by Karen Swart
“Nanini, what are you up to?” Abby asked as she pulled her jeans on.
“Some fun before all the serious, ‘we are doomed’ stuff. Come on, move.” I tossed the pillow at a still moving slowly Raven again. After what seemed like hours, the two were finally dressed and ready. I grabbed their hands and pulled them downstairs right into the lounge.
“I really hope that this would be rewarding on some level. Otherwise I might just turn around and go back to sleep,” Raven complained again.
I grabbed my Ipod from my pocket and plugged it into the stand, turning the volume all the way up. Turning around, I grinned at them. “It’s time to make the devil cry, girls,” was my last warning before I hit the play button.
I grabbed both of them and placed them next to me. Then with all the breath inside me, I tuned into the song and sang my heart out. At first the two just stood there looking at me with their eyes trying to jump out of their sockets, but then Abby gave me a ‘what the hell’ look and joined in. Raven needed a few more seconds but I prevailed. All three of us were singing our hearts out with each song. Lada and Lotan were the first to step into the lounge, Lada’s laugh deafening. They went over to the couch and sat down. Okay, our audience just arrived. I showed Raven and Abby to really let it go, and we jumped over to Katy Perry’s Roar. Ben and Max were the next to arrive. Max frowned at me and the moment I saw his mouth open, I tuned it up all the way. He was speaking but I wasn’t really going to listen. Furious with me, he stalked over to the table and joined Ben. We just kept going.
When Queen’s song started, the girls looked at me with devilish smiles. Oh yeah, this was going to be awesome!
“We are the champions, my friends. We'll keep on fighting to the ennnnd.” We gave it all we had, and even did the dramatic moves to pull it off. I saw Kasadya stop in the door and look at us. Frowning, she looked at the room. Max got up and moved over to her, and I missed two words before I could get control back. What the hell is wrong with me? So he is talking to Kas, not a biggie! I swayed my hips and ignored them, but my one eye kept jumping open to see what they were doing. Kasadya smiled and then said something back at him. This brought a huge smile to his face, and my whole body tingled from the fury. What did she say to make him smile? Come on, Nanini, what is going on with you, girl? So she made him smile; that’s not your problem. He closed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall to observe us. My eyes were transfixed on the muscles under those arms. Snap out of it! I missed a few more words and Abby frowned at me. Get your mojo back, girl! So the guy has muscles. Hello, all the fallen males have muscles. But for the love of everything unholy, my freaking eyes kept venturing over to his chest. Furious with myself, I turned around and looked at Raven and Abby.
Suddenly, Abby jumped over to the Ipod and pressed the off button. Glaring at her, I followed her gaze to find Chax standing in the door.
“Morning, have all of you already prepared for the day?” he asked with his serious face on.
Gaping like a fish, Abby tried to answer but failed miserably. I decided to save her. “Weapons check, charged up, check. Ready for action, boss.” I gave him a salute with a wicked smile.
His left eye jumped for a second, but he nodded, turned around, and walked off.
“Is he always that scary?” Raven asked, when she was sure he was far away.
“Yep, and he can get even more epic than that.” Lada laughed.
Raven whistled, and went over to sit down on the other couch. Baffled, Abby joined her. Well, there goes my fun for the day. With a sign, I walked over to retrieve my Ipod.
“Do you always carry it with you?” Max was suddenly right next to me.
I looked at him and remembered that I was actually freaking mad at him. “No, only by invitation.” Sarcasm just didn’t suit me. He frowned and grabbed it before I could lift it off the station. “What the hell?” I tried grabbing it from him. But his freakishly tall body already had it towering above me.
“I want a normal discussion with you. No scowling, no trying to kill me, and no sarcasm.” Max was pushing the button again.
“And why in the world would I want to do that?” My finger was poking him between his ribs.
“Because I am asking nicely.” He leaned over me, serious as hell.
“Dream on! Now, give it back,” I demanded.
“No, not before you talk to me.” He was going to budge.
“Why don’t you go and talk with Kas then.” Oh hell, I didn’t just say that, did I?
