The Holy Dark

by Kyoko M

  “Faust, you magnificent bastard.” I grinned, tucking it back in my pocket.

  He smiled and pushed up his glasses. “Happy to help as always.”

  After Faust gave us the locations of the remaining coins, Michael sent out orders to the rest of the angels to stop the demons from collecting them at any cost. We were tracking down all the ones we could reach before the enemy got to them, and then we’d be heading to the safe house to regroup. We were going to need one hell of a strategy to take down the archdemon of war, no pun intended. I was not looking forward to it.

  We met Myra in the parking lot of a supermarket not too far from the New York state border. She was leaning against the side of an RV, smoking a cigarette with Ace sitting obediently by her feet. The headlights splashed across her bright orange shirt, black slacks, and Chucks, and bounced off of Ace’s creepy reflective red eyes. They glowed like hot coals in the dark, drawing my estranged husband’s attention.

  “Is that a freaking hellhound?” Michael demanded, tearing off his seatbelt.

  I grabbed his shoulder to keep him from bounding out of the car and attempting to kill him. “Whoa, relax. He’s one of us.”

  He gave me an incredulous stare. “What?”

  “That’s Ace. He’s Myra’s hound. She found him hurt and wandering alone one night in Houston. The demons down there were having dog-fighting rings with hellhounds for fun. He warmed up to her after she fed him and fixed his leg.”

  “That’s…I can’t…” He scratched his head, finally deciding to let it go. “Whatever you say.”

  I bit my bottom lip, trying not to laugh. I couldn’t blame him. Ace was the first hound I’d ever heard of to turn domestic. The only way I got used to it was refusing to think about it too hard.

  We climbed out of the car and walked over. As predicted, Ace began to growl. His nostrils flared as he sucked in the scent of all three of us, glaring at each person in turn. Myra switched the cigarette to her left hand and played with his ear until his growling died down.

  She raked her russet eyes over Michael first, a smile tugging her lips upward. “So. You’re the husband, right?”

  Michael shifted a bit, his expression neutral. “Yeah. You the roommate?”

  She stuck out her hand. “Myra. Nice to meet you, angel food cake.”

  “Michael,” he corrected, shaking her hand once.

  She let go and I took the liberty of introducing my other companions. “This is Avriel. He’s…an old acquaintance. And this is Dr. Faust, if you recall.”

  The older Seer shook their hands as well. “Nice to meet you both. I’d say more, but we need to get some road behind us. Let’s load up and blow town in style.”

  She rapped her knuckles on the side of the RV. I gave a start. “Where the hell’d you get that?”

  “An old Army buddy in the area owes me a favor,” she said, grinning. “Decided to take her out for a spin. That way, we can cover more ground and won’t have to stop for sleep.”

  I shook my head. “Do you ever get tired of being perfect?”

  She winked at me. “Never, babe. Mount up, kiddies.”

  She patted her thigh and Ace followed at her heels as she unlocked the RV. We unloaded all of our things and brought them on board.

  The inside of the RV was pretty damn nice—white carpet, grey granite counters in the small kitchen, leather furniture, and new appliances. The bedroom and bathroom were towards the rear and they were actually spacious. One bed, but that wouldn’t be much of a problem since there was a fold out couch in the living area.

  Michael and I stacked our equipment and suitcases along the far wall in the bedroom. I noticed the way he sucked in a quick breath every time he had to lean over and stopped him before he could leave.

  “Hey, you alright?”

  He wouldn’t meet my gaze. “It’s fine.”

  “Fine, my ass. It’s your back, isn’t it? Lifting that coffin probably did a number on it.”

  I gave him a gentle shove so that he sat on the bed. I moved to the side and yanked up the back of his shirt. His skin was still pale and nowhere near his usual tan hue. I ran my fingers over his shoulder blades and downward until I felt a definite knot in the middle. He flinched when I touched it, nearly bowing over.

  “Careful,” he hissed between clenched teeth. “It’ll heal once I’m back to full strength.”

  “We don’t have time to wait for that,” I said, lowering the hem of his shirt. “I can heal this for you.”

