Devada (Angels & Demons Book 1) Read online

  DEVADA

  TICH BREWSTER

  This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, and events are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to real person, places, or events is coincidental.

  Pennedit Publishing

  Tulsa, OK

  Devada

  Published by Pennedit 2012

  penneditpublishing.com

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, without permission in writing from the author.

  Scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or by any other means without permission are illegal and punishable by law.

  Copyright 2014 Revised © Leticha Brewster

  Cover Art by Sprinkles On Top Studios

  sprinklesontopstudios.com

  Photos by K Keeton Designs

  kkeetondesigns.com

  Model Jaclyn Rutland

  Editing: Twilight Hours Editing

  twilighthoursedits.blogspot.com

  1st Edition Copyright © Leticha Brewster 2012

  Praise for Tich Brewster’s

  Devada, Angels & Demons 1

  “This story was fast paced, and wonderfully put together. The plot was fantastic! All of the characters were well written, their depth was amazing. My only gripe is I want more and I want it now!”

  ~Jennifer Wedmore, 2 Bibliophiles Guide

  “Loved this book and I cannot wait for book two.”

  ~Janna Ward, Reviewer

  “This is a must read! I totally love this book. This story has so many emotions floating in it. I loved the characters in this, they were real and I felt a connection to them in so many ways.

  You can't go wrong buying this book! I HIGHLY recommend you read this. KUDO'S to Tich Brewster for this amazingly toxic story!”

  ~Brenda Romine, Loves All Things Books

  “This is going to be one heck of a series and I can't wait to find out what happens next. What is Hannah's role going to cost her, will Josh and Raum and Hannah survive? Will love win and if it does at what price.

  Great first book in what promises to be a great series. Definitely recommend picking this one up. You won't be disappointed in the least!”

  ~Sheri Spell, Reviewer

  “Excellent read! Loved it! Wanted more.

  The story is very good and has quite a bit of action. You won't be bored, the fights are entertaining and this story will also get some emotions out of you. I should also say that this book is perfectly safe, if you have teens they can read it, I am sure my kids will love this book. It is very clean.”

  ~Suleika Santana, All About Books

  Acknowledgements

  First I have to give thanks to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Without him I am absolutely nothing but with him I am a conqueror. Because of him I can do all things.

  I have several people that deserve a huge thank you for supporting me and encouraging me along the way. My husband is my biggest supporter and love of my life. I am eternally grateful that God brought us together. Thank you Momi for always reminding me that I can do anything I set my mind to. My Daddy and Mom Rhonda, I love you both. Teresa Fuentez, I owe you a humongous thank you for pushing me to publish. If it hadn’t been for you, I would still be writing in my notebooks for my own entertainment. And of course Chumeica Paden, girl you have been the best cheerleader a girl could have.

  I’d like to say a big thank you to Brenda Romine for all of your kind words and encouragement. I’m so thankful for our friendship. It all began when Devada was just an idea in my head and our friendship has blossomed into something fantastic. Thank you for helping me choose Raum’s name…He thanks you too.

  Sweat trickled down Hannah’s face as she ran through the pasture. She ran as quickly as her feet allowed but she knew that it wasn’t fast enough to outrun this demon. She looked behind her but didn’t see anything. The sky was unusually dark and the trees were just faint silhouettes watching her as she tried to escape death.

  It was eerily quiet, even for this time of night. No crickets chirped and the wind didn’t blow. The only sound was the rapid beat of her heart. She slowed her pace just a fraction. Her body was not used to this kind of exercise and her lungs felt as though they were on fire. “Where are those Daimon brothers when you need them?”

  Hannah looked around. She needed a place to hide so she could regain some strength but there was nowhere for her to go. The only building was a silo directly behind her. To her right a twig snapped. Her heart skipped several beats before nearly thrumming out of her chest.

  She felt like throwing up. She didn’t think she’d have to deal with this, not this soon, and definitely not on her own. His raspy chuckle took her by surprise. Crap he’s closer than I thought. She turned left and picked up speed. Would this nightmare ever end?

  A few short weeks ago Hannah was a normal seventeen year old girl preparing for her high school graduation. She was smart and pushed herself academically. Her only worry in life was whether or not she would be able to take off of work in order to attend her senior prom.

  Now everything Hannah loved was gone. Her parents, her best friend, they were all gone. They had been killed by demons that were dead set on torturing her. Demons that wanted to capture her and drink her blood.

  Demons. She still couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that they were actually real. She’d always believed that they were a fantasy. Something made up to entertain and scare people.

  “Hannah, you can run but you can never hide.” His sickly gravelly voice sent chills up her spine. A few more twigs cracked and popped behind her. She heard him breathe in through his nose — slowly. “Mmm, you smell delicious. I can’t wait to get my hands on you.” She could practically hear him smiling. “I’m going to take my time with you. First I’ll torture you slowly and then,” he hissed through his teeth, “I’m going to devour your organs.”

