Author: Skyla Madi
Date: 2013-07-11 04:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Paranormal; Romance; Angels; Demons; New Adult; Fantasy; Urban Fantasy; Paranormal Romance; Fiction; Adult
Description: FROM ENEMIES TO LOVERS Violet Ashton is an exemplary angel. With ninety-nine kills under her belt, there's nothing in the universe that can make her underestimate herself...until she's sent to hunt and kill Death, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocolypse, or as Violet knows him... Lucas Cross Her ex-mentor and ex-lover. Choosing between her heart and her job is one of the hardest decisions she'll ever make, but as the feud between the Never Dark realm and the Underworld reaches boiling point, she must complete the mission... Or Earth will pay the ultimate price.
Publisher: Limitless Publishing LLC

DARK WINGS

By Skyla Madi

Dark Wings

Copyright © 2013 by Skyla Madi. All rights reserved.

First Print Edition: August 2013

Limitless Publishing, LLC

Kailua, HI 96734
www.limitlesspublishing.com

Cover: Eden Crane Designs

Formatting: Limitless Publishing

ISBN-13: 978-1490558868

ISBN-10: 1490558861

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to locales, events, business establishments, or actual persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.

~ Dedication ~

To Booknut,

My number #1 reviewer.

You are awesome. Seriously.

Table of Contents

Collided

Tribulation

Recollection

Uncover

Disposition

Confined

Restrained

Almost

Parting

Relinquish

Compulsion

Aversion

Consciousness

Disposition

Renewed

Clash

Passion

Vanished

Fading

Underworld

Epilogue

Collided

Violet

I spotted him leaving Sequin nightclub. Sequin used to be the most luxurious nightclub this side of Concave City. I glanced up at its dirty exterior and cringed. Things have changed since my last visit. I stared long and hard at the club. Its walls were purple and pale, coated in a thin layer of dirt. Even at midnight I could tell how neglected the club was. The dazzling, bright white neon sign that read ‘SEQUIN’ made the building’s obvious neglect look more, well, obvious.

I watched as he lured a scantily clothed woman into a nearby alley and cringed as she bent over in front of him to pick up something she had ‘dropped.’ To me, the only thing she seemed to have dropped was her morals. When she straightened, she continued to stumble further into the alley. The bottom of her ass cheeks popped out from underneath her micro-micro mini skirt with every step she took and to top off her outrageous outfit, she wasn’t wearing a top—unless a bikini top doused in sequins counted as an appropriate blouse these days. Maybe it did? It had been a few years since I’d paid any attention to Earth’s fashion. I was human once, but then I died, and when I died, I was chosen to become an angel, to protect the Earth and all of its inhabitants. I’m from the Never Dark realm, an alternate universe. I’m not your typical run-of-the-mill guardian angel that protects you or guides you—that’s preschool stuff. I’m a special kind of angel. I hunt things that go bump in the night. Your worst nightmare wouldn’t even come close to the horrors that I’ve seen. No, it wasn’t vampires—vampires don’t exist. Angels destroyed them all decades ago, every last sparkly one of them, and you’re welcome. I hunt various creatures and demons that have managed to escape from the Underworld. Tonight, that demon was Death. This Death didn’t walk around wearing a long black robe, nor did he carry a big scythe. This Death was deadlier—much deadlier. He was one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse sent to end the world, only he is much, much too early. It’s 2013 and the world isn’t supposed to end until the year 3000. My job was to find out what he’s doing here and get him to leave. If he doesn’t comply, I’ll kill him, and if I kill him, it’d be my one hundredth demon kill—not bad, if I do say so myself.

“I see you, Mr. One Hundred,” I muttered.

In my mind I was already adding another notch to my belt. I pulled the tasteless, over-chewed piece of gum from my mouth and stuck it in an empty ashtray that was concealed in my car door. I watched them from a distance, just waiting for the right time to attack. Then his smouldering brown eyes met mine and something knotted deep in my stomach, catching me off guard. I was shocked, but I didn’t let it register on my face. This wasn’t supposed to happen. He wasn’t supposed to see me, at least not yet. I wanted to watch him for a little while first. His short, black hair was disorganized, like a woman had just run her hands through it. His dark brown eyes watched me intently and he ran his wet tongue along his bottom lip. I swallowed hard as something hot and wild settled in my core. My ability to see well in the dark made it easier for me to see him smirk as he cocked his head to the side and studied me curiously. The skank followed his line of sight, but she couldn’t see well enough to know what he was looking at. She flicked her long blonde hair over her shoulder and placed her hands on his chest, trailing them down his fine, black suit and then back up before resting on his tie. Her lips moved as she spoke to him. When he didn’t respond, she leaned closer and her lips barely grazed his ear. Again, he didn’t acknowledge her. Those dark eyes only saw me. I grabbed the gun from my glove box and climbed out of the car. I clipped the gun onto its holster at the back of my black leather catsuit. It was mandatory that all field angels wear the required uniform. The catsuit was designed for speed and protection. Having it skin tight helped me move faster and prevented it from snagging on foreign objects.

I walked toward him, but he didn’t run from me like most demons did. Instead, he chuckled, exposing his perfect white teeth. He was exactly how I remembered—perfect and incredibly sexy. My stomach turned at the thought of even thinking something so wrong.

The girl finally spotted me and took a step forward, shielding a quarter of Death’s body. I stopped when I came within ten yards of them, my legs shoulder-width apart. I raised my arms above my head and tightened my ponytail. My bright red hair draped over my shoulder.

“I was wondering when I’d see you again.” His voice was deep and husky. Images of melted caramel dripping from a spoon filled my mind. The skank turned abruptly to face him. “Who the fuck is she, Noah?” At least he’s smart enough to use a fake name.

“Who the fu—” Her voice was annoying. Rapidly, I drew my gun and shot the girl in the neck. With a quiet gasp, she crumpled to the cold, dirty floor. I didn’t kill her—I shot her with a tranquilizer and now she was sleeping it off. I returned the gun to its holster. A tranquilizer wouldn’t work on him, and besides, I’d prefer to fight him with my hands.

“Buzz kill,” he groaned, running his fingers through his hair. My fingers twitched at his movement.

“Why are you here?” I demanded.

“I could ask you the same thing.”

I narrowed my eyes at him as he bent down and stroked the girl’s cheek with the back of his finger. I ignored the pang of jealousy that coursed through my chest. You see, I knew Death personally—a long time ago, before he became Death, before he was torn in two. Back then he was an angel known as Lucas and he was the one that recruited me. He taught me everything I know about demons and how to kill them. I stared at him; he hadn’t changed in the slightest. He still had those high cheekbones and big brown eyes. His hairstyle was the same—short and messy. He straightened himself and took a few steps toward me.

“You’re as beautiful as I remember, V. Not that I expected anything short of perfection.” He licked his bottom lip and looked me up and down. His eyes lingered on my breasts for a second longer and I clenched my jaw. V was Lucas’s nickname for me. It was short for Violet. There was once a time when that nickname brought me immeasurable happiness, but now it brought me nothing but pain.

His brown eyes glistened dangerously. “Come home with me? For old time’s sake?” A cocky smile spread over his face. There was a time when he only had to bat an eyelid at me wrong and I’d jump him. I wasn’t going to lie, he looked as incredible as I remembered—maybe even more now he had that extra ‘badness’ about him…but it was different now. I hated seeing him like this, he was another person entirely. He wasn’t the same man I had met only a few years ago. Lucas took a few more steps toward me, but I didn’t budge.

He continued, ignoring my silence. “We were good together… once.”

I cringed, recalling our training sessions together—his sweat, my sweat, how his strong hands felt on my body. A warm flush flooded me, resting at my core. I shook my head. He’s screwing with you. It isn’t him! He isn’t Lucas, he’s Death. Give him the warning and leave.

“I don’t know whether your Council told you or not, but you are nine hundred and eighty-seven years early.”

He chuckled and it made me flinch, because for a few seconds, I forgot he was my enemy. “I can do as I please. I’m not hurting anybody.”

Lucas—Death was a category five demon. In my world, demons are ranked by the damage they do. The Banshee, Tracker demons, Seers, and other demons that blend in with society are category one demons. They’re allowed to roam Earth freely provided they don’t kill anybody, and most of the time, they didn’t. Category two demons were Succubi and Incubi. They pass off as human easy enough and generally stick to morally questionable careers in the sex industry, but could inflict minimal damage to one person if they wanted to. Category three demons were your vampires, but they’re gone now, leaving only werewolves and Shards in that category. Shards are a catlike demon that preys on wild animals and occasionally on humans. Category four demons are fallen angels and your average human-like demons. An angel becomes a demon once they’ve been banished from the Never Dark realm. Most fallen angels choose to leave the Never Dark realm once they realize their powers would be a little stronger if they embrace their darker side. A human can become a demon if they’re turned by another demon. This gives them superhuman strength. Category five demons are the worst. Cat five demons can’t appear on Earth without causing mass destruction and death. These demons are Skatters (dumb, gimp-like creatures that are sent into a frenzy by a rapidly beating heart), necromancers, the four Horsemen of the apocalypse, and the Underworld Council. These demons are highly dangerous and must be removed from Earth immediately, unless scheduled otherwise. It’s sad, but sometimes life on Earth needs to be balanced out. Only once in history has the Earth been completely wiped of life by the four Horsemen and then started again… or so I was told.

I swallowed hard, remembering to force some kind of formality into my voice. “You’re not welcome here and if you don’t leave now, I’ll kill you.”

His eyes darkened and narrowed. “You forget one thing, my sweet V.”

“And what’s that?”

“I taught you everything you know.” His sinfully dark voice wrapped around the words like a boa constrictor wraps around its victim. Lucas swung at me, but I managed to duck just in time. He came at me full force, throwing punches and kicks. Most of them I managed to dodge, until one kick hit me square in the stomach. I fell backwards, hitting my head against the concrete. My vision blurred for a few seconds and I shook my head, trying to get my bearings. A few seconds later my vision returned and I used my wrists to spring back onto my feet. Lucas removed his jacket, throwing it down onto the damp concrete and rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt.

“You’re faster, stronger, and meaner than you used to be, but I still don’t think that’s enough to beat me.”

I sprang toward him, hoping to catch him off guard, but even in the middle of rolling up his sleeves he was expecting my attack. Nothing is more infuriating than an opponent that knows what you’re going to do before you do it. He grabbed me by the waist and slammed me into a brick wall. I recovered quickly and we circled each other, testing each other. I tried to remember everything he'd taught me and everything I knew about him. I'd trained with him for years. I made a mental check list of all his strengths—he was tall, he had reach on me. If I ran at him, he’d knock me out before I got within a few feet of him. He was strong and lean. If I wrestled him, he’d be able to pin me and break my neck easily. The only weakness he had was… was… well, nothing. Lucas was hands down the most well-rounded fighter I’d ever met. Couple that with his new found strength, speed, and stamina… I was out matched—a hundred to one.

“Realize something, did you, darling? You’re no match for me and you never will be. Why they sent you, I have no idea.”

A light growl escaped my lips and Lucas smiled at me. I dove at him, catching him by surprise. We tumbled to the floor, locked in a full-blown wrestle. He grabbed my neck and squeezed, but I thrust my elbow into his ribs and shoved him off me. I sprang to my feet and kicked him in the face. As my boot connected, I heard a gruesome crack and then blood splattered the concrete. My chest rose and fell rapidly, leaving me slightly breathless. “You have until sunrise to leave Earth or I will come back and kill you.”

I walked away from him, not knowing if he’d attack me from behind—he didn’t. I didn’t look back until I was in my car. He was gone. A sad feeling swirled around my stomach and tears threatened. Suddenly, I felt claustrophobic in my suit.

“Don’t be an idiot.” I breathed deeply, banging my forehead on the hard steering wheel. “That wasn’t Lucas.”

My SUV roared to life and I drove off. I was going back to our headquarters. I still had to fill out a report of tonight’s events. I sighed and suddenly became aware of all the bumps, scrapes, and bruises that I’d sustained. The fight was a lot more brutal than I thought, but my physical pain was the least of my worries. I just went head to head with my friend, my mentor, and the love of my life—my heart hurt a lot more than any physical injury I’d sustained. I hadn’t seen Lucas in years, not since our last passionate night together, and then he was taken. The motorway rolled silently under me. Don’t cry. You’re not going to cry. I bit my lip and blinked a million times, but I couldn’t shake the tears and I cried. I cried because he was lost to me. I begged for this assignment. I thought that if I saw him again. I’d be able to put what we shared behind me.

There was no way it was going to be that easy.

Tribulation

Lucas

I punched the brick wall of a Starbucks building. Below my fist, the wall cracked. I wasn’t stupid. I knew the Never Dark angels would freak out when they saw my brothers and I had come to Earth. I knew they’d send someone after me. What I didn’t know was that they’d send her. I couldn’t believe they sent her. How fucking heartless could they be? I could see it in her big, blue eyes, she was hurt by the new me, but that’s who I am now. I wasn’t Lucas anymore. I was no longer her mentor, her lover, or the angel protecting Earth and killing Demons. I was lost—gone forever.

I walked through the city, my shoes clicking against the concrete footpath. Nobody paid any attention to the blood that stained the skin around my nose or my shirt—they were too drunk to even realize. My nose had long since healed itself from her brutal kick. I smiled to myself. God, she’s gotten so strong. I recalled her standing before me. Her body looked so fit in her uniform. She was as beautiful and confident as I remembered. I was proud of her, ridiculously proud. It was a shame I couldn’t show it. I inhaled and my mind filled with the vision of her tightening her red ponytail. I’d developed a fetish for her hair ever since her first training session. The way it twirled around her as she practiced her defensive maneuvers was perfect. Along with the vision came a strawberry smell, it was her favorite scent of shampoo. I longed to run my hands through her waves again, to tug on it slightly as I often did when we made love. I sighed and punched a mailbox by the edge of an unknown road. The mailbox bent on its pole under my fist. Anger consumed me; thinking about her hurt, so I flipped the switch and turned my emotions off.

“I hate her!” I shouted, making the drunken humans that drifted by jump.

I did hate her—or at least my demon side hated her. Sometimes, my brain spared me a few moments of normality and all I could think about was her. Those few moments were the worst of my life. I hated my emotions. They were weak, especially when it came to Violet. I pictured myself staring into her bright blue eyes and squeezing her by the throat until every last breath was gone. Violet was my only weakness, a weakness other demons would try to exploit if they ever found out how much I loved her.

You have until sunrise to leave Earth or I will come back and kill you. My lips twitched as her words rang throughout my mind. I could leave, but I had things I needed to do. Yes, the world was scheduled to end in the year three thousand, but at the deteriorating rate of humanity’s lack of humanity, well, the date has been pushed forward. In six months, Conquest, Famine, War, and I will destroy Earth and there’s nothing anybody can do to stop it.

Recollection

Violet

“Violet, are you there?” a sweet, girly voice calls, pulling me out of my dreamless state.

I open my eyes, my vision is blurred. I blink a few times and the sharp corners of the world return. I’m in a white room and a face is hovering above my own.

“Violet? Can you see me?”

I focus on the face—such a pretty face. She has light purple irises, thinly shaped blonde eyebrows, a small pointy nose, and heart-shaped lips.

“Yes,” I reply.

She takes my elbow and eases me into a seated position. My muscles ache and I feel uneasy. I glance around. I’m in a hospital… I think.

“What happened? Where am I?”

She sits next to me on the bed and tucks a lock of her platinum blonde hair behind her ear. Her pretty yellow sundress looks so bright against my white hospital gown. She takes my hands in hers.

“You died and Lucas found you.” She gestures to the man that’s leaning against my wall, arms crossed in front of his chest. I suddenly feel embarrassed as I recall my death. Lucas is handsome and tall. His black hair is short and messy. His brown eyes watch me curiously and I flush, not realizing that my eyes linger on him longer than I want them to.

“He brought you here to the Never Dark realm.” She inhales deeply. “You’re an angel now.”

I glance out the window. In the distance I can see the bright moon hanging effortlessly in the night sky. I narrow my eyes. “Never Dark realm? It seems pretty dark outside…”

She laughs and places a soft, manicured hand on my shoulder. “It’s not called the Never Dark realm because it’s never dark. It’s more of a statement… There are no demons here, no darkness.”

I ran my fingers along my eyebrows, clearing the thin line of sweat that had somehow formed. Demons. Darkness. Angels… there is so much for me to understand.

“I died and I’m no longer on Earth?” I mumble. She nods.

Surprisingly, I’m not upset. I feel empowered. I glance around the room, it looks like Earth. All the objects are the same. Slowly, I slide off the bed and land on my feet. I feel no pain. My death was brutal and yet I feel no pain. The woman takes hold of my elbow and assists me over to the window. I pull back the sheer curtains and squint as the lights from the city shine in on me. The city is exactly like Earth, there are tall skyscrapers and shops and people. There’s no luminous glow to anything. There’s no blinding whiteness to the world… Even though this is nothing like the heaven I imagined, I still believe her. Every muscle, bone, and blood vessel in my body is telling me she is telling the truth.

My eyebrows furrow. “I know I should be overwhelmed or sad, but I’m not…”

“When you make the transition, your mind leaves all the painful feelings behind. You still remember them, but they don’t mean anything anymore,” Lucas says, joining us at the window. Strangely, I become self-conscious now that he is so close and I wrap my arms around myself. I think back to my previous life. It seems to be some kind of distant memory that doesn’t affect me—just like he said. In a million years I’d have never thought I’d be recruited to join some kind of angel army in a different realm. In my human life, I was always the victim, always the one who ended up hurt. I was naïve, determined to see the good in everyone and that came back to bite me in the ass the night of my death. I agreed to let a man that I’d met in a club walk me home. When we got out of sight, things escalated and before I knew it, he had three other friends that wanted to ‘walk me home.’ Nervous, but convinced nothing bad was going to happen, I let them, and sadly, I never made it home. I was left abused and dying in an alley two blocks from my house.

“Why me?” I ask, my voice barely audible.

“Because,” Lucas said, his eyes displaying an intensity I’d never seen in anyone before. “You’re a fighter…”

***

Suddenly, I’m in the gym and Lucas is crouched down in front of me, ready to attack. I’m crouched, too, preparing to evade his attack. His lips twitch into a smile and a bead of sweat rolls down his gorgeous face.

“Remember what I taught you, V. Here’s your chance to make me proud.”

Like a rhino that puts its head down and rushes full force towards its threat, Lucas sprints toward me, his shoulder down and angled to knock me on my ass as hard as he possibly can. I have to get into the right frame of mind. During this training session, Lucas is no longer my mentor, he’s my enemy. A few more steps and he’ll knock me off my feet, so I jump. Lucas is tall—so tall—he clocks in at six foot two and there’s no way my five foot nine frame can jump him entirely. I’m in the air, and as Lucas connects with my feet, I fall forward. To prevent myself from face planting, I use my hands to spring off his shoulders and I land with a slight stumble, but on both feet behind him. Before he can turn around, I kick him behind his knee and his legs buckle. I grab his shoulders and use all my strength to push him to the floor, only he’s better than me—stronger than me. That’s why I’m the student and he’s the mentor. He follows his knees and drops to the floor. With one backwards leg sweep, I’m lying flat on my back and Lucas is pinning me to the mat. Our breath is quick and deep, our sweat thick and slippery on our skin. Lucas and I have never been in this kind of predicament before. When we train, he usually shouts orders from the sideline with the occasional demonstration, but today we fought one on one, and although I didn’t win, I can still see the incredible amount of pride reflected in his perfect brown eyes.

“Well done,” he pants.

I lick my lips to moisten them and nod my head slightly. “Thanks.”

He doesn’t move off me, instead, he runs the back of his index finger through my red hair. Lucas and I have been training together for eight months. We flirt a lot, mostly in practice, never outside of the gym. Lucas doesn’t want to be seen fraternizing with his student—it wasn’t illegal or forbidden—Lucas merely felt he had a reputation to uphold… and so did I, but my god he was alluring. He lowers his face until his lips graze mine. His warm breath hits my face and my heartbeat speeds up and my breathing deepens. I want him.

“Violet?” Lucas whispers.

“Yes?”

Lucas’s hands wrap around my throat and he squeezes—hard. “I hate you.”

I wriggle under his grasp, but can’t break free. His face begins to contort and change. Soon, I am no longer looking into the face of my mentor—I’m looking into the face of a hideous demon.

I was jerked out of my memories turned horrible nightmare by the sound of my phone ringing. I ran a hand over my face, attempting to wake myself up. Early morning sunlight filtered through the crack in my curtain. Normally, I’d answer my phone at this ungodly hour, but I knew the person on the other end would be my boss and he’d want to know why I didn’t hand in my report last night. The phone rang again. And again. And again. I reached an arm onto the bedside table and groped around. It wasn’t until I knocked my gun and my alarm clock onto the floor that I found my phone.

“Yes?” I answered with a wide yawn, leaving my eyes shut.

“Ashton. Why isn’t your report on my desk?” a gruff, baritone voice grumbled through my earpiece.

Uh-oh. My boss, Mr. Cole Nark, only used last names when he is really pissed off and I guess I made it worse by ignoring his calls. Cole was the chubby human put in charge of our Earth headquarters. God knows why, he was useless mostly. Our human workers are given a serum that prevents them from talking about our business to other humans. I thought it’d be easier to hire an angel, but the Council thinks it’s important to associate with those we protect. Whoever came up with that should’ve been shot on the spot.

“I got in late,” I replied, my voice slightly husky from lack of sleep.

“I don’t care if you got in five minutes ago. You know the protocol. Mission. Report. Rest. Not Mission, rest and report whenever you feel like it.”

In my mind I could see him doing the hand gestures that he does with every. Single. Word.

I rolled my eyes. “Sorry, sir.”

“If you aren’t up to this mission, maybe I should get into contact with your leaders in the Never Dark and have them put someone else on the job. Hmm?”

This got my attention. “No, sir. I will bring the report right away, sir.”

“Good.” He hung up.

I blew air out of my cheeks and fell back onto my pillow. I had planned to go to the headquarters and fill out the report last night, but I couldn’t clear my head. The last thing I wanted was for higher authorities to pull me off the case. This was my case. Only I could deal with Lucas. I needed that closure.

I wrote the report when I got back to my apartment last night. I wanted to be alone when I wrote it—I wanted the right to throw things and punch things. I wanted to cry and yell at the top of my lungs. Writing reports at headquarters didn’t give me that freedom. So, when I got home, I did all those things. My colleagues saw me as a loner, a moody bitch that didn’t want to socialize with anyone, and after a while they stopped bothering with me. To them I didn’t have emotions. I just kicked ass and did my job. They understood that I was here to protect Earth, not make friends.

***

I parked my black Jeep Range Rover in the private parking around the back of the headquarters. On the surface, the headquarters building claimed to house a computer repairs store. That was a front—obviously. Below the surface was a huge underground office filled with state of the art office equipment. Everything was white and silver. Anything that wasn’t white and silver was a shiny metal. I checked my reflection in the side door of my SUV. I was still flustered from seeing Lucas up close and personal last night. I straightened my white tank top and adjusted the leather belt that held up my denim jeans. I hated wearing normal clothes, it made me feel vulnerable. I preferred my catsuit—it made me feel safe and prepared for anything.

I entered in through a back door, but not without scanning my handprint—the scanner was concealed behind a secret plank of wood. Once inside, I proceeded down a small hallway that led directly to an extremely narrow flight of stairs. I wondered how Cole managed to fit down here. I was naturally slim, so the slender spaces were easy for me.

Everything leading up to the door that opened into our lobby was concrete—the walls, floor, and ceiling. The dull greyness of the walls absorbed the incandescent light that attempted to illuminate my way. And when I entered the lobby, I found the place just as dreary and cold as the staircase that led me here.

“Hi!” The receptionist called in her annoyingly high pitched voice.

I stepped toward her, using all my strength not to roll my eyes. She was new. The receptionist we had yesterday was old, bordering on ancient. The new receptionist reminded me of Barbie, yet somehow more fake than the famous plastic icon. She had fake, platinum blonde hair, fake tan, and it seemed someone had shoved a cake in her face, or maybe it was her makeup… the difference between the two was hard to tell these days.

”Violet Ashton,” I said.

As I watched her, I tried to come up with a logical reason why she had been hired in the first place. She was irritatingly upbeat. She even managed to make typing my name into her computer an exciting event.

“Ah, Janet, you’re doing a wonderful job looking after all our angels here,” Cole Nark called as he strolled over and leaned on the counter. Well, that explains how she was hired. Cole was a perv, and luckily for me, he had a thing for blondes. Or Barbies. Or Oompa Loompas. To be honest, with him it could be any one of those three. Cole licked his hand and patted down a stray hair that’d popped out of his usual mess of brown hair. I cringed. What is wrong with this guy? Janet giggled and I almost dry retched. Perhaps Cole is the definition of a ‘panty dropper’ to Earth women… I shuddered at the thought.

“Report?” he asked, extending his licked hand to me. Somehow I managed to hide my disgust and gave him the report.

“Is the color of your hair natural?” Janet wondered aloud as Cole flicked eagerly through the folder.

“No. It isn’t.”

“That red is so beautiful, like a bright cherry. You know, you should wear it down. It’d look so much nicer if it framed your face. It’d make your crazy-pretty blue eyes pop, too.”

I didn’t respond. Mostly because no one in their right mind would take ‘beauty’ advice from this woman, and even if I wanted to respond, what would I say to that? Instead I nodded. When I think about it, I hadn’t worn my hair down in a while. Lucas loved it when I did. He always encouraged me to wear it down, even during practice. He said he liked the way my untamed hair curled around my face and shoulders when I fought. ‘Absolutely mesmerising’ were the words he used.

“Let’s go to my office,” Cole suggested. He stepped past me, but stopped and turned to Janet. “Janet, darling, I’ll be back to chat with you later.” He winked, she giggled, and I vomited in my mouth a little.

***

Cole slammed the report down onto his big, dark wood table and dropped into his seat. He put his swollen hands on his head and exhaled in frustration. I stood by the door, my hands held firmly behind my back and I watched as he made annoying clicking noises with his mouth. “Did Death leave Earth?”

“I issued him his warning. Whether he left or not, I don’t know.”

“You didn’t kill him?” The harsh tone in his voice confused me and my brows furrowed.

“No, sir. That wasn’t the mission.”

“Your mission is to protect Earth, is it not?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Then why isn’t he dead?”

I narrowed my eyes. “Because that wasn’t the mission and you know the repercussions of an unauthorized kill.”

He threw the report in the air and leaped from his chair. The pages went everywhere. I watched as a sheet of paper glided down gently and landed at my feet. I gritted my teeth, stopping the string of profanities from exploding out of my mouth.

“You angels and your fucking righteousness!” Cole yelled, his face turning bright red. Bring on the hand gestures. “Death is out there walking the streets, doing God knows what to humans, and you didn’t kill him when you had the chance?”

“I told you already,” I growled through clenched teeth. “That wasn’t the mission.”

In exasperation, Cole threw his hands up in the air. “Screw the mission! I want him dead and I want his head delivered directly to me!”

I leaped at him, my knees sliding across his table, knocking his nametag, papers, and the picture of his two children onto the floor. I collided with him, knocking him back into his seat. I landed on him, my knees digging deep into his stomach. He gasped for air and I grabbed his tie, pulling his face closer to mine.

“I will not kill anyone unless it’s absolutely necessary—demons, humans, or otherwise, and I certainly don’t give two fucks about what you want. Do you understand?”

Cole whimpered and nodded quickly. I took my knees out of his stomach and stood beside him. I straightened my top as he hunched forward, inhaling air greedily. He may be my boss when I’m on Earth, but he has no right to talk to me like that. I’m superior to him.

“If he doesn’t leave, I’ll kill him. If he does leave, then there’s no harm done. I did my part, what happens next is up to Death,” I added.

I stormed from his office, pushing past the curious people that loitered by the door and down the hallway. Cole shouted after me. “He better leave! It’ll be your head if he doesn’t.”

In amongst the whispers and gasps of my colleagues, I heard Lucas’s name a few times. Much to my dismay, everyone eventually found out about us. They didn’t find out at the beginning of our relationship or during. They found out we were involved at the end, when he was being taken from me and I was screaming after him.

I opened my eyes and rubbed my hand around the bed, searching for Lucas’s warm skin. He was sitting up, watching and waiting for something I couldn’t hear or see.

“Did you have the nightmare again?” I whispered, sitting up and planting soft kisses along his shoulder.

“No. I heard something.”

I paused and listened. I didn’t hear anything. “Relax, I can’t hear anything.”

I waited for a few more seconds before I grasped his shoulders and pulled him back down. I tucked myself into him and rested my head on his shapely chest. Lucas ran his fingers through my long red hair and kissed the top of my head.

My memory of the night I snuck into Lucas’s hotel room had taken me all the way to my car. I climbed in and pressed the back of my head against the head rest. Lucas had a recurring nightmare about three demons that would drag him to the Underworld. No demon could get into the Never Dark—the only place they could breach was Earth, and whenever Lucas was on Earth, he was on edge. Over time, the nightmares became worse—more vivid. That night Lucas was more on edge than usual. It was my first assignment and he was worried I’d get hurt. My mission was to kill a tracker demon—a small, dog-like demon, which was easy enough. It was at the bottom of the food chain, really. We were staying in a hotel filled with newbie angels that were waiting for tomorrow night to do their assignments—like me.

Then I heard the noise. Both of us vaulted out of bed. Lucas grabbed his gun off the bedside table and pointed it toward the bedroom door. Luckily for us, we were clothed—to an extent. I wore a pink spaghetti strap top and matching underwear. Lucas had on his usual black cotton bed pants that hung loosely off his hips, exposing that delicious V shape. Lucas put his index finger to his lips, gesturing for me to be quiet. I rolled my eyes at him—of course I was going to be quiet. I wasn’t a complete amateur. From underneath the bed, I pulled out a fairly nice blade. It was a gift from Lucas for making it to Earth for my first assignment. At the base of the blade—above the handle, the letter ‘V’ was engraved beautifully into the metal, surrounded by vines and tiny, yet extremely detailed, flowers. ‘A beautiful blade for a beautiful angel’ is what he said when he presented it to me.

