The Angel Trials- The Complete Series

by Michelle Madow

  I also knew from my vision that Noah’s eyes weren’t red. I’d never seen a shifter other than them and the others at the compound, but my conclusion was that shifters didn’t naturally have red eyes.

  Something must have happened between then and now that had changed her.

  That “something” must have been Azazel.

  “So Azazel left Raven in the bunker,” I repeated what Sage had told me last. “What happened next?”

  “He brought me back home.” She smiled serenely, looking around the compound. “He reunited me with my pack. He promised us safety. And we made our alliance official.”

  “And you’re happy about that?” I asked, leaning closer and whispering. “Truly?”

  If she’d been pretending this whole time out of fear that I would report anything she said to Azazel, I hoped she might trust me at this point to give me a sign that she needed help.

  “Of course I am.” She sat back in the swing, as if confused and put off by my question. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

  “Never mind.” I sighed. She clearly didn’t trust me yet, or she was too far brainwashed by whatever Azazel had done to her.

  The brainwashing must have turned her eyes red. And all the other shifters in the yard had red eyes, too. So there was only one person I could think of who might be able to answer my questions freely.

  “Thanks for chatting with me, Sage,” I continued, remaining as warm and as friendly as I’d been at the start of our conversation. “Do you happen to know where Derrick might be right now? He’s the other vampire who also works for Azazel,” I clarified, in case she didn’t know him by name.

  “You have business with Derrick?” she asked.

  “Not business, per se.” I glanced down and scuffed my feet back and forth on the dirt, trying to look embarrassed. The best way to lie was to base it off truth. So I raised my eyes back up to look at her, leaned closer as if telling her a secret, and continued, “His Grace introduced Derrick and I yesterday, and he had Derrick walk me back to my room. The two of us got along nicely. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about Derrick since…” I let the sentence hang, allowing Sage to draw her own conclusion.

  “Ah.” Sage nodded, appearing pleased by my statement. “You want to mate with Derrick. The two of you would make a sensible match.”

  I couldn’t imagine the spunky version of her I’d seen in my vision about Chicago ever referring to a romantic interest as “sensible.” But I was just going to go with it. “I think so, too,” I said. “So, where do you think I’d find him at this hour?”

  “Probably in the library,” she said. “Derrick doesn’t love the outdoors like us shifters. He prefers having his nose in a book.”

  “And the library is…”

  “In the main house,” she said. “If you go in through the back door, you’ll make a right. It’ll be the second door on the left.”

  “Thank you, Sage,” I said, getting up from the swing. “It was nice talking with you. I hope we can do it again soon.”

  “Me too,” she said, although from her tone, it didn’t sound like she cared one way or the other.

  This was definitely not the same Sage I’d seen in my vision.

  And hopefully, Derrick would know why that was.

  34

  Skylar

  Derrick was in the library, just like Sage had said. He was reclining on an antique sofa, reading a worn leather book. And he was the only person in the room.

  “Skylar.” He lowered the book onto his lap when I entered. “Nice to run into you again. Were you looking for some new reading material?”

  “No.” I shut the door behind me, making sure it was completely closed before continuing. “I was looking for you.”

  He put a bookmark between the pages and closed the book, placing it next to him. “I take it this has to do with our conversation yesterday?”

  “I took your advice and started getting to know the others in the compound.” I joined him on the sofa, sitting as close as possible given the book between us, and lowered my voice. “I just had a long conversation with Sage. What’s wrong with her and all the shifters?”

  “You mean the demon bond?” he asked.

  “I mean whatever turned their eyes red and is making them blindly follow Azazel.”

  “The demon bond.” He nodded. “That’s how greater demons make alliances with shifters. A witch does a spell with dark magic—in this case, that witch was Lavinia—and binds the demon’s will to theirs.”

  “So he’s taking away their free will,” I said, piecing it together in my mind. “Similar to the way he’s using the complacent potion on us.”

  “It’s not similar,” he said, his expression grim. “We still have our free will, but the complacent potion prohibits us from acting on it. Once bound to a demon, shifters have no more will of their own. They want what the demon they’re bound to wants. Their souls are no longer their own.”

  “So they’re slaves,” I said darkly.

  “Yes,” he said. “I suppose they are.”

  “So why didn’t Azazel blood bind us to him as well?” I asked. “It seems like it would be easier than using the complacent potion.”

  “Blood binding only works between demons and shifters,” he said, as if it was something everyone should know.

  “How come?”

  “It’s said that shifters originated from demons, similar to how Nephilim originated from angels,” he said. “I don’t know much beyond that. But from what I’ve heard, Lavinia’s witch circle—the Foster witches—created the spell to form the demon bond thousands of years ago. The knowledge of the spell has been passed down from generation to generation. Now they’ve allied with Azazel and are binding shifters to him. It’s why the Montgomery pack members are being such generous hosts to Azazel and his supporters.”

  “I see.” My stomach twisted with horror at what Azazel had done to Sage and the others. “Can the demon bond be broken?”

