Dream Angel (Angel #1)

by Jane West

  “What my nephew is trying to say is that we must go forward as planned with the hybrid. However, my nephew has expressed his concerns with the young girl.” Van exclaimed. “The child is not accustomed to our way of life and may not be a willing participant, I fear to say,” Van spoke fluidly.

  The creature leaned forward, his attention on spot. “Why do you speak this?”

  Bane stood silent, shoulders straight, face unreadable.

  “The girl has had a dreadful life. Living with an alcoholic host has taken a toll.” Van went down on one knee. “I have reason to believe the hybrid is not stable. Rumors have surfaced she is a drug addict. If this is true, she is a contaminator and must be dealt with accordingly.” Van spewed his lies.

  “Has the hybrid lost her virginity?” The creature bellowed, slamming his scepter on the hard stone floor.

  “Yes, I believe her purity has been compromised by my nephew, sire.”

  The creature cut his eyes at Bane. “Are these claims true, Brother Du Pont?”

  The slew of scarlet robes stirred with busy chatter.

  In a flash, the creature sprinted to his feet, snapping his deadly tail at the cloaked men. “Quiet! You feeble half-wits.” He railed with his indignation. The chamber settled, and the creature turned his attention back to Bane. “You may answer the question, Brother Du Pont.”

  Bane cut his deadly eyes at his uncle and then back at the creature before he uttered a word. “The girl remains as pure as she did when I first set eyes on her.” Bane slipped his uncle an angry glare. “I’ll not hide my true feelings any longer.” Bane bellowed. “In the beginning, I desired no part of the hybrid. She’s rebellious, willful and has a short fuse of a temper.” An echo of laughter spread among the robes. “Seeing past her flaws, I have a change of heart and therefore my wishes have changed as well. Cruis, great almighty, I wish to do my duty for the good of the cause by taking this young woman into my house of protection. I will join her creating immortality.” Bane stood tall and courageous. He didn’t flinch one time under the heated glare of the insidious creature.

  Van darted to his feet, shouting at Bane. “You fucking bastard! How can you betray me? You ungrateful ”

  Bane remained silent, though carrying an angry scowl.

  The chamber exploded into a restless clamor, rising above the other, feet shuffling, frantically and fist raised in the air. The white robes and their gavels pounded with great force, louder and louder. The voracious noise penetrated the air.

  The creature lifted his scepter high above his head as lightning shot out amidst the robes. In a hot flash, scarlet bodies scattered, heads ducking, men falling over as their bodies went limp.

  Then a sudden rush of silence fell, and the chamber stilled. Eyes wide with horror. The creature paused, eyeing every robe carefully before he took his seat. “Brother, Van Dunn,” the creature addressed him with renowned disdain. “Another outburst and I shall literally have you for dinner.” The creature bared his sharp pointed fangs.

  The uncle nodded in silence, his jaw working.

  “Brother, Du Pont, I expect you to take the girl under your wing tonight. We all need to do our part. A new world rid of sickness, death, and famine.”

  Van lurked to his feet, taking bold steps closer to the throne. “Please ole great one, you must hear me out!” Van pleaded.

  The creature snapped his eyes at Bane’s uncle. “If I allow you the floor, will you accept my decision once and for all?”

  “Yes! Cruis, of course.” Van answered swiftly.

  The creature turned his attention to the white robes, “Do you agree with my decision of hearing Brother Van Dunn’s argument?”

  In a collective voice, the white robes agreed, shouting, “Aye!”

  Cruis nodded his head for Van to proceed.

  “I am not blessed with immortality as my nephew. Of course, I use that term loosely. Brother Du Pont has lived for three centuries, and I am still working on my one.” Soft chortles of laughter bubbled from the robes. “Yes, I am one of the humans in our brotherhood. So, please allow me to speak on behalf of my human brothers and my brothers who are of the gods.” Van's determined eyes washed over the robes, and then he cut his baleful eyes to Bane, holding his stare briefly and then back to the creature’s face. “Let us share tonight a wondrous gift.” His arms stretched apart, welcoming. “Let us partake in the girl’s essence and we all rule as gods! We won’t need to wait for her offspring to bring perfect harmony to our system. Let us take what belongs to us now and relish in the delight of everlasting life!” Van roared as he searched through the scarlet and white robes, taking count of those in favor.

