A Demon’s Touch by Ella Jade

Chapter 27

Harper

Two weeks…fourteen days…three-hundred and thirty-six hours…twenty-thousand, one hundred and sixty minutes…one million, two hundred, nine thousand, six-hundred-seconds.

That was how long it had been since I had seen him, since I’d touched him, and since I’d died inside for him. It was also how long I hadn’t worked as his attorney or any other client. When Angelo kicked me to the curb, so did the firm. They called it a leave of absence, but I knew what it really was. I had managed to lose their highest paying client, and they weren’t in a forgiving mood. Falling for Angelo came with its consequences. Not only had he crushed my soul, but he’d made me lose my career on top of that.

Even though he had ripped my heart out, I still closed my eyes every night and hoped he made an appearance in my dreams. He even disappointed me in my sleep. When I woke each morning, I stretched out my arm to search for him, but he was never there. He had completely disappeared from my life. No calls, no texts, not even any dreams. It was as if he never existed. My head understood that it was over, but my heart refused to catch up.

“Hey, sweetie.” Kiki plopped down on the lounge chair next to me and handed me a strawberry daiquiri.

I took the frosted drink from her, but as soon as I sipped it, my mind went back to that night in California. The chocolate, the strawberries, the champagne, and the sex.

“Thanks.” I set the drink down on the small table next to me.

“How are you feeling today?”

“Better than yesterday, I guess.”

Somehow, I had let Kiki talk me into a vacation in Greece. We’d no sooner arrived, then our parents had taken off to parts unknown. Some emergency in the medical world; wasn’t there always one? It was quite admirable of them but also sad they didn’t realize I was having an emergency too.

“You’re going to get better every day. You’ll see,” She bit into the ripe strawberry, garnishing the side of her cup. “What’s-his-name will be nothing but a distant memory.”

What if I didn’t want him to be a distant memory?

“You’re right.” I smiled. “Have you heard from David?” I didn’t know why I asked. Oh wait, yes I did. I wanted to know how Angelo was, and David was a shortcut to that. As ridiculous as it sounded I needed to know Angelo was okay. Something was off with him that day. I’d seen it in his expression, heard it in his words. There was a double meaning to what he said to me, and I couldn’t figure it out. Maybe I wanted to believe there was more to the story and more to him just dumping me.

“Here and there I’ve heard bits from him,” my sister replied.

“Did he say anything about Angelo?”

“No.” She pulled her hair off her neck with the tie that was wrapped around her wrist. “Although, I make sure to say a lot about Angelo because I know David will tell him every word I utter.”

“Angelo couldn’t survive without David. He needs him. They’re like brothers.”

“You have to stop doing this to yourself.”

“Caring?”

“He doesn’t deserve your compassion. He hurt you.”

Kiki was right, but no matter how much he hurt me, he was hurting too, and that affected me deeply. It shouldn’t have, and I shouldn’t care. Angelo had brought this all on himself. No matter the reasons, it wasn’t my problem.

Or it wasn’t supposed to be.

“Do you want to go into town today and hit the shops?” I asked. “They have a surf shop with some cool bathing suits.”

“We can do that,” Kiki said.

My sister slipped her sunglasses down her nose to check out the muscular guy walking across the pool deck. We’d rented a private villa with our own pool, but the property also offered a resort pool with a bar and restaurant. We’d been spending most of our days at the villa, but Kiki wanted to venture out to the general areas too.

“You know what else we should do?” she pressed.

“What?” I dreaded asking but still did.

“Go drinking and dancing tonight.”

“Ah, well, I don’t dance.”

“Yes, I know but you drink, and I think we should check out the night scene here.”

“I don’t know.” I sprayed my legs with sunscreen. “We don’t know the area that well.”

“I found this trendy club that has the biggest bar. The vibe was sweet. Lots of locals. It’s a few blocks from here.”

“When did you find that?”

“Last night.” She waved at the handsome man who was now staring at us from the pool bar.

He smiled and nodded, eyeing us both and seeming to size us up.

“You went out by yourself?”

“I couldn’t sleep.”

“Kiki? Do you know how dangerous that was? Something could have happened to you!”

“Nothing did.”

