Keeper of the Innocents

by Kristy Centeno

  I stopped short when I noticed Ezekiel was transparent—totally see-through. “What the hell is going on? Who are you?” After the shitty day I’d had, I wasn’t about to automatically believe this transparent thing standing in the middle of my bedroom was Ezekiel, the dark-winged angel.

  “While it’s good you are cautious enough to distrust me right away, we don’t have the time for that right now.” His tone was as serious as his expression was stoic.

  “I’m not going to—”

  He cut my protest short. “Listen, Demi. You have your permanent charge, but an emergency has arisen and I need your immediate intervention.”

  I bolted out of the bed. “What do you mean? Already?” I hadn’t even had time to be in charge of my Keeper responsibilities in regards to Renee and he was already dumping another one on me.

  He rewarded me with an impatient look. “They are called emergencies for a reason.”

  I raised both hands, palms facing him. “Hold on a minute. I don’t appreciate the sarcasm at this late hour.”

  “I’m afraid it cannot be helped. My reason for being here is important and explaining things further only delays us.”

  “For an angel, you really are moody,” I said.

  “And you really do ask a lot of questions,” he retorted.

  I made a face at him. “Okay, so…you’re here because someone needs my help?”

  Ezekiel nodded, his long black hair shifting slightly as he moved his head. “That is correct.”

  “But…but—I still don’t understand, how is it that you’re here?” Hadn’t he mentioned he couldn’t set foot in the human world—or something to that effect?

  Apparently he knew what I was referring to because he wasted no time filling me in. “Remember when I told you we have ways to work around our…impediment?” When I nodded he added, “Well, this is the only way I can stand before you.”

  “You’re like a ghost?”

  “Not exactly. My body lacks substance. We are cursed beings, therefore we cannot coexist in this world. And we can never go back to our original home. The—”

  “Only place you can exist as your true self is in Levion.” I filled in the rest of the sentence.

  “Exactly.” Ezekiel shrugged his broad shoulders and that’s when I finally noticed that unlike before, when he was topless, now he wore a black, button down shirt which matched his black pants and shoes.

  “You really do look like a messenger of death with that getup,” I said. “The only thing you’re missing is the scythe.”

  “Anyway…” He ignored my comment. “I have just received word that a child’s life is at stake. You must intervene before his young life is taken away or his future dampened by evil.”

  “Let me guess, this kid is one of our successors.” And by successors I meant magical beings who stood behind the line marked ‘Good’ and were meant to join the battle against evil at some point during their lives.

  “Yes. And tonight will define whether or not he’ll live to grow into his destiny and I’m afraid that by stopping to explain things further we might have wasted a lot of valuable time.”

  I wanted to scream my frustration. “Well, excuse me for being cautious. You told me yourself not to trust anyone and when you show up in my room in the middle of the night, I—”

  “I understand. I’m not blaming you. Although, I can see how it might appear that way.”

  “Could have fooled me,” I muttered under my breath. “So, who is this temporary charge and where can I find…him?”

  Ezekiel took a step closer. “Here is all you need to know.” Without so much as a warning, he lifted his right hand and thrust his index finger into my forehead, touching its tip to my skin. The second he did that, a barrage of images of the child in question and his entire seven year lifespan invaded my head, nearly overwhelming me with the force it transmitted the information to my brain.

  In a matter of seconds I was able to understand the importance of this particular child as well as learn where he lived, who his parents were, and what catastrophe his demise would ultimately bring.

  As quickly as the event started, it stopped. The dark angel finally removed his digit, but when he did my entire body lurched forward as if it was being pulled by some invisible force. Had Ezekiel not been present I would have fallen flat on my face, but luckily he was there to prevent that embarrassing mishap from occurring. Grabbing a hold of my arms, he steadied me. On wobbly legs, I could barely keep myself from crumpling to the floor.

  Having lost my ability for such a long amount of time had forced its recent return to be more of a curse than an actual gift. Every time I was rewarded with a vision it upset me more than it would have normally, had it not been affected by whatever that demon did to me two years before.

  Shaking my head, I stood up as straight as I could and stared at the angel’s unusually dark eyes.

  “That was a doozy,” I muttered. “I don’t know how I ever managed to control those.”

  “I should have warned you.” Ezekiel stared down at me. “I’m sorry.”

  “That’s okay,” I murmured as he let go of my arms. “I should have expected that.” Well, to be perfectly honest I’d expected him to pass along a piece of paper like he’d done when communicating my permanent charge but apparently nothing went as I expected anymore. “I only wish this emergency would have come when I was ready for it.”

  Then again, emergencies usually popped up when one least expects it. In my case, emergencies would pretty much mean life or death.

  “Emergency cases such as this one do not usually pop up right away after the Keeper witch takes over her first permanent charge.” He took several steps back, stood up straight, and added, “I have confidence you will do well, however.”

  I have no idea why, but I had the strangest feeling this sudden emergency was actually a test. Something told me my Overseer wanted to see how well I could do under pressure. Mom had never mentioned if a Keeper undergoes a test run, but even if that was the case I knew she had been instructed to keep it to herself.

