Revelation (22 page)

I sigh. “I’m not so sure about that
. I had a run in with an unfriendly gargoyle clan yesterday. The altercation is making me think twice about my abilities,” I blurt out without thought.

Asher’s face drops
as if I’ve punched him in the stomach. I immediately regret the statement.

Lady Finella turns to
Asher, visibly worried and confused. “Is this true, protector? Another gargoyle clan is endangering and showing signs of hostility toward a human?”

He nods. “Unfortunately
, yes. Not just any clan, the Declan clan, your grace.”

Lady Finella’s face drops and goes p
ale. “Are you implying the half-breed spawn of Dimia and Lucifer threatens a human?”

“Yes, your grace.” Asher’s eyes slide to mine then
snap back to hers.

Lady Finella places her napkin
on the table as her voice becomes authoritative. “Well, it appears that you will need more than the gargoyles helping you if you are to succeed in this vile war, child.”

“We are diligently working on a strategy for Eve’s
protection, I assure you,” Asher states.

“Very well
. I hold court the day after tomorrow with Arabella, Lunette, Valentin, and Lucian. I will bring this to their immediate attention and see what can be done from our kingdoms to ensure her safety and success,” she says in a business-like manner.

Asher nods his head in a soft bow. “Thank you, your grace. That is most kind and we gratefully accept the help of those realms. I will inform Michael as well.”

“Wonderful
.” She claps her hands together in delight before she tilts her head, listening to something. “My apologies. I am being called away by kingdom business. With regret, l must send you both back to the earth realm. Protector, Ainsley will come to you with word as soon as I know what we can do on our end. Thank you both for your lovely company during tea today,” Lady Finella says as she rises from her seat.

Asher stands, guiding me by my hand to do the sa
me. “Thank you for your hospitality,” he offers as I stand, confused.

Before I can say anything else, Lady Finella flattens her hand and blows iridescent gold shimmer at me
. I begin to flicker, returning to the earth plane as I notice the fairy leaning into Asher’s ear in a bare whisper.

“Am I to understand
, gargoyle, that she still doesn’t know who you really are?” she asks.

Asher nods.
“For now, yes.”

She pauses for a moment in contemplation. “Alright, I will
guard your secret. For now.” With that, she sends Asher back to the earth realm as well.

I wrench awake with Asher lying peacefully next to me. I allow myself a moment to get lost in the beauty of his face. Indigo eyes open a few moments after mine at a casual, easy pace. A slow, small smile presents itself on his lips.

I pout
, turning onto my side and angling my body up on my elbow to face Asher. He’s still lying on his back, eyes fixed on the ceiling. “Why don’t you jerk awake the way I do?” I whine.

He
lets out a light laugh. “I’ve been doing this a lot longer than you have. Once you train, you’ll learn to control your return and you won’t do that anymore.”

“How did you know I realm jumped?”
I ask as my eyes scan his stubble-dusted jawline.

“I felt you pull away
. I figured you went back to the same realm so I followed you,” he says in a nonchalant tone, like he followed me to the library.

“I remember the visit this time,” I say in awe
d excitement.

He smiles. “It
’s because you have been enlightened. Your mind has allowed you to process the visit as real versus a dream.” Asher slides his face to me, catching my eyes.

“Thank you for staying last night,” I
say, my tone shy and quiet.

Asher
sits up, startled. “Eve, your face,” he says, puzzled. He takes my cheeks in his palms as his eyes scan my entire head.

“What?” I panic as he grabs my
arms, searching for the bruises that were there last night.

I look and they’re gone.
“Wait, what? Where are they?” I ask in confusion, looking to Asher.

He
locks eyes with me. “It seems you have one of the archangel’s gifts. The power to heal. You’ve mended yourself, siren,” he breathes out, astonished.

I bolt out of bed and run into the bathroom to look in the mirror.
Yep, I’m completely healed.

20
Morning Light

Staring
at myself in the mirror, I’m still in shock that I’m no longer sporting a swollen and bruised cheek. The ring of bruises on my wrists and upper arms are completely gone as well.

Asher co
mes up behind me and our eyes connect in the mirror. With his large hand, he brushes my long hair to the right side and places it over my shoulder. The touch is so achingly beautiful and full of unspoken things.

He leans into me, his breath tickling my ear.
“That’s an amazing gift, siren,” he says, awestruck.

“Do you think I can heal ot
hers or just myself?” I inquire, holding his gaze with curiosity.

He gives me his bright
, sexy smile. “I don’t know, but I can’t wait to find out.”

His fingertips
run along my neck in a light caress. “I never gave you your Christmas present yesterday. I was going inside to look for it when Deacon showed up. Would you like it now?”

I nod my head
, not breaking eye contact as he lifts his left hand. It is clasping a silver chain with a single feather lying on its side.

“It’s beautiful
, Asher.” I breathe out.

“I asked your aunt to make it especially for you. It’s an angel’s wing
. A symbol to remind you of the divine presence in your life. May I?” he asks.

