Demon or Angel (Age of Exilum Book 1)

by Lynn Michaels

  “I don't know about him, about Sean, about what he is or isn’t, and I don’t give a fuck. But what you should care about, brother, is the Seers. They know about Vern. They know his importance in our plan. They know about what father said. About you. About him. Maybe they wanted him in the fold or presumed he could be powerful. Whatever reason, they know...everything. They might not be doing anything about it right now, but you bet your ass they know. And this mess lost them one of their own.” Zepher let lose an evil laugh. “They’re not going to forget that shit any time soon, Tea.”

  “Do they think he’s going to be powerful enough to merge the worlds?” Because that was a possibility that had been ruminating in the back of his mind.

  Zepher ignored his question and shook his head. “I think they're wrong. I don't think he has any power, despite his lineage. I think it's been bred out of him, and he's a complete waste of time. A horrible distraction for you. And for me? Something to kill.”

  Teague growled instinctively. He did not like hearing Zepher talk about killing Vern. “I’m still not giving him up. I don’t care what you say, or what they think.” Zepher was wrong, though. Vern had already shown a little power. His dominion over the hellhounds, plus the earth-shaking thing when he had gotten angry. And his scent...he first noticed it at the club, but he smelled more and more like a demon every day. Those were signs. Vern might turn out to be incredibly powerful after discovering his inner demon.

  “So you’re not even going to try to come back?”

  “No way. Why should I? You want me back? That’s why you came here? You think your need for vengeance is going to have me turning my back on Vern and going home with you? Home to Exilum, where I’m not wanted? I hardly think so.”

  “Okay, then. He's all yours…” Zepher turned his back to Teague. His wings unfurled and spread wide. His legs bent as if getting ready to take a mighty leap into the sky.

  “That's it? Where’re you going?”

  “I have a job to do, brother…So, yeah. For now, we’re done.” Then he did jump. Straight up, disappearing into the night sky.

  Teague had no idea what other job he had to do, but this wouldn’t be the last of him. He needed a cigarette, but he’d left them inside. He probably should consider quitting, anyway. With a resigned sigh, Teague walked to the edge of the building, spread his wings, and dropped to the balcony of their room.

  He left his jeans on the floor and crawled back in bed. He pulled Vern tight against his chest, wrapping his arms around him. Whatever they had to face next, they would do it together.

  TWENTY FOUR

  Vern

  One year later...

  “Sean and Tucker will be here soon. Get dressed,” Vern ordered and tugged the blanket off of Teague. “You’re being lazy.”

  Teague grumbled something into his pillow. Even though Vern couldn’t hear what he said, he could guess. They’d trained hard the day before and then had sex late into the night. He’d worn his grumpy demon out. Fucking adorable! But they didn’t have time for more snuggling. It was moving day.

  “Hey, big guy. I’m excited.” He bounced on the bed on his knees and poked Teague in the ribs. “It’s the first day of the rest of our lives.”

  “Sleeping here.”

  “Nope. It’s time to get up.”

  Teague rolled over and grabbed his big hard cock. “This is the only thing up right now, V.” He growled and stroked his morning wood.

  “Need help with that, uh...big tool, there?” Vern laughed, but it made Teague launch himself off the bed to tackle Vern. In seconds, Teague had Vern underneath him, and his hard cock he’d been playing with ground into Vern’s thigh.

  “Yeah, I do.” He nibbled at Vern’s neck and licked under the collar of his t-shirt. “You’re wearing entirely too much clothing.” His hand snaked up the inside of his shirt along his abs and up his chest, where he flicked one of Vern’s nipples.

  Vern couldn’t help plunging his hands into Teague’s long, sleep-tousled hair. “What? We’re going to be fucking when they knock on the door? Not cool, Teague.”

  “They’ll wait.” He nibbled up to Vern’s ear, but Vern wiggled out from under him.

  “Stop,” he said with a giggle as Teague pressed his face into his stomach where his shirt had ridden up. He held Vern’s hips, not letting him go. “T-Tickles. Stop.”

  Teague rolled around on the bed, tickling Vern and completely distracting him until their friends banged on the door.

