PAIGE FOLLOWED BALNORE’S command, her heart a heavy stone in the pit of her stomach.
Dexx’s fingers clawed at the cement floor, his head thrown back, his mouth wide open.
“Medic,” Paige cried as she ran toward him, sliding on her knees to his side. “Medic, we need help over here.”
A woman in a blue uniform with the symbol of her profession sewn onto her arm knelt beside her She opened her tackle box. “What happened?”
“He fell,” Paige said, “from there.”
The medic glanced in the direction of the landing and turned her attention back to Dexx. “Adam,” she shouted. “Need your assistance.”
A man finished what he was doing with one of the gunshot victims and gave instructions to the third medic.
The female medic smiled at Dexx. “What’s your name?”
His mouth opened, pain flashed across his features, but the only sound that came out of his mouth was a wheeze.
“His name’s Dexx,” Paige said.
The medic gave her a crisp nod. “My name’s Jill.”
Adam sat beside them. “What do we got?”
“Fall victim,” Jill said. “Hold the c-spine. Dexx, do you know where you are?”
He jerked his head.
“Tell me. Where are you?”
“Mill. St.—” Gasp. “Francis—” Wheeze. “—ville.”
“Okay, that’s good.” She took the stethoscope from around her neck. “I need you to take in a deep breath.”
Dexx’s eyes closed and his jaw clenched as his body revolted.
Adam placed an oxygen mask over Dexx’s mouth and nose.
Jill listened, a frown covering her features. “Diminished breath sounds on the right side.”
“What does that mean?” Paige demanded.
“There’s jugular vein distention,” Adam said.
Jill nodded, her hands going immediately to her tackle box. “Sorry, Dexx, but this is going to hurt.” She pulled out a huge freakin’ needle and uncapped it.
Paige looked away. She did not need to see that. She heard a rush of air through a small tube. Dexx took in a gulping breath. She turned around in time to see Dexx’s body relax.
“Okay, Dexx, I’m going to—”
Jill’s words disappeared as something pushed at Paige. Her gaze flashed, blurred and then re-defined. She looked up.
A uniformed police officer walked through the door. He paused as his gaze met Paige’s.
The force of the push intensified.
Demon.
Paige’s breathing grew rapid as she concentrated on keeping the demon back.
The police officer stumbled.
Brian glanced up at him and then toward Paige, the whites of his eyes gleaming.
The demon clawed through her defenses, taking control of her hands, her arms—
She reclaimed her body by sheer force of will.
“Bal,” Dexx shouted through the oxygen mask. “Demon.”
“I need you to stay calm,” Jill said to Paige. “If you can’t—”
Her legs. Her feet.
Paige fell back.
The demon gained an inch, then another.
She cried out.
“What the hell?” Adam shouted.
“Tie her down.” Jill turned her concentration on the neck brace she was trying to put on Dexx.
“No,” Balnore said. “That isn’t—“
The demon flexed her fingers, moved her arm, wiggled her toes. It found the source of her gift, encircled it, fought for control of her tongue, her mouth, her lips.
No!
A bright flash of white light, sent everyone stumbling.
The demon was suddenly gone.
The police officer fell back against the wall, his hand going to his head. “Chief?” he sked, his voice distant. “How did I get here?”
Paige sat up, blinking. What the hell had just happened here?
Brian glared at Paige as he walked toward the officer.
Balnore’s face lost color as he stared at a space behind Paige’s shoulder.
Adam crept toward Paige with a purpose.
She batted him away, twisting around to see what was behind her. “I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine,” Adam said calmly, dodging her flailing arms. “You had a seizure.”
Jill sent him a frank look.
“It’s nothing.” Paige scrambled to her feet. What could scare the shit out of a demon like Balnore? “Adam, I’m fi—” She stopped mid-word.
A little girl with bright pink pigtails and a dress so white it seemed to glow stood a few short feet from her.
