Earth Angel (Falling Angels Saga) (7 page)

“Yes,” I said somberly. “I am being stalked by a demon.”

“Oh, my! That
is
a problem.”

“The demon wants something,” Maudrina said.

For the first time since I’d known her, Aunt Jaz seemed perplexed. “Something to do with the devil, you think?”

“Yes. We think he’s looking for
The Book of Calls
,” I replied.

A look of dread came over her. “I’ve heard of that wretched book,” she said with distaste. “I thought it was a myth.”

“It’s not a myth,” I said, my voice even.

She blew out a slow breath that seemed as though all the wind was being taken out of her sails. “In the hands of the wrong person, 
The Book of Calls
could wreak havoc on the planet. They say the black plague of the thirteen hundreds was a spell cast by an evil Monarch from that treacherous book.” She looked at me.“Why on earth would a demon think you possess
The Book of Calls
?”

“Because I do.”

The only person aside from me and Maudrina who knew about the book was Matt, who was now dead. While I had shared the story of defeating the devil with both Guy and Aunt Jaz, for some reason I left out the part where I’d gone to the house and retrieved the book I used for the reversal incantation. I never told them of sneaking in Armando’s house in the middle of the night and finding the book locked in a desk drawer. Or of being attacked by Señora Marisol’s familiar/dog. I guess I figured the fewer people who knew about the book, the better.

Aunt Jaz sat dumbfounded as I told her the entire story, this time filling in the gaps I’d left out last time.

“You have
The Book of Calls
?”

“Yes.”

“
The Book of Calls
is in your possession?” She seemed astonished.

“Yes,” I repeated.

“Amazing.” She sat back in her chair, her eyes drifting toward the ceiling. She kept them there as if she was searching for something amidst the chips in the paint.

“Are you okay?” asked Maudrina.

“Yes, deary, I’m fine. Just thinking is all. I didn’t know the book actually existed. And to think I know the person who possesses it.” She got up, moved to the stove and checked on the shrimp creole. “It’s done. We’ll let it cool a little bit before digging in.” She turned off the heat under both pots.

She busied herself around the stove, doing her best to act naturally, but I could tell she was troubled. I knew
The Book of Calls
was a big deal. I now realized it was a bigger deal than I had imagined.

“Am I in danger?” I already knew the answer. There was a demon stalking me—of course I was in danger.

“Who else knows you have the book?”

“Just the two of you.”

“Guy doesn’t know?” She seemed surprised.

I shook my head. “Once my ordeal with Armando was over, I never wanted to talk about it. I was alive and one of my best friends was dead. The book didn’t seem that important at the time.”

Aunt Jaz moved back to the table and sat across from me. “I suspect there are others who may know of its existence. Matt knew about it. And it was in Señora Marisol’s house, so we know she knew about it. I believe other Satanists who were at the house the night Satan performed his little trick may know of its existence as well and are searching for it right now.”

A lump the size of a chunk of coal formed in my throat. I was finding it hard to swallow. “But they don’t know I have it—yet.”

“Yet,” she repeated grimly. “If they did know, you’d probably be dead by now.”

“Dead!”Maudrina squawked. “Hold on, Aunt Jaz. Aren’t you being a bit melodramatic? I know the book is a big deal. If they knew Megan had it they might try taking it from her, but I don’t think anyone would kill her for it.”

“I hope you’re right,” was Aunt Jaz’s grim reply.

“I think they would,” I muttered darkly. “The existence, of the book is a little known secret. The fewer who know of its existence, the easier it will be to protect it.” I looked into Maudrina’s eyes. They were lovely eyes, big and brown, and usually filled with joy. At the moment, they were filling with horror. “Right now, most people think the book is a myth. If people knew it was real, no telling what they might do to get their hands on it, even killing whoever has it.”

Neither of them responded. We sat in uneasy silence for several minutes.

“Well, I have demons and Satanists after me. I’m pretty darned popular. I say we celebrate with a bowl or dish or plate of shrimp creole.” I kept my voice cheery, smiling when I spoke. It was far from what I was feeling inside.

