Playing With Fire

by Adrienne Woods et al.

  But what if there could be more? What if we could be together?

  Shaking my head, I slump backward, leaning against the step behind me. Of course, there isn’t a way. We exist on different realms—different wavelengths.

  Sighing, I tap the stone step, thinking.

  What about the Intermediaries?

  The idea pops into my head before I have time to even process its significance.

  Could the Intermediaries help us to operate on the same level as Liam? They manage all of that, after all. Biting my lip, I shake my head. Even if they could, would they? Surely they know Angelic Law. I roll my eyes at my own idiotic thought processing, but internally, I can’t help but feel like there’s an answer hidden in there.

  The Intermediaries are neutral. Not good—not bad. They simply keep the balance of things. Kind of like a Throne Angel, come to think of it. Judgement isn’t good or bad. It’s simply karma in play.

  Building my courage, I stand up and brush off my leather pants.

  “Maybe I could ask a few well-placed questions?” I whisper to myself. “They wouldn’t have to be any the wiser.” Taking a tentative look around the ethereal space, there is no indication the incubus is getting closer yet. His energy is still bouncing all over the place.

  If this doesn’t go the way I’d like, I’ll hunt him down rather than wait for him to arrive.

  Turning on my heel, I walk up the stairs and reach out for the massive circular ring that serves as a door handle. The material is cold to the touch, but as I swing it open, the door is surprisingly light. Beyond the open chasm is a tunnel of light more beautiful than any other I’ve witnessed. And I’ve seen light in all its various forms.

  As I walk inside, the light dissipates, materializing into a room that looks oddly similar to a human library. Along the outer edges of the walls, shelves adorn the space, intermixed with large, arching windows with intricate mesh patterns that go on for ages.

  In the center of the room is a single, large, circular desk with an upper bar and lower workspace. The outer edge is adorned with beautiful stones and rocks, but the bar is made of ancient wood that emanates power and sanctity. I walk up slowly to find, sitting opposite me, an older woman with a gentle, smile-worn face, large purple glasses, and grey hair piled on top of her head. She stands up to greet me.

  “Can I help you, Evangeline?” she asks, her voice steady and sure as she leans forward. Her eyes survey my every move, and I’m suddenly unsure about my plan to ask any questions at all regarding Liam and me. She obviously knows things. Instead, I fumble forward, calling upon my elemental sword and drawing it forth.

  “Hello, yes. I—” I lick my lower lip as I extend the broken pieces outward across both my palms. “My charge was attacked by an incubus today and my elemental sword had the unfortunate situation of being broken in two.”

  The Intermediary glances down at my outstretched hands and nods in agreement. “So it has,” she says, her eyebrows rising into her hairline.

  I take a deep breath and set it on the counter.

  “I’m still in pursuit of the demon, but I need to alert the Guild so I can acquire a new one as quickly as possible. I was…” I pause, staring into the depths of her dark blue pools for eyes. “I was hoping you would be able to help me to pass along the message.”

  “Why not go to them yourself?” she asks, tilting her head slightly.

  I nod, “Ordinarily, I would. But as I said, I’m still in pursuit. I’ve tracked his energy and he’s headed this way. So I thought I might make use of my time and see what assistance you might be able to offer.”

  “If the incubus enters this place, you know it’s a place of sanctuary for all, dear Guardian,” she offers, her lips pursing slightly.

  “Yes, of course. I was waiting outside—” I say, jabbing a thumb back the direction I came from. “Until I realized you may be able to help me.”

  Her piercing gaze washes over me in a way that makes me shiver. It’s like she can scan my soul and I’m not entirely certain I’m comfortable with that. Especially not after dealing with the Throne Angel.

  “Is that all?” she finally asks.

  I bite the side of my cheek, considering.

  “Yes,” I nod. “That’s all.”

  Gingerly, she edges forward and raises her hands until they’re level with the desk, “All right, pass them over to me, then.”

