In the rear parking lot of Cassie's magic shop, Angel stood beside the damaged Prius, shaking his head slowly while running his hand over the dented driver's side door. Although he had come close to dying, he was genuinely impressed by the power Rygen had put into his attack.
He had to admit he appreciated the demon's strength, realizing that if Charlie ever allowed herself to fully unleash her potential, she could likely do as much, if not more, damage.
At the back, he lifted the tailgate and looked over the mess. As expected, all the perishables had to be thrown out, but everything else seemed to be in good shape. He organized the bags of food and moved them aside, then focused his attention on the weapons and ammunition he had bought.
Sorting through the box where he'd placed his purchases, Angel picked up the second gun he had chosen—a Smith & Wesson M&P 5.7—and hefted it to feel its weight in his palm. Opening a box of blue-tipped bullets, he inserted the first one into the magazine and then used the black plastic loader to quickly add the rest. He slapped the magazine into the gun before slipping it under his waistband.
The metal felt cold against his back as he gathered the remaining items he could salvage into a box and set it on the ground before securing the trunk. Hearing the rhythmic clash of staves drifting down from above, he looked up at the roof, imagining the ladies sparring. A smile crossed his lips. He grabbed the box, headed for the back door, propped it on his knee, twisted the handle, and slipped inside.
As he shut the door, he saw Amanda stumble out of the shop, looking pale.
"Amanda!?" Angel dropped the box and ran to her. "What's wrong?"
"Angel! Oh, my God! It's horrible!" Trembling, she fell into his outstretched arms. "The shop," she stammered, "it's… destroyed!"
His gaze drifted past her to the partially open and damaged door. He carefully moved her aside, stepped toward the door, and pushed it open. He stopped suddenly, staring at his sister's shop. Even though everything was charred, there was no lingering smell of traditional smoke.
"Shit!" Angel looked at Amanda. "This looks just like what Charlie described happened to the girl in the warehouse." He started to turn toward the staircase.
"Where are you going?" she asked, grabbing his arm.
"Charlie and Cassie on the roof. They need to see this."
"Angel." She pointed and whispered, "There's blood by the counter."
Davis!
If there was a chance he was alive, he needed to check on him first. With a nod, he took her hand off his arm, pulled his gun from his waistband, and cautiously stepped into the shop, moving slowly toward the counter..
He stopped abruptly at what he saw, cringed, and closed his eyes, sorrow flooding over him. After a moment, he looked at the young man's body and took a shaky breath. Kneeling next to Davis, Angel quickly evaluated the damage and knew exactly what caused it.
A demon.
"Did you see anyone?" He looked up at Amanda, who was hugging herself and visibly stunned. He understood her fear. She'd just met Charlie, and now this.
"When I was pulling up, I saw a tall man exit the shop, but I didn't think anything of it. I was gathering my stuff together and not paying attention. But I should have." She scoffed angrily. "It's my job to be observant, especially now."
"It's okay," he assured her. "Customers come and go all the time. Can't expect to sus them all, but…" Angel rose and swiftly approached the front door.
"But…" she finished, "they could be out there watching!"
"I'll take that chance."
He gripped the door handle and yanked, but it didn't move. Noticing it was locked, he turned the latch, opened the door, and looked outside. The familiar sounds of French Quarter foot traffic drifted in—tourists chatting, distant music, car engines. He quickly looked left and right, taking in the people on the sidewalks and streets. He scanned down the street in both directions, saw a few empty parking spots, but everything else seemed normal.
Quickly assessing the situation, including Cassie and Charlie's warnings about hellhounds, he closed his eyes and hoped he was mistaken. After taking a deep breath and slowly letting the air out through his pursed lips, he reentered the shop, locked the door again, and paused.
"Did you see anyone?"
Angel slowly turned, switching off the safety on his gun, and then raised the weapon to point directly at her.
Her eyes widened in shock. "Angel!?"
His voice was low and challenging. "Who are you?"
She shook her head incredulously. "Jesus Christ, Angel, what the fuck are you doing? It's me! Amanda!"
He didn't think so. And he wasn't sure if taking on a human form also meant acquiring all of the victim's memories, but he had to find out.
Licking his lips, Angel furrowed his brow. "Tell me, Amanda—" He tinted her name with sarcasm. "Why did I come to see my sister? You know the reason."
"You missed her, of course, and needed her help with Charlie." She quickly responded, dumping her words over each other.
"Go on." His finger eased off the trigger—was he wrong? Was this really Amanda? God, he hoped so. "I also needed a break because of the…?" He tried prompting her.
She hesitated a bit longer than he expected, as if she were looking for the answer; then she spread her hands and shook her head. "Angel, we don't have time for this. Something killed this man. Something that could still be here."
