“No. Go away.” She clenched her jaw as she spoke, growling the words.
Beau stood, brushing his hands down the front of his angel clothing. “What is wrong with you? The Jazzy I know wouldn’t care if someone was outside her door. She wouldn’t even care if someone sat in her room while she slept. Who are you?”
Jasmine blew out a breath. “Listen. I’m sorry.” She softened her tone. “I’ve just been through a lot in the last couple of days. Stay if you want. Park your butt right outside. I’m going to take a nap. I need it.”
Beau nodded. “Good. Sleep well, Jazzy.”
When she shut her door, a sharpness stung her heart. It hadn’t been the first time he’d called her Jazzy since she’d saw him, but for some reason, the way he’d said it this time brought her back to some of the good memories. Not enough to change her mind, although for a moment, the hatred fell away, but it came right back.
She lay back on the bed and shut her eyes, but sleep wouldn’t take her. Instead, she kept her eyes closed and tried not to overthink things. Time moved so slowly when she needed it to move fast. She needed to get away from these goody two-shoes people.
Patience. My time will come sooner than I think.
Chapter 21
Hurt, Pain, and Choices
Sleep never came. Jasmine tried, but only tossed and turned, glanced at the clock, then tossed and turned some more. Her mind wouldn’t shut off and adrenaline made her shaky. She couldn’t rest, but she didn’t want to leave the room and have to be around the others.
She growled and slapped her hand over her mouth, realizing Beau probably still sat right outside the door.
Sure enough, the sound of knocking reached her ears. “Jazzy? You okay in there?”
She cleared her throat. “Yup. Just peachy.”
“You didn’t sound okay. In fact, I’m pretty sure you growled.”
“I did? Oh, I had no idea. I fell asleep.”
Beau laughed. “Awesome. Sounds like something you would do in your sleep.”
Jasmine found herself wanting to smile at the fondness Beau had for her. She could hear it in the tone of his voice and see it in the way he’d looked at her downstairs. But she didn’t understand how. Since Bael had converted her, so much anger and desire for revenge had consumed her. She hadn’t had a place in her heart for laughter, let alone any kind of happiness. The top of the food chain beckoned her and she couldn’t refuse. Even for a stolen smile.
Instead of responding, she pressed her lips together. She didn’t want to hurt Beau, but he would end up hurt if he stuck with Amon and the gang. He could even end up dead, if angels could die in final ways. She didn’t really know enough about them yet to know if they could or not.
Given time, she might learn.
Jasmine stretched out on the bed, propping herself up with the fluffy pillow, and stared at the clock. Only two hours had passed. Enough time to take a nap, if she could have, but she no longer wanted to try. She’d had enough “resting” and found herself hopping off the bed. When she pulled the door open, Beau fell back again.
“Again? Didn’t you learn your lesson the first time?” Jasmine gaped down at him.
Beau smiled as he stood up. “Well. You know what they say. Some people never learn.”
For the first time, Jasmine really looked at him. He wore brown pants and a vanilla colored long-sleeved shirt made out of a sheer fabric. He also wore a thick leather belt with a sword hanging from it. His black wings had been folded behind him but she could see they were large and shimmery. Mesmerizing, even.
Her eyes kept landing on the sword. Nobody used swords anymore. “What is that?” She pointed. “A weapon?” She couldn’t help but laugh.
He stood straighter, his hand hovering just atop the scabbard. “Don’t laugh. It’s not funny. It is my weapon. They call it an Angel Blade. It can kill a demon, as long as it goes clean through their body and out the other side.”
“So you don’t have to puncture their heart or decapitate them?”
Beau shook his head. “You guys have to decapitate them to kill them, but with these weapons, we don’t. Angels like to kill things with as little mess as possible.”
Jasmine snorted. “Great. Glad to hear it.” She moved away slightly. “I would appreciate it if you would leave that thing holstered though. If it can kill a demon, it can kill me.”
Beau scrunched his forehead.
