Alice's Sacrifice (Alice Clark Series)

by Andrea DiGiglio

  “That’s what I was smelling when I woke up. I thought I was going crazy,” he laughed.

  “You said that’s what I smell like, I thought it would be a good icebreaker if the whole ‘you love breakfast, therefore I made you breakfast’ line didn’t work.”

  “You rehearsed it?”

  “I did.”

  “They both worked. Now I am definitely starving; let’s eat,” he said with hungry eyes, and by the look in hers, he knew they both were thinking about something other than breakfast. She handed him a plate and he started loading it. Alice poured them each a glass of orange juice and coffee. “Paul is going to freak when he sees how much food you made.”

  “He’ll probably think I’m pregnant.” They both laughed for a moment and then froze. “Oh! No, Cole, I’m not!”

  His heart stopped for a moment and then began to beat so rapidly it nearly climbed out of his chest. He wasn’t sure what was worse, the possibility of her being pregnant or the fact she wasn’t, and with that quick thought, the debate instantly tormented him. He looked up into her worried eyes; he ruined her breakfast makeup plan. “You’re right. He would, and he would freak out.” He tried to cover but he knew she saw through it. Even if she didn’t, he knew she could feel his heart pounding as if it were in her own chest.

  She reached over and took his hand into hers. “We are going to be fine. Maybe one day that can be our future. For now, let’s be in love, have fun and get back to enjoying life. We have both been through so much.” Her words warmed him down to the marrow of his bones.

  “I love you.”

  “And I love you.” She leaned over and kissed him. “Now eat.”

  For the first time in weeks, Alice truly felt happy. She walked toward the large iron doors of AIH, excited to work. She knew she had to tell everyone about her dream, but it really wasn’t anything they didn’t already know, up to a point.

  “There she is,” Dean Vassago said behind her.

  “Hello, Sir.”

  “Theresa tells me your work has been quite intense lately. I look forward to seeing it when you are ready to share.”

  “Thank you, Sir. I’d be glad to share with you, possibly by the end of this week.”

  “Very good; have a good day, Miss Clark. If you need anything at all, please do not hesitate to ask,” he said as he walked into his office.

  Alice smiled as she walked towards the studio. He might be a Fallen but one thing she had learned about the Fallen, those on her side would protect her to the death.

  “Hey doll,” James said, bumping into her side.

  “Hey to you, too.”

  “Whoa,” he stopped her, “Who are you and what did you do with Alice? Are you an alien?” he teased.

  “Had a really good morning.”

  “More sex on the counter?” he grinned.

  “I’m really regretting telling you that. Can we go to class now?”

  “Way to be no fun. Kidding, yeah, let’s go make pretty artsy stuff.”

  She could only laugh in response.

  Inside the studio Alice set her things down at her station. The room was filled with warm natural light that bounced off of the stone walls in a mesmerizing sort of way. She brushed her fingertips across the blank canvas, hopeful. She sat down, put her headphones in and opened her supplies. Today is a great day. She smiled at her paint brushes as they ached for a chance to be used. She answered their call helplessly.

  He stood leaning against his kitchen counter, waiting for the hum of his son’s engine to echo against the small apartment walls. He had lived his many years on this earth without a care in the world, except for when it came to Elizabeth. He felt his fist clench from the thought of her, alone. He hated that he had put himself into such a predicament. Now he felt obligated to not only tell Cole about his mother, but also to tell him everything he knew about Purah. He couldn’t believe he had allowed him to escape, letting his son down in such a way. When Cole had called him and asked to come by, he knew he should be prepared to give him whatever information he requested. Though he thought if he offered it prior to being asked, maybe Cole would continue to trust him, or continue to work toward trusting him.

  The roar from the engine brought a light vibration to the walls, and he knew his time was up. He closed his eyes and sucked in the stale apartment air, centering himself. It was more like centering the apartment around him than him in the apartment, even though it was a mental, not physical state of calming. It was a weird thing for him to do, even though his Father had taught him how to do it. He paused at the door, giving Cole the moment to knock before opening it.