  “Not that I know of,” he said.

  “Are you sure?” I couldn’t help doubting whose side he was truly on here.

  “I’m in the same position that you are.” Frustration laced his tone, and he leaned forward so his ice blue eyes were inches away from mine. “We’re on the same side. But sitting in here alone together isn’t going to help us gain their trust. If anything, it will rouse suspicion that we’re plotting against them.”

  We were plotting against them… so I understood his point.

  “So what do you suggest we do?” I asked, not backing down. I wasn’t easily intimidated, and I wanted to make that clear to him. He might have been a vampire for longer than me, but now that I was a vampire as well, we were the same.

  “I suggest we go outside.” He stood up and offered his arm to me in the same gentlemanly way he had yesterday. “And that you allow me to introduce you to the rest of the Montgomery pack.”

  35

  Skylar

  Derrick and I spent the rest of the night sitting outside, socializing with the demon bound shifters.

  Azazel and his demons—other than the one guarding Kara’s room—were nowhere to be found. They were apparently off doing business somewhere. The shifters were open with how common it was for Azazel to go out at night. None of them knew what he was doing, but they trusted that whatever it was, it was in their best interest. Especially because like tonight, he often had their alpha—Flint—accompany him to his outings.

  Unlike Sage, the other members of the Montgomery pack were able to small talk like normal. The only time I noticed something “off” with them was when Azazel or the demons came up in conversation. Then they turned unemotional, spewing the pro-demon rhetoric that had been put in their minds when Azazel had bound them to him.

  Their emotions appeared to be affected by the demon bond as well. They were all cool and levelheaded—to the point where it was eerie. Like their empathy had been stripped from their souls. Even the young boy, Michael, was strangely calm.


  I continuously glanced over at Sage on the swing set, worried about her. She was different from the others. More melancholy and sad.

  Why was she so different from the rest of her pack?

  I’d find out. It would take some digging, but there had to be a reason.

  I was listening to a story about how one of their pack members—Linden—had had a fling with a Hollywood A-lister and gotten them all invited to one of her notorious parties on her private island off the coast. It sounded like the type of conversation fraternity guys would have over cans of beer. They were just getting to the point of convincing all the celebrities there to go skinny-dipping with them when someone came out to join us from the main house.

  From the intense, smoky smell that filled my nose at their presence, I knew it was a demon.

  I turned around, shocked to find a petite, blonde woman in jeans and a pink tank top standing on the deck. She had the red eyes of a demon, and the scent of a demon, but other than that she looked relatively harmless. Especially because she was holding a device that looked so human—a Kindle.

  The shifters silenced in her presence. “Mara,” Linden said seriously, the earlier traces of humor gone from his tone. “What can we do for you?”

  “I can’t get this thing to work.” She held up the Kindle, her tone laced with irritation. “I saw the new recruit out here talking to you all, so I thought she might be able to help.” She turned her focus to me. “You. Come up to my room and help me.”

  I shifted uneasily in my seat. It was one thing sitting out here talking to demon bound shifters… but going to the room of a full-blown demon? No, thanks.

  “I’m not great with technology,” I said. “I’m afraid I won’t be much help.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous.” Mara placed her free hand on her hip and rolled her eyes. “You were a human like, two weeks ago. Humans are good with technology. You’re forced to be, since you don’t have the enhanced abilities of supernaturals.” She stuck her nose in the air, making her opinion that supernaturals were superior to humans more than clear.

  “I’m not sure it works like that…” I trailed. This demon girl had a serious attitude problem. I would have thought she was a spoiled valley girl if I didn’t know otherwise.

  Derrick cleared his throat, and I looked to him. “Mara is Azazel’s daughter, and she’s the chosen mate of the Montgomery alpha,” he said, staring at me intensely. “If she wants your assistance, go assist her. Now. It’s rude to keep her waiting.”

  His message was clear. For whatever reason, he wanted me to talk to her.

  “All right.” I stood up, brushing off dirt from the back of my jeans. “I’ll do my best. But I’m really not great with technology—so don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  36

  Skylar

  I followed Mara upstairs and down the hall to her room. It was massive, with a beautiful panoramic view of the Hollywood Hills and the lit-up city down below.

  Mara slammed the door shut behind us. Despite the vastness of the room, I felt suddenly trapped. I could also still smell a bit of the woodsy scent of wolf on her. Her demon scent overpowered it, but the smell of wolf was definitely still there.

  I would have assumed it was because she was living with wolves. But Derrick lived with wolves as well, and he only smelled like vampire.

  Strange.

  “So, what’s the issue with your Kindle?” I asked, wanting to get this over with as quickly as possible.

  “I don’t have an issue with my Kindle.” She tossed the device onto her bed, where it landed on the pillow. “I’ve been enjoying reading from it, and find it extremely intuitive to use.”

  “Okay then…” I trailed, looking from her to the device and then back at her again. The demon girl was up to something. And I had no idea why it involved me. “So why did you ask for my help?”

