“Kari, I don’t understand. Everyone is dead and you look completely different. And you’re talking about demons.”
“I know it’s hard to believe. But the demon that made me thin killed everybody.
And when the sun sets, he’ll kill more people. He learns about things from the people he kills, so he might kill you if you are in your apartment where he can find you. He learned about the Dieter’s Delight from me. So he knows about you, too.”
“Wait a minute. How come you’re still alive?”
Kari took a deep breath. She really didn’t want to explain about Rahmiel right now.
“I was rescued. It’s a really long story, and just as hard to believe as the demon making me thin. I have Mom’s credit card. We’ll drive out of town somewhere safe and get a motel room then I’ll explain everything. Okay?”
Amber shut her car door and buckled her seat belt. “All right. The more I hear you talk, the more I know you’re Kari. Even if what you’re telling me is crazy.”
“I promise I’ll explain everything after we’re somewhere safe.” She drove away from Amber’s apartment and felt a load lighten.
“This whole hiding thing is freaking me out,” Amber said as they drove to Wal-Mart. “How long do we need to hide? I can get some time off work, but I have classes starting soon.”
Despite all the trauma that had happened in the past hours, and the grief she felt at Lisbet and the other Dieter’s deaths, buying clothes for her new body was still fun. It felt normal. She and Amber had shopped together many times, and always helped each other find flattering clothes. For a little while the demon and death seemed far away, in the bright, crowded store.
She wore a size four now, not the easiest size to find at Wal-Mart. Still, she was able to buy several pairs of shorts and jeans, tank tops, knit tops, new bras and panties, socks, shoes and sandals. She also bought a modest pajama set made of soft mint knit.
Amber joined her in the spending frenzy and bought some summer clothes for herself. “Well. I sure haven’t lost any weight,” she grumbled in the three way mirror, but Kari assured her she looked adorable in the lilac capris with a white tank top and lilac checked camp shirt.
“That color is perfect for you. And you’re so pretty. Guys don’t even care that you’re a little chubby.”
Amber wrinkled her nose at that, but smiled at her reflection.
It was true. With her wavy black hair, creamy skin, huge brown eyes and dimpled smile, Amber always had guys around. She was just so shy she tended to run off and hide instead of getting to know any of them. Kari had given her dozens of pep talks over the years, but Amber remained shy.
“Remember my Aunt Tressa?”
“Sure. How is she doing?” A car accident had tragically claimed the life of Tressa’s husband about a year earlier. Tressa was only about seven years older than she and Amber, so it had been really sad. They hadn’t even gotten around to starting a family yet.
“Well, she got all the money from the life insurance and stuff. Then my great Aunt Mary had to go into a nursing home, because she had like three strokes, you know? So Tressa decided to buy Aunt Mary’s place. It’s in a little town in Kansas. Why don’t I call her and we go there? I’m sure she would like the company. She always emails me, and sounds lonely.”
“That would be great. I was worried about putting a lot of money on Mom’s credit card. Especially since I’m between jobs.”
“Yeah. Let me call her.”
Tressa was thrilled with the idea of having company for a few days, Amber announced a few minutes later. They added bottled water, diet cola, a cheap cooler plus some fat free snacks to their cart, along with a few toiletries for Kari.
They headed out of town and the conversation returned to the demon.
“Tell me more now. I’m ready to hear all the freaky stuff,” Amber said as they set out down the highway.
Kari nodded. “Well, it is a five-hour drive. We aren’t going to get there until about two in the morning. I guess now is a good time. But, you’re going to be even more freaked out when I tell you what happened. It’s all my fault, the Dieter’s Delight.” Kari rubbed a tear off her cheek and took a shaky breath. “I found this book at a second hand store. It had a spell in it—a spell for getting thin. I know it sounds crazy, but I thought
—why not try it? It had to be better than that cabbage soup diet, right?”
“Well, you’ve got a point, there. And you look great,” Amber said. “Not flabby or saggy. Though your eyes look a little puffy from crying.”
