Chapter Three
We walked in silence, moving toward the location of the dark energy. It would have been much easier to spread our wings and fly, but there was too great of a chance that we’d be seen by humans. Only under the cover of darkness, far away from the city limits, were we able to fly freely, and even then, we were always cautious.
The path took us from the road and into the nearby forest. Our ears were alert for any sounds other than our boots on the dry leaves. Dread settled into my chest, the weight becoming heavier the closer we got to our destination.
Jonah reached out and squeezed my arm, and when I looked at him I could see that the streams of dark energy were affecting him as well. He grimaced, and I knew he was fighting off the demons that threatened to invade his mind.
Dark magic was one of our most brutal enemies. It had a way of seeping into our hearts and invading our souls. Though supernatural, our origins were tied to humans and if we weren’t careful, the darkness would find those human weaknesses and use them against us. And unlike a vampire who could only hurt us in a physical sense, dark magic was infectious. If we weren’t vigilant about keeping our minds blocked from the energy, it would find a way in, and we’d be lost to it forever.
We reached a clearing, with only a thin line of trees standing between us and the source of the darkness. We peered through the brush cautiously, silently planning our attack.
A woman stood in a clearing with her eyes closed, her long, black hair blowing wildly in the breeze, the tendrils caressing her face. Her outstretched arms moved in circles, as though she were nothing more than a harmless scarecrow, weaving back and forth, as she chanted the words needed to conjure the dark spirits. We didn’t need to see the circle of power that she stood in, or the black-hilted knife in her hand streaked with her own blood, to know that she was a dark witch.
“I invoke and conjure thee, powerful spirit, fortified with the power of the Supreme Dark Lord…”
Jonah leaned in close, whispering in my ear. “Take out your dagger.”
I knew exactly what those words meant, and what he was going to do. Our daggers, when tipped in the blood of an Angel, were the most powerful weapons against a dark witch. Before I could protest, and offer my lifeblood instead, he had taken his dagger from its sheath and sliced across his palm. Clenching his fist, he held the blade beneath it, covering it in crimson.
“Now, yours.”
I nodded, reaching out with my dagger and holding it beneath his closed fist. It vibrated in my hand as each drop of Angel blood made contact with the glistening steel.
“Ready?”
I nodded. “Ready.”
Her eyes widened in shock and fear when she saw us, and then they narrowed in anger, as she realized who we were and what we were here to do.
“Angels,” she hissed, her face mottled with rage, and she took a menacing step forward, but Jonah was quick. I caught the silver glint of his dagger as it flew by, whistling through the air, slicing into the witch’s chest. She screamed in pain, stumbling back from the force, but a swirl of angry shadows wrapped themselves around her and she regained her footing.
The witch let out a deep growl, the haunting sound of a soulless creature that had long ago traded her humanity in a merciless pact with the Devil. Her face twisted, and I knew that she would soon shift from her human shell to that of her true nature, a dark and possessed demon. She pulled Jonah’s dagger from her chest, tossing it on the ground quickly, the hilt burning her hand.
She moved forward, her body low with her arm moving back and forth, slicing her own blade through the air with a soft hiss. “Come on, Angels. Let’s see if your God will protect you.” The knife slashed the air again, as the witch began circling the clearing, moving toward us.
The swing of her arm was almost hypnotic, the ebb and flow of her movements slow and steady, and I found myself fighting against the dark forces that surrounded her as my concentration faltered. Images of my parents flashed in my mind, calling out for me to join them in Heaven, to let the witch claim my body and send me home. The longing I had to be reunited with them was strong. It was fueling the darkness urging me to surrender. I closed my eyes, the sensation of being swept away in a torrent of shadows growing stronger.
Suddenly in my mind, I heard Jonah’s voice, and it brought me back. “Keep your mind strong. Don’t let the darkness in, Rumor.”
I shook my head as I pushed the invisible demons away, feeling a heavy weight lifting from my chest. The witch advanced another step. “Don’t you want to see your parents again, Rumor?” Her dry lips curved into a wicked smirk, her sharp teeth barred.
Anger swelled in my chest at the mention of my family and I launched myself at the witch, tackling her to the ground, and pinning her to the forest floor. I brought my dagger around in a shining arc, embedding the blade deep within the witch’s neck.
