by Lola StVil
“What’s the big deal?” she asks.
“They aren’t tribal tattoos, they’re replicas of the markings my child made on her mother.”
“Oh yeah, that’s right; you had a kid, right? So what happened with that? Where is she?”
“None of your fucking business!”
“Wow, sensitive much?” she teases.
I can’t remember the number of times my father drilled into me that laying a hand on a girl is unacceptable. That is the only reason Amber is still standing. Generally, anything having to do with my daughter and I end up breaking bones and watching blood flowing freely between my fingers.
“Amber, or whatever your name is, you don’t want to piss me off. Trust me. Put the tattoos back. Now.”
“Wait, she died, right?” she says with morbid excitement in her voice.
“I won’t ask you again.”
“Okay, okay, I’ll put them back. But just tell me one thing: I heard she had these supercool powers—what’s her name again? Oh yeah, Nina-Rose?”
“Ameana-Rose, and I am not discussing her with you.”
“Wait, just one thing: was she as powerful as everyone said she was?” Amber pushes.
A ball of blue flames pops into my hand. I snatch her by her neck and slam her up against the wall.
“The tattoos are all I have left of my daughter. I will melt your damn face off if you don’t return them in the next three seconds!” I vow.
“Okay, okay,” she says as she blinks and makes the tattoos reappear on my chest and shoulder.
“Man, I can’t believe it worked!” she says as she laughs.
“What the hell are you talking about?” I demand.
“Of course I know who your daughter is and what happened to her. I just wanted to get you angry and make your eyes all demon-like. It turns me on. Get it? It’s foreplay.”
“Get out!” I shout.
“Silver, I—”
“GET YOUR SHIT AND GET THE FUCK OUT!”
She quickly gathers her clothes and runs out the door. I grab the nearest bottle of Coy and hurl it across the room. It shatters on impact and ends up like me: broken in a thousand pieces.
Amber bringing up my little girl causes a rush of crippling pain. Sometimes I will be in midflight and have to land because I can no longer focus enough to keep my wings in the air. I don’t understand it, but somehow, I ache for my daughter more now than when I first lost her.
In the beginning, when I opened my eyes first thing in the morning, I had hope. That hope that maybe Sparks’ death was some kind of mistake and that she would be there when I woke up. She’d be using her powers and making the lights flash on and off in the room to let me know she was awake and ready to play.
I thought the worst thing was having that speck of hope before I opened my eyes. Then one day, just like that, hope was gone. Now hope has been replaced by a sharp agony that comes with her absence. If I can get past that first “attack,” I can make it through the day. But since that bitch brought up Sparks, shutting out the memories are impossible. So I end up where I always end up when I can’t deal with Sparks’ death—the Hole.
The Hole is a place run by Quos with the power to alter reality. You pay them by giving them a few feathers from your wings. After payment is made, you enter the three-story house and they direct you to the room they have prepared for you. It takes three Quos to fill the room with the memory you want to see played out. They then make it so that the only reality is the one from your memory and power each room with their time-altering powers. The best thing about going to the Hole is that you have no idea it’s not real.
I’ve gone there many times since Sparks died. I pick a day that I spent with her and I spend all my time living in that memory. I would forsake the real world for the Hole. The only problem is just how expensive it is to get this service. And since currency is paid in feathers, many angels have lost the third and most powerful layer of their wings. This is called being Stripped. It basically means you have given too much of your wings away and you are now grounded and can no longer take flight.
I know that if I come here too much, I will end up giving all of my third-coat feathers away. It would be devastating to the team if their second in command couldn’t help them out in battle because he was unable to fly. Yet it’s so hard to stay away.
The Paras hate places like the Hole because many times angels get hooked and want to stay in the memory too long. If too many angels get Stripped and lose the ability to fly from a certain Hole location, the Paras will shut that location down. That is why every location has a set number of times an angel can visit in a month. The Hole I’m going to set the limit at five visits per month. I have been there nine times this month.
I’m supposed to be tracking down Spider. He’s chased after Swoop like a little puppy dog for years. He will know who her boyfriend is and how I can find him. However, that will have to wait for a few hours. I need to go to the Hole right now. I need to be with Sparks.
I take to the air and land in Punta Cana, in the heart of the Dominican Republic. The small Caribbean island is filled with palm trees and street merchants and surrounded by a vast ocean. I land in front of a nondescript building a few miles from the airport. The building boasts two guards at the door. The second I step foot on the steps, they both hold out their hands.
“We have express orders to keep you out. If you lose your wings, they will shut us down,” the guard with the glasses says.
“I just need a few minutes,” I inform them.
“C’mon, it’s never just a few minutes with you. And the longer you take, the more feathers we are obligated to take from you,” the second guard in the black boots says.
“I just need ten minutes. I can afford to stay in the Hole for ten minutes,” I demand.
“Bullshit. You will walk in that room and see whatever it is you’re seeing, and you won’t want to leave. And every second you stay, we take from you. And if the Paras find out you lost all your third-coat feathers here—”
“This is the last time. I just need to see her one more time. You have to let me in! Stop being an asshole!”