“Yeah.” Kari began to tear up again and blinked hard.
“Well, I started the spell last night at sunset. But it was a trick spell. Instead of making me thin, it summoned this skeleton monster. A demon that causes famines, I learned later. It was huge, and it shoved its hand right through my body.” Kari lifted her shirt and pulled down the leggings to show the small scratches on her belly. “It was horrible. And it hurt so bad I started to pass out. But then there was someone fighting it.
I passed out and woke up thin. No wounds, either. Just these little scratches. I figured it was just a bad dream and went to the bathroom to weigh myself, but this Angel came into the bathroom. He’d chased the demon away and told me it was a famine demon that could kill thousands, and he was here to stop it.”
“And you weren’t dreaming?” Amber’s warm brown eyes were huge.
“No. He—Rahmiel is his name—is a real Angel. Anyway, he said the demon needed food to get strong after all these years. He would use my knowledge to find the easiest prey. So I thought of people I knew who were overweight, and I knew it was the Dieter’s Delight meeting night. The demon found the Dieter’s Delight group and killed them all. Rahmiel and I got to the meeting right after it happened. It was so awful. They were like skin-covered skeletons.”
“I heard something about that from Lisbet’s roommate Joanie,” Amber said softly.
“She mentioned something about Lisbet being so thin…it was weird. But it backs up your story.”
“Yeah.”
“What happened next?” Amber asked after awhile.
“I had sex with the Angel.” Kari was glad the sun was down, so Amber couldn’t see her face turn red.
Amber stared at her wide-eyed. “You did what?”
Kari put her head back against the head rest. “He was really good looking and he seemed so nice. I felt…I don’t know…close to him, because he saved me. And did I mention that he is really good looking? Like you’d expect an Angel to be, I guess. He said he could do this binding to keep me safe, but it would require sex.”
“That sounds like a line.” Amber wrinkled her short nose.
“I know. But last night it didn’t. Plus, a tropical island. Did I mention he took me to a tropical island, with stars shining on the ocean? So we had sex, and he did the binding thingy, which I don’t remember very well. But then I woke up this morning. I was so sore—I still am. He said he would be gentle, but he wasn’t. I didn’t mind last night, though. I think he did some type of magic on me. It didn’t really hurt until I woke up today.”
“So it wasn’t good? Having sex with him?”
Kari’s face turned hot. “Yes, it was good. But this morning was awful. All these Angels showed up, and I was so tired and they all fought.”
“They showed up at your house?” Amber cried.
“No, at the island. We slept on the sand.” Kari sighed. “His wings are like pure down.”
“Why did the Angels fight?”
“I’m not sure. They put Rahmiel in some Angel prison, but he got out to fight that demon. Somehow, doing the binding sex thing on me makes it so they can’t send him back to prison. Then, when I woke up at my house, he was gone.”
“Creep.”
“Yeah. That’s what I thought. I finally give it away and it’s to a user loser.” She sniffed.
Amber reached across the car and gave her a hug. “Well, it’s a bizarre story, but I have to be
lieve you because I saw you just a week ago and you were lots heavier. I’ll bet you’re like a hundred pounds now. But last weekend, you were much heavier. Like a size eighteen.”
“I am 103 pounds.” Kari turned in the seat to stare at Amber. “But I didn’t tell you the worst part. Somehow, when I was on the demon’s hand, it learned all about my life.
My friends, places I go… That’s why it went to the Dieter’s Delight meeting. Rahmiel said it was looking for easy kills to regain its strength. I think it would come after you, because it knows where you live.”
“Yeah, because I’m fat. Don’t run very fast. Easy to kill.” Amber wrinkled her nose.
They were both talked out and had shed more than a few tears by the time they pulled up in front of the tidy two-story house Tressa called home.
Kari climbed out into the night air, miles from the nearest town. The sky was clear and star-filled, and the sound of crickets chirping reminded Kari of her childhood summers at Grandma’s country home. “This is nice, so quiet. I think it will be just what I need to get over Rahmiel and all this crazy stuff.”
