Above The Flames (The Flames Trilogy #1)

  They remained quiet, and even though Pa still held her hand, his grip was more lax than before.

  When she finally mustered enough courage, she gazed up from her lap and saw two wide-eyed faces.

  “Are you going to say anything?” Jasmine asked with a strained voice.

  Ma closed her mouth for a second, then stood and pretended to read a plaque on the wall. “What do you want us to say? You just told us a tale about demons and magical powers. It’s a little far-fetched, to say the least.”

  “But—”

  Pa pulled his hand back. “Jasmine, if you want to tell tales, then you should write a book.”

  He stood too, and walked around the counter, sorting through a stack of papers at the end. Neither Ma nor Pa believed her, and her heart had dropped to her stomach when she’d heard their responses. They were the same as everyone else. Their reactions proved that. I thought they cared about me.

  “So that’s it? You can’t believe me, so what? Am I not welcome around you anymore?” Jasmine asked, even though the answer terrified her.

  Pa met her gaze. “I think it might be best if you go for now. Until we can sort through some of this. I’m sorry, but it’s not just hard to believe. It makes me think perhaps you are a bit unstable. I think we need to get you some help.”

  “Help? Like what kind of help?” Jasmine asked.

  Ma’s soft eyes stared hard at Jasmine as she turned to her. “Jasmine, dear. I think you need to see a therapist. The events from your past have taken their toll on you, that’s for sure. And perhaps it’s time to talk to someone about it.”

  Jasmine shook her head. “I’m telling you, what I told you did happen. I was there. I know it’s hard to believe.”

  “If you can’t admit you’ve made this up, then you’ll have to leave. I’m sorry, but Ma has a heart condition and she doesn’t need this,” Pa said.

  Jasmine let her shoulders drop. Thick silence enveloped the room as Jasmine got up and walked to the door. She didn’t want to leave like this, but what else could she do. Just as the bell jingled above the door, she pulled her hand away from it, letting the door close. A rush of wind blew through the crack, strands of hair flying up around her face. I know what I can do.

  Jasmine had to show them her power. She flipped the box open, letting her power slink through her veins until it pooled in her hands. Show them. Show them you’re real, and I’m not making things up.

  “I know you don’t believe me, but maybe this will help.” Jasmine’s hand glowed neon as she freed her power, but only just enough to make a blue arc that grazed the wall between Ma and Pa.

  “Oh, my!” Ma exclaimed, jumping to the side.

  Pa’s eyes looked like they might explode from his sockets.

  “I have power. I wasn’t lying,” Jasmine said softly as she pulled her power back inside.

  “Perhaps not. But how is this real? How are you able to do this?” Pa asked. “It’s not normal.”

  Jasmine shrugged. “I’ve never been normal.”

  Ma shuffled from behind the counter and stopped in front of Jasmine. For a moment she only stared, but then she grasped Jasmine’s shoulders. “I’m sorry we doubted you, dear.” Then Ma embraced her, the smell of rose petals and lavender wrapping around her.

  “It’s okay,” Jasmine said shakily. “It’s what everyone does.”

  Ma leaned back. “But we’re not everyone, and we shouldn’t have acted like that. We should have listened to you. Believed you.”

  “Don’t worry. I’m tough, I can handle it.”

  “You shouldn’t have to,” Pa said, coming forward. “We’re only human. We make mistakes.”

  “It’s hard to wrap your head around something that is from a fantasy novel. I get it.” Jasmine paused and took a deep breath. “Listen, I want you two to come with me. I want you safe.”

  “From what?” Ma asked.

  “The demons, they’re all here. They’ve been released from Hell, and if you come with me, we can keep you safe.”

  Pa pursed his lips. “Powers are one thing, Jasmine. But demons? They are another, and I’m the Lord’s creature. He will keep me safe.”

  Ma nodded. “I agree with Pa here. God is all we need to keep us safe, and if there really are demons, they won’t be able to harm us. Our religion will keep us safe.”

