All he knew was that he wouldn’t be giving Mandy up, and he also wouldn’t tell her that his original goal wasn’t to protect her, but to give her up. If she knew that, then she might walk away from him, might leave him, might feel betrayed… And he didn’t blame her for doing that, but at the same time, he didn’t want to see her hurt, especially if he was the cause of it.
“Where are we?” she asked him quietly, as though she was afraid someone would hear her – the two people in the kitchen – and Mandy wasn’t certain as of yet if she and Paul were even allowed to be there.
Paul smiled at her worry. “Don’t worry,” he reassured her. “We’re somewhere safe.”
“Paul?” a male voice called. “Paul, is that you? I wasn’t expecting for another bloody half an hour. You really do work fast, don’t you, mate? That’s not my quote – some girls told me about –“ He cut his joke off when he realized that Mandy was standing next to Paul, her eyes quizzical.
Kelly soon followed, and slowed her movements when she saw Mandy as well.
“Yes, well,” Paul said after a moment of tense silence. He glanced down at Mandy before looking at his acquaintances. “This is the girl I was telling you about. This is Mandy.” He squeezed her hand. “And these are the people that are going to be protecting us. This is Bruce, the man who owns the house, and this is his girlfriend Kelly.”
Mandy studied the two before her, tilting her head ever so slightly to the side. Bruce’s wings were bigger than Paul’s, had a longer wing span, but his color wasn’t as dark – it was more of a charcoal color rather than completely black. They were a thing to behold, no doubt, and it was only with a promise to her eyes that she would come back to him, pulled them away from Bruce and let her eyes linger on the woman.
“Her wings are white,” Mandy said, furrowing her brow as she looked up at Paul. “Her wings are white. Doesn’t that mean she’s an angel?”
“Bloody hell, she can see us,” Bruce said, his whole face a shade paler than normal as he regarded Mandy with a look of awe.
“Kelly is an angel,” Paul told Mandy, ignoring Bruce’s slight outburst.
“Is that allowed?” Mandy questioned. “If she’s Bruce’s girlfriend… Can a demon and an angel be together?”
“It’s definitely frowned upon,” Paul agreed with an amused smile. “But neither of these two particularly cares. And you know what they say; being in love makes you do crazy things. Bruce is no longer looked at as a demon and Kelly is no longer looked at as an angel by their respective crowds. The only distinction of what they once were are the wings on their backs.”
Mandy smiled and nodded.
“We’re outcasts, really,” Kelly said with a nod of her head. She looked over at Bruce, and there was a distinct smile touching her lips as she looked at him that one would have to be blind to not notice how in love they were. After a moment, Kelly turned to look back at Mandy. “But it doesn’t really matter as long as we have each other.”
“Thank you,” Mandy said quickly. Her face flushed slightly at the amount of eyes on her, but she didn’t particularly care at that moment. She needed to say what she had to say. “Paul tells me that we’re staying here, that you’re willing to protect us as much as in your power and I just wanted to thank you for it. If I can repay you –“
Bruce quickly interrupted with a curt cough and a dismissing wave of his hand. “That won’t be necessary,” he assured the young woman.
“Here,” Kelly said. “Mandy – it’s Mandy is it? Right, well why don’t I show you to your room? It’s not much, but I think it’ll do.”
“I’m sure it will,” Mandy agreed, following Kelly down the hall and into the quaint bedroom Kelly had walked into.
“You’re in love with Paul,” Kelly stated, taking Mandy by surprise. Mandy quickly looked at the blonde angel with an unreadable expression, causing Kelly to chuckle. “Or if you’re not, you nearly are. It really is all about the eyes.” She tilted her head to the side as she looked at Mandy. “And I dare say he’s smitten with you in his own way.”
Mandy wanted to say something, but she didn’t exactly know just what that was, so she smiled and remained silent, letting her eyes roam around the room.
“I have to tell you,” Kelly said after a long moment of processing her thoughts. “You have to know.” Mandy looked over at Kelly with patient expectancy. “You’re famous. No, really, you are. You might not realize it or anything, but you were prophesized. It was foretold that a solution to this war would be offered up in the form of a human. And you’re it. Somehow, you’re going to stop this war, which is why Paul is supposed to offer you to his –“
“Wait,” Mandy interrupted, her brow drawing downwards as she regarded Kelly. “Wait, what did you say? Paul his supposed to offer me to something? I don’t understand?”
Kelly’s face lost a slight bout of her color. “You mean you don’t know?” Kelly asked in a whisper, hoping Paul hadn’t overheard their conversation. She honestly believed that Paul had told her everything after making the decision not to go through with his plan. Why wouldn’t he? It wasn’t like he was going to give her to Satan. “Then I’ve said too much.”
Mandy shook her head, so completely tired of being left in the dark when she was supposed to be this important person. She didn’t want to be ignorant or naïve anymore. She wanted to know what was going on, no matter what that was. “What are you talking about?” she asked firmly, her eyes locking with Kelly’s.
