sedona files 05 - falling angels

by Christine Pope

  “Should we take this to the bedroom?” I whispered.

  His breath was a soft, warm huff against my cheek as he chuckled. “I see no reason to move.”

  And then he was shifting so I was buried beneath him, and his fingers were finding the hidden fasteners of my gown, so that in the next second his hands were sliding over my bare skin, awakening such need that I realized I didn’t care where we were, as long as I could have this with him. As our bodies connected once again and I drew him deep inside me, I knew that this bond could never be broken, no matter what machinations the Reptilians might attempt, no matter what my friends or family might think.

  Raphael might not be the only thing I needed, but in that moment, I couldn’t think what else I might require to make my life complete.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  At some point we did finally make it to the bedroom, although by then I was ready to merely sleep in his arms, nothing more. I’d never slept with anyone — really “slept” — before Raphael, and I was a little surprised by how much I enjoyed being there with him, of waking up to see his heavy dark hair rumpled and the taut lines of worry smoothed away by sleep. No five o’clock shadow, though; back on Earth, when he’d been attempting to pass himself off as one of us, I had detected a faint hint of stubble by the end of the day, but that clearly wasn’t Raphael’s natural state.

  When I opened my eyes, I remembered we would be back on Earth sometime later this day. My stomach clenched. You’d think facing down my parents after that ordeal in the Assembly chamber would be a piece of cake, but my physical reactions seemed to indicate otherwise.

  “It will be all right,” Raphael said, then sat up next to me and ran a comforting hand down my back.

  If it had been anyone else, I might have asked how he knew what I was feeling, but with him it was different. We were soul-bonded. I seemed to be an open book to him, although I had a little more trouble detecting his emotions. Why, I wasn’t sure, but then, he did have a lot more experience when it came to using this strange sixth sense that all Pleiadians seemed to possess.

  “Easy for you to say,” I replied morosely. “They weren’t exactly thrilled about us being together at all, and then to disappear like that for days so we could go deal with the Reptilians? I can already imagine the guilt.”

  His brows drew together, and he lifted his hand from my back. “They should not treat you like a misbehaving child.”

  “Well, you and I know that, but we might have a difficult time convincing them. You’ve been out of the house for thousands of years, Raphael, but I still get treated to the ‘while you’re under my roof’ speech on a regular basis.”

  At first it seemed as if this remark puzzled him, but then he gave a faint nod. “They believe that you should adhere to their rules as long as you still share a home with them.”

  “Exactly. I probably should have stayed up in Flagstaff after college the way Grace did, but I was already tired of the whole roommates thing. Living in my parents’ guest house sounded a lot better to me, although I’m beginning to regret that decision.”

  He moved closer so he could lift my hair away from my neck and kiss the sensitive skin there. The touch of his mouth to my flesh sent thrilling little shivers all over me. “There is no reason for them to have this power over you. Come live with me.”

  That suggestion made me go rigid with shock. I pulled away and stared up at Raphael, not sure I’d heard him correctly. “You want me to move in with you?”

  “Yes.” One side of his mouth quirked, as if he was amused by my consternation. “We share the soul bond, Callista. This means we are meant to be together forever. In light of such a connection, your terrestrial notions of what is acceptable simply do not apply.”

  When he put it that way, I could see what he meant. We’d only been intimate for a few days, but even that short span was more than enough time for me to know I could never be with anyone else, no matter what my parents’ views on the matter might be. So it really wasn’t so strange that Raphael would want to make sure I was with him all the time.

  “Where?” I asked. “On this ship?”

  “It has been my home for many years, but we could live somewhere else, if you prefer. An apartment on Penalta, perhaps?”

  The little I’d seen of it seemed to indicate that it was a beautiful world, but how could I ever fit in there? I knew nothing of their culture, didn’t speak the language. True, I’d have centuries to learn how to fit in, but the prospect still intimidated me.

  Apparently noting my hesitation, he said, “Or would you prefer that I took your father’s path and remained with you on Earth?”

  My eyes widened. “You would do that? Leave everything to be there with me?”

  He found my hand where it was burrowed under the bedclothes and took it in his. “My love, I suppose I could represent such a choice to you as a great show of self-sacrifice, but the truth of it is….” Pausing, he let out a small gust of breath, then went on, “There is not so very much that I would be giving up. Some comforts of the technologies I know, but not even as much as you might think. I would be making a voluntary choice to be on Earth with you, not forced into exile there because of my actions as your father was.”

  “And it wouldn’t be a problem?” I really had no idea what the consequences of such a decision might be. Clearly, Raphael had been in service to the Assembly and its government for many, many years. Was it the sort of service he could even leave voluntarily without invoking some kind of penalty? I asked as much, and he shook his head.

  “No. I am not some conscript who cannot call his destiny his own. I have always had the option to leave, should circumstances require me to do so, but up until now I have had no reason to make a change in my vocation.” He reached out and touched my hair where it fell over my shoulder, his fingers running down the length of it. “I would have to give up this ship, however. Even with all its safeguards against detection, there is always the remote chance that it still might be discovered, and that would create problems.”

