Saving Grace

Chapter 1

Part I. Angel

Chapter 1

This is how an Angel works the streets for money.

"Work on your patience, work on your patience," Grace chanted, clutching her lightpistol tighter with every word, her back pressed firmly against the dumpster.

Oh, she couldn't do this! Couldn't just wait around until the Negri were done with the homeless man, even if there was no way of stopping the demon shadows from crawling inside and taking him over.

A wave of darkness flooded the alley. Grace holstered her lightpistol and sprung from behind the dumpster toward the fallen body. A howl filled the air.

Crap, crap, crap! She skidded to a halt next to the twitching man. Shadows retreated inside him like dark water, filling his gaping, toothless mouth, his bulging eyes, his ears and nose.

Grace dropped to her knees, grabbed his shoulders and shook as if that would throw the Negri out. This is stupid. But she had to do something.

She focused on the man's eyes - now nothing but two black holes - and tried to draw the darkness out by sheer willpower. A movement at the corner of her eye broke her concentration. The excess Negri had crawled away and now swirled on the red brick wall, creeping toward her.

Damn! Damn this to hell.

An itch spread from the back of her right hand, down to her inner wrist. Sinking her teeth into her lower lip, Grace turned her right hand over. A patch of her flawless white skin had turned red as if she'd been scratching it. Why was she so bad at restraining herself?

The demonic shadows drew closer and another howl cut through the night. She had no time for this! Tiny red dots erupted on her hand, like needle pricks, and the itch intensified. Failure to repent for my mistakes? Ah, come on!

She pressed her earpiece. "Nate, can you hear me?"

"For the millionth time, Grace, it's Nathaniel." His voice sounded strained, accompanied by sword clinking.

Is this guy for real? In the middle of a battle, and he still has time to lecture her about saying his name right? She fought the impulse to say 'yeah, whatever'. "The guy's already taken over. And Negri are waltzing around."

"You mean the homeless guy?" A cry of pain came from Nate's side. When he spoke again, his voice was much calmer which meant the fight was probably over. "That's a pity. Come back."

"Isn't there anything we could do for him? And if he's done, why are Negri still here?"

The demonic shadows had come even closer - close enough to attack. But they couldn't until they turned into what they really were - Demon projections, evil, defects, monsters, taking refuge inside human hearts, turning them into despicable creatures.

Nate paused for a moment. "Are you sure there's no one else around?"

Grace closed her eyes and urged her senses to explore the surrounding area. A sliver of cold snuck through her as she picked up on the Negri. She accepted their presence, went beyond it, and shuddered at the ice the human and approaching hellhounds sent through her veins. The human had no feeling, thought or wish to accompany his fading body heat. Beyond him, she only sensed Nate's powerful aura. Like a silver explosion of energy, it sent shivers down her spine, warming her entire body, and her knees weakened. Her head swam with the sunny days it promised. No, focus!

"No other humans are even close."

"I don't know what's going on, then, and no, there's nothing you can do for that guy." Nate sounded pissed. Someone in the background, probably Azriel, was saying something to him. "There's no point hanging out there," Nate said. "Destroy the Negri and come to me."