She so wasn’t in the mood for this guy’s shit. “Is he still around or did he take off when he found out I was some freaky ass Angel?”
Uriel looked like he wanted to run, but he shook his head. “You are not a freak Lailah. You are going to be something amazing. A foretold Arch Angel. It is amazing. It’s something wonderful.”
His answer wasn’t helping make her feel any better.
Lailah pointed the bat at him, “You or Hunter, so where is he?” Lailah demanded.
Uriel actually looked a little afraid. “He is out patrolling the neighborhood.”
“Can you get ahold of him? Or do I just open my window and scream for him. Because I’m talking to him right now.” Lailah was done, and by done she meant done, done, done!
“I just don’t understand your reaction to this fantastic news.” Uriel said. But Lailah was already walking toward her window when Uriel pulled out a phone and was frantically pressing buttons.
Hunter Flashed in moments later. Lailah was so glad to see him she wasn’t sure if she would burst into tears or throw herself into his arms. Instead she pointed her bat at him.
“Bedroom now,” Lailah said between her teeth.
Hunter glared at Uriel and then back to Lailah. “What did he do?” he asked as he followed Lailah down the hall she wasn’t answering him until they were behind closed doors.
Hunter closed the door gently behind him, and Lailah turned on him, “Do you have any idea what shit that idiot Uriel just fed me?” Lailah screamed at him. Hunter backed up against the door.
“No?” Hunter said questioningly. Then hesitantly, “But I’ll be happy to get you something else for breakfast.”
“No, not for breakfast,” Lailah said with exasperation throwing her hands in the air. “He just told me I’m some kind of Angel.” Lailah said the world Angel slowly as she waved her hands around like a crazy person but she just couldn’t help it and paced around her room, “No not just any Angel an Arch Angel.” She turned back to Hunter. She tried to speak again her mouth opening several times before she finally found her voice again and then only to shout: “You left me with a crazy person. CRAZY! PERSON! What did I do to deserve this? Tell me? Tell me what I did, because I will do whatever it takes to fix it, light a candle, sacrifice I goat. Just tell me what I need to do. WHAT?”
“Lailah, you need to calm down,” Hunter told to her.
“That’s your advice? You want me to calm down? You want me to calm down? Then get that crazy person out of my apartment,” Lailah shouted pointing past Hunter to her door.
“Lailah I need you to stay calm,” Hunter said again walking up to her gently put his hands on her shoulders and turned Lailah so she was facing her large full-length mirror.
Lailah froze, and blinked several times trying to unsee what she was seeing, she was glowing. Like glowing, glowing. She screamed and covered her face with her hands.
“This isn’t happening,” Lailah cried. “Please god tell me this isn’t happening.”
“Lailah, the more upset you get the stronger you glow and the worse off you get. I need you to calm down,” Hunter told her.
Lailah turned to Hunter, “Fuck you. Stop telling me to calm down. I just found out I’m glowing. GLOWING! When did this shit start?”
Hunter shook his head, “I don’t know, sweetheart. You’ve always glowed since I’ve known you. Whenever you’re upset or angry, happy, sad, any strong emotion seems to brings it out. You’ve never seen it before?”
Lailah grabbed Hunter by the front of his shirt and tried to shake him. But she might as well have been trying to move a brick wall. “I think I would have noticed if I were glowing before,” she cried. “Make it stop.”
“I don’t know how,” Hunter told her honestly.
“Oh my god.” Lailah threw her arms around Hunter. “I’m scared,” Lailah finally whispered.
Hunter wrapped his arms around her pulling Lailah in close, “I know, Lailah. I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”
“I can kick anyone’s ass, I’m an ass kicker. You get that way growing up in foster care ya know?” Lailah asked not letting go of Hunter. In fact, she hugged him tighter, she didn’t know how to fight this. “But I don’t have anyone’s ass to kick unless you count Uriel. Can I kick his ass?” Hunter snorted which she took as a no. “What if I don’t want to be an Angel?”
Hunter leaned back so he could look into her eyes, “I don’t think you have a choice here. It’s already been decided.”
