Balance (The Divine, Book One) (12 page)

"I'm
all for saving innocents, Josette," I told her.

She
smiled at me, wiping away my anger in an instant. "I believe that about
you. And right now you can do so without consequence. What happens when the
balance is restored, should good begin to triumph? That is the nature of who
you are, and the mission that you have accepted. For all the good you may feel
and show today, there is a devilish side to you, or you would not be what you
are."

I
didn't know what to say. She wasn't completely right, but she wasn't completely
wrong. I had choked the Priest when he had resisted giving me what I wanted. I
knew there was a part of me that could harm innocents if it meant achieving my
goals. Admitting that to myself was difficult. It scared the crap out of me.
Admitting it to her, impossible.

"I
guess I'll worry about that if and when it happens," I said, letting go of
her. "I have a lot of good work to do in the meantime." I went over
and picked up my sword from where it was resting against the rooftop ledge.
"Show me something else."

She
didn't respond right away. She looked at me with a mix of fear and admiration.
Her eyes told me as much. When she realized she was telegraphing her feelings
to me, she turned away again.

"Please
stop," she said.

"I'm
not doing it on purpose," I told her. "Your eyes shift and change
with your emotions. For whatever reason, I understand what the variations mean."

"You
shouldn't be able to do that," she said.

"What
does it mean?" I asked.

"I
don't know,” she replied. “It's making me uncomfortable though. I feel naked in
a way that goes so far beyond the physical."

I
understood her perspective, but the selfish part of me didn't want to give up
watching her eyes. The experience of seeing her emotions that way was
intoxicating.

"I'll
try not to look at your eyes," I told her. "But you should know they
are incredibly beautiful and expressive."

She
reddened again, but didn't say anything. Her sword materialized in her hand.
"Shall we?"

"Thank
you for doing this Josette," I said.

"I
am repaying a debt to you fellow,” she replied. “Nothing more."

I
didn't want to look at her eyes, but I couldn't help stealing a glance. There
was a hint of brighter golden flecks at the edges, which danced along the outer
rim. She was lying. It was enough for me that I knew. I didn't call her on it.

"Still,"
I said. "Thank you."

The
moment was broken by a scream that sent a shiver down the base of my spine. I
felt an almost primal pull towards the source of the sound, a few blocks away
from the rooftop where we stood. Josette had sensed it too, and she turned and
began running along the rooftop in the direction of the noise. I stood frozen in
place, watching her as she bounded onto the ledge of the building and leapt,
landing on the opposite rooftop twenty feet away and continuing forward with
ease. I knew what I had to do if I was to follow.

"Crap,"
I said, breaking into a run, following in the angel's footsteps.

I
made the leap without a problem, and this time I decided to do a controlled
roll, pitching my shoulder forward and flipping over and back to my feet as I
hit the snowy ground and lost my footing. I was rewarded with a half success,
my arm blossomed with pain as my shoulder dislocated, but I managed to get back
up and start running forward again without losing too much momentum. By the
time I pulled myself through the jump across to the next rooftop, my arm was
healed.

I
caught up to Josette leaning over the ledge of the building, peering down into
the alley. I pulled up beside her and looked down. Two girls stood shivering
together in a corner, holding each other for support while six men blocked
their escape out of the alley. The girls were wearing short, tight skirts and
down jackets, obviously heading to or from a club or party of some kind.

"Watch
me," Josette said, "And try to learn something."

With
that, she was over the ledge, dropping forty feet to the ground and landing
ever so gently behind the men and the two girls. She didn't have her sword, not
yet.

“Leave
them alone, or I’m calling the police,” she said to them, getting their
attention. All six turned to face her at once.

"What
the hell is this," I heard one of the men say to the others.

"Are
you lost little girl," another one said, laughing.

"You
know what?" the first one asked his friends. "Now there's more to go
around." They all laughed then.

The
first one stopped laughing when Josette's foot connected with his face. There
was an audible crack as his jaw crushed under the force, and a few of his teeth
went flying from his mouth. He dropped like the sack of crap he was.

The
second attacker fell before he could overcome his shock, a heeled boot to the
groin creating more misery than he could handle. He lay on the ground
twitching, and Josette turned her attention to the other four.

Knives
had been pulled, and one of the scumbags had a gun. There was a loud pop, and
Josette's arm was shoved violently back as blood sprouted from her shoulder.
Two more pops, two more sprays of blood, and she fell backwards onto the
ground.

Panicked,
I jumped up onto the ledge, prepared to drop myself into the fray. I shouldn't
have bothered though. I had forgotten a simple lesson that I already knew. As
the gunman approached Josette to pour a few more rounds into her, she shot up
at him, slamming him in the face with her palm. His head bounced backwards, his
neck broken, and he fell to the ground.

I had
thought seeing her leap back into action like that would have sent the
remaining attackers running. Then I noticed that the first guy was back on his
feet. His fingers had grown out into claws, and a set of fangs hung out of his
mouth. Vampires!

He
leapt up and clung to the side of the building across from me, circling around
Josette while
she was distracted by the other attackers
,
who had also revealed their true nature. I saw Josette reach for her sword,
preparing to engage them. She didn't know the first one was getting the drop on
her. I took that as my cue.

I
flexed my legs and focused as I sprang from the rooftop, pulling myself across
the gap and down onto the sneaky son of a bitch. It was a formless maneuver,
but it worked. My body slammed into his, and we both plummeted to the ground.
Luckily for me, he broke my fall. He hissed and growled beneath me in a mixture
of anger and pain. I rolled off, more so I could get my bearings than in
response to his protests.

