“That is gloriously dark; I love it as usual,” James said.
“Thank you. Me too, actually. This was the first piece in a long time that had no real existence.”
“Seriously, Alice, it’s amazing. While I’m over there painting unicorns and rainbows, you are creating real art.”
“Oh, shush, you are not. Don’t short change yourself; I think you are brilliant,” Alice beamed at him.
“And that is why we are friends,” he teased.
“Well, I’m off to meet Jake and before you say something snarky, he is practically a brother to me.”
“Practically, huh?”
“Oh, shoo you,” she laughed.
“What are we, twelve?”
They both laughed, but he followed her request, returning to his station. She stared curiously at her canvas, strangely relaxed by it. She shook the odd sensation off, throwing a cover over her work. She packed her supplies and headed out of the school to her car. It was a nice change to go to school and feel normal for once, as normal as she could at ‘The Art Institute of Hell,’ with the students who lurked here.
Alice swerved into a back parking space at Max’s Bar. It was weird to be here as a patron. It felt so out of place to her, which made her chuckle, knowing how many Fallen were in there. She went in through the back out of habit and stopped to say hi to Max before heading to the bar. She came out of the bar to find Jake smiling, which looked odd on him. She returned the smile until she saw the pool tables and couldn’t help but think of Camille. He swiftly crossed the bar and scooped her up in his arms.
“We can go somewhere else.” His voice was raw but tender.
“No, I’m okay,” she lied.
“Alice? Tell me what to do?” Jake questioned cautiously.
She kept her arms wrapped around his neck and tightened as she asked, “How can you be here when she’s gone?”
He leaned back, loosening her grip, brushing a tear from her cheek, which felt too personal for just friends. “Because this is the only place I feel her anymore.”
She let go of the air that had caught in her throat as she stared wide eyed at him. “I want to stay,” was all she managed.
“Are you certain?”
“Certain?” she laughed.
“Are you sure?” he corrected. She could tell he didn’t mean to speak formally to her. That was something meant for those who were not merely friends. She also knew she was the only one - Fallen, human, nephilim - that he ever let his guard down in front of, and she was determined not to abuse that.
“I am now, yes.” She slid onto a bar stool at the farthest end of the bar from Jasmine. Jake slid onto the seat next to her and pointed at the new bartender that had worked when she had been unable to. Her eyes closed and with a big sigh, she slowed her heartbeat to a steady, calm pace.
“Better?” She nodded. He continued, “Vodka girl, right?”
“Yeah, how about one shot and a beer to start?”
“Whatever you want; I’ll try to keep up,” he said with a wink.
The shots arrived and then disappeared as quickly as they appeared. After some parlor tricks, most of the Fallen stopped staring so intensely. Although to her it seemed as if they were glaring at Jake without any understanding of their relationship. A few shots and a few beers in Alice did truly relax her, and she and Jake chose to forego using the pool tables for obvious reasons and tell some stories of their pasts.
“How you feeling there?” Jake asked, watching Alice wobble off of the barstool.
Alice laughed obnoxiously, but she didn’t think Jake minded at all. “I feel pretty amazing right about now. Too bad Cole didn’t join us; I really think he could have used this more than me.”
“I think it’s time to take you home. Maybe next time he’ll come, too. You can ask when you get home. I doubt he can argue with you right now.”
“Is that a joke, Jake? That was hard to say.” Her laughter filled the bar. She felt Jake’s strong, toned arm wrap around her midsection, slightly lifting her off of the ground. “Jake? I can walk.”
“I don’t doubt that for a second. Let’s get you outside and you can walk to your car. Deal?” Jake said with mischief in his eyes.
“Fine.” Once outside, Jake stayed true to his word and released her, and she nearly went face first into the concrete. “I’m fine,” she said waving her hand out. “My equilibrium is a little off.” She stood tall, taking in deep breaths slowing her body down. Following a steadfast pace to her car, she was cut off by Jake at the tail end of it. “Hey, we had a deal.”
“Sure. I said you could walk to your car, and now you can get in the passenger side of it.”
