Part 1 (1/2)

Eve of Destruction.

S. J. Day.

PROLOGUE.

Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.”

-GENESIS, 4:15.

Anno Domini 2008.

Cla.s.s R4AD08.

Student/Origin:.

Callaghan, Kenneth: Scotland.

Dubois, Claire: France.

Edwards, Robert: England Garza, Antonio: Italy Hogan, Laurel: New Zealand.

Hollis, Evangeline: United States.

Molenaar, Jan: Holland.

Richens, Chad: England Seiler, Iselda: Germany.

Number of Graduates:.

CLa.s.sIFIED.

Number of Casualties:.

CLa.s.sIFIED.

Status:.

PENDING INTERNAL REVIEW.

CHAPTER 1.

Evangeline Hollis woke to the scents of h.e.l.l-fire and brimstone, smoke and ashes. Her nostrils flared in protest. She lay on her back, unmoving, willing her brain to catch up with her circ.u.mstances. Licking her lips, she tasted death, the bitterness coating both her tongue and mouth in a thick, immovable wash. Her muscles s.h.i.+fted in an attempt to stretch and a groan escaped her. What the h.e.l.l? The last thing she remembered was . . .

. . . being burnt to a crisp by a dragon.

Panic a.s.sailed her with the memory, quickly followed by her mind lurching into full awareness. Eve jackknifed up from her sprawled position, sucking in air with such force it was audible. She blinked, but only inky darkness filled her vision. Her hand reached up to her arm and her fingertips found the raised brand there. The Mark of Cain-a triquetra surrounded by a circlet of three serpents, each one eating the tail of the snake before it. The eye of G.o.d filled the center.

The mark burned whenever she took the Lord's name in vain-which was often-and whenever she lied, which was less often but useful on occasion. When dealing with Satan's minions, playing dirty leveled the playing field.

Where the f.u.c.k am I? In her upright position, the smoky stench in the air was magnified. Her nose wrinkled.

Maybe I'm in h.e.l.l? As a longtime agnostic, she still struggled with facing the reality of G.o.d. Heaven, h.e.l.l, souls . . . They were concepts that couldn't be explained with reason.

Besides, if there was a merciful G.o.d and a Heaven, she'd be there. She had only been cursed with the Mark of Cain for six weeks and she hadn't yet been properly trained in how to kill Infernals, but during that short time she had eradicated a tengu infestation, killed a Nix, and managed to vanquish a dragon. She'd also helped put a lid on a major new threat to the good guys-a concoction of some sort that allowed Infernals to temporarily hide in the guise of mere mortals. And she'd managed to get Cain and Abel to work together for the first time since they were kids.

If all that wasn't enough to save her soul, she would take her chances with the Devil. Maybe he'd have a better sense of fair play.

As Eve's mind struggled to catch up with her present, the sound of singing penetrated the fog of her thoughts. She couldn't understand a word, but it was familiar all the same. The language was j.a.panese; the voice, her mother's.

The idea of sharing h.e.l.l with her mother was oddly both comforting and chilling. Eve's hands clenched tentatively, testing the soft surface beneath her, attempting to discern where she was. She felt satin, like the sheets on her bed. A cool breeze touched her brow and Eve's vision exploded into living color. She jerked violently in surprise.

She was in her bedroom, sitting atop her king-size bed. As if her senses had been muted, the steady cras.h.i.+ng of waves against the Huntington Beach sh.o.r.eline increased in volume. The soothing rhythm drifted down the hall from her living room balcony and brought welcome relief. Home. As her tension dissipated, Eve's shoulders relaxed. Then, a brief glimmer in the periphery of her vision made her turn her head.

Lifting her arms to s.h.i.+eld her eyes from the blinding light, she barely made out the silhouette of a winged man standing in the corner between her bleached pine closet doors and her dresser. Eve blinked back an unusually thick wash of tears. She risked another glance at the angel and found that, once again, her mark enhancements knew what to do even when she didn't. Her arms lowered. She could see him now without damage to her vision.

The angel was tall, with brawny arms and legs displayed by a knee-length, sleeveless robelike garment. The gown was white and belted with a tan braid. The black combat boots with wicked spikes running up and down the outside were a surprise, as was the impossible perfection of his features. His jaw was square and bold, his hair dark and restrained in a queue at his nape. His irises s.h.i.+mmered like blue flame, and he had an air about him that warned her to keep on his good side.

His gaze lowered to her chest. Hers followed. She was nude.

”Yikes!” Grabbing the top sheet, Eve yanked it up to her neck.

Miyoko Hollis appeared in the doorway, buried in an armful of laundry.

”Hey, you're awake,” her mother called out, her voice flavored with a j.a.panese accent.

”I guess so.” Eve was so happy to see her mom, her eyes burned. ”It's good to see you.”

”Eh, you say that now.” Striding toward the bed with the brisk stride of a retired nurse, Miyoko was a compact whirlwind of energy, a tornado that often left Eve feeling exhausted. ”You didn't move a muscle for a while. I nearly thought you were dead.”

Eve had been dead, that was the problem. ”What day is it?”

”Tuesday.”

Another noxious breeze a.s.saulted her nostrils and Eve waved a hand in front of her face. Her gaze found the source on her dresser-an incense stick.

”Whatever fragrance that is,” Eve muttered, inwardly reeling that she had lost two days of her life, ”it stinks.”

Miyoko moved to the end of the bed and dumped the still-warm pile of clothes onto the comforter. She wore h.e.l.lo Kitty pajamas-pink flannel pants and a T-s.h.i.+rt that had a giant h.e.l.lo Kitty face on the front. With her black hair in pigtails and her unlined face, she looked more like Eve's sibling than a parent. She also acted as if she owned the place, which she didn't. Darrel and Miyoko Hollis lived in Anaheim-home of Disneyland, California Adventure, and Eve's childhood. Still, whenever her mother visited, Eve found herself fighting for her place as alpha female in her own house.

Eve watched her mother walk right past the angel without batting an eye. Standing with crossed arms, widespread legs, and folded wings, he was impossible to ignore . . .

Unless you couldn't see him.

”Aromatherapy aids healing,” Miyoko p.r.o.nounced.