CHAPTER SEVEN
By the time I rolled out of bed the next morning, I hated myself. Michael’s human and angelic life had been so interesting that I didn’t kick him out of my room until well into morning. I had a seven-hour shift today that started at eight AM sharp. Yippee-skippy.
Michael tried to give me a serious speech about being careful, but I assured him I would be fine and that he didn’t need to follow me there or back from work. I’d considered bringing the gun, but according to Gabriel, it wouldn’t help since demons couldn’t be eliminated by anything other than holy items. I wished I thought of asking him to bless the gun or the bullets before he left. Wondered if that would have worked. I decided to ask him when I got home.
The workday crawled by because my mind was so preoccupied with Michael and the Spear of Longinus. Something else nagged at the back of my mind, but it just wouldn’t come to me. Figures.
Finally, my shift ended and I headed onto the street with an unnatural awareness of everyone who passed by me. A dark-haired man. Right. Because that was extremely specific and helpful.
Something scampered past my ankles—too big to be some kind of rodent. I stumbled, staring down in shock as I recognized the sleek black fur and familiar gold eyes. Michael’s cat, Bast.
“Hey, you,” I cooed, stooping to reach for her. “How the hell’d you get out of the apartment? You’d better come with me.”
As if understanding my words, the cat mewled in protest and scampered down the alleyway to my left. Groaning, I broke into a jog and tried to catch up. The cat darted around a corner to the right and I followed, calling after it.
“Oh, c’mon! My place’s not that bad!”
I rounded the corner, hopped over a few trashcans, and squeezed my way past a large dumpster. No sign of the cat. I went to the alley on my right, bending down to look behind the trashcans at the dead end.
“Bast? Where’d you go?”
A voice spoke directly into my left ear. “Looking for someone, my dear?”
A cold shock went up my spine. I whirled around, fists raised, only to stand there stupefied by the sight before me. There stood a Japanese man in a black tuxedo and matching gloves, smiling at me. It was the man from my nightmare. I hadn’t even remembered it until I saw that pale face of his again.
“You…no, that’s not possible,” I whispered, my arms dropping to my sides like deadweight.
The man tilted his head at an angle. “Whatever do you mean, my pet?”
I shook my head. “You can’t be real. That was just a dream.”
“I assure you, Jordan. I am quite real. And like in the dream, I am in need of your assistance.”
“Why? You’re not dead, are you?” I glanced down. Polished dress shoes adorned his feet. The man chuckled, a sound that crawled up my spine like a feather being drawn along my skin. I shuddered.
“Not at all. I am here to offer you a choice.”
My throat went dry. Fear welled up from inside my chest where my heart thundered from the adrenaline.
“What choice?”
“I know the deepest desires of your heart, Jordan,” the man said in his most soothing voice. “You long to be freed of this burden of trafficking souls. You want to live your life free of the Father’s bonds. I can help you take back your life.”
I slipped my hand into the pocket of my duster and gripped the rosary tightly. Everything finally clicked into place.
“Nice offer, but no thank you…demon.”
His eyes narrowed. Another wave of fear washed over me as he glared with those slit-shaped pupils that reminded me of some sort of reptile. I thought he was getting angry but he merely started to chuckle again.
“Well played, my dear. I am indeed under the employ of the Fallen One. Unfortunately, your refusal is unacceptable. I’m afraid I will have to remove you from this alley by force.”
He stepped towards me, still smiling like a serpent. “You may scream if you like.”
I took a deep breath and withdrew my hand from my pocket. “That won’t be necessary.”
I slammed my fist into his stomach with the cross lying across my knuckles. He hissed, pitching forward. Ignoring the pain crackling through my right hand, I kneed him in the chin and then brought the same fist across the side of his face. The force of the blow knocked the demon into the left wall of the alley, doubled over, nursing the wounds. He was still too close to the end of alleyway. As soon as I made a break for it, he’d be able to grab me.
A sudden sound caught my attention. I thought the demon had been coughing. He was…laughing. I took a cautionary step back as he pushed off from the wall. Blood trickled down his chin as a wistful sigh escaped his lips. “It’s been so long since I’ve felt pain in this body. It’s quite delicious, I must say.”
Don’t panic. Stay calm. I tightened my jaw and spoke with confidence I didn’t feel in the least. “Want the second course?”
The demon lowered his hands from his stomach, allowing his voice to take an almost regretful tone. “As much as I do, I cannot stall the ceremony any longer.”
The humor drained out of his face, leaving it clear with malicious intent. I slid my left hand into the other pocket, gripping the vials of holy water. As soon as he stepped forward, I threw two of them at him. He dodged to the right almost effortlessly. I brought my fist up again, but then he vanished. Too late, I felt his breath on the nape of my neck. A horrible, vise-like grip wrapped around my right arm. He twisted it behind my back and slammed me face-first into the brick wall. The vicious blow stunned me. Blood dripped down my forehead, hot and thick.
He ripped the rosary from my sore knuckles and tore off the duster. The demon held my arms behind my back with one hand, sliding the other around my throat and squeezing. I gagged, struggling with every muscle in my body, but to no avail. Tears overflowed down my face as the last gasps of air escaped my mouth.
“You could have made this so much easier on yourself,” the demon murmured against my ear. “Then again, that is what I like about you, dear Jordan. You’re a fighter.”
The world bled out of my eyes and darkness pooled in its place.