Kelly sighed through her nose. “It’s not for me to say,” the angel responded honestly. “But trust in Paul because your well-being is important to him.” She walked over to Mandy before placing a hand on her shoulder. She dropped her voice as she said, “I will tell you – I want to stress that you are more important than you realize.”
Seventeen
It had been three days since their arrival at Bruce’s isolated house resting in the heart of the mountains. However, the view from Mandy’s window showed a small city below, not too far off. It was half past twelve in the afternoon, but one wouldn’t know it due to the overcast skies and the pouring rain. Mandy had always adored the rain, and as a result, she tried to get into it as much as possible. It really didn’t rain all that much in Los Angeles. Maybe with this impending war, weather cycles would change. Maybe that was why it was raining so hard right now. Maybe angels and demons, when coming together on earth for a violent purpose, could change the weather.
The thought wasn’t as comforting as she had originally believed it to be, and as a result, she let a sigh slip out of her nose.
Mandy was currently in her room, dressed in sweatpants and an oversized sweater. She was lounging in a comfortable armchair that she had moved so it was practically against the window so she could look out and watch the rain fall. Her forehead was caressing the glass, and the coolness of the glass seemed to relax her body. She still had yet to hear just why she was so important in this war, just why she seemed to be the only solution to it. Nobody had offered her the information, and she didn’t ask. If they were going to tell her, they would tell. But even she knew that her patience was running out of steam, especially when she would walk in on Paul, Bruce, and Kelly having hushed conversations that would abruptly end when they noticed her. It was aggravating and annoying and she felt as though she was being left out of something important.
She would never admit it, of course, but she felt most slighted by Paul himself.
When Mandy and Paul had engaged in intimate behavior, she knew not to expect anything to come from it. Having a relationship right now might be too complicated for both of them, but that didn’t stop her from feeling attracted to him. If she could control herself, it would be completely different; she wouldn’t chase her thoughts in circles wondering about things she shouldn’t be focusing on. But she couldn’t stop her stomach from attaining butterflies whenever he smiled softly at her, couldn’t stop her heart from practically jumping out of her chest whenever he accidentally or purpo
sefully touched, couldn’t stop her ears from feeling tickled whenever she heard him speak, couldn’t stop her nose from twitching when he smiled. Whether Mandy realized it or not, she really did like Paul. Maybe she was on the brink of falling in love with him. She didn’t know. But they hadn’t reengaged their physical attraction yet, not since that first time.
And now would be the absolute perfect time to do so. Since Mandy knew nothing except what she was told, her imagination filled in the blanks, and Mandy’s imagination had never been up to par with reality. She just wanted to forget to think for a few hours, and with Paul’s arms around her, with their bodies connected at such a level… She forgot everything including her name.
There were times when Mandy wondered if he felt the same way about her. These thoughts were brief and were most always in the negative, but it didn’t stop her from idling on them whenever she didn’t want to think about her current situation. Paul proved to be a good distraction. But these feelings left her as hopeless as this entire war did, so she thought about their time together – that one moment that would be forever etched in her mind no matter what happened between them.
He was her first loss of inhibition, her first risk that she took, and as a result, Paul was incredibly important to her whether he knew it or not.
“Oh my God, just don’t think about him,” she mumbled to herself.
There were moments, like this one in particular, when she wished she couldn’t think about anything. Instead, she focused her eyes on the small town, wondering what sort of people lived there and if they knew what was going to happen – what was happening.
And then, her eyes caught sight of a figure walking through town. A very familiar figure was walking towards the town. He was tall, lithe, and had big, black wings that protruded from his back. If her eyes and the dark sky didn’t deceive her, then that was Paul. Mandy tilted her head gently to the side.
What, exactly, was Paul doing, heading into town in this rain?
Mandy chewed on her bottom lip, knowing that her insatiable curiosity was going to get her into trouble one day. But with Kelly and Bruce out, and now Paul gone, it really wasn’t fair to have her cooped up in this house all by herself, especially without any sort of clue as to her ties to this war. And plus, rain had always done her good in the past…
Her mind made up, she grabbed a jacket, deciding to take another chance, this time in the rain.
He had to avoid her, at least until this whole mess he had gotten the two into was finally sorted out. He ran his fingers through his now-soaked hair, his pale blue eyes still sharp even in the darkness, even in this rain. Paul was supposed to be meeting someone here at this exact spot two minutes ago. His guy was late showing up, and though there was no reason to be alarmed, his body was tense. Paul fought the urge to pace, and instead, tried to get a grip on his slipping patience. He needed to get back to the house before Mandy realized he was gone and asked him where he went. To be honest, he wished he could answer. He wished he could tell her everything, but her safety depended on her ignorance, and selfishly, he didn’t want her to know her original purpose; a means to his end.
Paul could never let her find out because if she did… Well, no doubt Mandy would be hurt and upset with him and he didn’t want to be the reason she was feeling that way. Her eyes were the most expressive and honest feature on her face, and he’d be damned if they were filled with utter sadness and betrayal because of him.
It was true; Paul cared about Mandy too much. That was that, and there was nothing more to it. He wasn’t sure if love factored into the equation yet; because he had never been in love, he couldn’t decipher his feelings one way or the other. But he cared about her and he didn’t want her to be hurt. Which was probably why he had been avoiding her these past few days. He couldn’t allow her to know more than what was necessary.
