The Angel Trials (Dark World: The Angel Trials Book 1)

by Michelle Madow

  “And what did the seer say?” Flint asked.

  “Why don’t we go inside?” Noah said. “I’ll fill you in there.”

  “Fine.” Flint shot me one more glare. “But she’s only allowed in temporarily. And sweetheart?” he asked, turning his focus to me.

  I swallowed, nervous about where he was going with this. “Yes?” I asked, since from the way he was leering at me, I could tell he wanted a response.

  “While you’re in the compound, you keep that ring on.” He smiled, showing off his perfect teeth. “I’m not responsible for anything that might happen to you if you don’t.”

  Raven

  The main house was ginormous—the compound clearly had enough bedrooms for all ten of them, plus some extra rooms to spare. We settled in the living room area. The entire house was earthy and fresh, with hardwood floors, leather furniture, and various animal heads mounted on the walls. I felt like I was inside a ski lodge instead of a mansion on top of the Hollywood Hills.

  Noah sat on a loveseat, and I took the spot next to him. Sage grabbed the chair on his other side. Flint, of course, sat smack in the center of the main sofa. The rest of them filled in the spots that were left.

  There was a group of about three of them, two males and a female, who stayed as far from me as possible. They barely even looked at me. If I didn’t know better, I’d think they were scared of me.

  Which was ridiculous. I’d seen what Noah and Sage could do. If their friends could do even half the things they could, they had no reason to be scared of me.

  Once we were situated, Noah filled them in on what we’d learned during our visit with Rosella.

  “Are you crazy?” Sage said once he’d finished. “Raven’s a human. She can’t come with us on our hunts.”

  “I can, and I will.” I tried to stay as calm as possible, not in the mood to fight over this again. “I’ll try my best not to slow him down. I promise. I want to get to Avalon just as badly as Noah does.”

  “First of all, you have no idea how badly Noah wants to get to Avalon, because you have no idea why he wants to go at all,” she said. “Secondly, the problem isn’t that you’re going to slow us down. It’s that you’re going to get yourself killed.”

  “I was there today when you hunted that demon, and I’m still here.” I straightened, irritated that she thought so little of me. “I might not be strong like you all, but I’m smart and resilient. I can hold my own.”

  “Your escape tonight was luck,” Sage muttered. “If we’d gotten there a minute later, you would have been handed off to that greater demon and teleported who knows where. I don’t care how smart you might be—you’re no match for a greater demon. If we hadn’t saved you, you’d be in the same spot as your mother.”

  The mention of my mom was like a knife in the heart, and I jolted back at the harshness of her words. Especially because what she’d said was true.

  “That’s enough.” Noah narrowed his eyes at Sage. “Rosella recommended that I bring Raven with me on my hunt, so she’s coming with me. End of discussion.”

  I nodded at him in thanks, surprised that he’d stood up for me after how adamant he’d been at first about not wanting me to come with him.

  He turned his gaze away from mine, not acknowledging my thanks in the slightest.

  “Well, if you’re both going, then I guess I’m going to,” Sage said with a sigh.

  “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Flint stared her down—he clearly didn’t want her to go. “From what I’ve heard about this human, she sounds like she attracts trouble. We don’t need to be bringing any trouble down on our pack.”

  There was that word again—pack.

  I wanted to ask why they kept calling themselves that, but there was so much animosity in the room that I kept my mouth shut. For now. I’d definitely be asking Noah about it the next time we were alone.

  There was a lot I still needed to ask him the next time we were alone.

  “We don’t hunt alone.” Sage held Flint’s gaze. “You know that.”

  “Noah won’t be alone, because I’ll be there with him,” I said to Sage. I hated how she was acting like I was no one.

  Compared to their superpowers, I probably was no one, but still. I didn’t like being ignored.

  “Humans don’t count,” she said. “If anything, the fact that Noah will be worrying about keeping you safe while hunting demons is more of a reason for me to come along as backup.”

