Redemption (31 page)

Bryan arched a brow.

“Basically, there are angels and demons around us all the time,” Miranda continued. “Whatever is following you is seriously strong and incredibly ticked off. What have you been doing since last summer?”

“Nothing.”

“Bryan, we need to you be honest. Whatever it is, just tell us,” Derek explained. “The dream will make more sense if you just -”

“Nothing. I’ve been doing absolutely freaking nothing,” Bryan repeated. “All I do is hang out with this woman I met, Mara.”

“I thought it was Cassidy,” Miranda said, looking confused.

Bryan took another drink of his coffee. “Well, yeah, now it’s Cassidy; but from the time I left last summer until I came back this week, it was Mara.”

Miranda frowned. “Well,
now
who is this Mara?”

Derek put a hand on her arm and gave her a serious, stern look. “Roemer, who’s Mara?”

Bryan thought about Mara, in New Jersey for who knows how long and she hadn’t contacted him even once? He wasn’t sure why he’d ever thought she was remotely good for him. It was obvious now that she only wanted him for one reason.

“She’s no one. Not anymore, at least,” Bryan paused. “I met her on the flight back to California, and she helped me.”

“Helped you
how,
exactly?” Miranda asked, clearly displeased.

“I didn’t want to feel much after last summer. She made that possible,” he answered sharply.

Miranda sighed. “I see.”

“Mara’s not really a factor,” Bryan explained. “What I need to know is how I can keep Cassidy from getting hurt again.”

Derek straightened in his chair and leaned forward on the table. “Well, it would make sense that whatever demon wants you would see her as a threat, as competition. It’ll want to get her out of the way.”

That sounded ominous. And exactly like what Bryan had feared.

“I’m going to say something, and if either of you laughs, Gainnes gets punched in the face.”

Derek cocked his head to the side and sneered.

“Bryan, don’t be ridiculous,” Miranda said, exasperated. “Just say it for Pete’s sake.”

He didn’t quite know how to phrase this. How do you tell someone that you’ve seen flying men without sounding certifiable?

“Last summer, that day at the house with Jerry?” He saw Miranda flinch, and Derek instinctively put an arm around her shoulders. Bryan frowned. “I saw...something...when I was standing in the yard with Lainey.”

“Something?” Derek asked.

“I’m not sure what I saw,” Bryan answered slowly. “They were huge. They had wings...and swords?” He shrugged, his expression near to pleading.

Don’t think I’m crazy.

Miranda gasped. “You
saw
them?”

“Them? What does that mean? Who did I see, Miranda?” he asked.

“How did you
see
them if you don’t even
believe
in them?” She was clearly confused, and obviously a tad jealous. She looked at Derek for answers.

“Miranda,
who
did I see?” he repeated. He’d had his suspicions, but he needed to hear someone say it.

“Angels, Bryan,” Derek said. “You saw our angels.”

 

“Not really a
factor
?” Mara cried. She stormed across the room. After hearing those words from Bryan’s lips, she’d had to shift away from the Starbucks. He was with that mortal, that Miranda. She bared her teeth and frowned. That infernal woman and her dreams.

She heard the woman speak her name, and her heart leapt at what Bryan might say about her. Her beauty. His feelings for her. How incredible he found her to be. And then he’d said it.
She’s no one...not really a factor.
Tears welled instantly, and she needed to get away. Hearing anything more would’ve been too painful.

The little blonde witch had worked her magic. Well, Rhys would take care of her, and Mara no longer cared if that meant tearing her to shreds. She could get Bryan out of the way. Besides, he would forget the blonde once he was in Mara’s possession again. There was no way she’d allow the fear she felt to make her say the words. She would not acknowledge what she knew to be true.

She’d lost him.

The pain she felt was unfamiliar. What had Bryan done to her? How had he been able to make her
care?
Mara clenched her fists. Rhys couldn’t see her like this. She needed to maintain her composure, needed to seem in control.

