Jordyn (A Daemon Hunter Novel Book One) (2 page)

"I wasn't done talking to him, Haniel, for frick's sake," I griped, keeping pace with the Arch Angel's long effortless strides.

"
It was time to go. Why did you not call me when you became aware of the Daemons?" he demanded, glaring over the roof of my Honda.

"
I knew I could handle it," I said, throwing myself into the driver's seat. Watching Haniel trying to fold his imposing seven-foot frame into the passenger seat almost made up for how pissed I was—almost. "You know you can just meet me there," I added, knowing he could be at my house in seconds.

"
I believe it would be wise of me to accompany you home," Haniel replied dryly.

"
Fine," I said, slamming my foot on the accelerator, which earned me "the look" after he had to grab the dash to brace himself, but it was so worth it. I was sick of everyone treating me with kid gloves. I was different, I got that, but seriously folks, let's move on already.

The ten
-minute drive home was quiet after that. I had a ton of questions racing through my head about Emrys, but now didn't seem like the time. I had been given a hundred and one lessons on the origins of my family over the last year. Stories of good versus evil and how my family was directly connected to all of it. I came from a long lineage of Guides and Protectors known as Links, or soul mates, I guess you could call them. They were created long ago by The Light to help battle evil on earth. Guides were the female counterpart and were attuned to the feelings and emotions of humans. They used their gifts to cleanse the human soul in order to turn away from evil. Protectors were exactly what they sounded like. They were created to protect their soul mate. Protectors were wickedly strong, but could not live without their Guides. My Uncle Mark's father, Victor, had been a Protector long ago before he turned dark and betrayed the other Guides and Protectors in his Band. He killed them all and split up their offspring, waiting until the kids were older to swoop in and try to harness the power they held. He cherished the power, but hated the idea that the Protectors perished if their Guides died. What he never understood was that the Protectors did not want to live without their Guides. Their Guides held their souls and hearts in their hands. His goal was to kill off the Guides once and for all, thus freeing the Protectors from their bonds. My aunt and uncle had fought him off, suffering through a separation that nearly destroyed them, but in the end, they emerged as the first ever
Ascended
links. They were no longer a Guide and Protector, but something so much more.

And then there was me. I wasn
't a Guide or a Protector. I was something in between. I couldn't feel the emotions of humans or help their souls, but I could sense Daemons, and I was unusually strong, which was the reason Haniel came around so often to train me.   

Having an aunt and uncle
who were kickass angels that visited the heavenly realm periodically was a tough act to follow. Even worse though was watching my friend Lynn reap the benefits of the bond that I just couldn't really understand. Loving someone unconditionally in that way was foreign to me. I've never come close to feeling that way about anyone. I adored Lynn to death, but obviously that was different. Plus, I never understood the sensitivity to emotions. All I know is it sucked when she told me she had to join Robert on some mission that had gotten out of hand. The Link they shared was a major pain in my ass. It had me thinking Mark's father, Victor, may have been right in resenting the whole Link thing.

In essence Victor did accomplish what he wanted. He
'd managed to destroy the lineage in our Bands forever. I had no Link, and Logan, my distant cousin, had lost his Link before she was even born. Her mom died when she was pregnant, and from what I understand, the new generation of Guides and Protectors would be unable to conceive. I knew my Aunt Krista and her best friend, Sam, had been devastated when they found out. It was just another decision The Light had made without any consideration for those involved. Haniel said it was for the best, but seeing the pain on my aunt's face anytime she saw a baby made me call bullshit on that. Because of Victor, eventually the Links would cease to exist. 

I pulled up behind my aunt
's SUV and watched as Haniel disappeared from the front seat only to reappear outside the car in the blink of an eye. It was a cool trick, but I'd seen it a hundred times, so I really paid no attention as we headed up the cobblestone path toward the pretty beach cottage my aunt and uncle had painstakingly designed and built last year. The property had been in the family for years, but the previous house held bad memories for my aunt and uncle, so they finally decided to bulldoze everything and start over.

I was sliding my key into the lock when the front door swung open. The tall imposing stature of my uncle filled the doorway. The disappointment on his face said it all, but I raised my chin in defiance and swept past him. He could sigh all he wanted, I wasn
't going to buckle. One way or another, I was going to get some independence here.

"
Jordyn, are you okay?" my aunt asked, gathering me into her arms.

I hugged her back for a moment before stiffening up.
"Krista, I'm fine. It was just two measly Daemons. I could've taken them with my eyes closed."

"
Jordyn, Guides and Protectors have lost their lives battling two Daemons at once. You could have died."

"
Gah, Krista, chill. They can't even touch me without becoming a fireball, let alone the fact that I majorly kicked their asses," I said, sinking down on my uncle's beat-up leather mess of a chair that he wouldn't allow my aunt to throw out.

"
Jordyn, we've told you hundreds of times, one of these days they may figure out how to get past your defenses," she said, pacing back and forth.

"
Haniel, how likely is that?" I implored my mentor.

"
The likelihood is negative," he answered, confirming my statement.

I smirked and settled back in my seat, feeling self-satisfied.

"That does not mean one should not proceed cautiously," Haniel clarified, wiping the smirk off my face.

"
Jordyn, your aunt and I are concerned about your attitude," my uncle said, pulling up a dining room chair in front of me. "We know it's not easy being different. We've all suffered from our abnormalities over the years."

