Immortal City (Immortal City 1)

ding the investigation into the Angel attacks on the boulevard. I started tracking the demon two days ago. I tracked him here.”

Demon, Maddy thought. She had heard the word before but never thought they were real.

“It just left,” Jacks said, his eyes bewildered. “It was right there, facing me, and then it just disappeared.”

Sylvester nodded. “I was hoping this would work if I ever made contact, and it did, but it likely won’t again.” He opened his fist. A small amulet with an ancient inscription sat on the palm of his hand. He retrieved the brass ornamental box from the pocket of his jacket and carefully placed the object on the crushed purple velvet inside. He closed the box securely.

Jacks studied the tall, tired man before him. His eyes narrowed.

“You’re an Angel,” Jacks said in disbelief.

Sylvester nodded again. “Yes, I am.”

“How is that possible?”

“Not every Angel is still a Guardian, Jackson,” Sylvester said, “and not all Angels are loyal to the Council.”

Jacks stepped back. Sylvester straightened up and smoothed his coat.

“You have a theory?” Jacks said. “About this . . . this thing?”

Sylvester shrugged. “It’s just a hunch.”

Jacks considered his words. “We need to talk,” he said after a moment.

Sylvester’s brow furrowed. “Technically I should be bringing you in.”

“But you’re not going to do that,” Jacks said carefully. “Are you?”

Sylvester sighed.

“No, I’m not,” the detective said. He removed his glasses and rubbed his face. He looked between Jacks and Maddy.

“My car is parked out front. I’ll pull it around.”

They rode in the back of Sylvester’s unmarked cruiser through the sleeping streets of the Immortal City. The car tracked past the pockets of nocturnal homeless and criminals, fluorescent-lit twenty-four-hour donut shops, the occasional fogged window with lights creeping out from behind drawn curtains. Unsavory business getting transacted. The Angel City underworld. In another hour or so, it would start to get light, street sweepers would scour the roads and alleys, and the Immortal City would be camera ready again.

Maddy settled into the seat quietly next to Jacks and let the relief course through her veins. She had never experienced fear like that she had felt in that biology lab. She wasn’t sure she trusted the rumpled detective who was driving them to who knew where, but at least they were headed away from the school. At least for now they were safe.

Maddy looked down at the small gap of vinyl between her and Jacks on the seat. When they had gotten into the backseat, she had instinctively left that space between them, like she always did. A minimum of protection from Jacks’s intoxicating presence.

In the terror of the moment she had almost forgotten the new deal she had made with herself. To believe he actually had feelings for her. To let him in. Carefully, she leaned toward him and closed the gap between them. Her heart thudded irregularly as her shoulder touched his, and the wave of his warmth washed over. It was so lovely to be close to him. Jacks reached over and rested his hand on her leg. The casual touch was thrilling. Like he was familiar with her. She sat there feeling the warmth of his hand through her jeans, listening to the sound of her pounding heart, and trying to control her suddenly erratic breathing as Sylvester pulled up a narrow driveway and parked.

The apartment was in a Spanish-style building from the 1930s. Old Angel City, Maddy thought, a reminder of a forgotten past. They followed him upstairs and into his corner unit. The apartment was simple and unadorned. There was a living room with a fireplace at its center instead of a television and chairs for sitting instead of a couch. Through the glass door of the tiny balcony she could see an old Catholic church. She had never noticed it before; it was beautiful.

Newspaper clippings and articles haphazardly covered the walls. The apartment must double as an office, Maddy thought. She went to the wall and read some of the clippings. Bizarre sightings, unexplained tragedies, natural disasters. Descriptions of a strange, burning creature with wings. Maddy began to feel uneasy. When Sylvester spoke, it made her jump.

“I know it’s not much,” Sylvester said, a little self-conscious, “but please make yourselves at home.” Maddy turned and glanced at Jacks. He gave her a nod as if to say he thought things were okay. They sat in the old chairs.

“It’s not every day I have a Godspeed and a Godright over,” Sylvester said as he settled into his chair.

“You know?” Jacks said, surprised.

“Of course,” Sylvester said, looking at them both. “I’m one of the very few who does.”

Jacks nodded. He was silent for a moment as he considered this.

“That thing,” Jacks said finally. “At the school. I’ve never felt anything like it. I’ve never seen anything like it.”