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Nineteen
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2025-01-07 17:00:38Serenity was a bundle of nerves.
It’d been an hour since Noah had texted Thorne. An hour of sitting, waiting. “Jeez, where is he?”
“Thorne doesn’t like using public transport. He’d be walking.”
“From where? London?”
Noah snorted and stubbed out his cigarette, coming back inside. “He would have been looking for a new factory, and possibly a new apartment. This one’s been compromised.”
“Uh, duh.”
Noah ignored her and walked to the kitchen, opening the cupboard to make more coffee. “Plus, we need to find somewhere with a never-ending supply of coffee.”
“Or you could not drink it all.” Serenity smirked and Noah turned back to her, flipping her off. “Well, I wish he’d hurry up.”
“Getting nervous?”
“Sort of. I mean-well…”
Noah chuckled and pulled his phone out of hi
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“So, the angels are down one Manipulator.” Noah was shuffling through the papers in front of him, while Thorne stood near the window, forever looking out it to the city beyond.While he watched the city, she watched him.Brooding.Serenity thought Noah had been bad. Thorne was worse. While he physically didn’t speak, even when he answered in sign language, something was dark about him.“Are you listening to me?”Serenity looked at Noah and nodded, before shaking her head. “Sort of.”“For fuck’s sake.” Noah looked at Thorne. “Did you notice anything on your way back?”Thorne turned and shrugged, his hands lifting. “It’s eerie out there. I haven’t seen an angel for over six hours. Before…” Thorne looked at Serenity. “Her… there were at least a dozen in the district.”“Fuck. The
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Thorne spun on his heel in seconds, his eyes wide and Noah spat out a spray of his drink and stared at her. “What?”“I mean, it’s okay if you are. I don’t mind. In this day and age, two guys being together is nothing new and it’s kind of adorable to think two demons might be—”“Just stop.” Noah held up his hand and she looked at Thorne who was shaking his head and silently chuckling to himself. She looked at the blond again and Noah leaned forward. “Thorne and I are not together. We never have been and never will be. I happen to think all women are goddesses, should be treated as such and shown the wildest passion imaginable.”Serenity’s face heated and she lowered her gaze for a moment.“Thorne and I have known each other for over one and a half centuries. We are as close to being brothers as we can get and that is it. There is nothing romantic or sexual going on
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“If it makes you feel any better, Thorne and I don’t have parents anymore either. No demons or angels do. We’re… possessed.”“Possessed?”“Yeah.” Noah put the cap on his water and dumped it beside him, before picking himself up and going to the bookshelf again. Pulling out a different tome, he came back and sat beside her. The heat from his thigh against hers had her stomach fluttering, but she shut it down and watched as he opened the book. “The soul… no, that’s not quite the right word… uh… the essence of a demon is housed in a crystal.”Noah flipped a couple pages and showed her a picture. There was a pile of crystals heaped on the floor of a room and a body strapped to a table in the middle. He flipped over another page and showed her the picture.“One of those shards, houses a demon’s essence. It is then surgically grafted onto the
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“So now what?”Noah grimaced and Serenity’s heart flipped as he looked back to her. there was something he wasn''t telling her. He and Thorne had been keeping her safe for so long, by not telling her anything, or showing her their world... now it seemed to not be sitting well with him, having to explain things and exposing things which might put her in danger.“We know the angels are not loathed to using dirty tactics and Manipulators. So, we just keep ahead of them. I’ll have to call in some contacts, and possible a few favors, just to keep you safe, until your birthday. Then… well then the real fun starts.”“What do you mean?”Noah leaned forward, his blond hair dropping over his eyes and he stared at his hands. “We have to get you to the leaders of the Horde.”There were leaders? Well, she guessed if there were higher ranking angels, there would be higher ranking demons too.