Later tonight would be too late. She’d return to Starbucks and when he left, she would make her move. Whatever was happening inside her was of no great importance. She would find a way to remove the inconvenient stirring of emotion.

She straightened her back. She was the Demon of Apathy. She was Mara. And she was most definitely a
factor
. What was that human expression? Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned?

Mara smiled, wicked and beautiful at the same time. She certainly felt scorned. And now it was time for a little fury.

B
ryan studied their faces to see if they were just toying with him, baiting the crazy guy. Instead, Derek and Miranda seemed nothing but serious. Angels. Well, if he had to see flying men, at least they weren’t aliens. He wondered, though. Where were the pretty female angels?

“Are they all guys?” he asked.

“Bryan,
that’s
your first question?” Miranda shook her head.

He shrugged one shoulder. “I’m just curious.”

Vizuhn and Feyth snickered in the background.

“Everything is a joke to you,” she began, her tone communicating annoyance. “And so far, the ones we’ve met are
not
female.”

“Hmmm. What about the swords? I thought they carried harps or something?” He smirked. “Floated on clouds and sang songs. No?”

Now he was just messing around.

Derek smiled. This side of Roemer he might get to like. The guy was actually funny, and he had to admit that it was entertaining to watch his exchange with Miranda. He could get to her in a way Derek couldn’t. Although she’d opened up to him, allowed him in, there were still parts of her that she kept guarded. He guessed this was because she’d lost so much in losing her friend. Now, seeing the two of them like this gave him a glimpse of what she must’ve been like when they were younger, more playful, easier to tease.

“They’re protectors, Bryan,” Derek said, interjecting before Miranda threw something.

“Oh, so no harps, then. Got it,” He replied, the twinkle of mischief still in his eyes. Miranda elbowed him. “So, they protect people from demons, is that it?”

“They do. There are legions of them, Bry, and their job is to get us. Steal us away from God, keep us distracted, confused, lost.” Miranda played with the sleeve on her cup. She lowered her voice nearly to a whisper. “They can manipulate us, too.”

“Do you mean possession?” Bryan asked.

“That’s exactly what she means,” Derek answered. “Remember Jerry?”

Bryan arched a brow and shot him a look like,
Dude, are you serious?

Derek continued, unruffled by Bryan’s expression. “There was a demon named Aphrodisios controlling him. They really wanted Miranda to use her visions, twist them to cause fear and panic. He’d been trying to get her for many years; to him, it was personal.”

“Well, what happened to him?” Bryan asked.

“He was sent back,” Derek answered. “They took care of him.”

“Took care of him. Okay. Did you see it...him? The demon?” Bryan tried to process this and turned his attention back to Miranda. Old, familiar feelings of needing to protect her began to creep in, but then he reminded himself that they’d dealt with Jerry. The angels had sent the demon back where it belonged. He shook his head at that one. And Miranda was Derek’s now.

She flicked the lid of her cup, and her eyebrows pinched together. “Yes.”

“Nightmare material?”

“Not quite.” Her voice was even lower now. “Vizuhn says they’re not all ugly. Some
are
hideous, but others are like
he
was.”

Miranda was still able to picture the demon. Dark, spiky hair. Chiseled features. Black leather. A mouth that tempted her for a kiss. A body that screamed for more. Despite the glowing red eyes she’d felt herself drawn to him, and
that
was what had scared her. Even though he was a demon, the temptation to have him had been so great; and she’d wanted to give in, just for a moment. Just for one taste.

“He was very attractive,” Miranda managed, clearing her throat. “He called himself the Demon of Lust, so I guess that would make sense. His name was Aphrodisios. He, uh, had this thing with me, apparently.” She clamped her lips together, indicating that she’d said all she intended to.

In standard Miranda fashion, that portion of the conversation was done. Bryan knew better than to try to force anything further, so he looked at Derek instead.

