Above The Flames (The Flames Trilogy #1) (19 page)

“We can’t wait much longer, Evangeline. The humans are being slaughtered too quickly, and if we don’t fight back, it will be too late to save anybody,” Amon said, his voice clipped.

“I have been looking for Gazardiel. If I can find him, and bring him to you all, he can teach the Angel Blessed how their power works. Better than you or I can,” Evangeline said. “I will find him. Heaven is a mess right now, and everyone is doing their part. So, please, do yours. Help teach Jasmine and her friends. Train them to fight. Whatever will help them.”

“We have been, and we will continue. You have our word,” Caim said.

“Thank you. Now, I’m going to keep searching. I will check back in soon.” Evangeline turned and walked out the way she had come in.

“Looks like we’ve got a lot of work to do,” Azzy said, grinning. “Should we get started?”

Amon raised one brow. “What do you have in mind?”

Azzy shrugged. “How about we take the Angel Blessed out for a night on the town.”

“Guys, I still don’t think we’re ready,” Jasmine said, her voice high-pitched.

Caim laughed. “You’re as ready as you’ll ever be. For this, at least. It’s time to make you one of us.”

Jasmine scrunched her forehead. “How do you plan on doing that? We’re human. We can’t just turn into fallen angels.”

“You will see,” Caim said to her.

“Are you sure about this?” Amon asked, a glint of amusement in his eyes.

“Oh yeah. It’s definitely time for initiation night,” Azzy said. He threw a hand in the air. “Find the others. We leave now!” His tone was dramatic. Amon stifled a laugh, not wanting to give anything away. Already Jasmine looked as if she might puke.

He kept quiet and walked away in search of Gemma. He hadn’t decided if he wanted to invite Beau and Lamia yet, but he was leaning toward no. Of course, he’d completely forgotten to ask Evangeline about the angels’ plans.

Chapter 22

Initiation

Jasmine

The SUV stopped at a large, vacant field, and Jasmine filed out along with the others. Everyone had come, even Beau and Lamia, which surprised her a bit. The only one who wasn’t here was Bub, which made Jasmine wonder why he didn’t come. She was glad though. When everyone was out of the SUV, Jasmine stood and waited for instructions.

Caim moved to the front. “Okay. I brought everyone here because I’ve noticed a lot of fighting and bickering between everyone. In order to survive this war, we must stand together as a team.” He smiled. “So, I want everyone to sit down. This first exercise only involves our voices.”

Jasmine sat, and so did everyone else.

“I want each person to tell us a dark secret.”

“So, what, this is like truth or dare?” Gemma asked. “What? Are we in high school again?”

“Yeah, I never really liked this game much even then,” Cole said.

“Shh. That’s enough. We need to understand each other right now. That way we can work together better.”

Gemma and Cole looked at Jasmine and she nodded her approval.

“Okay, I’m going to start,” Caim said. “I am going to share what happened to make me fall from Heaven.”

Jasmine couldn’t help her curiosity. She’d been wondering that about all of them. They all seemed so nice, and brave. And loyal for that matter.

“As an angel, I was tasked with Guardian status. It was my job to watch over you humans, but never to interfere with your free will. Your choices are and have always been your own. But, one day, as I was looking through our watcher orb, which made us capable of looking down on you all from above, I came across a young girl. Her father…” Caim stopped talking, and swallowed. Then, he clenched his fist and straightened his back. “Her father was on top of her late one night while she slept. The girl woke up, startled. She pushed against her father, kicked. He continued his assault. When she smacked him across the face, he punched her in hers. I couldn’t let this happen, so I used my angel speed and found her. He hadn’t gotten anywhere yet, and I threw him off of her. He slammed against the wall, his head cracking against the corner of her nightstand. He died. Even though I saved the girl from irreparable damage and scars for the remainder of her life, scars that would never be healed, I was thrown from Heaven for killing a human.”

Jasmine listened the whole time, almost like she was in a trance. She didn’t realize until Caim had stopped talking that she had a fistful of grass in each of her hands.

“You’ve got to be kidding me! How could the angels punish you for saving a young girl’s life?” Jasmine asked loudly.

