by D. F. Jones
Sandy opened the car door and walked slowly up the sidewalk. The sun had melted nearly all the snow and ice. The afternoon was fading quickly into dusk as the sky turned dark orange and pink. The church doors had never been locked, to her knowledge. She reached for the knob and pushed the door open.
The stained glass windows of Jesus with the twelve disciples along with Mary and Joseph and other saints and angels cast a warm glow from the fading sun. The dark red velvet carpet was worn from years of foot traffic. Plush homemade cushions fit on the walnut pews, lovingly made by the women’s Bible class. The light inside was dim; only a couple of track lights lit a beautifully carved cross with Jesus mounted on the wall behind the pulpit.
Sandy sat on the front pew with her hands in her lap. She hadn’t been to church since Christmas. Her hands began to tremble as the events of the past few days caught up with her. In the quiet stillness of the church, Sandy found herself on her knees praying for her many blessings. She prayed for forgiveness for any wrong to others or herself. Sandy prayed for her family and her friends. She prayed for strength.
Last, she prayed for Baldric. “You know my thoughts before I think them. You know I’m in love with the angel you sent to protect me. I know it’s against your rules, against the rules of heaven. It’s not an ordinary love we share. I get that part. He won’t go against your wishes, and it isn’t right for me to ask him to. But I love him. I love Baldric. Why do I feel like he’s the one you chose for me? If this is wrong, then please, please help me to overcome my feelings. I need your help.”
Baldric appeared before her and knelt down on one knee. Sandy sucked in a deep breath, and she choked up with emotion. He took her right hand and said, “I have a confession to make. Last night, as you gave me your heart, I didn’t offer mine in return. You’re right. It’s against the rules for us. It’s against the rules for humans, too.” He released her hand, turned, and pointed down the aisle. “You should want to walk down the aisle of this holy place with someone worthy of you. Marry in front of your family and friends. You deserve real love.”
Baldric pushed his hair off his forehead and then rubbed his chin. “But I can’t stay with you if you do. I can’t watch you marry a man. I can’t look at you while you raise a family with another when I want you for myself.”
Sandy’s hand flew over her mouth.
Baldric raised his eyes toward heaven and said, “Strike me down, Lord. Take me from her and give her someone worthy of protecting her because I can’t deny my love for Daireann any longer.” The look he gave her had the air backing up in her lungs. Her chest tightened, and her heart fluttered. “I love you, Daireann. You’re my other half. You make me whole. I want to spend eternity with you as my paired partner, my best friend, my lover.”
Sandy threw herself into Baldric’s arms and kissed him. The union of their kiss bathed the sanctuary in light. When they broke apart, a celestial being hovered right above them. She wore all white, and the essence of her beauty made Sandy speechless.
The female spirit said, “Baldric, you’ve reached a decision marking you to Sandra Daireann through eternity. However, your pairing with the human female will require His sanction. You may have this night with your partner, but you must appear before Michael in the morning. He’ll make arrangements for you to meet with The Creator. I pray you both find an outcome filled with love and happiness. Take Daireann’s hand.”
Baldric stood and bowed deeply before the spirit. “Blessed Spirit of Man, I’m forever in your debt. You heard my prayers.” He reached for Sandy’s hand, and she stood beside him.
The Spirit of Man opened her arms with a sweeping motion and turned to Sandy. “Before we begin this most sacred nuptiae, you must understand, Sandra Daireann Cothran, the ceremony in which you partake. Are you in agreeance?”
Sandy had never been shy or timid, but standing before the Spirit of Man she was awestruck. She nodded and whispered, “I agree.”
The Spirit of Man repeated a litany of rules and regulations regarding the pairing of angels. Since Sandy was one hundred percent human, most of the jargon was foreign to her. Sandy raised her hand, and the female spirit smiled. Sandy said, “I’m afraid I don’t understand the meaning of some of the words you’re using. Would you mind explaining in human terms?”
The Spirit of Man said, “You and Baldric must agree to the laws and regulations outlined in a binding agreement of what humans refer to as marriage. There are no allowances for separation under any circumstances. There are no allowances for any infidelities. You and Baldric will be bonded by the laws of heaven past your death until eternity ceases to exist. Are you willing to bind yourself to Baldric?”
