The Chosen Knights (Read Prequel--The Angel Knights first) (The Angel Knights Series Book 2) (8 page)

“What happened to the Snow Queen? Does she still live in the Alps?” I asked, moving my last bean and carrot across my plate with my fork. After my final bite, I wiped my mouth with a napkin. Too busy listening to Lana, I hadn’t realized I’d been stuffing my face the whole time.

“I have no idea what happened to her. The rumors said she took her treasures and lived somewhere in a warmer climate. Some say she fell in love again, got married, and had children. I’m not sure. But the night of the blue moon is when the island is the brightest. All those who believe in the legend light edelweiss candles. It’s the night when the Possessor demons take their revenge against the Snow Queen, thus killing humans.”

“I’m glad the curse was broken then.” I placed the crumpled white paper napkin on the table. I didn’t realize I had wrung it into a tight ball. “What do you mean by blue moon?”

“It happens when a year, which normally has twelve full moons, has thirteen instead.”

“Oh, I see.”

After dinner, we cleared the table. Lana did the dishes in the kitchen while we sat in the family room. Lucky napped beside me. She was such a sweet, tamed dog.

“Did you find the book?” I asked Jack.

Jack practically jumped off the sofa. “I asked my mom. She said she would try to find it before she went to work. I’ll be right back.”

With Jack out of the way, I turned to Goose. “So, you saw demons on my roof last night. Are you sure? What did they look like?”

Goose leaned over to whisper, “They appear like a black mist, but they can also take on a human form. Grandmother doesn’t believe me even though she believes in the demons. I think demons killed my dad, and my grandfather too. My grandfather told me one of our ancestors was one of the Knights Templar. Jack and I might be next.” He said it so casually, he gave me chills. Goose pointed toward my house like before. “They’re here.” His words escaped his mouth as a sigh.

My heart leapt out of my chest. “What?” I flew off the sofa and ran outside. The moon was already blue, appearing deadly and dangerous. A malicious and evil scent definitely floated on the air. While humans would admire the color of the moon, for me, the moon actually turned into ice, the way the little baby’s heart had turned. I shivered from the thought. Legend or no legend, it was cruel.

When I didn’t see anything suspicious around my house, I went back in and stood by the door, debating whether or not to go home. Since my uncle and Zach weren’t home, I thought I should stay at Jack’s to be safe. My heart found its steady beat when I didn’t see the demons. It should have been a laughable moment, as if Goose had played a prank on me. But the fact that he could describe them and knew exactly where they were the night before scared me to no end.

“They’re not there anymore.” Goose stroked Lucky’s fur. “If your uncle and your brother aren’t home, you’d better find them. I mean, to warn them of the blue moon tonight.”

I looked over my shoulder to see if Lana or Jack had returned. “What happens?”

Goose stopped petting Lucky and slid off the sofa to stand. “Grandfather told me the demons feed during the blue moon.”

“Feed?” I imagined them eating human food, but I knew that wasn’t it.

Goose stood in front of me. “They feed on humans for pleasure, for revenge. Maybe if you hurry, your family could help save lives.” His eyes beamed with admiration.

“How?” I asked, not sure of what he was trying to say. Surely he had no idea of what we were.

Goose’s eyebrows pinched together adamantly. He pointed to the wings on his T-shirt. “Because—you can fly.”

Chapter 10

I ran out of Jack’s house in less than a heartbeat. Goose knew I wasn’t human, and for some reason it didn’t worry me. I figured he wouldn’t say a word.

“Goose. What did you say to Lucia?” I heard loud and clear before I entered my house. Even though I was in complete darkness, I could clearly see everything around me. Knowing the demons had been floating around my house minutes before made goose bumps prickle over every inch of me.

I grabbed my phone and called Zach and my uncle, but the calls went straight to voicemail. I thought about speaking to Zach through my mind, but remembered it would be a beacon to attract demons to me. Seeing a note on my desk, I picked it up and read it.

Lucia,

We're going to Black Sand Beach.

Zach had written the note. It was his handwriting for sure. But why did I doubt myself? He’d never written a note to me. I guessed he left it on account of my uncle not wanting us to communicate telepathically. It was the only reason I could think of why he would.

I paced my room as I held the note in my hand. I couldn’t stay home, knowing humans were in danger. Why would Zach tell me they’d gone to Black Sand Beach? Was he telling me to go there?
What to do?
Tossing the note aside, I grabbed the car keys, ran out and jumped in the car. I quickly checked my phone once more and drove off when I saw I hadn’t received a text back from my uncle or Zach.

