Going downstairs, he saw that Janie was making an order for the grocery store to deliver. He got himself a glass of tea after telling her that he had it. Janie asked him if he wanted something to eat, that she had a pot pie all ready for him to have.
“Yes, that would be great.” She nodded and went to the oven as he sat down at the little table in this room. “I’m not having your meal, am I? I don’t want to do that to you.”
“No, I’ve eaten already. It’s well after two, and I was just waiting for you to come down.” He told her he was sorry. “Don’t be. You are a smart man and would have, sooner or later, come here to eat. I was ready for you.”
They talked about what he liked and didn’t like, which wasn’t all that much in the dislike column. He did tell her that he enjoyed salads a great deal, and that he’d like to have them on occasion. She beamed with happiness to have him give her something to make for him. Valyn worried about a great many things lately, and very little of it did he have any control over.
“I’ve got myself a mate.” He had told her when he’d rescued her from the bank one afternoon what he was, and begged her to keep his secret. “She’s in the hospital after being shot by a would-be madman.”
“The Hale woman?” He didn’t know her name and told her so. “Jennifer Hale is her name if it’s the same woman. She was shot by the man before she ended up killing him with his own gun. I heard that she’s recuperating, and should be released from the hospital soon.”
“I don’t want her.” Janie didn’t say anything, but he could feel her confusion. “I’m not a well man. I’ve seen too much and done much more. I can’t have someone in my life that could be hurt by my unwillingness to be something that I’m not.”
“And what is it you think she’d want from you, Valyn? She has nothing, from what I’ve heard. And she’s out of work, as the owner of the place that she worked has closed the restaurant down as of the day that Mr. Goodman came in.” He told her what Boss had told him. “Oh, so you think that she’ll want all your money. From what I’ve been made to understand, you have more than you could spend in several lifetimes. Not that it makes it right if that is what she wants, but I highly doubt that. And I’m sure you don’t believe it either.”
“I wouldn’t think so.” He ate a few bites of the pot pie before shoving it away. Janie pushed it right back at him and told him to eat. “I’m not a child that needs to have a mother figure making me eat.”
“Then perhaps you should stop acting like one and get your ass in gear.” He was shocked by her words, and when she stood up and went to the computer, he had the overwhelming urge to cry again. “You have someone out there that could make every hurt that you have seem like nothing. A person that, from what I’ve seen, will love you despite your being a baby about things. And here you sit on your ass, whining about being broken. Well, how do you think she feels right now?”
“Why are you talking to me this way? You work for me.” She asked him if he wanted her to quit in order to talk to him like he deserved. “I don’t deserve any of this. I didn’t ask for her to come into my life.”
“Then you’re going to be as broken as you think you are now.”
Leaving the kitchen, Valyn made his way out to the yard. It was cold this time of year, but he so loved the way the earth seemed to go to sleep and let the winter take control. He wanted to think, to clear his mind, but he had a feeling that he wouldn’t. At least not until he saw this woman for himself. Instead of driving himself, which he was terrible at, he asked Renie to take him there, and she told him she’d be there in ten minutes.
Valyn hoped that he wasn’t making the biggest mistake of his life by visiting this woman. But he knew as surely as he was standing there that she might just need him more than he needed her. And if it took all his money to make her secure in her life, then he’d gladly give it to her, so long as she didn’t come into his life and expect more than he could give her. Love, he knew, was no longer an emotion that he had.
Chapter 2
She’d been released about an hour ago, and was still trying to figure out where she could go. Jenny was worried that the man, Mr. Boss, would come back to talk to her again. And the way she was feeling right now, she might go see this Valyn person. She had asked for and received the paperwork to get out of the hospital—against doctors’ orders, of course.
After making a call from the hospital room that she’d been in, Jenny knew that she no longer had a place to go and all her things had been taken to hopefully sell off to make some of their money back. Jenny doubted that it would be enough to buy a paper, much less four hundred dollars in rent money.
The crutches were hurting her underarms, and she had to stop and rest every few steps because she was exhausted. And she hurt. There wasn’t any money for any pain medication, and she still wasn’t sure if the bill had actually been paid or not. Hobbling along, Jenny tried hard not to cry about all this crap going on in her life.
“Jennifer Hale?” She kept moving, sure this was going to be a person from the hospital demanding money for the bill. “Your bill has been taken care of. I thought that you’d been made aware of that.”
Turning wasn’t easy and she nearly fell and would have had the woman behind her not caught her. And when she had her standing again, the woman touched her fingers to her forehead and Jenny felt it all the way to the bottom of her feet. Staggering back, she was caught again, this time by a man she didn’t know.
“My name is Kala Trainer, and this is my husband, Riss. I only needed to touch you to have a connection to you. We’ve come to bring you to our home.” Kala looked at her like she thought it was a done deal, going to their home. But Jenny wasn’t stupid, nor that desperate. “Yes, you are. And we both know that you don’t have a home to go to, even to get warm.”
“Stop reading my mind.” She was pissed off now, and Jenny just wanted to be left alone. “I don’t know you, and you just expect me to drop everything and go with you? No, I don’t think so. I’ll sleep in this alley before I do that.”
