Paranormal After Dark: 20 Paranormal Tales of Demons, Shifters, Werewolves, Vampires, Fae, Witches, Magics, Ghosts and More

by Rebecca Hamilton

  “You are the most ungrateful person I have ever met,” the demon snapped. “That is twice now that I have saved your life with nothing to show for it.”

  I opened my eyes and stepped close to him, enough to smell his cologne and feel the heat from his body. “Listen and listen well, Belial. You are not my lover. You do not have the right to protect me and if you ever kill someone in my name again, I will personally send you back to Hell where you belong.”

  “Since when do you have the backbone to threaten me, human?” His voice came out a deadly murmur. I could feel his anger boiling around him like steam, clashing with mine.

  “I could rip you apart before you could blink and send you back to your precious archangel in a pretty cardboard box. And I would enjoy doing it.”

  “But you won’t. Because that violates our agreement and you’d be sent to Hell to report yet another failure to your master,” I snarled in his face. His jaw shifted and I could tell he hated the fact that I was right. Good.

  “Fair enough. But let me also make one thing clear.” He moved even closer, sliding one long-fingered hand into my hair, his warm breath falling across my face, close enough to kiss me if he wanted to.

  “When this is over, I will no longer uphold my previous chivalry. I want you for myself and I intend to take you from your archangel. Rest assured that it will be bloody and violent and you will regret refusing me while I was still being a gentleman.”

  He balled that same hand into a fist, jerking my head upward so that his reptilian eyes filled my gaze. “Do you understand me, Jordan?”

  “Knock yourself out.”

  He threaded his gloved fingers through my hair and waved towards the alley leading to the sidewalk. “Ladies first.”

  I stalked past him, shoving my hands in my pockets so he couldn’t see them shaking.

  Chapter 12

  Michael

  THE DOORBELL RANG. I couldn’t help but shake my head as I walked towards the door. She always made fun of me for leaving my key, but this was the third time in a month that she had forgotten hers.

  “You’re late,” I said as soon as I opened the door, and then froze.

  Jordan and Belial stood on my doorstep. Anger rushed through me so quickly that I almost got dizzy.

  “What’s he doing here?” My voice came out in an unearthly growl.

  Jordan sighed. “Long story.”

  “Shorten it.”

  She gave me a tired look. “On the way back from my meeting with Lewis, I found out I was being followed by a Mook who works for the guy he owes money. Belial was kind enough to help me get rid of him. Plus, he has some information for us on the Apocalypse research.”

  Belial held up the manila folder for emphasis. I narrowed my eyes at him. “Great. Give me the papers and get lost.”

  The demon’s lips stretched into a smirk. “Ah, ah, ah. That’s not the deal. The deal is that I help you catch the rogue angel. That includes keeping me in the loop, archangel. Or have you forgotten our agreement?”

  I took a threatening step forward and Jordan pressed her hand against my stomach, stopping me. “Michael, you knew this was going to happen eventually. Don’t give him the satisfaction.”

  She brushed past me. Belial remained where he was, smiling like the cat who got the canary.

  Jordan glanced at him, confused. “Uh, what’s the problem?”

  Belial continued staring at me. “You have to invite me in. I cannot enter because he has blessed the apartment.”

  “What? Like a vampire?” Jordan asked, her voice incredulous.

  “In a manner of speaking, yes.”

  “Figures.”

  She touched my arm. “You can bless it again after he’s gone. Let’s just get this over with.”

  I lifted my hand in front of the door and made a cross, muttering the proper incantation to remove the blessing. Belial walked inside and I shut the door. The angelic part of my soul raged at the very idea that I had let a demon into my home. I agreed with it wholeheartedly, but I knew he served a purpose. Demons were exceptionally good at tracking people down because they could work outside the law. Still, even seeing his face made me want to behead him and play kickball with his skull.

  “Feel free to not make yourself at home,” Jordan said to the demon, beckoning me towards the bedroom. I followed her and shut the door, rounding on her.