  “What good is a kingdom when you have no courtiers?” Bane challenged Van. Then he addressed the robes. “If we abort our original goal, we will be facing extinction!” Bane’s voice was forceful and direct. “Will gods rule over each other?” Bane cut a hard glance at Van and then turned his focus on the creature and the white robes. “This,” Bane pointed to his uncle, “Are the ramblings of a desperate aged man, craving attention like a suckling baby crying for his mother’s tit.” Bane’s voice deepened. His grave tone caused shutter throughout the robes. “The girl belongs to me!” he fisted his chest, showing dominance. “And it will be a cold day in hell if anyone challenges me.” Predatory stance, Bane stood tall as a mountain and solid as one too.

  The creature tapped his chin as he mulled over both men’s argument. “You must ask yourselves why these lowly ones deserve a second chance. Humans are each other’s worst enemy. They destroy everything in their path. Because of their hard headedness, they are faced with many plagues.”

  Bane spoke up. “I believe the girl is the answer to our prayers, sire. We the Illuminist created her for this sole purpose. It is our true destiny to enter a New World Order free of pestilence and war. Disease free!” Bane shouted with fervor, fist raised high as the others followed. Excitement soared among the robes as they bellowed their support.

  Van scoffed at Bane. “My dog knows more tricks than that bitch you want to bed!” Vile spewed from the uncle’s mouth as his face twisted in rage.

  “Silence, old man! I’ve had enough of your insidious lies.” The creature lashed out.

  Immediately, Van bowed his head as if in remorse, though I had a sneaky suspicion it was far from what he held in his black heart. “Forgive me, sire.”

  The creature stood up, gripping his scepter in his right hand. “The councilmen and I will grant this wish to Brother Du Pont. If this hybrid does not comply, your punishment will be death.” The creature narrowed his black eyes. “Are we clear, Brother Du Pont?”

  “Yes, sire. Absolutely!” Bane gave a curt bow and exited the floor.

  The creature, Cruis, turned his evil gaze on Van. “For your treason and lies, Brother Van Dunn, I shall revoke your privileges as a member of this Brotherhood. You shall remain disfellowshiped until I decide you have learned your lesson.” The creature roared. “Be off with yourself!” The creature lifted his gaze. This meeting is adjourned.”

  The robes began singing an incantation. They dropped to their knees, kneeling to the creature as he stepped back into the blazing fire and vanished.

  All at once, the atmosphere became airless. My lungs were begging for oxygen. I had to get the hell outta this crypt and fast.

  Treachery

  On all fours, I crawled back to where I came. Once I reached the dark corridor, I leaped to my feet and made out like a bandit on crack. As I rushed for my life, a rhythm of prayers hovered in the air. The sickening sound made me nearly vomit, but I pushed it down and did some serious talking to my legs to get to stepping. Finally, I reached the stairs and up I climbed, praying I’d gone unseen.

  Plunged into total bleakness, once again, I found myself groping, inch by inch my way back to freedom. The moonlight from the hole had vanished. I no longer had it for guidance. I only hoped this was the right way.

  With no warning, I heard footsteps approaching, and pan
ic slammed into home base. Whoever was coming, they were gaining on me and gaining fast. Holy crap! They spotted me. My lungs tightened as my heart raced. Trapped like an animal, I had nowhere to hide. I did the only thing I knew to do run.

  Viciously, I rushed blindly, step after step. All I could do was keep moving, praying I reached the entrance before they caught me. I had only a small head start which put the fire in my ass as I hurried.

  All of a sudden, a beam of light struck my back. I stopped dead in my tracks. I’d been caught! I prayed it wasn’t Van or one of his MIB.

  Quickly, looking for a way to escape, I cut my eyes over the ledge and gasped. The drop had been a bottomless pit that ventured far passed the light.

  I was doomed. Like a gun to my head, slowly I turned with my hands in the air, squinting against bright light. My breath lodged in my throat as I braced myself for the worst.

  “Chickadee! What the hell are you doing down in this hole?” the friendly voice pierced from behind the blinding light.

  I cuffed my hand over my eyes, trying to find the happy face that came with the voice. “Sam! Is that you?” I called out, surprised and elated.

  Sam stepped out from the light, lowering the flashlight to his side. “Is there another fella that calls you Chickadee?” he smiled brightly.

