Magic and Alphas: A Paranormal Romance Collection, page 131
Ember frowned at me in disappointment, but I didn’t have anything to say that would make her feel any better. I had been in a dark place for the last few days, and I just needed to cover a few shifts on my own.
“We used to do all of our shifts together,” she reminded me with sad wistfulness.
I looked back at the conquered demon on the floor. A small billow of smoke continued to pour from the remains, but it was otherwise gone. “I know.”
Ember arched an eyebrow, and I knew she was one breath away from snarling at me.
“What a freaking mess. Is this really necessary?”
I scanned the room, registering the many overturned barstools, the billiards table that was cracked down the middle, and a handful of demon-sized dents in the plaster walls. “Yeah,” I shrugged. “Sometimes it is.”
She shook her head in disbelief.
“What? I need to stay on my toes. I’m getting old.”
“Give me a break. You’re not even thirty yet!” she protested teasingly, rubbing her hands together, and taking stock of the disarray.
“Yet being the operative word.” My lips curved into a smirk of my own. “You know that very well.”
“Yeah, don’t remind me. But you’re still older than me, if only by a few days. Now step aside if you’re not going to help.”
Ember held her hands out, closed her eyes for a minute, and then clapped her hands together once, sharply. Though her hands looked soft, they made a resounding crack that reverberated through the room. In the blink of an eye, the barstools righted themselves, the dents in the walls popped out until the plaster was once again smooth, and the billiard table was repaired. She even managed to fix the lightbulb I had cracked when I shoved the demon up into the light fixture.
I bumped her hip affectionately. “Good job.” I noted the crackles of energy that still sparked at her fingertips. She had generated more than enough magic for the simple task.
“Well, I figure I ought to help out somehow.”
I heard the self-disdain in her voice, and it nagged at me. “You’re good at what you do, Ember. You know that.”
She smiled at me, her moment of self-pity lingering only briefly. Then she shrugged. “Yeah, you’re right. It’s not my fault you didn’t wait for me.” She bumped me with her hip, a bit harder than I had done to her.
I felt my spine stiffen in annoyance, but the last thing I wanted was to come across as defensive. Ember would never understand how slaying the darkness helped me cope with the loss of my parents, and I wasn’t ready to dig into the reasons why it helped. One thing I knew for certain was, that on most days I wasn’t just slaying demons in front of me, but also conquering the demons that haunted my memories.
I glanced over at her and saw that something had caught her attention. Her eyebrows twitched slightly, but the rest of her body was completely still. I knew that look; I had seen it many times before. She was sensing something nearby.
“What is it, Ember?” I asked, squaring my feet and tuning my senses outward. I caught a hint of what she’d detected, and we both answered my question at the same time.
Vampire.
We turned toward the door, but I paused to glance back at the pile of demon ash left behind on the floor.
“You couldn’t clean him up?” I raised my eyebrows in mock annoyance, and she chuckled.
“He’s your kill, Rumor.”
I swept my hand at the pile, twisting my fingers as if I were conducting an invisible orchestra. The remains swirled, spinning faster and faster until they slammed together and formed a crystalized sphere, no bigger than a marble. I summoned it toward me, and it floated lightly in mid-air.
“Black?” Ember asked, noting the color of the crystal, indicative of the demon’s eye color and status.
“Yeah, low level. He was working as a drug dealer, preying on the weak.” I held my hand out and the demon’s remains fell into my palm, cold and hard. I dropped it into the back pocket of my jeans, like it was nothing more than the wrapper from a stick of gum, even though it was so much more than that. It was all that remained of the human that had traded his soul to the Devil. I took a deep breath, saying a silent prayer for that human, and then turned to leave.
“So, do you think he had anything to do with the Vamp that we’re sensing?” she asked, as we emerged from the building and made our way onto the street.
“I don’t know, but I doubt it.”
