Beautiful Beings (20 page)

Awed by his innate ability, I had to tear by eyes away from him as a demon came to me.  He was meek and mild and easily subdued, but the demon that attacked me after him wouldn’t go down so easily.  With a cold hand, he shoved me to the wall and shot dark acrid smoke into my face as he grinned.

Undeterred, I shoved him back and pressed my crucifix to his rough dark skin.

Not a second passed before another raged forth.  Within minutes I’d lost count of the number I’d killed, but my strength was waning.  Breathless and sweaty, I turned to Asher’s cry for help.

Pinned to the wall by two mammoth demons, he struggled to escape as Shayne slowly made her way to him.  Her lips pulled back, baring her teeth, baring her hunger for his soul.

I rushed to him, but was immediately halted by a demon.  I kicked him in the belly then pushed my crucifix into his forehead as he doubled over.  Again I tried to get to Asher, but another demon hindered my progress.

Shayne’s lips hovered over Asher’s. He thrashed about, giving all he had to release the demons’ hold on him, and when he turned his face away from the she-demon who craved his soul, her claws came out to re-align his lips to hers.

“Angels are supposed to be giving creatures,” she murmured. “You're supposed to save souls from the bowels of hell.  Your denial goes against the very purpose of your existence.”

He clenched his jaw and shot me a questioning glance.

“Don’t listen to her, Asher,” I called out as I pressed my crucifix to yet another demon.  “You have to fight her.”

Pressing his lips tightly together, he barred her access, but her claws fought his resistance. Digging into his cheeks, she forced his jaw open.

His eyes widened in terror.

“No!” I let out the bone chilling scream and was quickly compensated as Brax broke down the door.

Without hesitation, he pulled the heavy crucifix I’d gifted him and shoved it into one of the demons restraining Asher.

Shayne let out a feral growl and tried to keep a hold of Asher, but with only one demon holding him back, he easily fought him off and shoved Shayne clear across the room.  Growling her frustration, she hopped back to her feet and charged him, forcing him to, once again, shove her out of his way.

“Get him,” she ordered the dark demons.  “For crying out loud, just get him.”

As a pack of demons descended upon Asher, Brax jumped in, fighting them off like a pro, everything Lux had taught him coming into play.

“Why are you doing this?  Why are you helping me?” Asher asked him when they were fighting demons side-by-side. “Why not just save yourself?”

Braxton shot me a glowing glance before turning back to Asher.  “I’m not helping you.  I’m helping Lux.”

Side by side, they fought, each taking over where the other left off.  In tandem, they reduced the monstrous number of demons down to a dirty dozen, and that dozen was honed in on me.

They closed in, burning off the very air around me.  Gripping my crucifix, I knew I couldn’t get them all at the same time.

“You're toast now, demon slayer,” Shayne said.

In unison, Asher and Brax charged the angry mob, reducing the threat to a smoking pile of ashes.  Unbeknownst to them, they complimented each other, completed each other perfectly. As much as I thought Asher and Brax needed me, it turned out all three of us needed each other.

Chapter 19

“
Y
ou guys make a great team,” I said. 

Asher seemed uncomfortable in light of the compliment, while Brax beamed with pride.

“I’ve been fighting off jerks all my life,” Asher said. “Getting rid of these guys isn’t all that much different.”

“Except for that smell.” Brax waved his hand about, trying to clear the air.

Asher shot a funny look at Brax. “That wasn’t you?  I thought you were over exerting yourself and that foul odor was the result.”

“Cute.”

“Brax,” Shayne said, coming to him, disheveled and meek. “You weren’t supposed to be here. You weren’t supposed to be a part of this, not yet.  Asher is of no use to you, and my intentions towards him have nothing to do with Lux. She’ll be okay. She’ll be just fine… please.  Stay out of this.”

“You put her in danger.” A light glaze veiled Braxton’s eyes as he looked at me. How much of a spell had she woven around him?

