Above The Flames (The Flames Trilogy #1) (13 page)

Shaking her head, she crawled out of bed, found some black shorts and a black tank top, and hobbled downstairs. Training wouldn’t be easy today, but it was necessary. Like breathing. And she would be damned if she missed a single lesson. She had a mission now. One that would only end with each and every demon lying on the ground. Dead.

Chapter 14

Last Chances

Bael

Bael stood above Belze, staring. Belze was curled in a ball at his feet, moaning in pain. His skin had already begun to heal in spots. Really, Bael didn’t understand what the big deal was. Jasmine filleted his skin. Who cared? It would mend, although it would always be scarred. Tears leaked from the corners of Belze’s eyes. Bael hadn’t known a demon could cry. Wasn’t that kind of an oxymoron?

Jasmine had humiliated them. Especially him. The blame couldn’t fall on his demon army. No, it was completely on his shoulders. He’d underestimated her and he shouldn’t have. Her power was like nothing he’d ever seen. But if he could capture her, make her do his bidding…well, this war would be over before it began.

The sound of Belze’s skin hissing drew his attention back to the demon. His hair, once red and bushy, was now singed and blackened at the tips. As pathetic as he looked, Bael didn’t feel sorry for him. Quite the opposite. Perhaps this would finally make the awkward demon stronger. Belze was Bael’s second-in-command, but his strength was somewhat lacking. Belze wasn’t smart, or cunning, or really any help at all. Why had he made him his second? Bael smiled to himself.
Because he’s easy to control, and will never try to usurp me.

Bael widened his stance and stepped over Belze, who groaned as Bael stepped on his hand.
Oops
.

“Get up,” Bael ordered. “You look pathetic.”

“I d-don’t th-think I c-can,” Belze replied, his bottom lip trembling.

Belze looked more like a scared teenage boy than a demon. Freckles lined his rosy red cheeks, his skin pale with no marks. He was short and very thin. His biceps had muscles, but his legs looked like toothpicks.

“You will get up. You will not be a coward. A little pain never hurt anyone.” Or did it? He’d been second in the chain of command for so long; pain had become a distant memory. Although, he’d felt plenty of it as he had worked his way through the rankings. Lucifer used to hold competitions, sort of like cage fights, but the only way to win was by ripping the opponent’s head off. Killing a demon. He could still hear Lucifer’s cackling every time he’d won a fight.

Belze rolled over, scooted back, and slowly sat up. When he stood, he stumbled forward into Bael, then backed up quickly and almost tumbled down again, but somehow stayed on his feet. “I-I’m sorry, M-master.”

Bael brushed the front of his shirt with the backside of his hand. “I need you to find the girl who did this to you. Jasmine.” Bael moved forward and leaned down so he was eye-level with the smaller demon. “You must find her. Bring her to me, and I promise you will get a taste of revenge.”

Belze’s eyes pulsed red hot, giving Bael a glimpse of a real demon. Until he said, “Wh-what kind of r-revenge?”

“Must I spell everything out for you? Are you that much of a moron?” Bael roared.

Belze flinched and bowed his head. “Forget I a-asked. I am sure I w-will be able to f-find something that suits the s-situation.”

The flapping of large wings above him rustled his hair. Bael smiled. “And there is your healer. Come to save the day.”

“My h-healer? W-why would you get a h-healer for me?”

Bael moved his face into Belze’s and sneered. “Because you have a mission. I need you at your best. That way, when you fail, you won’t have any excuses for your incompetence.”

“Bael. So good to see you,” a woman said.

“And you.” He gazed at the beauty before him. “Heal him. Please.”

Her laughter was like flowers blooming. “You said please. That’s progress.”

“Belze, when you are healed, find Jasmine and bring her here. Do not kill her.”

Belze nodded. “O-okay. I w-will not f-fail.”

“I hope not, because this is your last chance.” Bael walked away, leaving the woman alone with Belze. A strange sensation flitted through his stomach at the thought, but he shrugged it off as nothing important.

Bael found a tree stump near a grove of tall trees. He sat on it, looking up at the sky. The angels were up there right now, trying to put Heaven back together. It had been all but destroyed in the battle of good versus evil. Bael laughed out loud, probably longer than he should have.
People used to say evil never wins. Ha.
If only those people were still alive, so he could show them exactly how well evil could do for themselves.

Static filled his mind, a connection being established. “
Bael. What’s this about evil never wins?
”

Lucifer always popped up at the most inopportune times. And, of course, he could hear every single thought floating around Bael’s mind. He wiped his slate clean, hoping that was all Lucifer had seen.

