Chapter 18

When my eyes fully open, I find myself in a dim room. Someone’s house, but whose? As dark as it is, the room still seems familiar. Not my bedroom. Doctor Stanton’s. I look to his bed and see he’s still asleep. They know me too well. Hopefully, I understand them even better.

The pair of pajama pants and sleeveless top I put on before going to sleep no longer cling to me. Instead, I’m wearing a thin, snug night-top that falls just below my bottom. Wonder whose idea this was? But then, that’s the question of the night. Who is the one controlling this dream, for now? The anticipation speeds my heart.

Careful not to wake Doc, I exit to the hall, lock the front door, and feel my way to the living room where it all will take place. I have the advantage they hadn’t expected. I’d searched and prepared the hunting ground before heading off to bed. Whether or not they had chosen this place for our final battle, I would have found a way to lead them here regardless.

I’ll be watching the shadows tonight, remembering my grandmother’s teachings. I focus on the surroundings, what has changed, what remains constant. Every curve, every sharp edge, is committed to my photographic memory. Take it slow and remember everything. Don’t rush a resolution this time. We have all night. I’m not afraid, something I may need to remind myself of throughout the night.

The hallway spills into an enormous living room with vaulted ceilings and the fireplace with heavy rock. All still the same. I turn the Don Quixote bronze on its pedestal. Wait.

A new art piece sits against the opposite wall. Appears to be a large…cross. I remember my conversation with Rick about Jesus and being unable to imagine the pain He endured. Remembering those words, my skin turns cold and I begin to shiver. Surely, I hadn’t anticipated this. My breathing has turned shallow and my pulse rate has increased. I’m not afraid. Take a deep breath and relax.

The room smells like the ocean. So far inland? Wind rustles nearby trees. There’s movement in the shadows. Following the surge with my eyes, I remain still. Soon my gaze falls on a chair set in the middle of the room, in front of the fireplace. That wasn’t there before either. Neither was the demon sitting in it. I shoot him a sideways glance, knowing he’s not the one I’m searching for. He hasn’t killed yet. Tonight is meant to be his first. I can see it in the tension of his body, the eagerness written all over his face. If I’m to survive this evening, I can’t allow him to distract me. That’s what they want.

“Didn’t expect ya ta be so lovely.” I hate how demons always think they’re slick in their dream state. My stomach turns.

Instead of responding in kind, I ignore him, reminding myself again he’s not the one. If I kill him now, the dream would finish and we’d have to wait for another night and start all over again. I’ve prepared too well to finish before the planned outcome. The attacks from these rogue angels will end tonight.

More movement in the shadows. A presence in the kitchen, one near the fireplace, behind the sofa. Demon standing behind me. I can feel others, not exactly sure how many or if they’re demon or angel, but the ones I’m looking for and most concerned about haven’t yet shown.

The demon rises from the chair and reaches for me. “Hey, I’m talking to you.” He turns me to face him. “I was promised my time with you,” he sputters and pulls me into him, pressing his mouth hard against mine.

Shoving him backward in disgust, I turn away. “I don’t have time for you tonight. You, I’ll kill another time.”

“What makes you think I won’t kill you?”

When he reaches for my arm, his rage is evident. As he pulls me toward him again, the ones in the shadows move, descending upon us in a whirlwind of motion. Drawing up my strength, I throw the demon across the room as hard as I can. He slams into a wall, head snapping back to dent the sheetrock. Good, it will keep him away from me for a moment. Hopefully, a moment is long enough. I reach into the darkness, tangling my fingers in a tassel of hair. My arm yanks backward and suddenly I’m whipped around. Something sharp slices my cheek, but I don’t allow it to faze me. My focus is on the one I have trapped by the hair in my clutches and the others circling around me. The angel caught in my fingers shrieks in fear—a very feminine shriek—as I slam her against the wall.

With her body pinned, I move in closer to see her face. She isn’t Sarah, but she is familiar. The blond woman in the gallery who kept hanging on Collin. Ha! I wondered if I’d see her again. Didn’t place her as an angel, though. I wonder how many rogues Collin and I had surrounding us.

The confident smirk leaves her face and I can’t help but smile. “This’ll be easy.”

Her eyes grow huge, knowing she’s about to die and my hands quickly snap her neck. No time to play with my prey tonight. Besides, this is different. These aren’t demons.

When her body slips to the floor, the other angels circle me. Two of them will be exceptionally strong. They won’t be as simple. There’s one in the kitchen, one on each side of the fireplace, one in the hall.

The demon is on the floor near the chair, rising back to his feet. “I’m gonna kill someone.”

