Ivory Guard (12 page)

Three down.
One to go.

A triumphant cry from Joshua and
they all looked in time to see the Ebony’s head topple of the shoulders.

Make that four down.

Her guard cheered. And yet something made the hairs on her neck stand up.

Someone clapped.

Oh no.

Taking a deep breath to brace herself against her worst suspicion, Lillian turned around. Sexy, evil Ebony.

The Incubus
, who had attacked her in her house, was leaning against the wall of the hallway. The bastard that had killed Amber, had taken everything from her parents. Anger flooded her.

He looked the same. Black clothes,
dark hair and flickering eyes. Those eyes were locked on her and smiling in a way that had ice cold fingers racing down her spine.

“Bravo.”

Abby, Matt and Joshua stayed silent but moved to stand closer to Lillian. They were a team now,
as one standing together against the enemy. Lillian felt the questions whirling around but they didn’t stop her friends from recognizing the threat in front of them.

“I have to say I’m glad you’re in one piece.” The Ebony
pushed himself off the wall and flashed that smile again that had her skin crawling. “I’ll enjoy breaking you.”

“Would be nice
if you introduced yourself first. I mean, come on, show at least a little common courtesy here if you insist on talking about killing me.”

“I’ll break you slowly.”

“No? Still no name?”

“S
o slowly you won’t realize it until it’s too late.”

The thing was he really
looked like he could do it. That guy was scary, alright, but Lillian would never admit it and rolled her eyes instead. “You go on like this and the only thing you’ll manage is to bore me to death. You know how many comebacks are itching inside of me to get out right now?”

“You can talk the talk, but can you walk the walk?” Joshua immediately prompted.

The Incubus’ face darkened.

“Talk to the hand.” Lillian could imagine Abby gesturing towards her face, “’Cause the face isn’t listening.”

Lillian didn’t take her eyes off the demon but put a smile in her voice. “Exactly, that’s two of them right there. My favorite here would be more along the lines of you’re all talk, where the hell’s the action?”

The next happened in a blink of an eye.
The Incubus flew at her, rage burning in his eyes, flickering like a living flame. Lillian hoped to God they wouldn’t be the last she would ever see.

He slammed into her, the weight of him like a freight train. Wrapping his arms around her like a vise, they went airborne. Looking over his shoulder she could see his dark-gray wings spreading from his back. Suddenly he plummeted and
he smashed them through the ground. Together they crashed into the living room.

Their improvised table of cardboard boxes didn’t do
a damn thing to soften her fall. Her breath left her body in a whoosh and she couldn’t get any new in. God, her back hurt. Something had cut her side.

But the Ebony didn’t give Lillian the time to discover what it was. He was pulling himself up, getting off of her.
That sardonic smile again.

One day she would wipe it off him, she swore to herself. One day.

He summoned his Shade, the dagger a swirling, hypnotizing mess of shadows.

Lillian stayed on the floor.

He laughed as he saw her lying there on the floor, unable to get up.
Leaning over her, he winked and nearly sang in a low, menacing voice. “Slowly, oh so slowly.”

Lillian’s upper body shot up and
she sank her sword into his side, making him cry out. “We’ll see about that.”

She heard footsteps pounding on the ground, heard Abby’s crossbow go off.

He ducked. Blood was quickly wetting his shirt and yet he didn’t fall. After a glance over his shoulder the Ebony promised, “This isn’t over, Ivory. It has only just begun.”

Then he jumped over her and
threw himself at the window, crashing through it in a rain of sparkling glass. Lillian heard him spread his wings and knew he was gone.

Abby, Joshua and Matt came running
, crouching beside her. “You okay?”

“Fine, I think, but I could
use a hand. Back hurts, but nothing’s broken.”

They pulled her to her feet and she took stock.
The white-hot pain in her side came from a green shard of glass embedded there. Huh. A curious glance revealed more green shards covering the ground at the floor. Beer bottle. She must have smashed a beer bottle that had been standing on the table - before she fell onto it that was. At least it wasn’t death by beer bottle; that would have been too embarrassing.

For a moment the four of them just stood
amongst the debris, in the middle of their battlefield - the boys in boxers and the girls in shirts - absorbing the sudden quiet and peace of the night. It was this in-between moment when the mind struggled. What was real, the fight or the sudden peace? But there was the dust that hadn’t settled yet, the blood on Lillian’s side that hadn’t dried yet.  This was real. And so, while Joshua fixed her wound, Abby and Matt started with the clean up. When her side was taken care of, she and Joshua helped.