From there, we headed west, making our way toward the dark energy. Pausing at the top of a hill, I looked behind me at the twinkling fairyland that was the city at night. Jets flew overhead, arcing toward the airport. The contrails painted a misty white veil across the ebony expanse of sky. I took a deep breath of cool, fresh night air, and stared up at the brilliant stars, pinpricks in the deep black overhead.
Then, reluctantly, I turned my attention to the large, gray house at the end of the street below, and growled in disgust, feeling the evil energy that lived within. I wasn’t sure how I hadn’t sensed the creature before now, and that made me feel a bit uneasy. Usually I could detect these bastards from half a mile away. Ember was probably right, I shouldn’t be slaying on my own.
“Blood-sucking bastard,” Ember growled, as if reading my thoughts. “Let’s get him.”
We walked soundlessly down the cracked and overgrown cement walk until we stood in front of a decrepit narrow gate that would give us access to the property. We quickly leapt over it, moving into the shadows, making our way to the side of the large estate.
“Back door?”
“Yeah, sounds good.” Ember replied.
I wanted to gain entry quickly. It was approaching the darkest hour, and the last thing we wanted was for the vamp to awaken before we were ready to strike.
“Holy water?” I asked, as we approached the back, noticing a pane of glass that ran alongside the doorframe. It would make entering much easier.
“You don’t have any?”
“I’m low. I didn’t refill before I went out.”
She smirked at me. “Yeah, I’ve got a full vial, and of course, my dagger.”
I looked at the short piece of sharp wood that sat in the leather pouch strapped around her waist, and quirked an eyebrow. I personally always used a spell to summon stakes when needed, rather than carrying one around, but Ember had always preferred to make her own.
“And a stake. Clearly, you come prepared.”
She chuckled. “Of course.”
“Then, let’s do this.”
I nodded at her, and in the next moment, we both took one purposeful step forward. Of course the door was locked when I tried the knob. I looked at Ember from the corner of my eye, but she was already stepping up next to me. Within seconds her elbow had broken the small window next to the door, and she was reaching her hand through. Door unlocked, we quietly made our way into the house hoping the bloodthirsty creature hadn’t been disturbed by our break-in.
The large parlor room was decorated in aged elegance—the creature was certainly eccentric. It was rare to find a vampire who fed into the archaic imagery about his people—if you could call them people—but some embraced the overdone characteristics of their legacy.
Ember crept across the wooden floorboards, making her way to the bottom of the large staircase, and I followed, looking up to the landing above us, surveying the area. The hallway was wide and open, offering the perfect amount of space for us to use our wings.
I nodded, expanding my wings at the same time she did. We stepped forward, and I watched the first floor disappear below me, the second floor receded away in the next moment. I brought my hands up and caught the banister that guarded the third-floor landing. I looked to find Ember hanging on as well, already retracting her wings. When mine had folded into my back, I lifted myself lightly over the banister, and touched down, with barely a whisper of a sound.
Since we were so close to the target now, we continued the conversation telepathically.
He’s in his coffin. Room right ahead of us.
I know, Ember. We got this.
I took a step forward and twisted the doorknob, surprised to find it unlocked. Pushing it open slowly, we stepped into the room.
Ember quickly drew her sharp dagger from its sheath on her belt, ready to strike. I quickly scanned the room, my eyes settling on the black granite coffin on the opposite side of the room. It shone with newness, out of place in the antiquated home.
Ready? Ember’s voice sounded in my head.
Ready.
She directed her attention to the coffin in the corner. “I command you to surrender!” She didn’t say anything else. Words meant nothing to a creature like this. From that moment on, actions decided everything.
I squinted at the coffin, my own hands up and ready to attack. There was no sound from the coffin, but I sensed the rousing thoughts of the dark creature inside. In seconds, it crawled from its place of rest, and stood before us with its red eyes wide and glowing. The sight of the creature sent a chill down my spine, the blackness that lived inside threatening to unleash itself, thirsty for our lifeblood.
That wasn’t going to happen. Not today.