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“No.”“There’s no other way around it, Thorne.” Noah said, pacing in front of the sofa Serenity was sitting on. Thorne was standing in the corner of the room, his blue gaze watching the blond pace.“I said no.”Serenity rolled her eyes and lifted her legs, tucking them underneath her, while the pair in front of her argued.“You know Claudette doesn’t travel and she’s the closest one who knows the ritual to bind Serenity to the Horde.” Noah was becoming frustrated, she could see it in the way he moved, the way his gaze constantly flicked back to her, then to Thorne. “We have no other way.”Serenity’s gaze shifted to Thorne. His leather funnel-coat had a sheen of water to it, his hair slicked, and she glanced at the window, noticing the drizzle of rain. He had an air of tenseness to him, as if he’d pounce at any moment.“And yo
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“Thorne got us a meeting with a witch.”Serenity put the book to the side and looked at Noah. “Claudette?”The demon winced and shook his head. “Uh, no. Not that lucky. The one he’s found is a bit raw, but she’d be able to at least hide you from the Legion until we can get you to Claudette.”“So, I have to meet a rookie?”“Yeah. You guys will be able to trade stories.” Noah chuckled and Serenity flipped him off, earning another chuckle. “No, seriously, Thorne wouldn’t have suggested the witch, if he wasn’t confident in her abilities to hide you.”“As long as she doesn’t turn me into a frog.”“Might keep the coffee safe.”“Asshole.”“Yep, get used to it, princess.”The door of the apartment opened, and Thorne walked back in, carrying food and Noah all but rushed him, wrestli
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A snorted giggle escaped her lips and Noah’s gaze snapped to hers. She licked her lips and lowered her gaze. “I’m sorry.”The silence in the room ratcheted up and Serenity lifted her gaze to the men in front of her.“So… since her?”Noah blinked. “Are you kidding? You’re seriously asking about my love life?”Heat raced across her cheeks, and she pursed her lips. “Well-I-I mean, you said you weren’t gay. But you haven’t had a girlfriend for what? Forty years? Come on, we’re going to be spending time together. I want to know a bit more about you. Sharing is caring.”There was silence again.“Well, miss nosey parker. If you really must know…” Noah sat forward, his elbows resting on his knees. “I’ve been with women since her.”Serenity’s face heated further, and she frowned at the intense gaze he was afford
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Sitting next to Noah in the taxi, Serenity’s skin prickled. The pair of demons had been quieter this morning at breakfast, but no less intense. She’d caught Noah watching her on more than one occasion and while she’d usually flipped him off; she suddenly liked the attention. Thorne had left before them, making sure the witch’s house was secure and had messaged when it was. The cab pulled up outside a small bungalow in a leafy suburb and Noah paid the driver. They climbed out and walked up the path, the door opening as they climbed the steps. Thorne stood in the doorway. “Took your time.”“Go fuck yourself.” Noah growled, pushing past him and the darker demon turned, watching him. Serenity stopped next to Thorne, and he looked down at her.“He okay?”“He hasn’t spoken since you left. The traffic was terrible, and he was silent the whole way.”&
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Noah peered at the wand and shook his head. “I can feel the taint from the angel bone, from here.”“Too bad. It’s mine.” Serenity replied, picking it up and she turned it over in her hands again. She liked the feel of it. The coolness of the bone combined with the warmth of the wood.“I just don’t like the fact it’s got angel in it. It’s like it can—”“What? Influence me? Allow the angels to find me? I doubt that’s how it works, Noah.”The door of the factory opened, and Serenity’s gaze shifted to Thorne. The demon’s gaze shifted to the wand in her hand and his eyebrows furrowed together as he signed. “Keep that shit away from me.”“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” Serenity shoved the wand under the edge of her hip and crossed her arms over her chest. “There, you can’t see it.”“I can still f
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This was it. Serenity was about to pick out the one instrument that apparently, according to Noah, would be the most important of her young life; and for some stupid reason... she was nervous as hell.“Your wand or stick or whatever you chose to write on your skin, is an extension of you. Some Skin Writers choose one for the rest of their lives, some pick and choose until they find something they like. What you choose today, may not be what you use tomorrow.”Patrick picked up the battered black leather case and placed it heavily on the table. Noah came to Serenity’s side and waited for the man to open it.“There’s a variety of tools you can use for writing.” Patrick opened the case and turned it, showing the contents. “You can use wood, or iron, or glass, or—”Serenity picked up the shiny golden stick and turned it over in her hands.“Gold…”“Is it real gold thou
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None of them had spoken for almost three hours.Noah had finally come back, after running off, his tail between his legs and he still hadn’t looked at Serenity. They were sitting on the sofas, quietly sipping at coffee. The headache which had woken her, still pounded behind her right eye, causing Serenity to feel sick.“Do we have some Advil or something?” She finally asked, rubbing her temple.Thorne climbed to his feet, going to the kitchen, and returned with pills, depositing them into her hand. She swallowed them and sat back again, her gaze finally moving to Noah.The blonde still had his head bowed, the now cold cup of coffee in between his hands.“Are we going to talk about it?”Noah’s eyes closed and he licked his lips, sending a spike of desire and a flash of memory through Serenity. He finally lifted his head and looked at her. “I don’t particularly want to.”“Tough,” She said, crossing her arms over her chest. “I want answe
