The Angel Trials- The Complete Series

by Michelle Madow

  The walls felt like they closed in around me. My chest ached—it hurt to breathe—and I pressed my fingers to my temples as I tried to sort through my thoughts. How could my brother do this—not just to me, but to Noah? Because Flint knew the truth about Noah. He knew Noah was fighting for a good cause.

  I wasn’t stupid—I knew my brother’s morals tended to reside in a gray area. But he always had reasons for what he did. He made tough decisions to protect me. To protect our pack.

  “This doesn’t make sense.” I lowered my hands and looked at Thomas again. I couldn’t even think about how he’d said he loved me while under the influence of truth potion. I needed to take this one step at a time. “Why wouldn’t Flint just call me, tell me about this alliance, and ask me to come home?”

  “Because whatever this alliance is, he knows you’re not going to like it,” Thomas said.

  “He told you that?” I asked.

  “No,” he said. “It’s just a guess.”

  “But it makes sense,” Noah added. “Especially since someone in this alliance apparently wants me dead. In case you forgot that part.”

  “No,” I said numbly. “I didn’t forget.”

  I looked at Raven, curious what she was thinking. She’d been pretty quiet this whole time, but now, I saw sadness in her eyes.

  She didn’t have to speak for me to understand what was going through her mind. She agreed with what the guys were saying. She felt bad for me. But worst of all, she understood how scared I was.

  Because now, she wasn’t the only one who might have lost her family.

  “You have a place here,” Thomas finally said. “You can move back into your old room—”

  “Stop,” I interrupted him. “I’m not moving in here.”

  Move in with my ex-fiancée in his hotel run by vampires? No, thanks.

  “You don’t have to take your old room back,” he said. “You can have a condo of your own, if you’d prefer.”

  “No.” I stared him down, my voice sharp. “I’m not just going to abandon my pack.”

  “You heard what Flint said,” Thomas said. “You can’t go back there.”

  “I can, and I will.” I stood up and ran my fingers through my hair, needing to get out of this room. I turned to Noah and Raven, since they were the ones in danger here—not Thomas. “I’m going to figure out what my brother’s up to and talk some sense into him. The only way to do that is to see him in person. But I need to make sure you’re both safe first. So I’m going to wait until you’ve made your way to Avalon.”

  “Or you could come with us,” Noah said. “To Avalon. It’s the safest place in the world. Rumor has it that not even the fae can find it.”

  “The Bettencourt is just as safe,” Thomas cut in. “More so, since you have me to protect you here.”

  “I don’t need to be protected from my own brother!” I yelled, stunning them all into silence.

  I wasn’t sure who I was trying to convince more—them, or myself.

  All three of them sat there with wide eyes, apparently not sure what to say next.

  “I need some time to think.” I marched toward the door, stopping when my hand was wrapped fully around the doorknob and turning to face them once more. “I’ll be in my room. Don’t come and talk to me unless it’s to tell me that the vampire blood is out of Raven’s system.”

  “Why?” Raven asked.

  “Because once it is, we have a final demon to track down and kill,” I said. “Then the two of you can go to Avalon, and I can go back home to talk to my brother.”

  26

  Sage

  I’d hoped to get a ton of sleep that night and wake up feeling refreshed and ready to face my problems the next day.

  That didn’t happen. Instead, I tossed and turned for hours, trying to think about who Flint might have made an alliance with.

  One of the vampire kingdoms?

  The fae?

  The demons themselves?

  Each idea was more ridiculous than the last, and all this worrying was getting me nowhere. I’d only know the truth once I went back home and found it out myself. For now, I was frustrated, irritated, and scared. I didn’t know what to do with all of these emotions. All I knew was that I needed to be alone.

  Much to my relief, the three of them listened to me and didn’t come in to bother me. Thomas knew me well enough that he knew trying to push me would just make things worse.

  He also knew me well enough to know that when I was upset and couldn’t sleep, I liked to binge watch television shows. When I’d stomped back to my room, the television screen had flashed on, showing the Netflix home screen. My account was still there.

  He’d used his power to let me know my account hadn’t been deleted.

  I wished I could say I was annoyed at him. But when I logged into my account and immediately found a show to watch, I was grateful.

  Binge watching television didn’t make me forget about everything going on, but it did distract me slightly. That was the best I could hope for right now. Especially given what Thomas had said to me under the truth potion.

  He’d said he loved me.

  I wished he’d never said it. Now I was more confused than ever, and given everything going on with my brother, confusion was the last thing I needed right now.

  Anyway, truth potion only forced people to say what they believed to be true. If someone believed a lie to be true, they’d say that lie under truth potion, because it was their truth.

  Thomas might have believed he loved me, but he didn’t act like it. And weren’t actions more important than anything else?

  I thought so.

  At some point, someone left a large pizza outside my door, covered in delicious meat toppings. I knew it was there because the smell was intoxicating. I opened the door, glad to see that no one was standing in the hall, and pulled the pizza inside.

  This had to be thanks to either Thomas or Noah. Both of them were aware of my weakness for fast food delivery pizza. I didn’t care how many times people swore by high-end pizza restaurants—nothing could ever be as delicious as Dominos. And when I was stressed, I could easily polish off an entire large by myself. Plus a side of cheese bread.

