Daniel #2
It wasn’t long after Julian sat down beside Valac with a steaming mug that Ashmedai’s phone buzzed on the coffee table. It was his turn now, and he paused the game at once, thrusting the controller at Daniel and picking up his phone.
“It’s Nic-las,” he said, standing. “He wants to join us. I will get him.”
“Great. Tell him there’s coffee left,” Julian said, snuggled against Valac’s side like a vine against an oak.
Ashmedai inclined his head, sweeping from the room. The television was too bright for him to disappear here. A few moments later, he returned with Nicolas in tow, wearing a pair of soft, black joggers and a gray T-shirt.
“Morning, everyone,” Nicolas said, passing behind the couch where Daniel and Chaol sat. He dropped a kiss to the top of Daniel’s head. “Hey, little brother. What’s with the party?”
“I just couldn’t sleep,” Daniel said. “There’s coffee. Did Ash tell you?”
“He did. I’m headed to it now.”
When Nicolas returned, settling beside Ashmedai with his own mug, he said, “Couldn’t sleep, huh?”
“No. The others tell me that’s normal for a demon, but I was feeling restless. The party was inadvertent. Chaol had never played a video game.”
“Can’t have that,” Nicolas remarked, giving Chaol an easy smile.
“That’s what I thought! You want a turn?”
“Maybe after coffee. I don’t want to embarrass myself.”
Daniel grinned, opening his mouth to reply, when a sudden boom broke the silence.
Cold slithered down Daniel’s spine at the sound. He looked at Chaol and saw his dread reflected back at him in Chaol’s night dark eyes. He stood, the kernel igniting in his chest.
Chaol stood with him, grabbing his arm. “It could be Menadel.”
“Or it could be Ramiel,” Daniel said, realizing they’d made a grave mistake. Menadel had warded the Rink but not anyone’s homes. And here were four powerful demons gathered under one roof. If Ramiel could track powerful auras, they’d laid out a feast for him right here without even realizing it.
He moved toward the door, heart pounding. They had to know. Couldn’t be taken by surprise. But before he reached the door, it blew inward, slamming into him and throwing him back against the stairs.
“Danny!” someone shouted.
It was as though Ramiel had an inner glow. Looking at him hurt Daniel’s eyes—or maybe it was because he was haloed in sunlight. He stepped into the foyer, wearing the same white, gauzy clothing as the last time they’d seen each other. His golden gaze swept the room, looking from demon to demon.
“Yes, you will all do nicely.”
“Fuck off,” Daniel snarled, pushing himself to his feet.
Ramiel smiled grimly. “I remember you. You shouldn’t have let them tarnish your worthless soul. But at least now I can make use of you.”
With a sweep of his hand, half the wall tore away, spilling blinding sunlight into the room. Ashmedai hissed, raising his hands to shield his eyes.
Daniel lunged, ignoring the way his skin prickled and his eyes watered.
Fire exploded from his skin as he slammed his foot into Ramiel’s chest hard enough to send him staggering back out onto the front porch.
It gave him time to reach into the aether and wrap his fingers instinctively around the hilt of the hellblade.
Ramiel came back hard and fast, wielding a blindingly white blade of his own. They clashed in the middle, and Daniel’s arms strained. Ramiel was worryingly strong even now that Daniel was a demon with powers of his own.
Ramiel moved fast, nearly a blur even to Daniel’s enhanced eyesight. He struggled to keep up, backing further into the room as Ramiel advanced mercilessly. Julian and Nicolas appeared beside him with holy blades of their own, circling Ramiel to draw his attention away from Daniel alone.
“Be careful!” he shouted, panic zinging down his spine. He didn’t want to see anyone he loved get hurt.
Ramiel laughed. “You care for these vermin? Weakness.”
“Fuck you!” Daniel said. The kernel was a raging inferno now.
It was a firestorm, brewing to searing heights.
He let it burn, focusing all his hatred and panic on the angel.
The fire would only burn him, because Daniel willed it so.
The others would be fine. The house would be fine.
Ramiel was the only one he wanted to hurt.
