by Mason Sabre
“Stop it,” Nina demanded.
“Oh, but I can’t,” he clicked his thumb and shot.
Nina jolted. “Stop it.”
Arioch laughed in response, a deep, menacing laugh from deep down inside. So throaty and so fucking velvet. If she wasn’t part of the Seraph, she would have easily fallen for the sweet sound.
The door to the shop burst open, and Arioch took the moment of Nina’s distraction to bolt to the side. “Looks like I have more to play with.” He dodged out of Nina’s way.
“You need to come back with me.”
“Well, I was invited here.” Arioch stepped out, his expression changing, his hands at the sides of his head. He stepped out in front of two police officers, both with guns aimed at him.
“Please,” he said to them, a whine in his voice. "Please. Don’t hurt me.”
No. He wouldn’t. “Arioch …”
“She’s there. It was her.” He nodded in Nina’s direction.
Nina looked down. Shit. The suit she wore was covered in blood and bits of brain and God knows what else. She spun around just in time to see the Humans coming towards her, but not so fast she couldn’t move out of the way.
“Stay right there,” one officer yelled at her, gun raised and aimed at her head.
Nina held her hands up, much like Arioch had, offering her surrender, but her eyes were fixed firmly on him. The shit was fucking smiling at her, his eyes lit up. She shut off the outside world, searched her mind, sending it out.
Too late.
He winked at her, snapping her back to her conscious self.
Fuck. He had powers. Maybe not the full set, but he had something. “It’s been nice seeing you again,” he said to her and then he let his arms drop and walked right toward the Humans. They didn’t flinch, didn’t aim. Shit, it was like they weren’t even seeing him there.
“Arioch. Stop.” Nina reached out, angel blade in her hand. She’d throw it if she had to. She was a damn good shot, too, and it would send him right back.
“Put the weapon down,” another officer shouted at her. But Nina’s eyes were on Arioch, who was heading out the damn door and no one was stopping him.
“Stop,” she called out. She pulled her arm back and then flung the knife at him. Arioch stopped, turned, arms out to the side. He threw his head back and laughed just as her blade sailed through the air and landed right where the priest collar was around his throat.
Arioch was gone. His ethereal presence floated out into the world as the priest dropped to the ground, dead.
Loud pops blared through the air, sending her ears wild, suddenly spinning Nina around, shaking her body as the first bullets hit her, making her body dance with the impact. She threw back her head, holding onto the life inside her as pain lanced through her, but it didn’t matter. The last bullet took centre spot and burst through her heart, sending her sailing backwards.
Her heart stopped.
Then she was gone.
Chapter 3
Nina bolted up, gasping, clutching at her chest, her mind feeling every bullet as they entered her body. She leaned to the side, coughing, her body trying to rid itself of what it thought was there. Patting her body frantically, she traced every bullet, finding nothing but the memory of the searing pain inside.
Bloody gun happy Humans.
She let out a relieved breath. She was fine. She flopped back, her arms by her side, her legs out, just steadying her breathing for the moment as her mind caught up with the fact she hadn’t died—just her vessel had.
The door to her chamber opened and Jas stepped in. Great, that was exactly what she needed. He stopped when he saw her and raised an eyebrow. “Tired?”
“Dead,” she muttered nonchalantly, pushing herself onto her side with a sigh. “Why are you here?” She hadn’t expected to see Jas for days. That was how it worked with them. His work took him away for days at a time and sometimes, when she came back from guarding the stones, she would see that he had been back to their room, but that would be it. A passing of ships in the fog, unknown to each other.
“Darius asked me if you’re okay.” He came into the room, leaning against the side of the closet, glorious wings spread out behind him in a relaxed manner. His wings were much different to Nina’s—darker. He’d earned his colours, but still, they were speckled with white and gold. Nina would be sad when they went away. His wings were like watching the stars shimmering in a clear night.
Darius ….
“I’m fine.”
That brought another raise of his eyebrow. Nina was tempted to point out that at this rate, the strain on his head would give him a migraine. Instead, she let out the best “I’m bored” sigh she could manage, because what she really needed was for Jas to leave. Then she needed to somehow find her way back to the other world and then … then find a fucking demon and haul his bad ass back to where it should be—cast in stone and iron.
Simple …
“You’re fine? Now I know there is something wrong.”
“Can’t a woman just be fine?”
“A woman can, but you ...? No.” His words came with a slight smirk on his adorable face, soft brown eyes teasing her.
“I’m fine.” Nina stood up properly, dusting her clothes off as she did. Not that she was dusty, but she had been watching movies, practising the Human ways. They always seemed to do it. Brushing their clothes down. She could never really work out if it was because their clothes were dirty or creased, or if it was just some weird Human gesture they liked to do. Like, ‘Hey—wipe—I’m up.’ “I need to get back to work, though. If I don't, Aboas will see to it I am not fine.” She put herself in the way of the box and the ball she had left on the floor earlier—that would be great for him to see.
“Everything okay at work?”
“Yep.” Aside from me losing a demon, him getting to the earthen plane and killing a whole bunch of people, I'm dandy … “Just another boring day with the rocks. It's fantastic.” She grinned at him and gave him the thumbs up for added measure. Now please go away.
