“Why did you fall, then, if it was forbidden?”
“No matter what dimension you’re in, if rules exist, then so too do people who are willing to break them.”
“So, Earth is like, Heaven’s Australia?”
Dan shook his head with a smile.
“For real. The angels here are like the criminals of Heaven, then. The rebels. The bad guys.”
“I prefer ‘the adventurous’ ones.”
“So, the hermit-crabs stayed in Heaven?”
Dan laughed. “Something like that. Many traveled to Earth to follow loved ones, so there are a few hermit crabs from Heaven here in the Earth dimension.”
I stood up, pacing the balcony. “So where did the whole demon reference come from? If you were angels, before.”
“The Prince’s idea of punishment. Our price to pay for failing to stay in our own dimension, where we belonged. Before he closed the wormhole, he spread stories throughout the civilizations of Earth, filled with evil monsters who had incredible powers. He gave us names- devils, demons. He wanted humans to distrust us, to avoid us. He was a globe trotting fear monger, appearing on every continent, to practically every group of people, spreading tales of the evil demons that had come to Earth. Teaching the humans some signs to watch out for. He was the last known angel to apparate to Earth.”
I turned from Dan, letting the fantastic tale sink in. My metaphysical ability came not from human psychic awareness. It was an inherited gift from another dimension, a dimension humans called Heaven. Angels were aliens?
The sun was behind the mountain, now. I hugged my arms, trying to warm myself. A blanket settled on my shoulders, and I leaned into Dan’s tall, muscular body, hands intertwining with his. With Dan by my side, (or at my back, as it were), the idea didn’t scare me like before.
Dan’s embrace warmed me to my bones. Forcing myself to concentrate on the present, I let my head fall back against his chest. Heat radiated from his skin. My heart filled with contentment.
When I felt the feather-light softness stroking my face, I realized the velvety black shroud surrounding me was not a blanket.
“I’ve always wanted to do this,” he whispered in my ear.
I tensed. “Of course. Angels have wings,” I whispered. Dan had wings.
Inhaling deeply, I smelled salty sunshine and something spicy. How had I not noticed his wings before now?
“We incurvate them, turn them in. It’s a glamour to hide them from humans,” he whispered as his lips brushed my neck.
His answer to my unspoken question didn’t surprise me. “But I’m not human.” I turned to put my arms around his waist, and stared into his darkened eyes. His hands went to my waist and lifted me to sit on the railing so we could be face to face. As his eyes traveled lower, his hands traveled up, lips parted. He leaned towards me, face in my hair as he inhaled.
“No, but you’re not demon, either.”
“What am I then, Dan?”
His lips trailed lightly along my jawline, and I closed my eyes and reveled in the sweet sensations this man (demon? angel?) caused in my body. My heart raced as my body responded to his. His tongue and lips caused an ache deep inside of me, and his fingers were still north of my shoulders. I wanted more of him, now. No more waiting. When his lips finally reached mine, he leaned his forehead against my own and whispered against me-
“You’re magnificent.”
Those words undid me. I wrapped my legs around him. My hands tangled in his hair and we kissed each other as if it was the last day on Earth. Well, apparently the last day was imminent, and maybe that thought stirred the desperation behind our kissing.
I came up for air. “Lets get inside.” My hands fisted around the hem of his t-shirt, pulling it upwards. Without bothering to remove it completely, my hands fell to the ripped muscles around his abdomen, strong and firm. His skin felt so hot, feverish.
“Can’t,” he said, teeth scraping my neck as he kissed his way towards the neckline of my blouse. His palm cupped my breast, thumb brushing a gasp from me.
“Why?” My legs tightened around him, pulling his hot body towards me. I needed to feel his skin against mine, no barriers, and began working on his shirt again.
“Blocked.” With one hand holding me firm on the railing, his other reached under my shirt to get better access to the breast he had been teasing. Muscles tightened in my abdomen.
Pausing him with one hand, I attempted to control my erratic breathing. With a nod I gestured to the still open patio door.