“That is their plan.” I say it mostly to myself.

Soon enough, he’s recovered and rushing me, but I hold out my hand without looking his direction. Unprepared for my reaction, he skids to a halt.

“I’m not the one you want to fight tonight. Like I said, I’m not planning to kill you.” My eyes and attention don’t leave the shadows.

The energy of the circling angels increases. “You might wanna move,” I tell him, still standing an arm’s length away.

“Huh?” Too late.

The assault is more directed this time, better planned and their patsy is knocked against the wall. This rogue is male, shoulder-length hair, tall with broad shoulders and I know he must be taken out immediately. As I focus on him, another races from the shadows toward me. Some asshole hiding in the shadows so I couldn’t see them launching forward. Before I can react, the male rogue knocks me across the face with the back of his hand. Not bad. Made my lip bleed. I smile at him and grab his shirt, throw him across the room, my smile increasing as his back slams against the kitchen counter.

While still recovering from the throw, the shadow rogue rushes toward me again. I manage to raise my hands to block him, for the most part, but the impact still drives my own arms into my abdomen. I may be healed, but my wounds are still tender. Doubled over with pain for a second, I’ve forgotten to watch the next one I intend to kill. My failure is his break.

In a flash he’s at my side, reaching for my hair and pulling me into the kitchen. In a moment of panic, I grab his hand and try to plant my feet in the cold tile. As I’ve mentioned, the kitchen is not my favorite place to fight.

He opens a drawer to retrieve a butcher knife, but I slam the drawer on his hand with my foot. Screaming in agony, he releases me, cradling his broken fingers. Three others track me from the shadows, waiting for an opportunity. This one’s too big to snap his neck. I’ll need something sharp.

Facing him, my eyes on the ones in the darkness, I step backward and he follows. He wants to be the one to trap me. I let him believe he’s good enough, pretending to be afraid. Once past the counter, I turn and run into the living room as fast as my legs allow. Thankfully, he’s dumb enough to assume I’m that weak and follows full sprint. When I slow, he gains fast. The other three follow. Reaching the Don Quixote bronze, I step to the side. Fortunately for me, he doesn’t see the long, metal staff pointing toward him. The rogue impales himself on the statue all the way up the metal arm, the tip of the staff exiting his back. He blinks in amazement.

The demon watches with respect for my skill, but I also sense his fear of me. “What’s your name?” I ask, trying to create a connection.

He seems startled I’d asked. “G-Gilbert.”

“Gilbert, stay out of my way, okay?”

He doesn’t say a word but slips into the shadows to watch.

Three to go. Weakest ones out of the way. Now the fight becomes interesting. Now I slow the pace. If the fight progresses too quickly, the ones I’m waiting for won’t show themselves. They all need to participate. It’s the only way I’ll truly be free of them.

With my head turned downward, I listen to the soul of the house. The silver brick and wooden slats breathe as I breathe, absorbing the energy of my battle. The ones in the shadows pant, eager to have a piece of me. I taste blood on my tongue. Not mine. One of them has a love for it. Makes it part of the kill. Part of the torture. The scent of perfume fills the air.

Sarah.

I don’t kid myself that she wore it by accident. She wanted me to recognize her. Makes me want to kill her more. I always hated her perfume.

I know what’s to come and what I’ll endure in order to draw out the ones still hiding, and I’m ready. They have to believe I’m weakened, bolstering their confidence and readiness to rush the resolution while I patiently wait. Lowering my guard to commence the next phase of my plan, I brace myself while trying to look casual. I wince as my face suddenly rebounds from a sharp hit.

The strike was greater than I’d expected, forcing me to reach out for something to stop my body from flying to the floor. Abs tensing, I take a swift kick to the stomach and try to look like it hurt more than it did. I want her to think she’s hurting me, weakening me. And she’s dumb enough to believe it. Her assumption is my gain.

Soon I’m lifted into the air and thrown against the wall. I struggle to breathe as the impact knocks the air from me. Staring into the eyes of my employee, I feel the other two tie rope around my wrists, cinching them together behind my back. The rogues who grabbed me slip back into the shadows while Sarah faces me down. I’m only slightly disappointed she turned out to be a fink. The way she’d grow to annoy me, I look forward to the opportunity to beat the shit out of her before I kill her and bury that fucking perfume with her.

Gritting my teeth, I glare into her eyes. “You’re fired.”

She laughs and throws me to the floor beside the chair, kicking me again. A deep, cleansing breath clears my mind after the assault. The demon is still watching from the corner. One of the rogue angels watches from the kitchen, the other is missing, maybe the hallway. Not exactly sure where he went.

