“I don’t think it was missed.” Xander wrestled with the steering wheel and managed to get the car back in the center of the road. “They probably decided not to bother. With the park here, it’s likely no one can erect so much as an outhouse this far down.”
He stopped the car once they saw sunlight again. East C Street was ahead on their left, but not so close that they could see it or anyone could see them.
“Hand me the laptop, Ivy.”
Her sister passed it over the seat and Jordan scanned the map.
“Okay, here’s what I think.” She pointed to the screen, marking a path with her finger. Xander and Ivy leaned in to see. “We enter the forest here and walk to the house. The woods will conceal us almost all the way to the north side.” She pointed to a large copse of trees. “From this spot, we can watch the front of the house. If we move back into the forest and walk about twenty feet east, we can also see the back.”
“Do we all go or does someone stay here by the car, just in case we need to make a quick escape?”
“Where are the radios?”
Ivy pulled them from the equipment bag, fully charged and set to the same channel.
“One of us needs to stay behind. All we need is for a nosy park ranger to have the car towed.” Jordan looked around. “I doubt many people come this way but still, better not tempt fate.”
“I’ll stay,” Ivy volunteered.
They piled out of the SUV and Jordan rummaged in the hidden compartment for a pair of special manacles. Made from a blend of the purest silver, titanium, and iron, they were engraved with a Devil’s Trap. Once in place, they would render a demon powerless.
“We’re ready,” she said.
Xander took one of the radios, made sure the volume wasn’t loud enough to draw attention, and clipped it to his belt. Ivy kept the other.
“If any badges come snooping or you find yourself in trouble you can’t drive away from, push the alarm button three times. We’ll teleport back.” Jordan gave Ivy a quick hug.
She nodded. “Same goes for you. You need me, I’ll flash to the front door if I have to.”
Jordan smiled. “This won’t take long. After we round up this heifer, we’ll call Orias’ contact to haul her ass back to Purgatory and we’ll all go out for burgers and Starbucks.”
“Hey, we’re spending Orias’ money. Let’s make it steaks and Starbucks.”
“You got it.”
Jordan and Xander began walking.
We have a plan. We have weapons and powers. I have plenty of experience hunting evil bitches. Capturing this demon will be as simple as sweet tea.
She could taste the white-chocolate mocha from Starbucks (and her freedom) already.
But pride always goes before a fall.
<><><>
After grappling with thorn bushes, prickly vines, and a close encounter with a very inquisitive badger, they finally made it to their surveillance point. Xander walked farther down to get a look at the back yard while Jordan kept watch on the front.
The simple clapboard house wasn’t much to look at. Most of the beige paint was chipped and, in some places, hung in long, peeling strips. The front porch listed to one side where a set of cinderblocks had begun to crumble. The shutters, perhaps once a burgundy color, had faded to a light pinkish-purple from the weather and sun. The yard, the part not taken over by trees, was tastefully decorated with empty beer cans, a set of bald tires, scraggy weeds, and a lone, wild rosebush that looked as if it were transplanted from some place in Hell.
“Ugly isn’t it?”
In one smooth movement, Jordan drew her gun and spun around before the person finished her question. She came face to face with Mazie, who found herself looking down the barrel of the Five-Seven.
The girl threw her hands up and whispered, “Don’t shoot me! Didn’t your uncle teach you not to play with guns?”
Incensed, Jordan thrust her weapon back in its holster and grabbed her little sister by the collar. She yanked her farther into the woods and gave her a shake.
“I ought to whip your ass!” What in the hell are you doing here? I told you to go home.”
“I,” Mazie gulped and tried again. “I thought I could help.”
Jordan turned away. Her hands itched to give the girl a few good smacks. After showing up at the hotel the night before, she shouldn’t have been surprised to see Mazie again, but this was no place for a young, lower-level demon.
Footsteps sounded from the right and Jordan grabbed her sister, pushing her behind her. When Xander emerged seconds later, she let out the breath and moved aside so he could see their visitor.
