Free Balance (The Divine, Book One) by M.R. Forbes

my feet and looked for my sword, finding it a good fifty feet away. No good.
I looked back at Josette and saw her weapon was on the ground next to her. Not
great, but better. I took off towards the demon at a run, willing myself to be
faster than I had ever been. I was rewarded with a burst of speed that left the
ground no more than a blur beneath my feet. In less than a second, I was
leaping towards the Were , reaching out to will the
angel's sword to my hand.
    It
all happened in the space of an instant. I should have been destroyed, because
the sword didn't come at my call. I found myself airborne, rapidly approaching
the back of the demon, and weaponless. There was no time for an alternate
approach. I had sunk my efforts into this one desperate move. I could see the
demon's head begin to turn towards me. I could see Josette's golden eyes flare
as she sensed my approach.
    The
impossible happened then. The seraph took hold of her sword and threw it
towards me with perfect precision, my hand caught it and my arm drew back. The Were completed his surprised turn, and I sank the weapon
into his heart as I slammed into him. We both tumbled to the ground, the force
of the impact throwing me away from him again. I rolled to my feet and watched
him gather himself, rise to his feet, and pull out the sword a second time. He
looked at me with a shocked yet satisfied smirk on his face, until he saw that
I had his necklace in my hand.
    "Who
are you?" he growled as he went back to his knees. "You should be
dead."
    I got
up and approached him. Whatever magic was in the angel's sword, it was doing
its thing. The demon was disintegrating from the point of the wound outward.
There was a smell of frankincense, and smoke began wafting from the hole in his
chest. Where a moment ago there had been a gloating beast in man's clothing,
there was now just a dying lamb.
    "Pathetic,"
I said, turning my back on him, pocketing the necklace, and walking over to
Josette. I didn't watch the demon finish his final death. I didn't need to.
    Or
maybe I did. I wanted to check on Josette, to see if I could help her. After
all, despite her disdain for me, she had just helped me. Whether or not it was
to aid her as well, that didn't matter right now.
    I had
almost reached her when I felt a coldness at my back.
Before I could turn around, a black cloud encircled me, whipping around like a
mini-tornado, spinning tightly in a maelstrom of energy. It smelled like
sulfur, and in it I felt power. It overwhelmed me, and I fell to my knees
unable to breathe. I opened my mouth to gulp in air and the black cloud forced
its way inside. I choked on it, my mouth filling with the acrid taste of the
stuff pouring into me. As it completed its forced entry, I leaned over and
vomited.
    "Diuscrucis."
Josette stumbled over to stand next to me. Her clothing was hanging in shreds,
and her bloody face had a deep gash across the cheek.
    "What
just happened?" I asked. My stomach told me it was getting ready for round
two. At the same time, I felt different in a way that permeated much more
deeply into my being.
    "The
demon tried to take your soul," she said, her breathing labored. "He
didn’t know what you were, and has trapped himself. He can give you power, but
not without cost."
    I
wanted to ask her what she meant, but her golden eyes dimmed and she fell back
to the ground. Not gone, but seriously injured. I couldn't leave her here. I
bent down and lifted her in my arms, surprised by how light she felt. I put her
over my shoulder, and then retrieved her sword and my iPad. After a small bout
of indecision, I grabbed one of the demon's daggers too. There was a part of me
that was sure I was making a mistake by taking Josette with me. I ignored it
and made my way out of the park, willing the world around me to see a man
carrying a baby on one shoulder, a folded up stroller over the other. It was a
little too domesticated for me, but it would have to do.

Chapter
6
    The
punk-slash-emo guy