Lucas stepped toward the bedroom door and I followed closely behind him. The sound of glass being smashed echoed through the large hotel room. Whatever it was, it was in the kitchen. The lights flicked on before we saw the man sitting on the red love seat.

“Sorry, brother, did we wake you?”

My mind took a moment to process what he'd said. Then I remembered. Lucas once told me that he had three brothers, but they’d died mysteriously. Was this one of them?

“You have five seconds to leave my hotel room, Shade, or I’ll kill you.”

It didn’t take a genius to figure out Shade was a demon. A human wouldn’t notice, but I did because I was trained to know the difference. Shade chuckled and his long blond hair bounced along his shoulders. “I no longer go by that name. War is my name now.”

I crouched slightly and narrowed my eyes. I was waiting for Lucas to give me the green light to kill him. Adrenaline coursed through me and I forgot I was in my underwear—until his cold, icy blue eyes focused on me.

He rubbed his bottom lip with his index finger and groaned as he looked over my body. “She seems loyal,” he purred seductively.

Lucas clicked his fingers and War turned his attention back to him. “Don’t worry about her. You’re here for me. Why?” I had to give it to Lucas. His brothers died and yet here they were, alive and demonic, and Lucas barely batted an eyelid. That was him, I suppose. Strong. Always strong.

War whistled and instantly I felt warm breath tickle the back of my neck. I dropped down, and with a backwards leg sweep, whoever was behind me and breathing on my neck collapsed to the ground with a grunt. I didn’t waste any time and dove onto the stranger. The male stranger gasped in pain as my blade bit slightly into his neck. I didn’t take my eyes off him and his thick lips curled into a wry smile.

“Aren’t you strong?” he groaned. I pressed my knife harder and he winced. “Go on, darling, I like it rough.”

Anger flared in my chest and I ripped my knife across his throat. Blood squirted onto my top and I watched as his life drained out of him. The man definitely wasn’t a tracker demon, so surely I’d get extra brownie points for that. I climbed off him and turned my focus back to War, who watched me. Amusement and lust flashed in the dark depths of his eyes. I returned it with a scowl. Another demon stepped out from the kitchen and I lunged forward. Lucas wrapped his arm around my waist, catching me mid-leap and preventing me from taking another step further.

“Not yet,” he whispered.

I frowned, confused. There were only two demons left... Lucas and I could take them easily.

“What a sexy little pet,” the new demon said. “I want one.”

I glowered at him as his big brown eyes surveyed me. The new demon’s brown hair curled around his cheeks. Lucas looked nothing like his brothers. War had long blond hair and he was built like a minivan, with his broad shoulders and muscles on top of muscles. Granted, some women like that sort of thing, but not me. I prefer a body that someone worked hard on, not something they got out of a bottle and injected into themselves. The demon I killed was bald, he was tall and lean, and he had a small scar that cut through the center of his lips. Last but not least, the demon that stepped out of the kitchen had chin-length brown hair with brown eyes. He was tall, muscular, and a bow was strapped to his back.

“Why are you here?” I demanded. “Tell me and no more of you have to die.” I gripped my knife harder, until my knuckles began to ache. War’s attention was solely on Lucas.

“Have the dreams not been enough, brother? It’s time to come with us.”

“Lucas has already died,” I added gruffly. “He became an angel, not a demon.”

“Yes, someone thought making him an angel would stop the Underworld from claiming him... apparently not.”

“Go back to hell,” I growled.

War narrowed his eyes and the surrounding walls lit up in flames, burning brightly, but at the same time, burning nothing. I wanted to run and scream, but I didn’t. I kept my feet rooted to the floor. I wasn’t about to let these demons intimidate me. The smoke alarm started blaring. Suddenly, I was grabbed from behind and a sharp object was pressed against my back. It was the demon I’d killed moments ago, but how? Lucas turned his gun on the demon that was holding me.

“Drop the knife,” the demon snarled.

I didn’t drop my knife.

“Let her go, Mikael.” Lucas remained calm.

Mikael grunted. “Isn’t it obvious? We can’t be killed.”

“And if I tear your heart from your chest?” Lucas countered.

I felt Mikael’s muscles tighten. “I’d like to see you try.”

Lucas gritted his teeth. I could see him calculating ways to get us out of here safely.

“I believe Famine asked you to drop your knife.”

My forehead creased. Who’s Famine? Then I got it. War. Famine. No doubt the one with the bow was Conquest. We were dealing with the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, but where was Death?

I kept my eyes on War as I peeled my fingers from the hilt of my knife. I timed that it would take just under one second for it to hit the ground, and as it fell, I kicked it with my bare foot, gritting my teeth against the pain. I sent the blade directly toward War’s heart, but it never made contact. He caught it with his bare hands right before it pierced his skin. Blood trickled from the palms of his hand and down his wrist. Lucas took his chance and shot at Famine, but Famine took the bullet in the shoulder without flinching. Lucas’s face darkened, that wasn’t something he anticipated. Conquest pulled out his bow and aimed toward the back of Lucas’s head. War threw my blade and it sliced easily through Conquest’s arm, almost making an exit out the other side. Conquest growled in pain, took the blade from his arm, and threw it at the floor in front of me. Its point dug into the varnished timber and stuck.

“Don’t,” War growled and the flames roared with him. “I’m done playing around. You will come with us, Lucas. You will take your rightful place as Death.”

I glanced at Lucas. He was meant to be Death? No. He was too pure. Sure, he had a dangerous side, but didn’t all men?

“I’d rather die,” Lucas snarled.

War chuckled. “Well, you see, brother, your death isn’t an option, but hers—“He pointed a long, thick, calloused finger at me. “Her death can be arranged.”

Famine kicked me to my feet and pressed his blade against my throat. The cool metal bit into my skin slightly, threatening my jugular. I didn’t dare swallow or take deep breaths, knowing that if I did, it’d be my last.

Lucas’s gaze flicked over me and his apprehension came through loud and clear. “I’ll go with you, but on one condition.”

“Name it.”

“You let the girl go.”

Famine exhaled dramatically as his warm free hand trailed down and cupped my left breast. “I was really hoping I could keep her.”

A low growl rumbled through Lucas’s chest as Famine continued to molest me. My stomach churned and I recalled the night of my human death. All those unwanted hands touching me. Rubbing me. Hitting me.

“Enough!” War boomed. “We’ll let the girl go.”

Famine removed his knife from my neck and pushed me forward. I managed to get my hands out in front of me before I ate the varnished floor. Thick black smoke engulfed me and I couldn’t see. I coughed and gagged, trying to clear my airway. Loud bangs thundered on the door, people were trying to get in. I managed to get to my feet. I ignored the burning in my chest and my eyes as I squinted through the smoke looking for Lucas. Then I felt him grab my hand. Through the smoke, I saw him, he appeared unaffected and I realized I was the only one trapped in smoke. It circled me—choked me. Desperately, I clawed at Lucas’s arm before his grip slipped from mine.

“Lucas!” I screamed.

He kept his eyes on me, watching me apologetically as the Horsemen grabbed him and disappeared into nothing. The smoke that surrounded me dispersed… so did the flames that filled the room. The door flew open just as I fell to my knees, crying and screaming.

Lucas was gone.

Uncover

Lucas

“Leave,” I demanded hoarsely, breaking the silence in my dimly lit hotel room.

The slender redhead nodded sheepishly, gathered her clothes, and left. I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and dropped my head into my hands before raking my fingers through my hair. Tonight, I asked specifically for a redhead, hoping to acquire my ‘Violet fix,’ but she didn’t compare. No one has. I wanted to release my anger and built up tension via my favorite outlet—sex, but seeing Violet made me not want anyone besides her. I wanted her in my bed, not some strange woman I barely knew. I never had a problem with it before… not until I saw her blue eyes watching me and her red ponytail blowing slightly in the wind. I clenched my fists against the urge to run my fingers through it. I slid into a pair of jeans and walked over to the bar to pour myself a strong drink. As I sipped at it, I walked over to the open window that overlooked the entire expansion of Concave City and wondered where she was staying.

“I love you, Lucas.” Her beautiful voice and equally beautiful body ran through my mind. A low growl rumbled through my chest as I imagined her long hair curling over her bare breasts, exposing everything, but nothing at the same time. I slammed back my whiskey and threw my glass hard against the panelled wall. It shattered into a million pieces and I turned back to the window. She’d come for me eventually, when she realizes I haven’t left. And although I’d never admit it out loud, I wanted her to come for me. I wanted her to tear my heart from my chest, to end my suffering. The scary part was my demon side would fight her. He’ll do everything in his power to stay alive… even kill her. I walked over to my desk and pressed the intercom button. “Mena, bring me the witch.”

If I located Violet, maybe I could convince her to get out now, before she got hurt.

I waited patiently in my chair until Mena, my pretty Asian assistant, opened my door, escorting in a beautiful, dark-skinned witch. The only witch I’d work with.

“I’m not one of your call girls, Lucas,” her strained voice warned.

Perhaps it was selfish of me to pull Eva from her sleep. A woman of her age needed plenty of rest.

“Unfortunately,” I chuckled playfully.

She rolled her eyes and sat opposite me, placing her weathered hands softly on my desk. “What is it you want?”

I sat in thought for a while, trying to decide what I wanted exactly. It was simple, really. I wanted Violet and I wanted her now. I leaned forward, placing my elbows on the table.

“I need you to locate someone.”

Eva sighed. “Who?”

“Her name is Violet Ashton. She’s here in Concave City, somewhere.”

She leaned forward, intrigued. The dark purple fabric of her dressing gown made a gentle whooshing sound as she rested her elbows on the table. “Is it possible that the big, bad Mr. Lucas Cross has an infatuation?”

I frowned. As if I’d disclose that kind of information. “Can you locate her or not?”

“Maybe. Do you have anything of hers I can channel?”

“No.”

Now she frowned. “Then unless you have a strong connection with her, I can’t locate her, and I know you don’t have a strong connection with anything other than your whiskey bottle. So, can I go back to bed now?”

I held my hands out toward her. “Channel me.”

Her gold eyes flared with frustration and her brows furrowed. “Like I said, unless you have a connec—”

“Just channel me,” I snapped, growing rather impatient.

Without hesitation, her soft, papery hands clasped around mine and she went quiet. Her face scrunched and straightened out a few times before she gasped.

“My, my,” she breathed as she opened her eyes. “What a connection…”

Eva paused and closed her eyes again. I waited in silence, watching her every expression. I’d done this location thing plenty of times. It had never taken this long. Slowly, Eva’s eyes opened and her thick, dark lips curved into a slight smirk.

“You’re in love?” she asked.

I yanked my hands back and slammed them down onto the table, forcing myself to stand. She didn’t jump, her face didn’t even change. She wasn’t scared of me, I was like a son to her now. “I asked you to locate the female. I didn’t ask you to snoop around in my fucking head!”

Eva crossed her arms tightly over her chest and looked up at me disapprovingly. “You better watch your tone with me, mister, or I’ll—”

I interrupted. “You’ll what, Eva? Hm? What are you going to do? I saved you from War. I took you from him and gave you a better existence.” I raised my fingers. “One click and I can send you straight back.”

Her expression tightened, but she didn’t snap back at me. Slowly, she rose to her feet and suddenly I felt bad. “Goodnight, Lucas.”

In a puff of smoke, I appeared in front of her. I have to admit, if there was one cool thing I’d gained since joining my brothers in the Underworld, it was the ability to teleport wherever I wanted in the blink of an eye.

“I’m sorry, Eva. I’m not myself today,” I said, pulling her in to my chest.

She kept her hands balled into tight fists at her side and pulled away from me. “And I suspect the redhead has something to do with it?”

I narrowed my eyes. I wasn’t saying anything that could put Violet in danger. Eva snooping around in my head was risk enough. I trusted Eva—I did, but she used to work for my brother War, and I sure as hell didn’t trust him.

“She’s staying in an apartment complex,” Eva began. I left her, opened my wardrobe and pulled on a t-shirt. “The address is A 173 Boundary Street, Velmount.”

I grabbed a coat off the hanger by the door. “Lucas”

I disappeared in a puff of smoke before Eva could finish her sentence. My need to see Violet again outweighed my need to be polite.

***

I hated the suburbs and their identical houses. Not to mention the sound of a dog’s incessant barking. This street wasn’t as bad, I suppose. It had more apartments than houses, meaning no one was allowed a dog. I didn’t have to follow the street for long and soon I found her apartment complex. I focused on the window and then I appeared in her room. My smoke floated around the room and she coughed slightly. To humans, my smoke is undetectable, but angels could usually pick up the scent and feel it at the back of their throat. I waited for the smoke to dissipate before I approached her bed. I suppressed the groan that rose in my throat when I saw her lying there in a camisole and her underwear… the black lace matched her cherry red hair that sprawled around her like a flame on a wick. I reached out to push a lock of hair off her cheek. She twitched and her eyebrows knitted together. I watched as her eyes flickered beneath her eyelids. I decided I wasn’t going to wake her, not tonight, anyway. Instead, I watched her for a little while. As I watched, I pondered ways to keep her safe and get her away from Earth. If my brothers knew she was here, they’d think I was plotting with the angels to foil the plans of the apocalypse. My brothers are already obsessed with her, there’s no telling if they’d kill her or turn her into some kind of sex slave. I suppressed a shudder and gritted my teeth at the thought. Her skin felt warm and soft as I brushed the back of my index finger along her jaw line. Her lip caught between her teeth and she moaned softly. I tilted my head back and glanced at the white ceiling. I’d never do anything to a woman without consent, but my god she was making it difficult to stand by that moral code. Before I could lose control in more ways than one, I planted a kiss on her cheek and went home.

Disposition

Violet

Rubbing sleep from my eyes, I sat up and peered around my room, the faint taste of smoke lingered at the back of my throat and immediately my body tensed. It was him, Lucas, and he’d been in my room. I glanced down at myself and yanked the blankets up to my neck. I knew it was pointless, he’d already seen me in my underwear. I felt embarrassed and angry, but some sick part of me felt excited, thrilled even, like I’d shoplifted or jumped out of a plane. I rubbed my cheek. Underneath my skin, my blood tingled, but it wasn’t from my own touch. It was from his. I sighed and fell back onto my pillow. Only Lucas could provoke such an intense feeling inside me and it was a shame that I’d have to kill him. I felt flustered and frustrated, but I should have known he wouldn’t listen. He was stubborn like that. He always has been.

***

Like yesterday, I parked my Range Rover in the private parking around the back of the headquarters.

“Back so soon?” The overly-cheery Janet greeted me as I stepped into the lobby.

I wasn’t in the mood for any kind of chit chat, forced or otherwise. I nodded and walked past her. I marched down the wide hallway with a thin manila folder in my hand. After last night, I couldn’t fall back asleep, so I plotted my next move against Lucas. I knocked on Cole’s office door, tightened my ponytail, and waited patiently.

“Come in,” a muffled voice called.

I opened the door and stepped in. Cole Nark sat at his desk, patting the edges of his mouth with a napkin. On his shirt sat a small spattering of pink frosting, no doubt from his usual morning donut.

“What do you want?” He sighed, still feeling emasculated after I dominated him yesterday. Serves him right.

I fought the urge to smile smugly. “I have a mission adjustment that I need you to sign off on.”

He extended his hand and I gave him my folder. I stood across from him, my hands behind my back and watched his face as he read it. His messy eyebrows knitted together. “What the hell is The Darkside?”

I rolled my eyes at the originality of the name. “It’s a nightclub-slash-hotel in the south of Concave City. Intel says Lucas owns it and is living in it. He didn’t take my threat seriously and now—”

“Oh, now you’ll kill him?” His voice held a sarcastic tone and I glowered at him.

Cole cleared his throat and subconsciously rubbed his stomach, appearing to suddenly regret his attitude.

“What’s this about going back to his apartment?” he said, changing the subject.

“A long time ago, Lucas and I were involved. I plan to play on those feelings and hopefully he’ll let me get close enough to rip his heart from his chest.”

I could swear Cole was leaning away from me in his chair.

“Do you need back up?” he asked.

I’ve killed ninety-nine demons, I don’t need help. I placed my hands on my hips rather defensively. I was offended. “No.”

“I’m assigning you back up anyway.”

I stepped forward and placed my palms on his desk. “I’ll make a deal with you. If I haven’t torn the heart from his chest by three a.m., you can send back up.”

Cole tapped his chubby fingers against the folder in thought. His nails were worn, chewed down to the skin. “Fine, but if you fuck this up, Ashton—”

“Yeah, yeah,” I interrupted. “It’ll be on my head. I get it.”

I strolled from the headquarters in a strangely good mood and I wasn’t sure if it was because I’d kill the biggest demon of my career tonight or because I was seeing Lucas. To be honest, both made me equally giddy. I climbed into my car and slumped into the chair. I needed to go dress shopping. I had no idea what kind of club The Darkside was. My guess was that it’s crawling with all kinds of demons and if I was going to avoid drawing negative attention, I was going to need to dress like them.

***

“Can I help you?” the shop assistant asked.

I looked her over. She was a tall, leggy, black-haired woman covered in tattoos and wearing a tight, almost see-through little black dress. Somehow, fashion companies had managed to make the sluttiest piece of clothing even sluttier. My brows furrowed. Perhaps this shop was too outrageous for me.

“I’m just looking. Thank you,” I replied with a curt nod of the head.

“So you’re, like, not after anything in particular… or?”

I stared at her, waiting for her to finish her sentence. Or was a conjunction, it was meant to connect a sentence… wasn’t it? My frown deepened because she was staring at me like I was the one not-fully-there.

“I’m going to The Darkside. I need a dress.” I glanced at her outfit and then at her name tag. “One that isn’t see-through, Tasha.”

Her eyebrow piercing stuck a half an inch out of her skin as she scowled at me. “What kind of dress are you after?” she asked. The fake politeness was clear in her voice. “Short? Long? Maybe you’re after a dress with shoulder pads and a face veil?”

I laughed. I appreciated a good comeback when I heard one. “Just tell me what people usually wear to The Darkside, and please don’t point over to the section those two girls are currently standing in, trying on dresses that have less fabric than a handkerchief.”

Tasha rolled her eyes. “This way, Grandma.”

The assistant walked ahead of me and thankfully bypassed the girls who might as well be naked.

“These are last season’s dresses. They’re longer… kind of.” She leaned against the rack, preventing me from browsing through the dresses. “You’re not from around here, are you?”

I didn’t have time for this. I wanted to find a dress, go home, prepare, and then kill Lucas. I folded my arms across my chest. “No, I’m not. Anything else?”

She shrugged and ran her tongue across her top teeth, forcing her lip to protrude outwards. “I like you,” Tasha said, smiling at me like we’ve been friends for a lifetime. “You’re a bitch, like me. If you need anything, I’ll be at the cash register.”

I stared at the clothes rack for a moment after she’d left me. Had I just made a friend because I was a bitch? What the hell is wrong with people? I shook off my confusion and searched the rack. Tasha was right about one thing; the dresses over here had slightly more fabric on them and they came in all kinds of colors and lengths. It was summer in Concave City and the air was warm, so long and thick material dresses were out of the question. I was searching for at least twenty minutes and was about to give up when I saw it, the dress I’d wear to The Darkside. It wasn’t black, or overly provocative… it was perfect.

“You can’t wear that to The Darkside,” Tasha called over my shoulder.

I turned toward her. She was bagging a micro mini skirt and leopard print crop top for a customer, but her gray eyes were on me.

“Why not?” I rebutted, hugging the dress tighter against me.

“Because it’s white and virginal. You’ll get eaten alive.”

“Maybe that’s the plan.”

Tasha cocked an eyebrow at me and fought back a smile. The girls at the counter paid for their clothes and left the store. I hung the dress out in front of me to get a better look at it. It was short, at least mid-thigh, but if I moved appropriately, then I wouldn’t have to worry about flashing random clubbers. It was very low cut, but instead of showing bare skin, it was covered in a beautiful white lace, cutting across the chest, over the shoulders, and down the arms. Lace was hopeless protection in a fight, but there was no way I’d be let in if I was wearing my catsuit, and Lucas would know immediately why I was there. If I had any chance at beating him, I’d need to catch him by surprise.

“May I ask what your plan is?” Tasha inquired as I brought the dress up to the register.

“You can ask, but I’m not going to tell you.”

She laughed as I paid for my dress and she put it into a bag. I farewelled her and left the store. Humans were so annoying and I found myself praying that no one like Cole or Tasha would be turned into an angel when they die or I’d have to find a way to kill myself.

Confined

Lucas

The Darkside was packed to the roof tonight. I stood in the dull control room watching for any sign of Famine, War, and Conquest. Tonight they wanted to discuss plans for the apocalypse. Any other day I’d have closed the club and pretended I wasn’t home, but the apocalypse did fall under very important business, I suppose.

What I saw on the screen wasn’t what I’d expected. I leaned closer, ignoring Dex, my head of security, who grunted in annoyance as I pushed on his shoulder.

“Zoom in,” I ordered.

He zoomed in. The cameras didn’t give off any color, it was too dark in the club, but there was no mistaking those lips or that body. Her short white dress clung perfectly to her curves and her hair was clipped up into a high bun. I squeezed the glass of whiskey in my hand, careful not to break it as club goers turned their heads to get a better look at her.
Violet wasn’t meant to be here and I needed to get her out before my brothers showed up or someone tried to jump her. My men can smell an angel from a mile away.

“Would you like us to remove the woman, sir?” Dex offered, his tone suggesting that he’d do more than just remove her.

“No. I’ll deal with her.”

In a black haze I teleported to my room. From a small wooden box on my large oak desk, I pulled out a sedative and slipped it into the back pocket of my pants. I teleported back to the control room and headed down the emergency stairs. They were bleak and white. It occurred to me I’d never taken the stairs before. Big red words were scrawled along the wall, ‘Emergency staircase—DO NOT OBSTRUCT.’ It was the only color in the depressing stairwell. I pushed through white double doors and I was on the club floor. I spotted her sitting by the bar, her eyes desperately searching the crowd. Randy, the bartender, leaned toward her. I watched as her cherry colored lips parted and she shouted her order into his ear. I smiled to myself as I witnessed him pour chilled water into two shot glasses. She was certainly up to something.

I began walking toward her and somehow she still hadn’t spotted me. The club definitely wasn’t her element and I doubted she’d ever stepped foot in one like this before. Before I got to her, a drunken douchebag wearing a rather ugly, light gray dress shirt and black pants cut me off. I watched as he leaned into her, breathing his alcohol-laden breath all over her. From where I was standing, I saw her muscles go taut and her eyes widened. I ground my teeth together and grasped my glass tighter. I wanted to tear his head clean off his shoulders just for thinking he was good enough to talk to her, but alas, this wasn’t the place to do it. I was running out of time, my brothers would be here any minute. She shrugged him off, her repulsion and fear clear on her face, but he didn’t take the hint and grabbed at her, pulling her closer to him. She was stronger than him, she wasn’t human and I waited for her to crush him. Instead, she glanced awkwardly at the people around her, waiting for them to help, but they don’t notice. I guess she didn’t want to cause a scene. I slammed my drink down onto the bar, catching a few drops of whiskey on my hand. I grabbed the sleaze by the back of the collar and yanked him off her. He turned abruptly to face me and I saw just how drunk he was. He swayed gently, his skin pale and coated in an oily sweat. It was mind-blowing that he could even keep his eyes open. His eyes narrowed into thin slits. “Who the hell are you?” he slurred, touching my suit with his long, grubby finger.

“Get your finger off my suit.”

He laughed and looked backwards toward Violet, whose big blue eyes watched us intently. He was out to impress her. I could see it on his stupid face. Big mistake. He pressed his palm against my chest and I clenched my jaw even tighter. “Look, pal, I don’t know who you think you—”

I pushed his hand away, grabbed the back of his neck and slammed his face into the bar. The bartenders and others gasped in horror as the sleazeball fell to the ground, clutching his face.

“What is wrong with you?” Violet shouted, bending down to see if the douchebag was okay.

I brushed the front of my suit and reclaimed my drink. “This is expensive.”

She scowled at me and rose to her feet. Violet leaned over the bar and asked Randy to call an ambulance. While she did that, I sculled back the rest of my drink and placed it back on the bar.

“I came to see you tonight, but I’ve changed my mind.” She turned away from me and the curiosity in me made me want to know why. I caught her by the elbow, forcing her to face me.

“You came to see me? Why?”

Violet frowned. “Isn’t there somewhere private we can talk?”

I nodded. If I could get her to my room, at least, then I’d have a chance at keeping her hidden from my brothers. I extended my elbow to her and she took it. We headed towards the elevator guarded by two of my security guys. Without a word, they stepped away, allowing us to gain access. Once the elevator doors were closed, we were engulfed by silence. I watched her as she admired the grandeur of the elevator. It was wall to wall gold, not real gold, of course, that’d be too heavy, but there was no way you’d be able to tell the difference. Before we could make it to my room, I hit the stop button, and with a jolt and a loud clank, the elevator stopped. Defensively, Violet took a step away from me, her legs shoulder-width apart, as if to gain more balance.

Dex’s voice rang through the elevator. “Is everything okay, sir?”

I pressed the intercom button, but kept my eyes on her. “Everything’s fine.”

The hem of Violet’s dress stopped well above her knee. Her legs were well defined with muscle and the stilettos she wore made them seem longer, like they went on forever. I stepped toward her and her hands clenched into fists at her sides.

“Relax,” I said, extending my hand toward her and exposing my palm. She watched me cautiously, working her jaw as I stepped closer to touch her. I couldn’t resist. Our bodies were only inches apart when I reached around the back of her head to free her hair from the single clip holding it up. “You know I like it when you wear your hair down.”

On cue, her long red hair fell around her, draping over her shoulders, down her back, and around her breasts. I admired her for a little longer. Her sun-kissed skin flushed the sexiest shade of pink and I took a step back. I didn’t want to overwhelm her… or myself.

“Why’d you want see me?” I asked, leaning against the opposite wall.

Violet watched me quietly, her eyes flickering between hate and love. It was then I knew she’d come here to kill me. Don’t ask me how... I just knew. My guess was she’s was trying to find the right time, and in this close proximity, she didn’t have room to do her crazy acrobatic combat moves. I’d win. My inner demon was trying to fight me, to take over, but I wouldn’t let it—for her sake. Subtly, I gritted my teeth against him and refused to budge, a few moments later, the burning desire to tear her head clean off disappeared.

“I know you were in my room last night,” she said, her blue eyes narrowing.

I caught my bottom lip between my teeth, fighting against a smile and started the elevator up again. It shook for a moment before continuing its ascent.

“Maybe you were dreaming that I was in your room?”” I replied, stepping towards her. “I have that effect on people.”

She made no attempt to keep me away as I pressed her hard against the elevator wall. Staying in control was difficult. I could feel the pulse of my blood and the need to be even closer. Subtly, I inhaled the sweet strawberry scent of her shampoo and fought the urge to comb my fingers through her red locks… or take her in the elevator. The way her chest rose and fell told me that if I were to make a move on her she’d have a hard time not reciprocating. She tried to shove me, but it was hard for her to use any strength from her legs in those heels.

“I wasn’t dreaming.”

I pressed harder against her just to get under her skin a little more. “Prove it.”

Violet exhaled in frustration and pushed the palms of her hands against my chest. “Can you not be so obnoxious for five god damn seconds?”

I curled a lock of red hair around my index finger and took a step back, letting it fall back down to her chest. “Okay, fine.”

She folded her arms tightly across her chest. “I was not dreaming.”

I smiled. Like a cat that grows tired of a worn piece of string, I no longer felt the need to play with her. “No, you weren’t dreaming. I was there.”

“Why?”

“That doesn’t—”

“Why?” she demanded.

I felt my inner demon rear his head. “Your persistence is getting rather annoying.”

The elevator dinged and we were at my floor, right at the top in the penthouse apartment. I slid my key card through the lock mechanism and pushed the door open. Being out of the confines of the elevator relaxed her. I opened the door for her and she stepped in. She walked around the room, taking all of it in. Her fingers grazed over everything. Nothing seemed to impress her until she saw the wall-sized window that showcased the view of the entire city. I stood behind her. It felt good having her here and I wondered what it’d be like having her by my side permanently.

“I want to know why you came to my room.” Her voice was barely above a whisper.

“Why? Do you think it will change your mind about killing me tonight?”

She flinched, no doubt shocked that I knew her plans. She turned to face me. In the light of the city, I could see her eyes looking up at me, their color shadowed by darkness.

“Nothing will change my mind. It’s my job.”

“I wasn’t aware that you feel so much hate towards me,” I replied.

She seemed taken aback—almost offended by my comment. “I’m not going to kill you because I hate you. I’ll kill you because I love you… and I know that it’s what the old you would’ve wanted.”

I ran the back of my hand down the side of her face. “You know nothing of what I want.” And she didn’t. I wanted to live forever in this form. I wanted to make my Council proud.

She glared at me. “I know you still love me. That’s why you came to my room. I just want to hear you say it.”

