Underworld Lover (A Guardian Angel Romance #2)

by haron Hamilton

  “Hi Angie,” Josh said a little loud, knowing the angel would be listening on the phone. She and James were inseparable, something he’d found disgusting just a couple of weeks ago. Now, the idea of spending eternity with the person he loved was appealing.

  Except I don’t want her to turn, to give up her human life.

  “She says ‘hi’ back,” James said.

  “Okay, so how soon can you get up here?”

  “In an hour. We haven’t unpacked everything. Give us a chance to get it all put away. Our place is a mess. Looks like someone went through all our things while we were gone. You checking up on us? Out of condoms or toys?”

  Josh winced at the glimpse of his former self. He also knew that meant they had probably spent yesterday afternoon and this morning in bed, and the delay wasn’t due to anyone rifling through their things. For the first time he could remember, the thought that two people could be so much in love they tuned out everything else didn’t make him angry. He missed Melanie. Josh no longer begrudged someone else their strong feelings.

  “Okay, an hour it is. Meet me at my house,” he said.

  “Done.” James disconnected the call.

  The two dark angels were on time, Josh noted. He led them into his living room, offered them a seat on the red leather chairs, and turned on the fireplace. Angela had never been to Josh’s home before. She stared in wide-eyed amazement at the large colorful paintings that decorated every available wall space. Her golden blond hair, pulled back in a ponytail, framed her rose tinged still-angelic face. She was the perfect combination of grace and beauty.

  Except for the hair, Angela would have been Josh’s type: athletic, stunningly beautiful, with a sweet face an angel could get lost in. But Josh had previously been infatuated with only redheads. That was before Melanie. Now he enjoyed Angela from a different perspective.

  James was taller than Josh, with light sandy brown hair and a slender, bony frame. He wore his hair long and, like Josh, tied with a leather thong. His lankiness dwarfed his now dark angel lover, but his attention to her was obvious.

  “These Daniel’s?” Angela asked, pointing to a jungle scene.

  “Yes. And some from Beau Bradley.” Angela’s face was a question mark. “He was the lead guitarist for the Spacetravelers rock and roll band.”

  Both Angela and James said in unison, “Was?”

  “Yes. As in, he is now one of us.”

  There was little joy in this, Josh could see. Just a fact of life, like postage going up a penny. Josh continued. “He’ll be coming back here shortly.” He paced in front of the fireplace, mentally preparing his speech. He took in a deep breath, then spoke. “I’m going to do something you least expect from me.” He studied both their faces. “I’m going to apologize. I owe you both more than this. James, I tricked you so that you, my dear,” he looked at Angela, “would go Dark as well, with James’s invitation.”

  There was silence as the couple looked at each other, seated across from one another but holding hands.

  “We’ve made our peace with it. We’re together,” Angela said at last.

  “Yes, well there are some things changing here. The new director is lethal. And,” he said as he looked at his fingernails, “he’s asked me to do a favor for him I am not sure I can do.” He stopped to think about it further. “No, I’m sure I won’t be able to do what he asks.”

  “What does this have to do with us?” James asked.

  “He seems to be going after everyone I have turned, and he says he is testing my loyalty.”

  “Your loyalty?” James asked. “You’re the best one they have here. Why would they want to test your loyalty?”

  “I think it’s a veiled way of saying he intends to eliminate me.”

  “But why?” James wondered. “You’ve turned more people, more Guardians even, than anyone else.” James shook his head.

  “Jealousy,” Angela blurted out. “He wants something you have.”

  “How perceptive, my dear. That’s exactly right. He wants me to deliver the woman I love to him.” Josh watched their eyes grow wide. “I see this amuses you? Yes, I have fallen in love, for the first time in my life. First time in over three hundred years.”

  James stood, as if to congratulate him, but Angela pulled his arm down.

  It was Angela who spoke first. “Who is this woman? Not a human, I take it?”

  Josh looked down at his boots. “Yes, I’m afraid she is.”

  James gasped. “Not wise. She won’t have any protection. Why couldn’t you prey on someone else?”