  “I needed to talk to you.” She walked over to her bed and perched on the end of it. “You’re the only other female here who’s not demon bound or who won’t go straight to my father with what I’m about to say. But everything we discuss will stay between you and me. Understood?”

  I nodded, since I understood, all right.

  For reasons unknown to me, Mara wanted confide in me.

  This was exactly what Derrick and I had hoped for. Because it was a perfect way to gain her trust.

  If demons could be trusted. Which I highly doubted. But I was in a tough situation here, and I was open to any possibilities at this point.

  Even if it meant playing nice with Azazel’s demonic daughter.

  “I have a daughter around your age.” I smiled, doing my best to make Mara feel comfortable. “Her name’s Raven.”

  “You and Raven are close?” Mara asked.

  “Well, we’re very different,” I said, since it was true. “But I’ve always been there for her whenever she needs anything. I’m good at keeping secrets. So whatever’s going on, you can tell me. It’ll stay between us. I promise.”

  It was a lie. Azazel could command me to tell him everything I’d discussed with his daughter, and I wouldn’t be able to say no, thanks to the complacent potion.

  But I’d mention that to her later. After she told me her big secret.

  “Even given that fact that you’re under complacent potion?” She raised a brow, as if she knew she’d cornered me.

  “Oh.” I frowned, trying to make sure to appear truly distraught and upset at the mention of it. “You’re right. With that potion in my system, maybe I wasn’t the best person for you to seek out…” I backed toward the door, praying to the Goddess that Mara was desperate enough to talk with me that she’d do it, despite the complacent potion.

  “Wait,” she said, stopping me in my place. I watched her curiously, and she continued, “My father doesn’t notice me enough to think to ask about me. Flint doesn’t notice me enough to think to ask about me, even though we’re mates. I shouldn’t be bothered this much about it, but I am. That’s the problem.”

  Her face crumpled, and she did the last thing I expected—she curled into a ball and started to cry.

  37

  Skylar

  My instincts pulled at me to join Mara on the bed to comfort her. So that’s what I did.

  Out of all the possible things I’d imagined might happen at the Montgomery compound, I never thought I’d be comforting a demon.

  “Help me understand,” I said to her, and she nodded, clearly wanting to do just that. “You feel ignored by your family and your mate, and you’re upset because you’re upset about it?”

  “Yes.” She wiped tears from her eyes, and the redness of them didn’t look so intimidating to me anymore. “Demons don’t experience emotions—at least not like everyone else does. That’s why Earth will be better off with demons in control.”

  That was up for debate, but I held my tongue, allowing her to continue.

  “Ever since the mating ceremony with Flint, I’ve been different,” she said. “I can feel things now. I get upset, and angry, and sad, and frustrated. I didn’t understand what those feelings were until I started reading.” She glanced at the Kindle on the pillow. “But now I think I do. Because all those emotions in the novels I’ve been reading—that’s what I’m feeling, too. It’s confusing, and I don’t like it. Plus, if my family finds out…” She shook her head, as if that were the most awful thing of all. “They can’t find out. They’ll think I’m weak. I don’t know what they’ll do to me if they know what happened to me, but I’m scared to find out.”

  Everything she said shocked me to the core. I had so many questions, and I wasn’t sure where to begin.

  But Mara was in a vulnerable spot right now. I had to do everything possible to gain her trust. And firing off question after question wasn’t going to do that. “I understand how hard this must be for you,” I said, and she sniffed, wiping away another tear. “But you’re not alone. Yes, painful emotions are difficult to deal with. But many other emotions—like trust, friendship, k
indness, and love—can make you strong.”

  “Really?” Her eyes were wide and glassy, like a child’s. “Because I love Flint, but he doesn’t love me anymore. He hasn’t loved me since binding himself to my father. It hurts. I don’t want to feel pain like this anymore. And my father says you’re a prophetess. So I was hoping you could use your gift to figure out how to fix me.”

  “It’s true that I’m a prophetess,” I said, and she relaxed a bit at my words, like they gave her hope. “My strongest ability is in reading tarot cards. Unfortunately, your father has commanded that I only do tarot readings for him. Since I’m being given complacent potion, I have no choice but to obey.” Her face crumpled, and I continued before she could break down again. “But I know other methods that might help you. Healing crystals, chakra alignment, essential oils, meditation, and various other gifts from nature that can mend the soul. If you’re open to those techniques, I can do my best to help you.”

  There was no way any of those methods were going to strip her emotions from her. They weren’t meant to do that. But at the very least, they should help her get her emotions level and under control.

  “I’m open to anything at this point.” She sat straighter, her eyes slightly brighter. “And if we’re doing this, there’s one more thing you should know.”

  “Yes?” I asked, waiting for her to open up and tell me. She’d certainly had no issue doing that since bringing me to her room.

  How long must she have been holding this all inside, desperate for someone to talk to?

  She held her hand out, studying it as she shook with fear. Then, right in front of my eyes, her fingers shifted. Into claws.

  Wolf claws.

  The skin around her hands sprouted fur as well.