For a moment, I debated coming clean. Looking at the expectant faces around me though, I decided to keep the fact that I was immune to Emrys's mind tricks to myself. Of course, it would be all-holy-hell-monkey-asses when they found out the truth.
Everyone nodded their heads at his words. To them, it was obvious that the evil Soul Trader was taking advantage of the poor orphan girl. A slow simmer began to boil up in me. I worked to keep my face neutral. I knew the truth and that was all that mattered at the moment.
"Well, as all of you can see, I'm safe and sound. I don't even think a hair is out of place," I said, patting my head sarcastically.
"Where did the Soul Trader take you?" Haniel asked with intensity.
"Why?" I asked, wondering why it mattered. The fact that he'd returned me in one piece should have appeased the watch dogs.
Haniel ignored my question, waiting for me to answer.
Sighing at the fact that he was acting like a total drama douche, I finally caved when I realized the inquisition wouldn't end until I answered him.
"Fine, he took me to New York," I snipped out.
"New York?" Krista asked, looking at Haniel questioningly.
Haniel's impassive mask was back on as he studied me, obviously trying to get a gauge on whether I was lying. It bugged the crap out of him that he couldn't see through me.
"What did you guys think? That he dragged me off to the pits of hell?" I sarcastically joked, waiting for their denial. Silence filled the room. "Seriously? That's what you thought?" I asked again in a raised voice. "Why would you come to an asinine conclusion like that?" I said shrilly.
Surprisingly, it was Sam who answered my shrieking questions. "Jordyn, you have to admit, the Soul Trader doesn't look very trustworthy," she said.
"So, we judge on looks now? Well, I guess Lynn and I will be the next victims on your hit list," I said, blatantly eyeing Lynn's short cropped spiky hair and multiple piercings.
"Don't be ridiculous!" Sam said, laughing uncomfortably.
"Why, because you know us? Well, I know Emrys, and there's nothing wrong with him," I said, standing up in a huff. "You'd think a bunch of angels would be a little less judgmental. I like him and that should be all that matters," I added, turning on heel and heading to my room.
I could hear the murmuring of their voices as I firmly closed my bedroom door behind me. Let them stew on my words. Sooner or later they were going to have to understand that I didn't fit in their mold.
I changed out of my clothes slowly, taking care to not let the denim material rub against my sore knees. The day's events crept up on me quickly and I stifled a yawn as I switched off my bedroom lamp. My pillow-topped mattress was calling my name, but a far greater voice urged me toward my patio doors. Standing in the darkness of my room, I could see his shadow clearly on the bluff looking out at the waves. I knew he'd be here. I'd known it the moment I entered my room. My mind may be immune to his bending, but my body seemed to be attuned to his presence. I debated confronting his stalker-like behavior, but I found his presence oddly comforting. Of course, considering how much I'd already pushed my luck tonight, I fought the urge to join him. Instead, I watched him for several moments until a tall shadow joined him. I recognized Haniel's build instantly. Cracking my patio door open, I strained to hear their words, but the crashing waves below made it impossible to hear. Haniel's posture was tense as he earnestly said something to Emrys who responded by throwing his head back and laughing. It was obvious even in the darkness that Haniel was aggravated by Emrys's humor. He continued talking, but now used hand gestures to emphasize his point. His words had obviously hit their mark. Emrys's posture seemed to switch from carefree to tense. After several moments, where Haniel did the majority of the talking, Emrys laughed again, but even from a distance, I could tell this laugh was different. This was a harsh laugh. Without warning, he pivoted his eyes to where I was standing with the door open. He gave me a hard look that I couldn't read, and then gave Haniel a mock salute before disappearing.
I closed my door without acknowledging Haniel. I was pissed that he couldn't let the situation go. Being a mentor was one thing, but he was now a controlling douche.
CHAPTER SIX
My mood was still sour by the time I woke the next morning. I had spent the majority of the night tossing and turning, worried that Emrys would decide that hanging with me wasn't worth dealing with my overbearing Arch Angel.
It sucked living in this gilded cage. I hastily made my bed and then grabbed a clean set of clothes and headed to the bathroom. Even after a shower my mood hadn't improved. I contemplated crawling back under my covers and sleeping the day away. In the end, the smell of coffee from the hallway called my name, enticing me toward the chattering voices within the kitchen.