Dammit!
He had told her about the murder-suicide. She was very sympathetic, and there's no way she had forgotten. Whatever this thing was, it had guessed right with his first question, or it could only perceive feelings rather than clear memories.
"Oh, it's still here, alright." He glowered, directing the gun back at her. "I'd told Amanda exactly why I came here, and you don't know!"
"Angel!" she pleaded, "This isn't funny. Put the gun down!"
In response, he fired.
The gunshot rang out, echoing off the shop's walls, the bullet striking the floor between Amanda's feet. It was both a warning, and he hoped that Charlie would hear the shot.
Amanda jumped but remained in place, her eyes now filled with rage. "Are you fucking crazy?"
He drew the gun back up, directing it at her chest. "Last chance…demon."
Lowering her head, Amanda's shoulders started to shake as if she were crying, but the sound that came out wasn't a cry; it was hollow, low, demonic laughter.
Angel tensed sharply as 'Amanda' straightened up and smirked darkly. "I gotta know, meat. How did you figure me out so quickly?"
A shudder ran down his spine, and he swallowed audibly. "Rygen?"
Her features dissolved, and the demon beast that nearly killed him the night before appeared before him. A low chuckle responded to his question.
"Charlie killed you!" Come on, Charlie, where are you?
"Almost," his smile thinned at the memory, "but not quite."
"How?" His hands trembled; his PTSD was beginning to intensify as he realized that somehow Charlie hadn't heard the shot and wasn't coming.
"Maybe if you tell me how you figured me out so fast, I'll regale the tale of my survival. I really want to know." The demon's features twisted in genuine curiosity.
"The side door bolt is busted; the frame's bent outward. You were in a hurry." Angel knew that explaining his deductive reasoning would help steady his thoughts and buy him time.
Rygen glanced at the door, "Well, shit. What else?"
"The front door was locked. So, the killer entered through the front and left through the side. But the only person I saw coming from the side was 'Amanda'—who claimed she drove here. Yet, when I checked outside, I didn't see her car."
"I'm legitimately impressed." He whistled appreciatively. "But even with the clues…?"
Angel latched onto the confusion in his voice. Keep it talking! "I'd just learned this morning that hellhounds can change into a human form and even imitate those they've killed."
With a nod of respect, Rygen shifted into his human form, adopting the elegant gentleman's demeanor he'd assumed upon his summoning, and gave Angel a slight bow. "Bravo, Angel, bravo! I have never had the pleasure of facing prey with such skill and intelligence." Straightening his posture, he responded to Angel's explanation in kind. "As for my miraculous survival, you may thank Samedi for that. He summoned me back just as your princess speared me. Just a few seconds later, she would have succeeded in killing me."
"A pity." Angel glowered. "It seems I have a lot to owe Samedi."
"Too bad you'll never collect." The demon huffed, then scratched his chin. "Another thing that confuses me: how the fuck are you healed? I had you dead to rights last night. You should at least be near death. How?"
"Magic runs strong in my family." Angel offered a vague answer, unwilling to give away Charlie's powers. "Stronger than you, anyway. Now, where's Amanda?"
Ignoring the jab, Rygen was forced to obey Samedi's order to lie about her death so that Angel would submit to their demands. "We have her, and if you don't do as I say, she'll be my next meal." To emphasize his point, he directly looked at the young man's body. "And I'm very, very hungry."
Angel looked up towards the ceiling. Why didn't you hear the shot, Charlie?
Twitching his lips, Rygen speculated about Angel's thoughts. "She didn't hear the shot because the shop is inside a silence spell, which quells all sound from the outside world. It's how I was able to—how shall I say—conduct my business with the young man here."
"You fucking asshole!" Angel raised the gun to aim at his face.
The demon just laughed. "Kill me, and Samedi slits the FBI bitch's throat."
Remembering Charlie's description of the teenage girl in the warehouse, he had no doubt that Samedi would be more than willing to do exactly that. Still, it took all his self-control not to squeeze the trigger. He muttered as he lowered his gun to point at the floor. "What is it you want?"
"Oh, it's not what I want. It's what Bible wants. You!"
Bible!
Angel's muscles tensed. "And what the fuck does he want me for? You could just kill me, here and now." As he spoke, his eyes darted around the room to see if there was anything he could use to escape. Unfortunately, Rygen had been thorough.
"I don't know, and I don't care." The demon shrugged and saw his eyes appraising the store. "I wouldn't try anything. Try to kill me, and Amanda dies. Try to run, and I'll kill you before your demon bitch can reach you. You have no choice."
It tore at his soul, but the demon was right. It had the upper hand on all counts, and Angel was out of options.
