Few Are Angels

by Inger Iversen

  “Mia, this is a personal matter between me, Alex, and Kale, so I’d really rather not talk about it.” I joined her at the register.

  Mia broke her pose moments later and smiled. “Kale, huh? He is definitely sexier than Alex, but not as muscular, and I like my men with muscles.”

  “Whatever. You want to teach me how to use this thing or what?” I pointed at the register, ignoring the ache in my chest at her comment. It didn't matter, though. There were more important things to worry about. I wanted Alex to be happy, but I wasn’t sure I wanted him to be with Mia. After a few hours on the register, I had it down pat. It was easier than I had expected because Mr. Knope hadn’t upgraded his system since the 1980s. Mia did really well with minding her business, but I noticed she texted more than usual, and I hoped she wasn’t talking to Alex about Kale.

  “What do you think about heading to the mall with me tomorrow?” Mia asked.

  The store was dead quiet, and there were no cars in the parking lot other than Kale and Mia’s.

  “What are you shopping for?” I sat behind the register and stocked the paper and plastic bags while Mia danced around the store.

  Mia shrugged. “I don’t know. My dad gave me his credit card, so I plan on melting some plastic. You game? You can bring Kale, if you want.” Her mood had changed from annoyed at the world to something I wasn’t used to seeing from her—happy.

  “Sure, I guess.”

  “Good. I want to take you to get your hair done. I’m not sure what kind of statement you’re trying to make, and not to be mean, but your roots are out of control, honey.”

  “Um, thanks, but no thanks. I usually just buy some dye at the store and do it at home.” There was no need to pay someone one hundred bucks to do something you could do at home for seven.

  Mia cocked a brow at me and smiled. “Fine. My place at noon tomorrow. I’ll bring the dye. You just bring yourself.” Mia pulled out her phone and headed toward the restroom, where she stayed for the majority of my shift.

  Chapter 27

  * * *

  “Your touch soothed me even when I felt all was lost. You never gave up. You believed in me. You fought for me, and you died for me. If that is not love, then what is?” —Hélène

  * * *

  The car ride home started off with such a serene silence that I nearly fell asleep. The purr from the engine mingled with the low droning hum of the wind, and I relaxed into the soft, warm leather seat.

  Just as I closed my eyes, Kale asked, “What are you going to tell him?”

  I opened my eyes to see we were headed in the opposite direction of the house. The air in the car suddenly chilled. I reached over and pressed one of the buttons I thought controlled the heat, which actually turned on the radio at full blast. Not surprised by the loud noise, Kale reached over and turned off the radio, then turned up the heat.

  “I understand you care about him, but you have to understand that if the Council has its way, your life—this life you have with these people—will be over, and it could be messy.” He slowed to take a corner leading to Elmwood City.

  I wanted to ask where we were headed, and I almost did until I registered what Kale had said.

  “The Carltons,” I corrected. I hated when he called Eric and Sarah “those people.” I wanted to leave Cedar, but there had to be a better way than just disappearing. “And yeah, you’re right, but you’re not going to let them take me, right?” I adjusted myself in my chair so I could see him clearly.

  Kale was saying normal things no longer had a place in my life, Alex and his family being some of those things. Kale looked at me long enough to register the change his words had brought, then turned back to the road before he spoke.

  “Ella, I’d do anything to protect you.” His voice was strained and had an added layer of what seemed to be fear. “I can’t hide you from everyone at once while you are here, and I know the time is going to come when Jace will do whatever it takes to gain your trust so you go with him to the Council.”

  “What are you saying?” I asked, breaking the short silence I’d given him.

  “That soon you’re going to have to make a choice of whether you want Jace or me to protect you, whether or not you will leave the Carltons’ home by choice or force, and whether I—”

  “Wait, force?” I knew my face showed more than just a question, but fear also. I trusted Kale. It had taken us some time to get there, with one major bump in the road, but I knew Kale was willing to risk that trust again if he thought what he was doing would protect me, and that concerned me.

  “Who is going to force me, Jace or you?”

  “If it comes to it, he will.”

