“You’re smarter than I initially gave you credit for,” Thomas said to him.
“Not so fast.” Noah gave Thomas a stone cold glare that shut him up immediately. “Sage has been hunting with me since nearly the beginning. I wouldn’t have gotten this far without her help. So unless you can get her on board, the three of us are going on this hunt alone.”
Thomas nodded in respect. “Understood,” he said. “Would you mind giving Sage and I some time alone?”
“Five minutes,” Noah said. “We’ve already pinpointed the demon’s location, so we can’t afford to lose any more time than that.”
“Five minutes,” Thomas agreed.
Noah reached for Raven’s hand, and the two of them exited the dining room.
The moment they were gone, the doors slid closed, leaving Thomas and I alone.
I faced him with fire in my eyes. “What are you going to do?” I asked. “Keep me locked in here until I agree to let you come with us?”
“I wouldn’t keep you anywhere against your will,” he said. “You should know me better than that.”
“I used to know you.” I huffed. “Not anymore.”
“You know me well enough to trust that I’d help Raven, even though you had information that any other vampire would have killed you for knowing,” he said.
“That was different.” I crossed my arms, wishing he’d get to the point. The seconds were ticking down, and he hadn’t come close to getting me to change my mind.
“Really?” He tilted his head, curious. “How so?”
“It doesn’t matter.” I didn’t want to get into this again. “Why do you want to come with us so badly, anyway? Don’t you have more important things you need to be doing?”
“More important than making sure you’re safe?” He tilted his head, looking at me like the question was absurd. “Never.”
It was something he would have said to me when we were dating, and the flash of the Thomas I knew from back then made my heart pang. But I forced the feeling away. Because while he might love me in his own way, he didn’t want to be with me. And wasn’t that what mattered?
Once this demon hunt was done, I’d go back to LA and Thomas would stay right here. Having him join us on this final hunt would just make it hurt more when this was all over.
“Look.” I swallowed away a lump in my throat, needing to get my feelings out there no matter how hard it would be. “I wouldn’t have come here if it wasn’t the only way to save Raven’s life. You made your choice not to be with me, and I’ve accepted that. But these mind games you’re trying to play with me… they need to stop. Just let me go. Please.”
“I wish I could,” he said. “But I can’t. And I’m done trying.”
He rushed toward me and lowered his lips to mine before I could say a word.
I realized what he was going to do a second before he did it, and my first instinct was to push him away. He couldn’t break up with me and then kiss me and expect… well I don’t know what he expected.
But once his lips were on mine, every rational thought disappeared from my mind. Fireworks exploded in my chest and warmth rushed through my body. I felt happier and more alive than ever. For years I’d been numb, guarded, and detached. It was like my soul had been broken, but now it was mending itself to become whole. More than whole.
It felt like it was joining with his.
I leaned into him, kissing him back with every bit of raw, passionate energy that had built up in me these past four years. From the way he kissed me back, it was like he felt exactly the same.
No… I knew he felt the same. I don’t know how I knew. I just did.
Just as strongly as I could hear our hearts beating as one.
I broke the kiss and took a few steps back, staring up at him in shock.
“Sage.” He spoke my name with so much desire that it took every ounce of my strength not to rush into his arms and kiss him again. “That was…” He ran his hand through his hair and shook his head, like he was searching for a word and couldn’t find it.
I knew why.
Because what had just happened between us wasn’t something that any vampire had ever experienced before. It wasn’t something that I’d ever experienced before.
“It was different than any other time we kissed?” I guessed.
“You could say that.” He looked at me in a daze, moved closer to me, and wrapped his arms around my waist. “What just happened between us?”
“It shouldn’t be possible.” I gazed up at him with wide eyes, feeling just as dumbfounded as he was. “But I think we just imprinted on each other.”
30
Raven
I had no idea what had happened between Sage and Thomas in the dining room, but they both walked out of there looking like their worlds had been turned upside down. I wanted to get the dirty details—Sage was a friend, and something had clearly just gone down between them—but now wasn’t the right time.
She mumbled that Thomas was going to come with us, and we got him up to speed on the technique we’d devised to reel the demons in and kill them before they had a chance to launch an attack.
The entire time we spoke, Thomas and Sage moved closer toward each other until their hands were nearly touching.
It was only when my hand brushed against Noah’s that I realized we were doing the exact same thing.
“Fascinating,” Thomas said once we’d finished explaining, although he focused on me. “So the demons are always drawn to you, and you have no idea why?”
“Yep,” I said. “We’re hoping to figure out why they’re drawn to me once we get to Avalon. For now, we’re just using it to help us on the hunt.”
“Smart,” he said.
“Thanks.” I smiled, since it had been my idea. “I thought so too.”
“So modest,” Noah joked, throwing his arm around my shoulders and pulling me close to his chest.
I laughed and leaned into him, feeling more relaxed than ever. Which was crazy, since we were about to head out to hunt a demon. I should have been nervous or scared. But being with Noah—working with him like this—felt so right. No matter what happened, we’d get through it together and we’d be stronger for it. I knew it deep in my soul.
