by SJ West
“The Grace House is an upscale nightclub,” I tell him. “Evelyn has kept her roster of clientele very exclusive to ensure that it stays at the top of everyone’s list of places they have to visit when in Arcas.”
“Are you sure she’ll even let us in then?” Cade asks jokingly with a note of seriousness.
“Absolutely,” I reply confidently. “Evelyn always does what’s in her best interest, and making me mad would not bode well for her.”
We walk across the street and approach the front of the nightclub, which already has a long line of people attempting to gain entrance. Two guards dressed in dark suits stand in front of the black metal double doors that lead into the interior. I notice one of them recognizes me instantly. His eyes widen in shock, and his mouth hangs open slightly as he watches us walk up the stone steps toward him.
“Hello, Enis,” I say to the rebellion angel who has been Evelyn’s faithful friend since they were wee little angels together in Heaven. For whatever reason, they consider themselves true siblings. I never quite got it, but whatever floats their boats I suppose. “Is Evelyn around?”
“She’s inside,” Enis answers guardedly, eyeing Cade with a great deal of misgiving. His puzzled gaze lingers on our joined hands. It isn’t hard to tell such intimacy is confusing his small mind.
“We would like to go inside and have a bite to eat,” I inform him. “I’m sure Evelyn won’t mind entertaining us while we’re here.”
“And … why are you here?” Enis asks cautiously with open apprehension over my sudden appearance on his world.
“That’s really none of your business,” I retort. “But if it will ease your mind, we’re just here for something to eat, unless you want to turn it into more than that. I would be more than happy to oblige, if that is your wish.”
Enis hesitates before slowly shaking his head, causing his short, curly brown hair to bounce slightly. “No. I have no desire to do that, Helena.”
Without another word, he turns around and places his hand on the glossy surface of the black metal door behind him. There’s a faint blue glow underneath his hand as the door reads his palm print. A second later, the double doors slide open. Enis takes a step back from the entrance and extends his arm toward the interior.
“After you,” he says, indicating we should proceed within.
Still holding Cade’s hand, we walk side by side into The Grace House. I sincerely hope the proprietor doesn’t give us any trouble. I would hate to burn such a nice establishment to the ground because of poor service.
But I would.
In less than a heartbeat …
Chapter 2
The entrance turns out to be a long dark hallway with only a row of soft white spotlights shining down from the high ceiling to light the way. At the other end of the hall are another set of black steel doors. When we make it halfway down, a holographic image of Evelyn appears in front of the doors. She’s dressed in an elegantly tailored white suit made to accentuate her feminine form and a matching fedora tilted down slightly to mask half her face in shadow. Her long blonde hair is tucked into a teardrop bun at the nape of her neck.
“Welcome to The Grace House,” the hologram says. “My name is Evelyn Grace, and I want to personally congratulate you for making it onto our exclusive guest list. Please think of this place as your own personal sanctuary for the evening. Dance, eat, and enjoy your time with us. My home is yours … at least for tonight.”
The image disappears just as we come to stand in front of the doors leading into the heart of the nightclub. Enis walks over to the other side of Cade and places his hand on this door too. After the perfunctory security scan of his palm, the doors slide open to reveal the true interior. Pulsating music fills the air as we come face to face with the real Evelyn Grace. Her hair is styled in long, loose curls, and she’s dressed in an alligator-textured black leather dress with a gold zipper holding the front together. If I had to guess, I would place the age of the body Evelyn is inhabiting to be around fifty-five years old.
“What the hell are you doing here, Helena?” she asks rather obnoxiously with her hands on her hips.
“As ancient as you are, I thought you would have better manners when welcoming your guests, Evelyn,” I say in response. “It’s a wonder you’re still in business.”
“I didn’t invite you,” she replies, crossing her arms defensively against her waist. “So, technically, you’re not my guest.”
“I’m sorry, Evie,” Enis says, walking over to stand beside her. “I wasn’t sure what to do with her. She said all she wants to do is get something to eat.”
Evelyn’s stern expression softens when she looks over at Enis.
“It’s not your fault,” she reassures him with a much kinder tone than she’s used with me thus far. “You did the right thing by letting her in.” Evelyn looks back at me with what I can only term as loathing in her eyes. “I just don’t like surprises.”
“I’m learning that life is full of them,” I tell her with a tight-lipped grin. “Get used to it.”
Evelyn sighs in resignation. “So after you eat, you’ll be leaving and never coming back?”
“We’ll see,” I say, attempting for Cade’s sake to tolerate Evelyn’s outspoken disdain. I doubt he would appreciate me killing our host for the evening right in front of him, but this particular rebellion angel is testing the limits of what little patience I have cultivated over the years.
Evelyn looks Cade up and down with a great deal of interest and a possible criticism on the tip of her tongue.
“Are you here with her of your own free will, War Angel?” she questions skeptically.
“Yes,” Cade replies without hesitation, even though it’s not quite the truth. If it weren’t for our bargain, I seriously doubt a spot by my side would be his first choice. More than likely he would be with Anna and her family instead. They are his home, not me.
