by Мишель Роуэн
And I clean toilets, Val thought.
“I’ll call first,” she said.
“Valerie—” Barlow began as she turned away. “Uh . . . very well. We’ll speak later.”
“Valerie?” Alexa repeated. “As in, Valerie Grace?”
Val glanced at her. “That’s right.”
She smiled. “Very interesting.”
“Alexa . . .” Barlow’s voice held an edge of warning. “Leave her alone.”
Her smile widened. “Valerie, dear, would you care for a piece of cake?”
Val’s stomach growled. The cake did look pretty tasty.
“Well,” she glanced at Barlow. “So . . . uh, you didn’t tell me. What’s the occasion? Whose anniversary is it, anyhow?”
“Ours.” Alexa moved toward the cake and started cutting it up with a big knife.
“‘Ours,’ as in who?”
“Me and Barty. It’s our fiftieth anniversary.” Alexa slipped the first piece of chocolate cake onto a paper plate and brought it to Val.
She frowned with confusion. “Fifty what?”
“Alexa,” Barlow growled. “I’m warning you.”
She laughed. “Fifty years of being together.”
“Fifty years?” Val shook her head. “How is that possible?”
“Valerie, dear.” Alexa smiled and shook her pretty head. Val looked into her eyes and saw the flames dance behind them. “Haven’t you figured it out yet? I’m Barty’s assigned Tempter.
He’s a fallen angel just like you.”
Chapter Five
“Huh?” Val squeaked. “He’s a what?”
“A fallen angel,” Alexa repeated. “You look surprised.”
Val stared at Barlow with wide eyes. He was a fallen angel just like her? When did that happen? Did she miss the memo? No, it was impossible. She would have known something like that, wouldn’t she? Sense it somehow?
A fallen angel just as she was.
And Alexa was a demon just like Nathaniel?
No way.
Barlow didn’t say anything to either deny or agree with what Alexa said. He went back to his armchair and sat down heavily.
Val’s mouth felt dry and her heart pounded hard and fast.
Alexa looked at her appraisingly. “So I see that Nathaniel hasn’t succeeded yet?”
“What?”
“Nathaniel. He must have made contact with you by now. Didn’t he manage to sweep you off your feet?”
Val turned her stunned gaze to the beautiful demon. “Not even close.”
“Is it perhaps that he’s simply not your type?” Alexa walked a slow circle around Val, looking her up and down, then smiled. “I find that hard to believe. He’s quite something, don’t you think? Tall, dark, and handsome. A voice that melts against your skin like chocolate. Full lips meant to be kissed. A body meant to be worshipped. But if he’s not your type . . .” She trailed off expectantly and raised an eyebrow.
Val swallowed. There was no way she was going to admit that everything Alexa had just said was true. She’d only been human for two months, but if she had to admit to having a “type,” then Nathaniel was it. But, nope. She wasn’t going to admit that. “He’s not, okay?”
Her smile held. “Then perhaps I should pay you a visit some time, instead. It would be my pleasure.”
“Alexa,” Barlow said. “That’s enough.”
She moved her flame-filled gaze from Val’s to look at the old man. “I was simply trying to be helpful.”
“I find that difficult to believe. Just go away.”
She pouted, and her hurt expression didn’t look completely put on. “But it’s our anniversary.”
He stood up quickly to stare at her, but started coughing so violently that he had to cling to the side of his chair. Alexa rushed to his side.
“Baby, are you all right?” She murmurred, stroking his hair, his arm, his back. “It’s okay. I’m here.”
Val frowned at her and felt a flood of concern for Barlow. That was not a healthy cough.
He finally got it under control, straightened up and shrugged her hands off him. “I’m fine.”
“No you’re not.”
“I said, I’m fine.”
Alexa sniffed and looked at Val who was surprised to see tears in her eyes. “He won’t admit it to anyone but he’s gravely ill.”
“Alexa,” he growled.
She shook her head. “You are. You can’t fool me. I can see the disease eating away at you.
I’ve tried to ignore it, but I can’t anymore. I won’t ignore it. You’re sick. You need to use my gift before it’s too late.” She moved toward him again, but he held his hand out to stop her from getting any closer.
“I’m not promising anything. Leave.”
She sniffed. “I’ll return.”
“I know.”
She glanced at Val. “Try to talk some sense into him, would you? He can either finally agree to come with me and I will take care of him and ensure nothing bad ever happens to him, or he can make use of the key. There isn’t much time left.”
Val opened her mouth to say something, although she wasn’t sure what, when Alexa disappeared behind a column of flame leaving Barlow and her alone.
He’d pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and coughed into it some more. When he took it from his mouth Val could see a spot of red on it. Her heart clenched.
“You need to see a doctor.”
“No doctors. I’m fine. Just a bit of a cold is all,” he murmurred and wiped his mouth. “Sounds like your cold has cleared up finally. It was a bad one, wasn’t it?”
It was true. Ever since Nathaniel healed her ankle last night, her head cold congestion had become less and less . . . congested. She felt almost completely healthy again.
“You’re a fallen angel?” she blurted out.
