"Sorry about the mess," Chloe said. "If my kids were half as good at putting their toys away as they are at making a mess, my life would be a whole lot easier."
"Trust me, I have too much on my mind to care about messes." Nora climbed into the passenger seat.
Just as Nora was about to shut the door, Robert stopped her.
"Be careful, Nora," he said.
"I will." She nodded, noting the worry in his eyes.
"I love you, even if you're annoying," Robert said.
"I love you too, even though you're a nut." Nora patted him on the head. "Now go get some sleep."
Robert nodded, but he didn't step back.
"Chloe, take care of Nora." Robert pointed at the woman threateningly. "She's like my sister. If anyone hurts her, they'll have to deal with me."
"Gee, here I was about to tie her up in my closet and keep her as a slave," Chloe said.
Both Nora and Robert stared at her.
"Kidding." Chloe winced, then muttered under her breath, "Man, does anybody have a sense of humor around here?"
Normally Nora would have laughed, but she wasn't sure she had the ability anymore.
"We should probably go," Nora said, breaking up the awkward silence. "Bye, Robert."
After waving at Robert, she slammed the door shut. She wrung her hands as Chloe started the car and began to drive.
"I'm sorry I bothered you so late." She ran a hand through her hair. "I know you probably have to get up early to be with your kids."
"Ah, I would have been awake anyway." Chloe shrugged. "Dmitri and I are both night owls. Besides, I always make the kids take a nap in the afternoon and use it as an excuse to sleep myself."
"Really?" Nora raised an eyebrow.
"Yep. I always tell the kids that they need the nap, but that's not true. It's me who needs it. I have no idea how children have so much energy." Chloe sighed and took a right. "And with Joan always trying to light things on fire and Gabe licking anyone who happens to be nearby, I always have to be on my toes."
Even as Chloe ranted about her kids' exploits, she was glowing.
"You still seem pretty happy," Nora said.
"Oh, I am," Chloe said. "Being a mom is the best thing I've ever done. Sometimes I just look at my kids and am speechless."
Nora felt a touch of envy. Even though she wanted children, she didn't think she'd ever have any. After all, she was probably going to die.
Unfortunately, Chloe noticed her pained expression.
"Enough about me," Chloe said. "Tell me what's going on."
Nora opened and closed her mouth several times. Though she'd come to Chloe for help, explaining what had happened to her was still so darn hard.
As she hesitated, Chloe surprised her by smiling.
"You must be nervous," Chloe said. "Would it help if I told you how I know what's going on?"
"That would help." Nora wrung her hands. "After all, we hardly know each other."
"Okay." Chloe nodded. "The thing is, my husband is—well, was—my guardian angel."
Nora sucked in air. Chloe's husband was an angel? Even though her first thought was, This woman is crazy! Gideon's face filled her mind. The man had grown wings, for crying out loud! Was it so far-fetched to believe that this woman had fallen in love with an angel? Unfortunately, regardless of whether it was true or not, the information was as hard to choke down as a writhing fish.
"Your husband was a what?" Nora sputtered.
If Chloe found her stammering amusing, it didn't show on her face.
"My husband was my guardian angel. At least before God allowed him to turn into a human to be with me," Chloe said. "That was why I knew that something was wrong that night in the bar. Gideon radiated power, just like my husband once had. When I told my husband about what happened, he warned me about the guy. You see, Dmitri used to be a demon hunter before he was a guardian angel, so he knows a lot. That's why I wrote you the note. I intentionally made it vague because I couldn't tell you that Gideon was some sort of fallen angel. You wouldn't have believed it."
"Wow." Nora stared straight ahead, trying to digest the information.
"I don't blame you for looking so shocked." Chloe glanced at her warily. "I remember the first time Dmitri appeared. He scared the bejesus out of me. Even though he could walk through walls, I still didn't believe he was an angel. I thought I was going insane."
"Walk through walls?" Good grief, could Gideon do that?
"Yeah." Chloe frowned at her. "Angels can walk through walls and go invisible too. I imagine Gideon has the same abilities. They even have heightened senses. When Dmitri was still an angel, he could find me no matter where I went. Unfortunately, now that he's human, he even manages to lose track of me in the grocery store."
