Demonic Angel (A Touch Of Magic) (26 page)

              “Bring him back to life.” I sob, I stop the pain.

“I can't.” She breathes out.

              “Then I won't stop.” I turn it on again and she screams. I raise the other hand and go to shoot a lightning bolt.

“Calissa stop!!” Mum shouts from behind me. “This isn't you baby. She is your best friend. You don't want to hurt her do you?”

              “Mum, she killed Jaxon.” I cry out as I point to where he is laying. I squeeze my eyes shut for a brief second. My mum gasps and spins around, looking for Jaxon.

“Where is he?” I drop my hand and spin around to face where I just left him. I leave Tessa on the floor crying her heart out while I run over to the spot that is just blood on the grass now. I spin around in a large circle and can't see a trail of blood anywhere. I take off into the air and look around the house for any sign of him. It is too dark to see anything. Even my extraordinary eyesight is no match for this darkness. I yell out and am mentally grateful that we have no next door neighbours, we would surely get a complaint by now. The closest house to ours is Jaxon's. I take off in that direction. Ignoring my mother's shouts to stop me.

THIRTY-ONE

I land in Jaxon's driveway and run up to the door, banging on it. Caroline answers it with a frown on her face.

              “Calissa? What's wrong?”

“Is he here?”

              “Is who here?”

“Jaxon?” I shriek as I barge passed her and look around the foyer, expecting to see him.

              “No, he said he had to go back to yours. He hasn't been back yet. What happened?” I wail and collapse to my knees in defeat.

“I think he is dead. Tessa shot him.” I sob. Caroline gasps and starts to shake. “She had a gun, he pushed me out of the way. She shot him in the chest. I think he's dead but he vanished.” I cry.

“He- he's dead?” I nod and Caroline grabs me by my shoulders and pulls me into her and I let her as we both sit on the floor of her house and cry. After about ten minutes, she pushes me away and gets to her feet. “We need to get hold of Edward.”

              “But how? I haven't seen Edward since the tunnels.” I tell her, wiping my face with my hands.

“You can teleport us there.” I blink at her. “You can Cally. I believe in you.” I frown, doubting my abilities but she takes my hand and pulls me to my feet. “Calissa. You can do this. If Jaxon has disappeared, Edward might know where he went. Incubi can sense these things when it comes to their offspring.” That gives me a bit of hope. I close my eyes and squeeze Caroline's hand, cutting out the faint cry of me sucking her life. I open my eyes again and see that we are in a different house. A bigger house. I release Caroline and she gasps. I give her a guilty apologetic smile and she waves me off.

We walk around the house, not knowing exactly where my teleportation has taken us and come to a large sitting room. Edward is in an armchair reading a book.

              “Little angel? What are you doing here?” He gets to his feet when he sees his wife walk in the room, eyes red from crying. “What's happened? Is it Aeron? Is he okay?” He panics. I gasp and turn to Caroline, completely forgetting that we had left Aeron alone in the house.

              “Aeron is fine. He is asleep upstairs.” I frown at her and she smiles at me. “Whenever I come here, magically, Aeron automatically comes with me. Just a spell a warlock I know set up form me a few months ago.” I turn back to Edward.

              “Where is Jaxon?” He asks slowly and I have to push away the aching pain that is in my heart.

“Gone.” I rasp out.

              “What do you mean by that?”

“Tessa shot him with a gun. He died Edward.” I feel hot tears fall down my face again. Edward remains expressionless.

              “You try to heal him?” Oh crap! No I didn't. I didn't even think about that. I shake my head and look down at the ground in shame.

“He vanished though. I lost it on Tessa and tried to kill her but mum stopped me and then Jaxon was just, gone.” Edward pulls a face as if to say 'weird' and then his face turns expressionless again.

“How long ago did he- get shot?” I can tell that despite being so calm, it is killing him to know that his son is dead.

              “Um, half an hour ago.” I tell him. He nods and sits back down in his armchair, placing his head in his hands and closes his eyes. I wait patiently, unsure of what to do. He suddenly stands and it makes me jump. “I can't find him.” He frowns.

              “But Edward, this is Jaxon, you can't just give up-”

“I know it is Jaxon! He is my son Calissa! I am hurting too. I want to find him as much as you do but right now, I cannot find him?”

              “Does that mean he is definitely dead?” Caroline squeaks.

“No. It means he is being hidden. His scent is masked.”

              “Who would hide him?” I ask, wiping my face. Edward hesitates and walks to the other side of the room before pouring himself a glass of Scotch.

“His mother.”

THIRTY-TWO

Caroline, Edward and I have been roaming the entire East side of England. We are all dead set on finding Jaxon and his mother. Apparently, she
is
alive. I was so confused when Edward passed on this information. He told me that he paid her off and sent her away, claiming she was no good to Jaxon since he still had a pulse and Edward was worried she would bleed him dry if given in to temptation.

