by G. A. Rael
"Where exactly does he live?" asked Cindy.
"He's kind of a nomad."
"Poor thing," Tina said wistfully.
"It's by choice, not necessity," Jordan muttered. "The thing about Henry is, he shows up and he's a lot of fun while he's there, but you can't count on him to stick around when you really need him."
"He's probably just spooked now that we've become part of the asteroid belt," Cindy said, ever the peacemaker.
"His replacement sure isn't anything to complain about in the looks department," said Tina. The way she took her straw into her mouth, it was obvious she was imagining it was something else entirely.
Cindy rolled her eyes. "You're damn near old enough to be Sam’s mother. Have some shame."
"What?" Tina protested. "Some guys like mature women. He is straight, isn't he, Jordan?"
Jordan forced a smile. Usually Tina's lecherous ways were oddly endearing, but something about the way she spoke of Samael sparked some irrational feeling of rivalry. "As far as I know."
Tina breathed an exaggerated sigh of relief. "So, you two grew up together, right? Isn't that weird, what with your family history and all?"
“Sam wasn't part of my father's church," Jordan said quickly. "In fact, I only knew him for a little while before we moved. It just feels like longer."
Cindy watched her with that look that said she was onto something, even if she didn't know what it was yet.
Fortunately, Tina seemed oblivious. "Nothing like that farmer's tan and Southern accent."
Cindy cleared her throat. "Moving on. Jordan, I need a favor."
"Sure," she said, willing to do anything if it meant a distraction from wanting to reach across the table and strangle Tina. The discussion was revealing a side of Jordan she hadn't even known existed and didn't care to analyze.
"I need you to convince Chase to join the council," said Cindy. "Preferably before you have the 'wedding on or off' discussion."
Jordan blinked. "The council?"
"Yes. He won't be in New York all the time, even if he does close his practice. We have an empty seat now that Pete Earlman is gone."
"I'll bring it up, but why don't you just ask him? I'm sure he'd say yes." Chase was nothing if not passionate about Cold Creek. It was the primary reason Jordan was surprised he was even considering the partnership.
"I have brought it up," she replied. "He's turned me down four times and counting."
"Did he say why?" Jordan asked, startled.
"No," Cindy said carefully. "But he seemed distracted, just like everyone else in town, so I can't imagine he's given the matter the thought it deserves."
"I'll talk to him," Jordan promised, feeling a pang of guilt. She had been avoiding Chase since he had resurfaced after the near-Apocalypse, even if it wasn't a conscious effort. His strange behavior before locking her in the vault and his disappearance afterward had left a bad taste in her mouth. Sometimes she got the feeling he was just as eagerly avoiding her, even though he had offered to take Samael in before she could even ask.
"Thank you," said Cindy, taking a sip of her coffee only to choke on it at the sight of something behind Jordan.
Before she could turn around, Jordan heard the familiar call of, "Hey there, ladies!"
Samael walked toward them, wearing one of his newly acquired western hats, fitted gray jeans and a plaid shirt that didn't have nearly enough buttons fastened for decent company. Jordan purposely avoided looking at Tina in fear of her friend's reaction. She didn't trust herself in such an irrational, petty state.
"You must be the infamous Sam,” said Cindy. Her tone was cool, but her eyes twinkled in amusement. Jordan only realized in that moment how much she was blushing.
"And you must be Cindy," he said, engulfing her hand in his before giving it a firm shake. "Jordan told me you were the spittin' image of Princess Di, but I didn't believe her."
For once, Cindy didn't seem to have a reply on hand. She sat there flustered as Sam turned his attention to Tina. When he took her hand, she looked like she might spontaneously combust.
"And this has to be Tina. Jordan, why didn't you tell me Elizabeth Taylor was runnin' around masquerading as a small-town gal?”
"Must have slipped my mind," Jordan said dryly as Tina gave a nervous giggle.
Samael pulled up a chair—backward, of course—and sat next to Jordan. He was a bit too close, but she knew calling him out on it would only make things look worse. As it was, Cindy was already glancing back and forth between the two of them as if trying to suss something out.