  Josh could feel the red glare pulse for a second as he stared at James, but he was reminded to pull back his gaze as he saw James’s reaction. The other angel scowled back at him.

  Josh said, “You fell in love with a Guardian, James. Or are you saying it was all her fault?”

  “But your appetites . . .” Angela chimed in.

  “Are quite satisfied. Mutually, I might add.” In fact, Josh was getting hard just thinking about it.

  “Wow. Never thought I’d hear it. You in need of our help. You want us to look after the girl, right?” James had his hands on his hips.

  “Yes, something like that.” Josh smiled. “But I want you fully informed before you jump in. There has been a dark angel death I didn’t cause. Karl was vaporized—in my house.”

  “Too bad. He wasn’t very bright, but I liked him,” James said. Josh remembered thinking the same thing about James.

  “He definitely didn’t deserve what he got. Peter did it in my own house. It was a statement.” Josh looked across the room at one of Daniel’s paintings. “And he isn’t done.”

  “Meaning, just because he knows you made us, he could come after us out of spite.” Angela was deadly as she nailed Josh to the mantelpiece with her gaze.

  “Exactly.”

  “So we really don’t have a choice.”

  “Oh, I don’t think that’s true. Before I’ll tell you the plan, I want this to be your decision, not mine. Yes, you have a choice, just as I do. You can go slink off somewhere and hope he doesn’t find you, try to convince him you are on his side. Chances are he’ll ask that you both perform some despicable act as a loyalty test, just like he requested of me.”

  Josh rolled his shoulders again. He wasn’t used to so much pain. Alcohol and the willing arms of a new conquest were always his remedies in the past. But then he hadn’t felt the burden of so much on his shoulders as he did this day. He looked down at Angie.

  “Am I going to die for you? No. I will die for Melanie, though. I’m just being completely honest with you both. That’s all I want from you, whether or not you are in, and if you are, will you go the distance, if it comes to that?”

  James came over to the front of the leather chair, kneeling before the seated frame of Angela, who was obviously disturbed.

  “Love, we’ve talked about standing up to this insanity I brought you,” he said as he touched her cheek. “If we were eliminated while trying to make it right, would it be worth it for you?”

  James’s tenderness touched Josh’s heart, and he had to look away so the pair wouldn’t see the water accumulating in his eyes.

  “But I won’t live without you,” Angie responded.

  “Nor I you.” They stared at each other and then James stood up. “Okay. We’ll do it. As long as we can do it together.” The pair held hands, then Angie stood. James encircled her waist, bringing her into his chest.

  “Thank you.” Josh carefully raised his arms to the side, as if to ask permission. Sensing no resistance from the two angels, he stepped forward and hugged them both stiffly. “Thank you.”

  Josh stepped back, motioning them to follow. “We’ve got to get started. We’ll go in my car. Let me introduce you to Melanie, and then we’re going to have a reunion.”

  “Reunion?” Angie asked.

  “Claire and Daniel have agreed to help us. And Angie,” he said as he stopped to face her, “she is due to have a baby on Ch
ristmas Day.”

  Angie beamed. “You taking us to see them now?” she asked.

  “After we pick up Melanie. Yes.”

  Josh called Melanie and arranged to pick her up at the shop. He could see Angela liked her immediately. James seemed to be self-conscious about his sexual energy and his dark side, so kept his distance. Josh thought he was nervous. He kept looking outside the storefront windows, as if expecting Peter to come by any second.

  Melanie introduced Travis to the bunch. A strong cloud of marijuana smoke and its pungent odor preceded his entrance from the storage room. Josh thought in his present state Travis could be pleasant to Peter himself.

  “Your friends are cool, way cool, man,” Travis told him as they were leaving.

  “Remember, Travis, no mention to anyone about this. Even your girlfriend.” Josh made sure Travis got how serious he was by flashing red in the center of his eyes. It made the teenager back up a step, but he wouldn’t remember seeing it afterwards.

  “No problemo. These guys belong to some underground movement or something?”

