I yanked my hand back and rubbed my wrist where she'd gripped it. Her fingers had left a raised, red, welt on my skin.
"What're you talking about?"
"Orinel the Silver Voice," Anna said, glaring at me. "Once stood before the shining throne beside his brother, the Morningstar, who led the revolt against Heaven."
I gaped at her, at the venom in her voice.
"He fought against God!" she hissed. "The sheer arrogance of a being that believed they could revolt against the creator of everything, for goodness' sake!"
I glanced around, but the few customers that were in weren't paying attention to us. Even so, I lowered my voice as I said, "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Orryn," she snapped. "He isn't a demon. He's a fallen angel."
Oh.
That made sense.
Certainly, explained why he'd looked so pissed when I called him a demon.
That probably wasn't good for me.
"He was cast out of heaven but unlike his brothers and sisters, he managed to stymy his fall, though not without cost."
"What cost?"
"He was caught between realms. Avoiding falling into Hell, but missed our world and was instead stuck…"
"In the ghost realm," I muttered.
"Yes." She crossed her arms and leaned back glowering at me. "The only way anyone could have spoken to him, was to have been there."
Made sense.
"I was in a coma, technically dead."
"But alive now." Her lips pressed tight in a thin smile of knowing. "That you can still speak to him, means you are still connected to that place."
"Which means I'm not fully alive," I muttered, understanding dawning. "What the hell does that even mean?"
I felt alive. I felt like… well… me. Albeit in a different package.
"You're possessing this girl." There was no hiding the accusation in her tone, and I spread my hands helplessly.
"I'm really not."
"Then explain, because I can see you. The real, you. And you are not her."
Great. Witchy voodoo. All I bloody needed.
How much could I tell her without pissing off a fallen-freaking-angel?
So, I started with the basics.
"I died," I said….
My story was short and terribly tragic, all the more so to my ears as I recounted it. Death, the afterlife, the hellhound tearing at my ghostly flesh and then Orryn. A bargain made, and an agreement of service in return.
She watched me silently as I spoke, her judgment radiating from her in waves. She didn't see me, Danny. She saw a spirit possessing a human and she wasn't happy about it.
"So, here I am," I said, shrugging. "Chloe is long gone, her body an empty vessel than I am stuck in."
My mug was half empty. I couldn't even remember taking a sip. I licked my lips nervously, tasting the lipstick there, and clasped my hands together to stop the nervous twitching.
"I'm not a bad person," I said. "This wasn't my choice."
That sounded defensive even to me.
"Orryn is a deceiver," she said, the ice in her voice slowly thawing. "But, he does not lie."
That made no sense. Then I thought about it, and realised, that perhaps it did.
He wouldn't directly lie, but that didn't mean he would tell me the whole truth. If I'd asked if he would put me back into my body, he would have said, no. I was sure of that.
"If he told you that her soul was gone, that would be a truth."
"He did," I assured her.
"And, if you were to locate her soul…" she left the question hanging but I had no real problem with replying immediately.
"She would get her body back, my bargain complete and I would either head to my afterlife or hope Orryn would offer me another bargain."
One that I would be really quite specific about making this time.
"I believe you," she said, then sighed and ran a hand down her face. "This is unusual, even for me and I have seen some crazy shit."
"No doubt." I took a sip of my coffee and wrinkled my nose. It was cold. "What does this mean, now?"
She rubbed at her eyes and then pinched the bridge of her nose, suddenly appearing very tired.
"I should report this to the circle."
That sounded bad.
"But I won't."
"Thank you."
"You need to fix this though."
"That's what I've been trying to do!" I glanced around guiltily and lowered my voice before brushing at my eyes. I leaned forward. "I don't exactly want to be a girl, you know. This isn't my life's dream!"
"I really never wanted a boyfriend." Her lips twitched at that, and she smoothed them down with thumb and forefinger. "All I want to do is keep my sister and mum safe and find this bloody demon for Orryn."
"Okay," she said, smile finally allowed to form. She giggled and waved a hand. "Sorry. You just looked so… pissed, when you said that."
"I am."
"He's a deceiver by nature," Anna said. "Cruel and capricious, finding amusement in the little tricks he plays. You were foolish to take his offer."
"Yeah, well, I had a choice of that or being some pony-sized dogs chew-toy. The choice wasn't hard to make."
Her head bobbed and she looked me up and down, taking in my dress and the makeup I wore. The attempt I'd made at braiding my hair – mainly to keep it out of my way – and she smiled.
"You're adapting well enough."
"Not that well," I muttered.
"Surprisingly well." Her expression turned thoughtful as she tapped her chin. "There may be a reason for that."
"Like what?"
