Demon or Angel (Age of Exilum Book 1)

by Lynn Michaels

  Sean and Tucker grabbed onto each other but ended up on their asses.

  Teague leapt into the air out of instinct. His feathered wings materialized in a flash and beat at the ground to lift him higher. Zepher had done the same.

  “I make my decisions. This is my goddamned demon-cursed life. Stay the fuck out of it. All of you.”

  He turned to leave, and Sean jumped up. “Vern! Wait.”

  Vern turned and glared at his friend. Sean held up his hands. He had Vern’s glasses in one of them. “Vick. Fine. Glasses.”

  Vern snatched them out of his friend’s hand then stormed off without looking back.

  EIGHTEEN

  Sean

  Sean watched Vern walk off, obviously pissed, but he could only grasp a part of it. How must it feel, knowing your life had been so controlled? It could have been better. He could have had a mother who loved him longer. Had her accident been a part of the manipulations from these...demons? He feared it had been.

  “Demons. Filthy, bloody, evil demons.” Sean stepped right up to the foul creature. “This shit is unreal. Not sure if I believe all this. Bloody demons!”

  It cocked its head to the side. “Bloody?” The demon met Sean’s stare.

  “You’ve blood on your hands. I know it.” Sweat trickled down Sean’s brow and face, tickling beside his ear, but he didn’t move to wipe it. He kept his eyes locked on to the darkness within the beast. If eyes truly were windows to the soul, nothing good peered back from inside this one, only empty blackness...and evil and cruelty. “You enjoy the pain you’ve caused? You like hurting him?” Anger squashed Sean’s disbelief in everything going on around him. He wanted to lash out and destroy all these fuckers who had dared to fuck with Vern. Even though he didn’t understand any of it, the overwhelming emotions boiled below the surface and pushed him forward.

  The demon stood a bit taller than Sean, and it leaned over, closer to Sean’s face. So close, he felt the heat of its putrid breath. Or was it the fire of hell? It opened its mouth, slowly, showing all the sharp teeth inside. Some of them, like small tusks, protruded from the back of its mouth and over its ugly face. The beast’s nose had folds of skin around it and looked like some kind of bulldog had been smashed in the face with a shovel.

  “Like? Enjoy? As if I know the meaning of such words of pleasure, you foolish human.”

  “Then why?” Sean wanted some kind of answer, though he doubted he’d get it. Even if this demon answered, he could bet it wouldn’t be the truth. “Never mind. Go on back to the hell you came from.”

  “Are you banishing me?” Its laugh grated on his nerves like glass grinding together. “What are you?”

  Tucker grabbed Sean’s arm, pulling him away from the beast. Sean didn’t want to go, but fighting Tucker left twisting marks on his skin because Tucker would not let go. He finally let Tucker move him but didn’t look away from the demon.

  “You need to stay away from Vern, whatever you are.” Zepher called after them.

  Its words did nothing but reinforce Sean’s determination to keep Vern safe. Sean had been so right about Vern needing help...but not the kind of help he’d imagined. He’d been a good kid, quiet and studious. He’d never done anything to deserve the torment of demons in his life. “We need a fucking exorcist,” Sean muttered as they made their way to Tucker’s car.

  “I’m confused about this shit. What the hell, Sean?”

  “They’re demons. I don’t know anything else, seriously.”

  Tucker unlocked the vehicle and got in the driver’s side, while Sean got in the passenger side. He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. “I’ve got your back, Sean. You know that, right?”

  Sean nodded and bit at his lip while fastening his seat belt. He knew. “Uh-huh.”

  “But this shit is beyond weird. I-I—Fuck! Not sure what to think about any of it. This whole mission has been weird from the moment you got off the bus at my shop. And now? Seeing a demon. A fucking demon! Knowing demons are real. And involved with Vern?”

  “I guess involved is one way to put it.”

  “Yeah, damn. Whatever...and no matter how bizarre this shit is...or dangerous...’cause it has to be dangerous, right? Doesn’t matter. I’ll have your back. Okay? We’re a team.”

  “I appreciate it more than you know. Because I’m not backing down. I won’t give up. Vern needs us now more than ever.”

