The Ascended (The Saving Angels 3)

"All of you," the second Daemon growled.

"I don't think so," Shawn retorted.

"You dare defy us Angel," the first one sneered belligerently, stepping closer to Shawn.

I cringed when I saw the difference in their heights. For months, I had been surrounded by the oversized builds of the Protectors, so seeing one of them being towered over was discerning. Their forms were much like what we had faced in the clearing, although their massive bulk made them even more intimidating. I admired Shawn's fearless outward appearance, but I couldn't help the shiver that raced up my spine.

"You heard me," Shawn said, looking up at the Daemon, unafraid. Sam gasped beside me, and I placed a restraining hand on her arm when she took a step forward.

"Watch your tongue boy. You will kneel in our presence."

"I don't see any wings. I only kneel to those that have wings," Shawn mocked.

The Daemon raised its long scaly arm, striking Shawn on the side of the head. Shawn staggered forward unsteadily, but remained on his feet. The other Daemon made a coughing noise that took me a moment to figure out was actuality a laugh. The first Daemon moved in closer and grabbed Shawn by his hair, forcing him to his knees. Sam gasped beside me and it took all my strength to hold her back.

I had a firm grasp on Shawn's thoughts and knew this had been planned.

"There you see. It wasn't so difficult to kneel after all, was it?" His cockiness prevented him from seeing the knife Shawn had pulled from his boot. Shawn used the Daemon's grasp on his head to his advantage, plunging the knife deep into its stomach. Blackish liquid poured from the exposed wound. The Daemon released its grip on Shawn and dropped to its knees, roaring in agony. Shawn moved forward and buried the knife into its head. The other Daemon reacted, moving toward Shawn, but was stopped in mid step as a knife flew from the trees, burying deep into the back of its head. Jacob stepped out from the trees and pulled the knife from the wound. He swiped it across the Daemon's neck, sending its head rolling aside. I felt bile rise in my throat that I had to swallow back as I watched Shawn decapitate the same Daemon he had just taken down.

I released my hold on Sam, letting her and Kim race to Shawn and Jacob's side. Jacob maneuvered his body in front of Kim, shielding her from the gruesome sight on the ground.

Kieran, Amelia and I walked out from the cover of the trees, joining them.

"Do you think John and Paul are okay?" Amelia asked anxiously.

"I'm sure of it, but I'll look for them if they don't show back up in the next few minutes. They wanted to draw the other Daemons as far away from you girls as they could." Jacob said, watching the dead bodies of the Daemons begin to burn on their own. Haniel had explained that they would burn before they were reclaimed by The Dark One. We watched in morbid fascination as the flames grew, and then as swiftly as it began, the fire was extinguished and the bodies were gone.

"Nice plan," I finally said, looking at Jacob and Shawn.

Yeah, but next time I don't want to be the bait," Shawn said, gently touching his blistered cheek where the Daemon had hit him.

I gasped when I saw the angry burn mark across the whole left side of Shawn's face.

"He burned you?" I asked appalled.

"Yeah, Haniel told us their touch is like liquid fire."

"When did he say that?" I asked, mad that I had been kept out of the loop.

"A couple nights ago when we first headed out. I guess he figured we would be the ones physically fighting these things, so we needed to know."

"For good reason," Kieran said, anxiously shining her light into the dark forest beyond us.

"I'll go look for them," Jacob said, seeing Kieran's worried expression.

"Look," Sam said, pointing toward the beam of light that was moving toward us.

John and Paul exited the forest together, but it was obvious by the way Paul was hunched over holding his side that he had been hurt. We raced toward them as Paul sank to the ground in pain.

Amelia laid Paul's head onto her lap while I carefully opened his jacket. The guys shined the flashlights on him so I could see his injury. Amelia gasped and started crying earnestly when she saw his stomach laid open by four deep gashes that were each over a foot long. Kieran knelt beside her, placing an arm around her quaking shoulders.

"Should you call Haniel?" Sam asked me, her eyes swimming in tears.

"It won't do any good, Haniel can't heal Daemon wounds. That's why he couldn't help us in June," I said, trying to keep my voice low so Amelia wouldn't hear.

"Will he die?" Amelia asked, hearing me after all.

"I don't know," I answered honestly. "Shawn, run over to the helicopter and see if you can find a first aid kit. John and Jacob, try to move him over there to flatter ground," I pointed.