I thought they were the same person. Then I shook off the notion. Fate had looked nothing like Sophia. Fate had been far more frightening.
“It is doubtful that you can even leave Manhattan,” Leo informed me.
“What do you mean?”
“Like Leo and me, you are apparently now trapped here,” Brie said. “You are just a human, but you appear to be bound just as surely as we are.”
“The sensation of being chained was not just in your mind,” Sophia said a little more gently. “Once you set foot on this island, you became barred from leaving.”
“Why? What’s keeping us here?”
“The demons erected a barrier seventeen years ago that prevents any celestial being from leaving. It also forces them to remain in their vessels, unless they are forcibly expelled. The only flaw in their plan is that they are also bound by the spell.” From the way she was talking, she wasn’t included in the trap. Without her grace, she was just a glorified human now.
The timing of when the barrier had been created didn’t escape me. It had been erected around the time of my birth. “If this trap is only for angels and demons, then why have I been caught up in it?”
“For the same reason the demon’s weapon glowed when you used it,” she replied. “Although you appear to be an ordinary mortal, there must be something supernatural about you.”
“Maybe my father was a warlock,” I muttered.
“You do not know who your father is?” Brie asked with a raised brow.
“No,” I replied coldly. I didn’t appreciate her unspoken judgement of my mother. “My Mom never told me who he was.”
“I am sure she had her reasons for keeping her silence,” Sophia said and sent a warning look at Brie. I had the distinct impression that the teen didn’t like me. That was nothing new and it was something I was long used to. Until Zach had come into my life, my mom had been my only friend. Even in my head, that sounded pathetic and I wasn’t about to say it out loud.
“If I can’t leave Manhattan, how am I going to hide from the demons? Where am I going to stay? The money I stole from Bob when I thought he was dead isn’t going to last for much longer.”
“You looted the vessel of a wounded demon?” Leo asked. He was apparently impressed by my courage.
“I didn’t know he was a demon at the time,” I reminded him.
“You can stay with us,” Sophia offered. “I have a spare bedroom upstairs.”
“We need to prepare a spell to keep her hidden from our enemies,” Brie said as if the matter had been decided. “Leo and I will search for the ingredients.”
Sophia nodded and they all stood. She gestured for me to follow her. “I will show you to your room.”
“You should show her the bathroom as well,” Leo suggested slyly. “I am sure she would like to take a shower.”
I stuck my tongue out at him, which made him grin. Brie sniffed to show her disdain for our childish behavior. Rolling my eyes at her, I picked up my backpack and followed Sophia through the doorway into a kitchen. It was clean and modern, with stainless steel appliances. The walls were white and matching tiles covered the floor. Most of the appliances looked as if they were seldom used.
A door at the far end of the room had an exit sign over it and probably led to an alley. Sophia turned to a doorway to our left. It led to a short hallway with a set of stairs to the left and a door to the right. We headed upstairs to the second floor.
A hallway bisected the upper floor. A living area nearly the same size as the main room below was to the right with a linen closet and bathroom at the far end. Two small bedrooms were to the left. Since I was the only one who actually required sleep, the two beds were more than adequate.
“You can use this room,” Sophia said and pointed at the second bedroom. It had a single bed, a narrow closet, a chest of drawers and was otherwise empty. The walls were cream and the floor had the same gray carpet as
“It is doubtful that you can even leave Manhattan,” Leo informed me.
“What do you mean?”
“Like Leo and me, you are apparently now trapped here,” Brie said. “You are just a human, but you appear to be bound just as surely as we are.”
“The sensation of being chained was not just in your mind,” Sophia said a little more gently. “Once you set foot on this island, you became barred from leaving.”
“Why? What’s keeping us here?”
“The demons erected a barrier seventeen years ago that prevents any celestial being from leaving. It also forces them to remain in their vessels, unless they are forcibly expelled. The only flaw in their plan is that they are also bound by the spell.” From the way she was talking, she wasn’t included in the trap. Without her grace, she was just a glorified human now.
The timing of when the barrier had been created didn’t escape me. It had been erected around the time of my birth. “If this trap is only for angels and demons, then why have I been caught up in it?”
“For the same reason the demon’s weapon glowed when you used it,” she replied. “Although you appear to be an ordinary mortal, there must be something supernatural about you.”
“Maybe my father was a warlock,” I muttered.
“You do not know who your father is?” Brie asked with a raised brow.
“No,” I replied coldly. I didn’t appreciate her unspoken judgement of my mother. “My Mom never told me who he was.”
“I am sure she had her reasons for keeping her silence,” Sophia said and sent a warning look at Brie. I had the distinct impression that the teen didn’t like me. That was nothing new and it was something I was long used to. Until Zach had come into my life, my mom had been my only friend. Even in my head, that sounded pathetic and I wasn’t about to say it out loud.
“If I can’t leave Manhattan, how am I going to hide from the demons? Where am I going to stay? The money I stole from Bob when I thought he was dead isn’t going to last for much longer.”
“You looted the vessel of a wounded demon?” Leo asked. He was apparently impressed by my courage.
“I didn’t know he was a demon at the time,” I reminded him.
“You can stay with us,” Sophia offered. “I have a spare bedroom upstairs.”
“We need to prepare a spell to keep her hidden from our enemies,” Brie said as if the matter had been decided. “Leo and I will search for the ingredients.”
Sophia nodded and they all stood. She gestured for me to follow her. “I will show you to your room.”
“You should show her the bathroom as well,” Leo suggested slyly. “I am sure she would like to take a shower.”
I stuck my tongue out at him, which made him grin. Brie sniffed to show her disdain for our childish behavior. Rolling my eyes at her, I picked up my backpack and followed Sophia through the doorway into a kitchen. It was clean and modern, with stainless steel appliances. The walls were white and matching tiles covered the floor. Most of the appliances looked as if they were seldom used.
A door at the far end of the room had an exit sign over it and probably led to an alley. Sophia turned to a doorway to our left. It led to a short hallway with a set of stairs to the left and a door to the right. We headed upstairs to the second floor.
A hallway bisected the upper floor. A living area nearly the same size as the main room below was to the right with a linen closet and bathroom at the far end. Two small bedrooms were to the left. Since I was the only one who actually required sleep, the two beds were more than adequate.
“You can use this room,” Sophia said and pointed at the second bedroom. It had a single bed, a narrow closet, a chest of drawers and was otherwise empty. The walls were cream and the floor had the same gray carpet as
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