“Yeah. I’m half-angel and half-demon, Beau. Didn’t you hear?”
Beau shrugged.
“Let’s go downstairs or something. I’m kind of getting bored standing here in this small doorway talking.” She almost gave herself away again, but before Beau had a chance to notice, she started moving away.
Beau walked behind Jasmine as she made her way into the living room. If she watched some TV, maybe time would move a little more quickly. Unfortunately, not many channels were working. The ones that were had news reporters on talking about the Army moving in on the terrorist group, but units had already been sent out and not come back, so they thought there were thousands of casualties, maybe more. Blah. Blah. Blah.
Jasmine couldn’t care less. The world would end. At least for the humans. It would be a completely new world for her and the demons. Their new home. They’d have this huge playground all to themselves and nobody would bother them or try to take it back.
She would definitely like being left alone for a while, especially after the last couple of months. Or had it been that long? She didn’t know. Time moved forward, but she no longer kept track of it. It wasn’t important.
She flipped the switch on the remote, turning the TV off, then she set it on the coffee table. Amon appeared right after, sitting beside her.
Jasmine moved as far to the side as she could so she wouldn’t touch him. “Is everyone back yet?”
He shook his head. “No. Actually, I’m getting a little worried about them.”
“Why? When did they leave?” Beau asked from the doorway.
Amon shrugged. “I don’t know the exact time, but it was a long while ago. I might take Caim and go out searching for them.”
Jasmine’s chest lightened with excitement. “That might be a good idea. Especially if they aren’t back by dark.”
Amon stared at her for a moment. “Yes, well, it might be necessary. I’m not sure that it is a good idea.”
Beau stooped down in front of the coffee table, facing them. “If it would make you more comfortable, I can come with you guys.”
“What about your warden?” Amon asked.
“I can have Charmeine stay with her. That chick is crazy good at fighting. I would trust her keeping guard over anyone.”
Amon laughed. “I actually remember her from when I was up there. She had the fierceness thing down, but still knew how to have fun.”
Beau’s eyes twinkled. “You can say that again. Sometimes I have no idea what is going to come out of that mouth of hers, but she always seems to surprise me.”
Jasmine cleared her throat. “Are you done crushing on the angel? Can we move on?”
Amon fixed her with a pointed stare. “What is wrong with you? You’ve been awfully snappy lately.”
Jasmine faked a yawn. “I’m just so tired, but I can’t sleep. I tossed and turned forever up there in that bed. All for nothing.” As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized she’d made a mistake. She’d told Beau she’d fallen asleep.
Beau fixed her with a pointed stare. “I thought you said you’d fallen asleep?”
Jasmine’s heart raced. “No, you must have misheard me. I told you I couldn’t fall asleep.”
Beau scrunched his forehead and tilted his head, finishing the move with a shrug. “I guess it doesn’t matter. If you didn’t sleep, why don’t you lay back down. I’ll send Charmeine up.” He turned to Amon. “If you want, we can go look for the others.”
Jasmine stretched her arms up over her head. “Sure. That is probably best.” She forced a smile. “Thank you
guys for taking care of me.”
“It’s my job.” Beau winked at her.
Amon smirked at Beau, then met Jasmine’s gaze. “And I guess it’s mine too.” Then he nudged Beau with his elbow. “You know, I never thought I’d be working alongside this one.”
Beau shoulder-bumped him. “Me either, but to be honest, I’m kind of glad it worked out the way it did.”
Jasmine would throw up if she could. All the happiness and love being thrown around made her stomach ache. I wish they’d just give it a rest.
She cleared her throat. “Okay, well, I’m going to get some shut eye.”
As she retreated up the stairs, she risked a glance behind her. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from the sight of Beau and Amon buddying up to each other. She remembered a time when she’d wanted nothing more than for the two of them to be friends. It seemed like it had been ages ago. So much had happened since then. She wasn’t the same person. Now, she didn’t care if the two of them were friends, because they weren’t her friends. Amon and Beau might make her a bit sad and nostalgic, but they were no longer on her side of the fight, and because of that, they couldn’t mean anything to her. Never again.
