by S S Bazinet
Michael walked over and stared out the window too. “How do you feel about everything now that you’re here?”
“The weather isn’t helping, but I’m used to gloom. It’s Rolphe’s mind that bothers me.”
“You’re able to tap in?”
“Yes. He’s wide open. I guess he’s not used to dealing with someone with abilities like mine. And I don’t think he has to. I feel like he’s a loner for the most part.”
“What bothers you about him?”
“He has a hell of an attitude. There was passionate rage behind William’s kills. For this guy, it’s a job.” He rubbed his temples. “He’s also depressing.”
“How so?”
“I think he’s been around for a long time, a lot longer than Will or myself. He’s still living in the past. I thought my background was dark, but he’s seen a lot of misery.”
“That doesn’t make him less dangerous.”
“No, just the opposite. He soldiers on, burying the pain, and doing whatever it takes to protect himself. Thank goodness I’m here. William’s too preoccupied right now. He would have never seen the guy coming.”
Michael frowned. “You’re still monitoring William’s thoughts? You said—”
“I know what I said, but with this killer on the loose, I have to keep an eye on what Will is doing. What if he goes out and this Rolphe guy is waiting?” He crossed his arms and walked over to a chair to sit down. “But Will doesn’t have to worry. I’ll be at the place where they were going to meet originally. I copied the address off of the email that William sent him.”
“You looked through his email?”
Arel narrowed his gaze and scowled. “You know I did. You know everything. We only have these conversations so you can bug me.”
“Not true. You asked me not to invade your privacy. Would you like to change that instruction so I can be that partner you talked about?”
“Fine, but I doubt that you’ll discover much of interest. There’s not much rattling around in my head right now, except what I can do to protect William.”
“And what about you? How do you plan on protecting yourself?”
Arel examined a small scratch in the dark-walnut arm of the chair. “That’s where the partner part comes in. You’ll take care of me, right?”
“I think you need a better plan. What if something happens and you end up shutting me out again? You have a way of throwing up your shields—”
“Michael, listen to me. As I told you before, I don’t want this maniac to kill me. I’ve allowed him to feel my presence here in London, but when we actually meet, the only shields I’ll be using are with him. I’ll have to keep him out of my head, but I have no desire to shut you out again.”
“And what if you panic? Or what if you have a hidden agenda? You were completely unaware in New York.”
“Why would you ask that?”
“Because a block is already there. A part of you refuses to allow me access.”
Arel’s mouth went dry. “I don’t want that. I swear I don’t.”
“I know that’s how you feel on the surface, but deep down a part of you is hiding something.”
“But why? Do you have any ideas?”
“One thought comes to mind. Rolphe is the one who’s ultimately responsible for what happened to William and then to you. You’ve had a lot of anger connected to that situation. You had your revenge with William. Perhaps you have hidden plans for Rolphe.”
* * * * *
William observed Wolfie’s steady breath as the tiny animal lay asleep in his hand. His man to mouse communication skills were improving rapidly. It was a small, but satisfying feat to sooth the little rodent’s active mind with his own, to watch small beady eyes go dreamy with drowsiness. He wasn’t just a baby whisperer, he was a mouse whisperer as well.
“Looks like you’re using what we’ve been discussing,” Raphael said as he appeared next to the mouse cage.
William looked up and smiled back. Raphael had been advising him on the use of his gifts. “You’ve been helpful. I appreciate it.”
“You’re a quick study. You have a natural talent when you interact with living things.”
William fingered Wolfie’s tiny paw, examining the delicate nature of the little beast. “I suppose you’re right. Arel used to tell me I could charm a nun out of her rosary with one look. But I never tested the theory. I was never interested in nuns or rosaries.”
“But I think you’re interested in Annabel.”
“Yes, well, I’ve given it some thought.”
“Can I be of any assistance?”
William smiled as the sleeping Wolfie batted at his whiskers. What did mice dream about? A field of ripening seed? Finally, he looked up at Raphael. “What’s your idea of people and love?”
“Love? Many times it’s a most misinterpreted subject. It probably has as many meanings as there are people.”
“I don’t care about that. What is the ideal love that two people can share?”
“I’m probably not the one to answer such a question. As Arel pointed out, I don’t think like a human.”
“But I thought that angels are known for being loving.”
“Of course, but I have a very different take on life and people. Take you for instance, I don’t think in terms of your personality or your perceptions. I see you from a different vantage point. You’re a unique facet of the All, the Creator if you prefer.”
“Sounds pretty boring. Everyone is just a nice snowflake that you have to appreciate, right?”
A broad smile creased Raphael’s face. “Not exactly. You’re a creative being with all the potential that a divine facet embodies. It’s wonderful to see you live up to that potential. I’m cheering you on, so to speak, like a friend. You see, in some ways, we are the best of friends, but you’ve forgotten that. It’s part of becoming human.”
“And how far does that friendship extend?”
“I’ll do whatever I can to help you remember yourself.”
“And what do you get out of it?”