Without hesitation, Ember threw her silver-tipped dagger at the creature, the blade slicing the air with a soft hiss before making impact. It stumbled back as blood spurted out in a crimson-tinged jet, the blade burying itself to the hilt in the vampire’s chest. It wasn’t enough to kill a vampire, but the silver would burn its flesh and seriously weaken it.
The creature snarled, its ashen face twisted into a mask of agony as the silver bled through its veins, infecting it with the holiness in which it was blessed.
I lunged forward, my own dagger ready to slash at the monster, but a blast of white light zoomed by my head, crushing the vampire in a storm of magic fire. I joined with Ember’s power, unleashing a blistering white energy that found no home inside of the blackened heart of the beast before us. The energy tore at its flesh, filling the body with a light that made its skin appear translucent as it screeched for mercy, knowing mercy would not come.
The magic ceased with a rush of warm wind, and the smell of charred flesh filled the room, as we tackled the creature, and wrestled it to the floor. I pinned its arms down with my full strength as it struggled beneath me. Ember knelt beside us, carefully avoiding the vamp’s outstretched jaw, its sharp fangs eager to connect with her soft flesh. She lifted the wooden stake that had materialized in her hand, and aimed it at the creature, just below the dagger that was still embedded in the beast’s chest.
Her knuckles were white as she slammed the stake down, piercing the ghastly skin. The vamp’s eyes went wide, and he arched and writhed, but it was useless. The shriek died on its lips, but I remained in position even after I felt the body go limp beneath me.
Ember pulled the dagger from the corpse’s chest and stood, pulling a vial of luminescent water from her pocket. She uncorked it and held it over the creature while I maintained my grip on the dying monster. I opened my eyes in time to see the cascade of holy water fall onto the vampire, which immediately began to smoke and sizzle. I rose from my knees and watched him melt into a gray, cloudy puddle on the floor. Ember’s stake fell to the floor with a soft clunk.
“You can clean up this time,” she said, taking in a deep breath. She was obviously affected by the exertion of magic that she used to defeat the vampire.
I closed my eyes and concentrated on the room around me, specifically, the shattered coffin lid, the splintered door frame, and the pool of purified vampire remains on the floor. I clapped my hands together sharply and envisioned the room rectified, the floor dry, the coffin in one piece, and the remains gone. There was a whooshing sound, and my palms tingled slightly, as the power flowed from my fingertips. When I opened my eyes, the room looked just as it had when we entered.
“He must’ve been young to have bought into the whole coffin thing.” Ember scoffed, taking in the room around us.
“Yeah.” I rubbed the toe of my combat boot over the spot on the floor where the creature had been moments before, confirming what I already knew—that it was dry and unaffected by the purification of evil that occurred there.
“Easier to live on the run, if you ask me.”
“If you don’t have to lug around a massive stone box, you mean?” I asked, smiling and walking toward the window, diagonal from the coffin.
Ember nodded. “Exactly. I just don’t get it.”
“Don’t try to understand evil, Ember. It’ll never make sense to you.”
“Yeah, I know,” she replied. “So, do you want to go grab a drink?”
“Dear God, yes,” I replied, and she pursed her lips at my playful blasphemy.
Even though we were Angels, our generation was certainly nothing like the one before. We had long since broken free from the traditional stereotypes that our forefathers had unfortunately fostered during their time.
Instead, my generation of Angels drank, cursed from time to time, and if we found ourselves in a relationship with someone we wanted to commit to, we didn’t always wait until marriage to sleep together. We knew what truly mattered, and it had nothing to do with what we wore, what we drank, or who we slept with.
Nevertheless, even though we had revolutionized the idea of what was acceptable behavior for Angels, we still dutifully served God, Michael, and the Legion.
“Relax, Ember,” I chided, shaking my head. “It’s just a saying.”
“It’s about respect, Rumor.” She sounded only the tiniest bit exasperated, as we made our way out into the hallway and back toward the staircase. “And leading by example: holding yourself to a higher standard, striving for perfection, and all that. As an Angel, you know what’s expected of us.”
