by A. J. Norris
Berus scaled the steps three at a time. When he got to the top floor, Lilyana was lagging several levels below. He inhaled, seeking out any of the angel scents known to him. One caught his attention.
He charged down the hallway, his long strides covering the distance to where the smell was strongest. Berus stopped abruptly outside a door and snapped the locking mechanism with one twist. Inside, he sniffed the air which led him toward an open door at the end of another hallway. He stood in the doorframe.
Jeremiah dropped something when he saw Berus. The furry brown object squeaked as it hit the floor. The angel’s gray-yellow stare once again awoke feelings Berus wanted to ignore but couldn’t. If he could rut on the male, surely the want to possess him would die. He rushed the angel, whipped him around, and shoved him up against a wall, pinning one of his hands behind his back. The other one Jeremiah pressed against the wall next to his head. What was the matter with him? He could move the arm freely. Hit him. Struggle.
Berus pressed his hips into Jeremiah. His shaft hardened and his fangs elongated. Saliva filled his mouth.
“Will you hurt me?” Jeremiah panted.
“Do you want me to?” His lust for the angel kept him from stuttering.
“I don’t know.”
Berus pushed himself away from the angel, who parted his wings and remained facing the wall. The tips of his feathers grazed his chest. He reached out, longing to touch the silky plumes, but snatched his hand back. Instead, he stepped into the angel’s invitation and grabbed his wrist again. “I want to hurt you.”
“So do it.”
A growl escaped Berus’s throat. He shoved his other hand into the front of Jeremiah’s pants, hoping this would provoke anger in the angel. This way, if the male fought him, he’d have reason to strike him down. However, Jeremiah’s body reacted as if the experience was pleasurable. The angel gasped and Berus swore, shock and confusion washing over him. Or maybe he wasn’t experiencing confusion, but fear. How could an angel desire a demon? How could a demon desire an angel?
His control-serum only worked if he gave him a command. When he had an animal head, he never thought about pressing his lips to another. His snout prevented it. Berus yanked him around again then gripped the sides of his face. Jeremiah’s pupils flared. The angel’s eyes held steady, yet Berus sensed his apprehension. He too was conflicted. He smashed his lips to Jeremiah’s. The heated kiss lasted only moments.
“Berus?” Lilyana’s shrill voice cut through the air from somewhere in the apartment. Her voice grew louder with every room she checked.
Stepping away from the angel, he bent over and picked up the furry, squeaky object. He cocked his head at it.
“It’s a toy. A teddy bear for a baby,” Jeremiah explained.
Berus shoved the toy at Jeremiah and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.
Lilyana met him halfway in the hall between the bedroom and the outer room. She gave him a funny look. “I found this picture in the middle of the coffee table like someone left it there on purpose.” He snatched the picture from her. “There’s something written on the back.”
“W-what?”
“It just says ‘Go here’.”
On the card was a tall building at night. This meant Dahlia wanted him at this place at nightfall.
Lilyana peeked around his shoulder. “Wait a second. The photo is date stamped and that’s today’s date.”
Berus snorted. Not tonight. The bitch could wait.
CHAPTER
THIRTY-SIX
Hazel
The streets were mostly quiet late at night. Hazel roamed the city without her purse. She’d walked out of her apartment after Amalya told her goodbye for the last time. She didn’t blame her aunt for choosing her son over her. The reality of it still stung though. Her mother didn’t believe Amalya still existed. No matter how many times she explained it to her, her mother denied the possibility that Hazel was telling the truth. That she wasn’t hallucinating. Hazel even had proof. She knew the nickname Amalya called her sister: Mule. Her mother could never explain that one away.
Exhausted and weary, she slid down the side of a storefront, her bottom hitting the cement harder than she’d intended. She gathered her knees to her chest, crossed her ankles, and rested her head on her folded arms. Sadness pressed down on her. Losing an aunt she knew had existed but never met until after the woman’s death sounded insane. Hazel could never tell anyone this. It was bad enough her mother and the shrink, Dr. Sato, thought she suffered from some psychosis or another. Hazel wasn’t crazy, even if no one believed her. She knew the truth.
