by Anne Conley
“I don’t know what’s happening to me.” He impulsively clutched her to him, holding her close. “I hurt. I can’t keep my eyes open. I’m hungry, I think…I don’t know. I’ve never felt any of this before.” He was still holding her, talking into her hair. “I’m so heavy…I ache…inside…"
She didn’t know what to say to him. Her first impulse was to comfort him, somehow, so she just held him around his neck, pulling him closer. She stroked his broad shoulders and back, trying not to feel his rippling muscles as his arms continued clutching her.
“Heather…”
She looked up at him, his arctic blue eyes intimately close to hers. “What, Uri?” She was suddenly breathless, her voice was unrecognizable.
As was his. “Dance for me. Please?”
“Sure.” She stepped away from him, and he sat on the couch. “Are you going to hum again?” She had loved showing him her ballet, even though she hadn’t danced like that in years. It wore her out, but she was ready to do it for him again.
“No. Dance…regularly. The way you do for your…customers.”
She swallowed hard. “Okay.”
A Christina Aguilera song came over the loudspeakers, and Heather began to dance for Uri. Somehow, tonight was different. She put feelings into her dancing that she hadn’t put in since she first started doing it, before it got automated for her. Trying to convey all of her thoughts about Uri into her movements, she danced. She danced for him and him alone.
Watching his eyes, she touched herself, as she writhed around him, showing him her desire for him, as his eyes darkened. She could almost feel his gaze on her, scorching her with heat, as she dropped to the floor, and crawled away, slowly, showing him her backside. When she turned and pranced back, she could see that the view had brought a panicky look to his darkened eyes, as the bulge in his pants grew. She began rubbing her hands against Uri’s solid chest, transmitting her need for fulfillment with him, as she wriggled her hips. Her movements weren't any different than for other clients, but Heather felt something dancing for Uri that she didn't feel with the others. Desire. Longing. Love.
Turning her back to him, she leaned against his chest, rubbing her bottom against the hard ridge of his erection.
Abruptly, he groaned, and he reached for her waist. Stroking her skin, he whispered raggedly into her ear, “What are you doing to me, Heather?” He sounded close to tears, so she turned to look at him.
Straddling his lap, she gently nibbled his earlobe before answering, “I’m dancing for you, Uri.” Then she pulled back a little to see his reaction.
It wasn’t good.
He was sweating and flushed with desire. Where most men would look at her sheepishly, though, Uri’s face was filled with horror. Heather realized then, that he’d never felt lust before and didn’t know what to do with it. She sympathized with him but didn’t know what to do either.
“What do you want me to do, Uri?” She asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
He didn’t answer, but his hands went to the back of her head and pulled her face to his for a crushing kiss.
It wasn’t like the kiss from the other night, which was sweet and tentative. This kiss was desperate. His tongue swept into her mouth, then retreated. So, Heather used her tongue, teasing his teeth, until his tongue swept back into her mouth, tasting her again. She sucked on his bottom lip, eliciting a frantic moan from him.
His hands tangled in her hair, drawing her closer. Heat infused Heather, the white-hot heat she'd become accustomed to, radiated between them, and she lost herself to the sensations, the smells, the feel of Uri.
Heather almost couldn’t stop herself, she ground her nearly naked pelvis against the fly of his jeans, moaning in response to his kisses, feeling a heat build in her core. His hands stroked her back, running down to her butt, squeezing the bare cheeks, kneading them.
“Oh…I have to…” Uri panted.
“What?” Heather moaned into his mouth.
“Stop. I don’t want this.”
The words were like a bucket of cold water dumped on her. Heather jumped up, and grabbed for her robe.
“I’m sorry, Uri. I thought you did.” She turned to leave the room.
“No. Don’t go. It’s not that.” …” He grabbed at her arm, flinching at the flare of heat that she realized he must feel too. “I do…I don’t know…” He raked his hand through his hair, wretchedly.
“Then what is it?”
