Dark Wings (Never Dark Book 1)

by Skyla Madi

“I like it when you wear your hair down.”

  I gave her a tight smile. “Thanks.” I think.

  ***

  By the time I got a proper reading on the location of the Trackers and left the Earth HQ, it was night time. Bare branches interlaced above me as I crawled through the thick underbrush of the Logansville Parklands, searching for the Tracker demons. The dry smell of decaying leaves tickled my nose. Thorny wild vines tugged at my catsuit, but failed to cling to the leather. Rain drizzled down upon me, making me shiver whenever a few drops landed on the bare skin at the back of my neck. I pushed past a few tiny trees and crushed a few small saplings under my boot before I stepped out into a small opening. Oops. The last thing Earth needed was less trees. I crouched down and tried to stand the sapling up against another sapling. When it looked comfortable, I cautiously made my way through the clearing, wiping the sticky sap onto the thigh of my catsuit. A small smile played on my lips as the sound of the Tracker demons growled around me, hidden by the dense shrubbery. I loved this. Killing demons was what I lived for. The thick dressing of the trees above allowed little light to filter through, but that was okay. I could see well enough, and like I’ve said before, Trackers are child’s play. With a gnarly growl, a Tracker launched itself at me. I dropped to the floor, letting the huge, pure black dog fly straight over my head and into a thick tree stump. Man, Trackers are dumb. The smaller brown Tracker wasted no time in gunning it toward my face and I let it get as close as I could before I grabbed it by the throat and lifted it off the ground. I held it at arm’s reach so its long teeth didn’t bite my face. It thrashed around in my grasp, growling and snapping. The big black Tracker gained its equilibrium and lowered itself for another launch. It bared its fangs and I made the decision to throw this Tracker at the other one as soon as his paws left the ground. Only, his paws never left the ground. The Tracker’s yellow eyes flared with fear and he turned on his feet and ran, disappearing into the parklands.

  “Great, now I have to chase it,” I muttered to the little brown Tracker I still held in my hands.

  “Or you could pick on someone your own size.” His voice pierced through my flesh, igniting my blood. I dropped the Tracker and he fled into the shrubbery, yelping like a lost puppy.

  I turned towards the familiar voice and resentment slivered through my stomach. I did not want to see him right now, but there he was, leaning against a tree in his sexy business pants and sexy white buttoned shirt with that stupidly-sexy black tie. His dark eyes raked me as I stood before him, confused and angry.

  “What are you doing here?” I growled, crouching slightly. I was ready to fight him.

  “Me? I’m here to protect you. Who knows what’s lurking around here.”

  I scoffed. “Protect me? You mean like the time you had me compelled? Nice job, fucker! I was sprayed with a hose, beaten, and drugged until I remembered. And you’re lucky I did remember, otherwise I’d be dead right now!”

  “I’m sorry,” he said. His eyes watched unapologetically as he twisted the tip of the blade on his index finger without cutting the skin. I placed my hands on my head and took several deep breaths. I was so mad.

  “You were an angel… how can you bring yourself to fight against your own people?”

  He chuckled. “They aren’t my people anymore. Demons are my people—I’m a demon.”

  I chewed on my bottom lip. It sucked hearing those words come from his mouth.

  His eyes softened. They became pleading and desperate. “Let me make you like me?”

  My stomach turned and my hands clenched it instinctively. “What?”

  He took a cautious step forward. “Let me make you a demon. We could be together forever… we can love each other again without hassle.”’

  A bitter taste grew in my mouth. He wanted me off Earth one minute and couldn’t live without me the next. God, talk about whiplash. The thought of becoming a demon made me sick. That was the last thing I ever wanted to do. Even If I did crave being back with Lucas again, I never wanted to become a demon to achieve it. “No. I’m an angel and that’s all I ever want to be.”

  His eyes turned eerily dark, his face etched with anger. It’s like a switch was flipped. He reached around his back and produced a small blade from his back pocket.

  “Angels fall, V. I did.”

  He extended his hand and the part of me that Lucas held wanted to take his hand and never look back, but the other part… the other part wanted to end his suffering because the man that stood before me wasn’t the one I fell in love with. I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat and mustered up the courage to smile at him.

