Imps & Angels

by Indra Frost

Greg let out a short, strangled shout and immediately pulled away, the knife vanishing as blood stained his shirt.

  His guards abandoned Reed and Copeland, immediately rushing to surround Greg. They were moving and talking but I couldn’t hear anything. The only thing I was aware of was the searing pain, and Greg’s eyes glaring into my own.

  He would pay for what he’d done. And in that moment, I was certain he was thinking the exact same thing.

  I watched as my master and his men ran to the escape tunnels and cursed the contract again. The man that owned my soul stared at me as blood ran down his side.

  Still alive.

  My dagger faded as my body convulsed on the ground. I couldn't think straight; the brand was sending pain through me so intensely that was making it hard to breathe.

  The magic surrounding Reed and Copeland seemed to snap all at once and Reed panted for breath, but his healing seemed to be working as his wound wasn't bleeding as badly as before. I wanted to tell them to go after him and ask them to come to me at the same time.

  Copeland helped Reed to his feet, and both of them ran over to where I was laying, separated by the fighting cage’s fence.

  The sounds from upstairs were getting louder, but I didn't care. I couldn't care about much of anything at the moment. I was burning alive, and I was convinced my flesh was melting off my bones.

  “Alyth!” Copeland's voice made it through the sound of my own heartbeat to my ears.

  I tried to move, assuming that the call was one for help. My body fought me at every turn, not wanting to listen despite the fear I felt for the guys. I tried to get my arms under me, but they weren’t reacting the way they were supposed to. Instead they flopped uselessly at my side. I wasn't able to get myself up.

  Giving up on moving, I put all my focus into moving my head, the pain was starting to fade, and I forced my head up to look around. Greg must have gotten away with both my contract and his life if I was still alive. The pain leading me to believe that I was.

  “Alyth!” Reed’s voice shouted at me this time, though it was pained.

  It was a demand my body tried to answer by shifting my head to them while sending shock waves of pain through me.

  Copeland and Reed were both standing at the cage door, which they couldn’t get open. I could have told them that they wouldn’t be able to, not without magic. It was designed only to open to Greg, or the key holder for the night. There would be an emblem with the spell to unlock it somewhere in his office unless he had moved it.

  The sounds from upstairs abruptly cut off, and the quiet was amazing on my concussion.

  The pain continued to fade, though it seemed to even out after a couple more minutes, and I knew it wouldn’t be going away. Going after Greg seemed to trigger something, and I didn’t think it would go away. It probably wouldn't even fade to the low buzzing pain of before. Pride and hopelessness fought for dominance over everything that had happened. I had managed to hurt Greg, to make him bleed, despite the contract that bound my soul. But I had failed to kill him. Failed to remove the threat to myself and others. I would have to deal with it.

  I forced my limbs to cooperate, wanting to celebrate when they reluctantly did as I bid them. I got to my hands and knees, managing to sway even though I wasn’t yet standing. I started to stand, but my legs weren’t willing to hold my weight. After a little more struggling, I gave up and just crawled to lean against the cage door by the guys.

  Copeland knelt down so we were face to face and he reached a hand through the bars, his fingers linking with my own. I met his eyes, not sure what emotion that he was showing me, and not knowing how to respond as emotion tried to overwhelm me. So, I did the only thing that I could, I looked away.

  Reed stood, crouched over his own hand held to his side as he worked to heal his own injuries and keeping watch, but he also grabbed the chain link next to my fingers, causing them to touch. It was silly how that small gesture made something in my chest loosen. I was still in pain, still too weak to stand, yet I felt monumentally better than before.

  Something in me relaxed as he stood a bit straighter than before, the wound shrinking until it was a scar. He stopped before healing it completely, and I could see that his face was lined with sweat, the effort it must have cost him to heal that wound was immense.

  “How do we get you out?” Copeland's words were soothing, like he was aware of how much pain I was in.

