by Sammi Cee
Striding out of the bathroom, he moves to his bed and cradles me in one arm while moving the comforter and sheets back before laying me down. On one hand, it makes no sense that this stranger is taking care of me—or that I’m allowing it—but on the other, who else do I have? Where else could I go right now where I wouldn’t be totally alone with my thoughts?
“Rest, little man. I’ve got you. Get some sleep, then we’ll talk.”
I obey him, not because it’s the first time I’ve felt safe since I overheard the conversation in my uncle’s office, but because it’s the first time I’ve felt safe since I received the call that my parents had perished in a house fire.
Slowly I wake up to the smell of fresh coffee. Not opening my eyes, I lay still while the details of last night come back to me. It doesn’t seem possible that someone took me in last night and took care of me, but then I hear the deep growly voice.
“No, Ophi... I’m telling you, I have no idea... Of course, I’m not… I think he’s in danger… Well, what would you have me do?... Maybe, but I’m not letting him out of my sight until I know… No, I don’t think that’s a good idea… Okay, okay, but you better be nice to him or I’m kicking you out… How do I know what he’d want to eat? I just met him, too… Yeah, I did. I got us a couple pastries last night, so I had one when he fell asleep and the other for breakfast this morning when he was still out… Ophaniel, I know y—… Yes, I promise… See you soon.”
My mind is bombarded as I listen to his half of the conversation.
He’s not letting me out of his sight?
He’d kick out his best friend for being mean to me?
His friend who was glaring at me wants to feed me?
What the heck time is it if Az had breakfast already?
What’s he promising?
“I know you’re awake, little man.”
“How?” I ask without opening my eyes, but pulling the blankets about tighter under my chin.
“Your breathing changed. Plus, you have a cute little snore thing going on when you’re asleep.”
That gets me up. Opening my eyes, I sit straight up with the blankets still clenched up around me. “I do not. You take that back.”
Still sitting at the desk with his back to me, I see his arms moving around before he stands up and walks over with a cup of coffee in his outstretched hand. “Here you go. I don’t drink the stuff myself, but I ordered some since it’s just past noon. I figured you’d be waking up sooner or later.”
“What do you mean you don’t drink coffee?”
“I never really developed a taste for it.” He walks back over and leans his back against the desk while watching me curiously. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Like what?” I mutter.
“Like you all of a sudden don’t trust me again.”
“Because I’m not sure that I do.”
“But why?” He throws his hands up into the air for a second before planting his hands on his hips. “I carried you in from the ocean last night when you were freezing to death and ran you a bath. I brought you coffee and whiskey. I helped you when you got sick. And then, I watched over you all night so you could get a good night’s sleep, which you obviously needed since you slept like the dead for almost twelve hours. In all that time, I’ve not done one thing but try to take care of you. What did I do all of a sudden to put you on edge?”
Mumbling I say, “You don’t like coffee.”
“Pardon me?”
Raising my voice, I respond, “I said, you don’t like coffee. I’m not sure I can trust a man who doesn’t like coffee. It’s not natural.”
5
Azorath
Incredulously, I shake my head at Denny. His sleep tousled hair makes me want to go over and run my hands through it, but his reasoning for not trusting me is the craziest thing I’ve ever heard. I basically stole him bodily off the beach last night, dressed him in only a robe, and he spent the whole night in my bed. Yet, he’s worried about the fact I don’t like coffee. That’s his big concern? Before I can form a reply, I hear a knock on the door.
Shaking my head at Denny one last time, I make my way to the door. Before I’ve barely cracked it open, Ophi pushes past me into the room with two bags hanging from his hands and places them on the desk. “Oh, good you’re up. I’m Ophaniel. Sorry I was being so rude last night, but… well, that doesn’t matter now. Where’s the key to your room?” he says to Denny.
“Ophi, he just woke up,” I say at the same time Denny says, “Why do you need the key to my room?”
Pointing at me, Ophi says, “No one is talking to you. You’re all…” Flapping his hands in the air at me, he then turns back to Denny. “I need the key to your room so I can go get you some clothes. Obviously, Ass here wants to hang out with you today, and I brought us lunch, but I’m not hanging out with you in a bathrobe, so I’ll run and grab you some clothes.”
I’m not sure whether to be pissed at my old friend for embarrassing Denny by bringing up that I obviously told him about the “ass” thing or applaud his brilliance for creating a way to get into Denny’s room to look around. Normally, I’d do it myself in angel form, but I don’t want to leave Denny, and honestly, I still feel weird about going spying on my suflet mwenza behind closed doors. However, as an angel—and not a fallen angel—Ophi’s limited in his access to someone’s stuff supernaturally. He can’t go into someone’s room like that in angel form unless a person is there to potentially protect. As a fallen angel, it’s my obligation to get all the details by whatever means necessary. Including, rifling through their stuff in angel form without them present.
“Um, I guess my key’s in my pants pocket still, but I don’t know where my pants are.” A flare of color creeps up Denny’s cheeks as he darts a look over at me. Hmm… that’s a good sign.
Addressing Ophi, I say, “His clothes are all hanging up over the rod in the bathroom to dry. Whatever was in his pants pockets is on the bathroom counter in there.”