  Tipping my head in acknowledgement, I pick up both pieces of the sword and place them in her palms.

  “They’re of good weight,” she says, eyeing them closely. “Pity about the fragments, though.”

  I shoot her a lopsided grin, “Yeah. Kinda sucks. I feel like I’m missing a piece of myself.”

  “Indeed,” she says, straightening her back and placing the sword on the desk in front of her. “You wouldn’t be able to do much without it, all things considered.”

  “Thankfully, my charge is young. So I won’t need it for crossing. I just want to protect him from demons,” I say, shooting her an awkward smile.

  She tips her head, returning my smile.

  I linger there, watching her for a moment.

  “You appear conflicted, child.”

  “I… yes, I suppose I am,” I mutter, trying to allow my brain to sort through all of the bazillion questions I’d love to ask her. “I’m just not certain you can—” My eyes fall to the floor and I take a deep breath to calm my nerves.

  “The path ahead of you is not going to be easy, sweet one. There are many forces working against you,” she utters quietly.

  “Tell me about it,” I whisper, lifting my gaze back to hers.

  The wrinkles along the sides of her eyes deepen and she nods. “It’s often best to remember there is always a bigger picture than the one we can see in front of us. So, while things may seem dire—or impossible—the tapestry of your existence has many intersections. Each are reliant on the other for strength.”

  My eyebrows knit together and I try to unravel her words.

  Is she trying to tell me that everything with Liam will work out? Or that it won’t?

  I narrow my eyes, trying to make sense of her Intermediary prophetic speak. “Uhm, okay?”

  “All will be revealed. For now, take heart in simply knowing you’re on the right path, Evangeline,” she says, reaching forward and patting my fingertips as they rest upon the edge of the upper desk.

  Without even asking anything specific, my heart lifts and the immense weight I didn’t realize I was carrying evaporates from my shoulders. “Thank you,” I say, exhaling softly.

  “Don’t mention it, dear. Now, let me see what I can do about getting you a new sword. It would be a pity to leave you without one of these during these trying times. It’ll just take a moment.”

  Without another word, she turns from me and vanishes from the space as if she had walked through a curtain—only the expanse behind her desk is a sea of books, tables, and windows, not an interdimensional portal. At least, not one I can see.

  I take a step back, eyeing the room.

  Do I wait? Or should I go and assume everything is being taken care of?

  Before I have the chance to decide, the woman rematerializes as she walks toward her desk. This time, upon entry, it looks more like coming into being when it’s raining outside—only where the rain would be touching her body has rendered her essence invisible.

  “It is done. The Guild has accepted the shattered remains and they will be processing its replacement,” the woman says. “I will alert you when its ready.”

  “Thank you,” I say, tipping my head in gratitude.

  Turning on my heel, I cast her a final wave and make my way back to the enormous doors. While things haven’t technically gone as planned, my aura feels lighter.

  “I’m on the right path,” I whisper under my breath. “Maybe all of this is meant to be?”

  The thought makes my heart skip beats, and I’m suddenly very excited and anxious to get back to Liam. I want to talk with
him more—let him question me. Allow him to learn about who I am and how the world of angels works.

  “But first, I need to derail the incubus,” I say, shaking away my own personal interests.

  Without putting a stop to the incubus, everything else is in jeopardy anyway. Once again, I tune into the incubus’ energy and find it’s vanished completely. Cocking my head to the side, I curse myself for turning over the sword without having found him. Without continual access to his blood, the trail to him has grown cold.

  Internally, I get a tug back to Liam. He’s calling for me, and his wishes supersede any side missions to track down the incubus. At least, for now.

  Sighing to myself, I take a final glance around the space and push my essence back into the realm of the human world.

  “Liam?” I say, automatically as I materialize within his sphere.

  Instantly, my heart drops. The vibe surrounding his essence is all wrong. Horrifyingly wrong. As I corporealize near his location, I find him in the driver’s seat of his black Yukon. Glass shards are scattered everywhere, and his vehicle smells like gasoline, heat, and blood.

