Torn

by Ashley Stambaugh

  "But Adelia's not an elder anymore," said Dean.

  "That's right," said Phinneas. "But she was an elder at one time, so the stone would still act the same way with her. And if she has become a fallen angel, I'm sure it will only make finding her even more difficult."

  "You have to at least try," Melina said. "We have to know for sure what has become of Adelia—if she really was destroyed or if she's become a Fallen. And if she is still here then I can bet that she's still helping the Noxin demons. Whatever they plan to do with their acquired guiding angel powers, I'm sure she's known about it from the get-go."

  "You're right," said Phinneas as he stood up from the couch. "We have to at least try to see if we can find her. I can leave now to go to the summoning stone."

  "No," Melina said, her wariness of him suddenly returning. "I just, I don't…"

  "Trust me?" Phinneas asked while raising an eyebrow at her.

  She sighed. "I'm sorry. It seems that any type of negative feeling I have anymore is magnified, and it's hard to shake."

  "I understand," said Phinneas. "I would suggest that Walter go with me, but don't you want one of us here to help you with trying to bring your angel powers forward again?"

  Melina nodded. "I do. But I also want to know if Adelia is still here or not. She wanted nothing more than to have me dead, so if she's still here, I need to know. Even if she's weak, she's still a threat to me."

  "I'll go with Phinneas," said Walter, "but only for a little while. If we haven't found Adelia by tomorrow then I'll return here to help you bring your angel powers back to being dominant."

  "Okay," Melina said.

  "I'll be back as soon as I can," Walter said as he looked between her and Dean. "Both of you please try to be careful."

  She nodded again. "Henry and Merrick said they'd both be on high alert.”

  "Good. We'll see you soon." Walter looked at Phinneas and then they both disappeared.

  She turned to Dean. "I really need to go and see Lee. Will you be okay here by yourself?"

  "Will you be okay going out by yourself?" he asked in return.

  "I'll be fine," she said. "It's safer for you to stay here and…" She hesitated as she rubbed the back of her neck and turned her gaze down to the floor. "Well, it's just probably for the best if you don't come with me to go and see Lee." With her head still lowered, she glanced up at him to see his reaction.

  He stared at her for a second and then slowly nodded his head. "Okay. I understand."

  "Thank you," she said. "Please, make yourself at home. I've got plenty of different books for you to read." She pointed her thumb over her shoulder to the bookcase behind her in the living room. "Or you can watch some TV or a movie. If I'm not back before you get hungry for lunch just help yourself to whatever you like. There's lunch meat in the fridge, and I think there might be some canned soup in one of the cabinets."

  "All right," said Dean as he stood up from the couch. "Right now I think I might just go and lay down again. Maybe since it's daylight I won't have nightmares."

  She smiled, and then he turned and made his way down the hallway and into the guest room. When Melina heard the door shut she put her boots on and gathered up her things. She slipped into her coat, making sure to pull the hood up over her head, and then headed out the back exit.

  The sun still bothered her, but it didn't seem as bright to her today. Some of the snow had melted, so there wasn't as much of it for the sunlight to reflect off of and blind her. It was still enough to hurt her eyes, though. She quickly dug her sunglasses out of her purse and slid them on.

  Once she was settled into her Jeep, she backed out of her parking space and started off in the direction of the Skyrise Apartments where Lee lived. She could've teleported to his place, but she didn't want to chance it with Lee. He had probably experienced enough supernatural occurrences yesterday.

  When she was only a few miles away, she could feel her stomach start to knot up, and her palms started to feel clammy against the steering wheel. She took in a deep breath and looked at herself in the rearview mirror. "It's going to be all right," she said out loud to herself and then returned her focus back to the road.

  A few minutes later, she pulled into a parking spot in front of Lee's apartment building. She grabbed her purse and headed over to the front door. Luckily, it was a little windy out, so hopefully Leroy, the weekend doorman, wouldn't think it was odd that she had her hood up.

  As she approached the front entrance, an older man with salt and pepper hair greeted her with a smile.

  "Hello, Melina."

  "Hi, Leroy. Do you know if Lee's in?"

  "He is. Is he expecting you?"

  "Not really," she said. "But it's important that I talk to him." She chewed on her lower lip as she waited for his response.

  "Let me just give Mr. Atwood a buzz real quick." He picked up the phone and hit the button for Lee's apartment. There was silence for what seemed like forever, but then finally Leroy spoke. "Good morning, Mr. Atwood. Miss Rowe is here to see you… Yes, sir. Have a good day." He hung up the phone. "He said he'd be happy to see you."

  She smiled. "Thanks, Leroy."

  He turned back around and punched a code into a small key pad next to the door. There was a soft clicking noise, and then Leroy opened the door and tipped his hat toward her. She gave him a quick wave as she stepped over the threshold and then made her way over to the elevators and up to the second floor where Lee's apartment was.

  When she stepped out into the second floor foyer, she pulled her hood back and slid her sunglasses up onto her head as she gazed around in awe. No matter how many times she came here, it still took her breath away. The sleek white marble floors shone and glistened with the reflections of the two glass chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.

