Gods and Mortals: Fourteen Free Urban Fantasy & Paranormal Novels Featuring Thor, Loki, Greek Gods, Native American Spirits, Vampires, Werewolves, & More (262 page)

Kara stayed where she was, frozen, as her mind strained to process all this new information. “But why us? Who would do this to us…to me? And why?”

“I can think of someone.” David stepped beside Kara. She saw a flash of anger in his eyes. She knew exactly who he was referring to…someone tall and powerful who happened to hate David’s guts.

“Benson?
No...
are you sure?”

David’s tone was sharp. “Positive. This is his chance to get rid of me for good. It’s his
payback
for what I did to Sarah.”

If what David was saying was true, that meant Benson was going to get her killed as well—caught in the crossfire—just to get to David. She had just barely escaped with her angel life on their last job.
It’s just going to get worse.
A part of her felt betrayed. She hadn’t done anything to anyone; she had just
died
recently. And now her life was in danger. Another part of her was angry that someone wanted to hurt David. She looked up into his clear blue eyes. “So …what do we do?”

He looked fierce. “We get him…before anything else happens. We’ll need proof, obviously, or to catch him in the act. I’d love to see how Gabriel fries his ass!”

“So, should we follow him?” asked Kara.

David narrowed his eyes. “Yeah…he’ll probably have to rendezvous with the demons back on Earth. We should find out what his next assignment is and follow him there. He’s bound to make contact with them sooner or later.”

Images of the higher demons flashed behind Kara’s eyes and she started to feel anxious. “But shouldn’t we tell Gabriel, or one of the Archangels? This is pretty serious, David; shouldn’t we tell them?”

He looked down at the ground. “No, they’ll just think I’m up to something because of our
history
. They won’t believe me. Don’t think I’m Mr. Popular with the Archangels—or haven’t you noticed? And if Benson finds out somehow, we’ll never catch him. No one can know about this.”

Kara knew David was right. They’d never believe him, or her. They would have to do this on their own.

They wandered through the twisted rows of blue tents, watching the ongoing combats. Operations was full of noises: bursts of combat cries, the clatter of metal on metal and the raised voices of the oracles teaching classes, and then forgetting what they were supposed to teach. The fragrance of salt drifted in the air.

She followed David into the weapons tent. Two guardian angels were making their selection of weapons and looked up as they saw David and Kara enter.

“Yo, Dave! What’s up?” said the taller one. “We heard about your
jump
. Awesome! It’s spreading all over the Legion already.”

“Don’t think Gabriel’s too happy about that,” laughed the smaller one, as he eyed Kara. “He’s in a
really
bad mood. You sure you want to be here right now?” he slapped David on the arm.

David lifted his chin and puffed out his chest. “Gabe
loves
me. He just doesn’t know it.”

The three young men laughed stupidly while hitting one another. To Kara, it was like watching the end of a winning basketball game, where all the boys danced around excitedly after the match. David, so it seemed, had won the popularity game—David versus the Archangels.

More and more guardian angels stopped their training and came to congratulate David on his wild escape. Some even congratulated Kara. She turned around quickly and became very interested in a short silver dagger. She flicked the blade with her fingernail. The sound was drowned by sudden loud cheers. She looked back towards the crowd. She saw David jump down from one of the large tables. He was surrounded by an animated group of predominantly male guardian angels. He re-enacted their suicidal plunge off the Old Port. His cronies giggled excitedly, like a pack of wild hyenas. He bowed after each performance…which were many.

Kara wondered if she was really stuck with this idiot for all eternity.

T
ime passed in Horizon
. From time to time Kara thought about her painting, and about the life she left behind. But now her old life seemed insignificant and dull compared with the busy new life she led now. Every now and then, when she thought of her mother, the feelings of guilt and homesickness would start. But with all she had to learn at combat training and her new lessons with the oracles, Kara didn’t have time to feel sorry for herself.

