by Sadie Hobbes
One by one, we escorted all of the kids back to their homes. All the kids were subdued, even the big blonde kid. His only words on the trip back were a quiet, “Thank you,” before he hurried into his house.
Finally, it was just the five of us. Manny looked awfully pale. He’d lost a lot of blood. I glanced at Donovan, him being the safer bet of not have me talking like a tongue-tied schoolgirl. “Do you guys have a doctor that can look at him? That cut is awfully deep.”
Manny’s head jerked up. His eyes shifted away from both Donovan and Graham. “No, no doctor. We can’t … I’ll be fine.”
But I knew what he meant. He couldn’t afford to pay for a doctor. Another luxury that the Demon Cursed could not count on.
“I have a personal physician that I will send first thing in the morning. And don’t worry about the bill, I’ll take care of it,” Graham said.
Manny looked like he was about to argue, his pride not wanting to accept such charity.
Tears flooded Cecelia’s eyes. “Thank you. Thank you.”
Seeing the relief on her face, he nodded.
I stepped forward to jog ahead to let Lisa know we were back when the apartment building door burst open. Lisa met us halfway across the street. Her eyes first took in Cecelia with relief before they widened at the sight of the makeshift bandage on her husband. “Manny.”
She hurried forward, hesitating to wrap her arms around him, no doubt worrying that she would hurt him. Manny lifted up his uninjured arm. Lisa slipped under it, hugging him tight.
Cecelia curled in on her mother’s other side, and the family just stood embracing each other.
Graham, Donovan, and I stopped, looking away for a moment to give the family some privacy. Donovan finally cleared his throat. “I have a little medical training. Would it be all right if I came in and took a look at the cut?”
Lisa wiped at her eyes. “Yes. Yes, thank you very much.”
With a quick glance at Graham and a wink at me, Donovan escorted the Sanchez family into their apartment.
Graham turned to face me. “Do you want to go tell your family you’re all right?”
I nodded to the windows above. “They already know.”
Graham looked up. Noel and Micah were framed by one of the windows, looking down. Micah waved. Graham waved back. Torr stood framed in the other window. It was too dark to make out his expression, but he definitely didn’t wave.
I crossed my arms over my chest. “It’s been a really long night. How about we save the questions for tomorrow?”
“Will you be at the Uriels tomorrow?”
I shook my head. “No. It’s my day off.”
He smiled. “Excellent, then I’ll bring over breakfast.”
Chapter 20
Although I told Graham that I didn’t want to speak because it had been a long night, I was completely unable to get to sleep that night. After Graham left, I was on a bit of an endorphin high for the next hour at least. Plus, when I got back upstairs, I had to give the kids a blow-by-blow. Torr crept a little closer when I mentioned the fact that there had been multiple demons at the beach.
Finally, I was talked out and beginning to feel the drop that followed the endorphin high. I ushered the kids off to bed and took a short cold shower, trying to wipe away the memories. It didn’t entirely work. There had been five demons. If Donovan and Graham hadn’t come along, Manny would most likely be dead. And who knew, maybe I would be as well. It was only the distraction of their arrival that had allowed me to take down the two I had been fighting with.
Why did the demons show up en masse? Because there’d been a group of kids on the beach? Was it something about being out in the open?
I shut off the water, quickly drying myself and throwing on my pajamas with a shove. Normally I didn’t mind the cold showers, but tonight I could have really used a hot one.
I wrapped my robe around me as I opened the bathroom door.
Questions swirled around my head.
The world had been plagued by demons for 150 years. The attacks only seemed to increasing in frequency, and yet we still knew precious little about how they attacked and why, only that they seemed to focus on those who were out alone at night.
Why they chose one person over another still remained a mystery. I mean, Marcus wasn’t exactly a big guy, but I’d seen demons target strong, muscular individuals, people who would fight back. Sometimes we found the bodies of their victims, and sometimes the person just disappeared. It had gotten to the point that if someone disappeared, it was assumed that they had been the victim of a demon attack.
So what was it the demons were looking for? Was there something about the people in particular that they were targeting, or was it just some sort of random luck? Did they just go after whatever unlucky soul they came across?
As I padded out of the bathroom in my bare feet, I stopped to look in on Noel. She had a book tucked underneath her pillow like she did every night. Some kids had teddy bears; Noel always slept with a book. I closed the door, not letting the lock catch. Neither of the kids wanted their doors completely closed. A sliver of space was necessary for them to feel safe, knowing help was only one quick yell away.
Across the hall was Micah’s room. He lay on his stomach, one hand touching the floor. His covers had been thrown off and lay in heap on the ground. Picking them up, I carefully tucked them back around him, smoothing them down before kissing him on the cheek. He was twelve but growing up quickly. A little too quickly as far as I was concerned. Noel too. But I suppose I didn’t have any control over that either.
The only thing that made me feel better was the fact that I had prepared them the best I could for what the world might have in store for them. Or more accurately, what the demons might have in store for them.
This was not a world where you could count on someone coming to your aid. You had to be able to defend yourself and those you cared about.