The house was a mess. Now it had even more holes in the walls
, which wasn’t very comforting. The house had been a damn Swiss cheese before they moved in, and now Lillian wondered how it could still stand. Plaster, chunks of wood and shards of glass covered the floors, mixing with the black blood of the fallen demons. Old dust, the coppery scent of blood and sulfur saturated the air, making it hard to breath.

They found an open window and the disturbed line of salt beneath it and knew how the demons had come inside. A draft could have been their downfall. Really not cool at all.

It took them a while to take care of the worst of the mess, to cover the broken window and the hole in the bathroom, and Lillian used that time to tell them more about the Incubus and about the attack on her parents. Once again it galled her that she knew so little about the Ebony and silently wondered why he seemed to have it in for her.

They were just
closing the last trash bag when Raz showed up.

He looked around, took in the damage, the repairs and the four of them. Arching an eyebrow, he smiled. “Sure looks like
I missed all the fun.”

Lillian stood hands on her hips, panting and more exhausted from the clean up than she had been from the fight. “Now that’s what I’d call suspiciously perfect timing. C
lean up just finished.”

He heard the accusation in her voice and shrugged, trying for innocent. “Well,
you didn’t call me for help. How could I know?” He looked from one Ivory to the other, his gaze lingering on Lillian’s legs, and didn’t manage to stifle a laugh. “Nice outfits by the way.”

In a movement so fast it was just a blur Lillian threw her damp cloth at him.
“Ass.”

The dirty rag slid off his face –
priceless! – and they all burst out laughing, nearly rolling on the floor.

“Ouch!” Abby suddenly cried out.

And then Lillian felt it too. A searing pain on the inside of her wrist.

Glancing down she saw the outline of a cross appear, as if getting inked by invisible hands, and a pair of wings soon spread from it. At last the words IVORY GUARD
were carved into the cross.

Before she had time to look more closely the house groaned, and one wall started to glow. As one, closely followed by Raz they ran outside
and halted, staring with their mouths open wide in shock

The
ir coat of arms blazed white-golden on the wall outside before darkening to resemble graffiti.

THIRTEEN

They had proven themselves, had stood together and fought together, and now it needed to be celebrated.

During the last few weeks the four of them had bought some new clothes
, but mostly they still lived out of their duffel bags, so it wasn’t exactly an easy feat to find something appropriate to wear for they had planned to hit the closest town and bar to properly commemorate their victory.

In the end
Lillian settled for her tight black jeans and a silky, sleeveless tunic top with a halterneck that left half of her back bare. It would be maroon outside of purgatory and its hem was embroidered in black. She had packed it because she had bought it on a shopping trip with her mother not long ago and simply because she loved the top for how incredible soft and comfortable it was. The fact that she looked sexy in it didn’t hurt, of course. Paired with her low heel ankle boots and leather jacket she was good to go.

Abby’
s outfit was similar but Lillian was surprised to discover the probably sexiest peeptoes ever on her friend’s feet.

“Why would you bring those to the
demonic boot camp from heaven?”

Abby arched an eyebrow. “Would you have been able to leave those at home to rot in a closet, never to see the light of day again?”

Lillian resigned and sighed reverently. “I see your point.”

When the four of them stepped outside Raz was already waiting for them,
dressed in jeans and a white shirt both of which he filled out nicely, the fabric stretching in all the right places and accentuating his tall and athletic frame. His hip casually leaned against the hood of a car that hadn’t been there before and instantly snatched Lillian’s attention.

Lillian’s heart sped up at the sight.
A pony car. A first generation Dodge Challenger R/T Coupé to be exact. Sleek black and caressed by the setting sun.

Matt was the first who found his voice although his eyes were still glued to the Challenger, his voice low and filled with awe - which was probably because of the car and not the angel. “Man, I knew this Ivory stuff would have its ups. How the hell did you get your hands on this baby?”

Shrugging, Raz said, “Doesn’t matter. But you’ll have to be able to get from hellhole A to hellhole B somehow, so why not in a nice car.”

Joshua looked at the angel as if he’d gone insane. “
Nice
car? That ride’s not nice. It’s… sweet and beauty and power and....”

“Ours?”
Lillian cut in, still amazed.

Raz nodded, his eyes sparkling with something warm and soft that tugged at her heart as he grinned
. “Yours.”

He threw her a set of keys that Lillian
easily snatched out of the air, her eyes going wide. Almost as one the boys turned and looked at her, or rather the keys in her hands.