  “Son,” he said with a nod.

  Cole walked in with a slight hesitation before entering and immediately sat on the couch. “I need to ask you about some things.”

  Kokabiel thought it was odd that Cole was so fidgety. Realistically, to a human, it was undetectable, but for a Fallen, a Fallen who happened to be his father, it was dead obvious. “What’s the matter? Did something happen?” Kokabiel asked, joining his son on the couch.

  “Nothing happened exactly.” He ran his hands through his hair which reminded Kokabiel of himself. Sometimes it was as if he was looking into a mirror, although there were times when he looked in his son’s eyes, and saw his Elizabeth staring back at him. “Well, where do we find Purah?”

  He had assumed this was what Cole wanted to discuss. Times like these made him long for a normal life for them, where they got up early in the morning to go fishing together, instead of plotting to hunt a fallen angel bounty hunter who wanted to kill his girlfriend.

  “Dad?”

  “Sorry, I must have drifted. Paul has called for a meeting. It’s in three days.”

  “While Alice is in school?”

  “Yes.” He knew his son would be furious.

  “That’s probably best.”

  Well, he thought he would be. Kokabiel stood up from the uncomfortable silence to get a cup of coffee. He signaled to Cole to see if he wanted any, but he shook his head. “Paul wanted me to keep you occupied, as it were.”

  “Shocking. Will Jake be there?”

  Kokabiel knew how this was going to end up. “Yes.”

  “Well then, so will I.”

  All he could do was chuckle under his breath. Cole was determined, and that was most definitely a quality passed down to him from both sides.

  “Let me know where and when. I suppose I should go. I’m trying to find a redeeming quality in myself, so I can show it to Alice.” Cole laughed but the sadness in his voice was apparent.

  “Cole, if you take no other advice from me, just be who you are. She loves you for you. If you are trying to do anything that’s not real, she can feel everything. That doesn’t mean you can’t take her out for a night on the town.”“Yeah, it just seems so blasé. She is so unique and incredible. I want to show her in some way that that’s how I see her, but I can’t seem to come up with anything.” Cole was pacing now.

  “I may have an idea.” Am I really going to suggest this to him? Kokabiel thought. He looked into his Elizabeth’s eyes in his son’s face, staring back at him so hopeful. Yes, I think I am. He was glad that it was second nature to block others from his thoughts. It was the same as blinking to a Fallen. “Stop pacing before you give me a migraine from watching you run circles in this tiny living room,” he said with a smile in his voice.

  “Alright, what is your brilliant idea?” Cole asked.

  “Before you were born I was a wild child…”

  “Whoa, you didn’t say anything about story time.”

  “Alright, shut your mouth and let me talk. You want to hear this, and in all honesty, I’m not really in the mood for a trip down memory lane. It’s beautiful and cuts me to the core, leaving me breathless and dying.”

  “I’m sorry. I forget sometimes that…”

  “That we can love,” he said as he ran his hand through his hair. “When I met your mother I was devastated. I should say when I saw your
mother. I seriously thought she was one of us. Between her beautiful jet black curls cascading down her perfect frame and the look in her eye, I really did think she was a Fallen.” He took another beat to brace himself. The few times he had taken a trip down memory lane in this manner he could almost see her, practically taste her and most definitely smell her. “Her tongue was quick whipped and always kept me on my toes. We had spoken a few times over the course of a month or so, but it seemed she was only interested in games. I was already captured by her, and by default, hers to do with as she pleased.”

  “Sounds like mom liked to kick your ass,” Cole said with a smirk.

  “That, she did,” he said with a laugh. “I was sitting at the bar as I usually was, watching from afar while she hustled some men at pool. I heard a commotion and went to her immediately. It took a lot out of me not to release my wings and destroy every last soul, regardless of guilt. When I got closer I found this tiny woman refusing to back down from this large, disgusting man. She had beaten him and wanted her money.”