“No, we have strict orders to keep you away from here,” Glasses says.
“Really? And how exactly are you going to do that?” I ask.
“C’mon, man, you know you can’t come in here,” Boots replies.
“I told you, I will only stay for a few minutes. You need to get the hell out of my way,” I shout as I barrel past them.
They grab me and try to prevent me from reaching the door. I flip the first guard over my head and slam him down onto the floor. The second guard uses his power and tries to drain strength from me with the orb in the palm of his hand. But his orb is no match for mine; I light his ass up with a fireball and send him flying in the air screaming.
“Silver!” someone yells as she bursts through the front door.
“Mercy, I need to get in there,” I plead.
She looks back at me and shakes her head no. Mercy’s about seventy-something with long braids, dark brown eyes, and skin the color of cinnamon. She’s a small woman, under five feet tall. Yet when she gives orders, it’s hard not to jump and do her bidding. She has a commanding presence only time can give you. Her power is instrumental to the re-creation process in the Hole. She has the ability to suppress your perception of reality. That’s why you don’t realize you are in a memory.
“Mercy, I need to see her today. Please.”
“Silver, your daughter is gone. The Hole is a place where you can see her and say your good-byes.”
“But I can’t! I can’t say good-bye to my kid.”
“That’s why we can’t let you in. You are using the place as a reason to stay stuck in the past.”
“Hey, it doesn’t matter why I use this place as long as I pay my money,” I remind her.
“Sorry, taking advantage of a grieving Noru is bad for business.”
“I need just one more visit.”
“Mercy, don’t do this to me. I need to see her. I need to see my baby girl. Please. Please!”
“I’m sorry. We can’t be responsible for a Noru losing their ability to fly. Now please go.”
“NO!” I rage as I storm past her.
I push the double doors as hard as I can and open them. But they knew I was coming and they have placed a Holder big enough to cover the entrance. There is no way to get to the room where my memory of Sparks will play out.
“TAKE DOWN THE HOLDER, NOW!” I scream as I pound my fist against the barrier.
Mercy places a call and soon the entire area is swarming with Quos. They come at me, ready to fight if that’s what it takes to get me to go away. The situation goes from bad to worse when the Quos put their hands on me. I am now done with asking for permission. I rain down fire on everything and everyone in sight. Things spin out of control very quickly, and now Paras are summoned.
There are nearly a dozen of them; they band together and form a large circle with a radiant glow around it. It nearly blinds me and makes it impossible to see where I’m aiming my fireballs. The leader goes to strike me with his orb and someone calls out for him to stop. When my eyes adjust to the light, I expect to see Bex standing at the helm of the Paras, commanding them not to strike me. But instead I find someone else. Someone I never thought would stop an attack made on me.
“It’s okay, everything is fine. Silver was just a little excited. Half demons get that way. He’s all better now. He will keep his temper under control, isn’t that right, Silver?” he asks.
“Hunter?” I ask.
“Aw, I can tell by your tone you have missed me,” he says with a smile.
“What’s going on here?” I warn.
“Well, for starters, we’re going to give the Quos a break and let them get back to their affairs,” he says as he signals to the Quo that it is now safe to take down the barrier.
The Quos gather themselves and head back into the building. Hunter then signals for the rest of the Paras to back off so he can talk to me alone, although I don’t know what we have to talk about. Hunter pushed for the creation of a mixture that ended up killing Sparks. I kept him alive because of Bex. However, the more he stands there looking smug, the more I regret that decision.
“I don’t mean to judge, but you look a little worn-out,” he says.
“What the fuck do you want, Hunter? And how did you know I’d be here?” I ask.
“We’ve been following you. It’s nothing official, really. Just keeping an eye on you.”
“Is that what your brother asked you to do?”
“No, he has no idea. I’m just making sure everything is okay with you.”
“Like hell. You don’t care about anyone else but yourself,” I spit.
“See, now that’s not true. I care about Paras. They are my people. See, that’s where you and I see eye to eye, Silver. We both love our families and want them protected.”
“I should have killed you that night,” I say, mostly to myself.
“That’s not necessary. Silver, I really want to say sorry again. I had no idea the mixture would end up…doing what it did. I had nothing against Sparks.”
“DON’T YOU DARE SAY HER FUCKING NAME!”
“Okay, okay, I get it. I also get that you don’t want us to be friends. I respect that. But I need something from you. I thought if we were friends, it would be easier, but our friendship is not a requirement.”
“Hunter, you are very close to speaking your last words on Earth.”
“Wow, okay. Then I should choose them carefully, shouldn’t I?” he says as he furrows his brow in deep thought.
“Hunter, what the hell do you want?”
“The board is reviewing a proposal I wrote having to do with the Noru.”
“What about us?”
“It’s a proposal that outlines basic rules and regulations for your kind. In addition to some preventive measures.”
“Are you serious? You Paras are trying to control us again? So you assholes haven’t learned anything in the past few years?”