I couldn
't help snorting at his words. "Mark, you just don't get it," I said, finally fed up with the comparisons. They all had each other. They had their memories. They knew where they'd come from.

"
Jordyn, I didn't know this was still bugging you," my aunt said concerned.

"
How can it not?" I answered, aggravated. "I get it, okay? You guys are some mystical heavenly beings, but at least you know where you came from. What do I know? Frick all, that's what. I have one friend, Lynn, and she's always gone," I said in a huff with my words running together. "Oh, and did I mention that my mentor is an Arch Angel?" I added sarcastically before anyone could interject again.

"
Jordyn, I know it's hard to be different. I spent the first seventeen years of my life thinking I was a freak. I could feel the emotions of everyone around me, got insanely sick if the emotions were too strong, and dreamed about some guy I didn't think existed," Krista said, shooting my uncle a small smile.

"
Don't forget, I had to deal with the fact that my dad was a murderer, and that he not only ruined my life, but the lives of my friends," my uncle reminded me quietly.

"
I get all of that too, but in the end, you guys found each other. You won. You conquered evil. When do I get a turn? We all know there's no link for me. You tell me you don't want me to date now. So, what, am I supposed to die as a big V?" I said dramatically.

They exchanged a look at my words.

"Seriously?" I asked, jumping to my feet to resume the pacing Krista had abandoned. "Virgin, okay? Virgin."

"
We know what you meant, we just want you to wait," Mark said, trying to pacify me.

"
It's not like I'm going to go backseat diving on the first date," I said, trying to hide my smile of satisfaction as my uncle's face turned a delicate shade of pink.

"
Backseat diving?" Haniel asked, confused over the new phrase outside his human vocabulary.

"
You know, making out with some guy in the backseat of his car," I explained. "Kissing, touching, removal of clothes…"

"
We get the point," Krista said, covering up her own chuckle as Mark's pink skin escalated to a nice shade of purple. "Jordyn, it's really not nice to do that to your uncle."

I couldn
't help joining in her laughter as Haniel and Mark looked at us like we were nuts. After a few minutes, I finally sobered up and returned to the root of the whole blow up that night.

"
If I can't be like you guys, then I at least want to be like humans," I said, sitting back down. "I hate this in-between crap. I just want to belong somewhere," I said as uncharacteristic tears gathered in the corner of my eyes. "Don't you see? I want to fit in somewhere."

"
You do, Jordyn," Krista said, kneeling down in front of me.  "You fit in with us. You're special. The Light has an important plan for you. You just have to be patient and trust us," she said, reaching up to stroke my newly dyed black hair. I knew the color change bothered her, but it was my big act of defiant protest after Lynn left yet again. "Trust me, okay?" she said, cupping my face in her hands.

I nodded. I said my piece and the rest could wait.

"Now, tell me about what happened on the beach," she said, perching on Mark's leg as he snaked an arm around her waist to anchor her in place.

Haniel moved away from his location by the wall and stood in the center of the room while I filled them in on what had happened. I told them how I had sensed the Daemons and tracked them to where Homeless Joe hung out. I gave the details how I had taken them out swiftly and effortlessly without a single injury. Mark and Haniel peppered me with questions about my strategy and both looked satisfied as they exchanged looks. This was the first time I
'd battled Daemons without Haniel on hand to lend assistance if need be. Finally, I got to the part about Emrys.

"
What exactly is a Soul Trader?" I asked the now silent room.

After a moment, Krista finally answered.
"A Soul Trader takes the souls before The Light or anyone else can."

"
Takes them where?" I asked, wondering why I'm just now finding out about this. They needed to seriously work on keeping me in the loop.

"
It's loosely called the Between. Some souls are stuck between heaven and hell. Soul Traders find them and deliver them for judgment," Mark said gravely, looking at Haniel for affirmation.

"
But how can they do that? I thought it's already been decided before you die."

"
For some, yes, but others are considered questionable. After the earthly body has perished, the souls are brought to judgment where the rightful path for afterlife is decided," Haniel answered in his typical no-nonsense way.

"
And Soul Traders take them to this judgment? But why? Why bother?" I asked, not totally getting it.

"
As it is in the earthly realm, free will govern one's path," Haniel explained.

"
What are you saying? They get to choose whether they go to heaven or hell?" I asked, still confused.

"
In a way, yes."

"
OMG, I still don't get it," I griped.

"
Haniel, if I may?" Mark gestured. "Jordyn, it's complicated, but what Haniel means is that some souls are not ready to move on for whatever reason. They're not reborn, but they are given a second chance. Their bodies regenerate into the form they were before."

"
Ewwww, that's freaking gross. What if someone got hit by a car or something?" I said, wrinkling my nose up in disgust.

Krista laughed at Mark.
"Nice try, babe, but you're not doing much better. Their bodies are restored back to their pre-death condition, but it's not like they are now back on earth like regular people. What Mark and Haniel have not explained is that the soul's choice at judgment is to accept the decision to go on to their afterlife destination or become a Soul Trader."

"
What?" I asked, shaking my head in amazement. "You're saying Soul Traders were once these questionable souls who now work for The Light?"

"
They work neither for The Light nor The Dark One," Haniel intervened.

"
So who's doing the judgment then?" I questioned.

"
Like Mark said, it's complicated," Krista answered. "All you really need to understand is that some souls want a second chance to finish something they started when they were human, while others find it a temporary solution to avoiding hell."