Chapter Twelve

 

THEA

 

Thea and Cam walked the city this time. They kept close to each other while watching out for demons. Thea wanted to know more about him; she had been both delighted and intrigued by their conversation a few nights before, having thought he wasn’t remotely interested in her or her life. He seemed to be warming up to her, though the process was slow. Sometimes she’d catch him staring hard at her as though he was searching for something within, other times she would notice minute reactions in him that she was learning to read. He was no longer as cold and surly as he had been—he wasn’t warm, either, but he seemed to be getting used to her and it made her want to push for more.

“Tell me something about you, Cam.”

He glanced at her, his eyebrows raised. “Such as?”

“Why do you kill demons? What makes you want to?”

“It is my job,” he said, plainly. “I’m a Power angel. It’s what we do.”

“Do you enjoy it?”

Cam tilted his head, thinking about her question. “I don’t think of it that way. I was made to fight demons. That is my purpose.”

“Surely you have some personal reason for doing it, though,” she said, trying to push him into an answer. “You really… care about it.” He was so fierce about what he did, so persistent that she got it right. She had a feeling it wasn’t just about training her well; he took pride in his job and fought hard. She had watched him do so the first time she met him.

“I do.”

“What’s your reason?”

Cam was silent for a long while.

“So? Your reason?” Thea pressed.

“I don’t—“

“I do,” she interrupted, with a grin. “It’s not that hard. Just talk.”

He thought for a moment. “I lost someone. Someone important to me. A group of demons attacked and… it happened a couple of millenniums ago but it is one of the reasons I’m dedicated to my purpose.”

Thea frowned. She’d had no idea that he might have anyone that was important to him, people he cared about. Suddenly she was unsure of herself. She knew nothing about him. That might have explained his hesitation to open up to her at all. He had been hurt. She wondered if it had been a woman, if he had ever been in love. He didn’t speak about the person like he was pining for a lost love but it was hard to tell with Cam. Thea could never tell what he was thinking or how he was feeling, other than the glimmer of emotions when he was caught off guard.

“I’m sorry,” was all she could think to say.

He glanced at her, his jaw tight. “It’s all right. It’s done.”

A silence expanded between them as they walked. When they slid into a crowd of people, Cam put his hand on her waist to guide her through. She shivered under his touch and he must have noticed, because he pulled her closer, until their bodies almost touched. Almost. After they got through the crowd, he moved away again. Nervousness trembled through her and her skin tingled where he’d touched her.

“Do you see her? Over there?” Cam pointed out a demon who was lounging on a dumpster near the end of the street, seeming half-asleep.

“Yes.”

“What is she?” asked Cam.

She peered at the demon and saw that her light was a deep wine-red and her horns were thick, with blunt ends.

“Spectra,” she said. “Her horns are blunt.”

Cam nodded. “And that one?”

The other one he was pointing to glowed more of a tangerine orange, with sharper points on his thinner horns.

“That’s an Asmos?”

He nodded again and glanced at her, his face softening.

Inwardly, Thea beamed. Their lesson the night before had been helpful; he’d been thorough with his explanations about the demons and how best to vanquish each one.

They walked, continuing to identify the demons around them. For the most part, nobody paid them any mind. Once or twice, she noticed that one of the demons would glance at her, but if they knew what she was or what she was doing, they either didn’t care or were afraid to approach her while she was with Cam. He had been absolutely firm about her not going out at night until she finished her training—there must have been a reason.

“Come down here.” Cam pulled her into an alley. He moved quickly, his face tight with alarm and tension.

“What’s wrong?” she asked. “What’s going on?”

“We’re being followed.” He glanced toward the street. “There’s a group of Spectras coming this way.”

He pushed her against the wall and stood in front of her. It annoyed Thea that he automatically wanted to keep her out of the way but she didn’t dare push him aside; she had no experience fighting the demons and had to accept that. This is what she had been training for but she still needed him.

The demons prowled around the corner, sniffing like dogs. When they saw Cam, they paused then slunk towards him and Thea.

Cam fired off the first shot, sending out a ball of energy that slammed into three of the Spectras and knocked them to the ground. There were at least six more of the demons, who moved quickly to surround Thea and Cam, edging them away from the wall and backing them further into the alley. Thea and Cam ended up back-to-back, Thea’s heartbeat increased, adrenaline kicking in.

As Cam darted out to attack, she used the footwork she had learned to do the same. She didn’t hesitate. Grabbing hold of one of the demon’s shoulders, she yanked him down, bringing her knee up to hit him in a pressure point. He yelped and crumpled.

“Watch out for the blood,” Cam barked. He fought two of the Spectras with his blade. “Try not to touch it. Make a shield if you can.”

She nodded, though he couldn’t see her, and twisted the demon’s neck. He dissolved into black dust.

Thea and Cam returned to their back-to-back position. Thea faced three demons, all of whom were closing in on her fast. With deliberate speed, she spun and jabbed at the demons before darting back. She noticed Cam had done the same. She dashed back out and aimed a kick at the knees to the closest one, sweeping his legs out from underneath him in order to knock him to the ground. Thea lifted her foot and stomped hard on the demon’s skull, feeling it crack sickeningly under her boot. She darted back in at the same time Cam did, wishing she had a blade, nervous about her ability to use her angelic powers. They both darted out again, attacked and drew back to each other. Building up speed, they attacked the demons that surrounded them, disposing of them.

Seeing two demons skulking further away, trying to entice her away from Cam, Thea channeled energy into her hands and focused intently. With an arm raised, she focused and formed a spike, then sent it flying forward. She was mildly surprised when it actually hit; the Spectra on the left was impaled through the eye, blood gushing from his head, and he dropped to the ground. He was soon dust.

She repeated the action for the other demon but he was expecting it, and it only grazed him. Before she could send out another spike, he darted forward with an ugly, jagged blade in his hand. She didn’t expect it and froze.

Cam jumped in front of her. He grabbed the demon’s head and twisted, snapping its neck, but not before the demon slashed him across the abdomen with the blade. Thea cried out and grabbed Cam’s arm, turning him around to see that his shirt was split open, blood dripping from the wound the demon had made with the dagger. He didn’t seem fazed by it, instead, he looked her over to make sure she wasn’t wounded. A savagery burned in his eyes, a fierceness she hadn’t seen before.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

A sudden rush embraced her; a powerful burst of contentment, love, and peace expanded from her core to fill her whole being. She gasped and held still, reveling in the feeling. After a long moment, it slowly dimmed and faded away, leaving her feeling oddly content and less fearful.

“What was that?” she breathed. “Did you feel it?”

Cam nodded. “That was the Creator.”

Thea stared at him. She just felt the Creator? So many questions danced on her tongue but she noticed he was bent over. She leaned into him and put her hand on his stomach. “You’re bleeding.”

He said nothing, but hoisted her into his arms and took off into the air with one powerful whip of his wings, flying over the city and back to her apartment.