by Vivian Wood
“There,” Kirael said, nodding toward the stairs.
“Got it.”
They headed over to the stairs, pausing when a small army of waiters passed through the room, bringing a dozen or more cases of champagne to the kitchen.
“Now,” Vesper said, after making sure the coast was clear. She took off her heels and went up the stairs, listening carefully for activity on the next floor.
She stopped cold on the landing, coming face to face with a long corridor of closed doors and an unamused blonde bridesmaid.
“You’re not supposed to be up here,” the woman said, putting a hand on her hip. “All the guest rooms are reserved for the bridal party.”
Kirael shifted forward ever so slightly, but Vesper stopped him with a hand on his forearm.
“Oh my god,” she said, taking the lead. “I’m like… soooo glad you’re here.”
“You are?” the blonde asked, looking confused.
“Yeah. Ammerie said her heels were soooo uncomfortable, and asked if I would come up and see if anyone knew where her backup flats were,” Vesper said, pulling out the lie with a flourish.
Now Kirael and the bridesmaid were looking at her skeptically.
“You know Ammerie?” the bridesmaid asked, crossing her arms.
“Childhood friends. Our dads used to work together, back before…” Vesper let her sentence drop off and waved a hand, hoping the other woman would fill in the blanks.
“Oh. Well… I can grab her shoes and take them downstairs,” the blonde said, tossing her hair. “I’m sure Ammerie doesn’t want just anyone touching her bridal trousseau.”
“Right. So… awesome. Um… I hate to ask, but is there a restroom I can use up here? All the ones downstairs are full,” Vesper bluffed.
The blonde arched a brow, then pointed. “End of the hall on the left.”
“Thanks!” Vesper said, grabbing Kirael’s wrist and towing him away from the blonde.
The bridesmaid disappeared into a room, closing the door behind her. Kirael gave a low whistle, then backtracked down the hall and motioned for Vesper to follow him up the stairs.
“Nice subterfuge back there,” Kirael said quietly as they went up.
“Thanks. If you’d believe it, lying is a regular part of my daily work.”
Kirael made an amused sound, but didn’t respond.
The third floor landing was entirely different than the second. It presented a single closed door, made of heavy dark wood, every inch of it inscribed with runic symbols. Vesper reached out, nearly touching the door, but Kirael yanked her back just in time.
The runes responded to her presence, giving off a faint blue light.
“You don’t want to touch that,” Kirael said, looking amused.
“I was kind of hoping it wouldn’t be locked,” Vesper said with a shrug.
“Well… you handled things downstairs. Fair’s fair…” he said, bringing his hand out so that his palm nearly brushed the door frame.
“I thought you said it was dangerous!” Vesper said, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth.
“Dangerous for you,” he said, focusing on the door. “I think you’ll find that there’s not much that can keep a Fallen angel out, if he wants in…”
Vesper was quiet, mulling his words over as she watched him work.
“Ah, there we go,” he said. He muttered a word in a foreign-sounding tongue, and all the runes flared blindingly bright at once.
Vesper blinked, and the runes dimmed to a subtle shimmer. Kirael reached out, and the door swung open before him.
“Quickly,” he said, rushing inside.
Vesper felt a wash of energy as she stepped into the room. The room was heavily warded with protection spells, probably ingrained in the very walls.
“Whoa…” she said, looking around. The room was large, perhaps thirty feet by thirty, with huge windows that looked down into the back yard, showcasing a moonlit magnolia in full bloom.
The serenity of the scene outside made the whole room all the more startling in its claustrophobic clutter.
Inside, each wall was lined with bookshelves, every inch crammed with a variety of texts so vast it could make some of those kids back in librarian school drool. Tables filled most of the rest of the room, barely room enough to move between them, each table covered with all manner of things. Books, dog-eared scrolls set beside quills and ink pots, a model of the solar system, a basket of withered fruit, more books.
There were little glass jars everywhere, filled with all sorts of things: pencils sharpened almost down to nubs, bits of ribbon, loose buttons, marbles, tubes of paint.
Vesper felt for all the world as though she’d just stepped into DaVinci’s workshop.
“Right. We’ve probably only got a few minutes before the spell wears off and Darren knows we’re in here,” Kirael said, looking around.
“Do you need my help looking?” Vesper asked.
Kirael was already making his way left, taking care not to disturb anything on the tables.
“I think I see them,” he said. “Don’t touch anything if you can help it. I imagine that there are a good number of enchanted objects in here.”
Vesper bit her lip and stayed put, watching as he stopped at a table that held racks upon racks of glass test tubes, each corked and labeled.
“What’s in the rest of the tubes?” she wondered.
“Most anything you can think of,” Kirael said, bending down to examine the labels. “Here we go…”
He extracted three narrow test tubes, each of which held a much smaller glass vial within.
“And hey…” Kirael reached into a flimsy cardboard box and held up two crosses. “Darren’s prepared for anything, apparently.”
Vesper smiled, but then paused. She turned toward the door. “Did you hear that?”
“What?” Kirael asked.
“Shhhhh…” she said, holding up a hand.
