RiskingEternity

by Voirey Linger

  She sank into the couch with a dazed sigh. He was delicious. Honest, gorgeous and, oh God, he made her come with just a kiss. Imagine what he could do if he used a few more body parts. It would be easy to fall for a guy like—

  “Shit—his name!” If she hurried she might be able to catch him. She ran to the door and swung it open, but there was no sign of him. The courtyard was still.

  “I am so stupid.” She sagged against the doorframe and banged her forehead against it. A prime piece of man candy like that and she didn’t even get his freaking number. Jeez, she could hear herself whimpering.

  Wait, that wasn’t her. Glancing down, she found a black and tan puppy sitting on her doormat, staring at her. Its ribs showed through the fur and its tummy was gaunt. Brown marks over its eyes twitched, giving it a worried expression. “Oh, aren’t you adorable!” She reached down to pet it but it shied away from her. “And not too friendly, apparently.”

  Too bad the apartments didn’t allow pets. The poor little thing looked like it needed someone to take care of it, and she could use some companionship. Maybe if she had a puppy she wouldn’t feel so lonely.

  The puppy’s tongue lolled out in a pant and its mouth seemed to grow, strangely large for such a small dog. Ropes of drool hung between sharp teeth and Maggie wrinkled her nose. It was a slobbery little thing. Then its mouth closed and the little dog cocked its head to the side. Ears perked, it studied her intently, a faint red gleam to its eyes. Unnerved, she took a step back. Its pink tongue flicked out for one last lick of its little black nose, then the pup stood and padded away, disappearing down the steps.

  “That was pretty freaking weird.” Shaking her head to clear it, Maggie looked over the yard one more time, hoping to see the stranger’s black shirt through the bright pink of the crepe myrtles. No one was there. With a dejected sigh, she stepped back in the apartment to finish her coffee.

  * * * * *

  The puppy paused at the foot of the stairs to flash Dom a triumphant smile before disappearing with a shimmer. The warning was clear. Lucifer had no intention of giving up his prize.

  The devil wasn’t going to have a choice.

  Settling into the shaded corner of the empty balcony, he watched the apartment across the courtyard. A peek through the walls allowed him to watch Maggie as she wrapped her arms around herself. The Hellhound had unnerved her, but the demon’s next visit would be different. Evil could be sweet when it wanted to seduce.

  He had to make sure that dog never crossed her threshold.

  “You cannot keep her from her fate.”

  Dominicus’ stomach jumped at Ren’s sudden appearance. The infuriating seraph had a talent for surprising him.

  “You speak as if it was preordained and free will had no place in the realms and mortal plane.”

  White wings twitched. Direct hit. The Most High valued the free will of His creation.

  “This is not about free will. The human does not owe her life to her choices, but to those of a divine being. Yours.”

  “Am I not part of creation? Do I not have the right to exercise free will?”

  Renatus moved to the balcony railing and fixed his gaze on Maggie’s door. He held himself stiff, his wings tight to his body. Challenging him never swayed his stance, but watching him get wound up was such fun.

  “You are not helping your cause this way, Dominicus. You challenged the Most High once before, questioned his wisdom in allowing the demons to take evildoers. Now you are saving the life of one. You do not have the right to usurp the Most High, to take life from the living and give it to the dead. You cannot keep this pet. Leave now and let the demons do their job.”

  Pushing away from the wall, Dominicus silently closed the distance to the other angel. Ren’s anger filled the small space, humming between them. Dominicus’ skin prickled with awareness and he noted his weren’t the only feathers standing on end.

  He pressed his body against Renatus’s back and placed his hands on the railing on either side of the other angel, caging him in. The snowy wings trembled against him, but Renatus made no attempt to move. He leaned down, placing his lips close to Renatus’s ear, close enough to smell the peace and beauty of the Heavens captured in his golden hair.

  “And if I refuse?” he asked.

  “Refuse?”

  “To give her up, to let the demons have her.” He dipped his head and let his lips brush, soft as a butterfly’s wings, across the skin of Renatus’s neck. The other angel’s head dipped to the side just enough to encourage.