Lailah blew out a breath, “That sucks,” Lailah grumbled. “You would think I would have a say in the matter.”
Hunter chuckled at the look on her face, “Well, the ball is already rolling downhill on this one, sweetheart. We can’t stop this.”
“So this really has nothing to do with Jimmy?” Lailah asked.
Something flashed in the depths of Hunters sexy gray eyes, “No none of this has to do with Jimmy,” he told her.
Lailah was about to ask him more when there was a knock on her bedroom door. Lailah laid her face against Hunter’s chest again, “I don’t want to deal with Uriel right now. I have a feeling he only has more bad news for me.”
“Lailah, Uriel only wants what’s best for you. Believe it or not he is here to protect you,” Hunter explained.
Lailah wasn’t sure if she believe him, but she pulled out of Hunters' arms, and she felt it all the way into her soul. She just needed to be comforted, and Hunter always provided that for her. It should scare the living shit out of her but it didn’t. All she wanted right now was to sit down and try to absorb everything she had been told. Her head was starting to pound, and she just wanted to lie down and take a nap despite the fact she had just gotten out of bed an hour ago. All this news was getting to her. Opening her bedroom door, she glared at Uriel.
“Yes?” she couldn’t keep the frostiness from her voice.
“Are the two of you done? You shouldn’t be alone with him,” Uriel said motioning toward Hunter.
Hunter nodded and made to leave her room. Lailah was speechless for all of five seconds.
Lailah held up her hand keeping Hunter from leaving, “Excuse me?” Lailah lobbed the question at Uriel. “And why is that?”
Uriel looked like he had swallowed something sour, “Because, you are an Angel. No, let me rephrase, you are an Arch Angel. And he is a Reaper . You shouldn’t lower yourself to his level.”
“Get out,” Lailah said to Uriel. She pointed to her front door. Lailah wasn’t sure who she surprised more. Uriel the pompous ass or Hunter, “Get out of my apartment right this second. You can’t stay here.”
Hunter crossed his arms over his large chest and she could have kissed him. And it wasn’t because she had wanted to kiss him from the moment she had met him. No it was because he looked… well he just looked surprised and pleased. It made her all warm and fuzzy.
Uriel sucked in a breath, “Excuse me?”
“Did I stutter? Get out.” Lailah grabbed him by his arm and led him toward her front door. “Hunter has done several things to keep me safe, keep me alive. Has put his life on the line to save mine. And he stays. You have done nothing, and if I remember correctly your men tried to take me by force yesterday, very rudely. So they are on my list. I choose the Reapers, specifically I chose Hunter, who by the way are a noble and needful species, Uriel. What are you? Who are you to judge?” by now Lailah was at her front door with her hand on the doorknob. “You have insulted someone I am entrusting my life with. If you are going to stay you will be working with him, with them. It’s up to you if you want to stay. At this point, I don’t give a shit. But I will say this you cannot stay in my home and insult people I chose to have here.”
Lailah looked down the hall at Hunter who was standing in the doorway of her bedroom stalk still. And there it was that warm fuzzy feeling working its way through her to make her knee’s weak.
Uriel sputtered for a second but after a moment, he nodded.
“Fine, then you will be nice a
nd civil to whomever I have in MY home. And if I have someone in my bedroom. I am a full grown woman so butt the hell out,” Lailah spat. It would have been perfect if she didn’t wobble on her feet at the end. Uriel had to reach out and grab her or she would have hit the floor.
“Lailah?” his voice was full of concern.
“See what you’ve done now?” was that her voice? It sounded so weak. “My head is pounding. Too much excitement.”
Hunter was there an instant later. And sweeping her into his arms, “Why didn’t you say something sooner?”
Lailah tried to give him a smile, “I was working my way up to it.”
“Next time start with it, and work your way around to the other stuff,” Hunter said gruffly.
“But then you wouldn’t get to play my hero again,” Lailah said letting her head fall onto his shoulder.
Hunter said something else, and Lailah was sure it was not pleasant but she was too tired and blackness swamped her. But she was okay with it because Hunter had wrapped his arms around her. And frankly, that pretty much made up for everything else that had gone wrong in the world that morning.
