Chapter Seven

Jayden ambled through the forest, his senses heightened to everything around him. He didn’t normally go out during the day because he had little desire to run into humans scampering through the woods at that time. It was much more exciting to go out at night, when his senses were sharpened and he was truly a predator. He liked being the only one with perfect night vision, relying on his senses and hunting his prey.

Occasionally, though, it was nice to feel the sun’s rays penetrate his skin, and he’d been feeling restless over the last several years for reasons he didn’t understand. He’d never before felt that he was missing out on something. He impatiently shook off his errant thoughts. Time was of the essence.

The refugee camp wasn’t far from him now. He was contemplating the best way of gaining entrance into the cave. He didn’t worry about being wounded by a mortal human – they had no real ability to harm an immortal – but he needed to get in without blowing his cover. If they were to trust him, he had to have a convincing story.

Jayden swiftly climbed a tree, scaling it to the tallest branches in seconds. He surveyed the area with sight more acute than that of an eagle. He immediately spotted the humans who thought they were so carefully hidden. A mixture of refugees and soldiers were in the woods, hunting for food, collecting resources or looking to kill another human.

An arrogant smile spread across his face at their ignorant vulnerability. The soldiers thought themselves to be the deadliest beings the world had ever known. They would swarm and dominate those they deemed weaker, but little did they know of Jayden, who with one twist of his hand could quickly dispose of all of them.

Something was distracting Jayden’s concentration, and he scanned the area, searching for what had him on red alert. His eyes narrowed in frustration at his loss of detection. He’d been taught to be a ruthless predator, and he didn’t fail. For the first time, with heavy disappointment, he realized he came up lacking.

Jayden descended the tree and with cautious steps followed his senses deeper into the forest, using the pulling in his gut as his compass.

Slowing as he neared a stream, he was able to detect that the something was now a someone and it was human. Why would a human have such capabilities to influence him? He thought of humans as nothing more than things – a waste of space. They were pathetic and fragile.

At times, he found himself feeling sorry for some of them and he even believed a few were good – though with a raging war, good wasn’t relevant. With careful steps, he continued in the direction of the pull, irritated with himself that it was so strong; but it continued to grow as he neared and he seemed unable to turn back.

Jayden’s pace felt agonizingly slow, though in reality he was moving faster than any human could. He was a hunter at that moment, and he carried an intimidating expression of sheer intensity, the appearance of the dark angel he was, fearsome and lost.

Jayden came to a small pond where the stream pooled. His eyes zoomed in on a human form, seemingly asleep on the ground – a female. He shook his head in disbelief at her complete lack of survival instincts. Did she no longer have a will to survive? She lay right in the middle of all peril. None of the humans were aware of the demons who freely walked the earth, but the refugees knew enemy soldiers stalked the forest continually – yet, here she lay sleeping, blissfully unaware.

He silently moved closer until he stood directly over her, overwhelmed by the intensity of something so incredibly foreign inside him. He should be thinking she was easy prey, though he’d never liked hunting humans, or at the least, that she wasn’t worth his time.

As if his legs could no longer hold him, Jayden fell to his knees onto the soft earth. His confusion at his loss of strength was quickly turning into alarm. He was always strong and knew what his purpose was each moment of every day of his existence. What was this power she wielded?

Studying her sleeping expression, he pushed a strand of hair from her cheek, gently brushing it back from her cheekbone. He was startled by her softness and the way her skin sent a lick of fire through his hand, up his arm and straight to his chest, chasing away his previous alarm. He brought his hand up to rub the burning in his chest, a look of wonder in his endless black eyes.

He could hear the beating of her heart and see the small pulse on the side of her neck. Her energy was so vibrant that he could almost see colors surrounding her. She was absolutely mesmerizing.

Jayden was oblivious to how long he sat gazing at her, stroking her skin and wondering who she was, or why he cared, but he was fully aware the second she started to wake. Her breathing changed and her pulse increased. He could detect the small movements of her body most wouldn’t have noticed. He moved back, giving her space.

She stretched her arms above her head and let out a yawn. She had to be a bit stiff from sleeping on the hard ground. Human bodies were weak and the smallest occurrence would hurt them. Her eyes finally fluttered open and he watched in fascination as a small smile appeared on her lips as she adjusted to the bright light. She turned her head in his direction and he chuckled as she jumped up and sprang back. How interesting that he frightened her. Maybe he still did have the upper hand.