“Not blocked.” I said, pointing. I gave up on his t-shirt. My fingers fumbled with the button of his pants. If we were going to continue our ‘who can say the least with their mouths and most with their hands’ caveman conversation, that was fine with me.
Dan stopped my hand. “Shit,” he said, “I can’t go in there Chelsea. The doors are blocked with a spell.” He gently pulled my shirt down and set me on the balcony floor before rearranging his own shirt.
My mind tried to reconcile what he said. Was my apartment blocked? What the hell did that mean? He had been here the other night. And now it was blocked? Did my roommate know about demons? Before I could contemplate this further, Dan cupped my face with his hands.
“Let’s get out of here, Chels. Let’s find a sandy beach in Mexico and listen to reggae and watch the waves break on the shore. Hell, I’ll even listen to nothing but Simon and Garfunkel for fifty years. I’ll make you forget about everything else, everyone else.” His eyes darkened as he pulled me close again. I had no doubt he could keep up that end of the bargain.
“Say yes, say no. You can leave it all behind. So could I. But you make the decision. Exercise your right to choose. It’s now or never.”
“I thought it was yes or no.” I batted my eyelashes at him with a grin.
Dan made a low noise in his throat and picked me up, spinning me in a half circle.
“Come on, what do you say? Kick it on a beach, listen to the surf, breathe in the briny air, drink margaritas, and chill like the vills we are?”
The prospect of getting away from all the craziness tempted me. Especially if it involved a half naked surfer who looked at me like a chocolate addict and I was the last piece of chocolate on Earth.
“Well, technically speaking, I’m a hero. Just in a villains body,” I said, giggling.
“Aren’t we all?”
Dan looked towards the voice and released me from the embrace. I swung around to meet the flashy green eyes of my roommate. Fia’s smirk and raised eyebrows knocked any humor I’d been feeling clear up to the surrounding San Francisco peaks.
Chapter Twelve
Invitations
“FIA,” DAN SAID, giving her a half salute from where he stood.
Fia gave him a nod. “Dan. You must be getting… cold. Why don’t you come on in?”
They stared at each other for a few seconds before Dan nodded.
“All right, I will.”
We followed Fia in through my room towards the living room.
“Hey, I’m going to change out of these scrubs, be right back,” I said and closed the bedroom door.
Questions fired in my head- like a target at a firing range I kept getting hit with revelation after revelation. The question about being “blocked” would have to be tabled until later. What did Fia know about the fantastical side of the world?
I shook my head. I pulled on a dark blue knee length skirt, a blue and pink embroidered blouse, and my brown leather boots. The neckline hung low enough to be tasteful.
“Got anything to drink, Fia?” Dan asked as I walked into the living room. His eyebrows shot up as he took in my outfit. His eyes looked wild, with what... hunger? My heart skipped a beat.
Dan pulled me to the sofa, and his hand squeezed mine. Reassurance and comfort. Like a freaking roller coaster ride, Dan’s touch stirred a lot of other feelings, too.
“Sure do, fresh from the shelf,” Fia said. She sauntered in her pink pumps to the cherry ca
binet next to the entertainment center. A jealous heat coursed through me. He better not look at those legs.
With a remote, I flipped on the stereo system. Hip hop beats filled the room. My right hand twitched, and out of its own volition (because I’m not a jealous person) my hand slammed the remote onto the table with a thud.
Dan raised his eyebrows at me.
Removing two bottles from a paper grocery bag, Fia waved them at us.
“Patron or Seagram’s- pick your poison.”
“Seven and seven for me, tequila sunrise for Chelsea,” Dan said.
Fia and I raised both our eyebrows at Dan.
“How old-fashioned. Almost caveman-like,” Fia said with a snort and went to the kitchen to grab the necessary ingredients.
Dan leaned in close, lips brushing my ear. “Imagine, the seaside breezes, the sunsets every night.”
“How was your mani-pedi, Fia?” I asked my roommate, ignoring Dan.
“Not bad, nice to get something accomplished today. By the way, I tried texting you. You know, to see what you wanted to sip on tonight,” Fia called from the kitchen.
