Surrounded By Flames (The Flames Trilogy Book 2)

  Gazardiel smiled. “I knew you were different from the start, Jasmine. You were the one who never wanted to accept it.”

  “How could I when my whole life humans have done nothing but put me down, make me feel inferior. I’m not inferior to anyone.” She glared at the group. “And we aren’t going after Bael. Final answer.” Her tone was cold as ice, even to her own ears. She started rubbing her eyes as the burning pain seared her retinas once again. “What the hell is wrong with my eyes?” She punched the wall, then dug into her eyes. “Damn it.”

  Amon touched her cheek, trying to turn her head. “Jasmine, look at me.”

  “Is that all you know how to do, order people around?” Jasmine dropped her hands from her eyes, glaring at Amon.

  Gemma’s hand covered her mouth. “Oh my…what’s wrong with her eyes?”

  “They look like they’re bleeding.” Azzy moved closer. “Is she all right?”

  Ella frowned. “No.” She paced into the room, ruffling her hair as she focused on Jasmine. “I can’t believe I didn’t notice this when we brought her back. I’ve only seen this one other time, but I know what it means. He’s gotten to her.”

  Cole glanced at Jasmine, then at Ella. “What does that mean?”

  Caim stepped to the front of the room beside Gazardiel. “I thought we would have more time. My vision…I didn’t know it was her. It’s Bael. He changed her somehow. She’s not the same Jasmine we knew.”

  Jasmine narrowed her eyes and clenched her teeth, hissing the words from her mouth. “Took you long enough to figure it out. Bael opened my eyes. He made me see just what I’d been missing my whole life. I’ve never been part of this world. But you made me be. You forced my hand. I no longer work with the good guys. I’m with the demons now.”

  She started to run out the front door. She’d blown her cover. Not that it had been her fault since her eyes were all jacked up. Bael should have warned her, then she could have hidden it a little better. Instead, he’d failed to tell her anything and it had exposed her. But she’d gotten a little information to take back to him, so it hadn’t been a total loss.

  Jasmine didn’t get far before she was tackled from behind. “Grab her and hold on. She will try to hurt you,” Caim bellowed. “But we can help her.”

  “I don’t want your stupid help. Don’t you get it?” She brought her power out. It wasn’t blue anymore, but black as night, shocking her, but what surprised her more was that it answered. “I am finally free.”

  Somehow, she knew Amon had tackled her. She’d fallen on her stomach, making it hard to reach back and grab hold of his arm, but as he gripped her tighter, his arms draped around her and she latched on.

  Amon climbed off her, bouncing on his feet while his screams stabbed the air. Jasmine smelled burned flesh. She smiled, until she got up and turned around to see all the Angel Blessed holding hands. “What is this?”

  Amon stared at her with horror before cradling his arms against his chest and turning to the others. “Do it, but keep her alive. She can be saved.”

  The power smacked against her and the breath went out of her in a whoosh. Heat wrapped around her, almost suffocating her. She couldn’t breathe; she couldn’t think about anything except throbbing, burning pain that made her feel like her bones were turning to powder inside her. A pressure filled her head, threatening to explode it. She prayed to Bael, asking him to make her pass out.

  She didn’t know if Bael had heard her or not, but when she fell to the ground, she thanked him just before her vision turned to black.

  ***

  When Jasmine woke, her whole body hurt. She felt like she had tiny pins and needles sticking in her skin. She groaned and tried to sit up, but slammed her head into…something.

  She opened her eyes wider and got a good look at her new prison. It couldn’t be anything else.

  “What the hell is this?”

  She was in a damn cage. A cage! They put me in a cage like a damn dog. Last time she checked, she wasn’t an animal. Yet there she sat on the cold floor, locked away like a rabid beast. At least a jail cell would have made her feel more like a person.

  But she’d never been an actual person, so maybe this was fitting after all.

  When she tried to run her hand through her hair, she realized they’d been tied behind her back and covered with thick, black gloves.

