Lucca (31 page)

“Oh.” Her finely shaped lips curved into a
perfect ‘o’ as she spoke the word. Then they slipped into a smile.
Her eyes lighting up like a neon sign. “You want to mate her, don’t
you?”

“Dear Lord, woman, must you be so blunt?”
She was right. He wanted Juliet. He couldn’t think of not having
her at his side.

Lana walked back out front with Blaize close
behind. “It’s going to be a while for us to go through the books.”
Lana put the bottles she was holding on the front desk.

“What’s all this,” Lucca moved forward.

“You wanted a protection spell to ward away
harm from the human’s you’re protecting.” Her long slender fingers
picked up the vial. “This is rosemary.”

“Rosemary?” Lucca’s gaze riveted to hers. He
knew the scent, the light earthy pine surrounding Juliet.

“Yes.” Lana frowned. “Does the scent mean
something to you?”

“Raziel,” he said under his breath. When he
noticed the others staring at him, he explained. “Juliet’s scent is
rosemary, mint and…” he clamped his mouth shut when he caught a
glimpse of Ryden’s grin.

“And?” Lana coaxed.

He shook his head. “Nothing, just rosemary.
She may know about the oils to keep her safe.”

“Or this Raziel you spoke of casted a spell
already to ward off danger,” Lana offered. “Does the scent linger
on both humans?”

Lucca honestly didn’t know. Only Juliet’s
scent drew him. No one else’s did. “I don’t go around sniffing
little boys,” he said in a huff.

“Oh, but Juliet struck your fancy,” Blaize
teased. “Got close enough to inhale her aroma… Like testing a nice
bottle of wine.”

“Will you piss off,” Lucca snapped at
him.

Blaize held up his hands, but the bastard
continued to grin.

Lucca ignored him and concentrated on the
bottles. “Tell me what I need to do.”

She held up two talismans, cradling it in a
cloth. “The spell of protection has been cast upon these already.
It must be worn at all times and never taken off for the spell of
protection to work.

Lucca reached for the objects.

“No.” Lana stopped him. “You must not touch
them. You must hand it over to the person you wish to protect.
You’ll weaken the spell otherwise.”

“Wrap them up then.” Lucca nodded
understanding the importance.

She was ready to tell them about the oils
when the bell chimed, indicating someone had entered the shop.

“I thought you locked the door.” Lucca
accused Blaize with a long leveled look.

Blaize withdrew a dagger from the inside
pocket of his leather jacket, the metal gleaming as the overhead
light reflected off the surface. “I did.”

Lucca removed a dagger of his own, the point
sharp and menacing with its intent. He looked at the two women.
“Stay here. Behind the desk.”

Ryden joined Lana and they both crouched
down behind the wooden counter. Fear shone in Ryden’s eyes, but not
in Lana’s. Lucca would have questioned her lack of worry, but he
didn’t have time. The scent of sulfur permeated the air, telling
him the visitors weren’t human.

Lucca and Blaize moved to the front of the
store, slinking between the aisles. Lucca motioned for Blaize to go
one way, while he circled around the other, hoping to corner their
demonic friends.

Blaize and Lucca rounded the aisle on the
opposite ends, cornering two red-eyed Hashasheen demons, one female
and one male. Both carried jagged-edged daggers as well as other
lethal toys attached to their belts.

“Can we help you?” Blaize asked as he used
his dagger to pick the imaginary particles beneath his black
painted fingernails. He lounged against the wall, crossing his
boots over each other in a nonchalant manner.

The demons eyed Blaize, thinking the odds of
two against one looked pretty good.

“Blaize, I think they want to fight,” Lucca
said, drawing the demons’ attention to him. They backed into the
shelf as they scrambled to keep Blaize and Lucca in their line of
vision. The knickknacks on the shelf rattled on the glass
foundation, threatening to topple over.

“We don’t have a quarrel with you.” The
female demon spoke up. Her hair was light brown, thick and
wavy.

Lucca’s gaze slid over the arsenal the two
were packing. “Pardon me if I have a difficult time believing
you.”

The female snarled with a curse. “We’re
allowed to go where we please and Enchanted Whispers carries the
herbs I like.” She glanced at her partner, a warning of some
sort.

“Sorry, I don’t believe you,” Lucca
said.

The male demon’s lip curled and he withdrew
his dagger.