  Logically, I understood what he was saying. At the same time, though, I couldn’t help experiencing a little pang of disappointment. I would much rather remain on Earth, of course…but it would have been awfully fun to have access to that ship whenever we wanted.

  “So you would be exiling yourself, even if you don’t want to call it that.”

  His arms went around me then, and he pulled me to him, my cheek against the firm, taut skin of his chest. “No, my love, it is not exile. Not really. Should the need arise, I could always call for someone to come and fetch us.”

  “In case we want to vacation on Penalta?”

  I could feel his body shake slightly as he chuckled. “Yes, in case of that, or if my parents want to meet you, once they hear the news. Anything at all.”

  Would his parents even ask to see me? Raphael had made it sound as if they barely had any contact with him at all. I had to admit that the prospect was a little daunting. Yes, the Secretary of the Assembly had been very charming, and seemed pleased that Raphael and I were soul-bonded…but he wasn’t any kind of relative. He didn’t have any reason to look down at the provincial girl from the backwater planet, a world so behind the times that it wasn’t even a member of the Assembly yet. Whereas Raphael’s parents certainly would be expecting some kind of paragon. Who else could finally connect with their son after so many years of his being alone?

  “Stop that,” he said, and I looked up to see him watching me, a stern expression on his perfect features.

  “Stop what?”

  “What you’re doing to yourself right now. Do not think any less of yourself because you come from Earth, or because you are young as the universe counts such things. You are perfect, unique, the match to my soul.” His hands went to my face then, gently touching each cheek as if he thought such perfection required a frame. “They will love you because I love you.”

  “Then they’re a lot more evolved than my parents.”

&n
bsp; He shook his head. “Martin and Kirsten want what is best for you. Nothing less. I cannot fault them for that. I now regret some of the exchanges I had with them, for our shared past colors the present. But since I do not possess the ability to change the past, the most I can do now is show them how much I do care for you and want to do the right thing by you.”

  “Even if it means living on Earth.”

  “Yes, even that.”

  His words had such a ring of sincerity to them that I really couldn’t find it in me to argue with him any further. I’d thought about asking him how we would live, where we would get the funds, but that had clearly never been a problem for Gabriel or my father, so I guessed Raphael would be given the same golden handshake.

  In which case….

  I couldn’t prevent a grin from spreading across my face, even though I knew I still had to confront my parents, even though the Reptilians could decide at any moment that they wanted the contents of my bank account or my shoe collection, or whatever.

  “What is it?” Raphael asked, looking vaguely alarmed by my sudden expression of glee.

  “Well, I know we’ll have to sort some things out first. But then” — I reached over and squeezed his hand — “then we’ll get to go house hunting.”

  * * *

  Since Raphael had energy-jumped us out of the garage at my parents’ house, that was where he brought us back to Earth. It did feel sort of anticlimactic to be standing in the faintly damp-smelling space after everything I’d been through over the past few days.

  Both my parents’ vehicles were there, which meant I wouldn’t be able to sneak inside and then act all casual whenever they did come home. I had no idea what time it was, except that I couldn’t see any daylight seeping in around the edges of the garage door. All right, maybe that was better. If it was the middle of the night, we just might be able to slip out the side door of the garage and into the casita I called home.

  “It is slightly past eight o’clock in the evening,” Raphael said, and I started. He sent me an apologetic glance, adding, “You were thinking rather loudly.”

  I decided I’d better let it go. “All right, then I suppose we’ll just have to go in. We could go straight to the casita, but they’d still see the lights come on, since it’s right across the courtyard from the family room.”

  “You need to stop hiding, Callista.” His voice sounded gentle enough, but underneath I detected a note of steel.

  He was right, anyway. I did need to stop hiding, or acting as if what Raphael and I shared was somehow wrong.

  A deep breath, and then another. Be strong. Besides, it wasn’t as if my parents were the boogeyman or something. We’d always been close. They only wanted the best for me. I’d just have to figure out how to make them understand that Raphael was the best.

  His fingers wrapped themselves around mine, and I nodded. Then I reached out and turned the doorknob.

  Good thing they didn’t generally lock the door that led from the garage into the house. Raphael and I entered the kitchen, and I began to head toward the family room, where I thought I heard voices. My parents must be watching one of their favorite shows, or possibly a movie.

  But then I realized those voices belonged to not just my mother and father, but my Aunt Kara and Uncle Lance as well. Wonderful.

  I shot a panicked look up at Raphael, but he only shook his head and murmured, “This changes nothing.”

  Well, maybe for him it didn’t. If my aunt and uncle were over here, it meant that my parents probably had wanted to discuss me with them in a safe setting where they wouldn’t have to worry about Kelsey or Melissa eavesdropping. Kevin couldn’t have cared less, but my other two cousins were always desperately afraid they were going to miss out on something important. And while I loved Kara and Lance, I sort of doubted they would be too sympathetic to my cause, Kara because I knew she’d agree with my mother that I was too young to be making any kinds of momentous decisions about my personal life, and Lance because he was probably tired of seeing the women in his family hooking up with aliens.

