The minute his brother’s body hit Everett’s, Jason was in free fall. He had no sense of space and time, but was caught by his sister before he could hit the ground. Seriana laid Jason gently on the forest floor.
“Jason? You’re bleeding.” She sounded confounded.
Jason nodded. “Dean?”
Seriana gave Jason the play-by-play. “He’s pounding on the thing that had you. We can’t really see it. Every once in a while we catch a flicker of something, but what is that?”
Jason propped himself up on his elbow. “Dean. Get Dean down. You have to get away from here. It’s me he wants.”
His sister ignored him. “This is human blood coming from your wounds. This makes no sense at all. What are we dealing with?”
Jason watched as Dean pounded away on the angel he couldn’t see.
“It’s power like we’ve never seen. He was draining me!” Jason pulled himself to a sitting position.
Just then Dean was knocked out of the sky like a tennis ball. Her reflexes faster than light, Seriana dove quickly and caught him.
When they were all together again Jason decided out loud, “I have to help.” He tried to stand.
“The hell you will. Stay put. I have no idea what this monster has done to you.” Dean pushed Jason backward so he was lying flat on the ground.
Jason’s head swirled as he saw his family fighting valiantly against what seemed to them to be mostly thin air. Only he could see this most majestic of threats. Then his vision blurred as he began to drift between consciousness and blackness. Everett could end us all in a second. He’s just playing now.
As the horrible thing shrieked again, Emma buried her face in the Devil’s leather jacket.
Satan tried to be comforting. “Don’t worry, angel. I think I know how to kill it…just might take a few tries.”
He opened fire again. Judging from the earth-trembling screams, he was just making the dragon angrier. Satan backed up slowly, as if he was leading her in a dance. Emma’s frightened feet complied with his sure ones.
This thing would surely tear them both to pieces, and she was only human. She was useless and helpless, nearly paralyzed by her terror. Her eyes snapped open. She was hiding behind the Devil.
She was hiding behind the Devil.
What the hell am I thinking?
Ignoring the fear that threatened to pull her under, but she unclenched her fingers from his jacket. The animal hide held an imprint where her hands had been.
“Sweetheart? You okay?” Satan had taken to throwing knives at the monster. It snapped its huge jaws, spittle flying in every direction.
Emma took a breath of the panic-soaked air. I’ll be more than this. If these are my last moments…
She stepped out from behind his protection. The evil dragon was whipped into a frenzy, his body rippled with muscle and pent-up aggression.
“Emma! Get back here. Please!” Satan began firing ammunition into the beast again to draw its attention away from her.
“No.” She took sure steps in the direction of Jason’s house.
“Stay put — I’ll get to you!” Satan tried to move toward her, but the dragon snarled at him.
“No, I won’t. This is your battle. Not mine. I’ll not hide like a coward.”
It was a huge risk, possibly the last she would take.
“You’re human!” Satan pulled the pin on a scary-looking grenade, then tossed it in the beast’s direction. The bomb bounced harmlessly off the dragon’s armored skin and exploded somewhere behind the dragon.
“Crap.” Satan rolled his eyes in frustration and made a move.
He tried to forward-roll in Emma’s direction, but the dragon’s massive tail swept back to knock him off his course. It had Emma in its sights, and with three thundering stomps it was breathing its horrible breath inches from her face.
She was just a lone girl standing in the white snow. Emma had nothing in her hands. She had no protection. The creature’s tail kept the Devil at bay, knocking him flat on his ass anytime he looked like he was making progress. Everything in Emma was quaking. Everything but the one tiny light that always stayed bright no matter what she faced.
Instead of screaming in horror and alarm, she whispered to the dragon. “You don’t feed on hope. I don’t believe that. Hope makes me stronger.” She began to sweat. The beast still hadn’t touched her, though it was so close. “I think you feed on doubt. I think you feed on fear. I’m afraid. I know I am.”
The thing began an awful, impatient snapping. Its jaws could easily rip her head from her neck.
