I dropped the head to the floor as the Daemon's remains disappeared in a ball of fire. I spared a glance at the human host on the floor. He'd have a hell of a headache and a bruise in the morning, but he'd have no recollection of the events that had transpired this evening. Turning from his prone body, I appraised the situation in front of me. Emrys had joined Robert in trying to incapacitate the other two Daemons. Robert seemed to have the upper hand in his battle, but Emrys was struggling more than I liked to see. He took a blow to the cheek, causing a rage-filled eruption in my head. Without hesitation, I vaulted over one of the tables that stood between us, passing Robert along the way. I paused only long enough to eliminate his Daemon which was in the process of leaving his host when I approached from behind. I grabbed his head between my hands, leaving the Daemon engulfed in flames, screaming in agony. He was just an obstacle that was separating me from the most important thing to me—Emrys.
Anger fueled me forward, but the Daemon Emrys wrestled with still occupied its human host. I was forced to gather myself, remembering that I couldn't crack its spine in half like I wanted without permanently harming the poor human sap the Daemon had possessed.
Instead, I spun with a full wheelhouse kick that caught the Daemon in the chin before his next punch could touch Emrys again. I smiled grimly as the Daemon's teeth came together with a deafening snap. He whirled around in front of me, spitting broken pieces of teeth from the host's mouth. Shit, so much for not harming the host. Missing teeth would be hard for the guy to explain in the morning, but hey, he was alive.
"How about you stop being a chickenshit and show your true self," I said, knowing that my goading would shake him up. Daemons were mindless buffoons that hated being taunted.
"Who you calling a chickenshit?" the Daemon said, letting his human host drop at his feet like a discarded pile of clothes.
"Enough," a nasally voice bellowed, stepping through the swinging doors.
Emrys stopped on a dime as he turned to acknowledge the newcomer. I whirled around to face the newest obstacle that for some reason had Emrys suddenly looking defeated. "You've got to be kidding," I thought, trying not to laugh. Nothing about the stranger screamed threatening. He was as short as a jockey, but built with a stature like a pit bull. His torso was muscled to the point of being ridiculous, sitting atop toothpick-thin legs. He literally looked like the weight of his upper body would snap his scrawny legs like twigs. His demeanor was that of a loan shark or some hustler you'd see in a movie. Long greasy hair was pulled back into a ponytail and small beady eyes completed the look of the lowlife. I tried to get a gauge on his origins, but like with Emrys, I came up blank, which led me to the conclusion that he was a Soul Trader also.
"Emrys," he said, in a greeting oozing condescension.
"Kale," Emrys acknowledged. "You don't need to be here."
"Really? I can name someone who would disagree," Kale replied as he approached me. "I can see your fascination. She is definitely a rare species," he said, making a move to reach out and touch my cheek.
"Don't you dare touch her," Emrys growled, leaping in front of me in a weird attempt to protect me. If the situation wasn't so wacky I would have laughed. It was obvious I could take out this small fry with my eyes closed and my hands tied behind my back.
"Touché," Kale smirked, looking beyond us to where Lynn and Robert were standing. Robert was blocking Lynn from view in a typical Protector stance. "You're keeping strange company, my friend."
"We're not friends, so it's none of your concern," Emrys stated in a low voice, laced with anger.
"I'm hurt," Kale said, clutching his chest like he'd just taken a dagger to it.
"You don't need to be here," Emrys repeated.
"You had your chance, my friend. The Dark One is done waiting for you to deliver. Of course, I can now see why you've delayed delivery. I would have sampled the product too before it was delivered," Kale replied as he appraised my body up and down.
"Shut up!" Emrys roared, looking apologetically my way.
"What is he talking about?" I asked, stepping out from behind his ridiculous attempt at protection to confront him. "Deliver what? Me? You made a deal to deliver me? And how exactly did you plan on doing that?" I laughed sarcastically, trying to figure out what the hell was going on.
"Jordyn, it's not what it sounds like," Emrys pleaded with me.
"DID YOU MAKE A DEAL? IT'S A SIMPLE QUESTION!" I yelled, shaking with hurt and rage.
"Yes, but that's before I knew…"
"Holy shit, did you really fall for this chick?" Kale interrupted, openly mockingly Emrys. "That is so perfect," he continued laughing.
