Alice's Sacrifice (Alice Clark Series)

by Andrea DiGiglio

  “Thank you for today,” she said in a whisper.

  “Even though it was a surprise?” he asked with an arched eyebrow.

  She could only laugh, “Yes, even though it was a surprise. It was the best day of my life.” She meant it as a compliment but he felt the sadness in her that she had minimal ‘good’ memories.

  “Thank you for trusting me.”

  “With my life, my soul and my heart.”

  “And mine to you, Alice.”

  She snuggled in closer and while he was enjoying their perfect day, he knew what was coming, and he wasn’t sure how she was going to take the news that they knew who had killed Camille. He was mostly worried that the lying from him while he fulfilled his promise to avenge her friend’s untimely demise, would damage the relationship he had been working so hard to restore. The last thing he wanted to do was prove himself untrustworthy and unworthy of her love, though often he felt unworthy.

  Paul couldn’t help but pace across the lawn even though he could hear the whispers and see the marks in the lawn from his path as each step ripped the grass up. Maybe it was in spite of the whispers but he knew they were right. His ever growing empathy was putting him at a disadvantage. He had never thought he had it in him; he just assumed he could relate and maybe even feel emotions when he was with Marie. I suppose this explains Alice’s intense empathy if she got it from her mother and myself. His thoughts were interrupted by Kokabiel.

  “Brother?” Kokabiel asked cautiously.

  “I’m fine. If this is a small taste of what my daughter, Alice, goes through, I truly am sorry for what I’ve done to her.” He couldn’t help but hang his head in shame. For the first time he felt that when the end of days arrived, he deserved to be judged and punished.

  “Don’t do that. I don’t know what has happened to you, but I am here and I will help you. As for Alice, she can take care of herself and she wants to live, to exist. Do not stand there and say she shouldn’t exist because of your guilt. All that she is, is the reason why she exists. This isn’t about saving us all anymore; it’s about saving her.”

  He stared at his Fallen brother for a long moment before passing a traditional nod. “It’s too bad she’s going to hate me after tonight.”

  “She will forgive you. After all, it is a human characteristic, and she is your daughter.”

  Paul was going to answer, to say anything to argue for no reason he could fathom, but Cole and Alice pulled into the driveway. They were both beaming, and he could see Kokabiel truly light up for the first time since Elizabeth had died. Of course he had known where they were so that really wasn’t a surprise. They joined everyone and he watched Jake hand off a couple of beers. There is an angel enjoying human life, he thought.

  “Alright everyone, let’s get serious for a moment,” Sariel demanded.

  Everyone instantly grew silent as Fallen and Nephilim prepared for a dreaded conversation. Paul looked around to find everyone looking at him.

  “Penemue would you like to conduct this meeting?” Sariel asked with hesitation.

  “No,” he sighed uncomfortably as he turned to look into his daughter’s eyes. “We know who killed your friend, Camille.”

  “You what? Who!?” Alice ran in front of her father with eyes that turned instantly glossy.

  “His name is Purah.” Paul prepared himself, for he knew her wrath was deadly and she was on the verge of exploding.

  “Is? You didn’t kill him?” Her skin began to twitch as if her blood were boiling underneath it. She turned to Jake and screamed, “Why didn’t you kill him?”

  “Alice, I am just as angry as you are, but please let the meeting finish. Then we can discuss my behavior at the news and you can even kick my ass across the yard.”

  “It’s not a joke, Jake!” she said, suddenly clutching his throat.

  Paul watched in shame, in sadness, in horror, at what he had done to her. “Enough, Alice!” His tone surprised even himself. The entire group’s jaws dropped as the old Penemue leaked through while scolding his child. Alice let Jake go and instantly the floodgates opened. I haven’t even gotten to the worst part. Jake scooped her up into his arms and let her sob, something very uncharacteristic of him, especially in front of a particular Nephilim. Cole stood nearby with fists clenched but strangely quiet as he allowed Jake to console his love. She really did have a remarkable effect on them all; the bad was worth every small moment of good with her. He knew he proudly felt that way on behalf of them all.

