by Sam Cheever
The door opened behind her, allowing the clash and rumble of the busy restaurant to spill into the bathroom. She adjusted her oversized bag on her shoulder and turned, giving a little yelp of surprise.
“Hello, Valentine. How are you tonight?”
She took a step backward, eyeing the small window high on the outside wall. “Who are you and what do you want?”
The brown haired man in the white suit lifted his hands, smiling. A sense of peace stole over her. “I mean you no harm. I’m here to take you to a wonderful place. You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
She started nodding before she even thought about it. Somewhere deep inside, she knew something was very wrong, but she felt so calm, so peaceful, in that moment. “I would, yes.”
The man smiled. A golden aura seemed to surround him and, for just a moment, she thought she heard music. “All you need to do is eat this chocolate heart you were supposed to eat after your dinner.” He frowned. “Before you were so rudely interrupted.”
“Yes. The delicious chocolate…” Her hand reached for it, and the music soared through the room. Valentine smiled at the man. And the door slammed open, smacking the man in white in the back and sending him sprawling.
The music stopped abruptly, and Valentine’s head cleared. She blinked up at Don. “You… you saved me. I think he was trying to poison me or something.”
Don wrapped an arm around her. “Yes. That man is very dangerous. Let’s get you out of here before he wakes up.”
Valentine stepped carefully over the downed man, looking for blood or other signs of serious injury. “I’m not sure he’s going to wake up. You clocked him pretty good with that door.”
Don navigated them through the restaurant, toward the exit. “He’ll be fine. Trust me -- they have very hard heads.”
“They?” He pushed the door open and Valentine shivered. She realized she’d left her coat in the bathroom. “I need to go back for my coat.”
Don whistled for a cab. “Not a chance. You’ll be warm once you get in the cab.”
“But…” He tugged her toward the yellow cab that screeched to a stop at the curb, and a second later they were flying through the city at a reckless speed. “Where are you taking me?”
Don turned away from the window. “Home. But just long enough for you to pack a bag. That man back there won’t stop until he gets hold of you. I’m going to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
“But you don’t know where I live.”
Don shook his head but didn’t speak again until fifteen minutes later, when the cab screeched to a stop. He threw a twenty into the front seat. “Thanks, man. I’ll see you in a few weeks.”
The driver turned to him and frowned. “Do I know you?”
Don grinned. “Not yet. But you will.”
Valentine stumbled out of the cab and looked up at the brownstone where she and Aimee lived. “How…?”
Don wrapped a large hand around her arm. “No time for chitchat. We need to keep moving.”
Valentine’s stomach twisted with doubt and fear. She’d never met the man dragging her toward her building before that night. She’d never spoken directly to him, communicating only through email. But somehow he knew where she lived. And he seemed sure the man in white knew too.
Since they knew her address, Valentine’s initial suspicion that they were cops seemed to take on more weight. Maybe the meeting that night had been a sting operation. But if that was the case, why had Don rescued her, and why was he promising to keep her safe? And even more terrifying, what had the man in white done to her in that bathroom? She’d felt as if he’d taken over control of her mind somehow. She shuddered.
“Almost inside. You’ll be warm there. We’ll get you another coat to wear.”
She shook her head, trying to drag her arm from his iron grip. It was like a mouse trying to escape a snake.
Terror made her stumble as they ran up the steps to the front door. She suddenly found it hard to breathe. She had no idea what was going on around her, but she intended to find out. First she needed to get away from the admittedly sexy stranger who seemed to know way too much about her life. Once she was safely away, she’d figure out the rest.
Chapter Three
Don ushered the woman through the door and scanned the area for signs of the angel who’d been following her. He didn’t believe the size of the man’s balls, approaching her in the restaurant while Don was with her. Worse than that, trying to do a snuff-and-grab in the ladies’ room was just so classless.
He didn’t know why he was surprised. The monochromatic moron set was always willing to stoop to a new level of sneaky. He stepped inside and touched the knob, infusing it with enough magic to keep the light one out for a while.
When he turned around the woman was frowning. Had she seen the flash of his magic? He’d tried to block it with his body.
“Is your tattoo glowing?”
Don looked down. Oops! He hadn’t even noticed the summons. “It’s a new kind of ink. It looks like it’s glowing in certain kinds of light.”
“Oh.” She started digging in the world’s biggest purse for something, probably her keys. “What kind of light?”
“The illuminating kind. Where’s your place? We need to hurry.”
She fixed him with a look that made him want to take a step back. Fortunately he was made of sterner stuff. “I’m just trying to keep you safe.”
She dragged a key chain from the purse and started down the hallway. “Yeah, about that. What exactly are you keeping me safe from? Who was that man?”
Don said the first thing that came to mind. “He’s a serial killer.”
She gasped, and the world’s biggest purse hit the ground. She stared at him through huge, liquid blue eyes that swam with horror. “He’s after me?”
“Yes.”
Tears slipped from her eyes and Don swore quietly. “Don’t do that shit!”
She blinked, sniffed, and her lip quivered.
“Hades!” He lifted his hands. “I’m sorry! Don’t cry. I’m just trying to protect you. I promise he won’t get near you with me here.”
