by Tamsin Baker
I flew down the steps to the concrete floor and before me was a horrible sight. My baby was surrounded by fiery Demons. How were they here when darkness had not touched the city yet? More than that, why had they not attacked him, or at least, reached out and taken him?
It didn’t matter. I needed to act before they had the opportunity to do either of those things. Before it was too late.
“No!” I screamed again as I charged forward, drawing my sword and swinging it in sharp arcs, mowing down the Demons closest to me.
Jasmine clung to my baby and her own daughter, tears streaming down her face as she faced off against the fires of Hell. I had no idea where her husband was. I didn’t particularly care.
I sliced straight into the infernal circle and shoved Jasmine behind me. Then I turned and pushed her back to the now open stairs as I faced off against the remaining Demons. I needed her and my son out. I did not want her there to distract me. If I knew she wasn’t in immediate danger, I could fight much better, without worry.
“Run. Go!” I yelled at Jasmine, and she took off. Her ragged breathing and her fast footsteps up the stairs echoed in the room.
I turned to the Demons, my face contorted into a scowl.
“You will never touch him!” I yelled at the remaining Demons, swinging my sword as they converged together. “You will never have him. I will never let you touch him. Do you hear me?”
I ran forward and they all disappeared into thin air, like they’d never been here at all.
Just like at the castle.
I let out a roar of frustration.
“Fuck!”
I ran up the stairs after Jasmine, still gripping my sword hard. Had they followed Jasmine? Had they reached my son?
“Where are they?” I shouted, looking around for any sign the Demons had followed Jasmine above. “Are they here?”
But Jasmine was mute, clinging to her screaming daughter and my son as though she’d never let them go. Her whole body shook like a leaf, her face white. I did not think I would get any sort of response from her right now. She wasn’t in the right frame of mind.
My heart was pounding so hard it sounded like I had the rush of an ocean in my ears. I whirled around once, twice, looking for any hint of where they were.
Nothing.
I took several breaths and consciously told my hands to relax from their death-grip on my sword. I was losing it. I needed to focus. I would be no help to anyone if I didn’t relax. I would not be able to fight the way I knew I was able to if I didn’t get a grip on myself.
“Everything’s okay now, Jasmine,” I forced myself to say. I realized I was probably scaring her the way I was scaring myself. And if I was scared, she would have a hard time helping me. I needed her to be level-headed, especially now. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.”
Jasmine trembled as she stepped closer to me. “Take him. Please.” Guilt pooled in her eyes but her voice – even though it shook – was firm. There was no way she wanted to risk any other losses for my child. I could not blame her.
I took my son, who was now crying softly. My heart went out to him. My heart went out to Jasmine and her daughter as well.
This entire situation was not fair. Everyone involved – besides the Demons – had suffered through pain, a loss, or fear at what they expected to come. Lives were lost, missing, and at risk. I had an idea as to why, but I wasn’t sure. I hated this. I hated that I could not fix it with a snap of my fingers. I hated that if I was in this position again, risking Jasmine and her family, I would make the same choice because it would protect my son.
Jasmine began rocking her daughter with both arms wrapped around her, shushing her in that way that all mothers did. I reached out my arm, wanting to place my hand on her shoulder and offer her a reassuring moment after all she had been through, but I stopped myself. I did not know if I was the person she needed this from. I did not want to upset her even more than she already was. Since I did not know if my presence would help her, I decided not to risk it.
I sighed silently and looked down at my son. He was still crying, on and off, his head turning, his eyes closed. It almost seemed like he was looking for comfort, perhaps a nipple to suckle on. It was time to take my son back to his mother.
However, I had to ask a few questions first. I needed to get as much information as I could while it was still fresh in Jasmine’s mind. This way, I could leave without needing to intrude on her again.
“Jasmine,” I said. Her eyes opened, though she continued to cradle her child protectively against her. “What happened? How could they come into your house? During the day?”
She wiped at the tears still streaming down her face. I’d always admired Jasmine’s ability to stay calm, even in the most adverse situations.
“I don’t know.” She shook her head, blinking her eyes rapidly in a way to try and get rid of the remaining tears. She wiped the back of her hand against her nose using her sleeve before replacing the hand on her daughter’s body and providing the reassurance her daughter sought. “My husband refused to stay home today despite what I told him you said. He had someone come... work on the furnace downstairs...” She let her voice trail off and looked away. Her eyes found the shattered door to the cellar. “Do you think he let them in somehow?”
I thought about it for a moment. That was not out of the realm of possibility. However, there had to be more to the story.
“Humans helped kidnap Kadie,” I said, talking more to myself than to Jasmine. An idea tickled the very outside of my mind. I grabbed onto it, not sure where it would lead me. I just knew I had to follow it no matter where it led me. “They took her to the Demons. Perhaps the Demons have hired more humans to do their dirty work now? I know they work with humans. They’ve used humans as guards, as watchers.” I straightened my shoulders. It made sense. Jasmine’s husband inadvertently hired a human to repair their furnace, not knowing this human was working for the Demons. Which meant, essentially, he led the Demons straight to Jasmine. Straight to my son. I clenched my hands together, trying to contain my anger. As much as her husband did not like me, I knew he had no malintent towards my son. He might send Demons my way without a care in the world, but I knew he would not risk my son. “I’m going to check it out.”