I stared at her momentarily. She was right, I did love her, but I wasn’t going to tell her. To avoid answering, I pressed my lips against hers. They were as I remembered, soft and full. To my surprise, she didn’t pull away from me or tear my heart from my chest, so I kept going, curious to see how far she’d let me go. I ran my tongue along her lips and she parted them, granting me access. Soon, it was like the temperature in the room kicked up a few notches as our kiss grew passionate and needy. I felt as though if we stopped, we’d die, and so we clutched each other. She ran one of her hands under the jacket of my suit and pushed on it. I helped her slide my jacket off and it dropped to a crumpled heap on the floor. I ran my hands up the contour of her body and into her hair. I pulled on it hard and she moaned with delight. A low growl released itself from my throat, it was a frustrated growl, but I don’t think she could tell. I couldn’t go any further than this, even though every fiber in my body wanted to. My brothers would be here any minute. I cupped Violet’s ass and she jumped on me, wrapping her thighs around my waist and one arm around my neck. My obvious arousal pushed against her warm core. She kept her mouth on mine as I lay her down on my bed. I pressed my body hard against hers and as I trailed kisses down her neck, I managed to produce the sedative from my back pocket. I pulled away and looked into her azure eyes. I couldn’t get a proper reading from her eyes, they flickered constantly between various emotions. Love. Hate. Desire. Sadness. If I waited a second longer, it’d probably be my death, so I jabbed her in the neck with my syringe. Her eyes widened for a moment and then she fell asleep. I kissed her lips softly and climbed off her. In the dim light from the window, I saw something glisten in Violet’s hand. It was a tiny blade concealed in the sleeve of her dress. So she was going to cut my heart out... Would that have been before, during, or after sex? I had no idea. Strangely, I smiled to myself, unable to hide the pride I felt. There was something thrilling—arousing about having her come after me. A beep ran through the room, signalling that I had a call waiting on my intercom. I took the blade off her and threw it on the floor. I rummaged through my bedside table and found a pair of handcuffs. Quickly, I handcuffed Violet to my bedpost, picked up my suit jacket, and pressed the intercom button. It was Mena, my human assistant.

“Sorry to disturb you sir, but your brothers Shade, Mikael, and Paul are here.”

Mena didn’t know them as War, Famine, and Conquest. Nor did she know I was Death. She knew we were demons, just not what kind we were. It isn’t hard to keep a human’s mouth shut when you have magic on your side.

“Tell them to meet me in the conference room. I’ll be right out.”

With a quick, longing glance over my shoulder, I pulled on my jacket and left the room.

Restrained

Violet

When I awoke, it was still dark. I groaned and clenched my fists. Of course, Lucas was one step ahead of me, he always was. My plan had failed and I wondered where Cole’s back up was. Was it even three a.m. yet? It seemed I wasn’t the only one using sex to hide my real agenda. Despite my sneaky attempt to try and trick Lucas into being vulnerable so I could kill him, my lips still burned with the passion that we shared.

“If my brothers saw you tonight…” Lucas said, leaving the rest of his sentence unfinished.

I didn’t notice him standing by the window, still wearing the same suit. I exhaled in relief. At least I hadn’t been out for a few days. I made my first attempt to get off the bed. Cold metal bit into my skin and I let out a small gasp of confusion. I glanced at my wrist. Shit. I was handcuffed to his bed. I steadied my breathing and cleared my mind, the last thing I need was a full blown panic attack.

He turned to me, his dark eyes focusing in on me. “Do you have any idea what they’d do to you? I’ll give you a hint—death would be too kind.”

He seemed mad. I blew out a puff of air to move the piece of hair that had fallen over my face. I was embarrassed, mostly because I failed and he was meant to be dead. Using my favorite coping mechanism, I covered my feelings with attitude. “Careful, Lucas, your humanity is showing.”

A lazy smile hinted at the corners of his mouth. “You were going to manipulate me into having sex with you and then you were going to kill me… How’d I not see that coming?”

“You should have. Do you honestly think I’m still attracted to you after all the evil that you’ve done?” It wasn’t a total lie.

He dropped his empty glass onto the carpet and lunged at me, his body hovering above mine. Sharply, I breathed in his intoxicating scent, praying the rise and fall of my chest didn’t betray me. His unyielding gaze completely unnerved me yet I couldn’t tear my eyes from him. He was fast, much faster than me, and I wondered how I possibly got the upper hand in the alley. He ran his nose up the side of my neck, inhaling as he went. An involuntary gasp fell from my lips. Damn my body for betraying me! I felt as if he exposed me—stripped me bare with just the tip of his nose.

“You know, you’re not as repulsed by me as you think,” he muttered.

Truth was, no, I wasn’t. Lucas looked exactly as I remembered him. He was a triple threat—strong, smart, and sexy. It was rare to find those three things in a male. I also knew he was fiercely loyal, disciplined, and passionate. He was perfect—was—unfortunately, being the operative word. Him being a demon was a big deal breaker.

“All that love talk… it was part of your plan to manipulate me?” he asked.

His eyes held a curious gleam. When I didn’t answer, they darkened and the intensity sent shivers down my spine. Suddenly, I was afraid to say yes or no. Telling him I loved him wasn’t part of my plan, I had a brief moment of vulnerability and I flaked, but I sure as hell wasn’t going to let him know that.

“Why are you keeping me here?” I groaned, hoping he’d drop the subject.

Lucas rolled off me and walked over to the bar to pour himself another drink. I glanced around the dimly lit room. It was a huge, elegant room. The bed I was lying on was quite possibly the biggest bed I’d ever seen, and the walls that encased us were panelled with a deep mahogany wood. The floors were dressed in matching mahogany colored carpet. Beautiful paintings of a countryside I had no knowledge of hung along the walls. Other than the bar, a huge bookshelf, and an oak desk, there was nothing else to the room. My eyes fell back onto the bookshelf bursting at the seams with books. I wonder if he still reads.

“I’m keeping you here because I want to talk,” Lucas said, bringing my attention back to him.

A sluggish chuckle rumbled through my chest and I reached for my attitude again. “Funny. Talking was the farthest thing from your mind the last time I was handcuffed to your bed.”

He paced over to me, his brown eyes roaming over my face. He pressed his drink to my lips and I took a big gulp of the harsh whiskey. Alcohol would help me feel better about my failed attempt at killing Lucas. He traced the back of his free hand up the inside of my thigh and toward the hem of my dress. Lust exploded inside me and pooled between my thighs. I bit down on my tongue, hoping the pain would stop the arousing tingles from engulfing me. I tensed, half of me wished he’d keep going and the other half was fighting back the urge to kick him. He stopped before his hands traveled too far.

“I remember it well.” He paused and removed his warm flesh from my thigh. “But I mean business this time.” Lucas slammed back the rest of his whiskey and placed the empty glass on the bedside table. “I need you to leave.”

I frowned. Did I look like I was eager to stay? “And I’d be more than happy to oblige, but unfortunately, I’m handcuffed to your bed.”

Lucas shook his head, impatient with my comments. “Once I let you go, I need you to leave Earth.”

I stared at him. He couldn’t be serious? Me leave Earth? Fat chance of that happening. Little did Lucas know that I fought tooth and nail to get this mission. I’m not the oldest angel. I’m not the strongest or the fastest. I had to prove that I was more motivated than the others, that I was driven by the thought of Lucas becoming something so evil. Only I could end him.

“I’m not going anywhere unless I have your heart in a box.”

“God damn it, V! Don’t you understand?” Lucas yelled as he began pacing the room. “You can’t kill me. You’re not strong enough. If you were, I’d be dead by now.”

I watched as Lucas ran his fingers through his short hair. He hammered a few buttons on the big black box that sat on his desk. “Send Eva up, please.”

Who was Eva? Lucas didn’t inform me of who Eva was and was more than happy to ignore all of my questions as he stood staring at the door until it opened and in stepped an old woman, beautiful, but old. I assumed she was Eva. She wore a long elaborate robe the color of red wine and I couldn’t help but notice that it’d go great with my red hair. Her dark skin was weathered, yet it looked strangely smooth.

Eva didn’t greet him, instead she groaned. “You brought the redhead here?”

“No, she came to me. I’m merely hiding her from my brothers. I need a favor, a big favor.”

They stared at each other for a few minutes until she sighed. “Don’t act like you’re giving me a choice. What do you want me to do?”

“I need you to compel her to leave Earth.”

I shot off the bed and pulled as hard as I could on the bed post. The metal bit into my skin until it began to ache. I just couldn’t break it. I didn’t want to be compelled. I had no resistance against it. Only witches—matured witches, could compel others. Of course, it was hard to compel people because it requires your subject to be in the same space as you for a lengthy period of time and angels like me were always moving. No one in their right mind would want their free will taken away.

“Compulsion is an exhausting spell, Lucas, and on an angel takes it to a whole other level of strength. I’m too old for that stuff now.” I relaxed a degree.

“I know, Eva, but I wouldn’t ask this of you unless it was very important.” He lowered his voice, but I could still hear. “You know how I feel about this girl. You saw it with your own eyes. I need her to be safe… and Earth isn’t safe.”

The witch looked up at Lucas with such compassion and understanding. It made me nervous and I had to stop it.

“Oh please,” I scoffed. “Don’t listen to his ‘you know how I feel’ speech. You don’t have the people you care about compelled… you don’t take away their rights!”

I jumped and shouted and called them names. I yanked on my handcuff and stomped my feet. They ignored me, of course.

“I’ll do it for you,” Eva mumbled.

My body went rigid and anger burned up my chest. “If you come near me, witch, I’ll hurt you.”

I felt bad saying it and I wasn’t actually going to hurt her. I just hoped she didn’t see through my empty threat. Lucas turned to face me, his features sharper. He was no doubt angry at my threat to his beloved, ancient Eva.

“Relax, Lucas.” Eva chuckled. “I’m old, but I’m not useless.”

If I wanted her to believe I was serious, I was going to have to act serious. She took a few steps toward me and I lowered my stance in defense. She shouted some brief incantation in Latin and extended her palm toward me. A pain radiated from the back of my skull to the front. Gritting my teeth against the pain, I fell to my knees. Whatever she was doing to me hurt like nothing I’d ever felt before. My brain felt like it was on the brink of exploding—like an atom bomb had somehow been shoved inside my skull and forced to explode over and over again. I didn’t scream. I wasn’t going to give them the satisfaction. Instead, I dropped my gaze to the floor, desperately trying to blink back the tears that threatened.

“Look at me,” the witch said, soothingly.

I didn’t.

“Look at me!” she demanded.

My neck snapped up. I had no control over it, but she did. Her molten gold eyes stared fiercely into mine and she continued chanting in Latin. I couldn’t take my eyes off hers, but I could hear Lucas at the bar pouring himself another drink. It seemed as well as becoming a raging, psychopathic demon, he’d also become an alcoholic. It was strange to see, Lucas was never a big drinker. A glass of white wine was his maximum.

My brain went fuzzy as I felt her digging around in my brain. She wasn’t trying to compel me yet, she was trying to get information. A few memories played quickly in my mind—the day I woke up in hospital, my first training session with Lucas, when he told me he loved me, the first time we had sex together, and finally, the night he was taken. I scowled at her, but couldn’t speak. Those memories were for Lucas and I only. No one else had to see them. Eva bent down closer to me and I was enveloped by a scent of honey and rosemary. My mind hazed over, all my worries were gone.

“You’re going to go back to your headquarters and return to the Never Dark realm. When you’re asked why you left, you’ll simply tell them that you are no match for Lucas. Once this is over, you won’t remember the compulsion.” Eva swayed for a split second, but found her balance again. Seconds later, a thin line of blood trailed from her nose to her bottom lip, and as we kept eye contact, I could feel my thoughts changing. The burning need to kill Lucas and set things right disappeared… the only thing I wanted was to leave Earth.

In front of me, the witch began to wobble on her feet and the muscle in my left arm twitched as I reached for her. The soft fabric of her robe grazed over the tips of my fingers as she fell in a crumpled heap on the ground. Lucas was at her side in a flash, checking her vital signs.

“Is she going to be okay?” I asked, unsure why I even cared.

“Yeah, I think so.”

He scooped the suddenly frail, old woman into his arms and laid her on his bed. It was warm tonight, so there was no need to put any blankets on her. I tried to remember why Eva had fallen, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t even remember when exactly she came into the room. The quiet sound of metal scraping wood pulled me from my thoughts and reminded me that I was still handcuffed to the bed.

“Can you let me go?”

Lucas turned to me and his dark eyes watched me for a few moments. I stared back at him, no longer certain why I didn’t want to kill him. I promised myself that I would end his suffering, but now I was almost certain that I was no match for him and it scared the hell out of me. Slowly, he pulled a tiny set of keys from his back pocket. A cocky smile spread over his face.

“You know, I like you like this.”

“Like what?”

“Not angry.” He smiled. “And handcuffed to my bed.”

Of course, I walked right into that one. I sighed. “Just let me go so I can get out of here.”

He stepped toward me, but then changed his mind. A sad look crossed his features and pressed his index finger against his bottom lip, as if in thought. “Once I let you go… we probably won’t see each other again.”

“I know.” My voice quivered. Damn. That didn’t come out as confident as I wanted it to.

Lucas stepped forward and unlocked my handcuffs. I rubbed my wrist, but it didn’t help. I don’t think anything short of ice was going to help. Abruptly, he pulled me in to him and momentarily I felt weightless. A split second later my feet found the ground again. The scent of smoke enveloped me and lingered in a strong taste on my tongue. I realized we teleported back to my small apartment and the thought of it made me sick.

“Why’d you do that?” I demanded, shoving him away from me.

I could feel the demon magic crawling all over me. Maybe I was exaggerating, but angels can only teleport when travelling between realms and that’s with the help of a Veltra angel. A Veltra angel is an angel that teleports angels to and from the Never Dark realm. That form of travel was easy, allowed, and not nausea-provoking.

“I brought you home. I was being a gentleman,” he said, smiling like the Cheshire cat.

Of course he’d find this entertaining. He should know how angels feel about demons and their abilities.

“I could have found my own way home,” I retorted, leaning against the reflective glass of my wardrobe, ignoring the feeling of a million tiny bugs crawling over my skin.

“What kind of host would I be if I didn’t make sure you got home safely?”

I ran my hands over my face and through my hair. “Whatever.” I pushed past Lucas and over to my vanity table. The teleportation left me feeling nauseous and hot. My hair felt like it was suffocating me and so I searched for a clip that would hold my hair away from my neck. I didn’t own a lot of hair clips, but I knew I had one or two lying around under my guns and catsuits. Finally, I found a big, gold-edged hair clip and proceeded to pin up my hair. I turned to face Lucas, who was now standing too close. Disgustingly, I became breathless as his scent engulfed me. I met his eyes, and now that I strangely didn’t want to kill him, I didn’t see him as an evil demon. His face was soft and he was admiring me. I felt a strange fluttering sensation in my chest. I couldn’t tell if it was because of the teleporting or because of the look in his eyes. He is a demon, I reminded myself over and over.

“What?” I whispered, uneasily. ʺWhy are you looking at me like that?ʺ

He shook his head. “No reason.”

I frowned. I’d never seen Lucas look so uncertain before.

“I guess this is goodbye,” he said. I watched as he lazily trailed a finger up my forearm.

That touch alone was enough for me to abandon my morals, but instead I clenched my teeth, hoping he’d stop and just leave. My gaze trailed from my forearm to his face, and his uncertain expression was replaced with some kind of sexy, defiant smile. He knew exactly what his touch was doing to me.

I let out a slow, controlled exhale. I’m not going to do this. It’s wrong and against everything I’ve been taught. I watched in sweet agony as his wet tongue slid across his bottom lip and I recalled exactly what it felt like on my skin. Delicious desire burned at my core and I was stuck. I didn’t know what to do. Fuck it, I thought.

And I threw myself at him.

Almost

Lucas

I pulled her closer to me as she pressed her body and lips hard against mine. Her tongue stroked mine and made the reaction in my pants unstoppable. She wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me tightly against her. I could feel her heart beating hard against my chest. She wanted this as much as I did. The things I wanted to do to her were endless. For three years, I’d been imagining this moment, the moment when Violet Ashton would allow herself to want me again. My left hand trailed up the back of her tight, white dress and into her hair. I pulled the clip out and let her hair fall down her back and around her shoulders. If we were going to do this, then we were going to do it the way I’d been imagining it. The clip dropped with a small thud and Violet kicked off her tall, white stilettos. We headed toward her mirrored wardrobe as we greedily devoured each other with as much intensity as our fight in the alley. When we reached the wardrobe, I flipped her, pressing her torso against the cool glass. I could see her hot breath fog the glass as she panted and it drove me crazy. I clenched my teeth against the urge to rip her dress clean off instead of unzipping it slowly. I watched in the mirror as her dress slid down her arms and fell in a small pool of white around her feet. I took a step back to admire her. “You’re so beautiful, V.”

She turned around to face me and I was suddenly grateful that I could see well in the dark. Her impressive bust was covered in thin white lace, making her nipples indistinguishable—just. Violet flicked her hair so it draped all around her, the way I liked it. I watched as she stalked toward me, her eyes not leaving mine. Her hands ran over my chest and down my arms. Slowly, she began unbuttoning my shirt and I let her. Initially, I didn’t want this to go too far, for her sake, not mine. But I just couldn’t help myself. Restraint was a difficult thing when it came to her. When the last buttoned opened, exposing my torso and her hands ran up my stomach and over my chest, I lost it. I grabbed her and pulled her in to me. She moaned in delight, letting me know I wasn’t too rough with her. I backed up until the back of my legs hit the bed. I turned and pushed her down onto the bed and I fell on top of her, careful to hold the majority of my weight on my arms. I ran my hand across her flat, smooth navel, loving how her body heaved in response to my touch. She flexed her hips up in a rhythm, hinting for me to bring my fingers down lower. I slid my hands down, toying with the hem of her underwear. The way she moaned exposed every nerve in my body. I trailed my kisses from her lips, down her neck and across her chest. I used my teeth to free her nipple from the confines of her bra as Violet ran her fingers through my hair, urging me back up to her mouth. When our lips met, they melted together like ice on a hot slab of concrete. The only thing running through my mind was her. I was going to have sex with Violet Ashton. The girl I’d been inwardly pining over for the last three years. I slid my hand further underneath the fabric of her panties, rubbing my hand gently along her insane warmth. She whimpered and her chest rose and fell rapidly. She claimed to not want me, but no matter what her mouth said, her body was the only thing telling the truth. She wanted me and she wanted me now. As we kissed, she fumbled with my belt buckle and with every second that passed, I grew more and more excited. I ached against the fabric of my pants as I swelled harder.

Buzz. Buzz.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” I growled, against her swollen lips.

“Ignore it.” She gasped breathlessly.

Buzz. Buzz.

I tried to ignore it, but nothing is a bigger buzz kill than a vibrating phone in your pocket, and for me, it usually meant business.

“Give me a second,” I said as I rolled off her.

My shoes came into contact with the carpet and I pulled my phone from my pocket. It was Dex. I’d never received a call from Dex before, and he was my head of security, so I had to answer.

“Yes?” I answered, panting slightly.

“Sir, angels are attacking. There aren’t many of them. What do you want us to do?”

Beside me, Violet sat up and I exhaled. It was safe to say that this was over. I ran my hands through my hair. It was damp with sweat.

“If you can, capture them. I’ll be there soon.”

I slid the phone back into my pocket. Violet heard the conversation, so there was no need for me to inform her. I glanced at her. Her knees were pulled up to her chest, hiding her body from me.

“What are you going to do?” Violet asked, her voice riddled with guilt.

I couldn’t look at her, not when I knew what I say next was going to break her heart.

“What I have to.”

She grabbed at my forearm, but I refused to look at her. “You can’t kill them, they’re there for me. They’re just doing their job.”

“We’re enemies, V. I’m just doing my job.”

Violet let go of my arm, and despite my restraint, I managed to look at her. She was hurt; I could tell by the way lines carved their way through her forehead. I began buttoning my shirt as she spoke.

“You’re right. We are enemies.” Her voice held a strange tone, like she’d realized something. “Somehow, I’ve forgotten that.”

Thankfully, she had no recollection of being compelled by Eva and hopefully her next step was leaving Earth. I didn’t want her to leave, if she did, there was no telling if I’d ever see her again and that sucked. I stood up and tucked my shirt into my pants. This is it, I thought. The last moment you’re going to spend with Violet. Make it count.

“I’m sorry,” I said, turning to her.

She wore a brave face now. Her eyebrows angled in a way that made her look pissed off. Her plump lips squeezed in an angry pout. I tried to fight off a smile as memories from the time we trained together filled my mind. She meant business.

“If I could change things, I would’ve been more professional when I was training you. I would have tried harder not to fall in love with you. You don’t deserve this.”

Violet’s fierce blue eyes and compact room disappeared. Not a second later, I was encompassed by the familiar surroundings of my own chambers. It felt different, more empty than usual. A quiet whimper signalled that Eva was still passed out on my bed. Hopefully, I’d be able to dispatch the angels before she woke up. When she woke up, I’d have a hell of a lot of sucking up to do.

I teleported to my club downstairs. Music blared, but there were no humans here to enjoy it. Smashed glasses and bottles of alcohol littered the floor. Before me, my guards had three male angels down on their knees. Their faces were bloodied up and swollen. Dex stood behind them, looking smug. His black hair curled around his ears and he placed his hands on his narrow hips. I signalled for the music to be cut off. When it was, the room was eerily silent. Only the sounds of the busy city could be heard in the distance.

“Only three of them?”

Dex nodded. Rage built up in my stomach. I was interrupted and pulled away from Violet for three fucking angels? He could tell by the look on my face that I wasn’t impressed. He dropped his head slightly, like a dog does when it’s in trouble.

“You called me to deal with only three angels?”

“Yes, sir. I thought—”

“Tell me,” I said, interrupting him. “How many angels have you taken down at once?”

“Seven, sir.”

“Seven? Impressive.” Glass crunched under my feet as I approached him. “How many angels kneel before you?”

“Three, sir.”

“Three.” I ran my hands over my face. I couldn’t kill Dex. He’s usually the most competent demon I have. It’s quite hard finding a demon that knows how to follow orders or  has some semblance of common sense. “Do you know what that means?” I hated being condescending, but these morons deserved it. Dex shook his head. “Do the fucking math!” I snapped, losing my patience.

“It means I should have killed them myself,” he said quickly.

“Yes, you should have.” I glanced down at the angels who had their hands tied behind their backs. Not one of them made eye contact. I checked their stars. Two. Three. Two. I couldn’t help but laugh. The headquarters sent three inexperienced angels to a building filled with demons, and for what? For me?

I knelt down to their level and spoke to the first angel in line. “Why did you come here?”

Warm liquid hit my face as he spat on me. Instinctively, I rubbed my face and glanced at my hand. He spat his blood on me. Tonight was not a good night to fuck with me. I grabbed the angel by the collar of his uniform and yanked him to his feet. I spun him around and pressed his back against my chest. I pulled on his oily, red hair and yanked his neck back, exposing his throat. “Make them watch!” I snapped.

My guards forced the angels’ heads in my direction. Dex brought me a blade and I tore it across the first angel’s neck. Blood poured out and he twitched in my grasp. I let him go and he fell into a crumpled heap on the floor. I kicked him away. “Next.”

Dex yanked the second angel to his feet and dragged him over. I pressed his back against me and positioned the blade against his throat.

“You,” I said, flicking my head to the third angel. “What did you come here for?”

His long blond hair stuck to the blood on his face and his green eyes were wide with fear. He didn’t say anything, so I tried a different approach. “Whoever tells me the purpose of destroying my club and scaring away my customers, I’ll let live.”

The blond’s deep voice rang first. “We’re here for Violet.” His voice was high and desperate. I felt a smile spread over my lips.

“Well, isn’t that a waste of not-so-good talent. Violet isn’t here. She’s at home tucked in bed. I know that, because I took her there myself.”

A few of my demons chuckled. The angel I was holding struggled against me, but he didn’t have enough energy to break free. I ripped the blade across his throat and threw him to the floor. I stepped over the dead bodies and knelt at eye level with the blond.

“You’re free to go.” He slumped into himself in relief. I grabbed a fist of his blond hair and forced him to look me dead in the eye. “You tell your boss that if they send anyone to my club again, I’ll kill every single angel that sets foot in my city. Do you understand?”

The blond nodded quickly.

“Good. Go.”

Dex cut the angel’s ties and he fled from the club. I stood up. “This place is a god damn mess. Clean it. I want it ready to re-open by tomorrow night.”

I teleported back to my room. Eva was still sleeping peacefully on my bed. I showered and made myself comfortable on my desk chair. When I closed my eyes, all I could see was Violet and suddenly I missed her.

Parting

Violet

Dragging myself to headquarters at six a.m. was torture. I didn’t get any sleep last night after Lucas left. And the guilt of sending fellow angels to their inevitable death bothered me. I should’ve never taken Cole up on his back-up deal. It was my fault, really. I had all the means necessary to kill Lucas, but I didn’t. Instead, I tried to fuck him. If my superiors knew I tried to bed a demon, I’d be banished from the Never Dark realm—A fallen angel—a cat four demon, forced to live amongst the demons until I die.

***

“I sent three angels down there. Two of them are dead,” Cole groaned, slamming his hands down on the desk and then falling into his chair. “The third one came back so shaken up we had to send him back to the realm to be fixed.”

“Are you sure they’re dead?” I asked carefully.

“I found two god damn heads mounted on stakes right outside our fucking door. Of course I’m sure!”

Behind me, Janet closed the door and stood beside me. She pulled her new red hair around her shoulders and it irked me, making me want to change my hair color.

“You sent three angels to a demon headquarters?” I asked, ignoring Janet’s puppy dog stare as she watched me in awe.

Cole narrowed his brows at me. “Do you have a hearing problem?”

Sternly, I folded my arms across my chest. If I wasn’t so eager for his permission to get off this demon-ridden planet I’d knock his condescending tone back into his greasy mouth.

“Yes, I sent three angels. I thought that was all you would’ve needed,” he continued.

I ran my hand over my face and exhaled. This guy was possibly the biggest moron I’d ever met. “That place is packed to the roof with demons—what were you thinking?”

“But you went in alone…” Janet muttered in a confused tone.

I turned toward her. “Shouldn’t you be tending the reception desk?”

She fixated her puppy dog eyes toward Cole.

“She can stay,” he said and I rolled my eyes.

“I went in alone because I had been close to Luc—Death before he became a demon… romantically. I was using that to my advantage.”

“And what happened?”

“It’s in the report I gave you,” I replied, not wanting to disclose what I’d written in my report in front of Janet.

“Well, I’m not in a reading mood today,” Cole responded, taking my folder off his desk and tucking it under his arm. I fought off a disgusted grimace as my report touched a small sweat patch on his shirt. “So, what happened?”

Immediately, my hands became moist with sweat and my throat dry. Cole and Janet watched in anticipation—well, Janet watched in anticipation—Cole seemed bored.

“He was one step ahead of me.” I cleared my throat. “He always has been and always will be. I need to spend time tackling issues I can handle, not chasing after ex-lovers in hopes of freeing them. Besides, there are angels more capable than me, maybe they’ll stand a better chance at taking him down.”

“But it’s so romantic,” Janet cooed, twirling her hair around her index finger. “And I bet this guy is, like, a total babe.”

I watched her with a blank expression on my face as I pondered what exactly went through that chemically abused skull of hers. Today, her choice of makeup consisted of sunflower-yellow lipstick and bright golden eye shadow that framed her nice green eyes. She was definitely creative… and brave. I, for one, would never leave the house with such ridiculous colors on my face.

“What’s your plan now?” Cole asked, saving me from replying to Janet’s stupid remark.

“I want to leave Earth and go back to the Never Dark for a new assignment.”

“Why on earth would you want to leave Earth?” Cole and Janet said in unison.

Janet’s full, yellow lips curled into a smirk and she batted her golden eyelids at him. My stomach turned.

“Um,” I stuttered, fighting back the bile that crept up my throat. “I don’t think I’m needed here right now. I need to clear my head and the only way I can do that is in a Lucas-Death free environment.”

Cole ran his chubby index finger along his bottom lip as he surveyed me. “Well, isn’t this funny. You need my permission to leave, don’t you?”

“Yes.” He raised an eyebrow at me. “Sir.”

He smirked and shifted in his chair, placing his folder on the table. “What will you do for me?”

I cringed. It was Cole Nark, that sentence could mean anything.

“I may not be human, but sexual harassment laws still apply in this workplace,” I replied, unable to keep the disgusted tone from my voice.

He scoffed. “Relax, that’s not what I meant.”

“Then for the sake of keeping my breakfast down, please elaborate.”

Cole scowled at me, his eyes almost disappearing under the fat around his eyes. “Will you put in a good word for me? When you get there?”

An incredulous smile spread across my face. “You want to be an angel?” I couldn’t stop the giggle that fell from my lips as I ended my question and I wanted to kill myself for it.

“What’s so funny?”

I tightened my ponytail and pursed my lips against an outburst of laughter that was threatening to come out. “Nothing.” I didn’t sound convincing. “I just had no idea you wanted to fight demons.”

Cole jumped from his chair and paced his office. I tried to imagine his plump physique doing half the shit that we do and I almost fell to the floor in a fit of laughter. Picturing him in a tight catsuit was the only thing gross enough to stop me from doing so.

“Nobody else seems to be bloody doing anything,” he boomed. “I figured if I become an angel, I could actually get something done.”

“If only it was a simple as that,” I scoffed.

“Isn’t it?” Janet butted in.

“Absolutely not.” I turned my attention back to Cole, remembering that I needed to get his permission to leave. “With all due respect, sir, being an angel isn’t as simple as dying, becoming an angel, and then kicking ass. There is a long process you need to go through and months—sometimes years—of training before you even get the chance to set foot on Earth.”

“I know the process,” Cole spat, shoving his chair into his desk.

It startled Janet and she took a slight step behind me. I’ve fought creatures from the Underworld, so it’d take a lot more than an angry human and a loud noise to frighten me.

“What’s up with him?” I whispered to Janet while Cole wrestled with his filing cabinet.

“His brother was killed last night, a werewolf by the looks of it.”

“A werewolf?”

“Yes Ashton, a fucking werewolf. While you’re prancing around in a nightclub, chasing after demonic ex-boyfriends, people are getting slaughtered by the demons you’ve neglected to kill.”