  Sure, the physical pain was overwhelming, but emotionally, I felt worse. I had failed. First with Selasi, and now I had failed to take out Greg. I was at 0 for 2, and my luck didn’t seem like it would be changing anytime soon.

  “There should be a key in his office,” I panted with the effort it took to get the words out. “If he didn’t take it with him.”

  “We’ll get you out,” Reed said, but then his eyes flipped up over my head to look at the entrance to the hallway.

  I tensed, unsure of what to expect. I started to turn, but a loud crash came from the other side of the ring before I could. The wall I was leaning against shook viciously.

  “Wha-” the cage shook so badly I was thrown to my side.

  My breath escaped me in a huff, more surprised than hurt. Though it aggravated my existing injuries, and I had to clench my jaw not to curse up a storm. My hand had been yanked away from Copeland and Reed. The pain almost seemed to flood back faster and harder as soon as they were no longer touching me.

  I looked over at a giant hole in the chain link. I stared at it dumbly for a moment before I realized I was gazing at the giant black panther, who had a majority of it hanging from his claws.

  “Or you could do that,” I muttered.

  Though to be honest, I hadn’t thought that was a possibility.

  “Well that will save us some time,” Reed said under his breath, Copeland chuckling as he nodded in agreement.

  Jesse shook out his paws, the chain link falling to the ground with a tinkling crash. I smiled at the picture he made, knowing he probably wouldn’t like what I was thinking. Something about a cat and a ball of yarn, but that was beside the point.

  Walker came from behind Jesse’s huge form, hands glowing with his green colored magic. His eyes almost seemed to glow as well as he looked around, searching for a threat that was no longer there.

  Reed and Copeland came around to the hole in the cage. Reed started to talk to Walker, while Copeland took a step through the mess Jesse had made and came over to me. I gave him a smile; grateful he wasn’t going to make me ask for the help that I obviously needed.

  I hated to ask for it. It made me feel like a weakling, but the way that my legs were shaking I knew I would need the assistance.

  He smiled back at me, leaning down to tuck one arm around my waist, and the other under my knees. I inhaled sharply as he lifted me, not having expected it. I wanted to push away from him on principle, but I couldn’t deny that part of me enjoyed being held in his arms.

  Jesse watched us, his ears flicking back and forth. Walker pointed toward the hallway they had come down, and Reed gestured to the door Greg had left through.

  “What’s the plan?” Copeland asked Reed when we joined them.

  He carefully set me down as soon as we were over the ruined cage, and I was ashamed that my legs almost gave out. It was embarrassing, and if I had more energy, I would be angry at this situation. But I was too relieved to care.

  The guys were safe.

  “Blayze is outside. He wasn’t able to catch up to Greg, so we’ll head out to meet him. Then we can head back to the house as I doubt Greg knows where we live,” Reed looked at all of them, then met my eyes.

  It made warmth grow in my chest. It felt like I was being included.

  “Sounds like a plan,” Walker said as the magic he was holding faded from his hands.

  Jesse turned and led the way outside, growing smaller and using the door that Greg had used to escape. He stayed in panther form, though his wings sunk into his back.

  I had only
been this way once; it led to a series of underground tunnels that could get you lost if you weren't careful. The closest exit let out a few blocks to the east of the gym. That seemed like the easiest route for someone trying to escape.

  It took us a good ten minutes before we were able to make it out as I was too weak to move very fast. But the longer we walked, the stronger I felt. We had followed the smell of Greg’s demon ass to figure out which tunnel he had used. It wasn’t too hard; Greg’s stench was particularly potent.

  Blayze met us at the door, and I was able to walk under my own power. For the most part. Copeland was walking by my side instead of supporting me. The pain was still very prevalent, and every step still sent shooting pains through me, but I would have to figure it out. I was familiar with pain; I knew how to deal with it, compartmentalize it. Growing up in Hell was good for something, even if it was knowledge and skills I wouldn’t wish on anyone.