  “You didn’t fall. You were pushed.”

  His lips curled into a sardonic smirk and he dropped his hand by his side. “You’ve always had a good sense of humor. I think I’m going to miss that the most.”

  Lucas ran at me, fast. I panicked for a brief second, unsure if he was actually going in for the kill. It wasn’t until he got within two feet I realized he wasn’t Lucas.

  He was Death.

  Shit.

  Clash

  Lucas

  I swung at her and the blade barely missed her beautiful face. Violet dropped to the floor and rolled across the damp floor of the reserve. I didn’t come here to hurt her. I’d come here to keep an eye on her and keep her away from my brothers. Somewhere between then and now, my inner demon had taken over. She jumped back to her feet, dodging another punch and kicking me square in the chest. Violet had got so much stronger since the days we used to train and I knew I’d made the right choice in choosing her to become an angel. I stumbled backwards and caught a glimpse of the half-star on her uniform and I decided to hit her where it really hurt—her pride.

  “Aw, did I do that?” I smiled because I knew I got to her. “It suits you so much better.”

  She ran at me, baring her perfect white teeth in anguish. She threw combos at me, all of which I managed to dodge. This infuriated her more, and as she lunged at me for the second time, I threw up my leg, kicking her in the stomach. Violet flew backwards, landing gracefully with her feet and hand planted firmly on the ground. I pushed off the soft forest floor, launching myself at her. She barely managed to get out of the way as my fist connected with a huge oak tree. Pain radiated through my hand and up my arm, but I ignored it, turning my attention back to her. Her red hair danced around her as the cool wind blew it in different directions. Her blue eyes flickered with fear as the deafening crack of a tree, undecided on which way to fall, filled the forest. “I don’t think I’ve seen you so scared before,” I called out to her.

  She fought hard to fight her fear of me, but she just couldn’t shake it from her eyes. “Yeah? Don’t get used to it.”

  As the massive tree slammed to the ground and Violet lost her balance, I lunged at her, knocking her flat on her back. I dove on her and she thrashed under my grasp. I enjoyed it more than I probably should. Her fist collided with the side of my face and she managed to kick me off. I grabbed for her legs, but missed. We both climbed to our feet and she kicked my hand, trying to force me to drop the blade, but my grasp was too strong. I swung the blade at her and narrowly missed her face. “Ooh, that was close.” I chuckled.

  Her left fist slammed into my stomach and then her right one went directly for my face. I grabbed it and spun her around with haste before planting my shoe on her back and kicking her into a pile of strange, glowing mushrooms. I approached her panting body, ready to go in for the kill, but I fought against my inner demon. I flexed my fingers around the hilt of the blade as I fought inwardly with myself. Before my demon could get the upper hand, my legs were kicked out from underneath me and I fell onto my ass. Violet climbed to her feet and ran from me. She climbed onto the trunk of the fallen tree and watched as I got to my feet. Her chest rose and fell with deep breaths, mine did, too. This fight was going to go on forever, I didn’t have forever. There were things I needed to do, I couldn’t spend all night exchanging blows with her even if
I wanted to. The small leaves of a small tree brushed against my shirt, giving me an idea. I pulled the small tree from the ground and aimed it at Violet. Her eyes widened. “Lucas, what are y—”

  I threw the tree at her. I was convinced it would hit, and momentarily, I felt bad, but then I saw her do a backflip, letting the tree pass cleanly over her stomach before she disappeared behind the fallen tree. It was like the Matrix movie I’d seen once. Immediately, I sprinted towards the tree trunk and vaulted over the top. The tree had collided with another and a pool of splintered wood littered the ground. I looked around, searching for the red-haired beauty, but she was gone. I ran my hands through my hair.

  “Shit! Dammit! Fuck!” I yelled, kicking the tree trunk. My head hurt, my stomach hurt, my hand hurt, and now, I had to find Violet before my brothers did.

