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“Oh yes,” agreed George. “Many.”
“Like?”
“In addition to demon hunters, there are angel hunters, guardian angels, guardian demons, sentinels—”
I put a hand in the air, closing my eyes for a second and setting my wine down.
“Okay, wait. Explain to me what an angel hunter is. And all the rest of what you just said.”
“Eat, Genevieve.” Jude nudged me. I realized then I was the only one not eating. I started cutting a piece of steak, my knife sliding into it like butter.
George set his glass of wine down. “While you are familiar with demon hunters, angel hunters are the counterpart—soldiers of the underworld seeking out angels to destroy. Of course, the only ones they are ever able to find here on earth would be the guardian angels, and they’re more cunning than most demons.”
“So, guardian angels actually exist?” I asked, forking a bite of juicy steak into my mouth.
“Yes, of course. They don’t fly around all day, granting wishes. But they hear the call of a human in need. The humans who still belong to the Light, that is.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, taking my refilled wineglass from Jude.
“People tend to take one path or another, correct?”
I nodded.
“Those who follow the Light have guardian angels watching over them, guiding them, sometimes even saving them. Let me ask you something, Genevieve, have you ever almost done something that could’ve been disastrous, but an inexplicable feeling made you make another decision?”
Instantly, I thought of my sophomore homecoming when Greg Myers wanted me to go with him to the after-party. He hadn’t been drinking or anything, but something made me refuse him at the last minute. I couldn’t figure out why; it was a bone-deep feeling that I shouldn’t go. Greg Myers fell asleep coming home from the party, drove off the road, and hit an oak tree, flattening the passenger side of his car into a pancake. He escaped with a broken nose and a concussion, but I would’ve been killed on impact had I been sitting next to him. I snapped from the memory, simply nodding to George.
“Just as there are guardians of light, there are guardians of darkness. These are lower demons, with which I believe you are familiar, guiding humans further into debauchery and sin.”
“They also fuse with some humans, as Jude told me.”
“Yes. And sentinels are actually humans who’ve either made a deal with the devil, or actually, one of the higher demons to be precise, or with an angel. They use their influence to sway humans for good or ill, depending on who they serve.”
“But, why would any human serve a demon?” I asked, folding my napkin and setting it on the plate.
“My dear, there are any number of reasons a man or woman would walk the path of darkness. Fame? Fortune? A lover they desire and cannot possess? The reasons are endless. Sentinels tend to be quite dangerous, for they are invisible to the radar of other Flamma, still being human.”
I sat back, my head swimming. I thought of something else.
“Then there are the Collectors, like Acheron,” I added.
Kat perked up at that. George’s eyebrows rose. “So, you know of the rivers? You’ve met Acherontis?”
“I, we”—I glanced at Jude whose expression revealed nothing—“bumped into him. So, are they Flamma of light or darkness?”
“Neither,” interjected Jude, breaking his long silence. “They serve no one but themselves and anyone who will barter with them. They want only one thing—to feed.”
“Yes,” agreed George, a frown creasing his high brow, “a rather dismal version of purgatory, I must say.”
“Except, of course, souls in purgatory actually get out,” added Kat in her snippy manner.
I sighed heavily, dumbstruck with all the images spinning through my head.
“Come, Genevieve,” said Jude, rising. “Let’s get some fresh air. We’ll meet you two on the river-walk.”
George nodded, fixing his brilliant blue eyes on Kat. Jude placed my hand into the crook of his arm. He took his jacket from the back of his chair and draped it over my bare shoulders. I glanced down before we walked away and saw a mixture of both resentment and longing swirling in Kat’s eyes, which had darkened more black than green.
There was little light by the streetlamps along the riverfront, but I didn’t care. I felt no fear with Jude at my side. I actually felt somewhat empowered after today. What I’d learned of Kat had taught me to hope, to see beyond my internal wounds. Meeting George reminded me that there are many others out there fighting the same good fight against these ruthless demons. I was not alone.
