by Lesley Davis
“Daryl, I can’t wait to hand this little boy over to you. He’s going to have Blythe’s coloring.”
“He sounds just perfect to me. I can’t ever thank you enough for what you’re doing for us.”
“I hate seeing couples childless when they don’t deserve to be. You will give this baby the family he needs. I couldn’t have found a more deserving couple to match a child to. Just be sure you’re here at eleven thirty. Drive into the parking lot, and make sure no one is watching.”
Daryl’s ears pricked at the sudden edge to Serena’s voice. “Oh, believe me, Ms. Miller. I’ll be very careful about prying eyes where my family is concerned.”
“I knew you’d understand.”
Daryl could all but see Serena’s self-satisfied smile. “Until later tonight then.”
“Yes. And congratulations again to you both.”
The line went dead, and only then did Daryl reach over to halt the recording equipment that had captured the whole conversation.
“Gotcha.” She looked up at Blythe who was standing in the doorway. “Seems we’ve got a late night appointment to go pick up our newborn, and I mean very newborn, baby son.”
“Phone Ashley so they can get set up whatever it is that angels and demon hunters do for this kind of thing.”
“I’m guessing it’s just like any takedown, only with more wings present and no jail time involved.” Daryl called Ashley and gave her the details of the call and the meeting place. Then she called Lake and set up a video conference so they could go through their strategy for the final time. She was aware the team had been camped out at the mother’s house all day, keeping the woman informed as to their investigation and assuring her the baby was safe and would soon be back home. Daryl didn’t envy them that task. She preferred to be in on the arrest, what there would be of it. She would never have thought it feasible or even believable that she would choose to be surrounded by angels and a demon to bring a case to closure. She rose from her chair, scooped Blythe up in her arms, and swung her around.
“We’re going to get our baby!”
Blythe laughed with her. “Then maybe you can finally put these cases to rest.”
Daryl hoped with all her heart Blythe was right. It had been a long time coming.
*
The roads were eerily quiet as Blythe drove them to the agency in the dark. Before setting out, they had received a final call. This time a deep, unearthly voice had told them to stay away or the child would suffer. The threat had unsettled both her and Daryl. Blythe was intrigued as to why they were being so forcefully warned off. Did the demon have an idea who they really were? They had no choice but to go through with their plan.
“These streets are strangely empty,” Blythe said.
“The Heights are usually never this silent.” Daryl peered out the windshield at the sky. “Do you think something else is going on?”
“What? Like angelic forces at work?” Blythe followed Daryl’s line of sight upward before turning her attention back to the road. “Who knows what they can do if necessary.” She steered the car under the raised barrier of the Miller’s Agency and parked in a space away from the spotlights dotted around the lot. She and Daryl got out and scanned the area. “No sign of anyone watching us,” Blythe said, reaching for Daryl’s hand and pulling her close.
“No sign of Rafe or Ashley either.”
“I’m not surprised. I’d say they are masters of blending in.” Blythe led the way to the front door and rang the bell. Serena Miller opened the door and ushered them inside.
“Ladies, I am so happy you’re here.” She clutched at Blythe’s hands and squeezed. “You’re going to love this little boy. He’s perfect for you.”
“We can’t wait to meet him,” Blythe enthused. “Where is he?”
Serena steered them toward her office. “I’ll just go get him. Make yourselves comfortable and we’ll seal the deal here.” She swung open the door and gestured for them to go inside. “I’ll be back in just a moment with your son.”
Blythe watched her disappear down the hallway. She could feel Daryl’s agitation all but rolling off her in waves. “Calm down, sweetie, we’re nearly done here.”
“I just want to take the child and go,” Daryl said, fidgeting in her seat. She craned her neck to try to look down the hallway where Serena had disappeared.
They both reacted to the loud bang from another part of the building.
“What the hell was that?” Blythe asked, rushing to the door. The familiar weight of her gun at her side made her feel much better and more like her usual self. She unfastened her jacket so that she could reach it easier. Daryl moved to her side, her hand under her own jacket resting on her gun.