I bit my tongue, determined to come off as the bigger person. “I’m sorry to hear—”

He raised his hand to silence me. “Spare me the pity party.” Cole managed to pull open his filing cabinet and retrieved a sheet of paper. From where I was standing, I couldn’t see what it was for. He leaned over his desk and plucked a long, black pen from a cup that read ‘I hate Mondays… and Tuesdays and Wednesdays and Fridays.’ He scribbled his signature three times over designated sections of the page.

“Here’s your permission.” He slid the paper toward me, along the smooth wood of the desk. “Give me your gun and get the hell out of my office.”

With a quick nod, I took my gun from the holster at the back of my catsuit and placed it on his desk. I grabbed the sheet of paper and left his office as quickly as I could. Normally, I’m one for challenging Cole, but today he deserved a break. Poor guy lost his brother. Janet followed me from his office, closing the door with a quiet click behind me. Despite hearing that Cole lost his brother, I was happier now I had the documents needed to leave Earth. The next step was to book the next available appointment for the teleportation room and get the hell out of here. We only had one Veltra angel at this headquarters, and with the amount of angels that arrive and leave every day, he was usually quite busy.

“I can’t believe you’re leaving and I’m stuck here. Fml, right?” Janet pouted as she dropped into the chair behind the reception desk. I stared at her quizzically. Fml was apparently meant to mean something. “What?”

“Fml?”

I stared at her blankly.

“Fuck my life?”

My jaw clenched and I wished I’d never asked. I knew it had to be an abbreviation for something ridiculous. “Right. Anyway, I need to see Tom as soon as possible. When is the next available slot?”

Tom was the name of our resident Veltra angel. Janet tapped annoyingly away at the keyboard and I waited, glancing around the room. I noticed that they’d put a new painting on the wall. If I recall the art classes I took in high school correctly, the piece was titled The Last Judgement by Michelangelo. A replica, of course—the original was painted on the altar wall inside the Sistine Chapel. It was kind of creepy having a miniature version of it hanging in here.

“Tom is due to teleport someone here within the next hour. There’s no one scheduled to leave, but you don’t have much time once he arrives. He’s set to return immediately to bring another.”

“Pencil me in. I’ll wait for him in the teleportation chamber.”

As she glanced down at her white keyboard to type my name in, I turned on my heel and left. Janet struck me as the kind of person that says goodbye with hugs and no doubt kisses, too. I tucked the permission paper under my arm and squeezed it tightly to my side. I’d hate to lose it. I headed past Cole’s office and down the long, corridor toward the teleportation room. The HQ wasn’t overly large, but it was intricate. There were so many doors I had to get through and security guards that I had to show my form to before I even made it to the reception of the teleportation chambers.

“Name?” Gladys the receptionist asked, peering over the small gold glasses that perched on the bridge of her nose.

I fought hard not to turn my nose up at the foul stench of perfume. Perfume was a guess. It seemed the only logical explanation for the strange smell. There weren’t any cats here, so the chances of it being cat urine were slim to none. I swallowed hard, taking a bitter taste down with it.

“Ashton, Violet.”

“Form?” Her thin purple lips matched the short plum-colored curls that coiled around her ears. When I looked closer, I noticed that she was very color co-ordinated… in every way. The small purple diamonds that hung on a short gold chain from her ear lobes glistened in the bright white light. As she glanced downwards at her computer screen, I saw a faint amount of purple eye shadow, barely noticeable behind her thick black eyelashes. With two loud thuds, she stamped my form and handed it to me.

“Tom should be here within the hour. Take a seat.” She hugged her mauve cardigan around her chest and I became conscious of the cold air in the room. For some reason, the air-conditioning was blasting. I sat down on one of the plastic chairs across from the reception desk, placing my form on the empty seat beside me. The room was grim, bare, and white from wall to wall. I found myself staring at Gladys, suddenly appreciating her extreme color choice. The various shades of purple she wore offered the only semblance of color—of happiness—against the brutal onslaught of white. Instantly I became bored. I focused harder on Gladys. I wanted to see her wings. I watched her for a few minutes, trying to remember how to see into her ‘inner angel.’ All I had to do was focus. After a few minutes, two big masses of energy floated behind Gladys. The miniscule lines of aura inside her wings were green, which meant organization. What you become in our society is determined by the color of the aura in your wings. Our wings are a mass of white energy, but if you look closely, little colors run through that mass of energy, like the veins in a human body. The color determines what you’ll do in our society. Before you awaken in the Never Dark, your wings begin to grow. They start off as tiny balls of light and by the end of your transition, they’re fully grown. Red means you’ll be recruited to fight, like me, or guard. Blue is intellect—you’ll end up as one of our scientists. Green means organization, which are our assistants and receptionists. And purple means you have the ability to travel, like a Veltra angel. Purple is quite rare; out of the twenty thousand angels in our society, we had only one hundred Veltra angels. There are a few more colors, but I just couldn’t seem to remember. I stopped focusing on Gladys and let her impressive wings dissolve into nothing. I shifted in my seat, trying to find a secure position. There was plenty of room to move about, but nowhere to get comfortable. The hour I had to wait suddenly seemed too long and keeping my eyes open quickly became difficult.

***

I quiver as warm lips graze across my ribs and over my nipple. Teeth tug softly at my sensitive flesh before making their ascent to my ear lobe. His hands roam my body, exploring the rises and dips of my curves and I shudder as I run my fingers through short hair. His lips meet mine and a soft moan rumbles at the base of my throat. I can make out the sun-kissed color of his skin and dark hair. I tilt my head to get a better look at the room. We were in the hotel room he’d stayed in on my first visit to Earth. From what I could tell, the room was the same. A double bed adorned with the most comfortable comforter set, two dark oak bedside tables and one painting that hung above the head of the bed. The painting was of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Yep, exactly the same.

He pulls back slightly and runs a soft, warm index finger down my cheek and traces my bottom lip. “Is everything okay?”

I stare into his eyes. His voice is like warm honey, delicious and sickly sweet. How could everything not be okay? I know I should be disturbed by the erotic feelings that are engulfing me, but I am anything but. I don’t respond. Instead, I grab a fistful of his hair and pull his lips down to mine. The feel of his mouth breathes life into me and everything inside my body lights up like a Christmas tree. His lips leave mine and make their way over my left breast and down past my ribs. A tsunami of tingles floods my entire body, coursing through every one of my veins, exposing every nerve ending in my body. The feeling grows stronger the closer he gets to my panty line. I close my eyes and fight against the urge to thrash against the sweet agony of his lips. His index finger traces the edge of my lacy underwear as he plants soft kisses along the inside of my thighs. His eyes lock onto mine as he comes up to a kneeling position. Both of his strong hands reach up and pull on my underwear. I lift my hips slightly, allowing him to pull my panties off with ease. His gaze drops from mine down to my warm center.

“So beautiful,” he murmurs, his fingertips grazing the skin over my thighs ever so gently.

“Violet?”

I swear I only shut my eyes for a second. Slowly, I come to and the sharp lines of the world returned. I met Tom’s azure eyes and short blond hair that was styled into a sharp point. I felt a flush roll through me. How embarrassing.

“Was I sleeping?” I groaned, running my hands over my face. Again, I swear I only shut my eyes for a second.

Tom smiled warmly at me. “I’d say so. You’re drooling.”

This was awkward and probably the first time anyone I worked with has seen me not vigilant. In embarrassment, I ran my thumb down the side of my mouth. I glanced at Gladys, who typed away on her computer like we didn’t exist.

“Long night?”

I rose to my feet. I’ve always felt it was rude to talk to someone while sitting. Equal eye level just felt right. “You have no idea.”

Tom’s icy blue eyes surveyed me for a little while. I could tell he was pondering whether to ask me about last night or not. I kept my gaze locked on his, trying to think of a nice way to tell him to mind his own business, if he asked.

“Come on, we should go,” Tom said, hugging his charcoal suit jacket tighter around him as he glanced around the room. “Do you have any belongings?”

“Just me.”

“Then let’s get out of here.”

I followed closely behind him as he led me through a concealed white door across from where I fell asleep. We walked silently through a boring maze of white walls before we located the room we’d use. From the back pocket of his dark slacks he pulled out a key card and swiped it through the tiny slit provided. When the three lights went from red to green, the door opened and we stepped inside. I didn’t know why the teleportation chambers were so out of the way. It was merely an empty room, making the formalities look stupid. There was no furniture, no windows and definitely no décor. It was very science lab-like. The white in this room seemed to be glowing a little bit brighter than the walls in the waiting room.

“Do you get nauseous when teleporting?” he asked, producing a small, clear container of fluoro green pills and presenting them to me. I shook my head. On my first trip to Earth, I’d had to take at least three pills to ease my stomach after we’d already teleported. It was horrible, but seeing Lucas teleport with little to no discomfort forced me to suck it up. It’s easy once you get used to it. Tom took two of the pills and popped them one by one into his mouth. His perfect teeth chomped down on them and he swallowed hard.

“You get nauseous?” I asked, curiously. It was hard to believe a Veltra angel gets nauseous. Teleporting was their only skill.

He chuckled. “No, I just like the taste.”

Tom grabbed my wrist and the hard floor dropped out from underneath me. I was floating, or at least it felt like floating. Weightlessness was the first phase of teleporting. The next was the feeling of being pulled in all different directions until your body explodes into tiny particles—another strange sensation. You can’t see yourself, but you can feel yourself. That feeling alone is the weirdest, most exhilarating feeling in the world. It’s like you’re everything, but at the same time, you’re nothing. Visually, teleporting was amazing. Nothing made sense. There were colors you’d never see on Earth, or anywhere else, for that matter. These strange shades smashed into each other, creating even more colors. It’s like you’re inside a kaleidoscope while someone twists it and the patterns begin to merge and change. It really was a blissful state. All worries are sucked out and you’re awed by the sheer extravagance of it all. It takes a few minutes before the tingling subsides and you feel like you’ve been ‘put back together’ again. After the weightlessness disappeared and gravity took hold, a dull ache shot up my spine as it supported all my weight once again. I was only one hundred and thirty-two pounds, so feeling the stress on my spine was unnerving. Slowly, the colors faded and reality set in. I glanced around the room—white. Always white. I pulled my ponytail so it draped over my shoulder. It didn’t do much to keep the unyielding white from suffocating me, but it made me happier.

Tom cleared his throat, drawing my attention and placed his hand over his mouth, making the sound of a walkie talkie. “Good morning, passengers, this is your pilot speaking. We have successfully made the descent to the Never Dark. We hope you‘ve enjoyed your flight and thank you for choosing Thomas airlines.” He lowered his hands and smiled cheekily at me.

“Really? You’re that guy now,” I replied dully, fighting off a smile.

“Loosen up, Violet. It won’t kill you to have a little bit of fun.”

Sure. In his occupation maybe it wouldn’t kill him, but in mine, it most certainly  would. I guess I didn’t have too much to worry about now. I was no longer on Earth and that thought alone brought immense comfort, but it wasn’t enough to shake the nerves that had suddenly built up in my stomach. Killing Lucas was no longer my problem, but I still had to deal with the Council. They’d want to know why the Four Horsemen are on Earth and why I didn’t kill Lucas when I’d convinced the Obss Angels I would. If you thought Cole Nark was an asshole, he was nothing compared to the mega-assholes that run the show up here. The only problem was I couldn’t talk back to them. If you so much as talk out of turn, they’ll kick your ass with no hesitation. I’ve experienced it and it’s no fun at all. Being an angel comes with a long list of rules and obligations. You can’t become an angel and expect to run your own show. Every demon you kill and every decision you make should have someone’s approval. It isn’t unheard of for the Council to kill an angel. Shit happens.

As we exited the room, I thought about my return and what it really meant. One, I punked out and ran home with my tail between my legs. That wasn’t going to look well on my record. Two, I didn’t slay my one hundredth demon, which is a massive achievement in my field of work. Fail. I guess I should count my lucky stars, though. If I’d been caught almost bedding a demon, I’d be absolutely, one hundred percent screwed. Dead.

We stepped into the waiting area and were once again met with white furniture and white walls. Kill me now.

“Tom!” an unknown male angel called. The muscular angel rose to his feet and strode over to us. He was wearing his uniform—the standard long sleeved, bulky vest that was attached to the pants at the back.

The pants were tight and ran down the legs and into shin high, light-steel framed boots. There were plenty of pockets on the uniform, making the tightness of the pants look not all that tight.

“Jared, hi,” Tom greeted and they shook hands firmly.

I eyed the reception desk awkwardly. I didn’t want to stand around and make new friends. I wanted to go to bed and deal with whatever I needed to deal with tomorrow. That was my only plan.

“Ashton, right?” Jared asked, extending a hand to me. “I’m Jared Rees. I admire your skills.”

I placed my hand in his. He had a soft grip, and believe it or not, you can actually tell a lot about a person from their hand shake. Judging by this handshake, Jared doesn’t take anything seriously. I’d say this was his second or third trip to Earth without his mentor. The only demons he’s been killing are probably tracker demons—child’s play, really.

“Thank you,” I said, placing my hands on my hips. “What’s your mission?”

Normally, I’d never ask, but my ‘always having to be right’ attitude got the better of me. That and I also happen to be a three star ranked angel, evident by the three small stars sewn into the fabric above my left breast on my catsuit. He has half a star, meaning he’s only just graduated and making him my bitch, pretty much. Angels are ranked by their kills and by their experience. Zero stars being the lowest (trainees) and six stars being the highest (the Council and other elderly angels). Most angels died by the time they get their fifth star. The stronger the demons, the higher chance of your death, but you can’t really progress any higher than two stars without killing any worthy demons. It’s like a video game, except if you die, it’s going to hurt. Before he was taken away, Lucas was two high category kills away from earning his fifth star, an achievement he’d worked hard for. I’d be pushed up to four stars if I’d managed to take Lucas down.

“Trackers on the outskirts of Concave City. Nothing I can’t handle.” Nothing anyone can’t handle. I smiled to myself. I knew it was something amateur.

“Did you get your one hundredth demon?” Jared asked.

The question hit me like a ton of bricks and my chest ached. Not with sadness, but with embarrassment and disappointment.

“Uh, no, no I didn’t.” To avoid any further embarrassing questions, I nodded farewell to Tom and Jared and I headed over to the reception desk. The man that sat at the reception desk had beautiful skin, the color of mocha. It was flawless. I couldn’t even find a pore. On the chest of his uniform I saw four bright stars sewn into the fabric. I wondered what he did to get stuck with this boring job. His bright amber eyes locked onto mine.

“Name?” he asked.

“Ashton.”

“Form?”

My stomach dropped. Damn it! I left my form on the seat next to me back on Earth. Today just wasn’t my day.

“I don’t have it.”

His gorgeous amber eyes were hidden under his frown and he ran his hand across his forehead in frustration. I wondered how many times this had happened to him today and immediately felt bad. I’d never forgotten my form before.

“This isn’t what you’d expect of a rank three angel,” he said, narrowing his eyes at me.

“I know and I apologize.”

I could go into a big speech about last night and how I didn’t get any sleep, but somehow I didn’t see that conversation doing me any justice.

“Luckily, Gladys got in contact and sent your reference code. Welcome back to the Never Dark.”

The dark man turned his attention to his computer screen and ignored my presence, which was fine by me. I turned on my heel and exited the room. I was so relieved to get out of the teleportation chambers. It was so bland and daft it made the gray metal and over-polished cream floor of the Never Dark Headquarters seem like I was walking on a rainbow. I’d never been so happy to see so many different shades of gray and cream. Compared to the Earth headquarters, the Never Dark HQ was colossal. Tall Doric columns stretched up to the ceiling to support this grand structure. I ran my fingertips along the base of a column as I passed. I was unsure if the columns were made out of marble or if it was steel, coated in plaster, and then painted to replicate a marble column. It didn’t matter, I suppose. It still looked beautiful. I didn’t know what it was about the Never Dark that just made me feel welcome and safe. It just did. I walked past office doors and office areas. Past lunch rooms and board rooms. Although the HQ was huge, we could only use the bottom four levels. The other five were reserved for the Council and their important guests. In the bottom four levels we had the offices on level one (hundreds of them), on level two it was the training rooms and gyms—we were never short on those, either. Level three was the armory, you could take anything that’d fit in the teleportation room with you, from knives to rocket launchers, we had it all. However, if you wanted anything bigger than a handgun you needed higher approval, from the Council usually. It was strange. We could take weapons from this realm to Earth, but not from Earth to this realm. It made no sense, and whenever I’d asked about it, I’d get the same response—‘Humans are stupid.’ Level four was the infirmary. We had lots of clinics around the main city of Never Dark, but the main hospital was here in the headquarters. If you needed a level higher than number four, you needed a key pass or an exemption form. Those levels were strictly off limits to normal angels. Workers come and go from there, but they all hold level five or six stars and you do not want to poke your head into their business because they will crush it. We have a general idea of what is up there, fifth floor is where they hold rogue angels or ones that have done something messed up and are being punished. Sixth floor is a science lab. The seventh floor is the Council room, the place you’re taken for your initiation, where you make your pledge when you first become an angel. It’s also the place you’re interrogated when you’ve done something wrong. One of the next two floors is separated into six very large apartments in which the Council members live. The remaining floor remained a mystery. Nobody knew.

“Miss Ashton?” a voice called, pulling me from my thoughts.

Damn! I was almost in the lobby. Slowly, I turned around. It was Jenga, my assistant. In the beginning I refused to have one, but the Obss angels forced it on me. Apparently, a heavier workload brings more paperwork and meetings. Jenga keeps all of that in check for me while I’m gone. Sometimes when I’m in a weird, remote place, she calls my headpiece and tells me where to go and what to do—most of the time I never switched the headpiece on. Once I got used to Jenga, my arrogance wore off and I realized she was pretty helpful. I don’t know what I’d do without her now. The Obss angels are angels that are second in charge under the Council. They keep everyone in line while the Council deals with more pressing issues. Basically, they’re a bunch of bossy dickheads in really cool robes.

Jenga’s jet black fringe slides down her forehead and into her eye. She swipes it away with a colorful manicured hand. Before I left, Jenga had bright blue hair and people would always laugh when they saw us together. It was annoying, to say the least. Black was better, but it made her ivory skin seem almost porcelain-like. I was afraid that if she fell, she’d smash into a million pieces.

“Welcome back!” She smiled as she straightened her mahogany silk blouse.

“I’m happy to be back,” I replied. “I’m gonna go home. Come find me tomorrow and we can go through everything I missed.”

I turned away from her, desperate to get out of here. My legs complained with every step I took and my eyes longed to be closed.

“You can’t go home just yet,” Jenga called after me.

I threw my hand backwards, gesturing for her to go away and I kept on walking.

“It’s the Council,” she called.

I stopped dead in my tracks and the hair on the back of my neck stood up. As I turned to face her, my skin began to prickle with an eerie feeling. People walked all around us, but I was oblivious to them. I hadn’t seen the Council in years. What could they possibly want now that couldn’t wait until tomorrow?

“They need to see you now,” Jenga said as she paced hastily over to me.

She ruffled through her green folder. Her jade eyes locked onto mine as she handed me an exemption form for the Council room.

“Fuck.”

Relinquish

Lucas

I turned the shower on and set it to maximum heat. The cold streams of water that hit my back quickly turned into small blades of fire and it hurt… but I liked it. The searing pain from the shower took away from the pain I was really feeling. Eva used her location spell and confirmed that Violet had indeed left Earth. I was meant to be happy, and I am in a way, because it meant I wouldn’t have to worry about my brothers getting their filthy paws on her, but it also meant that we’d probably never see each other again. Now that I had seen her and touched her again, the thought of not doing those things enraged me. Inside me, I could feel my demonic side trying to push away the vulnerable feelings. I know I should let it and I will later, but for now I just wanted to savor the moments we spent together.

***

I stood in front of my floor-length mirror, sizing up my outfit. Running a club and planning the end of the world was hard work, but not draining enough to not look good. Although I did like the way my custom suits looked, I missed the days when my comfort took precedence over my appearance. When I was an angel, I had a uniform. It was both snug and comfortable, and when I wasn’t working, I stuck to jeans and t-shirts. Occasionally, when I was trapped in the office, I chose to wear dress shirts and slacks. I ran my hands down the front of my steel gray suit. I don’t usually wear gray, black tends to be my color of choice, but tonight I was after something to lighten the mood. I tightened my blue tie and ran my fingers through my hair. The tie contrasted well against the steel dress shirt I’d chosen to wear. With one last glance, I decided I was ready to go. I strolled over to the minibar and poured myself a drink. The glistening traffic down on the ground below caught my eye and I walked over to the window. I sure was going to miss this place. It beats living in the Underworld. Even though it was lawless, had awesome bars, and strange demon-women, it wasn’t peaceful. Not like Earth. Walking through the heart of Concave City, listening to car horns and people screaming was more peaceful than the Underworld. My sight got caught on the gleaming red brake lights in the sea of traffic below and my mind was taken back to Violet once again. She’s gone. I slammed down a large mouthful of whiskey and bared my teeth as it stung the back of my throat.

“I’m done,” I mumbled. “I’m ready to move on.”

I inhaled deeply, relaxing all the muscles in my body. I felt darkness and anger wrap around my organs and constrict my chest. I’d managed to hold my demonic side down whilst Violet was here. Now she’s gone and I’m ready to move past everything that had happened between us. The worry I felt for Violet’s safety slowly diminished and it was replaced by the regret that I didn’t squeeze the life from her. I liked blood. I liked the way its warm stickiness clung to my skin. The feeling of taking another’s life force is addicting and I’m angered that I couldn’t add Violet’s to the mix. I felt a sick smile spread over my face as a thought dawned on me. I’ll make up for time lost. I’ll replace Violet’s blood with the blood of others.

I headed for the door, placing my empty glass on my desk as I passed. Tonight should be fun.

Compulsion

Violet

I sat in the Council room on a cheap wooden chair. I had the same unsettled feeling as the day I was interviewed after Lucas was taken. The room was dark and a luminous green LED strip lined the shape of the floor before it dissipated into darkness behind me somewhere. I could see in the dark, and yet here I was, totally blinded. It was unnerving. Security angels dressed in our uniform (but in a deep shade of red) were aligned against the wall and it did nothing to help my comfort level. Or my anxiety level, for that matter. What the hell is going on? I haven’t been called to see the Council since Lucas’s abduction. That was three years ago. Maybe they just want to see how you are? They could be concerned about your feelings? I cleared my throat to stop the scoff that threatened to seep past my lips. The Council didn’t care about anyone’s feelings. They cared about victory against the demons and that was the extent of it. Three years ago I was chastised for not killing all of the Horsemen when they’d come for Lucas in his hotel room. I was a baby angel! I couldn’t have done anything, and it wasn’t for lack of trying, either.

“Rise!” someone, somewhere, shouted through speakers.

The deep voice was intimidating and it echoed throughout the hall. Now I know how frightened Dorothy and her crew were when they finally met the Wizard of Oz. It’s just a voiceover, I reminded myself. It was only a tiny old man behind that curtain in the end of that movie. I relaxed a fraction, but not enough to let my ‘carefree do what I want’ attitude show. If there was anything in this world that scared the shit out of me, it was spiders, the Council, and becoming a demon—not necessarily in that order. Quickly, I rose from my chair.

One by one the Council members entered. As they crossed my vision and took their positions at the high desk in front of me, I placed their faces to their names. Ahearn was the tallest one. And the meanest. He’s of Russian descent and a total badass. If there was anyone on the Council you should avoid offending at all costs, it was him. His dirty blond hair was tied neatly into a short ponytail at the base of his neck.

Every Council member is represented by a color. I couldn’t help but wonder if Ahearn’s robe was red because he’d soaked it in blood. I could totally see him doing something like that. That’s how scary he was. His eyebrows knitted together and I freaked, moving my gaze quickly onto Ahriman, the blue Council member. Ahriman was Persian and our more ‘famous’ Council member. Back in his prime, he’d managed to take down his demonic twin brother, also named Ahriman. Ahriman came out of that battle with more than a scratch, that’s for sure. He had a large, thick scar on his jaw line that ran down his neck before disappearing somewhere into his robe. His blue robe looked quite nice against his caramel skin and short black hair. His bright blue eyes connected with mine and I dropped my gaze to the ground. The last thing I wanted was him to think I was gawking at his freakish scar. Willow, the green Council member, cleared her throat, dragging my attention to her. Her dark skin and frizzy hair told me she was African, but I had no proof to back that theory up. Zeon and Nektosha, a.k.a., the Latin twins, occupied the colors purple and yellow. Zeon and Nektosha were the exact same in every way. If Nektosha didn’t have long hair, you’d think they were both boys. When I say they’re the same in every way, I mean it. They were born together and they even died together. Both of them were murdered by their parents at the age of twenty-one. The last Council member to step out and take their seat was Sebastian, the orange Council member and the one representing us white folk. All the female angels here in the Never Dark swooned over Sebastian. He was younger than the rest of them and appeared softer. His long brown hair curled under his chin and he flashed me a sympathetic smile, but I didn’t respond. We weren’t allowed to. Looking at the Council from here was nice. It was one row of pretty colors. Any newcomer would see them as harmless softies. If only.

“Sit,” the deep, scary voice in the speakers commanded. I sat.

“Miss Violet Ashton,” Ahearn began. Great. Of course he had to be involved. Why couldn’t he just sit in the background like last time? “Welcome back to the Never Dark realm.”

“Thank you, sir,” I replied, proud that I’d managed to sound confident. “It’s good to be home.”

“Yet you do not return home with exciting news?” he growled.

I swallowed hard. “No, sir, I am afraid I don’t have any exciting news for you.”

His eyes narrowed. Shit.

“You did not fulfil your task? I was told that you begged for this assignment,” Willow said, irritation clear in her voice.

“Yes, ma’am, I did beg for it. I had every intention of tearing Death’s heart from his chest, but—”

“I didn’t ask for an excuse.”

I nodded sheepishly. Ugh. I hate feeling like a child.

“Do you remember what you told the Obss angel before they granted you the mission?”

I knew they were going to use that against me. Again, I nodded.

“Answer me!” Damn, Willow was on a power trip today.

“I told them that I was more capable of killing Lucas than anyone else.”

“And?”

“And that he and I used to be involved so I could use that to my advantage.”

“And yet here you sit,” Ahriman interjected. His Persian accent was thick and deep. “Tell us what happened.”

I cleared my throat. “The first night I saw him, we had a fight in the alley of the Sequin nightclub. My mission was only to threaten him and tell him to leave. I did. Soon after, I found out Lucas was still on Earth, so I came up with a new plan and ran it by Cole Nark, which he approved. I went to Lucas’s nightclub and I was going to kill him, but he injected me with some drug and I passed out. When I woke up, I was handcuffed to his bed.”

The last sentence came out awkwardly, but the Council’s faces remained unchanged. I proceeded carefully. The last thing I wanted was to slip up about the almost sex. “When I woke up, we had a long conversation and I realized he was too strong for me. I couldn’t kill him.” I cringed. Even I realized how stupid it sounded.

“How did you get away?” Ahriman asked.

“He teleported me back to my apartment and that was it.”

Willow rose from her seat and I copied. It was a rule. If you are in front of the Council, you can’t be seated unless all of them are seated.

“Guards!” Willow called. Yes, the hearing is over. Relief filled me and I was ready to go. “Get the chains!”

“Chains? Why the chains?” I ignored the ‘only speak unless spoken to’ protocol. The panic was clear in my voice and no doubt on my face, too. Willow turned away from me and glanced at her fellow Council members. “She’s been compelled.”

Compelled? “What? No!” My voice was strained and I turned my back to the Council—a big no-no, by the way—and faced the advancing guards. “I haven’t been compelled!”

At least twelve guards stepped slowly toward me, all of them carrying a portion of the chain. I backed away from them, but I had nowhere to go. It was a big offense to approach the Council desk without being summoned. I was stuck, powerless. I turned back to the Council. “I haven’t been compelled. Please,” I begged desperately.

I’ve heard storied about angels that have been compelled and what they do to break it. It’s gruesome. It’s a painful five hour process. If they can’t break you out of your compulsion, you die. I guess this meant I was going to die because I wasn’t compelled. The Council watched me with no emotion on their features. I stood shaking with fear as the guards wrapped a thick chain around my torso. I’m not going to cry. These Council-fuckers won’t get the pleasure of witnessing me cry. I bit my lip and walked behind the twelve guards as they dragged me away into the darkness.

***

The high pressure hose burnt my skin as the ice cold water hit the naked flesh of my back. I screamed out in pain, still holding back the flood of tears. I’d try to run and get away from the hose, but I was chained in a standing position, my bare back taking the bulk of the assault. For two hours they’d sprayed me and that was only the first segment. Who knew what’d come next. As soon as I finished that thought, the hose stopped and guards entered the room. They took my chains down from the wall and I fell onto my knees. I didn’t have the energy to get back up. The skin on my back continued to tingle and burn and I wondered if there’d be any permanent damage. I kept my gaze on the sterile floor tiles as a masked-guard slipped a black t-shirt over my head. I was released from my chains and he slipped my arms through the holes. The cotton fabric clung to my wet breasts and I was thankful it wasn’t white. The same masked-guard advanced on me with a black pair of sweatpants. I stared at the skin-tight black mask. In the reflection of the glossy eye coverings, I saw an exhausted female. Me. I looked deathly pale and tired. Only three more hours, I reassured myself. You’ve been through worse. I was right. I had been through worse. Much worse.

When my pants were on, I was pulled to my feet and dragged from the room. The next room was the opposite of the sterile washroom. It was pitch black. The only light came from a small bulb above a small wooden chair.

“You just came back from Earth?” the guard beside me mumbled.

I nodded slowly.

“Some homecoming…”

The two guards dropped me into the chair and my hands were tied behind my back. Soft clicks echoed throughout the room, but I remained focused on my wet feet. Someone approached me.