  Once I was full, I finally managed to fall asleep.

  A knock on the door woke me up what felt like mere minutes later.

  I opened my eyes to see the “are you still watching this?” Netflix screen on the television, and the empty pizza box open at the end of the bed. Apparently I’d slept for a few hours, but it didn’t feel like it. I felt like I could sleep for a full day straight.

  I was the definition of a train wreck. But a glance at my watch told me I needed to get myself together, because the vampire blood was likely out of Raven’s system by now.

  “Sage?” Raven opened the door a crack and peered inside. She frowned when she saw me, and she opened the door slightly wider. “The vampire blood is out of my system.”

  “No blood hangover?” I asked.

  “The witch who lives here gave me a potion to counteract it,” she said. “The guys sent me to come get you…” She pointed her thumb behind her and trailed off. “What should I tell them?”

  The concern on her face gave away what she was thinking—I didn’t look ready to re-emerge. But I couldn’t lounge in bed for days on end. I needed to get out and face my problems.

  That started with getting myself together.

  “I need to freshen up.” I rolled out of bed, feeling huge and bloated after my massive pig out. Carbs never sat as well with me as pure protein, but they were so delicious that sometimes I couldn’t resist. “Tell them I’ll be out in a few minutes.”

  The reprise from all the craziness had been nice.

  But now, it was time to get a grip on myself and face reality.

  27

  Sage

  I walked through the living room and saw my and Noah’s suitcases sitting in the foyer. Thomas must have sent someone to Nashville to retrieve our stuff
. That was great, since we had weapons and potions back there that I didn’t feel like taking the time to reacquire.

  Hopefully he’d also checked us out of the hotel. I’d have to call later and make sure.

  For now, I heard voices coming from the dining room, so I headed in that direction.

  Thomas, Noah, and Raven were all gathered around someone sitting at the head of the table. Raven moved aside and I saw that the person who’d joined us was Cassandra—one of the witches who lived in the Bettencourt. On the table in front of her was a cloth, an atlas opened to a map of the central United States, a pendulum, candles, and crystals. Her blonde hair was longer than I remembered, but other than that, she didn’t look like she’d aged a day since the last time I’d seen her. We looked the same age now.

  The moment her eyes met mine, she smiled and stood up. “Sage.” She walked toward me and embraced me in a hug. “It’s been too long.”

  “Four years.” Well, almost four years. It would be exactly four years by the end of summer.

  She pulled away and studied me, watching me with concern. I was sure she had a lot of questions for me. But Cassandra was the queen of proper manners, so she’d wait for a more appropriate time.

  Meaning, a time when Thomas, Noah, and Raven weren’t hovering over our shoulders listening to everything we said.

  “While you were sleeping, Thomas and your two new friends caught me up on what’s going on,” she said.

  My heart leaped into my chest, and I glanced at Noah in panic. “Everything?” I asked.

  “We covered the basics,” Noah said. “My quest from the Earth Angel, you getting on board, Raven joining our group, and our most recent hunt leading us here.”

  I nodded, understanding exactly what he’d left out. Mainly, every crazy, weird thing that had happened to us from Noah being the First Prophet, Raven’s missing memories and her knowing about the power of vampire blood, to Flint making a super shady alliance behind my back.

  “Cassandra agreed to scry for the location of the final demon,” Thomas added.

  “Great.” I avoided Thomas’s gaze and smiled at Cassandra. “Thank you.”

  I should have been excited—this was the last demon we’d scry for. Assuming Cassandra was able to locate a demon, we were getting closer than ever to finishing this hunt. Especially given how much quicker each kill had been with Raven on board, given that the demons were drawn to her like moths to a flame.

  It also represented the end of an era. Sure, I’d only been on this hunt with Noah for a few weeks, but it felt like we’d known each other for so much longer. And while the hunt was dangerous, it was also exhilarating and fun. It gave me a purpose I didn’t know I craved.

  Once it was over, I’d have to go back home and face Flint. Then, once I leveled with him and helped him out of whatever bind he’d gotten himself into, everything would go back to normal.

  I should have been glad. Relieved. Happy about the prospect of returning to my pack.

  But I wasn’t sure I wanted normal anymore. Especially given the state of the world right now. With the demons lying low, too many supernaturals were in denial that they could actually overpower us. They didn’t think enough demons had escaped Hell to do the type of damage people were claiming they could.

  Not me. I’d seen firsthand how dangerous the demons could be.

  If we wanted to survive, we needed to step up, band together, and fight. I intended on being a part of that.

  Cassandra walked back over to the head of the table. “Are you ready to begin?” she asked.

  “Yes.” I walked to the edge of the table and put my hands on the glass. “Let’s do this.”

  28

  Sage

  Cassandra set the candles in their places—each one representing a point of the compass and an element of the Earth—and lit them. As each flame caught, I smelled the element the candle represented. Forest for earth, sea salt for water, flowers for air, and smoke for fire.

  She reached for her pendulum and glanced at Noah. “I’ll need the heavenly weapon you’ve been using to hunt the demons,” she said.

