by Rue Volley
“In case you didn’t get the memo, this is Switzerland pretty boy.”
“I just had to come and see the freak.” His melodious voice made his words seem wrong.
“Original.” Rolling her eyes she remained stock still, anxious for him to make his move.
The demon sneered. “I can’t wait to see that pretty smile wiped off your face. You’ve been living up in your tower long enough princess, it’s time you made a decision.”
“I haven’t for sixty years. It’s not going to change now. But please do hold your breath.”
His eyes brightened with hell fire.
“He’s coming for you Heavenleigh Spirit. Even your names make me sick.” A snake like hiss filled the alley. What was this a horror movie? Sorry pal, she didn’t scare easily.
“I’m done talking. Either leave on your own, or I’ll give you a little motivation.” Here she thought her novelty had worn off. When she’d first turned of age they’d come in droves trying to goad her into action with far reaching consequences. That was the bitch about being Switzerland, you stepped one toe out of line, and the house of cards fell down around you.
“I’ll be seeing you.”He winked. A puff of black smoke surrounded him. The scent of brimstone seared her nostrils, and he disappeared.
And she’s the freak? Shaking her head she walked back into the bar. After all this time the pounding bass and muted blue lighting that greeted here felt like home. Normally she’d hang out for a bit after her shift ended, but tomorrow was inventory so she’d need the extra sleep. Striding behind the bar she touched her mothers’ shoulder.
“Okay Mom, you’re all set for awhile. I’m heading home.”
“All right baby, be safe.”
“Always.” Squeezing her mother’s shoulder she left the bar and walked back to the employee room. Removing her black leather jacket from the locker she shrugged it on and left. That was Cali weather for you ,hot during the day, and chilly by night. Still, she loved living by the ocean. They’d traveled around a lot growing up and this place just resonated. It helped that strange went unnoticed. Starting up the black Jeep she cranked the rock station and pulled out of the parking lot.
She was almost home when a brilliant flash of life lit up the sky. To anyone else it looked like a falling star, or meteor, but she knew better. The high pitched vibrations coming off the light in waves screamed grace. An angel was falling to earth. She should go home and mind her own business. The short lived battled ended when she veered to the left. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity, she had to see it! When she reached the ‘crash’ site smoke billowed from a wooded area. Parking, she leapt down from the jeep, and jogged into the forest, mindful of roots and fallen logs. She neared a giant crater in the center of a glen.
Dark shadows began to slither up from the bottom of the trees. The angel would be disoriented and weak. It wouldn’t stand a chance against an attack of this magnitude, especially with its powers depleted. She had an unspoken rule, she pretended she didn’t see the demons and they did the same to her. She couldn’t stand here and watch them massacre this poor soul. Imagine if this had been her mother all those years earlier. Resigned to the stupid act she was about to commit she dug deep down into her soul, tapping into the part of her she liked to leave alone.
Flames licked at her skin as she walked over to stand in front of the sunken earth. Her eyes burned and she knew they’d bleed. When she was at peak power they glowed. Holding up her hands she admired the flickering, orange fire before she spoke.
“It is under my protection.”
“Since when do you care mid-worlder?” one hissed. There were four to her one, all lesser lever bottom suckers. She could take them with her hellfire, but it’d cost her. Usage of her demon powers always did.
“Does it really matter?” The flames that surrounded her hands grew, lighting up the area like a bonfire. “Who wants to try me first?”
Whispering rose among them. Time to put on a show. She formed a ring of fire around her and the fallen angel she’d yet to check on.
“Cross it if you dare.”
“You win for now Spirit.” They slinked back into the night, blending seamlessly and she disconnected from her demon side. If she was lucky there wouldn’t be any ill side effects other than being overly bitchy tomorrow. Threat dispatched she spun and examined the hole. The body glowed with holy light, obscuring the details. She sank to her knees and peered over into the edge. Crazy, the smoke rolling out of this hole smells sweet.
“Hello?”