She learned from Gabriel that the Legion was nervous about the fact that higher demons kept showing up whenever she was on the job. They feared a connection between Kara and the demons. If they suspected a traitor they didn’t mention it to her, or to David. Instead, they had her spend hours on end trying to
connect
with her other souls…which wasn’t happening. It was not until she cussed out the oracle for getting her name wrong for the hundredth time that he finally dismissed her until their next lesson.

Before long, Kara started to adjust better to the new life and job in Horizon—she even saved three other souls. But she soon found out, according to the Archangel Gabriel, that this wasn’t good enough—she had to try to save the mortals first, before the soul.

Otherwise, her training sessions with David proved to be fruitful and enriching in every respect. Her senses became more powerful, and so did her instincts. Kara was getting better with each lesson, and in a short time David began training her on different weapons. She even surprised herself a little when she began to enjoy herself and even began, if only slightly, to accept her new fate as a guardian angel.

Then David broke the news about Benson to Kara.

“He’s on his way now—566 Saint Catherine Street East,” he informed her. “Apparently the Legion’s got him on a Scout mission.”

“What’s a scout mission?”

“Scouts gather info for the Legion…like detective work, but GA style.”

“That sounds cool!” Kara imagined herself in a dark trench coat and black fedora hat, spying on would-be traitors in a dark alley way, snapping pictures with her sparkling new iPhone.

David made a face. “Na…it gets boring sometimes. Too much paperwork…it’s pretty
geeky
if you ask me. But we know what he’s doing, eh? It’s so clear now! I can’t believe no one suspects him. But we’ll get him.” David’s face cracked into a grin. His eyes glittered in anticipation.

Kara liked how his lips curled when David was enjoying himself. He reminded her of a little boy in a toy store, going crazy as he played with all the new gadgets his little hands could hold. She couldn’t help but smile back. “Good job, inspector. Is he near the pools already?” Kara nodded her head towards the hundreds of pools beyond the red hills.

“Yup…let’s go get him.”

Kara jogged behind David. As they approached the pools, she could make out Benson’s silhouette on the ledge of one in the first row. She saw him squat, pinch his nose, then leap into the air and disappear with a splash.

Kara narrowed her eyes. “You really believe this creep is the traitor?”

“Without a doubt.”

“I wonder what is going on in his head. How can he risk the lives of other angels?”

“’Cause he’s a douche bag.”

“He must really hate you.” Kara bit her lip. “Maybe he has an entirely different agenda?
Maybe he wants me dead and not you?”

David shook his head. “Don’t be ridiculous…he’s after
me
. You’re only involved because of me.”

A moment later, Kara and David took their turns and jumped into the salty waters.

A
s if an army
of ants had poured out of their hills in search of food, Saint Catherine Street was a mass of crawling mortals. Kara blinked. Red, green, and yellow flashing street lights illuminated the busy street. Kara passed pawn shops, strip clubs, and bars, as the humid air stuck to her M suit. A stink of exhaust fumes lingered. and a smell of moist soil filled the air

The street was alive with the energy of young people. Kara felt it prickle her M suit. The night was young, and like any Friday, the street vibrated with the sounds of motors running, squeaking brakes, and kids on full party mode.

Teenage girls walked in groups attached at the waist, their faces painted in layers of makeup. With barely-there tops and the shortest of skirts, which Kara liked to call
under-skirts
, they approached the nightclubs. They batted their eyelashes at the bouncers who then let them in without question. Kara felt a slight ache of envy in her chest as she watched them.

She brushed off the feeling and followed David. “So what’s 566 Saint Catherine?”

David turned back and looked at her before turning back and looking straight ahead. “It’s a nightclub. I have a feeling he’s meeting someone there—probably a demon.” David glanced at his watch. “He should already be there,” he looked up. “Ah…there it is.”

Kara followed his gaze and saw a crooked grey building. The windows were painted black, and a large metal sign hung from the top. It read,
The Club
.

