Give Me Love

by Zoey Derrick

“Thank you, Celeste.”

  “Anything, anytime. Anything else?”

  “No, I’m good. I think we’re going to spend the day in bed or in the TV room.”

  “Sounds good.”

  The shower turns off and Celeste takes that as a cue to leave. She heads down the hall toward the door, and Mikah goes about starting their breakfast.

  Vivienne towels off and gets dressed. Her hair is still soaking wet, so she wraps it up in her towel and piles it on top of her head. She smells like Mikah – well, at least his body wash – and she savors the scent.

  The last twenty-four hours have been a whirlwind of events, and when she woke up yesterday, she never imagined that this morning she would wake up with Mikah. She smiles into the mirror as she throws on Mikah’s Boston College t-shirt and turns to leave the bathroom, knowing that Mikah is probably waiting for her in bed.

  When she steps out of the bathroom, though, he isn’t there. She can smell bacon frying, so she heads for the kitchen.

  When she opens the door she hears shifting and plates being set down, followed by the popping sound of the toaster. She comes around the corner of the kitchen to see him standing over the stove stirring something. She smiles because he’s still shirtless and his wings are shimmering in the light over the center bar.

  “Smells wonderful,” she says, and Mikah jumps just a little bit. She giggles. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  He turns toward her, taking in the beautiful sight of her in his t-shirt, her hair up in a towel, and the beautiful smile on her face. “Feeling better?”

  She nods. “The shower felt great, thank you.”

  He comes around the counter and wraps his arms around her. “I said we’d have breakfast in bed.” He kisses the top of her forehead. “So why don’t you go lie back down, get comfortable, and I will be in in just a couple of minutes.”

  “But I like watching you cook,” she grumbles against his chest.

  He laughs. “There’s plenty of time to watch me cook. Go on. I want to serve you breakfast in bed.”

  “Hmph,” she huffs.

  She stalks off toward the bedroom and he laughs at his fiery tiger.

  Guessing the direction of his thoughts, she can’t help but smile to herself as she crosses the threshold into the bedroom.

  SEVENTEEN

  “What would you like to do today?” he asks as he wipes his mouth and hands with a napkin. He places the napkin back on the tray he’s brought into the bedroom, and then his hand seeks hers.

  “Do you have work to do?”

  He scowls at her question. “Today is just for us. I’d had plans to take you shopping today, get some more clothes for you, but I think it would be better if we stayed in the condo.”

  She thinks about this and finds that she’s not at all upset about the idea of him buying her more clothes. Everything’s different between them since last night, and suddenly it feels okay. Though perhaps part of the reason it feels okay is because they won’t actually be going shopping.

  “I’d like to get my stuff from the condo downstairs,” she says.

  “Already done. Celeste had it all brought up and placed in the second bedroom while we were sleeping.” He winks at her and she blushes. “I’d like to have her move your clothes over here into my closet, if you’d like that?” The question is already out before he can stop himself, and only then does he begin to feel uneasy. He didn’t mean to ask her to make a decision about whether to stay with him and live out of the same bedroom so soon.

  His question surprises her, but she can see in his face that he is a little concerned about her response, so she smiles at him. “Is there room in there?” She points toward the closet.

  He laughs. “No, but they can make room. There are a lot of clothes in there that I no longer wear. I’ll have them removed and donated, and you can have space in there too.”

  She likes the idea of him making room for her and is pleased that it doesn’t seem to come at a personal cost or inconvenience, such as having to go into the second bedroom for his own clothes. “Alright,” she says.

  He leans over and kisses her, this time square on the lips. “Now that’s resolved. But we still haven’t answered the question about what we’ll do today.”

  She smiles and shakes her head. “Did you have something in mind?”

  He wiggles his eyebrows at her and she blushes.

  Then he says, “Want to watch some movies? Play around with your new laptop?”

