by Scott, D. D.
Five.
At daybreak, Gabe snuck from the tent to a pre-arranged meeting point with Elias. Dara appeared to be sleeping peacefully and he hoped she’d stay that way.
Last night had been amazing for him. Not only had it been spent in extreme pleasure, but he’d also felt like their souls had momentarily fused together. He’d given and taken pleasure most of the night, and as the sun burst over the horizon, his heart soared with the memory of it. He wished he could remain cuddled up next to her in the tent, possibly forever, but Elias was waiting.
When he reached the car Elias took one look at him and a broad grin spread across his face. “You lucky dog, you pulled it off, didn’t you.” Gabe gave his own grin in response, feeling no need to hide his feelings around his best friend.
Suddenly turning serious, Elias asked, “are you sure you want to go through with this? You appear to be doing quite well on your own. If we take this next step there’s no going back.” “I’m sure,” Gabe responded, “now shoot me.” As he felt the prick of the cherub’s gun he said a silent prayer that the final part of his plan would work as well as the first had.
• • •
Dara woke up to the sound of snapping brush, and moments later Gabe came stumbling into the tent. “I’ve been shot,” he gasped before pointing at the telltale mark on his right buttock. He stifled a grin at Elias’ choice of location. Then he looked at Dara with sheer adoration in his expression before declaring “Dara, I love you. I always will. Please marry me.”
Dara looked at the small mark in horror. How could this have happened? The rogue Cherub must have followed them and to use the love serum on a Guardian was an unforgivable offense. Dara had never heard of a love potion being used on a Guardian before but clearly it worked the same as on a human.
She had to get the antidote from her bag in the car. Pushing Gabe aside she grabbed the car keys and sprinted up the path to the old Plymouth, trying to ignore Gabe’s lovesick babbling. She was relieved to find the car parked where they had left it.
Jamming the keys into the trunk she was dismayed to find they didn’t work. Remembering Gabe had kicked the trunk, Dara kicked it three or four times, fashioning it with several new dents before it finally popped open. So what if she couldn’t control her own strength sometimes, this was an urgent matter!
Her urgency quickly turned to dismay when she opened her bags to find her remaining doses of antidote missing. “Noooo!” she wailed, hearing her cries carried across the valley on a crisp morning breeze.
Gabe bolted from the tent completely naked at the sound of her cry and came running towards her. “What’s the matter, love?” he asked “I heard you scream.”
“I’m not your love,” Dara responded, “and I can’t find the antidote serum. This is just a silly love potion, Gabe. You have to believe me. You have to fight it,” she pled.
“I’m tired of fighting my love for you, Darling” he replied before scooping her up and carrying her back to the tent.
Dara knew it was wrong to encourage him when he was under the influence of the love potion but, Cupid help her, she couldn’t find the strength to stop him as he laid her back down in the tent and dropped his head between her thighs. Could it be because a part of her wanted him to love her?
When his tongue began to lick the sensitive flesh of her cleft, she forgot everything but the pleasure that was engulfing her. Her final thought before losing all reason again was that she was more like her family than she wished to admit.
Several hours passed this way before she was brought back to her senses by someone calling Gabe’s name. “Gabriel, are you here?”
Dara detected a sexy drawl in the voice, perhaps Texas? With horror, she realized she was busy pondering the stranger’s accent when she should be covering herself up.
Gabe, having no such qualms, climbed out of the tent as naked as the day he was born. “Elias, I’m so happy you arrived” he responded before pulling him in for a one-armed man hug. “Let me introduce you to the love of my life, Dara.”
Thankfully, Dara had managed to toss on one of Gabe’s T-shirts, which came almost to her knees before he pulled her out of the tent.
“Pleased to meet you, darlin’” responded Elias, as if it was completely ordinary to greet a woman in nothing more than a t-shirt.
“Cut that southern charm,” Gabe warned with a sudden flash of jealousy in his eyes. Dara quickly interceded before Gabe could say or do anything else.
