Demonic Angel (A Touch Of Magic) (11 page)

“I have a problem.”

TWELVE

“Slow down Titch. Take a breath. Don't mess yourself.” Still cocky I see.

              “Oh shut up Jaxon! This is serious. I was out with my family when a you lookalike turned up. He said he has been following my scent for the past two weeks and now he has found me Jax.” Again with the Jax, Cally? “He said his name was Crillin and he is a-”

              “An elf.” Jaxon finishes for me. His voice sounds tense. “Does he know your name?”

“What has that got to do with anything?” I snap.

              “Just answer the question Calissa.”

“No.” I sigh. “We gave him fake names.”

              “Okay, good. Where are you now?” I debate whether or not to tell him where I am since this is
Jaxon
we are talking about. The incubus that wants to devour me and my soul. However, I am stronger now and can fight him if worst comes to worst.

              “I'm in a house.” Vague.

“You're not going to tell me, are you?” I shake my head and then realise that he cannot see me.

              “No offence but do you blame me if I don't?” He chuckles and I realise just how much I have missed his laugh. The normal one, not the demonic one.

“No, I suppose I don't. Just answer me one thing; are you safe?”

              “Yes. We are hidden at the moment.” Lorraine's words come back to bite me in the arse.
We will be hidden for two weeks.
“Oh sh-crap. No. We aren't hidden anymore. There was a hex on the house but it only lasts two weeks. Those two weeks end today.”

“Shit! Where
are
you Titch?” I don't think he is actually asking me, I think he is asking himself.

              “Oh my gosh...I know you want me dead too, I know it is your duty; your job. You, I can somehow handle. An Elf and whatever Underworld Leaders he has with him? I don't think I can handle that.” I whisper. He is silent for a moment and then I hear him take a deep breath.

“It isn't him you should be scared of. Crillin won't kill you. He will bring you to one of our highest Elders. Where as I am supposed to just kill you in anyway I see fit.”

              “Oh that's comforting.” I comment blankly. He snorts.

“Calissa, you are a Nephilim. The only one alive by the look of things. The Elder that Crillin works for has it out for angels and their kin. And powerful fairies but that's irrelevant right now.”

              “What will he do to me?” I croak.

“Torture you.” Subtle. “Look, I am only telling you this because I hate Crillin and despite my demonic devices, I kind of like you. You are... interesting. If I had my way, you'd be mine to keep as a pet.” He laughs and I know he is trying to make light of another downright terrible situation but I just can't find it in me to smile; let alone laugh. He takes my silence the right way for once. He groans and then growls. “Ugh! I wish it didn't have to be this way!” My brows dip in confusion.

              “Be what way?”

“Don't worry. Um... I figure you are still in another country?”

              “Yeah. I am not telling you where though. I'd kill you first.”

“Aren't angels meant to be all holy and spiritual and against fighting?” He cackles and I roll my eyes.

              “Not this one.”

“Well, I will find you. I always get what I want Calissa Bond.” He goes quiet for a moment and then sucks in a ragged breath. “Titch? Be safe okay.” He hangs up on me and I don't know how to feel about it. I decide to send him a quick message to see how he reacts. DON'T JUDGE ME FOR THIS.

Me: Still think about your lips, I will be picturing your lips on mine while I shower.
I smile as I hit send and then place my phone onto the counter before stripping down and stepping into the shower.

Bad thing about being able to fly... Not noticing the flies that land in your hair. I have just washed out like eighteen of them from my waist length locks. It is truly disgusting. I ended up washing my hair three times and combing through my hair twice to ensure they have all gone. I step out of the shower and wrap myself in a pink fluffy towel. I see my phone flashing and I smile to myself. I pick it up and open the new message.

Jaxon:
In the shower huh? Do I get a pic?

Me: No!

Jaxon: Too bad. For the record, I think about that kiss every minute of every day.

Oh my lord. My heart soars higher than I did earlier on today. My mouth goes dry and my fingers ache to type back.

Me: If you weren't going to kill me, I could so go for it again
It is risky, me sending this but it is also fun to mess with him.
Oh don't lie to yourself Calissa Rose Bond. You are loving this
... Oh, hello brain, you argumentative thing you. Okay, I am having an internal conversation with my brain. If that isn't weird... My phone buzzes in my hand.

Jaxon:
Don't say things like that Titch

Me
:
Or
what
?

Jaxon: I cant break the rules
… Rules? I scowl at my phone.

Me:
Elaborate?

He doesn't reply for a good ten minutes so I return to my bedroom and start to get dressed. A lot of my clothes have had to be altered for my wings to have easy access for movement, much to my dismay. I decide to wear a black, off the shoulder, long sleeved top and a pair of dark wash skinny jeans. The back of the top is low dipped so I didn't need to alter this one. I slip on some socks and then my knee length, high-heeled boots. I run a brush through my damp hair and pile it up into a messy bun on the top of my head. Applying a bit of mascara, I am ready. Oh I should explain what I am doing.

