The Damned and The Pure Series: Books 1-4 (The Damned and The Pure Series Box Set)

by J. D. Stonebridge

  “Let’s refocus, shall we?” Lili said, her hands on her waist. They had bound the djinn to a metal chair with the charmed ropes Lili had supplied. The monster did not protest, however. It did not struggle when Lili brought it, nor when they bound it. Ariel would have thought the djinn was already dead if not for the shifting of its milky white eyes.

  Lili bent down to meet its eyes and smiled like a girl looking at a doll. Ariel couldn’t help but find the female demon both intriguing and frightening.

  “Let’s get started.” Lili lifted her hand and flicked her fingers. At the sound of the motion, the djinn’s head suddenly snapped up and it wailed in torment. Its mouth opened wide and cried into the sky. The sound sent chills through the angel, causing her to recoil.

  “Oh, don’t fret. This place is soundproofed. I made sure of that,” Lili said with confidence. “Although this screaming is kinda getting distracting.”

  She walked over to the djinn and slapped it on the forehead. The monster remained in its position, though its screams became silent.

  Ariel looked at the monster with horror. “What are you doing to it?”

  “Sealing parts of its soul,” Lili explained. “The problem with spirits is that they can only feel pain in one way; poking at their soul, as opposed to other monsters that you can poke anywhere and they’ll just scream.”

  The troubled angel looked from Lili to Caelum. He stared at her with concerned eyes. “You don’t have to stay,” he told her. “I can ask the questions.”

  Her blue eyes widened, staring down at the floor as if it held the answer. She remembered the screams Lili had forced her to hear earlier and the screams of the djinn whose cries had fallen silent under the demon’s spells. They sent fear to her core, and yet the demons did not even flinch. Have I gone soft from my years of imprisonment? Torture hadn’t been something she’d resorted to, even before she’d been caged. But she had seen despair and torment. Why does it affect me now when it didn’t before?

  “I’m staying,” Ariel announced. She needed to do this herself.

  “Now that that’s settled.” Lili turned back to the monster and placed a palm on its scalp. She forced the djinn to lower its head to look at her. “I will release your voice, but if you scream like a bitch, I’m gonna do something that will make you scream even more. Got it?” Lili stood back and released the djinn. The monster’s voice returned, and it panted heavily.

  Lili turned back to Caelum and Ariel, gesturing to the monster. “Well, the guest is waiting.”

  Caelum looked at Ariel whose eyes burned with determination. She walked forward and stood in front of the djinn. It looked up at her with its white eyes. Despite it having no irises, Ariel could still see the fear in them.

  “Tell me,” Ariel began. “Do you recognize what I am?”

  The djinn’s voice was cracked and dry. “Yes.”

  “Are you acquainted with one of my kind?”

  The djinn did not respond. It pursed its dry lips and lowered its head.

  “Answer me!” Ariel demanded. But instead of an answer, the djinn let out a hoarse scream as if it was choking. It shook its head violently, crying and pleading. Ariel turned to see Lili’s eyes fixated on the monster, a sadistic smile on her face.

  “Stop it,” she ordered the demon who looked at her with disdain before complying.

  The djinn heaved, pulling its body in an attempt to free itself. But alas, the bindings on it were far too strong.

  “Speak,” Ariel demanded again. “Tell us what you know of the fallen angel gathering the monsters.”

  “No,” the djinn said weakly. “I will not.”

  “What are you fighting for?” Ariel asked. “What is it that made you believe in the false claims of this fallen angel?”

  The djinn remained silent, unwilling to divulge the information it held. Instead, it looked up to the angel and claimed, “I see desires.”

  “What?” Ariel asked.

  “I see desires. Yours and theirs. Selfish ones,” the djinn said slowly. “You desire information not for Heaven’s purpose. Your reasons are selfish, too.”

  Ariel stared at the monster in disbelief. Djinns were monsters of fear and desire. Desire was their weapon, and she should not fall prey to it. “I ask the questions, monster. Tell me who the angel is and what his plans are.”

  “Oh, this is going nowhere.” Lili threw her hands up. She walked over and passed Ariel, bumping into the angel’s shoulder. The demon leaned forward, holding on to the back of the chair for support. She moved in close to the djinn, smiling at its face. “Hey, weirdo. You already know what’s coming to you if you don’t speak, right?”

