Summon Toren (Archangels Creed #3)

by Daniels, Kenra

  "Surprised you didn’t feel it coming between all those war wounds and your direct line to the universe. Looks like we're about to get hammered."

  "Huh. Sounds like you better get busy. None of us are in any shape to help." He chose to bless her with the little half-grin that won him the heart of nearly every female he encountered.

  Even Sam's, for a time. His superior attitude quickly ruined the charm of his looks. "You're up and moving, so get ready. We're going to get some extra hay out." She would tolerate him for the sake of the animals.

  He shook his head, tousled hair falling into his eyes. "'Fraid the others here are in pretty bad shape and I can't leave them. I’ve been fasting and praying. I’m pretty sure I’ll have this thing prayed out in two more days.”

  Of all the ridiculous bullshit the bastard had ever spouted. "Well maybe if you hadn’t convinced them, and hell, every other man in the area, that getting a flu shot was a bad idea, the whole basin wouldn’t be in this trouble and you wouldn’t be hiding out here on your knees. Now we’re all paying for your crack-pot philosophy."

  The insolent look he gave her, gaze trailing over her body, settling pointedly on the features he found lacking in femininity, spoke volumes. "If you stayed in the house where you belong and married like your Pap asked, the basin wouldn't have this trouble."

  Oh that bastard. Cold, slow-burning anger flared for an instant in Sam's blood. Joe had quickly learned all her hot spots, and never missed an opportunity to push her buttons, but the usual bullshit hadn't sent her blood pressure into the danger zone. His clear frustration over her “rebellious” behavior confirmed Sam's suspicions that he'd been behind her father's demand she marry, and choice of husband. What possible stake could he have in her relationship status? Without pushing himself as the prospective groom he couldn't hope for material gain. Could he?

  One more betrayal among so many shouldn't hurt, but it did. She would love nothing more than to fire Joe and send him on down the road. She'd even done it once. Then her father refused to back her up, undermining any degree of authority she might have possessed over the men. As soon as they saw him make her publicly apologize to Gavin and offer him his job back, she dropped to the bottom of the pecking order on the ranch. Even the adolescent boy who carried firewood and did other menial chores too insignificant for one of the hands to be delegated to had more authority.

  And Joe stood there in front of her now, probably aware of every thought running through her mind since he was also part psychic, according to him. Maybe it was time to give him something else to think about.

  Sam grinned at him, deliberately exaggerating the expression until she knew it looked unbalanced. "Let me tell you something Josephus, something you would do well to remember. I'm an only child, my father's only legal heir. He isn't getting any younger. In fact, this flu is taking a serious toll. You wouldn't recognize him now." Her conscience pricked a little at even using such a threat, but the narrowing of Joe’s eyes spurred her on. "Who can say how long the old goat has left? And when he's gone, the C-Bar is mine. If you like it here, if you think you might want to stay on whenever I take over, you would do well to remember that maybe very soon, I will have the final say here. Do I make myself clear?"

  The insolent half-smile faded and the sexy mouth compressed into a thin line of unexpressed anger. "Crystal clear. But just so you know…" The cocky slow grin returned. “I’m like the son your father never had.”

  The brief satisfaction she’d gotten from shaking the bastard's confidence disappeared. The most painful part of that statement was how true it was. Sam wouldn’t be surprised if her father made him heir since he clearly saw her as incapable from the day she was born, no matter how hard she tried to prove the opposite. "Get dressed. We roll in thirty or you’re fired.” She turned for the door. "And just so you know, the line of succession for this land is iron-clad. It goes to the eldest surviving direct descendent of Papa Orrin. When Daddy's gone, that's me." She stalked out, slamming the door behind her.

  It was stupid and petty and Sam knew it. The idiot was sick and wouldn’t admit it and taking a sick man out into a blizzard was unthinkable no matter how much she hated him. But there was nothing wrong with making Joe think she would. Letting him know the ranch was hers no matter what was a mistake too. Soon enough he'd figure out the stipulation only applied to the land, not the stock and other assets. Then she'd be screwed six ways from Sunday.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Kassern clapped Toren on the shoulder. “You understand the ground rules?”