  ***

  Some douchebag in a yellow taxi honked his horn at me as I cut across the semi-busy road. Ignoring him, I pushed through the crowds of people that littered the footpath. I was myself again. No demon was forcing my hand. How convenient. I had no idea where Violet had gone. I walked around the parklands for a whole hour before raking every street in Logansville. She was nowhere to be seen. Eventually, I teleported back to the center of Concave City to find a place called the Lion’s Den. It was a dodgy little bar tucked in an alley. War owned it and I didn’t know if he’d be there, but it was worth a try. I found the dirty bar and entered. Shamefully, I fit right in with my dirty clothes. I squeezed past drunk bums and easy women and made my way to the bar.

  “What can I get you?” the bartender asked. He was a big boy, both tall and wide.

  “Shade, where is he?”

  He dried his tattooed hands on a tea towel and threw it on the bar, intimidating to a human maybe, but to me he was just being a nuisance. “Who’s asking?” The bartender had a missing tooth I hadn’t noticed in the beginning.

  “Lucas. His brother.”

  Immediately, the man stiffened and turned toward the white phone that hung on the wall. Around it, the mahogany wall paint was peeling. I shook my head. Why my brother wasted money on these unsavory places was beyond me. He had the means to buy out every decent hotel in this city. Oh well, it was no concern of mine. I didn’t mind being the brother with the higher standards. The bartender dialed a four digit number and spoke quietly into the receiver. He hung up and turned back to me.

  “He’s downstairs.” He pressed the blue button positioned next to the telephone. “Go through the green door and follow the staircase down.” The bartender grabbed his towel and turned away. I followed his orders and entered a narrow staircase. The pungent smell of cigarettes and alcohol filled my nose, leaving a bitter taste at the back of my throat. Hopefully, this wouldn’t take long. I proceeded down the staircase until I came to another door. I opened it and entered War’s underground den. Cheers and screams almost deafened me and I pushed through the crowd to see what the hell was going on. The unmistakable sound of flesh slamming into flesh stood above the roaring of the crowd and I saw the two men at the root of the commotion. They grappled each other, exchanging blow for blow to the ribs. I shook my head. Of course War had unsavory, illegal fights going on underneath his shitty bar. Along the edges of the room, barely clothed women danced in makeshift cages. I startled as a strong hand wrapped around the curve of my shoulder and I turned to find a familiar face. Leo. Leo was War’s right hand man (other than my brothers). I liked Leo. He was loyal but not stupid. His usually unkempt hair was slicked back into a smooth hairstyle and for a guy with unusually light blue eyes, he sure had dark skin.

  “Lucas, fancy seeing you here,” he shouted over the top of the crowd.

  “I wouldn’t be here unless it was necessary. Where’s War?”

  Leo turned and I followed him through the crowd over to another staircase. We ascended it for a few steps before stepping into another room. This room was much different than the large one that housed a hundred people, easily. I preferred this room, it was much quieter.

  “Well, isn’t this a surprise? I never expect you to set foot in my club.”

  “Yeah, well, it’s definitely a big drop in standards from my own club.” I strolled over to the bar, ignoring the topless woman (with incredible natural breasts) that tended it and poured my own drink. “How you can even stomach this place is beyond me.”

  In front of me was a wall to wall window, making War’s box the ultimate seat to view the fights and girls that dangled from the ceiling.

  “We’re animals, Death. We belong amongst animals.”

  I finished my glass of whiskey. “We are gods, not animals.” And I truly believed that.

  Amusement flashed in War’s black eyes. “We want in on your plan.”

  I shrugged. “You’re a few days late. I had a cut off time, remember?”

  “Big deal. We’re telling you now,” Conquest interrupted. He was sitting to War’s right. The girl that sat on his lap blocking him from view slid off, took his empty glass, and strolled over to the bar. I didn’t notice him earlier. It was strange seeing him in loose jeans and a blue t-shirt.

  My fingers ran over the slight stubble on my chin. “Okay, fine.” I glanced at Mikael who was leaning against the window, watching the fight and ignoring us. He was obviously not down with taking over the world early. “We’ll do it next week.”

  “No,” War stated. “We’ll do it tomorrow night.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “That’s not nearly enough time to plan it.”

  “It doesn’t matter. I want to rule now, not next week.”

