“Get what—” Jasmine started.
“If this hurts, I apologize. My intention was to bring you over slowly, but there’s no time left now.” Bael frowned.
Jasmine tried to jerk from his grasp, but he held tight. She rubbed her clammy hands together. “What are you talking about, Bael? Let me go.” She squirmed, but he swooped an arm around her back, bringing her closer.
A crooked smile formed on his lips. “The time has come to make you evil. Bring you over to the dark side, so to speak.”
“No. I won’t let you do that. I can’t…” Maybe she should have picked Lucifer.
“You can and you will. I didn’t give you a choice in the matter.” Releasing her chin, he sliced the tip of his finger with one of his claws. Blood welled from the puncture. Jasmine couldn’t take her eyes from the red blob. Her heart thundered in her chest.
Before she knew it, Bael shoved his bloody finger at her mouth. She instinctually pressed her lips together, groaning as he poked it forward, trying to pry her lips apart. When he’d had enough, he cupped the back of her head and yanked it back by her hair. Her lips parted, giving him the opening he needed. The metallic taste coated her tongue and danced down her throat, making her gag, but she didn’t throw it up. She spit in his face, but no blood came out—it was already halfway to her stomach.
A grin spread across his face, making his eyes glimmer.
Jasmine decked him right in the mouth, wiping the smile from him. “How could you? Do I look like a vampire? I don’t drink blood, you idiot!”
His hand went to his cheek as he glared down at her. “Actually, you do drink blood now. My blood. It will speed the process up. The demon blood running through your veins will react to my demon blood and push down your angel blood. My blood is a catalyst to make yours react.”
As Jasmine opened her mouth to respond, Bael narrowed his eyes in concentration. All hell broke loose inside Jasmine’s brain. A kaleidoscope of pictures flashed through her mind. All the bad things that had ever happened and none of the good. She saw how her mom had treated her. Her power when she was young going out of control and bouncing off the small boy who’d angered her. She saw so much hatred from the eyes of strangers in her town who’d heard all about her. Every bit of it directed toward her.
Who did these people think they were? How could anyone hate her without even knowing her? And how had she never seen it until now?
She saw her angel mother, Ella, with disappointment shining from her eyes. So much anger and frustration, all aimed at her. Even from Ma and Pa, who she thought had loved her so much.
She’d been completely wrong about everyone in her life.
Over and over the same pictures popped up. Something inside her snapped. Her body temperature heated to a boiling point and sweat poured down her face in a river that soaked the collar of her shirt. Her anger became a balloon inside of her and she couldn’t breathe around it. Gasping for breath caused her to cough, and she choked on each one. Her power climbed through her veins, but it didn’t excite her this time. Instead, it angered her more and she clawed at her skin with her long fingernails, leaving a trail of bloody scratches down her arms.
She didn’t want her power. It hadn’t done a thing for her. In fact, it had made everyone stare at her funny and never accept her. She’d had no friends because of it. Nobody had liked her because she was different and her power was the reason. Not even her angel mother had wanted her.
Bael had, though. Ever since the first time he saw her, he wanted her and had done everything in his power to make sure he got her. He’d accepted her, not wanting her to change. He showed her the truth of the people who claimed they’d loved her and taken away all those bad memories. Those people, the ones who hated her because of her differences, meant nothing to her any longer. The demon before her meant something.
Even Amon didn’t understand her. Her mind flashed another image then—of Amon glaring at her behind her back. Snickering at her with Caim. Wait a minute.
He wouldn’t do that.
Would he?
Of course he would. Jealousy caused all kinds of commotion and he’d wanted her power from the start. He wanted her strength for himself…and he planned to take it all after he killed her. She could see it playing through her mind like a movie.