“Wow, how original—must have taken weeks to come up with that name.” Kara turned her head. A long line of teenage hopefuls waited to get in. “Ah, David …where are you going? Aren’t we going to wait in line over there?”

David grabbed Kara by the hand and pulled her with him to the front entrance. A man the size of a small SUV waited with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Hey man, what’s up?” said David as he walked right in. The bouncer didn’t pay any attention to them.

“Wow! How did you do that?” asked Kara as David dragged her. “Do GAs have some kind of hypnotizing abilities?”

“Sort of…but my good looks got us in.”

They passed through the front door. Music exploded all around them. Kara felt the ground shake beneath her as hundreds of dancers hit the floor. Not wanting to miss anything, she turned her head every which way as David pulled her along.

“I’ve never been inside a club before,” she yelled over the music.

David turned his head and frowned. “Never?”

“No. You have to be eighteen to be allowed in.”

“Yeah, but you never made a fake ID?” bellowed David.

Kara shook her head. “No…guess that makes me a loser, right?”

David’s white teeth flashed in the darkness. “No, not everyone likes to go clubbing. Besides, you were probably too busy with your art to want to join a bunch of talentless fools jumping up and down in a tight space.”

Kara smiled and looked down. “Yeah, I’m sure that’s the reason.”

Strobe lights illuminated faces, as David pulled her through the tight crowds. The salty smell of sweaty armpits and the thick stink of booze were like an invisible wall of stench.

The further they ventured away from the dance floor, the more Kara could hear over the music— faint sounds of bottles that clashed together and mumbles of conversations.

David pulled her along. She felt her body stiffen as crowds of people brushed up against her. But then David squeezed her hand gently and her skin tingled. She liked the feel of his M skin against her own. It wasn’t the same feeling as back when she was alive, of skin brushing up against skin. This was different, and to Kara, much better—like her sensations were ten times as strong. She wished silently that she could hold on to his hand forever.

Kara made faces at the gorgeous girls that eyed David as they passed. They all gave Kara the what-are-you-doing-with-such-a-hottie look. And when David wasn’t looking, Kara whirled around and gave them the finger…followed by the biggest smile she could muster.

David pulled Kara towards a round metal table in a back corner of the club, beyond the crowded dance floor and lost in the shadows. Benson sat two tables down from them. He was huddled over the table, presently engaged in a conversation with a dark-haired man in his late twenties. They did not look up.

“Be right back.”

Kara watched as David disappeared into the crowd. He came back two minutes later with two drinks. “Here…gin and tonic. Have you had this before?”

Kara shook her head. “Uh…no, but can we actually
drink
liquids?”

David laughed. “Not really, but it is fun to pretend. The best part is that you can actually start feeling the alcoholic effects after a few drinks. Here…have a taste.”

Kara leaned in and took a sip. The liquid evaporated in her throat. The alcohol vapor lingered for a moment and then made its way up slowly to her head. It wasn’t at all like drinking real liquid, but it still felt nice. She grinned at David. “That was weird.” She licked her lips. “But I like it.”

“Good. Listen. Let’s move in closer to hear their conversation.” David drank the entire contents of his glass in one shot. He smacked his lips and slammed the glass down. “Follow me.”

David sneaked closer towards the table that Benson and the stranger occupied. Their heads were huddled together, deep in conversation. David walked with exceptional stealth through the crowds to get to the next table without Benson noticing. He sat with his back towards them and leaned against the seat just a little for better hearing. Kara grabbed the empty seat next to David and sat down. She sipped her drink. Her eyes were on the young crowds dancing in front of her, but she strained to hear behind her. She heard Benson speak first.

“…it’s not good enough. I need more information.” Benson said.

“That’s all I know, man,” answered a deep voice.

“But you can’t be sure it was the same
child?
”

“Hey man, it’s like I said. I’m
not
sure.”

“In what warehouse was this? What part of the city? I need to know!” Benson asked.