Sandy had some Latin classes in college when she’d entertained the idea of becoming an attorney. She turned to Baldric and grabbed both his hands and squeezed. “Ubi tu Gaius, ego Gaia.” Which meant, where you go, I will follow. Sandy turned and looked up at the spirit. “I bind myself to Baldric.”
The Spirit of Man turned to Baldric, who at this point had a golden halo effect around his entire body. “Baldric, do you bind yourself to Sandra Daireann Cothran?”
Baldric kissed Sandy’s knuckles and repeated her choice of words, “Ubi tu Gaia, ego Gaius.” Baldric turned to the Spirit of Man and exclaimed, “I bind myself to Sandra Daireann.” Baldric whispered to Sandy, “Clasp my right hand.” Sandy did as he requested, and the Spirit of Man wrapped a glowing, golden, braided cord over their wrists.
The Spirit of Man appeared in a physical form. She held Baldric’s and Sandy’s hands tightly. “You have my blessing, my children. Your love isn’t ordinary and falls outside the boundary of conventional pairings or marriage in the traditional sense. I’m sure all three of us will be accountable for our actions today. It is my nature to fill the universe with love, and your love is evident in my eyes. Be well and prosperous.” The Spirit of Man vanished in front of Sandy’s eyes.
Sandy swallowed hard as she searched Baldric’s smoldering eyes. “Are we married?”
Baldric’s kiss was both passionate and gentle. The electric energy between them made the hair stand on her neck and arms. The tingling of his soft, full lips against hers made her weak in the knees, and he supported her with his strength. Sandy and Baldric were married. She didn’t care that she wore blue jeans and not a white dress. All Sandy cared about was that the angel in her arms loved her enough to commit himself to her for eternity.
Baldric moved slightly away from her face. “Our union won’t be like normal marriages. But you’ll have my love and my devotion forever. Do you think we could make it official?” He chuckled.
“You betcha! And you know I’ve never been normal.” Sandy laughed and said, “I’m staying at Mom and Dad’s. Is that okay?”
“I have fond memories of you growing up in the house. Let’s go to your old room.” Baldric held her tight and kissed the top of her head.
Sandy reached up on tiptoe and kissed him again, then she said, “You mean, our old room.”
They walked arm in arm as they exited St. Timothy’s. Stars twinkled in the jet-black sky. Sandy could see her breath in the frigid air, but she was toasty warm in Baldric’s arms. At her car, Baldric opened the door, and she slid behind the wheel. He said, “It’s customary for the groom to light a fire for his bride before she enters the house of their consummation. I’ll go ahead to your parents’ house and start the fire in their hearth and search for a bottle of wine.” He leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips. “You hold my heart.” He disappeared.
Sandy played Baldric’s words over again on the drive to her parents’ home. The mention of consummation had her squirming in the car seat. She’d lost her virginity at seventeen, but tonight she felt like a maiden again. Baldric the Warrior married her before the Spirit of Man. She pushed away any negative consequences tomorrow might bring. He belonged to her, and she belonged to him.
Aunt Ellen had passed away several years ago and left the old farmhouse to Sally. The buttery ligh
ts from inside the house were inviting as Sandy pulled into the driveway. White smoke filtered slowly from the two chimney stacks on either side of the house. She loved the old place. It was home. The front porch light flipped on, and before she could open the car door, Baldric was there.
He lifted her out of the car with one swoop and Sandy giggled like a schoolgirl. They didn’t need a flashlight because Baldric emitted his golden light at least three feet in front of their path. Baldric ducked his head under the doorframe as he carried Sandy over the threshold.
True to his word, Baldric had both hearths blazing with fire. He was breathing hard, and Sandy noticed his hands shook as he sat her on the couch. The silence was too loud. She said, “We don’t have to be nervous with each other. Is that glass of wine for me?”
Baldric reached for the glass and nearly toppled it over before handing it to her. “I don’t know why I’m so nervous. I guess because this seems like a dream and any minute Seneca or Ralph is going to hit me on top of the head with a club.”