  I force my essence inside the cab of his truck and find his body contorted at an odd angle. His head is slumped to the side, and blood gushes from the side of his neck. His breath is labored, and he swallows hard.

  “Liam—what happened?” I cry.

  In place of an answer, he shakes his head and blood sputters from his mouth.

  I shift my gaze around the space, I search for an answer to what happened. I find it resting on the crumpled hood of his vehicle as the vengeance demon from earlier grins defiantly at me

  before disappearing.

  Chapter 6

  Departure

  “No, no, no… Liam. I’m here, can you hear me?” I cry out, reaching for him from the passenger seat.

  My hands crackle along the edges of his face and shoulder but make no contact the way I want them to. The way they would if I were human, too. Adrenaline floods my veins and I lurch forward, trying to get a better look at things.

  What was he doing in the truck? How on Earth did the vengeance demon get to him? He should have been safe and sound in his home.

  Liam groans, his lead lolling to the side.

  “Liam? I’m here—I’m here,” I whisper, trying to bring a sense of calm and peace—even if I feel the complete and total opposite. “You’re okay. You’re going to be okay…”

  For the briefest of moments, his hazel eyes flutter open. “I dunno—” he says through gurgles and spurts of blood, “’bout that.”

  He’s right. His essence is fading quickly, and he doesn’t have much time before his body gives out.

  “No—you’ll be fine. You hear me? It’s okay, it’s okay,” I croon, running my hand over the hair on the top of his head. “Everything will be okay.”

  “I wish,” he says, his voice faint, “I wish I could see you. Just once.”

  My eyes flit over his body, trying to find the source of the most damage. His entire left side is pinned against the crumpled door and there’s a good chance he’s bleeding internally, which is beyond what I can see. But based on the connection between us, it’s what I feel.

  My stomach clenches, and tears flood my eyes.

  Where are the paramedics? The ambulance? Anyone?

  I know full-well they aren’t coming. Liam lives too far out from the city, and unless someone is specifically out here looking for him, no one would even stumble upon him. Not for days.

  “Dammit,” I curse under my breath. I can’t interfere… I can’t do a damn thing about it.

  It’s not supposed to be like this. He has things to do. He has a prime directive he hasn’t met yet…

  I close my eyes and exhale a ragged breath.

  We were just— We could have been…

  A sob erupts from my lips, but I slam my lids shut, forcing the tears to break away. I’ve been beside many charges who were on the brink of death, but none that mattered so much to me at soul level. Not one.

  I should have been here. I should never have left. Not when the Throne Angel spoke of Judgement.

  What was I thinking?

  I should have been protecting his future. His legacy.

  This could change the fate of everything…

  Liam sputters again, coughing up blood that splatters against the steering wheel and part of the dashboard in a sound that makes my skin crawl. His spirit begins to pull itself from the pain and anguish his body endures and hovers like a cloud around his crumpled form.

  “No, no—not today,” I whisper, eyeing the growing mass. “Wait, Liam. You have to give me some time.”

  I pull back and bring my hands into prayer position and tap my lips with the tips of my fingers as I try to process. If he passes—if he dies—I’ll have to cross him over to the heavenly plane. His destiny won’t be fulfilled—not fully—and it will be all my fault. Once he’s gone, he’ll be locked from my access as his memories and experiences are absorbed into the collective consciousness of the Universe. His unique consciousness will be set aside and reincarnated into a new body; maybe to restart everything over again, but he’ll never be the same. He’ll be bound by the new genetic memories of the body he inherits, and he’ll forget everything between us.

  I’ll lose him forever.

  My eyes pop open, and I swallow hard.

  I don’t even have my elemental sword. I can’t cross him over—

  Feeling sick to my stomach, I close my eyes, and place a hand against his forehead. If only I could resurrect the dead the way an incubus can. Then none of this would matter, I could just—

  I raise my head and my mouth drops open.

  The incubus.