  “See. Stop. Get off me.” He shoved Teague’s shoulder, but it only made Teague laugh. If he wanted, Teague could hold him down and keep him there quite effectively.

  The knock on the door interrupted them again.

  “Hey!” Sean called out.

  Sean had turned out to be the aggressive one, while his bigger boyfriend, who looked like he could handle his shit in any bar fight, was actually the more reserved of the two. Sean had turned out to be a real spitfire.

  “You two. Open up. I have coffee, and I’m not standing out here all day.”

  “Get up, Teague. He has coffee!”

  Teague chuckled but got up. He grabbed a pair of sweatpants that had been thrown carelessly over the top of the dresser and pulled them on. Vern smirked at him and pulled his shirt back down as he walked to the door.

  Sean and Tucker had come to help them pack up what little they had and move it to their new apartment. Vern and Teague did not own vehicles. Vern was happy walking or taking the bus, and Teague flew everywhere. The showoff! In the past year, however, they’d accumulated enough stuff to warrant a vehicle to move it all, even though it might only be one or two trips.

  When he opened the door, Sean shoved a drink holder with three coffees at him and barged right in. “One of those is mine.” He stopped in the middle of the room and looked around, taking in the tangled sheets on the bed. “Y’all haven’t packed shit. What the hell?”

  “We, uh, had kind of a late night. Thanks for the coffee.” He pulled one of the cups from the holder and sat the rest on the side table by the sofa. He watched Teague pull a tank top over his head, hiding all those sexy muscles. Teague smirked at him as if he could read exactly what churned inside Vern’s head. Maybe he could, but he only turned away and grabbed a coffee.

  Sean cleared his throat. “Hey, enough ogling. Let’s do this already. Seriously, y’all.”

  “Yeah, right. I want to get done today, Teague. Stop distracting me. Our first shoot is tomorrow and then I won’t have time.”

  “Tomorrow?” Tucker asked, sipping his coffee, and looking otherwise unconcerned with anything. “This is a TV Pilot, right?”

  “Yes, and I’m totally excited. I have to be on set before the sun comes up, though. So, let’s go.” Vern snapped his fingers and pointed out what needed to be packed.

  With all four of them working, they managed it quickly. They shoved the bathroom stuff into one plastic container and their clothes into two cardboard boxes. Vern had collected a halfway decent wardrobe. With the freedom of having a little money and discovering who he could be, he realized he liked clothes a lot, and Teague humored him. Vern’s things took up most of the room in the boxes because of it.

  He still needed to pack his box of trinkets. He’d added to his key chain and chess piece with other things he’d picked up. He had a poker chip from the man who had directed his first commercial and a tiny plastic dinosaur he’d stolen from Henrik’s office before he stopped working at the club. Between Teague taking care of him and his acting jobs coming more frequently. He didn’t need to work there. He’d also stolen a mascara wand from his friend Glitter, and some kind of armband thing from his roommate, Daniel. He wanted the tokens to remember these guys and how they’d changed his life. He never did get a feather from Teague, but since he got the whole damned demon, he wouldn’t worry about it.

  Carefully, he fingered his mother’s locket. He’d included it in his hoard as well. He’d been tempted to hock it a few times, but he never did. Losi
ng it would be like losing the last bit of her memory. Besides, it had been her locket that started him collecting the rest. He dropped it in the box with the other things, then shoved his beat-up journal in with them and wrapped some packing tape around the cigar box. He’d carry this box, not trusting it to anyone else. The things inside might have been junk to any of them, but to Vern, they were priceless.

  They had also accumulated appliances like a coffeemaker and a crockpot. Teague had bought a huge television that remained packed in the box it came in. He wanted very much to take it out and set it up since it was bigger than the hotel’s TV, but Vern hadn’t let him.

  “Hey, Tucker,” Teague called out to their friend who was putting the foodstuff from the mini-fridge into a cooler. “Help me grab this and take it downstairs.” He ran his finger over the top of the box like caressing a lover, and Vern rolled his eyes.

  Once they were out of the room, Sean grabbed Vern’s arm. “Hey, man! I want you to know I’m proud of you, Vern-Vick. I mean Vick.” He smiled softly, and his eyes sparkled.

