Fire and Fantasy: A Limited Edition Collection of Urban and Epic Fantasy

by CK Dawn

  “Well, I’m only human...sort of.” Cassie thought it over, then nodded. “I’ll do my best. I’m assuming it would be in my interest not to attract much attention to myself?”

  “Smart girl.” A shadow of a smile ghosted across his face. “Just stay here and if there’s something I need you to do, please do it without question.”

  Cassie had a strong urge to salute and shout, “Yes, sir.” She stifled it, obeying the quiet that enfolded her.

  Gabe went back to the water’s edge and peered up at the night sky. Clouds covered most of the stars and the moon hid too. No sounds of life. No sounds of any kind. Like the vision. Her insides reeled and panic seized her. The quiet turned oppressive. Maybe, I’ve gone deaf. She coughed a little just to hear something and prove she still had her sense intact. Gabe glared at her, but she grinned back at him with an innocent wave.

  After the hush fell upon the area again, Gabe began to speak. She had to strain to catch his words. They were foreign to her and yet somehow familiar. The words sounded magical, ancient, like the Earth itself. He kept going without a pause, as if he wasn’t even drawing in breaths.

  Since Cassie had first met Gabe, she’d begun to recognize the signs of energy accompanying the supernatural: quiet, stillness, currents. All of it surrounded her now. The force hummed like electricity in the air. She strained her eyes, imaging she could almost see the sparks. Then, all of a sudden, she did. Actual white sparks flew in the darkness. The mirror of the lake, so smooth and calm before, twisted with ripples covering its surface. The little tree, standing by the stone where she sat, bent as if a strong invisible wind had it in its grasp. A crackle strummed the unseen. The tree exploded like a lightning strike hit it straight on. She screamed and leapt off the stone.

  Only then did she realize Gabe wasn’t speaking the mystic words anymore. He stood rigid, a few feet away from her, as if in a trance. Waves of powerful energy emanated off him in shades of blue ranging from the light hue of an open sunny sky to the midnight tint of the ocean’s depths. Cassie ceased to breathe. She had never witnessed anything so beautiful and terrifying at the same time. If she had any lingering doubts about the supernatural, she let them go.

  Still lost in the sight before her, she didn’t notice at first the light spreading through the clearing. Now she watched as it became brighter. The flare threatened to blind her. Great, first I think I’m going deaf, now I’m about to go blind. As soon as the thought passed, the light dimmed and people appeared in the clearing. Well, not people. More like…beings.

  Five of them stood motionless, dressed in crisp white loose pants and shirts. Cassie couldn’t begin to guess the material. Four males. One female. All beautiful. No, not beautiful. Ethereal. The men had plain short-cropped hair. Nothing special. But the woman’s hair, on the other hand, cascaded down her back. Golden waves flowed to her knees.

  “Gabe,” said the woman.

  Gabe narrowed his eyes at the female. “Ariel.”

  I wonder if she was his lover. I wonder if they can be lovers up there. Cassie shifted her weight between her feet, then sagged to one side. Oh, what’s wrong with me.

  “Why have you called us?” Ariel asked.

  Gabe seemed to consider the question, inclining his head. He glanced back at Cassie. His eyes grew brighter as he stared at her, as if too much light resonated from their depths. He turned away, the golden color lingering in Cassie’s mind.

  “I’m in need of assistance with my mission,” he said to Ariel. “I need answers.”

  “And you think we should be helping you? You, who are a fallen? You, who left the Light?” Ariel said. Gentleness alone in her voice, no contempt or anger, perhaps a twinge of sadness. “You, who deny us?”

  “I’m on the path of finding redemption and returning to the Light, Ariel. You know this.” Gabe’s limbs straightened and he leaned forward, a predatory posture.

  One of the men stepped forward from the outer circle. “We can only tell you what’s good for the Light. You will have to make your own choices though, Gabe. Earth and free will are bound to your fall.”

  “I understand, Remiel. I wouldn’t ask to communicate with you in this way if I didn’t have a choice.”

  “So be it.” Remiel waved his hand, one finger extended with a flourish.

  Ariel raised her flawless arms in Gabe’s direction. “Tell us what you need to know.”