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“For fuck’s sake…” Noah pushed open the stall of the toilet and looked down at the woman. The syringe hung out of her arm, her veins blackened, lifelessness to her eyes and he turned, going to the next stall. “Of all the fucking places to give birth…”He kicked open another stall and spotted the woman, her eyes blood-shot, the man crouched between her legs, as the baby let out its first bawling cry.Never in his centuries of being a demon, had Noah heard anything so raw. The power of that baby girl’s cry seeped into his bones and he slowed, crouching down next to her father. “You can’t look after her. You know that.”The man, his eyes bloodshot with whatever he’d just shot up, nodded, and held her out to him. “Take her. We don’t want her.”Noah slipped off his jacket and held it out, as her father deposited t
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Serenity gasped awake, her heart hammering, a sheen of sweat coating her and she reached for the bottle of water, downing half of it in one breath. “Holy shit…”The memories had been so intense. So real and so very painful.She could still feel the pain Thorne had been in when Archon had tortured him. Or the emotional pain Noah was in, when he had literally been begging for permission to go and get his friend.The door opened and she looked up at the demons standing in the doorway. Thorne’s hands raised. “Are you okay?”“I-I’m not sure…” she managed and took another drink from the water bottle. “I-I didn’t think they’d be so raw and intense.”Noah came to her side, sitting on the end of the bed and she pulled her knees to her chest. “And that’s only a little bit of our memories. For the little bit of blood, you consumed. Imagine more. We&rsquo
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“Take it slow, the first time back can be a killer.” The waterskin lifted to Noah’s lips, and he sipped at the cool fluid. Coughing, he laid back against the cot and looked at the man standing above him. “How long?”“Two years.”The man grimaced. “Ouch. You’ve done well to get this far, without being killed. But it was touch and go there for a few minutes. I had to get you off the battlefield before you woke up. It wouldn’t have gone down too well with the soldiers.”He turned and went to the table to the side, picking up a small plate and bought it back to him. “We’ll be safe here for a while.”Noah sat up and took the plate, suddenly ravenous and downed the cooked hare in a matter of minutes.“At least your appetite is okay. You’ll need your strength.”“For what?” Noah a
Claimed by the Horde Forty Six
Serenity could still hear sizzling flesh and the cry of pain when Noah had been branded. It had been worse for Thorne. He didn’t have the chance to call out. His grunt had hurt more than anything and she had almost turned the brand on Claudette, just to have her know what they were going through. But she knew the six-hundred and sixty-six Hunters behind her would have had something to say about her attacking their leader.With bile rising in her throat, Serenity turned to Claudette and glared at her. “There, it’s done.”She dropped the brand to the ground, the clang of metal loud in the room as she watched Noah climbing back to his feet, after sinking to his knees with pain.The brand was red raw, bleeding and she turned away, looking at Thorne. He’d already gone through so much pain, but she’d just added more. “Are you okay?”His face had paled, but he nodded. “Fine.”She tur
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“Branded? Hey, hang on a damned second.” Serenity planted her hands on her hips and Claudette turned as the hall fell deathly silent. “No-one said anything about branding or giving blood. This is sounding like more trickery and bullshit and we had enough of that with Owen.”“Owen wasn’t even a witch. He was a useless angel familiar with a good acting routine. He asked for your blood, so the Legion could have something of yours to scry with and find you easier,” Claudette offered, her tone becoming cold. “This is not like Owen at all. If you want to be tethered to the Horde, you will have to be tethered to them. If you are hurt, they will know your pain. If you die, they will die.”Serenity wanted out. She didn’t like the idea of possibly causing the death of two people she’d come to care for, because she didn’t know what she was doing, and might be killed herself.“Th
Claimed by the Horde Forty Four
“I’m not so sure about this…” Serenity’s arms itched in the linen gown she’d been dressed in. Thorne and Noah flanked her, still in their own clothing, looking comfortable, while she itched like crazy. “Why don’t you two have shitty gowns to wear?”Neither of them spoke, and Serenity huffed.“This is bullshit.”The three of them followed Claudette and the guard which had guided them earlier, back up the steps of the catacombs, through the Ministry and to a large hall. Stepping inside, she felt the pair of demons bristle at the sheer number of people in the hall.“Claudette…” Noah warned, and the woman smiled, showing brilliant white teeth.“Come Noah, surely you would remember the need of witnesses? Six-hundred and sixty-six, if I’m not mistaken?”Serenity looked around the hall.Six-hundred and sixty-six hunters… “Noah