“What’s this got to do with me? I get that Miranda saw a demon in the dream. Wouldn’t I have picked up on it if there was one around me?”

Derek got up and dropped his empty cup in the trash. “Not necessarily.” He tossed over his shoulder. “They can hide from us, change things about their appearance. You wouldn’t know. It’s not possible to see them unless they want us to.”

“Interesting. Okay, so I need to watch for a demon I can’t see who wants me and will try to get Cassidy out of the way,” Bryan paused. “That’s not very useful.”

“You have an angel,” Miranda said, still talking quietly. “I don’t know who, but I know you have one.” She turned to glance over her shoulder to where Vizuhn and Feyth stood. With pleading eyes, she asked for some help.

In unison, the angels stepped forward and materialized beside her, their swords conveniently hidden as they did so. Bryan choked on his coffee and pointed at Feyth.

“You with the glaring eyes. I saw you there. Big, blonde, Viking-looking guy I did
not
see.”

Feyth smiled, amused. “My name is Feyth. The ‘big, blonde, Viking-looking guy’ is Vizuhn. We’re with them.” He nodded in the direction of Miranda and Derek.

Bryan noticed the rings worn by the angels. They were the same stones he’d been staring at the whole time he’d been sitting at the table, on Derek and Miranda. Yeah. He might see the angels, but he wasn’t ready for sustained conversation with them. Not yet.

It was much like the way he felt about that voice in his head.

“Your jewelry matches,” he said to Miranda.

“The stones bind us, Bry,” she explained. “Your angel has one, too.”

“Speaking of my supposed angel, where might he be?” Bryan asked, looking around.

Vizuhn looked at the two men sitting at the table across the room. He raised his eyebrows.

“That would be me,” Bastion said, standing. “Name’s Bastion.”

He had brown hair, piercing blue eyes, and was dressed head to toe in black. He didn’t look much like an angel, though Bryan kind of liked that. If he had an angel anywhere, his would not fit the stereotype. The stone that Cassidy gave him vibrated as the angel stepped closer to him. Bryan was sure he recognized the guy, even though he, at the same time, was almost positive he’d never met him before.

“Why do you look so familiar?” His brain struggled to recall why this name sounded like one he’d heard before.
Gotta lighten up on that drinking.

“I’ve been...around,” Bastion answered, shrugging. “In different forms, so perhaps it’s my essence that seems familiar to you. Or it could be because I’m that voice in your head you keep trying to pretend not to hear.”

“I’ve gotta say, Dude, based on the last year of my life, I don’t think you’re doing a bang-up job as my
whatever
you are.” Bryan frowned. “And what about this demon?”

“Demons,” another voice said.

Bryan saw the second man stand. Another blonde, but he didn’t give off the same vibe as Vizuhn. Hand him a surfboard, and this one seemed like he’d fit in on any beach in California. A shimmer in his eyes reminded him of someone.

“Luscid,” the angel continued. “I’m assigned to Cassidy.”

That explained it. There was a quality about his entire persona that mirrored her own, and it shown through in his eyes.

“Demons? Now there’s more than one?” Bryan asked. He looked back at Bastion. “Like I said, not doing a bang-up job.”

Bastion frowned. “You’re not the easiest assignment,
Dude
. Listen, I’ve kept Mara out of your room. Rhys was unplanned.”

“Mara? What does she have to do with...” Bryan’s voice trailed off. It was coming back to him. “Wait a minute. I remember now - you’re the guy from the bar. Different hair, different eyes, same name. You had her picture, said she was an ex of yours. Are you telling me she’s a demon? No way. I’ve lived with the chick for six months, have pretty intimate knowledge of her. No way.” He shook his head.

“Bryan,” Bastion began, “just like we’re able to appear in a human form, demons do the same. It’s the way she works. Think about it. Mara is the Demon of Apathy, Bryan. How have you felt since meeting her?”