  Vivienne had forgotten about the super expensive laptop until Mikah mentioned it and it’s not something she wants to mess with today, maybe tomorrow. She thinks for a moment, then says, “How about we watch a movie, then see what we feel up to after that?”

  There isn’t a TV in the bedroom, which will make what Mr. Wiggly Eyebrows Suggestive Glances hinted at more difficult. Though, now she thinks of it, she’s not sure she doesn’t want him to succeed, either.

  “You got it, sweetheart. Let me take the tray into the kitchen. Do you remember where the TV room is?”

  She thinks hard for a minute, trying to remember from the first time she was here. “Down the hallway on the left?” she says.

  He smiles and nods at her. “Why don’t you go in there and get comfortable. I will put this stuff in the kitchen and be there in a few minutes.”

  “Okay,” she says, and they crawl out of bed together.

  EIGHTEEN

  Just as the closing credits begin to run on their movie, Mikah’s wings buzz in a warm, familiar fashion. It’s the same sensation he’s felt when Red makes an appearance, but something about him charging into the house warns him that something’s happened.

  Vivienne notices Mikah’s change in demeanor and she too senses Red coming into the house.

  Both of them relax until Mikah takes in the look on Red’s face.

  “We have a bit of an issue,” Red says quickly. “I didn’t want to bother you today, but can you turn the TV to channel eleven?”

  “Uh, sure,” Mikah says as he sits up. He takes up the remote and presses a button to change the channel.

  The TV flickers with images of a building. Remnants of a fire, it looks like, smoke still billowing off of the roof. “We are live at the home of Elton Bennett, a prominent local businessman in Minneapolis. Police received a call from the home’s security system and responded to find the house going up in flames. Despite the internal sprinkler system, the home appears to be a complete loss.

  “Police are currently looking into the situation. However, fire crews found what appear to be human remains inside of the home. Now, it is unclear whose remains they are, but Mr. Bennett’s security team says that Mr. Bennett was home alone at the time of the fire. All security footage from within the home has been turned over to Minneapolis Police, and they are asking anyone with information to come forward.

  “They are also on the lookout for Elton Bennett’s son, Riley Bennett, who is wanted for questioning in a triple homicide and attempted murder case from about a month ago. Police are asking for any information on his whereabouts—”

  Mikah hits the power button on the TV “Why would he kill his own father?” he asks out loud.

  “I’d wager a guess that his father probably pissed him off. More than likely he went to his father to seek refuge, but with everything Elton’s suffered as a result of Riley’s choices, I’d like to think that Elton wasn’t very welcoming.”

  “I’d hope not, but we all know how they work. Elton has defended his son for years, protecting him, finding him the best attorney. Why would he stop now?” Mikah counters.

  Vivienne is silent, not entirely understanding the situation but feeling vaguely and irrationally guilty. Yet another life lost at the hands of Riley.

  “Elton’s never lost so much as he has in the last month,” Red says in response to Mikah’s question. “With his son labeled a cop killer and wanted for murder of three people and the attempted murder of another, Elton’s political career is over. No amo
unt of damage control can right that ship. Couple all of that with you backing out of the condo project that was set to make him millions and give him the financial power he needed to proceed with his political ambitions, and I’d imagine that he’d be pretty pissed.”

  Mikah can feel a shift in Vivienne – not just physically, but emotionally too – and he remembers he hasn’t told her about his confrontation with Elton at the hospital, nor about all the behind-the-scenes things that MSB has done to destroy Elton’s career. But her mood is not one of anger, as he’d expected, but awe.

  “You—” The words are difficult for her to get out. “When did you pull out of Elton’s condo project?” she asks, her voice weak. She needs to know if it was in retaliation for what Riley did to her.

  “The night you were attacked.”

  Vivienne flinches, remembering.

  “The cops came here to the condo,” he continues, “questioning me because of the car Red was in when he drove by your home.”

  “It wasn’t you in the car?” she says, a little disappointed.

  “All the other nights, yes it was. I was caught up at a dinner function that night, so I sent Red in my place.”

