She had no idea how long it would be just the four of them. How long could she enjoy this bliss found only with them? How long before everything changed? How much time did she have before Iramiel or one of his agents found her and killed her? The thought frightened her, but she clung to her present happiness and decided there was no point in letting her fear taint the moments she had with them. Everything would likely implode soon enough, but she wanted to savor the happiness she had right now.
Chapter Eleven
Abby spent the next few days trying to ignore the problems facing her while enjoying the time she had with Mal, Dante, and Brax. She was mostly relieved to have her memory returned to her, but a part of her wished it had never come back. It was easier to live in ignorance and get on with the daily business of life when she didn’t know what was facing her.
She found it harder to function and try to pretend hers was anywhere close to a normal existence now that she knew angels wanted her dead. She had spent considerable effort on sublimating her fear and convincing the three men she was okay. She maintained that pretense when Brax walked into their warded campsite that evening, looking annoyed. She’d been chopping scallions as Mal had taught her, but now she laid aside the knife and walked over to join him as Dante and Mal did the same.
“Orias wants a meeting,” said Brax with a heavy frown. “I think he’s after a progress report.”
“What if it’s something more?” asked Dante.
“Like what?” asked Abby.
“It could be a trap, or maybe they want to see if we’re trying to hide anything.” Mal scrubbed a hand down his face. He seemed irritated and perhaps a little anxious. “He’s going to expect all three of us, isn’t he?”
“That was the impression I got.” Brax sighed. “If we don’t all show up, he’s going to wonder why one or two of us didn’t. It might lead him to think we have something we don’t want him to see, something we need to guard and keep hidden.” He shot a significant look at Abby.
She interpreted it correctly, though she wasn’t certain he’d intended for her to do so. He’d seemed to be speaking in vaguer terms, as though he’d hoped he could avoid alerting her to any danger. She squared her shoulders and tilted her chin. “The three of you should go.”
“We aren’t leaving you here alone.” Dante looked angry at the idea.
“I can handle it.” Since they had the area to themselves, Abby allowed her wings to unfurl and appear without a glamour to shield them. “I know who and what I am now, so I’ll be safe enough.”
“If we don’t all go, we put her at greater risk.” Mal seemed reluctant to confirm that, especially when Dante glared at him. “I don’t like it any more than you do, kid, but what choice do we have? I say we get in, get out, and return to Abby as soon as possible.”
She gave him a tremulous smile. He’d seemed to warm up to her over the intervening days since sharing part of his sol with her, but he was still difficult to read, and she was certain he wanted to keep emotional distance between them.
She’d been trying to respect that by steering clear of him as much as possible and not privately interacting with him, but perhaps her methods hadn’t been as successful as she’d hoped. She found some optimism in that, though she knew she shouldn’t. The last thing she should do was build her hopes that Mal might come to care for her to the same extent she already cared for him.
“I don’t like it at all,” said Brax. “I don’t see an alternative though. Angels will be able to sense the presence of demons, and they’re not likely to think Abby has found sanctuary with us. That’ll give her some major protection.” He still sounded doubtful, but he clearly realized there was no alternative.
Dante put his hands on his hips, shaking his head. “I’m not leaving her here alone.”
“You’re going to take her to Infernun?” Mal arched a brow as he asked the question. “Might as well just hand her over to Zephael if you do that.”
The youngest demon looked uncertain for a moment, so Abby reached out to put a hand on his shoulder. “The safest thing to do is to go with them and hurry back. There really is no other choice, Dante.”
He bit his lip. “Maybe we could call in a favor to have someone stay with you?” He sounded doubtful even as he issued the question.
“We have some contacts, but I don’t know any demon I trust with this task. They’re all far more loyal to Zephael than they would be to us.” Brax sounded regretful as he pointed out the reality of the situation.
With a scowl, Dante’s shoulders dropped forward. “Fine, but we need to make it quick.”
