She Speaks to Angels: YA Angel Thriller (AngelFire Chronicles Bk #1)

by Blackwelder, Ami

  “Not so fast.” His hand touched my waist as he bumped backward into the lockers. “Consequences.”

  “I know.” I shook my head. “I’m so sorry; I keep forgetting.”

  “It’s alright. Even I want to forget sometimes.” His mossy-brown eyes fell low and his disposition became somber.

  I sensed there to be so much more to his feelings in that moment. Feelings about his past, his future...me? We only had a few minutes before the next bell, but as we walked to my P.E. class, I couldn’t stop thinking about how difficult his life must have been. Orphaned. On the New York streets alone, and not able to intimately touch anyone. I began to realize how much the Angelfire sacrificed just to keep the streets safe from demons, and I squeezed Kian’s hand tightly. It was the one small act I could do without causing him harm.

  “Afraid?” he asked, knowing he would have to leave me alone for fifty minutes.

  “No.” I shook my head, and something like pride for him washed over me, “just glad I found you.”

  “Me too.” He hooked his fingers into my back pant pocket with only the fabric of my pants keeping his skin from mine, keeping his passion from washing over into me. But I felt fortunate. I might never be able to kiss him, or hold him so close that I couldn’t breathe, but we shared something in that hallway, something I never felt before...something that made me tingle

  -everywhere.

  Until Eight

  After Jen dropped me off at my house, I said goodbye to both Mol and Jen with a quick wave before racing through the front door. As I closed the thick wooden oak door, I saw Kian descend with the white wings of an angel behind the glass window of the kitchen across the hall. Butterflies flitted in my stomach, and I felt like I’d fallen in love for the first time. In a way I guess I had. No other relationship I had ever had with a boyfriend came close to what I had with Kian. We had something pure, protected, destined. At least that is how our relationship felt to me.

  Scurrying across the hall and into the kitchen, I scanned the green and white tiled walls before settling on the glass window where wings vanished into a foggy mist. Like a rolling storm cloud, the mist slid under the window pane and into the house. When the vapor touched my skin, my body tingled. Perhaps this was the only time I would ever be able to feel him so overtly on me, and I wondered how the rules applied to him then. Where was that fine line between us drawn?

  For several long coveted minutes he engulfed me and slid up my leg like silk beneath my pants. A sensation of sure pleasure such as I had never experienced shot through me, and I closed my eyes as he lingered over my belly button and up my chest to the hollow of my neck; I felt an ebb and flow like ocean waves. I wanted to keep him there forever, to keep the closeness and the ecstasy. But when his mist finally stretched out from beneath my clothes and settled over the hard kitchen floor, the Kian I recognized appeared, and I knew then and there I would give up his mist to see his face, his form, time and time again.

  “How are you? I mean since I left you alone seventh period?” Kian inched close to me, his voice as loud as a tolling bell. I don’t think he realized how loud he could be, and if Mom had been home, she would have surely heard him even through the closed door to her downstairs room. Heck, Samuel would have definitely heard him from upstairs, too.

  “Shh.” I held my forefinger over his mouth. Perhaps I wanted to remind him to keep his voice low just in case, or perhaps I just wanted to touch his skin. I didn’t use my lips, so I figured he’d be safe. “I was fine. Mrs. Tambourina gave us a quiz, and I think I did well. I didn’t see any sign of Dameon.”

  “You shouldn’t have. Krysta told me on my way over here that Dameon spent most of his day busy with his gang. They walked up and down the streets searching for different items.”

  “Items? What kind of items?” I worried. I frowned, and I felt my eyes narrow in concern.

  “Krysta said she would tell me when I get home tonight.”

  “Speaking of your home, am I ever going to get to see your lovely mansion on the lake again? It was quite spectacular, and I only got to see two of the rooms. There must be more, right?”

  “Well, yes there are more rooms, and yes, I will show you my home sometime soon, but no, you will not be able to see all the rooms.” He stepped toward me as I turned to walk into the living room. The sofa looked inviting, and I plopped down on the warm cushion as Kian sat in the rocking chair adjacent to me. Disappointed that he wanted to keep his distance, I pursed my lips, pouting unconsciously.

