Desiring A Demon (Archangels) (13 page)

Ten more angels
,
dressed in armor with swords, stood below at the ready. Eight of them ran into the melee and started killing minions left and right. The other two leaped up to stand behind Rafe with an ease and grace that spoke of their divine abilities
.

“Sebastian, Nathaniel,” Rafe said. “Welcome.”

The two angels nodded.

“There are more of you?” Forge asked angrily.

“Of course there are, idiot,” Rafe said. “The Watchers are here for all mankind.”

With a shout of outrage
,
Forge thrust his arms up, knocking Rafe’s sword away from him, and only a thick leather band worn on his arm kept it from being severed. The demon jumped from the case onto another one a few feet away. Then he pulled a gun from his pocket and aimed at Asta. She stood frozen as he pulled the trigger and Rafe cried out.

A sharp pain hit her shoulder at the same time Rafe pulled her into his arms and his wings surrounded both of them.

“Fuck,” Asta said as she held her injured arm close to her body.

Popping noises sounded, signaling Forge had fired again, but then they stopped as quickly as they’d started.

Rafe kept his large black wings around both of them and kept her body close to his. “You’re okay, baby. I got you. You’ll be okay.”

She nodded and let him hold her up.

“Rafe,” someone shouted. “Get her out of here.”

Next thing Asta knew, they were airborne and flying along the ceiling toward the front door. Flashing lights could be seen in the distance as sirens filled the air.

“Shit,” Rafe said. “The guys need to get out of there.”

“The demons,” Asta said weakly. Blood dripped from her shoulder in a steady rhythm that matched her heartbeat.

“They’re all dead now. We got them all.”

“Oh, good.”

She held onto consciousness with all her strength as they flew out into the night. Rafe got them to Mike’s house in record time and tended her wound.

“It’s not too bad,” he said. “But you’ve lost a good amount of blood. You need to rest.”

She nodded and tried not to move any other part of her upper body. The horrors of the evening played through her head until she wanted to either scream or pass out. Maybe both.

“I knew we shouldn’t have gone out,” she whispered.

He offered a weak smile. “You were right, I was wrong. All I wanted was some of your amazing cookies.”

That made her laugh weakly but it ended in a groan as pain shot through her jostled shoulder.

“Hang on.”

He used his powers to call the bullet out of her body. Then he healed her wound. The sharp pains disappeared but soreness remained.

Rafe stood from where he’d been perched on the side of the bed. “I’ll get you some aspirin.”

She grabbed his arm before he could move away. “No. Stay with me, please. I can’t stand the thought of being alone right now.”

He nodded and sat back down. “I’m sorry Forge got as close to you as he did. That won’t happen again if I can help it.”

“He called to me and I took a step toward him…just like I’d promised him. I didn’t realize it would work that way. I didn’t even mean to move.”

“His power over you isn’t that strong. You were able to fight it a little. Otherwise, you would’ve jumped into his arms, even if you had to push me out of the way.”

She shuddered at the thought.

“He’ll never hurt you again, Asta.”

She waved that concern away with one hand. “I’m not worried about him. He’s too afraid of Armoros to truly hurt me, and if he tried to rape me I’d rip his balls off.”

Rafe visibly cringed and gave a weak nod. Asta took a deep breath to give him one more confession. “The truth is…I’m really, really terrified of rats. I mean…like, horrified of them.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah.” She swallowed hard and looked away, playing with a loose thread in the hem of her T-shirt. “You know how I told you about my mom’s drinking?”

He kicked off his shoes and settled beside her on the bed. “Yeah.”

She took a deep breath and took strength from his nearness. “She started doing drugs not too long after. I don’t know exactly what, but she was dating this really sleazy guy for a while. Whenever they wanted to have people over to party he’d lock me in the attic. It was dirty and almost pitch-black. And there were rats in the walls and sometimes in the attic with me. I fucking hated it.”

She rolled into his open arms and snuggled into his warmth.

“Your mom allowed that?” he asked. He didn’t try to hide the anger in his voice.

“I guess. I didn’t see her much during that time. I ran away, but I was only fifteen so the cops took me right back to her.”

“They didn’t believe you.”

It wasn’t a question. She looked up into his understanding gaze. “No, they didn’t.”

“That was because of the demonic influence. They wouldn’t have believed anything out of your mouth even if they saw it with their own eyes.”

With a sigh, her muscles relaxed until she was nearly lying on top of him. He kept his strong arms around her and gently ran one hand over her back.

