Demon Warden: A Paranormal Urban Fantasy (The Cursed and the Fallen 1)

by Selene Kallan

  “No idea,” the prince shrugs.

  “Thanks for the help,” I mutter, squeezing myself against the door-frame not to touch him as I leave the room.

  “You’re welcome,” he replies.

  Spence opens the door at the same moment I arrive at it. His eyes are surrounded by purplish circles, hair messy, and his clothes slightly rumpled, something completely not usual about him. My chest constricts painfully as his eyes find mine, my vision blurring.

  Dammit.

  “Dinah?” he whispers.

  “Hi,” I barely manage as he takes a long step and wraps his arms around me, lifting me off the floor. I hug him back, feeling the hole grandma’s death left raw and aching. Tears fall as I cling to Spence tightly, feeling more love for him than I thought I felt; I bury my nose in his neck, inhaling his chocolate and mint scent.

  “Dinah, you’ve been gone a week! You said your grandma was gone and vanished a full week!” He sets me down and takes me by the shoulders. “Do you have any idea of how worried I’ve been? What happened?”

  I can’t come up with an answer, just sob as I realize I am about to leave again, not disappear, but I can’t tell him the truth.

  “Oh, babe,” Spence sighs, hugging me again. I hold on to him and search for a good excuse in my muddled brain.

  “You have to tell me what happened,” Spence repeats.

  “She was attacked by her ex-boyfriend.”

  Spence pulls me behind him and faces the prince. My stomach cramps. Why in the hell did he tell him that?!

  I shoot daggers at the prince, and he ignores me in return, centering his attention on Spence.

  “Who are you?” Spence demands. His voice is steady as he shields me, but I can feel a small current of fear and hot anger inside him.

  Wait.

  I can feel his emotions.

  “Nox,” the prince says.

  Oh, so he can say his name to Spence.

  “What are you doing in our apartment, Nox?” Spence asks.

  “I am in charge of Miss Novak’s protection,” Nox says with nonchalance.

  Spence turns to me, I nod. He eases his posture and runs a hand through his hair.

  “Your ex-boyfriend, the one you’ve never talked to me about, what does he have to do with this?” Spence asks.

  “He came looking for me the night grandma died and…” I can’t continue. Shame colors my face.

  “He attacked her and tried the same back in her hometown,” Nox finishes for me.

  Spence clenches his teeth. “Goddammit, Dinah, you should’ve said something!”

  I flinch, Spence never yells, and especially not at me.

  “I could’ve come with you, Xander could’ve helped too,” he insists.

  “This is my problem to deal with,” I counter.

  Spence sneers. “And your new boyfriend’s too, apparently.”

  “He is not my boyfriend!” I shriek, startling all of us. I take a deep breath. “He is my guardian.”

  Why does that statement feel so right and so wrong at once?

  Spence looks from Nox to me several times, then shakes his head. “I need a drink.”

  I follow him to the kitchen and watch him pour two double shots of vodka. My heart races as I remember what happened in that kitchen, but only for a few seconds. It feels so far away, something certainly worse has happened in such a short time.

  I gulp down the whole thing in a couple of seconds. Spencer arches a brow but pours me another one.

  “So, what now?” he asks.

  “Now I have to leave, for my protection and yours,” I say.

  Spence rubs his forehead. “And what about school? You still have one semester to finish.”

  “I will finish, I will see you around, just not live here anymore,” my voice quivers slightly at the end of that phrase.

  “I’ll give you two some privacy and take your bags to the car,” says Nox. He gives me a quick but meaningful glance and vanishes through the door.

  “I don’t like him one bit,” says Spence as soon as he’s out of sight.

  “He saved me,” I admit, “without him I’d be…”

  Spence sighs when I trail off. “Dammit, Dinah. You can trust me, you know that, don’t you?”

  I swallow and nod. “I’m sorry.”

  “Come here,” says Spence, opening his arms. An offer I can’t reject.

  He holds me for several minutes, leaning his chin on my shoulder.

  “He calls that monstrosity of a limo parked across the street ‘the car’?” Spence asks.