My mum thought it would be best if we all slept as if we are going to leave in the middle of the night. So, as uncomfortable as it is, I sleep fully dressed. At least for now.

I have an emergency bag packed with altered tops and underwear etc. You know, just in case. Mum, Tessa and Lorraine have the same.

In mum's opinion, Ana and dad will always be protected due to them being human. Yet, to be on the safe side, mum has purchased a plane ticket for each of them to Mexico, where dad's sister Kim lives. The ticket runs out in six months time. They have a bag packed and ready too. We have thought of everything.

Or rather, mum has.

I am just about to leave the bedroom and head down for some food when my phone vibrates from the bed. I grab it and read the latest message.

Jaxon:
don't tell me things like that Calissa. U have no idea how many times I have               thought about giving this mission up and just doing shit with u in my own               way. It is completely against the rules if I decide to not kill u so DONT SAY                             THINGS LIKE THAT!

The single most serious message he has ever sent me. And I want to so badly tell him to not kill me and be with me instead
but I think against it. I don't want him to get into trouble. Or do I? No, no I really don't. So to throw him off again I send him three words.

Me:
I was lying

I shove my phone inside my back pocket and head downstairs, towards the smell of cooking food. Mmm.

“So, I spoke to Jaxon.” I say after dinner and when Ana is in bed. Everyone's eyes snap over to me. “He said that Crillin works for an Elder that has it in for angels and their kin and he wants a Nephilim to torture. Guess we found out who the other group of Underworlders out to get me are.”

              “You aren't exactly a Nephilim though Cal.” Tessa clarifies. I give her a look that says 'duh' and she blushes.

“Yes Tessa, but they don't know that.” Lorraine states. “Well, what did he say after that?” I think back to my conversation with him and my face heats up. Tessa raises an eyebrow and smirks at me and I curse myself for thinking so carelessly about Jaxon.

              “He told me to be safe.” I tell them. My dad, who insisted he be apart of this discussion glowers and tuts while my mum has confusion written all over her face.

“The hex is now down. We will no longer be able to hide. They are going to track my scent back to here and there is nothing I can do to stop them mum.” I exclaim.

              “We run.” I blink at my dads words. “Don't look at me like that Calissa Rose Bond. It makes sense, for now. We run. Ana and I will go to Mexico. The four of you, I don't know, Scotland?” I scrunch up my face.

“I don't want to go to Scotland dad.” The whiny teen I keep locked away inside of me, peeks through.

              “Then where do you suggest Cally?” He bites back causing me to blanch. He has never spoken to me like that before. Mum notices the shock on my face and narrows her eyes at dad.

“Home.” Mum chimes.

              “Huh?” The rest of us say at the same time.

“We will go home. They have already searched the house I bet, so they won't expect us back there. At least there, we have connections.” Mum looks over at Lorraine who clarifies this theory with a nod.

Lorraine told us last week that back home she has her family, who are witches, that will be on our side and she knows of a few demons that have been banished from the Underworld and do their own thing. Ones that would happily go against the Elders. Mum said she has one or two people that she could try but wouldn't explain further.

              “Are you sure Serena?” Dad asks carefully.

“Positive. If we can hold them off for two days at least, that is easily enough time to gather more alliances.” Mum turns to me. “Do everything you can to try and convince Caroline Cray to help us out. I know Jaxon is her stepson but she will help us. Mara's don't care about rules.” Stepson? I thought Jaxon just called her Caroline because he was just a disrespectful son.

              “What is a mara?” Tessa asks.

“A nightmare.” Mum replies. Tessa's eyes bug out of her head and then she smiles.

              “Explains why her son is such a pain in the arse then.” She giggles and I smirk. Mum and Lorraine roll their eyes while dad looks at us all in confusion. I don't think he remembers that it was Aeron that started this mess.  “So if Caroline is a mara, does that make Aeron one too?”

              “Um, no Tessa. Aeron is not Caroline's son. His birth mother died giving birth.” Mum replies hesitantly. Oh, his dad and Jaxon's dad must be an incubus too then. Awesome. NOT.

THIRTEEN

The next morning was one of the hardest mornings I have ever had to endure. Dad and Ana left for Mexico. Ana burst into tears when I said goodbye to her. And dad? Well there were no tears in his brown eyes, but there was still sadness within them. He squeezed me so tight that I was sure he has supernatural powers too. Of course though, he doesn't. Mum and dad held each other for a long time when they said goodbye. Mum had to wear gloves and have her entire body covered just so that she wouldn't harm dad or Ana while her guard is down.