“Head up,” her icy voice commanded.

I looked up and made eye contact with her violet eyes. She raised her hand. It collided with my cheek and I was back to staring at my feet. I grunted in pain. Man, this chick can slap. Tears stung my eyes and I gritted my teeth against the burn. “Slapping is the next phase?” I groaned. “This should be fun.”

I lifted my head up again and her hard fist forced it back down. It went on like that for a while. My face went numb and staying conscious became difficult. Before I knew it, I was in a different room, a kitchen maybe, having various herbs stuffed down my throat by an old woman that hovered over me. Something about an old woman chanting in a foreign language seemed familiar to me, but I couldn’t place it. Once I was drugged up on herbs and every inch of my skin was soaked and aching, I was left alone in a private room. Room was a nice way to put it. In reality, it was a small six by eight foot cell with a mattress, a silver toilet, and a steel shower. I rolled onto my side, trying to make sense of what was happening to me. I could feel the herbs crawling through my veins, trying to make their way to my brain. Plucking and pulling at my memories, trying to rid my body of the supposed compulsion. With every passing second the pain grew sharper and I gasped as searing pains tore over the back of scalp. I was alone, so I let the tears flow. I could feel bile creeping slowly up my throat as my mouth began to foam. Was I having an overdose? I crawled on my hands and knees across the jagged concrete over to the toilet. I hovered above it for a little while, looking at my distorted reflection. My hair was a mess, my face swollen and bruised. A bout of nausea rolled over me and I felt like I was dying. Maybe I am? Good. Death would be better than this. I threw up into the toilet and I kept throwing up until I had nothing left in my stomach. Just when I thought it was all out of my system, my vision turned blurry again and I passed out.

Aversion

Lucas

I don’t know why I left the club looking for trouble. I never go out looking for trouble, but tonight I felt like hurting people. Causing death. In my defense, that is the purpose of my existence. On a good note, I haven’t thought about Violet since I left the club over—I glanced at my watch—half an hour ago. Good enough for me.

I walked around Concave City. There were so many people out tonight. Was there some kind of special event? It had been a long time since I’ve had to burden myself with the ridiculous amounts of human holidays and social events. It’s all a scam to suck money from their pockets. They make them work their asses off all week and then coax them into blowing it all on alcohol on the weekend. Keep them inebriated. Keep them in line. It’s quite tragic, really. Oh well, it doesn’t affect me anymore. A young couple broke off from a group of friends outside a backpacker club that looked strangely familiar and ran into a nearby alley. I decided to follow them. I was in need of entertainment. I could watch them have sex or I could kill them. It’s a win-win situation.

There was no light in the alley and it smelt of piss and beer. Not too bad for an alley in the middle of the city. I could see well, the humans couldn’t. I could be standing within arm’s reach of them and they’d never know. I found a large tin barrel to sit on, about five yards to the left of them. The guy was a short thing. The female practically towered over him. I pulled the flask of whiskey from my pocket and rested my elbows on my knees as I watched him try to seduce the Amazonian babe with his drunken kisses. Suppressing laughs were hard, but I managed. I got bored after a few more minutes. It was clear this guy wasn’t going to be able to have sex with her—at least not without lying down on the floor—and by the expression on the girl’s face, he wasn’t the kind of guy she’d lie down on the dirty floor for. I took a swig of whiskey and glanced over at the understated bar. Then it hit me. The backpacker bar was familiar… because I’d been there when I was an angel. I’d been in this alley before, too. This was the alley I found Violet lying in… dying in.

I step into the alley, I’m sure I heard whimpering coming from down here. I know I shouldn’t bother. It’ll probably be some drunken girl crying because she got into a fight with her boyfriend because some guy was grinding her on the dance floor. I step further into the alley and I see her lying on the concrete, shaking and crying.

“Are you okay?” I ask cautiously.

Her whimpers become panicked and she’s tries to crawl away from me, but she doesn’t have enough strength. “Please,” she gasps. “Don’t.” Then I notice the blood. Lots of blood. I run over to her and roll her onto her side. Her eyes are closed, too swollen to open.

“It’s okay,” I tell her. “You’re going to be okay.”

She isn’t going to be okay. She’s lost too much blood. Her short purple dress is pulled up to her hips. I pull it down. You don’t have to be a doctor to understand what exactly has happened here. Poor girl, there’s blood coming from all orifices and a lot of it is dry. She’s been like this for a while, barely holding on. She’s young, at least nineteen, maybe twenty. The contents of her handbag were spread out all over the concrete. I search them, looking for a driver’s licence or I.D. card—anything that can tell me what her name is. I find her purse and locate the driver’s license. Violet Ashton. Concave City. I pull out my cell phone and dial the HQ.

“Jordan Aft speaking.”

“Jordon, it’s Lucas Cross. I need you to get a message to the Never Dark for me, to Sally, the recruitment officer. Tell her to run the name Violet Ashton, Concave City, in her system. Call me back.”

I hang up and wait impatiently, staring at Violet. She’s stopped moving and whimpering now. I press my fingers to her throat. She’s gone. I tap my cell phone on my knee. The window to create an angel is short and I’m running out of time. Buzz, buzz.

“Jordon?”

“Violet Ashton, Concave City. No parents, no siblings.”

No family. I glance down at her and I can’t process the fact that she has no one that’ll care if she dies tonight. The thought alone constricts my chest.

“Do you remember when I said that I don’t want to be a mentor and turned down that last kid?”

“Yes…”

“Well, I’m ready and I want to mentor this girl.”

“What makes her so special?”

“We’re running out of time! Call Sally and tell her that I’m bringing back Violet Ashton. See if Luke is free—if he isn’t, get another Veltra angel down here immediately. Tell whoever it is that I’m in an alley on Rock Street and need to be teleported now.”

I disconnect, stand up, and pull Violet into my arms. I can’t help but wonder what makes this girl so special? I stare at her. It’s clear I’m not helping her because she’s hot. I have no idea what she looks like under all the swelling and blood. It hits me—it’s because she’s a fighter. She had no idea if she’d even be found, but she held on right up until I found her. There was nothing I could do to help her, but maybe I can give her a second chance at living.

I glanced up the alley and I see the run down janitors’ shed and the graffiti of a devil woman with large breasts spray painted on the concrete wall in front of me. I grabbed the giant tin barrel I was sitting on and I threw it at the concrete wall across from where I was sitting. It clanged hard against the concrete wall and the couple screamed and tried to run past me, but I grabbed them both by the throat. They didn’t try to fight me, they were too scared.

“Please,” the girl cried. “Don’t.”

Her whimpers become panicked and I think she’s trying to crawl away from me, but she doesn’t have enough strength. “Please, she gasps. “Don’t.”

I drop them and they run, leaving me alone in the alley with my memories. I fall onto my knees, trying to shake the remembrance from my mind.

I run over to her and roll her onto her side. Her eyes are closed, too swollen to open.

“It’s okay,” I tell her. “You’re going to be okay.”

“Stop!” I yelled, punching the concrete beneath me. But it doesn’t stop and it won’t stop. If I didn’t step into this alley years ago, I never would have known Violet Ashton and I wouldn’t have felt that urge to protect her and eventually we never would have fallen in love. I had to protect myself from my memories. I had to destroy the source that forces me to remember them. I had to destroy Earth. I rose to my feet and stormed through the alley. I pulled my phone out of my back pocket and called Dex.

“Dex. It’s Lucas. Close the club, I’m coming home and I want it cleared out, do you understand?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Call War, Famine, and Conquest. Tell them to meet me in my boardroom. I need to discuss plans with them.”

“Yes, sir.”

I hang up the phone and put it back in my pocket. I never voluntarily invite my brothers to my club, but I figured the sooner we end this stupid world, the better. I’ll force the memories of my old life from my mind by destroying the familiar places. It was a long shot, but one that had to be made.

Consciousness

Violet

I opened my eyes to the same stupid, boring cell. I’d hoped it was a dream and that maybe I was still asleep in the teleportation reception room back on Earth. No such luck. Was I meant to wake up and suddenly remember things? Because I didn’t. I still didn’t recall being compelled, and although it’s something I wouldn’t remember, I think I’d know if I missed a whole chunk of time out of my life. I sat up and my whole body ached. I glanced down at my black tee. I also had vomit on my shirt.

“I need a shower,” I groaned. Instead of pulling the vomit-covered shirt over my head and adding any more to my hair, I tore it from the collar down and let it fall into a heap. I was thankful that the front of my body wasn’t damaged. There was no bruising to my breasts, stomach, or legs. I didn’t even have to look at my back to know that it was a completely different story. My face also felt swollen and sore, but it wasn’t as bad as it was the last time I was awake, whenever that was. I stood under the shower and turned it on.

The first drop hit my skin and I remembered. It all seemed so clear. The warm droplets burned against my abused skin. Steam enveloped me and I stood there, still, the voices echoing in my head. Eva’s. “Compulsion is an exhausting spell, Lucas, and on an angel, takes it to a whole other level of strength.” Lucas’s. “I need her to be safe… and Earth isn’t safe.” Mine. “You don’t have the people you care about compelled… you don’t take away their rights.” I turned the water off, hardly washing. It was true.

Lucas had me compelled.

I ran to the door, completely naked. I didn’t care, this was a bigger issue than being shy.

“I remember!” I yelled. “Hello?”

I stared down the long white hall. The other cells appeared empty and no one populated the walkways. “I was compelled! I remember everything! Hello?” I shouted.

A guard stepped into the hallway. “Shower. We’ll bring fresh clothes. The Council would like to see you.”

I returned to the shower and scrubbed eagerly. I needed to get out of here. The harsh soap scratched against my skin as I washed my body. I couldn’t stop thinking about Lucas and what he did to me. Everything I just went through was his fault. The least he could have done was compel me a decent back story. There were a lot of holes in mine and I see them now that I’m not in some forced stupor.

***

“Miss Ashton,” Willow greeted.

“Good morn—even—night,” I said awkwardly. I had no idea what the time was. “You’re right, I was compelled, but I remember everything now.”

Sebastian, the orange Council member, leaned forward in his chair. His bright blue eyes pierced mine. “It is very important that you give us every piece of information.”

I nodded, feeling more comfortable now that I was back in a catsuit. “I went to his club, and then up to his room. He injected me with a serum and it made me pass out. When I awoke, I was handcuffed to his bed. He referred to his brothers, so I guess they’re in town, too.”

The Council stiffened and it made me uneasy.

“He told me to leave Earth because it wasn’t safe for me and then he had me compelled by his witch.”

“I doubt Death went to all the trouble to compel you just to keep you safe. He must’ve told you something he doesn’t want anyone else to know.”

“No, I swear. He didn’t tell me anything.”

All twelve eyes narrowed. “Then this was all for nothing. Your trip was all for nothing,” Nektosha said.

“And you brought us nothing,” her brother added in the exact same voice. “The world is about to end and you were prancing around town with an ex-lover.”

“No, it wasn’t like that, I—”

“Silence!” Ahearn shouted. “You have disappointed us all. I would like to suggest that Miss Ashton is dropped down to a half star. It seems like tracker demons are better suited for her capabilities.”

I wanted to jump out of my chair and scream and punch things, but there’s no way my body could handle anymore abuse. “No, I beg of you, please.”

Ahearn raises his hand. “All those in favor?”

One by one they raised their hands and I was fighting back the urge to cry. My chest ached. After all that I’ve been through for them they’re just going to kick me to the curb?

“I’m sure you could find a tracker mission within the next few days. Leave the  hard tasks to the grown-ups, okay?”

I watched as they left the room, one after the other. Tears dropped onto my cheeks and I trotted from the Council room. In a tear-filled haze, I made my way to the elevator. In the reflective surface of the elevator wall I saw all of the damage done to my face. I was so mad. How could they do this to me? I was one of them, not an enemy. Surely there’s another way to force someone to remember if they’ve been compelled. I pulled my hair around my shoulders so it created a curtain and concealed the majority of the damage. There was nothing I could do for the puffy, bloodshot eyes. I stepped out of the elevator and headed straight for the exit.

“Violet? Oh my God!” Great, just what I needed. Jenga jogged over to me and wrapped her arms around me. “I was so worried for you. You’ve been up there for ages.”

She pulled away from me, but kept her hands firmly on my shoulders. I don’t like being in close proximity with people, but I was too hurt, too exhausted to tell her to go away.

“Jesus Christ. What did they do to you?”

“It’s nothing. I just want to go home.”

“I’ll take you.”

“No, it’s fine. I’ll walk.”

The thought of pressing my bruised back against a car seat makes me want to vomit.

“You’re not my boss anymore.” She chose her next words with caution. “They told me about the demotion. So let me walk with you as your friend, not your assistant.”

It felt weird having someone actually care besides Lucas. Jenga grabbed her long black coat and hid her pretty red fifties styled dress underneath it. We walked in silence through the lobby. People stared and whispered. I felt exactly like I did the day I walked all the way home by myself after Lucas had been taken. People stared and whispered then, too.

“You’d think they’d handle things more discretely up here,” Jenga mumbled to me. “Hey! What are you staring at? Get back to work!” she shouted to three angels who made it their mission to make me uncomfortable with their gawking eyes.

With embarrassment plain on their features, they turned and stalked away from us. We finally made it outside. The freezing cold air soothed my burning cheeks. I looked around my city. I loved being back here. It was always bustling with purpose. Not the kind of purpose you’d find on Earth. Our city wasn’t fuelled by alcohol, sex, money—although they did make the Never Dark slightly more bearable—it was fuelled by death, the death of Demons. The Never Dark isn’t like Earth (despite all the luxuries we bring back). It has no countries and no borderlines. It’s one major city run by angels. Everyone had something to contribute. Angels weren’t just recruited to fight, some were recruited to keep our world thriving. Despite being angels, we still had to survive off actual food and water so we had farms on the outskirts that provided us with what we needed. The elderly angels (very little in number) chose to stay on the outskirts of the city mostly, in beautiful cottages until they passed on to the after-afterlife. I often hear angels wonder if there is a god. Some say yes, some say no. I, for one, don’t think there is. Or at least I hope not. I’ve lived enough for an eternity.

“Are you really okay?” Jenga asked, breaking me from my thoughts.

“Yeah.” I shrugged. “I mean, stuff happens.”

“I know you’re not the kind of person that likes to have friends or to share things, but you need to talk to someone. It’ll be good for you.”

“Good for me, huh?”

She shrugged her shoulders and smiled. “So they say.”

“There’s no need to cosy up to people here. Why? Because they’ll probably die tomorrow or the next day…”

“What if they don’t?”

“What do you mean?”

“If they don’t die, you miss out.” She glanced sideways at me. “You could let me be your friend. I’m not a field angel, so I’m not going to die.”

She did have a point, but sharing feelings and spending time? It all seemed so exhausting, and I wasn’t used to people caring because I didn’t let them. I didn’t have parents or siblings. I was raised in a shelter before I moved out at eighteen. I’m not used to having shoulders to lean on. The moment I let someone ‘care’ and walk me home, I died because they didn’t actually care about me, only what I could provide.

“I won’t push being your friend, but I do have something that should help your situation,” she said.

“Situation? This isn’t a situation.” I kicked an empty can of Coke that lay abandoned on the footpath. “This is one big fucking mess.”

“Fine, I have something that will fix your big fucking mess.” When I didn’t respond, she continued.  “What if you don’t kill Lucas?”

“Well, I can’t now, anyway. Besides—”

“What if you kill one of his brothers?”

A chuckle fell from my lips. She made it sound like killing demons was a walk in the park. It’s not. Even trackers have their difficulties. And I’ve seen firsthand how strong Lucas’s brothers are.

“The only reason I went after Lucas in the first place was because our relationship used to be intimate. I thought I could manipulate that.”

“Then manipulate one of his brothers.”

A shudder crept through me. Clearly, she’s never seen his brothers. Lucas was a ten, his brothers were barely a one. Gross.

“That isn’t going to work. You can’t kill what you don’t get assigned to. Besides, his brothers are creepy.”

“I’m sure the Council won’t care if you kill one of the four Horsemen, and if you want to earn your stars and the respect of the Council back, there are always options. You’re going to want to be quick, though. Earth probably isn’t going to exist in a few more months.”

“Thanks, but look at me.” I pointed at my swollen face. “This is what happens when you swim in water that is too deep, so I think I’ll pass.”

“Violet, you—”

“Look, I get that you’re trying to help and all, but I just want to rest for a few days. The thought of going back to Earth right now makes me want to kill myself.”

“Okay, fine, but if you do decide you want to regain your pride, let me know and I’ll help you.”

Jenga turned around and I called after her. “You’re crazy!”

She flipped me her middle finger and kept walking towards HQ, leaving me wallowing in the blissful sounds of a busy city.

***

It had only been a week since I was last in my apartment complex, but it felt like a whole lifetime had passed since then. The door jarred a little, but with a hard shove it opened, throwing me into my living room. My apartment was as depressing as the cell I’d stayed in. I’d never taken to decorating my space or filling it with meaningless junk. I was never here, after all. The bed, the couch, and the TV were enough to sustain the brief lengths of time I spent in this realm. I made my way through the desolate living room and into the bathroom to assess more of the damage done to my body. I slid out of my catsuit and stood in front of my huge bathroom mirror. My cheeks and mouth were quite swollen and purple, a few days and it should turn yellow before disappearing completely. Until then, I wasn’t going anywhere. It might be a little vain, but I doubt anyone would leave their house if they looked like they’d picked a fight with a concrete wall and lost. I pressed on the inflamed skin and winced.

“Assholes,” I hissed under my breath. A small bottle of painkillers sat on my countertop and I took a few, swallowing them with two handfuls of water. I strolled from the bathroom to my bedroom. Clothes and open books scattered the floor. I turned the fan on and it circulated warm air around my room. With a loud grunt, I collapsed onto my bed and closed my eyes. I wondered if I could hide out in here forever—it’s what I’d like to do. Unfortunately, killing demons is the name of the game, and if you’re not killing, you’re not in the game. I rolled over onto my back and thought about the things Jenga had said. She was right about everything and I knew that, but the thought of having to do those things terrified me. When you make new friends, it isn’t just the awkward social conventions you have to worry about. It’s also their losses and their deaths you have to deal with. I’m not sure I could be the person to offer support in those times and I’m definitely not the type of person that would want support in those times, at least, not anymore. Did I ever consider Jenga to be a friend? No, not really. She was my assistant and that’s as far as I thought it went. Jenga, on the other hand, seems to feel obligated to see how I’m doing and I think she genuinely cares. She’s definitely toughened up in the year that I’ve had her as my assistant… maybe I could be her friend. As for the regaining my pride thing… I don’t know how I’d manage. The four Horsemen are a powerful bunch, but it’s worth a shot, I guess. Lucas cared enough to have me compelled, so surely he cares enough to kill one of his own brothers if they hurt me. It was a long shot, but probably one I’d entertain when I’m feeling up to it.

My body ached at the thought of fighting right now and so I shook it from my mind. What I needed was sleep and I closed my eyes. It didn’t take long for me to drift off into oblivion.

Disposition

Lucas

The tips of my fingers tapped restlessly against the wooden table top as I waited for my brothers. I adjusted the tie to my suit and crossed my legs over each other. Mena’s voice rang over the intercom and a wild kick hit my stomach. “They’re here, Mr Cross.”

“Send them in.”

The door opened and in stepped War, followed by Famine and Conquest. Not referring to them by their human names was a custom I was forced to get used to.

War dropped his large frame into the chair at the end of the table opposite me, and Famine and Conquest took up their own chairs on either side of him. War adjusted his blond hair that was pulled back into a low ponytail at the base of his neck. Famine watched in envy. I smiled as the light above him was perfectly reflected in his bald head.

“Something must be wrong, brother,” War said, entwining his fingers and resting his thick elbows on the table.

“What makes you say that?”

“You never invite us here of your own accord.”

I chuckled. “Yeah, well, some things are bigger than my distaste for you three.”

“It has to be pretty big,” Conquest added.

I stared at them for a little while, trying to figure out a way to put this. In order for this to happen, I needed to have the three of them on board. “I want to fast track the apocalypse to the end of next week.”

War, Conquest, and Famine laughed in unison, as if I was the crazy one.

Conquest was the first one to speak. “Impossible. There’s no way we could gain the Council’s approval for another fast track and end the world in only eleven days.”

“What if I told you that it’s very possible?”

“It’s not.” Famine yawned and rubbed the stubble on his chin. “We’ve managed to bring it almost nine hundred years before schedule. Six months is close enough. The Underworld Council isn’t going to budge.”

“Who says we need the Council’s approval?”

Conquest and Famine stiffened in fear, but War seemed intrigued. I knew if I could get War to do what I want, Conquest and Famine would follow.

“We need the Council’s approval, Death. That’s the only law.”

“Screw the law!” I shouted. A loud slapping noise ensued as I slammed my hands down on the table. “We are the Horsemen. Without us, there will never be an apocalypse. The Council needs us. We don’t need them.”

Famine scoffed and pushed his chair back, placing his feet on the table. He shifted in his seat, adjusting his black suit jacket. “We end the world and then what? We have to go back to the Underworld and deal with the Council. They’ll kill us. They can replace us easily, it’s not like we’re one of a kind.”

I smiled at Famine. He had such a simple mind. “We won’t go back to the Underworld. We’ll destroy Earth and then rebuild it the way we want. We’ll make it our own.”

Conquest and Famine opened their mouths to contest me, but War raised a thick, callused hand and they shut their mouths.

“What’s this about, Lucas?”

I was taken aback by the use of my normal name. The sinister gleam in his eye told me he was up to something, like he knew something I didn’t.

“I want more power. That’s what this is about.”

War leaned forward in his chair. “It’s about her, isn’t it?”

I glowered at him. How’d he know? Was I that much of an open book? No, I couldn’t be. I’ve given nothing away about her. Hate, strong and fierce, crept up my chest.

“I don’t know who you’re referring to,” I lied.

A wry smile tugged at War’s lips. “You’re not the only one with a witch, Death. And you’re sure as hell not the only one keeping a close eye on her.” His tone turned sad and mocking, like I was a child. He stuck his bottom lip out. “Does it hurt you to see Violet?”

I clenched my jaw tightly and played through their game. “Again, I don’t know who you’re referring to. I’ve had plenty of women.”

Recognition flashed through Famine’s eyes and he turned his devious smile on me. “Oh, we’re talking about her? I wouldn’t mind breaking off a piece for myself, actually.”

My jaw began to ache at the pressure I was forcing on it and keeping my feet planted on this side of the room became difficult. I wanted to tear all of their hearts from their chests and I probably would have if I didn’t need them.

I unclenched my jaw. “Violet isn’t on Earth. I saw to that myself.”

“You know how angels operate. She’ll be back within a week or so,” Conquest said. “And maybe I’ll get to her first.” The look in Conquest’s eye wasn’t one of lust, but one of hate. The last time Violet and Conquest met, her blade went through his forearm. He was still nursing a bruised pride. The thought made a smile tug at the corners of my mouth and I bit my lip to hide it.

“You guys can fight over her all you want.” The words left a bad taste in my mouth. “But I have bigger issues that need my attention. You’re either with me or against me. You won’t have to live under the Council’s rule. We’re stronger than them. I’ll give you until tomorrow night to think about it.”

“It’s kind of a big deal. I’m going to need more time than that,” Famine said, standing up and straightening his suit. He narrowed his green eyes at me, but I wasn’t afraid of him.

“Tomorrow night is more than enough time. We’ll get back to you, brother,” Shade announced. He stood up from his chair and disappeared in a black haze of smoke. The other two followed. When I was sure they weren’t coming back, I hit my intercom button.

“Mena? Send Eva to the meeting room, now.”

“Right away, sir.”

A few minutes later, Eva entered the room. She clasped her hand over her mouth and coughed. “Jesus, open some windows in here. It smells like demons have died.”

Eva sat in the chair next to me. “Your brothers were here, weren’t they?”

“Yep.”

“Ugh. I am so sick and tired of them. I’d be a happy woman if I never have to see or smell them for the rest of my days.”

I chuckled. “I agree with you.”

Eva crossed her arms. “Why’d you bring me up here, Lucas?”

“I need a favor. It doesn’t require too much on your part…”

She arched an odd, well-shaped eyebrow at me. “There you go again, acting like I have a damn choice. What do you want?”

“I want you to look for Violet every day. My brothers… I can’t let them have her.”

“That means I have to touch you every day, and god knows my stomach isn’t as strong as it used to be.”

I felt my stern expression melt into a smile. “It’s only twice a day. I’m sure your stomach can handle that.”

Her dark, chestnut eyes focused in on me. “This girl is really something special, huh?”

I smiled. “She was, but now she’s a distraction I can’t afford. I want to keep her safe, but my demon side wants her dead. She’s my only weakness.”

“Do you realize how deranged you sound?”

I exhaled, beginning to grow impatient.

“Fine. I’ll look for her every day. Once in the morning and once in the evening, but if War comes after me because I helped you find her before he did, I’m outta here.”

“Deal.”

Eva leaned forward in her chair, extending her soft, papery hands to me. “Do you want to try and locate her now?”

Without a word, I placed my hands in hers and she closed her eyes. “You’re selfish, you know.”

“I know.” I was selfish. I was ready to end the lives of seven billion people to end my haunting memories, to keep Violet away from my brothers and away from me. A part of me hoped that if we ever met again in an after-afterlife she’d see it as a romantic gesture instead of a psychopathic one.

Renewed

Violet

I stood in front of my mirror. I hadn’t left my house in a few days and I had a bazillion missed calls on my cell phone. Soon, I’d probably have a bunch of Obss angels at my door demanding me to sign up for a mission. Luckily for them, I felt good today. The swelling had completely gone down and the bruising was fading. Being an angel meant I healed quicker than humans. I let my hair down and it covered the slight bruising on my neck. Once I put makeup on over the top, they became barely noticeable.

At the headquarters, people stared at me and the half-star that was sewn into the fabric of my uniform. Every time someone’s gaze fell onto my ranking, it hurt my pride and I wanted to punch them.

Soon, Jenga fell into step beside me wearing her usual office get-up—long black formal pants with matching pumps and a nice white, silk shirt.

“Oh, you’re alive.”

I felt a smile tug at my lips. “I know. It sucks, doesn’t it?”

She shrugged her narrow shoulders. “Did you think about what I said?” Not really.

“Yeah and I still think you’re crazy,” I said, bending the truth a little. I mean, I thought she was crazy, but I didn’t really think about what she said over the past few days. I spent most of that time sleeping, reading, and then re-reading Romeo and Juliet. Depressing stuff.

“Come with me,” she demanded, turning on her heel.

“Jenga, I’m behind on my missions—”

She grabbed me by the wrist and dragged me along. Her grip was so hard that my wrist began to ache. People watched curiously as she pulled me through the office and into an empty room, slamming the door behind her.

“Jenga—” She raised her hand and silenced me. Her green irises flared with determination as she launched into a huge speech.

“Do you want to know what I’ve been doing the past few days?”

“Not really.” I shrugged.

“I’ve been working with Govlonsky.” I cringed. “Yeah, that’s right. They reassigned me to the gross, hairy Russian that spits into a bucket all of the time. Do I deserve that because you fucked up?”

I opened my mouth to speak.

“No,” she interrupted. “No, I don’t. You need to make this right for the both of us. You are a kick-ass angel, better than most. I know you can kill one of the Horsemen, hell, you could probably take two, so don’t mope around here collecting your Tracker missions like it’s something you deserve. You are a hell of a lot better than that and you know it.”

I didn’t know what to say. Jenga was pissed. Her cheeks were flushed, her fists clenched into balls at her side. I’d never seen her so worked up. Then again, I would be too if I had to be in the same room as Govlonsky. But… some things were just meant to be endured. God knows I’d forced myself through plenty of unsavory situations. I stepped past Jenga and turned around. “I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m sorry that you have to deal with Govlonsky, but I can’t help you right now. Maybe when I get my rank up I can request to have you back as my assistant, but until then, you’re just going to have to put up with it.”

I exited the room and made my way to the missions’ office. It wasn’t exactly an office. It was more of a hole in the wall that we lined up in front of. I was kind of excited to kill demons this morning, but that discussion had taken it out of me. I saw it this way; if I had taken her up on her offer to be friends, it would’ve been my obligation to help her out. But since we’re not friends, I didn’t really have to. That sounded right, but why didn’t it feel right?

“Violet Ashton,” I said to the receptionist with the pretty golden ringlets. She handed me a small glass mission tablet and I read the instructions.

Demon: Tracker.

Number: 3.

Location: Outskirts of Concave City—Logansville.

Great. Concave City. They couldn’t have given me a decent city like Port Burney or Los Hades. I ignored the warnings and tips on tracker demons that filled the next six slides and signed along the dotted line. I handed the tablet back to her and she gave me the forms for the teleportation chamber. When I got there, the receptionist signed my forms immediately and I didn’t have to wait longer than a second before Tom popped through the door.

“Violet, I haven’t seen you in a while. How are you?”

Ugh. I really wasn’t feeling very chatty today. “Good... thanks.”

We walked through the maze of corridors. More white greeted us as we entered the empty room. He closed the door behind us and I stood directly in the center of the room.

“Are we going?” I asked, confused because he hadn’t taken up his position.

“Yeah, but I thought we could have a chat first. What’s been happening with you?”

I studied him for a few seconds. He stuffed his hands in the pocket of his suit jacket and leaned against the far wall. His eyebrows were knitted together curiously and his eyes held a sympathetic kind of gleam.

Cautiously, I shrugged. “The usual.”

“A little birdie tells me it’s not ‘the usual.’”

I arched an eyebrow. If he already knew what I’d been through, why didn’t he ask me straight off the bat? “Feeling a little nosey today, Tom? Not enough people to teleport?” I brushed a speck of dust off my shoulder, trying hard to seem indifferent to his questioning. Truthfully, it hurt me every time I thought about it.

