by Megan Linski
“Oh Cassia, I’m so proud of you!” Isolde’s wailing. She throws her arms around me and squeezes tightly, smearing her wet makeup across my cheek.
“Thanks, Isolde. I appreciate everything you’ve done.” I smile, and hug her to my chest. I can’t believe it. I’m finally out. I could dance and cheer on the spot.
“We made it.” A familiar, loving voice sounds behind me. I let go of Isolde and try not to ogle my boyfriend in front of her. Even in a graduation gown and cap, Cairo still manages to look sexy.
“We did.” I loop my arm around his waist. “It doesn’t seem like it took long at all, does it?”
“No. I’m really going to miss football.” Cairo stares wistfully at the members of his teammates gathered at the bottom of the stands.
“I’m going to miss my girls.” Lavonne, Emalee, Sydney and I had all said goodbye before we walked. I didn’t know three teenage girls could cry enough to flood the Ark. I was the only one who didn’t get emotional about it; I’m definitely ready to leave and start the rest of my life.
For me, there’s no sense looking back at the past. My eyes are focused forward.
“It’s all right, dear, you’ll see them over the summer,” Isolde reminds me. “Cabo will be fun.”
“It will be.” Lavonne’s dad had paid for an all-inclusive trip to Cabo as a graduation surprise. I don’t know how I’m going to work it in with my Nephilim training, but no matter what, I’m going.
“Oh, there’s your mother,” Isolde says, tapping Cairo on the shoulder. “We’d planned to take you kids out for dinner at Angelo’s to celebrate.”
“We’ll meet you there,” Cairo says. Isolde titters carefully down the stairs in her four-inch-high heels, and I giggle.
“Cabo, huh? Are you going to behave?” Cairo elbows me playfully.
“Oh yeah, I’m just going to get it on with all the hunky boys down on the beach.” I give him a wink.
“Don’t make me check up on you.” He grabs me playfully and shakes my shoulders. “Don’t forget, I can be there in an instant.”
“And I can be anywhere you are.” I give him a peck on the cheek. “Don’t forget that when you’re off at Central.”
The Nephilim council is pretty big on education. They agreed to let Cairo study criminal justice before he makes demon hunting his full-time job.
As for me, they don’t want me in the field until I’ve gotten a few more years of training under my belt, which I’m one-hundred percent cool with. I really don’t feel like risking my neck anytime soon.
Athias is waiting for us at the bottom of the stands when we arrive. He’s the only member of the council that showed up at our graduation.
“Excuse me, Miss Cassia.” He pulls a large envelope out of his suit jacket and says, “I’d like to congratulate you and Mr. Cross. Both of you have very bright futures ahead of you.”
“Thank you, Athias,” I say kindly. He’s a nice man, if a little too dignified. Out of everyone in the council, I like him best. “I appreciate you coming.”
“I wanted to give this to you in person,” Athias says, handing me the envelope. “The Nephilim council needs members to travel, and we consider a position as a pilot to be the perfect cover for our underground work.”
“Wait. You mean…”
I tear open the envelope. Inside is the acceptance letter to the pilot school I applied for weeks ago… along with a full ride scholarship.
“I’m very good friends with the program director. He’s excited to meet you, Miss Cassia.” Athias’ eyes are warm and kind.
“Oh my gosh,” I say. “Thank you so much, sir.”
“You will make an excellent Nephilim one day, Miss Cassia.” Athias turns away. “I’m eager to see what becomes of you, and am willing to nurture you to ensure that you will become the best you can be.”
When Athias is out of eyesight, I start squealing. I jump up and down in excitement, clutching the envelope tightly. “I can’t believe it! This is unreal!”
“Cassia, this is great!” Cairo squeezes me with one arm. “I told you that you’d be a pilot someday, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, but who would’ve ever thought something like this could happen?” I clutch the envelope to my chest, like it’s precious gold. “This is me we’re talking about.”
“Exactly.” Cairo throws his arm around my shoulders. “And now you’re going to be flying planes, just like you wanted. Aren’t you psyched?”