Ophi heads toward the bathroom, and I look back to Denny. “I couldn’t help notice when I emptied your pockets last night that you had no phone. Isn’t that a little unusual in this day and age to not have a phone with you?”
“Yeah, I left it in my room so my unc—I decided to unplug last night, so I went for a walk without it.”
Breezing back into the room Ophi says, “I’ll be back. Go ahead and eat. I had a late breakfast, so I’m actually not that hungry. What’s your room number, Denny?”
“Five-eighteen. Thank you. Whatever you grab me to wear is fine. I can always go change if I need to once I have clothes on.”
“No problem. Be back.” Turning to walk backward toward the door, he shoots off one last dig, “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do while I’m gone. I’ll try to give you plenty of time.” And with a wink, he spins around and is out the door.
It doesn’t escape my attention that Denny’s face is once again filling with color. “If you want to use the bathroom and freshen up really quick, I’ll get lunch out. Unless of course, you don’t want to eat with a suspicious non-coffee lover like me.”
“I guess, I’ll have to. I’m hungry and I have no clothes,” Denny tosses over his shoulder as he scurries for the bathroom, pulling the bathrobe tight around him. The little man’s nervous boldness is such an odd mix that I find myself completely charmed by him and anxious to get to know him better, which is completely unlike me. Except for Ophaniel and Caedmon, and my friend, Deo, the demon unicorn who works one of the doors between realms, I’m not exactly what mortals call a “people person.”
Ophaniel, as usual, has outdone himself. My friend may be slightly rebellious and does things his own way, but he’s also caring and nurturing. Inside the bags I find a large salad, an order of penne vodka with bread, a cheeseburger with an order of fries, and a club sandwich with a bag of potato chips. Not knowing what Denny likes, he made sure to get a variety so that hopefully, something would be to his palette. Removing t
he plates and utensils from the bag, I split up the food and put a little of everything on both plates for Denny and me. By the time he comes out, I already have both our plates along with a few different beverages from the mini fridge set on the circular table in the middle of the room. Denny’s not wrong about one thing, this is a nice room.
“Wow,” he says as he approaches from behind me. “Did he get all this because you didn’t know what I like to eat?”
“Yep.” I pull out a chair for him to sit in, and he gives me a shy little smile as he slips into his seat. After pushing him in, I say as I walk to my own chair, “Don’t let him know you’re on to him, though. He likes people to think he has no heart.”
Pausing with a bite of the penne halfway to his mouth, Denny looks at me. “But it’s not true, I already know that. He was just as concerned for you bringing me back to your room last night as I was about me. This morning he rushed over with food, and I know he’d twenty questioned you. He was concerned.” Although it wasn’t a question, I nod my head at him, anyway. “So that tells me that not only is he a good person and friend, but so are you since he’s so protective of you.” Hesitating for a heartbeat, he continues, “I guess I can forgive the coffee thing,” and then he shoves his fork into his mouth.
We pass an enjoyable lunch, chatting between bites. Neither of us revealing too much about ourselves—because what can I reveal, really. Oh, by the way, I’m not human but a fallen angel, and you were made to compliment me perfectly, and furthermore, if we’re together it could get me exiled and possibly endanger your life—but I do notice that he eats every bite I put on his plate, much more than he ate at his lunch yesterday. We’re finishing up cleaning off the table when there’s a knock on the door followed by, “Stop what you’re doing and let me in. And I don’t want to see any nakey body parts, either.”
Denny laughs before jumping up and bounding across the luxurious room to answer the door, immediately grabbing his clothes out of Ophi’s hands with a, “Thank you!” and heading straight to the bathroom to get dressed.
“What’s with him?” Ophi asks as he points his thumb backward over his shoulder while approaching me.
“Not sure, but I know getting some food in him helped. I could see the color coming back into his face as he ate. Thank you, Ophaniel.”
Waving me off again, he whispers, “Your man must be here for more than a vacation. He had a stack of folders next to a laptop. I went through them enough to know they’re exporting something out on a ship in a couple of days. I also found the official letterhead for the company, so I took some screenshots, and I’ll spend some time today digging around. I’ve already sent over the pictures to Caedmon and he’s going to help.”
“Caedmon, our Caedmon agreed to help you do research? How in the world did you get him to agree to that? What’s it going to cost us?” I ask incredulously. While Caedmon may be one of my oldest and dearest friends, he’s a crusty old vampire. He’s been grumpy for at least the last one hundred years.
“Huh, first he did say to leave him alone. I pointed out that he has nothing to do but roam that old house of his, and he said he has plenty to do. I asked him what, and he told me it was none of my damn business. So I told him if he didn’t want to be a part of history and total anarchy, fine, I’d leave him out of it.”
We both snicker. Caedmon loves dissent amongst the masses, only second to complete solitude. The vamp is a total contradiction. “That was enough, huh?”
“Actually, no.” Ophi wiggles his eyebrows at me. “It appears our beloved vamp was extremely interested in the possibility of you having found your suflet mwenza. He, of course, said he wouldn’t believe it until he saw it with his own eyes, but he’s willing to help research, and then if the situation warrants, he said he’ll go to Deo to open a door to get him here.”