“
Lucifer. How are things in Hell?
”

“
Hot
,” Lucifer sneered. “
But manageable. I do see you’ve been busy there.
”

Bael nodded, even though Lucifer couldn’t see him. “
Yes. We have.
”

“
My walls have started to fall, but not enough. You need to spill more blood.
”

“
Yes. We will continue our attacks. We’ve only attacked one town, and there are plenty more to choose from.
”

“
Good. You must keep the momentum strong. The bloodier the kills, the better.” Lucifer paused. “Any other news?
”

“
Yes. I have found an Angel Blessed.
”

“
That was easy. Do you have her, then?
”

“
Not exactly. She slipped from our grasp. Her power is impenetrable when active.
”

“
Then you know what you must do
,” Lucifer said smoothly.

“
What must I do?
”

Bael hated when Lucifer did this. He turned everything into a game of sorts. A way of ensuring his demons were subservient. But Bael was tired of playing along.

“
You don’t like my games?
” Lucifer laughed, long and hard. “
Too bad. You will play them as long as I want you to. Now, you must make sure the Angel Blessed cannot use their powers. Find the source of release for them and block it.
”

Bael rolled his eyes. “
Actually, I’ve sent Belze to capture Jasmine.
”
Bael bit his lip to stop himself from laughing.

“
You haven’t killed that mongrel yet?
”

“
No, I haven’t
,”
Bael mind whispered.

“
It sounds like you have everything under control.
” Lucifer growled.

Bael couldn’t help feeling like Lucifer was somehow mocking him.

“
One more thing, Bael. Remember, if you fail in your task, you fail me. And that isn’t a place you want to be.
”

Bael had no time to answer. The connection was severed as fast as it had been established. Lucifer always had to have the last word. This time was no exception.

Bael looked to his feet. He’d been pacing the whole conversation with Lucifer and worn the grass down to the dirt below. In Hell, if he had tried to stomp around, jagged pieces would cut into his feet, but here it was soft. Almost mushy.

Without thinking, Bael followed the path to where he’d left Belze. The demon was gone, as was the woman. But another demon lingered there, searching the ground for something.

“Moloch. What is it you’re looking for?”

Moloch jumped and turned around, but his face remained emotionless. “There are gold flecks on the ground.”

“So there are. What do they mean to you?”

Moloch shrugged. “Nothing.”

Bael curled his top lip up. “Do you feel like taking a walk?”

“If you’d like the company.”

“I would. Come. Let us go make sure our friend doesn’t fail at his task.”

Moloch sidled over to Bael’s side and nodded. Together, they followed the golden flecks on the ground, leading straight to Belze.

Chapter 15

Learning the Basics

Amon

Amon walked a circle around Jasmine, who sat cross-legged on the grass staring at the ground. He had no idea where to start with their training. After the demons attacked the other night, Jasmine had remained very quiet, keeping mostly to herself. Amon didn’t know what to say to her to make the smile return to her face, but he had to start somewhere. The time had come to stop being a coward.

“Jasmine,” he said softly. Her big coffee-brown eyes met his own, making Amon take a deep breath.

“Hmm?”

“It is time to start our training session now. Are you ready?” Amon asked hesitantly.

Jasmine shrugged. “I guess. If that’s what you want to do.” Her eyes fell to the ground again as she ran her hands over the tips of the grass.

What could he say to make her eyes light up with laughter? His brain seemed to be on vacation, leaving him stranded to come up with some ideas all on his own.

Amon dropped to his knees in front of her, grasping her shoulders. “I understand you’ve gone through a terrible loss and the last thing you want to do is train—”

“Actually,” she said, wiggling her shoulders so his hands fell away, “that’s kind of exactly what I want to do, boss. That way, the next time I see demons, I can fry their asses.”

Amon leaned forward. “Revenge is a powerful motivator. But it can also lead to ignorant choices.”

Jasmine’s eyes narrowed to slits. “Are you calling me ignorant?”

Amon smirked at her, hoping to diffuse the situation. “Not at all. I’m merely suggesting that you don’t leap before you look. In order to be effective, you must learn how to use your power. How long does it last before taking a toll on your body? What are its limitations? Strengths? There are so many things you need to know before you can be completely in control.”

Jasmine nodded.

“And in order to do that, we must find a place where it isn’t dangerous to throw your fire around,” Amon said as he focused on the woods. “How about over there?”

“Yeah, I mean, it’s only woods in there. No houses around or anything. It should be safe,” Jasmine said, standing. “I’ll lead the way.”