Sarah lifts me from the ground by my hair and sets me in the seat, securing my tied hands behind the wooden back so I can’t move. When my ankles are secured to the two front legs, she kneels in front of me and wraps her hands around my neck, tightening them slowly until I start to choke. My hands struggle with the ropes at my wrists.

“In the preexistence, I was called Sariah. I watched you and Michael fight like warriors, like your very existence depended on our victory. I respected you for that. But you never even glanced in my direction, never even noticed me. Do you see me now?” Her face appears child-like as if she’s waiting for a parent’s approval. With her fingers tightening around my trachea, I find it hard to give her what she desires and glare back at her.

“Jaime Connor, tainted archangel. All the others fear you. Ha!” She lets go of my throat moments before I lose consciousness. “Now they’ll fear me.”

In a ridiculously dramatic move, she brings her arm across her body, swinging back toward my face. The blow causes me to bite my tongue and the taste of the iron in my blood fills my mouth, flowing down the back of my throat. My breathing becomes labored and my heart is pounding in my chest. Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath again, clearing my mind, remembering what I was taught. I begin to chuckle.

Sarah walks away and into the kitchen, reaching into a drawer, taking her time returning. A steel blade glints in the moonlight streaming through the window. Soon she’s back at my side, crouched in front of me and holding a steak knife where I can see.

“Did you know that serrated edges are duller than flat ones? I know, huh? Who would’ve thought? That is, if you take good care of your cutlery,” she says and rubs the blade against her arm as if such a move would intimidate me. What a putz. “That’s why it hurts so much when you get cut by one of these.”

Watching her movements while tracking the rogues still waiting in the shadows, I stay silent. Words are wasted on a fool.

“What’s the matter? Not talkative today? Never much for conversation, are you? I always hated that about you.” She presses the blade against my thigh and then yanks it across, cutting deep into my skin. With my head thrown back, I gasp, trying to hide my pain. The pleasure she feels in seeing me flinch is evident. Her hands are trembling with excitement.

The killers in the shadows grow restless as she lifts my top and lays the knife against my ribs. Without another word, she pulls it quickly away, strafing my skin. I bite the inside of my mouth to keep her from seeing the pain in my eyes.

“You like that, huh? I thought you would. You always seemed to love pain. I’ve watched you in the shadows for so long. Watched you toy with demons, letting them play with you before taking them down, even letting them cut you. Half expected you’d go all the way one of these days. That’s when I realized how much you love pain, how erotic it was for you. Am I right in my assessment, Jaime? You like a little alone time with a demon, don’t you? We have one here for you if you like.” Sarah licks my blood from the knife.

Really? As if licking blood off a knife would scare me. She was always one for foolish antics. I can’t help but laugh, stirring her anger, causing her to backhand me, but I can’t stop chuckling.

Furious, she jerks the knife up to my throat. “Do you know how easy it would be to end it right now?” Calming her rage, she hesitates then smiles. “The great dark angel falls.”

Silliness. She’s wasting my time. Why can’t she just get on with it?

As she puts pressure on the blade against my trachea, there’s a sound in the hallway. Footsteps. Sarah rises to her feet, putting a finger to her lips.

“Jaime? Is that you?”

“Rick?”

With the help of another, Sarah lunges for him, tackling him to the floor. Rick fights to be free, but they’re too strong for him. As I watch, they drag him from the shadows and into the room. He’s still wearing the suit he’d worn to bed, black dress shoes still on his feet.

Noticing the rogue impaled on his statue and the blond with a broken neck, he can’t take his eyes off them. The two rogues drag him to the cross in the living room and tie his hands to the crossbeam while he fights with them.

“Welcome, Doc. We’ve been waiting for you to join us. You see, this whole night wouldn’t be complete without a spectator.”

“Let her go. Do whatever you want with me, but let her go.” His eyes show fear, but I’m not overly convinced.

“What d’ya know, Jaime? You got an admirer. You gonna let him sacrifice his life for you?”

I know their game and still won’t give her what she wants. “Ha! That’s what I thought.”

As Sarah raises her knife to his throat, Rick fights against the restraints. “What do you want from her?”

“Well, Doc, I’d love to kill her, but we’re better off if she joins us. Our power would be unmatched.” The sarcastic slant of Sarah’s words shows the disdain she feels for me and I realize she’s not the one calling the shots. Someone else has forced her to restrain the desire to kill me. “And if she refuses to join…” Sarah reaches the knife to his chest and cuts through his shirt, into the flesh beneath, causing him to cry out in pain.