As the air cleared she made out a shape cloaked in white. The body twitched.
“I’m here to help you. Can you understand what I’m saying?” Falling was painful and traumatic. It wasn’t unusual for the angel to forget who they were and why they’d come to earth for a time until their body mended and acclimated to the new environment. The light began to fade, revealing features. She gasped. The angel was hot. A shock of chocolate-brown hair fell over his broad forehead leading into a strong jaw and a dimpled chin. His eyelids lifted revealing cobalt blue irises. She’d never had such naughty thoughts about an angel in her life! She flicked her tongue out to moisten her dry lips and did her best to tamp down her arousal. Her nipples were rock hard and her center throbbed.
“Heavenleigh Spirit. I came here for you.”
Her jaw dropped. “You what?”
His body went limp and his head fell back as he passed out.
“Son of a bitch.” Jumping beside him she hoisted him onto her shoulders and groaned. “Pal you’re a lot heavier than you look, and that’s saying a lot given who I am.” Gritting her teeth, she gave up on trying to drag him out and released her wings. A few flaps of the powerful black monstrosities and they were out of the hole. By the time she reached the car it was all she could do to place him in the passenger seat and buckle him in.
“Looks like I’m taking you home. Not exactly how I’d like, but I suppose beggars can’t be choosers.”
Rounding the car she slipped behind the wheel of her black jeep, peeled out and burned rubber. Chances were someone was looking for him, and it wouldn’t take long before the humans came with their cameras and news crews.
Grateful for her isolated locale she tugged the nameless angel into the beige one story with a Spanish tiled roof, and dark brown shutters. She closed to door behind her using her power. Then she rolled him onto his back, placed her hands under his arms and scooted him along her beber carpet. Inside her room she took in the gray walls decorated with a white and black border. Her gaze trained on the Queen size bed with black duvet. She snorted, amused by her predicament.
“Shame you’re the only male to cross this threshold, and we’re not even ripping off each other’s clothing.”
Bent at the knees she, wrestled him into the bed. Who knew a fallen angel would weigh so much? She traced his beautiful features with her forefingers.
“Who are you, and why in the hell were you looking for me? It seems a long way to fall for a hodgepodge gene pool splice.” He moaned in his sleep, and she stroked his hair off his brow, the way her mother had when she was sick as a child. “Shhh. Sleep Angel Man, I’ll keep you safe.” Sinking down on to the bed beside him she hummed a lullaby formed from an angelic song. His brow unwrinkled and his breathing evened out.
* * *
He woke with a start, unsure of where he was or what had happened. His eyelids fluttered as he struggled to leave the bondage of sleep behind and focus. Gingerly he sat up from the plush surface he’d reclined on. The sound of breathing drew his attention to the right. His vision blurred, blood rushed to his head, and his heart beat double time.
“Shh, easy tiger, you’re safe.” A gentle voice whispered to him, a small, soft ,hand rested on his chest, and eased him back down. A woman’s hand. “You’re with a friend.” Her melodic voice soothed him and his tensed muscles began to relax.
“What happened?” His throat was scratchy and raw.
“You had a fal
l.”
“A fall?” He tried to recall what happened but right now his brain felt like it was full of cotton, everything was fuzzy and white-washed. It was the mental equivalent to white noise.
“Oh yeah, the worst one a person could ever have. I picked you up, brought you home, and dusted you off. I have to say it was very hard not to peak, you’re quite appealing in this form.”
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“I know.” She sounded amused.
It pleased him. “Have we met before?”
“No, I would’ve remembered, trust me.” The gentle purr did funny things to him. His penis twitched and hardened. He cleared his throat hoping she hadn’t noticed.
“Are you thirsty?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll be right back Angel Man.”