  “You cannot.”

  “I can.”

  “Please stop, Dom.” Ren’s voice was a weak whisper.

  “Stop what? Stop helping the human or stop wanting? Maybe I should stop making you want.” He placed another gentle kiss against Ren’s neck. A soft sigh escaped the golden angel and he softened, relaxing into Dom for the barest of moments.

  “You are a seraph, a male. You do not make me want.” Renatus’s voice wavered, his muscles twitched.

  “Are you sure about that?” Dominicus moved against Ren, letting his groin settle against Ren’s buttocks.

  The support of Renatus’s body vanished and Dominicus sagged forward.

  Reappearing to one side, Renatus shook out his feathers and drew himself upright, visibly pulling the dignity he clung to so tightly around him once more.

  Arrogant seraph. He could pose all he wanted, but he couldn’t deny what was under those robes. His pride sent a stab of anger through Dominicus, fed the loneliness he’d lived with since being cast from the company of other angels.

  “The balance between the realms is disrupted, Dominicus. You are courting the disaster of creation, the destruction of the mortal plane.”

  “You are wrong. The balance was already off. Hell held too much power and the Heavens must take back control.”

  “What audacity.” Ren gaped at him, clearly offended. “Do you really think you know better than the Most High?”

  “Think, Renatus. What message were you ordered to bring me before Maggie was shot?”

  “That you needed to follow orders. And yet you—”

  “No!” Two steps brought him close to Renatus’s face once more. “The exact words, Messenger. Repeat the proclamation you delivered.”

  The other angel’s jaw bunched and he repeated the words through clenched teeth. “It falls on you to do the right thing.”

  “It was more than just that, my friend. You said, ‘This is your test. You have learned more than you know. We must all make our own decisions, find our own paths. It falls on you to do the right thing.’ I have made my own decision, I am finding my own path and I have decided saving this girl is the right thing to do. I know it is. She is too pure for Hell’s fire.”

  “It is not your place to judge souls,” Ren huffed. “You are disrupting an agreement which has held Hell from Earth for two thousand years. We allow him to claim spirits to feed his demons and he does not unleash destruction. Lucifer will not stand down. He will rise up and take revenge, and creation will pay the price. Humans will be devoured by demons on Earth and there will be war in the Realms. Are you prepared to be responsible for that?”

  “It will not happen. The devil may seize this excuse to rally his minions but Most High is the one with power, not Lucifer. He will not allow Hell to rise.”

  “Stop interfering before you damn us all,” Renatus snapped, then he was gone, fleeing to the sanctity of Heaven while Dominicus spent another day on the tumultuous Earth.

  Bending down, Dom picked up a white feather from the now-empty balcony.

  “I cannot step aside,” he whispered. His eyes drifted closed and he dragged the feather over his lips. “Forgive me, Ren, but I cannot.”

  Chapter Four

  Maggie pushed the unlock button on her key chain and the car beeped a welcome. Stupid thing sounded too cheerful. Monday morning shouldn’t start so early. Or be so bright and sunshiny. And what the Hell was with those stupid birds chirping? She
was too freaked out to deal with chirping.

  The television had been on while she got ready for work. The name of her favorite club caught her attention. A man died there. The photograph looked familiar. She couldn’t place him, but it made her think of a too-salty margarita. The news identified him as Greggory James, a registered sex offender who was found dead outside the club Saturday night. There were reports of gunfire, but he had apparently died from natural causes.

  The news had her stomach rolling. She’d been there that night.

  She needed Starbucks, bad. She reached out to open the car door.

  “Hello, Maggie.”

  Gasping, she spun away from the car, the key held out in front of her like a weapon and her heart pounding in shock. Oh jeez, it was him, the hottie from her kitchen, the one who made her coffee and scorched her with a blazing kiss before disappearing. She took a shaky breath and relaxed against the side of her car. Remembering the taste of him, something deep inside went soft and girly at the sight of him.