This was just what Nora didn't need to hear. Maybe demons were following her at this very moment. She peered out the window, the hair on the back of her neck prickling. She saw no one, but if fallen angels could go invisible, then that wasn't so surprising.
"What am I going to do?" Nora groaned and grasped her head. "This means Amon probably knows where I am."
"Oh crap, I made you even more freaked out." Chloe winced. "I've always been about as comforting as an axe to the skull. Don't worry, though. Dmitri can help you. He's already waiting for us. He actually wanted to be the one to pick you up, but you had such a hard night already I thought being in the same car with him would frighten you."
Frighten me? She went rigid. Chloe's husband was a supposed ex-demon hunter. She imagined a goliath wielding two battleaxes.
"Is Dmitri frightening?" she asked, horrified.
"Dmitri?" Chloe threw back her head and laughed. "Oh, that's a good one."
"So he's not?" Nora asked.
"You don't have to worry about Dmitri. He's a softie," Chloe said. "Heck, he whines if I hit him with my purse."
And this is the man who's supposed to help me fight off demons?
"I see." As Nora winced, Chloe glanced at her.
"Do you think you'll be able to tell me what happened to you once we get to my house?" Chloe asked. "We're almost there and I'm sure Dmitri wants to know what's going on just as much as I do."
Even though she was still anxious, she nodded.
"Good." Chloe nodded.
Both of them were silent for a moment as Chloe drove onto a suburban street. Houses were small but tasteful. Toys littered many lawns, hinting that this was the sort of area safe enough that kids could play outside. It looked like the perfect middle-class neighborhood to raise a family.
"Here we are." Chloe pulled into the driveway of a small yellow house.
After parking, Chloe turned off the car. Feeling nervous about meeting the woman's demon hunter husband, Nora hopped out of the van and wrung her hands. She wanted to stay outside for a moment longer and do some deep breathing exercises, but Chloe was already summoning her. Probably it was for the best that she went inside anyway. If Amon was stalking her, staying out in the open was not the best thing for her to do.
Even though her stomach squished, she followed Chloe up to the front door. The woman headed inside and said, "Dmitri, I'm here."
Nora entered the house behind Chloe just as a man—Dmitri, she presumed—walked toward her. At the sight of him, she froze, but not because he was an axe wielding giant. No, she froze because Dmitri was mind-bogglingly handsome. Shoulder-length blond hair brushed broad, muscular shoulders. His skin was golden as if he spent many afternoons chasing his children around in the sun. Still, even with all of those gorgeous features, his most startling asset was his grey eyes. A woman could fall into those eyes and get lost.
Chloe cleared her throat, bringing her back to reality.
To her horror, she realized she'd been gawking at some other woman's husband. Luckily, Chloe didn't appear surprised by her reaction. In fact, the woman gave her a this-happens-all-the-time shrug and then pecked Dmitri on the lips. Even though Chloe and Dmitri had likely been married for years, the lo
ve between them was evident. Nora could practically feel the intense bond between husband and wife as they smiled at each other.
As Nora was filled with envy, Dmitri stroked Chloe's arm one last time and then stepped in her direction. He extended his hand for her to shake.
"I'm Dmitri, Chloe's husband," he said.
"I'm Nora," she said, still unnerved by how handsome he was.
"I trust you had no trouble on the drive here." Dmitri glanced worriedly at his wife, his concern for her obvious.
"Well, there was a minor car accident and two hit-and-runs, but besides that, we were fine," Chloe said before Nora could speak.
"Sweet cheeks, should I regret giving you the car keys?" Dmitri gave an exasperated sigh and then said to Nora, "Chloe drives like a maniac. Just last week she mowed down a lawn gnome."
"I drive just fine, thank you very much. And stop picking on me in front of a guest." Chloe stuck out her tongue at him. "Come on, Nora. Let's sit down and have a cup of coffee. You do like coffee, right?"
"Of course," Nora said.
