“Explains why her son is such a pain in the arse then.” She giggles and I smirk. Mum and Lorraine roll their eyes while dad looks at us all in confusion. I don't think he remembers that it was Aeron that started this mess. “So if Caroline is a mara, does that make Aeron one too?”
“Um, no Tessa. Aeron is not Caroline's son. His birth mother died giving birth.” Mum replies hesitantly. Oh, his dad and Jaxon's dad must be an incubus too then. Awesome. NOT.
THIRTEEN
The next morning was one of the hardest mornings I have ever had to endure. Dad and Ana left for Mexico. Ana burst into tears when I said goodbye to her. And dad? Well there were no tears in his brown eyes, but there was still sadness within them. He squeezed me so tight that I was sure he has supernatural powers too. Of course though, he doesn't. Mum and dad held each other for a long time when they said goodbye. Mum had to wear gloves and have her entire body covered just so that she wouldn't harm dad or Ana while her guard is down.
As soon as they had both gone. We locked up the house and headed for Calais. We were driving home and possibly into a death trap. FUN!
I turned my phone off during the drive home from Dover so that if Jaxon rings me, the dial tone will not change back to the original one. I don't want him knowing that I am home. Even though he said he wants me safe, I don't trust him, much. I don't think anyone can blame me on that front though, I mean come on, even you have seen the texts he has sent me. Some are beyond creepy.
Lorraine drives us in mum's car so that if Jaxon is lurking around the house, he won't recognise the car or suspect that it is me returning. Well we are soon to find out now aren't we.
After a good five/six hours travelling, we finally pull up outside of my house. Lorraine conjured up a small spell on me and Tessa to make us look different from the onlookers eye. To mum, Tessa and Lorraine, I look normal. To everyone else, I have short black hair, pale skin, freckles and blue eyes. None of my features are the same. Tessa however has platinum blonde hair, blue eyes, tanned skin and a slightly long nose. We are also calling each other the fake names we gave Crillin when we met him out on that field.
We get out of the car and I am so grateful to stretch my legs. I have to say my 5”7 self does not appreciate being cooped up in a car for so long. I look up at my three storied house and a familiar ache starts in my chest. I have missed my home. I am almost tempted to run up to the nearest wall and kiss it. I don't though. That's just weird.
Mum pulls out her keys and unlocks the front door and steps in. I follow and crash into her back. I hadn't even noticed that she had stopped. I look around her and see why the sudden halt.
The house has been trashed. All of our belongings and treasuries have been destroyed and thrown about the rooms. The banister has been ripped from the stairs and is now in the middle of the hallway in bits. Doors hang off their hinges. Mirrors are cracked. Pictures smashed. I feel tears threaten to spill but I blink them back. My childhood home has been demolished from the inside. It doesn't mean that life is over though. It also doesn't look like anything has been taken either.
I make my way into the kitchen and see that, like the rest of the downstairs part of the house, it has been destroyed.
“Clara. Go and check upstairs with Talia.” Mum whispers in a broken voice. I don't know why she is so upset. She hasn't been here since after Ana was born. I don't tell her my thoughts though. Me and Tessa just make our way upstairs instead.
Ana's room, trashed. Dad's room, trashed. Three of the spare rooms, trashed. Bathrooms, destroyed. My room? Perfect. My face screws up entirely as I take in the only room in the house that looks as if it hasn't been touched since before we left. The bowl from when I burnt my hands is still in here. My bikini is still on the bed. The clothes I changed out of the day we ran to mum are on the bed too. I scratch my head in confusion. Tessa does too.
“What the frick?” Tessa says as she walks further into the room. She opens the adjoining bathroom door and like the room, it hasn't been touched.
“My thoughts exactly.” I walk around the room and indeed, nothing is wrong. Well obviously something is wrong just not with my room though. I leave my room, baffled, and then head to where the top floor door is. Just how I left it, locked.
No-one can get up there. It is a panic room and the wooden door is just a façade, the real door is a solid steel door that is so heavy, it usually takes two people to open.