Jordan had no doubt she would succeed, given enough time.
Tina came to her rescue by asking, "So, Sam, what do you think of Cold Creek?"
"I like it," he said, casting a shadow over the entire table as he leaned over the back of his chair. "Can't say as I've been this far north before."
Tina burst into another fit of giggles. "That accent is a riot. I bet you get all the girls back in Arkansas."
"Arkansas?" he asked, glancing at Jordan. "Oh, yeah, right. Uh no, not really. You could say I'm a one-gal kinda guy, but my work keeps me pretty busy."
"That's so sweet," Tina said with a wistful sigh.
"What exactly do you do, Sam?” Cindy asked. Jordan immediately picked up on the suspicion in her voice and hoped Samael wouldn't do the same.
He looked at Jordan again. "I worked in law enforcement before I came here. I figure I'll start looking around once I get settled in."
"You were a cop?" Tina asked excitedly.
Sam hesitated. "Something like."
"So you just left a stable job to follow your estranged childhood friend across the country to a town in the middle of nowhere?" Cindy asked, making no attempt to hide her judgment.
"Cindy!" Tina hissed.
Sam chuckled good-naturedly. "It's alright, it's a fair question. Like I said, Jordan and I were pretty close 'til she up and disappeared. When I saw about the trial on the news—” Jordan cringed. Of course, there had been a lot to fill Samael in on when it came to her double life, so there were bound to be slip-ups. She told herself that maybe they wouldn't notice. He seemed to realize her distress and continued with far more hesitancy. "I wondered if maybe there was something I could've done to help. When the meteor hit and I saw her face on the news, I uh, knew I couldn't live with myself if I didn't come find her."
"Wow," Tina murmured. Jordan couldn't tell if it was just whatever parasite had infested her brain with pettiness and delusion, but she thought she detected a hint of envy. "That's so... romantic."
"We're just friends," Jordan and Samael said in unison.
"Right," Tina said, giving them the side eye.
"What trial?" Cindy asked, her sharp eyes locked on the angel.
"Pardon?"
"You said you saw ‘the trial’ on the news," she clarified. "I was just wondering what trial you were referring to?”
Sam looked at Jordan in a mixture of guilt and desperation. "I uh, well, y'see—”
"I didn't mention it because I've been trying to forget it myself," Jordan began, coming to his rescue. "You know about the trouble I had before I came to Cold Creek, with all the rumors…”
"It's fine," Cindy said after watching her intently for a moment. Jordan could tell she knew there was more to it, but she had been putting the dreaded conversation about her past off for so long that she wasn't sure how she could bring it up now without Cindy feeling hurt. "I'm not one to pry. I do need to get going, though. There's a council meeting tonight."
"See you later," called Tina.
Cindy glared at her. "Don't you think these two have a lot of catching up to do?"
Tina sulked, but there was no defying Cindy. Not even for her. "It was nice to meet you, Sam. Don't be a stranger!”
"The pleasure was all mine, ladies," he said, giving her a wink.
Cindy turned back after a moment. "Oh, and Sam?”
"Yes, ma'am?" He looked up underneath the brim of his hat.
"The State Police are holding a recruitment event next week at the high school. If you're really looking for a job, I'm sure they could use someone with experience. I could have my husband put in a word for you."
"Why that's awful kind of you," he said, giving her that wide puppy dog grin that Jordan knew firsthand was capable of making people hand over their very souls. "But I've always felt anything in life worth getting is worth getting on my own merits, so I'll have to decline the word and thank you kindly for the tip."
Cindy watched him for a moment before a ghost of a smile formed on her lips. She nodded curtly. "Good luck, then."
Once the sisters were out of earshot, Samael leaned in, his charming expression melting into one of regret. "Sorry about that, little lady. Didn't mean to out you to your friends."
"It's fine," Jordan sighed, taking another sip of her coffee. "It was bound to happen sooner or later. I should have told Cindy about my past a year ago, but there never seemed to be a good time to mention I was locked up in an attic for most of my youth.”