  I sniff-laugh. “Yeah.”

  “Something’s not normal about that guy.”

  You have no idea.

  I pull away gently. “He’ll start honking if I don’t move. I’ll see you around Spence.”

  He looks at me with a mix of worry and deep sadness. “I am here for you if you need me, Dinah.”

  I nod, words failing me

  I fight to regain some composure before getting inside the limo.

  Nox studiously ignores me as I sniffle a bit. I blink, surprised, when he hands me a black silk handkerchief without looking at me.

  “Thanks,” I mutter. He doesn’t reply.

  I look out the window and take a deep breath to calm myself. It takes me a couple of minutes to control the embarrassing tears.

  “How good is your Latin?” Nox asks.

  I lick my dry lips. “Erm, I know some basic words and spells. Ego creo ignis3, incendium4, obex5, a couple more.”

  He nods, amethyst eyes finally meeting mine. “I need you to memorize a summoning spell. If you are ever in danger and say it, I will find you, no matter where you are.”

  I nod. “Okay.”

  “Princeps lucem ac tenebras, et vocavi te.”

  Prince of light and darkness, I summon you.

  “Ominous,” I mutter.

  He arches a brow. “Say it.”

  I obey, feeling a tendril of energy leave me and meet him. A small gasp escapes me.

  “Good,” he says, turning his gaze to the window and goes back to ignoring me.

  A reckless part of me wants to poke him a bit. “So, if I need emergency ice-cream can I use it?”

  A snort comes from the driver’s seat.

  The prince turns to give me a blank stare.

  “How about peanut butter? Milk? Tampons?” I enquire.

  Bryce laughs this time, and I can’t suppress a smile.

  “I take it you’ve never heard the story about the boy who cried wolf then,” Nox drawls, eyes positively arctic.

  I scoff, “you’re no fun.”

  He keeps that slightly exasperated gaze locked with mine, and though I internally squirm, I refuse to be the one who caves.

  My eyes are burning a bit by the time he turns to look out the window. I feel like making a victory dance.

  * * *

  I am sitting on the luxurious bed I woke upon. Was it really just this morning? It feels like longer. The days I was out cold have left me with mountains of work to do, which suits me fine, I don’t want to think about anything to do with crazy demons and supernatural creatures. A knock on the door startles me, my nerves are still on edge.

  “May I?” asks Isir.

  “Sure,” I reply.

  She saunters inside, holding a mug of hot cocoa in her hands. I take it gladly from her and she sits on the bed.

  The cocoa is delicious, creamy, and sweet, bad for the weight, good for the heart. “Mmm, thanks.” Isir laughs. “No problem. How are you holding up?”

  “I am trying not to think,” I confess.

  Isir smiles. “I guess I’d do the same.”

  Her eyes roam the room but I can feel her examining me. The hairs on the back of my neck prick up and I feel static around me.

  “What are you doing?” I ask.

  “You noticed,” she observes. “Testing the strength of your mental shield.”

  I set the mug on the nightstand and put more distance between us.
“I’m not sure I want you doing that.”

  “How about Kazzian, would you like him breaking your defenses?” she inquires.

  “No,” my voice quivers.

  “Aha, so he managed to do it,” Isir says, clicking her tongue. “You need to learn to keep demons out of your mind, so I am here to train you, Nox’s orders.”

  “So, you are under Nox’s command,” I ask, anger leaking in my voice.

  Nox was quiet during the rest of the trip back and disappeared moments after leaving me in the penthouse. His colder than stone attitude is driving me nuts. It was his decision to protect me.

  Isir laughs. “I’m his closest friend, so no, he is not my boss. However, I know my limits as should you.”

  I frown. “What does that mean?”

  “You were considering running away, don’t bother denying it,” Isir says.

  I sigh. I have considered it. Maybe if I just vanish and change states and get a new name…

  “A demon has decided to make you his prey, there is no place to run,” Isir says, shattering my hopes. “You have the advantage of not being fully human, but need some serious training if you want to have any hopes of standing a fight against one of them. And that is exactly what Nox wants me to help him do, isn’t that something you want, too?”