  “Sage.” Flint’s eyes were hard as he looked at her—as if she were in trouble. Everyone quieted the moment he spoke. “Perhaps the time has come for you to leave Noah to his mission and stay home.”

  “No way.” She crossed her arms, clearly not about to back down. “I started this mission with Noah, so I’m going to end it with him, too.”

  “You should remain home with the pack,” he said. “Noah’s mission isn’t your problem.”

  “His mission is my problem!” she said. “It’s all of our problems. You all know as well as I do that even though the demons are laying low for now, they eventually want to kill all supernaturals. We can’t keep sitting up here in our compound doing nothing.”

  “What exactly do you plan on doing?” Flint asked. “Going with Noah to Avalon and joining the Earth Angel’s army as well?”

  “Maybe.” Sage jutted her chin out. “I don’t want to—obviously I’d prefer to stay home—but I also want to make sure we have a home at all. If that means going to Avalon and joining the army, then so be it.”

  Noah bristled, looking surprised by Sage’s statement. The two of them met eyes and stared at each other for a few seconds. Again, it was like they were having a conversation without speaking.

  Jealously surged through my veins. What was going on between Noah and Sage?

  It was stupid of me to care. Not only did Noah clearly not see me that way, but Sage was strong, beautiful, and fierce. If there was something between them, I never stood a chance.

  I also shouldn’t be thinking about my attraction to Noah when there was so much more at stake. So I shook the thought out of my head, forcing myself to pay attention to the conversation at hand.

  “The Montgomery pack will not sit by and do nothing,” Flint said. “You, my sister, should know me well enough to know that.”

  I sat back, glancing between Sage and Flint in shock. The two of them were siblings? They looked nothing alike.

  Or at least, not at first. Besides the obvious difference of his being huge, they did have the same dark hair, tanned, skin, and brown eyes. She wasn’t as tall as Flint—no one in the room was as tall as Flint—but she was still taller than the average female. I supposed it wasn’t completely out of the question that they could be related.

  “Really?” Sage cocked her head, looking at him in challenge. “Then tell me—what are you doing?”

  “I’m working on something,” he said, darkness descending upon his gaze as he spoke. “Although it’s nothing that can be shared just yet. But trust me, once it can, the pack will be the first to know. And I’ll expect your unbending support in whatever my decision may be.”

  He held his gaze with Sage, and she stared right back, not breaking eye contact. Again with the strange staring contest thing.

  Seconds passed in terse silence. Flint leaned forward and curled his lip up in a small growl, and Sage clenched her fists to her sides. I held my breath, afraid that even breathing too loudly would set the two of them off into a fight. Everyone else in the room was still as well. Sage’s brow glimmered with tiny beads of sweat, like holding eye contact with her brother was causing her physical exertion. Flint looked as cool and collected as ever.

  Finally, after what felt like forever, Sage lowered her gaze.

  Flint leaned back in the couch and smirked, looking mighty pleased with himself.

  “Fine,” Sage said, flicking her eyes back up to glance at Flint. “Once you’re ready to share this plan of yours, I’ll listen. Until then, I hunt with Noah.”<
br />
  “You’ll do more than listen.” Flint’s lip flicked up again in irritated. “You’ll follow. Pack first, always.”

  “Pack first,” Sage repeated. “That’s why I’m doing my part in stopping the demons—to protect the pack. You know that.”

  “Very well,” Flint said. “We’re done here.” He turned to Noah. “When will you be leaving with the human?”

  “I have a name,” I chimed in. I couldn’t help it—despite how intimidating he was, the way Flint was speaking to everyone like he was the boss of them all was irritating me like crazy. And I hated that he was talking about me like I was an object and not a person. “Raven.”

  He ignored me, like I hadn’t spoken at all.

  “Raven and I will be leaving tomorrow,” Noah said.

  “Good,” Flint said. “And Noah? I think it goes without saying that the human will be staying with you in the pool house.”

