Pale Wings Protecting

by Lesley Davis

  “And you think I can help with that?” Daryl joined him at the window. When she looked out, all she could see was their reflections. Lake was watching the city below and Daryl stood with Virgil beside her. The angel was silently imitating Lake’s perusal of the busy world below.

  “I think you’re the kind of woman I need on my team and by my side for whatever we’re to face. That’s why I’ve always fought to get you. I think you’re needed here.” He cocked his head toward the office behind him. “And I think you’ve found your reason to be here.”

  Daryl silently agreed. She brushed her finger across the wedding band that she still hadn’t removed. “I need to talk to someone about acquiring these rings for real.”

  “I’ll take it out of your first month’s salary.” Lake looked immensely pleased with himself now that he finally had what he’d always wanted.

  Daryl decided she wasn’t going to make it that easy for him. “So do you want to tell my father or should I?”

  Epilogue

  Blythe thought there was nothing prettier than Central Park in summer. She clutched Daryl’s hand a little tighter, strangely excited at their rare moment of free time to be together without the cases of the DDU calling their attentions away.

  Daryl finished the last of her hot dog and wiped at her mouth with the napkin. She tossed the rolled up paper into the nearest trash can.

  “I don’t know how you can eat those things,” Blythe said, wrinkling her nose as Daryl brushed away the crumbs on her shirt.

  “Trace said they’re only a true hot dog when they are bought from a street vendor. I’m merely testing her hypothesis.”

  “You’re going to eat from every hot dog vendor in the city to prove her right?”

  “I might just do that. I’m a detective; investigating is all part of my job.” She lifted Blythe’s hand to brush her lips across Blythe’s knuckles. “After all, I did all the doughnut testing back in Vermont. I’m up for new challenges here in the Big Apple.”

  Laughing, Blythe knew she was beat. “Well, Detective, I’m taking you to a proper restaurant tonight, where the napkins are made of linen and there are more condiments than just ketchup and mustard.”

  “I’ll look forward to that. I can think of no better way to celebrate our first wedding anniversary. Can you believe it’s been a whole year since we had our fake wedding pictures taken?”

  “I like the fact we’re celebrating it even if it wasn’t real.” Blythe leaned into Daryl’s side, snuggling closer. “But I’ll enjoy celebrating our real wedding date a whole lot more.”

  Daryl agreed. “We’ll make it a day to remember once we can decide on a date. Dad says he has dreamed of the day he can give me away to the person I love. Once he knew I was a lesbian, he just hoped I’d find the right woman.” She planted a soft kiss on Blythe’s temple. “He’s told me numerous times of how you’re perfect for me.”

  Blythe had adored Daryl’s father on sight when Daryl had taken her back home to introduce them. She loved spending time with Linus Chandler. He knew so many stories about Daryl growing up that Blythe couldn’t hear enough of, much to Daryl’s embarrassment. He’d also helped her see what a marvelous woman he’d been married to and had seen through his eyes just how much she had championed Daryl’s being different. She sincerely regretted never having the chance to meet such a special woman.

  “Remind me, we need to pick up peanuts on the way home.”

  Blythe turned to where Daryl’s attention was drawn. Virgil was seated under a tree, his wings at rest around him, sharing peanuts and birdseed for the park’s resident wildlife. If anyone looked up from their busy pace as they bustled through the park it would just seem that the squirrels and birds had found something of interest at the base of the tree. To Blythe’s eyes, the animals and birds were having a picnic with an angel as their host.

  “Why doesn’t he get grass stains on his white suit?” Blythe asked.

  “I’ve no clue. You know, I really think he likes the squirrels best of all. I’d have thought he’d feel more of an affinity with the birds, him having wings and such.”

  “He loves all God’s creatures and they love him.” Blythe drew Daryl down to sit with her on a nearby bench. She enjoyed a moment in the warm sun watching Daryl’s angelic partner playing in the park with the wildlife. It made for a very surreal moment. Blythe was getting used to them.

  “I’m really looking forward to marrying you again,” Daryl said. “Some days, when I think about it, I just want to run to the roof of the DDU building and shout my damn fool head off up there about how lucky I am.”

