The Nightwalkers Saga: Books 1 - 7

by Candace Wondrak

  My hand reached for the doorknob, but it was locked from the outside. Crap.

  An animalistic rumble left his chest as he tugged one, final time and unshackled himself to the wall. The chains collided with the floor, creating a jarring sound as he dragged them while moving closer to me.

  Within a second his hands were around my neck, and he let loose a growl as he tried choking me. I did my best to fend him off, but he had Demon strength, after the first blow to his gut, he took a hand off my neck and broke my right wrist with one swift crack.

  I swore, or did the best I could with hardly any blood in my brain or air in my lungs. Breaking any bones didn’t feel too pleasant.

  With one final swearword, he took us to the ground, and I closed my eyes, feeling oddly cold.

  The coldness faded the moment I opened my eyes to view the broken top of Raphael’s church, the sensation of a broken wrist and someone’s hands around my throat lingering in my mind. I jerked to a sitting position, reaching to my neck tentatively.

  “Are you all right?” Raphael asked. “You look a tad pale.”

  “I’m fine,” I was slow to say. “I just had a vision.”

  “A vision?” Raphael echoed. “You have visions?”

  To that, all I could do was roll my eyes, because I knew I already had that talk with my Raphael.

  Chapter Thirteen – John

  Raphael told Kass she could use his bedroll. In spite of everything he was, he remained a gentleman. One thing I never was, apparently. My brother would be the first to agree on that. I was the one fathers kept their young daughters away from, the one wealthy old women desired. Flirting with the ladies was an innate talent of mine, one that I honed over the two centuries I’d been like this.

  Cursed.

  But Murphy’s Law would dictate that the one girl I wanted the most would be the one I would never have. The one I couldn’t have.

  I should have known he would sense her. I should have known he would come for her. I thought that he would take her, but to my surprise, when Raphael and I returned to the church, she was still there. She had no idea just who she came face-to-face with.

  Now she was fast asleep in the back room, and I couldn’t for the life of me think of going back there. I chose a hard pew and laid in it. Despite the fact that it was night constantly in this world, I wasn’t tired.

  Maybe that was because I knew he would come back for her. A Demon’s sense.

  That’s why I wasn’t surprised when I felt something soundless command me to get up and leave the church. That’s why I wasn’t shocked when I met Raphael outside. He looked oblivious to what was happening, but I knew he felt the same things I did.

  A large, black being came down from the sky, landing gracefully on his large, clawed feet. His eyes were filled with literal fire, and his mere presence made me sweat. His grey skin reflected the moonlight, his wings dissipating into wisps of darkness.

  “What do you want now?” I asked irately, crossing my arms. I wished desperately that I didn’t have to listen to him, that I could ignore whatever he was about to say, but I just couldn’t.

  It was impossible.

  “Watch your tone with me, Demon,” he spoke to me, baring his sharp teeth.

  All I could do was frown in silence.

  He continued, glancing from me to Raphael, “I need to know what you’ve told her about me.”

  Raphael shrugged once. “I said that you were long gone. There’s no way she knows, if that’s what you’re wondering. I thought knowing would only hurt her.” He spoke calmly and confidently, his years of experience clear.

  “Good,” he replied.

  “If you’re asking me,” I spoke through clenched teeth, “to lie to her, I won’t do it.”

  He turned his horned head to me, towering over me with his immense height. “You have no choice. You will not tell her what I am, and you will back any story I give her.” The wind picked up, slowly eating away at his grey flesh. The darkness blowing off him like hair in the breeze.

  I glared at him hard, watching as he morphed from the eight-foot-tall beast to nothing but the Devil in disguise, wearing a face that he hadn’t donned in years. After the darkness was gone, he still stood taller than I, his frame wider and larger than mine, just as it was before. The fire burning in his eyes was gone, but I knew it was simply hidden behind that deceiving blue gaze.

  “Return,” he spoke. “I want her to answer the door.”