  “Why not?” Surprise hung between us.

  “Because, Ali,” Kian began, and I felt my lips tightened at his hard words, “Sammael would never allow it for one, and for two, there are just some things humans should not know.”

  “But?”

  “No buts. Please don’t ask me again. I hate to see that dejected expression on your face, hate to deny you anything. But I can’t do this.”

  “All right.” My head hung low, and I wanted to ask him more questions, like what was in those forbidden rooms, but I knew he wouldn’t be able to tell me, so I just sighed.

  Then I felt his pinky finger brushing the dimple in my chin. He stood before me. “Don’t look so dreadful.”

  I lifted my head and smiled. “I’m not.”

  “Yes you are. You’re a stickler for getting your own way, aren’t you?”

  I shrugged.

  “Don’t let curiosity get the best of you. Remember what curiosity has brought you so far.” He spoke like he had read my mind, like he knew that I was toying with -the idea of breaking into those secret rooms someday.

  My mind swirled with danger, death...and then rested on Kian’s brilliant hazel pupils and copper-blond hair. As my eyes caressed his arched nose and thin lips, broad shoulders and wide chest, I smiled. “Yes, look at what curiosity has brought me.”

  Kian quickly wiped the smirk off my face with one word. “Don’t.”

  “Don’t what?” My lids widened with doe-eyed expression.

  “Don’t pretend that any of this is justified because you have me here, that the danger to your life is somehow worth it. Don’t pretend that things couldn't get worse if you don’t listen to me.”

  Pouting inside, I flung myself against the back of the sofa. “I’m not.”

  “I see your mind ticking, figuring out ways to discover more about me, about my world.”

  “And is that such a bad thing?” I waved my hands. “To want to know more about the man in my life?”

  “It is, when answers will only bring more danger to you, drawing out more demons who want to murder you.”

  “Murder me?” My flesh grew cold.

  “Yes Ali. Dameon isn’t the only demon willing to kill you if need be. Angelfire keeps our secrets locked up for good reasons.

  “But Sammael said that I could read those books in the library, that the information wouldn’t cause the angels or demons to lose power. How are the secret rooms any different?”

  “Because they are, Ali.” Kian sighed. “Remember, Sammael told you that the only knowledge that weakens us is the knowledge that draws humans to the truth of our existence and our identities?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, many rooms belong to other angels in the city, angels you shouldn’t know exist. If you did know, they too would lose power. Some rooms possess only photo books of identities with locals. It is important for Sammael to know what is going on in the world and who is on his side, but it is not important for you to know...or any other human. Knowing this will only weaken our cause.”

  “I understand.” I nodded and really felt satisfied with his answer. “I wouldn’t want to be the cause of angels weakening in power.”

  “I know you wouldn’t.” He plopped next to me and tucked his head between my left ear and the sofa pillow. Our heads rested side by side for a few seconds before temptation gripped me and I felt starved for him; my heart ached. Only being near him would never be enough, but it would have to be. As he pulled away, h
is arm brushed tenderly against my cheek, and I couldn’t resist him. I pulled his arm back, jerking his body toward me. He landed gently on my breasts.

  He laughed and then I laughed, breaking the romance I spontaneously intended, and then he rolled over, propping himself up beside me, still giggling.

  “We sure are a pair,” he commented, a grin stretching across his face.

  “We sure are.” I agreed. I hung my neck over on the back of the sofa. I could feel my face beaming.

  “So...what do you want to do now?”

  I turned my whole body around, legs crossed, and leaned into him. His face lit up like a bolt of lightning. He must have thought I wanted another kiss.

  “I want to know who you are.”

  “What do you want to know?”

  “How long did you live in the orphanage? Were you ever adopted?”

  “I was put up for adoption as soon as I lost my parents. I had no other living relatives. Since the state had nowhere else for me, they put me into the local city orphanage. I was raised by harsh hands.” Kian rubbed his temple, deep in memory, and a tear rolled down his cheek, lingering at his top lip. I wiped it with my pinky.