  Cassie’s ears perked up as she listened. Gabe recounted how he had found out she was a Key and, more so, the Key from the prophecy.

  The angels remained stoic, no emotion showing on their faces. Cassie could have sworn they were zoned out or sleeping with their eyes open. So much for a human reaction. She rubbed her arms through the dense fabric of her windbreaker and sweater.

  When Gabe finished, Remiel looked at her. “Yes, I can feel the power in this one.” The angel’s coldness made her flinch.

  Cassie knew she stay quiet but something in her wanted to gain a sense of normalcy in this bizarre scene. The urge to assert her presence rose to the forefront.

  “It’s Cassie,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

  Gabe inhaled and tensed. His jaw clicked. “Cassie, please be quiet,” he said just as softly but in a voice allowing for no arguments.

  “A feisty Key,” Ariel said.

  Cassie’s patience broke. You might be some all powerful supernatural being, she thought to herself, wisely now. But I bet I can still take you. The rage rose, then fell in a flash. It surprised her to learn it was hard to stay mad at Ariel. She must be influencing me somehow.

  The tension in the air floated through the trees, the rocks, and those assembled, almost palpable in its force. A hush fell amongst them. Ariel stepped forward claiming the floor once more. With no further preamble she said evenly, “This Key is too dangerous to the Light.” She pointed at Cassie without a trace of pity. “She must not be allowed to live.”

  Thirteen

  Cassie rocked on her heels. She couldn’t have heard right. An angel can’t want me dead. Her mind rallied against the shock. This is just a bad dream. It has to be. The air passed through her lungs in slow breaths as she fought the tide of nausea and struggled for control. Breathe. Oxygen, air. You remember how to do it. The pit in her stomach refused to subside.

  “What are you talking about Ariel?” Gabe let out a low growl between gritted teeth. The difference between the fallen and the angel became clear. Gabe’s far more human reaction showed in stark contrast to the detached attitudes of the angels. They remained calm as they proclaimed the need for her death.

  Remiel answered in place of Ariel, his voice soothing. “Gabe, you must see this. She is but one mortal in the grand scheme of things. Her abilities are far too dangerous. No creature should be granted that much control. The events unfolding when she comes into her full power could lead to a global disaster. If demons get to her, if she chooses the wrong side, it may be all over.”

  Gabe’s fury blazed. The electric blue energy vibrated with sharp pulses around his body.

  “You want me to redeem myself. You want me to return to the Light. Yet, what you’re asking of me is to kill an innocent I have sworn to protect? This must be a joke.” Gabe’s words remained sharp, on the razor’s edge of losing control.

  Cassie could take no more. She knew it was foolish but she couldn’t allow these creatures to talk over her, deciding her fate like they were determining what to eat for their next meal.

  Mustering her courage, she said, “Excuse me.”

  “Cassie, silence,” Gabe said, flashing his eyes wide in warning.

  “No, Gabe. I’m sorry but I have to speak up here. You’re talking about my life, for God’s sake!” Her voice broke and she winced at the show of weakness.

  “Let the Key say what she wants,” Ariel said, beaming at Cassie the way someone would at an unruly kitten. The mockery gave Cassie the boldness she needed.

  “Oh, thank you.” Cassie hoped the dripping sarcasm wasn’t lost
on the angels. “If I’m such a powerful Key, if everyone wants me so much, why doesn’t anyone give me credit for choosing to do the right thing? After all, we mortals do have free will.”

  “You are too unpredictable.” The female angel kept her voice calming, as if soothing a child. “You are right. You have the free will to choose the right side. You also have the free will to choose the wrong side. We cannot trust you. Not in matters of such importance.”

  “Aren’t you supposed to be serving the Light?” She shifted her weight to her heels trying not to crumble under the pressure. The ground felt solid under her feet even as she swayed. “When did killing a person become good for the Light?”

  “When it is for the good of all humanity, as well as the cause of the Light,” Ariel said deadpan. She turned once more, giving Cassie her back and dismissing her altogether. “Gabe, you know things are not always as simple as mortals would like them to be. Like it or not, we are in the middle of a battle, you know this more than anyone.” Ariel’s voice rose as she kept talking. It seemed out of place after her dispassionate expression earlier. “We are warriors of the Light.”