“You know, Forge shared his memories with me…of his childhood. He went through a lot of the same shit I did, but like ten times worse.”

“That doesn’t excuse his actions as an adult
,
when he should know better. You’ve made the choice not to hurt innocent people. He chooses to do whatever he has to for his own pleasure and gain. There’s a huge difference.”

“I know. But…” She hesitated, not wanting to sound like she sympathized with Forge even though, to a point, she did.

“But?” Rafe asked.

“But I started out with a loving mom and friends. He didn’t. He started out with all the odds stacked against him from day one. I can’t help thinking that made a difference.”

His chest moved up and down as he took a deep breath. The sound of his heartbeat calmed her further
,
and she never wanted to leave his arms.

“You might be right to a certain degree, but the fact of the matter is that he’s made choices that turned him into what he is today. He could have made those choices differently, and not pulled others into his personal hell. But he’s hurt many innocent people and caused chain reactions that hurt even more people. The humans know him as a drug dealer, Asta. Don’t forget he’s earned his reputation for violence and greed.”

“Yeah…I know.”

He tilted her chin up with one finger to make sure she met his gaze. “Do you?”

“Yeah, I do…really. It’s just that I can relate to some of the shit he went through, but I see the differences between us.”

He nodded and dropped his hand away, then kissed her forehead.

…

While she started to doze off, Rafe listened to the voices of his brothers as they relayed all that had happened. The police had arrived at the store and arrested most of the humans who’d followed Forge and trashed the store. However, a few had gotten away and Forge was nowhere to be found. How he could disappear at will was still a mystery to them, but their biggest concern was the presence of so many minions.

There’s never been a portal large enough to accommodate so many before,
Cam said telepathically.
At least not in Texas. Sebastian is talking to some other Watchers from across the globe to get their input.

He had to have made a huge blood sacrifice,
Mike added
. It’s the only way I can think of for him to get all those across so quickly and without us noticing it.

I felt it after,
Uri said.
Once we were already in the store. Did any of you feel the breach?

Rafe tried to remember if he’d had any kind of odd feelings at the time, but his full attention had been on Asta. She’d been antsy and acting out of sorts. He’d been so worried about her the store could have collapsed around them and he might not have noticed. Now he watched her fall asleep and contentment filled him at her closeness. He’d been trying to appease her stubborn sense of independence the past few days, but not touching her was killing him.

Forge’s constant disappearing act wore on Rafe’s nerves and left him with an uneasiness he hadn’t felt in a very long time. Asta had told them how Forge bragged about his demonic help from some unknown upper-level demon. But who or what? While Armoros was the obvious choice, the demon should still be weak from its last banishment. It often took decades, or even centuries, for an upper-level demon to gain the strength to alter anything in the human realm.

Whatever aided Forge had to be very strong and very smart to have escaped the angels’ detection for so long. That had to be the reason they’d been fooled into thinking Forge was fully human
,
and why they’d never been able to locate him.

His eyes drifted shut as he soaked in the feeling of Asta beside him. Sleep was a very real possibility when his phone rang.

“Shit.”

He reached with his free hand to grab the receiver before Asta woke. She slept on peacefully, holding down his other arm.

“Hello?” he whispered.

“Rafe, turn on the news,” Zerach said.

Something in his voice kept Rafe from arguing as he gently extracted himself from Asta. She mumbled incoherently and turned over without waking.

He hurried to the living room and turned on the television to find a horrific scene on the nightly news. Much of it was blurred in censorship
,
but blood could still be seen coating the walls of a building in the shot. A run-down bar
,
somewhere on the south side of the city
,
had been full of patrons when someone had gone on a killing spree. At least thirty dead and at least twenty seriously injured. The reporter said it looked like a battleground, but not a single gun or bullet had been found. Reports were still flowing in from the witnesses who could talk, but the facts were conflicting, causing more confusion than anything.

“Knives and swords,” Zerach said in Rafe’s ear. “Ritual killings require blades
,
so that’s what they used, and that’s how those minions made it into our realm.”

“Shit,” Rafe said. No other words seemed to suffice.

Other angels filed into the living room as he watched the coverage with Zerach still on the phone. No one said a word as the camera panned back and forth over the scene that looked like the set of a horror movie. With his keen sight, Rafe could make out body parts strewn within the shadows cast by the camera’s heavy lights. Hopefully no human eye would catch that. The reporter almost looked excited as he relayed the few solid facts they’d been able to establish.