  The djinn looked back at her. “There are worse things than death.”

  “I agree,” Lili said. Before Ariel could stop her, Lili placed her palm on the djinn’s bald scalp. The monster wailed in pain again. Its body and head shook violently, desperate to for the demon to stop. But his attempts weren’t enough against the grinning demon who had no intention of releasing it. “Come on! Do us all a favor and stop provoking me! Only a shred of self-restraint is keeping me from ripping out your soul!”

  “N- No…!” the djinn struggled to say in the midst of his screams.

  “What was that?” Lili asked, excitement in her voice.

  “Lili!” Caelum called out to her. Lili stopped tormenting the creature and looked over her shoulder. She gave Caelum a bored look. “What now?”

  “Will you please take it down a notch? It’s becoming counterproductive,” Caelum said.

  “Counterproductive?” Lili repeated with scorn. “Isn’t this what you wanted? An interrogation?”

  “Yes, but we can’t have our captive dying before it can even speak.”

  “Oh, come on.” Lili removed her hand from the monster to face Caelum. “There’s a reason why I chose an Earth-bound spirit. It won’t really die unless I remove its soul. Which I won’t. Not yet.”

  “And how will the creature tell us what it knows if all it can do is scream?” Ariel was the one who spoke, glaring at Lili. “You are having too much fun with this, demon.”

  “Of course, I am. That’s all you offered me for this, isn’t it? Fun,” Lili pointed out. “Don’t talk high and mighty to me. We’re doing this for you, remember? You owe us for this.”

  “I don’t owe you anything, demon,” Ariel hissed.

  Lili laughed. “Oh, this is why I hate you angels so much. You claim to be so pure and innocent. But here you are making deals with two demons, and you’re not even willing to pay up.”

  Ariel set her jaw. “Do not challenge me—”

  “Oops…” Caelum held the angel by the shoulder and pulled her away from Lili. Ariel turned to him, anger bright on her face. “Let’s not turn this into another catfight, hmm? Come on, I think you require some fresh air to clear your thoughts,” he announced and proceeded to take her arm. He looked over to Lili and the djinn. “Lili, please play nice. It may defeat the purpose if you lose your focus.”

  “Yeah, sure,” Lili grumbled.

  Caelum smiled and turned to Ariel. “Shall we give them some privacy?”

  Ariel looked over at Lili and the monster with narrowed eyes. She disliked how the events were playing out, but she couldn’t deny how it could be put to their advantage. But the sound of the djinn’s tormented screams were too much for the angel to stomach. The sound of its pain put a bitter taste in her mouth. She shook Caelum’s hand off her arm and walked out on her own, the demon following her.

  The air was cold and smelled of water when they stepped out. Ariel paced towards the waters and stared into the bright moonlight. She breathed heavily, flushing out the screams that still lingered in her mind. She despised how she had lowered herself to achieve her goals. Is this the curse of this mortal world?

  “Don’t let it get to you,” Caelum said from behind, watching her. “This world is full of pain and terror. Don’t take it personally.”

  Ariel didn’t respond, nor did sh
e turn to him. She hugged herself. The world is full of terror, huh? The angel refused to accept such logic. This is our God’s world, after all.

  “Don’t worry, though. Lili will get that information for us,” Caelum assured her, walking to her side.

  “Perhaps you should join her,” Ariel suggested bitterly.

  Caelum looked at her in wonder. “No, I really don’t want to. I think I’ve told you, torture isn’t really my cup of tea; hence, the reason I don’t like to engage in combat.”

  “A demon who does not like to inflict pain. Tell me, what makes you so different from your friend in there and the rest?” Ariel challenged him.

  “I consider myself better looking than any of them are,” Caelum said with a grin. “But I jest. First off, I am not a sadist. I find what entertains them rather boring, if not annoying. Honestly, I can’t imagine how Lili can stand the crying of that monster she has under her palm.”

  “Isn’t it your duty to torment souls?” Ariel asked.