When a breeze whipped past her, she lifted her head and caught sight of her hair out of the corner of her eye. Amalya, Genevieve, and Hazel all had the same color hair. They had other similar features and at a distance could be mistaken for each other. Her mother still looked youthful at forty-six years old. Tears ran down her cheeks. She sat so long, her bottom became numb.
The sun rose above the top of the buildings. Keys jangled to her right and a glass door swung open. “Hey,” a man said sternly, “what are you doing sitting there? If you’re looking for handouts…” She turned her head and when he saw her face, his voice softened. “Do you need help?”
Hazel shook her head. “You can’t help me,” she whispered. He stood back with a raised brow while she got to her feet. Without meeting his gaze again, she ambled away from the restaurant worker.
Her stomach growled. However, without her wallet and cash for food, she decided to find her way home. She’d put about ten miles between here and her apartment. Out of boredom but more to distract herself, she counted the pieces of gum stuck to the pavement. When the number of wads added up to several hundred she switched to counting sidewalk squares.
Since learning about angels, she was hyper-aware of every detail around her no matter how tiny it seemed. The subtle way some people walked, moved, or went through doors as if compensating for something unseen on their backs. The random beams of light appearing like sun rays through the clouds when the sun was in the opposite direction, the light barely visible but still there. White feathers floating to the ground when no birds were in sight.
She stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and looked heavenward. The sky had a domed effect. As a kid, she’d lay in the grass in the backyard at night, staring at the stars and wondering if something more beyond our focus was out there. She never imagined other dimensions existed. There was a Heaven and Hell. Honestly, she wasn’t sure which one she would prefer. How could there be a thing that wanted to keep her separated from her aunt, her family?
Hazel resumed walking. A shiny object glinted sunlight about twenty feet ahead. She averted her eyes, the intensity too brilliant. While taking quick glances, she jogged toward the piece on the ground.
She stood over the round, what turned out to be metal object, putting it in the path of her shadow. It was imbedded into the cement and level with the sidewalk. Tiny cracks radiated out from the hole. The surface of the metal was blank. This only made her more curious. She picked at the edge, except without long fingernails she couldn’t pry the thing out and only scratched the tips of her fingers.
She stomped on the ground. One of the fissures widened and a chunk of cement broke loose. She bent over and freed the…she flipped it over. “Ohmygod.”
Hazel let the amulet drop to the ground. Abaddon’s trinket bounced and rolled away, stopping underneath a blue postal collection box. Amalya needed to see this; she couldn’t leave the amulet for someone else to find. She’d already touched the damn thing. Wincing, she wiped her hand on her pants. Now what? She shouldn’t handle it bare handed again, that was for sure. Spinning around, she searched for anything to protect her skin. On top of a city trash can situated along the curb was a fairly clean newspaper. She tore a corner off, walked over to the box, and got on her hands and knees. Blindly, Hazel felt for the amulet. She wrapped the poisonous bastard in the newspaper and slipped it into her jeans po
cket.
Soap and hot water sounded so awesome right now. Hazel walked home with a renewed sense of purpose and determination. Contacting Amalya was the right thing to do, certainly the powers keeping them apart would see what a valuable person Hazel was for her aunt to stay in touch with. An asset to their cause.
She pushed the revolving door of her apartment building and was swept inside the lobby. She smiled at the woman behind the desk on her way to the elevators. “Wow, I don’t usually see you this early in the morning,” the woman said. “Or at least not this happy about it.”
Hazel giggled. Actually giggled. When was the last time she did that? “Well, why wouldn’t I be happy? It’s a great morning.”
Hazel patted the front of her pants, waiting for the elevator. Inside her apartment, she carefully withdrew the amulet and put it on the coffee table. Among the many memories Amalya hadn’t wiped from her mind was the angel’s cell number. Truthfully, Hazel memorized the digits. Unfortunately, the GPS had been disabled or she would have just driven to her location.