As soon as they had both gone. We locked up the house and headed for Calais. We were driving home and possibly into a death trap. FUN!

              I turned my phone off during the drive home from Dover so that if Jaxon rings me, the dial tone will not change back to the original one. I don't want him knowing that I am home. Even though he said he wants me safe, I don't trust him, much. I don't think anyone can blame me on that front though, I mean come on, even you have seen the texts he has sent me. Some are beyond creepy.

Lorraine drives us in mum's car so that if Jaxon is lurking around the house, he won't recognise the car or suspect that it is me returning. Well we are soon to find out now aren't we.

After a good five/six hours travelling, we finally pull up outside of my house. Lorraine conjured up a small spell on me and Tessa to make us look different from the onlookers eye. To mum, Tessa and Lorraine, I look normal. To everyone else, I have short black hair, pale skin, freckles and blue eyes. None of my features are the same. Tessa however has platinum blonde hair, blue eyes, tanned skin and a slightly long nose. We are also calling each other the fake names we gave Crillin when we met him out on that field.

We get out of the car and I am so grateful to stretch my legs. I have to say my 5”7 self does not appreciate being cooped up in a car for so long. I look up at my three storied house and a familiar ache starts in my chest. I have missed my home. I am almost tempted to run up to the nearest wall and kiss it. I don't though. That's just weird.

Mum pulls out her keys and unlocks the front door and steps in. I follow and crash into her back. I hadn't even noticed that she had stopped. I look around her and see why the sudden halt.

The house has been trashed. All of our belongings and treasuries have been destroyed and thrown about the rooms. The banister has been ripped from the stairs and is now in the middle of the hallway in bits. Doors hang off their hinges. Mirrors are cracked. Pictures smashed. I feel tears threaten to spill but I blink them back. My childhood home has been demolished from the inside. It doesn't mean that life is over though. It also doesn't look like anything has been taken either.

I make my way into the kitchen and see that, like the rest of the downstairs part of the house, it has been destroyed.

              “Clara. Go and check upstairs with Talia.” Mum whispers in a broken voice. I don't know why she is so upset. She hasn't been here since after Ana was born. I don't tell her my thoughts though. Me and Tessa just make our way upstairs instead.

Ana's room, trashed. Dad's room, trashed. Three of the spare rooms, trashed. Bathrooms, destroyed. My room? Perfect. My face screws up entirely as I take in the only room in the house that looks as if it hasn't been touched since before we left. The bowl from when I burnt my hands is still in here. My bikini is still on the bed. The clothes I changed out of the day we ran to mum are on the bed too. I scratch my head in confusion. Tessa does too.

              “What the frick?” Tessa says as she walks further into the room. She opens the adjoining bathroom door and like the room, it hasn't been touched.

“My thoughts exactly.” I walk around the room and indeed,
nothing
is wrong. Well obviously
something
is wrong just not with my room though. I leave my room, baffled, and then head to where the top floor door is. Just how I left it, locked.

No-one can get up there. It is a panic room and the wooden door is just a façade, the real door is a solid steel door that is so heavy, it usually takes two people to open.

Tessa and I head back downstairs and see that in the space of the ten minutes we were upstairs, mum and Lorraine have managed to clean up sixty percent of the damage.

              “Up stairs is pretty much the same mum.” I say. “Except for my room. It hasn't been touched at all.” Mum and Lorraine's heads snap up and they look at me.

“At all?” I shake my head at Lorraine's question. “Are you sure?”

              “Positive. There isn't a thing out of place.” Tessa replies for me.

“Hmm. Weird.” Mum comments. “Well, why don't you two scope out the garden while we tidy up and then if everything is clear, you can help us.” I try not to pull a face at the thought of tidying this mess up but fail miserably. Tessa and I head out into the garden, our guards up completely.

I am half appreciative yet annoyed that the garden is so big. It means that A. we won't be joining mum and Lorraine any time soon in the clean up and B. we have a lot of ground to cover.

We circle the entire garden and patio and see that unlike the house, it is immaculate. Looks like the Underworlders didn't bother with it. Tessa goes off to check the tennis court while I check the garage.

I open the door and freeze. There is something in here. Something not human. I inhale to try and see where exactly the scent is coming from and find that it is coming from inside one of dads cars. The Range Rover to be precise. I creep up to the car and peek inside. I can't see anything due to the stupid windows being tinted. I squint to try and look through better and I see a faint shadow from the inside. I jump back and prepare for an attack.

              “I know you are in there. Come out, now.” I am amazed how calm and collected I sound. I wait patiently until the car bounces slightly and the door opens. I step behind the door. A black boot hits the floor and then another one. Due to the car being so big, I can't see over the top of the door to see who those feet belong to. After a second or two, I don't need to anyway. They start to move around the door and then he is standing in front of me. Jaxon.