  I may not have the kind of power to help Liam, but he sure as hell does. It’s not the best of options, but it’s all I have. Without my sword, he won’t be able to cross over. If he crossed, I’d lose him. This is all we have, and there’s no time to question it.

  “Liam, I need you to help me to help you. I need you do to a tiny favor. Can you do that for me?” I say, willing his essence to stay tied to his body just a little longer.

  He gurgles something unintelligible, but his head bobs slightly.

  I take it as a yes and continue. “In your mind, I want you to call upon the demon who joined us earlier—the incubus, to be specific. You don’t have to speak anything out loud—simply calling upon him in your mind will bring him to you through intention. Can you do that?” Leaning in, I wait for his response—anything to show me he’s still here with me. His body is motionless, but I can see his chest rise and fall in short, quick breaths.

  “Please, Liam. I can save you. I know I can,” I whisper urgently. “But you need to help me.”

  Again, he sputters something quietly. I can’t make out a word of it, but the ghostly material of his spirit shifting from one plane to the next continues to strengthen to the point where I can hardly make out his face.

  “Hurry, Liam. You don’t have much time,” I say, swallowing hard and swiping at the tears managing to leak from my eyes.

  His movement is faint, but as I tune into his mind, I sense he’s still here with me. For now. Glancing up, I survey the area around us, waiting for the arrival of the creature I would have died to protect Liam from.

  “Call the incubus,” I say, louder this time. Despite trying to keep us both calm, my voice squeaks. Holding my breath, I place my hand against his shoulder, trying to comfort him and stabilize my own anguish. “Come on, come on,” I say, repeating the mantra out loud.

  Moments expand and I lean over the seat again to check on Liam’s condition.

  “Well, geez—you’re all sorts of excited, aren’t you?”

  My heart jumps into my chest, and I spin around to see the incubus sitting in the backseat of the Yukon. His arms are splayed wide across the tops of the seats as he leans back. The wound on his cheek is already starting to heal, and a sense of power radiates off him like a demon who has clear
ly fed recently. Shuddering to myself, I shake away the thoughts of all the people he has in his chain of devotees.

  “I don’t have time for coyness. I need your help,” I say, dropping any pretenses.

  Without batting an eye, the demon snorts, “And why in this everlasting universe would I want to do such a thing?”

  “Because your life depends on it, demon,” I fire back.

  “Is that so?” he says, quirking an eyebrow, clearly not fussed.

  “It is. I need you to resurrect Liam—I need you to do your thing to keep him tied here. Help him. Save him,” I plead.

  The incubus chuckles and leans forward, placing his elbows on his knees. His turquoise eyes narrow into slits and he finally says, “You’re telling me you’re perfectly fine accepting this bag of flesh will be my sexual servant, not yours, from now until I tire of him?”

  “I will accept anything but this fate for him. He can’t die. I won’t—” I glance back at his limp body, and press my lips into a thin line, “I can’t let him.”

  The incubus leans back again, exhaling loudly. “This puts a crimp into all my plans, you know. I mean, adding a human to my pantry is great and all, but I was going to see some explosive fireworks when I turned the two of you in,” he says, turning his hand over and looking at his fingertips.

  “None of that will matter if he’s dead. They won’t care at all,” I say, gritting my teeth.

  “Pity,” he says, boredom spreading across his features.

  “What more do you want from me?” I spit.

  Desperation seeps through every cell of my being, but I’m completely incapable of stopping it. I’d give anything to save Liam. I’d hand over my own soul if the demon demanded it.

  “You know it will take time for him to heal. Ages before he’s up and running again. What use is that to me? I’d wager it’ll be a good six months to a year before he can even get it up again,” he says, raising his gaze to mine.

  Clenching my jaw, I push myself from the front seat to the back. Straddling the incubus, I summon forth a tiny blade with no innate magical powers other than the ability to cut through demon flesh. Placing it against his throat, I lean in close enough for him to feel my breath against his cheek.