He smiled at me. “I just want to make sure a friend is okay. Are you?”

There’s that word again—friend. Either I’m a complete weirdo or people are throwing that word around too casually. Scratch that, it was obvious I was the complete weirdo. “Are you referring to my compulsion?”

He nodded.

“Yes, I was compelled, but I managed to remember it, so everything’s fine now.”

He glanced down to my half star. Ouch. There goes my pride again.

“I bet it hurt… remembering your compulsion?”

“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right?” I sighed when his eyebrows knitted harder together. “Yes, it was horrible. I’m still trying to understand the purpose.”

“Well,” he began, taking his hands from his pockets and straightening his suit. “They believe subjecting your body to trauma will force your brain to remember the compulsion. When you’re about to die, your body fills with adrenaline and you’re capable of doing things you’ve never thought possible just to stay alive. The ACP, anti-compulsion procedure, uses that technique.”

“So you’re saying that they push you to the brink of death and hope your brain remembers?”

“Yep, something like that.”

“Barbarians. You’d think they’d come up with a pill or something instead by now.”

“Getting around witches’ magic is hard. We’ll get it eventually, though.”

“Yeah,” I scoffed. “And in the meantime they’ll keep subjecting angels to that horrible torture.”

Tom strolled over to me. Without another word or even offering me a travel pill, he took my hand and weightlessness and contentment filled me. Colors swirled and mashed before me as I was pulled into tiny particles and then put back together again. I loved being nothing. Strangely, it made me feel like I had purpose. The dull ache in my spine grew as it supported all of my weight. The beautiful hues disappeared and the painful white walls of my existence surrounded me. I let out a disappointed sigh.

“You really enjoy teleporting, don’t you?”

“Of course, don’t you?”

He shook his head. “It gets boring.”

“I could never get bored of the pretty colors…”

Tom smiled and ran his fingers through his pointy hair. “I know, because inside you’re a happy person. You don’t have to be so tortured all the time, you know.”

“What?”

“Live a little. Enjoy life. Lucas might be gone, but you’re not. To live without happiness is a tragedy you bring upon yourself. Only you can change how you see yourself and how you feel inside.”

He was right. Every muscle, hair, and nerve ending in my body wanted to scream ‘you’re right’ at the top of my lungs, but I didn’t… because I was a stubborn asshole. “Well, Dr. Phil, thanks for the tip, but I, uh, I think I’m okay.”

Tom gave me a sad smile before he disappeared into nothing. I stood staring at the now empty space. To live without happiness is a tragedy you bring upon yourself. Did I have a choice to be happy? I felt like I didn’t. But… it is my fault I have nothing and no one to lean on. I chose not to decorate my apartment so it made me happy when I’m there. I chose to alienate myself from my peers. Maybe I did bring unhappiness down on myself.

I handed Gladys my forms and exited the teleportation chambers.

“Vi! You’re back!” Janet squealed as I stepped out of the waiting room. It seemed she’d been waiting for my arrival and she’d taken the liberty of assigning me a nickname. Oh goody.

“You’re really excited…” I said, glancing awkwardly at the angels passing by.

“Of course I am. It’s been a while since I saw you last.” She twirled her red hair around her finger. Her makeup wasn’t too extreme today. A subtle blue eye shadow framed her eyes. The eyeliner was laid on a bit thick and so were the fake lashes, but it was nothing compared to the yellow she was wearing last time. “What are you up to?”

“The usual… killing demons and stuff.”

“Awesome! Hey, I get off shift in an hour, did you want to hang out? We could see a movie or get drinks. You know, do what friends do.”

“Oh…” I felt really uncomfortable. “Sorry, I’m kind of in a hurry. Maybe next time?”

I stepped past her and headed for the location room as quickly as I could without it coming off as running away.

“Violet?”

Crap. I turned around to face her.

“I like it when you wear your hair down.”

I gave her a tight smile. “Thanks.” I think.

***

By the time I got a proper reading on the location of the Trackers and left the Earth HQ, it was night time. Bare branches interlaced above me as I crawled through the thick underbrush of the Logansville Parklands, searching for the Tracker demons. The dry smell of decaying leaves tickled my nose. Thorny wild vines tugged at my catsuit, but failed to cling to the leather. Rain drizzled down upon me, making me shiver whenever a few drops landed on the bare skin at the back of my neck. I pushed past a few tiny trees and crushed a few small saplings under my boot before I stepped out into a small opening. Oops. The last thing Earth needed was less trees. I crouched down and tried to stand the sapling up against another sapling. When it looked comfortable, I cautiously made my way through the clearing, wiping the sticky sap onto the thigh of my catsuit. A small smile played on my lips as the sound of the Tracker demons growled around me, hidden by the dense shrubbery. I loved this. Killing demons was what I lived for. The thick dressing of the trees above allowed little light to filter through, but that was okay. I could see well enough, and like I’ve said before, Trackers are child’s play. With a gnarly growl, a Tracker launched itself at me. I dropped to the floor, letting the huge, pure black dog fly straight over my head and into a thick tree stump. Man, Trackers are dumb. The smaller brown Tracker wasted no time in gunning it toward my face and I let it get as close as I could before I grabbed it by the throat and lifted it off the ground. I held it at arm’s reach so its long teeth didn’t bite my face. It thrashed around in my grasp, growling and snapping. The big black Tracker gained its equilibrium and lowered itself for another launch. It bared its fangs and I made the decision to throw this Tracker at the other one as soon as his paws left the ground. Only, his paws never left the ground. The Tracker’s yellow eyes flared with fear and he turned on his feet and ran, disappearing into the parklands.

“Great, now I have to chase it,” I muttered to the little brown Tracker I still held in my hands.

“Or you could pick on someone your own size.” His voice pierced through my flesh, igniting my blood. I dropped the Tracker and he fled into the shrubbery, yelping like a lost puppy.

I turned towards the familiar voice and resentment slivered through my stomach. I did not want to see him right now, but there he was, leaning against a tree in his sexy business pants and sexy white buttoned shirt with that stupidly-sexy black tie. His dark eyes raked me as I stood before him, confused and angry.

“What are you doing here?” I growled, crouching slightly. I was ready to fight him.

“Me? I’m here to protect you. Who knows what’s lurking around here.”

I scoffed. “Protect me? You mean like the time you had me compelled? Nice job, fucker! I was sprayed with a hose, beaten, and drugged until I remembered. And you’re lucky I did remember, otherwise I’d be dead right now!”

“I’m sorry,” he said. His eyes watched unapologetically as he twisted the tip of the blade on his index finger without cutting the skin. I placed my hands on my head and took several deep breaths. I was so mad.

“You were an angel… how can you bring yourself to fight against your own people?”

He chuckled. “They aren’t my people anymore. Demons are my people—I’m a demon.”

I chewed on my bottom lip. It sucked hearing those words come from his mouth.

His eyes softened. They became pleading and desperate. “Let me make you like me?”

My stomach turned and my hands clenched it instinctively. “What?”

He took a cautious step forward. “Let me make you a demon. We could be together forever… we can love each other again without hassle.”’

A bitter taste grew in my mouth. He wanted me off Earth one minute and couldn’t live without me the next. God, talk about whiplash. The thought of becoming a demon made me sick. That was the last thing I ever wanted to do. Even If I did crave being back with Lucas again, I never wanted to become a demon to achieve it. “No. I’m an angel and that’s all I ever want to be.”

His eyes turned eerily dark, his face etched with anger. It’s like a switch was flipped. He reached around his back and produced a small blade from his back pocket.

“Angels fall, V. I did.”

He extended his hand and the part of me that Lucas held wanted to take his hand and never look back, but the other part… the other part wanted to end his suffering because the man that stood before me wasn’t the one I fell in love with. I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat and mustered up the courage to smile at him.

“You didn’t fall. You were pushed.”

His lips curled into a sardonic smirk and he dropped his hand by his side. “You’ve always had a good sense of humor. I think I’m going to miss that the most.”

Lucas ran at me, fast. I panicked for a brief second, unsure if he was actually going in for the kill. It wasn’t until he got within two feet I realized he wasn’t Lucas.

He was Death.

Shit.

Clash

Lucas

I swung at her and the blade barely missed her beautiful face. Violet dropped to the floor and rolled across the damp floor of the reserve. I didn’t come here to hurt her. I’d come here to keep an eye on her and keep her away from my brothers. Somewhere between then and now, my inner demon had taken over. She jumped back to her feet, dodging another punch and kicking me square in the chest. Violet had got so much stronger since the days we used to train and I knew I’d made the right choice in choosing her to become an angel. I stumbled backwards and caught a glimpse of the half-star on her uniform and I decided to hit her where it really hurt—her pride.

“Aw, did I do that?” I smiled because I knew I got to her. “It suits you so much better.”

She ran at me, baring her perfect white teeth in anguish. She threw combos at me, all of which I managed to dodge. This infuriated her more, and as she lunged at me for the second time, I threw up my leg, kicking her in the stomach. Violet flew backwards, landing gracefully with her feet and hand planted firmly on the ground. I pushed off the soft forest floor, launching myself at her. She barely managed to get out of the way as my fist connected with a huge oak tree. Pain radiated through my hand and up my arm, but I ignored it, turning my attention back to her. Her red hair danced around her as the cool wind blew it in different directions. Her blue eyes flickered with fear as the deafening crack of a tree, undecided on which way to fall, filled the forest. “I don’t think I’ve seen you so scared before,” I called out to her.

She fought hard to fight her fear of me, but she just couldn’t shake it from her eyes. “Yeah? Don’t get used to it.”

As the massive tree slammed to the ground and Violet lost her balance, I lunged at her, knocking her flat on her back. I dove on her and she thrashed under my grasp. I enjoyed it more than I probably should. Her fist collided with the side of my face and she managed to kick me off. I grabbed for her legs, but missed. We both climbed to our feet and she kicked my hand, trying to force me to drop the blade, but my grasp was too strong. I swung the blade at her and narrowly missed her face. “Ooh, that was close.” I chuckled.

Her left fist slammed into my stomach and then her right one went directly for my face. I grabbed it and spun her around with haste before planting my shoe on her back and kicking her into a pile of strange, glowing mushrooms. I approached her panting body, ready to go in for the kill, but I fought against my inner demon. I flexed my fingers around the hilt of the blade as I fought inwardly with myself. Before my demon could get the upper hand, my legs were kicked out from underneath me and I fell onto my ass. Violet climbed to her feet and ran from me. She climbed onto the trunk of the fallen tree and watched as I got to my feet. Her chest rose and fell with deep breaths, mine did, too. This fight was going to go on forever, I didn’t have forever. There were things I needed to do, I couldn’t spend all night exchanging blows with her even if I wanted to. The small leaves of a small tree brushed against my shirt, giving me an idea. I pulled the small tree from the ground and aimed it at Violet. Her eyes widened. “Lucas, what are y—”

I threw the tree at her. I was convinced it would hit, and momentarily, I felt bad, but then I saw her do a backflip, letting the tree pass cleanly over her stomach before she disappeared behind the fallen tree. It was like the Matrix movie I’d seen once. Immediately, I sprinted towards the tree trunk and vaulted over the top. The tree had collided with another and a pool of splintered wood littered the ground. I looked around, searching for the red-haired beauty, but she was gone. I ran my hands through my hair.

“Shit! Dammit! Fuck!” I yelled, kicking the tree trunk. My head hurt, my stomach hurt, my hand hurt, and now, I had to find Violet before my brothers did.

***

Some douchebag in a yellow taxi honked his horn at me as I cut across the semi-busy road. Ignoring him, I pushed through the crowds of people that littered the footpath. I was myself again. No demon was forcing my hand. How convenient. I had no idea where Violet had gone. I walked around the parklands for a whole hour before raking every street in Logansville. She was nowhere to be seen. Eventually, I teleported back to the center of Concave City to find a place called the Lion’s Den. It was a dodgy little bar tucked in an alley. War owned it and I didn’t know if he’d be there, but it was worth a try. I found the dirty bar and entered. Shamefully, I fit right in with my dirty clothes. I squeezed past drunk bums and easy women and made my way to the bar.

“What can I get you?” the bartender asked. He was a big boy, both tall and wide.

“Shade, where is he?”

He dried his tattooed hands on a tea towel and threw it on the bar, intimidating to a human maybe, but to me he was just being a nuisance. “Who’s asking?” The bartender had a missing tooth I hadn’t noticed in the beginning.

“Lucas. His brother.”

Immediately, the man stiffened and turned toward the white phone that hung on the wall. Around it, the mahogany wall paint was peeling. I shook my head. Why my brother wasted money on these unsavory places was beyond me. He had the means to buy out every decent hotel in this city. Oh well, it was no concern of mine. I didn’t mind being the brother with the higher standards. The bartender dialed a four digit number and spoke quietly into the receiver. He hung up and turned back to me.

“He’s downstairs.” He pressed the blue button positioned next to the telephone. “Go through the green door and follow the staircase down.” The bartender grabbed his towel and turned away. I followed his orders and entered a narrow staircase. The pungent smell of cigarettes and alcohol filled my nose, leaving a bitter taste at the back of my throat. Hopefully, this wouldn’t take long. I proceeded down the staircase until I came to another door. I opened it and entered War’s underground den. Cheers and screams almost deafened me and I pushed through the crowd to see what the hell was going on. The unmistakable sound of flesh slamming into flesh stood above the roaring of the crowd and I saw the two men at the root of the commotion. They grappled each other, exchanging blow for blow to the ribs. I shook my head. Of course War had unsavory, illegal fights going on underneath his shitty bar. Along the edges of the room, barely clothed women danced in makeshift cages. I startled as a strong hand wrapped around the curve of my shoulder and I turned to find a familiar face. Leo. Leo was War’s right hand man (other than my brothers). I liked Leo. He was loyal but not stupid. His usually unkempt hair was slicked back into a smooth hairstyle and for a guy with unusually light blue eyes, he sure had dark skin.

“Lucas, fancy seeing you here,” he shouted over the top of the crowd.

“I wouldn’t be here unless it was necessary. Where’s War?”

Leo turned and I followed him through the crowd over to another staircase. We ascended it for a few steps before stepping into another room. This room was much different than the large one that housed a hundred people, easily. I preferred this room, it was much quieter.

“Well, isn’t this a surprise? I never expect you to set foot in my club.”

“Yeah, well, it’s definitely a big drop in standards from my own club.” I strolled over to the bar, ignoring the topless woman (with incredible natural breasts) that tended it and poured my own drink. “How you can even stomach this place is beyond me.”

In front of me was a wall to wall window, making War’s box the ultimate seat to view the fights and girls that dangled from the ceiling.

“We’re animals, Death. We belong amongst animals.”

I finished my glass of whiskey. “We are gods, not animals.” And I truly believed that.

Amusement flashed in War’s black eyes. “We want in on your plan.”

I shrugged. “You’re a few days late. I had a cut off time, remember?”

“Big deal. We’re telling you now,” Conquest interrupted. He was sitting to War’s right. The girl that sat on his lap blocking him from view slid off, took his empty glass, and strolled over to the bar. I didn’t notice him earlier. It was strange seeing him in loose jeans and a blue t-shirt.

My fingers ran over the slight stubble on my chin. “Okay, fine.” I glanced at Mikael who was leaning against the window, watching the fight and ignoring us. He was obviously not down with taking over the world early. “We’ll do it next week.”

“No,” War stated. “We’ll do it tomorrow night.”

I narrowed my eyes. “That’s not nearly enough time to plan it.”

“It doesn’t matter. I want to rule now, not next week.”

“I suggest you—”

“You will suggest nothing!” War boomed, making the girls in the room jump. They tried to ignore us but I could see the fear form in a thin layer of sweat on their foreheads. “You forget your place. You were the last brother brought into this group and you are the last brother I’ll take orders from.”

I gritted my teeth and flexed my jaw. War was not someone I wanted to fight with right now. It’d be wasted energy that I could have used to find Violet. “Fine. Tomorrow night it is.”

“Good. Now, enjoy the women and enjoy the fight.”

“No, I have things I need to do.” I placed my glass on the glass countertop of the bar and headed for the door. It was clear they didn’t have Violet.

“She’s gone, by the way,” Conquest growled, forcing me to turn and face him. He flicked his head, clearing his long dark hair out of his face. It curled around his chin. He glanced at my dirty clothes and then back to my face. “After the fight you two had in the parklands, she ran all the way back to headquarters. Your precious angel almost copped an arrow to the head. She didn’t even see me coming. She only just made it inside as my bow connected with the door. That place is lucky it has all the charms and crap, otherwise I’d slaughter each and every one of those angelic, arrogant pricks.”

I didn’t know how to take what he said. I knew my brothers were tracking her, too, so the fact they knew what happened between us didn’t come as a shock. I was mad he’d tried to kill her. She was mine. I was relieved she’d made it back to headquarters and had possibly gone back to the Never Dark. She needed to get as far away from me as possible. I’d lost myself to Death last time and she barely escaped with her life. I had the feeling that next time she might not be so lucky. I left the room and leaned against the door. I give myself a damn headache. I was hot then cold. I loved her and then I wanted to kill her. I wish my mind would make a decision already. I wanted to protect her from my brothers by trapping her in the Never Dark and ending Earth. Or killing her myself. The thought twisted around my heart like a snake.

“You look like shit,” Eva said from my desk. She sat in a dark royal blue robe, her legs crossed at the ankles as they rested upon its oak surface.

“Nah, I feel great.” And I did. I approached her and extended my hands. “Can you look f—”

She interrupted me. “That’s why I’m here.” Eva took my hands in hers and closed her eyes.

“She’s not on Earth.”

“Good.”

I pulled my tie off and started unbuttoning my shirt.

“Lucas, I’m not that kind of girl.”

Her words provoked a chuckle from me. “I know. You are a lady of class and honor.”

“Ain’t that the truth.” She rose from her chair. “I’ll see you in the morning and we can do another scan.”

She left the room and closed the door behind her.

Passion

Violet

I walked rapidly from the teleportation chambers at the Never Dark headquarters. Angrily, I pulled random leaves and bits of stick from my hair. People stared at me. The usual. I was a mess, dirt covered my uniform and whatever exposed flesh I had. I stormed right through the lobby and out into the street. I followed the road until I came to an apartment complex similar to mine. It was late and although I knew where Jenga lived, I had no idea what number her apartment was, and strangely, the chart by the buttons didn’t have any names.

I tried my luck on apartment seven. It was my favorite number, after all. I waited a few minutes and pressed it again. And again. And again until a gruff, tired voice answered.

“Hello?” the man’s voice asked.

“Yeah, hello. Is this Jenga’s apartment?”

No answer came and then the line disconnected. What an asshole. I pressed number nine and another tired male voice answered. “Yeah?” Great.

“Is this Jenga’s apartment?” I asked quite rudely.

A scuffle came through the speaker and I pulled away because the distorting noises hurt my ears.

“Violet? Violet, is that you?” Jenga’s breathless voice asked.

Awkward. “Um, yeah. I can come back later…”

“No, no. Please, come up.”

An annoying buzzing noise ran in front of me as the steel gate clicked open. I was still worked up with some kind of angry energy and I needed to burn it off, so I decided to run up the stairs to room nine. As I passed number seven, I kicked the door repeatedly and then continued up the stairs to Jenga’s apartment. Below me, number seven’s door opened and he began yelling a bunch of swear words, promising my death. I smiled. That was pretty fun.

Jenga opened her door before I got the chance to knock. She was wearing a men’s gray t-shirt, which looked more like a comfortable nighty on her. Her black hair was a mess with half of it still in a ponytail, the other half sprawled over one shoulder. Jenga’s usually flawless makeup was smeared slightly around her eyes and the lipstick I didn’t even know she wore was smudged outside her lips. She stared at me with equal wonderment and I realized I probably looked as wild as she did. Without saying a word, she stepped aside and let me in. Her apartment was nice—nicer than mine, anyway. Her walls were a deep red, as opposed to my boring cream colored ones. The skirting was wooden, giving the place a real classic, royal feel. She ran across the floor, closing what I assumed was her bedroom door, and then returned to me. I stood before the kitchen and surveyed the rest of the house. Dark chocolate, shaggy rugs were placed strategically throughout the living room, giving me a strange urge to lie on them and never leave. Jenga pulled a bottle of Vodka and two shot glasses from her cupboard. She sat them at the breakfast bar and gestured for me to sit. Despite the hard wooden look of the stool, it was really comfy. Beside me sat a strange figurine of a red and yellow robot.

“Iron Man,” Jenga said, bringing my attention back to her.

“Huh?”

“It’s an Iron Man collectible.”

“Oh… I have no idea what an Iron Man is.”

She gaped at me like I was an idiot, and truthfully, I felt like one. “Well, we’ll have to change that one day. I’ve got loads of collectibles. They remind me of my human life. I ran a comic book store in Clover.”

I grabbed my shot as she finished pouring it and downed it. My throat burned and my eyes watered. I hated Vodka, but it was strong, and strong was exactly what I needed right now. Jenga downed her shot like it was water.

“I’ve never really been into anything except reading, I guess,” I replied meekly.

“Yeah, well, fun things aren’t for everyone.” Her lips tilted into a full blown smile and I stuck my tongue out.

“Very funny.”

She poured us another shot each. “You look like shit. Tell me what happened.”

I slammed back the Vodka and cringed. “Lucas happened.”

“What? I thought you were hunting Trackers?”

“I was, but then he showed up with his split personality and scared them off. And threw a fucking tree at me!”

Jenga exploded into a fit of laughter. Apparently it was so hilarious that she had to keel over and clench her stomach. I glared at her.

“I’m sorry,” she gasped. “I wasn’t expecting that. That’s probably the funniest thing I’ve ever heard.” She leaned across the bar and freed a small stick from my hair. “Why’d he throw a tree at you?”

I pursed my lips and the bottom one stung, I must have cut it.

“I promise I won’t laugh,” Jenga said, already trying to suppress a giggle.

I told Jenga the whole story from start to finish and she made sure to laugh at every unnecessary moment. Bitch. By the end of it, I was laughing my ass off, too. Strange, Vodka usually made me tired, not happy.

“Wow, is Miss Violet enjoying herself for the first time in her life?” Jenga called, turning on her stereo and blasting music I hadn’t heard in a very long time. She really didn’t strike me as a T-pain fan, but apparently she was. “You’re like the grumpy cat.”

There was another reference to something I was supposed to know. I didn’t question it. It obviously wasn’t a positive thing.

“I can have fun!” I shouted, almost falling off my bar stool. The mystery man that answered the intercom wandered half naked from Jenga’s bedroom. I’d forgotten he was even here. Man, he had a body on him. The whole front of his torso was muscle on top of muscle. He wasn’t very tall and that made me want to laugh, but I bit my lip and fought it. His slacks hung loosely off his hips and every few steps he took he had to pull them up.

“Can’t sleep, baby?” Jenga giggled, turning the music up slightly.

The man she referred to as baby poured himself a shot, drank it, and then poured me one.

“Thanks…” I managed to drag my eyes from his chest to his face. He was a handsome guy, I suppose. I mean, there were things that made him look really young, like the dimples, the big blue eyes, and absent facial hair. I wasn’t really into boy-looking men. I looked at Jenga, who eyed him hungrily. Good for her, I’m glad one of us was getting some kind of sexual action.

“I’m going to go back to my apartment. I have to go to Earth in the morning.” He walked over and kissed Jenga on the lips and squeezed her bum. I focused my attention on the gothic-like paintings on her wall as they whispered dirty things to each other. One painting in particular caught my eye. It was a picture of a skeleton in a beautiful blue nineteenth century dress. Her long dark hair blew in the wind behind her. She was standing at the top of a mountain beside a grand Victorian manor overlooking a cracked, deserted road. There were no trees in the picture. Instead, the ground and the sky were painted in a weird red hue.

“Do you like it?” she asked, forcing my attention back to her.

“I don’t know… It’s kind of depressing.”

She laughed, handing me another shot. I looked around the room and her boy was gone. “That was George, by the way.”

“He seems nice.”

Jenga arched an eyebrow at me. “You never have anything nice to say, so tell me what you really think.”

I feigned insult. “I have nothing bad to say about Ge—okay, he’s a little on the short side, isn’t he?”

“Yes, and I like it like that. I don’t have to stand on my tippy toes, I can wear his pants without worrying about the bottoms being trapped under my feet, and I’m not eating chest hair when we have sex because he is the perfect height. It’s face to face, you know what I mean?”

Jenga swayed slightly on her feet. She was a lot drunker than I was.

“Good for you. I’m glad you’re happy.”

Seeing Jenga and George all cute and stuff made me want that, but I couldn’t as long as I kept running into Lucas. How could I move on if he was hiding behind every corner waiting for me? He was clearly unstable. He wanted to protect me one minute and kill me the next. I didn’t want to see Lucas again, not after tonight. It didn’t take a psychologist to know that our relationship wasn’t healthy.

“Do you think I can do it?” I asked.

Jenga made her way over to the fridge. She pulled out two beers and handed me one. I wasn’t going to mix my alcohol, but I grabbed it anyway to be polite.

“Oh honey, no. I’m not into sharing partners…”

I stared at her wide-eyed. “That’s not what I—”

She laughed loudly, cutting my words off. “I know I’m just playing with you. Yes, I do think you can do it. Whatever ‘it’ is…”

“Do you think I can kill one of the Horsemen?”

“Oh hell yeah, you’re badass. You’ve killed ninety-nine demons. That’s some pretty amazing stuff.” She took a large mouthful of beer and swallowed. “What made you change your mind? You seemed pretty adamant this morning.”

“I think it was seeing Lucas again. He was so set on killing me. I like Earth and I don’t want to see it destroyed. If I can get Lucas off Earth, then I won’t have to watch my back all of the time. If I want to feel safe, one of them has to die. It can’t be Lucas. I can’t bring myself to hurt him and War is way too big and strong. Conquest has this creepy bow made out of bone. He’d kill me before I even saw him coming, and Famine… I’ve killed Famine before, but it wasn’t the right way.”

“Famine’s your guy, then. If you’ve killed him before, then he’s probably the weakest link.”

I nodded, twirling the beer bottle on the counter. Suddenly I felt nauseous. Lucas wanted to keep me away from his brothers and now I was planning to hunt one down. What a wasted effort on his part.

“I should get going then, I want to sleep off this alcohol if I’m going to hunt a Horseman in the morning.”

I slid off the stool and shakily supported my weight on my two feet.

“You’re not walking home in your condition.”

Jenga sat her beer down on the kitchen counter and stumbled over to her couch. She bent over, exposing her leopard print thong, making me glance awkwardly everywhere else. She tugged on the sofa. The cushions flew off and the couch transformed into a bed. Without another word from Jenga, I threw myself onto the wide mattress. It was so… uncomfortable compared to my bed at home. “What, did you fill this with bricks or something? Jesus.” I groaned, rolling onto my back.

Jenga shrugged. “You can share with me if you want, but know that I like to be the big spoon.”

The thought of Jenga spooning me made me arch an eyebrow at her. “No, this will do.”

Jenga joined me on the sofa bed. Her head rested on my pillow and I spoke. “Before I sleep, can I tell you something?”

“I’m not into girls. There was this one time I made out with a girl in high school, but I didn’t like it.”

“No.” I shoved her hard in the shoulder. “You’re not my type anyway.”

She leaned her head against mine and I wanted to move away, but I didn’t want to offend her.

“I wanted to let you know that… I came here tonight because I realized you are the closest thing I have to a friend… and I want to be friends with you.”

She rolled onto her side, her eyes wide with excitement. “I knew it!” She squealed. “I knew you wanted to be my friend! I don’t even care how lame we sound, but I’ve always seen you as my friend. I was just waiting for you to realize it and now you’re sleeping on my sofa bed. I’d say today was a productive day for me.”

Jenga and I joked and laughed for a little while longer. Eventually, sleep took me and I was immersed in dreams of his dark hair and brown eyes.

***

Well, Jenga wasn’t lying when she said she preferred being the big spoon. A headache thrummed away in the back of my head, right underneath Jenga’s chin. Her long arms wrapped around my waist and she held me tightly, like a vice grip. I frowned. How the hell am I going to get out of this? I pried her fingers off my body and began to slip out. All it took was one movement and her eyes flew open. She took one look at my freaked out expression and laughed. “Man, sorry.” She stretched her arms above her head and yawned. “I must have fallen asleep.”

“Sleeping with you is like sleeping with a boa-constrictor, you know that, right?”

“Ouch. Do you always treat the women you sleep with, with a treat ‘em mean keep em’ keen attitude? Because it’s working.” She slid out of the bed and ran her fingers through her dark hair before walking toward the kitchen. “What do you want for breakfast?” She stopped and faced me. “Friend.”

I rolled my eyes. She’d do this to me for the rest of my life probably. The thought of food made me queasy and I was seventy percent sure I was still drunk.  “Nothing. I gotta go. There’s a Horseman that I need to kill, remember?”

Jenga blocked the front door. “You’re not going anywhere until you put something into your stomach. Otherwise, Mikael is going to cut you down faster than a lawn mower cuts grass.”

I glared at her even though she was right. I needed to refuel, but all I wanted to do was go back to sleep. Lucas once told me that drinking before a mission was the most stupid thing an angel can do. That kind of stress on the body is unnecessary, he’d say. With a sigh, I dragged my tired body over to the breakfast bar and sat down. From the refrigerator Jenga took out bacon, eggs, bananas, and apples. She peeled two bananas and diced the apple. She threw it all into a bowl and placed it in between us. “We’ll snack on this until the real food is cooked.”

We chatted while she cooked. She told me about how she died. She was in a train crash on her way to work. A scout picked her up and the next thing she knew, she woke up in the Never Dark hospital and they told her what had happened. The very next day she was being trained for assistant work.

“I wanted to be something cool, like a Veltra angel or a fighting angel, like you, but apparently I don’t have that skillset,” Jenga informed me.

