I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“Deal!” Daniel offered his hand to Scott and he shook it with one swift tug. “Put twenty in apiece?”
Scott nodded his head and I just stare at them, mouth wide open. I had only been here a few minutes and they were already thoroughly engrossed in my love life.
“Don’t worry, Cassie. Listen, if we’re both wrong, you can have the forty quid.”
I was about to protest, but Daniel went and put his hand on mine. I really wished he hadn’t, as what I saw horrified me. I whipped my hand away in shock.
“Excuse me. I don’t feel too good. I think I need to use the bathroom.”
Getting up as quickly as my legs could carry me, I made my way to the toilets. I walked through the door and into the hall where the toilets were. I was about to enter when I felt a hand tug at my arm.
Fear gripped me as I thought it may have been Daniel coming to get me. Turning around, relief coursed through me as I gazed into Michael’s concerned blue eyes.
“What did you see?” Although he looked concerned, his voice was commanding and almost panicked.
“What do you mean, Michael? I don’t understand.” I could feel fear starting to grip me. The visions were running so violently through my head now, and it was hard willing my brain to stop.
“Cassie, please, you don’t have to pretend with me. You saw something, didn’t you? Daniel touched your hand and it was almost like you saw a ghost. What did you see?”
My eyes raced to find the answers in his. His questioning shocked the hell out of me. “How do you know?”
Michael sighed, but it didn’t stop how rigid he looked. “I’ll get to that in a bit. For now, I just want to make sure you’re okay.”
Knowing he cared, I threw my arms around him. The feel of him so close gave me instant relief.
“Daniel is a very bad man,” I said, pulling away. “He needs to be stopped, Michael. We can’t let him go home to his wife tonight. He’s going to beat and rape her. I saw it all. I saw the fear in his wife’s eyes.”
Gripping onto his shirt, my breath came out in short gasps. “I can’t get it out of my head, Michael—the evil. I’m fed up with the evil. I don’t want to live life like this anymore.”
He pulled me into his arms again and cradled my head to his chest. “Shh, it’s okay. I’m here for you. I’ve always been here for you. You’re the one I’ve been searching for all these years.”
Through my terror, I didn’t know whether I had heard him correctly. “What?” I pulled away, searching for some answers.
“Will you come with me?” His face was eager and almost triumphant. I could tell he felt relieved about something, but I couldn’t fathom what it could be.
Wiping my eyes, I took a deep breath and nodded my head. He grabbed my hand and led me out through the gathering crowd. I fetched my coat and we headed on out, not saying a word to anyone on the way.
We were practically running towards the station. There seemed to be an urgency for both of us to get away, and I was more than happy with that idea after what I’d just witnessed.
Once we were in the parking lot, Michael turned to me. “Wait here a sec. I’ll be right out, okay?”
I nodded, confusion filling all my senses. I waited for a couple of minutes when he emerged with a leather jacket on and a helmet in his hands. Under normal circumstances, I would have melted at the sight of this. Right now, I just wanted to get away. I think Michael could sense my urge to leave, and he looked just as eager as I did.
“I hope you’re not afraid of motorbikes.” He handed me the helmet with a look of appreciation.
Shaking my head, I had to admit I was a little excited at the prospect. I had never been on the back of a bike before. I worried about my dress a little, but at least it wasn’t tight-fitting so I think I could get away with it.
Michael took care in strapping the helmet on me and we walked towards this beautiful, huge black-and-silver monster. It was obviously one he took care of as everything looked shiny and new. He hopped on and motioned for me to climb aboard.
“Hold on tight to me now, Cassie. I don’t want you falling off.”
I gripped my arms around his waist, more than happy to feel the intimacy we had for however long it lasted.
We travelled for about twenty minutes, zooming past the street lights and cars. It was an exhilarating experience, but a little cold. Michael shielded most of it for me, so I couldn’t complain.
We passed Putney Bridge and turned right into Upper Richmond Road. We rode along there a while until we reached the Barnes area. Pretty soon after that, he turned off, headed down a nice quiet street, and parked.
“What a pretty street,” I said, taking my helmet off. “You live here?”
“Yes, this one here.” Michael pointed to a lovely regal house.
Taking the helmet from me, he led the way to his gate. We walked through and up to the front door. He had a little courtyard out front with a little pond full of fish.
“Are these yours?” I pointed to the area in his front yard.
“Yes, I like fish. They’re very calming.”
We venture into the white-walled hallway, ending up in his living room. It was a cosy room, typically male, with the big screen TV and leather sofas. What wasn’t normal was seeing a big picture above the fireplace of an angel encased in stunningly intricate, white lace. I couldn’t help but stare. She seemed to have a calming influence on me, and I thought I needed that right now.
“You like the painting?” Michael broke my stare.
“She’s beautiful.” I sighed a little. I then notice another feature in the room—a big fish tank. “You do like your fish, don’t you?”
He smiled, placing his coat on a hanger and offering to take mine.
“Michael, what are we going to do about Daniel? I won’t be able to live with myself if I let him go home to her tonight. It was bad enough with the train crash. I don’t think I could live with this.”
