Above The Flames (The Flames Trilogy #1) (14 page)

As he walked back to the house, he cleared his mind as much as he could. But it wasn’t enough. He plopped down in front of the TV and turned it on, hoping the mindless shows would help, but instead a flashing message sprawled across the screen. A woman came on, a panicked look on her face.

“We interrupt your program for breaking news. Last night, at least fifty people from a town in Idaho were murdered, however, there may have been more. Death tolls are still coming in. Police are on alert, and the president is sending troops in to battle the group of people who have struck down so many. More updates as soon as they come in. Just remember to lock your doors at night, and if you live around Island Park, you might want to go visit those relatives out of state you haven’t seen in a while. This is Bridgette Thomas, First Action News.”

Amon stood and started out of the room, but stopped as he realized he wasn’t alone. Jasmine was in the doorway, fear painted all over her delicate face. When her wide eyes met his, she opened her mouth, but quickly closed it.

“Don’t worry. We will stop them,” Amon said.

She nodded, but didn’t say a word.

Chapter 16

Something Unexpected

Jasmine

Jasmine shifted as she waited for everyone in the family room. Amon had called another meeting, and it seemed nobody cared much about being on time. She was here, as well as Amon. Beau sat beside her, looking away from her.

Two large bookshelves surrounded the entertainment center, and Amon stood with his back to her, his fingers gliding along the spines of the books, caressing them as if they were something dear to him. Jasmine smiled and got up, walking over to him.

“Hey,” she said softly. “What you looking for?”

Amon turned to her a moment, then his eyes went right back to the books. A half grin spread across his face. “Nothing. It’s just been so long since I’ve seen a book, let alone felt one. They are still the same, although some of the covers are much different than anything I’ve ever seen.”

Jasmine chuckled. “Yeah, the modern world is quite a scandal all in all, I’d say. Especially to someone like you, who hasn’t been around for…you know, I don’t think I know how long you haven’t been around for.”

“It’s been a long time,” Amon said, gazing at the ceiling. “When I was alive still, it was the year of our Lord eight hundred and sixteen. Times were much different then. Very simple. We farmed the land we owned, and we fought invaders and often time pillaged new land. I’m not proud of those times.” A faraway look followed Amon’s words, and Jasmine found herself very curious about him and the life he’d led.

“So, you’re older than dirt?”

Amon laughed. “I suppose I am.”

“It’s nice to actually find out a bit of information about you. Not too hard, is it?”

Amon quirked his brows.

“I mean, it’s easy to tell me a little about yourself.”

Amon shrugged, staring at his feet.

“And I guess that’s all I’m going to get.”

Amon’s eyes met hers. He stared hard at her, fixated. Jasmine wanted to look away, really she did, but something about those golden brown eyes held her entrapped. It almost looked like honey had been squirted in his iris, swirling through the brown in a tie-dying expedition where the end result was phenomenal. Before, she only thought they were mesmerizing; now she knew they were.

“Jasmine,” Amon whispered.

Chills spread down her arms. When he lowered his voice, it turned manlier. A hint of a growl lingered too. Her heart rate sped up and she took a step forward, completely lost in the moment.

A throat cleared. “We’re all here, Amon. Ready for the meeting to start.” Caim’s voice carried a hint of amusement.

Jasmine stepped back, turned, and walked back to the sofa. She sat down beside Beau again, feeling horrible. She’d forgotten about Beau sitting there, watching her whole interaction with Amon, which she had to admit probably looked terrible.

When she tried to grab Beau’s hand, he yanked it away.
I deserve that. And more.

“I’ve asked you all here because I think it’s time we talk strategy. How is the training going?” Amon asked, pacing in front of the TV.

One by one, the fallen angels responded, all saying training was moving along nicely.

“We must continue to train, but I think we need to start going out,” Amon said.

“What do you mean by going out?” Gemma asked. “Like, hunting?”

Amon nodded.

“Amon, do you think that’s wise? None of these humans are ready to hunt demons,” Lamia stated. For some reason, her tone sounded irritated.

“Lam, they have to learn. There will be rules, of course. No going out alone. And you must have one of us fallen angels with you if you go out,” Amon said.

