"You've been relyin' on your demon

to frighten the ones you want to annul!

Now you're facin' one that is your even,

so rise above or you'll fall!"

—Cassandra Elizabeth Collins

Slamming the door to the roof open, Charlie flew through it, rage rippling over her demon skin. With a wail of grief, she grabbed a plastic chair and flung it viciously into one of Cassie's dojo walls, knocking it over, then dropped to her knees. "Please," She begged, "don't die, Angel. Please! I love you!"

Dropping Cassie's blouse over her head, Charlie dropped to her knees then laid down flat, pressing her ear against the warm, granular asphalt tiles of the roof and concentrated on listening. Eyes closed, Charlie stilled her frightened breathing and could make out Cassie's whispers as she recited spells one after the other. She grimaced along with Angel's pained reactions to some of them. Even if the spells could affect her, the barrier between her and the living room interfered. Still, true or not, she was enraged with Cassie for sending her away. Why she listened rather than demand to stay, she didn't really know. She would have suffered gladly if it meant she could be close to Angel, just in case. Time passed agonizingly slowly; each sound of Angel's suffering twisted Charlie's heart, her body reacting in sympathy.

As Charlie continued to listen, Cassie's whispers grew further apart, as did Angel's reactions, to the point where Charlie had to strain to hear any sound or movement until the only sound left was Cassie moving around the apartment. She could make out Angel's stuttered but steady breathing, suggesting to Charlie that he was asleep. Eventually, the sound of the apartment's front door opening and closing, followed by Cassie's approach to the roof, signaled for Charlie to push herself up off the ground and dust herself off. If Angel was resting and Cassie wasn't running or screaming, then maybe he'd be okay. Charlie used that to calm herself and temper the anger she still felt towards Cassie. She turned as Cassie opened the door.

"How is he?" Charlie bit her lip, afraid.

"He's resting on the couch." Cassie answered, "I think he's out of danger."

"Why didn't you call for an ambulance?" Charlie's voice bled with accusation.

"Because he told me not too."

"He was delirious! How could you listen to him!?" Charlie's anger seeped out with her accusatory words.

"Charlie, I love my brother, but I also respect his wishes. He's been near death before." Cassie tried to explain so Charlie would understand, "If he believed I could stop the bleeding and keep him alive, so that we didn't have to explain to anyone about his wounds or what happened, I was going to adhere to those wishes."

"But—?" Charlie choked. Angel could be dying on the couch, and Cassie was going to let him?

Cassie sensed the accusation, and she sighed, "Don't get me wrong, I still want to take him to the hospital, and if he doesn't wake up in an hour when the spells I used wear off, then I'm calling the ambulance."

The anger in Charlie dispelled with Cassie's promise. It was foolish to think Cassie didn't love Angel and would risk his life, so Charlie would trust in her friend, as best as she could.

"Will he heal?"

"The magics worked enough to stop the bleeding, and the bandages have formed well to his back." Cassie rubbed her tired, bloodshot eyes, "But Charlie? The damage is too great. Heal? Likely, but he's done."

"Done?"

"Done." Cassie repeated, her voice defeated, "No more missions, no more heroics. That thing tore deep into his back, and it's a miracle it didn't damage his spine, but he'll never be one hundred percent again." Cassie's voice cracked with the explanation. She needed to be focused to give the diagnosis to Charlie, but this was her brother, who could likely be handicapped for the rest of his life, and that fact was finally sinking in. Cassie stepped over to the downed wall, pulled the chair Charlie had tossed back onto its legs, and sat weary down in it.

It took a few seconds for Cassie's words to register, but when they did, Charlie backed up three steps, shaking her head, "No! No, it can't be. How did this—What was it that did this to him?"

Rubbing her eyes, Cassie's own voice held anger: "Angel managed to get a few things out while the powders worked their magic to cauterize his wounds and boost his body's healing. He said that Samedi called up a demon and sent it to kill him, so he'd be out of the way."

"Out of the way for what?" Charlie's breath was quickening with the news of Angel's likely fate.

"They want you, Charlie. They know who you are."

"Samedi called up a demon to kill Angel? Because of me?" Charlie's demon voice seeped out through her lips, her eyes turning crimson, and she spun to look out into the darkness. Everything Cassie had just told her poured through her mind, blending together, causing her soul to rend in pain and rage. She would hunt this demon down and rip it to shreds, "I'm going to kill that thing!" She declared, forcefully.

