by K J Carr
“Nica, I realize this is not the time, but…” His voice trailed off.
I mentally blocked out his voice, moving towards my car. My car. I stopped a few feet away and then turned, scanning the shadowy parking lot. I saw Marcus’s car a few rows over. I turned back and looked at my car again, my face puzzled.
“I drove your car here. I figured you would need it.”
He drove my baby? “No keys?” I turned towards him. “You hot-wired it?” My voice rose at the end of that sentence. The thought of someone pulling out my baby’s guts just made me nauseous.
He lifted a set of keys, jingling them slightly. “I borrowed them from Marcus’s office. I am not that good that I could drive it here without them.”
He smirked at me. I just stared back at him, my brain not processing.
“You touched my damn car?” Nope, not angry. Couldn’t work up that much energy. I knew my tone was mild and out of alignment with my words. But. I. Just. Couldn’t. Cope. At least my stomach had settled.
“Hey, you needed your car.” Malak pushed me gently towards the passenger side, beeping it open. “But I don’t think you can drive in your condition. I think you are on overload now, Nica.”
Well, that was the truth. Except…
I walked slowly around it, studying it as well as I could in the dim light. I saw one dent near the rear bumper and one of the rear lights looked cracked, but all in all it had survived fairly well.
I looked up at Malak. “How’s Kaitie’s car?”
He flinched. “Not so good. Marcus had it towed to the body shop to see what they can do. Candace basically tried to put her car through the passenger side of your friend’s car.”
I shivered. That could have been us. We had gotten lucky tonight. “What was she?”
Malak shrugged and pushed me back around to my passenger side. “A possessed daemon.”
I stopped and turned to look at him. “A what? And how did she end up in her car when you had taken her away?”
Malak sighed. “A daemon. And what I took away was the daemon and not really her human body.” He opened the car door, and pushed me down onto the seat. He even leaned in and fastened my seat belt over my lap, squatting to look up into my face. He touched my cheek, his hand warm.
“I’ll take you home. But we need to talk tonight. I need to provide you with more information, more explanations. The longer you stay without deciding, the more attacks there will be against you. I need to explain to you what this is all about and what exactly is at stake.”
His voice was soft but urgent. I stared at him a minute and then nodded, turning to look out the windshield.
He stood and moved to the driver’s side, his body moving gracefully. Sliding into the car, he filled it with his scent – dark chocolate and chili peppers – sinful and spicy. I inhaled, holding my breath for a minute before letting it out again.
“Why me, Malak?” I know I had asked before, but I couldn’t remember his answer.
He started the car and drove slowly towards my house. I almost thought he wouldn’t answer me.
“Because you are sixty, which is the start of the age of wisdom for humans, even if you don’t know it. Because you don’t fear death or worship it or…”
“It doesn’t bother me.” I interrupted. “I believe that energy is not destroyed when we die. And we are all energy first and foremost.”
“And people who believe like you do handle Transitioning the best, even though this is not really about death. They – you – tend to believe that there may just be something after your current body dies.”
“Current body? What do you mean? You are not dead. You are real. I can feel you and touch you.” I turned my head towards him, reaching out to touch his thigh lightly. I felt his muscles tense under my fingers. What a shame it would be if this wasn’t real!
“Yes.” He paused, slowing to a stop at a light. “Think of it like a butterfly. You shed your human aspect, in many ways, and gain your Tennin one.”
“Tennin?” I frowned.
Malak stared at me in disbelief. I quickly thought back to our conversations. Wait! Hadn’t he said something to me about this? Damn brain fog!
“Explain it to me again. I can’t remember.” I shrugged. “Brain fog. And probably shock.”
Malak shook his head.
“Tennin. That is what I am, even though when you saw me in my actual aspect, you called me an Angel – since that is how we are often portrayed. Tennin are a mixed group. I am a Kri-Tennin. Kri’s are couriers, the first point of contact, messengers. We generally look for those who would potentially handle the transition from a human. We are very good at looking – and acting — human.”