I thought about what I’d like to be if the fighting position wasn’t available to me. I wasn’t good at anything else. I sucked at organizing and I’d never felt the need to travel. I definitely wasn’t intellectual; my past decisions had proven that. I couldn’t be anything else. This was what I was born for, to fight demons. Lucas told me that once. I believed him. I had no parents and no siblings. It’s almost as if it was all planned.

“Did you have any family?”

Jenga evenly dished out the eggs and bacon onto big, ceramic plates and handed one to me.

“I did. I come from a huge Italian family. You?”

“No. I was an orphan.”

“Jesus, no wonder you’re such a loner. Poor girl.”

I shoveled bacon and egg into my mouth. “Do you miss them?” I asked between chews.

“We can’t. The transition cuts our emotional ties to the human world, remember? I think about them a lot, but I don’t feel sad. I know they would feel sad when they think of me… and I don’t want that, but there’s nothing I can do about it. This is my life now. Helping stuck up field angels with their paperwork.” She winked at me and chewed on the corner of a piece of bacon.

***

After I left Jenga’s I went home and showered. Pulling all the sticks out of my hair was torture and I was surprised I didn’t go bald. My scalp hurt whenever I pressed on it. I looked at myself naked in the mirror. My long red hair clung to my body and I shivered. I hated when wet hair touched my skin. On the plus side, if you looked at me you wouldn’t be able to tell that I was almost beaten to death at the beginning of this week. Yay for freaky healing powers. I felt much better after breakfast and a shower. The gross nauseous feeling in the pit of my stomach vanished and the thrumming headache ceased. I wasn’t completely cured. There was still that unnerving feeling of going after Famine today. I couldn’t fail. Everything rested on my ability to fight. I was trained by Lucas Cross and I needed to prove that I was.

The fresh new uniform felt nice against my skin. It wasn’t filled with dirt and leaves, unlike the last one I took off, and hopefully, this one stayed dirt free. I braided my hair down the side of my head and let it fall over my shoulder to drape over my breast.

I’d decided to jog to headquarters this morning to keep myself warmed up and when I got to the front steps, Jenga was waiting for me in a cute all black business dress with a short white tie. In her hands she held a folder as thick as my forearm.

“Took you long enough,” she called out. I ran up the stairs and we entered HQ. “I grabbed as much information on Famine as I could. I have a list of all his usual hangouts. All the bars and strip clubs he owns and visits regularly. There’s a place called The Lion’s Den he goes there a lot, but I suggest you avoid that place at all costs. It’s usually crawling with demons and it’s owned by War. Your best bets are The Soft Kitty and Big, Busty Babes.”

I sighed. “So my best bet at finding Famine is at strip clubs? Remind me why I’m doing this again?”

“You’re doing this because you feel terrible that I have to put up with Govlonsky because you couldn’t kill Death. Now go.” She turned away from me, but spun back around quickly and threw a tiny headpiece at me. It rebounded off my chest and I caught it in my hands before it shattered on the floor. “Take your head piece so we can communicate and don’t switch it off like you usually do. That would be very unfriend like.” She disappeared into a room filled with filing cabinets and I headed over to the missions office. Once again, I was given a mission that required only the death of two Tracker demons. The receptionist with the pretty golden ringlets and her golden eyes glared up at me. “You’re slacking off. These are the same two demons you failed to kill yesterday. Get it done.”

I ran my tongue along my front teeth. It took a lot of strength not to mock her and I felt I deserved a cookie or something equally delicious. “I’ll be sure to do it this time.”

“You better.” She handed me the missions tablet and it said the same thing as last time—two Tracker demons in Logansville. I signed my name along the bottom and she gave me the forms for the teleportation chamber. With a superficial smile, I turned away from her.

Tom didn’t say much when we teleported today. From what I gathered, he was feeling ill, even the green pills he was slamming down didn’t help him. I guess I wasn’t the only one that hit the bottle hard last night. I stepped out of the teleportation chambers and walked right up to Gladys, who was still wearing too much purple. She signed my forms and sent me on my way. As I stepped out of the waiting room, Janet’s big red hair and makeup-caked face greeted me.

“Vi! How are you?” Her long, soft arms wrapped around me as she forced me into a hug.

“Good… thanks.” I pulled away and instinctively glanced down at my suit. Surprisingly, no fake tan or makeup rubbed off.

“So, how long are you here for this time?”

“A few hours, tops.”

She pouted her over-glossed lips. “Oh. That sucks.” Her green eyes softened and I could tell she was waiting for me to take the conversation further.

“What’s up?” I sighed.

“Well, it’s my twenty-first birthday today and I wanted to invite you to my birthday party tonight. A few of my friends and I are going out.”

I wanted to answer straight away but I was still shocked on the fact that Janet was only twenty-one. I was twenty-three. With all that makeup I was going to say she was borderlining her late twenties.

“Um… I’d love to, but I’m really busy. I’m have to kill a few demons and then go straight back, sorry.”

She pouted even harder. “Oh… okay.”

Strangely, I felt really bad. What was wrong with me? A few days ago I didn’t care about anything and now I wanted to care about people. What did Jenga do to me?

“Where are you going?” I asked.

Janet loved the fact that I seemed interested in what she was doing for her birthday. As soon as I asked, she perked up. It reminded me of a puppy having a ball waved in its face.

“Well, my friends and I usually go to The Darkside, but tonight we were thinking of going to The Soft Kitty.”

“The Soft Kitty?”

“Yeah, I know it’s a strip club, but it has cheap drinks for females and you don’t get harassed by seedy guys.”

Shit. I was going to go to The Soft Kitty tonight to see if I can track down Famine. If things hit the fan, I didn’t want Janet getting hurt. I mean, she’s annoying and vain, but she didn’t deserve to be caught up in crossfire between angels and demons.

“Are you sure you want to go to The Soft Kitty? Maybe try a backpacker bar or stay home and drink like teenagers do? That’d be more fun.”

“Nah, The Soft Kitty is where we want to be. Are you sure you don’t want to come?”

Damn it. I gave her a tight smile. “Sorry, maybe next year.”

She smiled back at me and her green eyes beamed with happiness. “I can’t wait. Come see me before you go back to the other realm, okay?”

I nodded unconvincingly, but she seemed to be content with that. I got out of HQ as quickly as I could. The last thing I wanted was to speak to Cole Nark. I was not in the mood for his shit today and he’s certainly roast me for not filling a report out after my last mission. The morning sun was hot, leaving me feeling slightly claustrophobic in my suit as I waited outside The Soft Kitty. I figured I’d kill Famine in the morning before Janet got to the club. That way we both got what we wanted. She got her birthday night, I got my demon and Janet stayed safe. I glanced at the clock on my dashboard. It was a few minutes to noon and the strip club would soon open. Regularly, I looked over my shoulder, just waiting for Lucas to spring out and attack me. He never did, and by the time twelve p.m. came around, I assumed he had no idea I was even here. Good. I slid out of the car and the gravel crunched beneath my feet. For someone who was meant to be loaded, he sure went stingy on a proper asphalt parking lot. The Soft Kitty exterior was black, excluding the big, pink cat sign at the front. The cat was licking its paw and winking. On its collar were the words ‘The Soft Kitty.’ The front door opened and a furry pink curtain was put up on the entrance.

“Classy,” I scoffed to myself. I headed toward the club. Now would be my best chance at getting the least amount of civilian casualties, if any. I felt dirty walking up to the club, let alone entering it, but I bit my tongue and went through the pink, fluffy door anyway. Inside was dark and seedy. The furniture looked like I expected—fluffy, comfortable and tacky. Pink booths that looked like vaginas lined the walls. What the hell was this guy thinking? Whoever he hired to do the decorating needed to be shot, it was god awful. Music began to play as a girl walked onto the stage. I stopped to watch for a moment, not because I wanted to see a girl slowly grind to the club beats, but because she had the biggest, fakest boobs I’d ever seen. How she managed to lug them around was beyond me. She noticed me gawking and smiled. Crap, this is awkward. I returned her smile with an I’m-not-a-lesbian smile of my own. I turned to the bar. The man that tended it was at least fifty years old. Behind me, a few drunken men entered and cheered at the girl with the basketballs strapped to her chest and the two security guards that waited at either side of the stage turned their sights onto the rowdy men instead of me.

“What can I get you, love?” the bartender asked. He slapped his towel over his shoulder. He was Irish. I could tell by the way he rolled his ‘r.’ I slid onto a bar stool.

“Um, nothing to drink. I—”

“Sorry, we aren’t taking auditions right now, but if you show me what you’re packing underneath that sexy catsuit of yours, I’ll pass on my recommendation for when we’re hiring.”

My mouth opened in shock. I definitely wasn’t expecting that. The man looked so sweet with his gray hair and short moustache… apparently he was a pig. He definitely wasn’t a demon, that I knew for sure. I cleared my throat and gripped the sides of my bar stool. I had to busy my hands and prevent myself from slamming his face into the bar. “That’s not what I’m after, either,” I replied, frustration clear in my voice.

“Then what do you want?”

“I’m looking for the owner, Fa—Mikael. I’m a friend of his.”

I noticed the bartender stiffen, but he cleared his throat and started wiping down the bar. An odd thing for him to do, considering it just opened and no one had ordered a drink yet. “Mikael doesn’t have friends.”

I rested my elbows on the bar. “Okay, I lied. We aren’t friends. We’re business partners.”

He rolled his brown eyes. “Yeah, okay. Look, if Mikael took you home and didn’t call you again, let it go. You aren’t going to track him down. Although you’re definitely someone I’d call again after a one night stand, Mikael isn’t that kind of guy. He’s probably had ten more of you by now. Sorry to say it, darling.”

My frustration was growing stronger in my chest. I ran my hands over my face. “Again, I think you’re misunderstanding what I’m after exactly.” I reached across the bar and pulled him toward me by his shirt. He tried to pull away, but I was too strong. He swung his right fist at me, but I caught it with my hand, still holding onto his shirt tightly. I could hear the guards chuckling.

“A-are you a demon?”

“No, darling,” I said. “But I’ll show you just how demonic I can be if you don’t tell me where Mikael is.”

“I-I don’t know. I swear.”

I studied him for a little while. His brown eyes pooled with fear and I could feel him shake. He was telling the truth. “You’d want to hope that’s the truth because if I find out you’re withholding important information from me, I’m coming back for you.” It was a bluff on my part. I wasn’t going to hurt this guy. I let him go and he fell backwards, cowering into the corner of the bar. I left The Soft Kitty and climbed back into my black Jeep. I’d wasted so much time waiting for this godforsaken place to open Famine could be anywhere by now. Suddenly, I remembered that Jenga had given me a head piece. I clipped it onto my ear and switched it on. Immediately, it beeped.

“Jesus Christ, Violet. I thought you were going to keep it switched on.”

“Sorry, I forgot.”

“I chewed my nails down to the bone worrying about you.”

I rolled my eyes. “Relax. I’m okay. Famine wasn’t at The Soft Kitty.”

“So go to Big, Busty Babes.”

I leaned my head against the head rest and sighed. “I was only inside for five minutes and I’ve already had enough of strip clubs.”

“Well, I’ve been stuck in HQ all day, fetching information for Govlonsky’s mission all day, so don’t complain because you’re sick of running around different strip joints, staring at nice boobies and sipping martinis.”

“I’m not staring at nice boobies or sipping martinis,” I protested.

“Still. My life sucks and you need to fix it.”

“Fine, I’ll go to the other strip club.” I started up the car and an annoying chewing sound filled my ear. “Are you eating?”

“Yes, it’s lunch time. I’m eating an apple.”

My stomach grumbled. I was so hungry my chest burned and I felt nauseous. One hundred yards up the road I spotted a burger drive through place. I pulled in and ordered a large cheeseburger with fries and a Coke. As I drove, I wolfed down my meal and it was disgustingly satisfying.

“At least with your figure you can get away with eating a cheeseburger meal,” Jenga informed me through the ear piece. Was she kidding me? Jenga was in perfect shape. I mean, I was more muscular than she was, but she had that classic, slim build that most girls would die for.

“Whatever, your body is perfect.”

“Ooh, is Violet Ashton hitting on me?”

I rolled my eyes and hung up on her, throwing my ear piece into the back seat. She’d hate that, but I thought it was funny. I even laughed at myself.

***

Big, Busty Babes was marginally classier than The Soft Kitty. It wasn’t painted black—that was a start. The building was made of a subtle mahogany brick and I didn’t have to walk through any weird furry curtains to get inside. Compared to The Soft Kitty this club was much nicer inside. There was no furniture that resembled any body parts, only sleek black leather couches. The floor glowed white as LED strips ran underneath. It gave me a headache, actually. I made my way over to the bar and a big breasted blonde manned it. She wore a tight black dress that stopped just underneath her bum cheeks. I glanced at her nametag, Barbie. You’ve got to be kidding me.

“What can I get you?” she asked as I leaned on my elbows on the glass top of the bar.

“I’m looking for someone. Mikael?”

“Mikael Cross? The owner?” She scoffed. “Good luck finding him. He hardly ever comes here. I’m the manager, though, is there something I can help you with?”

“Do you know where I might find him?”

She shrugged. “Nope. Sorry.”

Ugh. I slumped onto a barstool. “Give me a shot of tequila, please. No lime. No salt.”

Barbie poured me a shot and slid it over. I downed it quickly and bit my tongue against the burn. Barbie’s blue eyes watched me in amusement. “You want a job? We could use a red head.” She flicked her head to the main stage and three blondes in g-strings grinding chrome poles to the club music.

“No thanks, it’s not really my thing.”

“But catsuits are?”

I felt so stupid walking around Earth in a catsuit, but I wanted to have optimal protection. “Apparently. It’s a long story.” I tapped the bar. “I’ll have another one.”

She slid the shot over to me and I reached for it. Only my fingers never came into contact with it. I hit the ground hard, and for a few seconds I couldn’t see where I was. I didn’t get the chance to jump to my feet. Instead I was pulled up by the throat, my feet never coming in contact with the floor. I gasped for air and my vision returned. The dark man that had me by the throat was massive and he was wearing his security t-shirt. Figures.

“Is this how you treat all your guests?” I managed to squeeze out. “That can’t be too good for business.”

He squeezed harder, cutting off my oxygen completely. “Why are you looking for him?”

Barbie jumped the bar, ran to the front door, and pulled it shut.

“I asked you a question, you angel piece of shit!” The man boomed. His black eyes flashed red and I opened my mouth to speak, but it was impossible. I grasped at his hand desperately. He was getting madder and madder and I couldn’t tell him that his hand was preventing me from talking. Demons can be so dumb. I kicked him in the balls and he dropped me immediately and I stumbled.

“Fucking bitch,” he groaned.

My head spun as oxygen flooded back into my lungs, but I didn’t have time to sit around and wait for my breath to come back. I was hunched over a barstool. The man’s cornrows bobbed against his shoulders as he ran at me. I grabbed the wooden bar stool and smashed it into tiny pieces over his head. Not that it did much damage. He stumbled back a few steps and pulled out the thick splinter of wood that embedded itself into his forehead. A thick line of blood ran down his face and over his full, brown lips. He ran at me again and I jumped over the bar. He grasped the bar and pulled the surface clean off. I watched in shock. This guy was strong, but not the strongest I’ve fought. He plowed through the bar as I grabbed the cup hanger above me and swung my legs around to kick him in the face. His thick, strong hands grabbed my legs before impact and yanked me. My hands slipped off the holders. As I swung down, I pressed my hands to the floor, preventing my head from slamming into the cool tiles. The brute let go of my calves and I pulled myself through his legs. He turned around and I kicked him in the balls again. He keeled over and I threw my elbow into his face. Stunned, he fell backwards. His large body made the floor shake as he slammed into it. I grabbed a bottle from the bar and smashed it over an unbroken surface. I jumped at the brute, slamming the broken glass into his chest and directly into his heart. Blood spilled from his mouth as he slowly disintegrated into a thick, black sludge. I kneeled in the sludge, my chest rising and falling heavily. When I stood up, I saw Barbie out of the corner of my eye, cowering behind a leather couch.

“P-please, don’t hurt me.” She sobbed.

“Relax. I’m not going to hurt you.” I ran my arm across my forehead to clear off the thin sheet of sweat. “But next time, tell me when someone is behind me.”

She nodded quickly.

A smoky scent filled my nostrils as thick arms seized my waist. I lunged forward, but before I could break free, the feeling of being weightless consumed me. The bar disappeared and I appeared somewhere else in a black haze. Somewhere familiar. I saw the big, glass window that overlooked the city and the bed I was handcuffed to before I had been compelled. Lucas’s touch tore through me as he spun me around with tremendous force. He grasped me by the shoulders with such intensity that it hurt. My eyes traveled upward; loose jeans, a tight white t-shirt, and finally a pair of cold brown eyes. They were eerily dark, like the time in the parklands, and suddenly I was scared, but I didn’t want him to know that.

“What the hell are you doing?” he growled, his eyes wildly searching mine. His nostrils were flaring

I shrugged out of his grasp. “How dare you use your stupid demon powers on me!”

I paced the room, from the bookshelf to the window and then back. Lucas watched me with his hands stuffed into the pockets of his denim jeans. It’d been a while since I’d seen him so casual. The white t-shirt he was wearing clung nicely to his well-formed chest. I sighed. I needed to get out of here and I doubt he would let me go, even if I asked nicely. I stopped at the bookshelf and pulled out a book. Anger filled my chest and I launched the book at his head. Wasted effort on my part though, he caught the book and pointed his long, tanned index finger at me. He was still pissed. “Please don’t throw my things.”

I threw another book and another book until Lucas got too frustrated to stand there and catch them all. He dropped the books in a pile on the floor and ran at me. I jumped before he got to me and sprung off his shoulders, just like I did once in training. When I hit the floor, I low kicked his legs, but just like that time in training, he didn’t fall. His legs buckled and I grabbed for his shoulders, but he used his stupid demon teleportation powers and disappeared. I rose to my feet. I was alone. I took a step forward, but was slammed into the wall behind me by something I didn’t see coming.

His brown eyes flared with frustration and his chest rose and fell with deep breaths. “Stop!’ he snapped. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

I groaned. “Just kill me and get it over with.”

He stared into my eyes and I couldn’t tell what exactly he wanted from me. A low growl escaped him as he pressed his nose to my throat. Every nerve in my body stood to attention as his hot breath warmed my skin. He pushed off me and turned around, running his fingers through his short black hair in exasperation. “I don’t want to kill you, not anymore. I wasn’t myself,” he said, coming to face me. “I want to be with you. I want to hold you and touch you and—” He exhaled. “I. Want. You.”

I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t. My words were stuck in my throat, but more importantly, I couldn’t tell if he was being serious or not.

“What were you doing at Famine’s clubs?”

“Looking for him.”

“Are you insane?” he yelled, startling me. “I’ve bent over backwards trying to protect you from them! Don’t you know how much you mean to me?”

“I shouldn’t mean anything to you anymore. You don’t mean anything to—”

He grabbed my wrist and pulled me toward him with incredible force. He pressed his firm lips hard against mine, cutting my words off. He pressed the base of his palm hard against the warmth between my thighs and I squeezed them together. “Don’t you fucking say it…”he snarled, “…because I know you don’t mean it.”

I swallowed the moisture from my mouth as we watched each other, waiting for the other to start the battle up again and we did… only it was with our tongues and not our fists. Lucas buried his tongue in my mouth eagerly and I reciprocated. What is wrong with me? Why am I so turned on by a guy that tried to kill me? And why is he so turned on by a girl that tried to kill him? We hated each other… or at least we were supposed to. We were enemies, plain and simple. What we were doing wasn’t allowed. Being caught would mean death on my side—victory on his, probably. But I guess underneath all that obligation and hate, there was old love. And passion. And trust. As long as one of those was showing, so would the others. Reaching to my backside, he grabbed it, causing me to gasp against his mouth. He pressed a thigh between my legs, completely pinning me to the wall and I liked it. He set my hair free from its tie and it bounced around my shoulders. His fingers tangled in my hair and yanked my head back slightly, burying his nose in my neck and growling softly. Lucas found the zipper to my catsuit and unzipped it, exposing my skin to the air. He pulled back for a moment to admire me and I was thankful I wore a nice, black lace bra and matching underwear. Wait. No, I wasn’t because I couldn’t let this happen. I am not going to have sex with a demon. No matter how delicious they taste or how good their hands feel on my skin. He nibbled at my bottom lip and desire pooled between my thighs. He remembered how much I enjoyed being nipped by his teeth.

“Lucas,” I breathed, pulling away. “We can’t do this.”

“We can do whatever we want.”

A slight pang of nausea rolled through me and a smoky taste lingered at the back of my throat. When the hazy smoke evaporated, I took in my surroundings. I was still in Lucas’s room, only this time I was positioned on my back… on his bed. Lucas lay on top of me, watching me in amusement and waiting for me to cuss him out for teleporting me again. I was going to until I became painfully aware of his body pressing against all the right places. His mouth curved into a cocky smile and the sexually deprived being inside me took the reins. Desperately, I urged Lucas’s mouth onto mine.

His hands made their way into my catsuit. The feel of his bare, rough hands on my naked skin made my body tremble. One arm wrapped around my waist, holding me close. The other hand palmed my right breast. My nipples ached as they strained against the confines of my bra. I rolled Lucas off me and I straddled him. He held firmly onto my waist as I shrugged out of my catsuit. His brown eyes were glazed with lust and his dark eyelashes looked heavy as he stared into my eyes, at my mouth, and then at my chest. I unclipped my bra and my generous bust bounced free. I tossed the bra to the side as a groan fell from his lips and it made a stronger desire burn through my core. “Jesus, V.” Underneath me, Lucas swelled harder against his jeans. He sat up and held me tightly against him. He sucked my nipples between his lips and every now and then his teeth would graze over the very tip, making me shudder. I moaned gratefully when he stuck his tongue into my mouth and rolled me onto my back. He moved down my legs and tugged either side of my catsuit, his eyes not leaving mine for a second. I lifted my hips a little to make it easier for him to take it off. He’d managed to take my underwear with it and I was completely exposed, watching him destroy me with his eyes. He pulled off his white shirt, exposing his fantastically chiseled chest and a tattoo of a complex dragon that curled around his left breast and halfway down his thick bicep.

“That’s new,” I panted.

“Mm. It hurt like hell, too.”

He undid the button on his jeans and kicked them off. I tried not to stare at the most handsome man I’d ever seen and the only thing I could do was gasp. He fell back onto me, kissing me everywhere, ferociously. I ran my hands everywhere—up his sides, over his chest, through his hair, and down his arms. I traced every familiar bump of muscle and every depression while he teased me by positioning himself at my entrance, but never actually entering. My pulse went haywire at the feel of his nakedness against me. I watched as his delicious lips wrapped around his finger, sucked it, and then brought it down to circle my soft clit, making me wet and ready for what he planned to give me. After few minutes, I was unable to keep my hips still and my panting increased. My muscles seized up, and I gasped as I was pushed closer to the edge. All it took to send me over were the four little words that he whispered into my ear. “Come for me, baby.”

As the sensation that built up in the pit of my stomach was released in a way that made my legs feel like liquid, Lucas’s hungry mouth took all my moans inside him as my back arched up, pressing my hard nipples against his bare chest. I raked my nails down his back as my orgasm came to an end. He continued rubbing, slower this time, and I couldn’t help but giggle as it became oversensitive. Touching each other for the first time in years was amazing, and we continued to touch for a long time after getting naked. There was no rush. I’d find Mikael later. Sex with Lucas one last time before I returned him to the Underworld would be worth it.

Growing rather impatient, Lucas thrust into me and I gasped aloud. It was painful, it was pleasurable. I closed my eyes, savoring every feeling, every emotion.

“Look at me,” he demanded. I opened my eyes and my stomach coiled just looking into his lust-darkened eyes. “I want you to keep your eyes on me.” He leaned down and tugged on my bottom lip with his teeth. “You have no idea how badly I’ve wanted you.”

“How badly?”

“Do you want me to show you?” A devious gleam filled his eyes and I was curious. I nodded. “If I hurt you, tell me to stop.”

Again, I nodded. He pulled out of me and flipped me over, positioning my ass up on an angle. I gasped as a flashback of Lucas punching a huge tree in the forest to the ground filled my mind. I’d forgotten how strong he was. He grabbed a fistful of my hair and pulled it right back and my neck ached. He rubbed every inch of himself over my sensitive flesh before plunging in. From there he was relentless, slamming into me harder than he ever had. Faster and faster. Harder and Harder. Each thrust had me screaming out his name. When I looked back at him, I could see him straining to hold on. He pulled out again and flipped me back onto my back. “I want to see those beautiful eyes when I come,” he breathed.

He entered me again. We were panting and moaning. We constantly moaned each other’s names and whispered dirty things in each other’s ear. Things I’d never repeat in a million years. He hunched over me, still thrusting hard. He pressed his lips firmly against my neck as he found his own release. His hips rocked gently as his length softened inside of me. I ran my fingers up his warm, hard back and into his hair. The smell of him engulfed me and I felt drugged. And I felt hurt. Not physically—no, nothing like that. I felt hurt because this was the man I loved… and I could never be with him. When he went back to the Underworld, it would be another girl making him feel how I just made him feel and the thought alone made me sick. Lucas rolled off me and pinned me protectively to his side.

“I never thought we’d be able to do this again,” he breathed, his chest rising and falling as his body began to cool down. “I mean, I imagined it a million times in my head, but I never thought it’d happen.”

“Me either.” I traced the mean, tattooed dragon with my fingers. “Do you like being a demon?” I asked, surprising even myself. Underneath my fingertips Lucas’s muscles stiffened and he gently twirled a lock of my hair around his finger. “No, I hate it with every fiber in my being… I’ve done horrible things, V.”

“Why do you do it?”

“Because I lost everything when I lost you… Out of anger, I let my inner demon take control of my decisions, but then I saw you again and you made me see myself for what I’ve really become. The past few years as a demon, I’ve never wanted to take back the things I’ve done… until I saw you. When I close my eyes, I see you and how you looked at me that night in front of Sequin. You were so hurt… I’ll never forget that.”

The words that came from his mouth sounded like something my Lucas would say. But he’d done horrible things to people—to me. Ignoring the fact that he was a demon, could I forgive him? He had yet to show any compassion for what my Council did to me because of him… yet I showed him compassion and I let him take me because I was still so madly in love with him. I couldn’t possibly hold him accountable for what his dark side chose to do… could I?

“If you could, would you cure yourself of being a demon?”

He answers instantly. “No. I’ve done too much.”

I frowned. How can you save someone who doesn’t want to be saved? Do you give up, or do you fight for them? Where is the line that blatantly states ‘this is enough’? How much further do I have to fall for him?

The hair on the top of my head rustled as he yawned. “I’ll make you mine again tonight. When Famine has finished preparing the horses.”

My ears pricked up at Famine’s name. This could be the big break that I’d been waiting for. “Horses?” I asked curiously. I tried hard to sound uninterested.

“We have horses in Logansville—magical horses.” He ran his fingers under my chin, forcing my head back gently, so our eyes meet. An electrical current ran through me, exposing all my nerves just by the look in his eyes. “Let me turn you and we can ride the apocalypse together.”

I chewed on my bottom lip. I knew he’d ask that question and my answer was still hell no. As much as I wanted to feel Lucas inside me and have his hands roam over my entire body… I couldn’t be with him. Not like that. Sex would not happen between us again, at least not in this lifetime. And for the sake of the sex that just occurred between us, I prayed there was an afterlife even for us.

“Okay,” I simply said.

“Okay?” The look of pure shock that spread over his face was adorable and I smiled at him as I nodded. He pulled me tighter against him as his nose buried deeper into my hair. A sickening feeling crept over me. Not because I slept with a demon, but because I lied to him. I’d die before I give anyone the chance to turn me into a demon.

Even Lucas.

Vanished

Lucas

I ran my hand over the soft mattress, searching for Violet’s warmth. Only the cool, empty surface greeted me. My eyes shot open and I sat straight up. Out the window, between two skyscrapers, I could just see the sun setting below a block of apartments. I’d fallen asleep.

“V?” I called. I waited for a response. No answer.

I launched myself out of bed and slid into a pair of drawstring pants. I threw on my white t-shirt and paced quickly toward the bathroom. It was empty. I glanced around the room. None of her clothes littered the floor and no note was left on my bedside table. So this is how it feels to sleep with someone and then they leave before I wake up? It sucks.

I had to find her. I knew she’d get herself into trouble. I don’t think she knew how to stay out of trouble. She was searching for Famine earlier and there was no doubt she was hunting for him again. But she did say she’d become a demon for me. Did she run? Did she change her mind?

”Let me turn you and we can ride the apocalypse together.”

She sucked her bottom lip in between her straight, white teeth and chewed it. “Okay.”

“Fuck!” Books spilled over the floor as I toppled the bookshelf. She played me. She lied to me and here I was, the idiot who soaked up every word she said. She never wanted to become a demon. She was fishing for Famine’s location. The sex, the talk—was it all a lie? I’d made the decision to turn her against her will and I was going to after sex, but then she agreed, and so forcing her fell to the wayside. I felt betrayed and used. Inside me a strong anger swelled. My real side hated being betrayed and my demon side absolutely detested it. The urge to spill her blood grew, but then I recalled the way she made me smile. She made me feel less evil. I thought about her naked body and perky breasts. I thought about the way she moaned and screamed my name. I couldn’t end that. I needed that again. I needed it for the rest of my life. Going elsewhere was no longer an option. I wanted her and I wanted all of her. And that’s exactly what I was going to have.

The floor moved rapidly under my feet as I stormed over to my bedside table. From the top drawer I pulled out the blade I had made for her first trip to Earth. I ran my fingers over its sharp point and soft curve at the base of the hilt. I traced the complex design that surrounded the letter ‘V.’ This was the knife that I was going to use to turn her into a demon against her will.

