"What are you doing?" Josh screamed and an impenetrable block of ice went up in front of us. The Angel couldn't adjust his trajectory, so he ploughed right into it, the sword getting stuck mere inches from our chest. We grinned wickedly. The Angel yelled wordlessly at us through the ice. We stepped back and reappeared behind them. The Angel turned swiftly, forgetting the sword, to strike at us. We swung back with a taloned claw. Both blows landed and we huffed as the strike knocked us back several feet, off the block of ice. The Angel looked down at the bloody shreds on his chest. We had gotten a good swipe across the face too. The Angel snarled, looking at us with one bloodied eye. He jumped down at us. We waited for the right moment, then appeared behind him again, digging a taloned hand into his back. The Angel screamed, enraged. Then a bolt of light slammed into the Angel from the side. Josh was standing there holding the Angel's blade. The side of the Angel's face sizzled as he glared at Josh.
"How dare a human use a Divine weapon against a creature of Heaven?!" He screeched, turning towards Josh with a snarl.
"Don't threaten my friends!" Josh replied and pulled energy from the sword again, aiming it at the Angel. We waited until it struck, and as it did, dug both taloned claws into the Angel's back and yanked hard, pulling out a section of spine. The Angel shrieked, but the bolt also caught us, since we had our hand in the Angel at the time it struck. Our body went flying, tearing painfully.
Harlee POV
I could barely open my eyes. Ugh, I was so tired. But wait-the Angel! My eyes shot open and I saw Josh and Zeev still fighting him. Despite being partially paralyzed, the Angel was not giving up. Zeev roared as the Angel struck him with some sort of heat or light. I felt it sizzle along my skin as well and winced. Josh countered with another blast from the sword. Strangely, he was just channeling energy from it-he could barely lift the thing. It almost made me giggle. I heard Zeev's pained yelp and cried out as I felt an answering snap in my own leg. The Angel had him in his clutches.
"No, no NO!" I screamed. "You can't! I won't let you!" I scrambled upwards, ignoring the shrieking pain in my leg.
"Shut up, polluted human!" The Angel snarled. Josh stood frozen.
"Zeev is MINE!" I snarled back and a bolt of electricity shot from me to Zeev. I saw Zeev twitch. "You cannot take him from me." Another bolt shot outwards and Zeev spasmed even harder. "He has my heart, my soul, my love. He belongs to ME!" I reached out a hand, snarling his True Name, and suddenly Zeev disappeared from the Angel's hands and reappeared right in front of me. He caught me as I fell. The Angel gaped, and the last thing I saw was Josh's look of betrayal.
I bolted upright.
"Where are we?" I asked desperately. Zeev smoothed my hair.
"In Josh's home." He said softly. "He actually lives near the Hotel-imagine that!" Zeev chuckled
"What happened? Is everyone ok?" I felt a headache forming. "What about the Angel? Did you win?"
"Oh that-no.. He turned tail and ran. Turns out the three of us were too powerful for him. But I still got a snack." Zeev smiled wickedly and picked at a tooth as if removing a piece of caught flesh. I shivered.
"How are you? He broke your leg and.. I'm so confused.." I clutched my head. "Why did he run?"
"Turns out you possess a little more power, or willpower, as my Master, than that Angel expected. He had me. But you Claimed me and managed to Call me back. He couldn't hold me. He lost a battle of wills against you." Zeev grinned wickedly again. "He probably would have killed me otherwise." I looked at him with horror.
"Don't say that! I... " I broke down in tears.
"Hey, it's ok, everybody's fine. Of course your young friend wasn't too happy to hear your declaration, and his father was even less happy to have to remove the warding to let me in. The only way I could gain entrance was if I agreed to let them put the warding up around me-so I'm afraid I can't leave this room. They didn't want to leave you with me, but you wouldn't let me go. Hurt Joshie's feelings something fierce." Zeev smiled wickedly again. "But hey, they got something out of it-Josh kept the Angel sword."
"You're calling him Josh and not 'Mage'." I said, shocked, intoning the 'Mage' part dramatically. Zeev's wicked grin slid for a moment.
"Yeah, he's earned it. If it wasn't for him, we'd be dead." Zeev replied simply.
"How many people died in the fire?" I asked quietly. Zeev looked away and clutched me tight to his chest.
"Thirteen."
Zeev POV
Josh came into the room when Harlee had fallen back to sleep. We were in what could only be described as the 'occult room' or perhaps more accurately-the ritual room. It was carefully bare enough so that if a Demonic creature were captured, there was nothing here we could really use to our advantage. However, Josh had brought in some blankets for the sofa on which Harlee and I sat.
"Thank you Josh, again, for your help." I said softly, clutching Harlee tighter.
"Has she woken up?" He asked with concern, placing a hand on her forehead. I resisted the urge to growl.
"Briefly. She expended a lot of power today. Her body and soul need to recover." I replied.
"Oh! We have something for that! Dad uses soul magic sometimes and-I'll be right back." Josh raced from the room. I shook my head and cupped Harlee's face in my hand, running my thumb along her Mark. The shivers of electricity traced through me.
Harlee POV
"Harlee, drink this." I heard Zeev's gentle voice as a nasty smelling concoction was held under my nose.
"You first!" I griped and he chuckled.
"I brought some water to wash it down with, I know it smells foul. It has to taste the same way." Josh apologized.
"Josh! Are you ok?" My eyes flew open and I sat up, pushing Zeev's hand aside. Josh looked pleased.
"Yeah, I'm good. Why was that Angel after you guys?" Josh asked, sitting down next to me. Zeev stiffened.
"Eh, Heaven and Hell hates us for this reason and that." I shrugged. "Sounds like politics to me-stupid." Zeev chuckled slightly, but his face was set in a hard expression. Josh exchanged a look with him.
"Do you want me to call in to work for you tomorrow?" Josh asked abruptly, changing the subject.
"No-why?" I looked at him with confusion, Zeev sighed and shook his head while Josh gaped.
"Harlee-you..were almost killed.. by an Angel ..and a fire..plus you became part of some Fallen Angel Hybrid thingy and.." Josh received a kick from Zeev and yelped.
"Harlee, you don't have any work clothes." He pointed out. "And we're only staying here by the good graces of the Senior Mage, which could expire at any moment-" Zeev began patiently.
"He better not." Growled Josh, Zeev kicked him again.
"-so, I think it might be best if.. you, perhaps... quit your job for now, since we cannot return to your home safely. Demons aren't stupid, they're still after you and will trace you there. Plus these run-ins with Angels are becoming more frequent and.." Zeev saw my expression harden and winced. "..you're not going to listen to me at all are you?" He asked.
"Nope." I replied. Josh threw his hands in the air in exasperation.
"Is she always this difficult? I knew she was slow-but this is ridiculous!" Josh exclaimed
"Slow?" I turned on him with eyes narrowed. "Zeev..."
"With pleasure Mistress." He cracked his knuckles and Josh raced from the room with a yelp.