He looked at me questionably and then smiled. Shit, I did just freaking say that! I jumped up in the air and grabbed hold of my Ipod, determined to get the hell away from him. But like usual, Godzilla had me in his grabby hands.
“If I knew that it would bother you, I would have not gone over to talk to her.” His face was right in mine. I narrowed my eyes at him.
“Who said it bothered me? It was just a suggestion.” I gave him an innocent look.
He smile was going for Oscar status. “Uh huh, I really believed you there for a moment.” He was leaning right into my personal space. I pushed him away with my hands and bent backwards.
“Just let go of me, Godzilla.” I was so close to killing him.
He let go instantly and I almost butt kissed the floor. I looked back at him, and he was just standing there looking at me, hurt in his eyes. He turned around and walked off to Ben. A sharp pain stabbed me right in the bloody heart and had me sucking in a breath. I didn’t mean to hurt him; he just doesn’t back off like other people and I am not ready for this crap. I got up and looked at him as he was trying to have a conversation with Ben. But I could still see and now feel his pain. Crap.
Just then Kasadya walked into the room. I turned around before she could see me like this.
“Oh great, mom's here,” Raven said, rolling her eyes at Kasadya.
That instantly lit up the fire in Kasadya, and she narrowed her eyes at Raven. “Bet your ass, punk.”
“Oh please, I can take you,” Raven fired back.
Oooo, not good. I sucked in my breath. Max chocked on his drink. And Lada looked like she was about to faint.
With a smile, Kasadya challenged her. “Well, let’s go see, hot stuff.”
She turned and walked towards the front door. Raven was up and after her with determination. We all look at each other and simultaneously jumped up after them. “Kas is going to kill her,” Lotan said as we reached the front door. Max stormed passed him.
“Raven, I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Max said, trying to stop her.
“Just watch and see me kick her ass,” Raven fired back.
We all stopped on the grass and looked at the so dead girl striding towards Kasadya.
“You ready to have your ass handed to you?” Raven announced when she reached Kasadya.
She started with a kick to Kasadya’s torso, but Kas caught her foot mid-kick and stopped her momentum. Raven’s smile dropped.
“My turn,” was the only warning Raven got before Kasadya’s fist ended up in her jaw.
She flew back and landed on the ground. Shaking her head, she got back up again. She stormed forward, ready to punch Kas.
Oh, this is not going to end well. I closed my eyes, dreading the next seconds.
“That’s cheating!” Raven yelled, so I had to peak.
“That’s using your abilities to survive.” Kas smiled at her.
Raven jumped up and stormed forward again, her eyes blazing.
“Kas, just don’t hurt her too badly,” Ben called, trying to save Raven.
Kas deflected the blow coming at her. And with a few quick moves, Raven was flying like a swan, a soon dead one, but still a swan. She flew up again, but this time she chose to shift to her Hellhound form. Her eyes flickered briefly between red and yellow.
Oh not good, really not good. I looked at Max, who was watching the show, ready to step in and save Raven. It must be hard for the hellhounds to lose their coo
l so quickly. Kas didn’t shift to hellhound. Instead she gracefully blocked all of Raven’s punches.
“Kasadya, we don’t have all day,” Chax said from our left. I actually jumped, not even noticing that he was there at all.
Kas nodded and punched Raven, who ended up unconscious on the ground. I closed my eyes, trying to picture something else. Hell, Kasadya had a mean punch. Raven lost her control on her hellhound form and shifted back to normal, her body splayed out on the ground.
“Somebody wake the kid. We have work to do,” Kas stated and walked away.
I didn’t wait for another second. I ran to Raven, and Ben was right next to me. Ouch, she was going to have a killer shiner. I looked up and found Kasadya storming back to us. Dropping Raven like a bag, I made sure I was far away from both of them. Just before Kas reached her, I could see reason setting in.
“You have so much to learn, Raven. Stop trying to fight everyone you see and try to learn from them. I can help you. We all can help you,” Kas said as she indicated all of us.