He
was one ugly dude, his features lumpy and twisted, his fangs crooked in his
mouth. He rolled onto his knees. I didn't need any kind of special perception
to know what came next. I ducked under his leap, and then turned to track him.
I saw Josette out of the corner of my eye, her sword a blur as she twirled
through the rest of the demonic mass. The second vampire had regained his
senses and rejoined the fray as well.

I
would have loved nothing more than to watch her and learn, as she had
requested. Instead, I was preparing for the vampire's next move while wishing I
had some silver on me. Heck, I would have settled for a wooden stake or some
garlic and taken my chances. I crouched into the position Josette had taught
me, even though I had neglected to bring my sword along for this ride. If
nothing else it would help me react faster to my opponent's offensive. I hoped.

He
eyed me cautiously, unsure of my position in the fight. He jerked left and
right a couple of times, trying to judge my reaction time. Then he smiled, and
I felt each individual nail of one of his buddies' hands slice its way down my
back. I fell forward onto the ground, wondering what had happened to Josette
that one had gotten past her. I listened for the sound of battle, but heard
nothing. This was bad.

The
wound healed quickly enough, but I decided to play injured while I got a better
feel for the situation. I focused on my hearing, taking in the sounds around
me. The shuffling of feet as the vampires rounded up the two girls, who were
crying in between prayers. A body being dragged along the ground, the leather
of her boots making a distinct noise against the pavement. The two assholes
that dropped me were beginning to lean in to check on my health. I needed a
plan, and fast.

Not
enough time. They were on me in an instant. The vamp that nailed me from behind
rolled me over, grabbed my throat, and lifted me up as high as his arm could
reach. I couldn't think of anything else to do, so I spit on him.

He
didn't like that very much. He responded by rearing back and throwing me at the
side of the building. My face slammed into the brick, my nose shattering from
the force. I hit the ground and rolled over to face them, my vision fuzzy. I
could make out the two girls being tied up together. I could see Josette's prone
form leaned against the building opposite me. My attackers had lost interest in
me, either taking me for dead or just not feeling at all threatened. I coughed
out some blood and rose to my feet.

I
looked over at Josette, and my anger flared. I didn't seem to be able to
control much of my power yet, but it seemed to have a way of making itself
known when I got pissed or beat up. I could feel it now in the base of my
spine, strength I couldn't tap into in calmer moments. It called to me, begged
for release, a siren's call to accept what was offered. All reason vanished as
my human mind faded into the background, replaced with clear burning purpose.

I
knew myself, but lost myself. My mind became an engine to a singular goal, my
emotions devolving into chaos. I could feel every vein and muscle in my body. I
could hear the roar of my blood vessels pumping energy into me. I heard my
clothes tearing as my body shifted and changed, into what I didn't know and in
the moment couldn't care. I let out a roar so loud it shook the entire alley,
breaking the lower windows of the buildings around me. This got the vampires'
attention. As one they turned to look at me. I could smell their fear. It was
intoxicating.

I
heaved myself forward with unexpected speed and ease, leaping the distance
between the vampires and myself. I grabbed the nearest one in both hands and
easily ripped his head from his torso, taking pleasure in the sound of the
tearing, the end of his existence. I rounded on the others, lashing out and
cutting another from head to toe with my razor sharp claws. Their confidence
was shattered, their fear ruling their actions.

They
moved as one to get away from me, breaking off down the alley at a run. I
crouched and leaped, landing on another vampire's back and ripping his head
from his shoulders. I pounced again and shredded the fourth. Moments later I
had dismembered the remaining attackers and turned back to where the two girls
were standing, silent and motionless, hoping I wouldn't notice them.

I
bounded down the alley on all fours, stopping in front of them. I looked down
on the pitiful creatures, my eyes drawn to the shadowy darkness at the center
of their chests. I shifted back into my human form, dressed in a pair of black
pants, a white shirt with a vest over it, and a long leather morning jacket. I
had a small dagger in my hand, and one thought on my mind.

The
girls trembled as I approached them, drew back in fear as I raised the dagger.
I brought it close to the taller one. She had long raspberry blonde hair and
smelled like lemon. I pressed it against her chest, then slid it down to begin
cutting through her blouse.

My
heart thudded in my chest, and my mind was overwhelmed by every sense of them -
the sight, the smell, the anticipation of the taste and touch. A small voice in
my mind told me to stop, but I couldn't. I wanted this so much. My mind was
mired in an evil place, no longer completely my own. I had traded control for
power, and the power filled me with a primal lust.

I
don't know what would have happened if Josette hadn't come to. I don't know
what I would have done to those girls if she hadn't stopped me. One moment I
was preparing to do vile things to them, the next I was skewered on the end of
her sword.

She
ran it through my stomach and used it to pull me back, away from the girls. She
produced a dagger to cut their bonds, held her hand up to them, and whispered
something in a language I didn't understand. They gained this blank, confused
expression and fled from the alley. Josette turned me on the sword and slammed
me back up against the wall.

"Landon,"
she said.

I
didn't know who Landon was... yes, I did. I was Landon. Wasn't I?

"I
warned you about the cost of using the demon’s power," she said.

Demon's power.
I tried to make sense of the words. They
sounded like little more than moans through mud. It was slow, but the pain
helped me stay focused on it. The power. I could still feel the source of it,
pulsing in my spine, reveling in the chaos and destruction, screaming out in
agony at the blade that was piercing my flesh.

Chaos.
Destruction. Demon. My mind started to put the puzzle pieces together. The
process was slow and agonizing, but I wrested back control, forcing the power
to subside. All the while, Josette held me against the wall, her golden eyes
fearful and sad.