Shaking her head and not taking her glowing eyes off the car she said, “And I knew being the leader had its perks. Sorry guys, but this baby’s mine tonight.”

They groaned and pleaded, but gave up eventually, and got inside the car. Before climbing behind the wheel Lillian locked gazes with Raz, her heart swelling, nearly bursting. He winked at her before he disappeared. Knowing that they would meet him in town she finally slipped behind the wheel, enjoying the engine’s rumble.

Night had fallen and after half an hour Lillian watched the moonlight flooded landscape
glitter with the bright, colorful lights of a city. Her eyes, so used to the dull world that was purgatory, soon teared a bit at the intense stimuli flooding her.

She
quickly found them a spot to park and they got out of the car, eager to let go and to celebrate. Their anticipation and pride was like a buzzing cloud around them.

They were about to hit the sidewalk when Lillian suddenly stopped.

Abby turned around, frowning at her. “Something wrong?”

“
I just realized…It’s the first time I’m seeing you guys in Technicolor. It’s weird.”

They all looked around at each other and started to laugh. “
Shit, you’re right. I can’t believe I’ve actually gotten so used to the black-and-white.”

Lillian
took her time. Matt had blonde hair as she had suspected, a little on the curly side. His shirt was green and added a light touch of surfer-boy style. However, Joshua’s eyes nearly took her breath away. They had always been almost black in purgatory, but were actually an amazing shade of blue-gray. And Abby? Abby was smooth, warm chocolate; her skin and eyes. She wore skinny jeans and a white top and her shoes were navy and red with white polka dots and a small red bow on top. Stunner.

“Damn g
irl, you’re death on heels.”

Matt
looked down and agreed, “On sexy heels.”

Abby
beamed at them. “Thanks. You guys aren’t bad either.”

Laughing
Lillian hooked her arm with Abby’s and together they walked into the bar.

The place was crowded.
Brick stone walls gave it an earthy and comfortable atmosphere, and the good old rock mixing with the laughter and chatter made it heaven. Lillian quickly found Raz and the table he occupied. When they arrived he stood, asking them what they would like to have – even if it contained alcohol – so he could get it.

Raz shrugged as he noticed Matt and Joshua’s stunned and yet relieved faces. “I
t’s no secret that your lives will be short given the fact that you’ll spend most of it fighting.”

It could have been a downer, but they all knew the truth and it only gave the
m more reason to be here. And so the girls settled for rum and coke, though Lillian wouldn’t drink all of it since she intended to drive them - and their beauty of a car - back home, and the boys wanted a beer to start.

When Raz came back with their drinks, they clanked glasses.
Tonight, they celebrated. Tonight they celebrated the hope that they would continue to come out on top for a while.

Two hours later they had moved towards the pool tables.
Joshua was winning and Matt grimaced with pain.

Lillian
was leaning against a wall, watching them, as Raz came with another soda for her.

“Thanks.
And not only for the drink.”

“The Challen
ger suits you.” They had to lean in close so they could hear each other over the ruckus. Something Lillian didn’t mind at all. His warm breath trickled her ear and a shiver ran down her spine. “How are you doing? Your arm, your side?”

A hand lightly brushed the places he mentioned, so lightly it wasn’t a touch at all and yet
Lillian’s throat went dry at the sudden heat flooding her.

She barely managed to reply,
“Fine. I think the accelerated healing is kicking in. Will come in quite handy when I’ll be kicking some more demon ass.”

Raz’s
mouth twitched. “You’re quite good at what you do.”

“I had a good teacher.”

They stared at each other and she drowned in his silvery eyes that spoke of secret kisses they both remembered and still yearned for. She missed the days when it had been just the two of them, and sucked in a breath as the world around them faded away.

Unfortunately
a rather tipsy Abby chose that moment to bump into them, oblivious to the heated bubble bursting around her. “I’m not feeling so good.”

Lillian frowned at her friend, wondering h
ow many drinks Abby had had.

As if reading her mind Raz said, “
She only had two rum and coke.”

Wow,
apparently Abby was kind of a lightweight. Gently peeling the drink out of Abby’s fingers Lillian put her soda in its place instead. “Drink this. Slowly!”

Then, p
utting an arm around her friend’s waist to steady her, Lillian’s gaze flicked to Raz, shooting him an apologetically smile before steering Abby towards the restrooms.

He
shrugged. “Have to go anyway.” He gestured his fingers skywards.

Lillian
nodded in understanding. He had been summoned.