  Without thinking, I rushed to him, throwing myself into his arms and planting a huge kiss on his lips. “Sam, I can’t tell you how happy I am to see you!”

  He smiled down into my face. “I think you just showed me.” He lingered a moment as our eyes hitched. “What are you doing down in this cobweb dump?”

  The accounts of what I just witnessed flooded my mind. “Sam, we need to get out of here, pronto!” I grabbed his hand. “I’ll explain later.” I ushered him to follow, tugging on his hand.

  “Yeah, I get the feelin' you’re right.” He flashed the light over the cliff. “Damn! I sure would hate seeing anyone fall onto those spikes. He slightly bent over the edge, shining the light over the sharp rocks.

  “Come on Sam! We gotta go, now.” I urged him.

  “I’m comin'!” Sam held the light in front of us and off we went, climbing the steps with extra care.

  In a few minutes, we both were out of the bowels of hell and bent over dragging in hordes of fresh air. I’d never swallowed so much dirt in my life. Coming from West Texas, sandstorms were common but nothing like this.

  After a minute of gaging up dust, Sam spoke up. “Damn, girl, what possessed you to go down a hole with no light or idea what you’re gettin' into?” his voice seemed tight, full of irritation.

  I reckoned, I had him worried. Good ole Sam. I smiled to myself.

  With not a lot of time to explain, I took the easiest route. I lied. “I fell down the hole ”

  “Was this trap open when you fell?” he eyed me suspiciously, as he lifted the tattered door to the entrance and closed it up, latching it back. I think he knew I’d lied. With the dust settling around it, I think he’d put two and two together. Either way, I was sticking to my story.

  “Hmm, yes.” I lied. “I don’t even remember a door being there. I was walking along and tripped.” That part wasn’t a lie. I felt bad, not telling Sam the whole truth. It might be best if he didn’t know everything. The less he knew, the safer he'd be.

  “You’re not hurt?” Sam’s voice seemed concerned.

  I looked down at my filthy clothes and brushed over my arms. “No. I’m good. Just dirty.” I half laughed.

  Sam raised his finger wiping my nose, examining the film of dirt he drew back. “I’d say, you look like you’ve been mud wrestling.” He flashed an impish grin. “A good look on you.” He raked his wolf eyes over me quite boldly, making me squirm uncomfortably.

  I changed the subject quickly. “Where’re you headed?”

  “Oh, I figured I’d hang out under this oak in case you fall into another trap.” Sam broke out into a broad smile, but it didn’t reach his bland eyes. Did I detect something off? It struck me as peculiar. On second thought, I shook off the notion. He’d been through a lot tonight coming to my aid, twice. Silly of me to doubt him. Why wouldn’t I trust him? He was my guardian and protector.

  “Sam, you don’t have to risk your life for me.”

  “I’m not leaving you until I know you’re safe.” He reached out and gently squeezed my shoulder. “I got your back!”

  I stared into his deep browns for a moment. As I inhaled a deep sigh, guilt started to weigh heavily on me. “I understand why you behaved the way you did. You were undercover.” I let out a ragged sigh. “I decided that I’m going through with what you suggested.”

  Sam’s eyes orbed for a brief second, and then he quickly masked his surprise. “You’re going to complete the bonding ceremony with Aidan after all? Risk everything?”

  I looked down at my muddy feet and let out a deep sigh. I’d made my decision. It was my turn to save Bane. “Yes. Risk and all.”

  “Are you sure you are makin’ the right decision?” doubt laced his voice.

  “I have to follow my heart.” I folded my arms, unwilling to waver. I couldn’t turn my back on Bane. He’d risked his life to save mine. Now I had to do the same for him. And I didn’t have to explain myself to Sam, to the universe or to any Goddamn person.

  “Gotcha, Chickadee!” Sam snatched a piece of grass out of my disheveled hair and smiled. “No, problemo.” He pointed with his thumb to the oak. “I’ll be right here waitin' if you need me.” He leaned in and hugged me. When he drew back, there it was again, that strange glint in his eyes.

  I blew it off. One more item on my plate would send me into oblivion. “Thanks, Sam! You’re the best.” I smiled.

  ***

  A sense of urgency swallowed me, as I feared I’d be too late finding Bane. Despite my disenchanted heart seeing him with another woman, I sensed that Bane had been protecting me all along. I was confident he wouldn’t betray me now. So I had to return the favor.