I studied his face as he pulled into my driveway, not even asking how he knew where I lived. Because…. mystical being! Duh!
“Are all Kri’s as beautiful as you?” I fumbled with my seat belt. Malak reached over and unbuckled it for me.
Still leaning into me, he looked me in the eyes. His dark eyes had small specks of gold floating in them, which mesmerized me. They flicked from one of my eyes to the other, a small smile touching his lips.
“Thank you. I generally don’t think of myself that way.” His voice was soft. I would have blushed, remembering what I had just blurted out unintentionally, but I really was too tired to even do that.
He sat back up and his smile widened. “We are all good looking, I suppose, since you humans tend to be more forthcoming with attractive people. Not quite as much as the Guardians are, though.”
He left the car and came around to open my door, helping me out. I didn’t think I needed the help, but because I was so tired and a tad sore from earlier tonight, I was thankful for it.
“Guardians?” We walked towards my door, slowly. He glanced around and then opened it with a touch.
I swear my jaw dropped to the ground. He chuckled, gently tapping my chin. “Close it or you may catch flies.”
He pulled me into the house, shutting the door. After looking over his shoulder a second, he turned and locked it. “Not the best lock, Nica. We will have to replace this with a better one.”
“Ummm…” I started to argue, but he shook his head and led me into my living room.
“Sit.” He looked around and then left to enter my kitchen. I could hear him opening cabinets and banging things around. I stood it as long as I could before stumbling to the doorway, leaning against the frame. His face was frowning as he looked around the smallish room with his hands on his hips.
“What are you looking for?”
“A tea kettle, tea, and mugs.” He glanced up at me quickly before going back to one of the upper cabinets.
I crossed my arms in front of me and smirked at him. “Tea is in the brown bag next to the blender. The kettle is in the cabinet above the refrigerator and the mugs are in the small cabinet next to the sink.”
He followed my instructions to find each, placing them on the counter. He looked from the cabinet above the refrigerator to the stove on the other side of the kitchen. Then at the mugs. And then at me. “Seriously? Who planned this kitchen?”
I shrugged. To tell you the truth, I just put things where there was space. Flour and nuts were in the refrigerator. Cookies were above the stove, as far in the back as they can be so that I had to stretch to get them. That was intentional. I had to have cookies, but I tried to make it as hard as possible for me to scarf them down the first day they came into the house. Some days it worked, others it didn’t.
I watched him fill up the kettle and put it on the stove. He then started looking through my tea “bag”, finally dumping it on the counter in frustration.
“I cannot believe…” he mumbled as he pawed through the various types. I was trying not to laugh, but it was so hard, given the fact he couldn’t find whatever type he was looking for.
I finally had to put him out of his misery. “What kind are you looking for?”
“Chamomile.” He muttered.
“N
ope, none there. Go with just regular black tea. Caffeine doesn’t affect my ability to sleep – at least not with tea. Bring milk. No sugar necessary.” With that, I turned and went back into the living room.
By the time he came into the room, I was laying on my couch, one of my feet moving in time to the soft jazz playing in the background. My eyes were closed, and I was feeling quite sleepy, but I knew I couldn’t rest until he had his say.
“Tea.” I heard the mug hit the table in front of my couch. I opened one eye and looked up at him blearily.
“Thanks.” I pulled myself up, putting my feet back on the floor and wrapped my hands around the mug. It was hot, but it also felt good since I was cold in so many ways.
“Hey, you’ll burn yourself.” He sat next to me and looked like he wanted to snatch the cup out of my hands.
“I’m good. The milk cooled things down. And this mug you used? It only conducts the warmth partially. By now, it is a nice temperature on the outside, while keeping the liquid hot inside. See?”
I pushed the cup out towards him. He touched it, a surprise coming over his face.
I laughed briefly. “It’s because I tend to want to do just this – wrap myself around the cup. After burning myself so many times, Kaitie searched for and found these mugs. She bought them for me one Christmas and it has been a game changer. I get to warm myself on the mug and she doesn’t have to take me to the emergency room.”
