Quinn stood up, signaling their meeting was coming to an end. “I think it’s time for you to leave. I don’t even know why you came here.”
Gabe wrung his hands together. “I’ll leave you in peace. I do have one question, though.”
Quinn snorted. “What’s that? Do you need advice on how to get your leash off? Collar too tight? Strange rash on your ass?”
Gabe ignored the mockery. “Did the demon say where he was taking Jordan?”
“What? You mean you don’t know?” Disdain dripped from Case’s voice. “Why don’t you use your super Spidey senses and figure it out?” The angel looked confused. Case rubbed his temple, exasperated. “If we knew where the hell she was at, we’d be going after her and not here chewing the fat with you.”
“Why does it matter where she is?” Nathan inquired. “You’ve washed your hands of us. If you did know where she was, what would you do to help her? Anything?”
“No,” he answered. “My orders are not to help.”
“Then what did Michael order you to do?”
Gabriel’s shoulders slumped. His face fell. “Michael said he would take care of the problem.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “I’ve been ordered to bring Jordan to him.”
Nathan stood so fast the chair he was sitting in fell over. Quinn reached for a weapon, but Case got there first. He pushed the barrel of a formidable .45 pistol against Gabe’s heart.
“Good luck with that,” he snarled.
The angel disappeared.
Chapter Twenty-Two
The bedroom she’d called her own for seventeen years was completely bare save for the bed, which looked dejected and lonely without the cheerful plaid comforter that usually covered it. When Aamon teleported them to the farmhouse and told her she could pick up a few mementos to make the transition to her new life a little more bearable, she felt sure he hadn’t expected her to want everything in the bedroom. He hadn’t balked, though. With a few demons to help, they had teleported every single item she’d pointed to. Before she knew it, there was nothing left.
She wandered downstairs to Uncle Case’s study. Reliving memories, she studied the book shelves, touched items as familiar to her as her own skin. She sat behind his desk and smiled at the silver cigarette lighter she’d given him for his birthday when she was twelve. It had a dragon carved into the side. Her uncle didn’t smoke and had no need for the lighter, but he acted like it was the best gift he’d ever received and proudly displayed it. As far as she knew, he’d never moved it from this spot.
Jordan pulled a blank sheet of paper from the drawer and scribbled a quick note. She explained that she’d taken the stuff from her bedroom and that she wanted Archer and her car to be taken care of – trivial things that one might say to another when leaving for a vacation. She tried to write something profound and meaningful, but that would make the nightmare real. If she could keep herself together, eventually she would wake up. Living the lie was much harder to do.
When she was done, she took one last look around the house and wondered if she would ever call it home again. Don’t think like that, Jordan. Just get through one day at a time. She would go with Aamon – for now. She had no choice. If the angels were looking for her, the demons were probably the only ones who could keep her off their radar. So far, her father-figure hadn’t treated her too badly. He’d even apologized for how he behaved in the cave and for what he’d done to Quinn, not that she totally believed him. Ivy stuck by her side like a Siamese twin. Maybe she could get through this unscathed.
“Jordan, are you ready?”
Aamon walked into the kitchen where she was staring at nothing. She didn’t even remember leaving the study. Less than a week ago, she complained about not seeing her family and was flayed by Ira. Today, she was going to live with the enemy. It was strange how things got turned around. Her hands shook and she clenched them into fists. If the angels caught her, she knew she would be killed. That reality, daunting as it was, did not scare her nearly as much as worrying about what Michael and his soldiers would do to her family in order to get to her. Demons could be vicious in their methods of gathering intel, but it was nothing compared to what angels were capable of. She voiced her concerns to Aamon.
“Jordan, sit down. We need to talk.” He pulled a chair out for her at the table. When she sat, he took the chair beside her. Ivy stood in the doorway.
“My main concern will always be for your safety. However, if I can, I will try to protect your family. You are right in your belief that the angels will come to them if they get too desperate.”
She tried to put into words what she was feeling. It was hard. She had so many emotions jumbled together and she hated the fact that she couldn’t separate them and think clearly. It never used to bother her that she didn’t know what would happen to her tomorrow -- she always tried to live for the moment and let the future work itself out. Now, it did bother her. Before, she was sure that she would wake up, make coffee and breakfast, tend to Archer, clean the house, have a vision, argue with Quinn…it wasn’t an ideal life, but it was fairly safe. It was routine. Now, she couldn’t see anything at all. She felt vulnerable, and her future resided in the hands of a demon.
“Aamon, how can you expect this to work? You are a demon. All my life, I’ve fought against your kind. I’ve seen your handi work with my own two eyes – the destruction, the deaths. We’re too different, you and I. You kill humans and I protect them.”
He smiled. “Let me ask you this: If you had a say in the matter, would the Circle be the kind of life you would have chosen for yourself?”
