Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 88849 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88849 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
“There’s three of them,” Aumae spoke from the back. “They’re close and coming fast. I can feel them.”
“I can, too.” Damien jerked around and stared out the back window. “Sachiel’s not with them. That’s what worries me.”
“Sachiel?” My heart was pounding in my chest. “Is that—is that my father’s name?”
A hush came over the group, and Damien cast me an apologetic look before he turned back to the rear. Then Aumae spoke again, “I’m sorry, Shay. That’s his name, it’s what the messengers call him, and you should’ve been told your father’s name before this.”
I hadn’t asked. I hadn’t because I’d been afraid to think of him, of what it all meant.
“He’s here.” Kellan jerked the wheel around. The car skidded to a halt, parked at an angle across the road, and we hadn’t come to a complete stop before Kellan threw himself out of the car.
“Kellan!” I gasped, scrambling after him, but he was gone. Vanished.
Damien and Aumae hurried out of their doors, and then Damien yelled at her, “Wake them. We need them.”
She went back to the car, but cast a look at him. “You’re helping them? I knew I would, but you…”
He jerked a shoulder up and faced where we’d come from. Three white beams of light appeared on the horizon, coming slow. As they drew closer, I was able to see each of them looked like humans out for a nightly stroll. They looked calm, dressed in street clothes. A male was in the lead, taller than the other two, over seven feet. The others were both females. One had long blonde hair, and the other had long black hair. All three of them had high cheekbones and slender bodies. Any other human distinctions were diminished since they were in messenger mode with their eyes as black orbs and a white aura over them.
“Where’d Kellan go?” I looked around, but nothing. We were alone. It was like he became a part of the night and disappeared in it.
“He’s not our problem right now.” Damien’s hands flexed beside him. “They are.”
“They’re waking.” Aumae hurried to stand beside Damien. “They’ll help.”
“They’ll have to, or they’re dead with us.”
Gus and Vespar stumbled out of the car, exhausted from the coma they’d been in. Studying Vespar, I thought he’d been unconscious from the bullet and then because Damien had healed him. I thought the body needed time to repair itself, but now they both shimmered in health. They seemed toned, ready, and alert. Aumae had put Gus to sleep, and now I wondered if she’d done the same to Vespar, that she had healed them even further somehow. I had never seen them at their peak as I was seeing them now. Like a button was pushed, their exhaustion vanished.
They looked up at the same time, ready to fight, and saw me.
“Shay?” Gus gasped. “What are you doing here?”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
“We’re…” She looked around. “What are we doing here and where is here?”
Vespar growled with his hands clenched in fists beside him, “I was shot. We were in the basement and then…” He looked at Damien and jerked forward a step. “He’s a messenger.”
“So is she.” Gus gestured toward Aumae.
Both of them ignored my siblings.
“Shay? What’s going on?” My sister gentled her tone.
I opened my mouth to answer, but Damien cut me off, “There are three messengers coming. See them? Destroy them because they’re here to destroy you.”
“What?” Gus clamped a hand on my arm. “What are we going to do?”
“Fight.” Damien cast a look at her. Idiot.
I hid a smile when Gus asked me, “Shay, is that right? Are they—”
“Gus. Shut up and fight.” Vespar stood beside her, tense.
“Male demon—” Damien started to say.
Vespar interrupted him, “I have a name.”
“—you will fight alongside Shay. Female demon.” Gus narrowed her eyes, but didn’t make a comment. “You will fight with Aumae.” Damien ignored both of their reactions and gestured beside him.
“And you? What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to take the leader.” Damien took a deep breath and stretched to his fullest height. “I’ve met Mayorn a few times.”
“What about the human?” I heard Aumae ask Damien.
“If things go badly, we can bring him out. They can’t be around humans that they aren’t sent here for. He’ll repel them, but right now they don’t know he’s here. They can’t sense him through my car’s trunk. It’s been sealed.”
Aumae nodded, satisfied with his response, and I cast a nervous look over the other messengers. They looked powerful, more powerful than any of us combined.
“Don’t think like that, Shay.” Damien looked at me. “You’re more powerful than all of them combined. You’re a first descendant from your father. You may be even more powerful than him.”
I didn’t feel it. I felt like a weak human at that moment, but as the three messengers drew close, I knew it was game time. They stopped, and the leader approached alone. His eyes skimmed over all of us, but lingered first on me and then moved to Damien, who had moved out in front of us. He proclaimed himself our leader with those two steps.