  Jasmine slammed her shoulder against the front of the cage, making a clanking sound reverberate through the room.

  “Let me out of here! Right now!”

  Amon came down the stairs, stepping onto the green carpeted floor. “Sorry, Jasmine. No can do. You’re a danger to us and to yourself right now. I intend to keep the promise I made to you.”

  “How about you unmake your promise? I don’t care about a promise you made to the old Jasmine. She’s not here anymore.”

  Amon’s eyes dropped to the floor. “Yes, I’m aware. But she will be again.” He took a few steps, plopping down in a wooden chair directly in front of a washer and dryer. He crossed his legs.

  “So, you get guard duty?”

  Amon nodded. “I volunteered.”

  “Good for you.”

  Jasmine turned her head and stared at the wall. Anything but looking at Amon. He looked sad, and for some reason that made her a little sad. She shook the feeling away and focused on the hatred burning through her mind. Just because he was sitting in this room, watching her, didn’t mean she had to watch him. Or talk to him.

  “I don’t know what he did to you.” Amon’s strong voice echoed through the basement, wrapping around her from every direction. “I don’t know how to fix it, but trust me when I say I will fix it. I will fix you. Until then, I won’t let you out of my sight.”

  Jasmine whipped around, glaring daggers at Amon. “Don’t you get it? I am fixed. For the first time in my life I feel like I’m on the right path. You can’t stop fate, Amon. She is a fickle woman for sure, but once she sets her claws in you, she doesn’t let go.”

  “You can’t mean any of that.”

  Jasmine smiled. “But I mean every single word. Every. Last. One. You people are nothing to me. My blood is part demon, and they are the kin I’ve searched for, longed for my whole life.”

  “Jasmine—”

  She interrupted him. “Just shut up! I don’t care what you have to say. I don’t want to hear another word.” She placed her hands over her ears in the most childish movement she could think of. She was frustrated. Amon wouldn’t listen to her. He didn’t care what she wanted. He only cared what he wanted, and she couldn’t bear to hear another word of his wants.

  Not that putting her hands over her ears stopped her from hearing him. So she started humming.

  Jackpot. That works.

  Eventually, he must have given up. Jasmine would give Amon credit, though. He had a certain persistence about him, but the sooner he accepted the truth the better.

  She would never be the same again. Whatever Bael had done to her had changed her for good and there would be no coming back from it.

  Never again would she be taken advantage of. Never would somebody make her feel lower than them. For the first time, she found her strength.

  Now, if only her strength could free her from this cage.

  Chapter 18

  Down the Rabbit Hole, Into the Belly of the Beast

  Beau

  Steam threatened to shoot from Beau’s ears any minute. “You aren’t listening to me, Charmeine. She is in trouble. You guys are putting all your eggs in one basket. Jasmine. And she’s…I don’t know…corrupted right now. We need to fix it.”

  Charmeine looked at the cloud under her feet. “There’s nothing we can do. The Big Guy said no interference from us. Not yet. It isn’t time for us to get involved, which makes me believe that he knows something we don’t.”

  Beau glared. “He doesn’t have a clue. None of you do. Nobody here really knows Jasmine. Nobody understands what she’s going through could completely break her.”
r />   Charmeine said nothing, just ran a hand through her spiky hair before walking away, leaving Beau alone to stare into the Orb and watch Jasmine lose herself.

  He had no clue if he could help her or not, but he would try. It had nothing to do with his feelings for her. He didn’t even think he loved her anymore, well, maybe as a friend. If she lost herself, if she didn’t come back from this, or worse, if she ever hurt a human or one of her friends, she’d never forgive herself. He knew that and couldn’t stand being stuck up here and not able to help her.

  Even though he didn’t know the details of what Bael had done to her, he could read between the lines. Bael had always been on a mission to turn Jasmine evil. He’d wanted her to work beside him. It made sense. But as he’d watched Jasmine lick the blood from Bael’s fingers, he knew the demon had finally figured out a way to turn her, even though Beau didn’t have a clue what Bael’s blood had to do with anything. Nothing about any of this made sense. Beau stomped into the clouds under him, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. I won’t just stand here and wait for something bad to happen.