  “If I told you, then I’d have to kill you.” Josh smiled back at him.

  “Wow. Cool. I’m totally cool with that.”

  Josh put Melanie up front with him, leaving the couple in the back. Melanie had been asking Angela too many questions about her darkness, and it bothered him to hear this. He made a note to separate the two as much as possible and decided to mention it to James as well, later.

  He pulled the black Hummer into Daniel’s driveway. All of a sudden, the front door burst open and Claire came running out, wearing a baggy pair of jeans and a white smock. Her feet were adorned in yellow Crocs with “jewels” buttoned into the little holes. At first Josh thought something was wrong, but the smile the size of her whole face was hard to miss.

  She clamored up to Josh’s window, asking as she banged on it, “Where is she?” Spotting Angela in the back seat, she ran around the car to the other side and threw a big bear hug around her as Angela attempted to get out of the car. “Oh, Angie, Angie. You heard the news?” Claire asked her as she leaned back to take a good look at Angela’s face. Angela was crying.

  “Yes. I am just…” Angela was overcome. “Claire, I feel so…I am so happy for you, how it all worked out.”

  “Yes, well we have some work to do, but it’s wonderful how everything worked out. And, my dear, I wouldn’t want anybody other than Daniel by my side as we fight this thing.”

  Josh was impressed with the size of Claire’s love for Angela and knew now the anguish she’d felt when Angela had turned. He watched Claire sigh.

  “This was the battle we signed on for, when you and I were Guardians, remember?” She gave a little laugh. “And now you are dark and I am human.” Claire hugged Angela again and said, “But we are still together, and we will always be friends.”

  Josh could see James was fidgeting, obviously unsure of himself. He understood the guilt the dark angel must feel. As if on cue, Claire came over to James and embraced him too. Holding one of their hands in each of hers, Claire searched their faces.

  “I have long dreamed about this day. I knew we would stand together again to rout out this scum,” she said.

  James was shedding tears, his lower lip quivering. “Silly James,” Claire said as she wiped his cheek with the back of her hand. “Come inside. Welcome to our home.”

  Josh and Melanie walked behind the trio, holding hands.

  “She’s incredible, Josh,” Melanie whispered.

  “Yes.” He was now thankful he’d never turned her.

  Melanie squeezed his hand and leaned against his shoulder.

  Daniel was in the kitchen, preparing food. He wore a flowered apron with a rose-colored bow, tied behind his waist, and was singing in Portuguese to a guitar melody that Claire quickly turned down. He raised his glass of red wine to the new guests.

  “Welcome to Casa Nova,” he said, “The house of new things.”

  “No, sweetheart, you’re the Casanova, remember?” Claire wrapped herself around his muscular body. Their kiss ignited the room. He whispered something in Claire’s ear in Portuguese and she blushed. He set down his wine, turned her around to face the little crowd, and held her back to his chest, then placed his two hands on her belly.

  “My child welcomes you too.” He beamed.

  Josh had never seen Daniel so happy. He remembered all the days he’d spent trying to convince the painter that his life was worthless—after Daniel’s breakup with Audray and lack of success with his art. He’d wanted the good-looking Brazilian man to be his partner in crime, had envisioned they would explore the vastness of the human world and its charming women folk together, tasting, playing, and scheming for all eternity.

  Now this plan seemed like a cruel joke. He was completely satisfied with one little human waif, and now might have to die to protect her from a life of debauched immortality.

  Death itself would be a more welcome friend than that outcome. He squeezed Melanie’s waist and planted a kiss to the top of her head.

  Josh introduced Melanie to both Claire and Daniel. Daniel kissed her hand. “You and I have something very important in common,” he said.

  “Oh?” she responded. “What’s that?”

  “We’re the only two here who have never been anything other than what we are today.” He wrinkled up his nose. “You understand me?”

  “Yes, my love.” Claire told him. “I don’t care what he says, or whether or not he makes sense. I just love to listen to him speak.” She smiled and everyone else laughed.