Angel Man? Maneuvering up into a sitting position he winced. Sore and bruised his body protested. What happened to him? Vision clear, he breathed deep and tried to make sense of the tangled mess his mind had become. The door opened and the woman with the beautiful voice entered. His jaw dropped. She was perfection. Miles of milk chocolate skin were incased in a pair of black pants, and a black tank top with a black glittery heart. The scoop neck put her full breasts on display. The turgid points of her nipples stood out. His cock hardened further. Unable to look away his gaze traveled up to her heart shaped face. She possessed delicate features, an upturned nose, high cheekbones, thick lips, and long black hair with turquoise streaks.
“I’m flattered Angel Man, I didn’t know you had it in you.” She arched a perfectly shaped brow and gestured toward the tent he’d made in the sheets with her head. He flushed and looked away.
“Don’t be shy, I like it. I had a girl hard-on the moment I saw that pretty face of yours.” She moaned. “And those brilliant blue eyes.” Her gaze burned him. Sinking down on to the bed beside him she held a glass up to his lips and he swallowed. Cool water coated his dry mouth and slid down his throat into his belly. After a few sips she pulled away and set the glass on the bedside table. Suddenly it struck him.
“Heavenleigh. I’m here for you.”
“I might let you have me, but enough of that, we have to get you back on your feet and adjusted before we have the kind of fun I have planned. What’s your name handsome?”
He reached for it, and it flitted away like a bird. “I don’t know.”
“Hmm, well we can’t just call you Angel?”
“You’ve said that before, why?” He tilted his head
“You have an angelic quality about you.” She winked. “How do you feel?”
“Sore. Confused.”
“It was the fall, don’t worry it’ll all come back to you when you’re ready.”
“I suppose.” He shook his head. “What will I do until then?”
“Stay with me.”
“Why would you do this?” He remembered enough about the world to know kindness wasn’t in vast quantities.
“Let’s just say I’ve taken a liking to you, besides you came all this way for something to do with me. My name was the first thing you said before you passed out. I’m curious to know why.”
“I am as well.” His stomach grumbled loudly. He blushed and she laughed.
“How about I make you a sandwich?”
“Sounds good.” He knew what the words she said meant, but he couldn’t bring forth any memories that made him feel connected to them. Surely he had eaten a sandwich before.
“Don’t think too hard, you might hurt yourself, literally. Forcing things before their time’s a bad idea. ”
“You seem to know a lot about this, are you a nurse?”
She laughed, a rich tone that did nothing to ease his erection. “Me? No. I’m a club owner and bartender. My mom had a very similar injury once. It’s important that you let your body and your brain heal and acclimate on their own speed, do you understand?” All playfulness gone she narrowed her eyes and her voice dropped an octave.
“You are saying I could injury myself worse?”
“Yes, maybe even permanently, and trust me … you don’t want that.” She shuddered.
“You’ve seen people who’ve done this.” Fascinated by her knowledge he leaned in.
“Yes, they’re sad shadows of the people they used to be and have more than a few screws loose. It’s sort of like Humpty Dumpty… all the kings horses couldn’t put them back together again.” The words sparked something inside him. He gasped and then he was traveling down a long tunnel, and thrust into a memory. Images of haggard looking men and women shuffling around in filthy clothing muttering to themselves.
“You remember?”
Her voice drew him back into the present. “Yes… I would not wish to be like them.”
“Good. We have an understanding. Now, sit tight and I’ll be back with a sandwich and some soup. I don’t think your tummy’s up to much else.”
Rested and full an hour later his lids began to feel like they had weights on them.
“It’s okay, sleep Angel Man, I’ll watch your back.” Heavenleigh’s voice was the last thing he heard before he succumbed to sleep.
Chapter Two
The jangle of her phone pulled Heavenleigh from her sleep. A glance at her bedside clock told her it was seven in the morning. Rolling over she placed the pillow over her head. The phone stopped.
“Thank God.” On her way back to oblivion the phone rang again. “Ugh!” she snatched the rectangle off the nightstand. “Someone better be dead.”
“Heavenleigh Spirit! I got an interesting call this morning, and I hope to God it was a rumor.”