* * *
Hunter called for Victor and Elle as he walked Lailah back to her bed. Uriel on his heels.
“If her Guardian were here he could do something about this,” Uriel quipped giving Hunter an evil look. “He was equipped to drain her power surges, and keep her comfortable as she went through her transition.”
Hunter laid Lailah down on her bed and turned to Uriel, “Who exactly assigns Guardians?” Hunter asked. “Because there was a big fucking mistake on this one.”
“What are the two of you arguing about now?” Lailah asked. Her eyelids fluttering open.
Hunter gave her a smile, he thought she had passed out. “Thought you had left me for a moment there.”
Lailah sighed heavily, “Me too. But you two arguing apparently is too irritating even to keep me from passing out for too long.”
Hunter was about to turn around and punch Uriel in the face for waking Lailah up then Lailah repeated her question.
Uriel looked around Hunter, “Hasn’t Hunter explained about your Guardian?”
Now Hunter really was going to kill Uriel that was all there was to it. He would strangle the bastard right here, right now.
“What’s a Guardian?” Lailah asked.
“A Guardian, is a very special individual chosen by the Angels to watch over an extraordinary individual, keeping them safe until they carry out their goal in life. Mortals sometimes call them Guardian Angels,” Uriel said with reverence.
Hunter couldn’t help but snort, “What a load of shit.” Causing Uriel to glare at him.
“So I had a Guardian?” Lailah asked.
“You did,” Uriel said with a beatific smile.
“Wait for it,” Hunter said. Again Uriel glared at him, and then pushed Hunter out of the way. Hunter let him, just as Victor and Elle showed up.
“Yo, what’s the deal?” Victor asked.
“Lailah needs to be drained again, but let’s try to keep Elle on her feet this time shall we?” Hunter asked.
“Wait, I need to have what done to me? And who was my Guardian, and why isn’t he or she my Guardian anymore?” Lailah was looking around the room panicked.
Uriel looked over his shoulder with a satisfied look and Hunter just knew the Angel would paint Hunter badly in this.
“James was your Guardian.” Uriel said as if that would be the best news Lailah could have received that morning.
Lailah sat straight up, “Are you fucking with me?”
Everyone in the room froze, except for Hunter. No Hunter was watching Lailah very carefully. Because, Lailah tended to lose it and then run, so Hunter knew she was about to bolt and he didn’t want her to hurt herself. Her adrenaline may take her out of her bed but it wouldn’t take her much further than that.
Just as Hunter predicted Lailah jumped out of the bed and bolted for her bedroom door where she had left her bat when they had come in earlier. Hunter however, scooped her up. An arm wrapped around her stomach he swung her around, with her back pressed against his front.
“Hey,” Lailah screamed.
“You are sick. And aren’t going anywhere,” Hunter told her turning her back toward her bed.
Lailah’s arms and legs flailed. “I need my bat.” Lailah told him trying in vain to get out of his grasp.
“And why do you need your bat?” Hunter asked. He still held her as she continued to struggle.
“Because I need to beat some sense into Uriel, in case you haven’t realized it, the man is nuts. First the Angel thing and now the whole Guardian thing. I’m done with him, he needs to have his brain knocked around a little.” Lailah finally settled by crossing her arms over her chest resting them on Hunters forearm. “And I just need to kick someone’s ass. It will just make me feel better, I’m sure of it.”
Hunter couldn’t help it he laughed. “Yes well, we’ll work on that later. Right now your fever is getting worse.”
The back of one of Lailah’s hands flew up to her forehead, “I feel fine.” Lailah announced. “Someone should really test Uriel for traumatic brain injury, though. He has been spouting off stupid ass shit all morning. James is the worst Guardian Angel material ever conceived.”
“I agree,” Hunter told her.
Lailah finally turned and looked into Hunters' eyes and like so many times before he lost a little of himself in those emerald pools. “Why would I be punished with such a horrible Guardian Angel? Tell me it isn’t true?”
