to think of me like that.”
“Listen to me, okay? You aren’t a demon or an angel. You are Jordan – my sister, and you always will be. Don’t ever forget.”
Her brother still loved her, at least he said he did. Jordan was eager to find the rogue demon and get back home. She had to make sure his feelings were true.
“I won’t,” she said. “Should I call Nathan and Uncle Case?”
“Not yet.”
“Why?”
“They have company at the farmhouse – members of the Circle. I don’t trust them. The last thing we need is for Michael to find out we’ve been in touch with you.”
Before she could ask, he added, “Nathan and Case are fine, so don’t worry. As soon as I see Nathan, I’ll give him your number so he can call when there’s no one to overhear. Deal?”
There was a commotion in the adjoining room. Ivy cursed and Jordan jumped off the bed. Just as she reached the bedroom door, it opened and Xander poked his head in. “Jordan, I’m sorry to interrupt but you might wanna come in here.”
“What’s wrong?” Quinn asked, his voice rising to compete with Ivy’s cursing. “Are you okay?”
“Yes.” Jordan started for the living area. “Hang on a sec.”
She passed through the doorway and then stopped so quickly Xander ran into her from behind. Ivy, scowling at the source of their problem, asked “What the hell do we do now?”
“Jordan!” Quinn yelled loud enough to alert security. “Answer me, dammit!”
She clicked off the speakerphone and brought the cell to her ear, unable to believe the mess they’d landed in. “I’m fine – we’re fine, Quinn.”
“What is it?”
Jordan glowered at their new visitor. The object of her disapproval hung her head, too nervous to make eye contact.
“Nothing,” she answered. “My little sister just popped in for a visit. She’s not supposed to be here, so I’d better go and make sure she gets back to Aamon.”
A few feet away, Mazie crossed her arms and sighed.
Chapter Twenty-One
Quinn
Quinn ended the conversation with his brother. He’d called Nathan as soon as he hung up with Jordan to tell him their sister was okay. Nathan was ecstatic, but didn’t agree with his request to keep it from Uncle Case.
“He’s worried sick! Why do you think he relented and allowed Lucas’ demon in the house? We have to tell him.”
“No, we don’t,” Quinn said. “Case is sure to say something to Lucas and I don’t trust the man. That demon of his has led you on one wild goose chase after another.” He stretched, working the tight muscles in his shoulders. “I don’t like keeping this from Uncle Case, but we can’t risk Jordan’s safety.”
Nathan had reluctantly agreed. It wouldn’t bode well for any of them if Michael learned Jordan was not only a Paladin, but also no longer under the protection of Aamon’s wards.
Qui
nn turned to Gabe sitting on the couch, The Oraculum open on his lap. “Why didn’t you tell her?”
The angel looked up. “Tell who what?”
Quinn grabbed a chair from the small dinette table and straddled it. “Why didn’t you tell Jordan what we learned from the book? Don’t you think she needs to know?”
Marking his page with his finger, Gabe shook his head. “Not right now, no.”
“According to the prophecy, Jordan’s going to fall – whatever the hell that means – and when she does, a massive war will begin.” Quinn arched an eyebrow. “We need to prevent that, right?”
“Of course.”
God, sometimes Gabe infuriated him. He hated having to spell everything out. “The best way to assure the war doesn’t start is to make sure Jordan doesn’t fall. How can she stop it from happening if she doesn’t know?”
“Yes, it would be better if your sister knew the details of the prophecy. I didn’t want to give her anything else to worry about right now.”
And then Quinn understood. Jordan was hunting a demon. If she knew her actions could inadvertently cause a holy war, she would second guess every move she made. Hesitation could get her killed.
“We need to find out how she…falls. With that information, we can at least advise her on what not to do.”
Gabe opened the book again. “Tell me how the Paladin will fall.”
Enochian language appeared and swam on the page. Seconds later, the words aligned and Gabriel read them to Quinn.
The release of an angel’s grace will incite the fall. If the act is committed in defense, there is a possibility of redemption. If the act is committed in rage, the Paladin’s soul will be lost.
“Wait,” Quinn said. “So, an angel’s death causes the fall?” He shook his head.
Why did the damn book have to talk in riddles?
Gabe’s face sagged like a deflating balloon. “Yes, if Jordan takes the life.”
“But angels are immortal. Demons can’t kill you.”
“The only way we can die is by another angel’s hand.” Gabe bit his lip. “And Jordan is–”
“–part angel,” Quinn finished. “What does the rest of it mean?”
Refracted (The Celadon Circle Book 2) Page 19