Caim shrugged. “That is their way. We are never allowed, under any circumstances, to take a human life. It’s a deal breaker.” Caim smiled. “But my anger over that moment has long since passed. It has brought me here, after all. To take part in something bigger than even the angels.”

“I guess, but that really sucks, man,” Cole said.

“It has never bothered me. I knew the moment the man died what my fate would be. We are never led astray up there. The angels are very upfront about the rules.”

“Their rules are stupid,” Beau said. “I would be thanking you for saving that girl.”

Jasmine looked over at Beau, and he was staring at her. Hard. Things were different between them for sure, but she knew how this story must have affected him. Something like this had almost happened to him. If it hadn’t been for his parents saving the day…she looked away first.

“Okay, now I want Cole to share something,” Caim said.

Cole chuckled. “I’ve never really done anything heroic, man. Not my style.”

Caim gave him a pointed stare.

“All right, there was a time when I was just a kid that a little girl fell on the playground and scraped her knee and I went to the nurse and got her a Band-Aid.”

“It doesn’t have to be about heroics, Cole. Just tell us something about yourself. Something you don’t share with many others,” Amon said.

Cole paused, looking up to the sky. Then he met Caim’s gaze. “Well, I’m really quiet around people most of the time. I don’t like people knowing things about me. It’s really hard for me to open up, and I think that’s because I always jumped from foster house to foster house. I never had a stable home, and was never around long enough to even think I might end up having a real family. So because of that, I don’t let myself get close to anyone.” He laughed. “I guess I just always figure they won’t be around long, ya know?”

Jasmine was startled, but Cole’s words kind of hit close to home. “You know, I never really looked like either of my parents. I always wondered if I’d been adopted, until my mom came out and told me I was. Now I know the truth.”

“Honestly, you probably all were. You were Angel Blessed, so more than likely your mother died when you were born. Because of the powers you were gifted, it would have been a very hard labor. Most of the time, when any baby still in the mother’s womb is given these types of powers, the mother doesn’t make it through the birth,” Lamia said. “At least, that is what I have always been told. I’ve never actually met an Angel Blessed before though.”

“Okay. Amon, you’re next.”

Jasmine met his eyes and his softened. He quickly looked away, as if ashamed. “I have always blamed myself for my parents’ death. If I had just been there, maybe I could have stopped it.”

Caim placed a hand on his shoulder. “But you know you couldn’t have. You died that day too.”

“I know, Caim. But my whole family was killed by a demon. A demon who I could have killed, should have killed myself. If only I hadn’t been so scared.”

“You were only a child yourself, Amon. You couldn’t have stopped him, even though you wanted to,” Caim replied softly.

Amon gazed at his friends, and it looked like there were tears in his eyes. “There was so much blood. After I heard the first scream, I started running from the field.” He looked at everyone else. “You see, I had been gathering bundles of hay. For the horses. We were going to take the leftovers to the market to sell. We were very poor.” He paused, his eyes glazing over as if he were reliving every moment, seeing everything again. “But then I heard my mother’s scream, and I ran with everything I had. By the time I’d made it to our small home, everyone was gone. My mother, my father. My brothers and sisters. Even the newest addition to our family, only three months old at the time. I didn’t see the demon until he shoved his sharp claw through my stomach. Blood gushed from the wound, and I remember putting my hand against it to try to stop the bleeding. But it was too late. I fell to the floor. And that’s all I remember until I awakened in Heaven.”

Jasmine’s mouth fell open and her heart raced. A sorrow filled her. Nobody should have to live like that. She stood and moved over to him, wrapping an arm around him. “I’m sorry you had to see that. To go through that.”

“Okay, how about someone tell me what the hell is going on with you two,” Beau almost yelled.

“It does seem like you’ve become rather close,” Lamia chimed in.

Jasmine looked up, her eyes wide. “Amon is my friend, my teammate. And I can see the hurt on his face plain as day. Offering condolences to a friend shouldn’t be questioned, and I shouldn’t have to defend my actions.”

Beau stood and walked away. Lamia followed after him.

“Okay, I think this activity must end for the moment. I know everyone didn’t get to share, but this exercise was to draw us closer, and a few of the members of our team didn’t see it like that,” Caim said.