A small part of her had a feeling Bael had done this, but that small part couldn’t fight the big part telling her all the things she’d always thought but could never put a voice to. She tried to stop the images, but they kept playing as if they were a song set on repeat. It didn’t matter how hard she tried either, because these were her thoughts. These were her images, the same ones she’d always thought to be true. She had to give up this fight. She had to let the bigger part of her mind take the smaller part because her energy had already started to wane. Her hands trembled and her shirt was now soaked all the way through. Giving up would be the easiest thing.
You can’t let him win!
Finding her inner resolve, she searched her mind and found a foreign force inside, but the thick barrier wouldn’t let her penetrate it. Her weak mind didn’t stand a chance against whatever had attacked her. Too many years of mental abuse had made sure of that. But still she tried. She poked and prodded inside her head, trying to shove the obstacle away, but she wasn’t strong enough. Nowhere near.
“Bael, stop! Please…” Her voice broke.
“All you have to do is accept this, and the pain will stop. The hurt will stop. You will be mine if you surrender to me now and everything will be as it should.”
The pain will stop. That sounds good. Physical pain she could deal with, but mental pain she couldn’t. All hope of coming out of this the same person dissipated like fog with heat. It didn’t take long for her to give up and submit to Bael. She squeezed her eyes shut, tears sliding down her cheek and mixing with the sweat to soak her shirt even more.
It felt like her skull had been crushed. She smelled something burning the same time Bael laughed nervously. “Whoops. I’d better pull back a bit. Don’t want to fry you.”
All of a sudden, her vision went dark. What is happening to me?
Those were her last thoughts before darkness swallowed her, and by then she had no fight left to stop it.
***
As Jasmine opened her eyes, everything looked different. Darker. Gloomier. And she hated everything about everything. Hate was a strong word, but the only one that described the shaky anger shifting inside of her. She felt like a ticking bomb that might explode at any moment.
She growled, then covered her mouth in surprise. I don’t growl. What is wrong with me?
Bael reached out and grabbed her wrists, pulling her to him. She hadn’t realized he’d been sitting across from her. She didn’t pull away from him. For some reason, being close to him felt right.
Before she could stop herself, she leaned into him. “What is happening to me?”
Bael petted her hair. “There’s no reason to be scared. Take it all in. This is your new life, the life you were always supposed to be a part of.”
Jasmine balled her hand into a fist and slammed it into the ground. “I can’t calm down. All I want to do is kill…something.” She slapped her hand over her mouth, but let the hand fall. Why should she be ashamed of what she’d said?
“You want to kill me?” Bael leaned back, raising his eyebrows.
She thought about it for a minute, but finally shook her head. “I don’t want to kill you.” She reached out, running her hands down his chest. “Not. One. Single. Bit.” She snapped her lips at the last word. Who am I?
Bael clasped her hands. “Good. Then everything is as I planned.” He paused, slicing his finger open again. When he placed it against her lips, Jasmine opened her mouth and sucked the tip, letting the metallic taste caress her senses.
“Mmm. Good.” Her eyes were hooded as she shifted into him. “Can I have more?”
He grinned. “Not now. But soon.”
Jasmine stood, stret
ching her arms over her head. It felt good to think of herself first. And she hadn’t felt this good in a long time.
Bael climbed off the floor, wrapping his arms around her. “There’s only one thing left to do.”
Jasmine rested her head against his chest. “What’s that?”
Bael ran his fingers down her back. “Amon and the others must not know what I’ve done to you. When they come to collect you, go with them. Act like your old self, play the part. Don’t let them know what you are now. Can you do that?”
Jasmine gazed into Bael’s black, soulless eyes. She pressed her lips to his. “Of course I can do that.” She hissed. “But I don’t want to. I want to stay with you. I can make you happy.”
“You will make me extremely happy if you do what I’ve asked of you.”
Jasmine sat back down like a two-year-old, crossing her arms over her chest and thrusting her bottom lip out. “Fine, I will. I won’t like it, but I will for you, Master.”
