by Diem, J. C.
“That is not what you said when I saved you after you were shot,” he reminded me quietly. “You asked me to be yours in every way.”
I closed my eyes and shuddered at how close we’d come to losing our innocence to each other. It would have been an unforgiveable act that would surely have damned him. “It was wrong of me to ask you to do that,” I said in a strangled voice. “You’re an angel and I’m a human. It’s forbidden for us to be together.”
“As you pointed out, God has abandoned us to our fate. He is gone now and he can no longer punish us. Why should we not succumb to our love for each other?”
“It isn’t love that you’re feeling. It’s lust,” I said harshly and he flinched slightly. “Your vessel is a healthy young man with human needs and desires. You’ve been trapped inside him for so long that his feelings have become entwined with yours. I’m not going to sully what’s left of your purity. If we win and God returns, I want you to be able to look him in the eye and to be proud of who you are.”
Staring down at me, he lifted his hand and rested his palm against my cheek. Instead of anger, I saw wonder in his dark blue eyes. “You truly do love me if you are willing to ignore your own needs in favor of protecting me.”
“I’ve always loved you,” I told him. “And I always will.”
Leaning down, he pressed a kiss on my forehead. “Remember the promise that you made to me,” he whispered then disappeared.
“What promise is that?” Leo asked suspiciously when he materialized a moment later.
“That’s none of your business,” I replied and packed the makeup back into a small bag.
“Do you want me to take you to Zach or not?” Standing with his hands on his hips and wearing an imperious expression, he looked far too much like his twin for my liking.
“I’m sure Sam will be happy to escort me there,” I said with a shrug.
Casting a look over his shoulder, he stepped closer. “Sophia thinks it would be best if Sam conserves his energy for when it is needed,” he said in a bare whisper.
The object of our discussion stepped into view. “I am not useless yet,” Sam said with a glower. “I can still protect Violet and hide her from her enemies.”
Feeling guilty that he’d been overheard, Leo tried to salvage the situation. “We do not think you are useless. We just think it would be a good idea if you only used your abilities when you are in hell.”
Heaving a sigh, Sam nodded. “You are right. I am sorry that I scolded you. My abilities are growing weaker the more I revert into a human. It would be wise if I only use my talents when they are absolutely needed.”
“You can still come with us,” I said. “Two lookouts are better than one.”
“I suppose I will not stand out as much now that I am not quite as hideous as I once was,” he agreed.
“Besides, I might need the two of you to restrain me if Candy turns up again,” I said. They sniggered, but I wasn’t sure that I was joking. Just the thought of her getting her claws into Zach made my blood boil. The last I’d heard, she’d broken up with him after Sam had poured punch on her dress and Zach had laughed at her. The reading that Sophia had done for Candy had warned me that she wasn’t going to give up. At least I was already prepared for the bad news if he told me he was dating her again.
It was too warm to wear a hoodie that would be able to hide my face and hair. Instead of putting my hair in the usual braids, I fashioned it into a ponytail. I looked slightly older with the makeup and I had to hope no one would recognize me. I wore jeans and a plain gray t-shirt so I wouldn’t stand out.
“Are you ready?” Leo asked.
I nodded and he took our hands and zapped us to the library. He knew the city well and I didn’t need to give him directions. He must have thought it would be safer to take us straight inside than to scout out the place first. We appeared on the second level where we could overlook the main room below.
Sam moved to the railing and peered downwards, searching for anyone who looked suspicious. Leo did the same. His bracelet would allow him to see the red auras of demons who were hiding inside human vessels. He held a small rock in his hand that had been marked with a demonic rune. The spell would enable him to see the blue auras of angels.
I looked around as well, but I didn’t see anyone who was too beautiful or had faces that changed from human to demonic and back. “It looks clear,” I murmured then turned to the two boys. “Hold this for me,” I said to Sam and handed him my sheathed dagger. There was a distinct possibility that Zach would find it if I kept it down the back of my jeans. “I want you both to keep your distance. Only interrupt us if things get out of hand.”
“Define ‘out of hand’,” Leo said with a smirk. “Exactly how far should we allow you to go before we intervene?”
Shaking my head that we were having this conversation, I had to force the words out. “Step in if we kiss for more than ten minutes, or if we start taking our clothes off. If you’re going to throw something at us, aim for me,” I added then turned to the stairs. Zach would be here at any moment.
A few seconds later, my boyfriend appeared in the doorway. His gaze went straight to me as I descended the stairs. He went still for a moment as if he was bracing himself. Then he headed to the section that was rarely used by anyone.
I glanced at the doorway just as his bodyguard entered. Tall and medium in build, Giles had white blond hair and pale blue eyes. They were cold even at a distance. I turned away as he swept his gaze around the room. As always, he settled into a seat near the door and lifted a newspaper to hide his face.
₪₪₪
Chapter Eleven
Making my way to the tables where Zach was setting up his books, I watched him from the far end of the shelves of old foreign tomes. His body language told me that something was wrong. I was pretty sure I already knew what it was. He glanced at me and I saw his anguish.