              Edward won't tell me her name. He thinks that if he mentions it out loud then it will make her being actually alive, real. I don't think he understands the concept of his
son
being missing and possibly dead and a vampire has him!

I am unsure if knowing her name will make a difference though.

              Right now, two days later, the three of us are standing outside of a cheap hotel just on the outskirts of Essex debating to go inside. I have never felt so drained in my life. We have been driving for most of this trip but other times, I have been teleporting. Since incubi can't teleport, I have had to carry Edward and Caroline and believe me, it isn't easy.

Caroline walks up to me and gives me a sad smile before touching my covered arm.

              “You need to feed Cally. You haven't eaten anything other than a measly sandwich since we left Suffolk and you need a big meal plus your inner demon needs to feed too if you want to continue this rescue mission. And you need to sleep.” I hate when she goes all motherly on me. I know she is right. I can feel what my body needs. I am running on fumes right now and I feel like crap. I dread to think what I look like.

“Okay.” I whisper. I follow her and Edward inside and he pays for a room before handing me the room key. Caroline and I head off in the direction of the room and let ourselves in.

The room is plain and simple. Burgundy throw over white sheets on a queen size bed. Burgundy curtains around a small window. Beige carpet. Beige lamp on either side of the bed. A small dark oak desk and chair. A dark oak cabinet. A small beige armchair in the corner and a small flat screen TV on the wall. The bathroom is tiny but clean. A standing shower, toilet and sink with a mirror above it fill the little room. No window in there whatsoever.

              “Honey, have a shower, I am just going to grab you some clean clothes. I bet you would appreciate wearing something other than those shorts and sandals.” Caroline soothes. I give her an attempt at a smile but it falls flat so I give her a simple nod before she leaves the hotel room. I turn to the shower, avoiding the mirror completely. I really don't want to see how bad I look. I turn on the shower and wait for the water to heat up. When it does, I am just about to strip out of my clothes when there is a knock on the door. I sigh and turn to open it. Edward.

              “Brought you some shower gel, a sponge thing, some razors and some girly shampoo and conditioner. Thought you'd appreciate these more than the shitty hotel crap they have here.”

“Thanks Edward.” I manage to say with a small smile. I take the cleaning stuff and he gives me a fatherly smile before leaving the room. It's weird to think that not too long ago, he wanted me dead.

I pull off my dirty clothes and chuck them on the floor before stepping under the hot spray of the shower. It feels amazing even if the pressure isn't to my standards. I use the cleaning products Edward bought me and clean myself up as best as I can; given my long blonde hair an extra wash with the fruity shampoo and conditioner just because I haven't even brushed it since I left my house the other day. After I feel moderately better, even if my heart aches from the gaping hole it contains, I step out of the shower after shutting it off and wrap myself up in a rough white towel. I open the bathroom door to see three large bags on the bed with a note stuck to the top of one.
Wear the dress, be back in half hour to grab you, C x

I frown before opening the first bag. A hairbrush, toothbrush, toothpaste, make-up, body lotion, hairspray, a set of straighteners and a hair-dryer. I roll my eyes before moving on to the next bag. I almost laugh. Almost. About five sets of sexy, lacy underwear and matching bras, a black dress which looks tighter than Lycra shorts, a pair of black heels in a shoe box with some jewellery. Does Caroline seriously think I want to wear this kind of thing right now? I push that bag away and empty the contents of the final bag and sigh with relief when I see what is inside. Jeans, a nice black baggy top, a pair of black and pink Adidas hi-tops and a hoodie. I wonder how much all this cost her. I hope she didn't fork out too much on me.

              I am so tempted to pull on a pair of jeans and the hoodie but I am also curious as to why Caroline wants me to wear a dress so, despite my inner argument, I pull on a set of black lacy panties and bra and slip into the skin tight dress. Oh my God! This thing is like a second skin! I can't go out in public wearing this! It barely covers my butt! I groan and pull on the heels which fit perfectly. Now for the dreaded moment. I have to look in a mirror to be able to do my hair and make-up. I know many people who don't need a mirror to do this but I am not one of those people. Tessa, however, is. The thought of her makes my skin crawl. I shake my head of negative thoughts and head into the bathroom again with the cosmetics bag.

Holy shit, I look disgusting! I have dark rings around my tired eyes, my skin looks pale and my amber irises look a pale brown now. The glow in my eyes has pretty much gone. The sight of myself almost makes me want to cry.

I run a brush through my hair which takes a while, then blow dry it. I don't bother with the straighteners since my hair is naturally straight. I set to work on my face. I just finish applying the last of the make-up, when Caroline walks in the room.