***

My sneakers kicked up dust as I shimmied along the edge of the stables to avoid being seen. I glanced up at the sky. The menacing black clouds that brought unnatural flashes of lightning with it unnerved me. Shade and Conquest must be back from the Underworld, which meant I had very little time left to change Violet. I slid further along the stable wall until I came to a steel gate. A muzzle ground against my t-shirt and I heard one of our horses snort, but I saw nothing else. It was too dark on this side of the stables and I didn’t like it. As I leaned against the door to my horse’s stable, her pale white coat began to glow in a white hue that bordered a pale green. She knew the end of the world was happening and she was dying for me to saddle her up. She didn’t have a name. I inherited her when I became a demon. I didn’t want her, but Shade insisted.

“Not yet,” I whispered.

She snorted in annoyance and her glow faded. I rounded the corner to enter the main barn, but before I had a chance to open the big wooden doors, Violet flew out of it and slid across the dirt on her back for at least ten yards. Quickly, she jumped to her feet and wiped the blood from her mouth. I guess she’d found Famine. Famine, in his ripped jeans and flannel shirt, stormed from the barn. In his hand he carried a pitch fork with long, rusty prongs. With a cheeky smile on her face, Violet ran at him. At the same time, Famine swung the pitchfork up over his head and waited for her to get closer. When she did, I jumped at Famine, grasping the pointy prongs and yanked the weapon from his hands. He became distracted and Violet saw this as her chance. She jumped and kicked Famine straight in the chest. He stumbled backwards and that was all she needed to knock Famine on his ass with a leg sweep. I leaned against the barn wall, watching them fight. I wasn’t going to let her kill Famine and I wasn’t going to let him kill Violet, but I was going to let them battle it out. Mostly because I liked the way she handled herself.

She straddled Famine and squeezed his throat. “Not so tough now, are you?” she growled.

“I told you many years ago, I like it rough!” He punched her in the side of the head and she rolled off him. I grabbed onto the wooden panels of the barn, forcing myself to stay put and not to tear his knuckles from his hands.

“Nice to see you, brother.” Famine half chuckled, turning to face me. “Enjoy watching your bitch die.”

He pulled her off the ground by her hair and she groaned in pain. I saw him position his knee directly below her face. A low growl rumbled through my chest as I launched at him, knocking them both to the ground. Violet rolled free as I pulled Famine to his feet. We went punch for punch. Sure, we matched each other in strength, but I knew offensive and defensive techniques. I dropped low, slamming my fists into his stomach. I ducked even lower as he swung for my face. I jumped to my feet and pounded his ugly mug before pinning his back against my chest. A few yards away, Violet hunched over on her knees, trying to catch her breath.

“Take your time. We’ve got all night,” I panted, squeezing Famine’s throat.

“You have no idea how long we’ve been fighting, so give me a break,” she panted, her chest rising and falling with every breath.

My body flew forward as Famine flipped me over his shoulders. I hit the dirt hard, my breath abandoning me for a second. I climbed to my feet and faced Famine. He stared at me, smiling that big, cocky smile.

“I’m not trying to hurt you,” I stated, “brother.”

“You don’t get to use that word. You’re not my brother. You have no sense of loyalty, or respect for us. The only thing you care about is your whore and I’m going to take that from you.” They ran toward each other. When they got close, Violet did a cartwheel, wrapping her ankles around Famine’s neck and dragging him to the ground. Famine wasted no time in jumping back to his feet and wasted not a second for a quick breath. Instead, he swung at Violet and then me.

“You lied to me,” I snapped at her, unable to wait until later to talk about what she did.

She dodged a fist that was aimed for her jaw. “You really want to do this now?” She smashed her fist into his ribs. “I’ve have bigger things to deal with than you.”

Famine directed his fist toward my face, but I blocked and punched Famine hard in the nose. A disgusting crack crepitated through the air as bone connected with bone. He went down hard.

“All you wanted was his location? For what? To prevent the apocalypse? I hate to break it to you, sweetheart, but the apocalypse is happening and you will be by my side when it does.” I pulled the blade from my back pocket.

She kept her eyes solely on Famine as he rolled around, clenching his face. “This is about more than just the apocalypse. It’s about me gaining back the respect of my Council. You took that from me.” She tightened her ponytail and wiped more blood from her lip. Her eyes settled on me and then the blade. Her blue gaze slowly dragged itself to mine, sending a wave of tingles through my chest. “I love Earth and you did, too... once,” She muttered, low enough for only me to hear.

We stared at each other, the silence speaking a million words. That was all it took for me to become distracted. Famine had climbed to his feet during our exchange. He pulled the blade from my grasp and slammed it hard into Violet’s side. Time stood still for a few moments. My heart was beating so loud that I could hear every beat drumming in my head with a deafening rhythm.

“No!” I yelled, causing a few bats to scatter. I shoved Famine out of the way and knelt before Violet as she stood, gasping at me in shock. My mouth was slightly agape, eyebrows furrowed in shock, and eyes showing my heart shatter. She fell into me, grabbing my shoulders for support. My heart sank to the pits of my stomach, then it shattered and its sharp shards dug in deep, making the pain I felt in my chest unbearable.

“T-there’s a blade in m-my s-side,” she stuttered as tears spilled over the rim of her pretty blue eyes, the same blue eyes that were filled with such passion and lust less than a few hours ago. Slowly, I helped her slide to her knees, her hands pressed tightly against the skin around the knife.

“I know, I know.” I reached for the blade, but pulled my hands back and ran them through my hair instead. The thought of causing her more pain sickened me. “It’s going to be okay.”

It wasn’t going to be okay and she could tell by the fear in my voice. My body began to shake with anger. The need for rational thinking went out the window. I was enraged. I rose to my feet and turned on Famine. Plastered on his face was that same cocky smile I hated so much. He was rubbing his bloody hands on his flannel shirt.

“Are you mad, bro? That’s what you wanted all along, isn’t it?”

I had tried to kill Violet this week—tried being the operative word. It took me until today to realize the reason why she wasn’t dead was because I never was going to kill her or turn her into a demon. The demon side of me might have really wanted her dead, but the Lucas side only wanted to see her face. Behind me, I heard Violet whimper.

“Don’t be so beat up about it. Shit happens. We’re going to rule Earth, man. You can have as many bitches as you want.”

I clenched my teeth. I wasn’t like my brothers. I tried to be, but they were pure evil—down to their cores. I loved Violet and before she died I had to prove it to her. The plans for the apocalypse were over. If she loved Earth so much, then I’d give it back to her. It would not be destroyed tonight. I drove my fist through Famine’s chest and grabbed his beating heart. His eyes widened and he was unable to speak. He flinched every time my fingers twitched around his heart.

“Do it,” Violet croaked.

And with a sickening squelch, I did it.

I tore my brother’s heart from his chest.

Fading

Violet

I watched as Famine’s lifeless body fell to the ground. His cold, unresponsive eyes stared at me and I was glad that he was dead.

“Violet? Talk to me! Say something!” Jenga screamed into my ear through the ear piece.

“I-I’ve been… stabbed.” I put as much pressure on the stab site as I could without making it hurt more. At first it didn’t hurt, there was this cold feeling in my side, I glanced down and saw the hilt of the blade, my blade, sticking out of my flesh. The cold pain turned white-hot and sharp.

“Shit! What do I do? What do you want me to do?” Her voice was fast and laced with panic. I zoned her out as warm, sticky blood ran down my body and there was a metal taste in my mouth, as if I’d sucked on a coin. Every breath and every movement caused unbearable pain. I was shocked and I grabbed at my side, trying desperately to pull the knife out. I cried out in pain. Every time I touched the knife a searing burn flared up my side.

“What’s happening?” Jenga demanded to know.

Warm, sticky hands rubbed against my cheeks, tilting my face upwards. His dark eyes were soft with pain and desperation.

“I-I’m not sorry,” I groaned. My voice was barely audible. The searing pain flared again and I gasped. Lucas flinched, not knowing what to do. His fingers twitched toward the knife, but he knew that I couldn’t afford to lose more blood. “I-I’m not s-sorry for finding F-Famine.”

His eyes clouded and he pursed his lips together. Lines carved through Lucas’s face, making him seem older than he was.

“B-but, I a-am sorry for lying t-to you.”

“Violet, what are you say—” She cut off her words when she realized I was talking to someone else and fell silent.

“Don’t be sorry. You did your job just like I taught you. I’m so proud of you.” Lucas scooped me up into his arms and I screamed in pain as the knife buried itself deeper. Then weightlessness overtook me and the pain was gone. I felt fine. Unfortunately, those few seconds came to an end, and when gravity took hold, I was right back where I started. My chest rose and fell with rapid speed. My breathing was shallow and quick.

I looked around the parking lot that was filled with black Jeeps. He’d brought me to HQ. Lucas’s face hovered over mine. He couldn’t go any further than this. Charms protected our headquarters from demons. My vision dimmed and I couldn’t tell if I was dying or passing out.

“Hey.” Lucas’s breath warmed my face, keeping me awake for a little while longer. “You’re going to be okay. You’re with your people.”

I couldn’t talk. No matter how hard I tried, my tongue remained motionless and only groans escaped my lips. My eyes threatened to shut until his blood-covered index finger tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. I stared into his dark brown eyes. His eyebrows curved with a concerned expression and he even managed to keep a small smile on his lips. He pressed his lips to mine and spoke against them. “I don’t want to lose you now and I won’t. You will get through this. You’re a fighter.”

Burning hot tears rolled down my face as he traced my half star.

“I’ve done terrible things to you… terrible, disgusting things, and there’s no way I can take them back, but I can tell you I regret them above all else.” The entrance door to HQ clanked and I clung to Lucas desperately. He pried my fingers from his t-shirt and kissed the tips of them. “I love you. I’ve always loved you.”

Thick, black smoke engulfed me as the door opened.

“You’re such a perve,” a familiar voice giggled.

“I’m just saying, if you want someone to go to The Soft Kitty with, then I’m your guy.”

“No, I don’t want—Oh my god! Violet?”

Cole swore under his breath and pulled his cell phone from his pocket. “I’m going to need a few guys up top. We have an injured angel, hurry.”

Janet’s crazy makeup face appeared above mine. I tried to smile at her stupid kitty-cat ears and whiskers. She always went over the top.

“What happened?” Tears that were blackened by mascara fell from her eyes and landed on my face. It was gross, but I was in too much pain to care. My lips twitched, but no words came out.

Cole knelt down beside me. “You’re gonna’ be all right, Violet. Just hang in there, buddy.”

I stared at him. Was this some kind of sick joke? Why hadn’t Cole rolled me under a car and left me for dead? Caring didn’t really suit his selfish-looking features, but then again, I wasn’t one to talk. While Cole assessed the damage, being careful not to touch the knife, I searched the parking lot until my eyes fell on Lucas’s face. He was standing behind a Jeep and I was only just able to see his neck and head. I wanted him to hold me. I felt like I could die then. Now, I didn’t want to die, I felt like I’d be leaving too much behind. The door flung open again, and with a sympathetic smile, Lucas disappeared. More hot tears burned my cheeks. A few angels surrounded us. One made a comment on the smell of smoke and they got me inside as quickly as possible.

Halfway down the stairs, I lost consciousness.

***

My eyes fluttered open and instantly a headache consumed me, forcing me to shut them again. For the brief time my eyes were opened, I noticed I was in a hospital. Everything was white or a weird cream color. In the background I heard beeping noises and distant chatter. Every now and then, I heard the faint sound of shoes clicking against the hard floor. The crisp smell of an antibacterial cleaning product tickled my nose. For the second time, I slowly opened my eyes. The headache was still very much there, but I pushed through it. The curtains were drawn, but the bright glow that seeped in from the edges told me it was midday. The hospital gown I wore made me uncomfortable as it bunched around my thighs. I shifted in my bed and the pain in my side ached slightly. I stiffened and remained still. The last thing I wanted was to rupture anything or reopen any stitching. A flush sound came from behind the curtain next to me and then a door opened. I hated sharing rooms in hospital. Jenga’s face peered around the curtain and her bright green eyes flared with happiness when she saw that I was awake.

“Violet? You’re awake!” She bounced all the way to my bed. She looked pretty. Her black hair was tied up in a stylish bun and she wore a short yellow sundress and matching yellow earrings.

“Wow. You’re bright,” I croaked. I didn’t sound like me. I sounded old and weak.

“Yeah, I figured if you wake up you might like to see some color. This place is dreadful.”

I shrugged. “It’s a hospital, you can’t really expect much.”

She squeezed my hand “I’m so happy you’re alive. It was touch and go there for a while.”

Dread filled my stomach. She heard the conversation between Lucas and I. “How much did you hear?”

She dropped into the recliner beside my bed and crossed her legs. “All of it. I heard Lucas. I heard a man and a girl name Janet… I heard Tom freaking out as he transported your bloodied body here. Once I heard you were here, I came as quickly as I could and I’ve only left to eat. You were in surgery for a little while and needed a blood transfusion. They put some healing serum into your drip so you’ll probably be let out tomorrow morning.”

I nodded. Awkward silence filled the room and Jenga pursed her lips. It seemed like she had something that she wanted to say.

“He loves you.” In her voice I detected a hint of disapproval.

“Who?” I replied, acting dumb.

She rolled her eyes. “Who else? Lucas.”

There was no point lying to her. She heard everything. “And I love him.” She watched me intently. “But some things just aren’t meant to be. You can’t tell anyone what you heard, please,” I begged.

“What kind of friend would I be if I told on you? Your secret is safe with me. Besides, nothing actually happened. It’s not like you two slept together.”

A strange pang hit my stomach and I felt my cheeks burn. I gave her a tight smile. “Right.”

She rose from her chair. “I’m going to get some coffee, but before I go I wanted to let you know that The Council wants to see you tomorrow afternoon.”

Every muscle in my body ached. Seeing the Council was the last thing I wanted to do. Famine was dead and I’d have to claim the responsibility of an unauthorized kill. I couldn’t palm it off on Lucas because the Council would know something was up.

“What do I tell them?”

“Tell them you were in Logansville tracking Trackers, like your mission said, and you came across Famine. I’ll leave his death up to your gruesome imagination.”

She left the room in search of coffee and I lay in the hospital bed, completely freaking out. Before now, killing a Horseman to claim my pride back seemed like a good idea. Now that I officially had an appointment with the Council—the same Council that had me blasted with a hose and drugged—I was scared out of my mind.

Hours flew past a lot quicker than I wanted. Only the Council and Lucas occupied my thoughts, and before I knew it, it was dark outside. I’d be released in the morning and in front of the Council tomorrow afternoon. Great…or as Janet would say, “FML.”

Jenga stayed with me until visiting hours ended. We didn’t talk much. I was too consumed by my thoughts, but she didn’t seem to mind. If I was in her shoes, it’d drive me crazy. What was the point of hanging out with someone if there wasn’t a regular conversation? Maybe if this were a test, she’d pass as a good friend and I’d fail miserably. Definitely something I should probably work on. It takes two to tango, even in a friendship.

***

I glanced out the window. The morning sun was shrouded behind a thick layer of clouds. In the distance trees whipped wildly around the place. Funny. The weather reflected my exact mood—cold and miserable.

“Are you ready to go?” Jenga asked, packing the last magazine into her backpack.

I turned to her. “I really don’t want to. They’re going to find a way to fault me and probably end up killing me this time.”

“Don’t be such a downer. They’re going to praise you. You saved Earth from the apocalypse.”

“You clearly haven’t met the same Council as me. They had me beaten and drugged for not killing a demon. They’re extremists. No extremist of any kind does good things.”

She shrugged and flicked her fringe away from her eyes. “Let’s just go.”

Once I signed out of the hospital, she headed for the elevator. Jenga handed me an exemption form and I stared at it. Jenga pushed me into the sterile elevator and the doors closed. I stared at the buttons for a little while before pushing ‘7.’ As the elevator went up, I had a good look at myself in the reflection. Who knows if I’d leave this place with even, normal colored skin. Or alive.

The elevator doors opened and I was greeted by a Council guard. He took my form and walked me to the doors of the initiation room. I’d never noticed the corridors on this level. They were very elegant and comforting. I liked the way the lime carpet matched the black columns. Who would have thought that such pompous assholes would have such good taste in décor? The huge black doors slowly opened and I was looking into the same dark room and staring down the same wooden chair as last time. The guard nudged me forward, but I didn’t move. I was too scared to enter.

“Is there a problem?” he growled through his plain metal mask. Strange, they must be a new thing.

“Uh…” I swallowed hard and slowly put one foot in front of the other. “No… I guess not.”

The guard disappeared into the darkness and I sat on the wooden chair. My knees knocked together as I shook with fear. I was confused. I’d never been so scared before in my life. It could be because I was going to have to lie to them… or the fact that I felt guilty for sleeping with a demon. Guilt drenched my conscience and I was on the verge of having a panic attack. I could feel it. “Rise!” someone, somewhere shouted through speakers. My chest constricted and I slowly rose to my feet.

Crap.

Underworld

Lucas

The whiskey went down smoothly and I dropped the empty bottle into the wastebasket beside my desk. That was the last bottle. I swayed drunkenly on the edge of my desk, looking out at the city. The strange clouds and unnatural lightning had long since passed. Maybe Violet had, too. I shook the thought from my head. It didn’t sit well with the alcohol and the need to destroy something increased. Shortly, my body would heal itself from the damage of the alcohol and I’d be as right as rain. But until then, I sat in the blissful fog of incoherency.

My hands were still bloody—dry, but still red. I didn’t want to wash it off, at least, not until tonight’s events fully sank in. Famine stabbed Violet and I’d killed Famine. All of it was such a blur… it happened so quickly. Soon, I’d be summoned back to the Underworld and trapped there until it was time to end the world in a few hundred years, or they replaced Famine, whichever came first. Dex would take control of all my assets while I was gone. My thoughts fell to Shade and Conquest. They’re going to kill me. I was tossing up whether to tell them it was me or not. If Violet survived, she had to claim the kill herself, otherwise her Council would make assumptions. Trust me when I say that was the last thing you wanted to happen.

“Lucas?” Eva’s comforting voice filled the silence and I heard the door click behind me. Her soft shoes padded across floor until I saw them come to a stop in front of me. “Is everything okay?”

I dragged my gaze from her shoes to her face. Her gold eyes shone with concern. “You know I’m upset?”

She nodded. “I was experimenting with some aura spells. I was a little worried when the darkest aura I’ve ever felt was coming directly from your room. Tell me what happened…”

I stared at her face and I felt safe. I felt like everything was going to be okay. Eva made me feel like my grandma did when I was human, before she passed away. “Famine is dead. I killed him.”

Eva’s brows furrowed. “And that’s why your aura is dark? You hate your brothers—more than I do, and that’s sayin’ something.”

My lips twitched and I almost smiled. “That’s not the reason. Violet and Famine were fighting and I let them… in the end, he stabbed Violet and I lost it… I tore his heart from his chest.”

Eva’s lips parted and she looked genuinely hurt by the news about Violet. “Is Violet okay?”

“That’s what’s killing me. I have no idea. She was in such bad shape when I took her to the angel headquarters… I could’ve turned her into a demon. She was borderlining death… I could’ve saved her.”

All I had to do was force my blood into her wounds and she would have become a demon…but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

“Hey, you did a good thing. She didn’t want to be a demon... I knew you weren’t all bad.” She extended her hands to me and I hesitated. “Can I take a look? At what happened?”

Sharing something like that was personal. I watched her hands for a few seconds before I decided to place mine in hers. Her hands felt thin and papery. She closed her eyes. Behind her eyelids, her eyes moved rapidly. She gasped a few times and her fingers twitched around my hands. Minutes passed and I could tell by the way the deep lines carved their way through her features that she was engrossed in the events. Her eyes flicked open and she pressed my hands together.

“That must have been hard for you…”

I didn’t reply.

“I can do a spell… it will tell us if she’s alive.”

I pulled out of her hands and ran them through my hair. “Her body would be in the Never Dark by now...”

“I know. That’s why I’m going to need something that belongs to her.”

“I have nothing.”

Eva narrowed her eyes at me. Her molten gold eyes sparkled, even in the dark. She wasn’t looking at me. She was looking into me. “Underneath all that darkness, I see a hint of red.”

“And what does that mean?”

She turned from me and approached the unmade bed. The black sheets were tangled into a knot and my pillows littered the floor. “Red in your aura symbolizes Love…” She plucked something from one of my pillows—a long red hair. Eva smiled knowingly at me. “Or passion.”

“Is that all you need?” I asked, steering the conversation away from sex. Eva nodded.

She knelt on the floor and wrapped the string of hair around her left index finger. She placed her palms together as if she was praying. “If I’m strong enough, I should be able to gain visual access to the Never Dark realm and locate her.”

“What do I do?”

“Watch.” She closed her eyes and began chanting in a foreign language. I watched her intently. Waiting for any sign on her face that said Violet was okay… or dead. The hard walls of the room slowly became translucent, displaying the night sky and light pollution in every direction. I gasped and sobered up immediately. Above us, beautiful colors danced and mingled. I was awed. I’d never seen anything so remarkable. The colors floated away and I glanced at Eva. Blood ran from her nose and down over her thick, dark lips. I wanted to help her, but I knew better than to interrupt her. She gently rocked back and forth, chanting and humming. A familiar building brought my attention back to the spell. It was the Never Dark Council room. I spotted Violet standing fiercely before the Council. I stared at her as if she was a ghost. There was color in her lips, her eyes, and in her cheeks. She pursed her lips like she was full of confidence, but she didn’t fool me. I could see the slight tremble in her bottom lip.

One by one the Council entered and took their seats. They still looked the same as I remembered. Violet’s hands twitched at her sides. I gritted my teeth. I was anxious for her. The Never Dark wasn’t exactly known for being nice, regardless of the situation. The last time I stood in front of the Council was at Violet’s initiation. They ordered the guards to beat Violet until she ‘learned some respect.’ I was powerless to help her, just like now.

“Miss Ashton, we see you’ve been very busy,” Ahriman started. “Famine is dead, is he not?”

“Yes, sir.”

He adjusted his blue robe around his shoulders and sat forward in his chair. “Tell us how you killed him.”

Violet’s mouth opened, but nothing came out. She ran her fingers over her forehead. “It’s a little blurry…”

“We have ways to make you remember,” Willow snapped.

Violet glowered at Willow from underneath her brow. “That’s not necessary.”

“Then speak and make it quick.”

“I came across Famine in Logansville while I was hunting trackers. He was preparing four horses—strange horses. One was a pale white, one was red, and one was—”

“We don’t care what color the horses were. Get to the part where you killed him.”

Violet nodded. “I stabbed him through the chest and hacked at it until there was nothing left. I scooped it all out, too, just to be safe.” Her eyes remained unflinchingly on Willow’s face.

“Do you know the offense for killing a demon that you’re not assigned?” A smug smiled spread over Willow’s lips and my hands clenched into fists. I knew she’d play dirty.

“Yes, ma’am. It’s thirty whip lashings, a star demotion, and house arrest for two weeks.”

“Well then, guards!”

Violet stiffened as the guards advanced on her. I ran to Violet’s side to protect her, but I couldn’t do anything. I wasn’t really there. “No, no, no,” I mumbled under my breath. “That’s not fair.”

“Wait!” Sebastian, the orange Council member ordered. “Violet did save the Earth. She made a mistake letting Death compel her, but she has more than made up for it with the death of another Horseman. I think that requires a reward, not a punishment.”

“What she did was unauthorized,” Willow argued. “We punished an angel yesterday for the unauthorized killing of a Skatter demon.”

“Yes, but he did it on purpose. Violet here stumbled across Famine. Look at her mission schedule, she was meant to be in Logansville. Check Earth’s classified weather reports. There was nothing natural about the storm that was brewing yesterday. Violet is a hero, not a criminal.” Violet stared dumbfounded at Sebastian. He stood up for her, even I was confused… until an uneasy feeling settled in my stomach. I didn’t like the way he looked at her. Like she was something delicious that he could eat.

“Sebastian has a point,” Ahearn agreed. “Let’s vote.”

The vote was pointless. Willow was the only one to vote against Violet. I kept my eyes on Sebastian as he smiled cockily at Violet and she returned it with a thankful nod of the head. Jealousy definitely wasn’t a feeling I was used to. Since becoming a demon, my emotions were heightened. When I was angry, I was incredibly angry… my jealousy seemed to be following that same path. I scowled at him.

“It’s settled, then. Violet shall be rewarded, not punished,” Seth announced. “I’d like to suggest she gets her three stars back and another gets added. She has endured a lot and we are lucky to have her fighting for us.”

The Council agreed except for Willow, but her presence was ignored. I looked at Violet. The happiness in her eyes said it all. She did like being an angel. She enjoyed fighting for what’s right. I’d already taken her heart and her spirit and crushed them under my shoe. But that smile… I’d never take that smile and destroy it. I liked it where it was… on her face with her beautiful eyes and high cheekbones.

The Never Dark realm faded away and the beautiful array of colors returned. I watched them for a little while. Violet’s favorite part of being an angel was the teleporting and I’d have to agree. There was something about the colors that washed away all the anguish and replaced it with contentment. The colors disappeared and a soft thud hit the floor. I rushed over to Eva and knelt down beside her. Blood ran from her nose and down the front of her black robe. I scooped her up, laid her on my bed and tucked her under the blankets. Her eyes flickered open and her voice was weak.

“She is an amazing girl, Lucas.”

“I know.”

Slowly, she pointed a finger at me. “You don’t deserve her.”

I smiled. “I know.”

Eva’s hand dropped onto her body as she fell into a deep sleep. I stared at her for a little while as she slept peacefully. I can’t be all bad… right? Eva stuck around even though she knew how dark I was. I’d be the first to admit that I’ve treated her badly and she’s the closest thing I had to a friend. A shiver erupted over my skin and I heard the Underworld calling me back. I closed my eyes. I’ve already done one selfless thing tonight, why not another?

I rustled through the drawers in my oak desk, trying to find the spellbound contract I had Eva sign when I saved her from War. I pulled out a folder as thick as my forearm and flicked through it. My body twitched as I fought the summoning. I wanted to free Eva before I left. I found the contract and tore it in two. I grabbed a pen from my holder and scrawled across the paper.

Dear Eva,

You’re free, friend.

Lucas.

I dropped the pen and weightlessness consumed me as I traveled back to my own realm. Happy. Content and craving the next time I would see Earth’s pretty surface.

Epilogue

Violet

They say that it is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all. I call bullshit. Some people would argue that the experience of loving and losing a person is worth it. It’s for the experience, they say. I disagree. To lose someone you care for immensely is the worst feeling in the world. I’d take kidney stones or a broken arm over the depression and the sharp heartache that follows me around any day. When you break an arm, you get up and you get it fixed. With a broken heart, you’re stuck with the memories forever. You carry around the shadows that are left over from losing the one you loved and they never seem to go away.

I’ve been to Earth three times now and I’ve driven past Lucas’s building every time. Today was no different. He hadn’t surprised me on any of my hunts and so I assumed he’d gone back to the Underworld. The last time he left for the Underworld, I didn’t see him for three years. This wait might be nine hundred years. I’d be long gone by then, but he’d still be as young and sexy as he was now. If I hadn’t loved him in the first place, I’d be able to move on now, but instead I watch his club like a depressed, lovesick stalker. Today, I came to say my goodbyes because I was forcing myself to move on. In the last few weeks, I’d grown as a person. I’d made friends and I’d gone to parties. I hadn’t made the step to start seeing people, but I knew it was coming. I needed to do something for myself for a change and it was going to be hard, but I couldn’t live a life with Lucas. He was a demon. The exact thing he’d trained me to kill. Our love is over… and has been for a long time. I just refused to believe it. Lucas loved me. He gave up the apocalypse for me and I’d never forget it, but I needed to forget him, for the sake of my own happiness. I was given a second chance at life and I was prepared to live it.

I started the car and drove off. I kept glancing in my rearview mirror until his building eventually disappeared from sight. I looked ahead. The late afternoon sun warmed my cheeks. Today would end, as most days do, and tomorrow would bring a new day. A new me. And I was ready for that.

~ Acknowledgements ~

As per usual I have to send my love to my husband, Ash. He is forever patient when I go into ‘writing’ mode and completely zone out. He also helps me decide if I’ve used the ‘F’ word too much. Thanks babe!

I’d also like to thank Angela, Sarah, Sammy and Melissa for listening to my ramblings about writing. No one knows how much I both love and hate writing as much as you girls do.

Thanks to Limitless Publishing, Toni Rakestraw and Eden Crane. They ALWAYS come through for me and help turn my so-so manuscripts into the books you all love.

Lastly, I want to thank my readers. Your constant support and awesomeness gives me the inspiration to keep writing. If it wasn’t for you, I’d have given up a long time ago.

~ About the Author ~

Skyla Madi was born in the small town of Port Maquarie, New South Wales in 1993. She spent half her life growing up in Wauchope, a thriving rural town at the heart of the Hastings River Valley before making the leap to the busy city of Brisbane.

Whenever this young Australian writer isn’t changing diapers, watching cartoons, cooking for her husband or doing other motherly-wife things she is actively working on her writing and improving her writing skills.

Skyla loves to read just as much as she loves to write and since discovering that YA/paranormal romance/urban fantasy/ are her favourite genres, she has embarked on her own writing journey and is currently working on various YA and NA books.

Twitter:

@Skyla_Madi

Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/SkylaMadi

Blog:

http://www.skylamadi.com

Goodreads:

http://www.goodreads.com/SkylaMadi

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/SkylaMadi/e/B00AJ3MTSE/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

Table of Contents

Collided

Tribulation

Recollection

Uncover

Disposition

Confined

Restrained

Almost

Parting

Relinquish

Compulsion

Aversion

Consciousness

Disposition

Renewed

Clash

Passion

Vanished

Fading

Underworld

Epilogue