  “What the hell is going on?”

  She sat on my bed, tugging off her tennis shoes. “Hi, honey, good to see you too.”

  “Don’t get cute. How did he know where you were?”

  “I don’t know. I think he’s been tailing me to see if the rogue angel will make another move, but instead he found someone else tailing me too.”

  A haggard sigh pushed out from between my lips. “Do you ever have a normal day?”

  She spared me a weary smile. “Once. It was a Thursday.”

  “Not funny. Who was the guy following you?”

  “A Pulp Fiction fan, apparently. He works for Lamont Brooks—a loan shark in Detroit. It turns out Daddy-O took out a loan and Lamont pulled a fast one on him. Told him to have the money in two weeks instead of four. Lewis couldn’t come up with it and skipped town to find me. The guy following me thinks Lewis knows he’s out of luck and came to see me before he…”

  She struggled to finish the sentence. “…before Lamont catches up with him.”

  I ran a hand through my hair. “Geez, so he was putting his affairs in order, not trying to guilt you into giving him the money?”

  “Yeah, that seems to be the size of it.”

  “What did you do?”

  “Belial did a scary little speech and we sent him packing. Told him to tell Lamont to back off or we’d throw him in jail. I guess that’s the best part about marrying into the angel family. We know people.” The last part she said with a bit of amusement in her voice.

  “Jordan, there’s no time to joke about this. I’m sure Lamont sent more than one guy if he was planning to use you to as ransom.”

  Her smile vanished, replaced with cold anger. “Oh, Belial decided to take care of that for me.”

  “What?”

  “He killed the other guy Lamont sent before he got to the one following me.”

  I went still. “Were you there when it happened?”

  “No. But I believed what he told me. I warned if he ever did that again, I’d send him back to Hell.” She shrugged out of her duster, tossing it on the bed.

  I settled one hand on her thigh and then touched the side of her face so that she met my eyes. “Are you okay?”

  She leaned her forehead against mine. “Not even close. I don’t want anyone to die because of me, Michael. Ever. Why does this keep happening?”

  “It’s not your fault. That man chose to be involved with unscrupulous people and he probably had it coming.”

  “I don’t know about that. Being killed by Belial, it…I can’t even allow myself to think about what he did to that man before he let him die. If you heard the way he talked about his knife…” She let the sentence trail off, seeming too disgusted to continue.

  I kissed her, rubbing the length of her leg. “We’ll get this figured out. I promise.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “For what?”

  “Being such a death magnet.”

  I almost laughed at her word choice. “You’re not a death magnet. You’re a Seer. Normal was never an option for you.”

  She gave me a sarcastic look. “Thanks, that’s encouraging.”

  “You’re welcome. We’ll finish this conversation later. Let’s get rid of the bastard sitting on my couch first.”

  “I wonder if he’d get mad if we had really loud sex in here while he’s out there.”

  I chuckled, tugging her off the bed. “No, he’d probably try to join in. If I’m ever going to be in a ménage a trois, it needs to be the cool kind, not a literal devil’s threesome.”

  “Ha. You wish.” She gave me one last kis
s and opened the bedroom door. I followed her into the den.

  Belial had taken off his coat and settled on the couch spreading the papers from his folder out on the glass coffee table. The first two buttons of his forest-green dress shirt were undone, as was his tie, and his sleeves were rolled up to his forearms. He had made himself at home just to antagonize us. Terrific.

  “Welcome back, love birds,” the demon said as we approached. Jordan sat as far away from him as she could on the couch. I chose the spot on her left to ensure that Belial didn’t try to move closer.

  “Can the sarcasm. What did you find?”

  The demon held up the first sheet of paper. “I compiled a search of Apocalypse theories for the year 2011. The first one to pop up was the one predicted by a radio host by the name of Harold Camping. He claimed that the Rapture would happen on May 21st, and of course, he was wrong. However, interestingly, he later claimed that October 21st would be the end of the world. While I still maintain that this fellow is completely out of his gourd, I took a look at the instance anyhow and found that he believes in a mathematical-based prediction system. I won’t bore you with the details, but while he’s wrong again, studying predictions for October led me somewhere unexpected.”

