The Devil's Angel (The Devil's Assistant Series Book 4)

Chapter One

"That's not fair Lucius."

I met his eyes boldly for the first time in weeks and did not flinch away.

"Why? It's the truth." He responded blandly, his eyes stared back just as intensely offering me the cold hard truth within that single glance.  "It's been over four weeks since you last stepped out of this house. Before you argue with me, opening the door to get the milk does not count as leaving the house. You are turning into a person I don't even recognise and right now I need you here with me. I. NEED. YOU."

If I wasn't already sitting down I probably would have stumbled backwards at the emotion behind his words. Instead I just sank further into the cushions. It was too much. It was all too much.

Lucius shook his head and turned towards the neglected TV on the wall. He pointed the remote and the screen sprang to life. He flicked through the channels and then stopped it on BBC News.

The presenter chattered away and I glanced up at Lucius with a frown. There was nothing important about this - what was so important about a bloody football foul? Sure biting your teammate was a bit barbaric but it was hardly a major concern in the light of all we had been through.

The man before me rolled his eyes.

"Just keep watching."

The TV flickered then and I drew in a sharp breath. There was my face. Those were my wings. That was me and I looked so - not like me. It was as if someone had turned me into some comic book hero, wings spread out behind me in a beautiful array of feathers as I leapt through the air, my eyes intense as they stared off some evil foe. I looked powerful and strong. I looked deadly.

With a blink, I took the remote from Lucius' hand and turned up the volume on the TV. I didn't want to know and yet I had to know.

"And in the studio with us today we have Deputy Prime Minister Victor Lyle." The severe looking red head appeared on the screen once more. Her face was etched with sharp frown lines and her lips pinched into a hard line as she stared grimly into the camera. Even as she introduced her guest, there was the same unforgiving stare in her eyes. Either the woman was severely grumpy or she really disliked her guest. "Welcome Victor. Now, I understand that you have become one of the leading voices in the bid to bring about the registration bill - a bill that is gaining momentum every day."

"Yes I am," Victor smiled at the host, his manicured fingers straightening his tie.

A shudder of disgust ran down my spine. He practically oozed charm in his three piece suit, every part of his polished and buffered to shiny perfection. He oozed so much of it that the git just came across as slimy. He had to be no more than mid thirties, with very few lines around his eyes and mouth but there was nothing appealing about the man.

"I heard about the movement from my local citizens and I listened." His blue eyes twinkled into the camera in a way that should have been charming but instead it had me grinding my teeth together. "We must do what we can to understand the new world that has opened up to us. To think that we have been living our lives without ever knowing what has been lurking just out of sight. It is enough to keep you up at night."

I snorted and shook my head.

"But don't you think that this is impinging upon the simple human rights? We don't ask different races to identify themselves or for people to identify themselves based upon sexual preferences." The talk show host leveled her darkening gaze on the self-righteous man sitting before her and made little attempt to hide her glare.

Victor clapped his hands together, leaning towards the camera conspiratorially. The movement caused a piece of his slicked back blonde hair to flop out of place. The man was undeterred.

"And in that statement lays our problem. How do we apply our rules and morals on beings that are not human?"

He waved his hand at my picture which was still on the screen behind him.

"They are not human so how can we expect them to act like human beings?" Victor lifted his eyes to the hostess and offered her a condescending smile. "How do we know what is truth and what is fiction when no one has stepped forward to speak to us? You speak as a person of fact, you are a newsreader. Tell me why they haven't shown their faces and why they hide among the shadows. It's because they know that they have something to hide. "

The news reader opened and closed her mouth a few times before looking directly at the camera.

"Thank you Mr Lyle. Let's take a look now at some of the footage that started off this debate."

Screams and panicked voices filled the air so I pressed the button and the screen went black. The nightmares were already bad enough without watching the bloodshed happen all over again. The sounds were already ringing in my ears and I would be hearing them for a long time to come.

Lucius resumed his pacing in front of me, his fingers tugging at his hair.

"That's just the start of it. Mr Victor Lyle is an odious man who had already secured himself a one way ticket to hell. But he's just the political face." Lucius ran his hand down his face. Weariness etched upon his features and sighed. "I think there is more to this registration movement but I can't get close enough to find out. Whether you like it or not Savannah, you are the figurehead the supernatural needs."

I stared up at the black screen even as my heart pounded in my chest. Already I felt my stomach turning over at the mere thought of what was to come but I pushed It back. Somewhere within me I found the strength that I needed.

"I'll do it." The first time I spoke the words were no more than a whisper but Lucius must have heard. His head whipped around and his eyes bored into the side of my face. Lifted my gaze and met his offered a wobbly smile. "I'll do it. I'll be what you need."