by Mandy Lee
“…starting to wake up…”
Katia frowned. The voices weren’t so far away anymore. In fact, she could tell they were in the room with her. Still feeling deliciously relaxed, she stretched lazily and rolled over in the direction of the conversation. Opening her eyes, she tried to focus on the space around her. A couple of blinks later, her vision cleared. The voices stopped and seven sets of eyes were trained on her from across the room. No, make that eight, as the handsome lunatic stepped into her field of vision. They looked at her expectantly. Suddenly, her memories came crashing back. It had really happened. Katia had seen that man with the yellow eyes — who was looking at her like she was a rabid dog about to attack — step out of thin air. It was real. Hottie wasn’t a lunatic after all. Fuck!
Instead of the panic she expected to feel rising inside her, Katia stayed remarkably calm. She was pretty sure it was only a matter of time until she wound up curled in a ball in the corner. Katia passed her eyes over the lineup in front of her. Yellow-eyes, she remembered; her kidnapper, she remembered. The other six were all jaw-droppingly gorgeous in their own ways, but were complete strangers — glowing strangers — just like her kidnapper.
Katia decided her best course of action was to sit up and make herself look as sane as humanly possible. She reluctantly pulled herself out from under a huge, fluffy, white duvet.
Glancing down around her, Katia realized her kidnapper had gone out of his way to see to her comfort after her meltdown in the wake of yellow-eyes’ arrival. She had been provided with the softest duvet, two fluffy pillows, and the handcuff that had previously tethered her to the bed had been removed. A strip of gauze was wrapped around her wrist.
Realizing she must look a fright and half-psychotic after having just woken up, Katia reached up and touched her hair. Finger combing it quickly, she unknotted the birds nest that had developed during her impromptu nap. A bark of laughter arose from one of the men in front of her. “Luc, I don’t think you need to worry about her. She must be feeling calmer if she’s worrying about her hair.” He smiled at Katia, making her think of advertising billboards she’d seen downtown. His laughter was infectious, and Katia found herself chuckling and smiling back at him. Shifting her gaze, Katia noticed that Luc was scowling at his friend, though his expression cleared as he turned to look her over. “How are you feeling, Katia? Is your wrist hurting?”
Katia glanced down at her wrist, “No, actually it doesn’t. I thought I’d done a real number on it.” She unpicked the knot on the gauze wrapping and unwound the material. Inhaling sharply, she examined her wrist. Instead of the scabbed-over wound she had expected to see, all that remained was reddened skin that looked slightly rope burned. Frowning, Katia examined the cloth she had removed. On the patch that had rested directly over her skin was dried blood. “What the hell?” Katia muttered in confusion, raising her wrist to eye level in order to get a better look.
Crossing over to the bedside, Luc sat down next to her and took a look at her arm. He nodded and shot his companions a meaningful glance. “Two hours ago, I was on the verge of stitching it.”
Taking her arm gently, he rubbed his thumb over the marks on her wrist. Katia looked up at him and their eyes locked and held. The sound of a throat clearing yanked them both back to their senses.
“Should we leave the two of you alone?” Billboard guy said with a teasing look.
Rolling his eyes, Luc decided it was time to introduce Katia to the crew. “Katia, I’d like to introduce you to some of my friends. They’re going to try to help us figure out what’s going on with you and where to go from here.” Katia nodded, unsure of what else to do. She felt like she’d just been dropped down the rabbit hole.
Luc squeezed her hand. “You remember Amir?” he asked, pointing toward the yellow-eyed man. “He’s a species of demon called a Jinn. No need to be afraid of him because he’s a demon. He’s not evil; he just has some special abilities.”
Amir stepped forward in the lineup and extended his hand toward Katia and smiled. “Hey! Nice to meet you. Sorry for the surprise entrance. Luc asked me to come over and give him a hand, but I didn’t realize he had company.”
