7even Circles: Moon Is Calling (7even Circles Series Book 1) (4 page)

“What do you want from me?”

“I want you to die so that I can earn my place next to the Channel.”

What the Hell was this guy talking about? He was fucking crazy.
“What’s a Channel?”

“The Channel, the lead demon of the inner circle. I’ve been working my way closer and closer, deeper and deeper. You will be the sacrifice I need to reach my goal.”

“Holy Hell, you’re crazy!”

He chuckled. “Hell is right, little mutt.”

“Let me get this straight, you plan to kill me as a sacrifice to the Devil?”

“Pretty much.”

She shook her head; maybe this was a nightmare. Please God, let her be dreaming. She yanked on her arms and legs, but the ties were too strong.

“Look, you need psychiatric help. Just let me go and when the police come I will make sure that they send you to a great psychiatric ward. There are nice doctors and nurses who know how to help you.” She didn’t really care where they sent him, as long as it was as far away from her as possible.

He snorted. “Cassandra, you don’t even officially exist. You have no one, no boyfriend or roommate. I’ve been watching for a while now. There is no one waiting for you who cares what happens to you.”

She knew he spoke the truth about not being in the system. Even the foster-care system had her listed under a different name. He was wrong about one thing, though—Jerry and Leeza would care if something happened to her. They wouldn’t know how find her, but how did he know that? She must have asked that out loud, because he was answering her.

“I know a lot about you. Once I found you I checked on your history. You were found wandering the streets without any memories, taken to orphanage and given the name Amanda Forrester, then fostered out to many different homes. You ran away to live on the streets. I wouldn’t have been able to find you if I hadn’t just happened to walk into that diner one night. It was luck, pure luck, that I found you at all. Watching and listening to you, I learned that you had no idea who you really are.”

‘Stalker’ didn’t cover this guy’s insanity. She wanted to chalk him up as just crazy, but he knew more about her than anyone else. “Do you know who my parents are?”

“Your mother was Laura Knight, half-human, half-air demon. We don’t know which Arkangel fathered you.”

She shook her head in denial. This couldn’t be right. She wasn’t a demon. She’d been called a bitch a few times in her life, but she liked to think of herself as a nice person. She just needed to find a way to escape. Cass let her captor keep talking his nonsense so that she could concentrate on her surroundings.

“I have to earn my place next to the Channel, and killing the Child of Light will get me that coveted spot.”

“Did you kill Tim?”

“The human male at the diner was in my way. I came in to grab you, but he walked in on me and surprised me. I cut him. I couldn’t stop; once a blood demon senses blood, it’s nearly impossible for us to stop until our target is dead.”

“You cut him up and stuffed him…” She couldn’t finish her thought. It was way too disturbing. Poor Tim.

“I had to clean up quickly because people were milling around the front entrance. I grabbed the trash bags because it was the first thing I could think to do.”

“Please, just let me go.”

“Beg. I like it when women beg.” His hand trailed down her half-torn clothes. He cupped her breast, squeezing it painfully.

At least he hadn’t tried to rape her up until that point. She spit on him, which made him slap her in the face. It stung badly on one side and she knew her eye on that side would be swelling shut.

“I’ve got to get a few more items, and then we’ll be ready to start.”

“Help! Someone please help me!”

He chuckled as he walked away. “Go ahead and yell, beautiful. No one is going to find us.”

She had to get loose or she knew she would die this night.

*****

“This can’t be it; it’s an old abandoned building. It doesn’t even have power,” Father Raphael protested, appalled.

“This is it. Her place is on the top right, off the fire escape.” Ari led the way up, rolling his eyes at Raphael’s hesitation. They should have left the priest on the ground. He went to her window and didn’t hesitate to raise it up. He looked down at the coin when it spun and then fell on its side.

“Is breaking in really necessary?” Michael asked.

“Yes, it is.” Ari had no patience for Mr. Angel and his Father. He entered the apartment. Nothing seemed to be disturbed.

“She lives here? Are you sure? There’s no power and no food in the refrigerator.”

Ari opened the cabinets, pulling out canned food. “She eats from cans if the power is out, or she’ll eat at the diner.”

Michael shook his head. “Maybe she got scared and took off. She might not even be in the city anymore.”

Ari walked to the corner and knelt at the loose floorboard. “She would’ve come back for her money if she planned to skip town.”