He didn’t say anything for a long moment. Then finally, “Yes, I am.”
“And you knew who I am? What I was?”
He nodded.
She let out a long, shuddery sigh. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“There was no reason to.”
At first, Val felt incredibly angry that he hadn’t told her. Two months and he hadn’t said a word when it must have been obvious how distraught she was over her situation. But the anger passed as soon as it had appeared, replaced with a overwhelming wave of complete and utter joy.
A wide smile spread across her features and she ran to him to hug him tightly. “This is so wonderful,” she gushed. “I’ll never forgive you for not telling me, but now I know. Now everything is going to be better.”
Barlow struggled to free himself from Val’s grasp and crooked an eyebrow at her. “Is that so?”
“How long have you been here, anyhow?”
“Fifty years.”
“And you’ve known Alexa for that much time?”
“She made her presence known to me almost immediately.”
Val’s mind raced. “And in all that time you’ve been able to resist her?”
He looked thoughtful. “I suppose I’m a very stubborn person. Once my mind was made up that I did not want to buy into her fictional tales of how perfect an existence I would have in
Hell, there was nothing more she could say to me that would have convinced me otherwise.
Frankly, I’m quite surprised that she’s never given up despite my absolute determination to deny her. Now I must simply tolerate her attentions.”
Val almost grinned. “Yeah, that must be difficult. She’s so ugly.”
“I won’t say that it hasn’t been difficult at times. And I’ll admit that I’ve come close to allowing her to affect me—to tempt me. Mostly in my younger days. But I will say that I am lucky. Demons are gifted with the ability to charm their prey to a certain extent. It’s similar to hypnosis. It isn’t enough to make the fallen one agree immediately, but it can tilt the scales to the Tempter’s benefit. Thankfully I have been mostly immune to this particular demon ability.”
/> Val nodded her head. “Yes, I think Nathaniel tried something like that with me last night.
Made my head all cloudy. Made me think that being tempted might be a good thing.” She frowned. “I should be mad at you, you know. You could have warned me.”
“If you were meant to be tempted, than you would have been. No warning would have made a difference. I am proud that you were able to resist him. Very proud indeed. But you’ve only seen him the once? Do you think you’ll be able to continue in your resistance?”
Resistance is futile, Val thought.
Star Trek. Very addictive television show.
“Probably. I mean, yes. Definitely. No problem whatsoever.” She sighed heavily. “What’s the deal with these Tempters, anyhow? What’s in it for them if they bring one of us over to the dark side? I don’t get it.”
Barlow cut himself a piece of the anniversary cake and began to pick at it. “It’s their job. Tempters tempt.”
“I don’t want to see him again,” Val said. Would she be able to resist him again? She thought she would. But fifty years? That was too much. Barlow was obviously much stronger than she was, or ever would be. “I want to go back. I didn’t have any problems like this in Heaven. It was perfect and wonderful, and I loved my job . . . not that I don’t like working for you, but it’s not the same. I know my memories are fading. They probably fade on purpose so we don’t miss it so much, right? Is that how it is? Well, I don’t want to forget! I don’t want to forget any of it. Now that I’ve found you, we can go back together. There has to be a way.”
Just thinking about it made tears start to well up in her eyes and she fought to hold them back, but it was too late. Big salty tears coursed down her cheeks like the Falls themselves, and she found that Barlow was hugging her, patting her on the back, and telling her everything would be okay while she sobbed against his shoulder.
Finally, she released him and took a step back. “Sorry. I don’t know why I’m even bothering anymore. There’s obviously no way to go back. It’s all just a waste of time. You’ve been here for fifty years and you’re still here. Maybe I need to just give up. Accept being human. Maybe it’s not as bad as I think it is after all.”
“Oh, it is,” Barlow said, as he tucked a long strand of Val’s blond hair behind her ear in a fatherly manner. “Being human sucks the big one, pardon my language.”
She sniffed. “This is not helping.”
“Sorry.”
“So you’re saying it’s useless. That I should just give up.”
“No, I’m most certainly not saying that. We’re going to go back to Heaven. The both of us.”
Val’s eyebrows shot up. “What did you just say?”
A grin cut through Barlow’s wrinkled face. “Alexa just gave me a very interesting anniversary gift. A very interesting gift indeed.”
She felt a weird sensation begin to well up in her chest. It was either indigestion or hope. And since she hadn’t eaten her piece of cake yet, it was probably hope. “What was it?”
“What Alexa said before she left. About either coming with her or using the key . . .”
“Yes?”
“She was referring to a very special key, the key she just gave me as a gift . . .” He trailed off and his grin grew wider.
“Mr. Barlow, I’m about to explode. Tell me!”
“Alexa has given me the Key to Heaven for our anniversary.”
Val leaned back. “The key to say-what-now?”
He looked amused at her reaction. “You heard me. I have the Key to Heaven. I can use it whenever I wish.”
She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “But I thought the Key to Heaven was just a myth
. . . like when everyone used to talk about a piece of Heaven falling off and disappearing eons ago. Fiction.”