  But I’d come this far, and I certainly didn’t want Raphael to think I was a coward. I’d cleaned myself up properly on his ship and gotten back into my regular clothes, so I knew at least outwardly I wouldn’t show any signs of what he and I had been up to for the past few days on his ship. Somehow I knew my parents would guess, though. My mother had definitely known when I’d lost my virginity, although the only thing she’d said was, “Is there anything you’d like to talk about, Callista?” When I’d shaken my head, she’d just lifted her shoulders and gone on drinking her coffee. The sad truth was, there hadn’t really been anything I’d wanted to talk about. The experience hadn’t been that great, and I’d gotten my shot when I turned eighteen — plus I made sure he used a condom — and so the whole incident was something I would have preferred to ignore.

  Well, if she started asking awkward questions, I’d fire back by inquiring how much time she’d actually spent with my father before they jumped in the sack together. That might deflect the situation. Maybe.

  Raphael and I entered the family room, where Aunt Kara and Uncle Lance were sitting on the couch, and my parents were in the chairs that flanked it to either side. My father was saying, “Yes, but now it’s been almost three days — ”

  Clearly, he’d been talking about my disappearance, but he stopped mid-sentence when he caught sight of Raphael and me. My mother actually gasped, and Aunt Kara set down the wine glass she’d been holding with an audible clink. Only Lance didn’t seem to react, although I noticed the way his eyes narrowed as he took in Raphael, who’d changed back into his suit.

  “Um, hi, everyone,” I said. Completely stupid, but it was the first thing to come to mind.

  “You’re all right!” my mother exclaimed.

  “I’m fine,” I told her. “We’re fine.”

  “What happened?” That was Lance. He always did have a way of cutting to the chase.

  There was a question. I decided it was probably better to start with the Reptilians and then circle back to Raphael and me — if I even had to go there at all. With any luck, my tale of getting dragged before the Assembly would be enough to occupy them so they wouldn’t ask any more personal questions.

  So I related what had gone on in the Assembly chamber on Penalta, or at least tried to. I hadn’t gotten very far before my mother interrupted me. “You mean the Reptilians were actually there in the courtroom with you?”

  “It’s not really a courtroom,” my father pointed out. “She was questioned in front of the Assembly because her actions resulted in the death of a citizen of an Assembly world, while she herself was not such a citizen. That makes it a diplomatic concern, not a criminal one.”

  “Exactly,” Raphael put in. “But in the end, nothing much came of it.”

  “Nothing much?” Lance said, looking skeptical.

  “Well….” I hesitated. The last thing I wanted to say was how even the Secretary, who’d seemed more or less sympathetic, had ruled on the side of the Reptilians when it came to Logan’s humanity. I doubted that sort of decision would go over very well with my aunt and uncle, considering their daughter was now shacked up with that supposed non-human. “I guess I’m more or less guilty, but since they couldn’t agree on reparations, the Reptilians took their toys and went home.”

  “Guilty of what?” my mother demanded. “All you were doing was defending the people you were with!”

  “True,” Raphael said. “Unfortunately, some finer points of convention were involved, and so we had to abide by the Secretary’s ruling.”

  “But they still let you come home?” Kara asked, looking confused. I didn’t blame her; I was still feeling a bit befuddled by the whole thing myself.

  “Yes,” I replied. “That is, I’m still on the hook for reparations, I guess, but since the Reptilians don’t seem to want my shoe collection, I think I’m safe.” For now, I added mentally. I wasn’t about to say that out loud, tho
ugh. The situation was tense enough already.

  I couldn’t tell if my deliberately flip attitude was fooling anyone. Probably not. But I didn’t have much more to offer beyond what I’d already told them.

  My father’s jaw set itself in grim lines. “The Reptilians never give anything up voluntarily. Ever.”

  Anda, my counsel, had said more or less the same thing, and the two of them should know, far better than the rest of us did.

  Raphael said, “They did in this case because the Secretary would not grant them the one thing they asked for.”

  “And what was that?” From the way my father’s eyes narrowed, it seemed he already had a pretty good idea as to the content of that request.

  “Me,” I said in a very small voice.

  Both my mother and my aunt burst out, “What?” while Lance shook his head in disgust. And my father didn’t seem to react at all, only sat there with that same taut look to his jaw.

  Ignoring their consternation, Raphael said, “Of course the Secretary told them such a request was impossible. They did leave soon afterward.”

  Silence fell. The really horrible thing was that no one asked why a bunch of lizard-descended aliens might want me, even when on the surface we seemed so biologically incompatible. They all knew. My mother’s face was almost as white as the T-shirt she wore under her V-necked sweater.

  “Anyway,” I went on, “it was basically no harm, no foul, so we came back.”

  “Yes, you did,” my mother said. “Thank you for bringing her back to us, Raphael.”

  The dismissal in her tone was so clear that I had to keep myself from flinching. From the way his lashes swept down over his eyes before he glanced back up at her, he’d heard it, too, and was trying to resist the urge to snap back at her.

  When he spoke, his voice was almost too calm. “You are welcome, Kirsten. As to bringing her back to you, well…perhaps Callista would like to comment on that.”