I still had so much ahead of me—getting to Avalon, passing the Angel Trials, and saving my mom. But as long as I was with Noah, I trusted that everything was going to work out.
Better than fine. Because I could no longer imagine my life without him in it. And despite his talk about how he didn’t think we should mate because he wanted to protect me from never finding love again if he didn’t make it through this war, I didn’t think he could resist the connection between us any more than I could.
Time would tell, of course. But I had a good feeling about the two of us.
“All right, lovebirds.” Sage snapped her fingers, bringing us back into focus. “Now that we’re four instead of three, what’s the best way to work Thomas into our plan?”
“It’s been working best with the girls baiting the demons,” Noah said to Thomas. “They pretend they’ve been drinking. With Sage wearing her cloaking ring, the demons assume Sage and Raven are two drunk human girls. The demons get cocky, making it ridiculously easy to lure them into the alley.”
“It’s easy unless the demon has backup,” Thomas said. “Like the last one with the red-eyed shifter.”
“Which is where you’ll come into play,” Noah said. “You’ll stay back with me. We’ll make sure no demonic supernaturals are following the demon and the girls. If we spot any, we’ll take them down before they can follow them into the alley.”
“Let’s say we do find a red-eyed shifter,” Thomas supposed. “While we’re fighting it, what happens to the girls with the demon in the alley?”
“I can hold my own in a fight.” Sage raised her chin stubbornly. “At least, long enough until Noah can swoop in with the slicer and turn the demon to ashes.”
“And what about you?” Thomas
looked at me.
“The demon won’t come into the alley without me,” I said. “I might not be supernatural, but I’m the key to this whole plan working. Plus, Noah’s been teaching me some self defense moves.”
“I hope you don’t have to use them,” Thomas said. “Because if a demon attacks you, you don’t stand a chance. Humans can be broken like twigs by supernaturals.”
“It’s a good thing the demons want me alive, then, isn’t it?” I held his gaze, wanting him to know I wouldn’t back down so easily.
He gave me a small smile of approval. “The Earth Angel is lucky to have someone as brave as you coming to Avalon to join her army,” he said.
My cheeks heated, humbled by the compliment. At first, I’d only wanted to go to Avalon to save my mom. And of course I still wanted to save her—I planned on saving her. But as I’d been traveling with Noah and Sage, this fight had slowly become my own.
I couldn’t wait to do my part in ridding the demons from the Earth once and for all.
“Raven’s going to kick serious ass in the Angel Trials,” Noah said, giving my hand a reassuring squeeze.
My stomach turned at the reminder that my journey had still barely begun. But I remained smiling, trying to stay strong.
“She’ll make a powerful Nephilim,” Thomas said. “But right now she’s still human. And I’m not liking the idea of leaving the girls on their own tonight.”
“They’re not on their own,” Noah said. “We’ll be watching their backs, protecting them.”
“I understand that,” he said. “But what if we switch it up this time? You partner with Raven to lure the demon, and Sage and I will keep watch.”
“The plan works best with two girls as bait,” Sage said, scowling. “Don’t you trust that I can hold my own until you and Noah arrive?"
“I know you can.” Thomas gazed down at her, love and worry shining in his eyes. “But I just got you back. I don’t want to let you out of my sight so soon.”
Her expression softened—Thomas had clearly gotten to her. “I’ll never be out of your sight,” she said with a small smile. “You’ll be following behind, able to see me the entire time. You’ll be making sure Raven and I stay safe.”
I looked back and forth between the two of them, more positive than ever from the adoring ways they were staring at each other that something big had just happened between them.
Resolve passed over Thomas’s eyes, and he looked over at Noah. “You never let the girls out of your sight?” he asked.
“Never.” Noah straightened. “I protect them with my life.”
“As I will as well,” Thomas said.
“I know you will,” Noah said. “Welcome to the team.” He held out his hand, and Thomas shook it with a single pump.
“Thanks for having me on it.” Thomas glanced at each of us, and I could tell from the energy buzzing between the four of us that we were ready to roll. “So, what are we waiting around here for?” he asked, mischief creeping into his tone. “Don’t we have a demon to hunt?”
31
Raven
Before turning the corner onto the main street, Sage stopped at the end of the alley and uncapped the flask she was carrying in her jacket. She took a sip, swished the vodka in her mouth, and spit it out on the sidewalk. She handed it to me, and I did the same.
We couldn’t afford to be drunk on the job, but we needed to convince the demons we were drinking. Swishing and spitting did the trick. That way we smelled like alcohol, but didn’t have to deal with the dizzying effects of it.
The outside of the club had a line all the way out the door. But lines apparently didn’t apply to Thomas. He simply walked up to the bouncer, looked him in the eyes, and said, “The four of us are on the list. Let us in.”
The bouncer’s face went slack and he unhooked the rope, allowing us to walk inside without question. A few people in line—who I assumed had been waiting for quite some time—whined and complained. But we ignored them and walked on by.