“We will,” said Mal. “It’s not like we want to hang out with those assholes longer than we need to anyway.”
Dante brightened slightly at that as he nodded his agreement. “That’s the truth. We’ve never been overly friendly with them, so they won’t be too suspicious if we want to cut straight to business and leave.”
Realizing it was decided, Abby swallowed the lump in her throat and forced herself to sound confident when she said, “I’ll be perfectly fine until you return. I’ll finish making dinner for us.”
Mal looked nervous about that. “I’m not sure you’ve had enough lessons, Abby.”
She frowned at him. “It’s reheating cans and chopping vegetables. How hard can it be?”
He seemed poised to argue with her for a moment, but then he sighed. “Yeah, give it your best shot.”
No doubt, he was recalling the pizzeria they’d seen about fifteen miles back and assuring himself there was a backup plan if she totally screwed up. Abby was slightly insulted he questioned her skills, but the truth was, she didn’t really have any. She’d watched him the last few days, since he did most of the cooking, and she’d helped a little here and there, but she’d never actually cooked anything herself, particularly over an open fire, which Mal had told her was the most difficult way to cook. She understood his doubt, but it still stung to find he lacked faith in her.
“I guess we’d better get it over with.” Brax nodded to the other two before looking at Abby. “Stay safe, and don’t leave the camp.”
She nodded her agreement, and they soon disappeared in a flash, transporting themselves to the nearest portal opening. Abby shivered at being alone for the first time since they’d stepped in to rescue her at the roadhouse, but she was determined to conquer her fear.
She decided to carry through with her plan of making dinner, so she returned to chopping scallions before turning her attention to carrots. She was a third of the way through her fourth carrot when she sensed the presence of others. It was like a ringing bell in her head, clear and pure, but so loud as to be painful.
She hadn’t been in the presence of angels since her sol was restored, but she instantly recognized the feeling. There were at least two nearby, and if she could sense their sols, they could sense hers. That they sounded so loud in her head told her they were deliberately enhancing the effect of their sols. Only seraphs would be so bold as to announce their presence in such a fashion, and she shuddered at the idea of facing elite hunter angels.
She looked around for a weapon, but the best she could find was the chef’s knife in her hand. Her sword had been lost during her portal trip, and of course, it hadn’t regenerated when her wings had. She had enough training to know how to use a sword, but she had no confidence with the knife. Though she’d promised not to leave the campsite, she didn’t see an alternative. Hiding until her demons returned was the best plan she could conjure for facing off with hunter angels, so she clutched the knife and slipped into the forest around her.
She was moving the opposite direction of their location, judging that by the weakening of the awareness of the sols near her. Unfortunately, they seemed to be tracking her in a similar way, and they were keeping pace each time she changed direction. Abby paused to lean against a tree when the orientation changed.
She could sense one at roughly the same distance, but another appeared to be approaching quickl
y. They must have split up, and they were soon going to find her. Would she have a better advantage among the trees, or should she look for a clearing? She had some basic training, but she’d never planned to be a warrior, so she’d never had a class in strategy or tactics. Only self-defense, and the knife in her hand was a laughable prospect. It was a human weapon and unlikely to do any sort of serious damage to any angel, let alone seraphs.
Fear took over, and Abby started running. She was no longer concerned about moving quietly, since they clearly knew where she was. She could feel them closing in around her, and she’d barely reached a clearing when she saw two of them approaching, one from behind her, and the other in front.
Abby froze, uncertain how to proceed. She clutched the knife, but she knew it was inadequate. She stared at the male angels who waited, clearly pleased to have her trapped. “What do you want?” She already knew what they wanted though. She simply hoped to buy some time and perhaps persuade them not to carry out their orders.
“Iramiel wants you dead,” said the one on her left.
She nodded slowly. “It’s because I saw something he didn’t want me to see. He’s not who you think he is.”