Tessa and I head back downstairs and see that in the space of the ten minutes we were upstairs, mum and Lorraine have managed to clean up sixty percent of the damage.
“Up stairs is pretty much the same mum.” I say. “Except for my room. It hasn't been touched at all.” Mum and Lorraine's heads snap up and they look at me.
“At all?” I shake my head at Lorraine's question. “Are you sure?”
“Positive. There isn't a thing out of place.” Tessa replies for me.
“Hmm. Weird.” Mum comments. “Well, why don't you two scope out the garden while we tidy up and then if everything is clear, you can help us.” I try not to pull a face at the thought of tidying this mess up but fail miserably. Tessa and I head out into the garden, our guards up completely.
I am half appreciative yet annoyed that the garden is so big. It means that A. we won't be joining mum and Lorraine any time soon in the clean up and B. we have a lot of ground to cover.
We circle the entire garden and patio and see that unlike the house, it is immaculate. Looks like the Underworlders didn't bother with it. Tessa goes off to check the tennis court while I check the garage.
I open the door and freeze. There is something in here. Something not human. I inhale to try and see where exactly the scent is coming from and find that it is coming from inside one of dads cars. The Range Rover to be precise. I creep up to the car and peek inside. I can't see anything due to the stupid windows being tinted. I squint to try and look through better and I see a faint shadow from the inside. I jump back and prepare for an attack.
“I know you are in there. Come out, now.” I am amazed how calm and collected I sound. I wait patiently until the car bounces slightly and the door opens. I step behind the door. A black boot hits the floor and then another one. Due to the car being so big, I can't see over the top of the door to see who those feet belong to. After a second or two, I don't need to anyway. They start to move around the door and then he is standing in front of me. Jaxon.
“Can I ask why you are sleeping in the car?” I ask. Not giving away that I am me since I look like someone else.
“Can I ask why you are here? On this property?” He narrows his eyes at me.
“I could ask you the same thing mate.” I raise my eyebrows at him.
“I was house sitting for the owner.” He lies.
“Liar. The owner has just sold me and my family the house.” His face drops from the scowl to something that looks like shock at me catching him out on his lie. “So, why are you here?”
“You really want to know?” His eyes narrow again and he gets that sexy smirk that I love so much, on his lips.
“Would I have asked if I didn't?” I spit. He takes a step towards me and I don't move. I am frozen in fascination of what he is about to do. He stands directly in front of me and still smirking, he reaches down to touch my cheek. I flinch but don't move away. His hand brushes my cheek and his fingers run down my face to my chin. He pulls my head up to look at him and my new blue eyes meet the green eyes that I have been dreaming of for over two weeks. The smile on his face falters as he leans in to graze his lips with mine. My breath hitches. His lips barely touch mine when he pulls back and eyes me warily.
“Titch?” He whispers and my breath catches in my throat completely and I struggle to swallow the lump in my throat. I close my eyes and when I open them again, he is frowning at me.
“I'm sorry, what did you call me?” I put the façade back on though I am pretty positive he sees right through it.
“I know it is you. No-one on this world, or
the Underworld is unaffected by me when I touch them. You may have masked your scent and looks but I know full well that it is you. Why else would a girl let a stranger kiss them? I am no stranger, not to you, am I Calissa?” I bite my lip. “Your silence is the only answer I need.”
Before I can say anything, he rushes me and slams his lips into mine causing a gasp to fly out from between my partly opened lips. The shock wares off shortly after and soon I am kissing him back. He wraps one arm around my waist, pulling me flush against him while the other hand is resting on my cheek. My hands, previously limp at my sides, slowly rise up and grip his top. I realise that despite me telling him I was lying, I really did mean it when I texted him telling him I wanted his lips on mine again. His kisses do something to me that I can't explain. I feel light headed and my entire body ignites from my stomach and flows through my system. It is like my veins are pumping this passion instead of oxygen right through to my brain. I pull my lips away from his and am gasping for breath when I look up at him with wide eyes. The arm that is still around my waist, pulls me to him again and he is hugging me?