“It’s served in a bowl,” Aunt Jaz responded. She was staring at me, trying to figure out if my cheeriness was fake, or if I had lost my mind.

“A big bowl. A bed of rice on the bottom, and shrimp creole piled on top,” added Maudrina. She was staring at me as well.

“Pitiful,” said Aunt Jaz, wagging her head back and forth. “This poor child don’t know a thing about good food.”

“Not a thing,” replied Maudrina in a sorrowful tone. The two of them looked at each other, and I could see laughter percolating in their eyes.

“If I keep coming here, I just might learn a thing or two,” I said with a teasing smile.

“You just might.” They both burst into laughter. When the laughter died down Aunt Jaz repeated the phrase. “You just might.” She spoke more softly the second time, and there was a severity underlying her words. I got the feeling she was talking about more than food.

#

Shrimp creole is a tomato-based stew. It’s also heavenly.

The meal lightened the mood somewhat. Afterwards, Aunt Jaz mused over who might have engaged the Ibwa.

“Perhaps it was Satan himself,” Aunt jaz said. She figured Satan would want to retrieve the book that helped thwart his plans. But she also thought it might be other major demons, like Lucifer or Mephistopheles. Possessing
The Book of Calls
could increase their significance in hell.

My head was spinning as I heard the names of the powerful demons that might be after me. I’d heard the names before in the Bible and horror movies. I never thought I’d hear my name in the same sentence as Lucifer. Go figure.

“What do you plan on doing with the book?” Aunt Jaz asked.

“I haven’t thought about it.”

Her face clouded over. “You need to think about it, Deary.”

On top of the demons, there were also Satanists who were after the book. While Satanists had no supernatural powers, they could take me out more easily because crucifixes and holy water didn’t work on them.

What a mess I found myself in. You’d think with all the trouble in my life, I would have been freaking out. But I wasn’t. Don’t get me wrong, I was scared to death. But this time I knew I had heaven on my side. Guy was my angel, stripped of his wings because he loved me. I knew he and Harrison were tracking the demon stalking me. He wouldn’t let me down.

By the time I got home, the sun had dipped below Camelback Mountain, painting the sky with a reddish-golden hue. I walked cautiously into the quiet house. Shadows were creeping up all around me. I immediately started turning on lights. Suze wouldn’t be home for at least another hour, so I busied myself checking the windows and doors for any sign of entry. I went to my room to see if it had been ransacked. Nothing seemed out of place.

I returned to the kitchen. If we had the ingredients, I was going to make enchilada pie. I wasn’t hungry after gorging myself on shrimp creole, but I knew Suze would be. Cooking would keep my mind occupied and off my troubles.

I was checking the pantry when I heard a sound in the garden. A chill slid down my back, as the fine hairs on my arms stood on end.
The demon
, I thought. Yet as frightened as I was, my adrenaline started pumping.

I rushed to the bay window over the sink that looked out into garden. I saw her crawling among the shrubs. At least I thought it was her. My next actions made no sense, but you can’t count on a girl to make sense when she’s hopped up on adrenaline.

I raced to the back door, flung it open, and dashed out into the yard.

“I see you, Erin!” I called.

She was lurking in the shadows behind the dracaena bush. She crouched stone still, not moving a muscle.

Just then my adrenaline stopped pumping. I was starting to get the feeling that maybe it wasn’t Erin. Like last time, all I could see was her red windbreaker—if, indeed, it was a red windbreaker. I was beginning to have my doubts.

Whoever was lurking behind the bush was definitely wearing red. But in the light of dusk I could see it was a different shade than Erin’s windbreaker. I could hear the person breathing. The breaths were coming in shallow, ragged bursts, and I thought the person was either frightened or about to attack.

I measured the distance between myself and the back door. If it was Erin hiding in the shadows, I could make it. If it was a man or a monster, I was in deep trouble.

Okay
, I thought.
No sense running. Do not show fear,
which was a lot easier to think than it was to do. I glanced down at my hands. They were trembling.

Stop it!

The person in the shadows moved. I got the sense he wanted to run away, but since it wasn’t full dark yet, there weren’t many shadows to hide in.