“Don’t you like seeing a friend find his way back to happiness?” Raphael pulled out a seat and sat down by the table. “But I’m already blissful in my perception of reality. I don’t have to find my way back. I know who I am.”
“I see.” William stood up and carried Wolf to his cage. Before placing him inside, he used a piece of dried apple like smelling salts and the mouse came to life. Stretching and sniffing simultaneously, it only took a moment before Wolf snatched the delicacy with his tiny paws. After he was in the cage, Squeaky and Whiskers rushed forward to examine his treat. There was a bit of a scuffle until the two other mice got treats of their own. When peace was restored, William shut and locked the cage door. He turned back to the angel. “And when I remember who I really am, do I become one of you? Because that doesn’t sound very appealing.”
“Of course it doesn’t, and it shouldn’t. You have a different agenda. People are typically bolder souls who love to push the boundaries, so to speak. They create situations that we angels sometimes find a bit extreme. However it’s because of your boldness that the Creator can experience something new and expanded. Take love for instance. As I said, your version and mine are different. I’m sure you find your version much more appealing. You enjoy picking and choosing who you’ll love. You have a set of criteria for desiring another human being.”
“I have to. I don’t want to end up with someone who’ll sap the life out of me.”
“Nice choice of words,” Raphael chuckled. “There’s some wisdom there, but the only way someone can take something from you is if you forget who you are or you try to change your pure essence to accommodate someone else.”
“Don’t worry,” William snorted, “I’m not planning on anything of the sort.”
“Good, but be careful. Falling in love can make you do things you’ll later regret.”
“Am I hearing you correctly? Are you discouraging me from the idea of lovin
g someone.”
“Perhaps I’m not making myself clear. For me, love is a constant. Nothing you do can change my love for you, nor diminish the love I have for who I am. Your definition often deviates from that concept. Words like sacrifice come into play. I never sacrifice because I never have anything to lose. I can never forget my magnificence. Unfortunately, most people never even know how amazing they are to start with.”
William lifted his chin and gave Raphael a winsome smile. “Well then, I suppose we share more than I thought. I’ve always known I was splendid.
* * * * *
Annabel stood at the top of the stairs, listening to the conversation between William and Raphael. William’s comment made her smile. She thought he was splendid too. Perhaps that’s why she’d been tempted to give up her wings. He wasn’t an ordinary man. Raphael spoke about how humanity had forgotten so much about who they were. William had never totally lost himself. He had the capacity to embrace so much of life, even small creatures like the mice. When he looked at her, he was ready to embrace her. But unlike many men who looked at women, William didn’t want to possess her. He wanted her as a partner. He didn’t want to change her. He wanted her to expand the adventure that he made out of life.
Maybe I still want that adventure too.
The thought surprised her. She had convinced herself that a decision had been made in favor of staying an angel. Yet, she was eavesdropping on a private conversation for personal reasons. That wasn’t exactly angelic. And when she passed the hall mirror, she was smiling, not because of some serene inner peace. She was smiling because William’s recent comments were swirling around in her mind. He’d said so many sweet, complimentary things to her lately. She hadn’t wanted to acknowledge it, but she’d enjoyed every one, not as an angel, but as a possible future partner for William.
Oh my, I’ve been deceiving myself!
Fifty-Nine
ROLPHE MOVED QUICKLY along the ill-lit street. He’d chosen not to get a cab. He needed to prepare his mind for what he was going to do. A sudden shower was making his walk more miserable. Rain came down in sheets that splattered the pavement and soaked his trousers. His jacket wasn’t doing a good job of repelling the wet either, but he’d forgotten to bring along an umbrella. He cursed softly. He’d never wanted to come to London in the first place. Now the lousy weather was an added depressing ingredient to the situation he was in, hunting down two men who should never have made themselves known. He wanted to go home, back to Myra’s bed. He kept thinking about how much the woman meant to him. He fingered the gun in his pocket, wishing that things could be different between them. Why couldn’t they have a normal life and just love each other like any man and woman? But he wasn’t just any man, and he certainly wasn’t normal. He tried to forget that fact when he slipped into Myra’s life for those close moments of intimacy. It felt so good to feel her against him, nestled in his arms. The beautiful woman was all kindness and soft heart. How could he go back to her and pretend he’d been away on a business trip? How could he terminate two lives and go on as if nothing had happened?
I have no choice. I have to do this thing.
He swiped the rain out of his eyes and hunkered down to his task. He had to stay focused. Like the soldier he’d been in his youth, he had a responsibility to do what was called for. The thought made him quicken his pace. After he’d gone a couple of blocks, he glanced up at a street sign and knew he was very close to his destination.
Damn, I hope William and his friend are at the pub. I need to finish this thing once and for all.
He stood very still and scanned for a familiar energy. His effort resulted in a sigh. William wasn’t anywhere near. Yet, his bones told him not to give up. He sensed that this was a special night, and that he was sure to find at least one of his targets if he remained patient. When he arrived at a little pub, the original meeting place that William had suggested, he even smiled. The dimly lit tavern felt very familiar. Rolphe had seen the place in a recent vision. He made his way past a few tables. Customers were talking and enjoying their drinks. When he found a corner table near the back, he sat down. From his location, he had a clear view of anyone coming in or exiting. As he sat quietly, he felt his body start to tingle with anticipation. It told him that he didn’t have much longer to wait.