Riss spoke from behind her. “Kala, do you think that she has any idea that there are terrible people hanging around here? Or does she have no care for herself? I hope that is not true.”
“What do you want from me? Is this about that Valyn guy? If it is, I’ve already told that other man, Mr. Boss, that I don’t want anything to do with any of you.” She started to leave them there when the man picked her up in his arms. The pain was incredible, and she only barely held onto her scream. “Are you nuts? You’re not thinking of kidnapping me, are you? Because you may think I’m easy, but I’m not going to have any sick games with you.”
“I do not wish to play with you at all.” He looked at his wife and smiled. “I don’t know what she means. Games are for children.”
“She means that she won’t have sex with you.” The look on the man’s face almost made it worth the pain she was in. Almost. Telling him that she was going to be sick made him set her down on her feet, and the pain of that fast movement had her screaming out in pain this time.
“Valyn, I don’t think that is going to help her.” The voices were quiet, but she could hear them easily enough. While she figured that she’d passed out, she didn’t know where she was. “Don’t do it.”
“Do what?” Opening her eyes, she closed them again when the man standing over her looked so good. Too many men today seemed like they’d been carved from the strongest stone and looked good just for the hell of it. “Where am I?”
“You are in my home. In one of the bedrooms that I’ve only just finished working on.” The strange voice had her thinking that this was the famous Valyn. Opening her eyes once more, she tried to sit up when she was pushed back on the softest bed she’d ever laid on. “You must lie still or you’re going to open the wound again.” She tried her best to struggle to sit up, only to be pushed back again.
“Listen here, buddy. I’m not a child, and I’d appreciate you not treating me like one. Get your h
ands off me.” He jerked his hand away immediately. Sitting up without anyone assisting her, Jenny felt pretty good about herself. But the pain was making itself known again. “Why am I here when I said, quite clearly, that I didn’t want to come here? You do know that this is kidnapping, right?”
“You didn’t want to go to Riss’s home, so I brought you here. This isn’t the place you were told about.” She looked at him and wanted to punch him in the face. “You’re very violent, aren’t you? I was only trying to make a point that you were not kidnapped. I’m Valyn the Slayer.”
“And you called me violent. I’m pretty sure that you didn’t get that name by rubbing the belly of kittens.” He frowned at her and she turned to the other person in the room. She didn’t know him either, but his wings were very evident. “How many of you guys are there? I must be having a nightmare again. It’s different, I will say that. But this cannot be true.”
“In answer to your question, there are as many Protectors as there are beings on this planet. We are paired with one from the moment they are born until they die. When we—”
“So, I’m dead. That man, what’s his name?—Goodman. He did kill me, and now I’m having nightmares about—Am I in hell? That would explain a good deal of what I’m going through right now. I mean, winged men are just not real, and the fucking pain in my leg, that’s punishment for something I did in my life. Though I tried to be good, perhaps His standards aren’t as easy to understand as we all thought.” Valyn put his hand over her mouth and she bit down hard. When he jerked his hand back, she could see that she’d drawn blood. “I told you to stop treating me like a child.”
“You were babbling, and I only wished to assure you that you are not dead. You are in my home, and you are hurting because I wanted you to wake for a bit.” She watched him carefully as he picked up a pill bottle and handed it to her. “The dosage is there for you to see.”
“And what do you expect me to do with this? For all I know, this could be cyanide or something to kill me.” He growled, and she had to look away. What sort of strange drug was she on that would make her turned on by the sound? “I’d like to be taken to the shelter in town. I know they said that they couldn’t take me because of the crutches, but I’ll just throw them away when I get there.”
“You are the most stubborn and ferocious thinking person I have ever spoken to. You are not going anywhere until I say so.” The other man told him to behave. “How should I act when she is forever accusing me of trying to murder her, or that I’m prone to harming her?”
“You act like a man who has just been given a great and priceless gift.” Her and Valyn both snorted at the same time. “I can see that my work here is done. I will leave you both here. I would very much appreciate it if you didn’t kill each other...no, no, you can no longer do that. Well, the best I can say is, try to remember that once words are said to someone, they will last forever.”
He was gone after saying that. Not just like he’d left the room, but he simply disappeared. Jenny closed her eyes and opened them again to see if she’d been mistaken. Of course, she thought, I’m dead, and all sorts of things can happen to a person when they are dead.
“You are not dead.” Jenny didn’t even bother looking at him. Whether or not he was right, there was a lot of shit going on that frightened her a great deal. “I could heal you, so that the pain will go away from the gunshot wound. But I fear you will try to leave on your own, and I don’t want that.”
“So, you’d rather see me in pain? Never mind. Just go away, please. I know you said that this is your home and I shouldn’t be ordering you around, but I hurt and I’m sort of sick to my belly again.” Closing her eyes, she felt the tears falling from her eyes to her cheeks. When he touched his finger to her forehead, she nearly came up off the bed when the pain was just gone. “What did you do?”