I was surprised to find the kitchen crowded by the same crew I had left in the living room the night before.
"What did you guys do? Have a slumber party?" I asked.
"Morning, Jordyn," Krista said, ignoring my sarcasm.
"Morning," I mumbled, refusing to feel guilty over my bad mood. "So, what's the deal?" I added, indicating the crowded kitchen.
"We have a mission," Krista said, taking a bite out of a chocolate cupcake.
"Well, goody for you," I snipped as my bad mood returned full force. I knew I should have climbed back in bed.
"And so do you, unless you've changed your mind about accompanying us on a mission," Mark answered in a don't-give-us-your-teenage-attitude voice.
"What?" I asked. I must have heard him wrong. I'd spent the last year begging, pleading, and cajoling them to take me with them. "Is this a bribe or something?" I asked.
Sam flushed at my question. If that was her poker face, she better never step foot in a casino.
"Haniel has assured us that you're ready, but if you'd rather not," Mark said, obviously going for the reverse psychology route.
For a moment I debated calling him on his bluff, but my desire to kick some Daemon ass won out. "Sure, I have nothing better to do," I said, trying to keep the excitement out of my voice.
"I'm sure," Mark answered, not buying my blasé answer.
"Come on, I'll go with you while you get ready," Lynn said, dragging me down the hall.
"Sheesh, where's the fire?" I griped as she shoved me in the room and closed the door behind her.
"Like you don't know. Spill the deets," she said, perching atop the low dresser that pretty much took up the northern wall in my room.
I shrugged my shoulders, not sure how much I wanted to confide to her. Usually I had no problem filling her in on all my woes and worries, but the intervention that was staged last night made it clear what side she was on. Normally I didn't care that my best friend was several years older than me, but last night she seemed no different than all the other judgmental adults in the room. "Why, so you can tell me how dumb I am?" I finally said, pulling on a pair of thick socks.
"Don't be a snark," she said, calling me out on my sarcastic answer. "Now spill it."
"I like him," I said simply, lacing up my combat boots. "Why did they finally decide to let me go on a mission?" I asked, bouncing slightly on the balls of my feet to make sure my boots wouldn't pinch my toes.
"The guys have been dying to see you in action."
"And they figure this way they can keep an eye on me."
"You seem to require a little babysitting since I've been gone," she said, shooting me a look. "So, you like him? Sam says he's cute."
"Cute?" I asked incredulously. "He's freaking steamy with a capital S," I added, miffed that he had been lumped in a "cute" category.
"Holy crabs, youlikethis guy," she said, eyeing me with sudden interest.
"Duh, Sherlock Holmes. I thought we already established that, hence your early return."
"Yeah, but I assumed you were just messing with Haniel since you like to screw with him. You've never shown much interest in any other guy. I was starting to think you swung from the other tree," she said, wagging her pierced eyebrows at me suggestively.
"You wish," I said, giving her a lighthearted shove which resulted in her landing in a heap on the floor. "Oops, sorry," I said, reaching down to help her up.
"God, you're like a freaking Mack truck," she said, rubbing her bottom.
"I always forget what a weakling you are," I teased as we headed out the door.
"Just because you've got the strength of The Hulk doesn't mean I'm weak," she said, giving me a shove.
"Whoa, you almost didn't knock me over," I mocked as we headed to the living room laughing. I still wasn't crazy for the reason behind her return, but I was just glad to have my friend back.
"Where are we headed?" I asked as we joined the others.
"A small village in West Africa, north of Ghana, called Bunbonayili. Haniel says the villagers are convinced the area surrounding the village is haunted since several dead bodies have been seen walking around. There have been several deaths that all point to Daemon activity," Mark answered.
"Shut up! Africa! That's freaking awesome," I said, forgetting my resolve to play it cool. "Maybe I can try my hand at fighting a lion," I joked as excitement raced through me. I had been convinced my first official mission would be something local.
"Don't even joke about that," Krista said, shuddering at the thought of me taking on a lion.
"I bet I could kick a lion's ass," I bragged.
Shawn laughed. "It's a good think you're not cocky."
"I know you're jealous you're not as strong as me," I said, dancing out of his reach before he could pull my hair.