  Blythe couldn’t think her heart could contain just how much she loved Daryl. She took Daryl’s face in her hands and kissed her soundly. “I love you so much. You are just too sweet for words.”

  “Oh, honey, I ain’t sweet,” Daryl drawled, mimicking the tone that Blythe usually reserved for when she had naughty, sex-filled intentions.

  Blythe kissed her again. “You’re my sweetheart and I love you, Daryl Chandler-Kent.”

  “I do like the sound of that. Have since the first time I heard it too.” She captured Blythe’s lips and didn’t pull back until both of them needed to breathe. “I love—” Her words stilled as her attention was captured by something somewhere over Blythe’s shoulder.

  Blythe stayed still, watching Daryl’s pale eyes focus intently.

  “There’s a demon glittering behind us.”

  Nonchalantly, Blythe turned around enough to look over her shoulder. “Ooh, a sparkly yellow demon at one o’clock.” She could see the shimmer around a man who was furtively picking his way around the park. He was purposely avoiding any contact with the real humans in his path.

  Daryl spoke Virgil’s name just above a whisper. He finished his impromptu picnic with the critters and appeared by Daryl’s side. “You need to check in with whoever is on demon watch today. Tell them there’s a Class C demon in Central Park. He’s easy to spot. He’s the idiot who decided that to blend in he needed to badly resemble George Clooney.”

  “That’s why he’s a Class C. It obviously stands for clueless in his case,” Blythe murmured. She watched Virgil disappear from sight and then just as quickly there was an angel presence following in Clooney’s footsteps, marking him for banishment.

  Virgil reappeared, nodded toward Daryl and Blythe, and headed back toward his party guests.

  Blythe rested her head on Daryl’s shoulder and smiled as Daryl hugged her close. “So this is how it’s going to be, is it? Constant interruptions to our daily lives by demons, banishments, and paperwork for our real cases?”

  Daryl nodded, her chin brushing the top of Blythe’s head. “It wasn’t the life I expected for us.”

  “But it will never be boring,” Blythe replied. “And we’ll be in it together. It’s what couples do; they share.”

  “Not everyone shares demon knowledge or has angels who pop in for friendly visits.”

  “I know neither of us exactly signed up for this. But you live among angels, my love. It’s a part of what makes you the woman I adore.”

  Daryl sighed and pulled Blythe even closer to her. “I’m forever grateful you came in on my case with me. I can’t imagine my life without you now.”

  “And you won’t have to. We’re going to get married one day and live happily ever after, solving cases with the DDU, and setting up demons to be banished back to hell.”

  “Gee, when you put it like that it just sounds so romantic.”

  Blythe reached for Daryl’s hand and played with the wedding band on her finger, just like the one still on Blythe’s. Neither had wanted them removed until they exchanged their vows for real. “Just think how fantastic our wedding is going to be. I’m going to wow you with a beautiful wedding dress that I haven’t picked out yet. You are going to look so handsome in a new suit that you’ll no doubt wait until the last minute to get. And then there’s your best man who will truly outshine the whole wedding party!”

 
; Daryl’s laughter warmed Blythe’s heart.

  “But yours will be the only heavenly body I’ll have my eyes on.” Blythe stood, tugging Daryl up after her. “Gather your angel, darling. We’re going home to practice the honeymoon before Lake calls us back to the office.”

  Daryl let out a soft whoop and waved to signal Virgil that they were leaving. “Lead the way, Agent Kent.”

  “Or maybe you could lead. I’m always open to suggestions.” Blythe waggled her eyebrows suggestively at her, enjoying the familiar flush of redness that colored Daryl’s face.

  “Best decision of my life to bring my case to the DDU,” Daryl said, hurrying her step, pulling Blythe along with her out of the park.

  “You’re a sweet talker, Chandler, but I need that tongue of yours put to a better use. So employ that famed finding skill of yours to get us a cab home. Unlike your angel here, you and I aren’t blessed with wings to spirit us back faster to celebrate our anniversary in style.”

  As soon as Daryl’s feet hit the sidewalk, she whistled for a cab. “Let’s go home, Blythe.”