  Toren sniffed the air, sampling the corruption. “This place is cursed.”

  “I knew I sensed something off,” Dorn muttered.

  “Yes,” Kassern agreed. “Not a highly unusual dilemma in this realm.”

  True. A huge storm was maybe two hours out, adding to the new concern. He needed to hurry. “I understand the rules.” Impatience swirled the mercury through his veins, pushing hard, insisting he get started. Invisibly hovering above the ground as they discussed the finer points of his role in the mission felt like a massive waste of time.

  “If you have any questions, now is the time to ask,” Dorn said. “Once you're on the farm, you’re quarantined for her protection. We’ve added reinforcements to the shield you placed around the perimeter for extra precaution but we can't depend on that to be enough. Such a huge geographical area and so many life forms will stretch even the most impenetrable shield thin. The slightest taste of angelic powers will bring a literal horde of demons right to you. Your woman will be the primary target. And don’t ever forget the demon Kharef marked her and we have no clue how that will affect her should she gain her memory somehow, but we can be sure the demon will do absolutely anything to have her back. And I hope you’re right about appearing to her before your couple kisses.”

  “She’s seen me already.”

  “But it’s not specifically what Uriel called for,” Dorn argued.

  “I checked with Uriel,” Toren said. “This way works.” Dorn made him feel like a novice warrior, reminding him of simple concepts that had become ingrained over the hundreds of millennia of his lifetime. He was intimately aware of what he could and couldn’t do once he entered the shield.

  Perhaps sensing Toren's building impatience, Kassern concluded the meeting with a light clap. “We’ll stay as close as we can in case you need us for anything. We'll be occupied with other tasks, so remember to call early enough to give time to get to you.”

  “I need to get moving. Storm's coming. She needs me.” Energy pulsed through him, making his mercury shield glow eerily red and warning the others of the impending tempest raging within him.

  “Do you even have a plan?” Dorn ignored the warning of the red glow, his rigid tone reminding Toren of what was at stake.

  Toren shrugged with the fluid motion of his ever-changing temperament. “Play it by ear.”

  Dorn shook his head, clearly finding the tactic asinine. Didn’t matter, that’s how Toren always operated. He let his mercury slither out a path for him. Not like he could predict a damn thing in this scenario anyhow. No one could.

  “Well, we’re a call away.” Kassern sounded as eager to leave as Toren was.

  “Yeehaw.” Toren tipped his hat and promptly disappeared himself to the backside of Sam’s ranch home before walking casually to the front door and knocking.

  A thirty-something year old woman answered the door. Her soft green eyes widened under nearly transparent blonde brows that matched her hair. “Hello, can I help you?” She tucked hair behind her ears and gave him a genuinely warm smile while smoothing her clothes in a subconscious effort to make herself more presentable.

  Toren returned her smile with one of his own. “I’m here to answer the ad? My name's Toren.”

  Her thin lips parted in astonishment. “You don’t say! I swear I never would’ve guessed a computer could do something like that. Come in, please. I’m Kassie, the housekeeper. And cook.” She held her hand out a
nd Toren looked at it briefly then gave it a gentle shake with only his fingers, careful to remember the fragility of human skeletons. The woman's expression momentarily betrayed her subconscious awareness of his ability to crush her with no effort.

  “You don’t look like you’re from around here.” She stepped aside for him to pass and looked him up and down as he walked in. “My, my. You look like you done stepped out of a magazine.”

  Great. Judging by her tone, he was overdressed. “I have to admit, I did get new clothes to apply. Wanted to make a good first impression.” Toren took in the warm little kitchen, instinctively using his mercury senses to become intimate with everything about it while seeking out Samantha. Not there. The room felt cheery and kind, no doubt a comfort to anyone who entered. If this Kassie were the primary occupant of the kitchen, she possessed a pervasive goodness that saturated her environment. A valuable resource to have.

  “Are you hungry? Thirsty?" She bustled across the kitchen, clearly expecting an affirmative reply. "I’ve got some new concoctions I’ve been working on.” She started taking down dishes and rattling pans. "Toren, huh? What an unusual name! Is it German? Or maybe Swedish?"