“I didn’t want you in pain. I thought we could talk now. If you don’t mind.” Shaking her head, she bent her leg several times before she laid back on the bed. “See? You are mended. And you no longer hurt, right?’
“No, I don’t hurt anymore.” She pulled the bandages off her leg, and while the gauze was soaked through with blood, there wasn’t even a mark on her leg. “You just touched me and— I wasn’t shot, was I? I don’t know why you’d go to such an elaborate plan, but I’m not going to let you screw me. Or anything else.”
He stood up, and she realized that he was very tall—like well over six feet tall. When his wings opened behind him, she could only stare at the sight he made while the sun shone on his back and through the pretty feathers. When he disappeared like the other man had, Jenny laid back on the bed and wondered what the hell was going on.
“Work. I was at work when this man came in and shot Betty in the head, and fired more rounds in the walls after I ducked down behind the counter. He killed Jimmy. That poor man hadn’t done a thing wrong and Mr. Goodman killed him. Then he shot me.” That wasn’t everything, but she was only hitting the highlights for now. “A man I don’t know came to tell me that I was mate to a person named Valyn. Then when I do get away from the hospital, someone, another winged person, picks me up and I throw up then pass out. Now here I am, healed, and wondering what the fuck is going on.”
“You usually speak to yourself?” She looked at the woman there and tried to remember her name. “Kala. You met me on the sidewalk just before you were brought here. I’ve come to answer any questions that you might have. And you’ll notice that I’m not cursing. It is one of my better traits, but I’m trying not to scare you anymore.”
“Is this for real?” As an answer to her question, Kala pinched her in the arm really hard. “What the fuck, lady, that hurt. Why did you do that?”
“To assure you that one, you’re not dead, and secondly, this is all real. I would have thought that being in pain with your wound would have been enough, but you were still unsure. Shall I pinch you again?” Jenny told her no. “Good. What do you have for me?”
“Where am I? I know that I’m in Valyn’s home, but where is that? On a different plane or something?” Kala laughed, and Jenny felt her own mouth start to curl up and join her. “You’re very lovely. I’m sure that people tell you that all the time, but you really are.”
“Thank you. I think that you are beautiful. And you no longer have to lie about in this bed. Here, I’ve brought you some clothing to put on. I think it will make you more comfortable.” Thanking her, Jenny stood up, still cautious about any pain coming to her, and pulled the shirt she had on over her head. “You are very thin, aren’t you? I can have Janie make you something to eat and have it ready when we go downstairs.”
“Okay. But tell her not to go to any trouble. It’s been so long since I’ve had a full meal, I don’t think my belly can take it.” She pulled on the jeans and was surprised that they fit her. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had new clothing. I’d tell you that I’ll pay you back, but I’m broke and there is little chance that I won’t be that way for the rest of my life.”
“You don’t have to worry about any of that. You’re an immortal now. I’ll meet you in the dining room when you’re ready. There are toiletries on the counter in the bathroom for you too.” Kala left her there, heading out the door as she spoke. Jenny sat down hard on the floor.
“Did she just say I was immortal?”
~*~
Valyn wasn’t sure that his room would still be his when he’d come back to his place of work. He was positive that Boss knew he was here, but he hoped, just for a bit longer, that he’d leave him alone. He took to his bed and closed his eyes to think.
She was beautiful. Even when she was spitting fire at him, he’d thought her the most beautiful creature ever made. Jennifer. Even her name instilled a calmness over him that he’d not felt in centuries. But she was untrusting, and seemed to have it in her head that someone wanted her dead.
He had already asked Renie to find out what she could about the woman. And there had been plenty. All of it
there as a public record, she had told him, but in digging deeper, Renie had found a lot more personal things, things that had taken her to the point she was now.
“There’s a charge card that someone took out in her name and charged well over fifty grand on it. Apparently before this happened to her, Jenny had outstanding credit and paid her bills on time. But the credit card company took everything that she had, including her home. She’s been living like this for two years now, barely holding on to anything and paying the company most of what she made every month.” He had asked her which company. “That’s the funny thing. I can’t find them.”
“I don’t understand that. I mean, I know what a credit card is and what its used for, but how can you not find the company?” She turned the computer toward him and let him see what came up when she did a search on Becker Credit Union. All it said was, did she want to buy that name. “So, this company is not in existence anymore. Perhaps they have another—”
“There has never been a company called that. It’s a scam, I think.” She typed some more keys and turned it back to him again. “This is the transcript of the trial that found her guilty of credit card fraud. After spending four weeks in the county lock up, she was brought before the court again. This time they had payment arrangements for her. She either pays or goes to prison for a long time.”
“How can they do that?” Renie shrugged and told him that things like that happened a lot more than people knew about. “She’s still in debt, correct? She hasn’t managed to pay it off, has she?”
“No. She isn’t anywhere close to paying it off, Valyn. And at this rate, she never will. They tack on a tax charge every month, which is more than the payments she’s making. Instead of going forward on this, she’s going backwards every time she makes a payment.”
He looked at how much she was paying every month and wondered how she did it. Asking Renie how much she made in a weeks’ time, he knew it was much too low for her to make her rent, pay this bill, and eat.
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