  And wet. Very wet.

  It really wasn’t fair for a man to be that beautiful.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.” His expression filled with concern and he took a step toward her.

  “I wasn’t paying attention.” Flustered, she reached up to shove her hair away from her face. “Ow!” Pain exploded in her eye and tears flooded it, running down her cheeks in an instant waterfall. She’d jabbed herself with the key still clutched in her hand.

  “Are you all right?” A warm hand tipped her head up and the blurry outline of his face swam in her vision. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Smooth move. I’m sure that one really impressed him. She was such a ditz. First getting herself so drunk at the club she needed someone to babysit her all night, now stabbing herself with a car key.

  Light hit her eye and she winced, blinking furiously against the sting.

  “Crap, it hurts. You just got here and now I probably need you to take me to the hospital or something. I feel like an idiot.”

  “Let me see. It might not be as bad as you think.” He tipped her face up more and leaned close to examine her injury.

  Oh shit, he smelled good. Like summer and the ocean. She knew he tasted even better, fresh and clean and male. So very male. One taste wasn’t enough. She wanted another nibble.

  “How does this feel?” He cupped his hand over her injured eye, shading it. Her skin tingled where he touched her and the sting faded, dulling to a mild irritation.

  “It doesn’t hurt. What did you do?”

  “I made it better for you.”

  “You did,” she laughed. He removed his hand and she blinked. A little sore, bruised feeling, but she could see clearly. “I promise I’m not usually this clumsy.”

  “I believe you. It was entirely my fault for startling you.” He brushed her hair out of her face with one hand, his gaze never once leaving her face. He didn’t look around or try to look down her top, he just watched her.

  She swallowed hard.

  “I, um, didn’t think I’d see you again. You left without even telling me your name.”

  “Dominicus.”

  “Of the Lord.” The words popped out of her mouth before she thought about them.

  “You know Latin?”

  “Not much. I took a year of it in college, but not much soaked in and even less stuck. I’m kind of surprised I knew that.” She gave a nervous laugh and he smiled as an awkward silence fell between them.

  “You were going to work and I’m making you late,” he finally said, his voice rich, silky and filled with something that sounded a lot like regret.

  “No problem. I was leaving a little early. I like stopping for coffee on the way. I can still get some if I hit the drive-through.”

  “No, don’t do that.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Don’t stop. Drive straight to work. You’ll still get your coffee, but you need to go straight to work today.” Something in his voice caught her attention. Something commanding, compelling.

  “Right. Straight to work,” she repeated, her voice soft and dreamy even to her ears.

  He backed away and she reached for the door handle. She looked at him and shook her head to clear it.

  “Wait a minute. Did you just tell me not to stop for my daily dose?” Oh, no. No he didn’t. She knew he was too perfect to be real.

  He cringed.

  Yeah, that’s what she thought.

  “Please, Maggie. You will get your drink, I promise. Even if I have to bring it to you myself, you will get it. I am asking you to please not go to the coffee shop this morning.”

  She laughed. “You don’t understand, me without my morning dose is a scary thing. Providing me with coffee is a community service.”

  His hands closed over her arms, stilling her as he looked into her eyes. “Maggie, I beg of you, do not stop.”

  “Why?” She frowned at his seriousness.

  His expression became pained and he looked around as if the parking lot would provide a logical explanation.

  “I cannot say.” He looked back at her, somber. “Please, just this one day, do not get coffee.”

  She studied him, trying to figure out why he was so worked up about it, but in the end, she nodded. It wasn’t like there wasn’t a pot at work. That stuff just didn’t taste as good.

  “Thank you, Maggie.” He bent and dropped an unexpected kiss on her mouth. No more than an innocent peck, it burned sweetly over her lips, making them tingle and leaving her wanting more. Her eyes drifted closed and she gave a happy sigh. Damn, but the man could kiss.

  “Goodbye, my dear,” he whispered. Dominicus walked away and rounded the corner of an SUV.

  Crap. She still hadn’t gotten his phone number. “Hey, wait!” She jogged after him but he was gone, vanishing as quickly as he’d appeared.