The one on her right, who looked vaguely familiar, crossed his arms over his chest. “You’re saying Iramiel isn’t the leader of Caelum?”
“No, he isn’t,” snapped Abby. “Have you forgotten about Destriel?”
The unfamiliar, dark-haired angel snorted. “I think you mean Destriel’s forgotten about us. Where has he been for the last fifty years?”
Abby shrugged, having no answer for him. “I don’t know, but he wouldn’t approve of anyone killing a fellow angel. You know that. You must remember the only time it ever happened, he killed the murderer in retaliation.” Abby hoped she had the story correct, because it had occurred before her creation.
“It doesn’t matter. He’s gone, and Iramiel is in charge. Whatever you did, I’m sure Iramiel has a good reason for wanting you dead.”
She scowled. “All I did was see him murder a subordinate because Emiel failed at the task he thought he should’ve accomplished.” She glared at both of them. “Do you want him to have that kind of power, to be able to kill any of us without sanction?”
The blond angel looked temporarily nonplussed, but nothing she said seemed to have shaken the brunette. He approached in a menacing fashion, drawing his blade from between his wings. “I have orders to bring him your head, and I follow orders.”
“Blindly following orders isn’t a good thing.” Even as she said it, Abby was certain she wouldn’t be able to reason with him. She pinned her hopes on the blonde, but after a moment, he drew his sword as well. He seemed reluctant, but he clearly wasn’t going to go against Iramiel or his colleague.
She dropped the knife, realizing it wasn’t going to do anything for her. They would be able to cut her down before they ever got close enough for her to use it. She closed her eyes, trying to prepare herself for what was about to happen. She searched for calm and equanimity, and perhaps even some forgiveness for her fellow angels, who didn’t realize how thoroughly they were being manipulated.
Instead of finding solace and resignation, anger surged in her. It was a seething, hot, almost bitter emotion with which she was mostly unfamiliar. It threatened to overwhelm her, and for a moment, she tried to tamp it down, but when she focused on the injustice of the situation, of being marked for death simply because she’d witnessed Iramiel’s rage-fueled actions, she lost the battle with her anger, and it completely consumed her.
She opened her eyes and her mouth, not certain if she was planning to plead with them again or give them a blistering appraisal of their characters, but instead, a keening cry escaped her. She heard an answering howl of some sort of animals that sounded like they were in pain, but she couldn’t stop the sound emerging from her.
The two angels dropped their swords and fell to their knees, holding their ears. Light started to emanate from her chest, but it wasn’t the pure white light she recalled from before her fall. This was tinged with red, and she wondered if it was because her sol now contained pieces of her demon lovers’.
She continued the deafening song as the two angels cried out, still holding their ears before they fell to the ground and started to twitch. Abby realized she was killing them, and that wasn’t her intent, but as long as she was angry, she couldn’t seem to control the weapon now issuing from her. It took her more than a minute to gain enough control to close her mouth and allow silence to fall around her.
The death song had left her unscathed, so she was able to rush to the nearest angel. She knelt beside the blond, feeling his throat in search of a heartbeat. It was still there, steady and slow, and she touched his forehead. She tried to heal him, but she clearly lacked that ability, and Dante was nowhere around.
She stared down at him. “Leave. Teleport to the nearest nexus point and be gone.” She hoped she sounded stern and convincing, because if he didn’t listen, she wasn’t certain she could summon the death song again. It had activated by intense fear and rage, and now she mostly just felt ill at what she had done, though she’d had little choice in the matter. If she hadn’t fought back, she would’ve been dead by now.
The blond managed to sit up enough to look at her before casting a long glance at his comrade. Slowly, he got to his feet, blood streaming from his ears, and stumbled away from her.
She turned to the brunette, expecting to find him dead since he hadn’t moved at all. The thought weighed heavily on her conscience, and the acid in her stomach started to trail up her esophagus, leaving a burning path of bile in its wake.