Bael smiled the widest smile she’d ever seen from him. “Good.” He smashed his lips back into hers. It didn’t make her feel anything when she kissed him. No excitement. No thrills. Nothing like when she used to kiss Amon. “Wait here, alone. I am going to close the door again. And turn the lights off. I’m sure they will be here soon.”
Jasmine nodded. “I will not fail.”
Bael rubbed his palm down her cheek. “I know you won’t.” Then he retreated out the door, leaving Jasmine alone in the dark.
The minute the silence wrapped around her, thoughts pounded through her head. Thoughts she couldn’t stop, didn’t know if she wanted to. Humans made her sick, judging everyone before they even knew them. She hated them. She hated her angel mother for making her have to blend in with them. Everyone treated her like a problem, but she’d always been better than every last one of them.
She was half-angel, half-demon, and all parts amazing. It was time everyone met the real her.
She snickered to herself before shutting her mind off. Bael said it wouldn’t be long and she sure hoped he was right.
Chapter 16
The Wait of the World
Amon
Jasmine.
Her name floated through Amon’s mind, the only thing he could think about. Minus the excruciating pain. They’d arrived back at Beau’s, but it hadn’t been easy. Every step he took felt like it might shatter his bones or rip his muscles apart. The mile or two walk had taken twice as long as it should have. The pain had been unbearable, like fire burning through him.
Somehow, he’d endured every pain-filled step. You know why. Because of her.
Yes, Jasmine had pushed him when he didn’t think he could make it. Her face came to him, a light in his darkness, and he’d kept going, even when he’d wanted to give up, to fall into the ground and stay there, broken and bloody and unable to move. But he hadn’t fallen. Not once. Because of her.
As soon as he’d walked into the house, he’d flopped onto the couch. He hadn’t moved since. Everyone else had gone to the kitchen and he heard their small voices carrying whispers, but he didn’t know what they said. Didn’t know if he cared. If you wanted, you could hear everything.
But he didn’t want. He couldn’t care less what they said. If he were honest with himself, he’d realize he only wanted to lie in a pile of his own misery. Because he failed. When she’d been counting on him the most, he didn’t come through for her.
How could he have been so stupid as to walk into such a trap? He’d played his cards and lost his hand, falling right into a trap of Lucifer’s own making. Could he handle another truth? Amon hadn’t thought he would make it out of that dark, dank basement.
When Bael had showed up to release them, he’d been surprised, yet still hesitant. How could anyone trust a demon? But Bael had come through and freed them, so far with no stipulations.
Gemma had wanted to heal him, but he wouldn’t let her. He deserved this pain. Every ounce of it. It became his fuel, gave him the incentive he needed to figure out a way to stop the demons. But he was no closer now than he’d been before he’d been captured.
The demons had Jasmine in their evil clutches. Who knew what they were doing to her, what they’d already done. Please let her be safe.
He closed his eyes, not much of a feat due to the swelling. Sleep now. Think later.
Yes, sleep would help. Rest started the healing process, didn’t it? He didn’t know, but he would find out soon enough.
***
Amon woke feeling like a brand new person. He hopped from the couch, moving around while he ran his hands up over his shoulders then down his arms. His muscles didn’t hurt anymore. The fact that he could see everything clearly told him his eyes were no longer swollen. How long did I sleep?
He turned to walk into the hallway and found Gemma there. She smiled. “I know you didn’t want to be healed, but since you were sleeping…”
Amon stopped moving. He stopped breathing for a minute. With shaky fingers, he rubbed his brow. “You healed me?” His low voice scared even him. “I asked you not to do that, Gemma. I told you I wanted to heal on my own. Why would you do this?” His now loud voice bounced off the walls.
Gemma flinched but met his gaze and stared him down with her hands on her hips. “Listen, bud. Sorry to tell you this, but I didn’t heal you to hurt your male pride. I also didn’t heal you for you. I healed you because of Jasmine. She needs us all at our strongest. At our best. Were you at yours?”
Amon took a deep breath, shaking his head. He hated to admit it, but he wouldn’t have been at his best for weeks. Gemma was right…and he was an idiot.