“I’m sorry, Caim. I was actually enjoying this, and felt like I was really starting to understand things a little more clearly,” Jasmine said.

“We’ll just have to try again soon,” Gemma said.

Caim smiled. “Yes, I think that will be best. Now, everyone pair off with your trainers. I want you to canvas the area, hunt for demons. If you find one, kill it. No mercy.”

“Sounds like my kind of fun,” Jasmine said. She had plenty of rage against the evil creatures, and hearing Amon’s story just amped her up even more. She’d have lots of fun if she found one. Jasmine grabbed Amon’s hand and pulled him up. Together, they took off in the opposite direction of everyone else, ready to find some demons.

Chapter 23

Hunting Demons

Amon

Stalking through the streets around the house had turned up nothing, so they’d taken the SUV. Jasmine drove Amon out past a few close by towns, which seemed to be abandoned. So they kept driving. Amon wanted to see just how far the demons had gotten.

“Have you seen anything yet?” Jasmine asked.

“No. Nothing.”

Silence stretched after that. Amon had plenty to say, but for some reason he felt nervous. Sharing his story had been hard; he’d kept that burden to himself for so long. Relived it every single day in Hell. It was a nightmare he couldn’t escape. But talking about it helped, which was something he had never thought to do before. He’d carried that weight on his shoulders for so long. Now it seemed like it was finally lifting.

“A penny for your thoughts,” Jasmine said.

“That must be another one of those phrases that mean something else. I’m sure you don’t really want a penny.”

Jasmine laughed. “You’re catching on to this. I just want to know what you’re thinking about.”

“I’m thinking about the story I shared with everyone. I’m thinking it felt good to talk about it.” Amon glanced over at her. “And I’m thinking that I’m glad I’m here, even if I’m not happy with the reason.”

Jasmine smiled shyly at Amon, then she faced forward again, watching the road. “I’m glad you’re here too. I don’t think I could do this without you.”

A happiness settled inside Amon when he heard those words. He’d never thought this war could bring anything good, but it did. It brought Jasmine into his life. And although he was fighting his feelings with everything he had, it didn’t change them. But he didn’t say anything, just let the silence stretch around both of them.

He looked out the window and saw a big building.

“What is that?”

“That is the greatest store the world has ever seen. It has everything. Food, clothes. When I say everything, I mean it.” Jasmine pulled off the road. “It’s strange though. This is a busy area. There are no cars on the road, and nobody is entering or leaving Wal-Mart.”

Amon searched the front of the store. He could barely see a person at the big double door entrance. “I can’t see well, but it looks like there is someone going in.”

Jasmine pushed the pedal down and the tires squealed. The person turned around and Amon got a glimpse of red, glowing eyes.

“Jasmine, it’s a demon,” he said.

“I saw. We need to go check it out.”

“Go, but beware. A place this big…there are probably a lot of demons in there.”

“Good. More for us to kill.”

As soon as Jasmine parked, Amon got out. She joined his side quickly after, and together they walked toward the store.

Amon grabbed Jasmine’s hand and pulled her to a stop right before they went inside. “Remember, control your power, but don’t hold back. If you are in trouble, use your fire to kill the demons. Do not hesitate.”

Jasmine nodded. “I won’t. Don’t worry about me.”

Amon ran his hand up her arm. “For some reason, I do.” He let his hand fall away, and they faced forward. It seemed like they both took a deep breath at the same time, let it out, and stepped through the sliding doors. Yet another thing that was very different from his own time.

Once inside, he gagged at the thick coppery smell. Blood covered everything. The floor. The walls. Even the high ceiling. Shelves of food were painted red, the boxes and bags of edibles not even recognizable as such.

Amon took a step forward and almost slipped on a bloody streak across the floor. He followed the trail with his eyes, which led to a heap of bodies piled so high they almost touched the ceiling. It was a slaughterhouse. The cattle had been killed, all of them.

“Oh my God.” Jasmine breathed the words. Her face had gone pale and her mouth had dropped open.

“Oh goody!” a high-pitched voice said. “We’ve got visitors. Do tell me, how do you like the view? I think it could use a bit more color, don’t you?”