“Then take her, bring her back to the room where it’s safe and protect her while I take care of things down here.” Her voice was gentle and patient, as though speaking to a child. “I should be up with you in fifteen minutes.”

Confusion filled his eyes. I shook my head discreetly, hoping not to capture Shayne’s attention.

Quietly, so quietly they initially went by unnoticed, small, sly and deadly demons entered the room.

“Go, Brax,” Shayne said softly but with conviction.  “Go take care of your lovely Lux.”

He took a step towards me as the quiet demons surrounded Asher.

“You have to stay and help Asher, Brax.”

“I have to protect you.” He took another step closer.

“I can take care of myself.”

He held his hand out to me.

“Please, Brax,” I said softly.  “Shake it off. Whatever she’s done to you, shake it off.  I need you now, all of you.”

A warm glow began to fill the room.  I gazed at Braxton, searching for the source of the light. 

“Brax, are you glowing?” 

He looked down at himself, his arms rising on either side of him as he inspected his body. “It’s not me.” He moved to the side, exposing the full force of light coming from Asher.

“Asher,” I said in amazement. “You're glowing.  You're glowing just like Lothario, even brighter than him.

In addition to the bright light surrounding him, he’d grown taller, forcing him to hold his head down to avoid hitting the ceiling. Demons in the room, large and small, held back, momentarily intimidated by Asher’s growing force.

“I know,” he said with a proud jut of his chin.  He passed a hand over his muscular chest, surprised by his own girth. “Your famed angel, Lothario, made a surprise appearance at my place last night. I must say he made quite an impression. Until just now, I don’t think I really believed all he’d said I’d become.  Look at me.”

“Okay,” Shayne shouted to the demons. “Glow worm here needs to be subdued, so will you guys get on with it already?” Turning to her disobedient subject, she pointed to Brax and ordered, “And take care of him.  He’s quickly becoming a liability.”

A large demon rushed Braxton, but an intense ray of light beamed from Asher and seared clear through the demon, bringing him to an agonizing end. “Be gone, demon,” Asher said with a satisfied grin.

Suddenly charged by a new band of demons, Asher sent beams of deadly light in all directions, but one demon snuck through and attacked Brax, throwing him to the floor and sinking his teeth into his forearm.

I threw off the demon who had tackled me and hurried to rid Brax of his attacker.  Brax reached up to press his crucifix into the demon just as I did the same, causing the beast to spark, burst into flame and evaporate, but the damage to Braxton’s arm was done.

“The bugger bit down to the bone.” His teeth gritted in pain, Braxton gripped his forearm, holding the wound up to me.

“Don’t move, Braxton,” I said as I grabbed the neatly pressed kerchief in his jacket pocket and wrapped it around the ugly wound.

Behind me, I heard Shayne bark orders while Asher continued to sear through a host of demons.  Eager to keep Brax safe, I dragged him to the corner and propped him up against the wall, then turned to help Asher.

Chaos ruled the small room as demon after demon entered and took up battle with Asher.  Though swift and powerful, the sheer number of demons failed to diminish and I could see the wearing effect it had on him.

“Will this ever end?” he muttered as I approached and prepared to battle again.

After fighting off another dozen demons, the flow momentarily halted and we all turned to find the reason.  Dr. Kingsley, the ancient Book of Angels gripped securely under his arm, entered the melee.

Before uttering a word, he stared at Asher in amazement. “You? You're the angel?”

“It appears that I am.”  Breathless, Asher grinned.

“All this time… I thought my nephew Braxton was destined to be an angel.”

“Me?” Braxton called up.

Dr. Kingsley turned to him.  My wife, Denise, God rest her soul, spoke often of the possibility.”

“Aunt Denise,” Braxton said.  “She was Dad’s favorite sister.”

“Yes,” Dr. Kingsley said.  “That’s why he confided his beliefs to her, told her of the dreams and visions he had of you.  Of course, I realize now he was mistaken, but not by much.”