  The Skyrise building was beautiful. Well, at least the main lobby and the second floor were. It was one large building with six different apartments, one for each floor. She hadn't seen the other five apartments, but she would bet they were just as magnificent as Lee's. She realized she was stalling, so she took one more glance around and then slowly walked over to Lee's apartment door. After taking in a deep breath, she raised her hand up to the door and knocked.

  Chapter Thirty

  About a minute or so after she had knocked, Melina still hadn't heard anything from inside Lee's apartment. She pulled her ponytail over her shoulder and started to play with the ends of her hair as she shifted her weight from foot to foot. Maybe she should try to knock again or try to call him. She let go of her hair and raised her hand to knock when she heard soft footsteps coming toward the door.

  The knot in her stomach flared up again. She didn't know what kind of mood he was going to be in. He hadn't wanted to talk much last night, so hopefully he'd had enough time to think about things since then and would want to talk now.

  When he opened the door, Melina saw that he was still in his pajamas. His tawny hair was messed about his head and his eyes were slightly red as if he'd been rubbing them.

  "Melina," he said as he tried to stifle a yawn.

  "I'm sorry," she said. "Were you still asleep when Leroy called you?"

  He raised his right hand and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah. I, uh, had sort of a late night."

  Her forehead creased as she continued to stare at him. It wasn't that late when he had left her place last night. Did something else happen to him?

  "Come in," he said as he opened the door wider.

  She stepped into his apartment, and he shut the door behind her.

  "Let me go change real quick and start some coffee, then we can talk," he said. "Do you want any coffee?"

  She shook her head. "No thanks, I'm good."

  "All right, well, make yourself at home. I won't be too long."

  He turned and walked down the hallway and then disappeared into his room. Melina lingered in the entryway, admiring all the paintings of various musical instruments. She then remembered the picture that hung in hi
s office at his jewelry store. The one of him playing his guitar. She knew music was one of his many passions and that he spent a lot of his alone time playing his guitar, but he had yet to play it for her. He had once told her that he was too nervous to play for her, but she hoped that one day he'd feel comfortable enough to do so.

  She pulled her sunglasses off and slipped them into her purse before shimmying out of her coat. After hanging her things on the rack by the door, she sauntered into the living room and plopped herself down onto the couch. It was a comfy couch with big, plush suede cushions, and the longer she sat there, the harder she found it to stay awake. Maybe she should've taken Lee up on his offer of coffee. It was obvious the cup she'd had earlier at her place wasn't really helping much.

  She blinked her eyes and tried to sit up straighter. A couple of minutes later, though, she started to nod off again, only to be startled awake by the sound of Lee's voice.

  "Looks like I'm not the only one who had a late night."

  She opened her eyes and saw that Lee's hair was combed, and he was now dressed in a black button down shirt and jeans. "I couldn't sleep last night," she said as she leaned up and turned toward him.

  "I can tell." He sat down next to her on the couch and then gently cupped her face in his right hand.

  She closed her eyes at his touch but then quickly reopened them. "What is going on with you, Lee?"

  His brow furrowed as he pulled his head back and lowered his hand from her face. "What do you mean?"

  Melina tilted her head to the side and pressed her thin lips together. "You know what I mean."

  "I told you that I may be a little weirded out by everything that's happened lately, especially you healing my burns last night, but I'll eventually be able to accept it all. I'm not going to be scared away."

  She eyed him skeptically. "Are you sure?"

  "Yeah, why?"

  "Well if it's not fear that's been making you act so strange then what is it?" she asked. "Why are you so caring and romantic one moment and then cold and distant the next?" She could feel tears starting to build in her eyes, so she blinked a couple of times to make them go away. "Please tell me what's going on," she said in almost a whisper. "I don't want to lose you."

  He held her gaze for a few seconds and then shook his head. "You're not going to lose me. But I am scared of losing you."

  She gave him a confused look.

  "I've always been scared of losing you to the Noxin demons, but my fear has only grown worse ever since you found out that you also absorbed their powers. I know the powers aren't going to kill you, which is a big relief, but I can't stand to watch what they're turning you into."

  He reached up with his hand again and lightly stroked her cheek. "But what I'm the most scared about, and what kept me up so late last night, is losing you to Dean."

  Her mouth gaped open as she stared at him in disbelief. That was what had been bothering him this whole time? He was afraid of losing her to Dean? She started to say something, but he beat her to it.

  "You were so worried that Dean wouldn't like you and wouldn't get along with you." He shook his head and let out a short laugh. "I knew that wouldn't happen. I knew he would just love you, and that's what worried me the most."

  "But why?" asked Melina. "Dean and I get along well, but I've never shown any interest in him other than that of a friend."

  Lee shrugged. "I've always felt helpless when it comes to anything involving your powers, and you and Dean have that in common. And not only can he relate to you in an area in which I can't, but he also has an active way of protecting you. When Maura showed up that night after the poetry reading, it was Dean who ran out and protected you with his light shield, not me."

  Melina shook her head. "Just because Dean can personally understand the supernatural side of my life doesn't mean I think I should be with him instead of you."

  "But what about Dean?" Lee asked. "He might have feelings for you. And if he does, would that make you change your mind about me?"