Hesitantly, Katia extended her hand and shook Amir’s. “You’re a demon? You look so normal. Well, apart from your eyes. Oh shit! That’s so rude. I’m sorry.” Katia looked up at him with a horrified expression full of embarrassment. Laughing, Amir’s smile grew even wider. “There’s a lot you’ll need to learn about the supernatural world, but demons aren’t all scaly with horns and cloven hoofs. Stick close to Luc — he’ll be able to guide you on who to trust and who to avoid.”
“I hope so...this is all a lot to take in.” Katia smiled up at him. Returning her attention to Luc, she decided to plow forward. The quicker they got through the ‘who’s,’ the quicker they could get to the ‘what’s.’ So it was in her best interest to rip off the bandage. “So, who else do we have here? I must be something special if you all wanted to come and take a look. I’m starting to feel like a zoo animal.”
Luc began to motion toward each of remaining men one by one. “This is Baal, otherwise known as B. Beside him we have Samael; you can call him Sam. The guy standing over by the mirror is Gadreel. And then we have Azazel, Belial, and Asmodeus, or just Al, Bill and Mo.”
As a unit, the six men nodded at her. Katia ran them through her mind a few times to put names to faces. Halfway through her mental chanting, she froze. “Wait a minute. I recognize those names — you’re all named after angels! That’s so cool.” Katia turned to look at Luc. “My parents loved researching different mythologies, they told me stories when I was little. Too bad your name is Luc and not Michael or Zachariel or something, then you could all have been angels. Well, except for Amir, of course.” She said smiling.
Suddenly, Luc was looking everywhere except Katia’s face. After a moment of intense discomfort in the room, Luc barked out a short brittle laugh and returned his gaze to her. “Yeah, that would’ve been perfect, but I’m just plain old Luc.”
Katia studied Luc’s face for a moment, trying to figure out who he really was in this strange new reality – not a kidnapper anymore, but someone she would have to rely on while she was through this bizarre looking glass.
When Katia had first woken Luc had seemed almost accusatory in his manner of speaking to her, dismissive, uncaring and short-tempered. This time she had woken un-cuffed. He had taken care of her wounded wrist, given her blankets and an extra pillow. Whatever had changed, he clearly had no desire to hurt her and had taken measures to ensure her comfort. At the very least, Luc had to be a halfway decent man.
“Thank you,” she said quietly.
“For what?”
“For putting me back to sleep when I was freaking out, for taking care of me.”
Luc swallowed hard and looked down at the bedspread with a small nod.
“Speaking of taking care of me, what did you do to make my wrist heal so quickly? That’s amazing. Is it some kind of special demon thing?”
The the men exchanged worried looks. Gadreel, who had finally peeled his eyes off the mirror, made a motion toward the door. “Guys, I think we’re clear to head out for now to take care of that little side project Luc gave us.” Looking back at Luc and Katia, he continued. “We’ll leave you two alone so he can get you up to speed.” With that, they filed out the door one-by-one, leaving only Amir behind.
“Listen, Luc, I’m going to head home for a bit. If you need me later just hit me up on my cell and I’ll be here. The guys said they’d let both of us know once they’ve got the information you wanted.”
Luc nodded to Amir as he walked out of the room and closed the door behind him with a soft click. Turning back to Katia, Luc cleared his throat. “I should probably give you the rundown on what you need to know.”
Taking a deep, shaky breath, Katia nodded. “Go ahead. Give me the goods.”
“So, as you know, Amir is a demon, a Jinn. Most demons are like him — they look hu
man, but have some special abilities.” Clearing his throat, Luc continued. “Demons are kinda like humans. For the most part, they’re not evil. There are some demons that are bound to Satan – they’re basically bottled evil. Then there are my kind…the fallen.”
“Fallen?” Confusion was written across Katia’s face.
“Me and the other six guys you just met…we’re fallen angels.”
Silence greeted that little nugget of information. Luc looked up from the floor into Katia’s face, her eyes had grown wide. “Fallen angels,” she said breathlessly. “So all of those names, they’re the actual angels from the stories I was read?”
“Yes, they are.”
“But…that would make you all thousands of years old…that’s…”
“Impossible?” Luc replied wryly, raising his eyebrow.