  “Now, don’t be prejudiced. A lot of demons love to torment others because they are tortured themselves. Most demons are tormented human souls that were damned into Hell. And torturing others is like therapy for them to get rid of the memories of their own pain by projecting it on others.”

  “And you are not like that?”

  “No,” Caelum said. “Because, lucky for me, I don’t remember.”

  Ariel tilted her head to the side questioningly. “What do you mean?”

  “Demons who were once humans have their memories removed. Everything from before is forgotten. But they remember their pain and how Hell twisted their souls. That’s why they have nothing to hold on to besides that pain and feel the itch to transfer that pain. As for me,” Caelum placed his palm over his chest, “I don’t remember either. My memories are only of my life as a demon.”

  Ariel thought of his words and how he nonchalantly talked about it. “Do you want to remember?”

  Caelum smiled at her. “What do you think?”

  Ariel let out a soft chuckle. “Of course you do not. Why would anyone want to remember pain?”

  Caelum looked at her thoughtfully, then turned away to look at the moon high above their heads. “’I don’t want to remember,’” he quoted her. “That’s what you said before. Is it also pain that you don’t want to remember?”

  Ariel’s eyes widened. “I—”

  “What was it, Ariel? You said, ‘You forced me to commit another crime and I will be punished once again’. What did you—”

  “Don’t!” Ariel snapped at him. “Do not ask about it.”

  “Oh…” Caelum frowned at her. “I shared my story, and you’re not willing to?” Ariel shot him a glare and he chuckled. “Oh, well. Maybe I can convince you with another story, then.”

  Ariel didn’t respond again, either not interested in hearing more, or not interested in stopping him from saying more. The angel wasn’t sure.

  “Sorry to say, but you’re wrong about something,” Caelum began. “I do want to remember.”

  “What?” Ariel asked. “Why?”

  Caelum’s eyes softened. “Because the memories are a part of me. It’s my right to remember, don’t I?”

  His words hit a spot in her, but she refused to speak about it. Instead, Ariel nodded and kept quiet.

  “It’s kinda unfair that we don’t dream yet create dreams for mortals,” he said. “Dreams are kinda like a mirror of your true self, that’s why I’ve been hoping to dream. I have this awful idea that a dream will show me what I’ve forgotten. Somehow, those memories are still inside my mind, I just don’t have the key to open them. That’s why I’ve been forcing my body to dream, even succumbing to a substance that the humans abuse. Funny that it has the same effect on my body as it does to the humans.

  “And I recently saw a dream. A really interesting one,” he continued, looking at the water. “I saw an old house made of wood. There was this bright light from the door. In that light, I saw a figure basking in the light. At first, I couldn’t see much of the figure, but I felt that I knew that person. I felt that I trusted that person.” Caelum chuckled. “Or maybe I’m just forcing that idea.”

  Caelum looked at Ariel, seeing that the angel was intrigued by his story. “Slowly, the light dimmed, and I got a glimpse of that figure. But only very briefly, not enough to be sure what I saw. It was a woman. At least, she looked like one. She had long flowing black hair much like yours.”

  Ariel felt a lump in her throat. The memories she had been holding down began to surface again. Somehow, the image of the wooden house was in her mind, and being inside a golden light. She pushed away the images. “Impossible…” she muttered.

  Caelum caught the word, but before he could ask what she’d meant, the restaurant door opened. Lili walked out, looking pleased with herself.

  “Mission complete,” she announced. Lili walked over towards them and beamed. “I cracked open that djinn’s jar of information.”

  “What did it say?” Ariel asked, hopeful for a change.

  “Hold on to your panties, sweetheart,” Lili said, crossing her arms over her chest. “Don’t I get a ‘thank you’ first?”

  “You get one when you tell us what it said,” Caelum replied.

  Lili’s mouth pursed into a pout. She sighed. “Fine. How do you feel about attending a monster ball?”

  “That depends. Do I need to wear a costume?” Caelum asked

  “You’re a monster already, no need for that,” Lili said. “Mr. Genie over there said there will be a gathering of their group tomorrow. I’m guessing your wingless angel will be there.”

  “Tomorrow,” Ariel repeated. “Where will it be?”

  “In an abandoned church in Kansas,” Lili answered. “Monsters plotting against Heaven inside a church. It’s almost poetic in its irony.”