“He penned them in, then slaughtered them,” Zerach said.

“Yeah.”

Zerach sighed and mumbled something away from the phone.

“Nothing more can be done from your end tonight, Zee. Go get some sleep with your beautiful wife.”

“All right. I’ll talk to you tomorrow…and stop talking about my wife.”

Rafe grinned as Isadora said something in the background and Zerach hung up. The small hint of envy that often gripped him when he witnessed their love tried to take hold, but he pushed it away and handed the remote to Nathaniel.

“I’m going back to bed.”

He returned to Asta’s side. Maybe one day they’d be able to share thoughts with a simple look
,
and someone would be envious of them. For now, he planned to take care of her and keep all the demons at bay, including those she held within.

Chapter Thirteen

Asta woke to find Mike’s house full of angels. Not all of the Kehath clan was present, but Sebastian, Nathanial, and several siblings were sitting in the living room with Rafe and his brothers when she walked in.

“Good morning,” Rafe said.

He didn’t move from where he was leaning against the mantle, so she simply nodded to the room at large and headed his way. No one stared at her or glared as she’d feared. No one said anything to her at all. They simply continued their discussion of the massive sacrifice Forge had made to bring forth so many minions at once.

As soon as she was close enough, Rafe wrapped an arm around her shoulders and leaned in to whisper
,
“How are you feeling? Did you sleep all right?”

She leaned against his side. “Yeah. Amazingly I didn’t even dream about rats.”

“Good.”

“So, what’s the pow-wow about? Finding Forge?”

“Among other things. He’s being protected by something powerful. It’s the only explanation for him getting all those minions past us.”

“Makes sense, I guess. Do you think…do you think it’s Armoros?”

Rafe opened his mouth to reply but Mike’s voice sounded above the din in the room. “You could probably tell us that, Asta. But didn’t you say Forge claimed it was another demon? Maybe his own father?”

His voice gave no hint to his feelings but she bristled just the same. “Are you calling me a liar?”

He actually looked surprised by the accusation. “No, I’m not. I’m asking for clarification. Tell us again about your last conversation with Forge.”

She thought it over and retold the story as close to word-for-word as she could remember it. “He made it sound like he’s talking to Armoros, but doesn’t think it’s Armoros helping him…I guess.”

A few in the room nodded. Rafe made no sound but stayed close to her side. Relief filled her when he didn’t push her away.

Mike stroked his goatee. “It sounds to me like it is another demon. Not Armoros, but one as powerful. There are at least a hundred of the higher hierarchy, but only a handful that ever try to come through.” He turned to Cam. “We need a list of those that have tried in the past, along with the date and circumstances of the last occurrence. Include the method of banishment.”

Cam nodded and left the room.

“So are we going to wait now?” Sebastian asked.

Mike shook his head. “No. We can’t allow another massacre of humans, even the not
-
so
-
innocent ones. We’ll have to patrol as much as we can. Forge will stick close to Houston since he wants Asta. But he’s proven to like Galveston Island and Bolivar Peninsula. Call in whoever can come of your brothers and the other Watchers you talk to. The more of us there are, the less chance of something like that slipping past our senses again.”

Sebastian made a sound of agreement and also left the room.

Rafe turned to Asta, blocking everyone else from her sight. “Are you hungry, baby?”

Just the thought of food nearly caused her to heave. “Ugh…no.”

He frowned and looked down at the hand she held over her stomach. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know. I don’t feel well. Maybe I should lie down.”

He placed his hand over her forehead briefly. “You’re warm…but you’re always a bit warm. I wonder if you have a fever.”

“I doubt it. I’m just a little queasy. It’s fine.”

She waved away his concern and was about to leave the room when one of the female angels pointed at her. “Why don’t we use her as bait, since she’s what he’s after?”

“No,” Rafe said immediately with a tone of finality.

But Asta froze mid-step and stared at the woman. “How exactly would you suggest we set it up?”

“No, Asta,” Rafe said again. “I forbid it.” She set her hands on her hips but he put his hands up to stop her argument. “Just think about it for a second. Forge can disappear at will, and we haven’t figured out how he does it or how to track him. He could simply grab you and go
,
and we’d be helpless to stop him.”

“So, arm her,” the angel replied. She stood and walked over to them. “I’m Ariel, Watcher over Chappell Hill. From all I’ve been told of the situation, this is the best way to get to Forge.”