She screamed, the piercing sound echoing through the forest. Her eyes blazed with fury, and the hot, coppery scent of her blood hit my nostrils. There was a brief moment where I held her gaze, surprise and shock registered on her face as she thrashed beneath my weight, struggling to get away. The knife came free from her body, flying to the ground and I reached for it, but it was just out of grasp, my fingers inches from the handle. I shifted, leaning forward, but I couldn’t lean far enough without taking my weight off the witch and potentially losing my hold on her.
Jonah appeared by my side, lunging for the knife. The witch’s jaw elongated, revealing thick, sharp teeth as her true self took control. Her fingers bent and twisted, and her arms and legs contorted as she shifted into a dark beast with bloodlust swirling in the depths of her red eyes. I heard the crack of bones as the beast took form, a swirling shadow of darkness moving beneath her skin—skin that suddenly stretched with muscle and bulging veins.
Time seemed to stand still, as the horrific transformation occurred, but we had only drawn a few ragged breaths in the time it had taken.
“You could join your parents in Hell,” the witch-demon roared, the voice no longer that of a woman. “They are waiting for you… slaves of the Underworld.” She laughed, licking her lips with the long, gray tongue of a demon.
I felt the sting of magic in my palms, the white energy coming to the surface, mixed with the firestorm of anger that burned wildly through my body. I let the energy loose, and it blasted into the witch’s chest like a gunshot from a revolver, pinning her to the ground.
“Slaves?” I knew better than to engage the witch, or to let her know that she had gotten into my head, but it was too late. The word tumbled from my lips before I could stop it.
“Yes, slaves,” the demon-witch growled beneath the power of my Divine Purity. “Did you think the Lords of the Underworld would just kill them and let their souls return to Heaven?”
My chest tightened as my mind flashed back to the last time I saw my parents. They were getting ready to head out on yet another mission, but this time, I had the feeling that I would never see them again.
“There’s been an insurgence, honey. They’re calling all of us into the Legion. We don’t know how long it’ll take, but we’ll send word as soon as we can. I love you.” Mom kissed my forehead, her lips cool against my skin.
“I love you, too. Will you be okay?” I knew I was too young to go at almost sixteen years old, even though I had already started my official training. Any other time I might’ve pushed the issue, but I could tell how dire the situation was and now wasn’t the time. Though I also knew, somehow, that I’d never get the chance again.
“We’ve really got to go, sweetheart,” Dad said, his eyes filled with tears. He bent down and drew me into his arms. He hadn’t hugged me like that in years. I felt tears spring to my eyes, though I didn’t know why at the time. “I love you, Rumor. Stay here, and stay safe. And keep training. You’ll soon be ready.” The last was a command that I knew, no matter how rebellious I’d been before, I absolutely must obey.
“Yes sir,” I replied dutifully, swallowing back my tears. “I love you, too.”
I came back to the present, curled around the pain that lashed through my heart at the thought of my parents being enslaved, gasping, as my vision was suddenly covered in a blood-red haze.
The demon-witch’s struggles grew weaker beneath me, and when my eyes regained focus, I saw Jonah grab her by the hair, wrenching her head back. The creature knew what was coming, but still, the coldness of the blood-tipped blade surprised her, causing her eyes to grow wide as it sliced across her throat, a fiery trail exploding along the blade’s path. Her blood gushed from the opening, running in crimson rivulets onto the forest floor. She tried to scream, but all that came out was a weak, wet sigh.
There was a moment of nothing, no feeling, no sound. My body numbed and my inner pain dulled as I watched the demon-witch fade away. Then, Jonah pulled out the vial of holy water that would turn the witch-demon into a pile of black dust. In that moment, I was so grateful to have met him, and to have fought by his side in a battle that could have easily claimed me. I had never felt so weakened by an enemy, as I had when taunted by this monster, and it terrified me.
I watched the smoke rise from the witch-demon’s remains and I recoiled, unable to forget what she had said about enslaving Angels.
“You okay?” Jonah asked, stepping toward me, but I remained kneeling on the ground beside the pile of ash.
“Yeah. I just—I think I’m just tired.” I couldn’t tell him how much her words had truly bothered me, and how for just a split second, I wanted to let go and be sent home to reunite with my parents.
