Sons of Angels (41 page)

“Good plan.” Felicia kept her voice low. “I’d agree if wasn’t me facing certain death.” She took a deep breath and stepped smartly into the room.

“Felicia.” The nearer woman’s lips curled into the slightest of smiles. “How kind of you to join us.”

“Who are you?” The second woman stepped forward. “What are you doing in my house?”

Felicia began to edge between them. “I’m trying to save your life. This woman is just a shell, a disguise for the angel Puriel. He’s systematically destroying the nephilim before God notices and drowns the world again.”

“You’re a loony.” The woman picked up the phone. “I’ve known Elizabeth since we were at school. I’m calling the police.” She began to dial.

“It’s all right, Linda.” Elizabeth-Puriel stayed her friend. “I know her. This is Felicia Turling. She’s harmless. Where’s your friend, Felicia? The demon?”

“He’s just outside, so don’t try anything funny.” Felicia risked a glance at the second woman. “I’m telling the truth, Linda. The Elizabeth you once knew is gone, possessed by the Hammer of God. He’s killed dozens of nephilim all over the world, and you’re next on his list.”

“Ignore her.” Elizabeth picked up her glass of wine. “She lives in a state of perpetual illusion. How’s your girlfriend, Felicia? Surely she must be awake by now?”

“I expect so.” Felicia frowned, still maintaining her guard. “It’s past dusk.”

“What has that got to do with it?” Linda put the phone down and looked at her friend. “Elizabeth?”

“She’s a vampire, isn’t she Felicia?” Elizabeth smiled. “You keep her in a coffin.” She twirled her finger against her head. “She’s mad. Put your claws away, Felicia. They won’t do you any good.”

Felicia could see the flickering eyes of Puriel behind Elizabeth’s. “I’m not mad, Linda. Everything I’ve said is the truth. Tell me you’re not a nephilim and I’ll leave, but if you are, Puriel will destroy you. If that’s want you want, just say, but I’m here to save you.”

“Nephilim?” Linda’s gaze flickered from Felicia to Elizabeth and back. “What the hell is a nephilim?”

“The child of an angel.” Felicia stepped farther in, forcing Puriel to turn his back on the woman. “Have you noticed anything odd about yourself lately? Super-fast healing? Cravings? Unexplained luck?”

“Linda! Don’t be fooled by her.” Elizabeth’s voice had dropped an octave as her skin peeled off.

“Look at her, Linda.” Felicia nodded toward the angel. “She’s not your old school friend at all. Look at her skin.”

Linda looked and gave a horrified gasp. “No! It can’t be!”

“You must be removed from His sight.” Elizabeth’s skin had been replaced by the steel-gray musculature of the angel, flickering with flames as if it was burning from the inside. His multiple pairs of wings fanned loose papers around the room. Felicia picked up a table lamp and smashed it across the angel’s head. Puriel hesitated for a moment but suffered no damage. Her fingers stung from the force.

Puriel made a return strike she only avoided by stepping backward and raising her arm, blocking the blow and moving her hand down and round in a maneuver that would have shattered a mortal opponent’s elbow.

“Do something!” Her time remaining on the earth would be counted in seconds, without help.

With a hiss of air, a tiny door opened and Devious dropped into the room shrieking. He scampered past Felicia and out of the door even as his skin blistered from proximity to the angel. “Pray, wolfie!” he shouted from the relative safety of the landing. “Pray.”

“Pray?” Felicia retreated again as another blow blistered her arm and forced her backward. She dropped to one knee to deliver a blow to the angel’s stomach. “I’m already damned, you stupid imp. What’s the point of praying for deliverance from an angel?”

“He’s on an unsanctioned mission.” Devious shouted around the door frame. “He doesn’t want G-d finding out what’s going on any more than you do.” He pronounced ‘G-d’ as a curious gulping sound. “Praying will attract the attention of the folk upstairs. He can’t afford that.”

Felicia took another step back and found herself against the wall. With no further ideas, she was shortly going to be a small pile of ash. “Oh, erm, Great Adversary in Heaven. Look down upon Your infernal creations and weep, for there is trouble brewing, yea and verily.”

“What are you doing, you stupid mortal?” Puriel aimed a sledgehammer fist at Felicia, who ducked and stepped sideways, allowing the blow to hit the wall. “Your prayer is pathetic. The lowest putti would pay it no heed.”

There was a crash as the window shattered. Gillian entered among a shower of glass, landing lightly on her feet and aiming a high kick at the fiery angel’s wing joint. “The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still waters.” Gillian panted as her boot began to smoke from contact with the purifying flame.

“What the devil?” Felicia spluttered, using the angel’s distraction to slip under his guard and land two more punches before ducking away. “What are you doing here, Gillian? How can you pray? You’re a vampire!”

Gillian flashed her a smile and continued, keeping the angel between herself and Felicia so that he was attacked from two sides. “He restoreth my soul...he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil...for thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”

Puriel shrieked. “Shut up. He will destroy us all, and the earth with us. It is a righteous duty that I perform, lest he destroy everything in His wrath.”

“Bugger off then.” Felicia’s grin was malevolent. “Or we’ll take our chances.”

“You deserve eternal torment.” The angel sent a stream of celestial fire toward Gillian. She dived out of the way as the curtains ignited. “It will give me great pleasure to deliver you to it.”

“Pride, Puriel?” Felicia smiled, immensely grateful Gillian had turned up and sensing the tide had turned in their favor. “It looks like you’re due for a Fall.” She followed her words with a low kick that would have shattered a mortal kneecap.