  “I know how much you believe, guys. But God can’t keep everyone safe. And you mean the world to me. If anything happened…”

  Pa petted Jasmine’s hair. “Nothing will happen. We will be safe inside the store. But we can’t close it. This is a small town, and people need their groceries.”

  Jasmine wanted to scream at them, to make them understand. But she knew she couldn’t. Instead, she gave each of them a hug. They were stubborn as mules times ten, and no matter how much she tried to persuade them, they wouldn’t be persuaded.

  With a sad heart, Jasmine walked out into the warm sun, leaving Ma and Pa alone. I’m close. We are only five minutes away. If anything happens, I’ll get here in time to save them.

  Jasmine vowed to check on them once a day, and hopefully that way she could protect them if the demons came here.

  Before she got in the SUV, she held a finger up to Amon and Beau to give her another minute and grabbed her cell phone. She’d been dreading it, but she had a call to make. Her hands trembled as she stared at the screen, moving her fingers over the numbers; numbers she hadn’t forgotten in two years. When she hit call, a lump formed in her throat and she gulped it down. Of course, it came right back.

  A ring in her ear. Then another. Finally, after the third one, she heard a click. “Hello?” a half asleep voice answered.

  “Hi, Mom.”

  Jasmine heard a thump, then rustling. She held her breath, waiting for what would come next.

  “Jasmine. Is that you?”

  “Uh-huh.” She tried to hold back, but in the end couldn't. “I shocked you so much you dropped the phone, huh, Mom?

  “Please don’t call me that. I think we are past that, don’t you? My name is Mary.” Her mother’s cold voice resonated through the speaker. Jasmine’s heart pounded loudly in her ears.

  “Okay, Mary. I wanted to warn you. You remember what happened to me, with the demon?” Jasmine asked flatly.

  “How could I forget? After all, it was the day I lost my husband.”

  Jasmine cringed. “I know. I’m sorry.”

  “So you say. So you’ve been saying.”

  “Mo—I mean Mary, I wanted to warn you. Demons are here, in our world, more of them. They want me to work for them, to use my power for them, but I escaped when they kidnapped me.”

  “And? What exactly do you want me to do about it?”

  “I just wanted you to know, so you can stay safe.”

  There was a long silence, followed by a cough. “Thank you for letting me know.”

  “Mo-Mary. I’m sorry for everything. I wish I was there with you, to protect you. I know we’ve gone our separate ways, but I miss my mom.”

  “Jasmine. I was never your mom. Not really. Your father and I couldn’t have kids. Probably God’s way of telling me not to have them. He knew even before I did that I wouldn’t be a good mother.” Another cough. “We never told you because we wanted to make you our family, and didn’t want you to worry about where you came from. But I think you might want to find out where you came from, since you have this gift.”

  Jasmine’s jaw dropped. “You adopted me?”

  “We adopted you. Your father was in love the minute he looked at those big brown eyes of yours.”

  “You adopted me?” Jasmine gritted her teeth. “And you never told me? You let me grow up making me think I was so much different than you and Dad, making me feel like I wasn’t a part of you. And, in reality, I wasn’t a part of you. I never could have been!”

  “Jasmine, I—”

  “For years, all I wanted was for you to love me. For you to be my mom. And you never would. Because you weren’t my mom.??
? Jasmine started laughing, quietly at first, but it built up into loud cackles.

  “Calm down. I’m sorry—”

  “That’s funny. Now you’re apologizing to me. How ironic.”

  “Will you let me talk? I’m sorry that I never gave you the childhood you deserved. Why don’t you come visit me when you can?”

  “I can’t come visit you. Demons are here, Mom. Big, bad demons, a lot worse than the one that killed Dad. And if we don’t stop them, I’d hate to see what they do to this world.”

  “Then I will wish you good luck. Stay safe, and kick their asses.”

  Jasmine’s thoughts flowed through her mind faster than she could process them. But when Mom said those words, a smile lined her lips. “I will. You can count on that.”

  “After you kick their ass, come visit. I think our relationship can be fixed. We just have to work at it.”

  Jasmine nodded. “I’m pretty mad at you for not telling me I’m adopted, but I think I would like that, Mo-Mary.”