  He sent me an even look over his shoulder. “You remember what happened the last time you healed me?”

  A blush curled over my cheeks and I was glad my dark skin hid it. “Uh, point taken. I’ll…ask Myra to do it. She’s military. Shirtless guys don’t rustle her jimmies.”

  I stood and started for the door, but his voice made me hesitate. “You sure?”

  My stomach clenched itself into a knot. For the most part, I could control my physical reaction to him, but not always. His eyes were what did me in, long before I got to those full lips, strong arms, or broad shoulders. He was still disheveled and battle-damaged from the fight at the cemetery—his brown hair mussed and framing his cheekbones, his large hands with their calloused fingers interlocked. He’d suffered a couple of bites on his arms, visible through the torn sleeves of his blue-and-green plaid flannel shirt. It was no use lying. Desire hummed underneath my skin. Some dark corner of my soul whispered for me to take advantage of it; to climb onto his lap, shove him down on the bed, and have him perform his neglected husbandly duties.

  Part of me knew I’d never get over him, no matter what we decided to do about our truly screwed up marriage. But now wasn’t the time to make a decision.

  “Positive,” I whispered, and I walked away with all the surety I could muster.

  CHAPTER TEN

  MICHAEL

  We had been on the road for a while before someone knocked on the bedroom door. I was on the bed shirtless, attempting to clean myself up with the First Aid kit I’d found in the nightstand. I had military training coming out of my ears, but I’d never been any good at the medical angle. That was my brother Raphael’s line of work. And, once upon a time, Jordan’s.

  “Come in,” I grunted, focusing on the oozing bite mark on my left arm. The pain was sharp and distracting. I shouldn’t have been bleeding this much. I was definitely in bad shape.

  The door opened. Part of me deflated as I realized it was indeed Myra. She shut the door and gave me a brief, very clinical once over.

  “So Jordan tells me you need patching up.”

  “Unfortunately,” I said with a sigh. “But it shouldn’t take long for me to recharge.”

  “That’s what they all say.” She smirked, motioning for the bed. “Lie down, Stretch. I’d better do your back first.”

  It took a lot of effort not to groan as I climbed onto the queen-sized mattress and lay on my stomach. Human bodies were not meant to lift coffins. The entire length of my spine ached with raw pain as if I’d been burned. I was smart enough to lift with my legs mostly, but it still didn’t save me. My energy reserve was running on empty. I wouldn’t be much good if we reached the next coin within a few hours. I hated that more than a little.

  Myra applied a bit of lotion to her hands and sat beside me. I got a good look at her up close. She was mid-forties by the looks of things, and built like a brick house. Her arms were long and solid with muscle, but her curves softened her out—wide hips, ample chest, and smooth skin. She wore burgundy lipstick and eyeliner, and a gold necklace with a cross hanging at her collarbone. The intricate patterns on it led me to believe it might have been a family heirloom.

  She traced one hand down my back until she found the knot. She circled it with her first and middle fingers, attempting to relax the muscles around it before using her healing energy. Smart.

  “So,” Myra said. “You two sleep together yet?”

  I choked, attempting to hide it with a cough. “Sorry?”

&n
bsp; “You heard me.”

  “No,” I said, offended. “Why’d you ask?”

  “Because I’m not blind. Judging by the look on Jordan’s face when she asked me to heal you, she must’ve thought you would rip her clothes off the second you shut the door.”

  I scowled. “I’m not that kind of guy.”

  “Uh-huh. Mind you, she and I have been living together for almost a year. We’ve been out drinking. I know a thing or two about your sex life. Kudos, by the way.”

  I cleared my throat. “You don’t beat around the bush, do you?”

  “Saves time,” she said, flattening her palm over the injury. A soothing tingling sensation followed and to my relief, the pain began to subside. Cool energy seeped into my skin and relaxed the overworked muscles.

  “Anyway, I’ve got a bias. I heard her side of the story first. What’s yours?”

  I shook my head. “Nothing much to tell. Wasn’t meant to be.”

  She reached over and caught my left hand, lifting it enough to see my rings. “Yeah-huh.”