“I just don’t know how to deal with this…” He waved his hands airily at himself. “All this stuff.” Looking at her, anxiously, he pleaded. ‘Please understand, Heather…this isn’t because of you. Well, it is because of you.” He dropped his head. “I don’t know what to do now.”
Heather wanted to hug him but didn’t dare touch him again. Touching him set her skin on fire, and she didn’t know if she could hold back, and he certainly wasn’t ready for it. “Go home. I’ll call you tonight. Okay?” She took a tentative step toward him. “Uri?” He looked at her, and the pain in his eyes tore at her. “Eat something. That’ll make you fell a little better. Stop by Burger King on the way home and get a whopper. You’ll like it. I promise.” She winked at him, before motioning towards the door for him to leave.
With a long backward glance and a supremely regretful look, he left. Heather went to finish her shift. She was only able to make it through by remembering his scorching gaze on her body as she danced for him.
Chapter 22
Heather waited for Robbie to watch out for the other girls to leave, so he could take her home. She didn’t explain why, and he didn’t ask, thankfully. She would have to make something up, and she didn’t like lying.
On the brief drive home, Heather flushed at thoughts of Uri. She had never seen him so…sexy before, with his face flushed with desire. If what he said was true, he was turning human, which meant…
Was he in love with her?
When Robbie pulled up to her apartment, he growled. Heather looked up to see Uri, asleep on her porch. The landlords wouldn’t like that. She put a hand out to restrain Robbie, who was getting out of the car to probably beat the snot out of Uri.
“Wait, Robbie. He’s okay.”
He looked at her with furrowed brows. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. I’m sure. Go home. Thanks for the ride.” She leaned over and pecked him on the cheek before getting out of the car.
Walking over to Uri, she looked at him. He was leaning against her door, with a crumpled up Burger King bag next to him, sleeping like a baby. She nudged him with her toe.
“Uri, wake up.”
He jolted awake with surprise, and looked up at her sheepishly.
“Sorry.” He mumbled, rubbing his face.
“It’s okay. We just need to go inside, before Ralph makes his rounds. Come on.” She helped him get up and inside her apartment.
After settling Uri on her couch, and letting Taco out, Heather went back inside to check on him. Her body flushed with warmth at the memory of the kiss they’d shared earlier that night.
"Is Ralph the policeman that patrols the neighborhood?"
Heather nodded, "Yeah. He knows I walk home in the early hours of the morning, and he sort of watches out for me."
Uri nodded, then his gaze dropped to his feet.
“Are you okay, Uri?”
He looked at her, pain in his eyes. “No.”
“Can you tell me what’s wrong?”
He sighed and looked like he was gathering his thoughts. “Everything is so intense. I had no idea that humans felt so strongly about everything. I’ve been so emotional.”
“What happened last night, Uri? I never got a chance to thank you for helping me with…him.”
He threw himself on her sofa with an exhausted sigh, raking his fingers through his hair, causing it to flop in various directions. “I’ve been following you home, since that first night. At first, I wasn’t sure why; it was just an impulse, to try to learn more about you. Then it was b
ecause I worried about you walking alone at night.” He stopped and looked at his hands, as if seeing them for the first time. “When the Deceiver started to follow you, a rage overtook me, stole all of my self-control. I don’t know how it happened. When he changed, I changed. I just knew that I had to do something to save you, Heather. I couldn’t lose you, especially not now.” He dropped his head into his hands. "That would be the ultimate irony."
She scooted over, to give him a hug, knowing that he needed comfort now more than anything else.
“But, you did it. You saved me. You killed him.”
“No. I didn’t kill him. I’m not sure he can be killed, except by the Boss, and I don’t think He’ll ever do it. Something about killing him would upset the balance of the earth. I don’t understand it anymore.” He looked at her, beseechingly. “I used to understand so much more, and now I …”
“Welcome to humanity, Uri.” She said gently. “We feel deeply and don’t understand why. Those feeling are what keep us going, sometimes. We eat, sleep, work, and to let off a little steam, have sex. It’s what makes us what we are.” She smiled at him, hoping he got her little joke.