  “Good. I’m sorry I’ve been so cruel, Jaz.”

  Jasmine wouldn’t say it was okay, because it wasn’t, but at least this was a start.

  “Bye. Stay safe,” Jasmine said.

  “You too.”

  When she hung up, a sadness was lifted from her, but a shaky anger had replaced it. She swallowed it down. There wasn’t room for anger right now. Jasmine could address her anger when she saw her mom, but until then she’d bury it, along with all the demons.

  She hopped in the back of the SUV. Amon peered over his shoulder. “You okay?”

  Jasmine plastered a smile on her face. “Yup. Just peachy.”

  Amon raised his eyebrows, but didn’t say anything. Smart guy.

  “Let’s get out of here,” Jasmine said, and Beau took off toward his house.

  Chapter 9

  Earth to Amon

  Amon

  Amon shifted in the passenger seat of Beau’s vehicle. He’d never seen anything like it before. All Beau had to do was turn a key and the SUV roared to life with a purr that sent a shiver down Amon’s spine. Where were these things when I was alive?

  He peered over his shoulder at Jasmine, who sat in the backseat with her head down and hands in her lap. She looked defeated, using her long dark hair to hide behind like a curtain. Amon didn’t know why, but something had to have happened in that store. Her face shouldn’t look so sad; it should be alive with excitement. Her eyes, the color of melted chocolate, should be glinting, not downcast and afraid. Not sad. He had to find a way to lift her shoulders.

  “Jasmine,” he said. “What happened in that building?”

  Her shoulders fell even more and her feet came up, until she looked like she’d rolled into a ball. “Not really in the mood to talk about it.”

  Perhaps too blunt?

  “If you ever do want to talk about it, I am a good listener,” Amon replied, and Jasmine’s almond-shaped eyes met his for a moment as she gave a shy smile. She tucked one side of her hair behind her ear, then looked at her hands in her lap again.

  “I’m not sure who you think you are, Amon, but if Jazzy needs to talk to someone, she will talk to me,” Beau said.

  “You might as well just pound your chest and swing from some vines, Tarzan. I’m not your property, and I can talk to whoever I want,” Jasmine said.

  Amon turned to Beau, who had both hands resting on the wheel as he drove. Beau sighed and glared at Amon, who shrugged back.

  “Are you two married, then?” Amon asked.

  Jasmine let out a snort followed by a loud laugh. When Amon gazed back at her, she had wide eyes as she said, “Um. No. We aren’t. And we won’t be any time soon as long as he decides to act like a pig.”

  Beau’s hands tightened on the wheel. “I don’t think it’s really the time for this talk, do you?” He looked at Amon. “And Jaz is my girlfriend.”

  “Hey, I’m not the one who brought it up, am I?” Jasmine asked.

  Amon felt like his head was spinning between the two of them. He’d only wanted to help the situation, but instead he’d created a mess of things. He had to change the subject. “So, how long have you had roads?”

  Beau raised an eyebrow. “Roads? Like, forever.”

  “We’ve always had roads. Not sure when they first paved them, but I’m sure they’ve been around for a long time.” Jasmine paused, and then met his eyes. “How long were you in Hell?”

  Amon turned away. “A long time. Before that I was in Heaven, as an angel. Before that, I was human.”

  “How did you become an angel?”

  Pictures of his parents’ blood on the cottage floor floated to the front of his mind. He closed his eyes tight, but they still came. His family, dead. The demon who’d killed them. “That’s not something I’m ready to share.”

  “Fair enough. If you ever are ready, I’m here,” she said.

  When Amon peered at her, she winked. Beau scowled and gripped the wheel tighter.

  “And so is Beau,” Jasmine added, a smirk forming on her face.

  Amon faced front and smiled, not wanting her to see his amusement, even though he didn’t know why he should hide it.

  After a few more minutes, Beau parked the SUV in front of his house. He got out of the vehicle, walked around, and opened Jasmine’s door before Amon could even hop out. As Amon stood and slammed his door, Beau wrapped Jasmine in his arms and pulled her close, kissing her. Amon wanted to look away, but he found it fascinating that two young people could be unmarried and kiss out in the open, in front of everyone.

