Broken Butterflies (28 page)

“You don’t need that to kill me.” Bram said.

Damon stood and placed his boot over Bram’s face, pressing it against the floor. “Why are you here, Bram?”

“Azriel has an army of fifteen hundred demons and he’s coming for you.”

Damon bent down and yanked him from the floor and shoved his back to the wall. “How do you know this?”

“I saw it.”

“I’d say you picked the wrong side to be on.” Damon’s neck veins stuck out as he spoke.

“I came to warn you, so kill me if you’re going to.”

Damon’s lips curled in a snarl. He brought his knee up and kicked Bram in the groin. “That’s for sleeping with my wife.” Bram fell to the ground wailing. Damon wasted no time and his boot made contact with Bram’s nose. Silver blood coated the wall. “Whose side are you on?”

“Hers,” Bram gurgled out pointing at Ilisha’s.

Ilisha leaned against the counter glaring down at the man who deceived her.

Damon drug Bram across the floor and threw him into a chair using one arm. “Move an inch and I’ll slit your throat from ear to ear. When are they coming?” Damon growled.

“I don’t know.”

“When are they coming!?” Damon screamed.

“I told you, I don’t know. They’re waiting until she looks vulnerable.” Bram turned to Ilisha. “From what I can see, she won’t be.”

“You look at my wife one more time, you’ll regret it.” Damon’s eyes could kill him with one look.

“I’m here to help you. I’ll fight with you to protect her.”

“You broke your vow to me.”

“I can’t help who I love?” Bram asked weakly.

“Aahh,” Damon screamed as he curled his fist and knocked Bram in the side of the head.

Bram turned his face away from Damon and spit a mouthful of blood on the floor. “They don’t know you’re here.”

“How’s that exactly? Azriel saw me when he attacked Ilisha.”

“I heard him talking. He said she must have another guard since I failed.” Bram wiped his mouth. “Does that mean you’re going to keep me alive?”

“No. You betrayed me and my wife, not to mention your allegiance is broken.”

“I pledge my allegiance to you, Majesty.”

“Bullshit.” Damon punched him again.

Damon wiped Bram’s blood, which had spattered onto his face with the back of his hand. “You’re going to go back where you came from and bring me more information.”

“I’m not in league with the demons.” Bram’s eyes flashed to Ilisha, then back to Damon with a glare.

Damon brought his foot up and kicked Bram’s chair. It shot across the floor in a blur and smashed into the counter, shattering the cabinets and the top. Bram’s body bounced forward from the blow, but Damon was standing in front of him before he fell. He took his chin in his hand and clinched it, jerking his head up. Damon pressed his fingers into Bram’s neck.

“Did you send a demon king after John?”

From across the room Ilisha could feel Bram’s heartbeat pick up. “Oh my gosh.” Her hand went to her mouth.

Damon knew at the same time, as his fingers were on Bram’s pulse. “Why?” he snarled.

“I knew you had gone to him and I knew that as soon as he knew the truth he would help you. I can’t be without her.” Bram gargled.

“You unimaginable monster,” Ilisha said shocked.

“You knew I would come to help him, and hoped the demon would kill me as well. That would leave you with the girl, right?” Damon gripped his neck tighter.

“I’m sorry,” Bram said with his eyes on Ilisha.

“Did you know that the demon went after her as well? You aren’t good enough for death. I cast you out!”

Light burst from Bram’s chest and he bled from every pore. He screamed as his skin turned black. Ilisha stumbled back from him, fear filling her eyes.

Bram shot up from the chair. “Majesty,” he growled, his voice no longer the same, and bowed.

He turned and was out the open door in two bounds. His black wings stretched and he looked once over his shoulder at Ilisha. A loud scream echoed around the neighborhood as he took off.

Ilisha stood there stunned. Damon was on his knees, his head hung low.

She knelt beside him. “Are you okay?”

He breathed as though he had just been sliced across the heart.

Ilisha crouched in front of him and put her hands on his face. “Damon, say something.”

“I trusted him with my life and my soul.” His words came out in a stream of tears.

Ilisha knew his soul meant her. Damon casting Bram out was far worse than if he would have killed him, it was the ultimate punishment.

Damon turned his face into her hand and held it tight.

She stretched her legs out and wrapped her whole body around him. His body shook as he sobbed.

“I love you, Damon.”

“I love you, too. I knew you would tell me sooner or later,” Damon said with a slight smile.

Damon laid her on the floor and ripped her clothes from her body. “Ilisha, don’t take this wrong, but right now I need you. I need to forget him.”

Ilisha woke to the sound of hammering and power tools. She wrapped her robe around herself and walked down the stairs.

“Damon?” she said walking through the living room to the kitchen.

She peered around the corner and found John sawing wood.

“Hey John, what are you doing here? Where’s Damon?”

“He asked me to fix the mess in the kitchen. I won’t be long.”

“Oh, well, thank you.”

“He’s on the front porch,” John replied nudging his head in that direction.

She could hear voices outside and opened the door to see Damon wrapped in a smock and a lady cutting his hair.

