by Amy Barrett
This guy wore an ever-present grin. His hair was clean but untidy. Walking behind was a tall man with blonde hair. This guy had a look on his face that said any minute he would be happy to leave the chatty one behind. However, Nick sensed a smile that was trying to escape if the blonde stranger would only let it. He had a sword sheathed at his side and the sight of the weapon made Nick uneasy. With them was a girl. She was young, small, unamazing and quiet so Nick’s eyes passed over her without much thought.
“Ah ha. A person.” The chatty one waved his fingers at Nick and advanced on him. As soon as the blonde guy saw Nick his body became tight and his eyes sharp.
“Hello good sir,” the chatty guy said.
Nick didn’t look at him but stayed focused on the dangerous looking one.
The chatty guy would not give up on getting his attention.
“Earth to mr moody.” He moved in front of Nick and stuck out his tongue. This guy is insane, Nick thought.
“Hey, I am Ivan.” Ivan extended his hand and when Nick didn’t take it, he sulked. “Well fine. I am used to not being touched anyway.” The blonde guy was glaring at Nick and moving slowly towards him. Nick tensed, ready if he tried anything.
He pretended that Ivan wasn’t there, speaking to the blonde guy. “Do I know you?”
Ivan hollered with laughter. “That guy? No mate. He just had a bit of a falling out with this monster that’s sort of a horny wolf, that’s why he looks so sour.”
This was the one that Abyzou warned him about then. he assumed that “horny wolf” was this guy Ivan’s way of describing the gargoyle. Which meant if Nick believed Abyzou this man was an angel.
“Yea you should have seen this thing. Butt ass ugly with one big ear and one horn thing on his head.” Ivan gestured above his own head. “And horrible thin fur like badly maintained stubble. I mean, mate, between you and me I have never seen something so...”
“Shut up Ivan,” the blonde guy spat.
“This is my mate Zerachiel. He is a bit of a kill joy but not so bad I guess.” Ivan moved to his friend and tried to put his arm around him. Zerachiel dodged him. The angel watched Nick closely and held the handle of his sword.
“You are waiting for it, aren’t you?” Nick narrowed his eyes. “You have seen it.”
“You could say that.” Zerachiel shielded Ivan from sight with his body.
“This is the guy?…oh mate I am sorry I told you, you are ugly.” Ivan stood on his tiptoes and peeked over his friend’s shoulder.
The girl had come to stand beside Ivan and kicked him in the shin. “I’m Ciara by the way,” she mumbled without meeting Nick’s eyes.
Ivan squeaked in pain and rubbed his leg.
“I am not going to turn,” Nick told them. “I don’t want to kill anyone.” He spun to stroll inside.
“Did you get enough of murder for the week?” Ivan said the words as if he was discussing traffic or the weather. Nick reeled on him.
If it hadn’t of been for Zerachiel, Nick would have had Ivan by the throat. He wouldn’t allow anyone to make light of what he had done to his people. They deserved better than that. Instead he was now face to face with an angel. Zerachiel’s hand shook and he closed it like a vice to steady it. Nick could smell the sweat and fear on him. Yet there was no waver in his stare. Nick got the feeling that this guy would happily die if he took Nick down with him.
Ivan rubbed the back of his neck. “Yea mate I get where you are coming from. After like three or four murders in one week it gets kinda old.”
Nick thought about taking on the angel. He thought if he was quick enough, he could take him down and avoid the tip of that deadly sword. He moved his shoulder a little. Zerachiel tensed further and drew his blade an inch.
Nick unclenched his body and let go of the tension in his muscles. Ivan wasn’t worth the risk.
“You murder people a lot?” Nick did his best to speak in a light tone.
“No, mate, I am a reaper. I just clean up murders.” Ivan picked dirt off his sleeve.
A reaper? Nick scanned him head to toe. He wasn’t what Nick had imagined death to look like. He was grinning broadly and bobbing along to a tune in his head. Jackie must have been wrong about them being mindless slaves, Nick mused.
