Chapter Eight: Catra

Catra pulled herself and Daniel out of the psychic plane with some effort, forcing herself back into the world of the living but did not move quickly enough to catch Daniel before he fell.

He had obviously reacted badly to the spell, and she whispered words in the oldest language she knew, as she begged her ancestors to save her mate.

But she had not stopped the spell in time. She knew it was out of her hands, and the changes would go on without her.

Demons were easy to identify because their features were so distinctive when they weren’t wearing glamours to hide their true selves. They usually had black horns growing out of their foreheads, and living snakes wrapped around their forearms. Demons were also known for their red pinprick pupils and the silvery talons that replaced their fingers.

Daniel was developing none of those features, Catra realized, horrified. Bright, white wings had burst from his back, instead of the dark horns. His dark, auburn hair was rapidly turning white, in stark contrast to his dark skin. And one bright, golden cuff circled his right wrist.

Daniel wasn’t even conscious of any of these changes as they happened. He stared upwards, his body vibrating slightly, his hands clenched. Catra could feel latent pain coursing through her body as she knelt beside him. She could feel her heart thudding unsteadily in her chest, at her wrists, in her stomach.

Daniel was becoming an angel instead of a demon, and that couldn’t f*cking happen!

Angels were some of the most powerful beings to exist in this universe and any other universe. There could only be a perfect number of Angels in the world, mostly because one Angel carried so much magic inside them that even one more Angel would throw the order of magic out of balance.

A hundred demons carried less than a tenth of the magic that one Angel had within them.

And now Catra had just created an Angel.

She jerked with panic when lightning and thunder cracked outside the penthouse suite’s window.

The Unbalance was starting. How the sh*t had she managed to break the universe in less than a day?

She pulled Daniel up to his feet, though he was still unconscious, and led him to the bed. He was heavy, and Catra was starting to feel the strain of using the amount of magic that she had.

A sudden wave of nausea crashed into her, and she wobbled, and suddenly Daniel was conscious again and holding her upright.

His hazel eyes were wild, bloodshot, and he was staring down at himself, even as he held her upright. Catra wanted to collapse against him and let the Angel, because that’s what she had bloody made him, take over the situation.

It wasn’t as if he couldn’t. Right then, Daniel had more power than anyone in London.

She sucked in several shallow breaths, swallowing convulsively as she tried to think through the chaos in her head. Her grandmother. Katrina would know what to do. Though she would be pissed off that Catra had called for her twice in one night. She had no choice.

The old woman would just have to come out and help.

Catra helped Daniel over the bed, before she escaped to the bathroom. Another crack of thunder sounded overhead. It seemed to strike the building itself, and the Palace shook, with an earth-shattering boom.

The universe was breaking.

Catra did not wait to calm herself down as she normally did before she reached for the spirit realm. She fell to her knees in front of the mirrored walls and screamed for her grandmother.

Ma! Please! Help me!

Katrina appeared in seconds; her face twisted with disapproval.

Bloody hell! What have you done girl? I can feel your machinations all the way in the land of the dead.

Catra burst into hysterical sobs. I made an Angel. My mate, he became an Angel! I was supposed to turn him into a demon.

What did you think was going to happen? Katrina spoke curtly, her voice quietly furious. Catra knew her grandmother was trying to solve the problem.

Girl, you can’t perform death magic on a mate! You cannot hurt your mate! It is against the laws of this universe. The universe saw what you were doing and changed the spell!

Catra buried her head in her hands, her shoulders shaking as she continued to sob.

You’ve sent everything upside down. Katrina continued, pulling the blanket around her shoulders closer around her.

Take him and run, now! You’re going to have every living and dead thing in the universe after him for his magic! I will do what I can!

Katrina did not wait for her granddaughter to agree and vanished in less than a second.

Catra gripped the edge of the bathroom sink and pulled herself onto her feet before she stumbled out of the room. Daniel was standing, looking at his reflection in the floor length windows.

He turned when he heard her, but Catra did not have time to say anything.

Instead, she grabbed her bag and started throwing things into it.

“What happened?” He came over to her, his hands going to her shoulders. He could feel her anxiety and panic, and his instinct was to comfort her.

“We need to leave now Daniel.” She didn’t look at him.

“I’m not a demon, am I?” He asked slowly. He was being remarkably calm about the whole situation, Catra thought hazily.

A flash of blinding light rippled through the room, and they both winced. Daniel’s white, Angel wings flexed and rose, closing around Catra. She was enclosed in them, protected by them, and for a moment she wanted to stay there forever.

But there was no time. She pushed him away and went over to the windows. The light had come from the sky, where a giant rip had appeared in the inky blackness of the nighttime sky.

“Daniel, we have to leave. Grab something to wear and bring whatever cash you have.” Catra ordered him and he sprang into action as if he had been waiting for her instructions the entire time.

The door to the suite opened then and in stepped Evans. He looked as perfect as he usually did, Catra thought, annoyed. His tie was still perfectly knotted even though the sky was tearing itself apart right outside the window.

He examined the room quietly before speaking in his usual patient, courteous voice.

“Ms. Catra, a horde of angry demons have discovered the existence of an angel. I thought you might want to take advantage of your employee benefits.” He smiled pleasantly as he waited for Catra to respond.

“What benefits are those?” She asked hurriedly as she grabbed her things.

The Palace shook as another boom of thunder ripped through the sky. Another flash of blinding light tore through the suite.