The Angel Trials

by Michelle Madow

  “My name’s Raven,” I cut in, and Sage whipped her head to look at me, as if surprised I had the audacity to speak to her at all. “In case you were wondering.”

  “I’m Noah,” Noah said. “And that’s—”

  “Sage,” I interrupted. “I got that part.”

  She nodded at me briefly before flicking her gaze back to Noah. “You still haven’t answered my question,” she said. “What’s the plan?”

  “I’m not sure yet,” he said. “I figured we’d bring her back to the pool house, ask her some questions to try to figure out what that demon wanted with her mom, and work it out from there.”

  My throat tightened at the mention of my mom, and I swallowed, blinking away tears.

  They’d help me find her. We had to find her.

  “They’ll smell her the moment she steps foot on the property.” Sage sighed, removed a black ring from her finger, and held it out to me. “Here,” she said. “Put this on.”

  “Why?” I asked.

  “It’s for your protection,” she said. “Noah will explain once you’re inside.”

  I hated trusting people blindly. But I’d already come this far. And what harm could come from putting on a ring?

  I took it from her and slid it onto my finger.

  Noah’s eyes didn’t leave my hand until the ring was secure. “Good,” he said, turning back to Sage. “What’ll you be doing while I’m with her in the pool house?”

  “I’ll be in the main house, stopping anyone from wandering into the pool house before we figure out a way to break it to them that not only are you letting a human in on our secrets, but that you’re stashing her away on Montgomery pack property.”

  Raven

  Sage parked her bike in the massive garage—it looked huge enough to fit ten cars. Noah continued around the garage and toward the pool, stopping at a small house off to the side.

  We hopped off the bike, and as he propped it against the wall I turned around, taking in the view. From the top of the hill, I could see the entire city skyline, vibrant and lit up with life.

  “It’s something, isn’t it?” Noah said from behind me.

  “Yeah.” I wrapped my arms around myself and took a deep breath of the cool, crisp air, glad to have one minute of calm in this crazy, hectic night. “It’s beautiful.”

  “I guess.” He shrugged. “I never knew so many people could fit into one place.”

  “You’re not from here?” I asked.

  “No.” His eyes darkened, and he looked away from the view, as if regretting he’d said anything at all. “Come on. Let’s get you inside before anyone spots you.”

  I followed him into the pool house, noticing that he wore a black ring that matched the one Sage had given me. Strange.

  Were they together? Was that why they wore matching rings?

  But his ring was on his right hand—he wore nothing on his left. Which meant he was single.

  I shook the thought from my head, embarrassed to be wondering if Noah was single at a time like this.

  Maybe it was my mind’s way of coping with all the crazy stuff that had been thrown at me in one night.

  He took off his jacket, flung it on the closest chair, and walked to the mini-fridge to pull out a beer. He opened it and took a sip. Then turned to me, as if just remembering I was standing there. “Want one?” he asked, holding his beer up to show what he meant.

  “Just water’s fine.” I still felt a bit dizzy from the drinks I’d had earlier, and I wanted a clear head when he answered my growing list of questions.

  I shoved my hands into my back pockets and looked around as he grabbed my drink. The inside of the pool house was compact, with a living area, bathroom, bedroom, and miniature kitchen. The decorations were sparse—I didn’t see any photos or anything other than bland, generic artwork.

  “Do you live here?” I asked.

  “For now.” He handed me a glass of water—he’d put a lot of ice in it, just how I liked it.

  My fingers brushed his as I took it from him, and warmth rushed through my body at his touch. I broke contact quickly, glancing away. He might be hot—okay, he was definitely hot—but I wasn’t going to let his rugged, movie star looks distract me from getting to the bottom of what had happened tonight.

  I downed the water in nearly one gulp. Apparently I was thirstier than I’d realized. Once done, I placed the glass on the end table, ready to get down to business.

  “Where’s my mom?” I asked. “You said you could find her. So where is she?”

  “I don’t know where she is.” He leaned against the counter and took another sip of his beer. He was so casual about it, as if his words didn’t make it feel like the entire world was crumbling around me.

  “What?” I crossed my arms, glaring at him. “You told me you could find her.”

  “I told you I was your best chance at finding her,” he said. “I never said I knew where she was.”

  “But you know who took her?”

  “She was taken by a demon,” he said. “And not just any demon—a greater demon. The same one who tried to take you in that alley.”

  “A demon,” I repeated, still trying to get it through my mind. “Like an actual, real demon? With horns? From Hell?”

  “Yep. Except for the horns part. Demons don’t have horns.”

  “Okay.” I took a deep breath and ran my fingers through my hair. This was crazy—I was still barely making sense of it—but I had to try. For my mom’s sake. “What does a demon want with my mom?”

  “That’s what I was hoping you could help me figure out.” He walked over to the armchair and sat down, reclining his feet on the coffee table like this was a normal conversation to have over a beer.

  I didn’t know if he expected me to join him, but I remained standing. There was no way I could relax when my mom’s life was at risk.