              “Can I ask why you are sleeping in the car?” I ask. Not giving away that I am me since I look like someone else.

“Can I ask why you are here? On this property?” He narrows his eyes at me.

              “I could ask you the same thing mate.” I raise my eyebrows at him.

“I was house sitting for the owner.” He lies.

              “Liar. The owner has just sold me and my family the house.” His face drops from the scowl to something that looks like shock at me catching him out on his lie. “So, why are you here?”

              “You really want to know?” His eyes narrow again and he gets that sexy smirk that I love so much, on his lips.

“Would I have asked if I didn't?” I spit. He takes a step towards me and I don't move. I am frozen in fascination of what he is about to do. He stands directly in front of me and still smirking, he reaches down to touch my cheek. I flinch but don't move away. His hand brushes my cheek and his fingers run down my face to my chin. He pulls my head up to look at him and my new blue eyes meet the green eyes that I have been dreaming of for over two weeks. The smile on his face falters as he leans in to graze his lips with mine. My breath hitches. His lips barely touch mine when he pulls back and eyes me warily.

              “Titch?” He whispers and my breath catches in my throat completely and I struggle to swallow the lump in my throat. I close my eyes and when I open them again, he is frowning at me.

“I'm sorry, what did you call me?” I put the façade back on though I am pretty positive he sees right through it.

              “I know it is you. No-one on this world, or the Underworld is unaffected by me when I touch them. You may have masked your scent and looks but I know full well that it is you. Why else would a girl let a stranger kiss them? I am no stranger, not to you, am I Calissa?” I bite my lip. “Your silence is the only answer I need.”

Before I can say anything, he rushes me and slams his lips into mine causing a gasp to fly out from between my partly opened lips. The shock wares off shortly after and soon I am kissing him back. He wraps one arm around my waist, pulling me flush against him while the other hand is resting on my cheek. My hands, previously limp at my sides, slowly rise up and grip his top. I realise that despite me telling him I was lying, I really
did
mean it when I texted him telling him I wanted his lips on mine again. His kisses do something to me that I can't explain. I feel light headed and my entire body ignites from my stomach and flows through my system. It is like my veins are pumping this passion instead of oxygen right through to my brain. I pull my lips away from his and am gasping for breath when I look up at him with wide eyes. The arm that is still around my waist, pulls me to him again and he is
hugging me?

              “You may not look like you, but you still kiss like you. I have missed you.” He kisses the top of my head. That gesture alone is enough to make me whimper. It is so tender and unlike him.

              “Does this mean you are going to kill me now?” I whisper into his chest. He tenses up.

“I- I don't know. Maybe.” My stomach churns. “I want to enjoy this a bit more though.” He rests his chin on the top of my head and holds me tighter to him. As much as I am enjoying him holding me like he loves me, I do need to head back to Tessa before she comes looking for me. “Who are you here with?”

              “Tessa.” I say, keeping from him that mine and Tessa's mums are here too. He nods against my head. His stubble scratches me yet I don't mind.

“So did you speak to the angel parent?”

              “No. Turns out my birth father abandoned me when I was born.” I shrug. He pulls away and holds me at arms length.

“And your birth mother, is human?” Should I lie and say yes? Or tell him the truth? He is going to find out eventually that the reason his powers don't work on me is because I am half succubus. Maybe I should just tell him. It is a bit of a relief knowing that he can't kill me by sucking my life and soul from me. Hmm... it is probably a better idea if I withhold that information from him for a while.

              I don't respond “Um, the Underworlders?”

“Are gone. For now. I am supposed to be staking out the house in case you returned. Then I am meant to report back to my father and the other Elders if you do.” My heart stops.

              “And are you going to?” He winces at my question and I shrug his hands off of me. He looks pained and I think I have my answer. “Well, go on then. Go and let them know that I am back. Tell them there are four women here waiting for them while you are at it. Let me tell you this though Jaxon Cray, if I have to, I will fight
you
too.” My lips turn up into a snarl and I turn away from his frozen in shock self. I leave him standing there while I exit the garage, I get a few steps away before he grabs my arm and swings me around to face him with such force, I should have gotten whiplash if I was human. But I'm not, so...

              “You
know
it is my duty to report it Calissa. It is against the rules for me to not let them know. Against the rules for me to care about you. To kiss you. To like you. So if you cannot handle that fact then bring it on. I will not hesitate to kill you. And even if I cannot use my powers on you there will be other ways, Nephilim.” I almost laugh in his face at the incorrect name he calls me but I don't, instead I tear myself from his grip and storm off towards the house.

“Guys! Might as well undo the disguise. We have been discovered.”