Angel of Mercy (The Fallen)

by Lisa Olsen

  “Adam…”

  “Skip it.” He rose from the couch but I caught him by the hand, holding fast to him. “Don’t…” Adam tugged his hand from mine. “Don’t pretend you know what I’m feeling,” the bitter words were spoken.

  I tried again. “Adam, I’m not saying I do…” but he was already moving to the front door.

  “I need a real drink,” he muttered.

  I followed after him, not wanting him to leave like this. “I think we’ve both had enough. Look, I know you want…”

  Adam whirled on me, pinning me to the wall, his body pressed against mine. “You have no idea what I want,” he growled, his mouth capturing mine before I could object.

  The kiss was demanding, and Adam took what he wanted without asking. To my utter shame I gave without protest, our lips never parting. Everything else forgotten, my whole world became the feel of his body, the rasp of his cheek against mine, the taste of him that was purely his own, his hands roaming freely over me.

  His kiss was wild and primal and I could feel the hunger barely suppressed within him, threatening to devour me should he unleash it. Overwhelmed, I pressed my hands to his chest, trying to create a bit of space between us but he wouldn’t allow it. Adam’s talented mouth and hands soon eroded my initial hesitation and I was completely swept up in the kiss, clinging to him every bit as much as he held tight to me.

  I did however stop him when his hand started to edge the bottom of my dress up. “Whoa, slow down, cowboy,” I gasped, trying to gather my wits about me.

  “Don’t be a tease, Mercy, I know you want me.” His hands stilled, but he didn’t let go of me, his lips nuzzling against my throat.

  “Maybe I did want a kiss sure, but that doesn’t mean I’m offering an open invitation to do me up against the wall,” I insisted, { In>

  “Shall we go somewhere more… comfortable then?” His teeth caught my earlobe and gave it a not so gentle tug causing my breath to hiss between my teeth.

  “I think you’re missing the point.”

  “You’re overthinking this, Mercy. You want me, I want you… why not be together?” He licked my ear.

  “Because…” I pulled my head away to try and catch his eyes. “Because I am with Ben.”

  “Are you?” he smirked at that, and I suspected he knew I was wondering the same thing. “Come on, Mercy, you know we’d be good together.” All sorts of erotic images painted across my mind. What would it be like to take him to my bed? His tongue laved over the sensitive spot behind my ear and I shivered.

  “Stop that!” I snapped, pulling farther away. “And I don’t know any such thing.” I hated the note of uncertainty in my voice but that proved I shouldn’t be doing such a thing when I wasn’t in full control of my sensibilities.

  “Sure you do, I can feel it when I touch you. Are you saying you don’t feel it too?” he stroked his fingers down the sensitive skin of my neck.

  A shiver of delight coursed through me and it took a long moment to focus my thoughts again before I could reply. “Feeling a physical response for a person doesn’t mean we’re M.F.E.O.” I tossed his own words back at him.

  “But it’s a hell of a lot of fun.”

  “Ugh, you are a bastard, you know that?”

  “But you like it, don’t you?” he grinned.

  “What do you want?” I asked earnestly. All kidding aside I really wanted to know. Was it all a game to him? Was I just a way to kill time or did he actually want me as more than an easy lay?

  Several expressions flitted across his features, so fast I couldn’t begin to interpret them. “You sure know how to kill a mood,” Adam grumbled, pushing away from me and halfway to the door by the time I recovered from the quick shift.

  “You’re leaving then?”

  “Unless you can give me a good reason to stay.” He let his eyes travel up and down my body, his meaning clear.

  “Forget it.” I turned away from the door, leaving it up to him whether he stayed or left.

  “G’nite, Mercy. Sweet dreams,” Adam said with a smirk in his voice just before the door shut behind him.

  < {Sleep was a long time coming.

  Chapter Fifteen

  There should be a law against people calling you before ten in the morning.