  “You never have to be sad again.”

  “They beat me badly.

  My mouth gaped open. I couldn’t imagine what a horrible life he must have had before he met Sammael! “Did you report it?”

  “No,” he shook his head. “That wouldn’t have accomplished anything. The police don’t care about us orphans.” His mind wandered somewhere as he stared at the painting on the wall. “I ran away.”

  “To child services? Anyone?”

  “An orphan named Allen tried once. Didn’t do much good.”

  “I’m so sorry.” Comforting him, I circled his back with my hand.

  “Don’t be. I’m here now...with you.”

  I let my head rest on his shoulder as he continued. He had so much story to share with me, and we had all the time in the world...well at least until eight. “So you lived on the streets?”

  “Yep, most of my life...well until Sammael.”

  “So, you haven’t lived in the mansion for that long?”

  “Not too long. But it feels like the home I always wanted.”

  “I’m glad.” I nestled up closer to him; the warmth emanating from his body was something akin to sunbathing under the summer sun. My chin relaxed on his neck. “Because I want you around.”

  “So, you’ll keep me as your protector?” he said with a hint of sarcasm.

  “I wouldn’t want any other.”

  “You won’t need any other,” he retorted, sounding confident.

  “I know.” I felt reassured and closed my eyes for a moment, basking in that certainty. He would be there for me always, whenever I needed him; my own personal angel of the skies. No other man could come close to what he gave me.

  We sat silently like that, our legs wrapped over each other like roots of a tree, for at least thirty minutes. I didn’t want to break the quiet spell, a still reverie between us that spoke volumes without us saying a word. But then I had to. I had to know more.

  “After you ran away, where did you stay? On the streets I mean.”

  “Here and there. A few homeless shelters; a few sleepless nights. Sometimes I found comfort within the homes of a few Good Samaritans.”

  “In New York?” My mouth dropped open again.

  Snickering, Kian retorted, “Yeah, hard to believe I know. But they exist.”

  “If you say so, I believe you.” I answered, only half seriously, and then I decided I wanted to pursue the conversation more. “So you survived the streets, I guess with criminals, poverty, demons and all?”

  “Fighting the criminals and demons became second nature to me. I had a knack for stopping the bad guys. My wings sprouted eagerly, and my abilities took hold. Caring for and protecting those weaker is who I am...who all the angels are.”

  “A true angel.” I sounded so sappy.

  “The poverty part, now that was a challenge.” I laughed at his remark.

  “How’s so?” I pushed closer to him; his story enthralling me.

  “Well, living on garbage is not something I’d recommend to anyone.”

  “Eww, really? You had to eat garbage?” I reacted quickly without a second thought to his sensitivities.

  “It’s not so bad...not when you’re hungry...or worse, starving.”

  “Sorry; I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did.”

  “Don’t beat yourself up about it. Everyone reacts that way.”

  “Everyone? Who else have you told?”

  “Well, Krysta, Nathaniel...and Sammael. You should have heard how Krysta reacted.”

  I could totally visualize exactly how Krysta would have gawked and then made some sort of finger-down-the-throat-expression.

  “Well, you never have to face those hardships again at least.” I sounded cheery.

  “Yeah, I owe a lot to Sammael...even my life.”

  “Your life?” He caught me off guard.

  “Yeah, well...on more than one occasion, actually. The demons can be pretty ruthless. I remember a few times coming face to face with Dameon and his family of demons. Once Dameon caught me off guard and was holding me against an alley wall with a knife to my throat.”

  “Oh my God!”

  His voice grew serious and deep as I watched his lips move. “Sammael sent the angel Jacob to help me.”

  “Jacob?”

  “The angel of love.” My expression must have grown curious, so Kian clarified what he meant. “Yes, the angel I spoke of earlier. You will get to meet him. He has had quite a life.”

  I gave him an incredulous expression. “I thought I wouldn’t be meeting any more angels.”