  “So what did you do?”

  “What do you think I did? I defended her honor. That did two things; pissed her off for starters, but also warmed her heart.”

  “It’s crazy for me trying to picture all this after, well you know, the whole foster care thing.”

  “It was necessary to protect you; I swear it.” His voice boomed.

  “I know. So when do we get to the part that is supposed to help me show Alice…”

  “Your undying love for her? Relax, kid, will ya? After that incident in the bar, your mother and I spent just about every waking moment together. She didn’t know who I was or what I was, at least not until the end.” He hung his head in shame, but when Cole did not attack him, he continued. “She took me to this cliff near the upper peninsula of Michigan. She stood near the edge, looked at me and said, ‘Let’s jump together. The world is filled with horrors that wish to push us around instead.’ She reached her arm out to me and said, ‘living fearlessly is the only way to truly live.’”

  “What the hell does that mean?”

  “It’s open to interpretation. She ran toward the cliff, and I took off after her, lacing my fingers in hers just as we launched off of the cliff. That moment before you hit the water, you feel alive, and that’s a lot coming from me. I don’t know what it was about it, really, but the connection we felt grew stronger in that single moment. Maybe something like that is what you need to do for Alice. Take a leap off of a cliff, literally or figuratively.”

  His son stared at him for a long time before standing up and making his way toward the door. “Thanks for telling me about mom. I know that was probably really hard for you.”

  “You’re welcome.” He waved goodbye to Cole in return. His eyes slammed shut as the door did the same. The change in the air slapped him in the face with Elizabeth’s cool musky scent. He caught his breath and stood like a statue.

  Cole took everything his father had shared with him to heart. He listened closely for footsteps as Alice descended the stairs into the kitchen. She stood behind him for a moment, admiring him. He loved the feel of her eyes burning into his flesh. She wove her arms around his waist and up his torso, clutching his chest. He held back a groan from the contact but was incapable of controlling the shiver that shot through him at her touch. “Good morning love”, he said.

  “Good morning,” she said as she gave him a peck on the cheek. “Mmm, bacon.” She smiled and headed for the coffee maker. He watched her as she bobbed her head to a song he couldn’t hear. He let a quiet chuckle slip as he lifted the bacon from the pan. Turning his attention back to Alice, he noticed her IPod in her pajama pants and the cord running up her torso. Alice was oblivious to the rise of the temperature in the room. That or she was a cruel woman. He watched her lean into the fridge to get the coffee creamer and hesitated just a moment as her entire backside rocked to the beat. That is just mean.

  She turned back with a devilish smile, What is mean? She laughed, staring deeply into his eyes as she approached with the creamer.

  “What are you listening to?” he asked.

  “Born to Die by Lana Del Rey.”

  “I don’t know that one.”

  “No? Well let’s fix that,” she said with a smile as she stood pressed against him. She pulled one of her ear buds out and placed it in his right ear. Now, tethered to her, all he could do was move with her as she let the music take her over. So beautiful, he thought to himself alone; some moments he wanted to keep completely to himself. He was grateful that Old Gray/Sariel had taught them how to block thoughts. She was so used to knowing what he was feeling, it was entertaining to block her. His hands met her hips as she swayed and he removed his block from her, knowing it would be a blast of intense emotion.

  “Well played.” She smiled breathlessly. She leaned into him and without a word, he gathered her face in his hands and kissed her. He pulled away slightly to study her face, to study the look she wore as she yearned for him. He lifted her up in his arms, pushing her against the fridge and kissing her in a way that could only be described as thirsty. They often described their need for each other in this way.

  After breakfast, if you could even call it that, they headed to the car for a road trip. Cole informed Alice that he had a special day planned for them. He just hoped she saw it that way. The Challenger roared to life with a flick of Cole’s wrist. Alice stared at him through her thick black sunglasses. “So where are we going?”