She reached for her suitcase-sized handbag, wrenching it off the floor and dropping it over one slender shoulder. He realized she must be a lot stronger than she looked since she didn’t bend under the weight. “Are you a cop or something?”
“Yeah, or something. Come on, let’s get you inside. You can pack a bag and then we’ll sneak out the back.”
She dragged the back of one hand across her cheeks, sniffling again. “Where are we going?” She turned the key in the door and shoved it open. “Wait, you aren’t taking me to the police station, are you?”
He turned toward the outside door as something thumped against it. “I --”
Behind him, the door to her apartment slammed shut, and he heard several locks engaging. “Shit!” The exterior door creaked and light showed around the edges. A sound like a train filled the hallway. The door bowed inward.
Don pounded on Valentine’s door. “Valentine, let me in. He’s here.” Silence. “Come on, Val! What if he comes in the window and you have me locked out here?”
Nothing.
The exterior door was bulging dangerously. The hinges started to give.
Don swore again. He’d have to show his powers -- he had no choice. He let his mind fracture and loosen and felt himself dissipate, sliding through the closed door. Once inside the apartment, he re-formed and looked around. He was standing in some kind of living room. To his left was a small, open kitchen, and on one side of that was a door, which could lead to a bathroom. There was no sign of her. “Valentine? Come on, I’m not joking around here. The serial killer is out in the hall right now.”
Right on cue, something exploded outside her door, and the wall shook as the heavy outside door smacked into it. Don used his demonic vision to look past the physical wall. The light one was striding down the hall, and he looked pissed.
Don quickly fused the
lock, but he knew it wouldn’t hold the man for long. The interior doors weren’t nearly as solid as the outside one had been. “Valent --”
The sound of a gun being cocked cut him off. He turned to find her standing a few feet away, holding a small gun at chest level in both hands. “Don’t fucking move. I want to know who you are and why you’re stalking me. Both of you.”
Don expelled a breath, crossing his arms over his chest. “So the tears were just an act?”
“You didn’t really think I was that much of a sissy girl, did you?”
He couldn’t help it; he grinned. “You played me.”
She just stared at him.
“You’re a really bad girl. I like it.”
She snorted. “I’m waiting.”
The doorknob started to turn.
Don cocked an eyebrow at her. “The serial killer’s here.”
Light pulsed around the door, and the wood bowed down the center, creaking as it gave way. Her eyes widened and the gun wobbled in her hands. “That doesn’t look like your average serial killer.” Her gaze jerked back to him, sharpened. “You’re aliens, aren’t you?”
Don laughed. “Aliens? Please, don’t be insulting.”
The door split further, bowing in. The hinges squealed.
“He’s gonna be in here in about two seconds. You’d better let me get you out of here.”
She bit her lip, her gaze sliding back and forth between him and the door. Apparently she decided he was the lesser of the two evils. She was almost right. Valentine lowered the gun. “How do we get out of --”
Don grabbed her wrist just as the door blew inward and the room fell away.
* * *
They landed in a wide field of scruffy grass. In the distance, a skyline rose in jagged lines toward an amber sky. Above the city, twin spheres of white-gold spread their soft light over the ground where they stood. Two moons?
Don tugged on her hand. “This way.”
“Where are we?” Valentine’s purse slipped off her shoulder, and she tugged it back up with her free hand. As he pulled her toward a low, dark shape in the distance, she noted the smoky scent in the air.
Ignoring her question, Don dragged her to what looked like an abandoned warehouse building. As they approached, the door swung open, and Valentine dug in her heels. “Whoa, boy! I’m not going inside that nasty-looking place until you tell me where we are.”
Don frowned and glanced down at their joined hands. He was obviously considering just using his superior strength to drag her inside. She glared at him. Finally, he dropped her hand, lifting his own in mock surrender. “Perdigo. It’s an outer circle bordering on Earth.”
She stared at him for a long moment and then crossed her arms over her chest to hide her shaking hands. He was either completely bonkers or… All the blood rushed from her head and she felt woozy. “So I was right -- you are an alien!”
Don opened his mouth and then closed it, shaking his head. “Yeah, I’m an alien. Now get inside before he tracks us. I don’t think he can get through the periphery, but I don’t want to take any chances. I can’t take you any deeper while you’re alive.”
She didn’t like the sound of that last part, but she’d liked the man in white even less so she followed Don through the door. Expecting to see a general state of mildewed disrepair, with the occasional rat or foot-sized cockroach for atmosphere, Valentine was really surprised by the interior of the warehouse. Light rose from an unseen source, covering the space in soft illumination as they stepped inside. She stood just inside the door and looked around as it snicked quietly closed behind her. Though she’d be hard-pressed to call the place elegant, it did have a certain, man-cavish charm she couldn’t ignore.
The space was a single, massive room, broken into sections with rugs and groups of furniture that delineated use areas. A cluster of big, dark chairs and a couch were situated around something that looked like a giant chiminea, whose chimney rose into the shadows high above their heads. Flames flickered and spat inside the fireplace, casting everything in a soft glow. Valentine figured that was probably the source of the slightly smoky tang to the air.