I slid the baby into my shirt, keeping him safe against my chest This seemed to be the comfort he needed – skin to skin. In less than a moment, his mouth hung open and his eyes closed. Judging by his steady breathing, he was already deeply asleep.
Now that my son was content, I shifted my thoughts on these humans and the Demons they worked for. There had to be a way that these Hellish creatures were venturing into the day. A portal or key, perhaps? Did it have to do with the type of humans they hired, or did the humans not matter in the grand scheme of things, besides being able to move around during the day? But if the Demons could now do just that, why continue to use humans in the first place.
Unless they weren’t using humans anymore.
Unless they were somehow able to disguise themselves as humans now.
I needed to leave. Now.
“The light switch is at the top of the stairs,” Jasmine called out as I moved through the door to investigate. I flicked it on.
The fluorescent globes barely lit the room below, but there was enough light to see the ash I’d reduced one of the Demons to. There didn’t seem to be anything else around that indicated it had a link to Hell. No portals. No objects out of the ordinary.
I’d have to get Jasmine down here to see if there was anything she could point out that shouldn’t be there. She’d know much better than I.
But not today.
I took the steps back up to the landing three at a time. This place needed to be cleansed. Burned down, if necessary.
“We need to get you somewhere safe, Jasmine,” I told her. I did not feel comfortable leaving the cellar without Jasmine looking at it. Unfortunately, I did not think she was in any sort of shape to help me. Tears had starte
d gliding down her cheeks in a gentle manner. I did not think I could stop her tears even if I wanted to. Perhaps she needed to ensure them. Perhaps it would help cleanse her fears and any guilt she might harbor putting her family at risk because of me.
“And where is that?” she asked, looking at me through red rimmed eyes. I could not blame her for her derivative tone. If it wasn’t for me, she would not be involved in this mess.
“The Hotel.”
The Angel Agency had a hotel in central Manhattan where we took people who needed the ultimate protection, when a Guardian could not provide everything that was offered because they needed to investigate Demons or because they needed to protect a new target.
I should have sent Kadie there after I’d helped her. If only I had the foresight to know this would happen, that this was even a possibility... I stopped myself from thinking further thoughts. I made my choices and now I must live with the repercussions those choices produced. I did the best I could with the information I had at the time.
Regardless of the truth of that, it did not make me feel any better.
If I remembered the Hotel, if I hadn’t been so consumed with my feelings for Kadie and my fear at keeping her safe, this would never have happened.
“The Hotel?” Jasmine asked, unsure. “I’ll have to take my daughter. And my husband will have to meet us there.”
“I will make sure they take all of you,” I promised.
I’d very rarely used the Hotel as a refuge for anyone I was protecting, as Demons tended to only have one Target. And once I’d killed all the Demons that had been assigned to my Target, the threat ceased and the Hotel was not needed.
But that didn’t seem to be the case now, and Jasmine and her family needed around-the-clock protection.
Because of me, a tiny niggling voice said in my mind, but I ruthlessly shoved it aside. I’d allow myself to feel guilty later.
“What about... everything?” she asked, glancing around her beautiful home. Her grip was still tight on her daughter, and I knew that that baby was the only thing that truly mattered to her. However, leaving her home she built with her family was akin to giving up, running away, all because she agreed to be involved in something that didn’t involve her,
Guilt, again, threatened to invade me body and distract me from my goal, but I pushed past it. The longer I was with Jasmine, the more I realized just what she had to give up because of me, the easier it was for the unfamiliar emotion to trickle through.
“Don’t worry about the house,” I said. “You and your family are the only important things to protect. Just pack what you need and I’ll take you there now.”
She nodded, still breathing as though she’d just run a marathon. Her eyes were focused on a picture on a stand next to her couch. I hadn’t noticed it before. I hadn’t really looked around. To Jasmine, besides her child, that seemed to be her entire focus. I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. Despite being immersed in the human world for centuries, it was still difficult for me to understand their emotions.
“Jasmine,” I said, trying to keep my voice gentle. Her eyes snapped into mine. “We must leave. Now.”
She nodded, shaking herself out of her stupor. Clutching her daughter to her chest, she headed up the stairs to where their bedrooms were.
I’d put Jasmine, her husband, and their beautiful baby girl in the Hotel for months if necessary. It had around-the-clock surveillance and no dark corners for Demons to hide in. I would have sent her there with my son, but I assumed Demons could not get to them during the day.
If I had access to Tabitha, if she was healthy, I was certain she would have nagged me about it. But I was so focused on getting nourishment and a safe shelter for my son, for getting Kadie and Tabitha better, for figuring out what was going on and why, I had forgotten, and as a result, Jasmine and her child nearly died.
I clenched my teeth together and buried my head in my son’s essence. There was something sweet about a newborn scent. I wouldn’t say it was intoxicating, but it was as though I recognized myself in it. I did not think I would be as soothed if I was holding any other child but my own.