Amon followed her as she sped through the open fence at the side of the house. He wasn’t sure why she felt the need to walk so fast, but his legs were longer than hers so he caught up to her quickly. They entered the woods together, side by side, but didn’t stay that way for long. The trees had started out far apart, but as they proceeded deeper into the wooded area, the trees grew thicker and less spread out. Soon, Amon fell behind Jasmine, his steps more careful than before. Branches snapped underneath him, causing his ankles to roll, but he quickly righted himself and continued.

Jasmine stopped and turned around to face him so quickly he almost didn’t have time to stop, but even still his chest bumped against her cheek. She brought her hand up and rubbed it. “Sheesh, Amon. For a fallen angel, who I’m guessing should be a bad ass, you sure aren’t very intuitive.” She smiled then, so brightly her eyes glimmered. “So, you think this is far enough back, or what?”

Amon had a strange urge to run his fingers through her long brown hair. His hand was up in front of him, slightly outstretched before he forced it down to his side. “Yes.” His voice came out high-pitched, so he cleared his throat. “Sure, this spot looks good.”

The shade provided a cooler temperature without the sun beating down on them, but sweat still lined his forehead. He wiped his arm across, but his arms were damp as well, so the movement didn’t have the desired effect. Instead, he pulled the bottom of his borrowed shirt up, using it like a cloth over his face. When he lowered it, Jasmine was staring. Hard.

She swallowed. “So, where do we start?”

The truth was, Amon wasn’t sure where to start. Her gift provided little information. He thought her power acted almost angelic, but it was so destructive. It made it so easy to kill a demon, and even though there was no love lost between the angels and demons, Amon had a hard time believing the angels would have given Jasmine a power that could hurt anything so easily.

“Well, that’s promising. You don’t even know what to do with me, huh?” Jasmine laughed.

Before she could say anything else, Amon spoke up. “It’s not that. Your power is very different than anything I’ve seen. Perhaps you can tell me how it works in more detail so I can figure out how to help you with it.”

“Well, I have told you a little bit, but I guess it couldn’t hurt to go into more detail.” Jasmine framed her cheek with two fingers. “Let’s see. I don’t know how to explain it. Ask me a question about it.”

“How about this. Talking doesn’t help me see it, so maybe if you show me.” Amon sat down on a tree stump and crossed one leg over the other. “I will sit here and watch as you summon your power.”

Jasmine closed her eyes and lifted her face toward the sky, looking like a glorious angel who might take flight. Every ounce of tension left her body and a grin spread across her face. Amon gasped as a trail of blue, almost like a glowing snake, slithered from her waist up to her neck, and then split into two snakes that traveled down each arm until both her hands lit up. When she opened her eyes, they were alive unlike anything he’d ever seen. It was as if her power sparked a flame inside her, lighting her features up with warmth and excitement.

“Are you just going to sit there and stare, or do you think you can tell me if you saw anything?”

“Oh, I saw something,” Amon said, his voice a bit breathless. He cleared his throat again, then stood and began to pace in front of the stump. “I could see the path of your power; it slid under your skin until it reached your hands. Is that the only place you’ve ever been able to release it from?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. Release it.”

Jasmine shook her head. “I don’t want to accidentally hit you or something.”

Amon smiled despite himself. “You won’t.”

“Maybe you could just move behind me.”

Amon bowed at the waist. “Your wish is my command.” And he walked the few steps until he stood at Jasmine’s back.

Jasmine’s hands went to her hips and she rolled her eyes. “Just a little FYI—chivalry died a long time ago.”

Amon raised his eyebrows. “What exactly does FYI mean?”

“Oh, I forgot.” Jasmine chuckled. “You’re not from this century, are you? It means for your information.”

“Thank you for letting me know. Although, I’m saddened that chivalry is no longer practiced here.”

Amon had a feeling she was exaggerating, and that chivalry hadn’t really died, but he couldn’t help feeling that what Jasmine said was partially true. He would have to make sure he tried to bring it back to this world before he had to leave it.

“All right, you think we can get this show on the road?”

“The floor is yours,” Amon said, wishing he wasn’t standing behind her so he could make a sweeping gesture with his arms.

“I swear I’m never going to get used to the way you talk. So old-fashioned.”

Jasmine’s whole body tensed as she drew her hand up in front of her, aiming toward the stump Amon had been sitting on. His eyes went to her hands, which were pulsing blue.

“Tell me what you feel as you feel it,” Amon said.

Jasmine jumped slightly, and then relaxed. “I feel alive. And hot. And completely beside myself, almost like I’m watching from beside my own body. I feel like my power could push me aside and take over and I’d never even know the difference.” Her fingers started shaking. “And I feel like if I give up the control, the power will get what it wants. And it always wants more than I do.”

A stream of blue shot forward, lighting up the tree stump. Then another, and another.