              “You look nice honey.” I smile and it feels genuine but I can't be too sure if it must look that way. I take in what Caroline is wearing and frown. Skinny jeans and a halter-neck top that cuts off above her toned stomach and a pair of heels.

“Why couldn't I wear something like that? Why do I have to wear a dress that is short enough to be a top?”

              “Because I am older than you and you have amazing legs. If you got it, flaunt it, is what I always say.” I scowl at her and she laughs. “Come on, let's go. We need to eat.” She takes me by the hand and just as quickly as she takes it, she drops it again. “Shit, forgot that happens. Just stay close by me and try not to touch anyone, okay?”

“Um, okay.”

              “Don't worry Cally. You are tired and hungry and the demon part of you is dying to get some energy. Your guard is down and until you feed, you aren't going to be able to control it. It happens.” I want to ask how she knows this but I don't. I am unsure whether or not I want to know the answer. I think I already do know. With Jaxon being an incubus, Caroline must have witnessed what I am going through before. “Come on. Let's go. Edward is meeting us in a bar about five minutes from here. Think you can last that long without touching anyone?”

“I think so.” I follow her out of the room after grabbing the room key and we leave the hotel.

THIRTY-THREE

You don't have to be supernatural to know you are being watched. I can feel eyes on me everywhere I go. At first I shrugged it off but the more crowded the streets are, the more I can feel people watching me. Men, women, teenagers, senior citizens. Everyone has stopped to stare at me. It's around nine o'clock in the evening. Surely it isn't unusual for them to see a nineteen year old girl wearing so little clothing on a Friday night? We get into view of the bar Caroline mentioned and when a group of guys stop and gape at me, I lose it.

              “What is your problem? Why are you staring at me?” I snap at them. I see Caroline stop walking and she watches me intently.

“Um, um-” one of them stutters, a blond haired one with bright blue eyes. He's good looking in a tall, lean kind of way.

              “Come on spit it out. Do I have something on my face? Am my glowing? Do I have horns growing out of my-” My eyes widen and I turn to Caroline in horror. “Caz.” I croak. She rushes over to me but doesn't touch me.

“No. They aren't.” She whispers. “Calm down. They are staring at you because you are beautiful.” I turn to the group of guys.

              “I'm sorry.” I tell them before spinning around and rushing over to the bar. I walk inside, ignoring the bouncer on the doors reaction to me and head over to where Edward is standing at the bar.

“Hello, little angel. You look nice.” He tells me without looking at me. He turns around and gestures to a bartender for some service. Caroline joins us and scans the large room without saying anything. I let Edward order some drinks and when they are handed to us, I down my shot in one gulp and lean over the bar to call the bartender again. I watch in fascination as two of the bar-men leave their current customers and wander over to me. What the hell is happening?

              “Another round of shots please and can I have a rum and coke?” They both rush off and I turn to Edward. “Um, what is going on? First everyone stares at me on the way here and now this? Are you sure my horns aren't sticking through my head?” I reach up and touch my soft hair. Edward laughs.

“Oh Calissa dear, you are a succubus. People are staring at you and falling at your feet because A. you are extremely attractive and B. you are a sex demon and they are drawn to you.” My face flushes at his words. “As for you asking if your horns are through, I will take that as a sign you and my son...?” He trails off and I close my eyes before nodding. Edward doesn't say anything else. I look around the room at the group of twelve or so people dancing on the dance floor. They look like they are having fun. Like normal people my age. Not a care in the world. Oh what I would give to have that kind of life.

              “Oh dear God!”

“What's wrong Caroline?” I ask, snapping my head around to look at her.

              “Cal, you're draining the room.” She whisper hisses at me. I frown and look around again. The group that were dancing just seconds before have slowed down, one of them have actually sat down. Other people around us start to yawn and one girl falls asleep.

              “Am I going to kill them?”

“We won't let you. Just tell us when you feel regenerated and we will leave pronto.” Caroline says as she walks off towards the sleeping girl. I watch in amazement as she simply touches the girl before a small pink glow surrounds them. Then Caroline blinks and grins over at me. I am guessing she just fed. “Well, I have never fed from an innocent before, glad I did this time though. That girl right there, killed her sisters new puppy on purpose.” My mouth drops open.

              “How horrible.” I'd never do anything to purposely upset Ana. Ah, Analeese. My six year old sister. I wonder how she is doing.

“Calissa. How do you feel?” Edward asks me after I finish my two other drinks.

              “Buzzing.” I say honestly. I don't think I am buzzing from the booze either. “Sleepy too. Is that normal?”