  What could she mean? "Um, I'm not sure."

  The front door opened and Toren held his breath as he waited for confirmation of Samantha's presence.

  “Kassie?” A woman called out, her voice clear as a bell despite her obvious attempt to deepen it by holding it low in her throat. “I’m putting on a few more layers and going run the farm errands.”

  Eyes closed, Toren couldn't contain the mercurial urge to explore her, soaking in every nuance of her presence. The deep breath he took made matters worse, drawing in the spicy tones of her scent with its undertones of pure womanhood. The fragrance prompted an unfamiliar stirring in his body, something he instinctively knew to conceal.

  “Sam? We’ve got company in here.”

  The musical tones of Kassie's voice pulled him from his fascination before he made an utter fool of himself.

  “Company?” The clip-clop of boots brought Toren to his feet, anxious to make a good first impression. She stopped abruptly in the door jamb, gaze roaming over him head to toe.

  Kassie cackled. “Forgot to say he’s a eat your heart out Calvin Klein,”

  Toren didn’t really know what she meant and was too busy staring at Samantha to try and figure it out. “I’m here to answer your ad?” Those haunting bright blue eyes remained wide and those perfect lips parted in astonishment. The heavy fall of mahogany hair glistened over her shoulder and down her back. While re-familiarizing himself with her delicate features, Toren hoped her awed expression stemmed from the same reasons as Kassie's. She finally seemed to remember her manners and gasped before blurting, “Hi!”

  “Howdy.” Toren tipped his hat.

  A surprised little laughed bubbled up and transfixed Toren. Her features tightened immediately and the scent of camaraderie wafted from her. "Kassie, you know better than to let strangers into the house. He could be a murderer."

  The woman chuckled, seeming familiar with the gentle humor. “Nonsense. I'm a good judge of character. He could be dangerous, but he's a good man. He even comes with old fashioned manners and all.” Kassie hurried to him with a cup of warmth.

  “Thank you.” Toren took it and carefully practiced the human social skill. Kassie’s unquestioning defense of him made him wonder about her. He couldn’t help be amazed at his mercury temperament and how much it wanted to explore everything about humanity and experience everything human. Particularly Samantha. His gaze returned to her and lingered, absorbing every molecule of her.

  She looked up at him, a bold eyebrow arched in question and he realized he'd committed a social no-no by staring at her. He glanced into the cup and welcomed the aroma with his absorption powers on high.

  “It’s coffee.” Samantha's good-humored voice touched him with nearly physical properties.

  Toren looked up to find her three paces closer with a bemused look on her face. A look that said Toren was failing once more as a human, much less a cowboy. “Sorry, I just haven’t had coffee in forever.”

  Samantha scanned him with a quizzical gaze. “Where are you coming from?”

  Prison? He felt the word on the tip of her tongue. But it wasn’t entirely serious, mostly curious, and he sensed she withheld the word because it wasn’t an appropriate reply. He searched for something proper and suitably indirect to say. “Judging by the storm on the horizon, I’d say from heaven and in the nick of time.”

  Kassie laughed and yet Toren felt the sad thread running through it. She was lonely deep down in her soul. He resisted the urge to use more of his powers to figure out why and kept his gaze leveled on Samantha’s keen stare. He grimaced at his first sip of the dark brown liquid, burnt and bitter flavored. A man’s drink no doubt, and an acquired taste. It must take a very long time to acquire the taste.

  “Well you got that right. Are you ready to head out? I’ve got a million things to do and only a minute to do them in. And the only man standing on the ranch, besides you now, is busy fasting and praying the flu epidemic away.”

  Toren smiled at that bit of gold. She thought the one doing the praying was a hypocrite and hated that sort of person. Beautiful. There'd be no competition for her affections from that direction. “Well, maybe he was praying for help. And here I am.”

  She snorted. “How did you know to come? Did God tap you on the shoulder and say, hey, hot dude dressed like a cowboy, go on down to the C-Bar and help the woman in distress? Or did you read my ad on the computer?”

