Above The Flames (The Flames Trilogy #1) (23 page)

A lump formed in her burning throat and she gagged.

“I can’t heal him. He’s already gone.” Gemma backed up. “My power is pulling me in every direction. I’m not sure where to go next. There’s so much pain here. I can feel it.” She placed a hand on her chest. “It’s really bad. I don’t know if I can handle this. I’ve never felt my gift act like this before.”

“I think all of our powers are changing. It’s almost like a supply and demand kind of thing. Our bodies pump out more juice when there is a greater demand.” Jasmine’s body hummed with energy as it started to heat. The blue fire wanted out already. “Guys, I have a really bad feeling about this.”

Cole pursed his lips. “I do too, Jaz. But we have to keep going. I need to help my foster parents. I told you about my childhood. These parents were the only ones to ever make me feel like part of their family.”

Jasmine grabbed his shoulder as he started walking. “Cole, you need to prepare yourself…”

He turned, nostrils flaring. “For what? For my parents to be dead?” He turned back, started walking forward. “You think I don’t know what I might be walking into? Of course I know. They are probably dead. But if they aren’t…I have to try to save them.” The words were hard to hear; they came out barely a whisper.

Jasmine sped up, catching him and joining his side. “And we will try. That’s all we can do. But I’m right beside you.”

“And so am I,” Gemma said. “And I have this feeling we’re going to kick some demon ass!”

Cole half smiled. “Thanks, guys.” He wrapped am arm around each of them. “I’m really glad you’re beside me.”

Several minutes passed as they rushed down a sidewalk in a suburban area. Houses lined the streets, white picket fences surrounding most of them. It was a really nice neighborhood. Jasmine hoped one day to own a house like these.

Cole stopped in front of a beige, two-story home with green shutters. The house was completely dark, but Jasmine thought she saw a flicker of light from the back. She stepped slowly, watching the area and listening for any sounds. The only sounds were that of insects chirping in the wooded area behind the house.

Jasmine tried to follow him up the drive, but her feet wouldn’t cooperate. She lifted a heavy leg, then another, and pushed forward, her shoes thumping heavily against the driveway.

Gemma stayed back, waiting for Jasmine to catch up.

“Mom? Dad? You home?” Cole’s voice echoed through the night breeze as he disappeared into the house.

Jasmine shuffled through the door behind him, her heart racing and her fingers trembling. “Are they here?”

Gemma met her gaze, her eyes wide. “Do you smell that?”

“The house is on fire. Get out of here.”

Cole ran down a small hallway, thick smoke following him.

“What about your parents?” Jasmine barreled out the front door.

“They aren’t here. The house is empty. Maybe they took off?” His tone turned hesitant. “But why wouldn’t they have called?”

They were halfway down the driveway when Jasmine paused, cold chills slithering over her body. A loud scream shot through the air, and suddenly the sound of rushed footsteps pounded toward them. Her eyes darted as she turned in a circle, trying desperately to find the source of the noise.

“What do we have here?” a snaky voice asked.

A man walked down the middle of the street, swerving as if drunk. He had a gray pallor to his skin, and short orange hair. His red eyes concerned her most though. Her shoulders tensed. Gemma grabbed her hand and Cole grabbed Gemma’s. Together, they faced the demon.

“Turn around and go back the way you came, or you’ll be sorry.” Gemma squeezed Jasmine’s hand.

The demon laughed. “I’ll be sorry? I think you have that backward, pretty thing.”

Three more demons with red, glowing eyes stepped out of the darkness behind him. Jasmine gulped down the ball in her throat.

Jasmine lowered her voice to a whisper. “Stay together. Our power is our strength. They say we are Angel Blessed, right? So we should be stronger together. And keep holding hands.”

She’d been thinking about the nature of their powers. If they were all linked to Gazardiel’s powers, shouldn’t they be stronger if they all used their powers together?

Jasmine opened the box, letting her power slink through her veins. She smiled when her hands turned blue. “Bring your power forward, guys.”

“Mine’s already out,” Gemma said.

Cole nodded his agreement.

The demon was close now, his buddies right behind him.

“When I say push, I want you to send your powers into the hands touching each other.”

The demon’s crooked teeth showed when he smiled. He was close enough.

“Push!”

Jasmine’s hand lit up with a heat so strong she almost fell back. She steadied herself, feeling an energy moving through her body. She raised her free hand and their gifts colored her skin a green hue. “Not sure what’s happening here.” Her voice shook. “But I think our powers are combining, guys.”