  Blythe grinned at her, giddy in the moment of being madly in love and being able to act on it. “Yes, home and straight to bed. After all, you and I do all our best work together undercover.”

  The End

  About the Author

  Lesley Davis lives in the West Midlands of England. She is a die-hard science fiction/fantasy fan in all its forms and an extremely passionate gamer. When her Nintendo 3DS is out of her grasp, Lesley is to be found on her laptop writing.

  Her book, Dark Wings Descending, was a finalist in the Lambda Literary Awards for Best Lesbian Romance 2013

  Visit her online at www.lesleydavisauthor.co.uk.

  Books Available from Bold Strokes Books

  First Love by CJ Harte. Finding true love is hard enough, but for Jordan Thompson, daughter of a conservative president, it’s challenging, especially when that love is a female rodeo cowgirl. (978-1-60282-949-7)

  Pale Wings Protecting by Lesley Davis. Posing as a couple to investigate the abduction of infants, Special Agent Blythe Kent and Detective Daryl Chandler find themselves drawn into a battle over the innocents, with demons on one side and the unlikeliest of protectors on the other. (978-1-60282-964-0)

  Mounting Danger by Karis Walsh. Sergeant Rachel Bryce, an outcast on the police force, is put in charge of the department’s newly formed mounted division. Can she and polo champion Callan Lanford resist their growing attraction as they struggle to safeguard the disaster-prone unit? (978-1-60282-951-0)

  Meeting Chance by Jennifer Lavoie. When man’s best friend turns on Aaron Cassidy, the teen keeps his distance until fate puts Chance in his hands. (978-1-60282-952-7)

  At Her Feet by Rebekah Weatherspoon. Digital marketing producer Suzanne Kim knows she has found the perfect love in her new mistress Pilar, but before they can make the ultimate commitment, Suzanne’s professional life threatens to disrupt their perfectly balanced bliss. (978-1-60282-948-0)

  Show of Force by AJ Quinn. A chance meeting between navy pilot Evan Kane and correspondent Tate McKenna takes them on a roller-coaster ride where the stakes are high, but the reward is higher: a chance at love. (978-1-60282-942-8)

  Clean Slate by Andrea Bramhall. Can Erin and Morgan work through their individual demons to rediscover their love for each other, or are the unexplainable wounds too deep to heal? (978-1-60282-943-5)

  Hold Me Forever by D. Jackson Leigh. An investigation into illegal cloning in the quarter horse racing industry threatens to destroy the growing attraction between Georgia debutante Mae St. John and Louisiana horse trainer Whit Casey. (978-1-60282-944-2)

  Trusting Tomorrow by PJ Trebelhorn. Funeral director Logan Swift thinks she’s perfectly happy with her solitary life devoted to helping others cope with loss until Brooke Collier moves in next door to care for her elderly grandparents. (978-1-60282-891-9)

  Forsaking All Others by Kathleen Knowles. What if what you think you want is the opposite of what makes you happy? (978-1-60282-892-6)

  Exit Wounds by VK Powell. When Officer Loane Landry falls in love with ATF informant Abigail Mancuso, she realizes that nothing is as it seems—not the case, not her lover, not even the dead. (978-1-60282-893-3)

  Dirty Power by Ashley Bartlett. Cooper’s been through hell and back, and she’s still broke and on the run. But at least she found the twins. They’ll keep her alive. Right? (978-1-60282-896-4)

  The Rarest Rose by I. Beacham. After a decade of living in her beloved house, Ele disturbs its past and finds her life being haunted by the presence of a ghost who will show her that true love never dies. (978-1-60282-884-1)

  Code of Honor by Radclyffe. The face of terror is hard to recognize—especially when it’s homegrown. The next book in the Honor series. (978-1-60282-885-8)

  Does She Love You? by Rachel Spangler. When Annabelle and Davis find out they are both in a relationship with the same woman, it leaves them facing life-altering questions about trust, redemption, and the possibility of finding love in the wake of betrayal. (978-1-60282-886-5)

  The Road to Her by KE Payne. Sparks fly when actress Holly Croft, star of UK soap Portobello Road, meets her new on-screen love interest, the enigmatic and sexy Elise Manford. (978-1-60282-887-2)