"They know about you. They'll be prepared." Cassie reminded Charlie, body deflated in the chair, eyes closed, while she tried to calm herself down as well.

"I don't give a shit if they know me, Cassie. That thing is fucking dead!"

The tone and darkness in Charlie's voice caught Cassie's full attention, and she finally opened her eyes and let out a soft gasp. As Charlie had been declaring her threats, her body had transformed, and it was the demon that Cassie saw filling out over the span of the roof. It was the first time Cassie got to see Charlie in her demon form, and she shivered. It wasn't exactly fear that caused the shiver; it was more like when you see something frightening beyond your comprehension yet find yourself drawn in.

Standing, Cassie moved until she was close to Charlie. Charlie turned around with demon eyes glowing bright, and her rage paused, replaced by a fear of her own. She realized as well that this was their first meeting with her in this form, and she needed Cassie more than ever and didn't want her running away. Like her brother, though, Cassie had more than her fair share of courage and trust for Charlie.

"Charlie?" Cassie's questioning voice whispered, "Are you in there?"

Pulling herself together for the moment, Charlie drew some of her power back and now stood before Cassie in her hybrid human-demon form. Teeth, claws, horns, and tail meshed with the sweet, young blonde-haired girl that Cassie knew as Charlie. She nodded firmly, "I'm sorry, Cassie. I forgot you'd never seen me like this before."

"No, it's okay. I should have asked to see what you looked like long before now. It just never occurred to me, honestly."

"I saw your eyes. I was afraid you were going to run."

"The urge was there," Cassie admitted, "But my trust in you is greater. If I may be bold, your demon form is beautiful."

"This form, maybe. My full form? Pure horror."

"As it should be." Cassie felt her lips rise, surprised she could smile at all.

Charlie smiled at both compliments for a moment, but the positive feeling didn't last. Remembering what Cassie told her, she had to confirm, "Are you sure Angel won't heal all the way?"

"Unless a miracle happens," Cassie said, wiping a tear away. "He'll likely be in a wheelchair for a while, at the very least. We'll have to call Amanda, let her know, and get her over here soon. We'll be at a disadvantage until then."

Feeling her rage returning, Charlie turned and walked towards the edge of the roof, her body rippling with demonic energy. "I want that thing dead, Cassie!

Cassie followed her, worried. "Charlie! If you go after that thing in your rage, you'll lose!"

Charlie growled deep, her red eyes blazed, and fire sparked from her horns. "I will not lose; I will rip that thing apart!"

"Blind vengeance isn't the way, sweetie; I know I can't stop you, but you need to control yourself and fight in a different way."

"What other way is there? I have my claws, and that thing has no idea who it's fucked with!"

"But they do, apparently. Angel says it called you the Princess of Hell! You understand what this means, Charlie? You're a target. A royal target."

"I—DON'T—CARE!" Charlie's voice spilled over the roof, gaining the attention of a few eyes below.

Cassie sighed in exasperation. Charlie was too far gone, and Cassie feared for her life—all life—if Charlie was killed, or worse, captured. She needed to help Charlie focus. Looking over to her dojo, she spied her bo staffs and got an idea: "Look. You're angry, and deservedly so. I'm angry, too, Charlie. But in your rage, you're going to fight blindly, and you'll make mistakes. Every mission you've been on, Angel designed the playbook; he used his mind, his wits, and not his emotions to carry them out."

As she spoke, Cassie strode over and picked up the fallen wall and replaced it in its spot, then grabbed the staffs and continued, "You need to find your center and calm your soul, Charlie. Fight for something much, much greater than revenge." She turned and offered one of the staffs to Charlie, who glared at it.

"I don't need a fucking stick!"

With a sigh, Cassie dropped one staff as she positioned herself into a starting stance for a workout, hefting the other. "You fight with claws and teeth, just as the other demon will. If you want to best this thing, you need to change your style. You need to adapt."

Charlie flicked her tail, her claws clicking against each other, and her heartbeat pumped fast with anger. Pointing her staff at Charlie, Cassie let out a slow breath to center herself. She realized she wasn't getting through. "You won't go in with brains." Charlie hissed at the perceived insult, and Cassie scoffed, "That's not what I mean, sweetie; you're going to go in on pure emotion, but the wrong kind."

