Dancing With The Devil, Witches Anonymous Step 5(8)
Looking over his shoulder, he gave me another self-satisfied smile. Behind him, my guardian angel Cephiel appeared on the sidewalk, the lapels of his wool trench coat turned up around his neck and a knit hat pulled securely over his head. He stared at the floating fragment of glass, brows crashing down, before shifting his attention to Zayfeer and then farther into the shop to me. “What in all that’s holy is going on here?”
“Hey, Ceph,” Z said. He poked another large piece of glass and the sword glowed. He lifted the glass to the opening and I heard a snapping sound as the piece locked into place. “Long time no see.”
Cephiel had gotten rid of the salt in his salt-and-pepper hair. He’d also lost a few pounds and toned up. All because of my WA nemesis, Marcia. She was president of our group, and even though Ceph was an angel impersonating a Catholic priest, she’d worked some kind of magic on him. He had it bad for her.
Totally icked me out.
Ceph closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh. “Dear God.”
“Sorry, not God. But from what I hear, the Big Guy’s not too happy with you these days.”
Cephiel’s eyes flipped opened and he muttered something under his breath before he gave me a disapproving frown. “What have you done this time, Amy?”
“Me?”
Before I could retort further, Zayfeer struck the tip of the sword into the floor and hundreds of glass fragments rose into the air in unison. With one swift flick of his wrist, they went flying in Cephiel’s direction.
Chapter Five – Strange Angel
“Stop!” I held up a hand and the flying glass came to an abrupt halt in midair.
My magic or Zayfeer’s? I checked my chest and found my magic lazily watching the show and doing her nails. I couldn’t get a beat on Z’s magic. Dark? Light? Harmless? It seemed to sail around the shop like a bird, never stopping, reminding me of my own air magic, but the flightiness made it hard to lock onto.
Cephiel’s was easier. He might have been an angel but his magic was heavy, rock-like. Maybe that’s why God had sent him to Earth. Ceph’s magic was terrestrial. He blended in well here.
Zayfeer held the sword pointed at the window opening, the fragments of glass hovering between him and Cephiel. The street behind Cephiel was dark except for the weak light coming from the lamppost on the corner.
“Put down the glass,” I told Zayfeer. I wasn’t a big fan of Ceph’s, and had, once or twice, plotted his demise, but there was no way I was letting a strange angel who’d been in purgatory shred him to pieces in front of my shop.
An awkward silence ensued, Z and Ceph staring daggers at each other in a Mexican standoff. Behind me, the smoke column gurgled and burped and I cut my eyes between that and the warring angels, expecting a new set of demons to rise from the pit at any moment. Mikayla watched, too, fear rolling off her and her magic boogying along with it.
As I watched, Zayfeer’s sword hand twitched.
“Get down!” I yelled.
But the glass shards suspended in air didn’t hurtle themselves at Cephiel. Instead, one by one, they reformed the window, skittering over one another until they found their place in the puzzle and locked in. The last splinter, a piece so small it would have fit on the end of my pinkie, darted over the rest until it located its original home. Once there, it wiggled into place and the whole window hummed. A sigh of relief?
My old window was back, good as new, and Cephiel was now cut off from us.
His lips formed a tight, straight line as he glared at Zayfeer. The ill-wind angel chuckled and said, “Man, you sure got screwed with him for your guardian angel.”
“Tell me about it.” I made my way over to the door and started to unlock the deadbolt.
“Wait.” Z held up his free hand. On his palm was a sigil that looked vaguely familiar. I stared, but couldn’t figure it out. “He’s going to send me back to purgatory.”
“And?”
“You said you’d keep me around if I helped with the demon problem.”
“I changed my mind.”
He scooted close, eyes pleading. “Let’s make you a deal, broker. You stop Cephiel from sending me back and I’ll do something for you.”
The guardian angel in question stood on the other side of the door. “Let me in, Amy.”
No doubt purgatory really was the best place for Zayfeer, and I was going to need a guide, so one way or another, he was going back. But curiosity toyed with me. “What will you do for me?”
“The Mark.” He nodded at my forehead. “I can get rid of it.”
He had my full attention. “How?”
He sheathed the sword, gave me that annoying grin. “Magic, of course.”