Shaking her head and laughing, Katia nodded incredulously. “Yeah, impossible. Just like a dude materializing out of nowhere, and seven guys that glow. How can any of this be real?” They sat in silence again for a few minutes while Katia took in the fact that this handsome man sitting beside her was centuries old. “So, fallen angels — can you walk through invisible doors too?”
Luc chuckled and shook his head with a rueful smile. “I wish! That would make my life so much easier. No, we’re actually not so impressive once we’re fallen. We’re basically immortal. We’re stronger and faster than humans, but that’s about the extent of it.”
Katia nodded. “Okay, so what about me? We’ve established that demons, Satan, and fallen angels are real, which is blowing my mind by the way. But why would Satan want me? I’m just…me.” Pausing for a moment and frowning, Katia thought back to all the times she had felt different, similar but apart, from all those around her. “I mean, I’ve always felt…different, but you asked what I was.”
Sighing, Luc nodded. “My aura. You shouldn’t have been able to see it. Humans can’t see it — only others from our world. Then there’s Satan’s interest in you. He can't reap humans who haven't sold their soul, and you clearly didn't.”
“So, if I’m not human, then what am I? And hell no on the soul-selling.”
“I’m not sure. Your wrist healed really fast. Far faster than most mortal demons, more like an immortal.”
“Demons aren’t immortal?” Katia asked.
“No, most demons are mortal. I mean, there are exceptions to every rule. Vampires, for example. For the most part demons are extremely long-lived; the average life span is around eight or nine centuries.”
Katia looked down at her wrist again, the marks had continued to lighten. “There’s just one problem. This has never happened before. Are you sure you didn’t do anything to make it heal faster?”
“What do you mean it’s never happened before?”
“Well, I’ve cut myself and it’s taken days to heal. I’ve had stitches. I broke bones as a kid. Everything always healed normally. The only thing that’s been different are my eyes and my aging. For some reason I haven’t changed much in the last decade or so.”
“Hmmm, I wonder why you healed differently this time. The aging makes sense. Generally that process stops when you hit your physical peak. Your eyes I can’t explain; they’re unique.”
Katia gave a self-deprecating laugh. “If by ‘unique’ you mean freakish, then yes, they are.”
“Never say that. They make you different…special,” he said emphatically.
Looking back up at Luc, Katia smiled. For someone who had frightened her only a few hours before, she was finding herself increasingly at ease with this man…no, not a man, an angel.
“There is one other thing. Your friend Sergei.”
“What about him?”
“He’s a witch.”
Katia’s eyebrows hit the ceiling. “A what?”
Luc’s lips twitched. What was it about this woman that made him want to smile and laugh? Maybe it had just been far too long since he’d seen someone have a genuine reaction to something, too long since he’d seen true surprise and shock. Life among creatures that lived for centuries precluded novelty. Most of his acquaintances had seen and done it all before. “That family ring he wears belongs to the Romanov family of witches. It’s passed down from eldest son to eldest son. I’m sure his interest in you is personal, but it’s also likely he’s realized you’re different.”
Katia sat stunned. Even Sergei wasn’t who he appeared to be. Her world was spinning out of control. Was there anything about her life that could be taken at face value? Was Sergei really interested in her? Or had his persistence in having a relationship with her been about a desire to figure out what she was? They had been friends for years and yet he had likely hidden vital personal information from her. Anger boiled up inside her.
Katia was clenching and unclenching her fists. Seeing the look of betrayal on her face, Luc decided a distraction was in order. It was time to let her in on the plan the group had come up with while she had been sleeping. “Listen, you’ll get a chance to confront him about this soon. Amir’s going to take us to Sergei. We’re going to need his help. I can’t keep you here or Satan will find you and send someone else to finish the job. We've got to head topside.”
“Topside? Right, you said something about hell before. So, that’s where we are? Not what I expected.” She said looking around Luc’s bedroom. It was sparsely furnished, but looked entirely normal.
“Outer-Sheol. We’re technically in what humans would call limbo, but it’s just a city like any other.” Rising from the bed, Luc walked over the widow and drew the blinds, revealing a view of the city. Katia took in the high-rise buildings, gas-lit streets, and falling twilight. Standing, Katia moved to Luc’s side at the window.