“We’ve learned a lot. We learned that your kind are far more powerful than we ever anticipated and therefore far more dangerous.”
“Hunter, you need to let go of any bullshit notion you have of trying to contain us. This is the reason my kid is dead. You and all the Paras trying to control shit.”
“No! Your daughter is dead because Bex wouldn’t let me have access to what I needed. I had to sneak around and evil was able to get its hand on the mixture because of that.”
“To hell with you and your sick issues with control. That proposal will never get past the board. You are wasting your time.”
“Actually, it only needs one vote to pass—your father.”
I start laughing uncontrollably as I begin to understand what he wants from me. “You want me to talk to my dad and ask him to let your proposal pass? Are you high?” I demand.
“I think it’s what’s best for everyone. The Noru can’t continue to walk around unchecked. There need to be rules. There need to be consequences. You murdered a slew of beings only a few months ago and now look at you—ready to harm more people.”
“I didn’t kill anyone just now.”
“And what would have happened had the Paras not stepped in?”
“Whatever, Hunter. You can take your proposal and shove it,” I reply as I start to walk off. Before I get too far, Hunter calls out to me.
“I didn’t get it before…” he says.
“Get what?”
“Why you and my brother were so obsessed with the First Noru. I mean Pry’s a pretty girl, but c’mon. But now I get it. She is a rare mix of sweet and naughty. I have to say, I’m really impressed with the things she did. Who knew the daughter of the First Guardian was such a hellcat?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Oh, I’m sorry, did I forget to mention that Pryor and I had sex?”
“BULLSHIT!” I reply as I grab him by his neck and dangle him in the air.
“She smells like flowers, she purrs like a kitten when you lick her lower back, and she has a little scar on her inner right thigh. I’m guessing from battle. But it does nothing to distract from her appeal.”
Shock grips me and I am forced to release Hunter. He is enjoying the look on my face. Pryor slept with Hunter? Why would she do that? Why would she…
“Oh, don’t look so hurt, Noru. The girl is heartbroken, thanks to you. It’s her right to try to heal any way she can.”
“Why are you telling me about you and Pryor?”
“Because my new cell phone has an amazing video mode function. It kept the cam steady no matter how much Pry and I moved around.”
“You recorded the two of you? This was your plan all along?”
“No. Bex sent me to find her and I did. It was only after we started making out on the side of the mountain that I realized I may need a record of this someday. It turns out that day is today.”
“And who are you planning to show this video to, the board?”
“Not just the board—everyone.”
“Listen, you little shit, you dare release that video—”
“I don’t want to, but I will. And before you do your best ‘kill for the girl I love’ maneuvers, you should know that should anything happen to me at all, my source will release the video.”
“Bex would never let you do that.”
“No, he wouldn’t. But that means you would have to tell him. And once Bex knows, trust me, the whole angel world will too. In fact, the Face knows about it, but she can be trusted with secrets. I can’t.”
“What do you want?”
“Get daddy to sign off on my proposal and the video will cease to exist. Otherwise, the video comes out and she’ll be humiliated and disgraced. Not only that, everyone will begin to question her ability to lead.”
“You guy
s grew up together. You cared about her. Why are you doing this to her?”
“Pryor was sad because Sam died and she almost took New York City apart. You lost your kid and people died. You don’t get to break the rules and murder anyone you want because you are Noru. I will make sure these new rules will be implemented. I will make sure of that. And if it means I have to ruin Pryor to do that, then that’s exactly what I will do.”
Chapter Fourteen:
Only So Much Love Can Take
My father is pacing back and forth so much it’s only a matter of time before he wears out the floor and falls through it. Fireballs keep springing into his palms as his eyes go into demon mode. It’s been a while since he’s been this pissed at me.
“You broke Hunter’s ribs? What the hell, Aaden?” he shouts.
“He had it coming.”
“The time for you to have done that was months ago after you found out he had a hand in Sparks’ death. But you didn’t kill him then—why did you hurt him now?”
“Does it matter?”
“Yes, it does. I didn’t raise you to be a damn bully. You can’t just go around hurting the ones who piss you off.”
“I know.”
“Then act like it!”
“Hunter is an asshole, you know that.”
“I don’t need you to tell me anything about Hunter and his family. I know exactly what jerkoffs they can be. I know what that family cost me. I am not worried about what happens to them. I am worried about you. You can’t erupt like a fucking volcano every other five minutes without reason.”
“Trust me, I had my reasons,” I reply as I pour myself a glass of Coy Dark.
“This is serious, Aaden. You are all over the damn place. You need to be in control and not be at the mercy of your emotions.”
“Hunter helped kill my daughter, did you forget that?”
“No! But that’s not the reason you almost kicked him to death. Like I said, you would have done that months ago, but you didn’t. So what the hell happened today?”
“Dad, can you just drop it?”
“Drop it? Have you met me? Do you have any idea how much I plan to be on your ass about this? Start talking, kid, and make it good.”