  “You should get going. The more valuable time you waste, the closer the demon gets to its goal.” With that said, Ezekiel vanished in a puff of grayish fog, leaving me standing there staring at the spot he’d been standing. For an angel that was restricted to a realm beyond ours he sure had no problem paying me a visit when it was called for.

  “Well, it’s now or never,” I murmured to myself. Since I had fallen asleep fully dressed with my shoes on, all I had to do was get out of the apartment and hope I’d get to my destination on time. Before setting out to do just that, I searched the apartment in hopes that Mom and Dad had come back from their date and I could borrow the car.

  Unfortunately for me, I was all alone. Mom and Dad’s bedroom was empty.

  Cursing under my breath, I grabbed my copy of the house key, money for a cab, and of course, my cell phone.

  After locking the door behind me, I hurried down the two sets of stairs that led to the first floor of the building. I was in such a rush to get to the far side of town, which was where my destination was located, that I slammed into the building’s main door without pausing to think about the possibility that there could be another human being standing behind it, and pushed it open so quickly I ended up doing the one thing I should have been cautious about.

  The door whipped open and collided against the person standing behind it. I flinched as I realized I’d actually slammed the door into someone and I only hoped I hadn’t caused significant physical damage. The last thing I needed was to be caught up in anything that would delay me from protecting my innocent.

  “Seriously? Do you have something against me eating now?” Standing behind the door was Rhyzel. As if things couldn’t get any more complicated, I was forced to glance at what he was pointing to. The contents of his recently purchased McDonald’s order were splayed all over the stairs that led down to the sidewalk.

  I winced as I focused my gaze on his
face. “I’m sorry.”

  “I’m starting to think you did that on purpose.” He scowled.

  “Why would I waste my time?” Did he think I lived only to make him miserable?

  “Because you don’t like me and don’t even try to pretend that you do.”

  “That would be hypocritical, wouldn’t it?”

  “I guess so.” He glared at me. “You nearly broke my hand.” He lifted his right hand and sure enough, there was a huge bruise on the skin in between the thumb and his index finger.

  “I didn’t do it on purpose.” If there was a time to feel awkward over the fact that he’d paid for my lunch, this was it. The man had done something that most people would consider a nice gesture, and I repaid him by splattering what appeared to be his dinner all over the ground. “I’m in a hurry.”

  “Yeah, I’m sure you are.” He turned on his heel and started down the stairs, picking up the scattered food and shoving it back into the bag. “There could have been someone else behind that door, you know.”

  “Whatever. I don’t have time for this right now.” I started down the stairs behind him. The only way I was going to get across town was via a cab and being that it was Sunday night, finding a free one would be a hard task in itself. I really didn’t need to get into an argument with my demon neighbor.

  I walked to the edge of the sidewalk and looked first to my right and then my left. There were no cabs in sight.

  “Damn.” I pulled out my phone and dialed the number to the cab company I usually used for transportation. The line was busy. “Damn!”

  This was one of those moments I wished Mom and Dad were home. I needed to borrow their car. Calling them would be useless since they were probably on the other side of town having dinner in a fancy restaurant and by the time they drove home to pick me up and drop me off at my destination the little boy I was going there to save would be dead.

  I seriously needed to start saving for my own ride.

  “Geez, what now?” I muttered under my breath. I tried the cab company’s number again. The line was still busy.

  “What’s with you?” Rhyzel stood so close to me the sound of his voice startled me. I jumped a little.

  “Why are you here?” I snapped irritably. I was annoyed both by being unable to transport myself and because he’d managed to catch me off guard a third time.

  He gave me a look that said more than his lips did. “I was throwing my food into that trash container next to the stairs, thanks to you.” There was a rush of emotions in his eyes. They spoke of disdain, anger, annoyance even, and it was all directed at me.

  “I said I was sorry, so let’s drop it, okay? There’s somewhere important I have to be and standing here talking to you is eating up my valuable time.” I tried the cab company’s number for a third time. It was still busy. “Jesus, did everyone decide to call for a cab just to piss me off?”

  “Good luck trying to find a cab on this late hour,” he murmured next to me.

  “Who asked for your opinion?” I shook my head in frustration. If distance wasn’t an issue I would run to the location. Running was an impossible feat. I would never make it in time, but—the bus. I could take the bus! But even as that solution crossed my mind the idea died within seconds. The bus took way too long and made too many stops. I needed to get there fast.

  It was then I spotted Rhyzel’s neon green and black Yamaha motorcycle a short distance away. Seeing it sparked an idea. What if—no! What’s wrong with me?

  The thought vanished just as quickly as it had tried to manifest itself.

  I couldn’t ask him. It hurt my pride just thinking about asking him for a favor. Especially after the way I’d treated him. Besides, even if I did ask there was a good chance he’d tell me to go throw myself down a ravine.

  “Where are you going, anyway?”

  “That’s none—” I bit my lower lip to keep the rest of that sentence bottled in where it belonged. I wanted to send him packing but the truth of the matter was that I needed him. Like it or not, I needed to get to my temporary charge and he was the only one that could help me.

  Pride had no place here. I needed something that he could very possibly provide and even though I’d much rather throw myself down a hill than ask a demon for help; I’d pretty much run out of options.

