Divinity: Immolation: Book Three (The Divinity Saga) (7 page)

I heard her sigh softly and then she chewed her lip.

“I saw him at the club. He definitely commands attention by virtue of his looks alone. I studied the way he was watching you. It wasn’t lust or something sinister, it was…adoration and longing. He loves you.” She looked at me with a hint of envy and sadness in her pause, “Devlin would still be here…if he had been around.” She then whispered.

My eyes widened when I looked at Jamie. He who? Cam? The silhouette of her face was as still as a statue in the moonlight. She was looking out at the water.

“If who had been around?”

She turned to me. “Do you remember those texts in the library? The ones that the
y have locked and sealed away?”

“Yeah.”

I had wondered why they were locked away the first time I was in there, when I met and talked to both Sean and Diana during a brief orientation.

“They have the ability to summon, bind, and banish them…if they know their true God-given names. If they think you’ve become soul-tied to one…to him, which I can already tell that you are, then that’s what they’ll try to do first. That’s what they did to him. But he wasn’t like the others.
He was different. He was good.”

Her words were hushed, her voice cracked in her attempt to be loud enough for me to hear but low enough not to carry. Okay, she obviously wasn’t talking about Cam. One of the good ones though? A f
allen like Cam and his friends?

She then peered at me curiously, “I know you had no memory of him. So how did he get you to remember him? Was it a spell or were you just beyond captivated by his looks? How come you weren’t afraid of him?” She wondered.

I truly didn’t have the answer to all of that and I wasn’t going to tell her anything even if I did.

She harrumphed. “That’s fine, I don’t blame you. If Devlin had kept her mouth shut about him too…they’d both still be here n
ow.” She then whispered softly.

My heart began to pound and I stared at her in disbelief. Was she telling me what I think she was telling me? Was this the whole reason why Jamie came at me the way she had in the dining hall my first day? She had been referring to Cam then, even though I had no idea what or who she was talking about at the time. It had been hypocritical of her evidently, so why was she being so open and candid about it now? I didn’t know what to say or think.

“He would have been able to save her too. Just like yours saved you. It’s ironic in a way when you think about it,” She paused again, licking her lips and thinking of her words.

“They were angels, guardians in the beginning. Some never lost that aspect of themselves and they’ve remained protective even after having fallen. When they love, they love deeply and loyally; and when they’re angry or wronged…it’s terrifying and deadly.” She barely whispered.

“Cam, do you hear what she’s saying?”

What was I thinking, of course he could hear her.

“Yes.”

I wondered what he thought about all of that.

“Who was that fallen? One of your friends?”

“I would hav
e no way of knowing for sure unless she tells you his name.”

“Don’t you have any friends that went missing all of a sudden not long ago?”

“I only keep a small circle of close friends that I maintain contact with all the time. Fallen aren’t like humans when it comes to relationships.”

Oh. I guess I can understand that.

“Did you know that the elders have the ability and power to do that though?”
I was fearful.

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because it’s a non-issue. Cam`ael isn’t my true Elohim given name and it takes a lot more than a name to summon a fallen anyway. However, a demon created or born of darkness, that’s a different story. Whoever she’s talking about, couldn’t have been a fallen—if he was, then he was really stupid to have revealed his true name to
anyone, especially a warrior.”

I was about to go off on Cam, about how that wasn’t stupid at all. It meant that he trusted her —like I trusted him, and I certainly hoped that he trusted me. In a way, I did understand Cam’s point but I for one still wanted to know his.

“Or maybe he just really loved and trusted her. He probably even told her why he fell, too.”
I said on purpose, wondering what his reply to that would be.

I could hear him chuckle a bit but he remained silent.

“They’ll do everything they can to get it out of you. Believe me, they know something already. They’re leaving the guilt and faith in your own oath to come clean up to you.”

Or in my case, one of them already knows. Ilka. For all I know, she could have told them already but she swore to
allow me time to do it myself.

She turned to look at me, awaiting either a reply or a reaction to her words but I remained fascinated and quiet, letting her speak. Even Cam was silent.

She chuckled softly. “They practically hounded Devlin for a confession and a name until guilt made her give in. That was her biggest mistake.” Jamie sighed sadly.

“She might still be alive.” I finally spoke up but the sound of my voice was timid, and I was uncertain that even I believed my own words.

Jamie gave a sarcastic snort and shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. She’s been gone too long. She’s an enemy now.”

I stared at her incredulously.

“You would be too if you had been gone any longer than you were. You wouldn’t have been able to return.” She then said.

“So let me get this straight. No one has any faith that she could still be alive; and after all this time, with all the scouts and elementals that we have at the hall, no one has ever tried to find or rescue her either? That right there is bullshit. No one counts on her coming back in one piece but heaven forbid that she does manage to escape and return, only to be shunned from the only support and family that she has and knows now. Where’s the loyalty? She’s one of us, a divine warrior and we’re chosen for a reason. I was told that darkness can’t touch us easily because we’re not open vessels. And no being of darkness or light can ever take away her free will. As long as she has that it’s never too late for her.” I stated
with fierce passion in my tone.

My convictions and how strongly I felt about them took her by total surprise. This time Jamie was speechless, staring at me for several minutes, blinking. Her expression turned to chagrin and a single tear began to roll down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away and turned away from me again.