  “I have to be honest though. I’m fucking scared, and, uh...I think we need help. More help than this.”

  “I’m scared, too.”

  “You don’t look it. You seemed more afraid of those twats who jumped you than this... Goddamned demon! It’s fucking bizarre, Sean. Bizarre...with a capital B.”

  “Yeah...” He rubbed his hands over his face. It all felt both unreal and too real, simultaneously. “Maybe I’m in shock. I don’t know. Who the fuck sees demons? Are we crazy? I mean...damn. Seriously, I know there’s evil in the world. But this...this is true evil. Like demons...from hell. Literally. Bloody demons! And what about that thing Vern did?”

  Tucker huffed instead of answering and stuck the key in the ignition and cranked up the vehicle.

  Sean could still see the two hulky figures by the door, facing off. “We need to get that Teague-dude on our side.”

  Tucker cleared his throat and put the car in gear. “It's not our side. It's Vern's side.”

  NINETEEN

  Teague

  Teague circled Zepher. They stared at each other. When Teague saw Sean and Tucker drive off, he shifted to demon form. It would take some of his precious energy stores, but he needed this form to fight Zepher. And no doubt, they were going to fight.

  While he shifted, Zepher jumped in the air and called forth the Särazsiel. The shiny, black blade meant nasty business. It sparkled like black onyx and sung like a storm as he sliced through the air with it. Called the Dark Water Blade in English. It meant serious business. Never had Zepher pulled such a thing on him.

  “Brother, be careful what you do.” Teague leapt out of his reach with a beat of leathery wings. His strong shoulder muscles, quadrupled in this form, flexed and pushed, propelling him to the top of the building. His clawed feet grabbed at the shingled roof.

  “Brother? Now you call me brother? You traitor.” Zepher’s words bellowed in Teague’s head and ears. “Forräru!”

  He needed a weapon or a shield. Zepher’s body plunged toward him. Teague dodged, tucking his feet beneath him. If the Särazsiel cut him, it would obliterate a part of his soul weakening him quickly. He needed some distance between them, but Zepher had always been faster in this form with the slightly lighter body. As twins, only their father could tell their demonic forms apart, but he couldn’t think about their past ties anymore. Zepher had become his enemy. Sadly, he had to use his brother’s weaknesses against him.

  Teague flew between palm trees lining the center of the street beside the club like an obstacle course. Zepher was faster, but Teague was more agile. He turned his body sideways and zipped beneath an oak tree, between two adjacent buildings, then around the corner. He stopped and clung to the branches with his clawed feet in a larger clump of trees beside a long school building. He didn’t bother with catching his breath. He’d only have a moment.

  Reaching deep inside, to the core of Teague’s essence, he tapped on the thing he considered his lifeline. He didn’t use it often, saving it for emergencies, but if he’d ever had one, this was it. He called out to his minions. He had three main entities who obeyed him and a score of lower-level things that would answer his call, but they were more like pets or mindless soldiers. He needed his three main allegiants. They had some intelligence about them.

  When he felt them answer, he beckoned, “Come. Come quick.” He put some panic behind his message. One of the three materialized before him with a pop. He called this one Moe. It had slimy skin covered with dark hair and a gaping mouth with four rows of sharp, needle-like teeth filled with venom that disintegrated its victim fr
om the inside, then it would slurp up anything left with a scaly tongue. Teague ordered, “Presiph, Zepher. Stop him. Don’t kill him, delay him.”

  Moe lurched, his body stretching and reforming like a Slinky covered with slimy, hairy Silly Putty.

  He’d slow Zepher down for sure. Teague needed time to think. If he went to Exilum, he wasn’t sure what kind of reception he’d receive. Zepher had to have tattled on him. He needed an ally he could rely on, if not trust. In Exilum, those were few. He could count them on one finger. Only Zepher.

  A loud screech wailed through the night air.

  “Dynäj, Teague. Not fair sending your pets after me. I didn’t want to do that.”

