by Diem, J. C.
“He was the Collector that harvested Sophia’s grace.”
Her mouth dropped open in shock. “How did you manage to capture him?”
I pointed at the empty vial that I’d dropped on the carpet while I’d been sorting through his memories. “I stole that from him the last time we met. He crafted it himself and I used it to draw him to me.”
She crossed her arms and glared down at the corpse. “How certain are you that he was the one who harvested Sophia?”
“The vessel he was using back then is different, but he’s definitely the same demon,” I said wearily. “I saw his memories and I watched him and his cronies catch Sophia and my mother. He was the one who wielded the scalpel that stripped her of her grace.” It wasn’t a lie and she knew that I was telling the truth. One of the other Collectors had stolen my mom’s essence. It was the demon who acted as their leader. He’d better hope I never get my hands on him, I thought darkly. If I did, he wouldn’t last long afterwards.
She nodded reluctantly. “I will get rid of the body, but do not expect me to make a habit of this.”
“You don’t need to worry about that happening. I don’t have anything else that will let me bring one of them here.”
Hesitating, she wrestled with herself for a moment before speaking. “There is something that you need to know.”
I waited for her to continue, but she remained silent. “Spit it out,” I said when it looked like she was going to make me wait all night.
She smirked at my impatience. “Now you see how annoying it is when you do that to me.”
Battling the urge to strangle her, I rolled my eyes. “Fine. I admit it, I’m annoying. Are you going to tell me what you know or not?”
“Hagith despises you.”
“That’s not exactly a newsflash,” I said dryly.
“Let me finish,” she said with another scowl. “She says you have corrupted Nathanael. She has ordered her soldiers to capture him and to bring him to her.”
I went on full alert at that. “Why? What does she want with him?”
“She intends to punish him for defying her. She believes she can purge him of his unnatural desire for you.”
He’d warned me that she would want revenge for when he’d humiliated her and her sidekick. He’d challenged them to a battle to determine which of them would be in charge of me, so to speak. They weren’t warriors and they knew that they didn’t have a hope in hell of beating him. They’d been forced to back down or risk being ejected from their vessels if they attempted to fight him. Now they wanted to punish him because he’d defied them. “Over my dead body,” I snarled.
Brie took a step back before she could stop herself. I didn’t have to see my eyes to know they were glowing red. Rage tended to bring out the worst in me. “Nathanael is not the only one she wants brought to her,” she went on. “She has converted the cells beneath our base into prisons for you all. It would be in your best interests to stay away from all angels from now on.”
It galled me to utter the words, but I managed to force them out. “Thanks for the warning, Brie.”
With a nod, she turned to the task that I’d brought her here for. She made the blood and other bodily fluids disappear from the carpet, then teleported away with the corpse in tow. Now no one would ever know that a murder had been committed in this room.
Brie didn’t know that I had two allies within their ranks. For reasons that I wasn’t yet sure of, Domiel and Jeduthun had helped me to escape from imprisonment. If it wasn’t for them, I’d still be locked up in the dirty, cramped hellhole right now. They might belong to Hagith and Orifiel’s group, but they weren’t blinded by loyalty to their new leaders like the rest of them were. They knew how important it was for me to find each portal to hell. Unlike their colleagues, it seemed that they still cared about what happened to humanity.
₪₪₪
Chapter Eighteen
It wasn’t easy to keep track of time now that I didn’t have a set schedule like school to stick to. I checked the calendar and saw that it was Saturday, which meant Zach would be back in town. He had a date with Candy somewhere near his home today. Jealousy and curiosity had me seeking Leo out. I found him upstairs with Sam, watching something on TV. The boys were sitting side by side and I was almost startled to see how normal Sam looked now.
Sensing me watching them, they turned to see me standing in the doorway. “Don’t tell me you’re becoming a TV addict, too,” I said to Leo.
“Of course not,” he replied with an unconvincing smirk. “I am merely keeping Samuel company.”
“Great. Then I’m sure you won’t mind taking me out on a patrol.”
His eyes slid from me to the TV then to Sam. “I will record the program for you,” the imp offered and reached for the remote control.
“Thank you,” Leo said gratefully. “I do not know how it happened, but I have become fascinated with this series about fairy tales that are set in modern day times.”
There were several programs like that and I didn’t bother to ask him which one it was. “Now you don’t have to feel so alone, Sam,” I said. “Both of you are junkies.”
“We will have to start a support group,” he joked, making no move to join us. He’d agreed to try to conserve his talents for when they were most needed. Leo would be able to teleport me away from any trouble that we might come across. We just had to be careful and to keep our eyes out for enemies.
Before leaving, I retrieved a hat from my room. I took a few moments to put my hair into a bun then pulled the cap on before the bun could fall apart. Dressed in torn blue jeans and a plain white t-shirt, I was indistinguishable from any other teen who would be braving the streets. Thanks to Vepar and her kill squad, dozens of murders had been committed throughout the city. Most people were too afraid to leave their homes except to scurry to and from work or school.
Grabbing my dagger, I slid the sheath into the new pocket that Leo had made. He’d altered all of my jeans for me now. “Let’s go,” I said to him.