  Shadows of Something Real by Sophia Kell Hagin. Trying to escape flashbacks and nightmares, ex-POW Jamie Gwynmorgan stumbles into the heart of former Red Cross worker Adele Sabellius and uncovers a deadly conspiracy against everything and everyone she loves. (978-1-60282-889-6)

  Date with Destiny by Mason Dixon. When sophisticated bank executive Rashida Ivey meets unemployed blue collar worker Destiny Jackson, will her life ever be the same? (978-1-60282-878-0)

  The Devil’s Orchard by Ali Vali. Cain and Emma plan a wedding before the birth of their third child while Juan Luis is still lurking, and as Cain plans for his death, an unexpected visitor arrives and challenges her belief in her father, Dalton Casey. (978-1-60282-879-7)

  Secrets and Shadows by L.T. Marie. A bodyguard and the woman she protects run from a madman and into each other’s arms. (978-1-60282-880-3)

  Change Horizons: Three Novellas by Gun Brooke. Three stories of courageous women who dare to love as they fight to claim a future in a hostile universe. (978-1-60282-881-0)

  Scarlet Thirst by Crin Claxton. When hot, feisty Rani meets cool, vampire Rob, one lifetime isn’t enough, and the road from human to vampire is shorter than you think… (978-1-60282-856-8)

  Battle Axe by Carsen Taite. How close is too close? Bounty hunter Luca Bennett will soon find out. (978-1-60282-871-1)

  Improvisation by Karis Walsh. High school geometry teacher Jan Carroll thinks she’s figured out the shape of her life and her future, until graphic artist and fiddle player Tina Nelson comes along and teaches her to improvise. (978-1-60282-872-8)

  For Want of a Fiend by Barbara Ann Wright. Without her Fiendish power, can Princess Katya and her consort Starbride stop a magic-wielding madman from sparking an uprising in the kingdom of Farraday? (978-1-60282-873-5)

  Broken in Soft Places by Fiona Zedde. The instant Sara Chambers meets the seductive and sinful Merille Thompson, she falls hard, but knowing the difference between love and a dangerous, all-consuming desire is just one of the lessons Sara must learn before it’s too late. (978-1-60282-876-6)

  Healing Hearts by Donna K. Ford. Running from tragedy, the women of Willow Springs find that with friendship, there is hope, and with love, there is everything. (978-1-60282-877-3)

  Desolation Point by Cari Hunter. When a storm strands Sarah Kent in the North Cascades, Alex Pascal is determined to find her. Neither imagines the dangers they will face when a ruthless criminal begins to hunt them down. (978-1-60282-865-0)

  I Remember by Julie Cannon. What happens when you can never forget the first kiss, the first touch, the first taste of lips on skin? What happens when you know you will remember every single detail of a mysterious woman? (978-1-60282-866-7)

  The Gemini D
eception by Kim Baldwin and Xenia Alexiou. The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but lies. Book six in the Elite Operatives series. (978-1-60282-867-4)

  Scarlet Revenge by Sheri Lewis Wohl. When faith alone isn’t enough, will the love of one woman be strong enough to save a vampire from damnation? (978-1-60282-868-1)

  Ghost Trio by Lillian Q. Irwin. When Lee Howe hears the voice of her dead lover singing to her, is it a hallucination, a ghost, or something more sinister? (978-1-60282-869-8)

  The Princess Affair by Nell Stark. Rhodes Scholar Kerry Donovan arrives at Oxford ready to focus on her studies, but her life and her priorities are thrown into chaos when she catches the eye of Her Royal Highness Princess Sasha. (978-1-60282-858-2)

  The Chase by Jesse J. Thoma. When Isabelle Rochat’s life is threatened, she receives the unwelcome protection and attention of bounty hunter Holt Lasher who vows to keep Isabelle safe at all costs. (978-1-60282-859-9)

  The Lone Hunt by L.L. Raand. In a world where humans and praeterns conspire for the ultimate power, violence is a way of life…and death. A Midnight Hunters novel. (978-1-60282-860-5)