  A sense of relief washes over her. Knowing that he backed out of his business deal before he knew what had happened to her gives her new insight into Mikah and what he was thinking or feeling before she was attacked. But a sense of guilt still plagues her heart: She was so mean to him, rejecting him, and look at what he did for her.

  “When the police left, I immediately went searching for a connection. That was when I discovered that Elton Bennett, who was a business partner, is Riley’s father. As soon as I found out, I severed the connection. Pulling all my funding for his condo project caused all the other investors to back out, and Elton lost just about everything he had.

  “He retaliated, of course. He showed up at the hospital to confront me. We argued, I punched him, and that was the last I heard from him, other than last night, when he showed up at the gala. But his intentions remain unclear. The office has been dealing with it through the legal channels.”

  Vivienne doesn’t say anything, and Mikah is silent as she lets all that he’s just told her soak in.

  If it hadn’t been Vivienne, Mikah might not have pulled out of his business deal with Elton, but the fact is, it was her, and he never thought twice about it.

  Vivienne continues to stay quiet, unsure what to say to him, but she is quickly beginning to understand that she means more to Mikah that she could’ve ever imagined.

  “So what do we do now?” Mikah asks Red after a minute.

  “We need to go back into Elysium with what we know. I’m sure they’re already aware, but I think that we need to discuss what to do next. It is becoming clear that Riley is behind Rebecca’s death, and we need to plan our next move.” Red looks to both of them. Mikah and Vivienne’s confusion and concern are obvious to him, but he can also see in Mikah’s eyes that he understands what needs to be done.

  “Andrew picked up on some additional activity regarding search efforts for Vivienne, but before we can go after Riley, you need some training, Mikah.”

  “Training in what? I already know how to fight.”

  The statement surprises Vivienne, but she doesn’t say anything. She’s wrestling with a heavy sense of guilt. All of this is her fault, and she doesn’t even know how to stop it.

  “You do, and you fight well,” Red says. “But those that you’d be going up against will not fight in the traditional ways. Which is where Andrew, Celeste, Connor and myself come into play.”

  Red looks at Vivienne. “Perhaps it is time to tell him the rest and explain what you know.”

  NINETEEN

  Vivienne’s eyes meet Red’s. Hers are wary. She is worried Mikah might be upset that she hasn’t told him about the shifter yet. But Red gives her an encouraging nod, silently telling her that it’s alright.

  Vivienne nods and turns to Mikah, who is visibly irritated that once again something has been kept from him.

  “Yesterday morning, as I was getting ready to leave with Celeste, the phone in the condo downstairs rang. When I looked at the number it was yours.”

  “I didn’t call yesterday morning.”

  “I know you didn’t, but I didn’t know that at the time. When I picked up, no one was there, but when I turned around you were standing in the doorway.” Mikah’s face scrunches up, puzzled. “Only it wasn’t really you. That’s when Connor and Andrew appeared. And, within a matter of a few heartbeats, so did Red.” Vivienne watches as Mikah looks from her to Red and back again, no doubt wondering how Red could have been on the plane with him and in Vivienne’s condo at the same time. “When Red showed up, he protected me while Andrew and Connor took out the shifter.”

  “Shifter?” Mikah says.

  “In a minute,” Red replies.

  “Red then pulled me into Elysium, where he explained it all to me. However, I’d already had an idea what they – the guardians – were because Zirah had told me earlier that morning.” Vivienne begins fidgeting with her hands. “Red, Andrew, Connor and Celeste all have the ability to protect us in ways I’ve never imagined. Red was able to camouflage me so that the shifter couldn’t actually see me even though I was there.”

  Mikah looks to Red, confused. “Why am I only finding out about this now?”

  The irritation in his voice sends a shiver through Vivienne.