"You bastard," I said, trying to control the rage that was pumping through me.
"I'm sorry," Emrys said quietly.
"As touching as this is, I've got business to handle. Come on, sugar, the Dark One is waiting," Kale said, surprising us all by reaching for my bare forearm. I attempted to jerk away, but his hold tightened. A burning sensation spread through me where he gripped my arm. Intense pain came out of nowhere. His touch felt like acid on my skin, burning its way down to the bone. I tried again to jerk away, but he held steadfast, slowly dragging me from the dining room with strength that rivaled my own. Digging my feet into the ground, I used my weight to halt our forward motion. Agonizing pain reared through me as he continued to tug on my arm. Shrieking in pain, I took a half-step toward him, hoping to relieve some of the pressure.
"Let go of her!" Lynn screamed behind me, although it sounded like she was far off. Everyone's actions appeared to be in slow motion as Emrys charged Kale only to be knocked on his ass with a single blow. Robert came in next, fast and quick like I'd shown him in training. He whipped around with a kick, but was thrown back when Kale jerked his foot out of thin air with his free hand. There was nothing I could do, but stare at the scene unfolding in front of me. What the hell was going on?
"RELEASE HER NOW," a voice I'd recognize anywhere thundered through the room.
"Figures you'd show up, Haniel, heavenly scum," Kale sneered, tightening his hold on my arm. My vision dimmed as darkness surrounded me. The pain of his grip ripped the air from my lungs, making it hard to breathe.
I felt a strong gust of wind and booming sound, almost like a bomb, before Kale miraculously released my arm.
Unfortunately, he didn't take any of the pain with him. Part of the skin on my arm where Kale had gripped me was missing, and what remained was a sickening blistered mess. My entire arm pulsated like poison was pumping through the bloody mess. I swayed slightly on my feet, feeling nauseous from the mangled state of my arm. Emrys reached out to steady me, but I jerked free from his touch. His words rang through my head as I resisted the urge to pass out. I would not be the victim.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
"Jordyn, are you okay?" Krista asked from what seemed like the end of a very long tunnel.
"When did you get here?" I asked in a garbled voice, keeping my eyes averted from the mess my arm had become.
"You're home. How do you feel?" she asked, gently rubbing my forehead. Finally able to focus, I took in her worried expression.
"How was this possible?" I asked, looking down at my mess of an arm. Her eyes darted from me toward the kitchen. "Don't give me that 'I can't say' bullshit," I added, forcing the issue.
"Let's wait for Haniel. He went to take care of the owners and the staff. It's going to be okay," she said, patting my good arm reassuringly.
"Right, because it's perfectly normal for some pissant to be able to melt the flesh right off my arm," I retorted sharply.
She grimaced at my words.
"Where is everyone else?" I asked. I didn't want to think about Emrys at the moment, or what a fool I had been. How I'd fallen for a guy I barely knew, and allowed my hormones to dictate my feelings. I gritted my teeth, trying to ignore the pain of his betrayal that eclipsed even the pain that radiated through my arm.
"The guys are taking care of the human hosts the Daemons hijacked and Sam is with Haniel," Lynn answered sliding up next to me.
"My arm," I said, looking at the charred mangled flesh.
"Haniel will fix it," Krista reassured me sympathetically.
I nodded my head, willing myself not to focus on it. My eyes skirted away, finally settling on Emrys who was now standing three feet away from where we sat. His impassive expression certainly didn't match the events that had transpired or the fire that burned in my eyes. Tension coiled around us like a snake with neither of us breaking eye contact until Haniel and the others walked into the room.
Haniel strode to where we sat without pause and peered down at my arm. "Leave us," he demanded in a pained voice. His usual confidence seemed to be shaken to the core. The room emptied at his request except for Emrys who stoically crossed his arms, refusing to leave. I expected Haniel to demand that he join the others, but he merely ignored him, gently lifting my arm into his hands. Blinding pain tore through my appendage, making me scream in agony. I watched in morbid curiosity as the charred skin began to glow and radiate extreme heat. The irony that my arm resembled the skin of the zombies in the movies I liked to watch didn't escape my notice. Stomach bile sat heavy in my throat, making it hard to breathe. "Frick, that hurts!" I yelled. Emrys stepped closer as if he planned on interfering, but stopped when Haniel shot him a look of warning.