He stopped and stared. Mazie wore a bright, X-Men sweatshirt, blaring pink jacket, yellow sweatpants, and Uggs. She looked like a drug-induced hallucination.
“Son of a bitch,” he mumbled.
“She was just leaving.” Jordan scowled at her sister. “Now.”
Mazie sighed. “Fine, I’ll go, but you’re not gonna find any demons in there,” she said, gesturing to the house.
Jordan was tired of her sister’s attempts at stalling. She’d had a few nerves left when she got up that morning and the girl had stomped on every damn one of them.
“Mazie, enough! You have no idea what’s in that house. By the time I count to three, you’d better be back at the cabin. And trust me, I will call Aamon when I’m finished here. Disobey me again and you’ll be grounded until you’re old enough for Depends and Polident.”
“I may not know what’s in that house but I do know it isn’t a demon.” She puffed her chest out and smirked. “It’s my power. I’m an Intuit.”
Eyebrows raised, Jordan asked, “Did you say you were a twit? If so, I agree.”
Xander placed his hands on her shoulders and Jordan immediately felt more composed. She took the opportunity to take a few cleansing breaths.
“An Intuit,” he explained, kneading the tight muscles in her neck, “can detect what classification a being is, like demon, werewolf, vampire, and so on.”
Jordan leaned back into him, wishing she was anywhere but in the woods contemplating Mazie’s demonic power, worrying about keeping her safe, staking out a demon that may (or may not) be inside the house, and being bitten by chiggers.
“I’m telling you,” Mazie said. “There’s no demon in there.” She studied the broken-down house. “But something else is.”
“What?” Jordan asked before she could stop herself.
Face pinched in concentration, the girl shook her head. “I don’t know. I feel one type of presence more than the other. There’s more than one being inside.” She cocked her head. “If I get closer, the vibes will be stronger.”
“Absolutely not.”
Jordan pulled away from Xander and took Mazie’s face in her hands. She gazed into her sweet eyes, reminding herself that this girl loved her. More importantly, Jordan loved Mazie. The sprite tried her patience but she only wanted to be included.
“Sweety, please go home and wait for me. I will come back for you, I promise.”
“But I can help.”
Jordan opened her mouth to protest and Mazie held up her hand. “It’ll only take ten seconds to teleport to the porch and back. No noise, no danger. They won’t even know I’m there.”
Jordan shook her head. There was no way she was letting Mazie do this. It might only take ten seconds, but that was ten seconds she’d be away from Jordan and closer to whatever was in that house.
“It’s faster than sitting out here for hours, twiddling our thumbs.”
Jordan couldn’t believe him. “Xander, she’s twelve.”
“She’s a Cambion.”
“She’s a twelve-year-old Cambion.”
“The demon may not even be there.”
“I’ll be damned if my little sister’s going to be the first to find out.”
Mazie’s head followed their back-and-forth bickering as if watching a tennis match. When Jordan and Xander paused for a breath, she stepped in betwee
n them.
“I can do this.” Her sweaty hand found Jordan’s and held it tightly. “Don’t you believe in me?”
Jordan pushed a stray curl out of the girl’s eye and kissed her forehead. “I believe you can do anything.”
“Then trust me,” she begged. “Let me help.”
Was Mazie trying to prove she was brave? Jordan wondered if this stemmed from Gina’s dream-walking. That witch really had done a number on her. Just thinking about it made Jordan want to snap Gina’s neck.
She pulled Mazie close. The young girl who loved X-Men, who was so full of life.
“I do trust you, and I know you’re brave. You don’t have to prove anything to me.”
“But I need to prove it to myself. You understand that, right?”
Jordan did. Reluctantly, she nodded. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.” Mazie squared her shoulders.
With Xander’s help, she shrugged out of her loud jacket. The pants couldn’t be helped, but if Mazie teleported away from the windows, hopefully no one would see her.
“Ten seconds,” Jordan said firmly. “That’s all you get. Do you hear me?”
“Yes.”
“I mean it!”
