by J. Ashburn
His humanoid body twitched and curled upon itself. The hellhounds whined and clung to him. He patted their bristles and allowed the heat of their spirits to scorch his hands. It felt good in the face of the rising sun. He would begin again tomorrow night. How he loved the hunt. The pursuit of an enemy, the taste of fear on his quarry and the hellhounds at his command—he was on top of the world. His dark heart raced. His smile widened then faded as the sun slowly reached to gain purchase.
Soon. The coward would show his face. He would reveal himself with his own folly and be his for the taking. The outrageousness and audacity of his act was legendary in Hell. Everyone was talking about it now and it was time to squash this little rebellion before it gained traction, before it gave the others ideas. There was no way this could be allowed, that this could even happen. Caleb would regret that he ever left and Sebastian hoped that Lucifer would allow him to extol the punishment he so richly deserved. He would preserve that moment for all of eternity and repeat it over and over.
I am coming for you, Caleb.
###
Steam rose and filled the room. The air was thick and warm. The bathroom felt like an Egyptian bathhouse, Caleb had seen one once in its prime on a mission with several of his brothers. They had suggested the next conquest to the priests and Pharaohs of the empire.
Unlike then, Caleb felt soothed and loved right now with Micah’s arms wrapped around him. They showered together, hot water rolling down their united bodies. They touched, kissed and held one another, having just finished making love. Caleb liked the cleansing, it was ritualistic, pleasurable, a sensory refreshing. He didn’t want to stop.
“This feels so good,” he whispered to Micah, hugging him tighter and resting his head on his shoulder. Their cheeks rubbed together gently.
“I know…but I have to go to work.” Micah kissed him again, rubbing his back up and down before reaching for the bath’s knobs and cutting the water. “Nicki will be waiting.”
Micah stepped out of the tub and grabbed two towels. He handed one to Caleb and wiped himself down with the other. “Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask… I mean… I wanted to ask you…”
Caleb’s eyes widened and his heart fluttered a bit. He was suddenly nervous and didn’t know why.
“Um, would you like to go to the fireman’s ball with me?”
“Fireman’s ball? What is that?”
“Like a dance…but for charity.”
“I have never danced before.”
“Somehow I figured.” Micah grinned. “It’s okay…you don’t really have to dance. It’s a social event and many of my friends from the fire department will be there. I go every year.”
“Yes, yes I will go with you.”
“Excellent.” He stepped over to the tub and kissed Caleb. “I’ve gotta go before I’m late…again. I’ll meet you for dinner.”
Caleb watched him dry off quickly and rush from the bathroom. He smiled, growing ever more attached to this human and his soul. He felt him even when they were apart… he could sense his moods and feelings, feel his heart. It was as if they were merging.
Now, if he only knew how to dance.
###
Jake rubbed Nick’s hand across the table. “Thank you for meeting for lunch, I know it’s really out of your way.”
“No problem at all. I wanted to. And thank you for buying.”
“It’s the least I could do.”
The hustle of the lunchtime crowd at the Midtown Diner was in full swing, across from them firemen and some nurses laughed and wolfed down their meals. Jake looked around, checking out the various men, wondering if Micah would come in. He knew this was his favorite place.
“I want to ask you something.” Nick pulled Jake’s attention back to him.
“What is it?”
“Would you go to the fireman’s ball with me?”
“Oh yeah, I heard something about that.”
“Micah made me and Rick by tickets….he always asks our support. It’s really fun. You’ll have a great time. Would you go with me?”
Jake looked up at Nick, his bright eyes and his adorable smile, and saw him waiting for an answer. He didn’t want to disappoint him even through he rather go with Micah. “Of course I will, you handsome devil.”
Nick smiled wider. “Great…I should get back.”
“Me too.” Jake walked outside with him and they embraced before going their separate ways.
###
Nicki filled in some paperwork for the patient she and Micah had just brought in. Micah secured the ambulance while she finished up the boring part.
“Hiya Nicki,” Jake beamed as he passed by her and rounded the corner behind the nurses’ station.