“You are not driving me home. Cole will go…”
“Cole with be grateful I didn’t let you drive home like this. Now get in,” he said fiercely.
“Nope.”
“Alice, do not act like a child and ruin a good night.”
“Why, because that’s usually your job?” She didn’t mean to say it. She was beginning to realize how much she had drunk, but somehow, she just couldn’t back down when it came to Jake.
“I will stuff you in this car myself, and I won’t be gentle.”
“Bring it,” she said, making the ninja crane stance from the karate kid. She started to draw a deep breath in but choked on it instead. It took a moment to realize that Jake had actually punched her in the gut. Through a choppy breath, she said, “Are you kidding me?” She was furious and all she needed was for him to laugh, and she could feed off of it and take him down a notch again. He didn’t. When she looked into his eyes they looked pained. She couldn’t help but stop fighting, stop caring, stop everything and just let go.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered into her ear.
She heard her car start up and felt them take off. She laid, drunk, curled into a ball on her passenger side, trying to fight the sobbing that was fast approaching. She hated feeling so weak. She felt his hand reach out and gently touch her arm, but she shook him off.
“I truly am sorry, Alice. I thought we were becoming good friends and that it would be good for us to let off some steam and hang out, I guess. I won’t ask again. I didn’t mean to put you in this state.” His voice was aged from centuries of trials with very few triumphs.
She stared at her car door and realized that it wasn’t Jake who made her feel weak. It was that she could release all that made her feel weak with Jake. She turned over with embarrassed eyes focused on the floorboards. Can I lean on you? She couldn’t speak the words out loud, they felt somewhat inappropriate.
Anytime. He responded as he lifted his arm up. She crawled under it, leaning into his broad chest. She felt him tense from the contact but proceeded carefully anyway. She wondered how angry Cole would be if he saw this. She knew he would be furious, but she needed to feel safe and Cole had made the choice not to be there.
Cole stood in the center of The Field of the Damned. Trying to talk to his mother had been exhausting, both physically and mentally. He could feel a piece of Alice changing and the tiny sliver was breaking his heart, tormenting him with no end in sight. All was due to his master plan to avenge her friend.
“Idiot.”
“I beg your pardon?” Elizabeth asked.
“Me, not you. Oh!”
“Sorry it took so long, it’s not so easy to materialize when you’re dead,” she chuckled.
“I’m sorry to bother you. I really do have thousands of questions, but I don’t have time for all that.”
“Promise me?”
“Promise you what?” He stood completely beside himself. Finding out your father was a fallen angel was one thing, that you could speak to your dead mother’s spirit was far more bizarre, though he couldn’t fathom why.
“Promise me you’ll come back to ask me your questions, my son.”
His jaw dropped and there was nothing he could do about it. It never dawned on him that his adventurous mother would want to get to know him even after her death. “As long as I
live.”
“Noble like your father.” He snickered. “Don’t do that; your father is a glorious man, better than any human man I had ever met. All those human men are not damned as he is, as we all are. I fear you are much like me as well, adventurous and reckless.”
“Well, I think it’s all based on perspective, really.”
Her laugh was loud and seemed unnaturally joyful for what she must endure for eternity. “What brings you here?”
“Our friend was murdered by a bounty hunter as a warning to us that they want Alice.”
“You mustn’t let them have her. She is the only one who may be able to save us all.”
“I know. I plan to avenge our friend and send my own message. If we are not united, then he can stay the hell out of our way.”
“So angry. I understand more than you can imagine, but please do not do this. Only harm and turmoil will come from this. Cole?” She gently brushed his face; he couldn’t physically feel it but now that Alice had shown him how to open up emotionally, it was just as if her hand cupped his face, bringing tears to his eyes. “Someone will die if you do this, please reconsider.”
“I vowed to Alice that I would avenge her killer. I will not go back on my word.” Until now he hadn’t wanted to.
“I told you, like your father with your honor and vows.”
He laughed lightly, but the tears were sliding down his face now. “The angels are coming for her. I cannot protect her with my father’s kind after her, too; it’s two to one.”