“What’s wrong with you? We’re in a foreign country. Don’t you watch the news? Women like you disappear all the time.” My nerves engulfed me just thinking about all the things that could have happened to my daring sister. “I wouldn’t have even known you were gone when the police came knocking at my door.”

“Harper, get a grip. I’m sitting right next to you. I went out for an hour. Had a drink and came back. I’m fine. No one will be featuring me on Dateline.”

“What if you weren’t fine?” I picked my drink up from the table and sucked it down before it melted in the hot sun. “How much more do you think I can take? I can’t lose you too.”

“Hey.” She patted my leg. “I’m not leaving you.”

That’s what Angelo said. That’s what everyone always says.

“I’m sorry I freaked you out. I won’t do it again. You’re right.” She finished her drink. “I won’t go out alone.”

“Thank you.” Didn’t she know about sex trafficking?

“But now you have no choice but to come out with me tonight.”

“I don’t know.” I was never much of a night scene person to begin with, and I was far less of one after Angelo broke my heart. “There’s a Cary Grant marathon on tonight. Let’s order in and have a movie night.”

“We’ve done that two times since we’ve been here. We’ve played board games, cards, and binged watched three TV shows. It’s time to explore.”

“I don’t want to dance.”

“You don’t have to.” She swung her legs over the chair to face me. “You can drink all the flavored vodka you want. I’ll keep an eye on you from the dance floor. We’re going to have so much fun.”

“If you say so.”

“You never know, this night could change your life.”

* * *

Angelo

Davidand I walked through the underground tunnels of one of the most sacred buildings in Rome. My contact had gotten us through security, but retrieving the sword wouldn’t be as easy. When we reached the ancient archives room, a priest stood from his desk and met us at the entrance. He was unnerved by our presence. The suspicion in his eyes indicated he knew we were coming and he already suspected what we were.

“Hello.” When I extended my hand, he didn’t take it. “I trust your people told you we were coming.”

“They told me a man interested in seeing some of our ancient artifacts was coming.” He made the sign of the cross in front of me. “They didn’t tell me they were sending a demon. How did you get in here?”

“Demon is such a harsh word, don’t you think?”

“Not if it’s what you are.”

“Fair enough but if you look deeper, Padre, you’ll see something else.”

Before he had time to investigate further, six men busted into the room and surrounded us. Two of them approached me as two cornered David. The other two stood on either side of the priest.

“Nice security detail,” I said. “But I promise you, they cannot protect you.”

“I’m not afraid of you, son of Lucifer. We live a peaceful life here.”

“You have something that is of great value to me. There are demons who want what I covet. If I don’t leave with it today, those demons will find a way back inside this building, and they won’t be as polite as I am.”

“Why should I give you anything?”

“Because I’m your only hope at keeping your peaceful existence.”

“What is it you want?”

“The Inferno Sword.”

At the mere mention of the weapon’s name, a dozen more guards surrounded us. David moved closer to me.

“We might have a problem,” he said. “They’re not human.”

“I know.” I stared at the priest who felt far too confident for my liking. “Call off the Primeval Defenders.”

These guards had been around for centuries, protecting the holiest of relics and ancient books and papers. They guarded the vaults and the tombs. The treasures and the items no one even knew existed. They warded off evil; demons like me. They were on high alert because my kind should have never gotten this far. They shouldn’t underestimate me.

“You don’t belong here,” the priest said. “You may have gotten in but you won’t get out.”

“As I said, if I don’t leave here with that sword, the gates of Hell will open and threaten everything you stand for.”

“Do you think I haven’t heard these threats before?” He motioned for three of the largest, most decorated guards to stand in front of me. “Attack!”

Seriously?

I lifted my arm and swiped it to the right, sending all three of them crashing into the far wall. The floor shook when they hit the ground. When they tried to stand, I pushed them back down, holding them there.

“Do you want to test the rest of my strengths or can I present my case?”

When the priest lifted his hands, the other guards charged me. David backed off two of them as I concentrated on the rest. As each one challenged me, I flung them across the room with a wave of my hand, incapacitating them. I allowed David his fun as he punched and throttled the other two into unconsciousness. I gazed around, pleased with the destruction I had left behind. Now, maybe I could get what I came for.

