She broke the eye contact and started running. My heartbeat picked up. The hunter in me grinned and called out with excitement. The chase was on.
I pushed some power into my legs and followed her through the gathering crowd. Then suddenly, she disappeared. Vanished into thin air.
Holy mother… Where is she?
I kept moving, certain I must have just lost her for a moment. She couldn’t have evaded me. Impossible.
But then I hit a corner block and the sounds of the city engulfed my mind. The loud cars zoomed past and people hustled all around me. Yet, she still wasn’t visible. She wasn’t anywhere. My gaze darted left and right, across the street, and then I whirled around to stare back the way we’d come. Where on Earth could she be?
How was that possible? I’d never lost a target before. Ever. I closed my eyes and projected a message to Tabitha.
I’ve lost her.
A chuckle came back to me. I thought you would.
How would you know that?
Because she’s a Witch, of sorts. And she’s been followed by many Demons of late. I thought she may find a way to elude you also. It’s the only reason she’s still alive.
You didn’t think to warn me?
A soft laugh from my agent this time. You? An almighty warrior of Heaven? Why would I need to warn you?
A growl rolled through my throat. Any suggestions for where she’d be?
Go to her house tonight. I’m sure you’ll be able to find her there.
Fine. Send me her address. The information clicked into my head like the inbox on a computer. Thanks.
Good luck, and please be more careful with her next time you have her. I have a strong premonition that this one could be the key for you, Gabriel.
A sigh rippled through my soul. It’s been five hundred years, Tabitha. I’m starting to believe they’ll never forgive me. But even as I thought the words, my stomach tightened with anticipation. What if Kadie was the one? The final human that would put me back home.
Don’t give up, Gabriel. Never give up. This one is important. I can feel it.
I began to ask why she was so important, when that familiar tingle up my spine made me twist around. Red hair flew in a cloud down the street, having just slipped out a side alley. I moved into invisibility, uncaring of who watched me. I chased after her once again. She darted to and fro, around people and over the street. Just as I reached out for her she whirled around and disappeared once again.
What the fuck? What is this woman?
I stopped dead, searching out for her with my senses and finding nothing.
Seriously. What is this? And what is it about this unusual woman that the Demons want so much?
I turned in a full circle once more with my eyes wide open and saw nothing. I let out a heavy sigh. There was only one thing to do, and that was to wait until night fall. Outside Kadie’s house.
Chapter Two
Darkness had fallen—the worst time of day. I sat on a ledge on an apartment building on a small street near Greenwich village. Only two stories up this time. I wasn’t risking losing her again.
Movement to the right caught my eye and I turned to watch the little Witch sneak along the street, a cloak pulled tight over her abundant hair. But I could sense her, like a burning beacon in a dark sea. To me, her hair flamed beacon to all. Clever of her to hide it at night when the Demons were out.
I jumped off my perch and hit the cement, keeping my invisibility up so she couldn’t see me. The plan didn’t work as I had anticipated. She looked straight at me and bolted for her front door, shoving the key in to the lock and attempting to get inside before I could get her. Which, if she achieved her aim, wouldn’t be great for me. All paranormals were restricted from crossing the threshold of a human house, unless personally invited in.
I flew faster and reached out to her. My hand closed around her shoulder and desire poured through my belly like hot honey. Damn it. How long’s it been since I felt that?
She twisted and swung a fist at me. I ducked and weaved, holding tighter to her shoulder.
I’m still invisible. How is this possible?
She swung again and this time I caught her hand. Tingles pulsed along my palm and I glared at her with all my might. We needed to get inside, and quickly.
“Stop. I’m here to help you.”
She snarled up at me, her clear blue eyes throwing chips of ice like an Eskimo. “Yeah right. Just like all the others.” She wasn’t physically fighting me anymore, though I could still feel the anger pouring through her veins like fire.
“Kadie, I’m a guardian Angel. I’m here to help.”
She glared and pulled her shoulder out of my grasp with a sharp twist. Obviously, like all the others, she didn’t believe me.
“I’ll prove it to you.” I spread my black wings out to their full breadth and prepared myself to fly up into the air. It was a risk. If she dashed inside I wouldn’t be able to speak to her until she came out again. Before I could launch up, her eyes grew to the size of the full moon. She shouldn’t have been able to see my wings, or me for that matter.
Damn. She’d once again broken the rules I believed were finite.
Her mouth opened and shut a few times, then she asked. “Why are your wings black?”
I cringed, hating the answer that would come through my lips soon enough. If only there was another way, but I had always found that honesty worked best in these situations. I’d learnt that the hard way. “Because I am a Fallen Angel working on Earth to gain passage back into Heaven.”
For some reason, her shoulders relaxed at those words and her mouth kinked up at the sides. She looked cute, and impish.
“You’re trying to earn your way back into Heaven? Wow. That’s a new one. What’d you do?”
That was not a question, nor an answer, for a human to know. But I found myself telling the story despite my misgiving. “I was a part of a love triangle that went wrong.”
I shook myself and clamped down hard on my jaw to stop myself from revealing it all. This woman definitely had some Witch in her. Which might explain why she could see me beneath the invisibility shield.
