“You think you can hold me, Claire? You’re nearly human.”
Claire smiled. “Maybe so, Shax, but my angel side can still kick your ass.”
Shax wasn’t amused. He crouched in preparation to attack, and a strange snarl emanated from his chest. Inside his throat, a screech and an animalistic growl intertwined. It was the most terrifying sound my ears had ever experienced. The demon’s black irises bled into the whites of his eyes, and I braced for impact.
As if I had blinked and missed a second of time, a dark massive figure stood between us and Shax. Claire’s body relaxed and she maneuvered us around him, bringing Shax back into view.
Jared stood in the doorway, glowering at Shax with a lethal expression. Sensing my fear and relief, his attention broke to me and instantly he was at my side, pulling me from Claire’s grip to the safety of his arms.
Shax was cautious in the Archangel’s presence. “The book is mine, Samuel!” His sinister eyes were wild and shifted between each of us like a cornered animal.
Samuel tossed the book at the demon’s feet, just beside Grahm. “Take your blasphemous book and leave from here. In the name of the Most High, I will end your existence if you come near this family again, foul beast!” Samuel bellowed, his voice shaking the walls.
Shax recoiled from the command of the Cimmerian and backed slowly out the door, hissing at his injured minions to follow.
Grahm smiled at me with blood-stained teeth. “I’m going to see you again soon, baby doll.”
Jared lunged at him, but Samuel held his hand to Jared’s chest. “Let them go,” he ordered.
Jared watched Grahm, reluctantly allowing him to retreat with his wounded partners. Claire stood at the entryway and made sure they were gone before she closed the door.
“Has anyone told you that you have excellent timing?” Claire asked, smiling at her brother.
“Once or twice,” Jared said.
Claire ran towards Samuel at full speed, leaping up to wrap her arms around him, her legs dangling two feet from the ground. I jumped at the sudden movement, but as soon as Samuel hugged her and a wide smile flashed across his face, I sighed in relief.
“I think you missed your calling, little girl. You were meant to be Cimmerian,” he chuckled.
Claire giggled and squeezed his neck. “I’m half human so it evens up the odds, Sam. If I were Cimmerian, you’d be out of a job.”
Samuel bellowed a laugh and shook his head. “And you accuse Shax of lacking humility!”
Jared turned to me. “Are you all right?”
I didn’t want to lie, so I remained silent.
Jared pulled me into his chest and kissed my hair. “It’s over.”
“Not according to Grahm,” Claire said after Samuel set her on her feet.
“It’s over,” Jared said in a firm voice.
Claire wiped the blood from the floor and straightened the furniture. She skipped about, the confrontation and victory making her a tad giddy. I watched her as she hummed an indistinct tune while she cleaned.
An hour later, Claire said her goodbyes to drive to Ryan’s hometown as the sky outside faded to deep blue. The loft was as before, the furniture in place, the broken glass hidden in the trash, the blood mopped up and the red stained rags thrown away.
“Are you hungry?” Jared asked, poking his finger through the bullet hole above the stove. I shook my head and Jared turned to face me. “No?”
I shook my head again.
“Nina,” he chided. “You’ve barely said a word since I’ve been back. Are you sure you’re okay?”
I closed my eyes. “I’m fine.”
“It’s normal to be afraid. Talk to me.”
“Just…don’t leave me again. Okay? Claire was prepared to defend me with her life, but I was so scared, Jared. I was so afraid they were going to kill me and you would die.”
He walked across the room and held my cheeks gently in his hands, raising my eyes to his. “You were afraid to die only because I would?”
I smiled, but my face crumpled around it. “I’m so weak, Jared. I’m just a stupid, weak, human, and that makes you so vulnerable. It’s not fair.”
Jared chuckled in amazement and shook his head. “Nina…,” he breathed out a small laugh, rendered speechless. He leaned down and kissed my lips, his mouth conveying what he couldn’t say.
Chapter Nineteen
Saving Grace
Over the next weeks life had returned to normal. Jared and I spent our time painting and rearranging the furniture, and the space metamorphosed from Jared’s dark loft to our bright and cheerful home.