  “How can I help you figure that out?” I raised my voice, my frustration growing and growing with each passing second. “I don’t know anything about demons—I didn’t even think they existed until today.”

  “You didn’t know they existed until they tried to take you from that restaurant,” he said. “They didn’t just want your mom—they wanted you, too. You really don’t know why?”

  “No!” I was full out yelling now, my frustration and anger feeling like it was about to erupt out of my skin.

  “Keep your voice down.” He narrowed his eyes at me. “You don’t want the others to hear.”

  “The pool house is across the property from the main house!” I pointed to where the main house was—farther away than anyone could possibly hear, especially through closed doors. “How could they hear me? Or here’s a better question—how did Sage heal so quickly back in my room? How did the two of you jump off my second floor balcony without a scratch on you? How did you stab that guy in the alley and turn him into dust? How did you even know to be in that alley at the exact right time to save my life, and in my apartment after my mom had been taken?” I dropped my arm back to my side, needing to take a breath.

  “That’s a lot of questions.” He chuckled, still casually sipping on his beer like he was watching a sports game with his friends. “I already told you the answer to the last one. Sage and I knew to be in that alley and at your apartment because we’re hunting demons.”

  “So you’re demon hunters?” I asked. “That’s why you have all those… powers?”

  It sounded ridiculous, but I knew what I saw.

  “I’m currently hunting for demons, and Sage is helping me out,” he said. “But the details of that situation aren’t relevant right now.”

  “What?” I glared at him. I hated when anyone talked down to me, even if that person had saved my life twice in one night. “Why aren’t they relevant?”

  “Because if you want to find your mom, then I need to do the asking and you need to do the answering.”

  “You promised to answer my questions if I came with you.” I laid my hands flat on the b
ack of the sofa, staring down at him.

  “I said I’d answer your questions if you answered mine first.” He smirked and raised an eyebrow, making me want to wipe the arrogance right off his face. “Do you want to find your mom or not?”

  “Of course I want to find her.”

  “That’s what I thought.” He motioned to the couch next to him. “So calm down, stop yelling, and take a seat. It’s my turn to do the asking.”

  Raven

  I sat down on the couch and crossed my arms, waiting for him to begin.

  “That’s better,” he said.

  I wanted to say something that would erase the gloating look off his face. But he was going to help me find my mom, so I held my tongue and said nothing.

  “You ready?” he asked.

  “Do you think I’m sitting here for the fun of it?”

  “You’re not?” He raised his beer in a toast. “You had me fooled.”

  I uncrossed my arms and slammed my hands down next to me. “Are you serious about finding my mom or not?” I asked.

  “I am,” he said.

  “Why?” I leaned forward, leveling my gaze with his. “You don’t know her. Who is she to you?”

  “Like I said, I’m hunting demons,” he said. “The demons are hunting something of their own, but I’m not sure what that something is. The demons hunted both you and your mom, so apparently you’re connected to that something. I want to figure out why the demons hunted you—specifically, what they’re after that the two of you have—so I can use it as bait to make my hunts go faster.”

  “All right.” I nodded, satisfied with that response. “What do you need to know?”

  “You said you’ve never seen a demon before—that you didn’t know they existed before today,” he said. “But do you—or your mom—have any connections to the supernatural world?”

  “What do you mean by the ‘supernatural world?’” I asked. “Do you come from another planet? Are you aliens? Is that why you and Sage have all those powers?”

  I’d always believed in aliens—it seemed incredibly improbable that Earth was the only planet in the universe with life—so this explanation was more believable than anything else that had crossed my mind so far.

  He looked at me like I’d lost my mind and said nothing, as if waiting for me to take it back. “You’re serious, aren’t you?” he finally asked.

  I narrowed my eyes at him, not liking his tone. “It’s as good of an explanation as any,” I said.

  “We’re not aliens,” he said. “The supernatural world is the world of supernaturals that lives alongside the human world in secret. Demons, angels, vampires, shifters, witches… that’s the supernatural world.”

  “And hunters?” I asked. “Like you and Sage?”

  He said nothing for a few moments, just staring at me with those super intense brooding eyes of his.

  “I ask.” He pointed at himself, then turned his finger around to point at me. “You answer. That was our deal.”

  I pressed my lips together—I hadn’t meant to turn the table around on him again. It had just happened.

  But while stopping myself from asking questions was difficult, I needed to try. For my mom’s sake.

  So I said nothing, instead just sitting there and waiting for him to continue.

  “Do you and your mom have any connections to our world?” he repeated.

  I was about to say no, but I stopped myself. Because to help Noah find my mom, I needed to be honest. And after everything I’d witnessed tonight, I could no longer deny what my mom had been telling me about our heritage for my entire life.

  “My mom’s a witch.” I glanced down at my hands, my cheeks flushing with embarrassment. This was the first time I’d ever said it and wondered if it might be the truth. “She says I am too. We’re descended from a long line of witches that goes back to the witch trials in Europe. One of our ancestors was killed for witchcraft in Ireland—it was a big reason why our family came over to the States.”