"She seems to care about you a whole lot," he said with a snort. "She was giving me the stink eye the whole time."
"She thinks you're yet another obstacle blocking the path to my inevitable happy ending with Darren," Jordan said with a heavy sigh.
Samael cocked an eyebrow. "Well, am I?"
"Of course not," she muttered. "Sometimes I think I'm the only one who remembers I'm engaged. To Chase.”
"Well, if you really are the Whore of Babylon, that won't matter much," he mused. From the way he cringed when he used the term, Jordan could tell it was yet another case of his mouth moving before his brain. “He does know, doesn’t he?”
“Of course,” Jordan answered. “We haven’t talked about it much, but…”
“That’s good. It’s awkward enough sleeping in the guy’s guest room without him not knowin’ I’m destined to bang his woman.”
Jordan’s eyes narrowed. “I’m going to let about a million things in that comment slide. Since when are you onboard with Hermes’ plans?”
“It ain’t his plans that matter. This was all charted out before you or me existed,” he said, snatching the coffee out of her hands. He took a long sip only to screw his face up. “Once I touched you and felt that spark, I knew there was no goin’ back. Just took me a while to come to terms.”
“So you’re fine with being part of a practical stranger’s harem?”
“You’re not exactly a stranger. I was supposed to be your guardian.”
“Right. Like that makes it less weird.”
The angel chuckled. “Look, all I know is that I tried fighting it and I haven’t been able to get you out of my head since you escaped Paradise.”
“We barely know each other,” she protested, unnerved at how closely his words echoed her inexplicable feelings. Samael was the very thing that terrified her. More than demons, more than the wolf she’d seen that night, angels were the monsters who kept her up at night. She should have feared him the way she did Raphael and the others, but whenever he was around, she felt the same ease as if they’d known each other for centuries.
In a way, she supposed they had.
“Never said it was logical.” His gaze was intense enough to burn her up, but she knew he’d take far too much satisfaction in her looking away. “But that doesn’t change the way I feel. Does it for you?”
The words caught in Jordan’s throat, which was a relief, because she had no idea what they would be if they escaped. “The other night,” she said hoarsely. “You said you came here to get an answer. What was it?”
His eyes shone with frustration as he watched her and finally seemed to give up, whatever it was he was trying to figure out. “And here I thought it was obvious.”
“You’re going to have to get used to explaining your mysterious ways now that you’re living among mortals.”
Sam snorted. “I needed to know if it was worth it.”
It took Jordan a moment to figure out what he meant, and when she did, she wished she hadn’t. “Your fall…?”
“My mind was already made up,” he said, leaning back in the chair. “Even angels lie to themselves.”
“I’m so sorry, Samael,” Jordan said quietly. Not that sorry meant anything. He’d fallen for her, betrayed his brethren, all because he was part of the same screwed up cosmic plan that had ruined her life before it had even begun.
“Don’t be. You didn’t choose this any more than I did. Besides, what’s done is done and I couldn’t fight on Heaven’s side anymore even if my soul wasn’t bound to yours.”
“What do you mean?”
“We got lucky, Jordan,” he said, raising an eyebrow. “The Moonstone’s effects were contained to the town itself, but it could’ve been a lot worse.”
“But it wasn’t. Because of you,” she said, resisting the strange urge to take his hand. Despite the brave face he was putting on, she could sense his pain whenever he spoke of the night he had fallen. Even if Raguel had betrayed him and his original purpose, they were still brothers. Jordan knew what it felt like to kill someone she loved by accident, and couldn’t imagine what having to do it on purpose would do a spirit.
Samael frowned. “That wasn’t me, Jordan. I don’t know if the ward kept the stone’s magic in Cold Creek somehow or if the Moonstone was just a dud, but I didn’t have anything to do with it.”
“Seriously?” she asked in disbelief.
“Don’t suppose you’ve seen your cat running around, or we could ask him.”