“So, this is normal? All of…this?” He waved his hand up and down his body, distractedly. “The Boss isn’t toying with me?”
“No. From what I understand Uri, He wouldn’t do that. He’s keeping His word, and you’re becoming human. All of what you are feeling is normal.” She squeezed his hand, reassuringly, the question she wanted to ask, unspoken.
“What about at the club? What was that? I didn’t even know myself, there.”
“Can I ask you a question? Will you be honest with me?” She asked him.
“Yes.”
“You said that He would make you human if you fell in love with me. Did you…?” She swallowed. "Fall in love with me?"
He shrugged. “I don’t know what I feel anymore. I can’t stop thinking about you, though. It hurts to think about you. Not an unpleasant feeling, but an ache of awareness that you’re not around. I came here to be near your things, but I couldn’t “poof” my way inside, anymore. So I sat on your porch.” He ran his hand through his hair, disheveling it, more. “I want to do everything for you. I want to help your mother and your sister. I want to help you with anything. I feel this insane need to do everything with you, because I can’t stand the thought of doing anything without you. I want to spend the rest of eternity with you, Heather. It’s sinful, but I want to worship you. It’s a overwhelming desire, like I’d die if it didn’t happen. And it hurt, because I didn’t know if you felt the same way. Is that love?”
She was quiet, taken aback by his declarations. Slowly, she nodded. “I think it might be, yes.”
“Then, what happened at the club? You didn’t answer me. What was that?”
“That, my sweet Uri, was lust. Surely you’ve seen it?”
“I’ve seen it, yes. But I had no idea…” He looked at her. “I was out of my head, Heather. I wasn’t myself. It was alarming.”
“Lust is a powerful emotion to handle the first time. Most people spend their entire teenaged lives dealing with it.” Heather couldn't imagine what it must be like to have lived for thousands of years and not understand lust.
He was quiet for a while, lost in his thoughts, and Heather tried to ease his troubled mind the best she could. She stroked his arm, then pulled Uri to her, to cradle him in her arms like a child. He nuzzled his face in her bosom, breathing deeply.
“You smell different, now.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. But it’s good. I like the way you smell.” He breathed deeply again. “I’m so tired…Will it go away? This exhaustion?”
“I imagine so.” She honestly didn’t know what would make him feel better. She wished she could help him, reassure him somehow. She stroked his back, feeling his muscles relax under her touch. “Uri?”
“Hmm…” She loved that sound coming from him. So intimate.
“If it helps you, I’ve been in love with you, since the beginning, I think.”
He pulled away and looked up at her. “You have? How do you know?”
“That night that you hummed Swan Lake and I danced for you, there was something that passed through me then. I feel safe around you, cherished. I can’t explain it any better than you can, but I know that’s what it is. I was so disappointed when you told me what you were, because I didn’t believe you, and I assumed you were crazy.” She laughed ruefully to herself. “It was almost a relief to see Damien’s true form because then I realized that I was in love with an angel.” She pulled him close again, feeling his warmth.
“I love you Heather.” He said softly, as if trying out the words on his tongue.
“I love you too, Uri.” She said with conviction.
Chapter 23
Heather took Uri to her bed, undressing him to his underwear. She climbed in next to him, holding him until he fell asleep. She slept too, but it was a fitful sleep, full of dreams. One dream in particular stood out in her mind.
She was at the park, in the Japanese gardens, meditating, which was strange, because she didn't have time to meditate. Heather had reached a state of peace, and was just feeling the breeze ruffle her hair, aware of nothing else.
A voice came to her --- a deep, soothing voice, she heard inside her head.
“Heather, thank you for taking care of my cherished Uri. He is a special one to me. He has worked for me faithfully for years, and I decided, a long time ago, to release my special ones. It took a while to find the right woman to release him to. I know he will be happy with you and you with him. I have reserved a special place for both of you here with me, when the time is right. Love him with all your heart, because he needs you. Show him the pleasures of humanity, because he has seen enough of the dark side. He was becoming jaded with humanity, as all of my special ones have, which is why I’ve reached my decision. Help him to see the light within himself, Heather. And know that I love you both.”