Adam gained ground. His latex-covered hand gripped Paige’s arm. “We need to check you out. See if you’re—”
The girl raised an ebony eyebrow, her head tipping.
Adam stumbled back, a thick frown furrowing his forehead. He looked at Jill, his hands open. “Where are we?”
Jill blinked. “Shit. Goddamn it. Help me get him on a stretcher. I’ll check you out in the ambulance.”
Adam followed her orders. “I remember—”
“We’ll get this figured out,” Jill interrupted. “Help me get him on the ambulance.”
Paige stopped paying attention to their conversation. She had more pressing matters to attend to, like who this new threat was and why she’d helped.
Balnore rose gracefully to his feet, his arms spread as he took a step back.
The little girl took a step forward, a sweet smile on her face.
Paige looked from the demon to the girl.
The medics loaded Dexx onto the gurney.
“Wait. Where are you taking him?”
Jill set her tackle box at Dexx’s feet. “Trauma like this? Baton Rouge.”
“Hey,” Dexx shouted, his hand reaching out as far as the restraints would allow. “I’m—”
“No you’re not,” Paige shouted. “I’ll come for you as soon as I can.”
“You’re—”
“Shut up,” Paige barked. “Get better. Go.”
Dexx continued to protest as Jill and Adam rolled him out the door.
Paige focused on Balnore. “What’s going on?”
“She’s an—”
“Angel,” the little girl said, erupting in a peal of giggles. “I’ve come to help you.”
“Help me?” Paige turned toward the angel too quickly. She jerked to a halt and winced, letting out a harsh breath, her hand going to her side. She bit down on the pain. “How are you going to help? You’re what? Seven? Eight?”
The angel laughed. “You honestly think I am so young?”
“Well, you look—”
The girl grew in height, her features maturing to an age closer to Paige’s, though her hair remained pink and in pig tails. Her dress lost its frills, morphing to silk, flowing around her ankles on a soft breeze. “I am ageless.”
Paige took a step towards Balnore. “I already told Raphael I don’t want his help.”
“Yeah, well, if I were you, I wouldn’t want his help either.”
Paige frowned. “Who are you?”
“Name’s Roxxie.” The angel took a single fluid step towards Paige. “I’m not here to hurt you. I merely wish to help.”
Paige drew closer to the comfort of the demon. “I kinda doubt that.”
“You have wounds.”
“And we’re fine.”
“I can help.”
“We’re fine.”
“I won’t hurt you.”
“We’re fine.”
Roxxie let out a long sigh and took a step back. “Do I scare you?”
“You’re an angel,” Paige said. “I’m the rogue demon talker. Yeah, you scare the living shit out of me. Okay?”
A cell phone rang, the tone echoing in the gathering silence. Paige heard Brian’s voice, but couldn’t really make out what he was saying.
Paige didn’t know what to do. “Please, if you want to help, leave.”
“I can’t. Wel
l, I can. Eh—” Roxxie rolled her large black eyes. “Okay. So I can, but I don’t want to. Heaven is so boring.” She drew out the word. “I need excitement, something different, and right now? You’re the excitement.”
Paige’s expression grew wide. “Seriously? Roxxie, I don’t need this right now.”
Roxxie sent her a smile of angelic innocence.
“You need to—”
“Who are you talking to?” Brian asked as he approached.
Paige frowned at him. “Chief.” She pointed at the angel. “You can’t see her?”
Brian raised an eyebrow and shook his head. “I need to apologize. What I said earlier was in haste.”
She couldn’t blame him. Not really. All she had to do was look at the carnage to see why he’d reacted the way he had. “I understand.”
He released an embarrassed breath through his closed lips. “How’s Dexx?”
“They told me. I didn’t understand any of it. They’re taking him to Baton Rouge.”
He winced. “I need your help.”
She couldn’t say she was interested. Her only friend was being carted off to Baton Rouge. She’d lost her only lead on the key. Her demon shield was gone, who knew where. She was out of her element and no good for anyone. “Why? What happened?”