Amon spun around, his eyes searching for the powerful demon. “Where are you, Bael? Show yourself!”

“Oh, now that wouldn’t be much fun. How about you come and find me?” A long, drawn out laugh. “Best watch out, though. My demons aren’t as happy to see you as I am.”

The sound of footsteps pounded the ground. “We have to get out of here. It’s a trap,” Amon said as he grabbed Jasmine and pulled her back the way they came. She stumbled, but he held her up, dragging her along the pavement.

“We’re never going to make it,” she said.

He knew she was right. The demons were right on his tail. He stopped, realizing escape was futile. “Keep going. Get out of here. Bael wants you more than me, so go!”

“I won’t leave you behind.”

“You will leave me behind. I told you to go.”

“I don’t care. You aren’t my boss. Two people have a better chance than one.”

Amon braced her shoulders, making her face him. “Don’t you get it? We have no chance. If you don’t go, you will die right beside me.”

Jasmine looked at the ground, and then raised her chin. “Sorry, Amon. But nobody else is going to die here today. Not you. And not me.”

“Well, isn’t this just sweet? It’s so nice that you finally have someone who cares about you, Amon. It only took—what? A hundred years?” Bael said as he joined them.

“Just leave the girl alone, Bael. It’s me you want.”

Bael placed a finger on one of his horns. “Actually, it’s not. I need the girl. Lucifer has some plan and yadda, yadda, yadda. The point is, you are no longer my concern. In fact, if my demons kill you, I might get a sense of happiness from that. But I’m rambling. And talking all about myself.” He grinned, showing sharp yellow teeth. “Let’s talk about you.” He pointed to Jasmine.

Jasmine stepped in front of Amon. “I won’t let you kill him.” She stomped her foot and the ground below her turned blue. Her wide eyes found Amon’s, but he couldn’t help her. He had no idea what her power was doing.

“Looks like the little girl has more balls than the man beside her, hmmm?” Bael asked, his eyes amused. “Interesting development, if I do say so myself. Which I did.” He cackled as his demon army came closer, surrounding him, but he held one hand up. “You guys go back inside. Make sure we’ve killed all the humans.”

“Yeah, pretty sure you don’t need to double check. It looked like you got them all,” Jasmine said sharply.

“My, you are feisty, aren’t you? I can’t wait to get my hands on you.” Bael jumped forward and snaked a hand out, grasping Jasmine’s arm.

Amon tried to shove Bael, but there was no need. Jasmine’s arm turned neon blue and Bael yanked his hand back.

Jasmine smiled, obviously pleased with herself. “Didn’t like that, huh? Maybe it will help you rethink the whole ‘hands on me’ thing,” Jasmine said.

Amon laughed. He couldn’t help it. Jasmine raised an eyebrow at him. Bael narrowed his eyes.

“Perhaps I’ll need to rethink a few things. Starting with my plan.” Bael’s eyes lit up. “Oh, I’ve got it.” In a quick movement even Amon hadn’t seen coming, Bael rushed past both of them, wrapped his arms around Amon’s sides and up around his neck, resting at the base. “This is better, I think. Jasmine, you will not use your power on me. Or I will kill him.”

Jasmine gritted her teeth. “Leave him alone!” She moved forward, but Amon clamped his lips tight and jerked his head to the side in silent negation. He fidgeted, struggled to get free. Even though Bael was short and smaller than him, he was much stronger. An upper-level demon could lift a tank if he wanted. He decided staying still might be the best solution.

“I won’t hurt him. If you come with me,” Bael said. “It’s all up to you, of course.”

Amon shook his head at Jasmine. A frown lined her face as she looked at the ground and pulled the bottom of her silky green tank top down. When she moved her chin up, she made strong eye contact with him and set her jaw. “Jasmine, do not try anything,” Amon said.

She gave him one of her famous half smiles, looking over his shoulder at Bael. “I will go with you. Just let him go first.”

Who did she think she was fooling? Bael was a lot smarter than she was giving him credit for. He could read her determination like an open book. He mentally cursed her, knowing that whatever she tried would probably kill them.
I’m not being a downer. Bael is too strong to mess with when he has the advantage.

