by B. J. McCall
Ansara pulled up the straps of the dead woman’s dress and stood.
Kela had turned away. The would-be warrior was puking her guts out.
Cursing herself for her weakness, Kela prayed she wouldn’t retch again. Seeing what the vampires had done to the blonde woman was beyond comprehension. Without hesitation, the stranger had helped the victim. He’d done to the blonde what she hadn’t had the opportunity to do to Roland. Her failure hit her with a powerful mixture of disgust and guilt. How many young women had died?
“We should leave this place,” he said.
Kela wiped her mouth with her glove and straightened, turning toward the stranger. Although she still held a stake, Kela didn’t fear for her life. If he’d wanted to kill her, he’d had ample opportunity while she’d lost her dinner. “Who are you?”
He stepped out of the shadows. “Ansara.”
Ruggedly handsome, despite the scar on his right cheek, Ansara’s face was chiseled with features worthy of an ancient coin. He wore an earring, a cross dangling from his left lobe and wide metal bracelets adorned with silver crosses around his wrists. More crosses embellished his belt. “Thanks for coming to my aid.”
She waited for him to respond, perhaps explain his timely arrival. Instead, he remained silent and walked toward her. His shoulders were broad and his arms bulged with muscle. Beneath the open vest, his chest was smooth. He looked like a pro wrestler. All he lacked was a name like The Holy Decapitator.
Kela shoved the stake into the holster hanging from her belt and adjusted her leather jacket. The crisscross of rips and slashes were irreparable. “Damn vampires.”
Ansara touched a forefinger to her chin, moving her face to one side. “One of them scratched your face.”
“She was trying to take my cross. Roland ordered them to take it.”
“Tell me about Roland.”
“He was my fiancé, until he became one of them.”
“When did this happen?”
“A few weeks ago. He fell in with a bad crowd.”
“We must leave before they regroup.”
He didn’t have to explain who they were. “My car’s a few blocks away.”
“Let’s go.”
Kela looked at the blonde. “We can’t just leave her.”
“We can’t take her with us. She’s drained. They have no further interest in her. When we’re away from here, you can call the proper authorities.”
“Okay.”
Now all she had to do was find a working payphone. Kela wasn’t about to identify herself or use her cell phone. The police already thought she was a nutcase.
Kela had to hustle to keep pace with Ansara’s long stride. The street was empty of foot traffic, yet Kela sensed they were being watched. Ansara was as eager as she was to leave the area. When they reached her SUV, Kela pressed her remote key.
The moment they were inside her vehicle, Kela locked the doors and started the engine. She hit the gas and the SUV lurched forward. At this hour, vehicle traffic was light. Her hands trembling, Kela gripped the wheel and glanced at her new friend. “The vampires were watching us.”
“Yes.”
She stopped at a traffic light, drumming her fingers on the wheel until the light changed. She punched it and shot through the intersection. She tapped the brake at a stop sign, glanced both ways and accelerated.
“I could feel vampires all around us. So many of them watching and waiting. Why didn’t they attack?”
“The demon didn’t want me to decimate his army.”
She looked at Ansara. “Demon?”
“His name is Vakkar,” he said, reaching out to steady the wheel. “I sensed his presence in the area.”
A chill slid down Kela’s spine. “Demon.” Half expecting to see a gargoyle-like creature, she checked her rearview mirror and glanced to each side. “Not only are there vampires, but there’s a demon?”
“Where there are vampires, there are demons. The vampires are the foot soldiers, the demons rule. Do you need me to operate the vehicle?”
Kela looked at him.
“You shouldn’t travel through the red signals, correct?”
“I ran a light?”
“Stop at this one!”
Kela slammed on the brakes, stopping in the crosswalk. She had no idea where she was going. All she’d wanted to do was get away from that alley. The thought of crawling into bed and hiding beneath the covers was appealing, but dawn was still a few hours away.
When the light changed, she pressed the accelerator and kept within the speed limit. The adrenaline rush over, Kela’s whole body ached with fatigue. “Where can I drop you?”
“I think we should stick together. Do you have a place where we can rest?”
“I have an apartment.” Kela had moved from the suburbs and rented a studio in the city. After she’d quit her job, had begun drawing on the trust fund she’d inherited from her father and had started a new career, vampire hunting.
Her life was simple and frugal, devoid of pleasure and nothing like the one she’d planned with Roland, but at least it had purpose. “I only sleep there during the day.”
Ansara placed his hand on her shoulder. Even through her jacket, Kela felt his heat and strength. “I’ll make it safe for us to sleep there tonight,” he said.
Was it possible? She was exhausted both mentally and physically, the thought of driving until sunrise was sheer misery. When was the last time she’d slept at night?
“I think the vampires know where I live,” Kela said, recalling the scratches she’d discovered on her front door just last week.
His warm fingertips grazed the scratch on her cheek and a feeling of calm settled over Kela.
“I’ll keep you safe,” he said.
That was good because she wasn’t going home in the dark without him. After weeks of being alone, Kela didn’t give a second thought to staying with Ansara. Right now she needed an ally. She needed someone who didn’t think she’d gone around the bend and someone brave enough to fight vampires.