Michael seemed to freeze a little. “How did you see the train crash?”
Sighing, I began to tell him the story about Lisa-Marie. He listened without saying a word. Afterwards, he gripped me by the shoulders and looked me in the eyes. “Listen, I’m going to make a phone call. Don’t worry. I won’t let Daniel anywhere near his wife tonight, okay? I’ll make sure of that.”
I’m not sure what he meant by that, but I nodded, grateful that he could take some of this burden off me. I trusted him to make the right call. I didn’t know why. I just did.
Once he made the phone call, he sat down next to me and handed me a brandy on the rocks. “This will help with the shock a bit. You don’t have to worry anymore, Cassie. You have me. I’ll never let you live through this burden alone.”
I looked up at him, confused. I had a million questions for him and didn’t quite know where to begin.
“I suppose you have a lot of questions for me?”
I started laughing, wondering how he could read my mind so well. “Yes, but it feels so strange.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because it’s normally the other way around for me. How did you know I saw something? And, not only that, how did you know the way I saw it?”
Michael sipped his drink and looked away for a moment before meeting my eyes again. “You’ve been seeing things ever since you can remember, right? When you touch people’s hands, their past and future maps itself out in front of you, correct?”
I was dumbfounded. I couldn’t believe I was hearing this. My brain burned with the knowledge that he knew. Not only that, he seemed to know more than I did.
“Yes,” I whispered, shocked.
He pondered for a moment, then smacked his forehead, making me jump. “Why did I not see this before? How stupid am I? Your name is Cassandra, right?”
I rolled my eyes. What was it with people saying my full name lately? “Yes, but what’s that got to do with anything?”
“Your name
, like mine, has a meaning behind it. My name, as you know, is Michael Andrews. Even my surname means something. Michael means ‘who is like God’. I am the leader of the angels’ armies. A warrior. Even the name Andrews means ‘manly’. What I didn’t pick up on was your name. I think I was too busy trying to keep away from you. It’s been very hard for me, though.”
He looked at me for a few seconds, but that was all it took to melt. I had so many questions burning away in my head but, right now, my loins were taking over. “Do you really have a girlfriend?” I really wanted to know, and I hoped I liked the answer this time.
He shook his head. “No. I simply said that because I knew that would make you want to keep away from me. Not that I succeeded in that department myself. I just chased you down and made you kiss me. I’m sorry about that.”
I smiled despite myself. I should be angry, but I was just so pleased that he had lied. I never thought I would ever say that about someone.
I suddenly had this urge to pounce on him. I had to try to shake myself out of this constant fixation to grab Michael and kiss him. I simply had to know more. “So…my name,” I began. “What does it mean?”
“Cassandra was given the gift of prophecy by Apollo.”
That was a shock. How did my parents know this? What made them choose my name? These were questions that would never be answered, I suppose.
He saw the expression on my face and continued, “Now you know what your name really means. It’s unusual for you to have it, though. Only warriors like myself are given a name by the angels.”
I looked at him in complete confusion. “I’m sorry. What did you just say?”
“Oh boy. I think I need to start from the beginning so that I don’t completely confuse you. I’m not from here. I work for the angels.”
I immediately took a swift gulp of my drink. I could tell it was going to be a long night.
“People on earth are destroying the planet. The numbers of bad people are growing and growing. Always destruction, wars, death. The angels became saddened by the knowledge that such a beautiful place was being destroyed by its own people. Mostly, it was the crimes against people that upset them the most, so they came up with a plan.
“Twenty-six years ago, five souls were touched and the gift of a child was given to five childless couples. I bet your parents told you that you were a miracle, right?”
“Yes.” I felt a little breathless. “Apparently, they tried for years before I eventually came along.”
He nodded his head, then continued, “There are four other people just like you. All we knew was one was in London, one in China, one in Russia, one in the US, and another in Australia. All were scattered across the globe in the hope that you would all do some good. The angels wanted to do more, but there were others that didn’t like this plan. It was strongly objected to by some. We call them The Renegades. They felt that sometimes bad things happen to good people. People live and then they die. It’s what makes the world go ‘round. There was a bitter debate and, soon, a war began.”
I couldn’t quite get my head around this. Angels were supposed to be good, weren’t they? “A war? Really? How can that possibly happen?”
“Some angels turned. The debate still rages on even now, but there are some that feel the decision made all those years ago should be…dealt with.”
He looked at me timidly and I quickly got his meaning. “You mean eradicated?”
“Umm…maybe ‘contained’ is a better word. If you are contained, then there is no need to do any eradicating. Some angels want you to use your gift to help others, and some feel it is a gift bestowed upon the unworthy.”
I cringed a little. That didn’t sound good. “So why are you here?”
“I was sent to find you and protect you. Once the war broke out, the angels lost sight of where you all were. We managed to pinpoint a location, even down to the fact you were in Fulham, but we didn’t know exactly where. I came here and joined the police force, as we felt that was as good a start as any. It gave me more access to try and find you. The problem was when you started, I couldn’t keep my eyes off you. I knew other men wanted you and I hated them all because of it. And I hated myself for feeling anything for you.”