Bael moved one arm behind Amon, but kept his other arm squeezed tightly around Amon’s neck. A moment later a sharp blade pressed into his neck. He angled his head up, but the blade dug deeper, so he remained as still as possible, barely taking a breath.

“I think your time is up. Any last words?” Bael asked.

“Yeah. Watch this,” Jasmine said.

She reached her hand out, as if she could grab the blade. Instead, a streak of blue shot from her fingertips, snaking around Amon and straight to Bael. The knife slipped as the smell of burning flesh permeated the air. The sizzling sound hit his ears, and Amon moved forward, then turned to see Bael on the ground, clenching his teeth as his skin evaporated like water in a boiling hot pan.

“Steady,” Amon said to Jasmine. “Focus on the anger and use it.”

Sweat poured from Jasmine’s forehead. “He’s too strong. I can’t hold him much longer.”

The blue fire blinked like a disco light against Bael’s dark skin. The demon smiled at Jasmine, held her gaze as he stood. Amon watched as Jasmine’s power fizzled out.

“Well. Looks like our Jasmine isn’t as strong as she thinks she is. Very good to know.” Bael took a few steps, bent, and picked up the knife.

Amon clenched his fists and stomped forward, the pavement grinding into the soles of his shoes. “You’ve lost this one. It’s time for you to leave.”

“I think not. This fight has only just begun, my old friend.” Bael held the blade of the knife at the tip. “And the only one losing will be you.”

Bael flicked his wrist. The knife flew through the air, sinking into Amon’s side. The breath rushed out of him as pain erupted. Bael moved quickly, and just as Amon grabbed the handle to pull it out, Bael’s hand came over his own and pushed down. The knife sliced through skin, and Amon cried out. The pain was like thick razor blades digging into every nerve in his side. Bael yanked the knife out of his side and blood spilled down his skin, soaking into his shirt, his pants, the ground.

Amon panted, his heart pounding loudly in his ears. His vision blurred, but he saw Jasmine hurry forward. Saw her hand glowing. She touched Amon and an electric blue bubble shot out from her, shoving Bael with such force he flew halfway across the parking lot. “I’ve got you. Wrap your arm around me,” she said.

He didn’t have much choice. The pain had heightened, throbbing now all around the stab wound. Jasmine removed the white sweater she wore and balled it up, pressing it against his open wound. His teeth clamped together and he grunted. “Just go. Leave me. You have to save yourself.” The energy it took to say even those few words seemed like too much.

Jasmine frowned. “Just keep your arm around me and walk. My power is protecting us. I’m not really sure how I did it, but we can talk about that later.”

The world spun with each step he took, but somehow he got through it. Bael ran toward them, but Jasmine’s power stayed strong this time. It sizzled like a bug zapper each time Bael touched his hand against it. “You stupid girl! How are you doing this?”

Jasmine grinned. “Magic.”

Bael glared, sticking his hand into their bubble. His skin sizzled, but he laughed. “It doesn’t matter how many times you get away. It will all end the same.” Then he disappeared behind them.

“How are you maintaining this b-bubble?” Amon asked, sucking in a breath.

“I have no clue. I’m just glad I figured it out.”

“So am I,” he said as they finally arrived at the car.

“I’m sorry to make you do this, but I need you to drive. I can keep us protected, but there’s no way I can drive too. We have to hurry. I don’t know how much longer I can hold this,” Jasmine said.

Amon swallowed hard. He’d never driven a car like this. Well, he’d actually never driven a car, but he had to figure it out. He sat behind the driver’s seat. “What do I do?”

“Turn the key and push down the pedal on the right. The left pedal is the brake. It will slow you down,” she said.

He turned the key, and his side burned. Blood still leaked into his shirt, but not as badly. He pushed the pedal down and the engine roared. He slammed his back against the seat. “What did I do wrong?”

Jasmine laughed. “Sorry. My fault. Forgot to tell you to put it in drive.”

***

They arrived back at Beau’s house in one piece. How, Amon wasn’t sure. Driving was much more difficult than he’d ever known. He carefully exited the car. Beau and Lamia waited on the front porch, but his friend ran to his side when she saw the blood. “What happened?” Her voice was higher than normal, less sultry.