Sandy took a sip of her wine and then set it on the coffee table next to a bowl of red apples in the center and her dad’s TV Guide tossed to the side.
In a quiet voice, he said, “My love for you could place you in harm’s way.”
Sandy reached over and brought his hand to her lips and pressed a kiss. “I don’t want you to think about protecting me. I want you to love me. Throw caution to the wind and give yourself to me. I want you to make love to your wife.”
Baldric fell to his knees and wrapped his arms around her waist. He looked up into her eyes and said, “It is as you wish, my love. I am yours.”
Sandy twisted her fingers in his thick blond hair and joined him on the floor. She kissed him, tenderly at first, before she savagely consumed him with kisses.
Baldric pulled away slightly, searched her eyes, and held her hands. The room filled with his decadent scent of cocoa. Golden sparkles like tiny stars released from his body into the air and onto her skin. Sandy began to glow with the warmth of Baldric’s love. He said, “I want to make love to you, my Daireann, my wife. It sounds strange to my lips to call you my wife, but I’ll get used to it.”
Baldric lifted her in his arms, took the stairs two at a time, and strode to her bedroom. He kicked the door open with his boot, and it ripped off the hinges. He threw Sandy on the bed and stared down at her. Throwing his head back, Baldric opened his mouth and roared while he ripped the armor from his chest until he stood before her, magnificent and naked. The hardwood floors shook under his feet.
Baldric jumped on the bed, and the slats fell out from the mattress, throwing them to the floor. They both laughed. Then he looked at her with raw hunger in his eyes, and she wet her lips. His golden skin gleamed and shimmered as he tore the buttons from her shirt and exposed her breasts. He pulled her blue jeans off as he devoured her with his eyes.
Breathlessly, Baldric said, “I’ve dreamt of this moment.” He lightly traced the outline of her lips with his tongue before he sucked and pulled on her bottom lip. Sandy began to bloom as his kiss lengthened. He trailed kisses along her throat, down to her breasts, and continued to her firm, flat abdominals. Baldric ran his fingers in between her legs over her soft folds of skin, and he growled. She trembled with desire from his touch.
Sandy couldn’t quite believe this beautiful immortal being was making love to her. Real love, not lust. Sex she knew and understood. But even great sex was nothing like the feeling she experienced combining her soul with Baldric, the only one to whom she’d given her whole heart. The titillations of combining their arousal for one another wasn’t about her or him. Making love to Baldric held the promise of all her hopes and dreams for a future she’d never allowed herself to dream about before. Sandy had no desire or impulse to run away, as she frequently felt halfway through copulation. No, on the contrary, Sandy wanted the feeling of her and Baldric, in this Oneness experience, to last forever.
* * *
Baldric consumed Sandy’s body with the essence of his soul. The smell of her arousal drove all thoughts from his mind except for the incredible need to be inside of her warm, intoxicating body. He wanted to taste every inch of her. Sandy was his for all eternity, and he would never give her up.
Baldric devoured her with kisses, and she gave him what he needed. His hands roamed gently over her legs to the back of her knees until he held her foot in his hand. He kissed the arch of her foot and trailed his tongue along her toes, and Sandy moaned in pleasure, which drove him further to ecstasy.
Baldric kissed and trailed his tongue up along her beautiful body until he whispered in her ear, “I’m going to mark you, Daireann. Upon my entry into your womanhood, the marking process of our pairing will begin, and I won’t be able to stop once the process starts. I’ve only heard stories about pairing couples. Some of the chemicals released and shared between us create a type of euphoria.” He kissed her and cradled her face in his hands. “I tremble for you, my love.”
With a throaty sigh, she said, “You’re so much more than I ever imagined. Take me. I’m yours.”
A burst of warm air filled the room. Energy started from the top of his head to the base of his spine as he entered Sandy, and she screamed his name. Baldric had held himself in check with regards to Sandy’s sexuality for years. But she belonged to him now, and every man, every angel, and every demon angel in the universe would know Sandy belonged to him from this moment forward.
