gave her a chance to explain because it makes my job much easier.”
She folded her hands on the table and watched him, chin on her palm and head tilted. “What is your job, Jack?”
Leaning back in his chair, he returned her stare without wavering. God, those eyes of his were downright magnetic. Slate grey and so deep-set in the shadows of his brow that a person could stare into them forever and still never learn the truth behind them. It should have been threatening, but something about him put her at ease.
“Right now, protecting you,” he answered. “There’s more to that, but I have to tell you a story before you can understand it all. Are you ready to hear it?”
Addison nodded, her ponytail bobbing and brushing her neck. She couldn’t deny that curiosity had her on edge.
Jackson continued. “First, I need to know what Elle has told you. Do you know about all the different players in the war between Heaven and Hell?”
“Yes,” she confirmed. “Angels, demons, Guardians, Oracles, Naphils … all of it.”
“Good.” He sighed with relief. “So I can go straight into it, then. Because the battle is for the souls of mankind, lesser demons are allowed to come and go, just as angels are. They either cloak their appearance as humans, or stay out of sight while they do what they do best. Temptation is their thing, with different demons specializing in different areas. Some inspire envy and hate; others exploit sexuality and turn it into something dark and degrading. Others operate through fear or anger. Whatever the case, as long as they work within the rules and don’t try to influence free will, it’s all allowed.”
She wrinkled her nose. “That sucks.”
He shrugged. “Yeah, well, the angels balance things out. Healing angels heal; messenger angels remind people that there is still hope and that they have a higher calling; warrior angels wrangle the demons who step out of line … or, at least, they used to before one of the demons crossed the line.”
She leaned forward, her attention caught by his last words in particular. “What happened?”
“The demon known as the Great Duke of Hell decided that he’d had enough of the rules, so he got together with a sorcerer under his possession and created a spell opening ten extra portals between worlds, from Hell into Earth. Before, there existed only a handful. This allowed more demons in than usual, and we’re not just talking about any regular minions here. Demons operate in a hierarchy, just like angels do, and there are lesser creatures who work for greater ones. The spell was copied ten times onto ten scrolls and distributed to ten of the biggest, baddest demons that exist in this world and the next.”
“Couldn’t they have come through before?” she asked. “What made these portals different?”
“Some of these demons have been banned from coming to Earth for breaking rules in the past. They’re already in violation of their banishment to Hell, but to make matters worse, they’ve taken it one step further. Influencing free will is a huge no-no, and they’ve been crossing the line by enslaving the minds of people and using them in the most depraved of ways. Just to give you an example—the other night, Micah and I had to hunt down this demon named Adramelech who had started himself a little cult right here in the city. He’d brainwashed them to think it was a good idea to sacrifice human babies.”
Addison gasped, her heart aching at the thought of kidnapped children being slaughtered for some sick demon’s sadistic plans.
“Don’t worry,” Jack added in a rush. “We got there before the babies were harmed, but … well, we’re not always so lucky.”
“I don’t understand.” Her brows furrowed while to wrap her mind around all he’d said. “If the demons are out of line, why don’t the angels just take them out? Why doesn’t God just put a stop to it all?”
Jack fell silent for a moment, almost as if he didn’t
She folded her hands on the table and watched him, chin on her palm and head tilted. “What is your job, Jack?”
Leaning back in his chair, he returned her stare without wavering. God, those eyes of his were downright magnetic. Slate grey and so deep-set in the shadows of his brow that a person could stare into them forever and still never learn the truth behind them. It should have been threatening, but something about him put her at ease.
“Right now, protecting you,” he answered. “There’s more to that, but I have to tell you a story before you can understand it all. Are you ready to hear it?”
Addison nodded, her ponytail bobbing and brushing her neck. She couldn’t deny that curiosity had her on edge.
Jackson continued. “First, I need to know what Elle has told you. Do you know about all the different players in the war between Heaven and Hell?”
“Yes,” she confirmed. “Angels, demons, Guardians, Oracles, Naphils … all of it.”
“Good.” He sighed with relief. “So I can go straight into it, then. Because the battle is for the souls of mankind, lesser demons are allowed to come and go, just as angels are. They either cloak their appearance as humans, or stay out of sight while they do what they do best. Temptation is their thing, with different demons specializing in different areas. Some inspire envy and hate; others exploit sexuality and turn it into something dark and degrading. Others operate through fear or anger. Whatever the case, as long as they work within the rules and don’t try to influence free will, it’s all allowed.”
She wrinkled her nose. “That sucks.”
He shrugged. “Yeah, well, the angels balance things out. Healing angels heal; messenger angels remind people that there is still hope and that they have a higher calling; warrior angels wrangle the demons who step out of line … or, at least, they used to before one of the demons crossed the line.”
She leaned forward, her attention caught by his last words in particular. “What happened?”
“The demon known as the Great Duke of Hell decided that he’d had enough of the rules, so he got together with a sorcerer under his possession and created a spell opening ten extra portals between worlds, from Hell into Earth. Before, there existed only a handful. This allowed more demons in than usual, and we’re not just talking about any regular minions here. Demons operate in a hierarchy, just like angels do, and there are lesser creatures who work for greater ones. The spell was copied ten times onto ten scrolls and distributed to ten of the biggest, baddest demons that exist in this world and the next.”
“Couldn’t they have come through before?” she asked. “What made these portals different?”
“Some of these demons have been banned from coming to Earth for breaking rules in the past. They’re already in violation of their banishment to Hell, but to make matters worse, they’ve taken it one step further. Influencing free will is a huge no-no, and they’ve been crossing the line by enslaving the minds of people and using them in the most depraved of ways. Just to give you an example—the other night, Micah and I had to hunt down this demon named Adramelech who had started himself a little cult right here in the city. He’d brainwashed them to think it was a good idea to sacrifice human babies.”
Addison gasped, her heart aching at the thought of kidnapped children being slaughtered for some sick demon’s sadistic plans.
“Don’t worry,” Jack added in a rush. “We got there before the babies were harmed, but … well, we’re not always so lucky.”
“I don’t understand.” Her brows furrowed while to wrap her mind around all he’d said. “If the demons are out of line, why don’t the angels just take them out? Why doesn’t God just put a stop to it all?”
Jack fell silent for a moment, almost as if he didn’t
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