He would never be human, but she’d be safe. And it would seem as though that was all that mattered to Paul.
“Well, well, well,” a thick voice said, stepping out of the shadows at the pickup point. “If it isn’t Paul.”
Paul felt all the blood in his body run cold at the sight of Griffin, his Creator’s right hand man. If there was ever a case where his Creator needed dirty work done or needed some kind of information, He always sent Griffin. And Griffin was notorious for being successful in his ventures, which is probably why the Creator always sent him to do everything for him. With Griffin, He didn’t have to worry.
It was when someone like Paul encountered Griffin was there means to start worrying.
“We know what you did with the girl,” Griffin began, before placing his lips around his cigar and taking a big puff on it. As he spoke, smoke singed his words. “We know you have decided to go against your purpose, go against your promise you made to the Creator, and as a result, you have forfeited your gift of life.” He smiled, his teeth a yellow and blackish color. It was a smile that caused dread – it didn’t reach his eyes because he found no reason to be infinitely happy about anything, really. “And once our Creator has the girl, you will be damned.”
Paul swallowed but he wasn’t intimidated. In fact, he was just curious as to what Griffin was telling him while his mind raced with different escape plans with Mandy, Bruce, and Kelly.
“But here’s my warning to you,” Griffin continued, placing a thick index finger on Paul’s chest. “You still have a chance to appease the Creator. You can still be mortal.”
Paul looked Griffin in his deep, hollow eyes. For whatever reason, it was at that moment that he needed to say something, to speak up. “I don’t want that anymore,” he said quietly, but his voice was firm, indicating that his decision was serious and final.
Griffin dropped his hand and his face paled slightly. Nobody had ever done something as stupid as what Paul was suggesting. “You had better not be saying what I think you’re saying,” he told the demon.
Paul said nothing, realizing he wasn’t going to get those papers to England for him and Mandy today. Maybe not ever. But he would not waver. With one final look at Griffin, Paul turned and walked away.
Eighteen
In her limited experience, Mandy had never experienced anything quite like dancing in the rain. She was currently at a children’s park, and had just gotten off a swing. After casting her eyes upwards in hopes to find out whether or not the rain would cease soon, she discovered that such a thing was quite out of the question, and instead, decided to use it to her advantage. The great thing about the rain currently falling – besides the fact that it was raining – was that it was a point unto which she could focus. If she wanted to think about anything, she could think about the rain. If she wanted to feel, she could concentrate on the rain falling on her body.
Suddenly, an idea popped into her mind and a mischievous smile slid onto her face, slowly at first, but when the idea started to take form, it only deepened. Mandy opened her eyes up, and subtly as she could, glanced around her just to make sure nobody was around her. To one, it might have been obvious, especially with this heavy rainfall; it wasn’t likely anybody would play in a park. And yet, Mandy knew kids, and kids loved any excuse to get wet.
At least, that was how she was when she was a child.
When she was satisfied that she was truly alone, she began to dance. Dancing in the rain was always something she and Sarah did when the business was slow, there were no managers around, and it was raining. Oddly enough, Mandy didn’t feel the usual pang of guilt, of sadness, she had been feeling whenever she thought of Sarah. In fact, it was kind of cheesy, but as she danced, she felt as though Sarah was right next to her, dancing as well. And Mandy knew no matter how ridiculous it sounded, it was possible for such a thing to occur. She had recently made love to a fallen angel, and now she liked to believe that she was dancing in the rain with her best friend.
In this moment, she felt a pure sort of happiness fly through her body. There was no weight on her shoulders, no nightmares to analyze, no world where Sarah was
gone. The smile on her face was the only light shining in this darkness, and Mandy realized at that moment that if anyone had spied her, it wouldn’t matter. If this was what she needed to do, to believe, in order to be happy for a few moments in time, in a newly desolate world, she wasn’t going to refrain. Sarah wouldn’t, and Mandy would never do Sarah wrong.
All thoughts of this war, of her part in it, and even of Paul completely vanished from her thoughts. It wasn’t as though she didn’t care about it anymore, but she just didn’t want to think about it. The feeling of rain on her frame reminded her that she was still human – she could still feel – and the thought of Sarah beside her doing her ridiculous disco moves reminded Mandy to be happy. Happiness was hard to come by, and any excuse to attain it was important to take up.
So all things of importance were reprioritized.
Mandy wasn’t sure how long she was dancing, how long she had been in the rain, but it didn’t appear as though it was that important. Even if she did catch a cold, it wouldn’t be that bad, and her health being tainted by temporary sickness would be a willing sacrifice for this moment. She was soaked to the bone, and after another moment of dancing, she stopped, feeling her body get cold, reacting to the physical sense of the rain. Well, she didn’t feel too bad right now. Maybe if she hurried back to the house, got out of her wet clothes, and jumped into a hot bath, the cold would completely pass her by.
Killing by Captivation: A Gods & Monsters Prequel (Gods & Monsters Trilogy Book 0) Page 8