“Anyway,” Ivan moved to the side of his friend and waved at Nick to get his attention. “If you two are done flirting with each other, we are actually here looking for a demon.”
Nick looked at where Abyzou had vanished. “I know who you mean. She went that way.”
“Great.” Ivan sauntered past Zerachiel. When the angel didn’t move, Ivan reversed to collect him. Zerachiel’s eyebrows were flattened down and his jaw was clench tightly and shaking. He still had his sword partly drawn.
“Come on, mate.” Ivan took him by the arm, gently. “Let’s leave grudges for later in the week.”
Most of the hardness drained from Zerachiel’s eyes and he let Ivan lead him away. He kept observing Nick with every step.
“Okay mate. I am gonna stop holding your hand now.” Ivan let go of him. Nick watched them go. He didn’t trust the angel with his back. He could trust only one thing about the three of them and that was that the angel hated and feared him.
***
“Well that was intense.” Ivan was speed walking in front of the two of them. Zerachiel hadn’t spoken since they had met the man behind the beast. He walked like one foot was always being left behind by the other. His shoes scraped against the pavement like the feet of a prisoner.
Ciara clicked her tongue against the top of her mouth. “That was the guy then.”
“He is only a guy like fifty percent of the time.” Ivan shrugged. A fly flew into his face. He bent back as if slapped. The thing chased his ear and tried to fly in. He was swiping his hands about like a mad conductor while Zerachiel spoke to Ciara.
“That’s the state he needs to be in for us to get him. If you two hadn’t been with me I would have taken him right then.” He looked back at Ivan. Ivan was still spinning around with the fly.
Ciara chewed on her lip between words. “Aren’t you afraid?”
Zerachiel never answered. Instead he announced. “There she is.”
Abyzou stood at the edge of the road watching the cars. Ivan tried to walk calmly behind the others as they approached her. He didn’t want to look stupid. Instead he tangoed with a fly the whole way as it continued to harass him. Bloody thing.
“Stupid little winged plague.” As revenge for these words, the fly slapped itself against his eye. He howled and cursed.
“Abyzou.” Zerachiel greeted her, folding his arms across his chest.
“Feather boy.” Abyzou turned to him and leered.
Ivan was still battling the fly. It jabbed him in the ear.
“What in God’s name where you thinking?” Zerachiel glared at her.
Ciara had to back up fast to avoid Ivan squishing her while he got the correct angle for his next strike at the fly. She took out a woman and her four shopping bags in her hasty retreat.
Abyzou rolled her eyes. “I was doing whatever I wanted cause your god couldn’t give two shits that a demon is free on earth.” She bared her teeth at Zerachiel, daring him to argue.
Ivan tried to smack the fly. He would not be defeated. Ciara was scooping up the fallen groceries.
“Look we need you to be a team player here. We need your chains to send the wolves back to hell.” Zerachiel clasped his hands loosely together and took a calming breath.
Abyzou hissed a laugh between her teeth. “You think I need your help? Is your head full of feathers too?”
Ivan swerved into the road in an effort to lose the persistent insect. It ceased its chase and Ivan relaxed. A car screamed to a stop and the driver yelled at Ivan to get out of the road. Ivan stumbled onto the path and the car passed. He threw his hands up in an effort to convey to the driver how rude he was being.
“It’s trying to kill me,” he said. The fly came back and buzzed down into
his ear canal. He resumed his dance.
Ciara had finished helping the woman and she sneered at Ciara before marching off. Ciara hid her face in her hair.
“What would you suggest?” Zerachiel growled.
“We all try and hope he kills you all fast.” Abyzou leaned most of her weight on her right leg and levelled her stare at Zerachiel.
He puffed his chest at her.
“Ciara!”
The new voice drew everyones attention apart from Ivan. He still yelled at the fly like it was taking over his kingdom.
It was Hannah who had spoken. She half ran to Ciara and kissed her on both cheeks. Ciara looked uneasy but allowed the exchange. Both Zerachiel and Abyzou had deflated a bit and watched the scene with a look of shared confusion. Some other girls moved to cross the road and join Hannah, but she waved them off.