  With that, the pack was dismissed.

  Raven

  You can take the bed,” Noah said once we were back inside the pool house. “I’ll sleep on the couch.”

  “I can take the couch.” I didn’t want to be more of an imposition on him than I already was. “I’m smaller than you. You should have the bed.”

  “No.” He glared at me. “I’m taking the couch, and that’s final.”

  A knock on the door stopped us from continuing the debate.

  Noah stalked over to the door and threw it open.

  Sage stood there waiting, a large stuffed bag thrown over her shoulder.

  “What?” Noah glared at her with more irritation than he had at me.

  “I brought some stuff over for Raven.” She motioned to the bag she was holding. “Pajamas, toothbrush, face wash, and such. I thought she’d need it after the night she just had.”

  I walked over to her, surprised by how thoughtful she was being. “Thanks,” I said. “I appreciate it. But I thought you didn’t want me here?”

  “I didn’t,” she said. “I still don’t. You’re making Noah’s mission more dangerous than it already is, and I won’t change my mind about that. But you’re doing what you need to do to save your mom, and I respect that. Plus, we’re going to be spending a lot of time together in the next few weeks, so I figured this was the least I could do.”

  I took the bag from her, surprised by how much it weighed. What on Earth had she managed to put in there?

  “Anyway, we need to get our rest for tomorrow,” she continued. “So I’ll be heading back to the main house now…”

  “Wait,” Noah said, and she paused in her tracks. “I didn’t want to say anything back there—Flint would have gotten too much joy out of it if I did—but I’ll understand if you decide not to come with us. I don’t want to cause any more of a rift between you all than I already have.”

  “Don’t be silly.” Sage smirked. “I started this mission with you, and I’m ending it with you, too. You know there’s no changing my mind, so don’t waste your breath trying.”

  “Wasn’t planning on it,” he said. “I just wanted you to know that I’d understand if you chose to stay back.”

  “Understood,” she said. “But it doesn’t matter. Especially since you’re going to need my help even more now that Raven’s tagging along.”

  I didn’t know whether to be insulted or not. But before I could decide, she turned to me, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

  “Don’t be fooled by this one,” she said, pointing her thumb at Noah. “He may look all rough and tough on the outside, but trust me when I say he’s a big softie at heart.”

  She managed to wink at me right before he scowled and slammed the door shut in her face.

  Raven

  Sage had managed to stuff every amenity that a girl could ever need into that bag, and it felt amazing to shower and change after the crazy night I’d had.

  I stepped out of the bathroom, in pajamas that were too big on me and my hair still wet from the shower, to find Noah sprawled out on the couch. He’d changed into sweatpants and a white t-shirt, which made him look less “supernatural demon hunter” and more “college guy living in a dorm.”

  But there was something about him—maybe his confidence—that made him seem ages more mature than the guys I’d shared classes with at school.

  He stared at me, and I shifted in place, pulling at the sleeves of my top. The way he was looking at me made me feel more vulnerable than ever. Especially since I’d never spent the night at a guy’s before. I’d had a few boyfriends in high school, but nothing that had ever gotten serious.

  My face heated, and I knew I had to say something before this got more awkward than it already was.

  “I haven’t gotten a chance to thank you yet,” I said.

  “For what?” He picked up his knife from the coffee table and threw it high in the air, catching it perfectly with his other hand.

  Forget what I’d thought earlier about him looking like he could pass as a college student. I didn’t know any college guy who would do that.

  “For saving my life in that alley,” I said. “If you hadn’t been there…” I didn’t continue, since we both knew what would have happened if he hadn’t been there.

  I would have been taken, just like my mom.

  “I’m no one’s savior,” he said. “I was just bagging my next demon tooth for my collection, and you happened to have benefited in the process.”

  Then he threw the knife, sending it whizzing a foot away from my face and into the center of the dartboard behind me.