My heart felt heavy. I was suddenly aware of something quite frightening. “What if I wasn’t ‘the gifted one’, as you call it? What if it turned out I was just some ordinary girl?”
“You see, that’s the thing, Cassie. You aren’t just an ‘ordinary’ girl.”
“But what if I was?” I interrupted. “What if it wasn’t me and this girl was still out there.”
“It wouldn’t have changed the way I feel, if that’s what you mean. When I said you weren’t just an ordinary girl, I didn’t mean because of your gift. You’re one special lady, whether you have a gift or not.”
I smiled, thinking how wonderful that was to hear. Michael obviously had a knack of knowing the right things to say when he needed to.
“So what happens now?” I hoped he had the answers because, right now, my head was bubbling with the information I’d just received.
“I keep you safe. That is my mission. Nothing more, nothing less.”
“Nothing more?” I raised an eyebrow slightly.
He sighed. “I was only told to keep you safe, watch over you, be your guardian.”
I slumped a little. The disappointment was oozing out of every pore.
Reaching his hand out, Michael stroked my cheek. My eyes closed at his wonderful touch.
“Cassie?” His voice was like velvet.
Opening my eyes, I found his face inches away from mine. He leaned in slightly, hesitating a little, waiting for permission. My heart immediately started to beat out of my chest, the blood rushed through my veins and seemed to flow in one direction—straight to my loins.
He stroked my cheek again and the moan that escaped me was unavoidable. I needed to feel his lips on mine.
Pulling his head towards mine, I gave him the permission he was seeking. He felt warm, enticing. The need to have him closer set in pretty quickly, tugging at my insides.
His hands touched me in all the right places, except the place I really needed to be touched. I wanted his hand on my breasts, wanted to feel his skin on my skin. I didn’t know where this was coming from, but I knew that if he pushed, I could not possibly say no.
Just as my mind was racing with the thought, he pulled away. “You make this so hard.” Resting his head on mine, his breathing was harsh.
“What’s so hard about it, Michael?”
He took my hand and I almost flinched and pulled away, but the shock sent me into overdrive. I gasped and my eyes widened, searching his for some answers.
“Such innocence,” he said, clasping my hand. “Who am I to take that away from you?”
I bolted out of my seat, pulling my hand away from his. “I really don’t understand what’s going on! Why can’t I feel you, but you seem to know everything about me?” The tears were threatening to flow as I fought hard to keep it together.
“You can only read from mortals, Cassie. I can show you what you want to see, but you will never be able to reach into my soul. I don’t belong down here. I was just sent to protect you.”
“Yes, so you keep saying.” My head was suddenly pounding and my eyes were growing weary.
Walking over to the fireplace, I looked up at the angel once again. This painting obviously had more meaning than I originally thought.
I leaned against the fireplace and hung my head. Exhaustion was kicking in, so I knew it would be a good idea if I asked Michael to take me home. I was about to ask, when I feel a hand on my shoulder. Spinning around, I find Michael looking at me, worry written all over his face.
“Listen, I know this is a lot to take in. You must be tired. Please, stay here tonight. In the morning, we will talk some more. That’s if you want to?”
I nodded my head. That sounded like a good idea. I’m not sure whether I would be able to keep my
eyes open on the way back home.
Taking my hand, he led me up the stairs and to the bedrooms. I was a little unsure of what to do as I didn’t know which room I was supposed to walk into. Michael soon answered that for me.
“This is my room.” Despite my tiredness, the look of the modern-day room made me chuckle a little. His bed was huge, his TV was huge—everything in this room was huge. But Michael wasn’t your average modern-day man. Maybe that’s what attracted me to him in the first place. I sought out the strange and unusual, just like he did.
He pulled a shirt out from his closet and handed it to me. “You can wear this if you’d like. I have a spare toothbrush in my bathroom so feel free to use anything you want in there.”
Leading me into his en-suite bathroom, I was immediately greeted with a big stand-up shower and two sinks, a huge mirror hanging above them. I looked in the mirror, but didn’t like what I saw. I looked exhausted, like half the woman I was before I left my flat earlier this evening.
He bent down and looked underneath his sink. Soon, he was back up, handing me a brand new toothbrush, still in its wrapping. He smiled. “I’ll go sleep in the spare room, let you have some privacy.”
I couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed. I was frustrated and tired, but that didn’t stop me wanting to be near him.
He leaned in, kissing me on the cheek, hesitating for a moment. I wonder if he felt the same way I did I would hope so.
He soon retreated and the disappointment was written all over my face. He looked at me and said apologetically, before disappearing out the door, “Goodnight, Cassie.” Even his whisper was like velvet. A silky soft, magical velvet.
“Goodnight, Michael,” I replied, a hint of sadness in my voice.
Chapter 7
Tossing and turning, tossing and turning. That’s what I felt like I was doing all night. I slept fitfully, dreaming of all sorts of things—not of very nice things, either. I didn’t even realise I was asleep until I heard Michael’s voice at the door.
“Cassie, are you okay?”
“What?” I asked groggily.
Her Guardians: Her Guardians Trilogy Book 1 Page 8