  Noah pulled the slicer out of his weapons belt and handed it over.

  The moment the slicer was in Cassandra’s hand, the pendulum started to move.

  That was fast.

  The only other time it had started moving that quickly was when Amber had located the demon that had been a few miles away in LA.

  Cassandra moved her hand to follow the swinging of the pendulum. Sure enough, the crystal ended up right above the dot labeled Chicago.

  “Flip to the city’s map,” she instructed, since if she broke contact with either the pendulum or the slicer, the spell would be broken.

  Raven reached for the atlas, flipped through it, and placed it back down once it was opened to a map of Chicago. The pendulum started swinging again. It eventually settled on a place a few blocks away—a street full of bars and clubs.

  Of course. If there was one thing we’d learned on these hunts, it was that the demons were searching for people in crowded areas. It made popular bars and clubs the perfect places for them to prowl. We still weren’t sure why the demons were choosing certain humans to kidnap, but given that Raven had been one of the humans selected, we hoped to figure out the answer soon.

  Well, Noah and Raven hoped to figure out the answer once they reached Avalon.

  I might never find out, since I’d be going back home.

  Again, I wished this hunt wasn’t so close to ending. There were too many questions still unanswered. A part of me—a bigger part than I cared to admit—yearned to go with Noah and Raven to Avalon. There, I could join the Earth Angel’s army and continue doing my part to stop the demons from taking over the Earth.

  But I had to figure out what was going on with my brother and help him out of whatever mess he’d created.

  Pack first, always. Especially since Flint was a stickler to tradition, which meant if I joined the Earth Angel’s army on Avalon, I’d be a deserter to the Montgomery pack. I’d never be welcomed back again.

  The pack was my family. Leaving them would feel like ripping out part of my soul.

  “Sage?” Noah pulled me out of my dark thoughts. “Are you ready to head out and kill our last demon?”

  “Yeah.” I shook the thoughts out of my mind and forced a smile. “I’m ready.”

  “Good.” Thomas looked at Noah, then at Raven, and finally at me—that annoyingly gorgeous self-satisfied smirk on his lips the entire time. “So am I.”

  29

  Sage

  “What do you have to be ready for?” I asked.

  “The hunt.” His eyes twinkled with amusement. “I’m coming with you.”

  “No.” I shook my head adamantly. “You’re not.”

  He held my gaze, not saying a word.

  I stared right back. If this was how he was going to play it, so be it. I could hold my own in a standoff when I needed to.

  “I’ll leave the four of you to discuss how you plan to proceed.” Cassandra blew out the candles and gathered her materials into the cloth she’d laid out on the table. “I’m glad to have helped, but I have some work I need to attend to in my apothecary. Hopefully I’ll be seeing more of you soon.” She flashed me a friendly smile and made her way out of the penthouse.

  The moment she was gone, I turned my attention back to Thomas. “The three of us have this under control,” I said. “We don’t need help.”

  “Are you so sure about that?” he asked.

  “Of course.” I crossed my arms, annoyed at him for doubting my competency. “We’ve been doing this for a while.”

  “I know you have,” he said. “But you told me yourselves that the last demon you hunted was stronger than the others—you suspected he was a warrior demon. He had a potion that prevented you from shifting. And he brought that red-eyed wolf with him. If Raven hadn’t risked her life by using Noah’s heavenly weapon, there’s a good chance you would all be dead by now.�
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  “We just have to be more careful this time around,” I said. “We’ll find a smaller alley to corner the demon in. We’ll make sure no one’s with him. Now that we know to look out for an accomplice, we can be more prepared.”

  “You’ll be more prepared if I’m with you,” Thomas said. “I’ll be another set of eyes. Plus, that potion that prevented you from shifting won’t do anything to me. What’s the harm in my coming with you?”

  I fidgeted with the cloaking ring around my finger, looking for a reason other than you broke my heart and I don’t want to be around you for any longer than necessary. “The demon will know what you are,” I said. “You’d give us away before we had a chance to strike.”

  “Come on, Sage.” He shook his head in disappointment. “I don’t normally wear it because I have no need to hide what I am, but do you really think I don’t have a cloaking ring of my own?”

  “I’ve never seen you wear one.” I shrugged.

  “I have one,” he said. “And I’m happy to wear it if it means I can accompany you on your mission.”

  “It’s not a bad plan,” Raven chimed in. I glared at her, but she continued anyway. “I mean, we definitely could have used his help last time. And we still don’t know what that red-eyed shifter was. For all we know, the demon tonight could also have one with him—or more than one. We’ll be more prepared if Thomas comes with us.”

  “So the vote’s one to one.” Thomas turned to Noah. “Looks like the decision is up to you.”

  Noah looked back and forth between Raven and me. From the apology in his eyes when he looked at me, I knew what he was going to say before he said it.

  “I agree with Raven,” he said, confirming my suspicion. “Given the possibility of another—or more than one—red-eyed shifter, and the fact that the last demon we fought had that potion that stopped me from shifting, it’ll be beneficial to have a vampire on our side. Especially a prince with a gift for controlling technology.”