“So this is the night,” he said trying to smile as he realized that victory would soon be his. But he couldn’t manage any happiness. A part of him was so ready to execute his plan. Another part was saddened by it all. He’d long ago lost his lust for killing. The anger and rage of losing his family had finally been extinguished by sheer exhaustion. Negative emotions weren’t his natural way. He had once loved life because his desire was to experience joy, not pain. When he’d become a vampire, a part of him had fought the need to satisfy himself at the expense of another. In the end, the battle between his terrible creature needs and his true nature had ended in a truce. He drank the blood, but it was purchased. He channeled the rest of the feelings through his music, his art, and even his physical regime of working out every day.
“Perhaps it was the women who saved me,” Rolphe mused as he swirled the contents of his glass with his large, powerful hand. “How can you be unchanged when they hold you to their breasts, when you experience their softness, their nurturing natures?”
Sometimes he even questioned his masculinity. He could feel so much of his feminine side in his art and when he’d had a family. How he had loved his children! When they were babies, he’d kissed every toe. Later, when they fell and hurt themselves, he was faster in rescuing them than his wife. He’d kissed their scraped knees. He’d kissed away their pain. That was his true nature.
Fresh tears cascaded down his face just thinking about it all. Yet his boys had been dead for so long. Why were their memories still like branding irons on his heart? He didn’t understand it. Their bones were long in the ground, yet he could still see his children so vividly. In his mind’s eye, they still had rosy cheeks and blameless smiles.
He wiped his eyes with a quick swipe and reminded himself of why he was in London, in this little pub. “Pull yourself together,” he whispered to himself. Looking up, his glistening eyes caught sight of someone who had entered the pub. It wasn’t William. It was the other man, the one Rolphe had seen in his vision.
Rolphe sat up very slowly. He stared at his prey and almost cried again. “He’s beautiful,” he sighed quietly. A little shorter than William, this man was pale skinned with dark, thick, wavy hair. He had classic features that included the most incredible eyes that Rolphe had ever seen. “They’re like dark, liquid gold,” he gasped. When the man moved, he displayed an elegant grace that told Rolphe he was from a noble line of humankind. Yet there was also power under the cover of gentility. It radiated out from him, as if it wanted to clear a space for the extraordinary being that he was.
Rolphe knew that most people wouldn’t notice this man. But Rolphe had the heart of an artist. He observed the flower growing in the crack of the sidewalk. He was aware of the exquisite bird that landed on a branch outside his bedroom window. He also had heightened psychic senses that told him when someone was very special.
“Dammit, I have to get some other perspective if I’m going to snuff him out.” Rolphe shut his eyes, trying to rein in his feelings. He had to pause and think about something other than the amazing being he’d just observed. He had to close down his artist’s heart. When he’d finally accomplished his goal and looked at the man again, he felt something that he’d missed. The man had Rolphe’s tainted blood, or at least Rolphe thought he did. The only thing that he knew for sure was that there was a definite connection between them. “Just as I thought, you’re linked to me,” he mused.
A group at a nearby table were getting up and putting on their coats. Since Rolphe entered the tavern, many of the patrons had left. The place was almost empty. Even the bartender had disappeared into the back. Rolphe quickly stood and joined the people who were headed for the door
. Lowering his head, he hoped he wouldn’t be noticed. Once outside, he moved into the shadows of the alley next to the pub. He’d wait there for his chance to finish what he’d come for. He put his hand in his pocket and made sure that his revolver was ready.
* * * * *
Michael remained in angelic form as he observed Arel. The rain had stopped and his friend was making his way to a pub. It was the place Arel believed he would meet the man who wanted to kill William and him. Thankfully Arel wasn’t shutting Michael out. In fact, Arel was silently communicating his thoughts, steadfastly informing Michael that he intended to stick to the plan. Michael readied himself for the unexpected. It was becoming the norm whenever Arel had deep convictions about something he should do.
Arel, the man you’re looking for has already arrived and is waiting for you inside the establishment. He’s sitting at a table in the back.
Arel replied telepathically.
Yes, I know. I could feel his presence growing stronger as I got closer to the place.
Are you sure that you’re ready for what might happen?
I think so. In fact, I feel quite calm. Anyway, I’m going into the pub now and hopefully the situation will be resolved very soon.
Michael’s form pulsed more energetically.
Are you sure you’re not aware of any hidden agendas?
Arel’s answer was filled with conviction.
I swear, Michael, I simply want to let this guy know that he isn’t going to be allowed to harm William. Period. Besides, what’s the worst that can happen? I’ll die and join you guys on the other side.
Michael watched Arel take a seat in the pub.
Arel, please, don’t talk about dying.
Why? Your kind seem happy, and William was thrilled on the other side.