“There she is,” Damon said sticking out his hand.

Ilisha tucked her hair behind her ear and tried to comb it with her fingers. She wasn’t expecting early morning visitors.

“This is Kate,” Damon said pointing behind him at the lady.

Kate made one last cut and sprayed his hair with water. She smoothed it back and took a little too much comfort in running her fingers through it for Ilisha’s taste.

“I think we’re done here.” She placed her scissors in a zipper pouch and turned to Damon. “You look fantastic, Majesty.”

“Kate, you will acknowledge my wife before you go.” Damon’s eyes were full of warning.

She shifted uncomfortably and turned to Ilisha. “Of course.” She bowed, but her voice held a mocking tone.

Ilisha rolled her eyes looking down at the woman like she was ridiculous.

When Kate left Ilisha turned to Damon. “What the crap was that all about?”

“She seems to have a thing for angels in power, but she’s the best hair stylist I know.”

“I could tell the first part just by watching her; she’s pure hussy.”

Damon smiled and pulled her to his lap. “Are you jealous?” he said his hand sliding under her robe and clutching her breast.

Ilisha inhaled deeply. “No, her actions were just plain pathetic.” She took hold of his hand. “John is here, remember?”

“I do now.” He sighed and walked with her inside.

John was sanding a cabinet front. “I’m just about finished, Majesty.”

“Nice work” Damon replied.

“Thank you.”

Damon sat at the table watching John and smiled.

John put his tools into the tool box. “I have a sheet of drywall coming and I will fix that hole in a couple days.” John waved goodbye and walked out.

Ilisha heard the front door close and she sat at the table, looking at Damon. “Why are you grinning?”

“No reason.”

She stared, waiting for an answer.

Damon’s index finger covered his upper lip. “He’s quite fond of your mom.”

Ilisha’s face wrinkled in disbelief. “Whaaat?”

“Quite fond,” he repeated.

“Okay, Damon, spit it out.”

“I think he should tell you, if he gets the nerve that is. I only know because I can hear his thoughts if I concentrate.”

“No, you should tell me, and right now.”

“John had quite a good morning. Your mom kissed him pretty passionately before he left.”

Ilisha’s eyes bulged and her mouth hung open. “This is my mom you’re talking about, right?”

“The very one.”

“That’s impossible.”

“Ilisha you should know what happens in angel relationships by now.”

Her memories flashed and she saw the day she met Damon. They were both nine and at a party. Damon’s parents were throwing a bash to celebrate his grandfather’s life. Ilisha ran around the tables in a white dress. She was avoiding her sister. As she rounded the last table she ran full force into Damon.

“Sorry,” she said in a little girl voice.

“I’m Damon.”

“Ilisha.”

“Want to play tag?” Damon asked fiddling with his shirt. He thrust out his hand and tapped her on the shoulder. “You’re it.” He ran while Ilisha chased him, giggling.

When she caught up, she tackled him. There were squeals and laughter. When he surrendered she put her hands behind her back and leaned in to give him a peck on the lips.

“That was the first time I ever kissed a boy,” she said smiling up at present day Damon.

“When angels meet their soul mate it’s instant.”

“Are you telling me my mom is John’s soul mate?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

“This is just too weird.”

“He loves her.”

“And her, what about her?”

“She hasn’t said it yet.”

Ilisha blinked a few times before standing and walking upstairs to shower. She was in a daze. Imagining her mother kissing anyone was impossible, add in passionately and that left her feeling the world was spinning backwards.

She heard the shower door pop open and smiled as Damon stepped inside. He put some shampoo in his palm and massaged it into her scalp.

“I need to say something to you,” he said scratching her head.

She waited.

“I need you to quit your job.”

Ilisha turned to face him. “Why? Won’t we be here for a while?”

“An army of demons are coming for you. They will take advantage of anything that will help them. If you stay you will be putting every person in that hospital in danger. Demons don’t care who is in the way of their prey, they will simply kill to get rid of them. It also puts knowledge of our existence in the lime light.”

Ilisha wiped some shampoo from her forehead. “Because you know I’ll fight them to save people,” she replied almost to herself. “I have bills to pay,” she added.

“This house is now ours.”

“What do you mean? This is a rental.”

“I contacted the landlord and paid cash.”

“You paid cash for a house?” Ilisha asked.

“Yes, and I will take care of your other bills as well.”

“But, I love my job.” Sadness filled her eyes. “I know it is a part of my human life, but I guess it never dawned on me I would no longer be a nurse.”

“I know.” His hands gripped her shoulders and turned her back around. He rinsed her hair and applied conditioner.

“You’re right of course,” she reluctantly whispered.

“I’m sorry, Ilisha.”

“What I don’t understand is why doesn’t Azriel just give up?”

“I contracted him to bring you back to me. He’s a death maker. Once that contract is signed they know nothing else and feel nothing else. Losing you many times now, he’s probably going mad. Anything it takes to kill you now, that’s what he will do. If Bram didn’t lie about the number of demons he has on his side we can assume he thinks you have full power now.”