“There is a battle coming, and it’s going to be brutal. If you are not ready, you won’t last long,” Kas tried to explain and held her hand out for Raven to grab. Kasadya’s words sunk in, and I looked at Max again. His eyes were on Kasadya and he was smiling again. I felt really crappy at that moment, a little too crappy for my liking. Why does he keep looking at Kas? Does he still love her? Probably, they were dating before …. before us. That stupid painful stab was in my heart again.
“Okay,” Raven whispered, trying to get up on her feet without any luck. “I'll stop being cocky.”
Kas helped Raven up and turned to look at Max. They smiled at each other and I went from crappy to suicidal in a millisecond.
“We need to find those demon princes and speed things up. Any suggestions?” she asked him. Furious, I kept my eyes on the two of them.
“I know, but our options are limited,” Max replied.
I looked at Kas and all I could see was that slutty demon princess from the other night. She was mated to Chax, but she was still flirting with Max. That was just - hold on. Light bulb moment!
“Um, Kas, what about the princess?” I suggested.
Kasadya turned around and looked at me, confused.
“What do you mean?”
I looked around, trying to make sure no one noticed my insanely jealous moment. “You know, she tried to warn us about Kali. And she said that she knew what was happening to you, and that you could help each other.” I whispered the last part, ashamed that I was acting like this. They were just friends, and I need to get over that. I looked at Max and found him frowning at me, but he was also really mad for some reason.
“Let’s tell Chax, and we can let him decide,” Kasadya suggested, turned around, and walked back into the house. The others followed, but Max had a death glare fixed on me, pinning me to the spot. He walked over slowly, freaking scary slowly, and then stopped in front of me.
“What demon princess? I can’t remember meeting a demon princess, Nanini. Is there something I should know before I walk into that house and find out from someone else?” Sweet baby faes, he was really pissed.
I swallowed hard, wondering how he would take the news.
Chapter 15
Max
Her huge eyes looked back at me. I saw her swallow a lump in her throat. They would not have been that stupid, would they?
“Um, maybe we should go inside and let Kas explain this,” Nanini suggested.
I stepped to the side and indicated with my hand for her to take the lead. She blasted past me and almost knocked the door into pieces. That can only mean one thing: they did do a stupid thing. Furious, I stormed into the house and found everyone in the lounge. Kasadya was asking Chax to remain calm until she had fully explained everything. Michael, the Archangel, was already there and also took a seat, waiting for some explanation.
I searched and found Nanini hiding behind Lada. Not one of us were going to like this, of that I was sure. I leaned against the wall and kept my eyes on Nanini.
“Okay, so you guys remember that night we were in the little fishing town with all the cats?” Kasadya asked, looking at Chax and all the males. Not one of us nodded, but we did glare at her. We all woke up in the house, on the floor, with no idea what happened but a huge bump on our heads. Clearly, the girls knocked us out for some insane reason. Chax shifted us all back instantly and we found them standing in a dark alley talking with each other. We almost lost it that night. More Archangels shifted in.
“Well, you guys lost it because Luxuria was there with all her demons. While you were gone, she offered to help us to get the so-called death charm off Kali in return for a favor.” Nanini looked at me with huge eyes. Mine, on the other hand, were trying to kill each female in the room.
Chax closed his eyes and tried to remain calm. How could they be that stupid? A demon princess was no walk in the park. They were pure evil and too powerful for a few females. They could have been killed.
“Why didn’t you tell me this?!” Chax finally yelled after remaining silent long enough.
“I didn’t think it was such a big deal.” Kasadya replied.
“Do you know how dangerous she can be?!” Chax fumed.
“Chax, come on! It’s over, done. Let’s try and logically think about this,” Michael interjected.
“Indeed,” Chax replied. He was as furious as I was. Not even Lotan was taking this well. The girls really placed all their lives in danger by trying to negotiate with a demon princess.
“So, what are we going to do?” Raphael asked, leaning against the door frame of the lounge. Chax walked around the packed room, his face strained as he thought it over.