He didn’t bother to chase her. Staying in the same nonthreatening position, he watched as she eyed him warily. She was quite attractive for a human, with her clear, smooth, ivory skin and huge, scared eyes. She had luscious, almost red lips, and long dark hair. He looked at her quizzically as he felt his body respond to her beauty. He’d never felt such an attraction to a human before, but for some reason, he wanted her.

He’d been with many humans to satisfy his needs, whether hunger or sexual, but he’d never had the instant attraction he was feeling toward the small woman. It interested him enough that he couldn’t let her get away. He could, of course, capture her and forget all about his plans of infiltration, but then she’d likely end up dead. Maybe he could have the best of both worlds. He could spend time with her and uncover answers to her powers, while still spying on their camp and formulating the best way to lead them astray.

“Who… who are you?” she finally stammered. He continued to stare, which increased her pounding heart. He held back the sigh wanting to escape. He liked the sound of her strong heartbeat and uneven breaths. He paused a few more moments before giving her an answer, feeling satisfied to do nothing more than watch her.

“My name is Jayden,” he finally said.

“Wh… what are you doing here?” she stuttered. She was having a difficult time speaking.

“I was walking through the woods when I stumbled on you,” he told her. She instantly relaxed, which puzzled him. He didn’t see how she didn’t know the danger she was in, but she was completely oblivious.

“You’re an escapee,” she finally said, then giggled in relief. He looked at her questioningly for a moment, then realized what she was talking about. She was assuming he was another person on the run from the rebel armies. It was better if she thought that because she’d feel safe around him. He quickly stepped into the role she’d chosen for him.

“What’s your name?” he asked, lying on the smooth grass. He’d never taken time to simply relax and think of nothing but the moment. The pleasant feeling that came over him was an eye-opener.

“I’m Phoenix. I must’ve dozed off. My brother is probably going insane, wondering where I am,” she explained, and glanced around nervously. They both spotted the radio in the grass at the same time. Jayden wanted to keep it from her, not ready to let anyone else intrude yet.

She picked up the radio and pressed a button. A frantic voice came over the speaker. “Where the heck are you, Phoenix? I’ve been trying to reach you for fifteen minutes,” the voice shouted. She flinched, and Jayden had to fight the urge to rip the person yelling at her limb from limb.

“I’m sorry, John. I was picking and suddenly got really tired. I sat down to rest and fell asleep. I’m fine, I promise. I’ll finish getting the food and then head back. I’ll still make it on time,” she said soothingly. The voice came back over the radio much more calmly.

“I’m sorry for yelling. I was just scared, Sis,” the voice said, which seemed to make Phoenix giggle.

“You’re such a worry wart. I love you and I’ll see you in a couple hours,” Phoenix said before setting the radio down. She turned and regarded Jayden, who couldn’t turn his eyes from her. Her cheeks turned an attractive shade of red. The blood rushing through her body caused his insides to stir wildly.

“Sorry about that, Jayden. That was my brother and he tends to be overprotective. Are you alone out here?” she asked as she began gathering her few items together. Jayden rose quickly and with an unspoken invitation, followed her.

“Yes, I am,” he answered, not willing or able to share anything with her about who he really was. She wouldn’t believe him if he told her the truth, anyway. It would almost be worth it just to see her reaction.

“I’m sorry. Did you lose your family?” she asked sympathetically and placed her hand tenderly on his arm, causing that electric response again. He liked the sensation and wanted her to continue touching him.

“It’s been a while,” he told her and turned away. Looking into her eyes, he wanted to tell her everything. He’d be better off not speaking of himself and keeping the conversation focused on her. “I’d rather not talk about them, though,” he said. Phoenix didn’t want to cause him more pain so she quickly changed the subject.

“I have a lot of work to make up since I slept away part of my day, but I’d love for you to join me. We have a safe place for you to stay so you won’t have to wander anymore,” she told him as she removed her hand and started hiking back in the direction of the cave.

Jayden followed her, wishing she hadn’t removed her hand. He managed to restrain himself from placing her arm through his again. Images began to form in his mind of all the things he wanted to do with her, and he wasn’t known for waiting long when he decided on a course of action. He thought he might have to learn some patience for the first time in his existence. The thought made him grin sheepishly, and Phoenix turned a slightly suspicious expression his way while raising an eyebrow.

“Where is this place?” Jayden asked when he realized he’d never said anything about her offer.

“I don’t know how to explain where it’s located. I just know how to get home. Where are you originally from?” she asked. She stopped, spotting some wild herbs and leaning down to pick them. Jayden recognized what she was collecting and began to help. Phoenix gave him a shy, appreciative smile for his help. He could have completed the entire chore within minutes but he had to keep a low profile, so he moved slowly alongside her and found it didn’t bother him – the slower he went, the longer he got to be next to her.