She sent a text:
Found amulet. Plz come.
A couple of seconds later her phone indicated a message failure. Hazel resent the text and received the same notice. “What the hell?” With each failed attempt, her hands shook more and more. She threw her phone across the room. Regretting the decision, she scrambled for the cell. The cracked screen went black. She pressed every button, willing the gadget to work again, shaking it frantically.
No…
Falling to her knees, she cried, “Oh God!”
Numb legs weren’t the only reason Hazel got off the floor. An idea of how she could be with her aunt formed. The amulet had attracted the Demon Ruler to Amalya. He gave her black wings. If she had the amulet would he come for her too? She dragged herself over to the couch and palmed the sigil. She waited, hoping something would happen. She imagined her fingers tingling. Then the feeling stopped. Damn. Amalya had worn it around her neck all those years ago as a child.
In her bedroom walk-in closet, Hazel rummaged around in her jewelry box until she found a silver chain to hang the pendant on. She changed into a sleeping shirt then slipped the necklace over her head. After dragging herself across her room, she plopped onto the bed and tucked the pendant beneath her shirt. The amulet settled between her breasts. A wave of exhaustion followed by a yawn hit her hard and she laid down. As soon as her head hit the pillow her eyes closed. The center of her chest warmed, filling her with a sense of calm. She drifted off to sleep.
The shiny black marble floor warmed the soles of her feet. Hazel looked down and gasped. Never had she seen such an exquisite dress before. The floor-length gown was made from miles of red silk with black crystal beading on the bodice, the pattern mimicking lace. Fires ignited around the huge room at the base of the walls. The flames licked up toward the domed ceiling.
Glass shattered and she protected her head and neck as the sound had come from above.
“Watch out!” a man’s voice shouted. She ran from the center of the room. Glass landed on the floor, splintering into a million pieces. Tortured screams bombarded Hazel and she covered her ears. Strong winds pushed her toward the glass fragments. No, the wind wasn’t at her back, she was being sucked forward. She fought against the unseen force. A woman laughed. The same man yelled, “Hazel!”
She glanced behind her. A black skinned monster with horns and cloven hooves charged. Saliva dripped from his fangs. Was this the Demon Ruler? He seized her waist, whisking her off the floor. She screamed, not in terror of him but of…losing him. This couldn’t be, she had plans and this wasn’t included in them. Hazel caught the look in his shiny eyes and she knew; he’d suffer without her. His hooves slid across the smooth marble still heading toward the pile of shards. His hold on her wasn’t tight enough and she floated to the ceiling. The beast grabbed one of her wrists before she was too far away. His ice-blue eyes turned to sapphire, an eerie contrast to his grotesque form.
“Don’t let me go.”
Tears sprang from her eyes as the sucking force increased. It became unbearably obvious that if he didn’t let go of her arm, it would be torn off.
“Never,” he said and released her wrist.
“No!” Hazel clawed the air. He was out of her reach. The woman laughed again.
Hazel bolted upright clutching the amulet. Her heart was beating so fast she wondered if people had heart attacks this young. She ripped the necklace off and shoved the amulet into the nightstand drawer.
After taking a few deep breaths, she slid the drawer open. The etchings on the amulet glowed. She yelped, slammed the drawer shut, and scooted to other side of the bed, holding her blanket close to her chest. What she’d experienced seemed too vivid to be an ordinary dream.
CHAPTER
THIRTY-SEVEN
Virgil
“I can try, you know?” Max said from his usual overstuffed purple chair. Seraphina sat in his lap leaning her back against his chest.
Evie looked up from the buffet table after she grabbed a handful of grapes. “What was that?”
“Your memories of your mate. There’s a chance Aba didn’t extract them.”
Don’t tease me, Virgil thought. He narrowed his gaze on the Healer and put his hand on Evie’s shoulder. She peered up at him with an is-it-okay? look. “Are you sure? You don’t have to find out for my sake,” Virgil said to her.