  Dammit, where did he go? She’d never get his number at this rate. With an exasperated huff, she got in the car and started it, twisting the key so hard in the ignition, the engine whined in protest. She wasn’t going to get worked up over this. She wasn’t. He came back once, he’d show up again. And if he didn’t… Well, fine. Who wanted some weird guy telling her not to get coffee?

  Maggie pulled into the employee lot coffeeless and ten minutes earlier than usual. Marjorie isn’t going to know what to think about this. Her manager was more accustomed to chastising her for being a little late.

  Hurrying to the building, she tripped over something that let out a yelp and scurried out of the way. A little bundle of brown and black fur hid in the bank’s landscaping and peeked out at her with a sad face. The puppy looked a lot like the one from her apartment complex. Was it the same dog or did someone dump a litter in the area? The markings around its mouth pulled down into a frown and it held a tan paw up with a pathetic whimper. It was too darn cute.

  “Sorry little guy, I have to go to work.” She took a step, but was stopped by a low rumble. The pup barked and stood to move between her and the bank.

  Er, okay. Maybe it was mad she stepped on it. “Nice doggie?” She stepped off the sidewalk and walked around it. What was with these freaky dogs? The pup sat down and cocked its head to the side with another whine. She glanced toward the bank door, then back to the pup. Her morning was getting weirder by the minute.

  She pushed through the front door and headed to the employee breakroom.

  “There you are, Maggie.” Her manager greeted her with a smile which didn’t reach her eyes. “The coffeemaker is broken so I stopped and picked up something for everyone at the little shop down the street.” Marjorie pressed a warm cup into Maggie’s hand. “I got you hazelnut.”

  “Th-thank you.” Maggie stared at the paper cup in shock. She was stammering, stunned. Marjorie Beemus didn’t have a generous bone in her body, but she bought overpriced coffee for everyone and managed to get Maggie her favorite in the process? She stared at the older woman, trying to figure out what pod people stole her boss and how to keep whoever it was
they stuck here in her place. It still looked like Marjorie, from the calculating pale green of her eyes to the haircut that belonged on a six-year-old boy instead of a fifty-six-year-old woman.

  You will get your coffee, I promise. Even if I have to bring it to you myself, you will get your coffee.

  He couldn’t have known, could he? It was a coincidence. It had to be. She sat down hard on one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs, still staring at the cup. What the fuck was going on? This couldn’t just be Monday strangeness. Could it?

  No. She wasn’t going to ask, wasn’t going to think about it. She was just shaken up over the dead guy from the club.

  Just drink it, Maggie. Don’t ask why, or what Dominicus knew. Don’t think about people dying or acting weird, or being followed by strange puppies. Just drink it and get to work and everything will get back to normal.

  Normal lasted twenty minutes.

  She finished cashing a customer’s check and glanced up at the plasma screen TV the bank kept tuned to news. The scene showed a very familiar location. Flames shot out of a brown square shop and a truck with a white tanker trailer sat in a gaping hole in the side of the building. The location scrolling across the bottom of the screen made her stomach clench.

  “Marjorie,” she called to her manager, “can we turn the volume up a little? This is happening near here.”

  The reporter’s voice filled the otherwise silent bank. “It is unknown at this time why the tanker filled with flammable gas crashed into this small coffee shop. Officials are evacuating everyone in a half mile radius while fire crews fight to keep the flames from reaching the volatile cargo.”

  “Will we be evacuated?” one of the other cashiers asked.

  “That’s less than a block from here,” Maggie answered, numb.

  Marjorie moved to the front window and peeked out. “I can see the police lights down the street. We’d better start securing the bank.”

  He’d known. Somehow he’d known this would happen. He’d known and bullied her into staying away. Her mind raced. Was he some kind of terrorist? Didn’t terrorists believe they were on holy missions or some crap like that? Dominicus. Of the Lord. It couldn’t be his real name. Did he have a divine calling to rid the world of Starbucks?