“Doctor Mason.”
Nicki turned back to the countertop and slid her paperwork across it. “Here you go, Maggie. I’m just gonna use your bathroom before I get back to Micah.”
“Sure thing.”
Nicki turned the corner. She was hungry, tired and thinking of what she was going to wear to the fireman’s ball. Before she reached the bathroom she passed the med room where the drugs for the entire ER were housed. She paused, seeing Jake pocket pills from one of the bottles. He stuffed them into his coat pocket, twisted the cap back on and out the bottle back on the shelf.
Nicki ducked into the women’s room before he saw her. Peeking through the door, she watched him shut the door and returned to the ER. She let out a breath of air and her heart sank. She hoped she just misunderstood. It couldn’t be what she thought it was. Nevertheless she was still a bit shaken when she left the bathroom.
In the break room Nicki joined Micah at one of the tables. He unwrapped a tuna sandwich and opened a bottle of water. He looked up and noticed Nicki with a smile.
“What took you so long?”
Nicki looked around. There were some nurses and other wards in the room with them. “Hi,” she said, lowering her voice.
“What’s wrong with you?”
She waited until the co-workers nearest them had gotten up and left the room. “I think I just saw Doctor Mason steal some drugs.”
“Jake?”
Nicki nodded. “He stuffed a bunch of pills into his coat pocket.”
“Are you sure?”
“That’s what I saw. You know what I think of him why would I make that up?”
“Maybe you misunderstood. Maybe there was no nurse and he needed them right away.”
“Maggie was right there with me. He could’ve asked her.”
“Well, maybe he keeps extras on him for emergencies or something. Maybe he asked about it beforehand.”
“Maybe. I don’t know. I’m not even sure how he got into the supply room. He would need the nurses’ master key. There’s something weird about this whole thing. Do you think we should tell Nick?”
“No!” His eyes nearly jumped from his head. “He’s crazy about him. We don’t know anything. We don’t really know what he was doing with those pills. Let’s just give him the benefit of the doubt.”
“Okay…but I don’t trust him.”
Micah said nothing and took a huge bite of his sandwich.
“Micah!” Nicki glared at him, her mouth curling into a smirk. “You’re not telling me something.”
“N—no…” he mumbled with his mouth full.
“Micah?”
“I swear.”
She knew he was lying and she’d get it out of him eventually.
###
Outside birds fluttered to a feeder across the street and played with one another before soaring off to parts unknown. It was magnificent. Caleb sat outside on the steps of Micah’s apartment watching life blossom around him.
He breathed in the air and smelled the aroma of fresh cut grass, flowering trees and sweet nectar. A crack of thunder suddenly interrupted his thoughts followed by the sounds of wings flapping.
“Come on out,” Caleb said.
Angelique slipped from the corner of the house, her human form taking over as she sh
ed the camouflage of the shade and her surroundings. She nodded to him.
“I beseech you once more. Please, my friend…come back with me now.”
Caleb shook his head. “I cannot. This is my home now. Where I can do good.”
“You could do good where you belong. We could do good together. We could speak with Lucifer and tell him of your experience here and how the humans have changed your soul.”
“One human.”
He smiled at her and she smiled back, for the first time in hundreds of years.
“You really do love this human?”
“Yes, I do.”
She walked up to him and put her hands out, caressing his cheeks. Caleb closed his eyes. “I am happy for you,” she whispered. “I’m just so afraid for you. You are bringing such wrath down upon yourself. You have no idea the danger you and your human are in.”
Caleb opened his eyes. “I am not afraid of Sebastian.”
“You can’t lie to me, Cal. I see into every man’s soul.”
He laughed.
“I can’t stay much longer before I’m noticed,” she said. “I suppose there’s no point in asking you once more?”
He shook his head again. “Return home, I do not want anything happen to you. You are the only friend I have there.”
Angelique kissed him on the cheek and backed away. Wind stirred her luscious hair and the clouds cast her in shade. She faded out of view but her sensual voice lingered. “Take care of yourself, Cal. May you find what you’ve been seeking.”