“You may not look like you, but you still kiss like you. I have missed you.” He kisses the top of my head. That gesture alone is enough to make me whimper. It is so tender and unlike him.
“Does this mean you are going to kill me now?” I whisper into his chest. He tenses up.
“I- I don't know. Maybe.” My stomach churns. “I want to enjoy this a bit more though.” He rests his chin on the top of my head and holds me tighter to him. As much as I am enjoying him holding me like he loves me, I do need to head back to Tessa before she comes looking for me. “Who are you here with?”
“Tessa.” I say, keeping from him that mine and Tessa's mums are here too. He nods against my head. His stubble scratches me yet I don't mind.
“So did you speak to the angel parent?”
“No. Turns out my birth father abandoned me when I was born.” I shrug. He pulls away and holds me at arms length.
“And your birth mother, is human?” Should I lie and say yes? Or tell him the truth? He is going to find out eventually that the reason his powers don't work on me is because I am half succubus. Maybe I should just tell him. It is a bit of a relief knowing that he can't kill me by sucking my life and soul from me. Hmm... it is probably a better idea if I withhold that information from him for a while.
I don't respond “Um, the Underworlders?”
“Are gone. For now. I am supposed to be staking out the house in case you returned. Then I am meant to report back to my father and the other Elders if you do.” My heart stops.
“And are you going to?” He winces at my question and I shrug his hands off of me. He looks pained and I think I have my answer. “Well, go on then. Go and let them know that I am back. Tell them there are four women here waiting for them while you are at it. Let me tell you this though Jaxon Cray, if I have to, I will fight you too.” My lips turn up into a snarl and I turn away from his frozen in shock self. I leave him standing there while I exit the garage, I get a few steps away before he grabs my arm and swings me around to face him with such force, I should have gotten whiplash if I was human. But I'm not, so...
“You know it is my duty to report it Calissa. It is against the rules for me to not let them know. Against the rules for me to care about you. To kiss you. To like you. So if you cannot handle that fact then bring it on. I will not hesitate to kill you. And even if I cannot use my powers on you there will be other ways, Nephilim.” I almost laugh in his face at the incorrect name he calls me but I don't, instead I tear myself from his grip and storm off towards the house.
“Guys! Might as well undo the disguise. We have been discovered.”
FOURTEEN
“So he is going to report back to the Elders?” Mum is shaking with fear right now. I confirm her question with a tense nod. “Oh Calissa. I wish I could end this for you. Even in all my years, I haven't had to go up against the Elders.” She tells me.
“Have you ever met Jaxon's father?” I ask her.
“I don't know. I am guessing he is an incubus too. I have only met one incubus in the past hundred years. He was so arrogant, I just couldn't be around him for longer than the short time I was. That might very well be Jaxon's father though. However, it was a long time ago.” Past hundred years?
“Um, Serena, just how old are you?” Tessa asks. Mum blushes and looks at a ring on her perfectly manicured fingers.
“Old enough dear.” Vague.
“Okay, were you around for World War One?” I inquire. Mum blushes again and doesn't meet my eyes. “Oh my God. You were! Ahh! Mum is ancient!” I laugh and so does Tessa. Mum and Lorraine give each other a look and then smile themselves.
“Yes, yes, very funny. I am old. You will be too one day young lady. Now let's get back to the topic of hand shall we? We need a game plan.”
We set to work on a plan to fight the possible Underworlders and Elders that we may have to come across soon. Mum tells me that I should keep to myself about my succubus side and then I can use that to my advantage. She also said that I need to pretend that I still don't know how to use my angelic powers or let anyone other than those who already do, know that I have wings. That can be used in our favour too. Tessa is still to remain a hidden witch while mum and Lorraine pretend that they aren't related to us, for now. They disguise themselves while Tessa and I are returned to our natural looks.
Mum tells Tessa and I to head up to the panic room on the top floor and to train as best as we can. We don't argue with her and do as she says once she hands me the long key.