Raz
followed her with his eyes. She looked beautiful tonight, relaxed and happy. Her hair free, falling over her shoulders in a gentle wave, and her light green eyes, a green he had been looking forward to seeing again, were sparkling. The ringing had started while they had been talking and he hadn’t wanted to leave. Abby bumping into them had been like a not so subtle nudge from above. So when Lillian reached a short hallway and turned right, disappearing from his view, he couldn’t ignore the crescendo of bells ringing inside of his head any longer.

Micah’s
office was blindingly white this time, even the chair and desk. Raz inwardly sighed. He hated this immaculate setting the most – and not only because his gray wings stood out like a sore thumb. No, this all-white coziness often meant that Micah was keeping his cards even more closely to his chest than usual.

The angel of the divine plan stood
leaning back against the front of his desk, in his usual black suit and white button down with his arms crossed over his chest. Though tightly controlled, Raz sensed impatience in those hard, dark eyes staring at him and Raz was surprised by the smug, nearly evil joy budding inside his chest at the idea of making the angel wait for him. It was another new sensation for him, a mean one maybe, but one he enjoyed nevertheless.

“
Raziel, how nice of you to stop by. I take it you were delayed.”

“
Yes, I was. Humans,” he added that last word in way that said it all.

“Ah.”
Micah stood up straight and looked at papers lying on his desk, shuffling through them. “A shame what happened to Ambriel, but I take it you handled the situation?”

Raz nodded.
He wanted this to be over.

“The Guard has proven
worthy.”

Another nod.
“There were attacked during the night. In the house. The leader was the same Incubus Ebony that had attacked Lillian at her parents’ house.”

Looking up at Raz,
Micah’s brow furrowed in honest puzzlement. “Lillian?”

Shit. Raz wanted to slap himself.
Such a damn slip, and in front of Micah of all angels. Names weren’t allowed, since they furthered unnecessary attachment. “My trainee. Since there is another girl in the group I used her name for sake of clarity.”

“Of course.”
The words basically dripped with fake understanding. Micah frowned, then picked up his thought again. “Well, obviously he tracked her down. It happens.”

Just like that the matter was off the table for the angel.
Or not.

His voice a little too casual, he asked,
“Or where there any problems? Anything in particular that I should know of? Did the fight give them any trouble?”

Micah didn’t look at him
, but Raz still felt as if he was pinned to the wall. “No. Normal fight. Every demon killed, except for the leader.”

“Good. So I take it, everything’s going as it’s supposed to?”

“Of course.”

“Will she make a good leader, you think?”

“Yes, she will.” Raz didn’t know whether to elaborate but in the end he did. “They form a good team and will be an excellent Guard.”

“Great.”

Raz was about to fly away when Micah’s sweet and cold voice rang out. “And Raziel? I know working this Ivory Duty alone made it more stressful, but you did a good job, keep doing it.” Raz couldn’t help but hear a silent
or else
floating on the air. “However…” Yup, here it was. “Sentiments are a sign of weakness, Raziel. A weakness we cannot accept. Don’t forget that, or you’ll have to pay for it.” This time dark, hard eyes pinned him. “No refunds.”

Back in the bar, Raz stayed within the shadows, invisible to all. Shit, he had hoped
that asshole Micah wouldn’t see it, wouldn’t notice that Raz had indeed started to feel more than he should.

Out of their own accord his eyes went to Lillian.
She was playing pool; the girls against the boys apparently. Abby was laughing at something Lillian had said, and Raz was glad to see her feeling better again.

Lillian was a light in the darkness that
was eternity to him. He had never met someone like her. Once again he wondered about this odd, tugging and sometimes painful feeling Lillian caused inside him. Sometimes he would blame her, curse her for making him feel, and at other times he was grateful for it. She was an intriguing puzzle to him and he just couldn’t get her out of his head. This bookworm who had spent most of the time he had followed her hidden behind books; this young woman who could wield a sword as efficiently as her sharp tongue. He was aware of her every move, her scent. Her presence had become a drug he feared he couldn’t live without.

She hadn’t called out to him when the Ebony had found her. In the middle of the night, pulled out of
her sleep, and slammed through a goddamn ceiling…she still hadn’t called out to him. Lillian didn’t need him anymore. That realization caused a sharp pain to burn through him, as if he’d been cut on the inside. Sadness, maybe. Longing. She had her guard, her new-found friends. They would protect each other, would sacrifice themselves for each other. They didn’t know it yet, but they had become a family.