  “Yes,” I reluctantly admit.

  “Good,” Isir yawns. “Get some sleep, the training begins tomorrow.”

  “Ok.”

  She winks and leaves me alone.

  It’s past midnight and I’m still not up to date. Despite being asleep for days, I am tired, so I obey and go to bed. The lack of curtains is not something I am comfortable with, but I have to admit the view of the city is a good distraction. Still, nagging questions burst through my mind.

  Why didn’t grandma tell me I am a Nephilim?

  Where is my angel father?

  Exactly how immortal am I?

  If I need Nox to protect me, then not so much. And even more importantly, why would Kazzian become obsessed with me? Aren’t there other Nephilim out there he can annoy?

  I fight not to relive the attack in the forest, visualizing code to block out any other dark thoughts.

  CHAPTER 7

  DINAH

  “Wake up,” orders a deep male voice I instantly recognize.

  “Go away,” I grumble, not bothering to open my eyes.

  The blanket disappears, and my eyes snap open. “Hey!”

  Nox is standing beside the bed, white blanket in hand. Amethyst eyes hard on my face.

  “What is your deal? Would it kill you to knock?!”

  He ignores me. “I want you dressed and ready to go in five minutes.”

  “Why?” I whine.

  “Because I am training you.”

  I break my glare and peek at the clock on the nightstand. “It’s 5 AM,” I groan.

  Nox arches a dark brow. “Thank you for stating the obvious, now move it.”

  He turns on his heel and makes it for the door. I show his back my middle finger.

  “Very mature,” he grumbles before closing the door.

  I mutter curses as I get up and go to the bathroom. What kind of lunatic gets up at 5 AM? I can’t think straight at that ungodly hour, it takes me three tries to get my feet in the correct sneakers, I’m pretty sure the socks are wrong.

  “Those were ten minutes, not five,” Nox snipes as I stumble with my own feet and glare at him.

  “Shouldn’t you be sleeping in a coffin or something?” I grumble.

  He rolls his eyes. “I am a demon, not a vampire, and that is nothing more than a ridiculous human myth.”

  “Too bad, I’m sure a vampire would be nicer than you, Royal Iciness.”

  He places a hand on my back and ushers me towards the living room. “I’ve heard that one before too.”

  I snort. “Of that, I have no doubt.”

  He opens the massive glass doors and pushes me outside. It’s still dark, some stars visible through white, puffy clouds. I hug myself as chilly air blasts me.

  “You’re a total lunatic!” I cry.

  He ignores me as he closes the doors and walks towards me; I flinch back.

  He arches a dark brow. “I need to touch you in order to transport you.”

  “Transport me as in poofing me?” I asked in disbelief. He nods. “Oh, hell no! What if you forget one bit? What if I’m not made for that? What if—”

  His arm is around my waist in less than a blink, I don’t even have time to scream as amethyst light explodes around us and I feel as if I’m falling. I hold on to him as a reflex, both hands on his shoulders. A swirl of black and amethyst energy envelops us, whipping my hair against my face. The vortex vanishes and my feet are on solid ground. If it weren’t because I’m holding onto Nox, I would’ve fallen on my ass.

  I narrow my eyes at him; he returns the stare with impassiveness; my body is pressed against his, the heat emanating from him makes my cheeks sting. His scent is mouthwatering, and some godforsaken part of me wants to bury her nose in the crook of his neck and inhale deeper. He blinks, a flash of surprise in his amethyst eyes as he lets his hand fall from my waist.

  Get a grip, idiot!

  “You. Are. Mental!” I growl, pushing him away from me in a rather sad attempt to cover the rush of blood on my cheeks. Predictably, I don’t manage to move him one inch.

  “You whine too much,” he says, his voice lacking the usual bite, face once again devoid of emotion.

  I glare at him and take in my surroundings. The sky is orange-gray, breaking dawn in the middle of the desert. There are no visible roads or constructions. Just vast, reddish-brown ground and sparse vegetation. It’s still cold for my taste, but not enough to make my teeth clatter.