Jasmine shrugged off her thoughts and lay down on the bed again, knowing full well she wouldn’t be able to fall asleep. Surprisingly, though, the minute her eyes shut, sleep came to her and she didn’t fight it.
***
Jasmine woke up to darkness. She sat up, breathing heavily. “Damn it,” she mumbled.
The clock on the wall said it was now ten o’clock. She’d overslept, probably missed her opportunity to sneak out unnoticed. It didn’t matter. Better late than never, she thought as she hopped to her feet and strolled to the door.
Charmeine stood in the hallway opposite the bedroom door, the first thing Jasmine saw as she exited.
The angel smiled. “Jasmine. You’re up.”
Jasmine nodded and walked past her, down the hallway.
“Where are you going?”
Jasmine stopped and turned around to face Charmeine. “I’m going to grab some food. I’m really hungry. If that’s okay?”
Charmeine smiled. “No problem at all.”
Jasmine rolled her eyes then ran down the steps, the angel hot on her heels.
When Jasmine stopped in the kitchen, Charmeine leaned against the center island. “So, did you sleep well?”
Jasmine scrunched her eyebrows. “Yeah. I guess.”
Silence stretched after that. Jasmine rummaged through the cabinets, looking for something to eat. She really had been hungry, her stomach growling at her so loudly she thought it might start eating itself from the inside out.
She settled on a bag of potato chips, her favorite. Lay’s sour cream and onion. When she opened the bag, only crumbs remained. It looked like someone really needed to make a shopping run. What the heck were people surviving on around here?
After Jasmine crunched a few of the tiny pieces, the quiet hit her again. She tipped the bag back, letting the remaining crumbs fall in her mouth, and spoke, forgetting all about manners. “So. Where is everyone?”
“Not back yet. Amon and Beau took off to look for everyone. You knew they went out on patrol?”
Jasmine nodded.
Charmeine straightened and crossed her arms over her chest. “Ella and Gazardiel went upstairs to try to smooth everything out with BG.”
“BG?”
Charmeine laughed. “I forgot. You wouldn’t know who that is. The Big Guy. You know, God?”
Jasmine scrunched up the chip bag and threw it in the garbage. After a minute, she realized Charmeine stared at her, probably waiting for a response.
Jasmine leaned back against the kitchen sink and dropped her arms to her sides. “Oh. Cool.”
Charmeine tilted her head. “You know. I’ve heard all these stories about the infamous Jasmine. How cool she was. How funny. How she could never stop herself from saying whatever came to her mind.” She pressed her lips together. “I’m sorry for saying it like this, but you aren’t really any of those things.”
Jasmine raised her brows, not sure what to say. Luckily, Charmeine held up her hand and continued. “Don’t get me wrong, you seem fine. But there’s just something off from the big picture everyone painted of you.” She tapped a finger against her cheek. “I can’t quite put my finger on it. If you asked me, I would say you haven’t fully come back to the good side.”
Jasmine stared flatly. Charmeine had hit the nail on the head. Now that she’d figured it out, what would Jasmine have to do to make sure her secret remained a secret? Charmeine again stared at Jasmine, as if waiting for a response.
Jasmine shrugged. “What do you want me to say?”
Charmaine chuckled. “I don’t want you to say anything. I want to see a little passion. Do you want to go out and try to find the others, make sure they are safe? What about Amon? Or Beau for that matter? Are you worried about them?”
“Sure, I’m worried, but they are big boys and girls. They should be able to take care of themselves.”
Charmeine dropped her forehead into her hand and she shook her head slowly. “This isn’t right.” Then she raised her head and met Jasmine’s eyes. “You’re not right. There’s no way you are the Jasmine Beau told me about.”
Bingo. I’m not. Jasmine froze, not sure what to do. If only Bael had stayed with her. Maybe he could help her figure this out. There would be no way she’d get out of this house now, not with Charmeine in the way. She had to be taken out the equation.