“I know, I know, sheesh.” Mazie cracked her knuckles. “Be back soon.”
She disappeared and Jordan’s eyes immediately went to the front porch. The girl materialized to the right of the door, well away from the windows. She pressed her back against the house and closed her eyes.
Hurry.
Five seconds passed. Jordan counted them off in her head.
Hurry.
Ten seconds. Mazie pushed away from the wall and Jordan silently thanked God. Her sister was coming back. She looked at Xander, intending to ask if he thought Mazie picked up anything. His attention was focused on the porch. Like a horror movie, Jordan saw his posture become rigid, his eyes wild.
She didn’t want to turn around, didn’t want to know what frightened him so. But she did. She had to.
The door to the house was wide open. Mazie struggled with a man in black. Another stood nearby…with a sword.
What the hell?
Xander burst from their hiding spot and ran toward the porch, Jordan on his heels. With Mazie’s life on the line, it didn’t occur to either of them to teleport and possibly have the element of surprise on their side.
As he ran, Xander snatched the radio from his belt, pressed the button on the side, and screamed for Ivy.
“Meet us on the porch,” he yelled. “Hurry!”
Jordan pulled her gun from the holster. By the time she ran up the swayback steps, the men had dragged her sister inside the dark recess of the house, and Ivy was there.
She took in Jordan’s heavy breathing and the gun in her hand. “What the fuck?”
Jordan could barely keep it together. She wanted to bust inside, peg anything in black that moved, and get Mazie back. A thin wail escaped and she fought the urge to cry.
Xander quickly explained what happened.
“And Mazie couldn’t tell what was inside?”
He shook his head.
Jordan took up position to the left side of the door and listened as Ivy and Xander discussed strategy. She couldn’t talk. If she so much as opened her mouth, she would lose what composure she had. But she felt something – a strange familiarity she couldn’t comprehend, like something she’d tasted before but couldn’t remember the name. Unfortunately, she didn’t have time to explore it now. Her sister was in there. The house had gone mysteriously quiet. What were they doing?
If they hurt her, I will kill them. I’ll boil them from the inside out.
With that thought her power surged and she welcomed it, letting it fill every part of her to the point of pain.
From inside, a voice shattered the silence. Whiney, nasally, it set her teeth on edge.
“Come inside, Jordan. Don’t you know it’s rude to stand on the porch?”
And with that, her rage shot through the roof. Jordan glanced at Ivy, not trusting herself to be able to tell the difference between reality and ghosts from her past.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!” Ivy confirmed her suspicions.
At least she wasn’t crazy…yet.
Taking point, Jordan opened the rusty screen door and peered inside. She couldn’t see much – a small, cluttered living room with worn furniture, stacks upon stacks of moldy newspapers, empty beer cans, fast-food wrappers and containers, tons of trash, and roaches.
“Gross,” Ivy whispered directly behind Jordan. “I hate anything with more than four legs.”
Jordan edged around the refuse and creepy-crawlies. She wished for a jumbo-sized can of Raid and some Febreeze. Not only was the house an entomologist’s wet dream, it reeked.
Behind her, bringing up the rear, Xander also held his formidable gun. He covered one side of the room while Jordan swept the other. Ivy walked with her hands at the ready. They, she claimed, were the only weapons she needed. Jordan didn’t argue.
The living room was enclosed except for a narrow hall. From her vantage point, Jordan saw several doors – some open, some closed.
“What do you think?” Xander whispered. “Do we go farther in?”
The desire to run through the house in search of her sister was overwhelming but Jordan knew that was exactly what they wanted. They wouldn’t hurt Mazie. She was their bargaining tool.
“No,” she said, “Let them come to us.”
It didn’t take long. Heavy footsteps preceded the group. The hallway was so narrow they had to walk single-file.
A tall man emerged from the gloom first. He had broad shoulders, bald head, and a blank expression. His black uniform and boots resembled military fatigues.