She went to walk past him in a vain attempt to pretend she was going back to work and to pull his attention that way, but he grabbed her hand as she did, yanking her close to him. She spun with him on purpose so that her back was to the wall and his back was to the ball. “Maybe you have spare time after all?” He winked at her, getting her signals all wrong. Why did he do that? She was damn useless when he pulled this shit, and he knew it.
“I don’t.” It took everything not to snap at him. It wasn’t his fault he was hindering her. She cast a glance behind him. The box was so fucking big in the room. “I need to go to work. Maybe another time.”
Hurt flashed across his face as soon as the words left her mouth. Yep, real good, Nina. Now he’ll know something is wrong. She leaned up to him, standing on her tiptoes to reach, and kissed him in an attempt to redeem herself.
It took every ounce of strength she had to walk away from him. He made her insides jelly, and her mind nothing but a pile of mush. Sometimes when she saw him, she had to remind herself that he was actually hers.
“I guess I’ll see you later?” he called after her.
“Yep,” she backed away, breaking the contact with him, “you will.” She headed toward the door, fighting her screaming mind. Don't look. Please don’t look. The anxiety in her chest bubbled, creating a pain of anticipation in the centre. Arioch could have killed so many people, and here she was, wasting time.
She reached for the handle, but Jas moved quickly, putting himself in front of the door. “Are you sure everything is okay? There's something.”
“I'm fine. You're making me late.” She cast her eyes to the sky through the windows. “And yourself too.”
He stared at her, making her cross her arms across her chest as the weight of everything in his gaze told her he wasn't convinced and wasn't going to leave it alone. But he needed to go. She needed to dig herself out of this shit before someone found out and turned her into
a new one of the fallen.
“Okay,” he said after a moment, placing a kiss on her lips before moving to open the door. “But you can tell me, you know, if there is something wrong.”
She so wished she could.
“I know. I would.” Except this. Except what a damn failure she was at the one job she had been given. “Go, before we’re both busted for time off.”
When Jas left and closed the door behind him, she leaned against it and sighed. “God.” So close. She let herself stay there, counting ten agonising seconds before moving. She needed to be sure that Jas wouldn't come back and find her there still and not with the stones. When she hit ten, she cracked the door open slightly, peering outside to make sure he was gone.
Coast was clear.
Great.
She pushed the door closed again and hurried back to the ball. It was heavier than it appeared, cold as she held it in both hands. She would have to call in a favour, but she really didn't want to.
He owes it to you, Nina. You saved his ass.
Shit.
She held the ball to her chest, her mind fighting with her. There wasn't any other choice in this. When people owed her favours, she never actually believed she would call them in. Maybe no one did. She closed her eyes, bringing the ball up to her forehead and pushing the mental images of his home into it. She couldn't find a vessel this time. She needed to go as herself—to go at full power. Somehow Arioch had power, and she couldn't risk him being stronger than her. To take a vessel would be to hobble her skills. But shit, this would take a lot of energy.
Pulling the images to her mind, Nina focused on his house, his face, and where he might be right now.
When she opened her eyes again, she found herself in the darkness of an alleyway. Fresh trash and food scents filled the dark cavern. “Fan-fucking-tastic, Nina.” Not only had she messed up and not got to his home, but she had landed herself right in the centre of some stinking hole. Be her luck it was in a totally different town. Shit, be lucky if it was on the right planet.
She picked up her dress and dashed along, keeping her wings from the foul, wet ground. She ran barefoot, her feet splashing through puddles of stuff she didn't even want to think about. Shoes would matter later. Running past an old, homeless man, he reached up to her from his cardboard pit between the big trash carts, but when he saw her, his eyes widened. But instead of fear, he smiled, welcoming her.
“You’ve come for me,” he wheezed out.
He wrapped an old gnarled hand around her wrist, stopping her from leaving. “No,” she said. He was old, but not too old, and she was not one of the ferrymen. Jas did that. He came to this plane for the Humans and Others when their time was up and showed them the way to the other side. He sent them so the reapers could cast judgement. Such an important role.
Nina wasn't worthy of that kind of position yet. Maybe she never would be after current events. If there was a medal for truly screwing things up, Nina would win it hands down. Shit, she’d be lucky if she didn't find herself standing at the gates of hell asking if there was room at the inn. Brushing a gentle hand across the side of the old man’s face, she smiled at him. “Sleep,” she whispered. He wouldn’t remember her when he woke, but maybe in the morning, he would be better, his addictions gone, his life purpose burning in his chest. She placed a calming hand over his heart, willing it all away for him. It was never too late to start again.
The sudden echo of Humans disturbed the silence. She scurried to the side to hide behind a bin. Clamping her hand over her mouth, she willed the putrid stench away as it twisted her stomach. This was just peachy. Of all the places to land herself in, she landed right in the centre of Human waste.
The Humans passed the end of the alleyway, paying no mind to Nina or the sleeping tramp. She let herself relax, letting her wings sag behind her in relief. She went the opposite way to them, coming out of the alleyway to what some people would assume was a dead end, but it hid the start of a lane that gave way to a grand house.