“I’m not staying here waiting.” Daryl pushed past Blythe and started off down the hall. The sound of raised voices could easily be heard in the silent building. Blythe tugged at Daryl’s sleeve and motioned which room it was coming from. They pressed themselves against the wall and listened to the sounds of an argument coming from inside the conference room. Carefully, noiselessly, Blythe turned the doorknob and slipped the door open a sliver.
“No! No! You called them in already? You said the next child would be mine. You promised!”
The high-pitched scream of a female split through the air and set off a baby’s frightened cry.
“I said you could have a child of your own soon. But not this one. This one has to go to the women in my office. Mia said they had more than enough wealth that I could raise the asking price. You know she’s never let us down finding us the couples who are desperate to spend out to get exactly what they wish for. They have the money I requested. You can have the next child,” Serena said.
“You said that the last time and I had to give the child away. I want this one.”
“He’s not yours. He’s already been bought and paid for.”
“He could be mine. I need him.”
“No. What you need is to give him to me and let me go finalize this business deal then you and I can talk this over.”
“I’m done talking. I’m done taking. I’m having this child and no one is stopping me.”
Having heard enough, Blythe pushed open the door and stepped inside. Serena jumped at the intrusion, but Lailah just stared at her. The child was firmly held in her arms.
“Is there a problem, Serena?” Blythe asked. She couldn’t take her eyes off Lailah. She tried desperately to see the demon behind the obvious human skin. She wondered what evil was hidden behind the dark lenses.
“No, no problem at all,” Serena lied. “I was just thanking Lailah for looking after the baby for me while I was seeing you to my office.”
Daryl took a step into the room. “Lailah, it’s lovely to meet you again. The last time I was here you were very kind to me.”
Lailah’s rage lessened a little. “You were upset.”
“Yes, I was. I wanted a baby so much for Blythe and I.”
“You can’t have this one. I need this one. I warned you to stay away. You needed to be frightened off. This child is mine, not yours.” Lailah ground out the words between tightly clenched teeth as if she were holding back a fury she could barely control.
“Why do you need him so badly?” Daryl’s voice was soft, coaxing, drawing Lailah out. With her quiet voice and the calmness she projected, Daryl posed no threat.
“He fits my purpose.”
“He fits ours too. To be a family. To keep him safe, to love him,” Daryl said with a gentle smile.
Blythe moved as far into the room as she could without drawing attention to herself.
Lailah’s hold on the baby tightened and he squirmed, crying louder.
“Let me hold him please. He’s upset. He needs to be calmed.” Daryl stepped forward, ignoring Serena completely, all her attention focused on Lailah.
Blythe’s attention never wavered from Lailah either. She noted that Lailah’s focus was on Daryl. Carefully making good use of the distraction, Blythe to
ok another step closer. Serena, however, wasn’t as cautious and bustled forward to confront her partner in crime. Lailah raised the baby over her head.
“No one comes any closer,” she warned ominously.
“Don’t hurt the baby, Lailah. He’s done nothing to you. If you have a problem with those of us in the room then take it out on us. Do not take it out on the child.” Blythe had moved closer still in the commotion around Serena and was ready to go for her gun at the slightest provocation.
With a furious unearthly scream, Lailah clutched the child to her chest and ran straight through Blythe blocking her path. The force of the blow flung Blythe aside as if she had been hit by a speeding vehicle. Blythe smashed into the frosted glass paned windows that lined the conference room wall. The force of her hitting it cracked and splintered the reinforced glass into a large spiral pattern. Dazed, Blythe tried to stand up and bit off a scream as the pain in her ribs cut off her breath. She broke my ribs, she realized, almost passing out from the pain. How the hell did she manage that?
“Lailah!” Serena yelled after her, hastening to follow, but Daryl grabbed her and swiftly handcuffed her into a chair. “What are you doing?” Serena stared stupidly at her predicament.
“Reneging on our deal but getting that baby anyway. And when I do, you and I are going to have a long talk about your adoption policies.”
“You’re police?” Serena’s was incredulous. “But I checked you both out.”