Brian’s jaw clenched. “That symbol Sven carved on your chest?”
Paige nodded.
“It’s on all the victims. And . . .” He let out a long breath, his head tipping to the side. “Mike escaped.”
Paige frowned. “Without Malika.”
Brian massaged his forehead. “Yeah. I need help, Paige. I can’t let you leave yet.”
Roxxie leaned to the side, her hands clasped behind her back. “I think you might need me after all. What do you think?”
ROXXIE RAISED HER hand. “I know where Mike is.”
Paige stared at the angel and sighed. If ever an angel was born she could deal with, Roxxie was it. She acted normal, didn’t look down on her. “Okay. Are you going to make me talk to thin air, or can you reveal yourself to everyone?”
“You might want to prepare him.” Roxxie shrugged deeply, a cherub-like smile on her otherwise pixie face.
Paige met Brian’s gaze.
He raised his eyebrows and lowered his chin, his hands open at his waist.
“Angel.”
He pulled the corners of his lips down, then nodded.
“Okay, Roxxie. I think he’s ready.”
Paige didn’t see anything different.
Brian took in a sharp breath. He released the air out of his lungs, his fingers flexed. “Chief Brian White.”
Roxxie beamed at him. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. You may call me Roxxie.”
Brian cleared his throat. “Murdering demons and guardian angels.”
“Don’t think all angels are guardians.” Roxxie scuffed her toe. “We’re not.”
Balnore narrowed his eyes, rising to his feet. “I don’t believe we’ve met.”
Roxxie beamed a smile at him. “We haven’t, but I’ve heard all about you. You’re quite a rebel, you know.”
“I hope you haven’t heard too much.”
“Well, no. It’s not like we have a demon news station or anything.”
“Demon?” Brian asked.
Things were getting way too complicated. Paige held up her hand. “He’s a demon. We can trust him. Roxxie, you said you knew where Jones is.”
“I do.”
“We need to catch him before he kills again.” Brian ran his thumb along his eyebrow. “I don’t know how he escaped.”
Roxxie tipped her head. “He’s an angel. He was sent here to protect Malika, and to make sure the key didn’t fall into the hands of the demons. You can’t jail an angel. At least not in any confines you have.”
Paige took in a breath, held it, and tried again. “An angel?” Suddenly, too many things made sense. Gabriel had bound Lucius between the planes and killed Sven two hundred years ago. Sven had been reborn in New York almost a hundred years ago. The key fragment had been passed down from one Moore witch to the next until it got to Malika. Mike was her protector in the same way Balnore was Paige’s.
Gabriel had helped Rachel take Leah. Raphael was Paige’s guardian, though, somehow Balnore had beaten him out. Paige had been needed to pull Lucius from the in-between. Sven needed Lucius’ soul to morph with the other guardian souls in the key.
Sven was merely a pawn in this whole game. He probably wasn’t even supposed to be on the board. Mike Jones was the true master mind behind all of this. He’d gotten Malika involved. He’d gotten Paige involved.
She snorted. The mystery was solved. Now all she had to do was to keep the key from being powered up, from being used. How could she do that, though, if her shield had run off?
Mike Jones was an angel. He needed the key. To follow Sven would be to go in the wrong direction. Mike’s first priority would be to retrieve that key, to get it out of demon hands. He knew Lucius was no longer harbored inside of Paige’s body—and now it made sense why he’d known. An angel would.
But would he necessarily hide behind demons?
To get away from her? Maybe.
Damn it. She needed her shield. “Bal, do you have any idea where Lucius is?”
His expression folded in consternation. “Why would I know? Am I his babysitter?”
She released a frustrated breath. “Roxxie, where’s Mike Jones, and has he retrieved the key?”
“The key?” The angel glanced at the ceiling. “I do not know. But he is at the junk yard on the other side of town.”
Paige closed her eyes, her wounded arm shaking. She banished the pain to the back of her mind, but that was going to stop being enough soon. “Reality check. How likely is it that he’s housed with demons?”