“I’m sorry Elias, Gabe is not himself today. It’s imperative we reach Las Vegas as soon as possible and our car has died. Can you help?”
“Why, he’s love struck, isn’t he?” Elias quickly deduced before turning to Dara and adding “did you do this, Cherub?”
Dara felt anger bubble up at the accusations. “I most certainly did not! The whole reason I want to reach Las Vegas as quickly as possible is obtain the antidote.”
Elias pondered this for a moment before asking, “If you didn’t, then who did?” Before Dara could answer, Gabe grabbed her and swung her around in a large circle before bringing her in close for a kiss.
When Dara finally broke free again she pleaded “Elias, will you help us please?” “No worries, darlin’,” he responded to her relief before adding with a wink, “anything for a pretty girl.”
As soon as he uttered the last phrase, he went flying, propelled by a blow from Gabe’s fist. Horrified, Dara ran over to make sure he was OK.
“No worries, doll, I’ve taken worse punches than that,” Elias reassured her, brushing himself off.
Getting a good look at Elias for the first time Dara noted that he was a heartbreaker in his own right. He was slightly smaller than Gabe and, whereas Gabe’s hair was dark as night, Elias’ was a sun-kissed golden brown. He had warm chocolate eyes and thick lashes.
Realizing her obvious scrutiny was not doing him any favors with Gabe, who was pacing like a caged animal nearby, Dara reluctantly turned away.
Elias announced he was going to pick up some gas and retreated quickly, leaving Dara alone with Gabe again. She hoped that by putting him to work packing up the campsite he’d forget his lustful feelings for a few minutes but no such luck. He had the tent packed up in less than five minutes and then proceeded to pull her back onto the air mattress which was now lying in the open in the middle of the campsite.
“Stop” she pleaded “anyone could walk by and see us.”
“It’s just us and the birds and bees in the trees, baby” was his response before he pinned her down and planted another kiss. He looked at her with such adoration that part of Dara wished she could keep him like this forever. She could live happily waking up next to his face every morning.
However, she had to administer the antidote for the same reasons she fought so strongly to prevent her family’s interference over the decades. She wanted someone to love her for who she was, a smart, independent woman, and not because of her powerful family and their abilities to create love. Allowing Gabe to remain under the spell of the love potion meant he didn’t love her for the right reasons.
Forcing herself to pull away, she realized with surprising sadness that she really did have feelings for Gabe after the night they’d shared, but once he was cured he’d probably want nothing to do with her.
• • •
Gabe wondered what was going in his adorable Cherub’s head. Her expression was serious as she sat on a rock a safe distance from him, her pretty lips forming an O-shaped pout and her tresses blowing loose in the breeze like ribbons of sunlight. He hoped she wasn’t questioning his acting skills, because if she discovered the love potion didn’t affect him (or most Guardians for that matter), there was going to be hell to pay.
Hoping to lighten her mood, he launched into a particularly terrible sonnet he’d composed for the occasion.
Roses are red, grey is the color of a dove, I’ll die a painful death if I don’t have your love.
Roses are pink, trees are green, marry me Darling and
be my queen.
He wondered if he’d have to dance a jig as well to get her to smile, but she burst out laughing. He pretended to be insulted and stole another kiss when she tried to apologize.
“Why do you fight the attraction between us Dara?” he pleaded. Her façade crumbled for a moment and she answered softly,
“It’s for your own good Gabe. What you’re feeling – it’s not real. It’s nothing more than a potion. Soon you’ll be cured and you can choose who you want to be with without having your affection for me forced upon you.”
“And what if when the time comes, I choose you?” he countered.
“You won’t” she responded bleakly.
“How about a friendly wager then?” he propositioned, seizing the moment.
“What do you propose?” she asked.
“When the time comes and I’m cured, and I still choose you, that you’ll marry me.”
“You’re kidding, right?” was her only response.