I blew on the tea and then took a small sip. It was still pretty hot. I went back to hunching over the steaming warmth.
“So… Guardians?” I really wanted this talk over with, so I could go to bed. My brain fog was peaking with the lack of sleep. I wasn’t sure how much of this I would retain, but I felt he needed to get some things said before he would leave me alone.
He frowned slightly. I could see him remembering my comments earlier. “We will have to do something about that brain fog, Nica,” He mumbled quietly. I just shrugged, a grimace crossing my face.
“Guardians are actually Hyrs-Tennin. They are always paired.” He paused. I wasn’t sure what emotion it was that flit across his face, but I thought it might have been pain. Curious. He continued quickly.
“The pairs are responsible for guiding Transitioners through the Transition process. If the Transitioner looks like they will fall into one of the categories of Tennin hierarchy, they will provide additional training in that area and a mentor.” His voice lacked emotion as if he was reciting a passage he had learned but not quite understood. Or perhaps, believed in?
Malak stared at me a moment, concentrating on my face. “They will be able to heal some diseases that Transitioners have if they interfere with the training. For example, you may find that your vertigo disappears, and the dizziness is less. They cannot cure cancer, but they can delay it so that it will have less impact on the person’s life.”
I perked up a little at that. “What about the brain fog and the hearing loss that I have?”
He frowned, thinking. “The brain fog will probably ease somewhat since you need to retain and use the knowledge they give you, but hearing is not necessary for training.”
“Not necessary?” Now I was confused. How was I supposed to get all this information?
Malak brushed his long hair back from his face, not looking at me. He reached out and gently touched my arm. No, not necessary.
If I hadn’t been watching his face, I wouldn’t have noticed that his lips hadn’t moved.
I slowly put the mug down on the table, afraid I would drop it. “Telepathy?” I watched him carefully.
Yes. All Tennin have the ability of mind speak, if we can touch the person we are communicating with. Some can even talk over distances, not needing physical touch. It allows us to be able to communicate easily when we are around humans, without giving ourselves away.
Okay, then. “I think it is time for me to go to bed.” I stood up quickly, regretting it in the next instance. The room was spinning, quite rapidly. I felt Malak take my arm to steady me.
“Nica.” He started urgently.
“Wait.” I closed my eyes and did some deep breathing exercises. I could feel things slow. When the whirling was minor, and it felt like I wasn’t going to decorate my rugs in some icky color, I opened my eyes again.
Malak was standing in front of me, his face only a foot or so away. I could see the laugh lines that bracketed his eyes. I realized that perhaps he wasn’t as young as I had originally thought.
Right. Two hundred years old. Definitely not young. I shook my head slightly.
Breaking from that thought, I stepped away from him. “You’re right that I don’t believe that death is an ending, and I am very happy to learn there is something more beyond it. Yes, I would love to see a bit of a remission in this disease. But right now, I have it, and stress and lack of sleep make things worse. And god knows this has been a very stressful day. I can’t think straight, let alone make a decision right now, Malak.”
He moved back, his face resigned. “I understand, Nica. Sleep. We can talk in the morning.”
I looked at him and turned towards my stairs. Reaching them, I looked back at him.
“What are you going to do tonight? Where are you going to go?”
Malak stood in the middle of my living room, looking like a dark god. His face was serious, his hands down by his side. He looked relaxed, but I could feel the tension coming off him.
“I will stay here and protect you tonight. And fix your locks.” A slight smile ghosted across his face so fast, I almost missed it.
I just couldn’t dig up enough energy to yell at him about it. Pointing a finger at him, I stated my case firmly. “Don’t break anything. Don’t make any noise. And don’t eat up all my food.”
I turned and went up the stairs, enjoying the deep laugh that boomed out from the other room.