Baldric’s essence marked Sandy physically through the contact of their skin, sexually through intercourse, and emotionally as their souls became one. Their pairing took him soaring to the highest mountain peak, and the beauty of their union was beyond any sex he’d ever experienced. It wasn’t just the sex that was otherworldly; it was the combining of their spirits, making him whole for the first time in his existence, and the transcendental discovery of finally finding out what he knew he’d been missing in his life.
There was a magical and emotional intertwining, as well as the physical, combining his DNA into hers to seal their pairing links. The continual hum of the electrical current ringing in his ears nearly made him deaf. The light of their love had been intense, temporarily blinding him before the pairing was complete. Making love to Sandy was the most incredible and intimate experience of his life.
Later, Baldric watched the steady rise and fall of Sandy’s chest as she slept in his arms. He stroked her soft, peachy cheek and ran his fingers through her silky hair. He loved her more than his life and would gladly suffer the consequences in the morning. Tonight with her had been worth an eternity of consequences. He’d have to answer to The Creator for pairing with his assigned ward. Baldric prayed He would understand and sanctify their union. At least they had the support from the Spirit of Man on their side.
Sandy snuggled further into his arms, pressed her lips against his neck, and muttered, “Make love to me again, husband. Make me glow with your love again, warrior.” She arose and sat on top of him, and he arched his back and released a roar loud enough to reach the heavens. Tomorrow would come too soon.
Chapter 7
Broken Wings
The sunlight of morning broke through the Chantilly lace curtains. Sandy rolled over and opened her eyes. She hadn’t dreamed it. Baldric smiled down at her and brushed his fingers down her spine. She lay in his arms naked. She quickly looked under the covers and smiled.
“Yeah, I’m naked, too,” he chuckled.
Sandy propped her hands on his chest and kissed him. “So I didn’t dream it. We’re married.”
Baldric kissed her lovingly while stroking her long hair down her back. “We’re married or, well, paired. Either way, you’re stuck with me. Any regrets?”
Sandy began trailing her fingers up and down his massive chest. “I thought I’d dreamed making love to you. But making love doesn’t describe this kind of dreamland. You’re spectacular. You’re stupendous.” Sandy threw the covers off the bed so she could inspect Baldric fully in the light of day
, and he didn’t need much encouragement.
“Keep the compliments coming, baby girl.” He growled and rolled her onto her back and dove between her legs, and the fireworks went off again.
The little golden stars were like hits of adrenaline and pheromones rolled into one powerful formula of yum. She grabbed his head and pulled him up to her. “I could spend the rest of my days in bed with you. I love you so much, Baldric, and I’m not afraid to say it out loud. Isn’t it grand? I’m not afraid to love you.”
Baldric entered her and slowly began to rock back and forth into a steady rhythm. “I’m so glad you’re not afraid anymore. You and I are meant to be together. I love you, and you make me feel as though I could move Mount Everest with my bare hands.”
Sandy and Baldric made love while they continued talking to each other. Sandy never talked during sex. Now she couldn’t stop. “I want to have your babies.” He froze.
She frowned and said, “Is that wrong? Or is it impossible?”
Baldric took a deep breath and sighed, then moved away from Sandy. He stood and began to put on his warrior gear. She sat up and said, “Please don’t stop talking to me. What did I say wrong? I take it back. We don’t need kids. I just need you.” She crawled out of bed and draped her arms around his neck.
Baldric pulled her arms away and sat on the edge of the bed. “I love you, and I’m going to fight for our sanction. I have to face the Commander in Chief this morning, and then I’ll have to meet with The Creator Himself. Our pairing will be brought up to the council of nine, and we’ll no doubt be the main buzz in heaven. Angels and humans consummated in antiquity. A superhuman species developed out of the union and The Creator wiped them out in the great flood.”
Sandy wrapped the blanket around her and tucked it into her armpit. “I’m on birth control. I don’t want to make it harder on you.”
Baldric turned and pulled Sandy into his lap. His forehead touched hers. “You may be with child. Your birth control doesn’t work on angels. I should’ve been more careful. I had no idea how powerful the pairing chemicals were between us until they were released. I couldn’t stop. I couldn’t help marking you and making you mine.”