Page 47 of Protected by the Fallen
Zeke stands there, Angel Fire still burning in his palms, scanning the library for any enemies he may have missed.
I gasp and rush to his side. “You’re hurt.” My fingers hover over the angry red burns covering his left side. I try to move his shirt to get a better look of his injuries, but Zeke’s hiss makes me pull back.
He takes a step away. “Don’t worry about it, Ron. It’ll heal on his own.”
“Don’t be stupid.” I close the distance and touch his arm, drawing my power to my fingers. “There may be more of them coming. You need your strength.” Zeke doesn’t object, and I push my healing powers into his body. It’s second nature now. He jerks slightly, then sighs as the power begins to take effect. The damaged tissue loses its red color, and the blisters disappear. The burned, bloody wound knits itself back together. I drop my arm.
“Wow.” I whirl around and see Vera’s shocked expression. “That was amazing.”
Crap.My healing powers are impressive for a Fallen, but they are especially impressive for a Nephilim. I shrug off her compliment, hoping I succeed in acting like what I just did isn’t noteworthy that she definitely doesn’t need to run off and tell anyone about it. “Healing is my specialty,” I say evenly.
“No kidding,” she returns, still staring at Zeke’s skin. “There isn’t even a mark!”
“Who was attacking us?” I ask, hoping to get her mind off my powers before she thinks about it too much.
“Demons.” Zeke scowls. “Upper demons.”
Vera gasps. “Are you serious?”
“What?” I look between them. “What are upper demons?”
“Seriously?” Vera loses her characteristic patience. She spins and points a finger in Zeke’s face. “Why doesn’t yourbashertknow anything?”
Zeke ignores her. “Upper demons are more powerful than your typical demon. It’s rare to see so many working together. They’re normally solitary. They claim territory among humans and spend decades alone, content to feed off energies within their territory. Until Light Fallen discover and destroy them.”
I guess killing demons doesn’t rob them of their coveted heavenly abilities.
“Yancor demons aren’t upper demons, are they?”
Vera snorts, as if the idea is ludicrous. “Of course not.”
I don’t bother looking at her, keeping my attention on Zeke.
“No,” he confirms, “yancor demons are lesser demons. Their power is nothing compared to upper demons.”
God.I’ve seen the damage yancor demons are capable of. Swallowing back nausea, I quickly count the number of bodies lying among the remnants of the books and furniture. There’s at least eight. It’s a miracle Zeke managed to keep them back.
“Upper demons are working with The Darkness?”
Zeke nods.
“Is this the first time?” I worry The Darkness has gained an unexpected advantage by recruiting upper demons. Will Fallen be able to defeat our enemy?
“No,” he answers, validating my worry. “The Darkness has been recruiting demons of all ability level for years, but I’ve never seen so many in one place.”
“Jude never told me that,” Vera says.
Zeke spares her a glance. “I’m sure he didn’t want you to worry.”
Vera crosses her arms, looking as happy as I would in her situation. I may not know anything about upper demons, but Vera does. Jude intentionally hid the truth from his soulmate. If he gets out of tonight in one piece, Vera is going to let him have it.
“You should go check on Adrian and the others.” I tell Zeke, begging him with wide eyes. The newest threat has magnified my worry one-hundred times, and my imagination runs wild, picturing the horrible dangers my other threebashertensmay be in.
Zeke grows still, and his eyes become unfocused. I’m relieved to notice their familiar brown color has returned. “The Darkness is fighting, but its losing ground. The battle will be over soon.”
“How do you know that?”
“Their twin connection,” Vera provides when Zeke zones out again. “Zeke and Adrian can share mind space for short periods of time. It’s part of what makes twins so powerful.”