Decades ago, this would have just been fields and farms, but time and Humans had seen that time meant building progression. Now, the beautiful old house stood in the centre of Human greed.
Nina stepped out into the darkened lane, her anticipation sinking when she realised she didn't have a damn clue which way to go. Both ways were nothing but utter darkness, and the chance of finding the right turn to get to his house? Slim. She bit her lip. She could port herself there. Maybe her aim would be better from down here rather than at home. But willing herself from one place to the other was a risk. She’d be a flare on the radar, and if Aboas happened to be watching … he’d send Roman out for her.
Roman scared the shit out of her. In fact, if anyone had any sense, he would scare the shit out of them too.
Maybe just once. She glanced skyward as if she might actually see Aboas watching his ever-pool— that's what they called it. He could see everything.
“Just once, Nina.” She closed her eyes and wrapped her wings around herself, pulling herself inward and pushing out every sound, every distraction. Come on …
The house was magnificent. It didn't matter how many times she saw it, she would still view it with the same awe. Cobbles pressed into the soles of her bare feet. It was even better than the last time she had been here, she realised. The windows had been fixed up, their lead decorations encased so that they wouldn’t lose their beauty. The brickwork had been repaired, and the greenery around the house had been cut. Not so long ago, this place had resembled a jungle. Now it was a masterpiece.
She used the large knocker on the door to get the resident’s attention. It creaked with age and stiffness, the brass ring moving reluctantly. When the door opened, a tall, slim, incredibly handsome man answered. He fixed her with a piercing glare, a challenge in his eyes. “No,” he said and then turned, flinging the door closed behind him.
“Henry.” She followed him in, forgetting the rules of courtesy. He owed her and like it or not, he needed to pay up. Not so long ago, he had been woken by a bunch of teenagers. He had slaughtered them and dined on them. The kids had been idiots. Who in their right mind wakes up a vampire who has been incarcerated for centuries? Nina had thought it not his fault that he had killed them when he woke up. He had been starving, and they had been there. Everyone knew a starving vampire was a vampire without control. It would be unfair to have put him to his final death just because his lunch had come knocking.
“Not today.”
“Henry, please.” She ran after him, her bare feet padding on the floor as she did. “Is this any way to treat visitors?” She had to stop when one of her wings caught a small table and sent a lamp crashing to the floor. Turning abruptly to see the damage she had caused, she knocked some books off a chair.
“Dear God, woman. Stand still.”
“Then stop running away. I came to see you.”
Henry crossed his arms over his chest as he regarded Nina, raking his eyes over her from top to bottom and back up again. He had a way of looking at a person like he was devouring them with just his eyes. “You’re here. That means you want something.”
“I need your help.” There was no point in sugar coating it for Henry. It would just make him grow bored and then she would stand no chance.
A door at the other side of the room opened, making both Henry and Nina turn. A young woman came out, her dark hair flowing. She stared at Nina, her eyes wide with disbelief, then her face broke into a big smile and she ran across the room.
“Nina …” she breathed. “Oh, God. It’s so good to see you.” She threw her arms around Nina’s neck, placing a kiss on her cheek.
“Yvette,” Nina smiled back, trying to force as much enthusiasm into her greeting, but time was slipping away.
Yvette lived with Henry, his assistant of sorts. She and Nina had become friends when Henry faced death. She wasn't sure if she felt sorry for Yvette, or happy that Henry actually had someone willing to stay with him. He wasn't the easiest of creat
ures to deal with.
Henry left without a word as the two women embraced each other. “Henry,” Nina shouted when she realised he had gone.
“I said, no.” He pushed through even grander doors and let them close behind him.
“Rude as ever, I see.” She threw a glance over her shoulder at her wings and anything she might knock over with them. Her wings weren't the problem. It was the crazy earthbound beings who needed little space between materialistic property. “I need to follow him,” she said to Yvette by way of an apology, lifting her skirt and tucking her wings in behind her as best she could as she went after him.
He was in the next room, standing at a bookshelf. “I need your help. Please. I don't have long. Someone has summoned a demon. We’ve had three of them since … Tina.”
Tina was the girl who had survived Henry’s waking, and now she was one of his kind—a vampire. But it had brought about a swarm of school kids doing stupid shit, like trying to summon demons. None of them had managed until now. But Tina was like one of the Kardashians of the underworld—a famous idiot.
Henry didn't turn when he spoke, idly flipping through the pages of a book. “Your words appear to be laden with accusations, Nina.”
“No, I …” She shrugged, defeated almost, her eyes on the metaphorical clock. “You let Tina go.”
“I should have killed her?” He turned, angling his head as he spoke, a light in his voice. Nina said nothing—it was better than saying yes, even though that was the word at the tip of her tongue. It was better than admitting that this girl now caused problems. Angels weren't meant to have these thoughts. Earthbound creatures were to be worshipped, honoured. They were God’s creations, but the more time Nina spent around them, especially the Humans, the more she realised that the world would be better with them gone.
Henry inclined his head toward Yvette. “Well, you can blame her for that one. I had given my vote, but apparently, it was not the correct thing to do.” He uttered the word with a sneer.