  “What the hell?” I jumped to the side, glaring at him. “You could have killed me!”

  “You don’t trust my aim?” He raised an eyebrow and stretched out on the couch, his shirt lifting to give me a peek of his perfectly defined abs. “Would you mind getting that for me?”

  “Seriously?” I crossed my arms, waiting to see if he actually expected me to fetch his knife for him—the knife he’d used to scare me half to death.

  He made no effort to move, which I guess meant he did.

  I glanced from him to the knife and back again, and made a decision. I’d fetch his stupid knife, but I’d only hand it back once he answered one of my questions.

  I stomped over for the knife and reached for it. But it burned my fingertips the moment they grazed the handle, and I shrieked, pulling my hand away.

  “What?” The corner of Noah’s lip quirked up in amusement. “Never touched a knife before?”

  “That’s not just any knife!” I examined the pads of my fingers. They were red, but it wasn’t too bad. If I hadn’t pulled away so quickly, it would have been much worse. “It was as hot as a stove on the highest setting.”

  “Interesting.” He got up, walked up to the knife, and easily pulled it out of the dartboard. “I guess heavenly weapons are too powerful for humans to handle.”

  “So you didn’t know it would do that to me?” I asked.

  “What?” He stood perfectly still, tilting his head as he gazed down at me. “You thought I was trying to burn your hand?”

  I raised an eyebrow, saying nothing.

  “I wasn’t trying to burn you,” he said. “That would make you even more of a burden than you already are.”

  The harshness of his words made me freeze in place. “Are you going to be like this the whole time we’re traveling together?” I asked. “Because it’s going to get old real fast.”

  “I didn’t say anything that wasn’t true.” He shrugged.

  I wanted to stomp off into the bedroom, slam the door in his face, and not talk to him for the rest of the night. But I had too many questions, and he was the only one around who could answer them.

  So for now, I was staying put.

  “What’s a heavenly weapon?” I asked, glancing at the knife in his hand. It was silver, but beyond that, it didn’t look like anything special.

  “It’s a weapon that an angel has dipped in heavenly water.” He examined the knife as he returned to the couch. “Heavenly w
eapons are the only weapons that can kill demons.”

  That was the longest answer I’d gotten from him so far. I walked over to the armchair and situated myself in it, ready to finally get all my questions out in the open.

  “By ‘killing them,’ you mean ‘turn them into pile of ash,’” I said. “Right? Like I saw in the alley?”

  “Yeah.” Apparently he was back to one-word answers.

  But I wasn’t going to let that stop me from asking my questions.

  “And you and Sage—and the rest of the ‘pack’ in the house—can do this because you’re demon hunters?” I searched my mind for the specific word Rosella had used back at the Pier. “Nephilim?”

  “That’s enough of the questions,” he said. “It’s been a long night, and we both have to get some sleep to be ready for what’s coming tomorrow.”

  “I answered your questions earlier.” I crossed my arms, not bothering to hide my irritation. “Now it’s your turn to answer mine.”

  “It’s three in the morning,” he said.

  “So?”

  “First rule of demon hunting—if it’s convenient to grab sleep, do it,” he said. “You need to store up as much energy as possible, and there’s no saying when you’ll be able to sleep next. Being awake and on your game when it counts the most could be the difference between ending up alive or dead.” He rammed the tip of his knife into the coffee table, as if making a point. There were lots of matching little dots on the surface—I supposed he did that a lot.

  “I’m too wired up to sleep.” I crossed one leg over the other, making myself comfortable.

  “You’re overtired,” he said. “Big difference.”

  “Or you’re purposefully avoiding telling me what you, Sage, and the rest of the ‘pack’ inside that house really are.”

  He pressed his lips together and took a deep breath, like he was about to say something mean but was stopping himself. “You’re about to join me and Sage on a mission to kill four more demons,” he said. “Trust me—there will be plenty of time on the road for you to ask all the questions you want. For now, you need sleep.”