Leaving the couch, he joined me in the hallway. “Where would you like me to take you?”
“Anywhere. It’s just a random patrol,” I lied.
“Be careful,” Sophia called up the stairs loudly enough for me to be able to hear her. “Come straight back here if you run into any trouble.”
“We will,” I replied, knowing she could hear me just fine without me needing to raise my voice.
Leo whisked us away, but he only took us a few blocks from our base. He barely waited for me to recover from the flash of blinding white light before he spoke. “Now, where do you really want me to take you?”
“You knew I was lying?”
“I suspected that you were. You have not been on a patrol since you and Sam returned from hell. It seemed suspicious that you suddenly had the desire to search for the next portal.”
“Take me to Zach’s place and I’ll fill you in,” I promised.
“I should have guessed that you planned to see your beau,” he said dryly.
I waited for him to teleport us again before I corrected him. “I haven’t arranged to meet Zach. I just know he’s in the area somewhere.” We were now only half a block away from Zach’s penthouse apartment on Park Avenue.
“You know this how?” he asked as we started walking.
“He told me he’d be away for a few days and that he’d be back today.”
He slanted me a knowing look. “What are you not telling me?”
I heaved a sigh, unwilling to admit the truth. “He’s having lunch with Candy in a restaurant somewhere around here. I’m going to be nosy and try to spy on them.”
“Ah.” He wisely refrained from saying anything else, knowing how sensitive I was about this particular topic.
Zach hadn’t told me what time he would be meeting with Candy, but it was just past one and most of the restaurants that we passed were busy. Following my instincts, I stayed near Park Ave and examined the faces in the restaurant
windows as we passed them.
“There he is,” Leo said when an hour had passed and I was beginning to think we’d never find them.
We stopped and he pointed at a small, cozy Italian restaurant across the street. Using him as a shield, I peeked around him to see Zach sitting at a table. I had a side-on view of him and his date. Candy’s smug expression instantly made my hackles rise. She reached across the table and took Zach’s hand. My anger rose when he didn’t pull away. I knew he was just playing the part of her boyfriend, but I couldn’t stop my jealousy from spiking.
We’d arrived just as they were about to leave. Leo drew me into the shadows of a doorway when the pair stood. Zach left money on the table then chivalrously escorted her outside. Candy giggled and the high pitched sound grated on my nerves. There was too much traffic passing by for me to hear what they were saying.
“What do you want to do?” Leo asked.
“Let’s follow them.” It was torture to see him with someone else, but morbid curiosity wouldn’t let me leave yet.
Candy slid her arm through Zach’s and pressed herself against his side. She was wearing a navy blue dress that was so short it was almost indecent. She was average height, but wore six inch heels so she was nearly the same height as Zach. Her figure was curvy and men turned to watch her. In a practiced move, she flung her honey blond hair over her shoulder and managed to graze his arm with her breast at the same time. He turned to her and the brief glimpse I had of his expression told me she was having an effect on him. Grinding my teeth together, I sent her a poisonous glare. I knew this was going to happen, I thought in anguish. She’s sinking her claws into him and he’s going to fall for her and forget that I ever existed.
Turning onto Park Avenue, they walked to one of the prestigious apartment buildings and halted outside the main entrance. I peeked around the corner in time to see Candy press her mouth against Zach’s. For the space of a few heartbeats, he resisted her. Then his hands went to her waist and he kissed her back.
My heart splintered into a thousand pieces even though their kiss was brief. He pushed her away, but her expression was elated. She almost floated into her building on a cloud of euphoria. Zach stared after her morosely then stuffed his hands in his pockets. He turned to walk towards his apartment, which was only two blocks away. I hadn’t realized they lived so close to each other. It was a little too convenient for my liking.
Leo put his hand on my shoulder and turned me around to face him. He saw the tears that I was struggling to hold back and wordlessly hugged me. “He promised me he wouldn’t kiss her,” I said in misery.
“To be fair, she kissed him.”
“That isn’t the point. He could have stopped her and he didn’t.”
I pulled away and used the hem of my t-shirt to wipe away my tears. Leo’s eyes widened when he saw the scar on my stomach. I let my shirt fall back into place, but it was too late to hide it. He knew that the scar was smaller than it had been and he stared at me in trepidation. “What did you do, Violet?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I lied.
“Your scar has been reduced and your skin has returned to normal. You have far too much energy for someone who is dying from a debilitating toxin.” I tried to avoid his gaze, but he caught me by the chin and held my face steady. “Who inflicted holy fire on you this time?”
I flinched and pulled away. “Does it matter? It worked and now I’ll be able to function until I find the next portal.”
“What do you mean ‘it worked’?” Understanding dawned and he looked horrified. “Did you ask someone to torture you?”
“You and Nathan couldn’t do it,” I said defensively. “I found someone who would.”
His expression turned bleak when he realized who it had to be. “Briathos did this to you.”
“Only because I asked her to,” I said quickly. “She didn’t enjoy it.” Much, I added mentally.
“Why do I doubt that?” His tone was almost brittle. Finding out that she’d caused me harm was hurting him just as much as I knew it would.