"And so humble," he added, making a move to grab me, but missed as I moved just out of range. "You're a fast little shit, I'll give you that," he added as the rest of us burst out laughing.
We were still laughing when Haniel appeared a few moments later.
"I see you are ready," Haniel said to me.
"I was born ready, baby," I replied, bouncing on my toes like a boxer.
"Haniel, you couldn't have fed her a little humble pie in all your training?" Shawn joked.
"She lacks humility, but speaks the truth," Haniel replied as the others broke into laughter again.
"Dude, you're losing your touch. You were much tougher on all of us when we were her age," Shawn complained.
"Your skills did not match hers," Haniel replied, missing the gist of Shawn's complaint, which made us laugh even harder.
Puzzled, Haniel turned to Krista for clarification of our laughter, but she just shrugged her shoulders, unsure how to explain it.
"He's just jealous," I told Haniel, smirking at Shawn.
"I hope she does meet a lion," I heard Shawn mutter to Sam as I laughed again.
"Are we ready?" Mark finally asked, getting down to business.
Haniel answered by grasping Robert's hand. Krista grabbed on to Sam's and Mark did the same to Shawn. Before we could even blink, they all disappeared in front of us.
"That trick never gets old," Lynn said as Haniel once again returned to the living room.
"Excited?" Lynn teased as I impatiently waited for my turn.
"Nah," I joked as Haniel reappeared.
"Rrright," she said, just before Haniel reached for her hand.
That left just me alone in the living room, full of nervous energy. I was in the middle of stretching when Haniel suddenly reappeared.
"Are you ready?" he asked with something akin to excitement.
"Wow, Haniel, if I didn't know better, I'd say you were excited," I teased as the living room around me disappeared.
It took my senses a moment to acclimate to the sudden climate difference as I squinted in the darkness, taking in my surroundings. A couple glow sticks lit up the ground at our feet where Krista and Mark were sitting, recovering from the journey. Lynn had told me once that when they first started traveling this way, it would take them hours to recover. With practice and discipline, they'd trained their bodies into recovering more swiftly.
"What time is it here?" I whispered, ignoring the tingling on the back of my neck.
"Just after six in the evening," Mark answered, climbing to his feet and helping Krista up.
"Where are the villagers?" I asked, finally able to make out the dark huts in front of us.
"They've moved to another camp, closer to the water. They have this false sense of security that they can use canoes to flee what they think are ghosts or spirits. The Daemons have been too busy preying on the sick and weak that were left behind to bother with the rest of the villagers yet. That's why we're here. It won't be long before they dispose of the last survivors and make their move on the villagers. The Guides will help their souls move on," Mark said, smiling at Sam and Lynn.
"Jordyn, can you tell me how many Daemons are here?" Haniel asked.
Taking his question seriously, I closed my eyes and allowed myself to focus on the tingling on the back of my neck. I couldn't tell you exactly how it worked, but Haniel and I had discovered that this was my mechanism, I guess you could say. By the way my neck was vibrating, I knew that at least a half-dozen Daemons were around. More than I had seen in one place before.
"Half-dozen, maybe more," I said gleefully.
I heard Sam gasp with dismay.
"We've handled that many before," Shawn reassured her.
"Yeah, but with the help of the other Bands," she said, mentioning the other Guides and Protectors that lived in various locations.
"Their assistance will not be needed tonight," Haniel reassured the group. "Jordyn will handle this. The Protectors will only intervene if need be."
"She can't take them all on by herself," Krista said, stepping in front of Haniel to glare at him.
"She can," Haniel answered, not intimidated in the slightest by my five-foot-nothing aunt.
"The Daemons know we're here," Lynn said, looking pale, even in the dark.
I was on the verge of asking her if she was okay when I remembered that Guides got sick when Daemons were around.
"Jordyn, prepare yourself," Haniel ordered.
"I got this," I said, strutting toward the village with confidence. I may have a shitty memory of my past and no soul mate, but I could take out Daemons in my sleep. I could sense the others following behind me, but they kept their distance as I tuned them out. My senses kicked into overdrive as I approached the entrance of the village. I spotted three Daemons in their ugly-ass form hanging out in the middle of the small village. They were waiting for us. Their ignorance made me chuckle. They thought being in their Daemon form made them more menacing and harder to destroy. I'd be able to take them out before they even knew what hit them.