"Good. Because if you don't like coffee, I don't like you," Chloe said.
As Nora tried to decide whether the woman was joking or not, she was led into a cluttered dining room that was adjacent to a small kitchen. She sunk into a chair, feeling as though she'd aged ten years. Groaning, she cupped her face in her hands as Dmitri took a seat beside her.
"You look like you've had quite a day," Dmitri said sympathetically.
Nora nodded, painfully aware of how damp her palms were.
"Nora," Chloe said from in the kitchen.
Biting her bottom lip, Nora glanced up.
"Are you ready to talk to us now?" Chloe asked gently.
Nora looked from Chloe to Dmitri. She saw nothing but kindness in their eyes. I think I can trust them. At that moment, she girded her loins and started to speak.
Telling her story was possibly the hardest thing she'd ever had to do.
****
As Nora held her cup of coffee, Chloe and Dmitri sat across from her at the table. She'd long since told them about what had happened between her and Gideon. Unfortunately, telling her story made all of her pain re-surface. She felt off-balance and had no hope of ending her inner turmoil. No matter what happened, she knew that she'd never be the same. Her circumstances had morphed her—aged her—until she was somebody that she hardly recognized.
"I'm so sorry about everything that happened to you, Nora," Chloe said.
"You don't need to apologize." Nora shrugged. "I just wish I knew how to make Amon go away."
"Have any ideas about that, Dmitri?" Chloe looked at her husband expectantly.
"I don't know," Dmitri admitted.
Nora's stomach had never sunk so fast.
"He constantly talks about demon hunting and now he says, 'I don't know,'" Chloe groaned.
"Well, I'm not an angel anymore," Dmitri said. "Back when I hunted the fallen, I used my strength to get rid of demons. I can't do that now. If I tried to tangle with a demon, I'd be killed."
Even the thought of Dmitri being killed made Chloe utter a high-pitched squeak. Dmitri placed a comforting hand on his wife's knee.
"So there's nothing you can do?" Nora asked, crestfallen.
"Well, I can ask for help from the angels." Dmitri shrugged. "Still I shouldn't have to do that. In fact, I don't really understand why they aren't here already. It doesn't make any sense."
"Really?" Chloe asked.
"Yeah. A herd of demons hunting one human is practically unheard of," Dmitri said. "It's an angel's job to, ugh, discourage that kind of behavior."
"Discourage?" Nora raised an eyebrow.
"That's a nice way of saying we cast them down to hell," Dmitri said. "And as for allowing demons to murder somebody…Well, that doesn't happen. God should have called in reinforcements by now, but they aren't here. There must be a reason."
"What are you saying?" Nora gasped in horror.
"I'm saying that we aren't seeing the bigger picture," Dmitri said. "God wouldn't leave you alone like this unless he has a reason to. He loves all of his humans and angels."
"The bigger picture…" She stared down at her burned hand.
"Yeah." Dmitri frowned. "We're missing something."
For a moment no one said anything. Nora took a sip of her coffee, even though the hot liquid burned her mouth. As she nursed her drink, she smelled something burning.
"Do you smell that?" It took everything she had not to climb up the wall like a frightened cat. She was terrified of fire after what had happened in her apartment.
After Chloe sniffed, she exchanged glances with Dmitri and groaned.
"Joan." Chloe buried her face in her hands. "I think she's burning something again."
"Didn't you hide all of the matches?" Dmitri asked.
"I put them in the attic," Chloe said. "How could she possibly find them up there?"
"Beats me." Dmitri shook his head. "But Joan has always been resourceful."
Both of them sighed in unison.
"It's your turn, you know," Chloe said. "I disciplined her yesterday."
"I know." Dmitri's shoulders slumped.
"Get to it, papa dear." Chloe clapped him on the shoulder.
With a groan, Dmitri hopped to his feet and marched down the hall.
After Nora recovered from her shock—she'd never been in a stranger household—she turned her attention back to Chloe. The woman was watching her as if the interruption had never happened. Nora winced, digging her fingernails into her knees.
"Can I ask you something personal?" Chloe asked.
The words put her on edge.