  Once Alice had calmed down, he allowed Kokabiel to explain to her what had happened, how Purah had shown up to terrorize and torment him by admitting to her friend’s murder. Lastly, they discussed the meeting Purah had requested and when it came time to vote, the group was split on the matter which infuriated him. Alice chose to sit the argument out; she was too upset and a little undecided on what should be done. She returned to the house and let the ‘men’ handle it. The way she had said that actually made him chuckle.

  “Alice can take care of herself. It is the only way to get close enough to see what they want and to kill the bastard who killed Camille!” As Jake screamed his argument, he faltered when saying Camille’s name.

  “He’s right and we all know how protective I am of her,” Cole added with a reassuring hand on Jake’s shoulder.

  “It’s too dangerous. I know Purah well and he is nothing but dishonest and cruel. We can’t send her in there with no protection and without any knowledge of their endgame. I know you all care for this girl, but she wouldn’t want you to die in her name,” Kokabiel said.

  Kokabiel had always had a way of commanding attention; he envied his soft touch and charisma. “I have to agree; it is too dangerous and they do not just want to talk. Nothing is that simple,” Paul spoke. They all turned to Sariel who sat on the grass, quietly watching the debate as if it were entertaining to him. Everyone turned to follow Paul’s gaze as he awaited the final vote.

  “I must decline. This is not safe and nothing but pain and anguish will come from this. I did enjoy her company as well, but if we do this, someone, if not many, will die. We know nothing of the bounty hunter’s plans, but previous to our battle with the angels, their only goal was to kill her. If that has changed, something worse may be upon us all, and I do not wish that for my granddaughter.”

  Though Jake and Cole bonded together to avenge Camille, sadly, her death would remain in vain as had so many deaths before her. Paul found comfort in knowing this time his daughter was safe, if only for a little while.

  “This is bullshit!” Jake barked.

  “I know,” Cole answered with aggravated sympathy.

  “What’s your angle on all this? Why stand on my side?” Jake demanded his anger seething from him.

  “I swore to Alice I would find Camille’s killer and avenge her death, and that is exactly what I will do!” Cole snapped.

  “Well, whatever your motives, thank you,” Jake said with his hand held out. “I know you don’t like me or my friendship with Alice, but I swear to you I mean no harm to her or to you. I care for her like a sister and I would lay my life down for hers.”

  He had spent so much time hating Jake, he had never really considered how Jake felt. ‘Men don’t do that,’ his old foster dad said once. Something still rubbed him the wrong, way but as hard as it was to admit, he did sort of like Jake and he was about to put a lot of trust in him. “I’m making the meeting,” Cole said with a sigh.

  “You’re what?” Jake laughed.

  “I’m making the meeting. I’m going to it and I will kill the bastard who did this. I’m going to avenge Camille for you both, for us all and send a warning to all bounty hunters.”

  “Don’t you think I should go? Actually I know I should go; she was my responsibility to protect.”

  “They’ll know why you are there. You don’t exactly hide your feelings well.” They both laughed. “Not to mention you’re a Fallen and on some level they’ll feel you coming. I’m different and ever
yone underestimates me.”

  “Alice will never go for it, you know.”

  Cole ran his hand through his thick black hair and sighed, here goes the worst part, he thought to himself. “That’s why you are going to distract her.” They both stared in shock at each other. Jake couldn’t believe what he had heard, and Cole couldn’t believe he had actually said it. “Go have drinks at the bar or something. She can drink like the rest of you Fallen.” Cole was having trouble putting images of the two of them, laughing, out of his mind. Deep down he feared he wouldn’t return, and that Jake would permanently fill in.

  “Sometimes more so,” Jake laughed. “I think it should be me, but your plan does makes sense. If anything happens to you, I’m dead anyway.”