“No. But you haven't slept in a while and have pretty much drained an entire bar. Let's get you back to the hotel so you can sleep it off.” Edward leads me out of the bar with Caroline in tow. We walk up the street until we come up outside a Subway. “Going to grab us some food. Caroline, take Calissa back to the room. She might start hallucinating but it is perfectly normal.” He lets go of me and walks into the restaurant. Caroline takes me by the arm and pulls me to the hotel. I don't think I am hurting her anymore. I think me draining the bar must have put my body back into control.

There aren't many people out now. Maybe one or two. They still stare at me as if I walk on water. Well, news flash, I am not Jesus people! I am a demon! Okay, half angel too but still! I feel more evil than good right now.

              In fact, I kind of want to rip someones clothes off.

Is that normal?
Yes.

The voice in my head makes me jump and Caroline looks at me confused. I laugh. “I have a voice in my head that tells me off.” I cackle. She rolls her eyes before pushing me towards the hotel doors but I stop when I see something in the corner of my eye. Green eyes stare back at me. I cannot see a body but I
know
those green eyes. I pull out of Caroline's grasp and stumble over to them. I get about a yard away when I am thrown backwards with such force, I crash through a glass window of a shop and my vision goes blurry and I see stars. The alarm goes off around me and it makes me wince.

              “Cally!” Someone screeches.

“Oh my gosh! Is she okay?” Someone else asks.

              “What happened Caroline?!” A blokes voice demands. I blink a few times before trying to pull myself up but I can't. Nothing feels broken but I just can't physically move. I know I haven't broken my back or anything. Something is pinning me down. I know this feeling. I felt this before. In Paris. He's here. Not physically but I can feel him. I squeeze my eyes shut and mentally feel for him.
I can feel him. He's here. Kind of.

“Edward, it all happened so fast. We were walking towards the doors and she turned and stormed over there and then next thing I know she is soaring through the air.”

              “What? Did you see anyone?”

“No.”

              “Right. Get these people away. I have to get her up.” I hear crunching of glass before someone touches my arm. “Calissa? Can you hear me?”

“Jaxon?” I say.

              “No. It's Edward. Can you move?”

“No. Something is pinning me down.” I whisper. He doesn't respond for a while and since I can't see him, I start to think he has left.

              “Open your wings Cally.” I frown at the words. Wings? As if on cue, my back starts to tingle. “Come on. You can do it.” I concentrate on the tingle in my back and feel myself lift up slightly from the ground. “Good girl. Can you move your arms now?” I try and find that I can. “Now, open your eyes darling.” I pry open my eyes and see his aged face smiling down at me. Wow. He really does look like Jaxon. “There we go. Come on, we have to go before the police arrive.” I nod and let him help me up to my feet. My legs feel like jelly but I push past it and stagger out of the shop through the broken window out onto the now empty street.

“Where is everyone?”

              “Caroline led them away. Being a mara has its benefits.” Edward says with a grin. I blink and follow him to the hotel and into mine and Caroline's room. I pull off my shoes and flop down on the bed but grimace as I do. “You might need to rinse off the shards of glass before you sleep. Your body will heal even faster now you have fed for the first time. You don't want to heal around the glass it will cause a lot of discomfort.” I nod and head into the bathroom after grabbing some pyjamas that Caroline bought me. Once showered and changed, I emerge back into the room and see Caroline and Edward looking at me expectantly. I take a deep breath.

“Jaxon was there.”

              “No honey. You were hallucinating.” Caroline soothes.

“No Caroline. He was really there. I saw his eyes. It was him. Then I could
feel
him after I went through that window. He was pinning me down. He's done it before when I ran from the demons to Paris. He might not have known where I was physically but he managed to get to me somehow in my sleep and pin me down. He called it
entertainment.
” I smile at the memory.

“Did you manage to get proper feel of him?” I look at Edwards hopeful face and nod. His eyes light up. “Where is he? Is he near by?”

              “I don't know. I couldn't focus.” I bite my lip and look down.

“Hmm... Might just be a hallucination. We will try and see if you can reach out to him after you have slept a bit. You will feel normal then.”

              “I wasn't hallucinating!” I all but shout at him causing him to look at me in shock. “I know what I saw and I know what I felt.” Edward doesn't look convinced. “Whatever. Don't believe me then. I am going to sleep. So if you don't mind.” I point to the door and he gets the hint. He says goodnight before leaving me with Caroline. “You can stay Caz. I don't want to be alone.” I tell her. She nods and goes into the bathroom. Soon I hear the shower running and I settle down under the covers of the hard bed.

I wasn't hallucinating, was I? I am almost certain I did see his eyes and then felt him near me.
Maybe you should ditch Caroline and Edward and do your own mission to find Jaxon.
No, that wouldn't be a good idea. I need them. I wasn't lying when I told Caroline I didn't want to be alone. Sighing I close my eyes and try to turn off my brain. Sooner than I thought, sleep takes me.