“Cool. So we’ll get to kill some demons!” Cole exclaimed, moving closer to Amon.

Amon grinned. “Now, calm down. It will not be that easy, and at the moment we shouldn’t try to kill them. I want you to remain hidden and listen for information. We have no idea what their plan is, and trust me, Bael will have one. If we can find out what it is, it will give us the advantage.”

Beau scoffed. “Sounds like you’ve got everything worked out, huh?”

Amon ignored him, and Jasmine was glad. Beau was pissed, sure. But he didn’t need to take it out on Amon. He didn’t do anything. As much as Jasmine didn’t want to admit it, a spark had flared between them. Not that either of them would act on it. It didn’t make it disappear, though, and surely Beau had noticed it.

“Also, I’d like to have a guard at the front and back of the house at all times, just in case. We can split this into shifts. Is everyone okay with this?” Amon asked.

“Hells yeah!” Azzy said, his eyes wide. “Sign me up for the night shift. I can fly above the house and scout too.”

“Thanks, Azazel,” Amon said, and Azzy’s face scrunched up as if he’d eaten bad food.

“Come on, man. You have to use my real name?”

Amon shook his head. “It will do you well to remember who you are. We all need the reminder. We’ve spent too long in Hell, and forgotten our true roots because of it.”

“That is probably the truest thing that’s ever left your lips,” Lamia said, her voice turning seductive when she said lips.

Amon’s eyes landed on her, but he kept his face impassive, showing no reaction at all.

“Lamia, how right you are,” Caim said, moving to her side and putting an arm around her, which she instantly shrugged off. “It’s wonderful to have such a smart woman on our side.” He laughed.

Lamia glared at Caim.

“So, things are going to get even crazier, I guess?” Gemma asked.

“You can bet on it. So prepare yourselves. And train as much as you can,” Amon said.

It seemed like everyone’s shoulders slumped as they left the room. Jasmine followed, but Beau called out, “Jasmine, can I talk to you a minute.”

Her heart thumped in her ears as she nodded. When she turned to face him, her cheeks heated at the look on his face. He stood with more weight on one side, so his body was slightly leaning. He had a hand on his hip, and was chewing on his bottom lip.

Amon brushed against Jasmine’s arm as he strode out of the room, and her whole arm heated from that touch. But he’d left them completely alone now. A heaviness settled on Jasmine’s chest, making it hard to breathe.

“Now that we’re alone, I have something I need to say,” Beau said, his voice emotionless.

The smell of Beau’s cologne hit her as he stepped closer, erasing the space between them.

“You’re kind of freaking me out. What’s up?” Jasmine asked.

Beau rubbed a hand through his blond hair. “You and Amon seem awful cozy. Seeing you two together up there made me want to punch a wall. I don’t like that feeling.” He sighed. “Not one bit. I’ve never felt like that in my life.”

Jasmine reached her hand out and placed it on his forearm. He flicked her touch away and crossed his arms over his chest. She dropped her jaw. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what you’re so upset about though. We are working together. He’s training me.”

Beau nodded. “I know that. I get it. But I don’t know, Jaz. Something about you and him together makes me crazy. I see something in both of your eyes when you look at each other.” His gaze dropped to the floor. “And you don’t seem like the same person anymore.”

Jasmine raised her voice. “Of course I don’t. How could I be?” She realized someone might hear her and lowered her voice. “Let’s just think about what I’ve been through lately. The demons came, kidnapped me in the process of saving you and a bunch of fallen angels. I lost Ma and Pa.” Jasmine couldn’t stop herself from raising her voice again. “Don’t forget, while we are trying to learn how to use our powers so we can fight said demons, they are planning to annihilate the whole human race. So, tell me,
Beau
, how am I supposed to be the same person?”

Beau focused on her. “I get it. I know you’ve been going through a lot. But I don’t know if I can handle all this.” He made a wide gesture with his arms. “I mean, it’s one thing fighting demons. Our world is important and I don’t want to lose that.” He took a deep breath. “But you and Amon. That I can’t deal with right now.”