And most importantly, you had to be able to run.
I stood up and walked to the door, pausing to glance back at Micah. If anything happened to either him or Noel, I didn’t know what I’d do with myself. They were the only things anchoring me to this world.
I still knew nothing about my life before I woke up on that beach. I didn’t know if I fell off a ship and somehow drifted onto the beach. I didn’t know if I walked there just to fall unconscious on the sandy shores. I didn’t know if I had a huge family teeming with siblings, cousins, and relatives or if I was completely alone in the world.
But none of that mattered. Noel and Micah were my family now. And I would do anything to protect them.
I closed Micah’s door, checking in on Noel again before heading to the living room.
Torr sat on the couch. “Are they asleep?” he whispered.
I nodded. “Yes. They’re both out cold.”
A shimmer rippled over him. He would now be visible to anyone who looked in the room. Keeping himself invisible didn’t require too much energy, but he often dropped the invisibility when it was just the two of us. I think psychologically he wanted to be seen, to be a part of this world.
“Do you want something to eat?” I asked as I headed to the kitchen. I’d boiled some water before I’d gone in for my shower. Now, it would be the perfect temperature. I poured the two of us mugs of hot water, dropping a lemon slice in each. Lemons had been in the bag of goodies that had been brought over tonight. I’d grown to like the simple taste of hot water and lemon from working at the Uriels’ home.
“I wouldn’t mind one of those eclairs if you have any left,” Torr said with a hopeful note in his voice as he followed me.
I smiled, pulling one out of the fridge and putting it on a plate for him. As I handed it to him, his eyes lit up, not unlike Micah’s had earlier.
I grabbed the mugs of lemon water for both of us, and then we made our way back to the couch.
Torr took a bite of the éclair. He smiled with a sigh, licking his lips. “That is delicious.”
/> “Apparently the Michael’s chef is something special.”
“That she is.” Torr shoved the rest of the éclair into his mouth and licked his fingers. I eyed him as he sat on the corner of the couch. His muscles were accentuated as they pressed against the back of the couch. Torr was incredibly strong but on a much smaller scale than the other demons, another factor that led me to believe that he was younger than his compatriots. I had the feeling he was probably around Noel’s age, although when I asked him, he said they really didn’t keep track of time like that.
“So what do you think about tonight? About the demons attacking as a group?” I asked.
“It’s not unheard of. Humans tend not to gather in large groups at night anymore, at least not outdoors. Back in the olden days, it wasn’t unusual for demons to band together to attack a target.”
I sighed, leaning back on the couch and pulling my knees up to my chest. I wrapped my arms around them. “It was scary, Torr. If Manny and I hadn’t shown up, all those kids …”
“But you did show up. And you saved them. Focus on that, and not on what could’ve happened. Focus on what did happen.”
I groaned. “Graham and Donovan saw me fight. Graham’s coming back in the morning to ask me questions. I don’t know what to tell him. I don’t know why I can fight the way I do. I don’t know why I’m stronger than almost anybody I know. I don’t even know my real name. What should I tell him?”
“Whatever you’re comfortable telling him. You don’t owe him answers. He can’t demand something you don’t know. If you think something’s none of his business, tell him that.”
He was right. It wasn’t any of Graham’s business, not really. But I had a strange feeling that I was at a turning point and that everything was about to change.
Chapter 21
Graham
Donovan and Graham spoke long into the night while they tried to unravel the mystery of Addison Baker. Graham still couldn’t come to grips with what they had seen. If someone had told him about it, he would’ve thought they were nuts. Even seeing it, he wondered if maybe he was nuts.
She wasn’t waif thin. She was strong. But she shouldn’t have been strong enough to fight the way she did. She’d leaped up, and with one sweep, managed to take off that demon’s head. He’d never seen anything like it in his life. He didn’t think it was even possible.
And that sword of hers had flared to life when she used it. Where had she gotten that? He groaned. “Aw, crap.”
“What?”
“The sword. Addie took the sword from the demon she beheaded. I should’ve taken it from her so we could study it.”
Donovan arched an eyebrow. “You should’ve taken it from her? I would have paid to see you try.”
Graham glared at him but knew he was right. If she could take down a demon …
Donovan leaned his elbows on the table. “What do you think she is? I mean, she lives down in Forks, but she has to be one of the Angel Blessed, right? Maybe an angel came to town, met up with her mom, and whammo, bammo, little baby Addie was born?”
“I don’t know. No Angel Blessed has been born with abilities in generations. And there have been zero sightings of angels in nearly a hundred years.”
The Angel Blessed were supposed to be the ones who were descended from the archangels. Back in the early days of the Angel War, when an offspring of the angels had been created, there were all these tales of incredible skills, strength, even wings. But that had been a long time ago. And while an Angel Blessed’s kids these days often had a slight edge in the physical realm, it was nothing compared to those early offspring and most likely due to a better diet. Angelic traits had been diluted in each successive generation, until they simply no longer existed.
“She has to be a direct descendant of an archangel. Maybe they interacted again with society and no one knew. Someone took a long weekend incognito,” Donovan suggested again.