Her hair was wrapped up in a style. Her stunning eyes shone, and she wore a dress which had a pink rose pattern on it. It was halfway up her thigh and let the light spill on a generous portion of her cleavage.
Ivan noticed that she was there and did his best to ignore the fly. He would not look like an idiot in front of her again. The fly would not give up. Ivan swiped at it as little as he could while Hannah spoke.
“OMG girl I haven’t seen you in ages.”
Ciara receded from her. “I’ve been hanging with Ivan a bit.”
Hannah didn’t look at him when he was mentioned but focused on Zerachiel. “And a cute friend.” She played with her hair.
Ivan was sick of being in the background. Besides, given all the things she had said about him he wasn’t about to let her have Zerachiel. God knows what she would say about the stern angel.
“He is very gay.” It wasn’t the most impressive thing he could say but he was glad he had said something.
“You guys are…” Hannah gestured between Ivan and Zerachiel.
Ivan didn’t understand and just nodded. Zerachiel shook his head. “No, we are not dating.”
Ivan couldn’t make himself speak. Of all people she must know that he didn’t have a partner. They had gone on a date and he had flirted. Or at least he thought he had.
Abyzou watched Hannah with narrowed eyes.
“Wow this is it for humans?” She said it in a low tone as if more to herself than anyone else. Ivan couldn’t understand how she wasn’t overwhelmed by Hannah. Hannah was gorgeous.
Hannah looked sideways at Abyzou. “And who are you?”
“A demon from hell. Don’t try to remember me, we will meet some day anyway.”
Hannah was silent for a moment before she narrowed her eyes like an angry snake. She didn’t look all that pretty to Ivan anymore.
“Very funny” She sneered.
Abyzou shrugged. “It won’t be when you are in hell.”
Hannah shuffled uncomfortably and turned her back on Abyzou. “Do you think I look good in this dress?” she asked Ivan, tossing a dismissive look at Abyzou and twirling her hair around her finger.
Ivan remembered the vicious glare and noticed that she was giving him a wide doeyed look. He preferred smiles to this creepiness.
“Not really.” The fly buzzed into his face again. He let it land on him, he was exhausted from chasing it around.
Hannah was thrown for a moment before she took on a sassy stance and flipped her hair off her shoulder. “It’s not like you would know anyway. I mean have you ever even kissed a girl?”
Ivan’s mouth hung open. No matter how hard he tried he couldn’t speak. His face was pink and blossomed more every time she looked down her nose at him. She chuckledand smirked.
Abyzou groaned and stepped over to Ivan. Before he could react, she kissed him. Her tongue pushed at his lips and Ivan was a little grossed out, but he did his best to kiss her back.
Within seconds, she pulled away. “There. Now he has”.
Hannah watched the whole ordeal with her jaw slack and her eyes wide.
She came up with a response quickly. “You need a pity kiss? Aww bless.”
“He was actually pretty good, not that you would know what that means.” Abyzou pouted out her lip at Hannah and sauntered up to her until they were almost face to face. “Would you like me to teach you?” Abyzou ran the tip of her tongue over her teeth and lips. Hannah’s breathing quickened. Ivan couldn’t believe what he wa seeing. Hannah was nothing like she usually was. She couldn’t look Abyzou in the eyes.
“Whatever,” Hannah said. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “See you later Ciara. The guys miss you.” She breezed across the street waving over her shoulder.
Ciara half-heartedly waved after her and muttered “I’m sure they do.”
Ivan rubbed his lips with his finger. He was smiling like a moron. “Am I really good?”
Abyzou turned her back on him and strode over the street. “No.”