“My family was always nomadic, never staying in one place for too long. I couldn’t tell you exactly where I’m from,” he said in answer to her earlier question. It wasn’t exactly a lie, as they did move a lot. But he did know exactly where he was from – she just wouldn’t be able to comprehend it.

“Oh, that’s sad. Before the war started, I was from one place only. I was brought home from the hospital to the same house we left behind. It was scary, giving up my entire life to come here. My family was one of the lucky few because we made it out and are still together,” she said with a sigh of gratitude.

Jayden had never thought much of what the escaped humans went through during the war. He just followed Vyco’s orders.

He found he felt a bit guilty about viewing humans as so insignificant – only there for his pleasure or amusement. He’d changed so much in his years with Vyco. If a human was dead, it was of no particular interest to him, but this petite female seemed to make him feel things he’d never felt before. He was unsure if he exactly liked the feeling.

“How long have you been here?” he asked.

“Since it all began a few years ago. My father knew it was coming and so he and a few others prepared for it. They said if the war never happened they only lost money, which was replaceable. But if something were to happen, they had peace of mind in knowing their families would be safe. They made us a safe, comfortable, well-hidden home, nothing like what we had before, but much better than what so many are dealing with. Have you seen the slave camps?” she asked.

“I’ve seen them and trust me, you’d be better off sleeping on the ground,” he told her. The camps were horrific. He’d watched as the captives were beaten and starved. Some had been able to escape, but they didn’t usually get far. The unlucky who remained locked up didn’t stand a chance.

The very old and very young were always the first to die, but the troops fed the teenage humans a bit better to get more work out of them. Any person who was deemed unusable was quickly disposed of. They killed humans by the dozen with no remorse. Even Jayden was astounded by the enemy soldiers’ ruthless brutality and numbness to murder.

“I know some of the elders go on missions, trying to rescue people, but it’s very risky and they don’t talk much about it,” Phoenix said. “We’ve lost some of our people but we’ve also been fortunate enough to rescue many. Those who do get out of the camps are always grateful and they never talk to the kids about what they’ve been through – I’m sure they talk to the elders, though. I think they just don’t want to think about the torture they were put through. I can’t believe how skinny and sick they look when they arrive at our camp.” A tear rolled down her cheek.

Jayden watched the small tear and felt a pang in his heart. His desire to pull her into his arms and comfort her was overwhelming. He wanted to promise her he’d protect her from the enemy and make sure she didn’t witness any more horrors. This was a promise he couldn’t keep, though. He didn’t understand why he even cared.

“I’m sorry,” was all he could say.

“Thanks, Jayden. I’m glad you’ve been able to avoid the enemy soldiers and stay safe. I think you’ll like our place,” she told him. “I’ve gathered all I can today so we can start heading back.”

Jayden silently followed Phoenix, keeping an ear out for danger, feeling a devout sense of responsibility to keep her safe. In their brief time together, she’d become the single most important person in his existence. Phoenix seemed content with the silence, wandering through the woods for about an hour. He didn’t know how she’d managed to stay alive for so long, considering how careless she was. Even though her group had soldiers stationed throughout the woods, she shouldn’t let her guard down so easily. Someone could slip in unseen, as he had.

He was relieved when they reached the secret entrance to her cave, grateful that the enemy soldiers were unable to find it.

“I’m excited for you to meet my dad and the rest of our group. I’m sure you’re starving. Dinner will be in about an hour, but if you need something now we could probably sneak into the kitchen,” she told him.

He hadn’t really thought of food. He inwardly groaned at the thought of having to eat some of their flavorless human food. Unconsciously, Jayden clenched his jaw in repulsion, pursing his lips together in a grimace.

He continued following Phoenix deep within the cave, uncomfortable being so closed in. He didn’t like being in unfamiliar places and certainly didn’t like not having a way to escape. He quickly scanned the cave, learning all the exit points. He was relieved there weren’t any demons there. Many of Vyco’s followers loved to hide among the humans. They loved to toy with them, gain their trust and then pounce when they least expected it. It was like a game of cat and mouse and gave them a sense of power.

Jayden had never felt the need to play with beings who were so much weaker than he. He’d never thought of having anything to do with them since his fall from the Light. After he began roaming the underworld with Vyco, he’d promptly erased his memories of the years of service to Josiah. Being around Phoenix was bringing back the long forgotten. For the first time in an eternity he thought about his sister, Chastity. At the thought of her name, he felt an ache in his chest, where it had been hollow for so long.