Tressa came bounding through the front door. She was just a little over thirty years old, a pretty woman with curly dark hair like Amber’s, but with bright blue eyes. She had the thin wiry build of a dancer or runner and moved with a graceful quickness that made Kari think of a fairy.
Tressa hurried them inside like a mother hen watching over her young. She pointed them to two small bedrooms, both with full size beds covered in bright floral comforters.
“You girls get some sleep and don’t worry about getting up early. Sleep in. I’ll make a fresh pot of coffee whenever you surface.”
Kari crawled into the sweet smelling sheets with a sigh. She felt safe here, so far from home. It had been good to tell Amber all the details of her relationship with Rahmiel. Amber had assured her that any girl would fall for a guy like that, especially after all the trauma.
“He completely took advantage of you,” Amber told her. “You were confused and traumatized from being attacked by that demon, and seeing all those people dead. Then he takes you to some tropical paradise and seduced you.”
“Yeah. I hadn’t thought of it like that.”
“Well, he sounds heroic enough but he sure manipulated you.”
“And he got what he wanted.” Kari wrinkled her nose, remembering how easily she’d met his passion. Twenty-two years of hanging on to her virginity, all gone in a night.
Oh well.
“They can’t send him back to that ice prison,” Kari whispered to herself in the dark room. “I’m glad he’s not going back there. I think he will get rid of this demon.”
She pulled the comforter up to her chin and turned over onto her side. Everything was going to be all right.
Chapter Five
It was good, Rahmiel thought as they winged their way to Earth. He had companions to help fight Kaphawn. And he was returning to Kari’s house, where she would just be waking up, sweet and deliciously warm from her bed. He shivered in anticipation, remembering how her tongue had licked against his, how her small hands had smoothed him with gentle caresses, how her arms and legs had gripped him so tightly.
Yes, it would be a sweet awakening.
They landed on the grass in front of Kari’s house. Tehmuel and Auriel looked around with interest.
Auriel wrinkled his nose. “Smells odd.”
“They burn fossil fuels in their machinery,” Rahmiel explained. “It leaves a stench.
And here comes a car now. Phase your wings. ” All three made their wings disappear.
A car drove down the street and both Tehmuel and Auriel watched every turn of the wheels as it went down the street and turned a corner.
“That is all mechanical, no other power?” Auriel asked, not taking his eyes from the car.
Rahmiel shrugged. “Mostly, but I think there is electricity involved also.”
“Really?” Auriel’s eyes were huge. “Humans have harnessed lightning?”
Rahmiel nodded. “I know they have electricity.”
Tehmuel walked over to the street and tapped a sandal on the blacktop. “It is so ugly it’s refreshing,” he said. “All I’ve seen in years has been white, pastel or gleaming.”
“Don’t forget sparkling,” Auriel said.
They entered the house and Rahmiel rushed to Kari’s bedroom, anxious to take her into his arms.
She wasn’t there. She wasn’t anywhere. The house was empty.
“You’d better use the bond to find her,” Tehmuel said. “You don’t want her unprotected when night falls.”
Rahmiel nodded. He was in shock. Why wasn’t she here? She should barely be awake. Yet she was gone. So was her car.
“I don’t know how to use the bond,” he confessed to Tehmuel. “I’ve never had a bond before.”
Tehmuel raised his eyebrows, but gently explained how to concentrate and find her. ”You need to close your eyes and get quiet inside. Then move slowly around until you feel a spark. That spark tells you the direction. Concentrate on it, and it will get stronger.”
Rahmiel concentrated. Kari was heading south. She was out of harm’s way, as long as she didn’t call the demon by name.
“She’s heading south. I think we should follow her. I don’t think we’ll find the demon tonight.”
“I doubt we’re ready to face it, anyway,” agreed Tehmuel. “Lead the way.”
* * * *
A delicious sensation awoke her. A large, warm hand cupped her breast and gentle fingers pulled and tweaked her nipple.