Asta nodded. “I can fight, Rafe. You’ve trained me yourself. Plus there’s got to be some way to track me since we can’t track him. Give me some weapons and tag me. I’ll find a way to get his attention.”

Rafe shook his head but said nothing as he began to pace. He ran a hand over his face
,
and Asta could tell he was either mentally arguing with himself or his brothers.

“I can put a tracker on her,” Mike said.

“And I’ve got plenty of extra weapons,” Uri said.

“No,” Rafe said through gritted teeth. “There’s got to be a better way than this.”

Asta stepped in front of him and grabbed his hands. “No, there isn’t. Not really. He’ll keep trying to find me if we don’t eliminate him. I don’t want anyone to get hurt if I can prevent it.”

He closed his eyes and gripped her hands, then pulled her into his arms. He held her tightly and buried his face in the side of her neck. “I won’t lose you, Asta. Never again.”

“I’m not going anywhere if I can help it. I’m tougher than I look. Remember?”

He pulled back enough to grin down at her, but she could tell it was forced.

“Yeah,” he said. Then he kissed her long and hard in front of everyone.

Finally Mike cleared his throat
,
and Rafe slowly let her go.

“I’m going to grab what I need to track her. Uri, gather small lethal weapons that can be hidden easily. Asta, decide on where and how we’re going to get his attention. I’ll be right back,” Mike said.

Uri left the room with him
,
and everyone else’s attention turned to Asta. “All right,” she said. “I guess we need to figure out how to get the asshole’s attention.”

“Didn’t they say you can find him?” Ariel asked.

Asta shrugged. “Yes and no. If I concentrate on his flavor of evil, which is different from every other person I’ve ever come in contact with, I can get a feel for where he is. But I really only get a general direction. I think last time was more luck than anything. He wasn’t expecting us to go hunting for him
.
He didn’t really elaborate on all that, but I can get a sense of his thoughts now.”

“You can read his mind?” Rafe asked.

“No, not really. I can just kind of…feel what he’s thinking. I know that doesn’t make a lot of sense, but I think what I’m getting is mostly emotions mixed with intent. I felt his surprise when he grabbed me outside that house in Bolivar. But I don’t know exactly what had surprised him. I know he thinks he’s much stronger than me, so anything I do to defy him is kind of a shock.”

“Good,” Ariel said. “That will be a great advantage for you.”

“Yeah, hopefully.”

They talked it over for almost an hour before Uri and Mike returned together. Mike pulled out a bracelet and a very small device that would be attached to Asta’s clothing. Both were tracking devices.

“Plus we’ll make sure the GPS on her phone is working,” he said.

“And I’ve got knives galore for you, girl,” Uri said with a grin. “I’ve even got one that will fit in your bra.”

“Who says I wear one?” Asta asked.

Rafe choked out a laugh while Uri rolled his eyes. “Smart
-
ass.”

Rafe took the bag of weapons from his brother with one hand and grabbed Asta’s hand with the other. “I’ll help you find places to hide these.” Then he headed for the door.

“Hey,” Mike called out. “Don’t take too long. The sooner we start, the sooner we’ll finish.”

Rafe nodded without another word and led Asta to the bedroom.

…

As Asta stripped off her jeans and T-shirt, Rafe sorted the weapons on his bed. They were all superior blades, many older than her, but uneasiness still worked through him. “I really hate this idea.”

“Hey,” Asta said as she embraced him from behind. “I’ll be okay. You’ll see. This is the quickest way to get all this bullshit over with.”

He turned to hold her to him for a moment. “I know. But I can’t stand the thought of you in danger.”

He kissed her even though they didn’t have time. With the house full of beings with superior hearing, he certainly couldn’t do the things to her that he really wanted to do. She pulled away first and he reluctantly let her go.

“So, what have we got?” she asked.

With a sigh he turned back to the weapons and showed her the six different ones he’d chosen. “You don’t have to go with these, and you can pick more if you want. But these are the ones I think we can conceal the easiest.”

One went in each of her boots, including a set of three razor blades in each sole. She put the one in the front of her bra Uri had been so proud of, and slipped one into the band across her back. Each back pocket of her jeans concealed a square weapon that flowed with the seams of her pockets, so they appeared empty.

“Nothing in the front pockets ’cause that’s so freaking obvious,” she said. She ran her hands through her short hair. “Damn. I wish this was long enough to hide something.”

Rafe grinned and kissed the tip of her nose. “Here. Last one.”