I was also getting the feeling he was frightened. This may have been a trick my mind was playing on me, but it gave me confidence. I took a deliberate step toward the bush. “Erin?” I called, keeping my voice gentle. “I know it’s you, Erin. Come on out. It’s cool.”

Sixty seconds passed and the person didn’t move. That’s when I got an idea. “Ibwa!” I called loudly. “I command you to show yourself.”

After a moment’s hesitation, a horrid little creature emerged from behind the bush. I screamed.

The creature standing before me was three-and-a-half feet in height, with bright red, leathery skin, and canine-like features. It had tiny bat wings protruding from its back, which seemed useless since I was certain the flimsy wings could not be used for flying.

Instinctively I yanked my crucifix from my neck and thrust it at the beast.

The thing took a cowering step backward, tripped over its own feet and fell down. “What did you go and do that for?” It cried in a whiny voice. His beady eyes flashed fear.

“You have been stalking me.” Despite how frightened I was, I kept my voice strong.

“Yes. But not because I wanted to. The powerful one commanded me, and I was powerless to disobey. Put the crux away! It offends me!” he moaned.

“You’re a demon,” I called, continuing to wield the tiny crucifix.

“Yes. But I am not here to hurt you. I have come to warn you.” He was kneeling on the ground, his hands covering his head.

“You lie! Demons lie all the time.”

“I am aware of our less-than-immaculate reputation, but I am telling the truth. Please! Put it away.” He peeked out from behind his arm to see if I was listening.

Crouched on the ground amid the sand and scrub brush, the monster didn’t seem very monstrous. I started feeling sorry for him. I put the crucifix in my pocket. “Get up!” I called.

The creature hopped to his feet. “Thank you. I am Ibwa,” he said extending his hand. His voice was now friendly, but I didn’t trust his darting eyes.

“I am not going to shake your hand.”

“Of course not.” He didn’t seem offended as he withdrew it.

“I saw you last week,” I said. “You were in our garden.”

“Yes. It was you who stole my supper.”

“The headless bird?” I asked, incredulous.

“Yes, but I do not mind. I know how delicious flying things are. And I still got the best part.”A lizard-like tongue snaked out and licked his lips. He was referring to the bird’s missing head. Disgusting.

“If you came to warn me, why didn’t you warn me last week?” I was holding my ground. For some reason I felt on equal footing with the demon.

“Last week I was under the powerful one’s command. Not anymore.”

I considered his words. He seemed sincere. “Okay. So, what’s the warning?”

The creature looked around as if someone might overhear. He lowered his voice. “Do not let him have it. He will do anything to get his hands on it. The book will make the powerful one even more powerful.”

“Book? I don’t know anything about a book,” I replied quickly. The demon was trying to get me to admit the existence of
The Book of Calls
. No way! No matter how helpful he was trying to sound, I knew better than to trust a demon with my secret.

The creature looked at me,confused. A slow smile slithered across his thin red lips. “Ah, I see! You lie, too. You are not very good at it.” He chuckled.

“EEE-BWAAAA!” A loud voice crackled in the air. I looked over my shoulder. Harrison was now standing in the garden near the back door. Beautiful, shiny black angel wings protruded from his back. His arms were extended as if he were preacher in the pulpit. “I command you…”

Before he could get the words out, the Ibwa took off, bouncing behind a bush and over the wall. He was gone in no time.

“I command ya to come back here!” Harrison cried, taking off after the demon. With one powerful flap of his wings, he bound over the wall and was out of sight in a matter of seconds.

It was then I noticed Guy had entered the garden as well, a look of horror was on his face. He rushed to me and swept me into his arms.

“Sweetheart, are you all right?”

Sweetheart. Wow!
Sweetheart was not a word you’d normally hear coming out of a high school boy’s mouth, even when he was talking to his girlfriend. It was the first time anyone other than my mother or grandmother had ever called me sweetheart. I literally swooned.

I’m going to need to be rescued from demons more often,
I thought.

I looked into Guy’s eyes. The expression on his face was so pained, it caught me off guard.

“I’m all right,” I said, stroking the back of his neck.