  Raphael disappeared in a blue rift, but I lingered, a question on my brain. I turned to him, to his aged face, asking, “What do you hope to gain from this lie? Her trust?” I gritted my teeth as I added, “Her love?” I hated saying it aloud. “When she finds out who you are, what you are—and make no mistake, it’ll happen—she’ll hate you.”

  His voice dripped venom as he said, “Then make sure it doesn’t happen, because if it does, I’ll take what’s left of your soul and make you wish you never broke that totem two hundred years ago.”

  I bit back any snarky reply, for I knew he never made threats. Only promises.

  As I returned to the church, pretending to be asleep, I did something I hadn’t done in years: prayed.

  For her.

  Chapter Fourteen – Kass

  My dreamless sleep was interrupted by a series of loud knocking. I was up and running out into the church, wondering why neither Raphael nor John had answered. With a yawn, I shook off the remainder of my grogginess and pointed to the doors, which both men currently stared at and made no moves to answer it.

  “Well? Neither of you is going to get that?” I questioned. “Last time it wasn’t good. I doubt whoever is on the other side of that door is an angel.” As I blabbered on, neither John nor Raphael moved an inch. “Okay, okay, hold your horses, I’ll get it. Apparently, it can’t be that bad, since neither of you are gearing up for war.”

  I wiped the corners of my eyes, whining somewhat as I went to the set of double doors.

  “If whatever’s on the other side of this door kills me,” I said, “I’m coming back as a ghost and haunting the crap out of you.” Once it was said, I pulled open the right side door, gazing out at the dark overgrown world spread before me.

  A person’s tall frame blocked most of it from my view. I angled my head upwards, squinting. I knew that crooked nose and that square jaw. The moment I met eyes with his blue stare, my heart skipped a beat.

  Before I knew what I was doing, I wrapped my arms around his chest, exclaiming, “Gabriel. I thought…well, I thought I’d never see you again, or at least for a long while. Thank God you’re all right. By the way Raphael talked about you, I thought you were dead.” I said all of this directly into his chest, so it came out very muffled.

  Gabriel was unhurried in setting his arms around me, hugging me like it was the weirdest occurrence in the world.

  That’s when I realized it was.

  This wasn’t my Gabriel.

  I took a step back, studying him. “Sorry. I forgot you, uh, you’re this world’s Gabriel.” I chuckled as I ran a hand through my hair, watching as he entered the church.

  He was less giddy and happy-go-lucky, that much was obvious. But his face was also older, more mature. His stubble thicker. If I had to guess his age, I’d say mid to late twenties. His hair was not a platinum blonde, but a dirty yellow, styled in an undercut, something my Gabriel always talked about getting. None of the intricate tattoos seemed to grace his body, which was covered in mainly black, something my Gabriel would never wear. All black? Too goth, he would say.

  Though I couldn’t believe it, if this was the Gabriel I had to look forward to in eight years, I hoped I would live that long. He was a drop-dead gorgeous specimen of a man. I felt the heat rising to my face, and I spun on my heel, waiting for the inevitable mocking and teasing that would surely follow a thought like that.

  Only it didn’t come.

  Because…this wasn’t my Gabriel. This Gabriel couldn’t read my mind.

  Oh, th
ank God.

  At that, I sighed explosively and fanned myself with a hand. Both John and Raphael were staring at me, so I immediately ceased the fanning motion and gestured to the older Gabriel behind me. “It’s Gabriel. Looks like you don’t have to worry about me coming back to haunt you.”

  The look John gave me told me that A) my joke wasn’t funny and B) he noticed the way I got a little hot and bothered.

  “John, Raphael,” Gabriel addressed both men as we moved farther into the church after closing the giant door. “It’s good to see you.”

  Raphael, ever the amiable one, except with me in my world, spoke first, “And it’s good to see you again as well. I thought you were long gone.” He smiled, but I saw how it was forced.

  “Yes, tell me, Gabriel,” John said his name like it was acid on the tongue, “how many years has it been?”