  Be that as it may, I wasn’t exactly out of the woods yet. Apart from the decision made by the creature and the councilmen, my gut told me that Van still was fiending for me. As long as I stayed a virgin and my powers unprotected, Van was a threat. If he succeeded taking my essence, whatever that meant, he might become unstoppable. Which meant, Bane was in jeopardy too.

  The way I saw it, if I could stop this massacre by giving myself to Bane, then why the hell not? It was simply a means to cease this nightmare that seemed to encircle both of us. If such a little thing as giving up my virtue meant saving our lives, it was a small price to pay. Chills covered my arms.

  I needed to find Bane and the best person who could rally him up for me would be Jeffery.

  Huddled in front of the kitchen window, I spotted several wait-staff in black and white uniform coming and going with trays with the usual treats. I spotted Jeffery wagging his finger at a young waiter. I couldn’t hear a word, though Jeffery’s jaw was flapping just as hard as his wagging finger. He hastily grabbed the white towel from the young waiter’s grasp. In a dramatic manner, Jeffery dotted his face with the towel. I laughed. When did Jeffery ever work up a sweat? Pfffleaseeee!

  The young waiter mostly nodded his head and then Jeffery waved him on, dismissing the young man back to his job. In a huff, Jeffery spun on his heels, pushing his way through other staff members. The kitchen was hopping with staff. Most everyone was neck to neck, shoulders brushing against shoulder, staff hustling to keep the guest flushed with food and drink.

  It was not until his eyes landed on me did Jeffery stop in his tracks, eyes grew the size of golf balls as he nearly dropped his teeth. I hovered just above the sill, peeking through the window.

  Discreetly, he pointed to the side entrance. The servant’s entrance! Of course, why didn’t I think of that? To me, the entrance was practically a folktale. No one ever used it.

  Bane wasn’t your typical Lord of the manner. He treated Jeffery and Dom like family rather than the hired help. I liked that about him. As
cocky and badass as he portrayed himself, Bane possessed a kindness that I’d fell to see. I reckoned I had some humble pie to eat.

  Not wasting a second, I crawled over roots and mud until I reached the back door. Keeping out of sight, I ducked behind the only bush by the entrance, a rose bush. After tonight, I’d never feel the same about the flower. “Ouch!” I mumbled, huffily.

  With a loud bang, the side door opened and out stepped an agitated Jeffery. His back faced me, I slid from behind the tortuous thorns. Quietly, tipping toeing, I tapped him on his back. Jeffery jumped with a start, screeching. “Lord, have mercy on my delicious soul!” He shrieked like a woman, his hand clutching his chest as he spun on his heels, fixing his heated blue eyes at me. “Gurrrlfriend, I swear, I thought youse was Bane’s cousin.” Jeffery’s face paled as if he’d seen a ghost. He fanned himself with the white towel. “Stay the hell away from that ugly mofo scoundrel!” Jeffery wagged his finger at me, holding an unlit cigarette. “A mofo devil, plum evil that one is!” Jeffery rambled. In his next breath, he raked his eyes over me and landed on my face.

  Jeffery's face soured like he’d been eating a basket full of lemons. “What the hell happened to you?” he gasped. “I know you is a bit raggedy, but damn gurrrl, please tell me that you haven’t tract that nasty filth in my house?”

  I gave Jeffery a good old fashion eye roll. “Not yet.” I stared at him just daring him. I peered around to see if anyone was near. “Bane’s uncle is out for me.” I spit out like it was Custer’s last confession.

  Then my eyes fell upon the cigarette Jeffery just lit as he blew out a long stream of white smoke. “I thought you said you were quitting?” my eyes narrowed, pointedly.

  Jeffery puffed on the cigarette and withdrew a steady stream of smoke through his nostrils. “Gurrrl, I had quit for a whole week until tonight. I had to use this as an excuse so I could meet you.” He held up the cigarette. “This shit is your fault, seeing you here with a price on your head, and that damn cousin of Mister Aidan’s, I swear on my momma’s grave, you both have gotten on my last nerve that I needed a smoke just to get me through this terrible ordeal. I got blisters waitin’ on all these snooty white folk. And, I. Hate. Stuffy. White. Rich. Folk too!” Jeffery hammered away.