  His heart dropped a little as Jasmine kissed Beau back. Their uneasiness in the car was only a small lover’s quarrel, nothing more. Amon wasn’t sure why that bothered him as much as it did. Perhaps he did know, he just wasn’t ready to admit it to himself yet.

  Jasmine pressed her palms to Beau’s chest and pushed him back. Her lips looked swollen, even lusher than they had before. Stop staring at her. She’s not a piece of prized cattle. She’s a person!

  Amon tore his gaze away and walked up the front steps, where Caim stood with a mischievous grin.

  Amon stepped back, so one foot was on a step and the other at the top. “What?”

  Caim snickered. “Oh, nothing.” He looked around Amon. “Just a small question. How are you and Jasmine getting along?”

  “Just brilliantly.”

  Caim walked around him, leaving Amon wondering what was wrong with his best friend. They were closer than he’d ever been with anyone in his life, even his own family, but he still didn’t understand him.

  “One day, you will make sense, my friend,” Amon whispered as he stepped through the front door.

  ***

  Later, Amon was sitting on the couch, his eyes focused on a large, black rectangle directly in the center of the room. A large wood cabinet surrounded it. The middle was a gray color, making it lighter than the outside. Why would something so ugly be the focal point decoration in a sitting room? He couldn’t understand it, so he gave up thinking about it, cleared his mind, and stretched his legs out.

  “Amon? Do you have a minute?” a soft voice asked.

  Amon sat up and turned at the same time. Jasmine stood in the archway at the entrance to the room, her arms crossed over her chest.

  “Sure. What is it?” he asked, standing up.

  Jasmine took a couple of steps forward. “I was just wondering about the demons. How are we going to stop them? They told me they wanted to use us for their war. What war? Why are they here?”

  Amon put his hands out in front of him. “One question at a time. I’ll forget them if you say them all at once.”

  Jasmine smiled and looked at the ground before meeting his gaze head on. “I get ahead of myself sometimes.”

  “The war is of their own making. They want to take over your world.” Amon left it at that. He needed to call a meeting to let everyone know what the stakes were and why they needed to fight. But it could wait until tomorrow. The demons hadn’t even
made their first move yet.

  “Do you care to elaborate?” Jasmine asked.

  “I will tell you everything I know, but I’d like to tell the others too. I will call a meeting tomorrow morning, and we will discuss our strategy, as well as the stakes.”

  “You can’t just tell me now, and tell everyone else tomorrow?”

  Amon grinned. “I’d rather not go over it twice, if I can only say it once when everyone can hear.”

  Jasmine nodded. “Okay, but can you tell me who Bael is?”

  Amon frowned. “He’s the second-in-command to Lucifer, the ruler of Hell. He’s very dangerous, and very smart. You don’t want to take him on.”

  “Well he took me on, and Gemma and Cole.”

  “Because he can crush you like a spider on the ground.” Amon started pacing in front of her, putting one hand on his forehead. “Do not go after him. Not yet. You are nowhere near ready.”

  “It’s good to know how much you think of me. Thanks for that.”

  Jasmine rushed out of the room. Amon shook his head at her rash reaction. She would need to learn to calm herself, and evaluate things with a cool head, or she would run into trouble. The wrong kind of trouble. Patience was something everyone should learn at a young age.

  The truth was, he didn’t think lowly of her. He thought she was brave, and passionate. And he’d only known her for a matter of hours, not days. It was plain to see in those hours that she cared deeply. But she was also very demanding, and wanted to be in charge.

  Once she had some training, perhaps she would act differently, and learn to process things in a different way. Amon could only hope that everything would fall into place. A long time had passed since he’d led soldiers into battle. He could learn again. Perhaps it would be just like planting seeds, a skill he would never forget.

  Tomorrow, he’d reveal his plans, and hopefully everyone would fall in line. Otherwise, things might be tougher than he thought.