He watched her vanish and thought of the danger out there hunting him. Why did they even care? What did one fallen angel matter? Of all the thousands of them in Lucifer’s command why bother with just one?
What makes me so special?
Questions for another time. Right now, he needed to figure out how to keep Sebastian off of his trail or send him straight back to Hell. One or the other.
11
Nervous wouldn’t even begin to describe Caleb right now. He stepped out of Micah’s car and soaked in the starlit sky and its majestic shades of purple and indigo as dusk bloomed. They walked across a grassy park with many trails, scenic gazebos and a small pond. On the other side of the park and across the street the function hall waited, nestled among the office buildings and storefronts.
Micah reached out and took his hand. “Don’t be nervous,” Micah whispered to him. “Everything’s going to be great.” They entered the hall together and it was as if Caleb had entered another world. Red balloons filled the room, romantic music wafted from a host of speakers, streamers coiled around the ceiling, people mingled, danced and laughed. The lights were dim but the entire place seemed to glow.
A buffet occupied one whole wall and had a dizzying variety of food and beverages. Micah recognized his friends hovering around it. He smiled. “Big surprise…they’re over at the food. C’mon.” He waved to various friends he knew on the fire and police departments—Leo Johnson, Henry Bennett, Eric Lanier—some in uniform, some not, as they headed toward the buffet. They also passed other paramedics and doctors from the hospital.
They made their way to the buffet where Nicki stood with her date, Jim. She was sharing a plate of food with him. Nick was there too, with Jake. Jake had just handed Nick a drink, some spiked punch. Rick was there with a woman he’d met recently online. They made conversations with the others but weren’t eating or drinking.
Caleb followed Micah over to the others and watched their faces light up. “Hey guys,” Micah beamed.
Nicki put down her plate and gave him the biggest hug. She looked over to Caleb and hugged him too, he relaxed a bit and enjoyed Nicki’s embrace for all it was worth.
The others greeted Micah, each with their own hug. Nick and Rick both hugged Caleb but Jake put out his hand, shaking it.
“Good to see you again,” Jake said.
Caleb nodded, looking him in the eye and remembering the diner. Jake looked away quickly.
“Has anyone seen my brother, Cole?” asked Micah.
Nick and Rick shook their head at the same time. Caleb found that fascinating.
“Don’t worry,” Nicki said. “He and Sondra will be here. They bought tickets.”
“Doesn’t mean they’ll be here,” Micah said. “What If Sondra went early…what if…”
“You’d have heard already. Now stop it.”
“Okay, okay.” Micah turned to Caleb. “Do you want something to eat or drink?”
“Sure.”
The two of them stepped over to the table. Micah handed Caleb plate and started piling food into it.
“I am not sure I can eat that much,” Caleb said.
“Oh sorry… you have such huge arms I figured you burned a lot of calories just standing there and breathing.”
“Ah…I… do not even know how to answer that…”
Micah raised both eyebrows then laughed. “I’m just kidding and not… your arms are huge.”
“Hey guys.”
Micah and Caleb looked up to find Cole and Sondra beside them.
“I knew you’d make it,” Micah said, giving his brother a hug and Sondra a kiss on the cheek.
“Like I would miss the fireman’s ball,” Cole said. “It’s all Sondra and I’ve talked about for months. We just couldn’t wait.”
“All right knock it off.”
Dreamy, soft music caught everyone’s attention. Micah turned to Caleb and took his hand. “Forget the food—dance with me.”
“Micah—I—I do not know how.”
“It’s okay. I will show you.”
Caleb let him drag him out to the floor. He saw all of the others follow and then he really started to feel self-conscious. His heart thumped in his chest. His throat went dry and he couldn’t think straight to save his life.
He felt Micah slide his hand around his waist and take his hand with his other. Micah closed the space in between them and started to sway back and forth. Caleb watched him, trying to follow his lead.
“I suck at this.” Caleb bowed his head.