I focused on a spot on the far side of the room, trying to take my mind off the fact that Haniel's touch had only intensified the agony in my arm, but as quickly as the thought entered my head, the pain slowly began to dissipate. My skin began to tingle, no longer feeling like it had been bitten by a million flesh-eating bugs. Looking down, I watched in amazement as the skin and tissue began to fuse back together, repairing itself until the skin on my arm was flawless.
"Why haven't you ever used this trick on all my other injuries?" I asked, testing my arm for mobility.
"Those were training injuries. Training injuries teach you. Injuries such as this teach you nothing," he replied.
"That's not entirely true. It taught me to not let that Rumpelstiltskin creep ever touch me again," I said indignantly. "Why didn't you tell me that my skin could be melted off by a simple touch? I'm not a Daemon," I added as the others joined us.
"We were unaware of the alliance the Soul Trader had with the Dark One until tonight's events transpired," Haniel answered.
"What is he?" I asked. "And how do you know him?" I demanded, directing the question at Emrys.
"He used to be a Soul Trader, but went dark a while back," Emrys answered, leaning against the wall.
"Like you," I countered, trying to ignore my anger.
"I'm not dark," he barked back, clearly pissed.
"So you just made a deal for what, to play cards with me?" I sneered.
"What are you talking about?" Mark demanded.
"Ask him," I said, stabbing my finger in Emrys's direction. "He's the liar.
"I did not lie," he defended himself through gritted teeth. "It's nice, though, that you call me the liar when you sit here with the biggest group of liars ever."
Uncomfortable silence filled the room at his words.
"So what? We all know Haniel has been holding back on me, but there's no reason to lump everyone in with him."
"Oh yeah? Why don't you ask your aunt and uncle, and I use those terms lightly, why they don't have any pictures of you, your parents, or anything about their deaths," he said, tightly grabbing the back of the chair in front of him.
"What is he talking about?" I asked, turning to face Krista and Mark. "Are you even related to me?" I demanded, seeing the truth on their faces as I surged to my feet. "What the hell is going on around here? You're supposed to be Angels for God's sake," I shouted, ignoring Haniel's grimace at my choice of words. "Aren't angels supposed to follow different rules than humans? They're not supposed to lie, right?" I added through gritted teeth. "If I'm not related to you, then who the hell am I?"
"Calm down," Krista pleaded, standing up. "We wanted to tell you. We were just waiting for the okay from Haniel," she added, looking at him questioningly. Haniel nodded his approval.
"What a surprise. So, tell me now," I ordered.
"Last year Haniel came to us and asked if we'd be willing to take in a young girl who needed our help. He told us that you were special to The Light and that he would be training you. We had just recently learned about the infertility that would plague the Guides and immediately jumped at the chance to be able to offer our home to someone who needed us."
"You didn't know my parents at all?" I asked, ignoring the betrayed tremble of my body.
"No," she cried, gripping Mark's hand tightly. "But that doesn't change how we feel about you. We love you like you're our own," she added, her eyes brimming with tears.
"Then who are my parents?" I asked, directing the question at Haniel.
"You have no parents," he answered, ignoring the gasp of dismay from Sam who was standing slightly behind him.
"Everyone has parents. Did mine die?" I asked confused.
"You never had biological parents," he repeated.
"I don't understand," I said, hating the trembling that seemed to be in control of my lips.
"You were created in the heavenly realm and then placed in a human host that no longer required her body."
"What the frick does that mean?" Lynn broke her silence, asking the question that everyone in the room now wanted answered.
"The Light created Jordyn to protect mankind from evil. The Light wanted a being that was more durable than his previous creations," he answered, indicating the Guides and Protectors who surrounded me.
"So, I'm nothing but a machine that was created for battle?" I asked as the anger I'd been trying to tamp down finally reared its ugly head. "Does my name even belong to me, or did you steal that too?" I accused.
"I provided your name from the Hebrew, 'to flow.' Your spirit flowed down from heaven to do great work. You will help humanity through difficult times. You are special," Haniel answered with verve.
"Special?" I snorted. "That's right, everyone, I'm a unique fighting machine who obviously everyone wants, including your boss," I added, throwing the accusation at Emrys.