Guarding Grace

Chapter Fifteen

Grace turned around to find the largest black cat she had ever seen sitting beside Andora, she gasped. The cat was giving a large toothy grin, a deep voiced growled into her mind. "Angus." Grace found herself nodding, unable to use her voice. The cat reminded her of the pictures of exotic wild cats she had seen in the book in her grandmother's home: PantheraPardus. Black Panther. Her grandmother had called it.

Angus, the black panther, stalked towards Ryder who was still hiding his face in Hunter's shoulder. He butted his head against Ryder's knee, the deep growl again in her mind, "You are safe. But we need to hurry. Faceless Demons do not live alone. There will be a pack coming soon." She watched as Ryder nodded and reached out for Angus; who rubbed his head against Ryder's hand.

Ryder's shoulders relaxed and he pulled away from Hunter, following Angus as he walked towards the back of the room. A low light emanated from both cats illuminating the room around them as they walked. Grace swallowed as she watched a thick black liquid drip from the ceiling onto sharp rocks that jutted from the ground. "Where are we? We can't still be in the building." Her voice sounded small to her ears. Andora's tail flicked back and forth as she walked beside Regan. Regan turned his head slightly in Grace's direction.

"This is one of many bridges that connect the Shadow World to our World." He turned back to the front. Grace chewed on the inside of her cheek as she thought; Regan seemed to know so much. She jogged to catch up to Regan, "You learned all of this by being Dark Annie's assistant?" She stumbled slightly over a small rock, Regan reached out and steadied her. They walked on together- Regan's hand never leaving the small of her back.

He chuckled, "Dark Annie knows a lot but no where near what I do. I was considered a Dark Prince before being sentenced. I grew up in The Shadows." Grace nodded, not fully understanding what a Dark Prince was. She decided that asking any further questions would only confuse her. She snuck a peak ahead at Ryder and Hunter who walked on either side of Angus, she wanted to know what they were saying. She thought if she could just use her mind to reach out; "Don't even think about it." Andora's voice sounded in her mind. "It is not a conversation for you to hear."

Grace started and looked down in shame as Andora pushed her way in between Regan and her.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

They walked in silence, but it wasn't long until Grace could handle it no longer. "Regan, what is a Dark Prince?" She kept her gaze downcast, waiting to be admonished by either Regan or Andora. But no admonishing came, she peaked up at Regan who was staring straight ahead. He sighed and look over at her, "A Dark Prince is the son of a woman who sold her body to a demon in exchange for something. In my dame's case it was eternal beauty, the idiot." He had spat out the last word.

Grace scrunched up her face at the idea of selling her body or anyone selling their body to a demon. No matter what they were receiving. Confusion seemed to be etched on her face as Regan continued, "A child who is born from the union of a demon and a mortal is a Dark Prince- or if the child is a girl, a Dark Princess. Rare to see a grown one, most don't live past a week. But I made it to adulthood, no thanks to that vain woman that birthed me."

Grace again nodded, "So, it's the opposite of Nephilim?" Regan let out a bark of a laugh, "It is a Nephilim. A Nephilim is any half human half divine. Even though my 'father'" he made air quotes 'is a demon, he is still divine. Divinity is just immortality of either Heaven or Hell."

Grace found herself unable to really follow along with Regan's explanation, but she agreed anyway. "I understand." He laughed, "No you don't. But eventually you will," he grinned and winked at her.

Soon they came to a doorway, "Is this the exit?" Ryder asked, looking around the doorway. Angus's growling voice came, startling Grace as it always did, "This will take us where we need to go." Hunter started forward, "Well let's get going then, huh? Don't want to stay on the bridge forever."

The rest of them followed Hunter through the doorway and into a darkened room, the light from the two cats did not seem to penetrate the darkness in this room. Andora began purring and she came alongside Angus, "We will leave you four here, you're guide will be here soon. Stay close to each other. It won't do well to have you separated." Grace felt the two cats rub against her legs as they walked by- back through the doorway and to the bridge.