“We’re not the only ones you didn’t vet properly. Lailah isn’t the perfect little child kidnapper she appears to be either.” She snapped the handcuffs tighter making Serena wince. “I’ll be back for you.”
Blythe was still clutching at her side when Daryl came to her aid.
“Are you all right?” Daryl’s hands rested lightly on Blythe’s arm.
“I feel like I got blitzed by a linebacker. That woman is deceptively strong.” She winced as the pain in her ribs intensified with every breath. “I think she broke my ribs.”
“You need to stay here. I can’t afford for you to be hurt any further.” Daryl was already halfway out the door. “I’m sorry, but I have to stop her.”
Blythe clutched her side and tried to move without jarring herself. “You’re not going alone.” She gingerly followed Daryl out into the hallway and watched as she began rattling the door handles, checking for an open room.
“You’re hurt,” Daryl tossed angrily over her shoulder then halted as the sound of the front door swinging shut echoed down the hallway. “She’s outside.” Daryl took off in that direction.
“Good,” Blythe muttered, trying to hurry her steps. “Now Ashley can deal with her.”
Chapter Thirty
Ashley and Rafe were hidden from view under the cover of Eli’s wings. They stood at the back of the agency car lot, watching the door they knew held Lailah’s lair. Ashley had said that demons always return to their safe place whenever they were near.
“Blythe has been hurt,” Eli announced starkly.
“How?” Ashley asked.
“Lailah has broken several of her ribs. The demon refused to give up the child, and Blythe stood in her way of escape.”
Ashley shot a look toward Rafe who was unusually silent.
Rafe just shrugged at her. “Fucking demons are nothing if not predictable in their unpredictability.”
“Virgil says she’s heading our way,” Eli said.
Ashley heard the door to the agency slam shut and saw Lailah rushing out with the baby in her arms. “Damn it, she still has the baby. I was hoping they’d had the handover by now and this would be simple.”
“It would appear she’s not ready to let this child go,” Eli said.
“Well, she’s not taking it anywhere else.” Ashley stepped out from under the invisibility cloak of Eli’s wings and positioned herself directly in Lailah’s path.
The woman skidded to a halt. “Who are you?”
Ashley heard the demon tenor in her voice. The human façade was slipping; the true nature of this creature was making itself known. “I’m someone who knows exactly what you are.”
Lailah’s face hardened. “You know nothing, human.” She began taking a step backward and spun when she heard the sound of running behind her. Daryl appeared around the corner of the building, her feet slipping on the tiny pebbles of the lot. She stopped abruptly, scattering the gravel around her.
Ashley didn’t acknowledge Daryl and wasn’t acknowledged in return. They had separate agendas here. Daryl’s was to recover the child. Ashley’s was to banish the beast.
“You know that baby isn’t yours, Lailah. Please let me have him. He was meant for us.” Daryl took a few cautious steps forward, and Lailah stepped back only to find Ashley moving in closer behind her.
“Stay back!” Lailah hissed, literally hissed, as her true face began to escape its human cover.
“You need to give the baby to that woman,” Ashley said kindly, not wanting to provoke the demon while she held the tiny infant in her grasp.
“I will give this child to no one.” Lailah tightened her hold even more and the child squirmed in her arms.
More footsteps sounded, and Blythe came into view. She had her right arm tucked in close to her side, cradling her ribs. Ashley let out a sympathetic wince at how much pain Blythe appeared to be in.
“Please, we just want our baby,” Blythe pleaded as Daryl reached to help hold her upright.
Ashley wondered why both Blythe and Daryl remained in character as the adoptive parents, but then she saw something in Lailah’s response. She reacted to them sympathetically. It was like a bodily tick; they begged, she responded. Could the demon actually be torn between giving them the child and keeping it for herself?
“Why do you want the child?” Ashley asked, drawing Lailah’s attention back to herself.
“That’s no concern of yours. You have no place here. Leave before I make you regret being here.”
Ashley saw the glint of red eyes flash behind the dark glasses the demon wore. “I regret a lot of things, Lailah. But sending you home won’t be one of them.” She watched with satisfaction as Lailah recognized the emphasis she’d placed on home. The air began to shift and alter around Lailah. And here she comes. Ashley saw Lailah begin to shift and grow taller before her eyes.
