by Dima Zales
He brushed his fingertips over the fresh bruise where Belial had kicked me. “At least.”
“So does this mean you owe me?”
“I suppose so. What did you have in mind?”
“Can I…see your wings?”
Michael nodded, his voice gaining a little humor. “I think you may be worthy of it now.”
He closed his eyes in concentration, and then the air around us stirred. His wings sprouted from his back and stretched nearly from one wall to the other. I could only stare in awe. They were beautiful. Gabriel’s wings had a golden sheen over the white. Michael’s shone as if someone had mixed silver and pearl together to create a new color.
“Michael, they’re…amazing,” I murmured. I resisted the urge to touch one just to make sure it was real, but I felt that might have been a little too intimate a gesture.
“Thank you,” he said. When I looked back at him, I noticed our faces were far too close together and that my hands were still resting on his shoulders. That strange tension from before returned in full force, making me far more aware of his body and how we were sitting than I should have been.
“Jordan?”
“Hm?”
“I’m going to have to owe you another favor.”
“For what?”
“This.” He tugged me forward enough to kiss me. I should have been shocked and appalled. I wasn’t. Everything that had been wrong with Belial’s kiss seemed to have been righted by Michael’s. His lips were soft and full and warm. He kept it chaste, no tongue, but made up for it by gently drawing my bottom lip between his and sucking. It couldn’t have lasted more than a handful of seconds yet I felt time slipping into oblivion. My fuzzy brain tried to come up with a comparison of what he tasted like. I could think of no other word than euphoria.
Michael drew back first and rested his forehead against mine. I caught my breath and licked my lips, trying to summon enough strength to talk.
“You’re going to get in big trouble for that, huh?”
“Definitely.”
“Worth it?”
“So worth it.”
With that, he grinned and stood up, offering me his hand.
“Let’s go home.”
15
“You two just can’t stay out of trouble, can you?” Raphael sighed as he inspected the nasty bruise on my forehead.
I shrugged. “No good deed goes unpunished.”
“Obviously. You’ve gotten in more trouble in one week than I’ve been in for a hundred years,” Gabriel mused as he dabbed a cotton ball doused with rubbing alcohol on Michael’s cuts. He didn’t seem to find it painful, but maybe he was just being manly about it. Figures.
“Just lucky, I guess.”
“Better lucky than smart,” Gabriel said. I stuck my tongue out at him and he chuckled.
“I suppose we should thank you for at least getting rid of Mulciber for a while. There’s no sign of Belial, either.”
I froze. “Does that mean Michael has to leave?”
Silence fell. Michael’s face was blank, but I noticed that his shoulders tensed just a bit.
Gabriel spared me a faint smile. “Normally, yes. However, considering you’ve angered Mulciber I think it’s safe to say you’ll still be needing his protection.”
“Oh. Right.” I felt a flush of heat across my cheeks. If Raphael or Gabriel noticed, neither of them said anything. Fabulous.
“That’s two demons in one city. Maybe you need to move, Jordan,” Michael said, his eyes sparkling as they met mine.
“Please. I’m not going to let two measly archdemons run me out of town. There’d have to be at least…four.”
Raphael finished cleaning and treating my wounds, patting my shoulder. “With your luck, it’ll probably happen.”
He grinned as I glared at him. “Thanks for the confidence boost, Raph.”
“My pleasure. Almost finished, brother?”
“Yes. He’s got a hard head, after all,” Gabriel replied.
Michael rolled his eyes. “If you have something to say, just say it already.”
Gabriel finished wrapping the gauze around his chest and put it back in the First Aid kit before standing. “Be careful. That’s all.”
“I’m pretty sure we won’t get in anymore fights any time soon,” Michael told him, rubbing his bruised cheek with a rueful expression.
Gabriel’s blue eyes twinkled. “I wasn’t talking about fighting.”
We both stared at him with wide eyes, but he merely nodded to both of us and followed Raphael out of my bedroom without saying another word.
The awkward silence started to grow so I sighed and flopped down on the bed with a groan. My eyes fell across Michael’s neck—now noticeably empty.
“I’m sorry Belial took the necklace. I know it was important to you.”
The angel shook his head. “It…couldn’t be helped.”
“Can you sense where he put it?”
“Not really. It’s out of range. He must have thrown it away. Don’t worry about it.”
I paused. “But doesn’t that mean you don’t have anything to protect your heart any more?”
He met my eyes, a slow smile touching his lips. “Guess I’ll have to risk it.”
The eye contact felt far too intimate. I had to glance away. “Well, we’re certainly not going anywhere for a while. Want to do some reading?”
“I had something else in mind,” Michael said, sitting next to me. I swallowed, trying very hard to keep my mind out of the gutter.
“And that is…?”
He held up a DVD case. A Walk in the Clouds. Oh, thank Heaven. “Your less-than-subtle best friend Lauren insisted we should watch it.”
I shrugged. “Eh. Put it on.”
Michael got up and turned the TV and DVD player on while I stared at everything in the room except his rather muscular bare back. No sense in being immature. So we’d kissed. Big whup. Didn’t mean I was going to act like a fifth grader about it.