Rick shoots her an angry glare, struggling against the ropes. “Jaime, don’t do it.”

“I don’t intend to.” My reply is delivered flat and honest, surprising and confusing him. I can barely control the urge to laugh in his face. His performance is pathetic.

Sarah’s head perks up. “She speaks,” she quips and allows the hand holding the knife to fall to her side as she saunters over to me. Moving around to the back of the chair, she reaches for my hair, pulling my head back to expose my throat. The knife raised, she presses it against the thin flesh until I feel the trickle of cooled blood running down my neck and into my hair.

“If you don’t join us, you’ll die. Then, we’ll cut your doctor friend to small pieces in his sleep.”

“Like you did to that family?”

She smiles. “Exactly the same.”

“How’re you gonna kill me, Sariah, bore me to death? Please, put me out of my misery now so I don’t have to watch you embarrass yourself.”

Sarah’s mouth tightens. Moving the knife from my throat to the top of my shoulder, she slices open the flesh. Then, she leans forward with her lips close to my ear. “Soon. But first, we’re gonna let our friend have some fun before it’s all over, then I’ll wrap it up.”

She waves to the demon in the corner and he shakes his head, his eyes wide with dread.

I can’t help laughing at her. “You have no idea how lame this is.”

Glaring back at me, Sarah slaps me so hard my face stings, but I still can’t stop laughing.

Her lip curls at Gilbert. “What did I bring you for? If you don’t do what I say, I’ll kill you right here.”

“No, she won’t, Gilbert. She needs you. At least for now.”

“This is the only reason you’re here. I swear I’ll end you right now if you don’t.” She revealed something important. I counted on her to be the idiot I knew she would be.

Hunched down in the shadows, Gilbert thinks about what Sarah told him and then starts from the corner, toward me. I see his fear of me, but his desire is slightly greater.

“That’s it. She can’t stop you. She’s tied up.”

When Gilbert reaches me, he straddles my legs and grabs hold of my hair, pulling my head back again.

Looking up into his eyes, I make sure my expression is confident in spite of my fear. “Don’t do this, Gil.”

He leans over my face and whispers to me. “I’m sorry. You know she’s making me do this. Please don’t kill me.” He starts to kiss my cheek, moving down to my throat.

Rick lets out a guttural yell. “No. Don’t do it. She’ll join you. I’ll talk her into it, she’ll listen to me. I promise. Just stop.” His speech isn’t as convincing as I would’ve anticipated. He’d performed better the past few days.

Sarah turns to me. “Well, what do you say?” She slices Rick’s shoulder, still staring at me.

He grits his teeth before crying out. Then, he turns his eyes to mine. “Jaime, please, if not for you, then for me. You’re an archangel. You don’t feel pain like mortals. If you love me, you won’t make me suffer like this.”

The traitorous display is appalling and I can only narrow my eyes at him while shaking my head. Sarah can see the answer in my eyes.

She turns to Rick. “Sorry, lover, you’re not the prize, just the entertainment.” She reaches her hand up to his face and cuts his cheek with the steak knife.

“Stop it, Sarah.”

The voice comes from the shadows near the fireplace. I smell the moors of Ireland and hear the slight lilt in his voice, causing my heart to beat faster. He wasn’t supposed to be asleep yet. As he appears from the darkness, I shake my head at him, trying to tell him to leave. I have this under control.

Collin notices the demon straddling me, hands on my body and he lowers his head, narrowing his eyes at him.

“Take your hands off her or I’ll end you now.” His voice is deep with anger, eyes focused directly on him.

Gilbert shudders before letting his hands slip from my body.

“Don’t you dare move away from her, Gilbert. I swear I’ll kill you right here.” Sarah isn’t fazed by Collin’s appearance. She must’ve been expecting him.

After silently acknowledging Sarah, Collin turns to the woman beside her. “Mandy.” His jaw is tight, the look of a killer in his eyes.

His receptionist. Why didn’t I recognize her?

“Sorry, Jaime, I couldn’t let you do this alone. When Rick called I got there as fast as I could, but you were already asleep.” Rick. Jackass.

“You aren’t supposed to be here, Collin. I have this handled.”

“Yeah, I can see that.” He reaches for the ropes, untying one of Rick’s hands.

“Collin! No!”

Before he turns to me, Rick has his other hand free and surprises Collin, pulling a necktie around his throat and throwing him off balance. He immediately pulls backward toward the cross and fastens Collin to the upright beam before he can begin to fight back.