Guardians for as far back as anybody can trace. That’s how it works, the Guardian gene. It always goes from father to son, or mother to daughter. I tell you, I was proud—dang proud—to take that mark. My partner, Andre, and I were part of a group of Guardians responsible for keeping the witches and sorcerers in New Orleans in check. Sometimes, they get a little out of hand with their rituals and forget about the rules. That’s when we’d step in and remind them. If they didn’t submit, we’d dispatch their asses.”
Addison frowned. “Wait, I thought only demons could be dispatched to Hell.”
“Anyone who is possessed by a demon can also be dispatched,” Jack told her. “Witches and sorcerers sell their souls for their power, which places the mark of whichever demon they sell to on them. They can be dispatched by our weapons the same way a demon can. No one wants that, though … being dispatched sends them to Hell way faster than they’d like. Doesn’t matter, though; that fate can’t be avoided forever.”
Elizabeth nodded in agreement. “You bet your ass it can’t. Anyway, I was living in the Easy then, in a little apartment off the French quarter. It was fun for us, you know? We never took it seriously, at least not at first. Anyway, I was out walking one day and almost got run down by one of those mule-drawn carriages the tourists take. This tall, dark Creole snatched me out of the way just in time and I was smitten like a schoolgirl. Oh, he was real slick. Smooth and charming as they come. For someone who was supposed to have an instinct about things in the spirit world, I completely missed the signs. He had me wrapped around his finger in no time.”
“Did he compel you against your will?” Jack asked, his dark brow creased.
Was that pity?
She snorted in response. “I’m sure it would ease your mind to think it did, but sorry to say that wasn’t the case. I gave it up easier than a drunk sorority girl, and I was more than willing. Fancied myself in love with him … what an idiot. The morning after, I woke up to find Elle sitting on the edge of my bed. It wasn’t usual for an angel to concern themselves with my love life, so I knew I’d messed up.”
“They wouldn’t have punished you for making a mistake,” Jack reasoned, leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees.
“No, and they didn’t. Elle told me the truth—that the man I thought I was head over heels for was a demon. Not just any demon, either, but the goddamn Great Duke of Hell. She told me I would have a child, a Naphil, and protecting her would become my new guardianship. Elle said he would try to come for her someday and that I needed to be ready. Well, me being so young and dumb and all … I decided that I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t raise a child I’d made with a demon, let alone protect it for the rest of my life. Other Guardians got the hard jobs, but that wasn’t what I’d signed on for. I wanted to abort, but Elle told me that I couldn’t. She told me you were important, that from the moment of your conception, a plan had been made for your life. Well, you can’t exactly argue with an angel.”
Addison toyed with the frayed edges of the borrowed shorts she wore. “I always knew you never wanted me,” she whispered.
“It was hard to feel any maternal instinct, I’ll admit that,” Elizabeth replied. “You have to understand, your father just wouldn’t let matters lie. He tormented me from the moment I discovered I was pregnant until the day you were born.”
“Torment? How?” Jack asked.
“Visions, whisperings, temptation. You name it. Addison created a thread between us, if you want to think of it that way. He used it to torture me day in and day out. His voice was always in my mind, telling me how Addison would be his someday, and sit at his right hand in Hell. He told me that I was nothing … just a vessel he’d used to create his own personal army of Naphils. I was just one of
Addison frowned. “Wait, I thought only demons could be dispatched to Hell.”
“Anyone who is possessed by a demon can also be dispatched,” Jack told her. “Witches and sorcerers sell their souls for their power, which places the mark of whichever demon they sell to on them. They can be dispatched by our weapons the same way a demon can. No one wants that, though … being dispatched sends them to Hell way faster than they’d like. Doesn’t matter, though; that fate can’t be avoided forever.”
Elizabeth nodded in agreement. “You bet your ass it can’t. Anyway, I was living in the Easy then, in a little apartment off the French quarter. It was fun for us, you know? We never took it seriously, at least not at first. Anyway, I was out walking one day and almost got run down by one of those mule-drawn carriages the tourists take. This tall, dark Creole snatched me out of the way just in time and I was smitten like a schoolgirl. Oh, he was real slick. Smooth and charming as they come. For someone who was supposed to have an instinct about things in the spirit world, I completely missed the signs. He had me wrapped around his finger in no time.”
“Did he compel you against your will?” Jack asked, his dark brow creased.
Was that pity?
She snorted in response. “I’m sure it would ease your mind to think it did, but sorry to say that wasn’t the case. I gave it up easier than a drunk sorority girl, and I was more than willing. Fancied myself in love with him … what an idiot. The morning after, I woke up to find Elle sitting on the edge of my bed. It wasn’t usual for an angel to concern themselves with my love life, so I knew I’d messed up.”
“They wouldn’t have punished you for making a mistake,” Jack reasoned, leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees.
“No, and they didn’t. Elle told me the truth—that the man I thought I was head over heels for was a demon. Not just any demon, either, but the goddamn Great Duke of Hell. She told me I would have a child, a Naphil, and protecting her would become my new guardianship. Elle said he would try to come for her someday and that I needed to be ready. Well, me being so young and dumb and all … I decided that I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t raise a child I’d made with a demon, let alone protect it for the rest of my life. Other Guardians got the hard jobs, but that wasn’t what I’d signed on for. I wanted to abort, but Elle told me that I couldn’t. She told me you were important, that from the moment of your conception, a plan had been made for your life. Well, you can’t exactly argue with an angel.”
Addison toyed with the frayed edges of the borrowed shorts she wore. “I always knew you never wanted me,” she whispered.
“It was hard to feel any maternal instinct, I’ll admit that,” Elizabeth replied. “You have to understand, your father just wouldn’t let matters lie. He tormented me from the moment I discovered I was pregnant until the day you were born.”
“Torment? How?” Jack asked.
“Visions, whisperings, temptation. You name it. Addison created a thread between us, if you want to think of it that way. He used it to torture me day in and day out. His voice was always in my mind, telling me how Addison would be his someday, and sit at his right hand in Hell. He told me that I was nothing … just a vessel he’d used to create his own personal army of Naphils. I was just one of
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