Page 1 of Fallen

Chapter 1

Alex

There wasblood on the horizon. It was an ill omen, Alex thought, for the sunset to cast such a deep red hue across the sky. Tonight’s patrol would be an exciting one, for better or worse. He brought his travel mug to his lips, studying the sky with idle interest as hot coffee bloomed on his tongue.

The Paladin Guild of Los Angeles looked more like a college campus than an ancient sect of demon hunters. Red brick buildings clustered together behind a twenty foot brick wall that was blessed with holy enchantments designed to ward off evil. On paper, it was a religious non-profit, part-orphanage, part-boarding school, and part-monastery. In truth, they were an organization that fought evil. Most of the world didn’t know it, but demons walked among them. The paladins helped maintain order. They protected the innocent, they exorcised the evil spirits, they killed the demons. They trained children from a young age to become paladins, schooling them in religious rites and battle tactics.

Alex had been one of those children.

Now, the compound was quiet. There was a children’s dormitory and an apartment complex, but most members lived off-site. All that remained were the night-shift workers in the administrative building, on the stoop of which he stood, and the squads who were on the roster for patrols tonight—including Alex’s own. The church’s white steeple was visible over the roof of the recreational center, a lone sentinel against the crimson backdrop of the sky.

The door behind him opened, and his captain, Nathan Accardi, joined him on the pavement, his stormy gray eyes casting a surly look up at the sky.

“You just looked at the sky like it personally offended you,” Alex pointed out. “What’s up?”

“I received our orders for tonight from Commander Sloan.” He blew out a harsh breath, carding his fingers through his short brown hair.

A curl of unease went through Alex. “Bad?”

“Not… great,” Nathan hedged. “I’d rather wait for the others and give you all the briefing at once.” He hesitated, then added, “But I don’t want you to jump to conclusions, okay?”

The unease spread, tingling through his body with the beginnings of adrenaline. “What kind of conclusions would I jump to?”

Nathan pursed his lips.

“Cap, come on. You can’t say that and then give me nothing.”

Nathan met his eyes, soft with concern. “Just keep a level head tonight, okay?”

Alex opened his mouth to needle him for more, but headlight beams cut through the air as a nondescript gray sedan rolled to a stop in the half-empty parking lot nearby. More of the squad was arriving.

Aidan emerged from the car, wearing the same black tactical gear as Alex and Nathan. Whip-cord thin and sporting a pair of thick, black-rimmed glasses, he didn’t fit the typical look one might expect of a demon hunter, but he was dangerously fast with his holy blades and fiercely loyal to his team.

Nathan patted Alex’s shoulder. He wouldn’t say any more, but hopefully the rest of the squad would arrive soon. And then he’d have the answers he wanted.

William was next, coming out of the admin building behind them with a styrofoam cup full of steaming coffee in his beefy hand. His sandy hair was dusted with early grays. One by one the others found their way to the meeting point as the sun drifted lower and lower, red giving way to starlit indigo.

When all eight of them were present, Nathan cleared his throat. “Guys, listen up. Sloan’s given us a big job tonight. We’re forgoing the regular patrol, because one of our prophets had a vision that he wants us to investigate. It looks like…” his eyes found Alex’s, “…a family of five was killed by a demon.”

Alex went cold. A family of five. Two parents, three kids.

“Come closer, little boy, it’ll only hurt for a moment.”

Screaming until his throat was raw and his stomach cramped. Congealing blood, sticky on his hands and knees.

William shifted his weight from foot to foot, jostling lightly into Alex and drawing him from the rotten memory. He shook himself, meeting Nathan’s grim gaze once more.

“I’ve got the address,” Nathan said, looking discomfited. “We need to get moving right away so we’ll have a chance to investigate before the authorities get involved. Let’s move out.”

They fell into step together toward the black SUVs waiting for them.

“Paladin Hawk,” Nathan said, catching Alex’s eye, “ride with me, would you?”

It was always ‘Paladin Hawk’ when they were working.

“Of course, Cap,” he intoned blankly.

His palms were sweaty as he opened the passenger door and climbed inside. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, taking a deep breath and pushing down the sick twist of nausea in his gut. He could do this. His memories couldn’t hurt him, and like Nathan said, he needed to keep a level head. There was no guarantee this was the same thing he’d seen all those years ago. It would be fine.

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