  Beau slumped back into the stool in front of the Orb. Bael petted Jasmine’s hair. He threw the stool back and it toppled into a cloud, disappearing from view. He’d had it. He wouldn’t sit here another minute.

  He could help, and so could every damn angel in Heaven, but instead, they stood there, twiddling their thumbs, acting as if nothing had gone wrong. Well, it was time they all opened their eyes. BG didn’t want them to interfere, but the time had come to do just that.

  Why train him if they wouldn’t let him help? Another stupid rule that made absolutely no sense.

  Such a beautiful place should come with some kind of pamphlet. You can learn, but don’t think about doing anything else.

  Beau knew the angels were putting Heaven back together piece by piece, but what would be the point if they failed to save Earth?

  Did they really only care about themselves?

  Beau only knew one thing for certain. They’d picked him to be an angel. They’d wanted him up here and had given him a job to do. He’d make sure he did it. Starting now.

  He stood. Charmeine’s eyes didn’t leave him, so he had to make sure she couldn’t guess his intentions. Acting like he was looking around proved easy as he migrated over to the cloud-like slide, the slide that would take him below. He turned when he stood in front of it, staring hard at Charmeine. “Sorry, Heaven. It was fun while it lasted, but I’m out of here.” Then he dived.

  “Beau! No!” Charmeine’s voice rang out, but he could barely hear it as he spiraled down. And down. The sensation took the air from his lungs. Surrounded by blues and whites, moving so quickly his stomach dropped to his knees and he felt like he was riding a roller coaster. He’d always loved roller coasters.

  All the breath rushed out of him when his chest thudded into a mound of hard earth. He flipped to his back, lying with his hands resting on his stomach, and focused on taking one breath at a time. Even though he struggled at first, it became easier and easier and soon he could breathe normally again.

  Until what felt like a sack of potatoes dropped onto his chest, sending him right back where he started.

  “Beau! I can’t believe you did this. Of all the selfish things…”

  Beau rose, propping himself up by his elbows. “Charmeine?” How could he have mistaken the beautiful angel for a sack of potatoes? He shook his head.

  Charmeine slapped his arm, then climbed off of him. “Yes, you big dummy. It’s me. I hope you’re happy. You’ve put us both in a right pickle now. Gosh dang you! What were you thinking?” She placed her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at him. “Don’t answer me. I know what you were thinking. Or should I say what you were thinking with…” Her eyes went to his crotch.

  He stood up and balled his hands into fists. “How dare you! Seriously? You’re going to sit here and act like I did this for myself?” He huffed. “Newsflash, angel chick, I didn’t. I did this for Jasmine so she could save the world. It had nothing to do with my feelings for her. I don’t even know if they’re in there anymore. If you haven’t noticed, I’m not exactly the same as I was before.”

  “No, you aren’t the same, but it doesn’t matter. At the end of the day, you are still a man. Only concerned with one thing.” She stared at his crotch again.

  He shifted and almost covered himself, feeling exposed, but settled on standing straighter. “Quit doing that!” He paused, smirking. “I guess it’s been a while since you’ve seen a man, huh? Well, go ahead. Take a good look.” He cupped himself, hoping to drive the point home.

  Her face turned pink, then a darker shade of red. She turned around and started pacing, waving her hands like she was having a conversation with herself. Her lips even moved. After what seemed like forever, she stopped, faced him, and burst into laughter.

  “What is so funny?” He raised his eyebrows. “Is this one of those moments where a chick loses her shit?”

  She didn’t answer right away, she couldn’t, not around all the laughs flying from her mouth. But after a minute or two, her fit waned and she took a few deep breaths. “This is what’s funny. Us. Here. On Earth. I followed you to Earth!” She smiled. “I followed you to Earth! I’m here. After all the arguing with BG, after fighting until I’m blue in the face about why it’s such a good idea, we’re here, I did it. And I have you to thank.”