“I am making my home here, little girl, and you won’t stop me.” Lailah’s voice changed and growled.
Ashley looked over at Daryl and Blythe. Neither of them showed any signs of witnessing or hearing what she could see. This could get very dangerous, and they really need to know what they’re up against. They’re still seeing a small woman holding a baby, while I am witnessing her start to transform into her demon form. She looked over her shoulder and whispered, knowing full well Eli would hear every word. “Eli, I need you to reveal.”
“And your reasoning behind that preposterous request is what exactly?”
“Because I need Daryl and Blythe to realize what we are up against. I need help, Eli. This war against the demons is more than Rafe and I can handle alone. We need their support, and Daryl is already halfway there with Virgil. They need to see what is out there so they can fight it, Eli. They need to see as well as know.”
“Do you really want to make that decision for them?”
Ashley heard the censure in Eli’s tone. She cast a look at Rafe. “No one should face these things alone, Eli. It’s too much for one soul to carry. They’re like Rafe and me; they have found their One in each other. Reveal the true world to them, please. We need to save that baby and the world against whatever comes next.” She waited what seemed an inordinate amount of time before she saw Eli move without disturbing his protective stance over Rafe. He seemed to be everywhere at once. Angelic hands reached out to rest upon the heads of Daryl and Blythe.
“Reveal,” Eli intoned as he stared at Ashley. “And on your conscience be it.”
Chapter Thirty-one
Daryl was aware of a touch resting upon her
head. She recognized it wasn’t Virgil’s crushing press against her shoulders so she stood still until she could process what was happening. She watched in a dawning awareness as her eyes started to see everything clearer. This wasn’t her being Impressed upon. This was as if a gray gauze had been lifted from her eyes and she could see the world through a much sharper lens. Something moved behind her, and Daryl looked up into the face of the most beautiful man she had ever seen. He was dressed head to toe in white. His suit had a strange glow to it. His pale hair brushed at his shoulders, almost mirroring her own style.
“Virgil?” Daryl whispered and the man smiled and nodded. Daryl looked to Blythe and realized she had been touched too. Daryl’s hope faded as she saw Blythe’s revulsion displayed clearly on her face. If this is her reaction to what surrounds me, I can’t expect her to be with me. She deserves not to see the world this way or be with someone who is a part of it. Daryl gazed at Blythe, trying desperately to commit her beauty to memory. It was only then Daryl realized Blythe wasn’t looking at Virgil or her. Her head shot around and she saw the reason for Blythe’s fear. Lailah stood just feet away, shedding her human skin before them like someone shrugging off a robe. Her dark glasses slipped from her nose as her face seemed to melt away like molten wax. Fixated on what was being revealed to her, Daryl wasn’t certain if the transformation took hours or mere seconds. All she recognized was, with her new sight, she could see what Rafe and Ashley saw on a daily basis. The demon world was revealed to her now. Before her very eyes, Lailah’s human form dissolved away and Daryl could see what Lailah was. She heard Blythe’s breath escape in a rough gasp that had nothing to do with her injury.
“Oh my God,” Blythe whispered. “Tell me you can see this too?”
Daryl grasped Blythe’s hand gently, to both hush and soothe her. Daryl let go and with one look at Virgil, she stepped forward toward the demon. She heard Blythe hiss her name behind her, but she didn’t falter. She looked up as, in her natural state, Lailah now towered a good foot in height above her. Her skin was a burnished copper red. Her face was ugly and contorted as huge fangs had erupted through her gums and stretched her mouth cruelly. Her eyes, no longer hidden, were aflame. Daryl was certain she could feel the heat from the furnace burning in them. Squashing down her terror, Daryl moved closer, hyper aware Virgil was right beside her. Her eyes darted to Ashley who had Eli easing closer to her with Rafe now visible to Daryl’s newly awakened sight. Daryl could see Rafe held a lethal looking weapon. Eli radiated with a brilliant white light that outshone Virgil’s more comforting glow. Daryl had so many questions but knew she had something more important to attend to first.