Chapter 8
Waking up to the smell of bacon frying has got to be the best thing in the world. I wasn’t sure what else Malak may have done during the night, but going out, buying bacon and then cooking it? That would earn him at least a hug.
I got up and did my morning assessment. Ears – slightly clogged, Brain – clear this morning, Dizziness… I stood up and walked around my room. Gone for today. I smiled. This check was a daily occurrence. It told me how difficult certain tasks might be during the day.
I almost skipped down the stairs after my shower, my dark curls still damp from the water. Hitting the bottom step, I cursed. Work. Damn, I needed to call in and let them know I was taking the day off.
“Hey, Nica?” Malak called from the kitchen.
“One minute! I need to call into work.”
He peeked through the doorway. “No need. I sent an email via your laptop.” He disappeared again.
What the…??? I stomped into the kitchen. “How did you get into my computer and how did you know who to send it to?”
He stood in front of the stove, pushing the bacon around slightly in the pan as it sizzled.
“Inquiring minds want to know….” He chuckled, refusing to look at me.
“They do!” I was annoyed, and the mug of hot, black tea with milk that he pushed towards me didn’t change anything. Nope. Not at all. I was still annoyed. I picked it up, cupped between my hands, taking a deep breath of the hot steam. Then I poked him in the side.
He flinched, his eyes wide. Turning to face me, he pointed at himself. “Kri, remember?”
I rolled my eyes and took a small sip, still cautious because of the heat. “Yes, I do. I just am not exactly sure what that means with regards to your cyber-sleuthing. Explain how that means you know how to bypass the password on my computer.”
Since my tea was hot but not scalding, I took a bigger sip and hummed.
Malak shook his head in amusement and turned back to the pan, turning off the heat and moving the slices onto a paper towel-lined plate. I reached out for a slice, but he smacked my hand and then pointed at the small table that I kept in the kitchen.
“Sit.”
I only did as he asked because he had then bent to open the oven door and pull out golden, cinnamon-smelling French toast. I am not sure which was more delicious, his ass in his jeans or the breakfast. Well, since I wouldn’t be feasting on him, it had to be the food.
He brought it over with the bacon and smirked at me. Obviously, he caught me looking. I didn’t give him the pleasure of confirming that fact. After dividing up the food onto our plates, he then reached for a warm, not just out of the refrigerator, jar of syrup. Did I even have syrup in my house? I couldn’t remember when I had last bought a bottle of pure sugar into my home. No matter, it was here now. And it was real maple syrup!
“Wow. Just wow.” I was stunned. Malak grinned at me, holding out the jar.
I took it and poured a little over to the side of my French toast because for me, the syrup was for dipping into. I could feel him watching me. I handed him back the jar and then slipped 4 slices of the perfectly cooked bacon onto my plate. Picking up one, I crunched it.
“Mmmmm. My heart won’t thank you later for the bacon, nor my blood sugar for the syrup, but I am going on record to thank you now.” I beamed at him.
Malak pointed at the bacon. “Low salt bacon.” He then pointed at the syrup. “I would like to say low sugar syrup, but that stuff is crap. So, the only thing I can say is that I think that you may need to raise your blood sugar levels a little for all that you will be doing today.”
Both eyebrows shot up. “What? You can tell the future too?” I sneered.
He put a forkful of bread into his mouth and chewed slowly, making me wait.
“Nope, but with Kaitie in the hospital and the fact we still have to talk about so many things, I think you will probably be quite busy so that you will forget at least one meal today.”
“Humph!” I decided to pay attention to the plate in front of me. We ate quietly after that.
∞∞∞
Malak made short work of the dishes, while I checked my emails. Just because I wasn’t going in, didn’t mean that I could let all of those pileup. It was hell to have to wade through hundreds of junk mail for those few that were really important. Besides, I wanted to see what he had sent to my boss. Finding the message in my Sent mailbox, I was a bit disappointed, for some reason. It was basically what I would have written. Nothing to make my boss wonder if it really came from me. Not that she would have any reason to think it wasn’t.