Her lip trembled and her teeth clacked together over and over. Her whole body started to shake. She pushed the power from her hand, shooting it straight at the demon. A green stream slammed into the demon, shoving him back with so much force he lost his footing and fell to the ground. The power moved from him, combing over his three friends, lighting them up before they, too, dropped to the ground. Not one of them moved.

“Let’s move together. Stay connected.” She looked over at Cole and Gemma. Their eyes were gold. “Your eyes are glowing, guys.” Her tone was hesitant.

“So are yours. What the hell?” Cole asked.

“Not sure, but let’s not focus on it right now. We’ve got bigger fish to fry.” Gemma laughed.

“You’re doing the weird joke thing again, Gem,” Jasmine said.

“Sorry, I can’t help it when I’m nervous.”

It was awkward, but they held hands, side-stepping to the demon closest to them. Smoke rose from his body, disappearing into the darkness. His eyes were black now and his chest didn’t move.
I don’t really know if demons breathe, but this guy isn’t.

“I’ll check him.” Cole dropped Gemma’s hand and crouched down, grabbing the demon’s wrist. “There’s no pulse.”

Jasmine frowned. “I’m not real sure they’d have one anyway.”

Gemma kicked the demon, hard. His body shifted, then fell back to the ground. “Okay, that demon’s dead.”

“They aren’t dead. Not until you cut their heads off.” Jasmine paused, almost gagging thinking about what they needed to do. “If we arc our power down, maybe we can do it from here.”

Gemma and Cole nodded. So, hands joined, they used their power to separate the demons’ heads from their bodies. It was slow going, but in the end, they did it. Jasmine grinned. “Okay, so not sure how we just did that, but it was fan-fricking-tastic. No wonder they think we are so powerful.”

“Yeah. It’s too bad we didn’t know about this a long time ago. Maybe we could have—”

Out of nowhere, Cole slammed into the ground as a body tackled him from the side, falling on top of him. Another demon.
Where’d he come from?
Jasmine threw the question away. She didn’t have time for it. She rushed forward, slightly to the left where the demon straddled Cole, his sharp claws gleaming against the pale moonlight.

“Stop!” Jasmine screamed.

But it wasn’t in time and wouldn’t have made a difference anyway. The claws sliced straight across Cole’s chest. His shirt ripped open and blood welled as he cried out.

She saw flames. “Gemma, push!”

Gemma’s power flowed into Jasmine, and she didn’t think. Just compelled it out. Let it take charge like it wanted to. She watched the movement her hand made. Watched the grin spread across her face. But she wasn’t doing any of it.

She knew this was dangerous. Giving her gift control could prove the dumbest decision she’d ever made. It didn’t matter though.

Cole lay on the ground, writhing. The green glow projected, smacking the demon in the face. He screamed and fell to the side, but quickly scampered away from Cole. After he got a little distance behind him, he stood and ran, disappearing behind some houses. Jasmine looked at Gemma and they both shrugged. They couldn’t chase him. Not with Cole bleeding on the ground. Even though she wanted nothing else than to catch him and kill him.
Okay. Calm down. That has to be your power talking.

Gemma ran the few steps to Cole’s side. “Oh my God. He got you!”

Cole smirked. “Way to see the obvious, Gem.” He coughed. “I’m really cold.”

Jasmine frowned as she came closer. “The demon claw releases a poisonous toxin into the bloodstream.” She didn’t need to say the rest. They could read between the lines.

Gemma pulled a hand up, the yellow glow making everything visible in the dark night, almost like a flashlight. She waved her hand over the wound. After a minute, she gazed up at Jasmine. “It’s working. It’s healing him.”

Jasmine’s heart raced. Her eyelids had become heavy, though, and she blinked rapidly, trying to keep them open. She dropped to her knees on Cole’s side, watching the wound stitching back together.
How is this possible? The demon who killed Dad said nothing could stop the poison. Obviously they didn’t know about Gemma.

Cole sat up when Gemma pulled her hand back, clutching it to her chest. “Thank you. I can’t believe that worked, but thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Now can we get out of here, or what?” Gemma asked.

“That’s the best idea I’ve heard all night.”

Chapter 28

A Demon-Size Punishment

Bael

Bael stood in the kitchen of his makeshift home, leaning his elbows against the counter. “Is everything in order for Jasmine’s accommodations?”

“Yes. Everything is ready for her arrival,” Moloch said.

Bael smiled. “Good. And what of the others?”

Moloch ran a finger through his mahogany hair. “They have been captured, and are separated as you requested. They won’t escape.”