Never again, I promised myself I would not forget such pertinent details because of my own selfish desires. I would not risk an innocent for myself.
The only exception, of course, was my son. I would do anything to protect him, no matter what that was.
I brought my son out into the light and stared down at his perfect face. He slept now, the drama of the day finally gone. His Cupid’s bow upper lip trembled with each breath and little cries came from him. Those cries reminded me of aftershocks of an earthquakes and I smiled to myself. I understood humans hated the sound of a newborn baby crying. To me, however, it told me my son was still alive. The cries reassured me that he still had the capacity to breathe. He still had the capacity to shout and scream and yell. And that gave me hope.
A tear slid down my cheek without warning and I wiped it away.
What magic was this? This tightness around my chest? This need to grip my baby to my heart and never let him go?
I did not understand it, and yet I would not trade it for anything in the world or Heaven. Nothing and no one, not even God Himself could tempt me from possessing my child. I did not understand how parents could give up their children. Logically, perhaps the choice was best, perhaps the choice was difficult to make, but I still could not fathom doing the same thing. I could not give up my child or allow any harm to come to him.
Anger pulsed in my blood out of nowhere and as I closed my eyes and let the feelings fill me up, boiling my blood, tightening my muscles in my body. I had to ignore the urge to punch through walls and take down buildings. Kill anything that stood in my way.
All because this baby existed. A perfect miracle.
I kissed his nose and made an oath to my Gods.
I will keep him safe, no matter the price. Whether I get back into Heaven, or you send me down to Hell itself to fight, no one will have him. No one will have him except those I choose for him. No harm will come to him as long as breath circulates through my body and keeps me alive.
My thoughts were interrupted by footsteps on the stairs. Jasmine returned with two bags and the baby in a carrier. She went over to where she stared at the picture, hesitating. I was not sure why she simply didn’t take the picture and put it in her purse. Then again, the confliction of human emotions was lost to me, save for the emotions I had already experienced for myself. Finally, she set the picture down and headed back to where she set her bags down. Her baby cooed happily, completely oblivious to everything going around her. How I wish I could be that ignorant.
“Okay, Gabriel, we’re ready,” Jasmine said. “I’ll call James when we get there. I can’t wait to be somewhere safe for a few days.”
I didn’t tell her it may be more than a few days. I didn’t tell her I was planning on keeping her there for months if I had to. I knew it would be a complete upheaval from her life. I was also aware that she never asked for this. But her safety, her family’s safety – even her husband’s – was the priority. I could not risk them any further, especially after everything she had risked for me.
We walked out of the house. The sun was still up. I hoped that would keep the Demons away. I hailed a taxi and we piled inside. I gave the driver instructions and driver sped off, taking us into the city. Traffic was prevalent and the sidewalks were filled with tourists. The ride was silent. I kept my eyes on the sun, watching it slowly descend. This was taking too long.
Finally, we pulled up to the Hotel. I helped her with her bags while Jasmine grabbed her baby carrier. When we stepped in, I checked her family in, insisting they stay in Tabitha’s suite. After verifying my identity, they agreed. Luckily, Jasmine was focused on feeding her child and did not hear when I said her family would be staying there indefinitely. I did not want to worry her. I did not want to upset her. Eventually, I would tell her the truth if I had the opportunity. For now, I wanted to give her a
sense of safety. It was the least I could do.
I owed her my son’s life. And in a way, mine as well.
Deep down, I knew it was a debt I could never repay.
Chapter 9.
Once settled into their new rooms, Jasmine thoughtfully changed my son and gave me two bottles of milk for him.
“If you need me to feed him still, you can leave him with me,” Jasmine offered as she stroked his head. “I hope it did not come across that I didn’t want him still. I just...” She let her voice trail off as her lips trembled. Despite the fact that I was aware just how much Jasmine had endured, it still struck me as strange to see the trauma written so easily on her face. It reminded me that even though she had immeasurable strength, she was still human. “I just wanted to comfort my daughter.”
I nodded my head. “I understand,” I said. “Our progeny are our priority. I would never fault you for that.”
She smiled. “He makes the cutest grunting noises,” she told me.
The fondness she felt for my son was painfully obvious, despite the fact that he had put her own daughter’s life in jeopardy. I knew she felt conflicted. I knew she was guilty. I was not sure if I would have done the same thing had our positions been reversed.
I would always admire her for her courage. It was courage I did not think even I possessed.
“Thank you for the offer, Jasmine,” I said, my words sincere. “But I’m hoping his mother will be awake by the time I get back.”
Kadie had to be awake. If she wasn’t... I didn’t know what that meant but I knew it couldn’t be good. Tabitha was in pain but she was up. She was moving. She was conscious. Kadie, on the other hand...
I did not like to picture the way she was. I shook it from my mind and focused on my son. With reluctance, I tucked him into the carrier Jasmine had given me to wear while I flew. It would be handy if I needed to fight with him in my arms. That was not something I wanted to entertain because it would put him at risk. However, I could not predict what would happen with these Demons who seemed to disappear from one place to the next, who could somehow come out during the day.