“You have no idea.” I take the letter out of the envelope to read it again. This is like a dream come true.
We throw our caps and gowns on the seat of the truck when we hop inside. A sad thought crosses my mind as I fiddle with the tassels.
“I wish Thames could’ve walked with us.” I look at Cairo. “You know?”
“He’s living it up at college right now,” Cairo says cheerfully. “I don’t feel sorry for him.”
Thames had gotten into a pre-med program down at a university in South Carolina. He got his GED, and then wowed the admissions office with his incredible SAT scores before applying, so they gave him early entry into the spring and summer classes. Thames is a lot smarter than I gave him credit for. In fact, there’s a lot about him that I never knew… and possibly won’t ever know.
But that’s not for him to share with me, anyway. That’s a treasure for another girl, meant for Thames alone. The next girl will be all his. She’ll know all the things about him that I never will.
“We should celebrate,” Cairo says. His grin is mischievous.
“Do we have time? Isolde and Clara are waiting for us,” I say.
“We won’t be long.” Cairo takes a turn down a backroad. When it dead ends, he parks, and holds my hand. “You ready?”
“Yeah.” I still have trouble teleporting, so Cairo usually helps me do it. I close my eyes, focusing on the destination and pretending I’m there.
When I open them again, Cairo and I are balancing on the edge of a precipice of the Porcupine Mountains, teetering perilously on the edge.
Cairo goes to say something, but I’m tumbling off the mountaintop before he does. He gives a wild whoop and follows me, plunging headfirst toward a rushing river below. I extend my arms, and as I do so, the black wings appear. They sail me upward. My body rises against the sun, casting shadows on the rocky surface below.
The Nephilim council didn’t have to train me to fly. I do it naturally, as if I always knew how. A wisp of warm air rushes by my face and I inhale deeply, enjoying the heat of newfound summer. I absolutely love flying. I do it day and night, with and without Cairo. All I want to do is be up in the air.
Cairo grabs my hands. We dance in the clouds, wings moving in syncopation flawlessly. This is what we do, whenever we can; waltz through the skies as one, twirling and dipping together until our wings hurt and we can do so no more.
Knowing we’re short on time, we end the dance on a rock balancing on top of a tall pillar of stone. We sit on the ledge, legs dangling off the side.
“What’s up?” Cairo scooches closer to me. “You’re thinking about something. I can tell.”
I bite my lip. “Something’s been bothering me ever since I got my powers.” I wrap my arms around my chest. “Sometimes I wonder why my powers didn’t Awaken earlier, when I was with Eric. I could’ve protected myself.”
“Eric was a human threat, not a demon, and you didn’t know what you were doing. You didn’t know anything about this world,” Cairo says gently. “Thames and I Awakened so young because we were brought into it immediately, the moment we were born. We knew about it from day one. It’s a lot to expect of yourself to become something you have no realization exists.”
“I guess so.” I sigh. “I have a different perception of it now, though. Things aren’t the same as they were before. In a way, I can at least be thankful that one good thing came out of it.”
“What’s that?” Cairo’s brow narrows.
“I met you.” I look at him, and Cairo smiles. He
raises a hand, cupping the side of my face to give me a deep kiss, long and passionate and true. I return the affection, our lips dancing together like our wings did in the skies.
Stuff happened to me. I’ve been through a lot, and lost a lot. But that’s okay, because it doesn’t change me, nor does it change who I am. My past doesn’t affect my future. I don’t have to run from it anymore. I’m still figuring it out, but now more than ever, I feel like I’m in a place where I belong. I don’t have to be alone.
I have a home. I have a family. Best of all, I have Cairo, and he’s all I’ve ever wanted.
In him, I’ve found my own personal heaven.
TO BE CONTINUED
Torture (Angels & Demons #2)
Love can be hell.
Faline Delamore kicks butt. Having an overprotective angel for a dad and killer instincts makes her the best demon huntress there is... and she's feeling trapped.