She attempted to swim up from the surface of sleep. “Mom? What are you talking about?” Her sluggish brain refused to work.”
“Did you defend an angel from demons last night? How many times have I told you we remain neutral? Fly under the radar and stay as ensconced in protective wards as we can manage at all times.”
Heavenleigh moaned. “It wasn’t an angel it was a fallen angel. I couldn’t let him get eaten alive. He was a sitting duck.”
“He? Heaven, please tell me this is not about a man, an ex-angel at that! He’ll be a mess.”
“Exactly why I had to do something.” Exasperated she blew out a breath.
“Placing him under your protection!”
“It sounded like a good ideal at the time.” Closing her eyes she counted to ten as she allowed her mother to vent. Her skin itched and a million hurtful comments burned bright in her mind. It was the use of the demon blood, always turned her into a raging bitch.
“This is serious!” The boom in her mother’s voice raised her hackles.
“Mom...I know. But what if that had been you all that years ago? How could I walk away? Even now he’s completely disorientated and has no clue what he actually is.”
“Wait. You brought him home?” She held the phone away from her ear. “What the hell were you thinking!”
“What else could I do with him Mom? Leaving him alone right now would defeat the purpose of the rescue. I know it’s against the rules, but when he opened his eyes he told me he came down for me.”
“He did what.” Her mother’s voice had gone cold and emotionless, which was so much worse than her angry tone. “What else did he say?”
“Nothing.” Heavenleigh shook her head. “Poor thing can’t even remember his name right now.”
“But he knows who you are? This isn’t good.”
“Do you think you could recognize him Mom?”
“I’m not sure… we look different up there, something akin to big balls of energy. When we come down and take our human form we’re changed. Perhaps I can recognize the lingering presence of his grace. No promises though, it’s been a long time.” Her heart ached for her mother. She could hear the wistfulness in her voice. Even after all this time she missed her brethren.
“I take it you’re coming over?”
“Yes, I am missy and don’t think for a second you’re off the hoo
k. There’ll be consequences.”
Oh, she wouldn’t dream of it. Mom would be holding this over her head for years to come. She could hear it now, Little Ms. Neutral took a walk on the angel side…
“I know once you met him you’ll understand.” This angel was special.
“Please don’t tell me you have feelings for this man.” The worry in her mom’s voice hurt. It probably seemed all too familiar, demon falls for angel. After the way her parent’s romance had ended it was probably a slap in her mom’s face.
“Okay, I won’t.”
“Oh, Jesus, Mary and Joseph!” Spoken in angelic tongue the words spoke to her agitation.
Her mother’s absurd outburst made her laugh. “Friends of yours?” After her fall her mother had taken on the name Layla. She came off as a very Catholic, ageing rock and roller. If only people knew her real history.
“Did you get his grace?”
“No… I didn’t think I could touch it.”
“We need to go back to the site immediately. If a demon uses a human vessel to get their hands on it…”
“Okay Mom. Meet me at the Palacade Park.” Hanging up she stumbled out of bed, plodded to her closet, and pulled out a pair of stretch black pants, white wife beater, and a black hoodie. Yeah she didn’t t look conspicuous. Hurrying to the bathroom she pulled her hair up into a high ponytail, took a gulp of mouth wash, swished it around in her mouth and spat. Jogging back out to her desk, she scribbled a quick note to the mystery angel telling him she’d be right back. Knocking lightly she entered when he didn’t protest.
It was impossible. Yet, somehow he was even more attractive rumpled by sleep. His mused hair and peaceful expression made her want to crawl under the covers with him and do things that would make his wings ruffle. She melted. The thought of making love to him with his wings expanded made her shiver. Some Fallen kept them and others didn’t, her mother had, and they were beautiful, fluffy, baby pink plumes that wrapped around her when she’d been at her lowest or hurt. Angels had never been her type. They were usually extreme, either, too buttoned up and righteous, or completely off the rails as they reveled in every sin they could find.