“No,” she sulked. “He’s MIA. Get used to that.”
“He’s a demon. They’re only around when it’s convenient for them. It’s kind of their thing.”
“I guess so,” Jordan sighed. "So, how is living with Darren going?"
"It's great. He doesn't get all uptight and creepy when you just leave a couple of clothes lyin' around like your fiancé does," he said, rolling his eyes.
Jordan pursed her lips. “Chase is a bit anal retentive."
"It's definitely retainin' that stick pretty good."
Jordan choked on her coffee. “Sam!”
"What? The guy has the makings of a serial killer and I'd know. I ferried enough of them across the way."
Jordan grew serious as his words reminded her of another revelation that had been made on the night of the party. If there had been any doubt in her mind as to Chase’s innocence, it had vanished after speaking to his mother. Those old doubts had been replaced with a thousand more when he locked her in the bank vault. If Samael had been guarded ever since that night, Chase was Fort Knox.
"Did I say something?"
"No," Jordan said earnestly. "I'm just worried about Chase, that’s all. He's avoiding me, which seems to have become a theme lately."
The angel rolled his eyes. "Darren isn't ignoring you, if that's what you're getting at."
"Then you tell me what refusing to take my calls and always pretending he has to go somewhere when I say hi to him on the street means."
Samael hesitated. "Okay, maybe he is avoiding you. But can you blame him?"
Jordan blinked. "What do you mean?"
"You're another guy's girl. He's in love with you and he also happens to hate the other guy. Since you’ve all collectively agreed to live in some la-la land where the rules of monogamy apply to the Whore of Babylon, he’s trying to respect your boundaries. How is he supposed to be in the same room with you without worrying about saying or doing something that'll fuck up your friendship?"
She considered his words, even if she didn’t want to. "Maybe you're right. I just miss him, that's all."
"I'm sure the feeling's mutual."
"Listen, why don't we get out of town tonight?" she asked. "I'm sure you're dying to stretch your wings and I've been wanting to gather some ingredients for spells. We could go into the forest."
"That's a fine offer, little lady, but I've got other plans."
"With who?"
"Darren
," he replied, dismounting the chair. "We're gonna go down to the pool hall and throw back a few beers. If you wanna come, I could ask if he minds."
"No, don't do that," Jordan said, waving the suggestion off. "Have your boys' night. We'll hang out some other time."
Samael could certainly do with a dose of normalcy. The transition from effortlessly crossing dimensions to being trapped in a town the size of a nickel and having to masquerade as a human couldn’t be an easy one.
"Sounds good," he said, leaning in like he was going to kiss her again. He patted her on the head at the last minute instead. "Just promise me you'll stay out of the woods until someone can go with you. Don't want the big bad wolf snatchin' you up," he said, grinning. “Just because the town’s warded doesn’t mean everything inside is safe.”
Jordan forced a smile, but after her experience in that vault, she had a hard time finding the mental image amusing. "Have fun and tell Darren hi for me."
"Will do," he said, tipping his hat to her before wandering back in the direction of the clinic.
Jordan sighed, pushing in her chair. She decided to use her lack of excuses as an excuse to finally have the conversation both she and Chase had been putting off for weeks and headed straight for his office. It was a Tuesday, so he should still be there for a few more hours. It was her best shot and finding him at all since he had a way of making himself scarce at home.
Chapter 15
Jordan
The office building was quiet, as always. At least until Jordan passed the man sweeping the stairs.
"Hey, Ms. Adams. Haven't seen you around in a while."
"Hi, Bob," she replied, waving at the older man. "How's Martha doing?"
"Oh, that serum you gave her fixed her leg up real nice. Of course, we told the doc it was all those walks he recommended," he said, giving her a knowing wink.
Jordan smiled. "I appreciate that. Say, do you know if the counsel is in?"
He chuckled. "Sure is. Just heard him on the phone."
"Thanks, I'll be quiet just in case," she said, climbing the stairs. She listened outside the door to Chase’s office for a moment and knocked when she heard silence. There was no answer.