  I knew that was the answer in Jace’s case, but I wondered what Kale would force me to do if he thought it was for my safety. I hadn’t been in control of much in my life in the past year and a half. It seemed to be a pattern I couldn't quite escape. In this situation, I knew what I had to do to protect myself and the people I loved, but what was I willing to risk to keep everyone safe?

  “I understand I have to leave Cedar Grove, but I won’t do it the way Jace wants me to. I won’t fake my death. I can’t put the Carltons through that.” There had to be another way to stop Jace from taking me to the Council. “Why can’t I just tell the Carltons I’m leaving for a while or transferring to a different college?” I shifted in my seat, not because I was uncomfortable, but because I needed to move, to be out of the car. "By the way, where are you taking me?” I asked, a bit more annoyed than I’d wanted.

  “To dinner in Elmwood City.”

  “Oh, for a moment there I thought you were going to kidnap me and take me back to that cottage at the lodge.” I giggled nervously.

  Kale smiled. “I’d do a lot of things to protect you, but I trust that you will never let it come to that.”

  Though his smile was still present, I knew he meant every word that he’d said.

  “I have thought about taking you to the cottage until the Council does what they were meant to do and kill Laurent. I just have to find a way to keep Jace away from you, and you aren’t making that very easy.”

  “I know, but it’s really worked having you both around. I mean, I haven’t been alone once, and there is always someone at the Carltons’. This is the ideal setup.” Kale seemed to agree, but I wasn’t sure he was behind the idea all the way.

  “We still have a problem though—Laurent’s men. They know the general area of where you are. I destroyed the paper trail, but Laurent is still following your memories.”

  As he mulled over his thoughts, my stomach growled. Though I should have been embarrassed, I was far from it and well on my way to starving. Kale’s laughter surprised me. I had never heard his laugh so warm and inviting. I stared at him, hoping he’d never stop.

  “What?” His smile was still there, and his skin beckoned to be touched, but I resisted the urge to do so. I looked away, embarrassed by my feelings. We had a romantic past, but those memories were involuntarily locked away in the back of my mind. Kale could remember them perfectly, but they weren’t available to me. Or were they?

  We took another sharp turn and drove down the ice-covered road in silence until my curiosity got the better of me. I wanted to know about our past and where we were headed before we were both murdered. The problem was that the more I remembered, the easier it was for Laurent to locate me. That was how he knew I was in Virginia when there were no records saying so.

  I bit my lip. “Will you tell me just a little about our past together in France?” I glanced at him as he focused on the road ahead.

  “I guess you didn't hear a word I just said about Laurent following your memories.” Kale sighed, then turned and frowned.

  We pulled into the Elmwood East Shopping Center that housed most of the mom-and-pop shops and hole-in-the-wall diners. Because Elmwood City was bigger than the surrounding cities, more tourists travelled there. That meant more traffic in Central Elmwood, where rents were hig
her, which pushed places like Molly’s, Jack’s, and The Soup Bowl closer to the woods where only the locals frequented. Kale pulled in front of Molly’s and left the engine running.

  “Here we are.”

  The little diner was known for its hot chocolate and the monster burgers Eric and Alex often talked about. We got out of the car. The cold air smelled of smoke and wood and was dry and crisp as we walked toward the little diner. Kale and I seated ourselves in the back in a booth beside a bricked-over fireplace. The place wasn’t busy, but there were still quite a few people seated.

  “Isn’t it going to look odd if you don’t eat?” I asked Kale.

  A sly smile spread across his face, but before he could respond, a waitress arrived at the table.

  “Hey, my name is Sherry. What can I get for ya today?” She placed napkins and menus in front of us.

  Kale surprised me when he picked up his menu and looked it over with an enthusiasm I’d never seen from him. He sighed, indecision clear in his eyes. I nearly burst into a laughing fit.

  “What are the house specials today, Sherry?” he asked with an enthusiastic flair, and I laughed aloud.

  The waitress looked at me as if I’d grown two heads, then listed the day’s specials. I sat across from Kale, fighting off giggles thinking about his new, animated attitude. I was sure the waitress thought I’d gone insane, but she didn't know the half of it.

