Storm and Fury (The Harbinger 1)

“And what?” I squinted, wishing I could see what she saw.

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen a soul so dark,” she said, and I blinked. “I mean, like demons don’t have a soul, so there’s nothing there.”

Roth pouted behind her.

“And really bad, really evil humans have very dark souls, but pure black? Pure black and pure white?” A look of wonder crossed her face. “I guess it’s because of what you are and that’s why I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“But why would it also be black?” I asked. “I mean, if the darker the soul means the more evil the person is...”

“I can answer that for you,” Roth offered helpfully. “Probably paying for the sins of your father. Don’t really think angels are supposed to be hooking up with humans.”

“Nah,” Cayman murmured.

“They did for a long time,” I pointed out. “There used to be thousands of my kind.”

“And that was how many hundreds of years ago? Things have changed since then. Procreation between angels and humans has been forbidden,” Roth replied.

“How do you know that?” Zayne asked.

“I’m a demon. I’m the Crown Prince. I know what is forbidden and what’s not.” His smile was smug. “Which makes me wonder why an angel would break that cardinal rule, create you and let you live.”

I lifted a brow at the whole let you live part.

“And it also begs the question of who your father is,” Roth said.

“Do you have other abilities like your mother?” I asked Layla, ignoring Roth’s question. “Like, can you take souls?”

“I can, but I don’t do it,” she said, meeting my gaze and obviously seeing the doubt there. “I mean, I try not to. There’ve been a few missteps in the past...” Her gaze flicked to Zayne, and I knew it in my bones. Misha had been right about Zayne missing a part of his soul. And I knew it had been Layla who had taken it. “But I do everything in my power not to do it.”

“And she’s almost always successful.” Roth dropped a kiss on top of Layla’s head. “And even when she’s not,” Roth continued, “she’s still perfect.”

A soft smile pulled at Layla’s lips as she tipped her head back. The kiss Roth dropped was light and quick, but still floored me. I was thrown by the affection, at the obvious love between them. I was so confused.

I’d never been taught that demons could...love. Yes, they could experience lust, but love? Every lesson I’d had implied that they were incapable of such a human emotion.

Angels, pure-blooded ones, couldn’t love like humans. Hell, in the very beginning, Wardens couldn’t even experience it. They’d learned to love through interaction with humans. Over hundreds of years, it became a learned behavior. Had it been the same for demons?

I glanced at Zayne and he was quiet and tense, watching them through thick, lowered lashes.

A long moment passed and the demon prince led Layla over to the couch and pulled her down so she was sitting beside him. “Sit, Trinity. Apparently we all need to chat.”

I didn’t want to sit.

Zayne nudged me gently. “Go ahead.”

Resisting the urge to protest, I shuffled over to the couch and sat while Cayman stopped looking like he was trying to disappear into the wall. Instead, he appeared curious again.

Roth leaned forward, his gaze flicking from me to Zayne. “So, Trinity who may or may not be holy, how did you meet Stony over there? I am dying to hear the story.”

“Me, too,” murmured Layla.

I glanced at Zayne. His chin had dipped and he looked like he was a second from ripping the bookcase off the wall and launching it at Roth’s head.

“How we met isn’t really important at the moment,” Zayne said, his voice tight with impatience.

“Actually, I think it is important. I want to know how you two met,” Layla chimed in, her gaze shifting to mine.

I took a shallow breath. “He...he came to the community where I live.”

“You live in a community—a Warden community?” Surprise colored her tone.

“At the regional seat,” I said, not elaborating further, but Layla seemed to know what that meant.

Her eyes got even bigger. “And how long have you lived there?”

“Since I was young—seven or eight,” I admitted, unsure of what I could share that wouldn’t be betraying the clan that had protected me. “I was...hidden there. Very few knew what I am.”

“Interesting,” Roth murmured in a way that told me he thought the exact opposite. “But I’m more interested to learn why Zayne needs our help?”

“The community was attacked last night and someone...close to Trinity was taken by a demon I recognized. An Upper Level that I’ve seen in DC,” Zayne explained. “We need to find him, and it’s very possible that the demon came back here.”