Micah laughed out loud. “I’ve never heard you talk like that.”
A grin found its way onto Caleb’s face. “It’s the truth,” he whispered.
“Wow, Your vocabulary is changing too. Here, just listen to the music,” Micah began. “Let it move you. Look at me, and sway with me. You’ll start to get it.”
Caleb let Micah hold him and shift him from side to side. Slowly he moved in time to the music and kept pace with Micah. He thought he looked ridiculous, but as he looked around he noticed no one was watching, no one was laughing. He looked into Micah’s eyes, and relaxed.
The two of them swayed, locked in an embrace, listening to the music. Caleb’s heart began to slow down again and his anxiety faded. He closed his eyes and Micah rested his head on his chest. Caleb filled with pure happiness. He was with the man he loved and encircled by their friends on all sides.
Micah lifted his head, looked right at him and kissed him. Caleb nearly cried. Tonight was nothing but magic.
###
Caleb and Micah crossed the quiet city street back to the park. The grass was wet with dew and the air was crisp. Nick and Jake followed behind, as well as Nicki with Jim, and Rick with his new date. They had all parked in the same lot in the city park.
Clouds suddenly rolled across the horizon and thunder mumbled in the distance. Caleb froze. Micah turned to him, concern on his face. He reached for—
“Hello Caleb,” a voice called and thunder echoed.
The entire group stopped and turned to see a well-dressed man standing in the park. A strange mist gathered at his feet.
“I have been looking all over for you,” Sebastian said with a smirk. “Your trail is hot now, quite hot. In face, this whole place reeks of you.”
“Caleb, who is this?” Micah asked.
“You haven’t told any of your new friends about me?” Sebastian quipped. “That really hurts me. All the time we’ve known each other? Well,
I shouldn’t be surprised after you ran away like that. You’ve been a bad…bad…boy.”
“Micah get behind me,” Caleb said, grabbing Micah’s arm.
“What? Wait…what’s going on?”
“Please… now…” He yanked Micah hard.
Sebastian fanned his fingers and fixed his gaze on Caleb. On the ground beside him, shadows gathered to form substance, claws, teeth and bristles materialized. Hellhounds coiled around the demon’s feet and stretched across the grass. Ungodly howls pealed through the park. Nicki covered her ears. The hounds bolted.
“Get’em boys.”
The hellhounds shot straight at Caleb. Everyone screamed and Nick made an impulsive move, inserting himself between one of the dogs and its intended prey.
“What the fuck!” Nick cried as it leapt into the air. “What kind of a dog….”
It crashed into him, toppling him to the ground and ripping into his chest.
“Nick!” Micah cried.
Jake and Rick screamed with him, rushing the strange animal.
“Micah!” Caleb called as the other dog rushed him. It bolted into the air and Caleb put up his hands, catching it in both arms. He wrestled it to the ground as tore into his arms, shredding flesh, wounds smoldering. Sparks shot in every direction. Vicious teeth clamped down on Caleb’s hands.
Rick and Jake dove to the ground, and tried to pull the animal off of Nick but the bristles slashed them, they tried again and again despite the pain.
Nicki screamed and pulled Rick’s date out of the fray. “Nick, oh my God!”
Micah turned back to his lover and yelled. “Caleb! Caleb no! Someone call the fucking police.” He rushed over to Caleb who fought valiantly with the hellhound.
“Micah no,” Caleb cried. “Stay back… it will kill you.”
Caleb rolled on top of the beast, a barbed, reptilian tail whipped around beneath him, coiled into the air then wrapped around his torso. Caleb winced and stretched, fighting it with all of his strength.
“Christ… Caleb…someone help!” Micah cried. “Help!” Thunder crashed, drowning his calls.
Caleb locked both hands onto the beast’s head. Smoke puffed from its nostrils. He pressed and twisted with all of his strength. He looked over at Micah. “Get back! Now!” Micah retreated, turning his attention to Nick. Caleb jerked again, his eyes flashing with red, his hands shifting into claws and a heard a snap. The hellhound fell prone and withered.