  She couldn’t keep running away, the Daimons wouldn’t be there to hold her hand forever. Eventually she will need to get up and take a stand. There was no way she could let anyone else die because of her cowardice.

  No time like the present to face her demons — literally. She stopped running, spinning on her heel. He stood several feet away with a wide grin on his face. He looked human except for his blackened eyes and shark-like teeth.

  This was not a demon possessed human. The sharp teeth were an indicator of that. No. This was a demon in his physical body and he wanted to kill the one thing that can kill his master. Hannah.

  She felt in her jeans pockets. Empty. That’s not good. She frantically patted and searched her entire body. Nothing. All her holsters were empty, she had nothing.

  The demon let out a shriek of a laugh, high pitched enough to break glass. “Looking for these my little Devada?” His sharp teeth, grimy and dripping with a black tar-like substance, snapped together rapidly. Her eyes widened at his savageness. The shock she wore caused him to smile in satisfaction.

  She was in no way ready to go toe-to-toe with a demon unarmed. She had no idea how to kill a creature of hell. The demon licked his lips right before he lunged at her with his claws outstretched, ready to slice her throat open.

  Hannah sat up gasping for breath and patting her chest, looking for any sign of injury. There was none. The moonlight shining in from the bedroom window revealed that she was in her room — safe. She reached over to the bedside table and switched on the lamp. Nothing was in her room. It was just a nightmare. Though she knew that it was a dream she couldn’t shake the fact that it felt so real.

  Leaning over the edge of the bed, she quick
ly lowered her head for a quick peek. She felt childish but she had to be sure that there wasn’t some monster hiding under there, ready to grab her leg and drag her under to a world of torment.

  It was all clear, well except for a couple pair of dirty socks that didn’t make it to the hamper. She leapt off the bed, running to her desk. A stuffed angel lay on top of her purple laptop.

  Her father had bought it for her when she was a small child. He said it would protect her from the bogyman. Picking it up, she crawled back under the covers and hugged it to her chest. She prayed it would protect her from the monsters in her head.

  This was the first nightmare Hannah had dreamed since she was a young girl. Little did she know, her life was about to turn upside down. As for her dream — was it really just a dream or was it about to become her reality?

  Since starting her senior year Hannah had spent very little time with her mother, Sally Williams. Hannah and her mother have always been close but the last couple of weeks they hadn’t hardly seen each other. Her school work and her job kept her pretty busy.

  A day at the spa would be lovely, even a day spent browsing the local bookstore. She just wanted to have one day to fully enjoy her mother’s company. This time next year she’d be miles away living in a college dorm.

  Hannah sat on the edge of her bed. She was not ready to get this day started. She had been up all night studying for tests. Her eyes burned from lack of sleep and she could feel the dark circles that had formed under them.

  Knock…knock. She glared at her bedroom door. She was tired and cranky from the little sleep she had gotten. What she really wanted to do was crawl back under the covers and sleep for a few more hours.

  After a few seconds her door cracked open enough for her mother to poke her head in. “Sweetie, breakfast is ready.”

  Hannah stretched. Her spine popped with the movement. “Be right down, mom,” she said in a voice hoarse from sleep.

  Sally nodded and closed the door. Hannah let out a small sigh. When she did, she crinkled her nose. There was nothing worse than morning breath. She listened as her mother’s footsteps faded down the hallway.

  Her phone buzzed, startling her to her feet. She reached over to the bedside table and picked it up.

  It was a text from her friend Chris Roberts, Hey Han running late, had to take truck into the shop this morning.

  Well at least his tardiness would buy her a few extra minutes this morning to get ready for school.

  She replied to his text. Okay. Is it serious?

  She tapped her fingernail on the back of her phone, waiting on his reply. Just as she was about to put the phone down it buzzed. Brakes.

  She put the phone in the pocket of her sweatpants and pulled her unruly hair up in a ponytail. After a quick brush of her teeth, she headed downstairs for breakfast. The smell of bacon and maple syrup reached her nostrils long before she landed on the bottom step.

  She padded across the hardwood floor to the kitchen. Her father sat at the table, one leg crossed over the other, reading the morning newspaper. Yes, he sat at the head of the table reading the actual newspaper.

  He thought that all of the digital devices were creating an isolated people. Before you know it, Hannah, people will not have a care in the world about their neighbors. Hospitality will be gone and we’ll all be strangers in this land. Her father would say this to her on a regular basis and especially when he saw her reading on her kindle.

  Her mother smiled upon seeing her. “Good morning, darling.” She finished piling food on the plates then carried them to the table.

  The three of them sat quietly eating their breakfast; pancakes, eggs, bacon, biscuits, and gravy. It was a lot of food but her mother loved cooking and tended to go overboard at every meal.

  Sally looked up at her daughter and smiled. “Do you and Chris have plans this evening?”

  Nodding she answered, “Well since its Friday we thought we’d go see a movie.”

  Her father pulled his wallet from his suit pocket and began thumbing through it. “You two seem to be spending a lot of time together.” He eyed her with a raised eyebrow while pulling out forty dollars and handing it to her.