During the commotion, the priest ran down the hall. I jumped over the half wall in front of his desk and chased him. When I reached him, I grabbed the back of his neck and turned him around. I lifted him and pinned him against the wall. There was that fear I had been searching for.

“I tried to be civilized.” I set him down and pressed my hand to his throat. “My name is Angelo St. Christian,” I offered. “My father is a powerful demon who works closely with an old enemy of yours.”

“Lucifer,” he whispered, terror dominating all of his emotions.

“They want the sword. I don’t want them to have it.” I let go of his throat, but gazed into his eyes with my red stare. “I’m not leaving here without it.”

“I don’t have access to such a powerful weapon. I can’t give it to you.” He shook his head. “I won’t hand it over to a demon.”

“Would you give it to an angel?” a voice from behind me asked.

When I turned, I found three old priests standing there, holding the very item I had come for. It gleamed even in the dull lighting of the tunnel. David came down the hall and took his place beside me.

“Mr. St. Christian,” one of the priests said. “We’ve been waiting for you.”

* * *

Steppingout into the sunlight after being in the underground tunnels of the old buildings for what seemed like days was a welcome relief. The three older priests knew of Koradon and his interest in the weapon. They also knew of my unique heritage. My father was right, my angel half did prove to be a big advantage in securing the sword. He just didn’t realize the angelic world would be willing to negotiate with me to work against him.

“It’s bright out here.” David put on his sunglasses. “Well, you pulled it off.”

“I did what I do best. I negotiated until I got what I wanted.”

“They didn’t even care that we were demons,” David scoffed.

“Greed and money can make people deny all sorts of things but they had an ulterior motive in giving me that sword. At this point, I don’t care as long as it’s mine.”

“I don’t know how you did it but congratulations! You’re the proud owner of one of the most powerful weapons in the world.” He checked his phone. “It’s being exported out of here as we speak.”

I had what Koradon wanted, and there wasn’t anything he could do about it. The sword was in my possession, and that was where it would stay for as long as I needed it or as long as they wanted it.

“The sword is under heavy guard. Our guys will not leave its side until its where you want it to be,” David added.

“I’ve set the location, and thanks to Raven’s cloaking spell, I don’t think Koradon will find it. Not right away.” Keeping it hidden should buy me some time. “If it’s out of his hands, then that solves a lot of problems.”

“Will this solve some of the problems back at home?”

“Which problems?”

I didn’t have to ask. While I had kept busy securing the sword these past two weeks, my thoughts were still on Harper. I had her under close surveillance. According to the guards I had watching her, she didn’t leave her villa much. As soon as she had arrived in Greece, her parents had left. That infuriated me. Couldn’t they have stayed there one time for their daughter?

“Harper,” David said. “You’re going to great lengths to protect her, but how long can you stay away from her?”

“How is she?”

David still kept in touch with Kiki. Most of her texts were directed toward me and detailed what an asshole I was, but at least, she had her sister’s back.

“Kiki won’t give me any information. She knows I’ll relay it all to you.”

“The security team gives me surface information, but they can’t tell me how she is or what she does behind closed doors. It’s been a long two weeks.” I’d grown accustomed to her anxiety attacks and nervous outbursts. My head had been quiet since she was gone. I missed her chaos.

I miss her.

I thought about invading her dreams, so I could see and touch her, but that was too cruel. I couldn’t do that to her. I put the space between us to keep her safe. If I visited her dreams, Koradon would know. I needed him to think I had grown tired of my human until I had the leverage I needed to back him off completely. Maybe once the underworld was out of my life, I could suppress my demon and be the man worthy of a woman like Harper.

“What are we doing next?” David asked.

“We should probably make our exit from Rome and quick.” The less people who knew we were here, the better. If my contacts were far reaching, so were Koradon’s. When he found out I was here, he’d make a move.

“I’ll make the arrangements.” He took out his phone. “I’ll get us a flight back to the states.”

“I was thinking…” Impulses often got people into trouble, but technically, I wasn’t a person, so what did I have to lose? “Are you up for a pitstop?”

“Where did you have in mind?” David looked at me from over the rim of his sunglasses.

“Greece.”