Since I’d never driven at night—actually, only having driven once with Uncle Davin—my driving skills weren’t the best, but I trusted my coordination. Luckily, there were only a few cars around, but at the same time, I might have felt a bit safer if there were more. I felt like the only person alive on the island. As I drove along the dark, one-way road, I realized I had no idea where I was going, so I entered Black Sand Beach on the GPS. It took me several tries to get it right, not being familiar with all the buttons on the car.

Zach, I’m coming to you.
I communicated to him with my mind, but there was no answer. I immediately regretted it, especially when I heard a thump on the roof of the car, but I’d had no choice. Desperate times called for desperate measures. Hopefully, it wasn’t anything to worry about. Another loud thump caught my attention.
Holy Crap.
It had to be a demon. Should I stop the car or swerve to shake it off? I stiffened when I heard another thump. That was three.

I almost flew out of the car when a black mist came straight through the roof to the passenger seat and turned into a figure. Unsure whether to stop the car and try to escape, I decided to play it out. I was on the verge of wielding my bow when a familiar masculine voice sent tingles through me, and I caught the familiar scent of sweet coconut.

“I told you to stay home. What part of
stay home
did you not understand?” Eli sounded angry.

My jaw dropped as I gasped at this newfound revelation. However, it wasn’t all that new. I’d had my suspicions, so why was I surprised? He was a Possessor demon.

I frowned, but Eli couldn’t see my expression. Pressing the gas pedal harder as anger brewed inside me, I made sure my eyes were glued to the road ahead. “Why didn’t you tell me you were a Possessor demon? Are you here to kill me?
No
—are you here to try to stop me from helping the humans?”

I got a glimpse of his eyebrows arching as he said, “Neither. Not all demons are evil.” His lips curled mischievously. “I’m just good at being naughty.” Despite his arrogant tone, he made it sound somehow charming.

Too busy drooling at his sexy grin, I swerved out of the lane. His hand flew to the window to stop himself from slamming against the door as the car swayed sharply to the right.

He let out an agitated groan. “No wonder your uncle always drives. Is this your first time?”

“I drive just fine,” I retorted, offended by his words. How did he know my uncle drove? He’d been watching us? Driving faster than I liked, both my hands tightened on the steering wheel. “You didn’t answer my question. Why didn’t you tell me who you were?”

“Because you didn’t ask. Besides, what would be the fun in that? If you didn’t want to tell me what kind of demon you are, why should I tell you?” He crossed his arms and leaned back like he was sitting in a comfortable chair. The sight of him staring at me without a word made me uneasy.

“I’m not a demon,” I assured him. “Don’t even put me in the same category.” Realizing I had admitted to being some kind of supernatural, I wanted to smack myself.

Two loud thumps on the roof made me jerk. I squatted lower, thinking another must have landed the same way Eli had. I imagined their weight pushing down the roof above me, but it didn’t happen. “I think there are demons on the roof.”

Instead of saying something, he rolled down the window. I gasped loudly when an upside-down face appeared. He seemed familiar, but it was hard to tell. The wind slapped his hair against his face, and his eyes glowed a bright amber color against the darkness.

“You brought a demon friend? What’s he doing up there?” I seethed with rage, finally recognizing him. He was the same guy Eli had been having a heated argument with when I’d followed him at school.

Eli ignored me to look at his friend. “Brody. What?”

“They’re right behind us. You told me to warn you,” he shouted against the wind.

Eli shifted his body forward and pressed the window back up. “Stop the car, Lucia.”

“What?” I stammered.

“Stop the car. The demons are behind us. They’ll tip over this car if you don’t stop, and I don’t think your uncle would like his nice, expensive Beamer flipped over.”

“Beamer?” I repeated, noting we were at Black Sand Beach. How did he know about my uncle? And why did he call this car a Beamer?

The ocean beat against the volcanic rocks, and I could almost taste the salty water. Looking out the side-view mirror, I saw his friend had told the truth. Black mist-like ghosts were floating right behind us, catching up faster by the second. And why was his friend riding on the roof instead of in the backseat? He could have easily slipped through the car like Eli, unless they were different. That thought gave me chills. I wondered what other supernatural beings existed there.

“Your friend is crazy.” Those words slipped out of my mouth as I drove the car into the parking lot.

Eli set his hand on the dashboard, clenching his jaw. “Are you going to stop the car or not?”

I rolled my eyes. “Why do you think I pulled in here? I’m not going to stop in the middle of the road.”

His hand, which was still on the dashboard, rounded into a fist. “There’s nobody here. You don’t have to park the car.” Eli peered into the backseat. “Looks like you brought a friend. Seems as though he’s just as crazy as mine. He’s been hiding—”

Eli never got to finish his sentence. Seeing the figure standing in front of me, I pressed on the brakes as hard as I could, but still lightly hit it. Only it wasn’t a person. We watched it float toward the ocean as if to direct us. And the countless demons from behind us were nowhere to be seen. Instead of finding a place to park, I turned off the engine.