Behind him, with Mazie held tight in hands so large they looked like they could crush rocks to powder, came a twin of the first man. He had the same bald head, clothes, build, and dead expression. The only difference between him and the first guy was race. This one was African American.
Mazie struggled in his grasp. When she looked up and saw Jordan, she screamed, “Get out of here! Run!”
“Are you okay?” Xander asked.
“Run!” Mazie yelled. “Get Jordan out!”
“I’m not going anywhere without you.” Confused, Jordan trained her gun on Baldy #2’s head. “Let her go.”
The first man stepped forward and Xander’s gun followed him. “We will let her go if you come with us.”
There was no inflection at all in his voice. The guy was disturbing in a way Jordan couldn’t explain.
“How about you let her go and I won’t put a hole in your forehead.”
“Your weapon cannot harm us,” he replied in his robot voice. “I would advise you to rethink your decision and choose more wisely.”
Jordan thought about putting a bullet through his thigh just on principal. “Yeah? Well, I would advise you to shut your yap.”
“Who the hell are you?” Ivy asked.
Eyes flashed electric blue. From deeper in the hallway, a familiar voice said, “They’re angels.”
Jordan’s anger reached a new high. Ivy snarled.
Gina’s high heeled boots ticked along the wooden floor. Red lips curved in a seductive smile, she sashayed to where the angel held Mazie.
“Hello again, sister.” Her eyes danced. “Your kinsmen have come for you. I’m so happy I could help them out.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Gabriel
“Ah. It’s the pigeon that flew the coop,” Illyria teased. “Michael is extremely angry with you for disobeying orders.”
Gabriel never took his eyes off of the Aeon, ready to strike the second she let her guard down.
“Aren’t you worried about your precious humans inside?”
She circled. He matched her step for step.
“Gabriel, be reasonable. I have Michael’s blessing to do whatever it takes to retrieve The Oraculum. That book belongs in Heaven, not with wretched humans who
se family tree runs with demon sap.”
“These wretched humans, as you call them, have put their lives on the line to keep this world safe. How easily you and Michael forget everything they’ve done for us.”
Illyria laughed. It was a throaty, almost primal sound that made his skin crawl. “I never said humans couldn’t be useful. So are pack mules, but we don’t entrust them with holy relics.”
She repeatedly reached back to play with the handle of her sword. This quirk did not go unnoticed by Gabriel. He had to keep her distracted. Quinn needed time to hide the book and get out of her range of detection.
Though he didn’t anticipate any danger for himself, Gabriel was not so foolish to believe things always go as planned. Illyria was a soldier who thrived in battle. An archangel’s power was far greater than hers, but one well-placed blow with her sword would be the end of him – and his family.
“Illyria,” he began, trying to appeal to her human side (if she still had one). “Please reconsider. The Baileys have done nothing wrong. They’ve followed every order and worked hard for the Circle which, in turn, has left Michael’s army free to protect Heaven. Deep down, you know this. Why not use your skills to help me? For once, fight on the right side.”
She stopped circling and turned her face to the stars. Gabriel couldn’t read her expression. She looked pensive, sad, and he wondered if his words struck a chord.
“It isn’t that simple.”
Illyria’s voice was soft and…neutral, with no trace of her chronic hostility. Gabriel could imagine it belonging to anyone. When she looked at him, he couldn’t detect the soldier within. What he saw was an angel torn between doing what was right and what was easy. She was not comfortable with going against the grain – going against Michael. That feeling was all too familiar.
“Why not?” he asked, hoping there was something inside her that could be saved.
“Jordan isn’t human. She’s part demon. Michael ordered me to retrieve her and the book. I must follow orders.” Her voice was distant. She was sliding away.
“There is more to it than that, Illyria. I overheard the conversation between you and my brother the day of our meeting. Michael has a secret, one that could be his undoing. But it’s his secret, his problem, not yours. You were once known as God’s Sword, striking down sinners who committed abominable acts against others – a vigilante for justice. Where is that Illyria now?”
Refracted (The Celadon Circle Book 2) Page 22