The key is stiff in the lock as I turn it but once it has been half turned, the rest of the way is smooth and easy. I pull the key out and pull the door using everything I have. But of course, I forget that I have superhuman strength now and the door flies open causing me to fall flat on my arse. Tessa snorts and I shoot her a look to shut her up. It doesn't work. We head into the room and up the stairs, closing the door behind us.
When we reach the top of the stairs, I feel around the dark wall for a light switch and the second I find one, I flip it on. As soon as light fills the room, I gasp.
This isn't a panic room at all. It is a training room or rather, flat. There is a huge mirror covering one wall, weights by another wall, punching bags that are so big, I am sure they are triple the strength an ordinary one is. A few fire hydrants in one corner by another door. Which Tessa opens, showing a kitchen. A sofa bed sits against the far wall. A door is open wide in the furthest corner and I can see a bathroom in there. Then resting by the last wall, is a bunch of TV screens. I walk over to them and turn on the power. Okay, so it is kind of like a panic room. The screens show images of every room in the house. My room, is in the dead centre with a label underneath it. Calissa. None of the other rooms are labelled so why is mine?
“It's probably for when your angel powers came in.” Tessa answers my mental question. I give her a dirty look for listening in on my mind and she gives me a cheesy grin. “So, how am I meant to train?” She asks.
“On me.” I shrug. Her eyebrows shoot up and she visibly gulps. “You can get into my mind, so use that. We have our safe word, right?” Ever since we were younger, we have used to word Spice as a safe word. Of course, we were Spice Girl fans, hence why we have that as a safe word. The only time we would use the safe word is when one of us was doing something we shouldn't and the other was a look-out and saw a grown-up coming.
“What if I hurt you though?” She panics.
“Then I will use the safe word, duh. Or hurt you right back. Now face me head on and try and get inside my mind. Use your mind to inflict pain on me.” She does as she is told and though it takes a while, she has me on my knees by the time we are finished. I haven't yet used the safe word though.
We practice time and time again with her mind powers until she can do it without hesitation. Lorraine comes up with a tray of sandwiches, crisps and a drink of Lucozade each, and tells us we n
eed to rest for a bit. She tells us that the coast is still clear and there have been no sightings of any Underworlders or Jaxon. I take that cue to turn on my phone. No messages. Wow. Guess Jaxon is most definitely pissed at me then.
When we have finished eating and the food has gone down, we continue training. This time Lorraine stays to be my dummy as she needs Tessa to use her mind control on me if this goes wrong.
I am going to try and drain Lorraine. Oh God.
I stand in front of her and take a deep breath before I reach out and touch her; concentrating on her life source. Nothing happens at first and then I feel hot and tingly where my hand is. Then before I know it, I feel as if my whole body is lit up like the Eiffel Tower. I pull my hand back quickly as soon as I see Lorraine's eyes flutter.
“I am so sorry Lorraine.” I say as she slowly sinks to the floor. “Tessa get over here.” Lorraine's hand shoots up and she shakes her head, no. Tessa stays put.
“You.” Her voice sounds so weak. “Use your angelic powers to heal, Cally.” Healing powers? I didn't know I could do that. I look at her like she is insane. She huffs out a weak laugh. “Stand next to me and hold your hands over my body. Don't touch me though.” I hesitate and then do as she says. “Now focus Calissa. Focus everything you have on healing.” I do as she says with my eyes closed. I peek them open a tad and see nothing has changed. I vaguely hear someone walk up behind me but I block it out of my mind as I refuse to give up on this task. Cold air hits my face and my hands tingle. It's working!! Tessa must be able to hear my thoughts because she stands next to me and grips my t-shirt covered shoulder.
Around twenty minutes later, yes twenty, I am a rookie after all; Lorraine is back to normal and grinning at me. I look up to see my mum smiling down at me and Tessa is too.
So, I can heal!! WOOO! Being half demon, half angel most definitely has it's good sides.
Demonic Angel (A Touch Of Magic) Page 10