A warm, open mouth slid up and down her neck, kissing and sucking. Warm breath rushed against her skin and then the mouth teased her earlobe.
Warm gentle sensations surrounded Kari. It was so sweet she wanted more. She pushed her hips back against the body behind her, seeking more touch, and finding a hard aroused ridge that thrust hard against her soft bottom. A masculine voice chuckled in her ear.
“Rahmiel.” Her eyes flew open. She tried to make her voice sound strong and accusing, but instead it came out high and breathy.
“Who else?” he asked in a sexy rasp that sent more delicious sensations through her body.
Then he rolled her onto her back and kissed her, his tongue finding hers with a slow erotic slide that made her whole body shiver. She couldn’t stay strong under that assault. She kissed him back, sucking his thrusting tongue deeper into her mouth and latching her arms around his neck, where the soft feathers of his wings brushed against the bare skin of her forearms, adding to the delicious feelings that flooded her body.
Where she had been sore, between her legs, she now throbbed. She raised a thigh and wrapped it around him, so that his body would press harder against her, right there.
A scream tore through the house.
Kari struggled away from Rahmiel in a panic. “Amber. It’s trying to get Amber.”
She rushed out into the narrow hallway, and ran into Amber, still plump and pretty, but squinting down the hall.
“Tressa?”
Tressa was out cold on the kitchen floor. Two enormous Angels leaned over her.
“Rahmiel, I think we scared her. This is not your woman?” The Angel who spoke had a full, wiry red beard, and red hair hung in waves to his mid back. Or mid wing.
Amber clutched Kari’s arm, hard.
“It’s all right, Amber. We are safe. This is Rahmiel. I don’t know his friends.” Kari went to Tressa and tapped her gently on the arm.
“This is my old friend Tehmuel and his grandson, Auriel. They came with me to help with the famine demon.”
Tehmuel didn’t look much older than his grandson, Kari noticed, though his grandson was tall and lean, with wavy dark hair and enormous blue eyes, while the older man was heavier.
Amber wet a paper towel, knelt next to Tressa and gently stroked her face with it.
This gave the towering Angels a glimpse of her breasts in her low cut pink nightie, and the younger Angel
took full advantage.
“Tressa, we’re safe. Kari knows these guys,” Amber said as Tressa’s eyes opened.
”It’s my fault, Tressa,” Kari tried to explain. “He followed me here.” She poked Rahmiel in the ribs with an elbow and hoped it hurt a little.
Tressa got up with Amber’s help. “Let me get this pot of coffee started. Coffee can only help. Then you can tell me what this is all about.”
They all sat down in the living room, Amber next to her aunt on a loveseat, and Rahmiel right next to Kari on the couch. Kari told about the spell, and the demon, leaving out the information about Rahmiel and the binding. All the while she spoke, Kari was hyper aware of Rahmiel sitting next to her on the couch, playing with her hair.
“So, how did you find me?” she finally turned to Rahmiel when she was done relating her tale.
“I went to the Angeli dimension, to see if I could gather some of the Guards I used to work with, who are now in retirement. I asked them for help in fighting the famine demon. Tehmuel and Auriel agreed to help. We found you weren’t home, so I used the bond to find you.”
Tressa said, “What do you do to entertain three Angels? Are you guys hungry? I could mix up some pancakes.”
Amber yawned and Kari couldn’t suppress a huge yawn of her own. “I have to get a little more sleep. We only slept a couple hours.”
“Bed sounds like a great idea,” Rahmiel said with a grin, and took Kari’s hand.
“Um. Okay. But, we need to talk, Rahmiel.”
“I would love to eat some Earth food,” said the red-haired Angel to Tressa. “That is something I’ve really missed.”
Kari walked slowly up the stairs with Rahmiel right behind her, a hand caressing her shoulder. When she got to the bedroom she sat on the edge of the bed. He quickly sat down next to her and she jumped up and stood against the wall to face him.
“We need to talk. Not…you know.”
He grinned. “We can talk while we…you know.”
“No.”
Angel Magic Page 4