  I’m screwed. Cassie’s heart sank. There would be no convincing these angels to see reason. They were soldiers. Warriors in every way, though they didn’t look it. Anger boiled inside her as she stared at the benevolent looking creatures, their appearance mismatching their true nature. Yet, she saw them for what they were. Saw the truth. They’ll fight, even blindly, for their cause because they were made to believe in it from the day they were created. She shook. There’s no other way for them, and no way out for me.

  Gabe seemed to have come to the same conclusion. His face darkened. He was one of them. Cassie wondered how much of what he was in the past still remained in him, and how much of what he became had changed him. She had no answer to either question, so she took a pointed step back.

  The silence lingered. Ariel’s words hung heavy in the air. The angels remained a blank circle, their position unyielding. Any emotion glimpsed during the speech was now gone from their faces.

  Gabe, at last, as if awakened from his reverie, shuddered and looked at Cassie. His face showed nothing but a grave mask. The tightness in his jaw begged for release. Without a word to her, he turned back to the angels, his energy flaring around him.

  “I have to find another way. My redemption depends on it,” he said. The hush in the clearing felt palpable.

  Ariel and Remiel glanced at each other, then peered at Gabe. The light in their eyes flashed in unison, a blinding white. Ariel came forward, her irises fading to an ivory shade. She took Gabe’s hand. Cassie saw him tense up at the contact. His body became stone as if caused by her touch alone.

  “Gabe, your redemption lies in doing what you must for the Light and this is what we require. It may not get you back to us right away, but it will be a step in the right direction. You trusted me once,” she said, stroking his hand. “Trust me now.”

  Cassie’s heart gave a loud thump. Ariel spoke to Gabe in the most intimate tone. He can’t ignore it.

  An eternity seemed to pass before Gabe shook his head, met Ariel’s stare, and repeated, “I will find another way.”

  Ariel’s eyes shifted, something dangerous and dark flashing in their depths. Yet, her voice gave no indication of anything amiss. “You always have to do things your own way. Is it not enough it led to your fall?” She didn’t wait for him to respond. “We told you what we had to. You make your own choices here. But remember, if you go against us, we cannot help you anymore. You are moving in the wrong direction, Gabe.”

  The angels stepped back and bright light flooded the area once more. A few seconds later, Gabe and Cassie stood alone in the clearing and the night enveloped them, darker than before.

  Cassie closed her eyes. Stinging jolts lapped at her skin. They came from the direction where Gabe stood unmoving in the open space. The energy stung, charged with hot red fury and more, a substance she couldn’t name. Gradually, she opened her eyes.

  Gabe faced the now empty clearing, his gaze cloaked in amber and far away. She took a hesitant step closer and strained to see his eyes. What she spotted in them had her jerking back. They shone of danger and betrayal, not unexpected feelings, but something more sparked just beyond the obvious. It pulled at Cassie like invisible strings.

  “Pain,” she whispered. “He’s in so much pain.”

  Cassie covered the remaining distance and took his hand. It blazed with tiny sparks of electricity. The energy flared red instead of his usual blue. The power triggered a tremor to run through her, but she didn’t back away. She had to calm him down before this strange red energy erupted and caused damage.

  “Gabe,” she whispered. He didn’t respond. Cassie’s heart beat staccato in her chest. “Gabe, talk to me.”

  He turned his head toward her then, his eyes focusing on her face.

  “I’m sorry, Cassie.”

  Her body stiffened, cold fear creeping up her spine. Either he’s apologizing for my first meeting with angels traumatizing me for life, or... She swallowed the lump in her throat. He’s sorry he has to do what they told him to and... Her mind zeroed in with frightening clarity. Kill me.

  “I’m sorry I don’t have any more answers for you than before.”

  She exhaled, unaware she’d held her breath at all, and offered up a silent prayer of thanks. Her hand clutched her chest. She fiddled with her jacket zipper. “You had no idea they were going to tell you this?”

  “No. We’re supposed to serve the Light. How’s killing an innocent person going to bring me closer to redemption?” Gabe’s body trembled. He demanded this answer more of himself than her.

