But now the dust had settled a bit. I finally was getting used to the fact that I was an angel with wings, and trying to get back into my routine. Only, now I was a bit less cautious, and a little more willing to try new things. And after a few not-so-subtle hints from Stephanie, I finally made time to introduce her to Kimmie and Courtney. Now we were all seated at my dining room table eating grilled food and playing cards. We all were hitting the wine pretty heavily, and really enjoying ourselves. That was, until there was a pounding on the front door.
“Did you invite someone else?” Stephanie asked in confusion. She knew I didn’t have any other friends, and I loathed my coworkers.
“No. Who else would I invite?” I asked as I pushed my chair back and stood up.
Stephanie shrugged and took another sip of her wine. I shook my head, smiling at her and made my way to the front door. Another knock sounded before I twisted the lock and pulled the door open. The person waiting for me on the other side had my breath catching.
“Alistair,” I breathed. “Wh-what are you doing here?”
“May I come in?” he asked, surprising me. Considering the last time he was there he barged in like he owned the place, I wasn’t expecting him to ask.
I took a step back, allowing him to enter my home, and shut the door behind him. His scent assaulted my nose, one I hadn’t noticed before. He smelled like citrus, one of my favorite scents, and I took another quick sniff before stepping back.
“What are you doing here?” I asked again, crossing my arms over my chest.
“I needed to see if you were okay.”
“That’s rich considering you took off like a bat out of hell the last time we were in the same room together.”
Alistair furrowed a brow at me. “I had to leave. Gabriel’s soul was trying to take over my body, so I had to dispose of it quickly.”
I felt stupid. “Oh. What did you do with it? Did you take it to the other realm?”
Alistair shook his head. “No, much worse. I expelled it in a blessed box and buried it on sacred grounds. In doing so, he is bound to that enclosed space for all eternity instead of being free to walk amongst the other tainted souls. He will forever be alone.”
A shiver went down my spine. “That sounds…awful.”
“It is. And what he deserves.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about Zachariah? You used me.”
Alistair sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I didn’t lie to you. I lied to Gabriel.”
“What?”
“Zachariah and Krieger aren’t enemies. In fact, they are together and in love with each other. I knew telling Gabriel that Krieger was after my brother he’d offer an exchange. He needed to be stopped, Carson, and that’s the only way I knew how to do it.”
“Then why did he take the girls?”
“Incentive, I suppose. He was an evil man.”
“But, you left me.”
“I had to. Your powers were stirring, but you needed that final push. If I was there with you, that wouldn’t have happened.”
What he said made sense, and I was so freaking glad he was okay, but I was also angry at him. He stayed away for weeks while I worried if he was okay or not. What kind of asshole does that?
“Why’d you stay away so long? You could’ve at least told me you were okay.”
“It takes a lot out of me to rid the body of a soul. Sometimes it takes a few hours, other times it can take days. It all depends on how tainted the soul is. Gabriel took weeks.”
“That bad, huh?”
“Very. But Gabriel isn’t why I’m here.”
“Oh?”
“No. Actually, I came to see if you’d like to, uh, go out sometime? Maybe get coffee or something to eat?”
Both of my eyebrows shot up. “Did you just ask me out?”
“I believe I did.”
“If you don’t take him up on his offer, I’ll go out with him!” Stephanie shouted from the kitchen.
A bubble of laughter left my throat as I shyly glanced back at Alistair. With my cheeks burning, I jerked my head up and down in a quick nod. Alistair smiled at me, then. The first real smile I’d ever seen from him, and it was directed right at me. The smile was beautiful and took my breath away. Alistair stepped closer to me, and I held my breath as I waited anxiously to see what he was going to do next. He was taller than me, bulkier and broader, and I felt small standing next to him. He bent down a little, and I closed my eyes in anticipation, before I felt his soft lips briefly touch my forehead.
My heart sighed and I nearly melted at the touch. Forehead kisses were my favorite thing in the world, and I felt my body tingle. If I reacted so strongly to a mere kiss on the forehead, I could only imagine how it’d be once we actually touched lips.
“Come on,” I told him after he pulled back, and I opened my eyes.
“Where are we going?”
“I want to properly introduce you to my family.”
Alistair reached over and grabbed my hand. Another tingle shot down my spine when our palms touched, and I knew it was a feeling I’d experience a lot but never get used to. As I pulled Alistair to the kitchen where my family waited, my smile never left my face. Alistair and I might have gotten off on the wrong foot, and met under the strangest circumstances, but considering how my life was now, I wouldn’t have changed a thing. He might have pissed me off and wasn’t forthcoming during certain times, but he saved me. He saved my friends. And I knew that he was going to be a permanent fixture in my life. Yes, Alistair was a fallen angel who captured tainted souls, but he wasn’t that to me. He was my dark savior.
The End
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Acknowledgements:
Many thanks to all of you who took the time to read this novella. Fated Heroes is a very special book to me since it was the first one I ever published independently. I sincerely hope you enjoyed reading about Carson and Alistair.
Also a huge thank you goes to Michele and Stephanie for asking me to be a part of the Spookfest. Without their encouragement, Dark Saviors would have never been written, or published.
About the Author:
Brittany was born in Enterprise, Alabama and moved to a small town in Indiana. During her free time she loves to read amazing books, spoil her puppy, Delilah, watch mindless television, and spend time with family and loved ones. When not doing any of those fun things, she works at a hospital as a switchboard operator.
Other work by Brittany Cournoyer:
Fated Heroes: The Consequence of Destiny Book 1
http://mybook.to/FatedHeroes
Teaching Tenderness: Forever in Middlebury Book 1
mybook.to/TeachingTenderness
Teaching Trust: Forever in Middlebury Book 2
mybook.to/TeachingTrust
Teaching Truthfulness: Forever in Middlebury Book 3
mybook.to/Teachingtruthfulness
Vow of Protection: Personal Protectors Book 1
mybook.to/VOP
Dark Saviors: The Consequence of Destiny Novella Page 6