Chapter 11
The more that Nick thought about the odd group whom he had met, the more he decided that he didn’t want to fight them. One was just a human and had no part in the insanity of this life. The other was an angel and all else put aside, Nick was sure he would go to hell if he killed an angel. The last guy seemed like sort of an idiot and it would be unfair to attack him if he couldn’t stand up for himself. All in all, he would have to convince them not to help Abyzou. This would not be easy, especially since he had no idea why they had sided with her in the first place. He was sure they had though, why else would they have been looking for her and seemed to hate him so much. Once he got them out of the way there was just the problem of Abyzou to deal with. He would need the beast inside him to do a lot of the work when he went to kill Abyzou, but he no longer trusted that it would do what he wanted. He sat and thought about this while watching the wolves rebuild the door and patch up the ceiling.
One of the pack marched up to him. The guy in question had his head bowed and his face was red. “Um…we were wondering what we are gonna do next about the demon.”
Nick was at a loss. He knew what he should be doing but he had been given the chance over and over. Why had he failed?
“We are going to kill her.” Nick hoped that he sounded more confident than he actually was. Saying he was going to kill Abyzou was one thing, but she was skilled and wouldn’t go down without a fight.
The guy hissed yes under his breath and did a tiny fist pump. He ran to tell the others. Nick swallowed hard as he watched him spread the news.
Nick was about to resume thinking when the young wolf from before, Josh, came to his side. He looked as if any minute now he would blow away in the dust. There where wounds on his face, here and there.
He fiddled with his fingers. “Hey, Nick?”
“Yea?” Nick did his best to smile kindly at him.
“When we hunt that thing.” He looked down at his hands. “I want to get a hit in.”
Nick squinted at him. He was shaking and the thought of sending him towards Abyzou caused a tight feeling in Nick’s chest. “You don’t need to go anywhere near her.”
Josh gulped and his voice trembled. “It’s my job as a p…pack member.”
Nick took hold of the boy’s shoulder and squeezed it tightly. He watched Josh’s eyes dance around and he was sure he seeing demons where none lurked. His fingernails were bitten down to the skin. His lip was swollen with self-inflicted splits. Nick smiled at him. It wasn’t a brilliant smile. It wouldn’t light up the room and cause women to swoon, but it was the best that Nick could do, and he needed to do something right for a change.
“It is your job to look after yourself.” Nick nodded at him.
Josh shook his head. “No. I have a duty to the pack.”
“Yea. You do.” Nick sighed. “But I will tell you something about duty, people always pretend it is more important than anything else. It’s not.” Nick tightened his grip on Josh’s shoulder until he flinched and screwed his eyes shut.
“If that hurts, then what she will do to you will be agony.” Nick let go of Josh and the boy ca
st his eyes to the floor.
“She will kill you and you will want her to by the time she does.” Nick sighed and massaged his temple where a headache was starting. “Don’t let that happen. Please.”
Josh scurried into the building somewhere with tears in his eyes, mumbling something about trying his best.
Nick wished he could walk away too. He remained rooted to the spot.
***
When they got back to the apartment, Abyzou didn’t really want to listen to Zerachiel. It had been a long day and she simply wanted to be alone and to contemplate all that had occurred. Zerachiel was having none of it. He rambled on about how to defeat Nick while Abyzou seated herself on the windowsill and watched the world pass by. The sky was turning navy as day died and night was born. The clouds moved quickly in the fierce wind.
Out of the sky emerged a grey bird. It neared the window and Abyzou identified it as a pigeon. Its head bobbed back and forth as it walked up to the glass and then it began to knock. Its beak clicked sharply against the glass over and over. Abyzou would have ignored or killed the thing but she spotted a note tied to its neck. It was fastened on by something deep red which left a stain on the pigeon’s chest. Abyzou opened the window a slit and grabbed for the note. The sound of the traffic mixed together with Zerachiel’s voice. With the tips of her fingers she got the paper and unfolded it.
Abyzou,
Come and meet me at the supermacs in the square. I will be expecting you this evening so don’t disappoint me.
Mephistopheles
Abyzou crumpled up the paper in the palm of her hand.
“I need to go. Demon stuff,” she said to the room and stood from her perch.
Zerachiel whirled on her. “No. No. Not again. We need you here to sort out a plan.” He faced Ivan and Ciara. “You can go and flirt with Nick later.”