“When do we head out?” She said tilting her head up to look him in the eye.
Taking out his phone, Luc fired off a quick message. “As soon as Amir’s free.”
Chapter Ten
Placing her hand lightly on Amir’s shoulder, Katia stepped out of the swirling grey mists of the shadow world. Luc stepped out on Amir’s other side. As the trio hit the pavement in the alley behind Sergei and Katia’s condo building, Katia let out the breath she had held. That had been the most strange and amazing experience of her life. Though it had been a short trip through the ghostly fog that had twisted around them, Katia had been tempted on more than one occasion to reach for Luc’s hand. She hadn’t been afraid, but the strangeness of it all had her wanting the comfort of contact, something real and tangible in that world of smoke and mist. The solidity of the real world was like a slap in the face in comparison. Katia blinked at the harshness of the smells, colors, and textures. Judging by the light on the horizon, she figured it was almost dawn. She had been away from the city for only a matter of hours, but it seemed like a lifetime had passed since her abduction from the café.
Standing a few feet away, below the security light at the backdoor of the building, were Sam and B. Noticing their arrival, B flicked his cigarette onto the pavement, crushing it with his boot. “Nice of you guys to finally show.”
Luc saluted his two friends. “Been waiting long? Never know how long those trips will take.”
Sam smiled and shook his head. “Nah, fifteen minutes or so. B’s just being a dick, as usual.”
“Can’t let y’all down,” B said flippantly.
Rolling his eyes, Luc motioned Katia and Amir forward. “Smartass. Ready to head up for a cozy little chat with our witchy friend?”
They followed Katia through the back door of the building, letting it slam shut behind them. Nobody noticed the set of glowing red eyes watching from the shadows down the alley.
When they reached Sergei’s door, Luc reached out to knock, but Katia stayed his hand. Reaching down, she pulled the spare key out from under the Welcome mat. Inserting the key and turning it quietly, Katia turned the knob and opened the door. Katia wanted the element of surprise for this meeting, fully planning to rip Sergei a new one for lying to her as soon as they were face t
o face. As they stepped inside, thumps and bumps could be heard coming from the living room. They rushed forward in Katia’s wake, emerging into a living room littered with books surrounding a pentagram drawn in chalk on the hardwood floor, candles lit at each point of the star. Sergei looked up from the book he had been frantically flipping through.
“Katia, what the fuck?!” Sergei dropped the book and rushed forward, grabbing her up in a bone-crushing hug. “Where have you been? I’ve been losing my mind!” Noticing Luc, Sergei released Katia and charged forward, throwing a punch that Luc easily dodged. He was grabbed and held back by Sam and B. “You! What the fuck are you doing here?” Sergei screamed at Luc.
Stepping between Sergei and Luc, Katia motioned for peace. “Calm down Sergei. I’m fine. You, on the other hand, have some explaining to do.”
As Sergei stopped struggling against his captors, Katia could see the realization come over his face at the state of his living room — the pentagram on the floor, the candles. Sergei sighed and visibly sagged. Sam and B released their hold on him. Rubbing his hands over his face in exhaustion, Sergei moved over to the couch and sat as all the fight in him vanished. Elbows resting on his knees, he dropped his head into his hands. Some of Katia’s anger slipped away; he looked so defeated, it made her heart clench.
Looking up at Luc, Sergei shook his head and sighed again. “I knew there was something about you in the café.” Turning back to Katia he continued. “I put a protection spell on you years ago. I wanted to make sure nothing would hurt you. Spells leave a connection, like a thread between us. I could feel it vibrating tonight at the café. I knew something was coming — that’s why I wanted us to leave.”
Nodding, Katia made her way over to the couch and sat down beside him. “So you’ve been trying to protect me. Thank you for that. But, have you always known I was different?”
Taking a deep breath and expelling it slowly, Sergei nodded. “You give off energy, like electricity. It’s actually stronger now than it was earlier. You haven't aged in the past decade...”