  “Cook’s choice is the jalapeño burger with pepper jack cheese, lettuce, tomato, and a side of seasoned fries, and the soup of the day is sweet potato.” The waitress placed her pen over her pad of paper.

  Kale put his hand to his chin and looked pensively at the menu. I placed my hand over my mouth to keep from laughing. All the food sounded really good, but how would Kale pretend to eat it?

  “I think I’ll have the soup and a Coke. What did you want, Ella?” He looked at me and smirked. “That burger sure does sound good. If you get it, I want a bite.”

  The waitress, not in on the joke, agreed. “It’s big enough to share. If you want, I could bring the soup and burger out together.”

  “Sounds good.” Kale answered.

  Sherry grabbed our menus and left. As soon as she was gone, I turned to Kale and threw a napkin at him.

  “You are not funny, you know!” I whispered. “You can’t eat, so why did you order food?”

  Kale shrugged and straightened in the booth. “I never said I couldn't eat, Ella. I may have said I don’t eat.”

  That was true. Kale and I had never fully discussed how or what he ate. I thought of how our last conversation about Kale’s eating habits had gone. I looked away from him. I didn't want to go down that road again. Kale reached across the table and held my hand. I looked back at him. His touch drew a tentative smile from me and lightened the mood. He knew where my thoughts had gone.

  “Ella, I can eat because I am not a full vampire.” Kale looked around and quieted as Sherry brought our drinks. Once she left, after sparing me a weird glance, Kale continued. “If I were a full vampire, I would only be able to survive on blood.” He said “blood” hesitantly. It was a sensitive subject with Kale, and the incident at the cabin—when I thought he’d bite me—had made it worse.

  Though I’d never seen him eat, when we first met, he’d had blood on his mouth, and Jace had once chastised Kale about drinking blood from rats and squirrels. I wondered how Kale had survived his transition from human to vampire. Did he take blood from humans or had his shame kept him for piercing human flesh?

  “I can eat regular food, but over time the taste has changed. I can survive without it because food no longer sustains me.” Kale looked away. Obviously he didn't want to talk about his eating habits. “Being Chorý is different, Ella. It’s—”

  “Nothing to be ashamed of, Kale.” I finished for him. I wasn’t sure I could ever convince Kale of that, but I would never stop trying. He’d lived in a completely different time, where vampires didn't curb their appetite for human blood, and were thought of as monsters. But he wasn’t a full vampire, and that had to count for something.

  “It’s the reason you can protect me better than anyone, and it’s the reason why you are here—one hundred fifty years later—with me,” I explained. “What you are isn’t a problem for me. I just wish you would understand that.”

  Kale took his hand away from mine, a look of defeat on his face was. He hadn’t heard a word I’d said.

  “Ella, it isn’t a problem now, and that is only because we use it to our advantage. What happens when Laurent is taken care of?”

  I didn't understand. That was the goal, what we were working toward—a happy ending. I shrugged. “That’s the end result we want, Kale. What do you mean what happens after that?” I asked, in desperate need of an explanation.

  Kale shook his head, and I could see this was not the conversation he’d brought me to lunch for, but it was something that needed to be discussed.

  “What will happen between you and I, Ella? You will still want the normal life you have been fighting for, and I will be an ageless accessory in your life you will soon outgrow.” His anger became more evident with each word he spoke.

  I knew that anger wasn’t directed toward me, but at the situation we found ourselves in. And there was no solution in sight. Kale would continue to be immortal while I would age and ultimately die. It was depressing, but it was our reality. I was at a loss for words. Kale was right in one respect—he wouldn’t age—but I would never outgrow him. Our pasts were so entwined I didn't think I could forget Kale if I tried. I was saved from having to reply when the waitress brought our food, but I wasn’t hungry anymore. Kale noticed my sudden loss of appetite.

  “I didn't mean to upset you, Ella. Let’s talk about this another time, okay?”

  Maybe he had an on off button for the conversation, but I didn't. I was going to continue to search for a solution.

  “Sure, did you still want a bite?” I teased.

