Chapter Two

 

CAM

 

Cam waited for Commander Zakiel in the main square, pacing next to the golden benches within an expansive luminous garden. The garden was the central point in the Empire and a number of tall, pale gold buildings surrounded it, providing important locations for meetings, offices, and training. Above, angels soared to their destinations, landing and taking off from the buildings that hovered and drifted high above.

In the center of the garden, an enormous block of glimmering energy twisted and twirled upward from a round marble base, rushing toward the brilliant blue sky. The Stream.

Other Power angels stood around the garden staring at it, their eyes glossed over by the sensation of its enticing energy—energy that connected them to the Creator. Cam just wanted to get back out on a new assignment.

He exhaled in annoyance. Where was Zak? He suspected Zak always wanted to meet by the Stream because he thought it would calm Cam, but that assumption was wrong. Cam resisted its pull. He found himself feeling resentful towards it and towards the Creator, if he was honest. He sometimes found himself questioning things he shouldn’t. It rose uncomfortable feelings in him that he didn’t want to address, the most prominent one being anger. He tried not to think about it, focusing on keeping an eye out for Zak. He finally showed up just before Cam was about to launch into the air toward his office.

“Good morning, Camael,” said the Commander, giving Cam a small nod in greeting. Cam nodded in response and took a seat on one of the benches.

Zak had been Cam’s commander since he had begun his duties as a Power over four millenniums ago. He took his duties as a commanding Dominion angel seriously and had been praised for his remarkable guidance to Power angels. They had become friends over the course of their working relationship and Cam enjoyed Zak’s company and respected his advice and guidance. Zak’s opinion meant a lot to him. He had once been a celebrated warrior himself, and Cam had always thought highly of him.

“Report,” Zak said, settling down on the bench. As a Dominion angel, he was slightly larger than Cam. His cinnamon skin had a bronze sheen, and even though he hadn’t been in the field since Cam had been working, he still had a warrior build. His shaved head highlighted his features—in particular, his unusual hazel eyes. Like all angels, he had stopped maturing physically as soon as he began his duties, so he didn’t look much older than Cam, but the denser energy he emanated indicated his level of experience.

“It was a demon ring,” Cam said. “They intended to follow through with plans next week.” He had just spent two months in the human world, watching Furies, waiting for the right time to infiltrate their hiding spot. It had been a relatively easy assignment once he’d been able to assess what they had been planning, which was to incite an incident of public rioting and discord. He’d had to take out a number of them to destroy the ring. It had been brutal—for them. Cam had ripped them limb from limb and had taken his time with it, too. By the time he was finished, the room had been covered in carnage. “I got them all, they won’t reform quickly.”

“Yes, I heard how you handled that,” Zak said, his tone ripe with disapproval. “I worry, Camael, that if the Dominion League hears of your killing methods…” He trailed off, regarding Cam with concern.

Cam knew his commander didn’t exactly approve of his methods, but the demons never showed any mercy when they chose to kill. They didn’t show Karaya, his best friend, any mercy. So he chose to kill them how they would kill, with vengeance and savagery, and he had no intention of changing his ways. Although he had, at times, gone overboard with his method of dispatching demons, he didn’t think he’d done anything that would garner the attention of the Dominion League.

He held Zak’s eye. “I am careful. There is no reason for them to be concerned. I do my job and I do it well.”

“I know you do,” said Zak, sighing. “You’re one of the most revered Power angels we have. Many look up to you. Many want to achieve all you have achieved. You have done well, Cam. You just need to be careful, work on controlling your emotions.”

Cam straightened, taking pride in Zak’s words, but knowing he wouldn’t change his methods. Zak had a calmer nature and believed in quick, efficient kills, whereas Cam refused to take demons down without making them suffer to the extreme extent of physical pain. They were evil and malicious, poisoning the human world in ways humans had no way to protect against. The last thing they deserved was a quick, simple death. As far as he was concerned, that wasn’t his job. His task was to destroy them and others like them, and he did it thoroughly.

“I think you should take a break from assignments for now,” said the Commander. “I’ve been approached by some angels who would like you to consider them as potential mates. I think it would be good for you to get to know someone. Perhaps it would help you get over what happened to Kara.”

Cam shook his head adamantly. He could not stop his duties now, not even for a mate. Besides, he didn’t want one. Karaya had been both his closest friend and arranged mate. He had vowed not to take another in honor of her memory. Zak knew that.

“If I withdraw from the human world now, the demons will gain a stronger foothold,” Cam said. “I can’t let that happen. They will increase their activities if they become aware I’m no longer in the field. And they have to suffer for what they did to Kara. I will not ease up until the debt is paid.”

Zak’s jaw was as hard as his stare. “And how long will that take?”

Cam struggled to answer. He had already caught the demons directly responsible for Karaya’s death, and then extended that blame to all demons. The rage that constantly boiled in him could not be quelled. He had tried everything and it still remained. There would never be an end to the debt if he had anything to do with it, but he guessed Zak wouldn’t want to hear that.

“If I allow you to go back down,” Zak said, after a few minutes, “you must promise me to improve your conduct. It’s not just you on the line with the Dominion League. If you become a concern, I will be brought into question too. I should be pulling you out.”

The Dominion League was a select group of Dominion angels who oversaw the duties of all angels and organized the Angel Realm—they did not suffer fools when it came to disciplining their warriors. Zak answered to them, and Cam knew they were not easy to deal with.

“I know.” Cam pushed down the rising guilt. He hardly thought about the consequences of his actions for himself, let alone his commander.

Zak observed him wearily, and for a very brief moment, Cam wondered if he was doing the right thing. Was his intended destruction of demons worth the risk to himself? To Zak? He thought about Karaya and what demons were capable of, and his resolve strengthened.

“Do you have another assignment for me? Or should I go hunting?” Cam’s tone became brisk, eager to move on.

Zak nodded, a spark in his striking eyes. “I do have an assignment for you. Top priority. But you might not like it.”

Cam pressed his lips together. That meant it wasn’t fighting demons. He shook off his annoyance. It wasn’t up to him what he was assigned to do.

“Tell me,” he said.