I patted my pockets, then checked my purse.
“Crap, I must have left my phone in Gabe’s car,” I said.
“Here, use my phone. His contact info is under Kate.” Fia smirked. I shook my head and took the phone from her.
“Haha, so funny,” I said. Plopping on the comfy leather sofa in the living room, I searched her contacts. To my surprise, I found his info under his given name, Kim Lu.
“Fia? Good to hear from you! How are you feeling?” Gabe said.
I bit my cheek to keep from giggling. “Gabe, it’s me, Chelsea. I think I left my phone in your car.”
After Gabe’s initial disappointment at hearing my voice instead of Fia’s, he agreed to stop by and bring me my phone. I smiled, promising myself I would keep Gabe’s crush on Fia a secret. If she found out, she’d chew him up and spit him out, poor guy.
“Here we go, ya’ll.” Fia handed us our drinks. “Cheers- to Chelsea and Dan’s… reunion.” Fia smiled at both of us. Dan finished his drink in one swallow and walked to the bar cabinet to prepare another. I sipped, savoring the fruity drink.
“So Fia, where did you say you were from?” Dan asked, his gaze intense.
“I don’t think we’ve gotten to origination stories, yet, Daniel,” Fia said, sipping her drink. “But, as a matter of fact, I’m from Tennessee.”
“Ah, a true southern belle,” Dan said. He moved to sit next to me and placed an arm on the back of the couch. Not quite around my shoulders, but possessive none the less.
“Yes, my father still has the house back home. But we live here as our permanent residence. Daddy has always loved the mountains, ever since he opened a dental clinic here a few years ago.”
“Oh, your Dad’s a dentist? Makes sense,” I said. “Your teeth are freakin’ beautiful.”
Dan didn’t seem to agree, as I could feel the muscles in his arms tense.
“Yep, but I’ll tell you what, I was the happiest six-year-old in the world the day he stopped practicing dentistry,” Fia said. “I had nightmares if I forgot to floss before bed.” She gave a fake shudder and winked at me.
“Oh, what clinic does he own? I need to find a dentist. Might as well go to someone I can trust,” I said. Dan’s fingers clenched into a fist. He turned to me with a tight smile.
“I’m sure it’s best not to mix friends with business-“
“Which clinic? He owns hundreds around the country, two here in the Flagstaff area.”
I narrowed my eyes at Dan. A strange tugging sensation, as if someone tried to pull energy out of my skin, bristled around me. He looked at me carefully. He could communicate with me somehow through my energy. He was trying to tell me something.
Fia didn’t acknowledge our strange exchange as she poured herself another drink. Tossing back the sweet liquor, I licked my lips and glanced at Dan again.
“Perfect Smile Dentistry,” Fia said. “There’s one a few blocks away from here. He’s the CEO of the company that owns the franchise, now. Anyway, he wants to meet you. He’s having a dinner party tomorrow night-“
“I don’t think we can do dinner, tomorrow, actually Fia-,“ Dan said, but the buzzer announcing a visitor cut him off.
Still feeling an odd sensation, like a tugging at my aura, I turned to Dan. He’d just told me his abilities were different from mine. He couldn’t use persuasion, could he? Of course, I had never knowingly been under the influence of persuasion, but molecules surrounding me I rarely noticed popped and pulled. Did the humans feel like they were in a bowl of cereal, when this happened, too? All snap-crackle-pop. Or did Dan royally suck at this? What was Dan trying to tell me?
“Come on up, Gabe,” Fia said into the speaker and buzzed him into the building. She crossed her arms and stared at Dan. “Daddy doesn’t take no for an answer.”
Like father, like daughter.
“Excuse me,” I said, crossing my arms, but giving Dan a joking grin. “Dan, why are you all mama bear on me?”
“I hardly consider myself pretty enough to be your mother. Speaking of motherly figures, isn’t your Aunt Meredith coming into town?” Dan asked with raised eyebrows.