She awoke feeling refreshed and more alive than she had in a long time. She had reached a conclusion about her life. Her dreams had brought her more than just a conversation with God, which is what she knew that had been.
“Uri, wake up.” She gently shook him awake.
“What?” His eyes opened, groggily.
“I just talked to Him.”
“You did?” He searched the room with his eyes. “He was here?”
“In a dream.”
“What did He say?”
She snuggled under the covers close to Uri, reaching her arm across him to pull him close. “That we would be happy together.”
He had stiffened when she touched him, but seemed to relax somewhat at her words. “What else?”
“That He was releasing all of His ‘special ones,’ and you had seen too much darkness.”
“All of the archangels?”
She shrugged, “I guess so.” Her hand wandered over his body, feeling his smooth, warm skin. She had a wicked thought, and her hands wandered lower. “He told me to show you the pleasures of humanity.” Looking up at him, she flashed him a wicked smile. “Are you feeling better this morning?”
His voice came out as a hoarse whisper. “Yes.”
“Good.” She leaned over and kissed his lips, a kiss that started tenderly but, as he responded, grew into hunger.
Their lips devoured each other, as her hands roamed over his hard body, feeling his responsiveness. She didn’t want to push him, but at the moment, he seemed to be wanting this as much as she did.
Uri’s hands stroked her hair, tangling his fingers in the softness. He moaned into her mouth, as his tongue plundered it, sucking, nibbling. His ragged breaths came in harsh bursts when he pulled his face away. “Heather…”
“Yes?” She didn’t recognize her own voice, so thick with need.
“I want to feel you. All of you.” He looked funny, his eyes filled with longing, yet flashing with embarrassment.
“It’s okay, Uri. T
his is all part of it.” She wanted him to feel good about this. “This is part of making love. Feel it; it’s wonderful. Don’t be sorry for your feelings. They aren’t wrong.”
The longing in his eyes turned to blue pools of desire, and the embarrassment fled, leaving Heather breathless as she stared at the man in her arms. She wanted to make him feel good. She wanted to make this experience one that he wouldn’t regret when they were finished. She knew in her heart that this wasn’t sinful; it was beautiful. And she wanted Uri to see that too.
She undressed herself and rolled on top of him, telling him, “Feel me, Uri.”
His hands roamed across her body, and she relished the feel of his strong fingers against her skin. She moaned as he cupped her breasts, stroking her areolas with his thumbs, bringing the nipples to stiff peaks, and she watched the wonder in his eyes, as his hands explored her softness. She kissed him then, slowly, before pulling down his underwear. Looking at him, asking the question with her eyes, he nodded at her, dazed.
She wanted him so badly, but she would take her time today. The roles were reversed, here. She could see the irony in the situation. She was taking his virginity, of sorts, and didn’t want to overwhelm him. She had no idea what sex felt like when he had done it before, "for appearances sake," but she knew that this time would be different. For both of them.
As Heather slid herself onto Uri, she watched the glazed look in his eyes disappear, as his cobalt blue irises widened, and he hissed through his teeth, long and slow. She stilled herself, allowing her opening to adjust to his size. When he relaxed a little bit, she began to move on top of him, slowly. She listened to his coarse breathing, as his hands came down to her hips.
“Oh, sweet Mary, that feels so…” Heather watched Uri search for words, as she moved on top of him. His hands clenched her hips, sinking into the flesh. Heather could feel the warmth inside herself build but was concentrating on his enjoyment and didn’t want to distract him with her own feelings of pleasure. She clenched her inner muscles around him and watched his reaction. His mouth came open in a large “oh,” and she could hear him as he tried not to lose control. His hips were thrusting under her, matching her movements, as she drew him in and out of her.