  Especially when you’ve been drinking the night before. My neck was stiff and sore from falling asleep on the couch, curled up into an uncomfortable position all night. But that was the least of my worries. I had all the classic symptoms of a hangover including the blinding headache and roiling stomach. The shrill ring of the phone was like an ice pick jabbing into my ear and I blindly scrabbled for the phone, flipping it open to shut it up.

  “Mercy?” The tentative voice came through.

  “Yeah?” My voice was raspy with disuse as I blinked at the unknown number on the display. “Who’s this?”

  “It is Sam. You said I should call…”

  Sam. Trust him not to know the proper phone etiquette.

  “I have a phone!” He declared into the silence, and I had to smile at the pride that rang in his voice.

  “Welcome to the twenty-first century. What time is it anyway?” Bless him, but I have never been a morning person, I’m afraid I didn’t sound all that friendly.

  “It is just after seven,” Sam reported.

  I suppose it had very little meaning to someone who didn’t sleep. A groan escaped my lips. I hadn’t seen seven a.m. in a very long time, not with the hours I kept. “Is something wrong?” Why would he call me at such an ungodly hour?

  “No, should there be?”

  I stretched, shifting into a more comfortable position. “No Sam, no reason there should be,” I yawned. “It’s just early for me.”

  “Oh. I did not realize… there are people up and around outside.”

  “I’m betting most of them didn’t stay up as late as I did last night.” Or drunk quite as much.

  “That is possible.”

  “Is there something you wanted, or are you calling to tell me about your new phone?”

  “I am calling to invite you to come for a visit. That is proper among friends, is it not?”

  A faint smile tilted my lips, he sounded worried I might say no. “Yes, that’s fine between friends. When did you want me to come over?”

  “How about now?”

  I guessed patience had never been one of his strong suits. “I don’t know Sam, I’m not feeling so hot this morning.” The idea of dragging myself out of the apartment and across town was vastly unappealing.

  “You are unwell?”

  “I’ve had better days.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that. Would you like my assistance?”

  Assistance. He meant healing, and for a moment I considered taking him up on it. “No, that’s sweet of you, Sam, but I’ll manage. It’s nothing a couple of Tylenol and about a gallon of water won’t cure.” Of course I could always try and heal myself, though I hadn’t tried it on me before. “How about I stop by later this afternoon? Would that be alright?”

  “That would be very nice.”

  I had to smile at the excitement in his voice. Apparently he was as lonely as Adam, he just showed it differently.

  Adam.

  That kiss… what had I been thinking? Shame flooded my cheeks and I realized Sam was saying something else. “What was that again?”

  “I said I have a surprise for you.”

  The mind boggled.

  “Okay, that sounds great. I’ll see you later then. Bye Sam.”

  No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t will that headache away. Maybe it was because I had trouble concentrating on the headache with the headache, but in the end I popped a couple of pills and had some toast. It was nice to find my natural healing ability was enhanced at least, because I started to feel better much earlier than I expected.

  I was starting to feel, if you’ll pardon the phrase, human again, when there was a knock at the door. I wasn’t expecting anyone, and my mind ran th
e gamut over who it could be. It was a fairly safe bet I wouldn’t find Adam standing on the other side of the door, that much was certain. In a bout of pettiness I wished he had a killer headache of his own for making me feel so conflicted.

  “Daphne,” I smiled at finding my pretty, blonde friend standing there, a cup of coffee in each hand. “Oh, bless you! Come on in.”

  “Hey, you’re not ready to go,” she frowned, handing over my coffee on the way in.

  “Ready to go…” Suddenly it occurred to me we were supposed to go to the flea market that morning. Daphne and I were big fans of second hand bargains. We regularly haunted thrift shops and the weekly flea market was like a treasure trove of possibilities. “Oh crap, Daphne, I totally forgot. I’m sorry. I’m ah… moving a little slow today,” I apologized, leading her into the living room.

  “Have a little too much fun last night?” The corner of her mouth tugged up into a smile, eager for some girl talk. “Were you with Sam or Ben last night?”

  “I started off with Ben, but then Adam came over. Actually technically Adam was here first.”

