TALIA : ANGEL QUEEN (STORY ONE)

LEVERAGE

The warmth was natural, golden, forcing Jema's skin to glisten with perspiration as the sun assumed its first position in the new sky. With erratic gestures, she swatted into the air, grimacing when she made contact with her own arm. Suddenly, her head and torso lunged upward. Her eyes sprung open as she gasped. Now on all fours, she jerked her body around in a dusty circle. There was fraught silence as she scanned her surroundings with only the sound of a distant waterfall registering within her foggy, panic-stricken brain.

Her chest heaved as she slowly spun and squinted towards the woods. Each path seemed equally as dangerous of a chance to take. But there was a gnawing dread in her gut which refused to let her remain in her current position. She scrambled to her feet. To her left was a backpack. Quickly averting her gaze from the trees, she grabbed and tossed it over her shoulder.

Jema's trepidation rose as a subtle growl echoed off of the trees behind her and howls began to crescendo with each position change of the beaming sun. Sweat rolled down her brows, but she refused to blink as the salt stung her eyes. She couldn't decide what to do next, at least not until the whisper along the wind gave her one instruction, run.

In the distance, four glowing green eyes focused on the disoriented prey. Deep, audible breathing gave way to the excitement of watching her panic and spin like a drunken ballerina affixed to a jewelry box. Guttural chuckles ensued with each elevated level of Jema's fear and flourishing bewilderment. Keyon wiped saliva from the corners of his mouth and readied himself in a sprinting position, for soon she would seek refuge..

Jason leaned a little closer than his companion towards the clearing. He wanted to get to her first. He watched her every move so closely that the muscles she used to scurry about her circle caused his own to retract and release in unison. When she grabbed the backpack, Keyon sighed. He removed his gaze from the terrified woman in the clearing, turned his head towards Jason, then enquired with irritation.

"You gave her a damn backpack?"

Jason shrugged.

"Who the fuck are you, her den mother?"

Defending his decision without averting his attention, Jason responded. "How much fun will this be if she's helpless as a fawn? Come on, man, a true hunt needs to be a challenge. That's why we're doing this, right?"

"She's an appetizer, not a challenge. I'm not interested in stressing over lite work."

Jason replied smugly. "That's what you thought about Talia until she lit your ass up, literally."

Keyon growled.

Jason plunged his ridicule deeper. "How's your gut by the way?"

"Don't concern yourself with me. Just ask yourself why you're looking out for the enemy."

"It's a fucking backpack, Teberon. Get over it."

"I knew sending you undercover was a bad idea. Between thirty years of living with frail humans and dealing with odious ass angels, you've lost your mind and your way."

Jason defended himself. "I'm not the one who couldn't get proper intel and find out that a damn untrained angel could not only stop time, but fucking reverse it. Oh, and who found out what all of them can do, together, then nearly lost their shit. That wasn't me, so, how about you keep licking your wounds and back off the judgment."

The king grumbled as talons pierced through his smokey, eberon skin.

From the corners of his eyes, Jason observed his hunting partner's partial shift. He goaded. "You're going to have to do much better than that, brother."

As Keyon lunged towards Jason, he released his warning that reached Jema just as he and his brother made physical contact. Her head swiveled quickly, followed by her frightened eyes widening even more as she grabbed a sharp stick from the ground, then darted into the cover of the forest.