  He selected another piece of paper. “I found an end-of-the-world prediction that also claims that October would be the month of a calamitous change for the earth. It comes from a small cult called Christ’s Heel. They believe that the Leviathan would be discovered and awakened to devour the sinful men of earth in order to cleanse it for Christ’s return.”

  “The Leviathan?” I interrupted, shocked.

  Belial nodded. “They seem to disagree with the fire and brimstone idea. The cult talks about the Hellmouth being used by a demon and an anointed one. That is where the Seer your rogue angel talks about would come in.”

  “I read about this during my research too,” Jordan said, glancing at me. “But most of the information I got about the Leviathan is pure speculation. What is it exactly?”

  “The Leviathan is a sea creature that God made during the first seven days of Creation. However, its power somehow caused it to accumulate the evil that came into existence from the creation of good. It’s sort of an equation, really. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Good needs evil as a balance and the Leviathan became a great source of evil to the point where Satan took notice and used its mouth as a gateway to Hell. Once God banished Satan from the Earth, He sent the Leviathan back to the Waters of Chaos and it was never heard from again.”

  “So technically, it’s still alive?”

  “Yes. Its jaws were locked shut by an angel long ago. The only way to awaken it would be to unlock the Hellmouth with a source of purity.”

  “You mentioned the Waters of Chaos. Where are they?”

  “I believe it’s an area near the Arctic Circle. The Leviathan was sent there to remain isolated and undiscovered for mankind’s own safety. Normally, a creature like that would be killed, but no one has ever been able to do so.”

  Jordan folded her hands over her mouth, her brows knitting together. “So do either of you think this is a legitimate theory?”

  The demon and I shared a look. We had plenty of differences, but I could tell we were thinking the same thing.

  “More than likely,” I said. “It’s too much of a coincidence that this theory is so closely tailored to the rogue angel’s actions. Besides, the other Apocalypse theories I researched said nothing about Seers or anointed ones. Most talk about the usual earthquakes and floods and such.”

  “So what’s our next move? Is there any way we can go on the offense or do we have to wait for the translation of Et Liber Tempor?”

  I started to answer, but Belial cut me off. “That may be where I can help.”

  He slid a photograph over to us. “One of my men snapped this picture in south Florida. None of them were aboard, unfortunately, but it’s still a lead.”

  In the picture, I could see the side profile of the rogue angel with a duffel bag over his shoulder climbing up the ramp to a large plane. “Any idea where he’s heading?” I asked.

  “This is a common mode of transportation for criminals and illegal aliens. I was told the particular destination of this plane is São Paulo, Brazil. I suggest you get one of your best archangels down there, and quickly, before he murders someone else.”

  I stared at the photo. Logically, the best thing to do would be to send a good tracker and a good fighter. There were people I could call to get the job done, but this angel—one of my brothers—had almost murdered the woman I loved. I didn’t want to risk losing her again. He would have to be stopped by my hand.

  “I’ll go,” I said, my voice quiet.

  Jordan looked at me, apprehensive. “Michael, you don’t have to do this yourself.”

  “He nearly killed you, Jordan. I’m not taking any more risks. I won’t let anyone else die.”

  “Then am I to assume I’ll be here acting as her bodyguard?” Belial asked in a mildly annoyed voice.

  “No. You’re coming with me.”

  Surprise stole across the demon’s face. Jordan stood then, holding up her hands.

  “Wait, wait, wait. You’re expecting me to believe you’re going to fly to Brazil with the person you hate most in this world and work together to stop the rogue angel?”

  I frowned. “I don’t see how that’s any different from what you did in Edmonton and Cleveland.”

  “It is different, Michael. Belial won’t kill me yet because he wants to sleep with me.”