“Come on, Dara” he pleaded. “If you’re so certain you’re right and my feelings aren’t genuine, what do you have to lose? When she smiled he knew she was going to agree. “Do we have a deal?”
“We have a deal as long as there are no more horrendous sonnets composed in my honor,” she teased, and with that they both burst out laughing.
Growing serious for a moment, Gabe stated “I want you to swear to it on Venus’ Orb.”
Normally, Dara would be hesitant to swear to anything on Venus’ Orb of Truth, as it was the most serious oath a Cherub could make. It was said that breaking such a vow would cause permanent misfortune in matters of the heart.
Perhaps it was the fact that she secretly hoped he would choose her, but she heard herself answering “I swear.”
When Elias returned several hours later, Gabe managed to pull him aside while they were loading the car. The first word out of Elias’ mouth was “Bastard!” followed by “did you have to punch me that hard? Look at the size of the bruise.”
“I got a bit carried away” Gabe replied unapologetically. “Besides, it gives you character. Chicks dig battle scars,” he teased.
“You still want me to come along?” Elias asked.
Checking to make sure Dara wasn’t looking Gabe pulled Elias in for a quick hug and whispered with a grin “I wouldn’t want my best man to miss my engagement party.”
• • •
Dara couldn’t believe she’d agreed to marry him. She had no doubts that he wouldn’t want her once the antidote was administered, but she’d forgotten the possibility that if the antidote wasn’t administered in time there would be no cure. She could definitely do worse for a husband but she never should have agreed.
“Oh well,” she muttered with a resigned sigh. “No backing out now.”Even she, as Venus’ great granddaughter, didn’t dare break an oath sworn on the orb.
The car was soon running thanks to a little gasoline and she found herself sad to leave their little camping spot by the river. She was surprised to find Elias accompanying them.
“I have business in Las Vegas,” he explained and although she tried to get him to sit in front with Gabe he insisted on sitting in back so he could take a nap.
Dara thought driving would take his mind off of her for a while, but she soon found she was mistaken. No sooner had Elias closed his eyes then Gabe slid his hand up her thigh and began to tug down the zipper of her jeans.
“What are you doing?” she hissed, shocked at his boldness.
“Shh” was his response, “you don’t want to wake Elias.”
Instead of stopping, he renewed his attempts to undo her zipper and finally succeeded, slipping his hand into her jeans. Soon a long finger was probing at the edge of her panties, trying to slide underneath. Suddenly it succeeded and it reached her slit. Dara let out a shocked squeak, rousing Elias and prompting Gabe to remove his hand.
“What’s the matter” he asked, suddenly on high alert.
“Nothing,”Dara insisted, but the bright red now coloring her cheeks gave her away.
Elias simply winked at her before admonishing, “be good up there kids.”
Dara shooed away several more attempts by Gabe to regain access, and he began to compose more sonnets despite his earlier promise. Unable to stand the cheeziness of them much longer, Dara flipped on the radio to find the only station the Plymouth picked up was country. She was surprised when Gabe started to sing along in a pleasant baritone.
“You like country music Gabe?”
“I like all music” was his response and he continued to croon about dirt roads and pickup trucks.
“You have a nice voice,” she complimented before remembering that she shouldn’t be encouraging him right now.
Especially when his response was “I’ll sing to you at our wedding.”
“There isn’t going to be a wedding Gabe” she tried to remind him.
He just turned up the radio and sang even louder.
Dara surprised herself by falling asleep for several hours, and Gabe didn’t wake her until they’d taken the Bakersfield exit and were headed east towards Las Vegas. She hadn’t realized how tired she was, but it should have been no surprise considering how much of last night was spent engaged in activities other than sleep.
Her toes tingled as she remembered it in vivid detail. It was hard to believe that the wanton woman of the night before was actually herself. She’d never admit it to her family, but she’d actually enjoyed losing herself in the passion of the moment.
The scenery was now peppered with citrus trees and wind turbines. Soon, they’d cross over the mountains and drop into the desert before reaching their destination. They were approaching twelve hours since the fateful shot, so first on the agenda was obtaining some of the antidote. It could almost always be reversed within eighteen hours, but Dara didn’t want to take any chances.