  “We wanted the time to be right.” Red’s voice is stern, but there is an underlying understanding that Mikah picks up on quickly. “You’ve had such a hard time adjusting to what you are that we felt it best not to inundate you. Vivienne’s introduction to what she is took place more subconsciously, and her overall attitude toward it has made it easier for her to understand. You like control, Mikah, and being an angel is something you can’t control.”

  Mikah knows that Red is right. He does like control, and finding it in himself to believe that he is an angel has been one of the hardest things he’s ever had to do.

  “I accepted being an angel because I felt that, somehow, I always knew. Or maybe my blind hope that there had to be something better for me had me believing that anything is possible.” Vivienne’s voice is soft and she continues to fidget with her fingers.

  Mikah reaches over and takes her hand in his. “Anything is possible,” he whispers to her. Still holding her hand, he turns back to Red. “Now what?”

  “I’ll go to Elysium, talk to Elizabeth, discuss it with them, decide what to do next. But now that we know the who, we just need to try and figure out the why and the where.”

  Mikah nods at Red. Red gives them both a half smile and departs the condo.

  As soon as Red is gone, Vivienne sags into Mikah’s embrace, deflated and defeated by the turn of events. She knew last night that it was Riley who killed her mother simply because it was something he would do, and it proves that no matter what, he is coming after her. That Mikah or Red, or any of them, might end up in harm’s way puts a lot of unwanted, but necessary, weight on her shoulders.

  “Mikah, I never meant to keep anything from you,” Vivienne says a moment later. His eyes meet hers and she knows that he’s not angry with her. “I just wasn’t sure how to tell you. Up until last night, neither one of us talked about anything angel-related.”

  He raises his hand to caress her cheek, and she leans into it. “I didn’t know you knew,” he says. She gives him a quizzical look. “I didn’t know you knew that you are an angel.”

  She smiles at him. “I guess we both had our secrets.”

  “I wouldn’t put it that way. I think it was more that both of us were waiting for the right time to talk about it.” He pulls his hand away from her cheek and rubs it along his thigh, contemplating something. Then he stands up. “Or maybe I wasn’t ready to face it.” His voice drops, becoming heavy with emotion. He runs his hand through his inky black hair. Vivienne watches him intently, trying to decipher his mood. “I’m pretty sure I still
don’t understand it,” he says, running his hand over his face.

  “Mikah,” she says looking up at him. He’s standing a few feet in front of the couch, looking toward the door Red just left through. “I’m pretty sure that neither one of us had a choice in all of this. Maybe that’s why I’m having an easier time, but the bottom line is that we are who we are.” She takes a deep breath. “It doesn’t mean it has to change who we are. Besides...” She stands up and comes to stand in front of him. He looks down at her and their eyes meet. “I wouldn’t change it for anything.”

  Her arms snake around his waist and she pulls herself close to him, still looking into his eyes.

  “I’m scared,” he breathes.

  “Of what?”

  “Anything happening to you.” His eyes glass over. “I nearly lost you once, and I will never forget what that felt like. I will do anything and everything I can to never feel that kind of pain again.” He thinks but doesn’t say that he’s pretty sure the pain would be worse today than it was a month ago.

  Vivienne squeezes him tighter and he wraps his arms around her. She’s at a loss for words, unsure how to comfort him. It’s unclear what the future holds for anyone, she just wants to enjoy this moment, right here right now.

  TWENTY

  Around nine the next morning, Red and Andrew come into the condo, and Mikah knows where they’re headed. He half expected Red to come for them last night, but he and Vivienne had been left alone to just be with one another for the evening.

  “Elizabeth wishes to see us all,” Red says as he comes to stand in the dining room.

  Vivienne and Mikah, who had just finished cleaning up from breakfast, stop what they’re doing and both nod. The four of them head for the hallway that leads to the condo’s foyer and there, at the end of the hallway, is a portal straight into Elysium.

  “No smoke and mirrors this time?” Mikah teases Red.

  “No, there’s no need. Portals can be opened anywhere.”

  “Huh,” Mikah huffs as they all step through, back into Elysium.