“No, Werdn,” the female warned, but her
partner was beyond listening.

He charged at Lucca.

The female cursed and went after Blaize with
an ear piercing screech of a beast ready to take down its prey.

Blaize sidestepped with the agility of a
contortionist, bending his body backwards and away from the slicing
blade. The female flew forward, the momentum sending her headlong
into the wall. Blaize went after her.

Lucca knew Blaize could hold his own in a
knife fight and concentrated on his opponent. The demon’s eyes
glowed redder like flashing orbs of caution, but Lucca didn’t heed
the warning signs. He lashed out with the dagger, hating the fact
that the confines of the aisle kept him from maneuvering the way
he’d like. Werdn charged, the dagger held for striking, but Lucca
threw him off with a side blow, sending the demon crashing into the
shelves full of books and tarot cards. The books on the top shelf
rained down on the demon as if the items had a personal affront at
being jolted from their resting spot.

Lucca didn’t wait for him to recover and
went after him, throwing a punch that sent the demon slamming into
the bookcase again. The demon lashed out with the dagger with
quicker reflexes than Lucca expected, the knife sliced through his
shirt, breaking skin. Lucca didn’t have time to inspect the damage
as he deflected another blow. Werdn kept after him, slashing with
the dagger, his moves a blur of lunges and stabs.

“You’re slow, Nephilim,” Werdn sneered.

Didn’t Lucca know it? He was fighting with
limited glamour and he could feel it in his limbs. The demon
charged him, sending him flying backwards into the shelf full of
breakables. Shards of glass embedded in his palms. He barely
scrambled away before the demon lunged for him again.

He ran around the corner, where the checkout
counter stood. He halted his steps, his gaze riveting to Lana
standing on the counter top with her arms outstretched and chanting
words he couldn’t make out. Whatever spell she was casting, it
caused the air in the room to plummet to freezing. His breath came
out in a puff of white frost.

He didn’t have time to yell for the fool
woman to get down from her pedestal. The light-haired demon slammed
into him again, causing him to lose his grip on his dagger. It flew
out of reach, sliding across the floor and hitting the counter.
Nothing seemed to sway Lana from her course. She chanted, conjuring
up a windstorm in the middle of the store.

Werdn landed on top of him. His putrid
breath stank as if he sipped a sulfur martini before coming out to
play. His serrated teeth bared as he hissed in triumphant glee.
Werdn’s blade hung inches from Lucca’s face as he gripped the
demon’s arm, struggling to hold back the final thrust.

The wind hummed like a snowstorm, loud and
deafening as it whirled around them.

Werdn yowled in pain and his grip lessoned
enough for Lucca to grab hold of the dagger. As he flipped the
demon onto his back, he caught sight of Ryden holding his dagger,
dripping with Werdn’s blood. She may be human, but the female
fought like a preternatural.

Lucca slammed his knee into Werdn’s chest,
holding him down. His hand gripped Werdn’s dagger, pressing it at
the demon’s throat. Finally, Werdn stilled.

“Blaize?” Lucca called out.

“Right here and one demon a black ooze.” He
moved into Lucca’s line of sight. Blaize sported a fat lip, his
hair stuck up on end, his heavy metal T-shirt was torn, but other
than that he looked ready for another go around.

Lana hadn’t stopped her chanting even though
the fight had ceased.

“What’s she doing,” Blaize shouted, nodding
toward Lana.

Lana focused her gaze on Lucca. “Move
aside.”

“If I move the dagger from his throat, he’ll
bolt.”

“No.” Lana shook her head. “I can contain
him. I’m a little rusty, but I have control now. The wind will bind
him.”

Lucca hesitated, but then he felt Ryden’s
hand on his shoulder. “Trust her.”

He wasn’t in the habit of trusting anyone,
but times were changing. He pushed away, coming to his feet. Werdn
flew to his feet, too, but his attempts to run were short lived. He
froze like a statue, his arms slammed to his sides and his feet
appeared cemented to the ground.

Blaize whistled low in appreciation. “She’s
one powerful witch.”

Chapter Thirty-Seven

“Are you like my guardian angel?” Owen
stared at Gideon wide-eyed. They stood in Gideon’s living room.
Gideon had just given the boy a tour of his place, which lasted
about two minutes of showing him where the bathroom was
located.