  “She would kill you. See, we all win,” Cole grinned. “Seriously though, she cannot know that you must block her out. Watch your anxiety or she’ll prod you until you break. Just go have fun, but not too much fun. Now all we need is a way to contact the guy.”

  “That I have covered. Do you want a few days in case?”

  “Yeah, if you can.” The ‘in case’ worried him, but it was a risk he felt he had to take.

  “Now go spend time with the woman you love; she’s waiting up for you.” Jake smiled but it was one of the saddest smiles Cole had ever seen. He nodded in reply and headed into the house preparing himself to block out the one person he could truly trust himself to be vulnerable with.

  The breeze was slow as it gently caressed Alice’s face while she lay still on the bed, staring at her cracked ceiling, reminiscing when feathers fell from it, drowning her in love. She was angry that they had kept the information about Camille’s killer from her, but the day she had had was worth it. She felt as if she were cheating Camille by leaving the meeting and allowing the men to figure it out, but she knew by now that this one was not up for negotiation. Really, the entire point was to take a vote and see which side tipped the scale. She knew that if she had cast her vote, it would have been a stalemate. The results would have been anger and resentment and everything she was fighting to block out, crashing against the wall she had built to keep it all out. She missed her friend more than anything, but wasn’t willing to risk losing anyone else and they would never let her go. A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts, but she knew who it was.

  “You’re knocking? Really?”

  “It’s polite. I don’t know what you are doing in here,” Cole said teasingly, entering the room.

  “Is that a question?”

  “Maybe,” he said slyly. “How are you feeling about all this?”

  He really knew how to kill a mood with his concern. “I’m surprisingly alright. I mean I am pissed and sad, but mostly I’m alright. Camille died. I can’t change it no matter how I feel, and right now I just want to be here with you, not somewhere else thinking about that bounty hunter or Camille.” She reached out for him and he came to her willingly. Without a word, he pulled her into him and held her exactly the way she needed him to in that moment, and always.

  Alice stretched across the bed with tightly shut eyes, resisting the sunlight she could feel burning her lids. The scent of hazelnut and coffee filled her nose. He does know how to get a girl up out of bed. She reluctantly pulled herself from the bed, past her desk, and ventured downstairs to the kitchen.

  “Morning, love.”

  “Morning,” she smiled. Something so simple was the most important part of her day. She grabbed a cup of coffee and sat at the table. Cole set down a plate with scrambled eggs and toast in front of her. “So simple this morning?” she teased.

  “Har, har,” he joked as he sat down.

  She loved when he let loose; he always seemed to keep everything bottled up inside. At this point, it wasn’t protecting her as much as it was bothering her, and in recent weeks he had become emotionally distant. She knew one way to get him to drop his guard. Her eyebrow raised at the thought, and with a smirk plastered across her face, she couldn’t hide it and didn’t want to.

  “What is that look for?”

  “Whatever are you talking about?” she asked coyly as she sauntered back to the coffee maker. She could feel his eyes all over her and she loved it. She had set the jewelry box on the steps to try, for lack of a better word, a parlor trick she had been practicing since she played with their two feathers on the bar back when they first met. She had secretly been trying to lift them and the more she tried, the more she realized she was the one showering them with feathers in the bedroom. Impossible, yes, but it was happening anyway. She stared at the box as she lightly swayed to keep his eye contact on her body. Slowly the feathers emerged and floated above Cole. She allowed one to drop and watched his grip tighten on the chair he was in.

  “Alice, did you drop something?” he said, trying to make his voice sound steady. It wasn’t.

  “I don’t think so,” she said, as she let another feather drop, grazing his cheek on the way down. She remembered his reaction to her feathers and that the smell was intoxicating to him. She remembered laughing at his description that she smelled like buttercream and vanilla. She laughed out loud at the memory, losing her hold on a few more feathers.

  Cole looked up to find the contents of the jewelry box hovering over him. “Alice? You know that is not necessary.”