His question caught her off guard. Part of her wanted to say no. To live a life free of fighting evil and only have to stress about paying bills, working a crappy nine to five job, and worrying about what to make for dinner would be paradise, in a way. However, if it weren’t for the Circle, she – and all humans -- would probably be dead. Because of the crazy life she grew up in, she wasn’t one of the many naive people walking this earth unaware of the dangers (other than their own kind) that lurked around every corner. Because of the Circle, she could take care of herself most of the time. She went with the easy answer to save time. “I don’t know.”
He twirled a napkin ring in his fingers, staring at it as if it held secrets. “Fair enough. It’s not an easy question to answer. But, the same question can be applied to me, or Ivy, or any person or thing you consider an enemy. Would we have chosen the lives we lead if we had the luxury of free will? Think about it; if one of your precious angels had not fallen, we would not exist at all.” He laughed. It sounded mirthless, dead. “So many humans put their trust and faith in God and his angels. It boggles me how they blindly follow an entity without any proof of His existence. They read a book and assumed the book was factual, and they live their lives tied to an idea – one they believe is good and just. However, I could tell them things…things that would leave them shocked at some of the lies they’ve believed their whole lives.”
Jordan listened, but having a theological conversation was the last thing she wanted right now. She never lived her life according to the Bible or God. She only believed that evil was real and must be destroyed. If angels were evil, she would still feel the same and act accordingly.
“There’s something you need to know,” he continued in a somber voice. “Your parents were considering leaving the Circle. I’m not sure why and that really isn’t important now.”
Wasn’t important? How could he think that? If her parents were thinking of leaving the Circle, she wanted to know why -- and she would find out.
“Your mother and father’s Guardian was named Sariel.” Before Jordan could ask the obvious question, he said, “No, Gabe was not your family’s Guardian at first. He took over after you were born.”
Jordan had questions, but she’d save them for later. Her brain felt like it was going to turn to mush and ooze out her ears. She needed a hot meal. She needed sleep. She needed some peace, if only for a little whil
e.
“Sariel began to possess your mother’s body and mind at certain times. I don’t know if it was to influence her decisions about the Circle or for some other reason. Once again, it isn’t important.”
Jordan knew she and Aamon would need to have a long conversation on what he deemed important.
“On the night you were born, Sariel was in possession of Jana’s body. She knew you were my child and she tried the entire pregnancy to force your mother to miscarry.”
Jordan wiped absently at the tears. They weren’t for her, but for her mother. “That’s why she was so sick during the pregnancy.”
“Yes,” he said, patting her hand. “Your mother, though possessed, still fought tooth and nail for your life. When Sariel failed, she tried to kill you in the womb that night at the hospital so that you would be stillborn.”
“What happened?” Jordan listened, transfixed, as the demon told about the attempt on her life. It was just like the fantasy novels she loved to read…or a bad, B-rated movie, depending on how you looked at it.
“We only have a theory. There has never been another case in history where a human, a half-demon, and an angel occupied the same body. We believe your mother, for a few minutes right before you arrived, wrested control of her mind and body from Sariel. For lack of a better word, she trapped the angel inside of her, rendering her helpless. The demon part of you recognized the angel, even in the womb. With Sariel powerless, we think you were able to overtake her and she died.”
Jordan’s mouth dropped to her knees. Aamon was crazy! Jordan had no idea what game he was playing, but she was calling a permanent rain delay.
“Demons can’t kill angels. If she died, it had nothing to do with me or my mother!”
Aamon held up both hands in a placating manner. “I promised to always be honest with you and I am. I’m not making this up, Jordan. I couldn’t if I tried!” He leaned into her space and spoke with such fervor that she had no choice but to listen. “You need to know why the angels are after you. It isn’t because of the Circle. Hell, we know most everything about their little club. No, they’re after you because of what happened after Sariel died. Somehow, you absorbed Sariel’s soul, her very essence, her D.N.A, if you will.”
Jordan frowned. Aamon may as well have been speaking Pennsylvania Dutch for all she understood. She absorbed an angel’s soul? What did that even mean?
He must have read her silence and the befuddled expression she wore. “What it means is that Sariel became a part of you, Jordan. You are part human, part demon…and part angel.” He took a deep breath. “Now do you understand why the angels are looking for you? Do you know what they have planned if they do find you?” He lowered his voice. “We need to get out of here. They could show up any time.”
Aamon stood and joined Ivy in the doorway. Jordan stared at the window above the kitchen sink. Her own haunted face looked back. Now she understood why Gabe had to leave and why he was appointed as their Guardian in the first place. The dream she had in the forest made sense now, although the meaning of it made her want to crawl into a hole and never come out – which is what she might have to do to survive this. She was part angel. The implication of that was too much for her mind to process and she felt herself begin to fall. Blackness crept into the edges of her vision like a thief in the night. She had no idea what it could take from her now. There was nothing left. Her last cognate thoughts before buying a ticket to Oblivion bounced around in her head and followed her into abominable dreams filled with blood and wings that shone like a spangled night sky. The only beings who can kill angels are other angels. Jordan was part angel.