My assurances didn’t seem to convince him, and he analyzed my face intently as if sensing there was more, though he seemed to know better than to push the issue at the moment. Instead, he moved his hands in front of him in the same way Angels always did when crystallizing a demon’s remains. The deep purple orb hovered in the air before settling into his outstretched palm. I couldn’t take my eyes from it, as he wrapped his fingers around all that remained of the dark creature.
“Ready to get out of here? Go grab a coffee or something?” he asked, clearly trying to pull me from the twisted path of memories that my mind had led me down.
“Do you mind if I keep that?” I asked, ignoring his question and nodding toward his closed fist.
“Of course not.” He held the purple crystal out to me and I stood and accepted it. The conversation with the demon replayed in my mind, mixing in with the last memory of my parents.
“You okay, Rumor?” Jonah asked for the second time, dipping his head to catch my eye. “Hey.”
“What? Oh, sorry.” I tried to remember what he had just said as I dropped the crystal into my pocket. “Yeah, a coffee. Please.” I replied, as he looked at me with deep concern. I probably looked like a raving lunatic to him, and I wouldn’t have been surprised if he bolted.
Instead, he reached out to me, offering his hand. I hesitated before accepting it, wrapping my fingers around his as we made our way back through the forest. The strength in his grip gave me comfort and tethered me to the present, where my mind needed to be.
As we headed back the way we came, he cleared his throat as though he had something to say, but wasn’t sure if he should. I glanced at him from the corner of my eye, and saw the solemn expression on his face.
“What’s on your mind, Jonah?”
He hesitated, taking a deep breath and squeezing my hand just a bit tighter. “You don’t have to talk about it… but I take it, you’re thinking about your parents?”
I nodded as his words hit me like a sucker-punch, low and deep. “Of course, you know about my parents.”
We had reached Good Spirits once again, but I pressed on past the neon sign and turned the corner. The little coffee shop I headed toward was not one restricted to supernaturals. We wouldn’t have the privacy we would need to talk about my parents, which meant I would have a little more time to decide what I wanted to say, if I said anything at all. The heady scent of coffee and sugary desserts filled my nostrils as we walked through the front door.
The shop was populated with college kids who had come in for a jolt of caffeine to get them through their late-night studies. Many of them had laptops and headphones, making them completely oblivious to the world around them.
I stepped up to the counter and ordered a large black. I insisted on paying for Jonah’s coffee as well. “I owe you one for what you did back at the bar.” I hadn’t forgotten that he had gotten Lud off my back, perhaps for good.
The barista whipped up our orders with surprising speed, which was probably the result of sampling his own wares. We had our Styrofoam cups in hand a few minutes later, and headed toward a corner booth. But at the last minute I decided that I really wanted to be alone with Jonah, so I could speak freely.
He seemed to read my mind and turned toward the front door “I know just the spot.” A brisk walk brought us down the street and into a dark alleyway. We passed a dumpster and several stacks of cardboard boxes before he finally came to a halt.
“Well, isn’t this romantic,” I quipped, looking around at the garbage bags stacked against the brick wall.
He chuckled as he turned his back to me. “Follow me.” A rushing sound of air signaled that he had unfurled his wings, and I looked back down the alley cautiously, before doing the same. I knew we probably shouldn’t use our wings so openly, but if it would take me away from the world for just a few minutes, it was worth the risk.
We floated up, rising vertically while carefully holding onto our coffee cups, until we were parallel with the building next to us. It was flat on top, and of course, deserted.
As we landed, I caught a good look at his wings, and I nearly stumbled in amazement as I hit the rooftop. Every Angel had beautiful wings, but Jonah’s were absolutely stunning. Each feather seemed to have been individually sculpted from marble, their perfection and luminescence, divine. Just as his hair bore secret strands of silver, lustrous veins of the color streaked throughout his wings. The bottom edges of his wings just barely grazed the ground. He was truly gorgeous.
Looking away, my eyes scanned the space, looking for a good place to sit. A utility box made for a nice bench, and I wrapped my chilly hands around my warm cup of coffee. Jonah sat down next to me, his magnificent wings now hidden. As he spoke, he watched me carefully, scanning my face for answers I wasn’t sure I had.
“I hope I didn’t stir up anything by mentioning your parents,” he began. “It’s not my business, and I know that.” He took a sip of his coffee, obviously found it was too hot, and removed the lid to let it cool.