Unable to put it off any longer, he turned to face me. Instead of striding forward and taking me in his arms like he usually did, he walked towards me hesitantly and stopped two feet away. The guilt in his eyes told me everything. “You’re dating Candy again,” I said with utter certainty.
He flinched and put his hands in his pockets. He was still wearing his school uniform of dark gray pants, a white shirt and a navy blazer. “Believe me, it isn’t my idea,” he said miserably. “I thought I was finally free when she dumped me at the dance.”
“I take it she had a change of heart?” The reading that Sophia had performed for her was to blame for this. If she’d told Candy that she wouldn’t end up with Zach, we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now. Sophia might be a clairvoyant, but she hadn’t realized that her new client was my rival for my boyfriend’s affections.
“Yeah,” Zach replied and ran a hand through his dark blond hair. It was a sexy contrast to his brown eyes. He was even more gorgeous than I remembered and he’d grown a bit taller while I’d been away. “She told her Mom about our fight and Clarice talked to my Dad. We sat down for a meeting and our parents managed to patch things up between us.”
I snorted out an unwilling laugh and he gave me a slightly affronted look. “Sorry,” I said insincerely. “It sounds so romantic having your parents negotiate your relationships for you.”
He smiled a bit and shrugged. “That’s what I get for having a banker for a father.”
“You don’t get to choose your family.”
Sighing in agreement, he nodded. “If I had a choice, I’d pick someone who wasn’t so driven by ambition.” He took my hands in his and examined my face carefully. “Did you get the treatment you need in Boston?”
“Yeah,” I said evasively. “They don’t really know what’s wrong with me, but they’re trying different things.”
Slipping his arms around me, he hugged me far more gently than usual. “I wish I could have gone with you. It must be costing a fortune.”
Forcing myself to pull away from him, I gave him a light shove t
owards the table. “Giles will become suspicious if you stay out of his sight for too long.”
Taking a book from a shelf, he ambled back to the table where his books were spread out. “You didn’t answer my question,” he said chidingly.
“You didn’t ask a question,” I retorted cheekily.
Giving me a narrow stare, he had to concede that one. “Do you need money to pay for the treatment?”
“Nope. Sophia has money put aside.”
He seemed doubtful about that. “You barely know her. Why is she willing to spend what is probably her life savings on you?”
“It isn’t costing her that much,” I replied, wishing we could get away from this topic. I hated lying and I felt like I was digging myself in deeper and deeper with each word that I uttered. “The specialist is working pro bono. I’m apparently a rare case.”
Thankfully accepting me at my word, he gave up on trying to give me money. “I’ve never been to Boston. What’s it like?”
Relieved that I’d spent a couple of hours researching the city on Sophia’s computer, I told him about some of the places that I’d never even been to.
Standing up after a while, he stretched and my eyes were drawn to his abs as his shirt stretched tight against his stomach. I had no idea when he had the time to work out, but he was nicely muscled all over. Seeing where my attention had been drawn to, Zach’s grin was decidedly wicked as he approached me. “You haven’t given me a kiss yet,” he pointed out when he reached me.
Tilting my head back, I put my hands on the hard planes of his stomach. His abs felt even better than they looked. “I guess I’d better kiss you twice to make up for it.”
“Feel free to kiss me as many times as you like.”
His hands went around my waist and I went up on my tippy-toes to kiss him. Heat instantly flared to life. It was hotter and more urgent than usual. My hands roamed over his body and his slid beneath my shirt to touch the bare skin of my back. I pressed myself against him and he broke off our kiss to groan. “I swear you’re going to be the death of me, Your Majesty,” he said in a hoarse voice that was filled with need.
Glad he’d brought me back to reason before Sam or Leo had been required to step in, I sniggered. “If I’m your monarch then shouldn’t you be kneeling?”
A strange look entered his dark eyes that I couldn’t quite fathom. “I’ll kneel on the day I ask you to marry me.”
I tried not to let him see the sorrow that hit me to hear that impossible dream. I lifted my left hand and the light glinted off my huge rectangular ruby. “At least you won’t have to buy me a ring.”
“That’s just the start of the gifts I’m going to shower you with when you’re mine,” he said with a wink. Stepping away, he attempted to straighten his tousled hair then took another book off a shelf.
I didn’t want to think about how my death would affect Zach. Now that I knew there was every possibility that I was going to die, I teetered on the edge of breaking off my relationship with him. It wasn’t fair to get his hopes up. They’d only be destroyed when I disappeared from his life without warning. When I died, Nathan would lay me to rest. My black and bloated corpse would never be found. Then the entire world would burn because I’d failed.
“What’s wrong?” Zach asked when he glanced at me. “You look as if you have the weight of the world on your shoulders.
If you only knew, I thought, but I kept the morose words to myself. “I’m just thinking about your relationship with Candy.”
He looked away and jotted something down on his notepad. I wasn’t surprised to see he really was working on an assignment. He was smart enough to be able to multitask. “It doesn’t matter how disinterested I act, she just won’t give up on me.”
“She’s got it bad,” I said mockingly. “The worst part is that I can’t really blame her. You are pretty perfect.”
He slanted me an incredulous look. “I’m not Jesus.”