She poked him in the chest. “Good. Now stop acting like an idiot and get it together, man.”
He nodded, all the while wondering if she could read his thoughts. He kept quiet, not sure what else to say. He’d never seen Gemma so stern. In fact, Amon had a little fear running through him.
Gemma turned sharply and began walking away. When Amon didn’t make to follow, she stopped and narrowed her eyes at him. “Well? You coming or what?”
He rushed forward, keeping up with her now. She’d never said to follow her, but it was better not risk her wrath. As small and delicate as a flower, she sure had thorns. The porcelain doll look wouldn’t fool him again, now that he knew the truth. A fierceness ran through her, but she didn’t show it much.
Amon smiled, thinking the healer might have more guts that he did.
“Where are we going?”
She looked over her shoulder and rolled her eyes. “Out back. Is that okay, oh fearless leader, or do you have something to say about it?”
Amon stifled a laugh at her intensity. “I am quite fine with that.”
“Good.”
She opened the kitchen door and stepped onto the patio. She bypassed the table and chairs and the fire pit, heading around the corner. Amon quickly saw why. Everyone stood off to the side, huddled in a circle around Ella as if they were in a pow-wow.
As Amon sidled up, he stopped beside Caim. “What’s going on out here?”
Caim winked at him. “We are just going over the plan to get Jasmine out of Bael’s hands. Thought you would want to be a part of the discussion.”
Amon smirked. “I suppose I should be. What have you figured out so far?”
Lamia frowned. “It’s the same plan you had before. Ella flies in, grabs Jasmine, and hopefully gets the heck out of there before anyone knows what’s happened.”
Amon tilted his head to the side. “And what if someone notices before she gets out?”
Everyone, including Ella, looked at him like a deer in headlights. He hadn’t thought he’d been speaking a different language, but for some reason, everyone appeared to take his words that way.
After a few silent seconds, Ella met his gaze. “There is no backup plan, Amon. I’m it. So, hopefully, nobody notices.”
“I think we need to discuss what happens if Bael is there when you show up.” The wind gusted, blowing his hair int
o his face, so he tucked it behind his ears. “How will you get out of there? You know the demons want all the angels dead. You won’t be an exception to his rule.”
“Actually, there is a backup plan. They just didn’t know it.” Gazardiel came up behind them. “I’m it. Ella will go in and get Jasmine, but I will be right outside. Bael will have a hard time taking on two angels. I’ve seen that he is hiding out from Lucifer, or at least not informing him of his plans. I just can’t see what those plans entail.”
Cole cleared his throat. “They entail Jasmine. And I’m sure it’s nothing good. I just wish I could see it.”
“There’s no reason to worry. We will get her back in one piece. Safely.” Ella smiled. “I’m her mother. I’ve made sure she was safe all the years of her life, even though she didn’t know it. I will continue keeping her safe now.”
Amon nodded. “I sure hope you’re right.”
If they managed to get Jasmine back safely, would she still be the same person? Or had Bael already worked his claws into her? Amon prayed for the first time in a long time. Please. Keep her safe and make sure she is still herself.
As Ella walked toward the fence gate with Gazardiel, she turned back and smiled her enchanting smile. “I am always right.” Then she winked and disappeared around the side of the house.
Amon hoped she spoke the truth. His stomach rolled, like water moving with the current and splashing against the bank, only to roll back and do it again and again. A sour taste hit the back of his throat as he swallowed.
He turned, shoving his hands into the pockets of his pants, and went back inside, leaving the others standing there, gawking at him. It didn’t bother him, though, because he knew full well he would be absolutely no use to anyone at this moment.
When he made his way back to the living room, he sat, pulled his legs up, and wrapped his arms around them. He felt like a child waiting for one of his parents to arrive home after they’d been gone for days. If he stared out the window, it would make the comparison even more real. He refused to do that. He was already acting so small. So young.