They stopped for supper at a greasy spoon truck stop cafe. Gabe insisted on holding her hand and sharing her seat in the booth. Elias sat across from them.
Their waitress, Flo, had a platinum blonde beehive and a voice that sounded like she’d smoked two packs a day for the last thirty years. With a knowing look at the trio, she boldly stated, “Let me guess -you two lovebirds are getting hitched in Vegas and your friend here is your witness.”
To Dara’s horror Gabe responded, “you’re good, Flo. How about a couple of pieces of lemon meringue pie to celebrate our engagement?”
“But we haven’t even had dinner” Dara pleaded.
“Don’t upset Flo.” Gabe shushed her and soon she found an enormous piece of lemon pie with golden peaked mountains of meringue on top. She’d always had a weakness for lemon meringue pie and she had devoured her piece before Gabe or Elias were even halfway done with theirs.
Soon, bacon cheeseburgers, fries and cokes were delivered to their table as well. If there was one thing Dara was good at, it was eating. Her statuesque sisters always joked that her appetite was her body’s futile attempt to grow taller. Unfortunately, her voracious appetite was not lost on her companions.
Elias gave her a wicked grin before teasing, “Whatever you two did last night must have worked up quite an appetite.”
Dara threw a French fry in response and tried to hide her smile.
Much of their supper conversation centered on how Gabe and Elias had become friends. They’d been in the same Guardian class at the Academy, and surprisingly she learned that it was Elias’ father who’d put Gabe’s father behind bars.
In their first year of training, Gabe had been treated with distrust by the other cadets. Elias jumped to his defense and their friendship was born. By befriending Gabe, Elias had also erased any doubts with the other Guardians as to whether Gabe could be trusted. She could tell Gabe felt he was in his debt.
Elias had a cabin not far from where they’d broken down. He spent his vacations away from Guardian duty there. Dara got the impression that beneath his cavalier façade, there was a heartbreak in his past. Call it C
herub’s intuition.
When Elias went to the men’s room, Dara decided to do some digging. “So tell me about Elias,” she inquired innocently.
“What do you want to know?” Gabe responded.
Batting her eyelashes for added effect, she began with “does he have a girlfriend?”
Gabe hesitated for a moment before answering “that’s a story that’s not mine to tell.” He signaled to Flo for another Coke and Elias returned in a moment.
As they were leaving, Flo, who’d received a generous tip, grabbed Dara’s hand and chastised Gabe for not giving her a proper engagement ring. “If you love her you better put a ring on it,” she chided.
What was the world coming to when geriatric waitresses quoted Beyonce? Dara mused as she shook her head.
In a split second, Gabe was down on one knee after retrieving a small pouch from his jacket pocket. Time stopped.
“Dara, I know we’ve only been close a short time but I can’t imagine life without you. You are the brightest star in the sky and my one true love. Will you do me the honor of being my wife?”
While Dara was speechless, a crowd gathered around them waiting for her response. Not wanting to embarrass Gabe in front of a crowd, Dara managed to stammer “yes” and the café erupted into cheers. Gabe slipped an antique-looking ring onto her finger and pulled her in for a long kiss, further exciting the crowd.
When the kiss ended Dara waved at their admirers like Miss America and pulled Gabe and Elias, who’d been looking on in amusement, to the car before Flo decided to accompany them to the wedding.
Six.
The remainder of the drive passed quickly and Dara began to dread their arrival in Las Vegas. She’d had more fun than she’d had in months and found herself fantasizing about what it would really be like to be engaged to Gabe.
Sexual compatibility was no question. What surprised her was how comfortable she felt in his presence. She could imagine spending evenings just sitting and watching the stars or snuggling. With definite melancholy, she counted down the minutes until the antidote was in hand. Speaking of hands, she gazed down to admire the beautiful engagement ring.