  I snatched my arm away. “Look, we really don’t have to have this conversation. I just met you. Do you expect everyone you meet to spill their guts within five minutes?”

  “No, but I can see how wound up you are. Just thought you might want to speak to an impartial third party.”

  “Impartial?” I snorted. “You saved her life. You came looking for her when no one else was. Are you telling me you can be neutral when it comes to Jordan?”

  “Can you?”

  That shut me up. The last knot in my back unraveled and she tapped my shoulder to get me to sit up. She lifted my right arm, laying her hand above the bite mark. Blood dripped onto the soiled towel in my lap, but it slowed as her healing energy absorbed into the wound.

  “I’m not trying to get up in your shit,” she said. “I’m just trying to clear the air. From what I hear, you and Jordan make a pretty good team whether you’re married or not. I am now part of that team. Believe it or not, my life hangs in the balance if you let your personal problems ruin your chemistry. That’s what I’m getting at.”

  I eyed her. The honesty rang through in her words. She held my gaze until I couldn’t help looking away. “Fine, so you know stuff about me. Anything I need to know about you?”

  “Tch. Not sure. You seem to like dark chocolate. How do I know you’re not looking for a sugar momma?”

  I laughed. “Point taken. Maybe we can start with something more innocent, like how it is that you found out Jordan was a Seer.”

  She switched to my left bicep, healing the smaller wound. “My Awakening happened after my son’s baseball game back in Houston. I had just gotten home and Gabriel was waiting for me in the bathroom. Scared the shit out of me. He told me what I was and what I was supposed to do, and he was going to help me whenever I needed it. At first, I told him to kiss my ass. I mean, I had a life. A family. I didn’t give two shits about angels and demons being at war with each other.”

  Myra lowered her hand, her light brown eyes miles away. “Then one night a demon followed me home. I’m ex-Army, so I figured I’d be okay if things went sideways.”

  She tugged the hem of her blouse aside, revealing a long, jagged scar across her left shoulder. “He left me a little present. Told me that I should play ball and work for the demons if I didn’t want my family to end up worm food. After he left, I started researching anything I could find on other Seers. Gabriel mentioned Jordan at some point when we spoke, so I decided to check her out.”

  “Why didn’t you just call her?”

  She fixed me with an indignant look. “Jordan was a suspect in a murder investigation, remember? I don’t like walking into something blind. I found out where she was and watched her to get an idea of the kind of girl she was, if I could trust her, that sorta thing. That was when Lamont’s daughter Bridgett caught up with her.”

  Guilt ate through my stomach. “Jordan told me. Was it as bad as I thought?”

  “Worse. Took me two days to heal her enough to regain consciousness.”

  I sighed and rubbed my sinuses. “I should’ve been there.”

  “You didn’t know.” She imitated Rafiki the baboon’s voice momentarily. “It’s in de past.”

  I smiled, though it was a bit weak around the edges. “Still doesn’t make me feel better.”

  “True, but it should at least tell you something.”

  She rose and cleaned her hands with disinfectant wipes, heading for the door. I couldn’t resist. “What?”

  She paused with her hand on the doorknob. “If you didn’t love her anymore, you wouldn’t feel so guilty. I’m not saying I ‘ship it, but maybe you should give your situation some thought.”

  Myra nodded towards the bed. “Get some rest, angel food cake. You’re gonna need it.”

  She shut the door behind her. I stared at it for a long while. It took me about two minutes to realize I had begun to absently spin the wedding band around on my finger. Old habit.

  I scrubbed a hand across my grizzled chin. Thoughts buzzed around my head, in my ears, poking at my grey matter. Too many. I needed to clear out the space before I went mad.

  I dug in my jeans for my cell phone; first, unblocking the number and then calling it. My heart thudded against my sternum. I was an archangel. I didn’t get nervous. Usually.

  He picked up after the fourth ring, sounding relieved. “Brother, is it truly you?”

  I smiled. “Hey, Gabe.”

  Gabriel let out a long rush of breath. Then his voice hardened. “You obstinate, imperious pain-in-my-backside. Where have you been?”