I wasn't sure I liked what she was insinuating and the faint, tattered, remnants of my masculine pride bristled at the implication.
"Maybe he's still manipulating you?"
"What do you mean?"
She folded her arms on the table and leaned forward, stoney-faced. "He needs you to be her, right?"
"Yeah."
"He could still be reaching out, manipulating your mind, perhaps."
"I'm not."
The words seemed to be spoken directly into my ear, and I yelped, slapping a hand there as the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. I looked around, startled, searching for him.
"What is it?" Anna asked.
"Be wary of what you tell the witch," Orryn whispered. "My patience is not infinite."
I swallowed the fear that clawed its way up my throat and managed a shaky smile for Anna. "Sorry," I said. "I think you're wrong."
"Why?"
"He just told me you were."
I almost laughed as she reeled back, almost sending her chair crashing to the floor in her haste to rise. She twisted her head, looking this way and that as everyone in the café turned to watch the show.
Coming from somewhere far away, an echo of laughter filled my head.
"He's amused, at least," I muttered.
Her mouth worked but she didn't say anything for several long seconds before she swallowed and sank back down into the chair. As she reached for her cup, her hand shook so bad that she had to press it down against the table to still it.
"Let's go for a walk," I suggested. "Bit of fresh air will help."
Anna didn't reply, but neither did she resist as I pulled her to her feet. I slipped my purse over my head so that strap was diagonal across my body, nestled awkwardly between my boobs, and carried the coffee mugs back to the counter before heading to the door with her.
Outside, she drew in several deep breaths and ran a hand that shook through her hair.
"He's that bad, huh?"
Her eyes flicked to me, and a touch of panic still lingered there as she shook her head. "H-he's a." She licked her lips and took a breath. "He's a fallen angel. Demons I can deal with, but a celestial being is something different."
She paused a moment and then added. "A corrupted celestial being is a thing of terror."
"I dunno," I said, shrugging. "He seemed decent enough."
Which was true. He had his moments, sure, but I got the impression that if you were straight with him, he'd be straight with you. I'd certainly been disrespectful when I spoke to him at times and he'd not really noticed or made an issue of it.
She didn't immediately reply, and we walked on in silence, just making a circuit of the area around the cafes. There were few people out on the street and the day was cold and grey. No rain, at least, but I still tucked my hands into my pockets and wished I'd brought gloves with me.
"I'll help you," Anna said, suddenly into the silence and I turned to her
"You will?" I hesitated then added. "With what?"
"The demon," she said, corners of her mouth tugging upwards. "It's part of my role with the circle, to keep control of demon infestations. So, I'm just doing my job, right? No breaking of any rules."
Like working for a fallen angel, I guessed. It was the letter of the rule rather than the spirit, but that wasn't my problem. I needed all the help I could get.
"Fab, thanks." I sucked in a deep breath, feeling somehow better. My gaze went to Anna. I liked her. Not in a, I want to jump your bones and make sweet, sweet, loving, kind of way, but in a… she's a nice person kind of way.
Like a friend.
Which was weird for me.
Never had a friend who was a girl. Not that I had many friends who were boys either, I supposed.
Still. It was an improvement, and I had one friend more than I'd started the day with. That had to count for something.
"So, how do we do this?"
"You've been getting a feel for this area, right?"
I nodded, dutifully. "Aye, I have."
"If you've an idea of where the incidents are occurring, then we can find the hotspots."
My brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
She gave an exasperated sigh. "Demons cause chaos around them just by existing. Yes, they commit acts of violence themselves, but just by being somewhere long enough, it will warp the people around them."
"Someone who is prone to anger might explode into a rage. Someone jealous of the thing's others have might start to steal. That sort of thing."
Made sense. Increased burglaries and domestic violence were the biggest complaints and gossip I'd picked up in the short time I'd been in the community centre. Rape, assault and murder were also on the rise too.
"Berkeley Road," I said, thinking. "There's a half-dozen rows of terraced houses branching off that road and there's been a lot of violence there."
"Okay, a good place to start."
"What, now?" I arched my brows as she nodded. "Okay, then. We'd best take one car."
"Take mine," she said. "It'll stand out less than yours."
I couldn't argue with that.
We set off walking back to the cars, our pace brisk, shoulder to shoulder. I couldn't help glancing at her. She seemed to have lost that initial anger she had with me when she realised what I was. I wondered if she would see me as a person, or as a spirit possessing one.
If she could be an actual friend.
Because I desperately needed someone I could talk to and Kevin, for all his good points, wasn't that person.
Not about this.
About me.
"What?" she asked, noticing me staring.
"Nothing," I said, and cursed myself for a coward.