Flipping the safety on, he dropped his gun and his only hope and kicked them both away.
With long, thin fingers, the hellhound smirked and motioned for Angel to come closer.
Lips pursed and eyes cold, Angel obliged and stepped forward, careful not to disturb Davis's body.
Rygen opened the satchel he had been carrying and pulled out a vial of black liquid.
"What is that?" Angel felt a chill seep into his voice.
"Oh, do not fear. This will simply mask your scent and put you into a walking trance, making it impossible for you to scream or call out for your beloved princess. It won't harm you, I promise. You're to be kept in one piece. But, in your trance, you'll follow me out of the shop to meet up with Samedi, who is waiting down the street for us."
Popping the stopper off, he handed it to Angel.
He hesitated. "As if I believe you'd keep any promise."
The beast's smile faded, and his voice turned cold. "Take it, meat, and drink it, or I'll call my master, and your agent bitch dies."
With a stuttered breath, Angel grabbed the vial, quickly drank the black liquid, and almost gagged. The bitter taste burned, and the thick liquid coated his throat like tar. The spell took effect almost instantly, and his eyes glazed over, turning pitch-black, while his expression became silent.
Lifting his hand, Rygen transformed it into his massive claw and roughly poked Angel's cheek, drawing blood. When he didn't flinch, yelp, or react in any way, the demon grunted in satisfaction. Reverting his claw back, he reached into his satchel again and pulled out a burner phone. He placed it on the counter and slid a small note underneath it.
Motioning with his finger again, he called for Angel to walk with him. "Follow me, meat."
He stepped past Angel, who smoothly turned and matched his pace to the front door. Flipping the lock, Rygen paused to shake his head and scold himself for almost ruining the entire plan with such a minor mistake.
Opening the door, he ushered Angel outside, pointed down the sidewalk, and quietly instructed him to walk slowly. Then he turned and closed the door, secretly using the same spell to lock it again. Hearing the inner latch click, he tested the door once. He didn't want a tourist wandering in and seeing the shop's condition before they made their escape.
Matching pace with Angel, who walked steadily but showed no hint of emotion, he guided him toward the alley beside the shop. As they moved, an unmarked ambulance appeared down the street, reached the same alley, and turned into it. Stopping just a few feet into the shadows, the passenger door opened, and Samedi stepped out.
As Rygen guided Angel up to him, the Vodou priest's expression mirrored the hellhound's earlier one at discovering Angel healthy, "Explain!" Samedi demanded harshly.
"I can not," Rygen glowered. "When I finished destroying the shop, I moved to complete your plan when I sensed him here in the alley. I am as shocked as you are that he is healed. However, it was fortunate for us that I was able to lure him into the shop where the spell was still active."
Studying the motionless man staring off into space, the Vodou priest scoffed, "It seems the witch may be more powerful than I thought. You left her place in ruins as instructed."
"As if I could disobey you," the growl in the transformed man's throat was anything but human, "it has been completely destroyed."
"And you left the phone where the Collins girl could see it?"
"I did," Rygen confirmed.
"Excellent. By the time they find it and realize what's happened, we'll be safely out of reach." Samedi explained. "Once she makes the call to Bible to set up the trade, all will be set in motion."
"We won't actually be trading, right?" He eyed Angel hungrily.
Ignoring the question, Samedi walked to the back of the ambulance. Opening the doors, it revealed the inside had been stripped down, leaving two seats mounted to the wall, a stretcher, and a cart with medical supplies. He ushered Rygen and Angel inside.
As they got in, he answered, "Of course not. But don't get any ideas yet, pet. Bible wants to see Angel in person."
"Sit!" Rygen pointed to the stretcher.
Angel complied without a word.
Then, the demon pushed him down and began to strap him in. As he worked, he side-eyed Samedi, his curiosity stronger than he liked. "Why?"
"Let's just say it's a reunion long overdue."
"Pity." The demon frowned. Securing the last strap, he drew his brown human fingers along Angel's arm. "I owe this human some payback."
"Patience." Samedi sat down in one of the two seats. "I said Bible wanted to see Angel. He didn't say he was going to let him live." He then opened the small window between the compartment and the cab, addressing the driver up front, "Drive."
As the ambulance began to move, Rygen leaned in to whisper in Angel's ear. "Did you hear that, meat? Soon we'll have the princess, and once we do, your flesh will be mine to savor." He traced his human tongue along Angel's cheek, tasting the blood and fear on the human's skin, then sat down in the other seat and laughed.
Samedi, feeling relaxed that the plan had worked flawlessly, joined in. Their laughter filled the confined space, echoing off the metal walls like the cackle of carrion birds over a fresh kill.
Neither saw the single tear that traced a path down Angel's left cheek.