  “What did you do?” Teague slapped his hand over his mouth—Zepher had killed Moe. “Damn you, Zepher. Stop this already. If you want to fight, let’s do it fist to fist like we’ve always done.”

  “But I want you dead. Forräru.” Zepher’s clawed feet crunched in the grass below the tree. “How can a brother of mine be allowed to live after this? I will take out all of your allies. I’m not scared of Vern’s little Schküs friend—fucking angel blood. Hell, no! Vern will not find one minute of happiness. I will influence everyone around him. The people at the club. Those in charge. He’ll be fired from his stupid club and fired from any acting jobs if he actually gets any. I’ll ruin him. Crush him!”

  “Why? He’s never done anything to you. I’m not a traitor, but I can’t let you continue hurting him. There’s no longer a purpose. He knows you made all the bad shit in his life happen. You. You did that. And now you think he’s going to join us? Your interference is what ruined this mission, brother.”

  Zepher looked up. Teague dropped from his perch, landing on top of Zepher, and knocked the Särazsiel from his hand. He punched Zepher in the face and rolled away. “Stop this. I’m sure you’ve already tattled to Daddy. Isn’t it enough?”

  “Forget father! You'll answer to Beleth.” Zepher wouldn’t make empty threats.

  “What have you done, Zepher?”

  He stood up and spit something dark on the ground. It sizzled against the grass where it landed. Blood. “Something I should have done long ago, instead of indulging in this stupid obsession of yours.” He flung his arm in the air as if mocking Teague and his beliefs.

  “Leave us alone, Zepher. If I must deal with Beleth now...so be it. All of this is my issue. Not yours.”

  “How can it not be mine? We’re brothers. Twins. Shimjie asyrensa yäi du, Teague.”

  “I’m not screwing anything up. I’m following my heart. I know you have one too or you wouldn’t be obsessed with me.”

  Zepher pulled at the grass with the claws on his feet and pouted like a child. In many ways, Zepher was immature. They’d grown up together. Killed, terrorized, fought together and fought each other, but they’d never been so far apart before. “Fine...I’ll leave you. You’ll face enough consequences as it is.” He stumbled over and grabbed the blade, pointing it at Teague. “You better figure this out or I’ll be forced to use this.”

  Teague dipped his head. “Trävev.”

  “Don’t thank me, yet.” Then Zepher disappeared, and Teague breathed a deep sigh into the humid Miami air.

  If Zepher had gone to Beleth, their problems were only beginning.

  TWENTY

  Vern

  Surprisingly, Vern answered the door when Teague knocked. He should have walked away, but he couldn’t. He’d already showered, changed into sweats and a t-shirt and ate some Ramen noodles. Tony and Carl had come home and left again for some party, and Daniel had crashed in their bedroom, leaving them alone for the night. So they could talk. Or whatever.

  Teague stormed into the apartment like a proud peacock, walking around the tiny living room, inspecting everything from the bare walls to the furniture to the carpet. Like a dorm room, it was sparse and functional, but Vern didn’t give a damn. It was safe.

  Vern perched on the edge of the couch and threw his hands in the air. “What, Teague? What the hell are you going to tell me? What is going to make any of this better?”

  “It won’t make it better, but maybe you’ll, I don’t know, understand?” Teague reached for Vern.

  He looked every bit the angel he appeared to be when they’d first met. He’d learned since then and wasn’t so quick to jump into his arms.

  Teague’s blond hair cascaded down to his muscular shoulders, and his face, perfectly symmetrical, could only be described as angelic like the archangel Michael from the pictures he’d seen in the church’s literature back home. His eyes were…hazel? They changed by the moment shifting from green to brown with flecks of gold floating around. He didn’t dress much like an angel. He wore tight jeans and a faded t-shirt. He’d tossed a red leather jacket over the armchair. His jaw was scruffy with five o’clock shadow.

  “So you’re real. And so is the other one?”

  “Yes. And stories like Wonderland and Narnia...and the Bible are based on truth, too. Some of us can cross over. We’re from somewhere else. It’s called Exilum. We’ve been coming here for ages. There’s a plan, Vern.”

  “Vick.”

  “Can you give it a rest?”