  They sat to eat, Daniel and Claire waiting on the dinner party. Wine flowed. At one point, Josh noted Daniel had poured some Ravenswood, and he pointed to the label.

  “We drink the Merlot only. The Meritage is awful stuff.” Josh gave a knowing glance to Daniel, who winked back. Josh knew the Meritage had been Daniel’s favorite, because the special blend of three wines reminded Daniel of Audray’s infidelity.

  As they were finishing up their early dinner of pasta and salad, a knock was heard at the front door. A short shadow graced the frosted window. Claire and Daniel exchanged warm glances. Daniel got up and let the new visitor in.

  It was Doris, one of the transporters from Heaven. She was dressed in her usual cabbie attire, and a yellow leather cap was balanced toward the back of her head, her bright red hair sticking out underneath in tufts all around the edges of the cap. Her short stature wasn’t enough to carry her extra weight gracefully. She stepped into the room and gave a shrug, her hands stuffed into her brown bomber jacket. She still wore the steel-toed boots she was famous for. Josh noticed she got embarrassed at the attention being placed upon her.

  “Everyone, this is Doris,” Daniel said.

  Doris extricated one paw from her jacket and gave the gathering a nervous wave. She locked onto Josh’s eyes and squinted.

  Josh instantly crossed the room, and while standing in front of her, clicked his boots together, bent down, and softly kissed her fingers. Her painted red eyebrows rose as she looked up at his huge frame hovering over her.

  “Oh my God!” she said, and then clamped her hand in front of her mouth. “Sorry. That’s never happened to me before.”

  Claire laughed openly. “Doris, you goof. You’re the only Guardian here. You’re our connection to Father. You have the direct line we need right now.”

  Josh looked at the room full of people who were considering this new piece of information. He chuckled to himself at the thought the legendary renegade foul-mouthed cabbie was the only true angel in the room. Everyone else was either dark or human. This would not have been a plan he could have come up with. And this was precisely why it wouldn’t occur to Peter.

  He found himself feeling hopeful for the first time in months. Perhaps they had a shot, after all.

  Chapter 38

  Dinner dishes were cleared off and the group sat around the table sipping coffee and tea. Josh and Daniel sat next to each other and Josh n
oticed how relaxed Daniel seemed, finally. They drank a hundred-year-old Spanish port. Daniel’s lips were bright red, his eyes a little watery, and his cheeks had pinked up. The way Claire glanced over at him, Josh suspected Daniel would be in some trouble when they were at last alone.

  “I’ve missed this, man,” Josh said to his former best friend. They raised glasses and drank. Daniel’s white shirt was opened one button too many and he had pulled out his shirttails. A bit of tomato sauce had spilled over his heart. Each glare Claire gave him earned her back a wet air kiss and beaming smile. Nothing was going to get in the way of Daniel’s mood.

  Melanie saddled up to Claire and Angela, who continued holding hands across the table and were speaking with Doris. Josh was going to pull her back to his side when he heard Claire address Doris.

  “So, Doris, can you bring Father a message? We need to talk to him. I obviously cannot travel to Heaven any longer,” she said looking at her belly.

  “You want me to just ask him to fry this sonof—”

  “Doris, that’s enough.” Claire cut her off.

  “But if he’ll do it, things would be a whole lot easier, right?”

  “He won’t.” Josh spoke up, unable to control himself. “I know he won’t. It’s our battle, not his.”

  The group was quiet.

  “Audray know anything about this?” Doris asked.

  “Audray?” Claire looked at Josh first, then Daniel. “Tell me you didn’t mention this to her, Josh.”

  “No. She knows about Melanie, though.” Josh had to be careful here.

  “Oh!” Melanie sat up. “She’s the distraction.”

  Several of the group in unison asked, “What?” Everyone peered at Josh, who was feeling some of the heat.

  Melanie volunteered to be helpful. Josh could tell he wasn’t going to like this, but couldn’t do anything to stop her.

  “My father has a law firm. Peter is a new associate, and they haven’t seen or heard from him in three days now. He doesn’t answer his cell.”