“How well acquainted are you with Miss Knight?” Father Raphael asked suspiciously.

“We’ve been friends a while.”

“You said that the demon would come here to get something personal of hers for the ceremony, but nothing has been touched.” Father Raphael went to the window.

“The only other place that she might have left something personal of hers would be the diner. She spends most of her time there.”

“That place is swarming with cops, he won’t be able to get in.”

Ari shrugged. “Demons are persuasive. If they want to get into a place, they’ll get in.”

“Michael, check her cross to see if she’s awake.”

Ari came closer to watch as the angel pulled out the silver chain and Cass’s cross, and held it in the palm of his hands.

He grimaced in pain. Not his own pain, but the pain Cass was feeling. “She’s awake. She is tied down to a stone altar. It’s wooded, no lights from the city can be seen. She’s fighting her fear, trying to find a way to escape.”

“We have a park with trees. That’s where the portal is located. Would he perform the ceremony there?” Raphael asked.

“Yes, somewhere close to it. Still, it’s a big park. Do you think you could track her if we get closer?” Ari asked Michael.

“Yes.”

Ari went outside and down the fire escape. He stopped at his motorcycle. “I can get there faster, but I can only take one of you with me.”

“I have the station wagon.”

Michael motioned for Father Raphael to go ahead and ride on the back of the bike. “I’ll follow you from the air.” He bent his knees, then stretched outward and his wings popped out. Ari had to admit, they were impressive.

“Try to keep up with me, birdman.” Ari started his motorcycle and revved the engine. He took off with the priest on the back and hoped that they made it in time.

We’re coming, sweetheart. Just hold on.

Chapter 6

She was being tortured, no doubt about it. She woke up and found the guy spewing crazy shit about being a demon and saying that he would sacrifice her. Cass growled out when the demon cut her wrists and then moved on to her ankles. He’d said that bloodletting was part of his ceremony.
What is wrong with this guy?
He was sweating up a storm, and kept looking at his watch.

“What’s wrong? Am I keeping you from a more pressing business somewhere else?”

“I have less than twelve hours before I’m called back.”

“What does that mean?” Why was she talking to the crazy person? “Called back to where—Hell?”

“Yes. Well, to the third circle of Hell. I’m not accepted into the inner circle yet, but I will be.”

“After you kill me?”

“Yes.”

“Why would anyone care about me? I’m nobody.”

He moved closer and stroked her hair. She tried to jerk away from him as far as she could. His touch made her feel sick inside. “You really don’t know who and what you are, do you? You are born from an angel breeding.”

“I’m not some half-human half-angel nephilim. That’s crazy.”

“No honey, you’re not nephilim. You’re something else entirely. The angels were wise to add demon blood into the breeding process.”

“I don’t have demon blood in me. I’m not evil.”

“You have demon blood in you, but you still have to choose to be evil. Unfortunately, you won’t live long enough to make that choice. A shame, losing someone as beautiful as you.”

She didn’t want to listen to his mad claims, but some part of her kept asking questions. “So my father is an angel—”

“Arkangel, yes.”

“He knocked up my mother, who is half-human and half-demon, then just left us here.”

“Yes.”

“Why would he even bother with getting her pregnant?”

“It’s all part of the prophecy of the Child of Light.”

This had something to do with what that priest had been telling her. “What is the Child of Light’s prophecy?”

The demon grew impatient with her questions. “It doesn’t matter now, you’ll be dead soon and I’ll have my place next to the Channel.” He walked off to remove his clothes. Evidently part of his ritual required him to be naked. She looked away.

How was she going to get free before crazy guy over there bled her dry? She took in more of her surroundings and knew she had to be in a park somewhere in the city, so he hadn’t taken her that far. She was stretched out on some kind of rock, which was not all that comfortable.

The demon had one of her uniforms, which he rubbed her blood on. He must have gotten it when he broke into the diner and killed Tim. She heard a noise to the left of her, near the woods. Her blood was attracting something: human, animal, or worse.

Her head felt a little heavy, probably from losing so much blood. But what was amazing was that instead of feeling fuzzy-headed, things were coming into focus. She could smell her own blood, her eyes picked out every detail of the area around her, she could hear the noises in the woods and knew instinctively that at least three people were approaching on foot. One of those people was familiar to her—Ari. What was he doing here?