  Belial made a rude noise in his throat. “I’m right here, you know.”

  She ignored him. “You can’t even say his name without turning into the Incredible Hulk. I think you should send someone else.”

  “I’m the Commander of Heaven’s Army. As talented as the rogue angel is, I know he is not a better fighter than I am. Belial is an expert tracker and he can operate outside of the law. He can get me places the angels can’t. This is the best way to make sure we stop the rogue angel for good.”

  She massaged the bridge of her nose. “Have you always been this stubborn?”

  Belial and I answered at the same time. “Yes.”

  “What am I supposed to do while you’re gone? Knit a sweater?”

  “It’ll take a few days at the most, no more. You need to settle things with Lewis. Gabriel should be able to protect you in the meantime. I expect we’ll hear from Raphael about the translation soon.”

  “This is a terrible plan.”

  “I know. But it’s a necessary evil.”

  Belial sighed. “For once, I agree. This will be a very unpleasant trip, but your logic is somewhat sound. I’ll return in the morning. I assume you’ll take care of the tickets?”

  I nodded. The demon gathered half of his papers together and slid them back in the folder. He held out the rest to Jordan.

  “For your records.”

  She took them and headed to the bedroom to file them away. As soon as she was out of sight, Belial glanced at me.

  “Before you fly off the handle, as I suspect you’re about to, you should know she wasn’t trying to stop you from going to get the rogue angel because she wanted to be with me. If anything, she’s been trying this whole time to prove she isn’t like me.”

  I cast a suspicious glare in his direction. “What makes you say that?”

  “She hasn’t given in once, not even when I kissed her.”

  My blood ran cold. “When you what?”

  Just then, Jordan walked back in and I forced myself not to say anything else. We didn’t need to fight in front of the demon. He’d enjoy it too much.

  Satisfied with his work, Belial went to the door, shooting us both an amused look. “Happy fighting, love birds.”

  He left. Jordan went into the kitchen, saying nothing. I followed her, watching as she set about washing dishes—her go-to move whenever she was upset. I didn’t mind since I had a bad habit of tossing all th
e dirty stuff in the dishwasher until she came over to turn it on. I sat on the stool in front of the counter, crossing my arms and doing my best to suppress my anger.

  “Y’know, this is probably unhealthy behavior.”

  “What do you expect me to do?” she grumbled, sticking her fingers under the faucet as the water ran. “I can’t drink. I can’t eat sweets anymore because now I have to fit into a wedding dress. Cleaning is pretty much all I’ve got left for stress relief.”

  “That’s very Monica of you. Less Chandler than usual.”

  She gripped the edge of the sink, closing her eyes. “Michael—”

  “Hey, you’re the one who told me to have a better sense of humor.”

  She glared at me. “Yeah, but you’re being an ass about it. I don’t believe for a second that you can cooperate with Belial enough to catch the rogue angel. I saw the look on your face when you opened the door. If I hadn’t been here, you would have tried to kill him. Tell me I’m wrong.”

  “You’re acting like that’s not justified,” I said, dropping the humor from my voice. “Did you forget the ‘tried to rape and kill you’ bit? I haven’t.”

  “This isn’t about me, Michael. It’s you. You still haven’t learned to control your temper when it comes to Belial. He feeds off your anger and your jealousy. I don’t want him getting any more powerful than he already is.”

  “I think we’re way past that at this point.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Why didn’t you tell me he kissed you?”

  Her eyes widened for a second, but she quickly covered it with a frown. “He didn’t kiss me.”

  I didn’t remember walking around the counter over to her, just that I was suddenly next to her with one hand around her left wrist. “Jordan. Did Belial kiss you?”

  “Michael—”

  “Answer the question.”

  She exhaled. “Yes. It was last year, when we fought in the hospital.”

  I let her arm drop. Fury wriggled through my guts like a snake and I had to flatten my hands on the counter to keep from punching through the wall.

  “That son of a bitch. I knew it. I knew this was what he wanted.”