“This little family reunion is really quaint,” Shayne said, pushing aside a chair and heading to Dr. Kingsley.  “But, quite frankly, I have a soul or two to save.”

She reached out to grab the book, but Dr. Kingsley held a firm grasp on it. 

“This is a valuable book, ancient and filled with wisdom,” he said, both hands tugging the book away from her.

“I don’t care,” she hissed.  “All I want is to find how to garner Asher’s soul.”

“I can’t let you have this.”

With one hand on the book and the other pressed to his shoulder, Shayne pulled on the coveted tome and pushed heavily on its owner.  “Give it up, old man.”

Using more force than necessary, she pushed Dr. Kingsley and sent him flying back into the desk at the other end of the room.  His head landed on the edge of the desk with a sickening thud before he fell to the floor in an unconscious heap.

She turned a triumphant grin to everyone in the room, congratulating herself with shallows bows.

“You witch,” I screeched.  “What have you done?”

Moore rushed in, his gaze instantly taking in my state of anger, then turning to see the results of his sister’s actions. “What are you doing, Shayne? You're roughing up Dr. Kingsley now?”

“I’ll do whatever it takes, Moore.  Don’t you get that? Don’t you understand what’s at stake here?” She poked her index into his chest. “I’m trying to save your sorry soul.”

His hands fisted and his eyes hardened.  “There’s no reason to push Dr. Kingsley around for that.  For crying out loud, Shayne, he was one of the few people at school who genuinely liked us. He was there for us when we lost our parents.  How many nights did you cry on his shoulder?”

With a flash of anger, she turned to her sibling.  “Get a grip, Moore. I succeeded where you failed. All I asked you to do tonight was get this book.  Instead he’s the one who arrived with it and I did what I had to do to get it.”

“Sometimes I think you’ve simply gone mad, Shayne.”

“Well, you won’t think I’m so crazy when I save your soul.” Hugging the book to her chest she pointed to Asher.  “Now get our angel and let’s get this thing started.”

Moore turned to Asher, gaping as he caught the gentle glow that emanated all around him.  “Man, you're glowing.”

“You have an eye for the obvious, Einstein,” Asher quickly quipped. “What you might not be aware of is the damage I can cause with this illuminating glow.”  He cast his eyes to the piles of ashes scattered about the room. “You and luscious over there are about to meet the same fate.”

“I’m not like them.” Moore pointed to the floor.  “Yes, a portion of my blood is demonic, but I’m an angel too, just like you are.” He turned to me. “And I’m human, too, just like you are, Lux. Are you going to condemn me for something I have no control over?”

“Don’t play so innocent, Moore,” Brax spat. He got to his feet, his hand still clenching the blood stained kerchief at his wound. “You deliberately wove a spell around Lux, luring her in and playing with her heart.  For crying out loud, she was in a coma for three days because of you.”

Moore shook his head, his jaw clenched tight as he cast his eyes down. “I underestimated the effect it would have on her.” He reluctantly brought his gaze to me and mouthed, “I’m sorry. I was angry, jealous, so jealous of your feelings for Brax.” Moore looked at Asher and Brax. “You guys all know what it is like to fall in love with Lux…”

Brax’s eyes were on Lux, and it was clear he felt the same way, while Asher’s eyes were fiercely determined. He shot Lux a look, and for a brief moment, his face filled with longing, of a love that couldn’t be. Then like a spring rain, it shifted back into the look of determination.

Shayne shot Moore an exasperated glare then turned to the demon at her side. “Get Asher and hold him still.” Flipping through the pages of the book, she muttered her annoyance.

The demons rushed Asher, pinning him to the wall and mobilizing him, but their victory was short-lived. Asher concentrated the golden glow into one intense beam and evaporated the demons.

Shayne hurried to Moore and whispered in his ear. Both gazed at Asher and Moore reluctantly nodded.