Longing for a normal life, Faline heads off to college to get a break from all the slaying. There, she meets Thames Deacon.
Thames is hot... sexy... and dangerous. He's got a dark past and secrets that are even darker. Despite his warnings to stay away, Faline can't keep her distance. Something about Thames makes her go crazy. Something... bad.
Something like love.
Then everything Faline knows changes. A girl arrives, claiming to be her sister, and she has a connection to Thames that Faline can't bear.
But Faline has more to worry about than a broken heart. A monster is seeking to make her his own, and if Faline falls too hard for Thames, she might lose her heart, life-- even her soul.
A twisted young adult novel with a fantasy edge, Torture is the follow-up to the paranormal romance Torrent. A thrilling new adult sequel featuring angels, demons, and monster hunters, readers will enjoy the sweet torture induced on them by USA TODAY Bestselling Author Megan Linski.
Today is not the day to mess with me. Unfortunately, there’s a demon willing to argue that.
God, it’s ugly. Demons are usually beautiful, you know— they have to be, to lure unknowing souls in. But this one has no issue with showing off how hideous it really is.
The Kappa stares at me with large, bulbous eyes. It’s green in color, scaly, and is dripping with muck from the river that it’s just crawled out from. It’s got webbed hands and feet, tipped with claws, could tear a human to shreds.
I smirk. Luckily, I’m no human. Far from it.
I’m standing on the bridge above the river, looking down upon it. It’s a lesser demon, also known as a familiar, some monster that was created by a real demon to cause trouble. Nothing I can’t handle— more or less a nuisance.
I seriously just want to pick up my textbooks. College starts tomorrow. I don’t have time to deal with this bullshit. The bookstore is right there.
The demon gives a thick, screechy wail. It bends down onto too-long legs and leaps into the air, landing upon the wooden bridge and shaking it. I have to grab onto the railing to keep my balance.
“You don’t want to do this, buddy,” I warn. I throw down my purse and open my palm. Magically a sword appears, a thin rapier with a golden hilt. “I’ve had my fair share of crap to deal with today.”
The Kappa squeals at me again, which I take as a no. “Fine. Have it your way.”
The demon charges. It runs at me full speed, its slick feet slipping on the boards of the bridge. When it draws near, it takes a swing, but its hand uselessly falls through thin air as I take a sharp step to the side. The Kappa stumbles and I slash the sword upward. Its left arm comes off with a simple swipe.
“Ha!” I shout. Faline Delamore, 1, demon, 0!
When it sees its arm lying uselessly on the ground, the Kappa wails. Green goop slicks out of the open wound and onto the bridge. Its cries get louder and louder.
“Hey, you asked for it,” I say. I rear the sword backwards to plunge it into its heart and end its suffering, but before I can, the Kappa slaps my hands away. He scrambles to the other side of the bridge and kneels. Two wings, green and splotchy with leathery membranes, sprout from behind its shoulders. The Kappa turns tail and takes off, batting its wings.
“Well, that’s a new one,” I mutter. I’m tempted to let it go, but I know if any humans spot this nasty thing flying around in broad daylight that Dad’s going to read me the riot act. I have to chase after it.
I don’t even have to think about it. My wings, white with a tinge of brown, appear behind me. I squat down, then leap into the air with a powerful thrust. A gust of wind lifts me into the air, and I pump my wings heavily to keep up with the Kappa.
It’s not a very good flyer. The Kappa bobbles and waves in the air to get away from me. By this point, we’re high above town and concealed within the depths of clouds. I catch up to the Kappa and grab onto its slimy shoulder, raising the sword high.
The Kappa snarls, and uses its one good arm to jerk the rapier out of my hand. It tosses it away and then wraps its long fingers around my neck, choking me.
I attempt to wrestle its hands away with my own, but for as gross as it looks, its pretty strong.
I can’t keep my wings pumping and the Kappa isn’t able to keep us aloft. We hurtle toward the ground at break-neck speed. The demon panics as we tumble, yet it doesn’t want to let go and risk its chances of killing me.