  “But it’s oh so much, fun.” It was fun, but she needed to be close to him and she couldn’t wait much longer. She could feel his desire for her; he was incapable of shielding it from her at this point. With that, like a wind storm, she let the feathers float and bounce around him as they had in the bedroom. “I…” he interrupted her with a kiss that pushed her across the room into the wall by the stairs. Luckily, the feathers had fallen and all her concentration was where it belonged, and after stirring him up so badly, she knew what to do. She ripped off his shirt, jumped into his arms and wrapped her legs around his waist. He continued to press himself against her into the wall, only releasing the pressure to rip her shirt off from behind her. She groaned in response, clawing at his well-toned back. She reached below her thighs to undo his jeans, almost in a backbend. He growled from the view, ripping her favorite pajama shorts and everything else off in one quick motion. Drunk from all the passion, want and need, he reached up behind her, clutching her shoulders and pulling her down onto him while returning them to the wall for support. She felt how much he wanted her, needed her, and she felt the same way. She needed every inch of him, always. She reached back to push against the wall into him, returning only to taste his kiss and drink his love.

  Alice couldn’t keep the ridiculous grin off of her face, and she knew James was going to tease her about. She wasn’t sure she was in the right frame of my mind to work on her project, but she rarely knew what she was painting until it was over. She pulled into the parking lot as her phone went off.

  “What’s going on, Jake?”

  “I was wondering if you want to meet up for drinks later? I mean you guys,” he asked.

  “Actually, yeah, that sounds great. I just got to school so I’ll text Cole and see if he wants to come. I can call you when I’m out.” She got out of her car and headed to the trunk to grab a few supplies.

  “Just come on up; we both know I’m a drunk. Wait, why are texting him when you can talk to him whenever, can’t you?”

  “Says the guy who calls my cell. We like to try and act like we’re human on occasion. See you after class.” She hung up and quickly texted Cole, as James practically skipped up to her.

  Actually tonight I was thinking about going to talk to my mother. – Cole

  Well, that is more important. I’ll tell Jake we can’t tonight. – Alice

  No, don’t do that. Go ahead and go; I’ll see you at home after. – Cole

  Are you sure? She thought to him.

  She could hear his laugh echo in her mind. I thought we were trying to be human?

  This is faster. She joked, while trying to dodge the odd glances from James. Though James is looking at me like
I’m loony tunes.

  Yes, go have drinks. Have fun, just not too much fun.

  I’m still sore from too much fun this morning. She laughed out loud and Cole knew it. Unfortunately, James was growing more concerned. I have to go. I love you.

  And I love you. Text if you need me.

  Smartass.

  She laughed again and this time James couldn’t stand it. “What is so funny and why are you giving me the silent treatment?” he questioned.

  “I just had something on my mind is all.” That time she was thinking about the morning and instantly regretted it.

  “Oh, I see, counter again?”

  “Oh, shut it.”

  “Ha! It was the counter again, I mean you do realize you have an entire house.”

  “It wasn’t the counter.”

  “In the kitchen, though, right?” He waited, but she felt so busted. “Ah hah! Remind me never to have breakfast at your place.”

  “Jealous, I take it?”

  “That’s cold,” he said, playing hurt.

  They smiled as they entered class, neither the victor, parting to go to their own stations. Alice stared at her piece, assessing what needed to be done. It was a room, perhaps in a basement or a rundown underground facility. Wherever it was, it was dark and dingy and sent a shiver up her spine. She shook it off while pulling her IPod out. She glanced back at James, who made a sexual innuendo with his hands.

  “You are so gross,” she whispered. He laughed loudly, disrupting the class. She turned her head back to focus on the canvas before her. The second the first guitar strummed, she was lost to it all.

  “Done,” she whispered as she smiled with satisfaction at her work. James was there by her side in no time at all, being that he was the only one working behind her to notice the piece was done, and he was always quite fascinated with her work.