  An odd sense of disappointment bubbled up inside her, despite her relief in knowing he wasn’t going to kill her. He isn’t concerned about me. He only cares about himself, his redemption. She told herself it didn’t matter. He was cut off from his source, confused by what he had been ordered to do. I can’t worry whether he cares for me or not. It’s not important. She tried to convince herself as she remembered the stoic coldness of the angels. Gabe was anything but dispassionate at the moment. In fact, his emotions, his very human emotions, boiled over.

  “Are you scared?” Gabe said. The question was so unexpected Cassie took a small step back. She didn’t say anything and Gabe seemed to take it as an affirmative. “I swore I’d protect you and I won’t go back on my word.” Passion ignited like burning coals. “I will protect you. There has to be another way.” He put his hands on her shoulders and gave her a little shake, as if physical contact would convince her of the truth of his words.

  Energy hit harder, almost making Cassie pull away from his grip, but she didn’t. Gabe’s mouth came on top of hers, hard and fast. Oh God. Her heart skipped a beat. What the hell am I doing? What the hell is he doing? Her heart soared with the kiss, but unwelcome thoughts found their way through… What if this is just his way of dealing? What if he thinks I’m...? She shook the worry from her mind with a silent reprimand. Oh shut up! Just shut up! Her body responded in full, charged with adrenaline and pure desire. She moved closer, molding their bodies together. His tongue danced inside her mouth, exploring its depth. Heat spread through Cassie, despite the air around them reaching well below arctic levels.

  Gabe twined his fingers through her long hair and leaned over her. His free hand explored her body, touching her cheek, her neck, and her shoulder in turn. He pulled her sweater off one shoulder and shifted his attention to her collarbone.

  Cassie clung to him as if her life depended on it and moaned as he licked the sensitive spot at the nape of her neck. The sound only urged him on. His need pressed greedily between her thighs. She wriggled against him and got a guttural growl in response.

  He peeled Cassie’s thick sweater up and over her head in a rush, then slid her pants off her hips. She expected to shiver once left in her cotton bra and panties, but the liquid heat pumping through her veins intensified. The urgency between the
m rose like an unstoppable tidal wave.

  While Gabe yanked his own shirt off, Cassie fumbled with his pants. She discovered he wore dark boxers underneath. The fabric was stretched to the limit. She moved them down his hips, exposing all of him with one quick motion, afraid she’d lose her nerve. Her experiences with men were not extensive on any level, having only been intimate with the jerk from college. It didn’t give her much basis for comparison. Even so, she knew in front of her stood a perfect male specimen, human or angel. Cassie squirmed as anxiety and excitement hit her in equal measure.

  She shyly circled him in her hand. His groan had her smiling and her confidence growing. As she worked him faster, the power of the intimate act had her craving more. He seemed to share the sentiment. Grabbing her legs, he supported her back with one hand while laying her on the ground. The jacket and sweater he’d spread out like a blanket tickled her bare back. He stood over her for a brief moment. Hunger showed in his parted lips as he explored the lines and curves of her petite body. Cassie never felt so beautiful and wanted.

  In a heartbeat, he was on top of her, kissing her everywhere. He unhooked the bra and pushed it to the side, cupping the full globes of her breasts in both hands. His tongue teased the left peak, pink, erect and ready for him. Cassie shuddered with pleasure, writhing under him. He moved on to the right breast, his tongue lapping at her in slow erotic circles. His hand sought lower pleasures. Her panties slid down to her ankles. In achingly long strokes, his fingers probed the wetness between her thighs. Cassie’s insides clenched and released with quick pulses. Her senses working toward overload.

  As she climbed higher, to the very edge of control, Gabe pulled up and looked into her eyes. An unspoken question glowed in his gaze. She stared back at him. All anxiety or shyness long past. It seemed he found the answer he sought, because in another second his mouth came down on hers while he plunged deep into her warm core. Cassie’s breath hitched as she took him all in. He stilled inside her, yet his tongue never stopped dancing with hers. Then, he started moving and Cassie thought she would be burned from the inside out. She found she was happy to be consumed by the fire. It didn’t take long for both of them to reach the height of their ecstasy. As Gabe came to his own finish, Cassie cried out like never before.