“The angels have been coming for you, too. I hope you survive this, all of this. I hope for the chance to get to know my only child, made from true love and devotion.”
“You really loved dad… I mean…”
“Yes, and I can feel you do, too, if you’d stop fighting it. Love is the only thing you can use to help you now,” Elizabeth sighed in frustration. “The pull, I can feel it. I love you, my son.”
“I’ll come back. I vow it.” His words carried in the thick air. He felt his mother smile from his words as her spirit disappeared back into the chaos of the woods.
With a big stretch and eyes clenched, Alice hoped not to have a hangover. A hand crawled slowly across her stomach, pulling her closer to where they originated. “Good morning to you, too.”
“Good morning,” Cole said, kissing just above her navel. You were out cold when I got home last night; drink a little bit?”
“Just a little.” She opened her eyes and adjusted her vision; she felt okay for the most part, but a slight thumping in her temples had the potential to become much worse. “Maybe a bit more than a little,” she said, grabbing her head. Cole sighed with a smile but as before, he seemed distant. She smiled through the headache and pulled his face up to meet hers. “Hi,” she whispered against his lips.
“Hi,” he mirrored. “You know I hear there are a couple of great holistic ways to cure a headache,” he said with a wink.
“Oh, is that so?” she asked, which was apparently a cue to be tackled. As much as she wanted to continue the heavy petting and possibly more, the rolling around was making her head feel worse. She really needed an ibuprofen.
“Ouch!” Cole stopped dead in his tracks, grabbing his skull with both hands as if it were on fire.
“Cole! Are you okay? What’s going on?” She started yelling in panic, which only made her head pound harder. Cole jumped from the bed, Alice following suit behind him. He faced her, trying to say anything, but he looked like he was in a haze. He turned into the desk, bashing his knee.
“Ow!” Alice screamed, grabbing her knee and almost falling over. The two of them hobbled and cringed in pain when they realized what was happening. Alice quickly stopped moving to focus her breathing and slow everything down so she could block Cole from her emotions. As soon as she did he stopped clutching his head and stared in awe at her.
“What was that?” he mumbled.
“I don’t… I don’t know. We should call Sariel,” she said, staring in shock at him. “I could have… You could have…”
He scooped her up into his arms murmuring soothing hushes into her hair. “We’ll figure it out; just try to relax. Not too relaxed, though. That is a killer headache you’ve got there. Please go take an ibuprofen for both our sakes.” He let out a slight chuckle, but she felt the panic in him. He kissed the top of her head, releasing her, “I’ll call Sariel.” She nodded with tearful eyes and headed to the kitchen to do as she was asked.
She leaned into the counter trying to sooth her panic to a calmed state as she heard Cole’s frantic voice on the phone with Sariel. Shaking off the pain in her knee and her soul, she filled a glass with water, using it as a chaser for her ibuprofens. As if things weren’t difficult enough. She meant to block it from Cole, but the last few moments were such a strain she simply forgot. Something she was quite aware of from the hurt that oozed off of the man she loved, now directly behind her. She turned to him and tried to crack a smile.
“He’s on his way. He didn’t sound pleased,” Cole spoke in a monotone.
“When has my grandfather ever sounded pleased?”
“I’m going to go lay down while we wait. I’m not as strong as you, I need the rest.”
It was a dig, he was upset and she felt she deserved it. She wanted to lay with him, but she knew he wanted to be alone, or at least away from her. “I think I’ll go for a short walk, I won’t go far. I’ll let you know when he’s here.”
“Fine,” was all he said before dragging himself back up the stairs.
It frightened her that he was physically weakened by whatever it was that had happened to them. In her pajama shorts and tank she headed out the door, reaching down to swipe her converse shoes on the way out. The morning was crisp; the air even felt harsh on her skin. She had a terrible feeling about this day, and she tried furiously to ignore it. Even through all these trials, all she could think about was how to fix whatever it was that was broken in her relationship with Cole. She couldn’t imagine a world without him and knew she would refuse to live in that world. With more control she thought, why has he been pulling away from me and been so distant lately? She wasn’t certain, but she was damn sure going to find out and knew just the person to ask, Jake.