“Why would you willingly torture yourself by being with her?” Evelyn asks, clearly dumbfounded by his answer.
“She’s my soul mate,” he informs her, surprising not only the two rebellion angels staring at us, but me as well. I’m not sure if it was his words that surprised Evelyn and Enis, or his willingness to state such a fact so bluntly for all to hear. For me, it was the ease with which he admitted to the connection between us, like it was the most natural thing in the world to do.
Evelyn’s eyebrows rise, openly showing her surprise. “Well, now I’ve heard everything. I didn’t even know someone as cold-hearted as her could have a soul, much less someone who would admit to being a perfect match to it.”
“If I were you, I would think very carefully about what you say to Cade next,” I warn Evelyn in a low, threatening voice. It’s one I reserve for those foolish enough to cross me. If she doesn’t tread carefully, I may just snap her head from her spine, even with Cade watching.
Evelyn drags her gaze away from Cade and looks at me like I’m a stranger to her. It seems my threat has opened her eyes to a new side of me. Honestly, I’m not sure how I feel about that or the fact that I do indeed feel protective of Cade.
“Get them whatever they want,” Evelyn tells Enis as she continues to consider me with open curiosity. “All I ask is that you not harm the other people who are here, Helena. All they want to do is have a good time.”
“And that’s the only reason we’re here,” I assure her. “But you’re doing a piss-poor job of making that happen. I’m surprised this place of yours does so much business if this is the way you treat all of your customers.”
Evelyn’s gaze drifts back to Cade, pointedly settling on his bare chest. “We have a strictly enforced dress code here,” she informs him, but not unkindly. “I’ll have someone bring a shirt to your table that you can wear while you’re here.”
“Thank you,” Cade says, nodding his head in her direction to show his appreciation of her kindness.
“Take them to one of the corner booths so they can have some privacy,” Evely
n tells Enis. Although I suspect the booth is to ensure the safety of her patrons more than seeing to our comfort. “Make sure they get anything they want.”
Evelyn turns and walks away from us toward the bar that takes up most of the wall to our right.
“Please follow me,” Enis says to us.
As we walk through the nightclub, I have to admit I’m a bit impressed with the way Evelyn has maintained a balance between old-world charm and modern technology. A white marble dance floor is the focal point for the large room. Hanging directly above the crowd of people dancing are five large crystal chandeliers. White, sheer drapes hang from black poles on either side of the dance floor, casting an illusion of intimacy and romance. Near the wall at the north end of the room is a raised stage where the DJ is located. Laser lights shine down from the ceiling, bringing a festive air to the crowded affair.
The booth Enis escorts us to is located in a far corner of the room. It’s upholstered with maroon velvet fabric and is in the shape of a semi-circle with a round, black-clothed table in the center.
Being a consummate gentleman, Cade allows me to position myself in the booth first before he takes his place by my side.
“I’ll bring some menus over for you to look at. In the meantime, is there anything I can get you to drink?” Enis asks us.
“Do you have sweet tea here?” Cade asks.
“Yes, we have that.” Enis looks over at me questioningly.
“A glass of your best red wine,” I tell him.
“I’ll be right back with some menus and your drinks,” Enis says, bowing slightly to us before he walks off.
Almost as soon as he leaves, a young woman walks over to our table with a long-sleeved white dress shirt in her hands.
“Ms. Grace asked that I bring this to you, sir,” the blonde girl says, openly ogling Cade’s bare-chested state. I feel like tearing her eyes out of their sockets, but I refrain from acting on natural instinct and allow her to keep her sight, for now.
Cade accepts the shirt graciously, bestowing the girl with a grin and a quiet “thank you.”
The girl smiles back at him, but quickly wipes it from her face when she happens to look in my direction. I suppose whatever she sees in my expression scares her witless. She ends up scurrying off as if her hair suddenly caught on fire. She doesn’t even take time to spare Cade a second glance in her hasty retreat.
Cade quickly dons the shirt he was given, leaving the top two buttons undone. As he’s buttoning the cuffs on the sleeves, he notices me watching him.
“What?” he asks as a self-conscious smile tugs at the corners of his mouth. “Haven’t you ever seen a man put on a shirt before?”
“Of course I have,” I say, “but I was just thinking that you look just as handsome with clothes on as you do without them.”
Cade’s smile grows into a full one as he finishes buttoning the last cuff.
“You’re getting better at flirting,” he says, as if it’s a praise.
“I’m not flirting. I’m simply stating a fact.”
He chuckles. “I’ll take the compliment whichever way it’s meant.”
“So,” I say, drawing the word out while I tap the tips of the fingers on my left hand against the table, “what exactly do people do on a first date?”
Cade turns slightly in his seat to face me. “I think we’re supposed to get to know one another better.”
“I’m not sure there’s much I can tell you about myself that you don’t already know,” I say. “My life isn’t exactly a mystery. Plus, I’ve already been through your memories. I know almost everything there is to know about you.”
“Do you know what my favorite color is?” he asks.
I have to pause to think about that one. Finally, I admit, “No. I can’t say I paid attention to any reference to that fact.”