  “Wait, who’s Adam?” Her brows drew together in puzzlement.

  Oops. “Adam is another fallen angel, he’s a friend of Sam’s.”

  “And he was here last night? That’s a lot of guys to juggle, Mercy, even for youw Roman">,n>.”

  “I’m not juggling them I’m…” Christ, was that what I was doing? Up until the night before I would have firmly defended my statement, but after that kiss… How was I going to face Ben again? Or Adam? “I’m not seeing Sam,” I said weakly.

  “Why, I thought he was so nice?”

  “I know, he is nice, but… I dunno, there was just no spark, he’s so… different.” It was almost like Sam wasn’t a fully grown man, which was ridiculous when you thought about it, he’d been alive for thousands of years. Maybe it was more like he’d been raised in isolation, like on a deserted island, and lacked much in the way of practical life experience. It was hard to talk to someone who didn’t share the same points of reference sometimes. “And Ben, I really like Ben but… it’s complicated.” Understatement of the year.

  Daphne didn’t seem to think so. “What all is going on that’s so complicated Mercy? So you got touched by an angel, so what? That means you can’t have a boyfriend?”

  “It’s not just that. Ben sees things, he’s like a trained detective. He’ll notice I’m not normal sooner or later.” Ben already had more questions than I was comfortable answering.

  “What? Not normal…? You can see people in Technicolor, big deal.”

  “I’m seeing their souls Daphne, that’s what the colors are. I can see their souls the way that angels can, so they can judge them.”

  “I repeat, what’s the big deal? Just don’t tell him about it then if you’re so worried he’ll think you’re a freak.”

  “Well, that’s not all…” Briefly I told her about my encounter with Nathanael the night before and Adam’s intervention with Ben’s brief role in it. That gave her pause and I felt vindicated in my concerns.

  “You might be in big trouble with God over something you had no control over? That kinda blows.” Daphne sipped her coffee thoughtfully.

  “Tell me about it. Adam’s gonna probably take the worst of it, but it’s a cinch they won’t let me keep this Grace.”

  “That’s a good thing though, right? You want to get r wathoughid of it.”

  Did I? Even though it complicated my life, I was starting to get used to it. And if it hadn’t been for the Grace, then Charles Weatie would have… I swallowed back that thought, not wanting to dwell over long on it. I was almost starting to get used to the idea I was part of a new world living within the mundane one, a world that embraced the supernatural. But to be normal again definitely had its appeal.

  “Yeah, no, of course I do. I just hope there’s a way to do it that doesn’t end up with me as some kind of a sacrifice. Or anyone else hurt. I kinda got the feeling angels aren’t all that averse to breaking a few eggs to make an omelet if you catch my drift. I don’t want Ben caught in the crossfire. He’s a good guy.”

  “Again with the good guy,” Daphne shook her head.

  “No, it’s not like that. I really do like him.”

  “But…”

  I hesitated for a moment, but Daphne was my best friend in all the world. If I couldn’t tell her, who could I tell? “Adam kissed me last night.”

  Her eyes widened and Daphne leaned forward. “He did? And what did you do?”

  I squinched my eyes nearly all the way shut, peeking out at her just a little. “I kissed him back.”

  “How was it? Do angels kiss any differently than people do?”

  I thought about that for a moment. The kiss had been overwhelmingly steamy. Was that because of a special angelic talent, or was it just r wn">a I felt warmer just thinking about it.

  “Better than Taylor from the Copa?”

  The Copacabana was a bar we liked to hang out in sometimes when we wanted to go out but I didn’t feel like being near work. Adam was way hotter than Taylor ever was without even trying. “Oh yeah, better than Taylor, no comparison.”

  “Wow. What’s the problem there?”

  “Besides the fact that I’m dating Ben, there’s the fact that Adam doesn’t exactly strike me as the relationship type.”

  “It’s not like Ben put a ring on your finger. You guys never said you were dating exclusively, right?”