Roth leaned back, resting an ankle in his knee. “And this someone who is close to Trinity is a Warden?”

“Yes,” I answered.

“Why do you think this someone is still alive?” Roth asked, tugging on Layla’s hair. “With the exception of pretty half Wardens, demons don’t usually keep captives alive.”

“I know he’s alive,” I said. “He’s my bonded Protector. I’d know if he were dead, and he’s not.”

“Bonded protector?” Layla mumbled to herself.

“So, that is true?” Roth wiggled his foot. “Trueborns were bonded to Wardens?”

I nodded.

“And if he’s still alive, then there’s probably a reason,” Cayman spoke up, coming to stand behind Roth and Layla. “And it’s not a good reason. They’ll be—”

“Using him to either get information on the community or to draw me out, if they know what he is and what I am,” I interrupted. “I know, but we don’t know if this demon knows what I am.”

“I think we can safely assume he does, if he went into a community of Wardens and only took your Protector,” Cayman said.

Roth raised his hand. “Since we’re doing the hand-raising thing...” He winked at me. “I have a question. How did a demon get into this community and manage to escape with its life and a Warden—a bonded Protector?”

Good question, and Zayne took over, explaining what happened, including the earlier Raver attack, the humans with the creepy masks and the Nightcrawlers. The only thing left out was Clay’s attack on me.

While he talked, still leaning against the wall, arms crossed, I realized that while he was in the room, he didn’t want to be part of this group.

“If humans were working with this demon, there’s a good possibility they’re possessed,” Layla said, glancing at Zayne. “We’ve seen that happen. You get a demon talented in possession, and they can create a nice little army.”

I hadn’t considered that and now I felt silly for not thinking of it.

“What else do you know?” Roth asked.

“Trinity was also attacked while I was at the community,” Zayne answered.

Well, there went not sharing that.

Roth’s gaze sharped. “Pray tell, that also may be useful information.”

“A Warden attacked you?” Layla blinked rapidly.

I nodded.

“And what happened to this Warden?”

“He’s dead,” I said, suppressing the shudder. “I killed him.”

“Good girl.” Roth smiled his approval.

A shiver danced over my skin as I stared at him. Boy, wasn’t that smile unnerving?

“The earlier attack has to be related, because the Warden who went after Trinity was wearing the same kind of mask the humans wore during the invasion,” Zayne was saying. There was a pause. “There is one other thing.”

“What’s that?” Layla asked.

Zayne looked at me, and it took me a moment to figure out what he was referencing. Tension crept into my muscles. “It’s not related to that,” I told him. “Not at all.”

“What isn’t?” Layla asked.

Pressing my lips together, I shook my head. Never in my life had I expected to explain what had happened to my mother to demons, but here I was. “My mother was killed about a year ago by a Warden we trusted.”

“Oh my God.” Layla pressed her hand to the center of the black shirt she wore. “I’m so sorry to hear that.”

“Thank you,” I murmured, clasping my hands over my knees.

“And why are you sure that’s not related?” Zayne asked quietly.

“Because the Warden who killed my mother tried to kill me, because he...he believed I was an abomination,” I said, staring down at my fingers. “That I was threat against Wardens, more so than any demon. He caught us off guard, and my mom—she was really brave. She got between us and that... Yeah, that was it.”

“Jesus,” Zayne said.

“Yeah, so it doesn’t have to do with that.” Drawing in a shallow breath, I lifted my gaze to the demons across from me. “Misha is more than my Protector. He’s like my brother. We were raised together, and even though we annoy the living crap out of one another, I don’t know what I’ll do if something happens to him.”

A sad smile tugged at Layla’s lips as she glanced from me to Zayne. “I know how that feels.”

Didn’t take a genius to figure out she was talking about Zayne, and these two had obviously had a major falling-out. Was it over her taking a part of his soul? That would do it. Or was it more? I looked at Roth. Did it have to do with him?

“I see,” Roth said, and I had no idea what he saw. He looked over his shoulder at Cayman. “Do you happen to know who this demon is?”

“Bael,” Zayne answered.

“Hell,” Roth muttered as Layla seemed to pale. “He’s back in town?”