  Hannah reached out and accepted the money. She folded it and set it next to her plate. “We’re only friends, Daddy.”

  Her mother smiled, probably thinking or wishing that there was something more to their relationship. “That sounds like fun, sweetheart. Will that be enough?” She indicated to the cash by Hannah’s plate.

  Seth looked up from his plate at his wife’s question. It had been too long since he’d been to the movies but surely it didn’t cost more than forty to see a show. Not wanting his daughter to be short on cash he pulled his wallet back out of his pocket, thumbing through it again.

  Hannah shoveled the last of her eggs into her mouth and stood up, grabbing her money. “Yes, this will be fine,” she said to her mother. “Thank you, Daddy. I love you.” She kissed her father on the cheek, blew her mother a kiss, and headed upstairs to take her shower.

  Hannah was upstairs in her bathroom shower when she heard a car horn. Not just a honk but a honk, honk, honk followed by a long blast of the horn. “Good grief, can he not just get out like any normal person and just come to the door?” She leaned her head back under the spray, rinsing the shampoo out of her hair and shut off the water.

  Before she could open the shower door the car horn blared, again. Hannah grabbed her towel and wrapped it around herself. She ran down the stairs two at a time hoping she wouldn’t fall on her face in the process of answering the front door.

  Just as she opened the door her cell phone rang. She must have left it down here this morning. Figuring it was just Chris telling her to hurry, she left the phone unattended and waved to her best friend through the open door.

  Chris sat in his truck with his cell phone to his ear, his fingers drumming on the steering wheel. The minute he spotted her standing in the doorway with nothing but a towel wrapped around her he put the phone down and shut off the engine.

  Hannah stood behind the cover of the door waiting on him to come in. The water in her hair trickled down her back, mixed with the fall air blowing in from the front door it raised goose bumps all over her body.

  Chris crossed the threshold and quickly shut the door. “You should have grabbed a blanket. No scratch that. You should have just answered the phone to let me know you were in the shower.”

  “Well,” she pointed to the coffee table, “my phone was down here, what’s another couple of feet to the door? Besides, I would have had to unlock it for you anyway.” She turned and started toward the stairs.

  “Hurry or we’ll be late for school,” he said as he sat down on the sofa.

  “I’ll be down in a few.” She heard him get up and start gathering her school books and purse, putting them in one spot so she wouldn’t have to search for them when she returned.

  Since she was already running behind schedule, she pulled her hair into a low ponytail and grabbed the first shirt and pair of jeans she came across. By the time she made it down to the living room Chris had her book bag, purse, and coat in hand. He helped her into her coat and carried her belongings out to the truck.

  He opened her car door for her, waited for her to get buckled, and then handed her the bag and purse.

  “Thanks Chris.”

  “You bet,” he said and then walked around the front of his navy blue Silverado truck.

  Something caught his attention and he took a step back to examine the front of his truck. Bending down he took a cloth out of his back pocket and buffed the corner of the hood, right above the left headlight.

  After a quick inspection he climbed into the truck. He looked in the mirror, ran his fingers through his hair, and checked his teeth.

  Hannah rolled her eyes and said, “You’re worse than a girl, you know that?” He just smiled his crooked smile and backed out of the driveway.

  They pulled into the parking lot of Morris High Schoo
l within minutes of leaving Hannah’s house. The parking lot was so full they had to park out by the street. Chris let out an agitated breath. “Nobody better come anywhere near my baby with a key.”

  Hannah made sure her purse was closed tight then swung it at Chris, hitting him in the middle of his chest. “Good grief, Chris. Why don’t you just hire guards to keep watch over your precious baby?”

  “That’s not a bad idea.” He rubbed his fingers back and forth over his chin as if seriously considering it.

  Hannah opened her mouth then closed it again. Was he serious? Surely he really wasn’t but his protectiveness over his truck was unbelievable. She watched him open his truck door. She couldn’t resist being ornery, the minute his door stood wide open she shoved him out.

  Mrs. Walsh, the high school principal, glared through the windshield at her. She swallowed hard and smiled hoping to soften the hardened face of their principal. “Class started two minutes ago. Love spats can wait until after school hours.”

  Hannah resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Love spats? Please.

  “Yes Ma’am.” Leaning into the truck Chris retrieved his books from the middle of the bench seat. “We’re sorry, Mrs. Walsh.”

  The principal gave him a brief nod, accepting the apology. Hannah exited the truck. Once she reached his side, he grabbed her by the hand, dragging her toward the building. This was their last year of high school and he wasn’t about to get on the principle’s bad list.

  Chris and Hannah walked as quickly as they could down the hall. Their first hour classes were right across from one another. He said a quick goodbye before entering his classroom.

  She watched him for a brief moment before turning the knob to her own classroom. As she opened the door the first thing she saw was a new student sitting at her desk. Yes, her desk. It was nearing the end of the first quarter and that had been her seat for all these weeks.