“How long have you been down here?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest and quirking her head to the side as though she was truly interested.
Why am I the only one answering all the questions?
“Five hundred years.”
She whistled. “Damn, that’s a long time.”
I blew my breath out of my nose in a puff. What was with this strange little human?
She no longer looked afraid. Instead she seemed curious, and she had an offbeat sense of humor I wasn’t sure I enjoyed.
“It is. Now. Can we go inside?” I gestured to her house and she shrugged.
“Sure, why not? Maybe you can explain to me what’s been going on with my world lately.” She opened the painted purple door and walked inside like she didn’t have a care in the world. I was stuck to the mat like someone had glued my boots down.
I leaned forward to test the power of the force field around the house and the strangest pain shimmied down my chest. I shuddered. No way could I push through that one. It would repel me out even if I did manage to get a step or two inside.
“You know I can’t come in, right?” I called out to her just as my awareness prickled with the feeling that Demons were on their way. Heat teased my back like candle wax dripping down my spine.
She popped her head around the corner again, her beautiful red hair now framing her face. She must have taken her cloak off. “What do you mean?” she asked.
Ah, so she didn’t know.
“You have to invite me in, then I can come pass over the threshold.”
A pretty smile spread across her face. “Oh. Cool. Yeah, Angel, come in.”
The threat of pain fell away as I stepped through the door with ease and walked inside the small apartment. I had to duck my head to get beneath the door frame and she stared up at me with those beautiful blue eyes that r
eminded me of the lakes at home.
“Do you have to be that tall?” she asked.
Again, such an odd question for a human. Did she know of my powers?
“Ah, no. I don’t actually.”
“Well, shrink down or something,” she said, waving her hands at me. “You’re too tall for my house.”
Now, I’ve had a lot of odd conversations with people before, but this took the cake. I let myself shrink down to about six-foot-tall and reduced my breadth in proportion. I stood only a few inches taller than her now, and she smiled up at me.
“Better?” I asked, though I didn’t need to hear. Her look said it all.
“Oh yeah. Much. You wanna drink?” she asked as she slid her shoes off and grabbed a sweater from the couch to pull on over her bare arms.
“No, thank you.” We didn’t need to eat or drink, and those human needs made me glad I could go without. I’d spent years craving the taste of food, only to watch millions starve in war and famines. My lack of need to eat meant I would never deprive a starving child of food.
Kadie bustled around the small kitchen and I stood by the worn sofa. What sort of Witch was she? She didn’t seem typical in any way.
She poured herself a steaming hot drink of some sort and came back into the living room. “Sit, Angel. Please. And tell me why you were following me.”
She curled up on the couch like a cat with her legs tucked beneath her. I made myself sit awkwardly in the recliner chair. I’d much prefer to stand, but there seemed to be an etiquette here and she would be more comfortable with me sitting.
I looked at her and our gazes snapped together with that familiarity I was beginning to relax into. There wasn’t an easy way to say this, so I may as well just get it out of the way. “You’re in grave danger, Kadie.”
She didn’t falter. Her hand lifted the cup to her lips and she took a sip as though I hadn’t spoken. Perhaps she hadn’t heard me?
“Don’t you understand? People want you dead.”
Well, it was worse than that, but she didn’t need to know all the ins and outs of the underworld on our first meeting.
Our gazes clashed again as Kadie looked at me, and arousal snaked through my blood stream like a slithery serpent. Hot and lightning fast.
I tightened my fingers into fists and tried to focus on the meeting at hand, and not the adorable way she ran her tongue along her bottom lip. She would taste soooo good.
Kadie settled back into the couch as though getting comfortable for a long chat. “I understand, but why? I’m a nobody.”
My new target appeared too calm. A shive of nerved danced through me at her almost unhuman demeanor.
“What are you?”
Her eyes flashed a strange silver at me. “What do you mean?”
“Fairy, Witch, Warlock? A cross of some sort of Vampire perhaps? There’s some paranormal in you. You shouldn’t have been able to see me at all, let alone my wings. They are invisible to all except those from the Hell dimension.”
Oh hell no. She couldn’t be.
She laughed loudly at that one. “Hell dimension? What are you talking about, Angel?”
This was beginning to feel like a set up. She seemed too odd, too beautiful. The attraction between us grew like a brush fire and I couldn’t seem to dampen it down.
“Why did you let me in here?” I asked, my eyes narrowing in suspicion. Was this a test to see if I could avoid temptation? Well I could! No matter what beautiful human they threw at me.
She slid her feet to the floor and iced me with her eyes once again. “Me? You showed me your wings! Told me you were here to help me, and now you’re questioning my motives? Get fucked.”
Her language made me gape. Not the usual response I received when I came to help a human in need. I was more accustomed to blind adoration after I saved them from the Demons.
Such a strange little human.
I took a deep breath and let my hands relax. “I think we should start again. I was told that your life is in danger, and I’m here to help.”
She nodded as though agreeing with me. “Well, it is. I’m pretty sure. I keep seeing these weird black shadowy things following me, but they don’t come into the house.”
“They can’t.” Thank goodness, or all humans would be royally screwed.