  “What are we doing in the middle of the desert?” I ask.

  Icy dread makes me hug myself, I take a step away from Nox as a horrible thought crosses my mind.

  What if he’s brought me here to kill me? Or take my soul or whatever the hell Kazzian was planning?

  I swallow hard and prepare myself to fight or run, knowing it will be futile. Nox’s brow furrows as he examines my now pale countenance and wide eyes.

  He scoffs. “If I wanted to hurt you, I would have done so a long time ago. What part of I have a contract that binds me to your protection you don’t understand?”

  I sigh and lower my arms.

  How can I explain I always expect the worst of people? Especially if they are strong enough to cause me harm. It took me much longer than I want to admit trusting in Spence, being able to sleep soundly in his house.

  I clench my teeth, not allowing the memories to take over, turning around, pretending to be very interested in a cactus as I blink quickly.

  “To answer your question, we are here so you can grow accustomed to your superior speed,” Nox says, his voice leveled.

  I take a deep breath before turning to him. “Superior speed? I’m like the Flash now?”

  “That’s what we’re here to find out,” he says, pointing at the apparently unending desert.

  It’s been a long time since I’ve really run, I used to be quite fast. My empty stomach knots as I stretch my arms and spine, getting on my tiptoes.

  “One should not exercise without a proper breakfast, and what about water, huh? I’ll probably get thirsty. Shouldn’t I see the doctor first to make sure I can do this? No offense, but I don’t exactly trust your assessment.”

  Nox cocks a brow. “Are you done stalling?”

  I stick my tongue out to him. He keeps staring at me like a teacher to a capricious child.

  I position myself in a runner’s stance, feeling ridiculous. “And you won’t join me? Seems rather unfair.”

  He sighs but stands beside me. The black button shirt he was wearing vanishes in a puff of purple smoke and is replaced by a T-shirt, the same black jeans, the fancy shoes are replaced by military-style boots.

  “You’ve gotta teach me how to do that,” I say.

  He
flicks a glance towards me. “I will if you shut up and start running.”

  I fight the urge to make a childish gesture again and begin jogging; he follows me keeping my slow and clumsy pace, there is no pain at all but a sensation of discomfort I know it’s only psychological.

  You can do this.

  I increase the speed expecting to get winded, but my lungs respond with a deep and steady pace that unnerves me as much as it fascinates me.

  “You can do better,” Nox says. I look up to him, his expression is as impassive as always, but it encourages me.

  Focusing on the soft impact of my feet on the ground I am capable of relaxing, the calmer I feel the faster I go. The cool wind strikes my face, I can taste sunlight and dust in it, I can hear the howl of a coyote in the distance. My legs take speed and I can barely feel the impact, the sparse vegetation rushes behind me. Part of me is wondering how much would a speedometer mark, 50, perhaps 60 MPH?

  I don’t know.

  I don’t care.

  I feel free.

  * * *

  Minutes have passed and my breath comes easy, my legs are steady and I’m running at neck-breaking speed. I am barely aware of Nox disappearing from my side, adrenaline and endorphins rush through my blood, I don’t want to stop.

  So this is why people exercise.

  I never understood it before, I used to think it was voluntary torture.

  But now there’s no pain, and I feel like I’m flying. A happy laugh erupts from my throat, I would jump and clap but that would slow me down.

  Slowly the rush starts to dim, and my treacherous brain starts to ask questions. Why did grandma never tell me the truth of what I am? Why would she entrust my safety to a demon?

  I start feeling nauseated. Stopping is harder than I thought, despite having slowed down considerably I almost trip and fall. I put my hands on my knees and breathe with difficulty. The memories of the last few days swirl inside my mind as fast as Nox’s power when he teleported us. I feel numb, completely swallowed by the hole in my chest, by knowing I’ve lost the only family I had left, and with it the answers I so very need.

  “That was a good start.”

  I don’t flinch, quite the opposite, I am relieved by his presence. He hands me a bottle of cool water and I happily down half of it in a few gulps.