His retort caught me off guard. My eyes widened. “Oh yeah, I forgot with… everything. Wait how did you-“
“It doesn’t matter, Friday night works, too. Bring Meredith along. The more, the merrier,” Fia said.
“Where are we going?” Gabe asked, opening the door and greeting us with his cheerful smile. He hadn’t changed from his white polo shirt and khakis but smelled like a pleasant combination of sandalwood and herbs. Gabe had splashed on cologne.
I stood to accept my phone, returning his smile. He looked expectantly from Fia to me. I nodded to Fia, prompting her to invite him.`
Fia sighed. “Fine, sure. Daddy’s having a little dinner party on Friday. You want to go?” She asked this with the enthusiasm of a bottle of clear nail polish.
“Oh. My. God. Seriously? At the legendary Fox cabin?” Gabe’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“I need another drink,” Fia muttered.
Excitement rolled from Gabe’s aura in waves. You couldn’t help but smile in the presence of his enthusiasm.
“Hey man, I’m Gabe,” he said to Dan putting out his hand.
“Hey, I’m Dan,” Dan said, shaking Gabe’s hand.
“I’ll take a gin and tonic,” Gabe said to Fia. Fia stared at him as if he’d turned into a mermaid doing the jitterbug. Guess not many people told Fia what to do.
“Everyone who is anyone in Flag only wishes they could see the cabin! I’ve heard that place is dope!” Gabe said to Dan and I. I could tell Gabe wanted to discuss the matter, but I had too many questions to ask Dan and needed a more private chatting area.
“Well, it’s settled,” I said. “Hey, Fia, Dan and I are going to… grab a bite to eat. See you guys tomorrow. Bye!”
I pulled Dan out of the apartment. When I went to remove my hand from his, his fingers intertwined with mine, and he pulled me to him.
“What are you hungry for?” he asked, eyes darkening as he looked at my lips.
“Why, Daniel Levi, what do you think I’m hungry for?” I licked my lips and grabbed the edges of his shirt. I met his molten amber eyes and stood on my tiptoes to whisper in his ear. But he spoke first.
“You’re not so young anymore, are you?” he said, his breath sent shivers down my spine as his soft lips touched my ear.
“I’m old enough to know you’re not telling me everything,” I whispered in his ear, nuzzling my nose in his hair. “And I’m sick of being kept in the damned dark.”
Dan raised his eyebrows and strummed his fingers on his jeans. “Believe me. I will answer every single one of those questions. But before we get into the boring details, let’s get something to eat, shall we?”
Chapter Thirteen
Come fly with me
“SO YOU
DON’T fly everywhere? I can’t believe I get to ride in Daniel Levi’s car,” I said. “Nice wheels. You must make a decent living.”
Dan kept a tight-lipped smile as I ran my fingers over the glossy Firenze-red paint of his late model Range Rover. Ignoring my comment, he opened the passenger side door, and I climbed inside. The interior smelled smokey and fresh, like new leather. Dan turned on the music, and we listened to island beats. The warning bells of a passing train rang above the music, but not much else. We chatted as we bought some subs from a local sandwich shop drive-thru, but the rest of the drive we ate the sandwiches in silence.
Dan polished off one of his foot-longs in less than a minute. Who was Dan? Really?
While before I assumed he was a hippie surfer who had strange taste in music, now I knew he was also a demon. A demon who listened to reggae music and ate like a sumo wrestler. And this demon was also invested in me somehow. What angle did he play? I was not naive enough to believe I had stolen his heart as a teenager. Of course, we had feelings for each other, but something bigger pulled the strings behind the scenes. Our attraction was more collateral damage- a consequence hidden behind the true purpose of our meeting.
No words could describe our relationship. I doubted a couple of make out sessions over a five-year span constituted a commitment. But I did feel safe around Dan, and that security wrapped around my entire being. He saved me from myself so long ago, teaching me how to harness my abilities and live with them in peace. But then he abandoned me. Why had he even shown up in the first place? Did he even regret leaving me back then? Why did he show up again, now?
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