“Don’t blame her for inflicting pain on me when I asked her to. She’s actually come in pretty handy since I worked out how to teleport her to me.”
Staring at me for a long moment, he turned us away from Zach’s receding form and started walking. “Tell me everything,” he commanded. It should have been laughable coming from a fourteen-year-old kid, but I obeyed him anyway. Brie had been his partner for tens of thousands of years. He had a right to know what was going on.
“You identified the Collector who stole Sophia’s grace?” he said in astonishment when I was done. He found that even harder to believe than the fact that I could forcibly teleport angels and demons to me.
“Yep. It was the same demon who stabbed me in the neck.”
Leo scowled at the reminder. He’d been with me during that episode and he knew how close I’d come to dying. “Then I am doubly glad that you harvested him.”
My ability to collect souls had never been termed in quite that fashion before, but it was apt. I was like one of the vials that the Collectors had created to store angel souls in. The only difference was that I could apparently hold an infinite number of them rather than just one.
“It turns out that Vepar is the lord they’re giving the souls to,” I said.
He wasn’t surprised to hear that. “The others need to hear about this.”
“I told Brie I wouldn’t tell anyone what she’d done to me.”
He shook his head wearily. “It is a bad idea to keep secrets. Although Nathan and I are reluctant to cause you harm, your experiment has proven that being purged with holy fire is sometimes necessary. If I can understand why you would allow Brie to harm you, then I am sure Nathan will be able to as well.”
I wasn’t so sure about that, but he didn’t give me a chance to protest and took us back to the store.
₪₪₪
Chapter Nineteen
Nathan and Sophia were sitting at the table when we arrived. Nathan noticed us first. He saw that I’d been crying and surged to his feet. “What has happened?” he asked and reached for me.
Leo interjected himself between us before my guardian could try to heal me. My injuries weren’t physical this time. Not even Nathan could heal my mental wounds at seeing my boyfriend kiss another girl. I was lucky he hadn’t been drawn to me by my distress. Every time he infused me with his grace, the bond that had been forged between us became stronger. Now he could sense when I was in dire peril. He could come to my rescue when I needed him the most.
The only time he hadn’t been able to save me was when Hag had locked me in a cell. The angels’ lair was so heavily warded that no one could get in unless they were given permission. I was using a similar spell to keep our enemies out. The only people who could enter our base were the ones whose blood I’d mixed in with the runes. The only way they could get in was if Nathan or Leo teleported them inside.
“You were not gone for long,” Sophia observed as she poured me tea from the ever present pot. “Did you encounter any trouble?”
“Yeah, but it has nothing to do with my mission,” I replied and slumped down onto my seat.
“Why do I have the feeling you were not out searching for the next portal?” Nathan asked suspiciously. “Were you perhaps meeting with your beau instead?”
“No. I didn’t meet with him, but I saw him.” I ignored his deliberate usage of the archaic terminology that drove me nuts. “You’ll be happy to know that Zach is starting to fall for Candy,” I added snarkily.
Sophia frowned and looked at Leo for clarification. “We saw them kiss,” the teen explained. I saw the momentary flash of relief that swept over Nathan before he could control his expression.
“I don’t want to talk about that,” I said even as Sam came trotting into the room. He thumped down on the seat beside me and took my hand. His silent sympathy almost made my bottom lip tremble. “I’ve been keeping something from you
and Leo thinks it would be best if I come clean about it,” I told them.
“Is it in relation to your miraculous recovery?” Sophia queried.
“Yeah.” She’d known that aspirin wasn’t enough to turn the tide, but she’d kept silent about her concerns. I took a deep breath then blurted it out. “I asked Brie to zap me with holy fire. Hopefully, its recharged me enough to keep me going for a few weeks.”
Fury rose within Nathan and his eyes began to glow blue. “Bring her here,” he commanded me.
“Not until you’ve calmed down.”
“Bring her here or I will hunt her down through her bracelet.”
“She’s probably in their base, surrounded by fifty angels.” Their wards masked their presence so he couldn’t track them when they were inside the warehouse.
“Then I will fight my way through them until I have her in my sights.” His response was icy, but his fury wasn’t directed at me.
“Even if you could somehow gain entrance to their warehouse, what would you do then?” Leo asked, keeping his tone carefully neutral. This was his twin we were discussing, or his host’s twin at least. “Would you eject Brie from her vessel as punishment?”
Nathan didn’t have a response for that and he glowered at the teen.
“You can’t go anywhere near their base,” I warned them. “Brie might not like me, but she still cares about the rest of you.”
“I highly doubt that she cares about me,” Sam muttered.
“She told me that Hagith has prepared cells for us all. She intends to punish Nathan and God knows what she has planned for the rest of us.”
That was enough to snap Nathan out of his anger and the glow began to fade from his eyes. “It is as I had feared,” he said heavily. “I knew it was unwise to challenge her, yet I was not willing to relinquish my position as your guardian.”
“I’m kind of glad this is all out in the open now,” I said. “Leo is right. It isn’t a good idea to keep secrets.”