“You told him what Denny is to me?” I can’t believe he told anyone, even Caedmon; this is risky for me, for all of us.
Then I hear Denny’s voice as he approaches us, his eyebrows are scrunched so cute on his forehead in confusion. “You told who that I’m what? I don’t understand, I’m just the idiot you rescued from almost drowning last night. How is that important?”
Struggling to come up with a response, Ophaniel apparently has no such problem. “Oh, I told one of our friends how Ass rescued you, and then immediately started crushing on you even though you looked like a drowned rat. That’s all.” He shrugs his shoulders while looking between us with a mischievous smile.
“Like I’m the ass,” I mumble. Not totally irritated, though, since Denny is once again a delightful shade of pink. For fuck’s sake what is wrong with me? Cute and delightful aren’t normally in my vocabulary. If this is what having a soul-mate does to a supe, no wonder it was outlawed.
“Okay, well, as entertaining as this has been, some of us have stuff to do today. Again, I’ll leave you with, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” Then laughing, Ophi strides right out of my room without another word.
Denny looks skittish and I’m scared he’s going to bolt so I ask, “Did you have anything special to do today?”
Standing awkwardly in the middle of the room, he rubs the back of his neck and glances around. “Not really. I should probably go to my room and get my cell phone just in case anyone needs me, but other than that, I’m going to wander around a bit, I guess.”
“Would you like company?” Please say yes. Please say no. Please say yes. Please say no. I don’t know if spending time with Denny is a good thing or a bad thing for either of us.
No matter what else you decide to do, Azorath. You’re still on assignment.
Hearing the voice of the Ancient One on the inside, I square my shoulders prepared to talk Denny into spending the day with me. It’s still my job to befriend him and help keep him from endangering himself.
Before I can say a word, he smiles hesitantly. “You really want to hang out today?”
“Very much,” I say sincerely, because assignment be damned—I really do want to spend the day with this complex little man.
Denny looks around the room again like it has the answers, and then half mumbling, like he’s talking to himself almost, he says, “Yeah. That would be good, I think. It can’t hurt anything.”
Not sure what he means by that and hoping that Ophi and Caedmon get me answers today, I charge across the room to put on my shoes before he can change his mind. “I know it’s starting to get a bit chilly in the evenings, but it should be nice outside. Would you like to go spend the day on the boardwalk? Maybe we can ride some rides or something.”
“Really?” A smile that I haven’t seen yet lights up his whole face, and his eyes brighten.
Clearing my throat—because even if I didn’t want to, I’d gladly trudge around the boardwalk for that face—I say, “Yeah, let’s go get whatever else you need from your room, and we’ll go.”
6
Denny
The solid presence of Azorath next to me makes me feel safe in a way I haven’t experienced since my parents died. I don’t know why. I’m sure part of it is I got lucky and he didn’t kill me in my sleep last night or anything, but that’s not all of it. It’s how big and solid he is. Except for small grins at Ophaniel, the only time I’ve seen him smile is at me. As we pass people in the hallway, and during the conversation we had with a group of senior ladies, he’s extremely polite, but aloof. The only time he tries to engage is with me. There’s something about that I like, it makes me feel special, I guess.
“Um, my room’s right here. If you want to give me a minute?” I glance up at his stoic face to make sure it’s okay I’m leaving him in the hall, and one corner of his lips lift as he nods his head toward the door. Taking that as a sign he doesn’t think I’m being rude, I slip the key card in the slot, and open the door to dart in.
It’s not that I don’t trust being alone with Azorath in a room, I mean, I just spent the night in the guy’s room in his bed wearing only a bathrobe, but I’m not sure wh
at I left out, and I don’t want him seeing anything about my uncle’s business. Even though this will only be one pleasant afternoon spent in his company, I’d prefer for him to never come to regret having spent time with me. Rolling my eyes at myself for thinking that this man will remember a letterhead that he saw in some weird guy’s hotel room months from now, I run to my closet to change my shirt. The t-shirt that Ophaniel brought me is fine, but since this is the closest thing I’ve had to a date in years, I’d rather look a little nicer.
Slipping on a long-sleeved green button-down shirt, I stare into my closet wishing I had more fashionable clothes. Everything has been about my uncle’s business for so long in my life that it’s been forever since I dressed for anything but work. Leaving school and going to be near my uncle cut me off from everyone, including the friends I had back in my hometown of Highvale.
A knock at the door cuts off my musings, and I cross back over to answer the door. As soon as I open it, Azorath asks, “Everything okay?” He looks anxiously over my shoulder.
Tilting my head up at him, I shrug. “Yeah, why wouldn’t it be?”
“Well, you’ve been in here about ten minutes. I thought you were only grabbing your phone, then when I didn’t hear any noise…”
He trails off, suddenly looking self-conscious. “Azorath, it can’t have been more than two minutes. I’m changing my shirt, grabbing my phone, and then I will be ready to go.”
When he nods, but doesn’t say anything while staring down at me, I pull my unbuttoned shirt tighter across my chest. “Um…”