He pulled out a vaguely familiar necklace. It was a gold chain with a small gold gavel hanging from it.

“What’s that?”

“This was a gift to me from the Source of All Creation. A symbol of my strengths and duty. I am Raphael, the Archangel of Justice. This gavel has the blessing of our creator and will protect you when you need it most.”

She took a step back. “No way. I shouldn’t even touch that.”

“Of course you should.” Doubt crossed his face a moment. “But tell me immediately if it starts to hurt.”

He clasped it around her neck and smiled when her eyes misted.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“You’re welcome. Ready?”

She took a deep breath. “Uh…yeah. Sure I am.”

He kissed her again, but kept it painfully short. Then they walked back into the living room.

It was decided Rafe should stay with her
,
since that’s what Forge would expect, and he certainly had no problem with that. They dressed casually, for a night out strolling around. Then they got into Rafe’s car and headed downtown.

The massacre had occurred in the warehouse district, the same area repeatedly pointed out to Asta when she looked for Forge. Plus
,
she said her gut told her that’s where he most likely hid. Everyone was on high alert. Angels were spread all over the greater Houston area.

Rafe and Asta left the car on a side street and strolled through the warehouse district. It was just past noon on a Sunday, and there weren’t any events in the area. The place resembled a ghost town.

“Can you call to him?” Rafe asked.

“I’m not sure. I guess I should try.”

She closed her eyes. Her chin tilted up slightly
,
and Rafe soaked in the sight of her. Even with shadows under her eyes, half purple
,
half black hair, red skin
,
and her shoulders sagging in fatigue and strain, she looked beautiful to him.

The hair on the back of his neck stood up and his angelic instinct to armor and arm himself kicked in, but he held it in check…barely.

“What the hell do you want?” Forge asked from behind them.

They spun to find him in full demon form. His mottled skin, crimson and black, looked even more menacing under the dark storm clouds that rolled in unexpectedly. Black horns curved out from his temples about four inches
,
and his black eyes bled out the white. He appeared as unnaturally evil as Rafe had ever seen him, and resembled a full, higher-level demon.

“What the fuck?” Asta whispered.

The only difference between Forge and a true demon was the black military-style boots that encased human-shaped feet. Hooves wouldn’t fit in those. He also wore black cargo pants and a black T-shirt.

“Do you own any part of your own soul, Forge?” Rafe asked.

Forge shrugged. “Does it matter? The power given to me by my master is worth any sacrifice.”

He looked pointedly at Asta
,
and Rafe pulled her behind him. “This ends here and now.”

Forge threw his head back and laughed while thunder rumbled above them. “You think so, angel? Sick of playing already? Fine. Hand her over
,
and I’ll be on my way.”

“Not a chance.”

“Do you really think you can keep her, angel? Look at her. She looks more like a demon than ever before. It won’t be long before she starts to act like one. I’ll bet she already does when you fuck.”

Asta stepped to the side and shot up her middle finger. “Fuck off, you asshole.”

Forge laughed again. “Would a good human woman say something like that? Tsk, tsk. What do your brothers think?”

Anger singed Rafe’s blood as he felt doubt from Asta. Their bond was strengthening. She took a single step away
,
and the look on her face clearly showed her doubts
.

“No, Asta. I love you.”

“Love?” Forge asked. “What the hell would a demon know about love? We lust. We fuck. We take and use. Did you really think you could love him? Dig deep Asta and ask yourself if it’s really love, or if it’s just a pathetic little girl’s yearning for acceptance. I can offer you acceptance and so much more. You belong with me, not him.”

Her eyes widened and a sheen of moisture appeared. Rafe held out his hand, unable to fight with words any longer if she wasn’t willing to believe him.

The wind kicked up and debris on the street flew around them. Forge lifted his arms as if waiting for a roaring crowd to holler his name. Suddenly, rodents and bugs of every size and species began to crawl out of the gutters and nearby buildings. Their tiny feet skittered on the concrete in a macabre rhythm matched by the slithering of legless creatures. Like a horror movie, they made their way with mindless determination to where Rafe and Asta stood.

Asta made a sound of distress but her hands remained fisted at her sides. She didn’t take Rafe’s hand, but he didn’t take his eyes off Forge as he called forth his armor and his sword. His brothers and the other angels were in the sky above, but they were wary of appearing too soon and giving Forge the opportunity to disappear again. That was fine. He wanted the pleasure of ridding the world of this asshole for good. It would be divine justice for all the crimes Forge had committed over his lifetime.