I took a cautious sip. The liquid ran over my tongue, soothing all the things I wanted to say now that the subject was broached again. I wasn’t angry at Jonah, but I always felt defensive when people asked me about my parents, as though they weren’t sensitive enough to know that it was like scratching open a wound that never fully healed.
“I guess I just didn’t expect you to know about them. I only met you tonight, but you seem to know an awful lot about me.”
He nodded, his hair falling forward into his eyes just a bit. He brushed it back with a hand, his fingers raking through strands of brown and silver. “I’m sorry. It’s—well, they’re—they were very important to the Legion,” he said, frowning. The moon was almost full, casting a bluish-white light over the darkening city. It lit up his steel-gray eyes, moonlight on quarry water, deep, fathomless, soothing.
“They were,” I agreed. “And they’re still important to me, even though they’re gone. Sometimes I wake up, and for just a few minutes I think they’re still with me. Then…then, I remember.”
Jonah blew on the top of his coffee, watching the white foam swirl on the surface. “I can’t even begin to imagine how hard it is for you. I’m so sorry.”
I nodded appreciatively, wishing my heart didn’t always feel so heavy. I took a deep breath, taking a moment to admire the metropolis below. Los Angeles was a beautiful city, but from this vantage point, with the thousands of lights and their energies rising into the air, it was especially mesmerizing. I was lucky to live here, to be part of such a vibrant place.
“Have you ever lost someone close to you?” I finally asked. He had seemed sympathetic enough, but I wondered just how much he could possibly understand.
He tipped his head up toward the moon, his gaze distant. “Yes, and no. Does it count if they aren’t dead, but they still aren’t around?”
“What does that mean?”
Jonah shook his head. “Never mind. It’s nothing even close to what you’ve gone through.”
We sat in comfortable silence for several minutes, letting our coffees and our closeness keep us warm before Jonah broke the silence. “I’ve heard those rumors, and I really don’t think they’re true. You know, about Angels being kept as slaves.” He said it quietly, carefully, as though he was testing each word out on his tongue.
For some reason, I felt like I could trust him, that I didn’t have to hide my thoughts from him. It was as though we had known each other for years. Somehow, we had reached that level of comfort usually only found in friendships with a long history. At first, it hadn’t seemed as though I should feel that way. We had just met, after all, but fighting together had forged a quick bond.
“I really hope it’s not true. I think what bothers me most is that, for a minute, I kind of—hoped they had been taken. Which is awful, absolutely horrible.”
The idea of my parents being taken as slaves, especially for so long, was a brutal one, but it paled in comparison with the thought of never being able to see them again. I clenched my jaw as the tears threatened to spill down my cheeks. The things that witch-demon had said, deeply affected me, but I had to pull it together and not let it eat me alive from the inside out.
“It makes sense to me,” he said quietly, reaching out to hold my hand. His fingers were warm and strong, and I didn’t fight him. “You were robbed of your parents, Rumor. I can only imagine that you—at least part of you—would give anything to have them back—even that.”
I nodded, looking at him, surprised by his understanding, and the way he comforted me.
“If it counts for anything,” he said, taking a sip of his coffee, his other hand still holding mine, “I think they’d be proud of you.”
“Oh, brother,” I groaned, pulling my hand out of his, though I couldn’t help but smile.
“Don’t give me that. You know you’re kickass. You’re one of the best slayers out there. One of the best of our time, they say. You know you’re on your way to joining the Legion soon, and isn’t that what you’ve always wanted?”
I almost spat out my coffee. “Joining the Legion?” Sure, it was something I had wanted for a very long time, but the look on his face and way he said it was as though he knew something more, like he was keeping a secret.
His eyes widened a little and he looked away. “I mean, they’d be idiots not to invite you,” he replied, a little too quickly.
I breathed out a smile, not sure how to respond to that compliment. “You know something. How do you know something? No one is supposed to know who gets invited, outside of the Legion.” I looked at him suspiciously, but he refused to look at me. “I turn thirty in a week—right at the cutoff for the next recruitment. If they were going to ask me to join, they would have by now, Jonah.”
“Whatever you say,” he shrugged.
“Do you know something, or not?” I asked, slightly annoyed, my heart racing. I was sure there was something he wasn’t telling me. “Jonah? Do you?”