Was Donovan right? Was it possible that an angel had reappeared for a quick dalliance without anyone knowing about it? “It has to be. That’s the only thing that makes sense.”
Donovan smiled. “I still can’t get the image of her swinging at that thing’s head out of my mind. That was incredible.”
“She didn’t hesitate.”
“No, she’s done this before.”
“Yes, that’s pretty clear,” Graham said dryly.
“So what are you going to do?” Donovan asked.
“I’m going to speak with her in the morning. I’ll see what she knows, and then I guess we can just take it from there.”
“You need someone to go in there and persuade her? Perhaps I should be the one doing the questioning.” He wiggled his eyebrows.
Graham knew exactly what kind of questioning Donovan had in mind.
“You don’t touch her.” The words were out of Graham’s mouth before he even realized he was going to say them.
Donovan’s eyebrows shot up before he grinned. “So it’s like that.”
Graham stood up, carrying his plate over to the sink. “It’s not like anything. We need information, and she might have it. I don’t want anything getting in the way of that.”
“If you say so.” Donovan stood up and stretched. “Well, I need a good night’s sleep, even though I did very little tonight to earn it. But I think I will keep that image of Addie beheading that demon in the forefront of my mind as I fall off to sleep. Hopefully it will make her the star of my dreams.”
Donovan got his plate to the sink and patted Graham on the shoulder. “If it’s okay with you, I’m going to bunk in the guestroom tonight.”
“Ah, I guess your little brother is still home?”
“Sadly, yes, and some of his simpering friends arrived today.” Donovan shuddered.
“It’s all yours.”
“You going up?”
“In a minute. I want to make some notes for Marcus about tonight’s attack. You should probably jot down your impressions as well, and we’ll discuss it with the Seraph Force tomorrow.”
“I will before I go to sleep.” Donovan shook his head. “Five demons. I didn’t think I’d ever see the day when humans would walk away from that kind of onslaught. It’s a whole new world, brother.”
“Yes, it is,” Graham said softly as he watched Donovan head for the stairs.
He started to wash the dishes, thinking about the attack. But instead of analyzing it, he kept focusing on a mesmerizing pair of blue eyes.
Chapter 22
Addie
I tossed and turned for most of the night. I think if I was lucky I got about an hour’s sleep. I was nervous, actually nervous. Facing down five demons, not a shiver. Sitting down and talking to Graham Michael? I was pretty sure I would barely be able to string a sentence together.
I slipped out of bed early and threw some cold water on my face. Torr was sleeping quietly on the couch. I was glad to see he was still around. Often he’d slip in and out like a ghost in the night as soon as I was awake. He didn’t want to chance Noel or Micah coming across him. He was a good man, or I guess a good demon. He should be able to live his life out in the open, not hiding and skulking in the shadows.
The sun was just breaking along the horizon when I decided to go for a run. I needed to feel the ground underneath my feet. I needed to do something. The kids wouldn’t be up for at least another hour.
I knelt down next to the couch by Torr, reaching out to touch his shoulder. His eyes opened before I made contact.
“I’m going to go for a run.”
He nodded. “I’ll keep an eye on everything.”
I placed my hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently. “Thank you, Torr, for everything.”
He gave me a brief smile before his eyes closed again.
We’d talked late into the night, and I was guessing he hadn’t gotten much sleep either.
I silently let myself out of the house and quietly made my way down the stairs. The Sanchezes’ apartment was quiet, for which I wa
s grateful. I’d stop in today and see how Manny was doing. I hoped Graham remembered to send his doctor for them.
I stepped outside, arching my back, and took off at a slow pace. My mind turned with worry about the conversation ahead. Graham could make a lot of problems for me if he wanted to. He could put Micah and Noel into the system if he wanted. He had a lot of clout.
I pictured his face, and in my gut I knew he wouldn’t do that. He wasn’t looking to make problems for us.
He was looking for answers, though. But I didn’t have any of them. So I needed to decide what to tell him.
Only Noel and Micah knew that I had washed up on the beach two years ago. I told everyone else that we had all moved from a town a few hours down the coast. No one had questioned the story. People moved in and out all the time.
I didn’t think Graham was going to buy that story, though, at least not without a few more details.
I picked up my pace, lengthening my stride and letting my mind go blank for a while. I needed to just breathe. What would be would be.
I focused on my pace, going faster and faster. Before I knew it, I had passed out of the Blue Forks boundary. The streets beyond Forks were even less well kept than the streets within it. Nature had quickly reclaimed its due. If I didn’t watch my footing, I would trip and sprain an ankle or worse. It kept me a little on edge and definitely more focused, which was what I needed.
I reached the five-mile point and then turned around and headed back, keeping my pace blistering. I needed the run this morning and the clarity it would offer. My mind cleared. It was just me and my trail. There were no demons, no Graham, no stress.
I slowed as I reached our block and then shifted down to a walk, trying to get my breathing under control. A glance at the clock above the bakery told me that with my pace, I’d managed just under six minutes a mile. That was good. It was in keeping with my normal pace.