To prove her point, Cassie swiftly swung her staff out in a low, sweeping motion and caught Charlie's legs, taking them out from under her. Charlie dropped on her ass, her tail getting bent in the process. "OW! What the fuck, Cassie?"

Ignoring her angry shock, Cassie stepped past her, spinning her staff. Charlie jumped to her feet, turned to face Cassie as she turned sharply, and snapped a command, "Defend!"

Still in shock from Cassie attacking her, Charlie put her hands up in a defensive manner, which allowed Cassie to strike by thrusting the staff out and under Charlie's arm, lifting the staff up against her armpit, and flipping her. Charlie crashed hard onto the rough surface of the roof, her breath knocked out of her. Cassie's voice had taken on a sharp, military tone. "Listen! You need to concentrate! Focus! Right now, your rage has control, and you're blinded by your animus!"

"Fuck yes, I'm angry!" Charlie cried out, slamming her fist into the roof, putting a dent into it, while lifting herself to her hands and knees, tears burning her eyes. "You're beating me up with a stick! What the hell?"

Without a word, Cassie jerked forward and slid the staff along the roof under Charlie and twisted it, clipping Charlie's hands, and she sprawled face-first into the roof's sandpaper texture. Charlie gasped in surprise and rolled to her side, looking at Cassie with a blend of fear and contempt. Cassie saw the look and knew she was finally getting to her. Pinning the staff down hard, she clipped Charlie's tail, which caused a yelp of pain, and Charlie scooted back, "Cassie!?"

Plunging the end of the staff into the roof, Cassie took a deep breath; her eyes were serious yet haunted, "You've been relyin' on your demon to frighten the ones you want to annul." She pointed hard at Charlie, "Now you're facin' one that is your even, so rise above, or you'll fall!"

Lunging forward, Cassie attacked again, but this time Charlie rolled away, and the staff met empty space. Using the muscles in her legs, she dug her cloven hooves into the roof's asphalt surface and jumped to her feet. As Cassie lunged yet again, Charlie concentrated, calling the other staff to her and felt it settle into her clawed hands. As Cassie brought her staff down to strike, Charlie blocked and pushed it away, forcing Cassie to stumble back.

"YES!" Cassie cried out, her chest heaving, and she grinned, swinging again. Charlie wasn't trained or experienced, but with the staff, her demon strength made up for some of it. Charlie blocked again, swiping the attack to the right, then spun her body and thrust her staff out to almost catch Cassie in the ribs. She missed since Cassie was much more experienced.

Cassie felt proud that Charlie was taking her cues. "Hold the staff here, and here." Cassie instructed as she backpedaled to give herself space. Charlie obliged her order and gripped the staff firmly, eyes narrowing at Cassie, who continued, "Imagine it's a part of your body, not just as an extension of your arms, but as a shield as well. Bo's are resilient, tough, and can deflect attacks."

Cassie let go with one hand and swung hard, letting the staff slide through her fingers until the end, which she gripped, and it turned her short arm-length swing into a nearly ten-foot attack, which caught Charlie off guard as the end clipped her chin. Rather than scream in rage in pain, Charlie took a step back and rubbed her chin, nodding as she took the lesson face first, literally. "Okay, I admit. That was cool!' Charlie grinned wickedly.

"If you can control your anger," Cassie explained, "you'll be able to think through your attacks, plan the next one as you watch that fucking thing falter and stumble, and fuel yourself not with the rage of wanting to kill it. Think of Angel when you go after it. How much you love him! That you won't let yourself lose the fight, or him!"

With that, Cassie rushed forward, and Charlie blocked the attack in silence as she put all of her heart, mind, and soul into listening to Cassie's instructions. Cassie was right, and Charlie was going to learn everything she could. For the next twenty minutes, the two sparred hard, rough, fast and violently, but in a controlled manner. Cassie showed off different stances and techniques with the staff, and as they sparred in an almost rhythmic dance, Charlie found herself becoming one with her staff and began to fight back in ways that impressed Cassie. Cassie reminded her that love was more powerful than rage and that if she could find a way to rise above and be more than that thing, she was going to win.

