Chapter Nine
CAM
Thea entered the building and headed straight upstairs, where Elyon said the demon was.
Cam stayed close behind her, nodding at Elyon when he signaled he would be staying in position on the ground floor.
Thea walked through the door into the office where the demon sat, his orange glow emanating from him as he leaned over a desk snorting white powder into his nose.
He looked up. "This is a private office—" He leaned back into his chair, giving them a cocky smile. "Hello, Nephilim. What can I d—“
His words were cut off by a blast that knocked him over and sent him skidding backward across the room. Cam looked at Thea, surprised at her sudden attack. She made her way over to the demon.
"I'm going to ask you a few questions," Thea said, as the demon groaned and tried to sit up. Thea put a foot on his shoulders and shoved him roughly down against the ground. "If you choose to be difficult, I'll kill you."
The demon sneered up at her. "You think that blast was strong enough to kill me?"
"No, that was just a warning. I have two of the most accomplished Powers waiting for me to tell them what to do," Thea said, with a seriousness that Cam hadn’t witnessed from her before. "If you want to die today, keep pissing me off."
The demon glanced at Cam and his face dropped. "What do you want to know?" he asked, tightening his mouth.
"You once lived on East 33rd, in an apartment building opposite a warehouse. About thirty-five years ago, or so."
The demon nodded.
"Tell me about the angel named Oriah."
The demon thought for a moment. "Yes, I remember an Oriah that lived there. She was a fallen angel though."
"What do you know about her?"
"Why should I tell you?"
Thea punched the demon in the face. Hard enough to break his nose. He let out a curse as blood spurted onto his clothes and dripped down his face. Cam frowned, surprised at the violence Thea was exhibiting. Usually, she blasted demons with energy balls and spikes from a distance, so engaging them this closely wasn’t normal for her. Something about her behavior felt off. He watched her closely.
She grabbed his collar and unsheathed a dagger from her hip. "I know holy daggers burn," Thea said, her voice harsh. "There are plenty of places to stab you each time I don't like your answer."
The demons face twisted in anger.
"What do you know about Oriah?" Thea repeated, snarling into his face.
"She moved here for a short while when she was heavily pregnant. She was looking for work even though she was obviously about to have a child. There were a lot of Legion here around that time, always around her. Flooded the place. I couldn't get any work done while they were here."
Cam furrowed his brow. That was strange. Legion demons weren’t known for flocking together all at once, unless they were working in a task force. There was no task force at that time that he could remember. An uncomfortable niggle in his gut set him on edge. Something wasn't right—he needed to talk to Zak.
"What else?" Thea asked, still annoyed. Cam guessed she wanted more information about her mother specifically.
The demons shrugged. "She gave birth and then within the next few months I didn't see her around here anymore. Didn't see the Legion around here either. I figured she must have gone to do some work with them." A gleam entered his eyes. "Maybe the kind of work that landed her on her back."
Thea punched him in the nose again and he howled in rage trying to fight her back, but she was too quick. Thea kicked and stamped on him before sending a giant spike of energy into him, a spike much bigger than was actually needed to kill him. She looked absolutely furious. Cam walked to her as the demon dissolved into ash.
She looked at him, her features intent and angry. "What does that mean?" she asked. "Legion demons. Why would they be interested in my mom?"
"I don't know," Cam said, stepping closer to her. "But it's unusual. I need to talk to Zak about it straight away." He stepped even closer until he was looking down at her. "Are you okay, Thea?"
Thea clenched her fists repeatedly then placed her hands on her hips and shifted between both feet. "Fine," she said through gritted teeth.
Cam reached out to touch her arm, but she pulled it back sharply.
"I said I'm fine, Cam. I just don't like the idea that my mom has become one of them."
Cam nodded. "I know it must be difficult. Let's go and talk to Zak."
Thea shook her head. "You go," she said. "I need some time in the human world on my own."
"No," Cam said, a little too sharply. "There are a lot of demons in this neighborhood."
Thea scowled. "Yes, this is the neighborhood I grew up in, remember? I'm completely capable of looking after myself, Cam. I want to see Amber. I haven't seen her for over twelve human years."
Cam stared at her, taking in her agitated state. She glared back at him and then relaxed slightly.
"Honestly, Cam," she said, more softly. "I'll be fine. Amber's apartment isn’t even in this neighborhood, remember? And it’s protected. I'll only stay for a night and then I'll come back to the Angel Realm. I'll be back within a few hours."
Cam didn't respond. He didn't want her to leave his sight.
"Please, Cam," Thea said, her voice low. "Don't stop me from seeing her."
Elyon entered the room. "Did we get what we need?" he asked, glancing at the pile of ash.
"Yes," Cam said, keeping his eyes on Thea. "We need to go back to the Angel Realm and speak to Zak. Thea is going to stay here."
"Cool, I'll see you there."
Thea and Cam kept their eyes on each other as he left.
"You’ll be back tomorrow," Cam said, a statement not a question.
Thea nodded.
"I’ll take you there," he said reluctantly, the words almost sticking in his throat.
Thea looked as though she might argue but eventually nodded. They made their way out of the building, then he picked her up before she could protest and flew swiftly into the air, cuddling her against his body as he made his way to Amber's apartment. She trembled against him and he didn't know if her body's response was from desire, revulsion, or fear. Either way, it didn't matter; she needed to be safe.
He placed her down at the entrance of Amber's building and kissed her forehead before she had the chance to move away.
"Have fun with Amber," he said.
She smiled at him, and he fought the urge to take her back into his arms. Then she was gone, heading into the building.