  The muscle in Gabriel’s jaw tensed as he replied, “Too many. Now.” He glanced to all of us, but mainly at me. “Can someone tell me what’s going on?” His voice quieted, “I thought we lost you.”

  “John,” Raphael spoke before I had the chance to answer Gabriel, “help me with a tome in the back.”

  John mumbled something incoherent, but nonetheless stood and went in the back with Raphael, leaving me alone with this older and, God help me, more attractive Gabriel.

  I eventually faced him. “Looks like it’s my job to tell you.” I pointed to a pew. “Sit down. It’s a long story. Well, not really, but I could make it long if you want.” I smiled at him, but he did not return the smile, so it fell off my face quickly.

  I sat in a pew, and he was slow to follow, sitting beside me, our legs touching. It felt weird to be this close to Gabriel. If it was my Gabriel, it wouldn’t be so strange. We slept in the same bed all the time. We wrestled out our arguments. I’d even fallen asleep on him, once. We had next to no boundaries, other than the fact that he was not allowed to see me naked. That was one boundary I planned to keep in place.

  With this Gabriel, I didn’t know what boundaries to put up, how to act around him, what to say. If the world went down the toilet all because I died, I couldn’t even imagine how Gabriel took it.

  Though he did look remarkably well.

  I met his heavy gaze, feeling awkward beneath it. “I, um, I went into the woods to find weapons for these Nightwalkers and I came across this Demon with glowing eyes and a yellow staff. It used its staff and the next thing I know I open my eyes and I’m here, in this world where I apparently died and everything turned awful.” I frowned somewhat. “I guess it’s a pretty short story after all. Not too many details I can add to it.”

  Gabriel gave me a look that I couldn’t decipher.

  “What?” I questioned.

  “I’m sorry,” he said quietly, “it’s just…I can’t believe that you’re here, Kass. That you’re you.” Gabriel’s arm was suddenly on my shoulder, pulling me into his chest. This hug was a lot less awkward than the one we had at the door.

  I couldn’t say if that was a good thing or not.

  “I’ve missed you so much,” he murmured, his other hand tangling in my long hair. Gabriel inhaled deeply, and if I didn’t know any better, I’d say he was smelling me. “You have no idea…”

  I grinned into his chest, saying, “Oh, I think I might have some clue.” He was sluggish to let me go, but he didn’t pull back his head, which led our noses to touch. I coughed and scooted a few inches away. “Anyways, uh, Raphael thinks it was a Sorcerer who brought me here with some spell, and any spell can be reversed. We just have to figure out how.”

  The reaction on Gabriel’s face was not one that gave me hope, but doubt.

  Doubt was something I didn’t need.

  I grabbed his hand. “You know I have to go back, right? I can’t stay here. This isn’t my world.”

  It was a long, tense while until he whispered, “I know.” After saying it, he just seemed sad, and sad Gabriel was a Gabriel I wasn’t used to handling. Rowdy Gabriel, sarcastic Gabriel, inappropriate Gabriel. I could handle all those Gabriels.

  But sad Gabriel?

  That wasn’t my forte.

  “Until then,” I finally said, squeezing his hand tightly as I moved it to my lap, “you’re staying with us, right?” When he didn’t immediately reply, I said again, “Right?”

  Gabriel’s hand was no longer limp in mine. His fingers intertwined with mine, and he spoke, “I could never leave you.”

  With a sigh, my eyelids dropped, and I set my head on his arm. Even if he wasn’t my Gabriel, even if he was a sad, good-looking version of him, I felt better with him here. I felt safer. We might always get into trouble together, but regardless of what it was, we got out of it. We survived. We did everything together.

  The me in this world, though, wasn’t so lucky.

  Chapter Fifteen – The Prince

  She was fast asleep, her breathing steady, her chest rising and falling evenly. Even unconscious to the world, she was more than I hoped for. Hope was not a specialty of mine, but being with her gave me more hope than I could’ve asked for. I watched her breathe, watched her chest rise and fall. She was alive.

  Kass was everything.