  “I suggest you—”

  “You will suggest nothing!” War boomed, making the girls in the room jump. They tried to ignore us but I could see the fear form in a thin layer of sweat on their foreheads. “You forget your place. You were the last brother brought into this group and you are the last brother I’ll take orders from.”

  I gritted my teeth and flexed my jaw. War was not someone I wanted to fight with right now. It’d be wasted energy that I could have used to find Violet. “Fine. Tomorrow night it is.”

  “Good. Now, enjoy the women and enjoy the fight.”

  “No, I have things I need to do.” I placed my glass on the glass countertop of the bar and headed for the door. It was clear they didn’t have Violet.

  “She’s gone, by the way,” Conquest growled, forcing me to turn and face him. He flicked his head, clearing his long dark hair out of his face. It curled around his chin. He glanced at my dirty clothes and then back to my face. “After the fight you two had in the parklands, she ran all the way back to headquarters. Your precious angel almost copped an arrow to the head. She didn’t even see me coming. She only just made it inside as my bow connected with the door. That place is lucky it has all the charms and crap, otherwise I’d slaughter each and every one of those angelic, arrogant pricks.”

  I didn’t know how to take what he said. I knew my brothers were tracking her, too, so the fact they knew what happened between us didn’t come as a shock. I was mad he’d tried to kill her. She was mine. I was relieved she’d made it back to headquarters and had possibly gone back to the Never Dark. She needed to get as far away from me as possible. I’d lost myself to Death last time and she barely escaped with her life. I had the feeling that next time she might not be so lucky. I left the room and leaned against the door. I give myself a damn headache. I was hot then cold. I loved her and then I wanted to kill her. I wish my mind would make a decision already. I wanted to protect her from my brothers by trapping her in the Never Dark and ending Earth. Or killing her myself. The thought twisted around my heart like a snake.

  “You look like shit,” Eva said from my desk. She sat in a dark royal blue robe, her legs crossed at the ankles as they rested upon its oak surface.

  “Nah, I feel great.” And I did. I approached her and extended my hands. “Can you look f—”

  She interrupted me. “That’s why I’m here.” Eva took my hands in hers and closed her eyes.


  “She’s not on Earth.”

  “Good.”

  I pulled my tie off and started unbuttoning my shirt.

  “Lucas, I’m not that kind of girl.”

  Her words provoked a chuckle from me. “I know. You are a lady of class and honor.”

  “Ain’t that the truth.” She rose from her chair. “I’ll see you in the morning and we can do another scan.”

  She left the room and closed the door behind her.

  Passion

  Violet

  I walked rapidly from the teleportation chambers at the Never Dark headquarters. Angrily, I pulled random leaves and bits of stick from my hair. People stared at me. The usual. I was a mess, dirt covered my uniform and whatever exposed flesh I had. I stormed right through the lobby and out into the street. I followed the road until I came to an apartment complex similar to mine. It was late and although I knew where Jenga lived, I had no idea what number her apartment was, and strangely, the chart by the buttons didn’t have any names.

  I tried my luck on apartment seven. It was my favorite number, after all. I waited a few minutes and pressed it again. And again. And again until a gruff, tired voice answered.

  “Hello?” the man’s voice asked.

  “Yeah, hello. Is this Jenga’s apartment?”

  No answer came and then the line disconnected. What an asshole. I pressed number nine and another tired male voice answered. “Yeah?” Great.

  “Is this Jenga’s apartment?” I asked quite rudely.

  A scuffle came through the speaker and I pulled away because the distorting noises hurt my ears.

  “Violet? Violet, is that you?” Jenga’s breathless voice asked.

  Awkward. “Um, yeah. I can come back later…”

  “No, no. Please, come up.”

  An annoying buzzing noise ran in front of me as the steel gate clicked open. I was still worked up with some kind of angry energy and I needed to burn it off, so I decided to run up the stairs to room nine. As I passed number seven, I kicked the door repeatedly and then continued up the stairs to Jenga’s apartment. Below me, number seven’s door opened and he began yelling a bunch of swear words, promising my death. I smiled. That was pretty fun.