“I’ve given you all I’ve got,” said the stranger. “If the demons knew I was speaking to you, I’d be a dead man.”

There was a pause, and then Benson spoke again. “Yes, I know, but this is really important.”

“No you
don’t
! I’m not
paid
enough for this shit.” Kara heard something slam down on the table.

Kara couldn’t make out the rest of the conversion as the music thundered around her.
She bristled with anxiety and was pleasantly excited—she was detective Kara Nightingale, bad-ass profiler vigilante. But something troubled her. The stranger had mentioned a child.
What was Benson involved in?

Out of the corner of her eye, Kara saw Benson get up. In a flash David had squeezed himself against her. With his right arm around her shoulder, he pressed his hard M suit against hers, his face close enough for a kiss. Her mortal skin prickled with his nearness. She knew not to look into his eyes, for fear she might give her true feelings away. And just when she thought she would burst, David released her and backed away.

“Okay, he’s gone. I think he’s going towards the washrooms…be right back!” And with that, David disappeared into the crowd.

Kara clasped her forehand with her hands. She wasn’t prepared for the intense feeling she felt. If romance was forbidden between angels, then why did she have feelings for this guy?

She moved her hands away from her face and looked down at her glass. “Why not?” She drank the last of her gin and tonic. She felt calmer. Then David squeezed out from a wall of mortals, with four more gin and tonics in his hands.

His face cracked into a wide smile. “Benson went down the toilet. So, the night’s still young…no reason to let it go to waste. Right?”

“Right.” Kara grabbed a glass and took a drink. She wanted to stay here with David for as long as she could.

“David…did you hear them talking about some
child
?”

David smacked his lips together. “Yup…don’t know anything about some kid, though. I’m not sure what that means.” He screwed up his face and gawked at his drink.

Kara swirled the straw around in her glass. “Do you think maybe we were
wrong
about Benson? If he’s looking for a kid, then maybe he’s not the one involved in trying to get us killed? I didn’t hear anything about a plot to get
us
killed. Did you?”

After a pause, David brushed the top of his hair with his fingers. “Nope. I don’t know. Maybe he was finished with his plan before we got there, and we only heard part of something else.”

“Or maybe it’s not
him
. Maybe we have it all wrong.”

“It has to be…no one else in the Legion would do this to us! I’m sure Benson is the one.”

But Kara was unconvinced. If Benson truly was behind the strange demon attacks, then why would he risk a meeting with some creepy mortal just to talk about some kid? It didn’t add up. But Kara didn’t press it any further.

Soon Kara was on her fourth drink. She laughed away at David’s silly jokes, the kind of laughing which would normally have made her innards ache. But without innards, Kara only felt a slight tingle in her chest. She couldn’t remember the last time when she had so much fun.

The music changed, and she felt David’s hand on hers as he pulled her to her feet.

“Time to go.”

“Huh? Already?” Kara hit her glass on the table.

They pushed their way out of the club and walked back along Saint Catherine Street. “We’ll go through Berri Park, towards the water fountain.” He told Kara. “The park will be deserted…perfect for a skinny dip on the way back to Horizon—ouch!” cried David. He rubbed the back of his head.

Kara pursed her lips. “Serves you right, Casanova.”

They reached the park after a short walk. The only sources of light came from the moon and the one flickering park light at the entrance. The trees cast long, ghostly shadows on the ground. Male crickets chirped in the night as they tried to attract a female. A raccoon the size of a small dog enjoyed an early morning feast in a city garbage can. He hissed at them as they passed
.

“Can animals see who we really are?” asked Kara.

“Yes. Animals are sensitive to different energies…they can sense us.”

The raccoon kept hissing. “I don’t think he likes us very much.”

David laughed. “Poor little guy. He probably just doesn’t want to share his meal.”

“Gross.”

Kara returned her attention to David. She watched him strut beside her, grinning. She liked how his shoulders moved back and forth as he walked, with his head in the air, like a proud peacock…