“Very well said. I’m speechless and even more in love with you than I was only moments ago. I didn’t think that was possible. I can’t wait any longer, either get her to leave or I will cast a spell to put her out and kidnap you right this second.”
Cam’s voice insistently cut silence in my head shortly thereafter. The urgency dripping in his tone was filled with both love and lust. My physical reaction from the obvious desire in his words began to warm my blood.

Jamie cocked her head, listening. I heard her inhale deeply and I wondered what she was doing, until the scent reached my nose too. Earthy cinnamon and fresh rain.

“He’s here. I’d recognize that scent anywhere. He doesn’t smell like a Fallen to me,” She inhaled deeply again, “He smells…incredibly desirable.”
She said through a slow exhale.

Then she smirked with deviance and her voice was purposefully low this time, “He’s an Incubus, and a powerful one at that. Sweet and taboo on so many levels. No wonder you’re rendezvousing so soon after having just been with him. You can practically feel his magical energy and aura stroking and caressing your skin. But you’d better be careful, that combination among their kind makes him extremely dangerous too. Shit!” Jamie then hissed.

“She may be weird but she nailed my presence. She’s good.” Cam commented, apparently impressed.

Damn. How the hell had she managed to assess all of that so quickly and accurately? Just how fascinated and into these supernatural beings was she and for how long?

Jamie suddenly wielded her weapon and was on her feet in a split second. I instantly stiffened once the thick, silver, retractable chain linking her double, hand-held, scythe blades together, took form in each of her hands. Her brandings had a hint of a glow to them, just like mine began to do in automatic reflex to the looming, impending conflict and fight. I jumped to my feet and wielded my blades too, just in case she tried to attack Cam.

“What are you doing? I said to wait, I’ve got this! Don’t make me have to attack her over you!”
I urged.

“She’s not attacking me. That damned seraphim is quickly making his way back towards you two right now, and there’s two fallen and several imps who have spotted you both. I’m getting you out of here!”

“Me? What about them?”
Adrenaline began to surge from the anticipation and the current gravity of the dangerous situation.

“I don’t care about them.”

“That isn’t right, Cam!”

Before I could even register or comprehend what just happened, Jamie disappeared in a blur, running stealthily into the dense trees. After a grunt and what sounded like a body slamming hard onto the ground, I ran over swi
ftly to see if she needed help.

To my astonishment, Spencer was lying on the ground —out cold with his illuminated lightning Bo still in his grip.

“You two had better get out of here now. He won’t be out long.” She urged and then her head snapped over to the left.

I smelled them now. The wind was picking up and the odor was foul, like old sulphur,
rotten flesh, and wet feathers.

“Damn, too late! You’re about to get your first crash course in combat right about now!” Jamie shouted as she snapped her weapon taut in front of her. She began swinging her right-handed scythe in a circular rotation so fast, it literally formed a perfect, silver disc that appeared to be spinning backwards.

Now I was impressed. She can fight in hand to hand combat, she could classify an unseen fallen quickly, and she could work her weapon like that? Despite her bizarre, semi-sour personality, I guess she was pretty bad-assed.

The underbrush rustled, leaves rushed upwards, and branches snapped signaling their oncoming stampede. Above us, the wind began to pick up speed, kicking up dry leaves, as two large fallen began to dive down towards us from above, like shadowed missiles. Then
, they both winked out of view and completely disappeared right in front of our eyes.

Shit!

“Aw hell, not good! They’ve cloaked themselves!”

Jamie exclaimed.

Several medium-sized forms were charging towards us on the ground from all directions; grunting, snorting, and snickering like wild, evil pigs. I didn’t freak out this time. An intuition unlike any other I’ve ever felt since being here began to kick in as we both readied ourselves to fight. I didn’t understand Jamie’s initial action at first but I did now. I still didn’t know what it all meant and if I could trust her at all though.

Glancing at Spencer’s inert form on the ground, I felt guilty even though I hadn’t been the one who had essentially sucker punched him.

“It might not have been a good idea, knocking him out right about now. What are you gonna tell him when he comes to?”

“He’ll get over it” Jamie huffed.

The anticipation of where the hell those fallen were going to emerge and attack from, along with the imps, was definitely way more important —but we didn’t have to make a move at all.

In one swift blur, Cam literally swooped down, standing in front of the both of us protecti
vely with his sword in hand, wings splayed out to shield us both, and stopping the two fallen in mid dive as they calculatingly launched themselves at us from the opposite sides.

His heroic instinct, his height, mu
scular broadness, and the grand span of his majestic, ruined wings, had us both awe-stricken. The intense heat of his power and magic was practically tangible, causing static to crackle and thrum in the air around him.

This was all new to me. I’ve seen him in battle with that other fallen from the club, but seeing it this close up and feeling it…was a c
ompletely different experience.

He stunned the fallen with a spray of long needles formed from light, which forced them to materialize and give away their locations. While they screeched in pain, he quickly took advantage, lighting his black sword and slicing across the line of imps with swift ease. They didn’t even know that they had been struck until they began to disintegrate into rank, acrid, steaming smoke. Then, he went for the fallen.

I heard bones breaking, grunting, growling, and the squishy sound of his blade both slicing and tearing into flesh. The cloying smell of putrid blood made me feel nauseous. It literally took him less than five minutes to destroy and kill each and every one of the black, horned imps and the two fallen that hadn’t expected him to simply—appear in front of us. The combination of his master sword handling and combat expertise turned me on. A bizarre reaction I know but it couldn’t be helped.

I
completely understood Jamie’s secret fascination with supernatural beings at this very moment.