“You must fight back. Try now to hold it in,” Amon said, and the blue sparks stopped. “Good, Jasmine.”

Amon moved to her side as Jasmine started wiggling. Her face was scrunched and her eyes were shut. She bit her lip and her hands rolled into fists as she struggled.

“I don’t think I can hold it,” she said through gritted teeth.

Amon placed his palm on her arm. “You must show your power that you are in charge. Establish yourself as the leader and it will follow.”

“It’s pu—ushing back.” The strain was clear in her voice.

“Can you speak to your power?”

Jasmine nodded. “But it doesn’t listen to me.”

“Then use a different voice. Make it listen.”

A blue spark shot out, ping-ponged from one tree to another, and slammed into the side of Amon’s face. The initial sting caused him to cry out, and Jasmine instantly turned to him. “Did I hurt you? Damn it, this always happens.”

“It’s fine. It doesn’t hurt anymore.” Amon realized what he said was true. It had burned at first, but quickly receded. “Do I have a burn on my cheek?”

Jasmine shook her head. “A little red mark, but nothing else.”

Jasmine’s whole body started to tremble. Amon asked, “Are you okay?”

“I can’t keep this up much longer.”

“Okay, put it away for now, then.”

The blue snakes receded along the same path, combining back into one until it disappeared at her waist. Jasmine fell to the ground, her eyelids fluttering. Amon followed her down and placed his palm on her face. “Jasmine?”

“I’m fine,” she said, pushing his hand away. “I just need a minute. It wipes me out.”

Amon leaned back, even though he desperately wanted to touch her more. Her skin was like the feel of cotton. A slight breeze ruffled his long hair, bringing the smell of pine to his nose. He took a fresh breath, not sure if he’d ever get used to not smelling smoke and charcoal.

After a few minutes passed, Jasmine opened her eyes.

“Do you think you can pull it back out again, just for a moment?” Amon asked.

Jasmine pressed her lips together, a determined look on her face. The blue snake slithered back up her body and down to her hands. Once her hands were glowing, Amon reached out and grabbed one of them.

Jasmine yanked her hand back and blue streams came from both hands, until she put her power away again. Then she turned on Amon, a heated look in her eyes. “What the hell’d you do that for?” Jasmine asked, raising her voice.

“I needed to know if your hand was hot when you used your power.”

“Fan-fricking-tastic. So was it? Hot, I mean?” Her cheeks flamed. “I mean my hand. Was my hand hot?”

Amon smirked. “Slightly warm, but no, not hot.”

Jasmine turned her body and playfully slapped Amon’s arm. “Don’t do that again, okay?”

Amon nodded. “Where does your power go when you put it away? I see the color disappear from your body.”

“You’ll think it’s silly.”

“Try me.”

“I have a little power box. That’s where I put it.”

Amon laughed loudly. Jasmine narrowed her eyes at him, so he pressed his lips together, but couldn’t stop another laugh from escaping before he finally regained control over himself.

“Really? You’re going to laugh at me?” she asked, starting to chuckle herself.

“I’m sorry. I’m not sure what came over me.” Amon paused and rubbed his chin. “So, this was an interesting exercise.”

“How so?”

“I’ve learned that your power is alive and wants to take hold of you. When you first bring it forth, you have a lot of energy, and it subsides very quickly as you use more of your power. So these are all things we can work on. The more you practice bringing it out, the easier it will be and the longer you will be able to use it. I think we should train more often, say once in the morning and once in the evening. In the morning we will work on the physical things, and in the evening your power. We must make sure we are using it every day, at least once. That way, we will be able to see if you can use it longer as time goes by.”

“But we don’t have any time. The demons are already attacking towns.” Jasmine’s eyes widened. “I can’t train for weeks. We should be out now, hunting them.”

Amon shook his head. “You aren’t ready, and neither are the others. It would be suicide right now.”

Jasmine’s angry looked chilled Amon. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

“I’m not trying to put you down. You are strong; there is no question in that. But we must make sure your greatest weapon is at your disposal. Right now, if you ran into a large group of demons, your power would deplete your energy before you could finish them. Then what?”

Jasmine sighed. “Okay. I get it. We’ll train first, fight later.”

“Good girl. Now, go get some food.”

She started walking, then stopped and angled her head toward him. “Just so you know, I really don’t like being bossed around.”

Amon smiled. “Noted.”

A ghost of a grin started to spread across her face before she turned, disappearing into the trees, leaving Amon to sort through his wandering thoughts. Jasmine was trouble, but not a bad kind. And probably only for him. She wasn’t the only one who needed to learn control. He’d need to have plenty of it when he trained her, because everything about her made him long for her in ways that he shouldn’t.