“Terrific.” Bael laughed. “Then everything is coming together. After we get Jasmine, we will work on capturing the others. And converting them.”

“They will make superb additions to our side.”

Bael raised one brow. “Yes, I think they will indeed.”

A pounding on the back door made Bael angle his head to the side. Moloch shrugged, but walked off to answer the door.

Moloch sauntered back into the kitchen. A demon followed him, his charcoal eyes burning red and his red hair sticking out in all directions. His gaze was wild and his jaw shook.

“Verin, what is the matter?” Bael asked.

“Master Bael, we were attacked. Shax, Uvall, Demetrius, and Ipos were slain.” The demon’s hollow voice shook with fear.

“Who attacked you? Certainly not a human. Was it a fallen one?”

Verin shook his head frantically. “No. They were human. But they had powers. There were three of them, two girls and a guy.”

Bael’s hands clenched. “The Angel Blessed? They killed my demons? How? They haven’t been able to kill us before, only harm us.”

Verin stumbled forward, catching himself on the counter. Then he stood, facing Bael. “I don’t know, but they joined hands and it seemed like they were able to combine their powers or something.”

Interesting. The Angel Blessed had finally figured out that their powers played off of each other. Bael wondered if the angels were aware of this development. He clenched his teeth. He lost four of his best demons today.

Bael softened his voice. “Verin, if they killed the other demons with you, how are you still here to tell the tale?”

Verin glanced at the floor, then back up at Bael, but the demon looked at Bael’s chest, not his eyes. The demon’s pale cheeks turned a sweet pink. “I—uh. Well, I heard some commotion as I was searching a house. I ran toward the noise, but the four of them were already dead. There were two girls and a young man standing together, smiles lining their faces. I ran forward, tackling the man and quickly sliced him across the chest.” Verin finally met Bael’s eyes. “But the girls joined hands and hit me with some kind of power. You see what they did to my face?”

Bael nodded. His face was burned pretty badly, but he didn’t feel sorry for him.

“After I got hit, I took off as fast as I could. If I would have stayed there, my fate would have been sealed just as the others’ was.”

Bael nodded again. “You did the right thing.” He leaned his face into Verin’s. “I assume you killed the man?” Bael wasn’t sure Verin’s story was adding up, but he would accept it if he’d killed an Angel Blessed.

Verin shook his head. “I stopped running and glanced back when I had the cover of a house to hide behind. The blonde girl ran her hands over the wound, and the boy glowed yellow. Then he got up and he wasn’t bleeding anymore. She healed him, but I have no clue how. I thought our poison was incurable.”

Bael stroked the side of Verin’s head. “So did I. But it doesn’t matter. You failed.” He shoved the demon, who’s face cracked into the counter.

“Moloch, tie him up.”

Bael spat at Verin, “Your brethren died because they stayed and bravely fought. You ran like the coward you are. Because of your actions you will be punished.”

Verin’s lip trembled. “I’m sorry, Master. There was nothing I could have done.”

Bael roared in anger. “You have no idea if that is true because instead of trying, you didn’t. And we lost four of our best demons.”

“But if I would have died too, nobody would be alive to tell you what happened.”

Bael widened his eyes. Verin was right. But he’d still be punished. The others must stay in line, and if he didn’t set an example, they would question his leadership, maybe even try to usurp him. And he couldn’t let that happen. It would be better to keep them afraid. They would fall in line better that way.

“Moloch, take him to the front room. Make sure his ties are tight. He will be squirming a lot,” Bael ordered.

Moloch nodded, dragging a screaming Verin behind him.

Moments later, Bael dragged his feet across the wooden floor as he joined Verin in the front room. Moloch stood above the demon, who was tied with a thick rope to an intricate carving in the ceiling. The demon’s body stretched, his feet barely touching the floor.

“Thank you, Moloch. I’m glad to know I have one demon who is competent.”

Moloch nodded.

Bael pursed his lips. “I need you to go convince Bub to come see me. And quickly.”

Another nod, then Moloch disappeared behind Bael. Once the door clicked closed, Bael turned his focus to Verin.

He squirmed, trying to find his footing, but instead swung back and forth slowly. Bael moved behind him, pushed him as if he were a child on a playground, and the demon’s swaying increased.

“Please, Bael. You don’t have to do this.”

Bael snapped his claw out. “Oh, but I do. We don’t accept cowardly behavior, Verin. You know how we work. In order for the other demons to know how serious this rule is, you must be punished.”