I nod
as he brings the necklace around my neck, securing the clasp.

“I love it. Thank you.” I turn to face Asher
. “But I don’t need a necklace to remind me that I have a divine presence in my life. I have you.”

Hi
s face turns ashen and he closes his eyes. “We should go downstairs. I need some coffee,” he says with a raw voice.

I pout. “Wait
, this is a lot nicer than the scabbard I gave you.”

Asher
smiles. “Nope, that’s the best gift I’ve ever been given,” he says as he grabs my hand and guides me down to the kitchen where everyone, including Leo and Aria, are eating breakfast.

As soon as they see us
, Callan stops eating, spoon in mid air, mouth open.

“EVE!” Abby exclaims
. “Where are your bruises?” She shifts her focus between Asher and myself.

Asher walks over to the counter and pours two cups of coffee. 
He places one sweetener and a hint of milk in mine, causing me to smile inside that he knows how I take my coffee. Asher pours his black and turns around, taking a sip.

He gives everyone his devastatingly beautiful smile.
“It seems Eve has inherited a gift from Michael. She can heal herself.”

Silence.

“What?” McKenna whispers out.

Asher nods his head as Keegan comes over to inspect me.

“May I?” he asks
, his hands on either side of my head, waiting for my approval. “Amazing,” he offers in admiration.

“That is
remarkable, Eves. Truly awesome.” Callan smiles and puts his spoon in his mouth.

“It is pretty fantastic
that you can do that, Eve.” Aria beams.

I return her smile. “I
guess. At least I won’t need cover up.”

“Way to be positive
.” Aria laughs.

I snag a blueberry muffin off the counter and begin
picking at it.

Keegan smiles
with respect. “We should let Michael know about your new ability as soon as possible. In the meantime, now that you’re feeling better, we can begin downloading information on The Demonic Legion. So, after breakfast, please dress and meet us in the library.”

“Keegan
, we also need to let Michael know that Eve realm jumped again last night.” Asher shrugs out off handed.

Silence.

“Again?” McKenna snipes.

I roll my eyes. “I didn’t do it intentionally. Asher came with me so no harm done,” I explain.

“Which realm?”
Callan asks, amused.

“Kingdom of the Fae again,” Asher offers.

“Alright, I’ll alert Michael as well. Is Lady Finella amiable with Eve’s continued presence in her realm?” Keegan questions.

Asher smiles.
“She is very pleased that the daughter of Heaven chose her realm as a haven,” Asher says, mimicking Lady Finella’s regal voice.

“Alright then.
Let’s do this.” Callan stands up, placing his cereal bowl in the sink.  I follow him upstairs to freshen up.

After show
ering and getting dressed, I head down to the library for my demon 101 lecture.

“
Eve, are you prepared to learn about The Demonic Legion?” Keegan asks from his seat across from where I’m sitting on the couch.

Before he can continue, Aria bounces in and plops down on the couch next to me as all eyes turn to her in surprise.

She looks around. “What?”

“Aria, this may not be—” Leo gets cut off by his bubbly girlfriend.

“I want to learn about it to
o. How am I going to help protect Eve if I don’t know what I’m up against?” she says with a bit of whining.

Keegan nods after meeting Leo’s defeated eyes. “
Okay, but just to learn, not to participate.”

Aria claps with excitement before whispering to me. “This is our first class together,” she says as she wiggles he
r eyebrows, causing me to giggle in surprise.

“Ladies
, please. Let’s get started,” Keegan scolds.

“
A little background on demonology. After Lucifer was banished from Heaven for refusing to revere humans, he took a human woman, Lilith, as revenge. He stripped her humanity, making her not only the first demon but also his mate. As a result of this offense, Michael was sent to imprison Lucifer in a cage, known today as Hell,” Asher explains.

Keegan
continues. “While in his cage, Lucifer rebelled and created his own army of demons. It’s called The Demonic Legion or Dark Army.”

“If an angel is formed from fire, how is a demon created?” I ask.

“A demon is produced from a human soul after centuries of torture. One month on earth is the equivalent to one hundred in Hell. Human souls are sent when they have either made deals or agreements with demons that roam earth or are deemed worthy of Hell’s Gates. Hellhounds hunt and then kill the humans who’ve entered into these agreements or death is sent to retrieve the worthy souls. Then they are sent to Hell to suffer agonies you can’t even imagine,” Leo says with sadness in his voice.

“The hierarchy of demons can be defined by eye color. Black-eyed demons are usually Lucifer’s most trusted underling
s. They are able to conceal their eye color at will. However, once they release the demon, their eyes turn black. Demons that have white eyes are usually devoted generals. Those with yellow eyes, like the banshee or baghest, are usually delegates or messengers and red eyed demons are the cronies or minions,” Keegan adds.

“Can we realm jump there?” I ask
, attempting to hide the fear in my voice.

Asher shakes his head. “No. O
nly souls, demons, or angels can enter or exit both Heaven and Hell.”

“Do they have powers?” Aria asks.