  “Away.”

  “Do not toy with me right now, Michael. You’ve been out of contact for an entire month. I deserve to hear your explanation.”

  “I was laying low and working through the demons’ highest ranks to figure out who was orchestrating the ordeal with the Judas coins. Turned out to be a good idea. That’s how I ended up finding Faust.”

  “You should have called.”

  I rolled my eyes. “What? Are you my girlfriend now?”

  “Damn you, Michael. These are perilous times. I was worried about you. Is that not my right, considering what we have been through together?”

  I squirmed in my seat. He had a point. “Look, it was tactically advantageous. I knew you’d be alright without me. No one has my back like you do. No one ever has.”

  “Careful, that sounded like actual affection. We do not want to tarnish your reputation.” His sarcasm was thick enough to frost a cake. Gabriel was always polite, but he could be beyond dry when he felt like it.

  “Alright, I get it. I’ve been an ass. Can you give me an update now or do I have to keep groveling?”

  Amusement snuck back into his voice. “I quite like the groveling idea.”

  “Gabriel.”

  He chuckled. “So far, I have heard reports on four other coins being obtained by our side. The demons have secured another two.”

  “Any word on Moloch’s whereabouts?”

  “Not yet. I believe he is playing it safe now that he knows you are back out in the open.”

  “He won’t for long. He wanted me and Jordan back together so he could take us out.”

  “Can you blame him? You both have a knack for canceling the Apocalypse.”

  “That’s just it, though. This isn’t like the false angel or the Leviathan. Those were both large-scale attacks. Something about this isn’t adding up. First, he sends someone to hurt Lauren in order to lure Jordan back to Albany to kill her. When that doesn’t work, he lures me out and tries to have us both killed, only to let Faust go. The hitman he sent for the coin in the cemetery seemed more interested in the coin than in killing us. His actions aren’t matching up.”

  “Perhaps he is trying to wear you thin. You cannot be everywhere at once, and neither can our troops.”

  I raked a hand through my hair. “Yeah, but there’s also the fact that Belial has known the location of the Garden of Ed
en for an entire year yet he hasn’t made a move on it. He hasn’t tried to blackmail us, either. My gut’s telling me there is something else at work here. Something we haven’t faced before.”

  “Then we need to get our hands on one of them. Forget the lesser demons. Jordan told me the men he’s been sending do not have the details of their scheme. If we find Moloch or Belial and detain them, we can stop them before they put their plan into action.”

  “Nice thought, but Moloch is a soldier. He knows how to hide. It won’t be easy to find him, not by a long shot.”

  “You will eventually, brother. Have faith.”

  “Always,” I said with a faint smile. “Hold down the fort, will you?”

  “Naturally.” He hesitated. “Please be safe, Michael. I know you are still upset with Jordan, but she means as much to me as she did to you once. Take care of her.”

  His words were laced with pain and regret. I tried to ignore it. “I will. Bye.”

  I hung up, pressing the phone against my lips. Upset. That was one word for it.

  I stretched out on the bed and closed my eyes. I hadn’t played my guitar in months, but the urge yawned through me all of the sudden. Music had a way of soothing the beast inside me. I missed it. Blink 182 lyrics floated through my head. My lips curled upward in an unpleasant smile. I really did need some more time to fix this problem.

  That, or a lobotomy.

  I managed to wrangle a few hours of sleep before something woke me. The mattress dipped to one side, indicating someone sat down, and then a hand stroked my shoulder. Most of the time I slept on my side because sleeping on my back made me snore. Jordan used to hate it when I snored. Kept her awake all night. I still hadn’t broken myself of the habit.

  Groaning, I pried my eyelids back to see Jordan at my side, a cautious smile on her lips. “Hey. We’re less than an hour to the next coin. Thought I should get you up.”

  “Right,” I mumbled, sitting up. A headache thumped against my forehead. I still wasn’t to full strength, but my energy reserve was refreshed somewhat. Demons drew their strength from sex, murder, and any other sins, but angels replenished from simpler things—sleep being the easiest and often fastest method to recharge.