  “It could be dangerous, Ariel,” Caelum said. “There may be hundreds of Earthly monsters there. I doubt they’ll just open the doors for you and let you speak to their leader.”

  Ariel knew he was right, but the need to prove herself worthy of Heaven’s trust was still a far more powerful pull. She looked to Lili and asked, “What else did it say? Did it say which fallen angel is leading them?”

  Lili shrugged. “It says it doesn’t know. He never met your runaway buddy personally. It was just recruited by some other djinn.”

  Ariel bit her lip. Knowing the identity of the fallen angel may have allowed her to prepare for her enemy. “I will talk to the monster,” she announced, marching back to the restaurant.

  “No can do, sweetheart,” Lili said. Ariel stopped and looked back to her. “It’s dead.”

  “What?” Ariel’s brows pulled together. “I thought you would not kill it.”

  “Well, it wouldn’t tell me the name and I thought it was just keeping it a secret. So I tried to persuade it,” Lili admitted, smiling wickedly. “Maybe a little too much.”

  Caelum shook his head. “It’s not really advisable to get another monster to interrogate, huh?”

  “No,” Ariel answered. “I’ll just have to face my fallen brother myself.”

  Caelum studied her, seeing the determination in her eyes. He smiled, knowing things were going as he planned. “Then I’ll come with you.”

  Lili burst out laughing. “An angel and a demon crash the party of monsters inside a church. Honestly, this is wonderful.”

  Lili’s ramblings were left unheard as the angel and the demon locked eyes. Ariel knew she had little chance of infiltrating the monsters’ base, and she was still skeptical about trusting Caelum. Her mind was filled with questions but in the end, she agreed. “We will go together.”

  Chapter Fifteen: A Lively Gathering

  Caelum couldn’t help the excitement rising in him. Crashing a church party with an angel. How delightful, he thought with a smile. He returned to his trashed home with Ariel and Lili, who would help repair the damages at a later date, regardless of his wishes. Books were scattered everywh
ere and shelves were overturned and scratched. His floors had multiple stabs and scratches on them as well. Miss Fortune was nowhere to be found, something he had mixed feelings about, aware that Mikaela had been using the cat to eavesdrop now and then.

  He watched Ariel, stoic and serious, standing to one side while Lili paced the floor with an unamused look on her face. Such is the price of having two lovely ladies by my side, he chuckled to himself.

  “For the record,” Lili announced with her arms crossed over her chest, “I will not be attending this monster gala thing. Unlike my dear boy toy here, I actually have some business to do.”

  “Ah, thank you. I was hoping you would say that. I’d prefer to be alone with my angel, anyway,” Caelum teased, and Lili replied by sticking her tongue out to him.

  Ariel walked over to Lili with her head held up. “Thank you for your assistance,” Ariel told her, saying the words as if they hurt her.

  “Hmph.” Lili smiled, looking at the angel with a smug face. “Being thanked by an angel. Why doesn’t that feel as good as I hoped?”

  “Kissing her would feel better,” Caelum suggested, and Ariel looked at him angrily. He grinned sheepishly. “Sorry.”

  Lili raised a brow at them. “Well, as much as I’d love to stay and watch this awkward flirting between you two, I have to go.” She walked over to Caelum who sat on his armchair and ruffled his hair. “Have fun in the haunted church. And try not to die, okay? I still have plans for you.” Lili stood up straight and let the darkness swallow her form. When the shadows reeled back, the female demon had disappeared.

  “So.” Caelum stood up from his seat and turned to Ariel. “Care to take a trip with me?” he asked, offering his arm to her.

  Ariel looked at him blankly before turning away. A light flashed from the window and the angel stepped into it. When Ariel vanished, Caelum frowned. “Oh, well.” He shrugged.

  Gathering shadows from behind him, Caelum stepped back to switch locations. The sun was rising when he reached the empty cemetery that surrounded the church Lili had mentioned. The scene looked like it was straight from a horror movie if not for the angel who arrived seconds before he did standing in front of him. Statues stood above the untended tombs, trees withered away, and leaves were littering the grounds that were separated by wrought iron gates from the rest of the world.