“He does know how to play them.” Roxxie jerked back, staring at her bleeding arm. “Raphael will have my wings.” She rushed to Paige’s side, wrapping her lithe fingers around Paige’s arm.
Paige batted her away.
Warmth flowed over her, taking the fight right out of her. The tight pain in her arm, her hip and her side disappeared.
Roxxie stepped back with a huge grin. “What are we waiting for? Let’s go.”
Paige stared at her as she inspected where her wounds had been. “What did you do?”
“I . . .” Roxxie tipped her head to the side, the tip of her tongue sticking out. “I healed you. That seemed like the right thing to do. Was I wrong? Were you meant to suffer?”
“No, um. Thank you.” Paige released a frustrated sigh. “Chief, if there are demons, I can’t help. Lucius is gone. I have no other protections. We’re down to the demon hunter. It’s just you and Balnore. Not good odds.”
Brian threw his hands in the air, his fingers splayed. “That’s not good enough, Paige. He’s a known murderer.”
“He’s an angel, sir.”
“He was on my team!”
Paige advanced on him. “He’s an angel probably hiding behind demons and we don’t have a good enough offense!”
“What if,” Roxxie said, her voice small, “I shielded you?”
Paige and Brian faced the angel.
“An angel?” Balnore asked quietly. “If you don’t know what you’re doing, you could scar her.”
“She’s already scarred.” Roxxie bit the inside of her lip.
“Are you serious?” Paige glanced at Brian. “If you are, we have a chance. A chance. If you’re not, though, we’re all dead and that gate opens whatever Mike has planned comes to pass.”
“Right. I know. No. I’m serious. I can do this. I can help you.”
Balnore grimaced at Paige. “It’s imperative we get that key.”
“And what do we do with an angel?”
“If you can handle the demons,” Balnore said, nodding in thought, “I can get Mike.”
Paige thought about it for a second. “Okay. Okay. Let’s go.”
The junk yard was located out
in the middle of nowhere. The flat, barren land was broken only by piles of old, junked cars and a single trailer sitting perched on the edge. Several police cars with several different markings parked along either side of the highway.
Not a single person was anywhere.
Paige parked Jackie behind Brian’s car and turned off the car. “Roxxie, tell me why you’re helping.”
“Fun factor?”
Paige scanned the area. Where was everyone? She didn’t appreciate being blind. She got out of the car, closing Jackie’s door quietly. “Don’t reach into me and start using my gift. Okay? I know how to do it just fine without you.”
Roxxie nodded over the hood. She glowed softly in the pitch black of night.
Paige walked up to Brian. “Did you call this in?”
“And risk endangering them to fight demons?” He pulled his gun out and checked the safety. Shaking his head, he pointed his gun to the ground. “Another ploy?”
Roxxie lifted one shoulder, glancing at Balnore. “Humans are fodder to angels.”
Balnore raised a dark eyebrow.
Paige steadied her screaming nerves. “Roxxie?”
Roxxie closed her eyes, biting her lips. She spread her hands in benediction and floated off the ground by about two inches.
Brian blinked, but otherwise didn’t react as he kept his eyes on the junk yard.
Paige’s nerves settled as though someone had taken a silk brush to them. She took in a deep breath and released it.
“Better?” Balnore asked.
She nodded. “It’s working. Brian, stay here until I clear the scene. You go in there before I clear it, you’re as good as fodder like everyone else.”
Brian’s jaw clenched.
“Good. Bal, you ready?”
The demon shrugged with his eyebrows. “After you.”
Paige approached the chain-link fence. The gate stood open. The sun crept into the sky, shooting small knives of light into the inky blackness.
Great. Dawn. She wasn’t sure how time had passed so quickly, but it couldn’t have come at a worse time. She needed to be able to see.
A thick bank of fog rolled in as they made it past the first pile of cars. It swung out of the way, like a flimsy curtain moving in the breeze.
Demons. Five of them. They laughed, slapping each other in praise.
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