She snorted in humor. “That’s a comfort to know…now. I’ve lost a week’s worth of sleep over that one.”
I ignored the jibe. It wasn’t my fault that Tabitha hadn’t contacted me earlier. “Well, we need to work out why they want you. Which, to be honest, I don’t understand yet.”
She shrugged, a frown marring her beautiful face. “I have no idea. I mean…I have some abilities. I’ve always been able to foretell future events, and I can read people pretty well, but that’s it.”
The Demons generally tracked people who are integral to the continuation of the human species. Scientists, doctors, peace makers.
“Ha. That’s not me at all. I’m a hairdresser.”
I stared at her without saying a word. Had she just read my thoughts and answered them as though I’d spoken?
She was definitely not my normal target.
“I own my own business, maybe one of my clients has a link to me…” she said, her eyes focused on the carpet as though searching in her mind for a reason behind these attacks.
“I doubt it. They obviously want you.” And with mind reading abilities and being able to see me in Angel form, she had stronger powers than she realized.
“Then what’s the plan?” she asked, her keen gaze slicing through my resistance once again.
She had beautiful skin… I could only imagine how pink her nipples were beneath her blouse. Damn it! Concentrate!
“The plan… I’ll camp out and watch. Guard you day and night. At the moment we don’t know if they’re going to attack soon, or if they’re only doing reconnaissance. They don’t like to step out of the shadows for anyone. They need to be certain that you are special. So, I’ll watch for an attack, and if they attempt to grab you, I’ll kill them.”
A heavy silence hung in the room as she stared at me.
“Are you serious?” she asked, gaping at me as though I were crazy. Not an unusual reaction for a human. I’d had a lot worse through time.
“Of course.” I gave a curt nod and shifted as the weight of the sword at my back made itself known. I’d been a warrior in Heaven, and I used my skills on Earth just as well.
Her gaze slid away. “Okay. And what do you want me to do then?”
Finally, some common sense and a question I was familiar with. “I want you to stay indoors at night and do exactly what I say when I say it.”
Her mouth twisted up and I knew I was in trouble.
“No. That’s not going to happen I’m sorry. I work at the soup kitchen at night and I can’t give that up.”
I gave her my most serious stare, lowering my eye brows and leaning forward on my chair. “This is your life, Kadie. This isn’t a joke.”
She shrugged nonchalantly. “I understand that, but surely you can save me from whatever is out there if they do attack?”
“I can…” Of course, but that isn’t the point. My job would be a lot easier if she would stay safe while I found those that hunted her.
“Great,” she said with a happy, dismissive tone. “Do you need a place to sleep, Angel? I have a spare bedroom. It’s not huge, but…”
I cocked my head and stared at her. “You trust easily. That could be a fatal flaw.”
She stood up with a fluid grace and looked down her nose at me. Damn she was beautiful with her hair flowing around her like that.
“I read people, very well, if I’m honest. I know you’re speaking the truth. Now, I am going to make some dinner and head to bed. Are you staying, or are you heading out to do whatever Angels do?”
I stood up and maintained my stunted height for her convenience. “I have a prior engagement. Don’t die before I get back.”
Her lip
s quirked into an amused smile. “Lucky for you, it’s my night off, Angel.”
“It’s Gabriel.”
Kadie rolled her eyes. “Of course it is. Goodnight, Gabriel.”
She swept back into the kitchen and with my loins aching, I walked back out into the cold fresh air for some relief. I had to speak to Tabitha. She’d told me this woman was important, and may earn me my place back into Heaven.
A smile tilted up my lips as I took to the sky. Tabitha may be right with this one, because it was not going to be easy keeping the beautiful, confident Kadie alive.
Chapter Three
“Tabitha, I don’t understand why you want me to protect this one. She’s a hairdresser for Holy sake!”
And I’d like to slip my tongue inside her mouth and taste her flavors, which is crazy. It’s been far too long since I’ve felt this way.
Tabitha grinned at me over her hot cup of chocolate milk. I didn’t need to eat or drink, but as I believed Tabitha was some sort of hybrid, she chose which human faults and frailties she adopted. And which ones she didn’t. Neither of us slept. Which came in handy for staying alive when Demons were sent to kill you on occasion.
“She’s your target, Gabriel. Why are you questioning me? You never have before.”
Her words rang true, but never before had I needed to question Tabitha’s sanity.
“Why would the Demons want her? Surely she can’t be that important?”
Her powers were different, and certainly powerful, but if she didn’t know what they were, surely the Demons wouldn’t either.
Tabitha shrugged and continued drinking from her mug. She didn’t speak nor strive to continue the conversation. Frustration clawed at me. Why wouldn’t my agent speak to me?
“I’m dismissed, am I now?”
Tabitha sat bolt upright and cocked her head to the side as though listening to the voice of God himself. “Your target is in trouble. Go. Now.”
A shiver shot down my spine and I took off at a run. She wasn’t far away. I could get to her in time. I hit the pavement at speed, extended my wings out, and took to the sky. I could hear her screams inside my head as though she flew right beside me. Darkness had arrived. Evil loomed in the hidden corners and shelters, ready for action.
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