“But I know better. I know even if you kill me, God loves me. He’ll never leave me. I have hope. And I believe.” She kept her shoulders straight and proud.
The thing still hadn’t acted on the instinct for violence it seemed to have. Satan threw himself onto the dragon’s back, but it just shimmied until he tumbled off.
Emma got braver. She felt the pure touch of goodness warm her from within, and it gave strength to her words.
“Go!” she yelled. “Get. No one fears you here. Go!” She moved her hands like the dragon was a stray dog she was sending home.
It didn’t move anything except its Devil-beating tail.
“I forgive you, beast. You know not what you do.” Emma felt like she was talking to a dinosaur — all teeth and no brains.
But it began to slink backward. She stepped forward as it retreated, emboldened by her possible success. Then one of its arm-like tentacles grasped the Devil around the ankle again. The dragon was fully intending to drag Satan back down to the void.
Emma’s wanted to have a harder heart. But Satan’s defeated sigh made her fight for him, too.
“No. Leave him be! He has hope too. Drop him!” Now unable to disobey, the beast became smaller and smaller until it liquefied and funneled itself into the hole in the ground from whence it had come.
The Devil sat in the snow, looking at the spot where the beast had disappeared. Emma nodded at him and turned her back. She could save his miserable life, but she didn’t have to tend to his wounds. She started the trek to the Parish house. She hated herself, but after a few paces she turned to look over her shoulder. Satan was limping along.
No good can come of this — of him. But she watched as he struggled to catch up and stood still until he was next to her again. His brown eyes assessed her. She put his arm around her shoulders and supported some of his weight.
He was the first to break the silence. “You defeated it without me. Here I was thinking I’d be your hero, and you didn’t need one.”
“I needed you for a few minutes there.” Emma tried not to look at his too-close, handsome face. “Do you have some sort of evil-sensing GPS? Do you know how long it will take us to get to Everett?”
Satan readjusted his position, slipping his hand further down on her collarbone. “I do know. We have a while.”
Emma decided to use him as a sounding board. “I know sweet-talking won’t stop Everett, like it did your pet lizard.”
“You think you sweet-talked the dragon? No way. It must be those sexy lips. I think anything would do what you told it to.” His voice was husky and smoky-sounding.
His hand slipped lower.
“You have an insight on Everett,” Emma said, plowing forward. “You worked with him on this evil he’s trying to accomplish. Give me some information. I did save your ass.” Emma shrugged her shoulder so his hand was further away from her bosom.
“That seems fair. Tit…for tat,” he said.
She didn’t need to look at his face to know he was smiling like a bastard.
His hand inched lower again.
Emma stopped them both and pushed his hand off. “Listen, you horny asshole. You touch my boob and I’m going to hit you in the hairy larrys so hard you won’t be able to see straight.”
He put his hands up in innocent surrender. “I had no such intentions, my sweet.” His devious smile came out to play. “Did you just call my testicles
hairy larrys?”
Emma shrugged. “Yeah. Whatever. If you hold them dear, you’ll steer clear of my parts.” She gave Satan a onceover and realized he was completely healed. “And it looks like you’re fine. Let’s walk and talk.”
Satan mumbled as he shuffled along. “Surprised you got out of Hell at all with that potty mouth of yours.”
“Tell me what Everett told you.” She ignored his barb, staying focused.
“Everett? What’s there to tell? He wants to take over the world — that’s obvious. Got to admire how nefarious that winged fairy is.” Satan popped his flask open again and took a swig.
He offered her the metal canister with a raised eyebrow. When she went to slap it out of his hand, Satan pulled it out of her reach, all the while tisking her behavior. Emma closed her eyes and shook her head. After a few deep breaths, she was still overwhelmingly angry with him.
“You have admiration for the beast that ripped off my wing? That killed my love? You disgust me. No, worse than that. You disappoint me.” Emma decided to try her luck with a jog, hoping her human form was ready to be put through its paces.
But soon she heard his annoying footfalls, combined with the squeak of leather and jangle of various chains and weapons. She refused to look at him.