  I sat beside her, hunched, leaning my back against the wall. A tendril of hair covered her face, and I gently moved it aside, amazed at how perfect she was. Why did I keep it to myself all those years? Why didn’t I have the balls to tell her, to save her? Instead, I failed her.

  I would not fail this one.

  I spoke softly, faintly, barely at all, “I will not fail you.”

  Kass abruptly tossed, murmuring, “Don’t forget the meatballs and the…giraffe…” And once again, she was asleep.

  I slowly laid down beside her, placing my head beside her pillow, staring into the flawlessness that was Kassandra Niles. My hand was even slower to reach for her, cupping her face like I did when I was in my true form, when she didn’t recognize me.

  Her skin was as smooth as satin, softer than anything I’d ever felt. How could I have let her slip through my fingers? How could I have lost her? What stupidity was in my head when I let all those years go by and never once said to her how I felt?

  I was the biggest moron.

  The Prince of Darkness, admitting a mistake.

  It was something I wouldn’t do again, trust me. My pride wouldn’t allow it.

  “I promise you,” I whispered, hushed, “I will protect you. I…” Whatever else I was about to say was halted when I sensed the feelings of a particular Demon in the rafters of the church. My caring persona fell off my face instantly, and within the blink of an eye, I was in the shadowy rafters, standing behind John with a scowl on my face.

  John was busy fiddling with his bow. “Who would’ve thought that the Devil himself would come back to town for one girl.”

  “You should’ve known I would feel her presence, as I’m sure others have,” I told him, my voice low and deadly. “And when they come for her, you’ll be thankful I’m here.”

  “You can’t be so naïve that you believe she won’t find out your true face” was what the greater Vampire chose to say to me.

  “Well, you’re brooding attitude isn’t helping much, if we’re being honest here,” I stated seriously.

  “I’m not afraid of Hell. It can’t be worse than this world.”

  I stood beside him. “Take it from its ruler, this world is nothing compared to what mine holds.”

  John smirked to himself. “If you’re ruling it, it must be pretty bad.” His dark gaze moved to me, examining my human form. “You’re tricking her, deceiving her. You know that. But I guess to the Devil, lying comes naturally.”

  “If you’re insinuating that I enjoy deceiving the love of my life,” I spoke quietly, deliberately, “you’re wrong.”

  “That is not the same Kass you loved,” John attempted a different tactic.

  I took an aggressive stance, baring my teeth. “You didn’t know her like I did. That is her.” I turned my head to the di
rection of the room where she still slept, oblivious to us and our discussion. I could hear her snooze peacefully, and I wished I was beside her, holding her, touching her, loving her.

  “She is my Kass,” I whispered.

  John was broodily silent for a few moments until he muttered, “Once Raphael figures out how to reverse the spell that sent her here, are you going to let her go, or do you plan on keeping her here against her will? If given the choice between going back to her world and staying here, do you really think she’ll choose you? She has her own you, a non-evil you by the sound of it.”

  “Evil is a relative term, don’t you think?” I posed my own question. “I could tear out your heart and toss you off these rafters, feed your soul to the hungry beings down below. Is it evil, or is it justice? Is it what you deserve after killing—how many women was it?” I noted the way John winced, and it gave me satisfaction.

  “That was a very long time ago,” he hissed.

  “To an immortal being, time is also relative.”

  John chuckled, clearly fed up with the conversation. “Go back to your girl, Devil, and lie to her some more.”

  I silenced him by grabbing his throat and lifting him in the air. He weighed nothing to me, and he couldn’t fight me or my will. “You’re lucky that Kass cares for you somewhat, otherwise I’d be rid of you right here and now. Your sudden disappearance would give rise to too many questions.” With a sudden jerk, I dropped him and stepped away, wiping my hands off as if I were covered in filth from touching him.

  I grew disgusted with the Demon before me and appeared back in the room where Kass laid, fast asleep.

  Being in the same room as her soothed me instantly, and as I laid beside her, John’s questions rose in my head. Could I let her go? Would I?