I raise my right leg and start slamming my foot into the Kappa’s middle, hard. At first, the demon’s grip is still just as tight, but as I continue kicking it the demon’s hold begins to loosen.
We catch up with my sword, which is still falling through the air. I reach out and grab it, delivering a final kick to the monster as I plunge the sword into its heart.
The Kappa lets out a cry of suffering as it dissolves into a collection of ash. It spills all over me. I glance over my shoulder to see I have no time to bring my wings out and slow down before I hit the ground.
I slam into a collection of tree branches before I come tumbling on top of a car. Not just any car— my beautiful, lovely, piece-of-crap sedan parked just outside of town. My body crunches into the windshield, breaking it instantly, and makes a huge dent in the vehicle.
I groan. I lie there for a few seconds before prying myself off of my car. I look down at it, and swear. “Oh, dammit!”
My car is totaled. That’s what you get for being a Nephilim, I guess. Super strength and a resistance to pretty much everything that can kill you means the car is the victim when you use it as a safety net.
Yeah, I don’t have the money for this. I grab my phone and dial a number, my stomach wriggling nervously.
“Yeah, uh… Dad? I’m gonna need you to pick me up.”
Roman is not happy. In fact, he’s pretty furious.
“This is the eighth car you’ve totaled, Faline,” he snaps as we pull into our driveway. My car is getting towed; to the junkyard. I’m out of a car the night before college. Great.
“Every single car I’ve ever wasted is a result of me fighting demons,” I rebuke. “How is this my fault?”
Dad lets out a sigh. He gets out of the car and walks around to let me out, a habit that he’s never quite gotten rid of. He makes sure to block me in between the sidewalk and the road as we enter our home, a standard, two story suburban house that’s about as boring and plain as it sounds.
“Faline!” Roman shouts as I scamper to the stairs to get to my room.
I pause on the first step before I turn around to face him. “Yes?”
He leans on the kitchen countertop, raising an eyebrow. “In here, please.”
I sigh dramatically and roll my eyes before I drag my feet to the kitchen. I plop myself into a high-rise chair and ask, “What?”
His gaze is stern, but beyond that lies concern. “Are you sure you’re ready to go tomorrow?”
“Yes, Dad!” I shout. “You know ever since I got my acceptance letter I’ve been dying to go to Great Lake State!”
“You’ve never been in a traditional school,” he argues. “Y
ou’ve been homeschooled all your life, not to mention you’ve never stayed anywhere but this house.”
“Exactly. I’m eighteen years old, and I haven’t even been to a sleepover,” I say. I hate that my voice sounds whiny. “I’ve never been anywhere or done anything except hunt demons. I’ve never even had any real friends. You’ve never let me get close to anyone but you.”
My head drops. Every time I showed any hint of developing relationships with people outside the family, Dad moved us somewhere else until I stopped trying.
Humans aren’t to be trusted, he told me. They’re weak. Fragile. Dangerous. Meant for us to protect, and not to befriend.
Dad grimaces. “There’s a reason for that. I know it wasn’t easy growing up, but everything I’ve done is to keep you alive— to keep the Nephilim council from finding you. You aren’t very careful, Faline.”
A shadow passes over his handsome face and muddled brown eyes. There’s the darkness in him… even though he’s an angel, I know my dad would do anything to protect me— or kill anyone. After he lost my mother in a tragic fire a few years after I was born, he’s done everything to keep me safe.
And keep me locked up.
“The Nephilim council won’t find me. They never have,” I insist. “I’ll be at college with a bunch of people my age. It’s the perfect place to hide.”
“Do you know what they’d do to you if they found you?” Roman gets a cup of coffee. He sips at it tenderly, almost nervously.
“Yes,” I say plainly. “I know they’d use me for a slave to kill demons, or kill me instead.”
I don’t add that I don’t see much of a difference between my dad making me hunt demons or the council, but still.
I get off the chair, and grab Roman’s arm. “Please, Dad. Let me do this. We agreed that if things don’t work out within the first semester, I’ll come back home. You promised.”