Acknowledgements
The book that almost wasn’t. When it was all said and done, those were the first words that came to mind. I began Blind Sight in mid-October of 2012. In late November, my mother fell ill. In December, my family and I huddled close together on a cold, rainy night in a drab ICU waiting room as we were told she had a ten percent chance of making it to see the sun the following morning. And thus began the most difficult time in our lives.
As I write this on another dreary day in May, 2013, the nightmare continues. I can’t tell you how many times I almost gave up on this book, shoved it in a drawer, and said, “To hell with it.” Thankfully, there are people I know – angels without wings, but with the tenacity of pit bulls – who wouldn’t let that happen. It is because of their encouraging words, their constant trips to the Well of Despair to pull me out when I fell (dove) in head-first, and their relentless determination when I had none that this book came to fruition. I can’t possibly name them all. I would need several more chapters for that. However, they know who they are. You can find them in the Face Book group, Books Untamed. I love you all so much!
I must give recognition to a few people who took time from their busy schedules to give me special attention when I needed it the most. First and foremost, I need to thank my publisher, agent, and dear friend, Jo Lowe, from Inknbeans Press. I am so extremely blessed to be able to work with such a caring, devoted person who loves her job and her authors. Inknbeans Press is not just my publishing company, it is my family. There aren’t many writers out there who can make such a statement. I am one of the lucky ones.
To Donna Dillon; thank you for just being you – a strong, sassy lady with a razor-sharp wit who always makes me laugh. May your coffee cup always be full, may the M&Ms be plentiful, and may the words always flow. I love ya, Sistah!
To Kender MacGowan; thanks so much for reminding me to stay true to myself and my writing. I came to you when a few had doubts about this book. You read over it and said to me (among other things),
“F-‘em! It’s a good story – finish it!” Thanks for believing in me.
To Ed Drury, Terry Simpson, Rich Meyer, Dan (J.D.) Mader, Sean Sweeney, Daniel Stanton, and Leland Hermit (Dirks); seven very special guys who take my darkest days and make them brighter. Thank you for the comic relief, the encouragement, your talents that you share with the world, and the friendship. I will forever be in your debt! Rich - don’t read too much into that last sentence! Ha-ha!
To Greta Burroughs and Robert Burroughs (DeBurgh); never in my life did I expect to meet such an amazing couple. Thank you for your kind words and the love that you share not only with me, but with everyone you meet. Do you know how many lives you touch every day?
To Grace Guerra; thank you for being the sister I never had. You and Brandon will always hold a special place in my heart. There aren’t enough words to express how much your friendship means to me. I love you bunches!
To my extraordinary husband and prodigious children; thank you for putting up with the eccentric lady who lives in the study! You are my heart and I love you to infinity.
I am always grateful to my editor and fellow “Bean,” Susan Wells Bennett. Thank you so very much for putting your work aside to help make my books the best they can be. No one wears the “cape” as well as you do! You’re the best!
My beautiful cover was designed by Megan Parker of Emcat Designs! Megan, you captured the essence of my work and I am so grateful to have such a talented designer in my corner!
https://www.facebook.com/DisguiseINDesign?fref=ts
Most importantly, I must thank you, the reader, for not giving up on me and for being so patient. I hope I make you proud! YOU are the reason I do what I do and YOU are the one who makes it worthwhile.
Thank you for reading Blind Sight. If you have questions or constructive comments, you can contact the author at:
Face Book:
https://www.facebook.com/nicolestoreyfans
Twitter: @Nicole_Storey
Blog: http://nicolestorey.wordpress.com/
Website: http://www.nicolestoreyauthor.com/
Publisher: http://www.inknbeans.com/
Other books by Nicole Storey:
Grimsley Hollow: The Chosen One
Grimsley Hollow: Eve of the Beginning
Grimsley Hollow: The Search For Siren.
; More from Inknbeans
Emjae Edwards, You’ll Wake Up One Morning
Annarita Guarnieri, The Importance of Being Shine
Jim Burkett, The Nick West Series
Susan Wells Bennett, Just One Note
Rusty Coats, Out of Touch
Kitty Sutton, Mysteries From the Trail of Tears
Dawn Hood, God’s Pinky Promises
David Rowinski, The Open Pillow
Dorothy Legge, Poems of Faith and Love
Kristann Monaghan, The Running Experiment
Perle Butcher Lyon, The Dutch Doctor
Eric Pullin, Digweed the Cat
Hugh Ashton, Further Notes From the Dispatch Box of John H Watson, MD
Ey Wade, The Perfect Solution
Jt Sather, How to Survive When the
Bottom Drops Out
Virginia Czaja, Get Real
Jackie Williams, the Tori-Jean, No! series
Liam McCaughey, Collected Werks
Pico Triano, Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
R.H. Ramsey, Just Beneath the Surface, I
Table of Contents
Blind Sight
Blind Sight
Cover by
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Acknowledgements
Blind Sight Page 22