I nearly yelped as Michael turned the lights off and crawled next to me.
“Just so you know,” I said in a mild tone. “That kiss was a one time thing.”
“Really? That’s too bad, ‘cause I have something for you.”
Surprised, I couldn’t help but glance over at him. He leaned across me, his face drifting dangerously close to mine. Instead of kissing me, he reached for something on the nightstand and brought it up to my face. It was a caramel apple.
“You’re welcome,” he murmured with a secretive smirk. Slowly, I took the apple and unwrapped it, bringing the delicious treat to my lips.
“Bite me.”
Michael was strongly reprimanded for what was described as “fraternizing” with a human being. The Big Guy let him off with a warning since we didn’t go past first base and it was understandable that we were both incredibly vulnerable at that point. Gabriel and Raphael knew about it afterwards and didn’t make a fuss, but I sometimes caught them smiling at us without saying anything. I decided to just let it slide. Shit happens, whether it’s demons having designs on your body or angels stealing smooches. It’s not a part of life—it’s just a part of my life.
However, there was a bit of good news to come from our messy business at the hospital. Gabriel got a tip from a demon stoolie that Mulciber and Belial wouldn’t be returning to Earth for a period of time. Their boss was rather ticked off that neither of them were able to complete their missions. Mulciber didn’t kill Michael and Belial didn’t secure the Spear of Longinus. I personally found the thought comforting, but not after Gabriel reminded me this would only further their desire for revenge once they finally returned to this world. I enrolled myself in a riflery class as well as a martial arts one to get better skills for my next grudge match with Belial, assuming he has enough chivalry to challenge me to a duel again.
It turns out that Jacob had been able to enter my apartment because Gabriel hadn’t made the blessing of my apartment specific to spirits, just demons.
He refined it as soon as we told him what happened and apologized for not being careful enough. I tried to convince him it wasn’t his fault, but I got the feeling he didn’t believe me, God bless his heart. We were even anyway. He’d been the one who told me years ago that demons were susceptible to the feathers on an angel’s wings because they were so pure that it burned them. I owed Gabriel my life and aimed to find a way to make it up to him someday.
Michael started training me in some of the arts Mr. N had been practicing, like how to ward off malevolent spirits and perform exorcisms if need be. He wasn’t crazy about the idea of bringing me deeper into the supernatural world but he got better as the weeks passed. If anything, he felt more confident about me going to work on my own now that I knew how to defend myself from a demon attack.
Speaking of which, I finally got to go back to work, only to not do much the first day because the whole staff threw me a Welcome Back party. Lauren even brought her sweet little daughter Lily to see me. I couldn’t believe how big she’d gotten. Michael had been right. Life had been passing by, whether I noticed or not.
Michael’s band has been doing well throughout the city. He got gigs more and more often, and I actually went with him to many of them—sometimes just so he wouldn’t worry about me and sometimes because I liked hearing him play. He even had groupies now. I found it utterly hilarious watching him try to slide past them to get to our table at the club. Maybe it was a little mean, but after all, I was only human.
BOOK THREE: THE BEAUTIFUL DESCENT
Thou wilt learn in time
The truth, for time alone reveals the just;
A villain is detected in a day.
-Oedipus Rex, Sophocles
16
“You’re being stubborn, you know.”
“I know.”
“I thought we agreed on this issue.”
“Seriously, Jordan, it’s not a big deal.”
“I beg to differ.”
I crossed my arms beneath my chest and narrowed my eyes at Michael as he sat comfortably across from me in the booth. Truthfully, this setting danced on the border of ridiculous.
First of all, I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d been out to lunch with a guy, and certainly not one this good-looking. The man certainly wasn’t hard on the eyes, but by now I was quite immune to his appearance. Practice.
Second of all, I hadn’t been outside of Albany in damn near forever. My life was oddly self-contained, maybe even confined, to my apartment, the restaurant, and the park. Sure, I’d been to the homes, workplaces, and graves of many ghosts, but none of them had been cause for me to vacate the city’s towering structures. Clean air. Green grass. Critters. It was friggin’ weird.
Third of all, discovering how my mother spent her last days before the demons got her murdered was the final nail in the crazy coffin. It would be worth the four-hour drive and the many weeks it had taken to save up to pay for food and gas. Except for some reason, Michael insisted on paying for this meal, even though we had arranged for him to pay for the rental car and hotel. Therein lay my current dilemma.
Our perky waitress Krystal appeared, smiling as she caught the tail end of the argument.
“Newlyweds?”
I adopted an insulted look. “He wishes.”
Michael chuckled. “How can I not when you sweet-talk me like that?”
My eyes immediately rolled and she giggled before continuing onward. “Can I get you two anything else?”
“No, you can bring us the check.”
The blonde waitress reached into her frock and withdrew the bill. I reached for it but Michael snatched it out of her hand, flashing me a challenging smirk. I kicked him in the shin.
“Ow!” He winced, rubbing the injured spot. “Why am I being punished for being a gentleman?”
“Because I’m not a lady, dammit. Now give it here.”
“You paid for breakfast in Atlantic City. It’s only fair.”