“Sorry,” I replied, trying to sound genuine, but she knew better. “I think committing my life to defeating evil and being a kind and good person, is more important than any of that.”
I made my way outside and then turned to look over my shoulder at my friend, who was trailing behind. “Hurry up, girl. I need a drink. And get rid of the damn stake. We’re not going into a bar with that blood-stained thing attached to your side.”
A dagger could be easily hidden beneath our clothes, but her stake would draw too much attention, and right now I just wanted to slink into a corner uninterrupted, and have a cold beer.
She laughed and rushed to catch up to me.
Chapter Two
A slayer was never technically off duty. If we sensed evil, it didn’t matter whether we were on the job or not, it was our obligation to defeat it from the Earth. Thankfully, there were hundreds of Angels assigned to different districts throughout the city. That meant that we could focus on protecting our assigned grids, and not have to patrol the entire city on our own, which would have been an impossible task, especially in a city like Los Angeles.
“I had a dream about them,” I said, as we walked toward the bar, a place visible only to supernatural beings.
“What? Who?” she asked, and I realized she hasn’t been tuned in to my thoughts.
“My parents. That’s probably why I’m in such a funk.”
“Oh,” she said quietly, placing a hand on my arm. “I’m sorry, Rumor. It’s almost that time of year again, isn’t it?”
I nodded, keeping my eyes on my feet as they swallowed up sidewalk. “Yeah. Fourteen years.”
“It feels like it was yesterday—to me, at least. I’m sure—” she stumbled, clearly feeling like she had said the wrong thing. She always had a hard time talking about my parents, as though she was worried that I’d fall apart all over again.
“It does to me, too… sometimes,” I said, reassuring her.
She smiled sadly, scanning my face to make sure I was okay. I gave her my best smile. I did feel okay, just a little nostalgic.
“Well, we’ll have to have a drink in their honor,” she said as we approached the bar, Good Spirits, tackily headed by a wide, sparkling pair of Angel wings. Mortals would pass it, unable to see through the repelling field that altered their perceptions, blending the bar into the two shops on either side of it so that they both appeared much wider than they were. We made our way through the front door, and I smiled as we approached the bouncer, a Mage I had met a few times before.
“It’s Rumor, isn’t it?” he asked, scanning our minds for identification and clearly tuning into my recent thoughts. “I remember you know. I didn’t realize who your parents were though. Your parents are legends.”
“Grayson, right?” I asked, and he smiled, apparently pleased that I had remembered his name.
“That’s right.” He extended his massive hand, and I shook it. Grayson was a broad-shouldered Mage that stood over six-feet-tall—he was well-qualified for a job as a bouncer.
“This is my friend Ember,” I said, noticing that her smile was a little bit strained. I sometimes got recognized, and it always seemed to make her uncomfortable.
“Ember, it’s nice to see you again. You two are quite the team from what I’ve heard.” Grayson shook Ember’s hand just as enthusiastically as he had mine, and she looked mollified. “Tell the bartender that your first round is on me,” he added, ushering us in.
On the inside, the place didn’t look that different than a human bar. The dim lights and the wood-paneled walls gave a sense of privacy to the couples and groups who sat at the booths around the perimeter. A long bar, with its wood carved intricately, took up the entire left side of the space. Almost every stool at the bar was occupied, and I could see why. The beautiful, female elf bartender, a lithe creature with remarkable green eyes, had attracted the men like moths to a flame. Another fae dragged a cleaning cloth across the wooden surface of the bar, working hard to keep it clean. In the corner, on a pedestal all its own, sat a phoenix that was in varying stages of life and rebirth. At that moment, it was nothing more than a pile of ashes, and I regretted missing the show. Hopefully, it would regenerate before we left.
I loved this place for the diversity it offered. Every type of supernatural creature—as long as its intentions were good—could be found here. I’d had conversations over whiskey and beer with gnomes, dryads, and even an elemental witch, or two.