Power suddenly swept through the room, knocking Ramiel’s feet out from under him. Daniel dared to turn his head and caught sight of the leviathans, Talon and Shadrach, with Alex and Isaac.
“Did somebody call the cavalry?” Shadrach asked. “The others are coming.”
“That would be me!” Julian called, saluting. “Thanks for getting here so fast!”
Ramiel kicked Daniel’s feet out from under him.
He banged his elbow on the floor as he fell, and then Ramiel was on top of him, fingers wrapping tightly around his throat.
Pain lit up his body, every nerve ending singing with it.
It felt like every molecule was being ripped apart, and a red mist appeared in front of him.
He choked on his own scream, his body thrashing uselessly.
He couldn’t get away, and he couldn’t breathe. Panic seized him.
Nicolas landed on Ramiel’s back, wrapping an arm around the angel’s throat and baring his teeth. “That’s my brother, you son of a bitch.”
Ramiel snarled. His wings appeared in the air on either side of Nicolas, and with a powerful flap, he sent them straight for the ceiling.
The only thing that kept Nicolas from being flattened against the ceiling was Chaol. He dove straight through the air toward them, shielding Nicolas’s body with his own and grabbing him as Ramiel fell back to the floor.
Daniel rolled out of the way, and Ramiel landed on his feet with a thud.
Daniel’s body shook with residual pain, but he was alive.
Chaol and Nicolas landed nearby. One leathery white wing was bent at an unnatural angle, his face a mask of pain, but as Daniel watched, the fine bones reconnected.
Nicolas was winded but scrambled back to his feet, unharmed.
Isaac drew a gun and opened fire, but Ramiel ducked his head and spun. The bullets pinged off his feathered wings like they were made of steel, sending ricocheting bullets around the room and making the rest of them duck for cover.
With a burst of fire, the others appeared. Luke, Malachi, Ira, Wolf, Nathan, and Storm. They stood in a row, holding hands, and leading them was Draego. He released Luke’s hand and strode toward the angel, drawing his hellblade.
“This should be fun,” Ramiel said, baring straight white teeth.
It was all Daniel could do to keep up after that.
Ramiel fought like a dozen men, moving with a speed and power none of them could hope to match.
Every now and then, a flash of blindingly bright light would flash from him, searing Daniel’s skin and leaving impressions on his retinas.
He had a feeling Ramiel was toying with them.
What was stopping him from using that light to destroy every demon in the room?
If he did that, he probably couldn’t consume their Wrath. He was just using it to keep the advantage.
Ramiel threw Storm through the stair railing.
He twisted his wrist and threw the sofa at Valac and Ashmedai, whose powers were hindered by the sunlight streaming into the broken room.
He left countless slashes on the Sentinels, though their wounds healed quickly enough thanks to the demon blood they consumed.
A slash across Shadrach’s chest had the leviathan hissing in pain. Ramiel snapped Wolf’s neck, and they had to converge around the halfling while he healed to keep Ramiel from sucking the Wrath from him while he was incapacitated.
Finally, Draego said what they were all thinking. “We can’t win this!”
No, they couldn’t. Ramiel healed as quickly as the demons did, and their hellblades didn’t seem to be doing any real damage.
“What do you propose?” Daniel asked, ducking under Ramiel’s blade and coming up slashing.
“I’ve got an idea!” Talon said. “Gather together!”
Daniel and Draego kept Ramiel’s attention on them as the others broke away. Talon teleported with Alex, Luke, Malachi, Shadrach, and Isaac first. He and Shadrach came back together, and Talon grabbed Ashmedai, Nicolas, and Julian, while Shadrach took Valac, Wolf, and Ira.
“Where are they going?” Chaol asked, dodging Ramiel’s next attack.
“Don’t know,” Daniel said. “Somewhere safe.”
Ramiel laughed. “There is no place safe.”
Talon returned. The others were all gone, and he inched closer to the fighting.
“You cannot hide from me forever,” Ramiel said. “Wherever you go on this Earth, I will find you.”
“Yeah, well, good luck,” Talon sneered.
Draego grabbed Talon’s shoulder, and a hand fisted in the back of Daniel’s sweat-damp shirt. And then the world around them faded away.