Kela drove around until she found a working payphone. She made the call, provided the location of the blonde’s body and disconnected without identifying herself. Knowing that the cops would find the young woman within minutes gave Kela a sense of relief but didn’t lessen her guilt.
If she’d been able to stop Roland maybe the blonde would be alive. How many others would be alive? God forgive her, Roland’s sins rested on her shoulders.
Fifteen minutes later she turned off the street, driving down a short ramp. Kela punched the remote control attached to the sun visor and the gate to the parking facility opened. She pulled into her assigned parking spot and killed the engine.
“I’m on the fifth floor.”
Kela opened the door and climbed out of the SUV. Ansara followed. They shared the elevator ride in silence.
She stripped off her gloves and keyed the lock. “Thanks for sticking around.”
Ansara stepped in behind her. His gaze swept the small space and his brow furrowed.
“It’s not much, but it’s all I got,” she said, tossing her gloves on the kitchen counter.
The studio apartment was less than four hundred square feet with a galley kitchen. The kitchen counter was piled with newspapers and empty pizza boxes. In the living room, the sofa bed was open, the covers in disarray. The wall-mounted, flat-screen television was running and the lamps on the end tables were burning bright. Since Kela had taken up vampire hunting, the lights remained on all night and housekeeping had moved to the bottom of her to-do list. Spending night after night searching for Roland combined with fretful sleep during the daylight hours had destroyed any semblance to a normal, happy life and had brought on a slow-grinding mental fatigue.
Her apartment was a reflection of her life.
“Sorry about the mess,” she said, taking off her ruined jacket and dropping it on the floor. She was too damn tired to care what Ansara thought about her life. She picked up the remote and
turned off the television. “Would you like something to drink or eat?”
His gaze flicked around the apartment, settling briefly on the bed before focusing on her. His eyes were extraordinary, shimmering facets of liquid silver.
“Water.”
Kela walked into the kitchen, plucked a bottle of water out of the fridge and tossed it to him.
Instead of drinking the water, Ansara drew his sword from the sheath hanging on his belt and poured water along the blade. A thick fog of white smoke rose from the sword and spread across the room. Ansara kept pouring until the bottle was empty and the room was filled with a white mist.
The mist touched Kela’s face, neck and arms, thousands of tiny sparks dancing on her skin.
“The vampires won’t bother us tonight.”
The mist faded and her skin ceased tingling. “It’s gone.”
“You can’t see it, but the holy particles surround us. Vampires who enter this protected space will be incinerated.”
Kela’s heart skipped a beat. “Holy particles?”
“My sword was forged in the Sacred Fire. Any water that touches the blade is blessed.”
Kela shook her head. First vampires, now sacred fire and holy particles, no way! “Are you saying you’re a god?”
“I’m a guardian, I serve the warrior angels.”
A nervous giggle boiled up, but Kela bit it back. She wasn’t going to lose it now. “Like the vampires serve the demons?”
“Guardians serve by choice. Vampires are victims. Fodder in the war the demons wage against the heavens.”
Angels and demons. Guardians and vampires. Dead women all over the city. Too fucking much!
Needing a minute, Kela raised a hand and walked into the bathroom. She splashed water on her face and brushed her teeth, refusing to think about the guardian in her kitchen. Was he for real? If he was really from the heavens how come he spoke English? Wouldn’t he talk in angel speak? Was she just imagining the whole thing?
Her brain was too damn tired to absorb the information. Wrapping her head around the fact that Roland had creations was difficult enough, but with the arrival of Ansara a strange world was unfolding around her. Kela swallowed the wail forming in her throat. Trembling, she fought to keep it together.
She walked out of the bathroom. The servant of the warrior angels was still there.
A grin touched his lips. “Did you think I would disappear?”
“Given the circumstances, it’s a possibility,” she said, swaying on unsteady legs.
Ansara grabbed her forearms, keeping her upright. “Are you okay?”
Fuck no! “How is it you speak my language?”
“I’ve been to Earth before. I speak several of your Earth languages. Your armies train. Guardians also train. The warrior angels understand every language and are familiar with every place in the universe. When required or needed the knowledge is delivered to the guardians.”
“Are there really angels?”
He released her arms. “You don’t believe in angels?”
“I’ve never believed in the wings, harp and halo thing, but I didn’t believe in vampires until I saw Roland’s fangs.” Kela shivered and folded her arms protectively across her chest. “I know vampires exist, but I’ve yet to see an angel and I damn well don’t want to see a demon.”
“Warrior angels have wings, but no halos. I’ve never met one who plays the harp,” he said. “If I do my job you won’t encounter a demon.”
“What exactly is your job?”
He glanced around. “Do you have any spirits?”
“Vampires are the only dead souls I know of.”
“Wine. Ale. Bless the angels, it’s been a very long day.”
Kela checked the fridge and the pantry. “Red wine or light beer?”
“Wine.”
While she poured the wine, Ansara removed his boots and plumped up the pillows on the sofa bed before making himself at home.
Kela handed him a glass, toed off her shoes and sat beside him.
He thanked her and sipped the wine. “My job is killing demons.”