He spoke up, just as she expected him to, but he didn’t say what she’d anticipated.
“Let me apologize again, Emma. I’m a jerk. I — ” He wasn’t even short of breath.
She interrupted him. “No ‘jerk’ is too kind a term for your crazy ass. I think I’d go with ‘freakshow’ or ‘loony bastard’ or — ”
“Okay! I get it. No, really. I do.” He held up his hands when she glared at him.
Emma growled like a tiger.
“See, I’m going to be an adult and not mention how much I want to make you growl like that when you’re naked.” He smiled. “I’m learning, right?”
Emma gave him the finger — easier than talking. Her breath wasn’t coming as easy now, though her body seemed to be in good shape.
“Everett has a huge case of jealousy. He wants what he can’t have. Right now, if God’s truly in Heaven, I’m betting He’ll allow the fallen angels to handle Everett,” the Devil continued. “You know you’re harshest to one of your own. So if you can keep Everett from killing those half-breeds and, well, you, I’m sure your angel friends will keep his other destructive accomplishments to a minimum.” Satan turned to run backward, apparently so he could look at her face and show off at the same time.
Emma wanted to curse him, but she had to concentrate on running. If she remembered correctly, the Parishes’ house should be coming into view soon…maybe. Satan stopped abruptly in front of her with his arms wide open. Emma’s momentum ran her right into him. He clamped her close to his chest. He smelled delicious.
“We need to move a little faster, princess, though your effort’s commendable. I can’t convince you to stay put and let me take care of this fucking thing?”
His mouth moved in the most delightful way when he cursed. She looked at the snow and shook her head, still panting from her run.
“Very good then. Hold tight. You do remember how this is done?” He kept one arm around her waist and snaked the other up her back. “I’m still an angel, baby, just a naughty one.”
She barely trusted him, so she looked at him to try to see his intentions. Satan’s face was so tender. His eyes were soft as he freed her hair from its knot and let it curtain around her shoulders.
“Pretty child, the only reason I wished you were still in Hell was so I could have someone to look forward to.” He tilted his cheek in her direction and motioned for her to kiss him.
Emma touched his face and hated picturing him in that smoky room again. “Can’t that change? I mean, if you help me?”
Satan took her hand and set it on his chest. His heart was beating.
“If I go back, that stops. Again. I’m about to thrust us in the middle of a battle. Everett won’t know whose side you’re on.” Satan ran his hand from her face to her hips, changing her outfit with his motion. “Appearances are everything.”
Being this close to him made her skin tingle. He was so punishingly good-looking.
“Pretend to be on my side until the angels show up. I can keep you from taking a beating.” He touched her cheek gently.
She looked down to find that her outfit very much matched his: a leather jacket, low-slung jeans, and a tank top.
“Thanks for not making me topless like you, at freaking least.” She brought her lips close to his cheek, nearly ready to angel-warp with him into the battle. But she had to settle one last thing. “I believe you’re on my side. When push comes to lightning bolts, I know you’re my friend. Right?” Her lips were so close to his skin.
Just as she made contact with his cheek, she heard him breathe, “I’ve never had a true friend before.”
The forest became blurry. She grasped him tighter, feeling off balance in her human body. He took the opportunity to get two handfuls of her ass. As they were dropped in the middle of the clearing, Emma began slapping at his chest and his face. His rumbling laughter brought a sparkle to his wicked eyes. He set her carefully on her feet despite her ongoing assault.
He leaned forward and whispered, “With me now, remember?”
She gave him a dirty look but nodded as she turned to the cacophony of noise behind her. The forest seemed to be moving. Two half-breeds were putting up a great fight, leaping through the trees and throwing boulders, but often missing the fiery-red Everett that Emma could clearly see.
“Can’t they see him? I can.”
“God must have left you a few angel’s gifts,” Satan whispered in her ear. “He usually does.”
Everett had a huge, sickening smile. He looked like a mean cat holding a mouse with four broken legs in its mouth.