Hunter pushed past Uriel and laid Lailah back onto the bed, “I wish I could, but he was your Guardian, Lailah. I’m sorry.”
Lailah gave a long suffering sigh and crossed her arms over her chest, “Figures.”
“We all must be tested in different ways in order for us to be ready for our ultimate destiny,” Uriel said as if quoting from some book.
Lailah pushed Hunter aside and glared at the Angel, she was breathing heavy. Hunter was prepared to hold her down if she tried to bolt again, “Jimmy drugged me several times so he could take my blood did you know that, Uriel? He once sold me into a vampire coven for a sixty-five days because my blood was ‘special’. They kept me hooked up to an IV that drew my blood at intervals it almost killed me. I had to pay off Jimmy’s debts… When they finally disconnected me, they said I was lucky they were an honorable coven. An honorable coven, Uriel. Otherwise, they would have kept me isn’t that nice? How about that Uriel, what kind of test was that?” Lailah spat. “I took care of him when he overdosed which was more times than I should have. Because I should have left his ass to die. And when he didn’t steal my blood I gave it to him willingly because he needed it to save his ass from loan sharks. I bailed his ass out of jail so many times I barely kept a roof over my head. Jimmy was addicted to crack, and some Other drug he wouldn’t talk about and god only knew what else.” Lailah glared at Uriel. “You call that a Guardian, Uriel? That isn’t being tested that is being strung and wrung out. I took care of him because we grew up in foster care together and Jimmy guilt tripped me six ways from Sunday. I promised to stick by him to take care of him no matter what because he promised to do the same for me, but he never had to take care of me, never needed to take care of me. He was never capable of taking care of me, Uriel. He was work, a lot of fucking work.”
Hunter hadn’t known all the other things James had done to Lailah, and it just made him want to run him through the pits of Treachery all the more.
“He had lost his way. That was obvious,” Uriel said with a shake of his head.
“Do you honestly think a Guardian should be that lost? Especially if they are responsible for another living person?” Lailah asked. “Shouldn’t they know better?”
“They do know better,” Elle stated, stepping forward, “I’ve known several Guardians, and they all know exactly what is at stake with their Guards. So what was with this particular Guardian, Uriel?”
Uriel turned to Elle, “I do not know the full story of James,” he explained.
“Who is she?” Lailah asked Hunter.
Hunter had forgotten Lailah wouldn’t remember Elle. Hunter motioned for Elle to step forward. Elle gave Lailah one of her full watt; I’m a golden shiny demi-god smiles, and thrust out a hand, “Hello, Lailah, I am Elle and bonded to Victor. It is a great pleasure to meet you face to face.”
Lailah caught her breath when she took Elle’s hand, “You glow too, but goldish?”
Elle smiled, “I am a demi-god,” Elle explained. “That is what you are seeing.” Elle let her eyes turn a pure gold instead of the normal brown. And then she was shining with the golden hue that proclaimed her the demi-god she was.
“It’s exquisite,” Lailah admitted.
“Thank you. So is your glow,” Elle said.
Lailah shrugged, “I can’t control it the way you can.”
Elle’s eyes shown, “Ah but you will. Just give it some time. I have been a demi-god for… Well, let’s just say it has been a long time. So I know how to control it. You’re just a baby, it will definitely come with time. But right now your power is spiking, and it’s leaving you drained and sick. Let’s see what we can do about that shall we?”
“Okay?” Lailah said. But she was very leery of the entire situation.
“Here is the problem,” Elle said sitting on the side of the bed. “Your body and mind are transitioning into this new thing. You are becoming an Angel. Something that’s never before happened, most Angels are created when people die and their souls move on to become an Angel. You, however are this new earthbound Angel. Something new and amazing.” She patted Lailah on her hands which were folded on her lap. “And to become an Angel your thinking, the pathways in your mind must expand. You need to learn to think differently, on a more advanced and broader way. Most mortals use part of their brain, Others use more. You? Hmm, you most likely will use most if not all of the pathways of your brain. It is probably very painful for you to open all those pathways. Your body will need to go through just as many changes.”
Lailah held up her hand, “Why?”
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