“I want to.”
Seraphina stood, allowing Max to get up. He went to Evie and held the sides of her head at the temples. Light glowed from his palms. “If your memories are gone, there’s no telling what Aba did with them.”
“Where would he put them?” Virgil asked.
Evie shook her head at Seraphina. She mouthed something Virgil couldn’t make out. “Can we concentration on—” She gasped and her own light shot out from her eyes and mouth. Virgil shielded his face in the crook of an elbow from the brilliant glow. Max turned away. Evie whimpered and her hands slackened.
“Hold her up,” Max barked. “I have to fight through the recent memories to find the old.” He growled, “Arghhh!” The light streams faded. “I can’t—they’re not here.”
“Keep trying,” Virgil said.
“Wherever they are, they’re gone.”
Max released Evie and Vigil scooped her limp body in his arms. Tears spilled onto her cheeks. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Virgil. I really hoped you were still in there somewhere.”
“This isn’t your fault, none of it. You did nothing wrong, my love.” He laid his mate on a padded bench, knelt next to her, and pushed the hair off her face.
“I wish I could believe that,” she said averting her eyes.
“Evie,” he said, “look at me. It’s true. It was Elliott’s.”
Her eyes widened and she sat up. “Don’t you dare blame him. He was suffering from the loss of a child and is still suffering. You of all angels should know that.”
Virgil looked down. “Evie, I—”
“No. Let’s get one thing clear. You are from this point forward to let that go.”
He wanted to tell her that he had, yet when he opened his mouth to protest, nothing came out. Instead, he slumped his shoulders. “All right,” he mumbled.
“I didn’t hear you.”
His eyes found hers. “Yes.” Virgil rubbed his forehead with his fingertips, massaging the temples. “What’s going to happen?” he asked.
“With what?”
“I miss you.”
“I’m right here.”
“I know that…”
“But it’s not the same. I’m not the same.”
“You are the same, your personality…I don’t know, maybe I’m not the same.”
“Why do I get the feeling you haven’t been completely honest with me? What was our relationship like before I fell?”
“Not ideal.”
“Why?”
“I’d been on task, but you asked me to stay away for a while longer because—”
/> “Then why did you want me to get my memories back if we weren’t getting along?”
“I love you and don’t care. I was willing to risk it. Besides, wouldn’t you want me to remember you if I’d fallen instead?”
“I see your point. Even not so great memories are better than no memories at all.”
Virgil nodded.
“So what was I angry with you about?”
“What weren’t you angry with me about?”
Evie grinned. “Ha ha. Well…I do have a bit of a temper. I suppose.”
“One of the things I love about you.”
“My temper?”
“I wouldn’t call it a temper. You’re passionate and all heart. I guess that’s why I never got on Elliott’s case about what happened. I knew you wouldn’t have stood for that. Even now, you yelled at me when I wanted to blame him.”
She shrugged. “He suffered more than me.”
Virgil chuckled. “I’m not sure I agree with you.”
“Why? He had a child taken from him and spent twenty Earth years in Netherworld. Believe me, that's a long time.”
“If you say so.” Did he need to remind her she’d spent two hundred there?
She put her hands on her hips. “I do.”
“I missed you.”
“I think if I remembered you, I would say I missed you more.”
“Doubt it.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s not possible.”
“You have no way of knowing that.”
“Neither do you. Are you seriously trying to pick a fight with me about this?”
Evie put her face close to his. “I’m passionate, did you forget?”
“Yes you are. And sexy when you’re passionate too.”
She fused their lips together. The tattoo over his heart tingled. “I want you,” she said. He pulled her forward on the bench, picked her up, and carried her toward the lobby with her legs wrapped around his waist. Several angels whistled at them as they went past. Virgil entered one of the bedrooms and slammed the door shut with his foot. Evie giggled against his mouth. He set her down on the bed and knelt between her knees on the floor. They stayed still for a moment without speaking.