Jasmine huffed. “What are you trying to say?” She didn’t have a clue. Her heart raced in her chest. “Are you breaking up with me?”

He shook his head. “No…I don’t think so…I don’t know. I mean, I think we need a breather.”

Thoughts flew through Jasmine’s mind, scrambling all over the place. “What?” She couldn’t have heard him right. She hadn’t done anything wrong. Amon was her trainer. She didn’t want him. She wanted Beau.

Beau raised his eyebrows. “Jaz. Come on. I know you heard me. Don’t make this even more difficult than it already is. We need a break.”

“A break?”

Beau nodded. “I think we could both use one.”

“But I’m living in your house.”

“It will be fine. Don’t worry. I’m going to be training with Lamia anyway. We’ll both be pretty busy for a while.”

Jasmine nodded, but stared hard at the floor. There were streaks of chestnut mixed in the dark brown wood. She never knew that.
How did I never notice that?
She swallowed around a giant lump in her throat. Her bottom lip quivered.
I will not cry.

Beau gently placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. He smiled down at her, and then left the room. She could give him space. Maybe. It would be hard though. She loved him. He was her best friend. Who did she think she was fooling? She wouldn’t be able to give him space. There was no way.

She sunk down into the couch and buried her face into a dark blue pillow. It didn’t do much to muffle her sobs. After a few moments of wallowing in self-pity, she stormed out the front door and walked around the side of the house. She passed Amon sitting in the porch swing, but he didn’t question her. She continued around the side of the house. When she was far enough away, she dropped down on the grass and fell back against the side of the house. She drew her knees up and crossed her arms over them, letting her head fall forward. She sat like that for a long time. Thinking. The sound of grass shuffling against the bottom of a shoe alerted her to someone approaching. She didn’t care. She wasn’t in the mood to talk, so she didn’t even lift her head.

Somebody came up to her, then wedged behind her. An arm wrapped around her shoulders and pulled her close.

“I’m really not in the moo—” She was cut off as a hand snaked over her mouth. Her eyes widened and she jerked her head to the side, making the hand drop from her lips.

“I’m not in the mood to play games, or train, so can you just leave me alone?”

Another arm wrapped around her other side and pulled. A slithery voice crawled over her skin and goosebumps snaked down her arms and legs. “Y-you are c-coming with m-me.”

That’s not Amon.

Being on the ground made her predicament worse. She tried to flip to her knees and crawl away, but those arms only tightened around her. She tried to scream, but it came out as a whimper as the man’s hand snaked around her again, locking against her mouth.
This can’t be happening.

The man hoisted her to her feet and pushed her from behind, making her take steps. She did the only thing she could think of; she dropped her weight. It made the man’s arms break apart, and she slammed against the ground on her knees. Her arms fell to the grass and she started to crawl, scrambling forward a few seconds. When she felt like she’d put enough distance between them, she attempted to hop to her feet, but just as she stood, the man’s hand wrapped around her ankles and yanked with all his might. This time, she screamed with everything she had as she fell to the ground in a heap. Her hip broke her fall, causing a bruising pain.
Someone will hear my scream. Please let someone hear that!

His slimy hand covered her mouth again. “B-be quiet.”

Since one leg was free, she kicked back with it; it connected with something solid and the grip around her ankle broke. She chanced a look at the man, and surprisingly he looked like a computer nerd. Or an accountant. Except for the red eyes.
Wait a minute. That’s the demon I fried after Ma and Pa died.

She didn’t try to crawl, instead got to her feet, calling her power forward at the same time. It answered immediately, rising to the surface and caressing her like a lover as it slid through her body and pooled into her hands. She aimed her shaking hands at the demon.

Her heart seemed to be in her throat now, and small roots must have grown from the ground to hold her in place because she couldn’t move. The demon jumped at her like a monkey leaping from tree to tree. Blue fire shot from her hands, but it missed, zooming over his head and slamming into the side of the house.

“Shit, shit. Shit!” Jasmine screamed, running away from him to try and put some distance between them.

He barreled into her from behind, and the air rushed from her lungs as her chest hit the ground and the demon fell on top of her.