She moved closer, touching his shoulder with the plan to roll him over. As soon as she did, she realized her mistake. He rolled over on his own power, thrusting a sword upward and at her with viciousness. She managed to move aside enough that he didn’t pierce her sol, but the sword went through her abdomen, and she screamed in agony. This was a regular scream, and it did nothing to deter him.
Abby fell back, trying to scramble away from him, but she couldn’t find the strength to stand. He loomed over her, and though he still seemed woozy and was obviously injured, it wasn’t enough to keep him from lifting the sword. His intention was clear. He was going to slam it into her as hard as he could, and she knew she was moving too slowly to stop it. Abby braced herself, trying to find that surge of anger she’d experienced earlier, but all she felt was fear. It choked her, leaving a lump in her throat, and nothing could emerge.
Without saying a word, he brought his sword down, and Abby braced herself for the impact. It was sure to go straight through her sol, and there would be no healing that if there was nothing left.
Instead of feeling the blade pierce her chest as she’d expected, there was a clang of metal against metal. Her eyes snapped open again in time to see Brax’s sword intercepting the angel’s. Abby rolled out of the way, giving him more room to maneuver as Mal and Dante entered the fight, surrounding the angel.
He looked bewildered to be set upon by demons. “This is neutral territory.”
“It’s not neutral when you go after her,” said Brax in a roar.
The angel just couldn’t seem to grasp why the demons were upset with him. “She’s an angel, and this is Caelum business. Back away now.”
“Or what?” asked Dante with that same hint of cocky confidence he often displayed.
Abby opened her mouth to warn them about the sound she’d made, fearful any angel could produce it though she’d never heard it before, but before she could, the angel lunged forward and tried to slice Dante in half. Her lover jumped back, and Mal’s blade intercepted it.
The angel and the demon squared off for a moment, both clearly exerting all their strength. Slowly, the angel’s heels started to slide backward, tearing up tracks of dirt as Mal pushed him away. The brunette was screaming and straining, but he seemed incapable of summoning the death song that had come to Abby.
His sword flew out of his hand
s suddenly, landing near Abby. Mal brought his sword to the angel’s throat, the tip pressing against his carotid artery, and even Abby shivered at the expression on Mal’s face.
She tried to sit up. “Don’t kill him.” She sounded weak, and it must have attracted Dante’s attention, because he rushed to her side.
Mal’s sword didn’t move, but his head turned toward her, and he looked shocked. “He was trying to kill you.”
She nodded. “I know, but we don’t have to do that. Let them go, and he can use the portal to return home.” Dante’s hand covered the gaping wound on her abdomen, and she winced and cried out as the pain of healing filled her before all sensation faded away in a glow of red light. When he lifted his hand, she was healed.
Mal seemed irritated by the idea of releasing the seraph, and his gaze slid to Brax. After a moment, Brax nodded his agreement, and with a sigh, Mal stepped back, the sword moving infinitesimally away from the angel, but still within range of easy striking distance should the need arise. “You hurt her. Get out of here.”
“Consorting with demons?” The angel directed the question to Abby. “No wonder Iramiel wants you dead. To think, I almost believed your lies.”
Her eyes widened. “You didn’t give any indication of that, but they weren’t lies. Iramiel wants me dead because I saw something, and that’s the sole reason. These men have helped me and nothing more. I’m not conspiring with anyone.”
“Like I’m going to believe the whore of a demon.”
Dante left her side and surged forward, but at least his sword was out of sight as he punched the angel, who staggered backward.
“Get out of here while you still can,” said Abby in a hard tone as she stood up.
The angel stared at the demons for a moment before wiping his mouth where it had started to bleed. He nodded just once and stepped back from them, keeping them in his sights until he must’ve gauged enough distance had passed to allow him to safely turn his back to them. He strode on, and Abby realized he was going to walk past her. She steeled herself and prepared to step back, hoping he would make the smart choice and continue on.
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