  “Thanks.” Vern ducked his head for a second before changing the subject. “And what about you? Going to school and everything, like you said you would.”

  “I’m glad University of Miami accepted me. I hadn’t even applied to them initially, you know? I figured I’d never get out of Georgia, seriously.”

  Vern snorted. “Why do you insist on staying here? I mean, even with everything...you could still be Team Vern and go home, but you and Tucker both uprooted your lives. I don’t get it, but...so I guess I’m trying to say, uh...I appreciate it. You’re my best friend, and it’s great having you so close, but honestly, I don’t get it.”

  “We could,” he said, shrugging it off and acting like it wasn’t important.

  Vern was determined to understand. “No. I mean, I get some of it. Tucker had the chance to open a store here, and you got into Miami for school...and found a great apartment...”

  “Yeah, and you’re going to be living in the same building. How cool is that?”

  “It’s totally cool, but being able to do it, doing it, and the why of it are not the same things, Sean. I want to know, honestly. Why did you come? Why didn’t you go home? Even after you saw what we’re facing...You could have left. I mean—”

  “Stop it! I told you before. All that only made me want to stay more. It’s more important than anything else we could ever do. It’s the right thing to do. We’re committed to you. Team Vern, seriously.”

  Vern shoved Sean’s arm, gently. “Okay.”

  Teague and Tucker walked in and grabbed the clothes boxes. Teague stopped and looked at Sean with worry crinkling his brow. “I heard that last bit. It won’t make much of a difference in the long run if we don’t find others to join us. The four of us against Exilum’s armies?” He shook his head. “We don’t stand a chance.”

  Vern picked up the smaller box of bathroom supplies. “I agree. We need other half breeds and a lot of them, but you’re wrong about one thing, Teague. You’re wrong about motivation.” He smiled at Sean. He saw how much Tucker loved Sean, and how much they both had sacrificed for him. Everything Sean said convinced him even more. “The love of friends is what makes humans better than demons or angels.”

  Sean stopped and hugged Vern tightly. “You’re so right. Now, shut up and let’s get this load to the car.”

  ~To Be Continued…

  “The boys will return in the next book, Magic of Manna with new challenges, new tools to use, demons to fight, and new halflings to find...and new worlds, unlocked.” ~Surgat

  BONUS SECTION

  Exilium to English Dictionary as compiled by Vick Sadler

  Ciyä Miros (see-ya me-rose) — I love you — This is my favorite. I say it to Teague all the time, even when he’s sleeping.

  Dëdris (Dee-dris) — Goodbye — Some say ‘dris and that’s an informal version like later or see ya.

  Düyik (Do-yee-k) — Asshole — We have to know when they’re cursing, and it’s fun to use.

  Dynäj (Die-nai) — Damn. Demons love to curse!

  Exilum (Ex-eel-ium) — Hell — What humans think of as hell, but is the dominion the rebels of Osestra either fled to or were exiled to, depending on who is telling the story. It is where the demons live for the most part. Although it seems to me that they like Manna better. Also called the second-sister realm.

  Ëythil (Aye-seal) — Study.

  Forräru (Foe-rr-aye-rue and note the first r is rolled on the tongue) — Traitor — This is not only a factual translation, but also a great insult.

  Kvävaüs (Ku-vav-us) — Witch’s Dick — I love this one! I don’t even know why Teague shared that, but it’s the best insult. He also says I have no idea what witches really are. That’s a lesson for later.

  Manna (Man-uh) — Earth — That definition is misleading, though. All three dimensions are considered being Earth, the planet. Manna is the dimension where humans live. All three dimension are here in actuality, but what we think of as Earth is called Manna and resides in between the other two dimensions, sister realms, called Osestra and Exilum. It’s the bridge between the two and is constantly being fought over.

  Nyäëv (Knee-av) — No — This is something useful. Particularly in dealing with hellhounds.

  Osestra (Oh-sess-tra) — Heaven — The original home of the people, also known as the sister realm to the demons. This is what humanity thinks of as heaven. I have a feeling that it’s not as great as we think it is.

  Presiph (Pree-see-iff) — Stop — Also helpful with hellhounds.