  “So, we’re heading back to the house?” Blayze said, his voice was frustrated.

  He turned to me and his eyes looked me over. A look of despair crossed his face when he saw all of my injuries. He covered it quickly, but not before our eyes met, and my chest squeezed with emotion.

  If I didn’t know better, I would say he was concerned about me, but that couldn’t be true. He was a demon and the only thing demons cared about was themselves. Though Blayze could have fooled me. But it wasn't a fair thought; I knew he wasn't like that. He had proven that he wasn’t; he was proving it by being here now.

  “Yeah, we’re going to head back,” Reed nodded heading to where I was assuming their car was parked.

  Going through the tunnels was a waste since Greg was already gone. Now we had to head back to the gym to get the car. But I didn't complain. I hoped that if I kept quiet, they would forget I was here and just take me with them. There was a part of me that wanted to stay with them, but I was also worried about Greg. I couldn’t let him get away with what he knew about me. This had to end, and soon.

  The walk back was quiet. Jesse had shifted back to his human form and no one was talking. I was left alone with my thoughts, thinking about everything that had happened.

  I was so angry at myself for not being able to kill Greg. I’d had one shot, and I missed. I knew logically that it was the cage that messed me up and stopped my hand, but that didn’t keep me from being angry about the fact that I had missed my chance.

  I looked at all the guys around me and I had to admit that, deep down, I was also glad. I had come to terms with the fact that I would die, but at least I got to see them once more. It was selfish of me, to take up so much of their time when I knew I would be leaving them. I’m not sure that they cared about me aside from what I could offer to the case, but that didn’t stop me from feeling guilty.

  Didn’t stop me from developing feelings for them, apparently.

  As we came into view of the gym, the red and blue flashing lights of multiple cop cars reflected off the nearby buildings. A group of onlookers stood behind a yellow line of tape and some cops were there to make sure no one tried to get passed.

  The front door had been completely busted in, a huge divot on either side of the wall. It was an impressively large hole. I looked at Jesse out of the corner of my eye, but his facial expression didn’t change. I knew it was his panther’s body that had been responsible for the destruction, but I hadn’t seen any wounds when he had come down stairs. Either he healed extremely fast, or he didn’t get hurt, which was both the better and more scary option.

  I didn’t want to have to deal with the cops, not after everything, so I slowed down and hung at the back of the group. The guys didn't seem to want to deal with it either, they angled away from the fanfare in front of us. I let out a breath of relief when it seemed we would be going around them.

  Someone grabbed my arm from behind, and I was too slow to react as I was dragged back into the alley. The pain and the injuries were throwing my equilibrium off, making me fall back against my attacker. I didn’t even think to call out as I was dragged away from the guys, all my focus on not throwing up at the pain and dizziness assaulting me.

  I was slammed into the alley wall and an arm pressed against my throat to hold me there. Normally, that wouldn’t have been enough to hold me, and it grated that I couldn't fight back. I hated my weakness. I grabbed at the arm, instinct kicking in anyway.

  “Where is she?” the voice made me stop struggling, looking at the one who held me.

  I almost didn’t recognize the man in front of me. He was a dirty, smelly mess, and if he hadn’t spoken, I wouldn’t have known it was Walter.

  “What?” my voice was a broken whisper, his arm pressing too hard for me to catch a full breath.

  “Lucy! Where is she?” His voice was frantic, and I looked closer at him, ignoring my own pain in order to concentrate on the man in front of me.

  His uniform was baggy, and there were dark circles under his crazed eyes. I wondered what had happened to him; he wasn’t one to get emotional about his girls, though he liked them to think he cared.

  I tried to shake my head, but he pressed harder before I could even finish the motion.

  “Don’t lie to me! I know you know where she is,” he used his other hand to run to touch the gun at his waist.

  He was clearly not right in the head, and I had to wonder what he was doing here. As much as the station loved him, with the way he looked, there was no way they would have allowed him on the scene of a crime. Not if they wanted to keep the crowd under control and give off the image of competency.