“I’ve been hunting Roland, but I don’t serve anyone. I’m on my own.”
“You haven’t experienced the Scared Fire, but like me, you serve a higher authority.”
“I’ve never been a religious person.”
Ansara caressed her cheek with his forefinger. “You’ve seen evil and you know it must be vanquished. All guardians have that in common.”
Recalling how fearlessly he’d taken on the pack of vampires, she said, “I’ve seen you fight. I’m no guardian.”
“You have the heart of a warrior. The rest is training.”
Her mind spinning, Kela sipped her wine. “Will you teach me how to destroy vampires? One in particular needs to be vanquished.”
“After I’ve completed my assignment, I’ll try. I don’t have control over my orders.”
“What is your assignment?”
“To destroy the demon Vakkar.” His gaze dropped to her chest. “May I ask how you received the cross?”
Kela grasped the cross, locking her fingers around it. “You want it too?”
“I’m not trying to take it from you, Kela. I’d like to know how you obtained it.”
“My father gave it to me on my twelfth birthday.”
“Tell me about your father.”
“He was a biblical archaeologist. He found the cross in the remains of an ancient temple he’d excavated. He made me promise to wear it always. He said it would keep me safe.”
“Why did he think you needed to be safe?”
“He was frightened of something. He said everything was fine, but I knew he was afraid. A few days after he gave me the cross, our house caught fire. He never made it out. Arson was suspected, but unproven. I was at school. Wearing the cross is like having part of my father with me. It’s all I have.”
“What about your mother?”
“She worked at his side for years. During the temple excavation, the ground caved in and my mother was killed. Most of the uncovered temple was destroyed. I lost both of my parents within the span of a few months.”
“Do you know anything about the cross?”
“I know it burns vampires. Is that why you wear crosses?”
“Some are weapons,” he said, running his fingertips over his belt. He held up his hand to show a band of crosses around his wrist. “Some I have earned.”
“Like army medals?”
He nodded. “This war is ancient. I’ve been fighting it for a very long time.”
Kela touched the cross dangling from his ear. “And this one?”
“It denotes the power I serve.”
“Which archangel do you serve?”
He raised an eyebrow. “You’re familiar with the structure of heaven?”
“The temple my parents excavated was filled with frescoes. My father was very excited about the depiction of a male angel with huge wings, holding a sword. It wasn’t Michael, but an unknown archangel.”
“Warrior angels rarely reveal themselves to humans.”
“The frescoes were destroyed when the temple caved in. My father believed the excavation was deliberately destroyed, but he couldn’t prove it. The loss of my mother and the temple was a heavy blow to his spirit. He gave up fieldwork. We returned to the states. He was writing a book and often gave lectures about good and evil, heaven and hell. He believed both places existed.”
“But you don’t?”
“Faith didn’t save my parents. My belief in hell, in pure evil has returned. How long have you been a guardian?”
Ansara set his empty glass aside. “Using Earth time as a measurement, it’s been centuries.”
“You’re immortal?”
“I can die only at the hand of a demon.”
“I was hoping you were invincible.” Kela finished her wine and set the glass on the end table. “The vampires had me. If you hadn’t shown up, I would have died, or worse.”
Ansara clamped a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. “You’re not alone in this battle.”
For the first time since this ordeal began, Kela had someone who didn’t think she was crazy. Someone to stand by her side. She buried her face against Ansara’s chest. The rhythmic beating of his heart soothed her as much as his words.
You’re not alone.
She’d lost her parents, her fiancé and her best friend, but now she had a guardian.
Kela slid her arms around Ansara’s neck. She needed the warm contact, the physical connection to another being. Maybe she just wanted to make sure he was real. There were far too many hours when she’d doubted her sanity.
Ansara wrapped his arms around her, providing the strength and security she needed. The heat of his skin penetrated her tired muscles and all Kela wanted to do was to remain in his arms.
Ansara kissed her forehead, his lips hot against her cold skin.
Seeking his heat, Kela tilted her head and pressed her lips to his. Heat flashed through her, firing muscle and bone, searing every sensual sensor.
He tightened his hold and deepened the kiss.
His size and strength fueled a desperate fire. A needy moan tore from somewhere deep inside her. Drawn to his heat and strength, Kela wanted Ansara. She needed him to banish the cold and the fear dwelling in her soul.
She pressed her breasts to his chest, her invitation obvious.
When he raised his head, ending the kiss, Kela opened her eyes. She expected the heat in his eyes, but not the set of his mouth.
“You’re exhausted,” he said. “You need sleep more than sex.”
“Sex helps me sleep.”
“Don’t tempt me, Kela.”
“Guardians can’t have sex?”
“Let’s not talk about sex,” he said, stripping her down to her underwear.
Kela hoped he’d change his mind, but he tucked her into bed and pulled the blanket up and over her shoulders.
“So guardians do have sex?”
A grin touched his lips. “We have all the necessary equipment.”
Kela wanted to see that equipment, but Ansara was right. She was so tired she was cross-eyed and he had a demon to kill. “Can you stay, just until sunrise? When it’s light, I’ll be good to go.”