  Kale picked up my burger and took a healthy-sized bite. He chewed and swallowed, then looked at me wide-eyed and alarmed.

  “Oh my goodness. Are you okay?” I asked, my voice a decibel below utterly panicked.

  Kale shook his head and grabbed his glass of Coke. He took a large sip and, to my relief, smiled and cleared his voice.

  “Jalapeño,” Kale explained, and I exhaled.

  Just then Sherry decided to come over. “So, how is everything?” she asked, sounding a bit more chipper than she had earlier.

  “Hot,” Kale and I replied simultaneously.

  ***

  Back home, I called Mia to plan our trip to the mall or to her house, whichever she’d decided to do. I tried to tell myself I was spending time with Mia because it was something I wanted to do, not because I wanted to find out how close she and Alex had become. He and I hadn’t spoken in a couple of days, and Eric seemed a bit more distant than usual, if that was possible. Though Alex had left his car, he hadn't had the time to teach me to drive it, so I was either going to have to have Kale drop me off or have Mia pick me up.

  Mia answered on the second ring. “Hello.” Her voice sounded a bit strained, and I wondered if she’d been in an argument with someone recently.

  “Hey, it’s Ella.”

  “Yeah, I know. What’s up?” Her usual attitude seemed to be on the back burner, and I was tempted to ask why, but I held my tongue.

  “I wanted to know about tomorrow. Did you want to come and pick me up?”

  Mia sighed. “I thought Alex left his car for you, Ella.”

  “I can’t drive it. It’s a stick shift.” I wanted to ask her how Alex was doing, but I didn’t. If Alex wanted me to know anything, he would call me.

  “Brett can teach you. His car is stick.”

  That was all fine and dandy, but it didn't answer my question. “That’s fine, maybe this weekend, but what about tomorrow?” I could hear raised voices in the background, and I wondered if she already had company.

 
; “I hate it here.”

  I wasn’t sure if she had spoken to me, so I didn't say anything.

  “I mean, why marry someone you hate? Who cares how much money he has? If you hate him, just find some other rich slob to marry.”

  I gathered that the elevated voices were from her parents, and I found it extremely odd they would scream and yell in front of her. My parents had rarely argued, but when they did, they made sure I was nowhere in sight. Mia always seemed so abrasive and tough, it was hard to imagine her parents could cause so much stress in her life. Maybe that was why Mia was who she was. Living in such a volatile home would make any person put up walls and feel the need to always be defensive.

  “Are you okay?” I ventured.

  “I’m fine. My dad is being amazingly stupid, and if he leaves, my mother will take him to the cleaners.”

  I wasn’t sure if I should say it was none of my business, but I felt bad for Mia. I knew what it was like to have things in your life change and disintegrate in front of you. No matter how tough a person was, seeing that could do some serious damage.

  “I’ll come and pick you up tomorrow after my dad leaves for work around ten-ish. Be up and ready.”

  We said our goodbyes and hung up.

  I went to my laptop to check for any assignments the professor might have posted. I’d earned an ‘A’ on my Moby Dick paper, and I was excited to start the next project. Though things in my life weren’t normal, they were bearable. I needed to fix the Alex situation before he came home for winter break, but I wasn’t sure how to do it. I also had to bite the bullet and call Dr. Lithe and talk to him before I went back to the old house for the rest of my belongings. I heard a rock hit my window and decided Dr. Lithe could wait. I went to the window, surprised to see Jace at the bottom of the lattice instead of Kale. It was Jace’s night to stay outside and keep watch, but he never made his presence known.

  “Yeah?” I called down, unsure if it was appropriate to invite him into my room.

  Sarah and Lea were home, but occupied, and Eric was still at work. My real worry was what Kale would think. Jace looked around before he started to climb the unsteady lattice, and I worried he would fall and break something. He may have been immortal, but I didn't think that meant he couldn't break a bone or two. Jace maneuvered stealthily up the woodwork and entered my room with a hushed whoosh of cold air. I closed the window behind him and moved away from it. He tentatively looked around the room and then at me. I was uneasy about him being there, but he made no move to leave.