“Since when has fair ever been a factor in this relationship?”
Krystal glanced between the two of us. “…are you sure you’re not married?”
“If by ‘married’ you mean me hating him, then yes.”
Michael rolled his eyes and handed her his Visa card. “Here you go.”
“Thanks, I’ll be right back.” She walked away, shaking her head with an amused look on her face.
I sighed and leaned my head backward, trying to stifle my irritation. At least the meal had been good. I hadn’t eaten pancakes in ages. Michael had offered to make them once, but I declined the offer because it was too damned domestic. Our arrangement had been going on for nearly two months now. It didn’t need to become any more complicated.
“How far are we from our destination?”
“Not far. Maybe another hour’s drive,” Michael said, his voice less humorous this time. We didn’t have much of a plan for when we arrived in New Jersey, but that had never stopped us before. We were nothing if not determined.
I sat up straight and regarded him with a bemused look. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you sound worried.”
His brows knit together in the beginnings of a frown. “For good reason.”
His green eyes lowered their gaze to the spot over my heart where a faded scar lay hidden beneath my black t-shirt. I had gotten the stitches out, but the skin was still a light brown that didn’t match the rest of my chocolate complexion.
Two months. It’d be two months in a couple of days. I tried not to think about it too much.
“Don’t get your feathers all ruffled,” I scolded. “We’re being much more careful than we were before.”
“Being careful is never enough. You know that,” Michael replied.
I shrugged. “Being worried isn’t going to help any either.”
He seemed to take my words to heart this time, but it didn’t matter because Krystal reappeared with Michael’s debit card in one hand and a tray full of empty glasses balanced on the other.
“Thanks for coming out. Have a nice day!”
“You too.” I slid out of the booth and stretched my arms above my head before patting the pockets of my grey duster to make sure everything was in place. Just when I turned to go, Krystal’s tray started to slide out of her hand. Michael miraculously caught it in mid-air, saving the dishes from peril. He handed it back to the relieved girl, who sighed heavily and said:
“Thanks. You’re an angel.”
I laughed so hard that Michael had to shove me out the door.
By the time we reached the hotel, the day had wound down into sunset and the city seemed to swallow us whole. We’d have more time to take in some of the sights and local culture after I had a shower. The day was as sticky as the candy that would be passed out at the end of the month.
I breathed a sigh of relief when Michael opened the hotel door with his keycard, causing a blast of cool air to hit my face. Hurrah. The cream-colored walls and burgundy comforters were almost as inviting as that air conditioning so I shuffled inside with my suitcase and kicked the door shut. Michael gravitated to the queen-sized bed closest to the door since he was technically my angelic bodyguard so I dumped my stuff on the other mattress before collapsing face-first onto it. Michael let out a faint groan as well before silence enveloped us both. Once the sweat coating my spine dried, I rolled over and kicked off my Reeboks.
“How far is the place from here?” I asked.
“Ten minutes, or so MapQuest says.”
“Good. Means we won’t have to roll out of bed until noon or so tomorrow.” The socks came off next. I wiggled my toes on the fuzzy white carpet and sat up on the edge of the bed. Michael was sprawled on his back with his long legs trailing onto the floor. The urge to giggle rose in my throat. When he wore khakis, he looked like an enormous brunette stork.
“Sounds like a plan. Might give us some time to take in the sights, too.”
A frown tugged at my lips. “This isn’t a vacation, y’know.”
He shrugged, raking the hair out of his eyes so he could meet my gaze. “I know. But it wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world.”
I spared him a sarcastic smirk. “Yeah, because we all know what that idea was.”
The archangel rolled his eyes. “One day you’ll appreciate the sacrifices I make for you.”
“Sure, I will. Dibs on the shower.” He groaned as I unzipped my bag to get out my clothes.
“Oh, c’mon, I drove for four hours. The least you could do is let me shower first.”
“I offered to drive and you declined.”
Michael finally sat up, scowling at me. “I’m a guy. We have things about driving.”
“Well, too bad. Ladies first.” Having gathered my clothes, I headed towards the bathroom, but he called to me before I got there.
“I thought you said you weren’t a lady.”
I stopped and glared at him. The archangel had the most infuriating smirk on his face. I contemplated taking another shot at his shin.
“I am when it suits me.”
The accursed smirk widened. “And when is that?”
I flashed him a very mean smile. “You’ll never see it.”
Before he could supply another snappy comeback, I slipped into the bathroom and shut the door. A few weeks ago, he might have talked me out of taking my shower first but I’d caught on to his methods by now. Sure, Gabriel was the most eloquent of the archangels that I had met, but Michael had a strangely compelling way of arguing. Hell, that was how he’d ended up accompanying me in the first place.
The hot shower left me in a much better mood than before. Maybe I had just needed the alone time. Michael was great and all, but I hadn’t been close with an attractive male aside from Gabriel in a while. It took some getting used to.
I redressed in comfortable clothes—a plum-colored t-shirt and black Capris. It took nearly an entire minute of adjusting my hair before I realized I was preening. What the hell. I shot myself an annoyed glare in the mirror before stomping out of the bathroom in a huff.