  “You won’t. Except for Jacob. He is old and doesn’t serve the community as he once did. Well, you’ll understand once you meet him. He will tell you himself. It’s alright to know his identity. His power is already too weak to be of any value outside of the mansion walls.” As I pondered what Kian meant by that, I grew excited with the notion of meeting another angel.

  “When will I get to meet him?”

  “Soon.”

  “Wow!” I tried to digest everything Kian had told me. The homelessness, the poverty, the near life death experiences, Jacob. I wanted to ask more, but then the clock on the wall struck seven thirty. Like Cinderella with her magical glass slippers, I had run out of time.

  “I’d better get going. Don’t want to have to answer questions from your family.”

  “Yeah, you’re right. Better get going.”

  He dematerialized before my eyes and disappeared beneath the kitchen window pane. Mom’s car pulled up seconds later.

  Carnage

  It was Wednesday morning; I remembered this day well. Kian called and told me to meet him at the fence gate of my house. He flew into my backyard, hiding behind the apple tree, and after his wings folded inside his body he skirted around the fence and met me at the gate. I watched him the whole time. He must have brought a bag of clothes with him, because he dressed well.

  “What is it?” I asked, biting my lip. His ripped blue jeans and faded maroon t-shirt hung over his body in a way that accented every muscle.

  “Krysta is worried about what Dameon is up to; she hasn’t figured it out yet and doesn’t want you going to school without me...not with him there.

  “She said that? Krysta?”

  “She cares about you, too, Ali. She might not act like it, but she is Angelfire. Human kind is her priority.”

  “I didn’t know.” I lowered my head, feeling a bit ashamed of how little I thought of Krysta.

  “Don’t worry about it. Not many get along with her.”

  I didn’t want to worry about it, but I kept going over in my mind how I’d treated her and how unfair I’d been.

  “I’ll try not to.” I brushed my thick hair behind my ear as Kian brushed past my shoulder; his warmth kept me comfortable in the cool weather.
“And you should put a jacket of some kind on. I mean, I realize you probably don’t get cold like we humans do, but you don’t want others looking at you funny.”

  He looked at himself, eyeing his legs and then his arms, bare from elbows down. “I have a jacket in my hidden backpack at the school.”

  “I hope so.” I nearly rolled my eyes. “Because I don’t think you’d like my pink coat.” I gripped his arm, and we walked toward the sidewalk. Jen would be by soon. “So, this is kinda nice...you being by my side and all.” I cozied up to him, my cheek to his chin.

  “Don’t get too comfortable; remember rule number 2.”

  “Yeah, yeah...rule number 2.” And I finally did roll my eyes. Molly had rubbed off on me.

  As Jen pulled up to the curb, her sedan sounded clunky, as if the vehicle could break down at any moment, and Mol hung her head over Jen straining to see Kian.

  “What happened to your car?” I shouted as I bounced up to the back door.

  “Is he coming with?” Mol yelled as I opened the back door.

  “Yeah!” I huffed and slid in before Kian.

  “Have you gone and lost your mind?” Mol widened her eyes at Kian’s blushing face. “No jacket?”

  “In the laundry. No worries; I’ve got one in my locker.” Kian told her.

  “So, back to the car...what happened?” I interrupted the mini-banter between my friend and my so-called-angel-boyfriend-protector...or whatever he was to me.

  “An accident.” Jen gulped, her voice filled with shame.

  “You were in an accident?” I leaned forward between seats.

  “Not my fault. Daddy’s taking the jerk to court. We’ve got car repairs.”

  “Well I hope this doesn’t break down on our way to school.” I half giggled. Jen had never been one to do or have anything unreliable. If anything, she went out of her way to be responsible.

  “It won’t,” Jen said firmly as she mashed the accelerator.

  When we finally arrived at school, Jen parked in one of the few parking spaces available. We’d almost gotten there late. Again.

  “Come on, guys!” Jen shouted, craning her neck to see us in the backseat. We jumped out of the car and hurried behind her and Molly.