  “Could you give me a ride?” I hurried to ask before I changed my mind.

  The look of shock on Rhyzel’s face would have been funny as hell under normal circumstances. This was by no means a normal situation, though. My time was running out and there was no time like the present to do away with my pride for a little bit.

  “Are you serious?” When he realized I wasn’t joking, he said, “You give me hell for being half demon, ruin my dinner plans, and still have enough backbone to ask me for a ride? You really are something.”

  I scoffed. “If you’re so mad about the freaking food, then I’ll buy next time, okay?”

  His eyebrows shot up. “Deal.”

  It was then I realized what I’d just said. “No. Wait! That came out wrong. I didn’t mean—”

  “It’s the least you can do.” He actually smiled. “Tomorrow night I’m free.” He smile grew wider.

  “No way. You can forget it.”

  “I guess whatever appointment you need to keep isn’t that important, huh?”

  He was seriously getting on my last nerve. “You have to be joking.”

  “The way I see it, you owe me. Lunch at Linda’s is on me, but my dinner is sitting in the bottom of that trash can over there.” He pointed to the trash container behind us. “I can always just go home and heat up a can of Chef Boyardee and enjoy a rerun of my favorite TV sitcom.”

  “Fine! Fine. I concede. Tomorrow night, okay? Now can we get going? I’m in a hurry.” I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d just sold my soul to the devil. Just for that I’d get him. If there was a God in heaven I would get him for being such an ass and for taking advantage of the moment. It was only a matter of time.

  “All right, let’s go.” He strolled over to his bike, straddled the seat, and turned it on. “You coming?” If he noticed my eyes throwing daggers at him he gave no indication.

  “Fine,” I murmured before stalking forward with a look of defeat on my face.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The Rake

  I’d never ridden on a bike before and as Rhyzel swerved dangerously through buzzing downtown streets and accelerated like some adrenaline junky, forcing the bike to travel at speeds which seemed to be impossibly fast, I thought I was going to die of a heart attack. I didn’t even think the human body could withstand the force of the wind almost slamming like some giant bulldozer into one’s skin, but it definitely could. I was living testament of that.

  During the ride from hell, I held on to his midsection, hoping we’d get to my temporary charge’s house in one piece. I seriously thought one of my limbs were either going to break off or I would end up flying away like some discarded kite. At some point I even thought my neck was going to snap. The faster the bike moved, the more my head swayed back—to the point where I thought I’d never be able to hold my head up straight again.

  The whole ordeal was uncomfortable, not to mention petrifying.

  Finally, I gave up on keeping my head facing forward, and decided to bury my face in his back instead. That way I couldn’t see the blur of buildings, vehicles, and street lights anymore as we moved about the city.

  It was just about the scariest ride I’d ever been on. At one point I even pleaded with him to slow down for the sake of my sanity—and fear of speed. I was afraid we’d end up attracting a cop, or worse, get into a bad wreck. But he kept insisting it was safe. That we wouldn’t crash. That he’d get me to my destination safely. That he’d done this millions of times before.

  I had a hard time believing that, but ten minutes later we arrived and yes, most of my limbs were unharmed. My arms were a little numb and my legs wiggled with every step I took after sliding of
f the bike’s seat, but hey, I was still alive. I couldn’t say the same thing about my hair, though. I was pretty sure I looked like an upside down broom by the time I got off the damn motorcycle.

  “Are you all right?” Rhyzel asked as he reached out and grabbed my arm to keep me walking in a straight line instead of zigzagging all over the sidewalk.

  “If I would’ve known you drove like someone who has some kind of death wish, I would’ve thought better of asking you for a favor,” I muttered.

  “You said you were in a hurry.”

  As much as I wanted to act like my motion sickness was his fault, he did have a point. Right before we took off, I had insisted he hurried things up. “I need to get there fast,” I said. “Hurry it up. Take me to that address and step on it.” I should have just kept my big mouth shut.

  “Why are we here?” Rhyzel glanced forward, eying the huge three-story high, 1800’s Victorian style house similar to one my grandmother had shown me in a picture when I was eight. It definitely was old, but appeared to have had some work done on it recently.

  “I’m here for a job.” I wiggled my arm free of his hold and crossed the walkway that led up to the wooden staircase, which in turn led to the wraparound porch in front of the nicely sized house.

  “You’re here for a charge? Why didn’t you say it was an emergency?”

  Wait! Did I hear him correctly? Charge? He knows what kind of witch I am?

  I spun around so quickly he ended up bumping into me. The second our bodies made contact an image flashed before my eyes. It happened too quickly for me to make out exact details, but I could tell whatever was in his head was something familiar, forbidding, and represented some form of oppression. The feeling I got from the disfigured, barely human face I’d seen for two, maybe three seconds signified forced domination.

  Whatever it was that he saw, it was too disturbing for me. The emotions I got from him as he unwillingly fed me the image was of emotional sickness. Distress. Hopelessness. I didn’t like sharing such personal thoughts and emotions with Rhyzel. He was hardly human. This was my way to convince myself that he was not, and would never be, like me in any shape or form.