“Let’s just say—I’ve heard rumors,” he replied, his lips curving into a grin. I kicked playfully at the side of his shin. That made him laugh, and I liked the deep sound, and the way his face lit up. Then he took a breath and let it out slowly. “As much as I hate to, I guess we should call it a night. Get some rest.”
“Yeah, I guess so. I—” I desperately wanted to say more. I wanted to tell him he was beautiful, and that I wanted to see him again. I was so tired that my eyelids felt droopy, and I knew it would be daylight in a few hours, but I could have sat there with him all night. “Thank you. For everything, tonight. You’re… you’re quite the guy.” I felt lame for saying it, but it earned me another smile and another chance to watch those eyes flash. For a moment, the heat of the coffee competed with the heat that rose somewhere between my navel and my hips.
“Quite the guy, huh? I’ll take that.” His gray eyes were steady on mine, but I couldn’t read anything behind them. “If that’s the best you’ve got.”
His hand found the curve of my jaw, his strong fingers trailed down to the hollow of my throat. I let myself get lost, swept away in the storm of passion that this man brought out in me. My body reacted to his touch, and I felt my skin buzz with energy and desire, a high that left me breathless.
“Thank you for trusting me, Rumor.” He looked at me intently, his eyes glistening with emotion. Even in the moonlight, I could see the crook of his lips as he smiled.
I took a deep breath, trying to imprint his masculine scent on my memory. It felt so good to let him hold me, too good, and I knew I needed to back off before I went beyond the point of no return. I kept my gaze on his eyes, resisting the urge to look at his lips and let him know that I so desperately wanted to kiss him.
“You make it easy somehow. So, thank you.” I stood, wanting to put distance between us. I knew that if I didn’t, this thing between us would spiral out of control.
Thunder rumbled in the distance, and a raindrop hit my arm. Somewhere, out beyond the city limits, a coyote yipped and was answered by its mate. The coolness of the coming storm against my skin did nothing to put a damper on the heat swirling through my body.
“Sleep well,” I murmured, as I started to walk away. With a swiftness that startled me, he stepped forward and pulled me into his arms.
“Jonah—”
He kissed me before I could say anything more. The urgency of his kiss, the longing...I felt it, loud and clear, right down to my toes. I kissed him back—hard—trying to get everything I wanted to say to him, but couldn’t, into that kiss.
My cheek brushed against the stubble on his face, a counterpoint of prickly sharpness, contrasting with all the smooth, sensual heat surrounding us. In that moment, the warmth of his body and the intensity of his kiss were all that existed. His mouth opened slightly and mine responded immediately, my lips parted, allowing his tongue to meet mine. The strength of his body pressed against me as though he was already mine, and it stirred something deep inside that made me want him with an intensity I had never felt with any man before.
Then the sky split with a light so bright that I saw it behind my closed lids. The crack of thunder came a second later, and the heavens opened, pouring rain on us. He didn’t let it affect what he was doing, clinging to my body with his strong hands and finishing what he had started. By the time he let me go, we were soaking wet.
“Can I walk you home?” His voice was low—breathless—and if I hadn’t been standing so close to him I wouldn’t have heard him at all. I shook my head.
“No, no…I’ll just take a cab. I’ll get myself home, no worries.”
“Rumor.” My name was barely a whisper on his lips, but it shot straight through to my core, igniting a fire I never knew existed. A smoldering sexuality radiated from this guy—a sexuality he took no pains to hide—and I was drawn to him like a moth to the brightest flame. He reached down and pulled my hand into his. “I know you can take care of yourself.” He moved a step closer, leaned forward, and brushed his lips against my cheek, then my neck. “But there’s nothing wrong with a man wanting to take care of a woman he cares for.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but his lips found mine again. He kissed me hard, silencing my words. I felt his smile against my mouth before he lifted his head and looked down at me once again. In the gathering darkness, his face was cast in shadow, but I could feel a change in his body, his arousal heightening, matching the rising tide in mine.
“Thanks for spending some time with me tonight,” he whispered into my hair, as his fingers raked the curls at the nape of my neck. “Now, go home and get some sleep. I’ll see you again really soon.”
I nodded, reluctantly stepping back. He’d tied my stomach up in knots and set my heart beating like a caged bird who was finally set free, and that was enough for one night.
“Goodnight, Jonah.”