“I suppose I am for today.”

Owen nodded in acceptance, reminding Gideon
how very young the boy was, an innocent left in his care.

“The first time I met you, I didn’t realize
you were Gideon Sharpe.”

Gideon shoved his hands in his pocket as he
recalled the Laundromat incident. He changed the subject. “I take
it you read my novels.”

“Heck yeah! Well… all but the last one.
Auntie Jules hasn’t had time to take me to the comic book store
yet.”

“I can probably help you out there.” Gideon
strode over to his art table where he kept a few extra novels. “Do
you want me to autograph it?”

“Oh boy, that would be cool.”

Gideon’s lips curved. He couldn’t help but
feel a sense of pride that his graphic novel was in demand. He
reached for a pen.

“Do you have wings?” Owen had walked over to
him. “Can I see them?” Owen asked as he circled behind Gideon as if
he could catch a glimpse of his wings.

Gideon wondered if he should. It wouldn’t be
against the rules. Owen was one of them after all, but did he
really want to show off his one wing freakiness? “Maybe later.” He
turned to face the boy. “What do you think of the hero of the
story?” He held the graphic novel against his chest, pointing to
the fallen angel with one feathered wing and the other ghostlike in
appearance.

“He’s cool. He kicks the bad guys
butts.”

Gideon couldn’t help but chuckle. “Yes, I
suppose he does.”

“I’m going to have wings, too. Lucca told
me.”

Gideon handed Owen the graphic novel. “You
like Lucca, don’t you?”

Owen’s head bobbed up and down in answer.
“Tiger Lilly likes him, too. She eats breakfast with us.”

“Tiger Lilly?” Gideon’s curiosity got the
better of him.

“She’s a cat,” Owen explained.

“So, you own a pet.”

“Oh no, we don’t own Tiger Lilly. She showed
up one day at our door. Auntie Jules says Tiger Lilly adopted
us.”

“Cat’s sometimes do that.” Felines in
particular fascinated Gideon. They reminded him of the Fallen. Like
how they sat on the sidelines, observing and only participating if
it suited them. They could be affectionate, but they were also
lethal. They were good warriors, hunters worthy of praise. He
handed Owen the graphic novel.

Owen opened the book with greedy
anticipation. His eyes scanned what Gideon scrawled on the page and
his lips curved into a huge grin. “Hey, thanks. Boy, Dylan is going
to be so jealous once he gets a load of this. To my good friend,
Owen,” he read out loud. “This is awesome.” Owen flipped to the
first page and walked back to the couch. He plopped down, scooting
himself into a comfortable position.

Gideon left Owen to his reading and strode
into the kitchen where Juliet busied herself with making dinner. He
told her he would order out, but she insisted. Who was he to argue?
Lo Pan
take out could be tiresome after indulging three or
four times a week. Though the fried shrimp and rice did hit the
spot every time.

He leaned against the doorframe watching her
work. She hummed a sweet tune as she chopped carrots, tossing them
into a bowl of lettuce, waiting for the extras to spruce it up. Her
reddish locks cascaded in waves down her back. Though she didn’t
look at him, he had a hunch this female’s cool green eyes missed
nothing. When she first arrived, she made a sweep of his apartment,
making sure all entryways were secure even though he assured her
Zaiden took care of it. Juliet proved an impressive woman. He could
perhaps see why Lucca was drawn to her. Lucca claimed Juliet’s mint
and rosemary scent was sweetened by sunshine, cloaking her like a
warm blanket. Funny, he didn’t notice anything special about
Juliet’s scent at all.

He frowned as he recalled whose scent did
tickle his senses. Trinity had a signature scent of bergamot and
almond. It took all he had not to make a fool of himself and lean
near her to breathe her in.

Juliet finally looked up and smiled. “Thanks
for giving Owen a copy of your graphic novel. You made a little boy
very happy.”

Gideon returned the smile. “It was my
pleasure. It’s always nice to meet a fan.”

Buzzzzz… Buzzzzz…

The doorbell interrupted any further
conversation.

He made his way to the door. With his hand
on the doorknob, he hesitated. Not that he expected the Archangels
to come calling with polite pretenses, but one could never be too
careful. One eye fell closed as he peeked through the peephole.
Startled, he moved back, his heart hammering in his chest in
response. “What is she doing here,” he muttered under his
breath.