  Vern crossed his arms over his chest. He didn’t want to give Teague anything, but he needed information. He rolled his eyes. “Fine...go on.”

  “We come here, and humans call us demons, say we’re from hell, like what you’ve read in the Bible or any of the other stories. But you’re only getting part of it.”

  “What’s all of it?”

  “If Exilum is what you would call hell, then Osestra, the sister realm, is heaven. We’ve been fighting for longer than man has walked upright. We call your world Manna, and we’re fighting for it.”

  “A war? And how’s that going? I don’t see any armies.”

  “Right now, it’s more like a cold war. Spies and infiltrations. We use Seers, like psychics, to pick targets.”

  “Is that how you found me?”

  Teague sat on the floor and tucked his feet beneath him, crossing his legs. “Yes.”

  “Okay. So, why are you fighting with heaven? What do you want with Earth?”

  “Manna.”

  “Whatever.” He picked at his cuticle and slid back on the couch, trying to appear less interested.

  “It’s not whatever, because all three places exist together on this planet you call Earth. Here and not here. Different dimensions—or realms. Manna stands between Exilum and Osestra.”

  Vern crossed his eyes. He took off his glasses and rubbed them before putting them back on. “Dimensions. So, we can what? Walk through some kind of door, like a wardrobe or a picture or a mirror and get there?”

  “No. I said those stories were based on truth, not that they told the whole truth. You can’t get there unless you die. Your body holds you here.”

  “But you can?”

  “Yes. Those of us from the sister realms have less body. Different types of bodies. It doesn’t hold the soul so tightly. The soul travels through the ether. Then it remolds our bodies to fit wherever we need to be.”

  Vern thought about it for a moment, but he didn’t want to concentrate too hard on it. It would only confuse him. “And the fight for Manna?”

  “There are those who think we can merge Exilum with Manna and gain enough power to overthrow Osestra. Or something similar.”

  “Why not take your armies and knock on heaven’s door directly?”

  “They tried.”

  “So why do you want to defeat Osestra anyway? Why does everyone want Earth or Manna or whatever you call it?”

  Teague shrugged and closed his eyes. “Why did Hitler want to take over the world?”

  “You saying he was a demon?”

  “No. I’m saying it doesn’t matter if you’re from Exilum, Osestra, or Manna. There are people who want power over others. It’s been this way since the beginning. The desire for power and control caused all this shit to happen in the first place. And now...” Teagu
e held up his hand.

  Vern got off the couch and sat down beside him on the floor. He pushed his head against Teague’s shoulder, rubbing his forehead against him like a cat. “Why did Zepher kill Randy?”

  He missed Randy and hated he’d died alone, overdosing on the floor of a hotel bathroom. He deserved more. Maybe they all deserved more, but what did he know about any of it?

  “I don’t think Zepher did it. He...he’s never been subtle, and I don’t see how he could have done it right under my nose. I watched you the whole time, Vern. Saw everything.”

  “So, what? Life did it? I don’t know. He didn’t shoot up before. I was with him—”

  “People can surprise you. And maybe it was a normal part of life. Or maybe someone else—someone more powerful than Zepher. I don’t know.”

  Acknowledging what he had learned from Teague about demons and the different dimensions, he wanted to run away from all of it. But something pulled at him like a physical hand grabbing on and tugging him toward Teague. He wanted to stay mad, to walk away, but he didn’t think he had a choice. “Why me?”

  “I don’t know. The Seers. They picked you as a target. Said you had some important role to play. They told us to torment you enough to turn against Manna. You weren’t supposed to know it was us. If you believed all of humanity were cruel, then you would join us in their downfall.”

  “That’s stupid.”

  “Stupid or not, I didn’t do what they wanted. I couldn’t.”

  “Why?”

  Teague put his arm around Vern’s shoulders, offering his warmth and comfort. “I don’t know. Watching you...it changed me. I fell in love. Ciyä Miros, Vern.”

  “What? What’s that mean?”

  “I love you.”

  “How do you say it?”

  Teague repeated the words slowly. “See-ya me-rose.”

  “See ya. Me rose. Yeah?”