  Despite everything else, pain rose at the thought of Lucy. It was so strong I almost couldn’t shove it back into my mental box. There was no way that he hadn’t heard about the scene at the warehouse and how gruesome it had been, even if he didn’t know it had been me staying there.

  Something must have slipped out in my expression, because I watched horror cross Walter’s face.

  “No,” his voice was a disbelieving whisper, the arm across my throat slackening enough for me to pull in a full breath.

  I took the opportunity and raised my leg, kicking him in the stomach and away from me.

  He immediately collapsed to his hands and knees on the ground of the alley, the breath knocked out of him, not by me, but by grief. I almost felt bad for him, but I wasn’t sure why. Anger took over as I looked down at this shell of a man who had beat and sold my friend for years. He was pathetic.

  I rubbed at my throat, knowing it would bruise, and took a step away from him. Lucy was dead; I wouldn’t have to deal with Walter anymore.

  Two figures came barreling down from either side of the alley to meet us. Walker stepped in front of me, while Blayze grabbed the back of Walter’s uniform.

  “You okay?” Walker asked, turning to me when Blayze had Walter under control.

  I nodded, not wanting to speak from my raw throat. First it was Hairy, now Walter. I didn't have a choking fetish and I didn't appreciate these men's rough handling. My injuries were trying to heal, but with all the damage my body had taken and the amount of magic I had been using, it was slower going than usual.

  “Isn’t this the same cop as before?” Walker asked walking closer to the cop to look him over.

  “His name is Walter,” my voice came out scratchy and both men’s eyes turned to look at me with concern.

  I waved them away; even if it hurt, it wasn’t life threatening.

  “Let’s get out of here,” Walker gestured to the back side of the alley, where Blayze had come from.

  Nodding I passed Blayze. He was still holding onto Walter and I didn’t even try to listen in when angry words were exchanged.

  I know it shouldn’t have, but this situation warmed something in my chest. It was silly, but the fact that the guys had not only noticed that I was gone, but had cared enough to come for me meant something. Even if they were only protecting an asset, they had come back. That wasn’t something I would forget anytime soon. But I followed Walker to the ca
r, eager to forget about the cop for good.

  I had bigger problems to deal with than him, anyway.

  We made it back to the car, Blayze joining us a few minutes later. I pretended not to notice his bruised knuckles, but they caused the warmth in my chest to grow. It warmed me to know that he had beaten Walter in my defense. It probably shouldn't have, but I was a pretty messed up person.

  “What?” his voice was gruff as he looked at me, but I didn’t mind.

  His actions spoke louder than the words he was saying, or the tone he said them in. He may have been a brash jerk, but he was also the first to come to my defense in a fight. Though, it could have been due to the instructions he was given.

  But, then again, he had said that I was his master, and then that I wasn't.

  I was confused about what that meant. I wasn't his master, but was it because I wasn't a full demon? Who was his master, then? I wasn't sure, but the reminder put a damper on my mood. The thought that he had only helped me because he was forced to was like a bucket of ice water being poured over my head.

  Yes, I cared about this group of men, but that didn’t mean they cared about me.

  How many times would I have to be reminded that people didn’t do something for nothing before I would learn my lesson? It was a hard-learned lesson, and one it would be best that I didn’t forget.

  Just because they weren’t demons, didn’t mean the same rules didn’t apply to the others. In fact, it applied more. Demons were straight forward about the fact that they were going to use you. These guys seemed to be genuinely good, which meant that they were good at pretending.

  It was a harsh reminder, and I didn't like to think such negative thoughts, but Greg almost giving away my contract reminded me how slimy people could be. I didn't think he would do that, or that Walter would come after me again so soon. But both had happened. So, who was to say that these guys weren't keeping me around just to get to Greg? I couldn't trust them, not completely. My heart didn't want to care about that, but my mind was in control now.