Jason? Jason? The half-breeds were definitely Jason’s siblings. No one else would fight for him like that — especially not other half-breeds. Then she had an idea. But how could she tell Satan? She couldn’t let Everett hear. Just then he spotted the new arrivals and waved at Satan like they were school-aged friends.
Satan smiled and gave a friendly wave while talking out of the side of his mouth to Emma. “Crap, he’s an idiot.”
Emma licked her lips and threw herself back in the Devil’s arms.
He lifted her happily. “Change your mind? We can go somewhere and drink while the world collapses around us. Oh, and we can fuck too.”
“I think your smoke that follows you around is so sexy. Where is it?” Emma asked.
From Everett’s point of view, Emma looked insatiable. But as she gazed at the Devil, her eyes were wide and begging him to understand. She looked from him to Everett and back again.
The Devil looked from her lips to her eyes and back again. “Clever, little princess. Great idea. Smoke it is.”
He clicked his tongue like he was calling a horse, and his smoke obeyed. Soon the clearing was enveloped in a hazy cloud. Everett was perfectly outlined, the only crystal clear, angel-shaped hole in the smoke. Dean and Seriana now began throwing with punishing accuracy.
“That’ll piss him off and soon,” the Devil commented as he grabbed her ass again. Emma stomped on his foot after she wiggled out of his arms. He smiled, but his brown eyes looked sad. He touched her face one more time, then motioned with his head. “Your half-breed, pretty child. He’s in a bad way. Right over there.”
Emma whirled and spotted Jason lying under a tree. He was motionless and covered in blood. Her role playing was forgotten. The Devil fell from her radar. The havoc above her was meaningless.
Emma’s hands skimmed over every part of Jason’s skin she could touch. “No! No! I’ve come so far,” she yelled. “Please. No! You don’t die!” She pulled her jacket off and covered his body, as if she could warm him.
Jason didn’t move, didn’t register her presence. Emma leaned down and kissed his lips softly.
She begged him
quietly now. “I could only picture you. You got me through Hell. Jason, be here with me. Please.” She laid her head on his chest, her tears falling on the jacket the Devil had clothed her in to convince an angel she was bad.
Emma clutched Jason so tightly that even when Everett sent the sonic boom that knocked his half-breed attackers from their feet, she stayed secure, hugging her heart’s dearest wish.
Chapter 12
The Devil braced himself, legs planted firmly, as Everett unleashed his sonic wrath. A sidelong glance told him Emma was okay. With a flick of his wrist he’d shielded her, unseen from the worst of the flying debris because he couldn’t stand to see her hurt. But now he wondered if she’d thank him if she knew. She held the mostly dead body of the half-breed like it was anchoring her to life. She was still crying, draped over him, as the other half-breeds picked themselves up off the ground.
Her cries were heartbreaking because the Devil was willing to bet she’d never cry that hard for herself. If his heart could hold emotion anymore, which he didn’t think it could, she would move him. The two mostly alive half-breeds seemed to be sorting out who, exactly, Emma was. He heard them introduce themselves to her. Emma quickly explained she was Jason’s Christmas Angel, sent to help him see his worth and feel God’s love. Sending darting glances back and forth and speaking in hushed tones, they seemed to connect the dots between their brother’s “imaginary” friend and the girl in front of them. Emma ignored them and sought to find Jason’s wound. Then Dean knelt and concisely explained what he’d seen of Jason’s battle.
Satan pulled a cigarette out of his jacket pocket. He flicked the tip, and it glowed orange. He took a long, steadying drag. He noticed that Everett still hovered high above the group, like the pussy he was. He likely overheard Emma explaining Jason’s injuries after Dean’s report.
“No, of course you don’t know what’s wrong with him. Everett used a technique on Jason that’s only intended for souls,” Emma said.
The Devil rubbed his nose with his knuckle and took the chance to peek at her again. She was using snow to wipe the fallen half-breed’s face clean. From the fierce look on her face, he judged that her despair had turned to fiery anger.