“Never!” Puriel threw another punch at Felicia, who ducked. He stumbled forward as another of Gillian’s kicks connected with what passed for his head. Felicia swung to take advantage of the mistake and her claws swung through the suddenly empty gap. The angel had vanished.

Gillian blocked the claws with her hand, catching hold of the wrist and using it to pull Felicia toward her. “What delightful moves you have. Care to share some with me?”

Felicia chuckled as they kissed, breaking off to allow herself a moment to recover for the exertion. “You can come in now.” She stepped to the doorway. “Devious? I need water to put this fire out.” She looked around. “Where’s Linda?”

“Here.” Lind climbed out from behind the furniture but gave Devious a wide berth. “How did you do that? You defended me from an angel. What happened to Elizabeth?”

Felicia shrugged. “Who knows? Dead, probably. Do you believe me now?”

“Of course.” Linda nodded, staring at the discarded skin that had been Elizabeth. “Is that what I think it is?”

Felicia followed her gaze just as Jasfoup entered the room, followed by a dripping Devious. “A nephilim skin disguise.” Jasfoup shrugged. “That’s what you were destined to be.”

Linda shuddered. “Thank you.” She clasped Felicia’s arm. “If there’s anything I can do to repay you...”

“There is.” Gillian held up her arms. They were blistered so badly the right was all but a stump. “A pint or two of your blood would do nicely.”

Linda laughed politely. “That’s very funny, but I don’t think so.”

“You’d prefer me to kill a mortal? It would take all the blood a mortal has to satisfy my craving right now, whereas just a small amount of nephilim blood would sate my thirst.”

“This is Gillian. She’s my...partner. Gratitude to her is gratitude to me.”

Linda looked from one to the other, studiously avoiding the direction of Jasfoup, who had picked up the discarded skin thoughtfully. “You are joking, right?”

“Absolutely not. She has to heal somehow.”

Linda nodded in resignation and Gillian stepped forward to feed.

Felicia laid a hand on her arm. “How you were able to say a prayer?”

“Intent.” Gillian spoke through a blood-filled mouth. “I wasn’t thinking about God when I spoke the words. Who is my rod and staff?”

“Harold.” Felicia laughed. “But you should really only pray to him in the bedroom.”

“When Puriel realizes he’ll be back.” Devious looked around the room. “We need to scarper.”

Felicia nodded. “He’s got a point, Linda. Puriel will hunt you down. You’re better off with us for the time being.”

Gillian released her hold on the nephilim woman and straightened. “We might not be able to stop him next time and I doubt he’d fall for the same trick twice.”

“An angel is immortal.” Linda rubbed her neck, wincing. “How on earth are you going to stop him?”

“We can’t. Not on Earth, anyway. I have a plan.”

Jasfoup carefully folded what used to be Elizabeth’s skin and put it under his arm. Like all nephilim skin, it was semi-sentient and writhed disturbingly. Felicia couldn’t look at it.

“You need to get a bag together.” The demon turned toward the door. “Enough for a few nights.”

Linda hurried out of the room and he called after her. “Don’t forget your toothbrush.” He looked round at the stares of Felicia and Gillian. “What? I know what nephilim eat, remember. I don’t want to see bits of it on her teeth.”

Linda returned with a carry-all bag, looked anxiously around at her possessions and picked up a framed photograph of her with two older people.

“It’ll probably all be here when you get back.” Felicia displayed more reassurance than she felt. “It’ll only be for a few days.” She led the way back downstairs and toward her car.

“What is your plan, Felicia?” Jasfoup appeared at her elbow.

Felicia grinned and winked. “That would be telling.”

Jasfoup took a hold of her arm and swung her around. He waited a moment while Linda followed Gillian out of earshot. “You haven’t got one, have you?”

Chapter 49

Julie cracked her shin on a footstool as she made her way into the kitchen. She felt disorientated without Wrack to guide her but the sight fetiche certainly made her more independent. She was almost able to fend for herself. If she could establish depth perception, she’d be laughing. She found Harold asleep at the kitchen table and nudged him awake. “I found him.”

“Who? Noah?”

Julie pointed her eye at him and frowned. “No. My son. The dragon.”

“Oh?” Harold scrubbed his face with his hands. “Where is it? He, I mean.”

“In the park,” said Julie, balancing her seeing eye between cheek and shoulder so that she could carry two cups of tea from the kettle to the table. “I’ll fetch him as soon as Felicia and Jasfoup come back.”

“Is that wise? Puriel’s out there somewhere. Raphael too. It’ll be dangerous.”

“They manage well enough. I’ll be all right.”

“We’ll all go. It’ll be safer.”

Julie shrugged and passed his tea. “I won’t argue. I just want my baby back.”

Harold nodded. “We could convert the stables when he grows up. Teach him to fly. Eat maidens. All that stuff.” He changed the conversation. “How are you doing with your eye?”

“Good.” Julie balanced it on the table, looking at him. “It’s a bit inconvenient, though, and I can’t shut off the images unless I put it somewhere dark. Otherwise, I have to sleep with my eyes open. I’m terrified of losing it too.”

“You could just make another.”

“Not while this one is still active. I can only keep one of each spell running.”

“I remember.” Harold nodded. “Why not replace one of your other eyes with it?”

“Cut out a healthy eye? Jasfoup said the doctors wouldn’t do it. You were against the idea too.”

“That was while you were pregnant. It’s different now.”

“I’ll think about it. Perhaps if it was painless, I might manage it. And asleep. I couldn’t lie there and watch something coming toward my eye. What would you use? A scalpel?”