Cass closed her eyes and focused on the ropes. They were tight on her, rubbing against her skin. She hated the feel of it, reminding her of one of the foster parents who liked to tie her up with his belt. Anger surfaced at what that man had done to her, a helpless and defenseless child. She swore when she ran away that she would never let anyone make her feel that helpless again.

Something in her rose up and a current of electricity zapped through her arm down to her hand, burning through the rope. She yanked her one arm free with surprise. When the demon came back toward her, she pretended to still be tied up.

“Come, friends, it is time to begin the ceremony.”

She hadn’t realized others were showing up. There were two women and four men. All of them began to take their clothes off too.
Were they going to kill her? Or were they going to have an orgy? Maybe they planned to do both. This was so sick.
She concentrated on trying to have that same electricity happen again to her other arm, but her fear was blocking whatever she’d done before. “Come on, light up.” Nothing happened.

The demon guy came back and rubbed his hand over her body. “It’s time, beautiful. I have only one regret—not fucking you when I had the chance. Know that your death is going to give me my rightful place.”

“Bite me, you asshole!”

He raised up his hand, which held a large, curved knife.
Was this it? No fucking way!
She wasn’t going to die at the hands of some wacko without putting up some kind of fight. She wanted to live. Anger mixed with her survival instincts and surged through her.

She watched as the knife came toward her. Sounds from the people in the woods distracted him, and he turned to look the other way. She took advantage and lifted up and swung out with her free arm to punch the demon in his face. He dropped the knife by her side and stumbled backward.

Cass took the knife and cut her other arm and legs free. She sat up and looked around. A tall, muscular man with gorgeous blond hair was brandishing a sword.
A fucking sword!

“Hey babe, could you climb down now?”

She looked over and saw Ari. He was wearing his usual badass leathers, and he was kicking ass but doing it with his bare hands. His eyes glowed, and he winked at her. He was enjoying himself. Seeing Ari and this golden Apollo wasn’t the strangest part of her night.

“Oh child, I’m so glad you’re alright!”

“Father Raphael?” She was not only shocked to see the elderly priest there, but he too was brandishing a sword that looked like it weighed more than he did. She looked behind the priest and saw movement.

“Look out, Father!” She didn’t know where it came from, but somehow she leapt off the rock platform, did a flip, and landed in front of Raphael, blocking a man from striking the priest. She still had the curved knife in her hand and struck out with it, hitting the man in the chest.

He clutched at his wound, backing up. Cass watched in surprise and horror as the man’s blood bubbled and smoked, and he fell to his knees.
What the hell?
His eyes changed color and his body seemed to morph into a large bipedal lizard with a tail.

“Get behind me. Don’t let any of his blood touch you or it will burn you.” Father Raphael pulled her behind him. For an old man, he was pretty strong. She kept hold of the knife, ready to defend them from behind. She wanted to grab the sword from Raphael, afraid he was just going to hurt himself. Luckily, the other demons started to make their retreat.

“Drey, you should have never taken her.” Ari growled out at the demon.

“Ari. Does your family know you’ve been in league with the Arkangels? I’m sure they will be very interested in that news.”

“Kill him so that he can’t go back to his circle of Hell!” Ari called out, trying to fight his way over to the blond angel, who was fighting with the demon that had taken Cass.

“I don’t need a demon to tell me how to fight another demon!” The blond man growled out.

What was he talking about? Ari wasn’t a demon.
Even as she thought that, Cass looked over and watched at Ari grew in size and his eyes glowed yellow.
Fucking yellow!

“Michael, watch out!” Father Raphael called out just as another demon came from the other side.

Ari jumped between the man named Michael and the demon that had kidnapped her, and slapped something silver on the demon’s wrist. The demon gave a horrifying scream and shoved Ari backward, making him collide with Michael. The two men fumbled with their hands and feet, both falling to the ground.

“Idiot! He’s getting away!” Michael shoved Ari away as he got up to give chase to the demons. What happened next would always remain with her.

She watched as large white wings sprouted out of the slits in the back of Michael’s coat. He took two running steps, leapt into the air, and flew out in the night.

“Wow.” Cass’s knees started to give way, and she would’ve hit the ground hard if Ari hadn’t caught her in time.
Angels were real, demons were real.
Then everything went dark.