“Yes. All demons have powers. Telepathy, telekinesis, superhuman strength, enhanced endurance, mind control, pyrokinesis, and resurrection are just some of the many abilities they possess. Also, with a single touch, demons can send souls and other demons back to the Gates. Like most supernatural beings, their powers depend on what their strengths and ranks are,” Asher explains.

“How do you stop them?” I ask
, chewing on the inside of my cheek.

Asher runs his thumb along my bottom lip, stopping my bad habit while he speaks.
“Angels have the power to kill demons with a touch. The rest of us need an Angel Sword, spells, burning, it really just depends on the demon and what is needed to remove it.” Asher exhales.

I inhale sharply. “But demons aren’t al
l that are after me, right?”

Leo stands. “No, there’
s a world of supernatural beings that will also want to turn you over to Lucifer. The reason is that Lucifer can give them all the power they want. You, my dear, are the negotiation tool. Luficer wants you and the supernatural world wants control.  As with all things in life, there are good and bad and everyone is misguided by greed. We will be facing and learning how to defeat witches, sprites, werewolves, vampires, belkins, and ilfrits amongst others.”

I close my eyes.
“Holy shit!” Aria exclaims.

“You said it,” I agree with her.

“Do you see why your training is so important, Eve? We can and will protect you but you must be educated and prepared as well,” Keegan implores.

“Lady Finella has also offered the assistance o
f The Supernatural Court. She’s meeting with them the day after tomorrow, plus we have Michael and a divine presence. Eve, you’re not alone in this,” Asher assures me. Yeah, not working. Still freaking out.

“Why don’t
we head to the training facility and get Eve going on some basic skills. I think this is enough education for today,” Asher suggests.

I walk into the train
ing room and it’s empty. The clock on the wall confirms the time. “Yep, on time. They said thirty minutes,” I mumble to myself.

W
alking around the vast room, I notice the mats, punching bags, and other gym equipment as well as the wall of weapons. Everything from knives, swords, daggers, staffs, axes, bill hooks, and other medieval type battle weapons are hanging within reach. I sigh, having no idea what any of these items are for or how to use them.

My hands run over each of the blades
and I stop on a set of silver daggers with black onyx handles. The stone is so smooth until you reach the dragon symbol etched into them. It matches Asher’s tattoo and is brushed in silver. Of their own accord, my hands move to release them from the hooks but I’m stopped by a deep voice.

“You have not earned the right to use those yet
,” Asher says with authority.

I pull my hands back and walk away from the wall then turn to see Asher, Callan, Kenna
, and Tadhg all standing in the center of the room in a straight line. They look more than intimidating.  They look like warriors, ready for battle.

The guys are wearing black workout pants and white t-shirts and Kenna is in black yoga pants like mine
, and a similar black tank top. Their faces are focused and all business.
Crap.

“You better get used to this room
. For the next month, you’ll be in here twelve hours a day. When you aren’t training with us, you’ll be with Keegan being downloaded on supernatural beings and The Demonic Legion,” McKenna states.

My mouth drops open. “Are you
fucking serious?”

Asher nods. “Thirty minutes of warm-up, two hours of conditioning, four hours of hand-to-hand and defense combat and eventually, six hours of weapon training. The last thirty minutes will be to stretch and cool down.”

My eyes shift over each person. “That’s a lot of training.”

“Aye
, ye need it,” Tadhg states with his heavy accent.

“We’re talking demons and supernatural creatures
, Eves. This isn’t Krav Maga class or simple self-defense. You need to be prepared,” Callan reminds me.

Asher steps up in front of me
and his eyes soften slightly. “We want you to be prepared for your safety and my peace of mind. Do you understand?”

I nod. “Okay, where do we start?”

McKenna steps up with a hard look on her face. “Warm up. Hop on the treadmill over there. Thirty minutes of running then you and I will work on conditioning before I hand you over to Callan and Asher for hand-to-hand.”

I groan and follow her. Two and
a half-hours later and my body already feels like it’s about to collapse. I’m sweating profusely and have gone through four bottles of water. She, on the other hand, looks like she stepped off the treadmill after a light jog.
Damn gargoyles
.

“Come on
. Callan and Asher are back in the training room waiting for you,” she barks at me, unimpressed with my slow pace.

Asher and Callan are
waiting in the middle of the mat. “Good luck. She seems like she’s already spent,” McKenna snottily throws out before she leaves the room.

Callan hands me a cup with a straw. “Protein
shake. It will keep you going for the next four hours.”

I roll my eyes. “Thanks.” I take a sip and immediately wish I hadn’t
. This tastes nasty.

Asher closes his eyes and sighs. “Finish it
, Eve,” he orders. When I do, he takes the empty cup then instructs me to sit in the middle of the mat.

I sit
, welcoming the momentary reprieve as Callan paces in front of me. “Demons are skilled fighters. That means you must be one step ahead of them at all times—both mentally and physically.  In hand-to-hand combat, it’s not always the bigger and stronger person who wins. It’s the strategic warrior who can prevail.”