  She placed her hands on top of his. "The only feelings he's developed are those of a friend. He's still in love with his ex-girlfriend. Trust me, you have nothing to worry about."

  He grasped her hands in his as he slowly nodded his head. "Okay. But it's still going to be hard for me knowing that I can't assist you in any way. Men don't like to feel helpless; especially when it comes to someone they care about."

  She gave him a small smile. "I know. But I think there is a way you can help me now."

  Lee's face lit up, but he didn't say anything, so she continued.

  "Walter and Phinneas got some more information out of the banned Noxin demon. They think there's a way for me to make my angel powers dominant again and reverse the demon powers so I can use them to do good. But I can't do it all by myself."

  "So you actually need my help?" he asked.

  She nodded. "Walter and Phinneas said that I need to get rid of my fear and doubt, and I think the best way to do that is to have as much support and encouragement as I can get from those who care about me the most."

  Lee smiled at her as he squeezed her hands. "You've had that from us all along."

  "I know. I just…" Tears welled in her eyes as she looked down at their hands. "I was pushing you away because I don't want you to get hurt. I don't want anyone to get hurt, by either the Noxin demons or worse, by me."

  "Hey," he said as he placed one of his hands under her chin and lifted her head up. "I know this is a dangerous situation, but I want to help you. I care about you so much that I…" He stopped in mid-sentence and stared into her eyes.

  Her stomach began to flutter as she stared back at him, anticipating what he was going to say next.

  After swallowing hard, he dropped his hand from her chin and briefly looked away. "Well, I um…" He paused to clear his throat. "I'll do everything I can to help you. I don't want to lose you."

  Melina's heart sunk a little. She didn't know exactly what she had hoped for him to say, but she knew that wasn't it. She lowered her head so that he wouldn't see her disappointment.

  He squeezed her hands. "Are you all right?"

  She lifted her eyes to meet his again and tried to smile. "I just hope Walter and Phinneas are right, and I can reverse everything that's happening to me."

  "Me too," he said. "Are they here now to try to help you?"

  "Actually, no. They're investigating something pretty important."

  Lee cocked his head to the side. "What's more important right now then helping you?"

  She took in a deep breath. "Adelia may not have been destroyed like we thought she'd been. Walter and Phinneas are trying to see if they can locate her to see if she's truly gone or not."

  His eyes widened as he leaned back. "What makes you think she wasn't destroyed?"

  Melina paused and then said, "I saw a Noxin demon fly. And if the theory the elders came up with is true about how the Noxin demons can fly, then that means she's still here and still helping the demons."

  "But I thought you said the elders felt that she was gone."

  She shrugged. "Phinneas thinks she may have become a fallen angel and that's why they can't sense her anymore."

  "What exactly is a fallen angel?"

  Melina explained to him what a fallen angel was and what Walter and Phinneas were doing to try to see if they could locate Adelia.

  "So what happens if they find her?" he asked. "Will they seek her out and try to stop her?"

  "Maybe," she said. "But they might also try to help her."

  "Help her? Why would they want to do that?"

  "They're guiding angels. Helping others by guiding them away from the darkness and back to the light is what they do. And if Adelia's still able to use some of her angel powers, then she's not completely lost. She may still have some good in her." Melina paused for a moment and then shook her head. "But I don't know. Adelia was so passionate in her belief that humans like me are abominations, and all that mattered to her was destroying u
s. I don't know if her mind could ever be changed."

  They both sat silently for a while and then Lee asked, "Are you scared?"

  Melina lowered her eyes as she nodded her head. "Yeah, I am."

  "Remember, I'll always be here for you," he said in a soft voice. "No matter what."

  "I know," she said as she looked back up at him.

  He raised his hand and stroked her hair a couple of times and then leaned over and gently pressed his lips to hers.

  It was a soft yet passionate kiss as he took her face in his hands and weaved his fingers through the base of her hair. Her pulse quickened as she leaned in closer and placed her hands on his chest and gripped the collar of his shirt. His touch was comforting, and she could feel her fear start to subside. She didn't want the kiss to stop, so when he began to pull away, she groaned in protest.

  He let out a small chuckle. "I could do this for the rest of the morning, but we both know it's not going to help you with your problem. When will Walter and Phinneas be back?"

  Melina lingered close to his face, taking in the light scent of his aftershave, before finally leaning back and meeting his gaze. "Walter said if they hadn't found Adelia by tomorrow then he would come back."

  "Well then," said Lee. "I think you should go home and rest until he returns." He gently caressed her cheek. "I hate to say it, but you look miserable, and I don't think any amount of coffee will make you feel any better."

  "I could stay here and rest," she said with a sly smile.

  He grinned back at her. "You and I both know that you wouldn't get any rest if you stayed here." He leaned over and gave her another kiss.

  Melina wrapped her hands around his neck and curled her fingers into his hair, hoping her hold would keep him from pulling away. For a few seconds it seemed to be working, but then just like he had done earlier, he pulled himself back, stopping the kiss before she was ready for it to end.

  She sighed as she opened her eyes to look at him.

  He was smiling at her. "See. I was right. You wouldn't get any rest here."