I sniggered and the dimple appeared in his left cheek in amusement. “Let’s recap,” I said. “You’re gorgeous, smart, funny and kind. You have a great body and you’re filthy rich. It doesn’t get much more perfect than that.”
“My Dad is rich,” he argued. “The rest of it is all true, though.”
“I forgot to add ‘modest’ to the list,” I said dryly.
“Modesty is overrated,” he replied with a grin.
“Back to you and Candy.” His grin changed into a scowl as I returned to our topic. “When did you get back together?”
“It just happened last night. Our parents thought it would be best if we took a break from each other after the little incident at my school dance.”
I had fond memories of that night. I also had the photos of Candy’s ruined dress to cheer me up when I was feeling down. “When are you going to see her again?”
“On Saturday. We have a lunch date at a restaurant near my house.”
“I bet it’s the kind of place where the staff would look at me like I’m a peasant,” I said sourly. Zach and Candy were both from wealthy families and they’d no doubt be treated like royalty. I wouldn’t even make it through the door before an employee would scurry forward and shoo me away as if I was vermin.
“They look at everyone that way,” he said unconvincingly. “Except my father, of course. He scares the crap out of most people.”
I hadn’t met his father and it seemed unlikely that I ever would now. Mr. Orion had tried to have me quietly removed from Manhattan after I’d been arrested. He didn’t want me anywhere near his son. I knew he was a powerful man. He was also a control freak. His only saving grace was that he loved Zach and he wanted the best for him.
“I guess you’d better not spill anything on Candy for a while,” I said wistfully.
He shook his head in regret. “I’d better not rock the boat. I’m already on precarious ground. My father expects me to be on my best behavior from now on.”
“Hasn’t he finalized the deal with Candy’s Mom yet?”
He answered me with great reluctance. “Apparently, Mrs. Weller will be bringing more clients into the fold.”
“It’s never going to be over, is it?” I said quietly. “Candy won’t give up no matter what you do.”
“I’ll find a way to get free from her clutches,” he said with a hint of desperation. “No one can force me to be with her when you’re the one I want.” Tears filled my eyes and he was beside me in a heartbeat. “Don’t cry,” he said and wrapped his arms around me tightly. “I have faith that it will all work out in the end.”
I wished I could say the same, but my faith was quickly slipping away and it was taking my hopes and dreams with it.
₪₪₪
Chapter Twelve
There was no need for Sam or Leo to intervene on my date with Zach this time. We were too full of sorrow and worry to descend into mindless kissing. We spent an hour talking and then his cell phone rang. “It’s my Dad,” he said with a frown. He answered it and didn’t get a chance to speak. “Yes, sir,” he said after a short conversation and hung up. “I have to go,” he told me and started gathering his things. “My father has been called away on an urgent meeting and he wants me to go with him.”
“Where is the meeting being held?”
“In Washington, DC,” he replied. “He has other business to attend to after that. We’ll be gone for a few days.”
“Will you be back in time for your date with Candy?”
He grimaced then headed towards me with a stack of books. “I’m sure we will. He wouldn’t want to jeopardize his alliance with her Mom.” Putting the books back on the shelves, he pulled me in for a kiss that scorched me all the way to my toes. Stepping back, he closed his eyes for a few seconds. “That will have to tide me over until I see you again. Promise me that you’ll take it easy and that you’ll look after your health.”
“I’ll try,” I replied, but I wasn’t going to make a promise that I couldn’t keep.
I watched him hurried
ly pack his gear. He waved then trotted towards the door. Giles lifted the newspaper higher and Zach shook his head at his bodyguard’s paltry efforts to hide the fact that he was spying on his charge. The chauffeur waited for a few moments before abandoning the newspaper and hurrying after him.
“That man is not very skilled at surveillance,” Leo said from right behind me and I nearly shrieked in surprise. He and Sam were peering through the shelves.
“Hiding behind a newspaper,” Sam sneered. “How unoriginal.”
“Zach’s Dad should have sent Giles to spy school,” I agreed. “He’s really bad at blending in.”
“At least it was not necessary to pour cold water over you this time,” Leo said. “You managed to control yourself quite well.”
“We were too depressed to get carried away.”
“Why are you so glum?” Sam asked.
“Remember the reading Sophia did for Candy?” They exchanged a quick look and nodded cautiously. “It looks like the outcome might be in her favor after all.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Candy dumped Zach after he laughed at her when you poured punch on her, but their parents forced them back together. She hasn’t given up on him and she won’t rest until she gets her way.” They had nothing to say to that and no advice to give me. “The worst part is that I know I should just bow out and let her have him.”
Sam slipped his hand into mine. “Why?”
“Because we all know that I’m probably going to die. I should just let Candy take my place, but I can’t bring myself to let him go.”
“You care about Zach,” Leo said and put his hand on my shoulder comfortingly.
It was more than that. I didn’t just care about him, the demonic part of me felt as though I owned him. The evil that was insidiously growing inside me wouldn’t let me just step aside. I wanted to make him mine and never let him go. It was almost as intense as how I felt about Nathan. Admitting that out loud was never going to happen.