It took a moment, but then it came again. A very soft sound, like a mouse nibbling in the walls. Faint, but definitely not a figment of her imagination.
“I think we might have company,” she said.
The sound got louder and louder, making Vesper’s heart pound. After half a minute, it sounded almost like people were standing all around the room, pounding on the walls in a soft, insistent beat.
“What the Hell is that?” Vesper asked, swallowing.
“I don’t want to find out,” Kirael said. He stuck his hands out, palms face up, balancing the glass vials on one and the crosses on the other. Closing his eyes, he vanished them from sight.
“Nice trick. Don’t suppose you can do that to us, can you? I don’t think we’re going back through that door…” Vesper said, pointing.
The door started to glow a little, throwing strange shadows through the room.
“Suppose not,” Kirael said.
He worked his way over to the closest window, prying at the sash. Though he visibly struggled to raise it, he managed to open it fully.
“We can’t just jump!” Vesper protested. “You’d be fine, but I’d break all my bones.”
“We aren’t going to jump,” Kirael said, cocking his head. “Or rather, we are going to jump, but we’re not going to fall.”
Vesper stared at him, wondering if he’d lost his mind. “Sorry?”
“I’m an angel, Vesper. I can fly.”
She felt her mouth form a surprised oh, then blushed.
“Right. I mean, of course you can. It’s just…” she hesitated.
“I can’t exactly walk around with my wings out, can I?” Kirael said, glancing at the door. “Now come on, we’re running out of time.”
Sucking in a breath, Vesper inched her way around the tables. Kirael climbed onto the window sill and stuck his head out, then stood up. Vesper quailed, watching him hold onto the window with one hand.
“Vesper, come on. This is not the time to lose your edge,” Kirael said. “Just sit on the windowsill and I’ll carry you, oka
y?”
“Right. Okay,” she said, blowing out the breath she’d been holding. She squeezed out the window, trying not to let fear rule her thoughts.
Behind her, she heard the door splinter and fall; someone was coming for them, right on their heels.
Then she shrieked, because Kirael jumped off the house, dropping like a stone for a few seconds. Her shriek died in her throat, because the most amazing thing happened: she saw his wings for the first time.
Exploding like twin lightning bolts, his wings unfurled from his back, so beautiful they were unbelievable. Each wing was bigger than Kirael himself, a graceful arch of brilliant white feathers.
“Vesper!” Kirael said, and she could sense that someone was right behind her. “Jump!”
There was no more time to hesitate. She was just going to have to trust that Kirael wouldn’t let her fall.
Letting her eyes close, Vesper pushed off the house, wincing as she dropped. That dizzying, gut-wrenching sensation of freefall.
Then, like magic, she stopped short. Strong arms caught her; she opened her eyes to find Kirael cradling her against his chest.
For an electric second, their gazes caught and held. A thousand things were just on the tip of Vesper’s tongue, but she couldn’t manage any of them.
“Hold on,” he said, his lips twitching with sudden humor.
She felt Kirael’s body ripple as he flapped both of his wings, a mighty push that shot them skyward. Vesper made a sound, half terror and half glee, and the world fell away beneath them.
“Can I…” she asked, looking up at his wings. “Can I touch?”
Kirael glanced down at her for a moment, his brow hunching. “Maybe later. My wings are very sensitive to touch. It would be… distracting.”
The tone of his voice made her even more curious, but she held her tongue. She watched him as he worked. He was all effortless power as he carried them off into the night, his stunningly white wings outlined against the darkened sky.
Growing overwhelmed, she closed her eyes and rested her cheek against Kirael’s neck. Sucking in a big lungful of his scent, she tried not to sigh like a smitten school girl.
Enjoy the moment for what it is, don’t look for more than that, she told herself.
After all, how many chances would she get to be carried off into the sunset by a Fallen angel?
14
Kirael
Flying with Vesper in his arms was a strange experience for Kirael. On one hand, all he could think about was how incredibly fragile she was, how if anything happened, if he made a single mistake, it would be fatal.
On the other hand, despite the fact he was fairly certain that some of Darren’s mages were tracking them across the city, Kirael was enjoying the moment. It was perverse, but feeling Vesper’s soft curves pressed against him, the calm and trusting look on her face…
For the first time in memory, Kirael was glad that he was Fallen. Angels were awe-inspiring creatures, but their rigid purity of being kept them from many things. Everything was very black and white for them, nothing in between.
Complex emotions, like the guilty pleasure Kirael felt as he held Vesper close… angels couldn’t experience that. Nor did they have enough empathy to truly engage with humans.
Especially humans as perplexing as Vesper. Tough as nails, but willing to lay down her life and literally walk into Hell for her sister. Beautiful, but utterly uninterested in her own looks. Brave, even in the face of deep-seated doubts.
Then there was the effect she had on Kirael… it seemed that, of late, every single time he saw her he felt…
Well, he longed. That was a feeling he’d never experienced for a person — the only real longing he’d ever felt was his desire to return to Heaven, to undo the damage he’d wrought.
If he were feeling especially honest, he might be able to admit that the sense of longing he felt for Heaven was mostly regret, mixed with an unspeakable guilt.