“I love the color red,” he tells me with a broad smile as he looks pointedly down at the dress I’m wearing.
I let out a small laugh and have to ask, “And when exactly did red reach such a high status in your opinion?”
“The first time I saw you,” he states, never glancing away from my gaze. I know his answer is an honest one because Cade has never told a lie in his entire existence.
“And what was your favorite color before you met me?”
“Yellow-orange.”
“Not too much of a stretch to red then.”
“No, not too much.”
I consider Cade for a moment and have to ask, “What exactly do you see happening between us? Do you have some fanciful future planned where we’re living happily ever after?”
“Honestly?” He tilts his head, looking lost for an answer. “I don’t know what the future holds for us. I can’t think much past this date of ours. I know who and what you are, and I also know that you’re someone set in your ways. I think the real question here is: what do you see happening between us?”
I have to look away from Cade’s earnest expression. I know what he wants. He wants me to give him some hope that we can have a future where we’re both happy, but I don’t see that as a possibility. One of us will have to bend to the other’s will, and I know I will never bend to anyone.
The illusion God placed me in while I was in Heaven haunts my thoughts. Building a life with Cade where we’re happy and have a child together is so far out of my reach I know it’s an impossibility. Even if I could have that sort of life, would I really want it? I won’t lie to myself. I know a part of me does, but there is also a stronger, more fortified part of me that finds the whole notion repulsive. I’ve survived on the pain of others for so long, I simply can’t imagine living any other way. Yet, what if I did become more than what Lucifer made me to be? Is it time for me to step out of the shadow of what I was created for and make myself into someone who lives for more than death and destruction? I don’t feel ready for that, and there are too many wheels in motion right now for me to even contemplate such a thing. No, if this relationship with Cade is going to work, he’ll have to be the one who changes, not me.
“I don’t see us buying a home and raising a family like normal people do,” I tell him truthfully. When I look back at him, I don’t see disappointment on his face. I think he knew the moment we met that such a conventional relationship wasn’t something we could ever have. “Right now, all I’m interested in is dealing with the feelings I have for you.”
“And what do you feel for me, Helena?” he whispers with a patient look on his face as he awaits my answer.
If I tell him that he makes my heart ache every time he looks at me or that just the sound of his voice brings me comfort, I know I’ll lose control over the situation.
Instead of confessing such an intimate account of how he actually affects me, all I can force myself to say is: “Different. I feel different when I’m around you.”
“I hope I make you feel different in a good way.”
“Maybe the more important question here is how I make you feel.”
“Confused,” he readily admits, looking the part. “I know what you are. I know what you’ve done, yet I can’t stop this burning need I have to be with you.”
“And if you could stop feeling the way you do about me, would you?”
As I wait for his answer, I become aware that I’m holding in my breath, anticipating his reply. A part of me wants him to say that he wishes we weren’t soul mates. It would make both of our lives so much easier, but there is also a part of me wanting to hear him say he can’t imagine his life any other way.
“It would certainly make both of our lives easier,” he says, unknowingly voicing my own thoughts just before reaching out to grasp my right hand underneath the table, “but now that I know what having a soul mate feels like, I can honestly tell you no, I wouldn’t want things any other way.”
I slowly breathe out a sigh of relief but keep my expression closed off so he doesn’t have an inkling as to how his answer has affected me. All I need is for him to think he has the upper ha
nd in this relationship.
Enis approaches the table with two menus in his hands. As he gives us each one of the small black leather-bound booklets, he says, “Please feel free to order anything. I’ll be back in a few minutes to see what you want.”
Enis walks away to stand by the bar while we peruse the menu.
It doesn’t take me long to figure out what I want to eat, and I’m glad to see Cade quickly decides what he wants as well.
Enis must have been watching us because he promptly returns to the table after we set our menus down.
“And what can I get you both this evening?” he asks.
“You go first,” I tell Cade.
“I’ll have the seared filet mignon with roasted new potatoes,” he tells Enis.
Enis turns his attention to me. “And for you?”
“The same,” I reply, finding it strange that Cade and I would order identical dishes.
“I will have them out to you shortly,” Enis says before turning to walk toward a door that I presume leads to the kitchen.
“How much do you want to bet they have our meals prepared in less than ten minutes?” I ask Cade.
“I’m sure they want to see us gone as quickly as possible.”
“The story of my life,” I say more to myself than Cade.
“I don’t want you gone,” he says, retaking my hand underneath the table and squeezing it gently.
“Not yet,” I reply with a wan smile. “Give it time. Eventually, everyone wants to leave me.”
Lucifer’s face flashes in my mind, but I quickly squelch it. All I need to do is confess my daddy issues to Cade. That’s a surefire way to make him want to turn his back on me and run away as far as he can get. The ironic thing is that I would do the same thing if our positions were reversed.
“I don’t think Lucifer asked for forgiveness to get away from you.” Cade’s ability to understand where my thoughts have wandered surprises me. It’s almost as if he just read them. I could deny I was referring to Lucifer, but what would be the point? Cade simply deduced that I was speaking of my father, because out of all those who have resided in Hell, he was the only one who had the option of leaving it.