  “It’s a surprise.”

  “You said that,” she said with a huff as she slammed her back into the seat and laid back.

  “It’s still a surprise.” His smile beamed as he stared out ahead of him. If the day was a complete bust, that morning hadn’t been.

  “Alice?”

  “Mmmhmm.”

  “Alice, we’re here.” He ran his fingers along her jaw and across her cheek, stopping to remove her sunglasses. She began to wake up and stared up into his eyes. He couldn’t help but feel lost in her gaze for all the right reasons. She knew what she did to him without even trying, and by the grin appearing on her face, she rather enjoyed it.

  Alice sat up and looked around, “Where are we?” She looked at him and rolled her eyes, “A surprise, never mind.”

  “I’m getting the feeling you’re not a fan of surprises.”

  “Not so much; they never seem to go as planned.”

  “Okay. Well let’s go find a place to sit down and have lunch. Actual food, as much as that kills me to say, and I will tell you where we are and why we are here. Okay?”

  He watched her face soften as she slipped on her sunglasses. “Of course, love.”

  With that, they took off for a much longer walk than he had expected. He carried a backpack over his left shoulder and a blanket under his arm, making sure to have a free hand to hold Alice’s. They walked in silence, something that normally made him uneasy, but this day it was relaxing him to just spend time with the woman he loved.

  After a twenty-minute walk, they emerged from a slender pathway into an open field of intense green grass. “We made it,” Cole said. He looked to Alice, expecting the usual sarcastic remark, but that was not even close to what he saw. He watched her eyes beam and every inch of her bounce in excitement as she took in the beauty of the cliff’s edge. She was having trouble containing her wings, as if they wanted to take off and explore the beauty surrounding them. Before she could take off, he reached out to her and pulled her close. She reacted as expected, a little more than expected; she knocked him to the ground and the force knocked the air out of them both. Their lungs reclaimed the breath they’d lost, and the quiet space was now filled with laughter.

  “This is perfect, thank you,” Alice said.

  “So he used to take your mom here or the other way around?” Alice asked as she finished the last bite of her turkey sandwich.

  “Sounded like it was the other way around. I think the reason why he is so open and free living is because
she taught him how to be.”

  “That’s sort of beautiful, you know, and a little sad.”

  He quickly stood up, extending his hand towards her. “Trust me? Love me? Jump with me?”

  “You’re kidding,” she said laughing. “You’re not kidding. The fall alone could kill us.”

  “It could.” He began to lose his cool demeanor from her rejection. He often found himself fighting his emotions around her, as if his attempt to limit the intensity of his feelings in any given situation was helpful. It was difficult trying to be the man he felt she deserved. He barely noticed her run past him, her stride quickening. Without a thought, he ran after her, pushing himself to the limit. Just as he watched her jump off of the cliff, she turned to look at him as he laced his fingers through hers. The fall to the cold blue water below them was short, but they felt as if they had been falling forever. In that moment he knew he had never felt as connected to her as he did at that moment.

  He felt his feet slip into the water, and it felt similar to sliding under the covers. Not once did he take his eyes from hers, allowing their souls to entwine in a dance they desperately needed to endure. As their faces went under the water, even at the speed they must have been falling, he continued to stare into her. He felt all her struggles, her pain, her hope and most of all, her love. It was as if they were swimming in a sea of emotion, and he didn’t give a damn in that moment how overwhelming it was. They began to swim in sync to the surface and just as they reached it, he released his wings to lift them back up onto the cliff. This time it didn’t hurt, he wasn’t in a panic, he didn’t need to release them. This time he was at peace, and it was because of this place, but mostly it was because of her.

  The engine purred as they barreled down the highway toward home. Alice’s head leaned into him, and he had his free arm wrapped around her tightly. He kissed the top of her head, enjoying the end of their perfect day. His father was right, there was something very special about that place.