Their pace quickened, with Cassie going all out and attacking Charlie with abandon, pushing Charlie to her limits. In response, Charlie pulled more, and more of her power to her, digging deeper than ever before to call upon everything she had. Yet, along with the drawn power, the intense itch that had been nagging at her for days came back with a vengeance. The sudden burst of pain from the itch was more than she'd even felt before, and she gasped. The distraction let Cassie swing her staff downward towards her head and Charlie jumped hard into the air to avoid it. As she did, she felt something snap inside her, and the itch was gone! Closing her eyes, Charlie lost herself in the moment of fresh relief until she heard a loud, surprised gasp from Cassie. Opening her eyes, she looked at Cassie, but instead she saw the horizon in front of her, which should have been impossible. Other buildings surrounded Cassie's rooftop dojo. The only way to see the skyline would be if she were—.

"Charlie! Oh My God! They're beautiful!"

Charlie looked down, wondering where Cassie's voice had come from and saw her on the roof some twenty feet below. Powerful flapping sounds pierced her ears, and Charlie twisted her head to see bird-like white wings moving swiftly and softly behind her, the muscles in her shoulders instinctively flexing in controlled flight. Shock hit her, and she dropped fast, having lost the instinct, until she caught herself at the last moment. Concentrating, her wings obeyed, and she landed with a soft click of her cloven hooves.

With disbelief, Charlie touched one of the wings that came forward to greet her. "I have wings!?" As realization sank in, she turned to Cassie with wide, surprised eyes and exclaimed, "I have wings!"

Cassie dropped her staff, came forward, reached out, and tentatively touched the wing Charlie was grasping. Charlie, in genuine glee, giggled, "Cassie! I have wings!"

"They're amazing!" Cassie felt the soft feathers and noticed the sensation was like touching baby skin.

"That feels good." Charlie's voice held a sexual tinge, and Cassie raised her eyes. Charlie blushed, "They're very sensitive."

Cassie blushed as well, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean—"

Charlie shook her head, "No, it's okay; they're new to me, too."

"You didn't know?" Cassie let her eyes drift up and down Charlie as she walked around her, taking in the sight. Three pairs of white, feathery wings, very un-demon-like, spread out from Charlie's back. The middle wings were the largest, which she guessed had a six-foot span on each side. The other two pairs, above and below, had less girth and length, but not by much.

"No!" Charlie ran her fingers through the feathery membranes, letting out a slow, soft, excited breath. The sensations were both calming and arousing. "But I've wished for them since the first night Angel found me."

"They're definitely not demon wings." Cassie commented, "Are you remembering anything new?"

The sudden shift of questions startled her. Charlie closed her eyes and thought, but shook her head after a moment, "No." She sighed with exasperation, "I don't get it. My powers are growing, changing, and evolving, but I can't remember anything! Why!?" Charlie sniffled now, the excitement of her new wings smothered under the return frustration of the damned amnesia that chained her.

"Maybe because of the failed summoning?" Cassie mused, "I'll look into it later. Right now, there's something much more important to focus on."

Letting go of her wings, Charlie opened her mind, focused, and felt her wings close in and wrap along her back before a pop of vibrant light accompanied their disappearance. As she opened her eyes, she felt the itch just below the surface of her shoulders again, but it was soft and gentle, as if freshly scratched, and then it faded away. The relief of it was short-lived, as Cassie's words connected with her, and she asked, "What is that?"

"You have a demon to kill!"

Charlie realized her rage had dissipated, and even the reminder did not elicit the same reaction as it would have before. It hit her, along with the repeated staff strikes, that Cassie's training had worked. She was so grateful that she instinctively grabbed Cassie and embraced her.

"Charlie?"

"Thank you, Cassie!" Charlie sniffled, "You're right. I would have died if I ran off blindly. You saved me, and now I am more than I have even been before."

Cassie gripped her back quickly before pulling away, "Listen, hun, when you go hunting that thing, remember they're after you, so it's likely going to hold back from killing you. That means that not only do you have the advantage of your demon, staff, and wings, but it's going to have to restrain itself. Use that. Force it to fight for its life, and that's when you strike the killing blow."

"Anger it," Charlie nodded. "Make it lose control."

"Exactly! Piss it off, but don't let your own anger take control. Remember, you're not going out there for vengeance."

"I'm going out for love!" Charlie nodded firmly, allowing herself the benefit of a smile. "My love for Angel." Looking down, Charlie bent and picked up her staff. "But, I was thinking—"

"What is that?"

Handing the staff to Cassie, Charlie clicked her teeth together, "Do you have something—sharper?"

With a smile, Cassie took the staff and nodded. "I think I have just the thing."

Author's Note – This was the very first scene that I envisioned in my head that lead to the creation of this novel.