When he looked at Vesper, his longing was… complicated. His body tensed when he got a whiff of her scent. His stomach turned over when she gave him one of her rare smiles. She’d been on his mind the last few days, without a doubt.
She was unique; perhaps that was the sum of his restless curiosity.
Still, he didn’t hesitate to take his time losing their pursuers, spend a little longer with Vesper in his arms. At some point, she seemed to lapse into sleep, or at least grow quiet and still.
He took her up as far as her need for oxygen allowed, flew her way out toward the Louisiana coast before spiraling back in towards New Orleans.
He told himself that he was just being cautious, that a few extra wide circles around the city would be prudent.
Nothing more than that. He was Fallen, she was a highly independent human with a messy, busy life. There could be no more than that, except perhaps the most occasional moments of friendship.
Fool, a voice in his head sounded. This is a path you cannot travel.
Pushing the whole matter from his thoughts, Kirael slowly descended toward the French Quarter. Vesper stirred moments before he touched down in the alley beside his house.
He tucked his wings in, sadly vanishing them.
Vesper stretched and blinked at the place where his wings were before, then stared up at him for a few moments. “We’re back?”
“That we are.”
Kirael set her on her feet, steadying her when she wobbled for a moment. She made a frustrated sound.
“I think my right foot fell asleep,” she said, shaking her bare foot.
“Will you live?” Kirael asked. The joke slipped from his mouth before he thought better of it, surprising them both.
“I…” Vesper said, then laughed. “Yes, I guess I will.”
She moved toward the main street, clearly trying to determine their location.
“We’re next to my place,” Kirael said, nodding toward his apartment. “Darren sent some of his people to follow us. I’m fairly sure I lost them, but… it probably wouldn’t hurt to lay low here for a while.”
“Oh yeah?” she said, arching a brow.
“Unless your apartment is also warded with a spell of secrecy,” Kirael said, suppressing the urge to roll his eyes. “Must you make everything difficult?”
A strange look flashed on Vesper’s face, something close to hurt. “No. I’m just trying to be practical.”
“Come on, then,” Kirael said, walking over to the side entrance of his apartment. “If you’ll lend me your keys, I’ll have someone go pick up some clothes and things for you.”
“No! No,” Vesper said, shaking her head. “I’ll have my coworker drop some stuff off.”
He pressed his fingertips against a flat black electronic screen to the left of the door. After a moment, a buzzer sounded and the door opened with a mechanical whirr.
“Fancy,” he heard Vesper mutter as he opened the door and motioned her inside.
“Not my doing,” he said with a shrug. “After you.”
He followed her up the two flights of stairs, then opened the second security door by typing a ten-digit numerical passcode into another electronic pad.
Once they stepped into his apartment, Kirael realized his mistake. There was nothing to do in his apartment. He had a two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, living room, and personal gym. Plenty for him, but…
He’d never entertained a guest here before, unless he counted Mere Marie’s random appearances. In fact, the moment he brought Vesper here before was the first time he’d ever allowed anyone in his home.
Vesper didn’t notice his discomfort, making her way into his kitchen without a moment’s hesitation.
“Where are the glasses?” she asked, opening a cabinet at random.
“Left of the sink,” he said.
Vesper poured herself a glass of water, then took a long drink. Turning to face him, she leaned against his kitchen counter. “Now what?”
“That wasn’t enough excitement for you?” he asked, am
used.
“I didn’t ask you to juggle,” she fired back, but he noticed a sparkle of humor in her eyes. “I meant that we should sit down and plot out our next few moves, get ahead of the curve.”
“Tomorrow,” he said with a shrug. “Tonight, I plan to have a glass of expensive whisky and then rest.”
Maybe two glasses of whisky, to make sure he didn’t toss and turn and try to suss out the mystery of Vesper tonight.
“That actually sounds pretty good,” she said, finishing her water and returning to the sink for a second glass.
“Right this way,” he said, leading her into the living room.
Vesper dropped onto one end of the couch. Kirael felt her eyes on his back as he moved to the side board where he kept his small stash of fine whiskeys, pouring two glasses.
When he handed her a glass, she set her water aside and rose, taking a sip. For a long moment, there was palpable tension in the air.
Another first; Kirael couldn’t remember ever feeling awkward around someone before.
Vesper walked over to examine the two racks of DVDs that hung on the wall beside his flat screen TV. After a second, she made an amused sound.
“The Dresden Files, huh?” she asked.
“Are you a fan?” he asked, taking a seat on the couch.
“I like the show,” she said with a shrug. “Since he’s sort of supposed to be in our world, it feels a little silly.” She paused, “Then again, I watch Buffy, so…”
“I don’t know what that is,” he said.
Her immediate look of horror almost made him laugh out loud.
“You’ve never seen Buffy the Vampire Slayer?” she asked, like he’d just admitted to killing puppies for fun.
“I have not.”
“Oh man,” she said, giving her head a disbelieving shake. “Do you have Netflix?”
“I don’t know.”
“Where’s the remote?” she asked, growing impatient.
Retrieving it from the table beside him, he handed it over. Vesper had the whole thing set up in very short order, explaining the whole thing to him. Most of it went over his head, but he didn’t mind.