  Rëisch (sounds almost like rice. There's a slight roll to the r, and the sound is drawn out slightly) — Baby or youngster — Not sure how demons feel about the young ones. According to Teague, they don’t stay young long.

  Särazsiel ((Saa-raa-zee-el) — Dark Water Blade — This is not a blade or knife you want to mess with. It takes a part of your soul if you’re cut with it. I don’t even want to think about how bad that would hurt.

  Schküs (Shh-coo-shush) — Angelic Blooded (Soft hearted) — That means that you’re weak or soft. It’s a derivative of Angelic Bonded, but not the same thing, apparently. This is more like an insult for demons.

  Shimjie asyrensa yäi du (Shh-i-mn-jee as-ee-ren-saa ee-ai due) — You're screwing this up — This one is not only you’re screwing this up but you are a screw up. Teague assures me it’s way more meaningful in Exilum.

  Shim phäiskghaa (Shh-i-mn f-ai-ssk-gah) — You goat leg — I’m still getting my head around this insult. I think it has to do with being a follower like sheep, but I’m not entirely sure. Teague assures me it’s the worst thing you could call a demon, next to witch’s dick.

  Szélküs (Shh-zel-coo-shush) – Angelic Bonded — Szélküs (Shh-zel-coo-shush) – When an angel or someone from Osestra bonds with someone, that someone is the bonded. This is a factual thing, and not an insult like Schküs.

  Szrez (Sir-rez) — Shit — Teague says this isn’t the same thing as like dogshit or bullshit, but shit is the closest translation. It’s definitely a curse. Szrez, demons curse a lot.

  Trävev (Tr-av-ev) — Thank you — Not used very much. Because, demons!

  Vkiü (vee-que) — Yes — It’s funny when Teague says that during sex, especially since he calls me V.

  Yälüs (Eel -ush) — Hello.

  Zsiel (Zee-el) — Soul — This is a bigger concept than what we normally think of as a soul. Particularly for Osestra and Exilum. They can manipulate their souls. It’s how they change forms in each environment and how they travel between the realms. Human, or Manna, souls are locked inside our bodies. So halflings have some in and some out, but less control over manipulation. Only a pure Osestra/Exilum, or a combination of the two, apparently, can travel between realms without dying. So to them it’s integral to who and what they are.

  Listing Of Known Demons As Noted By Vick Sadler

  Beleth – One of the seven kings of hell, the war king. Set on merging Manna and Exilum. One
of the original fallen angels who is a king of hell and commands over 85 legions of demons, maybe more according to Teague.

  Morax – One of the original fallen angels. He often takes the shape of a bull. He was also kind of a blacksmith or weapon maker. He taught others many of the things he knew. He was the first to use Osestra or angel blood to fuel tools. He was slain sometime during the first battles. If not for that, he would have become one of the kings of hell. He’s also significant because Surgat was one of his followers.

  Pharzuph – One of the original fallen angels who invokes fornication and lust. This guy is my grandfather according to Teague and his friend Surgat.

  Surgat – The key/door opener. He was said to have opened the original portal to Manna and by extension Exilum. He was a lower-level angel used by Osestra, and when he realized they wanted to exile the other demons, he left with them. His visage is so horrible, no one wants to look at it. Teague says it’s because he’s opened doors to places we really shouldn’t venture. Surgat tends to hide from the others, but if you catch him, it’s not hard to get him to do your bidding.

  Teague – Obviously, my favorite demon. He’s actually a halfling. His mother was from Osestra, and had been taken captive by his father, Xaphan. She bonded his father and birthed Teague. Xaphan then raised him as Zepher’s twin.

  Vern Swain – Yep, me. I’m half demon! I make the cut. Also, it’s my book, so yay me!

  Xaphan – Father of Teague and Zepher. Xaphan is a prince of hell and his domain is under Beleth.

  Zepher – Obviously, not my favorite demon. He’s been making my life hell long before I knew hell was real. He’s Teague’s twin, or half-brother. They were raised as twins and didn’t know they weren’t until recently. They were often called the Chaos Twins or Twins of Chaos. Their main job was tormenting poor souls from Manna like me.