A kitchen of sorts dominated the farthest wall, a small table with two chairs sat a few feet away, and to her left was an enormous bed with a chair on one side and a table on the other. It was all very functional, very sterile. “Is this your home?”
Don was heading for the kitchen. “One of them. You want a beer?”
“Uh, do you have wine?”
“I think I can conjure something up.”
She stood before the fire, watching the clean, vivid flash of light against the stones framing it. She’d always loved watching fire; it comforted her somehow.
“Here ya go.”
She turned and accepted the frosty glass of pink wine from him. “Thanks.” She took a sip and closed her eyes over the sweet, cool taste. “Yum. That tastes wonderful. How did you know what I like?”
“You forget we had dinner together.”
“That seems like years ago now, doesn’t it?”
“Mere moments. I find your company strangely compelling.”
Valentine turned to him with a smile. She thought he was teasing her, but when she caught his gaze she saw no humor there. “Oh. I… well… at the risk of sounding really lame, I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun talking to someone. If it weren’t for the fact that somebody tried to kill me twice already tonight, I might have really enjoyed it.”
Don didn’t laugh as she’d expected him to. Instead he leaned closer, touching her cheek with a delightfully warm finger. “That guy was an asshole. I won’t let him get you, Val. I promise.”
He dipped his head, his perfect mouth lowering toward hers. Watching him, she was overcome by an almost uncontrollable desire to nibble the fullness of his bottom lip. He stopped a hair away from touching her. Val waited, suddenly impatient to discover his taste. His heated breath fanned softly over her face, scented with an exotic mix of spice and heat, like ginger and cloves. He slipped a hand over her cheek, the hard, square fingers skimming her jaw and sliding into her hair. “I’ve wanted to do this since I saw you stepping into that cab.”
Valentine blinked, confused by his words, but then forgot them entirely when his mouth claimed hers, infusing her with carnal heat. She leaned into the kiss, ribbons of need forming a twisting path through her awareness as his tongue tested the seam of her lips. She opened just enough to allow his tongue to slide through and tangle with hers. Her pussy warmed and tingled. Her nipples tightened against her dress as desire flamed bright in her belly. Her reaction to him was intense and immediate, overwhelming her to the point that she forgot to think, forgot to care about anything but the promise of his kiss. Valentine made a startled noise in her throat, a soft whimper of extreme need that seemed to fire her reactions to greater heights. It was a small surrender, and her body accepted it as a release of sorts, an open invitation to pursue the pleasure she knew he’d give.
Don wrapped his arms around her, pulling her more tightly against his body.
A wave of dizziness turned her mind to mush, and Valentine heard the crash as her wine glass slipped through her suddenly nerveless fingers.
Don broke the kiss, looking down at her with concern in his sexy gaze. “Is something wrong? You look really pale.”
She took a deep breath, fighting back sudden nausea. “I’m feeling a little woozy. Maybe if I lie down for a while.”
Don helped her lie back and pulled a soft blanket over her. “The wine probably wasn’t a good idea. The passage through the periphery causes humans problems. You aren’t built for it. At least not when you’re alive.”
Her heart gave a little, alarmed thump. There was that reference to being alive again. “I’ll be all right. I’m just so tired…”
He tugged the blanket under her chin. “You rest then. I’ll talk to you in the m --” The rest fell away as Valentine succumbed to sleep’s dark clutches.
*
* *
Don watched Valentine sleep and sipped his beer. She looked so peaceful lying on his couch… and so delicious. Her tantalizing scent, like apples and champagne, permeated the area and dug little claws into his soul. He’d never brought a woman to his home, had thought he never would. But when he’d needed a safe place to bring her he hadn’t even hesitated.
Looking at her in that moment, so lovely and trusting, he realized it had been a mistake to bring her into his space. He’d never get the sight and scent of her out of his mind. His masculine haven had been invaded. Don frowned. Somehow the thought didn’t bother him as much as it should have. Looking at her sleeping, her ample breasts rising and falling, Don was aware of feelings he hadn’t experienced for centuries. There was a tiny pain in the vicinity of his black heart and a tightening in his belly. The second one he recognized as lust. Valentine Smith was a morsel to tempt any man. The first thing… Well… he didn’t want to examine that one too closely.
Heat flared in his forearm and Don looked down at his tat. The flame tattoo that decorated the arms of all perdition guides was their connection to the judges’ assembly. It was how they were summoned or, in this particular case, how they were given subtle warnings that they had a job to do.
He needed to get the woman’s soul locked down before the angel following them lured her away. And to do that, he had to allow her to die the way she’d been intended to die. He opened his palm and a small, heart-shaped piece of chocolate wrapped in red foil appeared there. He stared at the harmless-looking chocolate for a moment, feeling the weight of his task deep in his gut.
He had no choice. He’d interfered with her fate at the restaurant. First, when he’d waylaid her intended dinner date, slapping the man with a sleepytime whammy and leaving him in the alleyway next to the restaurant, and then when he’d kept her from eating the chunk of chocolate she’d been supposed to choke on.