“Stay here. My friends and I will take care of this.” He got out of the car and slammed the door.

My friends? I thought it was just Brody. And Uncle Davin and Zach weren’t there. Had I walked into a trap? Again, I had acted without thinking. I was being reckless, but the note had said...

“That’s just great,” I mumbled to myself, lightly punching the steering wheel. What had I gotten myself into? But there had been no other choice. Uncle Davin was going to be furious!

Hearing whooshing sounds and metal upon metal, I opened the door. A breeze sliced through the air, whipping my hair up. The bright sparks from the clashing of swords showed me where they were. At first I thought it was just Eli and Brody, but then I spotted Milani. Had she been on the roof too?

As I debated what to do, I watched Eli. He was skilled with his sword, a short blade about the same size as my bow. Since he hadn’t been carrying a sword around, I assumed he could will it to appear like we did. I wasn’t the type to listen to commands, besides the higher orders of angels, but for some reason, either Eli’s tone or the fact I didn’t want him to know I was an angel, I stayed behind.

They seemed to have it under control, but perhaps I had spoken too soon. From across the sky, down came what appeared to be a massive puff of black clouds, and it didn’t seem friendly. More Possessor demons.
Crap. What to do?

The swarm passed the full moon, completely blocking its glow for a second and then spiraled around like a family of bees, heading straight toward Eli and the others. It resembled one massive suicide bomb, ready to detonate at the target.

“Look out.”
Lame
. I dashed toward them. Needing to protect them, I flashed my wings and covered the four of us. The pounding and the pressure of the demons falling on my wings caused me to close my eyes tightly and take it all in. When I didn’t think I could hold the barrier any longer, it stopped. I opened my wings up, willed my bow, and prepared to fight.

“I thought she was a demon.” Milani spoke for the first time. “What the hell is she?” Orbs of fire the size of tennis balls spun in the palms of her hands. Only it wasn’t fire. It was energy—some form of orange and red light she shot at the demons passing by her.

“Never mind what she is. She just saved our butts,” Brody said appreciatively, flipping and landing next to a boulder. It was the first time I’d seen Brody up close. His presence reminded me of Uncle Davin—light, sarcastic, and sweet. But his eyes were glowing amber, scaring the wings out of me, and he was big, like he could crush anyone with his bare hands.

Eli kept his mouth shut, swinging his sword across space as the Possessor demons whizzed by. He moved with grace and precision, and the mists disappeared to their death at the touch of his sword. I stood behind Eli to cover his back and shot out the silvery lights from my bow. They went through the targets without a hitch.

It was the first time I’d seen a Possessor demon face to face. They transformed into a mist when in flight or moving to avoid a punch, but when they attacked or were in fighting stance, their pale skeleton bodies became visible amid the black mists. And their swords were real, clanking and clashing against ours. But there was nothing good about them. So much evil emanated from them—so much hatred and malice.

“There are too many of them,” Milani shouted as she threw fireball after fireball.

The Possessors were swarming around us, enveloping us. With their swords up in front, they came at us before I could think about what was happening. Using my bow and my wings, I fought back with everything I could give. Not only were my wings thick, fluffy, and majestic—they were special. They could be used as weapons. Each feather at the bottom of my wings stuck outward, sharp as a knife, so I had to be extra careful. Luckily, we could control when we wanted them to be deadly.

I twirled in a circle, blocking and slicing across each entity. Though it would seem impossible for any weapon to go through the mist and cause harm, supernatural weapons were able to kill demons. I wondered how Eli had gotten his and what kind of demon he was.

“Stay close. Don’t spread out,” Eli barked, throwing out orders again. I guessed he was the leader of his small pack. “Milani, the rocks.”

“I don’t know if I can,” she snapped, creating a low circle of flames around us on the sand. It kept the demons away, but it wouldn’t keep them out forever.

“Just do it!”

With her palms facing up, she raised them while chanting the word “surgere.”

Assorted sizes of volcanic rocks levitated into the air, twirling around us. There were so many of them, it seemed surreal. She snapped her fingers and they floated inside the flames that had become much higher. While the rocks were melting, the demons screeched, trying to find a way to get to us.

“Now!” Eli directed.

Milani clapped her hands together, sounding like thunder. The melted rocks darted at the demons around us. Once they made contact, they burned through the creatures. The molten rocks caused them to burn in solid form as loud, piercing screams of pain echoed into the dark. At that moment, Eli slashed through the demons with his sword, and Brody used his strength and his—
wow.
I swallowed a huge lump in my throat.