  “Well no…”

  “And what makes you think Adam doesn’t want more than your body?”

  “Because every time he opens his mouth he practically says so.”

  “Oh. Then basically it’s the safe, nice cop versus the smoking hot angel who just wants to sin with you.”

  “Uh yeah, I guess you could put it that way.” I frowned over her simplification of things. Ben was more than that, the jury was still out on Adam.

  “So… what’s the problem exactly?”

  “I can’t keep Ben in the dark for much longer. What if I tell him and he thinks I’m nuts? Or worse, a freak?”

  “You’re the one who knows him, what do you think the odds are he’ll flip out over something like this?”

  “I just don’t know. We never really started at the beginning, we sort of jumped into the middle with me staying with him when Weatie was after me. I have no idea if he believes in anything outside of the norm, what his religious beliefs are…” The truth was, it could go either way and there was no way telling if our relationship would emerge intact on the other side.

  “Maybe you could sound him out a little first then? Have him over for dinner, ask him about his childhood, religious beliefs, all that good stuff. It’s all important info to have anyway, right?”

  That had some real possibilities. Once again I was grateful to have Daphne as a sounding board. “Butter him up with some enchiladas and go from there?” I grinned, catching enthusiasm for the idea. “Good idea, Daph.”

  “Of course it is.” Daphne preened under the compliment, tossing her golden hair over a shoulder. “And the next time you see Adam… ask him what his intentions are. Before you kiss him again.” She quirked a slender brow at me and I snorted. I could predict what his intentions were.

  “Three guesses how that conversation’s gonna go.”

  ="+0" face="Times New Roman">“You never know unless you ask.” Daphne gave a delicate shrug. “Now, are we going to the flea market or are you going to mope around here all day?”

  Chapter Sixteen

  It was early afternoon by the time I made it to Sam’s place. I hadn’t specified a particular time, so I grabbed some lunch with Daphne first, figuring Sam wouldn’t be eating anyway. I didn’t plan to stay too long, maybe an hour or so before I wanted to get to the grocery store and pick up a few things. Ben sounded pleasantly surprised to hear from me so soon and happily agreed to come over for dinner. I just hoped we wouldn’t get any interruptions this time, angelic or otherwise. It would be nic
e to have a regular date for once.

  I looked forward to seeing Sam, he had a tendency to make me smile. In fact, I was smiling as I caught the elevator up to his floor, thinking about his phone call that morning. There was no sign of the neighbor boy that time, but I was surprised to find Sam’s door slightly ajar. I knew he wasn’t all that big on security, but still…

  Approaching the door slowly, I picked out two male voices, one soft and reasonable, the other angry and intense. Sam and Adam.

  Alright, I know I should have knocked, announced my presence somehow, but curiosity got the best of me and I hovered outside, listening carefully. And really, what would you have done?

  “I do not understand,” Sam said. No surprise there. “Is this not cause for celebration?”

  “No, it’s fucking not cause for celebration, Sam. This is the single worst thing that’s happened to me for the past millennium,” Adam retorted, and I could hear him pacing inside.

  There was a long pause and I reckoned Sam was working his way through it, choosing his words carefully. “It is not the same as before, she is not human any longer.”

  My hand flew to stifle the gasp that sprang to my lips. They were talking about me! And I was the single worst thing to happen to Adam in more than a thousand years?

  “You think that’s gonna make a difference to them?” Adam snorted.

  “You must tell her.”

  “It’s not that simple and you know it.”

  “It’s not a sin to love, brother,” Sam said gently.

  “Yeah, tell that to the big guy,” Adam bit out. “If you’re so keen on all this hearts and flowers stuff, then why haven’t you shacked up with your own honey before now? Or why not Mercy? Don’t think I haven’t seen the way you look at her.”

  I literally forgot to breathe until my lungs started to burn and I drew in a hasty breath, leaning against the doorframe for support. Had he said love?

  “Because I have kept myself apart from humanity as part of my penance. Mercy is helping me to see that perhaps I have… overdone it for some time now.”