  “So, you didn’t agree with Him, then?”

  She shook her head. “Absolutely not. He doesn’t want to risk his angels, but what about this whole place? All the humans? What are angels without humans to guard and protect? I mean, sure, we can’t really interfere like we want to, but we can still help, which I believe has been our purpose all along.”

  “So you’re thanking me?” Beau asked hesitantly, unsure which way this would go in the end. Girls were still a mystery to him, and angel ones were even worse.

  She nodded. “I think I am, Beau. Your bravery resulted in me finding my own.” She started walking past him. “Now, let’s go help Jasmine.”

  Beau grabbed her shoulder, pulling her around to face him. “Wait. Is she still with Bael?”

  She smiled up at him. “By the time we get back, she will be back with the Fallen Ones and the Angel Blessed. You didn’t think I’d leave Heaven without a little information from the Big Guy, did you?”

  She shrugged out of his grasp and moved forward, leaving Beau no other option but to follow behind her. Where they were, he hadn’t a clue, and he had absolutely no clue which way to go, but had every faith that Charmeine would figure everything out. Since she was an angel, she should know something. Not that he did.

  ***

  It had been hours, and Beau had a feeling they were lost.

  The world didn’t look good at all. Everywhere he turned, burn piles surrounded him. At first, he thought people had been burning leaves or having big bonfires, maybe to keep the demons away, but upon closer inspection, he found arms and legs in the piles. The demons had been burning their victims, and there were a whole lot of them.

  Charmeine looked away, holding her hand over her nose. “Is it just me, or are things looking rather grim down here?”

  Beau pressed his lips together. He felt like he’d just been here, but things hadn’t been this bad, had they? What happened to the Army? Who would help the people if even the government turned its back on the war?

  Charmeine tried to make small talk, but Beau didn’t respond to any of it. He hadn’t even heard most of it. He couldn’t focus past anything but the bitter taste in his mouth that he couldn’t swallow down no matter how hard he tried. He stared at his feet while he walked, hoping he wouldn’t see the bodies that way.

  He felt so out of control. At least up in the clouds he’d had a purpose, but now, he walked with no direction. It made him shaky with anger, but somehow he squashed it down, knowing he didn’t have room for any of it right now.

  He followed Charmeine, hoping she knew whe
re to go, making himself believe it even though he had a feeling she didn’t know left from right at the moment.

  “You guys look like you could use a little guidance,” a man’s voice said.

  Beau snapped around so hard he could have given himself whiplash. “Who the hell are you?”

  Charmeine beamed. “Gazardiel! Thank goodness you found us.”

  Gazardiel winked. “Finding you was the easy part, since every angel on Earth felt you enter this plane. I couldn’t let you wander aimlessly, although, I must admit, I did let you for a little while. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.”

  Charmeine raised her brows, but grinned. “Well, I would expect nothing less from you, old man.”

  “Who you calling old?”

  She rushed him then, clobbering him in a hug that would kill anyone who wasn’t angelic.

  “Okay, I’m all for happy reunions and all, but you never answered my question. Who. Are. You?”

  “I am Gazardiel, the angel who created the Angel Blessed. And let me tell you, we have a lot of ground to cover. You’ve missed a lot, Beau.”

  Beau nodded. He knew that.

  “Now, let us go. Use your wings and follow me. The sooner we get to Jasmine the better.”

  “What do you mean by that?” Beau asked.

  Gazardiel turned back mid-flight, a sad expression drifting from his eyes. “You will see. Now, let’s be off.”

  Gazardiel took to the sky. Charmeine’s smaller wings flapped hard to keep up with him. Beau pushed his large wings as hard as they would go, but to no avail. He couldn’t catch the two angels. They’d been at this a lot longer. He stared at the ground as he flew. The human piles were a lot more spread out than he’d thought and smoke billowed from them, rising up to wrap around him. The demon’s stamp, he supposed. If they didn’t stop the demons soon…