“It might be another trap,” he said, rubbing the stubble on his chin.
“Definitely a trap, but can we use it to our advantage?” Michael asked, his eyes fixed on Chax.
“Might as well try. Yesterday delivered nothing. Time is running out for us,” Chax finally said, turning around to look at us.
“She said you should just call out to her?” he asked Kasadya.
She nodded but didn’t say anything.
“Then we meet her on our grounds,” Chax said, indicating for us to prepare for a shift.
“Caim, I want you and Zurita to stay behind with Raven. Her training needs to be quick and efficient,” Chax instructed Caim, who nodded in agreement.
Furious and really pissed off at the girls, Chax led us outside to the gate. The Archangels shifted out, and I took the opportunity to glare at Nanini. She was still trying to stay clear of me. But she wouldn’t be able to for long.
Chax shifted us to an open field. There were no houses or anything around, just a barren field with a small scattering of trees nearby.
“I want the rest of you to form a circle around Kasadya and me. If this demon so much as steps close, you kill her,” Chax instructed us.
We spread out and I made sure to stand right next to Nanini.
“Are you going to make a big deal out of this?” she whispered.
“Yes,” was my only reply.
“Call her,” Chax instructed Kasadya.
“Luxuria!” Kasadya yelled.
Waiting, Nanini continued on, “You know we saved all of you that night, right?”
“And almost got killed.” I looked around, waiting for this demon princess.
“No, we didn’t. We had it all under control,” Nanini insisted.
I glared at her. “I am already on the verge of killing you. Don’t make it worse.”
“No, really? Like I don’t feel all your emotions? You really have to work on them.” She was going to be the end of me.
Finally, the demon princess shifted in.
“Hellhound, you finally started thinking. Who knew you had such potential?” She smiled at Kasadya, but when her eyes met Chax, she took a step back.
“Chax,” she breathed.
“Luxuria,” he replied, hi
s eyebrows frowning at her.
Nanini laughed softly next to me. I dared to look at her.
“Sorry, it’s just this girl is so funny. All “I am Miss World” and that.” Nanini was having a ball, while we were waiting for the demon princess to try and kill someone.
“This is not the time, Nanini,” I barked back.
She chocked on her laugh and looked at me. “You are such a spoilsport.”
I bit down on my tongue that wanted to give her a few more sentences.
Suddenly the demon princess shifted out. Relaxing, I regained my footing.
“Any suggestions on keeping the demons grounded?” Chax asked, not looking directly at anyone as he watched our surroundings.
Silence greeted him. We stood there for a while, thinking, before Chax shifted us back to his house. Once there, we all started brainstorming about a solution.
“I have nothing,” Lada said, spread out on the couch.
“Ditto,” Nanini said from behind the couch.
She had crawled to that spot earlier, looking for a place in the sun. Her golden hair radiated in the sunlight and became a distraction for me.
“It’s not like we can stop a shift,” I said, walking up and down.
Kasadya jumped up and looked at Chax.
“Chax, when we met your brother in the ice-lands, you did something that prevented me from shifting. What did you do?”
He was leaning against the wall and staring outside through the window. At her question, he turned and looked at her, his eyes narrowed.
“I used our link with Corra and blocked you. It’s like a charm,” he replied.
We watched in silence as something dawned on him.
“If we are able to do the same charm to them, we might be able to stop them,” he finished and looked at Abby.
“Abby, will you be able to use a blocking spell like with Corra and infuse it something like a circle?” Chax asked. I was already right next to both of them.
“Can it be placed into something that can contain it and then be released when needed?” I asked, catching on quickly.
“I might just have something we can use,” Ben interjected.
“Then let’s get to it,” I suggested and led the way to Ben and Abby’s lab downstairs.
It was going to be a long night for us.
Chapter 16
Nanini
I woke up feeling like crap. Even though I ate last night, it felt like I had no energy. With difficulty, I got dressed, brushed my teeth, and made my way to the kitchen. I stopped at the door and watched Max place a plate on the table.