  He grinned fully. She called him hot. That was the slang equivalent for sexy. “I did read your ad.”

  She gave him a no shit nod. “And if God heard anybody’s prayer, it was mine, not that arrogant self-righteous Spartan prick's who’d rather stay on his knees praying than get his ass out and help me save my ranch. Like God can’t hear people when they’re walking or working. What a moron.” Sam looked at Kassie. “Mark my word, the second Daddy dies,” she raised both hands, “not saying I want him to anytime soon, but it'll happen eventually, want it or not, and when he does, that bastard is so fired." Her eyes flashed with passion and anger. Clearly she had no use for the man.

  Toren looked forward to meeting the moronic bastard simply for the entertainment factor. Meanwhile, Samantha's strong voice swirled the mercury hot inside him. She was like a fire in his spirit and his shield wanted to wrap around her entirely and sink into her pores, hungry to learn everything about her. She definitely had something it wanted and once again, Toren could hardly contain his excitement to give it exactly what it needed. What that actually was remained to be discovered. “I love a women with a plan. I’m entirely at your disposal. Use me however you like.” He smiled, making clear he meant the double entendre, and that he'd be glad to give her ideas.

  Something sparkled in her blue eyes and Toren heard her pulse accelerate.

  “Oh my.” Kassie gave a mischievous giggle. “However you like Sam, you heard him.”

  “Loud and clear.” Samantha walked to the sink and turned it on. "I'll have to think up something real interesting." Eyes still sparkling, she leaned and drank water straight from the running faucet.

  Toren angled his head, mesmerized by the way the water slid across her lips and into her mouth. Why did she sound unconvinced or suspicious with his offer? Even as she flirted back, and her body betrayed her interest, an undertone in her voice worried he had ulterior motives.

  “Samantha Lynn, when will you ever grow up? Get you a glass.”

  Samantha straightened with a smile and wiped her lips on her sleeve then leaned and kissed the woman on the cheek. “Never, I hope.”

  Toren’s heart raced eagerly. She was so full of life and fight. So genuine. Fascination took him once again and he wondered if her lips were cold from the water. She suddenly turned and faced him.

  “What on earth are you gawking at? Don’t tell me you never drank from a fountai
n or water hose before. Same thing.”

  A drop of water clung to her chin, tempting Toren to wipe it away with his own fingers. Trying to convince her he hadn't been staring at her was a foolish endeavor. “Sorry, I…just find you fascinatin’.” Might as well face the music, as the common human expression said.

  Samantha's brows shot up and he realized his word choice probably wasn't all that appropriate at the moment. Maybe he should just bust out his shiny metal wings and finish ruining his opportunity at being perceived as a normal human.

  “Well isn’t that the sugary sweetest thing to say to a woman you hardly know.” She rolled her eyes and stalked off, leaving Toren feeling a little confused.

  He looked at Kassie who stood with a knowing smile, only he wasn’t sure what she knew. “This is the part where you thank me for the coffee and follow her so she can put you to work. Or use you.” She roamed her gaze over his body. “Hope you don’t mind ruining your clothes.”

  Toren set the cup down on the counter. “Thank you, it was…interestin’.”

  “Interesting? Okay, I can work with that. Get yourself out of here and you watch out for my Sammie, you hear? I got a loaded shotgun and I won’t hesitate to use it if I find out you were inappropriate with her in anyway. You behave yourself and mind your manners.”

  Toren smiled before leaning and kissing her on the cheek the way Sam had. “Nobody will harm her and I won't do anything she doesn't want me to. That’s for damn sure.”

  “Oh my.” She slapped his chest. “Scoot before you make an old woman swoon.”

  Old? She was practically a baby. He tipped his hat and headed out, grateful Kassie seemed to like him.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  The first wispy flakes fell as Sam fired up the ranch truck. The thing always took forever to warm the engine enough to move so she headed back to the house to get her gear. Staying warm and dry would be the biggest challenge. Hopefully the new guy had his own stuff, because none of the hands were big enough for him to borrow from.