  Noah’s brow creased, and he looked at me in disbelief—like he was waiting for me to say I was kidding.

  “Why are you looking at me like that?” I asked. “My mom and I being witches is hardly the strangest thing that’s happened tonight.”

  “You’re not a witch,” he said simply. “Neither is your mom.”

  “You don’t know that.” I didn’t know why I was going on the defensive—I’d never believed that my mom was a witch, either—but it was different when this guy who didn’t know me was acting like he knew more about my family than I did.

  “Yes, I do,” he said. “If you were a witch, I’d smell it. You’re a human. And your apartment smelled nothing like witch. Meaning your mom is human, too.”

  “So you can smell the difference between humans and witches?” I asked.

  “I can,” he said.

  “Is this another hunter ability?”

  “Yes,” he said, shocking me by actually answering one of my questions.

  “What do witches smell like?” I asked. “And what do humans smell like?”

  “Witches smell sweet, like flowers,” he said. “Or syrup, depending on what type of witch they are. Humans smell like meat.” Hunger shined in his gaze, and I wrapped my arms around myself, suddenly uncomfortable.

  What kind of hunter was he that he was looking at me like that?

  Maybe my instinct to run from him in that alley was correct.

  “So I smell like food to you?” I asked.

  “We’re getting off track again.” He sipped his beer, and the hunger in his eyes vanished, replaced by the determination from earlier. “Other than your mom believing you’re from a line of witches, you have no connection to the supernatural world, right?”

  “Not that I know of,” I said.

  “All right,” he said. “So, tell me about your day today. Start from the beginning, and don’t leave out any details.”

  “Why?” I asked.

  “Can’t get rid of that curiosity, can you?” He sighed, continuing before I could answer. “Something about you and your mom sparked the demons’ interest in you. If you tell me the details of your day, maybe I can figure out what that something was.”

  “Okay,” I said, and I launched into the details of my day, starting from when I’d woken up in the morning.

  He stopped me after the tarot reading my mom had given me in the apartment.

  “So both you and your mom are able to read the cards?” he asked.

  “It’s basic psychology,” I said. “Ask a person the right questions, and it’s easy to relate the cards to their life.”

  “But you and your mom drew the same cards in a reading about yourself,” he said. “That sounds like more than psychology.”

  “Yeah,” I agreed. “It was weird. Especially since the cards were right.”

  “Hm.” He stared off at the wall, then returned his focus to me. “What happened next?”

  “My friends and I went to the Santa Monica Pier,” I said. “Once we got there, we asked this guy to take a picture of us, but he was a real jerk and said no. So we found someone else to take the picture instead.”

  I couldn’t help myself from tossing that in there. I tilted my head and looked at him with complete innocence as I waited for his response.

  “Sage and I were on a hunt,” he said. “We didn’t have time to waste taking pictures for a group of college girls.”

  “I know,” I said. “I get it now.”

  From there, I told him about the rest of the night, ending at when I’d ran back into the restaurant and told my friends about what had happened.

  “After that, you went straight back to your house?” he asked.

  “Yeah,” I said. “They took me home.”

  “Did anything happen on the way from the restaurant back to the house?”

  “No,” I started, but then I stopped. “Actually, that’s not true. There was this psychic who’d tried to get me to come into her booth for a free palm r
eading when we were on our way to dinner. She knew my name—I figured I’d helped her at the store at some point. But when we were heading back, she ran up to me and grabbed me. She said something about having all the answers and that she’ll be waiting for me to return so she can answer my questions. The whole thing was pretty creepy, especially since she was blind. I have no idea how she knew I was walking by.”

  Noah sat straighter as I finished up, looking like he was on to something. “This blind psychic,” he said. “Did you catch her name?”

  “Yes,” I said. “Rosella.”

  He stood up, crossed the room, and grabbed his jacket. “Come on,” he said. “We’re leaving.”

  “What?” I stood too, my heart leaping at the possibility that Noah might know something that could help him find my mom. “Where are we going?”

  “We’re going to Rosella,” he said as he put on his jacket. “You said she had a booth at the Santa Monica Pier?”

  “You really think some teenage girl who works at the fair is connected to all of this?” I asked.

  “Rosella isn’t just some teenage girl who works at the fair,” he said. “She’s a centuries’ old vampire with the ability to see the future.”

  “A vampire?” I repeated. “Are you serious?”

  At the same time, I couldn’t help remembering how dead her skin had felt when she’d touched me. Like she wasn’t alive. Wasn’t human.

  “No,” he said. “I’m making it up for my own amusement.”

  “You’re being sarcastic,” I said.

  “Of course I am.” He swung his keys around his finger and headed for the door. “And once the others realize you’re here, they’re going to have questions. So if you want to get to Rosella as soon as possible, we need to leave. Now.”

  That was all I needed to convince me to hop back behind him on the bike and hold on tight for the return drive to the Pier.

  Raven

  We arrived at the Pier after midnight.

  The amusement park section was dark, since it had closed hours ago. But the Pier itself was open for all hours, so a few of the shops and restaurants remained open.