It was definitely useful having a vampire prince on the team.
Inside was loud, bright, and so crowded that there was barely space to walk—just like every other bar or club we’d tracked the demons down in so far. It was a massive club, with multiple floors looking down from balconies to the center.
“There are five bars in here.” Thomas stared blankly ahead, not focused on anything in particular. “The one in the back is the most crowded. Our friend is there.” He blinked and refocused on Sage once he was done speaking.
Earlier, we’d filled him in on our lingo—how we called the demon our “friend” so we didn’t sound suspicious.
“How do you know that?” I asked. Supernatural vision was better than human vision, but it didn’t allow them to see through walls.
Or did it? It was probably safe not to assume anything anymore.
“I linked into the security cameras.” He tapped his forehead. “I can see every inch of this place right in here.”
Technopath. Right.
Thomas was definitely coming in handy.
“Let’s go.” Sage linked her arm with mine, and we headed to the back bar. As a supernatural, Sage could see the demon’s true form, so she always took the lead at this part.
I could only see a demon’s true form when I knew to look for it. Even then, it only came in flashes. So I allowed Sage to pull me through the crowd. Unsure when the demon would spot us, I added in a few stumbles here and there.
It was important to keep up the facade of a drunk college girl from the start.
Sage pushed our way through the rows of people crowding around the bar. With her supernatural strength, she could have gotten to the front of all these humans with no problem. But she stopped midway through, peered over the sea of people, and let out a frustrated huff.
An attractive, well-dressed man in his mid-twenties was instantly by our side. The demon. It figured—the demons always took similar forms. Being attractive and appearing well off probably made it easier for them to lure in their prey.
“Do you ladies need help getting a drink from the bar?” He focused on me as he spoke. “On me, of course.”
“Water.” I giggled and stumbled into Sage.
She leaned into me and giggled as well, the two of us making a show of propping each other up. “I think we might have pre-gamed a bit too hard before coming out tonight.” She laughed again and covered her mouth, as if she’d just revealed something she shouldn’t have.
“Pre-gamed?” He glanced back and forth between us, looking truly confused. “What do you mean by that?”
Right—the demons had been locked in Hell for centuries. They understood English—during our drives, Sage and Noah had told me that both angels and demons were able to speak any language in the world.
But understanding English didn’t make them versed in recent slang.
“We drank before coming out,” Sage drawled. “A lot.” She punctuated that with another stumble into me.
I pretended to lose my footing and fall straight into the demon.
“Ah.” He caught my arm to steady me and eyed me up, smirking. “That explains your current inebriated state.”
I swallowed down a shudder at his touch, forcing myself to smile instead.
I hated when the demons touched me. But practice was making me good at this.
“I can’t believe you don’t know what pre-gaming means!” I giggled again and tilted my head, like he entranced me. His eyes flashed red, and despite the urge to recoil, I pretended everything was normal. “You must not be from here,” I continued without waiting for a reply. “Where are you from?”
“You’re right that I’m not from here.” He smirked. “I’m from down south.”
“Ohhh.” I raised my eyebrows, as if intrigued. “Like, Florida?”
“Nice,” Sage said. “My grandparents live in Boca.”
I couldn’t help laughing—her grandparents totally didn’t live in Boca. Actually, I didn’t know
much about her family besides Flint. If her parents or grandparents were still alive, she hadn’t mentioned them.
The demon nodded, clearly having no idea where Boca was. “Are you girls from here?” he asked us.
“I have family out here and have been staying with them each summer for years,” Sage said, swinging an arm around my neck and pulling me close. “Rebekah’s my bestie, and she’s staying with us for the week.”
That was my code name for this hunt. Hers was Samantha.
“Rebekah.” The demon eyed me up like a piece of meat. “A beautiful name for a beautiful woman.”
Ugh. So cringe-worthy.
But I smiled anyway, since we had an act to keep up. “What’s your name?” I asked, leaning forward in interest.
“Alex,” he said.
Of course it was. The demons used code names too, and they picked the most common ones possible.
“Nice to meet you Alex,” I said. Then I wrapped my arms around my stomach and groaned. “All that vodka’s hitting me harder than I expected.” I looked at Sage, pouting as if in pain. “I need food.”
“Me too,” she agreed. “Pizza?”
The demon’s eyes lit up. “I’m getting hungry myself,” he said. “Mind if I join?”
“Really?” I widened my eyes, as if thrilled he was offering to grace us with his presence. “I mean, I’d think someone like you would want to stay out, but if you want to join, that would be awesome!”
“Someone like me?” He studied me, suspicion sneaking into his tone.
My stomach dropped—had I just given away that I knew what he truly was?
I needed to cover, fast.
“I mean, someone as attractive as you.” I lowered my eyes, as if embarrassed for admitting it. Then I raised them slowly to meet his. “I thought you’d want to stay here partying.”
The Angel Trials- The Complete Series Page 42