"I guess." Nora nodded.
"Do you think Gideon really loves you?" Chloe watched her reaction.
It was the simplest of questions, but it made Nora's heart ache. She longed to brush the query aside, but there was something about the intensity of Chloe's stare that made her want to give an answer. Nora strained her mind, re-living the past couple of days over and over again. The pain and the joy mingled, overwhelming her with confusion. Still she couldn't help but remember how Gideon had jumped in front of Amon, prepared to protect her even though he knew that revealing himself would make her fear him. Plus, even when she'd practically handed herself over to Gideon for the taking, he hadn't slept with her. No, he'd backed off, despite his own desires.
At that moment she realized that demon or not, Gideon loved her. Waves of pain swept through her heart, making her grasp her chest.
"He loves me," Nora said. "At least, I think so."
"Okay." Chloe nodded. "Now I'm going to ask you the most important question of all."
Nora was on the edge of her seat.
"Uh-huh?"
"Do you still love him?" Chloe asked.
Even though it was hard, Nora searched her heart, trying to ignore the pain. She thought about Gideon and the way he smiled and talked. She missed him, she realized. Even though he'd lied to her, she still longed for him. And that wasn't all. On some level, she regretted running away from him. The truth was there was no where she would rather be than by his side.
No matter what he was.
At that moment she knew the reason why she hurt so much wasn't because she'd stopped loving Gideon. No, she hurt because she loved him and couldn't stop. Tears blurred her vision. I do still love him. I do. More tears trickled down her face, even though she fought hard to fight them down.
"I love him," Nora said. "I don't think I can stop loving him."
To her surprise, Chloe gave her the most triumphant smile she'd ever seen.
"You're going to be fine," Chloe said.
"Wait, what? What does it matter if I love Gideon?" Nora wiped her nose on her hand. "The demons are still after me."
"Don't you see?" Chloe leaned back. "Love has everything to do with everything."
"Why?" Nora asked.
"God is love," Chloe said. "And God is never, ever wrong. He's been with you the whole time
. I promise you he won't let you down, no matter how scary everything seems right now. There's a master plan and you're a part of it."
"I don't get why you're so excited about this," she said.
"I'm excited because what you just said makes all the difference in the world," Chloe said. "If you love Gideon—if you're filled with God's energy—then that means he intended for this to happen. He's orchestrating every detail, even if you don't notice when his hands are at work. Take you and me, for example."
"Huh?" She raised an eyebrow.
"You and I met so I could help you." Chloe stared deep into her eyes. "Do you think guardian angels fall in love with humans all the time? No, it's rare. Yet you somehow managed to find me and Dmitri, all because of one seemingly insignificant moment at a bar. The very same bar, I might add, that you met Gideon. God's timing is always perfect, just like his love. And I have no doubt right now that there's something in the works for you. I know you're scared, but God is going to make everything turn out alright. I promise."
Something about Chloe's impassioned speech made her pause. Still, as Nora looked down at herself, she was uncertain. And yet…
And yet there were too many coincidences to ignore.
Suddenly, Dmitri's words from earlier echoed in her mind: "I'm saying that we aren't seeing the bigger picture. God wouldn't leave you alone like this. He loves all of his humans and angels. There isn't a moment when we aren't being protected by him." As she balled her fist, the burn on her palm stung. She winced and looked down at her hand, only to see blood oozing through the bandage.
The bigger picture…
She thought of her strange dream and the hallucination at the park when she'd believed Gideon's face was covered in maggots. At that moment, she realized God had been trying to tell her something important. She was meant to save Gideon from that place in her dream—hell—and make him turn back to God. It was the reason she'd met Gideon, the reason they'd fallen in love.
"Save him," she said, repeating the words from her hallucination.
"Huh?" Chloe blinked in surprise.
"My love is supposed to save Gideon." Tears filled her eyes. "Dmitri was right. I didn't see the bigger picture. Now I do. I just needed a little push. Gideon wasn't supposed to save me. I was supposed to save him. That's why the angels aren't trying to help me. I'm not the one who's in trouble."
Tempting Nora Page 28