“It’s not a myth. Lucifer made the key before he was cast out of Heaven. His backdoor access, if you will, so he could sneak back in. The key is quite pretty, too. Rather smaller than you’d think. With the incantation to open the doorway etched into its golden surface. Alexa is quite generous. The gift wrapping left a little to be desired, but I’m certainly not going to complain.”
“But,” Valerie still couldn’t believe that it could be true. “If it’s not just a myth, then why didn’t Lucifer ever use it?”
“He never used it for one very simple reason. He lost it.”
“He lost it? No way.”
“People lose things all the time. Just like socks. I tell you, Valerie, I don’t have one matching pair anymore. I really should make a trip to the mall.”
Could it be true? Could she allow herself to believe that something like this was possible? She answered both questions with a resounding yes. This was wonderful. Fabulous. The best news she’d gotten in two long months.
“Wait a minute,” Val said suddenly. “Why would a Tempter Demon give a fallen angel something that would help them go back to Heaven? Doesn’t that defeat the entire purpose of what she does?”
“Yes, it certainly does. No argument. And if her superiors ever find out about her gift she would be punished severely and mercilessly.” He suddenly got a faraway look of concern on his face. “But Alexa cares for me. In her own way. After all of these years, I truly believe that she is more interested in my well-being and happiness than fulfilling her mission to tempt me.”
Val snorted at that. “Sure she is. And Nathaniel wants to take me out shopping for a two-carat diamond solitaire. I’ll send you the wedding invites as soon as they get back from the printer.”
“Sarcasm is not necessary, my dear.”
“I can’t help it. This is just too wonderful. I don’t want to be disappointed when it all turns out to be a big fat lie.”
“We’ll find out tomorrow.”
“Find out what?”
“How well the key works. I plan to use it tomorrow to go back to Heaven. And you’re welcome to come with me.”
Tomorrow. Val didn’t think she’d ever heard a more beautiful word. Wait, she could think of one. Today. Today was an even better word.
“Why don’t we, I mean you, try it now?” she asked. “Why wait?”
“I am very tired. And it’s late. Before I re-enter Heaven I would like to be well rested. I’m quite sure there will be many questions asked when we return unnannounced.”
“But—”
“Valerie,” he cut her off. “It’s my gift. We’ll use it tomorrow. Patience is a virtue, you know.”
She sighed. “Okay. But early tomorrow.”
“I’ll be waiting.” He smiled at her and she couldn’t help but return the expression.
Tomorrow. She was going back to Heaven tomorrow.
She could hardly wait.
Barlow had given her half of his anniverary cake, which she ate almost all of while watching
TV in her room. It was delicious.
She made a list in her ever-present Heavenly Memories Notebook of things she wanted to do before she went back. There was really only one thing on the list: Say good-bye to Reggie.
She’d miss him. He was a good guy. Hopefully he’d be able to work things out with his girlfriend.
After taking a quick shower, she got into her warm flannel pjs—another thing she liked about being human, as they were quite cozy and comfortable. Then she slipped under the covers of her bed, propped the pillows up behind her head, and used the remote control to click off the television.
Just then there was a knock at the door.
Val sighed. Then she salt bolt upright in bed, thinking that it must be Barlow wanting to use the key that night.
She swung her legs out of bed, hurried over to unhook the chain lock, and twisted the handle to open the door.
“Mr. Barlow—” she began with a big smile on her face.
Nathaniel leaned against the door frame, cigarette in hand. He gave her a sly smile.
“Hey Val,” he said. “Did you miss me?”
Chapter Six
Val slamme
d the door in his face.
She was so not ready to deal with the demon tonight. Or ever again, for that matter. This time tomorrow, she’d be long gone and wouldn’t have to face Nathaniel ever again. She decided to ignore him. After a while he’d realize she wasn’t going to open the door again and he’d go away.
She turned around.
Nathaniel was sitting on her bed.
“Mind if I come in?” he said and held out a paper bag. “I brought you some chicken soup for that nasty cold of yours.”
She backed up against the door. “Go away.”
He sighed and put the bag down on the floor. “Here I go and give you some time to yourself.
Some time to think about the things I said to you last night, for you to realize that there really is no other choice than to agree to come with me, and this is the greeting I get? Very impolite, little angel. I’m shocked.”
She scowled at him. “Okay, how about this? Go away. Please.”
He looked around at the room. “So this is the little corner of the earthly realm you’ve carved out for yourself, is it?” He picked up a pink bra she’d tossed on the bed before her shower.
“Very nice.”
She moved close enough to snatch the bra away from him. “Get out of here. You can’t tempt me. I don’t care what you say. I’m serious.”
He stretched his long, lean frame out on the bed and put his hands behind his head. “Oh, you’re serious. Then that changes everything.”
She ignored the smirk he gave her.
“Can I ask you a question?” Val moved back and leaned against the closed door, trying to make herself look as relaxed as possible while having a drop-dead gorgeous demon with ulterior motives spread across her bed.
He cocked his head to the side. “Ask anything you desire.”
“Why are you doing this?”
“Doing what?”
“I’ve practically begged you to leave. It should be obvious that I’m not going to fall at your feet and beg you to take me to Hell. Why can’t you go tempt somebody else instead?