And just like that, a lightbulb went off. Jasmine didn’t know why she hadn’t thought of it before. She could fight. She had powers. She could hurt the angel, render her unconscious, and walk right out the back door.
She didn’t have any other choice now.
Jasmine walked around the counter and toward the back door by the refrigerator.
“Where are you going now?”
“Out.”
Charmeine grabbed her. “I can’t let you—”
Jasmine rolled her shoulder back and shoved Charmeine off her. “You don’t get to let me do anything. I can do what I want.”
“No, you can’t. I’m in charge of watching you and I’m not going to let you just go outside.”
Jasmine narrowed her eyes. “Let me rephrase this. You aren’t in charge of me and you don’t get to tell me what I can or can’t do.”
Charmeine frowned. “Jasmine, don’t make me lock you in that room. Please.”
Jasmine laughed. “Lock me in that room? Be careful, angel. Or you’ll be the one locked away.”
They stared at each other for a few moments, neither willing to make a move. When Jasmine reached behind her and grabbed the doorknob, eyes still on Charmeine, the angel pushed forward, arms extended, grabbing for her.
Jasmine dodged to the side. “Just let me go.”
“No.”
She’d tried to talk her into it because Jasmine really didn’t want to hurt the angel. Why, she didn’t know. Maybe a part of her still believed in the work they did. Believed in them. Either way, she tried. The stubborn angel had other plans.
This time, when Charmeine reached for Jasmine, she reached back, her power resting in her hands. It didn’t purr with excitement. It didn’t shoot through her veins. It just became another mundane part of her day. No big deal.
When her hands made contact with the angel’s skin, Charmeine jolted, her back slamming into the wall behind her. She leaned over, hands gripping her knees as she gasped for breath. “Jasmine. Don’t do this. I understand the demons have a hold over you right now, but we can help you.”
Jasmine touched her on the chest this time, making her knees slam into the tile floor. Hovering over her, Jasmine smiled. “I don’t want your help. I’m perfectly fine with who I’ve become. Too many people want to change me, but here’s the thing. I’m finally happy with who I am, so just let it be.”
Jasmine drew her black hand back, rolling it into a fist. Then she slammed
it forward, straight into the angel’s face, packing as much of her power into that punch as she could. Charmeine screamed, but not for long. Her eyes slammed shut and she collapsed in a heap.
Jasmine didn’t think it would be that easy. But she’d found out her power did work on the angels now that she’d turned evil. She hadn’t been sure it would. She’d held back a little, so Charmeine would wake, but Jasmine didn’t know how long before she did. Jasmine watched the angel’s chest rise and fall and knew she’d live. For now.
Jasmine dragged her behind the island so she wouldn’t be seen right away and stepped out the back door, quiet as a mouse. Before she closed it, she heard loud voices from the front of the house, along with the sound of a door slamming. Amon.
She didn’t bother shutting the kitchen door—it wouldn’t make a difference. She crept to the side of the house, following the patio around to the edge. When she finally reached the fence, she opened the gate and sprinted to the woods. Nobody would find her there and she could make her way to Bael’s house without notice. Hopefully.
Disappearing into the trees, a sense of peace washed over her. Amon and the others might not have been happy with her choice, but she’d made it nonetheless. She had to live with it at the end of the day, not them. And she thought she could do that with little trouble.
Soon, she’d be back beside Bael, where she belonged. But she had to have a talk with him. Living right across the street from the good guys had to change. Jasmine knew exactly how she’d talk him into moving.
Chapter 22
Injured
Amon
As Amon walked through the front door, a moan came from the back of the house. He rushed through the hallway but saw nothing as the kitchen came into view. He heard another moan and moved to the other side of the island, where Charmeine lay on the floor, trying to sit up.
Amon gasped. “What happened?”
Charmeine climbed to her feet, wobbled a bit, and grabbed the counter to steady herself before glaring at Amon. “Your little girlfriend is what happened. She took off. Out the back door.”