The demon’s voice cracked. “B-by killing me?”

Bael laughed, the sound echoing around the large room. “No. I’m not going to kill you. But you’ll wish you’re dead by the end.”

He slashed his claw across the demon’s bare chest. Thick blood spilled over, sliding down the demon’s skin slowly. He struck again, across Verin’s stomach. This one was deeper, leaving innards exposed to the outside.

“Ooh. That could get infected, I think.” Bael cackled. “It’s a good thing infections matter naught to demons, huh?”

Verin cried out, over and over, with each and every slice. The demon’s muscles tensed when Bael brought his hand back and slung it forward. By the end, the demon’s inky blood covered everything, including Bael. Of course he didn’t mind.

Bael rubbed his hands together. “Now for the real fun.”

“Master, I can’t take any more of this torture.”

“Oh, good. Then you’ll love this.” Bael panted with excitement. “It’s not my usual torture.”

Bael was always very careful when it came to using his powers. He didn’t want everyone to know the things he could do. But this situation called for a little extra kick.

He entered the demon’s mind.
So much pain.
The demon moaned, and Bael pushed forward. When he found a good spot, he settled his gift, spreading it like butter around the demon’s brain. Bael fisted his hand and the power squeezed. The pressure on the demon’s brain built slowly, until the sound of the demon’s screams made Bael’s eardrums threaten to explode. He pulled back slightly, straightening his hand. Then he clenched his hand hard, and Verin howled.

“Have you had enough punishment?” Bael asked.

Verin raised his chin. “No, Master. I would like a bit more.”

Bael grinned. “I think you’ve learned what I needed you to learn. Your words have showed me that.” Bael untied the demon and he dropped to the ground, rolling into a ball on the floor. “I am aware you will need time to heal, so climb the stairs and choose a room where you can sleep. Once you are healed, join our fight again.”

Verin nodded and disappeared up the steps.

The front door opened and Bub meandered through, looking drunk.

“Have you been drinking, Bub?”

Bub hiccupped. “Nah.” He pinched two fingers together in the air. “Well, maybe just a little.”

Bael stormed up to the boy, grabbed him by the shirt, and lifted him from the ground, then growled. “I told you to get Jasmine alone. Why are you drinking instead of doing this?”

“She left a while ago. I’m thinking she should be back soon though. I mean, she left a long time ago, man.”

“Yes, well, why don’t you go wait for her? Sober yourself up and prepare for the time when you will make your move.”

“Sure, man. No problem. I’ll be ready. She’s a bitch anyway, man.”

Bael hissed. “I am not your man, Bub. If you do not cease calling me that, I will have to do something about it. Perhaps rip your tongue from your throat. How’s that sound?”

Bub gulped. “Man, way to ruin a good buzz, dude.”

Bael released his grip and Bub fell to the floor. “Get out! And I don’t want to see you again until Jasmine is dealt with. Understood?”

Bub nodded and hopped to his feet, sliding out the front door.

Moloch had entered through the back. “He’s such a waste of a human.”

Bael turned. “Yes, but he is necessary. For now.”

“I will retire, Master Bael, if that is okay with you.”

Bael nodded and flicked his wrist in the air. “Go. Rest. You will need it. And thank you, Moloch, for a job well done.”

Moloch nodded and went up the stairs, leaving Bael alone, staring out the window at the man running across the street. He frowned.
I wish I didn’t have to depend on such morons.

“
What do you mean, Bael? Trouble on Earth?
” Lucifer asked in his mind.

Bael swallowed hard. “
No, Lucifer. No trouble.
”

“
I didn’t think so, Bael. There is an opening in the wall now. Of course, it isn’t big enough to get through, and my chains are still strong, but the walls are now dripping blood. You are doing a good job up there. Keep going and I will join you soon.
”

“
I will. Don’t you worry.
”

“
What of the Angel Blessed? And the girl, Jasmine? You need to capture her as soon as possible.
”

“
Yes, she is very slippery and difficult to attain, but my plan is in motion and we will have her soon.
”

“
Good. Keep up the good work, Bael.
”

Bael nodded, forgetting Lucifer couldn’t see him, but it didn’t matter anyway. The connection was severed, static filling his mind.

“And my plan revolves around a human idiot. Will wonders never cease?”

Bael punched the wall as a red car pulled into the driveway across the street. Three people got out. One with long dark hair waving behind her as she bounced up the steps and opened the front door.

“Soon, Jasmine.” Bael laughed hysterically before backing up and sinking into the chair in the large room. “Soon, you will be ours.”