Jake, you up?
Alice? Jake’s voice rang rough in her head.
Morning, sunshine, she joked.
Something wrong? His voice became less groggy and more concerned.
I’m sorry I woke you and no, nothing’s wrong exactly. She began to reconsider contacting him.
There are worse ways to wake up. You and Cole get into a fight about last night or something?
Something, not a fight. It’s hard to explain, I guess. Look, Sariel just got here so I have to go deal with this, but can you meet me tonight after class at Max’s?
Oh, uh, yeah sure. Should I invite Cole?
I really just want to talk to you, if that’s okay, she asked but hoped he had just agreed.
Sure, Alice, whatever you need. Now I’m going back to sleep; someone wanted to play drinking games last night and I am severely hung over.
Okay, see you later. She restrained a chuckle and severed the connection as she headed over to Sariel, each step weighed with warning, similar to a time not so far from where she was. It filled her with worry she couldn’t hide.
“Where’s Cole?” Sariel asked with agitation in his voice.
“Inside. I’ll go get him,” she said quickly.
“I already spoke to him.”
As if on cue Cole came barreling out of the house, stopping just in front of Sariel. “Sariel, kick me in the shin,” he said flatly.
Sariel stared, nostrils flaring and eyes enraged. “You did not call me over here for a so-called emergency to kick you. You cannot possibly be that stupid! I am not a toy for you to play games with, boy!”
“I am aware that this sounds ridiculous, but please just humor me.” Cole softened as he requested mercy.
Without a word Sariel k
icked Cole in the shin, much harder than was necessary. Cole flew back a few feet as Alice wrapped her arms around her leg, clutching the exact same spot on her leg. Tears swarmed her face as she tried to push the pain outside of herself. She heard Cole as he limped towards her. He slowly slid her into his arms and cooed into her ear, attempting to calm the pain and shock of the event that had just happened. Once breathing at a semi-normal pace, Cole and Alice’s eyes rose to find a terror-stricken Fallen.
“What is happening to us?” Cole demanded.
It hurt her that he seemed so furious to be so connected to her. She shoved the slightly jealous and angry feelings away, allowing the dangers of the situation to take hold. The angels could now hurt her by hurting him, literally. She saw the fear in Sariel’s eyes, something she had never witnessed before.
“In the house,” Sariel said with a forced calm.
After a walk that resembled a walk of shame, Alice and Cole took a seat at the kitchen table while Sariel paced near them.
“I’m going to assume you don’t want to say out loud what is happening to us, but your pacing is freaking me out,” Alice said cautiously.
Sariel stopped dead in his tracks and glanced at the two Nephilim. With a sigh he said, “What’s happening to you shouldn’t be; it can’t be possible.”
“So what is happening to us, Sariel?” Cole asked calmly, reaching for Alice’s hand. She laced her fingers into his and clenched his hand tightly in her own, ready for the worst, as usual.
“There was a time many centuries ago when angels did as they were told without question. As a gift, God gave the most devoted an exclusive partner with which to share their eternal existence. In order to keep balance with the new devotion, He allowed those chosen few to have an unbreakable bond. If one hurt, so did the other. If they felt joy, they would feel it together. They would know each other’s feelings and experience them; they could use this knowledge to protect and serve their lord with love and happiness in their hearts. It would take a human week to complete the bond, and there was no stopping it once it began to form. Only God could choose who bonded. If the bond was somehow severed, if an angel was killed or became unworthy of this gift, the other would feel every second of the death, left with nothing but the emptiness in the wake of the absence. They could never bond again. That was the beginning of what was soon to be known as the Coming of the Fall. Many were jealous and felt hurt that they did not receive this gift, while others did not want another eternal connection. They began to watch the naiveté of mankind in their relationships. Jealousy and hatred slowly developed over time and the angels, they questioned God.” Sariel shook his head as if he was trying to shake the memory from behind his eyes.
Alice's Sacrifice (Alice Clark Series) Page 9
